Going Commando

I have went commando mode with my coupons. Is it even possible to go commando? Am I using the word correctly? I don't know.

It has been about 5 weeks since I clipped coupons. I'll hold on while you catch your breath and fan yourself. Yesterday I decided to go commando mode. I separated all my papers from the inserts and I put like inserts together. I went through each insert and put like coupon pages together that I wanted to keep. Then I clipped only the coupons I knew I would use. All of the rest of the insert and coupons I threw away. I'll say it again, I threw them away. I have gotten so relaxed on my coupons we have been living off of our stock pile. I do run to the store for the basics; bread, milk, eggs etc... but there are never coupons for those.

Today I am feeling so much better, my stack of coupons are gone and I have a small pile that I need to file.

Mission complete, almost :)

Kroger and over charging

Kroger is infamous for over charging. It happens all the time. Most people do not take the time to look at their bill so they never know.
My hubby LOVES to catch Kroger overcharging him for items. He has made it kind of a game. He will pick things up thinking that it might be the one item. A couple of weeks ago he went and bought a bag of Kroger brand french fries for that nights dinner. Before he walked out of the store he checked his bill and sure enough he was charged the regular price instead of the sale price. He headed to the customer service. In my Kroger their policy is, actually I think its a federal customer protection law, that says if you are overcharged you get the first item free and the difference on all the other items you are over charged for.
Usually we are overcharged on a Kroger brand item that is on sale. The sale price never quite makes it into the cash register.

Today I went to the store and Kroger did not disappoint. They had the Dole brand salads in a bag on sale. You know those salads that have everything in the bag and then you just put it all together when you get home? They were on sale for 2/$5 which is a really good deal, these things usually cost about $4 each. So I picked up two bags. When I checked my receipt after checking out they had charged me 3/$9. This is actually tomorrows deal. I headed straight for customer service. They gave me $3.59 back, $3 for the price of the first salad and $.50 for the overcharge on the second salad and then tax. I came home with two bags of salad for $1.25 per bag. That is a deal!

P.S. Watch your receipt it truly pays off.

Ukrops and coupons

I live in an area that has a Ukrops. Sadly to say we only have one in this area and they are struggling to stay open. I really like Ukrops but hardly shop there because they do not double coupons. As a last ditch, stay in business effort, Ukrops started tripling manufacturers coupons on Saturdays for the months of May and June. Yes, tripling! But, we have read in the local paper, they are going to start tripling coupons on Wednesdays and Saturdays starting in July. This is very exciting. Get those $.75 and $1.00 coupons out and head to Ukrops.

Kids Bowl Free

I hope everyone has signed up for free bowling this summer. The AMF bowling centers have a program where you can sign up kids for free bowling through the summer its called Kids Bowl Free. Adults can bowl to, it cost $23.95 for the summer. You can add up to 5 kids and 5 adults. You can bowl two games a day everyday from 9am to 5pm Sunday through Saturday. The only thing you have to pay for is shoe rental. In our case we have to rent only one pair of shoes since I just ordered my new bowling shoes and my hubby already has a pair.

How the program works is this:

Every Sunday AMF sends you an email with a link to print your coupons for the whole week. There is one coupon for the kids and one coupon for adults (if you do the adult program). You follow the link and print out your coupons for the week. Take your coupons to your participating bowling center and you are all set. We have bowled twice so far and the kids love it.

Oh How I love the Swagbucks!

Have I told you lately how I love Swagbucks? I have redeemed a total of $30 in gift cards so far. I just ordered a pair of bowling shoes and applied two gift cards to buy them. I love getting things discounted. I love Swagbucks! They give me money just for searching, its great!

Free Legos Smart Kit and Creativity Contest

Money Saving Mom has posted the coolest thing. Lego is having a contest. They are giving away Smart kits to teachers so that the teacher can come up with an activity to do with just the smart kit Legos. Homeschoolers are welcome! All you have to do is follow the link to the Lego site and then register. Mine is already on the way. I am going let my kids play with the set and see what we come up with. I can't wait to get this, I am so excited!

Click here to go straight to the link.

Wisk detergent deal worth doing

I found a great Wisk deal at Food Lion today. I do not shop Food Lion normally just because their prices are usually higher and their ads run from Tuesday to Tuesday. Today for some reason my hubby put the ad on the kitchen table for me to see.
Low and behold right on the front I saw the Wisk. They have the 50 oz. liquid Wisk on sale for B1G1 the regular price is $6.09 each. Yesterday I got all of my coupons clipped and organized and I remembered seeing a Wisk coupon for $1.50 off. A light went off and I looked at my coupons.

Here is the deal I did at Food Lion today

Wisk B1G1 for $6.09 the coupon is $1.50 off two.
I paid $4.88 including tax for 2 bottles of Wisk. That comes to $2.44 per bottle.

The ad said there was a limit of 2 free bottles. I did 4 bottles in one transaction and 2 bottles in another transaction.

