Dominick's Catalina Deals

Wow! I'm used to doing these deals at Jewel, but Dominick's is slowly becoming my store of choice, espeically with only a week left of Jewel allowing expired coupons!
Check out all I got for only $17.71 cash (well, using my free gift cards, that is).




Summary of deals: Spend $30 on select (over 3,000!) items and earn a catalina for $10 OYNO, through 5/5. Also, buy 2 Bertolli Premium pasta sauces and earn a $2 OYNO. Surprise: Buy Starbuck's coffee and earn $1.50 OYNO! I saw a lot of great ideas by reading this post on MoneywiseMoms.com. I love seeing what people do in their area! We each get such unique things, and yet overlap such as the Bertolli. You HAVE to watch for these overlapping deals to make the most of it.

Transaction #1:
Kraft Deluxe: $2.50
Kraft Mac n Cheese: $.59 x3, $1 off WYB Kraft Deluxe
Safeway Salad Dressing: $2.79, FREE store coupon
Wasa Crackers: $2.49, FREE manq
Rubbermaid Bottles: $3.99 x2, $6 certificate from Rubbermaid from a complaint I had
Bertolli Premium Pasta Sauce: $2 x4, $1 manq x4
Oscar Mayer Deli Creations: $2.50 x2,FREE + $1.50
Total: $11.19 on gift card. Earned $10 + $2 x2
All items were of the $30 deal, and the point was to start me going!

Transaction #2:
Kraft Mac n Cheese: $.59 x2
Bertolli Premium Pasta Sauce: $2 x8, $1 x2, $.75 x6
South Beach Bars: $2.50, $2
Skippy Natural PB: $2.50, $.50
Electrasol Tabs: $3.99 x2, $2.50 x2 from tomorrow's paper ;)
That was all for the $30 promo, then needed rest for my $10/$50 coupon
Safeway Salsa: $2.50, FREE store coupon
Progresso Beef Broth: $2.50 x3, $1 x3
Mission Tortillas: $2.29, FREE store coupon, $1 manq
Mission Chips: $1.88, $1 store q, $1 manw Shelf said $2.99, so I got a GREAT deal here!
Safeway Frozen Veggies: $2, FREE store coupon
Dominick's Tote Bag: $.99, FREE store coupon that took off $2!
Total: Used $4 in catalina I earned previously, spent $4.29 on GC. Earned $10 + $2 x4
ARGH! The self check froze. Sheesh. But I had the BEST guy helping me. Even though the service desk manager was yelling at him to open due to lines, but he was obviously helping me and the other self-checkers. She announced for people to step over to lane 3 and unload, then yelled at him again. So he had to take all of my bagged groceries and go over to the register and let me "cut" in front of the others, I felt bad for them but oh well. So I think he took off more coupons than he should, plus with all the craziness I don't think I even had exactly $50, but it worked out in my favor in the end.

Transaction #3:
Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers: $2.50 x4, $1 x4
Crisco Spray with Flour: $2.99
Starbucks Coffee: $8.99, $2 store q, $2 manq
All Small and Mighty: $4.49 x2, $2 x2
Total: Used $10 and $2x4 catalinas, spent $1.38 on GC. Earned $10 and $1.50
I did this at self-check and it worked, but a few coupons wouldn't scan so the same guy fixed it up and wondered if I bought stuff to get all these $10 yadda yadda. He was impressed!

Transaction #4:
Safeway Bacon: $6.99. But for 3 pounds, Thick Cut, Hickory Smoked deliciousness? YUM
Ghirardelhi Chocolate Chips: $3.85 (rip off!!)
Total: Used $10 Cataling, spend $.85 on GC.
Saw me doing this one, and he joked "$.85...can you handle that?" LOL He was so cool. Never had such great customer service at Dominick's. Even when he had that manager yelling at him.

So what's the bottom line?
The regular shelf price total would be $174.78. However, with coupons and using some of the earned Catalinas, I spent just $17.71, of course with a free gift card. I still have $10 and $1.50 left in Catalinas. That's basically a 90% savings overall!

Also, the Bertolli, Skippy and All count for the Unilever deal where you buy $40 of product, and a ham or turkey up to $20 free! I'm $4.52 short, so my mom will probably do a few Dominick's deals this week, plus buy a ham. Then we will split the ham. So that makes the deal even sweeter!

Hope this inspires some of you to go on out and shop!

Back in the Game!

So yeah, I was sad I had used up my Walgreen's gift card, but thankfully I had a coupon from them so I could transfer my prescription there this month. Right when I got it I did a quickie of 12 Mentos gums ($1 each, $1 coupon ;) ), one more Glade candle and 2 spices on sale for $.50 each, so paid $1 + tax




Yesterday I stopped in for some deals :)
Splenda: 2/$7, used $3/2 manq so $2 each (Splenda is my fave! I've been taking it from Starbucks when I go LOL)
Colgate toothbrush: $3.29, earn $3.50 RR
Scunci hair elastics: $2, earn $2 RR (hoping to use these at Dominick's this weekend! Yes, they are manufacturer's coupons)
Necco Chocolate Marshmallow eggs (Love these!) 4x$.24
Peeps 2x $.37
$11.52 on GC, earned $5.50 back on RR, not too bad, considering my Wag's days are almost over with the rebate ending this month...




Then I hit up CVS, where the deals were HOT! First off, I asked the manager if I could use my Catalina's that had printed out at Jewel for BOGO Sobe Lifewater, because they are in fact manq's and just say "redeemable at" and not "redeem ONLY at" and only say Jewel because they printed there.

Transaction #1:
CVS Cotton Swabs: $1.50 (needed them, good price)
Colgate 360 Toothbrush: $3.99, earn $3.99 ECB
Softsoap: $4.99, used $1 manq, earned $4.99 ECB (like I need more!)
Sobe Lifewater: $1.69 BOGO, limit 6, used 3 BOGO coupons = FREE
Paid $.96 on GC, used $9 ECB and earned $8.98 ECB

Transaction #2:
2 more Sobe for FREE
1 more toothbrush
RC for $3.49 shave gel, earn $3.49 ECB
Spent $.12 on GC, used $$7.48 ECB and earned $7.99 ECB
Rainchecks are great because they round up to the nearest dollar, meaning my $3.49 ECB printed as $4. Love it! woo hoo

Jewel Freebies

My last free milk coupon was expiring today, so I wanted to use it up, just in case. Never know with them!! So the milk was free (also sending in the "rebate" for 3-$1.50 coupons. I LOVE this milk. mmmm).
Ronzoni on sale for $1.25, used 3 exp. and 6 new coupons = $.25 each
Vitamin water on sale for $1, used $1 coupons
Cashed in an instant lotto ticket for $3. My total was $2.72, so basically free since the lotto was a gift in the first place! woo hoo

Now i need to find a deal on chicken breast as we are out!

Win Some Crocs!

One of the blogs I read is offering a chance to win free crocs. Hurry, deadline is today!

Freebies in the mail!

This i why I love getting the mail:





"Free" bakeware from Easybakeware...all you pay is $1 shipping, but I haven't been charged yet...did one in my name, one in Matt's, both arrived. Yay! Round cake pans! You can do it every month, so this month I sent for a mini muffin pan and a cheese grater. We'll see how that goes! When you sign up for $1 shipping, you are enrolled in a club, but you can cancel online with a few clicks of the mouse, and print confirmation and you aren't charged for it. This is exciing!

Got samples for Gain fabric softener (from Sam's Club) and Old Spice has a new bodywash (WalMart). The Wal Mart samples are the best because they arrive in under two weeks, always. Not like other samples that say 6-8 weeks, and take so long you forget you ever signed up for it. Much like the instant Cream of Wheat sample I just got today...that was a long time ago!

Also had an envelope from General Mills. Saw this on my mom's fridge yesterday and wondered where she got it from LOL I'm wondering if we got it from Pssst since that is GM...who knows. Didn't sign up for it, as far as I know. Plan your weekly menu and your shopping list. Fun! I really should create menus since we want to use up stockpiled food this month (and spend less in general).

Also, got two-$25 Amazon gift card 'codes' from our bank rewards program. It isn't the best and the customer service is just plain awful. Took us since October 2007 to earn this much. It's only because we got all of the bonus points (first bill pay, check, debit purchase, credit purchase, etc) that we even got this much. "Cost" 11,000 points for $25, and I figure we earn 500 per month. I think we will get $25 more before we close this account when we move. ugh.

