Monday Market

Saturday my husband decided we would do our grocery shopping together while we were out running other errands. Believe it or not, I think I prefer shopping with just myself and the kids! He's not really that bad, but to me it always seems to take longer when he tags along. I'm more purposeful and walk through a store as if my britches are on fire, he's very laid back and relaxed. He hunch over the shopping cart with his elbows resting on the handle bars and idly pushes the cart through the store. It was beneficial to have him on this trip since my daughter decided she needed to take an extended vacation to the restroom--I didn't have to haul my youngest daughter and all of my coupon/purse stuffs into the bathroom with me. :)

Okay with the sarcasm, Saturday was a great trip! We have my oldest daughter on almond milk, and I plan to keep our kids on non-cow's milk. This past week Publix had Silk almond milk 2/$5, and there had been a $2/1 printable coupon available. Through the graciousness of many acquaintances and friends alike...and some people I don't even know...I was able to pull together nearly 20 coupons. Some of them I didn't acquire until after this shopping trip, so I'll redeem those tomorrow before the sale ends. So Saturday alone I was able to purchase $56 worth of milk for only $8! (Sorry to my FB friends, I believe I calculated wrong the other day and posted the totals wrong. :/ )


I came out of the store with 6 bags of Banquet nuggets, 16 cartons (there's 6 in that case in the picture) of almond milk, 2 marinades, 2 salad dressings (which around here are also marinades), 2 packs of slivered almonds, 2 packs of craisins, 2 boxes of granola bars (which DH had just been asking for!), 2 bags of pretzels, 2 bags of Sunchips, a bottle of vitamins, and 4 boxes of pasta (as if I really need anymore, but I'm trying to keep a continuous supply instead of buying so much en masse)...and what is the total you want to know? I paid $38.28 oop, and will be getting back a $10 rebate gift card!


I also hit up Staples on Friday to take advantage of the free printer paper deal. I bought 2 packs of HP ColorLock paper at $5.99, used 2 $1/1 coupons (had to do this in two transactions), and submitted for the $4.99 rebate. I used their easy rebate, which I had misunderstood the easiness of it. I had been told that you can get the rebate back by PayPal rather than waiting 4-6 weeks for it to come by check. But I understood that to mean that the rebate would be rather quick. However, when I submitted it, it still said a processing time of 4-6 weeks, it will just go to my PayPal rather than a check being mailed. Oh, well. It's money back in the bank at some point in time!

So we're now a little low on funds for this month's grocery budget, but out of this month we're getting back $30 in rebates. ($10 in gas cards from the Kellogg's cereal last week, $10 from the Staples paper deal, and $10 from the Banquet/Con Agra deal)

Market Monday

Well, I'm a day late, but definitely not a dollar short!

For the first time in months I actually did a drug store run. And I think for the first time ever both CVS and Walgreens were successful trips without any glitches...well there was one small "glitch" that I noticed after getting home, so I'll go get it "fixed."


The other day I did a quick Publix run to use up some expiring coupons. I came out with all of this for $10.89!


My Walgreens trip was quick, simple, and profitable. Got mine and my husband's favorite Easter candies for cheap! I got the M&Ms for $1 a bag!! Sadly, I didn't have a coupon for the Cadburry's, but they were still a great price anyway. I did the toothpastes first in two transactions, and put the combined $6RR toward my third transaction which included the candies and the tissues. I started with no RRs and my goal was to leave with no RRs so I didn't have to stress over remembering to use them up later. So I paid $7.36 for all of this. I was surprised until I realized that I'd failed to calculate tax before going. Tax on this was more than one bag of M&Ms!


CVS was again, quick, simple, profitable, and I thought uneventful. When I got home I realized that my ECBs didn't print for one of the toothpastes, so I guess I grabbed the wrong one. I'll go back to exchange it and hope that they still honor the coupon price that was used...if not I'll just return it.


