8/24 Grocery Haul

This is a big week for low cost and free items.  I was able to get quite a lot of items for my local food pantry and stock up on some other items we needed and some that you can just never have too many of.  A great advantage this week, was placing two separate Shop From Home orders with two separate loyalty cards.  I got to use the e-coupons once on each card so you will see I was able to get more than 1 of the free items out there.

Transaction #1 Shop from Home #1

2 – Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths Refills $1.99

            2 - $0.50/1 Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths coupons

(Buy 2 Cottonelle Flushable wipes Receive $2 Off Your Next Order)

4 – Philadelphia Cream Cheese Bars $1.99

            4 - $0.50/1 8oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese coupons

2- Kraft Shredded Cheese 2 for $5.00

            2 - $0.75 off Kraft Shredded Cheese coupons

2 – Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp White Cheddar 2 for $5.00

            1 - $1.00/2 Cracker Barrel Cheese coupons

(Spend $15 on Kraft/Oscar Mayer products Receive $5 OYNO)

2 – Keebler Simply Shortbread Cookies $1.99

2 – Keebler Simply Chocolate Chip $1.99
            1 - $1.00/3 Keebler Cookies coupon

(Buy 4 Kellogg's/Keebler products receive a FREE milk OYNO)

2 - Welch's Jelly $1.77

1 - $1.00/2 Welch's Jelly coupon

2 - Skippy Peanut Butter$1.77

1 - $1.00/2 Skippy Peanut Butter coupon

1 - Loaf of Shoprite Bread $1.99

1 - Buy 1 Welch's Jelly, 1 Skippy Peanut Butter and get $2.00 of Shoprite bread Super Coupon

1 - Eight O'Clock bag of coffee $3.99

1- $1/1 bag of Eight O'clock coffee ccoupon

1- $1.00 rebate on Ibotta

1 - box 12ct Melitta Coffee Kcups $4.99

1 - $2.00/1 box of Melitta coffee Kcups coupon

1 - $2.00/1 Melitta Coffee Kcups e-coupon

3 - Butterball Turkey Bacon 3 for $5.00

3 - $0.75/1 Butterball Turkey Bacon coupon

2 - Final Touch Dryer Sheets $1.99

1 - $1/2 Fab/Dynamo/Niagara/Ajax/Final Touch Products coupon

2 - Final Touch Fabric Softener $1.99

1 - $1/2 Fab/Dynamo/Niagara/Ajax/Final Touch Products coupon

1 - $3.00/3 Fab/Dynamo/Niagara/Ajax/Final Touch Products e-coupon

4 - Jars of Barilla Pasta Sauce $1.49

4 - $0.75/1 Barilla Pasta Sauce

1 - 4pk of Danimal Smoothie Yogurt $1.99

1 - $1/1 Danimal Yogurt coupon

1 - $1/1 Danimal Yogurt e-coupon

2 - Land O' Lakes Spreadable Butter $1.99

2 - $1/1 Land O' Lakes Spreadable Butter coupon

1 - Laughing Cow 8ct cheese wedges $1.99

1 - $1/1 Laughing cow cheese wedges coupon

1 - $1/1 Laughing cow cheese wedges e-coupon

1 - Mini Babybel 6ct Cheeses $1.99

1 - $1/1 Mini Babybel Cheeses coupon

1 - $1/1 Mini Babybel Cheeses e-coupon

4 - Annie's Mac & Cheese boxes $0.99

4 - $0.35/1 Annie's Mac & Cheese coupon

2 - Heluva Greek Yogurt Dip $2.00

2 - $0.75/1 Heluva Dip coupon

2 - Planter's Peanut Flavors 6oz $1.49
2 - $0.50/1 Planter's Peanut Flavors coupon

1 - Axe Body Spray $3.99
1 - $2.00/1 Axe Deodorant or Body Spray coupon

1 - $1.25/1 Axe Deodorant or Body Spray e-coupon

3 - Zatarain's Rice boxes $1.00
1 - $1/3 boxes of Zatarain's rice coupon
1 - $1/3 boxes of Zatarain's rice e-coupon

