I found some more great deals on SeeHere! But they expire today so hurry to use them! Check them out.
50% Off All Photo Cards plus Free Standard Shipping on Orders of 60 or more. 11/22 & 11/23 Only! Use promo code 2day.
50% Off All Photo Gifts & Books plus Free Standard Shipping - excludes prints. 11/22 & 11/23 Only! Use promo code 2day.
Showing posts with label saving money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saving money. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2009
100 Free 4x6 prints
100 Free* 4x6 Prints with promo code: prints - *Shipping Not Included
I am always on the look-out for free photo promos, especially during the holidays. This is a great deal from See Here. You can print out your entire year's worth of photos for the price of shipping!! Good deal!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
$20 feeding a family of four
I challenged myself this week to only spend $20 on groceries to feed my family for the week. My children (ages 3 and 5 years old) and I are home all day. My husband works 11-12 hours a day for most days of the week but he eats our leftovers at night when he gets home at night. There are a few days when he's home for lunches.
I shopped at three stores - Target, Ukrops (local Richmond grocery store) and Kroger. I wouldn't have gone to Ukrops if the brownie mix hadn't been free. But even with cranky kids, free brownies worth an extra stop! Here's what I purchased - for less than $20:
Both the brownie mixes and the mini bagels were free using coupons combined with sale prices. I love that!
Our menu for the week will use ingredients I have on hand already - lime juice, chicken broth and seasonings for the carnitas; butter or peanut butter on the mini bagels; seasonings for the chicken and probably some rice to go with it.
Here's the thing -- I won't use all the veggies or all the potatoes this week. My kids aren't big potato or veggie eaters so a little goes a long way with them. The extras will go into the pantry for another week. If I choose "ingredient stretcher"meals (chopped chicken goes much farther when you use it in quesadillas especially when you sneak some veggies between the tortillas), the food will last even longer.
How did I do it? I bought the brownie mix at Ukrops. Every Wednesday, they put out some store coupons and they double manufacturer coupons up to $.99. Because they have a store (non-manufacturer coupon) and a manufacturer coupon, you can "stack" them and use both coupons for one product. And, if the manufacturer coupon is less than $.99, they will double the face value.
The brownie mix was on sale for $1.00. The Ukrops coupon was $.50. This brought the final price down to $.50. The manufacturer coupon was $.55 off two boxes and the coupon was doubled. So, I have two boxes of mix for $.50 each... $1.00. I have a coupon for $.55 off two which is doubled .... $1.10. Not only were the brownies free, Ukrops actually owed me money.
That's an example of how I worked these deals. How do I find the deals? Easy! I search for all the money saving, coupon, frugal blogs out there and pick out the foods and deals that work for me!
I don't think we could live off $20 every week. I do think that if really pushed, we could live off $30 a week. It would mean some drastic eating changes and would necessitate ingenuity and creativity for menu planning and even making our own cleaning products, but it's possible.
Do you have any questions?
I shopped at three stores - Target, Ukrops (local Richmond grocery store) and Kroger. I wouldn't have gone to Ukrops if the brownie mix hadn't been free. But even with cranky kids, free brownies worth an extra stop! Here's what I purchased - for less than $20:
- Pork tenderloin
- 2 packages of boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 8 cans of veggies
- 2 boxes of brownie mix
- 1 bag Thomas's mini bagels
- 2 packages of baby wipes
- 6 boxes Betty Crocker au gratin potatoes
Both the brownie mixes and the mini bagels were free using coupons combined with sale prices. I love that!
Our menu for the week will use ingredients I have on hand already - lime juice, chicken broth and seasonings for the carnitas; butter or peanut butter on the mini bagels; seasonings for the chicken and probably some rice to go with it.
Here's the thing -- I won't use all the veggies or all the potatoes this week. My kids aren't big potato or veggie eaters so a little goes a long way with them. The extras will go into the pantry for another week. If I choose "ingredient stretcher"meals (chopped chicken goes much farther when you use it in quesadillas especially when you sneak some veggies between the tortillas), the food will last even longer.
How did I do it? I bought the brownie mix at Ukrops. Every Wednesday, they put out some store coupons and they double manufacturer coupons up to $.99. Because they have a store (non-manufacturer coupon) and a manufacturer coupon, you can "stack" them and use both coupons for one product. And, if the manufacturer coupon is less than $.99, they will double the face value.
The brownie mix was on sale for $1.00. The Ukrops coupon was $.50. This brought the final price down to $.50. The manufacturer coupon was $.55 off two boxes and the coupon was doubled. So, I have two boxes of mix for $.50 each... $1.00. I have a coupon for $.55 off two which is doubled .... $1.10. Not only were the brownies free, Ukrops actually owed me money.