So...now to laundry and dishes, and also clipping and sorting all of those coupons that were in yesterday's paper! 5 sections, and none next week due to Easter. I also took a CVS Advisory survey yesterday, asking me questions about the Walgreen's and CVS ads and earned $10 ECB that will print the end of the month. Great!

Jewel Special Sale

Jewel had a one-day "hurry in!" sale, no rain checks. Well, there was good enough stuff!

Mann's veggies: $.99 x3
Eggs: $.57x2 (why yes, I DO have 4 dozen eggs in my fridge!)
Sara Lee lunch meats: $1.99/half pound. Bought two pounds total to freeze for the rest of the month.
Jewel cheese: $.99 x2
Spent $16.13

Also last night we got me a new coffee maker at Target, this one, since I did need a new one. Matt doesn't drink coffee and thought it too expensive. But I was able to plead my case by what all features I liked and how it was good for me. We had our own cars as we had come from church (we both go straight from work due to location) so I left with the other groceries while he paid for the coffee maker. We get home and he shows the bag of Cheetos he bought at checkout, since I wasn't there. I say DUDE had a $1 Target coupon, would have bought you those...so I teased him for 'wasting' $1. Silly boy!!

April Grocery Goals coming next!

Target Worked for me!

When Target works the way it should, it can be pretty amazing. I'll talk about my April Grocery Goal soon, but basically buy 'needs' only and get the best deals possible.

There was a "want" I wanted to make for breakfast this Friday. I am off work (but doing some work, go figure) so am making Matt a nice breakfast and nice dinner (he is off Fridays since he works 4-10s). i want to make this amazing looking Blueberry Baked French Toast (except without the berries). I love her blog and have made a few recipes. I also love Stacy's Pita Chips with hummus (I have the whole grain ones at home). Well, this calls for a family size bag, which is 10oz, but I have yet to see that at the store. I probably got a better deal because at Target the 6 oz bags are $3, and I had 2-$1 coupons, so I will have 2 oz left for snacking!

Here's what all I got:





Stacy's Chips: $3x2, $1 manq x2 = $4
Archer Farms Artisan Mini Loaf: $.99, $.99 store q = FREE
Meow Mix Cups: Clearance for $.34 each, $1 manq = $.02
Johnson's Buddies Bars: $.97x4, $2 manq x2 = -$.12 (too bad the rest of my q's expired yesterday! The ones I did use expired today)
Johnson's Safety Cotton Swabs: $1.29 x2. $1 manq x2, $.75 store q x2 = -$.92
That made my total WITH tax $3.60! Not bad for the chips that were a 'want'! LOL

When a Deal is Not a Deal

So, I have quickly learned that not every 'steal' you find is indeed good for you. Especially when you run out of storage room, and have some brown bags of groceries stashed under the kitchen table *ahem*

Anyway, when Jewel first had the Kellogg's deal (read online before it was in their ad) about getting free milk with cereal, Matt and I went, but the ones on sale were not the ones we would eat. So even though we could have paid $5 for 10 boxes of cereal and 3 gallons of milk, it isn't worth it. Sure, even if we had given away all of the cereal to friends who would eat it, it would be $5 for 3 gallons of milk, which isn't even great, and I would have 'wasted' coupons in the process.

We waited until Special K turned up on sale, which is something we love, and had coupons for. We did the deal twice for a total of 3 free milk and 8 boxes of cereal. Our cereal shelf is now full, and we are happy.

Also, my work had a free pizza lunch today. I did end up having a little bit, but at first I wasn't going to. Matt was like "but it's FREE. Save your leftovers for another day." However, I have enough leftovers to last me all week, so I needn't do that. I am also working on healthy eating and don't always WANT something that's 'bad' for me. But I did have a few pieces, because it was actually pretty good once I sopped up the grease. I also can 'guess' the calories fairly accurately, based on other pizza I have had recently.

Basically, just because something is free, doesn't mean you should buy it. But if you can make it work for you, go for it! If you have the means to buy things for pennies on the dollar and donate to shelters and share with friends, then by all means go for it!! Just be sure you aren't out growing your storage space (or your familiy's patience)

Late night cereal and final Wag's trip

LOL If you have a cat, you know this scene. The moment you set something down, he has to investigate and rub his chin all over everything. So cute!

So Matt ate an entire box of Chocolatey Delight Special K in two days (lots of snacking) and decided we needed more. So at 11pm last night we went to Jewel so we could get a raincheck for the Post Honey Bunches of Oats 2/$3. Got 5 boxes of Special K on sale 3/$7, which isn't the best, but used $1 coupon on each and used our free milk catalina, plus earned two more! I have a coupon for a free milk at Ultra Foods next week as well.

Today I hit Ultra Foods. Spent $7.62 on:
-one dozen eggs
-1 12 pack of pepsi
-4 rolls of TP (made $.15 on each after coupon!)
-flour
-pint of half and half
-brownie mix
-mushrooms
so that was good, and hit Aldi for a few things we needed like yogurt and more eggs (I eat a TON of egg whites each week) and their half gal of chocolate milk was down to $1.22! Crazy. And it's 1% which is great.




Walgreens caught on to the Softsoap "roll" midmorning, so by the time I got there after work it was over.
Transaction #1: Used my remaining FREE RR to buy one, paid $.32 on GC
Transaction #2:
Jane eyeshadow $2.69 each, used $2 manq. Bought a softsoap using a $1.50 manq, bought Easter pencils as filler to use my $2 RR from Chapstick. Paid $3.96 cash (GC all used up!) and earned another FREE softsoap which I used immediately, and now I am done for the month.

Oh Walgreens, why is this the last rebate month? grrrr

Shopping Spree today!

Bear with me, LOL, just as poor Matthew did as we went out in the snow to get to Walgreens before church =)





Transaction #1:
Softsoap $3.99, used $1.50 manq; Skintimate $2.99, Chapstick $1.99
Earned these RR: FREE Softsoap, $3, $2

Transaction #2:
4 20 oz cokes, which earned me 4 free Hershey bars. Used 2 Coke BOGO coupons so $2.98 for those 8 items (half of these are Matt's 'treat' for going with!)
Glade Soy Candles $5.99, used $2 manqx2 and $2 April IVC (I thought I had the $4 coupons, but guess not. So I paid $4 more than I 'meant' to, which stinks but oh well)
Softsoap $3.99, used FREE RR, earned new RR
Walitin 30 ct (Walgreens Claritin) $6.99 April FAR
Pepsi 12 packs: 4/$12, used B2G1 manq and earned $3 RR

Transaction #3:
Softsoap $3.99, used FREE RR, earned new RR

Transaction #4:
Jane eyeshadows: $2.19 and $2.69 on clearance, used $2 manqx2
Skintimate: $2.99, earned $3 RR
Softsoap $3.99, used FREE RR, earned new RR

Transaction #5:
Glade Soy Candles: $5.99 used $4 manqx2, $2 IVC = FREE
One-a-Day vitamin drink mix: $1.49 FAR, used $1 manq
Chapstick: $1.99, earned $2 RR
Softsoap $3.99, used FREE RR, earned new RR
Meow Mix clearance $.63 (needed filler to use RR)

(Spread over 3 stores, LOL)

Totals:
GC spent: $31.91
RR's earned: $32.95 (FREE softsoap and $2 remain)
Store coupons redeemed: $8
Man. q's redeemed: $24.48
Rebate earned: $9.33
Value: $105 at least!!! (Because I don't remember shelf price for all of the items)

Target: Gilette Body Wash $2 each, $2 coupon = $.51 for all 3
CVS: Glade Lasting Impressions $5.99, $1 CRT, $4 manq, earn $1 ECB

Crazy day :) So glad I can get things I want (like soda and some new makeup), things I need (believe it or not, I have shampoo out the wazoo and no body wash), and things I can share with others (some things not pictured, already given to friends at church) for basically FREE (walgreens cost me cash in the very beginning, but not lately).

YAY!

A Twittering We Will Go

Why yes, I have now joined Twitter although I never thought I would. As if I have time. I'm 'angelknits' over there, just like here.

Red Letter Mail Day!

