Tuesday's Total 3/13/12

Well, as you should (hopefully) know, today is Wednesday, and I finally got around to doing my weekly shopping. I'm not exactly sure why I put it off until today, but it was such a wonderful day to go shopping. The Publix I wound up going to (it changes every week due to what part of town I'm going to) had everything in stock, except for one item. Thankfully the very nice man who was stocking the nearest aisle was willing to go search in the back to see if they had any. And yes, they did. So I was able to get everything in just one trip!

So here's how I did...

** photo posted soon**

(8) Emerald Breakfast on the Go- $.65 ea (saved $2.64 ea)

(2) Welch's Fruit Snacks- $.88 ea (saved $1.87 ea)

(4) Philadelphia Cream Cheese Indulgence Spread- $.25 ea (saved $2.74 ea)

(4) Barilla Pasta- $.25 ea (saved $1.24 ea)

(4) Barilla Pasta Sauce- $.99 ea (saved $2.00 ea)

(12) Uncle Ben's Country Inn Rice- $.41 ea (saved $1.08 ea)

(2) Coffeemate Natural Bliss Creamer- $.67 ea (saved $1.83 ea)

(2) Nabisco Graham Crackers- $2.10 ea (saved $2.10 ea)

3.53lb bananas- $.67/ lb

Paid: $25.78  Saved: $69.62

73% Savings

Can I say how much I love the fact that everything I bought (except for my impulse, no coupon, graham crackers) was less than $1.00 each! That's how you want to shop! And that's why coupons are awesome. Sure, you can go to the dollar store and buy each of the things I've listed above for around $1.00 each, but I wouldn't guarantee their quality.

Oh, and since a few of the items I bought were "new" items, I figured I'd weigh in my opinion about them. First is the Philadelphia Indulgence Spread: I was very leery of this item when I first saw it. I'm not sure why, but for some reason it seemed a little off. But since the sale will be ending soon, I figured I'd give it a try. Oh, thank God, I did! It was go good. Hint: I bought the graham crackers to go with the spread. I've always had a thing for regular cream cheese + graham crackers, but the chocolate takes it to another level!

Next is the Breakfast on the Go: As soon as I saw that these were available for such a great price, I knew I wanted to jump on it quick. I'm so happy that I did. I know I will be carrying these around with me everywhere I go, just in case I ever need a little pick me up. I bought the Berry Blend ones, and I'm so glad I did.

So there you go, my weekly review plus a little review!

Tuesday's Total 3/6/12

Is it Tuesday already? This week has gone by so fast, and I can see already that the next one will, too. But anyways, back to the task at hand. Telling all of you about my weekly shopping trips.

This week was a fun week for me. All in all, I did three trips to the store, and two of those we to Publix. Unfortunately, when I went on Saturday morning, they were out of a few of my "free" items, so I decided to stop back by while I was in town a few days later.

So, let's start this week off with Publix trip #1...

(4) Kraft Fresh Take Cheese and Breadcrumb- $.15 ea (saved $2.84 ea)

(4) Nature's Own Wheat Bread- $1.50 ea (saved $1.50 ea)

(8) Hungryman Freezer Meals- $1.85 ea (saved $1.85 ea)

(8) Pillsbury Toaster Strudel- $1.20 ea (saved $1.79 ea)

(4) Bird's Eye Voila- $.90 ea (saved $4.59 ea)

(6) Bird's Eye Veggies- $.50 ea (saved $1.49 ea)

(2) Bird's Eye Veggies- $.80 ea (saved $1.79 ea)

(4) Stouffer's Family Size Entrees- $1.99 ea (saved $5.80 ea)

(2) Dannon Yogurt 4pk- $.79 ea (saved $1.40 ea)

(8) Voskos Greek Yogurt- $.33 ea (saved $1.42 ea)

(4) Voskos Greek Yogurt- $.33 ea (saved $1.17 ea)

(4) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls- $.50 ea (saved $1.29 ea)

(4) Crystal Light To Go- $1.00 ea (saved $1.99 ea)

(4) Thermacare Heat Patch- $1.49 ea (saved $5.50 ea)

(15) Powerade- $.67 ea (saved $.58 ea)

(2) Hunt's Ketchup- $1.32 ea (saved $1.32 ea)

(2) Truvia Multi packs- $1.00 ea (saved $2.99 ea) 

Total Paid: $79.04  Total Saved: $171.26

68% Savings

After my trip to Publix I headed over to our local grocery store to pick up a few of their "bonus buys" items. This list will look very different from all the others, mainly because I bought meat and produce items. Since the price of these items fluctuate, you can't get an accurate savings %, but you can definitely tell it's a great deal though.

