Favorite Friday... Deals, deals, deals

(Phone pics don't always turn out as well as one would hope.)

I am all about the hunt lately. Money is tight and that makes it even more important for me to be on the lookout for a deal. I have been finding the best deals as of late. Coupons are the only way I grocery shop anymore. Its a pain in the neck sometimes and it tries my kids' patience as I go from store to store, but it is all worth it. My food storage is filling up again and I am staying within my budget. I love getting a receipt three feet long with my savings detailed at the bottom. I feel robbed when I don't have a savings of over 50% and I am usually shooting for much higher than that. In fact, I am all about the free thing. Yesterday I got 7 bottles of hot sauce and six jars of meat marinades for free. I paid .04 for 100 cal snack paks and actually made .18 back on deodorants. I am headed to Target today to get Bliss candy bars and Crystal Light on the free. Its the little things in life that bring me joy. Dark chocolate for free is definitely bliss.
Its not just about groceries either. We have been shopping thrift stores lately for summer items. I am currently on the hunt for used sports equipment. Craigslist has a lot of things for sale, but often the items are too far away to make it a great deal. When I go into a clothing store I find myself going to the clearance rack now. For summer, I love - LOVE- skirts. They are my absolute fav! I got a couple of summer skirts at a store I have never been to before (and won't frequent) but they were a great deal. Saturdays at the thrift store are the best. Everything in the store is 1/2 price. It takes a bit of hunting sometimes, but its worth the time. Books ending up being nearly free. We have added scads of Newberry's to our library this way. Books and chocolate are tops on my list for creating true joy.
Since writing the above, I made a trip to Shoppers for triple cpn weekend. (I have to do trips like this alone as they can be painfully tedious.) I spent $77 oop, but my savings were over $180. The cashier was fabulous and the fellow behind me actually called his wife to tell her about my transaction. He was awesome, cheering me on and being so patient. My receipt was hilariously long, over eight feet in length(see pic above). By the time I was finished, I had the guy behind me telling his wife they had to start using coupons and even the cashier was asking where to find the coupons I used. 
*I recognize that this post is embarrassingly mundane in nature. However, it's my life and my blog. ;-) I feel blessed to have had such great success in this aspect of my life. I'm doing all I can to stretch the small budget we have and I am so grateful it works as well as it does.