53% Savings on Quick Trip to Publix November 6, 2009

With a busy weekend ahead and a Thursday that had a few other more important things on the to do list, I only did a quick trip to Publix.  I may end up making a second quick trip before next Thursday to pick up last minute things, but since I got my deals/major shopping out of the way with Thursday’s trip I won’t be making any long trips to Publix this week.  Time is sometimes a more important thing to save on!  Here’s what I bought:

**Not pictured: French Bread (already in oven) & Vine Ripe Tomato (already sliced in salad)

$67.93 worth of groceries…for $32.14.  That’s right, I saved 53% off my grocery bill!  Plus, I’m stocked up on a few things I won’t be buying again for a few months!

Here’s how I did it:

(1) Vine Ripe Tomato Originally $1.84/lb (0.31lbs = $0.54)

• Ad Special Savings price $1.49/lb (making it $0.46)

(1) DiGiorno Ultimate Topping Pepperoni Pizza Originally $6.99

• Ad Special Savings Price 2 for $10 (making it $5.00)
• -$1.50/1 DiGiorno Ultimate Topping Pizza printable (making it $3.50)

(2) Welch’s 100% Grape Juice Assort. Varieties (I bought White Grape Peach and Grape) Originally $4.09

• Ad Special Savings Price (making it $2.99)
• (2) -$1.00 Welch’s 100% Grape Juice Any Size, Any Variety printable (making it $1.99)

(2) Peter Pan Peanut Butter 40oz (I bought 1 creamy and 1 crunchy) Originally $5.49

• B1G1 free Peter Pan Peanut Butter 40oz (making it $2.75)
• -$1.00/2 Peter Pan Peanut Butter Any size blinkie @Publix (making it $2.25)

(2) Nestle Toll House Morsels 12oz Originally $2.50/bag

• B1G1 free Nestle Toll House Morsels 11-12oz (making it $1.25)
• (2) -$0.50/1 Nestle Toll House Morsels, RedPlum 11/1/09 (making it $0.75)

(4) Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Cookie Dough Assort. Varieties Originally $3.49

• B1G1 free Nestle Toll House Refridgerated Cookie Dough Assort. Varieties (making it $1.75)
• (4) -$1.00/1 Nestle Toll House Refridgerated Cookie Dough, (2) RedPlum 11/1, (1) Smart Source 10/11, (1) Publix Family Style Winter 2009 (making it $0.75)

(4) Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes Originally $1.39

• B1G1 free (making it $0.70)
• (2) -$0.50/2 Hunts Tomatoes printable (making it $0.45)

(2) Ball Park Beef Franks Originally $4.19

• (1) -$1.00/2 Any Ball Park Franks, clipped from the newspaper, but I can’t remember which insert! (making it $3.69)
• (2) -$1.00/1 Any Ball Park Frank, Publix Green Advantage Buy Coupon exp 11/06/09 (making it $2.69)

My no coupon items:

• Publix bakery French Bread Originally $1.99
• Fresh Express Baby Spinach Originally $3.99

With just a little planning I saved $35.79!  Now I have things I won’t need to buy for a few months along with things for today!  It pays (me) to plan!

 

Sweet Ideas Holiday 2009…hidden coupon!!! November 5, 2009

 

I found this insert (Sweet Ideas Holiday 2009) in the Publix Family Style Winter 2009 Magazine, which is FREE (typically found by the entrance on one of the spinning racks or you can subscribe for a free copy).  It has a lot of great holiday cookie and treat ideas…many of which I plan on trying out this season!  But for those who are more interested in coupons…it also contains a coupon for $1.00 off any 1 Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Cookie Dough!  So pick up your free magazine and get a bunch of cute ideas along with a $1.00 off coupon! Pair two of these up with this week’s B1G1 free deal and it will only cost you $0.75 per package!

Noah’s Ark November 4, 2009

For the past 20+ years the church my husband pastors (since 3/1/09), Pembroke Road Baptist Church, opens up its gymnasium on Halloween for the annual Noah’s Ark Carnival.  It is an event that is well attended by those in the neighborhood and offers a safe alternative to trick-or-treating.  It really is like an old fashioned carnival with all sorts of games to play.

