Bargain(s) of the week and another reason I like coupons...

Through couponing we've had the opportunity to try out several products for free or nearly free.  Before marriage I was very set in my ways of what products I used and my husband didn't really care one way or the other.  While I remain loyal to certain products (Colgate toothpaste, Charmin or Cottonelle toilet paper, Secret deodorant, Venus razors, etc....) I have been able to try new products and find that quite comparable to my old favorites.  This comes in handy when coupons are abundant for the new products.  For example, I've always been a Cascade fan when it comes to my dishwasher--but I recently got Finish dishwasher tabs for less than a $1 a box and we are really enjoying them!  Tide (and the Costco equivalent) is usually what fills our washing machine, but Purex has been winning here when we're able to get bottles so cheap after coupons.

On Sunday my husband and I made our way around to three stores to stock up on some necessities & use up some coupons for free/nearly free items.

Our first stop was Walgreens.  I hadn't shopped here in months and I went in last week to purchase some cereal for $2.83 that produced $4 in register rewards.  Forgive the photos, these were taken right after our camera screen broke and I had no way of knowing what exactly I was taking a photo of...

Purex on sale for $2.99-$1 off coupon

Fragrance Free Dryer Sheets $2 (never tried these--but wanting to try them for Lucy's laundry)

Right Guard deodorant, on sale for Buy one, get one free.  Used buy one, get one free coupon to get both for free!

2 Chapstick--.99 a piece

Total out of pocket after coupons and $4 in register rewards=$2.96

Next stop was CVS for two separate transactions.

The first:

3 packages of Charmin--on sale for $10 a piece and part of a "Spend $25, get $10 in Extra Care Bucks"

3 packages of M & M's (not pictured)--on sale, buy 2, get 1 free.  Used a buy 2, get 1 free & a .25 off coupon to get all three packages for .75

Purex fabric softener (never tried this, but we're almost out of fabric softener)--on sale for $4.00, used $2 off coupon

Total out of pocket after coupons and previous Extra care bucks=$25.59  (we "earned" $10 in this transaction)

The second

4 packs of Diet Coke--on sale for 3/$13 and part of a "Spend $15, get $5 in Extra Care Bucks)

used 4 $1.50 off coupons and the $10 in Extra Care Bucks from the previous transaction

Total out of pocket=$2.84

...and I still have $5 in extra care bucks to use

It was more out of pocket than we usually spend at CVS, but we also were buying lots of toilet paper---which is not cheap in stores!  We've started to only buy toilet paper at CVS & only when it's a part of an extra care buck deal because the prices are much better.

BOTW & Waiting on baby....

My bargain of the week from last week is a simple one.  As I didn't do much shopping other than stopping to pick up butter for $1.99 and peanut butter for .99 from Hy-Vee (also bargains of the week!), my favorite deal has to be the Chipotle burrito I enjoyed that same night.

I'm a rice/beans/cheese kind of gal when it comes to my favorite burrito toppings--which almost always means a reduced charge.  I have never, however, gotten my burrito for this cheap.  I give you the .89 burrito :)  (and yes, it looks like it is coming out of my face...)  There seems to be no rhyme or reason to how we are charged for this burrito, but I'll take .89 ANY day. 

In other news, we are waiting on baby.  I'm 10 days away from my due date and feeling it.  We've had several "oh these contractions might be real and we might end up in the hospital" moments---but no such luck.  Truth be told, I'm physically exhausted, but also really content waiting on the baby.  I'd prefer a delivery on a Thursday or Friday to maximize my husband's time off...and we're really enjoying our time as a family of three.  Each extra day is helping us get one more odd project done, run one last errand, enjoy one last night of solid sleep & be able to take off and only have ONE kiddo to keep track of.

So we are preparing in the midst of our waiting----stocking up on Lucy's snacks, household essentials & coffee and soda for those first few weeks.  We're putting finishing details on the baby's room, keeping up on laundry/cleaning & re-organizing little areas throughout our house.  We ran several errands yesterday and I'm hoping that with the exception of a quick run to the grocery store this week, we'll be set for awhile.

We're all anxious to meet this next baby---but I also want to be intentional about not wishing away these last several days with Lucy. 

