Ya'll, I have entered a new level of couponing as of today: I used e-coupons. You know, those hi-tech, new-fangled coupons that you load onto your card and can't see or feel, you just have to believe that they are there and believe that they will work? Yep, those.
And contrary to all my fears, they actually worked. Every single last one of them.
Okay, so I only used four, but still, it felt like a major victory. Almost as good as when I went in and tried CVS-ing for the very first time.
Lest you think I did it all by myself though, I have to tell you that Lorrie was at the store, too, and she held my hand through the whole process. If it weren't for her, I would have never tried them in the first place.
I think I'm hooked now, though, as they worked beautifully and saved me some extra money! Yay!
Here's what I got at Dillons and Aldi:
The Idahoan potatoes were free, thanks to coupons a kind friend shared with me. The Yoplait, oatmeal, and Cottonelle were also free, thanks to e-coupons. The Progresso soup was $0.30/can, cheese was on sale for $1.58/8 oz., butter was $1.88, milk was $2.99, Kashi bars were $1 after the $2/1 coupons and a sale.
We bought eggs and fruit at Aldi, since it's much cheaper there and Aldi is so close to Dillons.
If only the Pampers were free. *Sniff* I'm certainly missing CVS when it comes to free diapers. I considered going back to cloth and/or off-brands almost exclusively but after a few days of severe diaper rash, we switched back to our beloved Pampers. There are just some things you can't skimp on and diapers happen to be it for us right now.
All in all, we spent about $38 total this week to buy all the groceries pictured above. Considering I saved $45 at Dillons and that I also bought diapers, I'm pretty happy with that total–especially since it's under our $40 weekly budget.
I still have a freezer full of meat and frozen veggies, along with lots of yummy baked goods from our Baking Day last week, so aside from picking up some free carrots at Target and some $0.19/lb bananas at Wal-Mart (a nearby store has $0.19/lb bananas on Thursday so I can price-match at the Wal-Mart down the street!), we should be set for this week. I'll post our full menu soon so you can see the specifics of what we'll be eating this week.
How did you get the yoplait for free? What e- coupons did you use?
We use pampers too. We use cloth during the day (and change frequently… doesn’t seem to bother my little guy at night) and since he sleeps through the night (and I realize how precious my sleep is 🙂 we use pampers at night.
I love Aldi’s already! The first time I shopped there was 2 weeks ago. It’s quite a drive (20 min. or so) but for $2/gal milk ($1.75/gal cheaper than walmart!) it might be worth it!
Does anyone know if you can re-load cellfire coupons that you’ve already used to your card?
I just logged on to see if there were any new coupons. I was able to re-load the free box of Live Active oatmeal to my card. I’m wondering if it won’t work though, since I’ve used this coupon once already.
Hope I’m not repeating anything someone else has shared…but P&G has a promotion for a free pair of Crocs shoes when you buy $25.00 of qualifying productions. I bought Pampers in the big box on sale and a coupon, then bought Charmin toliet paper on sale and a coupon. Mailed in my receipt and am waiting on my certificate for my shoes. I have rheumatoid arthritis and crocs are the only shoes that cushion my tootsies while I chase after my 5 kids. Thanks for all your info. I’m new to couponing and you have made a difference in our family. God Bless.
Crystal,
Just FYI, if your Shortcuts coupons don’t come off like they should, you can go to the “Help” section of their website and report a dispute by giving them your card number, receipt id, and selecting the coupons that should have been deducted. They will then apply the $ as a “general” Shortcuts coupon that comes off next time you shop with your card. I’ve had some trouble with it coming off but they’ve always fixed it for me!
Crystal, hope you don’t mind if I answer a few questions from fellow commenters! 🙂
Jessicasheets: YES, the diapers can cause the rash. I have a friend whose little girl would break out in a major rash every time she tried White Cloud. I guess it’s something about what’s “in” them (chemicals, etc.)
Ashley: I’ve never seen anyone who posts Aldi “deals” (yet) because really they never run sales, and you can’t use coupons. Everything is always cheap there, but often you can beat even Aldi prices with a coupon+deal at a store that sells name-brand items. Aldi is great for those items you need *now* and can’t find a deal for anywhere else, and for produce and milk/eggs. Aldi does sometimes sell name-brand odds and ends at a discount, and usually puts those items in their circular and website: http://www.aldi.us
Do you show aldi deals? Or do you know anyone that shows them on their site? I just found out there is one nearby!
I’ve been trying to give up on Pampers and wouldn’t you know we’ve had major diaper rash! I never thought about it being the diaper now that we’re using Wal-mart’s white cloud diapers. Wags diapers were okay but not much cheaper. We moved away from WAGS though, so now I’m stuck. Seriously, can the diapers cause the rash? I’ve been using so much desitin since we’ve moved!
