Solo-ing and Saving

Before I jump into a recap about my latest solo adventure, I just wanted to let you readers know (you know, like the 5 of you, haha) that I added the "Follow by Email" option on the left side. I thought it was there all along, but I guess it wasn't. If you're addicted to my senseless rambling about coupons and crafting, you can follow me that way. As you can see, I've been good with posting EVERY SINGLE DAY so far in 2014 because I know the world wants a bit of Love & Sushi every day.

Last Wednesday, I was finally recovered enough to head out to do the weekly errands. That's the day I did the CVS and Target hauls that I posted about these previous two days. I got a bunch of kicks by walking in JCPenney, Macy's, aerie, and American Eagle. After 3 visits, Howard and I finally found the spot where the signal can be easily detected in AE. It's a little awkward because I feel bad just walking in, pretending to look, and walking out especially since they have a guard. I texted that to Howard and he said, "Loss prevention never stops." Haha. I was so close when I walked into the mall at first, so it was totally worth the extra steps to get 1250 kicks because that's the gift card I used on the Target haul that I posted yesterday.

No Vinylmation trades at the Disney Store that day. The guy was nice and showed all of them to me, but nothing was of interest. Plus, one of our vampire Goofy and one of our werewolf Pluto Vinylmation were in there. They still had the cute tumblers for $4.99, but I couldn't justify getting it even though I still have merchandise credit with them. Tumblers make me drink a lot more water. I think it's the straw, but I'd totally knock down glasses if they didn't have lids on 'em!

I stopped by Bath & Body Works even though I knew I would NOT be buying anything. I checked out the new Hawaii candles, and I actually didn't like any of them. I sniffed them really quickly, and nothing beats the citrus ones I already have. I just was so curious to see how they were considering there are many fans of the scents. The candles do have pretty colored wax though.

The reason I stopped by in the store was to use my free travel-sized item coupon that I got in the mail. I chose the new Hawaii body wash because I have plenty of lotion. I have another coupon so I'll pick up another item soon.

The next stop was Target, and I briefly strolled through the Dollar Spot just so my phone could pick up the kicks near the entrance. Star Wars notebooks!

I also strolled through the accessories section pretty quickly and saw this super cute necklace for 70% off at $5.08. I actually contemplated getting it and using my free gift card on it, but knowing I could use it on a whole slew of things instead just didn't make sense. Plus, I very rarely wear jewelry anyway.

I found the Simple face care starter kit for just $2.48 and put it in my cart to think about because I have a $2 manufacturer's coupon. I ended up putting it back since I don't need it. I'm sure it'll be snatched up quickly from that endcap as there was only one.

I actually didn't have time to go around scanning items for kicks, but I did look in the pet care section and the laundry/cleaning section for the easy things. Every time I go, I know someone has been there before me to scan for Shopkick because the items that are required are moved so the bar code faces forward or taken down from a different shelf. It's kind of irritating to think that someone can't just put the item back where it belongs! Yes, of course, I put that Gain back on the top shelf after I scanned it myself.

I also had this Giada clearance item in my cart too because I LOVE spatulas. We have one regular one, but sometimes I find that it'd be helpful to have another because they're much better and wiping the side of a pot when cooking or making eggs. But I did the math and discovered that it wouldn't make sense to pay $3.98 (originally $7.99) for this one item when I knew my entire cart of items would cost $4 something. There was only one left, so if it's still there and marked down to 70% off the next time I go, it might come home with me. Maybe I'll cash in some Swagbucks for a Target gift card.

The supermarkets were last because it was a warm day (warm as in, I was doing the shopping without a jacket), and I didn't want to leave anything cold in the car. Pathmark was first. The main thing I had to get was 12 jars of Francesco Rinaldi tomato sauce. Yup, 12. They were having the dozen sale where each thing would be $0.78. Nothing else that was an option made sense, so we decided to do 12 jars of sauce instead. I knew Howard would be home by the time I got home, so I wouldn't have issues transporting it upstairs. In actuality, they're still in the car because it was pouring when I got home that day and figured there'd be no use taking the time to move them. We have NO room in our little pantry, but I will find a way to store them in our spare under the bed storage or something!

When I went to pay, I immediately noticed the gum and realized I was drawn to it because of the fact that it's now lit! Did they really spend money just to light this area? But I guess it makes sense because I never look at it, and that day not only did I look at it, I also took a picture of it, haha.