The picture is what I got. They had a lot to choose from.

I went to Kroger last night. When I get the energy and time I will post my deals.

Cartridge World

Have you ever heard of Cartridge World?
What Cartridge World is is a business where you can go and take your empty printer ink cartridges and have them filled for half the price of buying a brand new one. Your cartridge, most times, are filled while you wait. The company uses computers to check the cartridge to make sure its o.k. for refilling and not damaged or anything like that. They also guarantee them to work. If your cartridge can not be refilled they have cartridges there that they fill and give you for the same price. The cartridges are weighed and filled by their weight.
The other day I took a cartridge over there and they weighed it and said it was full and didn't need to be refilled yet. While I was there I also was talking about getting things cheaper and going through my speech of saving money. The girl working behind the counter reached behind the counter and pulled out some coupons for me. I was shocked! I can get ink cheap and then I can use a coupon too? Wow!
We have one here close to where I live and I really like them. I like using this business because I can get ink refilled cheaper and the cartridges stay out of the landfills.
If you have one of these businesses in your area I recommend them.

Question about Kroger

>I have a friend who gets a Kroger insert on Friday before the deals come out on Sundays. She posts them on her blog and I have a button on my blog linking to hers. I had a question on how to find the link on my blog. If you scroll down my blog a little ways you will see a flower and a bird inside a white background on the right hand side of my blog click on the flower and bird area of that button. My friends blog is called tryingtosavealot. I hope you all find the deals and have fun shopping for them.

Bird Update

By they way I found out what kind of birds we have in our fern. We have house finch's and the mama has laid 5 eggs. We are patiently and excitedly wait for baby birds any day now.

I got coupons today

I got Kroger coupons today in the mail! I eagerly opened them to discover they had sent me some coupons for free stuff. Who doesn't love free stuff!

Here is the list:
Free Lenders bagels
Free cheerios
$1 off 2 general mills cereal
.75 on 2 Yoplait yogurts
$1 off Lenders Bagels
.65 Kroger ice cream
$1 off 2 Keebler
.40 off Rosarita refried beans
$1 off 2 Wish Bone dressings
.50 off New York frozen bread
$1 off Pledge
.60 off Greased Lightning
$1 off 2 pictsweet steamable veggies

I am definitely going to use the free coupons tomorrow. As I have said before, I should have stock in Lenders. We eat so many bagels it is not even funny. I can't seem to keep bagels in stock and there are never coupons for them. I am so thankful for Kroger and free bagels.

I found out what birds we have

These birds are called House Finchs. They are a common bird but its been fun watching them. We now have 4 eggs in the nest.

What in the heck is it?

We hung some ferns up a couple of weeks ago and now we have a nest and three eggs in it. I have no clue what kind of birds these are. If anyone knows please leave me a comment.
Enjoy the pics

Swagbucks are paying off

I am so glad I joined Swagbucks. It is really paying off for me. I have used $20 in Amazon cards so far and I have another one sitting and waiting for me. I bought two sets of Bob Books last week from Amazon and paid $18 for both sets. I used $10 in gift cards on this one purchase.

Join under me by using the button on the right side of my blog.
Join now and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy

Happy Easter

HAPPY EASTER!


I pulled some verses out this morning to celebrate the holiday.


John 10:10-11
The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 19:1-3
Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they put a royal purple robe on him. "Hail! King of the Jews!" they mocked, and they hit him with their fists.

John 19:28-30
Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirsty." A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Matthew 28:1-9
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember, I have told you." The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to find the disciples to give them the angel's message. And as they went, Jesus met them. "Greetings!" he said. And they ran to him, held his feet, and worshiped him.

Kroger on Monday

Yet again I went to Kroger. This time I did a little better. I didn't want to go back so soon but it was a, I need to pick something up for dinner trip, so I decided to get my weekly trip done as well. Here is what I bought
4 mangos
1 bag of lettuce hearts
gala apples
1 sunkist almonds
2 loaves of Natures Own bread
2 half gallons of ice cream. One cost .88 on special
2-18 ct Kroger eggs
1 Citracal
18 packs of Lipton pasta sides
4 box of Fiber One bars
2 boxes of Nature Valley granola bars
2 FREE gallon of milk
7 tubs of I Cant Believe its not butter
6 packs of all beek Ball Park hot dogs
2 bottles of olive oil
1 deli chicken for dinner
3 bottles of Shout

Total coupons used was $27.59
total Kroger savings and coupons $71.69

TOOP was $93.29

Again I have pictures in my camera that will probably be lost forever.

Back in the saddle of Kroger

of my
Last week I went to Kroger. Sorry for not posting sooner but I lost my receipt until recently when I unpacked a kroger bag that was in the basement on the floor waiting to be put away on my shelves. Man did I spend the money! Maybe that is why I lost the receipt I was subconsciously trying to block out the paint. I spent $145.63. Let me tell you I had hot flashes and thought I would pass out when I heard that total.
I took some pictures from my camera while I was in the store. Here at my house it was pouring down rain and there was no way I was carrying everything in unpacking it, organizing it and then putting it all away. Here is the skinny on everything I bought.

