BiLo trip yesterday

Here is what went down at BiLo yesterday...

$19.99 Meat Deal--Buy 5 Participating meats for $19.99: 
(2) NY Strips @ $6.50/each
     -Price for meat deal: $4.00/each
(2) Frozen bags of fish @ $8.99/each
     -Price for meat deal: $4.00/each
(1) 16-count box of Corn Dogs @ $6.99
     -Price for meat deal: $4.00
     = $19.99

Fuel Perks Deal; I bought the following 6 things and got 20cents in Fuel Perks!: 
(3) KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce @ $1.89/each
     - on sale: $1.50/each
     - coupon: $.50/1, doubles to $1/1
     = $.50/each!
(2) Pace Salsa @ $2.64/each
     - on sale 2 for $4
     - coupon: $.60/2, doubles to $1.20/2
     = $2.80 for 2, or $1.40/each
(1) Tetley Tea Bags @ $2.19
     - on sale: $1.64
     = $1.64
Total for $.20 in fuel perks: $5.94, normally you'd have to spend $200 to get $.20 fuel perks!

(4) Special K Cereal @ $3.98/each
     - on sale: B1G1, or $1.99/each
     - (2) coupons: $1.00/2
     = $1.50/each
(2) Mr. Clean Erasers @ $2.32/each
     -Rain Check: B1G1
     -(2) coupons: $.50/1, doubles to $1.00/1
     = $.32 for 2!
(1) Softsoap Handsoap @ $1.98
     -on sale: $1.00
     -coupon: $.35/1, doubles to $.70/1
     =$.30
(1) Bottle Tisdale wine @ $5.49
     - on sale: 3/$10, or $3.33
     = $3.33
(1) Florida's Natural OJ @ $3.49
     - on sale: $2.50
     = $2.50
(6) Green Giant Boxed Veggies @ $1.99/each
     - on sale: $1.00/each
     - (2) Coupons: $.60/3, doubles to $1.20/3
     = $3.60 for 6, or $.60/each
(1) Marie Callendar Steamer Frozen Meal @ $3.64
     -on sale: $1.98
     -coupon: $1.00/1
     =$.98
(2) Carolina Pride Ground Sausage @ $2.99/each
     -on sale: B1G1
     = $1.50/each
(1) Cucumber @ $.99
     -on sale: $.79
     = $.79
(1) Bag of Salad @ $2.79
     -on sale: $1.99
     -Coupon: $1.00/1; this was on the bag but she forgot to scan it :(
     = $1.99
Bananas @ $.49/lb
     = $.81

Other Savings:
$.05 off for each reusable shopping bag you bring = $.30 off

Subtotal before any savings: $108.48
Subtotal after sales and coupons: $49.19

I saved $59.29, which is 55%!

the end of an era...you might say

  

Here it is.

And here is a little background for those that don't know...

It was sophomore year, a solid three years ago, during a routine phone call with my parents, when they asked if I'd like them to pick me up anything at the store to get on my next trip home. "You know what?" I replied, "I've really been craving chocolate milk lately." 

Little did I know, that craving would change my life as I knew it.

So I headed to Greenville that weekend to hang out with the fam and pick up my container of Nesquik. What I found, however, was a CONTAINER of Nesquik. A container. of Nesquik.

Every college roomate I've had since has been subjected to my begging, pleading, and bribing of them to help me tame the chocolate beast and finish off that giant container so it didn't have to travel home with me every summer. This container of Nesquik has been the focus of chocolate milk parties, and has graced every countertop of every apartment I've lived in. It would even find its way back onto the counter when an unsuspecting soul would hide it away in a cabinet. This container has been the one constant during my time at Clemson amongst years of different classes, different apartments, and different roomates. I could always count on that bright yellow bottomless pit of chocolate powder to be there, no matter where I ended up in life. I honestly believed that I would never see the bottom of that container.

Well, the day has come. My hubby happens to love a tall glass of chocolate milk every now and then daily, and has taken on this container like no one before him has been able to. He tackled it with a vengeance and in a matter of only a few months of marriage, the container was defeated.

I wish I had a photo of the inside of the empty container, but I think I was so shocked that it was actually gone that I could only manage to snap a photo of the outside. But rest assured, the beast has been dominated.

It's the end of an era...you might say.

my Walgreens trip on Sunday

For better or worse, here's what went down at Walgreens on Sunday. Remember, this helps me keep track of my spending and savings, so if this makes you yawn just skip right over it! But feel free to share what you got at Walgreens this week!

*If you don't do a lot of couponing, Walgreens gives certain items an amount of "Register Rewards" (RR) each week, which print out with your receipt and act as Walgreens Money that you can use on your next transaction. For each item I'm going to list how much it was on sale for, and below that how much I got it for after the coupons I used and the RR's I got with it. So the final cost of the item won't be necessarily what I payed out of pocket, but the final value of that item, since I was able to use those RR's to get money off my next transaction.