And last but not least, Publix. This didn't turn out as great as I would have liked. I ended up needing to split the transaction between two stores because one was out of the cereal. That messed up the number of $/$$ coupons I was able to use. I would have had $15 if I'd been able to do this all at one spot. As it is, I still was able to use one $5 coupon for each transaction.
I also ended up picking up a few extra items that I hadn't previously known an amount for, so I hadn't worked that into my calculated total. The internet list that I'd printed off of Southern Savers didn't list the Campbell's soup sale, so I'd also forgotten to include that. So my total in store jumped about $12 from what I'd planned before walking into the store. But since I was still saving money on items I needed, I didn't feel too bad about it. I also wasn't able to dig up any of the $1/2 Kellogg's coupons for the Smacks, but my husband really likes those, and I figured the free milk helped balance out that purchase. :) And sadly, that cereal won't last as long as people might think it should. But I must commend my husband, he's gotten much better at rationing his cereal and practicing self control. But he could seriously happily live off of cereal and rice--speaking of rice, they were all out of that so the poor man must suffer with pasta for at least one more night. :) My most exciting purchase for myself was the Campbell's cream of mushroom soups! My daughter seems to be tolerating dairy pretty well, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to cook with cream of mushroom soup again!! The hummus was my only splurge item because it's something I've been wanting to try anyway. Now, how do you eat hummus? With something, in a recipe, or by itself?
So, to summarize Publix, spent $41.07, saved $94.64. Purchased 51 items and used 23 coupons. Not the best savings margine ever, but good, and I got stuff we really needed!

Monday Market

I've revived! I was so busy last week I barely had a chance to realize that I hadn't blogged. I started doing a blog post for my daughter's birthday last week, but just didn't get it finished. Now I'll be able to include the fun memories from her birthday party as well!

Last week there was no Market Monday because we only had $2 left to our names for the rest of the month--due to a bit of miscommunication with our new insurance company and when they were suppose to draft! However, the Lord blessed us with some extra money this past weekend which allowed us to have some grocery money this morning. I feel almost guilty for using some of that money toward Oreos--but they came out as "free" after coupons, so there goes the guilt. :)

$20.55

This past week Winn-Dixie had an online printable coupon for $5/$30, so I wanted to work that to my advantage! I worked together $60 worth of groceries on my list and headed to the store. I used 2 of those coupons, and had vouchers from Nabisco and Lender's due to customer satisfaction issues, so the bagels and one pack of Oreos were free! I have never bought fruit gummies for my kids, and still not sure what I think about it, but with them being BOGO and the $4/4 coupon, I figure it couldn't hurt to have them around as an occasional treat! My husband has the world's biggest sweet tooth, and rarely do I give in to it with candy--which is really his preference over baked goods. So I got him some of the BOGO candy, but will try to keep it hidden til Easter! I picked up some more Kraft dressing to use as marinades for freezing my meats, and love that Bertolli pasta sauce, so couldn't resist that! The french fries were a splurge for my daughter. She loves chicken and french fries, which was always something she would get when she went to eat lunch at work with Daddy. However, she is no longer eats for free at the dining room where he eats, so her lunches with Daddy will become much more infrequent. :(

This week seem to have been more of "splurge" items, but I'm trying to get my wheels out of some ruts. I've overcome the hill of, "I have a coupon so I have to buy it!" And I've even gotten over the hill of, "I don't have a coupon, so we can't buy it!" But I haven't fully gotten past, "It's not on sale, so we can't get it." There are many items and things that we use to eat and enjoy that we haven't had in ages because they never go on sale or if they do the don't have a coupon match up, so I write it off as an unnecessary expense. However, as my husband keeps urging me, if it's something I'll eat, it's not an unnecessary expense. (Although, I'm pretty sure Oreos wasn't what he had in mind when he said that!) But this week I enjoyed relaxing myself a little bit and getting not just necessities, but a few pleasure items--which many worked out to FREE because of using two of the $5/$30 coupons--so it wasn't so bad! The crescent rolls were one of the items my husband was referring to with his statement, so I excitedly grabbed two of those. I LOVE Pillsbury crescent rolls!

So, in summary, I bought 32 items, used 17 coupons, spent $20.55, and saved $71.22!

Monday Market

This last week has been SO busy getting ready for our local Mom2Mom swap that I hadn't even had a chance to really look at the sales ads, I just knew I needed to take advantage of the gas coupon! Well, we've already used up our gas budget for the month (thanks to the gas prices!) so the gas gift card was coming out of our grocery money, which we already determined we were trying to keep low this month. So, as much as I would have loved to snag a few of those gift cards, I had to restrict myself to just one. :(
So, I got all the stuff that I could get for pretty much free! :) Here's what I got--25 grocery items + a $50 gas gift card, and I only spent $41.66! Wish I'd had more Raisin Bran coupons, or a way of getting it cheaper. That's my husband's favorite!


