Archive for September 2010
I had, what I thought, was a simple shopping plan when I went to Target this past weekend. The plan was to have 2 transactions and to reduce my out-of pocket cost on tracnsation #2 by using the gift cards earned from transaction #1.
The first transaction was six single pack Venus Embrace razors at $4.99 each. There is a manufacturer coupon for $2/1 and a Target store coupon for $2.50/1 making each razor .49. Target also has a gift card deal to get a $5.00 GC when you buy (wyb) three Venus Embrace razors. This would have made for a $7.06 moneymaker (thanks totallytarget). Sweet deal, right? Wrong!! Target’s raggedy registers would not scan my manufacturer coupons, the cashier (and manager) were dumbfounded and my master plan went right out the door. The drama that ensued caused the whole deal to be scrapped and I went ahead with my second transaction.
My favorite manager, Denise was not working that day and I dare not shop there again unless I ensure that she is on duty. I continued to have coupon issues throughout my second transaction, but eventually the torture was over. So much for my coupon friendly store. I swear sometimes shopping with coupons feels like going to war. How sad is that?
Oh well, here is what I managed to wrangle out of the store. You can also check out the video here.
- (5) Huggie wipes 72 ct.-$1.99/ea
- used $2.5o/3 printable, $1.50 printable, (5) Target Q’s
- (3) Glade Sense and Sprays-$5.04/ea
- used $3/1 (expired) and $3/1 Target Q (expired)
- (1) Glade Lasting Impressions-$6.49
- used $3/1 (expired) and $3/1 Target Q (expired)
- (2) pair of children’s socks-$1.00/ea
- (3) Pillsbury Sweet Moments-$2.50/ea
- used (2) $1.50/1 printable and (1) $1/1 8/8/10 SS and 9/12/10 GM
- Tinker Bell Blu-Ray-DVD combo-$22.99
- used $10/1 printable
- (1) Enfagrow infant formula $18.99
- used $5/1 printable
- (2) Clean and Clear Surge refill pads-$3.84
- used $3/1 8/1/10 SS
- (1) Vaseline Lotion-$2.69/ea
- Target Home towel bar$4.98
- used $10/1 Target Q (adjusted down to $4.98)
- (3) Shout travel size wipes-.97
- Forgot to give coupons to cashier. I will be returning items on my next visit.
Total value=$115.55 Total OOP=$40.19 Total savings=65%
- In: Couponing | CVS | Target | You Tube
- Leave a Comment
Another one of my Frugalnista YouTube friends is having an awesome giveaway. GroceryGurus is giving away a $100 American Express Gift Card and all you have to do is leave a comment on her giveaway video and share her video on Facebook, Twitter, etc. This post is the sharing portion of my entry. If you want to learn the ins and outs of couponing and saving lots of money, you should definitely check out her channel. I have learned so much from this Frugal Diva and I’m sure you can too. The contest ends on October 15, 2010.
- In: Couponing | CVS
- 2 Comments
I thought I was prepared for my shopping this past Saturday, but my CVS trip went completely awry. I will not bore you with the details, but let’s just say that I was not very happy with my OOP cost. I let my daughter’s necessities (Pull-ups and formula) get low and had to make purchases at less than ideal prices. This led to me having overall high OOP costs all day. I minimized the damage as best I could. LOL It goes to show that even the most coupon savvy shoppers have off days. It is also why stockpiling at rock bottom prices and managing your stockpile is so important. You do not want to get caught having to pay full price, especially for diapers/training pants.
No worries, it happens and I look forward to next weekend. Now on to my shopping haul.
CVS-There were a couple of purchase mishaps, but I will try to simplify the breakdown.
