I thought I’d post my quick CVS trip this morning since it worked out pretty well for Easter candy.

Transaction #1:

Bought 2 Easter candy singles $.50 each
Bought 1 CVS Brand Jelly Beans $.99
Use $1/2 Mars Candy singles from 3/18 RP
and Use $.25/1 Mars singles from CVS coupon scanner
Paid $.74

I got back a $.99 ECB for the jelly beans and a $1 ECB for the Mars singles

Transaction #2:

2 bags M&Ms $4.19 for 2 (Buy One Get One Free)
Used $1/2 M&Ms coupon from the CVS coupon scanner
and Used $1/2 Mars coupon from 3/18 RP
Total $2.19
Used $1 ECB from above and $.99 ECB from above

Paid $.19

So the grand total I spent was $.93 which I thought was pretty good. It would be a little cheaper if you have the $1.50/2 M&Ms coupon but remember you need a small filler if you do the same thing that I did or get your ECB adjusted down.

You can get more details about the CVS candy deals this week here and more information about the CVS coupon scanner here.

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Here is my shopping trip for this week:

Fresh n Easy $5.44

This was right next door to a playdate and it is a brand new store so I stopped in to check it out.

French Bread $.98
Hamburger Buns $.98
Mini Hamburger Buns $1.49
English Muffins $1.99

Those mini hamburger buns are so adorable and they are going to perfect to make sandwiches for my girls.

Sprouts $10.49

2 bags frozen broccoli $1.00 each
Baby Spinach $1.00
Cauliflower $2.00
5lb Organic Potatoes $2.50
Organic Apples $2.99

Safeway $28.93

2 Lucerne Cheese $5.99- used $2/10 coupon= $9.98
Knorr Roaster- Free with store promotion (Just 4 U)
2 Gevalia Coffee $5.00- used $2 coupons= $3.00
Mission Tortillas $1.49
Cottage Cheese $1.48
2 Oikos Yogurt $1.00 each- used $.50/2 coupon= $1.50
2 Nathan’s Hot Dogs $5.99- used $1 coupon= $4.99
Tomatoes- free with store promotion (Just4U)
Pepperoni $3.49

Target $6.59

Kashi Crackers $2.74- used $2 recyclebank coupon= $.74
Aquafresh toothpaste $1.50- used $1 coupon= $.50
Foil $1.02- used $.50 coupon= $.52
Nexcare Bandaids $1.87- used $.75 and $.55 coupons= $.57
Revlon Shadow $4.44- used $2 coupon and $1 coupon= $1.44
Ricotta Cheese $1.94
Revlon Tool $2.89
Revlon Tool $1.69
Revlon Tool $2.24
Revlon Tool $2.99- used (2) $5 coupons= $.88

*Note: the best thing is probably to divide up the Revlon. All 4 items should have been free but the coupons were applied as the items scanned and the more expensive items were scanned first- so instead of free it was $.88 total for all 4.

Whew- total was $51.42

And we still have protein in the freezer from prior stock up trips- I am super low on chicken but otherwise this is just a bunch of extras to fill out the menu plan for the week.

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Here is my shopping trip for the week:

Sprouts $34.77

Spinach Feta Focaccia Bread $3.99
French Rolls $2.99
Half and Half $1.49
Organic Milk $5.59
2 Bags Frozen Onions $1.99- got 20% off for frozen foods sale = $1.59 each
Cauliflower $1.55
5lbs Clementines $2.99- used $.55 coupon= $2.44
Watermelon $6.04 (that is really, really expensive but my kids wanted watermelon sooo badly.  ;)  They ate that whole thing in 2 days.)
Organic Heirloom Tomatoes $2.99
Organic 3pk Romaine Lettuce $.99
4 Mangoes $.88 each

Target Trip #1

I actually made 2 Target trips last week because I needed cold medication halfway through the week. It worked out because those new coupons came out midweek making that cereal deal even better.

Pretzel Crisps $1.99- used $1 coupon= $.99
8 Boxes Crunchy Nut Cereal $2.75- Used (2) $4/4 cereal coupons + (2) $1/3 Target cereal coupons
2 boxes NutriGrain bars $2.50- Used $1/2 coupon + $1/2 Target coupon
My subtotal after coupons was $15.99 but I had the $5 gift card from the last cereal transaction

So I paid $10.99 and got back $10 in gift cards!

Target Trip #2 $2.80

And today I stopped back by the check prices and got the following:

2 Market Pantry Whole Wheat Pasta $.98- Used $1/2 coupon= $.48
2 Market Pantry Pasta Sauce $1.00- Used $1/2 coupon= $.50
Pretzel Crisps $1.99- used $1 coupon= $.99
2 Archer Farms Whole Wheat bread $2.50- used $1.2 Target coupon= $2 each
Irish Cheddar Cheese $3.99
6 cans of Market Pantry Soup $.64- used (2) $1/3 coupons= .31 each

Subtotal was $12.80 and I used those $10 gift cards

Now most of the Target stuff is actually for a food drive at school. I just set aside $10 in total to see how much I could get. I still have two weeks to pick a few things up here and there and I will post what I came up with for the $10 once I am done.

So the grand total was $48.56.

And here is the menu plan for the week:

• Aged Cheddar and Cauliflower Soup with french bread
• Steak Bites and Salad
• Baked Chicken Parmesan  and leftover salad
• Grilled Tilapia with mango and rice
• Chicken Taco Rice (from Simple & Delicious magazine)
• Grilled Heirloom Tomato Pizza

I also made up a big batch of iced coffee this weekend.  

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Here is the shopping trip for this week:

Target
Eggos $2.00
2 Raisin Bran $2.75- used (2) $.70 coupons
2 Crunchy Nut $2.75- Used (2) $.70 coupons and a $1 Target coupon
2 cans Muir Glen $1.32 each- used $1/2 coupon= $.82
Starbucks $7.99- used $1 Target mobile coupon and used $1.50 coupon= $5.49
Simply Orange $3.49- used $1 Target coupon and $1 coupon= $1.49

Paid $17.82 and have $5 gift card for next time.

Raleys $19.53

Organic Apple Juice $2.50
Bundt cake- free with store coupon
Tortilla Chips $1.39
2 Hormel lunchmeat $2.49- used (2) $.50 coupons= $1.99
2 strawberries $1.99 each
2 Alexia Potatoes $2.50- used (2) $1.25 coupons= $1.25
Eggplant $1.49
Tomato $1.88
Onion $.93

Oh and those free cookies from CVS

Plus I hit Sprouts for mangoes, broccoli, apples and mushrooms.  The total was $10.

So that doesn’t look like much but we stocked up on chicken a few weeks ago and on pork last week and then I still have some beef and fish in the freezer.  So there wasn’t much that we needed this week.

And here is the menu plan for the week:

Monday: BBQ Chicken and Organic Corn

Tuesday: Spinach and Artichoke Pizza

Wednesday: Dinner Out

Thursday: Chicken Parmesan and Salad

Friday: Eggplant Sandwiches and salad

Saturday: Fiesta Chicken and Rice

Sunday: Mushroom and Manchego Paninis and broccoli

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So I stopped by Safeway to give the free milk promotion a go. I buy organic milk which is about $6 a gallon so any milk promotions I am usually all over.

I wanted to also take advantage of the $5 coupon when you spend $15 in frozen foods promotion* so here is what I did:

Bought 6 boxes of Simply Eggos at $2.50
Bought 1 gallon milk at $5.99
Used (2) $1/3 Eggos coupons
Used $4 off milk when you buy breakfast items coupon*
Paid $14.99

And of course nothing printed out…. so we trooped over to customer service. My store had signage everywhere about the free milk and Eggos promotion so they just refunded me the entire price of my milk! It was supposed to be up to $4 back but they gave me $5.99 for the trouble.

I spaced out on the $5 frozen foods catalina so now I need to contact Catalina Marketing about that.

Anyhoo, this will have worked out to a fantastic deal for me once I get the $5 off coupon from Catalina.   Just to recap, here is how it should have worked out:

6 boxes of Eggos at $2.50
Use (2) $1/3 coupons
Pay $13.00
Get a free gallon of milk coupon (up to $4) back and get $5 off your next frozen foods purchase coupon
So basically pay $13 and get $9 in food coupons back.

NOTES: Some areas have the frozen foods as spend $10 and get $5 back so check your local ad, that is a way better deal! Also Safeway does not accept free item coupons. Technically that $4 milk coupon does require a purchase of 3 items so it is not against the coupon policy to use that coupon but the stores can certainly refuse to accept it. Your luck will vary with that one. (I was anticipating being told no on it myself.)

See the Safeway deals for the week here.

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You can click below to see how the weekly shopping went for me.

Raley’s $32.53

Organic Milk $5.98
2lbs carrots- free with store coupon
cream cheese- free with store coupon
French Bread $1.88
Purple Cauliflower $2.00 (I thought my girls would like this)
Machego Cheese $5.99 (boo!)
Clementines $2.99- used $.35 coupon= $2.64
Fresh Pork Chops $15.57 – used $5 off a $15 pork purchase coupon*
Organic Salad Mix $1.49
2 pints of tomatoes .99 each
*The coupon didn’t work at checkout and I had to get a refund at customer service.

I hopped over to Safeway just because I wanted to take advantage of that rebate offer for the free items. I normally wouldn’t have bought some of these items but since they were free after rebate I just couldn’t pass it up.

Fundamiddles Cupcakes $3.99- used $.50 coupon= $3.49
Ocean Spray Fruit Snacks $1.99- used $.50 coupon= $1.49
Cheerios Dulce con Leche $2.99
Multigrain Cheerios $2.99
Nature Valley Protein Bars $3.00- used $.50 coupon= $2.50
2 Lucerne Cheese $5.23 (these are $5.99 but I have a Just 4 U price of $5.23)
Totinos Pizza Stuffers $3.49- used $.50 coupon= $2.99
Yoplait Greek Parfaits $2.50
Yoplait Greek Yogurt $2.50
2 Farmland Bacon $5.49
Total $37.40 but I get $26.94 back in a rebate so the total is $10.46

And I wouldn’t have gone to Target except I was collecting prices for the blog so here are a few things I grabbed:

2 Welch’s Fruit Fizz $2.99- free with coupons
Up & Up mouthwash $2.29- used $1 coupon= $1.29
Organic Eggs $3.84
Ortega Taco Sauce $1.61
Ortega Seasoning $.62- used $1/2 coupon (from a magazine)
2 Schick Razors $9.49- used $5.50 in coupons and got back a $5 gift card= $2.98

Final Price: $9.34

So if you figure the rebate will go back into our bank account, the grand total was $52.33. That wasn’t quite enough for the week as I wasn’t able to get much produce.  The organic produce is just so much more expensive at my normal grocery stores so I will have to swing back over to Sprouts to get mushrooms, celery, apples and tomatoes.  I am guessing that will be about $8 or so.

The nice thing is we are REALLY stocked up on pork chops for a few months.  Since the price was so good this week I got a bunch of packages and they all went into Ziploc bags and into the freezer.

{MENU PLAN}

Steak, salad, cauliflower
Roasted tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons
Tomato pesto paninis and salad
Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken with broccoli
Ranch Chicken Lasagna and salad
Chicken Fajitas

If you want more recipe ideas, you can follow me on Pinterest. I seem to have a theme of cheese and sweets going right now but I am looking all the time for easy and healthy ideas.

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This is actually two weeks of groceries and if you can believe it our fridge is seriously bursting right now.

I have to skip all the deals until we can get through what we have.

