Shop with MrsSmith - quick trip to USA April 2010

Yesterday I went to Target, Albertsons and Walgreens to do some Extreme Shopping. The border line up at the Pac Crossing was long (about 1.5hours) but I believe it was because of the time, it was around 11am when I first got into line. Coming back was easy with only a 5 minute wait.

I went specifically to work more deals to add to the MrsSmith-Extreme Shopper USA version class and to take more photos to supplement the course, and am so excited to see the curriculum come together and the class will hopefully be ready to launch online soon!

At Target, I bought:
- 3 boxes of Special K cereal
- 2 boxes of Special K crackers
- 1 bag Sunchips
- 1 Vitamin Water
- 10 cans of corn
- 1 individual cup of Kashi cereal

At Walgreens, I purchased:
- 2 boxes Kashi
- 1 Shave cream
- 12 boxes Sour Patch kids (for a craft project for Little Miss Smith's birthday party)

At Albertsons, I bought:
- 5 packages Del Monte chill cups
- 2 6-pk Danino yogurt
- 1 4-pk Yoplait yogurt
- 1 carton Minute Maid OJ
- 3 Scotch Brite Nailsavers sponges
- 2 3-pk Scotch Brite sponges
- 2 Kelloggs fruit snacks
- 1 Keebler cookie package
- 1 pkg Sargento shredded cheese
- 1 DiGiorno Flatbread Melts

I ended up with 52 items and paid $16.59, saving $103.49, so my total should have been $120.08 if I had not bought on sale or used coupons. My savings for a 86% savings which included the taxes, or just under .32cents per item.

Shop with Mrs.Smith - US trip, March 2010

I went across the border into Bellingham, WA yesterday with Marcy on an informal test of my Extreme Shopping USA Edition class, and we had a blast as she followed me along as I hit up some deals. The whole point of the trip was to introduce Marcy to a few US stores, to introduce her to some lingo and programs that only exist in US and which are not available in Canada. We talked about store policies (even had an example to show her in real life), and I shared some secrets and tips that can extend the coupon value, or enable her to get more items for free. I had Marcy print some coupons as well, so she was able to follow along with some deals as well.

Note: Each week's deals are different, this week's purchases are representations of deals available this week and mostly to act as aids to show Marcy how to work some deals, and may not reflect MrsSmith's regular weekly purchases. That means, sometimes I actually buy fresh stuff and not just sugary treats! :)

We hit Target, Albertson's and Walgreens while we were there. I also usually like to go to Walmart, Safeway and RiteAid/CVS but there was no time, and also, we were happy with what we'd gotten.

Looking at the picture above, I got 69 items for $11.22 - although I forgot to add the last item to the photo - it was a Starbucks Frappucino bottle which I got for $0.25. The regular price from Walgreens was $2.19!

So, 69 items for $11.22 - that is less than 16.3cents per item! That is fabulous savings! Here's what I got:

From Target:
- 2 4-packs of GE lights
- 4 SOBE drinks
- 13 individual Kashi cereal cups
- 5 boxes Kashi crackers
- 3 boxes Kashi cereal
- 1 box Kashi frozen Chicken Pasta Pomodoro
- 1 24-ct Excedrin
- 1 Degree trial sized deodorant
- 2 J&J Soap Buddies

From Walgreens:
- 1 Starbucks Frappucino bottle (not shown)
(everything else I wanted was out of stock)

From Albertsons:
- 4 boxes Cheerios
- 1 loaf of bread
- 1 10-piece Oreo Cakesters
- 25 boxes of Roll Ups, Stackerz, Gushers
- 5 rolls of Starbursts

At Target, I had an opportunity to show Marcy how important it is to
1) know your store policy
2) know exactly how much you are going to spend before going to the till

We had a cashier who did not know that if you have a coupon for $1, you can use it on an item that is less than a dollar. She said I could not use the coupon and called over her supervisor who agreed with her. I knew this was not the correct policy and since I had a printed copy of Target's coupon policy with me, I showed it to them and was able to use the coupons. However in all the mix up, the supervisor accidentally deleted my entire purchase and had to restart over, and in the end instead of paying $2 I ended up paying about $5, and I didn't fight it because I didn't want to go through all that again and we had spent a bit extra time there because of them not knowing their own policy. They had wanted to charge me $14 but because I knew the policy, I ended up paying $5. My savings at Target totalled $54.69 and I spent a total of $5.32.

