AMAZING Smith's Shopping Trip June 26th!!

Total Spent:  $125.60

Bought:  124 items

Saved:  $172.59

This was an amazing shopping trip!!
I was really pleased with how well-stocked they were and was able to get most of the items I had wanted!  They were only out of a few things that I had wanted, but I wasn't surprised since there were free or incredibly cheap items with the coupon (Yoplait Greek yogurts, Bounty paper towels, Ziploc freezer bags, & French's Worcestershire sauce). 

I got several items free and so much for AMAZING prices!  I was very excited when I came home and laid it all out!
So here it all is if you want to know!

2 packages of Huggies Newborn diapers ($7.19 each)

4 containers Pampers wipes ($.59 each)

2 Clorox bleach ($.99 each)

2 Purex laundry detergent ($2.19 each)

2 Pinesol cleaners ($.99 each)

2 Windex all-purpose cleaners ($1.19 each)

1 Cascade dish-washing liquid ($3.21)

2 Ivory 3-pack soaps (free)

2 Dial foaming soaps ($.50)

4 Dawn dish detergent w/ Oil of Olay ($.49 each)

2 Plackers flossing packages ($1.99 each)

3 Frigo string cheese ($1.99 each)

3 Kroger shredded cheese ($.94 each)

2 gallons milk ($1.79 each)

1 Tropicana ($1.69)

2 Yoplait yogurts--32 oz ($1.50 each)

1 cottage cheese ($.88)

1 sour cream ($.88)

2 Challenge butters--8 oz whipped, spreadable ($.99 each)

3 Pillsbury biscuits--8 count ($.86 each)

1 Kroger pinto beans (free + $.32)

2 Jack Daniels bbq sauces ($.89 each)

3 French's mustards ($.49 each)

4 Hunts ketchups--35 oz! ($.79 each)

8 Betty Crocker Supreme brownie mixes (my favorite--$1.19 each)

4 boxes Quaker granola bars ($1.61 each)

5 Betty Crocker fruit roll-ups/by the foot ($.59 each--catalina included)

9 Banquet frozen meals ($.69 each)

4 Totino's pizza rolls packages (free + $.05 each)

2 El Monterey frozen burritos pkgs ($2.50 each)

2 1 lb packages premium Frost o' Lakes Turkey Breast ($1.99 each)

2 David Sunflower seeds ($.50 each)

2 Mentos gums ($.39 each)

4 Zone bars ($.50 cents)

4 Ortega Taco Seasoning pkgs ($.50 each)

1 Barilla pasta shells ($.25)

2 Smart Taste Penne Pasta pkgs (free)

4 Wacky Mac pkgs ($.25 each)

2 Suddenly Salad pkgs ($.75 each)

1 Kroger cake mix (free + $.11)

2 Jello gelatin pkgs ($.15 each)

2 C&H brown sugar (2 lb) pkgs

4 Betty Crocker cookie mixes ($.69 each)

4 Texas Toast crutons ($.29 each)

2lb pkg carrots ($1.39)

2 lbs apple ($2.38)

2.7 lbs bananas ($1.38)

Wow!  Most of the items were AMAZING prices and I am excited to have re-stocked--I had run out or was about to run out of some of the above items--perfect timing!  Hopefully they will last through until the next amazing sale on those items!  Sales rotate--some every few weeks, some every couple of months and some are every 4-6 months--like the Supreme brownies--they often have regular brownie mixes on sales for less than $1, but not generally the Supreme ones--and those are my favorite!

Free Kids Meals at IKEA!

Kids 11 & under Eat FREE at IKEA today thru July 5th. Choose any three kid-sized items to create a meal - no adult purchase necessary. $2.49 value.

Thanks for the info from PinchingYourPennies.com through facebook.

Smith's Mega Event Sale--June 23rd-29th

All manufactures' coupons will be worth $1 for this weeks sales! This means that any coupon less than $1 will come up as $1 off! So if I have a $.25 off coupon or a $.50 off coupon, it will be $1 off!!
So get ready and shop at Smith's this week!! Check out www.grocerysmarts.com--passport:g84cah (this is a Utah passport--if you are from another state, go to www.pinchingyourpennies.com and there are links for other states).

