Walgreens and CVS Shopping Savings 1/29~2/7

My husband stopped by Walgreen's after church this morning to pick up three boxes of taco shells and three boxes of hamburger helper.  This week, Walgreen's has both taco shells and hamburger helper on sale for $0.99 which is my buying price and we had coupons!  He did good, he spent $4.59 and saved $9.15 or 67% with coupons and savings.

I went quickly to CVS next after the boys got home and we had lunch.  I bought Mayonnaise, two Lipton teas, two Ragu's tomato sauce, two Centrum vitamins, four Dawn soaps, a gallon of milk, and two bags of Hershey kisses for Jakob to take to school (requested for a project).  I spent $22.15 today and saved 34.97 or 61%.  Funny thing from the CVS trip was as I was purchasing the Hershey kisses, I realized I did not look for coupons for them!  It looks like I could have saved an extra dollar, but oh well!  He needed them for school and we spent much less than I originally figured they might cost.  I also have $3.00 remaining in ECB for the next trip.

Now, I'm checking out Southern Savers to help me decide on what to get at Target and Kroger this week.  Kroger is having a Mega Event and I tend to only shop at Kroger when they have Mega Events due to the prices being at their lowest prices!  Time to restock some items!  Time to cut and compile the coupons!  I tend to have everything pulled and ready before going to the store.  I am not one of those coupon shoppers that brings my entire binder with me to the store.  I think I do better by deciding what we are buying ahead of time to help us stay on track.

Target Shopping - Ad 1/15~1/21

Today, Jeff, Ashlyn, and I went to Target.  The boys stayed home and played games.  I do not think they left their rooms except to get a snack around 3pm when Jeff called Roland to ask if he had chili in the pantry!

The last time I posted, I mentioned we were working toward getting back toward our $400 monthly goal.  We are doing better.  Today's trip we spent $67.00 which focused on sale items grouped with coupons.  I am doing better at remembering to bring my reusable shopping bags to save a little extra.  It may only be 5 cents per bag, but figure it still all adds up in the end.  I am noticing that Target is putting many more store coupons on their website which is wonderful to get to use a Target coupon in conjunction with a manufacturer coupon!  The best deals today are below.

Airborne $5.49

-$2 off Airborne product, SS 1/08

Total: $3.49 each


Lean Cuisine Meals $1.89 each
Target Special- Buy 6, Get 6ct Dreyer's Fruit Bars FREE

-Free Skinny Cow frozen item wyb (6) Lean Cuisine product printable

Total: $11.34 for 6 Lean Cuisine meals, Dryer's Fruit Bars, and Package of Skinny Cow Ice Cream!

Nabisco Cookie Snacks $4.49 each

Target Special- Buy 3, Get 1 FREE

$2/3 Nabisco Honey Maid, Newtons, Ritz Crackerfuls, Teddy Grahams, Snack Well’s, Wheat Thins, 100 Cal and Triscuit, SS 1/08

Total: $11.47 for 4 boxes; 12 packages in each 


Capri Sun $4.49 each (2 pack)

Target Special- Buy 3, Get 1 FREE

Total: $13.47 for 8 boxes

Jakob's Report Card - 1st Semester

Jakob is in the first grade this year and it is sure going by quickly!  I cannot believe we are already halfway done with the school year.  He is learning more and more each day!  Jakob has commented that first grade is going to get harder after the Winter Break as they prepare for 2nd grade.  Interesting to hear since I teach 8th grade and we are constantly telling them that we are making sure they are ready for high school.

3 - Meets Expectations
Consistently demonstrates proficient understanding and applies skills independently with minimal teacher support.

2 - Making Progress
Demonstrates initial stages of understanding; applies skills but requires teacher intervention and reinforcement.

1 - Insufficient Progress
Demonstrates a lack of understanding; difficulty accomplishing grade level tasks; reteaching consistently required.

Below is each category from his report card ending with the 3rd six weeks!  I am very proud of how hard he has been working and how much he loves to read!!


Language Arts

• Uses strategies to comprehend a variety of texts - 3
• Uses the writing process to compose a variety of texts - 3
• Listens attentively - 3
• Communicates ideas, experiences, and needs using academic language - 3

Early Literacy Inventory

• Letter Identification - 3
• Letter Sounds - 3
• Word Lists - 3
• Phonological Awareness - 2
• Dictation - 2
• Independent Reading Level - 3

Guided Reading Level

• Student Guided Reading Benchmark - J
• Student Uses Strategies to Comprehend Guided Reading Text - 3

Science

• Classifies objects by materiels from which they are made - 3
• Identifies the characters of the seasons of the year - 3
• Identifies the characteristics of day and night - 3
• Predicts and describes how magnests can be used to push or pull an object - 3

Social Studies

• Explains significances of patriotic symbols - 2
• Identifies the responsiblities of authority figures - 2
• Identifies characterss of good citizenship - 3
• Identifies contributions of historical figures

Math

• Selects or develops prob-solving stategies - 2
• Communicates explanation of strategy using objects, pictures, numbers, and words - 2
• Uses place vlaue to read, write, and count numbers - 3
• Uses place value to compare and order numbers - 3
• Identifies and describes shapes according to their attributes - 2
• Uses words and numbers to describe the value of of coins - 2
• Models and applies addition facts - 2
• Models and applies subtraction facts - 2
• Estimates and measures length using non-standard units - 3
• Identifies, extends patterns - 2