2 - Fisherboy Fish Sticks $1.50

2 - $1/1 Fisherboy product coupon

1 - GoGo Squeeze Apple Sauce $1.99
1 - $0.75/1 GoGo Squeeze Fruit coupon

1 - $1.00/1 GoGo Squeeze Fruit e-coupon

1 - Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade $1.99

1 - $0.55/1 Kikkoman Marinade or soy sauce coupon

1 - $1/1 Kikkoman Marinade or soy sauce e-coupon

1 - Tresemme Shampoo $3.99

1 - $2.00/1 Tresemme Shampoo or Conditioner coupon

1 - $2.00/1 Tresemme Shampoo or Conditioner e-coupon

2 - Reynolds Baking Cups $0.99

1 - $1/2 Reynold's Baking Cups coupon

2 - Starkist Tuna Pouches $1.39

1 - $1.00/2 Starkist Tuna Pouches coupon

1 - $0.75/1 Starkist Tuna pouches e-coupon

4 - Libby's canned carrots $1.00

1 - $1.00/4 Libby's canned vegetables coupon

1 - $1.00/4 Libby's canned vegetables e-coupon

2 - Westsoy Soymilk $1.79

2 - $1.00/1 Westsoy Soymilk product coupon

( Used Promo code for $15 off $100 purchase, 49 paper coupons worth $57.90, 12 e-coupons worth $16.00,  Received $7 in Catalina's, Received Catalina for FREE milk, Receiving $1.10 from Inbox Dollars for coupons redeemed, submitting for $2.00 in rebates from Ibotta)

Total OOP: $42.23

Transaction #2 Shop From Home #2

1 - Annie's Mac & Cheese $0.99

1 - $0.35/1 box of Annie's Mac & Cheese

20 - cans of Campbell's Soup $1.00

2 - $1/5 Campbell's Condensed soups (excludes great for cooking soups coupon

2 - $1/5 Campbell's Condensed Great for Cooking soups coupon

(Spend $20 on Campbell's products and Receive $5 OYNO.)

1 - Babybel 6ct mini cheeses $1.99

1 - $1/1 any mini babybel cheeses coupon

1 - $1/1 any mini babybel cheeses e-coupon

1 - Laughing Cow 8ct cheese wedges $1.99

$1/1 Laughing Cow Cheese wedges coupon

$1/1 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges e-coupon

1 - GoGo Fruit Squeeze 4ct $1.99

1 - $0.75/1 GoGo Fruit Squeeze 4ct coupon

1 - $1.00/1 GoGo Fruit Squeeze 4ct e-coupons

1 - Tresemme Conditioner $3.99

1 - $2/1 Tresemme Shampoo or Conditioner coupon

1- $2/1 Tresemme Shampoo or Conditioner e-coupon

1 - Right Guard Xtreme Clear $3.99

1 - $1.50/1 Right Guard Xtreme Clear Deodorant coupon

1 - $1.50/1 Right Guard Xtreme Clear Deodorant e-coupon

4 - VO5 Shampoo & Conditioner $0.99

2 - $0.50/2 VO5 Shampoo or Conditioner coupon

1 - Danimal Smoothie Yogurt $2.00

1 - $1/1 Danimal Yogurt coupon

1 - $1/1 Danimal Yogurt e-coupon

3 - Zatarain's rice boxes $1.00

1 - $1/3 Zatarain's Rice coupon

1 - $1/3 Zatarain Rice e-coupon

4 - Libby's Canned Vegetables $1.19

1 - $1/4 Libby's canned vegetables coupon

1 - $1/4 Libby's vanned vegetables e-coupon

1 - Gallon 2% Shoprite Milk $3.99

1 - Free Milk Catalina from Transaction #1

3 - Lbs of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - $2.49

1 - $1.99 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Supercoupon

2 - Cascadian Cereal $2.99

2 - $0.75/1 any Cascadian Cereal coupon

3 - YoCrunch Yogurt Cereal Bowl $1.00

2 - $1.00/1 YoCrunch Yogurt Cereal Bowl coupon

1 - $1.00 off yogurt purchase of $1.99 or more store coupon

1 - carton of Baby Bella mushrooms $1.99

1 - Lbs. of Fresh Green Beans $0.99

4 - lbs. Top Round London Broil $2.49

1 - 5lbs bag of Russet Potatoes $2.99

2 - bags of Dole Salad 2 for $4.00

1 - bunch of celery $1.79

 (Used promo code $10 off $20 purchase of  Campbell's products, Used 22 paper coupons worth $28.99, Used 8 e-coupons worth $9.50, $7 in Catalina's from transaction #1, Receiving $0.20 from Inbox Dollars for coupons redeemed, Submitting for $0.25 in Rebates from Ibotta.)
Total OOP: $50.27

