Getting Started!

Today we have the heating guys coming to clean our air ducts! Yay!! I'm nervous about paying for it, but I am really excited to get it done! Step one in our early spring cleaning and getting our house more asthma friendly!
While tidying things up this morning, in preparation for their arrival, I was noting all the things I want to get done, organized, straightened. So much to do!!! Instead of letting myself get overwhelmed with the enormity of projects to be done, I am going to make a comprehensive list and give each project/chore a date. Some things will take a couple hours, others a couple days, others maybe a week. I'm going to put a schedule together and do my darndest to stick to it!!
For today, I got the deep freeze sorted, organized, and threw out anything too old. I still need to do the freezer drawer, but it will be more of a project as it needs to be defrosted.
I also portioned out my recent chicken and cheese bulk purchases and made sure to date the bags and put them all together in the freezer so that none will end up lost and forgotten under other items.

One step at a time in the path of progress!!!

Efficiency

I was looking through my deep freezer, moving things around to make room for my bread. I found a few things in there that I had totally forgotten about. This got me thinking. Some of these forgotten items might be expired by now. Major bummer!! Expired food= wasted money!! No deal is a good deal if it ends up in the trash, unused or uneaten!
It is time to have an inventory management system and stick to it! I have definitely been guilty of focusing almost exclusively on the acquisition part of keeping and maintaining a stockpile. My freezer contents have made it clear to me though, that I need to put more energy into tracking, rotating, and utilizing my food stores.
Do you track your inventory? Do you have a system that you have found to be effective? If so, I'd love to hear about it!!

And then...

I had several doctors' appointments in Provo today so I went ahead and hit the Provo Smith's. I am so glad I did! Their clearance was overflowing!!! Plus they had tons of day old bread and treats. I found tons of my $.59 cent bakery loaves. Unfortunately, I had already bought the other bread this morning, so I only grabbed 4 loaves. Some day I will get a bigger deep freezer! :)
I've decided that since I have to go to Provo every week for my wasp shots, I may as well hit Smith's, at least to look for my bread!
Other things I got:

Tillamook 5 lb shredded cheese $8.00 clearance

Secret Body Spray $2.57 close out
-$2/1 Secret body spray

Kraft Green Goddess dressing $.50 clearance (The label was torn. That was the only problem. )

Hunts Spaghetti sauce $.25 clearance (I found nothing wrong at all with it. Not sure why it was so cheap but I'm glad it was. It even happened to be my favorite flavor!)

Poise panty fresheners $1.09 clearance
-$1/1 Poise wellness product= $.09!!!

Zicam Cold Spray $2.49 clearance
-$2/1 any Zicam product

Cascadian Farms Granola $1.49 ea clearance
-$.75/1 any Cascadian Farms product= $.74 each!! Talk about a great price for granola!!! I just wish there had been more!

This was a VERY long, busy day! So glad we got it all done! My kids were so patient and such a amazingly good troopers through it all! I treated them to Little Ceaser's for dinner. I figure today's savings paid for our dinner treat. :)

Recently

I am finally feeling better!! The sicknesses are going the rounds in my house. I'm seizing the good times and getting the shopping done! I hit Rancho Market yesterday and grabbed lots of great produce deals.
Today I hit the Payson Smith's.

 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $1.69/lb

Kroger Bread .88 ea

Quaker Popped snacks .79 ea (wyb 6 mega deal)
-.75/2 Quaker products

Philadelphia Cream Cheese .99 ea (wyb 6 mega deal)

Stayfree pads 2.29 ea (wyb 6 mega deal)
-B1G1 Stayfree pads (my cashier gave me the credit of the price before the mega deal!! So $2.76 instead of $2.29!!! Meaning I got all 4 packages for just $3.58!! Or .89 each. :)

Finish Gel Pacs $3.49 ea (wyb 6 mega deal)
-2.15/1 Finish gel pac or power tab

Comforts Diapers $5.49 (wyb 6 mega deal)
-$2/1 any Comforts diapers (Kroger mail coupon)

Dove Clinical Deodorant $2.50 (clearance)
-$3/1 Dove Clinical deodorant= +.50!!!!!

Upon closer inspection, it looks like I saved another $.50 on this item thanks to the mega deal!!! Not sure how that happened, but yay!! That means I earned $1.00 on this deodorant!!

Axe Solid Deodorant $2.63 ea (close out)
-$2/1 Axe deodorant or body spray= .63 ea
Upon closer inspection, it looks like I saved another $.50 on each of these items thanks to the mega deal!!! Not sure how that happened, but yay!! That means I payed just $.13 each for this deodorant!!

