$50/week Challenge

Monday Meals 6/20

2011-06-19T22:25:00.001-04:00

I've found it's much easier to stay on budget when I have a PLAN for the week of what's for dinner. It makes things much less stressful when I come home- and if I have a plan I'm much less likely to take the easy way out and drive through for fast food on the way home.

It's going to be a hectic week in the Ligay household! We are moving into our new home on Friday- and we have lots of appointments and things to do in between. On top of it all..... Super Doubles starts Wednesday at Harris Teeter! I hate to admit it, but this may be one of those times I don't make a 6:30AM Wednesday morning HT trip. That being said, the sales ad isn't out yet- so we'll see if my mind changes :)

Monday: Chicken & Yellow Squash Pasta Bake

Leftover chicken from rotisserie last week
Squash on sale

Tuesday: Homemade Pizza! (I made some this weekend- BBQ Chicken- it was WAY easier than I had thought!!)

Shredded Cheese from B1G1 sale at HT a few weeks ago
Pepperoni from HT Triples
Sauce from CVS sale- .70/ea!

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Grilled Turkey & Cheese Sandwiches

Turkey & Cheese from B2G3 HT sale

Friday-Sunday: Not even going to try to plan.... I forsee take out in our future.... That's what Groupons are for, right?!

Week of 6/12 Totals

2011-06-17T08:18:00.001-04:00

6/13 Harris Teeter- This is a great example of not using coupons and still getting great deals. After a few weekends away and not much shopping in between, there were a few things we needed to get through the week...

HT Coffee on sale for $3.39
HT Pre-Sliced Lunch meats & Cheeses B2G3

I got 3 meats & 2 cheeses- averaged at about 1.70/package

(2) Peaches (.88 lb) on sale for .70
Blueberries on sale for $2.50
(3) Yellow Onions (2.17 lb) on sale for $1.71
Sarah Lee Sliced Bread on sale for $1.99
HT Cream Cheese on sale for $1.37

Total before savings: $41.61 Total Spent: $21.65 Total Saved: $19.99 or 48%

6/15 CVS- This was the stop for the .99 12 pack of Pepsi! Love it!

12 pack Diet Pepsi .99

CVS Coupon Printing @ Coupon Center

(4) Orbit Gum B1G1 @ $1.37

-(2) $1/2 coupons = FREE

Trident Vitality Gum 1.29 (my total came out negative after using coupons, so I added this on)

-$3 ECB from last week

Total before savings $12.15 Total Spent $.41 Total Saved: $11.74 or 97%

6/15 Harris Teeter

(2) Kleenex Tissues B1G1 @ 2.49

-.50/2 from April All You Magazine

Playtex marked down to $1.80
(3) Blueberries B1G2 @ $4.95 (half of these are already in the freezer!)
Cucumber on sale for .69
Carrots 2lb 1.17

-.99 RR from SOBE Water at Walgreens (I was totally suprised when this doubled! More reason to use these kinds of coupons at Harris Teeter rather than back at Walgreens.)

Total before savings $24.09 Total Spent $8.50 Total Saved $15.59 or 65%

Total Spent for the week: $30.56 ($19.44 under budget)

HOT Deal at CVS- Pepsi 12 pk for .99!

2011-06-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

Today only- head into CVS and scan your ExtraCare card at one of the kiosks. A coupon for $.99 Pepsi or Diet Pepsi will print out! It's a limit one, for today only. I went this morning and there was still a huge pile in stock. Good luck!

Week of 6/5 Totals

2011-06-10T08:49:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick list of my shopping trips this week before we head off to CT for my brother in law's wedding!

6/6 Walgreens- I split this up into 2 transactions so that I could use the Register Rewards from the BIC deal on the second transaction. Remember, Walgreens won't allow you "roll" RR on the same items- meaning I could use the BIC RR on the Proglide Razor, but I wouldn't be able to use it to purchase another BIC item.

