http://www.taylortownpreview.com/id87.htm
I would recommend buying 2 papers or more this week. Check out the above link to see the featured coupons for this Sunday.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Help those in need...
As I have gotten better and better at finding deals, I have been donating more and more items to our church's food panty. We have also donated many items to food drives through my children's school.
When you find a great deal for a product that you might not use or a great deal and you buy more than you need - consider buying it to donate to a needy family, food pantry, church or any one who could benefit. Make sure you check the expiration date or you are aware of its shelf life.
This week Meijer had Pantene shampoo on sale for $1.88 each with coupons. This is a 55% off savings. I bought 4 of them with coupons. I knew that this wouldn't be used in our home but I knew that it would be a great item to donate to our church's pantry as they are always looking for toiletry items. Every shop, I try to include something additional that I can take into church on Sunday. I do include this donation in my monthly grocery postings and spending. This week I spent $7.20 on shampoo that would have cost $16.00 had it not been on sale and I didn't use any coupons!
Another plus for this week is that the Pantene shampoo also helped me qualify for the $122 coupon booklet that P&G is sending me since I have purchased $50 dollars worth of their products this month.
I challenge you to find a great deal every week that you can donate!
When you find a great deal for a product that you might not use or a great deal and you buy more than you need - consider buying it to donate to a needy family, food pantry, church or any one who could benefit. Make sure you check the expiration date or you are aware of its shelf life.
This week Meijer had Pantene shampoo on sale for $1.88 each with coupons. This is a 55% off savings. I bought 4 of them with coupons. I knew that this wouldn't be used in our home but I knew that it would be a great item to donate to our church's pantry as they are always looking for toiletry items. Every shop, I try to include something additional that I can take into church on Sunday. I do include this donation in my monthly grocery postings and spending. This week I spent $7.20 on shampoo that would have cost $16.00 had it not been on sale and I didn't use any coupons!
Another plus for this week is that the Pantene shampoo also helped me qualify for the $122 coupon booklet that P&G is sending me since I have purchased $50 dollars worth of their products this month.
I challenge you to find a great deal every week that you can donate!
December Savings....
Time to post this month's grocery bills....
Week of....
11/30 (Meijer)
Spent 104
Saved 64
12/7 (Kroger, Meijer, and SAM's)
Spent 151 + 134 at SAM's (my dear husband loves to shop here! it drives me crazy)
Saved 122
12/14 - No grocery shopping this week!! I guess this helps offset my husband's Sam's run!
12/21 (Walmart, Sam's, Meijer)
Spent 186
Saved 67
Needed a lot of holiday baking items and extra goodies to bake and prepare for family visiting.
12/28 (Meijer and Aldi)
Spent 133 + 28 at Aldi
Saved 76
Total on groceries for the month....$574 (5 weeks)= $114.80 a week
Total savings for the month.....$328
Not too bad for about 1.5 hours a week...This means that I earned about $54.66 an/hour!
Week of....
11/30 (Meijer)
Spent 104
Saved 64
12/7 (Kroger, Meijer, and SAM's)
Spent 151 + 134 at SAM's (my dear husband loves to shop here! it drives me crazy)
Saved 122
12/14 - No grocery shopping this week!! I guess this helps offset my husband's Sam's run!
12/21 (Walmart, Sam's, Meijer)
Spent 186
Saved 67
Needed a lot of holiday baking items and extra goodies to bake and prepare for family visiting.
12/28 (Meijer and Aldi)
Spent 133 + 28 at Aldi
Saved 76
Total on groceries for the month....$574 (5 weeks)= $114.80 a week
Total savings for the month.....$328
Not too bad for about 1.5 hours a week...This means that I earned about $54.66 an/hour!
Meijer shop 12/31/08 (Spent 133 and saved 75)
I did a Meijer and Aldi shop today...
This week's shop was a little more expensive because we were low on paper towels and toilet paper....
However, I was able to get many Proctor and Gamble items on sale with coupons that will count towards the $122 dollars in coupon rebate they are offering this month. All you needed to spend was $50 in P&G products to get their coupon booklet. I spent $52.43 on P& G products before coupons. After coupons, I spent only $39.00. Full price these items would have been $64.34. More info below regarding this...
http://www.becentsable.net/2008/12/hot-grocery-deals-and-year-of-savings.html
My Aldi shop was $28.61. I needed more creme cheese and graham crackers. More cheesecakes to make!!!
I went to Meijer first and then hit Aldi. While I was at Aldi, I was reminded again to check my prices. I bought shredded cheese which was less expensive at Meijer. Bummer! Milk was cheaper at Meijer as well. Yeah, I bought milk at Meijer. I forgot that I like Aldi's ground turkey (not the tube kind). It was 2.50/lb versus the 3.50/lb that I got it for at Meijer. It was on sale at Meijer so I stocked up and bought 3 packages. But, I could have saved almost $5.00 today if I was cognizant of the prices at both Meijer and/or Aldi.
Overall, today's shop at Meijer...
Total Meijer promotions: $7.44
Non-coupon savings: $47.48 (on sale prices)
Coupons: $20.05
Total savings $74.97
Yeah!! Gotta love coupons and shopping the sales!!!
This week's shop was a little more expensive because we were low on paper towels and toilet paper....
However, I was able to get many Proctor and Gamble items on sale with coupons that will count towards the $122 dollars in coupon rebate they are offering this month. All you needed to spend was $50 in P&G products to get their coupon booklet. I spent $52.43 on P& G products before coupons. After coupons, I spent only $39.00. Full price these items would have been $64.34. More info below regarding this...
http://www.becentsable.net/2008/12/hot-grocery-deals-and-year-of-savings.html
My Aldi shop was $28.61. I needed more creme cheese and graham crackers. More cheesecakes to make!!!
I went to Meijer first and then hit Aldi. While I was at Aldi, I was reminded again to check my prices. I bought shredded cheese which was less expensive at Meijer. Bummer! Milk was cheaper at Meijer as well. Yeah, I bought milk at Meijer. I forgot that I like Aldi's ground turkey (not the tube kind). It was 2.50/lb versus the 3.50/lb that I got it for at Meijer. It was on sale at Meijer so I stocked up and bought 3 packages. But, I could have saved almost $5.00 today if I was cognizant of the prices at both Meijer and/or Aldi.
Overall, today's shop at Meijer...
Total Meijer promotions: $7.44
Non-coupon savings: $47.48 (on sale prices)
Coupons: $20.05
Total savings $74.97
Yeah!! Gotta love coupons and shopping the sales!!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Meijer shop on 12/22 (Spent 125 and saved 65)
Good shopping without my grocery game list....
I had to buy a lot of things that were needed for our Christmas celebrations. Many things on our list was to sustain our family as we are trapped inside our home due to this crazy weather as well as some baking needs.
I scanned the ad this week and read the mommy snacks blog to help me match my coupons. For those of you that use the grocery game as your shopping list, you know that in our area our list doesn't become available until after 8:00 PM. I needed to go in the morning.
By the way, I just checked their list and I was rather pleased that I was able to identify the best deals (the green and blue items) with the help of mommy snacks. There were a few items on the list for this week that I didn't get but it is just as well since I still have some more shopping for food for the Christmas baking. I will still continue to use the grocery game's list, due to the convenience it offers!
Anyways, I spent $124 with tax.
Meijer savings were $13.98
Non coupon savings were $30.74
Coupon savings of $20.96
So total amount saved on this shop was $65.68
Just a reminder: Make sure you compare prices ... For example, I need about 35 blocks of creme cheese to make my famous cheesecakes for friends and family. (I can't claim the credit for this. The recipe came from my friend Beth). Cream cheese was on sale at Meijer for $1.50 each. Well, I know that at ALDI they are on sale for .99 cents. I couldn't justify spending an extra $17.50 buying the cream cheese at Meijer. So I will be heading to ALDI today but it will be worth extra trip!
I had to buy a lot of things that were needed for our Christmas celebrations. Many things on our list was to sustain our family as we are trapped inside our home due to this crazy weather as well as some baking needs.
I scanned the ad this week and read the mommy snacks blog to help me match my coupons. For those of you that use the grocery game as your shopping list, you know that in our area our list doesn't become available until after 8:00 PM. I needed to go in the morning.
By the way, I just checked their list and I was rather pleased that I was able to identify the best deals (the green and blue items) with the help of mommy snacks. There were a few items on the list for this week that I didn't get but it is just as well since I still have some more shopping for food for the Christmas baking. I will still continue to use the grocery game's list, due to the convenience it offers!
Anyways, I spent $124 with tax.
Meijer savings were $13.98
Non coupon savings were $30.74
Coupon savings of $20.96
So total amount saved on this shop was $65.68
Just a reminder: Make sure you compare prices ... For example, I need about 35 blocks of creme cheese to make my famous cheesecakes for friends and family. (I can't claim the credit for this. The recipe came from my friend Beth). Cream cheese was on sale at Meijer for $1.50 each. Well, I know that at ALDI they are on sale for .99 cents. I couldn't justify spending an extra $17.50 buying the cream cheese at Meijer. So I will be heading to ALDI today but it will be worth extra trip!
Proctor and Gamble coupons....
In the 12/14 P&G circular there was a mail in form for you to receive $120 dollars in coupons for purchasing $50 dollars worth of P&G products from 12/14-1/31.
They ask you to send in your original receipt with the items that you purchased and they will send you $120 in coupons. These must be postmarked by 2/14/2009.
I bought about 20 dollars worth of P&G products on Monday. I think you will be amazed at how many of their products you buy!!
Save those receipts!!!
For more information about this read the becentsable blog.
They ask you to send in your original receipt with the items that you purchased and they will send you $120 in coupons. These must be postmarked by 2/14/2009.
I bought about 20 dollars worth of P&G products on Monday. I think you will be amazed at how many of their products you buy!!
Save those receipts!!!
For more information about this read the becentsable blog.
Sale at Meijer good until 12/27
Great deals this week!!!
I read about some wonderful deals on mommy snacks. She has a great blog that I have started checking while I look over my grocery list from thegrocerygame.com .
Unfortunately, I had a lot of shopping that had to be done yesterday (Monday) before the grocery game list came out. I had to use my price knowledge and fall back on mommy snacks to help me find the deals. I was in search for many items for baking for Christmas as well as food for my family.
I read about these deals at Mommy Snacks...
There are 2 great free items this week. Ronzonii pasta is on sale at Meijer for .99 cents. There is a coupon in the 10/5 SS for $1.00 off. I had 2 coupons because I get 2 papers (Our local paper and The Chicago Tribune). I was able to get both of these for free.
I also got Cover Girl makeup for free. They are on sale at Meijer for B1G1. There is also a coupon in the 11/30 PG for B1 G1. So, I was able to get 2 packages of blush and 2 pressed powders for FREE!!!
Yeah!
I read about some wonderful deals on mommy snacks. She has a great blog that I have started checking while I look over my grocery list from thegrocerygame.com .
Unfortunately, I had a lot of shopping that had to be done yesterday (Monday) before the grocery game list came out. I had to use my price knowledge and fall back on mommy snacks to help me find the deals. I was in search for many items for baking for Christmas as well as food for my family.
I read about these deals at Mommy Snacks...
There are 2 great free items this week. Ronzonii pasta is on sale at Meijer for .99 cents. There is a coupon in the 10/5 SS for $1.00 off. I had 2 coupons because I get 2 papers (Our local paper and The Chicago Tribune). I was able to get both of these for free.
I also got Cover Girl makeup for free. They are on sale at Meijer for B1G1. There is also a coupon in the 11/30 PG for B1 G1. So, I was able to get 2 packages of blush and 2 pressed powders for FREE!!!
Yeah!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Does Using Coupons Save You Money?
Do you think you are too busy to clip coupons and shop the sales?
I have been exploring the coupon world and finding new ways to save on groceries since April of 2008.
I have started keeping data of my savings since June of 2008.
Here are my savings from the beginning of June to this past week..
The actual cost of my groceries before coupons: $4,029
The amount of money I have saved on my groceries: $1,500
If I continue on this savings pace, by June of this year I should be close to $3,000 savings on groceries.
Yeah!!! Not too bad for about 2 hours worth of work a week!!
I have been exploring the coupon world and finding new ways to save on groceries since April of 2008.
I have started keeping data of my savings since June of 2008.
Here are my savings from the beginning of June to this past week..
The actual cost of my groceries before coupons: $4,029
The amount of money I have saved on my groceries: $1,500
If I continue on this savings pace, by June of this year I should be close to $3,000 savings on groceries.
Yeah!!! Not too bad for about 2 hours worth of work a week!!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Ebates!!! Double Cash back on Monday, 12/15
Ebates!!! (click on this link)
If you are new to ebates read my previous post, if you have an ebates account Monday will be a great shopping day!!! Ebates will be doubling all cash back amounts for one day only. This will be a great day to finish up your Christmas shopping!!!
Sale at The Limited
On Wednesday, I stumbled upon a great sale. The Limited had just marked down a ton of cute things. They are offering 40% off the sale price. Most of the items I purchased were under 10 dollars!!!
I also found some very helpful sales associates who enjoyed sharing the savings as well and told me how I can get a sweater for $5.00! I had a coupon that I can't remember how I had received it. It said $50 off a certain amount and then listed other denominations. The lowest one was for 15 dollars off an item. The sales associate showed me the sweater that this would apply to! I was able to purchase this beautiful sweater V neck sweater for 5 dollars. It's original price was $49.50.
