Another reason to live....

Dear Mandi,

Drop everything and get you some of this right now. Who knew that Kentucky Pie was masquerading all these years? It's been hiding behind that whole "pie facade."

Love, Kelly

Background story: Ah, the summer of 2005. I remember it well.....

My good friend Mandi and I had lived in TN for approximately 3 years. We both hailed from the great state of TX. The land of wide open skies, fiercely independent people and, of course, the birthplace of Blue Bell Ice Cream. Mandi and I have the same blood coursing through our veins and the same ice cream in our bowls. This is no small matter. We have the kind of friendship that most people dream about.

I'm not sure which one of us heard the news first. I only remember the general hysteria that ensued. Blue Bell was coming to TN.

We headed to the Piggly Wiggly in Nolensville the day that Blue Bell came to town. When we arrived, we were told that the ice cream had not been delivered yet and they weren't sure when it was going to get there. I'm pretty sure that you could hear the collective *sigh" coming from both of our hearts that day.

We were deflated.

We decided to drive home and try another day. As we drove away we spotted the Blue Bell truck heading down the road towards us. So, we did what any red-blooded Texan in their right mind would do......we made an immediate u-turn and followed the car all the way to the store and then practically attacked the delivery guy with our enthusiasm. He felt so sorry for us that he handed us the flavors that we were interested in right then and there in the parking lot.

.......not a day that I will soon forget.

NOTE: Blue Bell Ice cream is on sale this week until Tuesday. This flavor is well worth the trip to the store. If you are not a big fan of stuff in your ice cream then you could always buy one of the best vanilla ice creams in the country (which happens to be Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla). I don't even like vanilla ice cream but I dream of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla.

Gather Round the Grill

I'd be smiling too if I got my charcoal for FREE.

...Oh wait

I do get my charcoal for free.

The pork coupon is not here yet but this should keep you occupied until the big one arrives. Many thanks to Carissa for getting us all fired up around here.

FREE Qualifying product Q's

The Good Ole Days....

Time to clip, time to shop but no time to chat today....(click on picture if you need more detail).

Ok, here's the deal:

MONEYMAKERS
11 Knox $1.39 ea.
-$4/1 Knox Q 1/17 RP
= FREE + $2.61 overage ea.
4 Nyquil travel packs $1.29 ea.
- $1.50/1 any Nyquil Q 2/7 PG
- $.50/1 Publix peelie found on Nyquil products on stand (only found two)
- FREE + $.71 overage ea.
2 Puffs Tissues $2.33 ea.
-FREE Puffs wyb 2 Vicks products 2/7 PG
-$.55/1 Publix Q from P&G Household flyer in store
= FREE + $.55 overage ea.
6 Sundown $2.99-$3.59 ea.
- $6/2 Publix Q from Green Advantage Flyer
- $1/1 Sundown Q 1/24 RP, 2/21 RP, 2/28 RP, 3/7 RP or peelie
= FREE + $.41-$1.00 overage ea.
6 Mentos $.50 ea. (advantage buy price)
- $55/1 Mentos Gum 2/21 SS
= FREE + $.05 overage ea.
4 Band-Aid $.79 ea.
- $1.50/2 First Aid Green Advantage Flyer Q
- $1/1 Band-Aid Q 1/3 RP, 3/14 RP
= FREE + $.96 overage ea.
4 Covergirl $2.49 ea.
- B1G1 Covergirl face product WYB Covergirl face product 2/7 PG
- $1/1 Covergirl Q from Green Advantage Flyer
- $1/1 Covergirl manufacturer Q 2/7 PG, 2/14 PG, 3/7 PG
= FREE + $.25 overage ea.
2 Lifesaver Gummies $.25 (clearance)
- $.50/1 Lifesaver gummies Q printable
= FREE + $.75 overage ea.
2 Mahatma Rice Saffron Packets $.89 ea.
- $.50/1 Mahatma Q 2/7 RP
= FREE + $.11 overage ea.
1 Dawn $1.49 ea.
- $.50/1 any Dawn Q from Save-a-Lot mailer
- $.75/1 Publix Q from "Put Clean in your Cart" flyer
= FREE + $.25 overage ea.
1 McCormick Spice Grinder $1.50 ea (Advantage buy)
- $1/1 McCormick Spice, Herb, Extract, or Food Color 3/14 RP
- $.55/1 Publix Q from "Healthy Kids" booklet
= FREE + $.05 overage ea.
3 Aleve travel packs $1.09 ea.
- $1.25/1 Aleve Q blinkie
= FREE + $.16 overage ea.


