Full Circle Organic Box

Here is the loot from today's organic box! I stopped it after thinking it was a bad deal, but they offered a promotion to restart. They goofed today and gave me extra stuff...how much extra I'm not sure, but all this was only $22. We'll see next week what the usual box size is like and if I keep this up.

Red Potatoes, Organic - 1.5 pounds
Bagged Carrots, Organic - 0.75 pound
Brussels Sprouts, Organic - 0.75 pound
Celery, Organic - 1 each
Green Beans, Organic - 0.75 pound
Yukon Gold Potatoes, Organic - 1.5 pounds
Green Leaf Lettuce, Organic - 1 bunch
Broccoli, Organic - 1 pound
Pink Lady Apples, Organic - 4 each
D'anjou Pears, Organic - 4 each
Pomegranates, Organic - 2 each

I made homemade applesauce for a snack and then roasted broccoli, brussels sprouts and carrots...topped with fresh lemon and shaved pecorino. Mmm delish!

As a sidenote, the local spot to pick up the organic box is someone's driveway (a gorgeous house on the water) but it is pitch black! I went first by myself and couldn't get into their dark shed, so I took my mom and a flashlight back and managed to get the door open and get to my box. There isn't even a light in the shed and no one is around, so it's a bit of a creepy adventure.

Albertsons Trip - Doubler Deals 11/15

This is the third week in a row Albertsons had doublers, and I just read that they're going to have more doublers next week! I almost skipped them this week, but since I do have nine (9!!) coupons I felt too guilty and made a quick trip at lunch. I only took 20 minutes planning this trip last night, so you will see it was not my finest balanced meal. :P

Transaction #1

• 9 bags of Hershey's baking chips, including Reese's and Heath - $1.69 each
• Used three $1/2 Hershey's chips from 11/13 SmartSource
• 1 jar of Vlasic Pickles - $1.69 (these weren't the best deal, but I am pregnant and need pickles! the checker even commented on my interesting mix of baking chips and pickles :P)
• Used three doublers
• Paid $10.90 out of pocket and received $3 off my next order

Transaction #2

• Skittles Blenders - $2.50
• Skittles Crazy Cores - $2.46
• Used two $1/1 printable coupon (NLA)
• WhoNu Cookies - $3.00
• Used $1/1 coupon
• Used three doublers
• Paid $1.96 out of pocket

Transaction #3

• 2 Friskies cat treats - $1.99
• Used two $1/1 coupons
• Tabasco sauce - $1.99
• Used $0.75/1 coupon
• Used three doublers
• Paid $0.65 out of pocket!

Albertsons Trip - Doubler Deals 11/7

Albertsons doublers two weeks in a row?! I couldn't pass up getting good deals but managed to be in and out of the store in about 15 minutes flat. Speed couponing!

Total out of pocket: $4.07!

Transaction #1

• Two Kettle Chips - $3.00 each
• Used two $1/1 coupons from 9/25 Red Plum
• Organic carrots - $1.89
• Torani raspberry syrup - $5.19
• Used $1/1 coupon
• Used three doublers and $5 reward for reaching 5,000 points
• Paid $2.08 out of pocket AND received $1 catalina for Kettle chips

Transaction #2

• Two Kettle Chips - $3.00 each
  
• Used two $1/1 coupons from 9/25 Red Plum
• Two Extra gum - $1.00 each
• Used $1/2 coupon
• Used three doublers and $1 catalina from previous transaction
• Paid $1.00 out of pocket and received $1 catalina for Kettle chips

Transaction #3

• Emerald Breakfast on the Go - $3.00
• Used $1/1 coupon
• Philadelphia Cooking Creme - $2.99
• Used $1/1 printable coupon
• Two Tic-Tacs - $1.00 each
• Used $1/2 coupon
• Used three doublers and $1 catalina from previous transaction
• Paid $0.99 out of pocket

Total out of pocket...only $4.07! Woot!

Walgreens Trip 10/30 - Cheap Almonds!

I have been craving almonds so I really stocked up at $1.30 each! Walgreens has them on BOGO sale often, but paired with the $1 off 2 coupon they're a sweet deal!

• 6 cans of Blue Diamond Almonds - $3.59 each (BOGO sale)
• 1 Nivea Men's Body Wash - $3.99
• 1 Tide Free and Gentle 50 ounces - $5.99
• Used three $1/2 coupons from 10/16 SmartSource
• Used $1/1 Nivea coupon from 10/30 Red Plum
• Used $2/1 coupon from 10/30 P&G
• Used $2 catalina from last week
• Used $2 catalina received on Nivea (transaction #1) on almonds (transaction #2)
• Out of pocket = $10.75

Albertsons Trip - Doubler Deals 10/30

Albertsons is honestly not my favorite store to shop. I have encountered other more friendly Albertsons out there, but the Gig Harbor is kind of meh. Anyway, doublers make me go there and it is only five minutes from my house, so here is my Twice the Value trip from Sunday.

All this was $3.83 out of pocket!

Transaction #1

• 3 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - $2.50 each
• Used three $1/1 printable coupons
• Used three doublers
• Out of pocket = $1.50 for all three!

Transaction #2

• 3 Febreze Air Effects - $2.99 each
• 2 Crest Toothpaste - $2.49 each
• Used 3 $1/1 Febreze from 10/2 P&G
• Used 2 $1/1 Crest from 10/2 P&G
• Used three doublers
• Received $5 off for buying 5 products
• Out of pocket = $0.95 before tax!

This was a messy transaction as the toothpaste wasn't clearly marked, so I went by the photo in the ad. It was the wrong one, so the checker made the bag boy run and get a different one. Then the $5 didn't come off so I had to ask her do it manually. Meanwhile there was a super snotty girl behind me, who didn't even acknowledge when I nicely said "sorry" and let her go ahead of my second transaction. People are so rude!

Transaction #3

• 2 Treetop Juice boxes - $1.00 each
• Bestlife butter spread - $2.69
• Wholly Guacamole - $2.69
• Used $1/2 Treetop juice printable
• Used $1/1 Bestlife printable
• Used $1/1 Guac from my email
• Used three doublers
•  Out of pocket = $1.38!

Total out of pocket - $3.83! It was definitely worth the hassle :)

Top Foods and Walgreens Trip 10/25

I spent under $12 for all of the below at Top Foods and Walgreens, plus I received $2 off my next order. Woot!

