After only a few weeks...

Here is what I'm sure you have been waiting for... An update on my stockpile!! After only a few weeks of serious couponing - with a week of vacation here or there - this is what I have accumulated:

My Pantry - as you can see we are all stocked up on soda for all of those summer barbecues, hopefully enough baby water to last through the rest of Evan's formula, and lots of other stuff!

A more detailed view of the left side.

And the area that mainly holds all of our baby items - goodness Evan needs a lot of stuff! lol

So we are definitely going to have to start eating some of our frozen items very soon or I won't have any room to store things!

Lots of cheese, breakfast meals, and juice concentrate.

This is one of my favorite parts!! Look at all of this toilet paper, paper towels, and the larger sized diapers for Evan to grow into - all of his boxes of size 3's we store in his closet. ;)

And my beautiful collection of household cleaners and personal items. We definitely won't have to buy baby, tooth paste, wash or fabric softener anytime soon! Although I store a lot in our garage there are several items I don't like to expose to the heat like hairspray and hair dye - then I also store all of our soaps and dish washing cleaners under our kitchen sink. In addition, I like to keep at least 2 bottles of every cleaner in our pantry for quick access - so everything you see here you can probably add 2 more items to because they are being stored in the house.

The entire shelf - its amazing how quickly you can stock up when you coupon! Plus I save a TON of money - nearly all of the toothpaste was free of less than .25 cents each, most of the shampoo was free, the fabric softener was free, most of the lysol bottles were purchased for less than .50 cents each, and a few of those items were from Publix's Penny sale!

So now that you've seen my giant mess of a stock pile I hope you have realized just how quickly and cost effectively you can build up a stock pile. Smart spending leaves a lot more room in your budget!! ;)

Amazing Deals at Publix!!

So I've had two VERY successful days at Publix between yesterday and today. First I will show you all of the great stuff from yesterday (which is last weeks sale) but after that I will be showing you a HUGE load of great deals that you can find right now at your local Publix stores!!! This is definitely a great week to stock up on some staple items that will last for a while.



So here is trip number one - kind of small, but definitely a great savings!

(10) Boxes of Muellers Pasta - YES I bought more pasta - I'm finally out of coupons and its all going to the food bank. ;)
                       Regular Price $1.49
                          Sale Price .74
                      Coupon (10) $1 off one
         Final Price - .20 cent MONEYMAKER


(4) Bags of Kibbles and Bits 4lb bags of dog food
(I've been waiting to use my BOGO raincheck on these)
                            Regular Price  $4.99
                             Sale Price $2.49
                           Coupon (4)$2 off one
                           Final Price .49 cents


(2) Gerber Baby Water
     Regular Price $1.39
  Ugh I didn't realize my BOGO coupon expired, but we can use it so oh well. :(


(2) 1lb Boxes of One Beyond Cat Food
                              Regular Price $2.79
   Coupons $2 off one Target Web & $3 off Manufacturers
   Final Price $1.99 MONEYMAKER per item AFTER TAX


(1) Box Scotties Tissues
     Regular Price - $1.25
     Sale Price - .99cents
Coupon .50 off one (doubled at checkout)
      Final Price - FREE


(2) Boxes of Puffs Vicks Tissues
     Regular Price $2
    Sale Price 2 for $3
   Coupons One Free Box
 Final Price $1.50 for two boxes



(4) Johnson & Johnson's Baby Wash
     Regular Price $3.03
Coupons (2) $3 off 2 Publix & (2) $2 off 2
    Final Price .53 cents each


                                                            Total should have been - $52.07
                                                                  Final Total -  $4.33

                                                              25 items - .17 cents per item!!!




