Ukrop's Coupon Match-ups for Double Coupon Wednesday 12/30/09

I apologize again this week for being so down to the wire in posting this.  I have once again compiled a shorter list.  I have listed all of the front page items in addition to the posted sale items that have a coupon available.  There are still some great deals in this week's ad, they just didn't have a coupon to match-up with them.  Here is a link to the ad.

We have been enjoying a week together at home since Steve has taken a well deserved week off from work.  I somehow survived transitioning from Christmas on Friday to a Princess Birthday Bash on Saturday.  I am now the mom of a 4-year-old!  My "project" for this week is preparing to take ~20 college students from our church to the beach for a weekend retreat.  Yes, I said beach.  We are not going to a tropical paradise, we are going to Sandbridge, near Virginia Beach.  Because of my coupon and saving skills I volunteered and was assigned the job of planning and purchasing the food for the retreat.  I have actually been purchasing and prepping some food for the last several weeks, but this week I have been working on strategically purchasing the perishable items.  If I find any free time I may post my menu and my spending for the retreat.  (I tend to be even more frugal with the church's money.)

Here are some guidelines to Ukrop's coupon policy:

• Ukrop's only doubles coupons on Wednesday and up to a face value of 0.99.
• Ukrop's will not double more than 5 like coupons per transaction.
• Ukrop's does accept internet printable coupons up to a face value of $2.  They do not accept internet printable coupons for a free item.  (This includes buy one get one free.)

 I have made the sale items with coupons that will double on Wednesday in red.  All other deals are good for the rest of the week.  (Don't forget Ukrop's is closed on Friday, January 1st.)

I hope you find some great deals.  Have a Safe & Happy New Year!

Coupon Match-ups for Ukrop's Double Coupon Wednesday, December 23rd

 

I apologize.  I have been crazy busy this week.  Not only is it Christmas on Friday, but Natalie's birthday is Saturday.  So, I am getting ready for Christmas on Friday and a Disney Princess birthday bash on Saturday.  She is going to be 4 and is very excited about turning 4, she thinks that makes her a big girl because she was told by her cousins that when you turn 4 you don't have to ride in a car seat, you can ride in a booster seat.  We haven't broken the news to her that she has to be 4 and weigh 40 pounds, which she doesn't.

 

Ok, sorry about the tangent.  Because of my limited time this week I have only listed the deals that have coupons available.  I want to encourage you to look at the ad - there are some really good deals that don't have coupons to make them really great deals.  For example - they have Dole Pineapple (20 oz) for $0.88 a can.  They also have Dixie Napkins, Bowls, or Plates (20-200 ct) for $1.88 each.

 I want to give you some guidelines for Ukrop's coupon policy:

• Ukrop's only doubles coupons on Wednesday and up to a face value of 0.99

• Ukrop's does not accept more than 5 like coupons per transaction.

• Ukrop's accepts internet printable coupons up to $2. They do not accept internet printable coupons for free items. (This includes buy one get one free.)

 

I have the items that have coupons that will double on Wednesday in red. The other items are coupons and deals that are available all week long.

 

 

 

I also want to encourage you to check out the last page of the ad for the fuelperks!bonus! rewards items. They have White House Rolls (12 pk) for $2.49. One last thing - don't forget to check out Ukrop's on Saturday (the day after Christmas) they may have great thrift items.

 

Happy Shopping amd Merry Christmas!

No more Ukrop's?

It appears that all of the rumors are real this time.  Ukrop's is selling to Ahold.  A European based grocery company that has stores in Virginia under the names of Giant and Martin's. 

I don't think I have shared this on my blog, but I am a Ukrop's employee.  I don't get paid to post match-ups or promote them on my blog.  I get paid to be a pharmacist for Ukrop's.  They have treated me well in the last 5 years that I have worked for them.  I started working for them the week after Thanksgiving 2004.  I was full-time until my first daughter was born in December of 2005.  I maintained my full-time status until I returned to work from my maternity leave in April of 2006.  My boss, the director for Ukrop's Pharmacy, was willing to not only move me to a store closer to my home, but to allow me to work as much or as little as I wanted.  They have continued to work with me over the years adjusting my schedule as needed for them and to make sure it worked for me.  I think my favorite thing about working for Ukrop's has been the luxury of having Sunday's off.  As a pharmacist it is really hard to find a retail pharmacy that is closed on Sunday.  I have also been spoiled by having holidays off - another luxury you don't always find with retail pharmacy jobs.  I have always had off Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.

I remember the first day I shopped in a Ukrop's.  I had just moved to Richmond to go to pharmacy school.  I distinctly remember walking into the Mechanicsville store and smelling fresh baked bread.  I knew that Ukrop's and I would be fast friends, and we have been.  Whenever I went home over breaks I would get requests from my family to bring Ukrop's items like their White House Rolls, Chicken Salad, or pies.   I never imagined as a first year pharmacy student that I would find the love of my life (Steve), move back to Richmond, and get a job working for Ukrop's. 

Ukrop's it has been great.  Thanks for everything. 

Please pray for the Ukrop's employees.  It looks like most of the store employees will be ok, but you never know what can happen in a buy-out.  In all honesty in situations like this there are people who don't get to keep their job.  There are lots of families that both spouses are employed by Ukrop's.  Just the uncertainty can cause anxiety.   I am going to be ok.  We are very blessed that Steve has a great job and if I don't get to keep my position I will happily become a full-time stay at home mom.

Thanks for letting me be nostalgic and sentimental.

Ukrop's Coupon Match-Ups For Double Coupon Wednesday, December 16

There are some really good deals this week at Ukrop's.  I am most excited about getting Breakstone sour cream for 0.19 each on Wednesday.  I am also hoping to get some more Nestle morsels for 0.88 each.  I really want the dark chocolate mint chips and some white chocolate chips for Christmas goodies.  I also saw a Ukrop's ad in this past Sunday's Red Plum insert showing Scotties Facial Tissues (60, 65, 75, or 132 ct) for 0.99 each.  Below the ad is a coupon for 0.50/3 that means on Wednesday you can get 3 boxes of tissues for $1.97 or about 0.67 each.  If you still have you Sauer's coupons for 0.50/1 select Sauer's items are on sale for 20% off.

