It was a total surprise, but what a great surprise it was!! I went to pick up a few last day of sale items as well as the laundry detergent that was out of stock last week. Shaws was quick and painless. 3 jars of Ragu, 2 jars of Skippy, 4 bottles of Wishbone dressing, and a bottle of Tabasco for only $7.10! WOO HOOW! Saved $14.18 overall.
Headed on down to Price Chopper because Wisk was out of stock last week and I had a raincheck. Also 2 more packs of the ever useful bandaids, which I knew would be free. I expected to pay $1.50 for each bottle of detergent, but they doubled my $2 off coupons, so everything was entirely FREE!!!!! $30.00 worth of soap and bandaids for nothing, that is my kind of deal!!!
Shaw's has some good deals this week, especially if you are a soda drinker. 5 -12 packs of coke products for $10, and there is a $2 off coupon you can use on Sprite, which is part of the sale. $8 for 5 cases of soda is a steal, and I will probably get some for summer use, even though we aren't big soda drinkers.
I forgot to mention in my previous posts about a magazine that every couponer, whether you use one coupon or 100, needs to subscribe to. It's called All You. It's sold only at Walmart, but you can subscribe to it online: https://subscription.allyou.com/storefront/subscribe-to-all-you/site/ay-hardbmdrpdwn0310.html;jsessionid=QRlzNfsGbmBq1tL1RxlVwLZdPqxxlhgtHx96qv435JgQWCBb8wZH!10093325?link=1001121
It costs about $20 per year, but you will save so much more from this magazine alone. The coupons are usually for health and beauty items, but there are food ones as well. This magazine is fabulous if you need help planning your meals, learning ways to save and keeps you up to date on the newest trends and money saving websites. I've been getting this for a few years now and have not been let down! If you subscribe to 1 magazine this year, this is the one!
1saleaday.com is a website that I visit daily. Every day, they put up 5 new items at ridiculously low prices. Keep in mind, that there are situations where you do get what you pay for, and it isn't always great. I've received some awesome deals on this site, some even completely free! We bought a cordless phone from there, and it must have been in a lot of goods that were in a fire, because the phone came in a box without instructions, packaging, etc. Needless to say, it didn't work because it appeared that the connections were melted. I did however contact them regarding the non-functionality of the phones, and they offered a prompt refund. On the positive side of the 1saleaday.com, I've gotten travel size pillow pets for 3$ each, business card holders for $1 each, and a beautiful amethyst and sterling silver ring for only $5. They charge per item for shipping, so be aware of that, but they tend to offer a lot of great deals with free shipping, and those are the ones I just can't resist! Just the other day I ordered these tops that you put on a soda can and it makes it like a soda bottle. 8 of them for a buck and free shipping! Also waiting on an LED headlamp that was $1 with free shipping. You just can't get deals this good in stores sometimes! Save this page to your favorites and check it every day! You will be glad you did!!
Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! I hope you have fun, get outside, eat good food and enjoy the weather.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
What are all these codes printed inside my cereal box?! Where'd the toy go?
When you were young, if you were like me, you couldn't wait to rip open that new box of cereal for the toy or prize nestled snugly at the bottom of the box. Am I right? If you had siblings like Gerry did, I'm also willing to bet you fought over who got the prize! (Ah the advantages of being an only child!) That little treasure at the bottom of your Rice Krispies or Froot Loops was the highlight of many mornings, second only to Saturday Morning Cartoons! Yup, both are all but extinct nowadays. I won't get into depth about how absolutely terrible children's programming has become in the past 2 decades. Our poor kids will never experience the excitement of the Gummy Bears cartoon followed by the Smurfs or Rainbow Brite while noshing on sugar coated goodness playing with a little rubber frisbee that was securely tucked into that box of Snap, Crackle and Pop! Instead they receive a code that when combined with others, will yield a reward of some sort, yet never to be quite as satisfying as that little token of happiness that was part of days gone by.