And now here are some great deals YOU can get right now - although total savings includes clipping and printing some coupons. ;)

So I'm going to attempt to do a break down start left to right -

(1) Reusable Publix Bag
Regular Price .99 cents
FREE with Purchase of 2 P&G items

(6) Breyers Ice Cream
Regular Price $5.49
Sale Price $2.75
Coupons (3) $1.50 off two Target Web
Final Price $2 per container

(1) Yoplait YoPlus 4 pack
Regular Price $2
Sale Price $1
Coupon .50 off one (doubled at checkout)
Final Price - FREE

(2) Pam's Cooking Spray
Regular Price $3.19
Sale Price $1.59
Coupons (2) $1 off one Publix & (2) .35 off one Manufacturers (doubled at checkout)
Final Price - FREE

(2) Bags of Lay's Potato Chips
Regular Price $2.99
Sale Price $1.99
Coupons (2)$1 off one Publix & (2) .55 cents off one Manufacturers
Final Price .44 cents each

(2) Alexia Frozen Bread Products
Regular Price $3.39
Sale Price $1.69
Coupon (2) $1 off one
Final Price .69 cents each

(1) Dawn Dishliquid
Regular Price $1.49
Coupons $1 off any Dawn Publix & .25 cent Manufacturers (doubled at checkout)
Final Price .01 cent MONEYMAKER

(3) Duncan Hines Cake Frosting
Regular Price $1.95
Sale Price $1.29

(2) Weber Seasonings
Regular Price $1.99
Sale Price $1.69
Coupons (2) $1 off one
Final Price .69 cents

(2) McCormicks Seasonings
Regular Price $2.29
Sale Price $1.50
Coupons (2) $1 off one
Final Price .50 cents

(4) Cool Whip 8oz Containers
Regular Price $1.65
Sale Price .85 cents
Coupon (2) .50 off 2 Target Web
Final Price .60 cents

(2) Kraft Singles
Regular Price $3.49
Sale Price $2
Coupons $2 off 2 Target Web & (2) $1 off one Manufacturers
Final Price - FREE

(4) Bags of Kraft Shredded Cheese
Regular Price $3.79
Sale Price $1.67
Coupons (4) $1 off one Manufacturers & (2) $1.50 off 2 Target Web
Final Price .08 cent MONEYMAKER

(2) Wesson Blended Oils
Regular Price $4.19
Sale Price $2.09
Coupon (2) .40 off one (doubled at checkout)
Final Price $1.29 each

(3) Mentos 50ct Gum
Regular Price $3.29
Sale Price $1.65
Coupon (3) $1 off one
Final Price .65 cents

(2) Cascade 20ct Dishwasher Cubes
Regular Price $4.99
Coupons (2) $1 off one & (2) .50 cent Manufacturers (doubled at chekout)
Final Price $2.99 each

(2) Quaker Granola Bar Packs
Regular Price $2.51
Sale Price $1.25
Coupons $1 off Publix Store & $1 off 2 Manufacturers
Final Price .25 cents

(4) Jimmy Dean Breakfast Omelets
Regular Price $2.99
Coupons (2) .75 off one, (2) $1 off one, & (2) $1.50 off 2 Target Web
Final Price $1.36

(2) Digiorno Pizza and Breadsticks
Regular Price $8.99
Sale Price $5.50
Coupons $4 off two
Final Price $3.50

(2) Dentyne Pure 3 packs
Regular Price $2.79
Coupons (2) $1 off one & $1 off 2 Target Web
Final Price $1.29

(2) Dove Chocolates
Regular Price $4.19
Sale Price $2.09
Coupon (2) $1 off one
Final Price $1.14

(1) Oscar Meyer Bacon
Regular Price $6.99
Sale Price $3.50
Final Price $2.50

(1) Downy 120 count Fabric Sheets
Regular Price $5.99
Coupons $1 off one Publix & .50 cent Manufacturers (doubled at checkout)
Final Price $3.99

(1) Duncan Hines Cake Mix
Regular Price $2.69
Sale Price $1.35

(1) Duncan Hines Brownie Mix
Regular Price $2.69
Sale Price $1.35
Coupons .50 cent coupon (doubled at checkout)
Final price .35 cents

(1) Publis Greenwise 3 pack Paper towels
Regular Price $2.39
Sale Price - PENNY ITEM for buying $10 or more
Final Price .01 cent

(1) Charmin 12 count Toilet Paper
Regular Price $4.99
Coupons $1 off Publix & .50 cent Manufacturers (doubled at checkout)
Final Price $2.99

(2) Trident Vitality Gum
Regular Price $2.18
Sale Price $1.09
Coupons Buy One Get One Free Publix & .50 competitors
Final Price .29 cents

(2) Schick Intuition Razors
Regular Price $8.99
Sale Price $4.50
Coupons $3 off one & $2 off one
Final Price $2




                                                           Total should have been - $226.03
                                                                     Final Paid - $83.03

                                                        Breakdown 61 items - $1.36 per item
                          That breakdown doesn't even include that some items have multiples in each package!!