 I want to give you some guidelines for Ukrop's coupon policy:

• Ukrop's only doubles coupons on Wednesday and up to a face value of 0.99
• Ukrop's does not accept more than 5 like coupons per transaction.
• Ukrop's accepts internet printable coupons up to $2.  They do not accept internet printable coupons for free items.  (This includes buy one get one free.)

Here is a link to this week's ad.

I have the items that have coupons that will double on Wednesday in red. The other items are coupons and deals that are available all week long.

I hope you find some great deals on Wednesday.  Please feel free to share any sales that you found that I didn't list. 

Happy Shopping!

Coupon Organization

I got a question from Michelle in the comments section of my last post asking me how I organized my coupons. I thought it was a great question and it really isn't a short answer so I thought I would share what I do and see if anybody else wants to share their method.

I kind of have my own system, that works for me (most of the time). I like the binder method. I have a 3" 3-ring binder that I use baseball card holders (they have 9 slots per page) and dividers that divide the sections. The dividers I use have pockets on both sides so I use them to hold coupons that I haven't had a chance to put in the individual slots. I divide my coupons into five categories.

• Non-perishables

• Perishables

• Household (cleaning supplies, candles, air fresheners toilet paper, paper towels, plastic wrap, etc.)

• Personal Care (shaving cream, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine hygiene, deodorant)

• Medicine

I have subcategories in each category. They fluctuate with the sale and coupon cycles. For example I have lots of soup coupons right now, in the summer I have lots of coupons for barbecue sauce and picnic type items. I separate these by giving them an individual page or if there are more than 9 coupons for that subcategory I will carry it over to a new page. I like the baseball card holders because they are easy to flip through and check for expiration dates on the coupons.

Although I like the binder method the best - it does have its downfalls. You have to be able to really stay on top of clipping your coupons. I find that with this method I cut out more coupons than I actually use. It is nice to have a coupon with you if you happen to stumble across a really good deal.  But, I don't always have the time to clip, sort, and file my coupons every week.  (I guess I am too busy creating spreadsheets.)

Currently I have stopped clipping my coupons out of the Sunday paper every week.  I usually get 3-5 papers a week.  I sort my inserts and collate them into one big insert.  I then keep them in piles on a desk by the insert name (Smart Source, Red Plum, Proctor & Gamble).  I go through my stack about every 2-3 months and purge the inserts that have expired coupons and keep the few coupons that haven't expired.  I cut out the coupons from the inserts according to my shopping list.  I just carry them to the store with me in an envelope or a ziploc bag.  This method works great if I am sticking to my list.  It can create additional trips to the store when I refuse to buy something because "I know" I have a coupon for that item at home.

I have tried the coupon dividers that will fit in a purse or small bag.  I actually just picked up a new one from the dollar aisle at Michael's last week.  I find this to be helpful when I am trying to hit numerous stores in one trip.  I will sort my coupons and list in each individual pocket.  I also like this method to keep items like CVS Extra Care Bucks and my Register Rewards from Walgreens.  That way I have them with me if I happen to run into one of these stores.  I also like to use this method for holding onto coupons for items that I know I will buy - like diapers.

So- with all of that I hope I answered Michelle's question and gave some of you some insight to keeping and sorting your coupons.  Feel free to share your method or any tips you have on organizing your coupons.

My Return Trip to Ukrop's - for milk and other things

I ran back to Ukrop's to get the milk that I forgot on my first trip - I also remembered I wanted to pick-up eggs. I was trying to be quick because I knew I was pushing my girls.  They were ready for lunch.  I ended up with the Rolo's because Megan (who had decided to try to climb out of the shopping cart and was on the floor) likes shiny wrappers and took it apart.  I bought them.  They served as dessert today for all of us after lunch.

Here is a picture of both of my shopping assistants with our purchases:

Here is the spreadsheet:

*  The Fleischman's yeast strips are on clearance.  Because of the clearance sale they had to be manually entered in and didn't show the previous shelf price.

In case you don't feel like looking at the end of the spreadsheet:

Shelf Price (before sales, coupons, or tax): $48.57

Final Price (after sales, coupons, bag credits, and before tax): $11.63

Total Savings: $36.94 (76%)

Free items at Ukrop's Wednesday 12/9/09 - One Day Only

I just came back from my morning trip to Ukrop's.  I was excited about the FREE Birds Eye Vegetables that I mentioned in my last post.  I also got more FREE Muir Glen Organic Tomato Paste.  I found 2 more great deals - the Betty Crocker Frosting is an unadvertised special - it is 0.99 a tub.  There are coupons available at coupons.com for 0.50 off one tub - that makes it free for Wednesday only!  I also noticed the Kotex pantiliners that are 50% off.   I honestly didn't know the regular price. I didn't bring my coupon to the store but I am going back to get them - the small pack of liners are marked 0.64 each (on sale) - the coupon from 11/8 Smart Source is for $1.50 off 2 packages - that is a 0.22 money maker!  I was so excited about the deals I was getting that I forgot to pick-up milk.  It will be a good buffer item for the overages - even though it is on sale this week for $1.50 a half-gallon. 

(Megan is snacking on the Cheez-its we got for 0.99 - I don't know what happened to her hair?!?!)

*The Fleischman's yeast strip was on clearance.  The price had to entered manually and does not show the original shelf price.

Shelf Price (before sales, coupons, or tax): $99.78

Final Price (after slaes, coupons, bag credits, and before tax): $25.10

Total savings: $74.68 (75%)

Ukrop's Match-ups for Double Coupon Wendesdy - 12/9/09

There is a chance to restock your frozen vegetables with FREE Birds Eye frozen vegetables on Wednesday.  To see how to do that and to see the rest of this week's deals look at my spreadsheet.

