My Dillons Shopping Trip- Most Items Free!

Total Before Coupons/Sales-$95.82
After Coupons/Sales- $26.36!!!

Dillons is running their MegaEvent right now where if you buy 10 Participating items you get $5.00 off at checkout. There are some amazing coupons to go with many of these products making them FREE! Here is the breakdown!

MegaEvent Deals:

(6)Honest Tea or Honest Ade (16.9 oz. bottle) - $0.75*WHEN YOU BUY ANY 10 Participating Items $1.25 ea -50¢ (Note: Some areas this is an even better deal, only $0.50 after Mega Event discount-Thanks Sharon!)
Use $0.50/1 Honest Tea or Ade from HERE
Final Cost FREE plus overage!

(1)Chex Mix, Bugles or Gardetto’s Snacks (7.5-8 oz.) - $1.49*WHEN YOU BUY ANY 10 Participating Items $1.99 ea -50¢
Use $0.50/1 Gardetto’s coupon HERE (doubles)
And Use $0.50/1 Gardetto’s eCoupon Cellfire or Dillons
Final Cost FREE!

(6)Balance Bar (1.76 oz.) - $0.50*WHEN YOU BUY ANY 10 Participating Items $0.99 ea -50¢
Use $1.00/3 coupon from HERE (Facebook promotion, “Like” them first, then print coupon, you can print it twice)
Final Cost $0.17 ea.

(2)Garden of Eatin Chips (7.5-9 oz.) - $1.79*WHEN YOU BUY ANY 10 Participating Items $2.29 ea -50¢
Use $1.00/1 coupon from HERE or HERE
Final Cost $0.79 ea.

(6)Rotel Tomatoes (10 oz.) - $0.49*WHEN YOU BUY ANY 10 Participating Items 99¢ ea -50¢
Use $1.00/3 coupon from HERE
Final Cost $0.15 ea.

(2)Zantac (24-30 ct.) - $5.50*WHEN YOU BUY ANY 10 Participating Items $6.00 ea -50¢
Use $5.00/1 coupon from HERE
Final Cost $0.50 ea.

(2)Scotch Tape or Glue Stick (select/various sizes) - $1.00*WHEN YOU BUY ANY 10 Participating Items $1.50 ea -50¢
Use $0.55/1 Scotch Tape coupon from HERE (doubles to $1.00)
Final Cost FREE!
*Hard to find this size anymore...there is another size available for $0.50 after coupon!*

(5)Del Monte Vegetables - $0.49*WHEN YOU BUY ANY 10 Participating Items 99¢ ea -50¢
Final Cost-$0.49 ea!

MegaEvent Total-$5.45, that's just $0.18 per item!!!

Other Deals:

$2.75 When You Buy (4) RC, Diet RC, Diet Rite Cola- Attached to the 12 packs are $0.55 off coupons, doubling to $1.00! Final Cost $1.25 ea!

Vlasic Relish-$2.25 Use $1.00 Vlasic Coupon Here and $0.55/1 ECoupon Dillons Final Cost $0.70!

Full Price Items:

Organic Honey-$5.49

Ham-$3.19

Dillons Trip 8-17-10

*Not pictured-Diet Dr. Pepper 12 Pack

Dillons is running their Mega Event Sale through next week and I went and did some stocking up on items we use on a regular basis!

I definitely preplanned for this trip. It honestly took me several hours to look at ads, find coupons, buy coupons and figure it all out. I had 9 transactions of the 8 items, so 72 Mega Event Items...now when I got there, they were out of some items, so I circled those and replaced them with other Mega Event items to make sure I still had 72 items. I took along a few extra coupons and then just chose the $0.40 Del Monte pears and the $0.49 Powerade to fill in where needed!

*Hint-make sure and look at the price tags carefully! They had the Del Monte fruit on sale for $0.78 but the pear halves were marked down even further to just $0.40!!!! So, that made the deal even sweeter!!! I STOCKED UP!

I also managed to get all the cereal (7 boxes) for just $0.48 a box! Who can pass up cereal when it's that cheap? Especially when we go through a box a week! Check coupons.com and other coupon websites for the Trix and Cocoa Puff coupons!!

I also stocked up on some meat. They had Roasts B1G1 Free...this is when I buy my expensive meat! I got two of them for just $10.00...that's only $5.00 a roast! Should have grabbed more but I didn't like the cuts as well with what was left! Also grabbed hamburger, chicken and more chicken!

