May 2013 Grocery Challenge

[emhalf]

Does anyone want some BTFEs? I have a bag of like 100+

[hopetoberich]

May 17, 2013 20:27:55 GMT -5 emhalf said:

Does anyone want some BTFEs? I have a bag of like 100+

If no one else minds I would love these for a school near me.

I got one pizza box with the code for free movie tickets. Now I have to buy another box so I can send the code to stepson. He might like that.

[FreeSalsa]

Card #3
Gain dish soap 99c
-.50 quarterly ECB
= .49 paid w/ GC = Free ==> $2 GBT ECB

$4.99 Vitamins
-$3 vitamins CRT
-$2 GBT ECB
= tax paid w/ GC = Free

2 Travel size Degree deodorant $1.29 ea.
-$2/2 deodorant CRT
= .58c paid w/GC = Free

Card #2
CVS travel tissue .49 c
paid w/GC = Free ==> $2 GBT ECB

2 CVS 24 ct Ibuprofin $2.99 ea.
- BOGO sale
- $1/CVS pain reliever of $2.99 or more
- $2 GBT ECB
= tax pd w/ GC = Free

Card #1
Carmel candy .39c
paid w/ GC = Free ==> $2 GBT ECB

2 Gain dish soap $.99 ea.
-$2 GBT ECB = Free

I got a lot of good CRTs on the cards I don't use very much.  I think I have one more card somewhere I've never used so I'll see if I can find that.  Any tax was paid with GC.  I love getting free GCs from Swagbucks.  It's such easy money.  Wednesday is gonna be a big day for swag codes so I'll be up and ready to get them early.

[FreeSalsa]

May 16, 2013 7:59:46 GMT -5 skubikky said:

Re: Green Bag Tag,  I got the $2EB....so now I can throw the GBT out?

It says on the ECB that you can recycle it, in keeping with its green purpose.  It's just cardboard.

[marvholly]

For the 2nd week in a row there is nothing I want at either CVS or WAG. Glad because I have a BIG (for me) list at my indie market so will not be breaking the budget.

I learned Sat that this indie markets DOES take internet printed coupons w/quit a few restrictions (about the same as Dollar Tree). I can live w/that.

[emhalf]

May 18, 2013 6:54:47 GMT -5 hopetoberich said:

May 17, 2013 20:27:55 GMT -5 emhalf said:

Does anyone want some BTFEs? I have a bag of like 100+

If no one else minds I would love these for a school near me.

I got one pizza box with the code for free movie tickets. Now I have to buy another box so I can send the code to stepson. He might like that.

PM me your address hope and I'll send them out. Let me know if there's anything else you're looking for.

[skubikky]

May 18, 2013 14:03:27 GMT -5 FreeSalsa said:

May 16, 2013 7:59:46 GMT -5 skubikky said:

Re: Green Bag Tag,  I got the $2EB....so now I can throw the GBT out?

It says on the ECB that you can recycle it, in keeping with its green purpose.  It's just cardboard.

Yes, that's just what I'll do.  Thanks for the reminder.

[constanz22]

Had to stop at Rite Aid tonight cuz I had a $3 Up expiring today, that I didn't realize I had, and a $2 that was expiring later this week. I am on vacation after tomorrow and won't be near RA again, so, basically had to just burn them . I did wander around a bit and there were a lot of 75% off tags, in pet, office, and some in candy. I didn't really look through the whole store so may be more. Definitely worth taking a look...

[973beachbum]

Hi all!  I did a couple of trips to CVS and Shoprite yesterday.  I have almost totally gotten out of the game as the deals didn't seem that great and I am busier than I can stand.  It just seemed like a good time to take a brake as it isn't like we really need much.   I just needed a few things from Shoprite including bug spray well I must have put a ecoupon on my card because when I scanned my off it took $2 off the sale price.   I don't even remember doing it.  Then I went to CVS and picked up 6 bottles of diet coke and an otc allergy med.  I really needed the allergy med and there were none on sale/with a mc so I just grabbed the CVS version and lopw and behold out popped a $4 ECB.  My receipt also says that if I spend $6.01 more on CVS brand stuff I will get a $6.00 ECB which I assume I can still roll the $4 ecb on.  

