THIS IS THE KIM TENNILL SHOW....

Blogging... or my lack there of...

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:01:00 +0000

So my posts have been non-existent this past week... and I don't really have an excuse... well let me see...

1.) Full time calculus
2.) Feeding, cleaning and keeping up with a family of 4
3.) BBQ party for 25 people that happened yesterday
4.) My husbands purchase of his new Harley and getting all that comes w/that in order
5.) We are leaving for vacation in 6 days....

So maybe I have been a little busy... but boys and girls no excuses on not posting the deals. I will be going out shopping today or tomorrow. During that post I will be posting my RIDICULOUSLY awesome shop last week + the shop for this week + any buys I plan on snagging before I leave for Disney!! So stay tuned... and please remember I warned you about this site being often neglected in my "about me" section.... LOL!!!

Publix shopping trip......

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:57:00 +0000

Sorry this is late. I went shopping on Monday night and my house has been a little crazy ever since then. Posted below is my shop from last week... which I must say was S-W-E-E-T and my "tentative" shop for next week!!!

I did the Publix trip last week in 2 transactions in order to use all my coupons and not totally wipe one store out of A1 sauce!

10 Aunt Jemima Frozen Breakfast (pancakes/french toast) $13.45

2 Dole Mandarin Orange 4pk cups $2.49
1 Potatoes $1.99

10 boxes Ritz crackers $18.95

10 boxes Wheat Thins $33.90

15 A1 Sauce $31.43

2 pkgs of Publix chicken thighs $10.05 (10lbs of chicken)

-2 $1/1 Publix Aunt Jemima coupon (found in booklet front of store)
-10 $1/1 Aunt Jemima manufacturer coupon (ebay purchase)

-10 $1/1 Ritz crackers (ebay purchase)

-10 B1 Ritz G1 Wheat Thins free (ebay purchase)

-2 $.55/1 Dole fruit cups (newspaper coupon)

-15 $2/1 A1 sauce (ebay purchase)

-5 $2 off meat w/purchase of 3 A1 sauces (ebay purchase)

-$10/$50 purchase (Winn Dixie coupon)

Total before coupons and sales $194.00

Total after coupons and sales $13.56

Transaction #2

15 A1 bottles $31.43

2 Publix chicken thighs $10.02

1 Huggies Box diapers (96 count) $19.99

1 Ensure drink $7.39

1 Reddi Wip $2.45

-15 $2/1 A1 sauce (ebay purchase)

-5 $2 off meat when buy 3 A1 sauces (ebay purchase)

-$3/1 Huggies (publix coupon in ad)

-$2/1 Huggies manufacturer coupon (in package of diapers)

-$.50/1 Reddi Wip double to $1/1 (manufacturer coupon)

-$3/1 Ensure 6pk (manufacturer coupon)

-$1.50/1 Ensure 6pk (Publix Advantage coupon)

-$5/$25 purchase (Rite Aid coupon)

Total before coupons and sales $112.15

Total after coupons and sales $20.45

I did purchase coupons which totaled $18.21

My grand total for items above and coupons $52.22

Now I know many people are saying, "What in the H-E-double hockey sticks is she going to do with all that A1 sauce??" Well, I am going to share the wealth and give some away to friends and family. Those bottles of sauce are expensive regularly and I will certainly never use that many... I will be happy to pass out quite a few and share the coupon story of how I got them for free!! (or pretty close to it!)

Upcoming PublixShop!

2 Ball Park Franks $3.99

4 Barber Stuffed Chicken $9.98

20 Kelloggs Cereal $39.90

10 Gallons of Milk $20.00

5 BC cookie Mix $6.80

1 Pam Spray $1.70

-$1/2 Ball Park (manufacturer coupon)

-4 $1/1 Barber Stuffed Chicken (printable)

-10 $2/2 Kelloggs Cereal (ebay purchase)

-10 $2 off Milk w/purchase of 2 Kelloggs Cereal

-5 $.40/1 BC cookie mix doubles to $.80/1 (printable)

Tentative Total $30.00 after coupons!

Make sure to check out southernsavers.com for all coupon locations and additional sales!!

I don't plan on shopping until Monday or Tuesday this coming week! Keep posted!!

2009 Financial Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:23:00 +0000

Oh, and the time has come! drum roll please.........

I am very excited to post what we have paid for so far this year! It has been a busy year full of ups and downs in the financial department. Some things have worked out as planned and others have not. However, we are putting our best foot forward and we are happy to say that we have done pretty darn well this year!

So here it goes:

Truck paid off $16,000

Farm payment paid $9200

Disney Trip paid $2,000

Kim school $800

New tires and rotors van $500

So far money saved and items paid off total $28,500

We really wanted to pay off our credit card and start chipping away at our van payment however that did not work out quite as well as we had hoped. The next few months are filled with "extras" for us including $500 farm insurance, $300 worth of birthdays, $800 Christmas, $250 Horse vaccinations, $550 farm and truck taxes and the list continues. Because of the extras that always happen around this time of the year we will not be paying as much towards our debt as we would like, however will be putting as much as we can down.