- (4) boxes of Quaker Oatmeal $2/$5.00-used (4) $1/1 9/12/10 RP
- (2) Revlon Lipstick -$6.99/ea-used (2) $2/1 (no longer available)
- (4) Right Guard Deodorant $2.99/ea-used (2)$1.50/2 8/15/10 RP
- (4) packs of Huggies Pull-Ups $8.99/ea-used (4) $2/1 printable
- used $3/15 CVS Q
- used$10.00 ECB
- used $2.00 ECB
Total Value=$$107.52 Total OOP=$41.46 Remaining ECB’s=$16.00 Total Savings=76%
Next stop.. Meijer
-
(10) Boston Market frozen entrees-$2.20/ea-
-
(2) Hidden Valley Ranch Farmhouse Dressings-$2.50/ea
-
(3) Campbell Chunky soup-$1.25/ea
-
used (3) .50/1 printable (doubled to $1.00)
-
-
(2) Enfagrow Toddler formula-$18.99/ea
-
used (2)$5/1 printable and (2)$5/OYNO
-
-
$5.00 OYNO coupons are from purchasing the Boston Market dinners ($5/OYNO wyb 5 or more dinners)
Total Cost= $81.54 Total OOP=$37.40 Total Coupons & Store Promos=$44.14 Total Savings= 54%
I know that saving 76% and 54% is nothing to sneeze at, but I have exceeded my weekly shopping budget ($50-$75) and I haven’t even gotten to my Target shopping trip. I will show my Target purchases in a separate post.
Fantastic Freebies
Posted on: September 24, 2010
- In: Freebies | You Tube
- 2 Comments
These are the free items that I’ve received over the last week or so. I love getting free stuff. It makes getting mail so much fun. You never know what might be in your mailbox from one day to the next. I request so many freebies that I often forget where I requested them from and some seem to just show up in my mailbox from parts unknown. 🙂 I requested the Febreze w/Gain when Gain was having their weekly giveaway a few weeks ago. Hopefully, some of you were able to request this freebie or one of the other free items Gain was giving away. I was also able to request a full-size bottle of the new Gain Dishwashing Liquid. I am still waiting for it to arrive. I also got a free travel size bottle of Baby and Body Works “Twilight for Men” Body wash, a $5.00 ECB card from CVS, a bag of Cheetos Mighty Zingers, six Nescafe stick coffee packets w/ a coupon, Nexcare bandages w/ coupons, 2 Breath Right strips w/ coupon, a K IND bar, an Organize in Style coupon booklet, a free Sobe coupon and my ink Reward from Staples.
I don’t know why CVS sent this to me, but I was certainly happy to get it. 🙂
I intend to post some of the freebies when they are still available so that everyone can request them while they are still available. If you want to see some of my past freebies, I have several “Weekly Freebie” videos on my You Tube Channel.
Mambo Sprouts has released their current newsletter online. It is filled with articles, back-to-school tips, product reviews and most importantly over $35.00 in coupons for organic products.
I have a severe case of what I would like to call “Blogger’s Block”. I can not think of anything to blog about. I wasn’t able to finish my shopping this past weekend. (Boo hoo… I missed some great deals). So, I have no new deals to showcase. Between my daughter’s full social calendar and me having to work overtime, there wasn’t much time for shopping. I did manage to snag another free bottle of Gain’s Dishwashing liquid and a four roll pack of White Cloud bath tissue for a $1.00 from Walmart when I went to grab a gift bag for one of the two birthday parties my daughter attended. It is sad when your 16 month-old has a better social calendar than you. LOL .
Having said all of that, I am at a lost for things to blog about. I really don’t like to write about things that I know readers can find on a hundred other blogs. I don’t like regurgitating the same information. I am struggling to find my own niche in this whole frugal blogging world. I have been kicking around a couple of ideas, but I haven’t had a chance to flesh them out.
I am assuming that there are other blogger’s that experience “Blogger’s Block” occasionally. I wonder what do they do to move forward. I hate to sound like I’m whining, because I am really loving the blogging experience. I just needed to get this off my chest. I am hoping that by venting my frustrations, this block will start to dissolve. I am hoping that the sheer act of just writing something will get my creative juices flowing. I think I just need to relax and let my muse resurface in her own time. 🙂 Suggestions are always welcome.
