Queen of Walgreens :)

Made a Walgreens run tonight.  R wanted ice cream and I had RR to use. 

I got
bar soap      .79
bar soap      .79
ice cream $3.29
tylenol      $4.99
tylenol      $4.99
in ad Q       -.91 for soap
tylenol Q -$2.00 printed from tylenol.com
tylenol Q -$2.00 same
RRs (3)   -$6.00
                $3.94 total + tax got back $5 RR.

saved $15.91 total


~Jess~

dinner tonight

homemade hot pockets

pizza dough from my bread maker
tomato sauce seasoned with garlic powder and italian seasoning
browned ground beef seasoned with italian seasoning
sliced black olives
sliced mushrooms
diced onion
diced green pepper
shredded italian cheese blend (mozzarella and some other cheeses)

roll out dough, spread a thin layer of sauce, add some seasoning, sprinkle on ground beef, add veggies, add cheese, dab on a bit more sauce.  Fold and bake on cookie sheet at 350* for 15 minutes.  Yum!

~Jess~

not so thrifty Saturday

$42 for an oil change for the jeep (and O got a sucker and stickers because she flirted with the lube tech)
$34 gas for the jeep (and the girls got free cookies for being cute)
$12 beer for R
$5 ice cream cones for me and O (ordered O a junior cone with a 1/2 scoop.  She got a junior cone with 2 scoops for the price of a single junior cone because the older guy working there thought she was just the cutest thing ever)
$29 air filters for the jeep and my car
$13 gas for my car
$2 milk and bread

Thank god next week is a slow grocery week again.  Looking like there is not much we will be needing or wanting so I plan to try out some new recipes and maybe turn some of my frozen strawberries into some homemade jam from the bread machine.  Just need pectin for that :)


~Jess~

hacking a recipe again or still...whatever.

I am still trying to hack the garlic knots recipe from a local restaurant.  I have had some pretty tasty replicas but nothing as close to the orginal as I would like.  Today I tried something new and I think this just might be it.  If it is I will be posting it.  I am making the dough in my bread machine but it is a basic white bread dough.  Probably pretty easily replicated by hand if you are so inclined.  Stay tuned...if it works I will be posting the recipe. 


~Jess~

500th post and homemade butter day

this is my 500th post.  Wow!

The girls and I made homemade butter today.  It was easy but time consuming and I bit pricey for the amount we got but it was a good experience for the kids.  They liked it alot!  some pics of the butter process.  I didn't take any pics while we were mixing it because we used the electric mixer instead of shaking it and I helped the kids hold the mixer.  It is not exactly cost effective because the whipping cream is pretty pricey BUT it was fun and if I can get the cream cheap it will make for some cheap delicious butter.

whipping cream

becomes

butter!

~Jess~

feeling better today

I got quite a bit of sleep yesterday and I feel better today.

R's check was about $50 short from missing hours last week.  Thankfully I put some money away for just this type of situation, however, I am going to try to be super cheap from today until next Friday.  We need milk, heavy cream for a project and maybe some bread but otherwise I don't know that we need anything right now so maybe I can get away really cheap this week on groceries.  I am giving myself $25 for the week.  We'll see how that works out.  If I need to I can dip into the savings for it but hopefully I won't need to.

We also have a project planned for the kids.  We are going to make some homemade butter but it really doesn't need anything special other than heavy cream.  In a couple weeks I want to make some homemade yogurt with the kids.  They love yogurt so this could be fun!


~Jess~

no shopping no trips today

no nothing today...I haven't even gotten out of my pjs.  My last check was direct deposited today and I planned to go get out the cash but I don't want to be that far away from the bathroom.  I feel ill.  K was ill a couple days ago and now I have it.  K loves taking care of mommy though and is insisting that I go back and lay on the couch so I am off.  R will be home in 45 minutes and he is doing dinner tonight because this mom is going to bed.  Good night :)


~Jess~

Happy Birthday to ....

my polar opposite...my brother.  Yes we are completely opposite but we learn from each other and that is how we grow.  He frustrates me to no end sometimes and I just want to smack him upside his head and knock some sense into him but I love him dearly and would protect him as much as I can while kicking his behind all the way to the end of the Earth and back.  Yep..I love my brother and he is 28 today so happy birthday little Bro!  Enjoy your day and just remember you are getting closer and closer to the big 30 ;)


~Jess~

just because I can

I went to Walgreens tonight for another of the Excedrin Menstrual (anyone notice a pattern in how often I am at Walgreens? No wonder they know me by name...which may or may not be a good thing. Makes it harder to get the limited deals sometimes)  I had 2 hunts tomato sauces in mind as a filler but R wanted some cashews, which are on sale this week.  No biggie.  A little more OOP than I like to normally spend but I can deal.

