WELCOME

I am a stay at home mom who is fed up with spending a large portion of income on grocery bills. It is my job, according to God, to be a good help mate for my husband. I am trying to live up to my job description. I am starting a journey into the grocery coupon world and invite you to come with me. I have never used coupons for grocery shopping and as of January 1st 2008 I am diving in. I will be using http://www.thegrocerygame/ , http://www.moneysavingmom.com and the http://www.couponmom.com/ website to guide me on how to save money. I am going to treat this adventure as a part time job and put in the hours necessary to make it work. I am excited and nervous to get started.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Beware!



First let me apologize for not posting pictures lately. Since my heart is acking for the D60 Nikon camera I cant seem to take any pictures with my point and shoot camera. I will get over this hump, starting now.

My mind is like Salvador Dali's works of art, melting, melting away. I dont know much about him but you have got to love a man with a crazy mustache like this.

I wanted to warn everyone about the Shortcuts, P & G Savers and Softcoin ecoupons. I absolutely LOVE these. BEWARE because Kroger only allowes 25 coupons on your card. I have tapped my card out and I really really want to do the Wisk this week. I made a special trip to Kroger to get Yoplait just to get it off my card. The problem? I used my hubbies card. I came home added his card and then emailed shortcuts telling them what I did. They were cool about it and removed the shortcut and gave me a .40 credit. I still cant add coupons because of the .40 credit. UGH!! I give up on the Wisk for this week. We are going on an overnight family trip on Thursday so I am giving this deal up.

More GOOD NEWS! There is no Grocery Game list this week do to the holiday. I will not be doing a Kroger trip this week, Let me say again I WILL NOT BE DOING A KROGER TRIP THIS WEEK! YAY!
Thank God I think I need a grocery break.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

CVS Was O.k. Tonight

I did'nt get a pic but here is my deal:

3 Revlon nail polishes.
2 Sunsweet prunes
1 Aquafresh toothpaste
1 Tums Quickpak
4 Sierra Mists

coupons used
$1 Aquafresh
$1 Tums
2 B1G1 Sierra Mist
1 $5 off $15 purchase

ECB's used
7.98
5.98

---Total OOP $3.20
Total ECBs back $10.69

My Aquafresh did'nt give me back the $2.99 Ecb's because I had reached my limit
1 Revlon did'nt give me back $3 because it was marked %50 off. I took it anyway.

The Quickpak Tums has a MIR for up to $6.99 back. I will send that in and regroup all of that ecb money.
I have $22.68 in ECB's for next trip

Walgreens

I am telling you Walgreens is not one of my favorite stores right now. I went there tonight to get my free Chex mix. They have them on sale for .99 and I have 2- $1 coupons. The 14 year old cashier scanned my Chex and then scanned my coupons. He said that I could'nt use my coupons because the Chex mix was only .99 and my coupons were $1. I was so frustrated. I ended up taking my coupons and leaving the store. Most people will make the coupons go through. If I go back tomorrow during the day the ladies there will probably just let them go through.
So no deals for me at Walgreens

Saturday, May 24, 2008

I Had to Ask

About 3 years ago we went to the ocean for a weeks long vacation. My oldest child was small and it was the first trip that the 3 of us would take together. I had high hopes that she would love the beach and have a great time in the sand and that my husband and I would lounge and watch her play all day.
We woke in the a.m. and packed up our things and headed for the beach. Our things included a snow sled that was piled high with umbrellas, coolers, chairs, towels and beach toys.
We got all set up on the beach and wipes the sweat off our brow from the haul and set of our camp. We applied the sunblock and now it was time for the fun to begin. My husband took our child to the edge of the water and started playing. About 5 minutes into it a wave hits them and knocks down our child, the fun is over. She gets out of the water and heads to me. She is rubbing her eyes and gets sunblock in them. As I am cleaning out this screaming childs eyes I look at my husband and he is searching the area and looking at me in disbelief. I get the child calm and ask what my husband is doing. He says, "My ring came off I can't find it." I can't believe this and am thinking he is kidding me. My hubby reaches into his pocket to make sure he hasnt put it in there. As he pulls out his hand he has what looks like wet paper in his hand. I ask,"What is that?" Has he unfolds it it becomes clear, he had our travelers checks in his pocket. Needless to say we left the beach. Back at the room we take showers to remove any sunblock residue, lay out the travelers checks and try to salvage them and grumble and complain about the wedding ring.

