I went out shopping yesterday, trying to find some good deals on food and other items. I don't know how some of you can get so much for so little money...I keep trying to cut the amount that I spend each week, but I can't get it under a certain amount. I'm going to keep working at it though.

Here is a partial list of what I was able to get yesterday:

CVS:
I did all of the deals for the school supplies with the ECB's that made them free. My CVS didn't have the binder, so I wasn't able to get that. I got 2 packs of pencils, 2 small notebooks, 2 packs of paper and 2 packs of pens. I used ECB's that I had from last week and paid $1.08 out of pocket. I got almost $12 in ECB's back, so that will be good for next week.

Walmart:
I was able to do really well on toilet paper and paper towels especially with coupons I used from the ALL YOU magazine. I needed to get a few things that my family calls necessities (which might be the reason why I can't get the amount down) like flavored water for my husband, ovaltine, and cereal bars.

I was able to get some rolls and croissants that were on the discounted rack, so they were a good deal.

Target:
They are starting to do the clearance now. They were marking things down yesterday. The prices weren't that great yet, though. I did pick up a couple of things that I wanted since I wasn't sure if they would be there later. Plus, I got my daughter a pair of sneakers for $4.24, so I was definitely not waiting for those.

I also got a few food items that were on clearance and a few that I had coupons for. I did find out that if you are using a Target coupon, the item you buy has to be more than the cost of the item. They can't do them like a manufacturer coupon. I was really bummed about that....

They also started their school supply sale yesterday. They had all of the bins and items set up, which was totally different from Walmart. Walmart was advertising school supplies, but they have nothing set up and no stock of anything at my store. I was really disappointed with that!

Petsmart:
Can I say how thrilled I am with this store! Everyone was very friendly and helpful, they take coupons and I even got an email with a $5 off of $25 from them. They also have certain items on sale each week with their card.

I was able to get 2 bags of Purina One cat food, which they had for $4.99 each, and I had 2 coupons for $3.00 off, which made each one only $1.99. I bought a lot of can food , since my kitty likes this at dinnertime and I bought some catmilk (even though it wasn't on sale), since my kitty has this every morning at 4:30 when Kyle gets up for work.

I also got a 40 lb bag of kitty litter for $6. I'm thinking I should have picked up another one, though.

I'll try to get the numbers for you on how much I spent and how much I saved with the sale prices and coupons. It might take me a day or two, but hopefully it will be soon. I want to try to have everything caught up before I leave for vacation with the kids. That means also having stuff for my husband to eat while I'm gone.

Plus, I have to kitty and hamster sit for my friend this week. I'm not worried about the kitty, it's the hamsters that concern me. To me, they are little critters and I'm weary about them.

We have all been so busy here and the blog has not been the first priority, but I'm going to try to do better! I have finally gotten all of my emails cleared out and it is so nice to say that! I'll be going on vacation with the kids to see family the first week in August, so there will not be any posts that week. I will be doing some grocery shopping at my favorite store of all times, WEGMANS. I can't wait to have all of my coupons doubled and get my favorite Wegmans brands. Everyone things I'm crazy to drive 4 hours to do my shopping, but I love it. And since I'm visiting family, it's not like I'm just driving for food.

I ended up getting a couple of great deals this week from Ocean State Job Lots. They had jeans and pants from Chicos for $10 a pair. I think I ended up buying 7 pairs in all! The best part other than the price is that I can say that I fit into a size 0! I love how they do their sizes. I think other companies should follow their lead. Maybe we would all feel better about ourselves.

You should all check out the magazine ALL YOU. It is only sold at Walmart, but you can get a subscription as well. It is filled with coupons and they now have their own website. You can print coupons off of the website and they have money saving ideas on there as well. It is a great resource. I am so thrilled that I found it!

Here are some websites that you should all check out:
money saving mom
bargain jargon
a thrifty mom
freebies 4 moms
deal seeking mom

They should be able to give you some great ideas for freebies, coupons, money saving ideas, etc...

I will be trying to post great savings for my area (CVS, Hannaford, Price Chopper) and I'm sure that I will improve as time goes on! (I hope to anyway!!!)

Also, keep an eye out at Target, they should be having their toy clearance starting soon. I'll let you know when I hear anything.