Enjoy your Christmas shopping!
I also found some very helpful sales associates who enjoyed sharing the savings as well and told me how I can get a sweater for $5.00! I had a coupon that I can't remember how I had received it. It said $50 off a certain amount and then listed other denominations. The lowest one was for 15 dollars off an item. The sales associate showed me the sweater that this would apply to! I was able to purchase this beautiful sweater V neck sweater for 5 dollars. It's original price was $49.50.
Enjoy your Christmas shopping!
Meijer shop 12/13 Spent 102 saved 88
Yeah! I just love it when my receipt is sooooooo long because of all of the savings.
I headed out in the blustery wind to catch the last day of this week's sale. I was able to get some items that were not in stock from last week, because I had a raincheck. Don't be frustrated when items are gone. Just take a moment and get a raincheck. At Meijer they will honor the price with your raincheck for 30 days. I picked up another raincheck today for the Swanson chicken broth that was cleared out. I will use this raincheck next week and use my coupons for those items as well!
I bought 71 items...
According to my receipt...
Meijer promotions (Mealbox coupons) -3.00
Non coupon savings (items on sale) -56.07
Coupons -22.09
Total savings..... $81.16
Yeah! I spent 102.37 including tax!!!
I headed out in the blustery wind to catch the last day of this week's sale. I was able to get some items that were not in stock from last week, because I had a raincheck. Don't be frustrated when items are gone. Just take a moment and get a raincheck. At Meijer they will honor the price with your raincheck for 30 days. I picked up another raincheck today for the Swanson chicken broth that was cleared out. I will use this raincheck next week and use my coupons for those items as well!
I bought 71 items...
According to my receipt...
Meijer promotions (Mealbox coupons) -3.00
Non coupon savings (items on sale) -56.07
Coupons -22.09
Total savings..... $81.16
Yeah! I spent 102.37 including tax!!!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Jewel/Osco Milk on sale!!!
I was going to add a comment to your blog but since I don’t blog, I couldn’t figure it out. Jewel-Osco has milk on sale for $1.99 through Sat. The expiration date is 12/24.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Charity Gift Certificates
Do you have someone on your list who doesn't really need a gift? I found a great website called
Charity Gift Certificates
http://www.charitygiftcertificates.org
It allows you to purchase a gift certificate in any amount. You can either get a plastic gift card or a printed gift certificate. Then the person that you have given it to can choose the charity that they want the money to go to. I read about this in one of my magazines. There are tons of great charities!!!
Also, as the purchaser of the gift card you will receive a tax exempt form that you can use for donating to a charity.
Charity Gift Certificates
http://www.charitygiftcertificates.org
It allows you to purchase a gift certificate in any amount. You can either get a plastic gift card or a printed gift certificate. Then the person that you have given it to can choose the charity that they want the money to go to. I read about this in one of my magazines. There are tons of great charities!!!
Also, as the purchaser of the gift card you will receive a tax exempt form that you can use for donating to a charity.
Restaurant.com sale!!!
What a great gift to get your mailman, hairdresser, or family - a restaurant gift certificate!! The gift certificates on this site are 70% off with the code ONLINE. This is only good through Thursday 12/11!!!
If you go through ebates first you can get an additional rebate towards your ebate account.
If you go through ebates first you can get an additional rebate towards your ebate account.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Kroger shop 12/19
Great deals today! I had not step foot in Kroger in months until today. It had been soooo long since I was there that I couldn't find my Kroger card. I had to get a new one at customer service.
I was able to stock pile a few things. There were a lot of things on the grocery game list this week that our family would eat. Many of you are hesitant to join the grocery game thinking that there wouldn't be anything that you would eat. I think you would be surprised how many items you would be saving money by buying.
I bought over 40 items....
I spent 51.09 (with tax) and saved 40.85!!!
Yippee!! This was a 44% savings.
I was able to stock pile a few things. There were a lot of things on the grocery game list this week that our family would eat. Many of you are hesitant to join the grocery game thinking that there wouldn't be anything that you would eat. I think you would be surprised how many items you would be saving money by buying.
I bought over 40 items....
I spent 51.09 (with tax) and saved 40.85!!!
Yippee!! This was a 44% savings.
Great sales this week for Meijer and Kroger!!!
Wonderful sales this week at Meijer and Kroger....
Last night, I printed my Meijer and Kroger list from the grocery game and I am thrilled because there a ton of items that my family will eat that are on sale for CHEAP!!
Check it out and get your coupons ready to shop!!!
Last night, I printed my Meijer and Kroger list from the grocery game and I am thrilled because there a ton of items that my family will eat that are on sale for CHEAP!!
Check it out and get your coupons ready to shop!!!
Coupon tip!!
I want to share with all of you that I highly recommend that you subscribe to a newspaper that is associated with a large city. For example, we live in Central Illinois and I just started subscribing to the Chicago Tribune. It costs $1.25 for Sunday delivery. I have been joyful that the coupons that come in the Tribune are AWESOME! There are so many more coupons than I receive in my local Sunday paper. This past Sunday, I received twice as many coupons than I did in my local paper.
Many times when I made my grocery list from the grocery game I would be frustrated as I wouldn't have the coupon they were referring to...
Well, not any more!!!
I am so excited because this week I am able to get Mabeline Lip Gloss for FREE!!! I know... I am a dork.... There were a lot of other items as well that I was able to get multiple items for this week because I had an extra paper. There were also some items that the Tribune had coupons for that our paper did not have.
The additional cost of $1.25 is .25 cents more than buying an extra of our local paper, but so worth it.
Something to consider as you join me on this savings adventure!!
Many times when I made my grocery list from the grocery game I would be frustrated as I wouldn't have the coupon they were referring to...
Well, not any more!!!
I am so excited because this week I am able to get Mabeline Lip Gloss for FREE!!! I know... I am a dork.... There were a lot of other items as well that I was able to get multiple items for this week because I had an extra paper. There were also some items that the Tribune had coupons for that our paper did not have.
The additional cost of $1.25 is .25 cents more than buying an extra of our local paper, but so worth it.
Something to consider as you join me on this savings adventure!!
Playschool Cherry Blossom Market
http://mommysnacks.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-shopping-and-saving-playskool.html
A great gift idea for your children....
A great gift idea for your children....
Coupons on your cell phone!!!
http://mommysnacks.blogspot.com/2008/12/snack-time-cellfire-electronic-coupons.html
Read the above link from mommysnacks about how to get coupons linked to your Kroger card.
I have just started this and it is a nice time saver...
Read the above link from mommysnacks about how to get coupons linked to your Kroger card.
I have just started this and it is a nice time saver...
Free Mint Chocolate Swirl Shake from Arby's
Thanks to Katy Couponers for this information....
Sign up at the following link and receive an email for a free shake...
https://arbysextras.fishbowl.com/forms/arbys/join.asp
Enjoy!!1
Sign up at the following link and receive an email for a free shake...
https://arbysextras.fishbowl.com/forms/arbys/join.asp
Enjoy!!1
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Shopping the day after Thanksgiving?
http://www.wow-coupons.com/all-printable-retail-coupons.php
Hello! I know that many of us deal shoppers plan on hitting the malls or stores the day after Thanksgiving or this coming weekend.
My friend Carrie shared this site with me... There are lots of coupons that can be printed and brought in to the various stores. Check it out!!!
Also, don't forget EBATES! They are now offering 10 dollars back to new customers! Check them out if you are new to EBATES! Since joining in August, I have earned back 90 dollars!!! I have received 2 checks from them. They send out their checks every 3 months!!!
Check out my EBATES link on the side of the page! It is a wonderful site....
Hello! I know that many of us deal shoppers plan on hitting the malls or stores the day after Thanksgiving or this coming weekend.
My friend Carrie shared this site with me... There are lots of coupons that can be printed and brought in to the various stores. Check it out!!!
Also, don't forget EBATES! They are now offering 10 dollars back to new customers! Check them out if you are new to EBATES! Since joining in August, I have earned back 90 dollars!!! I have received 2 checks from them. They send out their checks every 3 months!!!
Check out my EBATES link on the side of the page! It is a wonderful site....
Monday, November 24, 2008
November savings...
11/2-11/8 (Aldi and Meijer)
Spent 63
Saved 12
11/9-11/15 (Meijer)
Spent 99
Saved 65
11/16-11/22 (Meijer)
Spent 59
Saved 36
11/23-11/29 (Meijer and Aldi)
Spent 80
Saved 45
Total monthly spent: 301
Total monthly saved: 158
Average weekly grocery bill: $75.25
Yes, this was a great budget this month. I do have to be honest that I didn't do much cooking this month. It really seemed like a fix it and go month. It seemed like our family was running in all different ways this month. I did make a "real" dinner about 8 times this month.
We also ate about about 4 times this month.
I know that many of you wonder how we do it on such a small budget. I wanted to share a few reasons.
1. My children refuse to bring their lunch to school. They love the school cafeteria so very rarely am I buying groceries to take for lunch. This saves my grocery bill, but I still have to pay the school for their food.
2. I bring my lunch to work. This saves some money. Lately, I have been bad and have eaten out more than I should have. :)
3. I force myself to stick to a budget and force myself to cook from my stockpile. Very rarely do I fix a meal that I feel like unless all of the items are available. I challenge you to try to create meals out of food you already have in your home. It is amazing how much food we have but we don't feel like making it....You must have felt like making it at some point because otherwise the food wouldn't be in your house!
4. Very rarely will I buy an item that is not on sale. So almost everything that I fix for meals or snacks was purchased ON SALE!!! If you haven't gotten to this stage yet, it will happen. I have begun to learn that I can wait for something until it goes on sale. Usually, the item I want/need will be on sale in a week or two. I find that when I buy items that I have to have to make a certain meal, it is almost always on sale the next week or I didn't get around to making it that week and could have purchased the item the next week and saved sooooo much more money.
I hope some of these tips and/or strategies help! Remember the key is that if you are reading this blog and are now a coupon clipper, you are saving more money now than you had before.
Think about what you can do with your extra savings each month!
Spent 63
Saved 12
11/9-11/15 (Meijer)
Spent 99
Saved 65
11/16-11/22 (Meijer)
Spent 59
Saved 36
11/23-11/29 (Meijer and Aldi)
Spent 80
Saved 45
Total monthly spent: 301
Total monthly saved: 158
Average weekly grocery bill: $75.25
Yes, this was a great budget this month. I do have to be honest that I didn't do much cooking this month. It really seemed like a fix it and go month. It seemed like our family was running in all different ways this month. I did make a "real" dinner about 8 times this month.
We also ate about about 4 times this month.
I know that many of you wonder how we do it on such a small budget. I wanted to share a few reasons.
1. My children refuse to bring their lunch to school. They love the school cafeteria so very rarely am I buying groceries to take for lunch. This saves my grocery bill, but I still have to pay the school for their food.
2. I bring my lunch to work. This saves some money. Lately, I have been bad and have eaten out more than I should have. :)
3. I force myself to stick to a budget and force myself to cook from my stockpile. Very rarely do I fix a meal that I feel like unless all of the items are available. I challenge you to try to create meals out of food you already have in your home. It is amazing how much food we have but we don't feel like making it....You must have felt like making it at some point because otherwise the food wouldn't be in your house!
4. Very rarely will I buy an item that is not on sale. So almost everything that I fix for meals or snacks was purchased ON SALE!!! If you haven't gotten to this stage yet, it will happen. I have begun to learn that I can wait for something until it goes on sale. Usually, the item I want/need will be on sale in a week or two. I find that when I buy items that I have to have to make a certain meal, it is almost always on sale the next week or I didn't get around to making it that week and could have purchased the item the next week and saved sooooo much more money.
I hope some of these tips and/or strategies help! Remember the key is that if you are reading this blog and are now a coupon clipper, you are saving more money now than you had before.
Think about what you can do with your extra savings each month!
Grocery Savings for week of 11/23-11/29
2 great shops this week!!!
Aldi spent $17.86 (bought salmon, diced tomatoes, parmesan cheese, licorice, gummi bears, chicken noodle soup, salad, microwave popcorn)
Meijer spent $62 and saved $45
Aldi spent $17.86 (bought salmon, diced tomatoes, parmesan cheese, licorice, gummi bears, chicken noodle soup, salad, microwave popcorn)
Meijer spent $62 and saved $45
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Trust the Grocery Game List
Well, I hit Meijer on Saturday night the last day of their weekly sale. I had decided to make some potato soup this week so I bought a big bag of potatoes. Well, guess what ...This morning (Sunday) Meijer now has the same bag of potatoes on sale for -2.00!!!
I hate it when this happens!!! I know that I shouldn't kick myself for this but since I haven't used the potatoes yet I could have saved $2!
OH WELL!!!
I hate it when this happens!!! I know that I shouldn't kick myself for this but since I haven't used the potatoes yet I could have saved $2!
OH WELL!!!
More Meijer Savings
I have found that recently on my grocery game list that they refer to coupons that I don't have. I know that many of these coupons that I don't have are available on line but the questions was always where?
Well, I found another great blog called Mommy Snacks.
She takes the Meijer list and links the coupons that are available on line. I wish that I had checked out her blog last night when I hit the last day of the sale, because I found out that she had posted links for the coupons that I didn't have on hand.
