Rite Aid Adventure #26

Total +UP from last week=$0.00
Total Before Coupons: $145.82
Total After Coupons: $41.64
Total Rebates: $59.08
Total +UP for next week: $0.00
I made $17.44 this week at Rite Aid!

Rite Aid Adventure #25

Sorry I'm just getting around to posting from last week.
Total +UP from last week: $8.98
Total Before Coupons: $110.98
Total After Coupons: $35.13
Total Rebates: $59.97
Total +UP for next week: $0.00
I made $15.86 last week at Rite Aid!

Rite Aid Adventure #24

Total +UP from last week=$36.50
Total Before Coupons: $46.92
Total After Coupons: $2.05
Total Rebates: $0.00
Total +UP for next week: $43.00
I made $4.45 this week at Rite Aid!

Rite Aid Adventure #23

Total +UP from last week=$29.50
Total Before Coupons: $74.01
Total After Coupons: $1.97
Total Rebates: $2.00
Total +UP for next week: $36.50
I made $7.03 this week at Rite Aid!

Rite Aid Adventure #22

So I don't have a picture for this one because I gave all the diapers to my friend that actually has kids in diapers. I bought three packages of Huggies Pure and Natural diapers.

Total +UP from last week=$33.50
Total Before Coupons: $39.21
Total After Coupons: $0.50
Total Rebates: $10.00 giftcard
Total +UP for next week: $29.50
I made $5.50 on this trip to Rite Aid! Who else can say that they've actually made money buying diapers :)

Rite Aid Adventure #21

Total +UP from last week=$19.50
Total Before Coupons: $74.29
Total After Coupons: $2.27
Total Rebates: $0.00
Total +UP for next week: $33.50
I made $11.73 on this trip to Rite Aid!

Rite Aid Adventure #20

Total +UP from last week=$26
Total Before Coupons: $72.39
Total After Coupons: $4.46
Total Rebates: $2.00
Total +UP for next week: $19.50
I also bought cat litter that cost me $11.84. So all together with 40lbs of cat litter, it only cost me $8.96. For everything else, minus the cat litter, I made $2.88.

Rite Aid Adventure # 19

Total Before Coupons: $171.49
Total After Coupons: $42.66
Total Rebates: $20.99
Total +UP for next week: $26.00
I made $4.33 this week at Rite Aid!

Rite Aid Adventure #18

Total Before Coupons: $115.08
Total After Coupons: $33.45
Total Rebates: $34.49
Total +UP for next week: $0.00
I made $1.04 this week at Rite Aid!

CVS Trip #8

Total before coupons: $34.81
Total after coupons: $15.93
Total ECB for next week: $12.00

Rite Aid Adventure #17

Total Before Coupons: $32.67
Total After Coupons: $9.73
Total Rebates: $9.99
Total +UP for next week: $0.00
I made $0.26 shopping at Rite Aid this week!

Rite Aid Adventure #16

So its been a busy month and I'm a bit behind on my coupon blogging so here's the last few weeks worth.
Total Before Coupons: $43.52
Total After Coupons: $9.23
Total Rebates: $2.00
Total +UP for next week: $7.50
I made $0.27 this week shopping at Rite Aid!

CVS Trip #7

Total before coupons: $25.03
Total after coupons: $12.47
Total ECB for next week: $16.98

I made $4.51 this week shopping at CVS!

Rite Aid Adventure #15

Total +UP from last week: $1.00
Total before coupons: $43.11
Total after coupons: $31.55
Total +UP for next week: $1.50
Total rebates: $41.97

I made a total of $10.42 this week at Rite Aid with an additional $1.50 to use on my next purchase!

