BX (AAFES) and Walmart Coupon Matchup 5/31

BX 5/31 coupon matchup:

5 bottles of pert plus (travel size):  FREE


-Used $1.00/1 from the 5/15 SS

*Costs .85 per bottle, but the BX will adjust the price down, if needed.

My receipt showed:  $0.00




Walmart 5/31 coupon matchup:

7 bottles of Advil (10 ct.):  FREE + .16 OVERAGE (PER BOTTLE)


-Used $2.00/1 any one advil printed from their website.

*Regularly $1.84 each (I bought $12.88 worth of advil)

2 boxes of Nexcare Bandages:  FREE

-Used $1.00/1 printed off website


*Regularly $1.00 each

2 bottles of spic n span cleaner:  Paid .47 each


-Used $1.00/2 printable


Before coupons:  $16.82


*After coupons:  .20

Before and after picture of my "stock pile"

I started couponing at the beginning of April and this picture was taken last week (around the 3rd week of May).  This does not include most of the food I have bought (Only some cereal, soy sauce, splenda, vinegar)...the rest is in my pantry.  I have to say all of this shown, I have not paid more than $1.00 for each item...and the majority of the product I got for FREE or made money on!!

For example, I didn't pay ANY MONEY for the 30+ bottles of body wash, all the floss, multiple packs/bottles of tide stain release, toothpaste, some of the razors, splenda, scotch tape, deodorant, some of the laundry detergent....

I paid only pennies for the bars of soap, toothbrushes, magic erasers...

I paid around .50 for each pack of the baby wipes, some of the cereal, paper towels...

I paid less than a $1.00-.80 for each pack of toilet paper, the rest of the cereal, each pack of pampers, etc....

*I have donated some items to a church collecting for Joplin and I am giving more this week*

Schnucks, CVS, and Walgreens 5/30 coupon matchup!

Schnucks coupon matchup:

Blue Bunny Ice cream (1.75 qt):  Regular price $6.00 (on sale for $2.47), Paid $1.47 each!

-Used $1.00/1 printable on coupons.com (use zip code 07039).  ***Click the coupons.com link with pictures at the top of my page, that will take you directly to coupons.com***

*I bought two--Leila's 4th birthday is coming up next week!*

Total Price:  $3.00 for two

Walgreens coupon matchup:

Gillette fusion razors (+ extra razor):  (on sale for $9.89)

M&M's

-Used $4.00/1 gillette fusion coupon from 5/1 P&G

-Used $2.00 register reward (from those free register rewards I got yesterday)

Paid $5.41, received $5.00 Register Rewards back--costing me .41 after RR's!!

CVS coupon matchup:  

Transaction 1:  

Pampers easy ups:  (On sale for $8.99 + get $2.00 ECB back!)

-Used $1.50/1 coupon from 5/1 P&G

-Used $3.99 ECB's that I got yesterday

Paid $3.50 out of pocket and received $2.00 ECB back--costing me $1.50 after ECB's!

Transaction 2:  

Brawny 6 pack of paper towels (Equals to 8 rolls):  On sale for $2.75, regular price $10.99!

-Used $2.00 ECB's that I received from the above transaction.

Paid $.75 for 6 big rolls of paper towels!  

If you shop at these drugstores, it is easy and smart to keep rolling these register rewards or extra care bucks to make the most of your money.  Normally I try to only buy things with register rewards when I will receive more register rewards in return (like I did in my Walgreens scenario)...but, I thought the paper towel deal was too good not to just go ahead and buy it.  Also, with all the extra register rewards that I have by the end of the week, I will usually take most of those and use them at the commissary to make my grocery bill much lower!  

Walgreens 5/29 coupon matchup

They have good freebie deals this week!

Icy Hot:  FREE + .99 register reward (MONEY MAKER)
Paid only tax (.16 for all 8 total) and got back about $8.00!!
-Used $1.00/1 from 5/1 SS

*I bought 8*

Right guard body wash and deodorant is B1G1 FREE =  FREE 
-Used B1G1 coupon

*We bought 5 body washes and 5 deodorants*  (all for FREE!!)