STOCKPILE
4 Rice Krispies $1.99 ea. (B1G1 price) * for redemption purposes
- $.70/1 peelie
- $.55/1 Publix Q from "Healthy Kids" booklet
= $.74 ea.
4 Pantene Beautiful Hair shampoo & conditioner $2.91 ea.
- $.75/1 Publix peelie on display stand of P&G products
- $3/2 any Pantene 3/7 PG
= $.66 ea.
10 Kashi Heart to Heart cereals $2.50 ea. (sale price)
- $1.50/1 Kashi Heart to Heart printable (no longer available)
- $1.50/1 vocalpoint mailer Q
- $1/1 Whole Foods Q printable (no longer available)
- B2G1 - Buy 2 Kashi cereal get 1 Kashi cereal FREE Q printable
= FREE
2 Kashi TLC Bars $3.89 ea.
- B2G1 - Buy 2 Kashi cereal get 1 TLC Bar FREE Q printable
= FREE
6 Lysol Neutra Air $1.80 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $1.50/1 any Lysol Neutra Air Q 3/7 SS
= $.30 ea.
6 Mueller's Whole Wheat Pasta $.75 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $.55/1 any Mueller's Whole Wheat Pasta printable
= $.20 ea.
6 Fast Fixin's Chicken Nuggets $3.00 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $1/1 Publix Q from "Healthy Kids" booklet
- $1/1 Fast Fixin Q printable (register and print 5 coupons)
= $1.00 ea.
6 Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Rice $1.00 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $1/1 off Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain Brown Rice, 2/21 RP
= FREE
6 All Small & Mighty 32 oz, or 2x Ultra, 50 oz $3.00 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $2/1 off All Liquid Laundry Detergent 2/7 RP
= $1.00 ea.
2 Blue Bell Ice Cream $3.30 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $1/1 printable
= $2.30 ea. (the lowest price I have seen since Blue Bell came to town)
4 Lance Crackers $1.45 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $1/1 printable or printable
= $.45 ea.
6 Prego Heart Smart Pasta Sauce $1.00 ea. (B1G1 price)
-$1 off Prego Heart Smart Italian Sauce, 2/7 SS
= FREE
1 Publix Paper Towels (penny item)
- penny item Q
= FREE
6 Welch's Grape Juice 46 oz. $1.75 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $1/1 Welch's Q from 2/7 SS
- $1/2 Welch's Q from "Healthy Kids" booklet
= $.25 ea. (see NOTE below)
1 Carefree shields $.99 ea.
- $1/1 Q (not sure where this came from; looks like a magazine Q...maybe All You)
= FREE
3 Benadryl $3.99 ea. (sale price)
- $2/1 Publix Q from Green Advantage Flyer
- $1/1 Benadryl Q 3/14 RP or Q from ABC booklet
- $1.00 ea.
3 Sudafed OM $3.99 ea. + 3 Sudafed PE $3.99 ea. (sale price)
- $4/1 Sudafed OM & another Sudafed product 3/14 RP
- $2/1 Publix Q from Green Advantage Flyer
= FREE
1 Dawn $1.49 ea.
- $.25/1 Any Dawn 3/7 PG
- $.75/1 Publix Q from "Put Clean in your Cart" flyer
= $.25 ea.

THINGS I NEEDED
1 Mini Robin Eggs $1.09 ea.
no coupons
= $1.09 ea.
2 Starburst Jelly Beans $1.67 ea. (sale price)
- $1/2 Starburst Jelly Beans Q 3/7 RP
= $1.17 ea.
1 Peeps Chicks $1.59 ea
no coupons
= $1.59 ea.
1 Cluckers Bubble Gum Dispenser $2.39 ea.
no coupons
= $2.39 ea.
Oranges $.99 lb (sale price) $1.95
No coupons
= $1.95 ea.
Red Grapefruit Bag $2.50 ea. (sale price)
no coupons
= $2.50 ea.
Asparagus $1.99 lb. (sale price)= $2.21
No coupons
= $2.21 ea.
Cantaloupes $1.97 ea (sale price)
no coupons
= $1.97 ea.
Strawberries $2.00 ea (sale price)
no coupons
= $2.00 ea.

