TLC show Extreme couponing

I wasn’t going to watch this show. I really didn’t plan on it. I didn’t even set the DVR when I went out last night. As the show began to air I began to see so many conversations about what was happening that I couldn’t resist. When I got home I set the DVR to catch the second run of the show.

My initial thoughts when I heard that a show was being made were how much negative backlash it would create. I don’t think my concerns were far off. I believe that it was staged, 100%, fake. Yes, it is mathematically possible, but probable, not at all. The network must have contacted the stores to get the permission. I am sure that the stores were promised a few well placed logo shots in return and probably well compensated. I am by no means the COUPON POLICE, I don’t want to judge the people who participated in the show, but I am very disappointed.

Crying because a coupon doesn’t scan, and taking over every square inch of floor space in the house are all signs of an addiction or of Hoarding. I don’t believe that even with kids anyone can use the amount of stuff two of these people have in their house.

I believe every one of them when they say that they make regular donations to their local charities. As do most all of us who coupon shop. I just have one thing that really bugs me about the show, and the way things were portrayed. Before I ever went on my first shopping trip armed with my coupons I did a lot of research. I found tons of sites, all with incredible information. The one thing that was taught at every site was to fly below the radar. It is a hard thing to remember, especially when you are new to the game. But, it is vitally important. You don’t want to come to the attention of the stores. All it takes is one moody cashier or manager and you are going to have trouble every time. If a store begins to notice me I pray that it is because I am a nice person, and I stand out for that reason only. I do think that calling ahead to order stuff is a good idea; I will never clear the shelves of a deal, unless there is only one left when I get there. I have not ever ordered extras, but I have considered it. If I ever encounter a deal I cannot pass on I would definitely do it.

I have never gotten in a recycling bin to look for coupons. Again, I wouldn’t put it past me though. Given the chance, I believe I certainly would.

I don’t believe that any of my stores, even stating that I have an AWESOME group of managers and cashiers that I have gotten to know would order me 1100 of any one item.

I want to help others; it is what we are called as Christians to do. But, I will not give up my time with my family, my sanity or my reputation to do so. I will teach anyone who wants to learn and I will continue to donate all I can to any charity I can. But, I will not ask my family to make major sacrifices for me to do so. I do not clip coupons during family time, I do not shop at all hours of the night, I do not miss special events to go get a deal and I do not spend more hours clipping coupons than I do at the office. I am already away from my family too much as it is for work. We all have our own way of being, and to each their own, I just really hope that the stores and manufacturers don’t begin changing the rules again because these four people exposed the tricks of the game.

100th Post

Wow! I totally missed that one! My last post was my 100th post! I am really enjoying being a blogger. I am so busy right now with work and the kids schedules that I am so far behind. I am really looking forward to the holiday season so I can have a few extra hours to work on my blog and on my shopping. I am on the look out for great Christmas deals for you all, and I will certainly post them as I find them.

I would definitely recommend watching the Groupon deal sin the weeks to come. There are going to be some great deals no doubt!

My Kroger Trip Today

So all of the speculation seems to be true. I asked the manager at my Kroger today and they are no longer limiting the number of like coupons per transaction nor are they limiting the number of double/triple like coupons per transaction. I scored big time today, and it makes it so much easier to get in and out since I don't have to do several transactions.

Today I got all of this...

15 - Softsoap Liquid $.99 - $.35/1 mfg co (spanish Smartsource)

9 - Dial Bar Soap $1 - $.35/1 mfg co

3- Everready Flashlights $1.39 - $1 mfg co

2-Old Orchard Apple Juice $1 - $.50/2 mfg co

3- Bounty Basic Paper towels $1.09 - $1 Kroger e coupon - $.25/1 mfg co

4- Dole Fruit Jars $1 - $.50/2 mfg co

10 - Yakisobas $.80 - $.50/1 mfg co

10 - Totinos Pizza Rolls $1 - $.35/1 mfg co

10 - Kids Cuisine Meals $1.89 - $5/10 Frozen Food Promo - $.50/1 mfg co

12- Mc Cormick Grinders $1 (Buy three or more receive $3 catalina)

Thank you ZM for this deal

1 - Athenos Hummus - $1 Mfg co

2- Ceasers Bistro Dog Food - BOGO

12- Sani Hands Wipes $1.04 - $1 mfg co.

I also used a $5/75 coupon that was in the boyscout coupon book last fall.

The total before coupons was $95 something( I don't have my receipt with me to be exact) and my total out of pocket was $.12. Plus I still have $6 in catalinas to use on my next trip.

I did all but the Mc Cormick Grinders in one transaction. Those required separate transactions because the catalina will only print once per transaction.

FREE Gain Dish Soap at Walmart

Walmart isn’t always my favorite store for couponing. But, right now it is the place to be if you have any of the $1/1 Gain Dish Soap Coupons.

