I'm sorry Ukrop's, but it was a Mega Sale and I saved 94%!

Would you believe all of this for $9.02 (including tax)!!!!

I was debating about going to "the K grocery store" this week for the Mega sale.  I read on-line at Hot Coupon World about some of the deals people were getting in my area of items that weren't advertised in the weekly sales flyer.  I also saw the awesome deal my friend Miriam posted on her blog (http://www.mycountrycupboard.blogspot.com/) and realized I had to hit the sale.  It is sales like these I feel like I am hurting "the K grocery store" and actually helping Ukrop's.  I had lots of items that were "money makers" after combining sales & coupons.

Here is the breakdown of my transaction:

(4) Playtex Disposable Gloves - (-0.05) each

(2) YoPlait Go-Gurt - 0.34 each

(4) Betty Crocker Potatoes - 0.29 each

(3) Snuggle Fabric Softner -(-0.01) each

(1) Chex Mix - (-0.01)

(2) Oreida Frozen French Fries - 1.24 each

(4) Playtex Handsaver Gloves - FREE

(2) Pillsbury Simply Cookie - 0.49 each

(8) Birdseye Frozen Vegetables - 0.49 each

(5) Halls Cough Drops - (-0.20) each

(5) DelMonte Diced Tomatoes - 0.29 each

(10)Carnation Evaporated Milk - (-0.01) each

Total Before Sales, Coupons, & Tax: $117.50

Total After Sales, Coupons, & Before Tax: $7.53

Total Savings: $109.97 (94%)

A funny thing happened while I was checking out.  The cashier didn't like me handing her my coupons in sets.  I explained to her that I like to do it that way to double check myself and to make sure that they all ring up because I have so many to use.  When my final total came up to $9.02 she and the person bagging my groceries did a double take and said she got all of that for $9!  That is how you use coupons!

Ukrop's Saturday Only Specials - 10/31/09

There are a few specials tomorrow (Saturday) at Ukrop's for that day only.  It wasn't posted on the website, but one of the managers told me about them and then gave me a copy of his homemade flyer to take home.  I told him that I knew all 8 of my blog followers were eagerly anticipating this late breaking Ukrop's news.   :)

Dickies Fully Cooked Deviled Crabs 2pk - 2 for $5 (regular retail $3.99 each)

3lb bags of Virginia Red Delicious or Golden Delicious Apples - $1.88 a bag (regular retail $2.99)

 Pepsi 6 pks of the 16.9 oz bottles - $1.88 a 6-pk (regular retail $3.49)

(I think all Pepsi products are included in this deal, they were bringing out a pallet of Dr. Pepper when I got off work.)

These deals are in addition to the already advertised Saturday-only specials:

Ukrop's Skim, 1%, 2% Milk Gallons - $2.49

Ukrop's Whole Milk Gallon or Full Circle Organic Milk Half Gallon - $2.59

Happy Shopping!

Ukrop's Double Coupon Wednesday Shopping

I didn't have a big list for today's double coupon run.  I did finally get the Tide Stain Release that I didn't get charged for last week taken care of.  I was able to grab few deals.  Here is a picture of what I picked up:

(Sorry about the glare on the picture)

(4) Campbell's Tomato Soup - $0.49 each

(2) Capri Sun - $1.66 each

(2) Dole Fruit Bowls* - $1.04 each

(3) Jolly Time Microwave Popcorn - $0.29 each

(3) Kellogg's Pop Tarts - $0.55 each

(2) Pillsbury Cake Mix - $0.49 each

(1) Over The Moon Chocolate Milk (1/2 gallon) - $1.40

(1) Ukrop's Milk (gallon) - FREE (WYB 3 Pop Tarts)

(1) Tide Stain Release - $5.99

Shelf Price (Before Sales & Coupons): $43.21

Final Price (After Sales & Coupons): $18.08

Total Savings: $25.13 (58%)

*There is a new thing I noticed at Ukrop's called EZ-Pic.  It was with the Dole Fruit Bowls, buy purchasing 2 of the Dole Fruit Bowls it automatically took $1 off of my order.  I had a 0.75/2 coupon that I was able to combine with this deal making for a quick healthy snack for the girls.

CVS & Walgreens Week of 10/25/09

CVS:

I had to go to CVS this week.  I had $10 ECB that expired on the 30th.  I decided I would get the rest of my Halloween candy because they had a 3-day deal and pick up some eyeliner (I was out) and some lip gloss.  I didn't get one of my best deals, but I did ok.  I had a Buy 3 Get 1 Free for the candy in addition to a $1 off 3 bags of candy.  I ended up paying $1.25 for each bag of candy.  I was able to earn an additional $8 in ECB by purchasing the Cover Girl make-up.  I ended up paying $5.49 for each eyeliner and $4.99 for each lip gloss.

Price Before Sales & Coupons: $39.32

Price After Sales, Coupons, and Redeemed ECB's: $15.96

Total Savings: $23.36 (59%)

I also earned $8 ECB with the make-up

Walgreens:

I was able to go to my favorite Walgreens Sunday afternoon after church and grab my extra Sunday papers.  I like to redeem my RR at Walgreens for newspapers because they work great as a filler item - and it is like getting them for free!  I found out there was a month long RR promotion with Dove - if you buy 8 selected items you earn a $10 RR.  I had 3 shampoo and 3 conditioner coupons and they had a B1G1 Free sale for the shampoo and conditioner.  I thought this would be a good way to "roll" some of my rewards.

Sunday Afternoon Run:
(3) Dove Shampoo $1.495 each (4.99 each, B1G1 Free, $1 coupon)
(1) Dove Shampoo $2.495 (4.99 each B1G1 Free)
(3) Dove Conditioner $0.995 each (4.99 each, B1G1 Free, $1.50 coupon)
(1) Dove Conditioner $ 2.495 (4.99 each B1G1 Free)
(2) Sunday Richmond Times Dispatch $2 each

Shelf Price (Before Sales & Coupons): $39.92
Final Price (After Sales, Coupons, and Redeemed RR): $0.46
Total Savings: $39.46 (99%)
Earned $10 RR

I read about the Quaker deal on-line at Hot Coupon World and thought I could use it.  There is a month long RR deal that if you buy $10 worth of Quaker products you get a $5 RR.  There is a coupon in this week's Walgreens ad for B1G1 Free if you buy the Oatmeal at $3.19 each.  I also had a manufacturer coupon I was able to combine with it making it a really great deal!