Top Foods Quick Trip 

• Dr. Pepper Ten - free with coupon (there were 4 at Top Foods in Tacoma and I took 2)
• Red and yellow peppers - $1 each
• Cucumber - $1
• Tomatoes - $0.70
• Japanese pear - $0.59
• = $5.29 out of pocket

Walgreens Stop

• Cover Girl powder - $5.99
• Cover girl blush - $2.40 (buy one get one half off)
• Used $8/2 Cover Girl face products from 10/1 P&G so paid $0.39 plus tax for these two!
• Carmex chapstick - $1.59 for two (bogo sale)
• Kit-Kat - $1.99 (used $1/1 printable)
• Finesse conditioner - $1.99 (used $1 off and will submit for $2 rebate)
• 2 Dentex tooth picks - $2.00 each (used two $0.75 off coupons)
• = $6.46 out of pocket (and received $2 register reward for next purchase)

Albertsons Trip - Doubler Deals 10/18

I only scored three sheets of three doublers (for a total of nine coupons) this week, so I did my entire trip in about 15 minutes. I just wanted to get in and out without a lot of fuss.

Add caption

Transaction #1

• 2 Extra gums - $1.00 each
• 2 Tic-tacs - $1.00 each
• Emerald Breakfast to Go - $2.99
• Used $1/2 Extra
• Used $1/2 Tic-Tacs
• Used $1/1 Emerald
• Plus three doublers
• Paid $0.99 out of pocket!

Transaction #2

• 2 Extra gums - $1.00 each
• 2 Tic-tacs - $1.00 each
• Emerald Breakfast to Go - $2.99
• Used $1/2 Extra
• Used $1/2 Tic-Tacs
• Used $1/1 Emerald
• Plus three doublers
• Paid $0.99 out of pocket!

Transaction #3

• Emerald Breakfast to Go - $2.99
• Mountain High Yogurt - $2.49
• 93/7 Ground Beef - $2.58
• Fructis smoothing cream - $2.50
• Onion - $0.40
• Green Pepper - $0.79
• Used $1/1 Emerald
• Used $1/1 Fructis
• Used $0.50/1 Mountain High
• Plus three doublers
• Plus $5 Catalina leftover from P&G deal
• Paid $1.75 out of pocket

As a sidenote, if any of my friends who read this blog want the Fructis stuff, it doesn't have the awesome smell I expected it to have and therefore it is going into my hair product graveyard. Unless you want it :)

Recent Sample Shopping Trips for Under $20

Last week I went to Fred Meyer, and for $13.07 I scored the following:

Spent $13.07, saved over $24.87 on coupons and sales

Today I went to Safeway, super hungry and lacking coupons and willpower. I spent $18.44 and scored the following:

Spent $18.44, saved $11.62 (only had two $1 off coupons)

I scored the orange juice on "overstock clearance" but it's good for 14 more days! The Stonyfield yogurt was $0.69 and the sourdough bread was only $1.99. Small splurges that don't break the bank but taste delicious! Oh and the sugar snap peas were BOGO so $2.99 for both!

Free Gum...Thanks to the Husband!

Peter was going to Target last week anyway, so I sent him with four coupons and a little instruction. He did a great job! If you can see it, the receipt says $0.00! He used $1/2 Target printable plus $1/2 manufacturer. Free gum woo!

Albertsons Trips - Doubler Deals and P&G Promo Combined!

Albertsons was my go-to store this week, as I am getting back in the hang of couponing! Fall is here and that means awesome coupon inserts and good deals. My cereal stockpile was down to three boxes and I was out of tortilla chips, so now I have Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Chex and Tostitos to last through Thanksgiving!

Albertsons Trip on Friday

• Iams Cat Food - $13.99
• Used $2/1 coupon (received in mail)
• 2 Minute Maid Fruit Punch - $2.00 each
• Used two $1/1 coupons from Albertsons coupon book
• Febreeze Set and Refresh - $2.99
• Used $1/1 from 8/28 P&G
• Herbal Essence - $3.79
• Used FREE Facebook coupon
• 2 Pantene Pro-V - $3.50 each
• Used 2 FREE Facebook coupons

Paid $14.20 out of pocket (67% savings) and received a $5.00 catalina for my next order!

Albertsons Trip #1 on Sunday

Transaction #1

• 2 Zevia natural soda 6 packs - $3.99 each
• Used two $3/1 coupons from 8/21 SS
• 4 Balance Bars - $1.00 each
• Used four $.55/1 coupons from 9/11 SS
• 4 Cinnamon Toast crunch - $1.88 each
• Used two $1/2 printable coupons
• Nature Valley Granola Thins - $1.88
• Used $.75/1 coupon from 9/11 SS
• Used three doublers and $5.00 catalina from Friday's trip

Paid $2.68 out of pocket (93% savings!)

Transaction #2

• Nature Valley Granola Thins - $1.88
• Used $.75/1 coupon from 9/11 SS
• 4 Chex cereal - $1.88
• Used two $1/2 printable coupons
• Used three doublers

Paid $3.90 out of pocket (78% savings!)

Transaction #3

• Kellogg's Fiber Plus Caramel Pecan cereal - $2.99
• Used $1/1 printable coupon
• 6 Trident gum - $1.00 each (we go through gum like crazy lately)
• Used two $1/3 coupons from 9/18 SS
• Used three doublers

Paid $2.99 out of pocket (69% savings!)


Albertsons Trip #2 on Sunday

Transaction #1

• 8 bags of Tostitos (buy 2 get 2 free) - $3.49 each - it's football season! :)
• 2 Tostito queso dips - $3.49 each - (we eat this in our "shameber" my husband says)
• 2 Diet Pepsi two liters - $1.67 each
• Used two $1 off when you buy Tostitos chips AND dip
• Used two free Diet Pepsi when you buy Tostitos chips AND dip
• Used two doublers (I spaced on getting a third item so I still have one doubler)

Paid $16.94 out of pocket (59% savings) AND received $5.00 P&G catalina off my next order

Transaction #2

• Tropicana Premium OJ - $3.50
• Used $1/1 OJ coupon from 10/2 Moments to Save
• 2 Tic-Tac big packs - $1.19 each
• Used $1/2 from 10/2 RP
• 3 Trident gum packs - $1.00 each
• Used $1/3 from 9/18 SS
• Used three doublers

Paid $2.88 out of pocket (62% savings)

Total Paid at Albertsons this week: $43.59 and still have $5.00 off my next order!
I also bought some produce at Fred Meyer and Costco to round out these non-perishables :)

Top Foods Trip 9/29 - Cheap Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Lately I haven't been doing that many impressive coupon shops, or I forget to blog about them. Also I've just been buying stuff at Costco. For example, stock up price on Odwalla juices - $13.99 for 10 minus $4.00 Costco coupon makes them only $1.00 each!