Outside music is played and inside the gym is decorated, and booths are set up with games like ring toss, balloon pop, face painting, bean bag toss, etc.

Church members volunteer and run the booths.

The kids and the adults love the games!

Then of course there’s the bounce house…

….cake walk…

…basketball…

…..and even a book walk.

A welcome/info table (a new addition this year) and ticket counter line the entry into the main gym.

The kitchen grills up hot dogs, and serves nachos, pizza and other snacks and drinks.

Free photos are taken in front of a large ark filled with animals.

Everything takes tickets (except the Free Noah’s Ark Photo Booth) and tickets only cost 10¢ a piece. It takes 1 ticket to play a game and candy is won at every game whether you win or lose.  The snacks cost anywhere from 2-10 tickets so as you can tell, it’s meant to be inexpensive and accessible to everyone.

Our hope has been that it would not only be well attended, safe, fun, and accessible, but that it would be a bridge to the gospel in our community…that it would serve as a means of connecting those who don’t know Jesus to a relationship with him…that those who are disconnected from a local church body would connect with out church.  It is just one opportunity, but a great one.

I am happy to report hundreds came through and we had a number of great conversations with those in attendance.

Next week we officially begin “After the Flood,” a new twist on our follow up to Noah’s Ark.  The free photos taken at the carnival are being developed this week and next week we will be sending out teams to deliver the photos to the families.  This provides another opportunity to connect with those who came to the carnival and see how our church can better serve them.  Any opportunity is a good one!

A big thanks to Joyce for coordinating Noah’s Ark and to all of the volunteers who donated candy, books, baked goods, their time and energy to this ministry opportunity!  It was a huge success! Praise the Lord!

52% Savings @Publix for 10/29-11/04 October 29, 2009

My 10/29/09 Trip to Publix

Yes, including a few needed non-sale, no-coupon items, I saved 52% off my total bill at Publix today!  Now there were a couple of items they were out of, but the stock boy assured me he would have the large bags of the Frozen Green Giant Corn Niblets tomorrow, so I’ll head back for those then (more savings to come!).  I won’t try to deceive you, it was work to save that much: it took a lot of planning and coupon clipping/organizing, and of course the time to give the cashier the coupons after scanning the items, but it was well worth it!  In fact as I was fumbling through coupons and handing them to the cashier the gal in line behind me asked: “How much are you going to save?” To which I replied, “Somewhere between 40-50% usually, but I’m not sure how much this trip…I’ve saved $80 so far.” She then asked, “Where do you get your coupons?!?”  I explained I get them from the Sunday paper and online, and then referred her to one of my favorite savings blogs, SouthernSavers.com, which I said is a good place to start.  She seemed amazed and after thanking me started typing away on her iPhone…I’m pretty sure she was typing in the website I had referred her to!

But back to what I got today, take a look:

***Not pictured: Chuck Roast (already in the oven) & a few bottles of water (in the fridge)

(2 – 32oz bags of Publix Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, 2.92lb Chuck Roast, 28 pack of 16.9oz bottles of Publix Spring Water, 2- 8oz Breakstone Sour Creams, 2- 48oz Breyer’s Ice Cream (Chocolate & Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough), 4- 10oz boxes of Green Giant Frozen Broccoli in cheese sauce, 1- Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet Pineapple, 1- Mt. Olive Dill Relish, 2- 8 count Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls, 2- 2 count boxes of Pillsbury Pie Crust, 1- 32oz Yoplait creamy vanilla yogurt, 1- French’s French Fried Onions, 4- boxes of Nature Valley Granola Bars, 2- 11.5 oz boxes of Cheez-its, 2- boxes of Mueller’s Whole Wheat Penne Pasta, 2- 16oz boxes of Velveeta, 1- 30ct Zyrtec, 1- 84ct Cottonelle Flushable Wipes refill, 6- 40oz bags of Wonka Assorted Candy, 4- 40oz bags of Neslte Assorted Miniatures, 1- 10oz bottle of Vaseline Intesive Care lotion, and 2- bottles of Clorox liquid bleach!)

