Sadly,GE, still had Reynolds in stock so I couldn't get a raincheck which I need because I didn't order my coupons in time. Ugh! I did pick up a few items though and once again photo credits will go to the manufacturers' websites.


5 Cascade $3.79 each-5 Coupons for Free
4 Pillsbury RTB Cookies $2.50 each -4 Coupons $.55/1 and Instant $2 WYB
2 Starkist Tuna Salad $1.50 each - 2 Coupons $.75/1
2 Organic Valley Milk $3.50 each- 1 Coupon $2/2
1 Swiss Tea $2 -1 Coupon $.75/1
1 Giant Eagle King White Bread-$.69
1 Idahoan Potato Pouch $1.09-1 Catalina for Free
1 $3.00 Catalina

84% Savings (includes store sales)

3 Dry Idea $2.29 each Get $1 ECB Limit 3
1 Vanilla $2.79
2 CVS Pens $.99 each Get $1 ECB Limit 2 Raincheck
2 CVS Rulers $.99 each Get $1 ECB Limit 2 Raincheck
2 20 Big Roll Charmin $7.99 each

Coupons Used
3 * $2 Dry Idea
2*$1 Charmin
$5/$25 CVS from Flu Quiz

ECBs Used
$10
$7

Subtotal:$29.60 + $1.92 Tax(before ECBs)=$31.52
-$10 Qs-$17 ECBs-$1.47 Tax Reduction=$.05 OOP
Earned $7 ECBs

So Technically this transaction cost me $10.05 since I spent $10 ECBs. The great thing though is I can once again make that amount up on other deals so sometimes it is totally worth spending the bucks down especially for certain items.

I'm quite sure this coupon would make the pouch free at Giant Eagle or other grocer's that double.If no doubles it is still a nice discount if you like this tuna; I do! I just realized the $.75/1 if for the Sandwich Ready so I hope the price is comparable to the regular. I will check tonight and update.

25 issues of Taste of Home you can download for free! Thanks MoneySavingMom, It's Hip to Save and Moms Need to Know.

Check out Sage and Savvy to enter her giveaway of Eauraganic shampoo and conditioner. Hurry last day to enter is September 22nd.

I love this set! It is sleek and modern, but could be easily incorporated into almost anyone's theme because of its simplicity. It has high reviews and is 18/10 not 18/0. I have been watching this set for months. It is normally priced on Amazon for about $100 which is still a fabulous price compared to other merchants, but every so often Amazon discounts it more. I've seen it for $93(this week), $73(just yesterday) and I believe $70(weeks ago). Today it is $55!

Go over here to get your BOGO Coupons. The limit is two. You can find the locations on this page.

Special thanks goes to one of my favorite bloggers: It's Hip to Save

I'm giving organic coupons a section all to their own. I know many shop organic and fresh exclusively so this category is dedicated especially for you.

Earthlight Natural Foods Coupons

It's been shared by Good or Free Deals that you can get this cereal at Wal-Mart or CVS for $.25 after the coupon. Go here to sign up.

If you have a little one in diapers check out MoneySavingMom. Luvs is offering 4 of her readers 3 months supply of diapers and a diaper bag. You only need to leave a comment on her blog here.

There is also information about $5/1 coupon from Luvs! I don't have any in diapers, but when I did Luvs worked well from what I remembered for both my boys and girls.

Hurry and enter now because the contest closes within 24 hours.

Stephanie from CouponMom.com is having weekly giveaways. This week is $250 and each week the amount increases. It's so easy to submit you entry. CouponMom Cash Giveaway #7

If you are not yet registered at CouponMom you will need to do so to receive her newsletters, but I believe you can still see the winners online if you decide not to sign up. This was one of the first places I learned the couponing ropes and recommend it.

Special thanks goes to Crystal at Money Saving Mom for sharing this on her blog to which I follow.

I wanted to share this with you. I found out yesterday from another blogger that Wal-Mart accepts competitor coupons. WooHoo! I wanted to make sure it was company wide so I went to their site to read the new policy which states they accept store coupons. It didn't specify exactly what was meant by that and I didn't want to leave it up to the store manager's interpretation so I sent an email with an example to clarify my question. Today I receive a response that I want to share with you. You are welcomed to copy it and take it along or if you have a tricky store you might request your own.


Thank you for your message.

Dear SavenMaven,

Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding the acceptance of coupons at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart accepts the following types of coupons:

- manufacturer coupons (Cents Off)
- free merchandise (or manufacturer's Buy-One-Get-One-Free) coupons
- store coupons (which come from specific store chains such as CVS, Kohls, etc)
- internet coupons
- soft drink container caps

The following are guidelines and limits: Wal-Mart only accepts coupons for merchandise we sell and only when presented at the time of purchase. Coupons should have an expiration date and be presented within the valid dates. Wal-Mart will not accept expired coupons or double/triple coupons. Internet coupons should be legible and say "Manufacturer Coupon_ and there should be a valid remit address for the manufacturer and scannable bar code. For 'Free' merchandise coupons, customers will not receive cash back -- the cashier will adjust the value of the coupon to the actual retail of the item at the time of sale. In addition, only one coupon per item is permitted and use of 40 or more coupons per transaction will require approval by a Customer Service Manager. Sincerely, Walmart Customer Care For further correspondence regarding this issue, please reply to this email.