List of items
3 packs of Luv diapers
6 packs of Goodys powder (hubby loves this for headaches)
3 large bottles of Vaseline cocoa butter lotion (for my mom)
4 bottles of childrens Advil (GREAT DEAL- on sale for $3 each and there was a $2 coupon attached to the box. Since they dont expire until 2011 I bought 4)
1 McCormick spice(needed not on sale)
9-6 packs of Dannon yogurt
7 bags of Pillsbury frozen biscuits
7 bottles of Wishbone Blue Cheese salad dressing
5 boxes of Barilla piccilini pasta
12- Pillsbury cresent rolls (4 in a tube) Very freezer friendly by the way
3 boxes of Kraft Philly cream cheese
6 boxes of Raisin Brand cereal
3.83 lbs of grapes
1 bag of potatoes
6 tubs of Land O Lakes butter
1 tub of tomatoes
2 tubs of strawberries
16 cans of Del Monte fruit
2 cucumbers
2 bottles of Clorox Clean Up

I had $70.35 in coupons
My total savings with Kroger and coupons was $180.48

TOOP was $145.63 which was a %56 savings.


I took pictures in the store of my cart but for the life of me I cant figure out how to transfer those pics to my computer. I did manage to get a picture of my receipt from my digital camera. I dont seem to have a cord with USB connections on both ends. UGH!

To Shortcut or not to Shortcut

In the past week or so I have heard arguments about using shortcuts and manufacturer coupons on one item.

I have a position and thought I would share. First let me say that my friend Lori emailed the shortcuts company and they emailed back saying that we should not use a shortcut and a manufacturer coupon on one item and that they are working on fixing the problem. Now that said here is where I stand.

I feel if I can use both a shortcut and a manufacturer paper coupon then I will use both. As a matter of fact I did last night. By the way, I have been using shortcuts and manufacturers paper coupons for about a year now.
These companies know exactly what they are doing. They have teams of people who sit around and come up with "what if" scenarios. They knew that the system would allow both and they let it fly, for at least the past year anyway. Now that the economy has changed and people are using more shortcuts they have decided that it is not right to use both. When they change the system I will stop using both but until then I say save save save.

Now please do not leave comments about how bad and immoral I am blah blah blah. You know what, you can leave comments if you want because they are pretty funny to read. This is where I stand and this is what I will continue to do.

The only problem I have with this whole argument is that it might end soon, and my great deals won't be so great anymore.

Downside of not having my binder in order

I went to Kroger the other day and look at what coupons I forgot to use. These were not in my binder but aimlessly wondering around my house being placed in different piles over time.

I totally spaced and forgot that I had these coupons. I will not do this again, I will put these coupons in my bra to make sure I don't forget about them.

I had a coupon for
1 FREE pack of Lenders bagels
1 FREE box of nature Valley granola bars
1-$1 off 2 packs of Lenders bagels

When I found these coupons yesterday it truly made me say UGH! At least they are not expired, that would have truly broke my heart.

KEEP YOUR COUPONS IN YOUR BINDER!

My Kroger trip today, success I say.

I went to Kroger today after many weeks of not going to Kroger. I spent $146.23. When I saw the total I started to get hot flashes, no I am not old enough for hot flashes-thanks for asking. Then I remembered the last time I did a big grocery shopping trip was back at the beginning of February. I was o.k. after that. This picture does not do the "load" justice. I had a couple of things not pictured because I ran out of space.

Here is the list:

2-6 pack of Danimal yogurts $1.69 each after $1 coupon
1 pack of sweet potato french fries not on sale $2.29
5-4 packs of Danactive yogurt $1.29 each after $1 off coupons
1 pack of Crayola toothbrushes $1.50
2 Oral b stages toothbrushes $3.38 before coupon. I had a B1G1 coupon
4 packs of Lenders bagels $1.69 (a company I should have stock in by the way)
4 bars of Kraft colby jack cheese $1.50each
1 lb of Private selection honey ham $5.99
1 bunch of asparagus $1.99 (trying Pioneer Womans asparagus)
6 Pillsbury french loafs on sale for 4/$5 I had .40 off 2
1 Kroger peanut butter on sale for $1.79 I had a .55 off coupon
1 fresh bag of spinach
1 FREE Kroger yogurt with a coupon they sent me
2 english cucumbers
7-4 packs of Hunts sugar free chocolate pudding on sale for 10/$10 I had coupons for $1 off 2
5.3 lbs of grapes $1 a pound on sale
2 packs of Kroger grape tomatoes $1 each
1 bag of lettuce hearts $2.99
1 bag of onions $1.99
6 cans of Rositas refried beans on sale 10/$10 I had coupon for $1 off 3
1 container of fresh mushrooms $1.48
1 egg plant .99 (making Sherri's famous egg plant Parmesan)
3 Kraft dressings $2.44 each
10-18oz jars of Peter Pan peanut butter on sale for $1.99 I had coupons for $1 off 2
2 jars of Planters peanuts 2/$5
2-2 liters of Crush soda on sale 4/$5 I had $1 off 2 coupon
1 16oz bottle of diet coke for the ride home .99
1 Snickers bar for the ride home .50
4 loaves of Natures Own bread
Before coupons and Kroger discounts my total was $242.64
After coupons and discount my total was $146.23

I had $96.41 in Kroger savings and coupons
I had $33.43 in coupons


Oh and by the way I have 251 fuel points that expires 4-30-09 which right now gets me .20 off per gallon.

