A collection of my home décor projects, interior design inspirations, creative things from the blog world, mommy creativity, kid crafts, holiday traditions, gardening, family memory making ideas, family-friendly recipes, free fun stuff, parenting, and an occasional mother rambling.
I went to the Sara Lee Bakery outlet and found some great bread deals. I was going to the Wonder bread outlet but wanted to see what the Sara Lee outlet had to offer. I wanted all natural (no high fructose corn syrup) breads, 100% whole wheat, a good amount of fiber, and soft! I think buying bread is such a personal decision. So here's a little of what I found and what I bought.
I liked the Earth Grains 100% Natural bread. As I was saying I was searching for 100% whole wheat (no refined flour) and no high fructose corn syrup. A lot of Sara Lee products have HFCS in them. I stocked up with 13 loaves and put them in our freezer. I don't mind thawed bread. It's not bad at all! I paid $1.75ish a loaf I think (I didn't take a picture of the price).
I found Grandma Sycamore bread! 10 for $10=$1 ea
Grandma Sycamore 100% honey whole wheat bread 4/$7=$1.75 ea
Sara Lee 100% whole wheat bread 12/$6=.$50 ea
I found Sara Lee 100% multi-gran bread6/$9=$1.50 ea
I also bought a few packs of large hamburger buns with seeds on them for .99 a pack. It was a special deal that day. I froze those for upcoming family Bar B Ques.
Do you shop the bread store outlets? Which do you like better?
Yippee one of my favorite stores, Smith's in Utah, is doubling coupons up to $1.00 till Tuesday! I spent 2.5 hours cutting, organizing, printing coupons, and planning my trip. I don't clip all my coupons every week so I was way behind in clipping, filing, and weeding out the expired coupons. I spent 2 hours shopping. For about 4.5 hours of my time I saved a bunch of money!! Coupons are so worth it in my opinion.
Now I must say, I couldn't do this couponing shopping without my 5 papers on Sunday, my favorite coupon blogs heads up & info., printable online coupons, and free coupon websites. I don't have the energy or time to figure out all these match ups on my own. I did do some one my own but not all of them. So, I am very grateful for their knowledge and sharing of deals. I would be fist bumping the other coupon ladies right now if I could. :0)
Ok, on with my shopping trip!
A side profile of the "goods"! Click to enlarge!I purchased 122 items. Most items had a coupon but not all were doubled because they were already $1 off in value. I also found 3 gallons of milk marked down to $.99 each. I froze one.
I bought one higher priced item without a coupon and it was 1/2 off. A Braun Baby ear thermometer for $19.49. If you need one check your store.My total before any savings would have cost me $226.99! With coupons, double coupons, and fresh value savings I saved $156.43 which equaled a 70% savings!!! I paid out of pocket for the groceries above $70.56!
But I also got $4.00 in printable coupons (to be used as cash next time) from Shout.
Now my total is really a $66.56 out of pocket purchase! Yippee!
Other: I got a $.15 fuel reward from this purchase. I used my $10 off coupon from my gold Smith's reward mailer which was nice. I used a double points coupon from my gold Smith's reward mailer and my receipt totaled it to be 487 points on this trip.
My good friend is throwing me a baby shower for my first baby boy! So, when I saw these baby blue M & M's and baby blue Reeses's I thought how PERFECT for the baby boy shower candy dish. I will save a couple bags for the hospital visitors (instead of cigars). They had pink and yellow colors too. I bet you could use these for b-day parties too.I got them at Walmart today and paid $1.75 a pack (only 50% off-wish it was 75%). A bit pricey if you consider you can get a whole bag for that but I wanted ALL blue! I might try to hit the store when they are 75% off and see if I can get them cheaper. It's a novelty item too.
Don't forget to think outside the "Easter box" when clearance shopping.
I love to get cheap health and beauty items because it equals "Mo' Money" in my pocket for other things!
I got all of this for $4.85 (plus tax)
I used this coupon from the newspaper. Note: I read the wording thoroughly and it doesn't restrict sizes or have an equal or lesser value stipulation so I went for it.
