PUBLIX DEAL - SPENT $31.01, SAVED $74%

Another awsome trip to Publix today and I stocked up on much needed paper towels and toilet paper. This also included 1 lb. Boars Head Buffalo Blazin' Chicken Breast deli meat.

MY WALGREENS DEAL 1/31/10

I am starting with $10 RR from last week. My transaction will look like this:

Buy 1 Blink Lubricating Eye Drops @ $7.99
Use 1-$1.50 Q

Buy 1 Scalpicin @ $5.99
Use 1-$1.00 Q

TOTAL DUE $11.48
Use $10 RR -10.00

PAY $1.48 OOP
GET BACK $8 RR and $6 RR FOR A TOTAL OF $14 RR to roll into next week.

THANK YOU TO ANCHOR FAITH CHURCH!!

A BIG THANK YOU to the friends and family of Anchor Faith Church. I had the wonderful opportunity to do a workshop for 45 people on Friday night. THANK YOU to all who attended and for the beautiful floral they gave me!!! What an awsome group of people!! Thank you Angie for setting everything up and giving me the opportunity to serve you.

TARGET DEALS, THURSDAY, JAN.28TH

I was in Target today and found many good deals for my daughter. Comforters, quilts, bamboo sheets, pillows, and various other home softgoods were on clearance for 75% off! Head over to Target to get some of these good deals before they are all gone. I also bought a beautiful 5x8 wool rug on clearance for $97. I also found the matching platter to my dishes for $4.98, also marked down 75%!!

ANOTHER GOOD FLIP IS UP! $1 OFF $5 FOR PRODUCE

Make sure to print your coupon to get $1 off a $5 purchase for produce. I sure liked the other one previous to this better ($2 off $5), but I will take everything I can get. Also, there is a $1 off $5 for meat.

WINN DIXIE SALE - HEINZ KETCHUP BOGOF

Our family goes through a lot of ketchup, and I don't even like it! We always make boiled shrimp on the weekend and use it to make the shrimp sauce so we go through it pretty quickly. I am heading over to Winn Dixie next week to buy Heinz Ketchup (the only kind my family will eat) when it is BOGOF. I purchased 15 coupons for $.75 off from e-bay for $2.00. When paired with the sale, I will only pay $1.00 per bottle. That is better than the regular price of $3.49 a bottle. Since the $.75 coupon was regional, it was worth it to me to pay $2.00 for the coupons.

Looks like my family will have plenty of ketchup!!!

WALGREENS DEAL - PAID $1.80

This is what I bought:

2 Newspapers
5 Benefiber Raspberry Drink Packets
2 Bic Razors
2 Pert Plus for Men Shampoo/Body Wash

TOTAL SPENT $1.80 PLUS RECEIVED $12 in REGISTER REWARDS to use on my next purchase!

PUBLIX TRIP SPENT $31.35, SAVED $84.65

BEFORE YOU START READING...NOT SHOWN IN PICTURE ARE 22 CANS HUNTS TOMATOES AND 6 CANS ROTEL TOMATOES!

So you ask "Why in the world would you buy 22 cans of Hunts Diced Tomatoes"? Well, when you can buy them for $.20 each YOU STOCK UP! The expiration date is August 2011 and I will have gone through those in about 6 weeks! Maybe I should have bought more!! Just remember...there is always another sale around the corner!

The 3 All Detergent would have been $17.97 and the Clorox Bleach would have been $6.57 for a total of $24.54. I am planning on going back and getting 5 more detergent and bleach and will pay $5.00 plus tax. Now that is a sweet deal!

