MARCH MMMMMMADNESSSSS!

So, I realize it is a little late in the game, but better late than never, right?! I went to the store a couple weeks ago and came back with SO much stuff, more than what I'd pay for it and crazy savings. I said I wouldn't go back because I had no where to put anything else and had plenty, but I went back for more freebies (love that free pasta!!! (It will keep for a year or more!)

So, here are just a few of the deals that you still have time to take advantage of. The best deals are seeming to be from the March Madness Cart Buster Event at Kroger. With already crazy low prices, they are taking an additional $5 when you buy in increments of 10. They also have a pretty nifty instant win game on their website. I will put a * by those items, so you know which can be mixed/matched. Some items have coupons out, some have catalina's that will print when you buy a certain amount, and some are just really good stock up prices. I apologize for not having the info about where the coupons are from (most are going to be MFR coupons from ad inserts) but there are tons of sites for that info. I will list those at the bottom of the blog. The price listed is reflective of the $5 taken off at the end from buying in increments of 10. Ok, so here goes:

*Post Fruity Pebble or Cocoa Pebble cereal snack bars $1.99
$1/1 Pebbles snack bars (might have been .50 and doubled, not sure, sorry!)
Final price: $.99 each

*2 liters of Coke Products: $.89 each

*Nestle 24pk Bottled water $2.79
Buy 4, get a $5 catalina for your next transaction
I didn't have any coupons for this, but we drink a lot of bottled water here, so with the cat. deal it was a great buy.
Final Price: $1.54 each wyb 4 cases, after $5 catalina.

*Pedigree 3.5-4.5 lb bags of dry dog food $3.99
$3 coupon (says $3 off 3.5-4.5 lb bags of pedigree food for dogs)
Final Price: $.99 each

*Ronzoni Pasta-Healthy Harvest (wheat), Smart Taste (enriched white) or Garden Delight (Veggie) .49 each
$1/2 coupon for each variety from an insert, sorry can't remember which one)
Also a printable coupon for each is available here. Don't forget once they print, to hit the back button and print them all a 2nd time.
Final Price: Free or possible $.01 money maker each!!!

*Sunny D $.99 each
$.25 coupon that doubles
Final Price, $.49 each

*Dole Fruit Crisp (2pk) $1.49
$.50/1 coupon that doubles to $1
Final Price: $.49 each

Annie's Natural Maccaroni and Cheese, .49
No coupons, but still a great stockup price on organic mac n cheese
(FYI, it tastes yummy!)

*Kraft American Singles (16 ct.) $1.99
$.55 coupon that doubles to $1.10
Final price: $.89 each

*Danimals or Dananino Yogurt $1.49
$1/1 danimals or danonino
Final Price: $.49 for a 6pk

*French's Spicy Mustard $1.19 each
.50/1 coupon that doubles to $1
Final Price: $.19 each

*Kraft Salad Dressing $1.49

*Philadelphia cooking Creme $1.99
$1.50/1 coupon (Also I didn't see any, but there are rumored to be $1/ chicken wyb the cooking creme. You can use them both together and save more!!)
Final Price: $.49 each

Jello Temptations $2.89 (3pk)(NOT part of the mega sale)
(I had internet printables for $1.50 off each x 3, if you have them too, use them!!!)
Catalina deal- through 3/27
wyb 2, save $1
wyb 3, save $2
wyb 4, save $3
Final Price:Varies (possibly as low as $2.56 for all 4, after Catalina)



ALSO

Here is a list of the current Catalina deals, thanks to the Krazy Coupon Lady. Catalina's are a great way to get items that are more expensive that you don't have coupons for, like meat or fresh produce. This is especially fun, if your coupons make an item very cheap or free, and then a catalina coupon prints, you can do a 2nd transaction with meat/fruit/etc and drop that price out of pocket down as well.

Also you can go here for her matchups.

Or if you are in the Memphis area, also check out My Memphis Mommy.

