Bitty and the Boy

Another Kroger Event

Only the cereal is from Kroger. I guess I forgot to take a picture of the waffles, milk, and Bounce bar. The rest is from a trip to Walgreens.

This shopping trip was several weeks ago; however, I still wanted to show you why I love Kroger. This particular event was the Buy 4 Save $4. Most of the items were Kelloggs products.

Here's what I got:

2 boxes Kellogg's Fruit Loops
5 boxes Kellogg's Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies
1 box Kellogg's Rice Krispies (largest box available on the Buy 4, Save$4 event)
4 boxes of Eggo Nutragrain Low Fat waffles
1 gallon of milk
1 small bag of Purina Dog Food (on sale $2.99)
1 bar Bounce 4month Fabric Softener bar

Now for the totals:

Total Before Sales and Coupons: 56.25

Total After Sales and Coupons: 17.16

Total Saved: 39.09 (69%)

How I did it? I had a Free Box of Rice Krispies coupon, so I wanted to get the most bang for my coupon and chose to get one of the big boxes. I had some other cereal coupons so I used those on the smaller boxes. I had a coupon for Purina dog food for $3.50. Kroger gives overage so that gave me $.51 to help pay for my milk.

I don't use the Rice Krispies for cereal. I use them to make Rice Krispies Treats for when I have to take a quick snack to Sunday School, a playdate, or other social activity. I like to use half Cocoa Krispies and half regular Rice Krispies. They look pretty and taste super yummy.

Edited to Add: I forgot to say that these purchases qualify for the Kellogg's Fuel for School rebate. So, I will be getting $10 back in the mail.

Kroger Mega Sale

1 comments Posted by Gina at 2:22 PM

Last week and this week, Kroger is having their Mega Event. Kroger's Mega Event is simple. For every 10 participating items you buy $5 is deducted from your total at the end of the transaction. I love this event. This is the time I buy most of my cereal. This time I was also able to stock up on some other yummy staples of our house like GoGurt. My boys love that stuff. I also bought extra food that we don't eat often (like the Hamburger Helper and boxed potatoes). These will make great donations to the food drives that are sure to come up this fall.

Here is what I got.

8 boxes of YoPlait Go-Gurt

2 cans of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls

2 cans of Pillsbury Grands Biscuits

2 pkgs of Betty Crocker Cookie Mix

2 bags of Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters

5 boxes of Cheerios

5 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch

2 boxes of Golden Grahams

3 boxes of Hamburger Helper

7 boxes of Betty Crocker Boxed Potatoes (i.e. AuGratin)

2 cans of Old ElPaso refried beans

Now for the totals.

Total Before Sales and Coupons: $98.70

Total After Sales and Coupons: $26.12

Total Savings: 72.58 (74%)

I spent less than $30 (including tax) and am well set with my cereal and yogurt needs for the foreseeable future. Plus, every item that I bought carries at least one Box Tops for Education on it. I counted my box tops and from just this one shopping trip my son's school will earn over $5.00 from the Box Tops program.

How did I do it? I used coupons for the items on the Mega Event sale. I did not buy a single item that did not have a coupon for it. I also did not buy anything that was not on the Mega Event. I bought 40 items, so $20 was taken off of my total at the end of the transaction. Kroger allows you to use paper coupons, internet printable coupons, and e-coupons. My Kroger also doubles all coupons $.50 and less. (Some areas double up to $.99. So check your local store!)

Coupon Conversations

1 comments Posted by Gina at 7:46 AM

Last November, I started couponing. I saved our family about $40 - 50/month with just coupons. I thought I was something. :) Then I found many sites and blogs that helped me and that frankly made me nervous. Could I ever reach the point where I was paying nearly nothing for items my family needed? Beginning in January, I decided to really focus on figuring out how to manage all the different stores programs and reward systems. I started with CVS. After a few months, I realized...it is true, I may never pay for shampoo again.

Right now, I regularly shop at CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, and at times Target. I love shopping for the best deal. It takes time and space (to put everything until you need it), but it has saved us so much money.

I am going to post the best of my deals here so you can see how they work and how you too can never have to pay for shampoo again.

More Conversations...

0 comments Posted by Gina at 3:12 PM

From The Boy's student teacher. The class decorated their white lunch bags for Valentine's Day yesterday.

