Couponalicious: Mama Loves Coffee

Okay readers, I am super excited to share with you my latest adventure in couponing. I have swung a similiar deal like this one at Winn-Dixie before. What makes this deal different was that I used my last $5 off $30 Q! GASP, SHOCK, THE HORROR (too much?...Don't worry, I will be ordering more this afternoon)

Today, I did two transactions. I am so glad I checked the couponing pages this morning or I would have missed out on day one of this deal. Winn Dixie had all K-Cups on sale for $5.99 and they auto deducted $1 off each when you bought five. This is a good deal because most of the K-Cups run $8 plus for a box of 10-12 which is a little pricey. This is why I stock up people. Buy, Buy, Buy when the price is low, low, low!

Transaction #1: Buy 5 boxes (4) Starbucks and (1) New England.
Coupons used: $5/$30, (4) $1.50/1 SB Q, and $2/1 NE Q
Final Price: $12.26 OOP
Savings $38 (75% saved on transaction overall) 

Transaction #2: Buy 5 more boxes (4) Community Coffee and (1) New England
Coupons used: (2) $5/1 Community Q and (1) $2/1 NE Q
Final Price: 12.95 OOP
Savings $31 (70% saved on transaction overall) I totally would have saved more if I would have had another $5/30 Q. Kicking myself on that one.....

Overall, I am super excited to have my coffee stock pile back up. What makes this even better is that I got time to do it again! Nothing tastes better than good coffee at a super cheap price, right?

CVS Trip 3/16/14

Okay friends I am totally stoke to share with you the deal I swung at CVS this afternoon. It was a perfect storm of coupons let me tell ya!

I did two transactions that built off of one another because of the ECBs I earned (ECBs are CVS store coupons). The first deal focused on toilet paper.

I am so glad there was a toilet paper deal because my stock pile was almost gone! Gasp. Shock. Dismay. The promotion for this brand was when you buy $20 worth of the product you will get back $5 in ECBs. Earlier this week, I received an email coupon for $4 off $20 which was perfect for this deal. I almost used it yesterday, but I saw an ad preview and knew if I waited one more day my deal would be that much sweeter.

So here is what I did: I bought (3) at $6.99 each. I used my $4/$20 first and then an extra $5 worth of ECBs I had from an older transaction which were about to expire. Lastly, I topped off the transaction with (3) 75 cents off 1 Qs from today's SS insert. My initial OOP was $10.56, but I got back $5 in ECBs so my final cost was $5.56 for (3) 12 packs of TP (72% savings overall! Woot, Woot!)

On to transaction número dos which was all about diapers! Side note, I can't wait to stop buying these buggers! Soon knock on wood.

So as you can see in the ad, the promotion is get $10 in ECBs when you spend $30. In order to hit that $30 mark, I needed to buy four jumbo packs.

Here is what I did: I bought 4 and used my ECBs from transaction #1 and then a $5/$30 store Q I got from the magic coupon machine. Right there alone, I knocked off $10! It was like I got one of diaper packs for free with two coupons! Holla! Lastly, I added (4) $1.50/1 Qs from the 2/26 P&G insert. My initial OOP was $22.48, but just like transaction #1 I got ECBs---$10 to be exactly so my final OOP was $12.48 for 4 packs to diapers!! Ridiculousness. Never underestimate the power of a mom with a coupon! Am I right?

In the end, I got (3) packs of toilet paper and (4) packs of diapers for $18.04! I saved over $50. Time for me to begin my crazy super saver dance.

 I challenge you to go out and save on something this week. It doesn't matter on what. I can be big or small....just do it! After you have saved come back and let me know about it! Until next time, keep your life simple, but significant. XOXOXO

Walmart & Dollar Tree Freebies 3/15/14

It's that time again where I share with you some of the wheeling, dealing and "stealing" I did with my coupons! My first deal came from the Dollar Tree on toothbrushes. The Dollar Tree does accept manufacturer coupons! Can I get a woohoo! You must take advantage of this is you can. Divine Savings posted this deal earlier this week and I was curious if my local store even had this brand because items vary A LOT from store to store.

