Another Kroger trip and the rest of my weekend errands

So I am one step away from being obsessed with the deals at Kroger. LOL I went in and picked up 11 more boxes of crayons for my mom to give away to needy families for school and made money off of it. :) I also got 4 more packages of cheese another container of cream cheese for my sister. 2 more bottles of free hand soap and 2 more cans of free spaghettios as well as a 6 pack of drinkable yogurt for my little man. I also caved and got a back of twizzlers that were on clearance and spent $3 and came out with the same $9 in coupons I went in with to use next week on whatever new deals or food we need. :)

This morning I headed out for the yard sales found one neighborhood sale and then hit some other random ones around town. I picked up a bag of books and cartridges for Leappad I have for when Scott gets bigger. It had 9 in it all for just $5 that is less than one new. I also got him four fun books at that sale for 25 cents each. I found a dump truck like the one Scott has for $5 at another sale for the family I have been babysitting for since the kids are outgrowing their current toys and are ready for new big kid ones. I'm sure their mom will be pleased. The find out the day was a train table with some track and trains for just $10. I have been collecting the wooden trains and tracks for a while and have a nice collection for Scott but didn't have a table. I appreciated that my neighbor was willing to run over with me and pick it up so we didn't have to take it apart to try and put it in my car.

Then I was off to Toys R Us because I got an email with a coupon for buy one get one free V-motion games. Last year I found an awesome deal on this game system that is similar to the Wi only for little kids on clearance for $40. It came with an extra controller that you usually have to pay extra for and it was to good of a deal to pass up. I have yet to start seeing these at yard sales even for more than I would be willing to pay. Anyway I went in because I knew they had a Thomas game and I was sure at least one other Scott would enjoy and I only had Wonder Pets and Little Einsteins so far. I was expecting them to be $19.99 full price so about $10 each so I was happy with that. They had been selling for about $25 last Christmas. I got there to find them only $14.99 so I got 4 more games for just over $30. I got Thomas, Cars, Toy Story 3, and Handy Manny.

I made a run into Meijer while I was over that way because I was still looking for the Linny wonder pets toy that I let slip away at TRU recently. Scott loves the other two and carries them everywhere so I really wanted to find the final one for him. I went to the other one last week but no luck they didn't have it. Today I was excited to find they did. More than the missed deal but better than I could get anywhere else since they are not as available as they used to be. I also found a clipos starter vehicle kit and since I got the table for him I thought he would enjoy that as well. I also picked up two more packages of Boogie Wipes for 19 cents a pack while they still had them.

All in all a good morning. Makes me wonder what I spent my money on before I had my sweet little boy. LOL

Kroger (Awesome deals this week)

I have been to Kroger 3 times this week. Partly because I had to pick up Scott's prescription for his antibiotic and partly because the deals are so got is worth it and I live so close. :)

My first trip I saved 79% and spent less than $6. :) I got free Spaghettios and almost free hot dogs not sure they are all that healthy but free can go a long way and the canned stuff can help others too. I used Brad's new computer to print more coupons from facebook for pizza and Miracle whip. You can't beat 49 cent pizzas and 67 cent MW which I use in a lot of summer time foods. I get the reduced fat one. I found some straw cups for Scott that will clean pretty easy to use for milk and such without a mess that were 1/2 off at 50 cents each.

By the second trip I was ready to start getting some deals that would produce catalina's for future use. Only saved 74% LOL I got cream cheese that will end up being free with the coupon I got back. I got crayons and markers that were also free after the coupon I got for them. I also got a half gallon of milk for 19 cents. Can't beat that. I had an e-coupon and a paper coupon to make that one work. Got some free hand soap, some cheap coffee filters because we are getting low and they were part of the mega sale so helped round up my numbers and a box of granola bars because they are a great price even without a coupon and Brad likes them in his lunch. I spent less than $13 and got back $9 in coupons for my next trip.

