Get Groceries Free

This week at Target if you purchase 5 selected Quaker items you will receive a FREE $5 TARGET GIFTCARD! Included in this sale is the 10-pk. of oatmeal or $2.75. If you were able to get the coupons in this past Sunday’s paper you will find a $1/1 Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Any box in the Red Plum insert. Here is the math:

(5) Quaker Oatmeal – 13.75
- 5.00 (5) $1 Quaker Oatmeal coupons
Total OOP – 8.75 (+tax)

You will then get back the $5 gift card making $3.75 for 5 boxes or .75/each. However, in my area the Oatmeal singles are reportedly $2.54/ea which takes them down to .54/ea!!! Hurry and check out your stores!

Thanks to my good friend Jennifer for the heads up!

I was reading on AFullCup.com the other day about how I could get some CHEAP dog food and I was not going to pass that up! I hopped over to the Afullcup.com Target Coupon Generator and printed off the necessary coupons and gathered up my mfg coupons and headed out. It did not go quite like it should because I failed to give the cashier the coupons in the correct order. I still did quite well considering!

Transaction 1
(2) Market Pantry Cheese Sticks – .80
(1) Chef Michael bag dog food – sale 4.26
(2) Chef Michael can dog food – 1.68
- 4.26 Chef Michael mfg q*
- 1.50 Target Chef Michael bag q
- .84 Target Chef Michael canned BOGO q
Subtotal – .14
Tax – .30
Total OOP – .44

*The mfg coupon was a bogo coupon for the can of Chef Michaels dog food but for some reason the computer took off the full value of the bag of food. I was unable to use my $1/2 Target cheese coupon on the sticks.

Transaction 2
(2) Market Pantry Cheese Sticks – .80
(1) Chef Michael bag dog food – sale 4.26
(2) Chef Michael can dog food – 1.68
- 3.00 CM bag mfg q
- .84 Target CM can food BOGO q
- .84 Mfg CM can food BOGO q
Subtotal – .56
Tax – .30
Total OOP – .86
Again I was unable to use the $1/2 cheese coupon due to the way the coupons rang up and the register would not adjust the value of the coupon down to the cost of the cheese because it would put me in the negative.

Transaction 3
(2) Market Pantry Cheese Sticks – .80
(1) Chef Michael bag dog food – sale 4.26
(2) Chef Michael can dog food – 1.68
- 4.26 Chef Michael mfg q*
- 1.50 Target Chef Michael bag q
- .84 Target Chef Michael canned BOGO q
Subtotal – .14
Tax – .30
Total OOP – .44
This transaction was a mirror image of the first and I am not sure why the second was different. I just goes to show that it matters what order you hand the cashier the coupons.

Totals
Retail Value – 21.21
Coupon and sale total – 20.37
Tax – .90
Total OOP – 1.74
Percentage saved – 92%

Not that great considering everything should have been free after coupons. Still not too bad for all I got.

I went into Target yesterday to take advantage of the Special K gift card deal. In case you have not seen the ad the deal is if you purchase 4 participating Special K items you will get a $5 Target gift card. The participating items include:

• Special K 11.4 to 13.4-oz. cereal
• 6-ct. Special K bars

My kids love the chocolate drizzle bars and the Special K Chocolate Delight cereal. I am really excited about the deals I got. I broke it up into three transactions because I wanted to be able to use the gift cards from the previous transactions to keep my out of pocket lower. Here is what I did:

Transaction 1
(4) Kellogg’s Cereal – sale 2.39/ea – 9.56
- (2) 1.00 Kellogg’s Special K coupons (found in Rice Krispies cereal box) – 2.00
- (1) $1/2 Special K coupon found in circular a few weeks back – 1.00
Subtotal – 6.56
Tax – .09
Total OOP – 6.65
Received a $5 gift card

Transaction 2
(4) Kellogg’s Cereal – sale 2.39/ea – 9.56
- (2) $1/2 Special K cereal coupon found in circular – 2.00
Subtotal – 7.56
- $5 gift card from previous transaction
Subtotal – 2.56
Tax – .09
Total OOP – 2.65
Got back a $5 gift card.

Transaction 3
(4) Kellogg’s Special K Bars – sale 2.39/ea – 9.56
- (2) $1/2 Special K bar coupon found in circular – 2.00
Subtotal – 7.56
- $5 gift card from previous transaction
Subtotal – 2.56
Tax – .09
Total OOP – 2.65
Got back a $5 gift card.