$218.26 (including tax) worth of items for $105.25 out of pocket (including tax)! I saved $113.01!!!! That’s a savings of 52% off of my grocery bill!!!!

Here’s How I did it:*

(2 ) 32oz bags of Publix Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Originally $6.99/bag

• Publix Ad 10/19-11/04 Savings  -$2.00/bag, (making it $4.99/bag)

(1) 2.92lb Chuck Roast Originally $3.99/lb ($11.65)

• Publix Ad 10/19-11/04 Savings Price of $2.99/lb, meaning -$2.92 (making it $8.73)

(1) 28 pack of 16.9oz bottles of Publix Spring Water Originally $4.49

• Publix Ad 10/19-11/04 Savings of  -$0.50 (making it $3.99)

(2) 8oz Breakstone Sour Creams Originally $1.03/tub

• B1G1 Free (making it $0.52/tub)

(2) 48oz Breyer’s Ice Cream (Chocolate & Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough) Originally $5.15/container

• B1G1 Free (making it $2.575/container)
• -$0.75 /1 Breyers Ice Cream, SmartSource 10/18, (making it $2.20/container)

(4) 10oz boxes of Green Giant Frozen Broccoli in cheese sauce Originally 3 for $5 or $1.67/box

• (4) -$0.50/2 Any Size Green Giant Frozen Vegetables, 10/21 printable, (making it $1.42/box)

(1) Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet Pineapple Originally $4.49

• Publix Ad Special Savings Price -$0.50, (making it $3.99)
• -$0.75/1 Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet Pineapple, printable, (making it $3.24)

(1) Mt. Olive Dill Relish Originally $1.59

• -$0.50 Any Mt. Olive product, printable, (making it $1.09)

(2) 8 count Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls Originally $2.37/package

• -$0.50/2 Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls, 10/4 printable, (making it $1.87/package)

(2) 2 count boxes of Pillsbury Pie Crust Originally $3.09/box

• -$1.00/2 Pillsbury Pie Crust wyb 2 Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls, peelie on pie crust box, (making it $2.49/box)

(1) 32oz Yoplait creamy vanilla yogurt Originally $2.59/container

• Publix Advertised Buy Savings of 2 for $4, (making it $2.00/container)
• -$1.00/1 Yoplait 32oz yogurt, peelie on 32oz Yoplait yogurt, (making it $1.00/container)

(1) French’s French Fried Onions Originally $2.19

• -$0.55/1 Any size French’s French Fried Onions, printable, (making it $1.64)

(4)  boxes of Nature Valley Granola Bars Originally $3.07/box

• Publix Ad Special Savings 4 for $10 (-$0.57/box), (making it $2.50/box)
• -$4.00 off 4 General Mills or Nature Valley products, Publix Coupon in 10/19 add, (making it $1.50/box)
• (4) -$0.40/1 Nature Valley Granola bars, printable, (making it $1.10/box)

(2) 11.5 oz boxes of Reduced Fat Cheez-its Originally $4.09/box

• B1G1 free (making it $2.04/box)
• (2) -$0.75/1 Cheez-it select products, printable, (making it $1.29/box)

(2) boxes of Mueller’s Whole Wheat Penne Pasta Originally $1.39/box

• B1G1 free (making it $0.69/box)
• (2) -$0.55/1 Muellers Whole Wheat Pasta or Pasta Ribbons (making it $0.14/box)

(2) 16oz boxes of Velveeta Originally $3.59/box

• B1G1 free (making it $1.79/box)

(1) GE Energy Efficient Light bulb 13watt=60watt  Single Pack $3.99

• No sale, no coupons…but needed!

