Harris Teeter Shopping Trip 5/31/2015

I wanted to pick up my weekend evics today and thought I would try to get up to $50.00 to use a $10.00 off $50.00 Lowes Foods coupon.  I found some doughnuts marked down and I had a few bakery coupons left so I decided to pick them up.  The store had a lot of Lipton tea left which I was really surprised about since it is free this week.  I plan on going back to pick more up tomorrow.  I did make a bit of a booboo today though.  I thought my husband's phone had the Ibotta offer for the Ragu sauce as well but it did not so I bought one of them for no reason.  Oh well, it is my favorite sauce at least.

I picked up the Alexia vegetables because after my Ibotta offer of $0.30, coupon and catalina they should have been a money maker but the catalina did not print.  I had the offer that had printed for me previously though and showed it to the cashier, the manager that was on duty took me right over to the service counter and gave me $1.50 back in cash.

Edit: The $0.50 Ragu offer came back!  Thankfully I had no submitted the receipt yet so I was able to get credit for the Special K and the Ragu from transaction #1!

Transaction #1

1 Ragu Alfredo Pasta Sauce 16oz ~ sale price BOGO (shelf price $2.59)

Cost: $1.29

1 Special K Bars 6ct ~ sale price $2.50 (shelf price $2.59)
  -  (1) $0.75 printable coupon

Cost: $1.00

Total Retail Cost: $5.18

Sale Savings: $1.39

Clearance Savings: $0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $1.50

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $2.29 (+$0.06 tax)

(I will get back $0.50 from Ibotta for purchasing Special K bars.)
(Edit: I will get back $0.50 from Ibotta for purchasing Ragu.)

Publix Shopping Trip 5/31/2015

I wanted to do the gas card deal at Publix and I had $10.00 off $50.00 coupons from Lowes Foods which my Publix accepts.  I wanted to get a card for Exxon/Mobil so I could earn some Plenti points when we get gas to spend at Rite Aid.  I had a rain check for Huggies diapers which was written as $5.00 per pack when you buy two with a limit of four or I would have picked up some more.

2 Huggies size 1 Little Snugglers 32ct ~ rain check price $5.00 (shelf price $10.49)
2 Huggies size 4 Little Movers 24ct ~ rain check price $5.00 (shelf price $10.49)
  -  (4) $2.00 Publix "Celebrate Summer" coupons
  -  (4) $3.00 printable coupons
2 Huggies Wipes 64ct ~ shelf price $2.69
  -  (2) $2.69 free wipes wyb Huggies diapers Publix Baby Club
  -  (2) $0.75 printable coupons

Cost: $1.50 overage

1 Beneful Healthy Weight Dog Food 3.5lb ~ shelf price $4.99
  -  (1) $5.00 printable coupon

Cost: $0.01 overage

1 Publix Ranch Dressing 16oz ~ shelf price $1.61
  -  (1) $1.61 Publix free item coupon

Cost: $0.00

1 Glad Cling Wrap 100ft ~ shelf price $1.89
  -  (1) $0.75 Publix purple flyer coupon
  -  (1) $1.00 manufacturer coupon 5/3 SS

Cost: $0.14

4 Hellman's Bonus Size Mayonnaise 36oz ~ shelf price $4.05
  -  (4) $2.00 Publix green flyer coupon
  -  (4) $1.00 manufacturer coupon 5/17 RP

Cost: $4.20

1 Exxon/Mobil $50.00 Gas Card
  -  (1) $10.00 off $50.00 Gas Card Publix coupon

Cost: $40.00

$10.00 off $50.00 Lowes Foods Competitor Coupon

Total Retail Cost: $122.03

Rain Check Savings: $21.96

Publix or Competitor Coupons: $43.74

Manufacturer Coupons: $23.50

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $32.83 (+$2.13 tax)

(I will get back $1.00 from Ibotta for Glad Cling Wrap.)

Kroger Shopping Trip 5/31/2015

I needed to stop into Kroger to use my rain check for Country Time and Kool Aid since my coupons were expiring today.  I had also found some tearpad coupons for $1.50 off water wyb two Kool Aid or Country Time but it did not state a size on the water so I found single Kroger brand water bottles for $0.50 each and bought them.

8 Country Time Drink Mixes 19oz ~ rain check price $0.88 (shelf price $3.99)
  -  (4) $1.00/2 manufacturer coupons from 4/26 SS
12 Kool Aid Drink Mixes 19oz ~ rain check price $0.88 (shelf price $3.99)
4 Kroger Water 16.9oz ~ shelf price $0.50
  -  (2) $1.00/2 manufacturer coupons from 4/26 SS
  -  (4) $1.50 off water wyb 2 tearpad coupons

Cost: $7.60

Total Retail Cost: $81.80

Rain Check Savings: $62.20
Kroger Coupons: $0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $12.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $7.60 (+$0.39 tax)

JC Penney Shopping Trip 5/30/2015

I was very excited to stop into JC Penney to look for some more free clothes for Lily!  There was a promotion going on for JC Penney where you could text a code to receive a $10.00 coupon off any $10.00 or more purchase so I got one on my phone.  I was hoping to get one on my husband's phone as well but I was too late, the offers were gone.  We found some things on clearance though that Lily liked.  There was a Dora night gown which will be nice for her to wear this summer to sleep in.  Even though it has long sleeves the material is light and she can stick her feet out of the bottom if she wants.  We also found a shirt that we liked but it is a bit big for her still so it will wait in her closet until she can wear it.

1 Arizona Jean Knit Peasant Shirt ~ clearance price $4.99 (shelf price $16.00)

Cost: $4.99

1 Dora Night Gown ~ clearance price $5.99 (shelf price $28.00)

Cost: $5.99

$10.00 off $10.00 purchase coupon

Total Retail Cost: $44.00

Clearance Savings:$33.02

JC Penney Coupons: $10.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.98 (+$0.07 tax)

Best Buy Shopping Trip 5/30/2015

I love my rebate apps.  This weekend I downloaded a new app called Find & Save.  I referred my husband to sign up for it and we both got offers to save $5.00 on a $20.00 Best Buy purchase!  I have been wanting to get some seasons of NCIS on dvd so we stopped into our local Best Buy.  They did not have any older seasons.  I was hoping to get any of 1-9 because seasons 10 and 11 are still a bit expensive.  In store season 10 was $21.99 but I check the price on Amazon and it was only $16.99 so we looked for a cheap movie to reach our $20.00 minimum.  We found The Blind Side which was also cheaper on Amazon for $4.18 so we went to customer service to checkout with the price matches.  We had no problems price matching.

We submitted the receipt on my husband's app and waiting for the payment.  It should send to his PayPal account once approved and hopefully I will get my referral bonus as well.  I will update when they respond to his rebate submission.

1 NCIS Season 10 ~ price match $16.99 (shelf price $21.99)

Cost: $16.99

1 The Blind Side ~ price match $4.18 (shelf price $4.99)

Cost: $4.18

Total Retail Cost: $26.98

Price Match Savings: $5.81

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $21.17 (+$1.43 tax)

(We are waiting on response for $5.00 rebate from Find & Save as well as $20.00 referral bonus.)

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 5/29/2015

Today was the last day to use the Load2Card coupon for the GE Light Bulbs because it expired.  I wanted to use the coupon on my two non-gold cards to make a bit of points on both of them.  I did two transactions with two different cards.

