Summer Wardrobe for Twenty Bucks

One of my fellow bargain hunting girlfriends gave me a call in the middle of the day on Friday...

She told me that Old Navy was taking an additional 40% off of already clearance marked prices!

I had to find out for myself...

I checked online before I left, and printed a 20% off coupon.

Here are pictures of what I snagged...

Boatneck sweater for the rainy northwest summer days

Yes, the sticker actually says $2.41. Plus an additional 40% off, plus the 20% off coupon for the total purchase price!

Sweet, knee-length summer sheath dress for less than $1.50

Dark denim, bootcut jeans with white peasant top

Sweet little detail on the waist of the jeans...

bow-sleeved peasant top for farmers' market trips

Summery stripes!

 Interested to know how much all of these pieces cost?

I'll tell ya...$18.00!

No kidding!

I also snagged this cobalt blue skirt from the clearance racks at Target for $6.00 when I used a $3.00 off coupon from Target online.

Shopping for summer clothing mid-spring is the BEST way to score outfits you that also work for summer. Just don't be afraid to dig for deals in bargain bins!

$200 a Month Grocery Challenge

Spring is here!

Which got me thinking...

Summer is just around the corner, and with it come all sorts of fun (and usually expensive) activities. 

BBQs, weekend getaways, lunches on sunny patios across the city...

To prepare my budget for the fun ahead, this month I challenge myself to spend only $200 on groceries and household items this month. 

That's only $50 per week!

Our typical grocery budget is $300 to $350 per month. We also add an additional $20 for household items like toilet paper, bleach, etc.. We try to eat organic whenever possible, so it makes grocery shopping pretty expensive.

With luck, I'll have a nice stash of cash left over at the end of the month for concerts, hiking trips and more!

I started my challenge today, with trips to my neighborhood Albertson's and QFC. 

Here is a picture of my haul:

The retail price for all of this (without discounts and coupons) would have been $75.87.

Total spent: $27.85!

Not bad for a new couponer ay?

BEST deals:

The Starbucks Refreshers were FREE with a coupon from this weeks newspaper.

The Bayer Advanced retails for $4.50. I bought it for $.25!

The SeaPak coconut shrimp retails for $8.40 EACH, and I purchased them each for $2.20. They were buy 1 get 1 free with a $1.00 coupon that doubled to $2.00 off. 

Organics products:

oranges, bananas and milk

Do you clip coupons?