Target Deal – 72% Savings!!!

I haven’t done my big grocery shopping trip this week, but I did stop by Target to pick up a few things that were a good deal. Here is what I bought:



4 – Ziploc quart-size bags @ $13.56
Used 2 B1G1 Ziploc bag MC (not sure what insert – I ordered from here)
Used 4 $1.00/1 Target coupons from here
Used $0.55/1 MC from home mailer
Used $0.40/1 MC from recent insert
Total for 4 = $1.83; $0.46 each!!!

2 – Ziploc containers @ $4.98
Used $1.50/1 MC from recent insert
Used 2 $1.00/1 Target coupons from here
Total for 2 = $1.48; $0.74 each!!!

3 – Lean Cuisine entrees @ $6.00
Used B2G1 MC from July All You
Total for 3 = $4.00; $1.33 each

1 – Lean Pockets @ $2.00
Target Promotion – Buy 3 Lean Cuisine entrees, get 1 Lean Pockets free
Total = FREE!

Total for all = $7.80…I saved 72%!!! (Actually, I saved 100%, because my father-in-law gave me a Target gift card that he wasn’t going to use, so I used that to pay for these groceries!)

I hope that you found some terrific deals this week! I am planning on doing my big grocery shopping trip at Publix tomorrow, so stay tuned for my post on this trip. Happy couponing!

This week’s grocery shopping…

This has been an awesome week for snagging great deals! Tons of the stuff that I bought this week was free and lots of the other stuff was heavily discounted! I used a lot of internet printable coupons this week, so be sure to click on the links and print the coupons for your use as well!

This week I shopped at Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, and Publix. I will also be making one more trip to Publix on Sunday in order to get the penny item. I will post my list for Sunday with coupon links so that you will have enough time to take advantage of those deals as well.

___________________________________________________

Wal-Mart

1 – Pepsi 24 pk @ $5.98

1 – McCormick Salt and Pepper @ $1.07
Used $0.75/1 MC from 4/5 RP
Total = $0.32

3 – Colgate Max Fresh (trial size) @ $2.91
Used 3 $1.00/1 MC from 4/26 SS
Total = FREE

3 – Kraft BBQ sauce @ $2.94
Used 2 $1.00/1 MC from here or here
Used $0.75/1 MC from 5/3 SS
Total = $0.19 (for 3)

2 – Glade Sense and Spray @ $10.00
Used 2 $4.00/1 MC 5/10 SS
Total = $2.00 (for 2)

1 – Honey Maid Grahams @ $2.50
Used $1.00/1 MC from here
Total = $1.50

2 – Purina Benefuls @ $9.36
Used 2 $3.50/1 MC from here
Total = $2.36 (for 2)

2 – Glade Plug-Ins @ $3.24
Used FREE Glade Plug-Ins from here
Total = FREE

3 – Evercare Lint Rollers (travel size) @ $0.97
Used 3 $1.00/1 MC from here
Total = FREE

1 – Wet Ones canister @ $2.14
Used $1.00/1 MC from here or here
Total = $1.14

2 – Kotex pantyliners @ $2.00
Used 2 $0.75/1 MC from 4/5 SS
Total = $0.50 (for 2)

1 – A1 Steaksauce @ $2.98
Used $2.00/1 MC from 5/10 SS
Total = $0.98

1 – Rimmel mascara @ $6.47
Used FREE Rimmel mascara from March All You
Total = FREE

Total before coupons and tax = $54.50
Total after coupons and tax = $19.69
Total savings = 73%!!!!!

For more Wal-Mart deals, go here.
________________________________________________

Publix

2 – Bic Lighters @ $3.49
Used 2 $1.00/1 MC from here (IE) or here (FF)
Total = $1.49 (for 2)

1 – Huggies Mega pk (52 count) @ $15.99
1 – Huggies wipes @ $2.99
Used Buy 1 Huggies diapers, Get 1 Huggies wipes free – Publix Baby Club coupon
Used $1.50/1 MC (diapers) from here
Used $0.50/1 MC (wipes) from Huggies coupon mailer
Total = $13.49 (for wipes and diapers)

2 – Eggo waffles @ $2.78
Used $1.00/2 MC from here
Total = $1.78 (for 2)

2 – Kraft cheese @ $4.00
Used $1.00/2 MC from here
Total = $3.00 (for 2)

2 – Glade Plug-Ins @ $3.98
Used FREE Glade Plug-Ins from here
Total = FREE

1 – McCormick Grill Mates @ $1.00
Used $1.00/1 MC from recent insert
Total = FREE

3 – McCormick Grinders @ $2.98
Used 2 $1.00/1 MC from recent insert
Used 1 $1.00/1 MC from Publix coupon booklet (found in store)
Total = FREE

