The new Save-a-Lot ad is up online.
Save-a-Lot does accept coupons, so you can match up coupons there.
Some of the deals I noticed in the ad:
Hamburger Helper, $1 a box. There are 75 cent off 3 coupons out, making it 75 cents a box.
5# Red & Gold Delicious apples: $2.99
3# yellow onions: $1.49
zesty white onions: 39 cents a pound
Nestle' Nesquik strawberry or chocolate, 14.1 oz, $2.49. Minus the 60 cent off Nesquik powder coupons, makes it $1.89 a can.
1# Home Churned butter quarters: $1.99, great for holiday baking!
General Mills: Honey Nut Cheerios, Trix, and Cookie Crisp: $1.99 a box
Bounty basic paper towels, 99 cents, minus 25 cent off any one Bounty coupons, makes it 74 cents a pkg.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Watching your $'s at the store
One of the things that consumers need to be extra careful about at the grocery store is watching as your items ring up or check your receipt before you leave. A large percentage of people get overcharged for items because they are not paying attention. One study found that stores are overcharging Americans as much as $1 Billion dollars a year, possibly all the way up to $2.5 billion dollars!!!!!
This just happened to me at Save-a-Lot on Saturday:
I had picked up 4 packages of the three pack bell peppers that were on sale for $1 each. The cashier scanned the first one, it rang in at $1.59. I said "aren't these the ones that are on sale for $1?" (thinking possibly I grabbed the wrong thing). The cashier responded that it was the single bell peppers that were on sale for $1 each. I calmly pointed to my sale ad (which I had with me) and showed that it said 3 pack. The cashier called over a manager who agreed that the 3 packs were the ones on sale for $1 each.
That got my cynical mind thinking: How many customers either a) came in there and paid the $1.59 and never noticed? Or b) they did notice but took the cashier's word when she said it was the single peppers that were $1 each?
So...word to the wise! Watch the register as you're checking out or at the very least, check your receipts before you leave the store!
This just happened to me at Save-a-Lot on Saturday:
I had picked up 4 packages of the three pack bell peppers that were on sale for $1 each. The cashier scanned the first one, it rang in at $1.59. I said "aren't these the ones that are on sale for $1?" (thinking possibly I grabbed the wrong thing). The cashier responded that it was the single bell peppers that were on sale for $1 each. I calmly pointed to my sale ad (which I had with me) and showed that it said 3 pack. The cashier called over a manager who agreed that the 3 packs were the ones on sale for $1 each.
That got my cynical mind thinking: How many customers either a) came in there and paid the $1.59 and never noticed? Or b) they did notice but took the cashier's word when she said it was the single peppers that were $1 each?
So...word to the wise! Watch the register as you're checking out or at the very least, check your receipts before you leave the store!
Staples deals October 29th
I used the $5 off $25 Staples janitorial paper product coupon today along with manufacturer coupons to get some awesome deals at Staples on Saturday. I spent a total of $22.26 for all that's pictured below!
I got 5 eight packs of Bounty Basic paper towels. They were on sale for $4.99 a pack. I had two $1 off coupons and three 25 cent off coupons, bringing them down to $3.99 and $4.74 a pack, respectively. Then with the $5 off $25 coupon, it took an average of 71 cents per item off, bring them down to $3.28 and $4.03 per package. I know it's alot of paper towels, but with the child care, I do use them like crazy and this was a really good deal.
I also got 2 containers of Lysol disinfecting wipes on sale for $2.49 each. I had $1 off coupons for each of them, bringing them down to $1.49. Then with the additional 71 cents off, it brought them down to 78 cents each!
I got 5 eight packs of Bounty Basic paper towels. They were on sale for $4.99 a pack. I had two $1 off coupons and three 25 cent off coupons, bringing them down to $3.99 and $4.74 a pack, respectively. Then with the $5 off $25 coupon, it took an average of 71 cents per item off, bring them down to $3.28 and $4.03 per package. I know it's alot of paper towels, but with the child care, I do use them like crazy and this was a really good deal.
I also got 2 containers of Lysol disinfecting wipes on sale for $2.49 each. I had $1 off coupons for each of them, bringing them down to $1.49. Then with the additional 71 cents off, it brought them down to 78 cents each!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Jumbo's and Save-a-Lot deals October 29th
On Saturday, I went to Jumbo's and Save-a-Lot. No pictures of these, but this is what I got:
At Save-a-Lot, I had $5 off $25 purchase coupon (got it from following a link on their website and liking them on Facebook). I don't see that one up anymore, but they do have a Smart Shopper club to join and get one. Anyway, I got the following items:
Cheez-its: $1.69 a box
5# bag of Red Delicious apples: $2.99
The following items were on the 10/$10 sale (or $1 each)
4 of the three pack green peppers
4 Hormel Sandwich pepperoni
6 Banquet frozen dinners
4 Tony's crisp crust pizza
3 boxes Toast 'Em pop-tarts
The $5 off $25 coupon saved an average of 21 cents per item. So that brings all the $1 items down to 79 cents each, the Cheez-its to $1.48, and the apples to $2.78.
At Jumbo's, I got Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper on sale $5.48 for 20 packs. I also got 3 jumbo packs of the extra lean hamburger meat that was on sale for $2.29 a pound, and a jumbo package of roast, on sale for $2.19 a pound. I had a $5 off $50 or more coupon. I spent $57.73 total, but I should be pretty stocked on hamburger meat and roast for a while.
At Save-a-Lot, I had $5 off $25 purchase coupon (got it from following a link on their website and liking them on Facebook). I don't see that one up anymore, but they do have a Smart Shopper club to join and get one. Anyway, I got the following items:
Cheez-its: $1.69 a box
5# bag of Red Delicious apples: $2.99
The following items were on the 10/$10 sale (or $1 each)
4 of the three pack green peppers
4 Hormel Sandwich pepperoni
6 Banquet frozen dinners
4 Tony's crisp crust pizza
3 boxes Toast 'Em pop-tarts
The $5 off $25 coupon saved an average of 21 cents per item. So that brings all the $1 items down to 79 cents each, the Cheez-its to $1.48, and the apples to $2.78.
At Jumbo's, I got Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper on sale $5.48 for 20 packs. I also got 3 jumbo packs of the extra lean hamburger meat that was on sale for $2.29 a pound, and a jumbo package of roast, on sale for $2.19 a pound. I had a $5 off $50 or more coupon. I spent $57.73 total, but I should be pretty stocked on hamburger meat and roast for a while.
Got Gain?
Friday night, Tom and I went to Dollar General and used my $2 off Gain powder coupons. I noticed recently that they had boxes for $5. Got 4 boxes of Gain each for $13.67 (there was a limit to 4 like coupons per transaction.) We should be stocked up on laundry detergent for a while again. We were down to 2 1/2 boxes from my last stock up. This wasn't as good of a deal as last time (since the boxes were smaller).
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Wal-Mart October 28th
These are my Wal-Mart bargains from Friday night. (I bought other stuff too, but am just listing my coupon deals). All total I spent $60, but I got dog food, stuff for my child care kids for Halloween, an All You magazine, generic Claritin, etc.
I price matched the candy to Walgreen's at $1.99 a bag. I also had coupons for $1 off 2 and $1.50 off two. That brought the cost of two of them down to $1.24 a bag and two of them down to $1.49 a bag.
The Idahoan potatoes were free with a coupon from All You magazine.
I price matched the Hamburger Helpers to Walgreen's at $1 each. With my 75 cents off 3 coupon, I got them for 75 cents a box.
I had $1 off two bags of Hall's cough drops coupons. I bought bonus bags that had 10 free cough drops in them. With the coupons, they were 93 cents each.
I had 50 cent off two Chef-Boyardee coupons, so I got the ravioli, lasagna, and beefaroni for 73 cents each. (they were do not double coupons so it was cheaper to get them at Wal-Mart rather than K-Mart).
I price matched the candy to Walgreen's at $1.99 a bag. I also had coupons for $1 off 2 and $1.50 off two. That brought the cost of two of them down to $1.24 a bag and two of them down to $1.49 a bag.
The Idahoan potatoes were free with a coupon from All You magazine.
I price matched the Hamburger Helpers to Walgreen's at $1 each. With my 75 cents off 3 coupon, I got them for 75 cents a box.
I had $1 off two bags of Hall's cough drops coupons. I bought bonus bags that had 10 free cough drops in them. With the coupons, they were 93 cents each.
I had 50 cent off two Chef-Boyardee coupons, so I got the ravioli, lasagna, and beefaroni for 73 cents each. (they were do not double coupons so it was cheaper to get them at Wal-Mart rather than K-Mart).
Mandy's Bargains
My niece Mandy from Work at Home Adventures shared her bargains from K-Mart with us.
I spent $1.89 at K-Mart. The toilet paper was on sale for $4.99. The shorts were on sale for 99 cents. They have an entire rack of kid’s clothes that are summer for 99 cents. The Chef Boyardee was $1.29 each. I had 50 cents off coupons that doubled which made them $.29 each. I had some points from the K-Mart rewards card that I cashed in to make it so cheap.
I spent $1.89 at K-Mart. The toilet paper was on sale for $4.99. The shorts were on sale for 99 cents. They have an entire rack of kid’s clothes that are summer for 99 cents. The Chef Boyardee was $1.29 each. I had 50 cents off coupons that doubled which made them $.29 each. I had some points from the K-Mart rewards card that I cashed in to make it so cheap.
Jumbo Food's One Day Specials, Saturday October 29th
Jumbo's is having a one day sale on the following items today, while supplies last, no rain checks.
Extra lean ground beef: $2.29 a pound (jumbo pack)
Folgers 22.6 oz classic coffee: $6.99
Kellogg's kid's cereals: 8.7 to 9.2 oz Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, Rice Krispies, and Corn Pops.
Juicy Juice, 64 oz. select varieties: 2/$5
Also, my friend noticed that Jumbo's has Wolf Brand Chili on sale 4/$5 this week, using that with the 75 cents off 3 coupons would bring it down to $1 a can.
Extra lean ground beef: $2.29 a pound (jumbo pack)
Folgers 22.6 oz classic coffee: $6.99
Kellogg's kid's cereals: 8.7 to 9.2 oz Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, Rice Krispies, and Corn Pops.
Juicy Juice, 64 oz. select varieties: 2/$5
Also, my friend noticed that Jumbo's has Wolf Brand Chili on sale 4/$5 this week, using that with the 75 cents off 3 coupons would bring it down to $1 a can.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Walgreen's Weekly Ad: October 30th-November 5th
Starting Sunday at Walgreen's:
Tide 24 to 32 load laundry detergent: $5.99 and there is supposed to be a $2 off Tide coupon in Sunday's paper, making the price $3.99.
Dawn dishwashing liquid, 9 oz. 99 cents minus 50 cent ad in Sunday's paper makes it 49 cents!
