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Building your pantry: Items to stock up on this week!

November 9, 2010 by

If you’re looking to build your stockpile this week, here are some of the items you can add for rock bottom prices: (if you  want to “decode” the coupon lingo, check out this post here, and if you want to know of reputable places where you can stock up on coupons, check out this post here)

Do you have other items that are at “stock up” prices to share this week?  Please comment or e-mail me!!

BABY:

Huggies – $5.49 at Walgreens after coupon (on sale for $7.99 this week) or $6.49 at Walmart after coupon (everyday price is $8.99)

Use this coupon here:
$2.50/1 Huggies Little Snugglers or Little Movers printable
 
Similac Ready Feed formula – $.84/each at Walmart (regular price is $3.84) or $.86/each at Target (regular price is $3.86)

Use this coupon here:
$3/1 Similac (zip code 90210)

CANNED GOODS:

Campbell’s Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soup – FREE at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here), $.25/can at Target (regular price is $.75/can), or $.20/can at Walmart (regular price is $.70/can)

Use these coupons here:
$1.50/3 Campbell’s “Great for Cooking” soups printable
$1/4 Campbell’s “Great for Cooking” soups printable

Campbell’s Select Harvest or Chunky – FREE at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

Use these coupons here:
$1/2 Campbell’s Select Harvest printable
$.50/1 Campbell’s Chunky soups printable (should double)
$1/2 Select Harvest loadable on kroger.com (YMMV on being able to use a loadable and paper coupon)  

Carnation Evaporated milk – $.19 at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

Use these coupons here:
$.50/2 Carnation Evaporated milk – 9-26 SS (should double)
$.50/2 Carnation Evaporated milk printable (should double)

Green Giant canned vegetables – $.35 at Walmart (regular price is $.60/each)

Use this coupon here:
$.50/2 Green Giant canned vegetables – 10-24 SS

Hormel Chili – $.25/each at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

Use these coupons here:
$.50/2 Hormel canned chili – 9-12 SS (should double)
$.55/2 Hormel chili printable

Kroger canned fruit – $.50/each at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

Swanson chicken broth -$.35/each at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

Use these coupons here:
$.75/5 Swanson chicken broth – 11-7 SS

CEREAL:

Quaker Cap’n Crunch cereal – $.49/each at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

Use this coupon here:
$.50/1 Quaker Cap’n Crunch cereal – 8-26 RP

GROCERY ITEMS (Other items):

Dannon yogurt – $.49 for a multi-pack at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here) or $.89 at Target

Use these coupons here: 
$.75/1 Dannon Activia yogurt 4 pack printable
$1/1 Dannon Activia 4 pack – 10-10 SS
$.50/1 Dannon Light & Fit – 10-10 SS (should double)
$1/1 Dannon Danimals – 10-10 SS

Encore spices – $.50/each (w/ in ad coupon) at Walgreens (details are here)

Jell-O – $.25/each at Walgreens (w/ in ad coupon and manufacturer’s coupon) or Walmart (regular price is $.50)

Use this coupon:
$.50/2 Jell-O – 10-17 SS (expires 11/14)

Wheat Thins – $.50/each at Target (with the store coupon here and the manufacturer’s coupon below) or $.98/each at Walmart (with the manufacturer’s coupon below)

Use this coupon here:
$1/1 Wheat thins printable (for “liking” them on Facebook)

HEALTH & BEAUTY ITEMS:

Advil pain reliever – $.50 at Kroger  (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

Use this coupon here:
$2/1 Advil printable

Carmex – $.69 at Walgreens ($.99 w/ in ad coupon) or $.72 at Target ($1.02 everyday price)

Use this coupon here:
$.30/1 Carmex – 11-7 SS

Colgate toothpaste – free or possible overage at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

Use this coupon here:
$.35/1 Colgate toothpaste – 10-31 SS (should triple)

Colgate Wave or Total Pro toothbrush – free or possible overage at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

Use this coupon here:
$.35/1 Colgate adult or kids manual toothbrush – 10-31 SS (should triple)

Degree antiperspirant/deodorant – $.50/each at Walgreens (details are here)

Use this coupon here:
$1/1 Degree deodorant printable

Gas-X chewables (18 ct box) – free at Target with the $3 printable coupon here and the manufacturer’s coupon

Use this coupon:
$1/1 Gas-X product – 11-7 SS
$1/1 Gas-X printable

Reach Dental Floss or Reach toothbrush – free at Walgreens (details are here)

