Where have I been?

I know, I know, you all missed my posts terribly.  I feel like I haven't had any "me" time the past few months to sit and post.  Honestly though, I think it has been planned that way.  My hubby has been such a great support, but as part of his support tactics, he has tried his best not to leave me to my own devises.  I still find it very difficult to sit in quietness and not let my thoughts focus on life without mom.  Life without mom is hard; actually much more than hard, but I don't think there is a word for it.  There are so many times I want to pick up the phone to ask her how she is, or her opinion.  She always was so good at giving me advice, and if she didn't have any she would just say "I don't know baby, you'll figure it out".  Anyway... let's change the subject. 

Happy, Happy, Happy.

So many things are coming up on our oh so busy social calendar.  Since we have so much coming up, we are trying our best to budget accordingly.  Therefore, it is back to business with the couponing.  With a full time job and essentially a one day weekend, it has been nearly impossible to find time to dedicate to couponing/ shopping.  I contemplated doing a few couponing trips during my lunch break at work, but I was worried it would take me more than an hour, and I didn't want to lug my loot home on the train. 

Today it was back to the couponing grind.  I did pretty well, and even had the cashier impressed (which I thought was funny because he was a miserable teenager).  While I did spend money on the things that I can never seem to find a coupon for, I did manage to get a lot of things for free.  When you coupon, you learn quickly that every penny counts, especially when you add up all the pennies you save.  Today I saved one hundred dollars in my shopping trip.  I look at that as essentially adding to my salary for the day, since that is money I would've spent on our groceries. I taught a few people at work today that when trying to plan a coupon trip, the easiest thing to do is google the store for matchups (i.e: Walgreens matchups 2/5).  There are so many great blogs that put all the information out there for you, all you need to do is print, clip, and shop!

Ok, so I didn't really have anything to write about today, I just thought it had been a while, so I would say something. 

How about that Pinterest? Addicting?  I think so!

I will try to post again soon with an actually topic in mind.

Falling into November

I don't know where October went.  Halloween is tomorrow, which as a married adult with no children, isn't as much fun as I remember in years passed.  Not losing my love, is fall.  The holidays are right around the corner, the scenery is changing, and I tend to increase the baking.  Today I baked a Apple Walnut Pie... I hope it turned out, otherwise, I quit trying to make pie.

Also, today, the hubby assisted me in a shopping trip to Shoprite.  They had some pretty good deals this week, but nothing compared to my trip to Rite Aid.  I took a picture of what I bought, and planned on showing how I did it, but there were a lot of personal products purchased, so I will forgo the list.  I will tell you that I spent less than $30 and saved over $50.  I am getting the hang of this!

I decided to put up links for some awesome websites I found.  I think they are going to be an excellent resource with Christmas right around the corner.

Awesome websites for online shopping:
Shop at Home: Do your internet shopping through this site and get coupon codes and CASH BACK! (Totally worth signing up!)
No More Rack : has 8 deals a day, up to 100% off. (Yes, 100% off!)
One Sale A Day: has 5 deals a day, also up to 100% off!
One Kings Lane: Excellent clearance prices for household decorations, accessories, etc.

Most importantly, today my mommy had chest tubes put in to help with the fluid in her lungs.  She is in a lot of pain, and trying to rest, so I have been resisting the urge to text her and call her every five minutes.  Thank you for all your prayers.

I realize this all sounds frantic and sporadic, but this post pretty much reflects how my brain has been functioning lately.  I am scatter-brained, and for that, I am sorry.  Until next time, which is hopefully after a long night of deep sleep. :-)

Undefeated...

Ok, so I titled today's blog undefeated, because I feel that word describes so many aspects of my life. Not only is my team undefeated (Go Pack Go!), my family is undefeated, and I feel undefeated.  So I've decided that "undefeated" is my word of the week.

The new job is going well, and I am figuring out how to balance everything. The key is a good partner.  My husband is awesome, I think we make a pretty good team.  We are now sharing the responsibilities when it comes to the cooking and cleaning, much more than when I was home all day.  Lucky for me, and unlucky for my waistline, Chris is an excellent cook.

The couponing is going well too.  I am finding that it is difficult to commit sufficient time to couponing when working a full-time job, but I am making it work.

