Coupon = addiction!

Ok gang, here is the break down of my trip tonight!!  I think I've written it all out right - hopefully this is helpful if you want to try couponing for yourself!!

Read the book by the Krazy Coupon Lady because that is how I learned to do all this!!  You have to get mulitple copies of The Sun or The Aegis so get copies of each coupon (i.e. my tropicana deal below) it really makes a difference.  I have a local store near me that saves all the old papers for me.  They charge me for a few and then give me extra inserts since they don't make money off those - they can give the papers back for a reimbursment but I guess they don't care about the inserts. 

Here it goes!!

I've been couponing for about 2 weeks now - I know I can do better than this, but I am just starting to stockpile and learn the ropes and rules!


Price before coupons and sales: $118.25
Price after coupons and sales: $ 47.47
Saved: 70.78 or about 60%

Also earned a $5 coupon off my next order.

2 Sparkle paper towels 6pck $3.84 each
used a $1/2 coupon
paid 6.68

Angel Soft toilet paper for $2.34
no coupon for this since I just started:(  but this was the best deal, and we need it...NOW;)  when you stockpile you dont have that problem!

5 Heinz gravy for .99
no coupon
earned $5 off next order

Safeway mustard for .99
no coupon, but we needed this pronto - need to find a great sale and stock up!

5 Campbell select soups for .99 each
coupon for $1.50/3
paid: $3.45 (bought a few extra of these)

4 Campbell chicken noodle for .60 each
coupon for $1/4
Paid $1.40

5 Campbell condensed soups for 1.25
used $1/5
paid 5.25

12 pck of Thomas english muffins for 1.77
used Shoprite coupon from mailer
paid .97

Family size package of ground beef for 6.59

3 pound boneless pork shoulder for 3.19

Keller butter for 3.19
used Shoprite coupon from mailer
paid .99

Oscar Meyer bacon for 4.65
used Shoprite coupon from mailer
paid 1.77

Eggland dozen eggs for 2.59
on sale for 1.77
used man Q for $.55/1 (doubled to $1)
paid .77

Shoprite large 18 pk of eggs for 2.69
use Shoprite coupon
FREE

4 Tropicana OJ for 2.89 each
on sale for 1.77 each
used 4 $1/1 coupons
and they let me stack a shoprite coupon so
1 was FREE
paid 2.08 for the other 3 can we say STOCKPILE!? yes!!! three are in the freezer...

Shoprite Milk for 2.99
no coupon for this - should have bought at Wegmans since it's new in town and has a locked in price of 2.69

4 Colgate toothbrushes for .77 each
used 2 $1/2 coupons (best I had at this point)
paid $1.08 for all 4

Shoprite egg noodles for 1.59
no coupon:(  probably can get a better deal down the road but needed these now

So that is it!!  I prob won't break down all my trips, but I can post what I buy and what I pay and if you are interested just send me a message on FB and I can tell you!

Other deals this week:

Staples
2 reams of paper
1 pop up tape dispenser
1 pk command hooks
Spent: $13.68
Submitted for Staples rebates (easy to sign up for, go to their website) totaling $16!!  That means I made over $2, for shopping?!?!  Yeah, I can live with that;)  They are sending me a check as we speak.

Ok - thats all for now - isnt it so fun?!?!

Crafty BFF-ness

On Saturday this past weekend, my BFF Heather & I had a day full of cooking and crafting!  We made pumpkin muffins and yummy cinnamon rolls.  More on those later...

First I have to talk about the wreaths we made, they are so cool!  We got the idea off the internet, where else?  I got some ideas off Pinterest:

     

Aren't they so pretty?  They are SO easy!!  You get a packet or two of coffee filters, we chose white but you can also do the tan-ish/brown ones.  You need a wreath ring, which you can get at JoAnn or Michaels or any craft store.  Also, you need a glue gun.  Here are my supplies, don't mind the monkey towel (we were working on my huge red ottoman as we watch girl movies like Pride and Prejudice and You've Got Mail and the towels were laid down to protect the red planet) or the Santa plate (cheap $1 store plate to lay the glue gun on) just the every day supplies of a professional crafter....lol...YEAH RIGHT:

You take the coffee filter and scrunch it up so that all the feathery tips are bunched together, and you put some glue on the bottom smooth part and stick it on the ring...

See?  It already looks cool!!!

Here it is, all done!  Here it is just sitting on my couch.  I figured I'd hang it up somewhere...

I think it looks way pretty on our red door:)  I may add some fall decor to it?  You can do so much to these!  A little spray glitter and some red or green ribbon and its a Christmas wreath!  Or an orange ribbon and some black decor for Halloween.  Or...some leaves and pumpkins and it's a fall/Thanksgiving wreath.  The ideas are endless.  It's such an easy and cheap craft - and could make a great gift too!!  It only took about 1.5 hours, not too shabby!

I love being crafty!  Ashley and I are working on the next craft...the letters B.O.O. decoupaged with Halloween scrap paper -it's so cute so far!  More on that later too!

