What 12¢ gets you at Walmart

No not Tazzy.  He is worth much more than 12¢.

I got all this after work on Monday for a whopping 12 cents.
11 bath puffs.  87¢ each - $1 coupons = $1.43 overage
2 packs vegetables for $1.29(ish.  I can't remember) each - $1 coupons = $.58
bottle of fruit water $.33
buns $.98
minus my discount = 12 cents.

Disco Ball'd, Duckie, Mermaid Tail & Candy Crush

Several manicures to share.  This first one was a disco ball motif I did on Beth.  I had something else in mind when I started but it didn't work out when the polish dried too quickly and I tore the guidelines off and most of the polish with them.  I wound up using a stamp for this and covered over it with several colors.  Kinda funky.

This is a Rubber Duckie mani on Beth.  Free handed ducks, y'all!

 And today Beth wanted Candy Crush. 

 The thumbs are my favorites.

And this one is my Mermaid Tail idea that I did on myself last week.

I lost a couple nails last week so this week I'm just doing a crackle with one of my new polishes and hoping my nails grow enough over the next two weeks to do the sunset and phoenix manicures I posted a while back. I would love to find a small phoenix/firebird charm but haven't had any luck.

 I've been getting a lot of new bottles lately since Revlons are free at Walgreens this week and CVS last week.  That and the Sinful Colors sales have been pretty good so I've been able to fill my palette a little with some needed colors.  I also got a new storage system since my old one was completely, astonishingly over capacity.  I'll post photos of it soon, too.  I'm quite proud of it.

... til next time

Marilyn Monroe nails

I wanted to try a technique I recently saw today.  My daughter volunteered her nails.  I'm a little disappointed at how light some of the photos were but it was mostly trial and error getting the prints wet enough, leaving them on long enough, etc.

... til next time

Mint Mani for Talia Joy

The world lost a beautiful soul recently.
This mani is in honor of the lovely Talia Joy.

Just a few ideas for upcoming nails.

Phoenix Rising
Base coat of Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
Ombre apply via makeup sponge of Revlon "Poppy" and Revlon "Saucy"
Stamp from BundleMonster 314 done in Orly "Naughty" but Orly "Wild Wisteria" might be better

Kaleidiscope
Base coat of Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
Block style application (smaller than on the stone obviously) of:
Revlon "Superstitious", Revlon "Sorbet", Sinful Colors "Innocent", Revlon "Optimistic", Sally Hansen Xtreme "Mellow Yellow"
stamp Red Angel 108 in Wet n Wild "Black Creme"

 Black Eye-let
Base coat of Sinful Colors "Folly"
Diagonal of Wet n Wild "Black Creme"
Stripe of Salon Perfect "Silver Plated"
Dots (w/dotting tool) Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
create loops (dot to dot) with dotting tool.
placement of chunky glitter "Silver" at bases of loops

Mermaid Tail
Base coat of Revlon "Blue Slate"
Apply coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme "Blizzard Blue" then dab off with saran wrap
Stamp used is BundleMonster 209 but the Red Angel 111 might be better as it is more fish scaly looking with a curved side
Scatter while wet with chunky glitter in "Glitz"

Take Me for Granite
Base coat of Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
On balled saran apply Essie "Master Plan" blot on paper then lightly apply to nail
Prepare alcohol spray water marble of Revlon "Varnished".  Use a sparse spot for application.

Watercolor Horizon
Base coat of Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
Ombre application via makeup sponge of Revlon "Superstitious", Sally Hansen Xtreme "Mellow Yellow" and Sinful Colors "Innocent".
Not sold on the stamp.  Might try to find something different or use a different color.  Or both.

 Summer Sunset
Base coat of Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
Omber application via makeup sponge of Brash "Gone Bananas", Sinful Colors "Courtney Orange" and Sinful Colors "Folly".
important - - I screwed this up on my sample.  Yellow should be on top, orange in middle and pink at bottom.
Also, it took two coats to apply color bright enough.
Stamp is from Salon Express 18.  Stamp first, create island using Brash black striper, leaving a line for definition.  Birds created from dotting tool and same striper.