Another helpful site is Weusecoupons.com They have a forum (rather than a blog) that is searchable and you can find just about any info for any store or if there is a coupon out there for an item you need. They are all very helpful especially if you are new to couponing.


Also, if you are new to this and/or don't have time to clip them, you can actually order just the coupons you are looking for. The *hot* coupons, usually for the free items, tend to go very quickly, and if you need to have them deal asap you will often have a hard time getting them in time. If you are in the Memphis area and need to order some, I highly recommend these guys- "We clip u save" I didn't have the Pedigree dog food coupons, but I ordered them on Wednesday and the arrived yesterday morning. They are a business based out of Waynesboro, TN, and they are super fast and easy to use!

HEY YOU!!!! (Yes, you)

LOL. I think I could put up a picture and that would probably be enough, but I have to share some of the deals I got. I have to admit this has taken me about the better part of a day, when you totaled all my time up together...but I had weeks worth of coupons to clip and organize, I spent about 1-2 hours checking ads and searching online and such and then about 3 hours shopping because I kept having to stop and feed the baby, rock him, or change him, etc throughout the day....

Even though that sounds like a lot of work, I will tell you that I spent a little less than $350, saved well over $600 (after that I lost track) and bought enough groceries to feed my family well for the next month and then some. Some things I got a year or more supply of-don't worry, they don't expire till summer of 2012! :D Keep in mind that before I started couponing I was spending 500-600 a month and eating only generic stuff and hardly any fresh fruits and veggies. This amount today included over $100 in meat and about $50 in fruits and veggies. I also got other staples, such as rice, cereal, whole grain and vegetable pasta, tea, and even some organic items. I bought "expensive" heart healthy whole grain bread and buns. I say this because all I was buying before was the cheapo .75 cent plain white bread. I also bought condiments, organic baby food, diapers and baby wash/lotion, bottled water, snacks and treats for the kids, and cokes (yes, I know, but diet cokes are a weakness of mine.) :D Most of these items are things I would not have been able to purchase regularly before I used coupons. It is worth it to me, to spend the whole 6 or 8 hours doing this, getting ready to shop a big trip like this. That's because I won't shop again for a whole month except to pick up maybe a couple gallons of milk in 2 weeks, and make weekly rounds to get any freebies I want from the drugstores.

I say all this to encourage you. There is a way to benefit from couponing on every level. If you are on a fixed income and/or are unable to work, this doesn't really take much strenuous energy to clip coupons and surf the internet for sales. I usually spend about 2 hours a week (over the course of the whole week off and on) reading other coupon blogs and hunting down bargains. This is what helps me score a lot of items for super cheap and free. All you need is the internet and a printer. :D

If you are like me, and you are busy but you stay at home with kids, this is a great way to "earn income." I look at like like my 2nd job. My first is of course being a homeschooling mama and taking care the 3 kids and the house. As you can imagine, I'm pretty busy, but I find 20 minutes here and there to do what I need to do. Sometimes it may take a while to get a "huge" (meaning 3-4 hours in one week) amount of clipping and bargain hunting done, but only when I am shopping for the whole month or more. Time is money and my time is worth a lot! But I do a little here and there, and it saves me hundreds every month. The more time you put into it the more you can save.

It is also a great way to save money if you are on government food assistance. I have personally been on food stamps before, so I know how hard it is to make that money stretch. My husband and I were just starting out and it was hard. After a while he got a better job and we were able to be independent of the assistance and to be honest, it was such a relief. One thing you can do to stretch your money while on assistance is to use coupons. You do (in some if not all states) have to pay sales tax on the coupon amount. But that is the same as anyone else who buys with coupons and does not pay with food stamps. I am not sure why you have to pay tax on these items since you would not otherwise, but it is totally worth it. Besides the sales tax, you can get several items for free or very cheap, meaning that is less money spent on your EBT card.
There are many Americans who are just above that line also. Just above that income amount to get the money and have a hard time buying the food and items they need on their own. These are who coupons can be life changing for. I have always been a sale shopper, especially with meat. I would see what types of meat were on sale, and I would buy several of them. Then the next week, I'd buy different items depending on the sale. But coupons help even more. Coupons can help you afford to buy items you could not normally afford, and often they are cheaper than generic store brand when you match the coupon with a sale. You could make it on your own, buying the store brand, cheapest quality meats and eating most canned veggies and fruits if any. But if you watch the sales, and know how to maximize your money, you can do two things that will change your life:

*You can stock up on those items, meaning you don't have to buy it again for an extended period of time (meaning that money can be spent on other bills and needs. I say life changing because when you are saving $300 a month or more, that frees up the money that you might need to keep that car running or buy the kids new clothes or whatever that need was that might been put on the back burner so you could eat.)
*You can afford to eat healthier, buying better leaner meats and more fresh produce and heart healthy foods, as well as treats, snacks, and quick/easy foods. I will come back to this point later...

What about the busy working mom? I have several friends that want to save money like I do, but they are hesitant-I don't have time do clip all these coupons and spend that much time doing this. I will offer some tips to saving time for you in a bit, but I want you to know you can do this too!!! You can benefit from coupons as little or as much as you put into it. If I saved over $600 from 8 hours worth the effort, that means I basically made over $75 an hour. Do you make that much? Now, I'm not telling you to quit your job and coupon 40 hours a week, lol. But say you have 1-2 hours spread out over the course of the week to devote to couponing. Over the course of the month you can still save $600. (Keep in mind that I said I only shop like that once a month, so it averages out. I will do small trips to the store for freebies and spend maybe an hour a week including driving time. But I won't be doing a big trip to shop like that again for a while.) If you only have maybe an hour to spend a week, there are things you can do to save your valuable time.
Practice the stockup method. When something that you use goes on sale for free or cheap, stock up. Buy as much as you will can use before it expires that you have a place to store (or until it will go on sale for free again), and you won't have to buy it again for a while. Once you get a stock of certain items not only will you not have to pay full price on them again, but you will cut out those last minute trips to the store because you didn't realize you were out of toilet paper.

1)If you are like me and have to clip all the coupons, get all the inserts together that match, line them up and staple them. Then, using scissors or a paper cutter, cut them all at once and immediately put them in the spot they go. This is what I have started doing and it helps SO much! It's great because i may only have 10 or 20 minutes here and there. So I will lay them all out at once, and staple them lined up at the right spot. Then if I have to stop to feed the baby or make a phone call, i can fold them up and come back to them later...no more big coupon messes all over the floor!!!
2)If you aren't so ocd organized about it, try filing them in a different way. Just about every coupon website (except my blog, sorry) lists the coupons by the insert and date they were sent out. So if it is found in the SS 1/14 insert, then it will almost always list that after the coupon on the list. You can just file the whole insert together (or the stapled matching insert pages if you have several of the same) in a file folder with the date. Then when you see the coupon you need, you can flip right to the ad and clip it. This saves you the time of clipping coupons you don't use.
3)A third option is to use a clipping service. If you just really don't have the time, you can use a coupon clipping service. You will pay a small amount per coupon (usually just a couple pennies, depending on the value). You are paying for the time it takes to clip the coupons, and their reimbursement of the cost of the papers in the first place. This requires a little bit of discipline because you have to do all your bargain hunting on the very first day (or the day before) of the sale. You may have to do it yourself and then get online and see if there are coupons to order that match what you want to buy. It will save you time clipping because they come to you already neat and clipped. No wasted piles of papers and no time spent cutting. But it take time to get them to you, and sometimes it may be on the last day of the sale. I have done this before (see the previous post in January where I used a clipping service for more info.) when I bought 30+ lean cuisines and green giant steamer veggies for 1/3 the normal price. I spent just a couple dollars and save ALOT. So that may be an option for you too.

