Budget
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
The week packed full to the point of over flowing on most days. I was trying to mainly just keep my head above water most days this week. Thankfully I was able to find some deals early in the week and was able to stock up on some items for upcoming Holiday celebrations. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Ingles Ingles Groceries:
- $32.88 at Ingles for 1 bag Laura Lynn Bread, 3 bags Laura Lynn Shredded Cheese, 4 blocks Laura Lynn Sharp Cheddar, 1 box Go Gurt Yogurt Tubes (8 count), 1 bag Laura Lynn Splenda Sweetener, 1 can Canola Cooking Spray, 1 bag Laura Lynn Mini Marshmallows, 4 boxes Blue Bonnet Margarine, 2 bags Idahoan Bake Potatoes, 1 can Heavy Whip Cream, 2 containers Planters Creamy Peanut Butter, 2 boxes Laura Lynn Cream Cheese, 1 bag Celery, 1 can Laura Lynn Pumpkin, 1 bag All Purpose Flour, 1 bag Dixie Granulated Sugar, 1 box Powdered Sugar, 1 box Brown Sugar, 1 box Pilsbury Funfetti Cake Mix, 1 container Cool Whip, 2 cans Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Chili Peppers, 1 bag Red Delicious Apples, and 1 Yellow Sweet Onion. (Everything I bought this week at Ingles was on sale, marked down, or on clearance including the diary and produce! I used several coupons to help bring down the total on this shopping trip and it was still a little higher than I like it to be, but with all the Holiday Celebrations we needed to stock up on some items.)
Groceries from Walgreens Walgreens Groceries:
- $3.93 at Wlagreens for 2 packs Austin Peanut Butter Crackers (8 count), 1 pack Austin Cheddar Cheese Crackers (8 count), 1 jar Lindsey Green Olives, 2 gallons Milk, 1 can Wasabi Almonds, 1 can Butter Toffee Peanuts, and 1 can Peanuts. (I used a $3 off 10 coupon since it was a new location, a couple Register Rewards, and coupons to help pay for these items).
This week I spent $36.81 on groceries. Even though I only a little under on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on several items. The items at the new Walgreens new us were pretty good it was worth it to stock up the pantry at those prices. I hope that next week is better week and we can come under budget!
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Sports Authority: 25% off One Item Coupon (11/17 to 11/22)
Sports Authority has a 25% off One Item printable Coupon for in store purchases!
Valid from Thursday, November 17, 2011 through Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Limit one coupon per customer per day.
Free ebook: “Money Saving Mom’s Guide to Freezer Cooking” by Crystal Paine
You can get a FREE ebook of Money Saving Mom’s Guide to Freezer Cooking by Crystal Paine through tomorrow (11/17/11). If you have been wanting to try your hand at freezer cooking, curious how it works, or you just want to learn more tips from another person who has implanted Freezer Cooking for her family this is a great eBook for you! The Money Saving Mom’s Guide to Freezer Cooking eBook contains 45 pages of step-by-step freezer cooking information from planning your freezer cooking session, what freezes well, the benefits of freezer cooking, favorite family recipes, and much more!
There are 2 ways you can get the FREE eBook Money Saving Mom’s Guide to Freezer Cooking:
1. Pre-Order Crystal Paine’s new book The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year online.
OR
2. Promote her new book The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year on your Blog, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest..
After you have pre-ordered, blogged, tweeted, Facebooked or pinned about The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget send an email to support@moneysavingmom.com with your pre-order receipt # or a link to where you posted about my book. Within 24 hours, you will receive a free copy of Money Saving Mom®’s Guide to Freezer Cooking.
I have started reading a pre-release copy of Crystal’s new book The Money Saving Mom’s Budget and I have to say so far I have been impressed. It is practical, genuine, and in some ways convicting (in a good way because we all have areas we really could do better in). 🙂 Keep an eye out as I will be sharing more of my thoughts on her new book in a few days!
You can head on over to Money Saving Mom for more information about this promotion, her blog, or to learn more about her new book.
