Good Day for Saving

I bought all of the above for 31.91, and that is my grocery total for the week. A far cry from the 100 that I used to spend, and it was always a struggle to stick to the 100 dollar budget. I am so thankful for blogging and coupons and all that I have learned about saving money at the grocery store.

Here is what I bought.

At Publix

8 packs of Knorr sides
1 bag of Pita chips

Earth Grains whole grain bread
3 cans of cinnamon rolls

Publix taco seasoning
Mission Flour tortillas

5 boxes of Jolly Time popcorn (FREE!!!!)

4 boxes of Pillsbury Reduced Sugar cake mix(.04 each!!!!!)

total before sales and coupons=43.89

total after sales and coupons=12.10

have I mentioned that I love Publix?

Then at Kroger

Kroger sour cream

2 Pepperidge Farm loaves of garlic bread

1/2 gallon of Kroger milk (marked down to .70!!!!!!!!)

2 bags of Sargento cheese

Guacamole

Kroger black beans

Tyson split chicken breast (.99 a lb!!!!)

2 packs of Hillshire Farms deli Ham

Sargento string cheese

Total before sales and coupons=33.42

Total after sales and coupons=19.81

As soon as we got home from the grocery store, Ada was begging for some lunch. Again, against my better judgement, I sat her lunch in front of her and let her dig in, so that I could put the groceries away while she ate. At least this time her lunch was a bit healthier than spaghettios. Here she is with her pasta, pears, and hummus all mixed together--yummy. After lunch we took her straight to the bath tub. This is becoming quite the trend at our house.

CVS craziness

Well, it is super early on a Saturday morning--5:23 am to be exact. There is a pattern in my life where I get in "can't sleep" cycles. It usually happens unintentionally--I have a week where I don't get much sleep for one reason or another, then I begin to feel the affects of no sleep, then I feel the desperate need to catch up on sleep, and then I can't sleep because I am thinking so much about how I need to sleep. So...that's just a little glimpse into how my crazy mind works. I have learned over the years that it is better to get up and do something rather than just lie in bed worrying about not being asleep. Besides, it is Saturday, and my sweet husband will let me sleep in whenever I am finally able to go back to sleep. I have every intention of being somewhat rested when this day is over.

But, for now, I blog.

Yesterday was a record day at CVS. It was pure craziness, ya'll. I started the day with 20.00 in ECBs (extra care bucks), so that put me ahead from the very beginning. I rarely have that many accumulated at one time. On top of those 20 ECBs, I had a coupon for 5 off of 25, so there was obvious potential for some serious money saved.

Here is what I did

3 cases of diet pepsi--10.00
2 bags of Stacey's pita chips--6.00
2 bags of Lay's potato chips--4.00
3 bottles of maalox--@ 5.79 each
1 Benefiber chewables--6.89

-2x 1.00 off Maalox (when I am pregnant, maalox is my lifesaver, so I am stocking up, just in case I need it again in the future.)
-1x 2.00 off Maalox
-CVS coupon 5.00 off 2 maalox
-2.00 off Benefiber
-CVS coupon 3.00 off of Benefiber (no idea what Benefiber is or does, but it was a potential money maker for me, so I bought it)
-2 x 1.50 off of Pita Chips
-19.00 ECBs
-5.00 CVS coupon

total before coupons and ECBs=55.30
total after coupons and ECBs=8.57
ECBs generated from this transaction=20.00 (10 from the Pepsi products, 10 from the Maalox/benefiber products)

2nd Transaction

Again, I started with 20.00 and a 5/25.00 CVS coupon

1 Schick Intuition Razor=8.99
1 Gillette Shampoo=4.99
1 Gillette Shampoo=4.99
1 Gillette Fusion Gamer Razor=7.99
1 Almay Powder=12.79
1 CVS wipes=3.29 (we just needed these)

-1.00 off Almay
-2.00 off Gillette Shampoo
-4.99 off Gillette Shampoo (coupon for free shampoo with purchase of razor)
-2.00 off Intuition Razor
-4.00 off Gillette Fusion Razor
-5.00 CVS coupon
-20.00 ECBs

Total before coupons and ECBs=49.30
Total after coupons and ECBs=4.31
Total ECBs generated=19.00, plus a 5/25.00 coupon (3.00 from each of the Gillette Shampoo, 4.00 from each of the razors, 5.00 from the Almay makeup)

So, bottom line, I got 100.00 worth of merchandise for about 12.00. Ya'll, this couponing stuff, it's a high. I am telling you. Sad, I know, but so very true.