Ms. Teacher to Be: What are you drawing?

The Boy: A machine.

Ms. Teacher to Be: What does the machine do?

The Boy: It sucks all the bad up. So everything is good. This is a robot. But he is a good robot cause everything is good now.

My son, the inventor. I pray that this will be his addition to our world. To suck all the bad away, so everything will be good. Out of the mouths of babes.

Conversations with a Kindergartener

1 comments Posted by Gina at 4:55 AM

Jason takes The Boy to school each morning. The ride takes 7 minutes max. Their conversations are often hilarious. Here are two from Monday morning.

(Upon seeing something puddled on the side of the road.)

The Boy: "Hey, Daddy, somebody left their shirt on the side of the road. That's weird."

Daddy: "That wasn't a shirt. It was a dead cat."

The Boy: "I don't think so."

Daddy: "Buddy, I am positive. It was a dead cat."

The Boy: "Oh. That's too bad. It would have made a pretty shirt."

Moments Pass.

The Boy: "Is today my soccer day?"

Daddy: "Nope. Remember soccer starts on March 9. You still have a few weeks before you start playing again."

The Boy: "Whew. That's good. I need to start exercising."

Memory Lane is Sometimes a Roller Coaster

1 comments Posted by Gina at 5:32 AM

Once upon a time, a group of friends and I went to Six Flags of Georgia. I bought this Sylvester mug as a souvenir --now it is filled with this morning's yummy coffee. I remember parts of the day as vividly as if they were happening now. I am sure that there are parts that I do not remember at all. Still, I love remembering, so this is one of my favorite mugs in my cupboard.

I wanted to share some memories of carefree days long past. Mostly so I can always remember that I had a great time that day. I had my first and last real roller coaster ride. Thanks Lisa for not letting me die. :) I enjoyed the Mine Train which seems to no longer be in operation. It was a mini-coaster that was really rickety as you would expect an old mine train to be. I loved it. I would have ridden it all day long, but my companions wanted to ride real rides. Did I ride the Mine Train with Laurie? I don't remember. I do remember I rode the Scream Machine with Lisa. She was gracious enough to sense real fear and not make too much fun of my fear at the moment. Suffice to say no one really wants me to be that scared. It is not pretty.

I don't remember the exact date. It was my freshman year at Auburn University. Laurie was a freshman at Oglethorpe University that year and we met her in Atlanta. It was one of the few road trips that we made in college. I hope to be able to teach my children that not only is college a time for study and learning, but is also a time have fun and enjoy carefree days with good friends. Those friends are still with me today even though we are miles apart.

Thank you Lisa-Laurie-John-Chris for making me go on my first roller coaster.

(and thank you for not making me go on another.)

Happy Birthday to Me!!

0 comments Posted by Gina at 7:31 AM

Today is my birthday. I am 33 years old. I love it. I had trouble turning 30, but every year after that hasn't been hard at all. I love the way my boys get excited when my birthday comes along. I may even make myself cupcakes to have at dinner. The Boy never understands not having cake on your birthday.

This morning the boys greeted me with the own versions of birthday greetings.

The Boy: After his daddy reminded him that it was my birthday, he said, "Oh, Mommy! Do you want to go to Jack's for your birthday? It is your birthday so they are open." (We live in a small town without a great variety of restaurants. Jack's has been the only thing on The Boy's brain since it began construction. He loves their chicken tenders and fries. Last week, the marquee informed us of the opening date--my birthday. He continued, "It is your birthday. So, you can choose where you want to eat. McDonald's. Burger King. JACK'S. Pick one. Anywhere you want."

Will it crush him if I tell him that I want to go to the equally new, but much more exciting Japanese restaurant that has opened its doors for us this month?

Bitty: I told him that today was my birthday. I said, "Give Mommy a birthday kiss." He did. "Give Mommy a Birthday Hug." He did. "Now say, 'Happy Birthday Mommy'" He said, "Now it is my Blue Power Ranger party!" His birthday is the next birthday in our family...but it isn't until April.

I love my life. I have the greatest husband ever. I have the best boys. They keep me on my toes all the time, but they also keep me laughing. Those two are the funniest children ever. I thank God that I have been blessed with so much.

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