WALMART VS PUBLIX SHOPPING TRIP

When I teach a class, I tell everyone you will never match a grocery store sale with Walmart's "Everyday Low Price". Here is a perfect example. I had to go to Walmart to get a few things. Thankfully, since using coupons, those trips have become far and few between! Here are the results:

THE FIRST AMOUNT IS WALMART AND THE SECOND IS PUBLIX
4 Bertolli Pasta/Alfredo Sauce $ 8.48 $ 1.59
3 All Detergent 5.91 3.00
3 Clorox Bleach 5.58 FREE
2 V8 Juice 5.56 4.60
4 Uncle Bens Wild Rice 4.00 2.00
1 Cottege Cheese 4 pack 1.00 .50
2 Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta 1.50 .50
1 Birds Eye Vegetable 1.28 .39
22 Hunts Tomatoes 17.88 5.29

THE TOTAL FOR WALMART WAS $53.62 AND THE TOTAL FOR PUBLIX $22.31

If I had a coupon for $.55 off an item, I took it off each side to compare apples to apples. I also got 3 Chobani Yogurt for FREE, 2 Chinet Plates for FREE, and 2 Colgate Toothpaste for $.24 each. I did not add those in the total as I did not know Walmarts price.

Many people think (as I did) when you go to Walmart you save money. Yes, some prices are cheaper there. But when you learn to shop differently and use grocery store sales, your trips to Walmart will be far and few between! YIPEE! That is definitely something to get excited about!

THE BIG QUESTION - WHY DO I STOCK UP (OTHERWISE KNOWN AS STOCKPILING!)

On this shopping trip, I stockpiled on Crystal Light. The regular everyday price is $4.69 each. Why pay that when you can pay $.35 each! Now I paid $3.50 for ten instead of $46.90 for ten! I also added to my stock of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter when I paid $.25 each. Now I am ready to eat all that good corn when it comes into season!

Why should you stockpile? When you stockpile, you only buy your items when they at their lowest price. You never again have to pay full price for that box of cereal, tube of toothpaste, or roll of paper towels because you always have enough on hand.

How much should you buy? Stores sales generally run on a three month cycle. That means the BOGO cereal that also has matching coupons that will be FREE to $.50 will not likely be at that price for another 3 months. When your favorite products are at that rock bottom price, you should buy enough to last your family three months. Each family is going to be different. My family may only go through one 6 pack of yogurt a week where your family may go through two 6 packs. When you can get these for FREE to $.25 you want to stock up. Always be mindful of the expiration dates on perishable food.

Some of the items I stockpile include:

Cereal
Quaker Instant Oatmeal
Granola Bars
Fiber Plus Bars
Fruit Snacks
Pasta
Crystal Light
Boxed Side Dishes
Canned Vegetables
Salsa
Canned tomatoes
BBQ Sauce
Marinades
Salad Dressing
PAM
Storage/Freezer Bags
Paper Products
Toothpaste
Razor Blades & Razors
Shampoo & Conditioner
Body Wash
Deodorant
Over the counter medicines
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Paper Plates

WALGREENS, SPENT $3.68, SAVED $27.74 - SAVED 88%

I had a $10 Register Reward that was going to expire at the end of the week so I needed to do a deal to roll that $10 into the next few weeks. I purchased:

4 NyQuill

2 Puffs Tissues

1 pack gum

1 Skittles (filler for $.39)

TOTAL SPENT $3.68

GOT BACK $10 Register Rewards

TOTAL SPENT $8.73, SAVED $77.41 - SAVED 90%!!!

I always like to go to Publix on Tuesday on my day off to get any good deals I may have run out of or to check to see if anything that is BOGO is out-of-stock. My goal today was to get more Crystal Light which normally sells for $4.69 each. I bought the last 10 they had on the shelf in the flavor I wanted and YAHOO I got a raincheck!! I also was able to get a raincheck for the pasta and Bagels that were BOGOF! Today my purchases were as follows:

2 cans carrots

4 cans pinto beans

2 lb. baby carrots

10 Crystal Light

2 PAM

2 I Can't Beleive It's Not Butter

2 Kraft Singles Cheese

Bananas

1- 1/4 lbs. Fresh Fish

TOTAL SPENT $8.73...that is a savings of 90%!!!

