Grocery expenses - 1st Quarter

I decided to start tracking my expenditures this year...something I have never done before. I will break this down with the amounts that I actually spent on groceries (food, health/beauty, pet) per month:

January = $309.34
February = $170.11
March = $74.15
Total = $553.60

That figures out to an average of $46.13 per week, which is not bad for a family of two (plus one cat). A few things to consider, however...I am spending next to nothing on health/beauty products as I'm relying on my stockpile for those. I'm also getting my hamburger for free right now because my parents have some cattle and recently gifted us with a freezer full of hamburger. On the other hand, I'm still stockpiling the great deals that I find on groceries and health/beauty items with that $46.13 per week. So while I would love to cut my grocery expenses even more, I'm not sure if that is really realistic if I continue to stockpile. I know it can be done. I see a lot of you with families of four or more who do this all the time. I guess I just need to reevaluate everything and proceed from there. In the meantime, I'm curious to know how many of you consider health & beauty items to be grocery expenses. So feel free to comment on that as well as any tips you might have for cutting your grocery bill. I would love some input!

3M Filtrete Filter free after rebate!

Jill has the scoop on how you can score a free 3M Filtrete filter. I personally love Filtrete filters, so I will definitely be taking advantage of this rebate! Go check it out!

Selling textbooks...

Valore Books is a great company to sell your textbooks to. I have done so on three separate occasions and each of those transactions was hassle free. They have earned my trust and so I feel comfortable recommending them to you. Sure there are a few other companies that may quote you a higher sell back price up front, but I read their reviews and they do not seem to be as reputable as Valore Books. The risk just wasn't worth it to me. I chose Valore and haven't regretted that decision yet. If you are considering selling your books, I would highly recommend that you check out Valore Books. On top of operating with integrity, they offer instant price quotes, free shipping to their warehouse, and more than 500,000 sellable titles.

Also, you can use the promotion code "Coupon5" and you'll get 5% off your order if you are making a purchase or they will give you an additional 5% if you are selling to them. I'm not sure when this offer expires, but how cool is that! Click here to check them out!

My efforts are paying off!

I got my City bill today (electricity, water, and trash are all wrapped up into this one bill). I've been trying to cut back on EVERYTHING in order to save money, so I was very happy to see that my electric is down $21.73 from last month and my water is down $4.71. That's a difference of $26.40. Add in the sales tax and the water surcharge, and the total savings on my City bill equals $27.03. I know that changing out many of my lightbulbs and replacing them with CFL bulbs can account for some of the savings, but not much since we replaced them at the tail end of that billing cycle. I think most of the savings on this bill can be attributed to the fact that I've been so conservative with the electricity. I should see an even bigger difference over the next few months since the CFL's will now be running full billing cycles and also due to the fact that I've decided to start air drying my laundry. I put a "Wanted" ad on Freecycle for a folding laundry rack and someone replied today with an offer. I will pick that up tomorrow. That will work for indoor drying and will have to suffice until I can get a clothesline put up outside. I'm betting I can save myself a small fortune just by cutting out most of my dryer usage. And you can bet that I'll be tucking that savings away in an interest bearing account. Furloughs are on the horizon, and I'm doing everything I can to prepare myself financially. If only I had started this 19 years ago...

The silver lining...

My place of employment is considering furloughs (mandatory leave w/out pay) to help with the budget crunch. They haven't made a formal decision, but we've been told that furloughs are very likely. We will be given 30 days notice and are being advised that we can file for unemployment due to the cut in hours. I don't know anything about unemployment, but I'm guessing you have to take a substantial cut in hours before you can file for unemployment. So I'm getting a little nervous.

I have been working diligently for over a year trying to build an emergency fund while paying down my debt. However, it's a slow process as I am the only source of income for my daughter and me and the pay is far from great. I've also been stockpiling any items that we use whenever I can find them at rock bottom prices. I feel like I have a great stockpile going, especially on toiletries. We definitely have enough toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, deodorant, and hair product to last us a year. We have a good amount of shaving cream and razors, as well. I try not to go overboard w/the food, because the last thing I want to do is have it spoil. I try to only buy what I know we will use within a reasonable amount of time (hopefully until the next sale, since I'm trying to avoid paying full price).