BOTW & 37 weeks

So, my best deal this week is NOT diapers or wipes :)  Last week Lucy and I needed some fresh air so we ran a few errands and stopped by the mall to take a look at the Gymboree clearance.  I had a 20% off coupon, but wasn't sure I'd find much.  I managed to find four shirts (some for Lucy/some for baby) & a zip up hooded sweatshirt.  My total was set to be $20 for all 5 items when I remembered that I had a $5 off rewards coupon in my email that I hadn't printed.  Shocker!  (I've been very forgetful lately...)  I asked the sales lady about it and she let me pull my email up on my phone and then typed in the code!

All in all my total was around $16 for all 5 items :)  Who says name brand kids clothes have to be expensive?

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Also last week we reached the 37 week mark.  The doctor checked me and called me 25% effaced with a closed cervix.  However, I had been checked at the hospital at 33 weeks and they called me "about a "1" then...so, since it doesn't really matter, I'm sticking with the "1" :) We are all still expecting a 9lb + baby...which, despite not looking forward to giving birth to a baby of that size, I personally find chubby babies are a bit cuter when born...of course, I might be a little partial :)

The consistent contractions I had been having seemed to have stopped the last few days--not sure if that's the "calm before the storm" or an indication that we are in for the long haul, but I'd prefer not to be having contractions unless they are serving a purpose.

Otherwise, I'm really trying to focus my energy on enjoying this last little bit of time just with Lucy.  As I told my husband last night, she'll never again be my "only child"....and this time is special.  I need to not wish it away out of physical discomfort, but treasure each day and moment that I can just focus on her.

BOTW: Frozen veggies and more!

Our Target ran a special promotion this past week of "Buy ANY 7 frozen food items, get a $5 Target giftcard."  We went earlier in the week and purchased 7 bags of frozen veggies at $1/bag and received our first $5 gift card.  We went a few days later and I broke all of the above into three different transactions.  This purchase brought us a few bags of frozen veggies ($1), a few bags of rice + Veggies ($1), one bag of pasta +veggies ($1 something...), a can of frozen fruit juice ($1 something...), 5 frozen pizzas ($1 each), a bag of frozen pineapple ($2), and a large bag of chicken tenders ($6)

All in all this is over $25 worth of food--we brought it all home (after using coupons and my $5 gift card from earlier in the week) for less than $8!

The veggies, fruit & fruit juice are not uncommon purchases for our household--given that my daughter insists on eating mostly veggies and fruit (and nothing else...!)  The pizzas and chicken tenders were add-ons for some quick lunches in the upcoming weeks--and they worked into the sale quite nicely with coupons.

What about YOU?  What bargains did you come across this week?

BOTW: Free wipes...again :)

I know, I know...diapers and wipes are probably getting a bit old...but honestly?  They're some of the best deals I'm finding lately & I'm not getting out to do much shopping, so you get another post on baby products.

This week's bargain was an 8 pack of Huggies Natural Care soft-pack wipes.  Subscribe and Save price on Amazon was less than $10 and I had a $10 off Amazon baby store coupon--so, free wipes..shipped free to my door=awesome.

(side note, I received my March Parents magazine and there was a $10 off coupon vs the 20% off one.  There's a rumor that there are multiple magazines this month in which you can find the $10 off coupon--happy hunting!)

Share your bargains!  I want to know what good deals you got this week!

BOTW: Two favorites....

No pictures this week...

I noticed as I was cleaning out our stockpile last week that we had no toothpaste in the reserve stash.  I then remembered I had a raincheck to CVS to redeem! 

The raincheck was for Colgate toothpaste at 2.99, get 2.99 in ECB...so, essentially free (really wish I would have had a coupon to make an even better deal...but still.)  I was able to purchase two ($6), I used a $5 ECB from the previous week and paid $1 + tax out of pocket and got back $6 in ECB for my next purchase!

:)

Also at CVS this week, Coke 12 packs were $3 a piece, and if you spent $15, you got an additional $5 in ECB.  I bought 5 Coke products=$15, used my $6 ECB from the toothpaste and paid $9+tax out of pocket for the soda (less than $2 per 12-pack) and earned an additional $5 in ECB.

Any good bargains you'd like to share???

Bargain of the Week: Cheap Diapers and Wipes!

Retail value for the above (1 box size 5 -156 count Pampers), 3-218 count Huggies Natural Care Wipes Refill packages, 3-184 count Huggies Sensitive Wipe Refill Packages=$75.68 pre-tax.

Amount I paid?

$26.85
(Savings of $48.83)

My husband and I took advantage of a Living Social deal a week or so ago (no longer available) in which you could purchase a $20 off amazon gift card for only $10!  We purchased one each---(as my husband says, we're just making our money stretch as far as possible!)