1 – Publix milk @ $2.89
Used $1.00 any dairy item – Publix Baby Club coupon
Total = $1.89

1 – Breyers ice cream @ $2.50
Used $0.75/1 MC from 4/5 Unilever
Total = $1.75

1 – Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil @ $3.50
Used $1.00/1 MC from here
Total = $2.50

1 – Publix hand sanitizer @ $0.99
Used FREE Publix 2 oz. hand sanitizer – Publix Baby Club coupon
Total = FREE

1 – Cascade rinse aid @ $3.49
Used FREE Cascade rinse aid from Home Made Simple coupon booklet
Total = FREE

3 – Softsoap @ $3.00
Used 3 $0.35/1 MC from 4/26 SS
Total = $0.90 (for 3)

Total before sales, coupons, and tax = $74.95
*I also used a $5/$50 Piggly Wiggly coupon.
Total after sales, coupons, and tax = $25.30
Total savings = 66%!!!

***By the way, if you have a child under the age of 2, be sure to sign up for the Publix Baby Club. You will receive great gifts and coupons via mail! Sign up here!

________________________________________________

Target

2 – Ritz crackers @ $5.18
Used 2 $1.00/1 MC from here
Used 2 $1.00/1 Target coupons from here
Total = $1.18 (for 2)

1 – 100 Calorie Mini Cakesters @ $2.79
Used $1.00/1 MC from here
Used $1.00/1 Target coupon from here
Total = $0.79

Total before coupons and tax = $7.97
Total after coupons and tax = $2.16
Total savings = 73%!!!

For more Target deals, go here!

________________________________________________

CVS

3 – Huggies diapers (34 count) @ $26.97
Used 3 $1.50/1 MC from here
Total = $22.47

Total before sales, coupons, and tax = $35.97
*I used $10 ECBs.
Total after coupons, ECBs, and tax = $14.00
Total savings = 61%!!!

________________________________________________

So that is what I have bought so far this week. All of the diapers will come out of our “surplus grocery” budget and not our weekly grocery budget. As I stated before, I plan on making one more trip to the store for this week’s budget on Sunday. Here are the deals that I will be taking advantage of that have coupon matchups:

4 – McCormick Grill Mates @ $3.98
Use 4 $1.00/1 MC from Publix coupon booklet (found in store)
Total = FREE

2 – Maxwell House coffee @ $3.98
Use $1.00/2 MC from here
Total = $2.98 (for 2)

2 – Yoplait YoPlus yogurt @ $2.50
Use 2 $1.50/1 MC from here (IE) or here (FF)
Total = FREE

2 – Johnson & Johnson first aid products @ Prices Vary (look for prices under $2.50 to get them free)
Use $3.00/2 MC from coupon blinkie located in first aid section in some stores
Use $2.00/2 Publix coupon from Publix Health and Beauty sale paper
Total = Depends on which items you purchase

For more Publix deals go here or here.

Happy couponing!!!

Weekly Budget Update

Life has seemed more hectic than usual lately! Between Mother’s Day plans, new patients at work, and all the other activities that I normally have, I wasn’t able to post about each individual grocery purchase that I made this past week. However, here is how my grocery shopping all broke down and fit into the budget (I have pictures for some, but not all, of what I bought):

Publix – Not pictured: McCormick vanilla extract, 3 Sunday newspapers


Total = $37.31
__________________________________________________

Target – 2.5 lbs apples
Total = $2.93

__________________________________________________

CVS – 3 Diet Coke 12 pks, 6 Vitamin Water
Total = $12.25
*Plus I earned $10 ECBs to use on future purchases!

__________________________________________________

Total Spent = $52.49…I went a little over budget this week, because of the vanilla extract. My husband had to run out and purchase it for a cake that I was making, and I forgot to factor that in when I was making my grocery list. Whoops! Oh well…it happens! So, with the $1.60 surplus from last week, I went $0.89 over budget; therefore, next week (or really this week, since I am so late posting this:) my weekly grocery budget will be $49.11.

Here is what I have spent on groceries so far this month:
April 29 through May 5: $48.40
May 6 through May 12: $52.49

I am going to add a post about all the great deals that I got at Publix, Target, AND Wal-Mart this week, so check back soon!

Establishing a Budget…Ahh!!!!!!!

Budgeting. That used to be a dreaded word for me. My husband would say, “We need to get on a budget,” and I would insist that it wasn’t necessary all while we were living month to month with no savings. What was I thinking?! One day I heard about Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover. After reading about a few success stories, I decided to read this book. Wow! After reading this book, I realized how completely money ignorant I was and my husband and I decided to establish a plan for our total money makeover. I won’t go into the details of what Dave Ramsey recommends; however, if you do not have a financial plan or your current financial plan is not working, I highly suggest this book!

