Weekly Coupon Shopping

I think I need to change the name of this post, because coupon shopping is not so much a weekly thing any more.  I still use the occasional coupon when it's something we're buying anyways, but the massive deal shopping I used to do has become pretty much a thing of the past.  The reality is that most of that stuff was extra.  It was fun, we used it or ate it, but it was extra.  So it doesn't happen too often any more.  Still, I do occasionally find deals on things we need.

Walmart

 I bought a few other things on this trip for school, but I got two packs of diapers, since we'll be spending a few days out of the house in about a week and a half and we don't do cloth diapers away from home.

• 2 Parent's Choice Diapers: $5.97 each.  Used two $1.50/1 printables = paid $4.47 each.

CVS

I went to CVS this week solely to spend some of my birthday money on coffee.  Because I could. And it was definitely a good deal! Coffee is my favorite thing to splurge on.

• 2 Starbucks Frappuccino 4-packs: $4.99 each.  Used $4/2 printable = paid $2.99 each.
• 2 Starbucks Iced Coffees: 1 free with each 4-pack purchased, will get $1 SavingStar deposit back.
• 1 Starbucks Refresher: $1.50, get $1.50ECBs.  Used $1/1 printable = paid $0.50, got $1.50ECBs.
• Used $3ECBs from previous trip = paid $3.56, got $1.50ECBs and I'll get $1 SavingStar.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Walgreens

I went back and forth over doing this deal, because it would use up all of my extra cash in my grocery money for the month, but I decided to do it anyways.  It just means if I need any non-food items for the rest of the month, I'm limited to Walgreens points and a few CVS ECBs that I have leftover.  But I should be set, so I think that's okay.

• Angel Soft 24 pack: $8.99, get 1,000 points ($1.00).  Used $1/1 printable = paid $7.99, got 1,000 points.
• 2 Well Beginnings Jumbo Packs: B1G1 50% off $6.00, plus get 2,000 points when you buy 2.  Used $1/1 coupon (came with a blog pack - look for a review next week!) = paid $8.00, got 2,000 points.
• Cheerios: on clearance for $1.09. Used $1/1 (mailer) = $0.09, plus I'll get $0.75 back from SavingStar!
• Starbucks Iced Coffee: $1.79. Used $1/1 printable (no longer available) = $0.79.
• 3 Lindsay Olives: $0.99 (ad coupon). Used $1/2 printable = paid $0.49 for 2 and $0.99 for 1.
• 2 Dawn Dish Soaps: $0.99 each. Used two $0.30/1 printables = paid $0.69 each.
• Used 5,000 points when you spend $25+ ad coupon = paid $21.22 with tax, got 8,000 points back (1,000 for Angel Soft, 2,000 for diapers, 5,000 for the ad coupon).  

I also have at least 5,000 points on my card, so I'll have to check to see what the next level of cashing them out is. I know 5,000 is $5, but I think the rate gets better if you have more points.  I haven't done much with the points system so far, although I do have it set up to earn points for steps with my Fitbit too, so I get points from that as well.  Every bit helps!

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Target

I used a bunch of coupons to get some things for free (or nearly free)!

• 8 Up & Up Pocket Folders and 4 Up & Up Notecards: $0.50 each. Used four $1.50/1 Target printables = all free!
• 5 Post-It Notes: $1.02 each. Used four $1/1 Target printables and one $1/1 Target mailer = $0.10/5, or $0.02 each!
• 5 Scotch Tape: $1.02 each. Used four $1/1 Target printables and one $1/1 Target mailer = $0.10/5, or $0.02 each!
• 2 Suave Conditioners: $0.94 each. Used $1/2 Target mobile and two $0.50/1 printables = 2 free!

CVS

There wasn't much I wanted at CVS this week, but we still eat cereal for breakfast a couple times a week, so I stocked up on that.