The small bottle is only $.97 regularly at Walmart so it makes for a freebie. Make sure that you grab a small item to cover any overage if the cashier does the coupon wrong. If they do it right they will mark it down to $.97.

I have 12 already and I am going for one more tonight.

I like to keep a year supply of this type of daily use item in my stockpile. I also keep a year or more of Laundry detergent, fabric softener liquid and dryer sheets as well as dish detergent.

Randall's Highlights

Like I told you earlier, I went to Randall’s at lunch today.

I found some great deals.

1 – Totino’s Pizza Roll’s 15ct - $1.29 (10% off Frozen Foods Randall’s Flyer, $.35/1 – Any Pizza Rolls Tripled)

2 – Pillsbury Cutout Cookies Clearance 50%off $1.99 ($1/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough)

1 – 3 Pack Steak $3.41 (30% Off)

2 – Barilla Spaghetti Sauces 2/$4 ($.75/1 Barilla Pasta Sauce x 2)

2 – Barilla Piccolini Noodles $1 FREE when purchase Sauce ($.55/1 Barilla Piccolini Noodles x2)(Makes this a $.55 Money Maker each package.)

3- Hallmark Cards @$1.49 each

Received a $3.49 Pediasure coupon, $1 Barilla Coupon, $1 Catalina For the Barilla Deal and $5 Catalina for purchasing three Hallmark Cards.

I think Randall’s will be on my to-do list again tonight.

Thank you to ZM @ Katycouponers and Kimberly @ Just Frugaliscious for the Hallmark Lead.

Thank you to Tiffany @ Mylitter for the Heads up on the Barilla Pasta.

Back Again

Oh my, it has been a while. I had such a busy summer and now fall. Don’t let my absence fool you, I have been working hard and saving loads of money. I hope that you have too.

We had a great summer with loads of family time, a short vacation and an awesome back to school shopping experience. I mean wow, even in the clothing stores it is easy to find great deals if you stop to look.

My sidekicks are in school and we are adjusting to their new schedules, which now also include Softball and T-ball. So it goes without saying that our evenings are a little busy.

I am back now. My coupons are finally caught up, my fingers are ready to type and I am excited to share my bargains with you all.

I was able to make a Randall’s run during my lunch break today and I will post all the details this evening, including a pic!

I hope that you are all ready to hit the ground running because I have some great deals for you to get in on.

Brugo Mug Giveaway

If you are a coffee or tea drinker go check out Tifani's Mom. She is giving away a really cool Brugo Mug! These are so cool!

Fun Soda Stream Giveaway

Check out Frugality in the Making's Blog. She has a fun giveaway for a Soda Stream machine. This is such a cool kitchen tool. I know my kids would have a blast making their own drinks. The giveaway ends tonight so hurry over and check it out.

Kroger Summer of Savings

Don’t forget to play Kroger’s Summer of Savings game. You can play once a day until you win. It appears that you can win once each month during the promo.

Make sure that you have your Kroger Plus card in hand so you can link the number to their system. The prizes are loaded directly to your card and come off automatically when you scan your card at check out.

I can’t play again till July, but I won a FREE Bob Evans Side dish.

Good luck. If you win something post a comment so we can all see how everyone is doing.

I love checking the mail!

I know that I have said it before but couponing sure makes it more fun to check the mail. Yesterday I got my FREE Suave coupon. I had to run to the store for a quick after dinner snack and was able to get my FREE full Size bottle.

I am working on a new system of writing to manufacturers more regularly in order to see what coupons I can get. I will let you all know how it is going. I will also post links to the comment sites for the manufacturers that I write to.

If you are interested in getting started couponing, join Facebook! So many of the companies have created fan pages, some retailers also have pages. They use these pages as free marketing and they often have great freebie coupons available. That is how I got the FREE Suave coupon.

Busy Month!!!

Man June was busy for me. I have been shopping I just haven't had time to post.

There is one glaring change… what do you think of the new look?

Do you love it as much as I do?

Thank you so much to Jessica at the Frilly Coconut Design Shoppe. She did a fantastic job on the design. She was very professional and worked really hard to make sure that I felt my design was perfect. You can also check out her Facebook page HERE.

If you are looking for a blog designer, I definitely recommend Jessica.

I look forward to catching up on my posts during the next few weeks. Princess Random and Captain Obvious will be staying with their dad for a while so I will have too much time to myself. So keep on the look out for more shopping adventures and maybe even a few installments of The Adventures Of The Super Coupon Mom!

I NEED TO SHOP!!!

I miss shopping! There are so many great deals out right now and I am too busy to take advantage of them. Now that school is out, hopefully I will have more time. I can't wait to get busy shopping this weekend.

Cheap Listerine Agent Cool Blue or Smart Rinse CVS

If your kids are like Captain Obvious and Princess Random, brushing their teeth can be a challenge I love this kids Listerine. It makes brushing fun for them which makes it painless for me.