The best part is, I still have 19.00 in ECBs. Because I am attempting to not grocery shop and eat out of our stockpile, I think I am going to use the 19.00 to buy any necessities we might have for the week. It is more expensive to buy groceries at CVS, but since it will be no money out of pocket, it is really better for our bank account. If I really can make it without grocery shopping this week, my total on groceries for the week will be 12.00!!! A personal record. I think it can be done, thanks to couponing and the CVS game.

Here you will see how others did at CVS this week.

How I do it

I get lots of questions about how I save the amount of money that I save at the grocery store, so I decided to let you get a glimpse into our couponing/stock piling lives.

First, collect those coupons. Remember, I actually buy five newspapers total so that I can have five copies of each coupon. Sometimes I wish that I had more copies than that, but it is getting a bit out of control.

Next, you have to stockpile. IT IS KEY. I hear lots of people say, they didn't have anything that I needed. Which may be true, but it depends on what you mean by need. Do you mean that you will never need it, or you don't need it this week? I most likely will never need dog food, so I don't clip those coupons, and I don't buy it when it's on sale. On the other hand, I won't need toothpaste for a good three months, but one day I will need it, so when I can get it for free, I buy it, even if I don't need it that week. I intend to never pay for toiletries again. There is no need. Here is why.

You guessed it, Meal Plan Monday

It's Sunday night. I am home from Auburn. Ada is in bed, and Scott is asleep on the couch. I have told him probably five times to go upstairs to bed, and every time he says okay, and goes right back to sleep on the couch. I have to tutor online at midnight tonight, so I am up for a while.

Yes, you read that correctly, midnight. I slept for two hours this afternoon in preparation. The online hours have been few and far between since the new semester began. I have a sneaking suspicion that it has a bit to do with the economy. I have been missing online hours for the past two weeks, so in an effort to be "gazelle intense," this week I just took what I could get, even if that meant midnight.

I plan to work my tail off until summer comes, and hopefully at that point our budget should be looking at some breathing room, and I will be ready to relax all summer since the kids will all be out of school. At least that is what I keep telling myself when I don't really feel like tutoring at, say, midnight on Sunday night. Yuck!

Anyway...back to the matter at hand. This weekend's grocery trip and the meal plan for the week. I shopped at Kroger and Publix, and I had some okay numbers. The savings were good, but I spent more than planned.

At Kroger I spent 47.00 (5 towards some highschoolers who were bagging groceries to raise money for their school), and I saved 62.53.

At Publix trip #1, I spent 18.40, and I saved 32.58. That was the trip that involved Ada standing up in the buggy, me playing tug of war with her for my grocery list and coupons, and the "car buggy" getting stuck on every single aisle. It was sort of a nightmare, so we cut the trip short.

At Publix trip #2, I spent 36.52, and I saved 54.86. Scott came with me this time, and he drove Ada in the car buggy in circles around the store while I shopped. On this trip, however, the cashier accused me of copying my Rite Aid coupon, wish really did a number on my pride.

So, that is 251.89 worth of groceries for 101.92. Not bad, right?

However, I wanted to stay under 50.00. I have a stocked freezer and pantry, though, so I am going to see how long I can go without going to the grocery store. It's to the point that I am running out of room to put things. It's hard for me to ignore the deals that are going on each week, but the whole point of stockpiling is to save money, so I am going to spend the next month relying heavily on the stockpile, and then I will begin to build it back up. I imagine there will be a few necessities that I need to buy each week, but I want to keep the grocery spending to a bare minimum. There are usually freebies each week, so I will take advantage of those. We'll call it the stockpile experiment. How long can I go without buying groceries?

Here's the plan for this week

Monday: 16 bean soup, cornbread
Tuesday: Chicken leg quarters, rice, and veggies in the crockpot
Wednesday: Chicken in vodka sauce over pasta
Thursday: leftovers or cereal--tutor/bible study night
Friday: frozen pizza
Saturday: pinto beans and sausage with rice
Sunday--most likely I am headed home for baby Andrew's birth!!!!!!!!! Woo-hoo...so exciting.

lunch--ham sandwiches, chips, fruit, leftovers
breakfast--fiber one bars, grits, waffles, fiber one pop-tarts

Our freezer is absolutely overflowing with chicken, so we are looking forward to when red meat of some kind goes on sale. We are becoming a bit chickened out, you could say.

Remember that you will find many more menus over at Organizing Junkie.