 Paper Girl
base coat of Essie "Mamba" topped with a coat of Sally Hansen "Dura Pearl". 
Type out then print *in mirror image* the words you want.  Cut out a piece about 1 ½" long and about as tall as your nail.  Soak in rubbing alcohol for 10 minutes while your nails dry.
Take the piece out of the alcohol and press lightly onto nail rolling your finger over the top lightly so as not to smudge but heavy enough to coax words onto nail for about 30 seconds.  Remove paper and words should appear. 
I saw an idea for these that had a rose painted on top and really liked it.  Looked kind of victorian and antiquey. 
These are my ideas for the next two months.  This week I will be doing a mint theme in honor of Talia Joy.

.... til next time.

Yuma Famous

So I learned this week that we are Yuma Famous.

My family was at Target without me because I had the cold crud that has been going around, that's why there was no post last week.  According to them, they were approached at Target by a woman who said that she had seen us at various stores around town and thought we were doing a great job and loved to see how much we are able to save.  Too funny. 
Though that is better than the alternative which seems to be throwing us scathing looks at the register.  So tired of that.

I have a ton of photos to share this time since half were from last week.  Let's start with last week.

Target
On target.com you can get coupons for all of the things seen here. 
The Milk Bone was a great stack with a manufacturer's coupon that may still be available on coupons.com.  Both coupons are $1 off and in most of the country these are around $3 making them under $1 a bag.
The pasta coupon is $1 off 3 and these (in most of the country) are on sale for $1 each making them 67 cents.  The ketchup coupon is actually $2 off the 38oz or larger ketchup or three Ore-Ida potato products.  At the time the coupon came out, the ketchup was $1.99 a bottle making them free.  The price here went up a few days after the coupon came out, but it's still a pretty good deal for 69 cents.  The antacid coupon is $1.50 off and these were $1.74 but are now $2.04.  The Up n Up cotton coupon is 50 cents off and these small packs are 87 cents making them 37 after the coupon.

This was another Target trip a couple days later.  The cat food coupon was from Target and was buy one get one free, so a great stock up price.  More ketchup, pasta, Milk Bone and cotton pads.  The Peanut butter was on clearance for $2 with a expiration date of next month, it'll be gone by then!
The M&Ms were a coupon stack of $1.50/2 mannyQ and $1.50/2 Target coupon making them $1.49 each.  The Shick razors had a $5 gift card when you buy 2 so along with my $4 mannyQ they were under $2.50 each.

CVS
I only went in for free toothpaste.
In the circular, they advertised the Colgate having an ECB of $4 making them 99 cents each.  I had snagged some blinkie coupons a couple months ago for $1 off one of these so I actually got paid a penny to buy them!
My daughter has started using the Sally Hansen polish strips that we picked up on clearance at Target.  With our $3 coupon and a ECB of $5 when you spend $10, we picked these up for $1.99 each.
The Chex Mix and Combos were on a surprise sale for $1 each.  I had coupons for 50 cents off 2 so grabbed most of these for 75 cents each.

Walgreen's
Colgate was $3.49 with a $2.99 register reward that wound up being $3 plus I had a 50 cent coupon so again made a penny on Colgate. 
Olay was on sale and I couldn't pass it up.
Jelly beans were 2 for 4.  Had to.

Fry's
I'm really beginning to love Fry's.  Their "every coupon is $1" is pretty great and I've been able to save a bunch.  The Hamburger Helper was 88 cents and I had 75 cents off 3 coupons so they wound up being 55 cents each. The French's onions are on sale for 2/$4 and I had a 50 cent coupon so paid $1.

Albertson's
They had a buy 8 save $4 sale.  This made the tp $2.49 each and $1.99 with my 50 cent coupon.  The Lay's were B1G1 at $4.30.  With two $1/1 coupons I paid $1.15 each. 

Last week I spent $265 on $509 worth of product for a 48% savings.  

And now this week.