Anyway, today I did go to Top Foods because I have not seen a decent sale on cream cheese in ages.

$6.28 out of pocket

• 4 Philadelphia cream cheese: $2.49 each
• Part of buy 3 save $3 promo: -$3.00
• Used two $1/2 coupons: -$2.00
• Organic carrots: $0.99
• Darigold yogurt: $0.33
• = $6.28 out of pocket

QFC Trip 9/18 - Stock-up Deal on Raspberries

Through Tuesday, Driscoll's Raspberries are only $1.25 each! For 6 ounces! I stopped into QFC today and they had plenty but it was around 11 a.m. The stocker said they did sell out earlier in the week. There is a $.50 off coupon here, but I didn't bother. I picked up six containers but the woman next to me grabbed 12. They freeze well!

QFC also had Odwalla juices buy one get one free (BOGO) so I picked up two for a total of $2.99. I'm not sure how long that sale lasts but probably at least through Tuesday. And there is a $.55 off coupon for Odwalla in today's Smart Source! I forgot to clip that first so I will be going back for more.

Albertsons Doubler Trip 9/11 - Jamba Smoothies and Greek Yogurt

Albertsons doubler weekend, yay! I received three sets of three doublers in the newspaper, plus Albertsons posted them on their Facebook, and you can print three coupons! (still working as of 8 p.m. PST on Sunday)

I only did two transactions tonight as I was tired and sunburned. I'll go back tomorrow or Tuesday to use my remaining 6 coupons.

$4.76 out of pocket!

Albertsons Transaction #1

• Cheez-it crackers - $2.99
• Used $1/1 Cheez-its received in mail
• Jamba Juice smoothie - $2.49
• Used $1/1 Jamba printable coupon
• Reach floss - $1.79
• Used $1/1 Reach catalina
• Plus doublers (-$2.79) = $1.48 out of pocket!

Albertsons Transaction #2

• 3 Yoplait Greek Yogurts - $1.00 each
• Used $1/3 coupon from the sample lady in store (so $.33 each after coupon + doubler)
• Simply Raspberry Lemonade - $3.29
• Used $1/1 coupons.com printable (NLA)
• Seventh Generation wipes - $2.99
• Used $1/1 coupon from 7/31 RP
• Plus doublers (-$3) = $3.28 out of pocket!

Surprise Target Clearance Deals 9/8

We went to Target to grab a prescription and ended up with a few great clearance deals tonight!

• Lunch boxes were 75% off - $1.24 each (they had tons in Gig Harbor)
• Clorox wipes - $3.38 for the twin pack
• Used $1 off Target coupon I got in the mail today
• Crest toothpastes - $1.48 each
• Used $1 off coupons from September's P&G (48 cents is more than I normally pay for toothpaste, but these came with mini travel sizes, a floss sample and more coupons)
• Target face wash - $2.24
• Used $.75 off catalina from our pharmacy purchase

Total for this stuff was only $7.79! Remember to always check those endcaps...great deals!

Fred Meyer Trip 8/31 - Cheap Butter and Propane

Fred Meyer is my go-to place for good deals. They'll always have something I need on sale and a bunch of stuff I don't need but the deals are too good to pass up! Yesterday was no exception.

I spent $15.46 and saved $12.06 with coupons (plus additional on sales...their receipt doesn't calculate that for you).

• Propane - $2.50 each with in-ad/store coupon
• Tillamook Butter - $2.00 each with in-ad coupon (limit 2)
• Tropicana $3.00 (used $.75 catalina from last FM trip - $2.25
• Annie's mac and cheese - $1.00
• Bounty Paper Towels - $5.99 with in-ad coupon (used $5.00 coupon from Facebook Fan Friday) - 99 cents!!!
• Dannon Greek Yogurt - free with Facebook coupon (NLA)
• miscellaneous grapes, green beans, pear and garlic

Total of $15.46! Sweetness!

Albertsons Doubler Trip 8/28 - Cheap Fruit Bars and Morningstar

Yesterday I went to Albertsons in the evening and still got every deal, except the free Crest toothpaste was gone. I did get delicious Fruit Bars for $1.00 and Seventh Generation wipes for $0.99.

Albertsons Transaction #1

• 3 Seventh Generation Wipes - $2.99 each
• Used 3 $1/1 coupons from 7/31 Red Plum and 3 doublers

Total out of pocket: $2.97 (60% savings)



Albertsons Transaction #2

• Twizzlers - $1.88
• 2 Dreyer's Fruit Bars - $3.00 each
• Used $0.75 coupon off Twizzlers from 6/26 SmartSource and 1 doubler
• Used 2 $1/1 printable coupons and 2 doublers

Total out of pocket: $2.38 (74% savings)


Albertsons Transaction #3

• 4 Ken's Salad Dressings - $0.99 each with store coupon
• 2 Morningstar products - $3.50 each
• Tropicals Popsicles - $0.99 with store coupon
• Wholly Guacamole - $2.99 on sale
• Used 2 $1/1 Morningstar coupons from QFC booklet and 2 doublers
• Used 4 $1/1 Ken's dressing coupons from 8/14 SmartSource (free dressing!)
• Used $1/1 Wholly Guacamole coupon from Facebook and 1 doubler

Total out of pocket: $4.94 (83% savings, best of the transactions)

How do you get inspired to coupon when you're not feelin' it?

As you may have noticed, I've taken the last few weeks off from couponing. There is nothing we absolutely need, and the deals haven't been that great.

I'm thinking of doing Albertson's doublers and perhaps getting any remaining free Ken's salad dressings tomorrow, but that's all I have planned. We've been eating more summer and garden produce, grilling meat from Costco and generally laying low. Maybe the dog days of summer = a lazy couponer. Any inspirational tips to get back on the coupon train?