This week all 3 types of Kids Listerine is on sale for $3.99 at CVS, if you buy one you get a $2 ECB. There is also a $1/1 Mfg. C/O that came the 6/14/09 Smart Source (exp. 5/31/10). After coupons and ECB it is $.99 per bottle. Seeing as how there are 3 bottles on the kids bathroom shelf at all times, I like to stock up on these. The limit on these is 2 per card. I have two cards, mine and my moms. SO I was able to get 4.

Picture tomorrow!

Dollar General Pedigree Dentistix FREE

If you have a Dollar General near you here is a great deal to look for. In the April All You Magazine there was a $2.1 Mfg. C/O (pg. 2). There is also a $2.1 Mfg. C/O in the 4/25 Red Plum. The 4 pack of Dentistix is $2. So you only have to pay tax.

I hope that you are able to find some.

Nivea Body Wash Money Maker at CVS

If you have any Nivea coupons it is time to head to CVS to stock up. This Sunday there was a $4/1 Nivea for Women Body Wash Mfg. Co. in the Red Plum Insert. There is also a BOGO Nivea Body Wash Mfg. Co. in the May All You Magazine. Some CVS stores will allow you to use both if you are buying two bottles. Remember that when you go to CVS you should always scan your CVS card at the Coupon Center. Scan it several times, until it says no more coupons. I have been getting a $2/2 Bar Soap or Body Wash CVS Coupon each time I scan, if you get this it can be combined in the offer. The body wash is on sale for $4.88 this week and there is a promo for $5 ECB if you spend $15 on Nivea. Reports are that the limit to this deal is 5.

Here is the scenario I am doing.

6- Nivea Body Wash @ $4.88 = $29.28

3- $4/1 Co - $12

3- BOGO Co -$14.64

1-CVS $2/2 Body Wash Co -$2

Total $.64

So after the $5 ECB this deal is a $4.36 Money Maker.

WOW Now that was LUCKY!

I didn't have time yesterday to stop and grab my newspapers. On a whim this morning I stopped at my Kroger to see if they had any papers left. Not one! Bummer! But, I decided that I still had time to go to Walmart and see if they had any. Grabbed the first parking spot in the row, and got out to go into the store. I noticed a little older gentleman loading the papers in his car. I stopped and asked him if I could buy some he sold me them for $1. I was stoked, got my ten papers and was about to leave when I saw that he had a stack of Sunday ads as well. I asked him if I could buy them and he just gave them to me. Woo Hoo! He told me I can stop by every monday and he will sell them to me.

Beneful Incredibites Dog Food Deal!

If you have any of the $3/1 Beneful Incredibites Dog Food Coupons you

might want to head to Petsmart. I first saw this deal last week and I

didn't have any coupons for it, so I ordered my Coupons and waited patiently.

They finally came yesterday and I loaded up the kids and off we went.

Here is how this deal works…

Buy 1 Trial Size Incredibites per $3 coupon. Each bag is $.99 the

coupons will ring for the full amount creating a $2.01 overage per

bag. I got 20 bags so I had $40.20 overage, So I got two large bags

of Beneful $9.99 each, two medium bags of Beneful $5.99 each, One

large box of Milkbone treats$4.99 , and one bag of Jerky Treats $3.99

(I had coupons for both of these but I don’t remember the

denominations). I was still in the negative after using only 19 of my

coupons so I grabbed two packs of Pup R Mints ($1.99 each) at the

register. My original total with tax was $66.67. Total OOP= $1.32.

Woo Hoo! Thank you Purina. I am sure my dogs will love their free

food!

Be On The Look Out

Kroger has a great high dollar value pharmacy coupon book out right now. It is located on the pharmacy counter.

This is what you are looking for.

Here is a list of the coupons in the book. All of the coupons expire on 12/31/10. Lots of time to find great deals.

Mfg Coupons...

$2/1 Afrin Pure Sea 4oz. or larger

$2/1 Claritin 10 ct./or 4oz. syrup or larger

$2/1 Miralax (except 7 dose)

