Yesterday's Shopping Trips

I decided not to go to Safeway to use the $10 off $50 coupon. We are really well stocked on food, especially since my mother brought over an enormous pot of chicken soup which we are still trying to eat through (and there's another container in the freezer!). So, I've just picked up some odds and ends. Yesterday I was able to get a lot done.

At CVS I finally found the beauty book and there's also a magazine "reinventing beauty" with the beauty book in it plus other coupons for $.99 - so now I have 2 sets. I also bought some candy corn that was 90% off, and I spent $1.33 Oop.

At Costco I renewed our membership and also bought a large bottle of minced onion (we use a lot of minced onion and garlic): $3.30 Oop

At Walmart I picked up the following:
$18.97 Sterilite cart for the closet (obviously not part of the grocery budget)
$.92 lb macaroni
$.92 lb macaroni
$.60 Campbells cream of mushroom soup on roll back
$.60 Campbells cream of mushroom soup on roll back
$6.97 special muffin cups (also not part of grocery budget but I needed them)
$1.18 cornmeal
$2.98 Crisco vegetable oil on roll back

I used the rest of my Walmart giftcard that I've been working through and paid $5.10 Oop.

I also went to Target and picked up a muffin tin, a grey tank top (on clearance $2.48) and a dust buster which we have needed so badly! None are part of my grocery budget but I finished using my $100 Target giftcard and spent under $15 out of pocket after the giftcard was used up.

We also received our dehumidifier in the mail! Now that it's almost winter we shouldn't need to use it too much, but we generally don't have to turn on the AC when it's hot since we're on the first floor - but it gets really humid - but it should be helpful come spring or during warm days.

Out of pocket expenses towards grocery budget: $9.73
Running weekly tally: $16.29

Two CVS Trips

I found Halloween clearance at 75% off - I'm actually heading back today because the boyfriend has requested more. Anyway.

trip #1:
$.32 Brach candy corn
$.32 Brach candy corn
$.49 milkmaid caramels
$.49 milkmaid caramels
$.75 Reeses crisp bars
$2.99 Garnier anti-frizz cream
$11.99 L'oreal Revitalift serum stuff

$2.79 Tootsie Roll pops (this is a mistake which she then returned and resold to me for the proper price of $.70)

- 1/1 L'oreal
- $1/1 Garnier
- $5 Extrabucks
- $12 Extrabucks

= $1.33 Oop (which I got back with the return - resel of the pops so $0.00 Oop)

Made $11.99 off the L'oreal and $2 off the Garnier.

trip #2:

$1.59 Glacier water
$4.09 gallon skim milk

- $1.00 Extrabuck
- $2.00 Extrabuck
- $2.00 Extrabuck

= $.68 Oop

Received $1.59 back from the Glacier water.

Budget So Far II

DAYS	MONEY SPENT
AUG 10 - AUG 16	$118.24
AUG 17 - AUG 23	$48.11
AUG 23 - AUG 30	$40.78
AUG 31 - SEP 6	$57.87
SEP 7 - SEP 13	$57.39
SEP 14 - SEP 20	$71.10
SEP 21 - SEP 27	$1.83
SEP 28 - OCT 4	$49.18
OCT 5 - OCT 11	$13.88
OCT 12 - OCT 18	$75.08
OCT 19 - OCT 25	$10.04
OCT 26 - NOV 1	$43.58
NOV 2 - NOV 8	$42.00
NOV 9 - NOV 15	$20.94
NOV 16 - NOV 22	?
NOV 23 - NOV 29	?

August: $207.13
September: $188.19
October: $191.76 (yes! Even with the extra week)
November: $159.49

1st Shopping Trip in a Week!

Well, I indeed was able to go out, though I'm feeling a little tired now. I think CVS will have to wait till tomorrow - hopefully the things on sale will still be around, if not, oh well. I love how relaxed I get with illness! Hah!

Anyway, I made 2 stops: Giant and Safeway...

