YAY! YAY! GIVE AWAY!!!

LOOK what I saw when I woke up this morning? In just over a year, I've reached over 100,000 hits here at Sharpen Your Scissors! Yay! *( My sitemeter keep tabs on how many visits my blog receives, and it is located at the bottom of my blog's homepage!)

Hmm, seems like something FUN to celebrate... don't YOU think?

I personally LOVE gift cards to the drug stores (CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid) to keep my out of pocket spending low, so I'm offering either...

A $30 gift card to ONE winner- for the above drug store of their choice

-OR-

THREE $10 gift cards winners, 1 $10 CVS winner, 1 $10 Walgreens winner, and 1 $10 Rite Aid winner!

What do YOU think? How should the GIFT CARD(s) be won?

Here's how to enter: (be sure to heighten your chances of winning by entering more than once!) *If you are reading this post in your email or through a feed reader, please leave your comments on this blog post instead of in my email! Thanks!

1. Sign up to become a FOLLOWER of Sharpen Your Scissors, this is the most sincere form of flattery to a blogger!

2. If you are already a Sharpen Your Scissors FOLLOWER than flaunt your follower status and share how long you've been following Sharpen Your Scissors!

3. For each friend/family member/co-worker/neighbor that you recruit to become a FOLLOWER of Sharpen Your Scissors you will receive another entry to win!
(Make sure to enter separately for each person!!!)

4. Share the savviest tip that you've learned from Sharpen Your Scissors!

5. Link this page to your blog, Facebook page or Tweet about this give away! (I'm @mrsdavewebber on Twitter!) Then let me know that you've put out your broadcast!

The WINNER(s) of the GIFT CARD(s) will selected via Random.org, Wednesday 2.10.10 at NOON!

Drug Store Deals: February 7th Weekly Edition

THANK YOU Coupon Crazy Chrys for your drug store deal-ing coupon match-ups!

Drug store deals for this week:

CVS:
Inexpensive Gillette Fusion razors and Cheerios!

Walgreens:

Great deals this week on Dove Men's body wash, Nabisco and rumor has it that the Huggies rewards are 'rolling!!!'

Rite Aid:
$.10 GE light bulbs, $.50 Cadbury eggs & better than FREE Dove Men's bodywash

Chrys is a local Detroit blogger who is a master of spending very little out of pocket at CVS, Walgreen's and Rite Aid- and she has graciously allowed me to link her drug store coupon match-ups with you each Monday... WOO HOO, thanks Chrys!!! Coupon Crazy Chrys is now available along my sidebar!

Grocery Game Plan: Kroger

Here are my favorite stockpilable items this week, 2/1- 2/7, at Kroger!

Feel free to visit Kroger.com to view the complete ad.

*********************************************************

Grapes, $.99/pound

Reusable shopping bags, $.50/bag

Purchase 10 participating items, receive $3 off instantly:
Here are my favorite items: prices reflect the $.30 discount

Chef Boyardee pasta, $.70 container
Spend the $.40 MFC
Total: FREE, possible $.10 overage

Ragu, $1.69/jar
Spend the $.75/2 MFC
Total: $1.37/jar

Coke, $.99/2L

Gatorade, $.69/20 oz
Spend the $.50 MFC
Total: FREE, possible $.31 overage

Visit macombmoneysavers for the entire listing of sales this week at Kroger for the Metro Detroit area.

*********************************************************

*Kroger sale prices are available to those who shop with a Kroger Savings Club Card. You will only receive the sale price discounts when you shop with your card. If you don't have a Kroger Savings Club Card, just stop by the Customer Service desk and sign up for a card so that you may begin reaping the discounts immediately.

*Kroger will double Manufacturer coupons up to and including $.50.

*NEW!!! Kroger now limits the number of coupons allowable to 3 identical coupons per like items. Purchasing several flavors/varieties side steps this limit!

*Rain checks for out of stock items are available at the customer service desk.

*Kroger offers a 'brought my own bag' discount of $.05 per bag.

*If you are headed to SUPER Kroger (108 W. Highland Rd., Howell MI 48843 (517) 552-0126) the most local Kroger that doubles coupons up to and including $1 (up to THREE identical coupons) visit 123Save for the best deals for the current week's promotions.

