All the News That's FIt to Print

I am still alive... mostly. THAT is a huge overly dramatic remark, but an honest one, nonetheless. I really thought when this whole arm thing happened that I would have a week or two of down time and then be on the mend and back in business, so to speak. Reality check. I am mending- this my husband and doctors have assured me. Repeatedly. I am also frustrated beyond all words. It has been nearly 8 weeks now and I am still only able to move my left arm at the shoulder joint about 3 or 4 inches from my body before I wish I hadn't. And this, I can only do a couple of times before the nerves rebel and my arm hangs limp and useless at my side. I am allowed to work- from home- in 15 minute increments- with thirty minutes rest between. I dare you to try that one. Did I mention how frustrating this is?

I have not been shopping. I have not even looked to see what sales might have come and gone. And, I have not found my neon green coupon binder. I have felt sorry for myself. I have become annoyed at myself when my building frustration veers into the waters of deep sadness. I have sat here, looking at cleaning tasks, farming tasks, and various general maintenance tasks going either undone, done haphazardly (by me), or stuffed into the "do later" column. My husband and family are a great help, but there is only so much more they can take on to do and fulfill the responsibilities of their jobs and schooling. See? Self pity leaking out, gumming up the works. Then, I think about all the ones out there dealing with REAL hardship, trials, and loss and I am ashamed of my bouts of self pity and morose countenance. I fractured my arm, not lost it for good.

I am getting better. This will end at some point and I will be back to normal; driving myself where I want to go, interacting with other humans when I get there, working, shopping, hanging with my friends... you get the picture. For now, I am finding solace in venturing out once a week with my husband on short errands. I worked for 3 hours today and actually accomplished something. I have a plan for working tomorrow, too. These small successes make me feel Good. Satisfied. And, Hopeful.

As for shopping, I am very grateful that I had a stockpile of grocery things from which to feed my family these past weeks. The supplies may be running thin, but I still have enough staples to last us a while. And, my sweet, helpful husband assisted me in cutting and sorting my stack of coupons, getting them ready for when I do feel able to hunt down those sales. My daughters bring me "gifts" of freebies from my mailbox most days, which brighten my days just that little bit more. And, I was able to sit here and type this: two handed, without my arm aching and my fingers going to pins and needles. It may not be much, but I will smile and be satisfied with that.

I will get back into the swing of things. I will count all my blessings and I will look forward to 2012 and all the adventure it will contain.

I hope this blog post finds you and yours in good health and calm spirits.
Talk with you all soon!
Sonja ♥

Shaw's + General Mills Products= HUGE SAVINGS

Shopping at Shaw's today was AWESOME. I will admit, there is a little bit of an adrenaline rush when I am in line, waiting to see if everything is going to work out the way I planned it. I needed to make some minor alterations at the store to compensate for some coupon match ups and that only added to my state of excited nervousness. I came within $5 of what I intended to spend. Success!!!Total Retail for my purchases $139.05. My out of pocket expense was $ 38.03 AND I earned a $10 On Your Next Order (oyno) coupon, which made my net transaction $28.03. Total Savings 79%.
The sale Shaw's advertised was save $10 On Your Next Order when you buy $25 in participating General Mills products. The $25 mark is triggered before you apply coupons, so you don't actually spend $25 in cash monies to qualify for the $10 catalina. As usual, I wanted to spend as little out of my pocket as possible, so I broke up my purchases into 3 transactions.
Transaction #1:

The differences in the amount I paid and the sale amount reflect the additional savings I enjoyed from the coupons I used. Shaw's only allows "4 like" coupons for each transaction, so that was another factor in my transaction groupings. I used both online coupons and Sunday paper insert coupons in various amounts, which is why on one graph, it will show more money for the same product than on another graph.

Transaction #2:

The out of pocket amount is the cost after all my coupons were applied and before the additional $10 OYNO catalina. After earning the first $10 OYNO in transaction #1, I used it to pay down my out of pocket balance in transaction #2. And, since it only matters that the total before coupons reached $25, I earned another $10 OYNO catalina. In all, I earned three of them, but rolled them on each subsequent transaction. If I had purchased everything in one transaction, I would have paid $58.03 out of pocket and earned (3) $10 catalinas. The final net amount of $28.03 would be the same, but by employing multiple transactions, I used catalina money to pay and kept my money in the bank where it does my family greater good.