Target Clearance Deals and Free Dental Floss!

Target clearance this week was awesome! I scored four clothing items for 50 to 75% off and didn't pay more than $4.00 each! I also got two Reach flosses for free (actually negative 11 cents each!) All the clothes pictured cost a total of $13.22 before tax.

$13.99 out of pocket!

The dental floss was 89 cents, and I had two coupons...one manufacturer's for $1 off any Reach floss and one Target store catalina for $1 off 2 flosses. So I made 22 cents on these! I bought two of the Nivea lip glosses (the other one is in use!) for $0.99 each after a $3 off 2 coupon.

But the best deal is three tops and a pair of sleep shorts for just over 13 bucks! Happy clearance shopping at Target! :)

Albertsons Doubler Trip 8/14 - Free V8 Fusion and Cheap Tillamook

Yesterday I stopped in to Albertsons after church and scored all my planned deals. Yay!! I did three transactions of three doubler (Twice the Value) coupons each, for a total of nine doublers, and I spent $3.00 out of pocket.

$3.00 out of pocket!!

Albertsons Transaction #1

• 4 packages of sliced Tillamook cheese - $2.50 each
• Instant $2.00 savings when you buy $10.00
• Used 4 $1/1 Tillamook from Facebook
• Used 3 doubler coupons
• Paid $1.00 out of pocket!

Albertsons Transaction #2

• 3 V8 Fusion with Tea - $2.00 each
• Used 3 $1/1 V8 Fusion with Tea (printable here)
• Used 3 doubler coupons
• Paid ZERO!

Albertsons Transaction #3

• 1 V8 Fusion with Tea - $2.00
• 2 Kettle chips
• 1 Culinary Circle spinach dip
• Used 1 $1/1 V8 Fusion with Tea (printable here)
• Used 2 $1/1 Kettle chips (from Fred Meyer blinkie, also in 8/7 paper)
• Used 3 doubler coupons
• Received spinach dip free with purchase of 2 Kettle chips
• Paid $2.00 out of pocket

Total out of pocket $3.00 and savings was over 90% I think. Woo!

Safeway Frozen Food Promo - 8/13 Awesome Deals

The Safeway Frozen Food Deal just keeps getting better! The $5 off $15 coupon is valid through Tuesday, 8/16 so get your deals ready!

All the frozen ice cream and popsicles in this photo cost $2.49.

$9.12 out of pocket! 82% savings!

Here are the details:

• 4 Dreyer's Smoothies and Shakes - $1.00 each
• Used 4 $1/1 Dreyer's Shake (printable)
• 3 Dreyer's mini cups - $1.00 each
• Used $1/3 coupon from 6/12 Smart Source
• Breyer's Blasts Reese's ice cream (SO GOOD!) $3.00
• Used $3/1 coupon from Safeway.com (NLA)
• Coconut popsicles $3.50
• Juice push-up popsicles $1.99
• Used the $5 off $15 frozen foods coupon
• Out of pocket for ice cream/popsicles - $2.49!

I got a few other things too:

• 4 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks ($.99 each when you buy 4)
• Used 2 $.50/2 from 8/7 insert (the one with GM stuff on the front)
• Raspberries - $2.00
• Cranberry juice cocktail - $1.67

My total out of pocket for this shop was $9.12, and I saved $40.23, for a savings of 82%!!

Fred Meyer Trip 8/10

Took a quick trip to Fred Meyer today for salsa ingredients and picked up a few items with printable coupons that are expiring soon. All this for under eight bucks!

$7.63 out of pocket!

• Organic Baby Romaine $1.49
• Jamba Smoothies $1.67 with in-store coupon
• Walla Walla Onion $.78
• Organic Cilantro $.69
• Tomatoes $1.48
• Banana $.27
• Green grapes $.63
• Aussie deep conditioner $2.99
• 3 S&W Beans $.79 each
• Free sample of Starbucks VIA

• Used $1 Jamba Juice printable (NLA)
• Used $.75/3 S&W Beans printable (NLA)
• Used Free Aussie hair product from Facebook

= $7.63 out of pocket!

I also scored a lot of catalina coupons. My own catalinas (with the verbiage "Best Customer Coupon" to make me feel cool apparently?) as well as a bunch left on the counter from the last customer. I asked the checker if I could take them and she said yes! :)

Shopping When My Fridge is Stocked - Target and Albertsons

Last week we bought copious amounts of food at Costco, plus I got my organic box, so I didn't really need anything. Yesterday I wandered around Target at lunch time and ended up with the following purchases for a total of $3.00.

Free sharpies with Target coupon, $1 coupon holder (dollar spot), $2 mixed nuts (sale)

I have been carrying my coupons around in a ratty envelope (or envelopes when needed) for far too long I had just changed to a new envelope the day before I took this photo.

Before - ratty disorganized envelope. Shameful!

And ta-da, the after! I honestly think I need a bigger receptacle, but this will do for now. And it won't fall apart!

After - 7 different pockets! The food category is overflowing though.

Anyway, so I used this coupon holder for the first time at Albertsons tonight. I really just needed to go there to redeem by five "get two free tickets" for 30 tickets, but I still didn't win big. I did, however, win another can of Friskie's cat food. Score for Caesar! I spent $12.98 on the following four items.

Under $13 for everything.

The Prilosec was free with a random Albertsons coupon I got in the mail. The carrots were free with a catalina Emily gave me. The two pounds of prawns were $10 off so $11.98, and the tortillas were on sale for $1.00.

My total haul from the Albertsons Sizzlin' Summer Giveaway was two free donuts and two cans of cat food. Better than nothing I guess!

Super Cheap Ice Cream at Safeway through 8/9

Safeway has the $5 off $15 frozen foods coupon in their ad this week. The $15 minimum is BEFORE manufacturer's coupons but AFTER club card savings. I paid under $4 for everything pictured!

Paid $3.67 for all this! Club card price was $15.96

• Three Starbucks ice creams at $2.99 each
• One Magnum ice cream bars at $2.99
• Four Dreyer's Shakes/Smoothies at $1.00 each
• = $15.96 before coupons

Used these coupons:

• Safeway e-coupon for $2 off one Starbucks pint
• Safeway e-coupon for buy 3 get 1 Dreyer's smoothie free (took $1.79, pre-club card price off)
• Two Starbucks printable coupons (NLA) for $1.25 off one
• One Magnum ice cream bar coupon for $1 off one
• Safeway $5 off $15 frozen foods

Paid $3.67 for everything pictured!

