Small Trip..Big Savings

So, we're headed to Nantucket tomorrow for a little over a week. Yes, that's a lot of time spent in the car, so I'm getting prepared. I'm bringing a lot of non-perishables with us so we don't have to spend a whole lot of grocery money there. Things are a bit more pricey on Nantucket. So, I'm packing up my cereal, mac-n-cheese, soups, and even Cookie Mix.

I was good to go, but I couldn't resist the Triples at Harris Teeter. Yes, they triple all coupons $.99 or less. This is a good time to stock up on Fruit Snacks and Go-gurts. So with my list in hand and coupons in a baggie, I rushed off to HT. Thanks to my friend, McKenzie, who sent me a $5 off $25 coupon, I did pretty well. I spent $10.28 on $50 worth of product. General Mills had a promo if you purchase 15 of certain items, you get $5 off your total bill. So, I got an additional $10 off my bill in additional to VIC savings and coupons. I did want something healthy for the trip, so I purchased some bananas, not on sale.

Here's the breakdown:

Everything I purchased except the bananas were on sale. Most were 2 for some $$.

Total Cost of Groceries before Sale Price: $70.48

Total Cost of Groceries using just my VIC card (in store savings): $52.46 (This is what I would have paid if I only bought these items on sale)

Total Cost of Groceries after VIC savings and Coupons: $10.28

*this includes $5 off $25 purchase coupon - Thanks McKenzie!!

*This includes $5 off total order when you purchase 15 General Mills Products

Total cost of trip: $10.28!!

Too Difficult

Sometimes, it's just too difficult! The amount of time and energy I put into making up scenarios and figuring out how much out of pocket (OOP) expenses I'll have, sometimes isn't worth it. I haven't been doing the Walgreens deals because their system seems a bit too crazy. Too many rules. I can't handle too many rules. But, I figured out CVS so I thought I'd try Walgreens. I set up a few transactions where I could get the bathroom automatic scrubbing bubbles, razors, candles for under $10. But when I tried to use my register rewards with a coupon for the bubbles, it wouldn't take it. That messed my whole plan up, but I was told I can't use 2 coupons for 1 item. Well, I wasn't about to duke it out with the manager, so I just didn't buy some items I was planning to. I did get some Glade products because that was a good deal and I had some get a free candle coupon and other good coupons. But, I left frustrated because I don't like stores getting the best of me. But, I reminded myself, it's okay to not get every good deal!!

Some Good Buys

I did get some good buys recently:

1. Whole Foods - Coupon for a free Rotisserie Chicken and a free bouquet (turns out this was only supposed to go to Whole Foods customers). But I did buy $3 worth of cookies for the boys, so I did support Whole Foods.

2. 2 Free Panties at Victoria's Secret with any purchase on last tuesday - Yep! Any purchase. So, I bought a $3 scented hand sanitizer and got 2 free panties. Sorry, no picture here.

3. I got a chick fil a meal the other day and there was a breakfast sampler in my bad. Yum!

4. I went to a consignment sale today and found a Leapfrog learning tool that didn't have a price on it. So, when I went up, they said $1. I said Sold!!

5. I also found a Blue Corduroy w/ suede elbow pads for Ryan to wear this winter for $3.50. In great condition!

So, keep your eyes open for good deals and go to the mall and get those free panties!

Things I've learned...

It's been a learning experience for me. Learning how to coupon. Am I really saving money? Or am I just buying a lot of stuff I don't need? Yes, to both. I am learning to not buy every good deal. How much lotion can a person go through??? For me, very little. But if it's free and I can use it towards getting me other things for cheaper, why not!!

So, my new plan for grocery shopping is this: Make my list, then compare it to the weekly sales flyers. It seems obvious, except when you see all the deals and get so excited to buy Worceshire Sauce for $3/3. Worceshire Sauce is a staple in my house for cooking, so if I had coupons for Worceshire sauce, it would be less than $1 a bottle. A good deal.

Also, I'm still figuring out Rite Aid. Some stuff is easy to figure out and some things make me leave there frustrated. So, I'm a huge fan of CVS and being able to leave with spending fewer dollars. However, it's nice to get little checks in the mail to use wherever I want.

I've also appreciated trying new things. Some products have been good, others not so much. Turns out, we still don't like Chex Mix. Turns out Cocoa Puffs aren't a huge hit. But they do end up making chocolate milk, so if Daddy says no chocolate milk, you can ask for Cocoa Puffs and make your own.

Bottom Line:
**Just because it's a good deal, does not mean I have to buy it**

Harris Teeter Super Doubles

I think the Super Doubles at Harris Teeter is my favorite. They double coupons $1.98 or less. I haven't seen any coupons for $1.98, most are $1.50 or $2.00. But this is an easier calculation for me than tripling $.35. I think the Danimals yogurt and the shaving creams ended up being free. So, not a bad trip.

On the other picture, the juice boxes were $.99,the bacon was free (had a $3 off coupon) and the diapers were $6.99 each.

A good week at Harris Teeter!

So, I made a few trips to HT to get good deals on diapers. The diapers were $9.99 and with my $1.50 coupon (doubled to $3), I paid $6.99 for those packs of diapers.

For the picture on the left, I paid $65 on $140 worth of groceries. The sodas were Buy 2 Get 3 free, so I got 6 sodas for $12.

What $5 at CVS can get you

Although it doesn't look like much, all of this cost me less than $5. There's Body Wash, Body Lotion, Soy Candle, Gillete Razor and Hair Dye. The Gillette Body Wash was free with purchase of a razor. There was a promo for $5 bucks back when you purchase $15 of certain products. Believe it or not, the Dove Body Wash and Vaseline lotion made up $15!! But I had coupons for each item which made them less expensive. The Glad candle was $6.99 and I got $6.99 back in ECB. I used the CVS dollars that I had and a few that I had earned and shelled out less than $5 for all of this and got $5 in ECB's back to use next time.