The second to last stop was Stop & Shop. I went and picked up everything on my list before heading to the freezer section. I saw that Luigi's now has orange ice! I can't wait to get that in the summer. Since neither of us eat ice cream, once in a while we like getting Italian ice to have as a cool treat on the hot days. 

The bulk of my time was actually spent in the freezer section because they were having a deal where you buy $25 worth of participating items and save $15 instantly. In my mind, this means paying $10 for items you NEED and getting $15 worth of items for free. So when I did the homework ahead of time, I just made sure that it was worth my spending $10, and it was! 

My original plan didn't work out because they didn't have everything I had intended to get for my mom and for me, so I decided not to do it. That meant I couldn't use the $3 off $60 S&S coupon I received in the mail either since I wasn't getting a bunch of frozen items. When I got on one of the long lines, I started doing the quick computations from my list and realized I was so close to $60, so I got off the line to do the math carefully. I went back to grab some frozen things and got back in another long line. Then I did the math AGAIN and realized that I had $11 worth of frozen items in my cart. Leaving with that just wouldn't make sense because it was as if I were leaving without my free items! So I got off the line for the second time and picked up more items! Back in line for the third time! Then I realized that ... no, I'm just kidding. Haha, the third time was definitely correct after I used the calculator on my phone for exact numbers and my trusty pen. 

Hehe, I was just explaining it to Howard and showing him how I wrote all over my printed list, and he said, "You must be so cute to watch when you're in the store." I've become a couponer! It's just part of the game, but if my hubs thinks I'm cute, I'm good with that.

Anyway, my cart filled with groceries was $130.82, and even though it's not as high as those on TLC's Extreme Couponing, I also get a little nervous! With all the savings, it came out to $54.76, which means I saved 58% on groceries! That cost also included 3 items for my parents, meat, and a few "luxuries" like hummus and Whole Fruit sorbet with Greek yogurt, but I'm absolutely okay with that. Hooray!    

After I loaded everything into the car, I drove by my parents' house and dropped off a few groceries that I got for them and then made my way home. I was grateful that it wasn't raining by the supermarkets because I would've had to handle it all alone. Howard was waiting for me when I pulled up to the door, so we were able to unload fairly quickly despite the rain. Phew! Another solo adventure for the books!

Back To Where It All Began, CVS!

As a personal "rule," I don't usually like posting couponing updates in a row on my blog, but considering the deals were from this past week, I figured I'd do it now just in case any readers want to run to CVS or Target tomorrow. So yes, that means this will be on my blog once I'm done writing it AND I will write and schedule the post of my more recent Target haul tomorrow the moment it becomes Saturday!

I headed back to CVS after not going to the stores for so long, but they drew me in because they emailed a survey to me that gave me $5 ExtraBucks. My initial thought was I'd go use it to pay for the majority of another bottle of Tums Ultra Strength 1000 in Peppermint because those things are quite amazing for my reflux. I take it after having something like tomato sauce so that I can prevent feeling sick afterwards. Plus, who wouldn't want some more calcium? 

Well, that week I was going to use it, I started seeing this preview deal for Culturelle. This 30-ct box of probiotics is normally $23.99, but it was on sale for $10 with $10 ECB. With a $3 manufacturer's coupon I printed online with the $5 ECB from the survey, I only paid $2 out of pocket to get $10 ECB back! That's a pretty great deal because I knew I'd be able to use the ExtraBucks on things I needed and only have to pay a minimal amount out of pocket. I've been told to take probiotics or eat more yogurt after being sick, so now I have them for those moments. 

The perfect opportunity to roll those $10 ECB came this week! Even though I said I wouldn't take the time to deal with CVS like I used to, I couldn't just spend it knowing there was a way to get items for free and still have the money to spend on Tums afterwards.

The Nature Made gummies vitamins are originally $15.79 but were on sale for $5.99 with $4 ECB. I had a $2 CVS redbox coupon for vitamins and was able to print a $1 Nature Made manufacturer's coupon from the website. That made it a $1 moneymaker. 

