dystopia

30 Days left and counting now! My wedding is exactly ONE month away on May 30th!! Oh my gosh!! I am so excited and just happy to get it over with now. I’m so ready to have this wedding now. I do have a few more things to do during this month but wow, it’s going to fly by I just know it. We have been so SUPER busy lately and the pace is not going to slow down until late June or early July probably. I still need to buy the favors, get our marriage license, talk to the DJ one more time and talk to the people at our reception one more time too. I have to give them the final count and stuff. We also still need to make our programs. Wow, I’m freaking out a little inside, just so ready to do this and get it over with. I’ve been looking forward to this day for over a year now!! We’ve been engaged for over a year, maybe that was just too long, although I’m glad I had all the time to plan stuff. I almost wish I hadn’t though and would’ve just got married a few months after he proposed. This whole process has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. At first it was really fun planning and thinking about everything, but at this point i’m ready to go off when I think about certain things, so yeah, planning a wedding is fun at the beginning, but very stressful and will make you crazy by the day of the wedding. That is for sure!! I’m so looking forward to the honeymoon though, can’t wait!! I love to travel to new places.

Free Samples

We all love free samples. Here are some that I found courtesy of Southern Savers (my new favorite coupon site.) 

Free White Castle Pulled Pork Slider (print coupon for it)

 Hellman’s Light Mayonnaise Caress Skinware Collection

New Degree Women Fine Fragrance Collection

Pond’s Rejuveness anti-wrinkle cream

Clairol Advanced Solution for Gray coverage

 Join Dove Dimensions and get free samples and coupons

Fireworks Poster, Stickers and Magnet from TNT

Free Magazines for almost any type of Business.  

Vista Print is running Free samples of most anything they make.  You do have to pay shipping, so order one of a few things and it makes for a great deal. 

Book Review by Amanda Haddix

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

The Noticer is about an old man who notices little things in people’s lives and the book illustrates how he shares his perspective with people and how it changes them. This is a story about one person who has made a difference in the life of many. It is filled with many historical references and wisdom for all ages and kinds of people.

I liked that this book was easy to follow and that it included real life scenarios. This book made me feel inspired to remember the lessons that were taught in each chapter and uplifted to know that the knowledge in the book was shared in such a beautiful and truthful way.

The plot, dialogue, character development and scenes were all laid out very well. It was very clear to envision each character in the book. The overall message in the book was definitely inspiring and uplifting. I would highly recommend this book, as well as this author, to all readers. This is one of the best heartfelt books I’ve read in quite some time.

Here’s the details of the last shopping trips to CVS and Walgreens on April 23:

Walgreens

Found a coupon online for $2 off Noxzema @ Walgreens
Purchased:
Noxzema @ $4.79
Skintimate shave gel @ $2.99
Used $2 coupon and $3 Register Rewards
Subtotal: $2.78
5% sales tax: .29 cents
Total OOP(out of pocket): $3.07
Total RR earned: $3

CVS
Purchased:
Motts apple sauce(6 small containers) $1.25
Chex Mix $1.50
Ragu spaghetti sauce $2
Crest Pro health tooth paste $2.88(get $2 RR back)
Crest Pro health mouthwash $2.88(get $2 RR back)
Used ECB(Extra care bucks coupons) -$2.89 and -$4
Subtotal: $3.62
2.5% tax .12
Total OOP: $3.74
Total ECB earned: $4

Yay! It’s like I got the Noxzema, Ragu, applesauce and chex mix all free! I did just notice something weird though. CVS only charges 2.5% tax, while Walgreens charged the full 5% tax. Hmmm…why is that? Why does CVS charge half the tax?

I went to Walgreens last night to pick up some stuff I had coupons for that was on sale, along with some stuff I could get Register rewards for. I also picked up some benadryl and some chloraseptic throat spray because I’m fighting off allergies right now to the mass amounts of pollen in the air in my area.

So here’s what I got on my trip:

Ocean spray juice: on sale for 2.50, used a $1 off coupon
Tums Dual action on sale for $7, used $3 off coupon and got $3 register rewards back
Skintimate shave gel, didn’t get my register rewards for this for some reason, will have to see if I purchased the right one or not
Rimmel lip stick $3.99, used a $1 off coupon
Johnson’s body care body wash, used a $2 off coupon
Throat spray
Benadryl on sale for $3.99

I found a coupon from Walgreens online today for $2 off Noxzema and I’m debating if I should get it or not and use my Register Rewards. Or, should I hold off and use my Register Rewards for something else, like the Sunday paper? And I only have $3 register rewards when I should have at least another $2.99 register rewards for the skintimate shave gel. Hmm…I guess we’ll see, I might have to call the 1-800 # for Walgreens and see if I purchased the right product or what’s up.