Frustrated

It's 5:16 pm, and we have friends coming over for dinner at 7 pm. I have not showered yet, and the downstairs needs to be cleaned, dinner cooked, and Ada bathed and bedded, and I am blogging. My priorities are clearly in order.

But...I had to write and say this...I just went to Wal-Mart with big plans to buy lots of great things for free or nearly free, and nothing that I heard was on sale was actually on sale. I was the most excited about .22 Cascadian Farms frozen veggies. Not only were these veggies not on sale, I don't think Wal-Mart even carries them. This continues to happen to me and not just in Wal-Mart. I make my list using The Grocery Game or Couponmom or the various blogs I read, and I get to the store only to find that the list isn't accurate. Can someone help me? Is there a list you use that is always accurate? I am going to try your list, Jennifer. It's worth a shot. Needless to say, the grocery gaming isn't going well so far this week, and I haven't even told you the story about Ada in Publix this morning. Oh dear.

Well, as they say, the best laid plans...

Another late night of couponing ahead of me

I am up late tonight, after the rest of the household, because I am unexpectedly going out of town for the weekend.

Sarah, my younger sister, turns 22 (?) this weekend, and at the last minute I have decided to travel to Auburn for Saturday night--expenses paid by my wonderful mother who is doing the weekend for Sarah, but it feels a bit like it's my birthday as well. I always love escaping the life I am living to play "college student" with my younger sisters in Auburn. Granted, after one night I am dying to come back home to the hubby and hilarious little Ada. But...back to the topic at hand.

I am up late because I feel a need to organize and plan and list make so that I can do the grocery shopping before I leave for the weekend. I really, really, really want to stay under 50.00. I have enough groceries stocked up that I really shouldn't be spending more than that on any given week. And I have spotted some good deals this week, so it just might be possible. It is not possible, however, without a lot of planning and preparation. So...as Scott and I were getting ready for bed, I realized that I really needed to stay up and prepare for the grocery trip, so here I am. Gilmore Girls is on the television (I am starting over with Season One), a fire is going in the fire place, and my coupons are spread out all around me. Here we go. I'll let you know how it goes....

Another good day of Publix shopping

We went to Publix today, armed with plenty of coupons, and a list of the BOGO deals that I wanted to take advantage of. Here is what I walked away with; I was not disappointed.

1 Publix White Grape Juice .01 (it was today's "mystery" item)
2 Eggo Waffles at .45 each
2 Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffin Mix @ .50 each
2 Betty Crocker Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Mix @ .50 each
2 cans of French's French Fried onions (for a recipe) @ 2.24 each (not on sale)
4 bottles of Lysol All Purpose Cleaner @ .35 each
2 Mott's Apple Juice @ 1.48 each (no coupons)
.5 lb of Boar's Head Lemon Pepper Chicken deli meat 4.15 (no sale or coupons)
4 cans of Del Monte green beans @ .64 each (sale, but no coupons)
2 tubs of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" @ .45 each
2 bottles of Lawry's Marinade @ .42 each
5.5 lbs of chicken leg quarters @ .59 per lb (3.26 total, sale, no coupons)

Total before sale and coupons= 65.62
Total that I paid OOP (out of pocket)=23.62

Here you will find other great Publix deals.

It is incredible the amount of money that you can save if you just know how to work the system. It has transformed our budget. I love it!!!

p.s. notice that Ada wanted in on the action. She fussed and fussed until I put her up in her chair, and then grinned like never before. She's learning to be excited about a good deal already;)

p.s.s. Scott says that I am a huge dork for posting a picture of my groceries. His opinion, however, does not deter me in the least.

Back to the daily grind

All of the following was written yesterday morning before I posted about CVS.

I have so much I want to post about Thanksgiving--all the fun had with family, the incredible excitement over CVS deals, and the mad house that Toys R Us was on Black Friday, but before all of that, I must, must, must figure out the meal plan for the week. Combining money spent on the trip home and Christmas shopping on Friday, it is crucial that I stick to the grocery budget this week. Scott and I travelled home late last night, while Ada slept soundly in the back seat. We finally stumbled into bed at 2 am this morning, and slept until the late hour of 8:30 am. He quickly got ready and took Ada to church, leaving me here in my pajamas recovering from that late night (and an icky stomach due to medication being accidentally left in McDonough).