(1) Gallon Skim Milk- $3.88 ea (saved $.30 ea)

(2) Head of Lettuce- $.99 ea (saved $.70 ea)

(2) Cucumbers- $.50 ea (saved $.48 ea)

(5.5 lbs) Chicken Breast- $1.69/ lb (savings unknown)

(3.1 lbs) Bell Peppers- $.99/ lb (savings unknown)

(3.7 lbs) Tomatoes- $.99/ lb (savings unknown)

(2.5 lbs) Bananas- $.58/ lb (savings unknown)

Total Paid: $20.33  Total Saved: $6.67+

25+% Savings

As I mentioned above, Publix was out of the items that would have been free so I decided to go back another day since I was already going to town anyways. And I'm so glad I did.

(4) Bird's Eye Veggies- FREE +$.31 ea (saved $2.30 ea)

(4) Mrs. Paul's Parchment Bakes- $2.00 ea (saved $3.99 ea)

(2) 16 oz Strawberries- $1.67 ea (saved $1.32 ea)

(2) Coffeemate Natural Bliss Creamer- $.67 ea (saved $1.83 ea)

(1) Sundown Naturals Vitamins- FREE + $.71 ea (saved $4.50 ea)

(1) Sundown Naturals Vitamins- FREE + $.51 ea (saved $4.50 ea)

(1) Capri Sun Roarin' Waters- $2.34 ea (saved $.65 ea)

Total paid: $12.56  Total Saved: $41.11

77% Savings

Tuesday's Total 2/28/12

Ugh. This week hasn't been one of my best when it comes to finding deals and saving money. I guess I wasn't really in the shopping mood, but didn't want to forgo the whole week. So don't be surprised if these numbers aren't the greatest.

First I'll start off with Publix. I had a list made and was eager to go shopping, when all of a sudden my printer ran out of ink. As you may know, about 80% of coupons are now printed online. And without ink, I wasn't able to print the ones I needed. But I decided to take a trip to Publix anyways since I was already going by there. And of course I got sucked into a "deal" they had going on that if you buy 4 P&G items, you get a rotisserie chicken for free. It was late, and I was hungry, so I caved. It wasn't all bad though, I still managed to save money in the long run, but this goes down as one of my worst Publix trips yet.

Here's what I wound up getting...

** No photo taken**
(2) Iams Dog Food 7lbs- $4.99 ea (saved $6.50 ea)

(3) Coke 2L- $.76 ea (saved $1.13 ea)

(1) Downy Fabric Softener- $4.99 ea (saved $2.26 ea)

(1) Gallon Milk- $2.65 ea (saved $1.00 ea)

(1) Always Infinity- $6.49 ea (saved $2.70 ea)

(1) Rotisserie Chicken- FREE (saved $7.39 ea)

Total Paid: $26.39  Total Saved: $29.74

53% Savings

My next shopping trip landed me at my local grocery store. I don't like shopping here mainly because their prices are so high, but they do tend to have a few great deals every now and then.

This is what I was able to find on their "Super Buys"...

(2) Gain 50oz- $1.99 ea (saved $5.00 ea)

(2) Puffs Multi pack Tissues- $2.49 ea (saved $4.00 ea)

(2) Bounty Basic Paper Towels 8ct- $2.99 ea (saved $4.50 ea)

Total Paid: $14.94  Total Saved: $27.00

64% Savings

Then on Saturday I headed out to Dollar General since I had their $5 off $25 coupon. Last time I used this coupon I was able to score big, but this week proved to be a challenge. I had a lot of bogo coupons I was hoping to use, so my total would be minimal, but they didn't have anything I was looking for. So instead of letting the coupon expire without using it, I was sucked in to the possibility of a deal (notice a pattern this week?).