I'm constantly looking for ways to cut costs and am reluctant to spend anything if I don't have to. Last week, I didn't spend even $20 on groceries and I anticipate this week's bill will be even less. In addition to cutting costs, I'm hoping I can bring some extra cash in by selling things utilizing Craigslist.com and a few other "trade and sell" websites. I've put the word out that I'm available for odd jobs (painting, cleaning, etc...) and I'm hoping that will pay off, as well.

Although I'm worried, I know this is something that we will survive. And I'm extremely thankful that even with a cut in hours, there will be no change to my health benefits and that there is no risk (at this time) of losing my job altogether, like so many others already have.

All of this has really opened my eyes to the reality of just how financially irresponsible I've been. It's the wake up call that I needed and it has changed me for the better...permanently.

Organic Grocery Deals, Green Forum, Green on a Budget

If you're interested in organic grocery deals or any aspect of green living on a budget, you should check out Organic Grocery Deals!

There is a ton of valuable information provided in the forums, including: gardening, eating in season, organic and natural product information, coupon trading, green living tips, book recommendations, organic news, deals, and more. Get help and ideas for going green in a relaxing and non-judgmental environment.

Go check it out!

Dillons Coupons!

I got these in the mail, yesterday.



There were fourteen total and this is what they included:
Free: 1 Tony's Frozen Pizza and 1 Pepsi 2 liter
$2 coupons for Maybelline, Neutrogena, and John Frieda products
$1.50 coupon for Playtex Tampons
$1 coupons for Johnson's, Tide, Charmin,Sargento, Quaker, Barilla Pasta/Sauce, and Pledge
55cent coupon for Snack Pack

I love the Dillons home mailer coupons!

We eat a lot of Mexican food here at my house. I can't keep up w/the demand for flour tortillas! Have you priced those, lately? Yikes! I got lucky a few months ago and found them on sale 10/$10 at Dillons. I should have bought out the store, because the ten that I bought didn't last long. I then found them at the bread store for 99 cents. However, they haven't gotten any in on their delivery truck for the last three weeks!

I found some flour tortilla mix at Walmart a few weeks ago and decided to give it a whirl. I believe it was $2.79 for a 4lb bag. I finally got around to making some, tonight. The tortillas turned out pretty good, much to my surprise. And I thoroughly enjoyed making them.

Tortilla dough!


On the griddle:


This was much easier than I thought it would be!

January 21st shopping trip

My first stop of the day was Target.


$2.75 - $2.00 coupon = .75 + .19 tax = 94 cents

I still have three more coupons, but I'd never tried these Kashi bars before, so wanted to try a box to make sure I like them before buying anymore.

My second stop was Aldi's.



2 Tortilla Chips @ .99 = $1.98
2 Cookies @ 1.39 = $2.78
Total w/tax = $5.10

My next stop was the bread store. I LOVE this place!



Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Whole Grain (Buy 2 @ .90 get 1 free) = $1.80
4 Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce @ .99 = $3.96

Total w/10% discount (not sure why I got a discount) + tax = $5.59

Those are the medium sized cans of Enchilada Sauce. The smaller cans are like $1.13 at Wal-Mart, so I feel like that's a pretty good deal.

My final stop was Dillons. This stuff was purchased in two transactions, but for time's sake, I'm not going to list them separately.




15 2% Kraft Mexican Style Cheese @ .49 = $7.35 (LOOK FOR .75 BLINKIES - I found them right in front of the 2% cheese)
14 Kraft Mexican Style Cheese @ $1.49 = $20.86
6 Cottonelle 4pks (99 cent - 50 cent doubled coupons) = free
3 Cap'N Crunch ($2.09 - 2 $1.00 coupons) @ 1.09 = $3.27
2 Chex Mix (2 @ $1.69 - 2 $1.00 coupons and -.60 Shortcuts) = .78
1 Miracle Whip ($2.49 - $1.00 home mailer coupon) = $1.49
1/2 gallon milk = $1.50
4 Green Giant V.F. Steamers ($1.00 - 50 cent doubled coupons) = free
12pk Diet Pepsi ($2.99 - $1.00 home mailer coupon) = $1.99
1 K.C. Star Newspaper (Sunday Edition) = $1.87
2 Powerade ($1.39 - 40 cent doubled coupons) 2 @ .80 = $1.60

