Drugstore Trifecta: $185 worth of health & beauty for $15.50

Today could not have gone any better.  Everything was in stock, we had CVS and Rite Aid completely to ourselves, and there were friendly faces everywhere.  And I got chocolate.

This also wraps up the month of October.  I have a confession to make.  I'm a nerd.  Really.  I'm a nerd.  I have an Excel spreadsheet with formulas and all that good stuff that calculates my spending and my savings.  Once I run down today's trips, I'll share the value of everything I bought this month and how much I paid for it.  I've been tracking it on my spreadsheet all month.

Buckle in, here we go!

All this for a buck!

This week's sale ends in a couple hours and we made one more trip out to Rite Aid to get some more of that fabulous SAMY conditioner.  As I feared, stock was a problem.  There was one deep conditioning treatment and one conditioning serum left, and I had wanted to get 6 bottles of the treatment.  That's okay, I'll just get a raincheck for the rest to lock in that BOGO price.

It meant I couldn't use my $5 off $25 coupon, but still, for $1.29 cash it would be completely worth it and I'd still get the two $1 +UPs back.

While we were there I did a quick round of the store to check stock on the items I want to get tomorrow (coffee may be an issue, everything else looks good).  They had 2 liters of Diet Coke marked down to $1.11ea so I grabbed two.  Finally, I made one last check to see if they had any of the Nivea Happy Sensations body lotion on the shelf.  This was a super hot sale item this week - marked down from $7.99 to $5.99 with a $5 +UP back, making them $.99ea.  I never could find any in my store and there weren't any tonight so when we headed up to the register I asked for rainchecks for four of the SAMY and three of the Niveas.

The store manager was running the register.  She said "Tell you what, if you want to go choose three other Nivea lotions, I can ring those up as the Happy Sensations for you."  I blinked at her.  "Same price, with the UPs?"  She nodded, and I scampered off to the lotion section while she wrote the SAMY raincheck.  I found three bottles of Nivea marked at $7.99, all of which were 25% more bonus bottles AND they each had a little bottle of shower gel attached.
I brought them up to the register to see if those were fine to substitute and she cheerfully agreed.  WOW!  And that certainly brought my total up plenty high enough to use the $5/$25 coupon, so even better!

Two SAMY conditioners $10.58
Two Diet Cokes $2.22
Three Nivea bonus packs $23.97
Subtotal: $36.77
Less $5 off $25
Less $6 Nivea discount
Less $5.29 SAMY BOGO
Less $4 SAMY coupons
Total: $16.48 plus $1.59 tax.  Paid with $16 in +UPs and $2.07 cash.  I would have used one more +UP but those can't pay for the tax.
Received back $17 in +UPs ($5ea for the Nivea, $1ea for the SAMY)
True out of pocket comes to $1.07, a savings of $37.29 or 97%!!

Sunday Gameplan

Food deals this week?  Not so great.  Other deals this week?  FANTASTIC!

The thing is, though, that several of the items I plan to get have coupons that expire on 10/31.  Tomorrow will find me at my regular Rite Aid hoping they've got plenty of stock and, if they don't, on a wild goose chase to other Rite Aid locations until I find everything I need.

I did a bunch of laundry Friday.  I would have done more but we're apparently out of detergent.  Crap, how did I let that happen??  And have you seen the prices on the big bottles of Tide lately?  It's on sale at CVS this week for twenty freakin' dollars!  No no no, that just won't do.

This is what I think will do just fine:

Transaction 1
2 50oz bottles Tide - $11.76
1 18ct package Tide Stain Release tabs - $5.88
2 Old Spice body washes or deodorants - $7
1 bottle Dawn - $.99 (filler to get total up to $25)
Subtotal: $25.63
Less $5 off $25 purchase
Less two $1 Tide detergent (exp 10/31/10)
Less one $3 Tide Stain Release (exp 10/31/10)
Less $3.50 buy one get one free Old Spice
Less $1 off two Old Spice products (exp 10/31/10; may not be able to use this one depending on how the register reads it)
Less $.50 Dawn
Total after coupons: $10.63.  Pay $3 in +UPs and $7.63 cash
Receive back $3 +UPs ($1 for each Tide product) and a coupon for a FREE 10oz Nyquil ($5.99 value, for buying $20 worth of advertised Proctor & Gamble products)
OOP: $7.63

Transaction 2
5 11oz canister Folgers coffee - $14.95
1 10oz bottle Nyquil - $5.99
1 box Glad trash bags $4.74
Subtotal: $25.68
Less $5 off $25 purchase
Less $5.99 Nyquil from previous transaction
Less five $1 off Folgers
Less $.75 off Glad trash bags
Total after coupons: $8.94.  Pay $6 in +UP and $2.94 cash.
Receive back $6 in +UPs ($1 ea for the Folgers, $1 for the trash bags)
OOP: $2.94

So.  If everything is in stock, I'll walk out with $51.31 worth of laundry detergent, coffee, trash bags, body wash, Nyquil, and dish soap for $10.57 in cash.  Since I'm only spending the same amount of +UPs as I'll earn back, those cancel each other out nicely.  If I shopped like I used to, the $10.57 wouldn't even pay for the two bottles of Tide detergent!

Later in the week I'll hit Giant Eagle for food, but my attention will be more on the health & beauty deals.  There are no fast-expiring coupons involved so I don't need to rush out on Sunday to get this trip done.
I'll buy 10 Sinex - $50
And 5 Colgate toothpaste - $5
Less ten $4 Sinex coupons
Less five $1 Colgate coupons
Subtotal $10
I'll receive back $23 in health & beauty OYNOs ($2 for each Sinex, $3 for spending $10 shelf price on the Colgate).
I'll then take those OYNOs and buy as much store-brand ibuprofen as I can for that amount.  For $10 cash I'll have enough sinus medicine to see me through the year and into next, five more tubes of toothpaste, and what I hope to be a year's worth of ibuprofen. 

Drugstore Trifecta: $80.25 worth of health & beauty for a profit of $5.08

Wow, what a day!!

First off I got electrocuted by the switch for the garbage disposal.  That was disconcerting.  My hands were all wet from doing some dishes and when I flipped the switch for the disposal it was all "bzzzzzt!" and I'm all "Gaaaah can't move hand tingling bzzzzzzzz!" and then a second later I pulled my hand away and the odd tingly sensation went away after an hour or two.  *sigh*

But that wasn't the fun part.  The fun part was hitting all three drugstores in quick succession this evening and making out like a bandit.  Let's begin, shall we?