The Almay Intense I-Color eyeliner was also a great way to roll ECBs. I can't stand the thought of having to buy eyeliner anywhere near full price, so when I can snag them like this, I don't pass at the chance. The original price of just one is $9.29, which is ridiculous when in reality, women don't NEED to wear makeup at all! The deal was that they were on sale for $5.99 with $6 ECB back when you buy 2. There was a $5 off 2 Almay product coupon on coupons.com that I was able to print out when it was reset because I missed it the first time not thinking I'd need it for anything. That means that it would be paying $6.98 out of pocket to get $6 back making each eyeliner only $0.49! Score!

Since I had the $10 ECB, I needed to spend all of it at once or it'd beep, so I added on two new nail polishes even though I clearly do not need them. The Wet n Wild brand was on sale buy 1 get 1 for 50%, and I had $1 manufacturer coupons. I got the Megalast in Club Havana for $1.99 and the Wild Shine in Caribbean Frost for half off at $0.50, so both polishes only cost $0.50 after the coupons, which is exactly what I needed to use my ECB.

In short, I used my $10 ECB to pay for my haul after coupons and only had to pay $0.52 out of pocket to get another $10 ECB back. The one thing I wanted to get was the vitamins, so I see it as paying $2.52 out of pocket for it if I include the cost of the Culturelle. Definitely worth it for us. 

I ended up stopping by the CVS near my mom's house too to check for clearance. The items at my store weren't marked down enough. The redbox was also out of order, so I couldn't scan to check the prices! I had to ask an employee if I could scan at self-checkout to check and then she had to void the order. I was most interested in the cereal because Howard and I go through phases where we eat a lot of cereal. I guess that's what happens when you have a small fridge/freezer and can't stock up on other breakfast items. Cereal will keep for quite some time! Plus, it's cheaper to be paying less than $2 for a box of cereal that will be many meals or snacks for the two of us. But alas, my CVS was still only 50% off. Can you believe that in NY, the cereal at CVS is close to $6 a box?! WHO WOULD BUY THAT?!

At my mom's CVS, I was successful in finding two boxes of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal for just $1.37. The Corn Chex was $2.64, so I wasn't going to get that. But then I thought about it. If I bought just the Kashi, I'd be paying $2.74 out of pocket. There was definitely a better way to do this especially since I also had the vitamins coupons to use on Howard's card.

I basically did the same vitamins deal as I did above, paying $2.99 out of pocket. Then I just ripped the $4 ECB from my receipt to use on cereal. I needed to use it all at once, so I did pick up the last box of Chex and a $0.60 manufacturer's coupon. That meant I only had to pay $0.78 for the second transaction. A total of $3.77 for a bottle of vitamins AND 3 boxes of cereal? Um, yes! That's just $1.03 more for the vitamins and Chex compared to just buying the Kashi out of pocket. 

And yes, as always, I paid for ALL three transactions with change. I know it's kind of ridiculous standing there feeding tons of pennies into the self-checkout machine, but I'm STILL using the change I had saved from years of years of tossing spare coins in my Keroppi bank and my Pochacco bank. It makes it feel as if I'm not really spending money at all because that money has been sitting in those banks for so long. If there's no one waiting on line for me to finish paying, I don't worry much even though I know the employees watch me, haha. 

I'm doing a pretty decent job with my more "casual" couponing for food and necessities these days, don't you think?

Hauling Food for Less Than $6

If you've been reading my blog since my first couponing adventures at CVS, you'll notice that the items I get nowadays have changed drastically. Since we're well-stocked on shampoos and soaps, it gives me plenty of time to focus on couponing for food! Now that we have the Target right by the supermarkets, it's especially easy to stop there for good deals instead of just being limited to Stop & Shop and Pathmark. 

This past Saturday, Howard and I stopped by Target before heading to my parents' house for my dad's birthday dinner. This is what we were able to pick up for just $5.69 out of pocket! Isn't that awesome? The 5lb box of Cuties clementines is $7.99 regular price and was on sale for $5.99, so the fact that we paid less out of pocket for the entire haul makes me an extremely happy camper because frugal is the name of the game.

I'm so glad I did all the "homework" ahead of time because we had to limit ourselves when we were in the store because we also had to stop by Mother Mousse before heading over. Here's the breakdown of what we got.