• 8 Kellogg's Cereals: $1.99 each. Used two $1/2 printables and four $1.50/1 printables (Kellogg's Rewards) = paid $7.92, got $5ECBs for spending over $15.
• Kit Kat: $0.99. Used $0.74/1 (CVS coupon machine) = paid $0.25.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

This week I made use of a lot of app rebates, through iBotta, SavingStar, and Checkout 51.  I mostly use these if something pops up that I'm already buying. I just scroll through the offers before I toss my receipts, and scan accordingly.  Occasionally, though, I do plan to get some of the deals in addition to my normal shopping. This week was a mixture of both of those.

Walmart

Along with our regular mid-month grocery shopping, I was able to use a few coupons to get some deals:

• 2 Naked Juices: $2.78 each. Used two $1/1 printables, and submitted for $2.00 in iBotta rebates ($1.00 for each one) = paid $3.56/2, got $2.00 back.
• 2 Farmland Bacon: $4.98 each. Used two $1/1 printables (zip code 85254), and submitted for $5.00 Walmart egift card rebate here (which you can do twice, so I'll probably do it again next time!) = paid $7.96/2, got $5 gift card back.
• Angel Soft Toilet Paper 24 pack: $10.97. Used $0.55/1 printable, and submitted for $0.25 in Checkout 51 rebate = paid $10.42, got $0.25 back.
• Bar-S Hot Dogs: $0.88. Submitted for $0.25 Checkout 51 rebate.

Walgreens

I was excited for this week's Walgreens deals, because they included the Starbucks Iced Coffee, which I recently tried and really like!  

• 2 Kellogg's Cereals: $1.99 each. Used two $1.50/1 printables (Kellogg's Rewards redemption) = $0.49 each!
• 4-pack Starbucks Iced Coffee: $3.99. Used $1/1 printable = $2.99.
• Starbucks Iced Coffee Single: $1.99. Used $1/1 printable, and submitted for $1 SavingStar rebate = free!
• 2 Nestle Crunch Girl Scout Bars: $0.39 each. Used $0.50/2 (SS 7/13/14) = paid $0.28/2!
• 6 Stride and 3 Trident Gum: 3/$2, get 2,000 points when you buy $6.
• 1 Coke: $1.69. Bought this for a friend since it has her name on it.
• Total spent: $13.11, got back $1 SavingStar and 2,000 points.

CVS

We've been having some issues with absorbency and stink in our cloth diapers, which regular Tide is supposed to fix.  Here's hoping!  Otherwise, we normally stick to the free and clear detergents.

• Reese's Cereal: $1.88. Used $0.60/1 printable, and submitted for $0.50 SavingStar rebate = paid $1.28, got $0.50 back.
• 3 Kleenex 85 ct.: $0.99 each. Used $0.50/3 (SS 7/13/14), and submitted for $0.75 iBotta rebate = paid $2.47/3, got $0.75 back.
• Tide 40oz.: $4.94. Used $1.50/1 printable = paid $3.44.
• Also used $6.50 in ECBs = paid 1.07, got $1.25 back!

Other Coupon Shopping:

• Kwik Trip: Used $1 off gasoline coupon I got via text. I also submitted my receipt for $0.25 back for tomatoes and $0.25 back for bananas from Checkout 51.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

CVS

Diapers were $6.99, get $3ECBs per pack, with a limit of 5 (usually it's only 1!), so I grabbed those since that's a great price. I did 2 transactions to help limit my out of pocket costs.

• Transaction #1: 3 packs diapers at $6.99 each = paid $22.10 with tax, got $9ECBs.
• Transaction #2: 2 packs diapers at $6.99 each. Used $9ECBs from first transaction = paid $5.68, got $6ECBs.

Walmart

These iced coffees were priced at $1 each at Walgreens this week, with a $1RR on each one. I don't shop at Walgreens much, so the odds of me using up RR before they expire are not good. So I price matched at Walmart, and used my coupons to get them for free there.

• 3 Iced Coffees: price matched to $1.00 each. Used three $1/1 printables = 3 free!
• Since this was along with my regular grocery shopping, I also used $1/2 Jenni-o Ground Turkey printable.