With 2010 lurking around the corner we know that we will have a fresh start and the opportunity to pay off tentatively "$15,000 - $20,000" more in debt. We would like to tackle the van and the credit card to pay them off completely leaving us only my school loans from my bachelors degree and our annual farm payment. We are THRILLED with the progress so far and cannot wait for our future plans and updates which will happen over the next few months!

If you think missing me is hard, you should try missing you

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:52:00 +0000

There will be no posting of deals and coupons today....

this man right here

do you see him?? NO...?? Ok what about now do you see him now??

Still nothing ok how about this one???

Ok yes him, tall, tan, muscular,handsome and the one that brings the bacon home.... literally

mmmhmmm..... that is my man.... my life and my love....

and he is home today... after almost 4 months... he has come home safe and sound.....

tenative Publix shopping..... 8/26/09

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:05:00 +0000

The Publix ad this week is not too shabby! I will be stocking up on a few items this week which come just in time for our BBQ party we are having in 2 weeks!

Here are a few items that I do plan on purchasing at Publix this week:

12 Aunt Jemima Frozen Product (french toast/pancakes)
-12 $1/1

10 Ritz crackers
-10$1/1

10 Wheat Thins crackers
-10 B1Ritz G1Wheat Thins Free

20 A-1 sauces
-20 $2/1

$20 worth of beef
-20 B1 A-1 G $1 off beef

I also have a $10 off $50 Winn Dixie coupon to use this week!

I should have a total of around $16 - $17 after purchasing the coupons needed and buying the items above! Check out hotcouponworld.com for the sneak peek and check out Ebay for great coupons!

Publix trip.....

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:59:00 +0000

I stuck pretty closely to my "tenative publix trip list" that was posted this week. I did increase the number of GM cereals purchased and decreased the number of Motts applesauce and Ragu pasta sauces I bought. I also miss out on a few coupons though and I was a little bummed about it! Apparently, our local Publix no longer accepts Food Lion or Harvey coupons because they are not a local competitors. Because of this I lost out on 3 $1/1 Motts Applesauce and 1 $3/2 Ragu pasta sauce coupons. Overall the trip was still really good and I still have a major love affair with Publix!

4 Yoplait Yo Plus Yogurt $5.00

4 Uncle Bens Rice $2.24

4 Coles Breadsticks $5.58

2 Multi Grain Cherrios $4.99

2 Lucky Charms $4.99

1 Cookie Crisp $2.50

1 Reeses Cereal $2.49

3 Motts 6pk $5.00

2 Ragu Spagetti Sauce $2.58

2 Milk $4.50

1 Dozen eggs $.99

-4 $1/1 Yoplait Yo-plus printable

-2 $1/2 Uncle Ben rice printable

-4 $.50/1 Coles printable (doubled to $1 each)

-6 $1/1 GM cereal Target printable

-3 $1/2 Gm cereal printable

-1 $1/1 Motts applesauce printable

-2 $.50/1 Motts applesauce printable (doubled to $1 each)

-1 $5/$25 purchase Rite Aid printable

Total Before Coupons and Sales $75.21

Total After Coupons and Sales $14.93

If I would have been able to use my coupons my new total would have been a little over $11.00. I am still thinkin' this is a pretty sweet deal and I am thrilled I could print all of the coupons from home and not spend any money buying them from Ebay!!!

And if this deal isn't sweet enough for you then there is always this......

gets me everytime!

Don't forget to check out Southern Savers for the locations of these awesome coupons!!!

Wild thing, you make my heart sing......

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:17:00 +0000

Yesterday, I was doing my typical surfing of the web for deals and came across a deal at one of the many sites I follow. I am currently running low on wipes and diapers and I am in desperate need to stock up! I was thrilled to run across this deal and I ran out to try to grab some of my own!

In my current area of southern Alabama Huggies wipes are $3.29. There is a coupon in the $50 Back to School savings booklet (located at the front of the store) for $2.00 off 1 64ct or larger pack of wipes. On the coupon it does say limit one per customer however when you give the cashier your coupon it automatically takes off $2.00 per box of wipes you buy. Also, Walgreen does take 1 store coupon and 1 manufacturer coupon per item and is running a current special! Spend $25 or more before coupons and get $5 off your next purchase! Here is what my transactions will look like!

Transaction #1
8 Huggies $26.32
-8 $2/1 Walgreens Coupons
-8 $.50/1 Huggies coupons

Total $7.50
Get Back $5.00

Transaction #2
10 Huggies $32.90
-10 $2/1 Walgreen Coupon
-10 $.50/1 Huggies coupon
-$5.00 from last transaction

Total $3.00

18 packs of wipes for $11.00 is great!
About $.61 a box!!

The spend $25 get $5 back is only good through this Saturday however the Huggies deal is good until 8/29!

Happy Savvy Shopping!

Tenative Publix Shop for this Sunday.....

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:33:00 +0000

4 General Mills cereals (BOGO at $4.99)
- 4 $1 target printable coupons
-4 $.55/1 manufacturer coupons

4 Uncle Bens Rice (BOGO $2.99)
- 2 $1/1 manufacturer printable on website

1 Cheez-It (BOGO $3.99 so $2.00 each)
- 1 $.75/1 printable

4 Yo Plus yogurt 4pk. 2/$5
-4 $1/1 printable

4 Coles Garlic Bread (BOGO $2.79)
-4 $1/1 printable

4 Motts Applesauce (BOGO $3.66)
- 4 $1/1 Food Lion printable
-4 $1/1 manufacturer coupon printable (makes free plus overage!)

