This morning I was feeling awful after a night of no sleep. Allergies are kicking my butt!! I tried to go to sleep after the kids were at school, but I couldn't. So I went to southernsavers dot com and made a few quick lists.
First: Walgreens ~
3 packs of Halls cough drops $1.99 e
used a Walgreen's coupon that made each one 99 cents, and stacked 3 $1 manufacturer coupons - all 3 FREE!
Simply Saline Allergy Relief. I was desperate - I don't usually use this kind of stuff. It was $7.99, used a $1 off coupon, and surprised to get a $7 RR back.
Dentek floss was on sale for $2, used a $1 off coupon, got $2 RR back. Also got Katie 2 things for her Easter basket ~ Stride React Gum 99 c, and a pink glitter nail polish - $2.99, used a 50c coupon. Total spent out of pocket was $11.38 and some change, received $9 RR back. $6.57 was put on our FSA (medical spending) debit, and the difference of $4.80 was paid with the $5 on my paypal from swagbucks this month! Total savings on receipts: $12.98
Next to Publix ~
2 Tropicana Orange Juice 64 oz $2.50 each - used BOGO coupon
2 Bird's Eye Steamfresh Veggies - on sale 50% off, used $1 off 2 coupon
1 Ore Ida Stean n Mash - on sale $2, used $1 off coupon
2 Slimfast 6 pack bar boxes - $2.99 each, used 2 $1.25 off mfr coupons, and 2 $1 off store coupons, so paid about 75 cents each box!
3 Hallmark 99 cent cards - used a $2 off 3 cards store coupon
1 Chocolate Cheerios $2 off, used a 55 cent off mfr coupon, and a $1 off store coupon - 45 cents for the box!
used my $7 RR from Walgreens too (it's considered a competitor's coupon at our Publix) and spent $1.31 out of pocket!
Savings on receipt: $30.51
Last stop: CVS ~
3 2 liter Diet Cokes - 99 cents each, and used a $1 off 2 coupon from one of the bottles
2 Oral B Advantage toothbrushes - $2.99 each, used a BOGO coupon
1 Lysol No-Touch hand soap system - on sale $9.99, used $5 off coupon
1 8 pack Sparkle Paper Towels - on sale $4.99, used 50 c off coupon
used 3 ECB's I had saved for a total of $13.99, paid $1.80 out of pocket!
Savings on receipt: $37.65
Still have $2 RR left, and $10 in ECB's left for next time!
Spent $7.91 out of pocket (not counting the medical spending $)
Total savings - appx $80!
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Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Fast trip to Publix - saved $14
Woke up this morning with a very stuffy head; Spring has arrived in Atlanta, getting my allergies going! Oh well ~ had to get to Publix for my double paper. It's raining, so grabbed my AJC from the driveway too, so it could dry out before I cut. At Publix, I grabbed the papers ($3), and headed to the cereal aisle. My kids love chocolate Cheerios, and I had a $1 Publix coupon, plus a 50 cent mfr coupon, and they are BOGO for $3.99. So it ended up being $1 a box for 2. Went to the frozen veggie section and got 2 Bird's Eye veggies ~ they were 1/2 off, ($2.39 each - so $1.20 each on sale) and used a $1 off 2 coupon. That meant two bags of veggies cost about 60 cents each. Ore Ida steam and mash potatoes are also BOGO for $3.99, and I got one, used a $1 off coupon. So $1 for that. Then I went to the Hallmark aisle - there is a $2 off coupon if you buy any 3 cards, and I got 3 99 cent cards for 97 cents total! Also grabbed a Woman's World magazine. My total ~ $11 for all that! I'm cutting my coupons from all 3 papers today so I can make a bigger trip later in the week to Publix and Kroger. :o) I love couponing!!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
My new can't-live-without products!!
So I've been doing a lot of freezer cooking lately. A lot! Our crockpot is used 3 - 5 days a week now. One chore I detested was cleaning the crock from the crockpot. It would get so sticky and gunky and gross! Then my friend Renea and I had to run into Publix one day before we went to pick up our boys at school. She bought the most amazing product ~ Reynolds slow cooker liners! I had never seen them before, but they are amazing. I can make the messiest thing in there now, and I just pull the liner out and throw it away! WOW! What a time saver it has been!
Another amazing product for me is McCormick Recipe Inspirations: these are the coolest spice collections!! I paid $1.99 for mine - it's a little more than I'd usually pay for a spice packet but it is so cool! There is a recipe card on the back, and on the front, six premeasured spice blister packs. I bought the Quesadilla Casserole blend for our chili today, as it had the cumin, chili powder, red pepper and garlic that I would use anyway!
