Egads, what a crazy day! Great q's at end of blog post!

Okay, so we had a decent start to the day. I was going to take the car and go shopping, but I decided to stay home with the girls (who really weren't feeling tip-top anyways) and go later. Got the cleaning done that I wanted, hung out, etc...

Took Eleanore out several times today. She absolutely LOVES being outside - though she prefers marching up and down the walkway in front of the porch or in the driveway to playing in the grass. Sometimes I wonder what's going on in her little mind...

After David got home, we had a nice dinner and loafed for a bit. Then, I decided to check the status of my auctions on eBay that I've been bidding on. OY!!! I couldn't log into my account. I tried everything. It's not like I changed the password recently, etc... When my password reset was not being received in my email acct. I figured that something was up. Sure enough, my account had been hacked and someone had listed a bunch of stuff that had already been bid on. This had occured within the space of about 3 1/2 hours from the last time I logged on!

It took some time, but it was finally fixed and straightened out. I was actually very pleased with how eBay handled the situation. I went through and changed so many passwords - it is crazy. I've already had to reset me email password 4 times because I can't remember what it is supposed to be now!

Even after all of that, I managed to go shopping. I did one lonely transaction at Wags. 2 tylenol allergy, 4 foil, 6 hunt's tomato sauce, 4 soda, and an excedrin. I paid 2.10 on a gc after coupons (2 of my q's wouldn't go through, but I figured it best not to argue.) I got back a 3.00 rr, 2.00 rr, and 1.00 rr. I am hoping to roll those into a razor tomorrow and prep for next week's sales.

I made a quick recon trip to CVS near my hubby's work. I was shocked. They have Viva Paper towels on sale for 7.49 this week at CVS, and they are giving back 2.00 ecbs. I have a .75 off coupon on top of it all! The best part - they actually had several packs left!!! Now I have to figure out a good scenario so that I can go back and get some. These are some of the best papertowels you'll ever use.

I tried to go to Super Target tonite and another Walgreens. Neither of which are open past 10pm! OY! It was a wasted trip and totally made me mad. However, I did go to Walmart and spent a ton of time with oldest DD - so I guess I should say it wasn't a total waste. I picked up 18 bags of veggies and 6 boxes of spongebob gauze pads for around 4.XX. Gotta love clearances/sales with q's!!

I also saw some things that I may go back for. They had a pack of Olay lotion that had a Venus razor inside for 6.24. The lotion alone is 6.24 on the WM shelf! They also had a 3pk of Old Spice deoderant that was 5.00. There is a 1.00 q that would make it a decent deal if you use this deoderant.

I am very excited about the next couple of weeks deals! Walgreen's looks very promising. I'm prepping now! Getting my scenarios all planned out and ready to go. I'll share when I can.


Okay - here's the info on the great and awesome coupons. They are 5.00 and 3.00 off coupons on www.coupons.com and www.couponbug.com - there is an awesome sale coming up at Wags, there are sales at Kroger that can be combined with the online SS & cellfire coupons if you have them loaded, AND they qualify for the caregiver's rebate.

If you don't know what that is... check out: www.caregiversmarketplace.com

Well... gotta get off to bed now.

Wednesday on Thursday

David's birthday was yesterday. He requested to have pastrami on rye after seeing the sandwich on Anthony Bourdain's show. He said it was a great sandwich - lol. He doesn't care for cake, so Bekka and I made him a coconut cream pie. It turned out very yummy, but I apparently didn't cook the filling long enough because it was a bit runny. David said he still thought it was the best tasting pie he'd ever had (so that helped to keep me from bursting into tears! LOL)

We were going to go to church last night, but late in the afternoon both girls started running slight fevers. I figured we probably shouldn't go and spread whatever "creaping crud" (as my beloved father-in-law would say!) around, so we came back home.

Super Target is having a sale on roasts - 1.99 a lb. It's a great deal! I'm hoping they still have some on Friday - I may have to stock up on a few. Be sure to look around - the first few roasts I found were small - 1.XX lbs - 2.XX lbs. If you need larger roasts, they may be in a different section or you may need to ask the meat guys. There should be some kind of call button around the meat if you dont' see anyone.

