Sunday Reflections

Rethinking Time

Always running out of time... where did time go? Our culture has something negative and sad to say about time. And no one feels time crunch more often than moms. We never seem to have enough time, even with our super cape on!

So, today, I was completely stopped in my tracks when I read Ex 12:1, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year."(NIV) God was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. He was giving them a new calendar along with their new life. And the pastor was explaining it a bit with other wonderful insights. My thoughts, though, parked here and pondered God's time. I guess, He could just give them a new calendar. I never thought about that.

What a way to start over! To be given a fresh start with a new timeline, a complete break with the past. And I used to just get haircuts to mark a change in my life. Perhaps the secret to having New Year's Resolutions that stick is to have a new calendar not just a new year!

And God does not complain about time. After all, He created it! Maybe the key to rethinking time is to stop feeling negative about it. So what if we are running short on time? There is a time for everything. Some say we need quantity time not just quality time with our children. But why not just capture time by cherishing every moment.

I have resolved that a balanced life is just a mirage. I'd rather not chase after this illusion. I would rather enjoy the now of God's timing. Because we have only so much time, some activities will have to go. But what remains can give us the best time of our lives.

FREE Donuts Friday!

Celebrate National Doughnut Day! Visit Krispy Kreme on Friday June 5 and receive a FREE Doughnut, one per customer. You can see the press release here. Thanks Abundant Food Savings for this tip!

Krispy Kreme is located near downtown Pensacola:
980 North Ninth Avenue
Pensacola, FL 32501
Phone: 850-438-4639

Overseas Coupon Program

Send Expired Coupons Overseas

Many coupons are expiring tomorrow, May 31. But for military bases overseas, these coupons are good for 6 more months! If you cringe at the thought of throwing away coupons or are prone to run out to Wal-Mart to buy stuff so you can use up your coupons, this may be the answer to your prayer! Go to this website to adopt a base. What a wonderful way to give back!

Email adoptions(at)ocpnet(dot)org with the following information:

Your Name
Your Mailing Address Your E-mail Address
Your Area Code & Phone Number
Any organization you may represent
The name (NOT address) of the base being adopted

Then divide your coupons between food and non-food coupons. Put them in separate baggies or envelopes but mail them in one envelope. Label it with the address to the base of your choosing. And your coupons are on their way to a new life!

FREE Root Beer Float at Sonic

Hurry to Sonic on June 3 from 8pm-closing. Each customer receives a FREE Root Beer Float! No purchase necessary for this deal.

The Sonic locations in town are:
1115 NAVY BOULEVARD
10411 SORRENTO ROAD
3151 W. MICHIGAN AVE
3201 N. Q STREET
8986 PENSACOLA BLVD

$10 Total Money Makeover Book

Dave Ramsey's online store has great $10 offers, with FREE shipping for orders $65 and over. I learned about this somewhere but I can't remember which blog! Included are the hardcover edition of Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace Jr. For Kids. I highly recommend reading the Money book. It's an in-your-face guide but chockful of testimonies to encourage your journey. Frankly, this book is what got my husband and I on the same page with our finances. And we don't do the cash envelope system (we only need like 3 envelopes). But we have a whole new perspective on spending and saving. The kids' kit has lots of stuff like a calculator, magnets, coin case besides the manual and CD. It's for ages 3-12. These would be great gifts too as well as the Money book.

Built in Laundry Sorter

I have been wanting a laundry sorter forever. My method doesn't quite fall in the three-bin darks-whites-lights sorter. So my hubby is building me our own sorter that would be flush against the wall in our closet. The frame is just from one 2x4. Then I have to sew 5 laundry bags that would be inserted into the frame. So when each bag is full, the whole thing can go into the washer, minus the bag of course. I can't wait to use it! This is by far Tony's most simple and innovative 2x4 concept. He has been busy building other things around the apartment. I'm so blessed that he is resourceful! I'll post pictures later to show off his handiwork.

How To: Price Match at Walmart

I hope you are all enjoying the posts of all the store deals for our Pensacola area. Like you, I want to save money, time and gas. So by price-matching (PM) at Wal-Mart I am able to do just that. To make the most of this customer perk, it is important to learn a few strategies.

Wal-Mart price-matches grocery, drugstore, department store, home improvement and office supply stores, as long as the store is in the same city and their ads are in the store's sales flier. Each register has these fliers but bring yours anyway, if you have them. You can print the page with the item or buy the paper Weds for grocery deals, Sundays for others (department and drugstores).

1. Have a game plan. Make a separate grocery list just for price match items. Write down the store name as well as the sale price. You can also print out a copy of my Wal-Mart Price Match List of the week.


2. Do your checkout when few people are in line.


3. Find a friendly cashier. Maybe one you've formed a rapport with already. I like my Filipina cashiers and others that go to my church because they know me.


4. Warn the cashier you have price-match items before she scans them.


5. Separate price-match items from your other items at checkout. You do not need to do a separate transaction for the non-price match items, just move them aside.


6. Do not rush the cashier. She needs to input each price-match separately and can easily make a mistake. So watch the register carefully.


7. Do not fight with the cashier. If she doesn't want to honor your price-match, and you've politely asked her to reconsider, then just put the item back. You can also take it to customer service later.


8. When you are done, thank the cashier for her patience. Cashiers are generally happy to find out the deals for themselves. So start connecting with the cashier and they'll look forward to seeing how much you'll save next time.
   

You'll be surprised how quickly your savings will add up by price-matching. And by doing the majority of your shopping at one place, you'll less likely want to do extra trips at other stores. Remember to use your coupons too for maximum savings.

Wal-Mart Price Match, May 27- June 2

This post is a compilation of the best deals from other stores that you can price-match at Wal-Mart. I do this often to avoid driving all over the place. You can price match items from any printed ad except Big Lots, as long as there is an actual price per item (NOT BOGO or % off sales). I will write a post later on the best way to chekout if you are price-matching. If there any Wal-Mart rollback items that is just a great sale I will add it here too.

Store abbreviations: FW (Food World), G (Greer's), B (Barnes), WD (Winn-Dixie), Wal (Wal-Mart), PUB (Publix)

Produce:
FW $0.99/lb apples, washington, red delicious, braeburn
FW $0.99/lb Peaches
WD $2.99/lb Cherries
WD $0.78 each Mango
WD $2 Baby Cut Carrots, 2lb
WD $1.50 Broccoli Bunch
G $0.50/lb Bananas
G $0.50 each Green Bell Peppers
G $1.50 Potatoes, 5 lbs
G $1.50 Onions, 3lbs
B $0.99/lb Squash
B $0.79/lb Vine Ripen Tomatoes

Meats:
G $2/lb Boneless Bottom Round or Rump Roast
B $1.69/lb Assorted Porkchops, FamilyPack
PUB $2.97/lb Beef Top London Broil
PUB $0.99/lb Purdue Oven Roaster
FW $1.59/lb Porkchops, Boneless Sirloin
FW $1.69/lb Ground Chuck Family Pack
Wal $1.58/lb Ground Beef (5 lb Chub)
FW $1.99 Gwaltney Bacon, 12 oz

Dairy:
PUB $2.89 Publix Gallon Milk, All Natural
PUB $1.99 Publix Sweet Cream Butter
B $2 Borden Cheese, block 8 oz, shreds 6 oz, single slices 12 oz
B $2 Dannon Danimals
Wal $1.88 Borden Single Sensations
Wal $1.50 Oscar Mayer Hotdogs
Wal $0.88 Bar-S Hotdogs
Wal $1.94 Loius Rich Turkey Loop Sausage
Wal $1.88 Kraft 2% Natural Colby Jack Cheese

Other:
PUB $2.50 Kashi cereals or bars
B $2.50 Honey Bunches of Oats, regular size,
B $4.50 Bertolli Olive Oil 17 oz
B $1 Betty Crocker Helpers (hamburger, tuna, pasta)
PUB 3/$5 Del Monte Cups ($1.67 each)
PUB $2 Jell-O Refrigerated Snacks
PUB $1.50 Gatorade, 64 oz


Detergent:
B $2.50 Purex detergent 24-32 oz, softener 44 oz
PUB $4.99 Purex, 100 oz or 3-in-1 Sheets
FW S4.99 Gain Liquid Detergent, 50 oz
FW $4.99 Cheer Liquid Detergent, 40 oz

Publix Deals May 26- June 2

Frugal for You is proud to be part of the Grocery Gathering! It is a collection of the best deals in national and local grocery and drugstores. You will also find Frugal For You's Food World, and Winn-Dixie Deals in the Grocery Gathering. I love finding the coupon match-ups there... less work for me. Try I Heart Publix to know where to look for the coupons. You may also view Publix's ads at their website for a complete list of BOGO items and Essentials.