Use these coupons here plus the in ad coupon:
$1/1 Reach toothbrush printable
$1/1 Reach floss printable
$1/1 Reach dental floss or Reach toothbrush – 10-10 RP, 8-1 SS, 5-16 RP, 4-11 RP, 3-7 RP

Revita-lens multipurpose solution 2 pk (2 oz) – free at Walgreens (details are here)

Schick disposable razors – $5.99, get a $3 RR – free at Walgreens (details are here)

Use this coupon here:
$3/1 Schick Xtreme3 printable 

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS:

Gain dish liquid – Free at CVS (on sale for $.99 this week) or free at Walmart (regular price is $.99)

Use this coupon here:
$1/1 Gain dish liquid – 10-10 PG

Gain dryer sheets – $1.97 at Walmart after coupon (regular price is $2.97)

Use this coupon here:
$1/1 Gain fabric sheets – 10-10 PG

Purex laundry detergent – $1.99 at Walgreens (limit 3 per visit)

PASTA:

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta – $.28 at Walmart after coupon

Use this coupon:
$1/1 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta printable (when you “like” them on Facebook)

Skinner pasta – $.38/each at Kroger (if you take advantage of the Mega sale – details are here)

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

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Thrifty Thursday: What I’m willing to pay for things

January 14, 2010 by

I have gotten several requests from people asking what good “stock up” prices are for items I buy. Please keep in mind that I have been doing this for awhile and so I already have a pretty good stockpile of things and can wait for the next time these items go on sale. In other cases, my family goes through some things pretty quickly (my husband loves crackers and granola bars), and I don’t have space to stockpile as much as I’d like of these items, so I have a “stock up” price, but I also have what I’m willing to pay when these items are not at “stock up” prices. I also have grocery stores that will double and triple coupons which helps A LOT!

As you are starting out, you will probably have to invest a little more money at first, but once you get your stockpile going, you should be able to get things at these prices, too!

I hope that you will find this helpful! In most cases, these are for “name brand” items. If I missed an item, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail and I’ll add it to the list!

After reading comments and e-mails, I wanted to add a few more disclaimers:

*These are not “standard” prices in my area. Items go on sale for these prices every 3-6 months (depending on the item). I stock up at these times and make them last until the next big sale.

*Also, even if your area does not double and triple coupons, don’t be discouraged. I have been able to get many of these items at Target by using store and manufacturer’s coupons (cake mixes, canned vegetables, canned fruits, granola bars, cookies, crackers, pasta sauce, and peanut butter).

BABY CARE:

*Baby shampoo/conditioner ~ free to $1 (we use Johnsons and I try to get this only when there are deals where it is free or close to free)

*Diapers – I try not to pay more than $5-6 for a jumbo pack of diapers and/or Pull-Ups using coupons/RRs/ECBs. But, I usually try to buy them when there is a “deal” so I pay even less. I have a big stockpile of diapers (13 jumbo packs of diapers and 13 packs of Pull Ups currently), so I only buy them when they are at really good prices

*Infant/children’s Tylenol – free to $1-$2 per bottle (I was able to snag two bottles for free at Walgreens a free a few weeks ago, so that is always the idea, but not always possible!)

*Wipes – I stockpile wipes, too. I got such a good deal on Huggies wipes in December of 2007 that they have lasted me until this point. There was a good deal at Target a few months ago where I was able to snag them between .50 and .80 per tub, so I’m stocked up again for awhile!

GROCERY: (I’m not including produce prices because that varies a lot by location and by “season”…I just buy what is on sale and in season typically)

Baking

*Brownie mixes – free to $.20/box

*Cake mixes – free to $.50/box (I have been able to get cake mixes for free several times using coupons and sale prices)

*Chocolate chips – no more than $1 per bag (this is for Nestle brand)

Canned Goods

*Canned fruits – $.50-.75/can

*Canned vegetables – $.25-.40/can

*Chef Boyardee – no more than $.65/can

*Soups – $.70/can for “cooking” soups (cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, etc. because I use the 98% fat free and it’s hard to find “deals” on that…you can get the regular for a lot less) and $.50-.75/can for soups like Progresso or Campbell’s Chunky/Select

Convenience foods (cookies/crackers/chips/granola bars/fruit snacks/etc.)