I think I’m going to take a few more shopping trips this week to cash in on a few more deals that is going on. Here are the deals I plan to take advantage of:

Food Lion

Freschetta pizza (2 for $10)
B1G1F Beef Franks
Sausage 2 / $3
Meatballs 2 / $4
B1G1F Chicken breast (maybe)
Tyson family pack chicken $4.99 (maybe)
Cottonelle or Scott tissue (have coupons for)

Walgreens

Ocean Spray juice 2 / $5 ($1 off coupon)
Tums (have a coupon)
Rimmel / Revlon B1G1F (maybe)

Rite Aid or Target

Herbal Essences 2 for $6 (have a coupon)

Wal-Mart

Welch’s aqua juice (coupon)
Cascadian Farms frozen vegetables (coupon)
Muir Glen tomato sauce / product (coupon)
Knorr rice / pasta (coupon)

I went shopping last night and got some really good deals at Kroger, CVS & Victoria’s Secret.

At Victoria’s Secret I had a $10 coupon for anything that was mailed to me for my birthday from Victoria’s Secret, plus I had a coupon for a free panty with any pink purchase. I got a free panty and a free small bottle of Angel’s fragrance (retail $10) and bought a lollipop for $1.50(to use as my one purchase). I spent $1.50 and got all three things!

Kroger was a good shopping experience too!
Here’s what I got at Kroger and my savings:

10 lb bag potatoes $3.99
Capri sun $1.79 (used coupon for $1 off)
Knudsen juice (on sale for $2.50, used $1 coupon to make it $1.50)
Rice a roni on sale for $1 each (used coupon for $1 off 3 boxes)
Bertolli meal on sale for $4.98 (used $2 coupon to make it $2.98)
2 ears of corn @ 29 cents each = 58 cents
2 Betty Crocker Warm delights (used coupons and got $2.05 off using cellfire, shortcut and manufacturer coupon)
5 Michelina meals on sale for $1 each (used coupon for $1 off 5)
2 Simply Orange juices $1 each
Kroger brand baked beans in a can 69 cents
Kroger brand cooking spray $1
Right Guard deodorant found in clearance stuff for only 69 cents!

My Kroger Plus Card Savings = $9.32
My Coupons savings = $8.05
Total Coupons/Savings = $17.37

Paid (with tax) = $23.74

Note: I also had planned on buying Planters trail mix, but couldn’t find it; it was supposed to be $1. Also, had planned on buying strawberries that were advertised for $1.98 but couldn’t find them either. The only strawberries I found were much more expensive.

Here’s what I bought at CVS:

4 boxes General Mills Cereal (2 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 1 box Lucky Charms, 1 box Honey Nut Cheerios) on sale 2 for $6, get $2 ECB (Extra Care Bucks) back
Used $1 coupon on Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Edge shave gel $2.89 (get $2.89 ECB)
Spent $14 and some change, don’t remember the exact amount now
Got $4 ECB from cereals and $2.89 ECB from the shave gel

This was my first time shopping at CVS knowing about the ECB’s and how they work. I was also going to buy a Rimmel product for buy one get one free, but didn’t see any that I wanted. I also had a coupon for $1 off any Rimmel product. I may go back to another CVS and see if they have a wider selection maybe. I think the ECB program at CVS is awesome! Where else can you get money back for buying stuff?! My ECB’s printed out at the bottom of the register tape and I can use them on my next shopping trip. The secret is to keep buying products that you can earn more ECB’s for to continually have ECB’s to use on future purchases. Also, try to get coupons for the products you are purchasing to make them even cheaper and you still get the full value of the ECB’s even if you don’t pay the full price!

I also made a trip to a local store called Ukrop’s. I had a coupon for $1 off Fiber One Toaster Pastries and noticed in their ad that they have them on sale for $2. So, I made a quick trip to there as well. I bought one box of Fiber One toaster pastries and a half gallon of milk. The toaster pastries were only $1 after the coupon and the milk was $1.95.

Kroger is fast becoming my new favorite grocery store. Although, you can’t just shop at one store because then you don’t take advantage of all the deals at all the different stores. My method of shopping has always been to go where the deals are or wherever I can save the most money. I think this is how I’ve always been, trying to find the best deal on an item and buying it wherever it is the cheapest. Both I and my fiancé shop around like this most of the time. So, let me tell you how to save big time at Kroger.

Kroger doubles coupons up to 50 cents. This means that if you have a coupon for 50 cents or less on an item they will double the amount off, so instead of just getting 50 cents of, you get $1.00 off the item, which increases your savings. Also, Kroger participates in programs with Cellfire.com, Shortcuts.com and pgbrandsaver.com. All of these web sites allow you to put in your Kroger card number and upload coupons straight to your card from the web site, no clipping required. When you buy the items you have coupons for on your card remember to always swipe your Kroger card when you shop and the coupons will automatically come off at the register when you swipe your card.

Of course, not only can you use the coupons uploaded to your Kroger card, you can use other coupons too. You can use more coupons from other internet sites that allow you to print coupons or you can use a coupon from your Sunday paper from the Red Plum or Smart Source coupons. You can also get coupons from Red Plum and Smart Source from their web sites: www.redplum.com and www.coupons.smartsource.com.