                            For more information on the great savings this week check out Southern Savers


                     I'll also be taking pictures of my deep freezer soon as it is almost completely packed now!!!

Target Shopping 4/12

So I've been hoping to finally purchase FREE Purex Crystals Fabric Softener at Target. I live in an area where we have two very large Super Targets along with several other regular Targets within a descent driving distance. However, since the Purex Crystals were lowered in price from $4.99 to $2.99 it seems as though Target can not keep enough in stock. I got lucky last week and was able to find two bottles on the shelf, but thankfully today Target had restocked and I was able to buy six bottles without clearing the shelves.

So here is my purchase for this - there weren't a ton of great deals, but I was able to find a few things worth my trip.

(6) Bottles of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener
                Regular Price $4.99
           New Lower Price $2.99
 Coupons $2 off Manufacturers & $1 off Target Web
                Final Price - FREE

(17) Circo Infant Socks - Yes I bought more - they aren't moving off the shelves and who wouldn't like socks added to any baby gift I happen to send. ;)
            Regular Price - $1
      Coupon $1 off Target Web
           Final Price - FREE

(1) Up and Up Facial Wipes
        Regular Price $3.29
            No Coupon :(

(1) 5lb Box of Clementines
      Regular Price $5.99
         Sale Price $4.99
Coupons $1 off Manufacturer & $1 off Target Printable from the register
     Final Price - $2.99


                                                       Total should have been - $60.72
                                                           Actual amount paid - $9.92



A new thing that I am going to start doing is also breaking down the total per item so in this case I purchased 25 items total (17 socks, 6 fabric softener, 1 box clementines, & 1 facial wipes) so the total breakdown per item including tax would be .40 cents. I really like being able to see the break down per item because this just proves how much money you can save with coupons. Even if I purchased 25 items at a Dollar store I would still end up spending between $14.04 and $27 depending on if the items were small like candy bars that are 2 for $1 or they were actual $1 items including taxes.

Check back tomorrow for a breakdown on an awesome Publix trip I made for a total of $4.56 including over 25 items with a price per item of .18 cents!!!

Extreme Couponing

Okay people so lets begin with saying this - THERE IS A REASON IT IS CALLED EXTREME COUPONING - because most normal people that coupon do NOT coupon this way. Just like TLC's Hoarding show - called Hoarding: Buried Alive - guess what - there are lots of other people that hoard and not all of them are buried alive or nearly as extreme as the one shown on TV which is how they end up on TV.

So let's examine parts of this show that were good -

• Most of these people coupon for great reasons. Although the thought of referring to children as a "litter" really creeps me out - that lady seriously has SEVEN kids and she doesn't want them to have to take out loans to pay for college. A few of these people faced large amounts of debt and job loss - both excellent reasons to try and save as much money as possible.
• Some of them donate to food banks or churches. This in my opinion is one of the best reasons for couponing - I don't know a single shelter or church that couldn't benefit from someone donating a thousand boxes of cereal to them. 

There were also some parts that were not so good -

• Some of the people should not have been buying certain products - Jamie Oliver needs to revolutionize America's weight issues starting with a few of them.  
• Bedroom Closets are meant for clothes not cereal. In addition, if I had to physically run all over my house to locate something in my stockpile I would hate my life and expect someone to call Hoarders for me. lol
• There is never a good reason for over 60 bottles of mustard unless you are donating over 75% of it to charity.