*Cookies – $.50/package (this is typically for the Keebler line)

*Crackers – $.50-$1 per box (this is for Sunshine, Keebler, or Nabisco)

*Fruit snacks – $.35-.50 per box (this is for Betty Crocker or Kellogg’s)

*Granola bars – $.35-.50 per box for Nature Valley and $.50-$1 per box for Quaker (the Quaker ones are my husband’s favorites and it’s not as easy to find “deals” on them)

*Juice – $.50-.75/bottle (this is for Juicy Juice or Mott’s apple juice)

*Pasta – preferably free, but no more than $.50 per package – Barilla comes out with $.50/1 coupons which double at my grocery store, so when there are 10/$10 sales, I can usually get this for free and I stock up!

*Pasta sauce (jarred or bagged) – no more than $.70/jar (this is for Ragu, Prego, or Barilla)

*Peanut butter – no more than $.75/jar

*Pop Tarts – $.50/box for 8 ct and $1/box for 12 ct

Dairy

*Cheese – $.49-$.99/package (when Kroger has their Mega sales, I can usually get the bags for $.49/each using coupons and the expiration dates are usually several months out, so I stock up and wait for the next sale)

*Cream cheese – $.99/package (this is for Philadelphia)

*Eggs – no more than $.99/dozen (I don’t stockpile these, though I have heard of people freezing them…)

*Sour cream – free to $.99 (when Kroger has their Mega sales, I can usually get Daisy sour cream for free or close to free using coupons and even when there are not Mega sales going on, I can usually get it for a decent price using a coupon that doubles or triples – the Daisy sour cream coupons don’t seem to ever come out in the inserts in my area, so I have to buy them other places and when I stock up, I look for expiration dates that are about 3 months out so I will be set until the next sale…this DOES NOT freeze well!)

*Yogurt – $.25-$.35 per cup (this is for Yoplait)

Meat (There are LOTS of ideas for stockpiling meat on a budget in this post here)

Beef:

Beef roasts – $.99/lb (yes, you can really get it for that cheap on sale – I’ve got several roasts in my freezer right now to prove it)

Beef round steak – $.99/lb

Ground beef – we ONLY use the 93/7 lean beef, so $1.99/lb is a “stock up” price on this for me

Chicken:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – $.99-$1.69/lb (it’s hard to find it for $.99/lb these days although it does happen every now and then…so, I consider $1.69 to be my “stock up” price when I’m getting low) – I know that “bone in” chicken or whole chickens are much cheaper but this is much more convenient for me, so I’m willing to pay more

Split chicken breasts (these typically have the bone) – no more than $.99/lb

Pork:
Pork chops (again I buy boneless) – $1.39/lb

Pork spare ribs – $.77/lb

Pork roasts – $.99/lb

Turkey:
Ground turkey – $1.99/lb (again we buy the 93/7)

HEALTH & BEAUTY ITEMS: (if you have a Walgreens or CVS, you should be able to get most of these items for free or close to free)

*Band Aids – free (there are so many coupons and RR/ECB deals for these that you should never pay for them!)

*Body wash – free (whenever a new body wash comes out, it seems like there is a way to get it free with coupons/ECBs/RRs and I stock up – we’re not brand specific at all on this stuff)

*Contact solution – free (in about August, CVS/Walgreens both tend to offer deals on contact solution so you can get it for free after RRs/ECBs. I stock up at this time and I have more than a year’s supply stockpiled right now)

*Deodorant – free (my husband and I each have a specific brand that we use, and I have at least a year’s supply stockpiled for each of us and only get it when I can get it for free or close to free using ECBs or RRs)

*Feminine Hygiene products – free (from my experience, the best time to stock up on these is during the summer months and then during January)

*Over the Counter cold, cough, and flu meds (Theraflu/Triaminic/Tylenol/etc.) – free (for two years now, I’ve managed to get a HUGE stockpile of this stuff for free)

*Pain relievers – free (we’ve got Advil, Excedrin, and Tylenol ~ we use Excedrin the most, but our stockpile of that is dwindling, so I’m hoping for a good deal soon so we can stock up again!)

