Meal Planning

I am curious how my fellow couponers plan their meals? Do you plan ahead based on the sales for the week or do you try to plan according to what you have in your pantry?

Looking forward to hearing what works best for your family!

All Detergent .50, what a deal! ----UPDATE

I apologize for getting this to you so late but Blogger seems to be having some problems lately and it wouldn't let me post very fast yesterday. I did finally confirm that my store at 15 Mile and Haggerty will price match Big Lots actual paper ad. I was able to buy the white 3x All Small and Mighty (32oz). Vanessa was my clerk at the service desk.

Let me know if you are able to snag this deal! And again, sorry I could not confirm it sooner, it took me a few days to get down to the location where I could get a paper ad. Target will ONLY match if you have the ad which states the week the sale is on and the price. They will not match a % off an item. But they didn't have a problem with it listing 2/5.00. I have heard that they will not allow you to use coupons when they price match but my store has allowed me to use coupons both times I have price matched. Of course, your experience could differ but hopefully you can enjoy the same!

Weekly totals

Overall, I had a great week. Got lots of stuff for free! Including Nivea Body Wash at Target, Bayer Aspirin at Rite Aid, and some serious moneymakers! I've added to my stockpile items that I will be able to donate to my local food pantry which I've really felt called to do lately. I am realizing how fortunate my family is and want to share products with others that will probably feel like a luxury! Remember, I'm always looking for great pictures of items you've been able to donate so please send those to me so I can post!

My totals f0r 2010 are:

Spent $155.99

Saved $ 1076.70

For a savings of 87%!

Great deals at Rite Aid

I had a great time shopping at Rite Aid (kid-free!) last night! My initial plan was to buy Oil of Olay products and submit for the rebate but they didn't carry the cleanser I was looking for. So, I loaded up my cart with other items that were either incredibly cheap or ones that I would receive a rebate on! Before heading out to Rite Aid, make sure you print off their 5 off 25 coupon that you can find on Hip2Save. Here is a breakdown that I used and got on Hip2Save:

Crest Toothpaste 4.1 oz.; Crest ProHealth, Whitening Expressions or Plus Scope Paste, 6.0 oz.; Crest Neat Squeeze or Outlast Paste, 5.8-6.0 oz. or 7.4-8.0 oz. $2.99

Get a $1.25 Single Check Rebate #78
Use the $1.00/1 coupon from the 12/27 PG or 1/17 PG
Final Cost $0.75!

Maybelline Eye Cosmetics Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off
Get a $2 Single Check Rebate #67 (valid when you purchase 1 Maybelline mascara)
Deal Scenario:
Buy 2 Maybelline Great Lash Mascaras for $5.19 each
Use 2 $1/1 coupons from the 1/10 RP
Use 2 $1/1 Rite Aid video value coupons found here
Get a $2 Single Check Rebate #67 (valid when you purchase 1 Maybelline mascara)
Final Cost $0.90 each!

Hall’s Cough Drops/Luden’s Throat Drops/Ricola Original Drops $0.99
Deal Scenario:
Buy 2 Ricola Cough Drops
Use the $1.00/2 coupon from the 1/10 SS
Final Cost $0.49!

Bayer Aspirin Coated Tablets 24 count, Children’s Chewable 32 count, Low Dose 32 count $1.99
Use the $1/1 coupon from the 10/25 RP or 1/3 SS
Use the $2/1 Rite Aid Video values coupon found here
Final Cost FREE + a $1 moneymaker! ( I was able to buy 10 because I had a lot of coupons!)

Cadbury Creme Eggs 2/$1
Use the $0.50/2 Rite Aid Video Value coupon found here
Final Cost $0.25 each!

Always Pads Always Clean 28 ct., Always Infinity 28-36 ct., Always Jumbo 38-48 ct.) or Tampax Pearl Tampons 36-40 count $6.99
Get a $2 Single Check Rebate #2
Deal Scenario:
Buy 1 Always Infinity 28-36 ct
Buy 1 Always Infinity 14-18 ct
Use the Buy 1 Always large count and Get 1 Always 14-18 count free coupon from the 12/27 PG
Final Cost $4.99 for 2 boxes of Always!

