Club Pub

It's been a while hasn't it!  Well, I had a pretty good day yesterday at Publix and wanted to share.

Pictures doe NOT include the 2 bottles of ALL detergent I got for $1.99 each!

It wasn't a huge trip.  The only things I did NOT have coupons for were the cotton balls (the girls wanted to paint their toenails/fingernails), the milk, and the eggbeaters.  (I've been eating southwestern egg wraps for breakfast lately and they were on sale!)

Total before coupons/sales:  $86.10

Total after coupons/sales:  $24.32

Total savings of : $61.78!!!!

I think I was most excited about the pack of Sharpies - it was $2.50 - which is a great price for them!  The 4 pairs of scissors were FREE, the crayons were $0.34 and I had a $1 coupon which means I "made" $0.66 for buying them.  The Spenda packs were $0.19/each - AWESOME price!  2000 flushes were $0.74/each, chex mix/bugles $0.29/each, pack of noxema razors were $0.49, the hot pocket snackers were $0.67/each.

Like I said, it wasn't a huge trip, but we got some school supplies, and always needed detergent.  And with all four kids in tow, I don't have the time/patience to do too big of trips. 

How I Do It NOW

For those that are new around here, I decided to link some old post I wrote about how I got started couponing and then some updates on how I do it now!

THIS POST talks about some of the ins and outs on how to get started.

THIS POST has a couple of examples.  AND some pics of Olivia and Landon when they were younger!  So cute!

And now....

The biggest change to couponing I've made is how I store and clip coupons.  I now FILE them away by week.  Since the main two sites I use (Southern Savers and IHeartPublix) list the date the coupon was in the paper, I just look it up real quick, locate it, and clip it!

I have 13 or 14 file folders in my drawer in my desk.  Every Sunday I grab the back (oldest) file folder, trash the inserts that are in their (expired) and re-label the folder with a sticky label, and put it in the front of the bunch of folders.  I also have a folder for coupon booklets, advantage buy inserts and other pages of coupons that I've found.  I also have a folder for loose coupons that I accidentally printed or didn't use one week.

I try and do one big couponing trip a week.  That meaning that I buy things even if I don't "need" them because they were at a great price!  Then I put them in our extra fridge/freezer downstairs - which is a HUGE help when stocking up!

I pretty much only shop at Piggly Wiggly for meat.  They have incredible sales on GOOD MEAT!  Even steaks!

***Guys, chicken breast should be SMALL and PINK.  Not huge and white...like I seem to find at other stores I frequent!  I promise the small, pink ones will be tender and juicy when they cook up!***

But because we're a family of 6, other small trips are usually in order.  To pick up things we need NOW or are out of...like Rhodes' soy milk, fresh produce, lunchbox items, etc.


I still hit up CVS every once in a while, though I'm not rolling ECB's (extra care bucks) like I used to.  But if there's a great deal, especially on diapers or wipes, you better bet I'm there.  I just know that we have enough razors and toothpaste to last us for a while!


Hope this gets the ball rolling for a few of ya!  I wish I had known this stuff earlier on in my marriage!  Heck, I wish I'd known this stuff in college!!  Oh, the $$$ I could have saved!!!

Club Pub

It's been a while since I've posted my Publix trips, but I'm still at it!!!  My Publix finally decided to take Target coupons.  They were a little wishy washy for a while.  I'm hoping this will help put and even greater discount into my grocery savings!

4 V8 Splash
2 Nature Valley Bread
6 Kraft Mac and Cheese
4 Green Giant veggies
2 Purex 3 in 1
1 Wisk
2 Glass Plus
2 Grilling Beans
2 Texas Toast
4 boxes Toaster Strudels
1 bag Idahoan Potaoes
2 blocks Publix cheese
2 Coffemate Creamer
1 box Barber Chicken
1 box drink pouches

The cheese was on sale but I didn't have a coupon.  The kids have been begging to make sausage balls, so we are!


With coupons, it made the windex $0.25/bottle.  The mac and cheese was $0.31 each, the coffee creamer was FREE, wisk was $1.49, drink boxes were $0.75, Texas toast was $0.19/box, veggies were $0.15 each, juice was $1.20 each, potatoes were FREE...you get the idea.

STATS:

Total Before coupons/sales:  $100.37

Total After coupons/sales: $30.45


70% savings!!!


Have YOU still been up to it!?!?

Club Pub

It's been a while since I've posted a Publix trip. But this week's savings really caught my eye. I almost quadrupled in savings what I spent out of pocket!