No, the tractor in the background was not included in our trip! It's one of those horribly noisy toys that makes noise when you move it, and my girls were sleeping. I decided it could stay in the picture. :)
Poor Emma got excited about the smoothies, but can't have them Guess we'll be making some custom ones! Can't wait for summer so we can put more blueberries in the freezer! A few weeks ago she'd specially requested Capri Sun's for her birthday. I hope these Minute Maids will suffice!

Monday Market

I know I'm a day late, but I was too tired yesterday to do anything more than I absolutely had to. Not sure why I've been so tired lately...but I have confirmation that it's not the first thing that popped into everyone's head (although I definitely would not complain if it were!). :)

Yesterday was a simple shopping day, as I'm anticipating all month. We are well stocked on many things and don't really need to spend much grocery money. This will be a big blessing this month as yesterday had an unexpected expense that nearly brought me to tears of frustration.

I'm still keeping this short and simple. I paid $7.41 and saved $23.04. The bakery item was a splurge for my husband. He grew up in Europe with real bread, and Publix bakery just started a new line of Italian inspired rolls that are par-baked in a stone oven. He loved it!

The Quaker cereal is one of my girls' favorite snack foods--and pretty healthy too!

Market Monday

Very rarely does a Publix shopping trip go by without me praising the Lord for the people who have patiently taught and guided me into the world of coupons and savings. When once we lived not even making it from paycheck to paycheck, and savings was a dream far off in the future, we now end each month with money still in our bank account, we have a savings account with money in it, and we've invested in life insurance policies. This is made possible by God's great love and provision for us, and He uses coupons as a means to help us spend (and save) our money more wisely.
This week I again drove out to the more coupon-friendly Publix--although a bit hesitantly since my gas light was on when I turned the car on! I called my husband to see how many miles I was suppose to get, and we decided I could make it there and back. I looked at the odometer when we were only half-way home, and we were already 8 miles over how far my husband said we could go on the tank. I was a little nervous! But we had a goal not to fill up again this month. :) Perhaps a bit silly, and we'll see if I can even get the car to the gas station tomorrow!
I had an unusual experience in the store today. I had just stopped in the middle of the store to put Edith in the carrier (she had bumped her head on the cart and was starting to get sleepy, so wasn't settling down. I was going to need extra room in the cart anyway), and another lady with a cart full items similar to the items in my cart, stopped me to make sure I had all the coupons I needed because she had extra! I'd seen other couponers in the stores, obviously, but no one ever stopped me. We chatted for a few minutes, and then she asked me if I had the coupons for the Mueller's pasta brand. I was starting to brush off her offer when she said they were a money maker! I got excited. My first thought was the close to 20 boxes of pasta already on my shelf. My second thought was, "Yes! Less money I'll have to spend!" She handed me a wad of coupons--12 to be exact--and then continued her shopping. Each of those coupons made me $.61! It was as if that lady had just handed me $3.66 cash!
One nice thing about the Publix I went to--they didn't make me do separate transactions of $50 in order to use my competitor coupon of $5/$50.
Probably the only other thing I'll have to buy this month (March) will be basic baking supplies and meat and whatever we'll need for Emma's birthday that I don't already have. She's requested Capri Sun's for her birthday, so I'm hoping the may go on sale (or I may just get them at Sam's). I don't think she even knows what they are, but twice when we've been on the juice aisle the over the last few shopping trips, she's asked if we could have those for her birthday. I was going to do just water, but I told her we'll see. :)

Today I came home with 109 items, and I only paid $18.11!
(oh, and the cutie in the corner: PRICELESS!)

On the Dorito/Pepsi deal I decided to make it a money-maker rather than take full advantage of the deal and getting 4 free Pepsis. These items will be for my sister. She has mid-term exams coming up, so this snack food along with a nice, yummy pizza should be just the right distraction!

I have one full-price item in here, and that's the vegan butter ($3.79) for the cookies my daughter wants to make.