COSTCO:

Organic Spinach $2.00
2 gallons Organic Milk $10.99
Pomegranate Seeds $6.48
Organic Blueberries $6.48
Organic Frozen peaches $6.48
Bananas $1.39
Mozzarella Cheese $4.99
4 heads Organic Romaine $3.79
Trash bags $10.00
Sourdough Bread $3.99

I can’t find my receipt now so this is just from memory. Approx $56.59

TARGET:

2 Barilla Whole Grain Pasta $1.19- used $.55/1 coupons= $.64 each
Cafe Bustelo Coffee $3.39
Classico Pizza Sauce $1.55
Total $6.22

WALGREENS:
6 Illy Coffees $1.66- used $1 coupons= $.66 each
Total $3.96

CVS:
$10.77 for (2) Megapacks of PullUps + Pellegrino

SAFEWAY:

Lucerne Cheese $5.00
4 Pom juices $.99- used $1 coupon= Free
Mission Tortillas $1.49
French Bread $1.49
(2) Nathan’s Hot Dogs $5.99
Tomatoes $2.09
Cilantro $.99
8lbs Oranges $4.99
Marzetti Salad Dressing $2.50- used $1.50 coupon= $1
3 bags Salad Mix $2.50- used $2 coupons= $.50
Nature Sweet Tomatoes $3.99- free with Safeway coupon
Final Price: $24.54

Grand total for 2 weeks was $102.09 so pretty darn close to my $50/week budget.

And here is the menu plan for the week:

• Spinach and Artichoke Pasta w/ salad and french bread
• Turkey Taco Cups 
• Tomato foccacia with salad
• Chicken Pot Pie (just to get rid of pie crust from the holidays)
• Cajun Beef Casserole
• Steak Fajitas

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Urg- this was one of those weeks that I made a few stops which I try hard not to do and everything just added up so fast.  Fortuntately all the stores are very close together so it is pretty quick to hit them all on my way home.

Here is my shopping trip for this week plus the menu plan:

Safeway: $22.53

3 Lucerne Sliced Cheese $1.99each
Fresh Express Salad Mix $2.50 (this was free with a Just 4 U Coupon)= Free
2 Powerade $.69 each
1 Vitaminwater $1.00- used $.75 catalina coupon from prior trip= $.25
Open Nature Hamburger Buns $1.99
3 Fage Greek Yogurt $1.00 each
Organic Orange Juice $2.99
French Bread $1.99
Lucerne Half and Half $1.20 (personal price from Just 4 U)
Hormel Lunch Meat $2.49- used $.50/1 coupon= $1.99 (not pictured)
3 Buddig lunch meat $.59 each (not pictured)
Total $22.53
*The Buddig and the drinks went to some homeless kids in front of the store.

I meant to get some Just 4 U deals as well but somehow nothing was working for me so I scratched it all and I will have to go back another day to try again.

Sprouts: $40.55
3 pints blueberries $.99 each
3 lbs of Strawberries $1.50 each
Wyman’s Frozen Raspberries $2.00
(3) Van’s organic waffles on clearance $2.29- used (2) $1/1 Van’s coupons= $4.87 for all 3
Organic Celery $1.99
Cherries $2.95
5lbs Clementines $3.99
Eggplant $.88
Organic Carrots $1.69
Organic Tomatoes $1.99
Bananas $2.15
Raw Almonds $3.59
Chicken Breast-2 packages $11.49 total (almost 6 lbs)
Total was $45.06. I used a Sprouts gift card that was 10% off awhile back so I figure I really spent $40.55.

I went to check deals for the blog today otherwise I wouldn’t have made this trip to Target.

Target $21.19

(2) Evaporated Milk on clearance $.61 each
2 Boca Burgers $2.99- used $1/2 coupon= $2.49 each
Haribo Gummies $1.00- used $.30 coupon= $.70
Au Jus $.99
Salsa $1.99
Bagels $1.24
International Delight Creamer $1.79- used $.75 coupon= $1.04
(2) Laughing Cow Cheese $2.79- used $1/2 coupon= $2.29 each
Organic Eggs $3.84 (Target is the cheapest I can find for organic eggs and they have not had them in stock for weeks so this was exciting to me.)

I made this stop on Friday- I actually wouldn’t have gone to Raley’s this week except they have a post office inside and we had packages to send off anyway.

Raley’s $13.64
Organic Milk $5.98
Raley’s Parmesan Cheese $3.99- free with coupon= Free
Sans Sucre Baking Mix $4.79- free with coupon= free
Oranges $2.78 (we already ate most of them)
Organic Potatoes $2.50
2 Hormel Pepperoni at $1.19- used $.50/2 coupon= $1.88 (not pictured)
Popchips $1.50- used $1 coupon= $.50

Embarrassingly, my husband seems to have already eaten the pepperoni. I almost never buy it and there is a $1/2 coupon in the 1/15 SS so I will probably grab another few packs for $.69 each. That is a great deal.

The grand total was $97.  I try to spend $50 per week on groceries but the last 3 weeks I have not spent the entire $50 so I did have about $25 extra in the budget.

I am going to see how things go but we might need to bump our budget up again to maybe $60.  I am noticing a lot of price increases on things we regularly buy (like the organic milk and organic eggs have gone up).  My girls are going through a growth spurt right now and eating a TON all the sudden.  They will easily eat one pint of blueberries with oatmeal in the morning and then 1 lb of strawberries will be just one afternoon snack between the three of us… so we’ll see how it goes for the next 2 weeks and decide.

And last but not least, here is the menu plan for the week:

Chicken with Pepperoni Marinara Sauce and Spinach Salad

California Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Smoked Paprika Chicken and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Grilled Steak Salad

Crispy Chimichangas

BBQ Chicken Calzones with Grilled Broccoli

Eggplant Parm with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes 

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Here is my shopping trip for the week. Just the basics because I am going through an early spring cleaning phase right now and systematically cleaning and purging every room in the house.

Anyhow, here is my trip for the week:

Staples:

Bic Markers $1.00- used $1 coupon= $.07 for tax

Target:

French’s Fried Onions $1.92- used $.30 coupon= $1.62
Archer Farms Turkey $6.49
Taster’s Choice Instant Coffee $1.29- used $1 coupon from a sample= $.29
Bagels $1.29
Market Pantry Sliced Cheese $2.49
Kraft Cheese $2.59
Oregon Chai $2.91- used $1 coupon= $1.91
Chobani Yogurt $1- used $.30 coupon= $.70
2 Enchilada sauce $.99= $1.98
Total: $19.36

Sprouts:

Organic Milk $5.79
Feta Cheese $4.99
Diced Onions $1.79
3 lbs Strawberries $1.50 each
2 pints Blueberries $1.50 each
3 Cucumbers $.33 each
Organic Spinach $3.49
Organic 3lb apples $3.99
Organic Tomato $1.41
Shallot $.15
3 packages Mushrooms $.99 each
2lbs bananas $1.34

used $5 off $30 purchase from the front of my ad
Paid $29.42- since I have a gift card I purchased from Sprouts for 10% off, I figure I really spent $26.48

So the total this week was $45.91. I didn’t use a lot of coupons but I just bought the things we needed. Last week there was a good deal on chicken so we have plenty of that in the freezer.  The cheese was way over priced but we needed it and the feta looked too good to pass up.  I will probably make a feta and cucumber salad for lunch this week.

I do plan to go back to Target on Thursday for the toy clearance so I will be getting a few more of the coupon deals- (like the Kashi cereal) then.

Here is the menu plan:

• Skillet Parmesan Chicken and Spinach Salad
• Chicken Tamale Pie
• Mushroom Lasagna
• Split Pea Soup and Salad
• Slow Cooked Turkey, mashed potatoes and salad
• Turkey and Havarti Paninis with Sweet Potato Fries

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So here is my shopping trip for the week.  I didn’t use a lot of coupons because I mostly bought fresh stuff but if you are interested in how I stretch my $50 budget, here is what I did.

I just went to Sprouts this week.

4 bags of Pretzel Crisps $3.99/2 = $7.98
Dried Blueberries $2.28
Almonds from the bulk bins $2.58
32oz Brown Cow Yogurt $2.99- used a $.55/1 Real CA Dairy coupon= $2.44
Organic Milk $5.69
2 boxes Van’s Waffles $2.00- used (2) $1.50 coupons= $1.00
1 box apple crisp topping $1.50
2 pints Blackberries = $3.00
5lbs clementines $2.99- used $1 coupon= $1.99
2 bell peppers= $1.76
2 bags organic carrots =$3.38
3lbs organic apples $2.99
1 package organic salad mix $4.99
3 mangos= $2.64
Shredded Carrots $1.49
Mushrooms $1.29

Subtotal $47- I used a $5 off store coupon so $42.00. I also paid with a gift card that I purchased previously- this store sells $100 gift cards for $89 every few months. Since the gift card was 10% off, I take 10% off and the final amount is about $38.

Since I try to spend $50 each week, that leaves me $12 to spend.  We are actually getting low on meat in the freezer so I need to start looking at stocking back up.

Since I have been using coupons and buying a little extra when things are super cheap for a few years now, we don’t typically need a lot of things like cleaners and toiletries.  I have most of it on hand already.  So not very exciting but my goal each week is to get what we need on budget and to spend the least amount of time possible to do it.

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Here is my shopping trip for the week.

Walmart: $7.06

2 La Creme Creamers $1.88- used Buy One Get One Free coupon = $1.88
2 Wet Ones wipes $.97- used $1/2 coupon (no longer available)= $.47 each
Parmesan Cheese $1.88
Pepperoni $2.36

Sprouts $34.97

2 gallons Organic Milk $5.49 each
2 Sprouts Butter $3 each
2lbs Organic Chicken $4.03- used $1 coupon from the package= $3.03
5lbs organic potatoes $3.99
Croutons $1.69
2 bags of organic apples $2.97 each
Organic Cauliflower $2.34
2 Red Peppers $1.76
Watermelon $2.94
Bananas $1.30

Used $5 Sprouts coupon

Safeway: $8.42

1 bag Mission Tortillas $1.99- used $1 coupon= $.99
2 Skippy Peanut Butter $2.98 for 2 (Just 4 U personal price)- used $.60/2 coupon= $2.38
Cilantro $.50
4 Lucerne Greek Yogurt $.89- Used $1/4 catalina coupon= $2.56
1 Fresh Express Salad $3.99- used $2 off coupon= $1.99

The total this week was $50.45 and I have a $1 Safeway catalina back from the Skippy plus I can submit a La Creme rebate for $1.88 back.  I also bought 4 boxes of Capri Sun from Safeway for $2.96 to donate to our school Halloween party.

This week was a little expensive for produce but we still have eggs in the fridge plus pork chops and ground beef and chicken in the freezer so I didn’t really need a lot.

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I did go shopping this week.  I just got a few things we really needed like milk and a little produce  but basically I just did a few quick stops as I was running errands throughout the week.

Safeway: $3.62

2 Tropicana Juice $3.58 (this was a personal price from Just 4 U)- used $2 in coupons= $1.58 for both
2 S&W Beans $.79- used $.50/2 coupon= $1.08
4 Cheerios $.96 for all 4 boxes- I had a personal price of $1.49, $.50 came off for the Buy 8 promotion, plus I used (4) $.75 coupons.

Target: $6.52

Merona Shirt $8.00- used $5 coupon previously available= $3.00
Olay Cleanser $5.99- used $3 coupon and $3 Target mobile coupon= Free
Transformers toy $9.99- used $5 coupon plus $5 Target mobile coupon= Free
Colgate Optic White $2.99- Used $1.50 Target store coupon and $1.50 manufacturer coupon= Free
4 packs of Mott’s Applesauce $1.58 each- Used $2/2 coupon from Safeway coupon booklet= $.58 each
2 Market Pantry Cream Cheese $1.89- used $1/2 Target coupon= $1.39 each
Cover Girl Blush $3.74/Cover Girl Powder $4.94 used $8/2 coupon= $.68
Brown Sugar $1.42
Reach Toothbrush 2pk $2.94- used $2/1 coupon and $1/1 Target store coupon= Free

So total spent was $10.20 and of that $6.52 goes toward my grocery budget.