Wednesday Morning Run:

(3) M&M Candy - $0.39 each (filler items - Megan was playing with one so it didn't make the picture.)

(1) Chapstick Fresh Effects - $2.99

(4) Quaker Oatmeal - $0.97 each (3.19 each, B1G1 Free, $1.25/2 coupon)

Shelf Price (Before Sales & Coupons): $20.52

Final Price (After Sales, Coupons, Redeemed RR): $3.04

Total Savings: $17.48 (85%)

Earned $8 RR

Ukrop's Double Coupon Wednesday 10/28/09

I honesty have to say that I wasn't really excited about this week's Ukrop's ad.  There are some really good deals, but not really items that I use or need.  I am contemplating taking a week off, but I everytime I say that I end up still hitting the sales.  :)  Feel free to check-out Ukrop's weekly ad on-line and also find some printable coupons at http://www.ukrops.com/.  **Ukrop's doubles manufacturer coupons up to 0.99 on Wednesdays only, they will not double more than 5 like coupons per transaction, they do accept internet printable coupons for values up to $2 and will not accept printable coupons for a free item (such as buy 1 get 1 free).**

Here is a list of what I thought were deals and coupon match-up if available:
Boneless Sirloin Steaks - $3.98/lb (Steak!!!!!)
Canada Dry & 7-Up 12 pk or 12 oz cans - 5/$10 (this includes A&W & Sunkist)
*Kellogg's Pop-Tarts - 3/$5 $1 off 8ct 9/13 RP (that would make them 0.67 a box!)  edited after original post $0.55 of an 8 count box 9/13 RP (doubled that will make them 0.57 a box!) *If you buy 3 boxes you get a free gallon of Ukrop's milk using a SPOT coupon
Pepsi 2-Liters - 0.99
Tombstone Frozen Pizzas - 2/$5
Doritos (11.5-14.5oz bags) - 2/$4
Sylvania Soft White Light Bulbs 4-ct - 2/$1
Starkist Chunk Light Tuna Pouches (2.6 oz) - $1.19 $1 off 2 pouches 10/11 RP
Hostess Cupcakes & Twinkies - 2/$5 0.50 off 1 box 10/11 RP
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish -4/$5
Energizer Batteries (AAA, AA 4-pk, C, D 2-pk, 9-volt each) - $2.95 0.50 off 1 pack 10/4 SS
Chex Mix & Bugles - 2/$4 0.50 off 1 bag 10/25 SS (Chex Mix, not Bugles)
Kellogg's Cereal Cups -10/$10 **Buy 10 get 5 more for FREE**
Over The Moon Chocolate Milk - 2/$5 (I have a 0.55 coupon I found on a tearpad over the summer)
Marie Callender's Entrees, Al Dente, or Pot Pies - $2.99 $1 off 2 Al Dente Entrees 9/27 SS
Turkey Hill Iced Tea or Lemonade Gallons - $2.49 $1 off 2 half-gallons or larger 9/20 RP
Caprisun - 3/$5 (I need 2 more to qualify for the Nabisco $20 rebate)
Sargento Shredded Cheese 3/$5 0.55 off 1 package All You Magazine 11/09
Nestle Hot Cocoa Mix (10 oz box) - 0.69 (limit 6) Internet printable $1 off 2 boxes
Jolly Time Microwave Popcorn - $1.29 0.50 off 1 box 9/27SS 0.29 a box on double coupon Wednesday!

Don't Forget the Rest of the week's One-Day Deals:
Thursday - Large Ukrop's Grade AA Eggs 0.99/dozen
Friday - Purdue Boneless Chicken Breast 50% off (1.99/lb)
Saturday - Ukrop's Skim, 1%, 2% Milk Gallons - $2.49
                Whole Milk Gallons, Full Circle Organic Milk Half Gallons -$2.59

Happy Shopping!

Last week's Walgreens run

I am late in posting my picture and my deals from Walgreens last week. I ran there real quick Friday afternoon before I had to run home and get ready to celebrate with a friend who got married on Saturday. I started off with $32 in RR.

I got everything in 2 separate transactions -

Transaction #1:

Zantac - $8.99 (for my FIL) (sale price)

(3) Theraflu - $4.99 (each, sale price)

(8) Halloween Pencils - $0.25 each

Subtotal: $32.46 (before sales & coupons)

(-1.50) Zantac coupon

(-1.50) Theraflu coupon

(-3.00) off 2 Theraflu

(-1.00) Halloween Pencil Special

(-14) Redeemed RR

Final Price (before tax): $4.96

Total Savings: $27.50 (85%)

Earned $17 RR

Transaction #2:

Zantac - $8.99 (for my FIL, sale price)

Halls Refresh Drops - $1

Dentek Dental Floss - $2

(3) Triaminic Strips - $4.99 (each, sale price)

(8) Halloween Pencils - $0.25 each

Subtotal: $39.84 (before sales & coupons)

(-1.50) Zantac coupon on box

(-0.50) Hall's Refresh coupon

(-1) Dentek Floss Coupon

(-$1.50) Triaminic

(-$3) off 2 Triaminic

(-$1) Halloween Pencil Special

(-$18) Redeemed Register Rewards

Final Price (before tax): $2.46

Total Savings: $37.38 (94%)

Earned $20 RR

Great find at Target!

I paid more for the 3-pack of socks than I did for 5 of the Glade Scented Oil Candle holders and 5 of the 4-count refill packs!!!!

Here is how you can do it also - there are a few what-ifs out there.

I read about this deal on one of my favorite sites for coupon info Hot Coupon World (http://www.hotcouponworld.com/). There is a promo right now at Target with Glade. You have to buy 5 select Glade products (I think it is just the holiday scents) and you can earn a $5 Target giftcard I went to Target today (Libbie Place) and found the merchandise on an endcap but no signs. There was a price check machine nearby so I scanned one of the scented tins. It had the price ($2.50) and then said it was eligible for a $5 Target Giftcard. I also had with me coupons I had found yesterday from a blinkie machine at Ukrop's for Buy 1 Glade Scented Oil Candle Holder get a free refill pack. When I opened up the refill tin to smell the candle - a coupon fell out. It was for $1.50 off of one Glade Scented Oil Candle product.

This is how the math worked out:

5 Glade Scented Oil Candle Holders @ $2.50 each = $12.50
5 Glade Scented Oil Candle Refills @ $2.50 each = $12.50
Sub-total = $25.00
Minus 5 coupons for $1.50 off of one Glade Scented candle Product (-7.50)
Minus 5 coupons for a Free Refill pack WYB a Glade Scented Oil Candle Holder (-12.50)
Final Price = $5 (plus tax) & I got two $5 Target Giftcards.