Select General Mills Cereals: 11.5 oz to 14 oz.: 2/$4. There are $1 off 2 and $1 off 3 General Mills cereal coupons out (different cereals on each one), bringing the cost down to between $1.50 and $1.67 a box.
Nivea body wash is on sale for $3.99 and has a $2 Register Reward. There is also supposed to be a coupon in Sunday's paper.
I am sure there is stuff I missed so be sure and check out the ad online and see what else you can find! And feel free to comment letting me know and I'll add them!
Tide 24 to 32 load laundry detergent: $5.99 and there is supposed to be a $2 off Tide coupon in Sunday's paper, making the price $3.99.
Dawn dishwashing liquid, 9 oz. 99 cents minus 50 cent ad in Sunday's paper makes it 49 cents!
Select General Mills Cereals: 11.5 oz to 14 oz.: 2/$4. There are $1 off 2 and $1 off 3 General Mills cereal coupons out (different cereals on each one), bringing the cost down to between $1.50 and $1.67 a box.
Nivea body wash is on sale for $3.99 and has a $2 Register Reward. There is also supposed to be a coupon in Sunday's paper.
I am sure there is stuff I missed so be sure and check out the ad online and see what else you can find! And feel free to comment letting me know and I'll add them!
My friend's Facebook contest!
My friend Brenda is having a contest on Facebook to give away her children's book: Jungle Friends: Leo the Lion and the Big Bug Dilemma and a set of finger puppets to go with it. All you have to do is go to her page and "like" it. When she gets 500 likes, she will hold a drawing to give away the book and puppets! Even if you don't have children, you probably know someone who would love this book!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Use your calculator at the store
An important tool in saving money buying groceries or household products is to use your calculator. Those items can add up fast in your cart if you aren't being mindful of what you're spending. This can lead to sticker shock at the register. Keep a calculator with you and use it to add up items as you go through the store. Then when you get to checkout, you will have an idea of how much you've spent. It's also helpful if you're using coupons because it will help you catch it if the cashier makes a mistake putting in a coupon at checkout.
Gillette coupons
One of the United's was out of the Gillette body wash last week, so I got rain checks for it and ordered some coupons off of E-bay. Got 20 coupons at $2 off each body wash for $1.69 (including mailing). I won't use all of them so if anyone wants some, let me know. I'll be glad to share! It was my first time ordering coupons off of E-bay and it went very well.
Reader's Menu Planning Ideas
In case you don't read the comment section, I wanted to share a couple of reader's menu planning strategies:
Mandy says: We do a menu. I print out recipes that are new, plus other stuff I always make. I make a grocery shopping list based on what I have or what I need. I go to the base once a month and get the stuff I need because it is cheaper out there. I keep the menu on the side of the fridge. We do not choose based on date, but just pick off the menu so we can have what we want. Sometimes I let Hailee choose what she wants off the list. John loves when I do this because I am not as tempted to eat out. I have recently started making double of some meals and freezing an extra casserole as well.
From Facebook, a child care provider friend says: I'm working on making a menu right now that has my daycare meals on the breakfast and lunch category and then dinners. I write in the activites everyone has for the evening and then I'm trying to fill in meals that I can do with what time I have left. This was my first week to use it and WOW has it made a difference! I LOVE not having to figure it out on the day, the meat is thawed, the groceries are bought a few weeks ahead of time mostly and it's all there and ready to go! I LOVE IT! If I can keep filling it in ahead before I get groceries it will be a revolutionary plan for us! :O)
Mandy says: We do a menu. I print out recipes that are new, plus other stuff I always make. I make a grocery shopping list based on what I have or what I need. I go to the base once a month and get the stuff I need because it is cheaper out there. I keep the menu on the side of the fridge. We do not choose based on date, but just pick off the menu so we can have what we want. Sometimes I let Hailee choose what she wants off the list. John loves when I do this because I am not as tempted to eat out. I have recently started making double of some meals and freezing an extra casserole as well.
From Facebook, a child care provider friend says: I'm working on making a menu right now that has my daycare meals on the breakfast and lunch category and then dinners. I write in the activites everyone has for the evening and then I'm trying to fill in meals that I can do with what time I have left. This was my first week to use it and WOW has it made a difference! I LOVE not having to figure it out on the day, the meat is thawed, the groceries are bought a few weeks ahead of time mostly and it's all there and ready to go! I LOVE IT! If I can keep filling it in ahead before I get groceries it will be a revolutionary plan for us! :O)
How do you organize your coupons?
How are you organizing your coupons? I've seen many different methods. Right now, I"m using a binder with baseball card pages. I like that method because it's simpler to see all my coupons. I'll take a picture of it later and upload it. I'm planning to make some coupon binders to sell in my classes and I'm trying to decide the best way to organize them. I'm also curious about how others are organizing theirs. I think it's one of those things that depends on each person's personality. When I get the picture of mine taken and hear some different ideas, I'll write a post about organizing coupons.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wolf Brand chili at United
My friend pointed out to me that Wolf Brand Chili is on sale at United for $1.39 a can and there are coupons for 75 cents off of 3, which would bring them down to $1.14 a can. Tom makes the best chili in the world so I'm not allowed to buy canned chili. LOL.
Side benefit to couponing
I realized recently that there is a side benefit to couponing. I have actually been able to start collecting Box Tops for Education for the school. For the past several years, I've rarely bought anything that had a box top on it. So now I've got a nice little baggie going that I"m filling with box tops. After I get several, I'll send it to school with my little school-age boy that I keep.
Aldi October 26th-November 1st
Today (Wednesday, October 26th) only: bone-in pork picnic shoulder roast: $1.59 a pound
Produce:
2 pound bag of pears: 98 cents
2 pound bag of honey crisp apples: $1.50
3 pound bag of fuji, gala, golden delicious, granny smith, red delicious apples: $1.65
2 pound bag of grapes: $1.98
1 fresh pineapple: 99 cents
Produce:
2 pound bag of pears: 98 cents
2 pound bag of honey crisp apples: $1.50
3 pound bag of fuji, gala, golden delicious, granny smith, red delicious apples: $1.65
2 pound bag of grapes: $1.98
1 fresh pineapple: 99 cents
United Sale Ad October 26th-November 1st
This week at United:
Half gallon United milk: $1.59
8 oz shredded Best Choice cheese (colby jack, mild cheddar, or mozarella), $1.59
Progresso Soups (chicken noodle, vegetable beef, or New England clam chowder), 4/$5, use with $1 off four coupon-$1 each
Hamburger, Tuna, and Chicken Helpers-$1.39. The Hamburger and Tuna Helpers are on sale this week at Walgreen's for $1, but the chicken isn't. If you like the chicken, you can use the coupon for 75 cents off 3 to get them for $1.14 a box.
12 oz Dove Shampoos or conditioners, $3.49 each. Use with buy one, get one free coupon to get two for $3.49. (the coupons I have for these expire Sunday the 30th).
Secret or Old Spice deodorants, $2.19. I have coupons for $1 off Old Spice, bringing them down to $1.19 (the coupons I have expire Monday the 31st)
Be sure and check out the United ad for things I may have missed!
Half gallon United milk: $1.59
8 oz shredded Best Choice cheese (colby jack, mild cheddar, or mozarella), $1.59
Progresso Soups (chicken noodle, vegetable beef, or New England clam chowder), 4/$5, use with $1 off four coupon-$1 each
Hamburger, Tuna, and Chicken Helpers-$1.39. The Hamburger and Tuna Helpers are on sale this week at Walgreen's for $1, but the chicken isn't. If you like the chicken, you can use the coupon for 75 cents off 3 to get them for $1.14 a box.
12 oz Dove Shampoos or conditioners, $3.49 each. Use with buy one, get one free coupon to get two for $3.49. (the coupons I have for these expire Sunday the 30th).
Secret or Old Spice deodorants, $2.19. I have coupons for $1 off Old Spice, bringing them down to $1.19 (the coupons I have expire Monday the 31st)
Be sure and check out the United ad for things I may have missed!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Getting books
Okay, I am going to stray from the normal path tonight and talk about books. I LOVE to read! It is one of my passions. But as you know, books can be expensive. For just leisure reading, Tom and I try to hit the thrift stores and garage sales. We rarely buy a fiction book brand new unless it's for a gift. We also use half.com or E-bay to buy books, being careful to check the seller's feedback. I generally try to order from someone who is an individual seller rather than a mass marketing seller, hoping I'll be less likely to get lost in the shuffle.
Sometimes I will buy a reference or curriculum book new, but I always look for used first and I try to check it out from a library first to see if I'll actually use it.
For books for the child care kids, I generally order through Scholastic book orders or find them at garage sales and thrift stores.
Do you like to read? How do you get your books?
Sometimes I will buy a reference or curriculum book new, but I always look for used first and I try to check it out from a library first to see if I'll actually use it.
For books for the child care kids, I generally order through Scholastic book orders or find them at garage sales and thrift stores.
Do you like to read? How do you get your books?
Jumbo Foods October 26th-November 1st
This week at Jumbo's:
Please note, I picked up a paper copy of the ad, next week's ad isn't available online yet (although it's usually up by Tuesday evening). Be sure and check out the ad to see what other good deals you can find. And if you didn't know, since Jumbo's doesn't put their full ad in Wednesday's paper anymore, you can pick up the ad a few days early from the store. They are over by the cash registers on a metal rack (near the service desk) and say something like "help yourself to next week's ad".
Shoulder roast, $2.19 a pound
Best Choice 16 oz frozen vegetables: 79 cents a bag
Pop-eye or Veg-All Steam Supreme select varieties, 12-16 oz: $1.00
Dawn dish soap, select varieties, 9 oz. for 99 cents. There is a coupon out now (expires Monday) for 25 cents off, will bring the cost down to 74 cents. But according to the sneak peek for this Sunday's coupons, there should be a 50 cent off coupon in Sunday's paper, bringing the cost down to 49 cents.
Progresso 18.5 to 19 oz soups, 2/$3, use with $1 off four coupon to make them $1.25 each.
2.6 oz select varieties Suave deodorant. I know there have been coupons out for Suave, but I don't have any on hand. If someone knows what they are, feel free to let me know!
Please note, I picked up a paper copy of the ad, next week's ad isn't available online yet (although it's usually up by Tuesday evening). Be sure and check out the ad to see what other good deals you can find. And if you didn't know, since Jumbo's doesn't put their full ad in Wednesday's paper anymore, you can pick up the ad a few days early from the store. They are over by the cash registers on a metal rack (near the service desk) and say something like "help yourself to next week's ad".
Shoulder roast, $2.19 a pound
Best Choice 16 oz frozen vegetables: 79 cents a bag
Pop-eye or Veg-All Steam Supreme select varieties, 12-16 oz: $1.00
Dawn dish soap, select varieties, 9 oz. for 99 cents. There is a coupon out now (expires Monday) for 25 cents off, will bring the cost down to 74 cents. But according to the sneak peek for this Sunday's coupons, there should be a 50 cent off coupon in Sunday's paper, bringing the cost down to 49 cents.