Transaction #3:

I am quite pleased with my results, but I have more coupons which correspond to this sale, so I will probably plan to revisit Shaw's when I am in Bangor again later this week. I am very visual, so I brought home the flyer to look through, mark up, and devise possibly a better deal than today's. The internet is full of sites that give you sneak peaks at ad scans for upcoming sale weeks. For this week's sale the most helpful one for me was from Money Saving Maine-iac's blog which You Can Read Here. Oh! And, purchasing 5 GM Cereals together in my final transaction (not 4) triggered a $2/5 any GM cereal catalina.

The other cool things about this sale is that all the items I purchased had a General Mills "box top for education" label, which are worth .10 cents each (today's total was $5.30) AND because I purchased more than ten qualifying items in each transaction, it triggered (3) 10 Bonus box tops codes worth an additional $3.00 That means, Searsport Middle School's parent/teacher group just got $8.30 richer just by my buying my family's groceries today.

At the end of today's trip, I had purchased: 15 boxes Totino's Pizza Rolls, 6 bags Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes, 6 boxes GM Cereals, 16 boxes Betty Crocker Potatoes, 8 bags Chex Mix, and 4 bags of Bugles... all for less than $30.00.

Sonja ♥

                                                                                                

Apples Update

From twelve and one half (50 lb) bags of apples to apple cider, hard apple cider, apple wine, apple pie filling and apples to snack on. After, Sean and I pressed the apples at a congregation apple pressing party, it was time to start processing our bounty to savor over the cold winter months.

To prepare my traditional apple cider, I sterilized my equipment: large stock pot, water bath canner, covers, ladle, and jugs, and the cider in 8 quart batches. I added 1 tbsp of ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg to each batch. Using a plastic funnel made filling my jars easy, easy. I filled 7 gallons of cider. Sooooo delicious warm or cold. Once they cool on the counter (It is not safe to put warm or hot foods in the fridge or freezer. It can raise the internal temperature and cause foods to thaw in the freezer, or bacteria to grow in a warmer fridge environment) to room temperature, they are ready for the freezer. These can last for up to a year this way.

I am sending my husband's Dad and Mom and his Brother's family the quart jars which I canned in a hot water bath. Packed carefully and shipped overnight via UPS, they should arrive intact and be ready to be enjoyed or stored until colder weather.

My husband's Hard Cider takes somewhat less preparation at this stage. Pressed and poured into (2) five gallon glass carboys and (1) five gallon bucket, he topped them with air locks and wisely leaves them to do their fermentation thing. In about a week, he will rack and bottle them. Once more, leaving them be to age to perfected, drinkable goodness in about one month.

Sonja ♥



Personal Money Saving Strategies

For me, saving money, in all aspects of my living is important. So, I make the most of the many resources available. My top number of money saving strategies are:

1. Know the difference between your needs and your wants. "Need" is defined to be necessary; indicates that a course of action is desirable or necessary. Whereas, "want" is defined as to wish, crave, demand, or desire. This takes a lot of thought. When you understand the difference between needs and wants, your priorities change. Before you make a purchase, ask yourself questions like, Do I require this to make my life easier? Will this purchase take up precious time from more important things, like time with friends or family? Can I afford this? Will I have to work more hours to pay for it, again, robbing your time from more important things? Do I need it right now?

2. Friends & neighbors save coupon inserts for me. I always have multiples of each week's coupons and I never have to buy a Sunday paper. In return, I give them gifts from my bounty of freebies. I am not out anything because I decide what to gift. My cupboards remain stocked and I love that I can pass on the savings to others.

3. I plant a small garden each Spring. I love growing my own veggies. Beyond that, it saves tons of money on buying things that I can grow in my own yard. It saves on gas and my time: no driving to the store. It saves on trash in landfills because household scraps become organic compost. What I cannot use by the end of the season, I pick and can or freeze to enjoy through the winter.

4. Gleaning food. Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. Our community building often has food donated by a local Hannafords and each family is able to pick up a shopping bag of fruits and veggies, breads and desserts for free. Look at community boards to see what might be available in your community. If you live in an area with local farms or orchards, at the end of the season, many are willing to allow families to glean these or sell the produce at severely reduced rates rather than let the produce go to waste. It takes a bit of courage, but it never hurts to ask.

