Family "Cents": 2009

Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts

2009 Savings to date...

Here are my savings totals so far for the year!

Remember I did start 1/5/09...
(& I was away for a weeks vacation!)

February 8-14...

Here are the details from the week...

CVS
oop $1.61
saved $16.99

Kroger
oop $25.44
saved $34.81

Meijer
oop $20.11 (actual receipt $26.11, paid $6 from rebate fund)
saved $46.78
rebate $7

Walgreen's
oop $0 (actual receipt $8.28, paid with rebate fund)
saved $8.20
rebate $8.99

*My rebate $ comes from rebates I've previously done. I carry it with me and don't include it in my weekly budget allowance unless I run out of money in the rebate fund. I also don't include that in the savings for the week. I count rebate savings separately.

Weekly totals..
oop $47.16 ($12.84 under budget)
Saved $98.48

I have my own weekly budget of $60
I will begin carrying over any credits
or debits to the next week.

Next weeks budget becomes $72.84

____________________

Grand totals for the year....

Out of pocket
$311.01

Money saved
$1,111.45

rebates
$40.99

If you've just started learning to watch for sales, stockpile and use coupons, you will probably not see this kind of savings right off & that's ok... it's normal.

It takes some time to learn where the deals are and when to "play" a coupon. Sometimes I hold a "high value" coupon and hope for a special sale. After you've been using coupons for awhile, you will notice a pattern to the sales which will give you an extra edge at getting those great buys.

Also... when you are first starting, you will have to supply your regular needs, as you won't have a stockpile to pull from for everything yet. These kinds of savings come when you don't "need" for much of anything but milk, eggs, bread and fresh produce and use the majority of your grocery $ to keep your stockpile in good shape. Don't make your family "suffer" for things they need, keep them happy and slowly begin your stockpile. Keep with it, and you too can see this kind of a result!

2009 Savings....

Here we go with the first week. I don't think I mentioned before that my weekly goal/budget is $60 or less. Seems I went over this week, which sometimes happens. I account being over this week for being the first week to get back on schedule after the Holidays.

Hubby was off on lay-off for the Holidays, and my little guy just started back to Preschool this week. First week of getting back to so called normal, although Hubby's schedule has changed dramatically... but I won't go on about that.

Now for the numbers

Drum roll please.....

Krogers
money saved $28.43*
out of pocket cost (oop) $37.18

CVS #1
$ saved $43.13
oop $.72

CVS #2
$ saved $22.60
oop $.47
sending in $6 rebate (B.Homes & Gardens magazine refund)

Walgreens
$ saved $34.00
oop $9.69
sending in for $1.50 Walgreens rebate on Electrosal

Meijer
$ saved $60.68
oop $31.36
sending in $5 rebate (Walle, Min.Maid)

Meijer
$ saved $1.89
oop $1.50
sending in $2.50 rebate (Smart Start cereal)

weekly totals:
$ saved $188.84
oop $80.92
rebates: $13.50
Walgreens rebates: $1.50

$80.92-15.00(rebates)=$65.92

If you account for my rebates I was really close to my budget, & I usually keep my rebate money separate from my grocery money when it comes back and then use it solely to buy more rebate items. Didn't have any with me this week so I used out of our grocery $. I need to cash those rebate checks! I find if I have to use grocery $ to buy rebate items that will even better than free, I often won't buy them if it taps into my budget for the week... that's why I started "rolling" my rebate dollars.

Year to date (starting 1/11)
$ saved $188.84
Out of pocket $80.92
Rebates $13.50
Walgreens rebates: $1.50

*Savings actually greater than shown. Clearance items purchased and register didn't recognize addtional savings.

CVS
100 ct, Tyl. cold, Tyl Sinus med, 2 Pantene Shampoo, Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Better Homes and Gardens Christmas tin with subscription or rebate.

Walgreens
5 Reynolds Wrap, 4 Garnier Fructis Hair products, 2 Benefiber, 2 super glue, PUR flavor pack
(a coupon I was planning to use was expired and I didn't realize it, I went ahead and made my purchase anyway-otherwise my total would have been $6 less!)

Kroger
2 packs Tyson fresh ckn tenders, 1 package ground chuck, 1lb Eckrich deli ham, Lean pockets, 1 bag Tyson ckn nuggets, 3 1/2 gal milk, 3 Fruity Cheerios, 11 Hunts diced tomatoes, 2 pinto beans, 2 red beans, mushrooms, Granny Smith apples, 2 8ct Kellogg's Pop Tarts, 2 containers Kroger cottage cheese

Meijer
Bananas, Mushrooms, Spinach, 2 bags onions, 2 bags carrots, 2 Minute Maid Oj, 2 Heinz Vinegar, Red Hot Sauce, Pierogies, pretzels, margarine, 2 Nestle cookie dough, 4 Kleenex, 2 Krispy Saltines, 14 Campbells soups, 2 Smuckers grape jam, 2 Electrasol Gel pacs, Coffeemate creamer, 2 16 ct Eggo waffles, Edy's ice cream, 2 liter soda.

I'll try and take some pictures next week...
visuals are always helpful for me and you might like to see the loot.

Now... we'll see if I remember! :)

2009 Savings....

I'm considering posting my weekly/yearly savings to date on a weekly basis. Don't know if any of you would be interested in seeing something like that or not, and I don't know if I want to commit the time to it.

These will include all purchases for my household for grocery and household items (cleaners, health & beauty), and the occasional deal that may include clothing items, etc. if there's a deal with requirements such as Buy 3 pks socks get $10 off grocery, or save $$ on PJ's with $$ purchase of X Branded cookies, & sometimes there are deals for shoes around school time that coincide with other items, etc.

I will also try and do a running total of rebates/refunds as well, but we'll see how it all goes.

I think I will do a trial run for a few weeks and see how it goes. Forgive me if I drop the idea, or forget about it after a few weeks. I'll have to start with this week, as last weeks receipts are already filed and put away, and I'm afraid to say some were probably thrown away.

Please let me know as I post these if you like them and if they are encouraging to you. I will post the first one soon for this weeks money spent 1/4-1/10/09.