Mail Order Madness: Birchbox, Victoria's Secret + Forever21

Today is a very photogenic post. I've been scoping out some deals online.

Victoria's Secret- Clothing Clearance

I bought this one in black- so cute when I tried it on too.

Bought this top in the colors shown and it is HUGE! It doesn't actually taper, it's just MASSIVE all over.

Forever 21- Good deals!

This one is adorable!

I took a gamble on this one, but it turned out ok. I find it to be comfortable and summerish!

I also bought some various tank tops for layering in all kinds of colors. You cannot beat their stuff at 2.80 a pop. The black one I ordered months ago has held up pretty well for 2.80....

Birchbox- July Glamour Edition

It arrived on time! Woo!

Lots of goodies inside.

Inside this month's Birchbox:

amika Obliphica Hair Treatment

amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask

boscia B.B. Cream SPF 27 PA++ 

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner 

Harvey Prince Hello (perfume)

LÄRABAR® über

Also there were a pair of earbuds. I'm overall really excited with my box. I cannot wait to try out the hair treatments because they claim to tame the frizz. Also, I loved my Dr. Jart's BB so I'm really fascinated by BBs now. I'm looking forward to trying the boscia BB.

And that's it. Thus concludes my mail order madness! An in case you're wondering, all of this in my post cost right at $80. That's 4 tops, 3 tank tops, 1 bandeau top, shipping and my Birchbox subscription. Not too bad!

The Art of Couponing: It really doesn't take that much time

Someone one time told me they thought what I did was cool, but they didn't have the time. Now, I don't know much about this person, but I know myself and I'm highly involved in a lot of things, and I'm managing just fine. I hear the time argument all the time, but let me tell you about the trip to Publix I had with my mom yesterday.

I literally came home from work, went to the garden, snapped some photos and came in to load them when my mom asked if I wanted to go to Publix. Mind you, before I go to Publix I usually make a list of exactly what I want and I go ahead and pull the coupons I want to use and file them in the front of my coupon organizer.

It fits so well in the purse. And yes, that is Elliot in the back.

Look it expands! And yes, Elliot's tail is in the photo...

"Today's shopping coupons"

This allows me to stay on track in the store, get what I need, and generally be done in less than 15 minutes. Before, I used to meander around in the store for about an hour. (So think about that right there!)

However, yesterday I didn't have the pre-planning time. Mom gave me just a few minutes to put on my shoes, and do a quick scan of the sale paper. So, while I was in the car I started mentally listing what I needed to get.

The result? I used 4 coupons, purchased 7 items, paid $8.57, saved $15.43 or 64%

The biggest deals were the Marie's salad dressing for 65 cent (I've done this deal before), and Dove deodorant for 75 cent.

The next big deal I got is not squirmy boy friendly, so you have been warned...

I got a great deal on tampons. Alright, squirmy boys, get your giggles and groans out. But, mostly I'm speaking to the women here. Girly products can be a serious expense sometimes. Especially the good stuff. Publix had all of their Playtex gentle glide, and Playtex sports tampons on sale B1G1. So on top of that I have a $1 off each. The bottom line: Two boxes of tampons for $1.14 each. Are they my favorite brand? No. But, they are at least a close second.

Just think, if I can save 64% without much planning, what can you save if you take just a little time to plan?

The Art of Couponing: This is a great time to start

If I haven't persuaded you yet, and you're still holding out, this week at Publix is a great time to start. That's because you actually have the next couple weeks to learn the deals. Publix won't change its sales til after Easter.

One of the things I stocked up on tonight: Weight Watcher Smart Ones frozen meals. They are great for lunch. Right now Publix has them for 5 for $10.00 which is basically $2.00 each (remember you don't have to buy all 5). But, I did. I bought 12. I used a coupon for $5.00 off 12 WW Smart Ones (you can find these easily by going to their website or googling "smart ones coupons." Since several of them vary in price I'll break the math down below:

Total item cost for 12 WW Smart Ones: $33.38
Total on sale: $24.00
Coupon savings: $5.00
Total paid: $19.00
Total savings= $14.38 or 43% off! 


Another great deal that wasn't in the mailer is the Marie's salad dressing. You can get a $1 off coupon by joining their mailing list. Note: I have created a gmail account SOLELY for coupons. That way I cut the clutter from my actual inbox. It is on sale in the store 2 for $3.29 (which is basically B1G1, or 50% off 1). I needed more balsamic vinegarette so I only bought one.


Total cost for 1: $3.29
Total on sale: $1.65
Coupon savings: $1.00
Total paid: $0.65
Total savings= $2.65 or 81% off!

