Friday, June 17, 2011

Kroger Trip 06.17.11

Here's what I got...just a couple of items for the stockpile.
35 Vitamin Waters - Free
15 packages Huggies baby wipes - all free except the one in the tub, paid $0.50 for it.

Retail value - $70.77.  My total was $2.57 (mostly tax), total savings of 99%.  We are stocked up for a while on these items now!

Hope your shopping trips are as successful!  Happy Couponing!

Kelli

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Thrift Store Tray Makeover

I love using trays all over the house.  They are the perfect quick and easy fix to a boring table or counter.  A friend and I found these trays for her house at the local thrift store and got them for $5 for both.
While we were getting set up to paint, I grabbed an old candlestick from the house that I have been wanting to do something with and threw it out there to be painted too.
So a little spray paint, distressing and/or antiquing glaze later and here you have it...



 I tried the smaller tray in a few places throughout the house trying to find the perfect spot for it.  I kept thinking of great uses for it!  And then I remembered it is not staying here but going to live in my friend's house...BOO! So now I need to go back to the thrift store and find some more I can keep!


 And here is how the candlestick turned out.  Nicely, I think.


What do you think?  Not bad for $5 and 30 minutes. 

What fun project are you working on? 

Kelli

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Kroger 06.04.11

Here's what I got:
4 Lunchables - on sale for 2/$4; I hade 4 $1 off 1 coupons; final price - $1 each
2 packages Kraft Big Slice cheese - regularly $4.75, on sale for 2/$5; I had 2 $1 off coupons; final price - $1.50 each
5 packages Mahatma rice - on sale for $1.25 each; I had 5 $0.50 off coupons which doubled; final price - $0.25 each
12 Nestle Crunch bars - on sale 2/$1, I had several $1/2 coupons and Buy 2 Get One Free coupons; final price - FREE

Total value - $40.67.  My cost - $7.63.  Savings of 84%.

Kelli

Dining Room Buffet Makeover

The buffet in my dining room needed an overhaul.  I bought it on craiglist a year or so ago and painted it.  I also used leftover fabric from the dining room chairs (we had them recovered at the same time I got the buffet) and decoupaged the fabric on the doors.  I don't like it.  I have hated it since I finished it, but other projects took priority and it has been sitting waiting for me to redo it for a year.  I finally cleaned it out and got motivated to repaint it. 

Here it is before. 
This paint color just didn't suit me.  I kept putting color on top of color trying to get just the right mix.  Nope.  So we are back to my new favorite...antique white (how did you guess!?!?!)!

In the process...
And the final product...
I like it so much better now!

One of my 2011 goals was to organize my home.  What a dauntng goal.  It seemed so unreachable.  I have really put alot of effort into making this happen.  It's not the organizing of one area, say a closet, or a room, but really more a combination of a million little things - like adding a basket to the shelf in the pantry to hold the chip bags or getting my gift tags orderly in a box (see it here). 

Now that I started couponing a couple of months ago and building a stockpile, I haveto be creative in the use of space I have in order to for everything to have a place and stay organized and orderly.  As I emptied this buffet, I realized that I haven't used the things stored in it for...years.  More than half of the space was filled with the China we got when we were married.  We have never eaten off of it.  Not once in 11 years. 

Now, I know I can't get rid of the China.  I intend to hand it down to Lilly one day.  But right now, in 2011, when Lilly is 6 and we NEVER use it, why is it taking up the space in my buffet?  The space I need for things we  use.  Good question.

So I packed up the China in a plastic container and put it in the attic.   I now have organized my coupon inserts and have them tucked neatly in the drawers, dated and ready to be pulled out when I need a coupon from them.  The inserts have been in stacks (organized stacks!) on my dining room table since I started accumulating them while I tried to figure out where to keep them.  I cannot stand for everything around me to not be perfectly in place and it has been driving me crazy that I had no where to put these things.  I think this was the motivation I needed to finally drag this buffet to the driveway and paint it.  I didn't want to empty it and organize it full of new things when it was still on my to-do list of projects...so it moved to the top of the list.

And now, it is the happy home of coupon inserts.  And my dining room table is pretty again. 
I feel so accomplished! Two items marked off my list!

Once more before and after:

I encourage you to look around you and think of ways to better use your space.  There is hidden potential everywhere!  I think of the people that live in New York in tiny apartments with no closets and make it work.  I used to feel like this house wasn't big enough for the four of us, but with a little effort, I can find space everywhere and can organize my home.   It's taking a while, but each little thing makes a difference. 

Do you like the buffet?  I do. 

Kelli

Friday, June 3, 2011

Quick Walgreens Trip 06.03.11

I ran in Walgreens this morning for a couple of items:
The waxing strips are usually $4.99, on sale for $2.99, and I had a $2 off coupon (you can print at coupons.com).  Final price - $0.99
The nail polish is on sale for 2/$4, and I had a $2 off coupon for liking the Rimmel page on facebook (the max amount of coupons has been given now), and I had a buy one get one free coupon from the All You magazine.  Final price - FREE

If you haven't seen an All You magazine before, I highly recommend getting a subscription.  This is a new find for me and I love it!  It is packed full of coupons, quick and easy meal plans, and tips and ideas for saving money.  They are only sold at Walmart, and after I bought and read the first one, I ordered a subscription.  There were $100 worth of coupons in that one edition and it cost $1.88.  The meal ideas and other tips are great.  Very worth it!

Happy Couponing!

Kelli

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Save-A-Lot Trip 05.31.11

I found a great deal in a surprise place this week.  I have never shopped at Save-A-Lot in my life. I know they have mostly off-brand items and I have just never had a reason to venture in there.  When the weekly ads come out, I always toss the Save-A-Lot ad to the side and go straight for Kroger and Walgreens ads.  This week my husband says, "So, does Save-A-Lot take coupons?  They have Butterball turkey bacon on sale for $1."  What?  $1 for bacon??  I went through my catalog of coupons in my head and remembered that I had a coupon for Butterball turkey bacon...so I called Save-A-Lot and they DO take coupons!

I looked through the ad and saw that they also had Hamburger Helper for $1.  I had coupons for that too.
I ran up there (there's one a mile or so from the house) and here's what I scored:

34 packages of Butterball turkey bacon - on sale for $1; I had 34 coupons for $0.65 off; final price - $0.35 per package
6 boxes of Hamburger Helper - on sale for $1; I used 2 coupons for $0.75 off 3 boxes; final price - $0.75 each.  I have a lot more coupons for this, but we rarely eat Hamburger Helper and it's still $0.75 a box!  It would need to be much cheaper for me to stock up...
1 bag of popsicles - no coupon but needed them for the kids to take to school; cost  -$1.99
1 bag of French bread - we needed for dinner that night; cost -  $1.99

Total cost - $22.92, savings of 78%.  I just got 34 packages of bacon for less than $12.  What in the world will I do with 34 packages of bacon, you ask? 

Eat a lot of bacon. 

I will now start checking the Save-A-Lot ad each week.  While in there, I noticed they actually have quite a few name brand items for which I would have coupons, like Kellogg's cereal for example.  The cashier also told me that if you go to their website and register, you will get a printable coupon for $5 off your next purchase of $25 (before coupons).  I wish I had known that before I went, but I will definitely get it and hang on to it until the next deal comes around.  Check it out for yourself!

Kelli