I usually leave Sally’s with a $10 purchase. Today I got this:

It’s one ice cube tray. Yes, one thing. It was 95¢. It makes pears, strawberries and watermelons. I think I will use it for jello and eggs.

(Sorry for the blurry pic. My camera has lost it’s mind.)

I really need to learn how to put pictures on here. It’d be so much more impressive if I had a big panoramic picture of all this stuff. Here’s what I’ve gotten free or really cheaply lately and how I did it…

1 single serving box Total with cranberries (total.com)

1 11.5 ounce can Maxwell House coffee (You have to sign up with First Taste through Kraft. Every month you get a choice of two products to sample and review.)

1 six pack Jello Sugar Free Rice Pudding (Also First Taste.)

2 boxes Kashi cereal bars – one peanut butter, one chocolate cherry (One box was $3.00 – 30¢ employee discount – $2.00 coupon = 70¢. Second box on sale $2.50 – 25¢ employee discount – $2.00 coupon = 25¢.)

1 box Crunch and Munch ($1.00 – 10¢ employee discount – 50¢ coupon = 40¢

1 free Glad ziptop bag (Walmart.com)

2 four pound bags Purina Friskies Cat Food (Go to give-a-bowl.com. Answer a few questions about your new pet and you can print a coupon for $4.00 off any Purina pet food. Hit back on your browser and print a second coupon. This program also donates $1.00 to the pet charity of your choice for each coupon used. Friskies – Kamilah’s fave – is $4.00 at BBM. $4.00 – 40¢ employee discount – $4.00 coupon = -40¢ Yes, that’s negative 40¢! So I made 80¢ on two bags!

tote bag  from Nature’s Bounty (Just asked for it pretty please on their website.)

9 packs of Wrigley’s gum (Coupon for free pack from 2/22 Smart Source newspaper insert. This was another money maker for me: 97¢ – 10¢ employee discount – 97¢ coupon = -10¢. After tax I get paid 3¢ for each pack of gum. When you do a coupon deal to make money, make sure you have another item or small filler, like cheap candy, to absorb that overage.)

Tomorrow I’m going to try to play the CVS game. You buy one thing cheap, get Bucks back to buy more stuff. You use the Bucks to buy more stuff that earns Bucks, and so on.

I’ve tried to do this before and always have problems. Usually, CVS is out of what I want or need. Also a lot of the items that earn CVS Bucks Michael and I simply don’t use. I also feel squiffy making the cashier do 14 separate transactions so I can get and use the Bucks the best way.

So, cross your fingers for me as I give the CVS game another try.

I’ve said for some time now that I think Salvation Army has surpassed Goodwill with better selection, better prices and bigger stores. The Sally’s on the South side of my town is huge, perhaps the size of a K-Mart. Even the smaller, college adjacent one I usually shop at is bigger than my closest Goodies. I did have a good haul the last trip to Goodies, so maybe I’ll shut up for awhile.

The last time I went to Goodwill was a week ago. My lovely mother in law, Lavon, took me out for a day of thrifting, lunch and time at her house, with plenty of coffee and chatting. She had two $5 off $10 coupons for Goodies so that’s where we headed. All glass was 75% off, shorts and tanks were 50¢ and all shirts were BOGO.

I bought: a pair of Keds (tan Burberry plaid corduroy – I said Michael would hate them and, boy, did he!) $4.50; pillowcase to use as small window curtain $1.00; two pairs of shorts 50¢ each; two tshirts for Michael $1.00 each with BOGO; a Hoosier Glass Art Deco vase 37¢, a glass juicer 37¢, a bicentennial jar 25¢; a microwave turntable (needed for store micro) 50¢; Pyrex mixing bowl with plastic lid 25¢; heart shaped pancake & egg shaper/mold/template/thingy 50¢. I wound up spending $5.74 after my coupon. Not bad for all of that, but without the coupon and the discounts my total would have been $21.50!

We both said we were going to stick to our $10 limit so as to only spend $5.

My Mil’s total was just under $10 so she ran back to grab something to bump up her total. She came back with a gorgeous cut glass footed candy dish that I had admired, but not bought. It was $1.25. 

It’s now displayed on my faux stone fireplace surround, filled with tumbled stones and candles. Thanks, Mom. 

Planters mixed nuts, 11.5 ounce  – $3.98

Kraft shredded co-jack cheese, 8 ounce  – $3.14

Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds,  – $2.62

Oscar Meyer Deli Thin Lunch Meat, 9 ounces – $2.98

Total: $12.72

Minus: Price match on the Planters nuts making it $3.00, a 98¢ savings

Coupon for $3.00 off Planters nuts when you buy 3 other Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Meyer

Price match on the Kraft cheese making it $2.00, a savings of $1.14

Coupon for $2.00 off Honey Bunches of Oats

Coupon for 75¢ off Oscar Meyer lunch meat

Total: $4.85