Kroger has been out of the Huggies wipes each time I go, so I've been getting rain checks. Believe it or not, I haven't even stepped foot in Walgreens. I have one lonely 6.00 RR that I need to roll or spend, so I'm still trying to decide how best to do that. I think I have a scenario worked out. My only potential issue will be with the excedrin - I have a 2.00 coupon and the Excedrin is 1.99. I *hope* they understand about how to adjust a coupon down!

A couple of my trades came in, so here's what I'm going to do: (my coupons are very different that normal because I've traded for a few specialty mailed coupons - these are coupons you get for either complimenting or complaining to the company about a product - so you may or may not have some of these)

9.98 - 2 tylenol cold items
6.36 - 4 reynold's foil
5.94 - 6 hunt's sauce
1.99 = excedrin
5.00 - 4xsunkist
2.79 - twizzler's (needed to finish up for the hershey rebate)
32.06 sub-total
-6.00 RR
-8.00 2x4.00 any tylenol coupons
-3.00 3x1.00/2 any hunt's coupons
-1.99 excedrin coupon
-2.00 2x1.00/2 sunkist 2 liters
-2.79 - free twizzlers
-3.60 - hunt's 7-day walgreens coupon
-2.80 - foil 7-day walgreens coupon
.24 oop, get back a 3.00 RR for the tylenol, 2.00 RR for the sunkist, and 1.00 RR for the excedrin.

I have one more fusion gamer razor, so I'll do:

8.99 fusion gamer
2.79 twizzlers
1.59 foil
13.37 sub total
- 3.00 RR
- 2.00 RR
- 1.00 RR
- 4.00 fusion
- 2.79 twizzlers
- 1.00 foil
- .70 foil 7-day walgreens coupon
.05 oop, get back 6.00 RR

At this point, I'd be completely content enough to stop. However, I do have a few more coupons, so I *might* do a repeat of the first scenario to roll one more time. I also have some tums coupons, so I may roll the gamer RR into the Tums deal. Then I'll be saving my RR's for next week.

Free Zone!

Zone Perfect - buy 1, get 3 free.

They participated in the recent peanut butter related recall, so to build consumer confidence again, they are offering this coupon. Thanks to Felicia here! If you haven't checked out her blog yet - do so! She posts great deals and coupons every day.

Printable Coupons

I'm going to start this list with coupons that I like, and add to it as I come across new ones. These are all Internet Explorer Links, so they may not work in Firefox. If you try to open it in firefox and it won't open or print, check the link. If there is a portion that says "wi" try changing it to "wg" and hit enter. That usually fixes the problem.

.50/1 Peter Pan Bricks coupon

Free Sub at Quizno's!

These will go fast! Quizno's is giving away a million free subs. You can only print one - you have to put in your correct email information since they will email you the specific link for your coupon. The coupon also says that you must present a valid photo i.d. when redeeming.

If this is acceptable to you - you can eat for free! Quizno's Sub Giveaway Enjoy!

Felicia posted info about this on her blog too! :) I found it on slickdeals.

I know it's late, but free redbox rental code:

S39XKT For today - monday the 23rd! :) Enjoy!

I got this info from a blog I follow called "I love a good deal!"

JCPenney is currently offering $10 off of any $10 online order with coupon code REWARD.

Go HERE to sign up for the JCPenney Rewards promo (if you haven’t done this already). Use Promo Code 3008 or 3050 and you will get a $5 rewards coupon.
You can use both the promotion code and one is a rewards certificate and get $15 off any online order!

Touching the Hem

It snowed today, so hubby decided he didn't want to risk our life and limbs (just his) and kept us home today. I didn't want to miss out on the preaching of the Word, so I looked up a sermon from our old church in Ohio - Grace Presbyterian. While recorded sermons are no replacement for the gathering of the saints, I am VERY thankful that they are available when we are unable to gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ! We listened to the sermon "Touching the Hem."

I'm constantly in awe of the biblical accounts of Jesus' work. It must have been absolutely amazing to see him in his earthly ministry. Yet, we see over and over again how hard the hearts of so many people were in that day - they witnessed first-hand the miracles of Jesus (many of which aren't even contained in scripture) yet tried to find some explanation to dismiss it. Amazing how hard our hearts can be when looking at the glory of God!

