Those of you that don't live in Idaho...

Ok, so my wonderful husband has been sending people to my blog and I know that some of you do not live in Idaho. I just thought that I would note a couple of things for those of you that live elsewhere.

First off, my blog is definitely centered around Idaho as far as my local grocery shopping (at Albertsons) but there are a LOT of blogs out there for other areas and grocery stores. My blog still has a lot of useful information for you as far as tips/tricks/ideas/things to do and NOT to do, etc. You just won't find matchups pertaining to your local grocery store. (I do, however, do posts about Target/Walmart/Walgreens/RiteAid/etc)

I know that athriftymom has readers from EVERYwhere and she posts a lot of matchups for out-of-state readers. If you go to her site and look on the right side-column (you may have to scroll down a bit to find it) she has a bunch of different store logos and you can click on the store you shop at to see the current matchups. Hip2save also does some matchups for stores in other areas. Again, just scroll down a little bit and on the right side-column you will see a list of stores. Click on yours to see the current coupon match-ups.

There are a LOT of sites out there. Try just doing some google searching and see what comes up. Hopefully you can find a blog by someone based in your area or at least near you that will have the weekly match-ups for the store you shop at.

You can also try the PYP state forums (HERE). Just find your state and see if there is anyone in your area participating. I will warn you, some states have very little to no activity, while others have a ton.


No luck? Well, don't forget that you can do this on your own! First, you will still have to learn all about coupons and start growing your coupon stash, so click HERE if you are new to this site. (click HERE to go to my Coupon Vocab page and HERE to go to my Coupons 101 page). You will also need a way to organize your coupons (click HERE for my Organization 101 page). From there, you will need to find out when your local stores weekly circular ads come out and their new weekly sales start. For example, Walgreens ads/sales run from Sunday-Saturday with a new sale each Sunday. Albertson's ads/sales run from Wednesday-Tuesday with a new sale each Wednesday, or sometimes they have 3-day sales that run Fri-Sun or Sun-Tues. You just need to get familiar with your stores schedule.



You will also want to find out your store's coupon policy. I have a list of coupon policies for some stores (including Target, Walmart, Shopko, etc) HERE, but you will want to find out what it is for your store. Some stores will not accept coupons printed from the internet, some stores will price match or accept competitor coupons while others will not, some will double or triple coupon amounts, etc. You can obtain this information by either requesting it at customer service, or calling the customer service phone number posted on the internet and asking for that information. Get it in WRITING! Most of the time the cashiers or managers IN the store don't even completely know their store's policy. You will want to have this policy printed out and brought with you in the store so that if there is ever a dispute, you have your policy in hand to settle any matters.



Once you are familiar with your store, you can start getting their weekly ad (usually comes in the paper, though some stores mail theirs) and you just have to go through the ad, page-by-page, and match up your coupons with the items in the ad to find out what their price after coupons will be. You can just write this down as you go. When you are done, you will want to check out PYP's price book for reference (click HERE to go to PYP and learn all about this feature. This is something you can download and keep on your computer for future reference or you can even print out the items you want and keep your own binder pricebook that you can add to as you find prices, but it could make for a LOT of printing! They also have a wealth of useful info on their Coupons101 page HERE. Just click around and see what you can learn) This price book will tell you how good of a price the item you're searching for is. For example, if your store has name brand spaghetti sauce on sale for $x.xx, factor in your coupon, which will make it $x.xx, then you can look at the price book page for "spaghetti sauce" (these are listed alphabetically). It will tell you what a 3-star price would be (this is an average price and not a super great deal, but not bad), a 4-star price would be (this is a good price and definitely worth buying if you want/need it), and a 5-star price would be (this is what we call a "stock-up" price because you will want to get as many as you have coupons for if it's something your family will use)

As you get more and more familiar with everything, you will start to know what a great price is just off the top of your head and things will get easier and less time-consuming. It will take time, patience, and practice, but you CAN do it and it WILL get easier.

There ya go...you have what you need to get started. Hopefully you will have luck finding a blog with store match-ups for you so that you won't have to do the grunt work, but if not, you can still save a ton of money by just learning the system. Again, I have a lot of great information on my blog for you, just start HERE and work your way to each newer post. Some of the info will be irrelevant to you, but a lot of it will help. :) If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or to email me by clicking the "Email Me" link at the top of the right side-column. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Tuesday Menu Planning

This is the first week I am trying my own menu plan. I will let you know next week how well I stuck to it! Lol. :) I am using a lot of the wonderful tips that Tori gives HERE at sheshopssmart.

First of all, menu planning is so vitally important to saving your family even more money above and beyond what you are saving with coupons. Not only does it let you plan meals around a given week's sale items, it also ensures that you will use all food before expiration. I hate throwing things out that I forgot about and they expired before being used.

Alright, so here is my menu plan for the week. I have decided to do my menu plans on Tuesday so that I can take advantage of the new weeks' sales at Albies (I just look at the preview list). This coming week, there really aren't any truly great deals going on that I'm interested in, so I will be using up some of the items I have bought in previous weeks. I do not plan which meal I will have on which day. Just seven of each meal (breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and dessert) and I can pick and choose them during the week as it fits in our schedule. Also, even though you see multiple meals with some of the same items, I would not do those meals in the same day.

As Tori mentions in her meal planning tips, don't forget to plan around your families schedule! If you know you have a football game to go to on Thursday night, don't plan a big fancy meal for that night. Make that the quick and easy meal night.

Also, leave room for adjustment. Things come up, people run late, you know the drill. Being flexible allows you to not get overwhelmed. Just having these meals planned out ahead of time, though, will usually help take that stress away any way, as you're not frantically searching the kitchen trying to figure out what to throw together because everyone's "


:Breakfasts:
Cereal w/ milk, Del Monte Fruit Naturals fruit cup
Bagels w/ cream cheese and jelly, orange juice

Grapes, watermelon, and strawberries w/ cottage cheese, milk

Toaster Strudel, watermelon chunks, milk

Yogurt w/ strawberries, toast, juice

Breakfast burritos (using up some bacon and tortillas before they go bad)

French toast, eggs, sausage, orange juice (a big, hot meal for Weston on his first day of first grade!)

