Not Much Here…

You probably have noticed that I haven’t been posting much lately.  That’s because my life has been so BORING!  I wouldn’t want to read about it, if I were you.  It is pretty much the same hum-drum everyday, banal existence of the home-schooling housewife and mother.

 

I have had a few moments of intense excitement this past week.  I was the victim of a “purse snatching” while at Kroger the other night.  I went around 10 pm after church on Wednesday, just picking up a few things for lunch.  I have mentioned how much I love Kroger, and they have a special clearance section that seems to pull me with a force stronger than gravity whenever I go in there.  I was rooting around in the shelves, inwardly exclaiming over the good deals, when I heard the “burglar alarm” on my purse (a metal tag on the outside that clangs in a most annoying manner whenever I move the purse – the result is that I sound like a one-woman band while walking).  I instantly knew that my purse (sitting in the cart behind me) was being touched by someone other than me!  I whirled around and started to punch the man who had his hands on my purse, but stopped short when I saw the smirking face of our pastor!  What a story that would have been!  I would have been a sermon illustration for a long time, I think! :)  However, I think he will think twice about ever touching my purse again!  Not that there is really anything worth stealing in it-it is just the principle of the thing!

 

This week has been rather overcast and at times breaking into torrential downpours.  I was, once again, at Kroger.  I really don’t live there, but sometimes it seems like I do, since it is just next door to us!  I came out with my cart full of groceries in time to see a deluge break forth.  I was only parked a little ways away from the main entrance, but I knew I was going to get very wet.  I gathered my courage, and sprinted into the storm, pushing my loaded cart.  I managed to lose my shoe in a very deep puddle, and had to leave my cart and run back for it.  After it came off a second time, I just threw my sandals into the cart and ran barefoot through the parking lot.  I loaded my groceries in the truck as fast as I could, and then climbed into the driver’s seat soaked to the skin and shivering.  The temperature had dropped, and my short-sleeved tee shirt just wasn’t very warm, especially since there was not a dry spot on it.  Thankfully, I was very close to home, so I was able to get dried out pretty quickly.  My hair was a disaster, though.  It was one of those infrequent good hair days, until the outdoor shower.  Next time, I will just have to make sure that my umbrella is in tow!

Super Deal!

I love it when I get a great deal with coupons.  My Kroger store has a clearance aisle where damaged and discontinued items are placed each week.  I always try to make my way through that part of the store first, snagging the best deals possible.  This week, I hit upon the jackpot.

 

Here is what I bought.

 

Now, I know some of you are going to say, “I thought you didn’t color your hair!”  I don’t, and do not plan to,either.  However, the deals were too good to pass up! 

The Clairol boxes were marked $1 each, the Garnier were $1.69 and $2.99.  The granola/protein bars were $.49 and the Scrubbing Bubbles (I actually bought two, but had already put the other one away) were not on clearance, but they were just items that I needed.

Here’s how it broke down:

3 – $1 Clairol

2 – $2.99 Garnier

1 – $1.69 Garnier

3 – $.49 granola bars

2 – $2.99 Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner

Total: $18.12 +tax

Enter the coupon queen!  Ta-dah!  I just happened to have some great coupons for the hair color!

3 – $2 clairol coupons

3 – $2 garnier coupons

1 – $2/2 Scrubbing Bubbles coupon

1 – $2 off my next order Kroger CRT

Total OOP : $2.12 (I will also get another dollar credited to my account from Saving Star for the Scrubbing Bubbles!) 

So while I will not use the hair color, I will pass it on to someone else.  I only bought it because it gave me overage on the other items I really did need to buy!  That was my exciting deal of the week—so far! :)

Getting Back on Track

The past six weeks or so have been non-stop crazy for me, and as I look ahead, it doesn’t seem to get any better.  Sometimes I sit in my messy trailer (see last week’s post) and sigh for the times when my house was clean, my kids were happy, and I was much skinnier.  Those days are gone forever – well, hopefully not the happy children part (although some days I wonder how they all got up on the wrong side of the bed)!  At one point, I was sooooooo organized I make myself sick just thinking about it.  What happened?!?  That was in the days before I started home schooling.  Now life is a free-for-all of events, last-minute trips, unplanned visits, and the usual mayhem (that would be school, meals, housework, grocery shopping, and church services).

