4/1-4/7 Grocery Sales

Why do I post my top picks from the grocery ad's? Because I'm looking through them anyways, and if I post them, then a) I can always find my grocery list (because it's on my blog) and b) maybe it will help someone else save a little bit of money.

How do I find the time to do this? I've always looked through the ad's each week. That's nothing new. And there are some wonderful websites out there that list all of the coupons that make it fairly easy for me to match up, namely pinchingyourpennies.com and couponmom.com I have enough experience that I can do all of this in about 30 minutes, unless there is a big sale going on at one of the stores (like the Buy 10, get $5 off sales). And I don't try and match up everything, just the things I know my family uses.

SS- Smart Source
RP- RedPlum
The numbers that follow indicate the date of the coupon insert

Basha's -
Challenge Butter - $1.99 ($0.50 coupon on coupons.com)
Gold Medal Flour, 5 lb. bag - $1.50
Milk - $1.99
Tree Top or Juicy Juice - $1.50

Albertson's - remember, they don't double coupons
Bryer's Ice Cream - $1.97 - limit 2
Green Giant Steamers - $1 (the coupons on Bettycrocker.com and pillsbury.com should reset tomorrow, so maybe there will be a coupon availible for these)
Eggs - $1
Daisy Sour Cream - $1
Albertson's Brand Cereals - $1
Albertson's Brand Granola Bars - $1
Albertson's Brand Fruit Snacks - $1
Betty Crocker Cake mixes, frostings, or fudge brownie mix - $1 ($0.50 off frosting SS 2/8)
Pillsbury Brownie Classics ($1/2 RP 3/29)
Basic Lunchables - $1

Safeway
Baby Carrots - 2 lbs. - $1.48
London Broil - $1.98/lb
Lucern Butter - $0.99 with in-ad coupon
Eggs - 18 count - $1.49 with in-ad coupon and $10 purchase

Fresh & Easy
Boneless, Skinnless Chicken Breast - $1.97/lb
Wild Salmon - $5.99/lb (this makes it slighly cheaper than Sam's Club)
Eggs - $0.99
Philedelphia Cream Cheese - $1.25

Walmart
Philedelphia Cream Cheese - $0.98
Kraft Marshmallows - $1
Duncan Hines Cake Mix - $0.96

Fry's
Cantaloupe - 4 lb/$1
Dole Salads - $1
Cross Rib Roast - $1.97/lb
Half Pork Loin - $1.97/lb
Ducan Hines - $0.69 (limit 4)
Capri Suns - $1.77
**The following are part of an 8 hour sale on April 2, from 3-11PM
Nabisco Crackers - $1.25 (limit 4)
Fuji Apples - 3 lb bag - $0.99 (limit 2)
Honey Cured Ham - $3.98 / lb
Hershey's Easter candy bags - $1.88 ($1.50/3 SS 3/15

Every Year...

I do this every year...worry that my little seeds aren't going to come up, and then one morning, I go out and I find this:
The first picture is carrot sprouts, the second is corn. Nothing teaches you patience like seeds and kids, especially together! Spencer is very proud of the garden and his role in it. And our fence has worked pretty well to keep the dog out, except for when her ball lands in the garden. We learned this weekend that she can jump the 2' high fence cleanly if she wants to - she's that tall. Fortunately she has only done it once.

I haven't done very much grocery shopping or CVS-ing in the last several weeks. I have gone each week and gotten milk. I can't believe the prices - they haven't been this low in the last 5 years. It is $1.47 through today at Fry's. Hopefully, my ad's for the stores will come this afternoon in the mail so I can get them posted. I also learned something new - if you bring your own reusable bags to Fry's, they will give you 5 Cents off for each one used. I saved $0.20 today for actually remembering to grab the bags that are always sitting on my dryer just waiting to be used. Maybe I'll start keeping them in the car - after all, every penny saved helps! There is a new coupon for Cottonelle from coupons.com. You can access it through my sidebar (click on the "view all coupons" link). Remember, you can print it twice, and if you take it to Fry's, they have their 4-pack of Cottonelle for $0.99. The coupon should double to $0.99. My Fry's was out this morning, but I'll get some the next time I'm there.

