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Albertsons Trip 10.15


I got some really great deals at Albertsons.  They are running a General Mills promotion, when you spend $25.00 you got back $10.00 ONYO.

I purchased the following items:

5 Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes
5 Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes
1 Value Saltines Crackers
1 Fiber One 4pk yogurt
1 YoPlus yogurt 4pk
2 Tree Top Apple Juice
1 gallon Orange Juice
2 boxes Fiber One Cereal
2 boxes Cheerios
1 box Total
1 box Multi-grain Cheerios
1 box Cinnamon Toast Crunch
2 Jars of White Chicken Chili

Total for all of these items $26.37
Original Total with Albertsons Sale $52.41
Coupons 26.04
Savings Percentage 50%

Smith’s Know How

The Past several times I went grocery shopping at Smith’s my shopping bill has been incorrect.  Sometimes it’s my calculation error and others it’s theirs.  So I wanted to share some helpful information.

Smith’s often runs promotions such as:  Buy 10 participating items, save $5.00 off your order.  However unless you buy 10 items, you don’t get the savings.  With this promotion, you have to buy in quantites of 10.  I can’t tell you how frustrating this is when you find out afterwards that you counted wrong or purchased an item that was not on the program.

Ways to help identify this is on your Smith’s receipt, each qualifying item will have a [+] next to the item.  You can also see this on the screen, for me it’s too difficult to view it this way, when you are in the back piling up groceries on the belt.  The cashiers told me they will gladly print out a copy of the receipt for me to check before I pay for my items.  If your not comfortable doing this, because you feel wrong about holding up the line.  Take a moment to look over your receipt before you leave.  You can go to the Customer Service desk and they will let you get other items you need to make your promotion.  If you find that you left the store and afterwards realized you didn’t have all the qualifying items, I was also told that you can bring your receipt in during the week of the promotion  and they will let you obtain the remaining items to get your discount.

It’s time consuming, but so is couponing.  I feel so violated when my bill isn’t right, I get lazy and don’t want to return to the store to fix something that was so minor, but then I think I just paid full price for however many coupons the error was.

I have never had a problem with Smith’s customer service.  The store has been excellent to deal with!

Albertsons Trip 10.15

I got some really great deals at Albertsons.  They are running a General Mills promotion, when you spend $25.00 you got back $10.00 ONYO.

I purchased the following items:

5 Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes
5 Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes
1 Value Saltines Crackers
1 Fiber One 4pk yogurt
1 YoPlus yogurt 4pk
2 Tree Top Apple Juice
1 gallon Orange Juice
2 boxes Fiber One Cereal
2 boxes Cheerios
1 box Total
1 box Multi-grain Cheerios
1 box Cinnamon Toast Crunch
2 Jars of White Chicken Chili

Total for all of these items $26.37
Original Total with Albertsons Sale $52.41
Coupons 26.04
Savings Percentage 50%

Smith’s Know How

The Past several times I went grocery shopping at Smith’s my shopping bill has been incorrect.  Sometimes it’s my calculation error and others it’s theirs.  So I wanted to share some helpful information.

Smith’s often runs promotions such as:  Buy 10 participating items, save $5.00 off your order.  However unless you buy 10 items, you don’t get the savings.  With this promotion, you have to buy in quantites of 10.  I can’t tell you how frustrating this is when you find out afterwards that you counted wrong or purchased an item that was not on the program.

Ways to help identify this is on your Smith’s receipt, each qualifying item will have a [+] next to the item.  You can also see this on the screen, for me it’s too difficult to view it this way, when you are in the back piling up groceries on the belt.  The cashiers told me they will gladly print out a copy of the receipt for me to check before I pay for my items.  If your not comfortable doing this, because you feel wrong about holding up the line.  Take a moment to look over your receipt before you leave.  You can go to the Customer Service desk and they will let you get other items you need to make your promotion.  If you find that you left the store and afterwards realized you didn’t have all the qualifying items, I was also told that you can bring your receipt in during the week of the promotion  and they will let you obtain the remaining items to get your discount.

It’s time consuming, but so is couponing.  I feel so violated when my bill isn’t right, I get lazy and don’t want to return to the store to fix something that was so minor, but then I think I just paid full price for however many coupons the error was.

I have never had a problem with Smith’s customer service.  The store has been excellent to deal with!

The Proposal Coupon Offer

The Proposal Coupon Offer

Save $10 on blue-ray or $5.00 on DVD.
This offer is good until 10/18/09.

If you shop Albertsons, Albertsons is offering a Free 12-pk Pepsi Product when you purchase The Proposal.
This would be an additional savings of $3.99.

The Proposal Coupon Offer

The Proposal Coupon Offer

Save $10 on blue-ray or $5.00 on DVD.
This offer is good until 10/18/09.

If you shop Albertsons, Albertsons is offering a Free 12-pk Pepsi Product when you purchase The Proposal.
This would be an additional savings of $3.99.

$60.00 Birthday Party Budget

My twins are turning 6!  This year I’m going to try to throw their birthday party for less than $60 dollars.
Normally we do on off site party, because it seems a lot less stressful when someone else can do a party for you.  But this year, I wanted to save money but still give them a nice party at home.
I figure there will be about 15 kids attending.  We aren’t having a theme this year, it’s more of a traditional birthday party. However we are having activities.