Okay, that box on the right I had to pick up from the office. While the slightly smaller Pssst! box was shoved in my mailbox. We live in an apartment. You can picture how small a mailbox is. Well, I turned it at an angle and had to pull it the entire way out, scraping the sides as I went. Gee, thanks mr postman. You had to take my other box to the office, so why not both? Even the woman in the offie was surprised he had done that.




I had just read an e-mail I got from Pssst!, which is a General Mills product advisory board, telling me to watch for a package. It came today! The new flavor of Fiber One bars, Chocolate Mocha, plus 10 $1.35 coupons for me to share. We love these bars, and I am happy to try the new flavor since I have yet to find it in the stores.

I also got my first campaign package from BzzAgent which is a Word of Mouth marketing tool. I got Afrin nose rinse, so now I have to try it and pass out coupons (8-$3) and talk about it, then send in a 'report.' We'll see how it goes! I liked that the surveys you answer give you MyPoints, which is one of my favorite rewards sites (if MyPoints interests you, let me know your e-mail address and I can send you a referral).

I also got a $15 check from Synovate, yet another survey place. Not sure how long I've been with them, and this is the first check I requested, although I realized I could have cashed in earlier at $10, but hey, at least it didn't take too long to arrive.

Lastly, I got the first issue of my new Taste of Home subscription that a coworker gifted me with for my birthday :)

I love mail!

Walgreens today!! Clearance items galore

I was excited to see the $2/3 packs of Stride gum in yesterday's paper, since I knew Walgreens had them on sale for $.79 each this week! They were pretty bare looking when I got there this afternoon. This is also the first Walgreens I visit that actually had the Bic Soliel refills on clearance as well! Woo hoo! The only razor I use (since I've been getting it free since last July LOL)

Stride: $.79x15 = $11.85 minus $2x5 coupons = $1.85 for 15 packs
Bic: $3.59x9 = $32.31, used 9 $2 manq and IVC for $2 on each = -$3.69 for them!! haha
Schick Quattro: $8.99 each, used $4 manq and $4 IVC = $1.98 for 2

My total was $5.44 on my GC, of which $5.30 was tax. So yeah, $.14 for all that! The cashier was impressed, as was the guy behind me as my total was $60 and then down to $5. But the razors are at east $6.99, if not more, at regular price, so this was over $100 total of merchandise (the Schick razors are $11.99 and $9.99 regular)

VERY good deals! Hubby is glad to have some different flavors of gum around and already tore into the brand new Nonstop Mint flavor =)

Upcoming Kellogg's deal at Jewel!!

In Thursday's ad is the following:
Buy 10 items for $15 WYB them all in one transaction. This includes:
-Selected Kellogg's Cereal
-Pop-Tarts
-Nutrigrain Bars
-Cheez-its
-EL Fudge and Fudge Shoppe cookies
May be some other items as well!

Also, from 3/20 (Friday) until 4/12, WYB 3-5-7 boxes of selected 12oz+ Kellogg's cereal you get 1-2-3 coupons for milk OYNO, up to $4.69 each. Yay!

The last time I had a free milk coupon, it automatically took off the max value of the coupon, no matter that the milk was $1.99. So this could be a GREAT deal!

I should have enough coupons for 10 boxes of cereal (or 7 boxes and 3 pop tarts or something). $1 on each, which means $5 cash and get three free milk! You gotta start checking the cereal aisle to see which cereals count for both deals and stock up.

Still rolling the catalinas!

Transaction #1:
Wheat Thins Artisan blends: $3 each, self price $4.15. Used BOGO coupon
Kraft 2% shreds: $3.89 sale, $4.19 shelf price
Total shelf price: $25.06
Sale prices: $21.56
$3 BOGO q, $10 and $4.50 catalinas. $10 from last Jewel deal and $4.50 from Dominick's. Yes, as I have read on other blogs, it is just a manq and you can use it anywhere. It scanned, no problem!
And of course, my $10 and $3 did NOT print, which bothered me. So I went to the service desk and the assistant grocery manager didn't really understand the deals...asked if maybe using a $10 coupon would negate (his actual words!) the new one printing, but I said I'd done it before. He nodded, asked the service desk girl what she could do...so I suggested a GC because I would be using the catalinas at Jewel anyway. So they did! Except she did it as a grocery return, so I got $13.29....

Transaction #2:
Capri Sun: $2.95 shelf, $2 sale. bought 8
Easy Mac: $1.08 shelf, $1 sale
Total shelf: $25.76
Sale: $18
Used $13.29 GC. New $10 did print!
(also bought a gallon of milk)

Paid $12.94 for all of that. The Capri Sun will go with our peanut butter and granola bars to feed the homeless. Now we just need to decide when we will go (maybe when it is a tiny bit warmer for more than one day) and buy bread at Aldi and make the lunches!

I am offcially done with this Catalina deal LOL However, there are two Kellogg's catalina deals coming up.

CVS today

Easter Candy!

Hershey Kisses: $1.88 each, bought 3, used $1.50 CRT and $1.50 manq
Hershey Bliss: $2/$7, used 2-$1 manq
Cadbury Mini Eggs: $2
Cadbury Mini Eggs single size: $.50
=$15.14, earn $5 ECB back
Colgate toothpaste: $2.99, earn $2.99

Paid $.39 GC and used $13 ECB. Earned $7.99 ECB.

Sometimes it's not about earning more bucks. It's just buying the things you want. My bro only uses the toothpaste in this type of container, so it's worth it to me to just pick it up to extend my ECBexpirations.

Dominick's 3/13

Yay Dominick's! We had a guy who I think was an assistant store manager or something. Very nice, helping us out. Especially when after I entered all my items and ALL my coupons and hit 'pay with gift card' it went into a blue screen of death. So we had to retrieve my coupons and do it again on another register. But he was joking and smiling the whole time and telling me he must have missed the class on saving money! LOL

Annie's Mac n cheese: $1.25 x2
Cheetos Hot 3/$.99
Quaker Granola Bars: $.99 with in-ad coupon
Cranergy and Welch's $3 each, then $5 instant off, used $1x3 coupons = 5/$7
Peter Pan PB: $.99 with in-ad coupon, used $1 manq = FREE
Funfetti Cake and Frosting: $1.99 and $1.50 (for work)
Ghiradelhi Chocolate Chips: $3.85 (special treat for Matt to make his fave cookies)
18 ct eggs: $.97 with in-ad coupon
Glucerna cereal $4.69 (but it didn't scan in the system, they had to enter as grocery item, which messed up my catalina), used $5 coupon
Glucerna Cereal Bars: $2.84 each, used $2 coupons
Suave: $1.99, used my FREE coupon and it automatically took off the $3 max.
Zone Perfect Bars: $1 each, bought 10. Used B1G3 and 3-$1
Thomas' English Muffins: $1.49, used $1 coupon

Used $10/$50. Spent $16.45 on my gift card (from my script) for 32 items, and got a $4.50 OYNO catalina from the Glucerna bars! yippee!

Ultra Foods This Week

Ultra sent out a sheet of coupons for free and super-cheap items when you spend $10 for the next four weeks.





They had our TP on sale for $6, which is the price to get it at. I had a $1 and a $.75 coupon. Plus by buying that, I got the case of water for $.98 and the eggs for free! I also had FREE coupons for the single TP rolls, and remember Ultra gives you $.05 off for each bag of your own you bring in to use.

$12.33 for all that. Not bad at all!

CVS today. It evens out!

Yup yup, haven't been to CVS in a while. I had a good trip, which I deserved after Target gave me trouble. Thought I would stop at a different one I drove by, rather than waiting til after worship practice....dumb idea! The cashier told me I couldn't use a store coupon AND a manq on the same item. No matter how I explained it, she wouldn't do it, called a guy over, he said no. I said I wanted the manager, "I am." uh, right, that's why your name tag says 'trainer'? So I went to the desk, after taking my coupons back (Mott's applesauce) and asked a really nice woman there (who's name tag had no job title) and she said yes, I can, and told the guy who had just said he was a manager, to go tell the cashier I could use them. Haha! So he had to ring me up at a different register, and my original cashier (now 4 lanes over) was yelling at him to check the price because my coupons were more than the item (they aren't!) LOL All that to get 2 packs of applesauce for $.14 each. Sheesh ;) Plus a basket I need for organizing cleaning supplies





On to CVS!
Herbal Essences Hydraliscious shampoo/conditiner (cuz I need more!): $2.88 each, use $3/2 manq, earn $1 ECB each (got raincheck for 3 more)
Nature Valley & Fiber One Granola Bars: 3/$10, used $.60x2 and $.50x1, earned $5 ECB
Crest Pro-Health toothpaste: $2.99, used $1 q, earn $2 ECB, PLUS free MIR
Mt Dew Voltage: $1.49 used $.50 CVS coupon from cooler door (to reach $20)
Used $4/$20 that came in my e-mail today, spent $1.32. Used $9 ECBs, earned $9 ECB

A Dominick's Primer

Here are some tips for shopping at Dominick's!

