Super Saver - Publix 5/29

Good morning everyone! First of all, sorry for my long absence from Blogging. As you all know, I'm a graduate student, so my husband and I took some time early this summer to travel. It's nice to know that saving money really adds up and it's how we were able to afford our wonderful vacation.

So, I have some exciting news - for the first time in my couponing career, I was able to save almost 100% at Publix. My husband was speechless as he watched the total go down. This trip covers an entire week's worth of meals, plus a few other items that were on sale and I know I'll use eventually.

Here's what I bought: (C Stands for Coupon, which I used on the item)

1/2 Gallon of Milk
1/2 Gallon of Orange Juice
2 Edy's Ice Creams (B1G1 & C)
4 Bananas
1 Jar of Newman's Own Sauce (C)
2 Boxes of Triscuits (C)
2 Boxes of Cheez-Itz (B1G1 & C)
4 Boxes of Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs (I actually only paid for half of one, because they were on sale, I used two B1G1 coupons, and a Buy 3 Get one free coupon from Target)
2 Packages of Hillshire Farm Sausage (Sale & C)
2 Packages of Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs (FYI, Regular Beef Hot Dogs are B1G1, but my husband and I are trying to lay off red meat - C)
2 Cans of Busch's Baked Beans (B1G1)
1 Spray Can of Coppertone Sunscreen (Manufacturer C & Store C)
2 Bottles of Lawry's Marinade (B1G1 & C)
2 Bottle of Kraft BBQ Sauce (B1G1)
2 Bags of Publix Salad (B1G1)
1 Dozen Publix Eggs
1 Container of Curry Powder (Sale - My husband loves curry powder. After we checked out he said, "I'm sorry my curry powder pushed you over the edge. You would have saved 100% if it wasn't for me." Ha ha ha. Very sweet, but I'm so pleased with our overall savings.)
1 Bag of Sunchips (C)
1 Bag of Publix Potato Chips
2 Jars of Mount Olive Pickles (B1G1)
1 Container of Cascade (Sale and C)
2 Boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese (B1G1)
1 Container of Breakstone's Sour Cream (Sale)
3/4 lb. Boar's Head Ovengold Turkey (Sale)
2 Ears of Corn (Sale)

Regular Priced Total: $122.82
Price I Paid: $62.78

How did I do it? Well, I took advantage of a lot of Buy 1, Get 1 Free items, and tried to match those up with coupons as much as possible. Just buying items on sale saved me $36.49 right away. I then added $13.05 in regular coupons, and topped that off with $10.50 in store coupons (including a $5 off coupon from Sav-a-Lot, which Publix accepts.)

Total Saved: $60.04

Just to give you an idea of what's on the menu this week:

Today - BBQ at a friend's house. We're bringing brownies, which we bought on sale last week.

Monday - Cookout at our house. We're making hot dogs and sausage (both of which I got for very cheap at Publix. I bought buns at WalMart, since I had to go there anyway.) We're serving it with beans (which were B1G1), and chips & dip. Our friends are bringing other sides and dessert.

Tuesday - Leftovers, served with corn

Wednesday - Chicken and yellow rice (both of which we've had on hand for a while)

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Spaghetti and salad (bought extra sauce and salad at Publix, have other ingredients on hand)

Saturday - Leftovers


I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Super Saver - Publix

I had quite a successful Publix run this morning. I have to admit, I've been off the budget bandwagon for a while. Expenses crop up, eating out seems quite appealing, and eventually you realize that you need to reign things in a bit. So, with a renewed commitment to saving, I headed out - and did great! (Even the cashier was impressed.)

Here's my loot:
















Items I bought:

2 Jars of Hellmann's Mayo
2 Jars of Classico Tomato Sauce
2 Bottles of A1 (Oh how I love A1)
2 Cans of DelMonte Vegetables
2 Cans of Swanson Broth
1 Package of Ronzoni Spaghetti
1 Package of Ronzoni Rotini Pasta
1 Container of Duncan Hines Frosting
2 Packages of Lipton Tea Bags
1 Can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1 Can of Pillsbury Garlic Breadsticks
2 Packages of Betty Crocker Muffin Mix
2 Packages of Duncan Hines Cake Mix
2 Packages of Duncan Hines Brownie Mix
1/2 Gallon Container of Orange Juice
1/2 Gallon of Milk
1 Container of Half and Half
1 Tub of Sour Cream
2 Bags of Lay's Chips
3 Packages of Kraft Shredded Cheese
1 Package of Baby Carrots
1 Yellow Onion
1/4 lb. of Tavern Ham
3/4 lb. of Boar's Head Turkey
1/2 lb. Plum Tomatoes
1 lb. of Apples
1 Bag of Idaho Potatoes
1 Package of Baby Spinach
2 Packages of Salad
1 Dozen Eggs
2 Top Round Steaks
1/2 loaf of Chicago Italian Bread
1 Chocolate Frosted Donut (just for me, in celebration of my savings bonanza.)

Regular-Priced Total: $121.09
Price I Paid: $69.91!

So how did I do it this week? As usual, almost all of my items were on sale (if I bought 2, it was generally buy one get one free), so that added up to $42.44 in savings before any coupons were used.

I'd heard that Publix accepts competitor coupons, but I'd only ever used one before. This week, I had a coupon from Harvey's, as well as a $5 off coupon for Sav-a-Lot (which I found in my Entertainment Book, but they often have them online.) And they accepted them both no problem! So, savvy shoppers, be on the lookout for coupons for stores in your area. No need to shop at three different stores if you can combine all of the deals at one.