While Bekka and I were listening to the sermon, Eleanore was sitting nicely next to me coloring. Part way through, I discovered she had created a new flavor of coffee. Rhebekka calls it "Crayon Bluelee..." (I know - it's corny, but it made us giggle)

Free Pancakes Tuesday!

Tuesday Feb. 24th at Ihop (national pancake day!) Each customer gets a free short-stack! I'm totally in on this one! Coffee and pancakes - here I come!

Kroger next week!

Good deals ahead.

Milk - 2.99 a gallon

10/10.00 items:

Kroger frozen veggies (recent mailer coupon for .35 off -not sure if it doubles)
Hormel Chili - recent .55/1 coupon
Angel Soft TP - not sure about coupons
Kleenex - .40/1 lotion kleenex (not sure it's included), .50/3 kleenex
Huggies wipes - size not valid for recent wipes coupon - may still be a decent deal. Also, you *might* be able to use the 1.00 off of Huggies bath and body coupon, but may be a YMMV issue on management interpretation of the coupon.
Pillsbury rolls - .40 coupons, plus there may be cellfire/shortcuts coupons available
Starkist Tuna - b2g1 free coupon available (still better deal at Target if you are close to Target)
Clif Bars - no q's that I know of right now.
Wrigley's gum - recent freebie coupon
Avocados
Select apple varieties
Kroger baby carrots
Fresh Express or Ready Pack salad bags
Jumbo sweet onions

Other stuff:
Comforts Diapers - 5.99 - 3.00 peelies or 3.00 IP coupons
1.99/lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
3.99 for 10lb bag of potatoes
1.67 multi-grain/honey nut cheerios and trix cereal - .50/1 multi-grain coupon
2/4.00 Kraft cheeses 2% varieties included (also includes slices) - .75/1 blinkie coupons
2/4.00 yoplait packs - 1.00 coupons recently
2/4.00 green giant veggies - 1.00 or .50 coupons recently
1.98 Ocean Spray - 1.00 coupons for diet
5.99 tide - .35 coupon
1.33 Progresso Soups - 1.10 IP, various other q's possibly available
2lb for 5.00 Asparagus
3.99 Perdue short cuts - recent .50 or 1.00 coupons

restaurant.com code - 80%! expires 2/28

Use the code: DINE on checkout and save 80%!!! Yes - 80%!!!

Restaurant.com

One of the best deals is to get the Dinner of the Month Club. There is a link on the first page for the club. If you get the year's club, it normally sells for $120.00. With the code, you get it for $24.00! You get a 25.00 gift certificate every month for a year for $24.00! That is a tremendous deal! Also, you can pick restaurants in other states if you are traveling - you can email the certificate to others as gifts, etc... It's awesome!

Yay! Pork/charcoal coupon is back!

$6.00 off pork wyb any 13.5lb or larger Kingsford or Kinsford Match Light Charcoal and (1) of the following: Ball Park Franks, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, Glad Product, K Masterpiece Product or Vlassic Pickles or Relish.

*right now* Target has a Target printable for 1.00 off of Vlassic. Usually they have decent sales or markdowns on the pork - but I don't know what the cost of the charcoal is. This coupon expires 12/31/09 - so lots of time to use it. It prints at the very top of the page, so you may want to print, cut off the q and re-insert and print again, then turn page around and print a 3rd time. Lots of sales will be coming up as we get closer to summer, so look for cheap/free items that you can use coupons for in combination with this one. Last year, I was able to get lots of free dressing/bbq sauce and great deals on the charcoal/pork.

So... I broke down

and bought the baby some diapers. No, she's not been going around all nakey - we typically use cloth. However, I was at Kroger yesterday and they had 3.00 peelies on the diapers and 1.00 peelies on other stuff (body lotion, wipes, powder, etc...)