I want to give you some guidelines for Ukrop's coupon policy:

• Ukrop's will only accept 5 like coupons per transaction
• Ukrop's only doubles manufacturer coupons on Wednesdays and up to 0.99
• Ukrop's will accept internet printable coupons up to $2 they will not accept internet printables for free items this includes buy one get one free. 

Here is a link to this week's ad.

I have the items that have coupons that will double on Wednesday in red. The other items are coupons and deals that are available all week long.

* Free Smart Balance Sour Cream + Omega 3s, Calcium, Vitamins D & E - When you buy Smart Balance Buttery Spread.

I also wanted to let you know you that I noticed the Loreal Kids Ice Age Shampoo still on sale for $1.79 - combine that with the 0.75/1 coupon from 11/1 RP for 0.29 each.  I think the multiweek deal is going thru December.  My other great find was thanks to Money Saving Mom - she mentioned in a post that Muir Glen Tomato products has a $1 off one product coupon available on coupons.com.  I printed it out and looked at Ukrop's and found the Muir Glen tomato paste on a multi-week deal for 0.99 each - which means free organic tomato paste.

Happy Shopping!

My first batch of Christmas cookies for 2009...

My Assistant - she helped to flatten the cookies after I rolled them into balls.

Our finished product:

 Sugar cookies dipped in white candy coating and sprinkled with crushed candy canes.

Yummy!

Shopping Week of 11/29/09:

I know that all of you have been logging onto your computers every day in anticipation of seeing pictures of my groceries from last week.  :)  When you already have a crazy busy life and add the craziness of Christmas, well it is just super crazy.  I did hit Ukrop's several times this week.  I have everything in one super long spreadsheet.  I also hit "the K grocery store" a second time this week.  I even found some inexpensive crackers at Target this week.

These are the items that I got on Double Coupon Wednesday.  Steve got a new camera lens and I was having trouble getting everything in focus and so I took two pictures. 

These are the items I got from Ukrop's, Kroger, and Target later in the week.

And now the moment I know you have all been waiting for - the spreadsheet!

So here is the grand total (with the exception of Target*):

Shelf Price (before sales, coupons, or tax): $246.30
Final Price (after sales, coupons, and before tax): $98.63
Total Savings: $147.67 (60%)

* I didn't include Target because I didn't have the shelf price only the sale price on the receipt.



Not bad - I picked up some things (like the Starbucks Coffee and the Rubbermaid containers) that are Christmas presents and some treats (like Kid Cuisines) for my girls to help inspire them to be good during the day.  I also got a bunch of meat - now what should I make with all of it?

Coffee

We had just gotten in from a morning out and I had put down my travel coffee mug on the kitchen table. (Side note - I got free Starbucks coffee today by bringing in a specially marked empty bag of Starbucks coffee.) I ran upstairs for a few minutes while the girls were playing downstairs. When I came back downstairs the girls seemed to be playing well together. They are right now fascinated with the Christmas ornaments. We wound up a few and were listening to the music. Then I looked at Megan's shirt (a white turtleneck) it was brown all over the top. I asked Natalie what was on Megan's shirt. She looked at me and said "coffee". I then asked, "Where did she get coffee from?" "Your mug," Natalie replied nonchalantly. I then walked into the kitchen and noticed the mug sitting on its side and in a different spot. I asked Natalie how Megan reached it. She said. “I gave it to her, we both like coffee. I didn't spill any, but Megan spilled it on her shirt and on the floor." I looked on the floor and sure enough - there was a coffee spill.  Just another day in the life of a mom.  :)

Ukrop's Double Coupon Wednesday Match-ups - 12/2/09

5/$25 Meat Sale & a 10/$10 Week - WOW!

(That is exactly what I said when I got my copy of this week's ad.)

In an attempt to make my spreadsheet easier to read and follow I have the items that have coupons that will double on Wednesday in red.  The other sales are coupons and deals that are available all week long.  I hope this makes it easier to read and follow. 

I want to give you some guidelines for Ukrop's coupon policy:

• Ukrop's will only accept 5 like coupons per transaction
• Ukrop's only doubles manufacturer coupons on Wednesdays and up to 0.99
• Ukrop's will accept internet printable coupons up to $2 they will not accept internet printables for free items this includes buy one get one free

Here is a link to this week's ad.




I hope you find some great deals and don't forget to be on the lookout for some hidden finds. I am hoping to find some Sauer's spices at a decent price with a 0.50/1 coupon doubled. Please feel free to let me know if you find any great deals. I get as excited about other people's deals as I do about my own.

Don't forget while you are at Ukrop's to get you buy one get one free salad bar offer that I mentioned here.

Happy Shopping!

Money-Saving Monday!

I sat down late Monday morning with my coffee and the sales flyers from the Sunday paper.  I was still trying to recover from a busy weekend and I had a little one sneezing, and coughing, with a yucky runny nose.  I was glancing through the ads quickly and realized that I saw some things that I had been hoping to find on sale to use with a coupon.  Then I realized that Monday was 11/30 - yikes! Some of my coupons were going to expire that day.  I quickly tried to get myself in gear.  So, with Steve's help we were able to run out after dinner and snag a few deals.

We first went to Staples.  I didn't take a picture our purchase - it wasn't that exciting.  I found out about a deal that Staples is running through 12/26 from Money Saving Mom.  If you buy a 20 count package of Duracell batteries (AA or AAA) for $12.99 you get a Staples reward of $12.99 back.  (Limit of 2 packages per week.)  We both signed up this weekend for a Staples Reward card.  We went to the store Monday night still not quite sure how this program worked.  We looked at the poster they had by the display advertising the deal and noticed that it said that rewards will be mailed to you home address in January.  We asked a salesperson and he told us that the Staples reward checks are good for anything in the store except gift cards, shippings, and copy services (I may have left off something).  We talked about it and decided that although $12.99 isn't the best deal for batteries we could always use the reward check on other items like printer cartridges.  We each got 2 packs of batteries.  I am sure they will be put to good use with the Wii remote and the plethora of battery eating toys we have.

We then hit Walgreens - I had coupons for the kids toothbrushes on sale that expired on the 30th.