3 Ragu Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 $3/2 printable

- 1 $5/$25 Rite Aid Coupon

Rough Total $10 w/tax....

I will probably also pick up a few staple items there including Eggs and milk which are not included on this total.

To access the printable coupons I mentioned please visit Southern Savers, Hot Coupon World or Saving for Eight. All the websites are located on the right side of my blog.

Thanks!

1st day of school.....

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:58:00 +0000

Is it possible that school is already back in down here?? In fact it started a week ago today and I am simply really far behind in posting... about anything....

My oldest made his way out the door last Monday and was not too happy about the return of school. After a few grumpy mornings we have made it back into our normal school routine...

However the homework is always a struggle. Why can't I have a child that says, "yes mother I will do my homework and chores immediately upon my arrival home and I will not give you one single eye roll, look of disgust or snide remark." Oh wait I know why.... because this is my child we are talking about.

and yes mother I know, payback is hell! I wasn't so bad though.... and you know you loved every moment of it!

On a seperate note here is my shop for Publix this week. My total was a little over $11. I am not going to post my transaction list since the sale for this week ends tommorrow and you won't have time to gather the appropriate coupons. I will however be posting my shopping lists for the up coming week on Tuesdays with any last minute tweaking on Wednesday mornings. This way everyone has plenty of time to gather their coupons before the sales end and post their great deals!!!

HAPPY SAVVY SHOPPING!

(oh and my infatuation with Lifehouse has increased tremendously in the last 24 hours, if you couldn't tell by my new playlist :)

Ugghhhhh....

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:54:00 +0000

So here it is a week after my last post and my blogging juices are failing me today and for the last week for that matter. My grocery deals have been not fun because every place I shop I have had to acquire rain checks for most the items on my list. It is a big fat bummer when I a arrive at a store happy to start my shopping trip only to find out that the store is missing items that are vital to my transaction coming out exactly as I had written it out on my very specific pad of grocery list paper! (wow, run on sentence, I know). Not to mention I am trying VERY, VERY hard to get this body back into some type of shape, I have been working out 5-6 days a week, my oldest is back in school, my husband is due home very soon after being gone for almost 4 months and I am starting Pre-Calculus next week...... so all I have to say for now is UGHHHH.....

However on a happier note as soon as my rechargeable batteries are done charging I will be posting pics of Zach's first day of school...

Thank you for letting me rant....

HAPPY SAVVY SHOPPING....

Addicted to Couponing part 2 and Publix part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:55:00 +0000

2.) Gather, Organize and Create and on to Publix

Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts, 8 ct, at $2.39
-.75/1 Pop-Tarts printable (Target)
-.55/1 Pop-Tarts printable (makes it .64¢ ea)
-$1/2 Pop-Tarts RP 8/02
(if you store accepts Target coupons stack with manf. makes it FREE)
Qualifies for Fuel for School Rebate

At this point I would start to gather my coupons, oorganize my shopping trip and create a list. My list usually contains anywhere from 2-15 items depending on the deals for the week however, I will only use 1 or 2 items in this example as a starting point.

Continuing with the Publix example, I found 20 $.55/1 pop tart coupons on Ebay for $3.50 w/shipping. I purchased them and then printed 20 $.75/1 Pop tart coupons from Target for free. Publix allows a customer to not only use 1 manufacturer coupon per product but also 1 competitor coupon per product at the same time.

My transaction at Publix looks like this:
20 Pop Tarts $23.39
-20 $.55/1 Pop Tart = $11
-20 $.75/1 Pop Tart =$15
= $2.61 left over

Left over means that my coupons exceed the cost of the product. I can buy something else and get it for free because my coupons total more than my final total.

In this case I added the items below to the transaction:

20 Pop Tarts $23.39

-20 $.55/1 Pop Tart = $11

-20 $.75/1 Pop Tart =$15

1 Gallon Milk $2.25

2 dozen eggs $1.39

3 Chips Ahoy individual packs $1.50

2 Jello $1.00

1 Degree Deodorant $2.00

- $.75/1 Deodorant

-$5/$25 purchase

Total $1.01 w/tax included

My total cost out of pocket for 20 boxes of pop tarts, 1 gallon of milk, 2 dozen eggs, 3 small packs Chips Ahoy, 1 deodorant and 2 boxes of jello including the cost of the coupons was $4.51 YOU CAN'T BEAT THAT!

Lets take a quick reflect on the $5/$25 coupon that I threw in there. As I said before some grocery stores accept competitor grocery store coupons. The $5/$25 coupon is a printable coupon that Rite Aid put on the internet to "lure" customers into buying items at their store. To counter their "luring" techniques Publix has decided to accept their coupon to help retain their customers. This works in my favor tremendously, particularly in the transaction that we are using as the example!