-Sales run Thursday-Wednesday. Watch for the Sunday ad, as it may have different coupons and new sale items to coincide with the 2nd half of the period of Thursday's ad.

Ads oftentimes contain "Super Coupons." These generally require a $10 purchase to use, but the prices are amazing. They are store coupons, so you may combine your manq's with them. Always offer the store coupons last. Remember to cut them out, as they keep them after they scan them.

The 'regular' price of these super coupon items do NOT count towards your $10 total. You must still spend $10 on other items. However, the regular price counts toward any $x/$xx coupons you may have, so base your math on that.

One fun thing of note for this store is a promotion from Proctor and Gamble called "E-Saver." These are coupons that you 'load' onto your store savings card from this website. I have redeemed these before, and the first time I used it, I thought it didn't work, but now I figured it out after looking at my receipt.

We had $1.50 off any Crest toothpaste with my e-saver. I also had a store coupon for $1 and a manq for $1.50. The shelf price was $2.49. SWEET! It would be more than free since I had $4 in coupons. Indeed, it worked! This means their registers are not picky when you have a coupon worth more than the item. I checked my receipt, and the e-saver comes off as part of the card-sale-price. It said $3 card savings, and scanned at $.99. I then used my $1 and $1.50 coupons.

E-saver coupons can be used once, they do expire (about every 2 months?) but new ones pop up. You only need to load them on your card once, and you can then print a sheet of what is loaded. Combine this with manqs and store sales for some amazing deals!

Dominick's is also great with allowing you to use a new/transfered GC coupon from any other store. They love to get your business, and the pharmacsists we have dealt with at all locations have been nothing but super-nice.

I didn't use to shop at Dominick's, because I thought they were SO expensive. And they are, because the newspaper recently ran an article saying how Jewel and Dominick's are 30% higher than your smaller stores, and Whole Foods is about 15% higher than even those. Ouch! However, if you know how to play the deals, it will work well for you! Use those GCs!

A note about Internet printed coupons: Their policy strictly states only ONE will be accepted at a time, meaning even though you can print two, only one per transaction is allowed. No FREE items, but BOGO are okay. If you e-mail them, they will write you back with their policy so you can take it with you.

I don't have much experience using their self-checkouts yet, as the one I shop at most often is old and small and doesn't have them. If you have anything to add about them, please jump in in the comments section!

Grocery Previews

Hello!

Normally I just post the deals I get, as so many blogs actually TELL you the deals. I don't have the consistent time each week to post the deals, and oftentimes don't get them early like some bloggers seem to. Instead, here are my thoughts on the sales starting tomorrow:

Dominick's

I have a $5/$50 coupon, and a $3 off any 'extreme value' pack of beef (when you spend $25 total). The key to a $5/$50 (or any amount) is to bulk up your total with coupons for free items!

The super coupons this week I am interested in (limit 1 item per coupon, must spend $10 to use coupons):
18 ct eggs $.97
64 oz Tropicana OJ $1.97
Kraft Mac & Cheese $.49
Quaker Granola bars $.99
Peter Pan PB $.99
Sara Lee Sandwich Bread $1.99

These items do not count towards your $10 purchase. But if you have coupons, it could help. Unfortunately, I don't have great ones. $1/2 Quaker, $1/2 Tropicana but 2nd item is at regular price, so not really a great deal.
However, I do have a $1/1 PP PB coupon, so I'll score that for sure. Will buy granola bar as well. Depending on price of 'premium' kraft mac & cheese, I might use my $1 off when you buy premium/velveeta and a box of regular. Could be good!

As for beef, the 93% lean is $3.99/lb. Depending on what size pack (The ad does not say what size qualifies as 'extreme value') my $3 store coupon could make it a good deal! Then we could make yummy low-fat meatballs for our next spaghetti night.

Many juices (Mott's, Welch's, Ocean Spray) are a $5 off WYB 5 deal this week, and I have many $1 coupons. However, not much room to store juice, which is quite annoying. Our tiny apartment is full of food as it is! We try and use up stuff, but lately there have been so many deals. Really, you just have to know when to stop ;)

I also have my coupon for a free Kashi entree, a free bottle of Coffeemate, etc. Hoard those coupons for $x/$xx coupons! It really helps. I'd never dream of spending $50 cash at Dominicks. But after coupons I know it will be under my GC amount (gettinf $25 with my script today) or so I hope. I will try really hard!

Ultra Foods

There aren't too many location around, and not one near where I live, but it is semi on the way home from work, so I go occasionaly. Especially with the amazing sheet of coupons they put out today! For the next four weeks, they have FREE items when you spend $10. This week it is a free dozen eggs, and a 28-pack of water for $.98. They have Scott Ultra Soft TP (the only kind we buy) for $6, which is decent. So that's my $10 threshold, and I have coupons for the TP. Tack on the 'free' items and bam. Worth the trip! I can't wait. Definitely going there on my way home tomorrow.

Plan to hit Dominick's on Friday. Hopefully not the one next to my apt. building as they don't have self-check. sheesh. Self-check is so much easier! LOL

Twenty-Eight Cents Each ;)

Well, Jewel and Catalina have teamed up again to make me one happy shopper! Matt even went with me on all but the first trip I made on the way home from work yesterday. He loves the Peanut Butter South Beach bars, so he was happy. Basically it was spend $25 on Kraft products, get $10 OYNO. Heh. got FOUR of them :)

Transaction #1:
South Beach Bars regular $3.95, bought 7 = $27.65 to qualify for the catalina.
On sale for $3 so $21 total.
Used 6-$2 coupons
Avenu was $1.50 per box, limit 6 per household, meaning I could only do it once.
Paid $.37 cash, got $10 catalina

Transactions 2 & 3:
7 South Beach Bars again = $27.65
Used coupons: $2x3, $1x4
Also one impulse buy: Ocean Spray cranberry/pomegranate oatmeal. Matt said it looked delish, and I agreed. $1.50 on sale
Paid $4.48 for both trans., got $10 catalina each time

Transaction 4:
South Beach Bars x4 = $15.80 shelf price, used $1x4 coupons
100 Calorie Oreo Mini Cakesters = $3.89 BOGO x4 boxes
used FREE coupon and $2/2
100 Calorie snacks= $3.89 BOGO
Shelf total: $27.47
Paid $4.40 cash, got $10 catalina

Transaction #5:
Over-the-moon Milk = $2.99, used $1.50 coupon (also have a rebate, but not worth it this time. I liked the milk!)
Poptarts: On sale 3/$5, bought 2, used two $1 coupons from the front of the boxes
Chocolate Chips: On sale $3.99
Instant Coffe: $1 each, used BOGO coupon (I use this in baking. Doesn't go bad like a jar would)
Bakers Chocolate: $2.99
Used our $10 catalina
Paid $1.65 cash (we needed these to make some cookies for our small group tonight)

Value of items: $141.90
Sale prices: $101.98
Used $40 of catalinas
Used $46.39 in coupons
Spent $10.90 in cash for 39 items! Yes, that's $.28 EACH.

We are taking most all of the bars to our small group tonight to 'share the wealth.' Our youth pastor's wife LOVES the SB PB bars too, and has been eating a lot since she is pregnant LOL We are so happy to be able to help other people out this way.




We then went across the street to Dominick's as they are having one of those "Buy 5 get $5 off" promos, on cereal.
Special K was $2.99 each, used 2-$1 coupons
Pebbles were $2.49, used $1/2
Cap'n Crunch was $1.99, used $.50 coupon
Then get $5 off instantly. Used our $2 catalina from Ragu two weeks ago.
Spent $2.63 cash for 5 boxes. YUM! 50 cents each. Cashier was most impressed!

