Walgreens 5/30/11 haul...

I made out like a banchee! It was well worth getting up at 6:30 am, running to Walmart for some Memorial Day BBQ necessities, then straight over to Walgreens for some smokin' deals!

I didn't have time to post a pic since I had guests arriving to party right when I got home- but here is what I hauled in today...

1- Gillette Fusion Powerglide Razor System $9.89 --> $.89!
8- Degree Men's Deodorant (2.7 oz) $3.79 each --> $.63 each!
6- RightGuard Men's Deodorant (2.7 oz) $4.49 each --> ALL FREE!
3- Reynolds Aluminum Foil $1.99 each --> $.99 each
4- Chips Ahoy Cookies (1.6 oz) $.99 each --> $.25 each!
4- Aplied Nutrition Triple Calcium supplements (90 ct) $10 each --> MADE $5 ON 3 OF THEM AND ONE WAS FREE!!!!
1- Twizzlers Nibs- $2.49 --> $2.19

So total retail value for this trip was $113.92
Spent $4.42
Saved $109.50 = 96%

I think this trip could have been featured on TLC's Extreme Couponing!!!  Haha. And I guarantee that I spent much less time prepping and planning for this trip than most of those crazies on the show. But obviously this isn't THAT much stuff- yet, it's still just as exciting to save 96%!! Oh yeah!!

Walgreens Couponing...5/23/11

So I've been learning how to maximize coupons at Walgreens...and it's NOT for the faint of heart! It is semi-complicated, but the benefits definitely outweigh the headache!

So, here's what I got for this week...

5 packs of Huggies Little Swimmers (12 ct/pk)
2 Puresilk  Shaving Cream
4 Carefree Undieliners
8 Butterfinger bars
1 Yardley Soap bar
4 Dixie paper plates (20 ct)
2 Dixie paper bowls (24 ct)
4 Suave lotion
1 Advil PM (20 ct)
1 Thermacare Heat Wrap (3 ct)
3 Scunci Hair Elastics (18 ct)
4 Colgate Sensitive Whitening Toothpaste
1 Nexcare bandaids
2 Sunburnt cream
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Total Retail- $171.79
Total Spent- $45.69
Total Saved- $126.10

SAVED 73%


The great thing is that I am creating a great stockpile! This has been my goal for a long time- and now I'm actually able to do it without breaking the bank! I used to just get stuff at Costco since it was all under one roof, and seemed less expensive since it was in bulk...but when you compare it to using coupons and matching ads- the cost doesn't even compare!

Take me home tonight...

Jovie and I just got back from "home"- which to me is Colorado, Utah, Arizona and a slew of a few other places. But we did just visit Colorado and had a fantastic visit. This was our view in Phx before we left...

And by the time we got to Denver we were pleasantly surprised by SNOW (In MAY, yes, ridiculous right?)...I shouldn't have been surprised because I packed 1 pair of pants and a light jacket- and the rest shorts and tshirts. Ugh. I hate when the weather gets the best of me!!

  However, since it was cold and we were ill-prepared, we got to stay in and Jovie & Papa played "Moonshadow" on the guitar. Tender, just tender. Jovie even sang a bit too, which was so sweet.

Then we got to spend the night at my sister Katy's house. Jovie LOVES her cousins...upon driving up into their neighborhood she started yelling.."CAMILLE, CALLIE, KATY, DAN!!!" I was pretty surprised by that since she hasn't been to their house in 9 months!! Good memory!

 We were even lucky enough to spend the day celebrating Callia's 5th Birthday!! It was "Tangled" themed and just adorable. My sister is such a visionary. She made mostly everything herself, which just amazes me!!

 Pinata princess hats and suckers!!

Ring-around-the-rosies... and play time at the park when it finally warmed up!!

 Mom and Katy looking like twinners!!

We even discovered a little burrow of baby rabbits- there were 5 or 6 of them- they couldn't have been more than a few days old, but boy were they just adorable!! They just kept trying to follow us around, even when we were trying to coral them into their burrow!!

Jovie peeling her first orange all by herself!!

Jovie with Katy's dog Koko- Jovie just adores her (as we all do!) and follows her around and calls out her name incessantly! Do we need a dog, or what??

It was nice to spend some time with my family- since we rarely get to spend time together!! I also got to see my parent's lovely new home and even got to help my mom organize her kitchen, pantry, and basement storage. I actually love helping other people organize...I just hate doing it for myself!! Jovie sure got used to spending time with Tutu and Papa! (which was much needed since my mom will be watching Jovie for a whole week in July when we go on an Alaskan cruise with all of the adults in Blake's family)

We also spent many nights playing a new card game- Bohnanza!! It was a total blast! I've definitely got a  knack for this game! "Beans, beans the magical fruit....

Maxin' & Relaxin'

Krazy Couponing...

So, in the past two weeks since my surgery, while I was down and out only able to sit- I decided to watch video on demand and see the show Extreme Couponing on TLC. When I was growing up my parents did light couponing, but NOTHING to this extreme. I really think it's an art form. Really truly amazing. If you haven't seen the show, watch it...really!

I've always gone through life loving to get a deal, but I don't LIVE for it! After watching a few episodes of the show I thought- the people are MOSTLY crazy, but they do have some gumption!! I've always felt sort of cheap, or lowly when using coupons- I guess I never really knew you could get things totally free and even sometimes MAKE MONEY couponing. 

So I saw one episode of Extreme Couponing with a gal they call "The Krazy Coupon Lady" (yes, it pains me too to see crazy spelled with a "k") and I thought- she's a young mom, she started a website with a friend, and gives free advice on how to start couponing, continue couponing, and all the deals each week for many grocery stores, drug stores and supercenters. I thought it really was awesome!! 

Well, now 3 weeks later I've started this whole couponing thing, and each day I get better at it!! I've really learned a ton from the book "Pick Another Checkout Lane, honey", that they co-wrote, and I've already started stockpiling tons of non-parishables, cleaning supplies, and food for just a FRACTION of the retail cost! 

So today was kind of an awesome day shopping at Walgreens. Below is a view of all that I got.

Now- do you know what I would have spent if I bought this all at retail price & no coupons???

$183.24

Did I pay that much??? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!

I only spent $61.73!!

That is almost 70% savings!! 

I'm glad that I've been given an opportunity to help save some cash around the house without having to go outside my home and get a job. This is totally something I can do. It takes some time at first, but I know with practice it will get easier!

The last 3 weeks I've gone grocery shopping and saved between 50-65% of the retail cost each trip to the store. It really is becoming life changing. I don't think I'll ever get to the "Extreme" level, but I may just get a little bit "krazy" now and again!!