Deals for me this week at Kroger

O.k. I am going to Kroger this week. I know I said that last week but I mean it this week. I have my paper out and I am clipping coupons.

I have found a couple of deals so far that I will definitely do this week. Here they are:

Hunts snack pack puddings on sale for 10/$10 I have coupons for $.50/2 which doubles to $1.00 these will come to be .50 per pack. I have 7 coupons.

Peter Pan peanut butter on sale for $1.99 a jar. I have coupons for $1.00 off 2 which makes it $1.50 per jar of peanut butter. I have 13 coupons.

Kroger peach, apricot, cherry or strawberry preserves on sale for $1.99. I have coupons for $.50/2 which will double to $1.00 making them $1.50 each jar. I will use one or two coupons.

Manwich and buns are on sale for 10/$10. There are coupons out there for $1.00 off when you buy 2 Manwich's and one pack of buns. If you buy 2 Manwich and 1 pack of buns you will pay $2.00 for everything. Pretty good deal I will probably do one.

Rotel tomatoes are on sale for .87 and Kroger tortilla chips are on sale for 10/$10. I have coupons for $1.00 off when you buy 2 Rotel and 1 torilla chips. I will pay $1.74 for 2 rotel tomatoes and one back of tortilla chips.

Rosita refried beans are on sale 10/$10 and I have coupons for $1.00/3 so I can get 3 cans for $2.oo which is a good deal. These things hardly ever go on sale for less than $1.00 a can.

To see the complete run down of sale items go to Trying to save alot or hit the button on the right side of my blog to take you to the deals.

Ten Things You Can Do to Stay In Your Home

I was at Staples on Thursday and a lady came up to me and gave me a photocopy from a magazine and I thought I would share it with you.

The information came from The Nation Magazine, March 23,2009 edition. This magazine has a monthly feature called "ten things". The editorial is written by an editorial board member named Walter Mosley. This is a do-it-yourself opinion and action device. The magazine describes this feature as a "go to the heart of issues in a stripped-down, active and informed way. They interview experts or everyday citizens and construct a list of ten things you can do.

Anyway

Here are ten things to help you fight foreclosure and to stay in your home.

*****DISCLAIMER**** I am not a professional financial advisor nor do I claim to be. I have no real financial experience except spending money on groceries.

I am passing this information on hoping it can help someone.

1. Make sure your loan has a fixed rate of interest and not a variable rate. If it has variable rate, work with your mortgage lender to get it to a lower fixed rate.

2. Seek out HUD-certified counselors (hud.gov) when you are thinking of refinancing. Contact only nonprofit agencies such as legalaid.org. You do not have to pay a fee to get out of foreclosure.

3. If you are being foreclosed, call the ACORN foreclosure hot line immediately, at (347)410-5894

4. Do not take out loans that are beyond your financial means. (I think this should be #1 but as I said I am not a professional) Do not make payments to any institution except your lender.

5. If you are a renter in a house that has been foreclosed, your landlord must give you notice before evicting you. Once you are given notice, find out how much time you have- the laws vary from state to state. For renters rights in a particular state, search hud.gov/renting/tenantrights.cfm Go to nolo.com, click on "Property & Money" and go to "Foreclosure" for more information. (If you have info or resources on renters' rights, please send an e-mail to NationTenThings@gmail.com.)

6. Avoid companies that promise a quick fix. Go to fraudguides.com/mortgage-foreclosure-rescue-scam.asp to see a list of scams.

7. If you believe you are in a foreclosure scam, contact a lawyer immediately. Go to naca.net or foreclosurelegalassistance.org. Always use an attorney with a background in representing familes in foreclosure.

8. Stay in communication with your bank, and always ask questions when you don't understand something that was said or something that you read. Go to responsiblelending.org/glossary.html for an explanation of foreclosure terms.

9. Suppport organizations that assist families with foreclosures:
Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (naca.com)
Center for Community Change (communitychange.org)
Take Back the Land (takebacktheland.org)
National Low Income Housing Coalition (nlihc.org)
Housing Assistance Council (ruralhome.org)
National Housing Law Project (nhlp.org)
Watch testimonials on the Brave New Films website fightingforourhomes.com

10. Call your local ACORN chapter for help (acorn.org/offices). Volunteer to be a home defender in your area. Display an ACORN Foreclosure-Free Zone sign in front of your house or apartment. Tell family and friends facing foreclosure to seek counseling from ACORN, and tell Congress to keep families in their homes. Go to acorn.org and click on "action" for more information on advocacy.