Rite Aid
I totally had to think on my feet here.  There were three specific deals I was after; one was out of stock, one didn't have exactly what I'd wanted in stock, and the third had VERY slim pickins.  The Bayer Contour USB meter (diabetic testing meter) was marked down from $79.99 to $29.99 and there's a $40 Rite Aid coupon available.  Now, Rite Aid doesn't allow for overage, so no need to think it's a $10 profit - it's not.  I'm not diabetic nor is anyone else I know, but I had planned to get the meter for free and donate it to the shelter; someone in need could get really nice medical supplies, and I could use the purchase to build up my points balance*, win-win.  Alas, the meter was out of stock so I got a raincheck and continued on my way.
Next deal - SAMY haircare.  The SAMY products are buy one get one free, I had a $2 coupon for each, and each bottle gives a $1 +UP back.  I had planned to get shampoo and conditioner at $4.99ea, but my store had exactly zero of these.  There wasn't even a spot for it on the shelves.  I did, however, locate SAMY deep conditioning treatment and serum for $5.29ea.  Four bottles at $10.58 less $8 in coupons less $4 +UP back works out to a profit of $1.42.  Good enough for me!!
Finally, NYC cosmetics were buy one get a nail polish free, and each of those items gives back a $1 +UP.  I also had two $1 off coupons.  I was going to get five eye pencils at $1.99ea and five nail polishes for free, but there were exactly four nail polishes left.  So I did four & four, no biggie.  And when I checked out, the eye pencils rang up at $.99ea.  I pointed out to the cashier that they were marked as $1.99 on the shelf (I'm so honest) and she shrugged and said it was my lucky day!

Grocery week wrapup: $134 worth of groceries for $55

There were only a few really good deals I wanted to take advantage of at the grocery store this week.  Of course one of those deals was 18lbs of canned tomatoes which is always fun to lug up three flights of stairs.  *sigh*

Chairman Meow just knew there was something in the loot stack for him and he wasted no time looking for it.  Hey buddy, it's behind you!



So, today.  Couple of good deals, as I said, with the only standouts being five 4-packs of toilet paper at a $.50 profit ($1ea, had five $.55 off coupons which doubled fully giving me $.50 overage), big cans of tomatoes for $.57ea, a free bottle of Tabasco, another free box of Tic Tacs, and a bag of cat food for $.98.  There were lukewarm deals on 6 cans of wet cat food for $1 (Chairman loves those and gets them as a special treat, though I've been able to get them free in the past) and tortillas for just over $1 per package.  The Enchilada Lasagna - I'll post that recipe at some point, I promise - has been requested so I grabbed the stuff to make it at decent prices.  Oh, and the Heluvagood cheese blocks were $1 after coupon - not a spectacular price, but it's okay for the brand and Andy loooooves that stuff so we got three blocks.

Most of the cost was meat.  We were down to a pound of ground beef and 4lbs of chicken in the freezer; with several types of meat on sale for $1.99lb this week I grabbed a bunch.  Even got some pork ribs!
Oh, and a bottle of chili powder that was five freakin' dollars!  We just ran out and I didn't realize how low we were in time to order in from my regular spice company, so I had to pay five freakin' dollars at the grocery store for a teeny tiny little bottle.  Holy crap, what a ripoff!!
(by the by, if you do a lot of cooking, I highly recommend Marshalls Creek Spices.  Super cheap, excellent quality, excellent service, flat shipping rate, and the bottles are about 10 times the size as those in the grocery store for much less money.)

 

Giant Eagle deal alert

For the sale week of 10/28-11/3 at Giant Eagle grocery stores, Vicks Sinex will be on sale 2/$10, and you receive a $4 OYNO (health & beauty) when you buy two.

In the coming 10/31 Sunday coupon insert, Proctor & Gamble is issuing another $4 off one Vicks Sinex coupon.

Combine the sale and coupon for a $2 profit on each two you buy.

Now, P&G has recently rebranded Dayquil & Nyquil Sinus liquicaps as Sinex.  This deal applies to the original Sinex nasal decongestant spray as well as the liquicaps.  There's plenty of original packaging still out there with the capsules labeled Nyquil.  It looks just like the image below but with the Nyquil name on it - you can see examples of both types of packaging at the bottom of the image in this post from earlier in the month.
Both the original packaging and the new packaging are included in this deal.

Buy two, use two coupons = $2, receive $4 OYNO
Buy four, use four coupons = $4, receive $8 OYNO
Buy eight, use eight coupons = $8, receive $16 OYNO

You should be able to purchase multiple Sinex in one transaction and get all your OYNOs.

The OYNOs are good for health & beauty purchases: dental care, feminine care, other over the counter medicine, deodorant, hair care, first aid, etc.  This is a great time to stock up on (more!) sinus medicine and use the OYNOs you earn to pay for other health & beauty items. 
I plan to buy 8-10 Sinex and use the OYNOs to pay for some shampoo and conditioner as we're running dangerously low.

As a note: when I took advantage of this deal earlier in the month, all the Sinex I purchased shows an expiration date in 2012-2013.  You don't have to use it all this year! 

The Alka-Seltzer deal is fizzing over at Walgreens too

If you've got the $3 coupons for Alka-Seltzer but no Rite Aid nearby, you can still snag some of this cold & flu medicine for a $1 or $2 profit at Walgreens.  Thanks to Wild for Wags for confirming!






Buy three Alka-Seltzer Plus Fast Crystals or Powder Packs, 10ct, on sale for $3.99ea
Use three $3/1 coupons from this week's Red Plum circular
Pay $2.97 plus tax
Receive a $5 Register Reward back for a profit of  $2.03!

You can also buy two for $1.98 plus tax and receive a  $3 RR back for a profit of $1.02.


Remember: you can only get one deal per transaction.  If you want to purchase 5 or 6 Alka-Seltzers total, split them up into two transactions.  Buy three first, pay and get your RRs back, and then have the cashier ring up 2 or 3 more.  Don't use the RRs from your first transaction to pay for your second or you won't get the new RR.  Walgreens is more restrictive in their reward dollars program, so keep these two points in mind when you shop there.

The best deal overall is still at Rite Aid ($16 profit on six), but if you don't have enough coupons to buy 6 or if you don't have a Rite Aid in your area (Misty!), you can hop on the deal at Walgreens.
I believe I have two coupons left and if I do, I'm going to grab two more boxes later this week at Wags when I go to get the Coffee Mate on raincheck from Saturday.

Now go get'cha some!

Rite Aid & Walgreens: 30 minutes, $14 profit

We went to Walgreens and Rite Aid this morning.  In spite of hitting every.single.red light between Wags & Rite Aid, we got where we needed to go, got what we needed to get, and got home with the loot in about half an hour.

