Albertson's paid me to shop for my groceries yesterday!

For all you folks that are newbie couponers, I decided to break down a recent trip to Albertsons. I purchased 34 items and used $98.50 in coupons. My total at the register after all of my coupons was $1.42!! I also received this $5 Catalina coupon for my next Albertsons purchase. So if you figure it in, I got paid $3.58 to take all of this stuff home!!! Check out my receipts and picture for more info.

My goal when shopping is always to keep my savings higher than the amount I spent and I'm usually able to hit right around 70% or higher in savings! Here's how this trip broke down for those that like numbers:

$106.74 (amt. of savings) + $1.42 (amt. paid)= $108.16 so.....

$106.74/$108.16= 99% savings!!!! (a new record)

Halloween Candy for FREE this year!!

Here's a blast from the past I think most of us can relate to: it's Halloween and you're 8 years old. You're all decked out in your awesome costume (maybe you were a pirate or a princess or in my case, a tube of toothpaste, thanks Mom!) and you're super excited to knock on all of your neighbors' doors and beg for some delicious candy! So you'd add a mini box of milk duds to your stash, maybe that dreaded box of raisins, and a pixie stick. And then you make a stop at the fourth house and your neighbor pulls out a tray of FULL SIZE candy bars!!!! Wow, you feel like you've just won a million dollar jackpot! This will be your first stop next year, for sure!

So with the help of coupons, I have managed to establish a HUGE stockpile of FREE full size bars to hand out on Halloween! I am excited to be "the cool neighbor" this year and see the look of amazement on the kids' faces when I pull out that impressive tray of giant candy bars! So here's a pic of what I have scored...75 name brand candy bars (give or take a few that have mysteriously disappeared) for FREE! Join the Brilliant Bargains program and you can create your very own stash of Halloween treats that are worth bragging about.

"Cutting Out Hunger" and Giving Back

I am proud to show you all of the goodies that I was able to donate to those in need in my local community last week. I was able to get over $400 in toiletries, baby items and non-perishable foods for free or almost free. I feel so blessed to have the skills to use my time along with coupons and rebates to not only feed our family for half of what we have budgeted but I am also able to share the wealth to those who have much less than us. Benz helped me unload all of the above donations to our local battered women's shelter. He seemed so proud to be giving back and I hope that we can continue to set a positive example for our boys and that they will open their hearts to those in need as they grow up.

When Brilliant Bargains became more than just a hobby!

One of the chapters in my manual includes a fun list that goes something like this: You know you're addicted to coupons and saving money when: you take pictures of your shopping successes and post them on your blog! To give you a taste of what I can do when combining store sales with coupons and rebates on top of it, here are my treasures from my late-night trip to Albertson's; just take a good look at the pics and then scroll down to see what my net price was:

12 jars of Ragu pasta & alfredo sauce

20 Sobe lean 20 oz. drinks

4 Fresh Gourmet croutons

3 Wish Bone Bountifuls dressings

3 large Rasin Bran Crunches

1 jumbo box of Rice Krispies

5 Pop-Tarts

2 cans of Blue Diamond wasabi almonds

Next up we have 5 boxes of Popsicles

5 pounds of bananas

5 pounds of grapes

4 store yogurts

10 Breyers yogurt and crunch

2 Silk chocolate soy milk

2 gallons of skim milk

2 packs of Yo-Plus yogurt

8 packs of Stayfree pads

10 Degree body mists

3 Dove body mists

3 Dove deodorant

11 Degree deodorant

And I almost forgot about the loaf of whole wheat bread I stashed in the freezer!

So with 2 carts full of stuff, after sales, coupons and rebates my final price was...

$1.22

Yes, you read that right! And that included tax too! And if I hadn't already sent off for it, I could have gotten a $10 rebate on the Kellogg's cereal and they would have PAID me $8.78 to take all of this home!!! The coolest part of all is that I will donate at least half of it to a local women's shelter. Not bad for a day's work, huh? :)

Traci's Best Coupon Shopping trip ever!

Traci's Best Coupon Shopping trip ever!

Okay, so I am sorry to all you who come to my site wanting to see pictures of my adorable children and you get pictures of food. But I am so proud of my couponing lately that they will have to take second stage. I mean I feel so proud, that I feel I should scrapbook this. And that is a big deal, because I don't scrapbook.
So without futher adu....
My total for these items was $3.14. And I stayed well under my $30 a week grocery budget. And I know you think I am crazy buying all this cereal this week. But really when Jake is out of town we eat alot of cereal. I don't feel the need to cook dinner and my children are happy to have cereal, it is a treat. As long as they eat something heathy with it, I am happy too.
I can't wait to show you the beautiful new coupon purse my good friend Jen made me. So I don't have to look like a goon with my little coupon binder in the store anymore. I will try to take pictures of it, hey free advertising for her online store in Etsy. And give my binder a proper funeral. I can just hear the "taps" now.......

Posted by Traci at 7:48 PM

Adventures with coupons

My first transaction Was 8 boxes of cereal and 4 boxes of pasta, With my coupons my total came to $6.84

My second transaction was 8 boxes of cereal, 3 boxes of frozen waffles, 2 packs of hot dogs, 1 block of cheese and 1 gallon of milk. My total came to $11.60.

For a grand total of $18.44! And the best part is, with Fredy's free childcare, I got to do kid free shopping. Except for the smiling happy baby in the cart.

Oh, and the cereal had a deal for free DVD's! Totally scored!

Posted by Traci at 3:18 PM

What can $4.13 buy you?

Well let me tell you what $4.13 can buy you these days......Alot!

It has been my goal this new year to save as much money on groceries as I can. I have become competitive with.....well, no one but myself, but I take it seriously. I search the web looking for the best deals and free samples.

This week I found coupons for Johnson's products that have been reset. I got 6 Buddie bars for free, yes free. I have used these coupons before, and I don't think I will have to buy my kids soap until they are out of the house.

I refuse to pay more than a dollar for toothpaste now. And I won't pay more than a dollar for shampoo or deodorant.

Those 4 bottles of coffee mate creamer, free!

Mac and cheese, .49 each, can't beat that.

Huggies had great $5 off coupons for baby wipes, got 186 pack of wipes for .99 cents, gotta love it.

Using coupons has changed my life. I used to spend $120 a week on groceries, and now I average $30-$40 a week, what a savings! I now, never shop at Wal-mart to get the best deals, I shop Safeway and Walgreens to get the best deal, and I am saving money on gas because they are so close.

I am a member of BuzzAgent.com and they send me free products to try out and share with my friends. I got a new Scrubbing Bubbles shower cleaner in the mail, with refills. And their new toilet cleaner product and a bunch of coupons. Full bottles of Pledge cleaner, and all their items come with coupons to buy more if I like it.

I am addicted to websites that offer free samples, I get a new one in the mail every day. Free make up, lotions, garbage bags and food, gotta love it.

There are so many ways to save money these days. I know with this economy, everyone is tightening their belt, and retailers are desperate to have your money.

Let me know what opportunities you come across.

Posted by Traci at 11:45 PM