A Call to teach

This post is to inspire you.

I have been asked to help teach a class on couponing. My two friends and I are going to teach single teenage moms how to use coupons. We will have a few weeks to break down the system and teach, teach, teach. I am so encouraged and excited about this opportunity! First off I get to teach someone about something I love to do, save money. Secondly, I am helping a group of young women become empowered. Thirdly, this is an opportunity to show these women, some on a fixed income, how to use their money wisely and how to make it stretch farther. Most importantly I get an opportnity to share Gods love.

I am encouraging all who read this blog to share what you know. Everyone of us has been given a gift from God. We are responsible to use this gift for the good of others.

Jumping back on the band wagon

I have been slacking this last month or so in case you haven't noticed. I have not cut my coupon inserts since the beginning of February. Yes, it has been at least a month. Here is a picture of all my inserts I need to cut, UGH! I am working on it today and I will hopefully get everything back into my binder as well.

Swagbuck gift cards came and went

I'm sure I have mentioned before on this blog that I am a homeschooler. Not that I am a teenager or young adult being homeschooled but that I am a mom homeschooling my children. I am always on the look out for good homeschool curriculum or fun books that we can incorporate and use in our daily quest for knowledge. I received 2-$5 gift cards to Amazon.com for searching through Swagbucks. Remember me signing up through them to earn extra gift cards for things? As soon as my gift cards became available I headed straight to Amazon to buy some books. I really wanted to get a Phonics Pathways book for reading. This is a great book to teach reading if you have a chance, go to the library and check it out. It's simple, simple, simple to follow and understand. Anyway this books runs about $23 with shipping at Amazon. I took my $10 gift cards and bought this book. I love that I got this book for $13.

Saving Money

My blog has been boring because I have been saving money. How am I saving money? I have not been to Kroger. I have not done any shopping there in 2 weeks. We seem to be living off of what we have. I did go to Sam's Club once or twice in February but even there I did not break the bank. The 10 for $10 deals at Kroger start up again on Sunday so maybe next week I will go back. I am sure they miss me.

Swagbucks, Gotta love it

You have got to try Swagbucks. I know if you try it you will be hooked like I am. I can now get 2-$5 Amazon gift cards. I have a total of 92 Swagbucks. I will have 2 left over after I get my gift cards. Now I need to decided what to get. I am sure I will get some kind of curriculum thing.

I got a $10 Swagbuck on Friday morning. I yelled because I was so excited. My kids came running thinking something was wrong.

****Remember sign up under me and I will get more bucks for you signing****

Food Lion and Kellogg mini wheats

While I was at Food Lion I also got the Kellogg frosted mini wheats. They had them B1G1 free. I had $1 coupons. I got 6 boxes of cereal for $5.02. SCORE!

Scotts toilet paper and Food Lion and CVS

We use Scotts toilet paper at our house. I know you all were dying to know that. We use the Scotts because our house is old and so is the pipes. We want to make sure that they stay unplugged as much as possible.

Food Lion had a great deal that ended this past Tuesday. They had the 6 pack of extra soft Mega rolls on sale B1G1 Free. They were priced at $5.59 each and I had 14 $1 coupons. I ran to Food Lion, sorry Kroger friends, but I ran to Food Lion. I got 12-6packs of toilet paper. Yes I cleaned the store out and I have a rain check for more.

I got 24 rolls of toilet paper. In other words 2-12 packs of Scotts for $7.72 including tax.


After running to Food Lion I walked to CVS to do a toilet paper deal. I did 2 CVS transactions.

1st transaction

1 Gillette Fusion Gamer razor that was $7.99
I had a $4 coupon and the razor was giving back $4 in ECB's.

I paid $4.00 OOP

2nd transaction

1-12 pack of Scotts toilet paper $6.99
I had $1.50 coupon
I used my $4 ECB.

I got the razor and toilet paper for $5.5o OOP

Kroger Magazine

I received two magazines within the past couple of weeks. I don't know how they come or why but I am glad for some coupons.

God showing His love

I have been thinking about a verse we learned a couple of weeks ago. It's 1 John 4:19 which says, "We love because He first loved us." I have been meditating on this verse and rolling it around it my head, pointing it out to my children by acts of kindness.

I have had 2 random acts of kindness this week that have totally surprised and delighted me.

The first was on Monday when the kids and I went to Sam's Club. Yes, Sam's Club who knew. I was getting pretzels and a drink for us and it came to $3.10. I had the exact change, which for me to have the exact change or to have cash for that matter is a miracle from God. Anyway I gave the lady the money. Then I realized she didn't include the drink. UGH! I thought. I was digging for another .95 which was not there. I decided I would use my debit card, aka survival tool, to pay for our drink. The lady behind me said, "No, don't use your debit card for .95 here is a dollar." I declined and she insisted I take the dollar. So I took the dollar and thank the woman.