And the good thing about Marie's dressing? The balsamic vinegarette is only 1 WW pt per serving!

Overall, everything I bought on this trip was on sale EXCEPT Tim's popsicles. (I told him he messed up my overall savings and I'd blog about it. But, the good thing is we saved so much it was perfectly fine to buy him a treat haha!)

The total damage was $30.26, with a savings of $24.60 or 45% off!


PS- that's at least 19 lunch meals for me since some of the WW items are double servings (so almost 4 work weeks worth of meals). That is ONE DOLLAR PER MEAL! Can you honestly beat that???

The Art of Couponing: Hang in there

I just wanted to post a quick blog update while I wait on dinner :) Tim and I just got back from Publix and it was a pretty successful trip. There are several good sales going on. I just wish we had gone sooner because some things were sold out.

Side note: If you haven't checked it out yet, you need to go to iheartpublix. Great blog about couponing at Publix.

Anyways, I titled this post "Hang in there" because I want you to know that it may seem totally worthless in the beginning, but HANG IN THERE! The more you clip, and the more practice you get at stacking and planning, the better savings you are going to have. I've been doing this right at a month now and my first visits were 19%, 21% and 28%. Tonight, I reached a 32% discount at Publix. It may not sound like much, but it was $38.11 off! And, we got materials to make AT LEAST 8 meals over the next week, have plenty of leftovers, lunches and we bought snackage (because we love to eat).

I thought I'd also spotlight a few good deals & example of stacking:

Example 1: Sargento Shredded Cheese [Pepperjack]
Publix Sale- $2.00 + $1.50 off coupon for Sargento Shredded Pepperjack = 50 cents
Since the cheese is regularly $3.19 that's a savings of almost 85%

Example 2: Crest Toothpaste [I bought the one that has coupons inside!]
Publix Sale- 2 for 2.99 (B1G1) + $1 off Publix coupon = 1.99 for 2 6.4 oz sized toothpastes
Since the stuff is regularly $2.99 each, this was a savings of 67%

Example 3: Sun Chips
Publix Sale- $3.00 + $1 off Publix coupon = $2.00
Since the chips are regularly $3.79, this was s savings of almost 47%

I also cannot promote these enough but check out Jaclyn's blog & SouthernSavers They both give me great ideas.

The Art of Couponing: BIG Deal Update

So, I just had to check in for a minute and tell you about an amazing deal at CVS right now. I just bought TWO bottles of clean and clear brand body wash for 99 cents + tax! Yes, that is over 92% off. I think I'm converting to purchasing more household products at CVS...

Here is how I did it:
This week at CVS (until April 2), I bought 3 pepsi 12-packs for $10 and got $2 Extra Care Bucks back to use on another purchase.
Tonight, I walked in with that $2 ECB & a coupon from the Sunday paper (you can probably track it down online) that was for Buy 1 Get 1 Free clean and clear body wash.
Until April 2, CVS has clean and clear body wash on sale for 2.99.
When you combine the 2.99 price, B1G1 free, and $2 off you end up with .99 plus tax.

So instead of paying 11.98 plus tax, I paid .99 plus tax.

The Art of Couponing: Weeks 1 & 2

I decided on March 7th to take control of my finances and learn how to coupon. I was mostly inspired by one of my Auburn friends, Jaclyn. She has started an amazing blog and I really really encourage you to check it out. I got an idea from her to start tracking how much I saved using coupons. I mean, I was skeptical. How much do you really save by using a .40 cent coupon? [actually, I've learned that at Publix you'll save .80 cent because they double all coupons under .50]

So, I'm happy to report that on my last four grocery related trips I have saved the following using deals + coupons:

Trip #1 to Publix - 19%
Trip #2 to Publix - 21%
Trip #3 to Publix - 28%
Trip #1 to CVS - 33%

It may not seem like a lot, but you'll notice each time is a little more. I'm learning how to do this and it is working. Let me share one deal that I just got at Publix:

Weight Watchers Frozen Treats (regularly $5.29 each)
Currently, they are B1G1 free. So, that makes them $2.64 each (because it's basically 50% off).
I also had a $1.00 coupon from the internet.
I should have paid $10.58, but instead, I paid $4.29. That's a savings of almost 60%.

And that is honestly the trick. Shop at Publix (or a store with similar deals) and add the coupons on top.

Now, I know that people say..."but that's takes time, and my time is worth money." It was a little time consuming at first, but only because I was reading trying to figure it out. It really only takes a few minutes each day to check online for new deals (have them emailed to you if you want- I've created my own coupon-only email address) and clip from the Sunday paper.

I spent more time blogging right now than I did on clipping coupons.