Vick’s DayQuil or NyQuil, 6 oz. or 12 ct. $3.99
Get a $1 Single Check Rebate #40
Use the $2/1 coupon from the 1/17 PG (there is also a $1.50/1 coupon from the 12/27 PG)
Final Cost $0.99!

John Frieda Root Awakening, Frizz Ease, Brilliant Brunette, Sheer Blonde or Luxurious Volume Hair Care Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off
Deal Scenario:
Buy 2 John Frieda Luxurious Volume Lavish Life Root Booster 6.77 oz for $6.99
Use 2 $1/1 Rite Aid Video values coupons found here
Use 2 $2.50/1 coupons found here
Final Cost $1.75 each!

Spent $5.37

Saved $80.05

93% Savings!

This scenario is a moneymaker since I will get back $6.25 in a Single Check Rebate!

I encourage you to donate!

I filled 5 bags of grocery and health/beauty items for my local Food Pantry this morning. When I totaled up how much I was giving, I was amazed. There is over $130.00 worth of products on this table. I can honestly say that I paid probably no more than 3.00 (including tax) for all of this. Last week I loaded up almost $100.00 of items that I got at tremendous savings as well.

I encourage all of you to donate as much as you can. We just never know when we might be in a situation where we are reliant on a food pantry to feed our families.

I have saved a tremendous amount of money this month but I have purchased many things that I wouldn't have if they weren't free. Knowing I could donate them to someone who would benefit is well worth the time I spend shopping for the items and standing in the checkout lines!

If you have a picture of items you've been able to donate, I would love to see it!

All Detergent .50, what a deal!

UPDATE: Some people are reporting that their local Walmart and Target will not price match this deal. I will try Target first and see what result I get but it looks like this deal is going to vary.

One of my favorite websites www.hip2save.com, has a great deal listed on All Detergent. I've borrowed the text from Collin's website...

If you have a Big Lots nearby, then you’ll be excited to know that you can get killer deal by price matching their ad! Thru 1/23, they have All 2X, 50 oz. and All 3X, 32 oz. laundry detergent advertised 2/$5! Head on over to Walmart or Target with your local Big Lots ad and do a price match. They should be able to honor the 2/$5 advertised price. …AND to sweeten this deal even further, use two $2/1 coupons from the 1/3RP! Your final cost will be just $0.50 per detergent! What an awesome deal!

Did your area not get any $2/1 All coupons?
If that’s the case, you may want to head on over to eBay! It looks like you can score a lot of 10 to 20 $2 coupons for around $1 to $3 shipped.

Here is the direct link for the post

I seriously do not need laundry detergent but this deal seems excellent! .50 for 32 loads of laundry detergent? I'll take it!

Rolling your store dollars

One of my friends pointed out in the very beginning of my couponing, how she tries to "roll" her store dollars. For instance, if I get an Extra Care Buck from CVS from a product I bought that offered this reward, my best bet is to buy another product using that Extra Care Buck that will produce another Extra Care Buck.

I have already received this month over $40.00 in rebates (most were submitted in December). It's fun to cash that money and I put it in an envelope and watch it grow!

I received a $20.00 certificate from Rite Aid. I like my Rite Aid (after having to banish the one I used to frequent b/c a store employee told me that she didn't LIKE me because I used coupons!) I found another store in my area that I've become very loyal to and even if the 1st store has a product that my current store doesn't, I'd rather wait until it comes in and give the business to the store that has offered me the best customer service.

I've been seeing deal scenarios on Oil of Olay products and so I'm going to take that $20.00 certificate and roll it into a product that will again, generate a rebate check. There is a deal this week at Rite Aid. Check out this link at HIP2SAVE for more details.