The second act of random kindness was last night. My hubby took one of the kids bowling. It was my childs first time ever bowling. There were two guys next to them who were throwing strike after strike and were impressed by my childs 105 game. Yes my child bowled a 105 and by the way said child is in kindergarden. My hubby and child bowled 3 games a piece. When my hubby went to pay the two guys who were on the lanes next to them had paid for 2 games.

Wow! I am in awe of Gods love. These are little acts of love but are not possible without God.

Loser numeral uno

I know I am the biggest loser around here. I have not posted. I have not posted because I have not been shopping. I finally got my coupons clipped and put away last week. Now I am only 2 weeks behind instead of 6. UGH! This is my life people.

This Weeks deals

This weeks Kroger deals are posted. Check them out. Follow this link or click the button down on the right side of my page.

Burning question

I have had a burning question swirling around in my head and I want your opinion. Here is the question:

If you saw/had proof that your friends spouse was cheating, would you tell your friend?

Why am I asking? No reason. I would tell my friend. I am just wondering where people stand on this.

Disclaimer: I am not in an situation where a friend is being cheated on nor have I been cheated on or am cheating. This is just a question nothing more.

I will leave this survey up until March 1st. It is totally anonymous so please feel free to answer.

CVS deal

I LOVE when a company gives me things to come back and shop in their store. I went to CVS on Friday night to fill as prescription. As my receipt printed out so did $13 in ECB's. The receipt said I had filled out a survery. I don't remeber doing a survey, I think CVS was just missing me. I was in desperate need of diapers so off I went on Sunday to CVS. They had Jumbo Huggies diapers for $8.99 a pack on Sunday only.
I did two transactions here they are:

1st transaction
3 Jumbo packs of Huggies diapers $8.99 each
1 Gillette Fusion Gamer razor $7.99 each

2nd transaction
1 pack of Jumbo Huggies diapers

My coupons

I had $1.50 coupons for each diaper pack
I had a $4 coupon for the razor
The razor gave back a $4 ECB
I had $13 in ECB's

I paid a total of $19.00 for everything.

The razor was FREE. It was $7.99 and gave back $4 ECB and I had a coupon for $4 off.

Kroger deals of the week

My friend Lori has posted the deals for Kroger this week. Check it out. Her website is Trying to Save Alot.

My Mentos came

My Mentos came!

I was so happy when I saw this in my mailbox.

They sent me 6 packs of Mentos and a free loader with them!

I don't have to buy any Mentos for my project!!!!

Kraft Cheese Deal

Run don't walk to Kroger and get the Kraft cheese deal. %2 Kraft cheese is on sale for $1.50 when you buy 10 and get the $5 off at the register. Well yesterday my friend Lori found coupons for .75 off each bag of cheese. The coupons are located right at the cheese section in a blinkie machine. I went last night and bought 15 bags of cheese. Sherri and I went and did 10 bags each and then we split a 10 deal to give us each an additional 5 bags. Neither one of us could do another 10 deal by ourselves because, unfortunately, we have run out of freezer space.

Oh my! I have spent to much at Kroger this week

I have been doing the 10 items get $5 off deals this week. I have spent to much money. Sorry I did not get a picture of my load but the amount of stuff I had was just to over whelming to arrange and then turn around and put away.
Instead
I have given you my list with a total price:
15 bags of Kraft .75 each
16 boxes of Kleenex tissue
2 jars of Miracle Whip
1 pack of Jumbo Pamper diapers
1 Jumbo pack of Huggies
3 gallons of milk
1 box of Vans waffles (FREE-coupon from my scavenger hunt)
1-4 pack of Yoplait Plus yogurt (FREE-coupon from my scavenger hunt)
1 pack of Ball Park all beef franks
2 Kroger ice creams
3-4 packs of Dannon yogurt
6 cans of Rotel tomatoes (FREE + OVERAGE .23each)
3 bottles of heinz ketchup
7 cans of Hormel turkey chili (FREE with coupons)
7 French's mustard (FREE with coupons)
7 Franks hot sauce (FREE with coupons)
1 pack of Kroger hot dog buns
1 pack of hamburger buns
1 celery
2-6 packs of Dove soap

I was over charged by $3. They charged me for 9 French's instead of 7. But I got overage from the Rotel so it all good.

My total before coupons and discounts was $266.43
Total OOP $85.47
My total in coupons including doubling was $90.98

Swag Bucks

I wanted to send out a big THANK YOU! to all of the people who joined swagbucks from my link on my web page. I have not received anything yet but my points are adding up. I have 38 so far, Woo Hoo!
To get my bucks up I have dedicated myself to using swagbucks for all of my online searching. I added the link to my toolbar so that when I go to search its right there and then I remember to click there first.