*Razors – free (my husband uses Gillette razors and I use Schick razors and I can’t remember the last time I’ve spent real money to actually buy either one…the “catch” is that you sometimes have to use a new razor rather than buying refills – the Gillette cartridges seem to go on sale at CVS in December and I stock up them, but sometimes we can’t make it through the whole year on that)

*Shampoo/conditioner/stylers – free (I’m not really “brand specific” when it comes to shampoo although I am currently in love with the Infusium 23 that I got at Walgreens recently – we have at least a year’s supply stockpiled for our family and I only get this when I can get it for free or close to free using ECBs and RRs)

*Shave gel – preferably free but up to .50 (I really don’t like paying for shave gel, but there aren’t really good “deals” on it as often as I’d like, either. So, if we’re getting low, I try not to pay more than .50 per can using coupons or ECBs/RRs and sale prices)

*Toothpaste – free (even if you’re just starting out, if you’re not brand specific, you should be able to easily get a stockpile of toothpaste for free or close to free pretty quickly because it’s on sale almost every week at either Walgreens or CVS)

*Vitamins – this varies, but I typically like to buy them during BOGO free sales when I can use coupons on top of the sale – I was able to stock up for this year at the Nature’s Bounty BOGO free sale at CVS a few week’s ago and got all of our vitamins for free! (with the exception of “kid” vitamins which are much harder to find deals on)

HOUSEHOLD SUPPLIES: (Here’s a tip ~ There aren’t a lot of ECB/RR deals on household cleaners, but there seem to be a lot of BOGO free deals, so I use those to stock up and use two coupons – one for each item – to bring the price down!)

*Bathroom cleaners/toilet cleaners – no more than .75-$1 each (I typically buy Lysol toilet bowl cleaner and Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaners)

*Dish soap (liquid) – free to $.50 (I buy Dawn or Palmolive, whichever is on sale and you can get it fairly often at CVS or Walgreens for these prices when you use coupons and take advantage of ECB/RR deals)

*Dishwasher tabs – free to $.99 (high dollar Electrasol coupons come out fairly regularly where you can get these for free or up to $.99)

*Dryer sheets/fabric softener – free (I can’t remember the last time I’ve had to pay for these…I use either Bounce or Snuggle and have a pretty good stockpile of both that I’ve gotten for free)

*Hand soap – free (I have two grocery stores that triple coupons and I am usually able to get the Softsoap hand soap for free when they go 10/$10 using coupons)

*Kleenex – no more than $.50/box (this is for the actual Kleenex brand)

*Laundry detergent – $1-2 (I usually buy All or Tide – this price is for the liquid, 32 loads)

*Multi-purpose cleaners – no more than $.75/$1 each (I typically buy Fantastik or the Windex Multipurpose)

*Paper towels – .25 per roll (I never pay more than $.25/roll…my grocery store has the Bounty paper towels 10/$10 pretty regularly and they triple coupons so I’m able to use the $.25 coupons to get them for $.25)

*Toilet paper – free to .30 per roll (this was a hard one for me because it’s been so long since I’ve paid for toilet paper, but I know people want to know good “stock up” prices, and so I would say no more than $.30/roll)

For more Thrifty Thursday ideas, check out Coupon Teacher and Life as a Mom.

Feel free to link up with your own Thrifty Thursday ideas below!

Filed Under: Thrifty Thursday Tagged With: ,

What’s on YOUR grocery list? The hot grocery deals for the week all in one spot!

January 8, 2010 by

Here are the “hot” items to stock up on at Kroger this week (this is for the Texas/Louisiana region….check your ad for specific details if you are in other regions):

You can check out the full “weekly match-ups” post here to find out what else is on sale.

*Freschetta Pizza – $3.99 – $2.99 after coupons!
$1/1 printable coupon here (you must register, you can print 2 per computer!)

*Lay’s Baked Snacks or Sun Chips – $2.75 – $2.20 after coupons!
.55/1 Baked Lays – 1-3 SS

*Libby’s Vegetables – 2/$1 – FREE after coupon!
.50/2 printable here (should double!)

*Progresso Light, Low Sodium, or High Fiber Soup – 4/$5
.25/1 Progresso High Fiber Soup – 11-15 GM insert (should triple)
.50/2 Progresso soups, any – 12-6 SS (should double)
.50/2 Progresso soups loadable on cellfire.com
.50/2 Progresso soups loadable on shortcuts.com (one expires 1-27 if you loaded it previously, newest expires 2-27)

SCENARIO:
Buy 4 Progresso soups (at least 2 High Fiber)

Use 2 $.25/2 High Fiber soup coupons – will deduct $1.50 Use .50/2 Progresso soups coupon (any) – will deduct $1 – .50/2 Progresso soups loadable (Cellfire.com) – .50/2 Progresso soups loadable (shortcuts.com)

Total OOP = $1.50 ($.38/can!)