Things to keep in mind when trying to Extreme Coupon yourself -

• Make sure you know the coupon policies of your store. There are several stores that give you money back if a coupon exceeds the amount and guess what - if the coupon amount exceeds the product price you don't pay tax on that item! However, with that being said there are also a lot of stores that will reduce the coupon amount to match the price product which means you don't get money back or a credit and you have to pay tax on the item. In addition keep checking policies to ensure that no changes have occurred and you may want to bring a copy of the policy with you to the store.
• Many stores have limits - for instance although I have purchased over 200 boxes of Pasta for free in the past few months (over half of which is being donated) I did not purchase all of this at once - I bought most of the pasta at Publix and they limit you to no more than 20 boxes per trip. If you plan to get extreme to the point of buying over 100 of one product it would be wise to speak to a store manager and make sure they can have enough product set aside for you in advance.
• Research which products you actually plan to stockpile and what type of shelf life they have - if you can get 1000 boxes of cereal for free that is wonderful, but to waste that much of a product because it was cheap or free is just ridiculous.
• Most stores rotate their sales every 6-10 weeks so a smart shopper will buy certain products around every 3 months to get the optimum amount of savings. Keeping a 3 month supply of products is planning well for saving money - just like most financial gurus say to keep at least 3 months of your salary saved up in case of an emergency - this is common sense people you don't have to buy enough for 5 years or you will end up on Buried Alive.

I hope this helps shed some light on the good, the bad, and the absolute madness of Extreme Couponing - obviously this lifestyle is not for everyone, however, using coupons is for everyone and can definitely change your life starting with saving money. For anyone thinking about couponing just think about this - if you could cut your monthly grocery bill in half you could do so many things - save for your kids college tuition, start or add to an emergency fund, plan a vacation, pay off your car, pay off your house, live debt free.... the possibilities are endless and by couponing - not even extreme couponing - all of these things are possible. Anyone that actually knows me would tell you that I am a firm believer in Dave Ramsey's financial methods and I don't believe that anyone has to be in debt - its simply a bad choice.

Another way to Save - Rue La La

One of my other favorite ways to save is through sites like Groupon. Here is one that I LOVE:

If you're not a member of Rue La La then you should be! They have awesome boutique sales today's included Lily Pulitzer and I completely forgot to set my alarm so I could shop it as soon as it opened. :(   Oh well at least Matt's wallet will be happy today. lol

Here are some other great things about Rue La La -

• Not only do they have clothing, home, and accesory boutiques, but they also do vacations! Right now they have deals on Hawaii!!
• They list in advance what boutiques will be opening up to a week in advance and even email you the information.
• In addition to their great prices they will give you a $10 credit for friends that you refer.

                So hurry and sign up for an account - Rue La La

Essex Shopping Finds

So as I have recently told you all I LOVE the Essex I think it is absolutely great even if I don't always find a great deal. This past Monday I took one of my fun roadtrips up to Nashville with my mom, grandma, and Evan - so of course we stopped into SIX Essex stores. Although I didn't find great deals at every one of them the trip was well worth my time because of a few awesome deals.


So I was super excited to find these awesome Jack Rogers Sandals - I have been wanting to buy a pair recently, but I would never pay full retail price and the cheapest I could find on Ebay was still $75. If you don't know about Jack Rogers he is truly a fashion legacy - he was definitely made famous via one of my favorite fashion icons Jackie O in the 1960's. Now if I can only find one of his fabulous bags super cheap...

                                                      Jack Rogers Hamptons Navajo Sandals
                                                                     Regular Price $98
                                                                    Essex Price $23.98
                                                                    Saved nearly $70!!



                               Another great little find was this super cute London Times Dress

                                                                 
                                                                   Regular Price $98
                                                            Overstock.com Price $69.99

                                                                   Essex Price $12.99

                                                             Saved between $58-$85!!



And one of my last finds that will be needed pretty soon...

                                                             Evenflo Chase Carseat
                                                       Regular Price betweeen $55-$70
                                                                Essex Price $32.99

On this purchase I would like to give you all some more information - Essex gets in a TON of baby gear. When I was in Nashville this week they had some ridiculous items from Sophie the Giraffe for $5 (Regularly between $20-$30 at most stores) to a Bugaboo Cameleon for $549 (Usually $880-$1059 - and I totally would have snatched it up if I didn't already have a high end stroller that I LOVE). Anyway back to the car seat situation - we have three vehicles plus my mom and I do a lot of shopping together so of course we need a car seat for her vehicle as well. So we needed at least 3 car seats - one of which would not be used as much as the other two - which is why we decided to grab this deal up while it was in stock. Essex has a 30 day return policy on anything in store so if I happen to see another one I like better for our 3rd vehicle I have the option to trade it, but for the amount of use it will be getting this was a complete steal.

