2/27 Shopping Trip

I was pretty pleased with this weeks shopping. Even though there weren't a lot of awesome deals with free items, Publix had some pretty decent BOGO deals going on. I also want to say that I saved more money than I spent at Publix!! Woot woot! With Kroger I didn't save but around $10 with Coupons, but they had some good sales with stuff I am always needing.


Publix Trip
(2) Pepperidge Farm on sale B1G1 $2.89. Used two $1 off coupons total $0.89 for 2
(3) Kellogs Pop Tarts on sale 3/$5 used 1 Target $1/3 and Manu. $1/3 total $1 each
(4) Progresso Soups on sale B1G1 $2.09 Used Publix $1/4 and two $0.50/2 which doubled to $1/2 so $0.25ish a can. Almost forgot $0.50 Ibotta soo I paid about $0.50 for 4 cans!
(2) Skippy Peanut Butter B1G1 $3.79 so $1.89 each
(4) Edge Shower Gel $2.41 each used two B1G1 coupons so $1.20 each
(2) Classico Sauce B1G1 $2.85 so $1.43 each
(1) Heinz Ketchup $3.49 used $2 off Target Coupon
(1) Beechnut Fruit $0.99 used $1 off coupon so $0.01 overage
(2) Lawry's Seasoning Salt B1G1 $3.99 or $1.99 each
(1) Publix Grape Jelly $2.19
(1) Sporks for Selah $3.09
(1) Yum Yum Sauce $4.29
(1) Chips $2.59
(1) Hogie Rolls $2.69
(1) Salad $2 used $1 off Produce Coupon
Used $5/$25 Save A Lot Coupon
Total $34.78 Savings $42.38!!

My Second Publix Transaction I bought
(1) Huggies Diaper $10.99 used $2 off Coupon and will be getting back 50% savings with App so $4.50
(1) Coffee $3.99 Will be getting back $3 so $0.99



Kroger Trip
Bananas $1.35
(4) Frozen Veggies $1 each part of 10/$10
(3) Corn Dog duo part of 10/$10
(4) Shred Cheese $1.50 each part of 2/$3
(1) Large box yogurt $4
(1) Degree Deodorant $2.44 used $1 Ecoupon so $1.44
(2) Greek Yogurt $1 each used $1/2 coupon so $0.50 each
(1) Raisin Bread $1.99
(1) Hamburger Buns $1.00
(2) Loaf Bread $0.88 each
(2) Sliced Cheese $0.99 each
(1) Block Cheese $1.99
(2) Sandwich Cheese $1.99 each

Total $34.64 Saved $9.34

On the Menu for This Coming Week:
Sheppards Pie (Will make another one to Freeze)
Lasagna with Salad and maybe bread
Meatball Subs
Boston Butt which will make enough for a couple days meals and I will freeze half.

This Weeks Grocery Trip and Free Items

So I've been sick this past week and haven't really posted until recently. I went grocery shopping Monday for a few things. I had intended on going back later in the week for more, but then I got sick. This post will have the items I got free in the mail this week and my grocery trip.

Mail Call!!

This is a for the cabinet that stops the slamming. I signed up for a Free childproof lock but got this, either way it was free so can't complain. 

I filled out a survey and got this Golf hat. My dad plays golf so I'm giving it to him.

For being a Sams Club member I was able to get this off their site for free.

This also came from Sams Club

Now to my terrible grocery trip. It wasn't terrible, but if I knew I was going to be getting sick I would have went ahead and bought some fruits and veggies. Target was having a sale that if you bought two of the large 12 packs of Bounty Paper Towels, you would also get a $5 gift card. The paper towels were on sale for $13 they are regular $19. So for $26 I got 24 rolls and a $5 gift card. Normally I buy one roll at a time for $2. Buying one a week like I have been I would have spent $48 on 24 rolls. 

