They seem to suck me in every time they have the doubles event.  I honestly don’t think they restocked after the last time they had the doubles thing going on but I still was able to get a few things.

• 6 Hartz Dog Treats  FREE with $2mq
• 4 LaCross Beauty Tools  FREE with $1mq
• 2 Arm & Hammer Multi Purpose  FREE with BOGO
• 4 Cesar Canned Dog Food  FREE with BOGO
• 1 Visine FREE with $2mq
• 2 Secret Deodorant FREE with $2mq
• Small Transformer mismarked  $6.99

I used a $5 off your purchase coupon from the last run of doubles.  I paid $3.87 tax was $1.88 of that, I saved $5x.xx I can’t remember exactly right now.  But it was a good trip none the less, I might even run up there again this week and see if I can find anymore of the Kmart books.

to celebrate my birthday!!!  I’ll try and post tonight about the good deals at CVS and Wag’s I know there are some good ones, but I haven’t even gotten my newspapers yet.

I’m also working on a post about how to go out on a budget.  Shawn and I have seasonal passes to Disney and Dave gets in free since he works there so we try to use the passes as often as possible to get our full use out of them.  But there are great ways to save when you go to the parks and those translate into going out nearly anywhere. 

I’ll see you all later.  In the meantime visit coupons.com (link on the lower left side just scroll down alittle) and print out your coupons before they reset.  They seem to frequently reset at the beginning of the month.

So here’s how my great Target trip went yesterday.  Some of my coupons rang up better than expected but who am I to complain.

• 4 Johnson’s Buddies  .97  -$1TQ =FREE   (just a little note about these you can print out as of these coupons as you want but you shouldn’t take all of them at your store others need these for their kids to)
• 2 Chef Michael’s Bagged Dog Food  $4.49  -$1.50TQ + -$3MQ
• 1 Black Ink Pad  $2.99
• 1 pack of 12x12 Shimmery Paper Pack
• 4 cans Chef Michaels Canned Food  .89 each –BOGO TQ and BOGO MQ
• $10 Gift Card

Total Spent $15.07 Total Saved $23.64  But I actually only spent $5.07 for the stuff I got when you account for the $10 gift card

The coupons attached all funny but it worked out to my advantage big time.  Even if they hadn’t attached funny that’s free dog food and we can always use free stuff for the dog plus whatever we don’t use the local shelters are more than happy to take.

Caregivers Marketplace is a great place for people to go and get extra rebates for things that we have to buy.  Here’s a list of what they give rebates on, but before you go buy check their website some of the things are very size specific and they list the UPC’s that they accept on the website.

• Aspercreme Pain Relieving Cream/Gel
• Balmex Diaper Rash Creams
• Benzodent Denture Pain Creams
• Citrucel
• Comfort Bath & Shampoo
• Cortizone Gels
• Cottonelle Moist Wipes
• Depends
• Ecotrin
• Ensure
• Glucerna
• Gold Bond
• Good Nites
• Huggies
• Icy Hot
• Kaopectate
• Nature Made Vitamins
• Os-Cal
• Poise
• Polident
• Pull-Ups
• Super Poligrip

If you purchase any of these items hold on to your reciepts.  Also head over there and make sure you are buying the right sizes, I wish I had known about this when Shawn was still in diapers the money I would have saved.  Go get your rebates, and let me know how you did.

in Central Florida!!!

Starbucks coffeehouses across Central Florida are giving a free cup of coffee for donating school supplies.

They are collecting supplies for “A Gift For Teachings” back to school campaign and hope to raise $150,000 and 1 million supplies.

So what are you waiting for?  I know that you have piles of free supplies from all the great deals at CVS, Walgreens, Staples, and Target bag them up and head out for your free cup of coffee.  I’m sure it won’t include any of my favorite drinks, but I’ll be taking a bag with me when I go to get my free coffee Sunday for my birthday.

So here’s a list of freebies I’ve seen around.  I hope you enjoy.

Free Beechnut Starter Kit

Free Subscription to CBS Watch Magazine

Always Flexi-Liner

Free Hallmark Card

Nabisco Coupon Booklet and Calender

Fancy Feast Appetizers

Burt’s Bees Acne Solutions

Dentaburst Sample

ADT Child Safety Kit

Kid’s Cookbook

Free Mars Chocolate

Nexxus Hair Care Sample

Honey Nut Cheerios Sample

Fiber One Samples

Vancouver Canucks Fan Pack

Please let me know if you have any interest in other Sports Fan Packs and what leagues.  I’ve been considering putting together my list and posting it here but I want to make sure there is interest.  Just leave a comment here or email me about it.  Thanks!!!

Healthy kids are smarter. Get back to school healthy savings to boost intelligence.  As a free member you'll receive access to samples, coupons, and rebates from your favorite brands.

I usually do my Where did my Money Go post but I’m just too tired today to find all my receipts and do math.  LOL I’m currently sacked out on the couch with the lappie and these are the trips I can remember or the receipts that don’t require me to move to find (how lazy does that sound heehee)

Publix- I made two trips to different stores today in the search for more Shout…I didn’t find enough to use all my coupons but oh well.

One trip was 4 Shouts that are BOGO and used 2 BOGO coupons so I paid .39 in tax.  The other trip went like this:

• 2 Starbucks Ice Cream $3.79 BOGO  -(2) $2mq overage
• 2 Yoplait Fiber One $2.50 BOGO –(2) $1.35mq  overage
• Perdue Boneless Chicken Breast $3.53

Spent $3.12 and Saved $15.82

Walgreens:

• 2 Kid’s Bandaids $3.79 each
• 2 Kid’s Listerine  $4 each
• 1 Goody’s Headband $2.59

After coupons I paid $1.78 and saved $21.18.  I paid with a $6 RR and received $9 in RR’s back

Target:

• 4 Johnson’s Buddies  .97  -$1 TQ =FREE
• 2 Gerber Onesies clearance $1.24  -$1TQ and $2/2mq =Overage
• Beef Stew Meat $3.63  -$3 TQ (attached mistakenly I think)
• 1.3lb Bananas .40 after TQ
• 1.75lb Red Grapes  $1.73

Spent $1.24 and Saved $12.38

Do you have any great shopping trips to share, please feel free to link to them here I love reading about your trips.

Here is what we did this week to save some money.

• Tried my best to run all my errands in efficient circles so that we didn’t waste any gas.
• With Shawn in school for a few hours the TV has been off alot more and I’ve had more chances to find the best deals.
• The A/C is staying at 78-80 when we are home and getting bumped up to 82-84 when we are out.  The dog doesn’t seem to mind and I think it’ll help.
• I’ve used the mircrowave a couple times this week and made double batches of things so I didn’t need to use the stove as often.
• The lights are off here between the hours of 8am and 7pm and when they have to be on we try to use the energy saver bulbs.
• I’ve made a pile of stuff for ebay sales but I still haven’t taken pictures hopefully I’ll get the stuff listed this week.
• I’ve opened paid emails, searched using swagbucks and irazoo and checked my youdata everyday to earn a little extra $$, it’s not much but it adds up.
• I unplug everything or shut off the power strips when we leave the house or we go to bed, no phantom power suckers here.
• The desktop computer is off 75% of the time and I use the laptop which uses less energy to charge and holds a charge for 5 hours.  It’s energy star rated so I hope I’m saving some.
• I found out last night that the next community yard sale will be the 19th of this month so I’m going to be getting ready for that this week.