So, I am in my favorite gray lounge pants and orange Auburn hoodie (War Eagle, anyway, I say. I believe in Auburn, and I love it despite the nightmare of last night's game), surrounded by coupons and sale papers, and I am about to recipe search. So here I am to menu plan for all the world to read.

Sunday night--crossing my fingers that we will have family photos this afternoon, but it is not looking good as it is currently cold and drizzly. I might scream. If we are out in the cold taking photos, I plan to have warm, cozy bean soup cooking in my BRAND NEW crockpot when we come home. And hopefully, once Ada is tucked into bed at 7:30, Scott and I will transform this living room into a winter wonderland AKA as yet one more thing for Ada to get in trouble for

yet again, the pictures did not happen due to rain. It's becoming quite ridiculous. We are now scheduled for Friday at 4. I am not counting on anything, though.

so, tonight--Bean soup, cornbread

Monday--pork tenderloin (from the freezer), rice, veggies (all things I already have on hand)

Tuesday--chicken spaghetti, salad, bread (I will be using shredded cheese instead of velveeta. Also, I already have chicken breasts, spaghetti, and the cream soups)

Wednesday--chicken enchiladas, spanish rice (thanks Lindsay!!)

Thursday--corn chowder, corn bread or biscuits

Lunches--leftovers, pb&j and chips, stouffer's pizza (BOGO at Publix), slow cooked beans

Breakfast--peanut butter toast, Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (BOGO at Publix), eggs (.99 from 12-8 on 12/4 at Kroger)

snacks--popcorn (BOGO at Publix), pears

I spent a total of 64.00 on groceries, and I shopped at Kroger, Publix, and Walgreens. I also spent 21.00 at CVS earlier in the week, so that came from this week's budget. So, 85.00 dollars, which I am fine with because we budget 100.00.

I won't go into the nitty gritty of what I bought, but I will share a few numbers. I spent 26.80 at Publix, and I saved 38.86. Not bad!! I spent 36.76 at Kroger, and I saved 23.13. And at Walgreens--well, I don't have the receipt--but I bought two bottles of All detergent for 1.79 each, minus coupons on each. I think my total was around 3.00, and normally one bottle of detergent costs about 3.00 (the bottles were small), so a 50% savings. I was pleased with the day's savings.

As always, check out Organizing Junkie for more meal ideas.

And I will leave you with a picture of this little stinker from Thanksgiving day, when miracle of all miracles she kept her bow in for an extended period of time.

Juicy Juice Harvest Surprise

Clearly, I am losing my mind.

This morning I thought that I saw somewhere that Juicy Juice Harvest Surprise was on sale, B1G1, at Publix. I was so convinced of this, that I had Scott print off a couple of 1.00 off coupons for me, and I drove all the way to Fresh Express (a good 20-30 minutes away from my house) to pick up the coupons. (we have no printer. Crazy, I know, we just haven't ever gotten around to buying one since we got married) Because of Ada's constipation issue, the juice is flowing in our house these days. So, Ada goes down for her nap, I start going over the Grocery Game list, seeing if there is anything else I can pick for mere pennies, and I come to the end of the list and realize Juice is nowhere on the list. Have I lost my mind? Can anyone help me out? Is this sale happening anywhere? And did I just come up with it out of thin air? I truly feel crazy. Am I couponing so much, that I am dreaming about sales. Really. Help.

p.s. I am heading to Publix anyway, just to make sure. I know that I saw this somewhere, though it really, in truly, could have been in a dream. I think I can get Bird's Eye vegetables for super cheap, though, so I will pick up some of those. That Juicy Juice would have been fabulous.

Doing what I do...saving money and planning menus

Thursday night has become coupon central here at the Moore house. It gets me out of cleaning the kitchen, at least, because I have to coupon match, so Scott has to clean the kitchen;)

Anyway...

Here's the menu

Friday night--frozen pizza, maybe?
Saturday night--split pea soup
Sunday night--dinner at Tutti's, perhaps, or Stouffer's chicken lasagna
Monday night--Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Tuesday night--Sausage and Potatoes Italiano
Wednesday night--Pork Tenderloin
Thursday night--pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella

For lunch we will be eating leftovers from dinner. I normally don't plan as many dinners as I did this week, but I hypothesize that we will actually save money if I plan more dinners and don't buy something specifically for lunch. We'll see how that goes.

Breakfast--South Beach Bars, Granola Bars, Yogurt, whole grain waffles, maybe eggs?