Feeling nostalgic yet? Well, get over it and hop into this century people! :) Occasionally some random trinket will make its way into the box, but more often than not, a code is printed on the inside, or a "token" that you need to cut and save a specific numberr of them and then you are handsomely rewarded. Pain in the butt? Perhaps, but if someone offered to give you cash to get your popcorn on your next trip to the movies, would you take it? Or what if you got a free DVD using these little codes that you got off of the cereal boxes that you paid next to nothing for in the first place? It's really very simple. Designate a space where you collect these type of things. I keep a little ziploc bag tacked to a cork board in the kitchen. Once a box is finished, the code gets cut out and saved there. Sure enough in a matter of time, I have enough of these to get some goodies! We're one box of cereal away from getting $5 consession cash for the movies and with one more purchase of Feline Pine (seriously the BEST kitty litter on the market and 0 chemicals in it) we will have a brand spanking new cat box for our feline friends to use at their leisure.
Everyone likes getting mail, especially kids. The major issue is that all the mail we get is either junk or bills. I signed up for Vocalpoint, this is a new site that I found through a friend on facebook. Vocalpoint gives you samples and coupons for products to try and review. It's really kind of fun. The first product I got to try was a new coffee creamer. The coupons were cleverly marketed to me by arriving in a "to-go" coffee cup. It was so clever I couldn't wait to get that free bottle of creamer! Just yesterday a sample came in for a new cereal. I knew Maddy was eager to open something so I told her it came for her. She was excited to open the little purple box and find a kid sized box of frosted mini wheats. Of course it came with coupons as well! So she was happy and so was I! They even give you enough coupons to share with a friend. How sweet!!
I highly encourage you to check out Vocalpoint.
Feeling nostalgic yet? Well, get over it and hop into this century people! :) Occasionally some random trinket will make its way into the box, but more often than not, a code is printed on the inside, or a "token" that you need to cut and save a specific numberr of them and then you are handsomely rewarded. Pain in the butt? Perhaps, but if someone offered to give you cash to get your popcorn on your next trip to the movies, would you take it? Or what if you got a free DVD using these little codes that you got off of the cereal boxes that you paid next to nothing for in the first place? It's really very simple. Designate a space where you collect these type of things. I keep a little ziploc bag tacked to a cork board in the kitchen. Once a box is finished, the code gets cut out and saved there. Sure enough in a matter of time, I have enough of these to get some goodies! We're one box of cereal away from getting $5 consession cash for the movies and with one more purchase of Feline Pine (seriously the BEST kitty litter on the market and 0 chemicals in it) we will have a brand spanking new cat box for our feline friends to use at their leisure.
Everyone likes getting mail, especially kids. The major issue is that all the mail we get is either junk or bills. I signed up for Vocalpoint, this is a new site that I found through a friend on facebook. Vocalpoint gives you samples and coupons for products to try and review. It's really kind of fun. The first product I got to try was a new coffee creamer. The coupons were cleverly marketed to me by arriving in a "to-go" coffee cup. It was so clever I couldn't wait to get that free bottle of creamer! Just yesterday a sample came in for a new cereal. I knew Maddy was eager to open something so I told her it came for her. She was excited to open the little purple box and find a kid sized box of frosted mini wheats. Of course it came with coupons as well! So she was happy and so was I! They even give you enough coupons to share with a friend. How sweet!!
I highly encourage you to check out Vocalpoint.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Register Rewards and The Coupon Binder's First Outing
It's either pretty sad or pretty normal that the highlight of my week was my Sunday afternoon shopping trip to West Lebanon. After a long week of work, a late night out, and the battle of wits between Maddy and myself, I needed a trip out for some bargain hunting and peace and quiet.
This was the first shopping trip where I actually mapped out my course of destruction, and where I aimed to really save more than I spent. Of course, saving is always on the mind, but this was the first trip out with my newly constructed coupon binder instead of my old faithful accordion folder. I was armed and ready for action!
First stop was CVS. Now, I normally don't make regular trips to drugstores, because I tend to find better deals elsewhere. But, I scoured the weekly flyer and found some unbeatable bargains that I couldn't pass up. I figured out that by doing 2 transactions, that is where the savings would all add up. My first transaction was "register rewards" only items. These were items that would print me a coupon to use on my second transaction. In a nutshell, I was able to get conditioner for 1$ each, Coppertone sunscreen for $4 each, and Listerine for a refreshingly low proce of $1.69! Not to mention the free pack of gum at checkout.