I just love when things turn out so nice!!! The Lord certainly blesses me!!!
I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with my level of supplies in both food and household goods. I am thinking I am no longer in a building mode and will now be taking advantage of deals as they come, but no longer at the same rate. Working more on now on just replenishing. 
Where are you at in your stockpile? Could you and your family live off it for any length of time? If not, you should be in building mode!
If you can live off of it for 3-6 months, then you should be in replenish mode. While replenishing, be sure to keep a little extra cash on the side for those just in case surprise deals!! Your regular budget however, should be back down to the minimum. For us, that is $20-30 per week. 
Stay tuned for more shopping adventures this week! Happy Shopping!!

Heads up!!!

Hey friends, pulling myself out of my sick bed to pass on crazy awesome news! (Too dramatic?)
Depending on your local paper, you will be getting up to FOUR inserts this weekend!!! And they're all good ones!!!
There will be some nice match ups for the Smith's (Kroger) Mega Event. I'll post the details when I am done cleaning up the kids throw up and hacking my guts out! (Too much detail??)
I am hoping to get down to Smith's tomorrow or Saturday morning to do a recon mission and get myself prepared for a big trip Tuesday evening. As with all great plans, when you have kids, we will see how it goes!
Stay tuned!!!

Smith's

Hey friends. I dragged myself down to the Payson Smith's and Walmart today. I'm pretty sure I have pneumonia and will find out either tonight or tomorrow. Yes, this is the extent of my mania! :) I am going to lay down now but wanted to make sure you were all sufficiently aware of the AMAZING deals going on right now! I will blog today's haul when I am feeling a little better. Get yourself to Smith's! Just a little taste of the goodness:
1% gallon milk $1.25 on clearance!!!! Exp. 1/30

A little tip

I have been noticing lately that almost everywhere I go, I see Extra brand gum on clearance in one flavor or another. I've bought some of it, but have always thought, "Wouldn't it be nice if there were a coupon to stack on top of this clearance price??"
Well now there is!!! Go ahead and print your two copies and then start looking around at the check outs next time you shop!

Extra Coupon!

A Quick Deal!

I hadn't been over to Fresh Market in ages. Finally though, some printable Jenni-O turkey coupons came out and I knew I just needed to get over there! I got in first thing this morning and grabbed 2 clearance Jenni-O turkey packs on clearance @ $1 each. The coupon was -$1/2, so I paid just $1.00 for both packs!!

I'll try to get back over there another one of these mornings with more coupons. Right now I am just so sick though and am only focusing on priorities! :)

Dollar Store Finds

I made a quick trip to the Dollar Store today to grab pan spray and to look for baking powder. They didn't have the powder, but I did get some good stuff.

We've been out of tortillas for some time, waiting for a really good deal. I found these ones at the front register in a clearance cart for $.50 each! Yay! I also grabbed a bunch of my pan spray as you never know if they'll have it in stock when you run out. And pretzels... I won't buy them anywhere else! Can't beat the deal!

Heads up! It looks like Smiths (Kroger) will be having another Mega Event Sale starting this Wednesday!! Stay tuned for great deals!!

Blessings and thoughts

I am full of thoughts this morning! I had a late night, considering some very serious things about my life. I ended up exhausted but resolved to enjoy life and not spend it worrying about things that may or may not happen. I believe in being prepared, but not obsessed. Time to practice what I preach! 
So this morning, I am happy to be at home and to not have a busy day planned. Today I get to do laundry and tidy up my house after a crazy week of sick kids and running my brother's kids everywhere while one of his was in the hospital. 

How invigorating it was to wake up and find that I had an offer on ebay for $50.00 for a book I found in the recycling bins last summer!!! What a great way to start the day!!! I was discussing my little business with my husband the other day and decided that I never want to calculate how much I actually make per hour by doing this. It wouldn't be wise!!! Some items I find will sit on my shelves for months or even years before selling. Some I give up on and donate just to keep room for more inventory. Some items sell within literally minutes of acquiring them. It's a crap shoot but I love it and that love and enjoyment counts for a lot! Plus I get to be home with my babies and that is priceless!!
If you are ever thinking of doing what I do, even parts of it, I highly recommend that you do as I have decided, and never try to calculate what you make per hour with all the gathering, processing, posting and selling! The numbers will usually not make it sound worthwhile. The riches come with the ability to make money from home and in doing your small part in keeping excess waste from the filling up the landfills!

Another little blessing that happened this week; my husband won a really fancy Crock Pot in a raffle at work. It retails $50 at Target. We will likely return it there for a gift card. Stay tuned to see what I can do with $50 there! I'm excited for the opportunity! I haven't shopped at Target in about two years so it will be fun to break out those old techniques and I'll need to get caught up on new policies and such. Learning is always a good thing!