At Kroger I got my Free Pepsi. I also got one free Beechnut yogurt from their Ecoupon but, I had two coupons for B1G1 free so I was able to get 3 free in all. Selah was eating one as I took the picture. My Coke was also free. I used the coupon I won in the mycokerewards instant win game. The Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal was on sale for $1.99. I had three coupons for $1.25/1 so they were only $0.75 each. The Boston Butt was on sale for $6. Yes, $6!! It wasn't on my grocery list, but it was too good of a deal to turn down. I wish I would have had more freezer room. Everything else was just the regular stuff no great prices. The Kroger trip was under $30

I was also able to get 3 boxes of Pop Tarts for $3 (not pictured) Publix is having a sale where Pop Tarts are 3/$5. I printed off a $1/3 Target Coupon and a 1/$3 Manf. Coupon. I went to Publix to get my free Sunlight Dish Detergent, but they are still out. I talked to the manager and he said that they can't keep it in stock and that corporate isn't sending as much as they are ordering. Hopefully I will be able to use all my coupons before they expire. I ordered 20 $1 off Sunlight Dish Detergent. They don't expire till the end of March so here's hoping! 

DIY Cleaners and Other Things

My friend Amber and I have come up with a list of home made products. This way you will have everything in one place and not have to search the web or Pinterest for one recipe at a time. As I make these I will post picture tutorials to go along with them.

Carpet Freshener
1 cup Baking Soda
1 Cup Borax (optional for flea control)
5-10 Drops of essential oil 
Combine all into a container and shake to mix together. I just used one of my old carpet freshener containers. You could also use a mason jar and punch holes in the lid or even a Parmesan cheese container.  

Scented Oil Plug-in Refills
Using an old plug in, take the wick out and rinse out the bulb
Fill the bulb with oil of your choice. I like the lavender. 
Put the wick back in 
Put bulb back in the plug-in


Cooking Spray
One part olive oil to five points water. Shake before each use.

Floor Cleaner
One cup of vinegar. One tablespoon of dawn soap. One cup washing soda. Two gallons water.

Teeth Whitener 
One teaspoon baking soda. One teaspoon peroxide. One teaspoon water and just a little bit of toothpaste. Once a wk until get to the white you want. Then just once a month.

Furniture polish
 2 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ tsp. lemon oil (or fresh lemon juice)

All purpose cleaner 
1 tsp. washing soda
2 tsp. borax
2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
2½ cups hot water
5 drops lavender essential oil
7 drops lemon essential oil
¼ cup liquid castile soap

Dishwasher powder 
1 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda
½ cup Kosher salt
½ cup Lemi Shine 
1 teaspoon per load
Sometimes this clumps. It helps if you put in the moister absorbers. Or you can lay it out on parchment paper in teaspoon piles until it hardens. Does take a while. But then you would have tablets. I also squirt just a small amount of dawn in dishwasher and put vinegar in the rinse aid.

Option 2
Dishwasher Detergent 
1 box Borax (4lbs 12 oz or 76 oz ) (2.15 kg) found in the detergent isle
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (55 oz or 3 lbs 7 oz) found in the detergent isle
24 packages of unsweetened lemonade drink mix, like kool-aid. (May stain soap dispenser yellow)
3 cups Epsom Salt
Lemi Shine rinse aid 
Use Lemi Shine as a rinse aid. (Or you could use Vineger. Just sprinkle about a tablespoon in the bottom of your dishwasher before you start it
Use 1 Tablespoon per load! 


Dryer sheets
Cut cotton cloth or cotton t shirt in to squares about the same size as dryers sheets and put 3 to 6 drops of essential oil of your choice. You can use several times adding a few drops each time before needing to wash it. 

Fabric softener 
1 cup baking soda. 6 cups white vinegar. 8 cups water. 10-15 drops essential oil of choice. Add baking soda and 1 cup of water. Slowly add vinegar then slowly pour in the rest of water. Last add the oil. Shake before each use. 1 cup at final rinse.

DIY Foaming Soap
What you'll need: 
Liquid Hand Soap (The clear kind not the thick creamy)
Empty Foaming Hand Soap Bottle (from Bath and Body Works, Walmart, etc)
Directions:
Fill the empty bottle with one inch of the clear hand soap. 
Slowly fill the rest of the bottle with tap water
Put lid on and carefully tilt side to side and upside down to mix


Shower Cleaner
1 cup White vinegar heated up (microwave 1-2 min) with equal amount blue Dawn, gently shake and spray on and wait and then wipe away the soap scum. 

