Thursday, January 1, 2009

JANE4girls giveaway

Erin is giving away a SmartShopper to one lucky reader of her blog.

You can enter her giveaway here.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

I'm still here!

Due the the holidays and my stockpile, I haven't been shopping as much or as carefully and sort of fell off the wagon a bit. With sales and decent coupons having slim pickings, it did not help my enthusiasm. After the new year, I will start tracking my yearly savings. (Excluding gatorade.) Hopefully the new year brings some good deals my way. The disadvantage of living off your stockpile is having to replenish it, but I am thankful that is has been there when I haven't felt like shopping. It is also a sense of security to me when uncertain times are on the horizon.

I have tons of expireds to clean out of my binder, as well as several inserts to cut, sort and file. A fresh start for the new year. See you in 2009!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Shopping trips from 11/03

As you can see, I've been behind on the blogging lately. I just haven't been feeling well.

Kmart -
2 tshirts, 1 pair of shorts for DD for next summer. $2.97 for all

Joann Fabrics -
1/8 inch hole punch $2.09 (needed to finish making some Christmas gifts)
mini alphabet flashcards - .50c
halloween pez dispenser - .99c
3 inch sponge roller with damaged packaging - .20c
4 sheets damaged scrapbook paper - .12c each
small painting canvas - .50c
book for DD - $1
Spent $6.05 (including tax)

Price Chopper - Spent $72.35- Saved 34.65 (Including about $35 of mom's stuff.)

Deals include -
Stroeman's bread - B1G1 sale, used 2 55./1 coupons (doubled)
free gallon chocolate milk (used free milk cat)
Spiral ham - $1.99/lb - $13.41 for the smallest one I could find (Christmas dinner)
4 packs starkist pouch tuna, $1.59 sale, used 4 $1/1 coupons
2 PC brick cheese - $1.99 each

Redner's -
7 gatorade at $3.29 each - $23.03 total
2 halloween tubs - .75c each
1 kids bandage - .99

Spent - $2.58 excluding gatorade

Walgreen's - A rather expensive trip!
Spent $20.66 Saved $11.62

6 wriglys gum - B1G1 sale, used B1G1 coupons - free
5pc bag of hair accessories - $2
2 dawn dish soap - sale .99c , used1 .50/1 coupon
2 wet and wild cosmetics , B1G1 sale
can opener $4 (my old one kicked the bucket!)
elvis beanie baby $6 (Christmas gift)
Disney Princess tumbler - $3.99, Mercedes chose to buy this with her own $$

My mom also got some of the swanson broth and celestial tea that was on sale and shared 3 of each with me.

Price Chopper from 10/30

Spent - $62.03 Saved $22.89 Gatorade - $4.79

Not a great trip, to be honest.

Deals include -
2 Fanstaskic all purpose - sale $2, used 2 $1.50/1 coupons
2 loaves arnold's bread - sale B1G1 used 2 55/1 coupons
I also got large boxes of washing soda ($2.99) and borax ($3.79) for making my own laundry detergent. It does not seem like a great price, but they will last a very long time.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Oopsie.. bad redner's trip

Just keeping it real. Trip to Redner's from 10/27

Spent - $51.55 Saved , $2.00 in Qs (no store card here) Gatorade - 4 @ $3.29 ($13.16)

Got :
4- lipton 1.5liters sale $1 each
2 hidden valley ranch dressing - $3.25 each
3 bags hershey kisses, sale for $2.99 used $1/3 coupon
3 cans cambel's gravy -two rang up $1.25 and one rang up .50c - used $1/3 Q
1 lb turkey breast - $4.30
pringles - .89c
Gatorade - 4 @ $3.29 ($13.16)
Lemon juice - .99c
Pepper - $1.75
38 count box of coffee singles $6.99 (ouch! cheaper then buying 2 small boxes tho.)
juice boxes - $1

Juice boxes and pringles were for DD who wasn't feeling well and chose to hang out in the car with my mom. Gravy and hershey kisses are for thanksgiving/christmas. I've got almost everything now (other then perishables) for thanksgiving cooking and baking. I will probably pick up the rest in the next week or two. The lemon juice and pepper, well it's the cheapest place around here I've seen them and I have none in my stockpile.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Lazy blogger!