Unexpected delight

If you remember, I posted about teaching a Magic Tree House class in February. One of the things we are going to do is make a volcano with Mentos and diet soda. A couple of weeks ago we got Mentos gum coupons in our inserts. I ran to Kroger and bought 7 packs of Mentos gum. Well I use the word "bought" loosely because all of the gum was FREE. Anyway, I got the gum thinking I could use this for my experiment. As with any experiment that you are doing with a group, I did my own experiment first to make sure the gum would work. Unfortunately it did not. I was bummed because I had gotten all of this gum for no reason.

Here was my next step. I need you to recall one of my famous phrases, "If you dont ask" what? "You dont even have a chance for a discount."

So I asked.

I emailed Mentos to see if they could send me some coupons and I explained in the email that I was teaching a class and what I wanted the Mentos for.

Today I checked my email and Mentos replied back to me. Here is the reply

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding Mentos. We appreciate hearing from our consumers. We do not have any coupons to mail out however from time to time they are available in your local newspaper.

I was a little bummed and then I read the last line. Here comes the last line. I am so excited, I am sitting here my heart is racing and I'm chuckling.

The last line reads

I will send some Mentos to the address in your email to help with your project.

Are you kidding me? They are going to send me some free Mentos!!
WOOO HOOO!

When they come I will take a picture and post. I dont know how much I will get or when it will come.

SOBE water

SOBE water is on sale at Kroger this week for 10 for $10. There is a deal going when you buy 10 items you get an additional $5 off at the register. With this Kroger deal the SOBE water is .5o each. This is a good deal but the deal gets even sweeter. Some of the SOBE waters have coupons on the bottles if you can get the water with the coupons the SOBE is free and its giving overage. The only trouble with this deal is the bottles with the coupons are hard to find. My Kroger didn't have them. Here was my deal I was trying to do:

30 bottles of SOBE and it would have given me $9 in overage.

WHAT A DEAL

Anonymous

I posted a while back about starting to use swagbucks to make some money by searching online. If you get a chance read the post.
I wanted to share a comment that came on my blog yesterday. I love, love this comment someone left on my blog. Warning: This comment came as is I did not change it at all I just added the quotation marks and the color.

"Looks like you believe in getting something without contributing anything. This is pathetic. When you're grown up you can become a banker."

Why do I think this is funny? First off I think its funny because anyone who has something to say but chooses to leave their comment anonymously and doesn't have the guts to leave their name can not be taken seriously. Secondly I love this comment because it shows a different mind set than myself. I believe if I am trying to save money and companies are going to allow me to get something for free, I am going to use it. These companies set up their rules and they understand what they are giving away. If they choose to do it then Yay! better for me.

This person is obviously not a couponer so I have no idea why they were even on my site.

By the way is couponer even a word?

Have you heard? I LOVE COUPONS AND FREE STUFF!

Furnace Issues

We were having some furnace issues yesterday. We have radiator heat heated by gas. I went to the basement yesterday and stepped in puddles of water all over our basement. We called the plumbers thinking the overflow tank need draining or that the pressure valve needed replacing. Of course, it wasn't the easy fix it ended up being the valve. Now, to replace this valve we had to have our system totally drained. All of the radiators in the house had to be drained and turned off. Yes we were without heat for about 3 hours yesterday evening. It was 14 degrees outside and we were paying our plumbers overtime rate which was $90 an hour. Great! I know.
Here is our dilemma. Our boiler is over 30 years old and is about %40 efficient. Every %100 of energy we use we are losing %60 up the chimney. The aquastat is not working properly (just about boiling our radiator water) and the heat gauge is off about 20 degrees. We are thinking of replacing the boiler, which costs about $4000.00 or $5000.00.
Here are my questions, If we replace the furnace will we see a big drop in our monthly gas bill? Will we see a drop in our electric bills?

New Kroger cards

My hubby and I really need new Kroger cards. First of all we have two different cards with two different numbers. Secondly our cards are very old and in pretty rough shape. We should have two cards but with the same number. This way when we fill up we both can use our fuel points no matter what card we have. I wasn't sure if it was possible to get new cards and to carry our fuel points with us. I took the logical step and called Kroger corporate customer service. The lady told me to go into the store and get new cards and then call the corporate customer service back and they can link our old cards with our new cards and everything will transfer. Hmm who knew? I really like Kroger.

God Is Good

I wanted to share a story of what God did this week.
I am teaching a magic tree house book club which will start in February. The first book we are studying is Pompeii, Romans and Mount Vesuvius. Cool right? I really wanted to make togas for all of my students, 11 in all. I was struggling with how I could make them and be cost effective. I decided I would go to one of my most favorite places in the world Good Will. Before I went I was talking to a friend and said I was praying that God would provide a bunch of white sheets cheap so that I could do these togas. I was really doubting I would find them but I was hopeful that God had it worked out for me. I went into the Good Will and headed to the back. To my surprise there was a whole bin of white sheets. They had been donated to the Good Will by one of the local hospitals. As I was rejoicing and laughing a worker walked up to me and said they had gotten 6 big boxes of sheets and that there was even more in the backroom. She said it was very rare to have white sheets and the hospital donates their sheets every couple of years or so.
I know some people would say, "yeah but they're only white sheets. God provides white sheets?" I say to them, "God provides all things. He will provide and provide more than what we need and bless us more than we thought possible." I went in looking for 7 or 8 white sheets and God provided about 8 dozen.
I went to a friends house yesterday and cut out 14 togas and have one for myself as well. All for the great cost of $16.
Can I get an Amen?

