My (first?) Kmart doubles trip

Here's my load from the double coupon trip. I will outline what I got and the price after coupon. Remember that the coupons $2 and under are doubled!

• See and Say toy $6.99 (these first four items are a part of a deal going on now at Kmart where you buy $20 in toys and get $5 off) = 1.99
• Hot wheels car $1= $1
• 2 Pictureka card games $5.99 each, $5 IP each = 0.99 each
• 1 Duracell batteries $4.19. $1 MQ = $2.19
• 2 Edge shave gel $1.99 each, $1 IP = free
• 2 Skintimate shave gel $1.99, $1 IP = free
• 1 clearance razor $4.74, $2 MQ= 0.74
• 2 Bic Soleil disposable razor packs $5.29, $2 MQ = 1.29 each
• 3 Johnson's buddies soap 0.99 each, $2.50 Kmart coupon = 0.49 total for 3
• 2 Sparkle paper towels $2.99 each and 2 Angel soft tissue $1.45 each, $2 IP when you buy 1 sparkle towel and 1 angel soft = 0.88 total for all 4 things
• 1 Glade candle refill $3.49, "buy 1 candle get refills free" MQ = free
• Glade candle $3.29, $1.50 MQ (found inside the tin!) = 0.29
• 2 fun size bags Butterfingers $2.99 each, $1 IP = 0.99 each
• 2 Hershey 6 pack full bars $2.50 each, $1/2 MQ = $1.50 each
• 2 Lays potato chips $2.50 each, $1/2 MQ (from All You magazine) = $1.50 each
• 2 Pringles chips $1.50 each, $1/2 MQ = 0.50 each
• Lipton cold brew tea bags $1.99, 0.50 MQ = 0.99
• HoneyMaid graham crackers $2.50, $1 "when you buy Hersheys and marshmallows" MQ = 0.50
• Oreo Cakesters $3, $1/2 MQ = $1
• 1 Peter pan peanut butter $2.29, $1 MQ = 0.29
• 3 Sunny Delight $1.39 each, 0.55 MQ = 0.29 each
• 1 Marshmallows $1.79 no coupon

My "before" total was $108.10, but after doubled coupons I paid $37.06 which is a savings of 66%! But here is where it gets even better. I was going through my receipt and several coupons didn't double right. I matched them up to the items and it turns out the store owes me an additional $9.11! So my total after I go back for that money will be $27.95!!!

Always check your receipt. Anytime I see that the clerk has to 'choose' an item on the screen to match to the product, if they don't choose the exact item the coupon won't double correctly. I hate that I can't see their registers when I am checking out, but they have always been great about giving me my money back. I guess I will plan my next trip to double coupons since I will be getting money back.

I've heard already from Tiffany who had a great run at Kmart....how is everyone else doing? Leave me a message.

New feature !!!

Welcome to Menu Plan Monday!

I've been wanting to start this feature for awhile in order to show what we are eating each week. Basically, I want you all to know that we don't just eat hot dogs and macaroni and cheese everyday!

Here's the 'givens' regarding this.

• Breakfast is always cereal or toast or whatever you can find so I won't be posting our breakfast.
• Lunch is one of the following: hot dogs, mac 'n cheese, spaghettio's, sandwiches, or leftovers with fruit and/or chips. It is a given that I have these things in the house. That way, I don't have to think too much about lunch either.
• Therefore, I will only post our dinner menu! It is also a given that I have rice, potatoes and frozen veggies on hand. I buy these in bulk so it is always ready as a last minute addition

We keep things pretty simple around here. I don't spend too much time making anything fancy as my kids will just refuse to try it and not eat. As long as it counts as veggies and protein we go with it. That being said here is what is on our menu for this week. (My weeks will include the previous weekend as that is how I shop)

Saturday: cookout with family for lunch and dinner

Sunday: Pork chops and corn on the cob

Monday: Mini-meatloaf, salad, maybe potatoes

Tuesday: chicken, rice, salad

Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner

Thursday: Pizza

Friday: Chicken nuggets, fries, veggie

That's it! I often vary how I cook something from week to week (i.e. baked chicken vs. on the grill).

Menu planning is a very important step to saving money. If you have a plan on paper, you know what meat to pull out and when to start cooking it. That way you can avoid the fast food trap. We used to get to dinner time and then start to think about what to cook. No wonder we would give up and order takeout so often.