AND AS ALWAYS, please leave me a comment if I have

Grocery Game Plan: Meijer

Here are my favorite stockpilable items this week, 1/7- 2/13, at Meijer.

To check out the full online ad for this week at Meijer, click here.

KEY: MFC = Manufacturer's Coupon, MBC = Mealbox Coupon

********************************************************

Apples, $1.50/3 pound bag
Grapes, $.99/pound

Tyson frozen boneless/skinless chicken breasts, 2.5 pound bag, $4.29

Johnsonville Breakfast sausage, $2/package
Spend the $1/2 MFC
Spend the $1 MBC
Total: $.50/package when you purchase 2

Aunt Millies bread and buns, $1/package

Kraft Parmesan cheese, $2.99/package
Spend the $1 printable MFC
Total: $1.99/package
*printable coupon available at Macomb Money Savers

Hellman's mayo, $2.49/jar
Spend the $.50 MFC
Spend the $2/2 (in weekly flyer) Meijer coupon
Total: $.49/jar when you purchase 2

Rosarita's refried beans, $.89/can
Spend the $.50/2 MFC
Total: $.39/can when you purchase 2

Delmonte canned tomatoes, $.99/can
Spend the $1/4 MFC
Spend the $.25/1 MBC
Total: $.49/can when you purchase 4 cans


Check out the rest of this week's Metro Detroit Meijer Match-ups, visit Macomb Money Savers!

*********************************************************

To access Meijer Mealbox coupons (MBC): Mealbox Generator to print multiple Mealbox coupons per page. Or visit Meijer online (look for the 'Special's tab in the blue box to the right!) to print a single coupon per page. I offer two printing locations because the Mealbox Generator is not as extensive as the Meijer online site.

Keep in Mind:

*Meijer will only double the first TWO identical MANUFACTURER coupons. This may mean that you will need to break your purchasing into ONE large transaction and SEVERAL smaller transactions to ensure that ALL of your coupons are able to double.

*Meijer will never double a Mealbox coupon.

*Meijer allows the 'Stacking' of one Manufacturer coupon and one Mealbox coupon per item purchased unless either coupon states otherwise. For example, a coupon may say save $1 on two items, then you would need to follow the purchasing rules for that specific coupon.

*Rain checks are available at the customer service desk, at the podium in front of the cash register lines or with your cashier.Remember that Meijer rain checks have an expiration date 30 days from printing along with a limited quantity printed on the rain check. The quantity limited depends on your stores location.

AND AS ALWAYS, please leave me a comment if I have missed a deal... Thank you!

Sunday Survey

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, I'm serving a dip made with some of my FREE Philadelphia cream cheese from last week... with a little bit of cheddar cheese sprinkled on top!

How have/are YOU couponizing your snackies for this evenings event?

Spending/Saving Saturday January 31- February 6

Our family loves to use Pillsbury pie crusts for making
Quiche and Chicken Pot Pies!

Meijer:

Grocery Total: $32.01
Spent: $6.00
Saved: $26.01

I had (1) $.50/2 MFC, and I earned a $4 Catalina for my next purchase!

I read about a sweet Pillsbury pie crust deal earlier in the week, at Macomb Money Savers, and I ran to Meijer to try and take advantage of this deal just before my family and I left for Chicago for the weekend! (Hi to all of my new friends at Community Christian Church!!! I loved meeting so many of you today!)

I sincerely apologize for not posting this deal earlier in the week, I mis-read and thought that this was an ongoing monthly deal!

I also purchased a package of bagels and a Coke at Jewel Osco (my first time shopping there!) for $4.58... sorry, no picture!

My previous two trips to Meijer this week are pictured here!

Total spent this week: $22.35
Total saved this week: $170.90

Finding Coupons

Jolyn, from Macomb Money Savers, just posted an amazing resource for those of you who are interested in finding some coupons for yourself!

Check out this great article if you are interested in how coupons are located!

Thanks Jolyn!

"Clean Me Up Spotty:" Coupon Binder Edition

Recently, my friend Lacey allowed me to video her 'walk through' tutorial on her alphabetized coupon binder system!