5. Keeping animals. We keep chickens for eggs. Most of our flock has been given to us. We watch the Uncle Henry's View Here and Craig's List View Here for hens who need a home. We keep enough to satisfy our family's need and we sell our excess to other families. It costs us to buy grain, true, but when we figure it all out. We make a profit of a few hundred dollars each year and we have an unlimited supply of the freshest, most delicious eggs we could eat. The chickens, also, keep down bugs in the yard. We will hatch a few clutches of chicks this spring to sell or replenish our flock. And, some folks supply Sunday dinner from their flock when their girls don't produce as much.

Feeding Leah and Rachel some treats.

Jedidiah playing with a box.

This year, we also started a small goat herd. We will sell the kids to cover the cost of grain and hay for the cooler months. And, we gain goat milk from the Nanny's. From this, we will make several kinds of cheese, including herbed goat cheese, feta cheese, mozzarella, and ricotta, goat's milk lotion and soap. We will have what we need to supply our family and will sell our excess which makes our Nanny's financially profitable. In addition, they are so loving and have such wonderful personalities, they bring joy into my life with their antics.

Note of caution: Keeping animals is not for everyone. There is work that goes into this hobby, mucking stalls, feeding, and keeping your animals healthy. It works for us, but be very thoughtful about what you are getting into before you invest in raising your own animals.

6. Buy the best quality things you can afford. My dear sister-in-law gave me this sage piece of wisdom and I keep it in mind. "We are too poor to buy cheap." It may sound like a contradiction, but if you have to replace a thing many times because it is of poor quality, where is the savings on that? Instead, if you are buying online, use coupon codes matched with sales to get great savings. Companies, such as www.CouponChief.com, are great resources for up-to-date coupon codes to use with sales at many high quality stores. Good quality items last and I have found that I can buy these for less than buying cheap brands by matching sales with good coupons. For instance, last week, I bought (12) bottles of Dove Shampoo and Conditioners. These regularly sell for more than $4/bottle. With the sale Rite Aid had and the coupon from a Sunday paper, I bought the 1st set of six for $5.50, which is .92¢/bottle and used the earned $5RR on the 2nd set of six to buy them ALL for .55¢. That is .09¢ per bottle. Compare with Alberto V05. This product does not work on my hair. I use more shampoo trying to clean my hair and the conditioner is next to useless for me. Why buy this inexpensive brand for .79¢-.99¢ a bottle when I can get a quality bottle of shampoo for so much less?

7. Use it up. Wear it out. Make do or do without. Reuse and Recycle what you can. Instead of throwing things out, can it be fixed or can it be repurposed? Be creative. An ornate head board to an unuseable, unfixable antique bed gets a fresh coat of paint, some polyurethane, and becomes a whimsical sign in the garden. Excess mortar from a household tiling project gets poured into a round cake pan, decorated with shells from the beach, and sets overnight into a lovely garden accent stone. Your local ReStore is full of second hand light fixtures, various types of tile, and other home improvement project needs for about 50% off regular retail.

7. Barter. Your friends and family are comprised of people who have gifts. Perhaps, one styles hair. Another is a thrifty shopper. Someone else you know is the "Pied Piper" of children and makes the perfect babysitter. Trade your resources for their expertise. One of my close friends raises chickens for meat. I do not. I trade bathroom supplies; shampoos, deodorants, tooth care items, hair color, etc.
-all of which I get for FREE- for what she has to trade- delicious home grown chickens ready for my freezer or Sunday night dinner table.

What strategies do you use most frequently to save money?

Sonja ♥

Apple Adventures

Fall means many delightful things. Among my favorite of them are leaves changing colors on the trees like an artist painting the world around us, bonfires with friends complete with marshmallows and steaming cups of hot chocolate, and APPLES. Delicious. Delightful. Delovely Apples. 

Two years ago, my husband and I picked 3 contractor bags of apples from a friend's tree and from this made 10 gallons of a sweet apple wine and several gallons of apple cider. This year, we were again blessed through a friend of my sister, Kelli to be allowed to glean apples from a cultivated orchard. On Wednesday, my husband and I picked and filled (8) 50lb grain bags with Cortlands, MacIntosh, Braeburns, Granny Smiths and Red Delicious. I have no idea if these bags hold 50 lbs of apples, but they certainly FELT like it when I tried bringing them to the car. I quickly decided that this was "man's work" and left it to my husband.