Febreeze
 2 cups warm water
1/4 cup fabric softener ( I use my homemade). 
1 tsp. baking soda 
Sometimes I'll add a drop or 2 of more essential oil. Depending on my mood. Shake before use.
or
1/8 cup of fabric softener
2 tablespoons of baking soda
Fill the rest of the old Febreeze bottle or Spray bottle with hot tap water. Shake to mix. 

Natural Liquid Dish Soap Recipe
Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups boiling water
1 Tbsp borax
1 Tbsp grated bar soap (use castile bar soap, homemade soap, Ivory, or whichever natural bar you prefer)
15-20 drops essential oils, optional (find 100% pure essential oils here)

Directions:

Heat water to boiling. Combine borax and grated bar soap in a medium bowl. Pour hot water over the mixture. Whisk until the grated soap is completely melted. Allow mixture to cool on the countertop for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Dish soap will gel upon standing. Transfer to a squirt bottle, and add essential oils (if using). Shake well to combine. 

Home made Laundry Detergent

Here is the link for my how to: DIY Laundry Detergent

Ingredients: (Click the link that says Coupon and it will take you to a coupon to print)

1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle. Cost me around $3

1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle. $3 Coupon

1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. (optional) $4

2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Fels Naptha- Found in the detergent aisle. $0.98 each

1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the detergent isle and cooking isle. $3 Coupon

1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (optional) $4 Coupon

The prices are what I paid. 

Directions: 

1. Grate Fels Naptha soap with cheese grater 

2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bucket. (I added a little of each and used a whisk to mix, then repeated) 

3. Use 2 -4 Tablespoons per laundry load and add directly into drum. 

Bar Soap to Liquid Soap

Ingredients:

1 Cup Soap Flakes

10 Cups Water

1 Tablespoon Glycerin

Equipment:

Cheese Grater

Large Pot

Measuring Cup and Spoons

Spatula

Soap Container with pump

Funnel

Container to hold excess soap (if your soap is more than 1 cup after being grated)

Directions:

Grate Soap, In a large pot, combine 1 cup soap flakes, 10 cups water, and 1 Tbs glycerin. Turn on medium-low heat and stir until the soap dissolves. This happens fast, about a minute or two.

Let the soap cool completely, then pour into the containers using the funnel.

*We did not make up all of these recipes. Some were found on the web and some on Pinterest*

If you have any that I don't have listed please send them to me so I can post! 

This weeks Freebies

Last week I didn't have enough Freebies come in the mail to make a blog so I just added them to this weeks Freebies. 

This Barilla pasta came in the mail along with a $1 off coupon

Aerie by American Eagle was running a special and you could get a free panty if you sent a text to the number. The panty also had free shipping. They ended up being $0.01 each, but I just used my gift card I had to cover that. I was able to get 4 pair of panties for $0.04

One Tide Pod that I got from Home Depot 

An Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra Gadget 

Free to Sams Members

It didn't come with a can of spray though

Some of the magazines we get Free

This was my favorite sample of the week. 

I didn't sign up for it, but it came anyways.

Free trial of Depends Diapers for Men and coupon haha

Onion Crunch Sample 

This is a cute bracelet and coupon from

U by Kotex

I also got all those 52 Wet N Wild Nail Polishes for FREE, but they didn't come in the mail so I didn't post them in this blog entry. 

Home Made Laundry Detergent

My home made laundry detergent for around $20!

I was so excited to try this, but being on a budget I decided I would only buy one item a week. That would give me time to use the rest of my Tide Pods and it wouldn't cost me $30 (when the items aren't on sale and no coupons used) at once. I got a little excited when I went to make it and forgot to add the Fels Naptha Soap that I had grated, so I had to go back and add that. Note to self, double check the list before mixing! The blog I got this from said this should last a year. I only do about 4 loads of laundry a week, so this should definitely last a long time! 

