The first two weeks of January

This is quite a late report.  The first two weeks of January were great couponing weeks!  I made a trip to Albertsons and a couple trips to Rite Aid (bottom two pictures).  Albertsons had salmon on sale for $2.99/lb and a deal where you get free veggies when you purchase a beef roast.  So, we got about 2 lbs of salmon; 4 lbs of beef round rump roast; free potatoes, carrots, and celery; plus 6 cans of beans; 6 cans of tomato soup; 8 Yoplait yogurts; a bottle of juice; 10 juice boxes; a gallon of milk (1/2 gallon of organic for Nolan); and 2 boxes of Fiber One bars. This should have cost $89.38.  I paid $43.02 after sales and coupons!  I think that's pretty good for salmon and beef!  At Rite Aid there were several deals on gum, plus a promotion on Johnson and Johnson items.  I got 2 bottles of baby wash, 2 baby lotions, 2 flosses, 2 makeup compacts, 9 packs of gum (8 of which were free!), and two 75oz bottles of Tide.  I should have paid $98.71 but only paid $33.16, and I have a $2 reward to use next time!  My total savings in these two weeks was 60%!

Week of December 18th

This post is a little late in coming, but worth it since I got some great deals a couple weeks ago.  I made two trips to Rite Aid (top two pictures) and two trips to Albertsons (bottom two pictures).  Nolan got 6 shots and a blood draw on the 21st so I had to buy acetaminophen and ibuprofen.  Luckily I had coupons!  At Rite Aid I got 4 bags of chocolate Chex mix (yum yum), 6 packs of gum, 2 tins of Icebreakers, a motion sensor soap dispenser for the kitchen, plus the medicine and only paid $16.35 (would have cost me $54.65).

At Albertsons I bought 2 jars of applesauce, 3 6-packs of individual applesauce cups, 2 jars of salsa, 5 cans of refried beans, 2 bottles of salad dressing, 4 bags of shredded cheese, 2 bottles of apple juice, a giant bottle of soy sauce, 2 lbs each of powdered sugar and brown sugar, 4 boxes of crackers, canola oil, 2 big cans of Lysol wipes, 2 boxes of cake mix and 2 cans of frosting, 5 boxes of Rice-a-Roni, 5 boxes of Pasta Roni, 4 cans of chicken broth, 4 jars of spaghetti sauce, and 6 bags of frozen vegetables.  I should have paid $161.84.  I only paid $60.24 after sales and coupons.  That's a 63% savings...success!

Another double coupon week!

I think we are to the point now where we have enough stuff stockpiled to wait and buy things when there is an awesome deal.  We are also at a point where we are cutting back on our monthly grocery budget.  It is a great feeling to know that we have saved so much money already, and now we don't have to worry about buying things!  I love being able to go into my pantry and just pull out what I need.  This week Albertsons was having a promo where you get $10 off the purchase of a gift card for every $30 you spend on select Procter and Gamble items.  I bought Albertsons gift cards with my transactions, used them on other transactions, and ended up with all these things!  The retail cost would have been $173.84.  We got 10 boxes of Cheerios (good thing, because they are both mine and Nolan's favorite cereal), four 100oz bottles of Tide, a bottle of Downy, 8 cans of Pringles (Aaron was excited about that one), 2 boxes of tea bags, 3 boxes of Hamburger Helper, 2 big bottles of shampoo, and 6 jars of applesauce (another of Nolan's favorite foods).  With the P&G promo, coupons, and sales, I spent $66.66.  Couponing success!

Hopefully the last weekend of doublers for a while...