I also had $3.55 in general coupons that I used.

Total Saved: $51.99!!! Almost as much as I spent. I'm shooting for 100% saved next week, but we'll see how it goes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Healthy Recipe - Tilapia

Tonight, I made some awesome (if I do say so myself...) Tilapia. It was cheap, easy, fast, and healthy! Here's the recipe, which serves two:

1 Tilapia fillet, halved lengthwise (on sale, $2.50)
1 large pat of butter (10 cents, maybe?)
1 tbs. Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Old Bay Seasoning
Salt
Pepper


1. Heat a pan over Medium heat.
2. Rinse and pat dry Tilapia fillets. (Be sure to dry it well so it will brown nicely)
3. Sprinkle Tilapia fillets on either side with garlic, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper to your liking.
4. Heat butter and Olive Oil in pan.
5. Add Tilapia fillets, and cook for about 6-7 minutes on either side or until flaky and browned. Feel free to add more butter or drizzle oil over the fillets to ensure they don't dry out. They're quite forgiving, so I usually just leave them on low heat if my other meal components aren't quite done.


This recipe is sooo easy. You can take a fish fillet from frozen to thawed to cooked in less than 30 minutes. My fillets were thawed in the fridge overnight, so the whole meal, including sides, took 15 minutes. It's one of my favorites for weeknights where I'm pressed for time.


Our sides were crescent rolls (on sale, with coupon, 75 cents), new potatoes (on sale, about $1), and green beans (on sale, with coupon, 75 cents).

Total Meal Cost: $5.10

"Buy" for Books Online for FREE

Okay, so perhaps the title of this post is a little misleading, but I really do have a great and FREE way to shop for books online and get them without paying a cent.

First of all, I love to read. Absolutely LOVE it. Now, my hobby would have cost us a ton of money if it wasn't for one, amazing place where I can read all the books I want and never have to pay a cent: the library. I remember when I was young, I was completely baffled by the idea that I could go into this building, pick out as many books as my little heart desired, and the people that owned them trusted me enough to bring them back. Even in my youth, I recognized a good deal!

Here's one problem with the library, though - new releases are rarely available, and many excellent books are already checked out. So what do you do? Give up, and make a trip down to the bookstore to buy a book you might not even like? No way!

Instead, spend some time shopping for the books you want online. Maybe check out one of your favorite bookstore's websites (I love Barnes and Noble.com), where everything is presented nicely and it's easy to find books you might like. Add all of the ones you like or might like to your cart.

Next, don't check out! (I know it's tempting.) Instead, in a separate browser, bring up your library's website. Almost all libraries I know of have a request system, where you can place a hold on a book that has already been checked out, or has not been acquired by the library yet. Using the list of books in your cart, go through and request all of them from your library. (Some might even be on the shelf waiting for you!) Sure, you don't get the instant gratification you would if you went to the bookstore, but your books would probably be ready for you at the library by the time they would have been delivered by the bookstore's online site. Plus, it will be completely free!

I love "shopping" for books this way! Often, I'll bring up the bestseller list, and request many of them from the library. In a couple of weeks, when the previous reader is done with them, I'll have my turn! Plus, it really feels like shopping. I just got an e-mail saying a book I had requested, Jamie's Food Revolution, was ready to be picked up. It just came out recently, and its retail price is $35 - but it'll be free for me! This is also a great way to try out books you might think you'll like. Why buy a $30 cookbook if you haven't even tried any of the recipes? I'm not against buying books in general, and have a pretty good sized collection, but this is a great way to try new finds and read some excellent, popular books without spending a dime!

Tip of the Day: Make the Most of Your Commute

Good morning! Well, it's quite a dreary day here, and my plan for staying dry (wearing flip flops instead of sneakers) was a total failure. Ah well...

So, I'm an avid bus rider, and am very lucky to live on the campus bus route. It picks me up at the end of my apartment complex and brings me right to my office. We live about 2 1/2 miles from campus, and our car gets about 30 mpg. By taking the bus, we save at least 25 miles per week, or almost a gallon of gas once you add in searching for parking (which often takes as long as the commute) or being stuck in traffic. This might not sound like a lot, but a gallon a week adds up. We only really drive on the weekends and rarely have to fill up our car.

Aside from the gas (and headache) savings, commuting to work using public transportation is a great way to make the most out of life - and that's what this blog is about. That 2 1/2 mile commute takes about 25 minutes (believe it or not. Traffic is a nightmare around here.) What could you do with an extra half hour? Read a book! Listen to music! Plan your day! Learn a new language - there are lots of free language-learning podcasts. You have so many options. One great tip I read was to use your commute to work to get ready for your day. Get motivated, get inspired, get ready to face the day. Then, use you commute back home to transition from work to your home life. Plan your meal for that evening, listen to some relaxing music, etc. Use your commute, regardless of whether you take the bus, to transition your mind to where you're heading.

Now of course, there are some downsides to being a bus rider. Often, the bus is late, and sometimes it's early and I miss it. Other times, I have to stay a little later than I want to catch the correct bus. However, I see all of these as much less stressful than worrying about traffic, fretting over parking, and spending a half hour in traffic when someone else could be driving for me.

Don't live or work as close as I do to a bus stop? Why not walk a bit further, and get your workout in! (I actually catch a longer bus sometimes for just this reason!) Does your work have a carpool program? If not, why not start one? Surely, there's someone you work with that lives fairly close to you. Perhaps you could trade off driving duties.

Whether you do it to save money, save yourself from stress, or save the environment, commuting to work using public transportation, carpools, or even your own man/woman power is a great way to go!