I am not sure how much I saved on my 3rd trip because I can't find the receipt. Might not have picked it up but at least I got my coupons so I will live. I got 11 boxes of crayons to get another $4 coupon and I only spent $2.75 on them. I will either use these in the goody bags for Scott's birthday or donate them to some kids in need. (Need to ask mom if she has people asking for that stuff.) I made this trip to Kroger because I was meeting someone to sell something on Craigslist but they didn't bother to show up or return my texts. I also got 4 packages of Kraft shredded cheese and another container of cream cheese to get another $5 coupon. I was very happy to find that since I was there yesterday they had added a blinkie machine with $1/2 coupons making these 38 cents each after coupons and a catalina!! Awesome deal. I got 2 more cans of free Spaghettios and 2 boxes of Fruit Chillers that I have become addicted to. Popsicles made with real fruit and with Coupons they are only 99 cents. I also got one more box of granola bars. All said and done I used both my coupons from earlier today and spent less than $6 and left with another pair of coupons good for $9 off my next trip. I might go back for more if I can find enough fillers for the Mega sale. I still have a coupon for Spaghettios so I need 3 more items. Might see if Brad will let me use his email to get 2 more free hand soaps.

A good week for amazing deals now if the rest of life would work that well. LOL Oh well the ear infection is going away and Scott is feeling much better so hoping next week will work out.

Meijer trip and Yard Sales

One of the best things about summer or any warm weather is all the yard sales. I love finding something super cheap and getting a real deal. It was raining last night so I was afraid the yard sales would be off but thankfully it cleared off just in time. My awesome cousin gave me a portable DVD player to use for Scott in the car since we are planning a trip to Chicago next month. I needed a case for it though and found a brand new one for $3 today. :) I also got some DVD's for Scotty and Sleeping Beauty on Blue Ray and DVD for only $5 probably watched once if at all. I also found a Tot Spot chair for him for 50 cents. I had been putting off buying one because I couldn't find a good one I liked the price on until today and he is finally big enough to use it. :)

I used to love Meijer out of all our local grocery stores but recently I don't find the sales to be as good and the way their coupon doubling works it makes me crazy some days. They double two like coupons but sometimes it takes the family of coupons and will only double two even though they are for different things. Then when you call their attention to it they look at the internet print coupons that say do not double (which by the way has nothing to do with the store doubling them per their policy) and won't give me the money. Anyway so I did well today but only used coupons that wouldn't double anyway so no issues. I was very excited to find the Boogy Wipes on Clearance. I had been looking for them since I saw a post about it on A full cup but couldn't even find that they sold them at my store. I looked in the baby section and all the clearance end caps in the Health and Beauty department. Well today I was looking for Allergy meds for Scott and just happened to notice them on the bottom shelf checked and they were $1.19 a package which orginally almost $4. I had been saving some $1 coupons just in case so I got 3 packages for 19 cents each. :) Printed a couple more coupons and if they have some left next week I will get a couple more. I got Chicken Breast for 1.69 a pound. I also picked up some Crayola Crayons for 25 cents a package. They are over $1 regular price and so I always stock up during back to School season. If your child uses crayons now is the time to get them and if they are in school pick up some extras for when the teacher sends a note saying they need new ones so you don't have to pay full price then. :) I also got some boxes of Frosted mini-wheats Chocolate minis for $1.49 a box. Don't ask me why but I love these things and they are healthier than eating chocolate candy. LOL Saved at least 1/2 off my purchases today at Meijer.