Transaction #3: Impromptu in-store transaction
1 - So Delicious Shelf-Stable Coconut Milk $1.49

1 - Jack Rabbit dried lentil beans $0.99

1 - Kikkoman Low Sodium Soy Sauce $1.99
1 - $0.55 off Any Low Sodium or Sweet Soy Sauce

2 - lbs of bananas $0.69

2 - Sharpie Markers - $0.99
2 - $1.00 off any Sharpie markers

2 - Expo Low Odor Dry Erase markers - $1.99
2 - $1.25 off any Expo Dry Erase marker
(Used $5 Catalina from above transaction, 5 paper coupons worth $5.58, submitting for $1.00 from Ibotta for Coconut Milk, $0.25 from Checkout51 for bananas)
Total OOP: $4.78

Total Price of items before sales & coupons: $393.22

Total out of pocket spent for all transactions: $97.28

Total Rebates from Savingstar App: $0.00

Total Rebates from Checkout51 App: $0.25

Total Rebates from Ibotta: $3.25

Total Rebates from Inbox Dollars: $1.30

 Grand Total After Rebates = $92.48

Total Savings of $300.74 ~ 76% Savings!

Total items = 128 or $0.72 per item

Donations this week are:

 This is for the Food Pantry:

20 - Cans of Campbell's soups

8 - Cans of Libby's Vegetables

4 - Pouches of Tuna Fish

For the Toiletry Drive we have:

2 - VO5 Shampoo's

2- VO5 Conditioner's

1 - stick of Men's Deodorant

Great Couponing Websites & Apps

It's impossible to save your family 50%-75% every week by simply getting one newspaper a week and casually looking through your store's sales flyers.  Or just clipping your coupons and walking in the store and hoping for the best.

Graphic from: http://happybubblegal.blogspot.com

Help with couponing is everywhere, from Facebook groups and local coupon clubs to websites, apps and rebates, oh my!  How do you weed out the not so helpful stuff from the pure gold?  Well there isn't really a trick on that one but here is a list of my favorite sites, apps and why I love them.  Some may work for you and other's may not, but figuring out what works for you and being open enough to try what's out there and fail a few time is the best way to get the most savings.

Websites: (You can click the name of the website in blue and it will link you right to the site.)

www.inboxdollars.com

Inbox Dollars - If you have read my blog you'll know how much I love this site.  It is one of my favorites for making money while shopping or doing menial tasks that take very little time.  This site is what I like to call a "rebate site."  By that I mean you make money back on your purchases.  You don't make money upfront so it's not a "work from home" scam or a job of any kind.  The internet searches, surveys, reading emails and many other simple tasks earn you money in varying amounts.  They deposit the money into your account within days of accomplishing the task.  You can then request a check at any point in time.  If you reach certain thresholds they waive mailing fees and processing fees.  I use this site when I search for things instead of google or bing etc.  I also print all or most of my coupons that I print right from here.  They give me $0.10 for each coupon I print and redeem at the store.  Since I generally use at least 10 -15 coupons a week  I make quite a few dollars on that alone.

www.livingrichwithcoupons.com

Living Rich With Coupons - This is probably by far one of the most helpful websites for anyone who coupons, newbies & veterans alike.  This website basically does all the hard work for you.  The woman that does this scours the internet, sales flyers, coupon inserts, printable coupons and just about everywhere to find all the "deals."  Then she posts them.  You can browse deals by store or by coupons.  She even has a section called "find my deal" where you can click on thing like "Pet Food Roundup" or "Diaper Deals"  so find the best deals on items in those categories.  She's got a lot of helpful hints and links that makes it incredibly easy to figure out how to get what you want for the best prices.  They even release "Weekly Match-ups" for each store they cover and it couldn't be easier to figure out how to get what you need.  She writes the items, their sales prices and the coupons to use, with links if they are printable.  Then she will also list and rebates you can get from apps.  Then she takes it one amazing step further and gives you "Deal Ideas" where she says, buy these items, use these coupons, and then get these rebates or catalinas and tells you the final cost before taxes.  A newer addition to the site is the Coupon Database.  It is a searchable database of all the coupons that they are aware of and it tells you where to find them.  EASY!!

www.yeswecoupon.com

Yes We Coupon - In my opinion this site is much more broad with the deals and coupons it covers.  This site will post deals daily that they find out about.  For example, clearance sales at Clothing and Toys stores.  They do contests and give-aways and link to other contests and give-aways.  There is a lot of help for couponing but also other things there as well.  This is a great site if you are looking for more than just groceries.  It always will link you to special giveaways, free items, or groupon type deals elsewhere.