Snacks--stove popped popcorn, leftover Halloween candy, apples, pears, whatever else we might find in the pantry

And the grocery list is short. I repeat, again, I love the grocery game!! The goal of the game is for your necessities list to get shorter and shorter leaving more room in the budget for the stock up list, which in turn keeps making the necessity list shorter. It's all a cycle that feeds off of itself.

Duncan Hines Carrot Cake--free!!
2 Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting--.63 each
1 Hefty Freezer Bags--.45
Tylenol Rapid Release--1.00
1 pack of Dial bar soap--.40
2 cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk--free!!
1 Quaker Chewy Granola Bars--.50
1 Land of Lakes Butter--1.45
1 Dannon Activia Yogurt--.50
2 packs of Tyson Boneless, Skinless Chicken breast--1.99
pears--1.00 lb
apples--1.00 lb
baby carrots--1.00

that's the "stock up" list (all the above items are from the Grocery Game list), and here is the necessity list (meaning these items were not on the Grocery Game list, but I have to buy them for meals)

4-5 cans of chicken broth
cornstarch
bag of split peas
South Beach bars (this will be my most expensive item. I really need to learn to eat something else for breakfast)
1 lb of bulk Italian Sausage
Milk

I will be back to report the difference between shelf price and money paid OOP.

p.s. as mentioned in Friday's post, I bought all of the above for 37.00!!

For more menus, go to Organizing Junkie.

The tale of the lost Grocery List

Despite the fact that Ada was oh so fussy, and despite the fact that we have both been under the weather the past two days, I decided to take our normal afternoon trip to Kroger. Bad, bad decision.

Before we went to Kroger we had to drive to Fresh Express to give something to Scott. I had to fax my in-home tutoring hours in before Midnight today, and we certainly don't have a fax machine here. On our way there, we decided to run through the McDonald's drive through for a little Friday afternoon treat. Regular Hamburger for me, chicken nuggets for Ada, fries to share--good, right? Wrong. I handed Ada her first nugget, and she promptly tossed it as hard as she could over the side of her car seat. Okay, I thought, we'll try this again. I handed her another one, really talking up the chicken nugget, and again, over the side of the car seat it goes. And she is fussing and pointing, and I know what she wants, my hamburger. Ya'll, I don't like chicken mcnuggets. I never have. And I know she likes them because I have seen her eat them, and I wanted to bring myself down to her level and refuse to give her my hamburger. But, I didn't. My hamburger she got. And I ate a lunch of french fries.

So, off we go, in a car that smells like vomit despite all of my scrubbing, to Fresh Express. And she fusses the whole way, and the back seat is now full of chicken mcnuggets, but we get the hours to Scott. And, really, wisdom would say that I should drive us straight home at this point. But, I dug my heels in, already frustrated that I didn't get my hamburger, and I drove us to Kroger. And we get in the store, and she immediately wants my grocery list to play with. And ya'll, that list is sacred. I spend a lot of time figuring it out based on sales and coupons and what The Grocery Game tells me to do. I am lost without it. But, again, I am stupid, and I give her my list. And next thing I know, that list is no where to be found. No where. We hadn't gone far, just to the vegetable section, and we circled that section at least five times because I was desperate for my list. Lost without my list. And the frustration was getting the best of me at this point. I am saying things like, "why did you lose my list, Ada?" Really, she's 15 months old, and I am the adult that gave it to her. But it felt like it was her fault. But we did make it through the store, and I only forgot one thing that was on my list--pretty good, I think. And, drum roll please....

my total was 37.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yes, you are reading that right. And I planned more meals than usual this week. So despite everything working against us, Ada and I still shared a frugal Friday moment. 37 stinking dollars. Moral of the story--Kroger and coupons and The Grocery Game came through even when everything else was working against us.

Couponing, CVS, and The Grocery Game Q & A

okay, I am finally back to answer questions about all of the couponing that I do.

*side note--Ada had a very successful dirty diaper this morning--woo hoo*

okay...

1. Why do I start my menus on Friday?

Friday is pay day. My husband gets paid every Friday, and I have found that our biggest spending is done Friday-Sunday. If I start the menu on Friday, I am more likely to stick to my plan than if I end the menu with the weekend. It is pure strategy to trick my mind into not spending so much on the weekend. Plus, I love Friday mornings because Ada and I are out of the house doing our weekly round at the various grocery stores.