Transaction #1

$5 RR wyb (1) Proglide Gillette Razor $9.89

$4 off from PG 6/05

$2 RR wyb (1) BIC Comfort Razors 3ct $5.99

$3 off from SS 6/05

.99 RR wyb (1) SOBE Lifewater $.99

Total before savings: $21.88 Total Spent: $11.18 Total Saved: $10.70 or 49%

& Got Back $5, $2, $.99 in RR

Transaction #2

$5 RR wyb (1) Proglide Gillette Razor $9.89

$4 off from PG 6/05

.99 RR wyb (1) SOBE Lifewater $.99

-$2 RR from BIC deal in Transaction #1

Total before savings: $15.42 Total Spent: $5.72 Total Saved: $9.70 or 63%

& Got Back $5, $.99 in RR

6/7 Harris Teeter

(5) Old Orchard Juices Buy 2 Get 3 Free $2.99

(2) .50/1 printed (doubled)
(1) $1/2 printed

Rib Eye Steak $6.99/lb - not a good price, but wanted steak this week- so switched it out with one of the leftovers nights from my meal plan :)

=$7.97

(1) Cucumber .59
(1) Bunch Lettuce 1.69
(2) Yellow Squash 1.29
Kozy Shack Pudding B1G1 = 1.64

.75/1 coupon (doubled)

(4) HT Shredded Cheese B1G1 = 1.35/ea
(2) Activia Light Yogurt 2.89

$1/2

HT Gallon Milk

FREE Milk wyb (2) Yogurt Mulitpacks

HT Eggs 18 ct 1.57

$5 RR from Proglide (Walgreens transaction #1)
$5 RR from Proglide (Walgreens transaction #2)
$.99 RR from SOBE (Walgreens transaction #1)
$.99 RR from SOBE (Walgreens transaction #2)

Total before savings: $58.75 Total Spent: $12.08 Total Saved: $46.67 or 79%

I also plan on swinging by Walgreens later this morning for another Proglide Razor & SOBE Lifewater. Assuming they have both in stock, I'll spend another $7.72.

Total Spent for the week: $36.70 ($13.30 under budget!)

Living Social: 2 Movie Tickets for $9

2011-06-09T14:26:00.002-04:00

See deal HERE. This will be a great way to escape the heat!!

Monday Meals 6/6

2011-06-06T09:57:00.000-04:00

Sausage on sale from 2 weeks ago @ HT- $1.99
Pasta sauce .70/ea 2 weeks ago @ CVS

Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Sandwiches w/ Salad

Chicken bought last week at Lowe's 1.99/lb
Hamburger Buns .89 from HT Triples

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Homemade Pizza

HT Shredded Cheese B1G1 through 6/7
Pepperoni from HT Triples
need to find a recipe for the crust...... Recommendations??

Friday: Rehearsal Dinner for Tim & Erin!

Saturday: Wedding

Sunday: Probably something quick at the airport....

Week of 5/29 Totals: Thank Goodness for a Stockpile!

2011-06-02T20:53:00.001-04:00

We did eat out twice this week at the beach- Sunday & Monday- but luckily when we got home we didn't have to run to the store and spend more money. I did one shopping trip to Lowe's.

5/31 Lowe's Foods

(2) Chicken Breasts - had a raincheck from 2 weeks ago for $1.99/lb (typically my stock up price is a little lower than that, but we are out of chicken breasts and $1.99/lb is still an okay price)

price after raincheck: $3.88 & $4.60

(1) Ziploc Freezer Bags $2.59

-$2 off electronic Lowe's Foods coupon

(2) Golfish Crackers B1G1 @ $2.39 (1.20)

.75/2 coupon printed (limit reached) (doubled)

Green Bell Pepper .99

Used an $8 Walgreens Register Rewards from buying contact solution last week!

Total before coupons: $18.12 Total Spent: $3.20 Total Saved: $14.92 or 82%

Monday Meals 5/30

2011-05-31T14:23:00.001-04:00

I've found it's much easier to stay on budget when I have a PLAN for the week of what's for dinner. It makes things much less stressful when I come home- and if I have a plan I'm much less likely to take the easy way out and drive through for fast food on the way home.

So, day 3 of 3 at the beautiful beach is not the ideal place to meal plan for the upcoming week. It's a short week with another weekend vacation planned next weekend. We are having busy week after busy week- thanks to our stock up I shouldn't have to do much shopping in between! Here is our short meal plan, coming to you a day late...

Monday- we were traveling back- stopped at Beaches Burgers for dinner. YUM!

Tuesday- Shrimp & Broccoli Pasta

Shrimp & Broccoli from freezer
Philly Cooking Creme FREE from last Super Doubles
Pasta FREE from sale

Wednesday- Crock Pot Chicken w/ Baked Potatoes & Veggies

Whole Fryer Chicken from freezer- .59/lb sale
Potatoes on sale at HT this week
Whatever fresh veggies are on sale this week

Thursday- Leftover Chicken Sandwiches

Friday- I'm heading out of town again- DC to visit with the fam!