Walgreens!

Well, well, well. Walgreens lured me back in. I wasn't going to buy a lot, but stopped in for one item, and I called my GC to check my balance because I thought it was around $4 but they had already reloaded the Feb rebate I submitted last month! Craziness. So I shopped!

Transaction #1:
8 bars of Dove soap: $.99 with in-ad coupon. Buy 8, get $10 RR! Paid $8.53 GC to get $10 (only did this because I was gonna spend $10 anyway, so it's like I only spent $8...y'know.)

Transaction #2:
The Axe shampoo had one of those "check out at cosmetics!" signs so I figured they got some credit, but the young girl looked at me like I was nuts, but the nicer woman volunteered. Great thing she did! First off, she loved that I brought my own bag, and loved my deals, and we talked about the weather, etc. Fun stuff.

Glade Sense & Spray and Lasting Impressions: $9.99 each (x4)
Used 2 BOGO coupons, 2-$4 manq and got $4 off each with IVC = -$4.02 for 4
Axe Shampoo $5.99 FAR
Wal-Zyr $3.99 FAR (yes, it is almost allergy season ugh. I think I have enough free pills to last me the entire season though!)
Hershey's Mix packs: sale 2/$7, use IVC for $3/2, then manq for $2/2 = $4/4! We love Reese's by me, and I am giving one to my brother.
Thingamajig candy bar: 2/$1 (this is PB where the Whatchamacallit is caramel. should be yummy!)
Peeps: $.39 with in-ad coupon, as a filler

Total before any coupons: $65.63
Store coupons: $22.30
Man. coupons: $31.98
Used $10 RR from Dove and $1 RR from Excedrin
Paid $4.25 with GC. Only $.35 of that was item cost, the rest is SALES TAX. Yes, that is how well I did!
Rebate coming back: $10.98
So paid $12.78 GC to get $10.98 rebate, seems good to me! ;)

And yes, if I waited to buy the Glade this coming Sunday (they are on sale for $7.99 each) I would have made $2 more on each pair (so -$4.01 on two). However, that store sometimes gives me trouble using the coupons that way, and even though it would most likely be the same cashier that allowed the Glade coupons before, why wait? Why risk them not having stock when they are still paying me for them this week, and I 'applied' that overage to my FAR items?

Going today (probably a different store than yesterday though, to use my last Glade BOGO) and I need to return the Apple Cinnamon Glade Gel Plugins because they aren't part of the rebate from last month. Which is STUPID. But oh well. They better give me my money back considering I wrote on the receipt for my rebate, grrrrr. They can call themselves and find out it isn't an 'accepted' item.

Go CVS, go!

This trip was with the express purpose of using a $2/$10 CVS CRT, AND to get up to $10 of Blade products to earn $3 ECB.

Sometimes CVS is like gambling. I heard people were getting the (in)famous $2/2 nuts CRT, and there are nuts for $.99 and $.79, so always a money-maker! And I got it! Also got a $1 CRT for Blade Shave Gel.

Blade Energy Drink: $2.19, $2/2 coupon
Blade Shave Gel: $3.19, $1 CRT
CVS Almonds: $1.98 for 2, $2 CRT
CVS Cotton Swabs: $.50 to get me to $10.05 to use the CRT
So that is good, would have paid $2 ECB, earned $3
But I also found the True North on Clearance for $1.75 and used a $1 coupon as a treat for Matt (must always scan clearance items! Tags said $3.49 and the almonds scanned that, but not these!) so I did pay $2.22 on GC (high tax in these here parts. ugh)

But then the $3 ECB didn't print, but even though this was a cashier I regularly go by, he wasn't his normal cheerful self, and there was a line, so I just left. But I did call Customer Service yesterday and got the nicest lady and she said it definitely should have printed, but sometimes those money-totals take a while to update in the system. I should check my account in 48 hours and hopefully it either prints on its own or she will watch and force it to my account. so that did turn out! Matt likes this Blade stuff (has matching cologne spray, shave gel and shampoo now) and I have switched him to it from Axe, which is generally cheaper! go me!

CVS Trip 2/22

Transaction #1:
CVS Facial Tissue: $1.99 BOGO
Fruitopia Conditioner: $1.99, $1 CRT
CVS 10 ct. Cotton Squares: $.99, $1 CRT
Blade men's shampoo + conditioner: $3.34, $1 CRT
=$10.30 of CVS brand, meaning I could use my $2/$10 CVS CRT
Used a $5 ECB, none generated, paid $.32 GC

Transaction #2:
Dayquil/Nyquil: $4.99x2, $1.50x2, earn $5 ECB
South Beach Bars (not pictured): $2.50 each, $2 manq x2 = 2/$1.00
CVS Chili Seasoning: $.77
Cadbury Mini Eggs (my favorite holiday candy, hands down!): $.49x3 (we were hungry after lunch ;) )
Sally Hansen Nail Polish: BOGO50% but they did not scan what the shelf said, but couldn't remember exact price, plus that would mess up the 1/2 price if they adjust, I think. Had a $3/2 CVS coupon so $5.06 for 4 bottles, French Manicures coming up for me! LOL
CVS 10 ct Cotton Squares: $.99, $1 CRT, earned $2 ECB for the 2 I bought today
Renuzit TriScents Holder: $5.49, used $4 manq x2 earned $4 ECB! yay more than free!

Used $10 in ECB and earned back $11, so that worked well. I did pay more in GC than I would like ($2.77) but the nail polish threw me off. Oh well.

On my receipt I noticed a "Spend $10 on Blade, earn $3 ECB" which isn't advertised anymore, so I left the store plotting a new trip....

Walgreens Trip 2/22

Matt decided to sleep in, so I left for church super-early so I could stop at the stores beforehand ;) They had some good deals I didn't want to miss out on. (don't mind my 'stickering' of the photo yet again. I always forget to remove things that shouldn't be there...oops!)

Stayfree 2/$4: Should have been able to use BOGO and $2/2, but the $2 wouldn't work. Still, $1 each is okay
Glade Plugins: $2.50 each (except Apple didn't scan sale price, hoping they work for rebate!), $1manq x4, get back $4.40 on rebate = 4/$1.60 yay!
Excedrin: $1.99, $1 get $1RR back = FREE
Foil: Scans $1.69, use $1 coupon, then in-ad coupon makes them $.89 each. Bought 2, so -$.22 for 2 =)
Reese's Whipps Candy Bars: $.89 BOGO with in-ad coupon, used 4-$1/2 coupons = -$.44 for 8! hehe

Gotta love items that you are paid to take off their hands.

Which is why I'm waiting until 3/8!! They have those new Glade things I bought a few weeks back for $7.99 each. Use a BOGO coupon and a $4 coupon, PLUS the $4 store coupon, means they will PAY ME $4.01 for each 2 I buy. I'm hoping to get 8. haha The BOGO and $4 did work together, so I'm hoping she does it for me again. This cashier is always really amazed at what I save. If they won't accept the BOGO and $4, they are still free after a manq and storeq $4 each, but not a huge moneymaker! It's fun because you then use that 'free money' to pay for the other items in your order, like the free-after-rebate items for March ;)

Excitement!

Something Elizabeth posted has gotten me totally excited, although I have 5 whole months of waiting ahead! I think though, that it means I should finish the socks from the yarn I bought on last year's excursion, or at least work on the shawl I started there last year LOL oh me and my stack of WIPs!

I really should work on my mittens, since the cold is not ending any time soon!! I would welcome those wooly goodies.

Speaking of wool, we bought the cat a new toy for $1. It's a wool mouse, and it says when he chews it up a bit and it feels loose, to tie it up in a sock and throw it in with the laundry. DUH. Coulda made that myself LOL

Jewel Catalina Deals

(OR: Why you should never throw out a General Mills coupon)





Several Catalina deals are overlapping at Jewel (Shaws, or whatever you have where you live). The new one starting today is buy 10 GM products, get $10 OYNO. Perfect, because there are no price calculations and arguing about why your coupon did not print. Buy 10 products, plain and simple. Also, ending this coming Sunday, is the Nature Valley (plus I think Chex bars and something else) Catalina where if you buy 5 you get $3.50 OYNO. Huh....imagine that!