CRAZY MEAL DEAL: Buy any combination of 3 Kellogg’s items (includes Nutri-Grain bars, Special K bars, or Kellogg’s Special K cereals) 3/$7, get free Kroger milk, Kroger white bread, Kroger large eggs, and Tennesse Pride sausage gravy

Use the $5/4 Kellogg’s cereals printable on Target.com (this is a manufacturer’s coupon with a Target logo) and get all of this for $4.33! That’s what you’d spend for just the milk, bread, and eggs anyway!

Here are the “hot” items to stock up on at Randalls this week (this may also apply if you have a store that is part of the Safeway family – check your ad for details):

You can check out the full “weekly match-ups” post here to find out what else is on sale.

**There is a hot new loadables site for Randalls here

**If you are spending at least $20, you can use the Super Coupons for Lucerne milk – $.99/gallon, Lucerne large eggs (18 ct) – $.99, and Smithfield bacon – $1.99

*Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks – $1.80 for 3 (.60/each after coupons)
$1.50/2 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (any flavor/variety) loadable here
.40/1 Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes loadable on cellfire.com
.50/2 Betty Crocker fruit snacks (Fruit By the Foot, Stickerz, Fruit Roll-Ups, or Gushers) loadable on cellfire.com
.50/2 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks – 1-3 GM insert
.40/1 Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored shapes printable here

In the past, all loadables on your card will come off when you buy items at Randalls. I haven’t tried this deal yet, so I can’t guarantee 100% that it will work.

Here’s the scenario:
Buy 2 Betty Crocker fruit snacks (Fruit by the Foot, Stickerz, Roll-Ups, or Gushers) – $2/each
Buy 1 Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored shapes – $2

Use .50/2 coupon (should double to $1)
Use .40/1 coupon (should double to $.80)
These loadables should all come off: $1.50/2, .40/1, .50/2

Total OOP (out of pocket) = $1.80

There is also a catalina offer attached to this:
Purchase Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored snacks between 12/28- 1/24

Buy 3 get $1.50
Buy4 get $2.50
Buy 5 get $3.50

(Includes Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups or Fruit Stickerz)

Catalina offer #0886 5290 0985

So you get a coupon good for $1.50 off your next purchase of ANYTHING!

*General Mills Cheerios or Cinnamon Toast Crunch ~ FREE after coupons!

These are $1.49/each when you buy 3 at Randalls this week. Print off two $1/1 coupons for Cinnamon Toast Crunch here and sign up to get the $1/1 coupons from Cheerios here and you pay $.49/box when you buy 3 boxes! There are also $1/1 Honey Nut Cheerios coupons here if they happen to be included in the deal.

To sweeten this deal, load the .55/1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch coupon on shortcuts.com and the .55/1 Cheerios and .55/1 Trix coupons at Cellfire.com

Here’s a scenario:
Buy 1 Cheerios – $1.49
Buy 1 Trix – $1.49
Buy 1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch – $1.49

Use 3 $1 coupons
-.55/1 Trix, Cheerios, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch loadables

Total = $.18 OVERAGE!

*Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers – 2/$6 – $1 each after coupons!
$2/1 Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers – 1-3 SS2

*Hormel Natural Choice lunchmeat – $1.99/each – $1.24 – this deal is only valid Saturday and Sunday!
.75/1 Hormel Natural Choices lunchmeat printable here

*Pillsbury brownie mix – 10/$10 – $.20/each after coupons!
.40/1 Pillsbury brownie mix – 11-8 RP

*Softsoap liquid hand soap – $.99/each – FREE after coupons!
.35/1 Softsoap liquid hand soap – 1-3 SS2 (will triple)

Here are some of the hot deals at Target this week:

*Juicy Juice ~ This is on price cut at Target through 1/9. There is a $1/1 Target coupon here (click on the groceries tab and then pg. 3) and a $1/2 manufacturer’s coupon here making it .50/bottle!

*Buy 10 Weight Watchers Smart Ones – $1.89/each, get a $5 Target gift card
$5/10 printable here
$4/10 printable here
$1.50/7 Weight Watchers Smart Ones – January All You Magazine
$1/5 Weight Watchers Smart Ones – January All You Magazine
$1/3 Flatbreads or Pizza minis printable here
$1/5 Smart Ones printable here

SCENARIO:
Buy 10 Weight Watchers Smart Ones – $1.89/each

Use $5/10 printable
Use $5 Target gift card (hopefully you keep one on hand to roll into deals!)