Sprouts: $25.45

Organic Strawberries $2.00
Blackberries $1.50
Organic Milk $5.49
Organic Eggs $3.99
Cranberry Bread $3.99
2 bags organic carrots $.88 each
Pork Chops x2 $4.62 (ish)
Pork Roast $6.00 (ish)
Donation to something or other $1.00

Total was $30.45 and I used a $5 coupon from the front of the ad and paid $25.45.

CVS: $.22

Huggies Diapers $7.99*- used $2.50 coupon that I got in the mail, $3 Huggies coupon, $2.00 ECB- the free one they sent, plus I used a $.50 ECB from my quarterly reward. My total was just tax- .22.

*CA has a different price on Huggies than the rest of the country this week.

So $35.81 this week and I am going back to Sprouts this weekend to get our Halloween pumpkins and also to get some of the chicken on sale.

If you have questions about any of the specific coupons used, just go to the top right of the blog and select the store you are interested in.

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Here is the menu plan for the week. I have to say I am thoroughly unmotivated this week so I planned some of my husband’s favorites (meaning he will cook dinner).

• Tacos
• Braised Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Apples
• Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs, pasta and eggplant plus these parmesan rolls
• Martha Stewart’s Mac and Cheese + Salad
• Steak Salad
• Chicken Fajitas
• Steak and mashed potatoes and leftover spinach salad

Plus the girls and I are going to make homemade applesauce plus a chocolate cake with zucchini.

And then here is my shopping trip:

Safeway: $25.40

2 liters Arrowhead $1- used $1 coupon= Free
2 Golden Grain pasta $.89- used $1/2 coupon= $.39 each
Organic Broth $1.99
2 Honest Tea $.89- used $1/2 coupon hanging on the bottle= $.39
Powerade $.59
2 Mission Artisan Tortillas $1.49- used $1 coupons= $.49
1 Safeway Olives $.89
1 Open Nature Sour Cream $1.49- used $1 coupon= $.49
4 bricks of 32oz cheese $5.00- used (2) $.55 coupons= $4.45

That cheese was such a good price I got a few weeks worth.  (See the coupon matchups for Safeway here.)

Target $6.91

3 packets of Shout Wipes $.67- used (3) $.55/1 coupons from 9/25 SS= $.12 each
Panko Crumbs $1.89- used $1 coupon (no longer available)= $.89
Archer Farms Bread $2.99- used free coupon= free
Hormel Lunchmeat $2.33- used $.50 coupon= $1.83
4 Taco Seasoning $.71- used (4) $.50/1 coupon from 9/18 SS= $.21
Cascade Dish soap $.97- used $1 coupon from 8/28 P&G= Free
Aquafresh Toothpaste $1
Simply Orange Juice $2.99- used $1 coupon (no longer available)= $1.99

Sprouts: $25.43

Organic Milk $5.49
Eggs $2.39
Zucchini $.73
Organic Apples $2.97
Carrots $1.49
6 Kiwi $1.00
Sweet Potato $1.26
Fontina Cheese $5.43
2 Brown Cow Yogurt $.89- Used Buy One Get One Free= $.89/2
Chocolate Covered Peanuts $1.99
Frontera Chips $1.79

So the total this week was $57.74 which is not bad at all considering all that cheese!

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Here is the plan for this week:

Roasted Chicken and Parmesan and Lemon peas
Cucumber and Orzo pasta
Cauliflower Gratin and salad + leftover chicken
Enchilada Casserole
Beef Stew
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Bacon, tomato and parmesan pasta

Plus I am making baked oatmeal with fruit and carrot, apple, raisin muffins for breakfast in the morning.

And here is the shopping trip for the week.

SPROUTS $38.05

Organic Milk $5.49
8 Cascadian Farms Frozen Veggies $1.50- used (4) $1/2 coupons= $1 each
1 Santa Cruz Organic Jelly $2.50- used $.75/1 coupon from a coupon booklet= $1.75
Applegate Organic Bacon $4.99- used $1 coupon from a coupon booklet= $3.99
Beef stew meat $3.09
Organic Grapes $3.21
5lbs organic potatoes $3.99
Baby Carrots $.88
Organic Pears $1.21
3 Cucumbers $2.31
Apples $1.56
4lbs oranges $2.99
Organic salad mix $2.99- used $1 Earthbound farms coupon= $1.99
Watermelon $2.59

Used $5 off coupon from the ad this week.

TARGET $4.95

Raisins $1.84
Knorr Bouillon $1.12
Simply OJ $2.99- used $1 coupon= $1.99

RITE AID $.33

3 JR Watkins Hand Soap and Lotion $1.50- used (3) $1.50 coupons I got from a tearpad several months ago= Free except tax!

So grand total is $43.33.  I forgot buttermilk and bananas this week so I will make a quick stop sometime this week.

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Here is the menu plan for the week:

Oven Fried Chicken with Carrot Orzo pasta
Spaghetti with eggplant
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Flatbread Pizzas
Spanish Tortillas with salad
Chicken and Rice Bake

And then one night we have leftovers and one night we are using the gift card from Chili’s.  And here is the shopping for this week:

I forgot to cancel the Farm Produce box deliveries so I got an extra box this week.  We got figs, squash, hierloom tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, grapes and some other things for $31.  I really don’t think the value is worth it for us so I am for sure cancelling it.

I also got a few things at Target- sorry this photo is so terrible I was rushing yesterday.

4 Mott’s Natural Applesauce packs $1.67- used $2/2 coupons = .67 each
2 Simply lemonade for $2.29- used $1/1 coupons= $1.29
Simply Orange Juice $2.99- used $1/1 coupon= $1.99
Organic eggs $3.79
Carrots $1.19
2 Newman’s Own Organic Pasta Sauce $1.89- used $1/2 coupon= $1.39
2 Starbucks coffee at $8.89- used (2) $1.50 coupons and got back a $5 gift card
3 Kashi Cereal $2.99- used (3) $2 coupons + $1/3 Target coupon= $.66 each
Corn Meal $1.89
Olives $1.17
Diced Tomatoes .68
Salsa $1.89

So the total was $32.40. I broke up my transactions to use the $5 gift card.

Oh and I got the free Newton’s Thins at CVS.

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This isn’t terribly exciting but here is my trip for the week.  I had one week that I didn’t do much shopping so I took the $50 I would have spent that week, and I got the 10lbs of organic ground beef from Whole Foods!  So that is all in the freezer and should last for awhile.

Sprouts $22.23

2 Late July Chips $1.99- used $1 coupons= $.99
Sprouts Cheese Puffs $1.69
Queso Fresco $2.16
Watermelon $1.74
Fresh Chicken $4.36
Organic Pears $1.58
Organic Grapes $2.36
Bananas $1.79
Frozen Broccoli $1.99
Fresh Corn $.76
Red Pepper $.33
Sourdough Bread $2.50
Earthbound Farms Organic Salad $3.49- used $1 coupon= $2.49
Sprouts Chocolate Covered Raisins $3.50- used $2 Sprouts coupon

and I also used a $5 off $30 Sprouts coupon from my weekly ad.

Safeway $7.76

3 Morningstar Veggie products $2.99- used (3) $1 coupons
1 Weight Watchers Popsicles $5.49- used free item coupon
1 Ciabatta Bread $4.29- Used $1 coupon from the package= $3.29
Safeway pizza dough $.99 with raincheck
Tortillas $1.99
Hamburger Buns $2.00
Open Nature Granola $2.49- Used $1 coupon= $1.49

I also used the $5/15 Frozen foods coupon and a $3 catalina I had left from Gain.

So basically $30.  It doesn’t seem like much but I keep having things fall out at me when I open the fridge so we didn’t need very much this week.

AND if you are curious about what I plan to make this week, here is the plan:

Corn, Black Bean and Queso Salad
Summer Squash Casserole
Balsamic Onion Burgers with Bleu Cheese
Angel Hair Pasta and tomatoes and mozzarella and ciabatta bread
Grilled steak and corn on the cob and salad
BBQ Chicken and Salad

And I am also making Broccoli Cheese soup for my vegetarian option plus I am going to gently persuade fall to come along already by making banana bread.  I already made a batch of whole wheat rice for the fridge for quick black bean, cheese and rice burritos for lunch (for moi).

I hurt my back pretending I am super Zumba lady in class and so these are all super fast recipes this week.

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Here is my shopping trip for this week. I don’t buy items that are free or cheap if I can’t use them so I actually didn’t use many coupons this week.  We are also trying to switch to a lot more organic products so that has really cut into budget- the eggs and milk and potatoes are twice what I used to pay.

I forgot to get squash so I will have to pop into a store sometime this week to get that but otherwise it was a good trip. And we still have tomatoes, green beans, celery and carrots left over from last week to use up.

Raleys $29.60
Tropicana OK $2.49- Used $1 coupon= $1.49
Bread Crumbs $1.79
Martinelli Sparkling Lemonade- Free with store coupon
Minute Maid Lemonade- Free with store coupon
Goldfish Crackers $1.69- used $.55 coupon from the front of the package (treat for the kids)
Graham Crackers $2.48
Gruyere and Olive Bread $3.99
3 Kotex at $2.99- used (3) $1 coupons= $1.99 each and got back a $5 gift card
2 gallons Horizon organic milk $11.98

So I spent $29.60 and got back $5 gift card for the Kotex so this was actually not bad considering the milk alone was 50% of that price and the bread was a total splurge.

Sprouts $18.89
4 Hansen’s Juice $1.50 each- used $1/2 coupons= $1.00 (this is probably 4 months of juice for us, so a stock up.)
Organic Lemonade $2.50- used $1.50 store coupon= $1
5lbs Organic Potatoes $2.50
2 Cantaloupe $.25 each
Chives $1.99
Watermelon $1.25
Oranges $2.24
Organic Apples $3.02
White Mushrooms $1.29
4 Corn $.25 each

Safeway $17.89
Jack Cheese $1.99- used $.55 coupon= $1.44
2 Cascadian Farms Frozen Potatoes on clearance $1.89 each
2 Organic Eggs $2.99 each- used $.55/2 coupon= $5.43 for 3
Open Nature Sour Cream $1.99- used $1 coupon= $.99
5 Van’s Natural Waffles $2.50- used (3) $1 coupons and Used $5/15 frozen foods store coupon
Evaporated Milk $1.75

The total spent this week was $66 and I have a $5 gift card for next time.  I didn’t do much shopping last week so there is more than enough money in the budget to do a little more stocking up.    I do have a fairly full freezer as far as proteins so I didn’t need to buy any meat this week.

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I stopped into CVS for the diaper deal today and then to Target to check some prices. Here are a few quick things I grabbed:

CVS:

Transaction #1:
Bought 3 packs of Huggies at $8.99
Used $5/25 CVS coupon
Used $2/1 CVS coupon for diapers
Used (3) $3/1 Huggies coupons

Paid $12.56 including tax.

Transaction #2:
Bought 1 pack Huggies at $8.99
Bought 1 Caramello at $1.00
Bought 1 Bandaid at $3.99
Bought 1 CVS Body Wash at $2.27
Used $2/1 CVS coupon for Huggies
Used $3/1 Huggies coupon
Used Free Caramello coupon
Used Free Bandaids coupon
Used Free Body Wash coupon
Paid $3.58 including tax and got a $10 Gas Station Gift Card back.
*Note: I got a little overage from the CVS coupons.

The total price for the diapers was $16.14 and I got $10 back to use on gas. So $6.14 for 4 packs of diapers which includes $2.21 that was sales tax. I tried to use one $2 CVS coupon per pack of diapers but the register would not allow more than one per transaction. Read about this CVS deal here.