Transaction #1 (Card #1)

1 GE 20W CFL Light Bulb 1ct ~ sale price $4.00 (shelf price $7.49)
  -  (1) $1.00 Load2Card coupon

Cost: $3.00 (400 points, limit 1)

 

Total Retail Cost: $7.49

Wellness Plus Savings: $3.49

Rite Aid Coupons: $0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $1.00

Subtotal: $3.00 (+$0.27 tax)
Plenti Points Used: $3.27

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.00 tax)

Plenti Points Earned: 400 (400 points from GE Light Bulb)

 

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 5/28/2015

I had a $2.00 Rite Aid coupon for Purex in my email that was expiring today and I wanted to use.  I tried to print the $1.00 off 2 coupon but it was a Walgreens coupon so unfortunately I was only able to pick up one detergent for $0.99 instead of 2 for $2.00 because the single purchase price was $2.99.  I also picked up some more Simplify soda that is ringing up $0.25 making it free after points.  I went down a bit in points today but I did get back a $2.00 catalina for the L'oreal so a small moneymaker day.

1 Playtex Sport Liners 54ct ~ gold price $3.99 (shelf price $4.99)
1 Playtex Sport Pads 16ct ~ gold price $3.99 (shelf price $4.99)
  -  (1) $7.99 BOGO printable coupon
  -  (1) $3.00 printable coupon

Cost: $3.01 overage

1 GE 20W CFL Light Bulb 1ct ~ sale price $4.00 (shelf price $7.49)
  -  (1) $1.00 Load2Card coupon

Cost: $3.00 (400 points, limit 1)

2 L'oreal Evercurl Hydration Shampoo 8.5oz ~ gold price $5.59 (shelf price $6.99)
  -  (2) $2.00 printable coupons

Cost: $7.18 (500 points wyb 2, limit 2)

2 Simplify Orange Soda 2L ~ sale price $0.25 (shelf price $1.00)
6 Simplify Cola Soda 2L ~ sale price $0.25 (shelf price $1.00)

Cost: $2.00 (100 points wyb 4, limit 2 monthly)

1 Purex Free & Clear Laundry Detergent 50oz ~ sale price $2.99 (shelf price $5.99)
  -  (1) $2.00 Rite Aid email coupon

Cost: $0.99

Total Retail Cost: $45.44

Wellness Plus Savings: $17.29

Rite Aid Coupons: $2.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $15.99

Subtotal: $10.16 (+$1.65 tax)
Plenti Points Used: $11.81

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.00 tax)

Plenti Points Earned: 1,100 (400 points from GE Light Bulb, 500 points from L'oreal Ever, (2) 100 points from Simplify Soda)

 

(I received a $2.00 catalina for purchasing L'oreal Ever.)

Food Lion Shopping Trip 5/27/2015

I stopped into Food Lion quickly to pick up an onion since I had not yet redeemed one of the CheckOut 51 offers for produce this week. Lily has slowed down on her banana eating so we have not been purchasing them as frequently. I am excited to try making some onion rings! We do not have a deep fryer but we are hoping that we will be able to make them on the stove instead.

1 Vidalia Onion 0.73lb ~ sale price $0.69/lb (shelf price $0.99/lb or $0.72)

Cost: $0.50

Total Retail Cost: $0.72

Sale Savings: $0.22

Food Lion Coupons: $0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.50 (+$0.01 tax)

(I will get back $0.25 from CheckOut 51 for purchasing onions.)

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 5/27/2015

My $0.75 Froot Loops coupons were expiring today so I wanted to stop into Rite Aid to use them up since Kellogg's cereal is on sale again. The store was completely out of Foot Loops, the cashier said they had quite a few boxes and someone came in and bought them all earlier in the day. With what time I was in the store I knew I would not be able to make it to another store before they closed unfortunately so sadly my coupons expired.

I was able to find some Band-Aids on clearance though and this store had the old bags still with the $5.00 off 3 coupons so I decided to do the deal. I was hoping the store would have enough cheaper Band-Aids or Gauze so I could max the deal out but unfortunately the cheaper Band-Aids were cleared out and there were only 2 gauze so I only did the deal once.  If I were not still trying to build my points I might have picked up some of the more expensive Band-Aids.  We are also fairly stocked on bandages and gauze right now so I decided to just do the best moneymaker I could to help build my points.

Typically I would wait and see if they get more gauze in later in the week because the trucks were due to arrive this Friday but due to the holiday this week the trucks were pushed to Tuesday of next week.  This means it has been over two and a half weeks since the stores have received new stock and many are quite low or completely out of items.

1 GE 23W CFL Light Bulb 1ct ~ sale price $4.00 (shelf price $7.49)
  -  (1) $1.00 Load2Card coupon

Cost: $3.00 (400 point, limit 1)

2 Band-Aid Spongebob Bandages 20ct ~ clearance price $2.14 (shelf price $4.29)
1 Johnson & Johnson First Aid Kit 1ct ~ shelf price $4.99
1 Johnson & Johnson Gauze Pads 3x3in 10ct ~ 50% off price $1.39 (shelf price $2.79)
  -  (1) $4.99 free First Aid Kit wyb 3 items peelie
  -  (1) $5.00/3 coupon found in the First Aid Kit

Cost: $0.67

Total Retail Cost: $23.85

Wellness Plus Savings: $9.19

Rite Aid Coupons: $0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $10.99

Subtotal: $3.67 (+$0.99 tax)
Plenti Points Used: $4.66

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.00 tax)

Plenti Points Earned: 700 (400 points from GE Light Bulb, 300 points from Johnson & Johnson First Aid products)

BJ's Shopping Trip 5/27/2015

We needed bread so I made a quick stop into BJ's to pick up another free loaf.  My $0.20 Ibotta rebate came back so I made money on the bread!

1 Arnold Bread 24oz ~ shelf price $2.69
  -  (1) $2.69 free Arnold bread BJ's coupon

Cost: $0.00

Total Retail Cost: $2.69

BJ's Coupons: $2.69

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.05 tax)

(I will get back $0.20 from Ibotta for purchasing bread.)

WalMart Shopping 5/24/2015

I wanted to pick up a few things in WalMart for Ibotta rebates.  There are $0.50 coupons for both the French's ketchup and mustard but I found coupons in a blinkie machine to buy the mustard and get the ketchup for free!  I did two transactions so I can submit for the rebate on both phones.  I would have done the Dr. Pepper rebates on both but I only had two coupons.

Transaction #1

1 French's Mustard 20oz ~ shelf price $1.77
1 French's Ketchup 20oz ~ shelf price $1.77
  -  (1) $1.77 Buy Mustard Get Ketchup Free blinkie coupon

Cost: $1.77

4 Dr. Pepper 2L ~ shelf price $1.00
  -  (2) $1.00/2 printable coupons (no longer available)

Cost: $2.00

Total Retail Cost: $7.54

Price Match Savings: $0.00

Clearance Savings: $0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $3.77

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $3.77 (+$0.34 tax) 

(I will receive $3.45 from Ibotta; $0.20 for purchasing ketchup, $2.00 for purchasing French's 20oz Mustard and Ketchup combo and $1.25 for purchasing 3 Dr. Pepper.)

Harris Teeter Shopping Trip 5/24/2015

Yesterday I forgot to pick up my free sweet tea from the Taste and Tell promotion on Facebook.  Since I was nearby I stopped in to pick it up.

1 Southern Breeze Sweet Tea 16ct ~ Taste and Tell price $0.00 (shelf price $3.49)

Cost: $0.00

Total Retail Cost: $3.49

Sale Savings: $3.49

Clearance Savings:$0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.00 tax)

Harris Teeter Shopping Trip 5/23/2015

I had some really good evics this weekend and wanted to make sure I picked them up so we stopped into Harris Teeter on the way home. I did not have any coupons for anything which felt odd with how much we got but we still saved over 50% with just the evic prices!