Lucky for me, they did and I was able to get my free toothbrushes! I used a $1/1 Q from the 1/26 SS. Now, I can brush my teeth like a boss! LOL. I do have a small stockpile of toothbrushes. Why do you need more than one you ask? I say to you if you get sick throw away your old one and you already have your new ones. No more icky germs. You can use them to clean those hard to get nooks and crannies (not the english muffin kind). Also, if you have a house guest, you can offer them a new one!

The next deal I scored was from Walmart on some razors.I worked this deal last year so it comes around every now and again.I used the $3/1 any Bic razor Q from the 3/9/14 SS.

 I don't need to buy any razors for a year or so because I have so many from free deals like this one. Last time around, I gave my sister and brother in law a large bag to spread the razor "wealth."

How fun are these deals? I challenge you to go forth and be frugal! It's so addicting.

Wal-Mart Trip 3/8/14

Here is a soda deal I was did at Wal-Mart. My hubby likes his Diet Mt. Dew, but it doesn't go on sale frequently. I usually wait for a B2G1 deal or something like that at Publix or a decently priced deal at CVS.

Wal-Mart had 12 packs on sale for $3 which is a pretty great price in itself. However, I also found $2/2 peelies on the 12 packs! Happy dance.

I bought 6 12 packs and paid $2 each! I am super excited about this one. I usually don't get great soda deals.

Have you scored any good coupon deals lately? I've been a little slow with the couponing lately.

Winn Dixie Trip 3/9/14

I must share with you this AWESOME Starbucks deal I worked this morning. Winn Dixie had all K-Cups on sale for $5.99 and they auto deducted $1 off each when you bought five.

In today's SS, there was a Starbucks Q for $4/2. I bought 6 packs. My initial OOP before Qs was $30, but I used a $5/$30 and (3) $4/2 mfr Qs. My OOP was $13.94!! WOOT, WOOT. I saved $46 for a total savings of 77%!

This deals was so good I had to do it twice. Normally, those k cups are $9.99 and I was getting them for $2.33 each! I don't usually buy k cups because they are so pricey compared to a tub of coffee, but I am okay with this splurge.

What did you save on this weekend? Any good deals?

Publix Trip 2/22/14

Hello again dear readers and friends! It's that time again where I share with you how I recently saved some of our hard earned money at Publix today. The first transaction that I was particularly proud of was on this toilet paper.

This Charmin 12 pack was on sale for $5 a pack. This isn't my normal brand, but we were getting low and I need some to tide us over until another good deal rolls around. In last Sunday's paper, there was a store coupon for $2 off any purchase of $2 or more. So with this one coupon, I got 12 rolls of toilet paper for $3 plus tax! Not too shabby if I do say so myself. It breaks down to 25 cents per roll.

My second happy deal came about with this year's start of Viva Italian at Publix.

(insert picture

Publix had these Hunt's can's on BOGO for $1.99. The deal I worked was this: I bought 10 making 5 free.Next, I used the $2 off Publix  Q and (2) $1/5  Hunt's sauce Qs.

I paid $5.95 OOP for 10 cans!!! WOOT, WOOT! This deal breaks down to 60 cents a can. I saved $13.95

Another great deal I snagged was on some A&W root beer. I didn't get a picture before I put it away.... oh, well. The 2 liters were on BOGO. I bought 4 and used (4) 75 cent off Qs and I got them for 25 cents each. These 2 liters are nice to hold onto for parties and guests.

Who doesn't like that kind of savings? Yes, I have to put the cans somewhere in the mean time, but for 60 cents each. You won't find that kind of price for quite sometime!!

Thanks for reading another chronicle in the of my family saving. As always, keep it simple and significant.

Winn Dixie Trip 1/3/14

I jumped on a paper towel deal this morning that I wanted to share with you. I was down to one package of paper towels in my stock pile so I had been on the look out for a good stock up option and lucky for me one popped up this week and the coupon blogs that I follow.

These Marcal small step paper towels packs are currently on sale at WD for BOGO @ $6.99. Large packs like this don't always go one sale so it's nice when they do and you have a COUPON FOR IT!!! Happy dance.

