Attention Teachers: 2011 Deal of the Day Preview: Day 1 | The Teachers' Lounge

Attention Teachers: This is great opportunity from ReallyGoodStuff. check it out: 2011 Deal of the Day Preview: Day 1 | The Teachers' Lounge

I Planned, I Shopped, I Saved!

Last night I spent some time planning today's trip to the grocery store.  I wanted to stock up on some chicken, but I also wanted to take advantage of some coupons that were expiring on 4/30.  By carefully planning, I quickly got through the 3 stores I visited. I stuck to my list and didn't spend time looking for other deals...although I did stumble upon a great deal on turkey bacon while I was in the Albertson's meat department ;-)

• I matched my coupons with the sales in the store circulars
• I checked my favorite coupon sites for deals I might have missed
• I made a list for each store
• I placed the coupons in envelopes for each store
• I got to the store early

 

Here are the results:

Kroger: 

4 packs MentosGum - Free

2 pkg Goldfish Grahams - Free

10 Tony's Crispy Crust Pizzas - .50 each

2 bags Kroger tortilla chips $1.00 each

Total out of Pocket:  $7.88 (72% savings)

Albertsons:

2 Archway Cookies .99 each (my plan for stacking coupons failed)

3 Puffs Tissues .63 each

2 Homelife double roll 6 roll $1.99 each

3 New York Texas Toast Croutons .75 each 

2 pkg Allen Frozen Peas .33 each

2 Cool Whip $1.25 each

1 Pantene Shampoo $1.33

3 Whole Fryer Chickens .49 per pound

1 pkg Chicken thighs .88 per pound

5 pkg Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon $1.00 each

4 Mangos $2.00

5 limes $1.00

2 jalepeno peppers .15

1 bunch cilantro .25

3 bags Fresh Express Salad .99 each

Total Out of Pocket  $36.73 (Total savings $52.51)
Aldi
2 loaves of wheat bread .99 each
2 gallons of milk $1.69 each
1 bag of sweet onions $1.29
Total out of pocket:  $6.65 (total savings approx. $3-$4)
Grand Total Out of Pocket:  $51.26


I would not call this extreme couponing, but I'm very happy with the results.  I can't believe I used to buy all of this stuff without coupons! Actually, I would have never bought Pantene Shampoo, 5 pounds of bacon, or 10 pizzas at one time because these would have busted the weekly grocery budget.  Couponing allows us to buy higher quality products and stock up on items we used to buy every week!!!

$1.00 turkey bacon at Albertsons!

Today while I was shopping I came upon a great deal at Albertson's.  Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon was on sale for $1.99 and the packages had a $1.00 "peelie" coupon attached.  I have never tried this product, but I am always looking for low sodium options, so I thought I would give it a try.  I bought 5 for $1.00 each! 

Gotta use those coupons that are expiring on 4/30 (Saturday!!!)

I'm planning out my shopping trip for tomorrow so that I don't let some of my coupons that are expiring on 4/30 go to waste. I know it's a little late in the game, but if you happen to still have some of these coupons, you may be pleased with the results! 


Kroger
Tony's Crispy Crust Pizza *10/$10 
- **50¢/2 Tony’s Crispy Crust Pizza Coupon (2/13 SS - hurry expires 4 /30/11!)
=  50¢ each 

Crest Toothpaste  *10/$10 
- **50¢/1 Crest Toothpaste or Liquid Gel Coupon (4/3 P&G - Hurry expires 4/30/11)
= FREE!


Mentos Gum *10/$10
- **35¢/1 Mentos Gum Coupon (3/20 SS) OR
- $1/3 Mentos Bottle Coupon (2/27 SS)
= Free – 67¢ ea.


Haribo Gummi Bears 10/$10
-**30¢/1 Haribo printable coupon
= 10¢ each!


Pepperidge Farms Goldfish 10/$10
- 35¢/1 Printable coupon (***unfortunately this printable coupon is no longer available.  I printed mine earlier in the month when one of the couponing sites featured it).  
= FREE!


*10/$10 means $1.00 each. You don't have to buy 10
**coupons up to 39¢ are tripled, coupons over 39¢ are doubled
***TIP:  Even if you aren't going to use the printable coupon right away - go ahead and print it if it's an item you are interested in.  There will eventually be a sale. If you wait, there is a good chance it will not be available when you are ready for it.


