Shopping for Free

I love free shopping. Within the last couple of weeks, I got coupons in the mail for $10 a purchase of any amount at Kohl's and $10 off a purchase of at least $10 at J. C. Penney. The one at Kohl's was specifically for something in the men's big and tall department.

This week, I headed straight to the clearance racks, with the intention of getting two free things. Success! I found James a shirt at Kohl's for $7.70. I paid nothing for this nice, long-sleeved shirt. Unfortunately, it is both too big and too long, but I think my brother-in-law can wear it, and a free shirt is a free shirt! (We're not proud.) At J. C. Penney I found this coral-colored shirt for me. It was $8.80, and since I had to spend at least $10, I also found two pairs of white socks (bundled together) for $1.97. I went a little over the budget with that one, but I'm OK with that.

Good Shopping Day

I hit both grocery stores and all three drug stores this morning in my shopping rounds. Lists were short for each place. I saved 55% at Kroger, 71% at Publix, 74% at Walgreens, 75% at Rite Aid, and I guess I saved 100% (more or less) at CVS. There were two prescriptions to fill, paid for by insurance and our Health-care Spending Account, some OTC medicine that I paid for with Extra Bucks (nothing out-of-pocket), and when I scanned my CVS card, I got this free:Any day with chocolate is a good day, and free chocolate makes it a great day! In addition to my savings, I was able to buy three one-pound bags of rice for nine cents each, and they went into the give-away box for the food pantry.

What Can You Get for Twenty Dollars?

Without sales and coupons, this is what you get for $20 at the grocery store. With sales and coupons, this is what I got today for $20.

Cruisin' the Clearance

My favorite kind of shopping is cruising the clearance racks. It is a rare day when I pay full price for anything. Yesterday I scored this long-sleeved, button-down, oh-so-soft cotton shirt for my husband. The price was marked down 90%!When is the last time you paid under $4 for a new dress shirt?

I Love Bargains!

Thankfully, the snow that was predicted for this morning didn't happen. A friend suggested that instead of 1" - 2" of snow, we're having 1" - 2" of sunshine. Nice. So, I was able to make my grocery store and drug store runs this morning. At Publix, I spent only ninety-seven cents for what you see here: six bags of frozen vegetables, four 40-count boxes of sweetener, and three Chapsticks. Coincidentally, my savings was 97%. Yipee!

At Rite Aid, they had this moisturizer with sunscreen priced at three for $18. There is a manufacturer's rebate for $15, so that makes the price $1 each. But guess what? (You probably did.) I had three $1 coupons, so the moisturizer is free. But wait! I also had a $5 Rite Aid coupon that came in the mail recently, since I'm one of their favorite customers. What's so ironic is that I almost never "buy" anything there unless it's free (after rebate usually). So in essence, Rite Aid paid me $5 to bring home three bottles of moisturizer that I like and would have needed to buy anyway. I love bargains!

Getting Paid to Shop

It's been a long time since CVS (or any other store) has paid me to shop, but I got a great deal today. When I scanned my card upon entering the store, I got a coupon for $5 off of a $15 purchase! Wow! The best I've ever seen has been $5 off of $20, and those coupons are few and far between. I also got a coupon for $5 off any two Excedrin, and there was no restriction on package size. What I planned to purchase was already nearly $13, so when I found the travel-sized Excedrin for $2.49 each, that put me over the $15 I needed and the Excedrin was free anyway!

Here's how it all worked out:

Body wash $5.99, EB reward $5.00; net price 99 cents. I used a $2 MF coupon, so I earned $1.01.

Dental floss $2.88, EB reward $2.00; net price 88 cents. I used a $1 MF coupon, so I earned $0.12.

Listerine $3.99, EB reward $3.00; net price $0.99. I used a $0.50 MF coupon, so this cost $0.49.

Excedrin $2.49 each, used $5 CVS coupon. I earned $0.02.

Here's all the math, for you math geeks out there.
Listerine $3.99
Floss $2.88
Body wash $5.99
Excedrin $2.49
Excedrin $2.49
TOTAL - $17.84
Less $5 off of $15 purchase = $12.84
Less CVS and MF coupons of $8.50 = $4.34 final cost
Extra bucks received (to use on a future purchase) $10.00 - $4.34 = $5.66 EARNED AT CVS TODAY! I love free stuff.