Reading this book led us to begin an envelope system. Each month we divide our money into carefully labeled and categorized envelopes. We make the majority of our purchases from the money in these envelopes. This system has completely changed my mindset on spending money! Using cash allows you to see how much money you have left, and it ensures that you are more careful with how you spend and what you spend.

I am telling you all this, because I would like to share my philosophy behind using coupons. Sure you can use coupons and save tons of money, but what good is it if you still spent more than you should? When I first started couponing, I made this mistake…then, I read The Total Money Makeover. Now I realize that I need to be able to save money all while staying within a budget that is within our means. I would like to share our monthly grocery budget with you for two reasons. First, I want the accountability. Secondly, I hope that my sharing our budget will help you decide on a budget that is appropriate for you and your family.

I use a grocery budget that is a little different from most and so it is a little confusing. I will do my best to explain it. Our monthly grocery budget is $300. I spend $50 per week on groceries (my grocery budget week runs from Wednesday through Tuesday to coincide with Publix sales). Depending on how the month falls that will leave me with a $50-$100 surplus. I allot this money for shopping at Costco where I purchase meat, wipes, and other occasional items when they are more economical. This extra money could also be used for purchasing other items at other stores – sometimes, I use this fund for diapers, etc. Here is an example of this month’s budget:

May 1 through May 5 (this week really started on April 29) – $50
May 6 through May 12 – $50
May 13 through May 19 – $50
May 20 through May 26 – $50
May 27 through May 31 (really June 2) – $50
Costco (or other needs) surplus – $50

It seems a little complicated, but it really is not, and I cannot tell you how much less stressful it has made life! I know that for some of you $300 a month budget might sound crazy! A year ago I would have completely agreed with you, but today, now that I have learned to maximize my savings while minimizing my spending, I think that this is a completely reasonable total and the crazy thing is…we have more food than we did when we were spending $800 a month!

So here is what I spent last week (April 29 through May 5):

Publix = $14.59


_____________________________________________________
Food World = $4.91 (Not pictured: 3 – Hefty aluminum pan 3 pks)

_____________________________________________________
Target = $8.75 (Plus $5.00 gift card for buying 5 Kellogg’s cereals)

_____________________________________________________
Publix = $14.45

_____________________________________________________
CVS = $5.70 (not pictured)

2 Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes @ $6.67
Used 2 $1.00/1 MC
Total = $4.67

1 Nutri-Grain Bars @ $3.33

*Used $3 ECB’s
*Earned $5 ECB’s
_____________________________________________________
Grand total for the week = $48.40 ($1.60 under budget!) + I earned $5 ECB’s and a $5 Target gift card!

I hope this is helpful to you! Let me know if you have any budgeting tips!

Target Deals

Here are some deal that you can find at Target this week:

Kraft Easy Mac @ $0.77 each
Buy 2
Use B1G1 coupon from here
Use $1.00/2 Target coupon
Total = Free!

Kashi Waffles @ $1.85 each
Use $1.50/1 MC
Total = $0.35

Thanks to Common Sense with Money! Go here for more Target deals.

New Target Coupons!

Target has new coupons out! Go here to print these coupons. When paired with manufacturer coupons and sales, you should be able to get some really good deals! Also, if you are a Publix shopper, don’t forget that you can use these coupons at Publix as they accept competitor coupons.

Go here for a list of manufacturer and Target coupon matchups.

Target Coupon Policy

Lately, I have been having a little trouble with Target accepting some of my coupons. The trouble occurs when I try to use a coupon that is of greater value than the price of the item (i.e. the item is $0.97 and the coupon is $1.00 off). In the past, I have been successful in completing transactions like this, but, last week, I went to 2 different Targets and neither would let me use a coupon that was valued higher than the price of the item. I began to wonder if Target had changed their coupon policy, so I emailed corporate and asked for a copy of their coupon policy. They responded promptly, and it turns out that the 2 cashiers that I interacted with were incorrect in not allowing me to use these coupons. I am telling you all this because sometimes we have to be proactive when using coupons. Oftentimes, store employees are not informed about their store coupon policy or about how coupons work. In the future, I will be carrying Target’s store policy with me when I shop at Target so that I can share it with the cashier if I need to. Here is the email that I received from Target – it might be a good idea to print it out and keep it on hand for when you are shopping as well:

Dear Target customer,

If you have any questions about a specific coupon or experience using a coupon at Target, we want to help! Please give our Guest Relations team a call at (800) 440-0680. We’ll do the best we can to help you as quickly as possible. For your call, please provide a team member with the following reference number: 1-387110499.