So check out her blog before you head to Meijer!
http://mommysnacks.blogspot.com/search/label/Meijer
Well, I found another great blog called Mommy Snacks.
She takes the Meijer list and links the coupons that are available on line. I wish that I had checked out her blog last night when I hit the last day of the sale, because I found out that she had posted links for the coupons that I didn't have on hand.
So check out her blog before you head to Meijer!
http://mommysnacks.blogspot.com/search/label/Meijer
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Meijer shop week of 11/2-11/8
I have fallen behind posting my savings for the month of November!
Aldi spent $23.27
Meijer spent 40 and saved 12
Total groceries for the week 63.27
:)
Aldi spent $23.27
Meijer spent 40 and saved 12
Total groceries for the week 63.27
:)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Aldi price list....
Through my internet searching I found a price list for Aldi. As you make your grocery lists you can reference the Aldi list and see if you can get the item for cheaper!!
Enjoy!
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=131879&t=794912
You will want to click on the PDF file at the bottom of his post.
Enjoy!
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=131879&t=794912
You will want to click on the PDF file at the bottom of his post.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Donating to food pantries
This is the time of year many area food pantries are looking for donations. As I posted in my most recent post, my daughter cleaned out my canned food supply as her school was having a competition about whose school could donate the most canned food items to an area food pantry.
If you are shopping the grocery game or using coupons and shopping the sales, I know you have been thrilled with your savings that you have made for your family.
Try spending an extra 10 dollars this week and see how many extra canned goods, cleaning products, and/or toiletries you can get and consider donating these items to your local church and/or food pantry. If you are saving great percentages on your shopping, your 10 dollar investment would be 20 dollars worth of food. Your 20 dollar investment would be 40 dollars worth of food, etc. Imagine the possibilities!
During your next grocery shop, try turning your savings adventure into one that can also help people in your own community!
If you are shopping the grocery game or using coupons and shopping the sales, I know you have been thrilled with your savings that you have made for your family.
Try spending an extra 10 dollars this week and see how many extra canned goods, cleaning products, and/or toiletries you can get and consider donating these items to your local church and/or food pantry. If you are saving great percentages on your shopping, your 10 dollar investment would be 20 dollars worth of food. Your 20 dollar investment would be 40 dollars worth of food, etc. Imagine the possibilities!
During your next grocery shop, try turning your savings adventure into one that can also help people in your own community!
Shopping....Where to save the most money!
I am sure that if you are regular reader of my blog, you are a price shopper. I have been writing about how great the grocery game is and have loved the amount of money it has saved me.
However, you still need to know your prices. Since using the grocery game, I have been buying brand name products that I would have never have bought before ONLY because I am getting them cheaper than the store generic and ALDI.
A good price shopper knows their prices and knows that even though the grocery game may be showing an item that is a considerable discount you might still be able to get it at ALDI or it might be a better deal to buy the store generic.
Even though that this hasn't been the case for awhile, I did make an Aldi run on Sunday. My family and I were craving some chilli. Ground turkey was on sale at Meijer this week so I based my meal on a sale item. Well, my canned tomato stockpile got donated to my daughters school for their canned food drive a couple of weeks ago. Being a good price shopper, I knew that since tomatoes were not on sale at Meijer or Kroger that I would need to make a trip to Aldi. I purchased my canned tomatoes for .49 cents a piece where at Meijer they were .90 for the store generic. So, it is good to know your prices.
I managed to hit Aldi and Meijer in less than 40 minutes. Yeah!
I was a little frustrated as usually Aldi's milk is cheaper than Meijer unless Meijer is having milk on sale. For some reason, I didn't notice that Meijer was having their gallons of milk on sale for 2.50 each. So, I bought a gallon at Aldi for 2.59. I know that it was only 9 cents but with my new savings plan and grocery budget, I was sad that I didn't save the 9 cents. I know that I need to get a life! :)
Take care!!! Happy shopping! I plan doing my grocery shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday this week!
However, you still need to know your prices. Since using the grocery game, I have been buying brand name products that I would have never have bought before ONLY because I am getting them cheaper than the store generic and ALDI.
A good price shopper knows their prices and knows that even though the grocery game may be showing an item that is a considerable discount you might still be able to get it at ALDI or it might be a better deal to buy the store generic.
Even though that this hasn't been the case for awhile, I did make an Aldi run on Sunday. My family and I were craving some chilli. Ground turkey was on sale at Meijer this week so I based my meal on a sale item. Well, my canned tomato stockpile got donated to my daughters school for their canned food drive a couple of weeks ago. Being a good price shopper, I knew that since tomatoes were not on sale at Meijer or Kroger that I would need to make a trip to Aldi. I purchased my canned tomatoes for .49 cents a piece where at Meijer they were .90 for the store generic. So, it is good to know your prices.
I managed to hit Aldi and Meijer in less than 40 minutes. Yeah!
I was a little frustrated as usually Aldi's milk is cheaper than Meijer unless Meijer is having milk on sale. For some reason, I didn't notice that Meijer was having their gallons of milk on sale for 2.50 each. So, I bought a gallon at Aldi for 2.59. I know that it was only 9 cents but with my new savings plan and grocery budget, I was sad that I didn't save the 9 cents. I know that I need to get a life! :)
Take care!!! Happy shopping! I plan doing my grocery shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday this week!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Meijer (saved 50.00) and Kroger (saved 24.81)
What a great shop!!!!
My daughter and I went shopping together and hit Kroger and Meijer. I usually don't shop during the week, but the girls don't have school tomorrow because of parent/teacher conferences. Since it wasn't a "school night" for them, I felt like this evening was a little more low key. I made my list last night for both Meijer and Kroger and hit them both in one evening. It has been a long time since I have done 2 stores in one day.
We went to Kroger first since I had the least amount of items that I would be buying this week.
At Kroger I bought halloween candy, goldfish crackers, sausage, yogurt, and chicken patties. Everything that I bought was on sale. I had coupons for all of these items as well. I even had an additional shortcuts coupon that was loaded onto my Kroger card. If you have a Kroger card, you can load coupons on to it and then use an additional manufacturers coupon. The website is www.shortcuts.com
Our total was $22.94. I saved $24.81 (5.50 coupons and saved 19.31 for items that were on sale)
This is a 52% savings. YEAH!!!
Meijer was an adventure. It is amazing how you really need to make sure you have a good cashier. I don't know if my cashier was just learning, but she struggled with my coupons, kept dropping items, and rang up my items multiple times. She said that she took an item off that she didn't so I had to go to customer service after our shop.
I bought 4 loafs of bread, 2 dozen eggs, toilet paper, 6 yogurt, 6 pizzas, 2 shells and cheese, 2 on the go drink mixes, 4 pudding, icecream, 5 boxes of granola bars, 2 boxes of captain crunch, 1 box of Life, mascara, and turkey breast.
Everything was on sale and I used coupons as well!! My total was 59.00. I saved 49.44 (Meijer promotions 3.99, On sale -28.65, Coupons used -16.80)
Oh my! I just noticed that she also charged me for an extra pizza!!! How frustrating!!!
Since I have begun my coupon adventure, I refuse to buy most things unless they are on sale. Without the grocery game, I was buying items that were on sale but could be a cheaper price at a later date. I love that the grocery game does all the thinking for me! I save a much greater percentage when I use their grocery lists!!!
So for this week's groceries, I spent $82.00 and saved $74.25. Almost 50% off!!
My daughter and I went shopping together and hit Kroger and Meijer. I usually don't shop during the week, but the girls don't have school tomorrow because of parent/teacher conferences. Since it wasn't a "school night" for them, I felt like this evening was a little more low key. I made my list last night for both Meijer and Kroger and hit them both in one evening. It has been a long time since I have done 2 stores in one day.
We went to Kroger first since I had the least amount of items that I would be buying this week.
At Kroger I bought halloween candy, goldfish crackers, sausage, yogurt, and chicken patties. Everything that I bought was on sale. I had coupons for all of these items as well. I even had an additional shortcuts coupon that was loaded onto my Kroger card. If you have a Kroger card, you can load coupons on to it and then use an additional manufacturers coupon. The website is www.shortcuts.com
Our total was $22.94. I saved $24.81 (5.50 coupons and saved 19.31 for items that were on sale)
This is a 52% savings. YEAH!!!
Meijer was an adventure. It is amazing how you really need to make sure you have a good cashier. I don't know if my cashier was just learning, but she struggled with my coupons, kept dropping items, and rang up my items multiple times. She said that she took an item off that she didn't so I had to go to customer service after our shop.
I bought 4 loafs of bread, 2 dozen eggs, toilet paper, 6 yogurt, 6 pizzas, 2 shells and cheese, 2 on the go drink mixes, 4 pudding, icecream, 5 boxes of granola bars, 2 boxes of captain crunch, 1 box of Life, mascara, and turkey breast.
Everything was on sale and I used coupons as well!! My total was 59.00. I saved 49.44 (Meijer promotions 3.99, On sale -28.65, Coupons used -16.80)
Oh my! I just noticed that she also charged me for an extra pizza!!! How frustrating!!!
Since I have begun my coupon adventure, I refuse to buy most things unless they are on sale. Without the grocery game, I was buying items that were on sale but could be a cheaper price at a later date. I love that the grocery game does all the thinking for me! I save a much greater percentage when I use their grocery lists!!!
So for this week's groceries, I spent $82.00 and saved $74.25. Almost 50% off!!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Great Meijer coupons this week 10-27 through 11-1
I have written a previous post about Meijer's new online coupon and recipe organizer called Meijer's Mealbox.
Well, there are some great coupons on their site as well as items that are on sale this week. Our sale is good until Saturday. I recommend that you check out their site and print out their coupons.
I plan on buying the following items because they are on sale and you can use the Meijer Mealbox coupon on top of the sale price. See the side of my blog for the Meijer Link.
Klondike bars -$1.00
Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese -$2.00/2
Birds Eye Vegetables -$1.00/2
Stouffer French Bread Pizzas - $1.00/4
Tyson Bagged Chicken -$1.00/2
Jello Pudding -$1.50/2
Meijer Lean Entrees -$1.00/3
Jello gelatin -$1.50/2
Lean Cuisine/Stouffer's -$1.00/4
Jack's Pizza -$2.00/4
Happy Shopping!!!
Well, there are some great coupons on their site as well as items that are on sale this week. Our sale is good until Saturday. I recommend that you check out their site and print out their coupons.
I plan on buying the following items because they are on sale and you can use the Meijer Mealbox coupon on top of the sale price. See the side of my blog for the Meijer Link.
Klondike bars -$1.00
Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese -$2.00/2
Birds Eye Vegetables -$1.00/2
Stouffer French Bread Pizzas - $1.00/4
Tyson Bagged Chicken -$1.00/2
Jello Pudding -$1.50/2
Meijer Lean Entrees -$1.00/3
Jello gelatin -$1.50/2
Lean Cuisine/Stouffer's -$1.00/4
Jack's Pizza -$2.00/4
Happy Shopping!!!
October Savings
10/5-10/11
Spent 94
Saved 48
10/12-10/18
Spent 90
Saved 34
Sam's club spent 169
http://savingmoneytofillupmytruck.blogspot.com/2008/10/sams-club-shop.html (See my posting about this shopping trip! It was a shop against my will!)
10/19-10/25
Spent 79
Saved 45
10/26-11/1
Spent $82
Saved $74
Spent 94
Saved 48
10/12-10/18
Spent 90
Saved 34
Sam's club spent 169
http://savingmoneytofillupmytruck.blogspot.com/2008/10/sams-club-shop.html (See my posting about this shopping trip! It was a shop against my will!)
10/19-10/25
Spent 79
Saved 45
10/26-11/1
Spent $82
Saved $74
Well, we are getting better and better at saving. Unfortunately, the Sam's club run hurt my monthly budget. I felt like I needed to really cut corners the week's following that shop in order to make up for our huge bill that week! It is amazing how my philosophy has changed. I never would have thought twice about spending 169 at the grocery store in one shop. Boy, has my shopping philosophy changed for the better!
My monthly total was $514 and saved $201. This works out to be a weekly average of $128.50.
Oh well! Last month our weekly average was 80.00!
An amazing coupon lady
This spring during my coupon research I came across this Jane's blog. If you think that I am saving a lot of money, this woman is amazing. She spends 800 a year on groceries. She has been writing about how she does this for awhile. She was featured on her local news in Texas and has now been added as a regular feature.
She amazes me!!
http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/
She amazes me!!
http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Grocery Game
Some of my blog readers have joined the grocery game. I hope you are finding it as rewarding as I do!
I do want to emphasize the need to trust the list. For example, there have been many times that I have bought an item because it was on sale and I had a coupon even though the item was not featured on the list. Every time that I have done this, either the next week or shortly after I have found that the same item was now featured on the list because it was a lower price than when I bought it.
I have also found that many times I bought that item thinking I would use it that week and ended up not using it until the week that it was cheaper!!!
I know that this is nothing to beat yourself up over but in the game to save money I get thrilled to see how much I can save during each shop! Try your best to shop off the list and add only the items you have to get. You will find that the other items you need will eventually be featured on list.
Yesterday, my grocery cart didn't look like enough food to feed my family real meals. I bought pop, lucky charms, coffeemate, toilet paper, pretzels and milk. I had other items in my cart as well but I bought a lot of the other items because they were blue (which means that you should buy as much as you can and have coupons for). This weeks shop has helped me build up a new stockpile for these items. Since the soup cycle has been going on, I have been adding to my soup stockpile and after this week I should be set for the next 12 weeks. I have many other items at home that will allow me create meals for this week even though it wasn't purchased this week.