Saved 81% at Publix

Here is what you can get for about $28 at Publix without coupons.Here is what I actually got for $27.65.You can't really see everything because I made the photo on the "shelf" of my PT Cruiser. The garage is in the basement, and the freezer and overflow pantry are in the basement, so I didn't want to bring everything upstairs just for a photo shoot.

Here's the list and what I paid (insofar as I can remember and decipher the receipt):
4 Voila meals - $1.75 each
1.06 lb yellow squash - $1.05
1 small top sirloin steak - $3.14
1 pkg salad topping - $0.50 overage
8 boxes french toast - $0.85 each
2 bags chocolate chips - $0.25 each
5 boxes Betty Crocker potatoes - free
3 packages frozen parker house rolls - $1.50 each
3 bottles Tylenol - $3.00 total overage
11 (what was I thinking?!) packages of refrigerated cookie dough - $0.45 each
1 super giant Idaho potato - $0.93
2 bottles coffee creamer - $0.10 each
2 boxes Special K cereal - $1.00 each
5 canisters bread crumbs - $0.69 each
1 canister oatmeal - $0.01
Plus I used a $3 off $30 coupon

Some of this went directly into the giveaway box. Most, if not all, of the post-baked cookies should be given away as well!

Found

The birthday party I'm planning for James' dad is two weeks away, and I haven't made a whole lot of preparations beyond getting the invitations mailed. I'd been looking at dollar stores for plates and napkins in a fall color to match the tablecloth I want to use, but hadn't found any. I stopped at Big Lots this week, and success... plates and napkins in a dark, evergreen color. And these hopped into my cart when I wasn't looking.Yum. Sour apple is my favorite flavor of hard candy, and caramel is second on my all-time list behind chocolate.

Where Did the Week Go?

It went by so fast -- unlike when you're working! Monday I made my usual grocery store and drug store runs. Run of the mill, that is. Also on Monday I went to the framing shop to order a shadow box of this Boy Scout memorabilia.This will be a birthday gift for James' daddy next month.The rest of Monday and Tuesday (excluding my dental cleaning -- no cavities) was spent doing the housework that didn't get finished last week. Also, I did some minor cooking in preparation for lunch with a couple of friends at my house on Wednesday. It was lots of fun looking at pictures from a recent class reunion and then looking up people in the yearbook when we had no clue who they were!

I went to Hancock Fabrics and Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts on Thursday. One of the things on my list was outdoor fabric to redo the cushion on the porch glider. I didn't come home with any. Bummer. I was also looking for Christmas fabric, but I'm still a bit early. They had Christmas crafting-type fabric out, but not really any dress fabric. Bummer. And I had to go to Little Quilts because neither of the fabric stores had leather thimbles, and I recently lost the one I had. Bummer again. Then... I had to go back to Jo-Ann's on Friday because I didn't realize that the sale featuring several things I wanted didn't start until Friday. This extra trip is beyond bummer, but I'm trying to keep it clean here. I got six patterns for $1 each. One dollar is about right. There's no way on earth I would pay $15.95 (the regular price each of three of them) for an envelope full of paper. If you want to look at my purchase Emily's way, I saved 94% on patterns! I also got ten spools of thread and a roll of quilt batting at half-price.

I spent a good part of Friday morning trying to figure out how to list something to sell on Ebay. I finally got there. Or here, if you prefer.

Finally, I've had this for a month and I keep forgetting to post it. When we vacation in the Charleston area, we usually attend Sunday worship at Eastbridge PCA in Mount Pleasant. When we stay on Isle of Palms, it's not a bad trip, but when we are at Folly Beach, it's nearly an hour drive. Come Sunday morning of vacation, James and I decided we didn't want to make the hour-long drive. (Takes longer to recover from the seven-hour Saturday drive to get to the beach.) So, we decided to go to the local Baptist church. It was an OK service, with a good, scriptural message. I love their slogan, taken from the bulletin:

Monday - Good Shopping Day

I rarely hit this level, but I saved 78% at Publix this week. Here's what I got and what I paid:

• $2.45 - two rolls of aluminum foil
• $1.00 - two tubs of French onion dip (going to the beach)
• $3.99 - two bags of chips (beach)
• $0.40 - two ears of corn (not nearly enough for the beach)
• $0.01 - bag of Publix chips (going for a "dip" at the beach)
• $0.29 - three bottles of A-1 sauce

Total - $8.14; savings $29.07. I got the two bags of Lay's chips so that I would hit the $10 mark required for the penny item, but I still didn't get there. But the nice cashier gave it to me anyway.