As stated above, the Cuties clementines was the 5 lb box. The $7.99 item was on sale for $5.99, but it was an even sweeter deal because I used a $1.00 off fresh fruit Target mobile coupon. I was excited to get these because when we have fruit at home, Howard and I usually have to split it because it's too much acid for me at once. Now I can just eat one or two when I'm craving fruit or just want a snack. Huh, I just noticed the box says California Mandarins, haha. Is there a difference? Anyway, they're a bit tart but not too bad. I just know they're not sweet enough for my mom yet. I wonder if they'll improve as this is just the start of the season.

The Nutella was on sale for $2.99 when the original price was $4.19 each. I had printed out a "buy one, get one free" coupon maybe about a month ago and was waiting for a good deal. The even better thing was that on a quick shopping trip to a grocery store, someone had left a Nutella hangtag coupon in the basket for $1.00 off for the 13 oz jars too, so that meant extra savings for me! The coupon could have autodeducted, but the cashier plugged in $1.00. I had caught it and said that $2.99 should be taken off instead, and he just went back and deleted one of the jars, which I'm pretty sure was not a good thing since I was taking a jar out of the store. But in terms of price, that meant I paid only $1.00 for each jar. That works for me because now that I typically stay away from peanut butter, I use more hazelnut things instead.

The 4 packages in the front are a strange buy, I know. They're the Oscar Mayer P3 Protein Power Packs. I got the turkey, chicken, and ham, which is basically one of each. It's basically just cheese, nuts, and the meat in a little plastic package, but I figured it would be a good thing for Howard to take to work since once in a while, he doesn't have the chance to grab lunch. Each packet is normally $1.79, which I personally think is ridiculous. I wouldn't even pay $0.25 for a pack considering I pay for CVS hauls with my precious quarters. But these were on sale for $1.50 each with a 50% off Cartwheel offer and a $0.75 manufacturer's coupon. So that means I had to pick them up because you know my policy of "If it's free, I can't leave it in the store!"

The little magnetic paper clips were on clearance for $1.58, but I used a 20% off Cartwheel offer and a $1.00 school supplies coupon to pick them for just $0.46. They were originally $3.19 and not something I would really pick up, but I clip my coupons together when I prepare my shopping trips, and I liked the idea of having the magnets since sometimes the regular paper clips annoy me. There are 8 in the pack, so I'm happy with the purchase.

The final deal includes the 3 boxes of cereal and 2 boxes of waffles. Target was having a deal where you get a $5 gift card when you buy 5 breakfast items. The cereal was $2.75 per box and the Eggo was $2.25. These are not purchase prices for me, but with coupons and the gift card deal, it was worth getting. The better deal would have been to get 4 boxes of waffles and just 1 box of cereal, but we just don't have that kind of room in our freezer! Thankfully, I didn't go to the store earlier because the day I was supposed to go, Kellogg's Family Rewards emailed a $1.00 off 2 boxes coupon. Yay! That meant each box was $1.75. Then I had $0.50 coupons for the cereal, so each box was $2.25. The total amount of the 5 items was $10.25. But the fantastic thing was that I knew I was going to use a $5.00 Shopkick gift card on it and get the $5.00 back, so the only money that I actually had to pay was $5.25 for all the items! That's a GREAT deal on these breakfast items especially since we were running low on cereal.

I did actually use my other gift card from the Shopkick app too, so thanks so much, Shopkick* for paying for 2/3 of my Target haul! The sales associate said to me, "You came prepared!" and I said that it took a good amount of time doing my homework ahead of time, but it was just SO worth it. Hooray! I don't mind paying for fruit and vegetables because you can't really coupon for those things, but I appreciate the mobile coupons from Target to save $1 here and there on fresh food. That's why I like seeing this haul as paying for the fruit and getting everything else for FREE! Free, my favorite word.

Coupons Make MY World Go 'Round

Solo adventure time again for me on Thursday! It was a little less daunting because there was no need to stop by the mall and my grocery lists were shorter than last time. The lineup was Michaels and Stop & Shop because they're right next to each other and then Pathmark and Target because they're also right next to each other. I really like hitting the stores like that because I only have to park twice. Whether it's cold or hot out, I'd much rather walk to each store and then back to the car if I have to put anything in the trunk, so it helps save gas. I usually also plan out the order of the stores depending on what food I'm getting, but because of these freezing temperatures, I don't have to worry about refrigerated or frozen items getting too warm!