Have a blessed and wonderful day, my friends and fellow money savers!

A few things

I didn't get around to today's shopping until this afternoon. We had exciting family things this morning. :)
I definitely don't plan to shop later in the day again unless I have to! For one thing, I had all of my kids, for another, the stores are busier in the afternoon/evening and lower stocked. Any good markdowns or double deals are usually gone by the later part of the day. I found that to be true today but still made the best of it that I could. I think the true test of a master couponer/money saver is being able to turn any shopping trip into a successful venture. Even if all you gain is knowledge!

I hit Rancho Market in Provo first. I got most everything I came for except milk. The sale turned out to include only 1% and 2% and they were sold out of 1%. I got 2 of the 2% for the baby but had to ad match the 1% at Walmart. :( That goes against my principles but what can I say?? They should have stocked more!
I will point out how pleased my daughter and I were with all the nifty improvements they are making in the ambiance of the store. You need to get in there and check out the new frescoes and Venice-type arches and faux windows they are putting in! Made me feel like I was at a scaled down version of the Las Vegas Venetian Canals!! :)  
I didn't get to document our purchases from Rancho. We just dropped the stuff off and then hurried south as the day was already wearing on!
*****

 At Walmart:

Almond Accents $2.98
-.50/1 Almond Accents (doubled)= $1.98

Colgate Toothpaste .94 ea
-.50/1 Colgate (doubled)= +.06 ea

Suave lotion .96
-$1/1 any Suave product (All You Magazine)= +.04

Pentel Pens .96 ea
-.50/1 Pentel online print (doubled)= +.04 ea

Progresso Soup Starters $1.48 ea
-.50/1 Progresso soup starter online print (doubled)= .48 each

I know I have been at this for a long time now, but it still makes me so happy thinking that they paid me to take things off their shelves! ;)
*******

At Smith's:

Kroger Peanuts 3/$5

Nature Made B complex adult gummies B1G1 @ $8.99 ea
-$3/1 online print coupon= $1.49 ea
I bought some of these on the same deal with the same coupons last week and have found they do in fact help my energy levels! They don't taste amazing, but I'm sticking with them! Especially at that price!!

All laundry detergent & Snuggle fabric softener $2.49 ea
-$1.50/1 All laundry detergent Kroger e coupon
-$1.50/1 Snuggle fabric softener Kroger e coupon

I got 3 loaves of Cinnamon Swirl bread @ $.59 each on the clearance rack and
1 bag of assorted rolls for another $.59!!! I LOVE clearance bread!!
I had been wondering for the past few weeks why I never saw the bread clearance anymore. Going in the evening, I found it... Maybe they only put it out in the afternoons now? The Provo store has it in a certain place all day every day. Wishing Payson would do the same! :)

Sorry for the messy pics and the open bread! By the time we were done with our LONG day of traveling all over creation for different things, the kids were starving!

Heads up!

Hey kids! I am prepping tonight for tomorrow's shopping adventures and have found a couple of tidbits that are of interest, some of which I am currently willing to share. ;)
Others, I will share tomorrow, after I have taken advantage of them myself. ;)

Smith's (Kroger) has a nice little deal on All laundry detergent and Snuggle fabric softener. They are on sale starting tomorrow at $2.49 with your Fresh Values card. Hop onto the Kroger.com site and upload this fabulous little ecoupon, and get your soap or softener for just $.99!!!

Kroger E coupons

You'll notice several other fun e coupons, some that I've never seen before and am pretty excited about. Coupons for chicken, vegetables and fruit. 
Lots of high value manufacturer e coupons. Get in there and grab them!

I'll also be hitting Rancho Market in Provo. They have some fun 2 day deals I am excited about and you shouldn't miss out on!!

Wednesday & Thursday ONLY
5 doz eggs $5.99

Cucumbers 5/.99

Milk $1.99

There are plenty of other deals that are going all week and then some goodies on Saturday and Sunday only. Get in there and check it out!! I strongly encourage you to make the trip and brave the language barriers!! If we only price match and don't support these stores with the great prices, we will lose these awesome stores and the great prices with them!!! :)
Ps. Most of the cashiers do speak English. Just say "hello" and they will speak to you in English. :)

Done!

 My baby has kept me from sleeping the last two nights and I just wasn't sure if I could drag myself and the kids down to Smith's today... But I got it done!! And I am so glad that I did!!

 Apples .99/lb

Finish Gel Pacs 3.99 ea
-2.15/1 Finish 

Kroger Laundry Detergent 3.99
-FREE kroger Laundry detergent (Smith's mail coupon!)