I love finding & sharing new products(or at least, new to me!) What are your favorite products that save you time or money, or both?!
Another amazing product for me is McCormick Recipe Inspirations: these are the coolest spice collections!! I paid $1.99 for mine - it's a little more than I'd usually pay for a spice packet but it is so cool! There is a recipe card on the back, and on the front, six premeasured spice blister packs. I bought the Quesadilla Casserole blend for our chili today, as it had the cumin, chili powder, red pepper and garlic that I would use anyway!
I love finding & sharing new products(or at least, new to me!) What are your favorite products that save you time or money, or both?!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
What I've been reading...
All the cold and rainy weather has given me some great time to catch up on my reading! I have a shelf full of books from paperbackswap.com, my mom, and my Nana that are just begging to be read! So, here are a few that really made an impression on me!!
The Birth House by Ami McKay
Driftwood Summer - Patti Callahan Henry
Between the Tides - Patti Callahan Henry
Styles by Maggie Sweet - Judith Minthorn Stacy
The Mercy of Thin Air - Ronlyn Domingue
The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards
Snowflower & The Secret Fan - Lisa See
The Spare Wife - Alex Whitchel
These were all amazing books. I've read a few others by Patti Callahan Henry and they are really good - set in the south, and with really relatable characters! The Birth House was very interesting to me because it talked a lot about herbs and their uses, which is a topic I always enjoy, and Snowflower started out slow, but my mom told me that if I hung in there, I would LOVE it. She was right!
The Birth House by Ami McKay
Driftwood Summer - Patti Callahan Henry
Between the Tides - Patti Callahan Henry
Styles by Maggie Sweet - Judith Minthorn Stacy
The Mercy of Thin Air - Ronlyn Domingue
The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards
Snowflower & The Secret Fan - Lisa See
The Spare Wife - Alex Whitchel
These were all amazing books. I've read a few others by Patti Callahan Henry and they are really good - set in the south, and with really relatable characters! The Birth House was very interesting to me because it talked a lot about herbs and their uses, which is a topic I always enjoy, and Snowflower started out slow, but my mom told me that if I hung in there, I would LOVE it. She was right!
How I freaked out my kids on April Fool's Day
SO glad to see the sunshine again!! We've had SO much rain the last couple months! Today is bright and beautiful ~ the sky is gorgeous, everything is feeling spring-y outside, and my heart is happy!
I'm trying to get ready for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow ~ the kids are going to complain, but I am making a faux shepherd's pie for supper, plus a green punch to drink, and Lucky Charms cupcakes for dessert! The next project I'm working on is April Fool's Day. My poor kids - I always try to trick them! This year I'm doing a pet theme. Dinner will be a variety of weird appetizers, including dip served in a (new!) doggie bowl, with bone shaped crackers for dipping! Dessert will be that really gross cake in a (new!) litter box, complete with "litter" on top and a few tootsie rolls for effect. Again, my poor kids!
** update** here are some pics. We just used regular crackers for the dip, but the kids were so freaked out by my kitty litter cake!!**
Holidays are so much fun, and I'm realizing every day how truly short time with our kids is. My daughter is almost 16, and I swear just last year she was in elementary school! It's flying by, and I don't want to miss a minute of the next few years with her still here at home! And my little guy is 6, but he loves all my holiday stuff!
Coupon update: Very happy with our coupon savings from yesterday & today! For 2 weeks of groceries: Publix: spent $29, saved $29; Kroger: spent $139, saved $93.01, CVS: spent $26, saved $16 in coupons & got $9 back in extra care bucks. Our grocery budget is $100/week - I came in a bit under this time! :o)
Enjoy your day, I hope it is sunny for you, too!!
I'm trying to get ready for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow ~ the kids are going to complain, but I am making a faux shepherd's pie for supper, plus a green punch to drink, and Lucky Charms cupcakes for dessert! The next project I'm working on is April Fool's Day. My poor kids - I always try to trick them! This year I'm doing a pet theme. Dinner will be a variety of weird appetizers, including dip served in a (new!) doggie bowl, with bone shaped crackers for dipping! Dessert will be that really gross cake in a (new!) litter box, complete with "litter" on top and a few tootsie rolls for effect. Again, my poor kids!