And Johnny said yesterday that we can start on the new floor this week! I am so excited. We've been waiting for my brother to get home so he could help us. I asked him yesterday, and he said this weekend is good for him. Hopefully we can get it done in one weekend.

What a Week

Wow, it's been pretty busy. And the next few days will only bring more of the same. Just lots to do, the least frugal and definitely the least fun will be a return trip to the dentist to have a small cavity filled, and have one of my silver fillings drilled out and replaced because after 15 years, it has cracked. Talk about not fun.

Anyways, the garden is growing well. I am starting to worry just a little about my seeds coming up. If they haven't come up by Saturday, I'll have to replant.

The grocery sales for this week are okay - not spectacular, but okay. Make sure you check them out. Safeway is doing their version of the $5 off your purchase of 10 items. Fry's has milk for $1.47. I haven't checked out Basha's ad yet. I don't remember anything at Albertson's catching my eye.

Happy saving!

Garden Pictures

So far, I've only lost two plants to the dog. I bought some 2' garden fencing yesterday at Lowe's, and hopefully we will get it put up today. Please notice the beautiful drawings and colorings on the sides of the boxes - that was the kids' contribution to the project. Here's what I planted:

Celery
Lettuce
Peas
**It is pretty late in the season for these three. Usually, you would plant them in September or January, but I really like having fresh romaine and celery. And since A&P had them, I figured why not. So I fully expect them to croak sometime at the end of April or beginning of May, and I'll just enjoy them while I have them.

Carrots
Cilantro
Sweet Corn
Shallots
Green Beans
Watermelon
**I planted seeds for all of the above. Hopefully they will come up by next Saturday, or I'll have to go back to A&P and get transplants.

Yellow Pear Tomatoes
Sweet 100's Tomatoes (best cherry tomato ever invented!)
Roma Tomatoes
Habanero Peppers (for Johnny & one of his friends - I'm sure not going to eat them!)
Serrano Chili Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
**These are all transplants. I know it sounds funny, but Arizona's growing season is really short (it gets too hot for anything to grow), so unless you are willing to start tomato seeds inside the week after Christmas, you pretty much have to buy transplants. I did them from seed with the help of a friend the first year I did a garden. Spencer was about a year old, and he pulled off all of the leaves from the plants right after I had planted them. He brought the leaves to me, and said, "Here Mama". I've just bought the plants ever since.

I like to buy my plants at A&P Nursery. Not only is it literally around the corner from me, but they grow most of their plants in Queen Creek, so they are plants that are good for growing in the Phoenix area. The few things they don't grow at their Queen Creek farm are brought in from Albuquerque, and also do very well here. And it also helps that all of the guys working there know everything there is to know about gardening.

The Non-Existant Garden Now Exists

I decided that I wasn't going to plant a garden again until September. We had major squash bug issues last year, and the only real way to get rid of them is to not plant for a season and they all die off when there's no food. Grass has also gotten into the garden, and has been plaguing me for three years. So, I thought that maybe I could be content with just putting some carrots and green onions in the front planter. But I can't. Several of my friends have been telling me about square foot gardening, and using raised beds. I mentioned this to Johnny on Sunday, and told him how much I was already missing having a garden. And being the amazing, wonderful man that he is, Monday he went and got the wood and spent the day building me three boxes. So now I have a garden, and I'm pretty excited! I have two of the three boxes planted, and will plant the other one after dinner tonight, when it cools back down. Pretty exciting!

Holy Diapers, Batman!

I am really glad my sister is expecting - it gave me the perfect excuse to take advantage of the Walgreen's diaper deal, and the amazing price over at Albertson's. I ran over to Walgreen's this morning to use up the rest of my Huggies coupons (which, if you haven't printed, are available in my fancy new Coupon Sidebar - just click the "View all Coupons" link at the very top of it), and did the deal two more times. Truthfully, I have lost count of how many packages of diapers I have bought. I'll have to sort them next week. I bought sizes 1-4, concentrating in the 3&4's because those are the sizes that the kids stay in the longest. Anne still wears 4's at night.