$1/1 Coricidin HBP 16 ct or larger or liquid

$2/1 Centrum Cardio 60 ct or larger

$2/1 Centrum Kids 80 ct or larger

$2/1 Caltrate 60 ct or larger

$2/1 Centrum Ultra 100 ct or larger

$2/1 any Advil 120 ct or larger

$2/1 ThermaCare 2 ct or larger

$2/1Advil PM 32 ct or larger

$2.50/1 Natures Bounty Vitamin or Supplement

$1/1 Colgate Total Toothpaste

$1/1 Colgate 360 Toothbrush

$3/1 QuickClot Nose Bleed

$.35/1 Softsoap Liquid Handsoap

$1.50/1 Abreva Tube or Pump

$1.25/1 Breathe Right Nasal Strips

$2.50/1 Tums Dual Action

$1/1 Atkins Shake 4 Pack, Bar 5 Pack, or 2 Advantage Bars

$3/1 Acne Free Skin System, Face Lift, or Wrinkle Free Eyes

$3/1 Soothe XP or Preserve

$.50/1 Mentholatum Ointment

$1/1 Rohto Eye Drops

$2/1 Dulcolax Balance 8.3 oz. or larger

$2/1 Zantac 24 ct or larger

$3/1 Rayovac Hearing Aid Batter 8 pack or larger

FREE Accu-Check Monitor w/ purch of test strips

$1/1 Promise Spread

$1/1 Pure Via

$1/1 bag Tyson Boneless Chicken Breasts or Tenderloins

$1/2 Mrs. Dash Blends or Marinades

Store Coupons...

$1/1 Kroger Adult Protective Wear

$.50/1 Kroger Plastic App Tampons

$1/1 Kroger Omeprazole 14-42 ct

$1/1 Kroger GentleLax 8.3-17.9 oz.

$1/1 Kroger Comforts or Touch of Nature Diapers Size 3-6, 56-96 ct.

$1/1 Kroger Comforts Infant Formula 23.2-25.7 oz. (includes organic)

$1/1 Kroger Comforts Training Pants 19-44 ct. (includes Nite Pants)

$1/1 Kroger Private Selection Alstromeria Bouquet

$1/1 Kroger Fortify Nutritional Drink

$.50/4 6-7 oz. CARBMaster Yogurts

Back in the routine

Since I decided to move my family across town I had to take a break

from my shopping for a few weeks. I was so frustrated with this but I

still read the blogs and read with some regret about all of the great deals

that I was missing. One night I read about the $3/1 Snuggle Coupon.

I was so angry that I had not gotten my papers that week, I knew that I

was down to 2 bottles of fabric softener and on my last box of dryer

sheets.

I searched all the clipping services and they were all sold out,

bummer. Ebay, however had plenty and I ordered 20 coupons. As with

every transaction I have had I Ebay my envelope arrived quickly,

unfortunately it was also the day that I had to drive across town to

sign the papers on the house and get the keys. Grabbed my envelope

from the mail and took off to go handle the move. So now we are all

settled in and I am ready to shop.

I cleaned out my coupon bag, and binders, and folder, and NO Snuggle

coupons. I was so mad at myself. So for two weeks now I have scoured

the new house in search of my coupons. To make the matter more urgent

Kroger is running their Digital Choice promotion and Snuggle Liquid

and sheets are both on the list of Promo items.

Yesterday as I was driving home, I thought about one more place to

look, and lo and behold there are my snuggle coupons, well all but 2

of them. So I load the kids in the car and it is off to Kroger we go.

By the way, I love my new Kroger! They are very coupon friendly, they

even have a coupon swap basket at Customer Service. My kids love to

bring my un-needed coupons to drop off. I was so happy to see the

shelves still full. So we did six transactions that were all

identical.

3- Assorted Snuggle - $3.50 ea – 3 $3/1 Mfg Co

6- Caeser Bistro – $1.09 ea - 2 B2G1F Mfg Co (Peelies and SS)

1- Yakisoba Noodles – 10/$10 - Filler to make 10 Promo Items

3- Sani-Hands 15 ct Wipes - $1- $1/1 Mfg Co.

Each transaction was just under $6, I know I could have done a lot

better but, I am so stoked that I got 18 Various Snuggle for $.50

each.

Don't forget about the Kroger Digital Choice Promotion. If you buy 10 Promotional items you get a catalina coupon with a code on it. That code is good for 15 FREE Song Downloads, 15 FREE Ringtones, or 1 FREE Movie ticket. There are lots of coupons out there to match up with the promo items. I have gotten 9 Codes, so for me I have 4 FREE movie tickets and 75 FREE Songs to add to my iPhone!

I am so glad to be back in the shopping routine.

I have missed you all!

I am back! Pardon the interruption, but I have been a little overwhelmed. But, I am back now and ready to go.

I have moved, I am no longer in Katy, I have moved back to Spring. This is where I grew up, I have been in this general area since I was six, and I am very happy to be back.

So I will be posting deals again starting tonight. But, bear with me I have to get back up to speed.

One great deal for all of you Mom's out there.

If you have a Food Town near by they have their 4.5 oz Lunchables on sale this week for $.99. There was a $1 Mfg C/O a few Sundays ago and it is giving overage. I was able to ask them for the actual boxes and I have stocked up on Lunchables to finish out the school year. The sale includes the cracker version as well as the new sandwich version. My kids love them all, so I use them as a starting point for lunch. I don't think there is enough there to get them through the day so I add some fruit and a snack of some sort.

I also have a stack of Snuggle coupons I am looking for the best deal on. As soon as I locate one I will share it.

I look forward to hearing from you all.

