Super Doubles Adventure + Target Frustration

Super Double coupons is going on this week at Harris Teeter! I have not been super pleased with my 2 shopping trips so far mainly because I don't have any Register Rewards or Food Lion coupons to take off my bill like I did during the last super doubles. Anywho, the first trip I saved $78.30 and on my second trip I saved $55.49. So that means I took home $177.36 but I only paid $43.57! Wow now that I see the figures myself, I didn't do as bad as I thought I did.

Here is a list of a few things I got so if you have a HT in your area, maybe you can take advantages of some these deals this week -

Hefty Slider Storage Bags B1G1, ring up $1.45 each - $2 off 2 = 89 cents for 2
Shout Wipes to Go $2.69 - $2 off any Shout product = 69 cents
Cologate Advanced toothpaste $2.50 - $2 = 50 cents
Reach Floss $1.65 - $2 = FREE
Duncan Hines Chocolate Glaze $2.69 - $2 = 69 cents
Dove deodorant $2.50 - $1.50 = $1
Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs B1G1, ring up $1.99 each - $2 off 2 = $1.99 for 2
Smuckers Jelly $2.99 - $2 =99 cents
Hormel Kids Compleat $2 - $2 = FREE
Welch's Grape Jelly $1.79 - $1.50 = 29 cents
Hungry Jack syrup $1.99 - $2 = FREE

Here is a picture of my 2nd trip so you can see what great items you can get if you do super doubles this week -

All this for $15.71! A total of 23 items making it an average of 68 cents per item!








Now my Target trip, the shorter version of my adventure is I saved $34.55 and I spent $33.78 so just over 50% savings.

Here are some the great deals I got -

Johnson & Johnson travel first aid kit (love these) $.97 each - $1 off 2 Manufacture coupon = 94 cents for 2
Icy Hot Patch (in the travel section) $1.89 - $1 off any product Manufacture coupon = 89 cents
Benadryl Itch Relief Pen (much needed item for my allergies) $2.29 - $2 = 29 cents!
Newtons Cookies $3.29 - $1 off Manufacture coupon - $1 off store coupon = $1.29
Magnum Ice Cream Bars (so delicious!) $3.29 - $1 off Manufacture coupon - $1 store coupon = $1.29
Dove Shampoo $4.99 x 4 - $1.50 off 2 Manufacture coupon - $2 off 2 store coupon = $12.96 for 4 huge shampoo bottles + FREE $5 gift card when you buy 4 so it's really like getting 4 for $7.96!
Playtex Mealtime utensils $4.19 - $1 off Manufacture coupon - $1 off store coupon = $2.19
I also got some pretty sweet deals on meat! I got ground beef for $1.99 each because they are close to expiring and they want to sell them!

Here is a picture of my trip to Target -

I'm not going to go into all the drama and headaches I went through at Target, but I will say that I called customer service and I talked with a very friendly and helpful supervisor. They are mailing me 2, $3 off store coupons for anything in the store in lieu of all my troubles and not getting a $5 gift card like I was suppose to. I'll just say, word of advice - check your receipt before you the store and read up on their coupon policy and it would even be helpful to have their coupon policy with you because employees do not always know their own coupon policy.

Ending on a happy note - check this out, I went to Wal-Mart and I found several clearance aisles! I managed to find candy for $1 each! Well I had coupons to pair with these candies. Guess what??! I got 4 bags of candy for $1.31 after tax!

Tips for the week -

1. When you save money whether it's at the grocery store, at a restaurant, online shopping, etc. think of how you can use your savings. Can you treat yourself to dinner? Can you use it to pay off debt? Think of a creative way or fun way to put your savings to use! For us we use our coupon savings to pay off debt so just in this week alone, we can pay $168.34 MORE on 1 bill instead of spending it on groceries!

2. Savings money for yourself or your family is great, but think of others. Since I started couponing really heavily, I have been able to pick up some items for free after coupons so with those items I plan on putting them in our Operation Christmas Child boxes this year. I already have 6 bars of soap, 6 tissue packs, 1 toothbrush, and floss that I plan on putting in our boxes. You can find your own charity or organization you feel passionate about to donate items to. I know there have been some great pet food coupons in the paper lately and pet shelters would love donations!

This Past Weekend

Hey Friends! I have heard from several of you that you love our blog and enjoy reading about our savings, but yet I see no comments on our blog! I really want to hear from you - what do you like about our blog?, what ways have you found to save money?, what coupon questions do you have for me?, and anything else exciting you want to share!

