Garage Sale

We had a garage sale this morning since we finished cleaining out the kids rooms. We did pretty good at the sale. Most of the people came between 7-8. After that, the flow of customers slowed down. I'm surprised at how rude people can be. Almost everyone wants to negotiate prices, which is fine because I would do that too, but when they don't get the price they want, some people are nasty. Some of them said some pretty angry comments to us or each other as they left without the items. Also, some people took off our price tags - we caught some of them doing this(they would just throw the price tags on the ground or on the table) and then tried to ask for a much lower price for the item, thinking we wouldn't remember the marked price. Like I said, I'm all for negotiating a lower price, but don't be nasty if you don't get the price you want.

Friday Savings

I did better this week at Walmart. I spent $58.48 and saved $11.09! That's the most coupons I've been able to use there in awhile. The best deal was I had a coupon for free Suave Professionals shampoo, and it was $1.84. The coupon rang up for $3 and when I pointed it out to the cashier, he said that was what it rang up for, so it's fine.

At Vons today I spent $14.14 and saved $28.44, which is 67%. Another good shopping trip! Lucerne shredded cheese was on sale for $1.50 + $1.50 coupon from Vons in the mail(and lucky for me, both of the cheese packages I bought rang up for free, I thought it would only work on one), mini watermelon for $1.99, Fritos and Cheetoes $1.49, Lucky Charms and Trix for $1.49, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Honey Nut Cheerios $1.88 + $.75 and $.60 coupons which were doubled, Lucerne ice cream sandwiches $2.49, and I had coupons for 2 free Kraft Mac & Cheese Explosion which were $1.79 each.

I'm on a roll because at Ralphs I spent $1.24 and saved $10.77, which is 89%! Crest toothpaste was on sale for $1.00 + $.75 coupon which was doubled to equal $1, and Oral B toothbrushes for $1 + $1 coupon off 2. My charity box is filling up!

At CVS I spent $9.50 and saved $3.09. I know it doesn't look that good, but I earned a lot of extra bucks to use next time. Palmolive dish soap was on sale for $.98 + $.25 coupon, Dove soap for $3 + $2 extra bucks, and U by Kotex $4.99 +$4.99 extra bucks.

I wish every Friday Savings could be this great!

K'Nex Giveaway

Mon Cheri is having a great Knex giveaway. You can win a 350 piece K'nex value tub! I would love to win this for my 3 year old son so he can have his own set and doesn't have to bother his older brother to borrow his. Here's the link to K'nex and the giveaway: http://www.knex.com/products, http://masalabowl.blogspot.com/2010/07/day-158-knex-toys-review-giveaway.html. Good luck!

Overwhelmed

I am so overwhelmed!!!! I thought the summer would be a great time to catch up on all of my projects, since I don't have to take the kids back and forth to school, but I was wrong! I have completed a few things, but they were absolutely necessary things like my business taxes and our bank statements(although I'm still 2 months behind, but it's better than 6) and helping the kids clean their rooms. I still have all of these things to do: 2670 unread emails, years of scrapbooking, lots of crafts to make for my business, a huge folder of good ideas for my business and family that I've set aside to look at sometime, recipes to clip from cooking magazines, online surveys to answer and look at to see if I can cash out some of my earnings, things to clean around the house, and tons more but I won't bore you with my list.

So, do any of you ever get overwhelmed with all of the things that need to be done? Does anyone have any suggestions that's worked for you in order to get everything done?

Monday Savings

Today at Smart and Final I spent $8 and saved $2.86. Blueberries were on sale for $1, whipped topping in a can $1, a 10 lb. bag of potatoes $.99(I saw 3 other people buy this too!), and brown onions $.50/pound. I also bought a 10lb. bag of long grain rice for $4.19 because it's cheaper here than any other store. I had trouble with the onions again this week, just like last week. This time, when I checked my receipt, I noticed she charged me $.99/lb. So, she had to reverse the price and charge me the correct price, so she ended up paying me $.81.

At Albertsons today I spent $9.23 and saved $5.37. For some reason, the soup I bought on sale didn't show a "savings" on the receipt, even though it rang up at the sale price. Anyway, their soup was on sale for $.79, Dannon yogurt for $2 + $1 coupon, and Eggo waffles $1.50 + $1 coupon.

I'm hoping to soon be able to post more blog posts other than just the Monday and Friday savings, but we've been very busy cleaning rooms, going to doctor's appointments, and catching up on other things over the summer.

Friday Savings

At Walmart today, I spent $67.17 and used $3.30 in coupons. I bought more than what was on my list, which I don't usually like to do, but when I see that items I regularly buy are on sale, I'll buy them. Lunchables were on sale for $1.25 and notebooks for $.15. I also found a coupon on the Lloyds bbq pork tub I bought, which was a nice surprise. Dove soap is expensive - it was $6.58 for 6 bars, and luckily I had a $.75 coupon. We have to buy Dove because it's recommended by the dr. for my kids' dry skin.