Progresso 18.5 to 19 oz soups, 2/$3, use with $1 off four coupon to make them $1.25 each.
2.6 oz select varieties Suave deodorant. I know there have been coupons out for Suave, but I don't have any on hand. If someone knows what they are, feel free to let me know!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Read the fine print
I just want to remind everyone to be sure and read the fine print on your coupons, especially ones that you print off online. My friend recently sent me a coupon for $3 off Cottonelle. She found the link to it on a legitimate website and since she knew I'd been buying Cottonelle, she printed it and sent it to me. I took it to Walgreen's to use and it wouldn't scan, so the cashier started reading. And guess what? It said "Good only in Canada". LOL. So...lesson learned, always read the fine print on the coupons!
Staples: Week of October 23rd-October 29th
This week in Staples Weekly Ad:
Their 8 pack of Bounty Basic is on sale for $4.99 (there are 25 cent off coupons manufacturer coupons available for these)
The 16 pack Big Rolls of Charmin Basic in on sale for $6.99 (There are also 25 cent off manufacturer coupons available for these.
There is also a coupon for $5 off $25 janitorial paper item's coupon. I couldn't tell for sure if you could use your manufacturer coupons along with this one. It looked like you could, but you couldn't count the cost towards the $25 minimum purchase. You can look at the coupon on the website and print it off from there.
100 pack Memorex DVD-R are on sale for $9.99! It says this is a savings of $50!
And remember you can turn in empty ink cartridges there to get Staples Rewards. It's a bit of a hassle, but worth it.
Their 8 pack of Bounty Basic is on sale for $4.99 (there are 25 cent off coupons manufacturer coupons available for these)
The 16 pack Big Rolls of Charmin Basic in on sale for $6.99 (There are also 25 cent off manufacturer coupons available for these.
There is also a coupon for $5 off $25 janitorial paper item's coupon. I couldn't tell for sure if you could use your manufacturer coupons along with this one. It looked like you could, but you couldn't count the cost towards the $25 minimum purchase. You can look at the coupon on the website and print it off from there.
100 pack Memorex DVD-R are on sale for $9.99! It says this is a savings of $50!
And remember you can turn in empty ink cartridges there to get Staples Rewards. It's a bit of a hassle, but worth it.
Brenda S's Bargains
My friend Brenda shared her bargains with us! Also, you can check out her blog here.
At Save-A-Lot, Brenda used the $5 off $25 coupon (from Facebook) and a coupon for the Grand's biscuits. Her final cost was $48.05.
At Walgreen's, Brenda got: dish detergent, soup and salt. The cost was 13.74 after coupons.
At United, almost everything Brenda got (besides the Doritos) were on the 1/2 price sale. The final cost was $47.06.
This was her first big shopping trip using coupons and sales and she did great!
Have bargains you want to share with me? E-mail me the pictures and I'll post them!
At Save-A-Lot, Brenda used the $5 off $25 coupon (from Facebook) and a coupon for the Grand's biscuits. Her final cost was $48.05.
At Walgreen's, Brenda got: dish detergent, soup and salt. The cost was 13.74 after coupons.
At United, almost everything Brenda got (besides the Doritos) were on the 1/2 price sale. The final cost was $47.06.
This was her first big shopping trip using coupons and sales and she did great!
Have bargains you want to share with me? E-mail me the pictures and I'll post them!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
K-Mart: Double Coupons this week: 10-23 to 10-29
This week at K-Mart, they are doubling coupons up to 99 cents if you have a Shop Your Way Rewards card. It's free to get, you can even sign up for it online.
The best deal was Bar S 1# Jumbo Franks are on sale for 88 cents each. There was a 75 cent coupon in the paper today which doubled to $1.50, making two packages of hot dogs 26 cents!!! I only had one of those coupons so I used another coupon for $1 off, getting two more packages for 76 cents. Four packages of hot dogs for a little over $1? I'll take it!
Probably the best thing to do is take your coupons in and explore the store and see what good deals you can find. I also bought a couple of packages of scratch pads with a 75 cent off coupon, making them $2.99 a package.
The best deal was Bar S 1# Jumbo Franks are on sale for 88 cents each. There was a 75 cent coupon in the paper today which doubled to $1.50, making two packages of hot dogs 26 cents!!! I only had one of those coupons so I used another coupon for $1 off, getting two more packages for 76 cents. Four packages of hot dogs for a little over $1? I'll take it!
Probably the best thing to do is take your coupons in and explore the store and see what good deals you can find. I also bought a couple of packages of scratch pads with a 75 cent off coupon, making them $2.99 a package.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Gift Basket Picture
Here is a picture of the basket I made to give away at some of my classes (and I think I'll give one away at the coupon swap on Monday). They cost about $2 each and include:
plastic shower caddy tub
antibacterial hand soap
cleaning wipes for the bathroom
craft scissors (with interchangeable blades for different cutting patterns)
little dry erase to-do list
box of 50 ziploc type sandwich bags
a bar of Ivory soap (these were free with a coupon a while back!)
plastic shower caddy tub
antibacterial hand soap
cleaning wipes for the bathroom
craft scissors (with interchangeable blades for different cutting patterns)
little dry erase to-do list
box of 50 ziploc type sandwich bags
a bar of Ivory soap (these were free with a coupon a while back!)
Got my first two classes scheduled!
I scheduled my first two classes this week! I will be teaching a class in Enid at the CDSA office on Monday, November 14th and one here in Pond Creek at the library on Tuesday, November 22nd. If you are interested in attending one of the classes, let me know and I'll get you more details. I also have flyers that I can print up for people to hand out. I am so excited!!!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Staples deals (October 21st, 2011)
Now for my best deals of the day!!! I went to Staples. I took the $5 off $25 purchase coupon, plus my $4 Staples Reward coupon (for turning in ink cartridges). I found a bunch of clearance deals at 50 cents each, got 51 different items and paid only $17.88 after my coupons, this brought my average price down to about 35 cents each! Some of them I plan to use to make baskets to give away at my classes.
I got:
9 shower caddies
8 zipper sandwich bags
3 deodorizing sprays
7 antibacterial hand soap
7 sets of craft scissors
6 cans of bathroom wipes
6 little dry erase boards
5 little bags of wooden craft pieces
I got:
9 shower caddies
8 zipper sandwich bags
3 deodorizing sprays
7 antibacterial hand soap
7 sets of craft scissors
6 cans of bathroom wipes
6 little dry erase boards
5 little bags of wooden craft pieces
Cottonelle
I used the last of my Cottonelle coupons at Walgreen's today, got 3 more 12 packs for $11.25 total. That brings us to eight 12 packs of Cottonelle which should last us a while.
United Bargains October 21st
I went to United today and got the following great deals. I ended up going to two United, but I just combined everything into one picture.
Used my rain checks to get:
6 cans of cream of broccoli soup 50 cents each
9 cans of Red Gold tomato sauce (15 oz), 25 cents each
Got a dozen eggs marked down to 72 cents at one of the United's, with my rain check coupon, made it 22 cents!
4 cans of Campbell's Soup at Hand for 67 cents each (after coupons). They will make good lunches for Tom.
3 bottles of Gillette Body wash, 32 cents each (after coupons)
For a total of: $9.63!!!!
(I did also refill some water jugs at 39 cents each but I didn't include those in the cost or the picture).
Used my rain checks to get:
6 cans of cream of broccoli soup 50 cents each
9 cans of Red Gold tomato sauce (15 oz), 25 cents each
Got a dozen eggs marked down to 72 cents at one of the United's, with my rain check coupon, made it 22 cents!
4 cans of Campbell's Soup at Hand for 67 cents each (after coupons). They will make good lunches for Tom.
3 bottles of Gillette Body wash, 32 cents each (after coupons)
For a total of: $9.63!!!!
(I did also refill some water jugs at 39 cents each but I didn't include those in the cost or the picture).
Walgreen's Weekly Ad: October 23rd-29th
Walgreen's should have a new coupon book out this weekend. The current one expires tomorrow. The sneak peek ad says that there are over $660 in savings in it!
Starting Sunday these items will be on sale:
Store coupon: Hershey's, Nestle', or Mar's fun-size or snack candy, 10.23 to 12.5 oz, $1.99
Several candy items are buy one, get 2nd for 1/2 off
Pepsi products are 3/$9.96, plus there is a store coupon for a free 12 pack of Diet Pepsi with purchase of three 12 packs of Pepsi products. So that would make four 12 packs for less than $10!
24 pack Pure drinking water, $2.49
Several store coupons for Halloween novelty items including: stick pens and pencils with pencil toppers: 4/$1, Halloween treat bags: 69 cents, Halloween lights: 3/$10, Halloween votive candles: 4/$1
Capri-Sun 10 pack: 3/$6 with a $1.50 Register Reward
12 to 15 oz Kellogg's cereal: 2/$4
Store coupon for Planter's Peanut Butter and Welch's Jelly: 2/$3
Hamburger and Tuna Helpers: $1 (use with 75 cent off 3 coupons to get for 75 cents a box!). These I would consider price matching at Wal-Mart because they will have a bigger selection. Please note that Chicken Helper is not included in this sale.
Bowl Appetit and 12 pack El Paso taco shells: $1
Gain dishwashing liquid, store coupon for 99 cents. Combine with 50 cent off any size Gain dish liquid coupons to get for 49 cents!
Buy $20 in select Proctor & Gamble products, get $5 Register Reward. 60 load Downy, 120 sheet Bounce for $4.99 each and Charmin 6 double roll for $3.99 are pictured. There are several coupons out for Bounce and Downy now (75 cents off Bounce, $2 off 3 Bounce, Downy, and Tide products), as well as some 25 cents off Charmin coupons. Remember that the $20 total is BEFORE manufacturer coupons.
I am sure there is stuff that I have missed, so be sure and check out the Walgreen's sneak peek ad.
Starting Sunday these items will be on sale:
Store coupon: Hershey's, Nestle', or Mar's fun-size or snack candy, 10.23 to 12.5 oz, $1.99
Several candy items are buy one, get 2nd for 1/2 off
Pepsi products are 3/$9.96, plus there is a store coupon for a free 12 pack of Diet Pepsi with purchase of three 12 packs of Pepsi products. So that would make four 12 packs for less than $10!
24 pack Pure drinking water, $2.49
Several store coupons for Halloween novelty items including: stick pens and pencils with pencil toppers: 4/$1, Halloween treat bags: 69 cents, Halloween lights: 3/$10, Halloween votive candles: 4/$1
Capri-Sun 10 pack: 3/$6 with a $1.50 Register Reward
12 to 15 oz Kellogg's cereal: 2/$4
Store coupon for Planter's Peanut Butter and Welch's Jelly: 2/$3
Hamburger and Tuna Helpers: $1 (use with 75 cent off 3 coupons to get for 75 cents a box!). These I would consider price matching at Wal-Mart because they will have a bigger selection. Please note that Chicken Helper is not included in this sale.