 
2 Gold Fish Cheddar Crackers 6.6oz ~ evic price $0.57 (shelf price $2.25)

Cost: $1.14

3 Lays Potato Chips 10oz ~ evic price $1.97 (shelf price $4.29)

Cost: $5.91

2 Angel Food Cake ~ evic price $1.47 (shelf price $4.49)

Cost: $2.94

4 Red Raspberry 6oz ~ evic price $1.77 (shelf price $2.99)

Cost: $7.08

6 Arizona Ice Tea 23oz ~ evic 3/$1.00 (shelf price $0.99)

Cost: $1.98

2 Pepsi 16oz Bottles 6pk ~ evic $0.97 (shelf price $4.79)

Cost: $1.94

Total Retail Cost: $53.83

Sale Savings: $32.84

Clearance Savings:$0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $20.99 (+$0.60 tax)

BJ's Shopping Trip 5/23/2015

We stopped into BJ's to pick up some tables for our yard sale.  We have been planning on getting the tables regardless but when I went to the store the other day there was a sign up for an instant coupon savings of $5.00 per table.  We wanted to make sure we picked up the tables while they were $5.00 off so we stopped in tonight.

The tag had already been changed back for some reason to $48.89 with no mention of the $5.00 coupon but I took a picture of it the other day so I brought it up on my phone to double check the end date.  In the picture the price of the tables were $49.99 with the $5.00 coupon making them $44.99 which was only a savings of $3.90 per table since they raised the price when they put the coupon on the tables.

When the cashier scanned the tables they rang up $49.99 minus the $5.00 instant coupon.  I pointed out to the cashier that they were $48.89 on the tag and she called the manager over.  The manager went back to the tables and pulled the tags then redid my transaction and price adjusted the tables to $48.89 and the $5.00 coupons came off.

2 Lifetime 6ft Folding Tables ~ shelf price $49.99
  -  (2) $1.10 price adjustments because shelf tag said $48.89
  -  (2) $5.00 instant savings coupons

Cost: $87.78

Total Retail Cost: $99.98

BJ's Coupons: $12.20

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $87.78 (+$6.60 tax)

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 5/23/2015

I wanted to pick up some more of the Beneful Dog food today and use up my last purchase base coupon.  I still had a $5.00 off $50.00 purchase coupon from my main card that I wanted to use up this week since next week is going to be very slow.  I used 3 cards at different stores. 

I should have picked up 2 bags at the first store.  We stopped in a few different stores to look for freshness peelies on the bags which would have made these a money maker but were not able to find any more so and the last store we stopped in only had 4 bags left.  I did lose a bit in points today because of tax but overall a good day at Rite Aid.

Transaction #1 (Card #1)

 

4 Simplify Mountain Citrus Soda 2l ~ sale price $0.25 (shelf price $1.00) 

Cost: $1.00 (100 points wyb 4, limit 2 monthly)

1 Beneful Healthy Smile Dog Food 3.3lb ~ sale price $5.99 (shelf price $8.29)
  -  (1) $1.00 freshness peelie
  -  (1) $5.00 Load2Card coupon

Cost: $0.01 overage

Total Retail Cost: $12.29

Wellness Plus Savings: $5.30

Rite Aid Coupons: $1.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $5.00

Subtotal: $0.99 (+$0.40 tax)
Plenti Points Used: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.99 (+$0.40 tax)

Plenti Points Earned: 200 (100 points from Simplify Soda, 100 points from Beneful Dog Food)

 

Sears Shopping Trip 5/23/2015

Since I called customer service about the points being deducted from my account and they linked the two accounts listed under my phone number I stopped getting the free $10.00 in points to spend at Kmart or Sears.  This week I finally got a free $10.00 but it was only to spend at Sears.  They closed the Sears in the local mall so it is a bit further for us to go to Sears but we wanted to pick up some more clothes for Lily.

The surprise points did not exclude clearance items but their clearance prices were more than the sale prices on most of the items.  They clearance were only a savings of 50% and some of the sale prices were 65% off.  We were able to pair the sale prices with a 15% off store coupon from the weekly flyer as well so we decided to just pick up something that was on sale since that would be the best value.  So do not be fooled by clearance items, sometimes the sale prices are better!

While looking through the clothes we found some cute red, white and blue dresses for Memorial Day.  We liked both and could not decide so we had Lily try them on to see which one we liked more.  She looked cute in both but we ended up getting the second one that she tried on.

1 Toddler Dress 2T ~ sale price $14.30 (shelf price $26.00)
  -  (1) 15% coupon deducted $2.15

Cost: $12.15

Total Retail Cost: $26.00

Sale Savings: $11.70

Sears Coupons: $2.15

Surprise Points: $10.00 (10000 points)

Shop Your Way Points: $2.15 (2150 points)

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.00 tax)

Bath & Body Works Shopping Trip 5/23/2015

We made a quick stop into Bath & Body Works while we were in the mall to use up my other freebie coupon from the mailer I was sent last month.  This coupon was for a free trial size items so I picked up a vanilla scented body wash.

1 Wild Madagascar Vanilla Shower Gel 3oz ~ shelf price $5.00
  -  (1) $5.00 free item coupon

Cost: $0.00

Total Retail Cost: $5.00

Bath & Body Works Coupon: $5.00

Subtotal: $0.00 (+$0.00 tax)

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 5/22/2015

I am working on figuring out a new system for my non-insert coupons that will work for me since I cannot fit all of my coupons into my current binder.  I have also been focusing on getting things ready for the yard sale so I have been backing off from shopping a bit and will likely not be doing too many trips for a bit. 

I wanted to make sure I made it to Rite Aid today though because of the 30% off friend and family coupon today!  This transaction was a moneymaker for me even though I got some of the more expensive toothpastes and had to pay a little for them.  I was able to find two bags of Beneful with freshness peelies and a Tresemme Styler with a freshness peelie because the top was lost.  The freshness peelie from the Tresemme was gone, someone else must have peeled it off but I just asked the manager and he put a new coupon on it for me.

1 U by Kotex Regular Maxi 24ct ~ clearance price $2.14 (shelf price $4.49)
1 U by Kotex Long Maxi 20ct ~ 30% off price $3.14 (shelf price $4.49)
  -  (1) $3.00/2 peelie coupon
1 Huggies size 1 Little Snugglers Diapers 35ct ~ 30% off price $8.74 (shelf price $12.49)
1 Huggies size 2 Little Snugglers Diapers 32ct ~ 30% off price $8.74 (shelf price $12.49)
1 Huggies size 3 Little Movers Diapers 28ct ~ 30% off price $8.74 (shelf price $12.49)
  -  (3) $3.00 Rite Aid email coupons
  -  (3) $3.00 printable coupons

Cost: $10.50 (500 points wyb $20, limit 2 ($8.56 tracking from Sunday))

1 Beneful Original Dog Food 3.5lb ~ 30% off price $5.80 (shelf price $8.29)

1 Beneful Healthy Smile Dog Food 3.3lb ~ 30% off price $5.80 (shelf price $8.29)

  -  (2) $1.00 freshness peelies

  -  (1) $5.00 Load2Card coupon

  -  (1) $5.00 printable coupon

Cost: $0.40 overage (100 points, limit 2)

1 Tresemme Extra-Firm Control Mousse 10.5oz ~ sale price $3.99 (shelf price $5.79)

  -  (1) $1.00 freshness peelie

1 Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray 8oz ~ sale price $3.99 (shelf price $5.79)

