CVS

Here's a little bit of Advanced Couponing (I told you it was good stuff!) and smart shopping I did at CVS.

The total value of this purchase was $87.14. I saved $66.93. I paid $20.21. That's 76% savings! If you factor in the $7.98 ECB that I left with it makes my OOP $12.23, saved amount $74.91 & 85% total savings. Not bad at all for these 16 items.

No Inserts This Week

I know, my paper and junk mail were empty too! There are no inserts scheduled for this week due to the Holiday. Those coupon making folks must need a 3 day weekend so they can rest then stock us up next week. I'm crossing my fingers that we'll get double inserts to make up for it. Hope you had a great Valentine's Day. If you're off with the kids on Monday, enjoy the 3 day weekend & take advantage of some good sales out there.

Vons

No Red Plum yesterday?! Well, I made up for it with an AWESOME trip to Von's today! Last week they had the Kellogg's fruit snacks on sale for $1.00 a box but when I ran to get some...they were GONE. I asked for a rain check and today I went, they had plenty and I got my 8 boxes of fruit snacks for $1 each. I know that probably seems like a lot but we seriously go through those fruit snacks like crazy. Treats for play dates, school, sports, scouts and church to name a few. I also had to get in on the buy 2 get 3 free Betty Crocker deal. We have so many GM coupons right now and there are always printables for those and YES you can use a coupon on each item even if it's FREE! Woo hoo! The popcorn was BOGO and I had 2 coupons for that. So here's the breakdown:
The total value of my bill for these 20 items was $46.40 & I paid $10.95 or $0.54 each! That was so much fun. I love shopping this way. It was good to have a great trip because lately the sales have not been very exciting for me and I haven't been shopping much. Um... hello... Albertsons ...we are waiting for a killer sale! Some other good deals worth checking out at Vons this week are: Red seedless grapes $0.78lb (dang I bought them for $0.88lb on Mon) Coke or Pepsi 12 packs $2.49 each when you buy 3, Sweet California navel oranges $0.48 lb, & baby peeled carrots $0.99 a bag. Get out there and get some deals!

My February Calendar

Some of you may know that during the last couple of weeks I wasn't able to schedule any coupon classes due to a temporary "freeze" on new classes. Thankfully that freeze was lifted this past week and I've been busy filling up my February calendar. If you were on my Class Waiting List you received an email notifying you that I was able to book classes again. If you weren't on the waiting list but were thinking about scheduling a class, here is some useful info.

• The Coupon Class is FREE
• Classes last about an hour
• At class I can offer you a special rate on a subscription to the R.J. that will save you 70% & give you access to the Sunday paper coupon inserts
• If you host a class and have 8 or more NEW moms in attendance you receive a $20 gift card to Albertsons or Smiths
• If you host a class and have 12 or more NEW moms in attendance you receive the gift card and an Advanced Couponing Class/Tutoring from me for you & 1 friend (trust me...this is good stuff!)

You can also check out my previous post about classes by clicking HERE.

Smiths

So I ran to Smiths last night and they were out of many 4 & 5 star items on the Grocery Smarts list. I'm happy you guys are out there saving money but...I didn't get everything I had planned on. It's a good lesson for all of us to be prepared to adjust our shopping lists when we get to a store and they are out of the sale items. The main thing is DON'T get frustrated. Many times during sales stores sell out of sale items but will re-stock them during the course of the sale week. DO go back to the store if you are able or check with the manager to see if they will be getting more items in stock. ALWAYS ask for a rain check. I have never - ever had a hassle getting a rain check. Then, I can get that same item for that same price within a week or two when the store has plenty in stock. Here's how my trip went:
I bought these 31 items for $22.00! ($0.70 each!) The total value was $59.05. I saved $37.05. By using my digital coupons & manf coupons I was able to get the Gillette shampoo & Crest toothpaste for FREE!! It was still a good trip even though I didn't buy all of the items I had intended to...but I DID get rain checks!

Albertsons 8 Hour Sale--TODAY!

I'm heading over to Albertsons today. The 8 hour sale is on from 1pm to 9pm. I can't pass up the boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.79lb. I'm getting low on that so it's time to stock up and freeze it for later. Navel Oranges are 3lbs for $0.99 and the Albertsons shredded cheese is 3 for $5.00. Fresh sliced Hormel or Jenni-O Turkey is $2.99lb and Hansen's apple juice is $0.99 for 64oz. There are also some great deals on Kellogg's cereal. If you're going there today don't miss out on this sale.

Missing Papers

Today when I went outside to get my 4 Sunday papers only 3 were there waiting for me. O.K. this is the 3rd time it's happened. It hasn't been consistent...just every few Sundays. No pattern to it. The first time I called the R.J. and they sent another paper over within an hour or two. The 2nd time it happened I thought hmmmm did someone steal one of my papers? I called the R.J. and again they sent over the missing paper. When it happened today I was kinda embarrassed about calling the R.J. again but I did and they couldn't have been any nicer. Seriously they are so sweet and sent my missing paper right over. The woman I spoke to knew I was a subscriber through Grocery Smarts and understood just how darn important those coupons are to me. She said "I know that what your doing really works and that you need all 4 of your papers." Wow! She does KNOW! So if you ever have trouble with your delivery give the R.J. a call and they'll get it fixed for you right away.