Well, I have not been using coupons for a few years now, due to life and the completion of my education taking a front seat.  However, I have now started to finally run out of some of the essential stock pile that I had accumulated and decided it was time to start rebuilding.  This time around, I thought it might be a bit wiser to limit my purchases as I really don't need 10 of any one item, so I am only going to purchase 2 like inserts to begin with.  Since it is just myself and my teenage daughter in a small house, we don't really need to be filling our rafters.  That may change over time if I feel I am missing out on some of the good deals.  Obviously there are more people that have been exposed to the extreme form of shopping via the TLC show depicting extreme couponers, so I hope that the local stores are not being depleted of all products.  Anyway, I received my first batch of coupons today and had to put together a quick run to CVS.  I even had to refresh myself on some of the basics of BOGO plus $ off coupons, also known as piggy-backing.  I plan to venture out to Wags sometime this week as well, but am a bit put off by their changes.  The last time I shopped there with coupons they had their monthly rebate program and register rewards.  Now they are switching to a point based system, so I am not sure if it will be profitable to do any large deals there.  Due to my recent surgery and altered eating options, grocery deals may be somewhat limited as well.  There are nutritious options to be had, so instead of having the 25+ boxes of cereal I once did, I may have to opt for a stockpile of soup.

Here is what I purchased this evening:
2 Robitussin cold medicines
1 Schick razor
2 Zantac (much needed for my post op lifestyle)
2 Softsoap body washes (I was going to try my hand at some home made body soap via Pinterest, but I may wait on that adventure!)
2 Crest mouthwashes
2 Febreeze car deodorizers
2 Covergirl Outlast lipsticks
4 bottles of Pantene (2 each shampoo and conditioner)
2 Kit-Kats for daughter who was craving chocolate.

Total of items was $95.30 + $6.67 tax = $101.97
I used $40.00 in coupons.
I used $22.08 in ECB.
$39.89 was final total.  I had a $10 credit from Google Wallet that I needed to use before 10/06/12.  GW is a phone app that allows user to "tap" their phone on the card reader to process transaction via network.  I've not had much luck with it, but was determined to persist until it worked.  I did not want to lose that free money!  Finally after about 5 minutes of hitting my phone on the scanner, it went through.  My total OOP was $29.89.

My purchases earned me $25 in ECB, so net cost was $4.89.  Obviously, this total is a bit off, as I already had $22 in ECB from a transaction last week.  I no longer have that receipt,otherwise I could figure in the real cost.  Regardless, I'm still thrilled.

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

Okay, I have dropped the ball on this! I was contacted by Country Bob's and was sent two bottles of their wonderful sauce to review on my blog. Country Bob's is already such a staple in my household, the bottles were quickly used up and I failed to do my part! Yikes!

One of our favorite ways to consume this deliciously sweet, yet spicy sauce is on meatballs. Quick and easy is my motto! I usually have frozen meatballs in my freezer, so all I need to do is cover liberally with the sauce and microwave. These are so much better than the crockpot variety and oh so quick.
However, much to my surprise, I found an even better recipe listed on their website!
Country Bob's Meatballs

This is becoming a favorite in our house served with spaghetti! The recipes on their website certainly has opened my eyes to other wonderful ways to use this sauce. My daughter refuses to eat anything without the All-Purpose Sauce. Fries, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pork chops... well you get the idea! It enhances the flavor of everything.

Fortunately I am able to buy this product locally but for all others not as lucky, you can order from their website. You can also check here to find out if it is sold near your home!
Country Bob's has several other products: BBQ Sauce, Seasoning Salt, and Spice All Purpose Sauce. I haven't tried any of the other products but can only imagine that they are full of goodness!

The company history is a inspiration to all of us who dream big but never get around to doing so. The product grew from word of mouth in the late 60's and has now grown to the company it is today, all while retaining the praise for their success to the Lord. Integrity is what it is about and I like that regardless of my love for the sauce.