Last side note: I also was able to qualify for the Kellogg's Fuel For School Rebate, which is mentioned under the product and it's coupon match ups. I purchased more than 10 Kellogg products in 1 purchase and now qualify to receive a $10 rebate. Not only did I pay very little for A LOT of groceries but now I also get a $10 check back! How great is that!!

Whoo... a lotta information!! However, re-read both part 1 and 2 a few times and then look back over my previous shopping experiences that I have posted... the "example" that I used here was part 3 of my Publix shop last week and I really did get everything in the picture below for $6.51

(I did buy the donuts, hostess muffins and bread for $4.30 at the outlet store, but everything else was only $4.51)

Addicted to Couponing.... Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:43:00 +0000

I know this was suppose to be done on Monday, but seriously let's not get started on my Monday.... lets all just smile and move along to Tuesday.... ok I am down with that to! :)

So whats the big deal about coupons?? I CANNOT say enough about them... they are great and save my family tons of money every month! Yes, it does involve 2-3 hours per week, organization, a grocery list, motivation and determination however, if you can handle these 4 requirements then you are good to go! Let's get started

1.) Learning your grocery stores coupon policy.

The first item on the list for you to learn is your stores coupon policy. Many times you can simply type in a google search for it and come back with many sites that may give you what you need. You may also request a copy for your stores website or customer service counter inside the store. I will use Publix as my example since it is the store that I use.

Publix
1. You do not have to buy 2 of the B1G1 items to get the sale price

2. If you do buy 2 items that are B1G1 make sure you use 2 coupons to get the best deal

3. Publix accepts competitors coupons (you can stack with a manufacturers coupon and a Publix coupon too)

4. You can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item

5. Most Publix locations double manufacturer coupons that are.50¢ or less

** #1 and #5 do not apply in FL and coastal GA**

2.) Time Commitment to find coupons (2-3 hours per week)

My favorite sites for finding printable and manufacture coupons are

Southern Savers
Thrifty Flordia Mama

Saving For Eight

Hot Coupon World Grocery Store Section
Hot Coupon World Drug Store Section

I Heart CVS
Ebay

The local stores I primarly shop at are Publix and CVS. I do shop at Walmart for some items that are not on sale, but are needed for the week.

How Do I Start My Week

I start out at Hot Coupon World Grocery Store Section under the Publix forum on Monday mornings. {Depending on where you live you might use a different local grocery store forum.} Hot Coupon World usually provides an early release for the Buy1 Get1 (B1G1) deals for the week. Publix "sales" week runs Wednesday - Tuesday and most stores follow this schedule however, I recommend checking with you local grocery store.

I take a peak at the B1G1's for the week and see if anything catches my eye. I will then go on over to Ebay and search for coupons that match up to items that we can use. One item that caught my eye this week was pop-tarts:

Example:

Pop Tarts B1G1 @ $2.39 at Publix

Ebay coupons: 20 $.55/1 Pop Tart 8ct. @$3.00

2 - 8ct. Pop Tarts = $2.39

-$1.10 coupons

= 1.29 or $.65 each

After paying $3.00 for coupons and buying 20 boxes of pop tarts my

cost per box would be $.80each per box

Much cheaper than buying them at Walmart or buying generic brands!

After looking through the 15-20 B1G1 deals for the week, picking out which ones interest me and doing a quick search for possible coupon match ups I have spent about 30 minutes. I now wait and check back on Monday evening or Tuesday morning. By this time Hot Coupon World has placed the coupons that match up with each item. This includes manufacturer coupons and which week they were in the newspaper, printable coupons and their links and any competitor coupons that match up. It will look like this:

Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts, 8 ct, at $2.39
-.75/1 Pop-Tarts printable (Target)
-.55/1 Pop-Tarts printable (makes it .64¢ ea)
-$1/2 Pop-Tarts RP 8/02
Qualifies for Fuel for School Rebate

Now lets all take a breath and re-read this a few times to make sure that we can all understand part 1. Please feel free to view the websites that I use and teach yourself as much as you can. I didn't attend any class or really go through a written tutorial to learn. It was basic trial and error and some time researching.

Stay tuned tomorrow for part 2 of Addicted to coupons where we will add "stacking coupons", $5/$20 purchases and making your coupons work for you at the store....

HAPPY SAVVY SHOPPING!

Grocery shopping is my cup of tea.. Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:23:00 +0000

Had another little mishap today with grocery shopping. I was expecting 15 Betty Crocker fruit snack coupons to arrive today and they did not. I had originally planned to buy the fruit snacks and pop tarts all in the same transaction today, however the pop tart coupons expire tomorrow and I will not have my BC coupons until Monday. This required a small adjustment to be made and extra trip to Publix on Monday. Now instead of Part 1 and 2 there will now also be a 3. Good thing Publix is only 5 miles away from my house!

I stopped at Publix and the local bakery outlet store today and picked up these items.... and let me tell you folks... the deals I got today were fantastic!

Enjoy.. and Happy Savvy Shopping!

18 Kellogg's Pop tarts $21.51
2 Royal jello mixs $1.00
2 Dozen eggs $2.78

3 Chips Ahoy mini packs $1.50 (purchased due to overage from coupons)

1 Women's Degree Deodorant $2.00

-18 $.75/1 Pop Tart (Target coupon)

-18 $.55/1 Pop Tart coupons (Publix accepts 1 manufacturer and 1 competitor coupon per each item!)