So all in all I spent $11.95 minus the $5 gift card I still had left over is $6.95 for 8 boxes of cereal and 4 boxes of cereal bars. Not a bad haul. If you noticed I said I HAD a gift card left over, that is because I then took advantage of the great clearance they had on the kids clothes. I got two of my daughters 4 outfits each and spent less than $45! Thats just over $5 an outfit. What is great about the outfits is they come with leggings which can be used with multiple different shirts.

Hey, don’t forget to check out my giveaways ending TODAY!

• Honey Kix Giveaway
• Sam’s Club Gift Card and One-Day Passes Giveaway

Not only do I use coupons to save money but I also have other ways to save money that I want to share with you. You may already be aware of these tips but there may be some here you are not aware of. If you have a great tip that is not listed please leave me a comment at the bottom so that I can start taking advantage of it and also add it to this list!

Eating Out Tips (or in)

• Lets say you want to have a weekly Pizza Night, instead of ordering a pizza to be delivered (can cost $20 and up), unless you have an awesome coupon or deal, stop by the grocery store and pick one up for under $10 and bake it at home. You will save at least 50%! We have a local pizza place that offers a large one topping hot and ready to go for $5 all the time so we just pop in there if I do not find it a better deal at the grocery store. (Little Caesar’s Pizza) 
• Steaks can be super expensive. Right now the best deal I have around me is $4.99/lb. What I have found to be a really cheap alternative is going to a local steak house with a buffet which offers steaks on the buffet (cooked to your specifications) after 4pm. You get a plate and fill it up with whatever you choose for just $4.29/lb. I can get a pound of Fillet Mignon, Porterhouse, T-bone, etc.  for just $4.29/lb cooked and ready to eat! All I do is fix the sides at home and for under $10 my entire family can have a steak dinner!
• I can not stress enough that before you go out check online or in your local paper for coupons! My family likes to eat out but the cost is just too much. There are many places that offer coupons in the papers or online. For example, Chic Fil A will often put coupons in our paper for a free kids meal wyb any value meal.  My husband and I can order our meals and the kids can eat free. Sonic will also offer many great coupons in the paper as well. Also, be sure to check to see if they have a loyalty program or mailing list that you can sign up for. They will offer coupons many times if you sign up. Sometimes you can get free meals! Just keep your eyes out for them. 
• Sometimes you can find travel magazines in the restaurants off major interstates. Shoney’s is a restaurant around here that has them in it. If you pick up one of those magazines you will find that not only do they have great hotel and entertainment savings but local restaurants will also offer great savings. 
• Restaurant.com offers gift card purchases for super cheap. Right now you can get a $25 gift card for $10 and depending on the offers they have sometimes they are even less.

Clothing and Accessories

• I have found that purchasing clothes from mass merchandisers may not always the cheapest option. Many times I can get my family name brand clothes from department stores cheaper. Belk and JC Penney for example will put their clothes on clearance for 75% off and up around the middle of the season preparing for the next season. I have been able to get my kids Ralph Lauren dresses for as little at $5! 
• Again, I can’t stress this enough, look for coupons! Many times I have found that stores will give you a coupon if you sign up for a mailing list or join a loyalty program. I have also found them in the paper. The two above mentioned stores offer $10 off $50 purchase very often. Combine those coupons with great sales and you can really come out cheap!
• My husband and I needed new shoes. We did some research to find what the best shoes were for us and we set out to find a great deal. Everywhere online we looked the cheapest price for them was $69.99 (reg. $104/each pair) but we went to our local Shoe Carnival and found the same exact shoe (maybe not the same color) on sale for $35. Not only were they a great deal (50% off of the online sale prices; which are usually cheaper) but they were also offering a buy one get one 50% off. So we were able to get both pairs of our shoes for $58 (which included tax)! That was a savings of  72% from the original retail price ($104) for both pair and an 80% savings for each pair! I forgot to mention that these are New Balance shoes.
• My daughter needed new shoes as well. We have a store near us called Liquidation Wearhouse. We went in to see what they had in stock and found her shoes on clearance for $12! These were Nike that normally sell for $45! That was a savings of 73%! My point is shop around. If you are not in dire need of something right now but know you will need it soon take the time to shop around and sooner or later you will find what you need for a better price.