CHECK OUT THIS GREAT DEAL I AM GETTING NEXT WEEK ON ALL DETERGENT AND CLOROX BEACH

I always tell people at my class to get rainchecks when they are out of an item you want. Well, here is the perfect reason why.

All Detergent is normally priced at $5.99. I got a raincheck when they were on sale for $2.99. This next weeks sale starting on 1/21, you buy an All Detergent and get a Clorox Bleach FREE. Not only do I have a raincheck but I also have a $2.00 coupon for each one.

My final deal will be 6 All Detergent and 6 Clorox Bleach for $6.00. I think I will pat myself on the back for that one!

Has anyone ever wondered how I know the upcoming ads prices when it is only Monday??? Find out when you sign up for a class!!

SUPER CHEAP HUNTS TOMATOES STARTING 1/21

Hunts Canned Tomatoes will be on sale BOGO at Publix starting 1/21/10. Buy 4 and use the $1 off 4 blinkie in the store right now in front of the tomatoes and the $1 off 3 FLIP and you get tomatoes for $.25 a can! Not bad when they are normally $1.39 a can! This is what I call a stock up price!

MARKDOWN SCHEDULE FOR TARGET

I know many of you are a fan of Target. I LOVE Target!! I so wish they made our Target a Super Target when they built it...but they didn't ask me!!

Target usually follows a markdown schedule and I thought I'd pass it along.


MONDAY- Kids clothes, electronics
TUESDAY- Women's clothes, domestics
WEDNESDAY- Men's clothes, toys, health and beauty
THURSDAY- Lingerie, shoes, housewares, sporting goods
FRIDAY- Cosmetics, hardware, auto, jewelry

Not all Targets mark down at the same time but at least it will give you some kind of an idea. Always check the price of something because the sign may say 30% but it is actually 50%.

NEW COUPON BOOK FOUND AT PUBLIX - GREAT DEAL ON HUGGIES DIAPERS AND WIPES!!

I just found a new coupon booklet at Publix tonight and it includes coupons for $3 off Huggies Diapers and $.50 off Huggies Wipes. These are Publix coupons so they can be stacked with a MQ or competitors coupon. That will make for a good deal on diapers and wipes!

Other coupons included in the booklet are Scott Toilet Tissue, Viva Paper Towels, kleenex, Scott Paper Towels, Degree Deodorant, Bertolli and more. All of these items are eligible for the "Spend $30 and get a $10 Rebate". This would be a great time to stock up on those items especially when paired with other coupons!

YIPEE!! SNAGGED SOME CRYSTAL LIGHT FOR $.35 EACH!!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am addicted to Crystal Light Peach Tea. This can be quite an expensive habit when they are priced at $4.69 each. I carry a 64 oz. container of Peach Tea with me everyday to work. I can go through some tea pretty quickly. Crystal Light was on sale BOGO a few weeks ago but did not have any coupon match-ups with it. This time it did and I only paid $.35 each!! I bought 8 of them but I will be going back and getting some more. I broke out of my comfort zone and tried the Ruby Red Grapefruit and I LOVED it! Had I paid $4.69 for it and hated it, I would have been so disappointed. That is another good thing about couponing. It allows you to try things that you normally wouldn't try.

NEXT COUPON WORKSHOP 2/4/10

My next coupon workshop will be Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 6:30 pm. We will meet at Lighthouse Interiors, 304 Anastasia Blvd.

If you are interested in attending, please let me know as seating is limited!!

GET A FREE PUBLIX $10 GIFT CARD WYB $30 WORTH OF UNILEVER AND KIMBERLY CLARK PRODUCTS

Some of the products include:

Huggies diapers, Pull-Ups, GoodNights
Cottonelle Toilet Paper
Kotex Products
Viva Towels
Kleenex Facial Tissue
Scott Towels
Bertolli Pasta Sauce, Oven Bake Meals and Bertolli Dinner for Two
Hellmans Mayonnaise
I Can't Beleive It's Not Butter
Skippy Peanut Butter
Ragu
Dove Deodorant, Body Wash
AND MANY MORE!