The point of this story? We went this past weekend and got my hubby a new wedding ring. He has really been disappointed and upset not having one. After a few stores he found one that he really liked and it was priced at $650.00. This price is o.k. I had alotted $800 for a replacement so $650 was well within our range. But I had to ask the salesman, "Is this the best you can do? We are paying cash." The salesman does his best "I'm concerned I will not make any money" act and punches a few buttons on his calculator and comes back with a price of $570.00. We take it.

You have got to ask for a discount the only thing they can say is no.

After the wedding ring purchase we go to Olive Garden for dinner. I know that I have a $4 off 2 entree coupon. As I look for it to pay the bill I realized I have left it at home. When the waitress came back I tell her about the coupon and ask if she can work us a deal without it. She says, "No we are charged out of pocket for any money missing without the coupon." I shrug my shoulders and think, "At least I tried."

Friday, May 23, 2008

My Heart is Aching for This


The first picture is my Nikon N50 the other pictures are the D60.
O.k. here I go again. I have been watching
The Pioneer Woman blog and her pictures are awesome. Did I say awesome? I meant AWESOME!! Anyway it has made me long for a Nikon D60 digital camera. I have a Nikon N50 which was great back in the day of film but now everything is digital and I am dying for this digital camera. Why am I longing for this camera you ask? Isn't my digital camera I got for Christmas good enough? The camera I got for Christmas is very small and very point and shoot. I can't mess with the aperture, ISO, shutter speeds, you know all that good stuff like I can on my old N50. My N50 is a nice camera but to play around and use all my setting will be pricey because I need to buy film and then developing. I also have the lenses that will fit the D60 and D80 so this is an added bonus. These cameras look so similar do you think anyone would notice if I went to the store and just swapped them out? Just kidding.

Did I mention that the D60 is $699.00 at Sams Club and when you buy it they give you a $40.00 gift card? This is a good deal. Online and in different stores they run about $750.00

I have decided I will NOT buy this camera unless I have a way to afford it. I will NOT mortgage the house for it.

Today I thought,
"Hey maybe I can sell the N50 and get $100 to $150 for it, I will be on my way of saving for the new toy." I went on Ebay to see what my N50 is going for. Hold on to your seat, when I bought this camera with the two lenses in the 90's it cost about $800. Now on Ebay, mint condition ones (which mine is not) are going for $20.00. Yes, $20.00 not $200 or $2000. My hubby told me to hang on to it and we can get more money when it becomes an antique.

I am soliciting advice from all you online readers. How can I get a good discount and/or afford this camera? If anyone has any ideas please, please leave me a comment.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Shopping With Children



Today I went to Kroger. I really did not need much that was on the list but decided to try some new marinades and rubs since they were such a good deal. I also had some pretty good shortcuts to use.

I went to the store about 11:25a.m. and thought I would have enough time to shop and then pick up one of my children at 12p.m. I went in prepared with my coupons in hand and a preset alarm set of the cell phone to alert me when it was 11:45, figuring I would have plenty of time to get out and run for child. I also grabbed one of the carts with the car on the front to amuse my little one. My thoughts were, "O.k. get in, get out, hit what I need and keep moving." Great, I get into the store and no list. This was the first sign that all would not be as smooth as planned. No list? No problem, I knew what I needed and a little mishap like no list was'nt going to keep this woman on a mission down. Kid was in the car, coupons were in hand, pressing on. I'm zipping around the store grabbing what I had planned to and coraling my little one who had gotten out of the car to help mommy dump things into the cart. After my little guy was walking down the isle carrying a pot and having an audience of cheering cashiers I realized that my alarm had'nt gone off. I check to see the time it said 11:56. I was in the back of the store and had not checked out yet. I run like a crazy woman to the front (no ballerina grace today) to check out. I was greeted by one of the cheering cashiers who gave my little guy plenty of stickers right on the front of his shirt. I tell her my situation and she starts scanning like a person on high octane Meth., Crack, speed, Diet Coke, something. I leave the store and have a 7 or 8 minute ride that needs to be done 5 minutes ago. I got my child 6 minutes late and all was good. These minutes mean alot at our school if you are 15 minutes late or later they start charging. I think the first 15 minutes costs a years college tuition.