I think this means the coupon Gods really want me back in the game after all.

Is anyone else here doing the $25 gas card at Shoprite besides me?  My Dd eats yogurt by the ton it seems so although there are no sales per say on it I will take 50% off on the yoplait greek yogurt in a heartbeat and call it a win.

[dancinmama]

May 17, 2013 10:22:14 GMT -5 constanz22 said:

I had NEVER seen anything like it in my previous years of couponing and I doubt we'll ever see anything like it ever again.

It is definitely a bummer .  I never thought the days of free toothpaste would ever end.  It seemed like ever dang week there was free toothpaste somewhere, for years!  I started couponing heavily in Jan of 2009.  I still do ok here and there, but I don't put much effort into it anymore either because I do have SO MUCH still in my stockpile.  It does make me second guess selling off too much of my excess.  I usually sell all but a few of each item over the summer at sales at my campground, but, I really am going to need to re-think that idea and maybe hold on to more of it.  I think we will all continue to do well with deals.  I don't forsee us paying shelf price for toothpaste or shampoo.  There will always be SOME deal to be had, but, I agree, the days of massive stockpiling are probably over...

Having said that, I got a x/xx in my email from cvs this week too, so, maybe they are trying to lure us back in

If it's something that you use regularly and is non-perishable, I'd hang onto it.   Anything with a date stamp that you're not thrilled about, get rid of.

I used to donate any toothpaste that was within 6 months of expiration.  I haven't donated toothpaste since 2011 and found (by experiment) that it is "still good" (3) years after the date stamped on the box. 

I knew when EC first aired and then when P&G started printing quantity restrictions on their coupons shortly thereafter, we were seeing the beginning of the end.  And even though not much had really changed yet at any of the retailers, I could sense that my coupons were less and less welcomed.  I went from being a hero to being "a bum", particularly at CVS; but I could sense a change at WAGs and Safeway too.

Another thing that I've noticed is that coupons are becoming more regional than ever before.   For example, I used to get the Yakisoba coupons every time that they came out in the inserts.  I did get it last Sunday; but the time before that when it came out, it was MIA in my inserts. 

I also got a $4/$20 in my email and was going to use it to do the Excedrin deal and then roll that EB into the peanut butter, but guess what?  I had planned to print it off on Sunday and totally forgot!! 




I am soooo thankful for all the drug chain deals over the past several years.  Imagine the collective coupon savings by the Grocery Hounds during that time!!  I'm sure it totals in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  

[dancinmama]

May 21, 2013 8:47:46 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

Hi all!  I did a couple of trips to CVS and Shoprite yesterday.  I have almost totally gotten out of the game as the deals didn't seem that great and I am busier than I can stand.  It just seemed like a good time to take a brake as it isn't like we really need much.   I just needed a few things from Shoprite including bug spray well I must have put a ecoupon on my card because when I scanned my off it took $2 off the sale price.   I don't even remember doing it.  Then I went to CVS and picked up 6 bottles of diet coke and an otc allergy med.  I really needed the allergy med and there were none on sale/with a mc so I just grabbed the CVS version and lopw and behold out popped a $4 ECB.  My receipt also says that if I spend $6.01 more on CVS brand stuff I will get a $6.00 ECB which I assume I can still roll the $4 ecb on.  

I think this means the coupon Gods really want me back in the game after all.

Is anyone else here doing the $25 gas card at Shoprite besides me?  My Dd eats yogurt by the ton it seems so although there are no sales per say on it I will take 50% off on the yoplait greek yogurt in a heartbeat and call it a win.

It's nice when you need something and the couponing gods are looking out for you!! 