  -  (2) $2.00 manufacturer coupons from 5/17 RP

Cost: $2.98 (300 points wyb 2, limit 4 monthly)

5 Colgate Optic White Toothpaste 3.5oz ~ 30% off price $3.14 (shelf price $4.49)

  -  (5) $3.00 Rite Aid in-ad coupons

Cost: $0.70

4 Colgate Max Fresh Toothpaste 6oz ~ 30% off price $2.79 (shelf price $3.99)

  -  (4) $3.00 Rite Aid in-ad coupons

  -  (4) $0.50 manufacturer coupons from 5/17 SS

Cost: $2.84 overage

5 Colgate Total Toothpaste 4oz ~ 30% off price $2.65 (shelf price $3.79)

  -  (5) $3.00 Rite Aid in-ad coupons

  -  (4) $0.75 printable coupons

Cost: $4.75 overage

1 Playtex Sport Tampons/Liners Combo Pack 48ct ~ 30% off price $6.29 (shelf price $8.99)

1 Playtex Sport Tampons/Pads Combo Pack 32ct ~ 30% off price $6.29 (shelf price $8.99)

  -  (1) $7.99 BOGO printable coupon (no longer available)

  -  (1) $3.00 manufacturer coupon from 5/17 SS

Cost: $1.59 (100 points, limit 2)

$4.00 off $20.00 purchase coupon

Total Retail Cost: $149.95

Wellness Plus Savings: $46.18

Rite Aid Coupons: $58.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $41.99

Subtotal: $3.78 (+$6.19 tax)
Plenti Points Used: $9.97

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.00 tax)

Plenti Points Earned: 1,700 ((2) 500 points from Huggies/U by Kotex products, (2) 100 points from Beneful Dog Food, 300 points from Tresemme, (2) 100 points from Playtex Combo Packs)

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 5/21/2015

I wanted to stop into Rite Aid today to earn some more points so that I had them to spend tomorrow when I use the 30% off coupon.  I had a $3.00 off $14.00 hair care purchase that I was able to pair with a few sales and other coupons I received to have it be a moneymaker transaction after the points I received.

For some reason the $3.00 hair care coupon which is a RC48 would not stack properly with the $1.00 RC49 Garnier Fructis coupons and said I needed to spend $0.05 more so the manager just did a post coupon for my last Garnier Fructis coupon and gave me $1.00 back in cash.

1 Tresemme Shampoo 32oz ~ sale price $3.99 (shelf price $5.79)
1 Tresemme Conditioner 32oz ~ sale price $3.99 (shelf price $5.79)
  -  (2) $2.00 manufacturer coupons from 5/17 RP

Cost: $3.98 (300 points wyb 2, limit 4 monthly)

1 Garnier Fructis Shampoo Bonus 17.3oz ~ sale price $2.99 (shelf price $4.49)
1 Garnier Fructis Conditioner Bonus 17.3oz ~ sale price $2.99 (shelf price $4.49)
1 Garnier Fructis Styler 8oz ~ sale price $2.99 (shelf price $4.49)
  -  (2) $1.00 Rite Aid email coupons
  -  (3) $2.00 manufacturer coupons from 4/26 RP

Cost: $0.97

$3.00 off $14.00 hair care purchase Rite Aid email coupon

Total Retail Cost: $25.05

Wellness Plus Savings: $8.10

Rite Aid Coupons: $5.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $10.00

Subtotal: $1.95 (+$0.94 tax)
Plenti Points Used: $2.89

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.00 tax)

Plenti Points Earned: 300 (300 points from Tresemme)

(I got $1.00 back for doing a post coupon for the Garnier Fructis Rite Aid coupon the did not scan.)

BJ's Shopping Trip 5/21/2015

I needed to stop into BJ's to pick up some bread and bananas.  While there I looked at the tables we plan on getting for the yard sale and to my surprise there is a clipless coupon on them currently!  The coupon is for $5.00 and is good until May 28 so we have a little while to pick up some tables.  Hopefully this weekend we will be able to get them.  It does look like they raised the price on the tables slightly when they put the coupon on it, I hate when stores do that but still it is something we need to get and saving some money on them is better than nothing since we would be getting them regardless.

I was going to go through a normal checkout since I was using another free bread coupon and those need to be manually input since the max value exceeds the price of all of the Arnold breads in my local store.  The normal checkout was packed though and no one was at the self checkouts so I went there instead.  When I called over an associate to input my coupon he just overrode it instead of manually entering the price of the bread so it took the full $2.99 off!  So I got an extra $0.30 to help pay for the bananas.

1 Arnold Bread 24oz ~ shelf price $2.69
  -  (1) $2.99 free Arnold bread BJ's coupon

Cost: $0.30 overage

1 Bananas 3lb ~ shelf price $1.39

Cost: $1.39

 

Total Retail Cost: $4.08

BJ's Coupons: $2.99

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $1.09 (+$0.08 tax)

(I will get back $0.25 from CheckOut 51 for buying bananas.  I will also get back $0.40 from Ibotta; $0.20 for buying bananas and $0.20 for buying bread.)

 

Brian's Kroger Shopping Trip 5/19/2015

Lily and I stayed home today so Brian stopped at the store on his way home for me to pick up a few more gallons of milk while they were still on sale for $1.99.  While picking up the milk he glanced through the bakery department for clearance items.  We have been waiting for these small Reese's Pieces cakes to be marked down and he found one!  The milk was split into two transactions so we could submit for both Ibotta rebates.

Update: We tried some of the cake, it is ok in my opinion.  The cake was a bit dry, the flavor was alright but I was overall not very impressed.  Brian thought it was good but dry.  It is not something I will be actively looking for anymore.

Transaction #1

1 Gallon 2% Milk ~ sale price $1.99 (shelf price $2.89)

Cost: $1.99

1 Reese's Pieces Cake 14oz ~ clearance price $2.99 (shelf price $5.99)

Cost: $2.99

Total Retail Cost: $8.88

Sale Savings: $0.90

Clearance Savings: $3.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $4.98 (+$0.13 tax)

(I will get back $0.20 from Ibotta for purchasing milk.)

Target Shopping Trip 5/18/2015

I wanted to stop into Target today to pick up sunscreen before the Ibotta offers expired and the shelves are cleared.  With the Ibotta offer and SavingStar offer it makes the sunscreen a moneymaker!  One of the better deals on sunscreen I have gotten and we needed some.  Lily is enjoying playing outside and she got my fairer skin so she burns fairly easily and quickly.  I might go back later this week to pick up some more if I can make up another good scenario.

I found one of me favorite Target cashiers and waited in her line.  She coupons as well and we normally have a good chat about deals while I am checking out.  Just as I was up to checkout another associate came over and told her that she could go on break.  Sadness!

The new cashier rushed through scanning my coupons and the Target $1 Banana Boat coupons stuck together but she just put them all in the drawer.  I asked her to please check the coupons that there should have been two Target coupons and she found them stuck together so scanned the second one and it told her no matching item.  She read the coupon and wondered why it was doing that because I bought the right item so she put it through for me no problem I paid $10.09 for transaction #1.

Transaction #2 should have cost exactly the same, I got all the same items, all the same coupons but this time Lily distracted me so I missed watching the cashier scan the coupons.  She told me my total was $9.09 and I was a bit confused but paid, thanked her and then stepped out of the way so the people behind me could checkout.  It looks like when she was scanning my coupons for transaction #2 that she missed the $1.00 off of Hidden Valley mix and realizing she missed a coupon scanned one of the $2.00 manufacturer coupons for the Banana Boat again.  So the deal ended up being a bit better for me than I had planned.