Don't forget to look for the new blog design coming soon from The Frilly Coconut. If you are interested in a blog make over go check out Jessica's work. She is AWESOME!

Kroger March Madness Game

We all know Kroger has great deals for us. But, here is a new instant win game. All you need to do is register your Kroger card and sign up. If you win the prize will be put on your Kroger card and available for your next shopping trip. Good luck, and remember that you can play daily from now till April6. I didn't win anything today, but yesterday I won a 20 oz. Coke Zero.

Blog Her

Are any of you readers going to the BlogHer convention this year? I am so excited about it, I have really fallen in love with blogging and the network of AWESOME women that it has introduced me to. The Blog Her network is a devoted network of women bloggers, it gives us all a platform to use our voices. You can find women who blog about everything, from family to politics, to food, to stress and everything in between. If you are not a member I would definitely look into it.

I have applied to be a volunteer at the conference, i can't wait to see if I get a spot. I am such a people person, I love to meet new people and I think that working at the registration desk would be an amazing way to meet people.

I look forward to meeting you all there. Find out more about it here.

Plus, it is in NYC this year. By far my FAVORITE city I have ever traveled to. I cannot wait!

P&G A Year Of savings

Proctor and Gamble has a new coupon offer. If you purchase $50 or more of P&G products between 2/1/2010 ans 4/15/2010. (Before Tax and Coupons).

Circle the P&G products on your ORIGINAL receipts(s) and mail the form (not up yet) to:

P&G Year of Savings
Dept. M, P.O. Box 460643
El Paso, TX 88546-0643

Your Coupon Booklet will arrive in 6-8 Weeks.

If you need more details look in the P&G insert in your Sunday paper 0n 2/21.

I bet these will be great coupons, if I find any deals to make it better I will post them.

BTW, if you haven't done the Olay Rebate, then make sure you get a duplicate receipt.

FREE PEN

I wanted to share this link with you all. It is for a free Uni-Ball Super Ink pen. This pen has a special ink that prevents check washing. I can't wait to see how well it works.

Click Here to get your own pen.

WOW!!!!

So remember that I posted about a contest at the Frilly Coconut. I won, I am so excited. I can't wait to see what amazing creation Jessica comes up with for the blog. Stay tuned it will be fantastic. In the mean time check out her site. If you are interested contact her about your own blog design.

Blog Design Giveaway

So it is on my list of goals for 2010 to redesign my blog. I want it to be much more user friendly. I found this contest today by one of the blog designers I like.

She is giving away three blog designs. Check out her great work here.

Good luck to all of you.

January Spending!

In 2010 I challenged myself to keep a detailed expense record. I am notoriously disorganized with my finances and can become very distracted by the simple thought of balancing the checkbook. I have really used this blog to challenge myself in many ways, so when I decided to keep track of my spending it seemed like a great idea to make my challenge public.

We all have those monumental ideas, but without accountability we tend to let even the best of intentions fade away. Well, I do anyway.

So last month when I shared this post with you all I made myself accountable to each of you. I am still working on having a gadget created that will track my spending more regularly, but for now I will post monthly updates.

January 2010 Spending

103 Transactions (YIKES)

Beginning Amount: $1527.34

Manufactures Coupons: $400.34

Store Savings: $728.44

Total Oop: $408.62

ECB/RR/GC: $113.50

Rebates: $60

Total Savings: $1373.80

I hope that next month will be a better month with a lower Out of Pocket number. This month had 2 shopping trips to Wal-mart that were unplanned and one of those included repairing the flat tire I got in their parking lot.

February starts out with a great stock pile. The Kroger Mega-sale has been really building up some of the essential things as well as the filler pieces for lots of recipes. I also want to start tracking how much my family spends on food outside of home, I feel like we do a terrible job using all of the great deals that I gather. I know there are leftovers most nights and we just don't take them with us the next day. I also know that I am the biggest culprit of eating out in my family. Some things I am doing to make a difference in this part of our budget is bringing more things to work with me. I brought a 12 pack of Diet Coke from the stock pile yesterday, and I need to bring breakfast and lunch from home. I usually keep a few snacks in my desk drawer but I have let that slide lately too. I know that I can cut down on so much wasted money if I just apply myself.

So look for my next update to see if I am able to cut back on my excess spending.

Home Depot Deals

If you are in the process of remodeling, or just touching things up around the house you can definitely use a discount on your materials. Sign up with Home Depot for their email news letter. It has deals, specials and ideas. It is real simple to sign up just go HERE and submit.

Checking the Mail

One thing that I have learned from coupon shopping is that it is possible to enjoy checking the mail. Remember that feeling as a kid? Hoping day after day to see your name on something in the mail box. Day after day was a disappointment, until a holiday or your birthday when some distant relative would send you a card.

As an adult we know that 99% of the time the mail box is only going to hold junk mail or bills. neither is much fun. But, since I started this journey, I have learned that checking the mail can be fun again.