On to Walgreens, where although they were out of everything I wanted, I got a chance to show Marcy how to work the instore specials with the monthly coupon booklet and manufacturer coupons. I showed her moneymaking scenarios and we perused the weekly ad for deals.

Lastly, we headed to Albertsons where I knew they were running rolling catalinas (see, that US coupon lingo again), and we went crazy there. The Betty Crocker Roll ups, etc were on sale for $1 each, and for every 5 that you purchased, you would get a $3.50 catalina back. On top of that, there were doublers available and we had coupons to double! Here's what my deals looked like at Albertsons:

Transaction #1:
5 Betty Crocker Rollups at $1 each = $5
2 .50/2 coupons, doubled
OOP: $3
Got back a Catalina of $3.50 which meant I made .50!

Transaction #2 and #3:
5 Betty Crocker Rollups/Gushers at $1 each = $5
2 .50/2 coupons, doubled
Total cost: $3
Used a Catalina of $3.50 which would have meant everything would be free, but I bought 2 Starbursts, using a BOGO coupon ended up paying .19cents total for each transaction.

Transaction #4:
5 Betty Crocker Rollups/Gushers at $1 each = $5
1 .50/2 coupon, doubled
Total cost: $4
Used a Catalina of $3.50, paying .50.

Transaction #5:
5 Betty Crocker Rollups/Gushers at $1 each = $5
no coupons used
Total cost: $5
Used a Catalina of $3.50, paying $1.50

Transaction #6:
1 Oreo Cakesters at $2.99 each
used 1 FPC = $0
4 Cheerios at $1.77 = $7.08
used 2 $1/2 Cheerios, doubled
1 Starburst, .69cents
Used a Catalina of $3.50, ended up paying .27

Received a free loaf of bread as a Thank You from Albertson's!

Total spent at Albertsons: $5.65
(NOTE: If I had chosen not to purchase the Starbursts, I would have paid $0 for Transactions #2, 3 and #6.

Total SAVED at Albertsons: $92.00!

Total spent: $11.22, for 69 items.
Total saved: $148.63.
Total savings of 93%!!!!
PLUS, I came home with a $1.50 Catalina for cereal that doesn't expire until April 30!

Want to know how to save 93% off your groceries just like I did yesterday? You might be interested in the Extreme Shopper US edition, please read this post for more information.

NOTE: Currently I do not have access to any US coupon inserts, so if you are worried that you can't get great deals without these inserts, I hope this post shows you that you can still get coupons and a 93% discount rate without them!

It's a (Shopping) party in the USA!

I live about 45 minutes from the USA/Canada border, and everytime I go across the border, I wish I lived closer. Because even with all the great deals and stacking opportunities we have here in BC, we just can't beat the fantastic sales and coupons available in the USA - so all you in the US, count yourselves blessed!

Every so often, I go down for business and I try to squeeze in a quick shopping trip, and such was the case last week. Note that I missed some catalina deals by a few days (could've gotten more items for free), and also, I didn't have some insert coupons since I don't get the papers from there.

Still, it's pretty fun to shop there and we can still get some coupons here, which I'll share with you in another post.

First, I went to Fred Meyer, which I hadn't been to in years:




I got 3 blocks of butter and 4 bags of cheese for $8. Just for comparison sake, the same size Kraft cheese (380g) goes for about $4-$5 here, and I got the 195g packs for .75c each.

Next up was Target, where I was disappointed with some empty shelves, and also I missed the Kashi deal I was hoping to get, by a few days. Still...





I got 2 boxes of Kashi cereal, 4 boxes of Kashi bars, 4 individual Kashi cereal cups and 2 travel sized Johnson& Johnson lotion and shampoo for $5.34. I would have paid about $22 for them here.