Target: $3.08

Merona Sweater on clearance $16.18- used $3 Target mobile coupon
Musselman’s Applesauce on clearance $1.68
2 Intenrational Delight Creamer $1.25 on clearance- used (2) $.55 coupons= .70 each

So the total toward my grocery budget was $3.08. You might keep an eye out for the clearance at Target- my store has TONS of food products on clearance right now.

So the total toward my grocery budget is $9.22.

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I did a quick but painful trip to Safeway today (had kiddos with me but thankfully we all survived.)

We had a voucher from Groupon for a delivery of Organic produce that was expiring last week, so we got a nice box of organic fruits and veggies on Thursday.  I didn’t really need a lot but here is my Safeway trip:

4 boxes of Cheerios $.99 each after coupon
2 Hamburger Buns $2 each
1 Open Nature wheat bread $2.50- used $1 coupon
4. Simply Fruit Snacks $.99 each- used (2) $.50/2 coupons= $.74 each
2 Dannon Yogurt $1.49- used $1/1 coupons= .49
1 Organic Milk $5.99
1 Organic Celery $1.99
2 Safeway Pizza Dough $.99 each (these are great to make breadsticks as well!)
Blue Cheese $4.99- used $.55 coupon= $4.44
2 Organic Lemonade $1.50
2 Box Cupcake Mix $.99 each (we have kiddos coming over tomorrow for a BBQ)
2 Dreyer’s Smoothie/Shake $1.00- Used $1 coupons= Free
1 Breyer’s Blasts $3.00- Used $3.00 Just for U coupon= Free
4 Van’s Waffles $2.50- there were coupons but I didn’t print fast enough. Used $5 off $15 frozen foods coupon= $1.25 each
Bananas $1.66

Plus I had ecoupons come off- I am not exactly sure what they were for because I don’t remember saving them but $1.75 came off so the total was $37.69.

So not really great but not terrible either. I am super excited about getting the Van’s waffles so cheap. I wouldn’t have purchased the ice cream except it helped me hit $15.00 to use the $5 off frozen foods coupon. That meant I got the Van’s for $1.25 per box. If these pass the jury tomorrow morning, I might do another run at Safeway to stock up. If you have any free item coupons for frozen food items this is a great time to use them!

See the Safeway deals here.

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I made a quick trip to CVS yesterday.

Bought 3 Seattle’s Best Lattes $1.49- used (3) free item coupons
2 Johnson and Johnson First Aid kits $.99- used $1.50/2 from 7/31 RP
3 Banana Boat sunscreen $6.99- used (3) $1 coupons
Colgate Wisp on clearance $1.29

Subtotal $28.71. Used $5/25 CVS coupon and $7 in ECBs. I cannot for the life of me figure this receipt out because my total was $2.89+ .84 tax. I got a $10 ECB back for the sunscreen.

I think what happened is that I saved the $5/25 to my card and when I scanned my card the coupon popped out. So I gave the cashier the coupon that printed and I think the electronic coupon also automatically applied crediting me twice.

That was just a mistake- I should have paid $8.50 or so and got a $10 ECB back.   So now I know the electronic coupon does work and no need to hand them the printed coupon.

You can see the CVS Deals for the week here.

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I did head on over to check the Target toy clearance this morning. I went to my normal store at about 9.30 and it was wiped out already. I decided to check one other store because my little girl’s birthday is just 2 weeks away and got lucky that they had tons and tons of toys that jumped from 30% off to 75% off today.

I scored toys for birthday parties, for my little ladies, for Christmas gifts and a few things for donation during the holidays. There was a lot available at the store I went to so hopefully some of you have great luck too!

• Step 2 Motorcycle $6.24 (for donation)
• Fur Real Frenzies Scoot and Scurry City $7.74 (for my birthday girl)
• Olivia Dress Up Box $4.98 (birthday party gift)
• Dora Flower Girl Doll $4.98 (birthday party gift)
• Princess Wand $1.24
• Chuck the Truck DVD and toy $2.48 (Christmas gift)
• Circo Laptop $4.25 (donation)
• Timmy Time play camera $6.98
• Thomas the Train 3pk $2.74
• Barbie Dress Up Skirt $4.24 (for the birthday girl)
• Lego set $13.98 (Christmas gift)
• Chuggington Car set with case $4.24
• Strawberry Shortcake $5.00 (for donation)

Whew! So about $70 for all that but I am all set for any little birthday parties we get invited too and I got my little girl’s gifts, plus Christmas presents for my nephew and a few things left to donate.  Yeah!

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I went to Target today and found a great deal on ground beef so as you can see it was stock up time!

Target: $16.85

Wonka Bar- Free with coupon AND I got another Wonka Bar and another free coupon= 2 for $0 and have a free coupon for a 3rd bar next time
Lime Juice $1.52
Scotch Tape $.50- used $.50 Target coupon= free
3 cans no salt veggies $.87
1 Cooler $4.49- 75% off!
2 Sippy Cups $.49- 75% off!
8lbs of 80% lean ground beef $3.09/lb- used (.50 Target coupon and $1 Target coupon)= $1.59/lb!! So $12.72
3pk Sports Balls $1.99- 75% off!

So the total toward my grocery budget was $16.85. Now before anyone calls me nasty names, there was an employee with an entire cart of this ground beef putting it out. I could have grabbed twice as many packages and still not made a dent in what they had so I bought a bunch but there was plenty left for others. The stuff I bought is supposed to be sold by 7/19 but it will go straight to the freezer for us.

Walgreens: $.69

I actually wouldn’t have gone to Walgreens but I wanted a few of the school supplies this week.  So the total for my grocery budget was $.69.

I bought 4 Milka bars which were all free and donated a Reese’s Bar for .69 to the Military care packages they send off.

Whew!  I hope to be able to stop by Sprouts later for the rest of the week’s groceries.

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So here is the last of my shopping for the week.  My original plan was to go nuts with price matching at Walmart but it turns out my Walmart did not have any organic produce at all.  Plus I had this $5/30 coupon I was itching to use.

Sprouts $17.53

Frozen Blueberries $2.50- used 50% off coupon= $1.25
Hubert’s Lemonade- Free with coupon
2 packages chicken tenders $1.88/lb- $7.28
Organic Apples $2.44
Organic Pears $3.01
2 Mushrooms $.99 each
3 Bolder Canyon Chips $1.50- used $1 coupons= $.50
Organic Broccoli $2.00
2 mangoes $.49 each
Organic Carrots $1.50
Hansen’s Soda $2.99- used Free coupon from Sprouts Home Mailer= Free

I had a $5/30 coupon I got in the mail from Sprouts- so just $17!

I did a quick run to Target and here the score:

2 pairs of kids jeans $4.00 each- used $2/1 Target coupon= $2 each
2 Nuby Sippy Cups $1.38 each on clearance
Sharpies $1- used $1 Target coupon= Free
2 Neutrogena lip balm $2.99- used $1 manufacturer coupon and $1 Target coupon= $.99
1 Neutrogena Sunscreen $7.94- used $2 coupon= $5.94- got $5 gift card back = $2.94 for all 3 items after gift card
2 Lipton Recipe Secrets $1.24- used (2) $1 coupons= $.24

Total toward my grocery budget was $3.42- I included the sunscreen and Lipton.

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Here is the shopping trip for this week.  The total was $42.44 but basically half of that was just organic milk, coffee and cheese.  I got some great Sprout’s coupons in the mail so I decided to wait until Wednesday to pick up a few more things to maximize those coupons.  I have $5 left from CVS and $3 from Safeway.

Target $.54

2 Sharpie $1- used $1 coupons= Free
2 Papermate pens $1.02- used $1 coupons= .02 each
2 clearance hair clips from Dollar Spot $.25 each

Walgreens $1.98
*I wouldn’t have made this extra trip but I literally park in front of Walgreens when I go to the gym.
2 Huggies wipes $.99 after coupons

CVS $2.68

Zyrtec $5.99- Used raincheck for $5 ECB and used $5 printable= $4 moneymaker
Aleve $4.69- I wanted to get something I needed and to use the $3/10 Healthcare coupon so $1.69
8 Seattle’s Best coffee $1.49 each- used Free item coupons= Free
I also spent $8 on office supplies for my husband’s business which is not part of my grocery budget.
Use $5/30 CVS coupon from email.

Total was $10.68 including the $8 for the hubs- so $2.68 for all above and I have a $5 ECB for next time.  Yeah!

Raley’s $17.17

15 Powerade $10 (it is seriously hot here and my husband takes these to his soccer games)
4 Corn on the Cob $1.00
2 lbs Strawberries- Free with store coupon
Johnsonville Sausage- Free with store coupon
Mt Olive Pickles $1.99- used $.75 store coupon and $.75 coupon= $.49
Organic Milk $5.68 (forgot to put in picture)

AND Safeway is right next to CVS so I popped in for the Organic Strawberries this week.

2lbs Organic Strawberries $5.00- used $.50 coupon and $1 store coupon= $3.50
2 Dulcinea Watermelons $1.49 (personal price from Just for U)- note the price is cheaper if you have the coupons from the 7/10 RP
Seattles Best $6.99
Cheerios- Free with store promotion
Tillamook Cheese $6.60 (personal price from Just for U)

Total was $20.07 and I should be getting $3 back for the coffee.

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Here is my Target trip from yesterday. Thank goodness I forgot some of the Sharpie coupons on my printer because those will be free next week.

2 packs of Sharpie markers $1.54- used $1 Target coupon= $.54 each
1 Scotch Magic Tape $1- used $1 coupon= Free
2 Ziploc 100ct bags $2.50-Used $1/2 Target coupon and $1/2 coupon= $1.50 each
2 Papermate pens $1.02- used $1/1 Target= .02 each
4 Kids Hair items $.50 each (Dollar spot clearance)
1 Kids mirror/hairbrush $.50 (Dollar spot clearance)
1 Kid’s Duckie Hamper $1.25 (Dollar spot clearance)

Total was $7.87

The hampers are flimsy but I think they are so handy. You could use them to hold bathroom toys, pool toys or you can get some exercise by chasing your kids around and telling them to take the duckie off their heads.

I actually needed something cheap and easy to put towels in by the pool so this worked out for that.

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I just wanted to let you know I went in to Staples to have a look at the deals with the 75% off Staples coupons. I was really excited about the deals I got and wanted to remind you of these as they expire 7/9!

Uniball pens $9.99- used 75% off Uniball coupon= $2.50
*This wasn’t a steal but it is a great price for good pens! There were lots of them to choose from that were cheaper than this.

Pendaflex Hanging File Folders $14.49- used 75% off Staples coupon= $3.62
*I am organizing my coupon inserts this weekend! This is a GREAT deal if you need file folders, hanging folders etc…

Clasp Envelopes $7.79- used 75% off Staples coupon= $1.95
*This was a spectacular deal.

You certainly don’t need to get the items I bought but I had no problem using 3 coupons at once and I thought these were great coupons!

An update on the paper- HP Colorlok paper reams are $7.99. Use the 75% off Staples coupon and it is $2.00. If your store will allow you to stack with the $1/1 HP Paper coupon you would pay just $1!

That is an exceptional price considering you don’t need to hassle with rewards or rebates. I don’t need paper but I am going to go back and grab a ream to take to school. My store also had $5 Staples coupons available right next to the paper for premium reams of HP Colorlok.

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Petsmart $2.61

1 bag Nutro Max Dog Food $8.99- Used $7/1 Nutro Dog Food coupon= $1.99 +tax

CVS $3.38 (which includes $1.01 tax)

2L Coke .69 each
2 Hershey’s Bars- free with CVS coupon and used the CVS coupon from awhile back
Skittles $2.50- used $2 CVS coupon= .50
Neutrogena Sunscreen $7.99- used $2 coupon
2 Oral B toothbrush $3.00- used $2/1 coupons= $1

The whole point of my trip was to get a great deal on sunscreen. The other stuff I just got in order to use a $4/20 CVS coupon from email. I was not able to combine the $2 Oral B with the BOGO coupons so I originally had 4 toothbrushes and took 2 off.  I also used 3.50 in ECBs and got back $2 in ECB.

