Savings Diary

Week of 12/16-12/22

Spent: $127.43
Saved: $228.49

Savings Diary

Week of 12/9-12/15

Spent: $128.90
Saved: $283.11

Savings Diary

Week of 12/2-12/8

Paid: $87.49
Saved: $337.59

Savings Diary

Week of 11/25-12/1

Spent $120.67
Saved $211.40

Savings Diary

For the week of 11/18-11/24

Spent $105.36
Saved $193.21

Received: $11 in +UP rewards for Rite Aid
Received: $67.32 in ECB's from CVS

Total OOP for $298.57 in food and HBA's = $27.04

Savings Diary

November 11th-November 17th

Spent: $77.33
Saved: $200.24

Savings Diary

November 4th to November 10th

Paid $193.04
Saved $519.94
64% savings!!

On hand:

$10 Toys R Us gift card
$3 ECB's from CVS
$4 catalina for free milk
$2 OYNO from Walgreens

Waiting on:

$10 ESPN gift card
$9 in Zavers not received from Pathmark

Total OOP for the week: $155.04

Has it been that long?

I can't believe it has been 3 months since I've posted an entry in my blog!

I simply have been so busy between working and keeping up with my couponing that I don't have much time to sit at the computer and write about my daily happenings...I hope to get back to it soon. My stockpile has been growing and I feel comfortable knowing that if I do lose my job at the library I will be able to take care of our needs without spending too much money, especially with health and beauty aids. :)

Kicking my couponing into high gear

As I mentioned in my last post going back to work the morning after my vacation was a hard day for me in more ways than one. I missed Cole very much already but the main reason was that while I was away there was a staff meeting and it was announced that the library would be closing for 16 months of renovations. Even more shocking was finding out that all part time staff will be laid off effective October 1st. I am grateful that I was away and didn't attend that meeting because from what I was told it sounded really awful with many staff members crying. :( For me the hardest part is all of the friends I have made while working at the library for 8 years now and it is uncertain if all of them will come back (even I don't know if I will be able to return) once the library reopens in early 2013. When I type that...2013...it seems like an eternity but I know it will go quickly. I also know that there will be many co-workers of mine that will have no choice but to seek employment elsewhere and won't be able to wait the 16 months until the library opens again.

So I had a few days to really think things through and when I got home I talked with my husband and decided that I will try to get unemployment and just take it one day at a time. But my salary has been helping with the monthly grocery bill and once that is gone I have to figure out something else. Having said that I know that there is a reason why I had started getting back into couponing again (I was really into it before mom got sick with cancer and came to live with us) after all this time. I know I stopped doing it because it was just too time consuming and I was needed to take care of my mom and didn't have the time to spend clipping and sorting coupons, not to mention the time involved in going to the stores for the items.

I know if I put mind to it (and some serious time and research) I can save anywhere from 50-75% on my bills when I shop. Knowing now that I will not have a job in just a little over 2 months time, I need to kick this coupon thing into high gear and get my stockpile back up to where it needs to be. I've been reading online and I also got a great book from work about couponing and I've been enjoying that book tremendously!!

I have my coupon binder and I have been keeping it up to date and I really try to find great matchups whenever possible. A matchup is when you use a coupon on top of the item already being on sale so the savings are that much better!! If you shop at stores where they double the coupons, you can sometimes get items for free or close to free!! There are also times when you can even make money with coupons!! HAHA!!

Yesterday I went to Target and spent $4.34 (before tax) and my coupons took $32.41 off the total bill!! I was thrilled!!! I got a full size bag of Popchips (free), a Suave body wash (free), 2 John Frieda full repair root lift foam (free) 2 Dove Men's body wash for .78 cents (They were on clearance for $2.78 and I had a B1G1 free coupon plus I stacked a $2 off any Men's Dove from Target.com), the nail polish was .61 cents after my 2 coupons (one manufacturer's and one Target) and then I got 4 Reach toothbrushes, all of which I had coupons for, a manufacturer's coupon with a Target coupon stacked with it. That is the trick, if you have a coupon, look for one to match from the store so you double your savings!!

I am building my stockpile and when you find a great price on something that is either free or close to free you try to get as many as possible while the deal is HOT!!!