In the meantime, I’d like to share with you some information about our coupon policy. When accepting coupons, we use the following guidelines:

– We accept two kinds of coupons: Target-issued and manufacturer-issued.
– We’ll accept one Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon for the same item, unless either coupon prohibits it.
– We can’t give cash back if the face value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item; in this case, we’re able to adjust the value of the coupon to equal the price of the item.
– We can’t accept coupons from other retailers, or coupons for products not carried in our stores.
– All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier while you’re checking out.

Thanks for writing. Give us a call if there’s anything else we can do to help.

Sincerely,

James
Target Guest Relations
http://www.target.com
[THREAD ID:1-6EFKPS]

I would also like to note that I always try to be polite to cashiers when they will not accept particular coupons. I generally try to explain why the coupon should work one time, but I will not argue with them. Arguing is not going to help and will certainly not make you look good! If I feel that it is necessary, I will contact the corporate office to inquire about the situation. Most stores have a coupon policy that you can print and share with cashiers when you are checking out. I hope this is helpful!

Coupons and Freebies!

Go here to get a $1.00/1 for any Kotex product. Wal-Mart carries panty liners for $1.00…so you can use this coupon to get them free!

Go here to get a $4/1 Glade Fragrance Collection coupon. Use these coupons at Target this week and you can purchase 2 small Glade Soy candles for $5.79 each and you will receive a $5 gift card. After using 2 $4/1 coupons, this will make your total $3.58 plus tax and you will receive a $5 gift card!

***Note: These coupons can be printed twice each. Just hit the back button after you click print and it will print again.

Thanks to Money Saving Mom!

Target Trips – 67% saved

I was able to snag some awesome deals this week at Target including being able to finish up my Easter basket gifts for Logan!

On a side note, several of you have asked where I find Target coupons. The majority of Target coupons that I use are internet printable coupons from hotcouponworld.com. Click on the Target link on this site, and it will take you to the available Target coupons. These coupons can be paired with manufacturer coupons. Target releases new coupons every 2 weeks.

Here is what I bought in my 1st Target trip:

4 Johnson’s Buddies soap @ $3.88
Used 4 $0.75 Target coupons
Used 2 $2.00/2 MC coupons
Total = They paid me $3.12!

4 Market Pantry fruit snacks @ $4.00
Used 4 $1.00 Target coupons
Total = Free

Milk @ $2.79
Total = $2.79

Easter grass $0.25
Total = $0.25

2 Eggo waffle packages @ $4.28
Used $1.00/2 Target coupon
Total = $3.28

Tigger and Pooh and a Musical Too dvd @ $17.99
Total = $17.99

Bedtime Stories dvd @ $16.99
Used $5.00 coupon
Total = $11.99

Total before coupons = $50.18
Total after coupons = $35.75

I also received a $10 gift card for purchasing Bedtime Stories and Tigger and Pooh and a Musical Too. I will also be submitting for $10 worth of rebates here and here (I can’t get the link to work for this one – go here for details).

I saved 69% with gift card and rebates!
________________________________________________________
Here is what I bought in my 2nd Target trip:

4 Johnson Buddies soap @ $3.88
Used 4 $0.75 Target coupons
Used 2 $2.00/2 MC coupons
Total = They paid me $3.12!

Merona tights @ $1.48…These were on end of season clearance – originally $5.99 – I will save them for next year!
Total = $1.48

4 Market Pantry fruit snacks @ $4.00
Used 4 $1.00 Target coupons
Total = Free

Market Pantry Apple Juice @ $1.89
Total = $1.89

Dunkin Donuts coffee @ $6.00
Used $0.75 Target coupon
Used $1.50 MC
Total = $3.75

Market Pantry hamburger buns @ $1.09
Total = $1.09

Market Pantry eggs @ $0.99
Total = $0.99

3 Dry Idea deodorant @ $6.00
Used 3 $2.00 MC
Total = Free

2 Olay soap bars (travel size) @ $1.94
Used $2.00 MC
Total = They paid me $0.06!

Toddler fork and spoon set @ $2.78 (This was on clearance – originally $3.99)
Total = $2.78

2 Renu contact solution (2 oz) @ $3.04
Used 2 $1.00 MC
Total = $1.04

Total before coupons = $33.09
Total after coupons = $11.87
Used $10 gift card from previous purchase
Total OOP = $1.87…That’s a savings of 94%!!!

Were you able to find any good deals this week? Let me know how you did!

Bedtime Stories and Tigger and Pooh and a Musical Too for $3.99!

If you purchase these 2 movies at Target you can get them for a combined total of $3.99 after rebates and gift cards! These would make great Easter basket gifts! Go here for details.

*Edit: After doing the math, I think that it will be $9.98 for both after rebates, coupons, and gift cards. Also, be sure to ask the salesperson to print an extra copy of your receipt so that you can apply for both rebates.