Applications: (You can click the name of the app in blue and it will link you right to the site or application to download.)

BerryCart App

BerryCart -  This is a rebate app which means that you buy the items you want that are listed and then receive a deposit into your "account."  When you meet the minimum threshold of money in your "account" you can request a payment.  Different apps have different ways to pay you, either by giftcard or e-giftcard, deposit into a bank account, Venmo account or paypal account.  This app has a low threshold for payment of $5.  With BerryCart you can view the deals they have available.  Once you select a deal it will show you options to receive a rebate.  They have things like take a quick poll or quiz on the product, read a fact about the product and rate the product.  You then do the quick less than 1 minutes tasks and click complete to make yourself eligible for the rebate.  You then purchase the product and save your reciepts.  You then click redeem on the offers you have purchased.  The app will use your camera function to allow you to take pictures of the receipt to upload.  Your receipt is then reviewed and then you will be given the deposit into your account.
Positive: This app is mostly for "alternative diets."  It will offer rebates for items you hardly ever see coupons for such as  Gluten-Free products, Organic Products and Vegan products.
Negative: Products can be hard to find even at health food stores.  There isn't a large selection or variety of products so reaching a threshold for payment can take a long time, especially if you do not use or aren't willing to try some of the alternative diets.

Target's Cartwheel App

Cartwheel - This is a coupon app for Target.  The most important feature of this app is the coupons. You can click on offers and it will give you a menu of the different departments in Target.  You choose what you are looking for and select the coupons you want.  Then you will click on "My Barcode" and it will create a barcode on your mobile device that will be scanned at checkout.  This will apply the discounts to your order.  They have also included (in beta testing) some online discounts if you shop online.  This coupled with the Target Debit Card or Credit Card which gives you an extra 5% off your order every time you use it will make for some great savings!
Positive: Most of the coupons are percentages off.  Which means you can buy more than one of each item and save on all of them.
Negative: Since a majority of the coupons are percentages it makes it more difficult for quick calculations of savings while shopping and deciding whether it is worth the buy.

Checkout51 App

Checkout51 - This is a rebate app.  You can view all the offers and do your shopping. You then select which offers you want to receive.  Once you have completed your shopping and have your receipt you click upload receipt. You take a picture, or several of your receipt.  Once you do that you will then select which offers you want to redeem.  They will then review your receipt within 24-48 hours an add the amount to your account.  Once you hit $20 you can request a check be mailed to you.
Positive: This app has rebates for things like produce and meats which can be hard to come by with coupons.  It's also very easy to upload the receipt and then just "check off" the items that you will be requesting a rebate for.
Negative: If you have a long receipt, you will need to take multiple pictures to capture the entire receipt.  There also are a very limited number of items available for rebates and each item has limited quantities available.  If you are slow to submit your receipt you just might miss out. 

Ibotta App

Ibotta - This is one of my favorite apps to use.  It is a rebate app.  Here's how it works.  You set up an account.  They you can click on Grocery (or any other category.)  Then you choose the store you are going to shop at.  It will then show you pictures of the items that are available for rebates and how much you will receive.  When you click on the items it will give you different things to do to receive the money.  You might take a short survey (1-2 questions,) Watch a video, read a statement, take a 1-2 question quiz things that will take you less than a minute to complete.  Then the item will go to your "list."  Then you purchase the item.  Come home with your item and receipt.  When you click "redeem" at the bottom of the app it will have you verify your purchase by scanning the barcode of the item to make sure it qualifies.  (You can also check this in the store as well to make sure you are buying the correct item.)  Then it asks you to submit your receipt by using your phone's camera in the app to take pictures of your receipt.  Once you've submitted it they will let you know within 48 hours if it was accepted and they will add the money to your account.  This app has a $10 threshold for payment.

Positive: There usually is a broad range of items to choose from and you can use the rebates more than once in most cases as long as the items are on separate receipts.  You can also build teams of your Facebook friends or others you invite to help you earn extra rewards.

Negative: If you have very long receipts it can take quite some time to take multiple pictures in sections to submit the entire receipt.  You also have to make sure the pictures are clear and lined up so you are not missing any of the receipt.