Prices are after sales and coupons:

(2) Oral B Princess Toothpaste - 2.00 each

(2) Kid's Toothbrushes - 1.50 each

(2) Glade Candles - 0.50 each

(3) Nivea Lip Products - 0.66 each

(1) Nivea Lotion - FREE

(8) Holiday Pencils - 8/$1 (filler item)

I used $10 in RR I had earned from previous shopping trips

Total cost before sales, coupons, and tax: $38.50

Final cost after sales, coupons, redeemed RR, before tax: $0.98

Total Savings: $37.52 (97%)

**I also earned $6 in additional RR with the toothpaste & toothbrushes, and the Glade candles**

Our last stop was Kroger.  I had been on the lookout for a Dial liquid hand soap sale for several weeks and saw that it was finally on sale and that my coupons expired on the 30th.

Prices are after sales and coupons:

(4) Dial liquid hand soaps - 0.30 each

(2) Turkey Hill Iced Teas - 0.50 each

(1) Nesquick Chocolate Milk - FREE

(1) Maruchan Cheddar Cheese Noodles - FREE

(1) 9-cup Rubbermaid Container - 1.00 (I took the stickers of to wash it)

Recycable Bag Credit (-0.10)

Total cost before sales, coupons, and tax: $21.61

Final cost after sales coupons, and before tax: $3.10

Total Savings: $17.51 (84%)

Ukrop's - Buy One Get One Free Salad Bar

If you are like me and still feel bloated from all of the food last week here is a great way to eat lighter - a coupon for buy one get one (of equal or lesser value) FREE salad bar purchase at Ukrop's.  The coupon is valid until Saturday, December 5.  You do need to have you UVC (Ukrop's Valued Customer) Card with you to redeem this coupon.  There is a limit of one coupon per visit, limit one free salad, and a $10 limit for the free salad.

Enjoy!

Quick Ukrop's Shopping Trip - Double Coupon Wednesday

I didn't really need very much from the grocery store today, and we were trying to get out of town for Thanksgiving so I just picked up a few things that I needed to bring to my mom's house.  I will have to go back to Ukrop's on Friday because we are having the college group from our church over and I still haven't decided exactly what I am going to make for them.

Here is the picture of what I got:

Do you like the new background?  It is my mom's kitchen.  :)

Because I only had a few items I am not going to bother with a spreadsheet - but here is my breakdown:

(1) Dole Pineapple Chunks - FREE

(1) Keebler Mini Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6 count)  - (-0.11) Money Maker!

(1) Nestle Toll House Mini Chocolate Chips - 0.99**

(1) Cool Whip Lite - 0.99

(2) Breyers Ice Cream - $1 each

(2) Breakstone Sour Cream - 0.69 each

(1) Breakstone Sour Cream - 0.64 each

(1) Food Club Butter Quarters (1 lb) - 1.79 (fuelperks! bonus! item)

(1) Litehouse Blue Cheese Crumbles - FREE*

(1) Litehouse Gorgonzola Crumbles - FREE*

(1) Litehouse Caesar Dressing - FREE*

(1) Mayan Sweet Onion - 0.79 (I forgot to put it in the picture)

Bag Credit- (-0.05)

Shelf Price (before sales, coupons, & tax): $37.99

Final Price (after sales, coupons, & before tax): $8.40

Total Savings: $29.59 (78%)

*There were coupons with the Litehouse products for a free Litehouse product up to $5.00 taped to the items in the produce section.  I was so exicted when I read the fine print and it said one per purchase, not transaction and could get 3 items at one time.

**Natalie found a coupon for the Nestle Chocolate Chips on the floor in the store.  She was so excited about finding a coupon.  I knew they were on sale and told her she could go pick out what ever kind of chocolate chips she wanted.  She was so excited and amazed at the different kinds she could get, but decided on the mini chips.

Diapers.com Update

I was so excited when I came home this afternoon from a morning out to find my diapers.com package waiting for me.  I got my order pretty much in 24 hours after I placed it!  I also got a booklet of coupons to use with their site and a sample of diaper ointment (with a coupon).  I had a great first experience with them and will seriously consider buying from them again.  If you haven't shopped with them before feel free to use my code ANNP1234 to save $10 off an order of $49 or more that includes diapers (you also get free shipping on orders of $49 or more).

Ukrop's Match-ups for Double Coupon Wednesday 11/25/09

The ad this week has lots of Thanksgiving items on sale.  Ukrop's has added more items to the fuelperks! bonus! reward items again this week.  If you still don't quite understand fuelperks! or how the fuelperks! bonus! rewards items work feel free to send me a message or leave a comment and I'll be happy to try to answer your question.

I want to give you some guidelines for Ukrop's coupon policy:

• Ukrop's will only accept 5 like coupons per transaction
• Ukrop's only doubles manufacturer coupons on Wednesdays and up to 0.99
• Ukrop's will accept internet printable coupons up to $2 they will not accept internet printables for free items this includes buy one get one free

Here is a link to this week's ad. 



I hope this helps you and that you get some great deals.  Try to go as early as possible on Wednesday and prepare to stand in line.  I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving - remember to not just be thankful one day a year, but all year round.

$1 off Ukrop's Pie Coupon

Here is a link to a coupon that is valid until 11/25 for $1 off Ukrop's Bakery Whole Pie.  You must have a UVC Card (Ukrop's Valued Customer) to redeem the coupon. 

The things kids say...

Tonight I was able to go out and catch-up with some girls from church. While I was out Steve took our girls upstairs to get them ready for bed. He went into Natalie’s room. She has a knack for destroying it rather quickly; I call her the Tasmanian Devil. Steve said, “Natalie, your room is an utter mess.” Natalie looked up at him with her big brown eyes and said, “Dad, that is an opinion; not a fact.” He explained to her that although she is right, as her dad it was a fact.

Save $10 at Diapers.com

I don't know if you have ever checked out diapers.com, but I just found a code on-line that saved me $10 and allowed me to get free shipping on an order of $49 or more. When I finished checking out it gave me the chance to make my own code and share it with others. If you use my code ANNP1234 you will get $10 off an order of $49 or more that includes diapers (if you are a first time shopper to diapers.com) and I get a $1 credit towards any future purchases.