What have you been doing to save money?  I love to hear how everyone else shaves a little it helps me come up with new ideas.

I stopped on the way home from taking Shawn to school just for a quick run.  I managed to roll my register rewards successfully.

• 2 Dora Bandaids (no Spongebob left) $3.79
• 2 Listerine CoolBlue $4
• 1 Goody’s Headband $2.59

I used a BOGO mq on the listerine, 2 .50mq for the bandaids plus $4 walgreen’s coupons for the bandaids and $2 walgreen’s coupons for the listerine.

Paid $1.78 out of pocket.  I used $6 in RR from last week and received a $2, $3, and $4 RR.  Total Saved $21.18

Today’s deal couldn’t come at a better time.  With the kids headed back to school or the first day of preschool being 2 days ago for alittle man that I know a free pic is great.

Online or instore at the photo kiosk you can use the promo code FUNDAY for a free Collage Print.  So go print your collage of the first day of school or call your kids and remind them to send you the pictures so you can get your collage.

The Nielsen Group is still looking for people to participate in their program.  They send you a scanner and you scan your purchases for which you earn points you can redeem the points for some great rewards so if you’re not already a member go and sign up now!!!

Are you looking to make some extra money?  Do you need/want to be able to set your own hours?  Avon is a time tested company that may have what you need to get ahead.

The last offer for today is for the coffee lovers!  You can receive 3 boxes of coffee and a stainless steel mug from Gevalia for $3 with no obligation to buy anything further.  They have some great coffee and this could be a great gift for the coffee lover in your family.

On the way home from dropping the little man off at school we stopped at Walgreens.

• 2 Kids Bandaids $3.79  -$2 Walgreen’s Q .50mq
• 2 Listerine Cool Blue $4  -$1 WQ + BOGOmq
• 2 Rice Kripies  $2.50  -Free MQ + $1mq
• 1 Orange Juice $1.39
• 1 Frappuccino  $1.59

I used $8 in RR and paid $1.98.  Received a $2, $3, and $4 RRs.  Total Saved $26.78

Not a bad trip overall.  How have you been doing on your savings?  If you’ve got the coupons you can’t beat the deal on the bandaids or the kids Listerine.

He was already to go this morning!!!!

And he seemed to have a good day.  I can’t wait till the teachers “test” them and we see where he stands and what he needs to work on. 

I hope all your little ones enjoy their first days of school too.

Today was Shawn’s first day of school!!  We spent $1.50 on a giant M&M cookie for him (and 4 bottles of Shout).  While he was at school Dave and I ran up to BJ’s and got gas in the car and saved .12/gallon compared to the BP across the street.  While we were up there we stopped at Micheal’s and Dave bought me an early birthday present some new watercolor pens to use with my stamps.

So in total we spent $22.70 today not counting my birthday present since I didn’t ask how much it was.

How have you been doing?  Are you watching and keeping track of every penny you spend?  Has it made you sick yet?  It does to me somedays.  LOL  

Again I didn’t take a picture not enough time and too much stuff to do.  But here’s what I got and the coupons I used to get it.

• 4 Johnson’s Buddies soap .97  -$1 TQ
• 2 8 oz Gerber Bottles .99  -$1TQ
• 2 4oz Gerber Bottles  .99  -$1TQ
• 1 Bounce Dryer Bar  -$1.50TQ (in newspaper) and a $2.50mq from VocalPoint
• 4 Tide 1 load size  .97 -$1 MQ (beeper)
• 4 AF Artisan Mini Loaves .99  -$1 TQ
• 4 Cheerios Single Serving $1  -$1 TQ (beeper)
• 2.87lbs Bananas .91 after 2 .50 TQ
• 1lb Ground Round $1.79
• 2 Spongebob Trial Toothpaste .52  -$1 TQ (beeper)
• 4 Johnson’s First Aid Kits  .99  -$1 MQ (beeper)

Total OOP… $1.20 Total Saved $32.76

All my Target Coupons were printed from here except for the Bounce one.  All my manufacturer coupons were from the newspaper so this is a deal you could easily go do at your local store.  Print off your coupons and head out.  Make sure you let me know how you did.

So I did 2 orders at CVS sorry but there’s no pictures today everything including my newspapers are still in the bags.  Maybe I’ll tackle that next.  The first transaction on my card:

• 2 1subject notebooks .99 FREE after ECB and raincheck
• 1 Speedstick Unscented $2.49  -$1.50mq =Free after ECB
• 2 CVS Compostion Notebooks .99  FREE after ECB
• 3 Carefree Ultra something $3.79  FREE after ECB
• 2 CVS Glue .99  FREE after raincheck and ECB
• 1 1” Binder $3 FREE after raincheck and ECB
• 1 Galloon of Milk $2.99
• 4 Orlando Sentinels $4

Total after all my coupons and ECB’s (and a some last minute add ons since I went negative) .36 Total Saved $43.37

Dave’s Card

• 2 1subject notebooks .99 FREE after raincheck and ECB
• 2 CVS Compostion Books .99  FREE after ECB
• 2 Carefree Ultra Somethings $3.79 FREE after ECB
• 1 8x10 Storage box (crafting) $3,99
• 2 CVS Glue .99  FREE after ECB
• 1 1” BInder $3 FREE after ECB
• 2 Orlando Sentinels $2

Total after all coupons and ECB’s $1.64 (all tax) and Total Saved $33.70

I won’t be able to post the deals tonight for CVS or Wag’s but you can get an idea of the goods from my post above for CVS.  Hopefully I’ll have more time tomorrow but I need to get all of Shawn’s supplies ready for tomorrow and find the copy paper (I know it’s around here somewhere LOL)   Have a great night and Happy First Day of School to all the locals!!!!

Today I spent exactly $2 at CVS (see later post) and got most of my goodies.  We took Shawn out for his last day as a free man and spent about $10 on lunch (the kid loves Happy Meals) and $4 on water and a giant cupcake at Disney.  I also spent $8 on a gift and a crafting item while we were at Magic Kingdom.  So in total I spent about $24 today.

It’s not too bad considering we were spoiling Shawn alittle and it was a last minute decision so I wasn’t packed for an afternoon at Magic Kingdom.

How is your savings/spending coming?  Feel free to comment on how your doing or ask any questions.

for a while so I won’t get to the good sales stuff till later.  Dave wants to take Shawn out for some fun on his last day as a free man,  LOL.  He starts PreK tomorrow morning and that’s the beginning of the end for him, but it’s the start of some free time for me to work on the hundreds of projects I’ve got on my desk. And I suppose I could even catch up on laundry YUCK!!!

So check back later today or this evening for what I see for good deals in the papers and to hear about my CVS trip this morning.  Have a great Sunday.