-1 $.75/1 Mens or Womens Degree deodorant

-$5/$25 Rite Aid printable

Total Before Coupons and Sales : $51.55

Total After Coupons and Sales: $1.01

Total Savings: $50.56

Bakery Outlet:

1 Banana Muffins $1.25

1 Bread $1.01

2 Powder Donuts $1.98.

Total $5.25 for everything in the picture!

I also qualify for the Kellogg's fuel for school rebate from the pop tart purchase! I will receive a $10 gift check from Kellogg's in 4-6 weeks! This makes this purchase free plus an overage to me of $4.25!

On a quick side note: I have realized that I never really explained where I received all of these coupons and how I was able to make these deals work. I will be sharing this knowledge including where to find the coupons that match the current sales, where to get printable coupons, how to buy coupons and how to create a list and stick to it in a separate post on Monday which will begin my weekly "hunt" for coupons and deals for next week. (wow run on sentence there!)

I will tell you that I am not the brains behind this operation! There are so many WONDERFUL women who do a lot of the leg work and provide the information for free on the internet. Look for it on Monday!

Grocery shopping is my cup of tea..... Part Uno

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:58:00 +0000

How odd is it that I actually LOVE to grocery shop. It really has nothing to do with going to the grocery store but, rather the supersweet deals!! With the right grocery list, coupons and calculator in hand I would rather go grocery shopping than shop for just about anything else... well I do like to get new clothes once in awhile but I never get deals as good as these.

I made my scheduled trip to Publix today and as I was checking out I ran into a friend who got behind me in line. I should have seen it coming but, of course I was oblivious! The cashier had rang everything up and deducted coupons without me even paying attention to what she was doing! BIG MISTAKE! I some how had $30.62 in coupons deducted when I swore I only brought $29.33 in coupons with me. I know what you are saying, "Kim it is only $1.29 difference, what is the problem??" I can totally hear you people saying that right now, however I usually pay strict attention to the coupons to make sure I agree with what is being marked in the computer and because I wasn't paying attention I have no clue what really went down.

Either way here is my shop for today. At the end of the transaction I will put the coupons that were suppose to correlate with the item, however my total will not reflect appropriately due to the fact that the cashier did not ring them up correctly.

1 Publix Milk $2.25

2 Ritz Crackers $3.79

2 Milk bone dog treats $3.69

2 Nabisco Wheat Thins $6.78

2 Fruit Loops $3.99

2 Cocoa Rice Krispies $3.99

1 Apple Jacks $2.00

2 Deluxe Mac and Cheese $2.59

2 Velveeta Shells $2.59

2 Quaker Instant Oatmeal $3.79

2 Multi Grain Cheerios $4.29

2 Pop Tarts $2.39

2 Jello 6pks $3.33

1 Mens Degree Deodorant $2.00

-5 $1/1 Kellogg's Cereal (competitor coupon w/ Food Lion)

-2 $.75/1 Cheerios

-2 $1.50/2 Deluxe Mac Cheese/Velveeta

-2 $.75/1 Pop Tart (target printable)

- Free milk coupon (printable) = $2.25

-2 B1 Ritz G1 Wheat Thins Free $6.78

- $1.25/1 Degree mens Deodorant

-2 $.60/1 Jello 6pk

- $5/$25 purchase (Rite Aid printable)

Total Before Sales and Coupons =$83.19

Total After Sales and Coupons=$19.87

SAVINGS $61.65

Side Note: With this shop I also qualify for a $10 Publix gift card rebate with Kraft. The items highlighted in red mark the items I purchased that qualify. I should be receiving my gift card in 4-6 weeks! If I add that in my total was under $10 for the groceries above! Honestly, can it get any better??? I don't think so!

I will be returning tommorrow for A LOT of fruit snacks, diswasher detergent and pop tarts and staying under the $20 mark again! I will also qualify for a rebate through Kellogg's with this shop giving me another $10 gift check! Stay tuned for that... it is going to be the bomb baby!

(Please see here to get the complete list of sales and coupon matchups for the week! Thanks southernsavers!)

School Clothes....

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:30:00 +0000

It is about that time of year for school shopping to commence! My children are returning to school in 11 days... gosh that doesn't seem possible! I have recently had several people ask me where to buy school clothes at reasonable prices without having to shop at thrift stores or second time around stores; not that there is anything wrong with that! I shop at second hand stores for both of my children and have come home with awesome finds on many occasions!

Anyways, my typical response to this question is Oshkosh, but please remember that I have boys. If I had girls I would be shopping at Justice, Gymboree, Sophia's Style Boutique or any other outrageously expensive place that had the most adorable little girls clothes. {Yes I am aware that it wouldn't be thifty but, darn't I want to dress up a girl!}

I was out today running a few errands and stopped into Oshkosh to check out the clearance rack and of course I scored a few good deals!

