My local Newspaper has been having a contest called the COUPON CLIPPER BOARD GAME.
Basically, you send them a grocery receipt showing how much you saved using coupons from the Sunday inserts. They pick the highest 4 coupon receipt totals each week that folks submit.
The winners get to go to the newspaper offices and pick an envelope off a board. Inside each envelope is a Gift Card to an area grocery store. The amounts range from $25, $50, $100 to the grand prize of $500.
This is the last week the Contest is running. I had sent in 2 different receipts over the course of the month.
They called ME on the phone the other day....I finally won!
I ran right downtown to the office to claim my prize. I did pretty well & got a $50 Gift Card. No one so far has found the $500 GC, unless one of the 3 other winners this week got it.
I really didn't think I had a chance of winning. You see, I don't do "big shops". I don't use my coupons all in 1 receipt. Instead of buying everything in one trip at one store, I do smaller transactions at lots of stores each week. So, in TOTAL, I DO save tons with coupons, but you don't see it by just looking at ONE receipt.
Remember all those bags of Iams Dog Food I got at Walmart w/the $5 Qs last month? Add in the Wheat Thins I also bought on that receipt with $2/2 Qs and I had a $48 Coupon Savings, which was good enough to be a Winner....yippee!
I'll post the article from the newspaper after it comes out on Sunday. The bad part is we all have to have our photos published in the paper.
I just hope mine doesn't come out looking anything like this.....not that there's anything wrong with being a bag lady.....
Have you ever heard that old saying that bad things come in 3s? Well being the overachievers we are, 'our' bad things came in 4s this past week.
First #2 son got his report card.....with a D in Math! Ack! His first D he is quick to tell everyone. Like being the 1st one makes it better?lol Hopefully this grade is an anomaly on his part. If not, he'll be watching less screens(computer & tv)this summer and be attending Mommy Math Boot Camp. ;-)
Then #1 son lost his after-school job. Granted it was a crummy job, & we knew the 'letting him go' part was coming and #1 son isn't too broken up over it(he hated that job with a passion!lol). It wasn't a good fit as a job for his skill set and he didn't get along very well with his bosses or the brown-nosing couple of coworkers(oh the colorful names he gave them all.....If it were me, I'd sum then up under the heading, "A Confederancy of Dunces".). The owner/manager knew #1 son was going to be leaving after high school ended anyway and was reducing his hours to the point of trying to get him to quit, but he hung in there until he received a letter in the mail last Friday that his position was terminated. The gutless manager didn't have the decency to tell the kid to his face that he was fired.....she had to hide behind a letter. It took all my fortitude not to go down to that store and tell them what "I" thought of them and their managerial style....or lack thereof. lolol
And the third thing was the daughter crashing my car into that pole....which you can read about in an earlier post here.
To top it all off, last Sunday I started coming down with the Mother of all Sinus Infections. This week has been a fog for me, when I've been able to hold my head vertical. When my head wasn't spinning, my ears were ringing or my nose was running. The only relief has been multiple sessions with the Neti Pot and warm saline water.....aaaaaaahhhhh! It still freaks the kids out to watch but man, it sure makes my head feel better to irrigate my sinus cavity. Of course, we had those 2 August Weather Days earlier in the week while I was suffering through this head cold/sinus episode. I don't do well in the heat under the best of conditions so this just added to the misery on my part. 90 degrees in April in PA....What was UP with THAT??!!!
Ok....I guess I need to either shaddup about this or commence serving some cheese about now with all this 'whine'.lolol
Here's the 411 on the Neti Pot....
Personally, I like this guy's Frugal Neti Pot!
On the Good side of things, I think I am over the worst of this sinus infection, I haven't murdered anyone(not like I didn't have the opportunity!), & I got a rental car to use(b/c the insurance adjustor nixed driving the crashed car until getting it fixed). Rental car means I was able to hit the stores to roll some RRS at Wags and use some 4/30 expiring Qs at the grocery store today. Just that little bit of 'out & about' today wore me out, bringing on chills and then fever. I am hitting the bed momentarily and shutting down the computer until late tomorrow. I just need to sleep and not think about deals and Qs, being frugal & green or worrying about updating the blog. Maybe I can guilt the family here into some TLC for Mom over the weekend too. Wouldn't hurt to try, right?lol
So, I'll be back in a couple of days everyone. Less delirious(well, sort of), more rested and ready to take on the new Sunday Inserts. ;-))
This is the New Man in my Life. ;-) I completed 8 Transactions during the KMart Super Doubles Event. Here are my Final Numbers.....