This weekend we saved $59.90, 36 cents of that was refunded to us a day later because we got home and realized we were overcharged! It pays to pay attention to your receipt!

So here's a little bit of what we saved this weekend -

IHOP
I went to IHOP's website and I joined their Pancake Revolution. After joining I received an email with a coupon for a FREE Rooty Tooty Fresh N Fruity meal, a $6.99 value! So we went to IHOP for lunch and we saved $6.99 simply for joining their club. On my birthday and on N's birthday we'll receive the same coupon to go again!
*Total savings $6.99

Staples
I had printed out a $3 off your purchase coupon so I went in to buy paper towels, but quickly changed my plan when I saw they were $5.99 for 6 rolls. We have plenty of paper towels at the moment so I searched the aisles and sale paper to see what I could find for free! I scored some major free stuff! Here's what I got - Scotch Tape on sale for $1 - $1 Manufacture coupon = FREE, Scotch 2 pack stick glue $2 - $1 Manufacture coupon = $1, Wet Wipes $1 each - $1 off 2 Manufacture coupon = .50 each, and 8 pack of travel tissue for $1. Altogether I got 5 items for .22 cents, including tax!
*Total savings $6 

Kroger Gas 
Now until June 19th Kroger is doing a promotion where you get 4 times the points when you buy gift cards. So we bought 3 gift cards and earned 300 points which meant we were able to get .30 per gallon at the pump! We just bought gift cards for Father's Day and the third one was for us, a place we planned on shopping at anyway. You can get up to 35 gallons at the discounted price with your points so we filled up both cars and .30 per gallon saved us $6 in gas!
*Total savings $6


Target
I didn't do too well at Target this weekend. I managed to get 2 packs of Always for $3.50, they were on sale for $2.75 each - 2, .50 off coupons - $1 off 2 store coupon. I also got 2 packs of Kraft Shredded Cheese for $2.98, they were on sale for $2.49 - $1 off - $1 off 2 store coupon. Hershey's Bliss was on clearance for $1.98 - $1 off Manufacture coupon = .98 and they're so yummy!
*Total savings $13.50

I went to Target again yesterday to relieve some stress! I wasn't really planning on buying anything, but then I realized that saving money makes me happy so I pulled out my coupons and I had a great time! I spent $13.05 for 2 jars of hot fudge, a pack of bandages, Crystal Light drink mix, 3 cans of Pringles, 2 packs of paper towels, and a 6 pack of dress shorts. I saved a total of $21.80, over 50% savings! 

Lowe's Foods
I found Nightquil on clearance for $2.46 and I had $1 off Manufacture coupon so it was $1.46 for Nightquil that doesn't expire until 2013! I also found Hormel Compleats for $2 on sale - $1.50 (.75 coupon doubled) = .50 each! We also bought some meat that was on sale - Sanderson Farm Chicken .99 lb, Pot Roast $1.49 lb, Chicken Patties $3, and Chicken Nuggets $3. I used a Food Lion coupon for $3 off $25 or more so basically we got a pack of chicken for free!
*Total savings $25.50 

My tips for the week -
1) Don't be too proud to shop at garage sales or thrift stores! I've been able to buy Golden Books for 25 cents each and VHS tapes for 50 cents each at a thrift store near our house. I have even found brand new stuff at garage sales for really great prices!
2) Pay attention to your receipt before you leave the store! Unfortunately this weekend at Target, N had put the receipt in his wallet so I didn't look at it in detail until we got home. I realized they overcharged us so N went back to the store on his way home the next day and got the difference refunded to us. Yesterday I checked my receipt at Target and I realized my 2 jars of hot fudge rang up wrong so I went to customer service and got back $1.50. Stores and computers are not perfect so don't be shy about checking to make sure everything rung up right and the total is correct.

Thanks for reading! Post your thoughts in the comment section!

On Sale Trap

This past week I exercised a lot of self-control. I'm proud to say that I only bought a few things and most of them were a few cents or free! I think I am on my way to our savings plan this month of not buying as many groceries as last month.

Here the deals I got this past week -

Wal-Mart
Carefree pantyliners  .94 - $1 off coupon = .06 credit
Ivory Bar Soap 3 pack  .97 - $1 off coupon = .03 credit
* Coupons at Wal-Mart do not automatically adjust to the retail price so you can make money by buying items that are on sale, clearance, close-outs, or great buys with coupons and walk away with cash or with money off the rest of your order. 

