Couponing

I went to CVS, Walgreens, and Target earlier this weekend to do a little bit of what Ben calls "couponing". Unfortunately, the sales at all of those stores run from Sunday through Saturday, so many of these deals are no longer available, but since I had most of it already typed up (it's how I put together my grocery lists), I decided to post it anyway.

Between all 3 stores, I saved a total of $71.30 and only spent a total of $43.39 (including tax and stuff not bought with coupons). Plus, I now have $3.98 in ECBs (CVS money), $2 in RRs (Walgreens money), and a $5 Target gift card.

Here's a picture of what I bought at CVS using coupons.
My total without coupons or sales would have been $73.34, but using coupons (including one that printed at the register last time that I was there for $3 off a $15 purchase) and $12 in ECBs, I got everything shown above for only $11.46. I saved $61.88 or 84% off of the original total. Plus, I now have $3.98 in ECBs (CVS money) to use next time.

Powerbar Pure & Simple -- $0.99
Get $0.99 in ECBs Limit 2.
FREE after ECBs

Colgate Enamel Strength Toothpaste -- $3.89
On sale for $2.99
$1 off (6/6 SmartSource)
Get $2 in ECBs Limit 2.
FREE after ECBs

Tropicana Orange Juice -- $4.49
Get 1 free (coupon that I received in the mail)
FREE after coupon

Osteo Bi-Flex (80-120 ct.) -- $31.49 Buy 2 of these.
On sale buy 1, get 1 free
$5 off (5/16 RedPlum or 6/6 RedPlum) Use 2 of these.
$10.75 each after coupons

Here's a picture of what I bought at Walgreens using coupons.

My total without coupons or sales would have been $5.58, but using coupons, I got everything shown above for only $3.48. I saved $2.10 or 34% off of the original total. Plus, I now have $2 in RRs (Walgreens money) to use next time.

Aussie or Herbal Essences Hair Care -- $2.99
$1 off (5/16 RedPlum)
Get $2 in Register Rewards Limit 1.
FREE after coupon and RRs

Flipz Chocolate Covered Pretzels (4 or 5 oz.) -- $2.59
On sale for $1.99 with coupon (here)
$0.50 off (3/28 SmartSource)
$1.49 after coupons

Here's a picture of what I bought at Target using coupons.
My total without coupons or sales would have been $22.63, but using coupons, I got everything shown above for only $15.31. I saved $7.32 or 32% off of the original total. Plus, I now have a $5 Target gift card to use next time.

Sobe Lifewater (20 oz.) -- $1.00 Buy 10 of these.
Buy 1, get 1 free (here - manufacturer) You can play once a day and print the coupon 4 times each time that you win. I had 4 coupons total.
Get $5 Target gift card
$0.10 each after coupons and gift card

Quaker Instant Oatmeal -- $3.64
On the clearance end cap for $1.82

Huge bag of M&M's -- $8.99
On sale for $7.49

Happy Father's Day

We went over to Ben's parents' house yesterday to celebrate Father's Day with both of our families.
It was definitely hot that day (but then again, what Texas day in June isn't?), so Ben and I decided to head over a little early to go for a quick swim before my family got there. Ben wanted to show me his very improved swimming technique, and he also wanted to get some pointers from his mom (who used to be on the swim team). It was our first swim of the year, and the water felt great!

Once my family got there, we ordered Chuy's for dinner and just sat outside on their beautiful back patio soaking up the rays (through my SPF, of course).
After dinner, we passed out some gifts. We gave Ben's dad a John Deere cap, which is something that he's been wanting since he got his John Deere lawn mower, and we gave my dad a couple of really nice dress shirts for work, which when you're looking for a size 18.5" neck, finding one is like finding a needle in a hay sack -- unless you go to Kohl's. We also surprised Ben's dad with a small John Deere Gator, which will be perfect for him to use when taking things down to the shed and when moving things around on their property.
I think it's safe to say that he likes it. He immediately took it for a test drive down in the woods, and rumor has it that he has already taken the lights off to wash behind them and ordered floor mats and break lights online. Although, I can't give him too much of a hard time because my husband washed and waxed it after driving it home from Taylor on Saturday. Like father, like son.
Although, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that we all had fun on the gator that day.
Thanks again for having everybody over, Kyle and Steve. As always, it was lots of fun!