Today I went to Walmart to get ink for my printer (I do print some internet coupons so keep that in mind, you will use more ink than usual if you do) and I picked up 3 boxes of Tic Tacs for 12 cents! They were $1.04 each and I had a $1 coupon for each box so they were down to 4 cents a piece!!

My 2nd stop today was another Target in my area (I try to make all of my trips in the least amount of mileage possible, that is key planning) and today I saved $48.80 with my coupons at Target! My cashier was super nice and she told me my total was $72.24 and I handed her my pile of coupons and she said, "Look at you, good job!!!" and I watched the total dwindle down and down until it was all the way down to $23.44!! She commented how good I was that I stacked a Target coupon with each manufacturer's coupon and she asked me what paper I get my coupons from. It was a nice time at the register! Just to highlight a few things I got for my money today at Target I picked up 4 more of the John Frieda Full Repair (usually $5.99 each) totally free! I got Dove Men's deodorant for 78 cents, it was on clearance for $2.78 and I had a $2 coupon! Whoo!! It is very important to always have your coupon binder with you because there will be times when you see something on clearance and you can get a great deal if you have your coupons on hand like I did today. :) I got a box of hair color that is usually $12 for only $4! I have enough hair color to last me well into the spring now with all of the deals I have gotten this week at different stores. I love being able to get my hair color for $3-5 rather than paying full price of $8-11 every time I need it. I try to color my own hair to save money but sometimes I will take the box of color with me to Lemon Tree and they will do it for $20 so that's not a bad deal. :) I got a large bottle of Raid Max for ants (we get them from time to time) for half off with my 2 coupons, Dove conditioner, 3 tubes of toothpaste and 2 tubs of Cottonelle wipes.

I went to Pathmark and Stop & Shop with my printed list of items with all of my coupons.

Some of the great deals I got today with my coupons:

2 bottles of Honest Tea (free)
2 cans of Jamba juice (free)
3 rolls of Viva paper towels for 29 cents each
2 Uncle Ben's Rice for 17 cents each
2 boxes of Goya rice for 19 cents each
6 boxes of assorted cereals for $1.50 each
1 Tabasco sauce (free)

I also picked up some turkey burgers, rolls, a whole watermelon, a large bag of Cheetos, 2 bags of Chex Mix, one bag of Bugles, Crystal Light and a box of Ritz Crackerfuls (one of my new favorite snacks!)

One of the best deals (in my opinion) that I got today was 2 boxes of Move Free Advanced for my husband's arthritis. They are usually $19.99 each but were on sale for B1G1 free and I had a coupon for $5 off so I got 2 of them for $14.99 or $7.50 each!!

Grand totals for today:

$205.06 total products
$135.20 in coupons and sales
-----------------------------------
Total out of pocket today: $70.03

It was a busy day but I have to say that if I am unemployed I could totally spend more time at this and save our family a ton of money!! I would never pay full price for anything, I just wait for a sale and hope to match the sale with a coupon!!!

Happy couponing!

I am preparing for a weekend scrapbook crop next week and can't wait to get some serious scrapping done!!

June into July roundup

Time for me to get some serious catching up done on my blog, I've been so busy and just haven't posted in the past month!!

We finished up with baseball and although Alex's team put up a pretty good fight there in the last couple of games they just couldn't hold down that 1st place team in the playoffs. I think we had a good season overall and I enjoyed going to almost every game this year (missed one for work) and I hope that Alex will play again next year. It was fun watching him catch a couple of games, as well as play first base. Watching him in the catcher's gear reminded me of when his older brothers were in that position, especially Jesse who was catcher for a while when he played.

On July 7th I very happily watched my son, Jesse, take Nicole to be his wife. While they had originally planned to tie the knot next year things changed and in order for Jesse to be able to have medical insurance under Nicole's plan they decided to make it legal now and then think about a larger reception in the future. The wedding took place outside and it was a beautiful day, although a bit warm for those wearing suits (HAHA!) Jesse was sweating and couldn't wait to take off his jacket but he looked very handsome and Nicole was beautiful. We took a photo with the new happy couple before heading back to our house where I had agreed to host a little gathering for a small group of their friends.







Of course I love a reason to decorate and make pretty things so I dressed up the table and make cupcakes with silver glitter and lots of food and goodies for everyone.