My Christian sister, Cheri and I canned 21 Quarts of apples into slices, spiced with cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg for apple crisps and apple pies to warm our hearts and bellies in the cold months to come. I will put up a few more from these fruits gathered. I will be glad to share this recipe. Feel free to comment or email me to get it.

On Saturday, we are joining some Christian friends to enjoy an old fashioned apple pressing party. With this many apples, we will be able to enjoy them through the whole of winter. My husband, Sean, has every intention of using the (3) carboys he owns to age some into apple wine and hard cider. I will collect (10) gallons into containers, boil this, and pour it into clean plastic jugs to freeze. 

It feels so wonderful to prepare foods for my family to enjoy through the winter months. I love the feeling of accomplishment it gives me.

♥ Sonja

I just got home from helping Sean pick 2 more trees, which equaled 3 1/2 additional grain bags of apples! I am loving apples, but I am slightly concerned that we will be able to process this volume! I'll let you know how it goes! ♥

On the bright side... pickles ♥

One of the unexpected "bright sides" of still having to drive my son and daughter to their jobs is that I am able to swing by the community center to glean some fruits and veggies a couple of times each week. These must be eaten and/or preserved immediately or else the goats and hens find me extra generous with their treats.

Originally, I had planned on buying a couple dozen canning jars to put up some of the veggies from our garden. But, my sister was given about six dozen jars, which she did not need, so she kindly passed them on to me. Free is the best "coupon" of all! My plan is to "put up" salsa, marinara, apple pie filling, and dilly beans. I am also going to freeze some apple cidar to enjoy through the winter months.
I was hoping to find more green beans today. The batch of dilly beans I made last week did not come out so well. Upon closer investigation, I strongly suspect I forgot to add the canning salt to the first batch so currently, my 10 year old is the only one willing to eat them. Having tried them myself, she is more than welcome to them!

I did not find green beans, but I did get enough pickling cucumbers to make 7 quarts of dill pickles. I decided to use my Grandfather's recipe for the beans, slightly modified to accommodate using cukes. My husband and I prepared them together. I tasted one slice from the first jar before sealing them; it was absolutely delicious. If they are as yummy completely processed, I will share my recipe with you all.

I like the feeling of putting up foods in the basement cupboard. I like how they look; all in delicious rows, just waiting to be opened and enjoyed. I like the thought of following time honored traditions of preserving foods to care for my family. I like smell of dill and of apples in the house. ♥

Once again, I froze all of the breads for a later use- except the blueberry bagels my husband will be eating for breakfast tomorrow and possibly Saturday. I am planning on adding the green peppers and tomatos to those I grew in my garden this year as the main ingredients of some homemade spicy salsa. Can't wait!

♥ Sonja

Target coupons via cell phone

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a text message yesterday from Target with these offers; which expire 9/2/11:

.50/1 Velveeta Cheesy Skillets
$1/2 Dannon yogurts 6 oz Activia selects or 5.3oz Oikos Greek yogurt
$1/1 Ziploc food storage bags
$5 off Women's denim
$5 off Xhilaration apparel item
$3 off 3 Gerber Sleep and Play Onesies

Just show the cashier the text message and let them scan the bar code.
Simple.

Want to sign up for mobile coupons? Click Here to sign up

♥ LOVE THAT! ♥

♥ Sonja

Coupon/Sale Match Ups: Walgreens, Tozier's Market, CVS

Hi Friends ♥

After a very refreshing week away with my handsome husband, Sean, visiting his family in North Carolina, I am back in the swing of things. I had been hoping to have some time to post while away, but there is just never enough time, is there??? Here are the match ups for next week's sales, beginning Sunday, March 27 through April 2, 2011. Happy Savings!