This is Saturday’s edition I’ll do today’s this evening.  Yesterday was not a spendy day at all.  We walked to Lowes to build the schoolbus so we didn’t use any extra gas.  On the way we walked past the bakery and got Shawn a .25 cookie.  Then as we were leaving I bought a drink $1.79 and we headed next door to Walmart.  There I bought a loaf of bread and some new clippers.  Shawn is in desperate need of a haircut so instead of paying $14-$16 including tip for a haircut today I decided I’d buy some new clippers and do it myself.  I found a great pair of Wahl clippers for $19.99 so if I cut his hair twice I’ll be ahead.

So I spent around $23 yesterday and the savings will be many since I won’t be paying $15 for a haircut at least once a month anymore. 

I bought clippers about a year ago at CVS they were about $7 and I paid with ECB’s those have worked well and I’ve cut both Shawn’s and Dave’s hair with them but since they are cheap clippers they are shot.  The blades aren’t cutting well and won’t realign, but if you don’t have the $20 to spend the CVS ones aren’t too bad you’ll definately get your moneys worth out of them.  It’s just one more way to trim the budget.

It starts this weekend and going through the end of September the Sunday newspaper is going to be $1 instead of $1.50.

Now I’m faced with the question do I save the $2 since I buy 4 papers every week or do I buy 2 extra papers? LOL Decisions Decisions!!!

Go here to view all the great seasons Amazon has to offer. They currently offer a selection of video on demand seasons of some of your favorite TV shows. These are not rentals you purchase and own it forever. So click on the link below and see if there's any seasons that you just have to have. An added bonus is they are $5 and you can pay with your Swagbucks gift cards.
$5 VOD

What you haven't signed up for Swagbucks yet?!?!? Scroll down and follow the Swagbucks Swidget on the right sidebar to sign up now!!!!

Today is day 7 of the Walgreen’s Photo Deals and they are ending on a weak note (in my opinion).  Today’s deal is 50% off the Everyday Photo Book.  I think the photo book runs about $9.99 normally.

Just enter the code PHOTOBOOK at checkout and you’ll be set.

Today we did alot of shopping since we were out anyway.  Shawn had a Doctor’s appointment for a physical so I made the most out of my gas.

I shopped at Target, Walgreens, Kmart, and Publix today and managed to only spend $16.63 and saved $138.25.  Of course I took Shawn out to breakfast as a treat and that cost me $10 but it was worth it, he starts school in a few days and there won’t be many chances for breakfast at IHOP with mommy.

So how did your quest to save go?

at least for this round of doubles.  I make no promises about the next time out.

• 4 Ziploc Gallon Size $1.89  FREE after coupons
• 2 Secret Deodorant $3.99  FREE after coupons
• 3 Tag Sprays $3.50 FREE after coupons
• 2 Arm and Hammer Essentials $1.49  FREE after BOGO coupon
• 3 BIC 10pk Razors $3.49  FREE after coupon
• 4 L’Oreal Eye Shadows $7.49  Overage after the BOGO sale and the $2mq
• 1 Pair of Jeans for Shawn  $9.09 (I thought I had a $5 off coupon and the overage but I didn’t oh well he needs jeans that fit)
• 2 Playtex Gloves $1.97  FREE after coupons
• 1 Glade Fabric Spray $3.50 FREE after coupon
• 8 Smart Waters $1  FREE after coupons

Total OOP $12.67 not bad considering I got Shawn a pair of jeans that he really does need for school (every pair he owns looks like they’ve been to war).  Total Savings $104.00

If you ever have any questions about where the my coupons come from please feel free to ask in comments or email me at the address at the top.  I’d be more than happy to help.

This is 2 transactions:

• 2 Kid’s Bandaids
• 2 Softsoap
• 20 Free Prints
• 1 Free Scrapbook page
• 1 Soda (being out all day makes a girl thirsty)

I used the $2 wag’s coupon for the bandaids plus $1 and .50 mq and paid with RR.  Total OOP  $2.75 Total Savings $16.30

• 4 Bic Pens $1  -$1/2 TQ and $1/2 MQ
• 4 Cherrios Cups  $1  -$1 TQ (beeps)
• 3 Artisan Baguette’s $.99  -$.99 TQ (auto adjusted)
• 1.91 lbs Banana’s $1.32  -(2) $.50 TQ

Total OOP (drumroll please) $.32  I only paid the .32 for the bananas and no tax!!  Total Savings $11.97

Don’t forget that tomorrow is building day at Lowes.  They are building this cute little school bus to get ready for school.  They do this clinic from 10-11 but I recommend getting there early since the kids are still out of school it will be busy.  It seems once they start school there are alot fewer kids at my store.  You can also register online to save yourself from filling out the paperwork once you get to the store, but I don’t waste the ink on it.

Oh how I love my freebies!  It makes getting the mail a pleasant experience wondering what new goodie I’ll find today instead of just bills.

Free Sample of Emergen-C Vitamins

Prilosec OTC Sample

No Doz Sample and Savings

Free Subscription to Florida Travel and Life

Free Leapfrog Tag Junior Book

Free Smokey the Bear Kids Stuff

Free Sample of Parent’s Choice Formula

Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Caddy

Dunkin Donuts Coffee Sample

HomeMade Simple Coupon Book

I hope you enjoy this weeks list of Freebies!!!!

Ok so I forgot to post this last night.  I got busy with other stuff and then too tired so I went to bed.

Yesterday I spent $0 all my money stayed right where it was.

On another plus I received 3 rebates in the mail.  One $20 rebate from buying beer and meat and 2 Staples rebates so that all got deposited into the savings account this morning.

Today’s photo deal is a free 8x10 Scrapbook Page.

Enter the promo code SCRAPIT at checkout and receive your free scrapbook page.  This should be able to be picked up in store so there won’t be any additional fees.

Click here to print a BOGO Coupon for Venom Energy Drink!!

Next week Speedstick will be on sale for $2.49 with $1 in Extra Bucks.  If you go through the coupons.com link in my sidebar you should be able to print 2 $1.50 of Speedstick coupons.  This works out great since the limit is 2.  If the coupon isn’t there try zipcode 33907.

Make sure you print this coupon out asap.  As people start to realize the deal they might drive the coupon up to it’s print limit.  So scroll down and get printing.

Here’s what I see for Publix this week.  It' looks like an OK week with some great freebies.

• Smithfield Bacon is supposed to be 2/$5 and there is a $3 coupon here.  Click on the Sign Up link register and you’ll be taken to the coupon. This should be a good deal at any store so print it out and check your stores.
• Starbucks Ice Cream BOGO $3.59  -$2mq =Overage
• Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt  $2.50  BOGO  -$1.25 IPQ or the Pssst Coupons from General Mills =FREE yogurt
• Shout Laundry Stain Remover  BOGO  with BOGO Summertime Savings Book mq = FREE Shout
• Kingsford Charcoal $6.99  -$2MQ   combine this coupon with the $6 off charcoal, pork, and glad to get a decent deal on all of that.

I’ll post more later if I find anything else.  I don’t have the ad in my hands so it’s hard for me to see all the good deals.

This great freebie might just give you some great ideas for some Frugal Christmas Gifts.

Go here to sign up for this great ebook.  After looking through it I see some great ideas for homemade gifts.

How about on Cookbooks?  Here’s a free cookbook, remember to sign up for things like this under your other email address just in case you get junk mail.

