Target- wowzers!

I was out of napkins- and while at Target I wanted to buy a package.  Easy peasy- right?  Then I spotted this deal.  Check out how it played out:

Bounty Paper Towels 8 roll- $10.49 each
Bounty napkins with dispenser- $3.49 (free if you buy an 8 roll paper towel this week)
Bounty napkins big pack- $2.50 (sale price)
$32.96 (before free napkin promo)

Coupons:
In the coupon inserts over the past couple of months there have been Target coupons included.  Lucky for me I had them all with me when I put this deal together- here are all the coupons I used:

-$1 per 6roll or more Bounty paper towels Target Coupon
-$1 per 6roll or more Bounty paper towels Target Coupon
-$2 wyb both big pack bounty napkins and 8 roll Bounty paper towels Target Coupon
-$2 wyb both big pack bounty napkins and 8 roll Bounty paper towels Target Coupon
Free $5 gift card wyb 2 8roll Bounty Paper Towels Target Coupon  (wouldn't work right- so the cashier just took $5 off my order- yay!)
-$1 off any bounty napkins manu q
-$1 off any bounty napkins manu q
-$1 off any bounty paper towels manu q
-$1 off any bounty paper towels manu q
-$3.49 free napkin dispenser wyb 8roll bounty paper towels Target promotion
-$3.49 free napkin dispenser wyb 8roll bounty paper towels Target promotion

Total was $10.98 for everything in the picture!  Plus- I think I could have used two more $1 off any bounty napkins manu q since I did have 2 of the dispensers as well.  But they were free so who cares- right?

I'm thinking I may go back and do this one more time before the sale is over Saturday.  Since I buy 4 newspapers each week, I have another complete set of the coupons!

The deals as I see them........

 Walgreens:
Crystal light $1.99- used $1 coupon- final price $.99
Carefree panty liners $1.99- used walgreens coupon book -$3 wyb 2 plus 2 manu q -$.50 each- final price free
Scotch Packing Tape- $1.50- used $1 coupon (see previous post for link)- final price $.50 each
Coffee- full price, absolutely not on sale, but I was out and NEEDED it- used  a reward from last week

 CVS-
Tampons $6.79, used $1 coupon- paid $5.79, got $6.79 extra bucks back, final price $1 money maker
Pringles- used $1 off snack size pringles coupon from magic coupon machine, final price FREE
Dove Deodorant- marked 2/$7, rang up 2/$6.  Bought 5 at $3 each, $15.  Used 5 $2 coupons (from Sunday's paper), paid $5, got $5 extra bucks back wyb $15 in product.  Final price FREE

Walgreens- again.......
Dove mens 6 pack soaps- not marked, but rang up for $6 each, total $18, used 3 $4 coupons (from Sunday's paper), paid $6, got $6 register reward wyb $18 in Dove.  Final price FREE
Reach Toothbrush $2.99.  Used $1 coupon.  Paid $2, got $2 register reward.  Final price- FREE
Scotch tape & Packing Tape- $1.50.  Used $1 off coupons, paid $.50 each. 

There are also some pretty sweet coupons at target.com that when paired with manu q's there are some free crackers, free marinades, etc.  But I haven't been there to coupon yet this week.

$.50 Scotch packing tape at Walgreens

This week at Walgreens there is an in ad coupon that makes the 2X800 Scotch Packing tape $1.50.  Print a coupon here for $1 off 1.  That makes it just $.50 per roll!!!!!  This is the nice heavy duty stuff, great for posters, projects, sign making, crafts, etc.  Not to mention taping boxes shut!

Where have all the good sales gone?

Boy- I'm just not seeing it this week either.  No super good sales that I can find.  I suppose triple coupon day at Marsh is gonna have to hold me for a while, because it looks like a really good shopping trip just isn't in my future.  Kroger seems to be rerunning the same sale as last week (save 5 when you buy 5- but the prices and coupons just really aren't that good in my opinion), next week Walgreens seems to be offering more mail in rebates than reward bucks, and CVS has a couple items I would like to pick up (hello dollar makin' tampons) but nothing too exciting.

I could sure use a fun coupon trip- but this just isn't going to be the week apparently.

In fact- I went to Kroger this week for produce mainly and was only able to use $8 in coupons on my $60 order.  That kind of stunk.  And, there was another $5 off a $20 purchase CVS coupon in yesterdays paper and I missed it.

Not my week for coupons.  Which might be good.  We need to use up some of what we've got before it starts expiring (side eye to the tostitos chips I forgot about- shhh, we're eating them anyway).