CVS Trip #6

Total ECB from last week: $2.99
Total before coupons: $47.93
Total after coupons: $32.46
Total rebates: $34.99

Rite Aid Adventure #14

Total +UP from last week: $14.00
Total before coupons: $34.38
Total after coupons: $2.11
Total +UP for next week: $1.00
Total rebates: $4.69

So this week I had a little trouble. I thought I had calculated it out perfectly, but turns out the glycerin was B1G1 half off. Since manufacturer's coupons can cover tax, I give those coupons to the cashier last. Well the sale on the glycerin threw off my total so I wasn't able to use all the coupons I had intended to use. Pretty much I just gave up about $2.75 that I could have kept in +UP rewards for next week. Sometimes sales don't actually help you save any money. lol.

Rite Aid Adventure #13

Total before coupons: $133.75
Total after coupons: $33.23
Total rebates: $44.29
Total +UP for next: week: $3 (plus the $11+UP from last week that I forgot at home this week)
I made a total of $14.06 this week at Rite Aid!

CVS Trip #5

So this is my trip for this week.
Total ECB from last week: $6.00
Total before coupons: $58.42
Total after coupons: $6.02
Total ECB for next week: $9.99

CVS Trip #4

This was a last minute run I did to CVS today.
They were 2/$3 and I started with $0.50 in ECB.
Total before coupons: $6.52
Total after coupons: $0.73

Rite Aid Adventure #12

Total +UP Rewards from last week: $5.00
Total before coupons: $95.67
Total after coupons: $9.74
Total Rebates: $2.99
Total +UP Rewards for next week: $11.00

CVS Trip #3

This is my CVS trip for this week.

ECB from last week: $1.00
Total before coupons: $21.32
Total after coupons: $5.81
Total ECB for next week: $5.00

Rite Aid Adventure #11

Here is my Rite Aid deal for this week. Rite Aid is starting a new program where you can earn +UP Rewards. +UP Rewards are similar to ECB (at CVS): you earn them for buying specific items and may use them like a coupon on your next purchase.

Total Retail Value: $130.41
Total Before Coupons: $74.38
Total After Coupons: $2.72
Total Rebates: $2.00
Total +UP: $5.00

I made $4.28 shopping at Rite Aid today!

Rite Aid Adventure #10

This is my second trip to Rite Aid this week. I bought 14 packages of Benadryl, 1 Lipton Onion Soup Mix, and 2 Hawaiian Punch To-Go packages. The two deals I combined were: Rite Aid Allergy Rewards (Spend $75, Get $20 back) and a Rite Aid Single Check Rebate (Spend $50 on select allergy products, get a $25 Gift Card to Rite Aid) for a total of $45 in Rebates.

Total before coupons: $88.13
Total after coupons: $2.78
Total Rebates: $45.00

I made $42.22 shopping today at Rite Aid! Oh and no worries, we went to more than one store so that we didn't clear the shelf at any one store.

CVS Trip #2

Total Before Coupons: $10.98
Total After Coupons: $1.48
Total ECB for next week: $8
I made $6.52 shopping at CVS this week!

Rite Aid Adventure #9

Total Before Coupons: $44.39
Total After Coupons: $17.22
Total Rebates: $13.99
I spent $3.23 this week at Rite Aid and got some Dr. Scholl's Insoles that are regularly $13.99 alone.

Rite Aid Adventure # 8

Total Before Coupons: $47.94
Total After Coupons: $9.81
Total Rebates: $22.99
I made $13.18 this round at Rite Aid for a total of $28.26 this week! They even charged me twice for the Lubriderm so if I find the motivation to go back in this week, I will make $4+tax more!

Rite Aid Adventure #7

Here is my awesome deal this week...
Total value before coupons: $97.29
Total out of pocket: $44.92
Total rebates: $60.00
I made a total of $15.08 shopping at Rite Aid this week! Man I'm loving these Olay Rebates.

CVS Trip #1

So this isn't really the first trip to CVS I've had, but its the first one that I felt was good enough for a post. I'm learning how CVS works slowly, but surely. So CVS uses Extra Care Bucks (ECB) to get you coming back. When you buy certain items, you receive ECB back. These ECB can be put towards your next purchase similar to how a giftcard might work. So the challenge is to continuously roll your ECB so you never pay much more than just tax for your items. So, going into this week, I had $6.99 ECB from last week.