Week of 5/22 Totals: Taking a Break

2011-05-26T19:04:00.001-04:00

So, I've tallied up my totals, but that's about it! It's the Thursday before a 3 day weekend, and the last thing I feel like doing is posting pictures and going through my 6 receipts for the week. Regardless, I have entered my weekly shopping into my spreadsheet- so at least that is up to date.

Here are my totals:
Total Spent: $38.52 Total Saved: $95.18 or 71%

So, I'm under budget, BUT heading to the beach tomorrow afternoon. Chances are, by the time we leave the beach on Monday, my $50 challenge will be a fail for the week.

Ever feel like taking a break?

Monday Meals 5/23

2011-05-23T08:23:00.000-04:00

Gorton's Fish from Meal Deal @ HT 2 weeks ago
Leftover taco shells from last week
Tomatoes from Farmer's Market last week, lettuce marked down at HT

Tuesday: NC BBQ w/ Salad

Boston Butt Pork Roast 1.29/lb @ HT through Tuesday (this thing is HUGE- I'll probably cut it in half and freeze the half I don't cook)
Tomatoes from Farmer's Market last week, lettuce marked down at HT

Wednesday: Baked Chicken Thighs w/ potatoes and frozen veggies (didn't get to this last week)

Chicken Thighs were marked down at Lowe's about a month ago
Potato wedges from freezer
Veggies from .33 sale @ HT

Thursday: Leftover BBQ

Friday: Heading to the beach!!

Week of 5/15 Totals

2011-05-20T20:13:00.001-04:00

Unlike last week, this week I did a lot of shopping! I was very close to going over my $50 budget, but I think I picked up a lot of good deals. Here's how it went...

5/14 Harris Teeter

Uncle Ben's Rice 2.25

FREE coupon from Home Mailer

Tilapia 6.99/lb = 3.01

Total before savings: $5.80 Total Spent: $3.12 Total Saved: $2.68 or 46%

5/15 CVS

$10 ECB wyb (2) Neutrogena Sun Care

Neutrogena Sun Tan Lotion @ 10.99

-$2 off coupon printed

Neutrogena Sun Tan Lotion @ 11.29

-$2 off coupon printed

-$3 off $15 CVS coupon
-$10 ECB from 2 weeks ago
-$3 ECB from last week

Total before savings: $22.92 Total Spent: $1.92 Total Saved: $21.00 or 92% & got back $10 ECB

5/15 Walgreens

$5 RR wyb Gillette Fusion Razor

Gillette Fusion Razor $9.89

-$4 off coupon PG 5/01

Total before savings: $11.76 Total Spent: $6.66 Total Saved: $5.10 or 43% & got back $5 RR

5/15 Harris Teeter- Basically went in for chipotle peppers for the fish tacos sauce, and couldn't pass up the good deal on strawberries..... :)

Chipotle Peppers $2.69
Strawberries on sale $1.67
HT Coffee Filters $1.69
HT Milk on sale for $2.77

-$5 RR from Walgreens

Total before savings: $12.33 Total Spent: $3.99 Total Saved: $8.34 or 68%

5/18 Harris Teeter Triples

Odwala Banana Nut Bar $1.00

-.35/1 April All You Magazine

(2) Mahatama Rice $1.59/ea

- (2) .50/1

Smart Balance Cooking Spray $3.19

-.75/1

Smart Balance Cooking Oil $2.99

-.75/1

French's Honey Mustard $1.99

.75/1

Paprika $1.99

.75/1

Uncle Ben's Ready Rice $2.25

.75/1

(2) Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Rice on sale $1.19

(2) .75/1

Wisk Detergent e-vic sale $3.47

-$2/1 coupon
$1 deposited into SavingStar account

Biltmore Salad Dressing $1.99

.75/1

(2) Ball Park Hot Dog Buns 1.99

(2) .75/1

(4) Athenos Greek Yogurt $1.00

(2) .75/2

(2) Silk Almond Milks @ $2.50

(2) .75/1

(2) Ball Park Franks @ $4.00

(2) .75/1
$1 deposited into SavingStar account

Halls Cough Drops $1.99

.75/1

Total before savings: $64.59 Total Spent: $8.10 Total Saved: $56.49 or 87%

5/20 Harris Teeter Triples- This was a Friday after work shopping trip- no photo, sorry!