Other Coupon Shopping:

• Target Starbucks: I got 2 free pastries with purchase of 2 beverages, based on a free offer they posted on Twitter (expired 7/2/14)

Weekly Coupon Shopping

I find myself spending less and less time couponing lately, but I do still occasionally find deals on things we need, like this week.

CVS

• 2 Angel Soft Toilet Paper: $5 each. Used two $1/1 printables = paid $8.00/2.
• 2 Huggies Little Movers: $9 each. Used two $4/1 printables = paid $10/2.
• 1 CVS Baby Wipes: $2.00.
• Used $1ECBs from last time, along with a $3/$15 coupon in my email = paid $17.35 with tax, got back a $10 gas gift card.  

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Walgreens

I wasn't planning on going to Walgreens this week, but my husband wanted jelly beans, and we were almost out of formula, so there I went.

• 2 Jelly Beans: 2/$5. Used $1/2 (March Walgreens booklet) = paid $4.
• 2 Well Beginnings Formula: $6.99 each. Used two $5/1 printables = paid $1.99 each! We've never tried this brand, but for this price, why not!
• Total spent: $8.23.

CVS

I had a $10 gift card that I earned through MyPoints, so I only spent $2.81 out of pocket for all these, and got $2ECBs plus a $0.50 SavingStar deposit and a $1.00 Checkout51 deposit!

Transaction #1:

• CVS Diapers: $6.99, get $3ECBs.
• Total spent: $7.34, got $3ECBs.

 Transaction #2:

• 2 Cereal: 2/$5, get $2ECBs. Used two $0.60/1 printables = paid $3.80, got $2ECBs, plus I'll get $0.50 from SavingStar.
• CVS Paper Towels: $0.79. Used $0.79/1 coupon from CVS machine = free.
• 3 All Detergent: B1G2 Free $7.29. Used $2/2 (RP 3/9/14) and $1/1 printable = paid $4.29/3, plus I'll get $1.00 from Checkout 51.
• Used $3ECBs from Transaction #1.
• Total spent: $5.47.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Target

• Wheat Thins: $2.39. Used $1/1 mobile and $0.50/1 printable = $0.89.
• 2 Triscuits: $2.39 each. Used two $1/1 printables (no longer available) = $1.39 each.
• 4 Gerber 1st Foods 2pks: $0.99 each. Used $1/4 (printed last time I bought some) = $2.96/4.

This was part of a larger transaction. We finally signed up for a RedCard to save 5%. My husband bought the iPad Mini, which was $499.  We used 10% off Cartwheel, got 5% off for the RedCard, and got a $30 gift card back, which we used on the items above, as well as a toy for each kid.  For the iPad Mini, the total was $448.05 after tax, meaning we saved $50 just from the percentages off, plus we got the gift card back. That's about as good as you can get for an Apple product!

Other Coupon Shopping:

• Piggly Wiggly: Used in-ad coupon to get 6 Powerades for $0.49 each with $10 purchase.
• Hobby Lobby: Used 40% off 1 item mobile coupon to get a 3-drawer organizer for $10.19. (We bought two of these for Lego reorganizing, which I will be posting about next week!)

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Target

• Fresh Express Salad: $2.99. Used free coupon from mail (took off $5.99) = free plus overage!
• Baby Carrots: $1.29. Used $1/1 fresh veggie mobile coupon = $0.29.
• Bananas: $1.20. Used $1/1 fresh fruit mobile coupon = $0.20.
• Lucky Charms: $2.84. Used $1/1 printable (no longer available) = $1.84.
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch: $2.54. Used $1/1 printable (no longer available) = $1.54. (I wanted to get Alpha-Bits cereal for $0.69 each after coupons, but they were out)
• 6 Yoplait Yogurt: $0.62 each. Used $0.40/6 printable and got $0.50 back from Checkout51 = paid $3.32, got $0.50 back.
• Suave Shampoo: $2.74. Used $1.50/1 Target printable and $1.50/1 (RP 3/9/14) = free plus overage!
• Suave Conditioner: $2.84. Used $1.50/1 Target printable and $1.50/1 printable = free plus overage!
• 2 Tank Tops: $5 each. Used $3/2 Target printable and 10% Target Cartwheel (took off $0.70) = paid $6.30/2.
• Saved $0.10 for using my own bags, and used remaining $0.71 on my gift card = paid $9.60 out of pocket.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Pick N Save
I did the majority of my grocery shopping at Pick N Save this week, since they had a deal on chicken breasts and a few produce deals.  That easily brought me to my $25 limit to double coupons, so I used a couple of those as well.  I had plans to get some cheap granola bars with doubled coupons, but the prices were higher than those listed online so I didn't get them.  Here's what I used coupons on:

• International Delight Creamer: $2.19. Used $1/1 printable (no longer available) doubled = paid $0.19!
• 4 Fresh Express Bagged Salad: $3.49 each. Used 4 free product coupons = free!
• 2 Snicker PB: $0.99 each. Used $0.75/2 printable (doubled) and submitted for 100% back on one through SavingStar = paid $0.48/2, got $0.99 back!
• Submitted for $0.25 back from Checkout51 for buying carrots.
• Got $5.00 off for some random Wrigley's promotion that was going on. I'm not sure if it was because I hit a certain dollar amount or if it was based off of products I bought, but that was a nice surprise!

Target

• 8 Yoplait Yogurts: $0.62 each. Used two $1/4 printables = paid $2.96/8, or $0.37 each!
• 2 Nature Valley Granola Bars 12pks (not pictured): $2.69 each. Used two $1.25/1 printables = paid $1.44 each.
• 5 Bananas: $0.24 each. Used $1/fresh fruit mobile coupon = paid $0.20/5.
• Red Pepper: $1.59. Used $1/fresh veggie mobile coupon = paid $0.59.

Other Coupon Shopping:

• Target: Bought 3 single Reese's Eggs at $0.69 each. Used $1/3 (SS 2/23/14) = paid $1.07/3. I love these!
• Hobby Lobby: Bought an embroidery hoop for a project. Used 40% off mobile coupon = paid $1.06.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Target

I wasn't going to do any deal shopping this week, but I found several good deals at Target, and I got a $5 gift card through my Shopkick app.

• Pampers Wipes: $1.97. Used $1/1 (mailer) = paid $0.97.
• 2 Starkist Tuna Pouches: $0.99 each. Used $1/2 (insert) and $1/2 Target printable = 2 free!
• 3 Archer Farms K-Cup 3-packs: $1.49 each. Used $2/1 Target mobile and two $2/1 Target printables (all automatically came down to $1.49 off) = 3 free!
• 3 Market Pantry Mac & Cheese: B2G1 free at $0.59 = paid $1.18/3.
• 3 Candy: $0.69 each.
• Saved $0.05 for using my own bag = spent $4.29, meaning I had $0.71 to spare!

Other Coupon Shopping:

• Victoria's Secret: Used free panty coupon that came in the mail to save $12.50.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

CVS

Transaction #1:

• Huggies Slip-On Diapers: $8.99. Used $2/1 printable and $1.50/1 CVS printable (no longer available)
• Pull-Ups: $8.99. Used $2/1 printable and $1.50/1 CVS printable (no longer available)
• Pampers: $8.99. Used $1.50/1 printable
• Used $6ECBs from last time = paid $13.74, got $5 gift card for buying 3 diapers.

Transaction #2:

• CVS Diapers: $7.99, get $3ECBs.
• M&Ms: $0.75, get $0.75ECBs. *This didn't print, so they had to manually do it, and they can only manually print $1 or more, so I got a bonus!
• Used $5 gift card from Transaction #1 = paid $4.64, got $4ECBs

Transaction #3:

• 4 Valentine's Day Candy (2 pictured): $0.49 each.
• 2 CVS Vitamin C Drops: B1G1 50% off $5.49 = $8.23 for both
• Used $4ECBs from Transaction #2 = paid $6.65

Walmart

• Angel Soft 24 pack: $10.97. Used $2/1 printable (no longer available) = paid $8.97
• Thomas Bagels: $2.98. Used $5/1 from Facebook instant win giveaway = free + $2.02 money maker!
• 2 Birdseye Steamfresh Veggies: $1.78 each. Used two free product peelies from fish filets = 2 free!