(1) 30ct Zyrtec Originally $18.69

• -$4.00 Zyrtec Allergy 30-45ct or ZyrtecD, Publix Green Advantage Buy Flier 10/3-10/30, (making it $14.69)
• -$4.00 Zyrtec 24ct+, Red Plum 10/11, (making it $10.69)

(1) 84ct Cottonelle Flushable Wipes refill Originally $3.99

• -$0.50 off  2 Cotteonelle Flushable Wipes or 2- 24ct refill, or 1-84ct refill, printable (making it $3.49)

(6) 40oz bags of Wonka Assorted Candy Originally $6.99/bag

• B1G1 free Wonka Assorted Candy or Laffy Taffy or Nestle Assorted Miniatures 40 or 48oz bag (making it $3.49/bag)
• (6) -$2.00/1 Wonka Assorted Candy 24oz+, printable, (making it $1.49/bag)

(4) 40oz bags of Neslte Assorted Miniatures Originally $8.99/bag

• B1G1 free Wonka Assorted Candy or Laffy Taffy or Nestle Assorted Miniatures 40 or 48oz bag (making it $4.54/bag)
• (4) -$2.00/1 Nestle Candy 24oz+, printable, (making it $2.54/bag)

(1) 10oz bottle of Vaseline Intesive Care lotion Originally $3.47

• -$1.00 off Vaseline lotion 6.5oz-24.5oz, Publix Green Advantage Buys Flier 10/03-10/30, (making it $2.47)
• -$0.50/1 Vaseline lotion 200ml+, except Renewal or Glow, Red Plum 10/18, (making it $1.97)

(2) bottles of Clorox liquid bleach Originally $2.21/bottle

• Publix Ad Special Savings Price 3 for $5, (making it $1.67/bottle)
• -$1.50/2 Clorox Products, coupon promotional mailer from The Clorox Company, (makes it $0.92/bottle)

Total Spent: $105.25    Total Saved: $113.01

It was a GREAT day at Publix!

* If the coupon I used is found online, you will see a link to it labeled “printable” next to it.  If it is from an insert in the Sunday Paper it will have the inserts name (Smart Source, Red Plum, or P&G) and the date of the paper it was found in.  If it is peeled off of a container it will say “peelie.”  If it comes from one of those little in store machines with the blinking light that spits them out it will say “blinkie.” If its from somewhere else, I will explain where.

What are you reading? October 28, 2009

I love to read.  I admit it. So does my husband.  He manages to press on and read more often than I do (a lot out of necessity for study and sermon prep), and I often find myself too busy during the day and too tired at night to read as much as I would like.  Truly there is a discipline in making time for reading.  Danny, as I said before, is much better at it than I.  However, I made the decision in October to get back into a reading groove, and I am enjoying it.

The first book I picked up after making that decision was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  A classic to say the least.  If you haven’t read it, you need to.  If you have read it, you should read it again.   It is a poignant story of  the life of Jane Eyre, a young girl we see mature through the pages of the novel into the woman with much knowledge and wisdom who retrospectively narrates the novel for us.  It is set in nineteenth century England and addresses themes of justice, love, religion, providence and social class (to name a few).  The novel begins by drawing the reader into the life struggles of an orphaned child battling to survive the abusive family circumstances she finds herself in.  We, the readers,  journey with Jane through the providential twists and turns of her life as she seeks to find contentment, belonging, and love, without compromising her integrity.  It is an engaging book filled with mystery and other elements akin to gothic fiction of the Victorian era.  If you love suspense, love stories, mystery, nineteenth century literature, and/or well written fiction with complex Christian themes of providence and faith, then you will absolutely love this novel.  It is full of all of the above!  So if you’re looking for your next great read, pick up/check out a copy of Jane Eyre today and get reading.

So what am I reading now?

I’m reading through a collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

When Danny and I were engaged he bought me a copy from Barnes & Noble while we were out on a date, and while I did read one of the Grimm brothers’ tales, I was so consumed with my own fairy tale that came true when my prince charming asked me to be his wife that I didn’t have much time for reading.  Needless to say, almost three years later I am finally taking time to read through the collection. But enough about me…

What are you reading?

I’d love to hear what you’re reading these days and any recommendations you have. Or, if you’ve read Jane Eyre, share your thoughts.

You know you go to Starbucks too often when….??? October 26, 2009

…the barista with an English accent you love to hate isn’t working the drive through anymore and you kind of miss getting reprimanded for ordering things out-of-order.  (Miss you Debbie…even though we didn’t see eye to eye on ordering a pairing!)

