Savings Alert: CVS Coke Product Deal

I thought I would blog about the upcoming deal at CVS I saw in the circular on Thursday. Coke products (12 pks) will be 5/$15 but you get $5 ECB back. That makes it 5/$10 which is a pretty sweet deal, especially because I'm running low on sodas for work.

And just as an aside: So far this year, I have used $92.85 in coupons alone ($249.74 coupled with additional sales). But, with the coupons, that's basically an extra hundred to put towards the dreaded student loans or mortgage, or an extra hundred to go buy a couple of pieces for the wardrobe. What would you do with an extra hundred dollars every couple of months?

The Art of Couponing: Score $10 in CVS cash EASY this week

I haven't fallen off my couponing wagon much at all. I've set the goal of using $500 in coupons this year and I think I'm on my way. Let me tell you about the deal at CVS I took advantage of this week.

Right now you can spend $30 in store on select items and get $10 back in CVS cash. Remember, that's $30 before coupons, and some of the items I bought had coupons and I bet if you take a minute you could find something for more.

I bought:

I bought 4 Coke 12 pks, 18 count of Cottonelle and 2 6 pks of Choose a Size Scott paper towels.

The Coke products are $2.50 per 12 pk.
The Cottonelle 18 pk is $10 (but there are coupons out there for .50 off and possibly others)
The Scott paper towel 6 pks are $5 each. (but there is a $1 off coupon out there)
(I also used my $2 CVS Extra Care Bucks that I needed to get rid of).

I spent $28.58, saving $16.64 and earning $10 to use next trip (so you could say I saved $26.64).

This is an easy one to replicate, and if you don't like soda just check out my favorite blog- Southern Savers to find out more ways to work the $30 deal.

The Art of Couponing: CVS $10 Gas Deal

I was a bit skeptical this summer of the CVS gas deal. Spending $30 seemed to be a bit more than I wanted to pay, but I thought there were some good deals on the products you had to spend the $30 on.

I bought:

Yes, Elliot wanted in on the saving action...

I used 4 $1.00/1 Tide detergent coupons, .25 cent off Charmin & .25 cent off Bounty. The really cool thing I used that I hadn't planned on using was a $4 off $20 CVS coupon that I loaded onto my CVS card through cvs.com right before I ran out to go to the store. So lesson learned: ALWAYS log on to cvs.com before you roll out of your house! Also, I used $3ECB before they expired at the end of the week.

The Art of Couponing: Free Advil at Publix this week!

Take me home! I'm free!

You read that correctly. FREE Advil at Publix. 

Before going to Publix print two of these manufacturer's coupons from Advil. 

Go to the customer service counter and pick up the GREEN coupon flyer. There is a Public store coupon for $5 off TWO boxes of Advil. 

Right now, a 50 ct. box is on sale for $4.49. 

4.49x2 = $8.98

minus $5 from Publix Q

minus $4 total from the 2 Manufacturer's Qs

That's negative $9 total!

You actually get paid.02 towards the taxes you pay on the items :) (Actually, I don't know if that is true or not...but come on FREE Advil)!

And just so you know...a 100 ct box is on sale for $10.29!

NO EXCUSES FOLKS! You need to get in on this.

Again, my all time favorite is Southern Savers, but there are tons you can check out online!

The Art of Couponing: 4 for $4.50

Did you use your $5 off $30 coupon at Publix this week? I did!

You can't see it all. I honestly didn't want to spend too much time on the display because well, there is ice cream out there and other cold goodies. But, all of that was under $35. I saved right at 50% on the whole bill. Tomorrow night we're going to have tacos and when you do the math, it's basically dinner for four people for four dollars and some change. The taco kits were .59 each after sale+doubled coupons. The lean ground beef is on sale for 3.99/lb and I got a little less than a full pound. You can use coupons.com (or if you are on inbox dollars or swagbucks you can print the coupons there) to find a .50/1 El Paso product coupon. If you can't find it try zip code 30185. And if you want more deals, check out SouthernSavers for all the lists! Happy Couponing!

The Art of Couponing: Big CVS Deals

If you haven't seen it by now, I'll post here for you all to see. There are some good deals at CVS right now. Just check out Southern Savers or Coupon Divas for some easy check lists.

Here is the deal I did this week: Buy $20 worth of Playtex and/or Schick and get $10 ECB back.

I bought...
Edge Shave Gel, regular $2.87 (on sale for $2.19), used coupons for .55 off, paid $1.64
Skintimate Shave Gel, regular $3.59 (on sale for $2.19), lost my coupon so I paid $2.19
(2) 40 ct. Playtex Gentle Glide Tampons, $8.49 each (used 2 $1/1 coupons) and paid $7.49 each
Also used $4 in ECB off my total that expire soon.
Total out of pocket cost: $14.81 + tax, but earned $10 ECB to use in store. Which I'm thinking about using to buy 4 cases of Diet Dr Pepper (on sale $2.50 per 12 pack).