$2 Publix Salad Blends
$0.95 Vine Ripen Tomatoes
$2.97/lb Beef Top London Broil
$0.99/lb Purdue Oven Roaster
BOGO Quaker Cereal (WIC alert- Buy Life Cereal)
$3 Oscar Mayer Lunch Meats
BOGO Gatorade 64 oz, ($2.60/2)
BOGO Chips Ahoy ($3.79/2)
Buy 2 Get 1 Capri Sun
BOGO Crystal Light
$2.50 Kashi cereals or bars
3/$5 Del Monte Cups ($1.67 each)
$1 Zephyrillis Water, 3 Liters
$2 Jell-O Refrigerated Snacks
$2.50 Alexia Potatoes (organic chips)
BOGO Nonni Biscotti ($2.99/2)
BOGO French's Mustard ($1.35/2)
BOGO Taco Bell Dinner Kit ($2.69/2)
BOGO Uncle Ben's ($1.49/2)
BOGO Publix Black Pepper, 4 oz ($3.59/2)
$2.50 Marie Callender's Entrees
$4.99 Purex, 100 oz or 3-in-1 Sheets
BOGO Spray and Wash ($2.99/2)
$7.99 Claritin, 10 count or 14 oz syrup
$3.49 Hefty Everyday Plates, 130 count

Essentials Highlights:
$2.89 Publix Gallon Milk, All Natural
$1.99 Publix Sweet Cream Butter
$1.39 Eggo Waffles

Greer's Deals May 27- June 2

Greer's is on Hwy 98 at Bauer Road, before Lillian AL. Call them at 850-455-2719. I've been there once or twice. It's a small and tucked away grocery store. However, I usually price-match their sales at Wal-Mart instead.

$0.50/lb Bananas
$0.50 each Green Bell Peppers
$1/lb Washington Apples
$1.50 Potatoes, 5 lbs
$1.50 Onions, 3lbs
$2 Zeigler Bacon, 12 oz
$2/lb Boneless Bottom Round or Rump Roast
$1/lb Sirloin Pork Ends
$1/lb Cook's Shank Portion Ham
$1.19 Cook's Butt Portion Ham
$2 Lykes Ham or Turkey Lunchmeat, 10 oz
$1 Carolina Pride Pork Sausage 1lb roll
$1 Frozen Corn or Broccoli, 16 oz (store brand)
$2.99/lb Wilson Cured Ham (sliced at the deli)
$1.99 Reser's Potato Salad, 16oz, Red Skin or Deviled Egg

Barnes Deals, May 27- June 2

If you plan to use these prices to price-match at Wal-Mart, remember that they have a copy of the ad at each register too. But I rarely have to show them where it is on the ad. Once you practice price-matching for a few weeks, you'll quickly learn which cashiers are friendly and will not hassle you.

$0.69 Angel Soft 4pk, with $25 purchase
$0.69 Bleach, with $25 purchase (store brand)
$1.69/lb Assorted Porkchops, FamilyPack
$0.99/lb Squash
$0.79/lb Vine Ripen Tomatoes
$2.50 Honey Bunches of Oats, regular size, any flavor
$2.50 Hawaiian Rolls
$2 Borden Cheese, block 8 oz, shreds 6 oz, single slices 12 oz
$2 Dannon Danimals
$2.50 Breyers Ice Cream ($2.25 I think at Wal-Mart)
$2 Blue Bell Sherbert
$1.25 Chicken of Sea Canned Tuna or Salmon
$1.25 LaChoy 10 oz
$0.50 Van Camps 15 oz
$4.50 Bertolli 17 oz
$1 Betty Crocker Helpers (hamburger, tuna, pasta)
$2.50 Purex detergent 24-32 oz, softener 44 oz

Food World Deals, May 27-June 2

Frugal for You is proud to be part of the Grocery Gathering! It is a collection of the best deals in national and local grocery and drugstores. You will also find Frugal For You's Publix, and Winn-Dixie Deals in the Grocery Gathering. You may also view Food World's ads at their website.

All these deals can be price-matched at Wal-Mart! Just make sure their price is not cheaper. They know what is on sale at their competitor stores too and often adjust their prices for the week.

$0.99/lb Apples (Braeburn, Washington, Red)
$0.99/lb Peaches
$1.50 Sara Lee Bread, 20 oz
$1.59/lb Porkchops, Boneless Sirloin
$1.69/lb Ground Chuck Family Pack
$3.99/lb Mahi Mahi
$4.99/lb Raw Gulf Shrimp 41-50 count
$4.99/lb Cooked, Deveined Shrip, 31-40 count
$1.99 Gwaltney Bacon, 12 oz
$1.50 Gatorade, 64 oz

$2.50 Bob Evans Side Dishes (MacNCheese, Mashed/ Sweet Potatoes, 20-24 oz)

$2.50 Stouffer's Entrees, 6-21 oz
$3 per Gallon Milk
$4.99 Gain Liquid Detergent, 50 oz
$4.99 Cheer Liquid Detergent, 40 oz

Winn-Dixie Deals, May 27- June 2

Frugal for You is proud to be part of the Grocery Gathering! It is a collection of the best deals in national and local grocery and drugstores. You will also find Frugal For You's Publix and Food World Deals in the Grocery Gathering. Thank you Dawn for telling me about BeCentsAble!

View the Winn-Dixie ad on their website here. Remember to use you Winn-Dixie card to make these deals work. If I see some great in-store special not advertised in the ad, I will update you!

BOGO Kellogg's Cereal: Rice Crispies, Raisin Bran, Frosted Mini Wheats ($4.99/2)
*Double-up on WIC Cereal since Rice Crispies is BOGO
$2.50 gallon W.D. Orange Juice
$3.99 Community Coffee BOGO Chuck Roast/Steak ($4.79/2)
BOGO Pepperidge Farm Bread, 24 oz, oatmeal, sourdough
$3 Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage Links, Brats
$2.50 Smithfield Smoked, Sausage Kielbasa, Beef
$4.99 Lloyd's BBQ beef, pork, chicken 18 oz
BOGO Hormel Premium canned chicken breast, $3.59/2
BOGO Strawberries ($4/2)
$2.99/lb Cherries
$0.78 Mango, each
$2 Winn-Dixie Pepper, 4 oz
$1.50 Broccoli Bunch
$1.50 Winn-Dixie Baby-Cut Carrots, 2lbs

Good 'til July 8
$1.50 Winn-Dixie Southern Vegetables
$2.50 Tyson's Anytizers
$5.99 Bird's Eye Steamfresh For Two
$4 Bird's Eye Voila!