Household Items

• Last year our refrigerator went out and we needed a new one. Instead of running out and buying the first thing we saw we shopped around in our town and the town next to us. What we found was even if you are shopping at Home Depot in “X” town and find an item is full retail, town “Y” may have the same item on clearance. We found a stainless steel GE Profile in our town for $2600 that we really liked but found the same exact fridge in the town next to us on clearance for $1500. The only reason it was on clearance was it has a small scratch on the very bottom on the side. It is set back into a wall so you can’t see the scratch! Not only was it on clearance but we also showed them the paper that offered 10% off any Energy Star appliance and we negotiated with the sales man. We walked out paying $1000 for it! But wait it just gets better. We used a credit card (hate the things most of the time!) that gave us 1 year no payments no interest. Of course we are paying each month to get it paid off before the interest kicks in so we will not pay any interest on it. They also threw in a 3-year warranty so if anything goes wrong they will fix it or replace it at full retail value. What that means is if it goes out we will actually get a $2600 credit! I love my fridge so I hope nothing goes wrong but if it does then we will actually profit $1600! Sure we could have purchased a cheaper appliance but this is an Energy Star so we will save on our power bill but if/when we put the house on the market stainless appliances will result in more money! Percentage saved: 61.5%
• Its true what they say, “When it rains it pours”. Just before Thanksgiving last year my dishwasher went out. Instead of running out and purchasing a new one I just washed the dishes by hand until I found one I liked at a reasonable price. Because we purchased a stainless refrigerator we wanted to also purchase a stainless dishwasher. We intend on replacing all of the appliances with stainless (as they go out). Now, the dishwasher I had was a top of the line Kitchen Aide that the previous owners of our home purchased just before we bought the house. They paid about $700 for it. It actually was highly rated but from day one it never washed the dishes right. I had to wash them before putting them in the dishwasher. It took upwards of 4 hours to wash a normal load. Anyway, my point is is it is not always best to go with top of the line. One day about 3 weeks ago I was in Best Buy and decided to go over and see what they had in stock and found a stainless Whirlpool on clearance for $299! The regular retail price was $599. My husband spoke with the sales person and they dropped the price another 10% and my Father-In-Law gave us a gift card with $12 left on it. Our out of pocket, including tax,  was….$284!!! Not only was it a great price but the Energy Star rating is $35/year!!! Percentage saved: 52%!
• We currently need a new bedroom set but I refuse to go to a furniture store and pay full price for one. My plan…Craigslist! Craigslist.org is a great place to find all kinds of different items really cheap! We purchased our couch and love seat from someone on Craigslist. It was only two years old and used in the unused sitting room of their house. It is a Broyhill set and was originally more then $1000 for the set. The price we paid…$200! Most items are used and being offered by the owner but some are brand new offered by dealers. If you are ever in need of something check out Craigslist to see if you can find it cheaper!
• For outdoor and sporting gear there is a great site that offers a deal of the day at super low prices. SteepandCheap.com also offers a toolbar that you can download that alerts you of the deal of the day. Check them out!
• Tell friends and family when you are in need of something. They my be shopping around for the same thing for themselves and you can get their old items. Example, my inlaws recently purchased a new mattress and boxspring set (within the last 2 months). They found they could not get any sleep on it because they actually needed a different type. So they set out to purchase a new set, again. They called my husband and offered their two month old set to us! That means we got an almost brand new set for FREE! The original retail price on this set is around $1600. Percentage saved: 100%