….you order your favorite drink and instead of giving you your total the voice on the other end of the drive through speaker says, “Are you by yourself today?” ….not because they are a stalker, but because usually you and your husband go through the drive through together and he places the order.  Yes, that was my experience this morning when I placed my order in the drive through of the Starbucks we frequent (apparently all too much).  I ordered my “usual” which for Fall/Winter is a Decaf Tall 4 Pump Pumpkin Spice Latte, and the voice on the other end asks, “Are you by yourself today?”  And after we chat a while via drive through speaker about me not going into work today, I get my total.  The conversation then continues at the window “When I heard you ordering I thought, ‘Is she by herself today?’  I was surprised.”  And that’s the conversation I had with our favorite barista, Sandra.  Always smiles, gets our drink order right without us having to repeat it, and apparently remembers us!

So do you have a “You know you go to Starbucks too often when…” story?  If so, feel free to share!  I know I got a good laugh out of my experience today when I discovered we go to Starbucks too often!

My Big CVS Savings for this past week…saved 82% October 24, 2009

It was back to CVS for me this week as I was out shopping for candy again and needed a few other things we were out of.  I was getting more candy for our church’s Noah’s Ark Carnival and picking up some candy  for my parents to use at various events.  Last week I saved a ton on candy at CVS, all told spending $1.63/bag and also received $10 in ECBs which you’ll see I used on this week’s trip.  This week, by using the $10 ECB earned last week I only spent $0.56/bag! (Without the $10 ECB I would have only spent $1.81/bag….but lets be honest, $0.56/bag is so much better!  Yeah for ECBs!) Plus, I received another $5 ECB back this week! And I was able to get cotton swabs FREE and hairspray for $0.73!!!! Take a look at what I purchased:

Normally would cost: $36.93 (including tax) My cost: $6.52 (including tax)

Total Spent: $6.52 (including tax)

Here’s how I did it:

(4) Reese Peanut Butter Cups Snack Size (10.5oz) Originally $3.59/bag, My Cost = approx $1.88/bag

• CVS Sale 2/$5, (makes them $2.50/bag)
• B3G1 free Hershey’s Candy Coupon(Clipped from Smart Source  10/18), -$2.50, (makes it $1.88/bag for 2 bags and $1.87/bag for 2 bags)

(4) Butterfinger Fun Size (12.5oz) Originally $3.50/bag, My Cost = $1.75/bag

• CVS Sale 2/$5, (making it $2.59/bag)
• $1/1 bag of Nestle Candy Coupon printable (I used 2 of these), -$2.00, (making 2 bags $1.50/bag)
• $1/2 bags of Nestle Candy Coupon (Clipped from Red Plum 10/18), -$1.00, (making 2 bags $2.00/bag)

(1) Garnier Fructis Full Control Hairspray (8.25oz) Originally $4.49, My Cost = $0.73

• $0.75/1 Coupon for any Garnier Fructis Hairspray (Clipped from Red Plum 10/11), -$0.75, (making it $3.74)
• I was able to use a $5 off $25 CVS coupon once I bought the Cotton swabs(see below) so the remainder went toward the hairspray, -$3.01 (making it $0.73)

(1) CVS Cotton Swabs $1.99, My Cost = FREE

• I needed to add $0.51 to make my total purchase $25 so I could use a $5 off of  $25 CVS coupon and we’ve been out of these for over a week, so cotton swabs it was! -$5.00, (making these FREE with overage to go toward the hairspray, see above!)

-$10 ECB, Making my total out-of-pocket cost $6.52 (including tax)

• Candy averaged out to $0.56/bag
• Hairspray $0.73
• Cotton Swabs FREE
• Received a $5 ECB!

