Friday, October 31, 2014

CVS Coupon Haul Week of 10/26/14: Saved 99%


I can finally say I am no longer a beginner at couponing. This haul was done in one transaction and was probably the easiest transaction I have done yet. I am starting to see the advantages of waiting till mid week to coupon. Even though you are running the risk of the product being out of stock, you have more time to do your research.  There are a ton of couponing websites that list the deals for you and let you know where to find or print the coupons. These websites can be kind of confusing so I recommend YouTube for new couponers. Once on YouTube you can just search "CVS (or any store) coupon haul" and see what has been uploaded this week. In these videos they break down the best deals.

- - -

Transaction #1

Pantene PRO-V Curl Defining Mousse: $5.49 on sale for $4.00
Pantene Dmdtx Weekly Deep Clean Shampoo: $4.99 on sale for $4.00
(3) Tide Plus Febreze Freshness Detergent Spring & Renewal: $8.49 on sale for $5.94
(2) Olay Regenerist Lum Bright Cream Cleanser: $11.49 on sale for $4.00
Febreze Candle Med Lavender: $4.99 on sale for $2.99
Febreze Candle Thai Dragon Fruit: $4.99 on sale for $2.99
Puffs Plus With Lotion: $1.87 on sale for $.99
Softsoap Body Butter Body Hydrating Wash Coconut: $4.49 on sale for $2.99
(2) Mennen Speed Stick Men's Gear A/P Clean Peak: $5.99 on sale for $2.99

Manufacturer Coupons:
Pantene Buy 1 Get 1 - P&G Insert 10/26
$2 off Pantene Styler - Coupons.com
(3) $2.00 off Tide - P&G Insert 10/26
(2) $4 off Olay - September Olay Insert
Buy 1 Get 1 Fabreze - P&G Insert 10/26
$1 off Fabreze - P&G Insert 9/28
$1 off Softsoap - P&G Insert 10/26
(2) $2 off Speed Stick Gear - SmartSource Insert 10/26

CVS Coupons:
$.99 off Puffs
$3 off 2 Mens Deordorant

Used $18.00 in ExtraCareBucks

Paid: $4.01 after tax + received $7.00 in ExtraCareBucks

 - - - 

Retail Value: $90.48

  Paid Out Of Pocket After Tax : $4.01
($7.00 in ExtraCareBucks left over for next week)

Saved: $86.47

99%

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

How I Simplify Recipes & Make Paleo Friendly

Some people can be intimidated by cooking alone not to mention trying to figure out how to make a recipe Paleo friendly. Below I will share how I took one of my favorite recipes for Shpard's Pie and made it work for our lifestyle.

Ingredients


Directions 


Keep in mind when cooking you can really make up your own rules. (Baking, not so much) I made this dish recently and was too lazy to boil the chopped carrots after I boiled the Cauliflower. In the finished dish the carrots were harder than usual but who cares, I was just cooking for myself and my husband. When I cook for other people I tend to follow the rules but when cooking for yourself use some trial and error to see if you can simplify the process.

Happy Cooking!

Monday, October 27, 2014

A Lost Weekend

Have you every taken a weekend just to yourself to get things done for you and not for anyone else? Joe and I decided this past weekend was going to be for just this. We both had homework to do but other than that we decided we were going to "check out." The main purpose of the weekend was to get ahead in school but to also completely relax and enjoy some down time.

With our current work/school schedule we do not get the sleep we need or deserve. So one of my main goals was to get caught up on my sleep. I think I went a tiny bit overboard when I went to lie down to read a book at 6:00pm on Sunday, accidentally feel asleep did not... I repeat did not wake up until Monday morning. Not only did I not eat dinner but failed to make anything for lunches this week and will not have a chance to do so until Tuesday night.

So as I sit here on the Monday after our lost weekend I am no more relaxed than usual! I know I may be alone on this I feel like I need to get chores and errands done on the weekend to feel more relaxed when Monday comes.

Can I get a re-do?

Friday, October 24, 2014

Follow Up on Canceled Delta Flight


As you read in my previous post, last weekend we had a less than satisfying experience flying delta airlines. Delta has been my favorite airline for many years. They are not only an airline that flies everywhere we like to go but they are an airline that is no-nonsense. If you attempt to board a flight with a 75 pound "carry-on" they will stop you the moment you step on-board and quickly remove it to be checked. I like that they don't let their customers walk all over them because we all know how some air travel can be if you get the wrong people on board.

After the flight had been canceled there was much talk around us about how these customers will never be flying Delta again. I was not ready to write Delta off that quickly. During the process of dealing with the canceled flight we lost money on our hotel and rental car because we did not fly in until the next day. My mother contacted Delta about being reimbursed for these expenses because it was Delta's doing. Unfortunately, we were told they would be unable to reimburse us but would like to award 9,000 miles to everyone in our party. That evening we received another e-mail further apologizing for the inconvenience and awarded us an additional 2,500 miles.

In the end we received 11,500 miles each for a flight that cost me a tad over $150. If I were to use these miles on my next purchase it would equal $115 but luckly for Joe and I with this reward we now qualify for a FREE round trip flight. Things happen but for the time being Delta will remain my airline!

THANKS DELTA!