I also read on-line that their is a rebate for SC Johnson (the company that makes Glade) for $5 when you purchase 3 items. I may be able to get the entire purchase for free after the rebate!

So, to sum it up I bought a 3-pack of socks for $6 and got a bunch of free candles. Not bad, especially when I had two tired and fussy kiddos in tow.

Double Coupon Wednesday at Ukrop's

I had a few weak moments at Ukrop's today. I bought a few things without coupons?!?!?! We went to the store late in the afternoon (after naps) because we had a big morning on a field trip at the pumpkin patch. I'll talk about that and post pictures later. :) Natalie wanted to take her picture with the groceries because she wanted to show off her pumpkin t-shirt her teacher made for each student to wear today.

I did all of this in two transactions so that I could make sure I got both of the $5 off P&G Promos. Items in promo are marked with (*).

Transaction #1:

Charmin Toilet Paper (12 Big Rolls)* - 5.14

(1) Dawn Direct Foam* - 0.44

(2) Domino Sugar (5 lb) - 2.14 each

(4) Kit Kat Snack Bars - 1.18 each (the coupon came off as 3.29 instead of $2)

(4) Maruchan Noodles - 0.09 each

(2) Maxwell House Coffee - 1.50 each (I took them to church)

(2) Pampers Cruisers Jumbo Packs* - 6.24 each

Snapple (16 oz) - 0.19

(3) Swanson's Chicken Broth - 0.23 each

Woman's Day Magazine - 2.29 (I did have a 0.25 coupon that doubled)

(2) Coffeemate Creamer - 1.69 each

(10) Dannon Yogurt 6 oz cups - 0.40 each

Freschetta Frozen Pizza - 3.99

Joe's Market Roasted Garlic Hummus - 1.87

Stacy's Pita Chips - 3.59

Bag Credit - (-0.25)

Shelf Price (Before Sales, Coupons, and Tax): 98.72

Final Price (After Sales & Coupons, Before Tax): 50.17

Total Savings: $48.55 (49%)

Transaction 2:

(3) Dawn Direct Foam - 0.44

(1) Dawn Direct Foam - 1.44 (my coupon didn't come off?)

(3) Viva Big Rolls - 0.89 each

Apples - 3.81

Bananas - 0.88

Kaiser Rolls - 2.59

Tide Stain Release Coupon (-1.5) **I thought I bought a Tide Stain Release, when I got home I realized I didn't get charged for it, but that my coupon came off. I think that is why my other Dawn coupon didn't come off. I will go back tomorrow and pay for the Tide and try to get it all straight. The Tide is not included in my total outside of the coupon showing up on my receipt)

Shelf Price (Before Sales, Coupons, & Taxes): $27.49

Final Price (After Sales & Coupons, Before Taxes): $11.21

Total Savings: $16.28 (59%)

Totals for both transactions:

Shelf Price (Before Sales, Coupons, & Taxes): $126.21

Final Price (After Sales & Coupons, Before Taxes): $61.38

Total Savings: $64.83 (51%)

Not bad. I gave into some weak moments, the sandwich rolls to go with barbeque I had in the freezer, the hummus (that was on sale & thrift) & pita chips.

Coupon Match-ups and Ideas for Double Coupon Wednesday at Ukrop's

I really don't have a huge shopping list this week. I am still trying to use up some of my stock pile and we are not going to be home for dinner a couple of nights this week.

Here are a few of the match-ups or deals that I am going to try to pick-up this week. You can view the ad on-line in addition to finding some printable coupons at www.ukrops.com.

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

Snack Size/Fun Size Candy: Hershey, Nestle, Tootsie and Mars 7-16oz. 2/$4 with Savings Spot Coupon (Limit 6) - B3G1 Free (buy any 3 Hershey's Reese's or Kit Kat Snack Size Bags - maximum value $3 (10/18 SS) Final Price = $6 for 4 bags of candy or $1.25 per bag

Swanson Broths (14-14.5 oz) 2/$1 - 0.40/3 (9/27 SS) Final Price = 0.70 for 3 cans or 0.23 a can

Freschetta Pizzas (18.5-25.12 oz) - no price listed but save up to $3 - $1 on any Freschetta Naturally Rising PizzAmore Original Crust, PizzAmore Fire Bakes, Brick Oven or Flatbread Pizza (9/13 SS)

Pillsbury Frozen Biscuits (20.8-31.8oz) $2.99 - 0.75/2 Frozen Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits, Cinnamon Rolls, or Mini Cinnamon Rolls (10/4 SS) Final Price = $4.48 for 2 packages or $2.24 each

Dannon Yogurt (6oz) 10/$5 - $1/10 6 oz Single-Serve Cups (9/27 SS) Final Price = $4 for 10 single serve cups or 0.40 each

**There is a Proctor & Gamble Promotion this week: Buy 4 participating P&G products and get $5 off your total order (valid through 10/24/09 - all purchases must be made in a single transaction. Shopping Basket must be $5 more than the total price of participating products)

Here is my plan for the promotion:

Transaction 1:
(2) Dawn Direct Foam $2.69 each (-0.50 coupon x2) (9/27 P&G) (-0.50 doubled x2) = $3.38
(2) Pampers Jumbo Diapers $8.99 each (-1.50 coupon x2) (back of Cheerios box)= $14.98
Total = $18.36
P&G Promo (-5)
Final Price = $13.36

Transaction 2:
(3) Dawn Direct Foam $2.69 each (-0.50 x3) (9/27 P&G) (-0.50 doubled x3) = $5.07
(1) Charmin Big Roll or Mega Roll Bathroom Tissue (12-Big or 6 Mega Rolls) $7.39 - $1 (P&G Savings Booklet) = $6.39
Total = $11.46
P&G Promo (-5)
Final Price = $6.46

There are lots of other options for the sale. I thankfully don't need Prilosec, but that could be a good deal if you have the $3 off coupons from the 9/27 P&G insert.

I also found some coupons that were under 0.99 that I may check out the price to see if I can get a good deal or not. I found a 0.85/1 VIVA Towels Big Roll Package (10/11 SS) - 0.85 doubled means $1.70 off. There were also more Maruchan 0.50/1 coupons (10/18 SS), I got them for 0.09 last week. They went over well with my crew while I was at work this past weekend.

Please feel free to share any ideas or deals that you are planning on getting (or got).

Happy Shopping!

