Round two of savings! Ding! Ding!

Triple coupons started yesterday at Harris Teeter, and I posted to Facebook that I got $107 worth of groceries for $11.  I was pretty excited about my savings, but like a true coupon addict, I couldn't stop at that.  Today I had to go back and see if I could top it, and I'd say I did! I'd like to show you $90.95 worth of groceries for $1.85!! Tada!!!....

A lot of friends have asked if I actually get things that we need/use, so I wanted to take a picture to prove that I most certainly do! Here's a breakdown of what I got:

-2 packs of kid's yogurt
-4 pack toilet paper
-2 pack paper towels
-1 lb. asparagus
-1 Kraft fresh-take
-3 bottles of Barefoot reisling (score!!!!)
-2 bottles laundry detergent
-2 Ban deodorants
-1 pound butter
-1 jar mayo
-3 bottles marinade
-3 packs of panty liners
-1 bottle bathroom cleaner
-2 bottles dish detergent
-2 bottles hot sauce
-1 antibiotic for Madelyn (I'll explain...)

I did use 20 (the limit) coupons that I either clipped or printed, but I also took full advantage of a few deals.  The first being that I had a rain check for 2 bottles of Gain detergent (regularly $7.50 on sale for $3.77), and another one for the wine (regularly $5.99, but on sale for $3.97 a bottle).  I also had a $10 off coupon that I got in the mail (promoting the new store), and my last "trick" was using a $20 credit I got from the pharmacy just for filling a prescription at their location.  This deal is INSANELY good! For you local friends, let me just tell you that for every prescription you fill at the new Churchland HT (now until Halloween), you get $20 loaded on your VIC card.

Madelyn had a "just in case" antibiotic from the insane mosquito bite she got over the weekend, and I took it in to get it filled (and score the $20 credit).  Apparently they have another deal where certain antibiotics are FREE with your VIC card! Thus, I got her script for free and earned $20 for it! Seriously? I am so excited over this! I'm transferring my Zoloft over to them because it's only $3.99 there, so every month I'll be basically making $16 for getting a medicine I already purchase.  Score!

So, there ya go, I do get things we actually use/need, and all it takes is a little planning and collaboration of deals! Hope you score some good ones too this week!

$4.75

Last Friday we went to our church's biennial bazaar, and I managed to scoop up a couple great finds! 

I've been looking for a small coat/bag hanger for my mud room and I got this cute one for $3

Brand new Spiderman slippers for William (in his exact size) for $.25

Messy Mady got this Ikea bib for $.25

I've been wanting a fruit basket for my counter and I found this one for $1

And here's my "tuck and run" item:

$.25 for this adorable Polo dress!

Did you get any good deals over the weekend?

$16.25

Today was the Fall consignment sale at GUMP(Ghent United Methodist Preschool).  We went to their Spring sale and got some really good deals then (I'm talkin' $2 for William's brand new soccer cleats)! This time I snagged lots of cute outfits for Mads, a few toys, and a shirt for William:

-POLO dress- $2

-Hanna Andersson dress (with leggings!)-$2

-Janie & Jack dress- $2

-GAP dress- $1

-White collared shirt-$1

-GAP button-down for William- $1.75

-Rain boots for next Spring for Mads- $1.50

-Dora's 'Backpack': $1

-Random action figure- $.50

-'Cars' frisbee- $.50

Annnnnnnd my 'tuck and run' item of the week (I'm still jumping up and down over this):

$2 for a LILLY PULITZER top and leggings! I am beyond excited over this find and I'm not kidding when I say she'll wear it ever week.

Guessing game!

Update: Shannon, you were so close! It was $150 worth of groceries and I paid $40!!!

As y'all know, I love to save some money if I can, but I don't want it to consume my life. We get the Sunday paper and I clip those coupons, but that's about it. Every now and then I'll check http://www.southernsavers.com/ for some bargain tips, but I really don't go over board like some of those "crazy coupon ladies". I pretty much just save the big coupons for whenever Harris Teeter has their "Super Doubles" (like today) and try to see how much stuff I can get for close to nothing! I enjoy being able to get items that we usually buy anyway for almost free (and Sean does too)!

Can you guess how much these groceries are originally and how much I paid for them after coupons? Some of the items include, 2 packs of Pampers, 6 boxes Hamburger Helper, Pampers wipes, Loreal Pro-V Conditioner, Hebrew National hotdogs, Oreos, Wanchai Ferry frozen dinner, Macaroni Grill frozen dinner, 8 cans of Progresso soup...




Happy guessing! Oh, and don't go and guess something ridiculous like $1 because that is totally grounds for disqualification ;)

Homemade Laundry Detergent 101

So last night I sent Sean on a scavenger hunt to find the materials needed to make our own laundry detergent. Here's a list of what you need and where you can find it:

From Wal-Mart:

-(1) 5 gallon bucket with a lid... $3.50

-Borax... $2.50

From Kroger:

- Washing Soda... $2.50

-Ivory soap... $1.20

*This makes 5 gallons of concentrated detergent at a time, but there's enough materials for at least 3 more batches!

Step #1:

Shred/grate one bar of Ivory soap into a dish.

Combine the grated soap with 4 cups hot water over medium-low heat until the soap dissolves and is melted. Make sure you stir constantly!

This is what your solution should look like:


Fill your bucket half full with hot tap water.



Add the melted soap mixture, 1 cup washing soda, and 1/2 cup Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved.

Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir and cover.

Let mixture sit overnight to thicken.

In the morning, stir mixture once more and fill a used, clean, laundry bottle half full with detergent then fill the rest of the way with water. Shake before each use.

I got to use my detergent more than I ever would have imagined today thanks to Madelyn's incident last night! At least I can tell you first hand that it cleans wonderfully! I add white vinegar to my rinse cycle instead of fabric softener and it serves the same purpose but is much cheaper. Good luck and happy soap making (I'll give you my recipe for breast milk cheese later)!

...Seriously, I was kidding about that last one.

Erin

What can $10 get you??

Adorable, little, black shrug----- $1.5o from consignment store


Ribbon-tied Gymboree Shoes-----$2.00 from consignment store



Super girly red Christmas dress-----$6.00 from Old Navy

Having a beautiful little girl's holiday outfit without breaking the bank...PRICELESS!