SavingStar App

Savingstar - This is a rebate app also.  When you sign up for the app you will register your loyalty card from your store.  (For example, with Shoprite you will register your Price Plus Card.)  You can scroll through the offers and select the coupons you want.  Then they will go on you list.  Then you click the to activate them and buy the products.  When you buy the products SavingStar will automatically give you a credit in your account within a few days.  You can request a deposit into your bank account, A deposit into a Paypal account, an amazon giftcard or make a donation to American Forests.  They also have a customer service department in case you have trouble.  The threshold for payment is $5.

Positive: No scanning of receipts to get your rebate.  There is also a large selection of items to choose from and usually their rebates coincide with coupons so you can "double up" and use both.

Negative: Sometimes the rebates can take a long time to process.  Some can take up to 22 days.  It can be tricky if you have more than one loyalty card.

Shopkick App

ShopKick - This is a pretty different and unique app.  You don't have to purchase anything to make money. You download this app to your phone and take it with you when you go on about your shopping.  There are three major ways to earn points within the app and once you hit minimum thresholds of points you can redeem them for gift cards or other rewards they have.  The first way to earn points is to view the "collections" they have created.  They choose items and group them together for you to view from different companies.  You simply scroll through and click the envelope icon that says, "tap for a surprise."  It will then usually give you 1 point.  It isn't much when the points usually start around 1250 for the gift cards. However, there are several collections to browse everyday.  The next way to earn points is to view which stores are offering "walk-in kicks."  Then it's as simple as going into that store with the app open.  The app detects where you are by using wifi, bluetooth and cell signal to tell that you are in a store and allots you the points after you enter.  Every day and every store is different so you can check it out daily to see whether it is worth going or not.  The third way, and usually highest value is to scan products when you are at a store.  Most of the scanning will be done is stores that have grocery sections.  After you select a store and enter then you can scan products.  They will show you a product and then you can essentially go on a scavenger hunt in the store to find it.  When you do, you use the app to scan the barcode of the item and they give you points.  Once you hit the threshold for points of the gift card or item you want you can then redeem it.  Most gift cards are e-giftcards or a barcode is made available to you through the app so they can be used right away!  It also has the option of signing up and adding a credit or debit card to give you additional points.  (Although I have yet to try this feature I assume it works by tracking your purchases at stores for further rewards.)

Positive: This app doesn't require you to buy anything and it costs nothing to have.  It's simple to use and can be used daily to get points.  Every day the "shopkicks" and "walk-in kicks" change.  Some days have very high rewards and many of the stores are typical mall stores so it would be easy to get points from several stores very quickly.

Negative: If you don't use the app frequently it can be hard to accumulate enough points to get the big rewards.  It also takes several trips to several stores to be able to earn even the smaller gift cards. If you forget to open the app or use it during your shopping trips there is no way to recoup the points by say scanning a receipt after the fact.

ShopRite App

ShopRite - This is a coupon app.  I do most of my shopping at ShopRite so for me this app is wonderful.  It's more than just coupons.  You can create and edit ShopRite From Home orders, view the weekly Ad, create and edit a shopping list, look up recipes, and yes, add coupons to your price plus card.  How does the coupon portion work?  Very easily!  You just open the app, click on the menu and select coupons.  It will then show you all the coupons that are available.  There are many!! Most of the coupons you will find are also available elsewhere, so there may be a paper coupon to clip from an insert or print online.  You can use those in addition to the coupons in the ShopRite app.  If your extra lucky you may even find that you have a paper coupon, a ShopRite e-coupon and also a rebate from one of the other apps mention and your "triple dip."  So you select the coupons your want and when you checkout all you do is hand your cashier your price plus card.  The discounts come off automatically.  Example, you have a paper coupon for $1 off Scott Paper Towels.  You also select a $1 off Scott Paper Towels coupon from the ShopRite App.  When you check out the "e-coupon" automatically comes off your order when they scan your price plus card.  They also take the paper coupon off.  So instead of getting just $1 off you get $2 off.

Positive:  It's fast and easy.  You can also "stack" the electronic coupons with paper coupons and in store.  You can also then still submit for rebates through other apps like SavingStar, Ibotta and Checkout51, if they are available.  New coupons are added weekly.

Negative: Sometimes the coupons don't disappear right away after you use them so it can be tricky to keep track of if you shop frequently.  You also are limited with how many ecoupons you can clip (at this time it is 125) and you can not "unselect" a coupon once you have selected it.  You either have to use it or wait till it expires which can cause issues if you clip many of them and don't use them.