I ended up with a box of 140 size 4 pampers and a Leap Frog toy that had been marked down from $19.99 to $10.99. There was also an instant coupon on their site for $1.50 off the diapers. So my final price was $42.48 - with free shipping. They told me it will be delivered tomorrow!?

I will let you know if I really get the order tomorrow, but I thought it was a good deal and it saves me from having to take 2 kids out in the rain - that is priceless!

Ukrop's Thrift Ailse? What is that?

I am currently working on my match-ups for this week’s Ukrop's ad. I am hoping to have it all finished and posted either tonight or early Tuesday morning. There are lots of great sales and don't forget that they will double manufacturer coupons up to 0.99 on Wednesday only. I am planning on going to the store extra early this week in hopes of beating the crowds of people buying Thanksgiving Day goodies. This morning I wanted to take a moment and talk about a well-kept secret about Ukrop's.

Every morning - for the first 2 hours (7-9AM) Ukrop's has a section of the store in the bakery department and in the meat department cooler known as thrift aisle. (I don't know if that is the official title, but my MIL has always called it that and so that is what it gets called at our house.) The inventory will vary from store to store and even day to day. The products you will find there are items that have sell-by-dates of that day. They will have a sticker indicating that the item is 33% off the current price. When I say current price I mean that if the item is on sale that week it is 33% off the sale price. (Ex. White House Rolls are on sale this week 2/$4. If you find them on thrift aisle you can snatch them up for $1.34!) I have found items like various cuts and types of meat from the meat case, cold fried chicken, chicken salad, fruit and vegetable trays, bagels, cookies, White House Rolls, and sandwich rolls. For the most part I have had good luck with the items that I purchased. Ukrop's guarantees their products to be fresh and safe to eat up to 3 days past the sell-by-date. The few times that I have had a "bad" thrift aisle purchase I have taken it back to customer service with my receipt and explained the problem and they have happily refunded me my money.

You may also find items marked down late in the evening at some stores. When and what gets marked down depends on a few factors. Usually they will start to mark down items with sell by dates of the next day (if they don't sell that night they will be on thrift aisle the next morning, if they still don't sell I don't know for sure where they go.) I have also seen some stores on Saturday afternoon marking down things that they seem to have an overabundance of that may still have a good sell by date. I have found that when and how much merchandise they mark down varies from location to location. This is because the final decision of when and what to start marking down usually comes from that store's general manager.

Now to tie this into Thanksgiving - in years past each store will get lots of prepared foods and Thanksgiving side dishes. Depending on the inventory and the sell by dates you may be able to grab a few extra sides on Wednesday for Turkey Day or to go along with the leftovers when all of your side dishes are gone on a good sale. If you don't have any luck on Wednesday - generally the day after Thanksgiving is very slow in a grocery store so check it out on Friday.

Can you help out?

Dear faithful readers-

Hot Coupon World is a site that helps me get the coupon match-ups together for my Ukrop's deals each week.  If you haven't checked them out I highly recommend it.  Anyways, they are trying to get 2000 people to participate in a survey about Black Friday shopping.  If you are interested here is a link to the survey.  I took it and it took me about 5-10 minutes.  There is the possibility for a follow-up survey and a $100 giftcard to amazon.com.  In full disclosure - I am also eligible for a $50 giftcard by posting about this on my blog.  :)

Thanks!
Ann

A few Target Deals

I have hit Target a few times in the last week.  I have found what I feel like are decent deals on toys.  I am able to do a little bit of Christmas shopping with Megan while Natalie is at preschool.  I don't have pictures of the toys, they have gone into Christmas present hiding.  Natalie likes to look at the pictures on my blog site so I don't want to post the toy pictures just in case.  :)

Here is a picture of the non-toy purchases I got this morning.  Since it is only a few items I didn't make a spreadsheet.  :)

All Prices are after sales & coupons:

(2) Up & Up Wipes (Target brand) - 0.54 each

(1) Steaz Tea - Free

(8) Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup - 0.24 each

(2) Kraft Marshmallows - 0.84 each

(1) Mr. Potato Head  - $4.99

(1) Mrs. Potato Head - $4.99

(1) My Puppy Pal - $9.99

I also got my 0.10 bag credit for bringing in my own shopping bags. 

Final Price (after sales, coupons, and before tax): $24.55

Total Savings (according to Target receipt): $22.00 (47%)

More presents marked off my list - priceless!

Ukrop's Double Coupon Wednesday Shopping Trip - 11/18/09

I realized when I got home that I forgot a few things that I had wanted to pick-up, like the Tortilla Chips on sale this week, but maybe it just wasn't meant to be because I really don't need chips.  I did check out the Tabasco sauce - it was ~1.75 for a small bottle.  That would have made it ~0.55.  I realize that it not very much, but we don't really use Tabasco sauce.  I didn't need it so I will hold on to my 0.60/1 coupon for when or if it goes on sale and maybe get it for even less.  I did find Sauer's Ground Chili powder in the small container for 1.59 - that made it 0.59 with my 0.50/1 coupon.  I just finished my last bottle of chili powder this week when I made chili so I was really excited to get two bottles for a fairly decent price.

Here is the picture from my shopping trip and the spreadsheet from my trip.  Please feel free to tell me what you think of my spreadsheets.  I am a little OCD so I log my receipts into a spreadsheet so I can follow pricing trends and see what is a good price and what is a great price.  If you think the spreadsheets are hard to read or follow let me know.  If you love them and want to know how I do them I will be happy to share that with you as well.  :)

(The girls wanted to be in the picture and they were turning the groceries into musical instruments.)

