Shopping with Amanda, July 18

Albertsons

$37.72 Spent, $52.84

Not pictured is the gallon of milk I got (for free!). This week was a Twice the Value coupon week. I did 3 transactions. There were really good breakfast deals this week. I got 2 Honey Nut Cheerios and 2 Nature Valley Granola Thins for $5 and then I got a $2 catalina and a free milk catalina. I got 4 boxes of Better Oats for $5 and then received a $2 catalina. I paid $1.50 for 2 bags of Malt-o-Meal cereal after double coupons and I got another $2 catalina. The only reason my grocery bill was as much as it was is because almost $20 of that was meat. There was a BOGO deal on London broil so I got 4 and there was a $3 managers choice coupon on the extra lean ground beef. 

Safeway

$21.07 Spent, $26.53 Saved

I mainly went to Safeway to get the Rango deal. If you bought Rango you got a bag of kisses, a box of popcorn, and 2 Lipton Iced Teas FREE!! Plus I had a $5 coupon for Rango. So I paid about $11 for all of that! 

Fred Meyer

$22.76 Spent, $12.75 Saved (coupon savings only)

I was most excited about the Tillamook deal. There was an in ad coupon for 5 for $5 making them $1 a piece!! That is a SPECTACULAR price on this cheese. It was on sale for $3 each without the coupon. So I got 5! We are big cheese eaters in this family.

Target

$32.08 Spent, $59.14 Saved!

Not pictured are the jeans and 2 Hot Wheels cars I got Hunter. The best deal I got by far was the Kashi deal. They had a promotion where if you bought 4 Kashi products, you got 1 free. Well I had a Target coupon for $2 off of 4 and I had 4 coupons for $2 off any Kashi product. I only paid $1.96 for 5 boxes of Kashi!! I also snagged 4 boxes of Ortega hard shell tortillas for $0.50 a box. Classico was $1.33 a bottle. 10 Vitamin water and a 6 ct. package of Smart Water for $7. I got Hunter's clearance jeans for about $4 and his Hot Wheels for $0.07 a piece! Really great deals at Target!

Rite Aid

$15.05 Spent, $49.06 Saved, $8 +up left to use

Okay, I know it seems silly to buy diapers when I am not pregnant and don't have a baby BUT someday (hopefully sooner rather than later) I will have babies and I am going to get diapers when they are cheap! I paid about $4 a package for these jumbo packs. I got the Kotex for free. I got the (expensive) Rembrant toothpaste for $0.99. The Zantac I got for almost free. I got the Got2b for $0.99 after rewards. 

Walgreens

$5.05 spent, $26.28 Saved

My total would have been $1 less if I had remembered to give the cashier the Walgreens $0.50 coupon for the Milka chocolate (which would have made it FREE with my $1/1 coupons). Kicking myself for that one. I scored the Chex Mix for $1 each. I got the Carefree for free. I got the deodorant for $0.25 each and the pencils were filler ($0.19 each).

So all in all I spent $134.18 and I saved $226.60. So I got $360.78 worth of goods for $134.18! And I also have $8 to spend next time :)

Couponing Web Series

I have several web series that I subscribe to on youtube. I thought I would list them for you all to check out. They all have very informative and inspiring videos!

The first one is ShadyLane2121. She was on TLC's Extreme Couponing. Her videos are fun to watch since her and her husband manage to get so much for so little. Plus she also does videos about frugal recipes and product reviews. Her couponing website is Cut Clip Save.

The second is Hip2Save. Collin (the web series host and blogger) does a "Follow Me Monday/Coffee with Collin" series and she has excellent tips. She is also very amusing to watch! Her couponing website is Hip2Save.

