Triples Trip #2

I know I'm over budget this month. It's been a long month, we've been busy and I'm tired and right now I'm just not going to worry about it. I guess in the course of the year I'm really not over budget but month by month I am.

Anyway, here's what I picked up tonight:



I spent: $36.56
And saved: $76.07

My big savings came because there were a lot of VIC savings this time around and not just coupons - chicken breasts are buy 1 get 2 free as are strawberries and trash bags were buy 2 get 3 free. Since these are all things we use a lot of I went ahead and got them even though it put me over budget for the month. Mostly because I feel that it will be a big savings next month so it's quite worth it.

Also, because I've signed up as an e-Vic customer I was alerted that there was a sale on Ball Park Franks for $0.99 a pack with a limit of 2. I used a $1.00/2 coupon from RP 3/14 and got each pack for $0.50.

As for other coupon savings:

Daisy Sour Cream
- regular price: $2.19/each
- sale price: 3/$5.00 or $1.67
- used 3 $0.60 off 1 coupons from S 3/28
- final price: FREE

Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner (hey, you gotta do it!)
- regular price: $2.69
- sale price: buy 1 get 1 free (though it was NOT displayed on the shelf)
- used 2 $0.75/1 coupons
- final price: FREE

Mini Wheats Little Bites
- regular price: $3.39
- sale price: buy 1 get 1 free
- used $1.00/1 coupon from RP 3/28
- final price: $0.70

For lots more match-ups check out the Grocery Game - she includes match-ups from this Sunday's paper which was very helpful for my trip today.

I'll post my week's menu tomorrow when I actually make one :) But I know this whatever I make I will use what I have in the pantry - I'm done grocery shopping for the week.

You Know You're Addicted To Coupons When...

(Just having some Friday fun).

1. The first e-mail you check is the specials at your favorite grocery store.

2. That is quickly followed by your favorite coupon match-up site to see what the best deals are.

3. You consider swinging by the grocery store on date night and just know your dear hubby (or wife) will understand!

4. Your 3-year-old doesn't miss the words "mommy's coupons" on a commercial and promptly points it out.

5. When you forget something at the house and need to go back for it your kids automatically assume that you forgot your coupons!

6. When your kids are playing grocery shopping they are sure to play couponing too.

7. You consider it good alone time to go to the grocery store.

8. You get a strange high from spending nothing and saving tons.

9. You are disappointed when the cashier doesn't have to call the manager to override your savings.

10. $25 left in your grocery budget means it's gonna be a good week - you can make it last and you are looking forward to the challenge :)

Harris Teeter Triples

I hate to admit that I wasn't thrilled with Harris Teeter's triple deals this week. Maybe it will be better when I check out the Grocery Game's match-ups tomorrow but using Southern Savers didn't really get me very far. I was excited about a few things only to find the HT I went in to didn't even carry the items! Weird.

This is what I got tonight:



I spent: $21.27
And saved: $42.16

That's pretty good! My best deals were not really sales and coupons but just lower priced items with good coupons.

Like the Chex
- retail price: $3.29
- used 5 $0.75 off 1 coupons from Coupons.com
- final price: $1.04 a box - just about my ideal price for cereal

Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls/Entrees/Omelets
- retail price: ranged from $3.29 to $3.45
- sale price: ranged from $2.89 to $3.15
- used 6 $0.75/1 coupons from RP 3/7
- final price: $0.64 to $0.90

Through links at Southern Savers I got coupons for:

Coffee-Mate Coffee Creamer
- retail price: $2.29
- used 2 $0.75/1 coupons
- final price: $0.04

Breakstone Sour Cream
- retail price: $1.99
- used 2 $0.60/1 coupons
- final price: $0.19

A few good deals to be had but I'm always hoping for more :) It's hard to compete with Giant's awesome deal this past week - so sad it's now over!

CVS And Giant Trip #3

If you haven't already heard CVS has some great deals on Pampers diapers this week! Even though I now have 2 potty training I am still using plenty of diapers for the 3rd and for night time so I am on the lookout for diaper deals like these!

Here's what I got:



I spent: $10.03
And saved: $19.94
And earned: $9.99 in Extra Care Bucks

Pampers Diapers
- retail price: $11.99
- sale price: $8.97
- used 2 $2.00 off coupons from PG 2/21
- for buying 2 packs I earned $6.00 in ECB's
- final price: $3.97/pack

Colgate Total Toothpaste
- retail price: $4.89
- sale price: $3.99
- used $1.00/1 coupon from S 3/7
- and earned: $3.99 in ECB's
- final price: $1.00 PROFIT!

I used my $8.00 ECB's from last week to lower my out-of-pocket expenses for today. For more match-up ideas head over to Southen Savers

And I couldn't avoid another trip to Giant :) I keep sharing in the hopes that you get some mix and match ideas of your own and head out to give it a try. I am certainly a visual learner and it is much easier for me to follow what someone else has done :)

Transaction #1:


Oh yes, more yogurt. We go through it around here pretty quick - almost a pack a day! You can imagine what that would be full price.