Right after Target I headed to Walgreens which turned out to be a big mess as I hardly shop there and I was not familiar with its policies. I was given wrong info by the cashier which I followed, and that ended up costing me $ so my deals ended up not being great. That's a good warning to know your store policies, so you don't get taken advantage of.

First, I bought 2 Neosporin lip chapsticks, which were on sale 2/$8, and I had a $6coupon, which would generate a $3 Register Reward and thus a $1 moneymaker:


Next, I bought some Chex with coupons:




Then I bought 4 pop, and that was a mistake. WG had a sale which was 3 for $4, and get a $2 RR in return. I should've just bought 3 but bought 4 in error.





Also, I had planned for paying for the pop with the previous RR I had received but was advised I could not. Not knowing the store policies, I complied and paid with real cash. Totally not an Extreme Shopper thing to do! LOL.

I then tried to buy Glade candles with coupons which would have netted me a $2 RR but when I bought them I did not get a Catalina, so I returned them.

At this time I had a $3 RR and a $2 RR and I wanted to spend them but was so overwhelmed with all the wrong information the cashier was giving me, so I just scanned the shelves and got $5 worth of Valentine's stuff - so all this was free:




I noticed after the fact that the cashier did not put in 2 Chex coupons I had, and she actually "hid" my $2 RR by her register, and only gave it to me when I asked for it. Throughout the transactions she was also sighing and punching in the keys really hard to show me she was not liking having to deal with coupons, etc, so that really put me off. I spent about $12 for the 2 Neosporin sticks, 4 pop, 8 Chex and the Valentines stuff - and I have mixed feelings about this deal... but what I know for sure is, the next time I enter Walgreens, I will have the store policy down to a T!

Lastly, on my way home I hit Safeway:


I got 6 boxes of cereal, 4 boxes of oatmeal, 4 boxes of Cheese Nips, 4 boxes of roll ups, and 4 packages of tortillas, all utilizing the specials that Safeway was having at that time and stacking with coupons. I also used an FPC for free creamer.

It was a real pleasure to see my total decreasing with every coupon I used, and there was an older couple behind me who were cheering me on, and the cashier even said,"great job!" I ended up paying $13.62 for 23 items.




I saved 80% off my bill!!

This is what I got on my quick trip, for about $38, and no customs at the border!


On top of that, I received a catalina for $1.50 and another for $1 from Safeway to put towards future purchases!

Before I get any emails about how it's all packaged stuff, I must say this is the first time in a LONG time that I've gotten fruit roll ups for the kids as a treat. The Chex is for my hubby as a treat as well, and I think it was my first time buying Cheese Nibs. And cereal, well, we go through it like crazy.

All I used were instore specials and coupons I printed off the internet. If I had access to the Sunday papers I would've been able to get more $ off with the coupons from there but I'm ok with it, since I was pretty happy with my purchases.

And that's how you have a shopping party down in the USA!

Next up, a video on shopping in the USA and some explanations on some coupon lingo and also how I plan my USA shopping and get my coupons.

Coupon shopping in the USA - August edition.

The Smith family made a day trip out of a coupon shop day this weekend, and we headed out with lists in hand, and coupons ready to go. We hit Rite-Aid, Safeway, Target, Walmart and Walgreens this time around.
First up was Rite Aid.

I bought:
- 1 tube Colgate

- 1 box Tylenol

- 4 Trident gum packs

- 1 Hotwheels boys' hat

- 2 energy shot drinks

(The last 2 were Mr. Smith's purchases).

I paid $13.32 and will receive back $4 in Single Check Rebates (SCR) from Rite-Aid, making this purchase $9.32. If we hadn't added the hat and drink (impulse buys) it would have been $2.84. Watch out for impulse buys!

What are SCRs? Well, they are rebates provided by Rite Aid - when you purchase an eligible item, you get $ back. The good news is that you can use coupons along with the rebates, sometimes getting the items for free, or making money off it (Money Maker) - so you are getting paid to take the items home! To learn more, go here. I am waiting for last month's SCR cheque - I will be getting about $10 back. Woohoo! Not bad for 1 trip per month!