Odwala Banana Nut Bar $1

-.35/1

(2) Nestle Chocolate Chips $3.19/ea

.55/2
.75/2 e-vic coupon
.75 deposited into SavingStar account

(2) Kikkoman Soy Sauce $1.45

(2) .55/1 printable

(2) Wasa Crackers $2.00/ea

(2) .75/1 printable from Facebook
$1/1 e-vic coupon

Celestial Green Tea $1.99

-$1/1 coupon

HT White Vinegar .47
Boston Pork Butt $1.29/lb = $7.87
Creme de Brie Specialty Cheese 6.99

-75/1
15% off specialty cheese e-vic

(2) Jimmy Dean's Breakfast Bowl $2.89

(2) .75/1

(2) Pillsbury Crescent $1.67

.40/2
.50/2 evic

Total before savings: $52.37 Total Spent: $21.28 Total Saved: $31.09 or 59%

5/20- I also spent $1.50 at the Farmer's Market for some tomatoes

Total Spent for the week: $47.07 (2.93 under budget)

Monday Meals 5/16

2011-05-16T07:16:00.001-04:00

Ground Beef from 1.99/lb sale a few months ago
Potatoes from sale
Cucumber .79/ea @ HT until 5/17

Tuesday: Picking up Subway- using the last of a giftcard

Wednesday: Breaded Dijon Pork Chops w/ Rice & Veggies

Pork Chops marked down at Lowe's about a month ago
Rice free from HT
Frozen veggies .33 from HT sale

Thursday: Art Class :) Andy's on his own!

There's a possiblility we'll go to the beach this weekend, if not, here's the plan...

Friday: Baked Chicken Thighs w/ whatever veggies I can pick up at the Farmer's Market!

Chicken Thighs were marked down at Lowe's about a month ago

Saturday: Memphis Style BBQ Ribs w/ Salad

Ribs from HT sale 2 weeks ago

Sunday: Whatever seafood is on sale for the week...

Week of 5/8 Totals

2011-05-13T18:52:00.002-04:00

Didn't do a lot of shopping this week- but am proud to report I had my best savings percentage of all time this week! It's not even Triples yet! While I'm on Triples, there is already a start to the good deals list at SouthernSavers. Looks like I'll be spending my Friday night printing .75/1 coupons! Here's how I did this week...

5/9 Walgreens- Remember Register Rewards can be used at Harris Teeter (possibly any grocery store?). I rarely use my RR at Walgreens- they have a very strange coupon policy and it always gets confusing for me. You can't use more coupons than items (so you'd have to use a RR on something you didn't already have a coupon for), and you can't "roll" RR- meaning I can't use my Gillette razor RR to buy another Gillette razor. Harris Teeter just scans them, no questions.... MUCH easier.

$3 RR wyb (2) Cottenelle 12 pk $5.00

-(2) .50/1 Cottonelle
$1/1 Cottenelle Walgreens coupon (took $2 off)

Discount Easter Candy .12 (bought this because I used 3 coupons on 2 items for the Cottonelle deal)
$5 RR wyb Gillette Fusion Razor $9.89

-$4 coupon from P&G home mailer

Total before savings: $25.13 Total Spent: $14.56 Total Saved: $10.57 or 42% & Got Back $3 & $5 RR

5/9 Harris Teeter- went to take advantage of the 1.99/lb strawberries- of course, this week they are even lower at $1.67/lb... my freezer can't handle anymore!

(2) Strawberries $1.99/ea

(2) .50/1 Driscolli's Berries coupon

Cucumber .79
(2) Yellow Corn .60/ea

-$3 RR from Walgreens Cottonelle deal 5/9

Total before savings: $10.27 Total Spent: $1.08 Total Saved: 9.19 or 89%

5/11 Harris Teeter- Here it is.... I did the 'Buy 10 items get $4 off instantly' deal. I used a lot of the e-vic online coupons- regardless of the value, those do not double, and can only be used once. It DOES provide overage if you're also using a manufacture coupon. All other coupons under .99 doubled.