Drew picked me up the 5 gallon bucket from Fire House Subs for $2. It smelt like pickles so I bleached it then let it air out. If you get a "Pickle Tub" don't open it in your house. Very bad idea! The only coupon I was able to find for my items was for the Purex Crystals which was for $1 off. I was able to get the Oxi Clean for only $4 on sale at Target! That was the great thing about buying this a little at a time, I was able to find sales on every item I bought. 

I've decided to fill the Purex container and use it for everyday use. The top has lines inside of it and the middle one measures about two Tablespoons! I filled the Purex bottle using a funnel. I definitely need a larger funnel because the soap kept getting stuck. I also refilled the Oxi Clean container and will use it to give samples to my friends. That way they can try this before they commit to making it. 

Since I have a High Efficiency washer and dryer, I put the soap directly into the drum rather than using the drawer. 

Keep in mind that the Oxi Clean and Purex Crystals are optional. I decided to use them because Selah is constantly staining her clothes. As far as the Purex Crystals, they are just for smell. I only bought one small bottle of Purex rather than the large one it calls for. If I decide I want it to smell better then I can always add more later. I get headaches easily and didn't want the smell to be too overpowering. 

How much it makes: The bucket is a 5 gallon bucket and it is about half full. I decided to round down for this estimate. 2 gallons makes 512 tablespoons. So 2 tablespoons per load equals 256 loads!

  

Below are the ingredients minus the soap

I knew I was planning on making this today, so a few days ago I went ahead and grated the soap while Selah was napping. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos. Basically it looked like grated cheese. 

I added a little bit at a time mixing after each ingredient was added

I found that mixing with a whisk was very easy 

My finger is pointing to the line showing how much this recipe makes. 

Next time I will double and make an entire bucket full. 

I had to go back and add the Fels Naptha so below you can see the orange cheese like soap

Ingredients: (Click the link that says Coupon and it will take you to a coupon to print)

1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle. Cost me around $3

1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle. $3 Coupon

1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. (optional) $4

2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Fels Naptha- Found in the detergent aisle. $0.98 each

1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the detergent isle and cooking isle. $3 Coupon

1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (optional) $4 Coupon

The prices are what I paid. 

Directions.

1. Grate Fels Naptha soap with cheese grater 

2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bucket. (I added a little of each and used a whisk to mix, then repeated) 

3. Use 2 -4 Tablespoons per laundry load and add directly into drum. 

This is the Blog where I found this recipe at thanks to Pinterest! 

Publix Trip

This weeks Publix trip was ok. I was disappointed because they were out of a lot of stuff I would have gotten for free with coupons. I guess that's what I get for going on a Saturday. Next time I will pay more attention to the sales and let you know what coupons to order for that week!

Pampers $10.99 used $2 off Publix Coupon and $1.50 Manufacturers Coupon
Pickles B1G1 $2.39 Which made them $1.20 Each. I used 4 $0.50/1 which doubled to $1/1
Stouffers $3.99 I used two Target $1.25 coupons and two $1.50 Manufacturers Coupons
Milk $3.69 used $1 any Publix Dairy Item
Extra Gun on sale 5/$5 used two $0.50 Coupons
Garnier Shampoo & Conditioner $2.99 each used  $1 off Target Coupon and $1 Manufacturers Coupon
I also Printed off a $5/$25 Save A Lot coupon from their website.

Total was $11.42 and I saved $31.76. I would have gotten everything for free today, but I realized that Selah was out of diapers. So basically I bought the diapers and got everything else free :) I just hate that they were out of the dish detergent and other stuff. If I would have known about the Sale I would have ordered deodorant coupons, but I wasn't paying attention and missed it. Ebony racked up and got all her deodorants for free! I'm allergic to most, but they would have been great to send in care packages or donate to the Women's Shelter.

