April - Week 1 & 2

Meijer
6 toothpaste
2 BC Warm delights
1 Ziploc bags
2 Mt Olive pickles
1 6pk Romaine lettuce
18 Excedrin
12 Dentek floss picks
3 McCormick seasoning
6 French's mustard
2 deli salad
2 lb deli meat
8 Campbell's cream soup
7 fruit leather
1 32 oz fountain drink
1 donuts
Spent $20.10 cash

Schnucks
32 Kotex pantiliners
15 Suave deoderant
13 Ore-Ida micro fries
Spent $1.03 cash

Jewel-Osco
10 Post cereals
8 Wheat Thins
2 Homelife straws
2 Homelife fabric softener sheets
3 Homelife paper towels
2 Homelife plastic spoons
3 Homelife napkins
2 Tai Pei frozen dinners
1 Minute Maid juice
1 Pace salsa
2 Sara Lee bread
6 Sara Lee cheesecake bites
2 Super Pretzels
4 2Ltr pop
2 pasta
2 coffee
4 Planters nuts
1 Kraft dressing
2 Bagelfuls

Spent $3.55 cash

Walgreens
5 One A Day vitamins
2 Wal-itin
2 Chapstick
2 Kotex
5 Edge shave gel
7 Easter candy
1 Fiskars scissors
1 A&D ointment
2 Scunci hair elastics
1 Skintimate shave gel
1 Physicians Formula makeup
2 Oust
2 Visine
4 Extreme 3 razors
4 Colgate toothpaste/toothbrushes
5 Vienna sausages
2 Burt's Bees lip shimmer
2 Vitamin waters

Paid $3.79 cash after using gift cards

End of March

So, I have been MIA for a couple weeks! Here's the last day or two of March:

Walgreens
1 Listerine
2 Chapstick
2 One-A-Day vitamins
2 Edge Shave Gel
3 Glucerna cereals
4 Halls cough drops
6 Mentos

Spent $17.58 using a gift card

Jewel-Osco
5 Post cereals
5 Homelife tissues
6 Homelife toilet paper
2 Sara Lee bread
1 Jack's pizza
10 juice
3 frozen shrimp
6 Post cereals
2 Pace salsa
1 olives
2 coffee
2 deli salads
1 bunch celery
4 Jewel 2 Ltrs

Paid $4.45 cash

Schnucks
12 Kotex pantiliners
2 Ore-Ida micro fries

Paid $0.47 cash

Meijer
4 BC Warm Delights
2 Mt Olive pickles
1 Quaker bars
2 Ziploc bags
1 Tyson chicken
Paid $2.34 cash

Store's errors not always in your favor!

So my Jewel trip #3 should have only cost me $3.25 but I paid $7.76 total. What went wrong? I was planning on using a $6 coupon but couldn't because you can pay your tax with coupons, and my tax was $2.98.

I just figured it out... it was two "problems" together that did it.

#1 - my mushrooms rang up $0.89, but they were marked $0.75 on the shelf. So being the good attentive shopper that I am, I noticed it and mentioned it. The cashier had someone check the price on the shelf. Sure enough - it was ringing wrong. Jewel's policy on this is that you get your first item free and then the rest of them at the correct price. This lowered my total by $0.75!

#2 - I bought bread for $2.25 and had a free item coupon. The cashier typed in the amount of the coupon as $2.99 instead of $2.25. So I received an extra $0.76 off my bill.

Here's how "the math" looks to get from what I actually paid to what I should have paid:

$7.76 total I paid
+0.75 should have paid for mushrooms
+2.99 (amt she took off for the bread)
-2.25 amt she SHOULD have took off
-6.00 coupon I wanted to spend
=3.25 (2.98 was tax - so I had it figured right - I would have paid tax + $0.27!!)

So even though I had this shopping trip all planned - something went wrong! But I am happy to be able to figure out what it was!

AWESOME Jewel trip - #3

6 Homelife paper towels ($1 - $1 c/o)
6 Homelife toilet paper ($0.85 - $1 c/o)
4 Homelife facial tissues ($1.50 - $1 c/o)
4 Cadbury bars ($1.99 - $2 winetag)
10 Easter candy ($0.40 - $1 winetag)
2 Suave body wash ($1.67 - $2 winetag)
1 mac & cheese topping ($1.99 - no c/o)
8 Ronzoni Bistro meals ($2.99 BOGO - BOGO c/o)
8 cream soups ($0.75 - no c/o)
2 strawberry milk syrup ($1.75 - no c/o)
2 Pace ($3.99 - $4 c/o)
1 sweet n sour sauce ($3.99 - no c/o)
2 bags coffee ($6.09 BOGO - no c/o)
10 juice ($2 - $2 winetag)
4 juice ($2 - $10/4 winerag)
4 juice ($1.50 - $10/4 winetag)
1 cream cheese ($1.79 - no c/o)
4 2 Ltrs ($0.79 - $1 winetag)
3 2 Ltrs ($0.79 - $2 winetag)
3 mushrooms ($0.75 - no c/o)
1 Sara Lee bread ($2.25 - FREE c/o)
6 Post cereals ($1.50 - $1/2 c/o) Earned $5 catalina

Used a $10 catalina & paid $7.14 using a gift card & $0.62 cash.

Preferred card savings = $39.10
Mfr coupons = $123.95
Total savings = $163.06

AWESOME trip to Jewel! Round 2!

