Kuponera

Weekly budget of $75 for 3 stores

2009-02-17T09:25:00.007-05:00

Publix 2/16/09

Beef Cubed Steak $2.79
Ground Pork $1.17
Green Giant Veggies .89 cents (.39 cents after coupon)
2 pouch Idahoan M.P. $1.00 (Free after coupon)
2 flat out bread $2.69
Chicken Rotiserrie $4.99 (3.99 after coupon)
Publix Premium Diapers 40 ct. $7.99 ($1.99 after $3 Baby Club & $3 Walgreens Coupons)
1 Can Del Monte Diced tomatoes $1.53 (free after coupon)
2-23.2 oz Similac Advance $45 ($25 for both after 2-$2 Target Coupon, 2-$3 Coupon PWC, & 2- $5 Similac Checks)

Total After tax: $68.58
Coupons and Sales: $30.00
Total After Tax and Coupons: $38.58

Harris Teeter

I only used coupons for the cheese the rest are all staples that I didn't have coupons but still a good deal.

2 cans Chicken of the Sea Pink salmon $2.50
2 HT tuna $1.54
HT split peas $1.29
HT lentils $1.29
HT black beans $1.29
HT drumsticks $2.73
Pork Rib end chops $2.83
1 lb Russet potato .92 cents
bean sprouts .53 cents
HT bread .99 cents
HT butter spread .97 cents
Kraft shredded cheese $2.47
Kraft shredded cheese $2.47
HT 2 1/2 doz. eggs $2.97
HT 2 % milk

Total after tax and coupons $27.86

Realization

2009-02-10T21:01:00.005-05:00

"The greatest gift a parent can give a child during all the ups and downs of life is love. By Doc Childre"

There will always be ups and downs in marriage but that doesn't mean that these ups and downs has to hinder your love for your children.

As a new parent, it's really tough being away from family. When Grant and I started our life together we chose to reside in Hilton Head because this is where we met. Not only we like the beach and weather but we both work in hospitality. I would have never met Grant if not for Hospitality. I have always dreamed of getting an exceptional experience in the U.S. and bring the experience home to improve our small bakery/store in the Philippines. So, I applied for an internship in the U.S..........to make the long story short............... I met Grant....got married.....been married close to six years..........had a baby in Aug. '08.......and realized how important our families to us. Everyday, I always dreamed of having my parents, grandparents and other family member so close to us. I want my daughter to grow up like I did. I always remember how we close everyone is.....literally too. I think about my grandfather making us coffee every morning, afternoon and in the evening. How sweet. I remember all the casual gatherings we have every evening after everyone is done working. Drinking coffee or soda.....chatting and laughing just about everything. I missed eating dinner with my grand parents and parents. Men it's been seven long years since I've seen them.

I just wish DD can grow up knowing her grandparents and family in the Philippines. Same thing for her grandparents in KS. Or, maybe, I should say...I wish DD's grandparents and family in the Philippines can see her grow up.

It's not about me or Grant anymore. It's about DD. It's about our family. I know that we will have to move near Grant's parents. Grant and I want DD to at least get to know her g.parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I know we can still do it. I'm glad that Grant and I came up with this realization this early.

We just wanted to give DD as much love as we can. How about you what is your realization lately?

DD is short for Dear Daughter

Hubby a CVSer

2009-02-09T11:55:00.002-05:00

My husband went to CVS to get a couple of items. I really need to have that Johnson's Soothing vapor bath soap for D.O. as I think she's congested or something. He did great and wanted me to post it on my blog. Here's what he did.

Transaction #1
$3 ECB to start

Gillette Fusion Gamer $7.99
Coupon ($4.00)
Total After Q $3.99
use ECB $3.00
OOP $1.24 after tax

ECB earned $4.00

Transaction #2

$4 ECB

J&J soothing vapor bath soap $5.69
Coupon (1.00)
Total after Q $4.69
ECB used $4.00
OOP paid .81 cents after tax

Total OOP $2.15

Publix trip

2009-02-04T14:27:00.002-05:00

Chix leg quarters
Pork Steak
Ground chuck
Sirloin Tip steak
Bottom Round steak
4 box Jolly time popcorn (free)
1-8 oz block of Kraft cheese
1-24 slices of Kraft cheese
Keebler crackers
1 lb Serrano ham
red radish
3 bags of P. Salad
1 bag of Golden delicious apples
carrots
celery
blackberries
3 loaves of P. bread
2 nursey water
1 velveeta cheese
1 gal of milk
8 jars of beechnut baby food (17 cents ea.)
1 container Similac Advance baby formula ($12.50)

Total B4 Qs: $90.93
Qs tendered: $33.78
Total after Qs, sales & tax: $57.15

Sunday paper $1.50

This week's total: $58.65

Met my goal of spending less than $60 this week. My best deals are in red.

