No Coupons

No coupons this weekend.  So sad.

But on a good note, we're taking the kiddies on a day trip to Lancaster, PA!  Yay!

First Week = FAIL

Ok, so my first week of budgeting was a total flop.  It seems that this was the week that we ran out of basic staples all at once.  Add to that things like fresh fruits, veggies, and diapers (which were a FANTASTIC deal by the way) and we were over budget by about $25.

That being said, I did get a few really really great deals.  As I mentioned before, diapers.  Shoprite had a q in the flyer for B4GO.  At $20 per box plus 4 $1.50/1 qs, I paid $74 for 5 boxes of diapers or $14.80 per box.  Those of you who buy diapers know that this was an excellent deal.  Second deal were Soy Joy bars.  Katie has been a very picky eater lately and some days the only way to get protein in her is through one of these.  I like to keep some in the house just in case.  They were $1 each this week and I had a q for B2GO making them only 3/$2.  Not too bad.  Bt my very best deal at Shoprite this week were the Eggo Waffles.  They were on sale for $0.99 each.  I had a q for .75/1 which my store doubled to $1.50.  Two waffles were $1.98.  So I only paid 0.48 for two boxes of waffles--less than .25 each!  But I think the absolute best deal this week was at ACME.  There, Ken's 16oz salad dressings were $1 each.  Pair that with the $1/1 coupon from the paper a few weeks ago and you get FREE salad dressing.

Even though this week ended up being a bust budget wise, all is not lost.  I'm still able to make a (very) small deposit into our Disney Fund.  I got a rebate in the mail today--$4.59.  Yay!

Walmart/CVS Shopping Trip

In case I haven't mentioned this before, I've got two small children.  Katie is 2, Ryan is just about 10 months.  Needless to say, we run our dishwasher every day.  We wash lots of pots/pans/trays/toys/etc. every night.  Not to mention that a little bit of Dawn dish soap does wonders on removing stains from clothes when soaked in a soapy solution overnight.  So when I find a great deal on Dawn dish soap (I'm a brand snob when it comes to this, I ONLY use Dawn) I stock up.  Then of course there's my free Cascade too!

Walmart

Cascade Trial Pack: 0.97
P&G Q $1/1 Cascade (used 5)
Final Price: FREE + 0.03 overage

CVS

Dawn Dish Soap: 0.99
P&G Q $1/1 Dawn Plus Soap (used 5)
P&G Q 0.20/1 Dawn Soap (used 3)
Final Price: 5 FREE and 3 for 0.74 each

Oral B Floss 1.99
P&G Q $1/1
Get $1 EBC
Final Price: FREE after EBCs

My total OOP for today was $5.33.  Included in that is also a King sized M&M candy--my daughter was so good on the shopping trip that she (and I) deserved a little treat.

Here We Go!

I'm a couponer, and I'm proud of it!  My hubby, not so much (he thinks I'm borderline obsessive).  While looking through my favorite coupon website (weusecoupons.com), I was introduced to the blog Couponing to Disney.  As I read about the author, I found myself thinking, "Hey, that sounds like me!!"  Just like the author, I love coupons.  But even more importantly, is our similar passion to take our children to Disney.  Read about what she does here.

And that brings us to today.  Starting Sunday, August 28, 2011, I will be "Couponing to Disney" and maybe a few other big events.

I've decided to start with a weekly grocery budget of $75.  I buy a good chunk of our weekly needs from Shoprite and occasionally Walmart, Target, or Acme.  I'll post how much I saved each week, any deals I found, and I'll keep a running total of our Disney Vacation Account.

So, Here We Go!