I was EXTREMELY excited with my savings this week!  My husband was so impressed and my parents were in shock!  After getting this deal my mom asked me to help her plan out her next CVS trip! (Which by the way resulted in her getting $90 worth of products for $30 dollars out-of-pocket, and still has a $3 ECB for next time!)  It was a great week of savings for our family at CVS! (and at Publix, see $1.99? Are you out of your mind? and 41¢…Need I say more? )

41¢…Need I say more? October 24, 2009

I was about out of mascara (and most of my other makeup, but that’s another store and another story for another day…) so I was stoked to discover this deal at Publix this past week and couldn’t pass it up!  (This is why it is good to read the circular carefully and compare it with any coupons you have.)

Maybelline Volume Express Mascara,  Originally $5.69….my price = $0.41*

Here’s how I did it:

Maybelline Volume Express Mascara,  Originally $5.69

• Publix sale for 40% off  Maybelline Mascara (excludes Great Lash & Pulse Perfection), -$2.28 (making it $3.41)
• Publix Coupon $2.00 off any Maybelline Cosmetic (in the Green Advantage Fall flier), -$2.00 (making it $1.41)
• Manufacturers coupon for $1.00 off  1 Maybelline Mascara (Clipped from Red Plum insert 10/11), -$1.00 (making it $0.41)*

If you have questions about how I got this deal or where I found the coupons, just leave your question/comment and I would be glad to fill you in!

*These costs don’t include tax….Tax is figured from the $3.41 price (after store 40% off but before coupons), my total cost was $0.61 including tax, still a steal of a deal!

$1.99? Are you out of your mind? October 23, 2009

No…this is not a Denny’s commercial for a Grand Slam® (though that does sound good right now).   $1.99 is how much I paid Publix this week for these items which normally would have cost me $11.98!

2 - 24oz bags of candy

One woman at our church said, “They practically paid you to take those out of the store!”  Which is almost how I felt!  So do you want to know how I did it?

Here’s how I saved $9.99….

(2) Nestle Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Crunch or Assorted- 24 oz Fun Size bag, Originally $5.99/bag ($11.98 for two.)

• BOGO @Publix 21-24oz Nestle BabyRuth, Butterfinger, Crunch or Assorted 10/15-10/21, -$5.99 (making it $2.99/bag)
• $2.00 off 1 bag of Nestle brand candy  24oz or larger (printable) (Used 2), -$4.00 (making it $0.99/bag)

This week you can get a similar deal on Wonka Brand Candy with the BOGO at Publix and (2) $2.00 off coupons(printable while supplies last)!

What You’ve All Been Waiting For… October 22, 2009

Yes…I have finally completed that Fall bulletin board you’ve been hearing me facebook/tweet about for a few weeks.  I’ve had to pick up and put down the project for other projects so it took me a lot longer than I originally planned, but that’s just how life goes these days.  So much to do and not enough time to do it in!  The bulletin board is located in the Sanctuary hallway and is meant to highlight things going on for all church members/attenders to see.  This month’s emphasis is on “Harvest.”  CLICK THE PHOTOS BELOW TO SEE THE DETAILS OF THE BULLETIN BOARD BETTER! (I couldn’t get the photos to be larger on the blog without cutting off parts of the photos…so click to see what’s up!)

We want to encourage one another to not get tired of doing what is right, and to not give up in pursuing the things of God, one of those things being sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who are lost and perishing.  We know that God does the work and we are the ones who are blessed by joining with him in seeing those who don’t know him, come to know him.  We must be willing to go out…to be sent, into the harvest field.

So what is our harvest field at Pembroke Road Baptist Church?

It is most immediately South Broward County and North Miami-Dade County.  What you can’t see is the key to the pie chart.  Orange= Other/Non-religious, Blue= Evangelical, Pale Green= Mainline Protestant, Dark Green= Catholic

So what are we corporately doing about it?  We are coming together to “pray earnestly” and we are being “sent out” in various ways to share the gospel with those in our community.  Some ways this is being done is through prayer gatherings being held throughout the week and various outreach events sponsored by our church. (These are listed on the sheets pictured below, but the photo isn’t very clear.)

Opportunities to join with fellow-laborers in going out into the harvest.

A list of prayer gatherings at our church.

With that I give you the bulletin board you have all been waiting to see the final results of!  Below are some zoomed in shots of the cornucopia and the leaf turkey….just because I liked them!