More Winn-Dixie

Tuesdays is Rent One Get One Free at our local Friendly Video Rentals (off Blue Angel and Hwy 98). Which is next to Winn-Dixie. I only needed some hotdogs and buns... but I got carried away. Unfortunately, after my kids and hubby were done filling up water jugs ($0.30/gallon at the Glacier machine) and picking up movies and waiting 30 minutes in the car, my husband was not excited that I saved $109. Sorry honey!

So I would have spent $153.32. Instead I spent $44.88. That's 71% savings! My coupons were $28.46 and store savings were $86.54. I lost $4.59 in coupons because the manager would not take it. That's ok. I'll use them at Wal-Mart.

Go to http://coupons.com/ to get many Kraft coupons. Please do not sign-up for anything! Just click on the coupons, install the printer thing, and then click print. Usually the print limit is 2 per computer. (Print more with your other computers) I print mine black and white using the quick print option and have not had any problems with cashiers scanning them.

5 packs Split Chicken Breast ($4.75 or so each)
4 Wheat Thins (BOGO, $3.59 for 2)
4 Crystal Light (BOGO, $4.99 for 2)
6 Ball Park Hotdogs (BOGO, $2.99 for 2)
6 Sara Lee Hotdog Buns (BOGO, $2.79 for 2)
1 Mc Cormick Grillmates ($1)
1 Febreze Noticeables Kit ($3.50)
2 Smucker Toppings ($1.39 each)
1 Bird's Eye Steamfresh Meals for Two ($6)
*Scroll down to see what I ended up paying for these items!

The chicken will last us for six weeks! The hotdogs are for summer grilling. And the drinks and crackers are for our Hurricane supply. I used coupons from this month's papers and tear-off coupons had at the store.

In fact, right now, Walmart has a booklet of tear-off coupons:
-$2 off when you buy Crystal Light and Wheat Thins together
-$1 off Ritz crackers
Winn-Dixie has tear-off coupons for different breads:
-FREE Sara Lee hotdog buns when you buy 2 Ball Park hotdogs
-FREE Cobblestone Mill item when you buy 2 Hormel Natural Choice Deli Meat
-FREE Whitewheat Buns when you buy 1 LLoyd's BBQ Tub

Some deal highlights:
2 Skin Effects Crystal Light, FREE
2 Crystal Light and 2 Wheat Thins, $1.58
2 Wheat Thins Artisan, $3.59 (not allowed to use coupon)
6 Ball Park Hotdogs, $9
6 Sara Lee Hotdog Buns, FREE
2 Smuckers, $1.68
1 Grillmates, FREE
1 Steamfresh for Two, $4 (this was lunch!)

This is the first time I've had problems with this Winn-Dixie. They have a new Center Store Manager who reasoned my coupons were not working because I could not stack it with a store promotion. He said because the Wheat Thins were already BOGO, that's why my $1 off coupon was not working. I never strong arm the manager and this case was no exception. In my experience, you always get back what you lose as long as you stay diligent. Plus I amused the cashier and old gentleman behind me with my $109 savings!

Self-Taught Frugalitsta

On summer break from college, I found my Mom's copies of Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzyzn. It proved to be more than light reading after mounds of homework. I started buying the newspaper and cutting coupons. Many everyday tips from the books were frugal, green and easy enough for me to do even at school. My Dad teased me, saying that when I start my career, I will make enough money and not need coupons. Well, as life often goes opposite our plans, I am now a stay-at-home mom of two, clipping coupons every week. Not that I would have it any other way... most of the time, j/k.

Another helpful guide was Ellie Kay's Shop, Save and Share. This book boosted my understanding to new heights. It was a tutorial for shopping smart. Different coupons work differently with store deals. And I learned to tell them apart and save 50%-70% of my grocery bill. I was still not using coupons that much because Tightwad Gazette gave me lots of recipes for frugal home cooked meals. Most shopping I did was at the perimeter of the store (veggies, meat, and dairy).

Fast forward 7 years later. My kids are out of diapers, I'm getting more sleep and my sanity back. I remember MSN asking me why we cancelled our dial-up Internet. Frankly, I told her, my kids keep me on the run that I check email only once a month if at all. That was five years ago! So now that we have Internet again, I've found these Frugal Blogs, and catapulted our savings to 80%-100%. Here are like-minded frugalista stay-at-home moms making the most of their talents for novice and veteran shoppers alike to learn and be inspired. They understood the hard work and payoff of bargain hunting.

So as you can see, I would have preferred to have someone hold my hand and take me frugal shopping. But as a bookworm by God's design, I learned from books and at my own pace. And God used other books like Your Money Counts and Total Money Makeover to draw me closer to Him. I didn't know more than 2,000 verses in the Bible talk about money. I had no idea God cared about our financial well-being. But does He ever! I have now learned to turn back to Him what these books have taught. And in return He has given me wisdom, understanding, and peace.

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints..." Eph. 1:18

My CVS Shopping Trip

I did a quick run at CVS - Innerarity Point, of course, my favorite store. I bought the above products for $1 after ECBs and coupons. They were also out of Speedstick Pro and Clearasil but are supposed get a truck tomorrow.


Playtex Sports, $3.99 (get $3 ECB)
2 Band-Aids, $2.99 each (get $4 ECB)
Colgate Toothpaste, $2.99 (get $2 ECB)
Revlon Nail Color, $3.99 (get $3 ECB)
2 Neutragena Sunscreen, $7.49 each (get $10 ECB wyb 2)
*wyb means when you buy

I used these coupons:
$1 off Playtex (peelie on the box)
2- $1 off Band-Aids (peelie on the box)
$1 Colgate (from All You Mag)
$1 off Revlon (last Sunday paper)
2- $2 off Neut. sunscreen (Winn-Dixie flier, also brochures at CVS)

Total after coupons: $23*
Got $22 ECB
OOP: $1

*I ended up paying zero up front after doing some returns. The cashier gave me a money card for $21 and I also used some ECB from last week. So if you have to return something and you paid for it with ECBs, please note they will give you store credit in the form of a CVS gift card.

Get WIC at Winn-Dixie

Do you receive WIC Coupons? There is still time to double-up on your cereal and cheese allowance for WIC. Buy them at Winn-Dixie by tomorrow. Special K cereal and Kraft block cheese are BOGO. I bought 4 Special K Protein Plus, 2- 2% mild cheddar, and 2 monterey jack.

Make sure to use your Winn-Dixie card when checking out, otherwise it will not work. I had the privilege of sharing this tip with a fellow mom getting her WIC items at the cereal aisle. After what I said, she exchanged her Rice Crispies for Special K and Winn-Dixie cheese for Kraft.

Anytime you see WIC items BOGO, be it grits, oatmeal, peanut butter or juice, remember to double-up. Cereal is BOGO almost every week at either Winn-Dixie or Publix. And Publix milk is All-Natural without some cow hormone in it. After doing this deal a few times, you'll be surprised how quickly your cereal stash will grow! The great thing is you didn't even pay for it to begin with.

Got My Free Pork Plus More!

Our total was $27.63. I would have spent $96.60. That's 71% savings! We saved $40.87 in store sales and $28.10 in coupons.

This is the breakdown of what I bought:

Kingsford Charcoal, not pictured

2 KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce

Pork Shoulder Blade Roast (only $0.66 w/ coupon!)

Kraft BBQ Sauce

Kraft Salad Dressing

2 Arnold 100% Whole Wheat bread, BOGO

Beef chuck boneless short ribs

6 Birds' Eye Veggies, not pictured

4 Kraft Singles

4 Breakstone's Sour Cream

2 Morton Season All

Taking out the cost of the beef ribs ($12.84) and charcoal ($6.99), we paid $7.80 for 22 items. That's only $0.35 each!