Assessing Math Concepts

• Number Arrangement - Identifies number arrangements and combine parts to 10 -3
• Hiding Assessment - Figures out missing parts to 10 - 2

MyFitnessPal.com

I am so excited!  Yesterday at a UIL school competition, another teacher showed me on her phone an app called MyFitnessPal and it is used to track what you eat to track calories along with the other nutrients of food.  It is totally free and has the same concepts as tracking food and weight loss as Weight Watchers.  I am completely hooked and have decided to this instead of paying for Weight Watchers monthly.  I did not attend the meetings, only did online for tracking what I was eating.  MyFitnessPal allows you to track your exercise to include additional calories.  All I had to do was enter my age, height, current weight, and my weight loss goal per week.  It gave me a daily calorie intake goal along with a weekly exercise goal.  After going online, I was able to take my past weight information for tracking purposes since I have been losing weight and it made the ticker below.  So I'm looking forward to losing additional weight and saving $18 a month doing it!  YEAH!  Oh, and the best part - it is on your phone or internet depending on how you want to use it.  You can even scan the item and it will pull it up for you without searching!

The other day, I posted about getting back on track and working out on our elliptical machine.  I am happy to report that I worked out three times last week and Jeff worked out twice last week on the elliptical!

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

Back to Reality and Back to Losing Weight

Over the break, I read the following post from a friend that I found true.

"Some people worry about what they eat between Christmas and New Years.  People should worry more about what they eat between New Years and Christmas more." ~Author Unknown

After I read the post, I agreed with it and therefore decided not to stress over my holiday eating.  I decided the cravings of some of the foods was probably better so I would get right back on track with school starting back up.  I regained about 4 pounds over the break from lack of exercise and just eating too much!

One of my "Goals" this upcoming year is to continue to lose weight and to exercise three times a week.  Before I got pregnant, we bought an elliptical machine.  It has been used, but not as much as it should be used!  Tonight, I watched How I Met Your Mother and did 30 minutes on the elliptical.  According to my elliptical, it stated I burned 225 calories!  So my thought process is I need to build my work-out schedule around my favorite television shows!  So hopefully by next Tuesday when I re-post, I will be a few pounds lighter!

Finished Something Borrowed now onto The Hunger Games

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



View all my reviews




I started this book while I was pregnant and did enjoy it. I read most of the book shortly before Ashlyn was born. It had an interesting twist and love triangle that kept it interesting. I enjoy reading romance and mystery books and tend to switch back and forth.

  

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



View all my reviews



I am enjoying The Hunger Games so far and after the first chapter it had me on the edge of my bed and couldn't stop reading!  I read another chapter and probably would have continued if it was not late!  One of my many goals is to read more and last year I did not read too much.  I like how the libraries now have books that can be loaned out for free and that makes an incentive to read a little quicker since there are due dates!

Feel free to leave me comments and recommendations on great books!  I enjoy reading romance, mystery, and police/lawyer mystery books most often.

$323.76 Coupons to Atsugi, Japan

I mailed the remaining coupons that were expiring on 12/31/11 to the military base in Japan.  Since I mailed them after the new year, I went ahead and counted them for 2012.  I must say it is pretty awesome to be able to send over coupons I do not use.  I know I save enough money to afford the stamps and I enjoy sending them to a base of my choice.  My brother continues to serve for the U.S. Navy, and I will continue to send coupons to our armed forces for 2012!  As mentioned in my last post, I have sent over $3200 in coupons since July to Atsugi, Japan!

If you would like to learn how to do the same, visit the Overseas Coupon Program website.  It's easy to do and I send monthly using First Class Mail.  It cost me about $1.50 to send them the coupons monthly.

Target Shopping - Ad 1/1 ~ 1/7

I went to Super Target today for some basics along with specific items in mind that were on sale that were matched with coupons.  Below are the good match ups that I picked up.   Some of them I bought two of the item, just depended on what we had on hand in the house.  With Christmas being over, I am trying to get back on track with our good coupon shopping and buying the items when they are on sale!  I'm also hoping to get back on our $400 monthly shopping budget for groceries and general household items.  I suspect with Christmas and having to restock that this month will be closer to $500.


Check out all the Target match-ups at Southern Savers this week's ad!

Similac $13.49

-$1.00/1 Similac Large Powder

-$5.00/1 Similac Coupon Check

Total: $7.49

Cascade $6.50 for 32 count

-.25/1 Cascade product, PG 1/01

Total: $6.25

Tide 100oz $11.99
-$2 off Tide product, excl trial sizes, PG 1/01
Total: $9.99

Duracell 10ct $7.00

-$0.25 Target Coupon (on packaging)

-.75/1 Duracell Coppertop, Ultra Power, Ultra Photo Lithium or specialty batteries, PG 1/01

Total: $6.00

Starkist Tuna Fish in Pouch Containers $1.09

-.50/1 StarKist tuna pouch, RP 1/01

Total: $0.59

Flintstone's Vitamins $5.39

-$2 off Flintstones multivitamin product, SS 1/01

Total: $3.39

Always 16ct Infinity $4.19

-$2 off Always Infinity, 14 ct. +, PG 1/01

Total: $2.19

Tampax Pearl 20ct $3.99

-$2 off Tampax Pearl, PG 1/01

Total: $1.99