Monday, October 20, 2014

10th Visitor of 2014 & a Weekend Trip to Niagara Falls

This trip started out like any other, little did we know this trip was going to get a little stressful and a little wacky. Arriving at the gate on Friday night at our designated boarding time I knew something was fishy when a completely different flight was boarding. With our flight status still stating “on time” we just waited. Moments later with no announcement the board changed from “on time” to “one hour delay.” Moments after that is when we hear this announcement: “We apologize but flight #**** to Buffalo has been canceled, please see the help desk for rebooking options.” Without thinking I ran towards the help desk knowing if I was not somewhere near the front of the line we had no chance. The manager on duty announced that we have all been rebooked on the 6:45am flight Saturday morning. Delta would cover a hotel for the night and transportation to and from the hotel. Joe, my mother, and I decided to take the hotel and even though we would only get one night in Canada to make the best of it. We arrived at our hotel in Queens around 11:30pm, cracked a beer to unwind from the craziness and then and went straight to bed knowing we had to be up bright and early the next morning for our flight.





Fast forward to the next morning, we are all sitting patiently at the airport waiting to board our 6:45am flight when we hear this announcement: “We apologize but the flight crew was told a takeoff time of 7:40am so we currently have no crew for a 6:45am departure.” Once on board our now 7:40am flight we are asked to check our boarding passes to make sure we are all going to buffalo, a little strange but ok. Twenty minutes later we are all asked to take out our boarding passes to be shown to the flight attendants. After another fifteen minutes some customers are demanding answers and so yet again we receive another announcement: “Our current count is off and we need everyone to double check they are on the correct flight or we will be unable to takeoff.” An additional fifteen minutes later a women gets up from her seat and tells the attendant she thinks she is supposed to be on the next flight.They remove her from the flight and start to finally prepare for takeoff.

Thirteen hours after we should have been arriving at our hotel we finally made it. We quickly dropped our bags in our rooms and went exploring.







That night after a short nap we were back at it enjoying a nice dinner and some fun in downtown Niagara Falls.




All in all it was a great trip and we would love to go back sometime when we have more time to really tour more of Canada.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Sharing The Love: Vlog Edition

 

I know I am not the only one that loves to curl up on the couch on a rainy (or sunny) day and catch up on your preferred blogs or YouTube channels. I wanted to share just some of my favorites and this post will be focusing on Vlog YouTube channels. For those that don’t know a Vlog is a video blog about one’s daily life. The Vlog concept was very interesting to me from the moment I started surfing YouTube. Over the past months a few of the YouTube vloggers have gotten me hooked and here they are:




I give these people credit for putting portions of their life for others to view. It’s always fun to see how others live day to day. Don’t forget to share your favorites so I can join in on the fun. :)

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Husband Coupon Haul

I realize my blog posts have been extremely routine lately. I apologize for this but with school, work, and visitors it has been hard to get my creativity brain working. Our current schedule is leaving the house at 7am for work and not arriving back from school until 11pm so you can see why I have been slacking. With that said I am going to make every effort to post more exciting updates in the weeks to come.

- - -


Last week my husband brought to my attention that my recent couponing hauls have been mainly girl products (I beg to differ) but this is where my challenge came in. He challenged me to do a husband haul. For this haul I did not save as much money as I normally do because I was limited to products he would like that were on sale. All in all I think I did a pretty good job and I have a very happy (and hydrated) husband.

Transaction #1

(2) Gatorade G Series Thirst Quencher Fruit punch 4 Pack: $4.59 each on Sale for 2/$5.00
(6) Gatorade G Series Thirst Quencher Lemon Lime 4 Pack: $4.59 each on Sale for 2/$5.00 
(2) Axe Sport Blast Shower Gel + Shampoo: $5.79 on Sale for 2/$9.00
(2) Axe Dry 24H Anti-perspirant & Deodorant:  $6.20 on Sale for Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off

CVS Coupon $3.00 Off Deodorant
Coupons.com $3.00 two Axe products
CVS Coupone $1.50 Off Deoforant
Used $21.00 in ExtraCareBucks from last week

Paid: $12.40 + received $7.00 in ExtraCareBucks

 

 - - -




Retail Value: $60.70
 

Paid Out Of Pocket : $12.40

($7.00 in ExtraCareBucks left over for next week)



Saved: $48.30

80%

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

CVS Coupon Haul Weekend of 10/3/14


Transaction #1

Schick Hydro Silk Disposables: $15.99
Playtex Gentle Glide Tampons: $8.99

Coupons.com $6.00 off Hydro Silk
Coupons.com $3.00 off Playtex
CVS 15% off Razors
Used $15.00 in ExtraCareBucks from the previous week  


Paid: $0.00 + received $10.00 in ExtraCareBucks


- - -
(2) Sparkle Papertowels: $9.99 on sale for $5.00
Quilted Northern Toilet Paper: $6.99 on sale for $5.00
Coupons.com $1.00 Sparkle
Coupons.com $1.00 Quilted Northern
 Used $10.00 in ExtraCareBucks from Transaction #1
Paid: $3.22 + received $3.00 in ExtraCareBucks
 - - -

Retail Value: $51.95
 
Paid Out Of Pocket : $3.22
($3.00 in ExtraCareBucks left over for next week)

Saved: $48.73
94%

Monday, October 6, 2014

Weekend Wrap-Up - 8th & 9th Visitors of 2014!


Our lives have been busier than ever these past couple of months but we were able to take a break this past weekend and host two of our best friends. The trip was intended to be a surprise but me being my nosy self caught wind of something fishy and starting asking questions. Over the weekend we were able to spend time in Manhattan and also escape up to Westchester to unwind a little. We did everything from karaoke, brunch, sightseeing, and just plain celebrating.


I do wish we had more free time to visit and catch up but it was an awesome treat to see them and show them around. As always we hope they come back very soon!