Deals this week that I've cashed in on:

Like L'OCCITANE en Provence - USA on facebook and you can get a FREE hand cream ($10 value)
      They will send you a coupon in your email... I picked mine up today!

Friend Kodak on Facebook, and you can get a coupon for 20 free photos.
      The coupon can be redeemed at CVS, Target, and a few other stores.  With all the wedding and honeymoon pictures, I will take any free prints I can find!

Received a $15 credit when I signed up for One Kings Lane, with it I bought Hamilton a new collar. 
      (On clearance for $19, used my $15 credit.  Final cost, with shipping $8.95)

FREE 8x10 Canvas at http://www.canvaspeople.com/ 
      (all you have to pay for is shipping! For me that was $14.95)

Keep an eye on samples.target.com
     (I have some free K-cups for the Keurig coming my way!)

At Shoprite this week, I got some pretty good deals.  One I was particularly excited about was:

CoverGirl products are 50% off.
      I bought FOUR lip glosses (which I was in need of) @ $3.75 each
          Then I used TWO $8 off two CG products coupons
          (Final cost= free!)

Also, I won TWO giveaways that I entered on blogs that I follow on Facebook.  So, I should be receiving my envelope full of coupons in the mail soon, as well as my Hello Kitty Nail Stickers.  No, I will not be sporting them any time soon, but I know someone who might like them, and she has a birthday coming up! :-)

And to think, it is only Tuesday.  Wonder what other deals I will stumble across!

"Hey, are you one of those extreme coupon people?"

This is the question that the ladies behind me at the Shoprite asked.  I loved it!  The main reason I have decided to blog about my deals is that my aunt Beth started couponing when I told her I was having success with it.  Then, she started emailing me questions about how I was doing it.  When you sit down and create a plan of attack, it really is kind of easy once you get in the store.  I now have a firm belief that I shouldn't have to pay full price when I go shopping, and if I need to stock up to prevent paying full price, I will.

In addition to my Shoprite trip, I also went to Rite Aid, Acme, Walgreens, Dollar General, and Walmart.  When all receipts were added up, I had spent a grand total of under $75.  (This included my weekly grocery shopping and the purchase of Transformers on blue-ray.) So, for those of you interested in trying couponing, here are some examples of what I got today:

Big deals at Shoprite this week!
(some of the items were needed for a recipe I pulled up on my phone for dinner, so a few things altered my game plan... they are not included in the calculation below)

Lysol disinfecting wipes:
        Sale price: $1.99
        Used a $1.00 coupon
               Total: $.99

Pam cooking spray:
        Sale price: $2.49
        Used a $.50 coupon (doubled= $1)
               Total: $1.49
               Added bonus: ($4 mail-in rebate)

4 Yoplait Greek Yogurt cups
        Sale price: $1.00 per cup
        Used two $.50 off 2 cups coupons (both doubled)
               Total: $2 (or $.50 per cup)

Johnsonville Italian Sausage:
        Sale price: $3.99
        Used a $1 off coupon
               Total: $2.99

2 Betty Crocker cookie mix bags (the holidays are coming up!):
        Sale price: 2 for $4
        Used two $.40 coupons (both doubled)
               Total: $1.20 per bag

Celestial Seasons Box of Lemon Tea (will come in handy come cold season):
        Sale price: $1.99
        Used $1 coupon
               Total: $.99

Barber Chicken Cordon Blue:
        Sale price: $2.99
        Used a $1 coupon
               Total: $1.99

Multigrain Tostitos AND Salsa
        Sale price: $2.99 each
        Used a $1 off both coupon
               Total: $4.98

2-liter bottle of Diet Pepsi
        Sale price $1.25
        Used a Free w/ purchase of tortilla chips and salsa coupon
               Total: FREE

Bag of Birds Eye Steam Fresh Veggies
        Sale price: .99
        Used a $.50 coupon (doubled)
               Total: -$.01

Box of Fun-da-middles coupcake mix:
        Sale price: $2.49
        Used a $.75 coupon (doubled to a $1)
               Total: $1.49

2 bags of Nestle Halloween candy:
        Sale price: $1.87 per bag
        Used a $1 off 2 bags coupon
               Total: $1.37 per bag
(This is awesome if you have noticed the prices of Halloween candy!)