It's not that the deals offered at the drug chains are no longer good, it's more that they are not sooooo good that you can roll rewards regularly and get massive quantities of products for free.  The "payoff" for being "in the game" is not nearly as great.

I always tried to weigh time and effort vs savings.  There was a window of opportunity when the time and effort was minimal compared to the payoff....when we could go to CVS or WAGs and/or Rite Aid and walk out with $75-$100 in coupon savings per week (my average drug chain savings in 2012 - personally, my worst year), to bring home free non-perishables that we could use over the next several years.

For those of us lucky enough to have taken advantage of that window of opportunity and build stockpiles.....well, those stockpiles are like having "your money" in the bank.   

[murphath]

I agree with Dancinmama that the deals are not as plentiful, nor wonderful, as in the past. I, too, am much more picky. I do find myself shopping at Target more frequently due to their gift cards, and being able to use the Target coupon with a man. q. Since their prices are lower to begin with, I've done okay there.

DD2 wanted some Jergens Natural Glow lotion. It's $11.49 at CVS so I assume around the same at the other drug stores. We checked to see if Grocery Outlet had some as it was on the way to Target. No go, but I did pick up some Stoneyfield greek yogurt (4 for $1.00). In any event, DD2 will be moving out soon and wanted to see how coupons worked. I showed her the coupon database at Hotcouponworld, the MFA site, etc. We found $1 man q's and a $1/2 Target q. I wanted to get the Banana Boat sunblock and a few other things. So,

2 Banana Boat kids sunblock (we're all just big kids, right?) $12.98
Minus: 2/$3 man. q's
2/$2 Target q's
Balance: $2.98 plus tax
Rec'd $5 gift card in return

Normally, I would have used the gift card toward some Dr. Scholl's, which are on sale for $9.49 and I have $6 in man. q's, $4 in Target q's. With the $5 gift card, it would come to $3.98 plus tax. It, too, produces a $5 gift card. BUT, being a nice mom, I gave the gift card to DD2. She bought:

2 Jergen's Natural Glow: $17.38
Minus 2/$1 man q's
Minus 1 $1/2 Target q
Minus $5 gift card
Minus .05 for using her own bag
Total $9.38 plus tax

I also told her that since she likes this product, she always be on the lookout for good deals. At some point in time, Target will probably be giving a gift card for this stuff, too. I think she's beginning to see the light.

[dancinmama]

May 21, 2013 10:36:18 GMT -5 murphath said:

I agree with Dancinmama that the deals are not as plentiful, nor wonderful, as in the past. I, too, am much more picky. I do find myself shopping at Target more frequently due to their gift cards, and being able to use the Target coupon with a man. q. Since their prices are lower to begin with, I've done okay there.

DD2 wanted some Jergens Natural Glow lotion. It's $11.49 at CVS so I assume around the same at the other drug stores. We checked to see if Grocery Outlet had some as it was on the way to Target. No go, but I did pick up some Stoneyfield greek yogurt (4 for $1.00). In any event, DD2 will be moving out soon and wanted to see how coupons worked. I showed her the coupon database at Hotcouponworld, the MFA site, etc. We found $1 man q's and a $1/2 Target q. I wanted to get the Banana Boat sunblock and a few other things. So,

2 Banana Boat kids sunblock (we're all just big kids, right?) $12.98
Minus: 2/$3 man. q's
2/$2 Target q's
Balance: $2.98 plus tax
Rec'd $5 gift card in return

Normally, I would have used the gift card toward some Dr. Scholl's, which are on sale for $9.49 and I have $6 in man. q's, $4 in Target q's. With the $5 gift card, it would come to $3.98 plus tax. It, too, produces a $5 gift card. BUT, being a nice mom, I gave the gift card to DD2. She bought:

2 Jergen's Natural Glow: $17.38
Minus 2/$1 man q's
Minus 1 $1/2 Target q
Minus $5 gift card
Minus .05 for using her own bag
Total $9.38 plus tax

I also told her that since she likes this product, she always be on the lookout for good deals. At some point in time, Target will probably be giving a gift card for this stuff, too. I think she's beginning to see the light.