This is how it looked when I left...

(2) Febreeze Fabric Refresher- $1.05 ea (saved $2.45 ea)

(1) Colgate Toothpaste- $.80 ea (saved $.20 ea)

(2) DG Popcorn- $.80 ea (saved $.20 ea)

(1) Colgate Kids Toothpaste- $1.20 ea (saved $1.80 ea)

(1) Conair Clippers- $8.00 ea (saved $2.00 ea)

(1) Nivea Body Lotion- $1.80 ea (saved $2.20 ea)

(2) Lysol Spray- $3.25 ea (saved $1.00 ea)

(2) Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner- $1.00 ea (saved $1.00 ea)

(2) Lysol Wipes- $1.00 ea (saved $1.50 ea)

Total Paid: $26.00  Total Saved: $18.50

42% Savings

Now we get to the fun part of my week. If you remember, last week I mentioned that I did my first coupon trip to CVS. Needless to say, I was so excited to go back this week to see what I could find. Thankfully, the blogs I follow give a heads up to the upcoming deals, so that gave me some time to figure out just what I wanted to get, and how to get it with the least money out of pocket.

Although, once I got to the store and started to check out I ran into a few problems, most of which were my own fault. You see, the thing about coupons is that you really have to read the fine print. I didn't do that so my transactions didn't go exactly as I had planned out, but I did still manage to save a ton of money, so in the end it all worked out fine.

And here's how it went...

Transaction #1

(3) bags of Easter Candy- $2.66 ea (saved $1.13 ea)

(1) Colgate Sensitive Pro Relief Toothpaste- $3.24 ea (saved $3.55 ea)

(1) Colgate Total Advance Toothpaste- $1.74 ea (saved $2.75 ea)

Used: $4 off $20 CVS coupon

Used: $6.99 ECB (left over from last week)

Total Paid: $.49 Total Saved: $22.16

98% Savings

Earned: $7.00 ECB

Transaction #2

(1) Colgate Sensitive Pro Relief Toothpaste- $3.24 ea (saved $3.55 ea)

(1) Colgate Total Advance Toothpaste- $1.74 ea (saved $2.75 ea)

Total Paid: $5.73 Total Saved: $11.28

66% Savings

Earned: $5.00 ECB

Transaction #3

(1) Huggies Slip On Diapers- $5.99 ea (saved $6.00 ea)

(2) Up2U Gum- FREE (saved $1.57 ea)

Used: $5.99 ECB (from previous transaction)

Total Paid: $0  Total Saved: $15.13

100% Savings

Transaction #4

(1) Huggies Slip On Diapers- $5.99 ea (saved $6.00 ea)

Used: $5.99 ECB (from previous transaction)

Total Paid: $0  Total Saved: $11.99

100% Savings

CVS Total Paid: $6.22 Total Saved: $54.83

91% Savings

Tuesday's Total 2/14/12

Shockingly, I didn't do a major shopping trip this week. There just weren't any deals that I felt like I needed to go into town to get. With that being said, I did go out today (after checking the upcoming week's sales) to get a few items that I thought were a good enough deal to grab before they ended tonight. Luckily it was just to our local store here in town so it only took me about 15 minutes total. Of course while there I gave in to my sweet tooth and grabbed something sweet.

So what did I get?

**sorry no picture, this is a very last minute post since I just got back from the store and wanted to post before I forgot**

(2) Scott Extra Soft 12ct Double Roll Toilet Paper- $3.50ea (saved $3.99ea)

(2) BlueBell Half Gallon Ice Cream- $2.50ea (saved $4.49ea)

(1) Gallon Skim Milk- $1.98ea (saved $2.20ea)

Total Paid: $13.98  Total Saved: $19.16

Savings of 58%

But my savings for the night didn't end there. I also stopped by RedBox while leaving the store to pick up a FREE movie. By using Promo Code: HEART I was able to get a free movie for the night. However, since it's late (yeah, we're old and boring) we will probably wait until tomorrow to watch it. And in case you're wondering, the movie I got was Courageous. I've heard it's good but haven't actually seen anything about it. I hope it lives up the the hype, and if not, at least it was free.