CVS 6/19/11- more free toothpaste!

Walgreens doesn't really have anything that is of interest to me this week- but I was glad to see a few things at CVS! 

$9 2 4lb bags kibbles & bits dog food (not pictured)
$1.59 white vinegar (not pictured) (the reason for my trip out- needed for a recipe)
$2.79 1 colgate total
$2.79 1 colgate total
$2.49 powerbar protein bites
$5.99 hershey bliss chocolates
Total $24.65

Coupons!
-$5 coupon (from newspaper last week- $5 off $20 purchase)
-$1 hershey bliss chocolates
-$.75 colgate (could have used $1 off from last sundays paper and MADE money, but I couldn't find it!)
-$.75 colgate
-$1.50 kibbles and bits dog food
-$1.50 kibbles and bits dog food
-$5 extra care bucks from beauty club
-$3 extra care bucks from last week
-$4 extra care bucks from last week
-$1 extra care bucks from last week

Total- $2.01 cash out of pocket
Extra care bucks earned $12.48- $4 colgate toothpaste ($2 per tube, limit 2 per household), $2.49 powerbar protein bites and $5.99 hersheys bliss chocolates!

And then I bought:
$10 10 dove chocolate bars on sale for $1 each (I hid them for future camping trips- mmmmm smores made with DOVE chocolate! yum)
Coupons-
-$.75 off 2 dove bars
-$.75 off 2 dove bars
-$.75 off 2 dove bars
-$.50 off 2 dove bars from magic coupon machine last week
-$.50 off 2 dove bars from magic coupon machine last week
-4 cvs buck from previous transaction
-$2.49 cvs buck from previous transaction

Total- $.96 cash out of pocket
Extra care bucks earned- $3 when you spend $10 on certain choclates

(the dog food isn't a truly great deal- but we were in need and the price was okay.  I always like to use my coupons/extra care bucks when I can to directly take money out of our budget- which I was able to do with that dog food.)

My way of running errands

Here is how I spent my afternoon:

Post office- for work. There are no coupons for the post office.  Full price.

Newspaper stand- I happened to notice that on the front page of the Indy Star was a $5 off a $20 purchase at CVS valid through Sunday.  You KNOW I bought one.  $.75  We stopped in CVS but the kids were kind of crazy and I didn't have the patience to look through the covergirl make up (spend $15 get $5, plus I have $5 off 2 manu q's) so I will try and go back before Sunday.

Walgreens- yesterday they were out of the soft scrub total.  Today they had restocked and had tons.  I bought 3 soft scrub total and 3 soft scrub liquid for $3 each.  Total was $18.  Used 3 b1 soft scrub total g1 soft scrub liquid free coupons.  New total was $9.  Got a $4 reward for buying $15 in those items.  Total spent, $5 (after my reward).

Office Depot- for work, needed ink for the office printer.  Total was $15.99, used a reward certificate from last quarter, paid nothing.  Recycled 4 ink cartridges so that we will get $2 each next quarter. Paid $0.

Lane Bryant- picked up a new bra from the clearance rack, $19.99 (marked down from $34).  Used a $15 off a $15 coupon I got in the mail.  Paid $5.34.

Staples- needed black ink for my personal printer and they only sell it at Staples or online, $26.74.  Used a $20 rebate from a previous purchase.  Paid $6.74.

McDonalds- rewarded us all for our crazy erranding with 3 ice cream cones.  Used kids free treat coupons from the spring coupon sheets that I bought around spring break- 12 treat coupons per sheet for $1 total.  Paid $0.

I came home with $87.22 in merchandise and spent $17.83 ($21.83 if you don't include the $4 reward).

Not a bad day of shopping!

Walgreens 6/14/11

$5.50 Angel Soft toilet paper
$5.50 Angel Soft toilet paper
$3.50 Scubin Bubbles gel toilet cleaner
$3.50 Scubin Bubbles gel toilet cleaner
$2.99 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner
$2.99 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner
$2.99 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner
$2.99 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner
$1 YooHoo chocolate milk box drinks (my kids have NEVER tried this stuff- yay!)
$1.19 jello pudding
$1.19 jello pudding
$.62 jellow pudding (3 for $3)
$9.89 gillette pro glide razor
-$1 walgreens June coupon book buy 2 scrubin bubbles
-$1.23 in ad coupon for Jello pudding
-$5.98 in ad coupon for b1g1 free Lysol toilet cleaner
-$3 scrubin bubble gel cleaner thing manuq (made them free)
-$3 scrubin bubble gel cleaner thing manuq
-$1 wyb 2 lysol toilet cleaner manuq (made them $1 bottle)
-$1 wyb 2 lysol toilet cleaner manuq
-$4 gillete razor coupon manuq (made it $.89 after register reward I received)
-$1 register reward from last week
-$1 register reward from last week

Total out of pocket:  $23.01
Register rewards received back- $5 from razor and $4 from buying $15 in toilet paper and scrubbing bubbles.  I only wish I would have clipped the angel soft manuq's from Mid- May.  Oops.  I guess I thought I had plenty of TP for a while.  Regardless, it was an okay deal with the register reward.