Free or overage items:
16 Uncle Ben's rice 1.99 BOGO - 16 x $1/1 coupon = FREE (I spent $2.40 on coupons)
2 lbs strwaberries @ 1.66/lb - 2 x $1/1 produce wyb OM Deli Fresh - $1/1 babyclub q = -$.32
12 Mueller's pasta 1.39 BOGO - 12 $1/1 coupon = -$3.66
10 Mentos 0.50 - 10 x $.50/1 coupon = FREE
2 baguettes 1.49 - 2 x $1.50/1 bakery bread wyb 6 Hunts sauce/paste = FREE

In addition to "regular" coupons, I used 2 $5/20 select items Publix coupons and 2 $5/$50 competitor store coupons. That's and easy $20 off!

Market Monday - Exciting Savings and a Bit of Toddler Drama

Well, I hadn't planned on having this post this week, because I hadn't planned to do any shopping this week. Ironically, the week that everyone was getting their best-ever deals and savings at Publix is the week that I looked at the ad and said, "Oh, that won't benefit us. I won't do any shopping this week." Then my sister (a college student) commented that she'd like some past fixings for her room. Well, at least she told me while they were still on sale!
So I pulled up I Heart Publix and hunted down the coupons for the deals. I almost felt deceitful doing it, but I drove out to the one (out of the four) Publix's in our area that is super lenient on their coupon rules, because I had some coupons that would triple stack. I'm not sure how (and I'm not complaining) but I came out paying a little bit less than I anticipated. The cashier didn't really pay attention to my coupons, and since I'm pretty positive they were all correct, I'm assuming I just worked my numbers wrong. The only "bummer" was that the store wouldn't let me have overage. I really don't get that since it seems all my couponing buddies seem to get overage from time to time. She went to scan my last coupon, and it wouldn't let her because it would have brought it to a negative. I asked if they could just change the value of the coupon, and she said "no". So, instead I paid $.70 for most of this...
...plus two candies that didn't make it home. :) I had the BOGO Snickers coupon, and was going to get that as a filler item at Publix, but they didn't have the right bar for the coupon. Poor Emma--I had told her I'd get her a special treat because she had been really good and very helpful while in the store. When they were out of the candy she was disappointed, but kept a good attitude (something we've been working on, so I was proud of her!). She was, of course, offered a balloon. At our usual Publix the bring the balloon with either a clip or some weight tied to it so the child is less likely to lose the balloon, or they at least tie it on my kids wrist for me. Well, here the manager came and handed them to me while I was in the midst of paying, so while forking over my $0.70 and waiting for my receipt, I loosely tied the balloon to Emma's wrist (so we could easily get it off to put her in her car seat) and the other to Edith's ankle. As we were walking out of the store, a gust of wind blew, and there went Emma's balloon. She was devastated, but was still working out not fussing about it. The kind gentleman helping us to the car offered to get her another balloon. I felt bad, but he offered, and because I really wanted Emma to be rewarded for how well behaved she was being, I accepted his offer. I continued on to the car with our things while he went back inside for another balloon. I had everything in the car, including the girls, when he returned with a very large balloon. Emma thanked him, and I got her buckled in. As we were pulling out of the parking lot I hear POP! Poor Emma was shocked, and then she could contain her disappointment no longer. She began to just wail. Part of her cry I could tell was because she'd been frightened. The balloon hurt her when it snapped, I think she was more scared that it had hurt her than of the actual noise. So, I promised her we would go get a special treat. I pulled out my Wendy's "free fries" coupon that I'd been holding out on, and treated her to some fries and nuggets--the we tracked down that candy bar at Wal-Mart.

So, back to the shopping trip. We price matched some produce at Wal-Mart and got 20lbs of potatoes for $3 and a few pounds of grapes at $.99/lb. I literally walked to every single check out line looking for the Peanut Butter Snickers that was covered by the coupon, and found ONE left at the last check out line! Honestly, I wasn't impressed, but it was free. :)

My husband ran out the other night because I was desperate for some real milk, and our local Facebook coupon support group had a notice on it of a local supermarket that had a coupon out for a free gallon of milk with the purchase of 4 Kellogg's cereals. Well, since Kellogg's cereals were BOGO at Publix this week, we decided to take advantage of another great deal, since we seriously can never have enough cereal in this house! (I love Oreos and ice cream more than my husband, and he loves cereal more than me---just kidding!) He found peelies on the boxes for $1 off produce wyb 2 boxes of cereal. Sadly, I failed to get a picture of his amazing deal that he pulled off at Publix, but I'll list it out for you instead:

4 Kellogg's Frosted Flakes $4.09/ea - BOGO = 8.18
- 2 - $1/2 Kellogg's Frosted Flakes 6.18
1 Milk 3.35 - Competitor Coupon = 0.00
Grapes 1.26lb @ 1.69/lb - $1 coupon 1.13
3 Bananas 1.03lb @ .69/lb -$1 couopn -.29
Total = $7.02

Another shopping adventure that took place this weekend, but was not photographed (and did not include food) was a trip to JoAnn's Fabrics. They had Simplicity patterns for $1/each. Some of the patterns I got were regularly priced at almost $17! We also found some storage bins on clearance for $.97, and got a cutting mat for our rotary cutter for clipping coupons. In all I paid around $18 for 3 storage bins, a cutting mat, and 7 patterns, and my receipt said I saved $97+. (I don't have the receipt in front of me at the moment.

So, I didn't stick to my goal of not shopping, but I'm pleased with what I got. My sister has enough soup, rice, and pasta to last her probably through the summer, and I paid $.70 for all of it!

Market Monday

Well, nothing too exciting for this past week. It started out as a bad week because I TOTALLY blew it at CVS last week. I went in there to redeem a raincheck, get cheap laundry soap, and use up my ECBs that were expiring. I was also in a rush to pick up something from the pharmacy before it closed and get to church on time. My husband had handed me his debit card for the pharmacy (I never use a debit card anymore.), and I guess because I had it in my hand, I unthinkingly handed that to the cashier when he gave me my total for the detergent. I remember thinking, "I wasn't suppose to pay that much." But I was distracted by the sound of the pharmacy rolling down their gate, and just brushed it aside as another one of my messed-up drug store runs. When I got to the car, I realized my mistake. I seriously howled in frustration!
Later in the week I messed up at Publix, but it was "only" a $5 error, so not really the end of the world.
Tonight, I ran into Publix just to grab some of the dairy-free margarine that we use for my daughter. It's really not my preference, but it usually ends up being the cheapest option.
I just looked at next week's Sneak Peek on I Heart Publix, and next week isn't looking too exciting either. I think I may actually go a week without buying anything! Of course, there's always those little baking necessities that you never realize you're almost out of until you're half-way through mixing all the ingredients together. (Please tell me I'm not the only person that happens to!)

Monday Market

A review of my last few shopping trips. Today and yesterday was incredible! I'm blessed to live in the land of Publix! This past weekend we enjoyed all of Kellogg's cereals and Pop-Tarts at 50% off. Though this is not much different from a BOGO sale, it was beneficial if you only had an odd number of coupons. My husband is a cereal hound--he could seriously eat a box of cereal in one sitting. I find this incredible because I can't really stand cereal, so I don't understand someone eating a whole box in one sitting! So, anytime we can get cereal for cheap (or free) we stock up as much as we can!

So, yesterday we ran to Publix (just the hubs and me!) to take advantage of the Kellogg's sale. (Sad when your idea of a date night is a quick grocery store trip!) We got 8 boxes of Special K, a bag of kettle chips, some dried pineapple (both of these items were splurges because DH went with me), and a bottle of coffee creamer for my mom who is staying with us for a few days (hence the reason we were able to go out with no kids). One box of Special K is regularly $3.99. For all of the items I just listed, we paid $6.80! According to the receipt, that's a savings of $27.51!

I did my real shopping trip today. Since my mother has been in town, I've been a little slower about getting my list and coupons together. But I've been trying to convince her that all of this coupon-stuff is worth the effort. So I dragged her to Publix with me this morning and proved it. We got 30 items, two of which were Poise pads for my mom (and for the Kimberly-Clark rebate). Each of these packages are over $13. My complete transaction total came to $23.29! That's about $3 less than just the two packs of pads for my mom! I was so thrilled to get to show her this incredible savings! And I'll still be getting back a $10 Publix gift card (or rather, my mom will be). So, in reality, today's trip will have cost $13.29! My receipt says savings of $91.30, but when we consider the rebate, it will be savings of $101.30. Wow!

I came home with rain checks for a few items, one of which is the Kraft Homestyle Mac n Cheese. I have a child with dairy allergies, so I never get mac n cheese anymore, but I love it! So I'm excited for this opportunity to try it for free. :)

I love coupons and Publix. And I'm ever so thankful for the people who patiently helped me learn this coupons system!