Also, not in the Mega Event but on sale was the Hefty bags. Not sure if they are on sale this week or not! They were 10/$10 and when I went to go stock up they had a pile of them in a lane and many of them had $0.15 coupons attached to them, doubling to $0.3o off! Look for those sticky coupons as I found some on the boxes of Betty Crocker Potatoes too!



So, all together I spent $220.00 and saved $155.00! Not quite 50% but I did splurge and buy my son some snacks he really wanted for his school lunches! And sometimes, it's not a coupon that makes you happy but the smile on a child's face!

Target Toy Clearance!!!

You may have seen my previous Target Clearance deal, but it looks like the Toy Clearance Event at Target is getting even better! Lots of toys are 75% off! Thanks to reader Lisa for emailing me the picture and info. on her shopping trip!
This would be a great time to shop for birthdays or Christmas presents!

I hit the Target toy aisle and found some great deals.
Monopoly Championship edition for 3.48 (was 13.99)
Pictureka Kubes Game 3.74 (was 14.99)
Honey Bee Tree 3.74 (was 14.99)
2 pack of Barbie kites 1.24 (was 4.99)
Toy story kite 1.51 (was 6.04)
Bakugan kite 1.51 (was 6.04)
Tinkerbell playset 4.98 (was 19.99)
3 packages of paperoni 1.98 each (was 7.99 each)
Spongebob Dominoes in a tin 1.74 (was 6.99)
Disney Princess Dominoes in a tin 1.74 (was 6.99)
2 Cars card games in a tin 1.74 (was 6.99)
2 Spongebob card games in a tin 1.74 (was 6.99)
3 bubble guns w/batteries included 1.48 each ( was 5.99)

Hot Target Clearance Find

While running to Target today, I spotted this Baby Alive doll that potties and poops for only $7.27!! That is down from the original price of $29.99!!!!!!

Now...some of you might be saying, "Ashlei, you have two sons???"

You are right, but has anybody seen the Dr. Phil way of Potty Training? Well, I am going to try it when the time is right and I need a doll that potties!!!! YEAH!!!

If I wasn't a poor person right now, I would have bought several for Birthday Parties and Christmas presents.

Dillons Trip- $19.03 Spent!!

I posted in my Meal Plan Monday, that my husband and I are trying to really scrimp this month as we have so many expenses during August (back to school, tags and taxes, birthday, etc.) SO I am doing a Pantry/Freezer Challenge and my goal was to spend under $20.00 for our grocery budget for this 2 week pay period. So, I got my filler items needed for our meals (just biscuits and meat) and then bought our "essentials" (produce, milk, water, etc.) I even managed to get a few items not on my list but had coupons for or that my husband asked for (the poptarts!).

So here is my shopping trip. Not sure if the one gallon of milk will last us until next Wednesday, so I may end up going to the store for one more gallon but I wanted to try to see how long we could go.

This Bargain Bandit Shopped For Free at Kohls!!

Hey Ashlei,
I know most bargain bandits are posted for groceries, but I just had to share how I got a free polo shirt for my dad for Father's day!

Last week I got an e-mail from Kohl's with a coupon for $10.00 off my next shopping trip at the east store. (I think this is because I like to shop their sales and I have a store credit card there). Well this week Kohl's has polo shirts on sale this week for $9.99 so I thought...hey, if I think ahead, it's a free Father's day present!!! And it was! I've never walked out of a store like this with a purchase that didn't cost me a dime! I was so excited to leave the store beaming with my free present...

I'm attaching a photo with the receipt!!! Spent $0 and saved $26!

Candi, You Rock! This is why it pays (or not at all actually) to think ahead for holidays and birthdays!!!!

One Last Bargain Bandit-Savings of 100%!!!

Ashlei,

I thought this was awesome and had to share!!
-------
2 Old Spice Body Washes
2 Old Spice Deodorants
- $3/2 e-coupon for body wash
- $3/2 e-coupon deodorant
- b1g1 coupon
- b1g1 coupon
- $1/2 coupon

total savings 100%!!!!!

Bargain Bandit At It's Finest!!

Another Homeland grocery trip. I paid only $65.68 and saved $107.01!
Thanks April! Great Job!

Amy Rocks As A Bargain Bandit!