Target Deals

Since this Sunday's paper had no coupons. I didn't buy it. So I went to A Full Cup to view the Target ad. They posted it Saturday. Of course Target's website (on the left hand side) has it too by Sunday. It looks like certain snack foods will get you a $5 gift card. But I didn't see any other deals that would make me rush over there.

But FYI, Kellogg's Poptarts has a promo: buy 5 get 1 FREE movie ticket. Only for specially marked boxes. On the back of the box is a movie ticket stub you cut out and collect 5 to send in for a ticket. Each household can send in for 5 FREE movie tickets. All the rules are in the box. And it is good for any movie not just Star Trek!

Here is the deal scenario: Thanks Hip 2 Save

($1 off 2 coupons from 4/5 RP makes this cheaper but our region didn't get them)

Buy 5 Poptarts, $2.33 each

Use 5- $0.50 Target coupons

Pay $9.15

Get $5 Gift Card for anything else in the store

Send in for 1 FREE movie ticket

*It doesn't matter where you get the Poptarts from, as long as it says Free Movie Pass. Walmart had the 8 count Poptarts on sale for $1.98 and Publix had them BOGO ($2.45 for 2).

Fire Up the Grill! Deal Scenarios

Here are deal scenarios for using the $6 off Pork coupon .Buy 3lbs at $2/lb, pay $6, FREE with the coupon! Most of our area stores have pork on sale this week. But if you miss out, please print the coupon anyway. I have seen porkchops go on sale for $0.99/lb at Food World from time to time. And this coupon is good through Dec 31. Go to the next post down for the fine print.

The scenarios listed are the best value, or cheapest way to do this deal. At the bottom, the price-match possibilities for Wal-Mart are listed. I'll be buying mine at Publix to try their pork. I also have a $10 off $50 competitor coupon and $5 off $50 Publix coupon. But the best value is price-matching at Walmart, cheapest Total at $7.50.

Remember, 3 things to buy for this deal: charcoal, pork and one of these: Ball Park, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, Glad Product, KC Masterpiece Product, Vlasic Pickles or Relish.

Publix: (All Natural Pork. You can price-match this at Wal-Mart, too)
$1.99/lb Pork Spareribs or Assorted Pork Chops, buy 3.1 lbs
$1.79/lb Boston Butt Pork Roast, buy 3.36 lbs
$1 Glad Cling Wrap 100 sq ft
$6.99 Kingsford Original or Mesquite, 17-18 lb bags
TOTAL: $8

Winn-Dixie: (can't price-match this at Wal-Mart because it's BOGO)
BOGO ($1.65/lb) Pork steak or country style ribs,
Buy 2 packs at 3.7lbs each, $6
or buy 4 packs at 2lbs each, $6.60
BOGO ($3 for 2) Ball Park hotdogs, buy 2
Other qualifying products are on sale for $2.50, look below
Buy 1 Match Light, 13.5 lb or Charcoal Briquets, 17-18 lb bags, $6.99
TOTAL: at least $10

Wal-Mart Scenario: (or make your own scenario with the price-matches below)

$6.99 Match Light, 13.5 lb bag (Winn-Dixie)

$1.50 Vlasic Pickles, 16-24 oz (Barnes)

$1.59/lb Boston Butt, buy 3.77 lbs (Food World)

TOTAL: $7.50

Wal-Mart Price-Matches:
$6.99 for Charcoal, with these varieties:
Publix- Reg. or Mesquite, 17-18 lb bags
Barnes- also Hickory 17-18 lb bags
Winn-Dixie- Match Light, 13.5 lb bag

Pork Sales:
Food World- $1.59/lb Boston Butt, 3.77 lbs
Food World- $1.99/lb Boston Butt Pork Steaks or Strips, 3 lbs
Greer's- $1.38/lb Fresh Pork Boston Butt, 4.35 lbs
Publix- $1.99/lb Pork Spareribs or Assorted Pork Chops, buy 3.1 lbs
Publix- $1.79/lb Boston Butt Pork Roast, buy 3.36 lbs

Qualifying Products:
Barnes- $1.50 Vlasic Pickles, 16-24 oz bottle
Publix- $1 Glad Cling Wrap 100 sq ft

Winn-Dixie - each are $2.50:
KC Masterpiece Marinade, 16 oz
Glad Zipper Freezer or Storage, quart or gallon, 30-50 count
Gladware Containers, 3-8 count

$6 off Pork Coupon

Nothing says summer like BBQ! Kingsford Charcoal has a promotion to help. Print out a $6 coupon off any fresh pork (not processed like ham or hotdog. Visit this site and select the $6 coupon.

This is the coupon fine print:
Save $6 on the Other White Meat when you purchase any 13.5lb or larger Kingsford or Kingsford Match Light Charcoal and one (1) of the following participating brands: Ball Park, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, Glad Product, KC Masterpiece Product, Vlasic Pickles or Relish.

The coupon does not expire until 12/31/09 and I was able to print multiple coupons and didn't have to sign up for anything.

*I first learned about this deal at Money Saving Mom.

Most stores (except Wal-Mart) have Kingsford Charcoal advertised on sale for $6.99 and pork on sale starting at $1.39/lb for spareribs. I think I'll be doing this deal at Publix. It turns out their pork is All-Natural (don't really know what that means, but it sounds promising). And they have Gad Cling-Wrap for $1. I'll have a more detailed scenario at a later post.

Sunday Reflections

There is always a great deal out there. This can be a problem, especially for busy people. Time spent hunting for bargains gets sacrificed for other priorities. Frustration turns into guilt; guilt into defeat. Then defeat pushes us back to square one -not saving money.

I've been struggling with this pattern for a while until I realized something... there is always a great deal out there. If for this week, no gas was spent driving to the store, that's ok. And so what if the whole world got to enjoy 31-cent Scoop Night at Baskin and Robbins? We can wait and go to TCBY on Wednesdays for a 99-cent waffle cone (delicious and a huge serving by the way).

I love the verse, "For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance." - Matthew 25:25. It's about the story of the master who gave his servants some large amounts of money and how two of the three doubled what they were given. The third one didn't do anything with his portion. Of course the master was none too pleased with this one. While I don't believe this verse is a magic formula or am I preaching some prosperity gospel, I do hold on to this promise. It is my 100% "money back" guarantee that God sees all the hard work we are doing. He knows that we strive to improve our situation. So if we take a break once in a while, it's not a big deal. Give the rest of the world time to catch up with us.

No telling what perspective gets straightened out around here with a cup of hot tea and two kids napping! After all God knows all our needs. If we patiently wait on Him, who knows what amazing deals we'll stumble upon.

"And my God will meet all you needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." - Phil 4:19

CVS Super Shopping

Since my birthday was Tuesday, May 20, most of my shopping was done Monday night. CVS was among my stops. I ended up doing two transactions.

First Transaction:
4 Orville Red. Popcorn(used two $0.40 off and two $0.50 off coupons),$8.20
2 Dry Idea Deodorants (used two $2 off coupons), $1
Paid $9.58 on my EBT card
Got $5 and $2 ECBs

Second Transaction:
4 Dry Idea Deodorants (used four $2 off coupons), $2
1 Aveeno Baby Sunscreen plus FREE Moisturizer Sample (used $1.50 couponn), $7.49
Used $5 ECB from above and $4 from last week
Paid $1.24 with tax and
Got $4 ECB and saved the $2 ECB from above for next week!

*It was so quiet there that night at the Innerarity Point CVS. I was able to chit-chat with the cashier and manager. The teenager cashier was so impressed with my savings, the manager couldn't help tell her which blog I get the deals from. She beat me to the punch! By the way that site is: www.iheartcvs.com

Winn-Dixie Super Shopping

Since my birthday was Tuesday, May 20, most of my shopping was done Monday night. Winn-Dixie was among my stops. And with the great Kraft coupons from here I was able to snag awesome deals! The P&G coupons from May 3rd's Sunday insert came in very handy too. I was able to use these for the P&G Free Dustbuster Rebate.




