THÊ JÚLY 2011 GROCERY CHALLENGE

[dancinmama]

Jul 3, 2011 9:56:43 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

I did my CVS trip this morning and since I did need toothbrushes ;D this is what I did.

Card 1: 2 oral B adv tb $5.98
5 2lt bottle coke 3.45
filler- 1 pack mentos gum .99

Minus MC 2.99- MC 1.00 - ECB 5.99 plus .73 tax for a final OOP of $1.17 Which around here is basicially the cost of 1 bottle of soda plus tax.

Card 2: 1 paper $1.75
2 Oral B adv TB 5.98
2 Oral B pulsar 11.98
5 bottles 2lt coke 3.45

Minus 2 $3 MC, 1 2.99 MC, 1 $1 MC, 10.99 in ECB's and one 1.19 cvs coupon, plus $1.50 tax for a final OOP of $2.49.

beachbum: AND you got some EBs back. Great job!! ;D

[dancinmama]

Jul 3, 2011 11:51:54 GMT -5 sealy said:

If there is a limit for your CVS card (like the toothbrushes this week) how do you get more than 2 with the same card? does it read your card and block you from buying anymore even if you go to a different store?

sealy: First, there are two different freebie Oral B toothbrush deals going on at CVS and you can do both of them. Second, most of us have a card for ourselves and another family member (i.e., I have a card, DS has a card, and my mom gave me one of her key chain cards). Sometimes I do the deals on all the cards, but usually not. It depends on the sale and on whether I need/want to roll EBs.

This is not the case as far as I know with this week's deal on the toothbrushes; but SOMETIMES the paper will state a limit and we'll find out through iheartcvs or another blog, that the limit is actually higher than what was stated.

HTH

[sealy]

Thanks Dancinmama I have one more question: will they let you use two different cards at the same store? or do I have to go back with my other card later?

I can only use the 7/3 Q cuz I don't have the 6/5 one. I hope there are still Qs left. We are getting a late start on this one.

[leanna]

Sealy, Free toothbrushes seem to come along all the time, so don't feel in a panic if you don't get all the toothbrushes you want/need today.

I had to get my box (of extra toothpaste & toothbrushes) out to count, to give you an idea on this. Ok, done counting. I have 15 free toothbrushes that I've gotten over the last 6 months. And that is without making much of an effort. What I mean by that is that I've never gone out of my way to get a free toothbrush. I just get 'em when I'm getting other free or freap goodies at RA and Wags.

I'm not even going after the free toothbrushes this week, because there's just the husband and I. And there's no way we need any toothbrushes - lol!

[sealy]

Oh ok thanks leanna that helps a lot.
I really appreciate all the help I'm getting from everyone here.

s

[973beachbum]

Jul 3, 2011 11:51:54 GMT -5 sealy said:

If there is a limit for your CVS card (like the toothbrushes this week) how do you get more than 2 with the same card? does it read your card and block you from buying anymore even if you go to a different store?

Sealy there are normally limits with CVS items giving ECB's. In fact today there was a limit of 5 on the 2 liter bottles of coke. Any more than the 5 on that card and it would have not given me the sales price.

I really wanted the Oral B battery pulsars but since they wanted to give me the regular TBs I took them. They are useful to have around for when my kids have friends over but I probably wouldn't have made a special trip just for them. I think that means I'm spoiled.

The ECB limits are tracked to each card. In fact on the bottom of the receipt it will say how many of an ECB special you bought and how many if any you still have to get that deal. Both the Oral B toothbrushes said limit 2 in the ad and my reciept says limit reached from the 2 so that is the limit to buy and get the ECB.

As far as using two cards one right after another I have only done that when there was someone with me to use the second card. I don't know that they would say anything I just havent' done it. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the reminder Dancin! I did get $2 ECB's on one transaction and $8 on the other. I still feel like since I only paid $3.50 in OOP, and it would cost that for 3 of the bottles of Coke then everything else was free!

[leanna]

I ended up realizing I have UPs that would expire on Saturday (7/9) so I decided to go to RA today to pick up a few things & turn-over those Ups. Thanks to Babbs for sending me a coupon that made this deal work!

Purchases:

(2) Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide Razor (Gift Packs)($9.89 ea) = $19.78
(1) Crest Pro-Health Rinse 1 Liter= $4.99

Sub-total = $24.77

Less:

Survey Coupon = -$(3.00)
(2) Gillette Razor MQ's $4 ea (P&G 6/5/11) = -$(8.00)
(1) Crest Rinse MQ $2 (P&G 6/5/11) = -$(2.00)

Total = $11.77

Paid with the following UPs from prior purchases:
$2
$2
$2
$2.99
$2.69
and .09 change OOP. (I always love it when I just have to pull out a tiny bit of change to "wash" my UPs.