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of November 16 – 22, 2011
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. You can start stocking up on some great deals for upcoming Holiday cooking. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Sugardale Bone In Hank Potion Ham – $1.19 per lb
Chuck Wagon or Old Farm Bacon (16 oz) – $1.78
Farmington Pork Sausage (16 oz) – $1.99
Fresh Whole Chicken – $0.79 per lb
Portside Cooked Shrimp (60 to 70 count) – $3.99
Matlaw’s Shrimp Ring with Cocktail Sauce (10 oz) – $4.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Home Churned Butter Quarters (16 oz) – $1.99
Buyers Best Shoestring French Fries (12 oz) – $0.79
Imperial Spread (45 oz) – $2.50
Coburn Farms Cream Cheese – $1.00
Cool Whip (8 oz) – $1.00
Totino’s Pizza (9 to 10 oz) – $1.00
Use $1.00/4 coupon from insert 9/11 General Mills (Expires 12/3/11)
Use $1.00/4 coupon from insert 10/2 General Mills (Expires 12/24/11)
Use $1.00/4 coupon from pamphlet Kroger’s My Magazine Giving Hope a Hand (Expires 12/4/11)
Use $0.60/3 coupon from insert 10/2 General Mills (Expires 12/24/11)
As low as $0.75 each after couponResers Salads (16 oz) – $1.00
Use $1.00/1 printable coupon from Coupon Web
Use $0.75/1 coupon found on a tearpad in some stores (Expires 12/30/11)
As low as FREE each after couponMrs Smith’s Pumpkin, Apple or Cherry Pies (27 oz) – $2.99
Use $1.00/2 coupon from pamphlet Target booklet (Expires 12/30/11)
$2.49 each after couponCoburn Farms Aerosol Whipped Cream – $1.79
Ginger Evans Ready to Bake Chocolate Chips or Sugar Cookies – $2.29
Take and Bake Cheese Pizza (33 oz) – $5.49
Take and Bake Supreme or Pepperoni Pizza (33 to 36 oz) – $5.99
Wylwood Broccoli Normandy (16 oz) – $1.29
Morning Delight Buttermilk Biscuits – $0.59
Wylwood Shredded Hashbrowns (24 oz) – $2.39
Produce
Celery – $0.79
Sweet Potatoes – $0.49 per lb
Idaho Potato (5 pounds) – $1.89
Mini Carrots (1 pound) – $1.00
Household
Poly Steel Heavy Duty Aluminum (32 sF) – $1.79
Starware Food Storage (assorted variety) – $1.49
Wrightware Napkins (250 count) – $1.69
Ajax Dish Liquid (16 oz) – $0.99
Luster Facial Tissues (85 count) – $0.79
Grocery
Stuffing on the Side – $0.89
Coburn Farms Evaporated Milk – $0.79
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix – $0.45
Kool-Aid Jammers (10 count) – $1.88
Harvest Select Grape or Cranberry Cocktails (64 oz) – $1.69
Musselman’s Apple Sauce (46 to 48 oz) – $2.50
Velveta Cheesy Potatoes – $1.79
T.G.I. Friday Snacks (5 oz) – $1.00
Progresso Bread Crumbs (15 oz) – $1.00
Use $0.50/1 coupon from insert 11/13 General Mills (Expires 1/5/12)
$0.50 each after couponSwiss Miss Hot Chocolate (6 count) – $1.00
Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 11/13 Smart Source (Expires 12/31/11)
Use $0.50/2 coupon from insert 11/13 Smart Source (Expires 12/31/11)
As low as $0.66 each after couponKaskey’s Chicken Broth (14 oz) – $0.69
Ginger Evans Cake Mix – $1.35
Ginger Evans Ready to Spread Frosting – $1.49
Ginger Evans Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix – $0.89
Tipton Grove Cranberry Sauce – $0.99
Crisp Cranberry Lemon Lime or Save A Lot Exclusive Soda (2 liter) – $0.79
Grissom’s Brown and Serve Rolls (12 count) – $1.19
Theodoro Dollar Rolls (12 oz) – $1.99
Mantia’s Elbow Macaroni (16 oz) – $0.99
Rapid Rice on the Side Instant White Rice (28 oz) – $2.79
Kaskey’s Onion Soup Mix (2 pack) – $0.89
Westcott Cooking Spray (6 oz) – $1.69
Ginger Evans Big or Mini Marshmallows (10 oz) – $0.99
Libby’s Pineapple (20 oz) – $0.99
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 8/28 Red Plum (Expires 12/30/11)
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 11/13 Red Plum (Expires 3/31/12)
$0.49 each after coupnPortmann’s Seafood Cocktail Sauce (12 oz) – $1.29
Kurtz Worcestershire Sauce (10 oz) – $0.99
Nature’s Grain Cinnamon Raisin Swirl (16 oz) – $2.49
Bakery
Bakery Fresh Pumpkin Pies – $2.99
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
I started the week out a little stronger, but still have a lot of areas I need to work on regarding my goals. Next week I hope to do better. The good news is I am at least taking small steps in the right direction.