Bowl Appetit and 12 pack El Paso taco shells: $1
Gain dishwashing liquid, store coupon for 99 cents. Combine with 50 cent off any size Gain dish liquid coupons to get for 49 cents!
Buy $20 in select Proctor & Gamble products, get $5 Register Reward. 60 load Downy, 120 sheet Bounce for $4.99 each and Charmin 6 double roll for $3.99 are pictured. There are several coupons out for Bounce and Downy now (75 cents off Bounce, $2 off 3 Bounce, Downy, and Tide products), as well as some 25 cents off Charmin coupons. Remember that the $20 total is BEFORE manufacturer coupons.
I am sure there is stuff that I have missed, so be sure and check out the Walgreen's sneak peek ad.
Walgreen's free collage print, expires 10-22-11
You can get a free 8x10 collage print from Walgreen's! It expires Saturday, October 22nd though so be sure and do it soon!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Staples (week ending 10-22-11)
This week (expires on Saturday, October 22nd), Staples has a coupon for $5 off a $25 in store purchase. You can print it off of their website by going to their weekly ad. Just be sure and read the small print. It's not valid on HP ink or toner purchases or on any purchase that already has an instant discount applied to it.
A case of Staples copy paper is on sale for $29.99 (save $18 instantly)
None of these items say anything about "instant savings" so I'm assuming you can use the coupon on them. Be sure and check for yourself if you go in.
5 pack of 3x5 notepads $2
Letter size writing pads $1
They have cute little animal 4 gb flash drives for $9.99, these might make good stocking stuffers for Christmas.
They also have a 8 gb USB flash drive for $10, another good stocking stuff idea
And a 4 gb SDHC memory card, $9.99
A case of Staples copy paper is on sale for $29.99 (save $18 instantly)
None of these items say anything about "instant savings" so I'm assuming you can use the coupon on them. Be sure and check for yourself if you go in.
5 pack of 3x5 notepads $2
Letter size writing pads $1
They have cute little animal 4 gb flash drives for $9.99, these might make good stocking stuffers for Christmas.
They also have a 8 gb USB flash drive for $10, another good stocking stuff idea
And a 4 gb SDHC memory card, $9.99
Coupon Swap Reminder
Just a reminder that I have a coupon swap coming up at my house this Monday, October 24th at 6:30 p.m.! Everyone is invited. Please RSVP on Facebook, through commenting to this post, or by e-mail: Tracy.Hinton@gmail.com.If you don't know my address, send me an e-mail and I'll give it to you!
Menu Planning
As a child care provider, I am required to have a menu plan that I follow for my child care. I use a 15 day cycle menu. My goal is to eventually be able to only have to stock up on the sale items and fresh items on my child care menu, thereby saving me $'s.
As a wife and mother, I'm not as good at menu planning. I believe that planning a menu is one of the most important ways to save money as a family. When I make my grocery list every two weeks, I try to sit down with a piece of paper and write out the dates of the next two weeks, including making a note of anything going on. This helps me know if I need to come up with an easy meal that night. Then I plan out a menu for the next couple of weeks, using what I already have and making notes of what I'll need to buy. Is this menu set in stone? Definitely not.
My point here is, I'm curious about what your family does. Do you plan meals ahead of time or do you plan day to day? I've found that I need to figure it out either the evening before or early in the day because by the time the day ends, if I don't have a plan, my plan becomes to go eat out. LOL.
Please share what you do! You can comment on the article or e-mail me at Tracy.Hinton@gmail.com
As a wife and mother, I'm not as good at menu planning. I believe that planning a menu is one of the most important ways to save money as a family. When I make my grocery list every two weeks, I try to sit down with a piece of paper and write out the dates of the next two weeks, including making a note of anything going on. This helps me know if I need to come up with an easy meal that night. Then I plan out a menu for the next couple of weeks, using what I already have and making notes of what I'll need to buy. Is this menu set in stone? Definitely not.
My point here is, I'm curious about what your family does. Do you plan meals ahead of time or do you plan day to day? I've found that I need to figure it out either the evening before or early in the day because by the time the day ends, if I don't have a plan, my plan becomes to go eat out. LOL.
Please share what you do! You can comment on the article or e-mail me at Tracy.Hinton@gmail.com
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Save-a-lot October 16th-29th
I haven't been to Save-a-Lot in a long time and I am not sure if they accept coupons. Does anyone know? I will try to call and find out if someone doesn't know. I do know they have a link on their page to Facebook. If you like them on Facebook, you get a $5 off a $25 purchase coupon. I got mine this morning!
You can check out their specials online here.
They are having a 10 for $10 sale, mix and match. Doesn't say you have to buy 10, so I'm assuming the items are just $1 each. If you go in, you may want to check it out for yourself!
3 pack green peppers
Eckrich bologna or franks
Banquet brown 'n serve sausage
Hormel sliced sandwich pepperoni
Buddig deli cuts lunchmeat
Oscar Mayer Lunchables, 4.2 to 4.5 oz
Gwaltney roll sausage, 12 oz, mild or hot
Avocados
Fisher Boy fish sticks
Malt-o-Meal 10 to 12 oz cereal; Berry Colossal Crunch and Golden Puffs
Plus...many more!
Other items on sale:
5# bag of apples: $2.99
loose Valencia oranges: 6/$1
Boneless chuck roast: $2.99 pound
You can check out their specials online here.
They are having a 10 for $10 sale, mix and match. Doesn't say you have to buy 10, so I'm assuming the items are just $1 each. If you go in, you may want to check it out for yourself!
3 pack green peppers
Eckrich bologna or franks
Banquet brown 'n serve sausage
Hormel sliced sandwich pepperoni
Buddig deli cuts lunchmeat
Oscar Mayer Lunchables, 4.2 to 4.5 oz
Gwaltney roll sausage, 12 oz, mild or hot
Avocados
Fisher Boy fish sticks
Malt-o-Meal 10 to 12 oz cereal; Berry Colossal Crunch and Golden Puffs
Plus...many more!
Other items on sale:
5# bag of apples: $2.99
loose Valencia oranges: 6/$1
Boneless chuck roast: $2.99 pound
Aldi October 19th-25th
This week at Aldi:
TODAY ONLY: fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts, jumbo pack, $1.69 a pound
Produce:
red grapes 2# package: $1.98
fresh pineapple: 99 cents
cabbage: 69 cents a pound
5# bag of red potatoes: 99 cents
Cauliflower: 99 cents
Remember, they do not accept coupons!
TODAY ONLY: fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts, jumbo pack, $1.69 a pound
Produce:
red grapes 2# package: $1.98
fresh pineapple: 99 cents
cabbage: 69 cents a pound
5# bag of red potatoes: 99 cents
Cauliflower: 99 cents
Remember, they do not accept coupons!
United Supermarket Sale Ad October 19th-25th
This week at United:
They are having a half-price sale at United this week.
Post Honey Bunches of Oats cereals: $2.04 (I think I have seen some Post cereal coupons lately, I need to double check)
Campbell's soup at hand 92 cents each, use with 50 cents off two coupons to make 67 cents each
Dole classic iceberg or coleslaw salad mixes (12 and 14 oz) 99 cents each
Pillsbury Grands Jr. Biscuits 87 cents each. Use with 30 cents off two coupons to make them 72 cents a can.
Gillette Body Wash: $2.32, use with $2 off Gillette Body Wash coupon: 32 cents each!!!!
Green Giant boxed vegetables: $1.09 each. I know there have been coupons out for that, but I sent them all to my friend. I will check with her and see what they are for.
Old Spice deodorants (2.6 to 3.25 oz): 1.99, use with $1 off one coupon to make 99 cents
They are having a half-price sale at United this week.
Post Honey Bunches of Oats cereals: $2.04 (I think I have seen some Post cereal coupons lately, I need to double check)
Campbell's soup at hand 92 cents each, use with 50 cents off two coupons to make 67 cents each
Dole classic iceberg or coleslaw salad mixes (12 and 14 oz) 99 cents each
Pillsbury Grands Jr. Biscuits 87 cents each. Use with 30 cents off two coupons to make them 72 cents a can.
Gillette Body Wash: $2.32, use with $2 off Gillette Body Wash coupon: 32 cents each!!!!
Green Giant boxed vegetables: $1.09 each. I know there have been coupons out for that, but I sent them all to my friend. I will check with her and see what they are for.
Old Spice deodorants (2.6 to 3.25 oz): 1.99, use with $1 off one coupon to make 99 cents
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Jumbo Foods October 19th-25th (Enid, OK)
I didn't see much in the Jumbo ad that matches up with coupons, but they do have some good sales going on this week.
Hormel pork chops: $1.77 a pound
All 2x laundry detergent 28-32 use, $3.99 (use with $1 off All coupon, get it for $3.99)
Hall's cough drops, select varieties, $1.69, (use with $1 off two coupon to bring price down to $1.19 a package). I would check Wal-Mart's prices first, I"m not sure how much Hall's are at Wal-Mart.
10 for $10 sale ($1 each, you do not have to buy 10 items!) I did not list all the items here, you can check out the sale ad online to see what else.
Dole Classic Iceberg salad 12 oz.
Best Choice Easy Skillet Meals
Best Choice biscuits, select varieties, 12 oz.
Michelina's or Budget Gourmet meals, select varieties 4.5-9 oz.
Rodeo hot dogs, 12 oz.
Swiss Miss or Nestle hot cocoa mix, 8-10 count
Bisquick shake and pour, 5.1 oz
Pillsbury Grands, select varieties 4-12 oz (there have been some Pillsbury coupons out lately)
They are also having a Made in Oklahoma sale with Bar S products on it. You can request Bar S coupons here.
Hormel pork chops: $1.77 a pound
All 2x laundry detergent 28-32 use, $3.99 (use with $1 off All coupon, get it for $3.99)
Hall's cough drops, select varieties, $1.69, (use with $1 off two coupon to bring price down to $1.19 a package). I would check Wal-Mart's prices first, I"m not sure how much Hall's are at Wal-Mart.
10 for $10 sale ($1 each, you do not have to buy 10 items!) I did not list all the items here, you can check out the sale ad online to see what else.
Dole Classic Iceberg salad 12 oz.
Best Choice Easy Skillet Meals
Best Choice biscuits, select varieties, 12 oz.
Michelina's or Budget Gourmet meals, select varieties 4.5-9 oz.
Rodeo hot dogs, 12 oz.
Swiss Miss or Nestle hot cocoa mix, 8-10 count
Bisquick shake and pour, 5.1 oz
Pillsbury Grands, select varieties 4-12 oz (there have been some Pillsbury coupons out lately)
They are also having a Made in Oklahoma sale with Bar S products on it. You can request Bar S coupons here.
Where else can I find coupons?
I have been amazed at the places that you can find coupons.