I have been eyeing the plaid shirts for a few months now and I have been waiting for them to go on clearance! My son kept telling me that he wants shirts "like Texas" today and I had to convince him that cowboys in Texas wore button down shirts with hoodies in the winter. I also had to convince him that shark shirts were "very awesome." {his words}

I was able to purchase the 2 plaid shirts, the muscle tank and a nice cotton onsie for my youngest son. My price for all 4 was $13.10. For brand new shirts I truly think this is a great price. Especially since the shirts were originally $28 and $16. I rarely pay over $3.99 for any shirt at Oshgosh and I often have coupons for %15 off $40 purchase or $10 off $50 purchase. I can really stock up on clothes for my children for $40 at Oshkosh!

Lastly, I will leave you with these adorable faces! They will be the death of me... if college doesn't take me first :) !

OH Publix... my love for thee grows continually...

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:51:00 +0000

Alright, folks here it is, my shop for the week! And it must be said that I am lovin' getting back into the swing of coupon shopping!! I had forgotten how much I really do enjoy going thru the checkout and watching my once ridiculous total go down to merely a few dollars. It can not possibly be said enough, Publix I really do love thee...

20 boxes Sea Sensations Fish (2 fillets per box) $59.99
4.75lbs Bananas $2.33

1 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread $1.45

1 Purex 3in1 Detergent $4.99

2 Publix Milk $4.50

3 Yoplait Gogurt $4.49

1 Cucumber $.50
1 Iceberg Lettuce $1.49

1 Publix Dozen Eggs $1.19

1 Chips Ahoy mini pack $.50 (kids were getting restless had to get them something!)

-$10/$50 Winn Dixie Catalina coupon

-20 $3/1 Sea Sensations = $60

-$.35/1 Gogurt = $.70 (when multiplied)

-$.75/2 Gogurt

-$1.25/1 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter

-$2.00/1 Purex 3in1

Total Before Sales and Coupons $ 150.53
Total After Sales and Coupons $15.32 WOW!!! IS ALL I CAN SAY!!
Total Savings $135.21

Do you see that total!! How exceptionally great is that! Yet, I still see people pay full price for groceries. I can't imagine paying $150 for the picture above, simply ridiculous is all I can say about that. I just want to intercede when I see people spending $200 in one shop at a grocery store and say, "Wait! Stop! Let me help you see the light!" But I don't because that would be rude... I simply smile to myself and remember how blessed I am too be able to stay home with my children and provide them with great food for cheap, cheap, cheap prices! I feel an urge coming on... ok I will say it again... Publix is by far the best grocery store!

Oh, one last note, my fellow blogger and neighbor Brooke took us back to 80's old school music today and I felt the urge to dabble in the 80's as well... the first track is my dad's FAVORITE song! I remember listening to it all the time when I was in his car... this is the first song that comes to mind when I think of 80's music!

And, lets be honest ladies this man is lovely to look at and hear, thus the reason for track #2...

Handprints on the wall..

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:41:00 +0000

As many of you know, I am what my Matthew calls, OCD..... (hey at least I am not in denial. That's the first step, right?) I have a drive, motivation and often times demand inside me that screams, "OMGosh your house is out of control and you need to clean it up..." and I know what many of you are going to say, "Kim don't be rediculous!" However, the OCD is still there..

Do you see this little bugger below??

Yes, I know he is cute but lets for a moment forget about that...
this little bugger has been the primary cause of my OCD going into overdrive...

not to mention this other little bugger.. he isn't much help either.

Yes, it is true that I love them more than life itself, but it must be said that sometimes... AHHGGG!!! sometimes... well you should know...

Today however, I did walk into my bathroom to see this...

his father is going to hate this...

here he is pulling out all of my hair clips, headbands, hair ties and etc.. and placing them in his hair or using them as bracelets! Look at the face, he knows he isn't suppose to be rummaging around through these parts!

Seriously, how can I get after a cute little one like this??

Not to mention there is this little video that sends me over the top...

(please excuse the additional background noise.. the boys were karate chopping and jumping on each other in the other room)

Well, thats it... after that little video of total adorableness I guess I will just have to clean up the mess again as usual and refrain from dealing out a punishment of time-out. Now does that mean I have to give Zachary a "free pass" in the future??? Hmmm???

For those of us on top of our game..... ARRR!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:58:00 +0000

It is a daily chore of mine to take in a few other fellow bloggers out here in the blog-o-sphere... well perhaps "chore" is a bit of a stretch... ritual, habit, tradition, indulgence or whatever you can come up with. I was floating thru a few blogs today and came across a giveaway on one of my favorite blog sites, click here. If you don't read Ree's posts it is an absolute must!! She cracks me up on a regular basis...

Anywho... I am in LOVE with her current giveaway and will probably end up scooping up a few of these items... seriously who wouldn't love to get one of these for a laugh??!!

It's description says:

Morning Sucks Soap
Yeah, yeah, the sun's out, yippee. Yeah, yeah, I'm alive and healthy. Close the friggin' shades. I'm being blinded by the friggin' sun. Where the hell's the coffee? You call this coffee? Cyprus and Orange Peel.

Or how about a pack of :

Seriously, how about a nice big pack of shut the hell up! 8 cinnamon pieces to chew all at once. You've got more that one person in your life that you'd wish would stop their yakkin'.