Nature Valley Granola bars: $2.50x5, $.60x2, $.50x3
Chex Mix Bars: $2.50x3, $.60x2, $.50x2
Pillsbury rolls: $2.50, $2.50 free coupon, $1 coupon
Paid $17.54 cash and received a $10 and $3.50 OYNO! Worked like a charm

We need milk for breakfast tomorrow (plus snow is coming tomorrow. I know from working there that when bad snow is forecast, milk, bread and water just FLY off the shelves. No way I'm waiting 'til tomorrow to buy it!).

Kellogg's cereal: $2.50 each, $1x4
Get a free gallon of milk instantly WYB 4-Kellogg's
Kellogg's Fiber Plus bars: 2/$4.50, $.75x2
Grapefruit 8lbs for $2.49! Amazing! I love grapefruit. Great price.
Butter $1.88 each, which is good. Why yes, I did already have 4 pounds of butter in the freezer, which hubby pointed out the moment I pulled it out of the bag ;) Hey, we like to bake!
Used the $10 and $3.50, paid $2.21 cash.

So 20 items for $19.75. Definitely a good deal. We needed some cereal that was not Frosted Mini-Wheats (earlier this week bought 4/$6 with Dominick's coupon and used 4-$1 coupons, great dela!). The Nature Valley bars are to add to a PB sandwich to hand out to homeless (hubby's passion) (using free Fisher PB from Ultra).

So once again, I set foot in Jewel only for the Catalina promos. But I happened to check the hummus section, and the item I have a raincheck for is not on the shelf anymore...strange.

Quick CVS Run

Not the best I've ever done, but good enough! Especially considering I did it on the fly with ECBs expiring today, and not having the $1 on any CVS skincare (due to laziness and forgetfulness). I picked up this stuff to utilize CRTs and also get some nice stuff to go in a gift bag I am creating for a nice woman and her 10-year-old daughter.

CVS Cotton Balls $1.99
CVS Nail Polish Remover $1.99
CVS travel size Cotton Squares $.99 x2
(Buy 2 CVS products above, get $2 ECB, so earned $4 total. Can do 3 more times)
CVS Low-dose aspirin $1.99 FAECB
CVS Hand Lotion $3.99 earn $1 ECB
Nail Polish $1.99 BOGO50%
Excedrin travel pack $2.49 FAECB (rain check from the other week)
Used $2/$10 CVS brand, $1 on CVS lotion, $2 on cosmetics CRT
Used $11.58 ECB, earned $9.48

I also returned all the recalled ProMax bars yesterday (I had given them to my uncle for Christmas) and it was enough to get him a box of Zyrtec D instead, plus have $2 left over and earn $1 ECB, which showed up as Benadryl on my receipt, but I'm not complaining. Hopefully I can find more of those travel size cotton squares on Sunday...

Clean on the cheap

We want to switch to using more natural cleaners (like baking soda and vinegar and lemon juice) but I still enjoy some convenience, especially when it comes to cleaning the toilet. This is a 3-month supply for $2 ;)

All items were $3.50. Used $3/2 coupon for scrubbing bubbles, and two-$1.50 pledge coupons. I love the all-purpose spray, so the convenience of the wipe is nice.

So that's $9.09 off my gift card, but get $4.40 back on rebate. Still ahead for the month!

Free at Walgreen's today!

Yes, Walgreens was amazing today! I took a coupon risk and it worked for me. The key is to never offer more than they ask for ;)

• Glade holders: $8.99 each, bought 4. Used two BOGO coupons, two $4 coupons (which I have never thought should be allowed, and the cashier was thinking about it hard...but then scanned it and the register accepted!), plus $12 (plus 10%) total back in rebate: -$3.22 for all 4!


• Quaker Oatmeal: 2/$5, used two $1 manq, $1 back in rebate: $1.90 for two


• Walgreens contact solution: $1.99 FAR


• Zucol $7.99 FAR, used $2 manq to make some extra ;)


• Progresso Soup: 4/$5 with in-ad coupon, used two $1.10 coupons = $.30 for 2!

Totals: $24.18 spent on gift card. As we walk to the car, Matt asks the key question: What are you getting back on the rebate? $25.28. haha. Love it! Plus, our printer at home just needs some fresh ink and I can begin printing a set of coupons here besides at work and also at my mom's (if it isn't something she will use!

Great deals this week :) Back in the swing at Walgreens! Except they didn't even have the razors in stock for the RRs. Strange!

free @ CVS today!

• Crackers: $1 each. Bought 4, used 2- $2/2 coupons = FREE


• Glady Spray: $.99 each, $1/2 manq and $1 CRT, adjusted down = FREE


• CVS Rolaids: $1.99 FREE CRT = FREE


• Sprite 20oz = $1.59 (all we paid for, but Matt had an upset stomach and needed it)

So yes, no ECBs used, none gained ;) $1.80 spent on gift card for soda and tax. Easy day!

No, I haven't posted much from CVS lately. I haven't been in the mood and haven't seen much. My ECBs have dwindled, but I got another $30 GC for my script this month, so I can rebuild when I get back in the swing of things.

FO!

Yay FO! Took a month, which it shouldn't have, but hey. They are done, which means I can make my own pair to replace the ones that disappeared. ugh. My hands are SO cold in this darn coldest winter in way too many years.

Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted on 1 and 3. Threw them in my mom's washer on the 'ultra handwash' cycle which is fantastic. They came out with the wonkiness from between the needles all taken care of. Gave them a gentle stretch and they are perfect!

Grocery Bonanza!

We have some grocery budget left this month (and still some, even after all this shopping! Why yes, my grocery budget IS huge!) (but not spending it all as we had some other odd expenses this month we need the cash for) and so I went shopping for things we need, great deals, unexpected finds and superbowl snackers.

• At Target, Yoplait is regular $.52 each, which is still good considering prices on yogurt have been going up. Using a $1 manq and a $1 store coupon, I got 8/$2.16, or $.27 each! They had some fun new flavors in the Light Thick and Creamy like Cinnamon Roll and Cherry Cobbler.


• I had a coupon for a free Grapefuit bowl, which cost me $.10 after the coupon max.


• Buy a Digiorno Pizza for $3.99 (excellent price!) and get a free 2L of Coke, which I needed for superbowl party. So Matt got the pizza he wanted.


• Starkist Tuna Pouch on sale for $1.49, used $1 coupon.


• Hormel Chili $1.24 for superbowl dip


• Onion Soup Mix (a pantry staple) $.85


• Egg Noodles for tonight's dinner $.53!


• RiceWorks Chips FREE with coupon


• Stacy's Pita Chips 2/$5, used two $1.50 coupons, 2/$2!

All that for a grand total of $11.77 for party food! Great deal.




Today I hit up Joe Caputo's, which is a family run 'mini-chain' of three stores in the area. Ours is tiny, but always well stocked with high-quality, good-priced produce.

• 1lb carrots (our fave veggie) $.49


• large spanish onions $.49/lb


• Orange Peppers $1.29/lb


• Red Peppers $.98/lb


• Strawberries $1.50


• White Mushrooms $2.19/lb


• Blueberries $1


• Crimini Mushrooms $2.69/lb


• Baby Carrots $.79


• Dutch Farms Shredded Cheese $1.50! Great deal. One for dip, rest for freezer


• Avocados 2/$1 for guac


• tiny onions $.19/lb. I hate chopping tiny onions. Waste of time, no matter how cheap. Will quarter and shove up the chicken's butt ;)


• Garlic $.89/lb


• Jalapenos $.89/lb


• limes $.10


• Yellow Peppers $1.29/lb


• Plum Tomatoes $.69/lb for pico de gallo

All that produce for $24.58. Great deals considering $6 of that is cheese and going to make myself guac and salsa. Peppers are for dipping at SuperBowl

Last stop, Jewel. I normally don't shop at Jewel unless they have an amazing deal to pull me in the door, but it is basically across the street from home so I do stop once in a while and today I wanted a chicken.

• Fryers were $.77/lb, so I'm going to try this recipe tomorrow. I love crock pot cooking!


• Milk was $2.28, decent...


• Thomas' English Muffins $1.99. My new breakfast fave!