Total w/tax = $46.98

We go through A LOT of cheese. That's probably not quite a year's supply, but it's close. It's a good thing cheese freezes well! And no I did not clear the shelves...not even close! I'm glad I got there early, though, because I bet that 2% will go fast w/those blinkie coupons!

Total spent OOP today was $58.61. Not too shabby!

12/12/08 Walgreens, Dillons, and Target

The Walgreens run:


I cut one bag of plastic cutlery out of this picture - because I'm just that good w/the camera.

12 2 liters of Diet Pepsi @ $1.25 = $15.00
3 Jiffy Blueberry Muffin Mix @ .39 = $1.17
3 Pure Silk Shaving Cream @ .99 = $2.97
2 3pks Scotch Tape @ $1 = $2.00
1 Reynolds Aluminum Foil @ .99
3 Walgreens Plastic Cutlery @ .39 = $1.17
1 Dozen Grade A Large Eggs @ $1.50
1 Pkg Orange Tic Tacs @ .99
1 Pkg Doublemint Mint Twins @ .99

Total before coupons = $26.78

Coupons & RR Used:
$1 off Reynolds Aluminum Foil
$19 RR ($6, $6, $5, $2)

Total after coupons and tax = $8.37

I paid w/a gift card, so there was nothing out of pocket. I received $5 RR for the $15 Diet Pepsi purchase and $5RR for the $5 for $25 promotion. I will also get a $2 rebate for the scotch tape. So, $12 - $8.37 = $3.63 profit. Good enough for me. And I am stoked that I have more soda to take to work. I'll write about how much 2 liters save me vs buying soda at work in a later post.

Next stop was Dillons:



I have to give a special thanks to Shannon over at The Grocery Weekly for sharing this deal. I had seven Fleischmann's coupons just sitting in my binder waiting to make me some money!

7 Fleischmann's yeast packets @ $1.00 = $7.00

I used three 45 cent coupons and four 40 cent coupons, which doubled.
Total after coupons and tax = $1.35

And I received seven 50 cent off your next order coupons, which Dillons will double. That is a profit of $5.65.

Last, I hit Target on the way out of town to get my one free pkg of batteries and to try and find a white shirt that my daughter needed for her band program.



I was lucky enough to find a white shirt for her on clearance for $3.24. So my grand total for the shirt (not pictured) and the batteries was $3.55. I included the RR I earned from my Walgreens trip in w/this pic because I didn't think to include them in the first photo.

12/05/08 Walgreens trip

The loot:
3 Russell Stover's Private Reserve Luminary Boxes @ 4.99 = $14.97
2 Reach Dental Floss @ $3.00 = $6.00
1 Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste @ $2.99
1 half gallon milk @ 1.29

Total before coupons & register rewards = $25.25

Coupons & Register Rewards Used:
$1 coupon for the Colgate
$13 in RR ($5; $6; $1; $1)

Total after coupons: $12.73 (paid w/gift card)

Register Rewards earned = $13.00:
$6 for the Reach floss
$2 for the Colgate toothpaste
$5 for spending $25

That's a 27 cent profit. PLUS I will get a $10 rebate on the Russell Stover candy. Add the 10% bonus to that rebate and I believe that makes a total profit of $10.37 for this transaction.

12/04/08 Walgreens trip

I love this four day sale!

Transaction 1:
4 Walitin @ 6.99 = 27.96
-$24.00 Wags Coupon (on sale for 99 cents)
Total: $3.96 + .29 sales tax = $4.25 paid w/gift card
Earned $5 RR ($5 for purchases of $25 or more)
Earned $6 RR (Catalina coupon reads: Thank you from Bayer Consumer Healthcare)

Transaction 2:
Same as transaction 1 minus the $6RR from Bayer (I knew it was too good to happen twice!)