The diapers were $40.88 standard price.  I utilized subscribe & Save which dropped the price to $28.62.  I combined that with a 20% off amazon diapers I had gotten out of a magazine which took off an additional $8.  I then used one of our $20 gift cards that we only paid $10 for.  Total additional out of pocket was $1.63..so $11.63 total for the diapers.

The wipes were standard $17.40 per 3 refills, or $34.80.  I did two separate transactions and utilized Subscribe & Save, which dropped the price to $12.18 per 3 refills, or $24.36.  I used our second $20 off gift card that we paid $10 for.  Total additional out of pocket was $5.22, so $15.22 for all 6 refills!

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Later in the week I stumbled on an even more incredible deal that I emailed over to Money Saving Mom.  I purchased this box of diapers for only .53 out of pocket!!!!

Price was $23.99 to begin with.

I utilized subscribe and save which took off $7.20.

I used a 20% off coupon that was set to expire at the end of the month--took off $4.80

I was able to stack an additional $10 off Amazon Baby Store purchase coupon I had received in a magazine--took off $10

There was also a $1.50 off Pampers coupon that showed up on the page while I was ordering.

Total out of pocket .53 shipped to my door!  :)

Any good bargains you found this week????  Please share!

(Oh, and for more help on buying diapers on Amazon...check out my previous post)

Bargain of the week: 7 shirts for less than $50

My bargain of the week was just received last weekend via our wonderful mail system!

Baby #2 is hanging out a lot lower in my belly than Baby#1 ever did.

Problem.

My maternity shirts were slowly not covering my belly anymore.  Most days I hang out in my husband's attire at home, but I was in need of some shirts to cover me for these last few months.

Enter Old Navy Maternity Clearance! 

A few weeks ago I sifted through their online selection and ended up selecting 5 long sleeve shirt, 1 Cardigan, and 1 layering tank top.  My original total was going to be over $50 (more than I wanted to spend)--but I knew that would qualify me for free shipping.  Wanting to see if I could get in on any other promotional offers, I did a quick search on Retail Me Not  (which, if you're buying anything online--check out this site first!)  Anyways, I found a discount code for $10 off a $50 purchase if I signed up for the Old Navy Newsletter. 

Fantastic!  With my total down to $48, I was a happy camper!

..but the absolute best part is that the $48 was paid in the form of a gift card, a Christmas gift from my in-laws!

Did you find any good bargains this week?  I'd love to hear about them!

Bargain of the week: better than free hot chocolate....

So I had a picture of this deal, but it won't upload....so imagine a photo of two boxes of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate.

Are you imagining it?

OK.

Our bargain of the week was those two boxes!  My husband is greatly addicted to hot chocolate right now, and I'm learning to enjoy it just as much!  The boxes were on sale for $1 per box last week.  I had  coupons for $2 off each box.

So...

2 boxes of hot chocolate=$2
MINUS 2/ $2 off coupons= +$2

Yes, our store gave us coupon overage so we were actually paid to take the hot chocolate out of the store!  Well, the overage went towards other items in the purchase, but you get the idea!

What about you?  What good bargains did you find this week?

Bargain of the week

A new regular post I want to try out is featuring my favorite "bargain" of the week. I've been out of the coupon game for about a month now (by choice) & have kept my bargains to online deals---which have been plentiful! My goal is to be challenged to get back in the game and re-stock our linen closet and pantry before baby #2 arrives.

Anyways, this week...I could tell you about the great finds I found for baby #2, but that might give away the gender...and we don't want that! Or I could share about the Little People Trash Truck/recycling Truck toy we found at wal-mart for $5 (50% off) that Lucy loves...but that may be gifted to a cousin.

But instead....my favorite bargain of the week was found on Saturday. My husband and I bundled Lucy up and went out in the cold for a little New Years Day shopping. Needing a snack, we ventured to our favorite little pretzel place in the mall. After ringing up our two pretzels, water, and a dipping sauce, we had to question them that the price ($3.89) was correct.

Indeed it was...as apparently they were running a "Buy one, get one" free promotion on their pretzels!

My favorite bargain is often the one you don't expect....and when you're pinching pennies and allowing yourself to indulge in a mall food court treat...well, it's quite the little blessing to discover your treat is half off! :)

What about you? Any good bargains this week??