• Sabra Hummus $3.99 BOGO, used two $1.50 coupons from Sunday's paper, so 2/$.99!! Can't beat that for munchies


• Fisher trail mix $1 on clearance, used $1 coupons = 4 FREE


• Fisher BBQ Peanuts $1 on clearance, used $1 coupon = FREE


• Diamond Vanilla Bean Almonds $2 on clearance, used $1 coupon = $1

All that for $11.05 ($2.28 was milk, $4.35 was chicken.) Plus I got a coupon for a free box of South Beach bars, some new "Fiber Fit." It is worded funny though, it says "FREE when you buy a box of FIber FIt or High Protein Cereal Bars" I think it means BOGO but doesn't sound right as either BOGO or totally free so I will try and just get one free box and see if it works...

That's the deals! Next stop is Super WalMart on Sunday (it's not at all convenient to home, but will actually be out near one on the way to a Super Bowl party) but that is next month's budget ;)

Happy Birthday to me!

Haha, I know some of you are like "You had your birthday?" I didn't (it's in two weeks) but I spent all my money!!

I took the check from my MIL and went to KnitPicks. I wanted sizes 1 and 2 dpns in the mm I don't have, and broke a size 3 of my CPY ones. Plus I'd always wanted to try the Harmony needles as they are SO nice looking! I went crazy =)










I bought: Size 1 (2.5mm), size 2 (3mm), size 3 (3.25mm), size 7 (4.5mm) in the dpns, and then the tips in size 4 (3.5mm) and 5 (3.75mm).

The tips are the most common size I use for lace knitting, and never seem to have a needle free (maybe I should finish one project before moving on to the next, eh?), I love tiny needles (although I don't knit socks...) and the largest dpn I own is 6, so need to expand.

Then I got 9 hanks of Gloss in Burgundy to make Thermal as I have been eyeing it since it came out. I think I recall people saying it was short if you knit as written, and I had a few extra bucks so added a skein more than my size called for. I love this yarn and can't wait to wear this!!

And THEN!! I got a Wii Fit!!! YAY!!!!!!!! One of my coworkers saw me in the hall yesterday and asked if I was still looking for it. He was in a GameStop on Tuesday and they actually had some in stock. So I dashed back to my desk and called the store. He told me they had a few and of course he can't hold it. So I call my mom since home is closer to the store than my work, and she shuts off the oven and runs over there to get the LAST one. I am so stoked to have this!!

So yes, I spent all of my birthday money two weeks before my birthday LOL

Target Run 1/21

Yeah, yeah. no photo. But hey, still good deals.

Kashi TLC Soft Baked Cereal Bars: $2.75 each, $2 IP coupon = 4/$3
Ocean Spray Light Juice: $1.99, $1 store coupon, $1 manq = -$.02 for 2
Right Guard Deodorant: $3.64

I now have (with my mom's $9 in receipts) the $50 for the P&G coupon rebate, which should be some good coupons we will split.

$3 for four boxes of healthy granola bars and 2 bottles of juice? SOLD!

CVS Trip 1/20

Well, I had $36 in ECBs expiring yesterday, and while some stores accept them once they expire, not all do and I don't want to play with it.

(I'm going to add a post about how rainchecks work at CVS, which will be in the sidebar. I will hopefully remember to come back to this post and link to it as well)

CVS Claritin, 5 pack: $3.79 each, $3.79 ECB back
Gas-X: ($5.69x2) - $1 manq x2, $5/2 CRT, = $4.38 for both
Ragu: $1.67 each
L'Oreal: free with raincheck, plus they are BOGO so they paid me $7 to take them.
Benefiber: free with raincheck, plus used $2 manq
Complete Contact Solution: Free with raincheck
Rubbermaid water bottles: BOGO50% $4.49 for both, and I needed a water bottle for the gym
Listerine Smart Rinse: $5.29, earn $3 ECB
Excedrin Express Gels: $1.99, used $1 manq, $1 CRT
Old Spice Shower Gel: $4.49, $1 manq
Old Spice Deodorant: $3.29
Herbal Essences: $6.99
Pantene: $4.99x2, used $3/2 manq

Basically this store rings the items up at full price, then deducts a store coupon for them. So I could still use manq's on them. However, I didn't know this until he was ringing me up, so I couldn't use all my bucks in the first transaction, plus I didn't use any coupons as I was so flustered. Otherwise I could have bought $9 more of stuff. But I look at it this way: I spent under $3 on my gift card for things we need (hubby needs more deodorant, we need the meds and ragu and water bottles). I did spend $36 ECB and only get $11 for next time, but it is still money not spent from the grocery bill!! If they ever get a corporate policy all shoppers will be thrilled!

Walgreens for Candy!

Yum! I'm really trying hard to watch what I eat. So yeah, Reese's candy bars, not so good. But Hershey's 100 Calorie Snack bars = great!

Quaker Oatmeal: $1.99 w/in-ad coupon, $1 manq, = $1.98 for 2
Reese's Whipps bars: 2/$1.00 w/in-ad coupon, $1/2 manq, = 8 FREE!
Hershey's 100 Calorie Bars: 2/$4 after IVC, $.75 manq x4, = 4/$5
The Hershey's IVC does NOT scan, even though it is pictured on there. They just did a price adjust for me.
Spent $7.26, using up my prescription GC.

I'm debating going to the same Wag's this week that I was at last week. The pharmacist really wanted my business and was even going to give me my coupon back to use again. Maybe he'd just give me a GC to keep my business for another month? hmmmm

New Blog Button

New Year, New Me!

haha. Or so I hope. Definitely some things I need to change, and while I don't always make 'resolutions,' I do need to work on a few aspects of my life.

So I needed a blog button for the name change (which I never really announced!) but I am now known as "Helen Knits and Saves" rather than "AngelKnits." I figured Elizabeth could either do it or would know who could, and she suggested her son, Owen. He made me one in no time flat. I appreciate the simpleness of it; goes with my theme of paring down and saving money and all that jazz ;) I'd recommend him!



I'll drop it in the sidebar and feel free to save it and use it as a link!

Walgreens 1/4

Not everything is pictured as we gave some items to my mother-in-law =)

Quaker Oatmeal: $1.99 with in-ad coupon, used $1 manq: $1.98 for both
Electrasol: $3.49, used $2.50 manq, earn $1.50 rebate: -$.51
Reynolds Foil: $.99 with in-ad q, used $1 manq: -$.02 for both
Revlon Matte collection eyeshadow: $5.99 FAR
Glade candle refills: $2.50 each, $2.50 on two manq, $2 rebate
Glade Carpet Fresh: $2.50, $1 coupon, $1 rebate
Glade Candle: $2.50, $1 coupon, $1 rebate
=4 Glade items for $1.10 after rebate with bonus =)
Used $10 RR from hair dryer deal
Spent $4.99 on GC but earned $11.54 with bonus.

Yay!

CVS 1/4

Today Matt and I went just to blow some bucks (some expiring this week, and I also had over $60 so decided we should just buy items he needs that I rarely see on sale).

The Fusion blades weren't on sale, but you got a free shave gel automatically, and then I used my coupon for a free body wash with purchase. That's $13.99 for all three items.

Cashews are $.79 each, but buy one get one 50% off, and I had a CRT for $1/2.
Gatorade just to use ECBs: $1.25
Curel lotions: $5.99 each.

I didn't realize the nuts were part of the BOGO50% sale, and the razor blades rang up $1 less than the shelf said, so I wasn't able to use my $1 coupons on the Curel. We used $22.57 in ECBs, including my $1 quarterly rewards (2 scripts) and a $5/$25 coupon expiring today. Didn't earn any, but items that made Matt happy ;) Spent $.11 on GC.

Year-end Savings Review

Here are my totals for the year for Walgreens and CVS.

As for Walgreens, I didn't keep track of the value of the items until a couple months ago, but have actually been doing their rebates actively since February. I can't totally calculate my savings due to that, but will just give an overview:

Cash outlay: $105.61
Gift cards redeemed: $257.20
Register Rewards earned: $125.50
Total coupons redeemed: $490.87
Rebate earned: $263.21

CVS I was better able to keep track of things from the beginning. I began in May and haven't stopped since. However, I have learned to not buy things just because they are free, and to really try and get the items we like at a good price. We are also able to try new things because of the deals. I have donated a TON of items and also used a lot for gifts.