Walgreens:

Colgate Total Advanced or Gum Defense Toothpaste, 4 oz $3.00
Buy 2, Receive $4.00 Register Reward, Limit 1
Pay:  $4.00, Receive $4.00 Register Reward
Final Price:  Free

Edge Shave Cream or Gel, 6 or 7 oz $2.00
Buy 2, Receive $2.00 Register Reward, Limit 1
Use (2) two $0.55/1 Edge Shave Gel, SS 3/20 insert
Pay:  $2.90, Receive $2.00 RRFinal Price:  $0.45 each

Final Price:

Butterball Chicken Broth, 14.5oz sale 2/$1.00

Dove Products, 4/$15, earn $5 RR= 4/$10

Use (4) four

Final Price:

Garnier Products, 4/$14, earn $4 RR= 4/$10

Use: (4) four $1/1 Sunday insert coupons

Final Price: $1.50 each

Speedstick or Lady Speedstick Deodorant, Sale $1.99

Use (1) $1/1 Sunday insert coupon

Pay .99 cents, Receive $1 RR

Final Price: FREE

CVS:

Mars single egg, 1 oz $0.50
$1.00/2 Mars Easter Product from RP 3/20
Final Price: FREE

GUM soft picks, 15 ct. $1.51 Buy 1 Get 1 Free
$0.55/1 – GUM Go-Between Proxabrush Cleansers or Soft Picks – (betweentheethcleaning.com)
Final Price: $0.21 each when you buy 2

Skintimate moisturizing cream shave or gel, 6-10 oz $3.49
Buy 1, Receive $2.50 Extra Bucks, Limit 1
$0.55/1 Skintimate Shave Gel from SS 3/27
Pay $2.94, Receive $2.50 Extra Bucks
Final Price: $0.44

Colgate manual single toothbrush, $2.99
Buy 1, Receive $2.00 Extra Bucks, Limit 2
Use $1.00/1 Colgate Manual Toothbrush from SS 3/27
Pay $1.99, Receive $2.00 Extra Bucks
Final Price: $0.01 Moneymaker

Halls Cough drops, 30 ct. $1.87
Buy 1, Receive $1.00 Extra Bucks, Limit 2
$0.75/1 Halls Cough Drops from SS 3/27
Pay $1.53, Receive $1.00 Extra Buck
Final Price: $0.12

Physicians Formula Cosmetics, prices starting at $5.99
Buy 1, Receive $7.00 Extra Bucks, Limit 1
$1.00/1 Physicians Formula product from SS 2/27
Pay $4.99, Receive $7.00 Extra Bucks
Final Price: $2.01 Moneymaker

Tozier’s Market

10 for 10 Sale Items Mix and Match

Starkist Solid White Tuna 5oz can

Hunt’s Manwich Sauce 15.5oz can

Pennsylvania Dutch Noodles 12-16oz pkg

Wishbone Salad Dressing 8oz bottle

Palmolive Dish Liquid 10oz bottle

Airwick Air Fresheners 8oz can

Hershey’s Milkshake or Chocolate Milk 12 oz bottle

Fancy Feast Cat Treats 2oz. bag

Bar S Jumbo Meat or Turkey Franks 16oz pack

Bar S Sliced Bologna or Cotto Salami 12 oz pack

Did you friends find any coupon/sale match ups???

♥ Sonja ♥

Walgreens Sales 3/13/11 to 3/19/11

Right Guard Deodorant, Sale $4.49

On sale Buy One, Get One Free= 2/$4.49

Use coupon B1G1 Free 3/12 RP insert = 2/FREE

Right Guard Body Wash, Sale $4.99

On sale Buy One, Get One Free= 2/$4.99

Use coupon B1G1 Free 3/12 RP insert = 2/FREE

Irish Spring Deodorant, Sale 2/$6

Earn $4 RR= 2/$2

Use (2) .50/1 in 3/12 SS= 2/$1

Or enter free drawing which will prompt you to print

a $1/1 coupon here:

http://irishspring.promo.eprize.com/legendary = FREE

Purex Complete Crystals, Sale 4.99

Earn $2 RR= $2.99

Use coupon $2/1 in 3/12 RP= .99 cents

Royal Gelatin, Sale 5/$1

Use in ad coupon, limit 10

Oil of Olay Body Wash/Lotions, sale 3/$12

Earn $3 RR= 3/$9

Use (3) $1/1 Oil of Olay product 2/27 PG insert

= $2 each WYB 3

Venus Pro Skin Razors, sale $7.99

Earn $4 RR= $3.99

Use $5/1 coupon from PG 2/27 insert

=$1.01 Money Maker

TUF Paper Towel, sale 2/$1

Use in ad coupon, limit 4

BIG Roll Toilet Paper, sale 2/$1

Use in ad coupon, limit 4

Arizona Teas, sale $2/1

Use in ad coupon, limit 4

Walgreens Brand Assorted 20 oz sodas,

Sale .39 cents

Use in ad coupon, limit 3

*This is not listed in the online flyer, but I used it today and it was in our regional flyer. Our family thinks the orange flavor and grape flavors taste as good as either Coke or Pepsi versions.