At Vons I spent $26.98 and saved $20.79, only 44%(I prefer at least 50%). A 12 pack of the store brand soda was $1.88, Little Debbies $1.00, Lucerne sliced cheese $1.29, Ritz $1.88, Barilla pasta $.79(charity), Green Giant vegetables $.69(charity), and Lucerne ice cream cups $.49. By the way, the Barilla spaghetti also says "rigati" on it. Does any one know what that is?

At Ralphs I spent $10.17 and saved $16.97. Whole chickens were $.59/pound, a dozen eggs $.99, VO5 $.69(charity), and Aquafina for free. I won a giveaway at the blog Mom Central and won 6 Aquafina lip balms, and 2 coupons for 2 free 6 packs of Aquafina flavorsplash. Another lady in the store was shopping from the flier too because every time I would be getting a sale item, she would be there too. She said she was following me to make it easier to find the sale items. :)

At CVS today(I went today on the way home from my son's allergy appt. since we were already near there, rather than wasting gas on a special trip another day) I spent $11.56 and saved $4.25. Not as much as I hoped for. Gold Emblem chicken broth was on sale for $.69(us and charity) and Maybelline cosmetics were buy one get one half off. It was a good deal, but cosmetics are so expensive! I was also going to get a great deal on M&Ms but they didn't have them. I could've asked for a rain check, but my coupon expires in 2 days, so it wouldn't be worth it without the coupon.

Monday Savings

At CVS on Saturday I spent $4.95 and saved $4.18. Campbells tomato soup was $.50, eggs $1.79, and Soft Scrub $1.99. I unfortunately didn't earn any extra bucks this trip or have any to use from last week, or any coupons. Hopefully next week they'll have better deals for me.

At Smart and Final today, I spent $1.00 and saved $1.45. Corn on the cob was on sale for 5 for $1. Now, if that was all I had to buy, I wouldn't have made the trip. I had planned on purchasing asparagus and onions, but it didn't work out. The asparagus had purple tips and stems, and I've never seen that before, so I wasn't sure I should buy it. Has anyone ever seen that before and know if it's o.k.? The store only had more expensive onions on sale, so I asked a worker about the cheaper ones. She found out they didn't come in so I should ask for a raincheck. The cashier couldn't find any rainchecks, so he told me to knock on the manager's door. He wanted to verify the info. I gave him, even though I gave him employee names, so I had to wait. He came out of his office with a rain check! That was a lot of work just to save money on some onions!

At Albertsons I spent $6.86 and saved $9.72. Green grapes were on sale for $.89/pound and Aquafresh toothpaste was only $1. I also had to buy ice cream cups for the kids, which weren't on sale. I used a $2 coupon I earned last week by completing a survey. This was an exciting trip because when we arrived a man was putting up yellow tape around a tree in the parking lot. That is usually where I park so I parked a couple of rows away. I then noticed his truck, pest control. When we were near the entrance of the store, we looked across to that tree and saw a HUGE bee hive! While shopping, I realized the van windows were open, and proceeded to shop very quickly, so I would finish before the bees got angry and looked for a new home. We checked out, ran to the van, jumped in and closed the windows just as the man was finishing putting on his beekeeper suit and ready to head up the ladder to the hive. We kept the windows closed all the way home, just in case. Can you tell I'm super scared of bees?

Friday Savings

At Walmart today I spent $78.50 and had $1.25 in coupons. Cashews and candy are sure expensive! I buy store brand cashews and buy candy when it's on sale(mostly, unless we run out in between sales), but it's still expensive. If anyone has any ideas on other ways to save money on those items, please let me know.

At Vons today I spent $2.76 and saved $1.22. This week the only item on sale that I needed was broccoli for $.99/pound. I was going to buy eggs for $1.49 for 18 eggs, but you had to buy $10 worth of groceries in order to get the deal. I wasn't going to spend that much more, just for the eggs(especially since CVS also has eggs on sale). I also had to end up buying bananas here because Walmart was totally out! Unfortunately, Vons bananas were $.18/pound more than Walmart, but we needed them.

At Ralphs today, I did great! I spent $15.30 and saved $23.60. If you bought 10 sales items, you received $5 off. Gatorade was $.49(the lowest I've seen it), Dole juice $2.49, Bryers $1.99, and Danino yogurt $1.99 + $1 coupon. There was a store display for Danino yogurt and they gave the kids a great sample. They didn't just give a spoonful of yogurt. They were giving out one whole container and 2 whole squeeze yogurts. I was surprised! They also gave out the $1 coupons. So, that was a great deal - the kids got a free snack, and yogurt for only $.99. Can't beat that!

Monday Savings

At CVS on Saturday I spent $10.28 and saved $14.26. Dawn was on sale for $.99 + $.25 coupon(charity), Bumblebee tuna buy one get one free(us and charity), M&M's $3, and Maybelline liquid foundation 50% off. I also had $3 in extra bucks to use from last week.