(2) Chex Mix $2.00/ea

$1/2 SS from SS 5/01
.50/2 e-vic online coupon

=1.25/ea

Honey Nut Cheerios $2.50

.55/1 printable
.55/1 e-vic online coupon

=.85

Multigrain Cheerios $2.50

.75/1 printable
.75/1 e-vic online coupon

=.25

(2) Totino's Pizza Rolls $1

.40/2 from SS 4/17
.40/2 e-vic online coupon

=.40/ea

(4) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls $1/ea

(2) .40/2 printable
.40/2 e-vic online coupon

=.40/ea

Bought 10 participating items, register took off $4

Cinnamon Burst Cheerios $2.00

.75/1 printable
.75/1 e-vic online coupon

=.25 overage

Glade Aerosol $3.35

FREE w/ free coupon from Home Mailer

Yoplait Yogurt .69

FREE w/ free coupon from Home Mailer

(2) Colgate Toothbrushes $1.44

(2) .75/1 from SS 5.01

=Free

Ball Park Hamburger Buns 1.99

.55/1 from RP 5/01

=.89

(2) Bailey's Coffee Creamer $1.67/ea

(2) $1/1 printable

=.67

-$5 RR from Walgreens Gillette deal 5/9

Total before savings: $48.22 Total Spent: .12 Total Saved: $48.10 or 99%!!!

5/12 Harris Teeter- as much as I would have LOVED to have that be my last trip for the week, Andy ran out of shaving cream. Ah, well.

(2) Shaving Cream on sale for 1.17/ea

Total before savings: $3.16 Total Spent: $2.52 Total Saved: .64 or 20%

Total spent for the week: $18.28 ($31.72 under budget!)

Rumor has it....

2011-05-11T10:14:00.001-04:00

Harris Teeter will have TRIPLES starting Wednesday, May 18th.

Coupons with values up to .99 will triple(.75/1 coupons will be 2.25/1, but 1.00/1 coupons will still be 1.00/1). It's the same rules as Super Doubles as you can only triple 20 coupons per day. I've been couponing for about a year and have never been through a Triples event! From what I understand HT stopped doing this event as often because they were losing a lot of money. To me, it seems like Super Doubles would have better deals, but I'm excited to try something new!

It's time to go through the online printable coupons for .75 off coupons!
Thanks for the head's up, SouthernSavers!

Monday Meals 5/9

2011-05-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

Turkey 1.99 from Super Doubles
Soup free from months ago
Bananas, Strawberries, Yogurt from sales last week

Tuesday: Leftover Fiesta Chicken from last week w/ Rice

Rice .25 from a few months ago

Wednesday: Shrimp & Broccoli Pasta (didn't end up making this last week)

Frozen shrimp from sale 2 weeks ago
Frozen Broccoli .33 from SD
Philly Cooking Creme free from SD

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: I'll be in Charlotte visiting my grandparents!

Saturday: Shrimp & Veggies Salad

Frozen shrimp form sale 2 weeks ago
Whatever veggies are on sale this week

Sunday: Fish Tacos

all items cost ~$4 total.. from Super Doubles Meal Deal last week!

Week of 5/1 Totals

2011-05-06T07:48:00.001-04:00

I did a ton of shopping this week! I don't think I'll be doing much stocking up for the next month or so, because we're under contract for a house!! We are so excited that we found something we both really like. The headache of house hunting is over! Hopefully. We close end of June.

5/1 CVS- I recently found out that you don't have to buy all products in one transaction for CVS deals. With the $3 ECB wyb $10 of various household items, I bought the Cascade one day (they were out of Mr. Clean items) then I checked the next day at another store and bought the Mr. Clean items. The ECB then printed!

$2.77 ECB wyb Colgate MaxClean 6 oz. @ $2.77

$1 off coupon from All You Magazine

$1 ECB wyb Charmin Basic 12 ct @ $4.99

$1 off coupon from P&G Home Mailer

$3 ECB wyb $10 in various household items

Cascade $4

$1 coupon from P&G Home Mailer
Also used -$8.99 ECB from past week

Lost this receipt so I don't have all the numbers. The $8.99 ECB from previous week covered everything except tax. Paid around $1.50 for tax & got back $2.77 & $1 ECB.

5/1 Walgreen's

$5 RR wyb Gillette Fusion Proglide Razor 9.89

$4 coupon from 5/1 PG

Total before coupons: $11.76 Total Spent: $6.66 Total Saved: $5.10 or 43% & got back $5 RR

5/2 CVS (this is the remainder of the items I would have liked to have purchased on 5/1 trip)

(2) Mr. Clean Magic Erasers 3.00

$1.50/2 coupon
-$2.77 ECB from 5/1
-$1 ECB from 5/1

Total before coupons: $7.45 Total Spent: $1.20 Total Saved: $6.25 or 84% & got back $3 ECB

5/2 Harris Teeter- This is the problem when I do too many shopping trips- I don't have time to price everything out on here! So, enjoy the pictures & the totals :)

I was pretty excited about this trip. I picked up the items for the Meal Deal (Sour Cream and all Ortega products were free) and some other good deals for the last day of Super Doubles.