Stockpile....
Think about how much of an item your family will eat in a week and try to buy this amount to cover 12 weeks. For example, we will only eat about 1-2 cans of soup a week. I know have about 10-12 cans of soup in my pantry. I was able to get many of these cans for .50-.75 cents each. If you will only eat soup every other week, then you would need 1/2 of this amount. Buying 12 weeks of an item sounds like a lot, but it really isn't as much as it may seem. Right now we also have 12 weeks of our families favorite cereal (which is about 6 boxes)- Lucky Charms and Honey Nut Cherrios. Most of these boxes were bought for about $1.50 (These were large boxes).
I hope that these grocery game tips have helped!!!
I do want to emphasize the need to trust the list. For example, there have been many times that I have bought an item because it was on sale and I had a coupon even though the item was not featured on the list. Every time that I have done this, either the next week or shortly after I have found that the same item was now featured on the list because it was a lower price than when I bought it.
I have also found that many times I bought that item thinking I would use it that week and ended up not using it until the week that it was cheaper!!!
I know that this is nothing to beat yourself up over but in the game to save money I get thrilled to see how much I can save during each shop! Try your best to shop off the list and add only the items you have to get. You will find that the other items you need will eventually be featured on list.
Yesterday, my grocery cart didn't look like enough food to feed my family real meals. I bought pop, lucky charms, coffeemate, toilet paper, pretzels and milk. I had other items in my cart as well but I bought a lot of the other items because they were blue (which means that you should buy as much as you can and have coupons for). This weeks shop has helped me build up a new stockpile for these items. Since the soup cycle has been going on, I have been adding to my soup stockpile and after this week I should be set for the next 12 weeks. I have many other items at home that will allow me create meals for this week even though it wasn't purchased this week.
Stockpile....
Think about how much of an item your family will eat in a week and try to buy this amount to cover 12 weeks. For example, we will only eat about 1-2 cans of soup a week. I know have about 10-12 cans of soup in my pantry. I was able to get many of these cans for .50-.75 cents each. If you will only eat soup every other week, then you would need 1/2 of this amount. Buying 12 weeks of an item sounds like a lot, but it really isn't as much as it may seem. Right now we also have 12 weeks of our families favorite cereal (which is about 6 boxes)- Lucky Charms and Honey Nut Cherrios. Most of these boxes were bought for about $1.50 (These were large boxes).
I hope that these grocery game tips have helped!!!
Meijer Shop on 10/26 (Saved $44.00)
This week's shop was very productive. I found everything on my list and got in and got of Meijer in less than 30 minutes.
I spent $79.00 dollars and saved $44.00. I had to buy a few things that weren't on sale but this was a good shop. I am very pleased that most weeks I have been able to keep our bills at 100.00 dollars or less.
Those of you who are watching the ads may have noticed that we are in a soup cycle. It seems like soup is on sale everywhere and the coupons in the Sunday paper are also for soup. If you haven't been paying attention to the cycles that occur, stores tend to offer certain items on sale during certain seasons. For example, ice cream was on sale quite a bit during the summer months. The trends change which is good because the theory to saving money is to stockpile (buy as much of an item that you would need over 12 weeks.) When a certain item is being featured over a few weeks the goal is to buy that item at its lowest price, if you buy 12 weeks of an item you will never have to pay full price for any item. Because this item will go on sale again when your stockpile begins to run out. This may sound like you are buying a lot of food, but it really depends on what your family eats. For example, sometime in August pasta was on sale. I bought 12 boxes of pasta, because I knew that we would eat at least a box a week.
How and where to store your food...
Many people who have joined the grocery game have used their savings from the first month for an extra freezer to help accomodate their stockpiles. We have an extra fridge/freezer from a recent fridge upgrade. I know that everyone doesn't have tons of extra cabinet space so some additional ways to store food would be in bins with lids. Most of the items you will stockpile are nonperishables. I have read about people who store these in their basement, garage, etc.
The key is to not overbuy. I know when I first started this process, I felt like I was still buying items that were on sale even though I had already created quite a stockpile. I acquired about 10 tubes of toothpaste and kept buying more. I kept thinking since I was buying toothpaste for .50-1.00, I couldn't pass up the deals. I finally had to force myself to make sure that I didn't buy more if I already had enough. It is amazing how you begin to go crazy with the sale prices of items and feel like you have to get it because it is on sale. I have learned every item will eventually go on sale again. The key is to try to make it without having to buy that item until it is on sale again. Some items I will be buying every week no matter if it is on sale or not: yogurt, milk, and some times meats...
I hope that you are beginning to understand this adventure. I know that I am thrilled that I have cut my grocery budget in 1/2 since I have started couponing. I still can't believe that I use to spend almost $800 a month on groceries. I try to stay close to $400 a month! Think of what you could do with $400 dollars extra a month!! Every little bit you save will help you with whatever financial goals you have!
I recommend you begin your coupon adventure!!
I spent $79.00 dollars and saved $44.00. I had to buy a few things that weren't on sale but this was a good shop. I am very pleased that most weeks I have been able to keep our bills at 100.00 dollars or less.
Those of you who are watching the ads may have noticed that we are in a soup cycle. It seems like soup is on sale everywhere and the coupons in the Sunday paper are also for soup. If you haven't been paying attention to the cycles that occur, stores tend to offer certain items on sale during certain seasons. For example, ice cream was on sale quite a bit during the summer months. The trends change which is good because the theory to saving money is to stockpile (buy as much of an item that you would need over 12 weeks.) When a certain item is being featured over a few weeks the goal is to buy that item at its lowest price, if you buy 12 weeks of an item you will never have to pay full price for any item. Because this item will go on sale again when your stockpile begins to run out. This may sound like you are buying a lot of food, but it really depends on what your family eats. For example, sometime in August pasta was on sale. I bought 12 boxes of pasta, because I knew that we would eat at least a box a week.
How and where to store your food...
Many people who have joined the grocery game have used their savings from the first month for an extra freezer to help accomodate their stockpiles. We have an extra fridge/freezer from a recent fridge upgrade. I know that everyone doesn't have tons of extra cabinet space so some additional ways to store food would be in bins with lids. Most of the items you will stockpile are nonperishables. I have read about people who store these in their basement, garage, etc.
The key is to not overbuy. I know when I first started this process, I felt like I was still buying items that were on sale even though I had already created quite a stockpile. I acquired about 10 tubes of toothpaste and kept buying more. I kept thinking since I was buying toothpaste for .50-1.00, I couldn't pass up the deals. I finally had to force myself to make sure that I didn't buy more if I already had enough. It is amazing how you begin to go crazy with the sale prices of items and feel like you have to get it because it is on sale. I have learned every item will eventually go on sale again. The key is to try to make it without having to buy that item until it is on sale again. Some items I will be buying every week no matter if it is on sale or not: yogurt, milk, and some times meats...
I hope that you are beginning to understand this adventure. I know that I am thrilled that I have cut my grocery budget in 1/2 since I have started couponing. I still can't believe that I use to spend almost $800 a month on groceries. I try to stay close to $400 a month! Think of what you could do with $400 dollars extra a month!! Every little bit you save will help you with whatever financial goals you have!
I recommend you begin your coupon adventure!!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Stay in touch with me....
Hello! It is funny how many of my friends have referred their friends to my blog. I love that I can help so many of you save money!
I started this blog because I was explaining my coupon adventure to my friends and they needed more instruction and more information.
I hope my research and the tricks and savings I find are helping your family with your budget. Whether, you are using the money you are saving to pay for gas, retirement, college, or something special I hope that you are finding success with some of my strategies.
Please feel free to comment on a posting when you have a question. My blog will email me when a comment is posted and I can answer your question via the blog. This way other blog readers will learn the answer as no question is a stupid question.
It is safe to log into this site and set up an account. One day you may want to set up a family blog via this site. We have also set up a family blog that has been a great resource as our friends and family are all over. This blog can be set up so it is a private account so no creepy people can see pictures of your babies.
Another way to keep informed of new postings, is to subscribe to the blog. The blog will email you every time I post new information. This is a great way to stay up to date with any great deals that you may miss out on if you don't know about them!!! :)
I thought that I would share some ways that we could keep in touch!!
I started this blog because I was explaining my coupon adventure to my friends and they needed more instruction and more information.
I hope my research and the tricks and savings I find are helping your family with your budget. Whether, you are using the money you are saving to pay for gas, retirement, college, or something special I hope that you are finding success with some of my strategies.
Please feel free to comment on a posting when you have a question. My blog will email me when a comment is posted and I can answer your question via the blog. This way other blog readers will learn the answer as no question is a stupid question.
It is safe to log into this site and set up an account. One day you may want to set up a family blog via this site. We have also set up a family blog that has been a great resource as our friends and family are all over. This blog can be set up so it is a private account so no creepy people can see pictures of your babies.
Another way to keep informed of new postings, is to subscribe to the blog. The blog will email you every time I post new information. This is a great way to stay up to date with any great deals that you may miss out on if you don't know about them!!! :)
I thought that I would share some ways that we could keep in touch!!
Deals in Chicago, Illinois
http://www.chicagoofficeoftourism.org/specialValues/
My husband sent me this link via a friend of his at work. This is a great site that gives discount coupons for restaurants and entertainment in downtown Chicago.
Many of our friends like to head up to Chicago to do some Christmas shopping and see the lights. Take a moment and check out this site before you go and you may be able to save some money!!
My husband sent me this link via a friend of his at work. This is a great site that gives discount coupons for restaurants and entertainment in downtown Chicago.
Many of our friends like to head up to Chicago to do some Christmas shopping and see the lights. Take a moment and check out this site before you go and you may be able to save some money!!
Discount Website!!
http://www.discount-shopping.mommysavesbig.com/
My friend Amy shared this website with me. It looks like a good site with many online discounts as well as coupons that can be printed.
My friend Amy shared this website with me. It looks like a good site with many online discounts as well as coupons that can be printed.
EBATES!
It is time to start thinking about Christmas shoppping!
Don't forget to set up an ebates account before you shop on line. Use my link on the side of my page and both of us will receive 10.00. If you haven't read my previous posts about ebates, it is a wonderful website. They pay you to shop. The only key is that you must go through their site first before you go to your store's website. They have over 900 stores that will ebates will pay you if you shop at them.
You will receive a percentage of your purchase price that will be added to your ebates account. I just logged on to check out our balance and to begin planning for Christmas. Every three months, they will send you a check if your earned total is more than 5.00. In August, we received a check for 25.00. In November, we are expecting a check for 60.00. This is rebate money as well as referring friends to their site.
Once you set up your own account, make sure you share this site with your friends and then you can get referral money as well! It is a wonderful thing...
Another bonus for online coupons is a site called http://www.retailmenot.com/ This site will show the online coupon codes for many of the stores that you shop at. This is where they ask for a promotional code. I use to get very frustrated that I didn't have a code and knew that I was missing out on a great discount.
Happy Shopping!
Don't forget to set up an ebates account before you shop on line. Use my link on the side of my page and both of us will receive 10.00. If you haven't read my previous posts about ebates, it is a wonderful website. They pay you to shop. The only key is that you must go through their site first before you go to your store's website. They have over 900 stores that will ebates will pay you if you shop at them.
You will receive a percentage of your purchase price that will be added to your ebates account. I just logged on to check out our balance and to begin planning for Christmas. Every three months, they will send you a check if your earned total is more than 5.00. In August, we received a check for 25.00. In November, we are expecting a check for 60.00. This is rebate money as well as referring friends to their site.
Once you set up your own account, make sure you share this site with your friends and then you can get referral money as well! It is a wonderful thing...
Another bonus for online coupons is a site called http://www.retailmenot.com/ This site will show the online coupon codes for many of the stores that you shop at. This is where they ask for a promotional code. I use to get very frustrated that I didn't have a code and knew that I was missing out on a great discount.
Happy Shopping!
Sure Deodorant
http://www.becentsable.net/2008/10/money-maker-sure-max-deodorant.html
The ladies at the Grocery Gathering posted this money maker. Print off the $1.00 off coupon and then send in the rebate.
Enjoy!
The ladies at the Grocery Gathering posted this money maker. Print off the $1.00 off coupon and then send in the rebate.
Enjoy!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Meijer and Internet Coupons
Hello! A coupon friend told me that she checked with Meijer and that they are still taking internet printed coupons. They are just being more cautious with it. I haven't made it back since the time that my cashier didn't take my printed coupons. So hopefully you will be fine the next time you shop!
Take care!
Take care!
Too busy to make my Meijer run!!
Since we were heading out of town for a soccer tournament, I knew that I wouldn't be able to do my Meijer shop on Saturday. I knew that I would need to hit Meijer sometime before Friday.
I had printed my list and attached my coupons and I was all ready to go!
Well, life got too busy and I never made it to the store!
I was so frustrated that I couldn't fit it in because it was a great list last week. I was only going to spend 50.00 and would have gotten almost 100 dollars worth of groceries. I would have hit almost 50% off. I had multiple coupons and would have added to our stockpile...
Oh well! Hopefully I can find some good deals this week!!
I had printed my list and attached my coupons and I was all ready to go!