2. What about shopping at Sam's or other discount clubs?

Scott and I used to be members of Costco, and we did enjoy buying meat, paper products such as toilet paper and such, and computer paper there. This was back when I was teaching, and I would use up the paper given to me by the school about a month into the school year. After that I was on my own. (No one tells you in college how much money you will pay out of pocket when teaching). Anyway...that was before I "couponed," so I really don't know. Readers, what do you think? Are the discount clubs better for saving overall? I do know that Teri over at the Grocery Game suggests shopping at discount clubs for basics like milk and eggs, since these typically do not go on sale at the grocery store.

3. Is the Grocery Game worth it? How much does it cost?

For one store, it costs 10.00 every three months. So, a bit over 3.00 a month. Totally worth it, considering that I save at least 30.00 a week using the Grocery Game, which equals 120.00 a month. And I am only paying 3.00 a month.

Now, there are women out there who do not need the Grocery Game. For me, it saves my time and sanity. I think it depends on personality. It does a lot of the work for me, and that is what I am paying for.

p.s. if you want to add more than one store, it costs 5.00 per store every 3 months. So, I pay 15.00 every three months for the list for Kroger and CVS. I am about to cancel CVS, though, because that one is easy for me to do myself.

4. Finally, how do I figure out ECBs?

Okay, this will be a long answer because I am going to explain through example. If you are really interested in starting the CVS game, get your circular out to look at as you read this answer.

First make sure you have the right circular for this week. This circular is good through Saturday. On the cover you will find diet coke front and center. To know which items produce ECBs, look for the yellow box. For example, look at the picture of diet coke. You will see in white the words, you pay 4/12$ with the card. So you will pay 12.00 OOP (out of pocket). Then in white you will see, extra bucks reward on 4, 3.00. So, you will pay 12.00 for 4 cases of diet coke, but you will receive 3.00 back. The big yellow box will say, 4/9.00 after ECBS. This means, that counting the 3.00 you get back, it's like paying 9.00 for 4 cases. Remember, the 3.00 ECBs will print off at the bottom of your receipt.

Okay, let me walk you through my transactions today. It was a record day, folks.

I started with 8.00 worth of ECBs from last week's purchase. Pampers were on sale 2/20.00. I also had 3.00 worth of Pampers coupons, so...
Pampers = 20.00
-8.00 ECBs
-3.00 manufacturers coupons (found in the Sunday paper)
total OOP=9.00 (for two packs of Pampers!!!)
received 5.00 ECBs for purchasing 20.00 worth of Pampers

are you following me?

I then bought 2 bottles of Oil of Olay body wash=12.00
-5.00 ECBs
-4.00 manufacturers coupons
total OOP=3.00
received 5.00 ECBs

then, 4 cases of diet coke=12.00
-5.00 ECBs
total OOP=7.00
received 3.00 ECBs

then, 1 tube of Crest Pro-Health toothpaste=3.49
3 bags of halloween candy 75% off=4.00
total=7.49
-1.00 Crest coupon
-3.00 ECBs
total OOP=3.49
received 3.49 ECBs

I rolled those ECBs three more times, walking away with a total of 4 tubes of toothpaste and 3.49 ECBs good for next week's purchase.

Did all of that make sense?

For a little over 20.00, I bought 2 packs of Pampers, 4 cases of diet coke, 3 bags of candy, 2 bottles of body wash, and 4 tubes of toothpaste.

I had to do seven total transactions, but the cashier was very gracious about it, and I thanked her many times for her patience. Plus, I got to CVS before 8 am to make sure I wouldn't be holding up the line. Ada was up at 6 am, so it was not hard to make it there that early.

Again, feel free to ask any more questions. I really think the CVS game saves so much money, and it is fun seeing how much you can buy for how small an amount of money.

For more frugal ideas, check out Frugal Fridays. And more specifically, for other CVS scenarios check out The "Cent"sible Sawyer.

Grocery Game Thoughts and Tips

I have had several people mention in the comment section that they are interested in trying the grocery game, including my little sister, Sarah, college senior. And so I thought I would share a few more thoughts about the ins and outs of the grocery game.

First and foremost, once you sign up, you have to give it time for it to work. That first week after you sign up, you won't have the majority of the coupons. This is quite frustrating, actually. My suggestion is that you spend 6 weeks cutting and collecting coupons every Sunday. Then once you have the coupons collected, sign up for the free six week trial. It's hard to try the grocery game without the coupons. I didn't like it during my trial period because I wasn't saving money. Now that I have a coupon collection the size of Mt. Everest, I am liking the Grocery Game.