----Your Original Comments Were---- Your coupon policy states you accept store coupons. Does this include competing stores too? e.g. Rite-Aid $5 off $25 transaction Thank you for your time and clarification. Sincerely,SavenMaven

I was so happy they had the oats in stock so I was able to get total of $2.40 overage on the 12! It basically paid for the splurge on Hidden Valley Ranch that is high even at sale price and I had no coupons. Eek! I also am loving the FuelPerks as I save $.40/gallon saving over $7 on filling up.

Mfg Cpn Savings $23.10
Bonus Cpn Savings $16.90
Card & Str Cpn $18.97
Total Savings 64% $58.97
OOP $33.69

Total OOP $26.42~$58.68 Coupon,Coupon Bonus, Store Sale Savings 55%

Bigger trip for CVS to use my $5/$15 CRT and $10/$50 CSC (Coupon Scanner Coupon).
$.50 OOP~$78.99ECBs Used~$15 CVS~$10.82MQs~$46ECBs Earned~$8ECBs Left~
$121.17 Total Value

I also did a quick trip on Wednesday to pick up Excedrin $1.99-$1CRT-$1MQ=$.06 OOP

Find even more great CVS savings at "Cent"sible Sawyer!

Walgreens Quick Trip: Messed up again thinking the IVC was for $2 off each bag of nuts instead of $3/2. Disappointed in the taste of these; expensive nuts covered in cheap chocolate. Blah! I'm glad I got 4 instead of 2. lol $2.34 OOP~$8 IVCs~$23.15Total Value~90% Savings

I'm a little behind on my posts due to giving myself a migraine on Saturday. I know better, but I didn't stop to eat or take any Excedrin, the Excedrin I just "bought" at CVS. (!) I'm just going to add some pictures and brief descriptions for now and if anyone has questions please ask. I went to Kroger's and Walmart too, but no pictures and Kroger's was a bust since they were all out of Cottonelle and the Softsoap I wanted. So much for that 45 minute one way trip. lol

CVS-Two stores combined.
$1.33 OOP~41.99ECBS Used~$9.96 Coupons~46.99 ECBs Earned~$92.92 Saved~$3.67 Profit
Walgreens Stop 1
The AutoExpressions has to go back. Wrong item in the wrong place at the wrong price. Didn't do so great here. I thought my coupon was $1 off one Lysol, but it was off of two, so $4 more there and I messed up on the RR so no $2 RR. I had to call my husband for a pep talk. ;)

$10.04 oop (with return)~$13.20Giftcard~$34.15Coupons~$22.00IVC~$2.50In-Ad Coupons~
$59.38 Total Savings 86% The rebates I do not include in my totals since I factor in the GC from the previous month's rebates. Just for informational purposes I will be getting back $5 for the Kraft,$1.50 for the Electrosol and $4 for the Slimquik. I need to start staying within my GC rebates and roll my RRs like I do with CVS. If I don't have that "free" money than I don't buy unless it really makes sense.


Walgreens Stop 2
2 Transactions combined:
4 Lysol Wipes $3.79 each/BOGO Free
1 CG Eyeshadow $4.99
1 Dove Shampoo $1.29 (Clearance)
5 Aquafresh Toothpaste $14.99
$11.30 OOP ~$8.50MQs~$10IVCs~$38.60Total Value~71%Savings
Rebate on Covergirl Shadow $5.48

Okay this post won't bore you with the story and how everything did or didn't work out, but for the record most of it worked out. I did forget a couple items, didn't work my plan to the very last no OOP penny, but too worn out to care. ;)

#1 Transaction (My hubby did this as I sat in the Pharmacy to figure out the rest)

2 Soy Joys $12
-$12ECB
Total OOP $0

#2 Transaction

1 Listerine Whitening Pen $10
-$2 Mq
-$3 CVS q
2 Complete (Raincheck) $17.98
-$2 Mq
-$2 Mq
2 Throat Coolers $9.98
-$4.99 Mq
-$12 ECB
-$6 ECB
-$6 ECB
Subtotal -$.03
Tax $.77
Total OOP $.74
Saved $42.98
Used $24 ECBs
Earned $27.98 ECBs

#3 Transaction

1 Listerine Whitening Pen $10
-$2 Mq
-$3 CVS q
1 Nasogel $7.99
-$2 Mq
1 Venus Razor Blades 8pk $10.95 (1/2 off)
-$9.98ECB
-$8.97ECB
-$2.00ECB
Subtotal $.99
Tax $.35
Total OOP $1.34 Total Saved $41.88 Total ECBs Used $20.95 Total ECBs Earned $17.99

All Combined

Total OOP $2.08
Total ECBs Used $56.95
Total ECBs Earned $57.97
Total Value $101.92

So sad so many items oos and so low limit on the rainchecks. I asked the cashier if I could have another raincheck for the Garnier since I had so many coupons and one of the assistant managers last week told me not to worry about clearing the shelves and they could order more from another store if they had to. Then I had nine coupons and I'm thankful I got those on Sunday and thought I would order more and wait until the end of the week so others had a chance too.