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Piggly Wiggly

I got a few deals along with my regular shopping for the week:

• 4 Cheerios Cereals: $1.69 each when you buy 4. Used B1G1 printable (took off $2.49, no longer available) and two $0.75/1 printables = paid $2.77/4 boxes!
• 4 Yoplait Yogurts: $0.69 each. Used $1/4 printable (no longer available) = paid $1.76/4, or $0.44 each!

Target
We didn't use any coupons on these, but we found two great backpacks for the boys on clearance for $4.78 and $5.98, and a carry-on for us (with a special laptop pocket) marked down to $35.98 from $119.99!

The zipper on our old carry-on had broken, so we were in the market for a new one. And the boys are super excited about being in charge of their own stuff in the car on trips.

On a separate trip to Target (does anyone else go there multiple times a week? I have an addiction...), I got a $20 gift card. I received a coupon in the mail to get a $20 gift card when I created a baby registry. I have no idea why, since I'm not expecting, but it was easy enough to do that. I found a pack of 140 diapers on clearance for $27.98, so I only spent $7.98 after the gift card! 

Bonus Weekly Coupon Shopping

Pick N Save

Through today, Pick N Save was running a deal on Unilever products to spend $20, save $7 instantly, plus Saturday is double coupon day (5 coupons per transaction). So I did two transactions and got everything pictured for $19.11! Here's the breakdown:

Transaction #1:

• Dove Men+Care Body Wash: $4.00. Used $2/1 (RP 1/26/14) = $2.00
• Tresemme Shampoo: $4.00. Used $2/1 (RP 1/26/14) = $2.00
• Suave Professionals Mousse: $2.50. Used $1.50/1 (RP 1/26/14) = $1.00
• Dove Conditioner: $3.50. Used $1/1 (RP 1/26/14) doubled = $1.50
• Suave Naturals Body Wash: $1.75. Was going to use $0.50/1 (RP 1/26/14) doubled, but it got missed. $1.75 instead of $0.75
• Suave Professionals Shampoo: $1.75. Used $1/1 (RP 1/26/14) doubled = free + $0.25 overage
• Suave Professionals Conditioner: $1.75. Used $1/1 printable doubled = free + $0.25 overage (I think this coupon got missed also)
• Suave Deoderant: $1.75. Used $0.50/1 (RP 1/26/14) doubled = $0.75
• 10 Yoplait Yogurts: $6.50. Used $0.40/6 printable (doubled, but wasn't supposed to, but since the other one got missed it did) = 5.70
• Saved $7 instantly and $0.15 for my own bags
• Total spent: $9.63.

Transaction #2:

• Suave Lotion: $2.50. Used $1/1 (All You magazine) doubled = $0.50
• Dove Shampoo: $3.50. Used $1/1 (All You magazine) doubled = $1.50
• Suave Professionals Hair Spray: $2.50. Used $1.50/1 printable = $1.00
• Suave Mens Body Wash: $1.75. Used $0.50/1 (RP 1/26/14) doubled = $0.75
• Clear Shampoo: $5.00. Used $2.50/1 (RP 1/26/14) = $2.50
• Vaseline Lotion: $5.00. Used $1/1 (RP 1/26/14) doubled = $3.00
• 5 lbs. Carrots: $3.19.
• Celery: $1.00
• Food Should Taste Good Chips: $2.00. Used $1/1 printable doubled = free.
• Saved $7 instantly 
• Total spent: $9.48.

My total would have been slightly lower on the first transaction, because two coupons got missed, but I had a crying kid so I didn't get the chance to check it until I got home. Still, for 14 beauty products, as well as a few grocery items, I think I did pretty well.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Target

I struck out on a lot of the deals I was looking for at Target, but it was Thursday, so I kind of expected that. I bought a few other grocery items on this trip, but here are the items I got coupon deals on:

• 2 Pull-Ups Jumbo Packs: $8.06 each. Used two $2/1 Target printables and two $2/1 printables = paid $4.06 each.
• 2 Colgate Toothbrushes: $0.94 each. Used two $1/1 Target mobile coupons = 2 free!