Excedrin $2.50
Cashews$1.99
-$1 excedrin coupon
-$2 RR from elastics
$1.49 and tax OOP got back $2 RR from excedrin. 
Total savings $7.79

I have $6 in RR to roll into next week.  Not sure what the plan is yet for them.  Probably going to sit down tommorrow and figure it out.  They expire on 3/10 so I have a little while to use them.  I don't necessarily have to use them next week.  I want to keep my RR rolling at least until the end of March when, rumor has it, Walgreens will be having a stellar deal on coke products.  I LOVE diet coke..


~Jess~

got the free stuffed chicken today

~Jess~

How to get free excedrin

First, go here.  Then answer the question selecting anything BUT excedrin.  Fill out the form and they will mail you a coupon for a free bottle of excedrin.  It took me less than a week to get the coupon.  If you select excedrin they will only send you a $2 coupon.

NOW how to get paid to "buy" excedrin...  use that coupon at Walgreens by 2/27 on Excedrin Menstrual only and get a $2 RR.  OR if you won't get the coupon in time you can print off the $1 excedrin menstrual coupons following that same link above.  Buy the smaller bottle of excedrin menstrual at Walgreens by 2/27.  It is on sale for $2.50.  You pay $1.50 after coupon and get $2 RR back.  Sweet right?  It is only working for excedrin menstrual as far as I know but if you look at the ingredients they are identical to normal excedrin only with a larger amount of caffeine in them. 



~Jess~

simple and tasty garlic and herb chicken

2 bone in chicken breasts with skin still on them (or more if you have a bigger family...2 of the bigger breasts are great for the 4 of us)
2 tablespoons or so of butter
italian seasoning
garlic powder

stick some of the butter up under the skin of each chicken breast (really not as gross as it sounds). sprinkle italian seasoning and garlic powder on top of chicken.  Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350* for 35-50 minutes flipping chicken over halfway through.  I use a meat thermometer to tell when the chicken is done.  170* is done.  Ours was still partially frozen so it took about 55 minutes.  If it is completely defrosted, it takes about 35 minutes usually.  I start with the bone side down and flip it halfway through so the juices soak into both sides of the chicken.  Covering it while baking is important so the chicken retains the moisture.  Delicious easy chicken that R says is the best chicken ever.  I hate chicken skin so before I eat mine I pull it off but I do cook with it on so it retains the moisture.  The only thing worse to me than chicken skin is dry chicken.  YUCK!


~Jess~

Walgreens and groceries

did a quick run tonight.  First up Walgreens

ponytails $2.99
excedrin menstrual $2.50
peeps (filler) 79 cents
-$2.50 free excedrin coupon (got this in the mail for taking a short survey.  yeah I know I said I was gonna get the huge bottle but I decided that getting paid to get excedrin was a better deal)
-$1 RR from folgers
-$1 RR from 3 musketeers
$2.12 oop and got back $2 RR from ponytails and $2 RR from excedrin

grocery store
got 2 liter of cherry 7 up...we have a couple upset tummies in the house and they haven't kept down water or pedialyte but are keeping down 7 up.  IDK why but whatever works.
3 sirloin steaks that are big enough for R and I to share 1
1 sirloin roast that will make 3 meals
bag of popcorn for the air popper 50 cents...reduced because the bag was torn
2 betty crocker brownie mixes 50 cents each...reduced because they expire at the end of the month...they will get used up before then though.

total I spent tonight was $22 and I have enough meat for 6 meals and other stuff.  Hooray for frugal shopping and coupons!

~Jess~

What I do now that I stay home with the kids

A friend last night asked me what I do all day now that I stay home with the kids.  Everything, I do everything.  He called me a slacker...obviously he does not have children...or a wife.  LOL Stay at home moms, or any mom for that matter, are not slackers.  Far from it.  My day doesn't start when I punch a time clock and my day does not end at 5 pm.  My day starts about 7 and ends about 10 pm.  I do not get a lunch break or breaks throughout the day.  I constantly work.  A look into my day, yesterday.