FREE Wet N Wild Nail Polish

Wet n Wild has a coupon out for $1 off any product. I ordered 40 coupons from Ebay for under $5. I was so excited to see that CVS was having a sale. All of their Wet N Wild products are buy 1 get 1 50% off! The nail polish I bought was $0.99. They also had a few other items for only $0.99 but nothing I cared for. I bought 40 nail polishes and didn't have to use all my coupons! After that I went to Walgreens and bought 12 more polishes and got those FREE also! All I had to pay was tax. So after buying the coupons and paying tax I spent under $8 for 52 polishes! 

My coupons I ordered!

Here I have the polishes lined up by colors. I wish they would have had green and orange!

Another view of my polishes all together

After I took these photos I noticed that my daughter had gotten a hold of three of them and was hiding them from me. There are 49 in the photos but I bought 52! I don't intend on keeping them all for myself. I am keeping one of each color. The rest I am putting in gift bags and such. If Selah and her friends were older, they would be either put in goody bags at her party or they would have made awesome Valentines! I still might order more coupons :) 

This Weeks Grocery Trips

I love a good Kroger deal and the fact that they double coupons up to $0.50. Certain cereals are on sale for $1.99. On coupons.com they have coupons for $0.50/1 which double to $1/1 and they also have coupons for $0.75/1 and $1/1. The Pillsbury are on sale 10/$10. I was also able to print off coupons for I think $0.50/2 which doubled to $1/2 making them $0.50 a can. My gum was free from a promotion Kroger had. I just downloaded the E-coupon to my card. The butter was on sale for I think $0.88. The stir fry was on sale half price for around $3 and I had a $1 coupon. The Riteguard deodorant is on markdown for $1.79 and I had a coupon $2/2 making them $0.79 each! The sausage was also on sale for $0.88. My hamburger buns were on mark down for $0.49 and my bread was on sale for $0.88. I can't remember how much the Vanilla Wafers were on sale for, but it was around $1. The cashier didn't hand me my receipt and so I just assumed it was put in the grocery bag. Got home to find that I did not have a receipt. My total was $20 and some change. I'm in the process of printing more coupons and going back today for more cereal and deodorant ;)

5) Tostino Pizzas which were on sale 10/$10 plus I had a $1/5 coupon

2) Duncan Hines Cake Mixes $1.25 each then I had two coupons for $0.50/1 which doubled to $1/1

1) Cheerios 1.99 plus my coupon for $0..50/1 which doubled

1) Medley Crunch Cheerio (same scenario as above) 

2) Instant Oatmeal on sale 2/$3

I had a coupon for buy two Campbell's Great for Cooking Soups get a free Swanson Broth

My cupcakes were on sale for $1.94 

My Welches Sparking Grape was on sale for $1.50

 After checking my receipt I just realized that my coffee rang up regular price and not $7 and that the lady didn't put the right price in on my coupon for the free broth. Instead, she put it in as the price of the Spaghetti rings which were only $0.57. So basically she screwed me on $1 with that coupon. I didn't post every price because it wasn't on sale/I didn't use a coupon. I spent less than $50 on all this. Not great, but not bad. I wish they had more deodorant, but they were out of the Riteguard that had been marked down. 

This Weeks Freebies!

I'm pretty excited about this weeks Freebies! I got a lot of nice FREE items in the mail, and also some free items while grocery shopping!  

Mail Freebies

My Free 1.25 liter cola from Mycokerewards that I won playing the Holiday instant win game. 

My Free Screen Protector for my Iphone

Free Beer glass. 

Free Sample of Airborne plus coupon. I redeemed from their Facebook page. 

    My weekly US Weekly magazine

Below is my huge print from Polaroid Fotobar. It is a 24"X36" Poster Art

That I got absolutely FREE with free shipping. I don't know where I am going to put it, if I had more time to order it I would have looked through my pictures and found one suitable for the guest bedroom. I wasn't sure how long the offer was going to last, so I quickly ordered it. I used my foot and Selah's toy to help you see how large it is!

Grocery Shopping Freebies

Below is what my Digital Coupon from Kroger looked like. I just loaded it to my card from my cell phone Kroger App. I love having the Kroger App on my phone because I can see what digital coupons I have while shopping. The digital coupons don't double, but they are still nice to have when you don't have a paper coupon for an item. 