Transaction #1

 
1 Hidden Valley Greek Yogurt Dip Mix 0.74oz ~ sale price $1.33 (shelf price $1.49)
  -  (1) $1.00 printable coupon from here

Cost: $0.33

1 Banana Boat Kids SPF 50 Sunscreen 8oz ~ shelf price $7.59
1 Banana Boat Sport SPF 50 Sunscreen 8oz ~ shelf price $7.59
  -  (1) $5 gift card wyb $15 Target coupon
  -  (2) $1.00 Target printable coupons
  -  (2) $2.00 hang tag coupons

Cost: $9.18

Total Retail Cost: $16.67

Sale Savings: $0.16

Target Coupons: $2.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $5.00

  Gift Cards Used: $10.09

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.58 tax)

(I got a $5 gift card from $15 of sunscreen.)

(I will get back $3.50 from Ibotta; $1.25 for Banana Boat Kids, $1.25 for Banana Boat Sport, and $1.00 bonus for buying 2 different Banana Boat products.  I will get $0.50 back from CheckOut 51 for buying a Hidden Valley mix.)

CVS Shopping Trip 5/18/2015

Again CVS frustrates me.  Previously I have been allowed to use expired ECBs, but the manager gave me an attitude about it.  I told her I was not able to spend them because they never have the items I want in stock!  For a few weeks now I have been trying to get Glade Kits and all the stores are out still.  Most of the stores do not carry the Viva paper towels either, I still have rain checks for them that I cannot redeem because I cannot find the product.

So I spent down a few ECBs, turned it into cash through Ibotta and CheckOut 51.  I still have $12.92 to spend on my gift card before I stop going to CVS.  There are quite a few deals this week surprisingly at CVS that I can actually do this week, that is if they have stock of the items.  Most of the time I do not get the right coupons from the red machine to get very good deals.

I wanted to stop in today just to pick up some Glade Candles so I could get the extra $0.75 back from Ibotta.  I picked up another free bag and a bag of orange slices so that I could use $3.98 of ECBs.  I am not too interested in trying much more of the Gold Emblem Brand items.  I was going to pick up more popcorn but after trying some I will not be buying more.  The white cheddar is really sweet for some reason and it just does not taste right.  Lily seems to enjoy it because it is sweet but I will not eat it.

2 Glade Candles 4oz ~ sale price $2.75 (shelf price $4.59)
  -  (2) $1.00 printable coupons

Cost: $3.50 ($2 ECB wyb 2, limit 1)

1 CVS Bag ~ shelf price $0.99
1 Gold Emblem Orange Slices 7oz ~ shelf price $0.99
  -  $0.99 free coupon
  -  30% CVS brand $0.30

Cost: $0.69

Total Retail Cost: $11.16

CVS Sale Savings: $3.68

CVS Coupons: $1.29

Manufacturer Coupons: $2.00

ECBs Used: $3.98

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.21 (+$0.42 tax)

ECBs Earned: $2.00 ($2 ECB from Glade)

(I will get back $2.00 from CheckOut 51 for buying 2 Glade Candles.  I will also get back $0.75 from Ibotta for buying 2 Glade Candles.)

Harris Teeter Shopping Trip 5/18/2015

Made a quick stop into Harris Teeter to pick up some more peanut butter.  I had 3 coupons left to use and since the Ibotta offer for peanut butter came back, I bought each of them in a separate transaction.  I could have bought two in one of the transactions since I only have my account and my husband's to redeem but if the offer resets again I want to be able to get credit for the third jar of peanut butter as well.  I just did one picture, transactions were the same except for the Ibotta credits.

Transactions #1-3

1 Skippy Peanut Butter 16.3oz ~ sale price BOGO (shelf price $3.29)
  -  (1) $0.55 printable coupon (no longer available)
  -  (1) $0.55 doubled coupon

Cost: $0.54

Total Retail Cost: $3.29

Sale Savings: $1.65

Clearance Savings:$0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $1.10

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.54 (+$0.02 tax)

(I will get back $0.20 for transactions #1 and #2 from Ibotta for purchasing peanut butter.)

SavingStar Freebie expires 5/20/2015

SavingStar has not had a Friday Freebie item the past two weeks.  This morning when I went to add my new produce offer this deal was there as well.  So pick up a bottle of Ajax for free!  I cannot find any coupons to pair with it.

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 5/17/2015

We stopped into Rite Aid today on our way to dinner for Mother's Day.  Yes, we went out a week late because last year when we went on Mother's Day it was very crowded and I did not mind waiting a weekend to go.  It was nice to have the restaurant a bit quieter and not feel rushed to get through dinner.
 
I mainly wanted to get prices of some items today so I can make up scenarios for later in the week.  I was hoping to use the 30% off coupons to get some good deals on items and wanted to know what items the 30% would effect.  When I asked the manager if she knew about the 30% coupon for Friday she said "yes!" and went into the office to get one for me!  She said that all of the associates were given 4 to give to family and friends and she said that she only has one family member that will use them so the other three she hands out to some of the customers.  Very excited to get one, I was not sure what type of 30% coupon this would be, sometimes when Rite Aid has a 30% coupon day they sent a package of the coupons for the cashiers to put on the counter and other times they are given to associates to hand out like this coming week.  Since it looks like I will only be getting one of these coupons unless I get lucky later on in the week, I am trying to plan getting as much as I can on Friday that will benefit from the extra bonus.

I did want to pick up some U by Kotex that were on clearance because I knew I could combine them with some packs of Huggies diapers to make a good deal.  The Huggies diapers are on sale this week for $8.99 but they are $12.49 shelf price so the 30% will apply, it will make them $8.74 each.  Since I bought the U by Kotex on one of my gold cards, I am stuck using my 30% coupon on it.  I was hoping to use the 30% off on my card that I still have a $5 off $50 coupon for but I still have another week to figure out how I want to use that coupon if I cannot get another 30%.

All of the U by Kotex of similar size are shelf price $4.49 but the clearance items were marked as a shelf price of $4.29 and rang up with that shelf price as well.  They were 50% off, marked $2.14 but rang up at $2.24 for some reason.  The manager was helping me checkout and she caught the price difference.  She manually changed the price to $2.14 for each since that is how they were marked and should be ringing up.  I was the first person she has had use Plenti points, she seemed impressed it just paid for everything automatically when I input the pin number and just spit out my receipt.

4 U by Kotex Regular Maxi 24ct ~ clearance price $2.14 (shelf price $4.29)
  -  (2) $3.00/2 peelie coupons

Cost: $2.56 ($5.00 wyb $15.00 ($8.56 tracking), limit 2)

Total Retail Cost: $17.16

Wellness Plus Savings: $8.60

Rite Aid Coupons: $0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $6.00

Subtotal: $2.56 (+$0.58 tax)
Plenti Points Used: $3.14

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.00 tax)

Plenti Points Earned: 0

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 5/16/2015

Only shopped at Rite Aid today.  I did make a quick stop into Kroger to get refunded for the coupon that did not deduct last night.  I wanted to use up a rain check I had for Rite Aid on the Irish Spring Gear bar soap and body wash but the manager would only let me get the bars.  When she gave me the rain check previously she knew my coupon was expiring that day and told me that she would honor my expired coupon with the rain check.  I have not had a store do this previously and I do not recall anything in their policy about a situation like this and whether they will honor expired coupons with a rain check.

