Vacation Fund!

One of my beer rebate checks came in the mail today!  Whoo hooo!

I added the $6.00 from that to our fund.

I also kicked, screamed and cried about it, but I sold Lauren's car seat and cover.  Think I'm being silly?  Look at how beautiful it was...

It's one thing to know you are done having babies and a whole other thing to get rid of the baby things.  I get sentimentally attached to things like this and her clothes.  Thankfully it went to someone who was just as excited about it as I was when I first got it and I know it was needed. 

Snif. Snif. 

So another $25 to the fund.

Making a grand total of $235.00 earmarked for Disneyland without a single penny coming from our paycheck! 

What To Do with Expired Coupons

I used to just throw all my expired coupons away, until I saw them piling up and looked into what I could do with them.

Did you know that coupons can be used another 4-6 months past expiration dates for military families? 

How cool is that? 

It may not be much, but I feel good doing something that will help out a military family overseas.  

I divide my coupons into two easy categories like this:  

Then I go HERE to pick out a base to mail them to.  

Easy as pie and the least I can do to help!

Another Smith's Kroger Trip

I did this one really quickly while Lauren was at Joy School.  I was completely out of Cream of Chicken soup, which I use quite a bit for Chicken Enchiladas, casseroles and crock pot recipes.  

Smiths' had their Great for Cooking Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom soup marked down from $1.09 each to .49 cents each when you bought 10.

I had two of the $1.00 off 4 cans from here.

I also had several .40 cents off of 4 (not as great but still good)

Total with a few other items came to $63.22

I bought 48 cans and paid $ 24(ish) for that and my five extra items.  I love that I am stocked up for some yummy fall and winter cooking.  No running to the store in the snow with three little ones!

Sale is continuing on for the next week!  Now is a great time to stock up on these items if you haven't done so already. 

Smith's/Kroger Trip

It was such a quick trip I forgot to take pictures!!!  And it was my best savings yet!

I got:

Six Krusteaz Bakery Style Cookie Mixes, $1.49 after promo

• Use $1/1 coupon from 10/10 SS
• Final price: .49!

Six Campbell's Chunky or Select Harvest soups, .99 after promo

• Use $1/2 Campbell's Select Harvest or chunky coupon here
• Final price: .49 each

Eight 7-Up, A&W Rootbeer and Sunkist soda, .79 after promo

• Use BOGO coupon from 9/19 SS
• Final price: .40 each

 Two pkgs Ricola cough drops, .50 after promo

• Use $1/2 coupon from 10/17 SS
• Final price: FREE

Six Swanson chicken broth, .49 after promo

• Use .75/5 coupon from 9/26 SS
• Final price: .34 each

  Nine bottles of Langer's apple juice 

($1.25 for 4 with $1.00 coupon, so .25 cents each)

A carton of eggs

Price before sale and coupons - $55 something

I PAID...

$12.34!!!!

Savings of 87%

Sale goes on for one more day!  I will be heading back tomorrow for some Cream of Chicken Soup (.49 cents per can after the buy 10 promo - that is a great deal for Campbell's!)

The "B" Word

Have you ever thought you were going along, doing really well with your money management and then you make the stupid smart move of looking things over a little more closely? 

Yeah, well, I did that yesterday.

My initial reaction was like getting on the scale after Thanksgiving weekend.

What the WHAT?

So I spent a few hours revising and revamping.

And then I spent a little time considering how I can make a little money to pay off my student loan. (yes, I still have one and yes, it's been awhile since I was in college paying OUT OF STATE tuition thankyouverymuch)

Things are going to get a little ugly around here financially while Dan and I work on better plan with more savings.  

Have you said the "b" word lately?  How is your financial health?

Kroger Smith's Shopping Trip

My total for today $196.51

After Smith's sale and coupons:

I PAID $86.79!!!
 
I was happy to get several freezer meals that Dan can grab for his lunch on busy days at work.   We were also getting low on cereal and it felt good to stock up my shelves again.  

 

I really need to start keeping a written budget.  I know *about* how much I spend and how my spending has been drastically reduced using coupons, but it would be fun to see some more concrete numbers.

I think I might shoot for trying that in the New Year.

Beer Rebates

I added another $5 today to our vacation fund.  This was from a check I received in the mail from turning in a Beer Rebate.

 Beer Rebates look like the picture above.  You can find them usually in most grocery stores - I've had the best luck finding them on tear pads at Smith's/Kroger stores. 

So the deal on this was you had to buy pizza from the deli or frozen pizza.  California Pizza Kitchen had theirs on rollback at Wal-Mart for $4.98.  I had $1.00 off coupon and I bought three - since I wanted my total to be over $10 like the rebate requested.

So I paid $12.39 for the three pizzas, or $4.13 each.

 I am mailing in the form (that takes 30 seconds to fill out) today and I will get a check from Bud Light for $6.00 back in the mail.  

Making the pizzas cost $6.39 or $2.13 each!  I take that check and put it straight into the vacation fund since it has already left my grocery budget.  

You have to keep your eyes open for the rebate slips but they are mostly for things I already buy, fish, ground beef, chicken, etc.