Their jumbo pack of diapers (nothing "jumbo" about it IMO, but that's what they say) size 4 had 30 diapers and is on sale for 6.49 (reg. 6.99 - not the best sale, but we'll take it...) The wipes tubs - 80 ct - were 3/5.00. Anyway, I would not have normally gotten these, but since they had more of the clearanced J&J - well... I got 1 pk of diapers, 1 pk of wipes, 8 Johnson & Johnson butterfly closures, 3 buddies soaps, and 1 pack of wrigley's gum. Used a 1.00 oyno catalina (thanks French's mustard), 3.00 comforts diapers coupon, 1.00 comforts other stuff coupon, 4x3.00/2 Johnson & Johnson first aid coupon, 3x1.00 Johnson & Johnson buddies mailer coupons, and free Wrigley's gum (1.19). .35 oop - got back a .50/1 dentyne and 3.00/3 buddies catalina. I'm going to assume they'll be having a 10 for 10.00 sale on the gum soon, so I'll be using my freebie coupons there to get as many of the dentyne ones as I can. Then, when the sale hits we'll still be getting free gum because these will double. Also, I plan to roll the buddies cat as much as possible for the soap - it's pretty decent soap and I kind of like the watermelony smell.

I found one lonely package of Goodnights XL (girls) at Target for 2.64 - these are the overnight pants for bigger kids - used a 2.00 newspaper q for a great deal. I believe they are changing the packaging, and that's why they were marked down. Check your endcaps for awesome clearance deals. They had giant 12 pks of individually wrapped papertowels for 11.48 - a great deal in my opinion. I didn't get any (and I"ll probably regret it! lol) cuz I just don't have the cash yet. Here's hoping they'll wait another week! I think they had big packs of toilet paper marked down also, but since we're stocked from Kroger I forgot to look at the price.

I saw lots of new peelies on things - Glade Lasting Impressions or Sense & Spray had 2.00 peelies, Pantene restoratives had 3.00/2 target coupons (combine with manufacturer coupons!) Target may have a gift card deal with the Glade soon, or even the Pantene. Oh - I got 2 8pks of dove beauty bars - go fresh citrus - with a bonus thing of body wash for 3.74. I had 2.00 off mailer coupons, and I think there are 1.00 and 1.50 coupons that you can use on these. Some of the other stuff was a bit high for clearance still, but it may come down soon. Lots of lotion (big bottle of suave was 2.02 - use 1.00 coupon for decent deal on lotion), old-spice body wash, deoderants, etc... A couple varieties of Vlassic pickles were marked down to 1.50, but I didn't get any because I wasn't too sure of the "flavors" - the one that stands out was "lime" - anyone try this? Anyway, there's a 1.00 printable target coupon for Vlassic. They had some jars of pickles at 1.84. Not too bad for pickles/relish - and even better if a manufacturer coupon comes out!

Lots of lower prices on things - some pks of Archer Farms coffees were around 6.XX. Not too bad if you like coffee - especially flavored varieties. David is deacon of the month at our church, so I've been trying to get some flavored coffees to stock up the church this month when I can get good overage. Johnson & Johnson travel pack first aid kits are .99. Use the 3.00/2 blinkie coupons from Kroger (they don't exclude the travel sizes) and get 1.02 overage for each set of 2! The coupon does beep, but so far my cashier's have K1'd it each time.

Glucerna shakes were TPC'd to 5.84ish? Anyway, if you have the 10.00 IP, then you are getting some major overage with these.

Starkist tuna is still a good deal - the 2.X oz pkgs are .87. Someone pointed out that they may stay marked down for a while with Lent coming - so look for lots of fish/tuna sales in the next few weeks. There's a recent buy 2 get 1 free Starkist pouch coupons and 1.00 off (1 or 2, I can't remember) coupons - and I think there will be a new b2g1 coupon in this weeks paper. I've also found that if I get one of the flavored pouches (I think they run about 1.59ish), and 2 of the cheaper ones that they'll take off the 1.59 one from my order! (I put the flavored ones in hubby's lunch salads) So if you can get 3 pouches of tuna with the b2g1 and the 1.00/2 coupon for .74 + tax. My Super Target is awesome!

In other news, my beloved generous husband ordered me a computer earlier this week! (yay for tax money... lol) It may be here as early as Saturday, so I'm hopeful and excited. Trying not to get too hopeful because these things tend to go long for me - but we'll see. I guess that means I can print more coupons! LOL!