Remember, grocerysmarts will tell you if you need a coupon and which coupon insert it is in--SS=smart source, PG=Proctor & Gamble, GeneralMills (they come in the Sunday paper), RP=redplum (comes in the mail or Sunday paper depending on where you live). It will have the date next to it which means the Sunday paper in which it came--NEVER cut out your coupons until you are ready to use them--just sort the coupon inserts according to their date and keep them for at least 4 months. Grocerysmarts does all the work for you in finding coupons and telling you when to use them--saves you TONS of time!!

Here are some of the items that are going to be GREAT deals!!
*Frigo string cheese
*Post cereals (not as good as last week, but still only $1/box)
*Betty Crocker cookie mixes (only $.69!!!!)
*Betty Crocker fruit snacks
*Bounty paper towels
*Dial Soap, 6-8 ct bars or 32-50 oz Liquid Soap Refill
*Orville Gourmet Popping Corn ($.69!!)
*Totinos Pizza Rolls, 15 ct (FREE)
*Trop50, 59 oz
*Windex Cleaners
*Cascade Dishsoap & Tabs
*C&H brown sugar
*Dole mandarin oranges

And a lot more--
So check it out and enjoy stocking up and saving $$!!

Free Zoo, Movie, or Baseball tickets with Cache Valley Purchases

You can get a free ticket for the Zoo, Bees, or Movie tickets when you bring 4 empty packages of cheese and/or butter at the ticket office--limit of four free tickets per household!

http://www.cachevalleydairy.com/summerfun/

Thanks to Jamie for the info!!

Walgreens Sale--June 20-26th

This is a GREAT time to stock up on Gillette or Old Spice items! Also Herbal Essences, Aussie, contact solution, Lysol, tampons and so on!

I got 9 Old Spice deodorants (the only kind my husband will use), 2 Old Spice body sprays, 3 Old spice body washes, 1 Herbal Essences hair spray, & 2 Aussie products.

Total Spent:  $43.89 (if you subtract the $35, it's about $9 total--Amazing!!)

Received $35 in register rewards  

(Walgreens cash to use on my next shopping trip--pictured below)

Bought:  17 items

Saved:  $38.44  (not including the register rewards)

So How did I do it?  

The Walgreens list is on the grocersmarts link--it will guide you as to what the sale is and where to get the coupons.  The store also labels all items that have a register reward, so you will know if you are getting the correct item.  

The sales are: buy $25 worth of Old Spice and/or Gillette items and get $10 in register rewards (the store will have items labeled that are part of the sale).  Then there is a register reward of $4.50 when you buy Old Spice or Gillette body wash.  And $2 register rewards for Aussie and Herbal Essences (and much more--check out grocerysmarts).  To equal your $25--you must have at least $25--$24.99 won't work.  So you generally have to go over a little to make it work for you.  But the awesome thing is that it just has to equal $25 BEFORE you use the coupons!  So with a buy 1 get one free coupon--you are getting everything half off, plus the $10.  Also, you can not use a register reward in a purchase in which you expect to get a register reward--it will cancel out the register reward to be received.

So here is what I did:

I did this in two transactions because you can only get each kind of Register Reward in one transaction. 
The first transaction was all the "white" deodorants and one body wash--using 2 sets if the the "buy 1 deodorant get 1 free coupons, and 1 set of the "buy 1 body wash get 1 free deodorant" coupon--along with an Aussie product and an Herbal essences product and their coupons. 
I received $10, $4.50, and 2 $2 register rewards with the first transaction. 

The second transaction was the other old spice items--using 2 sets of "buy 2 deodorants, get 1 body spray free", then 1 coupon for "buy 1 body wash, get 1 free", and then finally another Aussie product. 
I received $10, $4.50, and $2 register rewards.

If it sounds tricky, just go try it out--you will get the hang of it and be grateful for all of your savings!!  Remember it takes a few tries to get something down--don't give up--it gets easier and easier and way worth the money saved!!

Smiths Sale--June 16th-22nd

There were several great items on last weeks sale (ending today)--the post cereal ($.75 after coupon!), yogurt, eggs, ivory body wash ($.50 after coupon!).