The first store was Michaels. Once I walked through the door, I saw this small display for Cricut items. I glanced briefly in the bin to see if there were any $19.99 cartridges worth getting, but even then, I feel that it's only worth getting a cartridge for $9.99 these days. I thought it was interesting to see Design Studio being sold for $59.99 when you can just download Cricut Craftroom for free as long as you have an internet connection.

I wanted to see how much their candle warmer was even though I had looked for it in the past. It was only $4.99 if I'm remembering correctly, but I don't need it at this exact time, so I waited on using my 50% coupon on it. I will get it eventually so that when the wicks on my candles extinguish the flame on their own OR I'm halfway done with my newer candles, I'll use the warmer. I've read that it makes the candles last even longer than burning them, which is comforting because the burn time on the newer Bath & Body Works candles has decreased. 

I continued to browse the store looking for the clearance aisle. It wasn't there anymore! I was a little taken aback because it's usually such a mess, and instead it was changed to scrapbook storage and organization. I did find another aisle farther back that was labeled for clearance, but there was nothing in there at this point. I wonder how they'll organize items in the future because it's usually difficult to look because things are hastily tossed onto piles. 

The aisle of the inexpensive goodies (these things used to always be just a dollar in the past) was fun to examine though because there was a whole section of Minnie Mouse goodies! When we have our own kiddies, I'm going to buy a few of these things for our road trips to Disney World. I'd like to encourage them to write down some memories while we're traveling. I'll also be buying these types of goodies to spoil our nieces and nephews just because I can, haha. Plus, those things will definitely be Disney-related so as to begin the indoctrination at a young age just in case my brother and Howard's sister don't do it themselves. No apologies will be made. 

They had a section of My Little Pony stuff. I immediately saw Rainbow Dash. For some odd reason, Howard designed his emblem on Battlefield 4 to be Rainbow Dash. I have a strange husband. If the socks were bigger, I would have gotten a pair as a gag gift and then worn them myself after the fact.

The last section I looked through was for Star Wars merchandise. Clearly, Howard's interest in Star Wars has gotten me to notice these things too. This Darth Vader notebook caught my eye, and the notebook itself was so well-made. Plus, I'm so drawn to journals that have the little elastic around them because hubs bought me my Secret Santa gift years ago at church that was a small journal with a band around it.

I didn't purchase any of the above things because they just weren't necessary, but I did pick up some Zig 2 way glue. They didn't have the smaller one with the chisel tip, so I actually purchased that chubby one for $7.49. Of course, I used the 50% off coupon because you just NEVER buy anything from Michaels or any other craft store without a coupon! I'm so happy that I can just get the coupon on the app on my phone too because I don't have to waste paper, and I always have them on me whenever I do end up at the store.

Stop & Shop was my next stop. I just popped the glue pen in my bag so I could walk over and spend less time in the cold. The main reason for going was to get Eggo waffles ($0.99), a 5-lb bag of potatoes ($0.99), and butter ($1.88) using the coupons in the circular with a $25 purchase. I also bought meat because we were running low. One of the guys in the meat department was restocking the ground beef, and he struck up a conversation with me about the freezing cold temperatures that night. He pointed out which package to get too because he said they make it on premises, so I appreciated that. I'll have to keep it in mind for the future. I'm guessing they package some S&S stuff off premises and then deliver it to each store because the one I had picked up was also their brand. I only used 3 manufacturer's coupons along with those 3 store coupons. It seems so strange that I only had a stack of 6, but I didn't buy that much and there are very rarely coupons to be used on meat and fresh veggies.

I drove over to the next area and went to Pathmark. I took a picture of the lactose free milk on the bottom shelf ($3.58) that we normally get so I can keep track of prices. Getting it from Target makes more sense now because even at $3.59, it ends up being $3.41 with Cartwheel. Even though $0.17 doesn't seem like much, it will add up! I usually buy two at a time because we don't do grocery shopping every week, so even if we only go through 24 cartons a year, we'd still save an extra $4.08. Why not, right?

The few things on my list weren't available. I was hoping they would have the Dawn Hand Renewal, Power Clean, Bleach Alternative, or Oxi because the $0.50 coupon would double to cover the full $0.98 price. Alas, they only had three other alternatives. I know that sometimes it's so tempting to just attempt to get it anyway, but that would be fraud. And even if the store doesn't catch you, GOD KNOWS! I know it sounds so silly, but that was a temptation I faced when I first started couponing. I never dealt with the temptation to drink, haha, but misusing coupons did cross my mind! God helps me stay on the straight and narrow. 