Cash outlay: $0!!
Gift cards redeemed: $107.92
ECB's redeemed: $578.72

CVS coupons used: $131.49
Manufacturer's coupons used: $298.20

ECB's earned: $639.57
Items purchased: 393
Value of items: $1,310.71

To sum that up, I got $1,310.71 worth of items for $107.92 'cash' (gift cards that I earned from transferring prescriptions). That is a savings of $1202.79 or 92%!! This is $.27 per item. I can't wait to see what this year brings!

Happy savings! =)

Enjoying Yourself While on a Budget

So I normally post about getting the most bang for your buck, and stocking up on things you know you need, and on and on. But the other side of being frugal is to not be so cheap you deny yourself small luxeries like maybe a $5 pizza from Little Caesar's once a month, or a coffee (which we now have gift cards for, yay gifts!). It also means to save your cash for a larger purchase.

We have been wanting the Wii (well, mainly me. But Matt would want the Xbox360. I pointed out there aren't really many games I would like, having always had a Nintendo system. The games also cost more.) His cousin brought his Wii Fit over to grandma's and we really liked it. Granted it's costly too, and also sold out EVERYWHERE. But I would also get the Jillian Michaels workout game, which would help us work out more when it isn't convenient to go to the gym.

So we took our cash, Target gift cards, and drove on a Wii hunt on the way home last night.

First stop was Fry's, where they ONLY sell the console in a bundle with crap we don't need like HD A/V cables (we don't have a fancy-dancy TV) and a charging dock for the remotes (duh, rechargeable batteries!). So we left there, because I don't really like them anyway.

Went across the street and Toys R Us was out, so run next door to Best Buy. As we near the video game section, we see an employee holding a Wii box above his head. I think he was showing the other associates he had one so they would know. Matt is like "Hey, got any more?" And the guy says that one was just returned and it is now yours (don't worry, unopened. Guess they didn't want it??!?). So we get that, and an extra remote and nunchuck (no one else had remotes in stock! Best Buy only had 3) and yeah, tax is 8% there, ugh. So that was $335.

Then Matt goes back to Fry's to buy a 'gun' for the Wii for $16 (again, that 8% tax).

We stop at Target on the way home (all of the Targets around us are in high-tax areas. This one is 10%. Silly Cook County) to pick up the super-sale-priced items of Call of Duty ($39) and Guitar Hero World Tour w/guitar and game ($77...GREAT price. At/over $100 everywhere regular price) and spend $127 (but use $75 in GC on that).

That brings our total to $478.56. Why did we feel we could spend that amount?
1 - This is the third Christmas season for the Wii, and it has yet to go down in price. It will most likely be a long time before it does
2 - We had $75 in Target gift cards
3 - We had a combined total of $265 in cash of Christmas gifts
4 - Matt has an amazing job and just got his bonuses and his PTO will be paid out in a couple weeks
5 - This is something we really want and can use together
6 - We can sell our Game Cube console as the games work on the Wii
7 - May even sell N64 as we really don't use it (use our SNES though!)

So yes, I feel if you can pay 'cash' for things like this, go for it! I would never ever charge it if I could not afford it. While many people don't even have credit cards and would have paid straight cash for this shopping spree, I don't agree. I get money back on my credit card (3% on most purchases, 1% on the rest. Earn $200 in your 'rewards account' and you can actually get $250 CASH back, NOT a statement credit!), pay it in full each month, and do carefully watch how much I put on there. So it is worth it to me to put all this cash in the bank and charge the system. I like the security of charging large electronics in case something is wrong and it needs to be returned and the store gives you trouble. We will use the PTO to pay for the rest of the system. More games will wait until we have extra money again (like my birthday in February when maybe the Wii Fit will be back in stock) but for now Guitar Hero is one of our favorites anyway.

We also plan ahead for things like Matt can upgrade his cell phone in March when he needs to sign a new service plan, but it may die ahead of that time. He is already planning to use his birthday money (January) to buy a nice one that will last him the next two years. With careful planning, you CAN have the nice things you want that are truly extras!!

I hope you enjoyed this full disclosure. I'd be happy to discuss more of my ideas on budgeting ;)

Knitting Update!

Road trip to Iowa last weekend. Knit the rest of sock #1 and the entire foot (ready to turn heel) on sock #2.

I somehow lost my amazing mittens between last winter and this winter. So bummed! My hands have been SO cold. So now that the negative temps are done (at least for now!) I have yarn to make more, because my uncle spoiled me. My bro was with me and picked out yarn for mittens as well:

It is called "Navy Nite" but is definitely purple. Strange. He'll wear them though. Mine will have the same turquoise with a darker turquoise as the main color.

FO! Dolman top from Knit So Fine. Yarn bought half off at Stitches. Fits fine, just the BO on the front piece is too tight so it is hard to get on and off but I like it!



Yay gratuitous kitty shot! He's so sweet when he is sleeping


It's been snowing for about 20 hours! So pretty, but a pain driving in it, ugh!

CVS 2-day sale

I put everything away immediately after arriving home, because we had to clear off the table to eat, so no pic. Boring, I know ;) Plus hubby was cranky from going to the store and having to wait for the cashier to write out 4 different rainchecks. But I got most of what I wanted. However, we picked up the wrong eyeshadow at first and thankfully the cashier caught it before she rung it up, except that I then had to recalculate as I stood there, meaning I wasn't able to used my Crest $1 coupons, but I did use some expired coupons (no idea if this CVS accepts them or not, but she pushed them through)

Hall's cough drops: $2.59 Free after Extra Bucks (FAECB), $.50 manq
Crest Pro-Health: $2.99, earn $2 ECB x2 = $.99 each
Sally Hansen Nail Polish: $5.99 FAECBx2, $3/2 coupon
Excedrin: $3.99, used $2 manq and $1 CVS CRT (both expired), paid $.99, earned $3.99 ECB and will mail-in for $3.99 rebate, so -$6.57 for it! Great stuff, plus only 20ct, so more is always good.
Trans. #1: used $17.67 ECB, $.49 on GC, earned $22.56 ECB

For Trans. #2 at 2nd store, our goal was to use up my ECBs expiring on 12/26.
Russel Stover's holiday candy:$.50x2
Hershey Take 5: $.89 (this should be my 10th Hershey bar to earn a free one)
CVS band-aids: $.79, great sale and an item we needed! Regular $2.99
L'Oreal HIP eyeshadow: $6.99 FAECB, $1 manq
Benefiber: $7.29 FAECB, $2 manq
Bandaids: $4.49 (Matt uses a lot of bandaids in winter. finger splits)
Trans. #2: used $17.96 ECB, $.74 on GC, earned $14.28 ECB

So still came out $1.21 ECB ahead ;)

Now debating on if I should go to Walgreens at midnight, or when I wake up at 6:30. They had 5 hairdryers in stock. Tomorrow ONLY (think it is an item they want to clear out, no rainchecks) a $20 hairdryer is on sale for $10 and you earn $10 RR. GREAT! Mine has a funny smell sometimes, which isn't good. This seems decent and is the same speed as my current one, so worth it if I can find it!

Walgreens Today

The $5 RR I got from last week's deal expires the 20th, so I had to use it up this week. I was happy to see the kid's Listerine on sale, which Matt loves, haha.
Listerine: 2/$9, used two $1 coupons
Russell Stover's Chocolate Cream Egg: $.39 (as a filler to use my RR)
Paid with $5 RR and $2.16 from my gift card, earned $4.50 RR on the Listerine!
Yes, there are two eggs in the picture...when she scanned the 7-day coupon from the ad, the register said "incorrect product" and we realized I picked up the Cadbury egg. She took it off and I ran back for the RS one. Well, even though she voided it, she somehow put it in my bag...but that's the one I wanted anyway ;) Oh well. Bonus for me, because I'm not driving back to the store for $.59 they accidentally gave me. They'd surely tell me to keep it anyway.
Then I stopped at another store, where I don't think many couponers go as they seem to have things I need for my deals.
Bought 11 boxes of Turtles ($10.89), used 7 $1.50 coupons ($10.50) = $.39 for 11 boxes Great gifts as my dad and his step-dad love these.
Bought 2 Russell Stovers Luminaries for $4.99 each. They count for the "buy 2 get $10" rebate, which after bonus is $11.
Paid with my $4.50 RR and $6.24 GC. Will earn $11 on my rebate GC!

Total today: $6.63 cash and $9.50 RR used, earn $11 rebate. Very cool!