Target $39

2 bags Iams Dog food $16.00- used (2) $3/1 coupons and used $5 gift card Target coupon= $26 and got $5 back
Crystal Light $2.04- Used $1 Target store coupon and $1 coupon= .04
Organic Salad Mix $3.50 (not pictured)
2 Market Pantry Seasoning $.47 ea (the name brand with coupons is cheaper but I already used all my coupons)
Market pantry wheat bread $1.34
2 Suave Shampoo $.84- used (2) $.75 Target coupons= $.09 each (for donation)
2 Hot Wheels $1.07- used (2) $1 Hot Wheels coupons= .07 each
2 Schick Hydro razors $6.49- used (2) $4 coupons and got $5 gift card back= Free!
10 Vitaminwater at $1- used (3) Buy 2 Get 1 Free Target coupons= $7.00
Smartwater- free with purchase of Vitaminwater

I don’t include dog food in my weekly grocery budget so the total was $18.12 and I used a $5 gift card from a prior trip= $13.12 AND I have a $5 gift card for next time from the razors.

And my Walmart trip which was a serious pain but I got lots of good deals:

Walmart $47.26

Tostitos $1.99- price match
2 Hormel lunchmeat $1.99 price match & .50/1 coupons= $1.49
2 Simply Lemonade $1.99- price match
2 Fig Newtons $1.99 price match- used $1/2 coupon= $1.49
5 Lindsay Olives $.79- price match
Challenge Butter $1.98- used $1 coupon= .98
Huggies Wipes $1.64- used $2 coupon
2 Milky Way $.50- used $.50/2 coupon= .25 each
Kraft Mayo $2.50- used $.75 coupon= $1.75
Yotoddler Organic Yogurt $2.28- used $.50 coupon= $1.78
2 Johnsonville Sausage $3.53- used $1 coupons= $2.53
2 Organic Milk $4.77-
King Hawaiian Bread $3.48- used $2 coupon= $1.48
2 Kraft Cheese $2.48- used $1 coupons= $1.48
Hot Dog Buns $1.25
La Victoria Salsa $2.12- used $2 coupon= .12
Bananas $1.42
4 Dannon Light and Fit- used (4) $1 coupons= .78

This week I spent $63.76 (not including the dog food) but I have $5 leftover in a gift card and $2 in ECBs to use.  We have 2 BBQs this week so I was really just buying random stuff for those and then a few good deals.

I had planned to get some produce at Walmart but the store I went to had literally nothing by way of organic produce.  We have quite a bit of fresh stuff on hand and I will just have to make a Sprouts run next week.

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Here was this week’s shopping trip.

Sprout’s $8.82

3 Mango $.49 each
Organic Grapes $3.86
Pita Bread $1.50
Organic Tomatoes $1.99

I probably would have skipped this stop but Sprouts overcharged me last week and I wanted to get that all sorted out.

Target $16.00

Stubbs BBQ Sauce $2.38- used $1 coupon= $1.38
Panko Crumbs $1.89-used $1 coupon= $.89
3 Crackerfuls at $2.40- used (2) $1 coupons, $.75 coupon and 3 $1 Target coupons= $1.45
Newtons $3.00- these were supposed to be free but they rang up full price and I had to deal with customer service. = Free
Hefty One Zip bags $1.97- used $.15 peelie coupon and used $1 Target coupon= $.82
2 Nexcare Bandaids $1.68 with a raincheck- used 2 $1 Target coupons and (2) $.55 manufacturer coupons= $.13 each
Happy Baby puffs $2.99- used Free coupon from Recyclebank= Free
Suave Shampoo $.84- used $.75 Target coupon (no longer available)= $.09 (I use this as bubble bath for the girls)
Puff Pastry $3.69
Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns $2.54
Sandwich Thins $2.20

Organic Eggs $2.68 (not pictured)

Safeway $26.38

Seattle’s best Latte $1.79- used free item coupon =free
8 Goldfish- Free
2 Townhouse Crackers $1.99- used $1/2 coupon= $1.49 each
Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce $2.59- used $1 coupon= $1.59
O Organics Broth $2- used $1 O organics coupon= $1
Lucerne Cheese $2.00- used $1.50 Safeway coupon from home mailer= $.50
Half and Half $1.39
7 Lucerne Yogurt $2.34
Sourdough Bread $2
Columbo Rolls $1.29*
2 Johnsonville Sausage $2.99- used (2) $1 coupons= $1.99
2 Cucumbers $.50 each
1 Red Onion $1.08
Organic Pluots $1.77
Baby Mushrooms $2.00- used $1/5 produce coupon
Fresh Express Salad $.49 with home mailer coupon from Safeway
Calamata Olives $2.25
Prostate Cancer Donation $1

I have no idea what happened with the Goldfish. My price should have been $6.60 for 8 bags with the Just for U pricing. I had $3 in coupons (4 coupons for .75 off the front of the bags) that would have made it $3.60 for 8 bags. Instead it worked out to be negative .62 for 8 bags.  I am going to go back tomorrow for a few more bags and see if I can figure out what happened.

*The Columbo rolls are supposed to be $1.99 with in ad coupon but that came up at $1.29 for me and another reader confirmed the same price for her trip so maybe you get lucky too!

Grand total was $51.20 which is almost perfect.  This week we didn’t need a whole lot of things since the freezer and fridge are nice and full right now.  The organic produce and dairy is at least 2x what I would pay for non-organic items but I am really pleased that I have been able to squeeze it in without really increasing my budget.

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Here is this week’s shopping trip. I did a bit of a stock up which I have been planning to do for a few weeks anyway to get some proteins into the freezer.  The grand total was $89.54 which is more than I usually spend but it worked out fine because I have some extra money in the budget from prior weeks.

SPROUTS: $29.13*

2 Knudsen Organic Juice on clearance $1.99- used (2) $1 coupons= $.99
Meatloaf $4.61
Organic Blueberries $1.99
Organic Grapes $4.48  (I noticed a huge difference between regular and organic grapes.  I won’t go back to regular even though these cost a lot more.)
Organic Potatoes 5lbs $3.99
Artichoke $1.50
Cucumbers $.67
2 Pineapple $3.93- used $1.50/2 coupon= $2.43
Seedless Watermelon $2.07
Oranges $2.29

Safeway: $52.37

Seattle’s Best Coffee $4.19 (Just for U personal price)- used $1 coupon= $3.19
2 Cans Evaporated Milk $2.58
Triscuit $1.88
Ritz Crackerfuls $3.79- used Buy Nasbisco Crackers get Crackerfuls free coupon that was on the box= Free
Campbell’s Soup $1.79
Organic Canned Tomatoes $1.39- marked 50% off=$.70
Lucerne 8oz Cheese $2.99- used $1.50 store coupon I got in the mail= $1.49
2 Claussen Pickles $2.99- used $2 coupon= .98 each
Challenge Butter $1.99- used $1 coupon= $.99
French Bread $1.99- used $.75/1 store coupon I got in the mail= $1.24
3 Hormel Pork Tenderloin $5- used (3) $1 coupons= $4
Sirloin Steaks $20.69- used $4 off $20 purchase coupon= $16.69
2 packages Fresh Boneless, Skinless Chicken $12.57
Shallot $.79
Sun Rype Squiggles $.50- used free coupon from Safeway coupon book= Free
Organic Apples $3.99- used $1 off $5 produce coupon
Organic Rosemary $1.99-used $1 off O Organics coupon= $.99

I decided to stock up on the meat this week even though the prices weren’t a total steal because I wanted to use a $10 off $50 coupon I got in the mail.

So not too bad because that is a lot of meat for us. We have ground beef and fish and pork chops in the freezer, so I add all this in and we have enough protein for at least 6 weeks.

CVS: $8.04

$8 is actually kind of expensive for a CVS trip but the important thing is I got products we actually need (like chocolate) and it has hit 100 degrees where I live so the sales on beverages are perfect.

Arrowhead Water $2.00- the aquapods are cheaper but I needed sport top water for my girls.
5 Powerade $1- used $1 coupon
Kashi Go Lean Cereal $3.00- Used $2 Recyclebank coupon
Motrin PM $4.00
Bliss Chocolate $5.99- used $1 coupon

used $5/20 CVS coupon and $4 ECB. Paid $8.04 and got back $5.99, $2, $3 in ECB for a net price of just $1.00.  Considering the beverage tax alone was .80 that isn’t bad!

I have actually done 2 other CVS trips this week that I will post later. It is a fantastic week at CVS!

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This is the culmination of a few stops this week.

SAFEWAY: $33.10

4 Seattle’s Best Lattes $1.25- Used (4) free item coupons
Total Raisin Bran $4.88- Free Safeway coupon from Just 4 U
Safeway Ketchup $3.39- used free item coupon from Safeway home mailer
Safeway Taco Shells $1.99- used free item coupon from Safeway home mailer
Cheez Its Colby flavor $1.99- used $.70 coupon= $1.29
2 Hormel Veggie Chili $.89- used $.55/2 coupon= .62 each
La Victoria Salsa $2.99- used $2 coupon= .99
Buttermilk $1.59
3 bags frozen veggies $.99
4 Dannon Yogurt 4pks $1.49- used (4) $1 coupons= $.49 each
3 Tillamook Cheese $6.60
Organic Eggs $3.39- special Just 4 U price
Mushrooms $2.00
Organic salad Mix $3.00- used $1 Just 4 U coupon and used $1/5 produce coupon= $1
Blue Cheese Crumbles $3.49
Donation to Prostrate Cancer $1

I also had a $10/50 home mailer coupon from Safeway. I think they send them to areas where competitive grocery stores are opening because I never got these before. The ketchup and taco shells will go to donation since we don’t need them.  I decided to stock up on the cheese just to get up to $50 to use the $10 off coupon.

CVS: $3.92

I decided the $5/20 CVS coupon was a good way to stock up on drinks for a party we have coming up.

4 12pks Coke $13.00
2 Colgate Toothbrushes $2.79
Donation to some charity $1

Used $5/20 CVS coupon, used (2) $1 Colgate coupons, and used 2 $1 Coke coupons from Recyclebank and $10 in ECBs. Paid $3.92 and got back $7 in ECBs!
Note this deal would have been better but there is an extra $2.40 in taxes on the soda I had to pay.

Safeway $6.01

4 Seattle’s Best Lattes $1.25- used 4 free item coupons
3 Salads $2.99- used $1 produce coupon

I think the coffee coupons had a little overage which went toward the salads.

Raley’s $4.40

Strawberries- free with Raley’s coupon
Baguette- free with Raley’s coupon
2 Kim and Scott’s pretzels $2.00 each
6 Seattle’s Best Lattes $1.59- used free item coupons
POM Juice $2.50- used free item coupon
Lipton Tea $1.00- used free item coupon

I paid $.40 in extra tax on the drinks.

Target $19.89

Capri Sun 100% Juice $2.54- used $1 coupon= $1.54
2 Bagel Bites $2.69-used $1 Target coupon and $1 manufacturer coupon= $.69
2 NYC Polish $.87- used $1/2 coupon= $.37 each
Nexcare Bandaids $1.68- used $1 coupon and $.55 coupon= $.13
Bubbles $.99
2 Dr Scholl’s $6.99- used (2) $1 Target coupons, and used (2) $2 coupons= $7.98
2 Mott’s Natural Applesauce $1.72 each
Lipton Tea 1.58- used free item coupon
2 Swiss Tea $1.58- used $.55/2 coupon= $2.61

Total is $18.81 plus $1.08 in taxes and I have a $5 gift card back from Dr Scholl’s for next time.