Stopped at Aldi's the other day to pick up a few things. Spent $56.30

Some of the things I got..
5- 2lb boxes of spaghetti - $1.69 each
2 boxes boxes popcorn shrimp - $1.89 each
size 6 snow pants - $9.99 (yeahhhh! These should also fit for 2 years.)
2 5lb bags of sugar - $2.14 each
2 5lb bags of flour - $1.99 each
3 lb bag of onions $1.49

Christmas apparently comes early around these parts. Yesterday, my washer came! No more dragging stuff to the laundromat and wasting all my quarters! (Except blankets as there is no way they'd fit in my itty bitty washer.) Last night I used 1/4 cup of liquid detergent and the clothes came out great. They also did not dry stiff, except for one pair of Mercedes jeans. I will start adding some vinegar as a fabric softener when I wash jeans. I have a bottle or two of laundry detergent left and then I will be making my own using the following recipe. I will probably continue using 1/4 cup of detergent.

2 cups washing soda
2 cups borax
1 bar grated fels-napa laundry soap


Now.. I've never liked laundry, and I've always got baskets of clothes around the house that never seem to be put away. I'm going to try and change this habit. I now have no excuse, other then room for things to dry, not to be keeping up with laundry. The small load size is perfect for being able to wash every day. I can also fit about two loads of clothing from the washer onto the drying rack I have. I'm going to get another rack so it will be easier when big things like sheets or towels get washed.

I was also recently gifted with a lot of craft materials for free. This will definitely help the Christmas budget this year as I should be able to make at least a few more things. Not that I have any idea what to make! Later tonight I plan on working on two calendar kits I bought on clearence at Joann's awhile back. I paid less then $2 each for them and it will make a nice little gift for my mom and MIL. I've got both of them about half finished. I'm also knitting a scarf for SIL, but I'm really not liking the way it's comming out. I may start over, I just can't find the time to knit lately. I am also planning on making a few throw pillows for Mercedes' room. I should be able to get 2 or 3 out of the material I purchased for a few bucks in the remanant bin.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Price Chopper, Walgreens, Redners

I went back out today to pick of some of this week's sale items. I'm running out of room to put my goodies!

Walgreens -
Spent 20.96 Saved 36.43

8 country crock margarine - sale 2/$3 used $1/2 coupons
4 rolls bounty basic - .39 each after Qs
Purse - $2.50 clearance
2 rolls wax paper was supposed to be .89c ea but she never took off the in ad coupon.
2 wag paper plates - .99c each
4 bottles pert plus - .51c overage each after Qs and ESR Q
2 Jane makeup B1G1 - used $2 Q, $1.49 for both

It really annoys me when there are mistakes on my receipt! It is always super busy in there and it happens all the time. (Unless my friend checks me out, 'cause she usually notices if something rings up wrong.) I'm not happy to have to go back and deal with the managers over $2, but I will because it's $2 I shouldn't have spent in the first place.

Price Chopper - Why do I spend so much money here? :(
Spent $55.78, Saved 20.73

Worth mentioning:
Ragu B1G1 + some coupons (I had a few different ones.)
Swanson Broth B1G1 and used $1/6 Q
Crystal light $1.99, used 50c Q (doubled)
squash, .69c lb

Redners
Spent - $48.19 Saved $5.72 (Qs only) Gatorade - $16.45 (5 gallons)

Worth Mentioning:
Cascade rise- used free item coupon
Swiss miss hot chocolate - 10/$10 sale
4 boxes of poptarts - .75c each after sale and Qs
nearly 5lb apples, .68c/lb