A mix of things

Well, I know I haven't posted any theological discussions for a while. Part of that (a very tiny part) is that my personal computer was fried during a recent storm and my online access is somewhat limited. I've been trying to stay off-line when the kids are up and about.

The other part is that I've been slowly reading a book by Michael Horton on the covenantal relationship between God and his people. It's a fascinating book that has made me really think, so it has been a slow go for me. I want to really take the time to digest it. I have lots of notes, though, so once I'm finished you'll get quite the flood.

I'm still struggling with keeping faithful to my personal biblical study. I'm considering leaving the coffee pot plugged in and setting it to brew on it's own in the early AM... hopefully that will get me up early enough! My prayer life is a lot more on track. God is really helping me in that area.

Some other neat things that are happening is that Rhebekka is getting some new friends in the neighborhood. There have been some fascinating thelological discussions that I've been privy to overhearing, and it is so wonderful to know that God is using Rhebekka as a light in the world. It seems that our prayer list grows and grows as she adds new friends! One of her friends has even been coming to church with us regularly for a few weeks now. I wish we had a van and could take all the neighborhood kids and parents! I'm going to try hard to get out of my hermit-like shell and become friendlier with the moms and dads in the neighborhood. Rhebekka has such an easy time of it, and I've always been so shy! I guess it's my turn to grow! :)

Now for the shopping deals...

This week at Walgreens isn't looking that great for me, but here are some ideas.

8.99 Gillette Fusion Gamer
-4.00 manufacturer coupon from 2/8 newspaper
4.99 + tax oop, get back a 6.00 RR

.99 Colgate toothpaste
-1.00 manufacturer coupon from paper
-.01 + tax oop

20.00 2 Revlon Creme lipstick
-10.00 bogo sale
-4.00 2x2.00 manufacturer coupon from paper
6.00 + tax oop. Get back 10.00 + 10% on Walgreens rebate gift card.

Next week, I'm going for the free foil. It is .89 with the in-ad coupon, so after the 1.00 coupon it'll be .11 overage each. I only have a few of these coupons - just not willing to pay a ton through eBay for them - but there's tons listed if you are willing! It's really not a bad deal to pay what they are going for on eBay - I am just trying to keep my costs down right now.

*March all month deals*

MM!!
Colgate Total Advanced – 4.0 oz
There is a 2.50 ESR coupon in the March booklet, and a 1.50 printable coupon. These are regularly 3.49 each according to the website, so it works out to be:
3.49 (plus tax)
-1.50 IPQ
-2.50 ESQ
-.51 overage! You’ll need stuff in your order to soak up the extra. J

MM
Sambucol 30 ct. – 12.99 according to the website
10.00 ESQ, 4.00 IPQ (came in an email from Sambucol)
-1.01 overage!

Possible good deals on candy – lots of ESQ’s for these.

Monthly rebate freebies – Limit 1 of each per household

Memory Formula 45 Softgels – 19.99, free after rebate

Axe Shampoo, conditioner, or stylers – up to 6.99 – free after rebate (may get a mq to make it a decent deal)

Walgreen’s extra strength Quick gels 20 ct. – 2.99, free after rebate

* Wal-zyr is rumored to potentially be on Mega Saver all next month, which would make it free after rebate also. The rebate is for 3.99 for a 24 hr. 10 mg 5pack. I believe these are listed at about $5.99 normally.

*Energizer may be a decent deal also. There is a rebate of buy 3, get $15 rebate back. There are some 5.00 and 3.00 tearpad coupons out, and there is a mail-in form for a $10.00 McDonald’s gift certificate when you buy $35.00 of batteries. (maybe a good place to apply that overage…) Submit online for your $15.00 Walgreen’s gift card, then mail in your receipts with the form for the McDonald’s gift card.