Though they don't post videos on a regular basis at the moment (very busy ladies!), their videos are very helpful and easy to understand. They go through a lot of the major stores and explain how to shop there. They also do an internet radio show every Friday at 10 am PST. Their coupon website is The Krazy Coupon Lady. (Joni was also on Extreme Couponing)

FrugalTV is a great web series created by Mr.Coupon (Nathan) who was also on TLC's Extreme Couponing. His videos are also very informative and it is obvious how passionate he is about couponing and teaching the tips and tricks. His coupon website is We Use Coupons.

Extreme Couponing for Normal People is a web series created by Ruth. She does follow along videos in the stores which I LOVE watching. Watching someone in the store is a great way to see couponing in action, what it really looks like, what really happens. Ruth's couponing website is Saving Well, Spending Less and Living Well, Spending Less.

I also really enjoy the videos by the Double Saving Divas. They are the twin that were on Extreme Couponing. They have quite a few videos and they are all very informative. The girls come across as very warm, strong women who love teaching people how to save. Love their videos. Their website is Double Saving Divas.

I recommend subscribing to these web series if you are at all interested in learning how to coupon. It is easier than you think!

Military Couponing Tips

I found a couple of great resources for military families!

The first is a FREE coupon booklet for military families! The Family Unit

The second is Hip2Save. My new favorite website. It is run by a woman named Collin who is a military wife. She also has a great web series on youtube that I completely recommend. She posts Commissary store deals, so if you shop at the Commissary, check it out! Hip2Save - Save money with the commissary.

Also, don't forget to send your expired coupons to the troops over seas! They can use them for 6 months after the expiration date! KCL - Coupons for the Military .

My Favorite Deals of the Week!

http://therussianstandard.com/shopping

 

So I am going to try a new feature this week where I talk about my favorite deals coming up. For now I am not going to link coupons because it is very time consuming but there are plenty of great resources to find the coupon match-ups. My favorite is The Krazy Coupon Lady. They have a coupon database and they do coupon match-ups for all the stores. Here is what I am looking forward to this week.

Target:

Kashi Products - Buy 4, get 1 FREE - $2.99 each
$2.00/1 (x4) - (recyclebank.com printable)
$2.00/4 - (target.com printable)
$2.99 x 4 = $11.96 - $10 in coupons = $1.96 for 5 boxes of cereal or $0.39 each.

Bic Crystal Glide Pens, 10 ct. $1.02
$1.00/2 Bic stationary products (coupons.com)
$1.00/2 Bic stationary products (target.com, NLA)
Final Price: $0.04 wyb 2

Newborn and Kids Denim Jeans on clearance as low as $2.50
$2.00/1 Denim product (target.com)
Final Price: as low as $0.50

Adult Jeans on clearance for as low as $4.98
$3.00/1 select jeans
Final Price: as low as $1.98

Wonka Exceptionals Candy $2.09
Supposedly a catalina prints out when you buy one of these for a FREE Wonka Exceptionals and even when you use the free coupon, it will spit out another. It's worth a try!

Aussie Hairspray price cut $2.27
$3.00/2 Aussie or Herbal Essences product (PG 7/3)
Final Price: $0.77 each wyb 2

Up & Up Nail Polish Remover $1.07
$0.50/1 Up & Up Nail Polish Remover (target.com)
Final Price: $0.57

Up & Up Pantiliners, 22 ct. $0.89
$0.75/1 Up & Up Feminine Care Product (target.com)
Final Price: $0.14

Up & Up Hydrogen Peroxide $0.69
$0.75/1 Up & Up Hydrogen Peroxide (target.com)
Final Price: FREE

Nexcare Bandages $2.09
$1.00/1 Nexcare product, any (solutions.3m.com)
$0.50/1 Nexcare first aid item (target.com)
Final Price: $0.59

Rite Aid:

Pampers Cruiser, Jumbo Pack $9.99, $4+up, limit 2
$4.00/2 Pampers Diapers (home mailer)
Final Price: $7.98 for 2 or $3.99 each (depending on the amount of diapers per package, usually around 30, that is about $0.13 per diaper which is a pretty good price)($15.98 oop, $8 +up)