If you read my blog you know how much I love going to live concerts and it had been a while and I was due for one!! On July 9th I had the pleasure of seeing Rick Springfield for the 8th time!!! Yes...8...I couldn't believe it myself when I looked at my ticket stubs and counted them up! It was a great time, as always, with great friends.


Work kept me busy for the next few days and then it was off to my sister's for a week to help take care of my nephew, Cole, and give my sister and her husband a much needed weekend away. Alex and I really had a great time playing with and enjoying Cole to ourselves while mom and dad were away. We did some shopping and planned meals and made sure to fit tons of fun in between all of that. We went to Toys R Us and got Cole a cute Elmo helmet and then watched him have a blast riding his tricycle that we got him for his 2nd birthday in May, doesn't he look like he's flying? He doesn't use the pedals yet but man does he go fast with his feet!!

We also enjoyed the pool that is in their community and Cole showed me how much he loves the water in the kiddie pool! I love the one photo I took, you can see his tongue sticking out! He wasn't too sure about the big pool, he was holding on to me pretty tight but then I got some of the noodles and wrapped them around and he felt a little better but he was happiest being in the small pool.



We really just enjoyed ourselves totally all week long and it went way too fast for us. I have to say that even Alex who wasn't thrilled about being away from home and his friends for a whole week couldn't believe it when I told him we were going home the next day, he wanted to stay longer but alas I had to return to work the next morning after we drove home. Going back to work the morning after my wonderful week with my nephew was very hard for me in more ways than one but that is for my next post.

Rite Aid transaction yesterday

I stopped by Rite Aid yesterday to take advantage of the last day of the sale before the new week started.

Here is my transaction:

2 tubes of Arm & Hammer toothpaste at $3 each on sale
2 canisters of Frito Lays @ $1 each

Used: $7 in +Up rewards

OOP: $3.67
Received: $6 in +UP rewards

Total: $2.33 CREDIT!!

Still organizing

I put all of my cricut booklets and overlays in photo storage boxes and added labels, of course they are filed in alphabetical order. :) I have a labeling machine that I had not used in a while so I'm glad I was able to pull it out and put it to good use for this project. :)

Another great haul!!

Amazing shopping day today!!! I am beyond excited at everything that I got and how much money I saved our family!

My most incredible transaction would have to be my 2nd transaction at Rite Aid where I got 2 boxes of Fiber One cereal (usually $4.79 each) 4 of the Degree men's deodorants (also usually $4.79 each) and a bottle of Visine (regular price for that $4.99) and my grand total out of pocket for that transaction was 2 CENTS!!!! Pretty sure that the cashier made a mistake because the tax was 33 cents and I know at CVS they don't allow you to use the Extra Care Bucks toward tax but hey, I wasn't complaining when she said, "You owe 2 cents!" Whoooo!!!!

You have to understand that this is fun for me but don't think that it is something that you just go out and do...it takes some serious planning ahead. I have my flyers for all 5 stores that are all within a one mile radius of my house and I look them over pretty well before I plan out my day. I look at all the possible match-ups and put all the coupons for each store with that circular.

I also take my coupon binder with me in the car in case I see something on clearance in a store I can look to see if I have a coupon for that item. :)

So today I went to CVS, Rite Aid, Pathmark, King Kullen and Stop & Shop. One of the first things I like to do in the grocery stores is check for manager's specials in the meat dept, I've gotten really lucky doing that in the past.


Here is what I got today, even my hubby said, "Good job!' and my son wanted to know why I had so much stuff, my trunk was full and the rest was in the back seat! HAHAHA! Ok, so I have a small car, I'm exaggerating!

2 boxes of Fiber One Cereal ($1.50)
4 packages of Purex 3 in 1 laundry sheets B1G1 free ($4.50)
2 Ronzoni Quick cook pasta (50 cents each)
2 Ronzoni Smart taste pasta
2 Ronzoni Garden Delight pasta
24 La Yogurt (25 cents each)
1 box of Ritz crackerfuls ($1)
1 package of Bagel-fuls (.90 cents)
1 Lysol Healthy Touch Soap dispenser (.49 cents)
1 Dial Body Wash (.99 cents)
4 John Frieda Hair Repair Treament and stylers (I had 4 of the $5/1 off coupons! These were pretty close to free!)
4 Degree Men's deodorant (.72 cents each)
12 Gatorades-32oz (.69 cents)
2 Nestle's Quick (free)
1 lb of strawberries
2 bananas (haha, needed yellow ones)
1 can black olives
1 vlasic relish (got paid .10 to take this)
2 I Can't believe it's not butter spray (whoo, there was a tear pad coupon for those!)
1 package of Perdue chicken strips ($2.14)
1 package of thin sliced chicken cutlets ($2 off manager special!!)
2 loaves of Fiber One bread (50 cents each)
6 Renuzit solids (.52 cents)