Received:
(2) $5 Ups for Gillette Razors = $10

Have submitted:
SCR for Crest Rinse for $4.50

So, with the way I calculate, I get:
Cost: $11.77- $10 (new Ups) - $4.50 (SCR) = $2.73 Profit.

[dancinmama]

Jul 3, 2011 12:04:17 GMT -5 sealy said:

Thanks Dancinmama I have one more question: will they let you use two different cards at the same store? or do I have to go back with my other card later?

I can only use the 7/3 Q cuz I don't have the 6/5 one. I hope there are still Qs left. We are getting a late start on this one.

sealy: My store knows that I shop for my mom. They are used to me doing one transaction for me and one for my mom and they've always been happy to accommodate me. They even scan my bag tag both times. If another customer is behind me, I always go to the back of the line so as not to keep other customers waiting. Ya know-customer etiquette and all. ;D

[sealy]

Thank you all so much. I had my son do one transaction. We scanned our cards at that coupon machine in the store and we got free candy bars and then my daughter found a coupon on the floor so we ended up with 4 free candy bars and 6 free toothbrushes.

My son has started his own lil stockpile with the 2 toothbrushes he got. He even went back and explained to the cashier that he only got an EB for $1 when it should have been for $2. He will be grown before I know it gotta teach him too while I'm learning.

Lesson learned don't buy a newspaper for $2 when the same Qs are in another paper that costs $1.50 grrr lesson learned and check your receipt to make sure you got the correct EBs before you drive away.

I am having a good time. I really appreciate you all a lot.

s

[dancinmama]

Jul 3, 2011 16:28:22 GMT -5 sealy said:

Thank you all so much. I had my son do one transaction. We scanned our cards at that coupon machine in the store and we got free candy bars and then my daughter found a coupon on the floor so we ended up with 4 free candy bars and 6 free toothbrushes.

My son has started his own lil stockpile with the 2 toothbrushes he got. He even went back and explained to the cashier that he only got an EB for $1 when it should have been for $2. He will be grown before I know it gotta teach him too while I'm learning.

Lesson learned don't buy a newspaper for $2 when the same Qs are in another paper that costs $1.50 grrr lesson learned and check your receipt to make sure you got the correct EBs before you drive away.

I am having a good time. I really appreciate you all a lot.

s

sealy: Great job today. Teaching your son is a great lesson for him to learn. We too are glad that you found us. There's always room for another hound in the group.

Yes, saving money can be fun.....and profitable!! ;D

[leanna]

Good job Sealy! I also think it's great that your son noticed the EB issue. I think I have had 4 yes 4 times in the last week or so where something has rung up wrong at the grocery store. And it's been all different stores.

[leanna]

For those that have RA, and need a deodorant:

RA sent out a RA q this week via e-mail for Mitchum deodorant. I think the regular price is $3.99 or so.

So:

$3.99
-$2 RA q
-.75 mq (SS 6/12 or 6/26 - if you got this q - I didn't)
-$1 scr
= Net .24 + tax

I won't be using my RA Mitchum q - I already printed it - so if someone wants it I will gladly scan it & e-mail it to you. Just PM me!

As for how to get these RA e-mails with the coupons, I think I get them because I signed up my wellness card on-line on www.riteaid.com.

[leanna]

Big News!

I opened that (expired) jar of hot fudge sauce. I am at this moment trying it. My love of chocolate and natural cheapness overcame my fear of the expiration date.

I'll let you know tomorrow if I survived.

Sorry to all those who wanted to take the jar off my hands!

[constanz22]

I made $365 at my stockpile sale this weekend! Woohoo! Today was a little slow...the weather was cruddy and I packed up pretty early, but still made about $100 today. I am so, so, happy! What an awesome return on things I got for free/freap!

[debinwa]

Jul 3, 2011 18:33:23 GMT -5 constanz22 said:

I made $365 at my stockpile sale this weekend! Woohoo! Today was a little slow...the weather was cruddy and I packed up pretty early, but still made about $100 today. I am so, so, happy! What an awesome return on things I got for free/freap!

We had a garage sale last summer and one the summer before. I put extra stockpile stuff in it just like you did, and was surprised how fast it all went! Of course, I marked it dirt cheap since it was all free (or better) to me. One woman came back every day to see if I had more.

Congrats to you on your sale!!

[dancinmama]

I went into Safeway after my coupon roundup (another block down the street) to pick up some sweet white corn on the cob on sale 6/$1.

I also picked up ONE 6 oz. package of Hormel roast beef deli meat for $1.49 after in-ad Q and $.50/1 MC.