Getting organized and creating a system that works for YOU personally, is they key to spending your coupons and saving yourself quite a bit of money!

Next week I'll be sharing my advanced coupon box/filing system!

Thanks again Lacey!

Thought Provoking Thursday

How do you spend your time in the grocery store?

Yesterday, I was asked how I manage the time I spend while shopping.

Personally, I always start shopping before I ever set foot in the store. I make sure to view the store's sales flyer online and visit blogs that highlight the weekly deals, and then I gather store, online and newspaper coupons that correspond with the items that I plan to purchase.

When I do step into the store (usually accompanied with my two year old son) I make sure to grab a sales flyer to use as a reference if necessary.

Next, I like to make a quick pass through the fresh fruits and vegetables in hopes of finding a reduced produce cart. I also stroll past the meat section to pick up anything that may be on my list, and then I keep my eyes open for reduced meats (like a whole chicken) to either make for dinner that night or freeze.

As I pass by the dairy cases, I pick up the items on my list... and then we make a pit stop, for my son to visit the goldfish. This pit stop is actually for both of us! I take these few fishy minutes to review my grocery list and plan which aisles I need to stroll down. Usually, I only need to shop from the shelves of two-three aisles! I LOVE that knowing what I need keeps my time spent in the store at a minimum!

After we kiss the fish goodbye, we pick up the few remaining items on our list, and then we visit the fresh fruits and vegetables section for real!

After I have picked out our fresh foods, I take a quick second to park in front of the checkout lanes and review my coupons... just to make sure that I have picked the items that the coupons that I am planning to spend are requiring!

If I need to make separate piles of coupons for purchasing my groceries in more than one transaction... this step aside time allows me to stress free make my plan of attack!

Lastly, following checking out, my son rides Sandy, the penny horse... twice! He deserves it, he's a great shopper!

I strategically stick to shopping the perimeter of the store... where most of the fresh and healthier items are located!

I like to think that my shopping strategy allows me to spend less (coupons), shop less (time anyway!), and eat healthier!


How do YOU plan strategically?

Want-A-Peek Wednesday

Meijer:

Grocery Total: $71.00
Spent: $12.14
Saved: $58.86
Store Rewards Spent: $10

Items purchased with coupons:
KEY: MFC= Manufacturer's coupon, MBC= Meijer Mealbox coupon, IP= Internet printable coupon.

Johnsonville Brats (MFC & MBC), Kraft Parmesan cheese (IP MFC), Chi Chi's salsa (MFC), Aunt Millies bread (MFC, just a single coupon).

All of these items were purchased in a single transaction with a partial payment of $10 (2 $5 rewards) from purchasing Kraft cheese, a catalina promotion in January.





Meijer:

Grocery Total: $79.66
Spent: $(-.37)***
Saved: $80.03
Store Rewards Spent: $21

Items purchased with coupons:
KEY: MFC= Manufacturer's coupon, MBC= Meijer Mealbox coupon, IP= Internet printable coupon.

Kraft cheese (MFC), Philadelphia cream cheese (MFC & MBC), McCormick's seasoning packets (MFC & MBC).

I posted about this AMAZING cheese deal that was only available on Sunday (thanks to Jolyn of MMS), by purchasing 6 blocks of Kraft cheese (or 5 blocks of Philly) in a single transaction, I would earn a $5 catalina (store reward money) from Kraft. I continuously 'rolled' my $5 rewards into the next transaction... scoring FREE cheese!

I began my first transaction with a $3 catalina from purchasing Huggies wipes a few weeks ago, which started my first transaction out on a very inexpensive note! I also spent a second $3 catalina (thanks Huggies) for my Philly transaction, leaving me with (2) $5 catalinas at the end of my shopping trip.

I purchased these items in 7 separate transactions. I was surprised that I was actually having the U-Scan machine spit money out at me... but my 6 blocks of cheese in a single transaction totaled $4.96 and when I paid with my $5 catalina, 4 pennies would be sent out of the register for me! Don't worry... I'm sure these pennies will make their way into Sandy, the penny horse... my son LOVES taking two rides before we head home!

PS: Thank you for all of the kind words about these posts earlier this week! I hope that this new-ish style is more helpful for everyone!