Total Value of Items w/sale prices.....$532.66 ($517.51 before tax) Add in the $5.00 Giftcard for buying the Kellogg's Cereal, and the Value of Items increases to...............................$537.66
Total Value of Coupons used.............$468.44
Total Out of Pocket Spent..................$64.22
Portion of OOP that was Tax.............$15.15
Percentage of Savings..................just under 89% Saved!
Ok, so here's what $64.22 Buys when you shop with me...
Finally.....the LAST TRIP to KMart for the April 19-25th Super Double Coupon Event. I was so sorry to see it end. Weren't you??
Here is Transaction #9, my last Round of buys....
4x Pedigree Dentastix @$4.29=$17.16 4x Pedigree Good Bites Dog Treats @ $2.99=$11.96
1x Pedigree Dry Dog Food=$4.99 2x Glade Candles @$7.99=$15.98
2x Glade Reed Diffusers @$7.99=$15.98 4x Vitamin Water @$1.29=$5.16
Subtotal......$71.23 Tax...............$2.32
Coupons Used- 4x Pedigree Dentastix @$2.50 doubled=$17.16 4x Pedigree Good Bites Dog Treats @ $1.00 doubled=$8.00
1x Pedigree Dry Dog Food @$1.50 doubled=$3.00
2x Glade Candles @$4.00 doubled=$$15.98
2x Glade Diffusers @$4.00 doubled=$15.98
4x Vitamin Water @$.50 tripled=$5.16 KMart $5/$50 Coupon=$5.00
Coupon Total....$70.28
$73.55-$70.28=$3.27 OOP
Basically, with the $5 KMart coupon included, I paid OOP .95¢ for the Dry Dog Food from the list & the tax.
My next post will be the List of everything I brought home during the KMart Super Doubles Event, plus all the important numbers(value of items, total of coupons used, % of savings, etc.).
Yes, that post will be like crack for math geeks! Numbers just give us a high....almost as good as a couponing/hounding score, don't they?lol
After this KMart Super Doubles Week and my Price Chopper/Unilever Double Dip Week at the beginning of the month, I am wiped out!
Next to last Trip to KMart for the April 19-25th Super Double Coupon Event.
ONLY 1 more....I promise!lol
Here is the haul....more Dog Treats, Candles, Soup, Rice Mixes & Drinks.
1x Pedigree Dentastix @$4.29
4x Pedigree Good Bites Dog Treats @ $2.99=$11.96
1x Good Life Cat Treast @$2.00
1x Renuzit TriScents @$4.49
2x Renuzit TriScents Refills @$4.49=$8.98
2x Glade Candles @$3.00=$6.00
3x Lipton Side Dishes @$1.29=$3.87(not in picture)
2x Campbell's Soup @$1.29=$2.58
2x Campbell's Soup @$1.49=$2.98
3x Vitamin Water @$1.00=$3.00
1x Vitamin Water @$1.29
Also pictured is the small bag of Pedigree Kibble that I left out of the picture for Round 6. Hmmm, maybe my sinus infection has traveled to my brain?lol
Subtotal......$51.44 Tax...............$1.42
Coupons Used-
1x Pedigree Dentastix @$2.50 doubled=$4.29
4x Pedigree Good Bites Dog Treats @ $1.00 doubled=$8.00 1x Good Life Cat Treat @$1.00 doubled=$2.00 1x Renuzit TriScents @$4.00 doubled=$4.49 2x Renuzit TriScents Refills @$4.00 doubled=$8.98 2x Glade Candles @$3.00/2 doubled=$6.00/2 3x Lipton Side Dishes @$1.00/3 doubled=$2.00/3 2x Campbell's Soup @$1.00/2 doubled=$2.00/2 2x Campbell's Soup @$1.00/2 doubled=$2.00/2 3x Vitamin Water @$.50 doubled=$3.00 1x Vitamin Water @$.50 tripled=$1.29
KMart $5/$50 Coupon=$5.00
Coupon Total....$49.05
$52.86-$49.05=$3.81 OOP
$52 worth of goodies for under $4.
Are you convinced yet that coupons are worth the trouble?