:Lunches:
Totinos pizza rolls, salad, carrot sticks w/ ranch, milk
Chicken fingers & french fries, juice
PB&J sandwiches, chips, grapes, milk
Progresso soup, salad, & Rhodes Warm-n-Serve rolls, chocolate milk
Kids Cuisine (for kids), Healthy Choice (for me) frozen meals, juice
Lunchables, grapes, tea
Hot Pockets, milk

:Snacks:

Fruit snacks

Grapes and cheesesticks

Crackers and cheese

Watermelon chunks

Orange slices

Pretzels and peanut butter

Jello

:Dinners:

Macaroni Grill dinner kit, asparagus, Rhodes rolls

Pork Ribs Country-style (bbq'd on the grill), pasta salad, baked beans, watermelon

Bertolli Ovenbaked meal, green beans, bread-n-butter

Steak (on the grill), steamed broccoli, baked potato

Chicken, rice, steamed veggies

Pasta w/ Ragu alfredo sauce, cooked carrots, cheese toast

Sloppy Joes, onion rings, mustard potato salad

:Desserts:

Marie Calender's peach cobbler

Klondike bars

Sno-Cones (my vice in the summer, and have to take advantage before summer's GONE!)

Banana Splits

Strawberries-n-cream (with vanilla coffee-mate creamer....SOOOO yummy!)

Fruit salad (watermelon, grapes, strawberries, bananas, oranges, the works!)

Pilsbury cookies (from the refrigerated dough)

FINALLY!!!

Alright, so my Organization 101 page is FINALLY complete. This page will help you learn how to organize your coupons. It gives lots of different methods and suggestions, so hopefully you will find something you like. :) Check it out HERE or by clicking on the "Organization 101" link in the navigation bar above. Let me know what you think!

Albertson's Preview 8/19-8/25

HERE is this week's Albertson's ad.

HERE is the printable shopping list.

Nothing on the list that I, personally, am getting super-excited about, except all the great paper products that are part of the Box Tops promos. Hefty cups/plates/bowls, Ziploc containers and bags, Kleenex....might be a good time for me to stock up on that kind of stuff. Any way, check it out and see what you think!

If you are new to this site and don't know what to do with this printable list, click HERE to get started saving 60-90% on your grocery bill!

Albies Shopping 8/16

Today I woke up and was happy to find three doublers in each of my 6 papers...woohoo! I was hoping that would be the case, and had put off my weekly Albies shopping just in case. So, I went early this morning while my wonderful hubby stayed home with our sick toddler and our 6 year old. I was pretty much the only one in the store and they were well-stocked in everything I went for (except for the DiGiorno Melts) and that is ALWAYS a plus! Here is what I got...(If you are new to this site or to couponing and have no idea what I'm talking about...click HERE to get started understanding all of this coupon lingo and the terms used in this post and click HERE to learn how YOU can save 60-90% on your grocery bill)

I did this in five transactions so as to take advantage of my doublers. I also did my Kraft promo transaction (spend $25, get a $5 OYNSO & $20 MIR). I got $226.98 worth of groceries for $61.41, but will be sending in my rebate form to get $20 back (in 6-8 weeks)

Transaction #1

15 - Powerade (Buy 10, get 5 free making them $.50/ea)

4 - Post Select cereals (Buy 4, save $4)

2 - Darigold Milk singles

Used 2-$1/2 Post cereal (SS 7/26), $1/2 Darigold (SS 6/14 or IP HERE), and three doublers making my OOP $9.50. BUT, there is a catalina promo going on right now for the Post Select and for buying 4 I got a $3 OYNSO!

Transaction #2 (My Kraft promo transaction)

5 - Capri Sun 10pk

2 - Philidelphia cream cheese

4 - Kraft singles

2 - DiGiorno Flatbread melts

1 - Teddy Grahams

I used 1-$1/2 Philidelphia (RP 8/9), 2-$1/2 Kraft Singles (RP 8/9), 2-$.75/1 DiGiorno (SS 5/17), and three doublers, making my OOP $23.34. I received my $5 OYNSO catalina and a catalina with my rebate form printed on it. Now...if you've been following all of the other blogs, you know of all of the problems this promo has had. Items were mismarked, wrong addresses were given for sending in the rebate, no one knew if you had to reach $25 before or after coupons, etc. I chose to go with the safe route and made my total be over $25 AFTER coupons, except for the Albies doublers, as those have nothing to do with the manufacturer. So my total was $26. 34, but with the Albies doubles it came to $23.34. As for the correct address to send the rebate to, according to athrifymom, the following address is the CORRECT address.

Kraft Foods-SuperValu Back-to-School MIR Offer #511-5
P.O. Box 753854
El Paso, TX 88575-3854

There is also some other great information regarding this promo/rebate to be found on that same athriftymom post.

Transaction #3

4 - Honey Bunches of Oats

2 - Darigold Milk singles

2 - Sargento Cheesesticks (these had a "manager's special" sticker on them for an additional $3 off, as they were nearing their expiration date)

I used 2-$1/2 Honey Bunches (SS 7/26), 1-$1/2 Darigold (SS 6/14 or HERE), plus used 3 doublers, making my OOP $5.98.

Transaction #4

4 - Honey Bunches of Oats

1 - Chinet cut crystal tumblers

7lbs Petite Sirloin Steak

4lbs Green seedless grapes

I used 2-$1/2 Honey bunches (SS 7/26), 1-$1/1 Chinet (SS 6/28), plus 3 doublers and my $5 OYNSO from the Kraft promo transaction and my $3 OYNSO from the Post Selects promo, making my OOP $20.52.