Transaction 3:
2 Reach Dental Floss @ $3.00 = $6.00
-$5.00 (RR earned in Transaction 1)
Total: $1.00 + .07 sales tax = $1.07 paid w/gift card
Earned $6 RR

Transaction 4:
1/2 gallon milk = .99 + .07tax = $1.06 paid w/gift card

Summary
Total spent OOP/gift card = $10.63
Total RR remaining = $17.00
Profit = $6.37

And yes, I will use all those allergy meds. I struggle w/allergies year round, so this was a GREAT deal for me!

Dillons Coupons!

I am so excited! After all of these years of carrying a Dillons card, I finally got some Dillons coupons in the mail. I had filled out the form at Dillons to update my address...to no avail. I finally called them about a month ago and had them update my info over the phone. Here are the coupons I received from them today:

Free - One Tony's Frozen Pizza
Free - One Pepsi 2 liter
Free - One Pkg Sargento Shreds or Slices (any size)
Free - One Oscar Meyer Lunch Meet (8 oz - 16 oz)
$1/2 Sargento Shreds or Slices (3 oz or larger)
$1.50 off any Tide Detergent 100 oz or larger
.50 cents off any one Clorox Liquid Bleach - 82 oz larger
$1/2 Welch's Grape Jelly/Jam (32 oz or 22 oz)
$1 off any Tampax Pearl 36 ct or larger
.75 cents off any two Peter Pan Peanut Butter
$1 off any Bounty 8 roll or larger
$1 off any 2 Quaker Chewy Granola Bars
.50 cents off any one New York Toast Crouton Pkg
.50 cents off any one New York brand frozen garlic bread product
$1/1 any John Frieda Collection full size product
.55 cents any Weight Watchers cheese or cream cheese product

The only one I might not use is the Weight Watchers coupon. If I can get it on a good sale, I'll give it a try. But the rest of the products I buy on a regular basis (and by regular I mean I buy them on sale & w/coupons and stockpile them - including cheese which freezes very well). I LOVE Dillons!

If any of you purchased the Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubber refill packs and expected to get a Walgreens rebate for them, you may need to call the EasySaver™ Catalog Customer Service number (888-324-3028). This is rebate # 30. In the book, it is listed as "Action Scrubber, 6 Pack." The rep I spoke with told me that I bought the refills, which didn't qualify. He said I needed to buy a 6 pack of the Action Scrubber. To those of us who purchase and use this stuff, the rebate is obviously for the refill packs. I tried politely explaining to him that they didn't even make six packs of the Action Scrubber, but they did make six packs of the refills for the Action Scrubber. He didn't believe me, but said he would go ahead and do a one time approval. A one time approval? What am I going to do...call again in an hour and ask someone to approve it a second time? I thought it best not to ask. I just want my rebates w/out any more hassle. If he keeps his word, I should have $130.83 put on my card within a few days.

Walgreens had an unadvertised special on Quilted Northern Ultra Plush 6 packs (larger rolls). They were stacked by the doorway and they were marked $3. I had two $1/1 coupons, so I bought two at $2 each. I'm not sure if that deal is going on everywhere, but here is a link for a $1/1 Q.N. Ultra Plush coupon.

****EDIT****I just realized there is also a $1/1 coupon for the Quilted Northern Ultra Plush in the October Easy Saver. So, I could have gotten these for $1 each.

I'm sorry to say that that was the highlight of my Walgreens trip. I've never had so many problems in one Walgreens visit. They didn't have any of their sales programmed in and the RR was not working on the cherry flavored Alka Seltzer (although the RR signs were posted beneath EACH flavor Alka Selzer). I had to ask for a manager no less than four times, and even she didn't know the policy (tried telling me you couldn't use a manufacturer's coupon and expect to get register rewards).

I love the deals you can get at Walgreens, but they could stand to make things less complicated for both the consumer and for their employees. If that manager had not been so nasty, I would have felt sorry for her. There was not a five minute span that went by without her being called to the register, I kid you not! In any case, I will stand my ground in these situations every time. I work too hard to figure my deals and drive too far to get them to go home with anything less. You advertise it, you honor it!