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday- Read a book to the girls everyday – I didn’t quite get everyday this week
Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed) we missed two nights 🙁
Start the process of getting the girls passportsGo on Mother Daughter Date NightI had a blast with Karlie! 🙂- File the last several weeks of coupons in my File Folder and Binder – halfway done
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – more than last week but not there yet
Finish reading The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary ChapmanListen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday through Thursday – I made it a one night.
Home Management Goals
Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the houseDinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one daySummer clothes pulled out of the main part of the closet and put away (it’s getting chilly and we are not wearing them as much now)
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk – hopefully no one will be looking at my desk today (need to tackle this one daily or it gets overwhelming).
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Research ways to create more residual income – didn’t get there this week
Upcoming events, activities, and posted to my upcoming calendar
Ministry Goals
- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others. – Made a little over $8
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsAlms & Legs Ministry – Email Meeting Notes to the Team- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch – Schedules got a little crazy this week, hope to pick back up next week
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Close on our Refinance – Our plan is to go from the 30 year mortgage that we have been paying off to a 10 year mortgage with a lower interest rate. – bank has delayed the closing again and had to extend our rate, maybe next week?!
- Pay off remaining debt – almost there…..I see the light….
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – on hold until our debt is paid off completely
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
- Get the girls passport pictures taken
- Finish filing the last several weeks of coupons in my File Folder and Binder
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Finish reading The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine who has a blog called Money Saving Mom (VERY excited about the opportunity to preview this book by a blogger I have been following for years and thankful to be featured on her blog weekly with the Save A Lot Deals!)
- Listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)
- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday through Thursday
Home Management Goals
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- File the receipts for the last couple of months and organize the table in the office.
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Research ways to create more residual income
- Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012
Ministry Goals
- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others.
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Close on our Refinance – Our plan is to go from the 30 year mortgage that we have been paying off to a 10 year mortgage with a lower interest rate.
- Pay off remaining debt
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
The week went by quickly. I have been fighting off a cold so I didn’t do as well bargain shopping throughout the entire week. Thankfully I was able to find some amazing deals early in the week and was able to stock up on some candy to share with others (including the girls school) during some upcoming events and parties. I was running low on shredded cheeses (a big no-no in our house) so I was able to stock up on it and other items this week. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Ingles Ingles Groceries:
- $29.28 at Ingles for 1 bag Laura Lynn Bread, 2 blocks Laura Lynn Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 5 bags Laura Lynn Shredded Cheese, 1 box Margarine, 1 bag Ham Lunch Meat, 1 whole Chicken, 1 box Pillsbury Yellow Cake Mix, 1 box Pillsbury Brownie Mix, 1 bag Laura Lynn Miniature Marshmallows, 1 container Fresh Lemons, 1 Sweet Yellow Onion, 1 bag Regular White Pitas, 1 bag Onion Pitas, 2 bags Deli Egg Roll Wraps, and 1 container Spinach Bites. (Everything I bought this week at Ingles was on sale, marked down, or on clearance including the meat, diary, and produce!)