** update** here are some pics. We just used regular crackers for the dip, but the kids were so freaked out by my kitty litter cake!!**
Holidays are so much fun, and I'm realizing every day how truly short time with our kids is. My daughter is almost 16, and I swear just last year she was in elementary school! It's flying by, and I don't want to miss a minute of the next few years with her still here at home! And my little guy is 6, but he loves all my holiday stuff!
Coupon update: Very happy with our coupon savings from yesterday & today! For 2 weeks of groceries: Publix: spent $29, saved $29; Kroger: spent $139, saved $93.01, CVS: spent $26, saved $16 in coupons & got $9 back in extra care bucks. Our grocery budget is $100/week - I came in a bit under this time! :o)
Enjoy your day, I hope it is sunny for you, too!!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Fisher Fusions - something for everyone!!
I had one more thing to share tonight. I've had a bunch of $1 off coupons for any Fisher product, and Publix has had Fisher Fusions Snack mixes on sale 2 for $3 lately. Well, I can't pass up any snack-y thing I can send with the kids for school that only costs 50 cents! So we've tried 3 versions so far ~ Ice Cream Sundae, Cinnamon Roll & Tropical Twist. The Ice Cream Sundae version has chocolate covered peanuts, coated marshmallows, dried pineapple & strawberry pieces, and banana chips!
The Cinnamon Roll version contains cinnamon coated raisins, vanilla coated raisins, cinnamon praline pecans, and crunchy cinnamon cookies. And the tropical version has fruits and nuts like mango, pineapple, etc. I had to hunt them down the first time we tried them, they were on the snack aisle with granola and other snack mixes, but not with the nuts, like I expected! :o) If you see them, grab a bag to try at home - they are a really unique snack with fantastic flavors!
The Cinnamon Roll version contains cinnamon coated raisins, vanilla coated raisins, cinnamon praline pecans, and crunchy cinnamon cookies. And the tropical version has fruits and nuts like mango, pineapple, etc. I had to hunt them down the first time we tried them, they were on the snack aisle with granola and other snack mixes, but not with the nuts, like I expected! :o) If you see them, grab a bag to try at home - they are a really unique snack with fantastic flavors!
Couponing this week
So this week, I had a couple small trips to the store for things that went on sale. The best trip was to Publix on Friday - I had two bags full of groceries - total before coupons was $31 and change, but went down to $11.15 - then I used my $10 Register Rewards from Walgreens (my Publix accepts them as competitor's coupons!) and I paid $1.15 out of pocket. This morning, we went back for the 1/2 price cereal sale - bought 2 boxes of Rice Krispies (used a $1 off 2 mfr coupon, and 2 store coupons for 55 cents off each box), then 2 boxes of Kellogg's Heart Smart Cereal for $1.99 e using 2 $1 off coupons....plus a double Sunday Atlanta Journal for coupons, and a donut for David - was $20.01 before coupons, after coupons & a $2 Register Reward I paid $5.91 out of pocket. So the kids are set for a while on cereal, and so am I! :o)
My best coupon tips ~
I check Southernsavers.com on a daily basis (several times, actually!) for freebies, coupons to print, and other good things.
I have the Sunday paper delivered, and also buy a double paper every weekend so I have 3 copies of the coupon inserts. There are some weeks I'll buy more if it is a really good week! :o)
I check CVS's cosmetic section often - they have a great clearance sale when they need to make room for new stuff. Combine 75% off with coupons and you can literally get makeup for $1 or much less! I snagged some $16 foundation for $2 a jar back in January this way, and some Loreal and Revlon eyeshadows for 24 cents each!
Use upromise coupons - they will deposit money from the coupon into savings for your kids, grandkids, a friend, you get to choose!
cellfire.com has ecoupons that can be loaded onto a KrogerPlus card to combine with mfr coupons.
My goal is to have a fully stocked pantry by the end of this year, so that I only have to shop once a week for dairy and fresh produce. Right now, I'm getting stocked up on medicines, toothpaste, and paper goods, as well as some canned items. It's going to take a while! Every 2 weeks I make 2 "big" trips to Publix and Kroger for each store's best deals with my coupons. Our budget is about $100 - $120 a week for groceries.
Always check out the printable coupon sites: I think the best ones are Allyou.com, Smartsource.com and Redplum.com - then print anything you might buy - because they all have a limited # that can print of each coupon and once they are gone, they are gone! I try to print a couple of each when it will let me, but you can usually only use one printed coupon at each store per day.