So, after all coupons and deals, the most I paid was $3.99 for any given package! The first few packages of the 1 & 2's were free after my $5 coupons, my Register Reward from the Dove deal last week, and the new Register Reward that printed.

The Walgreen's deal ends today, but the diapers will be $6.99 at Albertson's through Tuesday. If they are out, GET A RAIN CHECK!!!

Grocery Highlights

Bashas -
Milk - $1.57

Safeway -
Cross Rib Steak - $1.99/lb
Cabbage - $0.25/lb
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast - $1.97
Capri Sun juice pouches - $1.50 (when you buy 5 participating items)
Ritz Crackers - $1.88 (Saturday & Sunday, only)
**The following specials are with the In-Ad coupon, and a minimum purchase of $10. Limit 1 of each.
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars - $0.99
Peter Pan Peanut Butter - $0.99
Eggs - 18 Count! - $0.97

Fry's
Cabbage - $0.33/lb
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast - $1.67/lb
Classico Pasta Sauce - $1.50 (when you buy 10 participating items - this is our favorite sauce, and it usually doesn't go on sale for less than $2. The fire roasted tomato and garlic also has the least calories and fat per serving of all the major brands, which is a definite plus!)
Eggo Waffles - $1 (when you buy 10 participating items)
Kellogg's Cereals - $1.50 (when you buy 10 participating items - don't forget there is $0.70 coupon out there that Fry's will double up to $1.00, making it $0.50 cereal!)
Baby Carrots & Romain Lettuce - $1
A & W Rootbeer or Sunkist - $0.75 (when you buy 10 participating items)
Cheez-Its - $1.50 (when you buy 10 participating items)
Betty Crocker Specialty Boxed Potatoes - $1 (when you buy 10 participating items - there are $.40 coupons availible on the internet. Check coupons.com, bettycrocker.com, and pillsbury.com)
Ziploc Brand bags - $1.50 (when you buy 10 participating items)

Albertson's
Skippy Peanut Butter - $1 (there was a coupon for $0.40 off any Skippy peanut butter in the 1/18 Red Plum insert)
Cheez-Its - $1
General Mills (selected products) -$1.50 (when you buy 4)
Huggies Diapers - $6.99 (pair this with the $3 or $5 coupons from coupons.com and you have an awesome deal!)

The Kitchen

In November, this is what we started with...



The New Tile



The New Sink, Faucet, and Cabinet & Wall Colors, and Cabinet Hardware

The Trim Work around the Oven

BEFORE:

AFTER:

And (as promised) the new couch...

Isn't it amazing! Johnny did a great job! We couldn't have done any of it without a lot of help from family members and a few friends. Up next is the new flooring in the family room, living room, and the hall. But we'll wait a little bit before tackling that!

So here are my estimates:
If we has gone through Lowe's or Home Depot and gotten all new cabinets (stock, not special order) and counter tops, it would have been about $5000, maybe a little more.

Instead, here is what we did:
Tile - $125 (I picked out what I wanted, and was waiting for a sale to buy it. As luck would have it, it went on clearance two or three months later, and I was able to use a couple of $10 off coupons I had.)
Tile Supplies - $50 (Thin set, trowel, etc. The grout was left over from when my brother-in-law tiled his bathroom, and was exactly what I wanted, so that saved us some money, too. We also borrowed a wet-saw instead of renting one or buying one.)
Trim around and on the other side of the oven - $40 (For the plywood backer and the paneling. The rest of the trim pieces are leftovers my brother-in-law had.)
Sink, Faucet, and new piping for under the sink - $500 (My sink is AMAZING! It is Granite Composite (the same thing that Corian counter tops are), and one side is about two inches deeper than normal so I can fit my large pots in it. I love my sink. Our Garbage Disposer wasn't very old, so we reused it, thus saving quite a bit.)
Paint & supplies for the Cabinets - $50
Drywall Stuff to patch the Hole where the Range Vent used to be - $20
Hardware for the Cabinets & Drawers - $50 (off of Ebay - they would have easily been 3 times as much in a traditional store.)
Paint for the Walls - $5!!! (This is the best find of all - the day I was at Lowes trying to pick a final color, I looked at the miss-tint table before having a couple of sample cans mixed up. There was a gallon can sitting there of one of the colors I was about to have mixed. The sample cans were $4 each, and this gallon can was marked $5. So I told the guy nevermind on the sample cans. When I got home and put it up on the wall, it was perfect! I asked why it was in the miss-tint section, and they said that a lady was in a day or two before trying to color-match something. They mixed up that whole gallon for her, and then she decided that it wasn't the right match. Lucky for me! We had enough paint that we also painted one of the walls in the Family Room.)
Supplies, Odds & Ends, & eating out on the days when there was no possible way I could cook in the kitchen - $100
(And as long as I'm totaling, I probably should include the Dishwasher and Oven since their purchase is what kicked off the whole project last May - $1050.)