Groceries from CVS CVS Groceries:
- $0.70 at CVS for 4 bags Oreo Mini Snack Packs, 2 bags Wonka Nerds, 2 bags Milky Way Simply Caramel, 2 bags Hershey’s Cookies N Cream, 1 bag Twizzlers Strawberry Twists Snack Pack, 2 bags Butterfinger Fun Size, 1 bag 100 Grand Fun Size, 2 bags Nestle Crunch Fun Size, 2 bags Whoppers Snack Size, and 2 jars Skippy Peanut Butter. (My family will not be eating all this candy and sugar, but I was thrilled to get it since I have several upcoming parties and celebrations where I need to bring goody bags. All the items were on clearance after the Halloween Holiday or on sale and will come in handy for upcoming events. It was a great price on clearance items and none of the items expire until late 2012. The Extra Care Bucks were a huge savings help. To see more details about this shopping trip go to my CVS: Spent $0.70 and Got $3 ECB’s)
This week I spent $29.98 on groceries. Even though I only a little under on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on several items. The Halloween Clearance at CVS was pretty amazing and the items I picked up on will be beneficial for several different upcoming events so it was worth to stock up the pantry at those prices. I hope that next week is better week and we can come under budget!
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of November 9 – 15, 2011
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. You can start stocking up on some great deals for upcoming Holiday cooking. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Fresh Split Chicken Breast – $0.99 per lb
Fresh Chicken Drumsticks and Thighs – $0.99 per lb
Port Side Cooked Shrimp (60 to 70 count / 10 oz) – $3.99
Half Cut Boneless Pork Loin – $1.99 per lb
Beef Sirloin Tip Roast – $2.99 per lb.
Sugardale Bone-In Shank Portion Ham – $1.19 per lb
Half Cut Beef Eye of Round Roast – $3.99 per lb
Sugardale Center Cut Ham Steak – $2.99 per lb
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Banquet Breaded Chicken, Patties, Tenders or Nuggets (24 oz) – $2.99
Home Churned Butter Quarters (Salted or Unsalted) 16 oz – $1.99
Mrs. Smith’s Pies, Pumpkin, Apple or Cherry (27 oz) – $2.50
Meadow Gold Premium Ice Cream, Vanilla or Chocolate (48 oz) – $2.50
Red Barron Classic Pizza, Assorted Varieties (20 to 22 oz) – $3.29
Banquet Brown ‘N Serve Sausage (39 count) – $3.49
Marvella Cheese Loaf (32 oz) – $3.99
Port Side Fish Sticks, Fillets, or Battered Fillets (19 – 24 oz) – $3.29
Coburn Farms Sour Cream (16 oz) – $1.69
Morning Delight Waffles (10 count) – $1.79
Morning Delight Jumbo Biscuits, Butter or Buttermilk (16 oz) – $1.59
Tree Ripe Premium Orange Juice (59 oz) – $2.99
Produce
Biggin’s Russet Potatoes (10 lbs) – $2.99
Red and Gold Delicious Apples (5 lbs) – $2.99
Yellow Onions (3 lbs) – $1.49
Roma Tomatoes – $0.99 per lb
Household
Wrightware Foam Plates (100 count) – $2.49
Wrightware Napkins (250 count) – $1.69
Bounty Basic Paper Towels (1 roll) – $0.99
Use $1.00/1 coupon from Ebony Magazine (Expires 12/31/11)
Use $0.25/1 coupon from insert 10/16 Protector & Gamble (Expires 11/30/11)
As low as FREE (or with OVERAGE back if your store allows it) each after couponSolo Plastic Cups (20 count) – $1.29
Chenard Plastic Cutlery – Knife, Fork, Spoon, & Assorted (48 count) – $1.69
Max Force Alkaline Batteries (AA or AAA 6 pack or DC 2 pack) – $1.99
Grocery
Domino Granulated Sugar (4 lb) – $2.39
Use $0.50/1 coupon from insert 8/28 Red Plum (Expires 11/25/11)
Use $0.50/1 coupon from insert 10/16 Red Plum (Expires 12/31/11)
Use $1.00/2 coupon from October 2011 Woman’s Day Magazine (Expires 11/30/11)
Use $0.75/2 coupon from insert 10/16 Red Plum (Expires 12/31/11)
As low as $1.89 each after couponWesson Pure Vegetable Oil (48 oz) – $2.99
General Mills Cereal (10 to 12 oz) – $1.99
Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 10/2 General Mills (Expires 11/12/11)
Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 10/23 Smart Source (Expires 12/3/11)
$1.66 each after couponHills Bros Coffee (33 oz) – $6.99
Use $1.00/1 printable coupon from Smart Source
Use $0.75/1 coupon from insert 10/30 Smart Source (Expires 12/4/11)
As low as $5.99 each after couponTipton Grove Fruit Cocktail – $1.79