Walgreens
Purchased 1 Colgate Sensitive toothpaste 6oz for $3.49 and 1 Contac Cold & Flu Day & Night, 28ct for $6.00
Used $1 off Colgate coupon and $2 off Contac coupon
Received back $3.50 RR for the Colgate, $6 RR for the Contac
This should've been a $3.01 profit, but at the last second Andy grabbed two Ghirardelli bars (I'd commented while we were in line about yummy peppermint bark) and handed them to the cashier while she was scanning the coupons.  $2ea for those, so the toothpaste, Contac and two candy bars cost us $.99.
Total came to $10.49 after coupons, I paid with $2.60 in RRs from yesterday and $7.89 cash.
Received back $9.50 in RR


Rite Aid
Purchased 6 Alka-Seltzer Fast Powder Packs, 10ct for $5ea
Used a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase
Used 6 $3 off coupons plus a $1 Rite Aid Alka-Seltzer coupon
Total came to $6.  Andy snuck two more candy bars in for $.50ea, so the actual total came to $7
(he has a serious sweet tooth!)
Paid with +UPs from last week.
Received back six $2 +UPs (one for each of the Alka-Seltzer) and a $10 +UP for spending $30 on Bayer products - total of $22 in +UPs

Today's shelf price: $53.68
Total paid: $17.49 ($9.60 in reward dollars, $7.89 cash)
Reward dollars received: $31.50
PROFIT of $14.01!!

As a bonus, all my Alka-Seltzer boxes had a $1 off coupon expiring 12/2011.  If another good sale comes up, I've got $6 in coupons at hand.

Mom got in on the Bayer deal at Rite Aid as well this morning.  She got 5 bottles of Bayer Low Dose at $6.xx each and used a $1 manufacturer's coupon and a $3 Rite Aid store coupon on each bottle.
Her total was about $35
Less $5 off $25 purchase
Less $20 in coupons
She paid $10 in cash & previous +UPs and received a $10 +UP for buying $30 of Bayer items - making all her Bayer aspirin FREE!  Nice going, Mom!!

Walgreens run

We went to Walgreens to pick up my free photo collage print and I took a moment to look over their sales circular before we went.  Glad I did.  They had Coffee Mate creamer buy one get one free at $2.69 for both, and I've got two $1.50/1 coupons for it.  Overage!!  I also noticed they had Blistex for $2.59 with a $2.60 RR (Register Rewards, Walgreens' store dollars), making that free.

So we picked up the print (which was truly free, no tax), found the Blistex, and *gasp* they were out of Coffee Mate.  Arrggh! 
That's okay, we got a raincheck and I'll pick it up later.

The only problem is I'd grabbed these cute plastic Halloween tumblers that were 8 for $1 to use as filler for the creamer overage and I didn't put them back.  Since we didn't get the creamer today I didn't need them ....ah well, they're adorable.  I got four skeleton cups and four kitty cups. 

Regular price:  $9.55.
Total was $3.59 and we got $2.60 back in RR.  $.99 for everything, or a 90% savings.  How cute are those tumbler cups??

After Wags, we went to my mom's for a yummy lasagna dinner and to trade some coupons for tomorrow's sales.  I'm going the Alka-Seltzer route and Mom's going the Bayer Low Dose route at Rite Aid, so we exchanged.  I now have enough coupons to get the 6 Alka-Seltzers and make a $15 profit.  Let's hope it's in stock! 

Chairman Meow appears to have had a long day while we were gone.  His life is so difficult.

Quick CVS run

I was going to do up a nice post about this Enchilada Lasagna I made the other night for dinner.  It was sooooo yummy, ridiculously easy, and fairly cheap as well.

Alas, I've been feeling a bug of some sort coming on all week and it kicked my ass today.  I spent most of the afternoon in bed, though I did manage to drag myself out long enough for some soup and a trip to CVS.

We ran out of milk last night.  It's on sale for $2.19/gal at CVS through Saturday and I had a coupon for a free hand sanitizer expiring the same day so I figured I'd go the couple extra minutes and get both this evening.

I couldn't find the hand sanitizer, so that was a no-go.  *sigh*  Guess they sold out, and with the coupon expiring there was no need to get a raincheck.

But!

I did glance at the clearance section while I was there and scored a two pack of Oral-B toothbrushes for $.75 and a two pack of Scunci alligator hair clips that I go through like water for $.72.  That was nice!

I  was also able to take advantage of an unadvertised deal on Neutrogena Triple Moisture Split End Mender.  I'd heard about this on other blogs but between lack of stock being reported and the fact that I went so late in the week, I didn't figure I'd find any.  Lo and behold, my fantastic CVS had some on the shelf!
It was $7.49 and you receive a $7.49 ECB (CVS store dollars) back, which makes this fancy-schmancy hair stuff free.  As you may have heard, I like free!

So, two gallons of milk, the Neutrogena stuff, two toothbrushes, and two Scunci hair clips came to $13.34.  I paid with a $5 ECB from earlier in the week and the rest cash.
After receiving my $7.49 ECB back, all that stuff cost $5.85.  That's right around what we'd pay for just the milk at the grocery store, so this was a nice little trip.

Great freebie for the holidays

Walgreens is offering a FREE 8x10 collage photo through 10/23.

Just go to the Walgreens site, register a free account if you don't have one already, and upload your photos.
Create your collage and choose in-store pickup.  When you check out, use coupon code 8X10TREAT to bring your total to my favorite number: $0.00!  When you choose store pickup there's no shipping charged so you'll only have to worry about any applicable sales tax.

Pair this with a cute picture frame - you can always find these on clearance as the holidays approach! - and you've got the perfect gift for Mom, Grandma, or anyone else who loves photo memories.

And you can't beat the price!

So my mom called me, yelling....

My mom called me this evening.  I answered the phone all "helllooooooo!" because we frequently answer in stupid voices when one calls the other.  It's just a thing.  And instead of a goofy voice back, I got "OH MY GAWWWD!"

"What, mom, what???"

"I went to Rite Aid tonight, and I got a card and took my coups (coupons) and tried to do like you do!  I don't know if I did it right, but I got all this stuff and it was only $14.  And I got five of those up dollar things back."

So Mom's been listening to me go on about this whole coupon thang for months now.  I tell her when there's a particularly good deal to be had; "Hey, cut out that Crest coupon in your Sunday paper, it'll be free at Giant Eagle next week."  She's still remained mostly a casual couponer, though.

But I think the drugstore bug bit her hard tonight.  I don't recall the last time I saw her this excited - maybe for the birth of my youngest nephew, but she wasn't screaming then so maybe not.

She got her hands on a couple buy one, get one free coupons for Axe body wash yesterday.  My oldest nephew loves the stuff, so she was going to use the coupon to get him some for Christmas.  She mentioned it to me earlier today and I said "Hey, I think there's some sort of sale on Axe stuff at Rite Aid this week, maybe you could get them there." 

I didn't have the sales circular at hand, so I was going off memory.  Well, she drives right past a Rite Aid on her way home from work, so she stopped in to see what the prices were.  While she was there, she saw a display of Planter's NUTrition marked down to $3.99 from $6.99; she keeps those in her desk at work to snack on, so she decided to get a couple canisters and go ahead and get the body wash since she was making a purchase anyway.