A couple inserts back Marcal released a $1/1 Q which I used on the the 4 packs I picked up. The break down went like this. I paid for two of the packs $13.98 and then I used (4) $1 Qs which lowered my OOP to $9.98. So I got (32) paper towels for 31 cents each!! Not too shabby.

Why do I need so many? I plead hubby and toddler messes, but really folks prices fluctuate and coupons expire so it's best to stock up for your family or self when the price is low!!

CVS Trip 1/2/14

I wanted to share with you the pretty fantabulous transaction I did at CVS today. My initial goal for this trip was to get diapers because I was dangerously low! I know. I slipped on the diaper deals. I hang my head in shame.

Well luck would have it that CVS only had one jumbo pack in Pampers size 4, but I know that they get their stock in tomorrow so I can pick up more then to work my CVS ECB deal.

Since I had some time to kill I wandered around the store and came across 50% makeup! Awesomeness. I need more foundation, plus I had some coupons. The foundation was regularly priced $12.99, but I was getting it for $6.50. I printed a $5/2 coupon and I had a CVS store coupon for $2 off $10 makeup purchase. So with the coupons, it was like I was getting one of those foundations for FREE!!!!

Lastly, I grabbed some Dawn dish soap which was on sale for 99 cents each. In the P&G that came out in Sunday's paper, there was a 50 cent off coupon. So, I was picking those up for half off as well.

All in all I had a total of $10 in coupons. I paid $15.93 (plus tax) and saved $28. 72 which is 64% savings! I'm happy with that! How did you save this week? Do you have any items you need to stock up on?

New Year Savings

The beginning of the new year is a great time to shop. Stores cut prices to move Christmas and holiday inventory so if you can take advantage! I know I did. Today I went to Kohls and was able to take advantage of some of their deals!

I love Kohls! My mother in law introduced me to this store! The store had items on clearance from 60 to 80%! Wowsa! Now if only you could find a lot of stuff in that 80% off range life would be great, but usually that's not the case. This is a great time to pick up items for next Christmas if you can because of the rock bottom pricing.

Here are some of the things I got:

All the necklaces were 80% off! I've been wanting to add to my accessories, but not at a rediculous price or overly obnoxious looking bauble! I thought these pieces would coordinate nicely with multiple outfits and would be nice accents.

I also got a Sonoma Sweater and a SO pullover fleece. I know what you're thinking....what teacher needs another sweater? My answer is I didn't have that color! 

All in all, I spent $32 dollar and saved $121 which amounts to 79% savings! Woot, woot! I used only one coupon for 15% off my total purchase. Another successful shopping trip with simple and significant savings!

Holiday Style Savings

Good Morning! Are you looking forward to the holidays? This girl always looks forward to the holidays. I love decorating and spending time with family. I know for many people the holidays are more stress, money, and frustration.

I wanted to take a moment to share with you how I saved on some of my holiday cooking supplies this year.

The pictured McCormick Gourmet Seasonings are regularly priced at $3.99 at my local Publix. However, I never would have bought them unless there was a deal because....you know....I am a little cheap. (In a good way).

I used a $2.00 manufacturer coupon and a $1.50 store coupon for each item. I paid .49 cents each!! Wowza! That's 88% savings by my calculations.

A lot of seasonings will go on sale around the holidays. So be on the look out for released manufacturer coupons and stock up!

Keep your holiday purchases food, drinks, gifts or otherwise simple, but significant.

Price Matching for Christmas

Okay, you know me an enthusiastic couponer and lifelong bargain shopper. I wanted to share with you a recently deal I scored for Christmas this year.

Thanks to my favorite couponing Facebook group, Mycouponexpert, I got wind of is deal. Toys R Us was running an advertised special on games for $3! Well, I don't live remotely near a Toys R Us so I went to a Wal-Mart instead.

Lucky for me, I went to a Wal-Mart that had what I was looking for. It was clear that couponers had been there because they were out of  Scrabble and Yahtzee. However, I was perfectly content to pick up two Simon Flash games for my nieces.

I went to customer service because I knew a CSM would have to do a large over ride for the price match. Wal-Mart had these games priced at $14.98. So, getting them for $3 is a GREAT DEAL that I was happy to wait for while my cashier verified the ad.