2 Fish sticks ($5.49 BOGO - no c/o)
2 McCain french fries ($2 - no c/o)
6 bags salad shrimp ($1.79 ea - $10 winetag)
4 Wheat Thins ($2.50 - $1/2 c/o - $3 instant wyb 4)
4 Mac & Cheese crackers ($1.50 - $0.55 c/o - $3 instant wyb 4)
4 Ronzoni Bistro meals ($2.99 BOGO - BOGO c/o)
2 Homelife ziplocs ($1.35 - $1 c/o)
1 Homelife paper towels ($1 - $1 c/o)
2 Suave body wash ($1.67 - $2 winetag)
1 Suave kids shampoo ($1.66 - FREE c/o)
1 Pace salsa ($3.99 - $4 c/o)
2 2 Ltr pop ($0.79 - $1 winetag)
3 1 Ltr pop ($1 - $2 winetag)
2 Frappucino bottles ($1.67 - $2 winetag)
4 Jewel juice ($2.50 - $10/4 winetag)
2 Juicy Juice ($2.50 - $10/4 winetag)
1 2 Ltr Sierra Mist ($1.33 - FREE c/o)
2 tubs deli salads ($1.35 - $1 winetag)
1 Chex Mix ($3.00 - FREE c/o)
2 hot dogs ($3.99 BOGO - FREE c/o)
1 cube steak ($1.52 - $1 winetag)
1 Afrin ($6.49 - FREE c/o)
2 Hershey bars ($1.99 - $2 winetag)
1 milk ($1.99 - $10/4 winetag)
1 florida natural juice ($2.50 - $10/4 winetag)
2 Tropicana juice ($1.67 - $2.50 winetag)
1 Motts juice ($3.00 - $1 winetag)
1 bunch flowers ($4.33 - $5 winetag)
1 min rose plant ($4.99 - $5 winetag)
2 Cheetos ($1.99 - no c/o)
1.28 lb bananas ($0.88 - $1 winetag)
2 Sara Lee bread ($2.25 - FREE c/o)

Used (2) $6 off groceries winetags & (1) $5 c/o ($5 off $100 purchase)

Tax $2.86
Total paid $2.86 using a gift card

This is the BEST order I have ever done I think!!

Preferred card savings = $46.69
Mfr coupons = $119.33
Store coupons = $5.00
Total savings = $171.02

Week 4 March

OK, Here's the summary of my shopping this week... I won't relist the Jewel one I have below. I will also do another Jewel one after I am done with this...

Target
4 Schick Quattro razors
4 Airheads extreme
1 10 ct box Diego bandaids
Spent $12.06 using gift cards & $1.42 cash
I still have $4.82 left on gift cards (earned by buying the razors)

Meijer
4 Warm Delights
4 Ziplocs
18 Pop-Tarts
Deli salads - greek & potato
3 lb deli lunchmeat
2.5 lb bananas
1 Crest toothpaste
11 Dentek flossers
1 cantaloupe
2 lb grapes

Spent $1.51 cash & $19.39 using gift cards

Jewel
$10 gift card
1 grapefruit juice
2 orange juice
2 french fries
1 milk
6 hot dogs
20 mac & cheese crackers
2 macaroni & cheese
1 white bread
2 french bread
8# oranges
1 plant food
5 Post kids cereals

Spent $16.83 cash

Walgreens
26 Huggies wipes
1 cadbury egg
3 Soleil razor
1 Soleil refill
8 Starbucks chocolate
1 Pediasure bars
2 watercolor paint sets (1.50)
10 Planters trail mix
6 Excedrin
6 Pledge products
4 Hot Hands shoe insoles (1.96)
2 Fresh n go toothbrushes (0.98)
1 Reach toothbrush
1 Reach floss
1 Listerine
1 kids activity kit (2.59)
15 Orbits gum
2 Huggies diapers
1 toy (1.99)

Spent $65.79 using gift cards ($7.03 non budget items)
I will be receivng $6.60 in rebates as well.

AWESOME trip to Jewel!

So I know it's not time to post my weekly update - but I had a GREAT trip to Jewel tonight! I heard through the rumor mill that they will no longer be accepting expired coupons, so I want to spend the good ones this weekend. Shopping trip #1:

2 Red Baron pizzas ($3.50 ea - $3 winetags)

1 Sea Pak shrimp scampi ($4.99 – FREE item c/o)

2 TGIF BBQ wings ($3.00 - $3 c/o)

2 Pictsweet frozen complete meals ($2.99 BOGO – FREE item c/o)

2 lb large frozen shrimp ($11.98 - $10 wt)

1 veggie tray ($10.99 - $10 wt)

2 lb turkey burgers ($3.99 BOGO - $2 wt)

6 Oscar Mayer hot dogs ($3.99 BOGO – FREE item c/o)

3 Minute Maid juices ($1.67 - $2.50 wt)

1 Sunny D (1.67 - $2.50 wt)

1 gal milk ($1.99 - $2 wt)

3 cucumbers (3/$2 - $2 wt)

6 Ronzoni Bistro meals ($2.99 BOGO – BOGO c/o)

Pace salsa ($3.99 - $4 c/o)

2 cans mushrooms ($0.89 – no c/o)

1 Parmesan cheese ($4.99 - $1 c/o)

1 Sweet n Sour Sauce ($3.99 – no c/o)

1 Mac & cheese topping ($1.99 – no c/o)

1 Alfredo sauce ($2.00 - $5 wt)

1 sweet pickles ($2.29 – no c/o)

2 Apple juice ($2.00 - $2 wt)

2 Pomegranite juice ($3.19 BOGO - $1 wt - $2 wt)

8 mac & cheese crackers ($1.50 - $0.55 c/o - $6 instant savings)

3 12 pk Fresca (3/$8.88 – FREE item c/o's)

2 – 2 ltrs pop ($0.79 - $2 wt)

1 – 2 ltr ginger ale ($1.25 - $2 wt)

2 Sara Lee bread ($2.25 – FREE item c/o's)

Tax = $2.37

Used a $10 catalina coupon earned previously

Total spent = $3.69

Total saved in c/o = $132.14