Well the end of the week and the store enforced limits at least with today's assistant manager, Tim whom I think does not like me and "watches" me. It didn't matter what I was previously told and it was obvious he didn't like it when other customers were buying 14 earlier in the week. I understand they have a right to limits and I wasn't demanding, maybe pleading a little, but the comment he made, "This isn't a bulk store..." I feel was unnecessary. I'm not a shelf clearer as I hardly ever get to Walgreens until the end of the week and only shopped next week's sales once on Saturday night. On top of everything else I forgot to use my gift card again so I had $4.94 oop. :(

I think I need to work on building thicker skin and also to stop comparing my deals to others. A wise friend of mine used to share on a homeschool group that Comparison is the death of contentment. She is so right an I know in a couple days all will be in perspective.

Brawny $9.99 Raincheck for $5.99*2
Reese's Whips 2/$1.59*10
-5*$1.00 mq
-$2.95 in ad q
Foil $1.59*2
-2*$1mq
-$1.20 in ad q
South Beach $2.50*4 (This is all they had left and only wrote me a raincheck for 4 so I will -4*$2 mq two more to get the $5 Kraft Rebate)
-$5RR
-$5RR
Subtotal $33.11 before coupons
Subtotal $ 3.96
Tax $.98
Total OOP $4.94
Total Savings $34.31 (87.5%) at regular prices or $29.15 (83%) at sale prices

I was a little bit disappointed in my oop spending, I thought for sure it would be lower, call me crazy. I saved 74% or $87.62 according to their calculation between coupons, bonus coupons, card and store savings. Original Total $83.79 Total OOP $31.66 I also fill up the van with gas and used my GE Card saving $.20/gallon and between my total last time and this time in groceries earned another $.20 off/gallon. I love that Giant Eagle rolls the amount from one week to another to earn the fuelperks.

Another leisurely trip. $.52oop, got to love that tax! Used $23.98 ECBs Earned $24ECBs. Out of Listerine White Pens, Out of Throat Coolers, Out of Nasogel and never have seen a spot for those, Out of Complete. I hope Coshocton has those and if they don't I hope I don't forget the raincheck for the Listerine White Pens like I did tonight. Total Value $35.96

LOL

I have to brag on my husband. As he was saying good-bye on his way to watch the OSU game, I asked if he could stop at CVS for me to do a small transaction. We live about 18 miles away and his brother is just around the corner, well several blocks away. Jeff asked what he had to do and I started to tell him about the Throat Coolers and he's listening and thinking about it as I throw in to please scan my card , how and why. He hesitated, but I could tell he would do it for me and that's when I told him I was just joking, but if he could just please scan my card...LOL he wasn't so sure after that trick and didn't make any promises. I thought for sure he'd asked if I just couldn't give CVS a rest especially since it is he that would have to CVS and I would have laughed, but he didn't and I love him all the more even if he doesn't even scan my card.

He just called and we had the best laugh just acting crazy. I bet CVS didn't know they were in the business of building healthy marriages.

Nothing original in the coupon world; lots of Garnier and papers. I messed up figuring a little with the fillers and forgot about my gift card so $3.13 oop and earned a $3 RR. Total Savings $60.47 (95%) with $12.75 in MQs and $18 in IVCs and used a $10RR.
8 Papers @$1 each =$8
4 Kellogg's @$2.50 each - 3*$1mq -$.75 Catalina = $6.25 Earn $3RR
5 Garnier @$2.99 each -5*$1mq - 5*$2IVC =Overage $.05
4 Garnier @$2.19each -4*1mq -4*$2 IVC =Overage $3.24
4 Pencils@$.12 each =$.48
-$10 RR from Wyeth

Subtotal $1.44
Tax $1.69

I also bought a bigger city paper locally, but its coupons weren't much better if any and it was $.50 more. I think they are skimping on the inserts that travel to our town. There were no Garnier hair, no L'Oreal, no Johnson, no others. I also went out and got two more Tribunes thinking I'd stop back in at closing for the extras, but I was too tired. OOP for local purchases $3.50. All the papers had the $2.50 for the Electrasol so that was my main focus. It's the only detergent that works with our hard water.

I also ran down to the Family Dollar because we needed the Electrasol and just bought one box which my oop was $.53 for 12 tabs.