Here is the summary of my trip:

Price before sales, coupons, and tax: $130.43

Price after sales, coupons, and before tax: $60.20

Total Savings: $70.23 (54%)

Please feel free to share any deals that you found.  :)

***Ukrop's Match-ups Update***

I just found out from a blog I follow that there are new Campbell's printable coupons available.  Several of them go well with the sale at Ukrop's this week.  I am updating my spreadsheet to show how these new coupons will make your shopping trip cost even less.  Make sure you go here to print your coupons.  They are good until 12/31/09 and there are some that you may want to print and hold on to for a sale in the next few weeks - like 0.50/2 cans of tomato soup!  I see free or almost free soup. 

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Match-ups For Ukrop's Double Coupon Wednesday 11/18/09

I was really excited about the Ukrop's ad this week.  There are some really good sales to start stocking up for Thanksgiving next week.  I also want to remind you about some of the multi-week deals that I found last week that should be available through this week. I mentioned several of them here in my last post.  I will try to be on the look-out for some more when I am shopping this week.  I am am planning on checking out the shelf price for Tabasco Sauce.  There was a 0.60/1 coupon in this past Sunday's paper that is good on any size and any flavor that could make it almost free.  I also thought I saw last week some of the Reynolds Oven bags marked down last week - with a 0.50/1 coupon that could make them rather cheap.  I don't cook with them.  I use them to wrap gift baskets or homemade goodies in.  I also want to remind you to check your spices before you head out to the store.  There are coupons for 0.50/1 Sauer's herbs, spices, dry mixes or extracts and a $1 off manufacturer coupon in the Ukrop's ad this week for Spice Hunter.  These could be some decent deals if there are unadvertised or multi-week deals when combined with a coupon.

I want to give you my disclaimers for Ukrop's coupon policy:

• Ukrop's will only accept 5 like coupons per transaction
• Ukrop's only doubles manufacturer coupons on Wednesdays and up to 0.99
• Ukrop's will accept internet printable coupons up to $2 they will not accept internet printables for free items this includes buy one get one free

Here is a link to this week's ad.  I have really liked having a copy of the ad in the Sunday paper - now I can compare it with my coupons so much easier!





*There are several manufacturer coupons available this week from the SPOT coupon machine.  Because these are manufacturer coupons they can not be combined with manufacturer coupons from other sources.

I may have missed a few deals this week.  I have been sick and so I was rushing to get all of these together and posted so that my readers would have time to get your coupons together before Wednesday.  Please feel free to share any deals that you find or that I missed.

Happy Shopping!
Ann

Ukrop's Shopping Trip 11/11/09 - Double Coupon Wednesday!

I went to Ukrop's today with my list and coupons in hand.  I have started to check on items that go with  higher value coupons that aren't listed in the sale flyer.  I found some good multi-week specials today.  (Multi-week specials may or may not make it into the weekly ad and are usually on sale for 3-4 weeks.)  I found Loreal Kids Ice Age shampoo on sale for $1.79 each - when I paired that with a 0.75/1 coupon I was able to get shampoo for 0.29 each.  (I think that sale is good thru 11/21.) I let Natalie have one of them, (it is missing from the picture) and hid the other 3 so that I can use them for a stocking stuffer.  The other multi-week deal I was excited about was the Mueller's spaghetti.  It is on a multi-week sale (I think thru 11/21) for $1.19 a box.  I had a 0.55/2 boxes coupon.  I ended up getting the pasta for 0.64 a box.  That will work out great with the Classico sauce I got for $1 a jar. I also found some Fleischmann's yeast 3-packet strips in the close-out basket this morning (with an expiration date of 2011).  They were marked down to $1.09 each and I had several 0.40/1 strip coupons that I was able to use and get them for 0.29 each!  It was a great find because I had just finished what I had on hand this week when I was making bread.

If you scroll all the way down on my spreadsheet you will see my totals.  I actually ended up getting everything in 3 seperate transactions.  I did the items for the Heinz promotion seperately just in case it wouldn't come off twice on the same transaction.  I also got a bag full of coupons from my MIL tonight and was excited to see a few that I had wanted more of and didn't have today while I was shopping, so I stopped by the store on my way home from church to get a few more items.

Shelf Price (Before sales, coupons, and tax):$125.71

Final Price (After sales, coupons, before tax): $48.51

Total Savings: $77.20 (61%)

I realized when I got home and looked at the receipt that I didn't get charged for one of my cans of soup.  I will just let them know when I go to work on Friday and pay for a can off the shelf.  I know that they won't know that they didn't charge me, but I know and I need to make it right.  :)

Ukrop's Match-ups for Double Coupon Wednesday 11/11/09

I am sorry I am a little late in posting the coupon match-ups for you this week.  It has just been "one of those weeks" so far.  :)  There are some really good deals this week!  I also found several coupons that match some of the sale items under the online coupons section if you click on weekly ad tab on the Ukrop's website.  Also, if you get the Sunday paper in Richmond you may have noticed that there was a Ukrop's ad in the paper.  They announced last week that they are going to now be placing the weekly ad in the Sunday paper.

I just want to remind everyone of the rules for coupons at Ukrop's:

• they will double manufacturer coupons up to 0.99 only on Wednesdays
• they do not accept internet printable coupons for a face value of more than $2 or anything that is for a free item (this includes buy 1 get 1 free)
• they will not double more than 5 like coupons per transaction

 (edit: I found out when I went to Ukrop's today that the Steam n' mash are not on sale, but are included in the Heinz promotion.  I have removed them from the spreadsheet & the scenario below)
*Save $3 when you purchase 6 participating Heinz items in a single transaction between 11/9/09 -11/14/09 while using you UVC Card. 

*** You will receive a coupon at checkout to be used for a free gallon of milk up to $4.50, using your UVC Card, when you buy any 4 participating General Mills Cereals between 11/9/09 and 11/14/09

• Participating GM Cereals:
• Cheerios (8.9 oz)
• Golden Grahams (12 oz)
• Trix (10.7 oz)
• Lucky Charms (11.5 oz)
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch (12.8oz)

I have never tried to do a deal like the cereal deal at Ukrop's, but it sounds like you get some sort of coupon with your receipt since Ukrop's doesn't have Catalina machines.  I don't know if there is an expiration date for the milk coupon.  I don't think I am going to try that deal - I think I have ~15 boxes of cereal right now and Steve would really think I was losing it if I came home with more cereal- even if it was Golden Grahams & Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  :)  If any of you out there try it let me know how it works.

