Walgreens and CVS 2/8/10...

Ok kids!  Today was CVS and Walgreens day, and I had the pleasure of my hubby for company!  I know I am still not the best at this, and my totals may still seem high, but for us, considering what we used to spend, this is amazing!  Hubs was certainly impressed! Here we go!

 

This is what we got at CVS.  Keep in mind I went in with 7.49 in ECB's.  

First Transaction:

                                    5 Boxes of Nabisco Crackers        5/$10.00

                                                                                (1)/$1.00 off 1 coupon

                                                                               (2) $2.00 off 2 coupons
                                 
                                     1 Fusion Razor                            $8.99
                                                                              $4.00 off 1 coupon

                                    4 Nivea Lip Care                         $3.99 & $2.99
                                                                            (2) B1G1 coupons

                                     Total BEFORE Coupons and ECB's :  $32.95
                                                                             $7.49 ECB's
                                                                             $9.00 coupons
                                                                             $7.98 from Nivea B1G1 (both $3.99 free!)
                                   
                                     Total AFTER:                  $ 8.48 (Doesn't include tax)
                                      ECB's Received:             $12.00 (Yay!  Money Maker!)
 

Transaction 2:

                                       Tide Stain Release 10 Packs            (6) for $3.99
                                            Used (3) B1G1 Coupons, and (3) $1.00/1 Coupons

                                       Pampers Easy Ups                           $8.99
                                                                                     Used $1.50/1 coupon

                                        Total Before Coupons:                  $32.93
                                        ECB's Used:                                 $12.00
                                        Coupons Used:                             $16.47

                                        Total out of pocket:                       $4.46 (Doesn't include tax)

Total Savings in CVS today was:  $69.89...WOW!!!!!!!

 

On to Walgreens...We started out with $6.00 Register Rewards (RR).

And because it is getting late and I am really tired, I am giving you the short version.  We spent $17.87 out of pocket and saved $54.79.

So, I now I didn't get things reallt for free, but right now we are still building a stockpile, and for us, those savings are amazing!  I am hoping to get better and really start to be selective about what is too good of a deal to pass up!

I did go grocery shopping too, but I felt kinda bad about it.  I spent $86.00 and only saved around $60.00.  Still ok, but the last two weeks I saved half or better, so I was a bit disappointed!  There were a few things I should have waited to get until I went to Wal Mart, but I just didn't feel like hitting ANOTHER store!

Tell me how you did this week!

The Basement...

Well, I committed to doing the 28 day organization project, and I have been super good about putting in one hour a day working on the basement. 6 bags of garbage and 2 yard sale bins later and I still feel like I am getting nowhere! Why was I saving all this stuff??? So, here we go...these are some before pictures...

This is really the hubby's side...but I have managed to overtake it!

This is part of the play area...we even have a carpet on the floor somewhere!

 

"The Workout Room" - hahahahaha

 

And this would be my scrapbook area.  Or the black hole that houses all the junk I insist on keeping for no good solid reason.

Obviously I have my work cut out for me.  Oh, and obviously one hour a day won't be cutting it.  That's all I can manage during the week though.  I will have to give some thought to getting down there for a few more hours on the weekends!  It is a basement.  An OLD and unfinished dirty musty basement, and we rent.  Any suggestions on how to make it SEEM a little bit more "homey" would be GREATLY appreciated!

New Beginnings...

So, the Grammy's are over.  Taylor Swift got the biggest award!  Yay!  Then I crashed, and by crash, I wish I could have meant sleep.  No, I crashed so hard emotionally I don't know how I didn't wake up my hubby!  I was forced to my knees in such anguish I was not sure I would be able to rise again.  There has been too many things lately.  Things that should make me run to Him.  I know I need to fall into those protective arms of my God.  Yet still, I turn away.  I can fix it.  I can make it all better.  I can make family rules.  I can be the better person.  I promise not to yell at my kids.  I will forgive.  I will stand behind my husband without getting all crazy out of control.  I can do it myself.
Reality check:  NO, I can't.  It simply can't be done.  I am not meant to stand alone.  I am meant to lean on my God and let Him bear my burdens.  I am to give Him my hurts.  Give Him my worries.  Put ALL of my trust in Him.
And at 12;26 am on this February 1st, that is exactly what I did.  I turned back around and I said yes.  Yes, Father, I need you and i will trust in YOU.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6

This has been my "life verse" since I was baptized in 6th grade.  I am finally ready to live it.  Welcome, Father, please come in and live in my heart.  I have made plenty of room for you...

A new task for February...

I was checking out what Jennifer had to say tonight (or this morning, since I am NOT sleeping at 1:06 AM) over at Saving and Giving, (please check out her blog, I love it!) and I came across a challenge.  A challenge that I need to document in order to be accountable and it is perfect for me!  I will have 28 days to organize a room.