So, hopefully all this will give you something to think about. As always, if you have any questions or input, leave me comments below!!!

ANOTHER HUGE HAUL!!! (woot)

So after a trip to Walgreens (for 2 things) and a major trip to Kroger, I came out having spent a bit less than $70 for all this!!!!

First I went to Walgreens and and got two of the Ponds 30 pack of Face Cleaning towlettes-regular price $6.49eac On sale through today they were buy one get one free, making them $3.25 each. I also had $1.50/1 coupons (2 of them), so for $3.50 plus tax I got 2 of the 30 packs! Score!!! Thanks to The Krazy Coupon Lady for this info!!!!


Then I headed on over to Kroger after doing about 30 minutes worth of matchups (checked the sales with my e coupons (both from Kroger's website and other online coupons I can scan to my card like Cellfire, etc) and saw what I had, and then matched the ones I had paper coupons for as well-my Kroger allows you to stack them, most in the Memphis area do.

Here's what I got:
2- 12 pk of DOUBLE ROLLS OF CHARMIN @5.99ea
2- 8 pack regular rolls of bounty @5.99ea
3 Boxes Honey Nut Cheerios @$2.18ea
4 Cinnamon Toast Crunch @$2.18ea
7 boxes of Fiberone Oats n chocolate Bars @$1.99ea (i think)
7 Totinos frozen pizzas @$1ea
14 Totinos Pizza rolls (15 count) @$1ea
2 Old El Paso Taco Shells @$1.19ea (plus they each had a peelie for a free seasoning)
2 Old El Paso Tortillas @$1.19ea
2 Old El Paso Fajita Seasoning @$1ea (which was free from the peelie)
2 Ortega Taco Seasoning @$.89ea
4 Old Spice Deodorant @$1.99ea
4 Old Spice Body Wash @$3ea
1 Schick Hydra Razor @$5.99
4 Butterfinger Snackerz @$.50ea
1 bag of Nestle egg candies @$3
(These were the sale prices, so you can get these prices even without any coupons)

Then came my e coupons, which I can't even tell you which of those I had-I know I had them for $3 off each tp, $3 off each paper towels, $1 off the nestle eggs, and I had them for the Snackerz, Totinos rolls, Totinos pizza, Old spice body wash, Old Spice deodorant, both the cereals, and the Fiberone bars.

I had manufacturer coupons for everything I bought pretty much.
I can't remember the break down of it, but I ended up getting these items completely free: the taco and fajita seasonings, the razor, the body wash, and the Butterfinger snackers. Everything else was just really cheap.

I had to do it in two separate transactions, (not including my purchase at Walgreens) but it ended up being around $65 for all that and I saved over $150
@ Kroger alone after plus card savings, coupons and double coupons !!!!

LAST CALL!!!

Ok, so I know it's late in the game but you still have time to hit up Kroger if you hurry!!

Here are just some of the deals I scored last night with an avg savings of 60%!!!

Colgate toothpaste (select varieties) 98cents
-.75cent coupon in Sunday 2/27 paper
.23cent toothpaste


Land O'lakes Margarine or Buttery spread $1each
-.50 coupon (doubles to $1)
FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch
On sale for $2.49 (when you buy any 10 participating items)
-$1/2 select General Mills Cereals
-.55 e-coupon

Kelloggs Crunchy Nut Cereal (oats or flakes) $2.50
-$1/1 coupon
$1.50


Kraft bbq sauce .69 cents (wyb 10 items)
I didn't have any coupons, but thats still a good deal

Kraft box Mac n cheese 5 pk $3.89
-$1 coupon that I printed online
$2.89 for 5 boxes


Chex mix $1.25 each
-.50/2 (doubles to $1)
.75 each wyb 2


Cutie Clementine Oranges $3.99 for 3lb bag, approx 10 oranges
-.55 coupon doubles to $1.10
$2.90


5lb bag red potatoes $1.99