Trans. #5

3 - Rhodes Warm-n-serve rolls (we just finally tried these the other night even though I had bought them a while ago...they are AWESOME! Well, at least the Garlic Butter ones are. Haven't tried the other ones yet. Needless to say I will be getting more of these whenever I have doublers. They are regularly $2.69, but with the $1 off Q (SS 6/14 or SS 7/19) and a doubler it makes them $.69/ea. Worth it to me!)

OOP=$2.07

I know where we're eating lunch!

Today's Arby's Wednesday freebie is a Roast Chicken Club sandwich (with the purchase of a drink). Doesn't that look yummy? Go get yours today! :)

Meal Planning...

This is something I have SOOO much desire to do, but have not yet done. My stockpile of food is growing so fast and it's so easy to forget what we even have in there! I love the idea of making meal plans according to what is on sale that week, and also with what you already have. I've posted it before, but if you haven't read it yet, you need to check out sheshopssmart and her tips, reasons, and ideas for meal planning (click HERE to read her post). I think for starters I might try to follow her weekly meal plans as a basic guideline. Just make adjustments and minor changes where needed...try to ease into things. Lol. I just think it would be great to have my meal plan all written down and posted on the fridge for the week and just KNOW ahead of time what I will be preparing and eliminate all of the "Mom, what's for dinner?'s" and even more importantly, the "um...I don't know yet" answers. I LOVE cooking, and it has kind of taken a backseat while I have spent time focusing on building my stockpile and on taking advantage of every deal I can. It's finally getting to the point, though, that my stockpile is pretty decent and there is no reason why I can't start to cut down a little bit, and start truly reaping all of the benefits!

So, I plan to start posting weekly meal plans soon...I will probably pick a day of the week, like Tuesday since that is the day before my shopping day, and will post my meal plan for the following week. I can't wait to try this new system. My goal will be to do my first meal plan post next Tuesday! :) (*crosses fingers*)

I just have to say...

I LOVE being able to walk to my pantry/freezer and have endless options for meals. Just this evening I made a meal for my family for about $1, and we still have enough leftovers to have for lunch tomorrow. The only thing I have left to really stock up on is meat. I have stocked up on a couple of things (chicken thighs and pork country-style ribs) but other than that there hasn't been any truly great "stocking up" prices on a lot of the other meats and cuts. I can't wait to finally stock up on those and truly just have to buy my produce and parishables each week. To know that unless I WANT to...I don't even have to really go shopping one week. It's just so cool...

Have you started coupon shopping yet? If not, you are throwing away money! Click HERE to start learning how you, too, can slash 60-80% off of your grocery bill!

Last of my Albies shopping for the week...

I wound up going to Albies ONE more time...I just couldn't let some of the stuff pass me by...especially with all the corresponding coupons we got in the paper on Sunday! I went and did 4 more transactions...

Transaction #1
2 - Cheerios snack mix
6 - Betty Crocker fruit snacks
6 - Nut Clusters
Total for promo: $30.00
Used 6-$1/1 Nut Clusters, 2-$.50/1 Cheerios Mix, 6-$.40/1 fruit snacks, making my OOP $19.94, but earned $15 in OYNSO.

#2
3 - Hamburger Helper
3 - Cheerios Snack mix
2 - Fruit Snacks
10 - Suave Kids Shampoo (no, I didn't clear the shelf! There were TONS and I made sure to take a few of each kind. They STILL didn't have any of the detangler, so I never did get to get any. Booo...)
Total for promo: $30.17
Used 5-$.50/2 Suave, 1-$.75/3 Hamburger Helper, 3-$.50/1 Cheerios, 1-$.50/2 Fruit Snacks, plus used my $15 in cats from previous transacti0n, making my OOP $9.42 and I received $15 more in OYNSO.

#3
6 - Macaroni Grill Dinner Kits
3 - Betty Crocker Warm Delights
2 - Betty Crocker fruit snacks
Total for promo: $30.00
Used 6-$1/1 Macaroni Grill, 3-$.50/1 Warm Delights, 1-$.50/2 fruit snacks, and my $15 in OYNSO, making my OOP $7.01 and I received another $15 OYNSO.

#4
Just over 3lbs of boneless pork chops (BOGO)
6 - Tyson frozen chicken strips (they were out of beef)
4 - Oscar Meyer lunchables
Used 6-$1/1 Tyson and my $15 in cats, making my OOP $1.83.

All in all, I spent $38.20 for $194.64 worth of groceries. So...for this AWESOME sale Albies had this week, I got $1000.15 worth of groceries! I only paid $121.98. That's a savings of $878.17 or 88%!!! So exciting! Thankfully this week at Albies will be a bit less hectic. I'll go get my $25 worth of free groceries and a few other odds and end things, but other than that, I think I'll spend my time doing some Walgreens and RiteAid shopping. Fred Meyer actually has some great prices on produce this week, also! Who knows...maybe I'll just take a break. (yeah, right...like I know how to do that! Lol) Anyway, hope you all had a successful week shopping (and saving)!

Rite Aid Shopping

I decided to try shopping at Rite Aid for the first time last week...to see if it was worth it for me. I figured I would check it out for a month and see what I think. So far...there's a lot to like! If you have never shopped at Rite Aid before, the first thing you need to know about is their AWESOME Single Check Rebate(SCR) program. It is a wonderful program where you get rebate checks for the items you buy in the store...a lot of times, these items are FREE even BEFORE coupons. Add on a coupon, and you can even MAKE MONEY! (You get the full rebate amount, regardless of whether or not you use a coupon)

The program is SOOO easy to use. You just sign up online (HERE) or they have brochures at the store that you can fill out and mail in. When you buy an item that is eligible for rebate, you take the receipt that has the item(s) on it and simply enter the information from the receipt and submit. No need to send in receipts or proofs of purchase. Just submit the receipt information and at the end of the month request your rebate check. You will then receive your check by mail within 2-3 weeks. Super easy.