Two different times last week, I went into my local Kroger, and stumbled upon some awesome deals.  I was lugging my coupon binder, so of course, I knew I had whatever coupons I needed to snag these tremendous deals for next to nothing.  The problem was, I had not cut out any coupons for (dare I say it?) months.   I muttered to myself as I shuffled and pawed through the inserts, knowing that the coupons were there, but finally gave up in disgust.  I knew I had to get organized again – at least in that part of my life.  After the kids went to bed, I began cutting out the coupons.  It took me three successive nights to wade through the twenty-three (yes, I said twenty-three) inserts.  My binder is no longer bulging, and the zipper will now close easily, but the work is not yet done!  I now have to sort all of those little papers into “findable” categories.  Hopefully, It will not take me three more nights!

In spite of my lack of coupon organization, I was able to get a few great deals at Kroger.  Of course, when I was sorting the coupons, I found some that would have made an even better deal, but I am trying not to kick myself over that any more.  I did get several items for just pennies.  I needed conditioner (I only use Pantene) for the girls and myself, but was trying to hold out for a sale at CVS or Kroger.  The bottles of Pantene conditioner that I found in the Manager’s special cart were marked $1.69 – great price!  Add to that the $3/2 Pantene coupon, I got those babies for only $.19 each!  Happy dance!  I also got two Aveeno hair care products for $.09 each!  I was totally inspired to get back on track with my coupons for this year.  There is so much money to save!

Last week, I also had a great trip to CVS.  Josiah has to take Zyrtec every day, and that stuff isn’t cheap.  I registered at www.zyrtec.com for their Zyrtec Rewards program.  Once every month I can print out two high-dollar coupons for Zyrtec (up to seven dollars off of one bottle) using the code off of the previous bottle.  I had a $4 off of any $20 allergy relief purchase from CVS, and, paired with the two $4 coupons(off of a 40ct bottle), I was prepared to make a great deal.  The problem was that the 30 ct. bottles were the ones on sale at CVS for $18.99.  They also qualified for the $10 CVS Cash Card (buy $30, get $10).  I searched through the bottles, and found two 30 ct. bottles with 10 extra pills, making them not only valid for the sale, but for the coupon as well!  I was thanking the Lord for that deal!  So here is what I paid:

2 40 ct. Zyrtec – $37.98
2-$4 off coupons – $8
1- $4/20 CVS coupon – $4
OOP- $25.98
Received $10 CVS cash card
Total cost – $15.98 for 80 Zyrtec 

Woo hoo!  I had some other good deals there, but that one really turned my crank.  The Lord knew we needed the medication, and He worked it all out for me.  Next time, I plan to have the $7 coupons!  Look out, CVS – here I come! :)

Day of Deals

Some days I just get on a roll with the whole saving/coupon/deal thing.  I fell off the coupon wagon this past summer, much to my chagrin, and was spending too much at the grocery store and everywhere else, as a matter of fact. 
Last week, I paid my girls to cut out all my coupons (20 inserts – that’s how far behind I was).  After paying them per insert, I knew I had to save some serious bucks to make up for my generosity.  A lot of my coupons were about to expire on the 31st, so I had to move quickly.  CVS was my first stop, and boy, did I ever have a good time making my deals!  I bought enough shampoo and conditioner to keep us all clean for several months, some lotion, and quite a bit of makeup.  I used a ton of coupons and earned three $10 Visa gift cards, too!  It was definitely worth the time spent figuring out my deals.  I came home, fed the family lunch, and then headed off to my next favorite store – Kroger!
Kroger is having a Mega Event this week, so I grabbed my binder and started systematically going through the aisles.  I had been praying that some of the items we needed would be on sale, and my prayers were answered!  I had a cart so full I could barely steer it, and I ended up saving 50% of my entire bill by using coupons along with my store savings card!  Woo hoo!  My family always enjoys it when we have plenty of food in the house.  I enjoy the thrill of the hunt, as I call it.  I didn’t take pictures this time, because I was in a hurry to get it put away before dinner. 
What has been your best coupon deal lately? I love hearing about good deals, even when they eclipse mine at times (sigh – I saw an awesome CVS deal posted right after I got home from the store.  I could have done better had I seen if before going, but, that’s okay – I think!).