Harris Teeter
Ragu Pasta Sauce $2.79 B1G1 - $1.25 off 3 = 97 cents each
HT 18 Large Eggs $1.57 eVic member price

Lowe's Foods
Steamfresh Vegetables .97 with in-store ad coupon - .35 coupon doubled to .70 off = .28 after tax!

Target
Pringles $2.51 - $1 off 3 - $1 off 3 Target coupon = $2.58 for 3 after tax!

Kerr Drug
2 liter Pepsi products on sale for .99 - $1 off 2 = .50 cents each!

CVS
M&Ms on sale for .50 each - .75 off 2 =  .25 for 2 bags! Plus I got $1 in Extra Care bucks!
Used my $1 ECB to get a bag of Hershey's Bliss, on sale for $3 - $1 off coupon - $1 ECB = $1. 

I spent very little money and time finding these deals. Since we have a stockpile of groceries at the moment, it feels really good to know that I can take a week off from buying lots of food and not go hungry! We still have plenty of spaghetti noddles and taco shells to have for dinner!

My tip for this week is know your prices. What is marked as "on sale" is not always a great buy. For instance, Harris Teeter had Hillshire Farm lunch meat "on sale" for 3 for $7 during triple coupons. Well since that's a lunch meat we buy on a regular basis, I know that it's $3-$3.12 at Wal-Mart everyday before a coupon. So I took 1 look at my $1 off coupon and realized that even getting it on sale and with my coupon, I would still pay $2.50 while I could get the same lunch meat at Wal-Mart with my coupon for $2 or $2.12. Another thing to watch out for candy is typically way overpriced at pharmacies so even if you have a coupon, you could potentially be paying more than the regular, everyday price that other stores offer.

This is How We Do

We had a great Memorial Day weekend! On Monday we washed both of our vehicles and we even vacuumed and cleaned out the inside! It's amazing how much dirt and random things you can find if you only clean out your car once a year like us! After being productive, we decided to go on a date! We went to see Hang Over Part 2, it was not a good movie, thankfully we used 2 of our $3 off coupons from M&Ms so it was $9 for the 2 of us to see it. I'm not hard to please when it comes to movies, especially funny, stupid movies, but man it was not worth spending even $9 to see it. After the movie we walked around, spending most of our time at Home Goods! We walked to all the stores and with the 90 degree weather we were hot! I let N pick the restaurant for dinner and he picked TGI Fridays. We don't eat there often so I was a little hesitant, but it was the best decision of the day! They have a deal where you get a 3 course meal for $12.99! I did the 3 course meal and N got a chicken sandwich with fries. I had a $5 off coupon when you spend $15 so altogether our bill was $17 before tip. Not bad for a huge, delicious dinner! By far the best part was dessert, vanilla bean cheesecake! Yeah I wasn't going to let my dairy allergy stop me from delighting in that goodness! After eating 3,457 calories a piece at dinner, we drove across the street to Target and Lowe's! I managed to score some decent deals at Target. I got 6 bottles of deodorant for $3.07 (including tax) an average of 51 cents each. I also got a pack of 100 multivitamins for $3.

The moral of the story is - I don't take a break from saving, even on holidays. And save your money by not seeing Hangover Part 2.

In other news, I scored some great deals at Food Lion today! I got 6 stocks of corn, 2 cartons of ice cream, a bottle of All unscented laundry detergent, and a bag of Tostitos all for $6.35, including tax! Here's the breakdown: Corn on sale 6 for $1, Breyers Blast ice cream on sale for $1.99 each - $1.50 off 2 = $2.48 for 2, All laundry detergent on sale for $2.99 - $1 off coupon = $1.99, Tostitos on sale for $2.50 - $1 off manufacture coupon - $1 off Food Lion coupon = 50 cents!

Goal for June is to save money by only having to buy meat, fruit, breakfast foods, and perishable items. We'll see if I'm able to stay away from the temptation of using coupons for items we already have plenty of. 

Stacking Coupons = Maximum Savings!

On Friday I was able to snag up some deals at Target.

Here's how I stacked coupons to save the most money -

• 3 Greeting Cards $3.97 - $1 off Target coupon - $1 off American Greeting coupon = $1.97 for 3 cards 
• Breyers Blast Ice Cream on sale for $2.99 - $1.50 off 2 Target coupon - $1.50 off 2 manufacture coupon = $2.98 for 2 cartons of ice cream! 
• 80/20 Ground Chunk Beef on sale for $2.49 - $1 off peel-off coupon = $1.49 
• Kraft Sliced Cheese on sale for $2.45 - $1 off 2 Target coupon - $1 off manufacture coupon (I used 1 per pack) = $1.90 per pack or 95 cents each! 
• Crystal Light drink mix packets on sale for $1.97 - $1 off 3 Target coupon - B2GO manufacture coupon ($1.97 off) = $2.94 for 3 or 98 cents each! 
• Stride 5 Gum $1.27 each - $1 off 2 Target coupon - $1 off 2 manufacture coupon = 54 cents for 2 packs of gum! 