The thing to note with this is that, initially, you will be paying for the items out-of-pocket, but as long as you continue to roll those rebate checks you get back on more rebate qualifying items each month, you will soon be using no cash out of your own pocket. You will just roll these rebates and get tons of FREE (or close to free) items.

Another great thing about this program is that most items have a limit of one rebate per account/household/address, so you can rest assured that, most likely, the items you want will be in stock! People don't clear the shelves since they can only get one rebate. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to Walgreens, Target, or Albies and they are completely OUT of the items I want. So, that was a big appeal for me.

Here is an example of my first shopping trip, to give you an idea of how this works:


I purchased these items in two separate transactions for the price given in parenthesis, minus the coupons listed.

Transaction #1

5 - Duracel battery (2pk D) ($3.00/ea)

2 - Tag Body Spray ($2.99/ea)

1 - Zantac 150 (8ct) ($4.99)

My total came to $25.97. I used a $5 off $25 purchase internet printable coupon found on coupons.com bringing my total to $20.97. I then used 5-$.50/1 Duracell coupons and 2-$2/1 Tag coupons. My total paid out of pocket was 11.47.

Transaction #2

1 - Venus Embrace Razor ($7.00)

1 - Duck Easy Start tape ($1.49)

1 - Tag Body Spray ($2.99)

1 - Crest Pro Health Toothpaste ($2.79)

1 - Renu contact solution twin-pack ($9.99)

1 - Grandma's Chocolate chip cookie pack ($.79-I did this because I needed $.74 to reach the $25 so that I could use the $5 off of $25 purchase)

My total came to $25.05. I used another $5 off of $25 purchase, bringing my total to $20.05. I then used 1- $2/1 Venus coupon, 1-$2/1 Tag coupon, 1-$2/1 Renu coupon, and 1-$.75/1 Crest coupon, bringing my out of pocket to $13.30.

Upon returning home, I logged onto my RiteAid SCR account and entered my receipt information. It automatically searches my receipts and applies all rebates I qualify for to my total monthly check amount. These are the rebates I qualified for...

Duracell $5.00 (for buying $15 worth of Duracell products)

Zantac $4.99,

Duck Brand $1.49

Renu $9.99

Gillette $5.00

Crest $2.79

That's a total of $29.26 that I have so far in rebates for the month...if you take away the total of $24.77 that I've paid out of pocket, that leaves me MAKING $4.49 after rebates! Now...as if that isn't good enough...Zantac has a separate rebate to try Zantac for free, so I have also mailed in for a $5 rebate from the manufacturer that I should receive within 8 weeks. Total for all of these items? I MADE $9.49! How awesome is that??

Now I can continue doing any Rite-Aid shopping this month that I want to do, continuing to enter my receipt info after every purchase (I would do this immediately upon returning home or you run the risk of forgetting!) You do NOT submit for your rebate check until you are positive you will not be doing any more shopping for that rebate month. You can only submit ONCE per month! If you submit and do more shopping and buy qualifying rebate products afterward, but before the start of the next rebate month, you will lose out on rebates! Also, note that the rebate "months" do not run from the first day of the month to the last day of the month! They generally straddle two months. For example, the month of August rebates must be purchased between July 26th and August 29th. You must request your check by September 28th. So, for myself, I will submit for my check on August 30th.

This check is in the form of a real check...you can deposit this into your bank account or cash it at your bank. It is not like a register reward or catalina that can only be used at the store from which it was received. I definitely like THAT!

Just a few other random things worth mentioning:

*There are frequently coupons on coupons.com for 10% off your purchase or $5 off of a $25 purchase, so definitely use these to get more bang for you buck!

*A lot of the coupon blogs have weekly match-ups for you, so you don't even have to do the work! Go HERE to see athriftymom.com's RiteAid match-ups for the week...hip2save has great matchups too, but there is no direct link, you just have to click HERE to go to the main page and along the right side column you will see a list of stores and you can click on "RiteAid" to get the weekly deals.

*It's always a good idea to go over the ad yourself, as you never know what you may have a coupon for that you got from other sources that someone else might not have, or you never know when they'll miss a really great match-up!

*If you want to see the current rebates for any given month, you can do so online HERE or you can pick up a book at the store that lists them.

*Remember that some items have month-long rebate periods, while others only qualify if you purchase them within specified dates (usually on a particular week that will coincide with a sale). Always be sure to double-check the dates so that you don't buy an item outside of it's qualifying time frame and not get the rebate.

*RiteAid sales run Sunday-Saturday.

Alright, so...I guess that is all for now...I am learning this as I go, so if I come across anything else, I will be sure to share. I definitely think that I am going to enjoy shopping RiteAid! It's just so simple and the possibility to actually MAKE money shopping...well, what's cooler than that?

Albies preview 8/12-8/18

Alrighty, so HERE is the ad preview for the new sale starting on Wednesday. (This is Utah's list, so Idaho's may vary. I will post Idaho's list as it becomes available)

HERE is the preview ad for the sale.

Remember: The Kraft promo starts Wednesday...buy $25 worth of participating products and get a $5 OYNSO at the register and a catalina rebate form will print out to receive a $20 rebate! So, essentially, you are getting $25 worth of groceries for FREE! There has been much discussion on PYP's website about how this promo is going to work. Generally for rebates, you can use coupons on an item and still receive the full rebate amount back (even if that makes it a money-maker), but there has been speculation (due to a phone call someone made to Kraft about items on her receipt) that the $25 must be the amount AFTER coupons or you will NOT receive your rebate. Others have said that the $25 must be the amount after SALE PRICE, but not after coupons.