Next tip--save every coupon. There are a small handful of coupons that I throw away--pet food, hair color, and contact solution. These are three things I will never use. If I knew someone who would use them, I would give them away. Other than that, I save every, single coupon because often times you can get things for free. For example, a few weeks ago, I got two free bottles of Pert Plus shampoo + conditioner for free. I doubt that I will use this, but I am thinking that somebody somewhere can use it. A charity of some sort, perhaps? It was free. Why not take it?

When you begin clipping coupons, you will notice that they add up quickly. There are many ways to organize them, and there are many blogs that tell you how to do this. I personally have a clear rubber maid box where I file all of my coupons. The box is filled with alphabetized envelopes with categories such as baby, bathroom cleaners, dish detergent, etc. Then, when I am planning my grocery trip for the week, I pull up the grocery game list, I sit with my box of coupons, and I pull out the ones I will need for the week. I then put them in a little organizer that I keep in my purse. I have a section for Kroger coupons and a section for CVS coupons.

Finally, the last thing to understand about the Grocery Game is stockpiling. This also takes a while; in much the same way that it takes a while to collect the coupons. Let me explain this by example. Last week Kroger had a sale on chicken breasts for 1.99/lb. They are normally like 4.99/lb or something. I designated about 10.00 of my grocery budget for chicken breasts, and my freezer is now well stocked with chicken. There was also a huge sale of frozen vegetables, so I came home with 12 boxes of green giant vegetables for nearly free. My freezer is very full. Over the next few weeks I will plan my meals around these things. During that time, the things will most likely go on sale again, and I can stock up at the low price, never having to actually buy at full price. Does that make sense? These days, now that I have been grocery gaming for a while, my grocery list is only made up of about 1/4 of what we need for that week, the rest is for stocking up on things that are at rock bottom prices. If I do have a week where there are lots of necessities on the list, I just resist stocking up, in order to stay within budget.

Sarah specifically asked if this would work for a college student, and my answer to you, Sarah, is that you should at least start "CVSing." You can do that without the grocery game, and you can save INSANE amounts of money. One more example, today I bought 4 packs of disposable razors, always pads, and a bag of snack size kit kats for about 6.00 Out of Pocket (oop). The total price of all of that should have been about 35 dollars. On top of only paying 6.00 OOP, I walked away with 4.00 in Extra Bucks to use towards my next purchase.

I don't know if any of the above makes sense, but it's just some things that I have found helpful as I entered the world of couponing. I guarantee that once you start, you will never be able to shop without coupons again. Feel free to ask any questions, and there are so many blogs out there devoted just to this. It's how I learned the process.

The money saved is adding up

okay, I realize that you few loyal readers may be sick and tired of all my posts about saving money. But really, right now, this is what is going on in our lives. We eat, breath, live saving money. And we will be this way until that emergency fund is in place and our debt snowball is rolling. So...just bear with me as I continue to post about money.

Okay, if you aren't a member of the grocery game, really you maybe should be. Today at Kroger, before the cashier scanned my kroger card and coupons, my total was 96.00. She then scanned the card and coupons, and my total went down to 46.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 96.00 worth of groceries for 46.00. IT IS CRAZY. Here is what I got...

3 packs of Cottonelle
2 bottles of Purex Laundry Detergent
Kroger Brand multi grain waffles
3 bottles of Herbal Essence Shampoo
3 bottles of Herbal Essence Conditioner
2 Smithfield Pork Tenderloins
2 tubes of Revlon Lip Gloss
4 cans of Kroger Brand Cream of Chicken Soup
2 boxes of Lean Pockets
1 box of Kroger Brand cereal
1 box of Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
1 case of Diet Pepsi
1/2 lb of Boars Head White American Cheese
Sister Schubert yeast rolls
4 pack Yo-Plus yogurt

Total coupon savings=47.94
Total money spent=46.88

moral of the story...I am LOVING the Grocery Game

Needless to say I walked out of Kroger with cash still in my wallet. And I was feeling good. So, Ada and I headed across the street, where I spent some of that cash on a long overdue Big Train iced vanilla chai. It's a good day, ya'll. Almost 50.00 saved and my stomach full of Big Train chai.

p.s. I already had much of what I needed for meals this week, so I used the grocery trip to stock up on things. I will be sharing the week's menu on Monday, as usual.

For more frugal tips, visit Frugal Friday.

I'm Loving the Grocery Game

It's a good week for the Grocery Game and me. Last week I wasn't feeling it so much, and then I saw this week's list. And we are on again.

Here is a list of what I am getting for FREE!!! from Kroger....