Total before sales/coupon: $106.91

Total savings in sales: $46.28

Total coupon savings: $37.25


Total savings: $83.53

Total spent out of pocket: $23.75

The glass plus was 25¢ each (can't have too much windex around here!), the bags of dog food were 99¢ each! Razors (fancy too!) were $1.50 each, Lunchables 50¢ each, rice sides that we love were 37¢ each, and the Total cereals were around $1.40 each. (Have you tried their cinnamon crunch total? it's cinnamon toast crunch for adults! but i plan on feeding it to my kids since it's much better than the kids cereals and packed with minerals and vitamens!) Yogurt packs were $1 each.


I also had a $10 winn dixie coupon that I needed to use. So it was basically some random things, but random things we use A LOT! :-) That's the point though - buy it when it goes on sale with a coupon - even if you have 10 of them in your cabinet anyways. Saves $$ in the long run!

I wish I had posted my CVS trip the other day. I walked away with 2 packs of HUGGIES diapers, chocolate, apple sauce and pure vanilla extract for $5! (and got $4.00 back) I've been able to sock away some size 1 and newborn diapers for the baby! Hoping to keep that up even after it's here - t minus ONE month! ahhh!

Club Pub Quickie

Just a quick trip to Publix this week. Some weeks, I only get what are staples in our house. Or things that we used EVERYDAY! (juice, dish soap, toilet paper, etc.)

Plus I rolled in some things for our Mother's Day dinner that we're cooking my mom! :-) Can't wait!

And I picked up a small garden/veggie salad for lunch! YUM!


Total before sales/coupons: $43.93

Coupon savings: $15.50

Sales savings: $12.79

Total Savings: $28.88

Total spent out of pocket: $15.05


The juices were 82¢ each. The dish soap was less than free - they "paid" me 25¢ to buy it! And the tortillas were $1 and Kashi cereal was $1.50 - for Kashi that's great!


Anyways, just haven't felt too bloggy this week! Hopefully this weekend I'll pick back up my camera and some fun things will happen!

Have a GREAT weekend

Club Pub (personal record)

Still trying to do all my couponing! Easter threw me off...there were no coupons in the paper on that Sunday and the sale dates were all different. But I'm back on track!!

I learned a new couponing tip. Really, I can't believe it didn't cross my mind before. So we all know Publix takes competitor's coupons. They'll stack one manufacturer, one Publix, and one competitor coupon PER ITEM! AND, drum roll please.....PER PURCHASE!!

So Publix sent out some $5 coupons a few weeks ago. I called everyone I knew that wouldn't be using them and told them not to throw them away! Then I had some other competitor coupons (rite aid, cvs, and piggly wiggly - depending on which store's policy will take them) to use on top of the Publix $5 coupons! That's $10 off just with those!!!!!

But this trip was my best!



Total before coupons/sales: $100.73

Sales: $38.25

Coupons: $44.44

Total Savings: $82.69

Total out of pocket: $18.04


Let me give you a little run down. :-)

The razors (and i don't need razors - we're stocked up good) were $3.14 each. And I had a $4.00 man. coupon and a $2 Target coupon. They paid me $2.86 (per razor package) to buy each of those razors! Which turns around and ends up being $2.86 (per package) off your total! They don't actually hand you cash. So that was a great buy!

The sour cream was negative $0.01. The 100 calorie packs were $0.25 each, dressings were $0.84 each, juice $1.00 each, the capri suns were FREE (with man. and target coupon).

The cereals were buy 2 get 1 free and I had a coupon for $1.00/3 and free gallon of milk if you bought 3 cereals Publix coupon. So $7.00 bought 3 cereals (the HUGE boxes) and a gallon of milk! Not too shabby!

You get the idea!

It was a great trip. I threw in bread and cheese because I needed some! So if I stuck to my usual of only buying what I have coupons for, it would have been under $10!

Every penny is counting these day! We're sure stretching them far in the grocery/household area!!!

Club Pub

I haven't posted any of my savings in a while. I've been doing my Publix shopping (cutting ANY corners we can these days!) and it's been going really well. I find myself less and less at Walmart - praise the Lord! And my weekly trips to Publix have been in the $20-$30 range per trip!! :-)



Total before savings: $98.04

Coupon savings: $28.49

Sale savings: $32.94

Total out of pocket: $36.61


This made the yogurts $0.33/each, bags of frozen biscuits $0.70 each! The veggies were practically pennies a bag, granola bars and cereal $1.00/box.