Target
There is a breakfast sale at Target this week.  Buy 5 of the selected items and get a $5 gift card.  We did one transaction of 4 cereals and 1 juice.  The juice is $3, $2 after the gift card and $1 after the $1 coupon from last Sunday's paper.  The cereal was $2.49, $1.49 each after the gift card and 80 cents after my coupons.  
I did the same transaction again with 2 juice and 3 cereals that wound up being $1.05 each after coupons.  The Jimmy Deal was 99 cents each after the $1.50 coupon that is available.  I also picked up another ketchup, more antacid and cotton rounds.

CVS
The Magic Coupon Machine is giving out coupons for $1 off 2 select Kellogg's cereals which are on sale for 2/$4.  Along with my coupon I paid $1 each for the Corn Flakes.  The Rice Krispies were $1.50.
Jelly beans are 99 cents with a 99 cent ECB making them free.
Hershey's Easter candies are 2/$5 and when you spend $15 you get a $5 ECB.  I also had $2 off 3 coupons so when I bought 6 packages they were $6 or $1 each.
M&Ms are 4/$12 with a $ECB.  I had $1.50/2 coupons so they came out to $1.25 each.

This is Walmart.  Sunbird seasoning and large burritos were free after coupons from the paper and at coupons.com.  Activia is on Rollback for $2 and there were $1/1 coupons in the paper. 

Walgreen's
One of my favorite deals of the week, the tuna is on sale for 99 cents and in the Walgreen's monthly coupon book there is a coupon for 50 cents off of one making them 49 cents each.  The Miracle Whip is on sale for $2.99 and I had a $1/1 coupon.   The deodorant is on sale for 2/$6, the coupon book has a $1/2 coupon and there were $2/1 coupons in the paper making these 50 cents each.  I think I am way overstocked on deodorant now.  The Puffs were 99 cents each and I had 25cents/3 coupons.

Fry's
There were 75 cents off one of the new Ten sodas in the paper.  These were on sale for 88 cents each so only 7 cents each!!

I went back to Fry's this morning.  The one store was out of the Dial so I went to the other store which seems to be better stocked most of the time.  The Dial is on sale for $1 each.  I had 35 cents off 1 coupon but remember... at Fry's every coupon is $1 (except for the soda because it was less than $1) so I got these for free!
The flower was on clearance for $1.  Bologna 88 cents.  The Pink Lemonade cookies were calling to me.

Target
I hit Target again because yesterday after shopping I found out about the toothbrush deal.  In the paper last Sunday were coupons for $1 off 1 or 2 Oral-B toothbrushes (depending on the style).  They are all buy 4 and get a $5 gift card as well as being on sale for $2.25 each.  So:
$2.25 - $1Q - $1.25 (giftcard) = Free when you  buy 4.
Since they had a problem ringing them up, I paid 38 cents for the toothbrushes on my first transaction.
Second transaction was the razors and cotton rounds.  The razors are $9.49, I had $4 off 1 mannyQs plus $5 off 2 Target Qs.  I paid $2.99 each for them which is a little higher than I would have liked but my stash from last year is getting low.

This week I paid $68.34 on $237.60 in product for a 71% savings.

Til next time...

The Fingernail Tapper Behind Me

I hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day.  I sure did!  Since I had the day off and there were some great sales, I knew this was going to be a big trip and boy-howdy it sure was!

The first stop of the day was Target.
Notables are the Ragu and Old El Paso which is still on the "Buy 10 get a $5 gift card" deal through the 28th.  I had a coupon for Old El Paso also, so it's a great stock-up sale. 
The pork roasts were on sale and I used the incredible $1 off pork coupon which may still be available HERE.  I paid a little over $3 for one and $6 for the other. 
Beggin Strips are on sale for 2/$5.  I used a $1 Q on each making them $1.50 each.
The yellow Glade spray and the purple Glade box were 99 cents after $2 and $4 coupons available at coupons.com or allyou.com/coupons and a $1 coupon available at target.com.

This was Walgreen's. 
The soup was 2 for $4, $1 each after Qs.  Oatmeal was $1.50, no coupon needed.  Life was $2 each and I thought I had coupons but they had expired and I really wanted it.
Deodorant was 2 for $6 with a $4 Register Reward when you purchase 2.  A couple weeks ago, there was a $1 off one coupon in the paper.  I did two transactions and the deodorant was FREE.
The Trident was 3 for $2 with an in-ad coupon.  I had $1 off 3 coupons making them roughly 33 cents each.