A couple other notable Safeway deals...Trident gum is buy 2 get 1 free. I paired this with the $2 off 3 coupon from the 7/24 SmartSource and bought 6 packs of gum for $.26 each. Also organic milk was only $2.49 each with in-ad coupon! That's way cheaper than the milkman so I cheated on him just to build a stockpile of two. The expiry isn't until September. Also worth noting, my Safeway was surprisingly coupon friendly today. Yay!!

Fred Meyer Trip 8/4 - Used My Walgreens Catalinas!

Coupon blog fail - I forgot to take a photo. Now it's almost bedtime but I really want to share a couple of good deals with you! So it's text only this time...

• Odwalla Juices are $1.99 and have a $.55 off hang tag, so $1.44 each!
• Tillamook Plain Yogurt (big ones) are only $2.00!
• Challenge Butter is $1.50 each...I still had the $2.00 off printable coupon so it was free!

Here is what I got:

• Solo Plastic Plates $3.39
• Organic Lettuce $2.50
• Walla Walla Onion $1.10
• Organic Celery $2.35
• Organic Cucumber $.79
• Tillamook Sour Cream $1.50
• Tillamook Plain Yogurt $2.00
• Odwalla $1.44 (with above coupon)
• Challenge butter $1.50 (free with coupon)
• Rain check for Wisk $2.99 (used three $2 off coupons)
• Cage free eggs $1.98 (every day price!)
• SIX bottles of wine, totaling $38.94 before tax

Thank you Fred G. Meyer for the deals!

Spent out of pocket... only $29.90! Saved almost $40 just with coupons.

I used $27 in Walgreens catalinas and got the 10% wine discount. Major score!!

Albertsons Doubler Trip 8/1 - Decent TTV Coupon Deals

Albertsons reduced the number of doublers per sheet from three to two, but I still found a few good deals on foods I actually like and need. I spent $5.47 and saved $16.34, for a savings of 75%.

Spent $5.47 and saved $16.34

Albertsons Transaction #1

• 4 Atheno's Yogurts @ $1.39
• Used two $1/2 and doubled, so $.39 each (thought they would be free but this is still a good deal!)

Albertsons Transaction #2

• Emerald Breakfast to Go @ $2.99
• Wholly Guacamole @ $3.49
• Used $1/1 Wholly product and $1/1 Emerald and doubled

Albertsons Transaction #3

• Tic-Tacs @ $1.19
• 2 Atheno's Feta crumbles @ $3.99
• Used $.75 off Tic-Tacs, B1G1 Atheno's feta and $1/1 Atheno's feta and doubled

All said, it was a decent trip to use up my doublers... I'm a little bummed there aren't three doublers per sheet, but I don't even know if I could have found nine deals to do this week anyway. I hear Albertsons is still tweaking their policies so we'll see what they change next. Did you use Albertsons doublers this week? What was your best deal??

Walgreens Trip 7/31 - Spent $25, Received $27 in Register Rewards

Today's visit to Walgreens was brief and productive! Peter needed mouth wash and I needed contact solution, so we went almost exclusively for our needs and were in and out in about 10 minutes. Amazingly, at 10:30 a.m. our Walgreens had every deal I wanted!

I spent $24.78 before tax and received $27 back in Register Rewards. I love using Walgreens Register Rewards at Fred Meyer to buy organic produce and eggs.

Spent $24.78 and received $27 back in Register Rewards

Walgreens Transaction #1

• Complete Contact Solution $8.00
• Used $1.00 coupon from 7/31 SmartSource
• Received $8.00 Register Reward (RR)
• Crayola Markers $2.00
• Received $2.00 RR
• Crest Mouthwash $3.99
• Used $2.00 coupon from 7/3 P&G
• Received $1.00 RR
• 2 Scope Mouthwash $3.00 each
• Used two $0.75 coupons from 6/12 RP
• Received $3.00 RR
• Goody Hair Clips $2.00
• Received $2.00 RR

Walgreens Transaction #2

• Complete Contact Solution $8.00
• Used $1.00 coupon from 7/31 SmartSource
• Received $8.00 Register Reward (RR)
  
• Crayola Markers $2.00
• Received $2.00 RR
  
• Crest Mouthwash $3.99
• Used $2.00 coupon from 7/3 P&G
• Received $1.00 RR

My Walgreens didn't have the signs up yet so I just matched them to the ad and it worked perfectly. There were a mother and son there buying out all the Crayola markers and finally the checker asked them to stop...which I thought was appropriate given that they'd already bought 6 or something between them. Sheesh!

I Heart Milk from the Milkman

When Smith Brothers Farms (located in Kent, WA) first dropped off a sample of skim milk a couple years ago, I thought it would taste like any other milk. Boy, was I wrong! I have always been a big skim milk drinker, but now when I drink Darigold, Lucerne, Island Farms, anything else, I can tell it's not the same as MY milk!

It's $2.60 per half gallon of milk, and we get four every other week, plus fresh half and half and sometimes little chocolate milks. It is so worth it...when they upped their minimum from two a week to four, we switched to every second week because I could not bear the thought of giving up my milk! In fact lately I'm trying two organic skim ($3.99 each) and two normal skim. It's still a pretty good deal if you factor in time and gas, since they deliver it to my door...so easy!

Also, I have not been couponing since the middle of last week. I'm taking a brief summer hiatus! I may have to do a few Albertsons doubler deals this Sunday though. I'll have six twice the value coupons to use so need to plan carefully!

Enjoy the wonderful weekend weather!

Albertsons Trip 7/25 - Plus Today's Mail Freebies!

Albertson's has Bailey's Coffee Creamer on sale for $1.50 or FREE after coupons, so naturally I am stocking up.

$4.99 at Albertsons, Aveda samples, coupon, $3.25 shirt and garden hydrangeas :)

Maybe I'm stocking up a little too much since I now have 10 bottles of coffee creamer in my fridge. :P So I spent $4.99 at Albertsons, on the cheese only. I just did two transactions - the six Bailey's first with my collected $1/1 coupons and spent $3 out of pocket. I then used my three $1 catalinas on my second transaction to make the cheese $1.99.