I love the anticipation of knowing that the mailbox might hold coupons from a trade, or freebies from a manufacturer, maybe even a rebate check or reward gift card.

Yesterday's mail was fantastic! I have been waiting on a reward for signing up for a club's trial membership. It was supposed to be $25 gift card to Target and a $25 gift card to Starbucks. This has been a tough on e to collect on and I had just about given up hope when all of the sudden I received them in the mail. The Target card was there but not the Starbucks, instead it was a $25 Wal-mart Card. No complaints from me there. I also received a pro rated refund from Apple for a mistake they made on my protection plan for my iPhone. All told I made $103.53 just for checking the mail.

Not bad huh?

We Now return to the Adventures of the Super Coupon Mom

When we last saw the our friend Emily she was just getting into her holiday shopping. As we all know that experience can drain even the greatest super heroes.

The holidays have passed and the Emily and her beautiful children are back to their regular schedules. Today we join them for a quick trip to Kroger for Hamburger buns. Watch out, here we come to save some money.

Emily quickly dashes to the closet and dusts off her Super Coupon Mom uniform, insert comedic closet avalanche here. Our heroin decides that she needs to get Captain Obvious and Princess Random back into super sidekick mode so she calls them down to help. You see, it may be a quick trip for hamburger buns, but the Super coupon Mom also knows that it is the first day of a Kroger Mega Sale. Woo Hoo! Grabbing her weekly ad from the daily mail pile the Super Coupon Mom quickly notes some great deals and calls out the product names to Princess Random. Princess Random finds the coupons in the trusty coupon binder, and passes them to captain obvious who stashes them in the special coupon holder on his super helper tool belt.

Armed and ready for battle the trio heads off to the nearest Kroger hoping to find the deals and save The Almighty Dollar! DUN, DUN, DUN.....

Once they arrive at Kroger The Super Coupon Mom and her faithful sidekicks grab their equipment and get to work. Princess Random is on coupon patrol, looking high and low for any new coupons through out the store. Captain Obvious gets straight to work as the shopping cart divider (he was grounded so he had to stay in the cart). He was a pro at the task of keeping the Mega Sale items separate from the non sale items. This is after all a HUGE responsibility, since the Mega Sale items need to be in sets of ten to capitalize on the best deals. This job make sit much easier for The Super Coupon Mom to keep track of her total number of Mega Sale Items.

Left and right, high and low, they scoured the store for the deals, knowing they were out there, no deal escaping their watchful eyes. They got 40 Mega Sale items this trip, for an instant $20 savings.

To the register they went, ready to see how well they did in their attempts to save The Almighty Dollar. When all of the sudden Princess Random stops in her tracks. Oh no, does she sense danger? Did we count wrong? What could possibly be wrong with our little friend?

"Hey, Super coupon Mom, isn't this the Kroger that owes you money from the catalina that didn't print?"

"Oh goodness Princess Random, it sure is. I can't believe you remembered! WOW! We better speak to a manager."

As our fearless heroes approached the near by manager, our Hero knows that it is quite possible that he won't be able to help her. Still she explains the story to him.

"Well, yes mam, I remember the call, I was standing next to the manager you spoke to when you called that day. What was the amount again?" Asked the helpful manager.

"$3, it was $1.50 for the Betty Crocker deal and I did it twice." Replied our shocked hero.

"Okay then, why don't we go right here to this open register and I will take care of you myself." responded this new friend.

Amazed at what had just happened our team headed to the register, The Super Coupon Mom would again receive a shock from this manager when he asked Captain Obvious if he wanted to help him scan. Our favorite four year old was ecstatic, he scanned and scanned to his hearts content.

When all 44 items had been scanned The Super Coupon Mom handed her new friend her coupons and waited to see her results. Coupon after coupon he scanned, as she watched the amount due shrink from $90 to $7. Our hero knew that once again she had been successful at saving The Almighty Dollar.

Join us next time when our heroes tackle the local Walgreen's! Can they conquer rude sales clerks and bare shelves and still manage to save The Almighty Dollar? Tune in next time to find out.

Kroger Lunch Trip 1-13

Update!!!! When I went back to review my receipt I realized that the Softsoap is ringing up as $.50 overage. Good deal if you have the coupons. I believe they are from the 1-3-10 paper. Good luck.

Wow! Today's lunch time trip was a great success. I learned a lesson about paying attention to what my total should be so that if it is off I know right away to look into it.

Grocery stores run their new prices every Wednesday so today was a good day to check things out.

Remember that Kroger doubles 3 like coupons up to $.50 and triples 3 like coupons up to $.35.