She found the body wash and was a little bummed to see that the sale I'd recalled was apparently buy one get one 50% off of the Axe deodorant and body spray.  The wash wasn't marked, but she was still pretty pleased with the BOGO coupon and the Planter's sale so she loaded up her basket and threw in a bottle of conditioner and a couple bottles of soda so she'd be sure to have a total of $25 to use one of the $5 coupons.

And that brings us to the phone call.  She was trying to make sense of the receipt and just couldn't understand how her total wound up being $14 and change.  The body washes were $5.69ea, the nuts were $3.99ea, and she had conditioner and soda on top of it.  Even with the BOGO coupons, she thought her total should have been about $20.

The anatomy of a drugstore deal: make money buying Alka Seltzer

My dear friend Michael is a well-prepared guy.  I mean that in the sense that he is literally prepared to survive the breakdown of society via economic collapse, civil war, and/or zombie apocalypse.  Alien invasion too, but that's not as likely as the other three.  He, his wife, and their friends & family will come through Mad Max just fine because Michael doesn't screw around.  I want to be like Michael when I grow up.

So, when Michael asked me earlier today to give him a heads-up if I find great deals on shelf-stable goods that he could pass on to his apocalypse-avoidant homies, I figured I'd do him and all of you a service by breaking down a good deal on over the counter medication.  Since this is a national sale at a national chain, most anyone will be able to replicate it with a little footwork ahead of time.  Cold & flu season is fast approaching; stock up now while they'll pay you to do it.

Let's begin.

Locate your nearest Rite Aid Pharmacy.  Some time before Sunday, stop in there and sign up for their Wellness+ card.  It's completely free; this is the store loyalty card that gives you discount prices and enables you to earn their +UP store dollars on eligible purchases.  You fill out a short form in the store, they give you a card, and you're on your way.

You will also want to gather your coupons.  First and foremost, determine if the Red Plum sales insert is mailed to you (usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday, arriving with your local grocery sales circular) or if it comes with the Sunday paper.  To find out, go to this Red Plum link, enter your address, and it'll tell you.
If you get this insert in the mail, start asking your neighbors, coworkers, friends and family to save their coupons for you right now.  You'll need six inserts.
If your local newspaper carries Red Plum in their Sunday paper - lucky you!!  Make plans now to purchase six newspapers on Sunday - or ask friends/family/etc if you can have the coupons from their paper.  There are piles of other useful coupons, so if you wind up buying six papers you'll still come out ahead.

However you do it, you want to make sure to have SIX coupons from that circular for $3 off "any Alka-Seltzer Plus Fast Powder Packs product."

Next, you'll want to print out a couple of these $5 off a $25 purchase coupons for Rite Aid.  You'll only need one for this deal, but they come in handy so keep a couple extra on hand.
LATE EDIT: apparently the linked coupon is acting up. If you can't get the PDF to load, please email me and I may be able to help: angrycheapskate (at) gmail (dot) com.

Starting on Sunday, 10/24, this item will be on sale at Rite Aid.

Grocery week wrapup: $128 worth of groceries for $29.43

As mentioned, it was a fairly slow week at the grocery store.  There were a few great deals to be had, but nothing like the last two trips.  Next week doesn't look much better.  Fortunately we have plenty of cereal to see us through.

First transaction
Eight 40oz bottles Heinz Ketchup - $2ea on sale, I had 8 coupons for $.75/1 which doubled.  Total: $4.
We received a $5 OYNO Catalina back.

Second transaction
Four boxes Corn Flakes Simply Cinnamon: $.49ea
Four boxes Cinnabon cereal: $.49ea
Two boxes Raisin Bran: $1.99ea
Two boxes Corn Flakes: $1.99ea, had a coupon for $1 off any bag of flour when you buy two
5lb bag flour: $.99
Two cartons V8 soup: $1ea
Two bottles V8 Fusion w/tea: $1ea
Two Ortega soft taco kits: $1.50ea
Ten cans Swanson low sodium chicken broth: $.40ea
Two cans Bush's beans: $.57ea (selection wasn't great, so we only got two)
Three Toaster Strudels: $1.17ea
Two 4C shredded cheese: $2ea
Two 4C breadcrumbs: FREE
Two pounds butter: $2ea (we're about out, desperately need a good sale on these)
One 20oz Pepsi Max: FREE

Hello UPS man!!

WHOA!!!  New favorite company!! 

Last month I made a post suggesting that new (and seasoned!) couponers might like to consider contacting companies whose products they enjoy, as many companies will reward your brand loyalty with further coupons.  This is a great way to score coupons for a free item, coupons with very long expiration dates, coupons for items that don't get coupons often, or higher-value coupons than one sees in a Sunday paper.

A recent example for me is for Angel Soft toilet paper.  I don't much care what brand we use as long as it's not scratchy or rough, but Andy only wants Angel Soft.  He's very brand-loyal when it comes to his butt.  They don't put out many coupons in the paper for this brand, so I dropped Angel Soft a line letting them know that it's the only brand we use.  They responded by sending me a nice thank-you letter in the mail and attaching some $.55/1 coupons.  These coupons are good for any size pack as opposed to the coupons they make available on their website for $.50/1 for six roll or larger packs.
Why is this important?  Well, Angel Soft goes on sale somewhat regularly at $1 for a 4-roll pack (and, actually, is on sale for that price next week).  With the $.55/1 coupons for ANY pack doubling, that means free toilet paper!  The savings on a 6-roll pack is great, but you just can't beat free.

And you just can't beat free surprises, either.
I was sitting at the computer this afternoon when I was startled by a loud "thunk" and a knock on the front door.  I got up and went to see what was going on, and as I passed by the living room window I saw the UPS truck parked out front.  I wasn't expecting anything, but when I opened the door there was a box on the doorstep addressed to me.  A present??  I like presents!  And this was fairly heavy present at that!

I tore open the box and tried to make sense of what was inside.

Three pounds of licorice???

And then I remembered I had emailed Red Vines a few weeks ago hoping to land a coupon or two.  They did a little better than that, though!  They UPS'd me three one pound bags of delicious red licorice and a thank-you note for my compliment to them - WHOA!!  Talk about landing a customer for life!

I'm really wishing I wasn't still full from lunch. 

Playin' the Drugstore Game

The major drugstore chains all have programs where if you buy certain items, you get "reward dollars" back that can be spent in the store on your next visit.  These are very much like the Catalinas/OYNOs at the grocery store, and, as I've recently started to figure out - THIS is how those crazy coupon ladies get $30 worth of merchandise for a quarter.  We'll examine how it works momentarily.

The three big drugstores we've got access to in my 'hood are Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid.
Of the three, Walgreens' reward program is the most restrictive; Rite Aid's is by far the best.  CVS seems to be somewhere in the middle.