Memories...

I am fortunate to only work one day a week. I wanted to work a minimal amount after Natalie was born so that I could keep myself current in pharmacy and talk to people in complete sentences. :) I like working part-time, but I really enjoy the days that I am a stay-at-home mom.

Today was one of those days - both girls were just so cute today.

Megan, now 16 months old, is starting to really talk now. We were playing together while dinner was in the oven. I play a game with the girls where we do silly things like make faces and then tell the girls they are silly. Tonight Megan started telling me I was silly. She said it again when she realized I didn't catch what she was saying. When I realized it I repeated it to her and then she just started laughing soon we both were laughing at each other.

Natalie, who will be 4 in December, stood up on a stool today in the kitchen while I was making our lunch - grilled cheese and tomato soup. She told me that she wanted to watch me so that she could learn how to be a mom. I asked, "What does a mom do?" She replied, "All kinds of things, like she takes care of girls, makes grilled cheese, makes bread, plays outside with us."

Her response was definitely prompted by the things we had done that day, or we were getting ready to do after lunch (make bread & play outside). [On a side note, this afternoon was the first time we were able to go outside and play on the grass in our new backyard.] Her answer did make me think. I am home most days with them so that I can watch them learn things, and hit milestones, but also so that they can have memories of me and things that we can do and play together. I hope that when they are all grown-up and on their own that they will look back on days like today and remember playing together, making bread and just laughing together. It is also what I need to remember when they want me to read to them or play and I have "something" that I "have to do".

How About Them Apples? - Part II

We left off my journey to learning how to make my own applesauce, apple butter, and can it with a picture of all of the apples (~53 pounds) that we got at Carter Mountain Orchard on Saturday. (I really laugh out loud when I look at this picture of Natalie.)

We came home with a half-bushel of Fuji apples, about 6 pounds of Red Delicious, the 2 large bowls of Golden Delicious, and the Granny Smith loose on the counter. I cut up all of the apples by hand, except the Granny Smith to cook for applesauce.
This is about how much applesauce I ended up with. I lost some to "quality control" tasters. The apples in the bowl are the Granny Smith I still had left over after making apple crisp for dessert. I did finish using them by making a big dish of baked apples for our "breakfast cook out" at church Wednesday night.

I used about 7&1/2 quarts of applesauce to make the apple butter. My finished product - 12 half-pints of apple butter, 2 pints of apple butter, 1 pint of applesauce, and 6 quarts of applesauce. I have a little bit of apple butter that wasn't enough to can in the fridge. I also baked 15 mini loaves of Cinnamon Pecan Amish Friendship Bread and 2 loaves of bread tonight. I wish we had smell-o-vision. The warm fresh bread and my homemade apple butter tasted soooooo good.

I really am proud of my accomplishment. I was able (with research and guidance) to successfully figure out how to make and preserve my own applesauce and apple butter. I do owe a huge debt of gratitude to my pastor's wife who was so sweet to come over and bring me a dozen quart jars and lend me one of her large pots and her steam canner. She explained to me that it would be much easier and faster than using the water bath like I had planned to do. I never did try the water bath. I figured she knew what she was talking about because she has lots of experience with canning.

I was trying to figure out if it is really less expensive to make my own applesauce and apple butter than to buy store bought. I had to invest in a few things to get started, but they are things I can use for multiple things. The biggest splurge I had was purchasing the KitchenAid attachments. I didn't realize that most stores don't carry all of the attachments. If I had realized that I probably would have ordered it on-line for less. I did find what I needed plus an additional attachment in a set at Sur La Table. But, I now have a food grinder, a fruit & vegetable strainer, and a roto chopper. I also had to buy some supplies for canning, I bought a few jars - I found them on clearance and I was able to use a coupon for them so they were pretty cheap. I also purchased a water bath canner that I may return since I didn't use it (or keep it to make a huge pot of chili). I also purchased a set that included a funnel, a magnetic lid lifter, and a jar grabber. They were very useful. But all of these are things that I can continue to use when I want to can more fruits and maybe vegetables. So is it less expensive? - maybe. Does it taste better? - ABSOLUTELY!

"Rolling" my Register Rewards

Register Rewards are great, as long as you can use all of them before they expire. They are only good for 2 weeks after they are issued. I used some of them Sunday night by purchasing my additional newspapers, a birthday card, and the spaghetti sauce. Tuesday I realized I still had a decent amount I needed to roll before they expired - on Wednesday. So I sat down with the ad in hand, and read some post on-line at Hot Coupon World, and came up with a game plan.

Here is the breakdown on my purchases:

(8) Jars of Ragu Spaghetti Sauce -$1.295 each (earned $8 RR)

Hallmark Card - $0.99 (not pictured)

(2) Sunday Newspapers - $2 each (not pictured)

(3) Vaseline Lotions - $6.99 each (earned $7 RR on each)

(2) Nivea for Men Aftershave Balm - $3.50 each (earned $4 RR)

(3) Chapstick - $2.99 each (earned $3 RR on each)

(2) Dentek Floss - $1 each (earned $2 RR on each = Money Maker)

(1) Halls Refresh Drops - $0.50 (earned $1 RR = Money Maker)

(4) small bags of M&Ms - $0.49 each (filler item) (one got eaten already)

(24) plastic dessert cups - $0.19 each (filler item - I am going to use them for a program at church)

(3) Sippy Cups - $0.74 each (on clearance - we always seem to be missing cups these days)

Shelf Price (before sales, coupons, and tax): $85.57

Final Price (after sales, coupons, before tax): $9.04

Total Savings: $76.53 (89%)

FYI - there are several tips you need to understand in order to maximize your RR with Walgreens.

• You cannot have more coupons (RR count as a coupon) than you have items in your transaction. That is why I always end up with "filler items". I also found out that if you have a coupon for $$/2 that coupon ties to both items for your coupon to item count.
• You cannot get multiple RR for the same item in the same transaction. You need to buy them in separate transactions.
• You cannot get a new RR by paying for the second item with the RR from the first transaction - ex. You can't buy a second Vaseline lotion with the RR from the first Vaseline lotion.
• You generally cannot get a new RR if you are buying a product from the same company as your first RR - ex. I can't use a RR from a previous purchase of a Proctor & Gamble product on a new P&G product and get a new RR.

I know it sounds confusing, but once you start to figure it out you just learn how to work around it.