Household and/or Automotive Repairs and Services

• A year and a half ago I was driving down the road and ran over a nail. Unfortunately, the nail went into the sidewall. If you know anything about tires any kind of damage to the sidewall of a tire is not repairable. So, off we set to find a good price on not 4 but 2 new tires. You see if your tires are in overall good shape you can just replace 2 at a time. We decided to replace the back two tires but instead of putting them on the back we took the front tires and put them on the back and put the new tires on the front. In doing the research we found that the cheapest place around town was Sam’s Club. The only problem was we were not members.  The difference in the cost of the tires at Sam’s Club and everywhere else we checked was about $150.00. To join the club was $35 per year so we decided that even if we joined the club and paid the $35 membership fee we still saved $115 off the cost of our tires. 
• Barter. If you have a service that someone else is in search of and they have a service you are in need of trade off. This is another time when Craigslist.org is a good option. The site has a Barter section under the for sale section. For example, there is a person offering house painting services for $16/hour or they are willing to trade for food and/or gas, ect. 
• Car detailing, oil changes, ect. If you are able to do these things then you know how much money you are saving, but if you are unable to do those things for yourself then you want to find the best deals. We have a local auto shop that offers a fleet account. If you have 3 cars or more you can have a fleet account. My husbands family decided to go in together and add all of their cars so that we could take advantage of the fleet account. Basically, with the fleet account what would normally run $36.95 we are able to get for $26.95 and that is an oil change with the topping off of all fluids and a car wash and interior cleaning. My advice is call around and find out if anyone in your area offers reduced prices if you have more than one automobile. If they require more autos than you have go in with friends and/or family so that you all can take advantage of the lower costs. 
• Lets say you need your heating and air unit replaced. This can cost thousands of dollars if you just pick up the phone and go with the first person on the list. What I recommend is shop around and get bids from multiple companies. If you like and really want company “A” but they have one of the higher bids and company “Z” has the lowest bid then show company “A” company “Z” bid and see if they will match it or come close to it. If they can not match it then you have two options:
  • Just walk away! You have to be willing to do that because this is a financial decision and if you truly do not have that much money then that is what you will have to do.
  • See if they are willing to throw in other services, upgrade the unit to a better unit or maybe an extended warranty to offset the extra cost.

A Few Extra Tips

• With the economy the way it is right now pretty much every price you see is negotiable. Even medical procedures are negotiable. Some doctors will knock 10 – 50% off of the cost of a procedure or service if you pay up front. Uninsured people are more likely to get the 50% off. 
• If you find something you really want but it has a price tag you don’t like it never hurts to ask for a better price. This works really great if the product has been in the store for a while. Let them know that you know the product has been there for a while. Ask the sales person if they can come off the price and if they tell you they don’t have the authority tell them you want to speak with the manager. Don’t let the employees know how desperate you are to purchase something always seem as if you are just browsing. If you walk in with a desperate look on your face then they will not give you a better deal. Once you start the negotiating do not concede! If they are not willing to go as low as you want (within reason) then walk away, leave! Almost always they will stop you before you get out the door and offer you a better price. If they don’t then take your business else where. Someone somewhere will be willing to let you have what you want for the price you want it. 
• Some places also offer a referral fee. Our Optometrist offers a referral fee. My grandmother referred me to him and she received a $25 certificate for her next visit. I then referred my husband and I received a $25 certificate and my husband referred my brother to him and my husband received a $25 certificate. 
• Cell phone services, credit card interest rates, mortgage interest rates are all negotiable. If you have been a long time customer of your cell phone company give them a call and see if they have a better package available for you. You can do the same with your cable services. Sometimes they will throw in premium channels for free for a year. Credit card interest rates are also negotiable. Call and simply ask if they can give you a better rate. I know you are surprised to find that your mortgage interest rate is negotiable but it is. Call a couple of brokers and ask for a “good faith estimate”. Once you have them take the best offer to your bank and see if they will match it. Sometimes you will find that they will even do better than the best offer! Of course anything dealing with interest rates is dependant on your credit score and current payment history. I do not recommend trying to negotiate if you are behind on your payments or your credit score has dropped. These two things can make your interest rate go up and not get better.

As you can see you do not have to just use coupons to save money! I am sure there are many, many, many more ways to save money but this is what I have come up with so far. As I learn about more ways I will be sure to add them to this list. 

#cheaptweet

I ventured out last week to a couple of places which included Target, Walmart and Food Lion. I did very good I just wish I would have posted my deals earlier and I wish I could have done more deals. Look at everything I got!

