Target Recap

The last couple weeks are starting to take their toll on me and I am just exhausted.  I always seem to be a day late and a dollar short...I don't know why I just can't seem to catch up, so I will just keep treading water and clipping q's:)

Here is a quick catch up on some of my Target finds.  Here is what I picked up on September 8th:

Transaction #1:

• 4-50 count Huggies Slip-On Diapers $79.16.  Used 4 Target printables $2/1 and 4 manufacturer q's $3/1 = $59.16.

Paid a total of $63.00 (stinking tax) OOP and got back $20.00 in Target gift cards for an end cost of only $0.20/diaper...not bad since they do double duty as pull-ups and we are potty training right now.

Transaction #2:

• 1 box Huggies Overnight diapers $19.79.  Used Target q $1.50/1 and manufacturer q $1.50/1 = $16.79
• 4 Febreze Noticeables Warmers $11.96.  Used 4 $3/1 q's = $0.04 MONEYMAKER
• Drano Pipe Foamer $3.39.  Used Target printable $0.50/1 = $2.89
• 4-4 count Cascade Dishwasher Tabs $3.88.  Used 4 $1/1 = $0.12 MONEYMAKER
• 6 packs Trident gum $7.74.  Used 3 Target printables B1G1 and 2 manufacturer q's $2/3 = $0.13 MONEYMAKER
• 1 bonus pack Colgate toothpaste w/ toothbrush $1.48.  Used $1/1 = $0.48
• 4 Purina Whisker Lickins' Cat Treats $3.96.  Used 4 Target printables $1/1 = FREE
• 2 Bounce Dryer Bars $11.98.  Used 2 Vocalpoint q's $2.50/1 and $1.50/1 = $7.98.  Got back a $5 gift card = an end cost of $2.98

My total after q's and $20 in gift cards was $11.94 and I walked away with the $5 gift card for an end cost of $6.94...not too shabby:)  I saved a total of $76.27 in q's and gift cards and saved my $5 gift card for another trip. 

I made another run on the 14th (I think there was a trip in between for a few randoms...but I have no idea what I got...that is how it's going around here lately...lol).  Here is what I picked up...all in one transaction:)

• 1 Pampers Kandoo Wipes $1.49.   Used $1/1 = $0.49
• 3 Febreze Noticeables Warmers $8.97.  Used 3 $3/1 q's = $0.03 MONEYMAKER
• 1 dual pack Febreze Noticeables refills $8.89.  Used Target q $0.75 and manufacturer q $1/1 = $7.14
• 2 Boys' Mossimo t-shirts $11.16.  Used 2 Target printables $5/1 = $1.16
• 1 Pantene Shampoo $3.60.  Used q for free item from mailing = FREE
• 1 Pantene Conditioner $3.60.  Used q for free item from mailing = FREE
• 1 Tidy Cats Scoopable litter $6.99.  Used Target printable $2/1 and manufacturer q $1/1 = $3.99
• 2 Purina Party Mix cat treats $2.84.  Used peelie on cat litter for free bag w/ litter purchase and Target printable for B1G1 Free = FREE
• 4 Purina Whisker Lickins' Cat Treats $1.98.  Used 2 Target printables $1/1 = FREE
• 1 can Friskie's canned cat food $0.45.  Used q for free can from previous cat litter purchase = FREE
• 1 package Always Pantyliner's $5.54.  Used q .50/1 = $5.04
• 2 boxes Tampax Pearl Tampons $7.98.  Used Target q $1/2 and 2 $1/1 = 4.98

My total OOP was $27.59.  I saved a total of $38.84...the cats will have plenty of free goodies for a long time...think I will take some to the animal shelter too.

Birthday Extravaganza On a Coupon Budget: Part.1

Today my little man turned 5!  I cannot believe how quickly five years has gone by...and in just a few more short days my other little man will turn 3...time moves too quick.  Here are my little guys at the start of Preschool just two weeks ago...can you believe?!?!?!  Sometimes I wish I could just stop time...when the going gets rough I just remember to take it all in and enjoy the ride because it is over before you know it.

I love to make a huge deal of my boys' birthdays.  They are the biggest and best things in my life and I want them to look back with fond memories of their birthdays and to always know and feel how special they are.  Every year I have to reel myself in from going crazy with goodies...this year, I have made some improvements.  I have been doing a lot of baking lately and experimenting with some yummy cupcake recipes.  Instead of ordering a cake, I made the boys S'Mores cupcakes.  Jax was intent on having a Cars 2 cake...so we compromised with Cars 2 cupcake cups and decor picks....he took it pretty well:)

I am also going to have my first go at making cake pops.  I am pretty stoked about it, we will see how it goes. 