There are so many opportunities to get good deals. The only thing I ended up getting was shredded cheese because $1.50 or less is definitely a stock up price for me. It's so easy to just toss these bags in the freezer to help them last longer. Then I don't have to watch for prices in a while. I ended up getting 3 bags of sharp cheddar and 3 bags of Mexican blend. Although cheese can be fattening, I like that it's also a good source of calcium.

There were no baskets when I first walked in and none when I looked at self-checkout, but it ended up being okay since I only had to carry bags of cheese! I wonder what people thought I was doing with them all as I walked to the front with everything so close to overflowing from my arms.

Target was the next and final stop. I thought it was interesting to see that a 4-pack of these Scotch-Brite Greener Clean sponges was $4.99, but on one of the endcaps, there was a 9-pack on clearance for $4.88. Haha, sure, I'd love to pay $0.11 more and get 5 fewer sponges! It pays to check @targetclearance and #targetclearance on Instagram and then take your time looking for those red stickers and browsing the endcaps!

I Shopkicked for a bit in the store too because I'm starting to get the know the layout fairly well. I'm all for walking around a little more to eventually get free money! Before I went to check out, I had to go through my list to make sure I had all my Target printable coupons, the mobile coupon, and Cartwheel. I was thrilled when I paid though because 3 of my free item manufacturer's coupons autodeducted! Yay! The total was just $13.02, but I still had some money on a gift card, so I only paid $4.09 out of pocket for all of this! 

I picked up two half gallons of milk. We normally only drink 1%, but two of the three that were left seemed as if someone took them out and put them back in, so I just grabbed the one in the back and then a 2% as well. Looking at my receipt now, I see that there's actually a price difference of $0.30. I used the 5% Market Pantry milk Cartwheel on them. The bag of peas necessary for a random night of "I'm-too-tired-to-make-a-big-dinner-so-I'm-making-fried-rice" was just $0.22. They were $0.99 but there was a $0.75 Market Pantry frozen vegetables mobile coupon and a 5% Cartwheel as well. 

This was the rest of the haul that didn't need to go in the fridge/freezer right away so I set it up for a quick picture.

The bags of cotton balls were $0.97, but I only paid $0.42 after $0.50 printable coupons and 10% Cartwheel. The pasta was $1.59, but I only paid $0.45 per box because they were on sale for $1 and then there was a $1 off 2 Target printable and 5% Cartwheel. Clearly, I just love Cartwheel! I mean, you just choose your offers and only need one scan for all the products you picked. The Kotex was just $0.34 each after a $1.50 Target printable. My bathroom cabinet is stocked, but if you buy things when they're super cheap or get them when they're free, you save money in the long run!

As for the clearance items, I did get the pack of 9 sponges for $4.88, which is kind of awesome considering the amount I paid out of pocket was less than that. I also picked up the envelope opener so I can avoid potential paper cuts when I open the mail. It was on clearance for $0.94. The Up & Up 10% Cartwheel and then the $1 school supplies coupon I had meant that it was free with overage. 

The next section of the haul was with free item coupons from the manufacturers. This is why I absolutely love Freeflys and other coupons/freebies sites like FreeStuffFinder, FreebieShark, and CouponProBlog. I got a coupon to try Aquafina Splash. They were only $0.79 each at Target, so I decided to get two so we could have a special drink with dinner one night since we typically only have water. The coupon ended up autodeducting the full $1.49 so the extra one was only $0.09. The almonds were the GREATEST freebie! Blue Diamond had a promotion on their Facebook page during the Olympics. Whenever the US won in skiing or snowboarding, you could claim a coupon for a free can of almonds that would be sent to you. I don't know how both Howard and I got them the first time they came out. I guess most people didn't know about it at first because thereafter, the coupons were only available for like, a minute or two once they were released, so I always ended up missing the other ones. But we each got a can so it was fantastic! What was even better was that they were on sale for $3.12 and each coupon autodeducted $5.29.

The last part of my haul came from searching the women's clearance section. I found a long-sleeved white tee and a t-shirt for $3.88 and $2.70. The 15% off mobile coupon saved me a bit, but I also had a $3 off 2 women's apparel coupon, which also works on clearance, which means I only had to pay $2.99 for both. I see it as buying the white shirt (I wanted an extra because I wear them in the fall with a Disney t-shirt on top) that I wanted and getting the t-shirt for free. You know I love my v-necks, haha.