Target

Here is the breakdown:

(5) Goldfish – reg. 1.77/ea – 8.85
(6) Motts Applesauce – reg. 1.67/ea – 10.02
(1) Minute Maid Juice – clearance – .69
(2) Hillshire Farm Roast Beef – reg. 3.59/ea – 7.18
(2) Huggies Wipes – reg. 5.99/ea – 11.98
(1) Cascade Rinse – reg. 3.29 – 3.29
(1) Kashi Bar – reg. 3.29/ea – 3.29
(1) Hefty Trash bags (not pictured) – reg. 6.64 – 6.64
(4) Silk Chocolate Soy Milk – reg. 2.94/ea – 11.76
Subtotal – 63.70
- 41.68 Target and Mfg coupons
Total – 22.02
Tax – 1.98
Total OOP – $24.00
Percentage saved – 65%

Walmart

(4) Tucks To Go Wipes – reg. 2.64/ea – 10.56
(3) Animal Massagers (not pictured) – for the girls reg 10.00/ea $30 – clearance 2.00/ea & 2.50/ea – $6.50
(1) Ear Infection Monitor – reg. 58.64 – clearance 13.00
(1) Gillette Fusion Power cartridges – reg. 14.28
(3) Sea Pak Shrimp Poppers – reg. 1.32/ea – 3.96
(1) White wheat Bread – reg. 1.78/ea – 1.78
(2) Sunsilk Mousse – clearance 1.00/ea – 2.00
(3) Kashi Cereal Bars – reg. 2.97/ea – 8.91
(1) Special K Bliss – reg. 2.50/ea – 2.50
(2) Thomas’ English muffins – reg. 1.97/ea – 3.94
(5) Huggies Clean Team Wipes – reg. 1.64/ea – 8.20
(8) J&J EZ Grip Soap – reg. .97/ea – 7.76
(1) Girls Tights – reg. 3.97 – clearance 2.00
(8) All You Magazines – reg 2.24/ea – 17.92
Subtotal before sale and coupons – 174.42
Subtotal after sale – 103.31
- 44.00 coupons
Subtotal After Coupons – 59.31
Tax – 5.97
Total OOP – 65.28
Percentage Saved – 66%

Food Lion

I do not have a picture for this.

(2) Ritz Crackers – reg. 3.99/ea – 7.98
(3) Food Lion Oatmeal – reg. 2.35/ea – 7.05
(7) Tombstone Pizza – reg. 4.99/ea – 34.93
(1) Hot Dog Buns – reg. 1.07/ea – 1.07
(2) 18-pk eggs – reg. 2.39/ea – 4.78
(4) FL Tuna – reg. .87/ea – 3.48
Subtotal before sale and coupons – 59.29
- 40.03 Sale and coupons
Total after sale and coupons – 19.26
Tax – .52
Total OOP – 19.78
Percentage Saved – 67%

Here is a recap of the numbers:
Totals before sale and coupons – $297.41
Sale and Coupons – $196.82
Total OOP – 109.06
Percentage Saved – 64%

Not a bad haul. The girls have been sick so I thought the little massager’s would be nice and they have used the so much we have changed the batteries twice! I also got the Ear Infection Monitor because all of the girls have fluid on their ears and I wanted to be able to monitor it.

Total Available To Spend $1984.99
Year To Date Savings – $1,689.18

I decided that I was going to go and attempt the deal at Target they had in the flyer on the Sobe waters and I think I did very well! The only problem was while I was there a terrible storm rolled through and trapped my youngest and I there for over an hour. I was so worried that I would go way over what my original spending intentions were but I only did by a few dollars and most of that was a great deal I found on cat food for my mom so I’ll get that back! I did this in three transactions but will combine them into one for this. Here is how I did:

(5) Iams Cat Food – 12.50 (2.00 coupons)
(20) Sobe Life Waters – sale 10/$10 buy 10 get $5 GC – 20.00 (.50 coupons)
(3) Binder Folders for coupon binder – 3.27
(1) Cascade Rinse – 3.29 (free coupon)
(13) Huggies wipes – .99/each – 12.87 ($1 Huggies coupons)
Total Before Coupons – 51.93
Coupons – 37.29
Gift Cards Used – 8.34
Total OOP – 6.30

Of the $10 in Gift Cards I received I used 8.34 and still have a balance of $1.66 on the one I have left. I will also get back 3.34 from my mom for the cat food I bought for her. That brings my total OOP down to $2.96! My percentage saved is – 95%!!!!