Spend $8.90 OOP, get a $5 Target gift card

Check out other items you can add to your stockpile here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Items to stockpile this week!

January 4, 2010 by

I’ve had several readers e-mail me and ask me how to get started stockpiling and also ask how long it took me to get to the point that I’m at right now. I started using coupons almost six years ago shortly after my daughter was born. We were living on one income, my husband was going to school full time, and I don’t think either one of us realized how expensive a baby could be. At that time, my couponing was NOTHING like it is now. I remember being excited because I would use a $5 Toys ‘R Us coupon and a $1 manufacturer’s coupon to get a box of Pampers diapers for $25.

About two and a half years ago, I started “extreme” couponing. I had heard people talk about getting things for free at CVS and I just couldn’t believe it. So, I started scouring message boards and made my first CVS trip. I’ve been hooked ever since and the extreme couponing seemed to come along with that!

As for my stockpile, it’s a work in progress. You’re not going to get one overnight. I plan to post more about stockpiling, but for starters, I’m going to highlight the things that you should stock up on each week. This week, I’ll be posting twice since my grocery ads change on Wednesday. From that point on, I’ll probably post on Thursdays.

Here are some of the grocery items you might want to stockpile this week:

*Freschetta pizzas ~ Both Randalls (if you have a Safeway family store, this may also apply there) and Kroger have these on sale for $3.99 this week. There are $1 printable coupons here (you can print 2 per computer) that make them $2.99/each. Even though I make a meal plan every week, some nights when all is said and done, I just don’t feel like cooking. $2.99 for a frozen pizza is a lot cheaper than anything we could get from delivery or even take-out!

*General Mills Cheerios or Cinnamon Toast Crunch ~ These are $1.49/each when you buy 3 at Randalls this week. Print off two $1/1 coupons for Cinnamon Toast Crunch here and sign up to get the $1/1 coupons from Cheerios here and you pay $.49/box when you buy 3 boxes! There are also $1/1 Honey Nut Cheerios coupons here if they happen to be included in the deal.

*Hunt’s tomato sauce ~ These are $.39/each at Walgreens this week (with the in ad coupon). Print off the $1/3 coupon here (you have to play the game) and get 3 for $.17!

*Juicy Juice ~ This is on price cut at Target through 1/9. There is a $1/1 Target coupon here (click on the groceries tab and then pg. 3) and a $1/2 manufacturer’s coupon here making it .50/bottle!

*Pasta Roni, Rice a Roni or Knorr rice/pasta sides ~ These are 10/$10 at both Kroger and Randalls. There is a .50/2 Knorr Rice and Pasta side dishes coupon from the 11-15 RP insert which should double making these .50/each! (Randalls will double one like coupon per transaction, Kroger will double three) There was a $1/3 Rice a Roni/Pasta Roni coupon in yesterday’s inserts making these $.67/each.

*Rosarita refried beans ~ These are 10/$10 this week at Randalls. If you use the $.50/2 coupon from the 12-13 SS insert, it should double making your beans .50/each (at my stores, you can only double one of these coupons per transaction). $.50 for a can of refried beans is a great price!

*Weight Watchers Smart Ones meals ~ If you’re in Texas, these are $.99/each at HEB this week. Use the $5/10 printable here and get 10 for $4.90 (that’s $.49/each!). If you don’t have an HEB, they are at Target this week. Here’s how that scenario works:

Buy 10 Weight Watchers Smart Ones – $1.89/each

Use $5/10 printable
Use $5 Target gift card (hopefully you keep one on hand to roll into deals!)

Spend $8.90 OOP ($13.90 if you don’t have a gift card to start), get a $5 Target gift card

OTHER ITEMS FOR YOUR STOCKPILE: Once I started stockpiling, I quickly realized that I could get most of my health and beauty items (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, etc.) and a lot of household items for free or close to free. You can, too! Here are the other items to stockpile this week!

*Finish/Electrasol detergent – These are $3.49, get a $1 RR at Walgreens this week. Use the $2.50/1 coupon from yesterday’s inserts and get it for $.99 (free after RR). Reportedly Target also has some boxes priced at $3.49, so you would get it for $.99 after coupon there.

