A day without booger; a bag of groceries, and a glass of wine.

I won't start this by saying oh I went shopping for an hour and saved $50 at Target or Walmart, or wherever. Nope, I am going to start this post by saying I went shopping from 11 am to 8pm, and oh my god I am tired! #mydogsarebarking I went shopping for 8 hours to 4 different stores! All this, just to get that "good" deal. Well folks I did it. I spent a little over $200 but saved $3-400. I have had a glass or two of Moascato, so I am estimating. It is somewhere between $3-400 saved. Wine. 

 I guess in the overall big picture I saved a bit. And I got things to donate to charity. The local Lutheran church gives food to those in need with an open pantry to those who need food. And believe me I know what it is like to go without. And it is rough. It is why I coupon and why I will never stop. I now have so much in my stock that I don't have to shop for a month! Or two. And I am prepared for any financial catastrophe. So, in the event of cataclismic financial issues, we can survive off the stock for months. Yay. 

Our first stop was at Windixie, which is an ok store to shop. Their coupon policy is a bit strange but I did get good bargains. For instance, wine, #herewegoagain was only 2 for $10. And here lately Barefoot wine is $6.97,so this was a great deal! I saved $1.97 on each bottle. So, their coupon policy. If there is a bogo, you can only use 1 mfc and 1 sc. You can not stack the mfc. Bummer. I tried that today....nope. But one this item fabreeze scents; I got on sale and used a coupon. $1.47 for a cartridge. And it was a Christmas pine scent. (Hides cat smell.)  great right?

Then we went to Walmart. And I stocked up on cat food for $2.47 a bag. I had mfc from my coupon site  for $2 off any size Iams cat food. They had a small bag for $4.47. I got a bunch of them along with dog food, tooth brushes for my son, Pampers(not pictured), and Easter stuff. I also got FREE makeup from Wet n' wild cosmetics. How? Well, a $1.00 off any Fergie or regular cosmetic item by that company from the paper. The eye liner was $.93 and the nail Polish was $.93 soooo, free. 

Excuse my Olive Garden box..I got hungry. 

Then we went to Target. This is where I saved a bunch. People let me tell you, Target is a coupon gold mine. If you play the field right you can walk out with so much stuff it is crazy! If you have Redcard and you have the Cartwheel, you can save extra on each item. Example: Glade wax melts. They were on sale for $2.99 each. I had a sc (store coupon) for $1.50 off two and I had a mfc(manufacturer coupon) for $1 off two. There was a Cw for 5% off and Redcard is an extra 5% so, it was roughly $3.14 for two. If you want per item it is $1.57 each. Not bad. There was also a sale on Colgate white mouthwash. This was a steal! $2.99 on sale, sc for $1 and mfc for $1 along with Redcard . I got it for less than $1. I took advantage of that the day before.

Yesterday.

So, I got another bottle. Then there was a good deal on baby food. I had sc and several mfc for $ 1 off two Gerber Graduates baby cereal.  It came to about $.74 a container. I stocked up.My boy needs variety. 

He also got green beans. His fave. The cat litter was $7.49 and I got it for $4.49 after my high value coupon. Mfc $3 off! The spree in the picture was free! They were 10 for $10 and I had $1 coupon for $1 off. The French mustard was $.58. The picture above was photo one of two.

I got my hubby dark chocolate m&ms I had a Cw, sc, and mfc. So they were cheap. $2.99 a bag I got $2.50 off two and the 25% off Cw. Wow. I basically got one bag free.

Glade again. The Mio was on sale for $2.50 I got each one for $1 after the mfc. The Loreal hair, I had a Catalina for $1 off.  Catalina's are coupons that print after or during a transaction, to be used on the next transaction. Cvs has these a lot.  Then I had the mfc for $2 off. I got it for $.99! Yay! The Purex crystals were on clearance. I got each one for $2 and the Downy for $ 2 after sc and mfc's. The Party mix was on sale for $1.50 a bag and I had sc and mfc. Each bag was less than a dollar. The Glade sprayer was $7.99 I had a mfc for $3 off then a rebate from checkout51 for $3, making it $1.99! 

I loved saving the money and if you don't include my bracelet I only spent $80 on groceries here.

Publix.

This picture did not include the freezer items. Which needs to be frozen. So they were not in the picture. I got 12 Maruchan Yokisoba noodles for FREE! I have been holding on to these coupons and there it was a bogo at Publix for these. Normally priced at $.99 each, my coupon for $1 off two made each and everyone free. That is nuts. The Pure Via stevia had a sc for $1 off , I also had mfc's for $1 off. Each box was $2.49 each , after coupons I only paid $.49 each. I had coupons for everything but the vinegar and formula. The razors I got were $9.99 to $10.99 each. I had a sc for $3 off and a mfc for $4 off. Each pack was $2.99 to $3.99. I could not pass that up, ahem it is getting hot again in Fl and that means dresses and shorts. The Pedigree Dentastix was bogo, each set of 2 only cost $1 after a Target sc and a mfc. Along with all the coupons I had Ibotta and checkout51 rebates. This is where you earn cash back for certain items purchased. These are available in the App Store or on google play. As well as online. Combine this with coupons for lots of savings.  