Target has an awesome deal going on that states if you purchased 3/12pks of specified drinks then you get a free carton of Edy’s Ice Cream. I also got a few Target coupons in Sunday’s paper for $5 off of 3 specified items. Along with other coupons, both peelie and manufacturer, I made out like a bandit. I just wish I would have been able to find 3 more coupons to go with the drinks I purchased. Here is what I did:

(5) Archer Farm Chips – 4.45
(1) Doritos – sale – 1.88
(2) Fritos – sale – 3.76
(10) Huggies travel size – 9.90
(1) Lysol Air Freshner – sale – 5.99
(1) $1 Spot purse for daughter – sale – .50
(1) $1 Spot book for daughter – sale – .50
(1) $1 Spot Index Card Holder – 1.00
(6) Band Aids – 11.82
(5) Band Aids travel size – 4.95
(3) Carefree Pantyliners – 3.06
(2) Edy’s Ice Cream – 6.00
(3) 12pk Sunkist – 7.98
(2) 12pk CF Diet Dr Pepper – 5.32
(1) 12pk 7up – 2.66

Subtotal before q’s – 69.77

-(6) $1 Target Drink IP – 6.00
-(3) Target $5/3 – 15.00
-(5) $1 Target IP Archer Farm Chips – 5.00
-(3) $1 Drink Peelies – 3.00
-(3) Target IP Lays Chips – 3.00
-(1) $5 Lysol Coupon – 5.00
-(10) $1 Huggies coupon – 10.00
-(5) $1 Band Aid coupon – 5.00
-(2) Free Edy’s w/Drink purchase – 6.00

Total after sale and q’s – 11.77
Tax – 1.87
Total OOP – 13.64

I had a total savings of $58.00 or 84%! For the $5/3 Target coupon I chose to get 1 pack of Carefree pantyliners for 1.02/pack and 2 boxes of kids BandAids for 1.97/box which came out to $4.96 which was an overage of .04 per coupon or .12 overage for all of the products! Almost every coupon I used beeped but the cashier pushed them all through. I also got the Archer Farm chips from the snack bar. Those bags were only .89 a bag and the Target IP was for $1 off giving me overage of .11/bag or .55 off of the total bill. Each box of travel size BandAids were .99 and I had manu q for $1 off giving me overage on those as well. The drinks were on sale for 3/$8 but rang up at 2.66 each case or 15.96 for all 6 cases instead of $16 for all six. I was able to print 6 of the $1 off Target IP’s and found 3 $1 peelies which made that $9 off of the drinks as well as 2 cartons of Edy’s Ice Cream free. I managed to get 6 cases of drinks and 2 cartons of Edy’s Ice Cream for $6.96. The ad sale price on this group of items was $22 so I saved $15.04 on that alone. They only had one of the Lysol kits available so I got that for .99 with my $5 coupon and a rain check for 6 more. When I go back to get my other 6 I will use my BOGO coupons as well as my $5 coupons. This will work out to 2.97 for all 6 after coupons but the rain check sale price will be 35.94. I found the Huggies travel packs in the trial section for .99 each pack. I used 10 of the $1 Huggies Bath and Body coupons making these free with overage as well. While in the trial section I grabbed 5 of the trial size BandAid boxes for .99 each and used 5 of my $1 off any BandAid product manu q making those free with overage too. I had more coupons for the Carefree liners and the full size boxes of BandAids but chose not to push my luck as I have heard many people having a hard time at the registers when trying to use the Target q with the manu q. All in all I think I rocked on this trip to Target. I hope to go back and do more deals before the end of the week.

Ashley

Since I have been behind on posting I am going to catch you up on some of the deals I have done this month. I hope you are ready for some reading ~!

Target (06/02)

Target had a deal that week that stated for ever 2 razors you purchased you would receive a $10 gift card. The razors were on sale for 7.99 each and there were manu q for $4 off. I had to do 5 different transactions so that I could pay for them with the gift cards giving me less OOP. I did not realize until the second transaction that I could not use the gift card the $10 was put on in the same transaction so I had to pay OOP for the first two transactions instead of putting the second on the first transations gift card. (Confusing I know, this is why I messed up the first time). I am going to give you the condensed version instead of breaking down all of the transations. Here is how I managed to do:

(10) Fusion Razors – 79.90
(1) Twin Pack Barbasol – 1.99
(1) 10 pk Minute Maid Juice – Clearanced – .69
Total – 82.58
-(10) Fusion q’s – 40.00
Tax – 2.19
Total – 44.77
Total Paid w/ Gift Cards – 27.27
Total paid OOP – 17.50 (This would have been much lower but as I stated previously I did not realize that I should have used 2 gift cards for these transactions.) When I left I still had two gift cards left with $11.11 and $11.62 balances left on them. All in all I walked away with a profit of $5.23 and had merchandise with a regular retail value of approximately $125! OOOHHHH That was a GOOD day! After I left there I went to K-Mart and did just as well.