Only time and other people trying this deal and sharing their experiences will tell for sure how this will work. I will keep you updated as I learn more. I am not sure how I will go about doing mine yet. I might just play it safe and make sure that my total amount is the full $25 AFTER coupons. Although, someone on the PYP website suggested that you cross the items out that are not part of the promo (such as bread, milk, produce, etc) as well as all the coupons. That way only the promo items and the price you pay for them are visible and there is no question. She said that she does all her rebates that way and has never had a problem. Hm...not sure if I'm that brave...but it DOES sound like a great idea. :)

Also remember that there is a limit of ONE rebate per household/address, but that the $5 OYNSO should print for each transaction of $25 you do. Luckily the wonderful people at PYP who make the list took this into account, so the prices shown on the list do not reflect the $20 rebate, only the $5 off, for people wishing to do more than one transaction of $25. Lastly, these items MUST be purchased on a single receipt and must be purchased between 8/7-8/23. So, go check out the list and get planning to make the most of your $25! :) Good luck!

So behind...

Man, oh man...I just can't seem to find enough time in the day! I have about 5 half-finished posts that I just haven't had a chance to finish. I'm going to really try to get back on the ball with my blog...just wanted to apologize for my slacking...

Just in case you're new to my blog or new to couponing, be sure to click HERE to find out how you can save 60%o-80% on your grocery bill each month! Yes...it's TRULY possible! You can also use the navigation bar at the top of the page (under the title) to learn more...

More Albies shopping this week...

Ok, so I went and used up the rest of my coupons and cats yesterday. Although, with all the matching coupons that came in the newspaper today...I might have a ton more shopping to do! Lol. We'll see...

I did these in three transactions...(I actually shopped at the Caldwell Stadium store, as they were the only one that was well-stocked with everything I wanted)

2 - Lipton Soup Mix

2 - Lipton Rice Sides

6 - Skippy Natural Peanut Butter

4 - All Small & Mighty

5 - Ragu Pasta Sauces

1 - Wishbone Salad Dressing

5 - Betty Crocker Potatoes

5 - Klondike Ice Cream bars

Just shy of 4 lb's Boneless Pork Chops

4 - 1lb bags of baby carrots

2 lbs Asparagus

1 - 4lb container of strawberries

The total that all of these items should have cost me is $143.59. I paid $9.59. :)

Transaction #1

2 Lipton Soup mix

2 Lipton Rice sides

6 Skippy Natural

4 All S&M

Total: $30.00

Used 1 $.75/2 Lipton/Knorr, 3 $.75/2 Skippy, 4 $1/1 All, plus used $20 in OYNSO from earlier in the week, making my OOP $3, plus I received 3 $5 OYNSO and 3 $1 OYNSO (for the peanut butter).

#2

5 Ragu

1 Wishbone

5 Betty Crocker Potatoes

5 Klondike ice cream bars

Total: $30.00

Used 5 $.30/1 Ragu, 1 $.75/1 Wishbone, a $4 off 5 Klondike cat (that I received from buying the Breyers Ice Cream a couple of weeks ago and if I'd have had the $1/2 Klondike coupon, I would have saved $2 more! I had never printed it, though, before I left. Bummer). I also used 4 $5 cats and my 3 $1 cats, bringing my OOP down to $.76! Plus I received yet another $15 in OYNSO!

#3

All of my produce, including pork chops that were BOGO ($3.99/lb), Asparagus-$1.88/lb, strawberries $5.96 for 4lb container, and the baby carrots that were BOGO for the 1lb bags ($1.99)

Used my last three $5 cats and brought my OOP down to $5.83

So adding this to my previous shopping this week on the same sale, my weekly totals are...

I got $805.51 worth of groceries for $83.78!! That's a savings of $721.73 or 90%!!!

In today's paper...

Still such a wonderful feeling to wake up knowing that when I walk outside, my 6 newspapers will be sitting in a neat little pile waiting for me. :)

Anywho...so in today's paper I found three inserts, two SmartSource and one Redplum.

In the Parade Magazine there is a coupon for FREE medium fries and FREE medium soda or tea with purchase of any Angus third pounder! Yum!

And, in a few of the Parade Magazines (n0t all of them) I found a coupon for $1.00 off one package of I Can't Believe it's Not Butter! sticks on pg. 17.

This week's Albies promo is CRAZY good!

Boy, oh boy...unless you are new to the coupon world, you already know about the crazy Albies promo going on this week. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then go HERE to find out! (FabulesslyFrugal does a great job of describing the sale and giving all of the details, including coupons to use.)

Once you get familiar with it, you can go to GrocerySmarts HERE to view the printable shopping list.

It is way too late to stay up detailing all of the items, especially since FabulesslyFrugal did such an awesome job already, so I will just share with you my amazing deals I've scored thus far. I bought all of these items over the last couple of days...buying a bit each day and at different stores. I am STILL not done, so will be adding to this post as the week goes on and I finish shopping. :) I did this in SEVERAL transactions... The total that ALL of these trips up to 8/5 should have cost me is $661.92. I've paid $74.19 OOP! That's a savings of $587.73 or 89%!!! Wow.

(This includes the stuff I bought on Sunday and Monday. The price next to each item, in parenthesis, is the sale price)

I am not including links for IP's, as that would just take me FOREVER. For the complete lists of printalbes, use the FabulesslyFugal list (at the above link) for references. Krazy Coupon Lady also has a comprehensive list of printables HERE. You could also check out the PYP forums for links.

Transaction #1

1 - Betty Crocker cookie pouch ($1.67/ea)
2 - Betty Crocker Warm Delights ($1.67/ea)
1 - All Small &Mighty detergent ($3.50)
4 - Ragu pasta sauces ($1.66/ea)
6 - Vaseline lotion ($2.50/ea)

Total: $30.17
Used 2-$1/1 Ragu IP (campaign is out of coupon prints), 1-$.40/1 Warm Delights IP, 1-$50/1 Cookie pouch IP, 6-$1.25/1 Vasaline (RP 8/2), $1/1 All (RP 6/28 or 8/2)and 3 doublers (-$3.00), making my OOP 15.28, plus I received 3-$5 OYNSO cats (as part of the promo)

#2

5 - 375ct Q-tips ($2.50)
3 - Dove Conditioner ($4.99/ea)
1 - Dove 2-in-1 ($4.99)

Total: $32.46
Used 5-$.30/1 Q-tips (RP 5/17 and 8/2), 4-$1/1 Dove (RP 6/7 or 8/2) and 4 doublers. I also rolled over my $15 in cats from the previous transaction, making my OOP $7.96. I then received $27 in cats! (3-$5, 1-$10, and 1o-$2) This happened because I did a "double-dip" scenario, where two promos overlapped and, therefore, I got $15 in cats from one promo an d $12 in cats from another. To read more about this "double-dipping" scenario, click HERE to go to the PYP forums. (You will have to go to the second page and scroll down to post #18 to read the details) You may need to register with PYP (or login) to view the forums, I can't remember, but if so, then DO it! If you haven't already done so, you are missing out on some of the greatest info you'll come across! The forums are a GREAT way to get tips, learn about the sales, get firsthand accounts from other coupon shoppers, and get your questions answered.