At Smart & Final today I spent $8.04 and saved $13.79. Brown onions were on sale for $.33/pound, Yoplait yogurt for $.39 + $.45 coupon, cantaloupe $.20/pound, Glade air freshner $.99, and General Mills Cereal $1.49 + $1.00 coupon + $.55 coupon + $.60 coupon.

At Albertsons today I spent $22.07 and saved $26.00. Smuckers grape jelly(rain ck. from last week) $1.50, S&W beans $.89, Pringles $1.39 + $1 coupon, free banana with another fair coupon, 12 count poptarts $1.50 + $1 and $1.25 coupon, Kellogs cereal $1.50 + $1.00 coupon(us and charity), and Nutrigrain bars $1.50. If I answer a survey over the phone, I will receive a code for $2 off my next shopping trip.

Friday Savings

Today at Walmart I spent $82.16 and used $5.48 in coupons. Their milk and bread prices went up this week, so I'll have to check at Costco to see what their prices are. It varies from week to week as to which of those stores has the best prices. I also had to buy a new shower curtain and rings for my kids' bathroom. The bottom of their old one was starting to get some mold on it and since we just found out my son is allergic to mold, I had to replace it, rather than just clean it.

At Vons today I spent $16.89 and saved $19.61, which is 54%. Strawberries were on sale for $.99, and then Vons had a lot of store coupons for Fritos/Ceetoes $1.49, Skippy $1.49, sliced cheese $1.99, Nabisco vanilla wafers $1.99, Welches juice $1.99 + $.75 coupon doubled, and string cheese for $2.49. I also had a coupon for $1 off my shopping trip earned last week.

At Ralphs I spent $11.18 and saved $15.87. Peaches were on sale for $.99/pound, blueberries $.99 for a container, and Pepperidge Farm cookies $1.99 + $.55 coupon doubled. I thought the peaches were $.59/pound, so when they rang up for $.99, I questioned the cashier. She walked with me to the produce section and showed me that there were actually 2 different kind of peaches and the ones I picked were $.99. Oh well! That will teach me to be more careful when I pick peaches. :) They also have a coupon book they were handing out for $180 worth of coupons. I haven't looked at it yet, but hopefully I can find some good savings in it.

Tuesday Savings

This week it's Tuesday savings because my husband was home Monday due to the Fourth of July holiday.

At CVS last Saturday I spent $3.39 and saved $14.88. Mentos were $.50 + buy one get one free coupon, VO5 was $.77 + $1 off 4 coupon, Lady Speed Stick deodorant $3 + $3 extra bucks for next week, and Colgate toothpaste and toothbrush $.89(charity) + $.75 coupon. I also had $3 in extra bucks from last week and $3.50 extra bucks I earned for the last quarter.

At Albertsons today I spent $9.18 and saved $3.05. It's not much because besides my sale items, I also bought ice cream cups for the kids that weren't on sale. Albertsons pasta was $.88(some for us and some for charity), S & W beans $.89, and 2 free bananas from a coupon we got at the fair.

I also wanted to share with you my other great find. At the Dollar Tree they have greeting cards for only $.50! I bought 4 cards for only $2, and one Hallmark card is at least $2-3, so this is a great savings.

I'm Featured in an Etsy Treasury

I'm featured in an Etsy Treasury. It's the first time someone has picked me to be a part of their treausury. Thanks, Yanni. I'm so excited. It's full of items under $10. Here's the link to it: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c30a8e2c89f8eefe162a31a/super-sale-bnr-treasury. Let me know what you think. My item is the brown coffee cup crochet top kitchen towel.

Friday Savings

At Walmart today I was finally able to spend less since I didn't have as much to buy. My purchase total was $54.45 and I had $2.05 in coupons.

At Vons today I spent $10.62 and saved $17.58. Corn on the cob was 5 for $1, Hillshire Farms sausage $1.99 + $1 coupon, Nabisco snack crackers for $1.69 + $1 coupon on the box that my daughter noticed(I'm training her for her future :) ), and $.88 for sour cream from a coupon they sent me in the mail. I also recieved a $1 coupon for my next shopping trip. This was a weird trip because I had a coupon from this week's flier for $.99 for Ragu pasta sauce. When the lady rang it up, it wouldn't accept the coupon because the dates were for last week. She thought I was trying to cheat and had brought a coupon from last week's flier. I showed her where I cut it out from my flier and said maybe it had been a misprint, but she wasn't convinced. Then, they had Lunchables on sale for $.99. Well, of course the one I picked that was in the same section and the same kind as all the rest rang up as $2.49! They did a price check on it and all the other chicken varieties were $.99, but not the one I purchased. So, I had to go to customer service and get a refund. I'm sure that cashier hopes she never has me again as a customer, but, if it's not the deal I was expecting I don't want it when I can buy it cheaper somewhere else. That's why I always check my receipt before leaving the store.

At Ralphs today I spent $15.08 and saved $30.81. Strawberries were on sale for $.88(that's the best price I've seen yet), blueberries for $1.50, Bryers for $2.19 + $.75 coupon which was doubled, Country Crock margarine for $2.49, and Gatorade for $.69 + $1.50 coupon from last shopping trip.