K-Mart (06/02)

(1) 20 oz Coke – 1.29
(9) Max Factor Blush – 80.91
(3) Max Factor Compact – 26.97
Total – 109.17
- K-Mart BOGO Sale – 53.94
- manu BOGO q – 53.94
Tax – 3.73
Total OOP – 5.02

K-Mart (06/06)

I did not take a picture of this deal but it is almost the exact same as the previous only this deal is for 10. Just to give you an idea of what I got I am using the same picture from the first transaction just altered to reflect the 10 items purchased. Just keep in mind this deal was for 5 compacts and 5 blush.

(5) Max Factor Blush – 44.95
(5) Max Factor Compact – 44.95
Total – 89.90
- (5) BOGO manu q – 44.95
- K-Mart BOGO sale – 44.95
Tax – 3.03
Total OOP – 3.03

CVS (06/02)

(4) Bounty Paper Towels – 23.96
(2) Smart Rinse – 6.98
(2) Juicy Fruit Gum – 2.49
(3) Dove Trial Deo – 2.97
(1) CVS Swab – 3.19
(4) Huggies Natural Care – 13.96
(1) Caress Body Wash – 6.29
Total Before Coupons – 59.84
- (2) $1 Smart Rinse q’s – $2
- (2) $1 Gum q – $2
- (3) .75 Dove q – 2.25
- (4) $1 Huggies q – $4
- (1) .70 Caress q – .70
Total – 48.89
-3.79 ECB
-3.99 ECB
-4.69 ECB
-8.37 ECB
-8.97 ECB
-14.98 ECB
Total OOP – 5.13

I miscalculated the Dove totals so I did not receive my ECB’s for it on this transaction. I did receive back $8 Huggies ECB, 6.98 Smart Rinse ECB, $2 CVS Swabs ECB, $10 Bounty ECB for a total of 26.98. I used 44.79 in ECB and spent 5.13 OOP for a total of 49.92 and gained back 26.98 for a difference of 22.94. Basically I got everything listed above for just under what the sale price of (4) 8 roll Bounty packs. If I would have calculated correctly on the Dove deal (I was .74 shy of the completed deal) the I would have received the $3 ECB on that deal as well. Oh well, I will remember next time to pack my calculator .

CVS (06/04)

(3) Chex Mix – $3
(2) Dawn – $2
(2) Smart Rinse – 6.98
(5) Brut Deo – 15.95
(2) Huggies Natural Care – 6.98
(1) Fathers Day Card – 2.59
Total Before Q’s – 37.50
-(2) Dawn q’s – .50
-(5) Brut q’s – $5
-(3) Chex q’s – $3
-(2) Huggies q’s – $2
- 8.97 ECB
-14.97 ECB
Total – 3.83
Gift Card payment – 1.99
Total OOP – 1.84

Received back $1 Dawn ECB, $15 Brut ECB, $4 Huggies ECB, $6.98 Smart Rinse ECB. I used $23.94 in ECB and paid $1.99 on a GC and paid $1.84 out of pocket and got back $26.98 in ECB. I gained from $23.94 to $26.98 in ECB’s for a total gain of $3.04 in ECB but with everything being factored in (money, GC and ECB) on this transaction I actually lost .79 on this deal but I would say I got a lot for my money!

CVS (06/11)

(2) CVS Bandages – 3.98
(4) Nivea Shave Gels – 10.76
(3) Johnson and Johnson easy grip – 2.97
Total – 17.71
-(2) $1 Johnson and Johnson q
-(1) .97 Johnson and Johnson q ($1 q adjusted to .97)
-(2) $1/2 Nivea Mens q
- $6 ECB
Total 6.74

Received back $5 Nivea ECB and $3.98 CVS Bandages ECB. On this transaction I “made” 2.24!

