Christmas Clearance at Meijer

I went to 2 Meijer stores this week to check out their Christmas clearance items. Found some deals on Betty Croker cake mix that matched with the coupon buy a cake mix and frosting get .75 off. Didn't get the frosting on sale but the 2 items were about $1.82.

The nestle chips were a good deal with the $1/3 coupon.

Not in my video..I found the Betty Crocker cookie mix (pumpkin cookies) for around .90 and the .40 coupon doubled to make it .10 each.

There were some other coupon match ups that I didn't get because I just didn't need/want the items. I have way too much food in my house right now. It seems the more I get the less I cook. Odd paradox. This month I really made an effort to only buy really good deal food items. I am going to continue this until I eat up some of this stuff. Funny enough I discovered I have very few canned corn, greenbeans, and peas but have lots of canned tomatoes and black beans.

CVS shampoo clearance week of 12/25/11

CVS is having a big 75% off clearance on various shampoos and conditioners. With the coupons that will expire on 12/31/11 you can get many for less than 50 cents. Various ones I got were Panteen, Herbal Essence and Dove. Haven't found the Head and Shoulders that many people are reporting being on sale also.

They also have lots of cosmetics on 50 or 75% off.

These are some deals I got last night.

my YouTube channel

I started a youtube channel because it is easy for me to upload videos from my phone.

It is at http://www.youtube.com/user/michellesfrugallivin

Cheap or Free Shopping Week of 12/4/11

Ok, I went shopping way too many times last week but I did get alot of good stuff cheap or free and you can't argue with that. These are just my best deals. I did buy other items.

Rite Aid - The Revlon tools again were free and I was even buying the more expensive ones. I got 8 of those. Also got a bottle of Scope and Sucrets for free. M&Ms 4 bags for $4 but I probably paid nothing out of pocket because I roll my +UP rewards. Normally I wouldn't buy ready to mix cooking dough but it was part of a larger deal where I had to buy $50 get $10 back and it was part of a individual deal buy $12 get back $3 so I really didn't pay anything but tax. The Alive was in that deal also.

At CVS on first trip, I got 4 bottles of nail polish free (2 were revlon). Second trip, I got 2 Sally Hanson nail polish for .25 each and 6 Rimmel nail polish for .09 each. Would have gotten more if I had the coupons.

Meijer - I got the Snapware plastic containers in the back for 1.99 each (clearance and coupons). There are 4 containers each. Carefree was free. Ready to serve Minute Rice was free because I signed up to be a taste tester and got a get one free coupon with the free sample they sent me. The Mt Olive Pickles were on sale and got them for .66 each. Tuna helper was really cheap with manufacture coupon and mealbox coupon and on sale. UP2U gum, No Yolk noodles and Nestle water were free. Ortega salsa mix packets and the Chicken of the Sea pink salmon packs were really cheap as well as the little can of Rotel tomato sauce. The Reynolds cup cake cups were on sale and with q were about .75 each.

Kroger - free pomagranites, Toblerone chocolate, Reach floss. Kroger sent me some coupons which included some free items: pasta sauce and Sauve body wash. The body wash spongy things were .60 each. The Sunsweet dried apricots were about .66 each. They were on closeout and $1 coupon.

Target - The Benydryl topical pain reliever is .29...needed to use up my coupons before end of year. The Welch's juice was on clearence with $1 q were $1.09 each.

no tv...yet

So I did more black friday looking than shopping. I decided to skip the whole wait in line at midnight thing just so I could try to get a cheap tv. I ended Thanksgiving with a migrane and went to bed early. I did go out shopping on Friday. It was like a regular Saturday.

The big news is I only bought myself stuff...mostly a lot of cash on new tires for the truck. Maybe I can't afford a tv.

I am not giving up on finding a tv. My biggest problem now is I have a better understanding aboub these new fangled tvs and my idea of a "good" tv has changed. They do say they will get cheaper just before Christmas. I will keep watching the ads.

coupon addiction

So I haven't posted in a long time. Major reason I have gotten lazy and I don't think with winter coming on I will get any more excited about doing anything.

I also have been doing way more shopping then ever before. This couponing has gotten crazy. Seriously, I do not need another can of tomatoes in my house. It has become a game and it is addicting. Is there a CCA (compulsive couponers anonymous) out there? I have been cutting back but when they are just giving the stuff away it is hard to say no.

This past Sunday marked the first sunday since June that I didn't go shopping with coupons at the ready. I wish I could claim it all as will power but a death last week led me to do other things. Is this addiction? I think it is...but of course I would have to want to stop before it is worth thinking about. I did get back in the game on Monday.