The MYHABIT men's shirt was $3.25, using the same promo code as my last shirt deal. Peter is getting a lot of random cheap shirts because the women's stuff is all super expensive or weird.

I also received a Tillamook coupon for writing to them (free baby loaf!) and another set of Aveda Smooth Infusion sample sizes. Good mail day!

Fred Meyer 7/21 - Cheap Stuff Through 7/23

Fred Meyer deals were so awesome I made one more stop there yesterday. These sales are good through tomorrow, July 23!

All this for under $13!! Woot!

• 4 - Tillamook shredded cheese (these freeze well) - $1.00 with in-ad coupon
• 2 - Jamba Juice smoothies - $.67 cents with in-store coupon and printable from coupons.com (NLA)
• Fresh Express salad kit - $.94 after quick sale and $.75 coupon (6/26 SmartSource)
• So Delicious Coconut Milk - $1.00 after $1.00 coupon (4/3 SmartSource)
• 4 - Fred Meyer beans and tomatoes - $.50 with in-ad coupon
• 2 - Sour Patch kids - $.50 with $1/2 coupon (6/5 SmartSource)
• Fred Meyer Orange Juice - $1.25 with in-ad coupon
• Northwest cherries - $1.06
• Tomato - $.33

= $12.92 out of pocket!

The Jamba Juice smoothies are my super fave, and this coupon is good through sometime in August. Love them!

Of course they were out of $2.99 Wisk, but I got a raincheck for four bottles that is valid for 60 days.

Using Coupon Overage for Free Stuff at Wal-Mart

This is kind of a long story, but it's how I made $8.42 at Wal-Mart on this stuff:

I made $8.42 because Wal-Mart is the only local store (that I know of) that explicitly states in their coupon policy that overage can be applied toward other items:

If coupon value exceeds the price of the item, the excess may be given to the customer as cash or applied toward the basket purchase.

I have always been very anti-Wal-Mart and haven't shopped there in years. Their corporate policies are questionable, not to mention their stores are just icky. But, after we shopped at Nordstrom Rack and Banana Republic in Auburn, Wal-Mart was close by and I needed to use two coupons.

I requested coupons from Earthbound Organic Farms in June, and they generously emailed me two coupons for $5 off any Earthbound product. I had looked *everywhere* (Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertsons, Top Foods, Trader Joe's, Target and Safeway) for their lettuce mixes and came up empty handed. They have them at Costco but Costco doesn't take any coupons but their own. So, I went online and saw that Wal-Mart carried their big spinach tubs. We used our GPS to find Wal-Mart in Auburn/Fed Way area...so this brought us to:

First Wal-Mart stop:

• 4 pack of Noxema razors ($2.97 - $2 coupon from 7/10 RP)
• Vlasic relish ($.98 - $.55 printable)
• = $1.40 out of pocket but no fresh food

Then we used the GPS to find the much nicer but still dodgy Wal-Mart Super Center just down the street (two Wal-Marts in one town?! we don't even have one in Gig Harbor thank goodness)

• 2 Earthbound Farms organic carrots ($.78 each minus two $5 printable coupons)
• Tillamook light sour cream $1.44
• Minute Maid lemonade $1.00
• Olay face lotion (I was out!) $7.67
• =$1.67 out pocket

So yes, I went to Wal-Mart. And yes, I felt dirty the whole time I was there. I don't have quite the admirable ethics as Angela over at The Coupon Project, but I'm working on it. She is super ethical and my role model for the best way to shop and coupon. Anyway, after that ordeal and one super gross and one semi-gross store, I hope I don't have to go back to Wal-Mart anytime soon!

QFC Mega Savings Event - Ends 7/19

Yesterday I stopped in at QFC to get 20 items on the Mega Savings Event (for every 10 items you buy, save $5.00). They were out of Wisk (but Fred Meyer had it!) but had everything else I wanted! Instead of the three planned Wisk, I picked up a cream cheese and two Vitamin Waters.

Spent $15.87, saved $39.03

All prices shown below are after the $0.50 savings per item but before applied coupons.

• 6 Classico pasta sauce - $1.49 each
• Used three $1.00/2 coupons from 5/15 SmartSource
• 6 Whisker Lickins cat treats - $0.79 each
• Used three $1.00/2 coupons from 5/1 SmartSource
• 1 Welch's Essential Blend juice - $2.49
• Used $1.00/1 from 5/1 SmartSource
• 4 Lean Cuisine meals - $1.49 each
• Used $2.25/4 printable coupon from awhile ago
• 1 Philadelphia cream cheese - $1.49
• 2 Vitamin Waters - $0.75 each

Received $1 catalina from Classico sauce (it prints for every 4 you buy).


Spent $15.87, saved $39.03 (saved 71%)

Albertsons Doubler Trip 7/17 - Liking the New Twice The Value Policy!

Albertsons was so much less stressful this morning! I showed up around 10:30 a.m. and there were a few other couponers in the store with their binders. I still use my ghetto envelope system so I felt a little shame. Anyway, overall the store was quiet AND all the deals were in stock! Hurray!

Spent $10.36, saved $42.73!

Transaction #1

• Mission tortillas - $0.99 with in-ad coupon
• 2 Nature Valley Granola Thins - $2.50 each
• Honey Nut Cheerios - $2.50
• Lucky Charms - $2.50
• Used two $0.75 Nature Valley Thins coupons (from 6/26 SmartSource)
• Used one $1.00/2 General Mills cereal (6/19 SmartSource)
• Used three doubler coupons
• Spent $5.99, saved $15.26
• Received $4 in catalinas plus a free milk catalina worth $4.50

Transaction #2

• 20 Yoplait yogurts - $0.60 each
• 2 Odwalla bars - $1.00 each
• Gallon of 1% milk (my nephew is coming to visit Saturday!) - $3.79
• Used two $1.00/10 Yoplait (from 6/12 SmartSource)
• Used one $1.00/2 Odwalla products (from QFC booklet)
• Used three doubler coupons
• Used all catalinas from Transaction #1 (-$2.00, -$2.00, $4.50 for milk)
• Spent $3.29, saved $18.88
• Received $2 catalina from Yoplait

Transaction #3

• Small Frank's Red Hot Sauce - $1.59
• Pretzel M&Ms - $2.99 (again for house guests...hope these last until then!)
• Emerald Breakfast to Go - $2.50
• Used one $1 off Emerald Breakfast to Go printable
• Used one $1 off pretzel M&Ms from 6/19 RedPlum
• Used one $1 off Frank's from 5/15 SmartSource
• Spent $1.08, saved $8.59 
• (I didn't quite plan this right since it was too cheap to use my last catalina, but I was able to use the catalina later at Fred Meyer)

Total spent $10.36, total saved $42.73 (almost 81%!) plus $2 catalina

Could I have used more doublers if Albertsons still had them at customer service? Of course...but my walk-in pantry is pretty stockpiled with about 7 or 8 boxes of cereal, and we have yogurt now for two weeks (2 people x 10 weekdays = 20)...so I'm happy with my Twice the Value shop today. :)

Fred Meyer 7/17 Deals - $0.99 Wisk and $1.00 Tillamook Cheese Shreds!!

