Planning, cutting coupons, and a little smarts pays off!

My #1 goal this year is to save money and to be frugal with my purchases. I went through the ads on Sunday, clipped coupons, and looked at the coupons I had and realized - I would be able to get some great bargains this week!

Major bargain.....$32.00 worth of Chex Mix Bars for $3.96 - my husband and I eat bars every day and I send them with my kids in their lunches and we use them with yogurt as healthy snacks - so an item that we would definitely use!

How I did it.....I belong to Vocalpoint - a website where I am able to receive free samples of products as well as coupons. I received a free box of the Chex Mix bars and then 10 coupons for $1.50 off per box. They are a little pricey for me - in the $3.50 per box range and even with the $1.50 off, it never seemed like a better deal than any other bar.

At Walgreens the bars were on sale for $2.00 a box....so I was able to get 8 boxes with my coupons at $0.50 each and one box free using a $2.00 off Walgreens coupon. We are set for some time!

Good bargain......Venus Embrace razors. Aaahhh.....we all know the feeling of having a great razor that gives you smooth skin! I typically use the Bic pink lady razor that is just okay....it's cheap and it does an okay job. Through Vocalpoint I received a free sample of the Venus Embrace razor and 5 coupons for $4 off. The razor was wonderful and I was sad when I realized it was no longer useful and had to throw it away....I thought about buying replacement blades for it, however at $25 a pop - thought NO WAY!

Venus Embrace razors run about $9 - $10 a piece and even with my coupons, I still couldn't see paying that much for them, knowing that the replacement blades were so much.

Yesterday I found them on sale at Wal-Mart for $7.96 - and they each had two replacement blades with them.....so I bought 15 GOOD razors essentially for under $20.00 by using my coupons. I will cherish them and make them last as loooong as possible! Next time you see me, just ask to feel my legs, they will be sure to please! ha! ha!

By using coupons, checking the ads, comparing prices, etc. - yesterday I bought the following items all for under $200.00 -

2 lb. bag baby carrots
1 stalk celery
2 bags of salad
1 English cucumber
1 Avocado
1 bunch of bananas
1 gallon milk
1 lb. bag Shredded cheddar cheese
3 lb. bag Tyson boneless skinless chicken breast
9 boxes Chex Mix bars
5 Venus Embrace razors
6 containers Grands Biscuits
2 containers Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
10 Yoplait Yogurts
2 containers of Yoplait Yogurt for kids
3 Green Giant Frozen vegetables
4 Meijer Pasta Sauce
1 loaf Healthy Life bread
4 Healthy Life containers of lunchmeat
Container of 18 eggs
Oscar Meyer Turkey Hot Dogs
Container of Blueberries
Container of Blackberries
2 packages of Turkey Sausage Breakfast Links
Suave shampoo for children
Dog bone
Box of 80 trash bags
Fantastic Cleaner
Scrubbing Bubble Foam Cleaner
Scrubbing Bubble Wipes
Windex Antibacterial Cleaner
4 Campbell's Cream of - soups
2 containers Grape Tomatoes
5 lbs. split Chicken Breasts
5 containers Quick Cooking Oatmeal
1 box saltine crackers
5 bottles of ketchup
2 boxes of children's valentines
1 child's coat
2 pair of children's pajamas
Lunch for two at McDonald's
Two slushes at Sonic

I still have $2.00 left and I plan on treating myself to a latte tomorrow at a local coffee shop that has $2 Lattes any size on Wednesday! woo hoo!

In addition to that I earned $8.00 in bonus Box Tops from Meijer and Walgreen's for my purchase of certain items. Another woo hoo!

I love getting bargains and I am kind of a stickler about having our pantry stocked full of stuff - I think it's a trait I get from my grandma who could feed an army at any given moment. I think we are good for some time.....although I say that after every shopping trip! ha! ha!

Happy bargain hunting!

Angela