Harris Teeter (06/13)

Transaction 1

(2) Dozen Large HT Eggs – sale – 1.98
(1) Log Cabin Syrup – 1.84 (.55 q doubled to 1.10)
(3) Chinet Plates – 7.50 (3 ~ .75 blinkie q doubled to 1.50)
(2) Smart Start Cereal – BOGO – 4.19 ($3/2 IP)
(2) Ragu Pouches – 2/$4 ($1/2 q)
(2) Hormel Compleats – 2/$4 (2 ~ .75 blinkie doubled to 1.50)
(4) Propel – $4 (4 ~ .50 tearpads doubled to 1.00)
(4) Sobe Life Water – $4 (4 ~ .50 tearpads doubled to 1.00)
2.28 lbs bananas – 1.48
(2) Danactive – 3.98 (2 ~ $1 manu q)
(1) 12 pk HT Spring Water (EVic Special $3 off) – 1.97
Total OOP – 13.97

Total Before sale and q’s – 58.98
Sale and Q’s – 46.04
Percentage Saved – 77%

Transaction 2

(4) Propel – $4
(4) Sobe – $4
Total 8.00
- q’s – 7.00 (I actually thought I gave him 8.00 in q’s but the receipt does not show that)
Total OOP 1.10 this should have only been .10!
 

I have been wanting to get over to Target to get more of the Lays Crisps chips before the sale is over and the Target coupon expires. I also wanted to get some of the Herbal Essence shampoo with the manu. q and the Target IP. I think I did pretty well.

(1) Coke – 1.27
(2) Wisk – 6.96
(1) Purex – 4.29
(1) Plush Animal – 1.00 (to keep dd happy)
(7) Lays Crisps – sale – 17.50
(1) Fusion Phenom Shave set – clearance – 3.98
(8) Herbal Essence Shampoo – sale – 23.52
Subtotal – 58.52
-(7) 1.00 Target IP Lays Crisps – 7.00
-(4) 2.00 Target IP HE $2/2 – 8.00
-(2) 1.50 Wisk mfg q – 3.00
-(1) 2.00 Fusion Phenom mfg q – 2.00
-(7) 1.00 mfg q Lays Crisps – 7.00
-(8) HE mfg q – 8.00
-(1) 1.00 mfg q Purex – 1.00
Total – 22.52
Tax – 2.44
Total OOP – 24.96

Total before sale and coupons – 73.88
Sale and coupons – 51.36
Percentage Saved – 70%

I got a great deal on the razor pack. It came with the razor, full size shaving gel and a water bottle. The best deal of all is the Herbal Essence. For every two bottles of that I purchased I can send in for a free manicure or pedicure. That means I will get 4 free manicures or pedicures to do with whatever I want. I can either use them for my self or give them for gifts. Not a bad deal for .94 a bottle.

All of the Target Internet Printables I used can be found: HERE

I am not quite sure why but I had the urge to go to Target this afternoon when I picked my daughter up from school. I am so glad I did. I got more freebies and also found some great items for the kids this summer. We are, as a family, wanting to become more active and my kids have told me they would like to learn to play tennis and baseball. I found 3 pink baseball gloves with the ball attached on clearance for $5 each, 2 pink Wilson tennis rackets on clearance for $12 each, tube of pink tennis balls on clearance for $1.74 and a pink baseball bat (with ball attached) on clearance for $5. I also found my youngest a pair of shoes on clearance for $2.48 and my oldest daughter a shirt on clearance for $2.24. Enough talk about my great finds lets get to the freebies I found. I had some Target coupons for $1 off Lipton that I printed off a while back and I finally used them. I also had 2 Kashi coupons for $2 any item that I printed off as well. The Kashi cereal was on clearance for $1.08 per box which gave me $1.84 overage for the rest of my bill. I decided to walk through the cleaning section and hanging on the Tide laundry detergent was a Target coupon for $1.50 off any Swiffer product. I also had a manu q for $1 off Swiffer dusters starter kit so I went over to see the price. They were on sale for $3.59 so I grabbed them. Here is how the freebie portion of my deal looks:

15 Lipton Green Tea To Go – 14.85
2 Kashi Cereal – 2.16
1 Swiffer Kit – 3.59
Subtotal – 20.60
-1.50 Target Swiffer q
-1.00 Swiffer manu q
-(15) .99 Lipton Target q (computer readjusted the $1 q down to .99) – 14.85
-(2) $2 Kashi q – $4
Total – negative .75
1.74 clearanced tennis balls
Total – .99

Being able to get deals like this is what allows me to get the fun things for my kids. I am able to buy them things that allows us to spend quality time together instead of putting all of our money into the groceries. That makes my heart feel great.

Ashley