I'm working on some gift baskets so I'm going to try and go back to see if they have restocked the soft scrub to use the b1g1 coupon from the weekend with that would also give the $4 register reward.  I want to fill a laundry basket for a few people with cleaning supplies, laundry stuff, soaps, deodorants, etc as a sort of house warming gift- so that will explain all the cleaning stuff you'll see coming around here shortly.

CVS 6/12/11-6/18/11

There are a few items of interest for me at CVS this week:

Zyrtec $5.99- get a $5.99 reward.  Use a $4 manu q and turn this into a MONEY MAKER!  My whole family uses allergy meds in the Fall- every chance I get to pick this up for free I have been doing!

Tic Tacs- $1.67  buy 2 get 1 for $.01.  I guess this wasn't the deal I thought it was gonna be- but I bought them anyway.  Paid $3.35 and used 3 $.75 coupons- so total was $1.10 for all three.  These are on sale at Meijer this week for $1- the $.75 coupon would have rounded up to $1 so they would have been free there.  Oh well.

Schick Hydro 3 or 5, $8- get a $4 reward.  Used a $4 manu q from today's paper.  Free.

Dove Large Chocolate Bars $2.19- buy one get a second for $.01.  Last week I kept getting $.50 off two coupons from the magic coupon machine.  I paired those with $.75 off two manu q's (that expire 6/12!).  So $2.20 for 2, less $.50 cvs coupon and $.75 manu q- $.95 for 2.  Less than $.50 for a big Dove bar!  I would say these are nice 'thank you' gifts- but I know my family better than that.  In fact- one is missing from the picture (side eye to emily).

Also- Covergirl make up spend $15 get $5 reward bucks.  I plan to go back when I have more time and see what I can come up with when using the $5 off two cover girl coupons from last Sunday's paper.  I bet some more free make up?

For the items in the picture my total was just over $8 after coupons and a $4 reward from last week and I got back a $5.99 reward for the Zyrtec and $4 reward for the razor.  Woo Hoo!

Cheap Laundry Soap- but you gotta hurry!

Starting Sunday 6/12 at Walgreens Purex is on sale for $3 each.  There was a coupon in one of the past inserts for $1 off Purex- but it ends 6/12.  My walgreens honors sale prices starting at 7pm Saturday night before the ad (not register reward deals though)- so I snuck in there tonight and picked these up.

PLUS!  There is a monthly deal for buy $15 in a list of products (purex is one of them) get a $4 register reward!

$15 5 purex at $3 each
-$5 5 $1 manufacturer coupons
$10 total
Received back a $4 register reward
That means these were $1.20 each!

CVS

Be sure to scan you CVS card at the magic coupon machine when you enter the store!  This week I have gotten a $3 off a $10 cosmetic purchase.  Revlon eye shadows are on sale for $5.  When you spend $10 on Revlon, you get $4 in reward bucks.  Here's what I did:

$10  2 eye shadows
-$4 2 $2 off any Revlon Cosmetic manufacturer coupons
-$3 magic coupon machine coupon
Paid $3
Got back a $4 reward for the Revlon!

Also- lots of 75% off make up- pair that with manu q's and the cvs machine q and you are sure to get some great deals!

Walgreens

I didn't make it to Walgreens until Monday- so most of what I thought I might buy was gone.  I will try and check later in the week and see if they've restocked (Gillette buy $30 get $10, gillette razor with a $5 reward, Tide Stain Release, I think that was all).

But I did get two of the razors......

 They were on sale for $5.99.  I used a $3 coupon- paid $2.99 and got a $2 register reward back.  So basically they were $.99.  PLUS- just a reminder to always look through your packages because I found one with two extra razors and one with coupons for EOS shaving cream.  BONUS!  Keep in mind that the register rewards are limited to one per transaction- so I rang these two up seperately.