Or perhaps you need a little "Cougar Soap!"For females on top of their game...who stay on top of their game....who were old enough to be their games mother. Who eat their game....slowly....for fun.... Cedar and Amber scent.

Did you just read that?? That description for Cougar soap?? I could seriously read that again and again and continue to laugh uncontrollably!

Last, and my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! I will be getting this for my husband:

You dress like an Ad Exec but during lunch run out to the woods and put a bullet in some animals head for dinner. This soap is for you. A slice of manly heaven. Original Tough Guy Scent with wild thyme and scrubby jojoba.

Please go to BlueQ and buy your self a few items... or perhaps a few items for me! (just kidding!)

Ohh... CVS and Publix how I still love thee...

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:46:00 +0000

Now that I am back home I am anxiously trying to get back into coupon mode. My brain has not been operating on "frugal" mode for the past 6 weeks. Staying with family and not having a grocery bill has been great, however my refridgerator was only stocked with Ketchup and Ranch dressing when I returned home, which has created a much needed grocery shop! I started out at CVS and then headed over to Publix to stock up on a few much needed essentials!

CVS SHOP!!!

Transaction #1

2 Febreeze Fabric Refresher $10.00

3 Febreeze Air Effects $9

2 Febreeze Noticables Kit $13.00

- 2 B1 Fabric Refresher G1 Air Effects Free = $6.00

-2 $4.00 off any 1 Noticalbes Kit = $8.00

-$5/$25 CVS purchase

Total OOP $14.62

ECB Earned $15.00

Transaction #2

2 Dawn Dish Soap $2.00

4 Head Shoulders Shampoo $19.96

1 Colgate Toothpaste $3.49

3 CVS Tape $4.47

3 CVS 10ct Pencil $2.97

-$.25 off 1 Dawn soap

-$.20 off 1 Dawn soap

-$1.00 off Colgate toothpaste

-2 B1G1 free Head and Shoulders = $9.98

-$5/$25 CVS purchase

-$15 ecb earned from transaction #1

Total oop: $2.23

Ecb earned: $16.44

Transaction #3

2 Olay Body Wash $12.00
1 Covergirl eyeshadow $5.49

1 Covergirl lip gloss $4.49

1 Covergirl eye liner $6.49

-2 $2.00 off 1 Olay body wash = $4.00

-3 $1.00 off any Covergirl product $3.00

-$5/$25 CVS Coupon

-$16.44 ecb from transaction #2

Total oop: $.59

Ecb earned: $10.00

Transaction #4

1 Gillette Venus Razor $8.99

1 Pampers Cruiser $8.99

-$2.00 off Venus razor

-$2.00 off Pampers Cruisers

-$3/$15 CVS purchase

-$10 ecb from transaction #3

Total oop:$1.49

Ecb earned: $3.00

Total Before coupons/sale/ecb:$136.53

Total Spent OOP:$18.93

Total Saved:$117.60

Publix Shop

This is the smaller of my Publix shops for the week! I did go one other time but I did not take a picture and won't drag thru everything we purchased to stock our empty fridge!! These week I was able to pick up everything in the picture for a little over $12.00 which is great!!

1 Ranch Dressing $1.49

2 Ballpark Beef Franks $3.99

2 Shick Quattro $9.98

1 Hormel Chili $2.50 (son requested)

1 Bandaid $2.59

1 Neosporin $4.99

1 Cortaid $5.99 (there were 2 in this box! B1G1 from company! SWEET!)

1 Publix Tortilla chips $2.59

-B1G1 Shick Quattro = $4.99

-$1.00/2 Ballbark Franks

-$2.58 Publix Chips (Sunday Penny Item)

-$5.00 Publix coupon off purchase of 3 bandaid products (in Publix flyer)

-$.50/1 Bandaid product doubled to $1.00

-$.50/1 Neosporin product doubled to $1.00

-$.50/1 Cortaid product doublied to $1.00

-$5.00/$25.00 purchase Rite Aid printable coupon

Total before coupons/sales: $43.60

Total OOP$ 12.48

Total saved $31.12 !!

Overall, I had a great 1st week back into shopping... I will be going to Publix again this week since their new ad came out today. Look out for great deals on Simply Potatoes, Klondike ice cream, Betty Crocker fruit snacks and many other items!!

Lack in Blogging....

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:18:00 +0000

As you can tell my blogging has been yet again lacking lately. There are weeks where I cannot get enough posting, emailing and surfing the blogging world... then there are those weeks where I feel like I need a 30 hour day just to get through!

I have several pictures to post of the last few days that we spent in Michigan as well as CVS and Publix deals that I was able to hit my first week home!! Don't worry my blogging block will be over soon and I will again start to share more of my children's faces and more awesome grocery deals!

Zoo part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:26:00 +0000

The BIG excitment of the day was riding the camel! Zachary bugged us about it continuously until we finally did it. I left my Grandma Judy with the camera however instead of taking pictures she took a video.... and here it is:

Grand Rapids Zoo Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:06:00 +0000

Since we have been here there have only been a few days that have been really beautiful. The other days have been filled with rain and often a chilly temperature! On one of the nicer days Zach, Wyatt, myself and my Grandma Judy ventured out to our local zoo. We had a great time seeing bears, tigers, lizards, snakes, camels and stopping in at the petting zoo and playground area. Both the boys had a great time and it was the PERFECT day for it!