Snap App

Snap - This app works like most of the other rebate apps above.  You choose the items you'd like a rebate for and then upload your receipt after you've purchased them.  There are some non-brand specific items like $0.50 off a gallon of milk or $0.25 off any pre-sliced loaf of bread.  Which is different from some of the others.  It is also a way to get discounts on fresh produce and meat that there are rarely coupons for.

Positive:  Although there aren't a huge list of items each week there is a broad selection and non brand specific items that are hard to find coupons for.  Their items offer a large range from food, to cleaning, toiletries and fresh produce and meats.

Negative: Deals are limited and can disappear quickly especially on the high value rebates. As with the other rebate apps mentioned above, long receipts can be time consuming to upload.  Also some rebates are store specific, so they can only be purchased at select places like amazon.com, so read thoroughly before counting on that discount.

In addition to websites and apps Facebook and Twitter are good resources.  There are tons of people that do what I do.  There are tons of Facebook groups that have been created for people to share their successes and ask questions.  All you have to do is search for them.  Just search Facebook for your favorite store you'll see things like, "ShopRite NY Coupons and Deals."  There are many other's for every store you shop.  Another great way to find groups are to search by your local area, by your town name, county or region and then write the word Coupon or Couponers after.  Some groups are more active than others but it's a good place to find others who like to use coupons.

Grocery Haul week of 8/17

This week I was a bit disappointed to see that there weren't a lot of Catalina deals.  I had passed up a few catalina deals last week for some cleaning/paper products that I didn't need much of and I didn't see anything that would be super cheap or free so I passed on them.  There was also a deal about getting a LeapFrog reader and book which retail about $40.  I really wanted to get it for my son and save it for Christmas, but I didn't need much of the products listed.  So I passed on that too.  I felt like I missed out on the Leapfrog deal and then I went to a garage sale and found one for $10!  I started planning out my trip on Tuesday when the flyer preview comes out.  I spend about an hour a day finding the deals and printing and clipping coupons and adding things to my online shopping cart.

I was completely done and ready to go by Friday.  Then of course some more things posted Saturday night and I wanted to change my order.  I always try to keep in mind what I have already at my house in the pantry/stockpile or freezer.  The second thing I keep in mind while ordering is that I need to make a minimum of 5-6 dinner meals a week and need to stay stocked on the basics for snacks and breakfast.  Our lunches almost always consist of leftovers but if they don't I usually make sandwiches.  I planned my order so that I would be making a "breakfast for dinner" one night out of my meal plan. I was planning to buy 2 dozen eggs, had a coupon for .75 off that would double and also was going to get a $1 rebate.  Which was going to bring them down to $1.50 a dozen (which is good considering the cheapest eggs are, without coupons or sales are $2.19 for the ShopRite brand.)  They called me while collecting my order and told me they were out of stock on the eggs and they substituted something of equal price.  But the price was higher on those than buying another brand.  So I told them to leave them aside and I would decide what I wanted to do when I got there. I got to the store a few minutes early and  I doubled checked the price of eggs and see if I could find the brand I wanted.  They didn't have them.  So I decided that I would leave them off and grab another deal I was debating on Clorox wipes.  While looking at those I noticed an even better deal on Oxyclean dishwasher packs.  So I grabbed those and added them to my order.

Here it is:

Here is a quick breakdown of the labels I'll use to define how I saved:

* -  Paper coupon (either printable or clipped from and insert)

e - e-coupon from the store for an automatic savings at the register

Ib - Rebate through Ibotta app

Ss - Rebate through Savingstar app

51 - Rebate through Checkout 51 app

Transaction#1 (Shop From Home)

2 - Teddy Grahams * e

2 - Ritz Crackers e

(Received $4 OYNO Catalina)