The store only had 2 packs of the bars so they agreed to sub the Irish Spring 8pk bars.  I was hoping to get the Gear so I could get points back but they were free so I can't complain.  Then after looking at my receipt, the manager only scanned 3 of the packs of soap, the 2 Irish Spring 8pk and only 1 of the Gear 6pk so I did not get any points back from buying them like I was hoping.  I did get overage though since she used all 4 coupons but only input 3 items.  This messed up my total a bit and I ended up with the register not allowing one of my Marc Anthony coupons because it would have given me a negative balance so I picked up some more candy bars to soak up the overage.  Also, when I went over to the next register to pick up some more candy bars with freshness peelies the manager told me she would not honor the freshness peelie on the free candy bars because she saw me pick up 6 of them and they are on sale B2G1 free so I picked up two Snickers without peelies.  Then she let me use a manufacturer coupon on the free candy bars?  That confused me a bit but regardless I only owed $1.32 including tax so I could not use any points and got back 1,700 points. 

We then went to my favorite store to pick up some more of the Speed Stick Deodorants.  The cashier scanned my BOGO coupons before scanning my card so they auto deducted the full amount.

Transaction #1 (Card #1)

1 Gear Bar Soap 6pk ~ rain check price $2.00 (shelf price $6.99)
1 Gear Bar Soap 6pk ~ was not scanned $0.00 (shelf price $6.99)
2 Irish Spring Bar Soap 8pk ~ rain check price $2.00 (shelf price $6.99)
  -  (4) $2.00 manufacturer coupons

Cost: $2.00 overage

2 Rite Aid Children's Allergy 4oz ~ rain check price $4.99/2 (shelf price $9.99)

Cost: $4.99 (500 points, limit 2 monthly)

2 Rite Aid Tugaboo Baby Formula 8oz ~ sale price $3.50 (shelf price $6.99)
  -  (2) $5.00 printable coupons

Cost: $3.00 overage

6 Marc Anthony Morocco Oil Deep Treatment 1.69oz ~ sale price B1G1 free (shelf price $2.99)

  -  (6) $2.00 printable coupons from here

Cost: $3.03 overage

2 Speed Stick Gear Gel Deodorants 3oz ~ sale price $4.00 (shelf price $5.49)
  -  (1) $4.00 BOGO coupon
  -  (1) $2.00 printable coupon (no longer available)

Cost: $2.00 (200 points wyb 2, limit 2)

9 Milky Way Dark 1.76oz ~ sale price B2G1 (shelf price $1.15)
2 Snickers 1.86oz ~ sale price B2G1 (shelf price $1.15)
1 M&Ms 1.69oz ~ sale price B2G1 (shelf price $1.15)
  -  (10) $0.50 freshness peelies
  -  (6) $0.50/2 tearpad coupons

Cost: $1.20

Total Retail Cost: $104.64

Wellness Plus Savings: $60.48

Rite Aid Coupons: $5.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $39.00

Subtotal: $0.16 (+$1.16 tax)
Plenti Points Used: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.16 (+$1.16 tax)

Plenti Points Earned: 1,700 (500 points from $25+ purchase, (2) 500 points from RA Children's Allergy, 200 points from Gear Speed Stick)

Kroger Shopping Trip 5/15/2015

Very excited about my stop into Kroger tonight.  I was mainly stopping in to pick up a pizza for dinner because Brian asked that I pick one up and I knew I had a best customer coupon for $0.65 off a Kroger brand frozen pizza.

I typically glance through the meat mark downs while I am in the store and I found a great deal on split chicken breasts!  They are on sale this week for $0.99/lb but most of the packs in the case were marked for clearance from $1.37 to $2.00 a pack!  There was a pack of tenderloins on clearance as well that I wanted to pick up to make some Parmesan breaded chicken strips.  I did not bring my binder with me but thankfully I had pulled my Tyson chicken coupons before I left since I knew the chicken breast were on sale.  Brian met me at the store since he was on his way home and helped me dig through the case to find some good packs of chicken.  The smaller packs were actually a better deal per pound but we did want a few larger packs too.  I had 5 of the $1.00 coupons from this past week's insert and $1.25 ecoupon on my account.  I was going to count the $1.25 off of the tenderloins but when I went to check out the packs were coded to ring up as Perdue for some reason so the ecoupon did not come off.  I will stop in tomorrow when customer service is open to get my $1.25 back.

I was also waiting until the weekend to use up my Brut coupons so I could get double gas points.  I should have used my Brut coupons last week at Rite Aid but since I had an issue with my cards I did not pick them up so free at Kroger will do.

1 Tyson Chicken Tenderloins 1.71lb ~ clearance price $3.57 (shelf price $7.68)

Cost: $3.57

1 Tyson Split Chicken Breasts 1.91lb ~ clearance price $1.37 (shelf price $4.56)
1 Tyson Split Chicken Breasts 2.18lb ~ clearance price $1.37 (shelf price $5.21)
1 Tyson Split Chicken Breasts 2.51lb ~ clearance price $1.67 (shelf price $6.00)
1 Tyson Split Chicken Breasts 3.12lb ~ clearance price $2.00 (shelf price $7.46)
1 Tyson Split Chicken Breasts 3.39lb ~ clearance price $2.00 (shelf price $8.10)
  -  (5) $1.00 manufacturer coupons from 5/10 SS

Cost: $3.41

1 Kroger Frozen Pizza 30.5oz ~ shelf price $3.67
  -  $0.65 ecoupon

Cost: $3.02

1 Butterball Turkey Deli Meat 8oz ~ clearance price $1.69 (shelf price $2.89)
  -  $0.50 ecoupon

Cost: $1.19

1 Sour Punch Strawberry Straws 4.5oz ~ shelf price $1.00
  -  $1.00 ecoupon Friday Freebie

Cost: $0.00

4 Brut Deodorants 2oz ~ sale price $1.00 (shelf price $2.69)
  -  (4) $1.00 printable coupons (no longer available)

Cost: $0.00

Total Retail Cost: $57.33

Sale Savings: $34.99

Kroger Coupons: $2.15

Manufacturer Coupons: $9.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $11.19 (+$0.59 tax)

(I will receive $0.30 back from Ibotta for purchasing pizza.  I will also get $1.25 back for the ecoupon that did not come off.)

Harris Teeter Shopping Trip 5/15/2015

I wanted to pick up a few more items for Ibotta rebates from Harris Teeter.  Yesterday when I was at the store they were done to only about 3 boxes of the 12oz Multi Grain Cheerios but I wanted to wait to see if they would be cheaper on this weekend's evic.  They were not though so I wanted to pick up a box today but they were out.  I picked up an 18oz box with a promotion for a free ebook and took it up to the register to ask if I could sub that box for the out of stock size.  Some associates were bringing out pallets to stock shelves so the cashier wanted to verify more were not being brought out before he did the price adjustment but had no problem letting me sub the larger box!

I also found some Nivea on clearance.  Our region did not receive the Nivea coupons but I was able to print a few from Smart Source a few weeks ago.  I just printed two because it is not a product I typically find good deals on but now I wish I had printed two more.  The after shave balm was marked down to only $2.38 from $6.99!  With my $2.50 coupon I was able to pick up two for free, the cashier did not give me the full value and adjusted the coupon.

When I got my evic specials for this weekend I was fairly bummed.  Nothing seemed like something I would be using but then after looking through some catalinas I have picked up I found two $0.75 off 4 Yoplait Yogurt Cups!  I remember picking them up in Kroger a little while back and thinking that they would make a good deal when Harris Teeter had them on sale.  My evic price was $0.37 with a limit of 10 so I scored 8 cups of yogurt for free!  Plus I will get $0.30 back from Ibotta for the any brand offer.

I also picked up some produce to submit one of my $4.00 rebates that had a deadline of today for purchase.