Here is my deal today:

4 boxes of Ritz crackers on sale 2/$4 I had 2-$1.00 off 2 boxes shortcuts
6 ears of corn on the cob
2 bags of Live Active cheese on sale for $3.79 I had 2-$2 coupons
3 bags of chips $1.88 each
1 Mircle Whip on sale for $1.99 I had .55 coupon
2 bags of bagels (full price UGH!)
2 Lawrys marinades on sale 2/$4 I had .50 coupons
2 Weber Grill rubs they were .50 each after coupons
1 Philadelphia Cream Cheese I had a .75 shortcut coupon
1 bag of marshmellows to sooth the savage beast in the car.
My total OOP $27.29

Monday, May 19, 2008

FREE Frutista Freeze


Here is a link to get free Frutista Freezes from Taco Bell. I printed out 4. The coupon is good until 6/19/08. When you click the link scroll down and select the coupon and then hit the print now button at the bottom of the page. You may have to register, but it is easy.

Enjoy!

CVS & Walgreens Were Treating Me Good This Week


Walgreens and CVS was being nice to me today. I left the house with a $10 bill. I went to McDonalds for breakfast, then off to the stores. I came home with $5 plus change left in my pocket.

Here is what I got at Walgreens:

4-50 oz Purex ultra concentrate detergent B1G1

3-120ct Kleenex

1 Oral-B Crossaction toothbrush

1 Bic multipurpose lighter

1 Scotch shipping tape (clearance item)

before coupons the total was $28 and change (I know ridiculous). After coupons is $19.71

---total OOP $0.00 I used my Walgreens gift card. This gift card I got from buying the monthly deals that give me all of my money back plus overage. I still have about $5 left on it.

My CVS trip:

2 Banana Boat sunscreens $9.99 each

1 Crest toothpaste

1 Colgate 360 toothbrush (I used up the monthly 360 ECB deals last week but this worked today. I think because it is in the weekly ad.)

coupons used

2-$1 Banana Boat 1-$1 Crest coupon, 1-$1 360 coupon

I used $14.98 in ECB's and paid $1.48 in cash

I got $11.99 in ECB's back

Friday, May 16, 2008

Diapers, Diapers, Diapers What Can I Say?


Diapers are such a budget cruncher. I am so ready to be done with them. They are literally money down the drain. I went back to Kroger today to finish my shopping. Below is everything from this week at Kroger. I ended up making two trips.
6 pks of Huggies diapers, 30 per pack. $9.49 each
3 packs of Huggies Swimmers $6.99 each
4 Kroger frozen veggies $1 a bag
2 Act 2 popcorn $1 a 3 pack
1 Soleil Razor and 1 cartridge
4 Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce $2.99 each
1 lb Private Selection ham $6.56 (full price UGH!)
1 cucumber $1
2 Frenchs Spicy Brown Mustard
2 packs of sunflower seeds $1.39 each
2 packs of dried fruit $1.39 each
4 nail polishes $2.77 each
1 Quattro razor $5
1 Tostitos $2.99 (full price UGH!)
2-2liter of Diet 7-Up FREE

---total before any discounts $181.13
-----total OOP $108.73 - $15 in MIR so it will be $93.73 once I get all my rebates.

My coupons used:

9-$1 Huggies diaper coupons
.35 Kroger veggie
$4 Quattro razor coupon
buy 1 Soleil razor get cartridges free
4-$1 sweet baby ray coupons
2 get mustard free
2 get a free liter of 7-Up
$4.40 of Shortcuts
3-$4 register reductions
$2 of a $10 purchase of any diapers (this was sent to me in the mail)
I did three seperate transactions to get the $4 off at the register on the diapers. I spent $56.91 on diapers alone. I got 180 Huggies diapers and 33 Huggies swimmers.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

My Shopping this Week

I went to Kroger and did the diaper deal and that was it. I have not been back, yet. I do want to do one more of the great diaper deal.