Kraft Handi-Snack Pudding Cups – $0.99
Save A Lot Fridge Ready Soda (12 packs) – $2.69
Kaskey’s Broth (32 oz) – $1.39
Wylwood Cut Sweet Potatoes (15 oz) – $0.89
Kaskey’s Cream Soup, Assorted Varieties (10.5 oz) – $0.59
Grissom’s Brown n’ Serve Rolls (12 oz) – $1.19
J. Higgs Buttery Rounds (16 oz) – $1.99
J. Higgs Saltines (16 oz) – $1.19
Marcum Seasoned Salt (12 oz) – $1.49
Marcum Ground Black Pepper (4 oz) – $1.99
Albany Bakery Pecan Shortbread Cookies (16 oz) – $2.49
Portmann’s Seafood Cocktail Sauce – $1.29
Portmann’s Tartar Sauce (11.5 oz) – $1.49
Betty Crocker Potato Buds – $1.69
Use $1.00/3 printable coupon from Betty Crocker
Use $0.50/3 coupon peelie found on package (Expires 3/1/12)
As Low As $0.67 each after couponBetty Crocker Hamburger Helper Dinners (4 to 6 oz) – $1.00
Use $0.75/3 coupon from insert 10/2 General Mill (Expires 11/26/11)
$0.75 each after couponGinger Evans Light Brown Sugar and Powdered Sugar (32 oz) – $1.69
Ginger Evans Deluxe Fudge Brownies (19.8 oz) – $1.59
Ginger Evans Chocolate Chips (12 oz) – $2.29
Gold Leaf 9 inch Pie Shell (10 oz) – $1.79
Bay Mist Splash Tropical or Berry Blend (64 oz) – $1.99
Morning Delight Toaster Pastries (22 oz) – $1.99
McDaniel’s Coffee Creamer (16 oz) – $1.99
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Macy*s: $10 off $25 Printable Coupon (11/15 & 11/16)
Macy*s is having their Biggest One Day Sale of the Year!
They have a printable coupon for $10 off $25 purchase.
The coupon can be used on sale and clearance items.
The preview sale starts on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 and ends at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, November 16, 2011.
Limit one coupon per customer.
CVS: Spent $0.70 and $3 ECB’s Back
CVS Deals I went to CVS today to use up a couple ECB’s that were about to expire. I was able to get the items pictured above for $0.70 including tax and received $3.00 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase. The CVS didn’t have any of the items I was looking for in stock but they did price match the peanut butter for me and give me a ECB for it. I was able to stock up on their Halloween clearance snacks and candy. I have several upcoming events and parties that I have to put goody bags together for so it worked out really well. I was able to get my free CVS gift card worth $10.00 from a previous shopping trip. The only coupons I used today were ones from the ECB’s that were expiring today. I am thankful for an opportunity to get these items at such an amazing discount so we can share with others (my family will not be eating all this sugar)! 🙂
You can get great deals even without clipping a lot of coupons. My receipt shows that as of November 2nd I have saved over $1,700 at CVS this year so you can do it without investing a lot of time into it or being an extreme couponer that empties the shelves. Over time the savings add up and I have even taken several weeks off here and there while I have been busy or traveling or when our stock pile is full. All of the items I purchased were on sale or clearance. The candy was originally $3.99 each, but I was able to get it on clearance even though it is not expiring until late next year. Here is what I purchased this week.
- 2 – Skippy Peanut Butter for $5.00 ($2.50 each, they price matched this item and I received $3.00 ECB’s back making the peanut butter $1.00 per jar)
- 1 – $10 CVS Gift Card for $0.00 FREE! (used a $10.00 Gift Card ECB so this gift card was free)
- 2 – Butterfinger Fun Size (12.5 oz each) for $1.98 (on clearance for $0.99 each)
- 2 – Cookies N’ Cream (10 oz each) for $1.98 (on clearance for $0.99 each)
- 2 –Milky Way Simply Caramel (11 oz each) for $1.98 (on clearance for $0.99 each)
- 2 – Nestle Crunch (11.5 oz each) for $1.98 (on clearance for $0.99 each)
- 2 – Wonka Nerds (12 oz each) for $1.98 (on clearance for $0.99 each)
- 1 – Twizzler Strawberry Twists Fun Pack (22 oz) for $0.99
- 2 – Whoppers Snack Packs (9 oz each) for $1.50 (on clearance for $0.75 each)
- 1 – Nestle 100 Grands (12.5 oz) for $0.99
- 4 – Halloween Oreo Snack Packs (9 oz each) for $3.00 (on clearance for $0.75 each)
Here are the coupons I used on the items.
