Target trip 070411 56.6% savings

I needed some Tom's deodorant and couldn't wait for a sale, so I used coupons to make this trip more enjoyable.

Dove Men's Face and Body Wash - $4.29
Used BOGO Free coupon

Dove Men's Deodorant - $3.99
Used $2/1 coupon

Tom's of Maine Deodorant - $4.24
Bought 2
Used 2 $1 coupons

Tom's of Maine Toothpaste - $4.19
Used $1 coupon

Shelf price: $25.24
Coupons: $9.29
Used Target $5 gift card from Saturday's deals
Total OOP before tax - $10.95
Total savings 56.6% - not bad for not shopping a sale!

JC Penny 070411 87% savings!!

Transaction 1:
Lunch tote - originally $20; on clearance $8
Green sweater - originally $36; on clearance $7
Tan sweater - originally $36; on clearance $5
Red sweater - originally $42; on clearance $5
Total original price - $134; total clearance $25
Used $10 coupon
Total out of pocket - $15 (88.8% savings off original price)

Transaction 2:
Black long sleeved t-shirt - originally $20; on clearance $4
Red long sleeved t-shirt - originally $20; on clearance $4
Pink sweater (not shown) - originally $30; on clearance $9
Black sweater (not shown) - originally $30; on clearance $9
Total original price - $100; total clearance $26
Used $10 coupon
Total out of pocket - $16 (84% savings off original price)

Total value - $234 Total OOP $31 (87% savings total)

Target trip 7/2/11

$20.04 shelf price
$7.00 coupons/savings
$13.04 OOP + $5 gift card = $8.04 final cost (60% savings)

Crackerfuls $2.40
-$1.50 MFR coupon
-$1.00 Target coupon

Crackerfuls $2.40
-$1.50 MFR coupon

Dulcolax $5.24
-$1.00 MFR coupon
-$2.00 Target coupon

Sobe Life Water 10/$10.00
(Buy 10, get a $5 Target gift card free)

Giddy over my latest deal at Rite Aid

My brother has been asking me for razor deals for weeks. I had grabbed a free set of razors at Wal-Mart last week, but they were the cheap disposable ones and only lasted two shaves for him.

This week, I was ecstatic to see the Schick Hydro on sale at Rite Aid and a few other stores. I sat down and tried to pick the best combination - do I go to CVS and buy one with the $4 coupon I had in the newspaper (last week or week before???) and then use the $4 ECB on the next transaction with the $3 coupon from Facebook? Do I go to Rite Aid where it's BOGO free and I can buy both in one transaction? Do I check out the price at Publix or Kroger next time I'm there?

Because I was picking up my brother at the Y, I settled on Rite Aid because it was on our way to Wal-Mart. They had the Schick Hydro 3 for $8.99 and BOGO free. Next to it was the Schick Hydro 5 for $9.99, also BOGO free. We debated it, and my brother preferred the 5 blade razor. So we took our selections to the counter, used our Rite Aid card, the $4 coupon from the paper and the $3 coupon from the Facebook page. We walked out of there for just over $3 for 2 razors!!!! 84% savings. Now, if we had selected the 3 blade version, we could have walked out of there for just over $1.

Great idea for Father's Day gifts or just a new razor for you.

Not bad for an amateur

My mom needed to buy a few things from Wal-Mart, so I quickly threw together a shopping list for Publix which is on the way home.

Here is what I bought:
Precise Cream (from the makers of Tylenol) - usually $7.99. On sale $4.99. Used $5 coupon. $0.01 money maker
Bayer Advanced 500 mg 20 ct - $2.99. Used Publix $2 off coupon and manufacturer's coupon $1.50 off - $0.50 money maker
Suave Shampoo and Conditioner - $2.19/each - used $0.50 off when you buy two, Publix doubled, total paid - $1.69 each
Suave Body Wash - $1.49/each. Used Buy One Get One Free coupon - $0.75/each
Yoplait Yogurt - on sale 20/$10. Bought 6 and used $0.40/6 (doubled = $0.80 off) - total paid $0.37 each
Fresh Express - $3.99 Buy One Get One Free - used $1.00 off - total paid $1.49/each
Listerine Total care - on sale $3.99. Used Publix $1.00 off and manufacturer's coupon $1.00 off. Total paid $1.99.

After taxes, paid $12.55 Total Savings $25.20. 66.8% savings (I think the cashier messed up one of the coupons because my math is off by $0.99....)

Oh well. Not bad for a last minute thrown together deal! I wouldn't have bought the shampoo but I'm completely out.