7 am get up, let dog out, get kids up and make breakfast, change diaper, kids eat breakfast, quick breakfast, for me while I check email, start laundry, do dishes, finish up batch of homemade laundry detergent I started yesterday, help kids clean their rooms, answer phone, scrub bathroom, Switch laundry and start new load, pick up living room, make lunch, change diaper, kids nap time, make brownies, shovel sidewalk while brownies bake, bring up garbage cans and recycling bin, get mail, pay bills, check grocery ads and compare coupons to ad, switch laundry again, get kids up from nap, change diaper, figure out what to make for dinner, fold and put away laundry, start dinner, eat dinner, do dishes, kids' baths, change diaper, play with kids, change diaper, put kids to bed, take a couple hours after kid's bedtime to finish up odds and end housework, search for R's missing razor, find missing razor in fridge (don't you keep razor's in the fridge?!?!  Apparently we do now.  No clue how it got there but I am guessing one of the kids), check on kids, start to head to bed and realize I forgot to do this, that and the other, do that stuff, head to bed, realize that I never even left the house today except to shovel and get mail.  Not to mention that I also break up 1000 little fights, give hugs and kisses, play with the kids, dance crazy in the living room, and just enjoy my life a whole lot more.

Today is shaping up to be the same way except for a sick kid.  K is complaining of a stomach ache...


~Jess~

pretty awesome Walgreens trip

It didn't go according to my plan in the previous posts, because the price at my store was slightly higher than what was listed online for a price.

$3.39 deodorant
$0.00 deodorant
$2.50 excedrin
$2.50 excedrin
$2.99 elastics
$1.59 lighter
$1.41 lighter
$0.69 candy bar
$0.69 candy bar
$0.62 candy bar
______
$16.38
-$2.00 deodorant coupon
-$2.00 excedrin coupon
-$2.00 excedrin coupon
-$3.00 register reward
-$3.00 register reward
______
$4.38 + tax got back $2 for elastics and $1 for the candy bars.  I saved $22.76.  The cashier talked me into the candy bars because they were giving a register reward and we needed the lighters for the grill because the switch burnt out on it.  So still not a bad deal and I am already done with Walgreens for the week :)



~Jess~

slow grocery week next week for me

I have nothing that I need besides milk and bread.  The sale ads are lackluster at best.  I do have a Walgreens run to do and here is that list

Right Guard deodorant $2.99 BOGO sale
Excedrin $2.50 sale

I have 2 $2 off any excedrin product coupons and 2 $2 off 2 right guard deodorant coupons.  So the excedrin will be 50 cents each and the deodorant will be 99 cents for 2.  I also have $7 in RR to use.  I will need a filler item to be able to use them and I like to try and "roll" them so my target for filler items will be Goody Ouchless elastics.  They are on sale for $2.99 and you get a $2RR.  We can never have enough ponytail holders in this house so I will use them as my filler item.  My transactions will look like this.

transaction #1
Right guard $2.99
Right guard $0.00
Excedrin     $2.50
Excedrin     $2.50
elastics       $2.99
subtotal     $10.98
coupon     -$2.00 for right guard
coupon     -$2.00 excedrin
coupon     -$2.00 excedrin
new total    $4.98
RR           -$3.00 from huggies deal a couple weeks ago
total I pay  $1.98 + tax and get $2 RR for buying elastics

transaction #2
Right guard $2.99
Right guard $0.00
elastics       $2.99
subtotal      $5.98
coupon     -$2.00 (right guard)
new total    $3.98
RR           -$3.00 from huggies
total I pay  $0.98 + tax and get $2RR for buying elastics

Transaction #3
elastics      $2.99
subtotal     $2.99
RR          -$1.00 (from folgers coffee this week)
total I pay $1.99+ tax and get $2RR for elastics. 

I don't know yet if I will do the 3rd transaction.  It is a bit more than I normally like to pay out of my pocket BUT I do need to use up the $1 RR before it expires.  If I do this I will wait until the end of next week so I can see a preview ad for the following weeks to figure out if I should just save it and try to roll it or use it up.  We can never have enough pony tail holders in this house so I just might use it.

~Jess~

contacting companies...replies so far

email from heinz, del monte and hunts.  All promising coupons
snail mail from Henkel (makers of right guard and dial products) with $2 worth of coupons
snail mail from heinz $5 worth of coupons

not too shabby so far for 5 minutes worth of "work"

The original post is here
~Jess~

$3.18

K  has been opening her window and throwing random toys and other stuff out. Not a huge deal but I do not want her to fall out and the screens are easily lifted and have actually fallen out once when the cats were sitting in the windows. Not safe at all. So I went to the hardware store and the guy that was "helping" me said they don't make a window lock like I was talking about. So I thanked him for his help but kept looking anyway. I KNOW they did because I looked up online before I went there. So yeah. He walked away and I kept looking and I found them. $1.49 for a set of 2. I got 4 locks total and they are TIGHT. I don't think she will be able to get them undone or knock them off the window. It is pretty tough. I couldn't move it, even trying my hardest to shove the window up. HA! Now wanna take bets on how long until she outsmarts these locks?  I plan to buy 4 more and put them on the other side of the windows so they are doubly locked.  I am hoping to maybe find a more permanent, but less expensive solution.  So far so good though.  She tried her hardest, with me watching, to get that lock of the window and it wouldn't budge.