Schnucks trip 5/21/09 saved 75%

I went for toilet paper, which was on sale for $2 a double roll 4-pk. I bought what you see. Total before coupons $14.21. Total after coupons $3.56.

Mayo was free. (1-1 coupon)
Bugles were free. (2.90 - free coupon)
Chex Mix was $0.29 (1.29 - 1 coupon)
Sour Cream was $0.24 (.99 - .75 cat)
Milk was $0.25 ( 2.75 - 2.50 cat)
Toilet paper 1.25 (2-.75 cat)

78% savings on my Schnucks Trip 5/17/09

I went on Friday but didn't post the deals knowing I would go back with more coupons.

Today I bought $61.48 worth of groceries (after sale prices) and paid $18.38 and got back $4.75 to use on my next trip. Grand total $13.63 for 29 items.

Kashi Pizzas (normally 6.49) were on sale for $5.00. I had $3.00 coupons so paid $2 each. They actually are pretty good too.

Kashi frozen entrees, normally $4.00+ on sale for $3, I used $2 coupon for total of $1.00 each. I had bought the pesto flavor before and didn't realize there was no meat in it. It wasn't great however it was free - free almost always tastes good enough to eat. I was sure to buy the ones with chicken this time.

Kraft BBQ sauce - on sale for $1.00. There are $1.00 coupons on line that you can print at least 2 times from different sites. When you buy 4 or more, you earn catalina back. Final price for 5 bottles was $FREE plus I got back $2.50 - in other words, they paid me!!

Kraft Mayo and Miracle Whip on sale for $1.00. Again there are multiple coupons online for $1.00. All free. We like tuna salad and I have tons of cheap and free tuna stockpiled.

Post Trail Mix Crunch on sale for $2.50. Online coupon for $2.00 off. Paid $0.50 each, but then got back $0.75 catalina to use on next purchase. Doing the math, they paid me $0.75 to take their cereal home. We like cereal!! Maybe we have to like cereal because I get so much of it free or really cheap.

Fruit Chillers were on sale for $2 - used $1 coupon. Cost $1.00
Hormel Chili on sale for $1 - used $0.55 off 2. Cost $0.73 can.
Pillsbury Cookie dough on sale for $2.49 - used $1.00 off. Cost 1.49 each.

Cashier made a mistake in my favor with an extra $2.00 off somewhere. I had 29 products and 27 coupons. I'm sure it gets confusing for them. Usually, they mess up in their favor.

Schnucks saved 67% on bill!

Schnucks 4/25/09

I took a picture but realized it didn't take until after some of the things were put away. I'm not dragging them back out so a modified picture will have to do.

I had several coupons for free items. My grand total before coupons was $82.85 but I only had to pay $27.59!! I think that is my best yet for groceries.

Free items:
Ritz Reduced Fat Crackers
Mentos gum
Planters Cashews
Ceasar dog food
Kraft Cheese
Deli Creations Flatbread Sandwich
Kashi Pesto Primavera Frozen Dinner
Advil Tablets 50 count

Other good deals:
Barilla pasta .50 box
Powerade Zero .66 for 32 oz bottle
Bagelfuls 1.25 box of 4
Ziplock freezer bags .37 each 10 ct.
Crystal Light 1.11 box of 8
Fresh Express Salad 1.00 each 32 oz.
Starkist Tuna pouch .38 each

Schnucks again

Went again this morning to repeat the Kraft/Velveeta deal. Ended up picking up some additional items as I was scanning for coupons in the aisles.
The best deal other than mac and cheese is the Fresh Express Salad kits. They are on sale until tomorrow 4/19 B1G1 free @ 3.99. There are $1.00 peelie coupons on salad toppings that are good for any bagged salad. So I bought 2 golden raisins @ 1.00 each, got 2 $1.00 coupons and paid $4 for 2 salad kits. After all said and done, 2 raisins and 2 kits cost $4.00.
$38.48 Total before coupons
-$8.25 in coupons
=$31.03 OOP
Earned $4 catalina for Kraft.
Net cost $27.03 - saved 30% not counting the free salad!