Resolve Spray 'n Wash $2.00
Buy 2 receive $1.00 +up
Use 2 $0.75/1 Resolve Product, any (SS 6/26)
Final Price: $0.75 each wyb 2 ($2.50 oop, $1 +up)

Got2b Stylers $4.99
Buy 1, receive $2+up
$2.00/1 Got2b Full Size Styling Product (All You June '11)
Final Price: $0.99 ($2.99 oop, $2 +up)

U by Kotex $1.00
$1.00/1 U by Kotex product, any (ubykotex.com)
Final Price: FREE

Walgreens:

Mitchum or Lady Mitchum Deodorant $3.00
Buy 2, receive $4 RR, limit 1
Use 2 $0.75/1 Mitchum Deodorant for women (SS 6/26)
Final Price: $0.25 each wyb 2 ($4.50 oop, $4 RR)

Milka Chocolate Bars $1.50
Use $1.00/1 Milka Chocolate Bars (coupons.com)
and use $1.00/2 Milka Chocolate (Walgreen Summer Savings Coupon Book)
Final Price: FREE wyb 2

Carefree Pantiliners $0.99
With in ad coupon
$0.50/1 Carefree Product, any  (SS 6/26)
Final Price: $0.49

Chex Mix - Look for clearance at $1.00/ea
$1.00/2 Chex Mix Sweet 'n Salty Mix (printable)
Final Price: As low $1.00 for 2

Maalox and Gas-X $4.99
$2.00/1 Instant savings coupon in store
$1.00/1 Maalox (SS 7/17)
$1.00/1 Gas-X (SS 7/17)
$10/3 Maalox, Gas-X, Prevacid (if this coupon comes to my area)
Final Price: Possible money maker

Walmart:

Peanut Butter and Co. Go Pouch $0.69
$1.00/1 Peanut Butter and Co. Product, any
Final Price: FREE + $0.31 overage

Benedryl Itch Relief Stick $2.28
$2.00/1 Benedryl Topical Relief, any
Final Price: $0.28

Kikkoman Soy Sauce, 10 oz. $1.44
$1.00/1 Kikkiman Soy Sauce (smartsource.com)
Final Price: $0.44

Cascade Complete Gel Pack (trail size, 3 ct.) $0.97
$1.00/1 Cascade Product, any (SS 7/3)
Final Price: FREE + $0.03 overage

Joy Ice Cream Cones, 12 - 24 ct. $1.00 on rollback
$0.55/1 Joy Ice Cream Cones (coupons.com)
Final Price: $0.45

Jamba Juice Frozen Smoothie Mix $2.48
$1.00/1 Jamba All Natural Smoothies, any bag (coupons.com)
Final Price: $1.48

O-Cel-O Sponges, 2 ct. $0.94
$0.75/2 O-Cel-O Sponges, any (solutions.3m.com)
Final Price: $0.54 each wyb 2

King's Hawaiian Bread, 16 oz. $2.98
$2.00/1 King's Hawaiian Original Sweet Round Bread (kingshawaiian.com)
Final Price: $0.98

AirWick Freshmatic Ultra Odor Detect Kit on clearance $5.00
$4.00/1 AirWick Freshmatic Kit (SS 6/12)
Final Price: $1.00

Okay so those are some of my favorite deals at my non-grocery stores. This week Albertsons is putting out their twice the value coupons so I am looking forward to excellent deals there! I will try to post about my favorite grocery store deals later tonight!
 

Shopping with Amanda, July 11 - 12

Okay, so once again I have taken forever to get this up so I am not going to do a complete run down. I will list the money spent, money saved and talk about some of my favorite deals.

Albertsons:

$30.88 Spent, $34.74 Saved

The best deal I got here was the Bounty paper towels. They were on sale for $5.99 for an 8 pack and I had a $5.00/1 coupon I got from Facebook.

