Late night King Soopers trip with Katie the coupon lady.....

What were you all doing at 9pm on this wonderful Tuesday night???  I was out taking advantage of King Soopers Mega Event!  There were some coupons I had to use before this sale ended, and I was running low on laundry detergent :)  I spent about 30 minutes making my list and clipping/printing my coupons earlier this afternoon.....On a side note, IF you watch that ridiculous show "Extreme Couponing" on TLC, you will repeatedly hear the couponers claim that EVERY one that "extreme coupons" spends at least 30 hours a week in preparation for shopping trips.....LET ME TELL YOU, this is so not true.  I have NEVER spent even close to that much time!  Although, if you are just beginning your coupon clipping journey, you will spend more time getting the hang of things...BUT, it is not ALL time consuming!  Okay,, back to my night.  I grabbed my coupon satchel and headed out.  I was in the store for 25 minutes and this is what I came out with:

(5) Purex Laundry Detergents
(3) Crystal Light "on the go" Single Beverage pouches
(3) 5 quart Crystal light Tea and Lemonade Mixes
(1) Kraft Singles
(1) Secret Deodorant
(3) Carefree Panty Liners
(1) Eggo Waffles
(1) Sunny Delight
(2) Boulder Valley BBQ Potato Chips
(6) Assorted Pasta's ***Although I have a LARGE stockpile of pasta, it is always nice to give some to friends/family/local foodbank!
(3) Kraft BBQ Sauces (not my fave, but good for freezer cooking!)
and last but NOT least
(2) Butterfinger candy bars....(I am planning on making homemade blizzards once this crazy weather warms up :)  ) 

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS AND LOYALTY CARD:  $76.47
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS AND CARD: $6.89 plus $2.18 in tax!!!!!! 

Not the best I have ever done, but any savings over 90% is FABULOUS!  Plus, I NEEDED laundry stuff, and I was thrilled to find a $3 off Secret Deodorant coupon which made it FREE!


Now, I want to share a quick coupon tip with you.  If you are thinking of starting couponing, one of the biggest things you must consider is: ARE YOU BRAND LOYAL?  As much as I would love to always wash my clothes in TIDE, I just paid a whopping $0.60 for (5) 32 load Purex's.  That is right....60 pennies!  6 dimes!  I realize that some families have allergies, or other factors that may contribute to brand loyalty, but if YOU CAN, and if you are SERIOUS about saving money, I would encourage you to break out of your comfort zone!  

LONG overdue...DAY 21 and challenge wrap up!

LONG AWAITED DAY 21! 
I am sad and a bit dissapointed to tell you that ALL of my $8 plus my rollover was spent on gas....blah.  I must say, the whole $4/gallon of gas thing REALLY threw a wrench in my exciting challenge.  Had I known that prices were going to climb daily, I probably would have increased my daily allowance.  So with that said:

TOTAL SPENT ON GAS: $9.56 (used $1.56 rollover)

After living off $8/day for the past 3 weeks, I was somewhat sad to end the challenge.  I knew for my marriages sake that we needed to break from the frugalness, and with all the birthdays and company in town I knew that it would not be possible to live the same way we had during the challenge.  I must say though, I have seen a MAJOR difference in the way I spend money. 

Living off of $8/day was not easy and at times I wanted to stop the challenge and run out to the nearest store and pay FULL PRICE for something (gasp!).  Looking back, I am really proud of us for sticking it out, and working TOGETHER as a family.  I look forward to share more of my frugal ways with you all and hope that you will continue to check back with me on a regular basis!

 END OF THE CHALLENGE

 

~When you are living off $8/day, you have a hard time clothing your children....You also put them to work in the kitchen :)

Do you have any crazy ideas you would like to "challenge" me with?  Leave a comment and let me know!  

Who wants a FREE Pizza from Papa Johns?!?!? How about a FREE Bagel with Cream cheese from Brueggers?!?!?

Today only you can get a FREE medium cheese pizza from Papa Johns.  Just enter promo code mkcqov under promo codes located HERE.  If you don't want it today, just order it now and schedule it for a future delivery or pickup (up to 21 days out).  THIS PROMO CODE WILL NOT LAST LONG SO ORDER FAST!!!!    yikes, that was quick!!!  I hate it when deals expire so quick...  :(

I ordered my FREE pizza for tomorrow at noon so the boys can have an easy, FREE lunch!

NOT in the mood for pizza?!?!?  While, through May 16, just print this LITTLE PUPPY off and use it to score a FREE bagel with cream cheese at BRUEGGERS BAGELS! 

~~I apologize for not updating the blog....now that I am back on track, look forward to some awesomeness coming your way :)