Meijer Deals Galore

Meijer is rockin' my coupon world lately..not only have the grocery buys been really good, but they have clearance toys on clearance!!!  Just when you thought clearance couldn't get any better...they clearanced it out....I may be in heaven.  Here is a quick run down of my my last two trips to Meijer.  I am trying to get caught up on my blogging, so I cam combining things together.

Here is my trip on 9.19.11...I did three transactions for this one and you know I made some friends at the check-out...lol.

Transaction #1:

• 1 Campfire Giant Marshmallows $1.00.  USed mPerks q $1/1 = FREE
• 2 Starbucks Espresso Ground Coffee $14.98.  Used 2 $1.50/1 = $11.98.  Got back a code for a $5.00 Starbucks gift card.  End cost = $6.98
• 1 Pillsbury Breakfast Sandwich $2.00.  Used mPerks q $1/1 and manufacturer q $1/1 = FREE

I paid a total of $12.26 OOP and came home and entered my Starbucks card code on-line and added the $5.00 to my newly arrived Gold card:)  I saved a total of $6.00 in q's in this transaction.

Transaction #2:

• 1 Johnson & Johnson's Baby Naturals Lotion $4.79.  Used mPerks q $1.50/1 and a printable $1.50/1 = $1.79
• 1 bunch parsley $0.69
• 1 green pepper $1.25
• 2 boxes Trix cereal $5.98.  Used 2 printables $1/1 = $3.98
• 2 boxes Chocolate Chex cereal $5.00.  Used printable $1.10/2 = $3.90
• 1 box Honey Nut Cheerios $3.29.  Used coupon from mailer .75/1 and mPerks q $2/5 General Mills cereal = $0.54.  
• 1 Gallon Meijer Milk $2.99.  Part of the buy 4 participating cereal get a gallon of milk free = FREE
• 2 Zucchini $0.73
• 4 Kraft Mac N' Cheese $3.40
• 1 bunch celery $1.50
• 2 Chef Boyardee Cheese Ravioli $1.70.  Used .50/2 from All You Magazine = $1.20
• 1 Campfire Giant Marshmallows $1.00.  USed mPerks q $1/1 = FREE
• 2 Starbucks Espresso Ground Coffee $14.98.  Used 2 $1.50/1 = $11.98.  Got back a code for a $5.00 Starbucks gift card.  End cost = $6.98
• 1 Pillsbury Breakfast Sandwich $2.00.  Used mPerks q $1/1 and manufacturer q $1/1 = FREE
• 4 Danimals Yogurt $7.56.  Used 4 .50/1 = $5.56
• 2 Johnsonville Apple Chicken Sausage $5.98.  Used 2 $1/1 = $3.98
• 1 bag Macintosh apples $2.00
• 2 Planters Creamy Peanut Butter $3.34.  Used 2 printables $1/1 = $1.34
• 4 Kleenex Cool Touch tissues $5.00.  Used mPerks $1.25/4 and .50/3 and .75/1 = $2.50
• 2+ lbs red grapes $3.87

I paid a total of $46.97 OOP and got another code for a $5.00 Starbucks gift card that I added to my gold card:)  I saved a total of $34.79 in q's on this transactions.

Since the toy clearance is so stellar, I have started my Christmas shopping early....and I am saving a ton.  We have over 12 kiddos to buy for and toys are expensive.  Here is what I picked up with all of my groceries:

• 2 Lalaloopsy Pets $25.18.   (These were originally $17.99 marked down to $12.59).  Saved $6.30 with the additional 25% off = $18.88
• 6 Toy Story 3 Dual Action Figure Packs $32.94 (These were originally $21.99 marked down to $5.49).  Saved $8.22 with the additional 25% off = $24.72
• 2 Handy Manny construction sets $9.98.  (These were originally $9.99 marked down to $4.99).  Saved $2.50 with the additional 25% off = $7.48

I spent a total of $55.06 with tax on these ten toys...ONLY $5.50 per toy!  My total savings on the toys with all of the discounts was $136.83.  If I can keep this up, we may not be bankrupt after Christmas this year...fingers crossed.

I head back to Meijer the next day to get more coffee and some free sparkling water...and of course some more cheap toys:)  Here is what the 20th looked like:

Transaction #1:

• 2 Starbucks Espresso Ground Coffee $14.98.  Used 2 $1.50/1 = $11.98.  Got back a code for a $5.00 Starbucks gift card.  End cost = $6.98
• 6 Ice Mountain Sparkling Water W/ Lemon $4.74.  Used 4 printables $1/1 and 1 $1/2 = FREE and got back $2.00 OYNO cats = MONEYMAKER
• 4 Zucchinis $1.21

I saved a total of  $8.00 in q's and waalked away with a $2.00 OYNO cat and another $5.00 Starbucks gift card.