The grand total was $67.32 and I have $5 in a Target gift card and $7 in ECBs left.  Some of these items don’t count toward my grocery budget, so minus that stuff and I spent about $58 this week.

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I did a quick trip yesterday to check some things at Target and Walmart. I finally decided to put my big girl pants on and test out the overage policy at Walmart.

Target $8.90
2 Playtex silverware $1.04- used $1 coupons= .04*
Nexcare Bandaids $1.68- Used $1 Target coupon and .55/1 coupon= $.13
2 Playtex Sippy Cups $6.75- used (2) $2/1 printables= $2.75
Bananas $2.40
2 Dreyer’s Shakes $1.25- Use $1/2 coupon= $.75 each
Seattle’s Best Coffee (organic!) $6.04- Used $1 Target coupon and $2 coupon= $2.04

Walmart $.74
Dial Body Wash $.97- used $2/1 any Dial coupon (coming 6/12 RP)
Newspaper $.75
Borden Cheese $1.88- used $1 coupon

Total was $.60 + $.14 tax

I expected all sorts of drama with the Dial coupon and was very pleasantly surprised to see that it was easy, easy, easy. The Walmart coupon policy is to give you the full value of the coupon, so I used the extra $1 to pay for the rest of my items.

You can see Target coupon deals here and Walmart coupon deals here.

*I am so sorry but apparently my store is the only one on the planet with Playtex this low.  I have no idea why that is.

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We had a very serious emergency around these parts in that I ran out of coffee.  Not to worry, I have an Amazon order that should be arriving any minute now, but for the safety of others I had to make an emergency Target run.

Funny how my whole store was wiped out of nearly everything on my list but I did get a few things:

2 Nivea Body Wash $3.04- used $2/1 coupons and $1/1 Target coupons= .04 each (these go to donation as we have several on hand)
2 Dreyer’s Smoothies/Shakes $1.25- used $1/2 printable= $.75 each (and the last two they had!)
1 Kashi Cereal cup $1.00- used $1 printable coupon= Free
Seattle’s Best $6.04 (the shelves were seriously empty! There was the light coffee or decaf left and that was it.)- used $2 coupon + $1 Target coupon= $3.04

3 steaks- I wanted to mention the Target sale tags in case you have never noticed. I check each and every time I shop because once meats get close to the sell by date, Target will mark them with coupons. I freeze almost all the meat I buy anyway, so this works fine for me.  You can see the red sticker on the package above for $3 off.  I got packs as close to 1lb as possible- so with the $3 off coupons it made them close to $2.75/lb which is a good price.
I always look for the smallest package possible to maximize savings. My total for all three steaks was $2.50+$3.75+$3.31.

So the grand total was $14.18

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I went right past Whole Foods today so I ran in to stock up on vegetable broth.  I usually find they have the best prices on organic vegetable broth in cartons, which I use a lot of.  So I got 5 of those for $1.99 each.  That will last for awhile.

Total was $9.95

I did two very fast transactions at CVS.

#1:

Huggies Diapers $8.99- used $3 coupon
John Frieda haircolor $12- used free item coupon
Donated $1 to the charity they are promoting

I also had a $4/20 CVS coupon from my email and I had $3 in ECBs. So I paid $1.42 which was strictly tax. I got back $2 for the Huggies and $3 for the John Frieda.

#2:

L’Oreal lipcolor $5- Used $2 coupon
L’Oreal eye shadow $6 (this rang up at $9.29 so make sure you watch that yours rings up at the right price)- used $2 coupon
3 Honest Tea $1- used (3) $1/1 coupons
2 Powerade $1

I also used a $3/10 CVS cosmetics coupon. My total was $5.64 with tax (because of the overcharge on the eyeshadow)-it should have been $2.35 with tax- and I got back $3 for the L’Oreal and $2 for the drinks. I’ll just get a refund on the difference the next time I shop.

So all in all I will have paid $3.77 cash, $3 in ECBs from prior trips and have $5 left for next time.

*I do not color my hair.. ahem.. I do not color my hair myself at home. I requested that coupon to confirm it was working when I was posting.  But I have found cosmetics and beauty items are great donations for women’s shelters etc… So if you don’t use these items you might find someone that can!

See all the CVS coupon deals for the week here.

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This week I wasn’t too excited about any deals really but when Raley’s released a coupon for $15/100 I thought I might be able to use that to help restock proteins in our freezer.  Well this trip turned into a bit of a bust and I have to say it took me ages to shop so I was a little annoyed.

Anyway, I was hoping to get some of the produce deals they had this week and I went to a store I don’t normally shop at and really everything looked nasty to me.  Even the mangoes on sale were mushy.  So here is what I did:

15 Honest Tea- $10 for 15 and I used (10) $1 coupons
Frosting $2.50
Tea Biscuits $1.00
Dole Frozen Fruit $3.00- used free item coupon from a Dole event I went to
Eggland’s Best Organic Eggs $4.49- used $.75 coupon
Cottonelle Wipes $3.49- Used free item coupon
Knudsen Cottage cheese 4pk $3.79- Used Free item coupon
2 Morningstar Veggie items $3.49- Used $1 coupons
Ore Ida Sweet Potato Fries $3.49- Used free item coupon
Raleys bread $1.98
Raleys Chocolate Syrup $1.99 (for homemade iced mochas!)
Frozen Spinach $1.25
Heavy Cream $1.99
Jasmine Rice $2.89
Yobaby Yogurt $2.99- used $1 coupon
Pork Chops $11.09 (these will all go in the freezer)
French Bread $1.88
Dole Bananas $1.75- used $1 off Dole bananas coupon from a Dole event
2 Maries Dressing $2.50- used $1 coupons (these were supposed to be $1.67 so I was overcharged)
Italian Herbs $3.99- this was supposed to be $1.67- I was overcharged
3 Mangoes $1.11
Energizer Batteries $4.99- used free item coupon
2 Laughing Cow cheeses $3.50- used $1/2 coupon

So about $38+ $1 in tax and I have to go back for the extra $4 or so I was overcharged.  So not terrible but I am not too excited either.

Sunflower Market $21

6 half gallons of Horizon milk $2.50
Organic Cauliflower $2.49 (not pictured)
1 Cheddar Pull Apart bread $1.99 (we ate this today with lunch and man was it good)
2 Cucumber $.50
Cherries $4.27

I used a $5/25 coupon I got in the mail.

Safeway $6.50

My husband went to Safeway on the way home from work to get the great deal on blueberries and Jennie-O.

Jennie O Ground Turkey $5 for 3lbs
Blueberries 2lbs $5- used $.50 Driscolls coupon and $1/5 Safeway produce coupon

I also had $2 come off my total from being overcharged last week for a Just for U coupon.

So about $61 in total which isn’t that great but I didn’t shop for 2 weeks so I have lots of room in the budget.  I still plan to go to Whole Foods at some point so I can stock up on vegetable stock.

I hope your shopping was better than mine this week!

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I haven’t been on a real shopping trip in about 3 weeks so this week I will probably do a stock up trip of some sort.  We ran out of milk yesterday so I just did a quick Raley’s and Sprouts run this morning so the children wouldn’t stage a coupe d’etat.  (Note: they basically tackled me at the door and wrestled the milk away and ate the cottage cheese already.  Now they moved on to the raspberries and blueberries.)

One thing I was excited to see is that organic milk went down in price at both stores!  I found Sunnyside milk at Raley’s for $5.68 and Humboldt milk at Sprouts for $5.69- so a tiny decrease in price which is great!

Raleys: $17.91

2 gallons organic milk $5.68
Cottage Cheese single- free with Kraft First Taste coupon
Llyod’s BBQ $5.99- Free with store coupon
2 Sabra Hummus $4.99- used $1.50/2 coupon= $1.75 each (my kids love hummus- especially the red pepper kind)
2 Santa Cruz Mango Lemonade $1.25- used (2) $.75 coupons= $.50 each +.10 in CRV tax
Asiago Bread $1.99

Sprouts $39.89

Goat Cheese $4.99
Feta Cheese $1.86
2pk Blue Cheese and Onions Burgers $1.69
Sirloin steaks (x2) $7.77
2 packs of Chicken Breast tenders $7.07
Organic Grape Tomatoes $1.99
2 Blueberries $.99 each
1 Strawberries .99 each
2 Cucumbers $.49 each
Leeks $1.20
Mushrooms $1.69
Organic Broccoli $1.40
Raspberries $.99
Watermelon $2.30 (not pictured since Addy claims watermelon is her best friend.  Currently sitting with a tiara on a barstool in the kitchen.)
Spring Salad Mix $2.99

The berries were so cheap at Sprouts I had a hard time resisting but I am trying to buy organic for the dirty dozen when possible. I think I am going to go to Sunflower Market later this week to buy the organic frozen berries they have for $1.99. I found a really yummy strawberry spread recipe that I am going to make tomorrow.

So all in all this was about $57 which isn’t fantastic but lots of good stuff and this is actually all I need for my menu plan this week. I do have a small trip to Safeway in my future for the super cheap corn and free popsicles.

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Well I headed over to Safeway this week to get a few necessities.  This is one of those frustrating weeks where I felt like there were just no good deals at all.  I did the menu plan around some things we have on hand already to keep things on budget.  Sadly our fridge is seriously empty since we were gone all last week and now my freezer is really dwindling down as well so hopefully this week brings amazing deals.

SAFEWAY: $12.61

Marzetti Dressing $3- used $2 coupon = $1
Kraft Cheese 2 bags BOGO $4.29- used free item coupon= 2 for free
Half and Half $1.59
2 Lucerne Sour Cream $.88* (these don’t expire until the end of June so I grabbed two)
Green Onions $.99
2 Safeway Grape Tomatoes $3.99/2- used $1 off produce coupon= $2.99/2
Stuffed Mushrooms $4.99
Safeway 5lb potatoes $.49*
2 Fresh Express Lettuce Trio $3.29/2- used $1/1 coupon= $1.15 each
Carrots .99
Blue Cheese Olives $.99 (this was a little snack for moi)

I also used the $4 catalina from the Reach toothbrushes.
*Safeway sent me more coupons. I have no idea why other than we have some new grocery stores opening. These were 2 of the coupons they sent.

Oh and we had a gift certificate to a fancy butcher place and I got 1.66 lbs of New York Strip Steak for $6.53.  That would be $15.99/lb since I had a $20 certificate.  So the hubs and the girls have quite a treat this week.

Total spent $18 and now I plan to hit Winco as a change of pace and see what I find.

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Here are the groceries for the week…

OK just kidding.  Actually I had to restrain myself this week because we will be out of town all next week.  I just got a few small things and necessities (like cookies.)

Safeway:  $5.76

4 boxes of Cheerios at $1.44 each after coupons.  Should have had a free gallon of milk but I was cheated at Safeway.

CVS: $3.86

3 Fig Newtons cookies $1.50 after coupon
2 Aquafresh Toothpaste – Free with coupon and raincheck
Milk $3.19

Used $4 in ECBs and paid $3.86

Target: $4.39

Up and Up Detangler $1.34- used $.75 Target coupon= .59
Nivea Lotion $1.04 after coupons
Revlon Nail Polish $2.48- used $2/1 mobile coupon= $.48
Sally Hansen Polish $2.54 (my other store has these for $2.08)- used $2 in coupons= .54
Sally Hansen spacers $1.00- used $1/1 coupon= Free
Up and Up Antiseptic Spray $2.74- Used $1 Target coupon= $1.74

*I love that I got 6 items at Target for less than the normal retail on just the Nivea alone!

How was your shopping this week?

So the total this week was $14.01.