Then off to Nob Hill for more Mt. Olive pickles thanks to some hangtags that I found at Safeway; unfortunately there were no hangtags on the jars at Nob Hill. The 24 oz jars of pickles are ON SALE for $2.50; but come down to $1 after a $.75/1 instant coupon and a $.75/1 hangtag. Since pickles have a very long shelf life and I think $1/jar is about as good as I'm going to get for dill spears and bread and butter pickles, I picked up (10) more jars. Regular price for the pickles $3.59.

[sealy]

Went to RA and got more Luster toothpaste the limit for SCR is 2 so I bought two and DS bought one. I don't think we have enough points because we didn't get the 20% discount. It was still a good buy since we had $1.50 Q and will get SCR of $4.00 each. OPP on each one is 2.00 but one was free since I used an UP worth $2 and I'll get $4 back.

I also bought 2 Crest mouthwash $4.99 sale with $4.50 scr and used a 0.75 Q so profit of 0.26 each.

I also saw a lady with a neat binder that had several different categories in it she said she paid a lady $28 for it. and then there were two other ladies who said that they went to a class on couponing and spent $55 but there was also a class for $75

[leanna]

Well Sealy, you don't need to pay money for a couponing class when you've got this board!

ETA: Are the Crest Mouthwash for 2 different households? Because there is a limit of 1 SCR per household. If you already know that, my apologies for the perhaps unnecessary info!

[leanna]

DancinMama - You did great on your pickle price! The husband only likes Vlassic so even w/coupons & sale I don't think I get down anywhere near that low. I need to see next time I buy them how low I can go to track for my new Price Book.

[sealy]

leanna I was sooo thanking all of y'all from here to the moon and back again cuz everyone here has been soooo helpful and patient with me. I will freely explain to anyone who asks just like you all have done for me.

oh yeah there are 2 different households for the Crest. I used my PO box for me and home address for DS. He lives part time with his father.

Thank you all infinity. I will definitely be paying it forward.

[leanna]

Oh, good, Sealy. I was hoping that you were purchasing for 2 different households, because sometimes when someone is new they don't always know how things work. So many different rules - it can get complicated!

[sealy]

I learned so much from everyone. I remember somebody saying to know the rules so I try to read a lot.
That binder is looking better and better as I try to go through my Qs. It would make it quicker and more
organized.

Ok I just saw something that scared me. Hot Qs had a posting regarding coupon fraud. How can I be sure that I'm not doing anything that won't get me in trouble online coupon wise. How do we know what the limit for online coupons are? For example if the store has a limit of 4 Qs can I print off 4 Qs online or will that get me in trouble.

s

[marvholly]

sealy
Personally, I am VERY carful of what coupons I use/print. Any Sunday insert coupons are good. I ONLY do printables from well known coupon sites like coupons . com or smartsource. I will check mfg sites to see what is avail. I also mark where I got the coupon on it so i KNOW it is legit if I am ever accused of coupon fraud (need to mark the fake crab coupons I will be using today).

[munjoyhill]

Happy 4th of July everyone.

I have been busy for a few days, I have a small jewelry business where I sell at craft shows (in addition to my day job), and Sat/Sun I was selling at one, great show! I typically earmark my craft show profit for my groceries/HBA items -- for the year! I do several shows in the summer, and a few around the holiday season. So I want to stretch those dollars as much as I can, and I think the coupons will be very beneficial.

I finally just reviewed the P&G insert that came in my Sunday paper, and there are a few good coupons that I will be using when a deal comes along. I am especially excited about the $1 off two Ivory or Safeguard soaps. I have tried many types of body washes, soaps, etc. and for some reason Safeguard is my favorite. And there's a Q for it -- and I'm down to my last bar of soap too . I will be searching the next few weeks for a deal on Safeguard, it's generally inexpensive soap, so I'll definitely use the Q by the end of July when it expires, even if the soap isn't on sale.

Would anyone have some extra of these Ivory/Safeguard Q's they're not going to use? I'd love to stock up on several of these. I am also going to go to CVS or other stores today to get an extra paper or two, and my SIL who might have the Q's she's not using.

And I have coupons for razors, but it seems every time I go to get razors on sale (even when I didn't have a coupon), they were always out at CVS or Rite Aid.

Does anyone else do this -- my daughter has always loved gifts that are care package type of gifts, just an eclectic mix of things. One year for Christmas when she was a starving college student I got her a bunch of HBA items -- shampoo, conditioner, tampons, make up, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. And she loved it, said it was the best gift ever. I didn't get it free 'cause I wasn't couponing at the time, but I did get most of it on sale. So I plan to do this for her again, her birthday is in November, and Christmas a month later, I am starting now to put together a "care package" for her as a gift. I think this year I'll buy a laundry basket (on sale of course) and fill it for her. I'm looking at it as sort of a challenge, I want to get everything free! This is fun!