Ritz Crackerfuls:  Paid $1.00 each + Received $2.00 Register Rewards (MONEY MAKER!)
-Used $1.00/1 4/17 insert

*I bought 4 boxes*

Paid $4.00 out of pocket, received $8.00 Register Rewards back



So, I ended up with 8 tubes of icy hot, 5 right guard body washes, 5 right guard deodorants, and 4 boxes of ritz crackerfuls and ended up making a PROFIT of $12.00!!  


**I can used the Register Rewards at the commissary to help lower my food bill!**


*Picture is missing 4 icy hots*

5/28 commissary coupon matchup

Before coupons:  $103.34

After coupons:  $37.51

66% savings!!

Here are some of the deals I got this week:

Cottonelle flushable wipes and case:  FREE
-Used FREE coupon that was mailed to me (signed up for a freebie)

Huggies pull up wipes:  .39
-Used $1.00/1 coupon (also mailed to me!)

Pampers 60 ct wipes:  Paid .57
-Used $1.00/1 coupon (also mailed to me--pays to sign up for stuff!)

Ivory soap (3 bars):  Paid .03
-Used $1.00/1 5/1 P&G

Scotch tape:  FREE + .22 OVERAGE
-Used $1.00/1 (Only costs .78)

*I BOUGHT 3*

Tide stain release: FREE + .06 OVERAGE
-Used $3.00/1 from 5/1 P&G (only costs $2.94)

*I bought two of these*

Lean pockets:  Paid:  $1.79 for two boxes
-Used B1G1 facebook printable

Mueller pasta noodles:  FREE + .31 OVERAGE
-Used $1.00/1 printable

Bengay:  Paid $1.18
-Used 3.00/1 printable

Reynolds wrap recycled foil:  Paid $.75
-Used .75/1

Reach floss:  FREE + $1.00 OVERAGE
-Used $2.50/2 from 4/17 insert

Reach floss:  FREE + .25 OVERAGE
-Used $1.00/1 from 4/17 insert

Ronzoni noodles: Paid .19 each
-Used $1.00/1

*I bought 5 boxes*

Sara Lee sandwich bread:  Paid .89
-Used $1.00/1 coupon from commissary (If you buy Sara Lee lunch meat)

Sara Lee lunch meat:  Paid $1.60
-Used $1.00/1

Oscar Meyer hot dogs:  Paid .50
-Used .75/1 printable

Oral B toothbrushes:  Paid .04 each
-Used $1.50/2 5/1 P&G

*I bought 8*  (I donated a lot that I had to Joplin)

Degree deodorant:  Paid .05 each
-Used .75/1

*I bought 4*  (Also donated some to Joplin--so I needed to restock)

Magic erasers:  Paid .11 for box of two
-Used 1.50/1 from 5/1 P&G

*I bought 4 boxes*  (coupon is about to expire--will be sharing these)

Dawn dish soap:  Paid .29
Used .50/1

Kraft mozerella cheese:  Paid .89
-Used $1.00/1

That is all I can remember for now! =)

In addition to those coupon deals, I also got:

Brownie mix was on sale for .59
Pizza crust mix on sale for:  .39
Rack of ribs
2 packs of pork chops
Big pack of chicken leg quarters
Italian sausage (did have .55/1 coupon for this)
Simply OJ (supposed to be on sale for $2.39--rang up $2.99
24 pack water (sale for $2.69)
Potatoes
Zucchini
Frozen peas
2 jars spaghetti sauce
Goldfish crackers
etc..................

Saving money on food and my weekly menu plan

Here's my weekly menu plan (a little late posting it)

Saturday:  We had Spaghetti with dinner rolls
Sunday:  We picked up chicken (had a lazy day!)
Monday:  I made Chicken Lettuce Wraps with rice and sauteed spinach
Tuesday:  Panini's with homemade sweet potato fries
Wednesday:  Chicken Catchatore (It's like a chicken stew with carrots, potatoes, red bell pepper, cooked in stewed tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and onion)
Thursday:  Chili with rice (made with ground turkey)
Friday:  Chicken Adobo
Saturday:  Breakfast for dinner

The order of the menu might change, but that's plan as of now...(last week, I was planning on making some of these meals listed, but it never happened, so we'll have it this week)...

