Can you say “pizza crust mix”?

You know your family has been changed by couponing when your husband opens the Fareway flyer in the newspaper and gets excited that pizza crust mixes are finally on sale for 50 cents!

A year ago we were ordering pizza most Friday nights, spending $30 or more each time. Now we try to make our own pizzas, but even that can add up. I’ve been picking up the $5 one-topping pizzas at Little Caesar’s and the take-n-bake pizzas from Papa Murphy’s, but it’ll be nice now for my hubby to be able to make dinner!

When I put these up on the counter the cashier asked if I realized I had 22 and I said, “Yep!” So excited to get these! I left plenty more behind, too.

$10 Gift Card from Target

 

Go here to print a coupon for  $10.00 gift card with a $50.00 purchase at Target.

 

Old Navy Groupon

If you’re an Old Navy shopper and haven’t purchased a Groupon yet, this would be a good one to get started with! The Groupon is worth $20 on an in-store purchase, but only costs $10. Be sure to read the fine print. I only purchased one, as a person can only redeem one, but can buy an additional Groupon as a gift.

Free Samples!

I just scored samples from Dove and Woolite. Go here to score yours. I love trying new products for free and they’re usually a travel friendly size.

Thinking outside of the box

 

What a great little coupon. One that I’ve taken advantage of many times.

 

We keep our cat treats under the kitchen sink, along with dish soap, dish sponges, trash bags, etc.

It was getting a little messy under the sink.

I knew I had a decent stock pile, but didn’t know exactly how many bottles I had of dish soap or cat treats. (Target recently had a coupon for 75 cents off a Target brand cleaning item, which took dish soap from $1.97 to $1.28, which is cheaper than Aldi’s price. Needless to say, I stocked up. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m guessing I’ll always dirty dishes to wash!)

So, what did I do? First I emptied the majority of the items, grouped everything and then reassembled the cupboard contents.

When I initially saw the coupon on the Target website I assumed “cleaning item” meant window cleaner, carpet cleaner, and so forth. At some point my wheels started spinning and I decided dish soap was a cleaning item. As you can see, the coupon worked just fine. I always do everything I can to make sure I’m being an honest shopper, but I still try to think outside of the box and get the most for my buck.

Just a cardboard box?

I started shopping at Aldi’s this earlier this year, thanks to a smart friend of mine. During my shopping trips I would often see empty cardboard boxes on the counter, where you bag your groceries up.

I always try to bring my reusable bags with me, wherever I shop, as it’s easier to bring everything into the house and I’m usually paid a nickel for every bag I use. Well, the other day I impulsively picked up a salad box while shopping at Aldi’s. Why, you ask?
This is why.

Since I’ve started couponing I’ve accumulated quite a stock pile, so now I have to figure out a way to organize everything. Hmm… go to Target and buy cute, expensive baskets and tubs or go to Aldi’s for groceries and take home a free box? I like free!
Here’s how it turned out.

I took everything off this shelf, sorted by type & size, took a few kitchen items to the basement (things we rarely use) and then put the box to work.

Organizing helped me realize that the next time I print a “food storage” coupon from Target's website, I should use it on Saran Wrap, as I only have one.
So there you go. Free organizing!

Organizing Coupons

This is how I organize my coupons. I have a few different categories and file them in order of how expiration date. I’ve seen other couponers (is that really a word?) walking around Target with their binders full of coupons, but this is the system that has worked for me, so far.
I like this little organizer (from the Dollar Spot at Target, I think!) because it fits into my purse.
Speaking of coupons…

I took a look at the Target ad for this week to see if anything was on sale that I happened to have a coupon for.

I saw flour was on sale, so I circled it, as I was pretty sure I had a coupon for it. I flipped through my “food” coupons and found what I was looking for, but then realized even after saving 50 cents I’d still be paying more than I would at Aldi’s, without a coupon. A deal isn’t always a deal. Using a coupon doesn’t always save you money.

I was delighted to come across the sale price of orange juice and I knew I had a few more Target juice coupons left. I printed them here.

Kraft cheese is also on “sale” at Target this week. Not that great of a sale, as I can get shredded cheese for a dollar per cup at Aldi’s, but I was able to combine my Target coupon with a manufacturer's, making it .58 per cup.