One week down, two to go...

We're back in MO visiting family. I can not believe it's been a week already. It just seems flat crazy. Didn't I just get here? Tomorrow we're driving to the next destination four hours away, yet still in MO. I'll get to see my sister again for a little bit since we'll be driving through there, so that will be nice. So far it's been a great visit. We did the zoo yesterday and Matthew had a great time, Mark was a mostly content baby, it was good. I just can't believe a week has already gone by. I know this isn't a terribly exciting post, but that's where I am today, just a traveling update. When I get back there will be plenty of pictures to post!

Shopping -- fail.

This week's attempts so far have been sad, very sad. I don't want to post in the details so sad. Boils down to this... I left CVS without any new ECBs even though I knew what I wanted to buy... And without the paper towels I went there specifically for... Matthew left after having his bottom popped not once but TWICE for running away from me and knocking things off the shelves (he's too big for him and Mark's seat to be in the shopping cart, those things are small)... Mark screamed nearly the whole time ... love the "help" from complete strangers.... I did end up leaving with a pack of pens and free baby food....

But tell me this...

If you shop (With or Without coupons/planning/folders/binders/envelopes/whatever) with your kids, HOW DO YOU DO IT??? AND ARE YOU STILL SANE???

Please really, leave me comments...

Cha-Ching at Publix

After getting our double coupon paper today I was able to go through the coupons during Mark's nap. I decided I'd try to tackle one store tonight. Since they have a penny deal (more on that in a bit) that's only good Sundays and Mondays... AND as it was pouring down rain and expecting to rain tomorrow, I didn't want to drag the boys out in the rain for deals. I'm not that bad,.... yet. hehe.

Anyhow, I did two separate purchases since I had two of the penny coupons. Basically if you buy over a ten dollar purchase, then you get the decided upon item for a penny. Each week it's a different item. Sometimes it's a 2 liter soda or a 64 oz juice.... this week it was salad dressings. So I was able to get two salad dressings for a penny each. That alone is hysterical to me. A penny each. Amazing.

Okay, then the sale deals...
Lets start with cereal. (Select) General Mills cereals were on sale BOGO (buy one get one) and I had 2 coupons for $1 off 3. Sooo, I got 6 boxes for the price of 3 boxes, with 2 dollars off that! $9.97 OOP (out of pocket) for 6 boxes of cereal.
Lysol was a pretty nice deal too... Spray was on sale for 3.99, 2.30 off the regular price and I had 2 1.00 off coupons. And the wipes were on sale BOGO and I had a .50 coupon (which gets doubled)... So I got two sprays, and two wipes all for $11.97. Normal price would have been $22.26
Okay yogurt and bar deal:
I had a .70 cents off 2 Nature Valley Trail Mix bars coupon. Not a great coupon, but not bad either on bars that we regularly give to Matthew, so I got both boxes. Then there was an add for $1 off Yo plait if you bought Nature Valley Trail Mix! Yogurt is a staple here, so that made for a good deal, AND I had a .50 cents coupon off 32 oz of Yo plait (doubled) so that was a great deal ! I paid $6.79 for what regularly would have been 9.27... I find a discount on things we'd buy any how really really rewarding!
I got an olive oil at half price since it was BOGO, same for a cake box mix... if I had coupons for either I would have gotten more, but I couldn't find coupons and I knew they were both things that we will use, so it was just nice to get those things on mega sale.
I had a $1 off 2 Mueller pasta noodles, so I got two of those and they were BOGO, LOVE IT!

All in all I spent 30.61 OOP
Saved 42.04

AMAZING. Amazing.

(let me tell you how stocked up on cereal we are currently, but it's a really nice feeling.)

What went down at CVS today!

Here's what I went in the store armed and ready for:

Post Cereal sale: 3 boxes for $10 with $5ECB. I had $1 off coupon for 2... so I ended up with 3 boxes for $4 WHAT?! save $6.00 (good cereal, not crappy store brand versions of what I really want but REAL yummy cereal)
Dawn: sale: 2/$2 with 1ECB. I had $.25 off... so save 1.25
Head and Shoulders: price 4.99 with $2ECB. I had coupon for BOGO. So I bought 2, and got 2 $2ECB meaning I bought 2 for $.99. I say again, what?!
Colgate I had .75 coupoun, sale was 3.49 with $2ECB so 1=.74, saving 2.75 (I'm stocking up on colgate, the last two times now!)
CVS pantiliners: sale .89 with .89ECB = even

I spent 15.32, saved 22.85

How is that not magic?!

I then bought 3 $1.49 two packs of baby food with some ECB! Hello free babyfood.
At the end of the day I was 15.32 OOP, and still have 7.89 in ECB for next week's deals (or more baby food) YAY!

Happy 4th!

Happy Birthday, Daddy. Happy Independence Day, America! Today is my dad's birthday as well as the Nation's freedom day. Dad always said that the fireworks were really for him. Here are some of my favorite Red White and Blue pictures over the past few years.

me, Dad, Kris, Mom (November 05)

Kris and Dad (March 06)

Matthew (July 4th '06)

Mommy, Matthew and Daddy (June 23-07)

Grandpa and Matthew (July 07)

Matthew (July 08)

Matthew and Mark (June 09)

God Bless America.

Matthew's birthday pictures

(The THOMAS cake!)

save more than you spend

Okay I LIKE this a LOT.

Now did I end up with World Changing Savings... no.... but! I saved more than I spent! And to me, this is flat awesome.

I spent 5.60 and saved 6.29

I bought four things. All four things were on my list. I didn't browse or wander.

I have BBQ sauce and Mustard I didn't even "buy" and then a mayo and a miracle whip that last month I would have paid full price for but this month bought one on a BOGO deal so I spent half and then also got a dollar off and the other I also had a coupon for!

My first CVS score!

I had two Colgate toothpaste coupons, one I printed off was 1.00 and one in the paper was .75. I would have liked two 1.00 coupons, but it only let me print off one per computer. So fortuantely I found one that I had still from the paper. (Something weird to me, keeping all these old inserts-- I've got three weeks worth now, that's okay though, I know I need to, who knows what will be on sale next week)

Thanks to this site here, I'm told they are running a 2/5.00 deal with 2.00 in ECB (extra care bucks) so after that it's 2/3.00 And with the coupons, you're taking off even more... so we're looking at less than 60 cents a tube.

WELL... somehow, don't know how. (Don't get the "how" at all) I ended up with TWO $2.00 ECB.

So I spent 3.52 for two tubes of toothpaste and then GOT 4.00 in return. I was paid .48 for purchasing the toothpaste. What?! I'm flabbergasted.


I also have two things I'm planning on getting tomorrow at Publix. They are having a BOGO on both French's Mustard and Kraft BBQ sauce. With my coupons, on one I should be MAKING .15 and on the other I should be making .5..... I know this doesn't seem like a ton of money here. I mean, we're not yet up to a whole dollar in these three items (the toothpaste, the sauce or mustard) but that's MONEY I'm GETTING to "buy" these items. I do NOT get it. Do not. DO NOT. At all. Understand this. BUT I'm going to keep doing it.

My second real "couponing adventure" resulted in a high thumbs up!

I know my efforts are going slowly... but so far my savings IS greater than my spendings (on resources) so as long as that continues, be prepared to continue to hear about my couponing!


((((I know I need to post pictures of Matthew's birthday party... I'll do that on here, just need the time to do it! Since Mark is sleeping in the office these days, I can't get to my picture computer whenever I want to)))