This is what I ended up buying for $17.56:
2 Capri Sun Sunrise (used 2 $1 off coupons), $3.50
4 Kraft Deluxe Mac n Cheese (used four $1 off coupons and BOGO sale), $1
2 Planters honey Roasted Peanuts (used two $1 off coupons and BOGO sale), $1.79
2 Toufayan Pita bread, $2
2 Nature's Own Whitewheat Bread (BOGO Sale), $2.69
2 Glade Aerosol Spray (used $1 off 2 coupon), $0.28
1 Glade Scented Candle and holder, $0.99
1 Gallon Milk, $2.99
3-pack Listerine Mints, $2.44
4 Mr. Clean Erasers (used 2 BOGO and two $0.75 coupons), $2.12
4 Mr. Clean Liquid Cleaner (used 2 BOGO coupons), $3.42
2 Febreze Noticeable Kits (used two $4 off coupons), FREE + $0.02 overage
1 Febreze Aerosol Spray (used $0.50 coupon), $2
2 Kraft BBQ Sauce (used $1 coupon), FREE + $0.24 overage

Subtotal:$97.93 (before any discounts)
Subtotal: $25.26 (after coupons and sales)
Minus: $10 off $50 coupon
Tax: $2.30
Total: $17.56 plus FREE Dustbuster after Rebate
That's 82% Savings!

Update- Free Dustbuster with $30 P&G Purchase

Remember the P&G Free Dustbuster Deal I posted? Well, I was able to buy the P&G items to qualify for the Rebate...

This is what I ended up buying:

4 Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, $2.50 each

Used 2 BOGO coupons (from last week's paper, 5/3 PG)

Use 2 $0.75 off 1 (from a mail-in coupon book)

4 Mr. Clean Liquid Household Cleaner, $2.50 each
Use 2 BOGO coupons (from last week's paper, 5/3 PG)

2 Febreeze Noticeables Kit, $3.99 each, clearance
Use 2 $4 off 1 coupons (from last week's paper, 5/3 PG)

1 Febreze Aerosol Spray, $2.50

Used $0.50 coupon (from a mail-in coupon book)

Subtotal: $30.48
Minus coupons: $20

Total: $10.48

*The Free Dustbuster Rebate Form printed. Since my total was at least $30 before coupons, I qualified for the Rebate. That's why coupons are cool! And I had a $10 off $50 purchase coupon too so I just bought other stuff and used it. $17.56 was actual my total. I would have spent $97.93 but saved $80.37 in coupons, sales, and clearance. That's 82% savings.

Food World Deals, May 20-May26

Please check the weekly ads here to see what products to purchase that you may have coupons for. Scroll down to locate Pensacola Food World stores. They can be pricey so I try to shop only for sales. Meats like split chicken breast and porkchops are usually a great deal there. Remember that Wal-Mart will price match Food World's sale price so you can get these there instead.

$1.39/lb Pork Spare Ribs
$1.59/lb Pork Boston Butt
$1.99/lb Boston Butt Pork Steaks or Strips
$1.99/lb Fresh Ground Chuck Beef, Family Pack
$1.79/lb Assorted Pork Chops, family pack
$1.99/lb Bonelss Pork Sirloin Chops
$4.99/lb Raw Shrimp, 41-50 count
$4.99/lb Cooked Shrimp, peeled and devined, 31-40 count

$3.99 Kingsford Charcoal Briquets

$0.99/lb Vine Ripe Tomatoes
$1.29/lb Zucchini or Squash or Green Beans
$1.99/lb Peaches

$2 Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage 14-16 oz
$2.50 Hormel Black Label Bacon, regular or low salt, 16 oz
$2.50 Johnsonville Smoked Brats or Beef Franks, 14-16 oz
$0.99 Hormel Little Sizzlers, frozen, 12oz
$1.99 Gwaltney Bacon, 12 oz
$0.99 Gwaltney Great Dogs or Bologna, 12 oz
$0.99 Bar-S Weiners or Bologna, 12 oz

$0.99 Breakstone's Sour Cream, 16 oz
$2 Simply Lemonade
$2 Dole Juice Blends
$2.50 Minute Maid Orange Juice
$2 Cool Whip Aerosol Topping
$2 Wheat Thins or Triscuits
$2.50 Planters Peanuts, 16 oz
$1 Jell-O Gelatins or Pudding Mix

$2 A1 Marinades, 16 oz
$2.99 A1 Steak Sauce 10 oz
$1.50 Bulls-eye BBQ Sauce, 16 oz
$1.50 Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce, 19 oz
$1.50 French's Mustard, 20 oz
$1 Knorr Side Dishes

$2 Dixie and Vanity Fair Plates or Bowls, 18-48 count

Publix Deals May 20- May 26

Below you will find lots of items on sale at Publix. You can view the ad on their website

Some tips for shopping at Publix:
*When you see an item is BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) make sure you remember to pick-up 2 items. They will charge you the same price whether you get one or two things.
*Also, Publix accepts store coupons from other area grocery stores (like Winn-Dixie and Food World). Some Publix stores out-of-town accepts Target coupons. I'm praying our Publix will accept them too someday soon!
*For the Orange Beach store, check out the Islander Magazine by customer service. There is a $5 off $50 coupon for that Publix.
*Lots of coupon booklets are also near customer service.



Here are the deals for May 20-May 26

$1.99/lb Pork Spareribs or Assorted Pork Chpos,
$1.79/lb Boston Butt Pork Roast
*Publix Pork is all natural!
BOGO Contessa Shrimp, 10-12 oz ($3.40 each)

BOGO Arnold Select Rolls, French or Italian ($1.70 each)
$0.89 Publix Enriched Sliced Buns, Hot Dogs or Hamburgers, 8 count (Limit 4)
$0.99/lb Vine Ripe Tomatoes
$2 Publix Salad Blend, 5-12 oz
$0.50 Cucumber, each
$1.99/lb Okra
$2 Athena Cantaloupe, each

$1.25 Philly Cream Cheese, 8oz brick
$1.25 Breakstone's Sour Cream, 16 oz
BOGO Kraft American Cheese Singles, 12 oz ($1.35 each)
BOGO Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dip ($1 each)
BOGO Popsicle Ice Pops, 21.6-39.6 oz ($2 each)

BOGO Quaker Instant Grits, 12 pack, 12 oz ($1.43 each, qualifies for WIC)
BOGO Aunt Jemima Syrup, 24 oz ($1.95 each)
BOGO Lender's Bagels, 6 count ($1.08 each)
BOGO Publix Bagels, 4 count ($0.83 each)
BOGO Aunt Jemima's Breakfast Entrees ($0.90 each)
BOGO Kellogg's Pop Tarts, 8 count ($1.23 each)
*Buy the Pop Tarts with the Star Trek Free Movie Logo on them. Buy 5 Pop Tarts Get 1 FREE movie ticket by mail. Each household may send in for up to 5 Free tickets!
$1.99 Kellogg's Cereal, select kids' cereal or cereal straws
*Buy 3 Kellogg's Cereal 8oz or more, Get 1 Gallon Publix Milk Free (clip coupon in ad)
*Publix milk is all natural and doesn't have certain hormones. (It is not organic. They do sell organic also by the gallon).