On products you already buy. I've got coupons from the packages of razors, pizza boxes, cereal boxes, laundry detergent, granola bars, and more. Clip these and save them to match up with a sale. The great thing about these is they often do not expire for quite a while.
Contact the manufacturer. Have a product you love? Contact the manufacturer and give them positive feedback! I've got coupons for toilet paper and Bar S franks by doing this (really need to do it some more!). Most products have websites and/or 1-800 numbers where you can call them. Have a problem with a product? Call or e-mail and let them know, they will often send you coupons. I recently contacted the manufacturer of a toilet paper I had bought with a problem and they are sending me coupons. I will let you know how much when I get them.
At the stores themselves: Often, there will be boxes with coupons on store shelves that you can grab. You don't have to use them right then. If they don't expire for a while, hold onto them and watch for a sale! Some stores also have monthly coupon flyers available or they sell coupon books through organizations as fund-raisers. I know a friend who bought a Jumbo's one for $5 with coupons inside the booklet as well as a $5 off $50 purchase coupon on the back of the booklet.
Peelies are the coupons that are stuck on the products at the store. They will often save you some money on the product right then (read them carefully because sometimes they are for the purchase of another product or have to go along with the purchase of another product). What I didn't know before was, you don't have to use them right then. You can hold onto them and use them later if you have another coupon you'd rather use then! NOW, this doesn't mean to go into the store and peel all of them coupons off and take them home. THAT is annoying! I was recently in Walgreen's buying Excedrin and you could tell that someone had been there and peeled all of the coupons off of almost every bottle of Excedrin! (same thing goes for the boxes of coupons, take a few, but leave some for the rest of us!)
Store flyers: Often store flyers will have coupons in them. These can be either store coupons or manufacturer coupons. If they are store coupons, you can match a manufacturer coupon with it to save even more.
On products you already buy. I've got coupons from the packages of razors, pizza boxes, cereal boxes, laundry detergent, granola bars, and more. Clip these and save them to match up with a sale. The great thing about these is they often do not expire for quite a while.
Contact the manufacturer. Have a product you love? Contact the manufacturer and give them positive feedback! I've got coupons for toilet paper and Bar S franks by doing this (really need to do it some more!). Most products have websites and/or 1-800 numbers where you can call them. Have a problem with a product? Call or e-mail and let them know, they will often send you coupons. I recently contacted the manufacturer of a toilet paper I had bought with a problem and they are sending me coupons. I will let you know how much when I get them.
At the stores themselves: Often, there will be boxes with coupons on store shelves that you can grab. You don't have to use them right then. If they don't expire for a while, hold onto them and watch for a sale! Some stores also have monthly coupon flyers available or they sell coupon books through organizations as fund-raisers. I know a friend who bought a Jumbo's one for $5 with coupons inside the booklet as well as a $5 off $50 purchase coupon on the back of the booklet.
Peelies are the coupons that are stuck on the products at the store. They will often save you some money on the product right then (read them carefully because sometimes they are for the purchase of another product or have to go along with the purchase of another product). What I didn't know before was, you don't have to use them right then. You can hold onto them and use them later if you have another coupon you'd rather use then! NOW, this doesn't mean to go into the store and peel all of them coupons off and take them home. THAT is annoying! I was recently in Walgreen's buying Excedrin and you could tell that someone had been there and peeled all of the coupons off of almost every bottle of Excedrin! (same thing goes for the boxes of coupons, take a few, but leave some for the rest of us!)
Store flyers: Often store flyers will have coupons in them. These can be either store coupons or manufacturer coupons. If they are store coupons, you can match a manufacturer coupon with it to save even more.
Saving without coupons
Some of you may be wondering, what if I don't want to use coupons? Or what if I can't find coupons for the items that I buy? You can find coupons for alot of items, but you may not find them for everything you buy. So here are some ideas.
1. Pick out a grocery store for your basic grocery needs. This is the one you will use to fill in the gaps around what you don't find with coupons. My personal favorite is Aldi. They do not accept coupons and most of their products are their own store brand (although they do have special buys on name brand products from time to time). A couple of things you need to know about Aldi's. Take a quarter. You will use it to get a cart outside the front of the store and you will get the quarter back when you put the cart back. They do not accept checks, they take cash or debit cards. You will be bagging and carrying out your own groceries. Take your own bags or you can buy bags there. 6 cents for paper, 10 cents for plastic (these are big heavy plastic bags, not little thin ones like Wal-Mart). I have a child care provider friend who takes all the totes that we get at child care conferences and uses them for her groceries.
Now, that being said, when my kids were little, trying to go to grocery stores where I had to bag and carry out my own groceries was way too stressful. So I chose the cheapest store that bagged and carried groceries out for me. LOL.
2. Watch the sale ads. Whether or not you use coupons, you can watch the sale ads and find your favorite products when they are on sale.If you use coupons, then it's a double bonus because you're getting it on sale with a coupon!
3. Look for clearance deals. I have found some great deals on clearance products. A couple of notes, check the expiration date. If it is expiring in the next day or two, you may want to freeze it. Look at the product. Does it look okay? If I see something that looks questionable, I don't care how good of a bargain it is, I don't buy it.
Some good clearance deals I've found:
Years ago, I found packages of smoked sausage at Jumbo's for 50 cents a package.These were regularly $6!! I bought several packs and froze them.
A few years ago at Wal-Mart, I got plastic water bottles on the clearance aisle for 25 cents. I still use these with the daycare for when we go outside to play or on long walks.
Last week at Aldi's, they had frozen shoe string French fries marked down to $1.19 per bag. I stocked up on a few for my freezer.
Lady Speed Stick deodorant at Walgreen's, on the clearance aisle for $1 each. I had a coupon to buy one, get one free so I got two of them for $1.
4. You don't have to be brand loyal. Try something new if it's on sale for a good price. You might find you like it! Our family has used nothing but Jif peanut butter for years. Recently, Planter's came out with a peanut butter. I bought some for the family to try and they loved it! Since it was a new product, I have been able to find some really good deals on it and stock up.
5. Shop around. You can usually get the best deals by picking up the best sales at different stores around town rather than doing your shopping all in one stop. Yes, it can take a little more time, but the savings can be well worth it. In Enid, we're pretty lucky that most of the major stores are within a mile or so of each other. That makes it easier.
6. Once again, know your prices! That way you know a good deal when you see it!
1. Pick out a grocery store for your basic grocery needs. This is the one you will use to fill in the gaps around what you don't find with coupons. My personal favorite is Aldi. They do not accept coupons and most of their products are their own store brand (although they do have special buys on name brand products from time to time). A couple of things you need to know about Aldi's. Take a quarter. You will use it to get a cart outside the front of the store and you will get the quarter back when you put the cart back. They do not accept checks, they take cash or debit cards. You will be bagging and carrying out your own groceries. Take your own bags or you can buy bags there. 6 cents for paper, 10 cents for plastic (these are big heavy plastic bags, not little thin ones like Wal-Mart). I have a child care provider friend who takes all the totes that we get at child care conferences and uses them for her groceries.
Now, that being said, when my kids were little, trying to go to grocery stores where I had to bag and carry out my own groceries was way too stressful. So I chose the cheapest store that bagged and carried groceries out for me. LOL.
2. Watch the sale ads. Whether or not you use coupons, you can watch the sale ads and find your favorite products when they are on sale.If you use coupons, then it's a double bonus because you're getting it on sale with a coupon!
3. Look for clearance deals. I have found some great deals on clearance products. A couple of notes, check the expiration date. If it is expiring in the next day or two, you may want to freeze it. Look at the product. Does it look okay? If I see something that looks questionable, I don't care how good of a bargain it is, I don't buy it.
Some good clearance deals I've found:
Years ago, I found packages of smoked sausage at Jumbo's for 50 cents a package.These were regularly $6!! I bought several packs and froze them.
A few years ago at Wal-Mart, I got plastic water bottles on the clearance aisle for 25 cents. I still use these with the daycare for when we go outside to play or on long walks.
Last week at Aldi's, they had frozen shoe string French fries marked down to $1.19 per bag. I stocked up on a few for my freezer.
Lady Speed Stick deodorant at Walgreen's, on the clearance aisle for $1 each. I had a coupon to buy one, get one free so I got two of them for $1.
4. You don't have to be brand loyal. Try something new if it's on sale for a good price. You might find you like it! Our family has used nothing but Jif peanut butter for years. Recently, Planter's came out with a peanut butter. I bought some for the family to try and they loved it! Since it was a new product, I have been able to find some really good deals on it and stock up.
5. Shop around. You can usually get the best deals by picking up the best sales at different stores around town rather than doing your shopping all in one stop. Yes, it can take a little more time, but the savings can be well worth it. In Enid, we're pretty lucky that most of the major stores are within a mile or so of each other. That makes it easier.
6. Once again, know your prices! That way you know a good deal when you see it!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Food Pyramid 10-17
So before we went to the Victim's Impact Panel meeting tonight, Tom and I hit Food Pyramid. For $16.92, we got:
10 cans Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (39 cents a can after double coupons)
10 cans Campbell's tomato soup (39 cents a can after double coupons)
2 bottles KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce (on sale for 99 cents, free with 50 cent coupons doubled!)
1 Bottle Ranch dressing (1.69, no coupon)
6 cans regular Spaghetti-O's (60 cents a can after coupons)
2 cans Spaghetti-O's with franks (for Tom, they're his favorite and I'm a nice wife. LOL. $1.25 a can after coupons).
10 cans Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (39 cents a can after double coupons)
10 cans Campbell's tomato soup (39 cents a can after double coupons)
2 bottles KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce (on sale for 99 cents, free with 50 cent coupons doubled!)
1 Bottle Ranch dressing (1.69, no coupon)
6 cans regular Spaghetti-O's (60 cents a can after coupons)
2 cans Spaghetti-O's with franks (for Tom, they're his favorite and I'm a nice wife. LOL. $1.25 a can after coupons).
Know your Prices
An important key to saving money and helping your budget stretch as far as possible (with or without using coupons!) is to KNOW YOUR PRICES!
This can be as simple as taking a notebook and keeping notes of prices for a few weeks or months until you get an idea of what the best sale prices are. After a while you will start to notice a pattern in most sale cycles, which will enable you to stock up at the best price and not have to pay full price when you need it.
Start small so you don't overwhelm yourself. Pick a few things that you spend the most money on and watch the prices on those for a while. You can check online sale ads, newspaper circulars, and when you're in the stores themselves.And remember for cleaning supplies, paper supplies, etc., Wal-Mart does not always have the best price on stuff! Don't forget stores like K-Mart, Dollar General or Family Dollar, check their sales, too! If you are going to be where there is a Target, check their sales to see if there is anything you can get at a good price. Target is another store that offers store coupons that can be combined with manufacturer coupons for great deals!