A Grocery Hound in training. 
 

[murphath]

Dancinmama wrote:
A Grocery Hound in training. 
 


She truly is.  Actually, both of my DDs are pretty frugal and will continue to be while paying off those student loans.  Yuck!

[dancinmama]

HOUND ALERT:  SPLENDA MM AT WAGs

$8.97 (3) Splenda 100 cnt. @ $2.99/ea. with in-ad coupon
-6.00  (3) $2/1 MCs (3/24 SS)
$2.97 OOP  --> $5RR  $2.03MM

RR reported to be good from 5/20-6/16 (Buy 2 get a $2RR; Buy 3 get a $5RR), so if your WAGs is OOS, get a rain check for the $2.99 price.  The RR offer is NOT in the ad.

I bought (3) today and can confirm that the RR is printing.

If your store is OOS, get a rain check!!

HAPPY HOUNDING!! 

[rubyslippers]

I finally got my 4 jars of Jif peanut butter at CVS and so I'm done with them for the time being.

I transferred a prescription at WAGs and got a $25.00 gift card and will be shopping there next week as I see a few things in their ad that I can use.

Today I got 8 packs of D. Pepsi for $15.00 at Kroger using two $2.00 MQ's from a grocery flyer and got another $1.00 for being over 50.  I also redeemed fuel points and saved $29.00 on fill up at gas station.

Aldi has pineapples for $.99 this week and there is a meat sale at a little independent grocery store that will start tomorrow.  We won't get our beef until later this summer and I'm getting low.

We didn't get the Splenda Q's here.  I think Rite Aid has a deal on those also.

I have been doing nothing other than cherry picking the past few months but it has been working.  I'm so thankful for my stockpile!!!

[MonicaLee5186]

**Hound Alert!**

Did anyone get a bunch of Target coupons in their inserts this past week?  If so, I'm looking for the $2/2 Old Spice deodorant coupons if anyone can spare some.  I did the math and with the store and MC, I can get DH's deodorant for .72/stick.  I always try to stock up if I can get it under $1 a stick.

Thanks in advance!

[dancinmama]

May 22, 2013 20:34:19 GMT -5 MonicaLee5186 said:

**Hound Alert!**

Did anyone get a bunch of Target coupons in their inserts this past week?  If so, I'm looking for the $2/2 Old Spice deodorant coupons if anyone can spare some.  I did the math and with the store and MC, I can get DH's deodorant for .72/stick.  I always try to stock up if I can get it under $1 a stick.

Thanks in advance!

I'm not clear on what coupon you're looking for.  I looked through my inserts from 5/19 (1 RP and 2 SS) and I did get some Target Qs but none of them are for Old Spice.  They are for household products and IAMs pet food.

[marvholly]

Ruby
Are you sure about the Aldi pineapple price? They are $1.29 in metro Chicago. I plan on one myself.

The only good deals on groceries here are on groung beef & ground turkey. Good thing I like meatloaf, burgers, tacos & salsbury steak. One of my independents seems to have 0.99/8 oz cheese again or if pushed Dominicks (Safeway) has their 2 lb cheeses for $5 all week. I never did get all I wanted on the last 0.99 dsale. I do have a raincheck but still did NOT have this past ad.

[constanz22]

May 23, 2013 6:18:39 GMT -5 marvholly said:

Ruby
Are you sure about the Aldi pineapple price? They are $1.29 in metro Chicago. I plan on one myself.

The only good deals on groceries here are on groung beef & ground turkey. Good thing I like meatloaf, burgers, tacos & salsbury steak. One of my independents seems to have 0.99/8 oz cheese again or if pushed Dominicks (Safeway) has their 2 lb cheeses for $5 all week. I never did get all I wanted on the last 0.99 dsale. I do have a raincheck but still did NOT have this past ad.