Instead I spent: $1.75
And saved: $19.55
And earned: $10.00 catalina - it printed just fine even through a cashier's line - they still have trouble scanning them though

I used 1 $0.80 off 2 coupon and 3 $0.40 off 1 coupons from Coupons.com
I also used a $0.55 off 2 coupon from GM 2/7

Transaction #2:


I spent: $1.94
And saved: $21.01
And earned: $10.00

Again I used mostly printable coupons from Coupons.com - $0.75/2 Brownies and 3 $0.50 off 1 cake mix and 1 icing coupons. The bread I picked up to be sure I went over $10 and so we had bread for tomorrow night's dinner :) Since the bread was $2.29 turns out I really did need to pick it up!

Okay, I promise no more Giant. After all, tomorrow begins triple coupons at Harris Teeter...

Menu Planning Monday 3/22

I guess you could say this week I'm being a tad lazy :) I'm going with recipes that we've used before and the family likes and mostly use ground beef. Hey, it was on sale at Harris Teeter this week so I have to use it :)

Monday: Chicken Broccoli Casserole (this one is the only new one this week and came out of TOH Mom's Best cookbook)

Tuesday: Mini Meat Loaves with Mashed Potatoes and Green beans (family favorite!)

Wednesday: Raviolis with Salad and Garlic Bread

Thursday: Shepherd's Pie

Friday: Date Night - I so can't wait!!

Saturday: Layered Enchilada Bake

Sunday: Hamburgers (Cheeseburgers) - we'll be grilling :)

I know I should come up with the menu through the end of the month but I'll hold off for now. It's triple coupon this week at Harris Teeter starting on Wednesday 3/24 so I don't yet know what I'll end up with and that could really stretch my dinner budget so that I don't have to eat as much out of my pantry as the month ends. Yea!

Harris Teeter This Week and Giant Trip #2

I don't intend to bore you with all my shopping trips but like to share the best deals I find and show you how I do it. Which is pretty much the purpose of the blog :) I figure if I can do it anyone can do it!

Like I said yesterday, Harris Teeter wasn't too exciting but I did manage a few good basics.



I spent: $42.25
And saved: $40.14

I used very few coupons this time - literally just 5 and 4 of them were the same - Mission Tortilla coupons from S 3/7.

My favorite deal this week was the ground beef. It was on sale for $1.47 a pound which is a great deal for me so I stocked up and bought the limit of 4 (2 I purchased earlier in the week).

But even better was the coupon from last week's paper (S 3/14) - it was a coupon for $1.50 off ground beef if you bought 2 Classico Spaghetti sauces. And since Classico was on sale buy 1 get 1 free this week I was able to buy 2 jars for $2.09 and get $1.50 off my ground beef! Can't beat that. Unfortunately I only had 1 copy - this was one of those coupons that were only in the Washington Post. I'm finding more and more of those so I'm going out of my way to get extra copies :)

I also headed back to Giant tonight for round 2 of their Catalina promotion. I stick to just 2 transactions a day for my sanity as well as for the cashiers :) For some reason the $10 coupons print just fine but they are not scanning and the cashier then has to take them and over ride them and put them in as cash. It's all weird and I hate to make them do it over and over. My cashier did it twice tonight and she was very pleasant and I thanked her for her help but I felt bad that it was so complicated for all of us.

Here's what I got tonight:

Transaction 1:


I spent: $2.61
And saved: $20.79
And earned: $10

Transaction 2:


I spent: $1.79
And saved: $19.75
And earned: $10

In both transactions I bought 1 extra item to be sure that my total was over $10. The Washington Post is my extra Sunday copy and in the second transaction I bought some paper baking cups so that I can actually make all the muffins I'm buying!

Almost all of the coupons I used were printable coupons from Coupons.com other than the $0.50/2 Green Giant Frozen Vegetables and they were from S 2/7 (only in the Washington Post though so I only had 2 of those).

Again, thanks to Moneywise Moms and the Grocery Game for my coupon match-ups this week.

Awesome Deals At Giant!

The deals were light at Harris Teeter this week which was good for me since I didn't want to spend much as I approach the end of the month and because Giant is having an amazing General Mills Catalina promotion.

Right now if you spend $20 on certain products you get $10 back. For all the match-ups head to Moneywise Moms.

Here's what I got tonight:

Transaction 1:

I spent: $10.92
And saved: $10.57
And earned: $10 Catalina back

I used 4 printable $0.50 Betty Crocker Muffin Mix coupons from HERE.
I used 1 printable $0.60 Bisquick coupon from HERE.
And $0.55/2 Toaster Strudles coupon from HERE.

Since the $20 is based on shelf price and not sale price it is very easy to hit the $20. For example the Toaster Strudles are actually $2.99 but on sale for $2.00 - you can buy 6 boxes and hit $18 towards your $20 goal while only spending $12. Adding coupons saves you even more.

Transaction 2:

I spent: $2.24
And saved: $20.05
And earned: $10 Catalina Coupon

I used 3 $0.80 off 2 coupons from Coupons.com which doubled to $1.60
I also used 1 $0.50 off cake mix and icing from Coupons.com which doubled to $1.00

In my second transaction I had to get an override because it's possible that all my items were free and I was only paying the tax so it's possible that you may have to add other items in to go over the $10 when you go back through but this is a great way to stock up on items you use every day! I know I will be going back several more times this week.

Thanks so much Moneywise Moms for the heads-up!!