Let's take a look at a razor deal.  A Schick Hydro 5 razor is priced at $8.99 on sale, and if you buy one you receive $5 back in reward dollars.  Better yet, there's a $4/1 coupon.  $8.99 - $4 coupon = $4.99, and you get a $5 store credit in reward dollars back, making the razor a $.01 moneymaker.

• At Walgreens you can buy the razor, use the coupon, get the $5 back, but you cannot use that $5 to purchase another razor.  The reward dollars won't print if you do so.  In  addition, you can only get one deal per transaction.  If you wanted to buy 5 razors, you would have to do 5 separate transactions to get the $5 back on each one, and in the end you'd have paid about $25 and you'll have five $5 Walgreens Register Rewards (their name for reward dollars, shortened to RRs) that you can use on other stuff in the store. 
• At CVS you can purchase multiple razors in one transaction and use the $5 in Extra Care Bucks (their reward dollars, shortened to ECBs) on more razors.  The downside is that most of the really good deals have a limit of one per card for the sale period.  With the Schick razor, you buy your razor for $4.99 with coupon, get $5 back in ECBs, and you could use that $5 to buy another razor - you just won't get another $5 ECB for it.  So you'd be able to get two razors for $4.99, which isn't a bad deal, but it ain't free quite yet.
• At Rite Aid, there are very few restrictions.  Unless there's a restriction printed in the sales circular, and there aren't many times where it is, you could buy a razor, get your $5 +UP (Rite Aid's reward dollars, pronounced plus-ups or ups) and use it to get another razor for free.  You could then use the $5 +UP from the 2nd razor and use it to get another for free.  Or you could buy two razors with two coupons for $9.98, get $10 in +UPs, buy two more at no cost to you using coupons & the +UPs from the last transaction and get $10 more +UPs, THEN buy 2 more at no cost and get $10 more +UPs back.  And on and on it goes.

That all said, I decided to start learning the drugstore game at Rite Aid.  As is usually the case with me, I had to get all crazy and jump into CVS as well due to a couple good deals they have, so I guess I'm learning both stores now.  Let's see how I did.

Friday - CVS
Pepsi 2 liters were on sale for $1ea.  If you purchased 15, you got $5 ECBs back, making them $.67ea.  I had two $1/2 coupons as well.  I am a Diet Pepsi FIEND.  It's almost embarrassing how much of that stuff I drink; suffice to say, the 15 bottles will be consumed.
15 Diet Pepsi = $15 - $2 in coupons = $13.
Receive $5 ECBs back.


They also had gallons of milk for $2.19.  Andy drinks as much milk as I do Diet Pepsi, so we got two gallons of milk as well (normally $2.50-3.00 at the grocery store.

$17.38 with $5 ECBs remaining = $12.38 for 15 sodas and 2 gallons of milk.

This is why we stockpile, kids

I was talking this whole couponing thing over with my friend Misty (HI MISTY!!!!).  She wants to get in on these savings and she made a comment about needing to change her mindset on how she and her family shop.  They do what most folks do; they clip Sunday's coupons for items they'll use the next week, for the stuff they've got on their shopping list for the next trip to the grocery. 

When it comes to these 70%, 80% or more savings, though, you need to do the exact opposite.

You make your list around your coupons, you don't clip coupons based on your list.

Our circular came in the mail today, and six months ago I would have looked through it and added some $2 pasta sauce, 2 packages of frozen veggies on sale for $1, and a box or two of $3 cereal to my existing list of meat, milk, etc.  I wouldn't have had any coupons because I didn't buy a Sunday newspaper and the coupon circular that comes in the mail didn't have anything for cereal, veggies, or pasta sauce (actually, the entire circular pretty much sucks ass).  But hey, they were on sale so I was saving money!

Today I looked at the sales circular for all of 5 minutes before tossing it aside.
It's craptastic.  Abso-freakin-lutely craptastic.
And, you know what?  That's perfectly fine. 

Why is it fine?

Because I got 16 packages of frozen veg last week for $.31ea on top of the 10 I'd gotten two weeks before for $.50ea.
Because I got 10 large jars of pasta sauce for $.70ea a few weeks ago.
Because I got 15 boxes of pasta at a profit last week.
I have canned tomatoes, canned veggies, cheese, lunchmeat, coffee, cookies, feminine products, toothpaste, deodorant, and all manner of everyday use items that I got for free or nearly free tucked away for shitty sales weeks just like this one. 
I'm not obligated to pay $3 for a box of cereal this week because the boxes I got for half that or less are in the pantry.  If we were out of coffee I wouldn't have much choice but to pay $11 for a single canister.

And as an extension of shopping based on your coupons rather than the other way around - you eat based on what you've already purchased for pennies on the dollar rather than shop based on what you want to eat.
I mean, sure, if you've got a craving for some ice cream, go buy the ice cream even if it's full price.  But once you get that new mindset, once you get to the point where you've got the beginnings of a stockpile of nonperishables, your meals should be planned around what you've got on hand.
With so much free pasta, I'll lean towards preparing more pasta dishes.  I've got tomatoes, pasta sauce, piles of frozen veggies, beef, chicken, cheese....I could turn that into about 10 different meals.  Instead of looking at the craptastic grocery sales this week and trying to come up with dinner, I pick and choose the few good deals and use those to supplement the food I've already got.  Next week's sales will hopefully provide more opportunities to stock up on other stuff.

So what am I buying this week?
There's the usual: milk, meat, produce, soda.
Ketchup.  We only have about a bottle and a half right now.  One store (which doesn't double coupons) has Heinz for a buck, and the other store (which does) has it for $1.29.  I may have a handful of $.75/1 coupons en route, so if those get here in time I'll take the profit on the $1.29 ketchup.  If not, I plan to pick up a couple bottles for a buck each at my non-usual store to stash aside until another sale comes up.
Ziploc bags.  $1.20 per box after sale & coupon, which is still fairly high, but again....we're almost out.  I'll buy a couple and hope for cheaper to stock up.
Bush's beans.  They're on sale and I have a stack of coupons to take the bigger cans down to $.57 and $.67ea.  That's low enough to buy 8-10 cans.
A few canned veggies for $.50ea.  We have a fairly decent amount of these, but I'll grab 5 or 10 for that price.

That's about it.  No pushing around two carts, no 58 transactions, no car packed to the rafters with bags this week.
And we have enough food stocked on our shelves to not have to worry about it.

Cheap Meals: Crockpot Chili & Cornbread

Cheap meals are good.  Really easy, cheap meals are even better.  With fall comes a craving for chili 'round here, so I put on a crock full of my regular recipe before bed Monday night.

I was feeling adventurous, though, and tried a little something different.  To be honest, I wasn't sure it would even work.  I mean, theoretically it should work, but I had lingering doubts. 