All in all I was delighted that this all worked out. I might go back later this week to try and score some scrabble games because I have coupons that would make them free after the price match. I think I might donate them for the holidays! Simply significant, right?

TP Stock Up Time

It's hard to believe, but we were running low on toilet paper! I have been waiting and waiting for a good stock up deal....patiently might I add!

 

Side note: this is why stocking up is beneficial and important. I don't have to do emergency runs to the store and pay full price. I can wait for the most opportune moment to buy!

 

The sale add I was looking for finally arrived. It was a great time too because I had some extra ECBs and CVS e-mailed me a $4/$20 Q that expired Sunday. CVS is running a promotion WYB $30 worth of select items, you will get $10 in ECBs. Here is my transaction breakdown:

 

I bought (4) 12 packs of Scott Toilet Paper priced at $7.49 each for a total of $29.96 plus tax

 I used (4) .75/1 mfr Qs and $9 in ECBs. I paid $17.96, but I got $10 in ECBs back so my OOP was $7.96 for (4) 12 packs which breaks down to $2 each!! Woot, woot!

 

Now that's what I call a squeaky clean deal!

 

Coupon Confession: I Got Lazy

Now, you guys know I love me some coupons! There is no doubt about that but I must admit that I've gotten a little lazy with my couponing lately. GASP! Say it isn't so?

Over the summer, I was Couponing all over the place a couple days a week, but now that I am back to work my motivation is out the window. When I get tired, rest wins out. This is a life motto I've adopted since becoming a mom.

I am not going to stay up late and clip coupons. The hubs and I have our Saturday morning routine where we finalize the shopping list and then I get my couponing stuff together. It might not be the most ideal and organized method, but it generally gets the job done.

I live too far from Publix to take advantage of short sale deals so I've got to consolidate my trips. I am still using whatever Qs and matchups I can each week but my overall savings has gone down a bit. I can't remember the last time I did a good deal at CVS with ECBs through multiple transactions. (Sad face)

I did manage to snag a good deal on some Pampers wipes today at Publix. These 72 count wipes were priced $3.29. I used a .50/1 mfr Q and a $2/1 any Pampers item Publix Q. My OOP was .79!! I love baby item cheapies.

Anywho, I am hoping to get my coupon mojo back. I plan on reading the blogs, discussion boards, and Facebook pages for my favorite coupon groups more frequently! Starting.....tomorrow. Procrastinators and busy moms of the world unite TOMORROW!

A Couponing I Went

I just wanted to share some of my coupons deals from my shopping trip today. The items pictured were purchased at Wal-Mart and Publix.

(4) 10 packs of razors $2.96 each
(4) boxes of Angel Soft tissues $1.50 each
(4) Reynolds baking cups .69 cents each
(4) Brawny Single Paper towels  $1.89 each
Retail Value: $28.16

However, the whole point of this blog is to show you how I did not pay retail, but how sales and coupons got me a great deal!! The razors were free with 4 cents overage because of my $3/1 Q. The baking cups also ended up being a money maker because I had a $1/1 Q (30 cents overage). I used a $1/1 peelie Q on the tissues and paid 50 cents per box. The paper towels were on BOGO and I used (4) .55/1 Qs which ended up costing me 40 cents per roll.

My OOP on these items was $2.24 for 92% savings!! Woot, woot! Now that's what I can significant savings. If only I could extreme coupon my entire grocery bill into that kind of savings than I would be rolling in the money, but alas I am still working on that goal. Some weeks are better than others. I will still take my couponing victory here!

CVS Run 7/13/13

I had another great day of savings at CVS today that I wanted to share with you. I went into the store with no ECBs looking for deals that would award me ECBs because I needed to buy some diapers. Here is what I did in two transactions.

Transaction #1: (1) box of Always Radiant priced at $3.99 and (1) Gilette Profusion Razor priced at $9.99. I used a $2/1 Always Q and a $8/1 Razor Q I got in the mail from the Gilette. My subtotal was $4.89 (tax included), but I got back $3.00 in ECBs! So my OOP on Transaction #1 was $1.89!