Aldi's sale prices on produce are always regional. You can look at their ad online and make sure to put in your zip to see your local ad.

[mrsdutt]

May 21, 2013 9:06:37 GMT -5 dancinmama said:

May 17, 2013 10:22:14 GMT -5 constanz22 said:

I had NEVER seen anything like it in my previous years of couponing and I doubt we'll ever see anything like it ever again.

It is definitely a bummer .  I never thought the days of free toothpaste would ever end.  It seemed like ever dang week there was free toothpaste somewhere, for years!  I started couponing heavily in Jan of 2009.  I still do ok here and there, but I don't put much effort into it anymore either because I do have SO MUCH still in my stockpile.  It does make me second guess selling off too much of my excess.  I usually sell all but a few of each item over the summer at sales at my campground, but, I really am going to need to re-think that idea and maybe hold on to more of it.  I think we will all continue to do well with deals.  I don't forsee us paying shelf price for toothpaste or shampoo.  There will always be SOME deal to be had, but, I agree, the days of massive stockpiling are probably over...

Having said that, I got a x/xx in my email from cvs this week too, so, maybe they are trying to lure us back in

If it's something that you use regularly and is non-perishable, I'd hang onto it.   Anything with a date stamp that you're not thrilled about, get rid of.

I used to donate any toothpaste that was within 6 months of expiration.  I haven't donated toothpaste since 2011 and found (by experiment) that it is "still good" (3) years after the date stamped on the box. 

I knew when EC first aired and then when P&G started printing quantity restrictions on their coupons shortly thereafter, we were seeing the beginning of the end.  And even though not much had really changed yet at any of the retailers, I could sense that my coupons were less and less welcomed.  I went from being a hero to being "a bum", particularly at CVS; but I could sense a change at WAGs and Safeway too.

Another thing that I've noticed is that coupons are becoming more regional than ever before.   For example, I used to get the Yakisoba coupons every time that they came out in the inserts.  I did get it last Sunday; but the time before that when it came out, it was MIA in my inserts. 

I also got a $4/$20 in my email and was going to use it to do the Excedrin deal and then roll that EB into the peanut butter, but guess what?  I had planned to print it off on Sunday and totally forgot!! 




I am soooo thankful for all the drug chain deals over the past several years.  Imagine the collective coupon savings by the Grocery Hounds during that time!!  I'm sure it totals in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  

For some reason I can't highlight today. I think sales are a direct link to a company's stock.  When we were able to stockpile the sales appeared to be over the top. I wonder what they are now? The stores and manufacturers and us were making money. It appears they didn't want us in that equation.

[rubyslippers]

Yes, Constanz is right about the prices at Aldi.  One store has their pineapple for $.99 and the other has it for $1.29.  I will price match at Walmart to get it for $.99.  I had been getting bags of oranges for $1.59 week after week but they're not on sale this week.  Last week lettuce was $.69 a head.  Aldi prices has helped me keep produce in the house for less money than buying it straight off the shelf.  I will be on the look out for good deals on cheese as we are starting to get low but I probably won't be able to get it as cheap as I did several months ago at $.38 a bag. 

[973beachbum]

I went back to CVS and noticed a change I wanted to let everyone know about.  I don't know if it has been reported somewhere but I didn't know that CVS no longer gives you the ECB if you are close to the required total.  I did one of the buy $20 get a $10 ECB deal and managed to not add right and only bought $#19.98 worth of products.  I expeced to get the ECB but instead got a note on my reciept that said I only needed 0.02 more cents to get my $10 ECB. 

Most of the time I have to go over anyway so I don't know how long it could have been going on before I noticed.

[MonicaLee5186]

Dancin -- It's a $2/2 Target coupon off of Old Spice Products.  I plan on pairing it with the $3/2 twin pack deodorant coupons that I got in the paper this past weekend.


Thanks for trying!