Feel free to ask me if you have any RR questions - if I can't answer it I can try to point you in the right direction. :)

Wednesday's Ukrop's Double Coupons up to 0.99 Shopping Trip

Here is a pic of the items I got at Ukrop's yesterday - the breakdown is below. Thanks again to Kathryn for the tip on the super cheap Maruchan Noodles.

(2) Hunt's Diced Tomatoes - $0.50 each

Reduced Fat Ritz Crackers - $2

Reduced Fat Wheat Thins - $2

Ritz Crackerfuls - FREE

(2) Deer Park Aqua Pod (8 - 8 oz bottles each) - $0.50 each

Hershey Rolo's (not pictured) - $0.50**

(4) Hunt's Snack Pack Pudding Cups -$0.75 each

(4) Maruchan Yakisoba Noodles -$0.09 each

(2) Food Club Diced Green Chiles - $0.89 each

Quaker Rice Cakes - $1.99

(2) Bridgeford Cinnamon Monkey Bread - $2.59 each

(2) Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (4 count) - $0.50 each

(4) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls (4 count) - $0.50 each

(2) Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (5 count) - $0.70 each

(2) Smucker's Uncrustables (4 count) - $1 each

Apples (0.99/lb) - $2.04

Bag Credit -($0.20)

Shelf Price (Before Sales, Coupons, and Tax): $52.65

Final Price (After Sales, Coupons, before Tax): $22.05

Total Savings: $30.60 (58%)

**Megan was enticed by the shiny wrapper of the Rolo's while I was checking out and bit into the package, so I added them to my order. Thankfully she picked candy that was on sale this week. :)

Ukrop's Double Coupons up to 0.99 Wednesday Plan for 10/14/09

I am late in sitting down to figure out my shopping plan for Ukrop's double coupons today. One of the reasons is my pantry is so full I was contemplating taking a week off, the other reason is I have been so consumed with my task of learning how to make and can applesauce that when I haven't been working on that, I have been cleaning up from it. :)

I did pull up the ad and found a few deals that I think I am going to try to run out and get today. By the way - I have to admit although we did get the satisfaction of picking our own apples and that allowed us to know that they hadn't been handled by that many other people and such - I paid $1.09/lb for pick your own apples (including golden delicious) and $1.19/lb for already picked red delicious apples. They are on sale for 0.99/lb at Ukrop's this week - and they are Virginia grown apples. I am trying to focus on the fact that we had a fun family day apple picking and that is priceless. :)

So, getting back on track here are some deals that I think I am going to hit today:

Just a side note - Ukrop's will double manufacturer coupons up to 0.99 on Wednesdays only. They will only double 5 like coupons per transaction. You can also get a 0.05 credit for each bag that you bring with you to bag your groceries in. Feel free to check out the weekly ad and find some printable coupons by going to their site - http://www.ukrops.com/.

• Beef Tenderloin for $6.98/lb - and if you ring the bell at the meat department door they will cut it for you into steaks (however thin or thick as you'd like) at no additional charge.
• I do not like canned tuna so I am not going to get it- but the Starkist cans are 10/$10 (you don't have to buy 10)
• If you need frozen veggies - food club veggies are also 10/$10
• Golden Delicious & Red Delicious apples - 0.99/lb (less expensive than an orchard)
• Pillsbury Rolls & Biscuits - I am not sure exactly what is included in the sale but there are coupons for 0.40/2, 0.50/2 for canned biscuits and canned cinnamon rolls. You can also get some of these as printable coupons from http://www.ukrops.com/.
• Nabisco Snack Crackers are 2/$5 - not the best deal, but I have a coupon for $1/2. I can also combine that with a coupon for a FREE Ritz crackerfull when I buy a box of Ritz crackers. So I will get 3 boxes of crackers for $4.
• Smucker's Uncrustables are 2/$5 - there are 0.75/1 coupons - doubled today and that means a box of already made PB &J for $1! My 3&1/2 year old will be very excited.
• I am thinking about picking up the Food Club Peanuts that are 20% off - I need peanuts for a church function in about 2 weeks. I do get an additional 10% off and tax exempt when I buy stuff from Ukrop's for my church.
• Deer Park Bottled Water is 10/$10 for a 16.9oz 6-pack! There are also various coupons floating around for Deer Park Water from the 9/27 RP coupons and All You magazine.
• (Selected) Little Debbie Snack cakes are 10/$10 - if included there are coupons for the chocolate cupcakes from 9/27 SS (including $1/1 from the October All You magazine - that would make it FREE!)
• Hunt's Snack Pack pudding is 10/$10 - I have a coupon from the October All You magazine that is $1 off of 4 packs.
• Swiss Miss Cocoa Packets are 10/$10. I couldn't find a coupon for it, but I may pick one up it is going to be cold this week.
• Kraft Easy Mac is 10/$10. I found a tearpad with $1 off when you buy 5. I may or may not pick these up. I have gotten them for ~0.20 each before. But they are great to keep on hand or send to the sitter.
• Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream cups are 10/$10. These are the small cups that come with a spoon attached under the cup. There is a printable coupon for $1/3. (edit: I just tried to print the coupon and I couldn't find it there anymore.) I took one of these little cups and divided it among all 4 of us the other night to put on top of fresh apple crisp for dessert.
• Steaz Teas are a new product at Ukrop's and are on sale 10/$10. There may be coupons in a mambo sprouts coupon booklet but I haven't checked yet.
• Don't forget that one of the Saturday specials is milk. The gallons are $2.49 for skim, 1%, or 2% and $2.59 for whole milk.

Added after original post:

I just got a tip from a new blog friend, Kathryn, - "Don't forget your coupon for Maruchan Yakisoba noodles (50 cents 8-23-09 SS). They will end up being 9 cents." I will try them for 9 cents - and if we don't like them I'll give them to college kids who will eat anything. :)

I also wanted to remind you that you can get some decent deals with the regular price and a good coupon - for example last week I got 2 Mahatma yellow rice packets that are are normally 0.99 each for 0.24 each after using a 0.75/2 coupon. This is another product I have never tried, but if we don't like it I will donate it.

Happy Shopping!

How about them apples?

I know that the 5 "followers" of my blog have probably wondered where I have been. It has been almost a week since my last blog entry. I have been researching and learning how to make and can my own applesauce and apple butter. It really has not been hard and after I gathered the necessary equipment it is just a time investment.

I thought about learning to can the end of this summer, right when the last of the Ukrop's peaches were gone. They were so juicy and yummy - and when they were gone I wished I had figured out a way to keep them to enjoy them all year long. I even found a canner set on clearance at Target and bought it for when I wanted to try canning something. I thought about trying my hand at making my own applesauce and then realized that you get apple butter from applesauce. I thought I would get a head start on some homemade goodies for neighbors, family, and friends for Christmas.