It always amazes me that they have to ride anything with a saddle! Even though they ride horses all the time!

At the petting zoo neither Zachary or Wyatt were afraid of any animal!

Wyatt loved brushing the cow!

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Zachary holding a bird on a popsicle stick filled with bird feed! It was really neat!

Trying to get another bird to land on the stick!

The boys LOVED the bears! They were very active and it was exciting for the boys!

Wyatt and Grandma Judy watching the monkeys!

Of course my Zachary! Only picture I could get with him paying attention to the camera!

Playground days..

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:13:00 +0000

Like most children my children love to go to the playground. We visited my Great-Grandmother, (which means she is my children's Great-Great Grandmother) last week. She turned 91 this year and she is still living on her own, driving her self to local locations and is in really great health for her age! After having a wonderful spaghetti lunch complete with homemade apple crisp and whipped cream for dessert (YUMMM!!!) We headed to the playground and then to the movie theatre to see Night At The Museum 2. We had a wonderful day with her and the weather was perfect for the park!

Wyatt LOVES the swings!
Zachary on the fire pole!

Not sure what to do here mom!

Wyatt on the elephant! The boys were pretending they were bucking bulls!

My favorite! That is all I can say about this one!

He was a little unsure of the bridge at first. But now he is crossing it like a champ!

OH!! Now we found a bull to ride!

My baby... well not a baby anymore but he is still my baby.

Visting the dam and toes in the water.....

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:44:00 +0000

On Wednesday, May 27th Zachary left to visit some of his family and Wyatt and I went to my Grandma Judy's house for a visit. We decided to venture into downtown Rockford for lunch, walking on the dam, a playground stop and of course ice cream. It is a lot of fun to take my children to these places because this is exactly where we used to come when I was a child. My entire family has lived in the Rockford area for quite a large portion of my life. It is a really nice area and I like to go back every time we are home. (It helps that my Grandma still lives in Rockford!)

We started out for lunch at Arnie's and then walked down to the dam.

Wyatt taking in the sights.

Can't quite figure out what the deal is?

After stopping in at the dam we walked down a public path that led to a much calmer area of the river and also contained a picnic area and park. Wyatt of course was still more intrigued by the water than anything else!

Wyatt wasn't to sure about the cold water

He is too cute!!

Starting to brave the water.

After our lunch, walk and toes in the river we headed for ice cream which I did not take pictures of. I was too busy enjoying my ice cream and trying to prevent Wyatt from a large ice cream disaster!!

Time to Deliver

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Ann) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:05:00 +0000

As you can tell I have clearly fallen behind in my weekly posts. I do try to post at least 3 times per week however, the last 2 weeks of posting has been nothing short of desolate, barren and anything else that means non-existent. With all of that being said I will be posting pictures daily for the next 7 days!

I have been saving up our photos from the start of our trip to Michigan until now! This week will be filled with tales of our trip from Alabama to Michigan, visiting the local dam, sticking our toes in the very chilly river, playing at the playground, going to the zoo and our fishing adventure which, provided a few MONSTER blue gill that now reside in my belly! YUMMMM!!! We have had a great 2 weeks of rest, relaxation and fun times since our arrival and we look forward to 4 more weeks of Michigan fun!

With all of that being said lets start with how we arrived in Michigan. We left our Alabama home at approximately 7:50am on Saturday, May 22nd and headed west to the residence of our horses. We arrived, loaded the horses and were ready to go by 9am. As we were loading the horses it began to DOWN POUR! Luckily only my shirt was really wet and I had a spare in the truck. I quickly jumped in the truck and changed my shirt. As I was putting on my new shirt my little Zachary said, "Wow mom, you look like a country girl!" Then followed my response, "What country girls do you know that are not wearing shirts?" He giggled and we started on with the trip which consisted of the true definition of a country girl.

Speaking of the children lets introduce you to the crew of this cruiser:

Here am I. The Captain of this fleet. In charge of all children, dogs, horses, driving and overall moral of the ship.

Here is my 1st mate Zachary. He has been very impatient on this trip and always asks, "Are we there yet??

My 2nd mate is Wyatt. He is quite sleepy after a diaper change and a full belly of lunch!

Last but not least is our ship's mascot, Ranger Buddy.

(You can also see our trailer in this picture which houses 3 horses and our entire life including clothes, tents, wagons and other worldly possessions.

Our trip to Kentucky was relatively uneventful and went very smoothly. We were able to drop our horses off around 4:30pm at an overnight boarding facility and head to our hotel for the night. The boys were quite excited about the indoor pool at the hotel. After unloading the necessities, eating dinner, feeding the dog, swimming, taking baths and getting our pj's on we were all wiped out!

We didn't take many pictures on our 2nd day of the trip. We were all very anxious to get there as well as tired of being stuck in the truck. We made it safely to Caledonia, Michigan around 5pm on Sunday, May 23rd.

Overall, the boys were great, the horses and dogs handled the trip well and we are all thrilled to have 6 weeks with family and friend while the other "Co-Captain" of our crew is away.....