For this trip I actually saved more than I spent! Finding items on sale and stacking coupons can make buying groceries on a budget possible! 

The Sweet Taste of Savings!

Just today alone I managed to save $29.88 on groceries! I hit up triple coupons one last time and I also stacked some coupons at Target to get some great deals!

Here is the breakdown of my trips today -

At HT I saved $16.13, spent $4.87 for 8 items.
* Best deal -  Betty Crocker Cake Mix and Frosting for 31 cents!
The exciting thing for me is when I buy things for my hubby that I know he will use. Just in this week alone with triple coupons I managed to buy him 3 cans of shaving gel and 1 deodorant for him and it only cost me $2.52 for all 4 things!

At Target I saved  $13.75, spent $15.29 for 10 items.
*Best deal - 2 boxes of Ore Ida French Fries for 34 cents! 
I managed to find a sweet deal on Breyers Ice Cream. Target has it on sale for $2.99 this week, I used a $2 off 2 store coupon plus a $75 off 2 manufacture coupon. So it was $3.73 for 2 cartons of ice cream. Then I also scored a box of Magnum Ice Cream bars for $1.29 after two $1 off coupons. Stacking store coupons with  manufacture coupons is the way to save at Target!

I have 2 tips to share with you -

1.  If a coupon's bar code starts with a 5 then it will still double or triple. If a coupon's bar code starts with a 9 or 0 then it will NOT double or triple.Most people are surprised when I tell them that coupons still double or triple even if they say not to. The bar code will scan and automatically double or triple if it starts with a 5.
2. Stores are starting to reward go green. Target will take 5 cents off your order every time you bring your own re-useable bag for your goodies! Kroger will give you 10 points every time you bring your own recyclable, re-useable bag for your groceries! I wish I had known about these incentives a long time ago! I keep my recycle bags in my car so every time I go to one of these stores I just bring the bag in the store with me. It's also nice not having a stockpile of plastic bags laying around!

If you've learned anything from reading this post, please share!

More Triple Savings

We just got back from our 2nd triple coupon trip! We got $59.44 worth of groceries and we only paid $10.91!!! The best savings this trip was realizing we only paid $3.81 for 4 boxes of cereal!

Here is the break down of the deals we got -

Planter's Nutrition Bars $3.49 - $2.25 = $1.24 each
Butterball Turkey Bacon $3.49 - $1.95 = $1.54 each
Betty Crocker Supreme Bars $2.99 - $1.50 = $1.49
Eggo Fiber Plus Waffles $3.29 - $2.25 = $1.04
Lipton Tea 16 ct. Family Size Bags $1.29 -  $1.20 = .09
Smucker's Jam $2 - $1.65 = .35
Edge Shaving Cream $2.39 - $1.65 = .74
Chinet Dessert Plates $1.84 - $1.65 = .14
Knorr Pasta Sides $1 each - $1.50 off 2 = .50 for 2
Pampers 72 count Wipes $3.29 - $1.50 -.50 Digital coupon = $1.29
M&Ms $.99 - $2.25 off 2 = FREE
Kraft Salad Dressing $1.50 each - $1.65 = FREE
General Mills Cereal - Deal was $4 off when you buy 4 select GM Cereals

Here's the breakdown with the $4 off factored into the prices -

Honey Nut Cheerios $2.69 - $1.65 - .55 Digital coupon = .49
Cinnamon Toast Crunch $1.99 + Golden Grahams $1.79 X 2 = $3.58 - .75 Digital coupon - $1.50  off 3 = $3.32
*That's an average of $.95 per box! 

We used a $5 Register Reward from Walgreens so I look at as we got 1 Planter's Nutrition Bar, 1 pack of Butterball Turkey Bacon, Betty Crocker Supreme Bars, Eggo Fiber Plus Waffles, Lipton Tea 16 ct. Family Size Bags, Smucker's Jam, Edge Shaving Cream all for free! That's right, all those items add up to exactly $5 after coupons so with the RR they were free! We bought 21 items for only $10.91, that's an average of 52 cents per item!

I am extremely pleased with our savings this trip! From our 2 triple coupon trips we got $169.30 worth of groceries for only $46.76! That's 73.3% overall savings!