$5/50 HG Hill coupon

TOTAL: $416.09
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $16.96
SAVINGS: 96%

NOTE: Purchased the Welch's without realizing that the coupons that I used were for a different size. Mandi emailed me asking about the discrepancy in size. Bummer; I was really hoping to go back to get some more (I thought .24 cents a bottle was too good to be true; I should have known better.....I have NEVER seen Welch's at this price). All of the blogs I checked this week had this coupon combination but I just checked and they have removed the combination of coupons (they must have heard from their readers). :(

NOTE: I printed the Kashi Whole Foods Q last month. I printed 10 of them when it became available because I knew that they would go on sale eventually. The moral of this story: print the coupon when you see it. After you have been couponing for awhile you will begin to know that the coupon that you just printed will make things free......eventually.

NOTE: Lisa, now is the time to stock up on the All Small & Mighty for your HE washing machine. $1.00 a bottle for 32 loads. Excellent price.

NOTE: Customer service allowed me to use the Knox coupon today but told me that they would not take it after today. I was very thankful that they allowed them as that was my last set!

Rice Krispie Treats

Don't try this at home kids.

Homemade marshmallows on their own = incredible
Homemade marshmallows in cocoa = divine
Homemade marshmallows with Rice Krispies = LOUD LAMENTING

Apparently, the Knox Gelatin combined with all of the other ingredients in the homemade marshmallows makes for a "non-krispy" rice krispie treat. My guess....the homemade marshmallows have more moisture in them than the store bought variety so the rice krispies became soggy.

Another experiment:
Last month I tried store bought marshmallows and the "new" Jumbo Fiber Rice Krispies (hoping that this combination would allow me to eat rice krispie treats without guilt due to the presence of fiber). Another disaster.

I need to redeem myself.

Shop, 3/13/10

Quick shop to pick up some shampoo and Smithwicks. Jason found a rebate for the beer with a meat purchase. I also found a pretty good deal on some McCormick extracts and some Ore-Ida products.

Ok, Here's the deal:

MONEYMAKERS
6 Knox $1.39 ea.
-$4/1 Knox Q 1/17 RP (expired yesterday)
= FREE + $2.61 overage ea.
4 Nyquil travel packs $1.29 ea.
- $1.50/1 any Nyquil Q 2/7 PG
- $.50/1 Publix peelie found on Nyquil products on stand
- FREE + $.71 overage ea.
2 Puffs Tissues $2.33 ea.
-FREE Puffs wyb 2 Vicks products 2/7 PG
-$.55/1 Publix Q from P&G Household flyer in store
= FREE + $.55 overage ea.
6 Sundown $3.29-$3.59 ea.
- $6/2 Publix Q from Green Advantage Flyer
- $1/1 Sundown Q 1/24 RP, 2/21 RP, 2/28 RP, 3/7 RP or peelie
= FREE + $.41-.71 overage ea.

STOCKPILE
6 Pantene Nature Infusion Shampoo & Conditioner $2.91 ea.
- $2/1 Pantene Nature Infusion product mailer from Vocalpoint (came with full size shampoo sample) or use $3/2 Pantene Q from 3/7 PG (pay $.66 ea.)
- $.75/1 Publix Q found on Pantene products
= $.16 ea.
6 Yoplait Greek Yogurt $1.19 ea.
- FREE Publix Q for Yoplait Greek Yogurt printable
- stack with .30/1 manufacturer Q for overage (used mine on another shop already) printable
= FREE (or FREE + overage if you stack with the $.30/1 Q)
2 McCormick Extracts $1.50-$2.00 (clearance)
- $1.00 McCormick printable or Q from 3/14 RP
- $.55/1 Publix McCormick Q from Healthy Kids Booklet
= FREE - $.45 cents ea.
2 Stayfree Pads $2.49 ea. (sale price)
- B1G1 Stayfree Q from 1/3 RP
- $1/1 Stayfree printable (IE) or printable (FF)
= $.74 ea.
2 Yoplait Yo-Plus Yogurt $1.25 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $1/1 Yoplait Yo-Plus Q 2/7 SS or printable or printable
= FREE
4 Ore-Ida Fries $1.09 ea
- $1.50/2 Ore-Ida printable (IE) or printable (FF) or possibly here
= $.34 ea.
2 Ore-Ida Tater Tots $3.13 ea.
- FREE Tater Tots wyb 2 Ore-Ida products peelie (peeled about a month ago)
= FREE