Also- planning on seeing any of the new movies coming out this summer?  Check out these specially marked packages of M&M's.  I had to look at three stores, but I finally found some.  Inside there is a code you enter online to see if you won free movie tickets.  We bought six packages and I got a $3 coupon off a movie ticket for all six that I entered.  These coupons are good at basically all theaters from what I can tell.  So I paid like $.60 for the candy and got a $3 coupon- not a bad return on our investment considering the kids each have a movie picked out they want to see this summer!

What am I teaching my children?

I recently ran into a friend- a fellow couponer- and she and I were chatting about various things and my kids started chiming in about Wheezer (my trusty coupon binder) and my obsessiveness with coupons.  And she, very innocently, said "My, what are we teaching our children?".

And for a moment I felt embarrassed.

And then I didn't.

What am I teaching my children?  Stretch what you've got.  God is going to bless you with many things in your life, don't take them for granted.  When it comes to monitary blessings, try and make them go as far as you can.  Coupons give me the ability to save lots of money.  They also help me to provide for our family.  I feel a very real relief now that I 'coupon' and have a small 'stockpile' of items.  If something were to happen and we had a time of no money.......God has already provided lots of items in our home that we can live off of. 

I don't hoard, I don't clean off shelves, I don't buy what we (or someone we know) can't use.  It is a blessing to our home.  And the kids are getting fully used to not begging for a particular product while we shop.  They even will phrase it as 'something they would like to try' knowing that I will then watch for coupons and sales so that we can do just that.  Sam even will flip through my coupons before asking for a product to see if we have one for whatever it is he is hoping to get (typically fruit snacks or yogurt).

And as we carried in two huge grocery sacks full of items into church yesterday for the food bank, I knew in my heart that what I am teaching my children is simple.  Save where you can, you can always stretch your money and be generous with what you have.

It's that simple.

Marsh- again really?

Today begins another Mega Sale at Marsh.  I'm really not a Marsh marketing representative or anything- they just are having another super sale.....for the second week in a row.

This week- when you buy 10 of certain items you get an instant $5 off your bill, PLUS you get a bonus $5 coupon off next weeks bill.  And there is no limit to how many bonus coupons you can acrue. 

Items include:

32 oz Gatorades $1.09, $.59 after instant $.50 savings.  If you buy 10 you pay $5.90 plus you get another $5 off next weeks grocery bill.  I totally stocked up on these last time they had this sale and it has paid off each time all three kids grab one as we head out to the softball diamonds 5 times a week.  I plan to buy 20 or so more of these this week!

Kraft or Sargento Cheese $1.99 after instant $.50 savings (I know I have some $1 off couons for Kraft and $1 off 2 sargento coupons)

Magnum Ice Cream Bars $2.49 after instant $.50 savings- use the $1 off coupons from a few weeks ago and these will be just $1.49 (these are similar to Dove bars- so make some room in the freezer to hide them from the kids).

Square or Round Pie Pans 3 packs $1.09 after instant $.50 savings.  If you take food to anyone ever this is a good price, I will buy a pack or two just to put in the cabinet.

Jello 6pack or 3pack puddings $1.99 after instant $.50 savings- use the $.60 coupon and pay just $1.39.

Kelloggs Fiber Plus bars $1.99 after instant $.50 savings- not sure but I think there is a pretty good coupon out for these, maybe $1ish?

Capri Suns or Koolaid Jammers $1.49 after instant $.50 savings- I don't know of any coupons but this is a good price to put a few on the shelf for upcoming team snack days or camping trips.

Poptarts $1.38 after instant $.50 savings- I believe I have some $1 off 3 packages coupons, so that would make them close to $1 each.  I don't usually buy these because the kids (and dan) gobble them up like nothing, but I might get a few just for easy summer breakfasts.

Lunchables $.99 after instant $.50 savings- if this includes the ones with fruit you could use your $1 off coupons from the smartsource a few weeks back and get them for free. (I would have used those during the triple days but they never had any in stock).  Again- I think these things are kind of a rip off considering you get four pieces of meat, four pieces of cheese and four crackers- but they are good for an on the go in a pinch snack and if I can get them for $.50 or less each sometimes I will buy them.  Otherwise I just bag up cheese and crackers in ziplocs.

Tropicana Juice $2.49 after instant $.50 savings- pretty sure I have a $.50 or $1 coupon- so this is an okay price for orange juice.

There are more items included in the sale- so check it out and see what fits for your family.  I'm not sure how much money I'm really willing to spend this week since I kind of went a little nuts last week considering I'd already spent $80 in groceries the night before that crazy triple coupon thing started.  Then I bought another $50ish in groceries (which was totally worth it- but just not in my original budget).