Trick or Treat!

It's trick or treat time - Digichick style! The designers and creative team members have put together this little blog hop so that you grownups can do some of your own trick or treating. Here is my contribution using the fantastic Monsters in the Closet kit by Mari Koegelenberg.

You can download my quick page by CLICKING HERE - and the rest of the blog stops are below the image! Hope you find lots of treats and no tricks! :)
Tiffany - http://ascrapaway.blogspot.com/
LuAnn - http://livelaughcreate-luann.blogspot.com/
Cheryl - http://cherylisadomesticgoddess.blogspot.com/
Mel - www.littlepaperhouse.com
Kelley - http://www.kelleymickusdesigns.blogspot.com/
Sinead - http://www.slaphappyandscrappy.blogspot.com
Tracy - http://tracykosofsky.blogspot.com <--- YOU ARE HERE
Pam - www.pameladonnis.com
Elise - http://elisespiecesdesigns.blogspot.com
Jill - http://scrappingprincess.com/blog
Jacinda- http://www.digikiwichick.blogspot.com/
Jenn - http://jennamy82.blogspot.com
Kara - www.karaperrien.blogspot.com
Heather - http://bowenyard.blogspot.com
Juli - http://julifreshfish.blogspot.com/
Mari - http://mydigitalartstudio.com/
Julie - http://mycrazylifeasamomandawife.blogspot.com/
Linda - http://www.yamstamps.com/weblog/treat.html
Dani - http://www.danielleengebretson.com/
Cheryl - http://cherylisadomesticgoddess.blogspot.com/
Kelleigh - http://kelleighratzlaff.com/
ViVa - http://vivaartistry.blogspot.com/
The Hybrid Chick - http://www.thehybridchick.com/

Layouts!

Can you believe it? It's not a coupon post - it's a layout post! Here are some of my favorites from the last couple weeks - credits under each

Credits: papers/elements from Elise Hansen's Cowboy Cool, based on a template from Crystal Livesay's Jumpers 13-16

Credits: papers/elements from Happy by Rosey Posey Studio, based on a template from Crystal Livesay's Jumpers 29-32

Credits: Bennett’s Hammock, Messy Imperfect Stitches, and Painted & Stitched Alpha by Roben-Marie Designs

Credits: Papers/elements from rawr-o-saurus rex by Michelle Batton and based on a template from Jumpers 29-32 by Crystal Livesay

Credits: alpha from Every Life Has a Story - Chapter 1 by The Digichick Designers; date tag from Create a Date by Dawn Inskip; paper and flowers from Quirky Park by Roben-Marie Designs

Hope you enjoy!

Layouts?

I know. I promised layouts. And they're coming later today!

But really. I went to Publix today and spent $12.42 on retail $91.81, for a savings of $79.39 or 86%. That's a whopping 35 cents per item purchased. Want to know how I did it? The transaction details are under the photo! Before you get worried that my kids aren't getting any veggies - I have a freezer full of frozen veggies from an earlier trip! And....it's farmer's market time here in South Florida, so we're getting the majority of our produce direct from the growers :).Before I explain how I did it, I need to tell you that Publix does not have a national coupon policy. Every store is different. My Publix is very coupon friendly and does 2 key things that really maximize savings - they accept competitor store coupons, and they allow coupon overages to apply to the rest of your purchase. I used both policies to my advantage today! Remember that all IP (internet-printable) coupons can be found in the database at Krazy Coupon Lady.

So here it is -

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars sale BOGO (buy 1 get 1 free) 2.99
Used 3 - $1 off 2 IP coupons
Used 6 - 50 cents off Target coupons (these are also printable at afullcup.com)
Bought 6
Final cost: 50 cents per box

Mott's Applesauce 6 packs sale BOGO 2.39
No coupons
Bought 2
Final cost: $1.19 per pack

Honey Nut Cheerios BOGO 4.99
Used 4-55 cents off IP coupons
Used 2 - $1/2 General Mills cereal Target coupons (printable at afullcup.com)
Bought 4
Final cost: $1.45 per box

Post Honey Bunches of Oats cereal BOGO 3.99
Used 2-$2/1 IP coupons
Bought 2
Final cost: 1 cent credit

Kraft Mac and Cheese BOGO 1.29
No coupons
Bought 4
Final cost: 60 cents per box

Mount Olive pickles BOGO 2.19
Used 2-50 cent off IP coupons
Bought 2
Final cost: 60 cents per jar

Pillsbury Savorings Bread Bowl Bites BOGO 3.99
Used 2-55 cent IP coupons
Bought 2
Final cost: $1.35 per box (so worth it because I love these things)

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers 4/$10
Used 1-$1/1 coupon
Bought 1
Final cost $1.50 per box (not bad for a lunch)

Campbells Chunky Soup 2/$3
used $1/2 Walgreens Catalina coupon (these print at the register when you buy certain things)
Bought 2
Final cost: $1 per can

Theraflu 2/$7
Used 1-$2 IP coupon (no longer available)
Used 1-$2 Walgreens coupon from Healthy Savings book found in stores
Bought 1
Final cost: 50 cent credit

Ore Ida Easy Fries regular price $1.09
Used 1-$1/2 IP coupon
Bought 2
Final cost: 59 cents per box

Bought 3 tomatoes at a cost of 1.39 total

AND HERE'S A BIG KEY:
Knox Gelatin (found by the Jello) regular price 1.39
Used 4-$4/1 IP coupons (HELLO!!!)
Bought 4
Final cost: $2.61 CREDIT PER BOX - This $10.44 in total overage really subsidized my purchases without coupons!