The trick is they have to be purchased in ONE shopping trip between January 11, 2010 and February 13, 2010.

Go to http://www.unilever-rewards.com/ to see all the participating products and download rebate form.

Notice the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and Hellmans Mayo are BOGO and when stacked with coupons will make a great deal when applied toward the rebate!

SC JOHNSON REBATE FOR $5 - PAIR WITH PUBLIX SALE THIS WEEK!

Get $5 back by mail when you purchase ANY 3 SC Johnson Products, including:

Ziploc
Glade
Windex
Scrubbing Bubbles
Pledge
Shout
Fantastik
Drano
Raid
Off
Saran

The great thing is this rebate goes from 10/1/09 through 6/30/10 – that is a long time span to get some cheap items and get $5 back! You can do this rebate up to 3 times ($5 each time) but you must mail each rebate separately.
.
Send to:
SC Johnson Rebate,
Offer #MB-2000N,
P.O. Box 752955,
El Paso, TX
88575-2955
Questions? Call 1-800-410-5235

Pair this with the Scrubbing Bubbles on sale this week BOGO - $2.99
Use $.75 Q from 1-10-10 Smart Source

= $.75 each ($2 MONEYMAKER wyb 4 or $5.50 MONEYMAKER wyb 6 after MIR)

This is one reason why we get multiple papers!

CVS DEALS!

Keep rolling those Extra Care Bucks!! I swear my daughter eats shampoo and mousse in the shower so anytime I can get a good deal I take advantage of it...like paying $1.94 for 2 bottles of mousse, Oust, and Cottonelle wipes. The best part...I get the $8 ECB's to roll into another deal next week. Keep those drugstore deals comin'!

Have you noticed the price of milk lately? Well, there are milk coupons out there at http://www.tgleedairy.com/ and you can print 2 coupons every two months. (You can also enter to see if you can win free milk for one year!) Use these at CVS like I did this past week and I got a $.50 ECB back also. When I did the above deal with the Oust spray, milk and 3 packs of gum, I walked out paying only $2.26 and got back $10.50 in ECB's for next week. That is just like currency. I can't wait to see what I can get next week!

LOOK AT WHAT I GOT FOR $.95!!!

I was with my daughter who had to run into Publix to pick up a few things. So, of course, I could not miss out on the opportunity to get a few things also. I purchased the following:

2 Containers Emerald Nuts (dark chocolate YUM!) reg. $5.79 each
1 Romaine Lettuce $1.99
2 BeneVia Nutrition Drink $8.49 each
1 DiGiornio Pizza, 200 calorie $$2.50
2 Boxes Alleve $3.51 each
1 pack gum $1.09

Total spent out-of-pocket - $.95
Just another wonderful shopping trip at Publix where shopping is definitely a pleasure!

PUBLIX TRIP - SPENT $44.41, SAVED $178.83

Wow! Look at all the Special K cereal and bars. I ended up getting the bars for $.10 each and the cereal for $.25 a box. I am now stocked up on apple juice for the next 6 months, free Alleve and Midol for $.60 each. The Teddy Grahams cost me $5 but I will send in for a rebate for $10 so I made $5 on the deal! Plus my daughter and grandkids will love them! Also includes canadian bacon, 2- 1 lb. packages of Boars Head Deli Meat, peanut butter, BBQ chicken, bagels, 2 frozen veggies, grape tomatoes and plum tomatoes, watermelon, pears, bananas, celery, hummus, 2 mashed sweet potatoes, 2 boxes granola, garlic, cheese, fiber plus bars, 2 smartwater and hummus. Did I miss anything? Not bad for $44.41. Look at the size of my receipt!!