Anyway, they were out of a few things being the end of the sale (though Smith's is really good about restocking on most items), and I was pleased with what I got: 3 yogurt 4 packs, 1 dz eggs, 1 case water bottles, 1 lb shredded cheese, 1 lb string cheese, 2 loaves bread, 2 ivory body washes, bananas, popsicles, icecream sandwiches, 4 boxes of cereal (that's the main thing that I wanted that they were out of-- Honey Bunches of Oats--though my husband is stopping by on his way home from work because they told me they would restock last night, and it's the last day of the sale).

Total Spent:  $22.73

Bought:  20 items

Saved:  $37.44

Yes, I even did some "grocerysmart" shopping on my family vacation!!

I was down in St. George and there was a great sale on several things.  I didn't want to take away from the vacation, so I wasn't sure I would go to the grocery store.  But then we needed some bread and milk--and since I was there and had planned on the possibility of getting some "non-perishables" that we could pack in the car and use later, I went ahead.  If I hadn't bought the toilet paper, ketchup and frosted flakes (My husband's all time favorite cereal--was great for Father's day--ha ha!)--I would have spent only $6 for the bread and milk--this means that 36 rolls of toilet paper, five boxes of frosted flakes, and 5 bottles of Hunts ketchup only cost me just over $21 and we were low on toilet paper and I had planned to stop at Costco after our trip and just get an 36 pack there--which is $18 just for that!  I was pretty excited and so was Jon when he saw the Frosted Flakes!

Total Spent:  $27.39

Bought:  16 items

Saved:  $48.95

Smith's & Walgreens Sale

Walgreens sales end on Saturdays--so if you haven't gotten your free Schick Hydro 3/5 blade razor and Nivea for Men body wash--run over and get those!

Smith's has some great deals--several 5* items--so be sure to check those out!

Things I noticed are:  Corn on the cob, watermelon, Dannon Activa yogurt, Sour cream, Kroger bottled water, Post cereals (only $.75/box!!), Dial soap ($.65 for either the liquid or a 2 bar pack), and Ivory body wash or 2 count bar soap (only $.50)!!

Remember that when you get started you at first spend close to what you used to spend because you aren't stocked up on anything.  Sales will come and go on different things and grocerysmarts will match coupons to the sale items making them REALLY cheap.  You will need to stock up on the 4 & 5 star items that you will use sometime in the next 2-6 months.  Then as you get stocked up on things, you won't need as many things on a regular basis and you will start needing to buy less and less and get to the point where you are just getting the stock up items (4 & 5 star items) and milk, meat, and fresh produce!  You will love how much you will be saving!!

Enjoy your savings and deals!

P & G Coupons--Postmark by June 15th

This Mail-in form was in your May P&G insert. You receive $100 worth of P&G coupons that last through the year when you send in receipts showing that you have purchased $50 worth of P&G products. I did this last year and it was great to use for P&G sales! Just follow the directions on the form, send it in and look forward to some awesome coupons!

Some Samples of Shopping Trips

Here is a Smith’s Shopping trip, using coupons to match the sale:
(I used grocerysmarts.com to tell me exactly where to get the coupons; grocerysmarts does most of the work for you!)

4 large yogurts
2 danimals yogurts
2 cottage cheeses
1 sour cream
1 cheetos
1 donettes
1 8-bar Zest soap
1 8-bar safeguard soap
2 old spice deodorants
2 head & shoulders
2 herbal essences

Total Spent: $28.47
(plus $5 in Fresh Values rewards)
Bought: 19 items
Saved: $30.47



Here is a Smith’s Shopping trip, using coupons to match the sale:
(I used grocerysmarts.com to tell me exactly where to get the coupons; grocerysmarts does most of the work for you!)

3 Tide detergents
2 Betty Crocker cake mixes
2 shredded cheese
4 Flipz pretzels
2 large Kroger Whipped toppings
1 Jumbo package Pampers diapers

Total Spent: $20.44
Bought: 14 items
Saved: $38.40



Here is a Macey’s Shopping trip, using coupons to match the sale:
(I used grocerysmarts.com to tell me exactly where to get the coupons; grocerysmarts does most of the work for you!)