Second transaction was more items, but in using the register rewards earned totaling $15, my total spending of the trip to CVS was $32.30. I saved 67.16! Success!
On to Borders. A 50% coupon from there doesn't happen regularly, so I had to get something... Well, I'd pay $2.49 for 10 episodes of He-Man DVD's any day!! Total spent: $2.49. Total saved: $2.50! By the Power of Greyskull!!
Price Chopper here I come! I'm a Shaw's or Market Basket girl on any typical trip, but Proce CHopper had some sale items just too good to pass up. Yes, I would like that package of bandaids for free! Anyone with a kid knows that bandaids are worth their weight in gold. When you run out, that is when you need them, or when your child insists that the only thing that will save her life after that tragic hangmail incident, is a band aid! Total Spent: 24.01. Saved: $30.20.
Shaws, you know you have my kind of deals. Over the years, I have become very comfortable with Shaws. Almost everyone I know says they are so expensive. Not so if you shop the right way with them. They double coupons up to .99 every day, so that .75 coupon is really $1.50 in your pocket! Best deals: FREE Ken's Marinade, Free Sierra Mist, .50 Sweet Baby Ray's and $1 Skippy! You don't even want to know how long it has been since we've had "real" name brand peanut butter in the house! Would you pay .35 for Tabasco Sauce or .19 for Frank's Red Hot? There were some other smoking hot deals, but I don't want to take all day. haha. Total spent: $73.50. Savings: $89.43!
Well folks, that is how you get $321.60 in stuff you need for only $132.31. I saved over 60% just by paying attention and using coupons and patience.
I now plan to keep a copy of the weekly flyers as well as my receipts in a little organizer separated month by month so I am better prepared for next year. There will be no bunker or hoarde or stockpile of extreme proportions. This is just my little effort of saving money on the items that we use in our home.
The coupon binder actually helped me shop faster and more efficiently! If anyone has any old baseball card sleeves hanging around, send em to me! Mine are still holding my Garbage Pail Kids!
Oh, and I saved .10 on Gas too!
This was the first shopping trip where I actually mapped out my course of destruction, and where I aimed to really save more than I spent. Of course, saving is always on the mind, but this was the first trip out with my newly constructed coupon binder instead of my old faithful accordion folder. I was armed and ready for action!
First stop was CVS. Now, I normally don't make regular trips to drugstores, because I tend to find better deals elsewhere. But, I scoured the weekly flyer and found some unbeatable bargains that I couldn't pass up. I figured out that by doing 2 transactions, that is where the savings would all add up. My first transaction was "register rewards" only items. These were items that would print me a coupon to use on my second transaction. In a nutshell, I was able to get conditioner for 1$ each, Coppertone sunscreen for $4 each, and Listerine for a refreshingly low proce of $1.69! Not to mention the free pack of gum at checkout.
Second transaction was more items, but in using the register rewards earned totaling $15, my total spending of the trip to CVS was $32.30. I saved 67.16! Success!
On to Borders. A 50% coupon from there doesn't happen regularly, so I had to get something... Well, I'd pay $2.49 for 10 episodes of He-Man DVD's any day!! Total spent: $2.49. Total saved: $2.50! By the Power of Greyskull!!
Price Chopper here I come! I'm a Shaw's or Market Basket girl on any typical trip, but Proce CHopper had some sale items just too good to pass up. Yes, I would like that package of bandaids for free! Anyone with a kid knows that bandaids are worth their weight in gold. When you run out, that is when you need them, or when your child insists that the only thing that will save her life after that tragic hangmail incident, is a band aid! Total Spent: 24.01. Saved: $30.20.