Well, life got too busy and I never made it to the store!
I was so frustrated that I couldn't fit it in because it was a great list last week. I was only going to spend 50.00 and would have gotten almost 100 dollars worth of groceries. I would have hit almost 50% off. I had multiple coupons and would have added to our stockpile...
Oh well! Hopefully I can find some good deals this week!!
Sam's Club Shop
Well, I about had a heart attack during my last shopping trip. My dear husband decided we needed to make a Sam's run before we headed out of town for a soccer tournament. We needed snacks which would prevent us from buying concessions while we were in between games. His thinking that shopping at Sam's would save us money...
We went to Sam's this past Thursday night. I know that Sam's can have good prices, but with the grocery game I can get everything cheaper when it is one sale and then with coupons.
So, here we were at Sam's on a Thursday night with no coupons and no grocery list. To make matters worse, we had our children with us and no one had eaten dinner!!! Yes, I know a recipe for disaster!
Well, here is what we bought....,
Gatorade G2
Bottled Water
Propel
Adult Beverages
Hot Tamales
Cinnamon Rolls
BBQ Wings
Gushers
2 bags of Frito Lays
Turkey breakfast muffins
Laffy Taffy
Crackers - snack
Well, this total was $169 which is more twice what I usually spend at a grocery store. What also killed me was this was mostly junk food and snacks....
Oh well!!! Now I know why I love the Grocery Game and my coupons....
We went to Sam's this past Thursday night. I know that Sam's can have good prices, but with the grocery game I can get everything cheaper when it is one sale and then with coupons.
So, here we were at Sam's on a Thursday night with no coupons and no grocery list. To make matters worse, we had our children with us and no one had eaten dinner!!! Yes, I know a recipe for disaster!
Well, here is what we bought....,
Gatorade G2
Bottled Water
Propel
Adult Beverages
Hot Tamales
Cinnamon Rolls
BBQ Wings
Gushers
2 bags of Frito Lays
Turkey breakfast muffins
Laffy Taffy
Crackers - snack
Well, this total was $169 which is more twice what I usually spend at a grocery store. What also killed me was this was mostly junk food and snacks....
Oh well!!! Now I know why I love the Grocery Game and my coupons....
Monday, October 13, 2008
Meijer Shop (Saved $34)
Gotta love the grocery game!!
I did some shopping on Saturday. I have found that my new shopping routine is now grocery shopping on Saturday. It seems like this is the only time that I have now that I am back to work.
This week I had planned a few meals that I had a lot of the major ingredients for but not the seasoning that was needed. I am making a few yummy meals that were featured in this month's Everyday Food by Martha Stewart. This is a monthly cookbook magazine that is wonderful. My friend Kim told me about this magazine. Every month, I mark the pages for the meals that catch my eye and I try to make a few new things each month. I haven't gone wrong yet with any of their recipes.
Well. a few of the recipes called for some items that I didn't have the seasoning for. I plan on making Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole, Lemon Shrimp and Rice, and Shrimp and Prosciutto Lasagna. I am also making a few recipes from my Better Homes and Garden magazine as well Puttanesca Sauce. The main ingredients for these recipes, chicken and shrimp, I had gotten on sale and are stockpiled in my freezer. So the majority of the ingredients were purchased on sale, I had to buy kalamato olives, anchovy paste, capers, ricotta cheese, prosciutto, and few other items. Unfortunately, I don't usually see these items on sale so I didn't save as great of a percentage during today's shop.
I spent $90 and saved $34
I also purchased steak that was on sale at Meijer and stocked up. I spent $25.00 on meat this week, and $11 on the extra ingredients (seasoning) needed for my recipes, and $10 on cleaning items. The remainder on miscellaneous items that were on sale this week.
I have many meals planned that should carry us for the next 2 weeks. We will be heading to a soccer tournament next weekend and I will not have time to grocery shop. I plan on making this shop of $90 last 2 weeks!!! I hope I can do it. Last time that I tried to skip a week of shopping, I ran out of milk but I think I am okay to make it these next 2 weeks.
I will let you know how I do!!
If you are interested in subscribing to Martha Stewart's Magazine: Everyday Food, I have included the link.
http://everydayfoodmagazine.com-sub.info/director?did=1&page=44&sourcegroup=google>kw=everyday%20food&crtv=1565995241&source=content&domain=EverydayFoodMagazine.com-sub.info&UMC=517&mtrack=New-Links-&partner=everydayfood.com-&xid=1&redirect=no&gclid=CLadptrOpJYCFRKIxwods23E5Q
Have a great week....
I did some shopping on Saturday. I have found that my new shopping routine is now grocery shopping on Saturday. It seems like this is the only time that I have now that I am back to work.
This week I had planned a few meals that I had a lot of the major ingredients for but not the seasoning that was needed. I am making a few yummy meals that were featured in this month's Everyday Food by Martha Stewart. This is a monthly cookbook magazine that is wonderful. My friend Kim told me about this magazine. Every month, I mark the pages for the meals that catch my eye and I try to make a few new things each month. I haven't gone wrong yet with any of their recipes.
Well. a few of the recipes called for some items that I didn't have the seasoning for. I plan on making Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole, Lemon Shrimp and Rice, and Shrimp and Prosciutto Lasagna. I am also making a few recipes from my Better Homes and Garden magazine as well Puttanesca Sauce. The main ingredients for these recipes, chicken and shrimp, I had gotten on sale and are stockpiled in my freezer. So the majority of the ingredients were purchased on sale, I had to buy kalamato olives, anchovy paste, capers, ricotta cheese, prosciutto, and few other items. Unfortunately, I don't usually see these items on sale so I didn't save as great of a percentage during today's shop.
I spent $90 and saved $34
I also purchased steak that was on sale at Meijer and stocked up. I spent $25.00 on meat this week, and $11 on the extra ingredients (seasoning) needed for my recipes, and $10 on cleaning items. The remainder on miscellaneous items that were on sale this week.
I have many meals planned that should carry us for the next 2 weeks. We will be heading to a soccer tournament next weekend and I will not have time to grocery shop. I plan on making this shop of $90 last 2 weeks!!! I hope I can do it. Last time that I tried to skip a week of shopping, I ran out of milk but I think I am okay to make it these next 2 weeks.
I will let you know how I do!!
If you are interested in subscribing to Martha Stewart's Magazine: Everyday Food, I have included the link.
http://everydayfoodmagazine.com-sub.info/director?did=1&page=44&sourcegroup=google>kw=everyday%20food&crtv=1565995241&source=content&domain=EverydayFoodMagazine.com-sub.info&UMC=517&mtrack=New-Links-&partner=everydayfood.com-&xid=1&redirect=no&gclid=CLadptrOpJYCFRKIxwods23E5Q
Have a great week....
Info about my blog
Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall weather!
I have taken some time to organize my blog. I tagged each posting to help catalog what you may be looking for. For example, if you want to read about Meijer deals. You can look for any posting that discusses Meijer shopping.
Check out the categories on the side of my blog.
I have taken some time to organize my blog. I tagged each posting to help catalog what you may be looking for. For example, if you want to read about Meijer deals. You can look for any posting that discusses Meijer shopping.
Check out the categories on the side of my blog.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
10/4 Grocery Shop at Meijer
Great deals again!!!
I love the Grocery Game!
I spent 92 dolllars and saved 48 dollars.
This wasn't all groceries as I spent 24 dollars on Tide detergent and bathroom cleaner. Tide is on sale for 10 dollars. There is a dollar off coupon in the October P&G coupon flyer.
I saved 33 dollars on buying items that were on sale and I had 15 dollars in coupons.
Don't forget to check the Meijer Mealbox site at the top of this blog to get coupons for items. Gatorade and propel was on sale this week and they also had coupons from Meijer to add to the items.
I love the Grocery Game!
I spent 92 dolllars and saved 48 dollars.
This wasn't all groceries as I spent 24 dollars on Tide detergent and bathroom cleaner. Tide is on sale for 10 dollars. There is a dollar off coupon in the October P&G coupon flyer.
I saved 33 dollars on buying items that were on sale and I had 15 dollars in coupons.
Don't forget to check the Meijer Mealbox site at the top of this blog to get coupons for items. Gatorade and propel was on sale this week and they also had coupons from Meijer to add to the items.
No Internet Printed Coupons at Meijer
Today, I went to Meijer and found out some very disappointing news. Our Meijer has decided not to accepted printed internet coupons. I found this out as I was paying for my groceries. I had 2 internet coupons totaling 2.50. She said due to internet faud that our Meijer has decided not to accept these coupons. The coupons I had came from a reputable site coupons.com.
When I get a chance, I am going to call customer service to find out any additional information. I shared with the cashier that I had some last week and they were accepted. She said this new policy of this week.
So, you better start buying a newspaper!! On the plus side, I will save on ink and paper!
It is too bad that dishonest people have forced companies to enforce these new policies!
When I get a chance, I am going to call customer service to find out any additional information. I shared with the cashier that I had some last week and they were accepted. She said this new policy of this week.
So, you better start buying a newspaper!! On the plus side, I will save on ink and paper!
It is too bad that dishonest people have forced companies to enforce these new policies!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Ebates and Restaurant.com
We received an email today from a friend of ours who found a great deal through ebates and restaurant.com.
I had written about restaurant.com in a previous post. It is a gift certificate website. They offer discounts on gift certificates. I had checked out their site before and wasn't successful finding any restaurants in our area. This is also a great site if you know you are going on vacation or visiting family and/or friends in a larger city.
Well, J. Buck's a restaurant in our community is now featured on restaurant.com.
Here is the deal....First you need to register for an account with ebates. Please use the link on the side of my page. You and I will both get $10.00 if you register and make a purchase.
Please see my other post about ebates for more information. We have already received a check from them on August 15th for $25.00 for using their site. In November, we should be getting another check for $25.00. All for just shopping through their site!! I didn't believe this but it is true. I had read about ebates in Newsweek or Time. I can't remember which...
Once you are on the ebates site, go to stores and find restaurant.com. Once you are there it will show coupons that are available now. The coupon you want is a $25.00 gift card for $5.00. The code is THREE.
We were able to buy 4 for $20.00. This would be worth $100. Also, if you are a new member to ebates you would earn a credit of $10.00 and you also earn 15% on your purchase by going through ebates. This would be another 3.00 off. So in theory, you will be getting 100 dollars worth for $7.00. You won't receive your check for $13.00 until the next mail date of their checks which I think is November 15. Not too bad....
Act fast this expires on October 6.
I had written about restaurant.com in a previous post. It is a gift certificate website. They offer discounts on gift certificates. I had checked out their site before and wasn't successful finding any restaurants in our area. This is also a great site if you know you are going on vacation or visiting family and/or friends in a larger city.
Well, J. Buck's a restaurant in our community is now featured on restaurant.com.
Here is the deal....First you need to register for an account with ebates. Please use the link on the side of my page. You and I will both get $10.00 if you register and make a purchase.
Please see my other post about ebates for more information. We have already received a check from them on August 15th for $25.00 for using their site. In November, we should be getting another check for $25.00. All for just shopping through their site!! I didn't believe this but it is true. I had read about ebates in Newsweek or Time. I can't remember which...
Once you are on the ebates site, go to stores and find restaurant.com. Once you are there it will show coupons that are available now. The coupon you want is a $25.00 gift card for $5.00. The code is THREE.
We were able to buy 4 for $20.00. This would be worth $100. Also, if you are a new member to ebates you would earn a credit of $10.00 and you also earn 15% on your purchase by going through ebates. This would be another 3.00 off. So in theory, you will be getting 100 dollars worth for $7.00. You won't receive your check for $13.00 until the next mail date of their checks which I think is November 15. Not too bad....
Act fast this expires on October 6.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Buy a paper this Sunday!!!
I just received my email from Taylor town. They give a preview of the coupons that will be in our Sunday paper.
It looks like there will be 4 inserts with a lot of basic items that we all use. Yeah!!!
Check out the link to see what coupons will be in the paper. In other posting, I wrote about how you can receive these updates via email. Also know that some of the coupons they say will be in the paper depends on the area in which you live. More metropolitan areas get more coupons versus where we live. I know it is frustrating!
I receive my local paper on Sunday's but I plan on buying an extra paper. Most grocery stores will sell your local paper for $1.00!
http://www.taylortownpreview.com/id75.htm
It looks like there will be 4 inserts with a lot of basic items that we all use. Yeah!!!
Check out the link to see what coupons will be in the paper. In other posting, I wrote about how you can receive these updates via email. Also know that some of the coupons they say will be in the paper depends on the area in which you live. More metropolitan areas get more coupons versus where we live. I know it is frustrating!
I receive my local paper on Sunday's but I plan on buying an extra paper. Most grocery stores will sell your local paper for $1.00!
http://www.taylortownpreview.com/id75.htm
Free meals on your birthday
My friend Amy shared with me this great deal at Flattop!
Sign up to receive emails from Flattop grill and they will send you a certificate for a free meal on your birthday!
http://www.flattopgrill.com/contact.html
They also offer the same deal at Noodles and Company
http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/ndls/lp/join/join.asp?showhtml=true
Enjoy! Happy Birthday!!!
