Slacking

Wow it has been a while since I've posted!  Sorry folks!  I haven't had that great incredible deal this month, or maybe I'm just getting too used to this, because I have gotten some great deals this month and I'm not even sure I can recall them all for this blog.

I have been watching the new Extreme Couponing series on TLC.  The first show they did a while back is what first got me into this couponing craze, but some recent episodes have been disapointing.  Last week twins shopped for items they didn't need, diapers (neither had children) and several, lets even say LOTS of bottles of acid reducer and other vitamins or such.  Pretty much all stuff they didn't need.  I'm not sure I want to shop like this or have a stockpile like the guy featured after the twins on the same episode.  He was on the original episode I watched, but this episode when they showed his stockpile they showed he had things like always maxipads stock piled, he was a single guy, does anyone else find that disturbing?  I mean come on, a stockpile is nice to have, I have a small one myself, but his stockpile.....a bit much, okay a LOT much!  My stockpile consists mostly of laundry detergent, dryer sheets, trash bags and bathroom items like toothpaste and deodorant.  I don't have anymore than a dozen of each of those items, with laundry detergent being most of what I have at around 9 bottles, but when I didn't pay more than 99 cents for the majority of them, its worth having that stockpile.

The two episodes that ran back to back the week before last showed two mothers with families doing their shopping, one girl was seen in the store putting several packages of meat and several gallons of milk in her cart yet she still only paid like $6 for hundreds of dollars worth of groceries.  I am not sure exactly what her pre coupon total was or exactly what she paid as I don't recall but I have no idea how I'll ever get meat and milk that cheap.  I think different states must have different sales at stores we don't have here and different coupons available.  I have already learned if you enter different zip codes at coupons.com that you get some different coupons.  So will I ever be as good as some of those? No.  Do I want to be that good?  Sometimes.  Other times I think I'll just be happy at what I am saving, continue to try harder and if I end up being like them, okay.  But I don't think you'll see me with a store quality shelving unit in my bedroom (not any time soon that is).

All that being said, I did snag some good deals over the last couple weeks and I did happen upon a customer behind me in line who was excited over my coupon savings, not annoyed at her wait while my coupons were rung through and my raincheck, which the new cashier needed assistance with.

I decided to do my grocery shopping at Shaw's last week, because they do double their coupons 99cents and under and I have been creating my own little "stockpile" of coupons to save for Shaw's, mostly 75cent ones.  I have failed to take pictures last week and this week, which probably makes this blog less interesting, my apologies.

At Shaw's I snagged some cheap smuckers jelly, a staple in this house, after my 75 cent coupons doubled $1.50.  I decided to use a raincheck I got quite some time back for buy one get one on Arnold bread, which usually retails for over $4 a loaf, was on sale for $2.99 and I had a $1 off 2 coupon meaning I paid just $1.99 for two loaves of bread, sweet deal. 

When I was cashing out and the older lady behind me saw all the coupons I had she said "look at that stack of coupons! aren't you good to clip those, I clip them sometimes but then I never use them!" as the cashier was ringing them up she said "wow, I think he's going to have to give you money back, how much do you have there?" I told her I wasn't sure but that the receipt would say and I would be happy to tell her.  When the receipt printed out the cashier handed it to me and told me I saved over $48 the old lady about fell over, "$48!" she said.  I was glad to finally have a fellow shopper in the checkout line be excited over my coupons!  But the icing on the cake at this shopping trip wasn't the coupons, it was the fact that I was in that store over an hour and a half with a 2 (almost 3)year old and a 4 year old who acted like perfect angels the whole time.  They were rewarded with some scrumptious McDonald's shakes for the ride home, which makes sister very happy because she's a cherry nut and brother doesn't like his cherry so she gets to eat his too.  :)

Kmart is running a special on Purex this week, $1.99 with in flyer coupon, limit 4. I went in the other day to get 4 considering I have 5 or 6 coupons for $1 and there was only two on shelf.  I got the last two and asked for a raincheck but was denied being told that they'll have more on the shelf before the sale ends Saturday, well I didn't really want to go back to Kmart between now and Saturday but now we'll just have to see if that is true or not. 

I went into CVS yesterday to try to get some deals but was disappointed to get only half the deals I thought I was getting either due to items not being in stock or the deal just not being what I thought it was.  Stove Top is on sale there again for 88cents this time but I was just in a few days ago and they still hadn't restocked from their 77cent sale which I still have rainchecks for, so I got more rainchecks for it at 88cents.  Did get some egg dye and fake grass for the baskets free after extra care bucks and 4 12pks of pepsi for $10 after $3 ECB.  But the 5 for $5 on the toothpaste and Dove didn't pan out like I had hoped because the toothpaste was out and the Dove was only on the small bar which doesn't come in the unscented which I what I use, so I go back to the extreme couponing mention, and that I just can't bring myself to buy things I'll never use, its pointless.

I headed into Rite Aid today and grabbed four bottles of Airwick air freshner for only 17 cents total.  They were buy one get one and I also had a coupon from last weeks paper for buy one get one, meaning I paid only tax.

I also headed to staples today and got a ream of HP multipurpose paper which will be completely free once I mail in the rebate.  Also used my $10 off HP ink purchase of $60 or more that I got emailed from Staples, and I needed ink anyways.

Next onto wal-mart where I picked up a toy story operation game for only $2.  I'm still unsure if I should have bought two at that price since I had two coupons for $3 off and the game was $5.  It would make a nice gift some day but seeming though I stashed the other one in the basement until the boy is old enough to use it do I really need two operation games kicking around?  What would you have done?

I got two bottles of free ketchup thanks to a heads up on moneysavingmadness where I found a link to print two $2 off Heinz ketchup.  I snagged a four pack of Scott toilet paper for only $1.68 after the $1 off coupon I had, I actually bought two at that price.  I can say that as good of a deal that was, that last week I got quilted northern plush on sale at CVS and having already had to open the new toilet paper, unless the Scott is FREE or pennies, I'll probably never buy it again!  Let's just say its not quilted northern!

I also got some cheese sticks for free after coupon, plus overage to use towards the rest of my purchase after printing off the coupon on coupons.com for Frigo string cheese.  I was hoping to get some other deals at Wal-Mart that just didn't pan out.  It happens.  And haven't checked out any target deals in a while so I'm about due there.