$20 = 4 gallons of gas ... or an overflowing carriage?

After getting the paper this morning, I stopped to get gas in the Benz - which of course only can take premium. Since I was on "E" - I just put $20 in, to get where I needed this morning, so I can use my Stopy gas points this afternoon. $20 got me 4 gallons of gas ... UNREAL!

I got to my "happy place" aka Rite-Aid, just to get my free Noxzema razors, and as I walked by the clearance section, I almost fell over. They had 4-packs of Angel Soft toilet paper marked down to $1.19. This is the one item, my mother is brand loyal on...It is rarely on sale, and I never see coupons for it. Sooo, being the great daughter I am, I stocked up for them.

Here is what I got:

• 14 packages of Angel Soft (total 56 rolls of tp)
• 2 boxes of Puffs (also on clearance for $.89)
• 6 Noxzema razors (all free with coupons)
• 1 Carefree liners ($.50 w/coupon & rain check)

Total bill = $20.09

Happy saving!!!!

Over $50 FREE in just a little over an hour ....

I went to three stores this morning ... Stopy, Market Basket and Rite-Aid and the attached picture is what I got free during my 90 minutes of shopping this morning....

• 4 packages of toilet paper (16 rolls)
• 5 rolls of paper towels
• 6 packages of Noxzema razor (26 individual razors in total
• 4 Bisquick pancake mix
• 10 McCormick seasoning packets
• 3 ears of corn
• 6 Nexcare bandaids
• 1 Natures Bounty Fish Oil

What I should have paid $50.93 ... whoo hoo!

Happy Saving!!!!

Clearance at RiteAid

One way I save money is by frequenting the clearance racks. Every store I go in, that's usually the first place I go.

On the way home from my niece's birthday party I stopped to see my dad. The RiteAid near his place is fabulous, even if some of the cashiers are a bit grumpy. I knew that this RiteAid was pretty good having been there before. The store must have recently cleared their makeup section because I found so much stuff I could hardly believe it. Since I'm building a backup makeup kit to keep at work all of this will come in super handy. I left the store paying $2.62.

Here's how I did it:

• Covergirl Lashblast Mascara on clearance $4.50, used $1 off coupon = $3.50
• Dove body wash $1.39, used $1 Rite Aid VideoValues coupon = $.39
• Sally Hansen nailpolish on sale 75% off at $1.55, used $1 off coupon = $.55
• 2 CoverGirl Pressed powders on clearance $3.79 ea, total $7.58, used $2.50 off 2 coupon = $5.08
• Maybelline ColorStay Lipcolor on clearance $2 and Great Lash mascara $2 (they rang up cheaper than the price marked), total $4, used a $3 off 2 Maybelline products = $1

I also used one $3 off $15 purchase coupon from doing a survey from my last visit and my $5 in +UPs that were expiring this week.

There were tons more in the clearance box which I almost took off the shelf. I wanted to sit down on the floor to go through it but I was in a rush to get my car washed for free (I also used a coupon!!)!

Freebie Friday - Again

This week I stopped at CVS, Shaw's, Market Basket, Stop & Shop and a local store Johnnie's Foodmaster  (they also double coupons under $1! and I was driving right by the store after a doctor's appointment) and got all the following free just by using coupons. This was the first week in a while that I haven't gone to Rite Aid just because nothing caught my eye. You think I was running around like crazy but I had a few days off and took the time to shop when I felt like it. Plus it was hotter than heck out and the stores are air conditioned! My haul this week included:

Stop & Shop:
3 boxes of Pillsbury Brownie mix
Silver Palate Oatmeal
4 Luna bars

CVS:
2 Hershey Bars free from the Magic Coupon Machine

Shaws's:
La Victoria roasted green peppers
Skinny Cow candy bar

Market Basket:
Teddy Grahams

and last but not least Johnnie's Foodmaster:
Bounty Towels (I used a great $5 off Bounty coupon that I got from Facebook)
The Chore Boy sponges weren't free but they ended up costing $1.19 and I used a $.55 off coupon that doubled so they ended up costing me $.09 each

A great week indeed!

10 things I refuse to pay more than $1 for

So, one of the many things that I learned while couponing, that there are just some things that you don't need to pay for ... and hey, why should we?

1. Condiments .... ketchup, mustard, relish, bbq sauce - during the summer these are always on sale, combine that with double coupons, and stock up!
   
2. Paper towels .... shop around on these, paper products go on sale a few times a year. Since these never spoil, get as many as you can get your hands on for the cheapest price.
3. Gum ... really, when did gum begin to cost more than $1. Rite-Aid always has gum on sale, and by watching their videos, there has been at least one gum coupon each month.
4. Pickles .... my husband goes through a jar of pickles a week. When they are on sale for 2 for $4. and I use two $.75 coupons, that double ... so I can get two for $1.00, I am one happy camper.
   
5. Tuna .... this always goes on sale, but there is rarely coupons - when this is 10 for $10, or less than a $1, I buy LOTS. Tuna is always great to have on hand.
6. Bleach .... bleach is bleach, really lets face it. I use it once a week for my whites. Once upon a time I was brand loyal, now, I have been using those $1 off Hannaford's brand item for Hannaford's bleach.
7. Seasoning .... when the Weber and McCormick coupons come out, why would you use them towards a larger size, when you can use them towards the packets. When these go on sale, they are a $1 or less...another free product.
8. Brownie mix .... another item the goes on sale, alot. Especially with the summer and the holidays. When these are $1, if you can get your hands on coupons, this makes it an even better score ... can you say el cheapo? (I got 36 Pillsbury brownies mixes this week for $5)
9. Dips .... Hellva good dip goes on sale a lot too - I try to get my hands on $.75/1 or $1.00/1 coupons. Over the last few weeks, I have been getting a bunch, average price $.50 a piece.
10. Toothpaste ... I wish toothpaste had more use, I have probably 40+ tubes of toothpaste in the bunker that I got for free.
    

Happy stockpiling!

There is a way to save on gas ....

With all the changes in the coupon policies and soaring gas prices, it is nice to see that Stopy offers their "Gas Rewards" program. Over the last 4 weeks, I have banked 1579 in gas reward points, that translate into $1.579 off each gallon of gas ... and when one of your vehicles can only take premium gas, these rewards can definitely come in handy.

The items each week that qualify, match up nicely with items that there have been recent coupons for.

So...there might not be coupons for gas...but Stopy's program is saving me money on gas for buying groceries that I would have bought anyway. The only caveat with this program, is your points are only good for 30 days .. so make sure to use them!

Happy saving!!!!

Freebie Friday

Each week I'm going to try to post things I got free either from samples, rebates or using coupons.This week I got all this free!

The Poland Spring I picked up at Shaw's. On sale 10/$10 used $1 off coupon off 2 and used their dollar doublers. I'm so glad I took advantage of that!

The Tide was a sample.

Bandaids I picked up at Stopy which were $.99 used $1 off coupon.

Lastly, the got2b dry shampoo was something I scored at RiteAid, free after rebate.

If only I could do this for wedding stuff *brain thinking*...