This is what they look like installed.  Nevermind the dirty window...spring window cleaning is right around the corner :)

~Jess~

my first day as a SAHM...yep I quit work

I decided to take some money from my paycheck and get a few things on sale. I have one more check next week and plan to put that all to savings, if I can, after I pay the sitter but I wanted to get a few things this week and I put $20 away for later.


Anyway so here is what I got
5 NY strip steaks
1 ribeye steak (the ribeyes looked really fatty so I picked through and found one that wasn't covered in fat. IK the fat is supposed to be there but YUCK!)
2 donuts for the kids (snack for while we were at the laundromat washing my huge blankets that won't fit in my washer at home)
bottle of OJ
2 bottles of juice to go with the kids donuts
1 2 lb box of thick slice hormel bacon
1 loaf of bread
Total $21 and change

After my blankets were done we went to the grocery store on the other side of town and got Angel soft TP on sale and had a $1 off coupon. Also got chicken breasts on sale and had $1 off coupon. Total was $9.

Then after R got home I showed him the bacon and he said how much was it. I told him $2.99 for the box. He told me to go get a couple more so I went back and got 2 more boxes..so $6 for 4 more lbs of bacon. Then I went to Walgreens tonight and spent $1.34 on 2 containers of coffee, a cadbury creme egg, gum for him, and 2 cups. I had a RR to use up and he had enough coffee stockpiled but might as well roll the RR into something useful. LOL.

so for $38 today I got
6 steaks
1 pack of 7 chicken breasts
6 lbs of bacon
1 big pack of TP
2 containers of coffee
2 cups
1 pack of gum
1 treat for me
OJ
bread
2 juices for the kids
2 donuts for the kids

not too bad. I was pretty happy. I had $70 I could spend. I saved $20 and used the last $12 from the $50 I planned on spending to put gas in my car. I am now set. The gas in my car should last 2-3 weeks since I am full now and don't drive a whole lot. We have plenty of chicken and bacon and are pretty good on steaks (we cook on the grill 4-5 nights a week in the summer so we eat a lot of chicken, steaks, bratwurst, burgers, shishkabobs, etc). I would like to get a few more steaks because when we make shishkabobs one steak is enough for all of us because I use a lot of veggies on them. mmmm I am hungry for them NOW!

I spent most of my first day home running errands, cleaning and worrying about DH.  He is sick.  I made him go to the doctor tonight and he found out he has a nasty sinus infection, which I diagnosed him as having on Monday when he came home early from work and told him to go to the doctor but NOOOOOO can't do that.  So yesterday he calls me and says he is really sick.  I told him to go to the doctor for the 50th time since Monday and he said...will you make me an appointment.  Fine, Whatever.  So I made the appointment and he went and the doctor asked why he didn't come in sooner since he has had a headache since Saturday that not even my migraine prescription, imitrex pills, would kill.  Should listen to the wife more, LOL, but he now has a couple prescriptions and will hopefully be on the mend soon!  Next week his paycheck will be a bit short because he missed 4 1/2 hours this week but I will get my last check so if we need it I can use that to make up the difference, even though I prefer to save it. 

~Jess~

Want a "free" stuffed chicken?

You can get the smaller chicken free for just 2 UPC codes and a receipt showing your purchase of gold'n plump chicken.  You can print off the form from their site, goldnplump.com. They also have $1 off coupons for the purchase of their chicken.  It is on sale this week at my local store so for $7.98, I got 14 chicken breasts and will recieve this stuffed chicken.  I normally do not send away for offers like this but K saw the chicken and wanted it so I am sending away for it.  It will take 6-8 weeks so by the time we get it K will have forgotten about it and it just might end up in an Easter Basket if it gets here in time :)

~Jess~

Contacting companies

I know have talked about this before but contacting a company regarding their product can reward you with some pretty good coupons by mail or via their website.  I visited goldnplump.com tonight to see if they had any coupons on chicken that will be on sale next week.  They had $1 off coupons on their site that were printable.  Good Deal!  I printed a couple and now have 4 coupons for chicken.  In doing that I remembered that we are low on ketchup and we are not really brand loyal to ketchup but if I can get heinz cheap I buy that.  I emailed Del Monte, Hunts and Heinz.  Hopefully at least one of those companies sends me some ketchup coupons.  There haven't been any ketchup coupons out lately that I have seen and I know it will be on sale come Memorial Day so I hope to get some good coupons to match with a sale so I can get some free or very cheap ketchup.  Contacting companies with a complaint or compliment can be rewarding.  It takes about 5 minutes out of my day to just shoot a quick email regarding a product that we liked or didn't like and it usually pays off in at least a couple dollars in savings from each company on stuff we actually use.  The coupons are usually higher value than what I can clip from the newspaper and they have longer expiration dates generally.