2 - Boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal * e

4 - Welch's Juice *

2 - Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix *

6 - Tuttorosso Tomatoes *

5 - Barilla Pasta

4 - Pirate's Booty Mac & Cheese *

2 - Scrubbing Bubbles * e 51

4 - 200ct Marcal Napkins *

1 - 3pk Clorox Wipe * e

1 - 16ct Oxiclean Dishwasher Detergent * e

2 - Arnold's Bread * e

1 - 1lb pkg of Perdue 93% Lean Ground Turkey

2 - Broccoli Crowns

3 - Pints grape tomatoes

1 - 4lbs Chicken Leg Quarters

1 - 5lb bag of Potatoes

1 - Cantalope

2 - International Delights Creamer * e

2 - 1lb bags of Shoprite shredded cheese

1 - Tropicana Farmstand Juice *

.5lbs - Deli Ham

1lb American Cheese

1 - Disney Cars Gummy Vitamin

(used 5 miscellaneous catalinas from previous trips for napkins, produce, deli, snacks & refrigerated juice purchases, 24 paper coupons, 8 e-coupons, $5.24 credit from error on previous order, $30 off $100 Promo Code, and submitting for $1 rebate from Checkout51 )

TOTAL OOP: $38.02 for 53 items.

Transaction #2 (In-Store #1)

2 - Teddy Grahams * e

2 - Ritz Crackers e

(Received a $4 OYNO Catalina)

(used 1 paper coupon, 2 e-coupons, and 1 catalina for $1 off a snack purchase)

TOTAL OOP: $5.58 for 4 items

Transaction #3 (In-store #2)

2 - Friendly's Ice Cream

1 - Gallon 2% Milk Ib

1 - 4lb pkg of Chicken Quarters

2 - Clorox Bleach *

2 - Ragu Pasta Sauce * e

2 - Wet Ones * e Ib

2 - Scrubbing Bubbles * e 51

2 - Hormel Canned Chicken * e

1 - Cinnamon Toast Crunch * e 

1 - OxiClean Dishwasher Detergent * e

2 - Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix *

2 - Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn *

1 - Box of Berry Jello Ss

3 - Cucumbers

5 - Bananas 51

1 - 2lb bag of baby carrots 51

2 - pints of blueberries

2 - loaves of Arnold's Bread * e

(used 2 - $4 ONYO Catalinas, 12 paper coupons, 7 e-coupons, Submitting for $2.50 from Ibotta for milk & wet ones, $1.50 from Checkout51 Rebates, .75 from Savingstar Rebate for Jello)

TOTAL OOP: 38.10 for 30 items

Total Price of items before sales & coupons: $275.51

Total out of pocket spent for all transactions: $81.70

Total Rebates from Savingstar App: $1.25

Total Rebates from Checkout51 App: $1.50

Total Rebates from Ibotta: $2.50

Total Rebates from Inbox Dollars: $1.50

 Grand Total After Rebates = $74.95 ~ 73% Savings

Grocery Trip 8/11

This week was pretty cool for me.  After last weeks haul I had showed my grandfather everything I had gotten withing my budget.  He was very impressed, since he loves all things fabulously frugal.  He said so you really get things for free or next to nothing.  And I said yes, it's possible some weeks to get a couple things for free and other get a lot of things for under a dollar.  We then came up with a plan.  He has always tried to make donations to our local food pantry.  Especially when they have sales of 10 for $10 and similar sales.  He can't really use 10 of something since he's one guy and doesn't eat a lot so he'll buy the 10 and donate some of it.  He realized that we'd be able to donate a lot more using my coupons and he would give me $20 a week towards whatever I could get to help out other people.

This week not only did I get to buy two weeks worth of donations for the food pantry and toiletry drive at my church, but I also got to buy lots for our pantry/stockpile while keeping in my budget and meal plan.  Here's how it all went down:

They were running a Shop From Home special of $20 off $150.  The total of $150 is before and coupons, e-coupons, rebates or gift cards.  Considering I usually save a minimum of 50% each week my estimation was I would spend $150, estimated 50% in savings, and then $20 off would put me at $55.  This would keep me within my $50-$60 range for groceries for the week.

Unfortunately I went over budget this week.  I thought I was $8.91 over budget this week.  However, two things happened which I didn't factor.  First they missed a coupon and I didn't discover it until I was already home - which was $1.  Then they also charged me for 1 lbs of Flounder Filets that never made it home.  ( I would not have purchased the catfish nuggets had I remembered that I purchased the Flounder Filets.)  So I have a credit $5.24 waiting for my next shop from home order. They were also supposed to be on sale for $4.99 but they didn't ring up that way.  Long story short I'm not being charged for them making me only $2 over budget before rebates. *Note, I don't include "rebates" in my budget since I have to spend the money this week and sometimes can wait months for those rebates.