I was also able to get 3 FREE Capri Suns while shopping at Kroger. During Kroger's Mega Sale they had them as part of buy 10 Save $5 making them $1.99 each. I also had a coupon for buy 3 get 1 free and I had a print out (Catalina) that told me if I bought 4 I would get back $3 in Register Rewards which I can use on my next purchase. Also, Ibotta has where you get $1 for buying Capri Suns! 

Also, I got all those cans of Rotel and Progresso soups so cheap and mostly all FREE! 

To sign up for Ibotta use my link so I can get a $1 Credit!! 

http://ibotta.com/r/5mrf5A

2/1/13 Grocery Trip

Today for my grocery shopping trip of the week I ended up going to three different stores. I really didn't need much food items so I just got some sale items and some stuff for Drew's lunchbox. I also got a drying rack for my dishes and some Purex for when I make my home made laundry detergent. 

My first trip was to Food Lion where I got a large pack of Pork Chops for $6 on markdown. There was seven Bone-in Pork Chops so I just opened the pack and divided them into two freezer ziplock bags. I also got a pound of ground beef which was on sale for $3.20 and a bottle of Purex Crystals which was on sale for $5 and I had a $1 off coupon! 

My next trip was to Kroger where I took advantage of the buy 10 save $5. I had a Capri Sun coupon for buy 3 get 1 free and I had a register print off that said if I buy 4 I save $3 plus Ibotta has a coupon for $1. The Capri Suns were on sale for $1.99 each when you buy any 10 participating items. So basically I bought 1 and got 3 free! I also had a coupon for Gillette Shaving Cream B1G1 and it was on sale for $2.09. The meatballs were on sale for $1.99 when you buy 10 items. I got Drew Riteguard deodorant and it was on close out for $1.79 but I couldn't find my coupons to go with it. I also got my FREE egg whites from the E-coupon Kroger had. My little Debbies were on sale for $0.99 when you buy 10. You get the point! I will post my prices at the bottom. 

My last trip was to Walmart. I was able to get Selah's box of diapers for only $12!! I stacked a Target web coupon for $3.50 off with a Publix coupon for $3 off. Instead of using them as "coupons" they will price match it and just subtract the $7.50 from the price of the diapers. I wish I would have had a manufacturers coupon to go with it. I also got the drying rack for like $4ish. Selah stole my receipt. 

All in all I think I have made a productive shopping trip. I was hoping to get fish sticks and some stir fry, but Kroger wanted $5 for the small bag of stir fry ($3.40 at walmart) and $4.50 for the Kroger brand fish sticks ($3 at Walmart) so I decided to wait and just pull out stuff from the freezer instead. I could have gone to the grocery section when I ran into Walmart, but Selah was tired of shopping and wasn't having it. So I ran in and out. 

Below is my $3 print out that I got from buying the Capri Suns! 

The * means part of buy 10 save $5

24 pack of Water -$2.99

Napkins -$0.88

(2) Bread -$1 on sale

Paper Towel -$0.68 on sale

(2) Shredded Cheese -$1.99 each

(2) Gillette Shave Cream -$2.09each (plus B1G1 Coupon) = $1.05 each

Egg Whites -$2.99 FREE with digital coupon

Blogna -$1.25

Hot Dogs -$0.98

Meatballs $1.99

Riteguard Deodorant -$1.79 (closeout price)

(2) Star Wars Fruit Snack -$1 each

Teriyaki Sauce -$1.39

*Little Debbie -$0.99 (part of buy 10 save $5)

Honey -$2.99

*Pop Tart -$1.50 (part of buy 10 save $5)

*Crystal Lite -$2.30 (part of B10/G$5) Plus $1 Ibotta

*(4) Capri Sun -$1.99 Each (part of B10G$5 plus B3G1 Coupon Plus Buy 4 get $3 in Register Rewards Plus $1 Ibotta)

*(2) Progresso Soups $0.99 each (Part of  B10/G$5 plus $0.50/2 which doubled to $1 so $0.50 each)

My total after coupons came to $37.66 

I saved a total of $20.22

and I also got a $3 Register Reward for my next purchase!