Until next time, Happy Shopping. 🙂
Mini Target Trip-Saved 64%
Posted on: September 18, 2010
This was a very quick trip to Target. My mother needed to go to the pharmacy and I just grabbed a few things while they filled her prescription. I was going to go back yesterday, but my daughter was tired, sleepy and grouchy so, I nixed that trip. Hopefully, I can make it back today to grab some of the P.F. Chang dinners that are on sale. This week they are $6.99 and there is a $2.00 coupon in the 9/12/10 RP that you can stack with the $1.50 store coupon on Target’s web site. That makes them only $3.49 each. I also wanted to do the Venus Razor deal that I read about on TotallyTarget.
This is what I was able to grab while waiting.
-
(1) Hefty Kiddy cups on clearance-.74 (no coupon used)
-
(2) Turtleneck tops for my daughter-$4.00/ea (no coupon used)
-
(6) Travel size Shout wipes-.97/ea ~~~used (3) $2/2 8/8/10 SS
-
(1) Tide Stain Release-$6.99~~~used (1) $3/1 8/29/10 P&G Saver and $1.50/1 Target Q
-
(1) Travel size Tide laundry detergent-.97~~~used (1) $1/1 8/29/10 P&G Saver adjusted down to .97
-
(2) Archer Farms trail mix-$1.59~~~used (1) $1/2 Target Q
-
(1) loaf of Market Pantry bread-$.92~~~used .50/1 Target Q
-
(3) Sobe waters-$1.02/ea~~~used (3) Free Q’s from the Sobe Heads or Tail Game (no longer available)
-
(2) Skintamate Shaving gel-$2.24/ea~~~used $.75/1 8/1/10 SS and $1/1 Target Q 8/22/10 SS
-
(4) Edge Shaving gel-$2.24/ea~~~used $.75/1 8/1/10 SS and $1/1 Target Q 8/22/10 SS
Total $44.76 (including tax) Total coupons $28.54 Total OOP $16.22 Savings 64%
**NOTE** My coupon total is so high because the register was doing something wonky with the Shout coupons and the manager told the cashier to not worry about it as long as I got all 6 items for free. This error resulted in a $2.06 overage. Yaaaay for me.
Meijer Coupon Finds
Posted on: September 14, 2010
- In: Couponing | Meijer | Uncategorized
- Leave a Comment
These are some coupons I found in Meijer during my last shopping trip. I found a sheet with 4 Meijer brand laundry detergents in the front of the store where the sales circulars are kept.
I also found a $1.50/1 Huggies Pure and Natural (Meijer store) coupon. This coupon can be stacked with a manufacturer coupon and a sale for some inexpensive diapers. Thankfully my daughter is in training pants now, so I have no need for those.
I also found a store coupon for $1/1 Gerber Graduates cereal bar or cereal twists. Just like the Huggies coupon this coupon can be stacked with a manufacturer coupon (if you can find any). I signed up with Gerber and they occasionally send me coupons for savings on various products.
The last coupon I found was a manufacturer coupon for $1/5 Kraft Easy Mac. I found these on a tearpad in front of the Easy Mac. Meijer has Easy Mac on sale this week for .99. with the coupon they would be just .79 a cup.
Meijer Savings 9/11/10
Posted on: September 14, 2010
- In: Meijer
- 2 Comments
This week I was able to get $101 worth of items for $20.73. This was after sales and coupons, and store promotions.
For those af you that haven’t heard, Meijer has a new coupon program mPerks. MPerks is Meijer’s version of e-coupons. You must have a cell phone with text capabilities to join. Once you sign up you will receive a text message instructing you to activate your account. Once activated you can go to the mPerks website and start loading coupons to your telephone number.
When you checkout, you just press the mPerks button and then enter your number on the keypad where you swipe you credit/debit card. Your savings will be deducted automatically based on what you’ve loaded to your phone and the items you’ve purchase.
Despite a few disappointments, overall this was a good trip. My store was out of the Glade Relaxing Moments candles and I forgot to get a rain check. My Kraft cheese deal didn’t work out as planned either, but more on that later. On to deals.
There is so much to see that I am also showing some of the highlights from my trip.
I was only able to get 4 boxes because I forgot to clip all of my coupons.
This little item is almost invisible but it was a moneymaker.