Total before coupons: $57.19 Total Spent: $9.42 Total Saved: $47.77 or 84%

5/4 Lowe's Foods- LOVE finding bananas marked down! Each of these were around .70! I ran out of frozen bananas for smoothies a few weeks ago. I'll probably freeze over half of these to use for smoothies (or maybe banana bread?)

Total before coupons: $14.32 Total Spent: $8.43 Total Saved: $5.89 or 41%

Andy also did a trip to HT for some things he needed (we ran out of shaving cream!) and he spent about $10.

Total spent for the week: $37.21 Total Saved: $85.01 or 70%

1/2 off Starbucks Frappuccino!

2011-05-04T08:17:00.000-04:00

Head to Starbucks May 6-15 for their Happy Hour! From 3-5pm you'll get half off their Frappuccino's. Yum!

See details HERE

Monday Meals 5/2

2011-05-01T20:18:00.001-04:00

Ready Pizza Dough from sale at HT a few weeks ago. ~ 1.50
Cheese B1G1 w/ coupon last week ~.80
Pepperoni leftover from last time we made pizza

Wednesday: Fiesta Chicken
http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-creamy-mexican-chicken-aka-fiesta-chicken-299527

Chicken Breast from sale 1.89/lb
Should have most other ingredients in freezer.....
Need to pick up tortillas!

Thursday: Leftover Chicken from Wednesday

Friday: Andy's Birthday Dinner! Something seafood.......

Saturday: Cookout at a friend's..

Sunday: Shrimp & Broccoli Pasta

Frozen shrimp from sale a few weeks back...
Broccoli $.30 from Super Doubles
Pasta free (or close to free) from about a month ago
Philly Cooking Cream Free from previous Super Doubles

4/29 Totals

2011-04-29T17:20:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! I hope you like the new background of the blog- I'm definitely liking the color a lot better. A big shout out to my dad for creating a button for me (look to the right...)! Now I feel like an official blogger :)
I can't believe I only did one trip for Super Doubles at Harris Teeter thus far. We're heading to the beach tonight- so I figured I'd save the rest of my trips for early next week. I may only want to do 2 more trips. I love that we are very well stocked that I really didn't need to do much shopping!

4/26 Harris Teeter - I picked up the $1.99/lb strawberries, and Kraft Shredded Cheese that was on sale.

(1) Strawberries 1.99
(3) Kraft Shredded Cheese 1.67

$1/1 coupon = .67!

Total before coupons: $16.20 Total Spent: $4.13 Total Saved: $11.07 or 68%

4/27 Harris Teeter- This was the first day of Super Doubles. I went at 7AM to make sure nothing was out of stock. I love going that early and seeing other couponers there!

Dial Soap 3ct 1.24

.35/1 = .54

(2) Ziplock Bags 2.45

1.25/2 = 1.20 ea

Yakisoba Noodles .66

.50/1 = Free

Biltmore Dressing B1G1 $3.99 (1.99)

$1/1 = Free

(2) Deer Park Water 6 pk $1

(2) $1/1 = Free

Seventh Generation Papertowel 1 ct 1.50

$1/1 = Free

Reach Dental Floss 1.65

$1/1 = Free

Skintimate Shave Gel 1.99

.55/1 = .89

(2) Rhodes Rolls 12 ct 2.39

(2) $1/1 = .39/ea

(6) Birdseye Steamfresh Frozen Veggies (certain varieties) $1

(2) $1/3 = .30/ea

Country Crock Margarine 15 oz $2

$1/1 = Free

Philly Cooking Creme 2.50

$1.50/1 (I wasn't paying attention- this coupon started with a 9 so it didn't double) = $1

(2) Smart Balance Milk 2.50

-$1.50/1 = Free
$2/1 = .50

Total before coupons: $62.72 Total Spent: $11.94 Total Saved: $50.78 or 81%

I also went to a Farmer's Market today and spent $4.10 on strawberries & tomatoes.

Total Spent for the week: $21.17 Total Saved: $61.85 or 75% ($28.83 under budget!)