Herbal Essences Travel Sizes Shampoo or Conditioner (Travel Size) $0.97 Herbal Essences Styler, Full Size $2.97 Herbal Essences Styling product FREE when you buy any Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner, or Styling product (3-31-10) PG-2/7
Final price: $0.97 for 2 products
Here's a few other cheap or free things I got at Walmart (in the front row)
Diego Band-Aids 10 ct -$1.18 (by other band-aids)
Use $1.00/1 coupon from 1/3 RP
$0.18 after coupon
Suave 24 hr. deodorant - *full size*.97 Use: Suave Deodorant product, any .75/1 (2-28-10) RP-1/31
final price: .22
Degree Invisible Stick *trial size* .97
use: Degree Men or Women Deodorant or Body Mist, any .75/1 (2-28-10) RP-1/31
final price: .22
Dove Shampoo Or Conditioner(Travel Size) $0.97 Use the $1.50/1 Any Dove Hair Care Products from 1/31
Or use the $2.50/2 from PG 2/7
final Price: FREE
In the past I posted about my grocery store Manager's special shopping routine (mainly at Smith's in Utah). GoHERE to read about it in case you missed it. I find good deals occasionally and the "impulse" buys are cheap and fun.
Veggie tray $2.25
Energy Trail mix $3.XX
Whole Wheat tortillas $1.00
Fattening cheese meat dogs $1.00
Oscar Meyer no filler hot dogs $1.00
Imitation crab and shrimp salad $1.79
Why not make any day a "party" with a managers special veggie tray? I got this veggie tray at Smith's for $2.25 --SCORE! You can see the quality isn't bad either. The costs of grape tomatoes & broccoli would be close to that if I bought alone. The kids were happily gobbling up veggies. Yippee for me.
I love a deal and have been workin' the deals for at least 5 years. I have a weekly budget but save some $$ for caselots and toy sales. Yeah Yeah I know this isn't a shopping blog but I could help but pass up some useful information from one of my favorite websites. Pinching your pennies or AKA PYP. Enjoy the very useful information copied from a knowledgeable bargain shopper. If you have any shopping questions please leave me a comment! I am happy to answer them.
QUOTED from PYP: As a coupon'er/bargain shopper over 13 years, I've discovered (and you may have, too) that coupons and sales run in seasonal cycles. Here's a comprehensive guide to cracking the what and when is on sale. Hope it helps!
Seasonal Sales Cycles (Mainly from Utah but not exclusively)
JANUARY - Historically, Quaker has hot deals on cereal/all items. We see Pepsi/Tostitos go on sale mid-January (again, rebates abound for these). Other items of note this time of year are chili, side dishes, anything for hearty/warm meals.
• Post-Holiday Sales
• White Sales
• Sports and Weight Loss Equipment
• Computers
• Winter Apparel and Accessories
· Organizers, Rubbermaid totes, shelf organizers, planners, filing cabinets
FEBRUARY – many of the same food items as January
• Electronics
• Floor Coverings
• Housewares
• Furniture
• Candy and Chocolates
MARCH - Frozen food month. You'll find many stores are offering free freezers or fill-a-bag deals. Between March and April, look for spring cleaning deals, so many cleaner items will be on sale. With Easter, looks for eggs, ham, Kraft products to cycle into good sales. Paper products like towels, napkins, plates are starting to come on strong. Beverage items.
• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Winter Sports Equipment
• Gardening Supplies
• Luggage
APRIL –
• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Coats and Hats
• Paint
• Wallpaper
• Jewish Foods and Eggs
MAY -
get ready for summer! Here come loads of deals on BBQ sauce, frozen veggies, baked beans, and condiments of all kinds, summer-time meats (ribs, hotdogs, and ground beef). Also with all the holidays, look for tons of paper goods that match the holiday and pick them up after clearance. These deals generally continue through September!
• White Sale - Linens and Towels
• Spring Cleaning Supplies
• Auto Maintenance
• Home Maintenance
• Sodas & Bottled Water, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments, Paper & Plastic plates & cups
* Raid/Off bug repellents and sunscreens
JUNE –
• Summer Apparel and Accessories
• Pianos
• Television Sets
• Building Materials and Hardware
• Dairy Products
JULY –
• Air Conditioners
• Summer Sports Equipment
• Sportswear
• Craft Supplies
• Sodas, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments
AUGUST –
• White Sale - Linen and Towels
• BBQ and Patio Equipment
• Back to School Supplies
• Bathing Suits
• Fresh Fish and Vegetables
• Breakfast foods (Cold cereal-Juice-Waffles-etc)
• Cold lunch items for in lunch boxes
SEPTEMBER - back to school; time to fill up on snacks! Pudding cups, Capri suns, fruit snacks, cereal sales start up hard again, peanut butter/jelly. Also, like clockwork, there will be Prego coupons in August, and plan on getting lots and using them in a hurry before they expire in September when the spaghetti sauce goes on sale. Sauce wars between Ragu and Prego this month. Campbell’s soups will go on as well and there will be coupons in the end of August for these as well. Lunchables are on sale this time of year, too.