Market Monday

Wow! What a l-o-n-g day. It was prefaced by a long night of one restless 2-year-old, and one sleepless 7-month-old, ending in one tired Mommy! It didn't help that the real feel today was at least 104! The baby woke up at 8, I nursed her, and we hit the stores. We started with gas, since we had none in the car...literally. I put over 17 gallons in a 17 gallon tank. I took one lump picture of my trip today, but will still give a bit of a breakdown. (I don't want to get too detailed because I'm ready for bed!)

My first stop was Walgreens where I did three transactions. I took advantage of each of their "free" items listed on the front page of their ad. So I came out with 2 bottles of vitamins (had a q, so paid $9 and got back $10RR for each), 1 box Crayola markers, 3 one-subject notebooks, 3 packs of index cards (still go through them almost as quickly as we did in college!), 1 bottle of contact solution, and a 24-pack of Crayola crayons. I paid oop (out-of-pocket) $13.97 and walked out with $10RR.
OOP: $13.97
Total without sale: $50.33
Saved: $36.36
RR: $10

I then stopped at CVS to get the Austin crackers that were on sale 10/$10. I had 4 - $1/2 q's, so I paid $.50/pack. I also invested in a green tag for my bag so I can start making money off of using my reusable shopping bags. So my total came to $5.07.
OOP: $5.07
Total without sale: $15.31
Saved: $10.24
ECB: $0

Sam's was on my hit list, but the savings there aren't the same. But I got items that I never see on sale and/or never see coupons for and/or are still cheaper at Sam's against even the best sales prices I've seen. So I spent $41.49 there. (Items not pictured)
OOP: $41.49

Then we paused to feed and change the baby and have lunch with Daddy. Then we hopped over to Winn-Dixie. My main objective there was the Ritz Crackerfuls (which Southern Savers had had me hopeful of getting for free at Walgreens, but they weren't included in the sale). I got a box of these for $1.50 a few weeks ago, and LOVED them! So I ordered coupons online and collected a few more from swaps, and got some crackers! I'll have to hit another Winn-Dixie tomorrow, because the one I went to was out of the flavor I like. I picked these up for $1/box! I also went for cream cheese, since I could live off of the stuff, and they had it 10/$10. I also wanted to take advantage of the B2G1 M&M coupon from yesterday's paper along with their BOGO sale, but they were out of peanut M&M's. So I'll try another WD tomorrow, or get a rain check. I picked up 2 Sara Lee pound cakes with some q's to go along with the lasagna and garlic bread that I got for dirt cheap last week. (Now all I need is a salad and I'll have a meal for $10 people for under $10!) So, as of the moment:
OOP: $13.73
Total without sale: $42.55
Saved: $28.82

And last, but not least, Publix. May I once again say how much I LOVE the service at Publix! When I was at WD, I had both girls with me and was having trouble getting my cart maneuvered and things out of my cart because I had the carrier in the cart, and there were three workers standing there watching me struggle, and not one offered any assistance. I know from multiple experiences at Publix that each of the three people would have not only offered, but would have done something to help if I'd been in that store. However, I did not like the Publix I was in today. Not because of the service, but because of the set-up. After Winn-Dixie, we picked my sister up and took her to the doctor. While she was there, we shopped at the Publix across the street. I have to say that that store has the most retarded setup I've ever seen in a store! It was very frustrating! But I still made it through, a bit flustered, but still managed to find most of what I was looking for, and save money!
I was working on getting the ConAgra rebate for the $10gc to Publix. So I got a few "new" things for us to try, and then got some ketchup to stash (since my 2-year-old thinks everything must be eaten with ketchup!). I won't bore you with all the details. But I will share some highlights. I used my $10RR from Walgreens, a $5/10 items ConAgra q, a $1.50/4 items ConAgra q, and tons of other coupons. I have a picture showing my great deals with more details there!
OOP: $44.48
Total without sale: $147.06
Saved: $102.58


Here's my overall picture of my shopping trip:

And my great buys!
I got both boxes of Juicy Juice for $.80. The Ritz Crackerfuls, as I mentioned, were $1. The vitamins and contact solution are technically free. (I technically got paid $1 for each bottle of vitamins.) The juice I got for $.50/ea. (This means $.50 for 40oz of juice!) The Austin crackers for $.50/ea, and the baby food (the pouches) for free. So for everything in this picture I paid $18.80.