Harris Teeter Super Doubles Shopping List 4/27-5/3

2011-04-27T18:58:00.001-04:00

Yay for Super Doubles!! This week at Harris Teeter, all coupons up to $1.98 double. I'm lucky to live close to a pretty coupon-friendly Harris Teeter. I've read some comments on other blogs that some Harris Teeters are really 'cracking down' on coupon policies. I wouldn't be suprised if it's because of all of the hype of the new show on TLC. That's for another post.... Anyways, It should be a good week! Here's what I plan to buy. It seems like my list gets longer as we find out more unadvertised deals, but this seems reasonable for now. Remember SS & RP stand for Smart Source and Red Plum. These are coupons that come from the Sunday newspaper.

Freebies:

Murchan Yakisoba .66

.50/1 SS 3/13

Philly Cooking Creme 2.99

1.50/1 SS 3.06

Reach Floss 1.65

$1/1 PRINTABLE

Deer Park Water 6 pk, .5 liter $1

$1/1 RP 3/27

Seventh Generation Paper Towels 1 ct.

$1/1 PRINTABLE

Other good deals:

Rhodes Warm & Serve Rolls 2.39

$1/1 RP 3/20

Zest Bar Soap 2.79

$1/1 P&G Home Mailer

Hillshire Farm Ultra Thin Lunchmeat 3.50

$1/1 PRINTABLE

Select Bird's Eye Steamfresh 16 oz. $1

$1/3 RP 3/06 = .30 ea!

Skintimate Shave Gel 1.99

.55/1 SS 3/27

Don't forget to check out SouthernSavers HERE to see all of the deals. She has 3 lists of great deals. How big were your savings this week??

Monday Meals 4/25

2011-04-25T07:57:00.001-04:00

I've found it's much easier to stay on budget when I have a PLAN for the week of what's for dinner. It makes things much less stressful when I come home- and if I have a plan I'm much less likely to take the easy way out and drive through for fast food on the way home.

I'll be honest, it's tough making a plan after being gone all weekend. We sat in stop and go traffic on I95 last night for about 1.5 hours. Not the best way to end Easter.. Regardless, we enjoyed our time in South Carolina. But, I'm not 100% sure what's in the freezer, so things may get switched around this week.

Monday: Andy's got a final exam tonight- so we'll both be on our own. Maybe a Lean Cuisine and a salad.

Tuesday: We'll be visiting with Andy's parents.

Wednesday: Slow Cooker NC BBQ w/ Sweet Potato Fries
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/slow-cooker-carolina-bbq/Detail.aspx

Thursday: Whatever fish is on sale, rice from the freezer & frozen veggies

Friday: Leftovers & we're headed to the beach!

Everyone ready for Harris Teeter Super Doubles this week?? I feel totally unorganzied, but will be getting a few lists together tonight. From what I can see on other blogs, it looks like it should be a pretty good week!

Week of 4/17 Totals

2011-04-22T07:47:00.001-04:00

I don't have enough time to type out all of my purchases- and I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked!

4/18 CVS- I got a raincheck from last week's deal (Buy $20 Lysol/Airwick products, get $10 ECB) My hope was to use all ECB from past purchases to pay for my total, but it came out to be $8.59 and I had a $8.99 ECB. In hindsight, I should have just grabbed something small to get my total up, and used the ECB. But, I got a little frazzled (it was lower than I had expected!) and just used my CVS gift card. So, looks like the giftcard may not last as long as I had planned... After 3 weeks there is only .95 left. On the other hand I do now have about $20 ECB. Here's what I got....

Total before coupons: $49.05 Total Spent: $8.59 (giftcard- but will include in my totals) Total Saved: $40.56 or 82% & got back $10 ECB

4/17 Harris Teeter- wanted to use my $4/20 CVS coupon (that HT will take) so picked up some things that we needed.
Total before coupons: $31.12 Total Spent: $16.23 Total Saved: $14.89 or 48%

4/20 Harris Teeter- some last minute items to make cookies to bring to South Carolina this weekend!
Total before coupons: $9.37 Total Spent: $7.28 Total Saved: $2.09 or 22%

Not a great week this week as far as grocery store percentages. Rumor has it next week if Super Doubles at Harris Teeter so hopefully I'll have better news to report next Friday :) This week there are no coupon inserts in the Sunday paper due to the holiday- so it's time to catch up and get organized!

Total Spent for the week: $32.10 (this is including my gift card transaction) Total Saved: $57.44 or 64%

Monday Meals 4/18

2011-04-17T20:49:00.001-04:00

Pillsbury Pizza Crust $1.60 at HT w/ coupon
Cheese .89 from sale last week
Bought pepperoni full price (eek!)