• Back to School Supplies and Apparel
• Gardening Supplies
• Housewares
• Bicycles
• Canned Goods
OCTOBER - Stock up on holiday foods – Stove Top, turkey, instant mashed potatoes, broth, cranberries, marshmallow, ice cream, pie shells, whipped cream, pudding. Look for great Kraft deals again this time of year. Piggyback those Kraft coupons when you can. Crackers are a biggie - going on for $1 or less a box. Lots of extra deals like $ off cheese WYB crackers. The real kicker is the after Christmas food deals! Save your coupons because pie fixings, fried onion, broth and canned green beans will be on deep discount. I got those onions for .50 a can, normally almost $4. These generally continue through December.
• Cars
• Houses
• Fishing Equipment
• Crystal, Silver, and Glassware
• Candy
· Baking/candy-making items (choc chips, sprinkles, vanilla, corn syrup, nuts, etc)
DECEMBER –
• Toys
• Gift Items
• Party ware
• Post-Holiday Sales
• Party Foods, Baking Goods, and Various Meat
• Canned goods (broth, soups, etc)
Year-round after a holiday, you can always pick up cheap cookie dough with a coupon and any food related to the holiday.
Continual sales are candy, popcorn, chips, anything snacky, cereal (heavier in the fall/winter, but still around in the spring).
Frozen food sales seem to centralize on a brand and the switch brands the next month. I think the manufacturers buy slot time for sales. So last month, Stouffers was on sale hard, now lean cuisine is. Save the entire frozen coupon and then keep checking back for the brand of the month.
Frozen pizzas go on sale in the fall and then again the spring; not often in the summer because people don't want to turn their ovens on in the summer.
By all means, this isn't everything that you can get on sale, but if you follow the cycle and stock up (I never buy BBQ sauce in the winter), then you can get where you have enough on hand and only need to refill when the items are in season. The result is that you spend less and less with each successful cycle.
My thoughts on myself-"Staci the grocery shopper":
I like to shop for deals.
I like coupons.
I like free stuff with coupons.
I don't like paying full price for consumable items (food, toilet paper, paper anything, etc.)
I am not a brand snooty but I like quality items on sale paired with a coupon.
I like saving money and going on vacation.
So that brings me to the point of this post-I got some great deals in a close out cart at Albertson's today. These items often are NOT expired or soon expiring foods. Do you check those carts?
Ok humor me and guess how much I paid WITHOUT coupons (minus tax too)?
8 V8 cans 3 Propel bottles 5 Super Chill sodas 2 Muir Glen organic pasta sauce bottles
The answer will be in the comments. If you feel inclined leave your answer in the comments too.
It might be a marketing scheme (or in my head) but I think this stuff from Costco saved me from a cold this last week. Do you have any superfood opinions (pros or cons)? Please share and leave me a comment!
I hope all of you are healthy and happy this week.
I like saving money more than grocery shopping. You know the drill: We plan meals, we shop, we cook, we eat it, and it's gone. So, I don't like forking out a ton of $ on full price food and tolietries. That doesn't mean I want low quality items. [Enter coupon pitch-Ha Ha] Coupons allow me to get get quality things for less (a lot less). I have been couponing since 2005 and learned a lot. I have the wonderful free help of http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/! This site is a blessing to my budget.Here's my trip today to Smith's Food and Drug (similiar to Kroger).
I ONLY spent $71.11 after coupons which was a 54% savings.
Pictured: I got Corned beef, cabbage, asparagus, 3 onions, bunch of grapes, 1 avocado, 3 milks, 3 country crock tubs, 3 bags of pasta, cinnamon bread off the reduced rack (French toast on Sat. morning), 4 loaves of 100% whole wheat bread (I freeze them), 5 bags of Quakes (free with coupon), 3 crescent rolls, 1 powerade, 5 boxes of Kellogg Mini-wheat cereal, 4 jars of Classico spaghetti sauce, 1 Diet Dr. Pepper (free with coupon I had), Beef Roasts in a 2 pack reduced manager special-about $6 a roast, 1 bag of frozen chicken breasts, 1 box of fish sticks, 1 24 ct. Tylenol, 2 packages of 200 napkins, 5 soft toothbrushes, 1 small young chicken on manager special
Coupons are fun but...don't forget to look out for the
Manager's special items in your grocery stores! I have noticed most stores mark down almostexpired meats (and other items) of great quality each morning. Stores want to unload fresh items before they hit the sale by date. (Check the dates thoroughly!) Obviously, we know to stay away from some scary looking and smelling meats. I have found some wonderful cuts of meat at Smiths.