Kroger’s buy 10 save $5 instantly deal is AWESOME this week. I saved 83% on my bill ($86 plus)!!!! We are stocked!
Did you use the uploadable pg ecoupon for pampers?? It’s 1.50!! I figured you knew but didn’t see the coupon listed with your totals.
how in the world do you have a 40 budget for groceries? do you include diaper and such ? i have trouble staying under and 80 dollar budget! i am just starting to try and figure out the coupon thing. where do you get you coupons? what types of meals do you prepare?
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Money Saving Mom here: Yes, diapers are included as are all household products, etc. Stick around here for a little while and you’ll learn the ropes more. Check out some of our $35-$40 menus (see the Categories link above) or look through some of the archives for more ideas.
The biggest thing to remember is that I’ve been doing this for years. Practice really does make a difference so if you keep at it and keep learning, you’ll gradually start seeing real results. Don’t expect to cut your grocery bill in half the first week by following tips and deals on this blog or others. But as you learn, you’ll slowly whittle it down–and maybe down by a lot!
I recommend that you read the links on the sidebar for beginners if you’re just starting out. That explains a lot of how it works for our family. By the way, I’ll be posting our menu for this week later today. Stay tuned!
Hi! I recently found your website and LOVE it! I have added the ecoupons to my kroger card and CVS card, but they never seem to show up. Is there a trick that I am not aware of?? 🙂
I was wondering where this place is where they take damaged packages of diapers and sell them for cheaper? I am trying to get the hang of coupons and am totally lost when you talk about e-coupons! Any ideas would be helpful! Thank you!
Have you ever tried LUVS? I swore by Pampers for my first 2 and then had a third and used Pampers for the first 2 months(freebies from the hospital) someone gave me a package of LUVS as a gift and I have been buying them ever since! At my Walmart in Iowa a box is $15.99 compared to the Pampers at $26.99!! Same amount of diapers in each box. They also have the stretchy sides just like pampers, my kiddos are all skinny and we need that extra pull to keep it on! Never had problems with diaper rash or any others for that matter!!
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Money Saving Mom here: Tried ’em and they don’t work for my daughter’s sensitive skin. I believe by now I’ve tried just about every diaper on the market. Pampers seem to be the only thing that work for daughter #2. I’m very hopeful that Baby #3 won’t have such skin issues so I can go back to something a little less pricey!
You might want to take a glance at babycheapskate.blogspot.com — she tracks the sales on diapers, etc.
Pampers, of course, is the one I know almost nothing about because I haven’t bought them again since I really disliked the first package I had. We use mostly Luvs and Target brand, and Huggies when I can get them cheap enough.
Where do you get e-coupons? I love coupon’ing and have never heard of this. How do I add them to my store card, etc? Please share. Feel free to reply to my email at [email protected]
I forgot to sign my earlier post! (It was about the Herbal Essences).
May I ask how you got the Idahoan potatoes for free?
thanks!
alice
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Money Saving Mom here: They were on sale for $1 and a friend gave me a bunch of $1/1 coupons since she had extras. Hope that helps!
I got 2 bottles of Herbal Essences for free with an ecoupon tonight combined with a MFQ. P&G ecoupon for $2 off 2 combined with a paper $3 off 2, and they were on sale for 2/$5! Also got nearly free crescent rolls and paid a nickel to bring home frosting. 🙂 yay me!
Wait, did you use coupons at Aldi’s? That is my favorite store for groceries and I had NO idea you can use coupons there. Please explain how!!!
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Money Saving Mom here: Nope, as far as I know they don’t take coupons. I usually just buy staple ingredients there that are cheaper than store sales. This week it was fruit and eggs.
I love that this post begins with “Y’all”! 🙂
Maybe you can take advantage of CVS.com for some good deals?
Also, I know there is a diaper store around here that takes damaged packages of diapers and resells them very cheaply. Maybe there is a place like that near you.
Sounds good..I agree with you about the Pampers. We too will use the “cheapies” during the day. BUT as soon as there is a rash OR at night time, we use Pampers. It just is worth that extra bit during those times. May I ask how much you pay for a mega pack of diapers there? I am in Canada and we pay anywhere between $20-$22 regularly, but they often go on sale for $14.99. I did get them on sale this summer for $9.97, but I have never seen this before.
Awesome job! You scored a lot for just $38!
Boy I wish we had a store that accepted the e-coupons…oh how that would make my deals much easier.
How did you get free Pampers at CVS? Just from overage?
Crystal, since you’re with a Kroger chain again, don’t forget the P&G Esaver and Upromise eCoupons too!!