#3

4 - Betty Crocker cookie pouches ($1.67/ea)

4 - Chex Mix (1.67/ea)

1 - Bugles ($1.66)

4 - Knorr sides ($1/ea)

4 - Nature Valley Nut Clusters ($2.50/ea)

1 - Betty Crocker cake mix ($1.oo)

Total: $30.00

Used 4-$.40/1 cookie pouch IP, 4-$.50/1 Chex Mix ( I can't for the life of me remember which insert these came from and can't find that info anywhere either. All I see is the printables) or IP, 4-$.50/1 Nut Clusters IP, 2-$.75/2 Knorr (RP 8/2) and 7 doublers. I also rolled my 3 $5 OYNSO from the previous transaction, making my OOP $1.31! I then received 3 more $5 cats!

#4

4 - Betty Crocker Brownie Mix ($2/ea)

1 - Lipton Cold Brew ($2.50)

2 - Kix cereal ($2.00/ea)

2 - Cookie Crisp cereal ($2.00/ea)

2 - Reese's Puffs cereal ($2.00/ea)

4 - Betty Crocker fruit snacks ($2.00/ea)

Total: $30.50

Used 2-$.75/2 brownie mix IP, 1-$.50/1 Lipton (RP 8/2), 4-$.75/1 Fruit snacks , 2-$.55/1 Reese's Puffs (was a printable from last month. Now there is a $1/2 IP or you could use $1/2 (SS 7/12 or 7/19), and I am noticing that my two Cookie Crisp cereal coupons (SS 8/2) did not get scanned. :( Bummer! So that's an extra $1.10 I should have saved! I also used 5 doublers and a $10, $5, and $2 OYNSO from previous transactions, making my OOP $2.75. Plus I received 3 $5 OYNSO.

Here are the trips from 8/4 and one from 8/5

#1

1 - Wishbone salad dressing ($1.67)

2 - Betty Crocker fruit snacks ($2.00/ea)

2 - Nature Valley Nut Clusters ($2.50/ea)

2 - Dove Body Mist ($2.50/ea)

6 - Dove Deodorant ($2.50/ea)

Total: $30.67

Used 1-$.75/1 Wishbone (RP 6/28 or 8/2), 2-$1/1 Betty Crocker fruit snacks IP, 2-$1/1 Nut Clusters IP, 2 - Dove Body Mist (RP 6/7), 2-$2/1 Dove Ultimate IP, 4 - $1.25/1 Dove Deodorant (RP 6/7) and 2 doublers. I also used 2-$5 OYNSO from prev. transaction, making my OOP $4.12. I received 3 more $5 cats. :)

#2

10 - 500ct Q-tips ($3.00/ea)

Total: $30.00

Used 6-$.30/1 Q-tips (RP 5/17 and 8/2) (I only had 6 left) and used three $5 cats, making my OOP $13.20, but I received $27 back in cats again for double-dipping!

#3

4 - All Small & Mighty ($3.50/ea)

2 - Degree deodorant ($2.50/ea)

1 - Dove Body Mist ($2.50)

1 - Vaseline lotion ($2.50)

4 - Betty Crocker potatoes ($1.50/ea)

Total: $30.00

Used $1.25/1 Vaseline (RP 8/2), 4-All Small & Mighty (RP or 8/2), $1/1 Dove Mist (RP 6/7), 2-$1/1 Degree IP, and 2 doublers. Also used a $10 and $2 cat from previous, making my OOP 1.75.

Here are my transactions from Wednesday (8/5) morning and afternoon:

#1

3 - Wishbone salad dressings ($5.00)

2 - Brownie Mix ($2.00/ea)

1 - Chex Mix (1.67)

8 - Skippy Natural peanut butter ($2.00/ea)

2 - BC Fruit Snacks ($2.00/ea)

Total: $30.67

Used 3-$.75/1 Wishbone, 2-$.75/1 Fruit snacks IP (well, I HAD two of these, but it looks like only one got scanned. Grr..), 4-$.75/2 Skippy, 1-$.50/1 Chex Mix, 1-$.75/2 brownie mix (tearpad coupon I had), plus used 4 $5 cats from previous, making my OOP $3.67, but I received my $15 in cats (or was supposed to. They actually didn't print, so I had to go to customer service after my second transaction to get it fixed), PLUS 4-$1 OYNSO for the Skippy (get $1 OYNSO wyb 2 Skippy Natural thru 8/11)!

#2

5 - Macaroni Grill dinner kits ($3.50/ea)

8 - Knorr/Pasta sides ($1.00/ea)

2 - BC cookie pouches ($1.67/ea)

1 - Progresso Soup ($2.00)

Total: $30.84

Used: 4-$.75/2 Knorr (RP 8/2)(I am seeing now that yet again, 1 of the coupons didn't get scanned, so I only got $2.25 off instead of $3.00), 5-$1.10/1 Macaroni Grill (SS 7/12), 2-$.40/1 cookie pouch, plus used 4 - $1 OYNSO from previous, and 3-$5 cats from previous, making my OOP $18.39 (I wasn't able to use my $5 cats this time, because they didn't print and couldn't go to customer service until after this transaction).