Saturday Savings

While Ben was working today, I did a little bit of grocery shopping. I went to CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Target, and between all 4 stores, I saved a total of $44.50 and only spent a total of $29.88 (including tax and stuff not bought with coupons).

Here's a picture of what I bought at CVS using coupons.
My total without coupons or sales would have been $31.53, but using coupons (including one that printed at the register last time that I was there for $3 off a $15 purchase), I got everything shown above for only $9.81. I saved $21.72 or 69% off of the original total. Plus, I now have $12 ECBs (CVS money) to use next time (which is actually more than I spent on today's trip), another coupon that printed out with my receipt for $3 off a $15 purchase, and a $8.97 mail-in rebate.

Gillette or Old Spice Body Wash -- $4.99 Buy 2 of these.
On sale for $4.00
Get $4 in ECBs (CVS money) for each body wash purchased

Buy 1, get 1 free (6/6 P&G) or $4 off 2 (5/2 P&G)

$4.00 + $8 ECBs after coupons

Schick Hydro 3 or Hydro 5 Razor System (1 count) or Cartridges (4 count) -- $9.99
On sale for $8.97

Get $4 in ECBs
$4 off (6/13 SmartSource)
Submit for mail-in rebate See explanation below.

$4.97 OOP (out of pocket) +$4 ECBs + $8.97 rebate after coupons

Pop Tarts -- $2.79 Buy 2 of these.
On sale 3 for $5
$1 off (6/13 RedPlum)
$1.17 each after coupon

Trident gum (3 pack) -- $2.99
On 75% off clearance shelf
$0.75

Rebate info: Just purchase one Schick Hydro Razor (up to $10.99) and submit for the rebate here to get the full amount back. You’ll need to mail in the rebate form with the original UPC from the package and the original sales receipt within 30 days of purchase. All requests must be postmarked by 8/18/10 and received by 9/01/10.

Here's a picture of what I bought at Walgreens using coupons.
My total without coupons or sales would have been $13.98, but using coupons, I got everything shown above for only $4.98. I saved $9 or 64% off of the original total.

All Laundry Detergent (32 loads) -- $6.99 Buy 2 of these.
On sale for $2.99
$1 off 2 (5/16 RedPlum)
$2.49 each after coupon

Here's a picture of what I bought at Walmart using coupons.
My total without coupons would have been $3.81, but using coupons, I got everything shown above for only $2.54. I saved $1.27 or 33% off of the original total.

Starkist Tuna Pouch -- $1.27
Buy 2, get 1 free (6/20 RedPlum)
$0.85 each after coupon

Here's a picture of what I bought at Target using coupons.
My total without coupons or sales would have been $12.96, but using coupons, I got everything shown above for only $0.45. I saved $12.51 or 97% off of the original total.

Dove or Degree deodorant -- $3.49
AND
Dove or Degree Body Mist (3 oz) -- $3.99
On sale buy 1 deodorant, get body mist free
$1 off (here - Target) You can use 2 of these, but I had already used one.
$2 off (here - manufacturer) Use 2 of these.
FREE + $1.51 overage after coupons

Dove shampoo -- $3.44
$1 off (here - Target)
$1 off (here - manufacturer)
$1.44 after coupons

Sobe Lifewater -- $1.27 Buy 2 of these.
On sale for $1.02
$0.50 off (here - Target)
Buy 1, get 1 free (here - manufacturer)
$0.26 each after coupons

Shopping with my BFF

I met Abby at the mall after work today to do a little bit of shopping. I have been needing (okay -- maybe it's more like "wanting") to go to the mall for awhile now, and since shopping is always more fun when you're doing it with someone else, I shot her an email when I got to work this morning to see if she was game. Turns out she was already planning on heading over there herself this afternoon, so it worked out great! Between the two of us, we got some new jean shorts, a swimsuit, a dress, a couple of bottles of free Bath & Body Works lotion, a gift for a friend, some underwear (too much information?), a couple of shirts for our husbands, and some Father's Day gifts for our dads. Needless to say, we got some pretty good deals, and we had a great time doing it.