Total Before Coupons: $28.34
Total After Coupons: $0.53
Total ECB for next week: $13

This week I made $12.47 shopping at CVS!

Rite Aid Adventure #6

Here is the great deal I did this week at Rite Aid. This is the best one that I have put together myself and when I say myself I mean with the help of my friend, Rachel, of course. This deal combined three Rite Aid rebates with one Olay rebate.

Total before coupons: $71.91
Total out of pocket after coupons: $35.06
Total Rebates: $44.00

This week I made $8.94 to shop at Rite Aid!! And I even got some good stuff :)

Rite Aid Adventure #5

Here is my loot for the week.
Total before coupons: $24.56
Total after coupons: $1.76
Total rebates: $4.00
I made $2.24 shopping this week!

Rite Aid Adventure #4

So its been a little slow with the couponing for a while so that's why there haven't been any updates with that, but the past two weeks I have gotten some pretty good deals at Rite Aid. Last week I put together a scenario on my own again and it worked out way better than I had planned. I thought that I might get a somewhat good deal and it ended up being amazing. I had two coupons for everything I bought (one store and one manufacturer) so that made it an awesome deal.

So here's the breakdown...
Total before coupons: $24.22
Total after coupons: $2.19
Total rebates: $3.00

Once again I was able to make $0.81 shopping and getting some good stuff (like the razors Jeff uses, when he doesn't have a beard that is). You can see in the picture that the vitamin water didn't even make it long enough for the picture. That was some good stuff.

On to this week...Rite Aid started a new Wellness Program so they give special deals and coupons to its members. Most of the stuff this week I got for free because my coupons were worth more than the items cost using the Wellness Program.

Total before coupons: $ 39.87
Total after coupons: $1.27

Now let me just explain why this one is so awesome. The Covergirl stuff is usually $12.99 a piece, but the store's deal was buy one get one free and I had a manufacturer's coupon for a buy one get one free plus a dollar off manufacturer's coupon. So technically with just the makeup I made one dollar buying it. The liners were $0.99 through the wellness program and I had a dollar off manufacturer's for each one so I made a penny on each package of those. The rest of the stuff is just extra stuff we wanted since I had about five extra dollars that needed to be made up for. Its so much fun when you have too many coupons and have to get free stuff to make up for them. If you're wondering what that other stuff is, its rubbing alcohol that Jeff is using for fuel in one of his experiments.

This week at Publix (a grocery store for those that don't know what it is), I got the best deal I have ever gotten couponing while grocery shopping. I should have taken a picture of it all to put up, but I'll just give you the break down and tell you that I got lots of stuff. Publix does lots of buy one get one free deals and so I usually try and only buy stuff when its at 50% off. On top of that I use coupons to try and get my total even lower. I'm still learning with grocery shopping and its been a slow process, but I'm slowly getting better.

So I started with a total of: $103.67
My total savings was: $62.57
I ended up paying: $41.10

That's 60% savings on grocery shopping!!! I'm hoping to get better at this and hopefully start using more than just manufacturer coupons at Publix. Publix takes competitor coupons, but I've been having trouble finding them and figuring it all out. Anyway, wish me luck with my learning experiences and hopefully some of you can benefit from what I'm learning!!

Sewing Projects

So, many of you know that Jeffery bought me a sewing machine for my birthday. Thankfully I have had the time to learn how to use it and have put it to good use. I just finished some projects that I made for my niece, Jada Marie. She was born February 24, 2010 in Rapid City, SD. Being so excited, I decided to make a few things for baby Jada. They were only my second project, so I haven't quite perfected them yet, but I think they will hold together well enough. Below are pictures of my masterpieces. I totally hope that I have a baby girl someday so I can make cute little clothes for her :)

RIte Aid Adventure #3

So this couponing adventure was spending $50 before coupons to get $25 back in the form of a check (Rite Aid rebate). I definitely could have made this one a much better deal and made more off of it, but I decided that i would go for stuff Jeff and I might actually use instead of continuing to stock up on medicine and stuff that Jeff and I barely ever use. So here's the break-down.