Albertson's


Produce 
Mangos 50¢ each (Mango Salsa recipe forthcoming)
Bell Peppers 49¢ each
Limes 20¢ each
Jalepeno peppers 50¢ lb.
Cilantro 25¢ bunch
Fresh Express Garden Salad 12 oz. 99¢


Meat
Honeysuckle White Ground Turkey *10/$10 (check out my meatball recipe)
Chicken - whole fryers 49¢ lb.  Split Breasts 88¢ lb (great stock-up price)


Groceries


Allen's Steam Supreme Frozen Vegetables 88¢
- $0.55/1 Popeye, Allens or Veg-all Steam Supreme(SS 3/6/11)
= 33¢ each!


Hefty OneZip Freezer for Storage Bags 88¢
-$1/2 Hefty One Zip Packages (RP 02/20/11)
= 38¢ each!


Puffs Facial Tissue 88¢
-**25¢/3 off Puffs Tissues,  (P&G 04/03/11 Hurry exp. 4-30-11! )
= 63¢ each 


Homelife Soft Choice Bath Tissue
6 Roll Double Roll or Homelife Paper towels 3 roll
$1.99 (limit 2) - No coupon for this, but it's a good price


Archway Cookies 9-10 oz 99¢ each with ****store coupon in flyer
- **45¢/1 Archway Brand Cookies, (SS 02/06/11 Hurry exp. 4-30-11!)
= 9¢ each!  99¢ each
The coupon in the flyer was a mfg coupon so it could not be stacked with another mfg coupon ;-(




Pantene Pro-V Shampoo $3.33 each
-$2/1 Pantene Product,  (P&G ) Hurry exp 4/30/11! OR
-$1/2 Pantene Product,  (P&G 04/03/11) Hurry exp 4/30/11!
= $1.33 - $2.83 each

*10/$10 means $1.00 each. You don't have to buy 10

**coupons up to 39¢ are tripled, coupons over 39¢ are doubled

***TIP:  Even if you aren't going to use the printable coupon right away - go ahead and print it if it's an item you are interested in.  There will eventually be a sale. If you wait, there is a good chance it will not be available when you are ready for it.

****Store issued coupons and manufacturer coupons can be stacked (used together)

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Packing Up Your Classroom Library for the Summer

As much as I love my classroom library, I am not looking forward to packing it up for the summer.  Really Good Stuff  has some great tips and storage solutions!

Wondering what to do with all of that ground turkey?

Here's a good use for ground turkey:  Meatballs with Pasta and Sauce.  Check it out!

Honeysuckle Farms Ground Turkey $1.00 at Albertsons!!!!!

My family loves this turkey!  We hardly ever buy ground beef anymore.  Albertson's is currently running it for 10 for $10 limit 10 per visit.  They had this deal back in February and we stocked up on 10.  It lasted us about 8 weeks. So glad to see it's back!  If they don't have it, be sure to get a raincheck at the customer service desk.  The raincheck is good for 30 days at the sale price!

Attention Crazy Cat Ladies:Great Deal on Tidy Cats at Kroger!

Purina Tidy Cats Scoopable Cat Litter 14 lb. $4.99
- $1/1 Purina Tidy Cats Cat Litter Coupon (1/30 RP) OR
- $1.50/1 Purina Tidy Cat Litter Coupon (1/30 RP) Hurry...expiration date is 4/30!
= $3.49 – $3.99

Stock up Alert: Ken's Dressing at Walmart

I got a nice supply of 9oz Ken's dressings at Walmart for .47!
Price:  $1.47
Use $1/1  8oz-9oz Ken's Dressing (SS 3/20 - hurry coupon expires on 4/30!)
Final Price .47!

Biggest Book Sale of the Year Near You: Print valuable coupons

Biggest Book Sale of the Year Near You: Print valuable coupons

I LOVE these warehouse sales. This is a great way to build your classroom or home library!

Free Webinar: Pam Allyn on Boys and Summer Reading

Free Webinar: Pam Allyn on Boys and Summer Reading

Hello Fellow Teachers, Couponers, and Bloggers!

A few months ago during Christmas break I watched TLC's Extreme Couponing and realized how much money I could be saving at the grocery store. I started collecting coupons and finding lots of information on couponing sites like www.couponing101.com, www.passionforsavings.com, www.budgetsavvydiva.com, and www.krazycouponlady.com. After a few months of working at this, I realized that extreme couponing in the true sense is not for me, but stocking up on a reasonable amount of groceries and getting a few free things along the way sure is satisfying and fun! So if you are interested in what I have to share about my family, classroom, and couponing adventures feel free to follow along and share your comments.  I also have an "unofficial" blog here for more personal things like bragging about my kids, random thoughts, and posting pictures - feel free to visit!