Transaction #1
-
(3) Ziploc Freezer Slider bags-$1.89/ea
-
(1) Ziploc Storage Slider bag-$1.89
-
used (2) $1.50/2 coupons from here used (2) $1.50/2 Meijer Mealbox coupon
-
used (1) $1.00 catalina coupon
-
-
Total cost =$8.01 (including tax) Total coupons=$8.00 Total OOP=$.01 Total savings 99.9%
-
Earned a $2.00 catalina for Ziploc bags.
Transaction #2
-
(4) 8 oz. Philly cream cheese-$1.69/ea
-
(6) Kraft cheese slices-$1.88/ea
-
used (2) $5/5 coupon from here
-
-
(2) Spaghettios- .50/ea
-
used .50/2 coupon (doubled to $1.00) from here
-
-
Simply Asia Seasoning -.59
-
used .50/1 coupon (It did not double) 8/29/10 RP
-
used $2.50 courtesy coupon
-
used $2 catalina from Trans. #1
-
-
Total cost=$19.63 Total coupons=$17.00 Total OOP -$2.63 Total Savings 87%
Note: I was supposed to get a $5.00 catalina for the cheese, but the cream cheese was not a qualifying item. That sucked, but $2.63 for everything was still a great deal. I miscalculated the number of cans of Spaghettios I was supposed to purchase, but I gave the cashier all of my coupons, (2) for Transaction #2 and (2) for transactions #3. She must have pushed them through because all of them came off of my total. This was an absolute mistake. I do not condone the use of coupons in any manner other than the way in which the manufacturer intended for them be to used.
Transaction #3
-
Maybelline eye shadow
-
used $1/1 manu. 8/8/10 RP
-
used $2/1 mPerks coupon
-
-
Old El Paso Taco sauce-$.88
-
used .50/1 coupon (doubled to a $1) no longer available
-
-
Old El Paso Taco shells-$1.89
-
used .50/1 (doubled to a $1) no longer available
-
-
Franks Redhot sauce-$1.15
-
used .50/1 (doubled to a $1) 7/25/10 SS
-
- (7) 3 oz Philly cream cheese-$1.18/ea
- (3) Philly cream cheese mini’s-$1.50/ea
- used (2) $5/5 coupon from here
- (2) Harvest Select soup bowls-.99
- used (2) $1/1 coupon from here (adjusted down to .99/ea)
- Aunt Mille’s Hot dog buns-.99 (forgot coupon)
- Simply Asia Sauce-$1.29
-
used .50/1 coupon 8/29/10 RP
-
-
(2) Spaghettios- .50/ea
-
used .50/2 coupon (doubled to $.38) from here
-
-
Van De Kamp Fish Sticks-$3.99
-
(2) Lunchables Combo lunch kits-$2.00/ea
-
used (2) $1/1 coupon from here
-
-
(2) Kid Cuisine-$1.67/ea
-
used $1/2 8/27/10 All You magazine
-
-
(2) Ball Park hotdogs-$1.67/ea
-
used (2) $2/1 Facebook coupon (no longer available) (adjusted down to $1.67/ea)
-
-
(4) Healthy Choice Steaming Entrees
-
used $1/1 coupon (no longer available)
-
used $1/2 mPerks coupon
-
used $2 catalina
-
-
Total cost=$46.19 (including tax) Total coupons=$34.20 Total OOP=$11.97 Total savings 74%
Transaction #4
- 6 lbs of grapes-$.99/lb
- Total cost and total OOP $6.12
- In: Coupons | You Tube
- 2 Comments
In honor of National Coupon Month ( who knew), my YouTube buddy Chef Shauniece is having an awesome giveaway. Chef Shaunice is a beautiful 15 year-old aspiring chef. She has a YouTube channel with a lot of cooking videos that teach young people how to cook delicious and healthy meals. She is an inspiring role model for kids. Go here to enter to win (9) 9/12/10 coupon inserts ( 3 RedPlum, 3 Smart Source, and 3 General Mills). You have until Saturday, Sept. 18 at 9:00 PM PST to enter. Good Luck!!!!
Detroit Deal Diva 