That's an example of how I worked these deals. How do I find the deals? Easy! I search for all the money saving, coupon, frugal blogs out there and pick out the foods and deals that work for me!
I don't think we could live off $20 every week. I do think that if really pushed, we could live off $30 a week. It would mean some drastic eating changes and would necessitate ingenuity and creativity for menu planning and even making our own cleaning products, but it's possible.
Do you have any questions?
Monday, February 4, 2008
I heart Kroger!!
Today at Kroger, I only spent $3.21. But..... Three dollars and twenty one cents bought me....
Everything except the chips were on sale but I had a free coupon for them.
Tomatoes - BOGO catalinas I've accumulated from Kroger equating to $1.49 off one can when I purchase another. However, the tomatoes were on sale for $1 each.
Pizza rolls - on sale for $1 each. I had a forty cent coupon, which they automatically double to $.80! I bought 11 for $2.20. BUT... If you buy 10 ConAgra items, they take $2 off your total! TWENTY CENTS for easy snacks for my husband!
Bananas - $.50/lb not the best price on bananas but they were actually cheaper than the non-organic.
Total before sales/coupons: $39.07
Total after sales/coupons: $3.21
92% savings!!
- 11 boxes of pizza rolls
- 1 bag of Flat Earth chips
- 1 bunch of organic bananas
- 8 cans of canned, diced tomatoes
Everything except the chips were on sale but I had a free coupon for them.
Tomatoes - BOGO catalinas I've accumulated from Kroger equating to $1.49 off one can when I purchase another. However, the tomatoes were on sale for $1 each.
Pizza rolls - on sale for $1 each. I had a forty cent coupon, which they automatically double to $.80! I bought 11 for $2.20. BUT... If you buy 10 ConAgra items, they take $2 off your total! TWENTY CENTS for easy snacks for my husband!
Bananas - $.50/lb not the best price on bananas but they were actually cheaper than the non-organic.
Total before sales/coupons: $39.07
Total after sales/coupons: $3.21
92% savings!!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Kroger, Walgreens and Rite Aid deals tonight!
Walgreens
Glade scented oil refill 3.29
Glade scented oil refill 3.29
Triaminic 7.29
Duracell 12.49
Fructis Shampoo/Conditioner 3.99
Glade BOGO -3.29
Fructis -1.00
Triaminic -1.00
Total OOP $24.86 (not including tax)
Mail in rebates:
Glade -1.00
Duracell -3.00
Triaminic -2.00
Fructis -3.99 (yes, they'll essentially be paying me a dollar to buy this!)
Total before coupons/rebates: 30.15
Total AFTER coupons/rebates: 14.87
49% savings
Rite Aid
Miralax (reg $19.99) 14.99
Electrasol 4.49
Maybelline eyeliner (reg 5.29) 2.64
Maybelline eyeliner (reg 5.29) 2.64
Duracell (reg 7.99) 6.29
$5 off $25 coupon
Total OOP: $26.05
Rebates:
Electrasol -1.50
Maybelline -2.00
Miralax -3.00
Total before coupons/rebates: 43.05
Total AFTER coupons/rebates: 19.55
45% savings
I had a 20% off coupon. So I divided my items into a pile that reached $25 (to use the $5/$25 coupon) and then put the one remaining item on a separate receipt to apply the 20% off coupon. The batteries were on sale. Evidently, this coupon uses the employee discount which doesn't apply to sale items. No where on the coupon does it say that it doesn't apply to sale items. It says, "This coupon can be used ONCE towards one purchase of eligible products." "This coupon is not valid on purchase of prescriptions, prescription co-pays, Medicare prescriptions, lottery tickets, tobacco, alcohol products, money orders, gift certificates, gift cards, stamps, licenses, other mailing services, or any other items excluded by law." The floor manager would not budge and would not give me the discount. She said she'd been turning the coupon down for sale items all week.
Not that she could change it, but I really didn't appreciate her attitude. That's what upset me more than the bogus coupon. Don't get me wrong -- I'm plenty annoyed about the coupon too. But she could have handled it better.
Kroger
Some of my deals....
Grapes $1/lb (usually $3.99/lb)
Gallon of milk $1.99 (bought 6 gallons and most are going in the freezer)
Bought 9 "Game Day Must Have" items and got $6 off my total
Every item I purchased, with the exception of some chamomile tea for Bright Eyes, was on sale and I didn't have any coupons. It's totally possible to cut your bill in half without ANY coupons.