[murphath]

lduttinger wrote:
For some reason I can't highlight today. I think sales are a direct link to a company's stock.  When we were able to stockpile the sales appeared to be over the top. I wonder what they are now? The stores and manufacturers and us were making money. It appears they didn't want us in that equation.

I think we're starting to see a bit of a shift back our way.  CVS, for example, is starting to give out a lot of $3/$15; $6/$30; $4/$20 CRTs again.  They've probably noticed a real drop off in their business.  Now if the coupon values could go back to their original amounts, we might see some good deals again.  But since I have my stockpile, which has never been huge like those on Extreme Couponing, I can wait for a deal.  As mentioned before, I'm finding Target to be a good place especially when they have their own coupon that can be combined with a man. q, and the item/s purchased is giving a gift card back.  They also have mobile q's which are different from their printable q's and a new program called Cartwheel which gives a 5% discount on items.  I don't have a smart phone so the mobile q's and Cartwheel are out for me.  But I do use the Target credit card which gives me the 5% discount.

[constanz22]

Wow, I didn't think I had so much in my stockpile with the decrease in deals, but I was easily able to fill two medium boxes, 2 milk crate type bins, and a couple smaller shoe box size (make up, travel size items and hair accessories) without really trying and I still have PLENTY on my shelves. So, hoping for a profitable sale!

[skubikky]

May 23, 2013 9:06:55 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

I went back to CVS and noticed a change I wanted to let everyone know about.  I don't know if it has been reported somewhere but I didn't know that CVS no longer gives you the ECB if you are close to the required total.  I did one of the buy $20 get a $10 ECB deal and managed to not add right and only bought $#19.98 worth of products.  I expeced to get the ECB but instead got a note on my reciept that said I only needed 0.02 more cents to get my $10 ECB. 

Most of the time I have to go over anyway so I don't know how long it could have been going on before I noticed.

Yes, happened to me the other day when I was buying the Skippy.  The girl ended up keying in the $4/$20(nice kid).  But, yes, I experienced the same thing.  No more leeway there.  I added in two lollipops to get close to the $20....pissed me off.  Gonna return them.

[marvholly]

DD2 is prego w/#2 and it has been a rough one. She got put on bed rest on Thur = same timing as for kid #1 - 5 weeks out. Last time she delivered in about 7-10 days after being put on bed rest. Her all time fav meal is brisket. It is cool here this weekend so a good time to have the oven on. Will cook on Mon. Dropped $20 on brisket fixings. If needed it can go in either of our freezers.

Also stocked up on cheese as 2 of my stores had 8 oz okg (bricks & shreds) for 0.99 again.
Still need to get the ground meat(s) on my this ad list.

[rubyslippers]

It is cool here too and last night DH made a big pot of chili that was delicious.  We'll save some for chili dogs later this weekend.

DS got me a gal. of milk today for $1.49 by price matching at Walmart.  I didn't know anyone had cheaper prices on milk than Aldi, but the cashier told him a new store has it on sale this week.

Marvholly, we always get a brisket when we buy our beef from a farmer.  A couple of weeks ago our friend smoked and cooked ours for us.  I sliced some and put it in the freezer for later.  It was awesome!  I still have another brisket to fix before we get out next order of beef and our friend said he would cook that one too.  He said he marinated it in a can of Coke.

[dancinmama]

May 23, 2013 9:06:55 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

I went back to CVS and noticed a change I wanted to let everyone know about.  I don't know if it has been reported somewhere but I didn't know that CVS no longer gives you the ECB if you are close to the required total.  I did one of the buy $20 get a $10 ECB deal and managed to not add right and only bought $#19.98 worth of products.  I expeced to get the ECB but instead got a note on my reciept that said I only needed 0.02 more cents to get my $10 ECB. 

Most of the time I have to go over anyway so I don't know how long it could have been going on before I noticed.

I read that if the deal is a Buy $20/Get $5 OR Buy $30/Get $10 (for example), you have to hit or go over the amount required.   I also read that for deals that are not either/or, the 98% rule still applies.