After leaving the mall, we headed over to Kohl's to shop for our dads, and after finding some pretty great gifts, we headed over to the ladies' department to browse a little. We found a couple of cute things on the clearance rack -- in addition to some pretty interesting things, so Abby decided that I should be the one to try it all on and do a little fashion show.

Our favorite outfit was definitely this one.
To be honest, I'm not even sure what you call a piece of clothing that looks like this, but it was all one piece, was made of black satin, and came with a thick elastic belt. Attractive, huh? She and I were both laughing so hard that we were crying.

Unfortunately, we didn't find anything for ourselves at Kohl's (as attractive as the "cat woman" outfit was, I ultimately decided against it), but we did find a "15% off everything" coupon lying on the floor of the dressing room, which can actually be seen in the picture above. Because Kohl's lets you use a coupon more than once, I secretly passed it to Abby after I checked out, and then we even gave it to a couple that was coming into Kohl's when we were leaving.

After our day of shopping, we met up with Allen for dinner at Chili's. Unfortunately, Ben wasn't able to join us because he is working tonight on a job out in Smithville.Abby and I shared the fajitas, and Allen got a burger. We considered getting dessert but ended up going to Tutti Frutti for some frozen yogurt instead -- but only after we stopped to take a picture with this random flag that was hanging at the entrance of Chili's. I had never been Tutti Frutti before, but I loved it. It's one of those new types of frozen yogurt places where you can get as much frozen yogurt and toppings as you want, and then you just pay based on how much your cup weighs. I tried the blueberry, cheesecake, coconut, and strawberry frozen yogurt before finally deciding on the cheesecake and then topped it off with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. It was ah-mazing.

I am now home and am thinking about going to bed soon. I got up early this morning to go run, which is a good thing considering I got both a cookie and a piece of Godiva chocolate at the mall in addition to the big bowl of frozen yogurt that I ate tonight. Yikes.

Hopefully Ben will get home soon. Some of us are a little anxious.
Thanks again for going shopping with me today, Abby. We definitely need to do that more often!

Moonshine + MIL + Holly

After work today, Ben and I met his family downtown for dinner at Moonshine . We had a great time eating out on their porch (despite the mosquitoes), and the food was delicious. I decided to try the trout this time, and I'm pretty sure everybody else at the table went with the steak. We also got to meet Jeanne, one of the sweet ladies that Ben's parents now work with since getting bought out by APAC, and we also got to see Ben's cousin Nolan.
Thanks again for dinner, Kyle and Steve. It was lots of fun.

Also, just for the record, here is a picture of me with my most favorite mother-in-law. Rumor has it that the dogs get more publicity on the blog than she does, so I just wanted to make sure that she got her "15 minutes of fame", too. Hopefully this will suffice. If not, I do have quite a collection of funny stories that I could tell -- such as when she almost fell flat on her face while riding the tram at the Detroit airport because she didn't want to touch the pole, or when she got drug behind the lawn mower on her knees (and face) after trying to jump into the trailer that was being pulled behind it, or when she and my mom accidentally lit the unity candle in addition to the candles that they were supposed to light at our wedding. And that's just to name a few. But, I will admit that as crazy as she is, I really do feel so blessed to have her as my mother-in-law.

And, on another random note, Holly was on the news last night. You can watch the video here. Holly, her roommate Meagan, and her friend Erin had just finished running and were rewarding themselves with a little bit of Amy's Ice Cream when the TV crew came over to interview them. I guess that's just one more perk to living downtown.

The Babies of the Family

We celebrated Sophia's 2nd birthday today and had so much fun playing with all three of Travis (my mom's cousin) and Dani's precious babies -- Olivia (almost 4), Sophia (2), and Jack (7 months). They are all three so cute and have the most precious personalities. When we got there, Livi screamed "Lindsay" and ran over to hug me around my legs, and when we were leaving, I told Sophie, "Happy Birthday," and in her sweet little voice, she said, "Happy Birthday," right back to me. So adorable.