Go here to get your free ecookbook.  Looks like lots of tasty recipes for FREE!!!!

Today’s great Walgreen’s photo deal is 20 Free 4x6 photos.

Just enter the code 20FREE4ME at checkout to receive your 20 free prints.  This should be available for pick up in the stores so you can avoid the shipping charges.

Well today most of it stayed in my wallet!!  Shawn and I walked down to the Farmer’s Market and spent $5 and that was it.  Since I didn’t do a post for that I’m just going to add it in here. Here’s what we got for my $5

• 6 Dinosaur Eggs (these are super yummy)
• about 2 pounds of green beans
• 1 large head of cabbage
• 2 planted mums

We didn’t need too much and I couldn’t beat the deal on the plants he had them 2 for $1 and they were pretty.  What can I say I’m a sucker for plants and Jamie has been so good to me cutting deals on veggies that I had no problem buying them today.

So where did your money go?  Have you thought about where everyone of your pennies goes?  It really makes you think when you write it all down, there have been a few times where I’m just say WHY? did I spend that much.  But it’s a learning curve so I’m going along and admitting all my spending sins to you guys.

I joined Inbox dollars awhile ago and have made a little extra money.  It’s not alot but it takes literally no time to open emails and click on the links.  Go here and sign up today. 

Just a tip though, when I do any of these types of things I sign up for a free email address through gmail.  That way all the junk mail that I may get doesn’t go to my regular email or the one that you guys contact me through.

You all remember the challenge Precious started a few months back.  Well I’m back at it again, every week on Wednesday I’m going to post what we’ve been doing to save.  So here goes:

• We do not use the lights until it’s dark outside.  I do have to chase the boys around the house and sometimes yell at them to leave the lights alone but it’s worth it. 
• When we do use the lights we try to only use the ones with energy efficient lightbulbs.  As bulbs blow they are getting replaced with the new ones but I’m not going to throw out perfectly good lightbulbs.
• At night I turn off all the phantoms.  We have the TV and all it’s friends plugged into a power strip so that we can easily turn it off and stop paying to keep all those little red lights one.  I also have all the appliances in the kitchen except for the microwave on a strip that turns off and we unplug all the chargers.
• I try my best to use the fans during the day instead of the A/C.  I read somewhere that I could use over a dozen fans for less than the cost of the A/C
• I love my dog but when we leave the house she doesn’t get to live in a 78-80 degree home.  I turn the A/C up to around 82 when we leave it’s cool enough but saves a little money.
• I’ve started a new coupon system for organizing and so far so good.  I can’t wait until all the coupons are in this system but it’ll take time.  By having everything organized I can save more money and time.

Next week I hope to have more money saving techniques for you, but this is a start.  Also if you haven’t already signed up for SwagBucks what are you waiting for?  Scroll down a little and follow my link on the right side and sign up, you can earn money through paypal or Amazon gift cards.  The Amazon GC’s are the best deal for me.  And if you haven’t signed up for YouData do that too (it’s also on the right side of my blog) everytime you visit my blog and are signed in to youdata it’ll let you know if it has any ads for you to view.  If you’ve got ads to view you get money, it’s not alot but pennies add up to dollars and every little bit helps. 

OK So I completely forgot about the  other Walgreen’s photo deal for the day.  If you still use film (you know that stuff you fight with in those old cameras)  LOL  You can go here and print out a coupon for free developing today only.

So my mom just called since her and her friends wanted to know the Photo Deal of the Day.  I guess I forgot to post it.  OOPS!!

Well if you order a Photo Cling (in the gifts section) and use the code BEES you can get the photo for free but the shipping is a big ripoff in my opinion.  Shipping is $5.99 on this item, yesterday’s poster was almost the same size and shipping was only $1.99

The idea of the cling is really neat.  You can get 1 11x17, 2 8x10s, or 4 5x7.  I’m still trying to decide if it’s worth the $5.99 in shipping though.  Let me know if you’ve ever gotten one of these before.

Ok so this idea isn’t crafty but it’s frugal and is time sensitive.  This is a great gift for the kids.  Your own kids, nieces, nephews, friends kids they will all love this gift.

The time sensitive part is that in the next few weeks you need to watch your stores.  A couple weeks after school starts you will see the stores start to clearance out the excess stuff they have.  This is the perfect time to go buy crayons, markers, construction paper, paints, etc.  Add those to the extra school supplies you’ve probably gotten with all the cheap/free sales at CVS and Staples.  Put these all into a nice little storage container, basket or even a reusable bag and Voila!!!  A great gift for cheap that may inspire great things.

I borrowed the picture above from a place that sells gift baskets and they price this basket at $47.50.  If you can find the perfect container to hold everything you can always take a cardboard box and wrap it in some crayon birthday paper. 

So many people spend so much money on toys for kids and after 3 weeks they get bored with half of them and forget all about them.  With art supplies they play with them endlessly and it’s great to get them using their imaginations instead of sitting in front of the TV.

I had big hopes of posting that all of my money stayed put today but it didn’t.

Dave wanted to get an Ace Bandage for his leg (lots of aches involved in running I guess) so we headed to Walgreens after all they have free stuff this week and I have register rewards.  I spent $3.28 and saved $15.70.  I managed to also roll a couple of  $4 RR’s and bought a Softsoap Bodywash and 2 boxes of Bandaids.

So where did your money go today?

Dave told me he wanted to get an Ace Bandage for his leg tonight so we went to Walgreen’s.  We got lucky and found several on clearance so we picked the best one for his leg and it was cheap.  I did 2 transactions:

• Softsoap $3.99
• Highlighter $.59

I used a $4 RR from the BandAid deal and paid .91 and saved $4

• Ace Bandage $3.29 clearance
• Spongebob Bandaids $3.79
• Dora Bandaids $3.79

I used a .50mq for Bandaids and a $2 off each Bandaid Walgreen’s coupon.  I also used a $4 RR from the Softsoap and paid $2.37 and saved $11.70

Today’s great deal is a free 11x14 Poster!!!! So go pick out on of your favorite pictures and blow it up LOL. Just enter the code FREEPOSTER at checkout and you’ll be all set.

Let me know what picture you guys get. I’m still trying to decide.

After picking my picture I realized that you can't get this one in your local stores. So you have to pay shipping which is only $1.99 which is still a great price for an 11x14 print. I'm finally getting a photo of Shawn done that I've been meaning to do.

So we did quite a bit of shopping today but the good news is I’m done for a bit.  I’ll be hitting Walgreen’s a few more times to get in on the Bandaids, Softsoap and of course to pick up anymore great cheap photo things they have.

First stop Walgreens where I spent $4.77 and saved $17.50

Next to BJ’s where we got lunch $5.42 for the 3 of us to eat.  Then we got gas there $15.  Gas was .10 cheaper there than at the BP across the street.

Then to Target where I spent $2.30, I used a $8 on a gift card that I received free from an online offer.  I saved $12.66

Of course I went to Kmart which I reported earlier. 

My total OOP for today was $60.88 talk about a spendy day.  Luckily I can justify most of it and the lunch spending was much cheaper at BJ’s than anywhere else but home.  Total Savings was $183.08.