New Contest!

Hi Friends,
I am sponsoring a drawing beginning on March 15th for the prize package shown below:

Retail Value: More than $75.00, the Prize Includes:

(1) Gillette Venus Pro Skin Moisturizing Razor (3ct)

(1) Dove Cool Moisture Shampoo (12 oz)

(1) Dove Cool Moisture Conditioner (12 oz)

(1) Dove VisibleCare Softening Body Wash (10.1 oz)

(1) Degree Deodorant Invisible Solid (2.6oz)

(1) Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste (4 oz)

(1) Colgate 360 Toothbrush (medium full)

(1) Veripur Hand Sanitizer Moisturizer (3 oz)

(1) Motrin PM (20 ct)

(1) Motrin (24 ct)

(1) Maalox Advanced Maximum Strength (90 ct)

(1) Coldcalm Homeopathic Medicine (60 tabs)

(1) Children’s Coldcalm (160 pellets)

(1) Ricola Cough Drops (19 ct)

(1) Facial Tissues (65 ct)

(4) Single Ply Bathroom Tissue Rolls (1000 sheets)

(1) Always Maxi Leak Guard PLUS (20 ct)

(1) Ajax with Bleach Powder Cleanser (14 oz)

(1) Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Soap (20 loads)

(1) Bowl Fresh Toilet Bowl Cleaner (4 weeks)

Check out the contest page to the right for all the details! ♥

                                                         ----------->

And, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comment section below.
Hugs,
Sonja ♥

Walgreen's Mega Shopping Trip Today

19 Motrin PM (20 ct)

10 Colgate Toothpastes

3 Baby Magic Lotions

3 Baby Magic Shampoo/Body Washes

16 single Bars of soap (necessary fillers)

3 Gillette Venus Pro Razors

2 Cover Girl Naturals Foundation

2 CG Naturals Lipstick

1 CG Pressed Powder

1 CG Concealer

1 Old Spice Deodorant

1 Old Spice Body Wash

4 Gallons Water

1 Clorox Beach

Total Retail Price- $269.12

Out of Pocket- $20.13

Register Rewards Earned- $15

      (plus $18 in Motrin coupons)

Total Net Cost $5.13,

      not considering the Catalina coupons

Over all, I was really pleased with my trip to Walgreen’s today. Since I had ordered what I wanted to purchase, in advance, I had no trouble buying exactly what I wanted to for my family. And, the ever friendly Assistant Manager helped me perform 32 separate transactions.

That’s right.Thirty-Two… with a smile… and much patience. She even, pointed out ways to save more out of pocket money. (She discovered the soaps on clearance.)

I am happy with my adventure shopping, but as I reviewed my receipt, there was some room for improvement on my part.

For instance, I was trying to figure out the best way to use the Cover Girl buy one, get one ½ off sale, with a $1.00 manufacturer’s coupon, and a coupon for a FREE CG Natural lip stick (retail $7.49), when you buy a CG Natural foundation (retail $12.99). Complicated.

1st attempt:

CG foundation ($12.99 less $1/1 coupon),

CG lipstick ($7.49, Free w/coupon)

Concealer ($7.99, less $4.00 from 50% off sale)

Less $4.00 rr from Venus Razors= $11.99+ tax

2^nd attempt:

CG foundation ($12.99 less $1/1 coupon),

CG lipstick ($7.49, Free w/coupon)

CG Powder ($5.99, less $3.00 from 50% off sale)

Less $4.00 rr from Venus Razors= $10.99+ tax

This was not the result I was looking for, either. It was good- nearly 1/2 off, but I was certain I could do better.