I also use the sale ads to plan meals for the next week based on what is on sale. I don't use many frozen veggies this time of year because produce is so plentiful right now.

How do you plan your meals? Would this type of system work to help you save money? Please leave your comments or email me with questions. I'd love to hear from you!

Snacks at Walmart

So, I hear these Eggo Bake Shop cinnamon flavored things are delicious. I'd thought we'd give it a try to use the coupons.

• Eggo Bake shop $1.94 each, $1 IP
• Oreo Cakesters $2, $1 MQ
• Hi-C juice boxes 1.97 (for a cookout we're going to)

My total spent was $8.78, with a coupon savings of $7. Saving almost 1/2 at Walmart is actually pretty good.

I don't buy a lot at Walmart. If I use coupons and wait for sales, I can do better on prices most times at Pierce's or Target (if I am running to Madison). I don't like how big and spread out the shopping is at Walmart so I avoid it if I can. For non food items, I can find it fairly close in price at Kmart as well.

Where do you find the best deals? Leave a comment and let me know.

Announcing Kmart doubles

It is official in case you didn't get the ad yet. Kmart in Portage is starting double coupon week on Sunday. Here's the details. You can only use one coupon per item. Coupons up to a $2 value will double. A maximum of 10 doubled coupons per person per day, and you may only buy 4 of a like item. Your before coupon total must also be at least $25.

That said, hip2save.com often does a coupon match up for Kmart so you can check there for deal ideas. That is my main source for Kmart. A word of warning though, she lives in South Carolina so the prices at her Kmart may be different. Use your best judgement!

Happy shopping. See you there!

Weekend shopping on Friday instead

Hi everyone. I headed over to Pierce's today to pick up a few things that were on sale. I'll list the sale items below...

• Lay's chips BOGO $3.99
• Ground chuck $1.78/lb (I buy around 9 pounds each time it gets this cheap and divide into 1lb baggies and freeze)
• Hunt's chocolate pudding $1.00, MQ for $1/3
• Oscar Mayer hot dogs $0.98 each limit 4. $1/2 MQ. I will be going back several times to use all my coupons at this price!
• Sweet corn 10/$3
• Supreme baby carrots $0.99
• Peaches $1.28/lb
• Organic raspberries $2.50
• Organic blueberries $2.50
• Cantaloupe $2.00
• Dole lettuce bags$1.50
• Bush Beans $1.25, $1/2 IP

As you can see I got a couple other items too for a cookout we are going to this weekend. All told, my out of pocket total was $72.35, with a coupon/ad savings of $43.71. I am still running at budget for the month in groceries.

How did you do? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Daily Register Story

Here is the direct link to the story in today's newspaper featuring yours truly. Click on the link to go directly to the site.

Enjoy!

Local: PORTAGE'S COUPON QUEEN: 30 mac and cheeses for 40 cents total? No problem - The Portage Daily Register, - portagedailyregister.com

Posted using ShareThis

Welcome new readers!

Hi everyone! If you saw me in the newspaper today...Welcome! I am just your average mom trying to save a few bucks on groceries that I have to buy anyways. Stop back and browse around. I try to include tips and sale alerts for stores that are local to Portage. If you ever have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave me a comment on this website.

I have received a couple questions already today that I would like to address.

1. Where do you get your coupons? I get the weekend newspapers for the bulk of my coupons. My neighbor, a friend and my dad also save their inserts for me too. I also print coupons online. Look to the section on this site that lists the websites I follow. That is where I find most of the links to print coupons online. I also just started getting the "All You" magazine which contains many coupons in each issue.

2. Can you use more than one coupon per item? Typically no, you can only use one coupon per item purchased. There are a couple exceptions to the rule. If the store has their own "in store" coupon, you can usually 'stack' it with a manufacture coupon to maximize savings. For example: if you buy Ritz crackers at Pierce's and use a $1 manufacture coupon (MQ), plus you have a 25 cent Pierce's coupon from a previous visit to the store you can use them both.

That is all the questions I've had so far and I hope I've answered them for you. I am open to suggestions to make this a website/blog for all to use and benefit from. If you have any ideas, or would like a certain area covered, let me know and I'll do my best! I will warn you that there will be typos and mistakes, after all I am human and a busy human at that.

Welcome aboard!