This was my last trip to Kmart during this doubles promotion.  It’s too far to drive (wasting gas) so I got everything I really wanted today and I’ll call it quits.  I have to take Shawn to the doctors on Friday so if I end up heading that way than I might take a look but I’m not planning on it.

• 2 Washable Markers $2.99 (School Needs)
• 2 Colored Pencils .99 (School Needs)
• 20 2 Liters Pepsi products $1 -$1/2mq =FREE
• 2 Watercolor Paints $1.99 (More School Needs)
• Large Trio Kit $24.99 (not pictured hid for Birthday gift)
• 1 Small Trio Kit $4.99 sale price -$5MQ
• 2 Secret Deodorant $4.49 -$2mq  =.49 each
• 4 Visine Drops $3.99  -$2mq  =FREE
• 1 Pert Plus Men’s $2.50 -$1.50mq  =FREE
• Purina Dog Treats $3.29 -$2mq  =FREE
• 3 Scrubbing Bubble Toilet Brush things  FREE wyb coupon
• 4 Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Gel $3.50  -$2mq  =FREE
• 2 Ziploc Bags $2  -$1mq  =FREE
• 1 Greenworks Cleanser $3.79  -$2mq  =FREE
• 4 Rice Krispies $2.25  -$1mq  =.25 +a $5  Gift Card Rebate

My spending was alittle higher today than I would have liked but when you figure in the $5 Rebate, $25 gift and $12 in school supplies I guess it wasn’t too bad.  So drumroll please… Total out of pocket $33.39 with $5.49 being tax.  Total Savings was $152.87

Today’s Walgreen photo deal is 25 photos for a penny each.  So go load up your cart with 25 pictures and pay .25 when you get to the store.

Go here for the details and make sure you use the code PENNY at checkout for your cheap pictures.

This is going to be a daily post to help make me accountable for my spending.  I figure admitting it to the masses will help me shave off more and bulk up my savings faster.

Today I spent $13.67 over all my trips that I posted about earlier.   I saved $147.17!!!  My spending today included 4 newspapers ($6), bread and milk plus lots and lots of extras.  We don’t need the extras right now but to prevent needing them in the future and to help add to the yardsale supply I got them at rock bottom prices.

So where did your money go?  I think it will really help to right down every penny I spend every day.  It might sound silly but in writing you can find the leaks, in your head you ignore the leaks.  And in order to save for our goals faster I need to plug the leaks.

I didn’t take pics of my trips this morning but here’s what I got. My card:

• 3 Folders (Shawn needs these for school) .38
• 2 Write Bros Pens $1.98  ($1.98 ECB)
• 2 CVS Filler Paper $1.98  ($1.98 ECB)
• 1 Gel Pen .01 with stationary purchase
• Kid’s Zyrtec  $5.49
• 2 Newspapers $3
• Bread $2.29

Paid $1.52 and saved $21.48

Dave’s Card:

• 2 Write Bros Pens $1.98 ($1.98 ECB)
• 2 CVS Filler Paper $1.98 ($1.98 ECB)
• 1 TG Lee Milk $2.79 ($1 ECB)
• 1 Gel Pen .01
• Philips Headphones $6.99  ($6.99 ECB)

Paid .77 and saved $25.34

And then on the way to Kmart I passed another CVS and found these

These are .99 each and I have lots of $1 off coupons for them.  They are also on a Buy 2 Get $2 ECB limit of 5 deals or 10 kits.  I got these and a soda and paid .90 and saved $5.94.  The best part is I paid with $1.98 ECB and got back a $4 ECB so I made alittle money on the deal.

So I stopped at Walgreen’s on my way up to Kmart real quick.  I needed 1 more newspaper since my CVS only had 3 when I got there this morning.

• Softsoap BodyWash $3.99 Received a $4 RR
• 1 Newspaper $1.50
• 1 8x10 Photo FREE using code I posted earlier

Total spent $1.88 (I used a $4 RR from last week) and I saved $4

I have a love hate relationship with Kmart.  Most times I get angry at the lack of stock, the filth of the store or the horrible customer service but not today.  I succumbed to the super doubles sale once again LOL.  Everytime I go I end up paying more than I should of and half the time I leave angry with the way I was treated for trying to save a buck so I always say no more but today was a pleasant experience.  My cashier was new in training (without a trainer) and I got charged the right amount for a change.  Here’s how it went:

• 2 Trio Toys priced $9.99 -$5MQ and $5 store sale =FREE
• 1 Trio Toy $12.99 -$5MQ and $5 store sale =$2.99
• 1 Electric Crayon Sharpener on clearance $3.74
• 2 Secret Deodorant $3.99 -$2MQ doubled =FREE
• 4 Visine Drops $3.99  -$2MQ doubled =FREE
• 4 Pert Men’s $2.50 -$1.50MQ doubled  =FREE
• 2 Neutra Air (bonus 2pks) $2.67 -$1.50MQ doubled =FREE
• 2 Ziploc Sandwich bags $2 -$1MQ  doubled =FREE
• 4 GreenWorks Toilet Cleaner $2.79 -$2MQ doubled =FREE
• 4 Playtex Gloves $1.97 -$1MQ doubled =FREE

After taxes and an extra $3 store coupon my total was $8.60 and I saved $90.41  Not too bad.  A few notes this store has never really held to the 10 coupon limit they are usually pretty slow and friendly but I don’t push it too much and I received 2 $5 off your next order coupons and a $3 off your next consumables coupon for my next trip we’ll see tomorrow if I can use them all together.

Did you hit the Kmart doubles?  Please feel free to let us all know how you did.

Walgreen’s has a great deal today in the Photo Dept!!!!

Go on to their website and order a 8x10 photo, in the coupon code box enter 8x10 and receive it for free.  Pick up in store is free so you get a free 8x10 and while you are there you can pick up your Free after rewards Softsoap bodywash.

So CVS decided to have some more Back to School goodies in a 3 day sale this week.  I sorted some of the stuff I’ve gotten over the past few weeks and Shawn’s preschool is going to receive a big donation of stuff I think.  I love free stuff!!!!

• CVS Filler Paper 150 Sheets  .99 Free after ECB
• Paper Mate Write Bros Pens 10pk .99 Free after ECB
• Caliber Recycled School Box $1.99 Free after ECB
• CVS Mini Composition Book $1.99 Free after ECB

All of those items are a limit of 2 so make sure you get them both.

Also part of the 3 day sale but hiding back on page 18 in the corner is Philips Earhook Headphones $6.99 Free after ECB Limit is 1

Also of note since you’ll be there anyways

• Revlon Cosmetics BOGO there is always $1 off coupons for this including todays paper . It says prices start at $1.99 so use 2 coupons and get them both free
• Purex BOGO $5.99 there was $1 off coupon in the paper which would make this $3.99 (use 2 mq) not too bad of a price if you need it anyways
• If you got a raincheck for the backpack ECB a few weeks ago this might be a good time to redeem it.  The ad says when you buy a backpack you get a free lunch carrier.  If they’ll honor the ad and your raincheck you could get both for as little as $2.99 after ECB
• My ad has milk on sale for $2.79 a gallon with $1 ECB which is a good deal for us.  Check your ads on this as milk deals tend to vary quite a bit by area.