Could I throw some cornbread batter on top of the chili and bake it in the Crockpot?

Yes, yes I certainly could.



Crockpot Chili & Cornbread
serves 6-8

Turn a 5qt or larger Crockpot on low heat.  Add 1lb of ground beef straight from the freezer.
Yes, you can put frozen ground beef in a Crockpot and it doesn't screw anything up.
Add two 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes, juice and all. 
If you prefer no beans or canned beans, add two tomato cans of water.  If you want to have flavorful beans that simmer with the meat and seasonings, add 3 cups of water and 1 cup dry beans.
Add a chopped up onion.
Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of chili powder, 2 shots of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, a tablespoon of cumin, a tablespoon of cocoa powder, a teaspoon of oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, a shake of cayenne pepper, and a teaspoon of salt.  If you like your chili spicy, add minced hot peppers, hot sauce, or additional cayenne & some red pepper flake to your preference.
Stir it up as best you can. Put the cover on the Crockpot and let it cook on low for 8 hours.  It's best to do this right before you go to bed.
After 8 hours, stir the chili well to break up the beef and if it looks a little dry add some more water.  If you're using canned beans, add a can of those now.  Add a package of frozen corn (or a can of corn, drained), stir well, and taste to see if it needs any more seasoning.  A pinch of salt or maybe some more hot sauce is usually all you'll need.
Now the chili can sit there and cook for 8-10 more hours just fine if you need to go to work or something.  So go ahead and do that, but if you're using dry beans add another cup of water to be on the safe side.

An hour before you want to eat the chili, get yourself a box of Jiffy cornbread mix and prepare it according to the directions on the box.  Add 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese to the batter.

Then just take a spoon and plop the batter directly on top of the chili in your Crockpot.  Try to put in on there somewhat evenly, but it doesn't have to be perfect.  After another hour cooking on low heat, the batter will have spread out to create a delicious cornbread crust over top of the chili, nicely browned around the edges and soft and moist in the middle.

Scoop the chili into bowls with the cornbread part on top and enjoy!

Price breakdown for non-heavy coupon use:
1lb ground beef:  $1.99-2.19 (as always, buy on sale in bulk and freeze in 1lb portions)
2 cans tomatoes: $.50-2.00 (buy on sale when you can, but you can usually find these for about a buck each)
1 cup beans or 1 can beans: $1-1.25
1 package frozen corn $1-1.50
Spices/seasonings/onion: $1.50-2.00
Jiffy mix prepared with milk and 1 egg: $1.25-1.50
1/2 cup cheese: $.10-.50
Total cost: $7.34-10.94, per serving cost $1.22-1.82 (six servings) or $.92-1.37 (eight servings)

You shouldn't need much more to round out this meal since it's got the cornbread cooked right with it, but some saltine crackers ($.25-.75 for a sleeve) or a nice green salad ($2-4) wouldn't hurt.

I love using the Crockpot, and I especially love it when you've got a recipe like this where all the cooking is happening while you're asleep or at work/school.  I also love recipes where you can tinker with them as needed.  Don't want the cornbread on top?  Don't do it.  Want to use some bell pepper instead of corn?  Go ahead!  Beans vs. beanless?  Your choice!  Mild vs. blow-your-face-off spicy?  Just omit any of the hot stuff or add a crapload of habaneros or some Dave's Insanity Sauce.  Don't have all those spices on hand?  Use a packet of chili seasoning from the spice aisle, I won't tell.

Cheap Meals: Cheesemaking

Anyone with a stove and two brain cells to rub together can make cheese at home. 

We'll take a look at two different kinds today, both of which are made with everyday ingredients, everyday equipment, and in many cases can be a means to use up leftover dairy.

You'll need three items to get started: a good sized soup pot, sauce pot, or other large cooking vessel; a colander or strainer; and a finer straining medium.  For the last one, you'll see a lot of recipes telling you to use cheesecloth.  Hey, that makes sense, right?  It's right there in the name!  CHEESEcloth! 

Well, look.  Not everyone will agree with me here, but since I don't keep cheesecloth sitting around, I don't use it.  Instead I use either non-printed paper towels or coffee filters.  I have those, and if I don't they're significantly cheaper to buy than some cheesecloth.  For these two simple recipes, you really don't need to spend the extra money; use what you've got.


Let's start with the simplest of the two: yogurt cheese.

Have you ever bought a carton of plain yogurt to use in a recipe and found yourself with a bunch of extra yogurt you have no idea what to do with?  Before you throw it in the bin or feed it to the dog, invite some friends over for poker night and serve them up some gourmet snacks.
Take your colander/strainer and line it with cheesecloth, paper towels, or coffee filters.  Place the colander over a bowl of some sort to catch the drips.  Dump your excess plain yogurt right into the lined colander and stick everything in the fridge overnight.  If you want to get real fancy, mix in some garlic, herbs and/or spices to the yogurt before you start.
In the morning, you'll have a tangy, spreadable cheese in the colander that's like a soft cream cheese.  Serve it with crackers or veggies.  Brag about your amazing kitchen skills.
You can also use fruit yogurt, or add cinnamon and a little sugar to plain yogurt, and use the resulting cheese as a spread for muffins, cake, banana bread, biscuits, or anything that could use a little extra sweetness.


The second type is a fresh cheese that's similar to ricotta.

If we happen to have milk that's hit its expiration date, or if it's starting to smell a little off, I turn it into cheese.  If your milk has gone chunky just pitch it, but even slightly sour milk is safe and tasty to use.
Line your colander with cheesecloth/paper towels/coffee filters and set it in the sink.
Take your milk and measure how many cups you're using.  Pour it into a good-sized pot, and heat it over medium heat.  Stir it periodically, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go.
While the milk heats, measure out one tablespoon of vinegar for each cup of milk you used and set it aside.  You can use whatever kind of vinegar you've got on hand - I've used malt, cider, regular white vinegar.  It doesn't really matter.
Watch the heating milk carefully, and once it hits a simmer - that is, when bubbles just start to break the surface - move the pan off the heat, add the vinegar all at once, and stir it well.  Let it sit for 5 minutes and stir again.  You should see lots of white cheese curds floating on top of a yellowish or tan colored clear liquid (whey, as in curds and whey).  If the liquid isn't clear, put the pan back over the heat for a few minutes until it is.
Carefully pour everything into your lined colander.  Make sure you scrape out any cheese bits still in the pot!  Let the cheese drain for 30 minutes to an hour.
(Just a note for easy cleanup - as soon as you empty the pot, fill it with warm water and set it aside to soak for a little bit.  Some of the milk will coagulate on the bottom, and it's a breeze to clean off if you soak it for an hour or two.)

Once drained you should have a lump of crumbly, soft white cheese.  Sprinkle a little salt on if you'd like and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.  Use it the same way you would ricotta or queso fresco.  Add a little to any pasta dish - or add a lot to a lasagna!