1 Multi Grain Cheerios 18oz ~ price adjusted $2.50 (shelf price $5.29)
  -  $0.75 evic coupon
  -  (1) $0.75 printable coupon from here

Cost: $0.25

5 Bertolli Pasta Sauces 15oz-24oz ~ sale price B2G3 free (shelf price $2.99)
  -  (2) $1.50/2 manufacturer coupons from 4/26 RP

Cost: $2.98

1 Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter16.3oz ~ sale price BOGO (shelf price $3.29)
  -  (1) $0.55 printable coupon (no longer available)

Cost: $0.54

2 Nivea After Shave Balm 3.3oz ~ clearance price $2.38 (shelf price $6.99)
  -  (2) $2.38 (adjusted from $2.50) printable coupons (no longer available)

Cost: $0.00

1 Red Delicious Apples 3.5lb ~ shelf price $0.99/lb

Cost: $3.47

1 Carrots 2lb ~ shelf price $0.97

Cost: $0.97

8 Yoplait Single Cup Yogurt 6oz ~ evic price $0.37 (shelf price $0.75)
  -  (2) $0.75/4 catalina coupons
  -  (2) $0.75 doubled coupons

Cost: $0.04 overage

Total Retail Cost: $47.95

Sale Savings: $17.20

Clearance Savings:$9.22

Manufacturer Coupons: $13.36

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $8.17 (+$0.61 tax)

(I will get $1.20 back from Ibotta; $0.30 for purchasing cereal, $0.30 for purchasing pasta sauce, $0.30 for purchasing peanut butter, $0.30 for purchasing yogurt.  I will also get $0.75 back from SavingStar for purchasing Multi Grain Cheerios.  I am also submitting my receipt for a $4.00 produce rebate from Anheuser-Busch.)

Rite Aid Shopping Trip 5/15/2015

I was finally able to stop into Rite Aid this week.  I have seen other people getting purchase base coupons this week and I wanted to trigger mine to print before I did a large transaction so I could use it right away.  So I did three smaller transactions with three of my cards.  Only the gold cards printed coupons and both were $5 off $50.  I do have another card but I have not finished signing it up yet and they did not have anymore candy with freshness peelies on them that I could match up with other coupons to make them really cheap.  I then did a bit more shopping to spend one of my purchase base coupons.

I did have to pay out of pocket for the candy bars even though I had points on all of those cards because I was not spending over $2.00 in any of the transactions.  For my final transaction I used a rain check I had from a few months ago when Dove Hair Care items were 2/$6.00 with a $3.00/2 coupon and $3 +UP wyb 2.  The cashier just put each item in for $1.50 to factor the +UP instead of putting them in as coupons.  I realized after I should have asked her to input the +UP as coupons though so I could have received an extra 400 points for the monthly deal but it was still a great moneymaker!  Also since she put the rain check in this way my total was a little below the $50 mark but the manager accepted the coupon.

Transaction #1 (Card #1)

2 York Peppermint Patties 1.4oz ~ sale price B2G1 free (shelf price $1.15)
4 Mounds 1.75oz ~ sale price B2G1 free (shelf price $1.15)
6 Hershey's Skor Bar 1.4oz ~ sale price B2G1 free (shelf price $1.15)
  -  (12) $0.50 freshness peelies
  -  (3) $1.00/3 Hershey's RA coupon

Cost: $0.20

Total Retail Cost: $13.80

Wellness Plus Savings: $4.60

Rite Aid Coupons: $9.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Subtotal: $0.20 (+$0.22 tax)
Plenti Points Used: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.20 (+$0.22 tax)

Plenti Points Earned: 0

New Binder and Free Inserts

I use a binder system to try and keep things organized.  I have used various methods over the years and have strayed from using my binder at certain points in my life but I always come back to it.  I love having all my coupons there, cut, and ready to use; especially when I find those great clearance deals or an unadvertised sale.

When I started using a binder for organizing my coupons in college, I took my boyfriend's zipper binder that he was no longer using and filled it up with baseball cards sheets.  That was about 7 years ago and I still use that binder.  The binder is a Staples brand 2.5in D ring with an accordion file.  I have loved that binder and it had held up well over the years but I have run into the problem that it is just too small too hold everything.

I have run out of room to put all of my coupons.  I also want to have room to put all of my rain checks so I stop losing them and being unable to find them when I want to use them.  So the search for a new, larger binder began.  Case It has the only 4in zipper binder that I was able to find so after a bit of convincing from my husband to buy it, I ordered the binder and some more baseball card pages.  He was happy with the thought that after all these years he might get his binder back finally!

My binder arrived today and I was so excited!  Brian left for work shortly after I opened the box and with Lily down for a nap, I began moving my coupon filled pages to the new binder.  After I had about 4 categories transferred to the new binder I realized I had a problem.  I use dividers to separate my coupon categories and the tabs were hanging over the zipper.  I could not close the binder without bending the tabs.  Upset, I transferred my coupons back to my old binder so Lily and I could go out.

So now I need to decide what to do.  After talking to Brian and my dad I am heavily leaning toward returning the binder and doing one of three things.  One, I could get a Coupon Clutch or make one.  If you are unfamiliar with them they are cloth covers for standard binders that Velcro close at the top and bottom to prevent items from falling out.  Two, I could get another binder of similar size and split my stuff between them.  This option worries me a bit for convince in the store if I have two binders to go through.  Personally if I go this route, one binder will always stay at home and I will just use it for rain checks mainly since I will want to have all of my coupons will me.   Three, I could order another Case It style binder with two sets of rings.  It would provide me with the same amount of storage all-in-one but I did not like the way the binder was set up.  It has 3in rings on the left and 1.5in rings on the right.

Another factor in my decision is the quality of the 4in binder.  I know I could make it work if I had to, replace the dividers I love so much (they have awesome pockets for additional storage), but I am not sure the binder would last me a year.  The material is thin and the zipper seems to be very poor quality.  I definitely cannot see it lasting anywhere near as long as my Staples binder has lasted.

After my upsetting experience with the new binder, another local couponer had posted in a group I am part of that she had coupons available for pick-up.  She had already clipped what she wanted from the inserts and was willing to give what she did not want away.  I told her I was interesting in picking them up.  I picked up coupons from another person before and it was exciting to go through my little goodie bag of coupons and found some great coupons I needed.

Once I finally got Lily packed into the car we made our way out toward the location of the coupons.  I knew Harris Teeter would be on the way and we needed gas from BJ's so we made a few stops on the way there.  We also stopped in CVS to see if they had anything I wanted in stock and per usual nothing was in stock that I wanted.

We found the location to pick up the coupons and they were not there.  So I sent a message saying I had stopped by and they were gone.  While walking back to the car with Lily, I saw the mail center had a garbage can so I peeked inside and saw some discarded Red Plum inserts!  I grabbed them and headed to the car with Lily.

I wanted to stay nearby in case my coupon fairy messaged me saying she had moved the coupons since it was late so I drove around the apartment buildings a bit until I saw another mail center.  This had two garbage cans and they were both full!  I grabbed an empty box from the car and filled it with inserts to sort through at home.  This is the most successful I have ever been at finding discarded inserts so I was very excited, definitely made up for the binder issues earlier.  I was planning on buying extra newspapers this week for the Red Plum coupons but thanks to this haul of discards I can just buy my normal 2 papers for the week!

While scoring the box full of goodies to sort my coupon fairy messaged me saying a family member brought them inside thinking I was not going to show up.  She put them back outside for me so we picked them up on our way out.