Transaction 1:

(5) cans Swanson Chicken broth @ $1.17/each
          -in-ad coupon made them $.50 each
          -$.50 wyb 5
          =$2.00 or $.40/each
(2) Nivea Body Washes @ 2/$9 (sale)
          - $3 wyb 2
          - $4 RR 
          = $2 or $1/each
(1) 4pk Noxema Disposible Razors @ 3.99 (sale)
          - $.75
          - $3 RR
          = $.25
(2) Halls Refresh Cough Drops @ $.99/each (sale)
          - $.75
          - $.75
          = $.50 or $.25/each
(1) Bayer Blood Glucose Meter @ $14.99 (sale)
          -$10.00
          -$5 RR
          = free!
I got $3 RR and 2 free Redbox rentals for getting the rest of this stuff:
(2) Chex Mix @ $1.50/each (sale)
          -.75/2
          = $2.25
(2) Sunkist @ $1/each
          -B1G1
          = $1 or $.50/each
(3) Dr. Pepper @ $1/each
          = $3
(2) A&W Root Beer & Canada Dry @ $1/each
          -B1G1
          = $1 or $.50/each
$7.25 - $3 RR = 4.25 for the Chex Mix & sodas

My subtotal, not counting sales, coupons, or RR's was $69.45.
With sales alone, I saved $21.39.
With coupons, I saved another $23.89, and I used $2 RR that I had from my last trip.
Out of pocket, I spent $24.45, and got $15 RR.
Since I can use that $15 RR on another purchase, I really spent $9.45! And got 2 free Redbox movies.

Transaction 2: I have been dying to get Clemsonopoly, so we decided to go for it and use some of our RR's from the previous transaction. Otherwise, this transaction would have been pretty cheap and we'd have lots of RR's for next time.

(3) Old Spice Body Wash @ 3/$10 (sale)
          -B1G1
          -3RR
          = $3.67 or $1.22/each
(1) Clemsonopoly @ $19.99

Subtotal: $30.00
After coupons and $12 RR: $15.33
Out of pocket spent: $16.76 - $3 RR for next time = $13.76.

I learned this trip that I can't just use all my RR's in one purchase (I had $15 from the last transaction, so I thought this one would be free with RR's). The RR's print out and are rung up like a regular manufacturer's coupon (I had one for $5, one for $4, and two for $3), so you can only use one RR coupon per item, and the number of coupons AND RR's can't exceed the number of items. I had 4 items and used one coupon, so I could only use 3 RR coupons, which was $12 off.

There you have it! A pretty successful trip, even though we spent more out of pocket than we expected.

And Clemsonopoly has already been broken out, and one of us completely dominated. You'll find out soon enough who it was!

what's been cookin'

Here are a few things that have been going on in our kitchen the past couple weeks...

I got some fresh broccoli on sale at BiLo. If your name is Joe or Deborah, you know that broccoli is my all time favorite veggie. EVER. We steamed it up and topped it with some parmesan cheese. We also made some cheesy garlic bread (I bought 2 bulbs of garlic a while back when a recipe called for 2 cloves, so we have a little extra), and ate it with pasta. But don't be fooled. That broccoli was the star of the show.

I found a recipe for mozzarrella sticks on The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and I had to try them. The verdict? A cheesy, breaded slice of heaven. And surprisingly not too greasy, since I just fried them in a pan. 

My adorable hubby who tends to be a fried-food hater even loved them! Even though his facial expression looks disgusted.

We got some fresh frozen gnocchi from the downtown Greenville Saturday Market and baked it to perfection. Do you see that bubbly cheese?

To welcome fall, we roasted a small army's worth of fresh fall veggies (carrots, red onion, sweet potato, & new potato) Our poor fire alarm is a little over-sensitive, and went off pretty much every time we opened the oven door. Sorry fire alarm, we'll go lighter on the olive oil next time.

We grilled some chicken and had chicken burgers with our roasted veggies. 

*LIVE FOOTAGE* That's right. This is what's going on in my kitchen as we speak. These are Red Delicious apples, picked at their prime, stripped of their flesh and chopped to pieces. They've been thrown in the crock pot and have been sweating on low for the past 6 hours. And they're not done yet.

 

 

 What in the world am I doing to these apples? And what did they do to deserve such treatment? I'll let you know when I'm through with them.

So there you have it! What's been going on in your kitchen lately?

blog. blog blog blog.

I have been so interested lately in reading blogs. People I know have posted about everything from favorite recipes to grocery savings to house buying to babies and everything in between. I've learned so much from reading all about other peoples' lives that I decided it might be good idea for me to contribute a little something to the land of blogging. I need an outlet for my crazy desire to take pictures of what I cook for dinner and what I get from CVS for pennies. It'd be nice to have a place to share funny stories and tales of married life and keep our family updated on our lives. It will be something to look back on in the future as Nick and I reminisce on the beginning of our marriage...

...or, it will be something that I keep up with for a month, never to be written in again.

If you can relate to any future ramblings, feel free to ramble too! I want to hear about your amazing savings, your cooking masterpieces and mishaps, and your life. So here we go!