Gift Giving...ways to save money and still give great gifts

I love giving gifts that other people will love to get. I don't like spending a lot of money though and if I wait until Christmas or Birthdays I end up spending a lot more than I had planned and sometimes can't find just the right thing. So I start right after Christmas buying gifts for the next year or last year I even picked up a few deals that were great to use for Scott this year when he will be big enough for them. January is a great month to buy toys. They clearance out all the extras they had in for the Holiday Season. So starting the day after Christmas you can get stocking stuffers for 1/2 off as well as some special holiday toys. Target especially will clearance stuff down as far as 75%. I kind of keep track of it on www.afullcup.com in the Target Forum. People post what they find. I got Scott some great stuff last year at 50% off and a few things at 75% off. I also buy extras to use as gifts for other kids as well. This I will continue when he gets a bit bigger and starts going to birthday parties. Brad (my husband) loves 70's TV so I watch for DVD sets for him. He doesn't mind if they are already opened so I pick them up at yard sales, Goodwill, and on www.half.com which is owned by ebay but you don't bid. You can however put in a pre-buy which means you tell them the price you will pay for the quality of item you are looking for and if someone is willing to sell it to you for that price the order will go through automatically. I have gotten some great deals that way. I actually have some pending now for gifts or just for fun. You can do it with books, movies, and CD's. I also watch ebay for things (they are not as cheap as they used to be because people tend to bid things up and shipping is so high now). The good thing there is you can put an automatic search on things and when someone lists what you are looking for it will email you. That way you don't miss out on a great deal. I also love searching online for great deals and try to keep up with other blogs and such so I see when great deals pop up such as stores going out of business.

Bottom line watch for deals all the time and you find the perfect gift at the perfect price.

Second Kroger Trip and Goodwill

Well it all worked out that I went back a second time. I was able to find some more great coupons and get two sets of 10 items and came out of there saving 70% this time. :) Still forgot to get my free coke I won in the Spin and Win summer Savings game. The first round I won Kook-aid Fizzies and this time a 20oz Coke but I can't remember to pick it up even with it on my list.

I got two Tombstone Pizzas for 49 cents each with the $2 coupons I got from Facebook. I got two containers of Miracle Whip for 67 cents each with the $1 coupons I also got from FB. :) I had a free Suave Shampoo coupon I finally remembered to use and instead of just giving me the item free it gave me the full $3 so an extra $1.01. :) I also had a coupon for a free can of Libby's vegetables and a $1 off coupon for the Philly Cream cheese minis which made them free with a penny extra.

It was a good trip. Spend $14.52 and saved $34.53. I did remember just now that I was supposed have gotten a $1 Catalina from buying the Danamino yogurt that I did not get. Never fails I get so caught up in getting out of there that I forget stuff like that. :(

I also picked up a redbox movie for Brad and I that I hope I stay awake for. The free rental code for Kroger is still working and you can use it once per card DVDKROG

Then we headed to Goodwill. I was looking for some more work pants for Brad. Some of his has worn out and some of them are to dressy for his current job where most people dress down most of the time. Score I found two pairs that look like new for $3 a pair. I also got 3 new books for Scott. I know he doesn't need them but he loves book so much. He just sits in his play corner on his bean bag chair and "reads" book after book. At 50 cents each how can you pass them up. We got one about Grandma and me we had the Grandpa so it was a great addition. :) I had a friend's little girl ask if Scott got a new book every time he went out (she loves the bookstore) and I told her that I didn't buy new books for him because I thought they were to expensive but that I always got him books at Goodwill and yard sales for 50 cents or less each.

The Mall

Funny I am not a fan of the mall. I guess I never really have been. I feel like things are overpriced for the most part. I go once every couple of months usually because I have a coupon or need to return something. Yesterday I needed to return some flip flops that I ordered from Coldwater Creek online that didn't work out. I ordered them when their site was 1/2 off and I had a reward card from using my credit card. I know some people have issues with credit cards but I use it to get rewards and for the help they give me if something goes wrong with a purchase. I pay it off each month and only spend money we already have. So I returned them and did not find anything else they had on sale I couldn't live without. I got lucky and they gave me the money back on my card instead of the gift card so then I was able to use that money toward some clothes for Scott.