I'm trying to think of ways to cut down on the grocery bill, which is why we have panini's (sandwiches) and breakfast for two of the meals.  The goal is to be able to feed the four of us breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for a week and stay around $60 dollars each week and still buy as much organic as we have been, eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and not feel deprived or bored with the meals.  This is a big adjustment because I would normally spend about $100.00 per week without even thinking about it, Larry would eat out for lunch a lot, and we would eat out at least 3-4 meals on the weekend, not to mention that random fast food run every now and then during the week.

We are still not completely there, but we're working on it.  Since we have been couponing and getting so much stuff for FREE or almost FREE, we don't have to worry about a lot of the basic necessities.  We are definitely good on body wash (free), bars of soap (.01 each bar), deodorant (made money on or got them for free), toothbrushes (free or .04 each), floss (made money on them), razors (free or less than a dollar--for Larry's normally $10 each razors), and stain removers (free or .50 each) for the next year!  We'll be good on toilet paper (.80 per 12 pack), paper towels (.39 each roll), toothpaste (free or made money on them) and diapers ($1.00 per pack of pampers) for the next couple of months also!

5/23 Target Trip!

4 Tide Stain Release in wash boosters:
Costs:  $3.99 each
-used 4 $3.00/1 tide coupon from 5/1 P&G
-used 4 $1.00/1 TARGET coupons from 5/8 SS

(Comes out to be FREE + TAX)

Organic Milk is also on sale for $2.99 so I picked one up.

Paid:  $3.94 

5/22 Walgreens trip

2 Suave Lotion
2 Vaseline Men's lotion
On Sale:  4/$12
-used 2 $1.00/1 (Vaseline coupon from 5/22 insert)
-used 2 $1.00/1 (Suave coupon from 5/22 insert)
-used 5 Register Reward (Bought a candy as a filler)

Paid 3.00, Received 4.00 Register Rewards!

4 Boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios
On Sale:  $1.99 Each
-used $1.00/1 Cheerios (I got coupons from the inside of the pampers I bought a few weeks ago)

Paid .99 each!  (We're big cereal eaters, so 4 boxes will probably go fast in our house.)


Colgate Sensitive toothpaste:
On sale:  2/$7.00
-used 2 $1.00/1 (colgate sensitive toothpaste from 5/22 insert)
-used $5.00 Register Reward (bought a candy as a filler)

Paid:  FREE + tax, Received $3.00 Register Rewards!


Huggies Little Swimmers:
On sale:  6.99
-used $2.00 coupon from 5/15 insert
-used $2.00 coupon from Walgreens May coupon book

Paid:  2.99 + tax!


I also picked up foil, it was on sale for .69.

5/19 Commissary Deals

First of all, did you know you could use register rewards from Walgreens at the commissary!  I used $14 worth and it worked!

Before coupons:  $110.05

Used: almost $55.82 in coupons

After coupons:  Paid $54.23

Coupon savings:  53%
Number of items sold:  61
Number of coupons:  43 

Here's a list of some of the good deals I got:

Advil (10 count):  FREE...actually a .77 overage for each one! (Reg price 1.23)  ($1.54 PROFIT)

Used 2.00/1 coupon (X's 2)

Scotch tape:  FREE...actually a .22 overage for each one! (reg. price .78) (.88 PROFIT)

Used 1.00/1 coupon (x's 4)

KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce:  .19 for each one

USED 1.00/1 coupon (x's 2)

Kikoman soysauce:  .15 each

Used 1.00/1 printable coupon (x's 2)

Mueller Spaghetti noodles:  FREE... actually a .17 overage for each one!  (.34 PROFIT) (Reg price .83)

Used 1.00/1 printable (x's 2)

Carefree:  FREE  

Used a coupon to get one free from 5/8 insert

Beechnut stage 4 meals:  FREE  (Reg 2.43)

Used a coupon for any free stage 4 product (it was mailed to me by the company)

Ronzoni Garden delight noodles:  .19
Used $1.00/1

Organic Valley DHA half gallon milk:  $2.69

Used $1.00/1 (coupon mailed to me by the company)

(I bought 2 1/2 gallons of organic milk = a lot of money! =P)

Ritz munchable pretzel rounds:  $1.00

Used $1.00/1 printable coupon  (they happened to be on sale for $2.00--good snack for the girls)

Oscar Meyer lunch meat:  .75 per pack  (Reg. $1.50 each)

Used $1.50/2 printable coupon  

Ground Turkey:  $1.23 per lb  (Reg $1.73)

Used .50/1 coupon from the commissary

Chinet Napkins:  FREE...actually a .03 Overage (reg .97)

Used 1.00/1 printable

Kraft cheese:  .89

Used $1.00/1 

Magic erasers:  .11 for box of two

Used 1.50/1

Crisco Olive Oil: $1.50

Used 1.00/1 coupon

Lunchable with fruit:  .50

Used 1.00/1 (treat for Leila after school)

Hormel complete kids meal:  .50

Used 1.00/1 (wanted to try it out for those days when we're in a hurry--we'll see??)