Fred Meyer sales were unexpectedly amazing today! I hadn't even planned to stop there after church, but I peeked at the ad and was pumped to see Tillamook shreds were 5 for $5.00! Cheese hasn't been on sale in far too long, and I personally think $1.00 a bag (8 ounces) is a SUP (stock up price!)

And a great surprise...Wisk was $2.99 with an in-ad coupon!! This is the same price couponers everywhere were excited about at QFC this week, because of the available $2.00 off manufacturer's coupon. I tried to get it at QFC earlier today, but the cashier said the warehouse is out of stock. So thank goodness for Fred Meyer!

$11.82 out of pocket! Including $5 worth of pork ribs.

Here is what I purchased at Fred Meyer and the coupons used:

• 5 Tillamook shreds - $1.00 each with in-ad coupon
• 3 Wisk detergent 50 ounces - $2.99 each with in-ad coupon
• Used three $2 off manufacturer's coupons from 6/26 Red Plum
• Darigold Natural Sour Cream - $1.50
• Used 40 cents off from tear pad at store
• Country Style Pork Ribs - $4.98 for almost three pounds
• Cabbage (for cole slaw!) - $0.77
• Used two catalinas from earlier Albertsons ($2.00) and QFC ($1.00) shops 

Total out of pocket - $11.82!
Total coupon savings - $22.40! 
Plus the ribs, cabbage and sour cream were on sale.

Banana Republic Outlet Amazing Deals - $15 out of pocket!

If you can get to the Banana Republic Outlet this afternoon, they are having a crazy sale. The entire store is 40% off (which makes for sweet deals already) plus today only there is an email coupon for 25% off your entire purchase (30% if you spend over $100). The 40% off sale applies to the ENTIRE STORE! Clearance included!

Only $15 out of pocket!!

Between Peter and I, we got all the clothes pictured above for $15 and change! I had a $25 gift card so the actual price after discounts was around $40, but I got FOUR dressy tops and a work skirt (original price $79), plus Peter got a super nice dress shirt (original price $60), two boxers and a t-shirt. I regret not buying a cute dress that would have been about $10 and perfect for a wedding. Next time! I heart Banana Republic sales!

MYHABIT super deal! Men's Dress shirt for $4.34!

By now you've probably heard of MYHABIT, amazon.com's new private shopping site. There is a promo code valid through the end of July for $25 off a $25 purchase! Every sale goes live at 9 a.m. Pacific and the cheaper items sell out within minutes since they're free or almost free.

I got this dress shirt for Peter for only $4.34! It's usually $80-something!

Caesar also likes Peter's new shirt!

If you need an invite, email me and I'll send you one! Also, the code is SUMMER25 and can only be used once per account. I should note that shipping is always free on MYHABIT and they have a lot of sweet designer brands. Love good deals!

Target Deals (Free Floss and Sharpies!) - 7/13 Trip

Today I was in and out of the Tacoma Target store in 25 minutes flat. It's all about planning your route! I had a list of about 12 deals, and I was able to get 9 of them! They were out of stock of the 50 cent pillows and the Oral-B floss, but I found some sweeter clearance deals! And I got free Reach floss, free Sharpies and 7 cent pens. Yay Target!

Only $16.35 out of pocket! (Two citronella candles alone are usually $12.58)

Here are my awesome deals:

• Two pack of Sharpies - $1
• Used a $1/1 target.com coupon (FREE!)
  
• Papermate 10 pack of pens - $1.07
• Used a $1/1 target.com coupon (7 cents!)
• Vlasic relish - $1.04
• Used a .55/1 printable coupon 
• 3 Coffee mate creamers (2 Natural Bliss @$2.39 and one normal @$1.92)
• Used a target.com coupon for $1/3 Coffee mate creamers
• Used two $1/1 Natural Bliss from the Albertsons savings book
• Used one $.55/1 printable coupon
• 2 big (18) packs of fruit snacks (clearance!) - $1.27 each!
• Used $1/2 target.com fruit snack multi packs
• 2 Reach floss - $.89 each
•  Used two $1/1 any Reach floss from a March insert (FREE plus $.11 overage each on these!)
• Target brand face scrub - $2.10
• Used $.75/1 target.com facial product coupon
• 2 Off! Citronella candles - $5 each sale
• Used $2/2 target.com coupon
• Used $3/2 manufacturer's coupon from the 6/26 SmartSource
• 3 vitamin waters - $1 each
• Used buy 2 get 1 free from target.com
• Summer clearance alert! Three sets of plates and cups at $.99 each 

Total out of pocket - $16.35! Saved $24.11!


Remember you can stack Target coupons with manufacturer's coupons (1 of each per item) which I definitely did today! Here is what those Target coupons look like if you print them off from target.com.

And if you know your Target store layout, you can be in and out in a jiffy! And bring home fruit snacks, citronella candles and face wash for a happy husband. :) Cheers!

Top Foods/Haggen Deals and Awesome Coupons - Trip 7/11

Today's trip to Top Foods was amazing...they have customer appreciation coupons that only come with the ad in the mail (lame, right!) but you can use all four coupons together on one trip! I got all the stuff picture below, including the Full Circle organic brown eggs and two-thirds a pound of 93/7 ground beef, for $6.24 out of pocket!

Spent $6.24 out of pocket!