This week has been so busy so far!  I am officially obsessed with couponing!  Oh the deals I have scored!!  For instance, Staples is running some great promos and rebates right now - last night I bought two reams of computer paper, a package of picture hanging hooks, and a pop up tape dispenser and I paid $13 OOP (out of pocket) but after rebates (easy ones to submit right online, no hassle) totaling $16 I will have MADE $3?!?  How does that even happen?  It's so crazy, so fun, and really so addicting!  I highly recommend the book by the Krazy Coupon Lady it really explains the whole process and how to get into this whole couponing thing.  I'll post more deals as I go, be prepared for a MEGA deal tomorrow from Shop Rite, it is going to be REDONK!!  I love shopping but I love saving money more - so couponing is awesome for me.

Ok I have to go to bed!  I did my 5K training Sunday and then again today and my body is really feeling it, ow!  But it feels great!  I have so much more energy to get things done at work and at home, its awesome:)

Night friends!

Krazy: to be or not to be?

I'm reading this book:



..and it's pretty darn good!  Have you ever watched that extreme coupon show and thought, "man that would be so cool?!?!"  Or you have heard stories or people going to the store and paying like $5 for $200 worth of stuff?  Yeah, that is pretty cool!

I don't know how "krazy" I am going to be, but I have definitely started!  I've gone to a local store here and asked them to save the leftover coupon/newspapers for me every week - the ladies there were so sweet!  I bought 2 of the leftover papers and then they GAVE me two extra sets of inserts from other papers.  Plus the paper I have the we get delivered, that means I have FIVE sets of inserts of this weekends paper.  Which, BTW, is totally cool because this week was loaded with good stuff.

I went to Wal-Mart and bought a binder and the baseball card organizer sheets, and started cutting and organizing the coupons tonight.  I got tired really fast, so I didn't make it through all the hundreds of coupons I have.  I'm so excited to watch for the sales and save the heck out of grocery shopping!  I'll post about any good deals I'm getting, it's going to be so fun!

Other things today...I did my week 1 run 2 of the 5k training program.  It was so hard.  I didn't feel great over the weekend so my body had to get used to running all over again, it's been a week since my last run.  It's always hard getting back into it after more than a day or two off.  But, I did 1.5+ miles of walking and jogging and did it in 30 minutes.  Hopefully one day that will turn into 3 miles of all jogging in under 30;)

It's nice to have goals!

That is it for today, I am so sleepy!  If any of my friends want to start a couponing club, I would totally be down with that.  I don't know a lot yet, but we could learn together, swap coupons, etc.  It could be good times!

Terrific Tuesday!

Today I got home from work and found an Amazon box on my porch!!  I am very excited about the books that are in there:

I'm very excited about this one, I hear so many great things about this story.  I think they are doing a movie?  I'm not sure.  There's another story too, but I am reading this one first:)

I have started to run again.  Lord, help me!  I love to run because it helps my stress & anxiety (I'm a very anxious person!) but the last time I reeeeally got into running was right before I had a terrible case of mono that lasted 2 years.  I dont want that to happen again!  Anyways, I bought this book for way cheap to get motivated, learn what is good about running, etc.  I'm training for a possible 5k...we will see how it goes!  I running 3-4 times a week, about 1.5 miles each time. 

This one is super fun, I love couponing but I totally stink at it right now.  I want to be better.  I want to go to the store and pay a little for a lot of groceries!  Not as intense as those crazy ladies on TV, but saving a good chunk on each shopping trip would be great.  We can save up for fun trips, like Disney.  I love the Couponing to Disney blog - lots of great tips on there too and this book will hopefully teach me a little more about saving money at the store.  Love saving money!

That made my day, getting all those books!  Now the hubs, Ashley, and I are going to run some errands and get some ice cream.  Have a great night!

Progress!

It has been a long Monday! 

I've started to re-do the old bloggity blog here...so please excuse me while it is transitioning:)

I'm also starting some fun, Pinterest related projects soon!  Just as a preview, more specifically...these things:

This fun "BOO" Halloween decor, from here :

Also, I'm dying to try this, from here :



More updates on those as I get the projects underway.  I am totally excited about doing home decor stuff again, cooking fun new things, reading fabulous new books, and sharing it all here for you!  Good night!

A Fall spruce:)

Good Morning! Happy Saturday!  Top of the October to you!

LOL - ok I am done.  I'm very excited for fall!  I love fall.  Well, I love it when it's not rainy and gross every day of our lives.  Stupid rain!  But hopefully in the next few days fall will emerge all cool and beautiful:)

Truth:  I love writing my blog.  But, since I haven't been reading (like...at all.  Seriously, I've bought books but haven't read any!) I don't want to blog because I haven't had anything to blog about regarding why I set my blog up in the first place!

Action:  I'm changing the blog a bit.  I'm still going to include reading because I love it.  LOVE IT.  But it won't be all about reading.  It'll be about life and and love and the house and the books I'm reading.  Maybe if I take the pressure off reading, I'll do it more?  Who knows?  Life is a learning experience, right?  We make resolutions or goals - try to achieve those and then have to tweak the goal to make it more successful.  So over the next few days or weeks, I'll be changing the blog - changing the goals, and probably start posting more about life. 

Review:  Let me know what you think of it as I'm changing and when I'm done!  Cheerio!