[alabamagal]

Jul 4, 2011 6:42:19 GMT -5 munjoyhill said:

Does anyone else do this -- my daughter has always loved gifts that are care package type of gifts, just an eclectic mix of things. One year for Christmas when she was a starving college student I got her a bunch of HBA items -- shampoo, conditioner, tampons, make up, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. And she loved it, said it was the best gift ever.

I have a daughter and son in college, not quite starving, but they are supposed to pay for their own food and personal supplies. Anytime I find something for free or really good deal, I buy it and leave it in their room for when they come home, if it is something specific for them. I also encourage them to "shop" from my stockpile, and even encourage them to take a few extra tubes of toothpaste for anyone who needs them.

[bluecluessubtlety]

Munjoy, PM me your address. I'll send safeguar Qs I got 8 papers. A few weeks ago Fry's had the two pack for $1 so I got about ten free. Too bad you're not local. I would give them to you.

I gave the men in my life for christmas buckets filled with tools and H&B items all hounded near free. I gave one for a bridal shower with house cleaning stuff (for him) and spa stuff (for her). I got the thank you yesterday. They loved it. [BTW, wedding was six weeks ago and she's 4-5 weeks pregnant :-} ]

[dancinmama]

Jul 4, 2011 2:03:08 GMT -5 sealy said:

I learned so much from everyone. I remember somebody saying to know the rules so I try to read a lot.
That binder is looking better and better as I try to go through my Qs. It would make it quicker and more
organized.

Ok I just saw something that scared me. Hot Qs had a posting regarding coupon fraud. How can I be sure that I'm not doing anything that won't get me in trouble online coupon wise. How do we know what the limit for online coupons are? For example if the store has a limit of 4 Qs can I print off 4 Qs online or will that get me in trouble.

s

sealy: The limit for on-line coupons is the quantity that the site allows you to print - usually 2 PER COMPUTER, but sometimes more. Usually such coupons have a separate identifier number on them. The fraud comes in when people take THOSE coupons and photocopy them.

I went to Walgreens one time and the cashier showed me some IP coupons that she planned to use to buy a RR item. The coupons were obvious photo copies. I told her that she couldn't use them and why. She had no clue.

[murphath]

Then off to Nob Hill for more Mt. Olive pickles thanks to some hangtags that I found at Safeway; unfortunately there were no hangtags on the jars at Nob Hill. The 24 oz jars of pickles are ON SALE for $2.50; but come down to $1 after a $.75/1 instant coupon and a $.75/1 hangtag. Since pickles have a very long shelf life and I think $1/jar is about as good as I'm going to get for dill spears and bread and butter pickles, I picked up (10) more jars. Regular price for the pickles $3.59.

Dancin: Wish my hubby would eat Mt. Olive pickles. He's a Claussen guy and I never see q's for those--except once when we went to San Diego for DS's play. We were walking around and saw a kiosk with those Spanish language papers for free. They had a SS from the prior week inside. Lo and behold: a $1/2 Claussen pickle q!!. That was last spring so I took some of those free papers. DH ate his last Claussen pickle last week! So he will be pickleless until I discover another q!

Constanz: I'm thinking of letting DS have a garage sale to pocket the proceeds for his last year of college. I know you printed your price list but could you give me a rundown again. Thanks so much--I never know how to price stuff for garage sales.

debinwa: What did you ask for your stuff at your sale?

[dancinmama]

Jul 4, 2011 10:47:49 GMT -5 murphath said:

Dancin: Wish my hubby would eat Mt. Olive pickles. He's a Claussen guy and I never see q's for those--except once when we went to San Diego for DS's play. We were walking around and saw a kiosk with those Spanish language papers for free. They had a SS from the prior week inside. Lo and behold: a $1/2 Claussen pickle q!!. That was last spring so I took some of those free papers. DH ate his last Claussen pickle last week! So he will be pickleless until I discover another q!


murphath: My late MIL was a Claussen gal and they are definitely the fillet mignon of pickles. DH has been trained for over 24 years not to be too brand picky. He'd much rather have the Claussens, but realizes that they are not over three or four times as good as the $1/jar Mt. Olive pickles, so he is willing to eat the Mt. Olive or Vlassic or whatever it is that I bring home.

[dancinmama]

I use my stockpile for gifts all the time, but when I do so the gifts are for no occasion - I just add to my stockpile with family members' needs in mind and give them the items the next time I see them. I did give a boatload of baby wipes along with a couple of things that they registered to my niece/nephew as a baby shower gift. The wipes were just an added bonus. Our families are not really big on exchanging a lot of gifts. We might treat someone to lunch/dinner out for their birthday and we draw names for Christmas making Christmas relatively inexpensive anyway so I don't give stuff out of my stockpile for those gifts.

It will be interesting to see how consumers handle Christmas this year.