Total out of pocket: $13.32

SCR's: $4

Total saved: $10.70

Next was Safeway:

Safeway is having a great deal on cereal - buy 5 participating items and get $5 off immediately. Good news - coupons can be used along with this offer! So I mixed and matched and worked out which coupon to use with which cereal - came came away with this haul:

- 10 cereal boxes (Kelloggs and Kashi brands)

- 2 boxes Kashi snack crackers

- 4 Wishbone dressings

- 5 Nature Nut Crunch / clusters

- 2 Ball Park franks packages

After coupons and specials, I paid $19.55, and saved $57.78!!!! According to Safeway's receipt, it was a 75% savings. Yay!

The cereal cost me $0.50 - $1 per box. I will not have to buy any more cereal for a few months, plus will have a few extras to giveaway (upcoming post).

The Wishbone dressing was on sale for .99 and I had coupons for .75 off each, so they ended up being .24cents each. I stocked up on Russian dressing as I can't find Russian dressing in my local grocery stores anymore! (I use it to make Russian chicken... yum).

I would have gotten more cereal except they were sold out of a lot of the Kashi ones I wanted - a scenario I worked out would have netted me 5 boxes of cereal for $1.25 - that's total, not each!

Total out of pocket: $19.55

Total saved: $57.78

After lunch, we headed to Target:

Here's the Target list:

- 7 boxes Johnson's Buddies Soap

- 2 containers Johnson's Body Wash

- 12 individual cups Cheerios/HoneyNut cheerios

- 2 packs Kids Boost drinks

- 4 10-ct packs Bics pens

- 1 pack Sharpies highlighters

- 2 travel sized Wet Wipes

- 1 Aveeno lotion

- 2 trial sized All Laundry detergent

- 2 Kelloggs Cinnabons

- 2 Pepperidge Farms Goldfish packs

- 1 Axe bodywash

- 2 Dove deodorant

- 2 Gerber baby bottles

- 2 Betty Crocker fruit snacks

- 2 Transformers toy vehicles (not pictured)

- Renuzit lens cleaner

- 2 "5" gum packs

I had a Jedi of a cashier - she rocked, putting through my coupons and exclaiming,"this is the way to shop!" She couldn't believe how much I was saving and didn't give me any of the scowls or sighs that some cashiers are wont to do. Again, total was higher because Mr.Smith found some gum that I didn't have coupons for (but were a good price) and an Axe wash that I only had a $1 coupon for.

Total spent: $25.80

Total saved: $78.50!

Next up was Walgreens, where I messed up by forgetting to bring in the proper Tylenol coupons so only ended up getting 3 toothbrushes.

Did you catch the deal here? The toothbrushes are $1.59 regular price. I bought 3, and had 3 $1 off coupons making them $0.59 each. Walgreens then had an instore coupon for .40 off each making them .19 each. I paid $0.87 including tax for all 3.

Total out of pocket: $0.87

Total savings: $4.20

And lastly, Walmart.

I went with trepidation, having heard/read about Nazi cashiers at Walmart, but holding with the day's good run with cashiers, I had an amazing one. She even thanked me for being so organized with my coupons! I had to do 2 transactions as I messed up with the hotdogs, but it was an easy fix.

The Walmart list:
- milk

- 2 packages Pillsbury Grand Biscuits

- 4 Bar-S hotdogs

- 8 SOBE drinks

- 2 Dentek floss packages

- 1 Welch's grape jelly

- 1 girls' nylons

I had a $1 off the Pillsbury one so I thought I'd try it, as with the Welch's grape jelly, as I had a .75 coupon off that. I had a $1 off 2 Bar S products, and they were $1 each, so each hotdog package was $0.50 each! I used my BOGO coupons for Sobe, which were already on sale for $1 each, so each drink was $.50 each. Lastly, I had 2 $1 off Dentek products, making the floss $0.12 each! Milk was $2.18 - I usually buy mine for $3.50 or more here!

Total spent: $12.78.

Total savings: $9.75

Here are the final numbers:

Total trip out of pocket: $72.32

Total savings: $160.93!

Total savings towards debt this post: $80.46

Total savings towards debt so far: $147.69

Bonus: The customs officer waved us through at the border.