Red Barron Pizza:  $2.45

Used .55/1 coupon (B/C it's always good to have a frozen pizza in the freezer!)

Oxy Stain Release spray:  .50 each (with two little messy girls...I will get good use out of this!)

Used $3.00/2 coupon (They were on sale for 1.99)

2 oral B toothbrushes.  .04 each
Used 1.50/2 5/1 P&G

I wish the bill was a little lower but I think I got a lot for 54.00 and may be able to stretch the meals longer than a week:  

IN ADDITION TO ALL THAT STUFF I LISTED ABOVE I GOT:  

3 bags of chicken (big bag of chicken wings $7.54, bag of legs, and a bag of thighs (had .45/1 coupons), 2 ground turkey's (had .50/1)

ground beef

2 packs of sausage (used 1.00/2...they were $1.69 each)

bacon

Dozen eggs

5 half gallons of organic milk.  (used either .50/1 or $1.00/1 coupons on all 5)

Loaf of bread

Hamburger buns

Banana's

Garlic

2 frozen spinach (.50/2 coupon)

Garbanzo beans

Kidney beans

Simply orange Juice (on sale for $2.23)

Butter
2 Spaghetti sauce (.75/1 newman's own coupon from commissary)
Pudding
Rice
Dinner rolls (Used 1.00/1)

I'm sure there's more...I just can't remember and I left my receipt downstairs. =)

I'll buy the fresh Fruit and Veggies at the farmer's market b/c it's just so much cheaper and I love going to Soulard.  (Last week we got blueberries for 1.00, a pineapple for 1.00, watermelon for 1.00, etc...)

Target 5/19 Deals

Target:

Dentyne Pure Gum:  .04
Used $1.00/1 Target printable coupon

Nail Clippers:  FREE
Used $2.00/1 Revlon product

Hydrogen Peroxide:  .02
Used .50 any up&up first aid item (target printable)

Nature Valley Granola Bars:  20 bars for $2.00
Used $3.00/5 Nature Valley coupon

I bought 5 ($1.00 each).

5/15 Walgreen's deals!

Here are some of the deals I got this week at Walgreens:

Deal 1:

All Laundry Detergent with Oxy is on sale B1G1 FREE ($6.99):

-Used 2 $3.00 Register Rewards (from last week).

Paid $1.54 for 2 bottles of laundry detergent!

Deal 2:

Gillette and Old Spice Body Wash is on sale 3/$10, and you get a $3.00 RR if you buy 3!

-Used $2.00/1 Gillette Body Wash (X's 3)
-Used Buy 1 Gillette Body Wash get one Gillette Deodorant FREE (5/1 P&G) (X's 3) (Reg. 4.99 each)

Paid:  $2.76 and got back $3 RR.  (Basically a .24 profit!)

*I got 3 body washes and 3 deodorants!*

Deal 2:

Soft soap body wash on sale 2/$6 (if you buy 2, you get $4.00 register rewards back)

-Used $3.00 X 2 register rewards (that I had from when I bought those pampers)

Paid:  .47 and got $4.00 RR back!  ($3.53 profit)

Deal 3:

Colgate ProClinical toothpaste is on sale 2/$6 and if you buy 2, you get $4.00 RR:

Used .75 off coupon X's 2 (from 5/15 paper)
Used $4.00 RR from previous transaction  (bought a caramel that cost .33 as a filler item).

Paid:  ~$1.00 and received $4 Register Rewards back.  (~3.00 profit)

Deal 4:

Gillette and Old Spice Body Wash is on sale 3/$10, and you get a $3.00 RR if you buy 3!