#3

3 - Pillsbury Cookie Dough ($2.50/ea)

2 - Nature Valley nut clusters ($2.50/ea)

2 - BC fruit snacks ($2.00/ea)

1 - BC potatoes ($1.50)

5 - Chex Mix bars ($2.50/ea)

Total for promo: $30.50

Also got 4 - Mrs. Cubbisons croutons ($1.39/ea) and 12 - Del Monte Fruit Naturals cups ($1.00/ea), adding an extra $17.56.

I used 3-$.55/1 Pillsbury (SS 7/12), 2-BOGO Mrs. Cubbison's (RP 7/26), 2-$.40/1 Fruit snacks IP, 5-$.60/1 Chex Mix Bars IP, 2-$1/1 Nut Clusters IP, 6-$1/2 Del Monte (RP 7/12, but there are also coupons taped to many of these), plus used 5-$5 cats from previous, making my OOP $1.83, plus I received 3-$5 OYNSO cats AND a cat for free multipack water up to $4.50 (for buying 4 Chex Mix bars...not sure when this promo ends)

#4

6 - Best Foods Mayo (2.50/ea)

4 - Ragu ($2.00/ea)

1 - All Small & Mighty ($3.50)

2 - Knorr sides ($1.00/ea)

2 - BC cookie pouch ($1.67/ea)

Total: $30.50

Used 2-$1/1 Mayo IP, 4-$.60/1 Mayo (RP 5/17 or 6/28), 2-$.40/1 Cookie pouch IP, 2-$1/2 Ragu IP, 1-$.75/2 Knorr, 2 doublers, and 3-$5 cats from previous, making my OOP $4.56. I also received 3 more $5 cats.

#5

4 - BC Brownie Mix ($2.00/ea)

1 - Cookie pouch ($1.67)

1 - Lipton soup mix ($1.00)

2 - Ragu ($1.67/ea)

2 - Betty Crocker Fruit snacks ($2.00/ea)

2 - Nut Clusters ($2.50/ea)

3 - Dove Deodorant ($2.50/ea)

Total for promo: $30.50, plus got 1-24pk Dasani Water ($3.88) and 4-Del Monte Fruit cups ($1.00/ea) so add an additional $7.88.

I then used 2-$.30/1 Ragu (actually I only see one as being scanned), 2-$.75/2 Brownie Mix IP, 2-$2/1 Dove IP, 1-$1.25/1 Dove Visibly Smooth (RP 6/7), 2-$.40/1 Fruit Snacks IP, 2-$1/1 Nut Clusters IP, 1-$.40/1 cookie mix, 2-$1/2 Del Monte, and 2 doublers. I then used 4-$5 cats and my cat for FREE water, making my OOP -$.36! I don't know how I wound up with an overage...usually they make you have something to soak it up or they adjust a coupon amount or something...not sure what happened there...lol. But I guess it's only fair since my Ragu coupon didn't get scanned! :)

Alrighty...there ya go! I do need to make a few notes on these. It has been said that Albies is only allowing 2 promo transactions per preferred card, per day. The Albies on 12th Ave even had signs posted all over the store that said this. That is what many of the cashiers were saying, too...HOWEVER...I was able to get my cats way more than just twice yesterday! So...I don't know if I am just lucky or what...but for some reason the limit of two didn't apply for me. The cashiers did say that for most of the shoppers, it was not working after two, or sometimes even one. Therefore, I can't guarantee what will work for you.

Also, there are multiple links for many of the internet printables...remember that you can print each IP twice from EACH link! Not just necessarily twice total! So if you want even more IP's, make sure you go to EACH link and print twice.

One thing I learned this week...watch your checker scan your coupons! There were a couple of times where my coupon did not get scanned and I didn't notice until I am looking back on my receipts. Sometimes they get stuck together (especially the IP's) or the checker is just in a big hurry and misses one. Just a word of advice. :)

This promo is SUPER hot and the items are going quickly. A lot of the stores just got a shipment in this morning, so if you're going to go today, don't wait long...you never know how long they'll last! When I was there yesterday, both Nampa stores had received big shipments of the qtips, ragu, skippy (except for natural...grr), chex mix bars, Knorr sides, and cereal. Not sure if they're still there, but go check it out if you can. Good luck all!

July Totals

Alrighty, so I've tallied up my totals for the entire month of July! These totals include the amount spent out-of-pocket, the total amount that all of the items I bought SHOULD have come to, and the amount and percentage I saved.

Before I give you the totals, however, I want to let you know a few things...

The things that ARE included in my totals:
*Food (not including dining out)
*Diapers (for two kids)
*Cleaning supplies (air fresheners, household cleaners, laundry items, etc.)
*Toiletries (hair products, deodorant, feminine products, etc)
*Make-up/Cosmetics
*Medicine & health related items (non-prescription)
*Office Supplies (including school supplies)

Items NOT included in my totals:
*Clothing
*Dining out
*Prescription Meds
*Toys (unless it was part of a clearance/mark-down or was bought with gift cards/RR's received by promos)

So...my total OOP for the month of July was $515.77. Now, before your jaw hits the floor at how much I spent, you have to realize a couple of things. 1.) You haven't seen how much I saved yet (I'll get to that in a minute). 2.) This includes ALL household items! ANYTHING needed to keep my household running--food, make-up, toiletries, diapers, etc! 3.)I was probably already spending this much per month before anyway and was getting SOOO much less. I could easily walk out of Walmart every week spending anywhere from $100-$150+! 4.)I have begun to build a truly great stockpile of my families most frequently used and basic necessities. There are now many, many items I will not have to buy for months, a year, or more! (I will give you a list of a few of these items in a minute) So my total OOP spent per month will continue to go down and down each month as my stockpile grows and there are less and less things I have to buy each week.