The only things that I got that weren't on sale or that I didn't have a coupon for were some bread flour (yes, I'm attempting my sourdough bread recipe again and have to get the starter going again!) and some potato flakes (to feed the starter), and the eggs - which I guess were on sale..they were a great price!


Also, has anyone else noticed the lack of really good CVS deals lately? They just haven't lured me in. I hope next week is good, because I have some ECBs I need to use!! :-)

Club Pub

Another great week of savings for me at Publix! And you better bet I handed my $5.oo off coupon to the cashier FIRST! No more forgettin' that baby!


Total before coupons/sales: $102.18

Coupons: $31.05
Sales: $42.39

Total Out of Pocket: $28.74

Total Savings: $73.44

I like to save at least as much as I spend. But if I can double what I spent on savings...EVEN BETTER! (And I wasn't too far from tripling what I spent on savings!) I spent about $0.97 per item. Even better than last week!! :-)

I got the Velveeta for $0.80! (I wish I had more coupons for that). The hummus a $1.00, cereal $0.99 each, voila frozen veggie meals $1.49 each, spicy mustard $0.54 each, tomatoes $0.30 each, chex mix $0.24 each, wheat thins $0.59, triscuits $0.60, seasoning mixes $0.44 each, all the bratwurst (Robert LOVES) were $1.71 per package! I didn't have coupons for the pretzels (just wanted them) or the ketchup (needed it but it was BOGO).

I feel very good about this purchase. Pretty sure nothing is going to be wasted. Now I'm just waiting for some rock bottom prices on meat to restock on. Gettin' a little low on ground beef. :-)

HUGE Club Pub

What a great week Publix is having! The ad is full of MANY good savings!!! First, I got to shop by myself. That is such a rare treat for me. And it's so much faster and efficient! And second, everything that was on sale and I had a coupon for is something our family uses almost daily! So no wasted $$!


The loot:

Total before sales/coupons: $178.11

Coupons: $31.58
Sales: $67.51

Total out of pocket: $79.01

Savings: $99.09

I broke it down per item and I paid $1.19 PER ITEM!!!!!! That's pretty good. Soup, juice, pizza, pack of paper towels! That's what it broke down to for each individual product!

After Publix, I headed on over to Wallyworld to get some more things. I even ad matched and used a few coupons. And ended up spending $1.87 per item! So I did MUCH MUCH better at Publix. But sometimes, I just plain need things that (1)aren't on sale, (2)that I haven't stocked up on, and (3) that I don't have a coupon for.

I'm really going to be playing the grocery game lately. I'm really hoping to take on another store. But I may be shooting too high. We'll see.

I want to give a shout out to Sarah at Fiddledeedee for matching up the Publix advantage buys and coupons! That helped A LOT!

I hope everyone is enjoying this WONDERFUL weather - hopefully it won't go anywhere for a while! :-)


Added this afternoon:
I just realized that I TOTALLY forgot to use one of my $5 off coupons at Publix! Makes me SO mad! Oh well.

Club Pub

Back at it...finally! It's been a while since I've really done my coupon thing. I guess over the holidays, I did very little big shopping. And then the coupons and sales haven't been just great in my opinion. But today, I managed to sneak in a little savings.

And since this has happened, I'm sure I'll be doing every.little.thing to help out with cash flow. (Look at how 'accounty' I sound...Robert would be so proud!) :-)



Total before coupons/sales: $53.51

coupons: $18.90
sales: $20.20

Total out of pocket: $14.41

Saved: $39.10



Not too shabby, huh. The green giant veggies are my favorite! I eat those little boxes for meals alone!! YUM! And they were $0.50 each! The lysol ended up being $0.35, mayo - $1.87 (i love the olive oil blends). Also, it would have been less, I messed up on the jelly and didn't get the kind on sale - but I still had a coupon. Oh well. I should have checked my receipt! I broke my own rule.

Club Pub

Another great (small) shopping trip to Publix!!!


Out of Pocket: $13.16
Coupons used: $19.95
Sales: $25.28
Total Savings: $45.23


The muffins were a great deal. There was a $5 publix coupon when you bought 10. Then I had another coupon. It made them $0.24/each. Electrosal $1.49/each. Soup $0.50/each. Feminine protection (sorry guys) $0.73/each and $0.98/each, big bags of pasta/veggies $0.75/each (that's practically a meal for us!!), the relish $0.10, and the ragu $0.75/each!!!

All in all, I'm happy with this trip. Definitely got some things that we use a lot!! Too bad I didn't have more coupons for the veggies or detergent! I probably would have gotten more. But I guess it's my fault for not picking up extra Sunday papers.

