weekly shopping linky

One of the most common questions I hear from new couponers is “why aren’t I saving more on food?”  The thrill of free toothpaste and deodorant–while still fun–loses a bit of luster the moment we realize we still have to eat. It is super important, especially at the beginning, not to fall into the trap of unrealistic expectations.  Shows like TLC’s Extreme Couponing make it seem like there are people out there who never pay more than $5 anytime they go to the grocery store, and that is simply not true.  While there are a lot of things that you can get for free, there will always be a lot ... read more

I had no idea last week’s shopping trip would be so controversial!  Okay, so maybe 2 slightly snarky comments does not a controversy make, but you guys are usually so overwhelmingly positive that it did throw me for a loop.  Mostly because last week’s shopping trip was actually fairly “normal”–bread, eggs, yogurt, frozen pizza–at least in terms of extreme couponing.  I figured that if any shopping trip would’ve elicited a negative response, it would’ve been the week I bought 18 cans of Chef Boyardee.  You just never know! But for those of you who are new to my blog or new to coupons, I think it is important to point ... read more

I headed off to Asheville, North Carolina today to attend BEcoming, a small conference being organized by two fellow DealPros, the fashionably frugal Jen Schmidt of Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and superstar Jenny Martin of Southern Savers, as well as the ever-amazing Nester from Nesting Place.  I have admired all three of these ladies for a very long time, and I am so excited to go meet them in person.  It should be a very inspirational weekend, an I will tell you all about it next week! I couldn’t leave town without a quick trip to Publix this morning.  Honestly I don’t know what made me think I would have ... read more

I had every intention of making it to Publix first thing this morning, but I just couldn’t seem to pull myself together!  Ever have one of those days?  I’ll blame it on the heat. There wasn’t a lot I needed or wanted today besides some cheap peanut butter (yum!)  I did want to get some of those BOGO Aunt Jemima pancakes, which my kids love, but I had a printing malfunction on one of the coupons, so I’ll have to wait until Husband gets home and I can use his computer to print another one.  I think that is the 2nd or 3rd time now I’ve had a Smart Source ... read more

After three trips to Publix last week and an impromptu (and *gasp* undocumented) run to Walmart on the 4th where I couldn’t resist taking advantage of some of their incredible produce deals ($0.98 cantaloupe!  $1.75 pineapple!), we are actually pretty well stocked up on almost everything. Everything, that is, except fruit snacks! I also took advantage of a few more of the nice Yellow Advantage flyer deals that will be ending tomorrow.  Overall though, it was a pretty quick & easy trip. Here is what I got: At Publix I spent $7.48 (after Upromise Deposit)for $41.57 worth of groceries, a savings of 82% Grocery Breakdown $5/$25 Purchase Save-a-Lot Competitor’s Coupon ... read more

Wow, two trips to Publix in two days–I hardly know what to do with myself!  Lucky for me, my sister-in-law is visiting this week and kindly offered to watch the girls both days so I could grocery shop in peace. Today’s savings were slightly better than yesterday, though in my newfound Weight-Watchers enthusiasm I couldn’t help but go a little crazy stocking up on all the yummy-looking berries that were on sale this week!  I also took advantage of the sale on block cheese since it doesn’t go on sale nearly as often as the shredded stuff. On a whim–perhaps some kid-free-induced high–I also decided to make a little video ... read more