2 bottles of Pert Plus shampoo (normally 3.39 each)
5 (yes, five!!!) packs of Cottonelle Toilet Paper
4 boxes of Celestial Seasonings Tea (normally 2.99 each)
3 boxes of Green Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables (normally 1.79 each)

so that's what, 23.00 worth of free merchandise, rounding down!!

That's my free list, and here is my drastically reduced prices list

2 Reach Toothbrushes=1.00 (normally 2.16 each)
6 Scotch Brite Sponges=3.00
Purdue Chicken Breasts= 1.99/lb (I am stocking up on this, so I plan to reserve about 10.00 worth of grocery budget for this) (normally 5.49/lb)
3 Boxes of Green Giant Healthy Weight Vegetables=1.50 (normally 1.79 each)
6 boxes of Green Giant Regular Vegetables(not sure what the difference is between these and the previous, but whatever)=3.00 (normally 1.79 each)
2 boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta=.66 (normally 1.89 each)

I am going in the morning because my coupon pile is a mile high, and I hate to be that girl holding up the grocery line. And I find that Kroger is quite empty at 8 am on a weekday morning. Plus, I am just so excited to see these savings in person.

And to top it all off, CVS has been good to me too. I had a rain check for a free box of Always Infinity Pads. I went to claim that free box today, and when the cashier rang it up (for free) out printed a dollar extra buck. Yes, they paid me a dollar to take the always pads. That is my kind of shopping. Tomorrow I am heading over there after Kroger to stock up on Huggies diapers. I plan to purchase 3 packs of Huggies diapers for less than 30.00, and I will receive 10.00 extra bucks!!! Woo-hoo...it is a good week for saving money.

The Grocery Game--I'm thinking it works

As you know if you read this blog often, I having been couponing for months now. And I have to be honest, at times it seems to get the best of me. I spend hours on the living room floor, coupons all around, store circulars all around, back hurting from sitting and clipping and searching for the best deal. And most often, I go to the store, and my final total is more than I hoped for. It can be a discouraging process. Though it has saved us tons and tons of money, so there are no plans to stop couponing. Instead, there are plans to get better at couponing.

My first attempt at "getting better at this," is to use my grocery game membership. I signed up for a free trial weeks ago, but I haven't really been using it, and with plans to cancel my membership, I decided to give it one more try. So last night, I sat in front of the computer with "Terri's List" for Kroger, and I matched my coupons to what she said to buy in hopes of saving tons and tons of money. I woke up this morning, fed Ada some breakfast ,woke Scott up to watch Ada, and I headed out the door with list and coupons in hand. I went to three different stores--CVS, Target, and Kroger--in that order because CVS is farthest from my house and Kroger is closest, and here is how I did.

My total for all three stores was 113.00, rounding up a bit. I was hoping to keep it under 75.00, but I am still trying to get the hang of when to buy to stock up and when to not buy, so maybe next week I can keep it below 75.00. But ya'll, listen to what 113 got me. It's CRAZY.

CVS
3 boxes of playtex tampons
2 things of Speedstick Deodorant for Men
4 bags of candy (2 kit kat, 2 reeses)
1 schick quatro razor for Scott
1 bic soleil razor for me

total=19.13
total saved with coupons and extra bucks=41.38
extra bucks to use on next shopping trip=9.00
coupons printed off with receipt=10.00 total in savings

If you are not playing the CVS game, please do. It is so much fun, and the amount of money you can save is CRAZY.

Target
12 pack of Quilted Northern Toilet Paper
1 card

total=7.48
no coupons, toilet paper on sale

Kroger
I am not going to list all of this out, but I will just give you a summary

enough for meals for the week--breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
Two 24 packs of Deer Park water
12 containers of Yoplait Yogurt
2 things of Maalox chewable tablets
Febreeze Starter Kit (free with coupons, normally like 9.00)
6 cans of Hunts tomatoes
3 bottles of adult suave shampoo
3 bottles of child suave shampoo
Loreal Mascara
basics like milk, juice, chicken broth (4 cans), frozen veggies, etc.

Total=83.25
Total saved with coupons and kroger plus card= 50.92

so all together, using coupons and store loyalty cards, I saved 90.00 today!! I say it was a successful trip. And my stockpiles of shampoo, Ada's soap, feminine products, and toothpaste are complete for a while. Hopefully, the grocery bill will continue to drop.

I will back tomorrow with the week's menu to show what all I am able to make with the groceries that I bought.