Grocery week wrapup: $373 of groceries, health & beauty for $112.77

Our first stop was Rite Aid.
We got 5 bottles Gain dish soap, 6 Renuzit pop up air fresheners, 3 tubes Crest toothpaste, 6 boxes General Mills cereal, and 1 20oz Diet Pepsi (I was thirsty!).


Everything but the cereal was done in one transaction.  We received $5 back in +UPs (Rite Aid reward dollars) which we used to pay for part of the cereal.

Rite Aid trip:
Shelf price: $52.60
Cash paid: $18.18
Remaining rebates: $2
True out of pocket cost: $16.18 for a savings of 69.24%

We get a $2 rebate for buying the cereal, which is an odd thing to get a rebate on but I'll take it!
(yes, this was a bit of a change from my original plan at Walgreens, but this worked out to a better deal overall.)


Next we hit the grocery store.
Now folks, I'm not exaggerating here.  We each had a cart.  We were pushing two big grocery carts around the store and we LOADED THEM THE HELL UP.  Poor Andy, who was Cart Number One, was in serious danger of losing items from his overflowing buggy.  Seriously.  I rolled some OYNOs so each cart was a separate transaction, but everything wouldn't have fit in a single cart regardless.  When we finally headed home, the entire trunk of the car and the entire back seat of the car were both packed full of bags.
This was monstrous.

It was so monstrous I couldn't fit everything in the photo.

Not pictured or partially pictured: 17 cans diced tomato, 4.5lbs ground beef, 2 gallons milk, 1 carton sour cream, onions, Romaine lettuce, 5 bottles Diet Pepsi, 6 packages Ziploc storage containers, 16 bags frozen veggies, 20lb bag of cat food.

In the grocery category we've got 15 boxes pasta*, 8 boxes cereal, 4 bags Pepperidge Farm cookies, 8 packages Pillsbury Sweet Moments*, 2 cartons Greek yogurt*, 1 bottle Sierra Mist*, 1 package Tic Tacs*, 3 pouches tuna*, 1 package taco seasoning*, 2 enchilada sauces, 2 boxes taco shells, 6 boxes pizza rolls, 5 4-packs of yogurt parfaits, 1 bottle ketchup, 3.5lb bag Iams cat food

In the health & beauty category we've got 8 boxes sinus medicine ($.50ea!), 11 tubes toothpaste*, 6 sticks deodorant*, 2 boxes Playtex*, 1 bottle Advil*, 1 bottle Tide stain treatment ($.99!), 5 bottles Gain dish soap*, 6 Renuzit air fresheners ($.33ea), 1 bottle conditioner*

*Free after sales & coupons

And, honestly, I'm pretty sure I've forgotten some of it.

Prepping for this week's mega-shopping experience

In a previous post I mentioned that the deals didn't seem very awesome for the new grocery week.

I was wrong.  Very wrong.  So wrong that Chairman Meow is shocked at my wrongness.

Granted we don't have the "spend $15, get $5 back" deal going on, but a little creative thinking, judicious coupon use, and two transactions are adding up to a pretty impressive haul so far.  This week, to make things easier, I'm waiting on Sunday's batch of coupons so I can get everything done at once.  Tomorrow morning when we've got the newspapers I'll clip the ones I need, and we'll head off to the grocery in the afternoon to load up two carts' worth of stuff.

The highlights:
15lbs pasta: FREE
8 tubes toothpaste: FREE
8 packages Pillsbury Sweet Moments: FREE
2 cartons Greek yogurt: FREE
6 Speed Stick deodorants: FREE
2 36ct Playtex: FREE
1 bottle Advil: FREE
17 cans diced tomatoes: $.67ea
16 bags frozen veg: $.31ea
6 boxes pizza rolls: $.50ea (shush, guilty pleasure!)
5 multipacks yogurt parfaits: $.50ea
4lbs ground beef: $5
8 boxes sinus medication: $.50ea
4 Purex laundry detergent: $.99ea
1 Iams cat food: $.99
6 multipacks Ziploc storage containers: $1ea

There'll be some assorted other items, obviously, but that's the good stuff.  The only things without coupons we're planning to buy are two gallons of milk, some diet Pepsi, and some produce.


Then we'll head to Walgreen's where we'll pick up:
6 bags Halls cough drops
4 Crest toothpaste
which we'll get not just for free, but for a profit of $1.04


Not too shabby, eh?

Grocery week wrapup: $400 worth of groceries for $53.38

We took one more trip to the grocery to catch the last of the deals I wanted to get in on.  That's three trips for the sale week with 8 transactions total made.  It will probably be a little while before deals that good crop up again; there's something worthwhile every week, but to the extent that I'll need to make three trips and ring through eight separate transactions?  Not right now.


Today I took advantage of some freebies, some random super cheap stuff, and the perishables.
Now, before I break down the shopping trip, let me explain something real quick: I'm not a fan of Hamburger Helper.  I don't recall the last time I bought the stuff.  It's not that it's godawful - it ain't great, but I've had it before and it's not disgusting.  It's just...well, I can make a skillet meal with noodles and beef and sauce cheaper than the $1.75/box it costs.  A pound of beef is a pound of beef; for a buck or less I can turn it into something much like Hamburger Helper.

That said, in the cart today was 12 boxes of Hamburger Helper.
It was free.
They were on sale for a buck.  I had coupons for $.75 off three.  If you bought 6 boxes, you got a $3 OYNO.
Six boxes: $6 - $3 in doubled coupons - $3 OYNO = free.  Since it lasts forever, I got 12 boxes.
Also free: 5 tubes of Colgate toothpaste.  It was on sale for $1.50, and I had $.75/1 coupons.  Those doubled to $1.50 off.
Also free: a can of Glade air freshener because I had a coupon for a free one.

Nearly free: 4 cake mixes, 4 tubs of frosting, and one cookie sheet.  Grand total = $1.  I'll probably donate the frosting to a food pantry because I don't use it, but it was part of the requirement to fulfill this deal.
You can buy any 4 frostings and get a free Wilton cookie sheet or cake pan (same deal as last trip with the cookie mixes and the free pan).  I had coupons for $.75 off when you buy a Betty Crocker cake mix and frosting tub.  Buying 4 frostings also generated a $3 OYNO.  To top it off, both items were on sale; it was $2.50 to get a frosting and a cake mix.
Four mixes & frostings: $10 - $6 in doubled coupons - $3 OYNO = $1, plus a free cookie sheet.

I ran one transaction with six boxes of Hamburger Helper, the cake mixes & frostings, and the pan - total $16.  After coupons my total was $7.  I paid with $6 of OYNOs from Saturday's trip and a dollar bill.
I received two more $3 OYNOs back, which still left me with $21 in OYNOs total.