That’s all I see at first glance for this week.  I’ll let you know if I come across anything else.  As always please feel free to leave a comment on your deals or if you see something I missed.  Oh and make sure if your store is out of stock to get your rainchecks.

We took Dave to work this morning so I could go to Old Navy for the tank top sale.  We ended up going to a couple of Walgreen’s, CVS, Old Navy, Target, Kmart, and Whole Foods. 

I got 5 tanktops ($2) and a new pair of sunglasses ($9.50) for $15 with my 25% off coupon from oldnavyweekly.com

We got 5 of the new Fisher Price toys at Kmart with the $5 coupon and the $5/$20 coupon and paid $2.xx for all of them.  A couple are going into the gift pile or to Toys for Tots and I think Shawn has claimed the others.  lol  I honestly didn’t think he’d be interested in these.

At Target we got 2 packs of Crazy Core Skittles, about 2 pounds of bananas, 2 pounds of apples and a VitaminWater for $1.xx which I paid for with a giftcard earned.  The coupons are all Target Coupons that have been on their site at some point. 

I didn’t find the ReadyFill books at CVS which is the only reason I stopped there.  My store hasn’t gotten them yet so I thought I’d stop at another one but they didn’t have them either.  In case you didn’t know the books are supposed to have a $4/$20 coupon in them.

I did seveal Walgreen’s trips that I’ll post about later once I sort out the receipts.

And my fun find of the day was at Whole Foods.  Dave has tried a couple of different natural peanut butters and I found the freshest natural peanut butter you can get today.  You go up to the machine and grind it yourself!  It’s $3 something a pound so I only got alittle to see if Dave likes it.

I’m going to try and update my spending/savings alittle later.

Free Printable Household Planners

Planning Calender and $20 in Nestle Coupons

Free Fiber One Samples

Kotex Overnight

Prilosec OTC Sample

Nature Valley Granola Sample

Valencia Juicer for Free

We all went to the Town Center to just take a walk tonight and realized they were doing another tasting.  They’ve done one once before but we didn’t go.

Tickets were $5 per person so I bought one for Dave and one for myself.  Shawn claimed to not wanting anything and the guy only had 2 left.

There were 18 businesses listed on the tickets to stop by and visit with.  Here’s what goodies we had:

1. Asain Chicken Wings at Posh Tanning
2. Small scoops of ice cream at Simka’s Sweets
3. Bags of Popcorn from the apartment complex
4. Mac & Cheese, Lemonade and travel size medical kits at Medi Care Clinic
5. Pulled Pork Sandwiches at Goin’ Postal
6. Fried Rice at China 2
7. Hot Dogs, Beer & Martini’s at Anytime Fitness
8. Fruit Salad at the Herb Shoppe
9. Several tasty fried things from Cohen’s Deli
10. Hummingbird Cake at Grandma’s Bakery
11. Xavier’s Furniture ran out of food but gave me 2 bottles of knock of perfume (added to the gift pile) which was really nice
12. Plums from Tim’s Produce
13. Honey Sticks from Mindy’s Honey
14. 4 Potatoes from Jamie’s Produce

If you ever find yourself in the area of Cagan Crossings I highly recommend that you stop in and visit any of these great places.  On Wednesday’s from 4-7 they have the Farmer’s Market (Tim, Mindy and Jamie are always there) and they have great selection and great prices.  These are all really nice people (we chatted with everyone for most of the evening) and are trying very hard to keep their businesses going in these tougher times so please if you are in the area stop by.  Most of the places have discounts for Cagan residents or Disney employees too. 

Here’s a quick deal for my readers with Stop and Shop locally.  Of course you have to drink Ice Tea too, LOL.

Swiss Tea is on sale Buy One Get One Free at Stop & Shop.  If you use this coupon it should double and you’ll get both for free.  You can’t beat a couple free drinks, but this deal is only good through Thursday so get moving.

Let me know where you shop so I can tailor my grocery deals to my readers.  Thanks

I did a couple of quicky Walgreen’s trips today.  The deal is so easy is crazy.  You go buy 3 Listerine or Reach products on sale 3 for $9 and use the $5 off 3 coupon from the paper a couple weeks ago.  You pay $4 (or roll a previous RR) and receive a $6 RR.

I’m fortunate enough to have found lots of extra inserts the week that these were in the paper so I’ll hopefully do this deal several times.  I would really like to get a new cooler or a new fan for the bedroom with my RR’s so I’m hoping to build them up quickly this week.  Wish me luck.

Well there wasn’t much exciting to report about.  I have a stomach bug and therefore have barely done anything.  Dave went and got me some ginger ale and that was it for spending.  So I guess that’s good, but I’m bummed that I didn’t get to start my Walgreen’s deals or stock up on produce from Target.  Hopefully this bug will go away and I can go tomorrow.

In other news we did go to Orientation for Shawn’s preschool tonight.  I was feeling better (it was short lived) and it was already scheduled so we went and meet with his teachers and classmates.  We got the whole run down from the lady in charge there and Shawn got to play alittle with his classmates.  He behaved himself and was upset that he didn’t get to play outside or have a snack, the teacher told them what they were going to do everyday once school starts.  So here I am my baby is going to school and I wonder am I normal?  I can’t wait it’s 2 weeks away and I just can’t wait.  I’ve been home with him everyday since he was born and I’m ready for a few hours everyday to do things with no one under foot.  LOL I guess not everyone is meant to cry on the first day of school.

First Stop was my first trip to Walgreens this week.  I’ve been wanting to go but just haven’t found the time yet this week.  I had to do multiple sales to get this stuff.

• 5 Skippy Peanut Butter
• 3 Ragu
• 4 Huggies Wipes
• 4 Vitamin Shampoo
• 2 Reach Toothbrush
• 1 Index Card
• 2 Amp (already drank)

Total OOP $19.08  Total Saved $59.83

Then I stopped at my CVS:

• 1 Vitamin Water
• Blink Tears  $3 money maker
• 4 Sharpie Highlighter 4pks  FREE with MQ
• 6 4pk Muscle Milk  $2.40 each (Dave likes this and it’s really expensive so I bought all of them on clearance)

Total Money Spent: $13.02 (I wanted to pay for the Muscle Milk with real money not extra bucks)  Total Saved: $69.83

A quick unsuccessful trip to Target:

• Transformers Backpack $8.99
• 4 All Small Mighty Trial  FREE with MQ
• 4 2ct+1 Sharpie  FREE with MQ
• Airplane Kite $1.74
• Transformers Kite $.74

Total OOP $12.72  Total Saved  $9 +the 75% off on kites

And a quick stop at Whole Foods:

• 1/4 lb Oat Bran  .45 (I’m going to try this in my muffins soon I’ll let you know how it goes)
• 1 pint Organic Blueberries  $2.99  also for my muffins

Total OOP $3.34  Total Saved $.10 (reusable bag)

Last Trip of the day/week at Walgreens.  Also multiple transactions

• 8 Skippy Peanut Butter
• 10 Jell-O
• 2 Dozen Eggs
• 2 Vitamin Shampoo
• 2 Reach Toothbrush
• 1 MegaBubbles
• 1 Hershey’s Syrup (cheap homemade mochas need chocolate)
• 2 AMP Soft Drinks

Total OOP $0 I used a gift card and RR from previous transactions.  The gift card was bought with my coke points. Total Saved $60.58

I officially seem like I’ve over spent but in my next post I’ll explain the methods behind my madness.