I also found this list online that lists all of the restaurants that also offer free meals.
http://www.mrcheapstuff.com/deals/2006/10/huge-list-of-restaurants-that-give-you-free-birthday-meals/
Sign up to receive emails from Flattop grill and they will send you a certificate for a free meal on your birthday!
http://www.flattopgrill.com/contact.html
They also offer the same deal at Noodles and Company
http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/ndls/lp/join/join.asp?showhtml=true
Enjoy! Happy Birthday!!!
I also found this list online that lists all of the restaurants that also offer free meals.
http://www.mrcheapstuff.com/deals/2006/10/huge-list-of-restaurants-that-give-you-free-birthday-meals/
September Grocery Savings
Time to look at this month's budget and spending on groceries....
8/31-9/7
Spent 65.00
Saved 35
9/8-9/14
Spent 103
Saved 76.00
9/15-9/21
Spent 110.00
Saved 46
9/21-9/27
Spent 0
9/28-10/4
Spent 46
Saved 27
Total month spent 323 and saved 184
On average, I spent only 80.75 a week on groceries!!! Not too bad. You may have noticed that I didn't spend any money on groceries one week. This is one of the wonderful things about the grocery game. Honestly, I could have also not shopped the following week as well. I only went to the store to get some items that were on sale. When you shop using the grocery game, the stockpile you end up creating is just amazing. There is always food in the cabinet that you can use to prepare for dinner! I did run out of milk yesterday, but otherwise I am in good shape with lots of things that we can eat.
Remember that you have to reverse your shopping/cooking philosophy to participate in the wonderful world of saving money. The trick is to plan the meals based on the food you have on hand (that you had gotten on sale) instead of planning your meals based on what you feel like eating. Once you get your stockpile going, you can plan your meals and then check your panty and/or freezer and find out that you already have these items!!
For more information about the grocery game make sure you check out my other posts!
8/31-9/7
Spent 65.00
Saved 35
9/8-9/14
Spent 103
Saved 76.00
9/15-9/21
Spent 110.00
Saved 46
9/21-9/27
Spent 0
9/28-10/4
Spent 46
Saved 27
Total month spent 323 and saved 184
On average, I spent only 80.75 a week on groceries!!! Not too bad. You may have noticed that I didn't spend any money on groceries one week. This is one of the wonderful things about the grocery game. Honestly, I could have also not shopped the following week as well. I only went to the store to get some items that were on sale. When you shop using the grocery game, the stockpile you end up creating is just amazing. There is always food in the cabinet that you can use to prepare for dinner! I did run out of milk yesterday, but otherwise I am in good shape with lots of things that we can eat.
Remember that you have to reverse your shopping/cooking philosophy to participate in the wonderful world of saving money. The trick is to plan the meals based on the food you have on hand (that you had gotten on sale) instead of planning your meals based on what you feel like eating. Once you get your stockpile going, you can plan your meals and then check your panty and/or freezer and find out that you already have these items!!
For more information about the grocery game make sure you check out my other posts!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Meijer this week 9/18 (Saved $45.59)
Well, I hit Meijer on a Thursday which is a rarity for me. I miss the days of summer when I could go at any time of the day and/or week. I got my haircut and colored (I had to hide my grays!) and then swung by Meijer to get this week's deals. We have a crazy weekend ahead of us with a lot of driving as our daughters are playing in a soccer tournament. So, I decided to go today because I knew that I would be exhausted on Saturday.
I saved $45.59 with coupons and shopping the sales. I spent $84.00. This will feed my family for the week and then some! Yeah! Another week under $100 dollars.
There were a few deals that I didn't know about that I wanted to share with you. Thanks to Hot Coupon World I found out about a great deal on their message boards. When I remember to check out Hot Coupon World, I always find some great unadvertised sale. Unfortunately, I forget to do this quite often. If you set up an account at http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ you can use all of their wonderful resources. They have a message board where the coupon goddesses post all the great deals. I really appreciate their efforts. There is also a coupon database that I use when I absolutely have to get a certain item and I want to see if I can find a coupon to apply to that purchase. It is a wonderful resource.
Here is the deal that I read about on hotcoupon world. If you buy Maxwell House coffee (34.5 oz.), you will get a free box of Post cereal. The coffee is on sale for $6.99 (It was $8.25). I LOVE coffee. I buy the 1/2 caff and find that it is yummy, especially with rasberry chocolate creamer!Now, you can use a Meijer Mealbox coupon (use the link on my blog) for a $1.00 off of 2 canisters of coffee. You can also use a Meijer Mealbox coupon for $1.00 off of 2 post cereals. So, for $12.00 you can get 2 canisters of coffee and 2 boxes of cereal. Basically, they paid me $1.00 to buy 2 boxes of cereal that I got for free! Yippee!!!
Have a great week!!
I saved $45.59 with coupons and shopping the sales. I spent $84.00. This will feed my family for the week and then some! Yeah! Another week under $100 dollars.
There were a few deals that I didn't know about that I wanted to share with you. Thanks to Hot Coupon World I found out about a great deal on their message boards. When I remember to check out Hot Coupon World, I always find some great unadvertised sale. Unfortunately, I forget to do this quite often. If you set up an account at http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ you can use all of their wonderful resources. They have a message board where the coupon goddesses post all the great deals. I really appreciate their efforts. There is also a coupon database that I use when I absolutely have to get a certain item and I want to see if I can find a coupon to apply to that purchase. It is a wonderful resource.
Here is the deal that I read about on hotcoupon world. If you buy Maxwell House coffee (34.5 oz.), you will get a free box of Post cereal. The coffee is on sale for $6.99 (It was $8.25). I LOVE coffee. I buy the 1/2 caff and find that it is yummy, especially with rasberry chocolate creamer!Now, you can use a Meijer Mealbox coupon (use the link on my blog) for a $1.00 off of 2 canisters of coffee. You can also use a Meijer Mealbox coupon for $1.00 off of 2 post cereals. So, for $12.00 you can get 2 canisters of coffee and 2 boxes of cereal. Basically, they paid me $1.00 to buy 2 boxes of cereal that I got for free! Yippee!!!
Have a great week!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Another great deal at Meijer!! 9/13/08
Well, the sales have been pretty pitiful at Kroger this month. I can't remember the last time I shopped at Kroger. It must have been at least a month ago.
On Saturday evening, I made a Meijer run. In between the rainstorms, I managed to get some groceries. It was another great shop. I owe it all to the grocery game.
I spent 100.00 and saved 67.00 with coupons and shopping the sale! I am so pleased. My husband and daughters were tickled with the snacks and meals and drinks that I brought home. They love helping unload the groceries to see what goodies I came home with this time. Before the grocery game, I found that my grocery shopping was pretty routine. Every trip to the store, I would buy the same thing. Now, with coupons and shopping the sales we are trying more and more items than ever before. Snacks that my kids always wanted but I refused to buy because they were too expensive are coming into our home. They are thrilled with this new way of shopping!
I have also mentioned in a previous post that I don't go to Aldi as often as I use to. I did go this Sunday and bought $20.00 worth of groceries. I went because they have splenda and soft shell tortillas for a good price. Well, I don't know when I will go back again. I price shopped again and I am found out that I am still finding brand name products for cheaper than Aldi brand. If you don't shop the sales and stockpile, Aldi is still a great price to shop.
I also needed sliced cheese which I usually buy at Kroger when it is on sale for $1.67. Well, somehow I had run out and needed more. Aldi had it for $2.00. So, I only bought one package. I plan on keeping my eyes open for the next sale at Kroger so I can save more money!
So, check your prices and look for the best deals with or without coupons!
On Saturday evening, I made a Meijer run. In between the rainstorms, I managed to get some groceries. It was another great shop. I owe it all to the grocery game.
I spent 100.00 and saved 67.00 with coupons and shopping the sale! I am so pleased. My husband and daughters were tickled with the snacks and meals and drinks that I brought home. They love helping unload the groceries to see what goodies I came home with this time. Before the grocery game, I found that my grocery shopping was pretty routine. Every trip to the store, I would buy the same thing. Now, with coupons and shopping the sales we are trying more and more items than ever before. Snacks that my kids always wanted but I refused to buy because they were too expensive are coming into our home. They are thrilled with this new way of shopping!
I have also mentioned in a previous post that I don't go to Aldi as often as I use to. I did go this Sunday and bought $20.00 worth of groceries. I went because they have splenda and soft shell tortillas for a good price. Well, I don't know when I will go back again. I price shopped again and I am found out that I am still finding brand name products for cheaper than Aldi brand. If you don't shop the sales and stockpile, Aldi is still a great price to shop.
I also needed sliced cheese which I usually buy at Kroger when it is on sale for $1.67. Well, somehow I had run out and needed more. Aldi had it for $2.00. So, I only bought one package. I plan on keeping my eyes open for the next sale at Kroger so I can save more money!
So, check your prices and look for the best deals with or without coupons!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Meijer coupons
Coupons, coupons, coupons.....
About 3 months ago Meijer started featuring their own coupons. I have attached the link to these on the side of my page. They call it the Meijer Mealbox. I have written about this in a previous post, but thought since I had been writing about coupons this would be an appropriate time to remind you about this feature.
You can choose the coupons that you would like and then print them out. The really neat thing about the Mealbox link is that you can also find recipes and plan your menus using their calendar.
Before you make a trip to Meijer make sure that you check out their site. Many times they will have items on sale and then you can also use a Meijer coupon to save even more money!
About 3 months ago Meijer started featuring their own coupons. I have attached the link to these on the side of my page. They call it the Meijer Mealbox. I have written about this in a previous post, but thought since I had been writing about coupons this would be an appropriate time to remind you about this feature.
You can choose the coupons that you would like and then print them out. The really neat thing about the Mealbox link is that you can also find recipes and plan your menus using their calendar.
Before you make a trip to Meijer make sure that you check out their site. Many times they will have items on sale and then you can also use a Meijer coupon to save even more money!
Are you a money tracker?
http://www.freewebs.com/grocerygeek/filedownloads.htm
As I stated in my last post, I keep track of my spending and saving on a spreadsheet. I found this great site that has a grocery savings tracker. Feel free to download if you are interested in seeing your cumulative savings. I really like this file as it will also calculate your weekly spending. This helps as you try to trim your grocery budget. It is an excel document.
Happy Saving!!!
As I stated in my last post, I keep track of my spending and saving on a spreadsheet. I found this great site that has a grocery savings tracker. Feel free to download if you are interested in seeing your cumulative savings. I really like this file as it will also calculate your weekly spending. This helps as you try to trim your grocery budget. It is an excel document.
Happy Saving!!!
What Coupons are available in this week's Sunday paper
http://www.taylortownpreview.com/
I have been trying to convert some of my friends at work to the joys of saving money with coupons. I will forever be a coupon convert because the amount of money that I have saved since I have begun this coupon adventure.
According to my records/spreadsheet, (Yes, I keep track. My dad has his doctorate in mathematics. It must have rubbed off.) I have saved $804.00 since June 1st of this year. The cumulative value of the groceries I bought was $2,241.00 but instead I have spent $1,645 on groceries since the first day of June.
I started couponing in April but didn't start keeping track of the savings until June. I wish that I had!!! So after 3 months of using coupons and shopping the sales, I have saved $800.00. If I continue on this path, I am hoping that my yearly savings will be $3,200. That is a considerable yearly savings. I have made a vow to put as much of this savings away towards our retirement.
The only way I have been able to do this is through coupons and shopping the sales. So, what coupons can you find in your Sunday paper?
Some of my friends are debating whether they should subscribe to the Sunday paper or buy the Sunday paper each week. I shared with them today that they can subscribe to the taylor town preview. By subscribing, they will email you what coupons will be featured in this Sunday's paper. I receive these emails on Thursday. My friend Deanna said that this might be a good resource to decide if she should buy that week's paper. I use this preview to decide if I should buy an extra paper this week. :)
Please know that our area paper does not always feature all of the coupons that taylor town preview says will be in the Sunday paper. Certain areas/cities receive more coupon circulars than others. My sister who lives in the Chicago suburbs gets more coupons than I do. I am sure that this has to do with the cost of living between there and here.
So, if you are curious about what coupons will be in Sunday's paper take a look at their website.
Happy clipping!
I have been trying to convert some of my friends at work to the joys of saving money with coupons. I will forever be a coupon convert because the amount of money that I have saved since I have begun this coupon adventure.
According to my records/spreadsheet, (Yes, I keep track. My dad has his doctorate in mathematics. It must have rubbed off.) I have saved $804.00 since June 1st of this year. The cumulative value of the groceries I bought was $2,241.00 but instead I have spent $1,645 on groceries since the first day of June.
I started couponing in April but didn't start keeping track of the savings until June. I wish that I had!!! So after 3 months of using coupons and shopping the sales, I have saved $800.00. If I continue on this path, I am hoping that my yearly savings will be $3,200. That is a considerable yearly savings. I have made a vow to put as much of this savings away towards our retirement.
The only way I have been able to do this is through coupons and shopping the sales. So, what coupons can you find in your Sunday paper?
Some of my friends are debating whether they should subscribe to the Sunday paper or buy the Sunday paper each week. I shared with them today that they can subscribe to the taylor town preview. By subscribing, they will email you what coupons will be featured in this Sunday's paper. I receive these emails on Thursday. My friend Deanna said that this might be a good resource to decide if she should buy that week's paper. I use this preview to decide if I should buy an extra paper this week. :)
Please know that our area paper does not always feature all of the coupons that taylor town preview says will be in the Sunday paper. Certain areas/cities receive more coupon circulars than others. My sister who lives in the Chicago suburbs gets more coupons than I do. I am sure that this has to do with the cost of living between there and here.
