Here Again

I got so excited about having a frugal blog and learning about frugality and whatnot that I just blew up with ideas.  I decided that wordpress, not blogger was where I needed to be.  I learned wordpress and built a beautiful site.  I set my editorial calendar.  I had content scheduled for everyday of the week.  Exciting stuff.  I worked and worked and drove my husband crazy. 

If you have ever read my other blog, you know that I deal with perfectionism.  So, as goes with the crazy, I burned out.  What I really wanted was a creative frugal outlet, not the full-time job I was setting up for myself.  So, the answer was, and is, to begin at the beginning.  I love blogger.  I love frugal.  Nuff said. 

What I've Been Up To...

I have immersed myself in the study of couponology and money savedness.  I have learned much grasshopper.  I am refocusing this blog to reflect my new found skills.  Enjoy!

$67.45 of Products for $2.85!

This is my biggest Rite Aid victory yet! I got all of this:

for $2.85! This was my first week to get multiple papers and I was a little worried that I bought too many.  My husband was very impressed.  The scenario broke down like this:

4 x Crest Pro Health 1 Liter Wintergreen Mouthwash,
Reg 6.49, Sale 4.99-3 +UP*-2 coupon = FREE

5 x Crest 3D Whitening Toothpaste,
Reg 3.79, Sale 2.99-2 +UP-1 coupon = FREE

2 x Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush
Reg 4.99, Sale 2.99, BOGO-2 coupon = .99 for both

Dawn Dish Detergent
Reg 1.99, Sale .99-.20 coupon = .79

Bounty Basic 8 Roll pack
Reg 7.99, Sale 5.49-1 +Up-1 coupon = 3.49

4 x Scott Single Roll Toilet Paper
Reg 1.29, BOGO = 2.58

Subtract One $5 off $25 Rite Aid Store Coupon

Total Worth = $67.45, Total After +Ups and Coupons ... $2.85!!!!!



*+Ups are part of Rite Aids loyalty program. They print out on your receipt and spend like cash on your next visit.

I did have to pay sales tax on all this stuff, no getting around that, but I can live with that.  I didn't need the toilet paper, but I was afraid I was not going to have enough for the 5/25 coupon.  I miscalculated and really could have come out paying 27 cents.  That would have been more impressive.  Oh well.

Record Amount of Free (Baby) Stuff

I've been learning how to play the drugstore game and get stuff for free. Today I scored big. This is my biggest haul of free stuff yet. I heard about this on howtoshopforfree.net and decided to give it a try. I had one J&J coupon and a $4 off $20 coupon from the Rite Aid Video Values. I also had a J&J coupon from coupons.com. I signed up with the Johnson and Johnson site and printed out about six or seven coupons. So, I put it all together like this:

I bought 7 15oz. Johnson and Johnson Baby Products for $3.99 (sale price)
I bought one baby oil gel for $4.29 (my mistake, I thought it was on sale)
My total was $32.22 before taxes and coupons

Used 4 $1 off 1 coupons
Used 2 $2 off 2 coupons
Used my Sept $4 off $20 Video Values Coupon
I also had $5 worth of +up dollars that I put towards the total
I paid $17.19 in cash and got $14 in +up (would have been $16, but the gel wasn't part of the special)
When I got home I submitted the receipt to the Single Check Rebate site and I will get a gift card for $10 in the mail at the end of the month.

Total profit - $6.81 and I got all of this for free:

Free Nivea and Make a Dollar!

CVS has Nivea for Men Active3 on sale for $4.99 with $4.99 extra bucks.  There was a $1 off coupon in the 7/25 Redplum, but if you missed it, you can sign up on Nivea's website for their newsletter and they will give you a printable $1 coupon good for any Nivea product.   So, pay $3.99 and get $4.99 back.  Make a dollar and get free lotion. My kind of deal.

Multiplied

Btw, no longer preggo....

Score!

JC Penney's had men's Arizona jeans on sale for $13.99 this weekend.  Only, I thought the ad said $9.99, so I drug my husband twenty-five minutes across town to get him some cheapo pants.  He hates going to the mall and only went because I told him we could get two pairs of pants for $20.  Then we get there and he is all like, "I didn't sign up for two pairs of pants for $28.  You said 20."  I was all like, "well, let's go see Clarence".  So, we hit the clearance racks and found two pairs of jeans for $6.47 each.  Then we slid over to Old Navy and found a pair for $7.97.  Three pairs of jeans for $20.91, and a happy man.  Nice.