Total before sale prices: 50.99
Total OOP $52.65
$49% savings!!
Because the milk was on manager's special, it didn't ring up as a sale price. The milk was regularly $4.42/gal. I got it for $1.99/gal. That would have bumped my savings percentage to over 50%. And no coupons used!
Glade scented oil refill 3.29
Glade scented oil refill 3.29
Triaminic 7.29
Duracell 12.49
Fructis Shampoo/Conditioner 3.99
Glade BOGO -3.29
Fructis -1.00
Triaminic -1.00
Total OOP $24.86 (not including tax)
Mail in rebates:
Glade -1.00
Duracell -3.00
Triaminic -2.00
Fructis -3.99 (yes, they'll essentially be paying me a dollar to buy this!)
Total before coupons/rebates: 30.15
Total AFTER coupons/rebates: 14.87
49% savings
Rite Aid
Miralax (reg $19.99) 14.99
Electrasol 4.49
Maybelline eyeliner (reg 5.29) 2.64
Maybelline eyeliner (reg 5.29) 2.64
Duracell (reg 7.99) 6.29
$5 off $25 coupon
Total OOP: $26.05
Rebates:
Electrasol -1.50
Maybelline -2.00
Miralax -3.00
Total before coupons/rebates: 43.05
Total AFTER coupons/rebates: 19.55
45% savings
I had a 20% off coupon. So I divided my items into a pile that reached $25 (to use the $5/$25 coupon) and then put the one remaining item on a separate receipt to apply the 20% off coupon. The batteries were on sale. Evidently, this coupon uses the employee discount which doesn't apply to sale items. No where on the coupon does it say that it doesn't apply to sale items. It says, "This coupon can be used ONCE towards one purchase of eligible products." "This coupon is not valid on purchase of prescriptions, prescription co-pays, Medicare prescriptions, lottery tickets, tobacco, alcohol products, money orders, gift certificates, gift cards, stamps, licenses, other mailing services, or any other items excluded by law." The floor manager would not budge and would not give me the discount. She said she'd been turning the coupon down for sale items all week.
Not that she could change it, but I really didn't appreciate her attitude. That's what upset me more than the bogus coupon. Don't get me wrong -- I'm plenty annoyed about the coupon too. But she could have handled it better.
Kroger
Some of my deals....
Grapes $1/lb (usually $3.99/lb)
Gallon of milk $1.99 (bought 6 gallons and most are going in the freezer)
Bought 9 "Game Day Must Have" items and got $6 off my total
Every item I purchased, with the exception of some chamomile tea for Bright Eyes, was on sale and I didn't have any coupons. It's totally possible to cut your bill in half without ANY coupons.
Total before sale prices: 50.99
Total OOP $52.65
$49% savings!!
Because the milk was on manager's special, it didn't ring up as a sale price. The milk was regularly $4.42/gal. I got it for $1.99/gal. That would have bumped my savings percentage to over 50%. And no coupons used!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
My Walgreen's and CVS deals tonight
I am all about the bargain shopping! I don't buy things I don't need but if I can match up coupons with sale prices and get a great discount, I get REALLY excited!!
Here's how I did tonight.
Walgreens - I went in specifically to get Jane cosmetics. I missed out on the sale last week - BOGO and most products are around $4 with a $2 coupon that could be used on BOTH purchases! But I knew there were some clearance items so I went in.
Duo Glow Eyeshadow $4 marked down to $2.19
Eye liner pencil $3.79 (it should have rung up $3.49)
Mascara $4.99
Lip cake (bunch of different lipstick colors in a compact) $4 marked to $2.59
Walgreens Jane mascara coupon -$2
(4) Jane cosmetics coupons -$2 ea
Total $14.20
Total OOP $4.20
CVS - I used the spreadsheet calculator on A Full Cup and really had it workin' for me! I was going to use two $15 off of $75 coupons and two $10 off of $50 coupons. However, the manager said that to use two $15/$75, I had to have $150 in purchases ($75 twice) and to use the $10/$50 I had to have $100 in purchases. My total was $88.40 before taxes so I couldn't use all my coupons. Here's how it worked out:
4 Welch's grape juice 2/$6 = $12
4 Advil LiquiGels $4 ea = $16
2 Energizer batteries $8 ea = $16
5 Huggies $8.88 ea = $44.40
Total: $88.40
Each Advil had a $2 peelie on it
4 Advil coupons $2 ea = -$8
1 $15/$75 = -$15
1 $10/$50 = -$10
3 $5/$30 = -$15
2 $4/$20 = -$8
3 $3/$15 = -$9
1 $2/$10 = -$2
Total OOP - $26.92 including tax
I earned $5 ECB for the Huggies; $6 ECB for the Energizer and will earn $10 ECB for the Advil when I go purchase one more of them tomorrow.