I then ran a second transaction with everything else.  There was the other six Hamburger Helpers, five Colgate toothpastes, a can of Glade, another small bottle of Tabasco sauce, three bottles of Dawn dish soap, a pack of scouring pads, two gallons of milk, three pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, and four pounds of ground beef - total $56.91.  After coupons it was $33.91.  I paid with $21 in OYNOs and $12.91 cash.
I received one more $3 OYNO back.

And that was it.  We were done for this crazy week of deals.

Today's shelf price: $82.65
Cash paid: $13.91
Remaining OYNOs: $3
True out of pocket cost: $10.91, for a savings of 87%

And the total for the sale week 9/30-10/6
Shelf price: $400.08
Out of pocket cost: $53.38, for a savings on the week of $346.70, or 86.7%

I spent about 5 hours clipping and organizing coupons and we'll say another 3 hours on the shopping trips including driving time and putting stuff away at home.  My eight hours of work amounts to $43.34 per hour.

I stocked up on a year's worth of hot dogs and bologna and six to nine months' worth of toothpaste, coffee, cheese, and mayonnaise.  There's two months' worth of treats in the cookie and cake mixes.  We have enough meat and prepared food for lunches (thanks to the soup and frozen meals) for two weeks.

This was all done using manufacturers' coupons from the Sunday paper and the weekly mail circulars.
This is not impossible.  Anyone can do this.  You don't have to buy coupons on Ebay (it helps, but it isn't necessary!), you don't have to do anything shady or underhanded, and you don't have to go to any great lengths.  You just have to be willing to set aside a little time to gather your materials and to do a little bit of math to figure out how to get the most for your money.

Midweek multitasking

When I say 'midweek' I don't mean the real middle of the week.  This is midweek for my grocery store's sale period.  I've got two days now to finish up any last minute deals I want to do on last week's gravy train and two days to start laying a framework for the deals I'll get when Thursday's new sales begin.

Here you can see my work area on Sundays.  Yes, I clip, sort, and file my coupons in bed.  I'm not actually in bed, per se, just sitting on it with my circulars, stacks, envelopes, coupon file, and other weird sorting devices surrounding me in a fashion that only makes sense to me and would probably stupefy anyone else who might come across it.

I've mentioned before that I have a little accordion coupon file.  This has expanded slightly; the file contains the bulk of my coupons, but now all coupons that are being used on my next shopping trip go in a re-used envelope.  The coupons for the shopping trip after that go in one section of my file, and all other useful coupons are filed in their sections.  I have another envelope for products we don't regularly use but that I'll get if they're free or nearly free.  I have another envelope for all baby coupons to give to my sister.  I used to have an envelope for coupons to trade with others, but that overfilled quickly so I've moved on to a nifty cardboard box that used to house Wheat Thins snack stick thingies.  The "baby" envelope and the "only if it's free" envelope fit inside the box neatly and the box sits out of the way on a corner of my desk.  My ever-growing file and current-coupons envelope stay in my purse at all times.  Needless to say, I carry a large purse with many pockets.

So, last week.  Adding up the two trips, my no-sale, no-coupon shelf price total came to $317.43.  Our out of pocket cost was $42.47.  This amounts to a savings of $274.96, or 87%!
Oh, and a note: when I was looking over the receipts for my first trip, I realized that the deductions are calculated weird on said receipts.  I went through line items to determine the true shelf price and I did edit the 9/30 post to reflect my accurate 89% savings.

I have one more trip to make tomorrow to take advantage of a couple more OYNO Catalina deals and a bunch of freebies.  This is where we'll pick up some chicken, granola bars, a little produce and maybe some beef or pork with the remaining OYNOs I have.  After that, no more shopping until Friday or Saturday when I start in on next week's sales.

Next week isn't as great as this current one, sale-wise.  The standout for me is dirt cheap frozen veggies - 8 for $8, and you get a $3 OYNO which translates to 8 packages of frozen veg for $5.  That's a good price for non-coupon use, but I also have some $1/2 and $1/3 coupons which, if my math is correct, will net me 16 packs of frozen veg for a grand total of $5, or $.31ea.  Vegetable soup, anyone??
It also looks like there might be some free pasta and yogurt for $.125ea along with Energizer batteries and sinus medicine for a buck.  I'm eying dollar deodorant and $.50 toothpaste with interest.

I did a little trading last week and hope to have a few stacks of coupons in hand before Friday.  There should be at least a few I can use on this week's sales; maybe I'll find another fantastic deal or two.  Yes, people trade coupons.  I have no use for shaving cream (Andy's the bearded type), but someone else might be willing to send me canned tomato coupons in exchange for shaving cream coupons, or whatever products we don't use; rather than letting the savings go to waste, crazy coupon ladies trade amongst themselves.  Andy gives me funny looks and often outright laughs at me when I get all coupon-weird like this, but he does acknowledge that the amount of money we're saving is no laughing matter.

Now if only I could find some good trash bag deals!

Another grocery trip, another 84% off

A girl could get addicted to getting food for pennies on the dollar.  Really.

For today's trip I finished up the Kraft deal so I got everything done in two transactions.  Not too much overall craziness, though I have officially reached the "full" point in our freezer and have taken over a shelf in my mom's stand-up freezer for the overflow.

We were a little more relaxed in the store today.  We browsed a couple aisles and caught a few extra deals doing so including some unexpected free stuff!

First transaction: 6 squeeze bottles Kraft mayo (2 regular, 2 light, 2 olive oil), four packages Oscar Meyer hot dogs.  Total $25.56.  I handed the cashier three $1/2 mayo coupons, two $1/2 hot dog coupons, and three $5 OYNOs (from Thursday's trip).  Total $5.56.  I received three more $5 OYNOs back.


Second transaction: 14 bags (!!!) Kraft shredded cheese, 2 packages Kraft singles, 6 Healthy Choice frozen meals, 2 bags Gorton battered fish, 2 cartons store brand ready-to-eat soup, 1 cake mix, 4 pouches Betty Crocker cookie mix, 1 Tabasco sauce, 1 Wilton cookie sheet, 2 bottles wine.  Total $87.85.  I handed the cashier a $5/5 Kraft cheese coupon, three $1/2 shredded cheese coupons, two $1/3 Healthy Choice coupons, two $1/1 Gorton's coupon, one $.75/1 Tabasco coupon (doubled), four $.50/1 cookie mix coupons (doubled), 2 coupons for FREE store brand soup, three $5 OYNOs, and since I bought four cookie mixes I got the cookie sheet (worth $5.49) for FREE.  Total $41.95.  I received three more $5 OYNOs back.

Shelf price (no sales or coupons) for all the above items is $168.21
Cash paid today: $47.51
Remaining same-as-cash OYNOs: $21
True out of pocket cost: $26.51, for a savings of 84%