If you want to make applesauce you need apples. What better way to get fresh apples than to pick them yourself.

Here are some pictures from our afternoon apple picking at Carter's Mountain:

Natalie being really careful not to drop the apples and bruise them.

Megan learned really quick how to pick an apple.




An apple you just picked is a great snack - just a side note don't they look cute in their matching outfits. :)

They enjoyed a ride in a wagon to the car with all of our apples (and the apple cider donuts)- they really did enjoy the ride even though their aren't showing it in this picture.

Natalie posing with all of the apples we picked and bought at Carter's Mountain (~53 pounds). One another side note she wanted to make a silly face for the picture.

You will have to "tune in next time" to find out how my journey of learning how to make applesauce, apple butter, and canning has gone. I am still in the middle of the process. Sorry about the cliff hanger, but I am going to bed.

Ukrop's Meat Sale, General Mills Promo, and Double Coupons up to 0.99 Wednesday

I found some great deals at Ukrop's this week. I was surprised at the additional coupons I could use today now that they raised the amount they double up to 0.99

Here is what I got:

(5) Betty Crocker Warm Delights - 0.66 each*

Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 4.29

Dole Fruit (Large Plastic Jar) - 1.29

(2) Dole Mandarin Orange Fruit Cups (4 -pack)- 1.54 each

(9) Cans of Hunt's Tomatoes (3 whole, 3 diced, 3 fire roasted diced) - 0.45 each

(2) Mahatma Yellow Rice - 0.24 each

Wesson Best Blend Oil - 2.79

(4) White House Apple Sauce Cups (6-pack) - 0.74 each

(4) Zone Perfect Bars - 0.19 each

(4) Green Giant Vegetable Steamers - 0.99 each*

Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt 1.29*

Yoplait YoPlus Yogurt 1.29*

(4) Nature Valley Granola Bars - 1.70 each*

(4) Nature Valley Nut Clusters - 1.50 each*

* = participating item for the General Mills Pink Event. I actually did 2 seperate transactions to make sure that I would get the $5 off of each set of items

Shelf Price: $99.80

Final Price after sales, and coupons (before tax):$31.44

Total Savings: $68.36 (68%)

I mentioned in my last post about the meat sale - here is a picture of what I got Tuesday night. The barbeque (made from the 2 pieces in the bottom left) smelled good this morning. I already chopped it up and filled 3 quart sized ziploc bags with it and got it all in the freezer.

I also figured out my total from Tuesday night (I also got bananas)-

Shelf Price: $47.34

After sales (before tax):$25.57

Total Savings: $21.77 (46%)

And finally just because I am border-line OCD here is the total for my shopping trips on Tuesday & Wednesday:

Shelf Price: $147.14

Final Price after sales & coupons (before tax): $57.01

Total Savings: $90.13 (61%)

Ukrop's General Mills Promo & Meat Sale!

I wanted to share a few ideas that I have for maximizing double coupon Wednesday with the General Mills promo (buy $20 of selected items get $5 off your order).

***Ukrop's will double coupons up to 0.99 on Wednesday only and will only double 5 like coupons per transaction***

Here are just 2 possible scenarios:

Scenario #1

Item	Sale Price	Coupon	doubled	final price
Green Giant Steamers	1.99	0.5	0.5	0.99
Green Giant Steamers	1.99	0.5	0.5	0.99
Green Giant Steamers	1.99	0.5	0.5	0.99
Green Giant Steamers	1.99	0.5	0.5	0.99
Fiber One Yogurt	2.29	1		1.29
Fiber One Yogurt	2.29	1		1.29
Warm Delights	1.67	0.5	0.5	0.67
Warm Delights	1.67	0.5	0.5	0.67
Warm Delights	1.67	0.5	0.5	0.67
Warm Delights	1.67	0.5	0.5	0.67
Warm Delights	1.67	0.5	0.5	0.67
	20.89			9.89
GM Promo				-5
Final Price				4.89

Scenario #2

Item	Sale Price	Coupon	doubled	final price
Nature Valley Granola Bars	2.5	0.4	0.4	1.7
Nature Valley Granola Bars	2.5	0.4	0.4	1.7
Nature Valley Granola Bars	2.5	0.4	0.4	1.7
Nature Valley Granola Bars	2.5	0.4	0.4	1.7
Nature Valley Clusters	2.5	0.5	0.5	1.5
Nature Valley Clusters	2.5	0.5	0.5	1.5
Nature Valley Clusters	2.5	0.5	0.5	1.5
Nature Valley Clusters	2.5	0.5	0.5	1.5
	20			12.8
GM Promo				-5
Final Price				7.8

These are just some scenarios that I may try tomorrow. I did see the store manager when I ran to Ukrop's tonight for 0.29/lb bananas and asked about how many of the $5 off $20 you can do at a time. He said he didn't know if you could get $10 off if you spent $40 and suggested doing it in a separate transaction.

Don't forget to check out the meat department if you go to Ukrop's this week. They are running a mix or match pick 5 cuts of selected meat or seafood items for $25 (just look for the yellow dots). Some of the larger cuts of meat are cut in half (like the fresh pork butt roast). I would encourage to look for the largest package of whatever you want to buy. If you buy 5 items your price will be adjusted to $5 for each item when you check out.

Tonight I picked up 2 boneless pork butt(3.66 lb & 2.76 lb), 1 bone-in pork butt (4.39lb), 85% ground round (1.88 lb), and Purdue boneless skinless chicken breast (1.44lb) for $25. If I look at the price per pound the chicken breast wasn't my best deal, but I needed a fifth item and I can always use chicken breast. Overall, I got a bunch of fresh meat that I already have plans for.

I put both of the boneless pork shoulder butts are in the crock pot and I will wake-up to the smell of barbeque in the morning. We may have some for dinner tomorrow night, or I may just stick it in the freezer for later. I am also planning on browning up the ground beef with some onion to keep in the freezer. That will be great for either chili or taco soup later on. I may even go ahead and bake the chicken breasts in advance so that I can freeze some cooked chopped chicken for either white chicken chili or chicken and bean burritos. I will also cook the bone-in pork butt in the crock pot for more barbeque - I just couldn't fit almost 11 pounds of pork in my crock pot at one time.