Chobani Greek Yogurt 1.00
-Friday FREEBIE Upload ecoupon

Ice cream 2/$5

Party Size M&M's $7.99
-$2.50/1 Party size M&M's bag online print coupon

Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce .75 ea

Nature Made Vitamin B adult gummies 8.99 each
-B1G1 FREE sale
-(2)$3/1 any Nature Made adult gummies online print= $1.49 each!!

Secret Body Spray $2.57 (close out)
-$2/1 Secret body spray
-.50/$2 any deodorant items (Smith's mail coupon)

(20) Revlon Colorsilk Hair Color $3.29 ea
-(20)$3/1 Revlon Colorsilk
-$1/3 any hair care products (Smith's mail coupon)

I also brought my reusable bags again and got a bunch more gas points!

I will probably come back and get another 20 of the hair colors and maybe 10 more of the Finish. We are still in building mode, trying to get my stockpile back to where I want it! I'm also grabbing things, like the hair color, that will save my loved ones money and that I can sell for a nice profit!

Friday FREEBIE!!

Smith's (Kroger) has yet another Friday FREEBIE for us to upload!

5.3 oz Greek Yogurt

This includes Activia, Dannon, Stonyfield, Light & Fit, and Yopa.

M&M's High Value Coupon

  Hurry and print your two copies of this high value coupon before it runs out!!

-$2.50/1 on 15 oz or larger M&M's bag!

Today's Savings!

 We braved the snow this morning and hit the Payson Smith's and Walmart. The weather actually turned out to be perfect down there. :)

At Smith's:

 Kroger Bread .88 ea

Skim milk half gallons .75 ea (clearance)

Power Bar fruit squeezes. .79 ea (clearance)
-$2/6 Power Bar items (Smith's mail coupon)
+ $2.00 Catalina coupons to use on any other purchase.
I bought the Power Bars first, in a lone transaction, and then used the catalina $2.00 toward the rest of my order!

Sandwich bags
Plastic Wrap
We were all out of these last two items. I used the Catalina coupon to cover one and then the coupon I got last week (-$2/10 any purchase) to cover the plastic wrap. Ended up paying less than a dollar for both!

Peanuts 3/$5

Jeno's pizza $1.00
-FREE Jeno's pizza online upload (Friday Freebie)

Santita's tortilla chips 3/$5

Revlon Color Silk hair color $3.29
-$3/1 Revlon Colorsilk= $.29!!!

Dove Men's deodorant $2.93 Clearance
-$1/1 Dove men's deodorant online print
This is more than I like to pay for deodorant, but it is the only kind my husband likes. So I wait for clearance, use coupons, and try to find extra savings elsewhere!

Nalley chili .60 ea (dented)

Campbell's Chunky Soup .60 (dented)

Neutrogena Spray Sun Block .25!!!! Clearance Basket
There are several clearance carts back by the pharmacy. All kinds of goodies!

Chip Clips .50 clearance

Not only did I get all of these fabulous savings, but I also brought my cloth bags this time and last and got tons of extra reward points!
I hit the gas pump and used my -.20/gallon discount to fill the tank! It made the gas cheaper than both Sam's and Costco!!!

I will probably hit Smith's again this weekend as it looks like they are in clearance mode!!!

And then Walmart:

Colgate 4.6 oz toothpaste .94 ea
-.50/1 any Colgate 4 oz+ (doubled)= +.06 each!!

Snack Pack Puddings 1.00 ea
-.45/3 Snack pack pudding (doubled)= .70 ea

Mr Clean Magic Erasers $1.98 ea
-$.50/1 Mr Clean magic eraser online print (doubled)= .98 ea

As I basically expected, they were all out of Carefree liners (the .94 packages). You may have noticed that the new coupon doesn't make you buy a minimum amount. Yay for FREEBIES!! If you also didn't get yours today, hang in there! They will restock!

They were also out of the Finish dish products, thanks to the great new coupon (-2.15/1). FYI: At Smith's, they cost only .02 more and they are fully stocked! Plus you earn gas points when you buy them there!!!

FREE Pantene!

Order your FREE sample of Pantene hair care! Fill out the form and you'll get a coupon in the mail in 4-6 weeks!

Updated order form

Friday FREEBIE!!

Smith's (Kroger) has another great FREEBIE for us to upload to our Fresh Values cards! Don't miss out!!
FREE Geno's Frozen Pizza!

Friday FREEBIE

Gift supplies

Now is a fabulous time to find gift wrapping supplies! I found all of this great ribbon and a few other gifting goodies in just one recycling bin. You'll never have to pay for wrapping supplies again if you'll hit the bins at the right times!