And for my efforts this week I got 2 free stayfree, 4 moneymaking toothpastes, and four deoderants for 50 cents. I wanted to get some keri lotion that would have paid me $1.01 to take it but alas all those other people who need a few days with CCA beat me to the lotion.

I can't stop until I get my fill of cheap or free lotion. I tell you what...there are just no deals on the stuff. I did get some vasiline at Target a few weeks ago but that is it. And sun screen is the same way. I think lotion and body wash are really keeping me in the game cause I don't need anything else. OK, really, I don't need either of those.

Of course with winter coming on, that brings in a whole lot of other items one might need. Say cough drops, cough syrup, lip balm, nose tissue...you get the idea. I have been stocking up on some of this stuff already. And the coupons in the circulars are changing to match the season. Including the items above, there has been an increase in food items needed for baking and general holiday food items like turkeys and cranberries.

I just think I need to stockpile more. 2012 is coming. I guess I could do better at stockpiling more toliet paper but I just don't want to give the space to it. I try to convence my man to not buy tp. That I have enough to share and know what a great price is. I guess he needs to feel like he is buying something. But uuhhgg what does he do...buys the largest quantity package he can WITHOUT A COUPON! Could not believe my eyes. I bet it wasn't even on sale!

I thought I had him understanding the game and I thought he was playing with me. We had been out there in the real world doing it...together. Maybe I don't make a good coach. I failed somewhere. :( We are going back to square one.

As for my addiction to getting stuff cheap or free, all I can do right now is stay in the game. Black Friday is coming and I want a tv...I was thinking 32".  But from what I am seeing so far, I am going bigger! Not sure how big yet. I set the budget at $250 several months ago and that isn't for some no-name brand. And I might get me one of those blue ray players too.

I haven't camped out at a store ever, waiting for the doors to open. I was thinking it might happen this year...but wait...I was reading about how Best Buy will be opening up at midnight on Thanksgiving...I can do that. Although the crowds will be crazy I am sure. Also I don't know if that is the place that will have the best deal for me. I have some serious blog watching to do for the next two weeks.

I do know that I need to get to Rite Aid when ever they open on Thanksgiving. This might be difficult. I don't know where I might be on Thanksgiving yet and RA doesn't have stores where I might be going. I will get that figured out.

Lots of cheap or free items to get at RA. Earbuds or remote control anyone? Looks like I can get 4 of these for free to begin with.

And this Revlon is an even better deal because I have a $2 off coupon for it also!

You know you will be able to get an actual Snuggie for $4.99! I don't need one of those.

I am going to get me a couple $50 Home Depot gift cards that RA is paying me $10 in RA store money just for buying it.

I will buy 2 HD cards first and have $20 to spend on other items in the store, that will in turn give me more store money to spend. I am not going to have any problem spending the $100 at HD seeing how my kitchen needs some serious work.

Stay tuned as this is the best shopping time of the year!

Trip to the recycle bin 8/1/11

Did my usual trip to the recycle bin last night to snag up some coupons. Man was it loaded with extras for me.

Here are the items I collected:
1" of coupon inserts
pile of Box Tops for Education
2 August 2011 magazines
3 "Cars" Kellogg's cereal boxs to get a $5 gas card for free (I already had 1 box at home it takes 4 codes from inside the box to get the card)
1 Puzzlemaster Presents 200 Mind Bending Challenges book like new never been used (This is a book I would buy as I already have some by the Puzzlemaster.)
1 packet of Big Bertha Pepper 2010 seeds

Kroger week of 7/24/11

Kroger is the place to go this week.

Also note that some of these deals can be found at JayC starting Thursday - Wednesday. JayC does not double couopns.

Check out these deals I got this week.

In addition to the free items below, Kroger is having 10/$10 sales this week. JayC starts with it today.  I also found Red Gold tomato products on sale for 79 cents a can.

 First trip:
Ivory soap
    sale $1 - $1 Q = free
Carefree
    sale $1 - .50 Q that doubled = free
Crest Indicator toothbrush
    sale $1
   buy 2 use $2/2 Q (this coupon is for $2/1 off certain types or $2/2 certain types)
    = 2 free
Crest toothpaste
   sale $1 - .75 Q = .25 each

Plus some combination of the Crest products produced a $2 off next purchase Catalina Q. Thus actually paying me $1.25 to take all of this stuff! 