- Used $10.00 CVS ECB’s Gift Card Reward
- Used $20.00 CVS ECB’s
I received $3.00 ECB’s back today:
- $3.00 ECB’s for Jiffy Products (my local CVS substituted Skippy for me)
Today I was able to save $69.18 at CVS by purchasing these items and using coupons (over 95% savings).
When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club). As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS. Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase. You can pick and chose what is best for your family.
I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week! For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week! Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household. In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.
Travel & Vacation: Angel Oak Tree and other Family Adventures near Charleston, SC
Canopy of trees on the way to the Angel Oak Tree The girls and I ventured out a little ways to check out the Angel Oak Tree while Jake was working in Charleston one day. The picture above is the beautiful canopy of trees we saw on the bumpy country road that led to our amazing tree adventure that was recommended to us by my friend Janet.
Facts about the Angel Oak Tree In case you cannot read the sheet above here are some of the details – The Angel Oak Tree we visited is said to be between 300 to 400 years old, 65 feet tall, the circumference is 25.5 feet, area of shade 17,000 square feet and the largest limb is 11.25 feet in circumference and 89 feet long. It is located on John’s Island near Charleston, SC. Some people believe that the tree is over 1500 years old.
Angel Oak Tree near Charleston, South Carolina The Angel Oak Tree is massive, it was really hard to get a picture that truly shows it’s size. I took a few pictures from different angles but I couldn’t get the entire tree to fit in one picture. It was simply amazing to see such a huge tree.
Beautiful and huge Angel Oak Tree If you look closely you can see the supports helping hold up the limbs. The girls and I were nearly speechless at the size of the tree. We walked around it several times just in awe!
Brina inspecting the large carrot we picked out at a local Farmer's Market We stopped at this really neat local Farmers Market store on our way back from the Angel Oak Tree adventure. Their carrots were very BIG, the girls have never seen carrots that huge before (not sure I had either). They must have had some great soil for carrots. We picked out a large carrot and nibbled on it for a couple days (I didn’t think to weigh to but I am think it could have been over a pound).
Great quote the girls and I discovered along our adventures The girls love traveling with Jake and I on road trips. We are always on the look out for neat ideas or something interesting to share. Of course one of the areas we frequently visited in our travels were a variety of restrooms. Sometimes the girls were in dire need of a restroom by the time with found one. The girls wanted me to read this sign in the Farmers Market restroom, we all had a good laugh at it as we reminisced together of some times just in the last few months we felt like a minute was a very long time as we waited on the other side of the door.
Walking down one of the girls favorite piers. Some days the water is low and all the greenery is out of the water other days it is complete under water. Love the little “sand” trail that you can see under the water.
The guy fishing off the pier caught a little one! As we were walking down the pier we notice a guy fishing. We asked if he had caught anything yet and he showed us his catch of the morning. The girls thought it was such a cute little fish! They were very excited for him.
Daddy brought us a blue raspberry slushy. After a fun day at the park and pool Daddy brought his girls a blue raspberry slushy. It was amazing!
We had blue tongues after just a few minutes. The blue raspberry slushy made all of our tongues blue! I think the girls drink more of the slushy based off their tongue color, ha!
Cannon outside the hotel. The girls always hoped that our room was never in the line of fire. Thankfully our room never faced the cannon. The girls always loved looking at it!
After dinner we took a little walk together and found a pond with turtles. I am not sure how long we watched these turtles but it was a lot of fun. The girls were mesmerized by these cute little turtles. According to the girl there was a whole family of turtles (we did see quite a few).
Crashed on the pull out couch after a few minutes of chitchat about their "super fun" day We got back to the hotel, gave the girls baths and they spent a few minutes talking and giggling about their “super fun” day before crashing. They were exhausted but in good spirits. We really did pack a lot into one day!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