So, after the appliances, and including the sink, our total would have been around $6500 if we had purchased new cabinets and counter tops.

Instead, we spent $940, plus the Range and Dishwasher for a Grand Total of:

$1990 - a savings of more than $4500!!!

Delaying the Inevitable

At the moment, I'm procrastinating vacuuming the family room and finishing taping the kitchen so Johnny and I can paint tonight. But I'm procrastinating for a good reason!

Safeway has their milk on sale again this week for $1.57. If you have the $1 off promotion on your card, it's time to stock up! I think the $1 off ends in a couple of weeks. They also have Kellogg's Corn Flakes for $0.99 when you buy 5 participating items. Spencer has decided that these, along with Frosted Mini Wheats, are the only cereals he will eat. The poor boy doesn't know what he's missing by not trying Lucky Charms... Anyways, there was a $0.70 coupon in the paper last week (Red Plum 2/22) for any Kellogg's Cereals. Safeways will double them up to $1 equaling free cereal.

There's a very interesting deal going right now with Dove soap and deodorant at Walgreen's. If you want to give it a shot, check out Money Saving Mom's article on it, and all of the comments. I did this right after taking Spencer to school today, and it worked beautifully. Just remember that if you pay for something with a Register Rewards, then any new RR's won't print! (Meaning that you can't "roll" them the way you can with CVS.) So I will use my RR's to buy the stuff that is Free After Rebate this month.

Lastly, I am teaching a class for our women's group at church next week, and need ideas for Birthday Freebies. If you know of any, please let me know!

March into March

I can hardly believe that March is upon us. We are getting to about 85 degrees every afternoon, and I think this week, we are supposed to get up to 90 degrees. Anyways, I didn't do a very good job keeping track of my CVS, grocery, or free stuff amounts during February. There are a million reasons why, but the long and short of it is that I didn't get there. So, I am recommitting myself to do better, and keep better track of things.

Don't forget that Fry's has cheese for $1. I'm going to go tomorrow morning, and pick up a few more packages. Shredded cheese freezes really well. Also, Sprouts has boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.88/lb. That is a good price, and I really like Sprouts' chicken because they don't "enhance" it with a "sodium broth" (aka salt water) like most other places.

And, I found some fabulous coupons this morning - if you go to My Penny Pile, on the left side, Maryanne has a coupon bar. At the top of it, click the link to see all of the coupons. Scroll through, and you will find a $3 coupon for any Huggies Natural Fit product, and a $5 coupon for any Huggies Gentle Care product. Wait for a sale (I think there's supposed to be one next week at Walgreen's), and it will make for some pretty cheap diapers!

I also went to CVS on my way to Sprouts to get chicken. I got a box of the Nestle's Instant Breakfast. I ended up making $2 on the deal because it is a Free after ECB's item, and I had a $2 coupon. I called Nestle about 6 months or so ago, and told them how much we (meaning Johnny) like their Instant Breakfast, and asked for a couple of coupons. They sent 2 $2 coupons, and I've been waiting for someone to put them on sale - they are rather expensive. I also got a raincheck for the Fusion Gamer razor that they were out of.

Tomorrow, I'll do a load in the pressure canner (half beef, half chicken), and start all of the detail painting that takes forever (going around the cabinets, etc.) in the kitchen. I hope to have it finished and pictures up this weekend!