Tuesday: Leftover Shrimp Carbonara (made this Sunday night instead of picking up pizza)

Wednesday: Tofu Stir Fry

Tofu from HT Super Doubles
Mixture of leftover veggies
Mahatma rice on sale $2.00 at HT w/ $1.00/1 coupon (I'm getting a rice cooker this week!)

Thursday: Leftovers or Pizza

Friday-Sunday- Out of town- very excited to spend some time with my family!

Subway: B1G1 Footlong Sub Tomorrow!

2011-04-15T12:34:00.000-04:00

April 16th is Customer Appreciation Day at Subway! From 7AM- 10PM if you buy one Footlong sub, you'll get a second for free!

Week of 4/10 Totals

2011-04-15T11:35:00.002-04:00

I was able to do a lot of shopping this week! Remember, Lowe's Foods & Harris Teeter always double coupons up to .99 value. I had Friday morning to hit all the stores I needed- it's so helpful to have a few hours to get everywhere. We also followed our meal plan this week! All in all, it was a good week. Hopefully next week I'll be reporting that we are home owners.... fingers crossed....

4/10 Harris Teeter deals through 4/12 - I was obviously in a rush to take this picture- it's terrible!

(2) McCormick Vanilla Extract .50/ea

- (1) $1/1 coupon
& got back $1.50 catalina

HT Chicken Thighs on sale $1.27/lb

3.38 lb = $4.86

(2) Pork Baby Back Ribs on sale $2.97/lb

2.74 lb= $8.14
2.95 lb= $8.76

(2) Land o Lakes Buttery Spread 1.35/ea

-$1/2 coupon

(2) Tropicana Orange Juice 3.00/ea

$1/2 coupon

(6) Yoplait Yogurt .75/ea

-.40/6 coupon

HT eggs 1.79
HT bacon 2.50

Total before coupons: $74.77 Spent: $31.09 Total Saved: $43.68 or 58%

4/15 Lowe's Foods deals through 4/19

(6) Dannon Yogurt .75/ea

.40/6 coupon

Crown Broccolli 1.49/lb
Cottonelle Toilet Paper 6 double rolls 3.99

-.50/1 printable coupon (doubled)

Total before coupons: $11.31 Spent: $6.16 Total Saved: $5.15 or 46%

4/15 CVS deals through 4/16- I went to CVS to use my $4/20 coupon and hoping to find the $10 ECB wyb $20 worth of Lysol, Airwick products. All of the products were out. I had $5 ECB that were expiring today so I put together this scenario to use them up:

(2) Kellogg's Cereals 1.66/ea

-$1/2 coupon

(1) Filippo Berio Olive Oil 3.99

-$1/1 coupon
-$5 ($1, $2, $2) ECB from a few weeks ago

Total before coupons: $18.12 Spent: $.46 Total Saved: $17.66 or 97%

I got at $10 CVS gift card from some credit card rewards- I'm excited to see how long I can make it last!

4/15 Harris Teeter deals through 4/19

(2) Dole Pineapple on sale 1.25/ea

.50/2

(1) Domino Brown Sugar & (1) Domino Confectioner's Sugar on sale .99/ea

.75/2

(2) McCormick's Dry Rib Rub B1G1 @ $3.99 (1.99)

(2) .75/1

Texas Pete Hot Sauce B1G1 @ 1.15 (.57)
Skintimate Shave Gel 1.99

.55/1 coupon

Red Seedless Grapes $1.00/lb

=1.49

Yellow Squash $1.79/lb

=.84

(2) Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust on sale 2.00/ea

.40/2

HT Orange Juice on sale $1.89

-$1.50 McCormick Spice Catalina from last week

Total before coupons: $33.08 Spent: $10.74 Total Saved: $22.34 or 68%

We did a random stop at Trader Joe's after our free cheese (& not free entree...) fondue date on Thursday for some breakfast items- it was too convenient to pass up. We spent $6.06.

I went to the Downtown Cary Farmer's Market on Tuesday- got 2 sweet potatoes and one large cucumber. Spent about $3.

Total Out of Pocket for the week: $57.05 Total Saved: $88.83 or 61%

This is the first week since I've started that I've been over budget! Looking over what I got this week, seems like paying $57 is a pretty good deal -and at least our cupboards are stocked :)