Why coupon?

A couple more "steals"...

For Memorial Day weekend my sister and I went "free shopping". We didn't buy it if it wasn't free. Of course, we used coupons and rebates to make the items free. It was fun to see what we could dig up at her Walmart. We ended up paying $0.17 for tax (the original total was $25.63) Here is what we got.
I went with my mother-in-law just yesterday (helping her see how to get things "free") and bought about $50 worth of items for $0.09! I loved coming home to show everyone.
My father-in-law keeps telling the kids he'll pay them a percentage of his savings if they do it for him. The best was my brother-in-law who said "Amy, I hope I marry a wife like you!"

Saving money through coupons isn't just about hording stuff or even just saving money on my monthly budget. You can give items you get for free to a woman's shelter, or canned goods for food drives. There are always people who could use these items. I also recycle my papers at the local elementary school and they get paid per paid back to the school. Then the items I buy with box tops for education (like ziploc containers) I cut and also take into the school. I love how helpful it can be to so many people!

Peach BBQ Talapia

I'm not really a big seafood person, but lately I have become a "grown-up" about the situation, broke down and bought some Tilapia (a mild fish) on a great sale, and tried it. Surprisingly, it was delicious. We used one of Paula Dean's recipes for Peach BBQ sauce. I'm not a huge fan of her recipes (pretty unhealthy), but this one is not too bad if you cut down the oil by about 1/2. You could also add some mango (we had some on the side, but I think next time I will throw it in).
A lot of people commented that the BBQ was way too much for the recipe, and they were right! So I froze the leftovers in a muffin tin ("ice cubes"), then put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. I wouldn't exactly say I'm a seafood lover now, but I feel so much better about my food choices when I choose things that are healthy and not always because I "feel like it" or "it tastes good". Plus it is an adventure that provides for some fun discoveries in the world of taste!

High #2

Today I went back with a friend who is relatively new to couponing. They restocked this morning and we wanted to make sure we got the good deals, but I wouldn't say I am a "crazy"... there were 2 other girls there who really were crazy (run to the deals, cut in front). Here is the deal I snagged:
All of this and the total came to - $0.04!!!!!!!!!! That's right - just 4 pennies from my wallet. Now, you have to understand I used the catalina's from yesterday (which I took of my total), so I don't want to count them twice.
Here is the final Smith's double coupon event total:
Groceries worth: $160.24
Total Price out of pocket: $17.67
If you want to know more go to www.savvyshopperdeals.com

I'm on a High!

I decided to work on my kitchen cabinets (yes...still) today and hoped to get them done, but something kept telling me there was something I was supposed to do today. I kept pushing the feeling off because I usually just do housework Monday. I took a break about lunch time and remembered....THE SMITH's DOUBLE COUPON SALE!!

It was stressing me out! I was so worried they'd be out of everything when I got there! I didn't get there until 2 p.m. today (some people were there at 2 a.m.!!). BUT, I am happy to report afterwords that - I am on a serious high from this coupon deal!! Check it out:

Smith's is doing double coupons (any coupon under $1 they match so it is a$1 off).
Here's the end of my receipt. What it doesn't show is that I got $6 back to spend on my next purchase at Smith's! So, I got $126.39 worth of groceries for $12.67!! I LOVE COUPONS! Here is a snapshot of all the stuff I got. It's not the best(you can't really see the cover girl eyeshadow and the McCormick seasoning) but I had to take it as fast as I could. When I got home and unloaded the grocery bags to take the picture, my husband and little boy started ravaging through it trying to grab their fav's and open them up!

One last "wow" picture - this is the receipt! Over half of it is coupons...crazy!! The guy behind me in line (after about half the coupons were scanned) was like "Wow, she's going to end up paying you for those groceries!" I wouldn't complain!!
Now with such an awesome deal you should know there were a couple of things they were out of I was planning to buy (too bad...it would've been even sweeter). I may go back 'cause I hear they are restocking tonight. If you want to know more about how to save money on your groceries, check out www.savvyshopperdeals.com - it's my favorite couponing site :)