Can't think of much else to add, but I will add more to this as I think of things! Honestly, if you are in the South, Southernsavers.com is the BEST site for learning to be a coupon queen! I'm sure there are other good ones for each part of the country. And coupondivas.com is good too! :o)
My best coupon tips ~
I check Southernsavers.com on a daily basis (several times, actually!) for freebies, coupons to print, and other good things.
I have the Sunday paper delivered, and also buy a double paper every weekend so I have 3 copies of the coupon inserts. There are some weeks I'll buy more if it is a really good week! :o)
I check CVS's cosmetic section often - they have a great clearance sale when they need to make room for new stuff. Combine 75% off with coupons and you can literally get makeup for $1 or much less! I snagged some $16 foundation for $2 a jar back in January this way, and some Loreal and Revlon eyeshadows for 24 cents each!
Use upromise coupons - they will deposit money from the coupon into savings for your kids, grandkids, a friend, you get to choose!
cellfire.com has ecoupons that can be loaded onto a KrogerPlus card to combine with mfr coupons.
My goal is to have a fully stocked pantry by the end of this year, so that I only have to shop once a week for dairy and fresh produce. Right now, I'm getting stocked up on medicines, toothpaste, and paper goods, as well as some canned items. It's going to take a while! Every 2 weeks I make 2 "big" trips to Publix and Kroger for each store's best deals with my coupons. Our budget is about $100 - $120 a week for groceries.
Always check out the printable coupon sites: I think the best ones are Allyou.com, Smartsource.com and Redplum.com - then print anything you might buy - because they all have a limited # that can print of each coupon and once they are gone, they are gone! I try to print a couple of each when it will let me, but you can usually only use one printed coupon at each store per day.
Can't think of much else to add, but I will add more to this as I think of things! Honestly, if you are in the South, Southernsavers.com is the BEST site for learning to be a coupon queen! I'm sure there are other good ones for each part of the country. And coupondivas.com is good too! :o)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Snowy day!
It's been really cold & snowy here today. We had a couple inches of snow, and I ended up picking up both kids early from school. The slush was scaring me, didn't want to have to get out in this mess later when school lets out! I spent a good bit of the day crafting, and making more eye pillows. I sell my products at the Farmer's Market, and I had taken a lavender rice eye pillow up last week, and it sold! So today I made three more, plus a Boo-Boo bag. I have a couple really cute fabrics ready to make some more, too!
DH has to stay at a hotel near work tonight (in case the snow freezes over the roads tonight) so the kids and I are planning a nacho/tv night! I'm going to try to get a few more crafts done, like fabric covered journals/day planners, a framed print of some sort for the store using some scrappy paper, and some more decorative clothes pins (those have been selling like crazy at the store!).
Later I'll try to add some recipes on here ~ I've been doing some freezer cooking and have got a few fantastic recipes for that ~ and also the Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies that I've been selling at the store. Sounds strange, but they are truly delicious!
Guess that is all for now. I need to figure out how to add pics on this blog! :o)
DH has to stay at a hotel near work tonight (in case the snow freezes over the roads tonight) so the kids and I are planning a nacho/tv night! I'm going to try to get a few more crafts done, like fabric covered journals/day planners, a framed print of some sort for the store using some scrappy paper, and some more decorative clothes pins (those have been selling like crazy at the store!).
Later I'll try to add some recipes on here ~ I've been doing some freezer cooking and have got a few fantastic recipes for that ~ and also the Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies that I've been selling at the store. Sounds strange, but they are truly delicious!
Guess that is all for now. I need to figure out how to add pics on this blog! :o)
Monday, March 1, 2010
Fun Places to visit in metro Atlanta
Some of our favorite places around Georgia:
The Bulloch House Restaurant/Buffet: www.thebullochhouse.com
Callaway Gardens: www.callawaygardens.com
Sevananda Natural Food Co-op: www.sevananda.com
Fernbank Museum of Natural History: www.fernbankmuseum.org
Pick your own berries: www.washingtonfarms.net
The Varsity: (we like the Athens location best!) www.thevarsity.com
Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail: http://sandycreeknaturecenter.com/index.php?id=119
The Bulloch House Restaurant/Buffet: www.thebullochhouse.com
Callaway Gardens: www.callawaygardens.com
Sevananda Natural Food Co-op: www.sevananda.com
Fernbank Museum of Natural History: www.fernbankmuseum.org
Pick your own berries: www.washingtonfarms.net
The Varsity: (we like the Athens location best!) www.thevarsity.com
Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail: http://sandycreeknaturecenter.com/index.php?id=119
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