Second trip:
Crest Indicator toothbrush
    sale $1
   buy 2 use $2/2 Q (this coupon is for $2/1 off certain types or $2/2 certain types)
    = 2 free
Crest toothpaste
   sale $1 - .75 Q = .25 each

Plus some combination of the Crest products produced a $2 off next purchase Catalina Q. Thus actually paying me $1.25 to take all of this stuff! So I got the whole thing over again.

Softsoap 32 oz.
  sale $1.74 - .35 (doubled to .70) Q = $1.04
Aussie or Herbel Essence style products or shampoo or conditioner
  sale 2 for $5
    use $3 off a style product when you buy another product
    + use $1 any style product
   = $1 for 2 items
  The cashier may notice the items are on sale for $2.50 each and reduce the $3 Q but $1.50 is still a good price on 2 items. I didn't have a problem with the Q's ringing at face value with the teenage boy I got.

I also got these coupons from the Crest toothpaste. They were inside the box. 

Rite Aid week of 6/26/11

I will post my total costs tomorrow when I get it figured out.

I had 3 $2.99 +up receipts from last week.

Oral-B 3d white toothbrush $2.69 sale
get +up for $2.69 limit 2

Wet Wipes BOGO $3.29
use $1/2 manf coupon exp 6/30
final cost $2.29/2 or $1.15 each

1st trip
2 toothbrushs oral-b
4 wet wipes
used 3 $2.99 +up
used 2 $1/2 coupons
got 2 $2.69 +up rewards
paid $1.83

2nd trip
4 wet wipes
2 starbursts (99¢ bogo) needed and exta 44¢ on the transaction
used 2 $1/2 coupon
used 2 $2.69 +up
paid 72¢

Final total
Original price $69.42
Sale price $41.48
Coupons $14.65
+up $17.35
Ending paid out of pocket $9.48

That is for ...
4 toothpaste
2 toothbrush
2 schick hydro
8 wet ones
2 starburst
The 8 40ct wet ones cost $10.20 by themselves. The difference comes from the overage on the Colgate toothpaste.

I don't have any more +up rewards now. Maybe I will by the stayfree pantiliners and get another $2 reward then go back and use it on the wet wipes. This only works for me because I had so many wet wipes coupons. It is a great deal on them and Joel and I use them all the time. We hike a lot.

Kroger trip 6/24/11

The man and I stopped at Kroger tonight for a quick trip in after we had Chinese buffet next door. I wanted to check Ecrich farms smoked sausage to see if there was a sale as my $1/2 coupons are expiring tomorrow and I buy that stuff all the time. He wanted some Big Red. So...

Big Red is 3/$10 12 packs. JayC has them 4/$11.

Ecrich sausage 1 lb is 2/$6 use $1/2 coupons

Well I was passing by my Nestea instant tea and saw it on sale for 30 cents off at $3.49. So I grabbed two. We got the Big Red and paid. I noticed the price on the tea was $3.79 on the receipt. I told him it wasn't worth complaining about sixty cents but he insisted. So the guy at customer service gave me $3.79 back cause that is their policy if something rings wrong. I didn't know that. I just didn't feel like telling him I bought 2 and he owed me another $3.79.

Rite Aid week of 6/19/11

I have one big deal at Rite Aid this week.

Colgate Max toothpaste sale price 2.99
use 75¢ coupon
get $2.99 +up reward
This means you get paid to take it.
limit 4

I am going to have a running total of my Rite Aid purchases. I am going to see how much I can get by mostly just using the +UP Rewards program.

Week 1 (last week) I bought:

1 Arm & Hammer toothpaste
original price $4.39 (who pays that much for toothpaste )
sale $3.99
coupon 40¢
+up $3
2 Schick hydro 3 blade razor
OP 2@$17.98
sale BOGO $8.99
2 coupons $4/1
Paid $4.58 (+91¢ tax)
Have $3 +up

Week 2 I bought:

3 Colgate Max toothpaste
OP $11.37
Sale 3@$8.97
3 coupons $2.25
tax 63¢
+up $8.97
Used +up $3
Paid $3.72 (+.63 tax)
Got 3 $2.98 +up rewards for next week

For my total, I will subtract out the +up rewards.
OP $33.74
Sale price $21.95
Coupons $10.65
+up $11.97
End cost I am up 67¢ (pre-tax)

Of course these +up rewards only count for anything if you use them on something else.

dumpster diving

I don't actually get in the dumpsters...and really is it a dumpster or a large recylce bin?

Sunday morning I decided to make a trip to the community recycle bin to find some tossed out coupon inserts. Everytime I have looked there have been coupons.

I hit the jackpot this time not just the 1.5" stack of coupons but a metal fork and a large unused art paper pad.

Just Getting Started

I will get around to putting more up here.