• Tostitos - $1.77 (with in-ad coupon)
• Food Should Taste Good $2.00
• Sweet onions - $.77 (.47/lb!)
• Roma tomatoes - $.68 (.77/lb!)
• Broccoil - $.64 ($1/lb!)
• Green pepper - $.79
• Cilantro - $.59
• Panette - $.99
• Sourdough roll (ate for lunch) - $.35
• 93/7 lean ground beef - $2.66
• Full Circle organic brown eggs - $4.49

The first four coupons are from the Top Foods customer appreciation insert in the ad.

• Used free eggs coupon (-$4.49)
  
• Used $1 off produce
• Used $2 off meat
• Used $1 off any bakery item
• Used $1/1 Food Should Taste Good coupon

Spent $6.24 out of pocket! I can't figure out how much I saved with Top Foods complicated receipts, but it was toward $20 I think. The Top Foods coupons save "Save x with a $10 minimum purchase" but the $10 minimum is including the eggs, meat, produce, etc. so you could feasibly spend under $2.00...but I felt sort of bad doing that since I go to this store often. Plus I needed tortilla chips and extra cheap produce.

Target and QFC Trip - Deals from 7/9

After my awesome deal on printer paper, I went to Target to use some coupons and get some first aid items for my husband who has a crazy finger gash. I spent $6.19 and saved $7.44. Next I went to QFC for an awesome deal on Rainier cherries (did I mention I'm obsessed with cherries?) and I spent $4.98 and saved $10.17. Here is all the loot I got for $11.17!

Spent $11.17 and saved $17.61!

Target

• Method spray cleaner - sale $2.54
• Used $1/1 coupon from 6/26 SS and $.50/1 coupon from Target mailer
• Wheat bread - $1.42
• Used FREE coupon from Target mailer (renovated store promo)
• Large eggs - $1.79
• Used coupon from Target mailer to make them $.99
• Neosporin - sale $3.49
• Spiderman Band-Aids - clearance $2.07
• Used $1.50 off neosporin plus band-aids and $.50/1 Target mailer coupon
• Paid $5.59 plus tax

QFC

• Rainier cherries - sale for $2.99 a pound!! 1.33 pounds - $3.98
• 2 corn on the cob - $.50 each
• 3 Seattle's Best Iced Coffee cans (finally found these!) - $1.49
• Used 3 FREE Seattle's Best Iced Coffee cans so all 3 free!
• Paid $4.98 (no tax)

QFC sales are valid until Tuesday, and the Target sales were all price cuts so should be around for awhile. I was hoping to get the Target Schick razor deal but of course they were out, so no big deal. Next time!

Office Depot - 10 Reams of Paper for $7.49 with Staples Coupon!

This morning I saw over at Coupon Connections that it's the last day to get a case (as in 10 reams) of HP paper for under 8 dollars at Office Depot! Hello!

There is an Office Depot about four minutes from my house, so I printed the coupon and headed up there. The two young guys helping me out almost couldn't believe I was only paying $8.12 (with tax) for 10 reams of paper. It was so heavy that thankfully one of them (Gig Harbor store) carried it out. Whew!

Here is how you do it...and you only have until tonight to make this work!

• Print off this coupon for 75% off one HP paper item at Staples.
• Take it to Office Depot (they accept competitors' coupons) and get the $29.99 case of paper (original price $46.99 - $17 instant discount). 
• Enjoy 10 reams of paper for $7.49 plus tax...enough for months (years?) of coupon printing. Woot!

Fred Meyer Trip 7/6 - Cherries and Bailey's Creamer Deals!

Today I was seriously craving cherries. AND they were only $1.68 a pound at Fred Meyer...no coupons needed! So of course I bought almost 3 pounds. In total, I spent $18.65 on all this loot!

 

• Two Seneca applesauce $1.67 each
• Used $1/2 coupon from 6/26 Smart Source insert
• Two 3 Musketeers candy bars $.40 each 
• Used in-ad coupon plus $.50/2 from 6/26 Smart Source insert
• Dove Men's Bars $5.99
• Used $4/1 coupon from 6/26 Red Plum insert
• Country Oven Bread $1.33 
• Used in-ad coupon
• Sabra hummus $2.99
• Used $1/1 coupon from 6/26 Smart Source insert
• 2 Bailey's creamers ($2.50 and $2.00) LOVE THIS STUFF!
• Used two $1/1 coupons from baileys.com
• Cherries (1.68/lb) $4.77
• Walla walla onions (.78/lb) $1.84
• Kiwi $.34
• Nectarines ($1.49/lb) $1.24

Spent $18.65 total which is pretty sweet for all this produce plus the expensive men's soap! Can't forget 15 cent candy bars for the husband. The hummus is already gone since I was famished when I got home. I am looking forward to Bailey's in my coffee in the morning... non-alcoholic of course!

Fred Meyer has the best deals on produce generally without sales. For example, green peppers were $.79 which is the sale price at Top Foods/Haggen this week. And if you're having a salad that evening, they almost always have organic spring mixes at half price that expire within 3-4 days. Good deals!

Albertsons Trip 7/4 - Deals without Doublers (.09 brownies!)

The days of getting Twice the Value (doubler) coupons at customer service are gone. I think it's actually a good thing, because the policy varied by store and even by cashier, so it was difficult to plan. Plus people were clearing the shelves at 7 a.m. on Sunday. So, the official word has come down from corporate, and Albertsons is changing their policy. Doublers will now only be available in newspapers.

Anyway, this past weekend there were no Albertsons doubler coupons, but I still managed a decent shopping trip (73% savings!).

Spent $13.56 and saved $35.86 (73% savings)

There were a few awesome deals and a few decent deals on things I actually needed. I used seven coupons.

First, I bought 10 items and received $5.00 off. The prices below are after the $.50 per item savings.

• 3 Pillsbury brownies - $.49 each
• 2 Twizzlers packs - $1.38 each
• 2 Reynolds wrap foil - $2.49 each
• 2 French's mustard - $.99 each
• 1 Kraft extra sharp cheddar - $2.19

In addition, I purchased almost three pounds of chicken breast ($1.69/lb) and light mayonnaise ($1.99). I used the following coupons:

(3) $.40 off Pillsbury brownies (6/12 Red Plum insert)
(2) $.75 off Twizzlers (6/26 SmartSource insert)
(1) $1/2 Reynolds foil (Albertsons Summertime Savings book)
(1) $3 off Albertsons meat purchase (by mail)

For $13.56 out of pocket after coupons, I think I did a pretty sweet job and saved 73%! Woot!