Since we are enrolled in Gymboree classes we get Gymbucks that we can use at the clothing store. I don't love that I have to spend $50 to get the $25 off deal but their clothes are good and hold up for a long time as well as have great resale value. I refuse to buy them at full price but they have great deals with their clearance stuff. So I took my Gymbucks and bought clearance stuff in bigger sizes for Scott. So I only spent about $10 more than the money I got back on my card from the shoes so I am happy. I got several hundred dollars worth of clothes for $30 and a good portion of that I will get back when I resell them at the consignment store because they are name brand. :)

On the way out of the mall I decided to run into Walden books to see if they still had some Wonder Pets books unfortunately they did not but while there I discovered they had their cool huge glitter bouncy balls on clearance for $2.99 from the regular $9.99. Scott loves them at Gymboree but I have refused to pay full price for one. He was very happy that mommy got him one. The only bad part was he threw it in the parking lot and we almost lost it. Crazy kid held it all the way through the mall and then threw it when we got outside. LOL

Trying to keep up with money saving...

I hate that I have not been able to keep up with this blog and keep everyone informed of my deals. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day lately. Scott does not want to take two naps any more and one short one means he is a grouchy boy before the day is over and Brad is working a ton of hours recently.

I have been reading up on some of the other moms who post the deals and some of them go to a lot of effort to find all the deals and share them with others. I really appreciate that. My favorite one for Kroger is www.southernsavers.com she actually spent 2 hours in the store finding all the stuff on the Mega Sale this week. I follow Bargain Briana on a daily basis both on Facebook and getting an email with everything sent to me. I also follow Money Saving Mom the same way. They often have the same deals but the also have different ones too. Bargain Briana usually has the Meijer deals listed on her site. I also try and check www.afullcup.com where they have forums for most of the grocery stores. People like me get on there and post about the deals they find as well as people getting the sales ads early and posting about the deals and coupons match ups so you can get them before they are gone. I have used that early info to order extra coupons off ebay to get better deals since I rarely get a paper.

Today I went to Kroger but ended up making it out of the house without several of my coupons so I will have to make another quick trip in the end of the week. Thankfully it's only about 3 miles from the house so it won't take a lot of gas or I would have been more upset. They are currently have a Mega deal sale which I have a love/hate relationship with. I love the savings but hate that I have to keep track of how many items I have in my cart in order to make sure I actually get the extra $5 off my order. My receipt says I saved 53% which isn't bad. I do think I missed an e-coupon on my order and it does not count the yogurt I bought on clearance because it reads it as a regular price and not half price. I will have to contact whoever had the e-coupon for the Lean Cuisine so they can fix that for me. I also ended up getting one of the packs of yogurt I bought for free. If something does not ring up correctly at Kroger they will give it to you for free. Apparently someone forgot to take the tags off the shelf and nobody else had mentioned it. They go and check the shelf and then they give you your money back and you get to keep the item. In this case that meant I made $2 since that was what I was supposed to get off the yogurt with my e-coupon and my paper coupon which had already both come off but they gave me all of it back in cash. :)

I am still able to use both e-coupons from Kroger's site and paper coupons at my store so I can get some pretty good deals. I have been getting super cheap yogurt for Brad's lunch's this way. I am sure this will soon end but it's been great while it lasted the last several months. It was something I thought we might have to cut out because it was costing us a lot but then all these great coupon deals started coming up. The good thing is that Proctor and Gamble have now added their e-coupons back to Kroger cards which is helpful.

So when I go back later this week I am getting 2 Tombstone pizzas using the 2 $2 off coupons from FB's page to get them for 49 cents each. Two packages of Dananino yogurt that I have a $1 off coupons for making it 79 cents each and then there is a $1 coupon that should print so it will only be 29 cents each. I also have coupons to get cans of Red Gold Tomatoes for less than 30 cents a can.

I have also been to Aldi this week and am loving summer and all the fresh fruits and veggies available. They had organic strawberries for 99 cents a pound. Bing Cherries for $1.69 a pound which is an unbelievable price for them. I got a lot of other fruit and veggies as well.

Hopefully I will be able to post more of my money saving tips really soon.