Shaws, you know you have my kind of deals. Over the years, I have become very comfortable with Shaws. Almost everyone I know says they are so expensive. Not so if you shop the right way with them. They double coupons up to .99 every day, so that .75 coupon is really $1.50 in your pocket! Best deals: FREE Ken's Marinade, Free Sierra Mist, .50 Sweet Baby Ray's and $1 Skippy! You don't even want to know how long it has been since we've had "real" name brand peanut butter in the house! Would you pay .35 for Tabasco Sauce or .19 for Frank's Red Hot? There were some other smoking hot deals, but I don't want to take all day. haha. Total spent: $73.50. Savings: $89.43!
Well folks, that is how you get $321.60 in stuff you need for only $132.31. I saved over 60% just by paying attention and using coupons and patience.
I now plan to keep a copy of the weekly flyers as well as my receipts in a little organizer separated month by month so I am better prepared for next year. There will be no bunker or hoarde or stockpile of extreme proportions. This is just my little effort of saving money on the items that we use in our home.
The coupon binder actually helped me shop faster and more efficiently! If anyone has any old baseball card sleeves hanging around, send em to me! Mine are still holding my Garbage Pail Kids!
Oh, and I saved .10 on Gas too!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Coupons, Coke Points and Movie Rewards oh my!
Since this is my first "official" blog post about couponing, money saving and what not, I figured I would give an overview of how I save money and then go from there. I'm not a seasoned blogger so bear with me through these first phases of my journey.
I've always been a bargain hunter. It's in my blood. Both of my grandmothers used coupons while I was growing up and one of the fondest memories of my childhood was when Grandma Anne would save enough Del Monte UPC's to get me a new country yumpkin. They were stuffed animals shaped like fruits, veggies and farm related animals. I still have them to this day! And they were all free!!
Times have changed and you don't get as much bang for your buck as you used to. With the downturn of the economy, I saw more of a need to watch what I was spending and how I could save money. I wanted to still be able to enjoy the things in life that we had grown accustomed to like going to concerts and the occasional night out. The more I looked into things the more deals I found. And it didn't take very much effort at all to start reaping these benefits. Most are just a matter of paying attention to sales, reading and organizing things. And when the savings started to add up, it became FUN!
Coupons have always been around, and now with "extreme couponing" being en vogue, they are all over the place. Let me start off by saying I am not an "extreme" couponer. I don't have a stockpile to last me thorough armageddon. I buy what we use and need. There is no point in having 87 bottles of mustard in your home if no one eats it! If you get it for free, that is great but be sensible and donate it to someone that uses it or to a local food bank. That way, everyone wins! I also find those that buy out the entire store's supply of one item just becasue they can to be greedy and selfish. If you find a good deal, then get what you need, maybe a little more but don't empty the bin so no one else has the chance to take part of the deal. Can we be frugal and sensible? Yes, I do believe we can!
Coupons - No brainer really. Grab a Sunday paper and there you go! You have a start. I used to use one of the little cardboard coupon organizers, but those didn't hold up very well. Moved up to a plastic one which held up nicely and was portable, but I found myself flicking through coupons all through the store and it was obnoxious searching for that one coupon that I just couldn't find int he mix. So, I bit the bullet and started a coupon binder. Found a brand new zipper binder with pockets at Goodwill for $1.50. The baseball card sleeves that come 9 to a page work great. Separate and organize how you wish and off you go!
(Much more info. on coupons to come)
Coke Points/Rewards - Do you drink soda? Most major lables have some sort of point system. I was a diet coke drinker for a long while. Not so much now, but I do occasionally like a nice cold one ;p Each bottle cap has a code on it that is worth 3 points. Each 12 pack has a code worth 10., and so on. Save those caps and start a mycokerewards account. The points add up quickly and there are rewards available for anyone's tastes. I've been able to make wonderful photo gift books for family members for FREE!
If you know me, you know going to concerts is one of my favorite things to do in the entire world! Obsessed with is? Sure, why not! The feeling of watching one of my favorite artists perform live is amazing and worth every red cent. Wouldn't you know I found a way to save on that too! mycokerewards let me redeem points for a $10 off credit to livenation. So, when I got tickets to see A Perfect Circle this summer, you bet I saved $10 on those!