I'm ready for a break!  For the 4th week in a row, Alberstons put doublers in the paper.  Couponing takes a lot of work, not to mention that I have been getting up early and going shopping, before things sell out!  I went to Wal-mart this week too, to price match Tide since Albertsons did not have "Free and Gentle" that I use to wash cloth diapers.  Here are this week's purchases: 5 boxes (big boxes this week!) of Honey Nut Cheerios, 1 box of Lucky Charms, 2 boxes Saltines, 6 boxes Barilla pasta, 10 cans Cream of Mushroom soup, 2 frozen Marie Callenders pies, 4 jars pasta sauce, a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, 5 boxes Pasta Roni, 2 cans coconut milk, 2 cans evaporated milk, 1 frozen orange juice concentrate, a canister of hot cocoa mix, a gallon of milk, Crisco oil, a bag of hash browns (OreIda is local here!), 4 boxes of cream cheese, 4 cans Progresso soup, a bottle of Tide, 2 bottles juice, a pack of 4 cans of sparkling juice, 2 bottles Aveeno body wash, 2 bags of marshmallows, and a bag of Twix minis (for Aaron's stocking!  Don't tell him!).  The total cost before sales and coupons was $206.71.  I paid $77.18.  Eventually, I might even be under budget for groceries!  :)

Couponing is addicting!

Albertsons had doublers for the 3rd week in a row last weekend (and there are rumors of double coupons coming AGAIN this weekend!).  It was also the first weekend I got 5 Idaho Press-Tribune newspapers delivered to my door!  I ended up buying 3 more newspapers at the store, which meant I had 24 doublers to use!  I definitely added to our stockpile!  This week's purchases include: 10lbs flour, 4 lbs powdered sugar, 4lbs brown sugar, 4 bottles of juice, 6 cans Progresso soup, 2lbs Tillamook cheese, a gallon of milk, a loaf of bakery French bread, 2 cans of cranberry sauce, 4 boxes of brownie mix, half gallon of soy milk, 5 packages of Oreos, 2 bags Werther's candies, yeast, 12 bags of microwave popcorn, 2 cans of SpaghettiOs, a package of Bear Creek soup mix, 8 jars of applesauce, a box of cake mix and frosting, 8 Yoplait yogurts, a sippy cup for Nolan, and a bottle of iced tea.  The total value of all my purchases was $252.84.  After sale prices, 3 trips to the store, 8 transactions, and more than 50 coupons, I paid $59.46.  I could get used to this.  I don't think I'm obsessed or addicted, but, embarrassingly, there have been multiple times when I have been woken up in the middle of the night by a crying baby and realized that i have been dreaming about coupons.  How could you not be excited about saving so much money???

Great deals at Albertsons this week!

Not quite"extreme" couponing like on TV, but I am pretty proud of myself.  Included in today's purchases: 9 boxes of cereal, 18 cans of vegetables, 4 cans of pineapple, 2 bottles of Torani syrup (can't live without it now that the closest Starbucks is a solid 30 minute drive away), 4 boxes of Jell-o pudding mix, 2 jars of peanut butter, 4 cans of SpaghettiOs, 4 boxes of pasta, 12 bags of microwave popcorn, a dozen eggs, and two 2.5lb beef roasts (yum, pot roast!).  The total value? $163.16. I spent (drum roll please)...$65.71!  AND, I have $9 in Catalina coupons to use on my next purchase.  :)

Learning to coupon

I have decided that I am going to learn to coupon. I decided to start with Rite Aid, which has a straight forward rewards system and is very coupon friendly.  In the past month I have scoured blogs, printed way too many coupons from the internet, and sharpened my math skills calculating the best deals.  I ended up with a free tube of toothpaste, free chapstick, 38 cent boxes of Kleenex, and got PAID to buy Zicam (cold medicine).  So now I am expanding to couponing for groceries, and working on building a stockpile.  I added Albertsons to my weekly calculations.  These are pictures of the deals I got last week (10/30/11): Tide, two bottles of conditioner, a bottle of shampoo, two packs of gum, two boxes of cereal, two bottles of corn syrup (for Special K bars as soon as I score some cheap Special K!), cornstarch, baking powder, spices, and ten yogurts for under $12 total.  At least it's not an expensive hobby!  :)