I did want to give you two potential scenarios for the Heinz promotion:

Scenario #1
Buy 6 jars of Classico Pasta Sauce $2 each = $6
Use 3 Coupons for $1 off 2 Classico Sauces (you will need use 2 computers, you can only print 2 coupons per computer from their site)
$3 off for buying 6 participating products
Final Cost = $6 or $1 per jar

Scenario #2
Buy 2 Classico Pasta Sauce $2 each = $4
Buy 4 Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes $2.79 each = $11.16
Use 1 $1 off 2 Classico Sauces coupon
Use 2 $1.50 off 2 Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes Coupon
$3 off for buying 6 participating products
Final cost= $8.16

I just wanted to mention one last thing.  I didn't comment on this last week - the changes in the fuelperks! program.  I am a little upset about losing the cumulative savings aspect of the program, but they have added an incentive to buy certain items each week.  Each week for each item you purchase of the 3 select items you will get 0.05 credited to your fuelperks! account.  So, if this week I buy 1 bag of Thomas' bagels, 2 bags of baby carrrots, and a pack of Oreos, I will get 0.20 added to my account.

Sunday Paper Saga

I had an issue last week with finding a Sunday paper.  For whatever reason I didn't get mine delivered and when I called to report it it was to late for a delivery so my account was credited.  I ended up going out to get my newspapers when we went back to church for the evening service.  After going on a what seemed to be a wild goose chase I ended up with four papers which gave me - 3 SS inserts, 3 RP inserts, and 4 P&G inserts.  If you are doing the math, not all of the papers had all of the inserts. 

Well, recalling my issue last week, I was happy to see my paper in the driveway Sunday morning before we left for church.  I looked at the coupons in the paper and decided there were a few really good ones so I wanted to get 3 more papers.  We stopped at a different store on our way home from church and I saw a large stack of newspapers, I picked up 2 Richmond papers and a Washington Post.  I noticed last week when I got one copy of the WP that they had some different coupons and ones with different values.  I glanced through the papers and it looked like they had everything.  (I like to take ones from the bottom of the stack because they usually are untouched.)  I paid for my papers and we headed home.

I didn't touch the papers again until this morning.  I was sorting through them to pull out my coupons and found that the 2 Richmond papers that I bought didn't have the coupon inserts.  They had everything else but the coupons.  I was so upset.  I know it seems silly to get upset about my coupons not being there, but I spent $4 on the newspapers just for the coupons and now they are just filling my recycling bag.  I thought about going back to the store and getting a refund of my $4, but it isn't worth the hassle.  I will just have to take it as another life lesson.  I did end up with 2 sets of inserts and that is better than none.  :)

Thanks for letting me vent. 

The things kids say....

Tonight while we were eatting a late dinner I was talking through what our week was going to look like. I mentioned that I was hosting the November meeting for my WMF home group Monday night. Natalie asked if she got to come to the meeting. I told her no, she started to fuss. I told her that she and Megan were going to go out with Dad for dinner. She was still upset. Steve piped in. "Natalie, you don't even know where we are going for dinner. Where would you like to go?" Natalie looked at him and said, "I would like to go to The Melting Pot." We both just started laughing. Steve broke it to her that they probably wouldn't go there for dinner.

Halloween Pictures

It was unusually warm on Halloween this year.  It turned out to be a really warm day - I think it was a high of 78 for the day, and really humid. That was not the best weather for the fleece costumes I bought the girls last year the week after Halloween. Being the bargain shopping mom that I am - I got the cosutmes for $5 each.  I really don't think I could have made them something for less. 

They were really excited about going out to the neighbor's houses.  We practiced a few times with ringing the doorbell and saying "trick or treat" and to say "thank you" when they got candy.  I also told Natalie she could say "Happy Halloween" when she was leaving the houses.  She was so excited that when she got to the door she said, "Happy Trick or Treating!"  Megan, really liked trick or treating.  We found out that she loves candy.  (She is my daughter.)  The neighbors thought she was so cute and little they just held out the bowl of candy and told her to take a piece.  She reached out her little hand and didn't just take one piece, she took 3 or 4 pieces - at everybody's house.  She actually came home with more candy than Natalie.

Here are some pictures of us carving our pumpkin with a Noah's Ark pattern and the girls in their costumes:

 Cleaning out the pumpkin "guts"  I was standing on a stool to make it easier to reach inside the pumpkin.

The cat & the mouse ready to hit the neighborhood.  This is the best picture I could find of our finished pumpkin.

Megan was sad that she couldn't eat her candy yet.

The mouse got into her candy - notice the chocolate around her mouth.

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

Natalie, Megan, & I got to go with her preschool to a local pumpkin patch a little over 2 weeks ago.  We had great weather and a great time.  We found the perfect pumpkin to carve and put by our front door and we picked up a few more pumpkins for decorations and for us to try to use for baking and roasting pumpkin seeds.

Here are just a few of the pics from that morning:

Getting ready for the hayride to the pumpkin patch.  The teachers made tie-dyed t-shirts with pumpkins on them for all of the students at the school.  Natalie loved her pumpkin t-shirt!

We found our pumpkin.  The little boy with us is in Natalie's class.  His mom told me that he talks about Natalie all the time, and she talks about him quite a bit.  Is it possible that this is a preschool crush?

We found a cool pumpkin that still had some of the vine attached.

We washed up and enjoyed a snack after we found our pumpkins.  (Natalie is in the middle on the right hand side, you can't see her face.)  Megan liked sitting at the big table with all of the kids.

Playing in the straw.

I couldn't get all of our pumpkins & the girls to the car so I borrowed a wagon from the pumpkin stand to take them and Megan to the car.  She really enjoyed her wagon ride.