So, which room did I pick?  Well, as luck would have it, the huge discussion here lately has been the dreaded basement.  It needs to be cleaned and organized once and for all.  I don't think it will ever be pretty and homey - we don't have that much time or money, and let's remember, we rent - but we NEED it to be functional!  So, for the next 28 days I will be organizing the craft/plat area of the basement.  IF I should be done with that half before the 28 days are up, I may even be ambitious enought to dig in to the other side!

I will post my before pictures tomorrow!!!

Oh and by the way...
Please forgive me is the buttons I have snagged, or links I have tried don't work!  I am still figuring all of this out!

 

Grocery Shopping is Fun!

I have been trying to get the hang of really doing this whole couponing thing effectively before I start posting about it!  Last Friday and this Friday I think I did pretty well!  My grocery bills were halved by the time I paid, but I am realizing I will never be the girl that can tell you where I actually got most of my coupons from!  It's just not fitting into my schedule to be quite that organized!

This is what today's trip to Stop & Shop got us:

 

(Yes, we know that's a wall behind the food, little ones are learning to read!)

      There are 2 packages of meat missing - chicken thighs (boneless, skinless and sweet italian sausage).  I am still slow at this so I needed to clean off the table first and I really wanted to get that meat in the freezer.  (Um, organizing is another goal I have - probably help me save some money if I didn't keep losing things in the house, too!)

      The important stuff is this:

                                               Total Before Savings Applied:  $153.76

                                              

                                               Stop & Shop Card Savings:     $39.40                                               

                                               Personal Thanks Savings:         $7.75

                                               Manufacturers Coupons:          $15.45

                                               Double Coupons:                     $8.45

                                               Cashier Flub:                           $8.00

                   (Cashier couldn't figure out 2 $4.00 coupons, so he put them in as if I had paid cash) 

                                                            TOTAL:                     $79.05

                                               

                                              Total AFTER all savings:          $76.19

This is the first time that I have EVER saved more than I have actually forked over!  I was so excited!  My husband, while ecstatic that we are saving money, thinks I am nuts!  He humors me though, and gets excited for me too! 

I know that no one reads this but my Mom right now (hi Mom!), but if by chance you are reading and I have browsed your blog, I would like to say Thanks!  Reading all of the posts out there and all the deals helps me figure this out much easier!

My Wal Mart Trip ...

I went to wal Mart today to pick up a few things...but I took my toddler.  She is a lot of fun to shop with, but all the money I would have saved, she spent!  Anyhow, I thought I wouls share the deals I did find.  Nothing spectacular, but like I said, I am still new at this, so hopefully I will get better at it!  (And I promise to learn how to link to printable coupons and to remember to write down where I got coupons from!)

This is what I got today:

Peter Pan Peanut Butter  $2.08 per jar.
          Buy 2 get one free Coupon!
          3 jars for $4.16 or $1.39 per jar

Chef Boyardee Canned Pastas  $.98 per can
         Buy 3 get one free coupon
         4 cans for $2.94 or $.74 per can

Neosporin Lip Care  $4.00
         $3.00/1 coupon
          1 tube for $1.00

Sunbelt Fruit & Grain Cereal Bars  $2.00 per box
         Buy one get one FREE coupon
         2 boxes for $2.00 or $1.00 per box

Nabisco Wheat Thins/Triscuits 2/$4.00
         $2.00 off 2 coupon
         2 boxes for $2.00 or $1.00 per box!

So, if this was all that I had bought, I would have spent $22.16.  After coupons I actually spent $12.10.  So I saved $10.06!  Wow!

Of course that is all negated by the Yogo's, Band Aids, Sippy cup, and, um, all the other things she who is so cute just had to have!  I suppose if I hadn't saved the money with coupons I'd be really sad about what I spent!  Lesson learned:  Do NOT take toddler on a shopping trip alone!  (Yes, I know I could have said no to her, and I usually do, however, we were having a good time, and I just so happened to be in a very generous mood today!)

A Whole New World...

Welcome!  This blog has been simmering in my brain for quite some time now.  lease bear with me.  While I know what it is I want to accomplish here, it may take me some time to actually be able to do it all well!  It has become a mission of mine to become debt free by next January.  Can we do it?  Yes.  Is it going to be easy? Not at all.  I am a shopper.  I love to shop, think I am getting a great deal, spend too much money, and then feel guilty about it later.  Soooo...I have decided that it is time for me to use my love of shopping to my advantage.  I now spend time every Friday and every Sunday poring over circulars and feverishly printing and cutting coupons.  So far, I haven't done quite as well as I think I will when I start out.  That is telling me I have a awful lot of learning to do!

I hope that I can help you out as I learn!  I will do my best to post any deals I can come up with and highlight the circulars where I can!  I will also be reaching out to see if I can't get some pointers!  Let me know if you have any for me!