Here's the prices pictured in the photo above:
Deli pizza 3.99 (cooked for dinner that night)
Turkey breakfast sausages leaner so I pay more for it-$1.57
A pot roast for a Sunday dinner in the crock pot $5.XX
French bread $.79 (Yes, it was soft)
Solo brand plastic cups for an upcoming b-day party $1.00
The meat pictured above was found at a local Associated Food Store in Utah-The cut is called a Family butt steak with peppers, cilantro, and onions it weighed 1.77lb for $2.28 (for the two)= $1.29 a pound. This meat fed my young family of 5 for a quick week night meal. This cut had a great flavor and was moist. I cooked it in a skillet. Yum!
Here's what I do: Go to the meat department and look for the discounted meat shelf first then scan the meat department shelves for the stores clearance tags. Smith's tags are yellow-Target's are white-Walmart's are yellow-Associated Food Stores are white
Pictured above-Found at Walmart- Honeysuckle turkey breakfast sausage $1.63 for 1 lb. Regular price $2.33 This is extra lean turkey-not as cheap as regular pork sausage of course much less fat. Great for breakfast casserole or for turkey sausage patties. Look for the yellow tags at Walmart.
Why do I buy Manager's special items? I want a great price on items we consume on a regular basis, something different, an organic or specialty item marked down so we can try it.
When do you eat or freeze them? We usually eat some of the items for dinner that night. I freeze the extra meat after vacuum sealing and labeling them (I list the sale by date on the package and try to use it in a month or less). Eat it or freeze right when you get home!
What else do you get besides manager's special meats?
These are the areas I look for at Smith's:
Deli area- Marked down exotic cheeses
Bakery- Unique bakery breads found on what I call the "rotten rack" (not really but a funny name) back by the produce/juice section of my store
Refrigerated Juices- I find exotic juices marked down in the refrigerated section- Example: Guava & Mango $.99 for 1/2 gallon
Dairy- Yogurts, cottage cheese, & smoothies are clearanced often- Add a coupon for more savings!
Milk- Heavy whipping cream, Soy, lactose free, and regular milk are marked down occasionally
Meat- Meats of all kinds are marked down. Lots of chicken too (not as much boneless skinless)
Seafood-Salmon, shrimp, and Tilapia are OK if we eat them that night
Produce- Red tape Bananas about .39 a lb. If they have some some brown on the peels often the insides are fine.
Refrigerated Produce- Bagged salads, organic spinach and greens-great deals-Don't forget to ask yourself, "Can I use this salad (produce) before it goes bad?" Fruit trays are marked down often. Sometimes they aren't a great deal even marked down.
Organic Produce section- I have found veggies and fruit marked with yellow tags.
Cheeses and lunch meats- My store has a managers special area. Look for the yellow tags.
Floral Department- Great for a new houseplant or a gift for friends or family.
Clothing- I bought a local college T-shirt and bumper sticker once for cheap!
You never know what you'll find at Smiths! I hope you found these tips helpful this week. Do you have any tips to share?
Hello! My name is Staci. I am a Christian, a busy stay-at-home mom of 4, a wife, a part-time Interior Designer, coupon clipper, bargain shopper, garage sale shopper, intermediate level cook, weight watcher, garden food canner, organic gardener, digital scrapbooker, car-pooler, choc-o-holic, sister, friend, daughter, a family "event planner", wanna-be Latin dancer, and an amateur photographer. Being creative, saving money, being with my family, and dreaming of vacationing keep me ticking through the daily life of staying at home with my 4 kids. Welcome to Designing and Motherhood as I see it in Utah!
Hello. This blog is my effort to share and inspire other mothers to be creative, have fun, and enjoy the journey of mothering. Feel free to copy any of my ideas at home. I would love to see your copied or expanded ideas so leave me a comment or email me at designingmotherhood (at) hotmail (dot) com so I can enjoy seeing your projects. But, please DON'T copy my photos or text without first asking my permission. It's just NOT cool. Thanks!
Baby shower ideas galore from blog world!
Click on the bootie for tons of unique ideas
Staci's frugal and practical ways revealed!
Click on the picture to read them in a 4 part series!
My favorite cake-A princess cake!
Click the picture to view all my cakes!
My favorite theme party
Adopt a puppy party! Click the picture for the full details.
Do you have any superfood opinions (pros or cons)? Please share and leave me a comment! 
Here's my trip today to Smith's Food and Drug (similiar to Kroger).
I have noticed most stores mark down almost expired meats (and other items) of great quality each morning. Stores want to unload fresh items before they hit the sale by date. (Check the dates thoroughly!) Obviously, we know to stay away from some scary looking and smelling meats. I have found some wonderful cuts of meat at Smiths. 