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ARE THESE POSTS HARD TO UNDERSTAND?

I recently received an e-mail from someone who saw the coupon workshop mentioned in the St. Augustine Record. He said he was confused by my blog but managed to figure it out. I do this blog to show some of the good deals I get each week. It would take too much time to try to explain everything and itemize each coupon I use. My goal is for someone to see this blog and want to learn how to "coupon" a different way and save alot more money!

Thank you for the comments and as always I love to hear from you at judiray56@yahoo.com .

DINERS CHOICE MASHED POTATOES BOGO AT PUBLIX

The Diners Choice Mashed Potatoes are BOGO this week at Publix. There is a $1/2 Q in the 1/3 SS. That means quick potatoes for $1.35 each! I personally like the Mashed Sweet Potatoes!

CHECK OUT THE AISLES IN CVS AND WALGREENS FOR MARKDOWNS

If you happen to be in CVS or Walgreens, walk down the aisles and check for the various markdowns. They have TONS of things on clearance at 75% and more. They have many excellent buys on all kinds of hair products, makeup, etc.

NEW TARGET MARKDOWNS ON KIDS TOYS!

I happened to be in Target this morning and checked their toy department to see if they did the markdowns to 50% yet. I caught it just right because they just did them and still had not changed the signs from 30% to 50% yet. All of my christmas and birthday gifts are purchased for next year for my three grandkids!! YIPEE!!

BOUGHT 8 CASES OF AQUAFINA FOR $4.08!!

NOT JUST ONE CASE BUT EIGHT CASES OF WATER!!

I had $16 worth of Register Rewards so I bought 4 cases and paid $10.96 out of pocket and received back $10 Register Rewards.

I loaded those in my car and went out and bought 4 more. I used $11 RR and paid $4.96 OOP and received another $10 RR. TOTAL OOP $15.92, PLUS RECEIVED $20 IN REGISTER REWARDS. That means I bought 192 bottles of water for $4.08!! Not a bad deal!!

COUPON FOR $1.00 OFF MILK...USE AT CVS!!

For those of you who say they never have coupons for milk, here is one for you. Go to www.tgleedairy.com and print off 2 $1.00 coupons. You are able to print 2 coupons every two months! T.G. Lee milk is at CVS. You can even use your ECB's to buy your milk!

WALGREENS...OH HOW I LOVE YOU!! SPENT $2.65, SAVED 91%

More dental floss to add to the stockpile! They sell everyday at Walgreens for $3.79. The infusion leave-in conditioner sold for $7.99! I sure hope it works! My daughter is going to have enough shampoo and conditioner to last her the whole year!

ANOTHER GOOD WALGREENS RUN!! SPENT $2.18, SAVED 96% PLUS RECEIVED $6 RR!

How could I pass this up? My daughter loves Aussie shampoo and conditioner and who can't use more dental floss?? The Bayer aspirin was FREE and I used the $.10 candy cane for a filler! After only paying $2.18, I received $6 in Register Rewards to roll into next week!

PUBLIX TRIP - SPENT $23.59, SAVED 69%!!

I am trying to start the new year off right and my family and I will follow Weight Watchers. I have done it before and it works!! The downside is it is more expensive having to eat 3 servings of fruit a day especially when the fruit that I like is not in season...And now the strawberry plants may freeze??? That means higher prices for strawberries!

I stocked up on the bread while it was on sale BOGO and added three more oatmeal to my stockpile. I couldn't pass up more yogurt for $.25 each. The Alleve, Sudafed, tomato sauce and gummie bears were FREE. I would have bought more chickens but one was all that would fit in my freezer!! I am stocked FULL!

FOLLOWING THESE POSTS??

I have decided to try to track my spending for the next year on my grocery and drugstore purchases. I will post the weekly amount I paid and the percent saved based on the Total Savings at Publix on the bottom of my receipt. This is where you can really track your savings when you are combining sales with coupons.