4 caprisun sunrise--$1.15 each
3 bags cheetos--$1.48 each
2 bags fritos--$1.48 each
1 bag Don Julio chips--$.88
1 box cheerios--$1.08
1 box Wheaties Fuel--$.83
6 Gogurts--$1 each
2 Nature Valley granola bar boxes--$1.18 each
2 boxes Plastic Utensils--$.50 each
6 bags frozen vegetables--$.58 each
5 pkgs instant pudding--$.38 each
6 pkgs. Jello--$.33 each
2 upside down bottles ketchup, 32 oz-$.88
3 bottles mustard, 24 oz--$.68
1 dozen large eggs--$1.25
2 sour creams, 16 oz.--$.99
2 cans mandarin oranges--$.50 each
Don Julio Tortillas--$.88 each
3.5 lb bag Tyson Frozen chicken breasts--$5.99

Total Spent: $46.64
Bought: 52 items
Saved: $13.80
(The savings for Associated Foods stores is just in coupons—I don’t know how much was saved including the sale—the receipts at most Associated Foods stores don’t break down your savings on the receipt like they do at some other stores)



Here is a Walgreens Shopping trip, using coupons to match the sale:
(I used grocerysmarts.com to tell me exactly where to get the coupons; grocerysmarts does most of the work for you!)

2 Pantene styling products
6 Pantene Shampoo/Conditioners

Total Spent: $3.96
Bought: 8 items
Saved: $28.59



Here is a Smith’s Shopping trip, using coupons to match the sale:
(I used grocerysmarts.com to tell me exactly where to get the coupons; grocerysmarts does most of the work for you!)

3 Robin Eggs (before Easter—not an after holiday sale)
8 pouches of Albacore tuna (FREE with the coupons!!)
5 American Beauty pastas
2 Mini-Wheats
1 Wesson oil

Total Spent: $9.34
Bought: 19 items
Saved: $33.06



Here is an Albertsons shopping trip where they had a special P&G sale (proctor and gamble—one of the coupon inserts in the newspaper) and they also had Post Cereal and some other things on sale:
(I used grocerysmarts.com to tell me exactly where to get the coupons; grocerysmarts does most of the work for you!)

12 boxes cereal
4 pantene products
2 old spice deodorants
1 bounce dryer sheet
1 bounce dryer bar
2 tides
1 mr clean eraser 2 pack
4 packages shredded cheese
4 crest toothpastes
1 6-pack oil of olay soap
2 cases of pampers diapers
2 packages bounty napkins
1 case of bounty paper towels
1 3-pack puff facial tissues
3 febreezes
4 packages solo plastic cups
1 dawn dish soap
1 cascade dishwasher powder

Total Spent: $86.21
Bought: 47 items
Saved: $189.24



Here is a Fresh Market Shopping trip, using coupons to match the sale:
(I used grocerysmarts.com to tell me exactly where to get the coupons; grocerysmarts does most of the work for you!)

10 soup cans--$.35 each
4 Kellogg pop tarts--$ .48 each
2 farm whole wheat farm breads--$.98 each
3 Langers apple juice--$.78 each
2 Motrin PM’s--$.47 each
1 large eggs--$1.25
2 lb block cheese--$3.99
Leaf Lettuce--$.89
1 lb baby carrots--$.99
2 ½ lbs boneless pork chops--$4.40

Total Spent: $22.78
Bought: 26 items
Saved: $17.11

What items do you buy using grocerysmarts?

An array of items I got for very cheap using grocerysmarts to show me how to use coupons to match the sale. Many of these items I could never afford--but using coupons to match the sale--they were cheaper than the off-brand! Several of the items were even free!


One of my first “grocerysmarts” shopping trips. I don’t have the receipt—but I remember that my husband and I were excited enough at the savings that we took a picture!

It took a few shopping trips to feel like I knew what I was doing, but it was way worth it—so much so that I am still doing it and I don’t think I will ever be able to go back to just buying whatever was cheapest at Walmart—
I save so so so much more the grocerysmarts way!

My very first Grocerysmarts shopping trip!

Total Spent: $24
Bought: 36 items

This was my very first “grocerysmarts” shopping trip. After attending a class I was very skeptical, but I decided to give it a try. It was just before Christmas/New Years of 2008--I thought, "FREE food? no way!" (several of the above items were free or under $.50!! I was very nervous that I wouldn’t do it right—but I decided to go for it anyway.

When I got home I couldn’t believe it! My husband and I were so excited that we took a picture!

Before this shopping at Walmart and just getting the off-brand was the way I thought I could save money shopping--boy did I have SO much to learn and what a blessing it has been in our lives!