Transaction #2: I purchased (2) Huggies Jumbo packs for $9.99 each. The deal that CVS was running was WYB 2 you would get back $5 in ECBs. So that's why I went for the Huggies over Pampers. I rolled I rolled in the ECBs from my first purchase and used (2) $3/1 Huggies Qs. After ECBs and Qs my OOP was $7.28 for the two packs of diapers (or $3.64 each)! Not too shabby!

Altogether my OOP at CVS today was $9.17 for an savings of 73%! Now that's what I call simple, but significant!

Happy Couponing!

Free Dryer Sheets

Today, I had the pleasure of tagging along with my friend Janeen on a coupon run to Target. This store is about 35-40 minutes from our house so it was nice to have someone to ride with and chit-chat about this-that and coupons! You know we coupon freaks got to stick together!

Anywho, our objective on this coupon trip was to get in on an Always deal and score the Bounce dryer sheets. Unfortunately for us, the store was out of the lower priced Always so our OOP would have been higher so it wasn't as good a deal as a result. Target does not give rain checks for "when you buy" gift card promotions.

So here is the deal we got: (9) boxes of Bounce Dryer Sheets for FREE from Target. I just paid tax 59 cents!

Priced at 1.97 each. I used $3/3 Target Q from 6/16 RP paired with the $3/3 PG Q from 7/7. Buy 3, use the store and mfr Qs and you got a freebie! Limit four like coupons per transaction.

I think I will be good on dryer sheets for a while. I still had two boxes left from the last stock up deal I did through Dollar General....but hey, I am good with free!

Happy Couponing! Saving with coupons....simple, but significant.

**UPDATE** after I made this post it came to my attention that I accidentally misused the Target Q because it stated excluded 34 ct Bounce which is what I purchased. Oops! Honestly, I didn't read or catch the fine print, but neither did the cashier. She rang me through without hesitation and just clucked through her computer. I would never intentionally set out to misuse a properly labeled Q but it is what it is. Lesson learned ALWAYS read your Q no matter how excited you are!** 

Building My Saucy Stockpile

This mama has been staying busy searching for and taking advantage of coupon deals. I am always looking for a good diaper deal. I usually find them at CVS! Plus, I think I am pretty good on body soap, shampoo, and conditioner for now.

Would you believe me if I told you I almost ran out at one point? Haha.

Another key stock pile item I recently swooped in on is pasta sauce! I cook with pasta sauce frequently so it's nice to have on hand. I like to get several when they are BOGO with Qs. Pasta and sauce go on sale all the time so knowing this I hate and refuse to pay full price unless it's an emergency!

I recently scored the (8) jars pictured here for FREE! Yea, you heard right FREE! How did i do that you ask? Well, let me tell you....

Winn Dixie had the sauce on BOGO for $2.99. There was a $1.50/1 manufacturer Q in a coupon book found at the WD customer service counter. I was thrilled when I stumbled across it because WD is notorious for either not putting out the books or they are gone when I get there.

Anyways back to the deal....BOGO items are considered separate purchases at WD and most other stores so you can use (2) Qs per deal (one for the purchased item and one on the "free item" according to the sale). So, that's what I did. I got for deals and used (8) $1.50/1 Qs!  Woohoo!

During this trip, I also got the shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray. I used $1/1 Qs on those items and paid 50 cents per purchase. They were priced at $1.50 each.

The Kandoo wipes were priced at $1.99. I had (2) $1.50/1 and (2) $1/1. So my OOP on e wipes was around $3.

My overall OOP was less than $10 dollars for 86% Savings. I used a $5/$30 Q to lower my total. ALWAYS give your $ off Qs first to the cashier! Not pictured here was my purchase of cube steak and sausage that was on sale too.

Another advantage to stockpiling cheaply is that you also have the ability to help other with blessing bags or donations.

Awesomeness right? What items are must haves in your house? What do you do to save?

Until next time, happy couponing and remember to keep it simple, but significant!

Lovin' Me Some ECBs!

Here is a deal I worked at CVS today. I purchased (3) Pampers, (2) toothpaste and (1) wipes for $13.18 OOP after Qs and ECBs (extra care bucks). I did two transactions.

