triple coupons = happy evelyn!

ok, so this weekend harris teeter is tripling coupons worth up to 99 cents! i've spent the past week getting organized for this and it's paid off! i still have to go back for a few more things, but i did very well today. i thought their policy was that you could only use 20 coupons at a time, but you could go through the line as many times as you like; however, it turns out that you're limited to 20 coupons per household per day at each particular store. . . i found this out on my 5th trip through the checkout. oh well. anyways here's what i got and how much it cost--

1) 4 mrs. dash marinades, 10 canisters oatmeal (18 oz.), 8 lipton/knorr sides, 10 oz. bottle french's worchstershire sauce, 1 box pillsbury brownie mix. used these coupons, all of which were trippled: 75 cents off mrs. dash marinades (4), 50 cents off quaker oatmeal 18 oz. or larger (10), 60 cents off 2 knorr sides (4), 35 cents off french's worchestershire sauce, 40 cents off pillsbury brownie mix. oatmeal was on sale 2 for $3. i paid $7.99 and saved $51.25.

2) 4 betty crocker cookie mixes, 2 pillsbury reduced sugar cake mixes, 2 pillsbury reduced sugar frostings, 10 packs always pantiliners (20 ct.). coupons: 40 cents off betty crocker cookie mix (4), 40 cents off pillsbury reduced sugar cake mix OR frosting (4), 50 cents off any always pantiliner (10). i paid $6.84 and saved $21.50.

3) 1 smart balance cooking spray, 2 hungry jack pancake mix (32 oz.), 17 g.u.m. toothbrushes. coupons: 50 cents off any smart balance product (1), 55 cents off any hungry jack pancake mix or syrup (2), 75 cents off any g.u.m. toothbrush. i spent $3.92 and saved $43.05

4) 8 boxes quaker chewy granola bars, 2 boxes nature valley granola bars, 10 bottles dawn direct foam, 8 cans ortega diced green chilies (4 oz.). coupons: 75 cents off any 2 boxes quaker chewy granola bars (4), 50 cents off any nature valley granola bars (2), 50 cents off any dawn direct foam or dawn simple pleasures (10), 75 cents off any 2 ortega products (4). the quaker granola bars were on sale for 2/$4. i paid $25.45 and saved $70.19.

5) 4 hunt's snack packs (4-packs), 10 wishbone italian salad dressings (8 oz.), 8 pillsbury crescent rolls (4 oz. packages). coupons: 30 cents off any 2 snack pack products, 60 cents off wishbone salad dressing (thee were specific dressings, i just got the cheapest one allowed by the coupon), 35 cents off any pillsbury crescent roll. snack packs were on sale 5 for $5. i paid $ 5.86 and saved $31.32.

in all, i spent $51.06 and saved $217.31. i got $268.37 worth of stuff, meaning i saved 81%!!!!! VERY happy evelyn! here's a picture--

the best part is that now we have a really good supply of non-perishable foods in case we ever need to live off what we've got in the house. i'd been feeling the need to have food storage for the last few months and was worried we wouldn't be able to fit it into our budget, but we have! we have enough stuff in there that i feel ok about not buying stuff for it every paycheck now. i'd like to get some more protein items in there, maybe a few more fruits and veggies, but it's sufficient for survival and that's what's important.

when i'd finished putting things away today and was looking at it, i got all teary-eyed! it surprised me. . . it feels good though, to have done something so simple to be prepared and to know that we've followed the prophet's counsel. and since i won't be buying as much stuff for our food storage now, our grocery bills should decrease dramatically - and that'll help IMMENSELY. we want to start paying on my student loans before they begin to collect interest, and this is gonna be a huge help it getting us there. i know it won't get paid off before i start earning interest, but every little bit will help.

the kmart here is also running a special till next weekend - they're doubling coupons worth up to $2! i went the other day and was pretty happy w/ my "purchases". . . i put it in quotes b/c i didn't pay anything. . . i got 4 bottles of dove conditioner and 1 bottle of sunsilk gel, but w/ the coupons i had, i ended up owing nothing. it was pretty sweet. i'm planning to go back again, maybe this afternoon. . . i'm hoping they've restocked their pert plus b/c those will be free as well. . . and they have cascadian farms frozen veggies for $2.23, but w/ my coupons for $1, when they double, i'll only pay 23 cents per bag! happy day! anyways, i'm pretty excited about all the deals that i've gotten this week. . . i probably won't post about the rest of the stuff i get, but you get the idea. when i go back to harris teeter tomorrow, i'm planning to get 3 boxes of smucker's uncrustables, 2 packages of dannon activia yogurt, and 2 tubs of land o lakes margarine. . . at kmart, i'll get whatever i can for less than $10 total. . . it'll probably be mostly toiletries and frozen veggies, but that's ok. . . anyways, my hands are starting to hurt and i should get some lunch into myself and trevor. . .