This was CVS.  Like last week, the Colgate was free after a $2.50 CVS coupon and a 50 cent manny Q.
The Dove was $1.27 each after $1 off 2 CVS Q and $1 off 2 manny Q.  Gotta have chocolate, after all it *was* Valentine's Day.
The peanut sale was one I have been waiting for.  They were $3.49 each.  I had $1 Qs off each one.  Then, when you spend $15 on them you get a $5 ecb making each one $1.49.

This was Walmart.  It was a huge trip and I knew it was going to be long before we went.  I had coupons that I wanted to use up before they expired on great stockpile items.
Notables:

• Twelve IHOP meals for $1.27 each.  My son loves them.
• Four packs of Vanity Fair napkins.  They are my luxury item.  ;)
• Eight Tai Pei meals.  I used the coupon available at Tai Pei's facebook page that pretty much makes them BOGO.  Plus I ad-matched them to Food City's 2 for $4.
• I had coupons for all the rice that I wanted to use up.  
• The Glade sprays were all 50 cents after the aforementioned $2 Qs
• I had 35 cent coupons for the Mean Green cleaners that were about to expire.  We use Mean Green all the time.
• The Glade warmers were 29 cents each after $1 coupons
• Deodorant was 75 cents each after 75 cent coupons.  I know I get free deodorant all the time, but most of it I give away because my daughter and I are allergic to most of it.  Suave is about the only brand we can use so worth the 75 cents.
• The YOPA Greek Yogurt was 8 cents each after the $1 coupon available when you like Yopa Greek Yogurt on facebook.  
• I had coupons for all the vinegars which was nice to be able to get after we gave all our spices and vinegars away when we were going to move.
• Splurges were the corn dogs for my son, the kite for umm... me and the batting to fix our couch.

My total at Walmart was $243.  Then I handed the cashier my 87 coupons.  Ten at a time so I could count them as they scanned.  The lady behind me was pisssssed; tongue in cheek, tapping her fingernails on the belt.  I might have felt bad if she hadn't had other register options available 5 feet away.
Anywho... after coupons my total was $163.  So my 87 coupons saved me 80 dollars.  And even though that's pretty high, it was nice to stock up on some things.

So then we went to Fry's. 
I had only intended on getting the Coke (3 for $9), the butter (I had uploaded a 75 cent store coupon to my store card) and checking on the cereal sale.
I wound up getting the El Monterey for $3.49 a bag, the cookies for 49 cents each (Valentine's on clearance for 99 cents and I had $1 off 2 coupons), the peeps I *had* to have, the yogurts were on sale 10 for $4 and then we found more greek yogurts on clearance for 25 cents each,
The cereal was a bounty of savings.  They were all 2 for $4 and I had some great coupons (still available at allyou.com/coupons and coupons.com) for up to $1.25 off a box.
On top of that, I don't shop Fry's often so it gets by me that they up all coupons to $1.  I need to go there more often.  Because of that policy all my cereal coupons were at least $1 off.
I paid $57 for $115 worth of product.

The last stop was Albertson's.
Like Fry's, I don't shop there often.  I think it is my "pre-coupon brain" kicking in because their prices are usually so high.  But if you shop the sales and combine coupons, you can really get some great deals there.
All the vitamins are on sale and I had coupons for all of them.
The Quaker was on sale for 2 for $4 and I found peelie coupons on them for 50 cents off. 
The eggs were on sale for 98 cents, the milk for $1.79 and the bread for $1.69.
The roasts were BOGO and I had $1 coupons for Hormel roasts from the paper.
I paid $70 for $153 of product.

In all on Valentine's Day I spent $383 on $718 worth of product for a savings of $334 or 46%.

Then I had to ....

put a bookcase full of mostly health & beauty and chemical products in my son's room so I could....

rearrange HallMart.  I wound up rearranging my bathroom cabinet with all my nail polish in it and the drawer unit in my room with health & beauty, pharmacy and candy in it.
Now I'm looking at another bookcase for my room to put all the cereal on.  I think we have about 40 boxes.
*phew*