*Bought 2 Old Spice Body Wash and 1 Gillette Body Wash, and 1 Gillette Deodorant*

-Used B1G1 Free old spice body wash (from 5/1 P&G) 

-Used Buy 1 Gillette Body Wash get one Gillette Deodorant FREE (Reg. 4.99 each)

-Used $4.00 RR from previous deals

Paid 3.85 and got back $3 RR (Basically paid .85 for all 4 items) 

*I got well over $100.00 worth of product yesterday because I was able to keep rolling my register rewards into more register rewards, which helped me spend almost nothing, and I after all that I still walked away with a $4 RR to use for next time!*

Other deals I got this week...

At Target:  (5/12)

Revon nail clippers with the catcher:  .24 (Reg. 2.24)

Revlon nail file:  FREE (Reg. 1.50)

Used $2.00/1 revlon item

Zantac:  .21 (Reg. 7.21)
Used 5.00/1 manufacturer printable coupon and 2.00/1 target printable coupon

Total purchase worth almost $11.00, paid 54 cents!


Walgreens:  (5/13)

Transaction 1:

Gillette fusion proglide razor:
Used $4.00/1, reg. 9.89, paid 5.89 out of pocket, got $5 Register Rewards.

Transaction 2:

2 Jumbo pack pampers:  On sale 2/$18
Used 2 $5 RR that I had earned plus used 2.00 off pampers from Walgreens Infant Care book (takes off $4.00).  Paid ~$5.50 out of pocket, earned $3 more Register Rewards for next time.
So, I paid ~2.25 per pack, and earned $3 RR for the next time I shop.

*I like to use my register rewards on things that I can earn more register rewards so I just keep rolling the money and earning money without really coming out of pocket as often or as much....hopefully I'll get better as I learn more about all of this and not have to come out of pocket at all! *

5/13 Commissary Trip and coupon match ups

Commissary trip and coupon match ups...

Total before coupons $82.94 and after coupons I Spent $46.44 (36.50 in coupons, almost a 47% savings).  

Here's are some the really good deals I got...

1.  Nabisco cookies (Nutter Butter, Oreos, and Chocolate Chip Cookies):  Basically got them for FREE!

There were peelies on the cookies for 1.00 off when you buy the cookies and a gallon of milk.  The cookies were $1.00 each and I was already planning on buying that much milk, so it's as if I got 3 bags of cookies for FREE!  

2.  Degree Deodorant (trial size):  Made .25 for each one I bought (I bought 2 = 50 cent profit!).  

Used 1.00/1 coupon from 4/17 Red Plum 

3.  Scotch tape:  Made .22 for each one I bought (I bought 2 = 44 cents profit).

There's a printable coupon 1.00/1 (google scotch magic tape coupon).

4.  Cascadian Farms Organic Granola Bars: (A Leila Favorite!) Paid $1.25 for a box (Reg. 2.25)

Printable 1.00/1 Cascadian Farm Coupon

*At whole foods these cost about 4.50 so this is a good deal!*

5.  John Frieda root awakening shampoo and conditioner:  Paid .25 per bottle (I bought 4)!  (Reg. 3.25 each).

*At Walgreens these are about 6.00!*

6.  Mr. Clean Magic Erasers:  Paid .11 for a box of 2!  (Reg. $1.61)

1.50/1 from 5/1 P&G

7.  Ivory Soap:  Paid .03 for 3 bars!  (Reg. 1.03)

1/1 from 5/1 P&G

8.  Oral B Toothbrushes:  Paid .04 each! (Reg. .79)

1.50/2 from 5/1 P&G

9.  Kraft Big Slice Cheese (I got Colby Jack):  Paid .89.  (Reg. 1.89).

1/1 from 4/17 Smart Source

10.  Reach Floss:  Made .25!  (Reg. .75 )

1/1 from 4/17 Smart Source

11.  Bag of Tasty Bird Chicken Breast:  Paid 4.44 (Reg. 4.99)

Coupon at the store.  

12.  1 lb. Ground Turkey:  Paid 1.23.

.50 butterball coupon at the store

I love items that I can make money on because they can go towards lowering my whole overall bill, plus I get a free item--it's win-win!  