Total before coupons: $58.89
Total after coupons: $24.29
Total I made $0.71 by shopping at Rite Aid this week.

I'm gonna be so sad if we ever move somewhere they don't have Rite Aid. It has become my favorite place to shop these days. I love spending time to figure out how to get the best deals and messing around to see what would be the best deal for Jeff and I. Its so much fun and it requires lots of math so I feel like I'm using my brain. Plus on this one we got some sweet Transformer band-aids. Jeff and I keep a spreadsheet of every penny we spend since neither of us have ever really had to keep track of several bills each month before. I have now added a Rite Aid section to that spreadsheet so I can see how much I make at Rite Aid each month. Last month I was at making a total of $4.49 for the month and we now have more than a years supply of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, and razors. This month I ended up spending $3.25, but we have face wash, band-aids and neosporin to last several years. I'm gonna be sad when Jeff tells me to stop because we have too much stuff. It's just so much fun getting everything for free. I will have to brainstorm on what to do with all the extra stuff that we won't use. Maybe we will find someplace to donate it?

Moss Rock!

Since I'm so far behind I decided to do another post to get everyone caught up on what's been going on lately. First off, please pray for my Grandpa York as he had surgery on Wednesday and is still recovering. He was hoping to be out of the hospital by Friday and home on Saturday, but complications have kept him in the hospital. He is doing well, but just keep him in your prayers.
Second, my good friend Laura came for a visit about two weeks ago and we had so much fun. It's really nice to have a friend nice enough to drive six hours just to see me for the weekend!! I miss you Laura :) Anyway, Laura brought her puppy, Pogo, with her and that was so much fun. We weren't sure what to expect between Sincola and Pogo, but they just sniffed each other and seemed to be fine. I think Sincola might have swatted once, but only because he scared her. Laura came on Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon we met some friends at a city park called Moss Rock. While we were waiting for everyone to meet up, we decided to go to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to make it easier for everyone to meet up. Some people (including our car) had troubles figuring out where to go to get to Moss Rock. So obviously, meeting at Krispy Kreme means eating Krispy Kreme and boy was it good. You can see the whole crew out front in the picture to the left. Of course, after eating a half dozen doughnuts, we had to work them off (we saved the rest for later!). They have a bunch of trails for hiking and a little creek and waterfall. It made me miss the beautiful Black Hills, but was fun.Pogo had lots of fun out and about. He was even able to get off the leash for a while! We got to the highest point, found out there were houses up there and decided to turn around. It was a beautiful view. At the bottom, they have two round-a-bouts which are pretty cool and all these cool houses and a big open green. The pine cones there were HUGE! We will definitely visit there again soon when the weather is good. So the next morning, Laura got to experience our new church. We're really excited about it and I was happy that Laura liked it too. We have a lot of fun there and have learned a lot in the little bit of time we have been attending there. After church we decided to go to Cici's Pizza since neither Jeff nor Laura had been there before. Mmm it was good and what made it even better was that I had a coupon for buy one adult buffet get one free. Me, the coupon lady, haha. Told you I was having fun with this. So Jeff and I both ate a buffet for $3.99+tax. Isn't that a great deal? lol. Afterward, we wandered about Books-a-Million for a while just looking at tons of books. Bookstores are such fun. After we got back to the apartment, Laura and I decided to walk off that pizza buffet we had eaten so I took her on a long tour of our neighborhood. I think Pogo really liked tagging along on this one too, especially since he got to play in the park afterward. That night Laura made us some delicious Danish potatoes? I think that's what they were. And she was off to Savannah early the next morning :( I miss her, but we'll meet again soon I'm sure. Jeffery and I have been trying to find a good weekend to go see Savannah, but it hasn't worked out so far. Maybe in the near future when it warms up a bit, we'll visit and be able to go in the ocean!