Safeway:

$34.70 spent, $14.26 saved

No killer deals here but they had the best prices on meat. 40% off Foster Farms and ground beef for $2.49/lb.

Fred Meyer:

$26.50 spent, $7.00 saved (coupon savings only)

One thing I don't like about Fred Meyer is they don't list the store discount savings. Dannon yogurts were $1.88 each and I had $1.00 off coupons, so that was a good deal. The Ore-Ida were $5/2 and I had a $1/2 coupon. Not a great deal but I wanted to try their new sweet potato fries (they were just so-so). Also the blueberries were $4.98 for a 2 lb container which is a great price considering a PINT usually goes for $2.50 on sale (can't wait for late summer berry picking!).

Target:

$28.07 spent, $29.54 saved

I was excited to shop at Target this past week. There were some great deals. I missed out on some of them though because my local Target has a smallish food section. I got the Zantac for $0.59 with coupons. I got the Snackwells for $0.79 with coupons (they are yummy too!). The Wet Ones and the Tide singles were $0.47 each with coupons.

Staples:

$33.92 Spent, $36.79 saved

So this would have been more dramatic if the hubs hadn't insisted I buy him a new headset (that wasn't on sale). The headset cost $20.99. The glue, the eraser caps and the Bic pencils were each a penny. The post-its and the Bic pens were a quarter each. The Sharpies, the Post-It flags, the scissors, and the 3 hole punch were each $1.00. The crayons were $2.00. I got the B2P pens free with a store coupon. Some great back to school deals.

Walgreens:

$20.50 spent, $55.48 saved, $3 RR left to spend

This was the first week in a couple weeks that Walgreens had any good deals going on. The Hyland Teething Gel was $5, I had a $1/1 coupon and there was a $5 RR, so I made $1 buying the teething gel. The two Eos products were a $1 each with RR. The Noxema Razors were free.

Rite Aid:

$10.78 spent, $42.49 saved, $6 +up left to spend

The Soft Soap body wash was $2.99 with a $2 +up reward making it $0.99 without even needing a coupon (wish I had snagged a couple more...). The Crest was a $0.75 money maker. The Noxema razors were FREE after coupons.

So all in all I spent $185.35 and I saved $220.30 (plus more at Fred Meyer with card savings). I have $9 in RR and +ups left to spend next week. So I got $405.65 in product for $185.35. Another high total week but still great savings.

Shopping with Amanda, July 3 - 5, 2011

Ok so since I am posting this quite awhile after I did these shopping trips I am not going to break these down all the way. I will just tell you what I spent and what I saved for this week.

Albertsons - Spent $35.08, Saved $27.65

Fred Meyer - Spent $31.39, Saved $3.98

Rite Aid (July 2nd) - Spent $2.54, Saved $13.50, Received $5 +up!

Rite Aid - Spent - $21.66, Saved - $87.77

 This Rite Aid deal is the reason why I am so late in posting my shopping results. They had a deal that if you spent $30 in participating P&G products, you received a $10 +up. The Tide Stain Release was part of the deal, on sale for $6 each and I had $3 off coupons. Well, I went on the tuesday after the add came out and all I found was 2 of the Tide, so I got them. The manager told me they were getting their shipment in on thursday so I went back thursday and they still hadn't finished putting everything away. So I went back friday. No Tide and they weren't getting more in that week :( So I did get two Tide's for $3 each, which isn't bad but I would have gotten 5 and paid $15 and then gotten $10 back making them about $1 each. Oh well.

 

 

Safeway - Spent $51.39, Saved $74.04

So all in all I spent $142.06 (that's pretty high for me) and I saved $206.94. So I got $349 worth of products for $142.06.

Falling Behind

I have been falling behind! I have been pretty busy lately and I am a super procrastinator but my recent shopping trips are on their way to my blog!

This is what a typical day looks like for me! Sitting in front of the computer looking for deals and clipping massive amounts of coupons. It's time consuming but fun!