I would have made out better if I could have bought the Shave Creams, but they were SOLD OUT when I got there. I know you can do a rain-check at CVS, but I was in a hurry and I honestly didn't need it that bad. I mostly steal Tim's shave gel, but since there was a chance to buy some girly kind, I did (and bought one to go in his stash as well). In fact, I think Walgreen's is also having a good deal on the Shave Cream if anyone has the coupons leftover from missing out on the CVS deal.

The Art of Couponing: Back into Super Saving Action

You haven't seen me post one of these in a while, mostly because I've seriously been so busy we haven't even really been shopping. My mom has been taking on more of the feeding responsibilities because my niece and nephew are still around. But, since the online class is now over I decided to put my little coupons back into action. Note: I've still been clipping, just haven't been using.

So let me share some of the highlights from tonight's shopping trip.

@CVS:

Tonight's Out of Pocket cost was: $3.73

Yes. You read that right. I paid $3.73 for 2 Oral B toothbrushes, Tampax Pearl Tampons (get over yourself squeamish boys) and chocolate! PLUS: I earned $4 Extra Care Bucks. That's like a profit of 27 cents ha!

How I did it? Well, I had $3 ECB to use by 7/6 or else they expire, I used a B1G1 Oral B toothbrush coupon, I got a free chocolate coupon just by stopping at the coupon printer in store, I used a $1off Tampax Pearl, and the Toothbrushes+ Tampons had ECB deals. All in all a savings of 78%.

@Publix

All this can be yours for the price of $9.74

Above you see: Ritz crackerfuls, French's mustard, Viva paper towels, Mueller's pasta, 2 rolls of Reynold's non-stick wrap, Mahatma rice, Playtex tampons, and Breakstone's sour cream blends! All for under $10. The grand savings total was 64% off.

Let me go over a couple of the big deals:

Reynolds non-stick wrap, regular $4.39

On sale B1G1 so it's $2.19

Used a .75 off coupon to pay $1.44 a roll; that is a savings of 67% Not too bad. You can ALWAYS use this stuff.

Viva Big Roll paper towels, regular $3.00

On sale B1G1 so it's $1.50

Used a .50 coupon that DOUBLES to $1.00 off at Publix to pay .50 for one roll; that is a savings of 83%

Mueller's Pasta, regular $1.45

On sale B1G1 so it is .72

Used a .55 cent off coupon to pay .17; that is a savings of 88%

Please tell me I have persuaded some of you by now :)

Some of the best sites to help you are:
Southern Savers
Coupons Make it Free
20 Something Saver

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: .34 brownie mix and other Publix goodies

Mama knows how to shop! All this for 10.92 (rough average of $1 of per item)- a savings of 61%

If you are my facebook friend you already know about the 34 cent brownie mix. But, if you aren't you should go fast to the Duncan Hines facebook page and get your .50 coupon (which Publix doubles in MOST states). Since the brownie mix is on sale $1.34 per box and the coupon doubles to $1 off...well technically I think it's 35 cent...but...tomato potato...or something. It is roughly 87% off.

Another great deal: going on is the Kraft chunk cheese or cheese cuts. They are $1.67 each and I used a coupon for $1.50 off 2 8oz Kraft cheese. That's almost like getting one free.

The pasta sauce deal is good too. The Bertolli sauces are $2 each and there was a coupon very recently (this past Sunday I think) for $1.50 off two. Again, almost like getting the second one free.

The Publix penny item was my real reason for going in tonight. I knew I could get the brownie anytime this week, but today's penny item was Publix Creamy Peanut Butter. The penny item, and the mailers that come out on Wednesdays are why I do the majority of my couponing on Wednesdays and Sundays.

The 20oz pineapple chunks were B1G1 free so I got one at half off. I'm going to try a new recipe this week and make pineapple bliss cupcakes. Hence why I bought the marsh mellow item (it was sadly not on sale, but that's ok).

Also, I used a total of FIVE coupons tonight. Count them- FIVE. Kraft cheese, Duncan Hines Brownie, Duncan Hines Cake Mix, Penny Coupon, & Bertolli. If you are looking in to starting just tell yourself that you'll start with only one or two. Over time you'll find more to use and see a difference because they add up.When you start using more than one, it really adds up. And when you stack them with store deals (like Publix) you REALLY save.

Happy Savings :) I'll let you know how the cupcakes turn out this week.

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???