I find that it is great to have these type of things already prepared and ready to go in the freezer on days that my plans and the way the day went don't match, days when I am not in the mood for cooking, nights that we have to be somewhere right after dinner (like church on Wednesday) or nights that I have to work. I make sure to write on the bag what it is and when I froze it. I try to make sure that I use it within 3-4 months of freezing.

Well, I didn't intend to go off on the tangent, but thanks for sticking it out with me. :) Happy shopping and if you hit the General Mills promo or the meat sale feel free to share your deals.

The backyard is finished!!!! (for now)

The construction guys finished the last of the sod this morning and brought in the gravel for the driveway then packed up everything and told us good-bye before lunch. The yard looks absolutely beautiful!!!! It looks better than I ever imagined it could look. I wanted to go and run barefoot in the grass, but we can't really walk on it for about 2 weeks. I have enjoyed just looking at it from the kitchen window today. I found myself just staring outside and admiring it.

I have been in the kitchen most of the day baking. I made four batches of Amish friendship bread with cinnamon chips and pecans added to it and a batch of white bread for us. I put a very small dent in the 50 pound bag of bread flour I got at Costco last week. I think I have rinsed, washed, and dried most of the bowls, measuring spoons, measuring cups, and spoons I have in my kitchen. I just finished the last batch and all of those dirty dishes are going into the dishwasher.

I am getting ready to start dinner (Bacon & Potato Chowder) to go with our fresh bread, but I wanted to post a few pictures first. I hope you are as impressed with the transformation as we are. In case you forgot how pitiful our backyard was here is a link to the before pictures : http://annscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2009/09/before-pictures-of-backyard.html

The new backyard:

This is where the drainage ditch was - the fence belongs to our neighbor. You can also now see our other neighbor's shed that was covered up by all of the overgrown bushes in the flower bed beside the ditch.

We got a new side yard by removing all of the planters and plants. We want to put in something to keep the gravel in the driveway, but when we get the patio done the gravel may get taken out.

The view from the street. We have lots of "rubber necking" when our neighbors drive by our house now.

I am sooooo excited!

"I am sooooo excited!" is what Natalie says when I tell her something that she likes, like going to see a friend, or getting to go to a restaurant she likes.

Well, I am sooooo excited because I was upset when I saw in last week's Ukrop's ad that Wednesday was the last week for doubling manufacturer coupons up to 0.50. I mentioned it to one of the store managers at my store on Wednesday when I was shopping that I was bummed that they were not going to have that deal any longer. He told me to not get upset, but be patient. He told me that I would probably like the replacement deal, but didn't give me any details. I am excited about the new Wednesday only deal - double manufacturer coupons up to 0.99!!!!!!

Ukrop's has a really exciting meat sale this week and another buy $20 of select items get $5 off deal. Here is a link to the ad- http://www.ukrops.com/ and here is a link to the once daily specials for the week - http://www.ukrops.com/whatsgoingon/OneDayDeals.asp

I will try to get my shopping list together Tuesday so that I can share a way to maximize savings with double coupons up to 0.99 Wednesday and the other specials.

Feel free to share any deals that you see. :)

Shopping this week - BJ's & Costco

I wrote a blog on Tuesday about whether or not warehouse shopping is worth the cost of membership. I went to both BJ's and Costco this week. This is a picture of the grocery items I bought at both places. We also bought a bake at home Unos pizza. Steve and the girls ate that for dinner Tuesday night while I was at work. It was so big we finished it for lunch on Wednesday.

BJ's (accepts manufacturer coupons):
Mt. Olive Dill Pickle Chips (2 quarts) - $3.39
Unos Pizza - $6.99
Nestle Chocolate Chips (72 oz bag) - $6.29
(3) half gallons of Organic whole milk - $2.99 each
(3) twin packs (so 6 half gallons) of Silk Plain soy milk - $3.39 each (or $1.69 a half gallon)
Final Price (before tax): $35.81

Costco:
50 pound bag of bread flour - $14
4 pounds of butter - $5.89 (1.47 a pound)
1 dozen Einstein bagels - $4.99
10 whole vanilla beans - $11.99
Final Price (before tax): $36.87

Shopping this week - Ukrop's

Ukrop's had some really good deals this past week. Unfortunately for me some of the items on sale didn't also have coupons available. This was the last week of doubling manufacturer coupons up to 0.50 on Wednesday. I don't have included in the picture a few things - 2 additional bags of Starbucks coffee, 2 additional boxes of Capri Sun, and a dozen eggs.

Here is what I got:
(4) Starbucks Coffee (12 oz bags) - $4.99 each
(3) Capri-Sun - $1.24 each
(1) 3-pound bag of apples - $0.99
Bananas - $0.72
(5) Del Monte canned fruit - $1.13 each
(2) Food Club Pasta Sauce - $1.29 each
(4) Progresso Chicken Noodle soups - $0.49 each
(2) Quaker Oats - $1.38 each
(1) Cheez-its - $2
(6) Hanover Frozen Veggies - $0.99 each
(1) Nestle Cookie Dough - $0.99
(2) Oscar Mayer Bacon (16oz) - $2.98 each
Cucumber - $0.89
Dole Salad Blend - $2.50
(2) onions - $1.43
(1) 4-pound bag of Yukon Gold Potatoes - $3.49
(1) 4-count assorted bagels - $1.67
(1) dozen eggs - 0.99

Shelf Price (before tax): $123.09
Final Price (before tax): $63.26
Total Savings: $59.83 (48%)

Not my best, but not bad. I am planning on using the Starbucks coffee as either gifts or prizes.

Shopping this week - Target

I found a few good deals at Target that allowed me to use a few coupons before they expired. I had a $5 Target gift card from a previous deal that I was able to use to help reduce my out-of-pocket cost. I also found dresses for the girls that were on sale this week. I am a sucker for matching dresses.

Here is what I got:
(5) Johnson & Johnson Buddies - FREE (actually I made 0.03 on 4 of them)
(2) Dresses - $10 each
(1) Mr. Clean Liquid Cleaner - $2.59
(1) Mr. Clean Spray - FREE (with purchase of liquid cleaner)
(2) Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (2 pack) - $1.69 each
(2) Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (4 pack) - FREE (b1g1 free coupon, the register took off the more expensive items)
(4) Shout Wipes (4-count travel size) - $0.42 each
(3) Weight Watcher Chocolate Candy - $2.54 each
(3) Weight Watcher Chocolate Candy - FREE (b1g1 free coupon)
(4) Combos - $0.79 each
(2) Ziploc Quart Bags - $2.33 each
(2) Ziploc Gallon Bags - FREE (b1g1 free coupon)
(1) Schick Quattro Razor - FREE (actually I made 0.16)

Shelf Price (before tax): $97.45
Final Price (before tax): $36.81 (not bad since I paid $20 for the dresses)
Total Savings: $60.64 (62%)

Shopping this week - CVS

I was able to "roll" my $5 in ECBs into a decent deal this week at CVS. If you purchased $25 in participating Proctor & Gamble products you got $10 in ECBs. The great thing about this deal (and most deals like this) is that the $25 mark is before coupons. I was able to use manufacturer coupons in addition to my ECBs and get a decent deal. (Between the cherry table,the Tide, and the Dawn there sure is a lot of orange in that picture.)