Weekly great deals:

3/1-3/8:

Act Mouth wash
2.99
2.00 mq
1.00 esq
freebie

Blink Tears Stuff
7.99
possible coupons between now & then, or use 4.00 IPQ if you printed it…
get back 7.99 RR oyno

Colgate max
3.29
1.50 IPQ or 1.00 IPQ
1.79 oop (or 2.79 with 1.00 IPQ)
get back 3.29 RR

Carmex – use as filler maybe??
2.99
2.99 oop
2.00 RR

Vaseline lotions – 25% off, 1.50/1 coupons
2.69 (cheapest one – other’s available)
-1.50 mq
1.19 oop, get back 2.00 RR

Other deals:
Cheap Dove soap - .99 a bar
Free Reach floss or brush - .99 with in-ad coupon – use 1.00 mq to make it free!
1.00 RR wyb Sunsilk @2.99 – there are some 1.00 coupons out that may work.
Bunch of P&G items on sale – may be okay deals with the P&G coupons (i.e. free Gillette wyb Fusion Razor Cartridge refills)
Splenda 80-100 ct pkts is 2.99 – good deal if you use it
Wags diapers are 2/9.00 – decent deal on diapers
3/10.00 Kellogg’s/Kashi cereals, get back a 3.00 RR – may have some coupons by then.
.99 for dawn dish liquid – good deal if a q comes out

3/8-3/15
Good week for overage again. Not only can you still do the monthly overage deals, but there is major overage with the Glade Sense & Spray or Glade Lasting Impressions.

7.99 Glade S&S
7.99 Glade S&S
-7.99 Bogo glade mq
-4.00 glade mq
-8.00 glade ESQ (automatically takes off 4.00 for each one)
-4.02 oop overage! You’ll need 4.02 worth of stuff to soak up the overage.

Possible good deal with the Huggies diapers/wipes too – and if you combine the Glade deal with this, then it’ll be very awesome/cheap diapers! If you have RR’s left from the week before – you’ll be golden!

Huggies diapers/pullups are 10.00 per pack and the 164 or 232 ct. wipes are 6.00. If you spend 25.00, you get back a 10.00 RR. There are manufacturer coupons that make this deal sweet, and I believe Huggies also qualify for the caregiver’s rebate program. Also with this same deal, Kotex pads or tampons are included and there are some mq’s for those also (1.00 or .75)

My scenario:

31.96 4 glade items
6.00 – 2 kotex
20.00 – 2 huggies
61.84 after tax
-15.98 2 bogo glade coupons
-8.00 2x4.00 glade coupons
-1.50 2x.75 kotex coupons (I think I have 1.00 coupons, but I’m not totally sure)
-3.00 2x1.50 huggies mq (if the soft and dry huggies are included, there’s also a Wag’s q for 1.00 off each, but I don’t know if that one is included yet…)
-16.00 Glade ESQ
17.36 for 2 diapers, 2 kotex, 4 glade AND you get 10.00 RR for your next order!

Or, if you do the wipes at 6.00 instead and use the .50 mq, it’ll cost you about 1.00 more.

Also, Kleenex is 3/4.00 and included in the deal. You could do 15 kleenex and 2 kotex with the glade deal.
31.96 4 glade
26.00 – kotex/kleenex
61.84 after tax
-2.50 5x.50/3 kleenex q’s (there’s also some buy3get1 tearpad q’s out, but they are hard to come by)
-1.50 2x.75 kotex q’s
-15.98 bogo glade
-8.00 glade q’s
-16.00 glade esq’s
17.86 oop, get back 10.00 RR – not too bad for 15 kleenex and 2 kotex.

Other stuff:

.79 Ajax dish liquid – sometimes there’s a .20 coupon available so look for it…
4.49 Advil PM 20 ct. There are IPQ’s for 2.00 off. 2.49 out of pocket, get back a 2.00 RR.
Fusion Gamer razor is 8.99 with 4.00 RR back. I think the 4.00 mq will still be good, so 4.99 oop, 4.00 RR back.
Irish spring Body Wash is 4.49 – may have .50/1 q’s out. Get RR for a free one on your next order.
Right Guard/Dri Idea deodorant is 2.99, get 2.00 RR. May have a good mq come out to make it close to free.
Smart Balance Butter Spread – 2/2.99. 1.00/1 coupons out makes it .99 for 2.
Coke is 4/13.00, get back a 3.00 RR. If you have 1.00/1 coke rewards coupons – it may be worth it.
Xcel laundry detergent – 1.99 each (not sure if this is “good” detergent or not…)
Blue Diamond almonds are 2/3.49. 6 oz each. I think I saw some coupons for these recently.
Garnier shampoo is 2.99 – use 1.00 tearpad q’s, 2.00 ESQ – free shampoo!