I tried to put some of the prices (after sale and coupons and any applicable +Up rewards or ECB's) whenever possible.

So...my shopping totals for all the stores for today............

$260.15 total

$74.35 out of pocket today
$10 in +UP rewards and ECB's still on hand
____________
$64.35 total spent

Total savings on the day: $195.80

Until next time...happy shopping!

Some organizational tips for your craft space

It has been a lot of fun these past few days working on some new ways to organize my cricut cartridges as well as my Stickles. I don’t take the credit for these ideas, I saw it on another blog and decided to go for it!!

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I bought the clear velcro “coins” at my local Home Depot, I believe they were $6 or so. The magnetic circles were from Walmart! I tried to use regular magnet but it just wasn’t strong enough to hold. I used crazy glue on the bottom of the stickles bottles.

My cricut cartridges are now stored above my cricut on my pegboard in alphabetical order, the missing one is because my sister borrowed my Simply Charmed cart back in May so I saved a spot for that one when I get it back from her. The booklets and overlays are in alpha order in boxes and those are in plastic bins under my cricut table with pull out drawers.

Couponing and more!!

I haven't posted in a while but I am here to say that I have kept up with my photo a day or "PAD" so far~even though I haven't had the time to post the photos on my blog every day they are in a folder on my computer and it's nice to go back and see what I've done so far this year!!

So I am happy to say that I have been getting back into my couponing...I was really into it a few years back but with mom getting sick and then coming to live with us I just didn't have the time or the energy to put into it. Yesterday was a great shopping day for me at 2 of my local grocery stores and today I set out to hit both CVS and RiteAid as well as Stop&Shop because I didn't realize what great matchups there were until I checked out Coupon Diva's website last night!! Thanks so much Kitty!!

Off to CVS I go with coupons in hand and $4 in ECB's (Extra care bucks)

So...CVS transaction #1 as pictured:

2 bags of M&M's at $1-$1 ECB (makes it free)
Preparation H wipes $3.99-$3.99 ECB (makes it free)
2 Speedstick Deodorants $5.50-$3 ECB
5 drinks for $5-2 ECB's.

I was going to get 5 Powerades but I noticed a pad of tear off coupons for the vitamin waters ($1 on 2!! So I took 2 coupons and got 4 vitamin water and one powerade)

Used: $2 off on vitamin water
$2 off on Preparation H which was a printable!!
.50 off Speedstick ( I had 2 of these) both printables
$4 ECB I had from buying the nail polish last week!

Total out of pocket for transaction #1= $7.48
Total ECB's that printed out: $9.99
Which gives me a credit of $2.51

(I got paid $2 to take that Preparation H home...hahaha!)

Transaction #2 at CVS

I bought 2 packages of the Scott 12 pack on sale for $6.99 each.

Used 2 X $1 off coupon I had for each 12 pack
Used $9.99 in ECB's that printed on transaction #1
Total out of pocket: $3.20

Total spent at CVS today out of pocket: $10.68
Total in savings: $38.30!!


So after CVS I headed on over to RiteAid for my first experience at actually using the UP+ rewards program that they have with their wellness card. Riteaid has a cool thing where you can watch videos on their website and then after you watch it you can print out a coupon!! So yesterday I watched a video and got a $1 off anything in the store print out! My first purchase was one shampoo and one conditioner by Renpure, both of these were $4.99 but then you got $4.99 in UP+ rewards on your receipt so I bought them and used the $1 off coupon. Total out of pocket for these 2 items today: $9.75 Total saved: $5.00

Transaction #2 was totally fun and even my cashier was excited for me and asked me if I watch that show Extreme Couponing on TLC!! HAHA! Maybe. ;)

2 boxes of Raisin bran
2 boxes of Rice Krispies
2 boxes of Frosted Flakes
3 packages of Pop Tarts

I used the $9.98 in UP+ rewards
2 X .70 off a box of Raisin Bran (printable)
$1 off on 3 packages of Pop Tarts
$1 off on 2 boxes of Rice Krispies
$1 off on 2 boxes of Frosted Flakes

Total for this order out of pocket: $2.54!!
Total savings: $32.97

My final stop today was to the Stop&Shop to pick up a few items that were great matchup savings with my coupons and these would be good stockpiling items for our family.