So here’s the explanation of what and why I shopped like I did today.  The post before was getting alittle long so I figured I’d split them up.

First is my Walgreens shopping.  In total I spent $19.08 at Walgreen’s today.  This is more than I normally spend all week at both drug stores, but here’s how it goes:

1. We are all out of peanut butter.  We have 3 jars of Smart Balance peanut butter that Dave won’t eat (luckily Shawn will).  I ended up with 13 jars of peanut butter and since I was going to have to buy a couple of jars this week that would have cost me at least $4 and that would only last a week maybe two at the most (we use lots of peanut butter in this house).
2. The AMP sodas are unfortunate but real.  Dave and I both like them and today we both needed the extra kick so the first 2 were drank right away and would have been bought anyways.  The second 2 would have been bought at some point this week, they cost at least $1.50 each normally.
3. We also really needed the eggs for the muffins and breads that I am planning on baking this week as well as for a night of breakfast for dinner.  At Walmart or Publix they run me about $1.50 a dozen
4. And of course I am all out of chocolate syrup.  I need the syrup to make my Mocha’s at home instead of getting one at Starbucks.  The cost of one of those is about $4 the cost of the syrup is about $2 at other stores.

So I easily would have spent the $20 over the next few weeks on things we would buy anyways.  Plus I still have $15 in RR to spend on my next couple of trips at Walgreens.

Ok on to CVS.  Dave has been wanting to get the Muscle Milk to help in his training for the 5K in October.  At Walmart and Target that stuff is almost $7 a 4pk so I couldn’t pass up the price and I bought all that my store had.  I won’t count this as part of my grocery budget because I’d been putting alittle away so that we could afford at least a 4pk a week until the 5K.  I’ve actually freed up some money now.

The kites from Target will be Birthday presents for my boys.  Both birthdays are in October and I’ll probably give Shawn’s to him on Dave’s birthday so they can go out and play.  The backpack is another one of those things we just needed.  I purchased a laptop bag during the Staples sale thinking bud wouldn’t need a backpack for PreK but it seems like he probably will need one.  So we found one that he loves and it was on sale.

And lastly the blueberries and bran are for my quest to feed Dave and myself quickly in the morning without resorting to the awful fattening PopTarts.  I’m hoping to make muffins and freeze them and then we can grab them when we need and go.  Hopefully they will come out great and maybe I’ll have enough bran leftover for a few more batches.

OK so now you know what I was thinking when I went shopping today and how I justify my purchases.  What do you think?  What would you have done?  And how is your shopping going this week?

Today was another good mail day.  I love when I don’t get any bills.  Today I received

• Martha Stewart Living magazine that I signed up for ages ago and recieve FREE.
• Psst coupons for Fiber One Yogurt  They sent 1 free multipack coupon and 10 $1.35 coupons. 
• The Welcome Kit from Nicole’s Saving Advantage which means my gift card confirmation should arrive shortly.
• and a coupon for $100 when you set up a checking account with Chase bank.  I’ve been considering setting up an account for my coupon savings and rebates.  This might just be the time for it.

So what have you gotten good in the mail this week?  A couple more good mail days like this and I won’t know what to do.

Photo Frame Sample here  You can never have too many frames or this would be great to toss in the gift pile for Christmas.  If you don’t really like the style once it comes check back here for some ways to alter it.

Free Vintage Poster here  You have to sign up for an account and then order it.  This might also be a great gift for the pile.  If you are feeling generous you can use my name as the referral bellemitchell702. 

Free Heiko Age Moisturizer Sample

Scope Outlast Sample here

GoodNights Underwear Sample

OxyClean Sample

Viva Paper Towel Sample

Boca Java 4 Full Size Bags for $9.95

Enfamil LIPIL® Formulas. Free sample

Gevalia - 3 Boxes for $3 + Free Mug + Free Shipping

Nicole’s Saving Advantage Try it today and get a Free $25 Gift Card.  Sign up now and get a BONUS $25 Starbucks Gift Card

Today was a pleasant Mail Day!!!  No Bills!!!!

I got a Bodycology sample from Walmart, a dunkin donuts coffee sample, $5 gift card for Walgreens thru mycokerewards which also came with a coupon for a free Powerade Zero, ReadyMade magazine, Ikea catalog and an Oriental Trading Company catalog.

I love great mail days.  If you request enough samples alot of your mail days can be pretty good.  Check tomorrow for my Freebie Friday update so your mail days can get better.

We’re all looking for ways to cut the budget and save more money right?  I’m going to share with you a few changes I’m going to make this month to see how they help me and then share with you my biggest money saving secrets.

I’ve been using the binder/card holder system for a couple years now to keep my coupons organized but in the past 6 months or so I always seem to find myself swimming in clipped coupons not filed or coupons not yet clipped.  Don’t get me wrong this is a great way to organize coupons if you have the drive to keep it up weekly.  I have 2 binders one food and 1 for everything else all set up alphabetical by brand name.  I just haven’t had the energy to deal with this every week, so I’m going to get a small plastic filing system started and starting this Sunday we’ll try a new way.  I’m going to sit down and type up the list of coupons every week and put that and all the coupons into a file each week.  I want to be able to take the file with me so it’ll have to be portable.  I’ll post more about it as I get it all set up.

The other thing we are going to try starting tonight or tomorrow once I get to the ATM is to start the envelope system.  Each week I’ll put the allotted amount into envelopes.  I’m thinking $40 for groceries, $20 for CVS, Wags, incidentals, $20 gas and the rest to savings.  We’ll see how that works with a once the envelope is empty it’s empty and at the end of the month hopefully there will be some money left in an envelope and that will be added to savings as well.

And drumroll  please!!!!  Here’s my biggest secret to saving money is to STAY HOME!!!!  Yesterday I got the new Wii Sports Resort game courtesy of Swagbucks (use the search engine to earn bucks and turn then into Amazon giftcards) so we have new entertainment for the next few weeks.  Even without the new game I’m sure you have cards, games, books, magazines, toys,etc at home that you spent $$$ on.  Use them!!!! the more time you spend out of the house the more gas you spend, the higher chance that you’ll buy convenient foods or drinks, the more money you’ll spend just by going to the stores.  We have 2 pools in the apartment complex and another pool and playground opening very soon so we have that advantage, but if you don’t find out if there is a cheap/free place you could go to like a park, playground, or pool and pack a cooler with snacks and drinks.  If you want to save money the easiest way to do it is stay home or be more like me and procrastinate until it’s too late to shop. LOL

Do you have any secrets or tips to save money?  Please feel free to share with us.  We can all work together and help everyone save more.

This week I didn’t get quite as much as last week and I didn’t take any pictures because I’m too warm to get up again. LOL  There was someone new there this week selling goat cheese and other organic items but I didn’t really need anything she offered so I didn’t check her prices.  I’m kicking myself but Oh Well!!

