You can never have too much juice!!

My friend Stephanie and I had so much fun the other night at Publix. We had recently gotten rain checks for Ocean Spray 100% Juice due to the stores running out during a recent sale. The sale was BOGO at $3.99. My daughter Lily, she is 6, loves this juice so I was behind happy to provide something a little healthier for her. We patiently waited for the shelves to be re-stocked and then we sprang!! 

Here is what we did:
* Purchased 10 bottles of assorted flavors of Ocean Spray juice (used my raincheck)
I used 10 coupons that were $1/1 and then used 10 PQ (publix coupons) that were $1/1......10 juices TOTALLY FREE!!!

* Purchased two bottles of V8 Fusion (they were on sale for 2/$5)
I used 2 PQ (publix coupons) that were $1/1 and 2 MQ that were $.50/1....2 bottles of juice were $2.00

* Purchased three 6 packs of Motts juice (on sale 3/$5.00)
I used 3 MQ that were $1/1 which brought each 6 pack to $.66

* Purchased 4 snapware containers (BOGO @ $6.99)
I used 4 MQ coupons that were $2/1 which brought each 2 containers to $3.00

Here is the best part....my total bill was over $60.00 so I was allowed to use two of  my $5/30 coupons from Winn Dixie. After all my coupons my total OOP (out of pocket) was $2.87!! My sweet Lily woke up this morning and when she saw the juice her comment was, "wow this is really cool". I was one happy Mom.

Fabric Softener....why did I wait so long?

I have never been one to use fabric softener in my laundry. I thought it was a waste of money and since my clothes were clean and smelly with just laundry soap, I was happy. Boy was I missing out!!!

There was a deal at Publix this week for Downy softener 90 load bottles for $5.99. I wasn't impressed until I realized I had $5.00/3 coupons and I could purchase some MM (money maker) items to help lower the overall cost. I did the deal and am thrilled that I did!! My clothes are softer and even better smelling now.

Here are the details:

* Bought 6 bottles of Downy fabric softener ($5.99 each)
Used 2 of the $5/3 Tide products MQ coupon

* Bought 16 Rachel Ray dog food ($1.99 each)
Used 16 of the $2.50/1 MQ coupon

*Bought 4 bottles of Sauve hair products ($2.19 each)
Used 4 of the $1.50/1 Mo coupon and 2 of the $1/2 PQ coupon

I used 2 of my Winn Dixie $5/30 coupons  since my total exceeded $60 before coupons (Publix accepts certain competitor coupons)

My OOP (out of pocket) total was $12.54 ($4.00 just for tax) and I Saved $80.00.....WOO HOO!!!

It has been awhile since I blogged...time to catch up!

Wow! I am not even sure where to begin. It has been several weeks sinceI have blogged and I realize for those that do read this, you might have missed me! I had issues with my computer and I got frustrated and gave up. Not a good idea to ever just give up and I was reminded of that tonight by a dear friend, Erin. So back to the blog I am.....and couponing success storiesI will share with all of you.

This past week our Publix chain in Florida had some great deals. My favorite by far was the BOGO (buy one get one) watermelon deal. To sweeten the deal even more Publix put out a coupon for $3.00 off ANY fruit for EACH Tropicana Farmstand Juice I purchased. And yes it gets better.....there were manufacturer coupons to use for each container of juice I bought.

Here is what I did:
* Bought 6 juice and used $1/1 coupons
(juice was 2/$6 originally and ended up being 2/$4)
*Bought 12 watermelon and used 6 of the $3.00 off of fruit coupon
6 were free due to bogo sale and the other 6 were free with the coupon

Lets just say my kids were thrilled and in 2 days, 5 containers are gone!! I did purchase some other items during this trip, all of which I had coupons for and none of which I paid more then $1.00 for. Cat food was $.99 a bag and shampoo and conditioner were $.19 a bottle. My entire trip was OOP (out of pocket) $11.01......Pretty cool!!!


                   

Check out my friends shopping trip today and not just at Publix!!!

My friends trip to Publix today.....OOP (out of pocket) was $31.05 and she made out big time!!!



Then she went to Family Dollar and her dog is hooked up with treats!! For those that don't know, Family Dollar excepts manufacturer coupons for any product that they carry. You many use 4 coupon per item per person per day. I take my kids with me and we can buy 12 at a time! She was OOP $.72 for these.



And lastly Walgreens!! Deodorant is sooo expensive but not when you use coupons!! She was OOP $.40....woo hoo!!! I need to go get mine for my teenage son.



Any one else have great deals they are getting? Share, Share, Share!!

Ways for you to save too!!

Sharing is the best way for others to learn about couponing so I wanted to share some of my favorite sites for deals. Most of the sites I use are on facebook and all you have to do is "like" the page to get connected and start receiving the info too.

*** Broward/Dade Coupon Exchange is my favorite. We all post the upcoming deals we find so that we all get a chance to take advantage of them. We also can exchange coupons to each other within the group which can be helpful for sure!! Seeing the pictures and the $$ saved is always great and a great encouragement.

Here is the direct link - https://www.facebook.com/pages/BrowardDade-Coupon-Exchange/422630537828813?fref=ts

***Broward Savers Coupon Club is another great one. It is similar to the above site but worth being apart of since we always find things in one group that the other doesn't know about. It is a great way to share information between fellow couponers.

Here is the direct link - https://www.facebook.com/groups/495204430553077/520310048042515/?notif_t=group_comment_reply

Enjoy and let me know if you have any sites that you personally use!!
Happy Thursday!!

Wednesday's shopping trip

Wednesday night is the night that we must make our last run to the local Publix to ensure we took advantage of all the deals for the week. Publix is known for BOGO (buy one get one) deals. Our new ad begins bright and early on Thursday morning.

Tonight was no exception to the rule. My friend and I triple checked our coupon list and then headed out the door. We were hoping to be back by 8pm so she could watch "Big Brother".......so did not happen!! We didn't even leave the house until 8pm!

Of course we ran into the other Wednesday night couponers and stared comparing deals. It is fun to see who is going to save the most and get the best items. One of the ladies shared that last week's total was over $1200.00 and after all her coupons, her bill was $80.00. WOW was all I could say!!!

 *** I think my Planters deal was the best last night. After using a rain check for Planters Peanuts from last week and my manufacturer and competitor coupon, I got 10 bottles for $.50 a piece....woo hoo!!!

***There was a line for Smart Balance milk which is actually really tasty. It ended up costing $.50 a carton (I got mine the night before)!!!

***I am most excited to finally try the new Febreeze stick on that has been all  over the TV lately. There was a manufacturer coupon for Buy One Air Freshener and then Get One Stick and Fresh. I got 5 deals and paired them with a manufacturer coupon for $3/off any 2 Febreeze products. Guess what???? I made $.50 per deal!!! This is what you call a MM (money maker).

All in all it was a good trip. I saved $112.87 and spent $4.64 ($3.24 for tax). Oh, remind me to tell you about the $5/30 Winn Dixie coupon that Publix accepts!!!!

As a struggling single mom, I knew that there had to be a way to feed my family and not go broke doing so. Boy was I right!!! Couponing has literally saved my family from having to go to pantries weekly for food.

Over the past 3 months I have been able to start a stock pile of supplies ranging from shampoo and body wash to peanuts, cereal, ice cream and even soda. My kids are enjoying some of the more enjoyable items kids want to eat and I am no longer stressing out where the money will come from.

I wanted to share this with others because I know first hand that we often don't realize how simple something like cutting coupons can be and the HUGE impact it can have on our life. I hope you will follow this journey with me and maybe even learn something along the way.