The hubs and I planned a fun filled day today on a tight budget.  In the end, we only spent $40 for a huge day of fun and made some unforgettable memories.  Logan had school this morning, but after we picked him up around lunch time the festivities began.  Our first stop was Brookfield Zoo.  It was a gorgeous day and with most of the kiddos back in school the zoo was nice and quiet and we could get up close to check out all of the animals.  I packed a nice picnic lunch to save money at the zoo...the place can be a fortune if you don't plan ahead.  We also had our free passes from my Meijer Coke deals at the beginning of summer still hanging around, so we only had to pay $9.00 to enjoy a day at the zoo...stinking parking fee:(  

Here are a couple of snapshots of the boys enjoying the day.

The highlight of the zoo had to be the bear habitat and the the polar bear named "Hobson".  He was so cool and loved to swim for all of the kiddos.  He got up close to the glass and side-stroked by for all of the little ones to see...the hubs and I were just as excited as the little ones.  We stood and watched this awesome bear for a good 15-20 minutes.

After the zoo, we made our way to Giordano's for some yummy pizza.  The hubs had done a survey and scored a $25 gift certificate to Restaurant.com, so we used it to purchase a $25 gift certificate to Giordano's. We were able to get an awesome meal complete with a pizza just for the boys, our own deep dish, drinks and an app for $24 with tip.  Jax was super excited he got to pick his own toppings and didn't have to settle for our choices.

After stuffing ourselves with pizza, it was onto the next fun-filled adventure...the place all parents loathe and all kids adore...Toys R' Us.  I dislike Toys R' Us for a multitude of reasons, but I signed my kiddos up for their birthday club so every year they each get a coupon for $3/$3 purchase and they get to go and pick out a small toy for themselves.  We also chip in a buck or two to help them out.  Jax knows the power of a coupon in this house and was super excited to have and use his very own.  We gave the boys a spending limit of $5 each.  Logan had no trouble picking out a pack of Matchbox cars...but the decision was a little harder for Jax.  he finally settled on a pack of Matchbox cars as well.  Our total OOP was $4.96.  The boys also each got a birthday crown and balloon too.  I think they thought they had hit the jackpot.

Could he be any cuter??

I love the expression on Logan's face

We finally made it home at around 8 and still had a little more celebrating to do.  We got out the cupcakes, the big "5" candle and sang and off-key version of Happy Birthday.  Good times:)

Our neighbors, Grandpa Dick and Grandma Joan and Lauren, came over to enjoy some cupcakes with us and bring the kids some goodies for their birthdays.  The boys had a blast and capped of the night with their newly acquired cars.

It was such an awesome day.  In the end, we spent a total of about only $40 for a fun filled day packed with all sorts of goodies.  Our q's saved us over $65....we cut the cost of our day by over half!  The boys had so much fun, I swear they probably thought we spent a million bucks...lol.

I will leave you all with this...the perfect sentiment for today.  It really is a Good Life.  Stay tuned as our birthday extravaganza continues...

Meijer Madness

Meijer is still throwing out some good deals, so I have been hitting them consistently each week for the past couple of months.  Since I am so far behind on my blogging, I am gonna combine all of my Meijer deals together in one long-winded post.  So here you go...

August 29th's pit stop was still part of the buy 10, get the 11th item free sale.  I, of course, had to do two transactions at the Meijer...shocker.  I saved a total of $7.35 in q's and spent an OOP of 12.29.

Transaction #1:

• 2.5 lbs black grapes = $2.35
• 4 Krusteaz baking mixes $4.00.  Used 2 printables $1/2 = $2.00
• 2 boxes Pizza Rolls $2.00.  Used manufacturer q .40/2 and mPerks q .40/2 = $1.20
• 4 Old Orchard Juice $4.00.  Used printable $1/4 and mPerks $1/4 = $2.00
• 1 Bad Meijer Pretzel Braids $1.00.  Rang up as my 11th item = FREE

Transaction #2:

•  2 boxes Pizza Rolls $2.00.  Used manufacturer q .40/2 and mPerks q .40/2 = $1.20
• 4 Old Orchard Juice $4.00.  Used printable $1/4 = $3.00

Next trip to the Meijer was on Spetember 4th.  I actually only did one transaction...a rarity.  I spent a total of $5.82 OOP and saved $13.17 in q's.  Here is what I brought home:

• 4 Simply Orange Juice $3.96.  Used 4 printables $1/1 = FREE
• 4 Simply Raspberry Lemonade $3.96.  Used 4 printables $1/1 = FREE
• 7 Land O' Lakes Spreadable Cinnamon & Sugar Butter $10.50.  Used 7 .75/1 q's = $5.25

My most recent Meijer stop was a major stock-up of items that cost me a total of $68.27 OOP with a savings of $42.05 in q's and mPerks.  Of course there was two transactions...people just hate being behind me in the self-checkout.  Here are my latest Meijer acquisitions:

Transaction #1:

• 10 boxes Kellogg's Fruit Snacks $19.90.  Saved $5.00 instantly with the purchase of 10 and used 5 $1/2 = $9.90.  Also had an mPerks q for $2/$2 purchase for an end total of $8.93 with tax.