2 bags of Haribo Gummy Bears (I don't know why I bought them):
        Sale price: $.88 per bag
        Used two $.30 coupons (both doubled= $.60)
               Total: $.28 per bag

(I had a $5 off coupon from an entertainment book)

GRAND TOTAL: $16.41 (plus tax)

My stash from Acme, doesn't look as impressive.  However, if you notice, one of my items is Transformers (blue-ray). So, here is what I did:

Old El Paso Taco Dinner Kit:
        Sale price: $2.03
        Used $.50 coupon (doubled)
               Total: $1.53 (for an entire dinner!!)

2 Lipton Diet Green Tea bottles:
        Sale price: $1 each
        Used $.50 coupon (doubled)
               Total: $.50 per bottle

2 bags of Halloween Candy (Skittles and Starburst):
        Sale price: 2 for $4
        Used two $1 coupons
               Total: $1 per bag

Acme is having a knockdown deal with General Mills Products: (Buy 5 for an additional $3 off)
Senerio:

2 boxes of Original Cherrios:
        Sale price: $2.48
        Used two $1 coupons
               Total: $1.48 per box

2 boxes of Chex Cereal:
        Sale price: $2.48
        Used a $1 off two boxes coupon
               Total: $1.98 per bag

1 box of Nature Valley Granola Bars:
        Sale price: $2.48
        Used  $.75 coupon (doubled)
               Total: $.98

-$3.00 for buying five GM products

Total for all five products: $4.90

And finally, Acme is running a deal this week: buy an 8 pack of enegizer batteries and Transformers, get $5 off.
Enegizer Batteries:
        Price: $6.99
        Used $3.00 coupon
               Total: $3.99

Transformers (on Blue-Ray: you can get the DVD for cheaper)
        Sale price: $24.95
        $5 instant coupon
               Total: $19.95

GRAND TOTAL: $36.39 (tax included)
(If you aren't interested in the Transformers/battery deal, the shopping total is under $10)

Last one I'm going to share for the night is my deal at Walmart.  Ladies, we know makeup is expensive (and I am a snob when it comes to my MAC obsession, but I have decided inexpensive items are ok.  As long as I wear my MAC foundation and eye shadow, I feel great!)

What I bought:

Covergirl eye liner:
       Price: $4.44
Cover girl blush:
       Price: $3.74
            Used the $8 off two CG items in this weeks newspaper
            Total: $.18!!!! (yes, that is $.09 each)

Two NYC mascaras:
        Price: $1.00 each
            Used a Buy One Get One Free coupon
            Total: $1.00

Old Spice travel size body wash:
        Price: $.97
             Used a $1 coupon
             Total: -$.03

GRAND TOTAL: $1.15 (plus tax)

Tomorrow I am heading to Target.  They have some great deals this week.  Remember, Christmas is right around the corner, so if you find a deal, get it (even if you don't know if you will use it now).

A little closer to the title "extreme couponer"!

Today I went out and made my best effort to date at getting a lot for next to nothing. 

First stop was Target. 
I headed straight for the travel section.  Purchasing clearance items and using my coupons,
I got four packs of shout wipes to go: on sale for $.67 each and used two coupons ($.75 off two),
two wet ones packs to go: on sale for $.67 each ($1 off two),
two Aquafresh extreme toothpaste's: $.97 each and used two coupons ($1 off coupon),
and a sensodyne pronamel toothpaste $.99 ($1 off). 

How much did I end up paying for these nine items?  $1.84!!

Then I went to Shoprite and only paying mind to my list and my coupons I bought:
two Activia Greek yogurts (Free with coupon),
four bottles of Kikoman soy sauce ($1 off coupon),
three cans of Red Pack diced tomatoes $1 off two (use zip code 12204),
one jar of Fransisco Ranaldi pasta sauce (used a .35 off coupon),
two packs of butterball turkey burgers (used 1 $1.50 off coupons),
and one bottle of glade pet odor eliminator ($1 off coupon) 

How much did I spend? $5.38!!


That is all I have for today.  I will let you know what other successes I find in my shopping! Good luck to any others who decide to try it out! :-)