Ahh, another successful day of couponing! These hauls are so different than my CVS hauls because I am more focused on couponing for groceries. Those CVS hauls were so worth it at the time though because for the past few months, I no longer get the emailed coupons on Thursdays for $ off $$ or a percent off. I'm glad I was able to stock up on non-perishables when I did because now we just pull what we need from the closet. I haven't had to even think of shampoo or toothpaste or toilet paper in months! I'm glad I can focus on Target instead especially since right now it's the most difficult one to plan for what with manufacturer's coupons, Target printable coupons, Target mobile coupons, and Cartwheel. But in the end, if it means we get to save money just by spending time online planning out the deals instead of spending time online watching Netflix, it's just plain ol' worth it. 

Are YOU couponing yet???

Even Hawks Love Great Deals!

Yesterday I had to go to my cardiologist's office for an echo, so that meant that I was going to be passing by the mall and other stores on the way home since I still refuse to hop on the highway. Having places to go after things like this make it easier to deal with because I'm just not a fan of doctors' offices despite having been to so many in my life.

At the mall, I parked by JCPenney, which is fairly normal, but nowadays, I'm sure to do it so that I can get some kicks for Shopkick. Then as I was walking through the department store, I realized I forgot to put Vinylmation in my bag, so I had to head back to the car and grab them from the glove compartment! Going out forces me to exercise especially when I do absentminded things like that. 

The mall was pretty empty, but I guess that's how it is at 11 in the morning on a rainy Wednesday. I was a fan! I really don't enjoy the possibility of bumping into people I know especially since it happens way too often on this borough. But I immediately feel at ease once I make it to the Disney Store. I browsed clearance really quickly and also checked to see if there were any Vinylmation on sale. There was nothing worth getting, but I did see they had plenty of John Lassetire cars! Super cute for only $3.99 on sale if I recall correctly.

Though I didn't purchase anything, I was there to trade Vinylmation, of course. The CM that helped me actually pulled out the 3 in the mystery portion of the clear box too, which I always appreciate! Yay for him because this Dory was in there, so of course I traded for that! We've actually gotten most of Pixar Series 2 in trades alone since we're still using the Vampire Goofy and Werewolf Pluto to trade.

Bath & Body Works was next! That's another place I enjoy going to even if I have no intentions to purchase. I love how everything is set up in the store and being able to test out new scents. 

When I first walked in, I was greeted by an employee. I asked him right away if I could use the coupon that expired on Monday based on the 3-day grace period for coupons that I had read about online. He said it was absolutely fine, so I was excited because that meant I could use a 40% off coupon on the candles! I was also extremely happy that they changed the sale price back to 2 for $22 instead of 2 for $25. The funny thing is that while I was browsing with a few other people, the employee was telling everyone, "It's on sale 2 for $22, so you actually pay $0.50 less to get another candle for free since one by itself is $22.50." Isn't that silly?

A lady asked me if I had used their candles before, and I said that I love them because the throw is great and they can be such great deals with the coupons. They're really SO much cheaper than Yankee Candle, and she was saying that that's where she normally gets them. She asked me which ones I liked, so I pointed out a few to her but said that I like the fruity scents especially the citrus ones. 

I also texted my cousin because I talked to her the night before about the candles and how if the coupon could be used, each one would only be $6.60 instead of $22.50. I wanted to see what scents she wanted, but she was in a meeting so I picked up two that I'm hoping she will like! 

When I went to checkout, I saw the bakery scents and sniffed those too just out of curiosity because I don't like sweet scents. I can see why people like them though. I was surprised to see two of the Cinnamon Sugar Donut candles because I know it's the favorite of many people; I was excited to see what it was about, but it just wasn't for me.

The sales associate who rung me up was so nice! I've never had a bad experience at my store, so that makes me a happy customer. I also make sure I greet everyone I see with a smile too, and they usually respond in kind. She saw that I had a mystery coupon and said she always gets excited to see what people get. I knew already from my UPC code that I had 40% off, but she celebrated when the price of the candles dropped so low. I told her that I stocked up with fall/winter scents and thought I'd be set, but with the desire for warmer weather, I just wanted some fresh, clean scents! I'll post the new candles in a separate update.