Club Pub

Ok, so I totally stole that nickname of Publix from Fiddledeedee's blog. But I like it!! :-)


I quickly ran into Publix to get all the kids a free cookie - snack time before ballet - gotta love Publix. I also had to get cheese cubes for Olivia's Thanksgiving feast for school!! Oh, and while I was there, I used up some of my coupons on this week's deals. I may or may not go back, we'll see what Sunday's coupons bring us! :-)



Total before coupons/sales: $71.57

Coupons used: $21.95
Sales: $27.53
Total Savings: $49.48

Total Out of Pocket: $22.09 a savings of 69%!!!!!

Keep in mind, the cheese was NOT on sale... :-( Also, I messed up a little and got Sister Schubert biscuits (not on sale), instead of rolls....making my total higher. Though I did have a coupon for them.

To give you an idea...this sale/coupons made the: pickles ($0.39/each), cream cheese ($0.75/each), chex mix ($0.24), frozen veggies ($0.19/each) etc, etc, etc.

Y'all still like it when I post my deals??? :-)

Publix

I thought I'd post one of my grocery deals instead of pharmacy trips. So here it goes.

Most of these items were BOGO at Publix this week. I had coupons for everything but the peanut butter...but it was $1.29/jar so it was still a great deal! The brushes were not on my list. But since I left my brush at the lake last weekend, and they were in the clearance bin for $2.39 each, I decided to get them. Robert's been using the dog brush. :-) He cleaned it out though - don't worry! :-)


Grand total $33.89
Grander savings $52.95

fajita kits were $0.97 each
ziploc bags were0.70 each
granola bars were $0.84 each
popcorn was $1.57 each
cereals were around $1.30 or $1.50
hunts was $0.38
yogurt 8-packs were $0.89 each

You get the point. If I had more coupons for any of these things, I probably would have bought more!

Now, if I can just find a place to keep all this stuff!

How I Got Started

I've had several questions about how I do the shoppin' thang! SO...I thought I share what worked for me and how I got started!

First, last year I went to a shopping seminar that a woman from our church started a few years ago. She tried to cram a years worth of info into a 6-7 hour time frame - and she didn't get through!! She was overflowing with wonderful money saving information. As well as biblical principles to apply to everything!

So I got a jump start from that memorable Saturday. I immediately figured out a way to best organize my coupons. Which, for me, happens to be a hard plastic index card box - so that it fits in my purse/car! (Though it's almost filled to capacity and I'll need a second one soon - or a new way to organize them!) Then, you start to clip away! I get the Sunday paper delivered to our house. I also get the coupons out of my grandmother's paper. And if the coupons are really good, I'll go pick up a few more for $.99 at Walgreens. And you file those babies away! Also, clip every single coupon. I didn't understand why until I realized that even if I didn't use that particular item, if I could get it for free or "make money" from buying it, it was worth it. And I could bless someone else with it if the opportunity arose.

After getting the coupon clipping/organizing down, you gather the weekly ads. Grocery store ads run from Wednesday to Tuesday. Drugstore ads run from Sunday to Saturday. The biggest thing to know while reading the ads are price points. You need to know great prices on items to see if it's the best deal you can get. That takes some learning. BUT, once you train your brain, you'll unconsciously start filing numbers in the back of you head and memorize the lowest prices! I like to check out Walmart. They have "low" prices. So if a grocery/drug store is running a price for lower, and that store doubles coupons or has rebates, chances are you can get at least a %50 better price at that particular store than at Walmart - if not better.

So, when I first started with CVS, my earliest purchases weren't cheap. But I was buying things that gave me Extra Care Bucks back so that I could start snowballing that "money" into savings. I've messed up a few times too. I've learned to use my biggest ECB's first. And there are limits on how many times you can "do the deals". I tried to do one twice and had to return everything. YIKES!

With the help of many blogs, like the ones in the previous post, I'm finally getting the hang of it. And it's fun....really. And it makes your accountant, penny-counting, budget loving, incredibly hardworking (and good lookin') husband really happy too! :-)

About those blogs, if they're all pretty much all inter-connected. You can just keep clicking and find tons of $ blogs. There are ones for Target, Walgreens, RiteAid, Publix, even Walmart - all teaching you how to get the best deals. They link coupons, run the numbers, and even tell you what Sunday paper (by date) the coupon you should use can be found in!