Planning my weekly meals

I have found that if I sit down the day before and plan out my weekly menu, my grocery bill is a lot cheaper and I am not buying things I already have.  First, I look in my freezer, fridge, and pantry and see what meals I already have or what additional items I need to create more meals.  I also look at the sales that are going on at my grocery store (I go to the commissary) and try to match that with coupons that I have or with coupons I can find online (coupons.com).

My grocery bill used to be about $100 per week, but the past few weeks I have dropped it down to less than $50.  A good portion of that $50 is on organic milk (~$15/week) and fresh fruit (~$10--the kids love fruit)...so I don't know if I can get it much lower??

So, here's the menu I am planning for this coming week:

1.  P.F Chang lettuce wraps (found a recipe online)

2.  Club sliders with an avocado ranch dressing (Rachael Ray Magazine)

3.  Chili with rice

4.  BBQ Ribs with grilled zucchini and baked potatoes

5.  Chicken catchatore with jasmine rice

6.  Grilled chicken caesar wraps

I'll be back tomorrow to let you know if I did good or not...

Rain Check!

So last week there were right guard body washes on sale buy one get one free (reg. 4.49 each), and the Sunday paper had a B1G1 coupon, so I was able to get a few bottles all for FREE!  Problem is I had more coupons to use but all the Walgreens around me were out because of this great deal.  So...I got a rain check from the manager...and today I went to Walgreens, a different one, and they had them in...yay!
I got 4 bottles of right guard hair and body wash worth $17.96, and I only paid sales tax (.70)!

New to couponing...

So, I'm pretty new to this whole coupon thing (I've been doing it about a month and a half), but I have learned that it is worth the time.  I used to buy a lot of store brand stuff...but, now I'm realizing that I can get the good stuff for cheaper (and a lot of times FREE) if I use coupons!  I used to buy the sams club laundry detergent, toilet paper, and paper towels, but now I realize that it's a waste of money to even have a sams membership and that their deals aren't even that good!  In the last week or two, I got cottonelle toilet paper for 80 cents per pack of 12, seventh generation paper towels for .39 cents a roll, I got free Gain laundry detergent, lots of free floss, tubes of free colgate toothpaste, almost free and free tooth brushes, really cheap snuggle and gain dryer sheets, too much free candy, lots of free body wash, medicine, pampers for crazy cheap, etc.....

Anyways, I know there's lots out there for me to learn about everything so I decided to keep track and share what I learn with a blog...

5/8 Couponing Deals

Here are a few deals that I got this week!! 

Whole Foods Deals:

Seventh Generation Paper Towels:  .39 each! (Regularly 2.39)
Used 1.00 off any seventh generation whole foods coupon
Used 1.00 off any seventh generation manufacturer coupon

(I bought 6 rolls)

Tia Tortilla chips:  .99 each (On sale for 1.99)
Used 1.00 off Tia chips whole foods coupon

(I bought 2 bags--they look like an organic version of Doritos, but I never tried them?)

Pampers: After RR, paid $1.00 each! 

Walgreens has a sale on Pampers for $9.00 each, if you buy 2 you will receive a 3.00 Register Reward.
I bought 2 packs of pampers.  I had register rewards from previous trips.  So, I used $5.00 RR X's 2, and 2.00 off coupon from the Walgreens Infant care book (which will take off $4.00).  I paid $5.00 out of pocket for 2 packs of Pampers and then received $3.00 RR for my next trip!  They also have Pampers coupons from last week's Sunday paper, so if you don't have these RR you can still get a really good deal on pampers, paying around 3.50 per pack! 

(I ended up buying 6 packs of pampers--they were too cheap not to!)

Schnucks Deals:

Ken's Salad Dressing.  (.26 each)
They are on sale for 1.26 and there is 1.00/1 off in the 5/8 SS! 

I also got some pure protein bars for free from schnucks (they had a coupon for 1.00 off any pure protein product online, so I printed out a couple--the bars are on sale for 1.00 each right now).  

Commissary:
There are so many good deals at the commissary.  I had a total of almost $72.00 worth of stuff and I spent $38.00--48% savings!  I got Oral B toothbrushes for .05 each, magic erasers for .11 per pack of 2, I MADE .25 per floss that I bought, I MADE .25 for buying degree deodorant.  I got perdue chicken legs for .55 a pack, and .88 per pack of thighs, paid 1.22 per pound of ground turkey.  I got saltine crackers for .55, etc....