Here's what I got:

(4) Tide 32 loads - $5 each
(1) Dawn dish detergent - 0.75

Shelf Price (before tax): $37.95
Final Price (before tax): $15.75
Total Savings: $22.20 (58%)

Shopping this week (so far) - Walgreens

This is a picture of what I got from Walgreens this week. They had lots of FARR (Free after Register Rewards) items. I was able to make some deals even better by combining coupons with Register Rewards. Not included in the picture are the four additional Times-Dispatch papers I bought when I went in there Sunday afternoon to get my first round of items. I also already gave Steve some of the Hall's drops and Robitussin To-Go to keep at work. I ended up getting all of the Halloween pencils as filler items. I will hand them out to the kids who come to our house trick-or-treating. Don't worry I'll get some candy to go with them. :)

Here is what I got:

(4) Richmond Times-Dispatch Papers $2 each

(5) Gillette Fusion MVP Razors - $4.99 each (earned $6 RR on each purchase)

(1) Gillette Fusion MVP Razor - $6.99 (earned $6 RR on purchase)

(4) Herbal Essences Hair Products - $1.99 each (earned $2 RR on each purchase)

(4) Chapstick - $2.99 each (earned $3 RR on each purchase)

(3) Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotions - $6.99 each (earned $7 RR on each purchase)

(1) Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion - $5.74 (earned $7 RR on purchase)

(4) Robitussin DM To Go - $1.49 each (earned $2.5o RR on each purchase)

(1) Robitussin DM To Go - $2.49 (earned $2.50 RR on purchase)

(2) Dentek Floss - $2 each (earned $2 RR on each purchase)

(5) Halls Refresh Drops - $0.25 each (earned $1 RR on each purchase)

(28) Halloween Pencils - $0.25 each

Shelf Price (before tax): $162.97

Final Price (before tax): $24.28 (not bad when I spent $8 on newspapers & $7 on pencils)

Total Savings = $138.69 (85%)

I rolled some of my RR into the individual transactions. I still have $38 remaining in RR that I can roll into additional transactions or save for more deals next week.

More backyard progress

The transformation is almost complete! We are going to get sod installed soon so we will actually have grass. I asked Steve if thought he was going to need a riding lawn mower now that we had a big back yard. He said he thinks he can still handle it with a push mower.

They are still working to even out the backyard some, it will still have some slope, but not as drastic as it was.
The driveway is going to get gravel brought back in for now, until we can decide exactly what we want to do with it and how wide we need it to be. It is so much easier to get the car in the garage now with some of the slope evened out.

The view from the edge of the street. The yard looks huge without the overgrown beds and the drainage ditch.

A view looking towards the street - again it looks so big now that we don't have the overgrown flower beds.

One of the many loads of topsoil that have been brought in. I was told that we probably have about 300 tons of topsoil and 35-40 tons of gravel in the backyard now.

Customer service does still exist!

I wrote about an unpleasant experience at a Richmond-based shoe store about 2 weeks ago. It was in this blog post : http://annscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-was-i-thinking.html I did write a letter to the store manager. I tried to stay positive about my experience, and accepted some of the blame for not using the store credit. I mailed the letter last Wednesday. I didn't hear anything over the weekend. I honestly didn't expect to hear anything from them. I just felt better by writing the letter to the store manager.

Tuesday afternoon I got a call from the store. The manager called saying that he had received my letter and that he was sorry to hear about my experience. He also let me know that he was passing it on to an employee who would know where to look and try to figure it out. He asked that I give him a few days for them to do some detective work. The lady (Ronnie) who got assigned my issue was also very nice, she called to get a little bit more info and to try to figure out a few things that she saw on her end. She was very nice and apologized for the cashiers not getting my contact information to pass on to her to help me when I was originally in the store.

In the words of Adrian Monk, "here's what happened". I did have a credit for ~$50. That is what I had originally thought. She was able to look in the system and find the exact transaction that matched up with what I had told her. She then discovered that there is another customer who also lives on the West End of Richmond with the exact same first and last name as me. It appears that that lady also had a credit, except hers was for ~$15. When Ronnie called me she asked me if I had made a purchase on 2 certain dates. I knew for certain I hadn't on one of those dates because it was less than a week before Megan was born. I know I didn't buy any shoes then. The other date was about year ago, late September 2008. She said that the balance of the purchase was paid for with a credit card. I told her that I would have used an American Express, she said this account was to a Visa. I checked my Visa and the last four digits didn't match the number for the transaction. It appears that when "the other Ann" was in the store they couldn't pull her up by her phone number. (They told me that isn't uncommon because people use multiple phone numbers.) They went to pull her up by her name and saw my name with the credit and somehow she got my credit and her credit. Ronnie was very nice and very helpful. She told me I could come back to the store and that she would give me a $50 credit.

I was so excited to find a local company that was willing to go the extra-mile to figure out my problem and to make it right. (Besides Ukrop's :)) I went back there today. I decided not to keep the shoes I bought Megan. When I realized her true size I found some shoes that Natalie hardly wore that fit her. I did exchange Natalie's shoes for a more neutral pair of shoes and I found her a pair of sneakers. We had looked for those last time but they didn't have much in stock. I was able to return the previous shoes, use the $20 off of $100 coupon I forgot last time, and get my $50 credit. I ended up with a good pair of sneakers and a pair of casual shoes that Natalie can play in. I walked out of there completely different than how I felt almost 2 weeks ago and I saved $70!

I plan to write the store manager another letter. This time letting him know about the extremely positive experience I had in his store and about how helpful Ronnie was and how she went above and beyond to figure out something that happened over 3 years ago. I think it is only fair to let them know about positive and negative experiences.

What have I continued to learn from this experience? It never hurts to write a letter and let a company know about a positive or a negative experience. In this case my missing credit resolved, or you may get a coupon for a free product or sample.