Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge: Weeks 11-12

I apologize for not being on the ball with posting lately.  Here are my transactions for the past two weeks.

Week 11:

I did 2 transactions this week.

(2) Kelloggs Rice Krispies

Price:  $2.50 each

MFG Coupon:  $1.00

Total Price:  $4.00

RR Received:  $2.00

(3) Nivea Body Wash (2 Women's, 1 Men's)

Price:  (2)$5.99, (1) Free

MFG Coupon:  (1) B2G1 free, $4 off 2

WAG Deal:  B1G1 Free

Total Price:  $1.99

Crest Toothpaste

Price:  $3.00

MFG Coupon:  $1.00

Total Price:  $2.00

(2) Oral-B Toothbrushes

Price:  $3.00 each

Total Price:  $6.00

RR Earned from Toothpaste and Toothbrushes:  $4.00

RR Used:  $2.00 Head and Shoulders, (2) $1.00 Herbal Essence

Subtotal Before Coupons:  $25.98

Subtotal After Coupons:  $7.99

Sales Tax:  $1.26

Savings Percentage:  70%

*(Note: Savings percentages are calculated prior to tax. Since there’s no way for me to decrease my tax amount, it is simply not factored in.)

Week 12:

I did two transactions this week.

(2) Carmex Lip Balm

Price:  $2.00 each

Coupons:  None

Total Price:  $4.00 total

RR Earned:  (2) $2.00

Walgreens Feminine Hygiene Product

Price:  $1.99

Coupons:  None

Total Price:  $1.99

RR Earned:  $2.00

Breathe Right Nasal Strips

Price:  $4.00

Coupons:  None

Total Price:  $4.00

RR Earned:  $4.00

Cherry Coke Zero (All that shopping made me thirsty.  Thirst made me spend money unwisely.)

Price:  $1.59

Bottle Deposit:  $.10

Coupons:  None

Total Price:  $1.69

RR Used:  (2) $4.00, $2.00 Kelloggs

Subtotal Before Coupons:  $11.68

Subtotal After Coupons:  $1.68

Sales Tax:  $.60

Savings Percentage:  85%

*(Note: Savings percentages are calculated prior to tax. Since there’s no way for me to decrease my tax amount, it is simply not factored in.)

Yearly Totals

Amount Spent:  $29.28

Amount Saved:  $268.10

$3.00 rebate pending from Crayola - will adjust totals once received

Wearable Blanket

I completed a new project today.  This is something I had been wanting to do for awhile, and plans have been forming in my head as to how.  Had I known this would be so easy, I would have made this project months ago!

My baby wears a wearable blanket to bed every night.  It is so nice, because I do not have to worry about her kicking the covers off and fussing.  One feature I love about the blankets she has is that the zipper is inverted.  It zips down rather than up, so she does not play with the zipper in the middle of the night, and it does not scratch her neck.  This feature was extremely nice when she was a newborn, because it allowed for quick midnight diaper changes.  Therefore, I incorporated that idea into the blanket I made.

Here is my first homemade wearable blanket.  I made this from a fleece blanket we no longer use, so the total cost was that of the zipper:  $2.50.  Not bad for something that retails around $20.00!  Also, the entire project took 1 hour from start to finish.  This is a newborn size, and the only adjustment I would make is the size of the neck hole.  I think that's a little small for a baby.

Perhaps this is something I could make more of and sell?  What do you think?

                 Front View:                                                                  Back View:

Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge: Week 10

I had two transactions at Walgreens today.  I was disappointed last week that I was unable to find the Dial bodywash, so I had $11.00 of Register Rewards to use that were expiring today.  Here is this week's rundown.

Transaction #1:

(2) Pilot Gel Pens

Price: $1.99 each

MFG Coupon: $1.00 total

WAG Coupon:  $2.00 total

Final Price: $.98 total

(2) 20oz Cokes

Price: $1.59 each

MFG Coupon:  $.99 each

Final Price:  $1.20 total

(2) Head and Shoulders Shampoo

Price: $4.00 each

MFG Coupon:  $5.00 (1 B1G1 free, 1 $1.00 off)

Final Price:  $3.00 total

RR Earned:  $2.00

(2) Dry Idea Deodorants

Price: $4.99 each

MFG Coupon:  $4.49 (B1G1 free, up to $4.49)

WAG Deal:  $4.99 (B1G1 Free)

Final Price:  $.50

(2) Herbal Essence Products (1 Shampoo, 1 Gel)

Price: $2.99 each

MFG Coupon:  $2.99 total (B1G1 Free)

Final Price: $2.99

RR Earned: $1.00

RR Used:  $8.00 Complete Contact Solution

Transaction #2:

(2) Herbal Essence Products (1 Conditioner, 1 Mousse)

Price: $2.99 each

MFG Coupon: $2.99 total (B1G1 Free)

Final Price: $2.99

RR Earned: $1.00

Index Card Case (Filler Item)

Price: $.79

WAG Coupon:  $.50
Final Price: $.29

Legal Pad  (Filler Item)

Price: $.79

WAG Coupon:  $.50

Final Price:  $.29

RR Used: $1.00 Crayola, $2.00 Special K

Subtotal Before Coupons: $38.88

Subtotal After Coupons: $1.44

Sales Tax: $2.03

Savings Percentage*: 96%

*(Note: Savings percentages are calculated prior to tax. Since there’s no way for me to decrease my tax amount, it is simply not factored in.)