A Coupon Post

I realize that it's been awhile since I did a coupon post but I got some pretty good deals yesterday at Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS that I thought I'd share. I know that some of you might think that I'm crazy for going grocery shopping at 4 different stores in one day, but because I have Friday afternoons off from work and would probably spend that time shopping for other things (like clothes or house stuff) if I weren't grocery shopping, it works for me. Plus, because I am able to get all of the good deals at each of the different stores, I am able to save a lot more money. Between all 4 stores, I saved a total of $65.61 and only spent a total of $62.74 (including tax and stuff not bought with coupons). Pretty good if you ask me. For those of you who are curious as to what I bought, here's the breakdown.

Here's a picture of what I bought at Target.
My total without coupons would have been $38.24, but using coupons, I got everything shown above for only $11.40. I saved $26.84 or 70% off of the original total.

Here's a list of the coupons that I used.

John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo -- $5.04 Buy 2 of these.
$3 off (6/6 SmartSource - manufacturer) Use 2 of these.
$3 off 2 (here - Target)
$0.54 each after coupons

Olay Total Effects Body Wash -- $5.50
AND
Ivory Bar Soap (10 count) -- $3.59
$4 off body wash (6/6 P&G)
Free bar soap with body wash purchase (6/6 P&G)
$1.50 for both after coupons

Charmin Toilet Paper -- $8.99
$1 off (5/16 RedPlum - Target)
$0.25 off (6/6 P&G - manufacturer)
$7.74 after coupons

Here's a picture of what I bought at Walmart.
My total without coupons would have been $16.37, but using coupons, I got everything shown above for only $5.57. I saved $10.80 or 66% off of the original total.

Pampers Baby Wipes -- $1.97
$2 off (6/6 P&G)
FREE after coupon

International Delight Coffee Creamer -- $1.50
$1 off (here) Just click the "like" button on Facebook.
$0.50 after coupon

Yo-Plus Yogurt -- $1.50
$1 off (here)
$0.50 after coupon

Greek Yogurt -- $1.00
$0.30 off (here)
$0.70 after coupon

Quaker Instant Oatmeal -- $2.52
$1 off (here)
$1.52 after coupon

Nature Valley Granola Bars - $2.44
$0.50 off (here)
$1.94 after coupon

Here's a picture of what I bought at Walgreens.
My total without coupons would have been $20.78, but using coupons, I got everything shown above for only $10.64. I saved $10.14 or 49% off of the original total.

Blue Diamond Almonds -- $3.50 Buy 2 of these.
On sale buy 1, get 1 free
$1 off 2 (5/23 SmartSource)
$1.25 each after coupon

Covergirl Eyeliner -- $5.29
AND
Covergirl Mascara -- $8.49
On sale buy 1, get 1 50% off
$1 off any Covergirl product (6/6 P&G)
$2 off mascara (6/6 P&G)
$8.14 for both after coupons

Here's a picture of what I bought at CVS.
My total without coupons would have been $31.03, but using coupons (including one that printed at the register last time that I was there for $3 off a $15 purchase), I got everything shown above for only $13.20. I saved $17.83 or 57% off of the original total.

Skinny Cow Ice Cream -- $1.69
On sale for $1.00
$1 off (here and here) Just click the "like" button on Facebook.
FREE after coupon

Sensodyne Toothpaste -- $6.99
On sale for $4.49

Blue Bell Ice Cream -- $6.29
On sale for $4.99

Bounty Paper Towels (8 count) -- $10.99
On sale for $6.97
$0.25 (6/6 P&G)
$6.72 after coupon

A pretty good week

This week has been a pretty good one.

• Holly and Audrey came over for dinner a couple of nights ago, and we had a great time catching up, laughing, and eating a WHOLE pan of brownies. We really need to do that more often.
• We helped Holly move into her new apartment last night. She's living with her friend Megan at the corner of Lamar and 3rd Street, and, yes, the set-up is definitely as awesome as it sounds.
• Nelson somehow scored a $10 gift certificate for lunch at Hyde Park Bar & Grill, and because he knows how much I love going there (and how much I love a good deal), he gave it to me.
• Cheryl's beautiful baby shower invitation came in the mail.
• Ben had a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to my office today.
• Several of the samples that I have ordered over the past couple of weeks came in the mail -- laundry detergent, dryer sheets, dish detergent, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and a coupon for a free carton of Tropicana orange juice.

• I've already run twice this week, and I plan to go again tomorrow morning.

Pretty good, huh? And the best part is -- the week isn't even over yet. :)