2 boxes of Ronzoni Garden Delights
2 mustard dipping sauces
4 BBQ sauces
3 pringles super stacks
4 Knorr's Rice sides
2 Planter's Nutrition Bars

Total out of pocket: $12.98
Total saved: $24.49


So my grand total for today at 3 stores is:

Total for all of my items: $136.71
Out of pocket: $35.95
Savings: $100.76

I hope this helps others to save, let me know if you find any other great deals!!

National Scrapbooking Day Challenge #8

This challenge was to create a project with a summer theme. :)

National Scrapbooking Day Challenge #7

Here we go with challenge #7 which was just to create any layout!! Easy peasy!!!

National Scrapbooking Day Challenge #6

Challenge #6 was to incorporate a tag into your layout!

Here is what I did...man I will be so glad when I am done scrapping our pics from the 1990's!! This is our trip to Arizona in July of 1994...man was it hot!!

I have several panoramic photos from that trip (does anyone do that anymore? HAHA!) so I wanted to use the mosaic technique with this layout.

National Scrapbooking Day Challenge #5

Challenge #5 was to create a 3D item and I was excited to be able to try out my Tags, Bags, Boxes and more cartridge that came with my Gypsy!!

This is my very first attempt and I have to say I am proud of it, I am planning to use this for a gift card at some point. :)

National Scrapbooking Day Challenge #4

So challenge #4 was anything with a Mother's Day theme and as luck would have it today is Mother's Day so I took a picture that I have of myself that I had been waiting to scrap and used it for this layout. I have blurred the journaling because it is very personal and I want to keep it in my book and not out for the whole internet world to read. :)

National Scrapbooking Day Challenge #3

I don't have any Kraft cardstock so I had to skip challenge #2 so here we go with #3 which is...to create something with a breast cancer theme.

I had this paper pack that I got on clearance at Michael's and I am super excited to be able to open it and use it for this challenge.

I used my scallop punch for the piece behind the glitter flower which I cut out by hand from one of the sheets of glitter pattern paper in the package. I pop dotted both and I think it came out nice. I love the pink ribbon that I used, I have a few different colors of this ribbon, it is one of my favorite ribbons to use!!

National Scrapbooking Day Challenge #1

I haven't posted in a while but My Pink Stamper is having 12 challenges to celebrate national scrapbooking day so I thought I would see how many of them I can get done. :)

Challenge #1- Anything cupcake!!!

I have a friend having a birthday soon so this was perfect!!

My cupcake was cut at 3" on Create a Critter and I used my cuttlebug to emboss the background.

Sunday

Here is a 2 page layout I completed for a "victorian" challenge on my scrapbook board, Scrap N Chat. For this layout I used 2 sheets of tan cardstock as my base and inked and distressed the edges with my Tim Holtz distressing ink pad in vintage photo. The pattern paper is from a Die Cuts with a View paper pack called "Once Upon a Time" that I got on clearance for $5 at Michaels!! Love this paper pack, it is so rich and some of the paper has glitter on it which I love. I used 2 different sheets, one is the torn edges and one is the pattern background paper in the middle of the pages.

I cut the girl at 8" from my cricut cartridge, A Child's Year. I was looking for a 'praying' or 'kneeling' figure and I found the one of the girl kneeling down with a cat in her hands to work perfectly, I cut off the cat and with my scissors I rounded the arms to look like hands. I think it turned out nice.

Above her I wanted some sort of "time piece" so I cut the clock from the picturesque cartridge and this was cut at 2" as well as the layer (clock face) and I then used my brown Le Plume marker to go over the numerals and add little touches to the clock face.


I added some flowers that I had made last year at a Quick Quotes weekend and they work really well with this victorian/heritage feel. I also added some pearl accents and some lacy border ribbon.