I went to Michaels to search for an activity all the kids can do.  I found  creatology wooden puzzles.  These were $1.00 each.   I purchased a variety of puzzles:  spiders, dolphins, frogs, automobiles, dinosaurs and squirrels, totaling 15.  Total $15.00

I also purchased Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint, variety pack $10.99 It has 24 primary colors and I also bought 25 assorted brushes. $4.99  I used 40% off coupons for each of these items.  Total $6.39

This should be a lengthy activity with the time it’ll take for the kids put these together and paint their puzzles.
 
Now for decorations and goodies.  I went to CVS to purchase these items, this way I could use CVS coupons and Extra Care Bucks to save some money.
Goodies:

I purchased the following items.  Game Night Candy (This candy is really cool, it has candy game pieces in boxes that look like board games.)  The games in the candy were Clue, Operation, Sorry, Life and Monopoly.  I also purchased Lemon Head variety pack, these came with Apple Head, Cherry Head, Red Hots, Lemonhead, and Atomic Fireball.  A bag of Rice Krispies Treats and a Snack Pak bag with Kit-Kat, Almond Joy, Reese’s and Hershey’s.  All of this Candy was $17.50.  However CVS was running a promotion that if you buy $20.00 worth of Candy you get $5.00 Extra Care bucks, so I purchased 3 Gold Emblem Candy (Gummy Bears/Worms) each $.88, total $2.64 so I could use $1.00 off coupon while still reaching the $20.00 limit. 

Decorations/Game:

I purchased Blue and Red Streamers each $1.49, Balloons $1.99, Candles $1.49, Pin the Tail on the Donkey Game $2.49. Total $8.95.

Total Merchandise at CVS $29.09
Used $5.00 coupon by spending 20.00
Used $1.00 coupon by when buying 2 Gold Emblem Candy
Used $13.50 in Extra Care bucks and earned $5.00 Extra Care bucks
Total out of pocket was $9.59, but with the ECB’s I earned for my next CVS visit, I only paid $4.59.  Not too bad huh!
Activities Total $21.39.
Decorations/Goodies/Game $4.59

Current Total $25.98  Budget Left to spend $34.00

I still have to purchase food for the party all on $34.00 and I have no idea what I am going to make for food.  I was thinking about appetizers, this way it’ll be a munch fest all day, but if I can’t get all this done within my budget I may have to rethink the appetizers.

The party is this weekend, so I’ll provide an update and pictures of the party when completed.  Be sure to check back to see how it all worked out.


$60.00 Birthday Party Budget

Birthday Party Budget

My twins are turning 6!  This year I’m going to try to throw their birthday party for less than $60 dollars.
Normally we do on off site party, because it seems a lot less stressful when someone else can do a party for you.  But this year, I wanted to save money but still give them a nice party at home.
I figure there will be about 15 kids attending.  We aren’t having a theme this year, it’s more of a traditional birthday party. However we are having activities.

I went to Michaels to search for an activity all the kids can do.  I found  creatology wooden puzzles.  These were $1.00 each.   I purchased a variety of puzzles:  spiders, dolphins, frogs, automobiles, dinosaurs and squirrels, totaling 15.  Total $15.00

I also purchased Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint, variety pack $10.99 It has 24 primary colors and I also bought 25 assorted brushes. $4.99  I used 40% off coupons for each of these items.  Total $6.39

This should be a lengthy activity with the time it’ll take for the kids put these together and paint their puzzles.
Now for decorations and goodies.  I went to CVS to purchase these items, this way I could use CVS coupons and Extra Care Bucks to save some money.
Goodies:

I purchased the following items. 

  • Game Night Candy (This candy is really cool, it has candy game pieces in boxes that look like board games.)  The games in the candy were Clue, Operation, Sorry, Life and Monopoly.
  • I also purchased Lemon Head variety pack, these came with Apple Head, Cherry Head, Red Hots, Lemonhead, and Atomic Fireball.
  • A bag of Rice Krispies Treats and a Snack Pak bag with Kit-Kat, Almond Joy, Reese’s and Hershey’s.  All of this Candy was $17.50.  However CVS was running a promotion that if you buy $20.00 worth of Candy you get $5.00 Extra Care bucks, so I purchased 3 Gold Emblem Candy (Gummy Bears/Worms) each $.88, total $2.64so I could use $1.00 off coupon while still reaching the $20.00 limit.
Decorations/Game:

I purchased Blue and Red Streamers each $1.49, Balloons $1.99, Candles $1.49, Pin the Tail on the Donkey Game $2.49. Total $8.95.

Total Merchandise at CVS $29.09
Used $5.00 coupon by spending 20.00
Used $1.00 coupon by when buying 2 Gold Emblem Candy
Used $13.50 in Extra Care bucks and earned $5.00 Extra Care bucks
Total out of pocket was $9.59, but with the ECB’s I earned for my next CVS visit, I only paid $4.59.  Not too bad huh!

Activities Total $21.39.
Decorations/Goodies/Game $4.59

Current Total $25.98  Budget Left to spend $34.00

I still have to purchase food for the party all on $34.00 and I have no idea what I am going to make for food.  I was thinking about appetizers, this way it’ll be a munch fest all day, but if I can’t get all this done within my budget I may have to rethink the appetizers.

The party is this weekend, so I’ll provide an update and pictures of the party when completed.  Be sure to check back to see how it all worked out.


MomsLifeboat ~ Las Vegas, NV
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