Harris Teeter Triple Coupons

2009-01-28T20:09:00.002-05:00

Harris Teeter will be tripling coupons Thursday Feb. 5th - Sunday Feb. 8th. Thanks to Jenny for the info. visit her website at http://southernsavers.com.

Free coffee and breakfast samples

2009-01-27T23:25:00.004-05:00

Free coffee and breakfast samples ALL DAY at Panera TOMORROW - Wednesday, January 28th! http://www.panerabread.com/ click the link for more information. You may want to call your local store though. Thanks to the Centsible Sawyer/http://thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com/for the infomation.

Free Haircut at FREDA SALON

2009-01-27T23:16:00.003-05:00

There's a new Hair Salon at Circle Center Shopping Circle right near Amigo's Mexican Restaurant. My husband and I were passing by this morning and saw a sign from the door about a free haircut. One of the lady who works there gives a free haircut so she can practice to get her liscense for beauty school. You can make an appointment on Wednesdays or Thursdays. My husband is getting one this Thursday. I'll let you know how it goes. Below is the information.

Freda Salon
70 Pope Ave
Circle Center Shopping Center
HHI, SC 29928
(843)686-6622

Check it out!

Publix and H.T.

2009-01-27T08:39:00.004-05:00

Publix Trip

1 Chicken Liver
2 Bottom Round Steak
4 Nursery Water
1 gal. milk
3 publix white bread
1 bag publix salad
2 arnold sandwich thins
2 dole p.apple parfait
2- 1/2 gal juicy juice
2-5 lb u.ben's rice
2 huggies b. wash
1 box (100 ct) huggies diapers
1- 23.2oz Similac formula

Total before coupons and sales: $107.23
Coupons tendered:$44.49
after coupons: $55.74

Harris Teeter

2 pouch B.Crocker potatoes
hungry jack syrup
idaho spuds
2 cans pink salmon
2 cans starkist tuna
1 mango
1 bag of bananas
1 bag of apples
cucumber
kale
2-8 oz Kraft cheese
1-8 oz Heluva good cheese
4- pouch of shredded Sargento cheese
2 1/2 dozens of HT eggs
bag of Armour meatballs
2 turkey butter ball bacon
smithfield sausage

total after tax and coupons: $36.99
Coupons tendered: $26.24

For Free

2009-01-21T08:22:00.001-05:00

I still can't believe it. Last night, I headed to Publix to get a bag of salad and t.sauce. I found out that they have the Hunt's t.s. on sale for 2/.99 cents and hoped that there will be coupons on the blinkie (coupon that a little machine spits out) beside it. Sure enough there was. The coupon was for $1 offf when you buy two. So, I got twelve cans of 14oz. t.sauce. Here is the summary:

12-14 oz. Hunt's t.sauce =$5.94
1 Publix salad blend = .99 cents
Total after tax: $7 even
Coupons used:$6
Total after coupons and tax: $1

Thanks to the following:
http://goodintentionsqueen.blogspot.com/
http://fiddledeedeeblog.blogspot.com/

Grocery trip this week!

2009-01-06T08:17:00.001-05:00

I've been to four grocery stores in two days and spent close to $40. I went to Harris Teeter and BiLo on Sunday and got a lot of staples. At Harris Teeter they tripled the value of my coupons up to .99 cents. They also had fresh, boneless chicken breast on sale for B1G2. Some of the items were almost free after coupons. Here is a summary of what I bought at Harris Teeter.

(1)Idaho Mashed Potato
(1)Gillette Body Wash
(1)French's Mustard
(1)Worcestershire Sauce
(3)Wacky Mac Pasta
(1)Near East Couscous
(1)Harris Teeter Liver
(3)Perdue Chicken Breast
1)HT Garden Salad
3 lb. Yellow onions
2 lb. Carrots
(1) 8 oz Cheddar cheese
2.5 dozen eggs
(1)16 oz Coffee-mate
(1)Gwaltney hotdog

Total before coupons: $75.34
Coupon used: $46.10
Total after coupon: $29.77 after tax

Publix

The highlight of my trip at Publix was the Fresh Express Salad. I bought two bags of Spinach Salad. One for me and one for the neighbor. It was $2.69/bag but I ended up paying $1.38 for both after coupon. Publix honors competitor's coupons. So, I used Food Lion's get $2 off when you buy $5 produce plus Publix had a store coupon of $2. Hence, got both bags for $1.38. Here's the summary of my grocery list.