A little shopping update

And some layouts coming tomorrow!! :)

I spent most of the day today running around town shopping. I went to ToysRUs, Walgreens, CVS, Target and Publix. In about 3 hours, I spent $72.77 on a total retail cost of $213.56 - I saved $140.79 or 66%!!!!!

Some of my favorite deals:

ToysRUs has buy 2 Trio sets, get 1 free. There are 3 sets priced at $14.98 each. I bought 3 and used 3-$5 coupons to get 3 for $14.98 - the regular cost of 1! More ToysRUs deals and a link to the coupon can be found here. I'm really psyched about this because Alexa has a million birthday parties to go to - these are a really nice gift (and I got them really cheap!!).

AirWick Compact iMotion - retails for $7.99, I got it FREE at Walgreens! More info about this deal is here.

Glade Sense and Spray starter kit - retails for $9.99, I got it for $1 at CVS, plus it qualifies for the current SC Johnson rebate so it ends up being a moneymaker. I have one of these in my master bath now and I just love it. More info on this deal is here.

Chex Mix FREE at Target by price matching our local Walgreens - advertised at 2/$3, and using both manufacturer's and Target coupons (gotta love that stack).

Fast Fixin' Popcorn Chicken at Publix - these are usually $5.99 and my kids go nuts over them. They're BOGO at Publix this week, plus I had $1 off coupons, so I got 6 bags for $2 each. Such a deal.

CoffeeMate liquid creamer at Publix - oh.....yummmm because all are included, INCLUDING Pumpkin Spice.....they're on sale at Publix this week 4/$6, plus I had $1.50/2 coupons from here, so I got 4 for 75 cents each....

Kelleigh is right when she says this is a sickness. I already have my Publix trip planned for the weekend and I'm going to be swinging by Albertsons for some great produce deals, too. YIPPEE!

Want to know what $7.52 will buy you at Walgreens?

$14 in Register Rewards from last week + $7.52 out of pocket = all this stuff + $29 in Register Rewards to use next week. WOOO HOOOO!! In case you can't see what's in the photo, for the cost of 4 cups of coffee I got 2 Pert shampoos, 2 Lysol toilet bowl cleaners, 2 Glade soy candles, 3 Theraflu, 2 cans of olives, 3 Triaminic, 1-24 count Zantac, 1 Chapstick and 1 Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion (I now have way too many of these but I make $1.50 every time I buy one, so I can't stop!), plus three filler items (cotton balls, tweezers and baby sized nail clippers - all of which I needed).

There are three primary sites I use to get information about coupon matchups, coupon availability and deal scenarios - Hip2Save, Krazy Coupon Lady, and Saving Your Cents (for Publix deals). Krazy Coupon Lady has a coupon database that allows you to find all the printable web coupons. I DO NOT get the Sunday paper - so all of my coupons come from online sources and in-store fliers. I have 4 computers in the house, which means I can usually print 8 of each coupon (you can usually print 2 per computer).

Let me know if you find any great deals this week!

My Old Navy, Yankee Candle and Target Savings!

Oh, I so love couponing! We picked Alexa up from school today and we all headed to the mall.

Did you know that Old Navy has an additional 50% off women's clearance items? That makes for some serious deals, especially if you factor in that I had a 25% off entire purchase coupon from Old Navy Weekly. So, for a grand total of $77.41, we picked up:
For Adam: three polo shirts and two pairs of cargo shorts
For Alexa: a dress, a top, a skirt, and a really cute hoodie
For me: three shirts and one pair of pants
That's a total of 13 pieces of clothing, for $5.95 per piece (although I do feel compelled to say that MY portion of the total cost was less than $10 - but Adam really needed some new clothes and I just can't resist cute little girl things).

We also went to Yankee Candle and I got 4 full sized jar candles that retail for $24.99 each for a total of $52.47. I did a buy one get one half off promotion (it applies to Pumpkin Spice, Autumn Wreath and I think Spiced Apple scents), bought a full price Vanilla Cupcake, and spent enough to get the anniversary limited edition Macintosh for $5. Then I had a $15 off a $45 purchase. Since I am a huge Yankee Candle fan, this was a great deal for me, although they're certainly not necessities. In case you're keeping track, I saved 48% - or just about got 2 of the 4 candles for free.

After some kiddie ride nonsense, we headed to our local Super Target. Of all the grocery stores I coupon for and shop at, I seem to have the best luck overall at Target for most of what I need. This week was no exception. My pre-coupon total was $129.72. After coupons - $70.62. Yep, I saved $59.10 or 46%. My best deals - 2 Neosporin lip healths for 34 cents each (these babies generally retail for $4+), 3 tuna pouches for 27 cents each, 6 cereals (4 GM, 2 Kashi) for $1.25-1.33 each, 4 Nature Valley Nut Clusters for $1.13 each (I absolutely love these things), and 2 big bags of Chex Mix for 76 cents each. Plus lots of other great deals!

It's really become an addiction for me. I can't wait until Sunday to see what kind of great new deals I can get!!

The Walmart Score - $11.60, including tax

Unbelievable, really.
2 bags Wacky Mac pasta
2 Klondike ChocoTacos (free)
1 Zantac 150 (8ct) (free)
2 half gallons Over the Moon Milk
1 Betty Crocker Pouch Potatoes
2 boxes Success Rice
2 boxes Kraft Bagel-fuls
2 Old El Paso Seasoning packets
2 bags Nature Valley Granola Clusters