I went to CVS yesterday to do another Diet Coke deal. Here is how it went:

5-12 packs of Diet Coke buy 4 @ $2.20 get one free
2 boxes of Smart Start Cereal on sale for 2/$5
1 pack hot dog buns
1 pack of hamburger buns

My coupons were
$3 off 2 boxes of smart start cereal
$3 off $15 purchase

My Total OOP after ecb's and coupons .26

I have something like $40 ECB for Sunblock next week. I am gearing up for the pool and I have been hording my ECB's because I know sunblock is coming. Next week I may be broke, we will see.

The Flood Just Keeps on Coming


Yes, I received more free samples today. I really do love them. Check on the rightside of my blog to see the whole list. Today I received Aquafresh 2x whitening toothpaste and a Dove deoderant.

This picture is a pic of Niagra Falls. They are located between N.Y. and Canada. If you ever have a chance to go and see them you really need to. I have been there a dozen times or so and always like looking at the falls. It is also great to get into the boat and ride up to them. Better yet take the walking tour where you walk behind them and get soaked.
I bet when you started looking at my blog you never would have guessed that you would have art lessons or geography lessons did you?

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Free Sample Frenzy

In the past week I have received alot of Free Samples.

I LOVE FREE SAMPLES!

Monday, May 12, 2008

CVS Tonight


Money Saving Mom likes to see our deals so I will share.

First let me just say I love my CVS on Sunday nights. This week I was unable to do it on Sunday so I went tonight. I really thought they would be out of toothpaste and toothbrushes so I headed that way first. To my surprise they had everything! I then headed for the Diet Coke, since it is such a great deal this week. I got to the isle only to be disappointed, there was not a drop of Diet Coke to be had. They said there is a truck coming in tomorrow so I guess I will be back at CVS tomorrow.

I did good tonight but I really, really wanted the Diet Coke.

Here is my deal: I did a $50 deal this week

5 Colgate advanced toothpaste $2.99 each
2 Aquafresh toothpaste $2.99 each
2-360 Colgate toothbrushes $3.99 each
1 Tums Quick pak $4.69 each
1 Claratin kids allergy 4oz $10.99
1 Claratin kids allergy 2 oz $5.99
1 8x10 Free from CVS online photo center (these not included in total)
1 5 x 7 Free from CVS online photo center (these not included in total)
---total before coupons $50.58

***I had to improvise due to Diet Coke issue so I added another allergy med. I had only planned on buying one***

coupons used

4-$1 colgate toothpaste
1- $1.50 colgate toothpaste
2- $1 Aquafresh toothpaste
1 Claratin free coupon or up to $6.50. This kid ended up taking off $6.50 from my $5.99 Claratin
1 $5 Claratin coupon
2-$1 360 Colgate toothbrush coupons
$10 off $50 purchase CVS coupon
$3 off $15 purchase CVS coupon
---total Ecb used $16.98
---total cash OOP $2.70

ECB's BACK-----$28.65 I will use some of these for my Diet Coke tomorrow, of course I will work up another $15 deal so that I can use a $3 off $15 coupon.

My total in ECB's is $59.42




Sunday, May 11, 2008

AAHHH Waiting!


You all read my struggle the other day with the Cremora coupon. I looked at the Kroger ad and guess whats on sale? Yeap, Cremora! I may still need to hold on to the coupon because I want the MEGA Size cheap, cheap, cheap (well, who am I kidding I want it almost free). I am relaxing and enjoying the photo. I thought I would throw in another art lesson. This is from Claude Monet. He was a French man, wee wee. He was the founder of French impressionist painting. Everything is dots, he painted everything with tiny tiny dots. Another artist ironic fact: He developed cataracts and had two surgeries. His painting after that had a red tint and were more blurry.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY




HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!


I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be a mom. My hubby and kids bought me some wonderful flowers. I was feeling inspired after looking at the Pioneer Womans blog and tried my hand at some photography. This is all the same flower arrangement I just messed with lighting and color. The flowers are pink roses.

huggies at Kroger this Week

I am really looking at doing the Huggies diapers at Kroger this week. With the rebate I found online I think I can get a good deal.