Disney Movie Rewards - Do you buy Disney movies? Ever go to the movies to see a Disney movie? Well if you do, then you have another way to save! Keep your ticket stubs and earn points by submitting them to DMR. That DVD of Tangled we got for Maddy just earned us 125 points, all in entering a code! As a thank you for being a DMR member for 2 years, I earned a free Blu-Ray! All I paid was $4.99 shipping and processing, AND it came with a DMR code! So it was basically free and I got points! You can get free DVD's, discounts, figurines of your favorite disney character and so much more. It's a free club so why not join?!
Well, that is a good chunk of info. to start. Stay tuned for more, and comments and requests are always welcome!!
Happy Friday!
Kelly
I've always been a bargain hunter. It's in my blood. Both of my grandmothers used coupons while I was growing up and one of the fondest memories of my childhood was when Grandma Anne would save enough Del Monte UPC's to get me a new country yumpkin. They were stuffed animals shaped like fruits, veggies and farm related animals. I still have them to this day! And they were all free!!
Times have changed and you don't get as much bang for your buck as you used to. With the downturn of the economy, I saw more of a need to watch what I was spending and how I could save money. I wanted to still be able to enjoy the things in life that we had grown accustomed to like going to concerts and the occasional night out. The more I looked into things the more deals I found. And it didn't take very much effort at all to start reaping these benefits. Most are just a matter of paying attention to sales, reading and organizing things. And when the savings started to add up, it became FUN!
Coupons have always been around, and now with "extreme couponing" being en vogue, they are all over the place. Let me start off by saying I am not an "extreme" couponer. I don't have a stockpile to last me thorough armageddon. I buy what we use and need. There is no point in having 87 bottles of mustard in your home if no one eats it! If you get it for free, that is great but be sensible and donate it to someone that uses it or to a local food bank. That way, everyone wins! I also find those that buy out the entire store's supply of one item just becasue they can to be greedy and selfish. If you find a good deal, then get what you need, maybe a little more but don't empty the bin so no one else has the chance to take part of the deal. Can we be frugal and sensible? Yes, I do believe we can!
Coupons - No brainer really. Grab a Sunday paper and there you go! You have a start. I used to use one of the little cardboard coupon organizers, but those didn't hold up very well. Moved up to a plastic one which held up nicely and was portable, but I found myself flicking through coupons all through the store and it was obnoxious searching for that one coupon that I just couldn't find int he mix. So, I bit the bullet and started a coupon binder. Found a brand new zipper binder with pockets at Goodwill for $1.50. The baseball card sleeves that come 9 to a page work great. Separate and organize how you wish and off you go!
(Much more info. on coupons to come)
Coke Points/Rewards - Do you drink soda? Most major lables have some sort of point system. I was a diet coke drinker for a long while. Not so much now, but I do occasionally like a nice cold one ;p Each bottle cap has a code on it that is worth 3 points. Each 12 pack has a code worth 10., and so on. Save those caps and start a mycokerewards account. The points add up quickly and there are rewards available for anyone's tastes. I've been able to make wonderful photo gift books for family members for FREE!
If you know me, you know going to concerts is one of my favorite things to do in the entire world! Obsessed with is? Sure, why not! The feeling of watching one of my favorite artists perform live is amazing and worth every red cent. Wouldn't you know I found a way to save on that too! mycokerewards let me redeem points for a $10 off credit to livenation. So, when I got tickets to see A Perfect Circle this summer, you bet I saved $10 on those!
Disney Movie Rewards - Do you buy Disney movies? Ever go to the movies to see a Disney movie? Well if you do, then you have another way to save! Keep your ticket stubs and earn points by submitting them to DMR. That DVD of Tangled we got for Maddy just earned us 125 points, all in entering a code! As a thank you for being a DMR member for 2 years, I earned a free Blu-Ray! All I paid was $4.99 shipping and processing, AND it came with a DMR code! So it was basically free and I got points! You can get free DVD's, discounts, figurines of your favorite disney character and so much more. It's a free club so why not join?!
Well, that is a good chunk of info. to start. Stay tuned for more, and comments and requests are always welcome!!
Happy Friday!
Kelly
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