Dillons A.M. Mad Dash...

I left early this a.m. so that I could hit Dillons on my way in to work. The loot:



The cost before coupons: $27.29
The coupons:
4 B1G1 - Glade Plug Ins Scented Oil Warmers (ALL FREE!!)
1 .55/2 Williams Chili Seasoning
1 .45/1 Fleischmann's Yeast
1 $3 catalina for Johnson's purchase
1 $2 catalina (from last week's Glade Plug Ins deal)
1 .50 catalina (from yesterday's Fleischmann's Yeast purchase)
Total after coupons: $2.43 + $1.89 tax = $4.32 OOP
Received $15 in catalinas (3 $4 catalinas - good on any purchase; 1 $3 off any 3 Johnson's Baby product)

I was happy to see that they doubled the .50 catalina, but I didn't get another .50 catalina for this Fleischmann's purchase. ??? I'm not complaining, just contemplating...

New P&G eSaver

A while back, I registered my Dillons card with P&G so that I could load it up with online coupons. While I love the idea of this convenience, I'm usually disappointed with their lackluster offers. However, this latest batch actually has some good deals! There are some B1G1 deals on Olay Ribbons Body Wash, Cover Girl Mascara, and Pantene hair products. There are also some higher value coupons for $2, $3, and even $5 off. If you have a Dillons/Kroger card and you're not loading it up with e-coupons, you might want to consider it.

You can register here: P&G eSaver

You can get even more e-coupons by registering your card with shortcuts.com. You can do this at dillons.com (look for the Shortcuts link in the lower left hand corner). Or you can register directly from shortcuts.com.

Forty cents is good, but free is even better!

Dillons had the Suave Shampoo & Conditioner on sale for 88 cents, and their everyday price on Cottonelle 4pks is 99 cents.

I used two .75 coupons for the Suave and a .50 coupon for the toilet paper. Since they double coupons up to $1.00, all three items were free. I paid 15 cents tax.


Ray's Apple Market had both Dawn and Joy dish detergents on a 10/$10 sale. They also double coupons. Using three 50 cent coupons, I got away with three free bottles of Dawn and one bottle of Joy for forty cents (used one 30 cent coupon on the Joy). Tax was 16 cents on this transaction.

My grand total for both transactions = 71 cents. Love it!

Mmmm...monkey bread!

When the autumn air starts turning cool and crisp, this is one of the many things I crave. It's fun to make, too.




INGREDIENTS

• 3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
   
2. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of a greased bundt pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using nuts and raisins, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart.
   

Enjoy!

Yard sale!

Twice a year, a friend and I hit the Ft. Riley city wide yard sales. The most recent one was this last Saturday. Say what you will, but I have gotten some fabulous bargains at these sales. Here are some of my most recent treasures:














Victoria's Secret purse: $1.00
The "L" purse: 50 cents
Piggy Bank: $1.00 (I just couldn't pass it up)
Karen Neuburger super soft socks - new w/tags: 50 cents
*Dove Cool Moisture Body Wash (24 oz): $2.00
*Dove Cream Oil Body Wash (10 oz): $1.00
*Olay Creme Ribbons Body Wash (10 oz): $1.00
*Neutrogena Lip Gloss (x2): $1.00

*Brand new - purchased from a fellow Walgreens shopper














T-Fal pots & pans: $5.00 for the set

Not pictured:
Full size down comforter+matching pillow shams (excellent condition): $5.00
Sylvania television set: $10.00
Several items of clothing in great condition for cheap, cheap, cheap!
4 or 5 formal gowns for my daughters. The least I paid was $5, the most I paid was $10. I figure what she doesn't use, we can easily sell or donate.

The television set, the pans, and the comforter set I bought for a family member who left a lot of their own things behind in a recent separation. I think she is most excited about the pans. It cost me $20 for all of it. Try buying any one of those items in a store for $20. It's a no brainer!

Yard sales are notorious for junk deals, but you really can find some nice stuff. You better your chances if you can hit them on a day that is designated "city wide."