Kroger also has a lot of dollar deals that they offer every couple of weeks. Sometimes you can even find a coupon to make the item even cheaper or free on the dollar items there. For example, Kroger has pasta/rice-a-roni on sale this week for $1 each and Red Plum has a coupon on their website for $1.00 off the purchase of 3 pasta or rice-a-roni products, so you could get one box free using this coupon.

I’m not yet positive if they will allow you to use more than one coupon, but if they do allow that you could save a ton. The next time I go to Kroger I am going to talk to the people at customer service and potentially a manager to see what exactly their coupon policies are. I bought some brand name tissue paper there the other night and I had two coupons for the product, one was for $1 off and the other was for 75 cents off. My cashier scanned one and then saw the other one and said I could only use one coupon, so needless to say I was a little upset I couldn’t use both. I guess I would’ve had to purchase another pack of the tissue paper in order to use my coupon. I wasn’t exactly sure she was correct though. I didn’t ask to speak to someone then, but the next trip I make I will give myself enough time to talk to someone about coupons and savings before I shop for my groceries. This way I’m informed of exactly what they will accept and what they will not accept when it comes to coupons. Even if they do not allow this, I am still saving quite a bit just using one coupon per item. I know it’s when they will allow you to use more than one coupon when you really save a ton though. Now that I am becoming more frugal and collecting coupons I am scouring the stores for even more deals and freebies. Also, I’m scouring the internet and every savings site or forum I can find. This is really addicting! Saving money is awesome. I love the feeling it brings to know that I am saving money for myself. I’ve learned some stuff along the way too and I’m sure I have much more to learn. I’ve learned that Kroger’s new ad comes out on Sunday and Food Lion’s ad comes out on Tuesday. Also, I’ve learned that there are specific coupons only for Target in the paper and online.

Here are the deals for Kroger this week that I’ve found in my area:

Pasta/rice-a-roni $1 each
Chef Boyardee products $1 each
Simply Orange Juice (small bottle) $1 each
Kroger brand cooking spray $1 each
Planters trail mix $1 each
Corn 29 cents per ear
Strawberries (16 oz) $1.98
Apples $1 / lb

I have been reading about couponing for a little while now. I ran across another great web site, called Southern Savers (www.southernsavers.com). I have been keeping my coupons in an envenlope, but they seem to be busting out of the envelope now. Then, I had an idea. A friend of mine gave me a small photo book for my birthday. It’s perfect to hold my coupons and organize them! I went shopping last night at Kroger and got some pretty good deals using some coupons I have. The only thing I bought without a coupon was a jar of peanut butter that was on sale for $1 and two Michelina meals that were on clearance for 84 cents without a coupon.

I bought the following items that were on sale and used a coupon on each:

Prego spaghetti sauce
3 boxed Green giant vegetables
Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes
Old El Paso taco kit
2 Fiber One products (yogurt and granola bars)
Cottonelle tissue paper
Marie Callenders meal

It’s important to have your coupons organized and ready to go when you do go shopping, I’ve realized. This way if you’re organized you will have a much easier time at the grocery store. I wanted to pick up Knorr rice/pasta and rice or pasta roni, which were on sale and I found coupons for online, but my printer got screwy at home and I couldn’t print the coupons for them. Oh well, next time I guess.

I’ve been feverishly researching and learning new things about couponing, getting deals and finding freebies lately. I’ve always been a freebie addict from a long time ago. My first freebie site that I discovered was freakyfreddies.com and I’ve been hooked ever since and that was probably nine years ago now. My new goal is to blog about deals that I find, whether it be free coupons that are available, free productsor grocery deals at a few different stores. Here are the current deals I’ve found at stores near me, these can be made even cheaper with coupons:

Kroger

Strawberries $2.50
Sun laundry detergent $1.88
Ground beef (3 lbs) $4.77
Pasta or Rice a roni $1
Simply juice singles $1
Banquet and Michelina Meals $1
Kroger brand peanut butter $1
Birdseye vegetables $1
Apples $1/lb
Boneless chicken breast (2.5 lb bag) $5.99

Food Lion

Grapes 99 cents / lb
pork tenderloin $2.49 / lb
Kelloggs cereals $1.99
Ragu 3 for $5
Michelina meals $1
Minute maid OJ $2.50
Buy 1 Get 1 Free Beef Franks $3.98

Dollar General

Sloppy joe sauce $1
cookies $1
Chunk chicken in a can $1
Bugles $1
Hot fries $1
Fiddle faddle $1
Hawaiian punch $1
Campbell’s soup $1

Save a Lot

bananas (3 lbs) $1
white potatoes (5 lb bag) 99 cents / lb

Ukrops (only in the state of VA)

Dole salad $1.98
Freschetta pizza $5.99
Apple juice 99 cents
Full circle bag of organic carrots 98 cents

As you can see there are a lot of $1 or less deals at many stores this week. If you have a coupon for any of these products you can get them even cheaper or possibly free. There is a $1 off coupon available at redplum.com for Rice or pasta roni, when you purchase three. Other coupons for many of the other products can be found on coupon sites like:
couponbug.com
coupons.com
shortcuts.com
couponmom.com
couponwinner.com
couponcabin.com
coolsavings.com
wow-coupons.com