I'm not sure I can even figure out what happened at CVS, but it was good! There was free scotch tape after Extra Bucks, and I picked up two rolls that were with the EB sign. After I paid and got to my car, I looked at everything and realized that I had gotten no EB for that item because I had picked up the wrong tape. It was supposed to be 700" and I got 1200". Bottom line: the manager who had also rung me up the first time refunded the difference in price, let me keep the 1200" rolls, and when she went to manually print the EB, instead of $1.49 each, they printed at $2.00 each! So, I made $1.02 bringing home 70% more free tape than I was supposed to.

Best Find at Publix Today

I saved 71% at Publix today, and as happy as I am about that, I was ecstatic to find what someone had left in a shopping cart... ... all these sets of Sunday coupons... almost as good as finding money. Actually, I think it's better because I would feel compelled to turn in money if I found it.

Pumped over Publix

Eureka! Yesterday, my normal shopping day, I went to CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, and Publix. I saved 55% at Kroger, and got several freebies and CVS and Walgreens. I actually made two trips to Walgreens. I finally remembered to buy the things that give Register Rewards first, and then use those Register Rewards to get the other stuff on my list. Duh. It seems that after a few months of heavy-duty couponing, I've finally got a pantry stockpile so that I rarely have to buy something that's not on sale or for which I have no coupon. Yesterday I saved 77% at Publix, the highest ever, I think. (I'm usually in the 50%-55% range.) If you have to know, we won't run out of soup, cooking oil spray, or pop tarts for a long, long time. And I even remembered to use my green green bags. (Redundancy intended.)

The Big Five

I hit the big five for today's shopping: Kroger, Publix, Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid. it was a so-so grocery day. I saved 50% at one store and 52% at the other. I should have done better, but I apparently left my brain at home because there were some coupons I should have used but didn't. One of my best deals was for these cans of chicken at Rite Aid. I paid 24 cents each for them. The frozen skillet meals are generally heavy on pasta and light on meat (to be expected), so I like to supplement a bit.

At CVS, Valentine's candy was marked 75% off, so I "had to have" this baseball box. Once I opened the box and discovered that the packaging comprised about 70% of the interior and the candy only 30%, I would have been majorly unhappy if I'd paid any more than I did. And there was a piece missing! (Oh wait -- never mind -- I remember the ride home from the store now.)

It Bears Repeating

A few months back, I acknowledged Emily as being Coupon Queen, but I crowned myself Queen of Clearance Racks. Here are some bargains I've found in the last several days.

This is a dress for Alexa for next Christmas. The photo makes it look hot pink, but it really is a pretty shade of red. The picture of the price tag is a better representation of the actual color.

This is a pair of Nike athletic pants for Caleb. Is there anyone out there who would have paid the full retail price? I sure wouldn't.
If you think the retail price of the pants was too high, take a look at the original tag on this fleece jacket for Alexa. For that price, it ought to be lined with gold.Finally, here's a pair of socks I got for Caleb. They weren't a bargain compared to the other things, but they were just too cute to pass up.
Even though the manufacturers' suggested retail prices are a joke, the total for these four items is $118. I paid $11 for a savings of 91%. Pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Photo-Worthy Savings

I got everything pictured at Publix and (drum roll) saved 74% doing it! I have a hard time reaching the ever-elusive 70% + level, mostly because I'll have things on my list that aren't on sale and/or don't have coupons. But not today.

CVS would have paid me $2 to bring home a razor and two tubes of Colgate, but I blew the wad on Valentine's clearance chocolate. You can rest assured that it will be put to good use, though.

Making Money

I made money today getting everything pictured at CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. Don't ask me how much. It's late, and the computations are beyond me. You'll just have to take my word for it.I'm also making money this week by doing some Quickbooks work for a local ministry. I'm not sure if it will be a day or two or a week or two until I can nail down exactly what they want from me. But Ill take it either way!

Bad Language - Part II

I got my new ultrasonic contact lens cleaner in the mail this week. I'm not sure where these things are manufactured, but it isn't where they wave the stars and stripes. Here's the description of what I got (verbatim): This product is the application of ultrasonic principium, which cleans out protein deposition coveried the surface of contact lenses rapidly and completely.

When in use, the unit is supposed to be filled with saline solution. At first glance, I thought they included a small sample bottle to get me started. Turns out it was just an empty bottle. Useless. I can't even sell it. On second thought, I decided to keep it in case I need to put an approved-size container of saline solution in my carry-on for air travel.