BOGO Mueller's Pasta, 12 or 16 oz ($1.15 each)
BOGO Ragu Pasta Sauce, 16 to 26.3 oz ($1.32 each)
BOGO Near East Rice Pilaf or Couscous ($1.10 each)
BOGO Bush's Baked Beans or Grillin', 22 or 28 oz ($1.19 each)
BOGO Kraft or Seven Seas Salad Dressing ($1.54 each)
BOGO Kraft BBQ Sauce, 16.25 to 28 oz ($0.88 each)
BOGO Mt. Olive Pickles, 16-46 oz ($1.40 each)

BOGO Nabisco Baked Snack Crackers, or Wheat Crackers, 7 to 10 oz ($1.80 each)
BOGO Goldfish Snack Crackers or Grahams, 6.6 to 8 oz ($1.10 each)

$3.99 Clorox2 Stain Fighter and Color Booster, 33 oz or 2x bottle

Winn-Dixie Deals, May 20- May 26

I enjoy shopping at Winn-Dixie for sales and coupon hunts and to use WIC checks. Sometimes I just go through the aisles to look for coupons and get a couple of each. They have blinkies (coupon dispenser), peelies (peel off the actual product package), tearpads, and little recipe booklets with coupons. These are usually manufacturers coupons so you can use them at other stores like Walmart or Publix. I wait until the items on the coupons goes on sale BOGO for extra savings.

*WIC Alert: Kraft Block Cheese and Special K Cereal are BOGO.
Just double the amount of cheese blocks and cereal boxes you normally get and use the WIC coupons as usual. The register automatically adjusts the prices (the free item rings up $0).

$0.99/lb Fresh Split Chicken Breast
$1.99/lb Fresh Ground Beef, any size
40% off Steak Sale, look below:
$2.87/lb Chuck, Bottom Round, Top Round, Cubed, Sirloin Tip, Chuck Tender (all boneless steaks)
$3.11/lb Boneless Eye Round Steak
$2.39/lb Bone-In Chuck Steaks
$2.63 Boness Round Steaks
$3.59 Boneless Chuck Eye Steaks

$0.20 each Fresh Corn in the Husk
$1.50 Mushroom, 80z
$1.99/lb Peaches
2/$0.99 Cucumbers
$2.99/lb Fresh Red Cherries
$1 Frozen Bird's Eye Vegetables, even Steamfresh, 12-16 oz
BOGO Arnold 100% Whole Wheat or 12 Grain, 24 oz ($1.85 each)
BOGO Sara Lee Hot dog, Hamburger Buns,, 8 count ($1.40 each)

BOGO Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip,24 squeeze or 32 oz bottle ($2.50 each)
BOGO Bull's Eye BBQ Sauce, 18 oz ($2.50 each)
$2.50 A1 Steak Sauce or Marinades, 10 or 16 oz
$0.88 Kraft BBQ Sauce, 18 oz
$1.77 Kraft Salad Dressing, 14-16 oz
3/$5 Ragu Pasta Sauce, 26 oz ($1.67 each)
$1 Barilla Pasta, 13.25-16 oz, not lasagna (includes Whole Wheat)

BOGO Ball Park Franks, 14-16 oz, Turkey or Original ($1.50 each)
BOGO Kraft Cheese, 6-8oz, blocks, shreds, crumbles ($1.85 each)
$1.50 Kraft American singles, selected variety, 10.7-12 oz
BOGO Oscar Mayer Combo Variety Pack, 16 oz ($2.30 each)
BOGO Eckrich Lunchmeat, 12 oz ($2.15 each)
BOGO Eckrich Beef Bologna, Smok-y Breakfast Sausage ($1.50 each)

$1 Breakstone's Sour Cream, 16 oz
$1.25 Philly Cream Cheese, 8oz brick
$1 Breakstone's Cottage Doubles, 5.5 oz
$2 Cool Whip aerosol, 7oz

*Other items were on clearance. I went to the Innerarity store and found these:
$0.64 or $0.99 some Glade aerosol sprays
$1.74 some Glade Refills, different kinds, even scented oil candles
$3.99 some Febreze Noticeables Kit
$1.74 Clorox Green Works Spray
$3.99 Cascade Complete Bleach Dishwasher Detergent, 75 oz

Wal-Mart Price Match, Sales for May 20- May 26

*There will be no coupon inserts in the Sunday paper because of Memorial Day Weekend. Go here to see what coupons inserts are appearing next Sunday.

Greer's 3-Day Sale (Good for Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
*Best Choice must be price-matched with Great Value. Both are store brands.
$2.98 Best Choice 24 Pack Bottled Water, 16.9 oz each,
$4.88 Kingsford Charcoal 9 lb ,regular or mesquite,
$1.18/lb Peaches
$1.68/lb Fresh Ground Beef
$1.88/lb Whole Pork Butt Tenderloins
$1.38/lb Fresh Pork Boston Butt
$1.68/lb Country-Style Pork Ribs or Pork Steaks, Family Pack
$2 Best Choice Pure Vegetable Oil, 48 oz.
$0.78 8 Count Hotdog Buns or Hamburger Buns (price-match with Great Value Breads)

Barnes Sale
$0.69 Hunts Ketchup, 24 oz (with $25 purchase)
$0.69 Sauer's Mayo, 32 oz (with $25 purchase, Wal-Mart may or not carry this brand)
$4.89 10 lb bag of Fresh Chicken Leg Quarters
$1.49/lb Pork Spare Ribs, Vac-Pac

$2 Minute Maid Orange juice, 64-128 oz
$0.50 Van Camps Pork and Beans, 15 oz can
$1.25 Lawry's Marinade, 12 oz bottle
$0.99/lb Roma Tomatoes
$1.25 Chex Mix or Bugle Snacks, 7.5-8.75 oz
$1.50 Bush's Beans, Best Baked or Grillin', 28oz
$1.50 Vlassic Pickles, 16-24 oz
$1.50 Wishbone Salad Dressing, 7-16 oz
$1.25 French's Mustard, 20 oz

$2.50 Jell-O Pudding or Gelatin, 6 pack, refrigerated
$2.50 Blue Bunny Ice Cream Squares, 56 oz package
10/$3 Blue Bell Ice Cream, 1/2 gallon, or $3.33

$1.50 Glass Plus Window Cleaner, 32 oz
$1.67 Clorox Liquid Bleach, 82-96 oz

This Week's Bargains

This week I was able to find a few good deals. Everything here cost $12.38 for 29 items. That's only $0.43 each!

Savings like these are not uncommon. Check out these sites for other frugalista shoppers: www.moneysavingmom.com and www.thethriftymama.com

*At Winn-Dixie
BOGO Crystal Light ($3.59 for 2)
Wheat Thins, $3.59 each
Used BOGO Wheat Thins coupon
Used two $2 off when you buy Wheat Thins and Crystal Light
Used $2 off 2 Crystal Light
Paid $1.18 or $0.30 each!




*At Winn-Dixie:
Bought 2 BBQ Sauce, $0.88 each
Used two $1 off 1 coupons (printable)
2 FREE plus $0.24 overage


*At Wal-Mart
Bought 4 Salad Dressing, $1.50 each (price-match Barnes ad)
Used one $1.50 off 1 coupon (from last Sunday's paper, 5/3)
Used three $1 off 1 coupons (printable)
Bought A1 Sauce, $2.98
Used $2 off 1 coupon (from 5/3)
Paid $2.48 for 5 bottles or $0.50 each!



*At Walmart
Glade Lasting Impressions, $5
Glade Candle Holder, $2
Used Get one FREE coupon
Used three $2 off 1 Candle Holder
FREE with coupons!


(Someone left the FREE Last. Impressions coupon on the shelf. Thank you whoever you are! And the $2 off Candle holder coupons were found in the box of others I bought before.)


*Also at Wal-Mart
Thanks www.hip2save.com for the posting Walmart deals!