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I grabbed a few things at Target tonight- mostly I just wanted to test the Aveeno gift card deal.

My store did have signs that said $10 gift card with purchase and the $10 gift card triggered just fine.

So here is what I did:

2 kids toothbrushes- free with coupons
2 Lysol wipes- .39 each (I still had those $1.50 coupons from a few weeks ago)- these are to send to the South in a care package
2 Colgate Wisp $1.14
1 Aveeno at $9.94- Used $2/1 coupon
1 Aveeno at $8.99- used $1/1 coupon
and I used (2) $1/1 Target coupons for Aveeno

The sunscreen worked out to $3.93 for 2 items after coupons and gift card!

So it went perfectly for me and I hope some of you have the same great luck!  You can use that Target gift card to pay for another purchase if you want to get more sunscreen.

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I did two stops this week for the grocery shopping.  I spent about $58 total and saved roughly 55%.  I am pretty happy with this week because I feel like I saved a considerable amount on many higher quality items.

Trip #1 was to Nugget Market- spent $29.08

1 California Pizza Kitchen Pizza + Spinach Dip $4.99- (that’s what I get for shopping on an empty stomach)
1 Challenge Butter $2.29- Used $2 coupon (no longer available)= .29
Oregon Chai Concentrate $3.49
2 S&W Beans $.60 each
Lemon juice $1.29
2 Method products $3.99- used (2) Free Item coupons= Free
Organic Salad Mix $3.99
Cauliflower $1.50
Bananas $1.41
Pears $1.58
4 lbs Organic Strawberries #1.99 each
JR Watkins lip balm $2.99- used $1.50 coupon on the product= $1.49
Sourdough Bread $1.99
Organic Milk $5.99
Iced Tea $.69 + .30 CRV
Pizza Crust .45

I got a $.15 bag credit which put me at $49.97. I had a $10/50 Recyclebank coupon to use so I grabbed that Iced Tea as a filler. Total spent $29.08.

Raley’s $38.72

2 Better Oats oatmeal $1.29- used $1 coupons= $.29
Farm Rich French Toast $2.50- used $1 coupon= $1.50 (this is actually dessert this week with some of the berries)
Jif Peanut Butter- Free with store coupon
Smuckers Waffles- Free with store coupon
Jello Temptations- Free with coupon
Knudsen Spur Cream $1.29- used $.60 coupon= $.69
Saltines $1.99
4 Newman’s Own Lemonade $1.69- used (4) $.50 coupons= $1.19 each
2 Padrinos Chips $1.69- used $1 coupons= .69
Heavy Cream $1.99
2 Cheez It $1.79-used $1 coupons= .79
Pork Roast $7.92 (this is easily 4 meals, so one this week and the rest for the freezer)
Foccacia Bread $2.79
Chives $1.49
4 Corn $1.60
Fresh Express Salad – Free with store coupon
Artichoke .97
2 Mango $.50 each
1 bag baby potatoes $3.99
Sunburst Tomatoes $2.50
2 Hormel Ham $1.99 each- used .50/1 coupon= $1.49 for one, and $1.99 for second
Organic Milk $5.99
Kashi Cookies $2.99- used $2 Recylebank coupon= .99
Pecans $1.87

I used a Raley’s coupon for $10 off a $75 purchase as well. The total before coupons was $84 and after was $38.

A few notes, the first is that I got very lucky with store coupons this week but for those not in California, both of these stores are very expensive stores.  Raley’s usually offers one free item per week but it is not a cheap place to shop by any means.

Also, I do not have double coupons in my area or the savings would have been considerably more.  My coupons are redeemed at face value only.

How was your shopping this week?

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In case some of you were wondering- I decided not to go shopping this week.  We had a last minute Easter dinner at our house so I wasn’t really able to plan a good trip.  I just headed into Raley’s, which had the best price on ham and spent $46 on Easter dinner for 11 people which I thought was pretty darn good considering I didn’t use any coupons.  We had a really nice dinner too including ham, potatoes, carrots, salad, asparagus and dessert.

So this week we are eating out of the pantry mostly to kind of make up for it and also just so I can clear things out.

I did hit CVS on Sunday for a gallon of milk and paid .60 + $2.30 in ECBs.  Today I went to Sprouts to get the sale on Horizon Organic milk.  So here was my quick and thoroughly unexciting trip:

1 gallon Horizon milk $4.50
Organic eggs $.79 (!) these expire in 4 days so they were marked down but what a deal!
6 pints of blackberries .50 each (who could resist that! such a deal!)

And I just have to mention that someone left a comment yesterday asking why I have a dog when we are so poor we have to use coupons- or something to that effect. I just wanted to clarify our family can afford groceries. I try to stick to a $50 budget as a choice not a need. We simply like to spend our money on things we want and to have a nice savings account and lots of other things.  If we needed something this week, I would have purchased it.  I had a lot of random items that I wanted to use up which provided a nice excuse to skip the stores and allowed me to stick to my budget.

So total spent this week was $46 + .60 + $8.39=$55

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Well this week was a bit of a hot mess for me. We went sledding on Saturday so I didn’t have a chance to put together our menu for the week. I was hoping to do it on the car trip but I wound up doing the mommy dance the whole time instead (“Mommy, Maya is touching me!” “Mommy, I am hungry!” “Mommy, I have to go potty!”)

So I just sort of pulled things together randomly which is something I hate.  Anyway, here is the trip I did this week.  The other thing is that Safeway is doing these Daily Deals right now (massively annoying) so I would not have gone twice this week but they lured me in with cheap produce and cheap Ghirardelli.

SAFEWAY #1: $14.96

1 bag Tilapia Fillets $6.99
1 McCormick Grillmates $1.50-used $1 coupon= $.50
2 Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips $1.59 each
6 bags of Kraft Cheese (one was already sacrificed for dinner last night) $4.29 total or .71 each
Safeway Bread $.59
Squiggles- Free with coupon

SAFEWAY #2: $4.40

2 bags Flour $1.12 each (Just for U price)
2 Pineapple $.99 each
Squiggles- free with coupon

WALMART $13.00
*I went to get the awesome deal on Colgate Wisp and it turns out Walmart does not carry 8pks. Stink! They did honor the price match on 4pks which was nice.
Vlasic Dill Pickles $1.88- used $.55/1 coupon (is that the hugest jar ever or what!)= $1.33
Taco Bell Dressing $1.50
2 Taco Bell seasoning packets $.64
Heinz Organic Ketchup $2.28-used $2 coupon= .28 (whoo hoo!)
2 Frank’s Redhot Sauce $.96- used $1/1 coupons= Free
My Little Pony Bubble Blower $3 (easter basket)
3 Morningstar Veggie items $2.86- used (3) $1 coupons= $1.86 each
2 Colgate Wisp 4pks $1 with price match to Big Lots- used (2) $1/1 coupons= Free

CVS: $.02

2 Reach Toothbrushes $1 each- used $2/2 coupon= Free
1 Plastic Eggs $1.19
2 Easter Egg Grass $1.99 each
1 Disney Princess Hair Clips $1.00 (Easter basket)
Milk $2.99
Used $9.98 in ECBs and paid $.02!

Grand total was $32.36 but several of those Easter items don’t count toward my grocery budget.  At CVS they did have Easter grass free earlier this week but I just couldn’t make it to the store to get the deal.  With gas at $4 a gallon I am trying to limit my trips as much as possible.  Also, we are hoping to move to Organic milk but I had ECBs that I needed to use and we are out of milk so… regular it is!

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Here is the shopping for this week- I just did a few quick trips whilst I was out running errands.  I am saving a bigger Safeway trip for Tuesday when they have a great deal on Ghirardelli.

CVS: $9

Ok just to reinforce the fact that I have one foot already in the looney bin- I tried to pay with +Ups for my CVS shopping. I had plenty of ECBs to pay for this trip and somehow I went to planet busy mama and left the ECBs in the car and grabbed the +Ups by mistake. Embarrassing and now my beloved CVS knows that I cheat on them.

Foil $3.00
6 Honest tea at $1.00- used (4) $1/1 coupons from Recyclebank and got $2 in ECB back= free
Bubbles $1.29- raincheck from earlier in the week- got $1.29 in ECB
2 Aquafresh toothpaste $1 each- used $1 coupons= Free
2 Aquafresh Toothbrush $1 each- used $1 coupons= Free
Edge Shave Gel $3.29- tried to use a .55 coupon and it wouldn’t go through- got $2.30 ECB= .99
GE lightbulb (not pictured) $2.99- got $2 ECB
Used $4/20 CVS coupon from email
Paid about $9 with tax and got back $7.59 in ECB

Sprouts $12.49

2 Silk Soymilk $2.50- used $2/1 coupons= .50 each
2 Popchips $1.50 each
Organic Cherry Tomatoes $2.50
3 pints Blueberries .99 each
3.5 lbs organic apples $2.99

Target $8.40

Organic Eggs $3.44
Regular eggs (for easter egg hunt) $1.19- used $.55/2 coupon
Scissors $1.99- used $1 coupon=.99
2 first aid kits .97- used $1.50/2 coupon= .44
halls cough drops $1.19- used $.50 and .75 coupon= free
Playtex toddler silverware .93
Foil .99- used .50/1 coupon= .49
Seventh Generation Spray $2.49- used $1 coupon and $1 target coupon= .49
Carefree .99- used $.01 coupon= .01
cake mix $.97

So not too exciting for $30.  I have several $3 Nivea coupons but we simply don’t need body wash.  I have several left from the last $3 coupon.  I have a friend that is unemployed so I will be passing my coupons on to her.  The shelves were pretty cleaned out on Carefree so I just grabbed one this trip.  I will get a few more packs the next time I shop and hopefully a few more toothbrushes from CVS.  I just asked for a raincheck since there were only a handful available at my store.

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Here is actually 2 little trips I did to Safeway this week.  They decided to have these daily specials so fortunately I was able to stop in two days in a row:

Thursday:

8lb bag oranges $1.99- used $1/1 safeway coupon= $.99
4 bags Kraft Touch of Philly Cheese- Buy One Get One Free- Used $1.90 Just 4 U personal price and used $1/1 coupon= $.45 per bag
2 packages sliced Kraft Cheese $3.99- Buy One Get One Free- Used (2) $1/1 Kraft cheese coupons from the catalina machine on prior shopping trips= $.99 each

Paid $4.98

Friday:

2 Blocks Tillamook Cheese $5 each
Actually my husband did this one and if I had time I would have gone back for 2 more. Great price!

So the grand total was $14.98 which I think is a great deal and now we are stocked up on cheese.

See the Safeway coupon deals for the week here.

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Ok well this worked out in the end but I seriously made a rookie mistake on this trip.

Here is what I did:

2 bags of M&Ms at $1.97
1 Essence of Beauty Hand Sanitizer marked at $4.19 on the shelf
1 Essence of Beauty Mesh Sponge marked $2.99
2 Coke 2L $1
1 Honest tea $1

Coupons Used:
$2/2 Mars Easter candy
Free Essence of Beauty from CVS coupon
Free Mesh sponge with purchase of essence of beauty item (this was an email sent to beauty club members today)
$2 off any beverage CVS coupon
(2) $1 off any Coke coupon from Recyclebank

My store was out of the free bubbles or I would have grabbed those too.

So first thing is that the ad says buy 3 Coke, Honest Tea etc.. at $4 and get $1 ECB but they rang up at $3 for 3 with a $1 ECB back.  I didn’t double check my local ad this week and our drinks are priced a little lower than other parts of the country.

I did get the full $2 off from the CVS beverage coupon- even though my beverage was $1. Also the hand sanitizer I should have scanned to check the price- it was marked at $4.19 but rang up at $2.00.
The full value of $3.99 came off for that coupon- so basically I didn’t have enough to cover my overage and the total was -.54.