Ukrop's Double Coupon Wednesday Shopping Trip

I was really excited to get (what I felt like were) some really good deals.  I think I was most excited about the 5-lb bag of flour for 0.50 that came with coupons on the front for 0.75 off of 2 Domino Sugar Products which allowed me to get two 2-lb boxes of sugar and a 5-lb bag of flour for $3.50. 

I know you are thinking, "Didn't she just recently buy a 50-lb bag of bread flour?  Why does she need MORE flour?"  Well, yes I did buy a 50-lb bag of bread flour about a month ago.  I am actually probably about 1/3-1/2 of the way through it.  (I keep meaning to remember to bring the bathroom scale downstairs so I can weigh the bag.)  I used the bread flour to make 30 small loaves of Amish Friendship Bread for a friend's wedding reception.  I have also found a really yummy homemade bread recipe that makes 6 loaves and uses 10 cups per batch.  I also need to clarify, the flour I bought today was not bread flour, it was all-purpose flour.  I am almost finished with the 25-lb bag that I bought back in March.  (My baking really decreases in the summer.)

So, now to get back on track, here is the picture of what I got today at Ukrop's along with my shopping assistant.  (Natalie has preschool on Wednesday mornings and it is so much easier to shop with one little one than two.)  The breakdown is a little off - I think one of my coupons rang in twice.  I couldn't get my spreadsheet to match my receipt exactly unless I added in a "mystery coupon".  I also think that I had a 0.55 one that didn't double.  It was on the product and I didn't look at it close enough to notice if it said "do not double" (DND).

Here is the breakdown:



As you can see from my spreadsheet:
Shelf Price (Before Sales, Coupons, & Tax): $162.37
Final Price (After Sales, Coupons, & before Tax): $74.20
Total Savings = $88.17 (54%)

I think I did pretty good. I got 2 packages of boneless skinless chicken breast, 2 packages of boneless pork chops, and coffee that will be nice to add to homemade goodies for Christmas presents.

Trying to turn lemons into lemonade -

My sister's birthday is this week and it wasn't going to work out for us to see them this weekend. She invited us to come down for the day because her kids were out of school today and they would have fun with my girls.

I stayed up last night getting things together, packing lunch & snack for the girls, gathering up things that I wanted to drop off with my family, etc. I got up this morning got dressed, got both girls dressed, gave them a to-go breakfast of cheerios in a baggie with a drink, loaded up the car, and headed out. We went to the school where I vote so I could vote, then we were ready to hit the road. It is a little over an hour to get to my family so we had talked about taking a car trip and who we were going to see. Natalie especially was excited, but Megan seemed to know what we were doing as well. I called my sister when we were leaving the polls to see if there was anything they wanted me to bring down. She answered the phone and sounded horrible. I found out that she woke up sick this morning. I found out she had sent her kids to stay with her in-laws and that she felt bad all over. I told her if that was the case I didn't want to come down and get her germs.  (There was a miscommunication she thought Mom was going to call me, Mom thought she was going to call me.)

I broke the news to Natalie & Megan. Natalie got really sad, she even had the sad poutty lip. I told her that we would still have a fun day today. We ended up going to Target and we got a snack at the cafe. They think that is the coolest place to eat for some reason. We shopped for a little bit, then we headed home.

I realized how warm it was outside and thought it would be fun to eat the lunch and snacks I packed outside and have a picnic. I checked the grass it was still rather wet from the rain the last few days, so we just used the patio set. The girls thought it was fun to eat outside. It also helped that they had some of their favorite things. Natalie looked at me while we were eating and said, "This is the best picnic ever!". We wrapped up our time outside by playing a game of tag.  (Side note: I enjoyed keeping my kitchen clean by eating outside, and the game of tag helped wear them out for an afternoon nap.  :))

Here are a few pics from our picnic:

The Picnic Spot

Natalie with her stylish shades enjoying her PB&J

Megan with her shades chilling with her Go-gurt

The things kids say...

Today Natalie & Megan were playing with a Noah's Ark Little Tykes toy. They were really having fun and it was cute listening to Natalie try to tell Megan the story of Noah's Ark. They came into the room where I was and she asked me if they could get baths. (It was ~11AM and they were already dressed.) I told her that they would get baths tonight before bed. She was ok with that. I asked her why she wanted to take a bath. She said she wanted to take her Noah's Ark in the tub with her. I told her that I didn't know if that was a toy that she could put in the tub. She looked at me and said, "Mom, it is a boat. It is meant to go in the water."

Ukrop's Match-ups for Double Coupon Wednesday 11/4/09

I am not going to be around much on Tuesday so I decided to get my match-ups done earlier in the week.  There are some really good sale items at Ukrop's this week.  Feel free to check out their sales flyer on-line - http://www.ukrops.com/ and look for the printable coupons they have on their site as well. 

Here is a list of the match-ups that I saw - feel free to share any that you find that I missed. 

**Ukrop's doubles manufacturer coupons up to 0.99 on Wednesdays only.  They will not double more than 5 like coupons per transaction.**



Here is the link for the Internet Printable for the Gold Medal Flour (you have to sign-up for with their site): http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/coupons/


According to the coupon database on http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ there is a coupon for the Pepperidge Farm cookies.  I couldn't find one, so it may be a regional thing that didn't make it in the Richmond Times Dispatch. 

Speaking of newspapers - I didn't get my paper delivered yesterday before we left for church.  I thought I would wait until we got home in case their was a problem and the delivery was just late.  When we got home that afternoon it still wasn't there.  I called to report it, but it was to late to get a delivery.  I was told my account would be credited.  I had to drive all over to try to find the newspaper.  I finally found a Washington Post that had coupons, although it didn't have all of the coupon inserts.  Long story short we found some Richmind Times Dispatch and finally came home with 4 papers.  Today I noticed while I was combining my inserts to make clipping the coupons easier the differences in the coupons from the two papers.  I was excited to find a coupon in WP for 0.55 off 1 dozen Eggland's Best versus the 0.35 off one from RTD.  That will make them 0.89 for a dozen on Wednesday!

Happy Shopping!

PS - I am planning on posting pumpkin patch pictures and Halloween pictures soon.  I just have to sort through them.  :)