(2bags) Fresh Express Salad
3 boxes of Frozen Green Gian Vegetables
(1 pint) Grape tomatoes
(1 box) Beech Nut Rice Cereal (getting ready to feeding Olivia solid...maybe at six months)

Total Before Coupons: $13.92
Coupon used: $6.10
Total after Coupons: $7.93 after tax

Walgreens

About two or three weeks ago, I transferred my prescription from CVS to Walgreens. After giving birth, I continued to take my prenatal vitamins since I'm still nursing my daughter. I found this coupon from Walgreens that if you transfer a prescription they give you a $25 gift card. I realized I have nothing to lose but will gain something back...So, I did. Below are items I purchased or I'll say they paid me to have.

(6- 8oz) Hunts T. Sauce
(1-20 ft.) Reynolds Aluminum Foil (ended up getting it for free after coupon)
1 gallon of Milk

Total B4 Coupons: $9.70
Coupon Used: $4.60
Total After Coupons and tax: $5.10

This ended up being free after using the gift card they gave me when I transferred my prescription. I still have $1.17 remaining on it.

CVS

I found an internet printable coupon for Johnson's Baby products. It's for $2...I printed two. That's the most number you can print. Olivia is running out of body wash and lotion. So, here's what I got from CVS.

(1) J&J Body wash
(1) J&J Body Lotion

Both were on sale for $2.99 each = $5.98
I used 2 ($2 coupon)= $4
Total after coupon and tax = $2.40

I think I did pretty good this week. Next week though I'll need to stock up with meats, rice, veggies and fruits. I think I'll challenge myself to spend maybe between $50-$60 this week for groceries and $25 for both formula and diapers. We'll see.

Bi-Lo Trip for $1.55

2009-01-04T16:07:00.002-05:00

I decided to walk to Bi-Lo which is just a two-minute walk from where I live. I got two things there: A shampoo and a hand soap (which we really need). I only brought my coupons, some change and the list of course. I was only suppose to spend at least 60 cents but it ended up being $1.55. Before that, the cashier told me my total was $4.50 and I didn't have the money with me. I told her it was on sale. So she called the manager and checked the price from the shelf. I was suppose to get the handsoap for 0.99 cents before coupons but charged me for $1.19. I just let it go because I still got a good deal. Here is what I did.

Infusiom Shampoo
Reg.Price $6.37
Close Out Sale $3.39
Used Coupon $3.00
Total: 0.39 cents

Soft Soap Handsoap
Reg.Price $1.19
Used Coupon 0.35 cents
Total: 0.84 cents

Total before Coupons: $7.56
Total Price for both: $1.23 + 0.32 tax = $1.55

I thought they would double my .35 cents coupon but they didn't. It's funny that the handsoap turned out to be more than the shampoo.

$40 a Week!

2009-01-04T07:52:00.002-05:00

Whew! I thought I'll go over my budget. I went to four stores total. Yesterday, I went to Harris Teeter and Bi-Lo. I got most of what I need at Harris Teeter yesterday. It was the last day to get my coupons tripled.

Taking coupons seriously!

2009-01-03T09:10:00.002-05:00

I have used coupon before even having a baby. But, my husband had the thought of spending more things you don't need by using coupons. He said it's a way manufacturers and groceries in luring you to spend more money.

On August of 2008, my daughter Olivia was born. Using coupons never really occured on my mind. But, as much diapers and formula we use I realize it's time to do it.

How did I stumble upon using coupons? One day while I was waiting for my husband's dental check-up I started browsing a magazine and talked about how to save some money. It listed some helpful websites you can go to. So, when we came home I checked the websites. One of them was thegrocerygame.com I thought it's pretty cool but you have to pay every eight weeks. So, I never really pursued it. Then, my neighbor Lara who also has a baby have been using it. So, I decided to give it a try. Thanks to her introduction to couponing that I am taking it seriously now because it saves me at least 60-80% in formula and diaper expense not to mention groceries.

I would also like to commend my husband for his support now that he'd seen how much we saved by using coupons.

So, the challenge is to get baby items or/and groceries for less or even free. I will have $20/week to spend on groceries, $20/week on baby formula and diaper per week. Wish me luck!