Walgreens Trip 9/29

Chapstick Fresh Effects $2.99

Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion $6.99

2 Nyquil 2/$10.00

Gillette Fusion Razor Cartridges $12.99

Emergen-c Immune $3.49

Venus Razor $7.99

3 Pantene Mousse 3/$10.00

Sub-Total: $54.45

Coupons used:

vaseline lotion - 1.50

(2) nyquil 1.00ea - 2.00

venus razor - 2.00

Walgreens $5 off $25 order - 5.00

Total coupons: $10.50

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Sub-Total: $43.94

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rr used: 2.50 Thermacare

6.00 SoftSheen Carson
(2) 1.00 Glade
(2) 2.00 P&G
Total rr: $14.50

Sub-Total: $29.44

Tax: 4.41

Total OOP: $33.85

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rr received:

3.00 Chapstick

7.00 Vaseline lotion

5.00 Nyquil

4.00 Venus razor

3.50 Emergen-c

Total rr received: $22.50

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Then I bought:

64 oz. Softsoap $5.00

Bounce Dryer Bar $3.99

Oral B Advantage 1-2-3 toothbrush $3.00

Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion $6.99

Chapstick Fresh Effects $2.99

Nestle Crunch Bar .89

Total: $22.86

Tax: 1.78

Sub- Total $24.64

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Coupons used:

-1.50, Vaseline lotion

-1.00, Bounce dryer bar

Total coupons used: 2.50

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rr used:

-3.50 emergen-c

-3.00 chapstick

-4.00 venus

-5.00 nyquil

Total rr used: 15.50

Total OOP: 6.64

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rr received:
$7.00 Vaseline lotion
$3.00 Oral B Toothbrush
$3.00 Chapstick
Total rr received: $13.00

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Two order total: $83.50
OOP: $40.49
Remaining rr: $20.00
Savings: $43.01 + rr ($20.00) 75% SAVINGS!

SAVE NOW!!

$5 Off your $25 Walgreens Purchase
Valid Sept. 29 and Sept. 30 ONLY!
This in-store coupon is available at the following link:
http://www.walgreens.com/topic/promotion/5off25.jsp
To qualify for the savings, your order must total $25.00

before taxes &
after all manufacturer and Walgreens coupons.
Get going ladies!

Weekly Shopping - 50% Savings Goal

This week, aside from my Smith's snack and cereal visit, I was able to save $65.57 on my weekly shopping at Albertsons. The total of my transactions was $119.94. I paid $54.37. While this isn't my best Albertsons shopping trip, I still saved 55% on my total order. If you spend $50, you should be able to realize at least $50 in savings. If you spend $40, you should be saving at least $40. If you aren't, please call me! Attend a Grocery Smarts class. Get your friends together (you know they want to save money, too!) and hold a class in your home. You can earn free groceries. Ask me how! If you've already been to a class, let me help refresh the shopping tips you learned there. With the economic times we're all facing, now is the time to work towards getting the greatest return on the money you spend.

Because I'm Grandma

Because I'm Grandma, I'm expected by certain younger, shorter people in my family to have my pantry fully stocked with the favorite snack items. Fruit by the Foot is the current favorite. My children (who pay the dental bills) have disallowed these items in their own homes (but I did mention I was the Grandma, right?). So as you can see, I am now prepared. Interestingly enough I'm finding the '3 month coupon rule' is very accurate. Coupons on most items will 'recycle' at least once approximately every three months. The last time I stocked this item was in June when I found a 'killer' sale on them at Vons. I was down to one box in the pantry when I caught this sale at Smith's this week. :) I was able to buy 12 boxes of cereal and 16 boxes of Fruit by the Foot for a total of $22.82.
Total value of sale: $83.72
Coupon & store savings: $60.90
Total OOP: $22.82

Albertsons Gas Rewards

"Albertsons Gas Rewards Program is being discontinued. 9/21/09 is the last day you may earn Gas Rewards. Gas Rewards issued on or before 9/21/09 will be honored until they expire." This is the notice printed on my Albertsons receipt today. Just be aware; don't let your gas savings expire before you can use them!

Walgreens continues to be one of my favorite places to shop! You'll see what I purchased today below and the savings are incredible. But while you're in the store, please look for he Walgreens "Children's Activity Book" at the camera or pharmacy department. Your kids will enjoy the activities, and you will love the coupons:

Neosporin, $2 off
Band-Aid Bandages, $2 off
Children's Benadryl, $1 off
Flavored Tylenol, $1 off
Braun ThermoScan ear thermometer, $5 off
Huggies diapers or training pants, $1 off
Gerber tooth & gum cleaner, $1 off
Zooth or Oral-B Stages toothbrushes, $1 off
Listerine, $1 off
L'il Critters Gummy Vites, $2 off
Walgreens Children's Allergy Relief, $.50 off
Walgreens Childrens's Ibuprofen 100, $.50 off
Crayola Color Explosion or Color Wonder, $1 off

Today's Shopping Trip:
2 Neosporin ointment, $3.99 each, $3 rr wyb 2
($2.00 coupon, childrens activity book, $.50 mfr coupon, SS 6/28)
3 Degree deodorant, $1.99 each on sale
2 Kleenex, $.89 each on sale
1 Glade soy candle, free with mfr coupon
2 Walgreens activity books, $.99 each
1 True North nut clusters, $3.00, $3 rr
2 Triaminic children's thin strips, 2/$10.00, $5 rr

Total value: $47.59
Coupons used: $29.50
Wag advertised savings: $9.26
OOP: $8.83

Register rewards received to be used on my next trip: $11.00
All together, a very rewarding trip!

General Mills Savings

Don't miss the General Mills coupons in today's paper. When you are receiving multiple Sunday newspapers, make sure you check closely through all the sales ads in that first newspaper. This booklet was an unexpected bonus for me. I didn't want you to miss these great coupons!

I'm So Excited!

I've been using Grocery Smarts since May, but I began tracking my savings in the middle of August. From August 15 through August 31, I bought $679.50 worth of groceries and household items. (Btw, this is unusually high for me, but I stocked up on some over-the-counter medications that I just couldn't pass up.) I saved $379.71 and spent $299.79 out of pocket. That's an average savings of 57%! By "household items" I mean things like toiletries, paper products, and cleaning supplies. Of course my individual sales receipts vary in their percentages saved, but having almost 60% savings overall on things I use everyday is exciting to me. I should probably mention that my husband is VERY happy with the savings. He always asks, "How much did you save today?" By taking the extra few minutes to search the Grocery Smarts website and organize my coupons before leaving my house, I am saving so much money! Let me show you how. Call me or email me and schedule a class. I would love to show you how you can do the very same thing . . . save money . . . every week!!

Brand Loyalty vs. Savings

I love Jif peanut butter. I guess you could say I'm a peanut butter snob. Who knows why I love the products I do, but I've always used Sure Deodorant, Pantene hair products, Heinz ketchup, and Tide detergent just to name a few. There's no accounting for some peoples tastes. When our kids were younger, I would experiment with generic brands to try to save money but was not often satisfied. I like name brands. And I like my favorite name brands best. Since becoming a Grocery Smart shopper, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and experimenting with other brands -- other name brands, not generics -- and finding I can sometimes be just as happy with the outcome. I recently discovered Hunts ketchup is pretty good (my family didn't even notice the difference)! Don't get me wrong. I'm still on the lookout for great buys on my favorites so I can stock up, but I'm also more open to the possibility of being surprised by products I would not have even considered in the past. Using Grocery Smarts and my newspaper coupons, I don't have to spend a lot of money to try something new. Who would have thought?