3 packs of Huggies Jumbo diapers at $9.49 each
I have coupons for $1 off each pack
Store coupon for $2 off $10 diaper purchase
2-$1 Huggies coupons on my shortcuts
$5 mail-in rebate
Here is the deal:
Total of diapers w/out discounts $28.47 - $3 in manuf. coupons - $4 at register - $2 Kroger store coupon - $2 on shortcuts - $5 rebate = $12.47 for 3 packs of Huggies diapers.
Follow this link and print your rebate form.

Let me add that the $2 off any $10 diaper Kroger store coupon came in the mail a while ago. It came in like their catalog, magazine thing they send in the mail. I clipped all the coupons and just held onto them. I had forgot that I even had it until I was looking for the diaper coupons.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Lysol Must be Important


I emailed Lysol on Thursday because my $5 rebate check came and it was tore up. I don't mean a little tear I mean the whole top was ripped off, it was not even in an envelope. You could not even see who the check came from. Off I ran to the bank and tried to cash it anyway, only to be shot down and told that they could'nt cash a check that looked like that. Ayway I emailed Lysol. After receiving their response I do believe that they are a small division of Fort Knox. They are going to send me a prepaid envelope so that I can send the check back. Once they receive the said check they will issue a new one. I thought "Wow! All this for $5?" I think that the chairs you see in the picture are the seats for the people that handle the checks. The chairs are located right in the middle of their office. During business hours the door is probably unlocked twice a day for breaks. I think it would have been much simpler for them to say, "o.k. throw the check away, we will cancel it on our end and resubmit a new one." Instead they chose the high security, handle with extreme caution approach. I am eagerly awaiting for my prepaid envelope.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

I'm So Proud


I have converted my neighbor from a Spendy Penny to a Saving Susan, I am so proud. She watched me work the grocery game and could'nt believe the deals I was getting and had to get a piece of the action. Now she is working CVS, Krogering and really starting to love Walgreens. She has also started her own blog click here to see it.

Family Trip to Sams Club tonight

The whole family went to Sams Club tonight. I am so thankful, I will not have to go out tomorrow at all except for a birthday dinner for my hubby. It should be great fun we are going to a Japanese Steak house. The kids should have a blast. Anyway back to Sams Club. I went tonight wanting to get out of there under $100. I almost made my goal, we made it out of there for $111.00. I would have been right around $70 if I had'nt bought some extras that we did'nt need.
I bought two hanging planters for $9.81 each. They were originally $23
My hubby bought a bag of chocolate for $9
He got a pack of socks, O.k. maybe he needed them.
He also wanted to get some beer which was like $14.

All in all I did good. I filled my car up on the way out and it cost me $50! I even stopped the pump. I could not bring myself to pump a penny more.
I think we will start walking or biking or something.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

So Many Lessons so Little Time


I know that God has so many lessons for me to learn. Today I was trying to learn the lesson of being still. I got a coupon for a free Cremora so I decided to check it out. I could have gotten one for free but I was really wanting to get a great deal, like the super size size. The super size was $5 something and my coupon was for free up to $4.50. I decided to hold on to my coupon and wait for them to go on sale. This is a huge deal for me. I really really like things now, NOT sometime in the future; even if its a short time in the future. I was really really wanting to use my coupon. I still want to use my coupon, but I am being still. I know that me being able to be still and wait on God to work is the right thing and the thing I want to teach my children. I know this, but it doesn't make it any easier.
If only I could be bronzed like The Thinker then maybe I would be still. If only I could sit with my elbow on my opposite leg. This is actually hard to do. If only. This statue is outside of the DIA and is actually quite cool. It is also ironic that Rodin, the man who did this sculpture, froze to death in his house because he had no money and this statue sits and weathers all the elements.
Enough with the art lesson.

I Did Good This Week at Kroger


I went to Kroger yesterday and did my shopping for the week. I spent a little more than I thought I would but when I got there I saw a couple of deals.

