Ways I Save

Part Three

We stockpile items we find on sale. Right now in my kitchen you will find various food and cooking items that were free or cheap after coupon. In the bathroom closet you will find many health and beauty products, cosmetics, and over-the-counter items we purchased the same way. If it's free it's for me (within reason).
Today was a fairly good shopping trip. We made stops at CVS, Walgreen's, Walmart, and Meijer. Below is the breakdown.


CVS

2 Clean and Clear Blackhead Cleansers @ $4.99 each
1 Clean and Clear Astringent @ $5.19 each

Used a $3 off of $15 purchase coupon, and 3 $2 off of 1 Clean and Clear product coupons from their website.

Before coupon total =$ 16.03
After coupon total = $7.13 (placed on gift card from yesterday).
Earned $5.00 ecb (in-store coupon good off of next purchase) for Clean and Clear Deal. Purchase $15.00 in Clean and Clear products and receive a $5.00 ecb. Total is pre-coupon price.


Walgreens

4 Reynolds Wrap Foil (20ft) @ $1.69 each
3 Wax Papers
2 Halls Cough Drop 30ct @ $1.99 each
4 Mentos Gum @ $1.00 each
2 Hershey's Bars @ $0.80 each
2 20oz Coke @ $1.11 each
9 Soy Joy Bars @ $0.50 each

-$3.00/10 Soy Joy (they didn't have 10 bars so the cashier offered to enter it in manually)
-4/$1.00/1 Mentos Gum coupon (free after coupon)
-4/$1.00/1 Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil (better than free after coupon)
-2/$1.00/1 Halls
-$1.19 for buy one get one free Coke coupon
-$0.80 for Hershey's (free with 20oz coke purchase)
-3/$0.50/1 Wax Paper (I didn't realize til I got home that these shouldn't have gone through, they were for a different brand. Try to be more careful than I was.)
-6.50 Walgreen's in-ad coupon for foil or wax paper ( paid a little over a dollar for foil and wax paper after in-ad and product coupon)
-1.20 Walgreen's in-ad coupon for Halls

Before coupon total=$29.00
After coupon total=$5.62



Walmart

This total was a little higher than I would have liked, but there were a few things we needed to pick up that weren't on sale, or didn't have a coupon for.

1 Viva Paper Towel @ $0.59
1 Sandwich Bread @$ 0.88
6 Wheat Thins Artisan Crackers @ $2.00 each
2 Arm and Harmer Baking Soda @ $1.00 each
2 Ball Park Hot Dogs @ $2.54 each
2 2-liter Coke @ $1.50 each
1 Kashi Tuscon Veggie Bake @ $3.00 (free item coupon)
1 Carefree Panty-liner @ $1.00 (free after coupon)
2 Starkist Tuna Pouch @ $1.77 each
6 Reeses Whips @ $0.64 each ($0.14 each after coupon)
1 Nylon brush @ $3.97
2 Dozen eggs @ $1.00 each
1 Toddler swimsuit @ $9.50
2 Pizza Pans @ $2.97 each
1 Kraft Salad Dressing @ $1.58 each
1 Nail polish remover @ $1.00 each
1 Neosporin @ $3.87
1 Tylenol 125ct @ $7.96
3 Band-aids 30ct @ $1.77 each
2 Limes @ $0.30 each
1 Head of lettuce @ $0.68
1 Delmonte 100 Calorie Fruit @ $0.88 (free after coupon)
1 Aquafresh trial size @ $0.97 (free after coupon)


Coupons Used
-$0.50 on 1 Viva Paper Towel
-3 buy one get one free coupons(-$6.00)
-$1.00/2 Baking Soda
-$3.00 (free Kashi item coupon)
-$1.00/1 Carefree Pantiliners
-3/$1.00/2 Reese's Whipps
-$0.88 (Free Delmonte 100 Calorie Fruit Coupon)
-$1.50/1 Kraft Salad Dressing
-$1.00/1 Neosporin
-$1.00/1 Tylenol
-$0.97 (Free Aquafresh Trial Size Coupon)
-3 $1.00/1 Band-aids

Total before coupons=$75.09

Total after coupons=$57.04


I'm not sure where the Meijer receipt is, but I will post it later when I find it.

Ways I Save

Part Two

I shop at thrift stores and garage sales, and I purchase a lot of clothes for my toddler this way. Our local thrift store has fill-a-bag sales several times a month. I get her basic clothes, and Church dresses for around $5. This really helps a lot since she grows like a weed. I am also able to find a few things for my husband and myself while shopping these sales.
Last spring we hit a garage sale in a neighboring town. We managed to get most of my daughter's summer wardrobe for a quarter a piece, and they were name-brand clothes in nice condition.
You can find more than just clothes. We've purchased chairs, bookshelves, and various household items. You just need to be willing to look.

I Went Shopping Today and I'm Up $24

I made a quick stop today for some Easter goodies at CVS. They had a special for Sunday and Monday. The M&Ms were a $1.50 a bag, and the Easter egg dye was $1.99 with a $1.99 ecb(In-store coupon good on your next purchase. Make sure you sign up for the extra care card in the store to make use of these.). For the first transaction I purchased 2 packs of Easter egg dye for a total of $3.98. I paid with a $3.49 in ecbs from last trip and around $0 .56 in change. Earned $3.98 in ecbs. For my second transaction I purchased two bags of M&Ms and a pack of plastic eggs. Paid with $3.98 in ecbs and $0.21 in change. My total for both transactions was under a dollar.
We went to my in-law's house for dinner. While we were there my mother-in-law ended up needing a prescription filled. I offered them the $25 gift card coupon that I had in my coupon binder. They didn't want the card, but they picked it up for me and now I'm up $24 for the day. Not too bad I think.


You can view the rest of the cvs weekly deals here

Ways I Save

Part One

I try to use reusable grocery bags every time I go to the store. I sometimes forget, but it really does help. Not only is it less wasteful, but it also protects my purchases. Many times when I use a regular plastic bag for our groceries they end up rolling under the car before we can get them into our home. When I use the reusable bag I don't end up with ruined groceries, and therefore save money.

Following

I added the blogs I visit frequently to my following list. Check them out. Click view my complete profile to view the list.

Money Saving Tips Week

I haven't been posting on here as much as I should, but I have some informative posts planned for this week. I want to show you what I do every week to save money. Starting Monday I will post one tip everyday.

Saving Money On Vacation

Next week I'm going on a road trip with the women in my family. While trips do eat up a bit of money, we have decided to come up with some ways to keep costs as low as possible.

1. Not picking up snacks at gas stations. I stockpile a lot of items for my home so there are plenty of snacks to bring that I purchased for nearly free.

2. Not eating out for every meal. We have opted to bring a cooler and fill it with items to make healthy/easy meals.

3. Using the internet to come up with the best hotel and car deals. I always try to utilize the internet to make sure I get the best deal. Sites like hotels.com make that easy.

4. I'm bringing my coupon binder. Even on vacation I use coupons.

These are just some of the things you can do to keep costs down.

I've Really Been Slacking

I haven't posted on here much. Pretty much not at all. I hope to change that. My goal this month is to blog on here at least 5 times a week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I am able to do this.