Free Monday Redbox Rental

Code for today's freebie is: M7DM23

Enjoy!

Oh - in case you haven't seen these, they have been at Walgreens - and I've seen them at a few McDonald's also. They are just like they sound - a big, giant, red box. :)

Kmart Doubles - copy of letter I received!

Time to do some research and order those coupons! Here's the copy I got:

Dear Alicia,

Thank you for contacting Kmart regarding the Kmart Double Coupon Event. We appreciate your interest in this promotion. This event is for select participating Kmart locations from 2/22-2/28. Coupons will be doubled upto $2.00 and up to 25 per person per day. The participating stores in Tennessee are : Bristol, Clarksville, Crossville, Johnson City, Kingsport, Memphis and Morristown.

We appreciate your business and value you as a Sears Holdings customer. We certainly hope you will continue to make Sears Holdings your choice for quality and value.

Sincerely,
Jacob G.
National Customer Relations
Sears Holdings Corporation

What a Wednesday!

We packed up and headed to our good friend Betsy's house yesterday morning. It was me, Betsy, Katie, Stephanie, and all the accompanying kids (12 to be exact!) We were meeting for a seed swap. We had put in an order of new seeds, and they had also brought along their older seeds, and we divided them up for our gardens. This was SO much fun! We talked about gardening, planned our plots, made plans for other projects, discussed food, children, being Godly examples - it was fabulous to have the time with other moms. Encouraging and refreshing. :)

The children had a blast too. They ran around in the back yard, dug in the dirt, played on the swing set, and generally played together. Eleanore chowed down a huge lunch and took one of the best naps she's taken in a long time!

We had planned to go to church yesterday evening, but a bad storm hit just as we were supposed to be leaving, so I decided we'd better stay home. It turned out to be providential, as Rhebekka said those all to familiar words to me while driving home from Betsy's: "Mom... I don't feel good." By the time we were home, she had nausea, a raging headache and a lovely fever.

The worst part of the day was walking into the living room and smelling an electrical burning smell. My computer is fried. I never uploaded my spreadsheet, so that is gone unless I can ghost my hard drive. (which is not likely any time soon - if it's even possible!)

I did manage to get 2 transactions done at Kroger:



In 2 back-to-back transactions, I got:

20 pks of cottonelle
10 lbs of chicken
2 pks of popsicles
2 pks of gum
6 Buddy bars
1 pkg of cookies (just one of those things that I like - and a good reason to not shop while hungry)
16 butterfly closures
12 french's mustards
10 boxes of fruit snacks
4 cans of Chef boyardee
6 boxes of totino's

5.02 oop (the chicken alone regularly costs 5.90 a bag!)
My cats didn't print on the last transaction because the machine ran out of paper, so the store put 9.50 on a gift card for me! Yes... I spent $5.02 and got back $9.50!

My savings was over 100% on each receipt - which is kind of nifty. I'd give you the actual numbers, but I'm too lazy to dig it out of my purse right now.

And no... I'm not feeding all of that to my family! Some of it will be resold, some donated, and the popsicles, gum, chicken, and cookies (for me!) will be consumed. Well, we'll probably keep some of the TP too. LOL.

aKroggering we will go...

Well… I’m impatient. I couldn’t wait for my mustard coupons to come, so I did 1 transaction at Kroger today. I got a few things more than I had planned, but it’s all good.

The only problem I had was with some coupons for 3.00/2 Johnson & Johnson First Aid items. Now, if the item is less than the coupon, then the store has 2 options. They can either adjust the amount of the coupon down to match the price of the item (at which point they are supposed to write on the coupon what was actually deducted from your cost so that they aren’t reimbursed more than they should be), or they can push the coupon through at face value since they will be reimbursed for that amount. The manufacturer doesn’t care how much they sell the item for – they just want to be sure that the item is sold!