Here is what I got...
Transaction 1...
3- All Small and Mighty $3.19- $2/1 mfg C/O
3- Sani-Hands Purse Packs $1-$1/1 mfg C/O
3- Oikos Greek Yogurt $1-$1/1 mfg C/O
3- Softsoap $1-$.35/1 mfg C/O
3- Gatorade G2 32oz $1-$.50/1 mfg C/O
3- Birdseye Steamfresh Vegetables $1-$.35/1 mfg C/O
1- Del Monte Can Green Beans $.89-$.50/1 mfg C/O

Total Oop. $3
Total Before Savings $33.63
Savings $30.63

Transaction 2...
3- All Small and Mighty $3.19- $2/1 mfg C/O
3- Sani-Hands Purse Packs $1-$1/1 mfg C/O
3- Oikos Greek Yogurt $1-$1/1 mfg C/O
3- Softsoap $1-$.35/1 mfg C/O
1- Kroger Brand Stuffing $.89 (no coupon but, I needed it for a recipe.)

Total Oop. $3.70
Total Before Savings $23.86
Savings $20.16
Not pictured 1- Softsoap, 3- Sani-Hands, 2- Oikos (forgot to bring them up to my desk) and 6 All because they are too heavy to be toting around the office.

New Goal for 2010

I mentioned earlier that I have a lot of goals for my blog in 2010.

I will start today by letting you know what goal number 1 is.

Goal #1

Track all grocery spending/saving/earnings for all of 2010. In order to achieve this goal I have created a spreadsheet that tracks my price with out sales and coupons, my savings using manufacturer coupons, my savings from store sales and coupons, and Register Reward's/Extra Care Bucks/Catalina's earned, refunds/rebates, and finally my total Oop.

I am really excited to see how this will play out for me. I know that I am saving an amazing amount of money for my family, but I want to be able to see it in black and white.

In order to hold myself accountable to my progress I will post an update each month that shows you how I am doing.

I will also include in this any gift cards I receive from promotional giveaways and sweepstakes, and I will include rebates that I sent off for in 2009 if I receive the checks in 2010.

I hope that this may inspire some of you to take a look at your spending and see just how much you can save if you learn the tricks of the trade. If you are interested please contact me soon about setting up a coupon class. You can find more information on hosting coupon classes HERE.

Another Kroger Run

I love working in different are of Houston than where I live. It may seem inconvenient to some, but I love having two sets of easily accessible stores to shop at.

Today after CVS I went to Kroger to get some more All Detergent.

This store didn't have it marked $3.19 so I took one bottle up to customer service. He checked it and it was on sale, so I went back and got 5 more. Since I brought it back to him he allowed me to do one transaction versus two and accepted all six coupons.

So I got 6 bottles of All Small and Mighty for $1.19 each.

Total Oop - $7.12.

That is 12 bottles down, I hope I can find 18 more before the sale ends.

CVS Lunch Run

I was so busy yesterday with Princess Random's 8th birthday that I didn't get to go get any newspapers. So I had to scramble to find a store that still had some.

There is a CVS near my office that isn't shopped by many coupon shoppers. I love it because I can often locate great sale prices on clearance merchandise, go home that night to get my coupons matched up and still find the deals the next day.

So that store was the first store I found that had any Sunday papers left, so I headed there for my lunch break. I was happy to see a sign on the door announcing 90% off Christmas Merchandise. Woo Hoo!

I of course headed straight there, and cleaned up on Christmas merchandise.

I had $10 ECB to spend so I filled my cart with Christmas goodies. Some of the stuff was as low as $.07.

Here is what I got...

Transaction 1..

3- Sunday Houston Chronicle $5.25

Used $5 ECB

Total Oop $.025

Transaction 2...

1- Pack Snowman Peeps $1.50 clearance $.15

1- Crayola Sugar Cookie decorating set $1.99 clearance $.19

3- Asst Gift bags $1.99 clearance $.19

8- Curling Ribbon $.69 clearance $.07

5- Rolls self adhesive gift tags $1.99 clearance $.19

6- 24 Ct Christmas Stickers $1.99 clearance $.19

7- 3 Pack Large Shirt Boxes $2.99 clearance $.29

1- Transformer Ornament $7.99 clearance $.79

2- 10 Pc Writing set $.99 clearance $.09

1- Jonas brothers hair set $5.99 clearance $.59

1- Tinkerbell Ornament $5.99 clearance $.59

1- 2009 Ornament $3.99 clearance $.39

After using my other $5 ECB my total Oop was $3.32

I can't wait to see these items this December when I pull out the Christmas boxes.

I think this was my 4th Christmas clearance shopping trip, between the various stores, we are going to have some great new Christmas stuff this year.

Kroger Deal Saturday 1-9-10

If you have any of the $2.00/1 All Laundry Detergent Kroger is the place to use it.

I found the Blue bottle of All Small and Mighty on Markdown for $3.19. With the coupon it makes it only $1.19. It is the 26 load size so it makes it less than $.05 per load. My maximum price point for detergent is $.08 per load so I am going to stock up on this deal.