~Jess~

week of 2/14 for my grocery deals

Pamida has diet coke 2 liters Monday only for 99 cents each

Our local IGA has rib eyes for $3.99/lb

Our other local store has
Angel soft 12 double rolls of TP for $5.99.  There are printable coupons out for $1 off.  Making it $4.99 per pack. Not a bad deal at all.

Lasagna noodles $1.50 per box

Family packs of Chicken Breasts for $4.99.  There is a printable coupon for 75 cents off a pack.  Making this a pretty decent deal for chicken

Hamburger helper 10/$10..we don't eat much hamburger helper but I have a 75 cents off when you buy 3 coupon.  I am picking up 3 boxes for quick meals


I also printed some coupons for $2 off when you buy 2 right guard deodorants.  They will be buy one get one free in a couple weeks at Walgreens.  My guess is it will be about $2 for 2 deodorants after coupon.  R is brand loyal to this so I stock up when I can and $1 each is not a bad price.  Free is better but oh well.

So that's my grocery week.  Nothing to exciting.  R is pretty happy about the chicken.  He is craving some BBQ chicken breasts on the grill YUM!



~Jess~

grocery day!

Our grocery budget refreshes on Friday so we went grocery shopping today.  I left with $57 ($7 of which was actually not grocery money...just spending money) and came home with $17 and a couple dollars in change.  The change goes in a jar so I don't even bother to count it.  I never pay with change so IDK how much there was..probably a couple dollars worth.

Anyway we went to Aldis, a local store, Dollar Tree and Walgreens.

Aldis
fruit punch concentrate 82 cents
baking soda 49 cents
2 tubes of biscuits 38 cents each
1 box of 12 packs of Ramen noodles $1.79
2 packs of 4 pears in each pack 49 cents each pack
pancake mix $1.49
2 bags Chocolate Chips $1.69
4 lbs of onions 99 cents

Local store
2 1/2 lbs of sirloin steak (on sale for $2.78/lb) $6.92
2 roma tomatoes $1.15 (OUCH!  R asked for tacos for dinner so I had to get tomatoes and lettuce..neither of which is on sale but I will make BLTs for dinner one night as well so it is not a waste)
1 bag of shredded lettuce $1.79  (the heads of lettuce were just a few cents cheaper and I like the shredded better so I spent the extra $ even though it is less lettuce)
green grapes  on sale for $1.48/lb  $2.55
10 lbs of potatoes $1.98

Dollar tree=everything $1.  We went here for new nightlights and a couple other things.  We decided to get my single friend a chocolate rose and a helium balloon to deliver to her work today for Valentines' day.

Chocolate rose
helium ballon
stickers for K
small balloon for O
chewy for the dog
peeps
diet coke for me
6 pack of juice boxes for the kids
jug of sunny D
2 night lights
1 jar candle

Walgreens....best deals of the day!
free 8x10 collage photo
huggies diapers $7.64
peeps 42 cents
2 russell stover hearts $1
I used a Walgreens friends and family coupon for 15% off most items and 20% of Walgreens brand items (good today only...get one from their website!)
I used a $2 coupon from Huggies on the diapers
and used a $6 RR from the Bodywash deal.

I paid $1.40 and got back a $3 RR for buying huggies.    I saved $15.52 at Walgreens.