BJ's Shopping Trip 5/14/2015

I made a quick stop into BJ's to pick up another loaf of bread for free.  I had another Ibotta offer for $0.30 on bread to submit.  I noticed that after submitting for the bread on Brian's phone earlier this week that his reset and came back with a $0.20 offer so I see more moneymaker bread in the near future!

1 Arnold Bread 24oz ~ shelf price $2.69
  -  (1) $2.69 free Arnold bread BJ's coupon

Cost: $0.00

Total Retail Cost: $2.69

BJ's Coupons: $2.69

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $0.00 (+$0.05 tax)

(I will get back $0.30 from Ibotta for purchasing bread.)

Harris Teeter 5/14/2015

A quick stop into Harris Teeter today to pick up a few things.  I wanted to submit the Huggies offer again on Ibotta, hoping that it will reset again so I can get more cheap diapers.  Even without the Ibotta offer, $0.50 is my stock up price but these were a moneymaker!

Last time Skippy was on sale $2.00 each I had printed coupons but the stores ran out so I got rain checks. I was hoping a better sale might come up before my coupons expired so I can hang onto the rain checks and this week they are buy 1 get 1 free at $3.29, making them $1.64 each!  So I got one to submit for the rebate on Ibotta and plan to get some rain checks if I can later in the week.

3 Huggies Wipes 56ct ~ sale price $2.00 (shelf price $2.49)
  -  (3) $0.75 printable coupons
  -  (3) $0.75 doubled coupons

Cost: $1.50

1 Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter 16.3oz ~ sale price BOGO (shelf price $3.29)
  -  (1) $0.55 printable coupon (no longer available)
  -  (1) $0.55 doubled coupon

Cost: $0.54

Total Retail Cost: $10.76

Sale Savings: $3.12

Manufacturer Coupons: $5.60

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $2.04 (+$0.24 tax)

(I will get back $3.30 from Ibotta; $3.00 for purchasing Huggies and $0.30 for purchasing peanut butter.)

Brian's WalMart Shopping Trip 5/13/2015

Lily and I stayed home today so I could get caught up on a few things.  Mother's Day weekend was very busy for me so I got a bit behind on posting my transactions and keeping up with my coupons.  I wanted to get credit for CheckOut 51 before the offer reset tonight though and while at work my husband said he wanted Chinese tonight.  I had some Tai Pei coupons so he stopped here quickly to get the coupons and WalMart gift card from me and picked up dinner for us!  When I went to submit the rebate for the bananas on Ibotta, an offer for Tai Pei single serve entrees popped up so I was able to redeem for credit back on one of them.

2 Tai Pei Single Server Entrees 14oz ~ shelf price $2.28
  -  (2) $1.00 printable coupons (no longer available)

Cost: $2.56

1 Banana 0.47lb ~ shelf price $0.27

Cost: $0.27

Total Retail Cost: $4.83

Price Match Savings: $0.00

Clearance Savings: $0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $2.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $2.83 (+$0.10 tax) 

(I will receive $0.95 from Ibotta; $0.20 for purchasing bananas and $0.75 for purchasing Tai Pei.  I will also recieve $0.25 from CheckOut 51 for purchasing bananas.)

Kroger Shopping Trip 5/12/2015

I made a quick stop into Kroger to pick up some milk while it was still on sale for $1.99 so I could submit to Ibotta for credit.  Did two transactions so I could redeem for credit in both accounts; mine and my husband's.

Transactions #1-2

1 Gallon 2% Milk ~  sale price $1.99 (shelf price $2.89)

Cost: $1.99

Total Retail Cost: $2.89

Sale Savings: $0.90

Kroger Coupons: $0.00

Manufacturer Coupons: $0.00

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $1.99 (+$0.04 tax)

(I will receive $0.30 back from Ibotta for purchasing milk.)

Harris Teeter Shopping Trip 5/12/2015

I had quite a few things I wanted to pick up from Harris Teeter today being the last day of the sale for the Colgate-Palmolive deal.  I went to two different stores over the course of the day and did six transactions in total mainly to get all of my $3.00 credits for the Colgate-Palmolive deal but one transaction was so I could split up bacon for the Ibotta rebate because I realized while I was out that some bacon was on sale and I had a coupon for it!  None of my transactions took the $3.00 off instantly like it was supposed to but for most of my transactions I caught the error prior to paying for my transaction so they would just input a $3.00 coupon.  On one of my last transactions though I forgot to pay attention to the screen and the $3.00 did not come off so I will need to go back to get my money back.

For my first transaction I wanted to pick up the Fruit Loops that were part of the weekly vic savings but they were out of the 8.8oz size so I asked if I could sub the 12.2oz and they allowed it.  While I was in the store last night I saw they had a cart full of Band-Aid, Curad and Nexcare products that I knew would be free or very cheap with coupons but I did not take my binder out yesterday so I brought my binder today to match up the clearance items with coupons.  While looking in a cart of medications I found a DulcoGas for $1.87 and I still had one of the $3.00 coupons since I was only able to pick up 7 instead of 8 at Publix with my rain check.  One of my favorite managers and cashiers were helping me check out so they just input all of the coupons for full value, giving me overage to help pay for the cereal and deodorants.

Transaction #1

2 Fruit Loops 12.2oz ~ vic price $1.97 limit 2 (shelf price $3.19)
  -  (2) $0.75 printable coupons (no longer available)

Cost: $0.94

1 Softsoap Hand Soap 10oz ~ sale price $2.00 (shelf price $3.69)
  -  (1) $1.00 manufacturer coupon from 5/3 SS
2 Speed Stick Deodorant 3oz ~ sale price $2.50 (shelf price $3.19)
  -  (2) $0.50 printable coupons from here
  -  (2) $0.50 doubled coupons
  -  $3.00 instant savings wyb 3 products

Cost: $1.00

3 Nexcare 1 inch No Hurt Wrap 2.2yd ~ clearance price $1.02 (shelf price $2.99)
  -  (3) $0.55 manufacturer coupons from 4/12 SS
  -  (3) $0.55 doubled coupons

Cost: $0.24 overage

3 Band-Aid 2in x 3in Non-Stick Gauze Pads 10ct ~ clearance price $0.95 (shelf price $2.79)
  -  (1) $3.00/3 manufacturer coupon from 3/29 RP

Cost: $0.15 overage

3 Band-Aid Assorted Sizes Dora Bandages 25ct ~ clearance price $1.12 (shelf price $3.29)
  -  (1) $3.00/3 manufacturer coupon from 3/29 RP

Cost: $0.36

2 Curad 2in x 3in Non-Stick Gauze Pads 10ct ~ clearance price $$1.02 (shelf price $2.99)
  -  (2) $1.00 manufacturer coupons from 5/10 SS

Cost: $0.04

1 Curad 3in x 3in Gauze Pads 10ct ~ clearance price $1.02 (shelf price $2.99)
  -  (1) $1.00 manufacturer coupon from 5/10 SS

Cost: $0.02

1 Curad 4.5in Cotton Bandage Roll 4yd ~ clearance price $1.25 (shelf price $3.69)
  -  (1) $1.00 manufacturer coupon from 5/10 SS

Cost: $0.25

1 DulcoGas Wild Berry 18ct ~ clearance price $1.87 (shelf price $5.49)
  -  (1) $3.00 printable coupon (no longer available)

Cost: $1.13 overage

Total Retail Cost: $61.81

Sale Savings: $8.51

Clearance Savings:$29.91

Manufacturer Coupons: $22.30

Total Out of Pocket Cost: $1.09 (+$1.35 tax)

(I will get $0.30 back from Ibotta for purchasing cereal.)