Transaction #2:

• 1-625 ct. box Q-Tips $3.47.  No q for these:(  But I CANNOT live without Q-Tips and this is another one of my brand loyalties
• 1 bunch Cilantro $0.50
• 1 bunch bananas $1.45
• 2 Twix Bars $ 1.58.  Used 2 q's I got in the mail for free Twix bars = FREE
• Roma tomatoes $1.23
• 1 Plochman's Mustard $1.07.  Used mPerks q .50/1 = $0.57
• 1 Meijer Sour Cream $1.69
• 3 Avocados $2.00
• 3 Dannon Light N'Fit 4-packs $ 5.97.  Used 3 printables $1/1 = $2.97
• 18 ct. Large Eggs $2.59
• 2 Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss Creamer $5.98.  Used 2 $1/1 printables = $3.98 (this was by no means a good price...bit I have finally exhausted my major stock pile of International Delight Creamers we had and have not come upon a good sale for a restock...can't win 'em all...)
• 2.25 lbs Black Grapes $2.23
• 2 bags Meijer Pretzel Braids $3.18
• 1 bag Meijer Cheese Balls $1.59
• 10 packages Keebler Chips Deluxe Chocolate Chip Cookies $19.90.  Saved $5.00 instantly with the purchase of 10 and used 5 $1/2 = $9.90.  
• 4 packages Johnsonville Italian Sausage $11.16.  Used 4 printables $1/1 -= $7.16
• 2 Loaves Meijer Whole Wheat Bread $3.00
• 2 packages Earthbound Organics Romaine Lettuce Hearts $4.00.  Used 2 printables $1/1 = $2.00
• 1 package Meijer Cream Cheese $1.34
• 2 boxes Clorox 2 Color Safe Beach = $9.58.  Used 2 printables $1.50/1 = $6.58
• 2 packages Oscar Mayer Selects Hot Dogs $3.34.  USed 2 printables $1/1 = $1.34 

I also had another mPerks q for $2/$2 purchase...

***On a side note, I have finished clipping through the 55 inserts from the weekend.  George is about to burst and must be handled with care...I really need some uber-awesome sales right now to relieve some of the pressure.  Here is what George is looking like this morning....I REALLY, REALLY hope that button holds, fingers crossed:)

 

Never Forget

Never forget what happened on this day 10 years ago.  

Never forget those that lost their lives that day and those whose lives were forever changed by those losses.  

Never forget those that ran into the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon as thousands ran out and never returned home so that others could.  

Never forget the brave souls of Flight 93 who fought terrorist first hand and paid the ultimate price to save other Americans.

Never forget those that have fought and and lost their lives for the freedoms we enjoy everyday.

And never forget those who continue to fight for you and I right now.

Drowning In Deals and Inserts

Life has been crazy busy around here lately....the boys both started school, and the deals have been PHENOMENAL.  I have been getting a lot of little mail goodies too!

I have a ton of stuff I want to blog about, so hang in there.  I am still here just dying to brag about all of my little finds.  I am hoping to spit out a few in the next couple days...and hopefully I will have the time because the hubs is on vacay:)

Here are the inserts from today's papers that I have to get to clippin'..there's only 55 to go through...so that should take me no time at all...lol, yeah...right.  Let's just hope they all fit in George's Wallet...we may be reaching explosion capacity before the night draws to an end.

It happened....

It happened.  What I feared but always hoped would never occur...it happened.  Only a week after I talked about George's Wallet and a possible explosion, my fears came to fruition and I lost my q's right outside of the Meijer on the sidewalk.  The only saving grace that kept me from going over the edge was that there was virtually no wind that afternoon, so I was able to rescue all of my little friends and bring them back home.  On a side note, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people that stepped over me (as opposed to offering to help) as I picked up all of my q's, purse and shopping totes....I couldn't have done it without them.

George's Wallet after the fall...could have looked worse, right?