Publix April 6-12 Shopping Week

One of my biggest pet peeves over the past few years has been having to shop when its way too crowded at stores. Luckily since I am a stay at home mom and run my own business I have all the time in the world to shop whenever I please - thankfully my little boy has no problem shopping all over with me. ;)  So after dealing with the crowds last week on the first day of the new Publix ad I decided I would get up early and be at Publix within their first few hours of opening. I arrived at 7:30am with my mom and Evan to begin shopping and it was so nice and quite. The downfall to this time frame was the Publix employees were still not completely prepared for the new specials and were busy putting out new items and signage for the sale. For me this was no big deal as I have my list printed ahead of time and already know (for the most part) what is and isn't on sale along with what sizes and quantites I need. Overall this was a great shopping trip and it may be one of my favorite all around grocery trips as I purchased quite a wide variety of products. Check out all of my purchases with the price break downs below:

(2) Gerber Baby Water
Regular Price $1.39
Coupon Buy One Get One Free
Final Price $1.39 for two or .69 cents each

(6) Wishbone Salad Dressing
Regular Price $2.63
Sale Price $1.32
Coupons (2) .75 cents off per item & (3) Target $1.50 off when you buy 2
Final Price .32 cents each

(9) Ken's Marinade
Regular Price $2.99
Sale Price $1.49
Coupons $1 off per item
Final Price .49 cents each

(2) Resolve Spray and Wash
Regular Price $2.99
Coupons Publix Store Coupon $2 off when you buy 2, .75 off one, & $1.50 off one
Final Price .86 cents each

(4) Aunt Jamima Frozen Pancakes
Regular Price $2.69
Sale Price $1.34
Coupons $1 off when you buy 2
Final Price .84 cents each

(5) Banquet Chicken Products
Regular Price $5.49
Sale Price $2.74
Coupons Publix $1 off each
Final Price $1.74 each

(3) Green Giant Steamers
Regular Price $2.39
Sale Price $1.19
Coupons .50 off each (doubles to $1 at checkout)
Final Price .19 cents each

(1) Glass Plus Cleaner
Regular Price $2.49
Sale Price $1.24
Coupon .50 off (doubles to $1 at checkout)
Final Price .24 cents

(3) Kellogs Rice Krispies Cereal
Regular Price $3.99
Raincheck Price $1.99
BONUS FREE GALLON OF MILK FOR BUYING 3 Kellogs Cereals

(1) Gallon of Whole Milk
Regular Price $3.39
FREE with coupon

(1) Publix Cheesy Shells
Regular Price $1.89
Sale Price PENNY ITEM for buying $10 or more
Final price .01

(4) Johnson & Johnson Baby Wash
Regular Price $3.09
Coupons Publix $3 off when you buy 2, $3 off when you buy 3, & .75 cents off one
Final Price .65 cents each

(4) 100 Calorie Snack Packs
Regular Price $3.19
Sale Price $1.59
Coupon Target Web Buy 3 Get 1 Free
Final Price $1.19 each

(1) Scotties Facial Tissues
Regular Price $1.25
Sale Price .99
Coupon .50 off one (dooubled to $1 at checkout)
Final Price .01 MONEY MAKER

(10) Mueller Pasta
Regular Price $1.49
Sale Price .74 cents
Coupons $1 off each
Final Price $2.60 MONEY MAKER

(2) Oral B Toothbrishes
Regular Price $3
Sale Price $1.50
Coupons Buy One Get One Free, (2) $1 Publix Coupons, & $2 off when you buy 2
Final Price $2.50 MONEY MAKER

(1) Milano Cookies
Regular Price $3.49
Sale Price $1.74
Coupon .55 off one
Final Price $1.19



                                              Grand Total should have been $168.92
                                                  Total amount paid - $44.38

                                                            Saved $124.54!!!



                                    Check out more products on sale here: Southern Savers