Transaction #1 the toothpaste. It was priced at $2.99 each at CVS, but you got $2 in ECBs with each purchase. I had a $2 off 2 printable Q to use with the deal. So, I bought 2 ($6.00) minus the $2 Q and I paid $3.98; however, I got $4 in ECBs so the toothpaste was FREE! Who doesn't like Free? I know I love it. Toothpaste is a great stock up item too. It will expire so I don't go crazy with the stockpiling.

Transaction #2: Baby items. CVS had the diapers priced at $9.49 each and the wipes were $3 for the pack. CVS was running a promotion this week were if you spent $30 on selected items they would give you $12 in ECBs. So getting those ECBs was my end game. I used the $4 in ECBs from transaction 1 and (3) $1.50/1 Pampers Qs. My total with tax was $25.18, but like I said I got $12 in ECBs so my overall OOP was $13.18 or $3.30 per item! That's what I call a simple, but significant deal. I could have lowered my OOP on the wipes by using a .50/1 Q, but I was so excited that I forgot...oops. It was still a great deal regardless.

Mommies you can still work the diaper deal if you can access coupons.com! Unfortunately, the toothpaste coupon is NLA (no longer available). Happy couponing!

 



Saving with my Q's!

You know I love me some coupons! Here are some deals I recently did:

Winn Dixie deal I stumbled across today! Secret Out last and Expressions deodorant priced at $3.99. Use the $3/1 Q from 5/19 SS and pay 99 cents each. Mega deal: buy 8 use mfr Qs and WD $5/$30 plus 1 filler item. My OOP $5.94! 86% savings!



Winn Dixie Gatorade deal: I bought 36 drinks. My OOP was $18.76!!! Over $31 saved 60% overall!

I earned 70% savings overall on pictured items below. Here is my OOP ($25.36) after Qs and ECBS: Bic flame disks & Toothpaste FREE, diapers $6.89, soap 47 cents each, Splenda 24 cents each, eyeliner 98 cents, mouth wash 99 cents each, Febreeze spray and wipes $1.04 each!



 

 



Mommyhood on a dime

When my husband and I were considering expanding our family, the cost of raising a baby was something that we talked about. This past June the Huffington Post reported that cost of raising a child climbs to $235,000 for middle-income families which is a 3.5  percent increase from 2010! Yay, for me right?

The article goes on to say, "families that earn more can expect to spend more on their children." Okay, I can agree with that because I am totally there when it comes to my daughter; however, in the interest of not draining our bank account I have tried to save money on some of the items that Avery regularly uses.

Gerber Formula: I order gerber coupons off ebay. Yep, you heard right ebay. I use the manufacturer Q's and try and stack them with store or competitor coupons when there is a sale. Example: Publix price on a tub of formula is $23.99. I can use my $3/1 mfr Q with a publix store $5/1 and save $8 on that one formula purchase! CVS is also a good place to shop for formula because they do gerber sales and you can use an unlimited amount of ECBs in a transaction if you have them!

All Free and Clear Detergent: I use this type of detergent for the whole family. I was not about to start buying baby Dreft for $10 or more just for my daughter's clothes. So I did a little research and All Free and Clear was a great option. I can usually get it pretty cheap at CVS when it is on sale for $3.99. Every month and a half or so there is a $1/1 Q so I can end of getting the detergent for $2.99 OOP. Of course, if I have ECBs I will use them.

Make Your Own Baby Food: Now, I haven't tried this yet, but I do know people who have. You can blanch veggies and freeze them and use them when you need. Tip: Freeze them in a ice cube tray.  You can also use a food processor to puree your baby's nom-noms. Eventually, you might be comfortable just letting your baby eat what you eat when they are a little older and have some teeth.

Hand Me Downs: I grew up on hand-me-downs and I turned out okay. If you are lucky enough to know mom's who are willing to pass along new/gently used clothes you are made in the shade. Kids grow so fast that sometimes they only wear an outfit a couple times. One of the problems I encountered with my daughter's wardrobe is that she had super cute outfits, but this is Florida and more often than not it is hot. I was not about of get her all "dolled" up to hang out at the house so she wore a lot of onesies. She still does.

Anyway, those are a few of the tips I wanted to share. I hope that it helps save a little for you moms and dads out there. Saving is fun and parenting is lifelong. There are so many ways to do both!