*GE Reveal 60 watt light bulbs ~ These are $2 at Target this week. Use the $1.50 printable here (click on “household” – you can only print one per computer) and get them for $.50! Use the $1/1 printable here or the $1 coupon from yesterday’s inserts and get them for $1.

*Nature’s Bounty vitamins ~ If you missed out on the sale last week at CVS, they are BOGO free at Walgreens this week. I don’t have specific pricing, but typically things like Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D can be found for $5-6. If you join the Nature’s Bounty website here, then go to “Redeem My Rewards Now” and there should be an option for a $2 printable coupon. This is a “bricks” coupon, and you can print six by clicking on the back button on your browser. If you have purchased these vitamins in the past, you can also enter the codes from the vitamins into your account to earn points to print more coupons. Buy one item priced in the $5-6 range, use 2 $2 coupons, and get both of them for $1-2!

*Reach Ultraclean Floss – These are $3.79 at Walgreens this week – Buy 2, Use the BOGO free coupon from yesterday’s inserts and the $2/1 Walgreens in-ad coupon (it will deduct $4) and get these for free!

*Reach Ultraclean Toothbrushes ~ These are $3.99 at Walgreens. Buy 2, Use the BOGO free coupon from yesterday’s inserts and the $2/1 Walgreens in-ad coupon (it will deduct $4) and get these for free!

*Revlon Matte Eye Shadow ~ This isn’t necessarily an item you’d want to stockpile, but if you’re in need of eye shadow, it’s free at Walgreens this week. The price is $4.99. Use the $2/1 Revlon cosmetics coupon from the 12-13 SS insert and the $3/1 Walgreens in-ad coupon and get it for free!

*Stayfree maxi pads ~ These are $5.99/each at Walgreens. Buy 2, Use the BOGO free coupon from yesterday’s inserts and the $3 Walgreens in ad coupon (it will deduct $6) and get these for free!

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Tip of the Day Tuesday: Buying meat on a budget

October 13, 2009 by

One of the most common questions I get asked by people who read my blog is – where’s the meat? If you read my Menu Planning Monday posts, you’ll see that we really do eat meat, but if you see my Saturday shopping posts, there isn’t meat pictured a lot, so I can understand the confusion!

The answer is ~ I stockpile meat, too! Last year for Christmas, I told my husband that all I wanted was a second freezer for my garage, and Santa came through. So, we have a freezer that is basically full of meat and I ONLY but meat when I get an awesome deal on it, so if there is a great deal on meat one week, I might put the bulk of my $40 for that week toward meat and the basics (milk, bread).

Here are a few tips for saving on meat:

*Look for markdowns – Every grocery store I have ever been to has a section for marked down meat. Sometimes they do these markdowns early in the morning and other stores will do them late at night. Over time, I have managed to figure out when my stores do these markdowns which kind of gives me “first dibs” at the newly marked down items. From my experience, marked down meat is typically 30-50% off the original price. For example, on Saturday, I found a package of pork chops that had been marked down to $3 and a package of round steak that had been marked down to $4.

*Use your OYNO catalinas – When I post the grocery deals and match-ups, I typically also post any good catalina deals that are going on. I use the “OYNO” catalinas to help offset the cost of things like meat because there aren’t coupons for those items very often. For example, with the meat I bought on Saturday, I had two $1 off meat catalina coupons that I used, so I ended up paying $5 for meat for two meals this week. Sometimes there are also wine tag coupons for meat and every now and then, I get personalized customer loyalty card coupons for a certain dollar amount off of a meat purchase.

*Look for good sales and stock up when meat is on sale – I pretty much only buy meat if I can find a good deal. Here are some examples of what I consider good stock up prices for meat:

Beef:
Beef roasts – $.99/lb (yes, you can really get it for that cheap on sale – I’ve got several roasts in my freezer right now to prove it)

Beef round steak – $.99/lb

Ground beef – we ONLY use the 93/7 lean beef, so $1.99/lb is a “stock up” price on this for me

Chicken:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – $.99-$1.69/lb (it’s hard to find it for $.99/lb these days although it does happen every now and then…so, I consider $1.69 to be my “stock up” price when I’m getting low) – I know that “bone in” chicken or whole chickens are much cheaper but this is much more convenient for me, so I’m willing to pay more

Pork:
Pork chops (again I buy boneless) – $1.39/lb

Pork spare ribs – $.77/lb

Pork roasts – $.99/lb

Turkey:
Ground turkey – $1.99/lb (again we buy the 93/7)

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