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: Great Cereal Deal at Publix

All of the Kellogs brand cereals are 50% off at Publix today and tomorrow (Sunday). Most boxes are $3.79 - $4.29 each (so just divide those by half). Not too bad. But, it's even better when you use the coupon that SouthernSavers talks about here (I seriously cannot plug this woman and her blog enough, she has changed so many lives). $5 off 5 boxes. I read in the comments that someone used this opportunity to donate 35 boxes of cereal to a Ronald McDonald House in their area. Me, I'm probably being a little selfish and using this as an opportunity to get back on my Weight Watchers; I stocked up on Special K. I got 5 boxes of cereal for $5.73 ($1.15 a box basically). So then...according to the math, I saved 73% off each box.

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 Returns!

Thought I'd share the free deal I found from Southern Savers this week at Publix (you still have time to cash in on this).

We're free at Publix! Crest toothpaste and Oral B toothbrush!

Right now at Publix, both the Crest toothpaste and Oral B toothbrush are $2 each. If you are like me, and you are a frequent Publix shopper, you should have received the "Savings are Stocking Up at Publix" mailer. It looks like this:

Yay! Free money at Publix!

Inside this booklet there were coupons for $1 off Crest toothpaste and $1 off Oral B manual toothbrushes. Remember, these are store Qs, so you can couple them with the sale + manufacturer's Qs to get the BEST deals.

Right now you can find manufacturer's Qs for both in variations of -.50, -.75 and -$1. Luckily, I had them in the $1 value.

So, $2 sale price, minus $1 store Q and $1 manufacturer's Q = FREE.

I got lucky and we have an extra mailer that came to the house (mom also spends lots of $$ in Publix) so I'll be getting more, but this time it'll be .25 cent for the toothpaste.

Either way, the toothpaste is getting donated, but I'll keep the toothbrushes :)

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: Good Sale @ The Limited!

If you are in your late 20s like me, you may struggle in Columbus to find "age appropriate" clothing. It's like stores here cater to the extremes and my age group is left out. I generally have to drive to Atlanta to find things that suit my needs and taste. I love TheLimited. And right now they have pretty good deals going on. All of their pants and jeans are 40% off. And all of their shirts and shirtdresses are on sale 40% off as well. Plus, I had a coupon in the mail so I got $30 off $100 (it is also good for $50 off $150). I chose the following:

My final total was $86. That was a savings of over 50%. And, the great thing is that I know these pants last (so long as you stop losing weight...I bought several last fall that I can no longer wear from losing my weight).

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: 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.