A happy toilet

I need to get something off my chest: I like cleaning toilets. In fact, that may be one of my favorite chores. Is that strange? I'll ponder that someday. I like that kind of cleaning because it's immediate and you can clearly see a difference. Unlike sorting through clutter...easily (EASILY!) my least favorite task. Gag. Shudder.

I've become very interested lately in finding chemical-free strategies for cleaning my little home. I'm convinced that breathing in all those fumes can't be good for you. Plus, many of those cleaners aren't cheap, and I'm all about saving pennies. I've been using white vinegar/water solution in a spray bottle and baking soda for a while with much success, but I feel like a toilet and a tub need a little more scrubbin', know what I mean?

Enter: my new cleaning arsenal...

Borax and lemon juice. That's it! Just pour 1/4 cup of borax in the toilet along with some lemon juice (I used a half). Let sit for a while and then scrub it out. I couldn't get over how well it worked and how nice and fresh it smelled. So much better than those fakey "mountain meadow spring" smells in some cleaners.

Give it a shot! It's better for you. It's cheaper. It makes you feel delightfully old-fashioned, which is always fun. Plus, it makes your toilet happy. Who doesn't want their toilet to be happy?

I found this idea and oodles of others at Make It Do, a treasure trove of little tips like this one. Just a great site that I found and wanted to share with yall!

Publix's #1 fan

I set out to do a little stocking up at Publix yesterday and was most delighted with the results. This may just be my biggest haul (and biggest savings) yet...

Total before coupons/store deals: $79.68

Total after coupons/store deals: $40.70

(Total savings: $38.98)

I was the most excited about the 8 cans of soup I got for $7.16...they were Buy One, Get One Free and I had some coupons. Now, what I'm going to do with 8 cans of soup? Not sure. My grandbabies can probably help me finish them off someday. Seeing all that Progresso soup in my buggy took me back to my dorm days, when I lived off of Progresso and Lean Cuisines. At least it wasn't Ramen noodles and pizza!

I was also pretty thrilled with the 4 bags of frozen veggies I got for $3.48...also Buy One, Get One Free in addition to my coupons.

I've been stockpiling spice cake mix for my pumpkin muffins whenever it's been BOGO since this summer, and this week Craisins are BOGO. I think I'll go back and get some more this week. Then, whenever I want to make the muffins, all I'll need to buy is eggs. Just waiting for the temperature to drop below 95 so I can whip some up. Where are you, fall???

It's a good feeling to know that I managed to snag some groceries that should last more than a week for just over $40. I'll take it.

"If we had a bulletin board, we'd put your picture on it!"

I did my weekly CVS/Publix shopping today, and encountered a character at CVS. I went up to the register determined to branch out into the multiple transactions arena. I told him my plan and he said, "Oooohhh, you're one of those!" As he rang up my stuff and then scanned my coupons/Extra Bucks, he got really excited and started calling out the new total. When he was done, he told me if they had a bulletin board, they'd put my picture on it. He seemed more excited than I was. He also mentioned that he'd only been there 3 months, but when he'd gotten in 6 months, he was going to bring his bulletin board idea up to his boss. I love meeting people with that much personality; he was a hoot!

Total before coupons/EB: $48.29 Total after coupons/EB: $29.46

(Sorry if this is mind-numbingly boring; I keep track of this as a record for myself.) Here's the breakdown: I perused the weekly ad to see what the deals were this week. Thankfully, some of the items I needed were EB deals or on sale. Then I dug through my coupons. I had coupons for Scott t.p. and Colgate toothbrushes (my fave kind, at that!) that were fixing to expire; luckily, those items were on sale this week. The sunscreen was an EB deal: buy 2, get $10 in EB. I use that sunscreen every day (I've made peace with the fact that I'm a white girl and can't tan...might as well use sunscreen so I'll have stellar skin when I'm old!) so I took advantage and bought 2.

I went to the register armed with my coupons and $8 in old EB. My first transaction was just the sunscreen. I paid full price ($21.78), and tore off the $10 EB on my receipt. I paid for the rest of the stuff in the next transaction. I used my old $8 EB, my new $10 EB, and my coupons. I got 12 mega rolls of t.p., pore strips, 2 toothbrushes, and some girly items (that didn't quite make it into the picture) for $7.68! So exciting! And I earned $6.99 in EB from that transaction to use by the end of August.

I made a trip to Publix next, and didn't do quite as well as expected. I still saved nearly $13, though. They just didn't have much on sale this week that I needed or had coupons for. I still have some things to figure out with Publix, though I still think I'm saving money versus when I was a Wal-Mart girl.

CVS + Julie = BFF

I'm not usually a two-a-day poster, but I've got to write this down while I'm still excited. In my quest to save money and eliminate Wal-Mart from my life (two weeks and counting!), I've started shopping at CVS. It's taken some time to figure their system out, but I've finally had a breakthrough. I get it now! I mentioned here that I had accumulated $22 in Extra Bucks from some purchases last week. I went today to get some things I needed, use up some coupons, and earn some more EB. Here's what I bought today:
Total before coupons, EB, and store deals: $39.21
Total after coupons and EB: $15.36

How fun! It's not a lot of stuff, but here's the breakdown. The Dial body wash was originally $4.88. They were marked down to $3.88 (plus $1 EB with purchase) and I had a $2 off coupon, so I got 2 of them. The Fiber One bars (way yum) were normally $4.99, but they were 2/$5, plus I had a coupon. If I bought $10 worth of Revlon makeup, I would earn $5 EB. I had a $2 off coupon for Revlon, so that worked out great. I needed new eyeliner and eyeshadow anyway! There were no special deals on the cotton balls, but I needed them and they were cheap.

I'm proud of my little stash! The makeup alone would have been nearly $15 if I had paid for it "as is". I got to use up some coupons that were fixing to expire, and I have $10 EB to spend in the next month. Plus, I would buy this anyway, so I didn't have to buy junk just to use coupons/get EB. Not too shabby! Maybe I can do even better next time...

Cold turkey

I'm quitting Wal-Mart. I'm done. I've been a Wal-Mart shopper for the better part of a decade; the prices are low and you can find everything you need right there. I've shopped there for those reasons but have always disliked it. Case in point: I went over the weekend to pick up a few things. I needed help and couldn't find a soul to help me. One employee finally said she'd help and then never came back. I found her stocking shelves a few minutes later. I went to check out and the cashier never one time looked at me or spoke to me (sadly, typical). Just to irritate her, I cheerfully carried on a one-sided conversation...she didn't even notice. When I walked out to the parking lot, it hit me...no more! I give them far too much of my money to receive such consistently terrible customer service.

Publix now has my business. Publix is a little pricier than Wal-Mart; therefore, I'm now a coupon cutter. I bought a paper on Sunday and got busy. It blew my mind how much money I could have been saving on the things I normally buy. I just got back from Publix and I'm pretty pleased with how it went. The employees are 1,000 times nicer than the ones I often encounter at Wal-Mart and the store often has great Buy 1, Get 1 Free deals. Here's what I got today:

Total out of pocket: $34.40
Total savings w/coupons and store deals: $33.13

I know there are people out there who do far better, but I didn't think this was too shabby for my first foray into couponing. It was exciting to know that this would have cost me $67.53, but it DIDN'T, all because I cut a few coupons and paid attention to the flyer. I'm sold!

I'm also trying CVS. I went there today to sign up for my Extra Care Bucks card. I bought some things (that I normally use anyway) to build up my ECB, and now I have $22 in ECB to use within the next month.

I still have a lot to figure out, but I'm excited about my new "game". Goodbye forever, Wal-Mart!