Here is a quick breakdown of the labels I'll use to define how I saved:

* -  Paper coupon (either printable or clipped from and insert)

e - e-coupon from the store for an automatic savings at the register

Ib - Rebate through Ibotta app

Ss - Rebate through Savingstar app

51 - Rebate through Checkout 51 app

Here is the breakdown of the items I bought:

Transaction#1 (Shop From Home Order)

2 - Colgate Advanced Toothpaste *

2 - Colgate Advanced Mouthwash *

2 - Palmolive Dish Soap *

Receive $5 off  OYNO catalina

2 - Caress Body Wash *

2 - Degree Ultra Deodorant *

Receive $5 off OYNO catalina

1 - Barilla Italian Entree * e

2 - Nabisco Popped Chips e

2 - Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent *

2- Lysol Disinfecting Wipes *

3 - Kleenex Tissues with lotion * e Ib

2 - bags of Chex Mix * e Ss

6.5  - lbs of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

4 - Hatfield Ham Steaks *

2 - cartons of cherry tomatoes

1 - lb of fresh green beans

8 - Fresh Limes

2 - lbs of green seedless grapes

12 - Newman's Own Yogurts *

2 - Dole Smoothie Shakers * e

2 - ShopRite Brand French Bread pizzas e

1 - 1lb bag of Flounder Filets

5 - Fresh Bagels *

2 - 4ct Schick Xtreme Razors * e

1 - Arm & Hammer Toothpaste *

1 - Suave Shampoo *

1 - Suave Conditioner *

2 - Suave Kid's Shampoo 2 in 1 * e

1 - Nivea Men's Body Wash * e

1 - Axe Body Spray * e

2 - Mitchum Deodorant * e

(Received at $20 off $150 Shop From Home order, Received two - $5 ONYO. I used 31 Paper coupons, 10 e-coupons, Submitting for $1 Rebate from Ibotta for Kleenex  and $.50 Rebate from Savingstar for Chex Mix. Used a $5.00 Gift Card from previous rebate promo)

2 - coupons were missed for a total of $3.00 (I brought the to customer service and received $3.00 cash.)

TOTAL OUT OF POCKET: $80.88 for 73 items

(It's also worth noting I had about $40 to spend for donations, so my personal oop was $40.88, since I pride myself on keeping my budget between $50 - $60 a week. And I want to keep my meal plans true to my actual OOP costs.)

Transaction #2 (In-Store #1)

1- Nature's Bounty Multi-vitamin * e

1 - Nature's Bounty Fish Oil *

(Used 2 paper coupons, and 1 e-coupon, Resusable Bag Rebate of $0.05, used $3 from missed coupons above transaction)

TOTAL OOP: $0.83

Transaction #3 (In-Store #2)

1 - Gallon 2% Milk

1 - Dozen Eggs

3 - Dole Smoothie Shakers * e

3 - ShopRite Brand Cream Cheese

1.5 - lbs of Catfish nuggets (50% manager special)

1 - Mega Box of Hefty Scented Garbage Bags *

1 - Suave Shampoo *

1 - Suave Conditioner *

2 - Suave Kids 2 in 1 Shampoo * e

6 - ears of corn

3 - Kleenex Tissues with Lotion * e Ib

1 - Mitchum Deodorant * e

1 - 4ct Shick Quattro Disposable Razors * e

1 - Barilla Italian Entree * e

1 - 1lb head of broccoli

3 - Arnold Sandwich Thins * e

(I used 13 paper coupons, 7 e-coupons, two - $5 OYNO catalinas from first transaction, Received $0.20 Reusable Bag Refund, Submitting for $1 Rebate from Ibotta for Kleenex, $0.40 Savingstar Rebate for corn.)

TOTAL OOP: $27.20

Total Price of items before sales & coupons: $348.33

Total out of pocket spent for all transactions: $108.91

Total Rebates from Savingstar App: $0.90

Total Rebates from Checkout51 App: $0.00

Total Rebates from Ibotta: $2.00

Total Rebates from Inbox Dollars: $2.50

 Grand Total After Rebates = $103.51 ~ 70% Savings

Last Note:  These are the items we are donating to the Toiletry Drive & Food Pantry this week:

2 - bottle Suave Shampoo

2 - bottles Suave Conditioner

3 - Stick of Mitchum Deodorant

2 - Sticks of Degree Deodorant

2 - Bottles of Caress Body Wash

1 - Tube of Arm & Hammer Toothpaste

2 - Barilla Pasta Entrees

Total: 12 Items for donation!