I point all this out because the Kroger on Kingston looked at me like I had 3 heads when I asked them to adjust a coupon down. (I was hoping for overage, since EVERY other store that I go to will typically allow it – but… *shrug*) So, I paid 2.53 + tax for stuff I was planning to at least get for free. That may go back – not sure yet.

Now, for the nitty gritty:

5 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (.50 q doubled for each)
3 Totino’s Pizza rolls (.35 q doubled for each)
2 Chef Boyardee pastas (.35 q doubled)
3 Johnson’s Buddies Bars (1.00 q each)
3 quarts of Lactaid for .75 each (no q, but awesome price for me to get milk I can actually drink!)
9 Johnson’s butterfly closures on markdown (3.00/2 coupons – total of 3 coupons)
1 J&J gauze on markdown (see above)
1 Box of cheerios (.50 q doubled AND .75 cellfire q)
10 cottonelle 4pks (.50 q doubled each)
2 juicy fruit gum (2 free coupons)
I also go the 3.00/10 items purchased deal

Tax – 2.95
Oop – 8.96 (if they’d taken all the j&j q’s, it would’ve been 6.00 less)
Got back a .50 off of Dentyne
Got back a 3.00 off of 3 J&J baby or desitin products (more buddy bars to come!)
Got back a 3.50 off your next order (promo when you buy 5 fruit snacks)

Saved 42.93 – 87%

Okay – I just looked at my receipt and it says I bought 11 items toward the promo, so I have to comb through it… I was charged for an extra fruit snack! GRR!!! Guess I’ll be headed back for a refund!

2nd/3rd trip went much better. I did 2 transactions total – back to back.

1 Totino’s
5 Cottonelle
4 Butterfly Band-aid
3 Buddy soaps
5 Fruit Roll-ups
2 Cheerios
4 Chef Boyardee
1 pkg. Tyson Chicken Breasts

Used the 3.50 oyno Catalina from the first transaction, the 3.00/3 Johnson Buddy Catalina from first transaction, and the rest were your standard coupons.

I just realized that my cellfire and shortcuts coupons did not come off, so I will have to email them and get that credited to my card. It should’ve been 1.50 less!

Tax: 2.15
OOP 4.37
Got 3.50 oyno cat from fruit snacks
Got 3.00/3 cat from/for Johnson’s
Savings: 42.25 – 95%

Did exact same transaction again, but added 2 gum and used the freebie coupons.

Tax: 2.39
OOP 4.82
Got the cats plus another .50 off of dentyne….
Savings: 45.00 – 94%

Todays total oop: 18.15

Due: 1.79 + tax refund for extra charge of fruit snacks
1.50 worth of cellfire coupons

Yay..

It's Monday. We had a great Sabbath, and I got a lot of rest. I didn't make it to evening church because Eleanore was beyond reasonable, so I stayed home with the baby.

I got *most* of my coupons in the mail today. I'm still waiting on some mustard q's, and one of my envelopes was short by 20 coupons - so I have to get that straightened out. I'm working on it!

Did I mention last week that I had done one of the Daytona deals? Well, when you buy 5 Betty Crocker fruit rollup products, you get a catalina for 3.50 off your next order. I did that, and today I ran into Kroger on my way home from taking David to work. They still had some Tyson chicken breasts at .99/lb (not as good as the .88/lb that Ingles had, but I"m not close to Ingles anymore!) Anyway, I got a pack that was around 3.67, grabbed a .78 loaf of bread because I didn't make any this weekend, and walked out paying 1.29 out of pocket!

I'm thinking of trying to be heavier into trading instead of buying coupons. Sometimes I would just like to be assured that I'll get as many as I want when I want them, but I think I am going to try more of the trading on Hotcouponworld. The only challenge is getting me to input my have and wish list! lots of time involved there!

Kroger on 2/12

From 12pm-8pm they will have grapes at .99/lb, blueberries at .99/lb, half gallon orange juice for .99, dove choclates at 1.98 a bag, and Ben & Jerry's or Haagen Daaz ice cream pints at 1.88.

Wow... Target cracking down on shoplifters!

Hopefully I don't know anyone that steals from retailers - but just in case someone out there who does steal is reading - watch this video from Nightline.