The operating instructions are loosely translated into English from an unknown native tongue. When operating an electric appliance, I am always (yeah, right) careful to read any safety precautions. Here are a few for this particular product (word-for-word):

• Avoid the risk of fire & casualty.
• Operating strictly according to the users manual.
• Don't plug in absence of people.
• Apart from heat, and place in a dry and flat surface.
• In case of abnormal working, if the case couldn't work as normal, stop it.
• Do not use tap water rinse the product, to avoid the risk of damage and creepage.

I definitely will watch that last one. I don't need any (more) creepage in my life.

The operating instructions are a bit better, with a couple of notable exceptions:

• Remove the lens basket and use tweezers to put the left contact lens into basket which marked with "L", same as the right contact lens.
• press "CLEAN", the green light on, which indicates the cleaning is ongoing. After 2 mins cleaning, the cleaner will automatically shut off. (Cleaning is over)

And so is this episode in translation interpretation.

CVS Paid Me $3.85

They are so nice at CVS. They paid me $3.85 to take this stuff home and some (or all?) of it will be going in the giveaway box. Here's how I did it:

There was a deal for buy $20 worth of various "tummy remedies" and get $10 in EB. I bought the three items pictured, which totaled $20.87. Since I had a CVS coupon (actually, I have several) for $5 off $25, I had to add another $4.13 of stuff that would end up being free. I roamed around the store looking for anything that was on clearance and/or that I had a CVS coupon for. I got the four lotions off of the clearance shelf for a total of $4.64. That would have been a good deal even if I'd paid for them! I had a coupon for $1 off any CVS-brand lotion, so I used it. I also had two CVS coupons totaling $8 for the tummy remedies that were a part of the EB deal. And I used $5 in manufacturers' coupons. So, I had $14 in CVS coupons and $5 in MFC, which brought my final total down to $6.15. And then I got back $10 in EB.

I also made $1 (once I send in the rebate) on some shampoo at Rite-Aid (like I needed more shampoo).

Publix and Kroger weren't as good. I saved 53% at Publix, but only 35% at Kroger. Sorry, but I've been in the mood for gumbo for a while now, so my Kroger savings took that hit.

Deal of the Day (from yesterday)

Many years ago, I purchased some everyday cloth napkins that were sort of a sage green and white check. They matched my dishes, and they got a lot of use. So much use, that the checks have pretty much faded away, and all that remains are multiple tea stains from upset glasses at the table. Today, I went back to Old Time Pottery to shop for more napkins. I don't go there very often (not even once a year) because it's not close by. They didn't have any green napkins that I liked, so I decided to go with this:

The match is not perfect, but it's good enough for me. When I chose the napkins, I couldn't find a price on them anywhere. I did see this sticker, though. I knew all the Christmas merchandise was majorly discounted, but these napkins weren't with the Christmas stuff, so I wasn't sure what the price would be. Do you want to venture a guess? I couldn't believe it when the price rang up at twenty-five cents. I bought twelve for $3.00.

Maniac Monday

It's been a crazy Monday, even if I didn't spend it at work. I left home this morning, and before I returned, I made eight stops. Here's stuff I got for free... hmmm... open package of cookies...

Here's stuff I got dirt cheap. I paid 50 cents each for the Excedrin (going in the give-away box), 15 cents each for four Powerades, and 30 cents each (I think) for three brownie mixes. The Powerade was on sale at Kroger for $1. I bought three, and used three 0.40/1 coupons that Kroger doubled, making the net cost 0.20. Then I also had a buy 3-get 1 free coupon, so the fourth was free, bringing the final total to 0.15 each. Whether or not anyone in this house will drink the stuff remains to be seen.

Here's today's rundown:

• Kroger - saved 60%
  
• Publix - saved 69%


• CVS - saved 67%


• Walgreens (times 2) saved 79% at one; 81% at the other


• Walmart - got a free bar of soap, plus three packages of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers (vegetables) for 0.50 each, plus some bananas and a couple of other things. A pox upon Walmart for not accepting printable coupons.


• Went by the in-laws' place for them to sign some forms (nothing saved, but they did give me coupons from their paper and I dug through the recycling basket in the activity room and gleaned a few more); and finally...


• Went to the bank (nothing saved, but a check deposited)

I'm not going to mention the 75% off Christmas chocolate that I bought, but someone shoot me if I bring home any more chocolate! (At least before the post-Valentine's Day sales.)