So, if you are curious about what coupons will be in Sunday's paper take a look at their website.
Happy clipping!
Comparing Sales
I have started to notice that the 2 stores that I shop at Meijer and Kroger are advertising the same products from week to week.
On Sunday our Meijer add comes out and on Thursday our Kroger add comes out. Well, I was making up my Meijer list on Tuesday. I had planned on shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I didn't make it to the store on these days. Well, today our Kroger add came out and many of the items that I had planned on buying at Meijer were now featured at Kroger for a cheaper price. For example, I was planning on buying some of the Easy Mac individual serving cups for a $1.00 at Meijer. Well, it is on sale at Kroger for .88 cents. So, I will be buying my mac and cheese at Kroger.
I have also seen this reversed where the item was cheaper at Meijer versus Kroger. So, be aware of prices and watch the sales. I think that I will wait to grocery shop until Thursday's to know what both stores are offering.
Just wanting to share!
On Sunday our Meijer add comes out and on Thursday our Kroger add comes out. Well, I was making up my Meijer list on Tuesday. I had planned on shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I didn't make it to the store on these days. Well, today our Kroger add came out and many of the items that I had planned on buying at Meijer were now featured at Kroger for a cheaper price. For example, I was planning on buying some of the Easy Mac individual serving cups for a $1.00 at Meijer. Well, it is on sale at Kroger for .88 cents. So, I will be buying my mac and cheese at Kroger.
I have also seen this reversed where the item was cheaper at Meijer versus Kroger. So, be aware of prices and watch the sales. I think that I will wait to grocery shop until Thursday's to know what both stores are offering.
Just wanting to share!
How to find coupons inside your grocery store
I found this article the other day. It explains the coupons that appear inside your grocery store.
Keep your eyes open!
http://couponing.about.com/od/groceryzone/a/instorecoupons.htm
Keep your eyes open!
http://couponing.about.com/od/groceryzone/a/instorecoupons.htm
Why consumers use coupons
I came across this article today.....Very interesting....
Shoppers See Value in Coupons
Typical Savings Studies have shown that shoppers who spend 20 minutes per week clipping and organizing their coupons can save up to $1,000 per year. (With an average annual family grocery bill of $5,000 that means 20 minutes could result in a 20 percent savings from coupons).
The typical family saves between $5.20 and $9.60 per week using coupons. Those who spend 10 minutes or less per week clipping and organizing their coupons (46 percent of shoppers) still achieve an average $7.00 weekly savings on their grocery bill.
PMA Coupon Council Co-Chair Matthew Tilley adds, "In this environment, shoppers can be particularly responsive to coupon offers. But so far in 2008, CPG marketers haven't really changed the number of coupons available, therefore consumer redemption is steady with last year. That's a significant change because until last year, we saw 15 years of declining coupon redemption in the U.S."
Other Coupon Usage Statistics
Approximately $2.6 billion is saved annually by shoppers using manufacturer's coupons when shopping for packaged products.
More than $350 billion of packaged goods coupons are offered annually.
Today, the average value is approximately $1.25 per coupon.
Nearly 90 percent of all coupons are issued in the Sunday newspaper Free Standing Inserts (FSI), but coupons are also available directly in many retailers' ads or in the store, and in magazines, in and on the package, on the Internet, and even in your mail box.
Shoppers See Value in Coupons
Typical Savings Studies have shown that shoppers who spend 20 minutes per week clipping and organizing their coupons can save up to $1,000 per year. (With an average annual family grocery bill of $5,000 that means 20 minutes could result in a 20 percent savings from coupons).
The typical family saves between $5.20 and $9.60 per week using coupons. Those who spend 10 minutes or less per week clipping and organizing their coupons (46 percent of shoppers) still achieve an average $7.00 weekly savings on their grocery bill.
PMA Coupon Council Co-Chair Matthew Tilley adds, "In this environment, shoppers can be particularly responsive to coupon offers. But so far in 2008, CPG marketers haven't really changed the number of coupons available, therefore consumer redemption is steady with last year. That's a significant change because until last year, we saw 15 years of declining coupon redemption in the U.S."
Other Coupon Usage Statistics
Approximately $2.6 billion is saved annually by shoppers using manufacturer's coupons when shopping for packaged products.
More than $350 billion of packaged goods coupons are offered annually.
Today, the average value is approximately $1.25 per coupon.
Nearly 90 percent of all coupons are issued in the Sunday newspaper Free Standing Inserts (FSI), but coupons are also available directly in many retailers' ads or in the store, and in magazines, in and on the package, on the Internet, and even in your mail box.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
August Savings!
Well, it is time to look at how I did with my grocery budget for the month of August.
We are a family of 4. We have 2 growing preteens who enjoy snacks and eat more and more as they get older. They are especially active right now and are participating in 2 sports. So, there is a lot of calorie consumption going on in order to keep them fueled for these activities.
I have been using a grocery saving service called The Grocery Game. Check out my previous posts for information about this. It helps me create my grocery list, tells me where to find the coupons, and lets me know if this item is on sale for its lowest price. Using the grocery game has helped me save more money on groceries. Another way I have been able to save more money, is that I have forced myself to keep track of my grocery spending on an index card. By writing down what I spend every week, it helps me consider what I spend at each shop. This has really helped our family. I use to have grocery bills that were over 200 dollars each time I shopped.
I shop at 3 stores: Meijer, Kroger, and Aldi. This month I have not been to Aldi because I have been able to get all of groceries at Kroger and Meijer for less!!! Our Kroger and Meijer doubles coupons up to .50 cents.
8/4-8/10
spent 98.00
saved 65.00
8/11-8/17
spent 123.00
saved 81.00
8/18-8/24
Spent 56.00
Saved 44.00
8/25-8/31
spent 92
saved 74.00
Monthy total spent = $369
Monthy total saved = $255.00- $7.50=$247.50
Now, I have to deduct $7.50 from the saved amount because this is the cost for me to get 2 lists from the grocery game for the month. Not too bad!!! A $7.50 investment in order to save $247.50!!
I hope to keep our grocery bill under $400 for the month of September. Eventually, my goal will be $75.00 a week. I know this is possible because as I shop I am creating my stockpile and I am finding that I need to purchase less and less to get through each week.
Happy saving!!
We are a family of 4. We have 2 growing preteens who enjoy snacks and eat more and more as they get older. They are especially active right now and are participating in 2 sports. So, there is a lot of calorie consumption going on in order to keep them fueled for these activities.
I have been using a grocery saving service called The Grocery Game. Check out my previous posts for information about this. It helps me create my grocery list, tells me where to find the coupons, and lets me know if this item is on sale for its lowest price. Using the grocery game has helped me save more money on groceries. Another way I have been able to save more money, is that I have forced myself to keep track of my grocery spending on an index card. By writing down what I spend every week, it helps me consider what I spend at each shop. This has really helped our family. I use to have grocery bills that were over 200 dollars each time I shopped.
I shop at 3 stores: Meijer, Kroger, and Aldi. This month I have not been to Aldi because I have been able to get all of groceries at Kroger and Meijer for less!!! Our Kroger and Meijer doubles coupons up to .50 cents.
8/4-8/10
spent 98.00
saved 65.00
8/11-8/17
spent 123.00
saved 81.00
8/18-8/24
Spent 56.00
Saved 44.00
8/25-8/31
spent 92
saved 74.00
Monthy total spent = $369
Monthy total saved = $255.00- $7.50=$247.50
Now, I have to deduct $7.50 from the saved amount because this is the cost for me to get 2 lists from the grocery game for the month. Not too bad!!! A $7.50 investment in order to save $247.50!!
I hope to keep our grocery bill under $400 for the month of September. Eventually, my goal will be $75.00 a week. I know this is possible because as I shop I am creating my stockpile and I am finding that I need to purchase less and less to get through each week.
Happy saving!!
Today's Meijer shop!
I am so excited!!! I am getting better and better at saving money and I am spending less and less every week!!
Today (Saturday), I finally managed to make it Meijer before this week's sale ended (which was today). I am back to work (I am a teacher) and it was a crazy week with my daughters' sports activities so it was a challenge to find time to grocery shop.
I was able to save $51.32 on my groceries today. I had over $24.00 in coupons! The remainder of the savings came from the items being on sale!
I was able to stock up on razors, shaving creme, canned chicken, kool-aid, salad dressing, yogurt, coke zero, bread, rice, milk, peaches, glass cleaners, salad, fruit snacks, microwave popcorn, and bananas.
I will have to go back next week to get the items that I received rainchecks for. I have a great stockpile of other items in my pantry that I will be able to fix dinner from this week!!
Yeah! I love it when my receipt is so long and yet my bill is so small!!!
I just love saving money and want to share what I have learned with everyone. My stomach just cringed for the lady ahead of me who purchased almost $300 dollars worth of groceries. Her cart was about 1/2 full and she had no coupons! I want everyone I know and who reads this blog to be able to save as much money as you can on your groceries. We all have other financial priorities and goals and groceries seems like such a simple place to save!
If you are just beginning this coupon journey, I recommend reading my blog from the beginning so you can learn some of the tricks that I have learned from experts! Happy couponing!
Today (Saturday), I finally managed to make it Meijer before this week's sale ended (which was today). I am back to work (I am a teacher) and it was a crazy week with my daughters' sports activities so it was a challenge to find time to grocery shop.
I was able to save $51.32 on my groceries today. I had over $24.00 in coupons! The remainder of the savings came from the items being on sale!
I was able to stock up on razors, shaving creme, canned chicken, kool-aid, salad dressing, yogurt, coke zero, bread, rice, milk, peaches, glass cleaners, salad, fruit snacks, microwave popcorn, and bananas.
I will have to go back next week to get the items that I received rainchecks for. I have a great stockpile of other items in my pantry that I will be able to fix dinner from this week!!
Yeah! I love it when my receipt is so long and yet my bill is so small!!!
I just love saving money and want to share what I have learned with everyone. My stomach just cringed for the lady ahead of me who purchased almost $300 dollars worth of groceries. Her cart was about 1/2 full and she had no coupons! I want everyone I know and who reads this blog to be able to save as much money as you can on your groceries. We all have other financial priorities and goals and groceries seems like such a simple place to save!
If you are just beginning this coupon journey, I recommend reading my blog from the beginning so you can learn some of the tricks that I have learned from experts! Happy couponing!
Rainchecks
As more and more people are finding ways to save money in their budgets, I am finding that many times the sale items are scarce! Today for example, I hit Meijer and was disappointed that I was unable to buy super pretzels, jennie-o ground turkey, wheat hamburger buns, goldfish, and paper towels. All of these items were for sale for great prices. Well, my community took advantage of the sale of these items and I was unable to find any of these in our store. So, after I made my purchases I headed over to customer service and they wrote me rainchecks for the amount of these items that I had planned to purchase. Hopefully next week when I do my shopping these items will be available again and I will be getting this week's sale price. So, don't forget to ask for a raincheck!!
Ebates!
I think it is time to remind you about ebates. I had written about this in previous post. Ebates is a website that pays you to shop. If you are an internet shopper or a person who is trying to save money on gas, ebates is for you. They have over 900 stores that as long as you shop through their site you will earn money back. The way this works is you will earn a percentage back. After 3 months of earning money, they will send you a check. So far our family has earned $48.00 buying things that we would have bought anyways, but also receiving a refund. We recieved our first ebates check last week. I was thrilled! I also decreased my mileage as most of these purchases earned free shipping and saved our family gas money!!
Many of you may be hesistant and think that it isn't worth the money to shop online, because of the shipping charges. Most of the time I am able to find a free shopping coupon online. There is a great website http://www.freeshipping.org/ . This website will give free shipping codes for online stores. You may find that you save more money because you don't buy extra items you would if you were in the store. You may also find that you have a wider selection. Many times I know that I have gone to the store and found that they didn't have the size, color, or style I wanted but was able to find it online.
There is another website that I also pair with freeshipping.org. It is called http://www.retailmeknot.com/ . This website consists of additional codes that that allow you to apply an additional discount to your purchase. Sometimes it is a percentage off or a flat dollar amount. This is what you would enter during checkout and it is the promotional code that I always wished that I had.
So check out ebates!!! Use my link at the side of this page and see how many stores you can shop and enjoy saving money!!
Many of you may be hesistant and think that it isn't worth the money to shop online, because of the shipping charges. Most of the time I am able to find a free shopping coupon online. There is a great website http://www.freeshipping.org/ . This website will give free shipping codes for online stores. You may find that you save more money because you don't buy extra items you would if you were in the store. You may also find that you have a wider selection. Many times I know that I have gone to the store and found that they didn't have the size, color, or style I wanted but was able to find it online.
There is another website that I also pair with freeshipping.org. It is called http://www.retailmeknot.com/ . This website consists of additional codes that that allow you to apply an additional discount to your purchase. Sometimes it is a percentage off or a flat dollar amount. This is what you would enter during checkout and it is the promotional code that I always wished that I had.
So check out ebates!!! Use my link at the side of this page and see how many stores you can shop and enjoy saving money!!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Kroger 8/24
Again, if you haven't checked out The Grocery Game I highly recommend it.
I shopped of their list for Kroger today and saved 46%.
I purchased 24 items for $26.48 and saved $22.46
Yeah!
