Super Coupon Girl | 2009

Archive for January, 2009

Shopping Trips – January 4th and 5th

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

I had one disappointing shopping trip on Sunday, followed by a great trip yesterday.

Safeway trip, January 4th:

Total spent: $6.99 – no coupons
View receipt

Got:

1 24 pack of TP

This trip was a dud for a few reasons. First, I had planned to pick up some Wacky Mac – Sunday was the last day that it was on sale for .99 cents, and there are .50/1 printables on both SmartSource and Coupons.com, which would make it free after doubles. However, the store was completely out of the sales fliers that contain the doubler, so I opted not to get any Wacky Mac, since there was no way for me to get my coupons doubled. On top of that, the store was also completely out of Sunday papers. But I still got the TP, since we’re running low. Toilet paper sales are rare around here, so I just have to take what I can get. After Safeway, I ran to a vending machine and got myself a paper, adding $2.50 to my budget.

But my trip to Walgreens on the 5th was much more successful. First transaction:

Total spent: Nothing out pocket, put $10 on my rebate gift card. And I got $9 in Register Rewards back!
Total before coupons: $14.00

View receipt #1
View receipt #2
View receipt #3

Got:

2 bottles of SlimQuick Energy shots – on sale for $4, got $4 in Register Rewards back for purchasing it.
2 bottles of Theraflu – on sale for $5 each, used two $2/1 coupons from the 10/19 Smart Source newspaper inserts. Final price: $6 for two, and I received $5 back in Register Rewards back for the purchase.

The reason there are three receipts is because when I made my initial purchase, I forgot to hand over my coupons – DUH. But they were very accomodating, and let me return the Theraflu and then re-ring it with the coupons. I put $14 on my gift card initially, but the manager did the return in cash, so I ended up with a $4 cash refund. I really appreciated them doing that!!

I thought this was a good deal for the Theraflu – I love stocking up on this stuff, because it really saves you money when you get sick.

For my second transaction, I used my $9 in Register Rewards to pay for some awesome clearance finds, and also scored some fantastic coupon deals:

Total spent: Nothing out of pocket, put $1.11 on my rebate gift card. And I will get $1.50 back in EasySaver rebates!
Total before coupons: $54.84
View receipt

Got:

4 pints of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream – on sale for $3, used four $3/1 printables. Free after coupons! These coupons were available for a limited time last week if you signed up on the Ben & Jerry’s website. The offer is no longer available, but if you printed these last week, use them at Walgreens! Jai and I both signed up for the offer, which is how we got 4 pints. YUM!
1 Blood Glucose Monitor – on sale for $14.99, used a coupon for up to $20 off from the 1/4 Red Plum newspaper inserts. Free after coupon! As you might guess by the fact that this is sitting next to ice cream, I do not have diabetes. However, I have relatives that do, and if they can’t use it, I will donate it. As a side note, if you or a loved one need one of these, check out this link to see if you qualify to have a free monitor mailed to you from One Touch!
1 package of Electrasol – on sale for $3.49, used a $2.50/1 coupon from the 1/4 Smart Source newspaper inserts, bringing it down to .99 cents. And I will get a $1.50 EasySaver rebate for purchasing it, so I’m .51 cents ahead!
2 jumbo packs of Stayfree – 96 pads altogether! On sale for $6.99 each. First, I used the “Buy One, Get One Free” coupon from the 1/4 Red Plum newspaper inserts, which took off $6.99. Then, I used a $1/1 printable, stacked with a $3 coupon from the Walgreens sales flier, which took $3 off each package. Final cost for both: Free plus .01 cent overage!
1 bottle of Palmolive dish soap – on sale for $1.79, used a coupon from the Walgreens sales flier for $1 off stacked with a .25/1 coupon from the the 1/4 Smart Source newspaper inserts. Final price: .54 cents
1 purse sized packet of Kleenex – clearanced to .24 cents
3 cans of Sweet Potatoes – clearanced to .24 cents each
3 rolls of ribbon – clearanced to .16 cents each
8 Santa & Snowman votive candles – clearanced to .12 cents each. I just couldn’t resist, these will be so cute to put in gift bags next year!
1 can of Pumpkin – clearanced to .44 cents
2 packages of Christmas gift tags – 200 gift tags in total! Clearanced to .49 cents each
2 Santa salt & pepper shakers – clearanced to .16 cents each
Pre-made Honey Maid Graham Cracker crusts – clearanced to .74 cents each. I was stoked about these – Jai’s birthday is in March, and I always make him cheesecake, so this was a great find!
2 packages of bows – clearanced to .24 cents each
2 packages of red & green tissue paper – look familiar? I paid $2.50 for one package of this before Christmas. But now they’re clearanced to .62 cents each, so I stocked up!
1 package of plastic cutlery – clearanced to .24 cents
1 bag of BBQ potato chips – Notice how the bag is empty! I was having a blast rooting through the clearance, and I realized that it was getting late when I noticed how hungry I was! This was just to tide me over until I got home.

I was really pleased with these deals, because I got a few awesome freebies and some useful items on clearance that will come in handy next Christmas and beyond. The bottom of my receipt listed my grand total savings – factoring in coupons, store specials, and pre-clearance prices – as $89.91. Not too shabby!

Thanks so much to Common Sense With Money and Hot Coupon World for posting these awesome coupon scenarios for Walgreens!