More Kroger store coupons

First off I want to thank Sherri for pointing out my dirty picture in my last post. I have taken it down and cleaned it. Well not really but I am going to take it down and clean it real soon. This is not the point of this post however. I am posting to tell you that I got more Kroger store coupons a couple of days ago. I don't know how I get these but they come every so often. Here is what came:
$1 off 1 Kroger bar or shredded cheese
$1 off 1 Kroger 16 oz butter
$1 off 1 Kroger orange juice
$1 off 1 Kroger refrigerated biscuits
1 FREE Kroger yogurt
$1 off 1 Kroger sour cream

I also get the Kroger My Magazine which comes with manufacturer coupons.

Between the scavenger coupons I picked up from the registers, remember when I scavenged the self check out the other night? And the Kroger mailer, I will get 1-4 pack of yogurt and 1 individual cup of yogurt FREE.

Free is always good.

Last weeks Kroger picture

I went to Kroger on Wednesday night last week. I love shopping at the grocery store after 8 p.m. The store is quiet, usually, and there is not many people. I say usually because this trip was a little different. I went to check out and all the lanes were closed except the do it yourself line and the 15 items or less checkout. I went to the 15 items or less, obviously. When I got there I made sure that I was the last one in line, I knew my coupons would take awhile, since I had $59.00 worth. Well after a few minutes people started lining up behind me. What could I do? I held firm and everyone behind me would have to wait or go to the self check out. It was all good until the Mentos. I grabbed the regular Mentos because I didn't see any of the gum Mentos. Well the coupons wouldn't work. By the way, I asked the cashier to scan one to make sure it worked before I put anything on the counter and she assured me that they would work or that she would make them work. I am sure people were glad to see me leave. I even got a Wow! from the cashier when she saw my receipt.
I had coupons for everything I bought except the milk, tomatoes and Diet Coke.
Here is load:
Prices are what I paid after coupons

7 boxes of Quaker oatmeal squares cereal $1 each
6 boxes of Special K cereal bars .75 each I think
7-6 packs of Yoplait yogurt $8.90 for all yogurt
1 pack of Kroger grape tomatoes
4-20ct boxes of Aleve .99 after coupons
2 bars of Dove soap (FREE) had a Kroger $2 off 2 Dove products
1 Crest Pro Health toothpaste (FREE)$1.50 shortcuts and $1 manuf. coupon
1 Crest whitening toothpaste (FREE) had a coupon for a free one up to $3.99
2 cans of Rosarito refried beans had .40 coupon from Kroger
2 gallons of Kroger %1 milk (FREE) when I bought 3 Special K bars I got a free milk
1 bottle of Diet Coke
6 bottles of Soft Soap .30 each after coupon .35 off coupon
7 bottles of Franks extra hot sauce (FREE) .50 off coupon
7 packs of Mentos Gum (FREE) $1 off coupon
1 Kroger ice cream I had a coupon for .55 off Kroger coupon

Total before coupons was $105.00

After coupons and Special K deal I paid $26.75
My savings was 82%

I had $59.90 in coupons after doubling and everything. I also had 2 shortcuts Yoplait yogurts on my card.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

I am celebrating! I have been blogging for just over a year now. My first post was December 20, 2007. Man how time flies. Its funny now that I look back. I can remember how nervous I was when I started using coupons. Heck I was nervous just thinking about using coupons. Now I get nervous shopping if I don't have a coupon.

Another great tip

This tip I just thought of yesterday. I went to the store with my Mom and we went through the "do it yourself" checkout. I was standing in line and realized how many coupons people were just leaving behind. You know those catalinas that print out with your receipt? I was shocked and appalled. Most I was just shocked that people would leave money behind. Can you guess what I did? "Well uh" she shyly says. I walked around and picked up every coupon. Here is what I got just by picking up other peoples trash.

1-$1 off Listerine mouthwash
3-$1 off Danactive yogurt
1-$1 off .75 Bumblebee tuna
1-$1 off 1 package of Oscar Meyer deli meat
1-$1 off 3 IAM dog food
1-$1.50 off Trail Mix Crunch cereal
1-$3.00 off Kraft snackables cheese
1-$2.00 Cottonelle fresh wipes
1-.75 off any Cottonelle toilet paper
1- FREE 4 pack of Yo-Plus yogurt
1- FREE box of Vans waffles


Yes, this is the mother load.