As for the supermarkets, my favorites are Publix and Piggly Wiggly. I hear Western is REALLY good too, I just don't live right next to one. So, when our favorite meat goes really cheap at the Pig (they have great meat) I go buy a whole bunch! Divide it up and stick it in the fridge. We're lucky to have another fridge in garage, so excess goes down there. Publix has great BOGO (buy one get one) deals every week. And when you use 2 coupons for the BOGO, you get incredible deals. ALSO, this is a big one, they accept competitors coupons. So if Target sends out a bunch of coupons, you can stack those with the Publix sales AND manufacturer's coupons! Even more great savings! They also accept competitor's coupons that are, for example, "$5.00 off a purchase of $30 or more"!! It could be a Bruno's, Target, or WinnDixie coupon - they'll honor it! Crazy! Publix also has incredible customer service and are always friendly. My kids know ever stop in Publix...first it's the free cookie counter. Then the free balloon in the produce section. Rounding out the grocery collection is the free coloring book and crayons! Every....single....time. But hey, if it keeps them happy while I shop...keep 'em coming!


Ok, so I think that was the longest post I've ever written. And for a reason - I ain't no writer!! I do not have a wonderful way with words like so many of you are! English was not my forte. Oh well. :-)

I hope it's given you a little insight into my head. Maybe I'll start posting a little more about my savings.....and I hope I pass the "money savings bug" onto everyone who reads this little blog!

A Few Random Thoughts

Well, first I want to plug my husband's new blog! www.thesouthernfriedaccountant.blogspot.com

If you want more profound and articulate blogging, his is the way to go! I'm excited to see what he writes about!! He's a WONDERFUL writer!

I also excited because it's Wednesday! Why, you ask? Because the "Wednesday Extra" comes in the mail with all the grocery store ads!!!!! YAY!!!

Let's back up! This summer I went to a shopping seminar with a lady from our church that teaches you how to grocery shop efficiently. In a nutshell, she teaches you how to track grocery store sales (which are cyclic) and use your coupons to get really great deals - better than Wal-mart prices! So when items go on sale, you use your coupons at the stores that double coupons and VOILA - you get a lowest target price! Then you stock up! I'm still not great at it but I can definitely see how you can save a lot of money. I mostly track meat sales and stock up when it's low. I also track sales on items I know we use - toilet paper, laundry detergent, condiments, shampoo...you get the idea. Recently I moved my coupons into a smaller container. I used to keep them in this box.




Now I keep them in these little pouches that I found at the Dollar Tree!

Now I can carry them in my purse for unexpected shopping trips!


So, an example for efficient shopping. Let's say Publix does a Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) on Kraft Salad Dressings. And they are regularly marked $2.50 a bottle. And I have $0.50 coupons for Kraft Salad dressings. I buy 2 bottles of dressing for $2.50 and each of my coupons get's doubled to $1.00 (so I save $2.00). I just bought 2 bottles of dressing for $0.25 each!!! Now, hopefully you've been clipping your coupons and you have more than 2 coupons and you can buy a few bottles of Ranch or whatever dressing your family eats on a regular basis and you store them away!

Her key is to stock up when items hit their lowest target price. She doesn't shop based on what meals she is cooking that week or month. She cooks based on what is stocked up in her pantry! Pretty cool. She has 9 people in her family and say she spends about $400 a month on food and cleaning supplies!

I just noticed that Spray and Wash is BOGO at Publix this week and I know I have some coupons. And I think I just used the rest of our last bottle (and A LOT of clorox) on the ::mmm:: rather nasty mess Landon made on our bed this morning while I was in the shower for 5 minutes. I'll spare you the details but let's just say this never crossed my daughters mind - EVER!!

I'm not sure why I never thought about clipping coupons before. I mean EVERY penny counts at our house! One income - 3 kids! I'm hoping that our savings can eventually snowball into greater savings. But I enjoy taking the time to clip coupons and track sales. It makes me feel like I'm doing my part as a stay at home mom - serving my family.

In Proberbs 31 it says (vs. 14) "She is like the merchant ships: bringing her food from afar". And in Luke 12:42 about being a wise manager, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?" I am doing my God intended job as a mother - taking care of my family. I am taking the money God has given our family and using it wisely - or at least I'm trying.

It blesses my husband too. Proverbs 31:11 "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value"

But the ultimate blessing is to me - to serve others and in the end serving God! Which is what brings us (me) perfect happiness and peace! God has entrusted me with 3 of HIS precious children for only a short period of time! I am CHOOSING (delightfully) to take care of them to the best of all my abilities! And this is only one of the ways!


One last picture:

Can you find Olivia and Landon?????




And then this is what they did!






Just another "normal" day at our house!! (They're jumping off of the desk by the way!)