THINGS I NEEDED
2 Smithwicks 6-packs $7.49 ea. (sale price)
no coupons (but there is a $5.00 rebate wyb 2 and $5.01 in meat)
= $7.49 ea.
1 Tomato $1.90
no coupons
= $1.90 ea.
1 Onion $.85
no coupons
= $.85 ea.
1 Ground Chuck $5.22 (sale price)
no coupons
= $5.22 ea.
1 Duke's Mayonaise $1.59 ea.
- $.50/1 peelie
= $.59 ea

- used $5/50 HG Hill Q

TOTAL: $130.70
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $8.41
SAVINGS: 94%

NOTE: The Pantene shampoo was $1 less at the Royal Oaks store in Franklin compared to the Moore's Lane store....WOW.....these are $3.91 ea. at Moore's).

NOTE: There is a $5.00 rebate for the Smithwicks and the ground beef. After rebate the total would be $3.41

NOTE: The produce scale at this store is broken (if you go to Royal Oaks please inform them that they need to recalibrate the scale....the one that is closest to the tomatoes). My produce weighed in at less than a quarter pound but rang up at more than half a pound (hmmm). It's important to have a correct scale when weighing your produce so that you know what you are spending.

NOTE: Just noticed that one of my extracts rang up wrong. Always, always check your receipt before you leave. :) That would have been another $2.00 off my balance. That would have put my balance at $1.41 (it's a game right)?

The Early Bird Gets the Worm....

I couldn't sleep this morning so I got up at around 4:30am and decided to go over my schedule and manage my finances and check a few blogs...

Dr. Frugal Mom posted that she had obtained some batteries from Kroger for FREE. My coupon buddy Brandy at I Prefer Publix also posted that she had seen this deal.

I love free batteries (heart fluttering)....

I decided to clip some coupons and head out to my local Kroger to investigate. I was meeting a girlfriend for coffee at Starbucks at 6:00am so I had some time right?

Thankfully the Kroger by my house is open 24 hours. I found several packs and had an awesome shop. The person at the self-checkout told me that Kroger limited coupon usage to 20 coupons per day (has anyone else ever heard this before)? I purchased 20 packs and then met my girlfriend for coffee. I hit another Kroger close to the Starbucks on the way home.

Although this is a Publix blog I will occasionally post a deal that shouldn't be missed at another store (and this is one sale that you don't want to miss)! I like to stay focused on Publix though since my blog is named after that most famous of stores.

27 Energizer Batteries $1.00 ea (sale price)
- 15 $.50/1 Q from 1/10 SS
- 12 $.75/1 Q from tearpad from 2 months ago (was waiting for double coupon to use these)
= FREE to $.25 ea.

TOTAL: $91.23
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $4.81
SAVINGS: 95%

NOTE: I went to the Nippers Corner Kroger on Edmondson. The batteries are on aisle 12. There are about 200 packs left. Ready, set go!

NOTE: I also went to the Kroger in Brentwood on Franklin. The batteries are on aisle 14 and there are also two stands (one close to the registers on the left hand side if you are looking at the registers from the inside of the store and one close to aisle 11 or 12 at the front of the store). There are about 30 packs left.

NOTE: Kathy, thank you so much for the extra energizer tearpads that you gave me a while back. Now is the time to use them girl! Go get you some batteries.

NOTE: I seem to get batteries for free once a year and this is the time of the year to get them. Not certain what the sales cycle is for batteries, however, I remember getting these free in 2008 at around Christmastime. I'm pretty sure I got them for free at CVS that year. The man at Kroger told me that these routinely go on sale for $1.00 every two months. Has anyone else noticed that they are on sale for $1.00 every few months? Please also note that this sale is only for the Southeast Region.