The other store manager had a very interesting perspective on stacking the coupons. He felt that your total purchase had to equal the high amounts on the coupons. For example:
3 $5/$30 = -$15
2 $4/$20 = -$8
3 $3/$15 = -$9
1 $2/$10 = -$2
Would translate into having to purchase 3 x $30 ($90) plus 2 x $20 ($90 + $40) plus 3 x $15 ($90 + $40 + $45) plus 1 x $10 ($90 + 40 + $45 + 10). That's kinda bizarre! That would require a purchase of $185!!
Here's how I did tonight.
Walgreens - I went in specifically to get Jane cosmetics. I missed out on the sale last week - BOGO and most products are around $4 with a $2 coupon that could be used on BOTH purchases! But I knew there were some clearance items so I went in.
Duo Glow Eyeshadow $4 marked down to $2.19
Eye liner pencil $3.79 (it should have rung up $3.49)
Mascara $4.99
Lip cake (bunch of different lipstick colors in a compact) $4 marked to $2.59
Walgreens Jane mascara coupon -$2
(4) Jane cosmetics coupons -$2 ea
Total $14.20
Total OOP $4.20
CVS - I used the spreadsheet calculator on A Full Cup and really had it workin' for me! I was going to use two $15 off of $75 coupons and two $10 off of $50 coupons. However, the manager said that to use two $15/$75, I had to have $150 in purchases ($75 twice) and to use the $10/$50 I had to have $100 in purchases. My total was $88.40 before taxes so I couldn't use all my coupons. Here's how it worked out:
4 Welch's grape juice 2/$6 = $12
4 Advil LiquiGels $4 ea = $16
2 Energizer batteries $8 ea = $16
5 Huggies $8.88 ea = $44.40
Total: $88.40
Each Advil had a $2 peelie on it
4 Advil coupons $2 ea = -$8
1 $15/$75 = -$15
1 $10/$50 = -$10
3 $5/$30 = -$15
2 $4/$20 = -$8
3 $3/$15 = -$9
1 $2/$10 = -$2
Total OOP - $26.92 including tax
I earned $5 ECB for the Huggies; $6 ECB for the Energizer and will earn $10 ECB for the Advil when I go purchase one more of them tomorrow.
The other store manager had a very interesting perspective on stacking the coupons. He felt that your total purchase had to equal the high amounts on the coupons. For example:
3 $5/$30 = -$15
2 $4/$20 = -$8
3 $3/$15 = -$9
1 $2/$10 = -$2
Would translate into having to purchase 3 x $30 ($90) plus 2 x $20 ($90 + $40) plus 3 x $15 ($90 + $40 + $45) plus 1 x $10 ($90 + 40 + $45 + 10). That's kinda bizarre! That would require a purchase of $185!!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Know where to shop!
Even if it's on sale and you have a coupon, it's not always a great deal.
Today, I stocked up on a few things that are staple items in our house: instant oatmeal for Bright Eyes an whole grain/multi-grain bread for Big and Little Ms.
First, the oatmeal. I detest that instant oatmeal is so full of chemicals and sweeteners and artificial crap. But I'm not a morning person and trying to dress up real oatmeal so that Bright Eyes will devour it just isn't happening. Before I hit up Kroger today, I stopped in at Big Lots. They had Smart Balance Omega instant oatmeal - 8 packets per box - for $1.50. Quaker happens to be on sale this week. Even with the sale and a coupon, I still couldn't beat the Big Lots price. The added benefit -- Smart Balance is much healthier!
Second, the bread. Big and Little M love their sandwiches! More correctly stated, Big M likes to make sandwiches for Little M because it's easy to do and it's easy to hide veggies and such in a toasted cheese sandwich. We go through a lot of bread so I want it to be healthy bread. The favorite around here is the Arnold's 12 grain. Not cheap! But today, I got it at Big Lots for $1.79 a loaf! I bought every single loaf and they are now all quietly resting in my deep freeze waiting to be called into action.
Saving money on your groceries is more than just clipping coupons and buying on sale. You need to start remembering which items you buy regularly and how much they cost. Then be willing to make a side trip to buy it cheaper. In oatmeal and bread alone, I probably saved about $15 today. While $15 isn't a grand amount of money in the broad scheme of life, $15 every month adds up. Or I can take my savings and splurge on lunch at Chipotle with an Izze!
