8/10 Expressions

Shopping Spree: I bought $70+ worth of groceries at Publix today for $8.XX. I will be mailing in the receipt for a $10 JCP gift card. I also went to Rite Aid and got the hair color touch up product for free after rebate. At Wal-mart, I got 4 free bath buddies with internet coupons, and 2 Clean Team wipes for pennies after a $3/2 coupon. I also picked up 2 more "All You" magazines with the great coupons in them. There is a $1 off peanut butter - that is BOGO at Publix - making each jar just pennies - I believe Peter Pan brand. Also, there are a bunch of buy 3 Kraft products and get an item free coupons in the magazine. Pays for itself many times over. I stopped at Kroger to fill my car up with a Kroger gift card and picked up a free 12 pack of Pepsi and a free Sobe (internet coupon) - oh and a free can of Mighty Dog - coupon in today's paper.

Garden: Our cute pumpkin - not very big, had to be picked. The vine was pretty much lifeless and the pumpkin is orange. I put it in the fridge hoping to save it for Halloween. I also planted the freecycled plants we got yesterday. (Monkey grass, Crepe Mertle, and wild lillies.

8/8 Expressions

I read that today is a lucky day because it is 8/8/08. Sure seems so for the stock market - now about 10 more lucky days in a row would be nice :)

Mail: I received some free magazines in the mail - Smart Money, etc. Also, Kroger sent some nice coupons, free 12 pack of Pepsi, $1 off fresh fruit, $1 off produce, etc.

Free plants: Tomorrow, I will be digging plants out of a freecycler's yard. Sounds like a nice variety.

8/7 Expressions

Cutting costs to dining out with coupons!: Today is my daughter's birthday :) She is a wonderful child - if I do say so myself :) Now with that said, we have received a coupon in the mail from a local restaurant with a birthday club for a free meal. I signed her up for Red Robin - and she will eat a free meal there tomorrow. Maggie Moos e-mail club sent us a b1g1 coupon for a scoop of ice cream. I also signed us all up for Captain D's Club and we each got a free fish & fries or Free chicken & free coupon - but my daughter also received a free dinner coupon for her birthday! Do a search for birthday freebies and perhaps you'll receive some welcomed coupons too!

8/4 Expressions

Entertainment: I was looking at our local museum website today and noticed that they had free membership events posted. Next Saturday, a picnic with food, fun, and games. Our membership expired a couple of months ago, but this picnic is also a membership drive. So, this is where we will be heading for lunch. In the afternoon, our local botanical garden is having a fun festival too. Our membership there expired, so, we will be renewing both. Both have nice events during the year, and we enjoy visiting and they have reciprocity with other museums/botanical gardens - so, a bargain for us. I mentioned earlier that I am a BUZZ AGENT - I signed up for the ZAPPIT Game System - specifically designed for family entertainment. We have been anxiously awaiting the system and it arrived today :) The company included an additional game in the packet, so, we got a total of 7 family friendly games. Nice discount coupons to pass out too. What a nice company!

8/3 Expressions

Shopping Spree: I love shopping sprees where I get a lot for a little money :) I mentioned I was going to Publix with a fist full of coupons - and I did! My first order, I got just over $70 worth of items for $15.74 (triple points on my cash back credit card too) and I will be sending the receipt in for a $10 JC Penney Gift Card - thanks to Kraft! My second order - items all pictured together was for a bottle of Pert Plus Shampoo and Sure Deoderant - I spent $2.81 and saved $3.70 using coupons - advantage buy. Why did I buy those 2 items. Because I had coupons, they were on sale, and there was a form in today's paper - buy $5 worth of Pert and Sure - send in the receipt, plus a receipt for school supplies and get $5 back! Yup, I have a receipt for school supplies from yesterday :) The one cent item at Publix was the re-usable shopping bag - which they used. And I believe the Fast Fixin products have a buy 10 items get 1 free offer (receive a coupon in the mail) and I think I have my 10 proofs of purchase now too.

After that shopping spree, my daughter and I decided to take advantage of the last day of the "tax free" sale. We went to Rite Aid and got a few more school supplies and toiletries. I will be uploading that receipt to get a rebate back on most of that stuff and I used a fist full of coupons there too. I will have spent approximately $10 out of pocket after rebate - total spent after coupons, but before rebate is $54.56. So, quite a savings with coupons and rebate. Then we went to CVS, we had a ball :) I had $25 in extra-care bucks from a previous visit, a $10 off $50 coupon and a bunch of manufacturer coupons. So, we got a few more like to have school supplies, toiletries, and snacks. Before coupons, the total was close to $55. After coupons, $9.44. But the great part, $13.49 in extra-care bucks and a coupon for a free box of CVS brand cotton swabs, 50 ct spit out of the register. And a coupon that says, if I update my e-mail address, they will e-mail be a coupon for $5/$20. We left CVS and noticed a billboard that said the temperature was 103 degrees - and it felt like it. We pulled through the drive-thru of Burger King, and my daughter got a free icee with coupon, and I paid for an Iced Mocha - $2.XX. Next, we went to Kohl's. We each had a $5 coupon for registering our e-mail addresses. For around $9, she got a pair of whimsical tennis shoes, originally $29.99 and locker decorating kit, originally $16.99 on clearance, with the coupons. Our last stop was Rack Room Shoes, there was a $10 off $60 coupon in the paper and they were running a buy 1 get 1 50% off sale. So, she got a nice pair of tennis shoes, and I got a nice pair of walking shoes for about the sales price of her tennis shoes. We had a few more coupons and were planning to shop at a few more stores - but the heat got to us, and the crowd, and we headed home :)

8/2 Expressions

Frugal Activities: Today, I finally stitched the slippers I knitted on your summer trip together. Even though it is warm outside, I like to wear slippers indoors. So, now, I have comfy slippers on. I noticed I still had a ziploc bag of pureed pumpkin (from Halloween last year) in the freezer and I found a pumpkin bread/cream cheese spread recipe on-line. I baked the bread and it was a hit with the family. Also, I had all of the ingredients, so, it helped clean out the fridge/freezer a bit. My husband and daughter made 1 shopping trip today. This is tax-free weekend here and I found a 12% off coupon for Staples. So, my daughter has all of her school supplies. On their way home, they stopped at the library and checked-out a few DVDs. We watched one this afternoon. Tonight we played a board game in our "new" game room. I clipped coupons and checked the web for Publix deals. I am armed and ready for tomorrow :)

8/1 Expressions

Wow - July just flew by.

Recycling: My husband proudly told me that he received $19 for his soda cans and he thinks the quantity was less than the last time - so, the price per lb must have gone up. Then they picked up the freecycled table - it is very nice. Also, during a break today, I made a few more "yo-yos" - still a ways to go before I can make a "quilt" or coverlet.

Entertainment: We will be going out to dinner tonight - and it won't be frugal. But afterwards, we are attending a free event at a local bookstore. It is advertised that they will have entertainment, prizes, and generally fun things to do tonight.

Groceries: My husband and daughter spent $27 at Aldi. They came home with some nice produce and the basics. I will round out the groceries on Sunday with a fistful of coupons.

Mail: My husband received some free golf balls in the mail. Those will probably end up at the consignment store. A rebate check came. Sunsilk samples and coupons too.