Bought 4 Wheat Thins, $2 each
Bought 4 Crystal Light, $1.97 each
Used 2 BOGO Artisan Wheat Thins coupons (from Sunday paper ?)
Used two $1 off 1, and $2 off 1 coupons for Crystal Light (printable)
Used a $1 off 1 Wheat Thins (printable)
Paid $6.88 or $0.86 each

(I had two $2 off when you buy 1 Wheat Thins and 1 Crystal Light but they would not accept it because it was the wrong size for the Wheat Thins. But tomorrow I think I will try to use two $1 off 2Wheat Thins. That should take my out of pocket cost to $4.88 or $0.61 each.)



*At Target
Bought 4 Kraft 2% Natural Cheese, on sale $1.52 each
Used two $1 off 2 Kraft Target coupons (printable)
Used two $1 off 2 Kraft Manufacturer's coupons (printable)
Paid $2.08 or $0.52 each!

This cheese is at least $3 when not on sale.

Barnes Deals, May 13- May 19

Barnes is a supermarket off Pace Blvd and another off 9th Ave. They have great deals on meats and produce. I have not been there but I use their weekly sales ad to price-match at Wal-Mart.

$1.99/lb Angus Beef Shoulder Roast (stock-up deal!)
$0.50 each Green Bell Peppers
$0.50 each Cucumbers
$1.99/ 3 lb bag of Yellow or Vidalia Onions
$1 Flavorite Southern Veggies, 16 oz (turnips, collards, mustard greens, okra)
*Flavorite is a store brand name so to price-match, buy Great-Value (Wal-Mart's store brand).

$1.50 Kraft Salad Dressing, 14-16 oz (FREE with $1.50 coupon from last Sunday)
$1 Flavorite Shredded Cheese, 8oz.
$1.50 Flavorite American cheese singles, 12 oz.
$1 Minute Maid -Ades or Punch, 64 oz Refrigerated juice
4/$7 for 12pack Coke (that's $1.75 each 12 pack!)
$2.50 Tropicana Orange Juice, 64 oz
$2 Jello pudding or gelatin, 6 pack
$2 Dannon 4pack Activa or Danactive

$4 Gain 2x Liquid Detergent, 50 oz.

Free Dustbuster with $30 P&G Purchase

Winn-Dixie has a neat little deal going on:
Buy $30 of Procter and Gamble Products, Receive Free Dust Buster by Mail
If you have lots of coupons left or just really need a dustbuster like I do this may be worth it. Just make sure you send in the rebate form right away.

Here are some items on sale-
$6.99 Charmin, 6 Mega, 12 Big, 24 Regular rolls
$9.99 Bounty, 8 pack, giant roll
$9.99 Pampers jumbo diapers, easy-ups, underjams 17-56 count
$5.99 Tide 2x Liquid Laundry detergent 24-32 load, powder 3-40 load
$2.50 Mr. Clean, 2 count Magic Eraser; 32-40 oz Liquid Household Cleaner

A listing of Procter and Gamble Products can be found at www.pg.com/common/product_sitemap.shtml

My deal scenario is this:

Buy 4 Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, $2.50 each

Use 2 BOGO coupons (from last week's paper, 5/3 PG)

Use 2 $0.75 off 1 (from a mail-in coupon book)

Buy 4 Mr. Clean Liquid Household Cleaner, $2.50 each
Use 2 BOGO coupons (from last week's paper, 5/3 PG)
Use 2 $0.75 off 1 (from a mail-in coupon book)

Buy 2 Febreeze Noticeables Kit, $5.99 each
Use 2 $4 off 1 coupons (from last week's paper, 5/3 PG)

Subtotal: $31.98
Minus coupons: $21
Total: $10.98

So for $11 plus tax I can send in for a much needed DustBuster! Thst's already a 66% savings. I also have a $10 off $50 coupon. I'll just need to buy some deals from my earlier post totaling $18 before coupons.

Winn-Dixie Deals, Ma 13- May 17

*BOGO meats means buy one package and get another free. Just make sure both packages are about the same price. The price in ( ) is the cost of each item after buying 2.

40% Chicken Sale, some highlights:
$0.47/lb Chicken Leg Quarters, 10lb bag
$0.83/lb Whole Chicken
$0.99/lb Roasting Chicken

BOGO Bonelss Skinless Chicken Breasts ($2.25/lb)
BOGO Assorted Porkchops ($1.65/lb)
BOGO Dole Salad (coleslaw, classics, premium classics; $1.50 each)

BOGO Nature's Own Whitewheat Bread or 6ct Muffins ($1.80 each)
$1 Toufayan Pita Breads, 12 oz
$1 Barilla Pasta, including Whole Grains!
BOGO select Kellogg's Cereals
$3 all Kashi Cereals 10.4-17.5 oz
$1.25 Kellogg's 3 pack Pop-Tarts (clearance)
$1.99 Kellogg's Cereal Straws (clearance)
4/$10 select General Mills Cereals (Buy 4 and get a coupon for free 1 gallon milk)

$0.88 Kraft BBQ Sauce
$1 Powerade (Buy 10 and get 4 free)
BOGO Crystal Light 8 count ($1.80 each)
$2.50 Capri sun 10pack
BOGO Edy's Ice Cream ($2.95 each)
10/$5 Dannon Light and Fit Yogurt
BOGO Doritos
BOGO Orville Red. popcorn

$1 Colgate Toothpaste
$0.32 VO5 Shampoo, Conditioner (clearance)
$1.37 Colgate 2pack Toothbrush (clearance)
$0.79 Ivory Soap 3pack bar

Publix Deals May 13- May 19

The Publix ad has a full page of "Essentials". These are food staples at reasonable prices.

Essentials:
$2.89 Publix Gallon Milk (all natural and no R hormone)
$1.99 Publix Sweet Cream Btter, Salted/Unsalted (Limit 4)
$1.39 Kellogg's Eggo Waffles (Nutri-grain, Special K, original, Limit 4)
$0.99 Publix Dozen Eggs (Limit 4)
$1.99 Kellogg's Frosted Flakes 14 oz (Limit 4)
$1.99 Maxwell Coffee House, 11-11.5 oz brick bag (Limit 4)
$1.99 Ocean Spray Juice Cocktail, 64 0z (not 100% Cranberry)


$0.99/lb Vine Ripe Tomatoes
$0.79/lb Red Anjou Pears

$0.25 each Fresh Corn on the Cob

$1.99/4lbs Florida Oranges

$2.49/2lb bag of Salad Peppers

$2.50 Johnsonville Brats

$2.29/lb London Broil

$2.69 Boneless Chuck Roast

$2 Wesson Oil 48oz

BOGO Ken's Dressing 7-16 oz ($1.65 each)

BOGO Mc Cormick Grill Mates

BOGO Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Olive ($3.50 each)

BOGO Lawry's 30 Minute Marinade ($1.40 each)

$2.50 Arnold Whole Grains Bread

BOGO Mott's Apple Juice 64 0z (original, motts for tots, plus kid's health, plus light; $1.54 each)

BOGO select Kellogg's Cereal (frosted. unfrosted, little bite mini-wheats; smart start, raisin bran and crunch, corn flakes; $2.15 each)

BOGO Ritz Crackers ($1.90 each)

BOGO Keebler Snacks (club crackers & sandies shortbread cookies)

3/$5 Pillsbury Rolls (crescents, squares, twists, beadsticks, pizza crust, loaf)

$1.99 Stouffer's Entrees, Dinners or Side Dishes

BOGO Tombstone Pizza

BOGO Stouffer's Skillet Meal ($2.58 each)

$2.99 Publix 2x Detergent 50oz

BOGO Lysol Neutra Air ($1.80 each)

$5 CVS Challenge - May 10 - May 16

Three transaction scenarios to maximize a budget of $5 out of pocket expense:

Visit $5 CVS Challenge at Kingdom First Mom!