3 Packs of Diapers - $8.99 ea.
- (2) $1.50 coupons
- $8.99 free coupon
= $14.98
(received $5 gift card)

4 packs Carefree pads - $0.94 ea.
- (4) $1 coupons
= + $0.24 overage

4 Tide trial size - $0.97 ea.
- (4) $1 coupons
= + $0.12 overage

2 GE Reveal 4 pack lightbulbs - $2 ea.
- (2) $1 coupons
- (2) $1.50 target coupons
= +$1 overage

GE Energy Smart Lightbulb - $2.99
- $1 coupon
- $2 target coupon
= +$0.01 overage

2 Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion - $5.99ea.
- (2) $3.75 coupons
- (2) $1 target coupons
= $2.48

2 Dove trail size deodorant - $0.97ea.
- (2) $1 coupons
= +$0.06 overage

NYC eye liner - $1.72
- $1 coupon
= $0.72

2 Tresemme Foam Shampoo - $3.99ea.
- BOGO coupon
- $2 coupon
= $1.99

Motrin PM - $3.99
- $3 coupon
- $1 store coupon
= +$0.01 overage

2 Off Clip-On Fans - $7.99ea.
- BOGO coupon
- $2 coupon
- (2) $2 store coupons
= $1.99


Subtotal = $20.72
+ $4.81 tax
= $25.53
- $5 gift card
= $20.53
Before Coupons-$97.28, After Coupon-$25.53 + $5 Gift Card=Saved $71.75!!!

So really, the bulk of my stuff was the diapers, but still $14.98 (essentially $9.98 w/ gift card) for 2 packs + 1 pack of pull-ups is good.

--Amy, You are right, it's great!!

Tricia Is A Bargain Bandit!!

This is from Tricia, another Coupon Class Participant!!!

This is my Dillons shopping trip. I like FREE things!!!
I spent $34.00 and saved $37.00!!

Rounded Up Some More Bargain Bandits!!

Here are some great shopping trips from Patricia, one of my coupon class participants!

Attempted my first major shopping trip to Dillon's this week and used the e-coupons with paper coupons, wasn't a bad trip and I learned a few things. 1. Print out a copy of your e-coupons from the Dillon's website. Glad I did this because after reviewing my receipt I found 4 e-coupons that did not come off my bill, went back to the store with my receipt & e-coupon list and they refunded me $3.50. 2. The e-coupons are 1 for 1 (1 e-coupon per item). 3. Dillon's will accept expired coupons up to 2 weeks after expiration, but ONLY the manufacturer coupons, not Store coupons. I had an expired Dillon's coupon that was sent in the mail (it stated manufacturer coupon on it), so it was accepted.

Total retail = $152.98; I paid $69.45; I saved $83.53 (54%)!!!
First time I have ever had a savings like that at Dillon's!

=========================================================

My savings percentage keeps increasing!! This was my most recent trip to Homeland.
Total retail = $156.28; I paid $70.46; I saved $85.82 (55%)!!

April $200 Grocery Challenge-Homeland

So, here we are, another month, another challenge. I started off the week by going to Homeland. They double $1.00 coupons and they were having some good sales, so I decided to go there on the way home one evening.

Here is the picture of my trip:

Before Coupons and Sales-$180.00 (rounding)

After Coupons and Sales-$30.00 (rounding)

Highlights: Free Fruit Chillers, FREE Vanilla, FREE Noodle Meals, FREE Chips, FREE Flour, FREE BBQ Sauce, FREE Chips, $0.33 Rice A Roni, $0.94 Jimmy Dean Breakfast Meals, $1.99 Blue Bell (this is $6.00 at Dillons!) and lots more!

*I have another trip planned for tonight if my coupons from Ebay come in! We shall see!

Total Left For April: $170.00

March $200 Grocery Challenge

Last night I ran to Dillons to try to grab some great deals going on with the Cart Buster Deal Event! Now, I am trying something new. I am going to try to only grocery shop every two weeks. I have to drive about 30 minutes to get into town and my car is a hug gas guzzler, so I need to save some money and I am getting tired of the drive! So, I sat down, planned two weeks worth of meals, made my list, matched up my coupons and headed out. I knew I had around $100 to work with, so I started my shopping trip with getting the essential items (those were the ones I had to have to make my meals. I had my calculator in hand so I added it all up and figured out how much I had after that to spend on "stockpiling" and sale items. I also found some great meat deals and took advantage of those. I also stayed UNDER budget! Here is the picture and break down of the highlights!

Before Coupons-$190.35

After Coupons- $97.01

Percent Saved-49%

Highlights:

Veggie Steamers: $0.28 after coupons. (Find coupon links in Monday Meal Plan Post) One package FREE after downloaded coupon.