After you get an idea of the sales cycles and how long between most of them, you can stock up on enough items to last until the next sales cycle. Now you may have to get creative in finding a way to store some stuff, but that doesn't mean your house needs to look like you're running your own grocery store! If you do find yourself getting overstocked, find a way to give some of it away. Know a family who is going through a hard time? Surprise them with a bag of groceries! Don't want to embarrass them? Put the food on their porch and let them find it. Know of a food bank or church that collects food? Take them a bag of stuff. Know of a homeless shelter or a battered women's shelter? Call them and see what items they can use.
Happy Cruising with Coupons!
This can be as simple as taking a notebook and keeping notes of prices for a few weeks or months until you get an idea of what the best sale prices are. After a while you will start to notice a pattern in most sale cycles, which will enable you to stock up at the best price and not have to pay full price when you need it.
Start small so you don't overwhelm yourself. Pick a few things that you spend the most money on and watch the prices on those for a while. You can check online sale ads, newspaper circulars, and when you're in the stores themselves.And remember for cleaning supplies, paper supplies, etc., Wal-Mart does not always have the best price on stuff! Don't forget stores like K-Mart, Dollar General or Family Dollar, check their sales, too! If you are going to be where there is a Target, check their sales to see if there is anything you can get at a good price. Target is another store that offers store coupons that can be combined with manufacturer coupons for great deals!
After you get an idea of the sales cycles and how long between most of them, you can stock up on enough items to last until the next sales cycle. Now you may have to get creative in finding a way to store some stuff, but that doesn't mean your house needs to look like you're running your own grocery store! If you do find yourself getting overstocked, find a way to give some of it away. Know a family who is going through a hard time? Surprise them with a bag of groceries! Don't want to embarrass them? Put the food on their porch and let them find it. Know of a food bank or church that collects food? Take them a bag of stuff. Know of a homeless shelter or a battered women's shelter? Call them and see what items they can use.
Happy Cruising with Coupons!
Checking out stores in other towns
If you are going to be going to another town (for a meeting, to visit family, etc.), be sure and check out their grocery stores and see what deals you can find while you are already there. Tonight, I'm going to Ponca City to speak at a Victim's Impact Panel meeting and was checking out the Food Pyramid ad. Food Pyramid doubles coupons up to 50 cents. So I can get Campbell's tomato and chicken noodle soups (on sale there this week for 59 cents a can) for 39 cents a can with my 40 cents off 4 coupon. They also have Spaghetti-O's on sale for $1 a can so I can get Spaghetti-O's for 60 cents a can with my 40 cents off 2 coupons. Last month when I went to Ponca City, I got Libby's veggies for 34 cents a can and Libby's fruit for 50 cents a can!
Some things to think about:
Be sure and read the coupon policy of the store you're planning to visit. Food Pyramid only doubles up to two like coupons. If the policy isn't online, then call the store and ask (be sure and get the name and take notes of what you find out).
If you are going to make a special trip to a grocery store, then be sure and figure out how much you'll need to save to make the trip worth your while! But if you're going to be in town anyway, the bargains you find are just a bonus!
Some things to think about:
Be sure and read the coupon policy of the store you're planning to visit. Food Pyramid only doubles up to two like coupons. If the policy isn't online, then call the store and ask (be sure and get the name and take notes of what you find out).
If you are going to make a special trip to a grocery store, then be sure and figure out how much you'll need to save to make the trip worth your while! But if you're going to be in town anyway, the bargains you find are just a bonus!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
What you need to know about Walgreen's
Believe it or not, Walgreen's can be the location of some of the best buys with coupons. Here is what you need to know:
Walgreen's puts out a monthly store coupon book (the current one expires October 22nd). They can be found in the front of the store, usually by the weekly sale ads. These coupons can be matched with manufacturer coupons for great savings! I've been matching a $1 store coupon on Cottonelle that is in the current booklet with .50 and .75 cent manufacturer coupons on their 12 packs of Cottonelle, which are pre-priced at $5, bringing my final price to $3.25 or $3.50 a package. You can only use one of those at a time so if you want more than one, take your spouse with you! LOL. Correction! I have been told by a friend that you can indeed buy more than one of the items and use the store coupons. She just used one store coupon, bought 3 Cottonelle and it took $1 off for each one. So my advice is to try it out and watch to make sure, but that should make it much easier!
Walgreen's has what they call Register Rewards. These are manufacturer coupons that print out at the end of the transaction and can be used on your next visit to the store. You can look at each week's sale ad for what Register Rewards are currently available. But remember these things about Register Rewards:
1. You can only get one per item per visit. So for example, if a product has a Register Reward that week, you can't go in and buy several of them and get multiple of the same Register Rewards.
2. You CAN match a manufacturer coupon with a Register Reward and maximize your savings. If the Register Reward prints out after buying a certain $ amount of items, the $ amount is figured before coupon costs, so you can still use your coupons to save money.
3. You cannot take a Register Reward back in to the store and try to buy the same product and get the same Register Reward. For example, if you got a $1 Register Reward on Hall's cough drops, you can't go back in and buy Hall's cough drops with that same Register Reward and get ANOTHER $1 Register Reward.
4. Register Rewards are put out by the manufacturer's of products to entice you to try their product. Therefore, when you go back to use them, your total of manufacturer coupons and Register Rewards cannot exceed your number of items. It took me a while to figure that out. So, either look for deals on their clearance aisle or plan on buying some little packs of gum or candy if your total number of those exceeds your number of items. Store coupons DO NOT count in that total though!
If you have questions, please feel free to ask them. I will do my best to answer or find out the answer for you.
Walgreen's puts out a monthly store coupon book (the current one expires October 22nd). They can be found in the front of the store, usually by the weekly sale ads. These coupons can be matched with manufacturer coupons for great savings! I've been matching a $1 store coupon on Cottonelle that is in the current booklet with .50 and .75 cent manufacturer coupons on their 12 packs of Cottonelle, which are pre-priced at $5, bringing my final price to $3.25 or $3.50 a package. You can only use one of those at a time so if you want more than one, take your spouse with you! LOL. Correction! I have been told by a friend that you can indeed buy more than one of the items and use the store coupons. She just used one store coupon, bought 3 Cottonelle and it took $1 off for each one. So my advice is to try it out and watch to make sure, but that should make it much easier!
Walgreen's has what they call Register Rewards. These are manufacturer coupons that print out at the end of the transaction and can be used on your next visit to the store. You can look at each week's sale ad for what Register Rewards are currently available. But remember these things about Register Rewards:
1. You can only get one per item per visit. So for example, if a product has a Register Reward that week, you can't go in and buy several of them and get multiple of the same Register Rewards.
2. You CAN match a manufacturer coupon with a Register Reward and maximize your savings. If the Register Reward prints out after buying a certain $ amount of items, the $ amount is figured before coupon costs, so you can still use your coupons to save money.
3. You cannot take a Register Reward back in to the store and try to buy the same product and get the same Register Reward. For example, if you got a $1 Register Reward on Hall's cough drops, you can't go back in and buy Hall's cough drops with that same Register Reward and get ANOTHER $1 Register Reward.
4. Register Rewards are put out by the manufacturer's of products to entice you to try their product. Therefore, when you go back to use them, your total of manufacturer coupons and Register Rewards cannot exceed your number of items. It took me a while to figure that out. So, either look for deals on their clearance aisle or plan on buying some little packs of gum or candy if your total number of those exceeds your number of items. Store coupons DO NOT count in that total though!
If you have questions, please feel free to ask them. I will do my best to answer or find out the answer for you.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Walgreen's Weekly Ad: October 16th-22nd
Walgreen’s specials, week of October 16th-22nd:
Schick Hydro razor 3 or 5 blade razor system or cartridges: $8.49 with a $4.50 Register Reward plus use the $2 off Schick razors coupon in the Sunday paper. Makes it $6.49 minus the Register Reward (which you can use on your next purchase).
There are store coupons for different Halloween items, such as pencils, plastic cups, and treat bag: 8/$1; coloring & activity pad: 3/$1.
Excedrin products: Buy one, get second ½ price, plus you can use coupons on each item.
This is a great time of year to stock up on winter cold and flu relief products!
Buy $20 worth of the following items and get a $6 Register Reward:
Vick’s Dayquil or Nyquil: 24 ct. caplets or 12 oz liquid: $6
Robitussin Peak Cold 4 oz: $5
Advil congestion relief, 10 ct: $5
Mucinex: 14 or 20 ct or 4 oz: $11
Zicam 25 ct Rapid Melts or chewables; congestion or sinus relief, .5 oz, oral mist spray, 1 oz.: $10
Delsym cough, 3 oz or night-time, 4 oz: $9
I know there have been coupons for the Dayquil and Nyquil and the Mucinex in the paper recently. The $20 total to get $6 Register Rewards is for the cost before coupons, so you can use the coupons to maximize your savings!
Thera-Flu: Buy $10 worth, get $5 in Register Rewards: 6 pack vapor patches, 6 pack, liquid 8.3 oz, or 24 ct. caplets, $5 each.
I am sure there is stuff I missed, so be sure and check out the Walgreen’s weekly ad. You can also sign up for a sneak peek where you can see the next week’s ad on Friday.
Do you like eating out?
Does your family like to eat out? That is a bad habit that my family has struggled with, well...forever. LOL. Believe it or not, you can even find coupons for eating out. Some that Tom and I have used or got:
We got 25% off our meal at Buffalo Wild Wings because we both joined their text club.
There are currently buy one meal, get one meal free coupons out for IHOP. GREAT deal! We also joined their e-mail club a few months ago and got free meals from doing that. They also send you an e-mail coupon for a free meal on your birthday.
El Chico almost always has coupons out giving $5 off for a ticket of $15-$20 (the coupons vary) and my favorite: Buy one enchilada dinner, get one free. You can get two enchilada dinners for less than $10 and you still get chips & salsa with it, even if you get it to go!
Arby's, Long John Silvers, A&W, and most other fast food places periodically offer coupons.
Many food chains offer you coupons if you join their e-mail clubs, so look up your favorite eating places and see if you can save some $'s next time you go out!
We got 25% off our meal at Buffalo Wild Wings because we both joined their text club.
There are currently buy one meal, get one meal free coupons out for IHOP. GREAT deal! We also joined their e-mail club a few months ago and got free meals from doing that. They also send you an e-mail coupon for a free meal on your birthday.
El Chico almost always has coupons out giving $5 off for a ticket of $15-$20 (the coupons vary) and my favorite: Buy one enchilada dinner, get one free. You can get two enchilada dinners for less than $10 and you still get chips & salsa with it, even if you get it to go!
Arby's, Long John Silvers, A&W, and most other fast food places periodically offer coupons.
Many food chains offer you coupons if you join their e-mail clubs, so look up your favorite eating places and see if you can save some $'s next time you go out!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Interview with my friend
Today I want to share the amazing story of one of my friends and her family’s journey through debt! She prefers her name to be kept private. This post is long, but well worth the read!!!
