We had a great week this week! Asher is almost two (he turns two October 2nd) and the past two weeks, something “clicked” with him while swimming. All of a sudden he is swimming like a champ underwater. On his own he will swim underwater sometimes to me or daddy and other times to the wall or stairs. I had him in swimming lessons earlier this summer and those 6 sessions seemed to be the perfect foundation for him to feel comfortable in the pool.

We’ve also really started to get comfortable in our new house. Our old house is under contract and I’m cautiously optimistic that it will be sold soon! I’m not going to lie – paying two mortgages has taken a toll on my nerves. And our checkbook. We knew what we were getting into when we bought a second house. But “knowing” what you are getting into and then experiencing two mortgages, two electric bills, two water bills, etc are very different! This fall we are really starting to reign in our spending and finances. I’m going to blog about everything as I suspect many of you are in a similar position to me! Hopefully you don’t have to go through the enjoyable experience of paying two mortgages (sarcasm 😉 ) but if you are finding that finances are stretched, I would love to journey with you as we work on lessening expenses and increasing savings!

This week’s shopping trip was an awesome one! As I prepared my shopping list, hubby said I had a lot of items on my list. That made me nervous thinking that we were going to end up spending way more than I/we wanted to. But we ended up doing awesome. We ended up spending $26.29 on everything pictured above! Also – if you are new to couponing (or need a refresher course), go HERE to read How to Prepare for Your Shopping Trip in 6 Easy Steps.

Please remember that you do not see any chicken or ground beef purchased because we have stocked up on boneless, skinless chicken breasts and ground beef with Zaycon Foods. **Right now Zaycon Foods is taking reservations for their upcoming Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Events!

• To see this week’s Publix Weekly Ad & Matchups, go HERE.

• To see this week’s Publix Deals & Steals, go HERE.

Below is what we bought and the coupons we used (we did two transactions so that we could use two $5/$30 Winn-Dixie coupons):

2 Lipton Black Tea 18 – 20 ct, on sale $1.49
Minus two $1.00/1 Lipton® Black Tea Bag carton coupon
Minus one $1/2 Lipton Items (coupon covers Tea Bags and Beverage Additives) Target Store Coupon
Total Due: FREE
2 Nabisco Family Size Cookies, Oreo or Chips Ahoy!, Assorted Varieties, 13 to 20 oz, BOGO $4.79 for two
Minus two $1/1 Nabisco Chips Ahoy! or Oreo Family Size, exp. 9/26/14 Publix Green Grocery Flyer) [13-oz. to 20-oz.]
Minus one $0.75/2 Nabisco Cookie or Cracker Product, exp. 9/20/14 (SS 08/10/14 R)
Total Due: $2.04 or $1.02 each
4 Tuttorosso Puree 28 oz, BOGO $1.99 for two
Minus one $1/4 Cans of Tuttorosso Tomato Products 28 oz or larger (manuf coupon)
Total Due: $2.98 or $0.75 each
8 Bush’s Best Cocina Latina Beans, Assorted Varieties, 15.5 or 16 oz, BOGO $1.69 for two
Minus four $1.00/1 Bush’s Cocina Latina Product – 9-14-14 SS (exp 11/15/14) **per the wording on the coupon, we took it to mean that we will save $1.00 on one can wyb one can of beans.  Let me be honest – this is the poorest worded coupon I have seen in a long time!
Total Due: $2.76 or $0.35 each
Zatarain’s New Orleans Style Rice Dinner Mix, Assorted Varieties, 7 to 8.8 oz, BOGO $2.09 for two
$0.50/2 Zatarain’s Rice or Pasta Mix, exp. 10/5/14 (RP 08/24/14 R)
Total Due:
2 Barilla Pasta, Selected Varieties, 12 to 16 oz BOGO $1.31 for two
Minus one $1.00/2 Barilla Blue Box Pasta; Must Play Game (Facebook Coupon will be emailed to you within 24-48 hours )
Total Due: $0.31 or $0.15 each
2 Canada Dry Sparkling Water 6pk on sale 2/$4.00
Minus two $1.75/1 Canada Dry Sparkling Seltzer Water 6-pack (share with friends to access coupon)
Total Due: $0.50 or $0.25 each
4 Progresso Bread Crumbs, Italian Style or Plain, 15 oz, BOGO $1.97 for two
Minus one $1/4 Progresso Product Printable
Total Due: $2.94 or $0.74 each
Carefree Pantiliners, Assorted Varieties, 36 to 60 ct, BOGO $3.49 for two
Minus two $0.50/1 Carefree Product, exp. 10/5/14 (SS 08/24/14)
Total Due: $2.49 or $1.25 each
2 General Electric Reveal Light Bulbs 4 ct, BOGO $9.99 for two
Minus one $2/1 GE Reveal Light Bulb Pack Target printable
Minus one $1/1 GE Light Bulb Target printable
Minus two $1/1 GE Energy-Efficient Soft White, GE Reveal, GE Energy Smart or GE LED Lighting Product Printable
Total Due: $4.99 or $2.49 each
2 Knorr Sides, Assorted Varieties, 3.8 to 5.8 oz, 10/$10
Minus one $1.00/2 Knorr Bouillon or Sazon (Publix Coupon) – Publix “Family Celebrations” Booklet (exp 09/30/14)
Total Due: $1.00 or $0.50 each
Bananas reg price $0.69/lb ($1.06 worth)
Receive $0.25 cash back wyb Bananas with Checkout 51
Total Due (when factoring in cash back): $0.81
Royal Gala Apples, 3 lb, $2.99
Total Due: $2.99
1 Bag Russet Potatoes, 5 lb, on sale $2.99
Total Due: $2.99
Hefty Slider Bags, Freezer or Storage, Quart or Gallon Size, 13 to 22 ct, 2/$3
Minus one $1.50/2 Hefty Slider Bags, exp. 11/30/14 (RP 08/10/14)
Total Due: $1.50 or $0.75 each
2 Twix Bites on sale 2/$5.00
Minus two $1/2 Mars Chocolate Bites Stand-Up Pouches Target printable [6-oz. to 8-oz.]
Minus one $1/1 Twix, Snickers, Milky Way or 3 Musketeers Unwrapped Bites Product, exp. 9/28/14 (RP 08/17/14 R)
Total Due: $2.00 or $1.00 each
2 Fresh Express Bagged Spinach on sale BOGO $3.99 for two
Receive $0.25 cash back wyb Salad mix Checkout 51 (Any variety of pre-packaged salad greens. Excludes loose produce.)
Total Due (when factoring in cash back): $3.74 or $1.87 each
1 Tabasco Sauce reg price $1.69
Minus one $0.50/1 TABASCO® brand any size, any flavor coupon
Receive $0.75 Cash Back wyb Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce Checkout 51 Deposit
Total Due (when factoring in cash back): $0.44
2 Dial for Men Bodywash, BOGO $3.95 for two
Minus two $2/1 Dial for Men Body Wash printable [16-oz] (play game to access & print coupon)
Total Due: FREE plus $0.05 overage

Minus two $5 off $30 Winn Dixie Enjoy the City Coupon

Total Spent:  $26.29 Total Saved: $95.44 Percentage Saved: 78.5%