Of course, we as a family have decided to go on Weight Watchers so I know my budget will increase because of all the special food we will be buying including more fresh fruit and vegetables. I am sure some weeks will be higher when things are not in season but we will track it and see how it goes!

CVS TRIP - PAID $.50, RECEIVED $9.50 IN ECB'S

Oh, how I love CVS!! I only paid $.50 for the two toothpaste, body wash, lightbulb, and 2 Nivea Lip Balm. The best part was they gave me $9.50 in ECB's to use on my next purchase(s)!

SMALL PUBLIX RUN - PAID $15.47, SAVED 87%

A small trip to Publix for the 1 lb. deli meat, 4 yogurt which were $.25 each, 2 loaves bread, sudafed, 3 oatmeal (which are normally $3.69 each) , canned tomatoes and snack items.

Later in the day I decided I wanted to make chicken soup. It was too late to take one of my chickens in the freezer out, so while I was out I ran into Publix again and bought 2 chickens, 8 Wonka Gummie candy for my daughter, noodles, 4 bottles vitamin D, and another Sudafed. My total for that order was $1.30!! That made my chicken soup taste even better!!

WALGREENS DEAL PAID $9.08, RECEIVED $4 RR

I made my usual trip to Walgreens today and bought 4 Electrosol Dishwasher (reg. price $3.49 each), 3 bleach, 2 toilet paper, baby oil and baby lotion, and 2 bottles of Anti Frizz for my hair. I doubt they will work, but it is worth a try. I only paid $1.29 each because they were on clearance. The true test will be in the summer when the humidity hits to see if my hair looks like a chia pet!

STILL NOT SURE IF YOU WANT TO "COUPON"??

The nagging feeling inside you is there, like that squeaky shopping cart in the aisle that you can no longer pretend to ignore. It's the voice that tells you it's time to get serious about the way you shop... and save! Saving at the stores is more than just holding your breath and hoping for the best. It takes strategy--and yes--- a little bit of time to plan as well. When I talk to others about why they don't coupon, they have many reasons including:

1) There is no time left in the day.
2) It doesn't really make a big difference.
3) I make enough money to shop the way I want to. And so on...

The comment that amazes me the most is the, "I make enough money to shop the way I want to shop." I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that a hard-working person who earns ample amounts of money wouldn't want to keep MORE of it around. According to Suzie Brown, chief marketing officer of Valassis Communications Inc., a processor and distributor of coupons, "the average consumer can save more than $1,000 a year by being (JUST) a moderate coupon shopper. It's essentially cash," Brown said. So even without too much thought, time or care, a person could save a pretty large chunk of change, even enough for a few extra rounds of golf!
That's not very extreme, now, is it?

Moreover, couponing isn't just for "old people" anymore. Believe it or not, coupon redemption is up double digits in the last three quarters (in 2008 and 2009). An online study by Digital Research revealed that 47 percent of shoppers are spending less on groceries this year, with the average weekly bill at $108, and "are using more coupons and promotions. "Whether we want to admit it or not, the recession is affecting everyone and it's time to take notice and leave hesitation at the wayside. Couponing DOES make a difference. Many dimes, pennies and quarters add up to dollars and true noticeable savings! If you only took the time to track your savings, you too would learn to SEE the difference!

Finally, the stickler: "I don't have time to coupon." I believe the key to taking ownership in personal saving is to actually be willing to "test drive" a few tricks of the trade. I was not a "coupon believer," until I realized that it could work for me and that my time was worth the benefits couponing and savvy shopping could reap.

So get off the fence and come and learn the tricks of the trade and how you can put it to work for your family!

TOSTITOS DEAL THIS WEEK AT PUBLIX!

Starting today, January 1st (Happy New Year!!), Tostitios Tortilla Chips will be on sale BOGOF for $4.99. Use two $1.00 coupons from the 12/13/09 SS to make them $1.50 a bag. Stock up now!!