I did get a huge head of lettuce for $1 at one stand and at the one with my favorite guy we got 2lbs of zucchini, 5 big apples and a pound of baby carrots for $5.

I didn’t do quite as well but it is still better than in my grocery store.  And I rather support the local growers and sellers.  So do you go to your local farmer’s market?  We have several around but I don’t like having to drive out of the way to shop.  If we are headed out to Home Depot than I stop at the Farmer’s Market at Whole Foods or if Dave and I are out running errands on Sunday we might hit the one in Celebration but sometimes there prices are a bit high.

You can search online if you don’t know of a local farmer’s market and then just plan your errands around the times they are open.  Oh and if you are driving be sure to toss the cooler in the car then you don’t have to run straight home.

I wasn’t planning on stopping at Target but we did on the waqy home from the Lego store where Shawn built a free lobster.

Here’s what I got:

• 4 Kashi Cereal Cups $1 each -$1 TQ=FREE
• 4 Smart Ones Meals $1.80 -$1TQ -$2/4 mq =.30 each
• 1 Coke for Dave  $1.39
• Leapfrog Didj Clearanced to $17.48
• Hot Wheels Track Set $4.86

The Didj is something Dave and I have been talking about maybe getting Shawn for Christmas.  At 75% off it wasn’t even a question it’s put away for Christmas and we just need to pick up a couple games for it now.  The track was also 75% off so that will go in the gift pile as a Christmas or Birthday gift.

Total OOP was $26.59 which isn’t too bad considering I got 2 gifts out of the way.  I’m very excited about the Didj in case you couldn’t tell it’s something we were considering purchasing and I didn’t have to pay the $69.99 for it.

So my phone just reminded me that at my local Lego store from 5-7pm there will be a free building event for kids 6 and up.  My son isn’t 6 but what’s a little white lie when he loves building with legos?  LOL

You can check on Lego’s website for in store events to see what time and day your store is participating.  We did last months and Shawn built an American Flag today it will be a lobster.

So if you have a Lego store nearby take the kids to build your free lobster.

Through August 10th there’s a great deal on all entertainment books.  It’s not to late to get some great deals out of these books so if you don’t have one or you think you might want another one go here and sign up to receive yours for just $9.99

I love when CVS has happy accidents in my favor especially since they are forcing me to pay tax now.  I’m not at all happy about that I’ve always been able to pay pennies for my CVS deals and now I have to cover the taxes which I suppose is fine but I don’t like change like that.  LOL  So here’s my pillaging and plundering I’ll highlight the happy accidents I did 4 transactions 2 on my card 2 on Dave’s card

#1

• Vitamin Water10 Orange $1.25

Used $1.25 ECB Paid .09 tax and received a $3 ECB

#2

• 4 Lysol Neutra Air $12 -$6 MQ
• 2 Electrasol $9 -$5 MQ
• 1 VitaminWater10 Lemonade $1.25 (doesn’t work)
• 2 Stayfree $10 -$5MQ
• 2 Benefiber Plus Calcium $6.14  -$4mq
• 2 Softsoap $9.98  -$4mq

Used $23.75 ECB’s and paid $3.04 (I hate paying tax) Received $29 in ECB’s.  The Benefiber rang up clearance $3.07 and it’s still giving the $3 ECB so with a coupon it’s a money maker.

#3 Dave’s Card

• VitaminWater10 Orange $1.25
• Reese Peanut Butter Cup .89

Used $1.98 ECB, paid .31 and received a $3 ECB

#4 Dave’s Card

• 1 VitaminWater10 Orange $1.25
• 2 Stayfree $10  -$5mq
• 1 Benefiber $3.07  -$2mq
• 2 Softsoap $9.98  -$4mq

Used $14.96 in ECB’s and paid $1.49 (did I mention I hate having to pay tax) and received $19 in ECB’s

I can’t guarantee that the Vitamin Water deal will work for long they tend to fix these deals pretty quickly and it doesn’t work on all flavors.  Please feel free to share about your CVS shopping this week and let me know if you have to pay tax now too.

There’s more free school supplies until Tuesday at CVS so go get your stuff or your rainchecks.  Here’s what you need to get.

CVS eraser, glue stick, or sticky pads  .99 limit 2

CVS  1 subject notebook 70-80 sheets  .99 limit 2

CVS pencils 10ct or 20ct ball point pens  .99 limit 2

CVS compass or protractor 1.50  limit 2

CVS Scissors  2.99  limit 2

CVS Flexi Ruler  .99 limit 2

CVS Stretchable Book Cover .99  limit 2

2 pocket Folder .49  limit 2

I’ll post about the rest of the CVS deals later once I figure out what I need to get.  But go and get your free school supplies or your rainchecks for the freebies.

Precious over at Frugal Makes Cents started a Money Saving Challenge a few months ago and I was excited and onboard from the get go.  She has some great ideas on how to save lots of money on a fixed budget.  Well for July I kinda slacked on the challenge.  We have been busy busy busy and I’ve done all right but not great.  So here we are, I’m renewed with ambition and drive to get my savings account full and get on the way to my goals.  Here’s a list of my resolutions:

1. I will “buy” anything that is free, especially if I can sell it in my upcoming yardsale.

2. I will not drive out of my way for a deal.  I’m blessed to have a CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Publix, WinnDixie, and Sweetbay all within 2 miles of my house and a Target about 5 miles away.  I’m also blessed in that my mother in law was able to add us on to her BJ’s membership for $10 and it’s about 15 miles away.  Gas there yesterday was 13 cents cheaper than the gas station across the street so we’ll make one trip a week to get what I need at BJ’s and gas with the perks of a whole shopping plaza right there.

3. I will keep my coupons better organized.  After all a gal can’t save as much when the coupons are a mess.

4. We will consolidate all our trips into 1 day or 2 at the most (for weeks Shawn builds at Home Depot) a week.  I will also pack snacks and drinks for those longer shopping trips to save that cost.

5. I will not sacrifice on food!!!  Dave and I would both like to lose a little weight so I will not buy crap food to eat every day just because it’s cheaper.  We used to eat Banquet meals and Ramen Noodles when trying to save money (before couponing) but not anymore.  We’ll still eat well and I’ll find the deals on the healthier options that we want.

6. I won’t spend money on it if I can make it or substitute  something else for it.  I’ve started making bread which is working out to  be relatively cheap since I can get my supplies at BJ’s

7. If there’s a free sample I’m getting it.  The more free samples we receive the more coupons I’ll get and the more products I’ll have for my next yard sale.

8. I’ll get my butt moving and start selling off some of the crap we have around here that I can on ebay or craiglist.

9. I’ll be blogging more.  Be on the look out for my Frugal Crafty Gifts series as well as posts about how to monetize your blog, making money at home, and some in depth looks into what is really cheaper.

I’ll probably have more goals and challenges to add to this but this is my start for the month.

Do you have a goal you are trying to save for?  Are you just looking for some saving support?  Please let me know, we can support each other through this.  If you’ve got a blog leave a link to it and I’ll get a sidebar up and add you to it, if you don’t have a blog drop by and let us know how you are doing.