~Jess~

snowstorm Walgreens trip and some thoughts

I needed to leave the house for bread tonight and I got some huggies coupons in the mail today.  I went to Walgreens to do that deal and use up the last bodywash coupon.  I know I said I might not use it but since I could use the RR from the bodywash on the diaper and use the diaper one on another bodywash I thought What the heck...might as well.  It is snowing out but I took the Jeep...smooth sailing in that thing.  I love driving that in the winter.  You would think in town the roads wouldn't be so bad but evidently they stopped the plows.  Main street wasn't bad but our street was horrible.  We are not leaving here tommorrow until after a plow comes through if we leave at all.  I think my car would probably get stuck on our street.  That is just how addicted dedicated I am to my Walgreens deals.  So here is what my transactions looked like:

#1
huggies $8.99
peeps      .50  used as a filler so I could use a RR and a huggies coupon
coupon  -1.00
RR        -6.00 (from bodywash the other day)
Total     $3.01 including tax and got back a $3 RR

#2
$5.99 Bodywash
    .69 candy bar (filler again)
-1.00 body wash coupon
-  .20 walgreens coupon for candy bar (store coupons do not require a filler)
-3.00 RR from Huggies
$2.84 total including tax and got back a $6 RR for the body wash

Total Savings tonight was $14.69
Total spent $5.85 and came out the same on my RR.  I went in with 3 and came out with 3.  I have $18 of Walgreens "money" now to spend on whatever.

**Some thoughts**
It has been thought of for quite awhile in this house that once my car was paid off I would stay home with the kids again.  The little bit of extra money I make after the additional taxes we pay on my income and after paying the sitter is really not worth the hassles involved.  After my car was paid off, it was oh lets wait until we have some money saved.  Then it became we are this close, let's wait to see what the bonus is.  Well the bonus announcement comes a week from tommorrow.  Many people that I work with are very pessimistic about us even getting one so R and I have discussed it and here is the results.

Should we not be getting a bonus, I will give my notice that day.  I am giving two weeks because I would like to return to this employer at some point. I do like my job there and it is a good fit for me so I would in the future like to have this place as an option.

Should my bonus be under 2% I will still give my notice that day.  My bonus of under 2% is NOT worth the hassles...After taxes it would be less than $100 and not worth sticking it out until the end of April for.

If my bonus is 2-3%, R and I will do some figuring that night and decide what should happen.

If my bonus is 4-5%, I am staying until it is paid out.  For 2008, we got a 4% bonus.  It was nice!  I made about 1/2 as much that year as I did in 2009 so it could be a nice bonus if we get 4% again and would be well worth holding out for.


******* edit*******
So I talked to a work friend tonight and I am completely wrong on the bonus program.  It is based on hours worked and not pay and it is also based on your reviews.  If my memory serves me right, my last review from my old department (which actually happened AFTER I quit that department completely) was ok but I had one low mark which brought my total rating down to one step lower than required to get the bonus.  So I probably wouldn't get one anyway.  I am waiting until the meeting to make my final decision though...I want to know FOR SURE that I am not leaving a nice chunk of money behind when I quit.




~Jess~

and I know more about the register rewards program than the people at Walgreens

Pretty silly, considering it is THEIR program but at least I know what I am doing.  LOL.  Granted not ALL Walgreens employees do not understand the system as I have meet some that do understand it but the ladies today (one of which is some sort of manager) did not understand it.

I went in to use my $3RR from huggies, and another MFQ for the dove mens body wash.  I threw in a 50 cent filler item so I could use both the RR and the MFQ.  I knew it would work just fine.  The cashier told me it wouldn't work, that I couldn't use all the stuff.  The register wouldn't take it.  I asked her to try and it took.  Then she told me that it wouldn't print my $6 RR for buying the bodywash.  I said I am willing to bet it does because I have done this same deal already once this week.  She said it won't.  I said well if it doesn't then it is my loss so let's just finish this up.  Ok then.  And I paid and Voila the $6 RR printed. She said "how did you make it do that?" WHAT?!?!  Then she says "it isn't supposed to work like that.  They (I assume management) told us it wouldn't work.  How did you do that?  So she calls over a manager and starts telling her about it while I grabbed up my bag and got the heck out of there.  I am not doing anything wrong.  It is their system and by all accounts works at every store like that so IDK...I think Walgreens needs to train some of their staff better.  This lady missed out on a sale before mine by telling an older gentleman that if he used his MFQ on a razor it wouldn't print his register reward when in fact it would have.  I didn't want to speak up and butt in because A.  I didn't know if he had another RR to use and it would not have printed and I didn't really have the time to explain it to someone.  If I had the time at that particular moment I would have. 