1. How did your journey getting out of debt get started?
We had taken an excellent financial seminar at church and did alot of thinking but not much action about 13 years ago or so, several years went by and our staggering debt was killing us so about 7 or 8 years ago we looked at options between bankruptcy and consolidation (credit counseling). I saw an ad on tv and called and set up the consolidation because we felt that was a better option since bankruptcy makes your creditors not get what you owe them. So we had a plan of paying $500 a month to the counseling service for our credit card debt and we did that faithfully until it was paid off. Right when we made the last payment on our consolidation, they announced at our church that they were doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, so we signed up and went through the program and we set our sights on getting out of the rest of our debt that we did not consolidate. We learned so much from Dave and it changed the way we looked at money!
2. How much debt did your family have (if you don't mind sharing)
We had $13,000 in credit cards, plus our van, medical bills, house and student loans
3. What did you do to get the snowball rolling?
The main thing was the credit counseling, then when that was done (and we continued to make minimum payments on everything else during that time, only through the grace of God) we took the money from that and paid off our van first, and then tackled one thing at a time until now we just have our student loans and house left. Plus we traded in our van after we paid it off and got a newer vehicle that was not 16 years old.
4. Tell me about your car.
We bought our car in 2009, and it is a 2008 for 17,000. Our monthly payments are $315. We got a 6 year note and each month we scratch together whatever else we can to add to it. For a while we did $400 every month, then we moved up to $500 every month, now for the last year we've been paying $600 most months, and we are down to $1995 to go. This month we scraped every penny together and paid $850. Occasionally my husband will get a small bonus at work of a few hundred dollars and we always put that on it too. When it's paid off it will have been less than 3 1/2 years and we will put that $315 in a savings account for a new car someday later so that we can pay all or part cash on our next vehicle.
5. Your dream was to travel. You've been able to take several amazing trips and paid cash for them. Tell us about your trips.
Well, when you owe more every month than you make, fun is either cheap or free so that definitely means NO TRIPS! So, for the first 16 years of our marriage we didn't get to go anywhere. When we started enjoying some of our own money instead of owing it to everyone else, we began saving up for some dream trips. We rolled change, sold baked goods and dinners, put back $20 a week in a jar, all kinds of small savings plans to go on a nice trip. My dream had always been to take my daughter to the ocean and make sandcastles with her. Well, even though she was 15 by the time we could afford to take her to Florida, we finally took all of that savings plus our tax refund and flew to Florida. We went to Sea World and Universal and she obliged me with sand castle making even though by then she thought it was lame! We took a small trip to Branson using the same techniques. We wanted to see the Grand Canyon and our daughter wanted to see Las Vegas so we combined that trip and took a road trip across the country to see those things and the Hoover Dam. Then the next year we used the same techniques to go to a family reunion in Colorado, then we drove up to Yellowstone National Park, (amazing!) and then to Mount Rushmore on the way home to Oklahoma. I never dreamed that I would finally have enough control of my money to be able to do all of that, but now that we control it instead of it controlling us, we can do things that we want to do.
6. What inspired you to use coupons? When did you start?
My friend Sherrill inspired me to use coupons. She was posting her great deals on Facebook and another friend Marla was posting stuff too and they told me about Money Saving Queen. I studied her website and coupons 101 and told my friend about it. She went to see her at a seminar and we just took off from there. I started in September of last year.
7. You were keeping a journal of your savings. Are you still doing that? Do you have a total savings to date on the coupons?
I have not kept up with the journal in the past few months but I know that the first three months I saved $1,500 with the techniques of couponing and combining them with sale items. I am doing an analysis for the whole year this year to compare with last year when I do my taxes.
8. Share how God has blessed you along the way!
Well, first of all, we began tithing sometimes about 15 years ago and then God spoke to me and asked me to give Him my all, so for about 7 or 8 years maybe we've been tithing faithfully without missing. Alot of great things have changed during that time. The consolidation. During that period my husband lost his job abruptly and even with a drastic pay cut for our household, God was faithful and we made all of our payments including the $500 consolidation payment every month during that time. One particularly stressful day I had paid everything except our electric bill. It was $99.28 (the lowest electric bill we've ever had) but I could not pay it and didn't have any resources left to pool from. Right after my husband lost his job; a week later his car died, our washer broke, our lawn mower quit, our dishwasher went out, all one right after the other. It was an awful time. But God made a way. I remember that I took that electric bill and threw it on the floor and said God, I just can't do this, it's too hard! You will have to take care of this for me. I sat on the couch and about 10 minutes later a daycare child was at the door. I opened it, said good morning and the dad walked in with a hundred dollar bill in his hand. He gave it to me and said, I know that you are struggling and things are hard and I just thought this might help you out a little bit. We love you and we wanted to help. I just reached out and shut the door and fell apart. Almost to the penny God took care of that for me. (and later I did say thank you to him and sorry for shutting the door in your face he he) There are so many ways God showed up in this. Things like that continued to happen over and over again. After my husband got a job, things continued to improve for us, even though he had taken a huge cut in pay, we were making our bills better than before. We would take a bill (such as the van) hold it up together and ask God to help us conquer it, and time and time again He did it! When God showed me coupons, I knew that He spoke to me about it. So I began to study and look for coupons and I know that God placed extra good coupons in my path as I showed up and put out an effort and continued to tithe, He continued to meet me where I was and bless my efforts. I am so grateful for God's provision every day!
Combining Coupons
Did you know that you can combine a store coupon and manufacturer coupon? A store coupon is basically the store's way of having a sale and pulling you into the store. The manufacturer coupon is from the people who made the product.
For example, Walgreen's frequently has store coupons in their weekly ads. One of the ones I have used were coupons to get Dawn dish-washing liquid for 99 cents. I combined that with a 50 cent off manufacturer coupon to get the Dawn for 49 cents a bottle!
How can you tell the difference between the coupons? The store coupons will usually say something like "store coupon" and the manufacturer coupons usually say that they are from the manufacturer.
You cannot combine two manufacturer coupons on a single product. Be sure and read your coupons and know how exactly they can be used.
For example, Walgreen's frequently has store coupons in their weekly ads. One of the ones I have used were coupons to get Dawn dish-washing liquid for 99 cents. I combined that with a 50 cent off manufacturer coupon to get the Dawn for 49 cents a bottle!
How can you tell the difference between the coupons? The store coupons will usually say something like "store coupon" and the manufacturer coupons usually say that they are from the manufacturer.
You cannot combine two manufacturer coupons on a single product. Be sure and read your coupons and know how exactly they can be used.
Did you know?
Did you know that you can go to Sunday Coupon Preview and see what coupons are coming up in this week's paper? You can also sign up to get e-mail alerts. Just remember that coupons do vary from region to region,but it is nice to get a sneak peek of what's coming up.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Don't make the same mistake I did
Several years ago, when the kids were younger, Tom used to call me the Coupon Queen. My favorite saying was "I got it on sale with a coupon". That was back when Enid had Homeland and they doubled coupons up to a $1. Eventually, Homeland closed (and truth be told, it was so bad by that point I had quit going anyway) and I gave up on couponing. I figured if I couldn't double coupons, then it wasn't worth my time anymore. I have learned in the last few months how wrong I am. You just have to look for the deals and match them with coupons.
One thing that may be surprising is that sometimes it is cheaper to get the smallest size of something if you're using a coupon. If the coupon has no size limits, you may be able to get several small items for free rather than saving some money off a big item. If the coupon has limits, then please follow them and hunt for the best deals. I do not and will not in any way, shape, or form advocate cheating or coupon fraud!
Some of the deals I have found with coupons. The freebies are my favorites, LOL.
Bounty napkins, on sale at United for $1, I had $1 off coupons: FREE!
Nivea body washes, on rollback at Wal-Mart for $3, I had $3 off coupons: FREE
Tide Single Loads, 97 cents at Wal-Mart, I had $1 off any Tide coupon: Free
Gain powder, on sale for $4.99 & $5, I had $2 off powder coupons, got them for about $3 a box. I bought 4 boxes of Gain for less than what I normally would have paid for 2!
Dozen eggs at United, on sale for 88 cents a dozen, I had 50 cent off Best Choice egg coupon on the back of a rain check, got them for 38 cents a dozen! Just last week, I used the same coupon to get Best Choice eggs for 49 cents a dozen.
Lady Speed stick deodorant on the clearance aisle at Walgreen's for $1. I had a buy one, get one free coupon so I got two of them for $1!
These are just a few examples of my savings. I think the key is to be patient. AND don't be too hard on yourself if you miss a deal or a sale. Chances are, it will come around again.
Happy Cruising with Coupons!
One thing that may be surprising is that sometimes it is cheaper to get the smallest size of something if you're using a coupon. If the coupon has no size limits, you may be able to get several small items for free rather than saving some money off a big item. If the coupon has limits, then please follow them and hunt for the best deals. I do not and will not in any way, shape, or form advocate cheating or coupon fraud!
Some of the deals I have found with coupons. The freebies are my favorites, LOL.
Bounty napkins, on sale at United for $1, I had $1 off coupons: FREE!
Nivea body washes, on rollback at Wal-Mart for $3, I had $3 off coupons: FREE
Tide Single Loads, 97 cents at Wal-Mart, I had $1 off any Tide coupon: Free
Gain powder, on sale for $4.99 & $5, I had $2 off powder coupons, got them for about $3 a box. I bought 4 boxes of Gain for less than what I normally would have paid for 2!
Dozen eggs at United, on sale for 88 cents a dozen, I had 50 cent off Best Choice egg coupon on the back of a rain check, got them for 38 cents a dozen! Just last week, I used the same coupon to get Best Choice eggs for 49 cents a dozen.
Lady Speed stick deodorant on the clearance aisle at Walgreen's for $1. I had a buy one, get one free coupon so I got two of them for $1!
These are just a few examples of my savings. I think the key is to be patient. AND don't be too hard on yourself if you miss a deal or a sale. Chances are, it will come around again.
Happy Cruising with Coupons!
Getting Started with Coupons, Part 2
Looking for the best deals:
When you're first getting started with coupons, it can be overwhelming trying to find the best deals to go with your coupons. There are alot of sites that do the match-ups for you so you don't have to do all the work. It may seem like sacrilege for me to be suggesting other people's websites when I"m just starting my own. But the thing is, these ladies have much more experience and resources than I do and I want you to learn to save money however you can!
Money Saving Queen: She's my personal favorite. She's a Christian and she's from Oklahoma!
Coupon Closet: She's also in Oklahoma (the OKC area). My cousin Natalie told me about her just this week.
Krazy Coupon Lady: She was on Extreme Couponing
She Saved: Has a great blog and giveaways every Wednesday!
Feel free to share your own favorite sites!