Tonight I was able to get 7 bottles for $right at $9 after tax.

I will definitely be going back for more. This is also a deal that I would check the trading sites for larger quantities of coupons. I have 30 so I hope that I can find enough bottles.

Another great Walgreens run

This run was a lot of fun.

I went to see if I could find more of the Register reward Deals.

This is what I got.

Transaction 1...

1- Electrasol- $3.49- $2.50 mfg C/O

3- Walgreens Bleach-$1.99- $1 Wags C/o

6- Folders $.19- with in ad C/O

1- Bag Gummy Cola- $1.49 ( I had a craving)

3- Hunt's Tomato Sauce - $.39 with in ad C/O

4- Reynold's Foil- $.89 with in ad C/O

Total Oop $ 0000. Paid with RR from yesterday.

Total Before C/O $16.82

Savings $16.82

RR Earned $1

Transaction 2...

1- Electrasol- $3.49- $2.50 mfg C/O

Total Oop $1.07

Total Before C/O $3.77

Savings $2.50

RR Earned $1

Savings $

Walgreens Meter' Electrasol, Neosporin, Reach.

Wow! Walgreen's is full of great deals this week, I have had so much fun getting back into shopping mode.

Today I had to go back to the store I went to Tuesday, my RR for the Bayer Meter didn't print and the manager was going to fix it for me.

So I was able to get several RR deals as well as free Reach Dental Floss.

Here is how I did it...

Transaction one...

1- Contour Meter $14.99- $14.99 mfg C/O

2- Neosporin Lip $4.00- $3.oo mfg C/O

1- Electrasol $3.50- $2.50 mfg C/O

Total Oop = $3.07

Total Savings =$23.49

RR Earned $5(meter), $3(Neosporin), $1(Electrasol)

Refunds $14.99(meter)

$24 Money Maker

Transaction Two...

2- Neosporin Lip $4.00- $3.oo mfg C/O

1- Electrasol $3.50- $2.50 mfg C/O

Total Oop = $3.07

Total Savings =$8.50

RR Earned $3(Neosporin), $1(Electrasol)

$.97 Money Maker

Transaction Three...

2- Neosporin Lip $4.00- $3.oo mfg C/O

4- Reach Advance Dental Floss $3.99 -2- BOGO Mfg C/O- 4-$2/1 Wags C/O

Total Oop=$1.98

Total Savings=$22.00

RR Earned $3(Neosporin)

$1.02 Money Maker

All this and I am getting paid $25.99 for taking it out of the store. Works for me.

A super quick CVS run

This afternoon I had to run an errand before I went home, so I made a quick detour to CVS. I wanted to get the Oust spray that is on special this week, but they were out.

But, the trip wasn't wasted.

CVS publishes a magazine called Reinventing Beauty. It is always full of coupons. The newest issue was just released with $25 in coupons for only $.99. I was able to get 4 of them.

I also got 3 Dawn Hand Renewal they are usually $1.99 but I had a rain check making them $1. I had 3 mfg C/O fro $1/1 from a Proctor & Gamble mailer.

I was also able to find 4 more of the Nivea Lip Balm. This store had them on sale for $2.99, and I had the BOGO Coupon from this Sunday's paper.

So after all the coupons and one of yesterday's $5 ECB my total was $5.50.

I'm BAAAACK!

I am so glad to be back. Pardon the temporary disappearance. I decided to take a few weeks break and really enjoy my family during the holiday season. We had a great Christmas and New Year's and I pray you all did too. I am still having major issues dealing with it being the year 2010.

I didn't even read any of my favorite websites. So here we are it is the beginning of a brand new year, and I am ready to SHOP! Today at lunch I went to CVS and Walgreens to get a few great deals. I did two transactions at CVS and one at Walgreens. I can't wait to go back tomorrow and do some more.

Here is what I got at Walgreen's...

1- Bayer Contour Meter $14.99 - $14.99 MIR- $14.99 mgf C/O

1- Electrasol Dishwashing tabs 20 ct. $3.49 - $2.50 mfg C/O - $1 RR

Total Oop - $1.07

RR- $1

MIR- $14.99

Total - $14.92 Overage

CVS Transaction 1...

2- Christmas Hershey Kisses $3.99- Clearance $.89

4- Christmas Peel and stick gift tags $1.99- Clearance $.49

24- 12 ct. Tylenol Cold and Sinus $.99 - Clearance $.09

24- 12 ct. Tylenol PM $.99 - Clearance $.09

4- Nivea Lip Balm -$3.19 -2 BOGO mfg C/O- $5 ECB WYB $10

Total Oop- $13.62

ECB $5

Total- $8.62

CVS Transaction 2...

4- Nivea Lip Balm -$3.19 -2 BOGO mfg C/O- $5 ECB WYB $10

Total Oop- $6.56

ECB-$5

Total-$1.56

All in all it was a great welcome back to the coupon shopping world.