Rite Aid Adventure #2

Wow, definitely a little behind on posting stuff right now. So this is the first week in a while that I actually got a good couponing deal. I wasn't quite prepared for the last part of this outing so it could have ended up a little better, but I still think I did pretty good considering I put the whole thing together myself for the first time. So here's the run-down:
Total before coupons: $70.42
Total after coupons: @32.06
Total rebates I will get back: $29
So I spent a total of $3.06 to get all this.

I realize that I would not normally buy Metamucil, but it gave me a good deal and it actually doesn't taste too bad. I'm not fond of the water here so it will be nice to have that to cover up the bad taste. I did the Biore deal last and before I bought the Biore I was actually at making $0.57 for my days work. I thought it was a pretty good deal though to get all the extra Biore stuff for only three dollars more. I've been looking at the deals for next week and am excited to try my hand again at putting together a deal all on my own.

Sincola the Kitty Kat

Here are a few more videos of Sincola. She is so good at entertaining us!!

A whole new meaning for "Don't let the cat out of the bag."

These last few are just Sincola playing with feathers.




This last one is Sincola playing with Jeffery's contact case. Who knew that could be so fun?

Kitty Kat Videos

Here are a few videos for those of you who have not met our cat yet. Her name is Sincola and she is really cute.

Sincola loves to chase the feathers. No matter how sleepy she is, she knows when someone has picked up the feather toy and she will follow you around until you put it down.

This is Sincola during bathtime. I have never seen a cat that looks so awkward. I mean I knew cats were flexible, but that's ridiculus. I have a feeling that if she had a tail, she wouldn't be able to do that.

Another one of her bathing.

Valentine's Day

So many people celebrate this day by spending money and giving gifts. In the past, I have not had good experiences with Valentine's Day so Jeff and I decided to not do anything special and not give each other gifts. Our day started with us getting up fairly early for a Sunday morning. I cooked some cinnamon rolls that I had bought at an awesome price using coupons since that is my new thing. So breakfast took ten minutes to make and only cost us $1!! We then set out for church. Our church is doing this awesome thing called The Radical Experiment where as a church we are reading through the entire bible in one year. We are given a reading guide to follow that assigns a few chapters a day for six days and we get Sunday's off. So this week we are starting on Exodus. The title of the sermon was Blood that Satisfies which goes along great with it being Valentine's Day. Usually, I would have suggested that we go out to eat for lunch or dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day, but instead we just cooked a pork roast in the crock pot so there wasn't much work for the meal (no work for me :)).When we got home from church, Jeff served us some of that awesome pot roast and since we are a little behind on our daily readings, we read ten chapters from Exodus. I love reading the bible together with Jeff. First off, I have never read the entire bible so I just love this whole experience so far. Second, Jeff has such good understanding and knowledge of the bible that he is so helpful when I don't understand. I really love discussing as we read through the bible. Both of us get so much out of it and it really helps our relationship as a couple as well. Like I said to start, so many people base the success of their Valentine's Day off of how much they got from their significant other or how fancy of a restaurant they went to. This totally goes against the point of the day and that is to spend time with the one you love and show them that you care. I have to say that this simple day of spending time with my husband and just reading the bible has made it the best Valentine's Day I have ever had.

My First Couponing Adventure

I was so excited about my first time couponing that I felt the need to share the awesomeness of my experience. The whole idea of couponing is combining manufacturer and store coupons to get the best deals. I cannot take the credit for planning all of this out as I had help from http://thekrazycouponlady.com and my good friend Rachel. Both Rachel and I are new at the couponing business, but she definitely has a better grasp on how to make it all work out. We did four separate transactions to get the best of our money. So here is the run-down of what we did.
Total Before Coupons: $101.36
Total After Coupons: $43.97
Total Rebates: $54.00
Notice that the rebates were more than the total I spent. I actually made money by shopping today. Now I'd say that's one of the coolest jobs ever. All of the purchased items today were from Proctor and Gamble and so we were able to earn a coupon book with $100 worth of coupons to use another day!! Below is a picture of the goodies I got today!