My mom did almost as good on her purchases with my help (and the BOGO deals for cereal at Publix). She paid $25 and saved $27.80 (52.6% savings). Not too shabby. :) She also stocked up on the Cinnamon Swirl bread by Pepperidge Farms and the Thomas english muffins (both BOGO and both have active coupons....$0.35/bread and $0.50 for the muffins...both doubled at Publix). She also had some Mrs. Dash in there that weren't a great price, but she needed them and with 2 $0.50/each that were doubled...not horrible.

Okay, now I'm rambling. Time to get some rest!

Ad libbing

So I did the unthinkable and joined Twitter...how horrible am I? I don't even have anything to tweet. One of these days I'll think of something clever that will attract followers, but do I want followers? The pressure is already getting to me.

I have been so irritable the past few days. I don't know if it's the storms that have rolled through or picking up on other people's stress. Maybe that means I need to schedule a massage for this weekend. My job is awesome, so I know it's not work stress. There is a lot of change happening at work, so maybe it's just the static that comes with such movement? A coworker pointed out to me today that I am the ultimate therapist friend - every one comes to me with their problems, and even when they don't, I tend to be the one with insight into their issues. The problem with this is that when I see a problem, I become involved. I don't know how not to become personally involved.

Just some random thoughts today. Thanks for keeping up with me. :)

Mine is the Night book review

I love reading books, and I had the opportunity to read "Mine is the Night" and offer my review. See below for my thoughts, and feel free to check it out yourself!

This was a really great book! I rarely have all day to read a book cover to cover, but I was fortunate enough to find just the perfect Saturday for this treasure. I loved the way the story flowed; I was caught up in the story in no time! The characters seemed real, and I was so glad that the romance did not overshadow the rest of the story - it added to the plot every step of the way. I would highly recommend this book!

My "staycation"

Can I just say today was gorgeous?!?!?!

Atlanta weather was perfect. It also helped I was able to sleep in a little bit. My family had planned on going to North Carolina for my cousin's wedding. Plans fell through when Jon's elbow showed he has a screw loose. Instead, my mom kept her sub and took the day off to just hang out.

I have to go through my day in chronological order or it will drive me crazy, so bear with me.

Mom and Dad went for blood tests for their annual check ups, and they dropped Jon off at the gym on their way. I snoozed and it was wonderful! I woke up just as they were leaving and leisurely got ready for the day. I faxed my offer letter and employee agreement b/c apparently my email file was too large for their server to accept.

Every one came home, we all made our own breakfasts, and we watched some tv before heading out to Roswell. We had to pick up my mom's antique coo-coo clock after it was cleaned and new chains were put on after they were accidentally pulled out. After that, we went to Sam's Club and picked up some food. Came home, unloaded and let the dogs run. Back into the car, then the boys dropped mom and I off at Chili's for lunch (don't get me started on the lack of customer service....) and the boys went for their fish.

After lunch it was Costco, Aldi and Wal-Mart to round out our shopping trip. When we pulled into Wal-Mart, I saw the Life South mobile blood donation unit parked in the front. While every one else went shopping, I hopped into the RV and donated a pint of blood. I used to do this every 8 weeks in California, but I just haven't been able to get into a routine in Atlanta.

We all came home and unloaded groceries, started some coffee, then watched some basketball.

Dinner was next on the agenda, so off to Red Robin we went, where we had the best customer service in the world...I think it was to offset the horrible lunch experience my mom and I had. We even had them sing happy birthday to my mom (her birthday is Wednesday). We then made our way to the theater for The Adjustment Bureau. GREAT movie. I really liked it. Jon thinks it ended on a Buddhist note, but I think it was thought provoking. Would I have changed the ending? Maybe, but I won't ruin it for those who haven't seen it and plan on seeing it soon.

It was nice because the day was broken into small segments that were fun and had their own purpose. Tomorrow we plan on dropping off the coo-coo clock for further repair (we tried to hang it up today only to realize one of the chains wasn't attached to the gear at all.) Then a quick trip to Trader Joe's...my favorite! Hopefully my mom and I can drop off Jon and then get a little pre-first day on the job shopping. My mom thinks I need a new shirt or sweater or something to wear on my first day. I love my mom - she is always thinking about me!

And tomorrow is only Saturday! We haven't planned Saturday night or anything on Sunday. It's nice to not have plans.

It's just been a great day.

First post...yay!

Lately I have found myself wanting to update my status too often, or with too many characters for Facebook to handle. I decided to bring my wanderings and reviews to Facebook. That way for those that want to read my thoughts and viewpoints can keep them contained in a simple manner. Feel free to comment on my posts with your thoughts an input as well. I will be sharing random thoughts about how I save money, books I've read, etc.

So...welcome to my life - believe it or not.