So, I stopped into Rite Aid on my way home from work, just to see if they had a better sale happening. I thought I had found it. Rite Aid had, what I thought was the same buy one, get one 50% off sale. Unfortunately, it was only on face and eye products, so my purchases did not qualify- which I discovered after I paid at the register. I should have taken my own sage (and modest) advice and just returned the items and saved the coupons, but I like the cashiers and managers at that particular store so much, that I didn’t. That was a mistake.

3^rd attempt:

CG foundation ($13.99 less $1/1 coupon)

CG lipstick ($7.49, Free w/coupon)

Price $12.99 + tax

A costly reminder of a rule I know full well: Do not purchase something for more than you were planning on spending. A return is not the worst offense in the world. For couponing to work and be useful to your family, you cannot buy things you don’t need for a price that is not best price you can get. I should have just returned the items, collected my coupons and walked away, knowing that I had already purchased these things for $3 less earlier in the day, and gotten more! Lesson learned.

But, I am determined, if nothing else. I knew Walgreens had the sale I was looking for. I just had to figure out the best way to use it. So, when I picked up my daughter from work, I revisited my Belfast Walgreens store.

4^th attempt:

CG foundation ($12.99 less $1/1 coupon),

CG lipstick ($7.49, Free w/coupon)

Clearance bar of Soap (.37 cents- filler)

Less $3.75 from 50% off sale)

Less $3.00 rr from Baby Magic= $5.63+ tax

 Cha Ching!!! This was the sale I was looking for! I have one more set of coupons and may repeat this transaction once again. I realize, I have already bought 4 foundations, 4 lipsticks, 1 concealer, & 1 powder, but there is a difference between buying unneeded items and stocking up on items you will use when they are at their lowest price. There are 3 girlies in my home who will use this. I will pay $5.63 now, instead of $20.48 later and save my husband's wallet 75%.

Sonja ♥

My Trial Walgreen's Trip (before my BIG trip on Thursday)

After work today, I decided to try my hand on a pre-sale run to Walgreens just to see if my plan will work before I attempt it in a larger scale on Thursday. When you are planning to spend nearly no money out of pocket, and are, in fact, planning on walking out of the store with nearly $40 in profit, it pays to be cautious and make sure everything is in order. It is easier on you and the cashier if you have your buying plan worked out and well organized, in advance.
 My 1st transaction was two bottles of Motrin PM, on sale for $3.00 each.
I used one $6/2 coupon. Total due .30 cents.
I received $3 RR

My 2nd transaction was one bottle of Baby Magic lotion, on sale for $3.00 each.
I used the $3 RR from the Motrin PM. Total due .15 cents.
I received $3 RR

My 3rd transaction was one Colgate toothpaste, on sale for $3.00 each. Since I was planning on using a $1/1 coupon (which would bring the balance due to $1.99 and I need it to be $3 before tax) I needed some filler items to total as close to $1.01 as I could find. I added one gallon of water, on sale for .69 cents and one bottle of peroxide, on sale for .33 cents. I used the $3 RR from the Baby Magic. Total due .17 cents.

I repeated all the transactions a 2nd time, substituting Clorox bleach, on sale for 1.29 cents instead of the water and peroxide for my last transaction. I wanted to split the fillers up a little because, seriously, how much peroxide can one person use?

In the end, I purchased 2 Colgate Toothpastes, 4 Motrin PM, 2 Baby Magic products, 1 gallon Water, 1 bottle Peroxide, and 1 bottle of Clorox bleach. I spent $1.36 out of my pocket and I received two $3.00 RRs. Profit $4.64

Also, when I purchased the two Motrin PMs, it triggered a catalina coupon for $2/1 Motrin PM (15 count or more). So, even if you don't have the $6/2 coupon, this is a money maker. You need to buy at least two of the products on sale for $3 with the $3 reward for this to work. The scenario:

T1: Buy two Motrin, spend $6.30, get $2 coupon and $3 RR
T2: Buy Baby Magic, use $3 RR, spend .15 cents
T3: Buy Motrin, use $2/1 coupon & Colgate, use $1/1 coupon, spend .30, receive two $3 RRs.
Total out of pocket $6.75, earn $6 RRs = cost .75 (tax)

 At this point, you can go back and forth as much as you want, just paying the tax. Just be sure not to pay for the product with its own RR or a new one will not print.


Happy shopping!