Giant:

$1.87 Arnolds Honey Wheat Bread (on sale 33% off)
$3.34 Hillshire Farms turkey breast
$3.34 Hillshire Farms turkey breast

- $1/1 Hillshire Farms (on product)
- $1/1 Hillshire Farms (")
- $5 off next shopping trip from Crest deal

= $1.49 Oop which I paid with a giftcard

Safeway:

$1.69 Quaker Simple Harvest cereal
$1.69 Quaker Simple Harvest cereal (on sale yesterday and today only!)
$3.50 Diet Coke 8-pack
$4.00 2 Florida's Natural orange juice (on sale yesterday and today only!)
$6.00 Cute Holiday Pup
$2.97 3 Thanksgiving cards at $.99 each

- $6.00 Coke promotion
- $6.00 free plush
- $1/1 Simple Harvest
- $1/1 Simple harvest

= $5.88 Oop!

Now the 3-card promotion takes $6 off your total (a lot more than the coke so you get overage!) but it didn't automatically take off the plush toy so the cashier had to do that manually. Check the screen when you check out! I'm going to try this again tomorrow when I go back to hopefully use the $10 off $50 coupon.

Sick

Well, this week my "feels like the flu" turned out to be bronchitis, so I have been on the couch for the entire week (and only barely making it up and on the computer). Anyway, the only thing that was bought other than my visit on the 2nd was a gallon of milk (the boyfriend picked that up) which brings us at approximately $42.00 OOP for the week, obviously under budget. I am actually excited about some of the CVS deals this week and will be out food shopping (not for too long) tomorrow. Any deals I should be on the lookout for?

Giant & Safeway

Two stops today, although the body isn't so happy I ever went out. Seems I have come down with something, which is great because I was just about to get my flu shot. Oh well. Aches, cough and all other cold symptons. It's fun, really. My shopping trip was far more fun.

Giant:
$7.50 3 tubes of Crest toothpaste (on sale for $2.50 each)
$2.00 2 boxes of frozen spinach
$1.66 1.68 lbs of bartlett pears

- $1/2 Crest
- $1/1 Crest

= $9.61, which I paid with a giftcard, received $5 back for the Crest deal!

Safeway:
$.59 Betty Crocker cakemix
$.59 Betty Crocker cakemix
$.59 Betty Crocker cakemix
$.59 Betty Crocker cakemix
$.59 Betty Crocker cakemix
$.59 Betty Crocker cakemix
$5.59 vanilla extract
$4.19 Canola oil
$2.50 Snyders pretzals
$1.99 dozen large eggs
$2.50 mexican cheese mix
$2.00 Minute Maid orange juice
$9.60 12 Yoplait yogurts
$5.75 Safeway chicken breasts (several lbs at $1.99/lb)
$5.73 Safeway chicken breasts (several lbs at $1.99/lb)
$.69 1.76 lb of bananas

- $.80 Yoplait
- $.80 Yoplait
- $4.33 10% discount

= $38.15 Oop

Alright, back to the couch.

New Weekly Tally

So, especially after this week and last, where I bought several free after rebate items from Rite Aid and had the "I'm way over budget" scare, I've decided that I will not include these purchases in my weekly tallies if I get either the price I paid or more back from Rite Aid's program. And I will only do this for Rite Aid - not any mail away offers because those can't always be trusted. Additionally, I will use my credit card (earning rewards points) for all free after rebate items.

So that makes this week a little more reasonable.

Week of October 26th - November 1st (not counting Rite Aid trips):
Sunday October 26th Safeway $24.73
Sunday October 26th Girl Scouts $10.50
Monday October 27th CVS $0.22
Thursday October 30th CVS $2.18
Thursday October 30th Safeway $5.95

Running weekly tally: 43.58

Not sure if I'll be going out today, but I'll definitely be doing the Crest deal at Giant (there are coupons in today's circular) and then stopping at Safeway tomorrow (check your coupons for a Safeway election circular with a 10% off coupon!) for the 2 day specials and using the 10% off coupon!