Posted in Safeway, Walgreens | 1 Comment »

First Shopping Trips of the Month – January 2nd and 3rd

Monday, January 5th, 2009

I made Fettuccine Alfredo for five people on Saturday night, so I needed to pick up a few supplies beforehand.

Safeway trip, January 2nd:

Total spent: $8.57
Total before coupons: $11.57
View receipt

Got:

1 gallon of milk
1 quart of half and half
1 box of Always pads – I got yet another $3/1 catalina for these, so I put it to use!

Walgreens trip, January 3rd:

Total spent: Nothing out of pocket, put $5.99 on my rebate gift card
View receipt

Got:

1 8 oz bottle of Parmesan cheese

I didn’t get any pictures of the dinner, but it was my first time making Fettuccine – and YUM, was it good. I used this recipe, which I highly recommend!

Posted in Safeway, Walgreens | No Comments »

Budget Total – December 2008

Monday, January 5th, 2009

December was a very expensive month. I couldn’t make it to the grocery store half the time because of being laid up with my foot, and when I did go I spent more than usual because I wasn’t up to much. Limping over ice to get to a store jammed with holiday shoppers was not all that appealing!

The shopping that I did amounted to $150.79. Usually, I do all of the grocery shopping for our household; but last month, Jai did a lot of shopping for me because I couldn’t get around. He doesn’t track his expenses the same way I do, so when I asked him how much he spent, he replied, “I’m not sure. Anywhere between $150-$300!” So I don’t have an exact number for you this month, since I wasn’t able to document everything the way I normally would. I wasn’t about to dig through his wallet looking for receipts while I was on heavy painkillers!

But on the plus side, this paid for all of our Christmas presents and wrapping paper, in addition to our food, household/beauty items, lots of bandages for my toe, and random stuff like the two bottles of Bailey’s Irish Cream that I picked up before New Year’s. This also includes all the takeaway/fast food/pizza deliveries that we ordered last month. We ate a LOT of takeout in December because I obviously wasn’t able to cook as much as I normally do – and that adds up fast.

I wish the total could have been lower, but there are times when it’s just not possible to save like you normally would. Life happens sometimes, and when you’re incapacitated you just have to roll with it. And this was still a cheap December compared to years past when I didn’t use coupons, especially since this covered both groceries and Christmas presents.

Posted in Budget | No Comments »

Last Shopping Trips of 2008 – December 30th and 31st

Thursday, January 1st, 2009

With the end of the year approaching, it was time to use up some good coupons before they expired. I had a huge stack of expiring coupons, but I just cherry picked the really valuable ones and focused on using those.

Safeway trip, December 30th:

Total spent: $3.58
Total before coupons: $11.67
View receipt

Got:

1 package of Always pads – on sale for $6.29, used a $3/1 Always catalina. Final price: $3.29
1 package of mini doughnuts – on sale for $2.79, used a coupon that I received through the mail good for $2 off any Hostess product, which doubled. Final price: .29 cents
1 package of organic tofu – used a free tofu coupon. I joined Nasoya’s email club earlier in the year, and was invited to take a quick survey about their products. In return, they sent me coupons for free products!

The tofu coupon was free up to $2.49, and the package I bought was tagged on the shelf as being on sale for $1.99. However, it rang up as $2.59, so I asked the checker if she’d like me to go double-check the price tag. She said not to worry about it, and price adjusted the tofu to $2.49 instead so that I would still get it free. Whatever works!

I was only $4 away from my next Power Pump Reward, so this purchase earned me another .10 fuel discount, since it accumulates based on your pre-coupon total. The gas discount had to be redeemed by the 31st, so Jai filled his car on the way to work. (My tank is full – I haven’t been driving much because of my foot!)

I had 6 Power Pump Rewards altogether, resulting in a savings of .60 cents a gallon. Jai was able to fill up for $11 – that’s $1.13 per gallon.

I found a few more coupons that I just couldn’t let expire, so I made quick trip back to Safeway last night:

Total spent: .59 cents
Total before coupons: $7.08
View receipt

Got:

1 package of corn tortillas, 36 count – On sale for $1.99, used a $1/1 printable, which doubled. Final price: .49 cents. I have no idea where I found this printable, but I know I’ve had it in my stash for a long time.
1 6oz tub of yoghurt – on sale for .60 cents, used a .25/1 coupon that I received in the mail, which doubled. Final price: .10 cents
Package of two AA Energizer batteries – used a coupon for free Energizer batteries that I received in the mail.

I get a lot of questions about Safeway’s doubling policy, so let me give a brief explanation of how it works. Safeway doubles up to four coupons per transaction, up to .50 cents each. So if the coupon is .50 cents or under, it doubles the amount – so my .25 cent yoghurt coupon became .50 cents. If the coupon is over .50 cents, then .50 cents is added to the value of the coupon; so my $1/1 tortilla coupon became $1.50. This isn’t doubling in the mathematical sense, obviously, but that’s what Safeway refers to it as.

Happy 2009, everyone! Did you snag any good deals with expiring coupons?

Posted in Power Pump Rewards, Safeway | No Comments »

Happy New Year!

Thursday, January 1st, 2009

I hope that everyone has a fun and safe time celebrating New Year’s Eve tonight! I am excited about 2009, which will be my first full year using coupons. Here’s to a New Year filled with savings!

Posted in Holidays | No Comments »