My total at the register was over $200. We all got excited watching the amount go down from the coupons. I love seeing the total go up, nothing better than a slight financial freak out. Then I absolutly love seeing the total go down. One day it will be lower that that, but for now I do not have to shop for a long long time. And the last thing I wanna see is another grocery store as of right now. 

Saturday shopping spree, save save save!

Yeah, I was the girl in line at Target taking forever at checkout. With my stack of coupons I was on fire! I did amazingly well, until I got outside and realized I forgot to use my Target cartwheel. Yay. I am so awesome like that! So, go figure I could have save extra, I always forget something. Like stamps. I always forget stamps! 

Ok, there were some great deals and steals today in grocery land. I got the Heft on sale for $6.95 and used a coupon I had printed from my site for $1.25 off. $5.70 for the box minutes an additional 5% for having the Redcard debit. My milk(not shown) was free after two boxes of Raisin Bran with a coupon, I also had an Ibotta offer off a dollar back and a rebate from checkout51 for the same.I had some great Catalina's for my Gerber baby foods. The mouth was was on sale for $2.99 I had a $1.00 off Target coupon and I am sure I had an extra mouth wash coupon somewhere, but couldn't find it this morning. I had some left over Garnier Fructise coupons Valued at $2 each and got 4 bottles of the stuff for .99 cents each. The Mitchum deodorant was on sale for $2.67 a stick, I had a coupon worth $2 off. Each deodorant was .67 cents. The Secret was a stick for $2.47 and I had a coupon from the manufacturer for $2 off just for writing to them. The French's Mustard was an unadvertised deal,originally $5 Target had it on sale for $1.25 and I had a coupon for .75 cents off. Each bottle only cost .50 cents. Then the items I was most excited about(call me a dork) was the Iams cat food and the Windex. Ok so, Target has a coupon for $1.00 off the Windex touch ups . Then There is a printable  coupon for $1.00 off, this is a mfc. You combine two Target sc's and one mfc, with the mfc bogo coupon. The Windex is $3.49 in Fl, so you used the $3 worth of coupons and only have to pay ........ $.49 for TWO. Seriously, if you hung on to those Windex coupons from a couple of papers ago you too can be rolling in kitchen or bathroom cleaner. I love this deal! Ok then the next one is the cat food. Target has the small cans of Iams cat food on sale for $.59 a can. You can print an Iams coupon for $2 off three. I made $.23 off each set of three, which goes towards my other items.Neat right? I am giving them away to a friend as my cats don't eat them. I never just put things in my stock pile to just "look pretty". I also stocked up on coffee creamer for hubby. $3.98 for two there was a Target printout for $1 off two combine that with the mfc from last Sunday paper and it is only $1.75 for two creamers. Or $.87 (rounded) per creamer, if you like it that way.  Then there is the glade stuff. Yes, I am going to discuss it. Each one was  $2.99 total was $5.98 I had a coupon for $1.50 from Target. I also had a mfc of $1 off. Each set was $3.45 or  $1.74 each and yes there were Cw offers and Ibotta. *sobs quietly*  

I got the Alexia potatoes with a Target coupon and two mfc so $3 off of them making it $5.58 for both and there was a 25% off CW. Bahhh. Would have been $4.19, oh barnacles! 

Over all I spent $180 after coupons and Redcard it was only $70 (before tax) so  not bad. Not bad at all. You need to coupon. It only takes one transaction and you are hooked. Not only hooked but kicking yourself for not doing it sooner. 

Couponing chic; getting started.

Thou shall not pay retail. That is what you should think while in the check out line, anywhere. Restaurants, home improvement stores, clothing stores, and especially grocery stores! If you could cut your grocery bill in half, why wouldn't you coupon? The typical excuses are these; I work, I have kids, I have no time, I am just not that committed. Ok, those are just bull. You make time. My sister has 3 kids and is doing it. She doesn't do it as an extreme couponer but as a practical shopper. She is also a working mom, so MAKE TIME. No PC?  Then go to the library. Don't get newspaper? Start. You will be greatful. And check out some great coupon sites. I have some great coupons pages here and here. 

The basics are to know your circulars for stores. Get to know the deals and then think about how to save. Here are some examples.

Example one.

Okay, so your store has a buy one get one free deal on say, cereal. You have 2 manufacturer coupons for say $.75 off one. Well, since you are buy two(one is free) you can combine he coupons. That is a $1.50 off the one box! So, if the box was $3.99 for something like Kelloggs Special K cereal, it would be $2.49 for both boxes or $1.25 per box,rounded up. That is a great deal!

Now, if the store allows competitor coupons you can use that as well! For instance Publix will allow competitor coupons. And say Target had a coupon for the Special K cereal for $1.00 off 2. You could use it! So then after that coupon, it would be $1.49 for both boxes!!! Why wouldn't you do it? Why wouldn't you do that? This is when knowing the store policy is helpful.