Deals:

Buy Bayer Breeze 2 or Contour Meter for $14.99, Get $5 ECB. Limit 2

Buy Crest Pro Health Enamel Shield toothpaste for $3.49, Get $2 ECB. Limit 2

Buy Bayer Quick Release Crystals for $2, Get $2 ECB. Limit 1

Buy Schick Quattro for Women for $8.99, Get $4 ECB. Limit 5

Buy $15 Nivea Body Wash, Lotion, or Cream, Get $5 ECB. Limit 1

Buy $10 Colgate Toothbrushes (starts at $1.99), Get$5 ECB. Limit 1

Transaction 1

buy 2 Bayer Breeze 2, $14.99 each

use 2 $30 off 1 coupons from 3/22 SS, (no overage on these coupons)

buy 1 Crest toothpaste

use $1 off 1 coupon from 5/3 PG

buy 1 Bayer Quick Release Crystals

use $1 off 1 tearpad coupon at the store

Pay $3.50 out of pocket

Get $14 ECB

Transaction 2

buy 3 Schick Quattro for Women

use 3 $4 off 1 coupons from 4/26 SS

use $14 ECB from Transaction 1

Pay $1 out of pocket

Get $12 ECB

Transaction 3

buy Nivea Sun-Kissed Legs lotion, $8.99

buy Nivea Body Wash, $6.29

subtotal is $15.38

use coupon: Buy Sun Kissed Lotion Get Body Wash Free, 5/10 RP

use $2 off 1 Nivea, 4/5 RP

buy 4 Colgate Toothbrushes, $1.99 each

buy 1 Colgate Toothbrush, $2.54

use 5 $1 off 1 coupons 4/26 SS

use $12 ECB from Transaction 2

Pay $.50 out of pocket

Get $10 ECB for next week!

Grand Total $5 out of pocket!

View other scenarios at Surviving the Stores, Money Saving Mom, Hip2Save, and The Thrifty Mama.

* I may skip CVS this week because I have not found coupons for these deals. Our newspaper carries coupons but we sometimes don't have all the coupons other cities get. And thanks to Hip2Save for coupon match-ups.

Kmart doubles PG Brand Coupons

Sunday's Redplum instert has a Kmart ad which reads, "Two smart ways to save: Double your P&G brandSaver coupons + Get a $10 Kmart Gift Card by mail when you buy $35 worth of P&G items." (It said, "See store for rebate details.")



Here is the fine print info:

1. Up to $2 in value.

2. Amount of doubling cannot exceed current retail price of a single item.

3. No cash or credit will be awarded for any amount exceeding the retail price of thte item.

4. Limit one coupon per item.

5. Only one coupon will be doubled per item.

6. You may only purchase 4 of the same item using double coupons.

7. Coupons do not apply to sales tax.

8. Limit of 75 coupons per customer per day.

9. Sales tax not included in the $35 purchase.

They really make us work hard for the money! But I don't mind. My Kmart has not doubled coupons since forever. And this is a start. Plus the $10 Gift Card is a sweet deal too. I have the P&G Year of Savings coupon booklet. It's full of $1 off coupons for Tide, Bounce, Bounty, Charmin, etc. The newspaper usually only has these coupons for $0.25 or $0.35.

My CVS Shopping Trip

Great CVS trip morning! This time, I went after Church. And the kids went to the beach with Daddy for a quick fishing trip. (The beach is only a minute away from CVS!) I munched on a (free) granola bar before shopping for extra energy. And it paid off!

All-in-all, I paid $9.37 out of pocket, since I used EBT to pay for the food. When buying food with EBT, I still get extra care bucks (ECB). I use the ECB to pay for non-food items. That’s how I got Aveeno for so cheap.

Without EBT, my total is $32.86. Cost without any coupons or savings is $119.86. With $4 ECB for later, I really only paid $5.37. That’s 96% savings! I only need $3 for the Swiffer Refill Rebate. When I get $5 back from that, the cost of this trip would only be… $0.37!!!

Transaction 1:

Was supposed to pay $20.50
Ended up paying $23.49
Still got $15 ECB back

*$1 coupons on the box were expired! So I couldn't use them. That's ok. These sodas would be nice to bring to BBQ's and picnics.


Transaction 2:



















Was supposed to pay only tax,
Ended up paying $2.26
Still got $10 ECB

*I found no Aveeno coupons in the newspaper; the small lotion was $3.49 so I only needed one. My out of pocket was cheaper than the small lotion!


Transaction 3:

Was supposed to pay $1.97 plus tax
Ended up paying $0.80
Got $9 ECB from Addidas

*Addidas deodorants had $1 on them, I bought 3. No more $1.25 deodorants. I did get one last week. Also got 2- 24ct CVS Ibuprofen on sale BOGO. And I had $1.50 off CVS brand pain medicine.


Transaction 4:














I had to buy the rest in another transaction.
Ended up paying $6.31
Got $4 ECB

*Besides Colgate and Swiffer, I also got 2 Listerine Total Care, $3.49 each, used $4 in coupons


To learn more about the CVS shopping strategies, deals, and just about being frugal, go to Money Saving Mom.

My CVS Shopping Plan for May 3, 09

I usually stop by CVS on Sunday mornings after Church. I find all I need, nothing is out of stock. And most people are at home or Church so hardly anybody else is shopping. I’ve become acquainted with the employees. They are used to me doing 4 transactions at a time trying to get all my ECBs!

For this week, I am planning 4 transactions. I might do separate trips or just buy them on one trip.

Transaction 1: Pay $20.50 out of pocket , Get $15 ECBs back
Sale: Kellogs 3 for $10, Get $5 by 3
Buy 3, use 3- $1 off coupons
Special K, Frosted Flakes, Frosted Mini-Wheats
Subtotal: $7 (After coupons)

Sale: Coke and Mars products, Get $10 ECB wyb $20
Buy 1 Mars Mini Mix, $5
Buy 6 Vitamin Water, $8
Use 3 BOGO*
and 3 $0.50 coupons from this website
*(Got BOGO coupons from Save Money, Save the Planet booklet at Publix)

Buy 2 Coke 12-pk, $8
Use 2 $1 coupons on box

Subtotal for Coke and Mars: $13.50 (After coupons)
Total:$20.50
Get $15 ECBs
**************

Transaction 2: Pay only tax, Get $0 ECBs
Sale: Aveeno, Get $10 ECB wyb $25
Buy 1Aveeno Ageless Lotion, $8.99
Buy 2 Aveeno Hair Care, $6.45 on sale
Buy 2 Aveeno lotion, smallest size, $2.52
Use $10 ECB from Coke
Use $5 from Kellogs
Use $3 ECB from last week
Use $3 off $10 Hair Care purchase, CVS coupon
Use 2- $1.50 Aveeno Hair Care coupons, each (in 5/3 PG insert)
Use $2 Aveeno Ageless, internet coupon
Use $1.50 off 2 Aveeno coupon

Subtotal: $26.93 plus tax
After coupons: $0! Just pay tax
Get $10 ECBs
Profit of $5.57!
****************

Transaction 3: Pay $1.97 plus tax, get $10 ECB, and Swiffer Rebate
Sale: Addidas $3.99 (Get $3ECB)
Buy 2 deodorants on sale, $1.25 each
Use $1 coupon (I only have 1)

Sale: Colgate Max (Get $2 ECB)
Buy 2- $2.99 each
Use 2- $1 coupons
Swiffer Duster Refill, $7.49*
Use $1 coupon

Subtotal: $11.97
Use $10 ECB from Aveeno
After Coupons: $1.97 plus tax!
Get $10 ECBs
*This qualifies for the Swiffer Rebate: Buy $10 get $5


Whew! Saving money takes some work.
To learn more about the CVS shopping strategies, deals, and just about being frugal, go to Money Saving Mom.