When you're first getting started with coupons, it can be overwhelming trying to find the best deals to go with your coupons. There are alot of sites that do the match-ups for you so you don't have to do all the work. It may seem like sacrilege for me to be suggesting other people's websites when I"m just starting my own. But the thing is, these ladies have much more experience and resources than I do and I want you to learn to save money however you can!
Money Saving Queen: She's my personal favorite. She's a Christian and she's from Oklahoma!
Coupon Closet: She's also in Oklahoma (the OKC area). My cousin Natalie told me about her just this week.
Krazy Coupon Lady: She was on Extreme Couponing
She Saved: Has a great blog and giveaways every Wednesday!
Feel free to share your own favorite sites!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Coupon Swap Party
I am hosting a coupon swap party at my house on Monday, October 24th. If you are interested in going, get with me and I will share the address with you. You'll need your extra coupons, scissors, and a potluck snack to share!
Where can I find coupons?
One question you may be asking yourself is where you can find multiples of coupons so that you can stock up on good buys. Here are some ideas:
1. Ask local friends and family to save their coupons that they don't use for you to go through.
2. If you have friends farther away that coupon, trade coupons with them. I have a friend who sends me the coupons I'll use and I send her the coupons she'll use. It more than makes up for 44 cent postage!
3. Attend coupon swaps in your area. Can't find any? Host your own!
4. Look for internet coupons. Make sure that the coupons are legitimate. This means they come off a reputable site such as Coupons.com, Red Plum, Smart Source, or directly from the manufacturer's website. Most of these have a limit of two prints, but they are often good deals. Since you'll be using your own paper and ink for these, be choosy about what you print off.
5. Buy extra newspapers. If there is an exceptionally good coupon day, you might consider buying extra newspapers that week. Just be sure that you will be able to save more than you're spending on the newspaper.
6. Try a coupon clipping service. I haven't tried any myself yet, so I can't recommend one. If I find one that I like, I will, or maybe a reader has one they've used.
7. Buy from E-bay. You can buy coupons from E-bay. Just be sure and check the expiration date, the person's feedback, and don't bother if they're internet printables. You can probably print your own!
8. I thought of another one. Check your local stores, sometimes they have store coupons (which you can match with manufacturer coupons for more savings! And sometimes they have special flyers with manufacturer coupons good only at that store, also!
Feel free to share your own suggestions! I'll add them to the post!
And REMEMBER! Coupon fraud hurts us all!
1. Ask local friends and family to save their coupons that they don't use for you to go through.
2. If you have friends farther away that coupon, trade coupons with them. I have a friend who sends me the coupons I'll use and I send her the coupons she'll use. It more than makes up for 44 cent postage!
3. Attend coupon swaps in your area. Can't find any? Host your own!
4. Look for internet coupons. Make sure that the coupons are legitimate. This means they come off a reputable site such as Coupons.com, Red Plum, Smart Source, or directly from the manufacturer's website. Most of these have a limit of two prints, but they are often good deals. Since you'll be using your own paper and ink for these, be choosy about what you print off.
5. Buy extra newspapers. If there is an exceptionally good coupon day, you might consider buying extra newspapers that week. Just be sure that you will be able to save more than you're spending on the newspaper.
6. Try a coupon clipping service. I haven't tried any myself yet, so I can't recommend one. If I find one that I like, I will, or maybe a reader has one they've used.
7. Buy from E-bay. You can buy coupons from E-bay. Just be sure and check the expiration date, the person's feedback, and don't bother if they're internet printables. You can probably print your own!
8. I thought of another one. Check your local stores, sometimes they have store coupons (which you can match with manufacturer coupons for more savings! And sometimes they have special flyers with manufacturer coupons good only at that store, also!
Feel free to share your own suggestions! I'll add them to the post!
And REMEMBER! Coupon fraud hurts us all!
United Supermarket Sale Ad October 12th-18th
Some sales at United this week:
Campbell's Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soups: 4/$3. Use with 40 cents off two "Great for Cooking" soup coupons and get them for 55 cents a can!
Planter's Peanut Butter: $1.79 a jar
Progresso Traditional Chicken Noodle Soup: $1.39 a can, use with $1 off four cans coupon, making them $1.14 a can. Another great way to stock up on soups for the winter season or for your "sick shelf".
Best Choice sugar, $1.99 for a 4# bag
Best Choice cream of mushroom, chicken, or celery soups, 2/$1
Campbell's Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soups: 4/$3. Use with 40 cents off two "Great for Cooking" soup coupons and get them for 55 cents a can!
Planter's Peanut Butter: $1.79 a jar
Progresso Traditional Chicken Noodle Soup: $1.39 a can, use with $1 off four cans coupon, making them $1.14 a can. Another great way to stock up on soups for the winter season or for your "sick shelf".
Best Choice sugar, $1.99 for a 4# bag
Best Choice cream of mushroom, chicken, or celery soups, 2/$1
Jumbo Foods Ad October 12th-18th (Enid, OK)
Some sales at Jumbo's Foods in Enid this week:
Dr. Pepper 10, 2 Liter bottle, 99 cents. Since it's new, there may be some coupons out for it.
Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup 59 cents a can, use with 40 cent off four cans of Campbell's chicken noodle or tomato soup coupons and get for 49 cents a can! This is a great time to stock up on soups for the winter season! Use the chicken noodle soups to create a "sick" shelf so you always have chicken noodle soup handy when someone isn't feeling well.
Totino's Pizza Rolls 4/$5, use with 40 cents off two coupons and get them for $1.05 a box
Campbell's Spaghetti-O's (select varieties) 79 cents a can, use with 40 cent off two coupons, makes them 59 cents a can
Velveeta Cheesy Skillets 3/$5
Best Choice saltines, 99 cents a box
Healthy Choice soups, 4/$5
Bar S 16 oz. polish or smoked sausage, $1.59 a package
Bar S Franks (chicken or meat), 12 oz. 89 cents
They are also running a 3 day sale Thursday-Saturday which includes
3# bags of Best Choice boneless skinless chicken for $4.99
Pork butt roast $1.59 a pound
Armour Lunch Makers (similar to Lunchables) 10/$10
Cantaloupe 2/$5
Fresh pineapple $2.99
Best Choice cake mix, 49 cents a box
24 Ct. Lipton tea bags, 3/$5
Angel Soft bath tissue 6 double or 12 regular rolls: $3.47
Best Choice 10 oz canned biscuits 89 cents
Dr. Pepper 10, 2 Liter bottle, 99 cents. Since it's new, there may be some coupons out for it.
Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup 59 cents a can, use with 40 cent off four cans of Campbell's chicken noodle or tomato soup coupons and get for 49 cents a can! This is a great time to stock up on soups for the winter season! Use the chicken noodle soups to create a "sick" shelf so you always have chicken noodle soup handy when someone isn't feeling well.
Totino's Pizza Rolls 4/$5, use with 40 cents off two coupons and get them for $1.05 a box
Campbell's Spaghetti-O's (select varieties) 79 cents a can, use with 40 cent off two coupons, makes them 59 cents a can
Velveeta Cheesy Skillets 3/$5
Best Choice saltines, 99 cents a box
Healthy Choice soups, 4/$5
Bar S 16 oz. polish or smoked sausage, $1.59 a package
Bar S Franks (chicken or meat), 12 oz. 89 cents
They are also running a 3 day sale Thursday-Saturday which includes
3# bags of Best Choice boneless skinless chicken for $4.99
Pork butt roast $1.59 a pound
Armour Lunch Makers (similar to Lunchables) 10/$10
Cantaloupe 2/$5
Fresh pineapple $2.99
Best Choice cake mix, 49 cents a box
24 Ct. Lipton tea bags, 3/$5
Angel Soft bath tissue 6 double or 12 regular rolls: $3.47
Best Choice 10 oz canned biscuits 89 cents
Extreme Couponing: NOT
I want to put out there right now that while I do watch Extreme Couponing , I do not advocate the practices shown on the show. Personally, I think those people are a little wacko! Who needs 40 something bottles of mustard or 260 packages of Tic-Tacs? Seriously?
If you are couponing, please make sure you have a plan to use your stockpile. If you find yourself getting too much of something, then donate it. There are food pantries and other agencies who always need donations. I was surprised recently to find out my small town even has a food pantry to help those in need! Ask around and you may be surprised at what you find. The important thing is, if you are finding a way to save lots of money, use that blessing to help bless others!
If you are couponing, please make sure you have a plan to use your stockpile. If you find yourself getting too much of something, then donate it. There are food pantries and other agencies who always need donations. I was surprised recently to find out my small town even has a food pantry to help those in need! Ask around and you may be surprised at what you find. The important thing is, if you are finding a way to save lots of money, use that blessing to help bless others!
Getting Started with Coupons, Part 1
Do you want to get started using coupons but feel overwhelmed by the whole process? Or feel like you cannot afford to stock up on items? My suggestion is to pick just a few things to start with and go from there. Pick some of the items that you use alot and have to buy consistently when you shop to start looking for ways to save. For example, I generally had to buy laundry detergent every two weeks at Wal-Mart. I usually bought Gain powder, which ranged from about $5.50 to $6.50 every two weeks. When I first started couponing again last spring, I found $1 off Gain coupons and found Gain on sale at Walgreen's for $4.99. I was able to stock up on enough Gain at $3.99 a bottle to last me the summer, freeing up money in my budget to stock up on other things. In August, there were $2 off Gain powder coupons available and I stocked up on Gain again for $2.99 & $3.00 a box! Currently, I have more $2 off Gain powder coupons that expire the end of October. I'm watching for a good sale!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Hurry! The sale ends today!
United has a great sale this week on Red Gold tomato products. If you buy 10 of them (mix & match), you save $5. The salsa is on sale for $1.50 (making it $1 each if you buy 10 total items), the tomato juice for $1.00 (making it 50 cents each if you buy 10 total items), and the tomato sauce, tomatoes, and the tomatoes and green chile's are on sale for 75 cents (making them 25 cents each if you buy 10 total items).
When I went Friday night, the United on Willow was out of the tomato sauce, but they gave me a rain check to get them for 25 cents each when they get some in. I went ahead and bought some salsa and the tomatoes with green chile's. 25 cents for a 15 oz can of tomato sauce is an awesome deal!
Whoops, meant to put a link to the United sale ad!
When I went Friday night, the United on Willow was out of the tomato sauce, but they gave me a rain check to get them for 25 cents each when they get some in. I went ahead and bought some salsa and the tomatoes with green chile's. 25 cents for a 15 oz can of tomato sauce is an awesome deal!
Whoops, meant to put a link to the United sale ad!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Taking a new step
After some thought (and encouragement from friends and family), I have decided to step out and create a blog that shares coupon deals and savings in North Central Oklahoma. I will mainly be focusing on the Enid area stores. I hope to eventually begin teaching classes that show people how to save money and stretch their dollars.
Please pray for me as I begin this new journey. Please pray with me that I follow God's will in this new endeavor.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23
Please pray for me as I begin this new journey. Please pray with me that I follow God's will in this new endeavor.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23
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