Ok, so I already told you that my total OOP for July was $515.77. Are you ready to hear how much the items I got SHOULD have cost me? Here goes...the grand total for all items purchased is $1563.70! I saved 67%! I also have $27.35 worth of rebates processing that I should receive in the next month, but I am not counting that in figuring my total saved. I will count them as I actually receive them (therefore I DID include a $4.29 rebate I received this month). I can't wait to see what my savings are as the months go on!

Now, like I said, you have to understand that I have built a great stockpile (and am in DESPARATE need of more shelving and more space! Lol) of many of my families most frequently used items...here are a few examples...

Items that I am stocked up on and will not have to buy for weeks or more:
*shredded cheese
*yogurt
*soda for the hubby (if you only knew how hard it is to stay ahead of the game when it comes to buying him soda...he drinks a TON! Lol)
*toothpaste (haven't found a screaming deal to completely stock up on that stuff, yet)

Items that I am stocked up on and will not have to buy for the rest of 2009 or longer:
*spaghettie sauce
*sloppy joe sauce
*mac-n-cheese
*cereal (I am to a point where I only buy cereal if it is at a super great price and it's a variety we don't already have that we want)
*hamburger helper
*rice/pasta sides
*sugar
*paper towels
*dishwasher tablets
*snacks galore! (fruit snacks, chex mix, cookies, etc)
*tea for me (snapple, tea bags, to-go packets, etc...I'm a big tea person!)
*cookie/brownie mix
*Dr. Pepper (Lol)
*Body wash and shampoo for me
*Razors
*Lotion for me (haven't stocked up on the kind my hubby likes yet...I'm sure it will happen eventually)

Items that I am stocked up on and will most likely not have to buy for atleast a year:
*bbq sauce
*deodorant (for both the hubby and I)
*peanut butter
*dry drink mix (crystal light, country time lemonade, kool-aid, etc)
*air fresheners
*laundry detergent

Items that I will not have to buy for a LONG, LONG time:
*q-tips! Lol.


So there ya go...there is an example of some of the things that I will not have to buy for quite some time. This is by no means a complete list...just a few examples to show you that even though I spent a LOT this month...it truly is not as much as it seems when you think of everything I bought!

Lastly, I thought I would go over exactly how I figure my savings, so that it will be completely clear and maybe even help you in figuring your own. Most importantly...I do NOT factor in tax. When I give my total amount spent, that is BEFORE taxes added on. I do this because when you look at your receipt and it says you saved $X.XX (whatever amount) that number is not including tax. It only tells you how much you saved off of your subtotal (the amount before taxes), and therefore, it is only fair that I do not include taxes when figuring how much I paid. Make sense? Hopefully it does. Lol.

Also, I know a lot of blog sites give their totals or give scenarios and factor in RR's/Cats/Gift cards/ECB's/Rebates/etc. For example, they might say..."I paid $7.59 and got $5 back in RR's, so paid $2.59 after catalina!" I do not do it this way. I would, for example, say "My OOP was $7.59 and I still have $5.00 in RR's to use!" I prefer to calculate my savings based on ACTUAL OOP. So, in order to factor in the $5 RR, I would do so when telling of the future visit where I actually USED the $5. That way I am never "doubling" my savings by giving you the "factoring in the rebate amount" but also knocking that amount off of my future visit's OOP. For example, if I used the first example and said that my OOP was 7.59 but got $5 back in RR's and, therefore, paid $2.59 after catalina, but then on my next visit used the $5 to knock my OOP down from $6.00 to $1.00 and I then told you my OOP was $1.00...I would have essentially "saved" $5 TWICE. That is why I only give the true amount I pay out of my pocket at the register, whether or not I used or received catalinas. Hopefully this makes sense, too. I am probably being super confusing, huh? Lol.

As far as figuring out the total percentage of savings, it's super-easy. I just thought I would mention it in case a few of you are as rusty at math as I am. :) You add the amount you spent and the amount you saved to get a "total." This is the amount that the items you purchased should have cost you if you bought them at full price. Once you have your total, you simply take your amount saved, divided by the total amount. That will give you your percentage saved! Here's an example:

I paid $5.07 OOP. My receipt says I saved $25.48. I add these two numbers together to get my "total," which equals $30.55. I now take the amount saved ($25.48) divided by the "total" ($30.55) and get .83404255. Round it and my savings is 83%. That simple. :)

I guess that it's for now...again, I cannot wait until the end of August to see what my totals are...it will be fun to watch the decrease over time!

If you are new to couponing or new to this blog, be sure to click HERE to learn more about this system and how you, too, can dramatically decrease your grocery spending!

MIA

Ok, so I've been MIA for the last couple of days...I swear it seems like I've been go, go, go, yet I feel like I still have SOOOO much to do! Ugh. Any way...I'm excited to get back to my blog and get caught up. I don't even know where to start, really. Lol. Just wanted to let you all know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth....:) I'm going to be working tonight to bring you a bunch of new posts, so stay tuned!

I'm back! :)

We had a great time in Donnelly this weekend, and luckily I was completely wrong in thinking it was going to be stressful. The kids did great, the weather was perfect, and it really was an all-around great trip. Just a few "minor" incidents (such as me bringing the wrong key with me to unlock the cabin, and my dad, therefore, having to drive halfway to McCall from Middleton to meet us to give me another key, and such as Weston burning his hand on a metal poker for the fire, and such as Ashton and Kennedy both deciding to wake up at like 4:30 in the morning the last night there) but, otherwise, wonderful. :)

Any who...I definitely missed my blog and passing on great deals to everyone! Now I have a ton of catching up to do..eeek! It's already pretty late right now, so I might not get any done until tomorrow, (which most likely no one will be reading this until tomorrow. Lol) but who knows...we'll see how tired I am after I get myself all ready for bed...maybe I'll be back. Otherwise I'll try to get to posting tomorrow! I have some July totals (how much I spent and saved), some new trips to post (including mine from today shopping this AMAZING sale we have going on right now at Albies), and some other random info I want to get out there...hope you gals scored some great deals this weekend! There's definitely PLENTY out there!