I was hungry at this point especially since I had only eaten a granola bar for breakfast. I stopped by Burger King to pick up a Whopper Jr. because I wasn't in the mood for chicken, which is what I normally get at a fast food place. I got it to go so I could eat it in the car, but I had to walk around to a few more places to get kicks! I got some more from Macy's and Aerie, but I couldn't get it to work at American Eagle even though I was standing inside the store. Oh well. I couldn't keep trying because my arms were tired from lugging around candles.

When I got to the JCP door, I saw that it was pouring outside! Whoops! I didn't have an umbrella, but I didn't really care because I was so hot in my jacket walking around the mall that I just made sure I was zipped up and just headed out into the rain. I sat in the car and nom nom nom-ed my burger, which was actually really tasty! The onions and pickles were a great addition. Haha, yes, I just reviewed a BK burger, but that's because I very rarely get fast food anymore. Isn't it funny that once you have the option of getting it whenever you want, the desire to have it just isn't there anymore? It's so different from when I was a teenager. Maybe if there was a Chik-fil-A nearby, I'd be having fast food more often! Of course, I had to take a picture because I know everyone wants to see a half eaten burger.

Because of the rain, I chose not to go to Stop & Shop and instead headed to Target. I had a few items on my list to get and some clearance I wanted to check for in the store. Of course, Target also has a ton of items to scan for kicks. I think it's funny when I stand in front of the Poise pads searching for the items as if I need it for light bladder leakage, haha. It's worth it for kicks though! Since I was in the healthcare/medicinal aisles, I also went to check out the price of the Tums because I will need some more soon. I still have the fruit flavored ones, but I've found that I like the Ultra 1000 Peppermint ones, and I wanted to see if it was cheaper here or at CVS depending on sales so I snapped a picture. 

My main intention for going to Target was to get bread because of the Cartwheel offer. There's also an Ibotta offer for bread, so yay for that because I'll be able to get another $0.50! I never buy things purposely because of Ibotta so I don't accumulate the money as quickly, but after I submit this receipt, I'll have $7. Just $3 and I can cash out with a $10 iTunes card! I needed a basket since I decided to pick up lactose free milk here instead of at Pathmark and saw Babybel. Yum. I snapped a picture so I could do price comparisons for this too because I still have a coupon.

I checked out Valentine's clearance and strolled around for the Shopkick items (yay, I have enough kicks now for a $5 Target gift card!). Endcaps are also a ton of fun because you never know what's going to be on sale! I really like that I know items will continuously be marked down from 15 to 30 to 50 to 70 to 90% if it even gets to that point. Supposedly any price that ends in an 8 is also going to be marked down again. It helps having that Target knowledge! Lastly, I picked up a small pack of Kotex because there was a mobile coupon for $1.50 off, and the item was less than that, which means free stuff! Oh how I love it! No clipping required, and the employees can never say I can't use Cartwheel or mobile coupons because it's from the company and not a manufacturer's coupon.

As I left the store with my purchases, I noticed a family packing their things in their minivan, but one of the girls was pointing her camera towards Old Navy. I was wondering why she was doing it, and she must have seen me looking at her so she pointed to THIS! Can you see that?

Um, that thing was HUMONGOUS! It flew down to a cart, which was hilarious because it looked like it was peering through the minivan window. A car passed by and saw us standing there with our phones taking pictures, and pretty soon there was about a group of 8 of us just looking at it. A lady farther down asked what it was because she thought it was a turkey, and this other woman clarified that it was a hawk!

I started recording in case it started flying away, but it just flew to the roof of another car. This was such a crazy thing to see! I couldn't believe I was witnessing this with my own eyes! Pictures just don't do it justice. I admit I was slightly afraid that it'd fly towards us though.

Eventually it flew to the top of Target and even in this photo, it looks really large, doesn't it.

I guess I'm not the only one who likes searching for deals, right? Hawks are all for Target as well, but who can blame 'em when you can save so much money just by shopping around! 

I did stop by CVS on the way home to do a moneymaking deal since I have a free $5 ExtraBucks from answering a survey. I'll probably mention that again when I actually spend the $10 ExtraBucks that I now have. The rest of the night was also fun as Howard and I went out for dinner with my parents and Matt, but I'll write about that in another update because I was suddenly hit with severe dizziness, so I think I should go lie down. Good night all!