So, totals today:
OOP: $118.74
Saved: $178.00

Market Monday

Well, this past week we were scrounging for pennies, but I had another ironing job come in, so was able to make a little bit of money. Enough to pick up some essentials! Here's what I picked up over the weekend and this morning.

My new best shopping trip! This is the first time I got paid to shop! I made $2.50! I had ordered $0.75/1 Target Q's online, and a few more of the toothpaste MQ's to go with the ones I already had. So, six thing of toothpast at $1.00/ea, and I had $8.50 in coupons!


The deodorant was a necessity for me and a preference for my husband. I had $1/1 coupons, and a $10 Target gift card that we got for getting a new prescription there a few weeks ago when DH was sick. So I guess technically, we didn't pay for this deodorant. But it totaled $5.70 for five sticks. Not bad.


So, what can you get for $5? Today I had to go get bread because we missed the bread store before it closed the other day. Due to my daughter's allergies, Nature's Own Whitewheat is the primary brand we buy. I pick that up for $.99 at the bread store, and today I got Nature's Own bagels for $.50/ea. One pack was the bagel thins that I've been wanting to try for sandwiches. Then I swung over to Publix to get my free Chef Boyardee (that I definitely will not eat, but it was free, so I figured I cold give it to someone.) I've also been out of bodywash for a few days, and was able to pick up two for $2 today.
...Okay, so I just double checked my receipt, and I ended up paying $.56 for the Chef Boyardee, and $1.50 for the soap. Oh, well, it will make a cheap thing for a college student or for a food drive.


We also picked up this weekend 4 Oral-B toothbrushes for DH (he didn't like the hi-tech one I got for free a few weeks ago) for $2 and 2 Tombstone pizzas (that didn't last long enough for a picture!) for $1.97. A poor substitute for the Domino's pizza I've been craving, but much cheaper!

Market Monday

So, I'm a few days late. I hate this time of the month. We get two weeks into the month and have to food or money left in the house. The whole coupon thing is suppose to help save money, but the idea is to create a build, but I can't even scrounge up enough money to get us through the month, let alone create a build!

The raid was a necessity, and I had GREAT coupons on that. All of this cost me less than $4! One can of raid alone was $3.98. So overall, this is probably one of my best shopping trips when you look at the numbers. The next is pretty close, though.


I couldn't do my "Monday Market" because I was doing ironing for someone to earn the money to buy some groceries. These are some stock-up items I got. There are 17 items and I paid just over $18. So again, one of my best trips when you look at the numbers.

I'd love to write more on other topics, but I'm beat. Baby girl is getting her fifth tooth in two weeks, and I'm tired!

Market Monday

When last week's sales ads came out I had determined not to even look at them because we were already out of money. But then I got the feed about free blueberries, and I just couldn't help looking over then entire ad. Over the last several days we have been nabbing free blueberries! Along with those we got a few other things that we just could not resist. I have been wanting to try Seventh Generation products as they are more environmentally friendly, safer for my home and family, and much nicer on my septic tank. (Clean up one backed-up septic mess, and you'll do everything possible to avoid doing it again!) Publix had them BOGO this week, and I had already ordered coupons for their products in anticipation of trying them. We were in need of dish soap anyway, so I nabbed some. Here are some pictures of our last few shopping trips.


and...
and...
...and three more things of blueberries that are not pictured.

So, all things considered, we have for this weeks spending:

11 pints of blueberries - 2/$3 on sale - $1.50/1 coupon = FREE
6 Almond breeze - $2.99 on sale - $1/1 MQ - $1/1 Publix Q = $.99/ea
4 Seventh Generation dish soap - $2.99 - BOGO - $1/1 MQ = $.99/ea
2 cantaloupe (because I got some last week and it was so good I couldn't resist!) = $1.99/ea
2 potatoes (to satisfy a craving [splurged]) - $1.09/lb = $2.26
*not pictured* (birthday gifts for my sister)
1 - 12 pack caffeine free Dr. Pepper - 4.00
1 Pillsbury funfetti frosting - 1.69

Coupon savings = 32.50
Total spent = 23.58

To me that total just doesn't sound as impressive as I would like, but when I look at the receipts individually, it looks pretty good. For example, the receipt for the second picture comes to $4.24. The milk in that picture alone, with no coupons, would cost me $7.38 at regular price. So, I didn't do too bad!