$5.99 body wash
    .50 peeps
-1.25 MFQ for bodywash
-3.00 RR from huggies
$2.60 including tax and I got back a $6 RR

and they said I couldn't do it....HA!

on another note, I went to the grocery store real quick to get some lasagna noodles and cottage cheese.  Rodney wanted some lasagna roll ups he saw in a magazine so I made them for dinner but needed the noodles and cheese for them.  I had $5 left in the grocery budget for the week (which is fine because there was nothing else to get this week).  I was shocked at how expensive cottage cheese is. I NEVER NEVER buy it except for lasagna and I never buy it unless it is on sale.  I plan lasagna for dinner around a sale on cottage cheese.  Wierd, I know but it works for us.  Well they had 6 containers of cottage cheese, the big containers, marked down to 49 cents each.  They expire tommorrow but because we never use it except for in lasagna, I bought all 6 to freeze the extra.  I won't have to just make lasagna when cottage cheese is on sale now.  The texture will be different but since it gets baked anyway it won't matter.

~Jess~

I am MAGIC

Just ask the cashier at Walgreens on my afternoon trip :)
3 packages of Aluminum foil (59 cents each with instore coupons)
4 various spices (50 cents each with instore coupon)
Mens body wash
3 candy bars (49 cents for 1 and 60 cents each for the other two)
used the instore coupons and a $1.50 off coupon for the mens body wash
used a $10 reward
total was 59 cents...53 cents of which was tax.
and got back a $6 reward......YES!  I saved $16.19.

When she saw my total she said "wow you are magic!  Check that out!"  LOL.  LOVE when that happens.  I did not need the spices or the aluminum foil right now (or the candy really) but I need to spend $10 to use the reward so we got those things because aside from the candy we can always use aluminum foil and pepper, cinnamon and onion powder.

I have two more body wash coupons to use and 1 $3 reward from the huggies this morning so I plan to get the body wash one more time.  I probably won't use the last coupon because I do not want to pay a lot out of pocket for bodywash even though it is free after the rewards.  I am not saying that I won't use it though because if there is a decent sale in the next two weeks on something we need, I might just do the deal again because it is a money making deal.  I love getting "paid" to shop.  Once I SAH again, I can work on these low out of pocket deals and maximize the savings.  As of right now I make more "money" when I shop, than I do actually working.  wow...just wow.

~Jess~

So Smooth

Walgreens this morning was SMOOOTH. 
$5.99 body wash
$8.99 diapers
-$1.50 coupon for bodywash
-$10 reward from the Walgreens pepsi deal
Total with tax was $4.30 I got $9 back in rewards and saved $14.50. 

I was in and out in under 2 minutes and the transaction went so smooth.  I plan to go back after shift change and do the same deal again with the other $10 reward.  I will use the $3 rewards from huggies and the rest of my coupons for the bodywash to stock R up on mens body wash.  I will use the $6 RR sometime in the next two weeks, possible on some razors but IDK yet.

~Jess~

did a few deals last night

I did the Garnier deal I blogged about earlier last night.  I used the $10 from that to buy more pepsi and will use the $10 from pepsi on my Garnier tommorrow.  That is rolling in a nutshell. 

All together between Walgreens, Walmart and our local grocery store I spent $27 and got
3 12 packs mountain dew (retail is about $12)
10 2 liters of diet pepsi (retail is about $15)
6 bottles of Garnier Conditioners (retail at Walgreens is $21)
2 cans of spaghetti sauce (retail is $1 each..had store coupons making them 59 cents each)
2 frozen pizzas (retail is $2.25 each..Had coupon making them $1.49 each)
8 razors (retails for 97 cents each 2 pack..I had buy one pack get one free coupons.  I got 4 packs for $1.98)
3 deodorants (retail for 97 cents each. I had  2 50 and 1 75 cents off coupons)
1 small bag of Valentine chocolates $1

Not bad for $27.  Normal retail is just over $62. 

I will get 6 more Garnier products on Sunday.  We should have enough to last quite a while after that.  We got through about 1 1/2 bottles a month between K, O and I. 

I have more thoughts in my head to blog about but the kids are stir crazy this morning and I can't think :)





~Jess~

Free Food!

Not a deal for everyone but it is a deal for us.  I got the hook up. LOL.  A relative of my FIL (I am sure we are related but IDK how so he is essentially my FIL's relative...got that? lol) works for a local canning factory.  They had an issue with the label maker and 100 cases (yes CASES!!) of whole kernel corn were not able to be sold (they are not damaged but the labels wouldn't go on them and they can't run them back through or something IDK for sure).  The company tried to donate them to the food pantry but they will not take food without a label.  FIL's relative and some other employees were told to take as much as they wanted and get rid of it...no sense in it going to waste.  This relative ended up with 20 + cases of corn.  He have a bunch to my FIL who in turn gave 3 cases to R and I.  I have to go pick them up.  I am pretty excited.  The kids love corn and I won't have to buy any for awhile.  I had to figure out where to put them in the pantry but I got that figured out today and we are set.  Bring on the free corn!