So that concludes my shopping adventures for the week. Not very exciting, but I still managed to save money and that's what matters most. Now I'm off to start looking into this weeks deals and make up my shopping lists.

Tuesday's Totals 2/7/12

Well I have decided to start a weekly post about my shopping adventures. This is for two reasons, one I need to start posting more and having scheduled posts may help, and two, I don't want to only talk about my grocery trips so if I keep it to just one day a week, I won't bore you with it.

So here we go.

This week was a first for me since I started couponing one whole month ago. I had to buy every day necestity items such as milk and bread. As you may know, these items hardly ever go on sale and even more rarely have coupons.That being said, my totals this week aren't the greatest, but in the end I did save a lot of money while buying items that our family needs.

My first shopping trip was to our local grocery store (starts with an H). Since they accept Publix coupons and also double Manufacture coupons (up to $.50, which Publix here doesn't) I decided to use a few of my coupons to get some great deals.

Due to the Super Bowl I was able to snag a few deals on party type items.

(2) Stouffer's Party Size Lasagna- $7.98 ea (saved $7.61ea)

(6) OreIda Bagel Bites- $1.33 ea (saved $1.46 ea)

(4) Digiorno Rising Crust Pizza- $3.50 ea (saved $4.09 ea)

(1) Silk Almond Milk- $3.59 ea (no coupon)

(4) Dean's Ranch Dip- FREE (saved $1.99 ea)

(1) 18 ct eggs- $2.99 ea (saved $.20 ea)

(1) Chobani Greek Yogurt- $5.35 ea (no coupon)

Total Paid: $49.87 Saved: $48.50

Saving of 49%

The next day I went to Publix to be sure to catch some great deals.

(2) Publix Wheat Bread- $1.79 ea (no coupon)

(2) Smithfield Bacon- $1.83 ea (saved $3.98 ea)

(4) Aunt Jemima Waffles- $.63 ea (saved $1.62 ea)

(10) Birds Eye Steamfresh Veggies- $.50-.75 ea (saved $1.49-1.74 ea)

(6) Beech Nut Stage 2- $.28 ea (saved $.28 ea)

(1) Gallon Publix Milk- $3.79 (no coupon)

(2) Apple & Eve Fruitables- $1.20 ea (saved $2.29 ea)

(2) Swanson Broth- $.50 (saved $2.19 ea)

(2) Sominex Sleep Aid- FREE +$.31 ea (saved $3.81 ea)

(1) Hawaiian Bread round- $1.99 ea (saved $2.20 ea)

(9) Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes- $.60 ea (saved $1.09 ea)

Total Paid: $30.61 Saved: $60.67

Savings of 66%

While I was at Publix I saw a few deals that I knew I had coupons for but didn't have on me during my trip, so I decided to go back two days later while I was already planning to go to town (so no extra trip needed).

(16) Beech Nut Stage 2- $.15 ea (saved $.40 ea)

(2) Sambazon Juice- FREE (saved $2.99 ea)

(5) Swanson Broth- $.55 ea (saved $2.14 ea)

(2) Kraft Olive Oil Mayonaise- $1.60 ea (saved $3.59 ea)

(12) Birds Eye Steamfresh Veggies- $.50-.75 ea (saved $1.49-1.74 ea)
(1) Ruffles Potato Chips- $3.50 ea (saved $.79 ea)

Total Paid: $18.78 Saved: $68.78

Savings of 73%

You may notice that some of the prices change for a few of the items bought at Publix between trips. That's mainly due to the coupons available to me for the trip. Oh, and I feel like I should mention that I do NOT buy a dozen newspapers to get deals like these. I buy only two a week and mainly print most from online. Also, Publix has so many store coupons available right now that you can use with Manufacture coupons from the newspaper.

** amount saved is based upon individual store's retail value at time of purchase**