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Target (last week)

Transaction #1: 3 General Mills Cereals, $2.99 each. Used three $0.75/1 printables and 5% Cartwheel = paid $6.27, got $5 Target gift card.
Transaction #2:

• 3 Up&Up Wipes: $1.00 each. Used 10% Cartwheel = paid $2.70/3.
• Fresh Express Salad Shreds: $1.57. Used $1/1 Target mobile coupon = paid $0.57.
• Carrots: $0.99. Used $1/1 Target mobile coupon = free.
• 9 Bananas: $0.24 each. Used two $1/1 Target mobile coupons = paid $0.16/9.
• Naked Juice (not shown): $2.69. Used 5% Cartwheel = paid $2.55.
• Larabar (not shown): $1.25. Used free coupon from contest win, which took off $1.97 = free plus $0.72 overage!
• Angel Soft Toilet Paper: $8.99. Used $1/1 (RP 01/05/14) and 10% Cartwheel = paid $7.99.
• Little Superhero and Lego guys (not shown): $3.99, $2.99, and $2.99.
• Total: $24.09. Used $5 Target gift card from Transaction #1 = paid $19.09.

Target (this week)

5 pound box of Cuties: $6.99. Used free coupon I won in a blog contest = free!

Weekly Coupon Shopping

Target

• Gerber Formula: price matched to Pick 'N Save $19.98 (from $21.69). Used $3/1 peelie from previous formula purchase and $4/1 Target mobile coupon = paid $12.98.
• GoGo Squeeze Apple Berry 12pack: $6.97. Used $1.25/1 printable (no longer available) and 20% off Cartwheel = paid $4.32. Also submitted for $1.00 ibotta deposit.
• 2 Naked Juice (1 shown): 2/$5. Used 5% off Cartwheel = paid $4.74/2.
• Mossimo Yoga Pants: $10.00. Used 15% off Cartwheel = paid $8.50.
• C9 Shorts: $15.00
• Total spent: $46.72. I also submitted this for the $2.00 deposit from Checkout 51, a new app similar to ibotta.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

CVS

• 2 Stayfree Pads: $2.50 each. Used two $1/1 (various magazines) = paid $3.50/2. Not the best deal but I'm finally running low on these after 4 years of couponing.
• 2 Special K Cereal: $2.50 each, get $1ECB when you buy 2. Used two $1/1 printables (link came in my email, no longer available) = paid $3.00, got $1ECB.
• 2 Pantene: 2/$7.00. Used $3/2 (P&G 12/29/13) = paid $4/2. Not the best deal again, but I have about 2 days of hair products left, and this was the cheapest of the brands I use.
• 3 Met-Rx bars (2 pictured): $0.99 each, get $1ECB when you buy 3. Used $2/3 (RP 1/5/14) = paid $0.97, got $1ECB.
• Snickers Bar: $0.75. Used $0.75/1 (CVS coupon machine) = free!
• Used $2ECB that printed out at the coupon machine, along with $5ECBs from last time = paid $4.54, got $2ECBs

Piggly Wiggly

• Yoplait Yogurt: $0.39 each (limit 12). Used two $0.60/3 printables (no longer available) and one $0.40/6 printable, got $0.40 Savingstar Deposit. I also got a $0.75 Savingstar deposit for Yoplait GoGurt, but I didn't buy that, so I'm not sure if these were bar-coded closely enough that it went through or what happened there.
• Farmland Hot Dogs: $0.69. Used $0.55/1 printable (came in email after signing up) = paid $0.14.
• Bananas: $1.33. Got 20% Savingstar Deposit ($0.26)
• Milk, Eggs, and Old Orchard Frozen Concentrate: (milk and eggs were through WIC, juice was $1.00). Got $2.50 ibotta deposit ($0.50 for each item, and a $1 bonus for claiming the milk plus two additional offers)

Other Coupon Shopping:

• Tropical Traditions: Used a code for free shipping (valid Monday only) = saved $7.25.
• Hobby Lobby: Used a 40% off coupon on some beads to save $1.20.
• Target: Used 20% off M&Ms on Cartwheel to save $0.38 on two bags that were on clearance for $0.95 each = paid $1.52/2 bags.