Shop 3/10/10

I am already mourning the loss of my Knox coupons.......

I found some pretty good deals today and thought I'd post a quick photo so that you could benefit from what's available @ Publix this week (click on photo to enlarge).

MONEYMAKERS

12 Knox $1.39 ea.

-$4/1 Knox Q 1/17 RP (expired yesterday)

= FREE + $2.61 overage ea.

4 Nyquil travel packs $1.29 ea.
- $1.50/1 any Nyquil Q 2/7 PG
- $.50/1 Publix peelie found on Nyquil products on stand

- FREE + $.71 overage ea. (thanks Carissa)!!

8 Revlon tools $.50 ea.(clearance)

-$1/1 Revlon tool Q 2/21 SS, 3/7 SS

= FREE + $.50 overage ea.

2 Puffs Tissues $2.33 ea.
-FREE Puffs wyb 2 Vicks products 2/7 PG

-$.55/1 Publix Q from P&G Household flyer in store

= FREE + $.55 overage ea.

4 Sure Men's Deoderant $2.39 ea.
- $1.50/1 Men's deoderant Q 2/28 SS
- $1/1 Sure deodorant any 2.6 - 2.7 oz - Publix Q from Green Advantage Flyer

= FREE + $.10 overage ea.

STOCKPILE

1 Publix tortilla chips $.01 (penny item)

- penny item coupon from paper

= $.01 ea.

4 Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner $3.91 ea.
- $3/2 any Pantene product 3/7 PG
- $.75/1 Publix Q found on Pantene products

= $1.66 ea.

4 Bear Naked Granola $3.49 ea. (advantage buy price)
- $1.50/1 peelie
- $1.00/1 Whole Foods Q from The Whole Deal Jan/Feb.

= $.99 ea.

1 Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon $3.79 ea.
- FREE Q from mailer (came with Kashi sample of Warm Cinnamon cereal today)

= FREE

6 Yoplait Greek Yogurt $1.19 ea.
- FREE Publix Q for Yoplait Greek Yogurt printable

- stack with .30/1 manufacturer Q for overage (used mine on another shop already) printable

= FREE

5 Yoplait Yo-Plus Yogurt $1.25 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $1/1 Yoplait Yo-Plus Q 2/7 SS or printable or printable

= FREE

2 Beech Nut baby food $.53 ea.
- FREE Q from mailer
= FREE
1 Excedrin $4.69 ea.
- FREE Q from mailer
= FREE

2 Reese's Whips $1.80 ea. (clearance)
- $2/2 Hershey's Candies 1/31 SS, 3/14 SS

= $.80 ea.

2 Emerald's Nuts $2.90 ea. (B1G1 price)
- $1/1 any Emerald Nut 1/31 SS, 3/14 RP

= $1.90 ea.

1 McCormick Cherry Extract $1.50 ea. (clearance)
- $.55/1 Publix McCormick Q from Healthy Kids Booklet

= $.95 ea.

THINGS I NEEDED

32 Earth's Best Baby Food $.50 ea. (B1G1 price)

- $1/6 printable (no longer available) or $1/7 printable (says 3 print limit)

= $.31 ea.

1 Vick's Thermometer $9.99 ea.

No coupons

= $9.99 ea.

2 Eggland's Best $2.49 ea.

- $.35/1 any Egglands's Best Eggs Q 11/1 SS, 1/31 SS

= $1.79 ea.

2 Rice Krispies $2.99 (special price this week)

- $.55/1 Publix Q from Healthy Kids Booklet

- $1.50/2 printable used (no longer available)
- found $.70/1 peelies on many Kellogg's cereals

= $1.69 ea. (buy these and use Knox to make marshmallows and then combine for Nirvana)

1 Mini Robin's Eggs $1.79 ea.

No coupons

= $1.79 ea.

1 Huggies Wipes $5.99 ea. (sale price)

- $.75/1 Huggies Wipes, any 64 ct. or larger printable (use zip 30002)

= $5.24 ea.

Used $5/50 HG Hill Q

TOTAL: $204.51

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $15.77

SAVINGS: 93%