Here are the toys I took home with me as well:

Transaction #2:

• 1 Mille Borne card game $3.66.  (This was originally $5.24 marked down to $3.66).  Saved $0.91 with the additional 25% off = $2.75
• 1 Chuck Truck $4.99.   (This was originally $9.99 marked down to $4.99).   Saved $1.25 with the additional 25% off = $3.74
• 1 Sesame Street Elmo Kinex Blocks $5.49.    (This was originally $10.49 marked down to $5.49).   Saved $1.37 with the additional 25% off = $4.12
• 1 Zoobles Figurine $6.99.    (This was originally $9.99 marked down to $6.99).   Saved $1.75 with the additional 25% off = $5.24
• 1 Zoobles Toy Set $9.99.    (This was originally $19.99 marked down to $9.99).   Saved 2.50 with the additional 25% off = $7.49
• 1 Cars2 Ramp Racing Set $10.49.    (This was originally $14.99 marked down to $10.49).   Saved $2.62 with the additional 25% off = $7.87
• 1 Lalaloopsy Pets $12.59.   (These were originally $17.99 marked down to $12.59).  Saved $3.10 with the additional 25% off = $9.44

I also used the $2 OYNO from the sparkling water.  I spend $41.90 OOP including tax for 7 toys...ONLY $5.99 per toy!  My total savings on the toys with all of the discounts was $50.53...WOOHOO!  By buying clearance toys on clearance I saved almost $200...that is a HUGE savings...I didn't even realize how big it was until I added it all up now for this post...I am rockin' some coupon stoke right now...lol

Off to bed kiddos, it is late and I need some sleep.  Tomorrow is my 7 year wedding anniversary and the hubs and I are actually getting out on a date...YAY:)

Come On Down....

Clearance season is upon us...and it is a perfect appetizer leading up to Black Friday.  I LOVE Black Friday...if you look to the right of your screen, you will see my countdown clock...just a few over 60 days at this point.  The BFF and I train for Black Friday like its an Olympic event...a marathon if you will.  I am already getting stoked just thinking about it.  Here is a pic of us freezing our butts off last year outside of Kohl's:)

I will usually pick up odds and ends here and there before Black Friday, but will hold out for the big day to pick up most of my goodies...but this year I just cannot wait.  There are freebies and clearance upon clearance galore and they are pairing up nicely with some coupons...WOOHOO!  

Wal-Mart has had a ton of cheap board games over the last week...guess what everyone is getting for Christmas?!?!?  LOL, I feel like Bob Barker...I have board games coming out of my ears!  I love to pick up toys like this because they also make for perfect Toys for Tots gifts.  Here are some of my goodies that I picked up over two trips to Wal-Mart last week.

Stop #1:

• 4 Monopoly games $20.00.  Used 4 printables $4/1 = $4.00
• 1 Colgate toothpaste $0.97.  Used $1/1 = $0.03 MONEYMAKER

With tax, I paid $5.51.  A few days later, I stopped at a different Wal-Mart and found these little gems:

• 3 Toy Story 3 Connect 4 $12.00.  Used 3 printables $4/1 = FREE

Just had to pay the tax on these little goodies...I couldn't have been happier....and you know that I bought all they had...sorry if you were hoping for a few freebies of your own...lol.

Meijer is also rockin' their own toy clearance...more to come on that in a future post.

Christmas In July

I am a Christmas junkie....I plan for Black Friday like it's a sport and go full throttle from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas arrives. I love everything to do with Christmas...the decorations, the gift giving, the Christmas Walk, the baking, the time with family, the excitement of my kiddos....and Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments.  I am already a Hallmark addict to begin with, and these ornaments just put me right over the edge.  I am also a Gold Crown Member, Hallmark's frequent buyer program, which rewards me with...go figure...COUPONS!  Here is this year's ornament catalog:)

I get uber-excited when the Keepsake Ornaments are released in July and I quickly begin to evaluate and select the ones that will join my collection and the many others that I will gift.  I think my obsession with these ornaments all began in 2000 when my friend Rob gifted me an ornament with the likeness of my beloved cat Hayride and the first in the Snowball and Tuxedo  series of which he still gifts to me 11 years later.  Here's this years soon-to-be addition:

I am very particular about my ornaments.  They are meticulously removed from their boxes one-by-one and hung on the tree and when Christmas draws to an end they are returned to their snug little homes to await next year's festivities.  No one else is allowed to take them from or place them in their boxes...sound a little crazy? Perhaps, but they really are keepsakes.  I am appalled at the fact that people throw their boxes away.  Geesh people, how can you be so careless with these little gems?  (ok....did anyone else just have a Can't Hardly Wait flashback with Melissa Joan Hart and the yearbook clip?)

This past weekend was the 2011 Ornament Premiere and you just know I had to go in and scope them all out.  I picked up my 2011 Keepsake Ornament Catalog and entered the a little drawing they were holding in honor of the premiere....and I won an ornament:)

It wasn't my favorite of the three potential prizes, but beggars can't be choosers, right?

Here are a few of my top picks this year:

2nd in Christmas Cupcakes Series

4th in Making Memories Series 

I started this series for Gary a couple of years ago

Beaker's Ode to Joy.

He is my favorite Muppet and this ornament sings and is HYSTERICAL!

      

Fisher Price Retro Toys

I started collecting these for the boys two years ago...you know I cannot stop now:)

   

Cars Ornaments

Every year Santa leaves the boys some ornaments from Cars.  

Who would've thought he had a hunkering for Hallmark Ornaments too...lol

Phineas and Ferb

I don't know if this one is more for the kids or the hubs:)

    

Family Ornaments

I remember getting a Hallmark Daughter  ornament every year when I was a little girl, so I started the tradition for my own kiddos....and us too.