Today, I stocked up on a few things that are staple items in our house: instant oatmeal for Bright Eyes an whole grain/multi-grain bread for Big and Little Ms.
First, the oatmeal. I detest that instant oatmeal is so full of chemicals and sweeteners and artificial crap. But I'm not a morning person and trying to dress up real oatmeal so that Bright Eyes will devour it just isn't happening. Before I hit up Kroger today, I stopped in at Big Lots. They had Smart Balance Omega instant oatmeal - 8 packets per box - for $1.50. Quaker happens to be on sale this week. Even with the sale and a coupon, I still couldn't beat the Big Lots price. The added benefit -- Smart Balance is much healthier!
Second, the bread. Big and Little M love their sandwiches! More correctly stated, Big M likes to make sandwiches for Little M because it's easy to do and it's easy to hide veggies and such in a toasted cheese sandwich. We go through a lot of bread so I want it to be healthy bread. The favorite around here is the Arnold's 12 grain. Not cheap! But today, I got it at Big Lots for $1.79 a loaf! I bought every single loaf and they are now all quietly resting in my deep freeze waiting to be called into action.
Saving money on your groceries is more than just clipping coupons and buying on sale. You need to start remembering which items you buy regularly and how much they cost. Then be willing to make a side trip to buy it cheaper. In oatmeal and bread alone, I probably saved about $15 today. While $15 isn't a grand amount of money in the broad scheme of life, $15 every month adds up. Or I can take my savings and splurge on lunch at Chipotle with an Izze!
My coupon shopping system - groceries
There aren't enough words to describe how excited I get at the grocery store checkout when I swipe my member card and then hand over my coupons. The exhilaration of saving so much money validates me in a way I just cannot explain.
Here's my system:
Sunday, I sort through the sales flyers and give them the once over to see what pops out at me. Then I cut out my coupons and set them to the side.
Now I go back through the grocery sales flyers and look at the sales. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $2.49/lb, while cheap, isn't a rock bottom deal so I pass it by. (The best price I've gotten is $1.79/lb but $1.99/lb comes around pretty regularly so I stock up.) I write down the sales items I know are great prices and want to purchase. Normally, I will purchase way more than I need and stockpile enough to keep us going until a great sale comes around again.
Then I start pulling out the coupons that match the sales items. I do not use a coupon unless the item is on sale or it's an emergency. The goal is to combine these sales prices and coupons for rock bottom prices.
Once I have my coupons done, I go to eSaver. eSaver is an online coupon service of Proctor & Gamble. Basically, you create an account, choose your favorite grocery store, enter your savings club card number and load coupons onto your card. It takes about an hour for the coupons to hit your savings card. Here's the great part... you don't have to bring any paper coupons AND you can stack these with other store and manufacturer coupons! For example, I bought shampoo on sale, used a manufacturer paper coupon AND Kroger automatically used my eSaver coupon when they swiped my Kroger card! It's enough to make a girl all tingly!!
After hitting up eSaver, I go to all my online coupon sites and start printing out coupons that weren't in the Sunday paper.
Armed with all of this, I hit the store (leaving the children at home with their father) and save, save, save!
Here's my system:
Sunday, I sort through the sales flyers and give them the once over to see what pops out at me. Then I cut out my coupons and set them to the side.
Now I go back through the grocery sales flyers and look at the sales. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $2.49/lb, while cheap, isn't a rock bottom deal so I pass it by. (The best price I've gotten is $1.79/lb but $1.99/lb comes around pretty regularly so I stock up.) I write down the sales items I know are great prices and want to purchase. Normally, I will purchase way more than I need and stockpile enough to keep us going until a great sale comes around again.
Then I start pulling out the coupons that match the sales items. I do not use a coupon unless the item is on sale or it's an emergency. The goal is to combine these sales prices and coupons for rock bottom prices.
Once I have my coupons done, I go to eSaver. eSaver is an online coupon service of Proctor & Gamble. Basically, you create an account, choose your favorite grocery store, enter your savings club card number and load coupons onto your card. It takes about an hour for the coupons to hit your savings card. Here's the great part... you don't have to bring any paper coupons AND you can stack these with other store and manufacturer coupons! For example, I bought shampoo on sale, used a manufacturer paper coupon AND Kroger automatically used my eSaver coupon when they swiped my Kroger card! It's enough to make a girl all tingly!!
After hitting up eSaver, I go to all my online coupon sites and start printing out coupons that weren't in the Sunday paper.
Armed with all of this, I hit the store (leaving the children at home with their father) and save, save, save!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