Betty Crocker Potato Pouches- FREE after coupons. (Find coupon links in Monday Meal Plan Post)

Mission Tortillas-$1.00 after coupons

Teddy Grahams- $0.50 after coupons

Old El Paso-$1.00 and two items FREE with Peelies

Betty Crocker Desserts- $0.29 after Coupons and Downloaded Coupons

Raisin Bran-$0.99

Lucky Charms- Family Size-$2.49 (over my normal $1.50 limit, but it was a huge box and my son would be in heaven!)

Chips Ahoy- FREE with coupon

Turkey-2/$5

Hamburger- On sale for $4.98 for 3 pounds, that just $1.66 a pound!

Cake Mix-Free with Coupon

Peanut Butter-$1.49 for Huge Jar with coupon.

Flour-I swear the sign said $1.77, so with my coupon it should have been $0.77 cents, but it rang up at $1.99, so it was $0.99 cents. Can anybody let me know how much it is if they go shopping again in my area!

Pillsbury-$0.75-$0.95 after coupons.

Total Spent So Far In March: $139.58

Money Left: $60.42

Comment and let us know how much you saved with your shopping trips this week!

March $200 Grocery Challenge

A new month means a new $200 Challenge!

If you are local to Wichita, KS, you are IN FOR A TREAT! I just found out last week from my friend Jaime, that Homeland in Haysville DOUBLES $1.00 COUPONS! I can't tell you how excited I was to hear this. So after calling them twice to double check their coupon policy, here it is:

*Will double up to $1.00-meaning $1.00 becomes $2.00!
*They take Internet Coupons!!!

*Will not double coupons if it says No Doubling on the coupon. (A Little Bummer)

*5 Like Coupons per transaction-which means I can use 5 Honey Nut Cheerio Coupons but if I buy a 6th box I can't use a 6th coupon. They said per customer, per day...so I think it would depend on the cashier and manager if they would let you do more than one transaction.

**You must sign up for their Homeland Card to get this policy to work! I just went to Customer Service and it took 1 minute!

Here are my observations:

*Check the sales ad on-line here to see what deals you can get with coupons beforehand. I did spend about 2 hours there but I wasn't familiar with the store and the products they had, so I was doing lots of "extra" shopping!

*Some prices are much higher! Their Pillsbury items are outrageous! However, lots of things were similar or cheaper!
*To get the best deals, focus on the $1.00 coupons, anything else would probably be cheaper elsewhere.

So, here's a picture of my shopping trip. Before Store Sales and Coupons the total was $127.04

After Sales and Coupons my Total was :$42.57

Total Savings: $84.47

% Saved: 66%

Highlights

-3 cases of Coke Products- 3/$5!!! It was originally priced at 3/$11, but I had $1.00 off coupons from RecycleBank, so those doubled to $2.00 each product, so that took $6 off total, making it just $1.66 a 12-Pack!!!!!!!

-3 FREE Wonka Candy!

-(2) Cheetos-$1.00 a bag!

-(3)Ritz Cracker Packags-$0.39 each!

-(2) Cheez Nips- FREE!

-(2) Bagel Bites-$0.59 each!

-Wholly Guacamole-$0.99!!! They have the lowest regular price I've seen on this product!

-(2) PB&J Sandwiches-$0.89 each!

-(6) Rice A Roni-$0.33 each!

-Quaker Oatmeal-$0.99!

-(2) Goldfish-$1.00 each!

-(2) Chocolate Chips-$1.29 each!

-(2) Breakfast Bowls-$1.87 each!

-(2)Chocolate Cheerios-$0.50 each!

-(2) Honey Nut Cheerios-$0.50 each!

-(3) Greek Yogurt-$0.72 each! *I have been wanting to try these or I wouldn't have bought them.

-Rhodes Rolls-$2.59!

-(2) Lindsay Olives-$0.49 each!

-Kool-Aid Fizzer-$0.49!

-(2) 12 Package Pop-Tarts-$1.99 each!

-(2) Lunchables-$0.29 each!

-Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll-$0.08!

-Fish Sticks-$2.99!

**The only thing I didn't have a coupon for was the Sargento Ricotta Cheese ($3.39) but I went ahead and got it because I knew I would have some overage if they didn't price adjust my coupons for some of the FREE coupons!

I will probably try to hit Homeland Once A Month to stock up on snack items and sale items!

Money Left For The Month: $115.53!!!