The third picture is from Flowers Bakery discount bread store. This past week the Nature's Own was $2.85 and BOGO at Publix--or $1.43/loaf. I got it $.99/loaf, the English muffins for $.50, and the crackers for $2. So all for $4.48--another receipt under $5!

Considering we had very little money left last week, and I still spent some, I REALLY need to avoid looking at sales ads this week!

Market Monday

Okay, from now on I'm planning to do my main shopping on Mondays. So here is what is intended to be the first of many Market Mondays. I'm still not convinced we're saving money, but as I total things up, compare prices to what I would have paid at Wal-Mart, and see at the end of the month how our spending match up to previous months, I'm hoping I will be more convinced! Along with my normal grocery shopping, I'm also stocking up for a week-long vacation in August when we will be staying at an extended-stay hotel with my husband's family and we will be feeding ten people each meal. So along with saving money for our household, I've enjoyed the challenge of getting food for vacation for as cheap as possible. My husband's family loves there snack food, soda, and desserts. How nice that those are typically the items you can get the best deals on! (As a side note--this is a matter of great frustration to me. Why is it that junk food, sugar-loaded cereal, and soda frequently have great sales and coupons, while healthy stuff sees fewer sales and even fewer coupons?!) We never buy soda for our home, and we rarely buy junk-food snacks, so any of those that you may see here are most likely for vacation.

So, my first store today was CVS. They had General Mills cereal 3/$10 with $4 ECB. So it made it like 2/$6 --comparable to Publix sale price.
General Mills Cereal - 3/$10
Coupons - $2.05
Spent - $7.95
Got - $4.00 ECB

Then I went to Winn-Dixie to get the meal deal, but changed my mind. I did want to get a $10/$50 print out so I bought two packets of taco season for $1 total--but sadly I didn't get a print out. So that trip was a waste of time and money. :(

Next I went to Publix. Here I struck gold! And may I just say I LOVE Publix customer service! One item I was getting didn't have a BOGO sign on it, so the guy went to check the sale for me and told me to continue my shopping and he'd find me to let me know if it was indeed on sale. When he found me he brought with him 4 bottles of the juice and asked if I wanted any more. I did, but I told him I was fine--I should have let him get me more, because when I went back to get it I had to climb up the shelves to do so! :) Later, as I was ready to check out, my toddler bumped her mouth on the cart and her lip started bleeding. So an employee grabbed a paper towel for her mouth and a sanitary wipe for the finger that my daughter would keep out of her mouth since it now had blood all over it. The employee then asked if I was ready to check out, pulled my cart up to the line, and unloaded all of my groceries for me! And of course when I was done, someone took my things out to the car and put them in the car for me while I got the girls settled in. Where else do you get such great service and still save money?! I still didn't walk away with free groceries, or getting paid to shop, but I still did pretty well I think. Especially since I'm still learning.
This may take me a while to type out as I have a six-month-old assistant in my lap!

6 Mott's Medley Juice - $3.07 BOGO - used $1/1 coupons from Publix Summer Savings
4 Mott's Tott's - $3.07 BOGO
1 Tombstone Pizza (not pictured) - $5.95 - had Q - purchase pizza and dorito's get free Mt. Dew
2 Dorito's - $3.99 BOGO
3 Mt. Dew - $1.57 B2G1 - one free with coupon, paid for one more, got the third free!
2 Almond Breeze - $2.99 - $1/1 Q from Publix flyer, $1/1 MQ
6 Yoplait - $0.50 - $.0.50/6 coupon
4 Nabisco crackers - $4.49 BOGO
6 General Mills Cereal - $4.09 BOGO - coupons
4 Ronzoni pastas - $1.39 BOGO
2 Craisins - $2.25 BOGO
1 Rubbing Alcohol - $1.49 - FREE - Baby Club coupon
.75 lb cherries - $2.36
.60 lb tomatoes - $0.59
1 cantaloupe - $1.99

Merchandise Total = $119.00
MQs = $7.55
Sale Savings = $48.88
Store Qs = $9.49
ECB's = $4.00
RR= $10.00
Total Spent = 39.08
SAVED = 79.92

Not too shabby, I think!