Here is my deal:

1 Romaine lettuce
8 fresh corn on the cob 8/$2
1 cucumber
1 Sunkist Almonds
1 Dixie cups for bathroom.
2-6pack of Lenders Bagel. I swear I had a coupon but was unable to find it. (needed) We eat so many bagels we really need to own stock.
7 Dole lettuce kits. 4 Ceasar kits and 3- 7 lettuce ones.
2 packs of Kroger chocolate chip cookies
1 pack of bologna on sale for $2.50 (All beef bologna not on sale for .99)
5.95 lbs of grapes
200 straws B1G1 $2
1 lb Private Selection honey ham not on sale
1 Private Selection 56 oz ice cream FREE
1 Private Selection 56 oz light ice cream
1-8 pack Danimals

----Total with no discounts $98.86
--Total OOP $48.86

MY COUPONS USED

.50 Sunkist Almonds
.50 Dixie Cups
.50 Dole lettuce I had 7 coupons for these.
$1.50 off $5 fresh fruit purchase (my grapes were $5.93)
FREE Private Selection ice cream 56 oz
.75 Private Selection ice cream 56oz
.50 Danimals
.80 Shortcuts Discount

Remember all of the coupons .50 and under double at Kroger all the time. I wish I could get the senior discount that would be another 10%. I got another 18 years for that.



Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Little Off Subject But Wanted to Share



I know this is a little off subject with my blog but I wanted to share. I have been reading the pioneer woman blog and she takes GREAT photos. I wanted to try my hand and took some sunset pictures yesterday. The first photo is straight from the camera with no effects. The other two are after I played with the brightness and color on the computer. I hope you enjoy. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Photographer I am not but I do like to try.

Back In the Saddle


I went to CVS tonight and did a pretty good deal. I think I need to be slapped to get some perspective. I was kinda bummed because I put out $11.24 in cash but I did a $50 deal. This is good, I guess. I remember when I first started the grocery game I thought everything was a great price. Now I can't stand to buy something unless it is almost free. I know this sounds crazy that is why I say I need someone to slap me back into reality.
Thank you money saving mom I love your site and all the help you give.

Here is my deal:

2 Sunmaid cans of raisins 20 oz I think
2 Swiffer wet refills
1 Venus razor
1 Colgate 360 toothbrush
1 Orapik traveler
1 Aquafresh Extreme clean toothpaste
4-10ct Leggs knee highs
2 Kiss artificial nail glue (wanted the ECB) they were 1.99 each and gave $5 ECB
1 dozen large eggs
1 gallon whole milk

----total before coupons $59.14
---total after coupons 38.24
--total ECB paid out $27
--total oop $11.24
Total ECB back $19.77

I should have used more ECB's but it was not a really smooth transaction, it was a little higher than I thought due to miscalculation and then the girl did'nt scan one of the ECB's correctly.

I have about $45 going into my next transaction.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Shortcuts

I love the Shortcuts I add to my Kroger card. To read about Shortcuts click here. I went to Kroger the other day for hot dog buns and Diet Coke. I could'nt pass up the 4/$11 and free Cheez-its. When I got to the cash register another .80 came off because of the Shortcuts coupons.

Shortcuts customer service is wonderful. I was having some trouble with them not working so I emailed and gave all the information to prove I should have had discounts and they added the coupon price plus some, for any purchase at Krogers. Gotta love that! It was quick too. I only waited a day or so.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Hinde Sight is 20/20


Hinde sight is 20/20. I should have used ECB's last week instead of forking out cash, I am going into this week with $50.98 in ECB's. My friend, the queen of CVS, is still out of town. I am going to have to do it alone again this week. I am so glad it is a new month the possibilities are endless. I have not sat down and done any kind of figuring this week. I am soooo behind in cutting and filing coupons, I really need some inspiration or a good kick in the pants. This polar totally captures my mood.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Joined the Zoo


I love my coupons! I bought a membership to our local zoo today. This is a pleasure we can enjoy because I have been able to save so much money with coupons. Our money was tight before I started using coupons. What a blessing it is to be able to go and put out $125 for a zoo membership and a zoo summer camp program and not worry that we will not have enough money to get us to the next paycheck. Last summer I never would have been able to this. I would have had to plan way in advance just to loosen some money up.