I do not ever like to be in the negative so the cashier just adjusted a coupon down and made the total exactly 0.  It all worked out in the end but I should have scanned that Essence of Beauty item just to be sure my totals were correct.  I can’t promise you will get the same deal I did but if you intend to use those CVS coupons you might have a backup plan just in case to catch the overage from those coupons!

I paid 0 and got $1 ECB back but I could have purchased the Russell Stover candy at $.74 to catch the overage and paid .20 and got back another .74 ECB.

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This was actually a pretty good trip this week.  There were lots of other things that were free or every cheap with coupons but I just didn’t need them so I passed. I did these trips on different days as I was running around so a few things I forgot to put in the picture.  The total was $61 with a $6 rebate back- so $55.

See the breakdown below…

Safeway:
2 packages of Jennie-O Ground Turkey 3lbs- $5 each

Sprouts:
Organic Bread $2.50
Sourdough Bread $1.50
Bulk Granola $.68 (that was 2 huge scoops of granola- what a deal!)
Peas of Mind Cauliflower French Fries $3.99
Pork Loin Roast $7.27 (this I will portion for 3 meals- 2 go in the freezer)
6 Mangoes $2.00
5lb Russet Potatoes $1.00
8lb watermelon $3.97
The total was $22.91

*Note: I was super bummed to miss the cage free eggs on sale this week. I guess with Sprouts they only have limited quantities of items and when they are gone, they are gone.

Raley’s/Bel Air:
McCain Potatoes $1.47 on clearance- used $1 coupon= $.47
2 gallons organic milk $5.49- used $2 off store coupon (only .50 more than I usually pay for regular milk!)
1 Oreo Cheesecake single serve- free with store coupon
2 Snikiddy Snacks $2.69- used (2) $1 store coupons and (2) $2/1 coupons
Total was $6.83

Target:
2 Pepsi 4pks $1.99 each- used BOGO coupon
1 People Magazine $4.49- my store raised the price from last week- used $2 coupon
1 Cavendars Greek Seasoning $1.69 (not pictured)
1 Green and Black’s Organic Chocolate $2.50- used $1 coupon (not pictured)
Got $3 off for buying the magazine and Pepsi and paid with a gift card from last week= Free.

Nugget:
4 Almond Breeze Milk $.99- use (2) $1/2 coupons
4 Cucumber $.78
5lbs Bananas $3.52
Snapple Tea $5.99
Hamburger Buns $4.49
1 bag Organic Carrots $1.79 (not pictured)
1 bag organic yellow carrots – $2.99 treat for the girls (not pictured)
Oral B Floss for braces $3.19
YoBaby Yogurt $3.29- used free item coupon
Pita Bread $2.59
4 Bauduccos Wafers $.99 each
4 Happy Baby Puffs $3.49- used (4) free item coupons from Recyclebank
The subtotal was $51.07 and I used a $10 off $50 coupon from Recyclebank
I paid $21.82 and I will get back $5.99 in a rebate from Snapple!

I spent $61.56 and I have a $6 rebate coming so a net of $55.56.

At Nugget the buns were priced at $2.99 but they rang up higher.  The cashier accidentally charged me for 1 cucumber rather than 4 so it all evened out.  I wouldn’t have purchased the Snapple except I finally found the rebates in store and I needed to hit $50 to use my $10 off coupon.

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This was a great trip to CVS- I went to a normally not so friendly coupon store but everything worked out perfectly.  Total before coupons was $30 and after coupons was $6.  I used $4.49 in ECBs and got back $8.98.

Milk $2.99
2 Right Guard Body Wash $3.88 each (one disappeared somewhere)
6 Snickers Eggs .50 (I would lie and say these are for Easter baskets but they are really for my tummy)
4 Oral B toothbrushes $2.99 each
2 Gum EZ Flossers $2.00 (these are great for little ones)

Used $4/20 CVS coupon
Used Buy One Get One Free Right Guard coupon
Used (3) $1/2 Easter candy coupons
Used 2 BOGO Oral B toothbrushes
used 2 Oral B $2 off coupon
Used $4.49 in ECBs and paid $6.02 with tax

I got back $3 for Right Guard, $4 for the GUM, $1.98 for the Oral B.

I did a quick trip to Rite Aid too. I didn’t plan it well since I was hoping to get the overage from the Scunci to use toward Burt’s Bees this week- but we all know how that went.

Anyhoo- got (2) Scunchi at $1.99
and (2) Gold Bond Hand sanitizer at $3.79
Used (2) $2 Gold Bond coupons
and I got back $3.98 for Scunci and $2 for Gold Bond

I broke this up into 2 transactions to roll the +Up. I paid roughly $5 and got $3 in +Up back.

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Here is my trip to Safeway today.  I still have to go to CVS and Target for a few more things.

Safeway Salad Dressing $1.97- free with coupon
Safeway Marinade $3.39- free with coupon
Safeway salsa $3.49- free with coupon
Brown Gravy Mix $.77
Girard’s Salad Dressing $1.49- used $2 coupon
Mission Tortillas $3.19-free with coupon
Chef Michael’s Dog Food $14.99- used $10 off coupon
Frozen peas $2.00- free with coupon
Brown Rice .99- free with coupon
Whole Wheat Bread $2.29
Farmland Bacon $2.99- used $1 coupon
2 Johnsonville Italian Sausage $1.99 each- used $1 coupons
Organic Celery $3.99
Safeway Minced Garlic $1
2 Eating Right Salad Blends $1.99
3lbs organic apples $3.99

Plus I used a $10 off $50 Safeway coupon. So the total was about $12.

Now this isn’t an example of me being a fabulous coupon queen at all.  I just happened to get incredibly lucky and my grocery store decided to give me a bunch of free food.  So I wasn’t going to post this trip at all but I wanted to give this as an example for new couponers.  There is no doubt that coupons put a tremendous amount of money back in our pockets- especially when combined with sales.  But I do want to encourage you to be a little inquisitive when you see people claiming they got $200 in groceries for $5 and so on.  It certainly is possible to do but personally I always like to see the exact breakdown of transactions.  In the case above my total before coupons and club card savings was $65.  So I could easily say that I saved 80% and leave it at that but that wouldn’t really be a fair representation of a regular shopping trip that anyone could replicate.  I have a fistful of other free item coupons from various places so I could have thrown those in the mix and claimed even larger savings.

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I only bought a few things at Whole Foods last week so this week I got quite a bit.  I am pretty pleased with the deals considering what I bought.

Here is the breakdown:

SAFEWAY $24.51 (can you believe not one problem with my receipt this week!  Yeah!)
Safeway Flour $1.12 (Just for U price)
2 Kraft Cheese $1.90/2 (Just for U price)
1 Healthy Choice Entree- Free (Just for U promotion)
2 Precious String Cheese $4.99/2
3 Reach kids toothbrush at $1.99
1 Reach Adult Toothbrush $2.39- used (4) $1/1 Reach coupons
1 French Bread $1.49
2 Jennie O Ground Turkey $1.99 each (Just for U price)
2 Oscar Mayer lunchmeat $2.40/2 (Just for U price)
2 Organic Mangos $1.25/ea
8lbs Oranges $2.99- used $1 off produce coupon

*Just for U has not rolled out everywhere yet. Overall I find the program to be a bit of a pain but the one saving grace for this program is that you get “personal prices” for random items. My “personal price” for bags of Kraft cheese is $1.90. When items are BOGO this usually makes an extraordinary deal because that personal price is applied. So I got 2 bags of cheese for $1.90 since my price overrides the regular Safeway price.

I paid $24.51 and got a $4 catalina back for the Reach toothbrushes.

NUGGET $28.82

2 Newman’s Own Lemonade $2.09-used $1 coupons
Athenos Feta Cheese $3.99- used free item coupon from a sampling event
Kraft Cooking Creme $3.69- used free item coupon from First taste
Coffeemate Creamer $3.99- used free item coupon from Facebook
Cascade Fresh Sour Cream $.99
Artichoke Hearts $1.50
Nilla Wafers $3.49- used $1 coupon
3 Sacramento Baking Company bagels $1.50 (these go in the freezer because that is a great price)
3 pints of Organic Strawberries $2.97 each
5lbs of bananas $3.59
3lbs of organic apples $2.70
Spinach $2.99
2 gallons milk $8.97

Used a $10/50 coupon.

CVS $.74

2 Pepperidge Farms Cookies $1 each- used .75/1 coupons
1 Clean and Clear Body Wash $2.99- used $2 coupon
2 Theraflu Travel Size .99each- Used $3/2 coupon
1 Diet Coke $1.84- used free beverage coupon (credited $2)

I paid $.74 total which was mostly tax and got .99 ECB back

I got the Pampers wipes for less than $2 from Amazon- I used a $10 off coupon from a magazine and did the deal here. Total was something like $1.50 shipped!

Coombs Organic Maple Syrup $16.83- used Swagbucks gift cards and this was free.

I wanted to another Safeway today to get a few more toothbrushes and because I found a coupon for the cheese.

SAFEWAY $3.44
4 Reach Toothbrushes $1.99 each- used $1/1 coupons
6 bags Kraft Touch of Philly cheese $1.90/2- Used $1/2 coupon
1 lean Pocket $1.74 with in ad coupon- used $1/1 Just for U coupon

I used the $4 catalina from before and got another $4 catalina for next time.

WALGREENS $3.12
3 Oral B Barbie toothbrushes on clearance for .75- used (3) .50/1 coupons from 2/27 P&G
1 Veggie Tales singing toothbrush .99
Colgate Total on clearance for $1.09- used $1 coupon
Breyer’s Ice Cream $1.29 on clearance (currently in freezer so the kids don’t see)

So the grand total was $60 and I have $4 in catalinas to use next time at Safeway plus .99 for CVS.  I also got almost $16 refunded from Safeway for being overcharged on previous trips.

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I had a bunch of errands today so I made two quick stops for a few groceries.

WHOLE FOODS: $3.97

2 Muir Glen Tomatoes $1.99- used $.75/1 coupon and $1/1 Whole Foods coupon= .24 each
2 Newman’s Own Lemonade $2- used (2) $1 coupons= $1 each
2 Voskos Yogurt $.75- used (2) $1 coupons= Free
Smart Dogs $2.99- used $1 Whole Foods coupon= $1.99

SAFEWAY: $11.76

2 Simply Potatoes $1.29 each
2 Morningstar Veggie products $3.99- Used $1/2 coupon
3 California Pizza Kitchen pizzas $2.50- used (2) $1.25 coupons and (1) $1/1 coupons= $4 for 3
3 Spinach Salads $2.99
2 Organic Apples packs $1.99- used $1 off $5 produce coupon

I also used the $5/15 Safeway frozen foods coupon and I also used (3) $1.25 cats from my last transaction. I can’t figure this receipt out because it looks like the frozen foods coupon took $10 off rather than $5. I think I might have loaded the $5 coupon onto my card and that might have been what happened.

Paid $11.76 and got back $3.75 in cats for the CPK

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I had to run to Target for a few things today and I decided to grab a few of the great deals this week with coupons:

3 boxes Nature Valley Bars- Free with coupons
Deans Dip and Guac $1.37- used $1/2 coupon=.87 each
(we are having a party this weekend so I grabbed it but Target usually has these for closer to $1.15 so you might hold your coupons for a sale)
Kashi TLC Bars $2.65- used $2/1 coupons= $.65 (you can also get $1/1 coupons)

So the total was $3.04 and that is basically the price of one box of Kashi so pretty good!

AND- I have to say this was .50 that was an excellent investment!  Someone on Facebook suggested popcorn to keep the little darlings busy while you shop and this worked like a charm for me!  For the price of one popcorn ($1.50) and one smoothie ($1.50)- I also used the $1 off Target mobile coupon= peace and quiet for nearly 20 minutes.

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