Pinching Pennies

I read this post about paying off $35,000 in debt (as linked to from here), and this quotation really struck me: "I committed myself to living like a poor person because — and this is something many people with debt don’t understand — that’s exactly what I am."

We have some credit card debt, as well as student loans, which we are working on aggressively paying down (hopefully off!) over the next six months or so.  I don't consider us "poor" by any means, but we do live leaner so that we can pay our debt off, and I'm sure many people would consider some of the things we do to be "living like a poor person".

So, instead of my weekly coupon shopping post this week, here are some ways I've been pinching pennies lately:

Using coupons. I didn't do much coupon shopping this week, but I did use a free drink loaded to my Starbucks card to save $4.63 on my mocha. I also used a few printable coupons to save $6.50 off of two big bags of M&Ms at Target.

Making homemade turkey broth. We had a turkey for our Christmas dinner, and after Jesse carved it, I put the carcass in my big stockpot with some leftover veggie peels and ends, and let it simmer all evening.  I was able to get 13 cups of broth, plus 2 cups of cooked turkey pieces that fell off the bones, which I'll use for soup.  This was all free from something that would have just been thrown out anyways.

Air drying laundry. Almost every week, I air dry at least one load of laundry.  Each load costs $1.00 or so to dry, which adds up over time.

Mending pants with a sock. Matthew had worn through one knee on his sweatpants, so I was trying to figure out what to patch it with. I had some sport socks that I had pulled out of my drawer because I didn't like how they fit, so I cut a rectangle off of one and sewed it underneath the holes in the knee. 

It's a soft material, so he won't notice a difference, and he'll get some more wear out of his pants. I also fixed his winter hat, my sweatshirt sleeve, and a few t-shirts with armpit holes.  This gets us more wear out of clothes that are mostly fine, so we don't have to replace them.

Emailing potential blog sponsors.  I sent an email to a company that has sponsored a blog post in the past, both in an effort to get a free product for myself that I will use, and also to get new content for the blog (and maybe a giveaway for you!). It doesn't take too much effort to send an email, and I figure the worst that can happen is they'll say no and I'll have to purchase the product if I want it.

Weekly Coupon Shopping

CVS

• 3 GM Cereals: 3/$9, get $3ECBs when you buy 3. Used three $0.60/1 printables = paid $7.20, got $3ECBs, and I'll get $0.50 Savingstar deposit for Cookie Crisp and $0.50 Savingstar deposit for Honey Nut Cheerios.
• 2 Right Guard Body Wash: 2/$6, get $2ECBs when you buy 2. 
• CVS Vitamin Cs: $3.99
• Used $12.01ECBs = paid $5.18, got $5ECBs and $1 Savingstar

Walgreens

• 4 Walgreens Diapers: B1G1 $8.99. Used 20% off friends & family discount coupon = paid $15.10 for all 4 packs!

Other Coupon Shopping:

• Shutterfly: I had two free codes for calendars from Pampers (one from points that I redeemed, and one from the Grow On program, where you get special gifts every 3 months if you enter at least one code a month), and mugs were on sale, so I got 3 grandparent Christmas gifts for $19.05 (savings of $53!)
• Target: We needed toilet paper, so I got a 20 +4bonus roll Angel Soft pack, on sale for $9.49. Used 20% off Cartwheel and $1.50/1 printable = paid $6.39! That's the lowest I've paid for TP in a long time, so I might have to print another coupon and do it again.
• Starbucks: Filled up a 5 sticker holiday drink card, so I got a free grande peppermint mocha. Saved $4.55!