~Jess~

picked an EXCELLENT time to hop back into Walgreens

I have been on quite the couponing break, however with my upcoming changes I felt it necessary to hop back into the "drugstore diva game".  I picked a fantastic time...without even knowing it!
My plans for the next couple of weeks are pretty good.
This week ending 2/6 I need to purchase more soda which is on sale for $3 a 12 pack, $1.25 a 2 liter.  If you spend $20 in a single transaction on Pepsi products you recieve a $10 register reward (RR).  Since we buy soda anyway and this is a good sale price, I will do that deal once more this week...THEN..
2/7 to 2/13
Ritz Crackers (the single sleeve small boxes) are on sale for 99 cents I have 2 $1 off coupons...making them FREE.
Dove's mens body wash is free after RR ($5.99 shelf price)
and Garnier Fructis (which I mentioned in a previous post) is on sale 3 for $10.

Huggies diapers are also on sale for $8.99 and you get a $3 RR when you buy 1 so $5.99 a pack ( I think it is the week of the 7th anyway)..We don't need any yet (and potty train "boot camp" starts tommorrow for O so hopefully I can skip this deal.  It is really not as mean as it sounds :)   ).

I will do 2 transactions that week..
Transaction #1
1.98 2 ritz
5.99 dove mens body wash
20.00 6 garnier items
-$2 (2 nabisco coupons)
-$6 (6 garnier coupons)
-10 RR from pepsi deal this week
= $9.97 + tax OOP and get back $6 for the body wash and $10 for the garnier.

Transaction #2
$20.00 6 garnier items (probably conditioner mostly since we go through a lot more of that than shampoo)
$ 5.99 mens body wash
-$6 garnier coupons
-10 RR from pepsi deal this week
= $9.99 + tax OOP  and get back $6 for body wash and $10 for garnier


I can *hopefully* save another $2.50 on this by getting the coupons from my FIL for the bodywash, IF he still has them.  I HOPE he saved them for me!  I am going to call tommorrow and check.  He had been saving them but when I backed off the coupons, he stopped saving them.  I hope he starts again!

Since I cannot use the RR from the garnier to get more garnier or the body wash to get more bodywash (it won't print another one)  I could lower my OOP by doing more transactions (like using the body wasy RR on the garnier and using the garnier RR and a "filler" to get the body wash free, and so on)  BUT because I only have one store in town and the manager doesn't like coupons.  I will pay a bit more OOP, stay in her good graces and "roll" this $32 into stuff in the coming weeks.  That is basically what the drugstore diva game is.  Starting out with your money, getting back their rewards and using their rewards to get more product.  Some people are very very good at it, using only money making deals to build up their RR and using that to get more products that are free after RR, continously only paying tax (or even making money on the deals).  I do that with some stuff. However a deal is not a deal to me unless someone can use it.  There are some things that are free after RR that I won't do the deal for (like joint juice this week) so I pass and will "spend" my RR on diapers or soda or stuff that we need.  Then I will start the game all over again.  It is fun to me.  I enjoy it and am really glad I picked a good week to jump back in!

I have not dug into the deals on the week of the 14th much yet.  Once I see an ad preview I will.  Hope it is a good one as well.

~Jess~


edit: dove's website has a $1.50 printable coupon on their site..making this a definite moneymaking deal.  WOOO.  After looking over the coupons I printed, those that came in the mail today, and the 2 FIL has for me, I could get 6 of these and have R stocked up for the next year AND make $7.50 (excluding tax).  Sweet deal!

added a couple more things to the gift pile

Walmart has marked down toys further and I made a few decent additions today.  Check them out here.  I listed them at the bottom under today's date.  The kids will have a super fantastic Christmas this year. 

We got a few hand me downs from a friend at work.  Kait is really happy about them.  I even got a couple things from the woman.  WOOOO.  Almost makes me sad to leave there. 

Again today I went to work only to be sent home.  I am getting slightly annoyed.  I don't mind but I hate getting the kids up in the morning and dropping them off at the sitter's only to get to work and go right back to get them.  It bothers me sometimes.  Depending on how the company meeting goes on the 17th.  I may or may not be giving notice that day.  If we are not getting our bonus, they I will be leaving sooner rather than later.  I am not even going to try and think about it now because I have no idea what will happen until that meeting.  The original plan was to get our savings built up and then for me to quit but it is really hard to build the savings up when I am not working any hours and my whole check goes to the sitter.  Better off stayng home and working on my frugality, than to pay the sitter when I am not even working.  It is a mess right now and I am very annoyed because of it.

~Jess~