Yearly Totals

Amount Spent: $17.75

Amount Saved: $223.30

$3.00 rebate pending from Crayola - will adjust totals once received

Grocery Challenge: Week 9

I did not post anything about my grocery shopping adventures last week, simply because I put my groceries away without taking a picture first.  :)  I did make some extra trips to local stores last week, and my total ended up being $62.74.

This week was a little better:

Pretend there is a melon in that picture as well - we purchased and ate most of that yesterday!  This week's total:  $52.39.

It does not look like I purchased much of anything this week, but we are eating a lot of stockpiled foods lately.  We mainly needed fruit, milk, cheese, and some snacks.  I got 2 pizzas as a treat, and I will have to spend another dollar or so later this week for lettuce.  Yes, they were out of lettuce at the grocery store!  That has never happened to me before.

Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge: Week 8 *Edited in purple*

I had a little difficulty again with totalling things up before I got to the register.  I usually do that at home before I go, to make sure my pre-tax total allows me to use all my Register Rewards.  For some reason, I didn't do that at all today - not before I left, and not at the store.  That resulted in a few trips back to the school supply aisle while the nice cashier waited to ring up my stuff and then say "sorry, still need more".  She was very nice about it.  It's a good thing they're not usually busy when I'm there!

Here's this week's rundown:

(2) Kellogg's Special K

Price: $2.50 each
MFG Coupon: $1.00

Final Price: $4.00 total

RR Earned: $2.00

Complete Multipurpose Contact Solution
Price: $7.99

RR Earned: $8.00

Crayola Crayons

Price: $1.00

RR Earned: $1.00

Crayola Markers

Price: $3.00

RR Earned: None - $3.00 rebate sent in

(3) Penway 10-Pack Pencils (fillers)
Price: $.09 each
Final Price: $.27 total
RR Earned: none

(2) PaperMate 6-pack Highlighters (fillers)
Price: $.19 each
Final Price: $.38 total
RR Earned: None

RR Used: (2) $5.00 Dr. Scholl's, $3.00 Schick, $3.50 Colgate

Subtotal Before Coupons:  $17.64

Subtotal After Coupons: $.14

Sales Tax:   $.76

Savings Percentage*: 99%

*(Note: Savings percentages are calculated prior to tax. Since there’s no way for me to decrease my tax amount, it is simply not factored in.)

I also received my $3.00 Finesse rebate!  Totals have been edited to reflect this change.

Yearly Totals

Amount Spent: $14.28

Amount Saved: $174.48

$3.00 rebate pending from Crayola - will adjust totals once received

Grocery Challenge: Week 7

I was a little bit bummed about my grocery trip today.  I had heard there was a Catalina coupon that would print out if you purchased 5 Kraft cheese products.  The singles were half price this week, and the baby eats those a lot.  So I bought 5.  There was also a deal for Juicy Juice, where a coupon would print if you purchased 4.  So I did.  Then at the end of my transaction...no coupons! 

The checker was very nice and looked up the juice deal in the paper.  It was there, so he sent me to Customer Service, and they gave me a handwritten coupon.  However, he could not find the Kraft deal listed, so I did not get that coupon.  Bummer!  That one was for 5 dollars!

My trip to Customer Service actually ended up being a blessing.  CS is located next to the pharmacy, and I had a prescription I had forgotten to pick up last week - and would have forgotten again! 

So I left the store short 5 dollars, but with my pills.  I guess I could look at it this way:  It would cost more than 5 dollars in gas to drive back out there and pick up the prescription I almost forgot again!

This week's total:  $46.54.  I stocked up on chicken breasts that were on sale and on milk, so hopefully we will not need any of that next week!  Oh yeah...we should be good on cheese, too!

Grocery Challenge: Week 6

Last week's grocery bill ended up being $65.52.  I was okay with that total, because it was still lower than the initial $75.00 a week budget we had set, and we got a lot of things to build up our stockpile again. 

My husband and I were discussing the family budget and where we could make some cuts in order to put more money into savings.  We realized that our Pepsi habit is really driving up our grocery bill.  I had stopped drinking Pepsi myself for about a week. However, it was still in the house for my husband, and I started drinking it again.  I believe we can cut out approximately $30.00 a month just by refusing to purchase any more pop. 

I am going to miss my Pepsi.

I have made my shopping list for this week, and it is quite short!  I typically do my grocery shopping on Mondays, and there are 5 Mondays this month.  For that reason, I have set a goal of $52.00 a week for this month.  I have a feeling I am going to spend far less than that tomorrow, so maybe we'll adjust it for subsequent weeks.  I'm excited.  :)