The coupon explosion was just the start of a stinky shopping day at the Meijer.  I had coupon issues galore and a whole host of bad looks from my fellow shoppers.  The only light at the end of the tunnel was my favorite 10/$10 get the 11th free sale that Meijer rocks every so often.   By the time I got home, I was so flustered that I immediately put all of my hard earned goodies away before I could photo them.  So you will just have to read the details this time:(

Transaction #1:

• 2 boxes Pizza Rolls $2.00.  Used mPerks .40/2 and printable .40/2 = $1.20
• 4 Old Orchard Frozen Juice Concentrate $4.00.  Used mPerks $1/4 and printable $1/4 = $2.00
• 5 bags Meijer Brand pretzels & cheese balls $5.00.  Used cat for $3/$3+ salty snack purchase that I got from a previous purchase and $1.00 off for the buuiyu 10 get the 11th free = $1.00

Transaction #2:

• 4 packages of ground beef $11.38.  (Fresh ground Angus was on sale for $1.87/lb....a really good price)
• 1 lb Krakus Deli Meat $4.19
• 2 lbs red grapes $2.18
• 1 tub sour cream $1.39
• 2 rolls Jimmy Dean Sausage $5.38.  Used $1.50/2 = $3.88
• 8 Land O' Lakes Cinnamon & Sugar Spreadable Butter $12.00.  Used 8 $0.75/1 = $6.00.  (Butter freezes really well, and for this price I stocked up because this is YUMMO on toast, pancakes and waffles)
• 1 Coffee Mate creamer $1.67
• 2 packages Earthbound Organic Baby Carrots $2.00.  Used 2 $1/1 = FREE
• 2 loaves Wheat Sandwich Bread $2.00.  Both were 11th items = FREE
• 8 boxes Krusteaz Crumb Cake Mix $8.00.  Used 4 printables $1/2 = $4.00
• 14 boxes Pizza Rolls $14.00.  Used mPerks .40/2 and 7 printables .40/2 = $11.50
• 2 red bell peppers $2.00.  One is an 11th item = $1.00
• 4 Old Orchard Frozen Juice Concentrate $4.00.  Used mPerks $1/4 and printable $1/4 = $2.00
• 1 Celery $1.00

A little FYI about Meijer's 10/$10 Get the 11th FREE sale...it does matter in what order you ring up the items, this is why I always do self-check on this sale.  I want to make sure that the 11th item I am scanning is one that I do not have a coupon for.  That is how I got the bread and the pepper for free.

I spent a grand total of $54.96 OOP.  I saved $86.88 in q's, store q's and store promos...I am pretty happy with that since I picked up a lot of meat.  Now I just need a good chicken breast sale so I can restock that.

I came home and set aside my q's for two days...I just wasn't prepared to tackle the giant mess that I had made of George's Wallet.  But yesterday I knew that I would have to tackle the task because there would be a ton of new friends waiting to join them this morning.  

I had to resort every q back into the right categories

...And decided to sew the button back on after learning a lesson a hard way

So I am now reorganized and ready to add in all my new little goodies...time to get clipping.

Wags and Q's

Recently, I have been doing most of my shopping and deals at the Meijer.  I have picked up stuff at Jewel and Dom's (and of course Target) but they just haven't had the amount of goodies that Meijer has.

I ventured to Wags the other day to pick up some more cheap diapers and more tape (I told you....free tape is my kryptonite)  Here is what I picked up for a total of OOP of $15.93 and got back 2 $2 OYNO Cats:

Transaction #1:

• 1 Jumbo pack Huggies Slip-On Diapers $9.49.  Used $3/1 = $6.49 and got back a $2 OYNO Cat

Transaction #2

• 1 Jumbo pack Huggies Slip-On Diapers $9.49.  Used $3/1 = $6.49 and got back a $2 OYNO Cat
• 3 rolls Scotch Tape $2.97.  Used Wags q .60/1 (limit 3) and manufacturer q $1/3 = $0.18.
• 3 mini-notebooks $1.47.  Used Wags q .34/1 (limit 3) = $0.45
• 1-10 pack pencils $1.39.  Used Wags q $1/1 = $0.39
• 3 travel size listerine $7.27.  Used Wags q $1.50/1 (limit 3) and 3 manufacturer q's $1/1 = $0.03 MONEYMAKER

I really like the idea of these slip-on diapers since I am really starting to push potty training for my little one and this is a much cheaper alternative than Pull-Ups right now.  

I saved a total of $20.82 in clipped q's.  I did not roll my cat from the first trans to the second because Wags does not allow you to roll them.  If I used the one from the first transaction, I would not have gotten another one in my second transaction and would have lost out on $2.00.  

I know I haven't talked about any mail goodies for a while....but rest assured, they are still arriving daily.  Here are two recent arrivals from Vocalpoint.  I LOVE getting q's from them...they are always high value and a lot of the time include a q for a free product.  If you haven't signed up for Vocalpoint yet, you can do it here.  

In the past week I have gotten a q for a free bad of lettuce from Fresh Express and 3 $1/1 q's.  Today, I got a mailing for Bounce dryer bars (which I LOVE) with 1 $2.50/1 and 3 $1.50/1....I always look at my q's as cash....so, I got over $10.00 in the mail in the past week...love it!  Now go sign up for some free money!