Thanks for looking.

The past 2 days...

...have been a bit of a blur...hahaha...work and spring cleaning, pretty much.

On friday we finished up our window by the page desk with all of the "Create A Critter" little guys I cut out with my Cricut, I made caterpillars for all of the pages and then different 'critters' for the page captains as well as Ellen and our supervisor, Ms. K. Mine is the snail in the grass.





The director at my job is a big Yankees fan so she had a little opening day celebration in the staff lounge complete with hot dogs, pizza, peanuts and popcorn...so I decided that the Mets fans need to battle back and show our love for the Mets so I'll be putting something together on friday which is opening day at Citifield this year. I started working on these last night, I have a few things up my sleeve. I know a few people already said they want to help out so I hope it will be a fun little get-together and a way for us Mets fans to battle back and eat some goodies in the process, as well.

Thank you to my son who is overseas

I miss you, Rob...very much.

Thank you for the beautiful flowers, this was the perfect picture for today.

Not bad...

...for a 51 year old!

Today as I celebrate the day that my mom brought me into this world I can't help but be proud of myself and how hard I have been working to train for the Race for Hope that will take place just 31 days from today.

I know that she's looking down on me and cheering me on every step, every mile that I put it and I will make her proud on May 1st. The time was a bit more than I had hoped for yesterday but the first 5 minutes are always just a warmup walk for me on the treadmill at a 2.5 pace so all in all not a bad time.

Monday and tuesday...

...just a couple of P.A.D. to share from yesterday and monday.

We decided to open up the right side of the yard and take down the fencing that we had over there...from the end of the deck and over we had a fenced in small 'play yard' that we had created for Alex when he was little so that he would be able to play out there and I could watch him from the window as I worked because I had my desk in the living room for a long time and I worked from home doing medical billing data entry.

It later became "Pookie's area" and I have hated it because of the poop situation back there and since the poop patrol only works but every couple of months around these parts the entire back yard is open to any poopers! HAHA! Soooo....I have been asking Jim to section off another spot in the yard right by the back door where we let the dogs out and we are recycling the wood to do that which is great!


So the fencing is up and now the area on the patio just outside the door is going to be closed off with the white lattice to match the screened in porch where the hot tub is. The dogs will now have only a small patch of yard to do their business and it will be much easier to keep up with it since there isn't really any grass that grows there.

More to come later today, hopefully.

Fun poster

A little something for my son, Robert.

Saturday

Hard to believe but this is the last weekend of March, I am so ready for spring!!

Today I did a bit of grocery shopping and stopped at Michael's to pick up 2 sheets of bazzill that I needed to cut a title for an upcoming 2 page layout I'll be doing.

I was thrilled to see these Le Plume markers on clearance for $4.99 each set! They are usually $20.99 so this was a bargain for sure!!! Had to share, this is my picture a day for March 26th.

I did a 2 page layout using my "In My kitchen" kitchen cartridge. I cut the title, the mixer, pot and oven mitts. I like the way it turned out and I'm really glad I was able to use that cartridge.

High School Musical!!

Had a great time seeing the musical "Guys and Dolls" put on by the very talented kids in our local high school!! Today's P.A.D. is me and my friend, Ellen, in our seats. :)

Here is a catch up on my P.A.D.

So I have a few days of my Picture a Day to get caught up on tonight. I've been working tons and just busy in general but I do make sure that I take some sort of picture each and every day either with my cell phone or my camera.

So starting with monday I received my new scrapbooking tool in the mail and I love it!! =) This is a piercing tool and will really come in handy!! I really love the pink mat that came with it, as well. :)

On tuesday I came home from work and made myself a huge salad and topped it off with some avocado. It was delish!!! I never really liked avocado before I started taking care of mom during her illness and battle with cancer and I guess because of her love for it I started to like and now I truly just LOVE it!!! Not to mention the fact that it is soft and great for someone like me with TMJ issues.

Last night I spend some time in my scrapbook room before I went down to watch American Idol and I love the way these cute bunches of tulips turned out!! I love the Walk in my Garden cartridge and I know I will be using it quite a bit.

The bulletin board in the video room at work got a nice makeover today from me. :) I love the way it turned out and I truly enjoy using the cricut at work!!