Example 2:

The store has soy milk 2for 5. This instance is different than above. You can use the 2 manufacturer coupons still. Now, say you only have a coupon for $1.50 off two. And you have a store coupon for $.75 off one. You can combine them! 2 store coupons and the one manufacturer coupons, super savings there. So $3 off $5, that is $2 for 2 soy milks. One dollar each! Makes it worth it! 

Know the policy.

This important people. The coupon policy can be the register death of many couponers. Even the seasoned couponer can fall prey to a sudden coupon change. I experienced it, and blogged about it here. I didn't realize that Publix will only allow 1 Target coupon for a like item in one transaction. If I had known I would have split my transactions up.You really need to keep up with store policies on coupons as well as price matching. My suggestion would be to keep a print out of the policy. As well as price matching policies if they offer it, like Walmart does. As well as coupon doubling, it all should be there. Keep it with you, as you may need it. This is when having a binder for coupons makes that possible and easy. You don't have to spend a lot on one, and inserts are easy to get in bulk from Amazon.

Where to get coupons?

That is easy at the same time hard. You can print out coupons from my coupon databases as well as going to the manufacturer. I will later on tell you other ways to get them. This is the basic. Some sites allow 2 coupons to be printed per PC . But, you can print 2 off every PC in the house.  You can get the paper from stores. And some stores have digital coupons as well a apps. Target, for instance has the cartwheel app, this fabulous for extra savings. 

This is a good place for me to leave off, for now. Comment down below if there is anything you want to add or ask. 

Omg I am addicted to a deal!

So Publix here in Florida has a bogo on Rozoni pasta. I took serious advantage of this. For every box I bough I made a penny. Yes Publix paid me to buy the pasta. How? It is simple, really. Coupons.
I went to the website for Rozoni and printed out four $.75 coupons. You can double up cause it is a bogo. So it will be $1.50 off of one of the boxes. Each set of 2, remember it is a bogo, will be free and you get a penny to use towards your order. Now it coupons for the Rozoni 150, but they are actually good pastas. And Orlando Sentinel and Daytona News Journal have $1.00 off two boxes. Making the rest only $.49 cents. That is per set.  Not bad savings. Rozoni will only allow 2 coupons per PC or MAC. 
Ok so IAMS cat and dog food is $5. After a $2 off manufacturer coupon found here on the grocery coupons section and Publix $2 off. The publix coupon is a purchase coupon from a dollar donation. You get a tear pad of coupons worth quite a bit. The food is normally $9.99 a bag and the coupons take $4.00 off.  Still good for this premium food.

Couponed the Sunday away.

So, yesterday I couponed to death. But I feel I did a good job on what I got. For $200 worth of groceries I only paid $100. So 50% savings. I wanted more off. But when you shop with a hubby you spend more. We got ice cream with no coupons. However fellow readers if you are in FLORIDA Publix has Rozini pasta bogo and there is a coupon in the Orlando Sentinel for $1 off 2 boxes. So you are only paying $.49 for 2 boxes. That is incredible.  And Cvs if there is TgLee milk if you took advantage of the $1 rewards you can use that with a coupon in the paper for $1 and pay only $1.79. Plus you get back $1 in rewards. So, you can do it again if you want.  A big thing I am proud of was Similac soy for $1! If you are in the club you get $5 coupons in the mail. Use those on the ready to feed. And since the soy was on sale, I only paid $1 for the bottle. Which is great! My GERBER goodstart soy was only $3.47 for a box of 4 ready to feed. Now, I wanted to get Tidy cats for $5.99 but I didn't get it. I stock up because I always forget to buy cat litter. I clean the litter box everyday. So I go through a lot. But, I forgot to buy it. I also am venturing back into the world of apple products. I sold my Asus, I need something more blogger friendly.  And IPad is. So we shall see what happens. 

Sunday lazy day? Nah.

Happy Sunday! There is only 17 days left until Christmas! Can you believe how fast it's going by? I can't, on one hand I wish I could skip Christmas this year. On the other hand I don't. Today was a day full of clipping coupons. Then realizing I have too many for my binder. Ugh. But, saving money with coupons is worth it. I am starting to get more of a hang of the whole coupon thing.  Which is why I love my coupon page here on my blog. I have actually saved a ton on diapers,formula, spices, and other things. It is no wonder why people go nuts over coupons. I can totally get it. I understand why they do it to the extreme. It was a lot of work today clipping coupons, putting them in pairs. Store coupons with manufacturers coupons and putting it all together. I know it is worth it.
Today we also had a non-napping baby boy. Here in the kingdom of babydom, we skipped naps and didn't want to eat dinner. And after a big evening of fitting we may have a molar or two. Of course this may mean no sleep, again. He didn't eat his dinner but had 8 oz of formula. However, that does not mean he wont wake up at 3 Am hungry. Teething, it is so hard being a little man, isn't it baby bear? 
#babylife