Check out my other posting about The Grocery Game for the nitty gritty. I showed my sister how this worked and she signed up yesterday and loves it!! She has already shopped at Meijer and Jewel and is looking forward to giving Walgreens a try.
Remember it only costs a $1.00 to try it for a month. Give it a try and I think you will be thrilled with the savings.
I shopped of their list for Kroger today and saved 46%.
I purchased 24 items for $26.48 and saved $22.46
Yeah!
Check out my other posting about The Grocery Game for the nitty gritty. I showed my sister how this worked and she signed up yesterday and loves it!! She has already shopped at Meijer and Jewel and is looking forward to giving Walgreens a try.
Remember it only costs a $1.00 to try it for a month. Give it a try and I think you will be thrilled with the savings.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Ann Taylor Loft
There is a sale this weekend at The Loft.
This is one of my favorite stores. I recommend that you register to receive emails from them. Today, I received an email about a great sale this weekend.
For every $50 you spend, you will get 2 - $25 cards that can be used at a future date. Also, they are offering 25% off coupon.
So, I recommend that you check them out this weekend!!
This is one of my favorite stores. I recommend that you register to receive emails from them. Today, I received an email about a great sale this weekend.
For every $50 you spend, you will get 2 - $25 cards that can be used at a future date. Also, they are offering 25% off coupon.
So, I recommend that you check them out this weekend!!
Meijer sale this week....
Another great sale at Meijer this week.....I didn't go to Kroger this last week because there wasn't much that was on sale and it didn't seem worth it to go for just a few items. However, this week's sale that started yesterday looks really good. They have a lot of $1.00 items.
I finally made it to the grocery store this week. It has been crazy since everyone in my home is now back to school.
I just got a few things that we needed and some things that we will use later that are on sale.
I spent $38.75 and saved $24.03 = a 39% savings....
I bought 12 Yoplait yogurts, 3 mac and cheese, 2 pkg. english muffins, 3 edy's yogurt ice cream, 3 pkg. of 2 magic erasers, 3 marinade, 3 bags pretzels, 1 orange juice, 1 milk, 1 lb turkey breast, and 6 ramen noodles.
I had $8.84 worth of coupons. Some of my friends have asked me how I have gotten these coupons, especially when I have multiples. For this shop, most of my coupons came from the coupon clippers. I bought the Edy's yogurt coupons from them, 2 of the magic eraser coupons, and the 3 marinades. The total I spent on coupons for these items was less than a $1.oo total but I saved 8.84. So my $1.00 investment was worth the money. I have been using the coupon clippers for coupons for items that I will always use and always need. The items that I used these coupons for were also on sale; therefore saving me even more money. The only down side to the coupon clippers is to make sure you use your coupon by the expiration date. There have been a few times when I have let a coupon expire. For coupons that I get in the Sunday paper it doesn't stress me out, but for coupons that I had to pay for....I want to make sure that I use them.
I saved almost $15.00 buying items that were on sale. Again, I am amazed at my savings now that I pay attention to what is on sale and then apply coupons to those sale items. I remember the days of going up to cashier with a full grocery cart and having my groceries cost over 200.00.
I am so glad that I found the grocery game and the grocery gathering!!
I finally made it to the grocery store this week. It has been crazy since everyone in my home is now back to school.
I just got a few things that we needed and some things that we will use later that are on sale.
I spent $38.75 and saved $24.03 = a 39% savings....
I bought 12 Yoplait yogurts, 3 mac and cheese, 2 pkg. english muffins, 3 edy's yogurt ice cream, 3 pkg. of 2 magic erasers, 3 marinade, 3 bags pretzels, 1 orange juice, 1 milk, 1 lb turkey breast, and 6 ramen noodles.
I had $8.84 worth of coupons. Some of my friends have asked me how I have gotten these coupons, especially when I have multiples. For this shop, most of my coupons came from the coupon clippers. I bought the Edy's yogurt coupons from them, 2 of the magic eraser coupons, and the 3 marinades. The total I spent on coupons for these items was less than a $1.oo total but I saved 8.84. So my $1.00 investment was worth the money. I have been using the coupon clippers for coupons for items that I will always use and always need. The items that I used these coupons for were also on sale; therefore saving me even more money. The only down side to the coupon clippers is to make sure you use your coupon by the expiration date. There have been a few times when I have let a coupon expire. For coupons that I get in the Sunday paper it doesn't stress me out, but for coupons that I had to pay for....I want to make sure that I use them.
I saved almost $15.00 buying items that were on sale. Again, I am amazed at my savings now that I pay attention to what is on sale and then apply coupons to those sale items. I remember the days of going up to cashier with a full grocery cart and having my groceries cost over 200.00.
I am so glad that I found the grocery game and the grocery gathering!!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
More coupons.....
Today, I made a Walmart run with my daughters to get the last of their school supplies. Since, I knew that we were going to Walmart I checked the blogs at The Grocery Gathering to read about the deals for the week. I don't got to Walmart very often because I get frustrated from the long lines and I can find better deals at Meijer and Kroger because they double their coupons.
I got some great deals and had $10.75 in coupons!
A great deal that I want to pass on....
At Walmart, they have Huggies Clean Team flushable moist wipes. There are 42 in package. I use these in my car. This item is packaged with a plastic top and you can pull each wipe and then close the top. I love them. You can find them in the health and beauty area not where the diapers are.
There are coupons for these in the 7/20 Smart Source flyer. The coupon is $3.00/2. These are for sale at Walmart for $1.67. So, if you have the coupon you are buying these for .17 cents a piece. Not too bad!!! I had 2 coupons so I bought 4.
Another great deal that I had been reading about is a magazine that is for sale at Walmart called All You. It is a magazine that you can subscribe to but you can buy individual copies at Walmart. The ladies on all of the blogs have been raving about the amount of coupons that are in this magazine. I figured that I would give it a try and see what I thought. The magazine comes out monthly and costs $1.97 if you buy it at the store and $1.80 a month if you subscribe. I have decided to subscribe. I really liked the articles in the magazine. It features many organizational ideas, beauty, and recipes. So, I will get to enjoy reading it, and it is full of coupons. This month they have over $35 dollars in coupons for products that I will use. The $35 isn't including if your store would double the coupons. If your store doubles, you could be getting $70 dollars off of your groceries for a 1.97 investment.
Here are the coupons that are featured in this month's magazine. (I won't use all of these because some of the products don't appeal to our family.)
2000 Flushes Automatic Toliet Bowl Cleaner -1.00
Abaya Naturals -2.00
All concentrated laundry detergent -1.00
Ban deoderant -1.00
Biz laundry stain fighter -2.50
Boston Market Froven Entrees -1.00/4
Bundinos Frozen Snacks -.50
Crystal Light - free with purchase
Dole Fruit Bowls -.75
Emerald Breakfast on the Go Trail Mix -1.00
Fram Rich Product -1.00
Fruit chillers -1.00
Giant Chewy Nerds buy 1 get 1
Glade Fabric and air odor eliminator -1.00
Greased Lightning -1.50
Jif to go -.75
Kellogg Mini Wheats - 1.00
Kid Cuisine -1.00/2
Kotex tampons -1.00
Kraft salad dressing - free with purchase
Kraft singles - free with purchase
Miralax -2.00
Nabisco wheat thins - free with purchase
Nature Made Mulitvitamins - 1.00
Ore-ida frozen potatoes -1.00/2
Orville Redenbacher mini smart cakes -1.00
Oscar Meyer hot dogs -free with purchase
Peter Pan peanut butter - 1.00
Smuckers uncrustables -.55
Splenda mini's-1.00
Spot shot carpet stain eliminator -1.00
Sunny D -.55
TGI Friday skillet meals -1.00
TGI Friday Frozen snacks -1.00/2
Trident Xtra care gum -.75
Visine -3.00
Weight Watchers Smart Ones - purchase 5 get 1 free
White Castle Hamburgers -.50
Wow! That is a lot!!!
So, if you are interested check out this magazine. You can pick it up at Walmart. I found mine in the aisles by the checkout lanes. You could also subscribe online at
www.allyou.com/customerservice
I got some great deals and had $10.75 in coupons!
A great deal that I want to pass on....
At Walmart, they have Huggies Clean Team flushable moist wipes. There are 42 in package. I use these in my car. This item is packaged with a plastic top and you can pull each wipe and then close the top. I love them. You can find them in the health and beauty area not where the diapers are.
There are coupons for these in the 7/20 Smart Source flyer. The coupon is $3.00/2. These are for sale at Walmart for $1.67. So, if you have the coupon you are buying these for .17 cents a piece. Not too bad!!! I had 2 coupons so I bought 4.
Another great deal that I had been reading about is a magazine that is for sale at Walmart called All You. It is a magazine that you can subscribe to but you can buy individual copies at Walmart. The ladies on all of the blogs have been raving about the amount of coupons that are in this magazine. I figured that I would give it a try and see what I thought. The magazine comes out monthly and costs $1.97 if you buy it at the store and $1.80 a month if you subscribe. I have decided to subscribe. I really liked the articles in the magazine. It features many organizational ideas, beauty, and recipes. So, I will get to enjoy reading it, and it is full of coupons. This month they have over $35 dollars in coupons for products that I will use. The $35 isn't including if your store would double the coupons. If your store doubles, you could be getting $70 dollars off of your groceries for a 1.97 investment.
Here are the coupons that are featured in this month's magazine. (I won't use all of these because some of the products don't appeal to our family.)
2000 Flushes Automatic Toliet Bowl Cleaner -1.00
Abaya Naturals -2.00
All concentrated laundry detergent -1.00
Ban deoderant -1.00
Biz laundry stain fighter -2.50
Boston Market Froven Entrees -1.00/4
Bundinos Frozen Snacks -.50
Crystal Light - free with purchase
Dole Fruit Bowls -.75
Emerald Breakfast on the Go Trail Mix -1.00
Fram Rich Product -1.00
Fruit chillers -1.00
Giant Chewy Nerds buy 1 get 1
Glade Fabric and air odor eliminator -1.00
Greased Lightning -1.50
Jif to go -.75
Kellogg Mini Wheats - 1.00
Kid Cuisine -1.00/2
Kotex tampons -1.00
Kraft salad dressing - free with purchase
Kraft singles - free with purchase
Miralax -2.00
Nabisco wheat thins - free with purchase
Nature Made Mulitvitamins - 1.00
Ore-ida frozen potatoes -1.00/2
Orville Redenbacher mini smart cakes -1.00
Oscar Meyer hot dogs -free with purchase
Peter Pan peanut butter - 1.00
Smuckers uncrustables -.55
Splenda mini's-1.00
Spot shot carpet stain eliminator -1.00
Sunny D -.55
TGI Friday skillet meals -1.00
TGI Friday Frozen snacks -1.00/2
Trident Xtra care gum -.75
Visine -3.00
Weight Watchers Smart Ones - purchase 5 get 1 free
White Castle Hamburgers -.50
Wow! That is a lot!!!
So, if you are interested check out this magazine. You can pick it up at Walmart. I found mine in the aisles by the checkout lanes. You could also subscribe online at
www.allyou.com/customerservice
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Grocery saving tips
I wanted to share some grocery saving strategies that may be new to you....
1. Menu plan based on the sales for that week.
I plan our meals on Sunday. Sunday is a good planning day because I begin my grocery shopping on Sunday. I grocery shop on Sunday at Kroger and on Tuesday at Meijer. I also consider items for our meals that I may have stocked up on during previous weeks.
I found a really great website that you can input the items you have in your pantry and/or fridge and it will give you a recipe to use.
http://www.supercook.com/
2. Challenge yourself to create meals from what you have in the fridge/pantry/freezer.
I am always amazed how many meals I can get out of this stash. Many times I don't feel like eating it or making it but forcing myself to use what I have really decreases my weekly grocery bill.
3. Try to buy as many of your frequently used products as you can when they are on sale. If you aren't a member of the grocery game, I would keep a price book. You don't need to keep track of every single item but keep track of your most commonly used and/or expensive items. Also with your price book consider the price of the item per unit/ounce. Many times you will find that the smaller package is actually cheaper, especially when you can apply a coupon to the item. You might be able to get it for free.
4. Keep an index card in your purse and/or wallet and keep track of your weekly spending. If you are looking at a way to cut your expenses, set a weekly goal.
After each shop, I write down what I spent and what I saved.
I carry this in my wallet. I use this to help (force) me to reconsider running out to get more things because they are on sale or I "need" it. Usually, I can wait until the next week to get it. This has really helped me keep to my grocery budget. I am considering trying this process for other budgetary items. Many of you may have some great strategies that you use. If you have a good strategy please share by posting a comment.
Happy saving!!!
1. Menu plan based on the sales for that week.
I plan our meals on Sunday. Sunday is a good planning day because I begin my grocery shopping on Sunday. I grocery shop on Sunday at Kroger and on Tuesday at Meijer. I also consider items for our meals that I may have stocked up on during previous weeks.
I found a really great website that you can input the items you have in your pantry and/or fridge and it will give you a recipe to use.
http://www.supercook.com/
2. Challenge yourself to create meals from what you have in the fridge/pantry/freezer.
I am always amazed how many meals I can get out of this stash. Many times I don't feel like eating it or making it but forcing myself to use what I have really decreases my weekly grocery bill.
3. Try to buy as many of your frequently used products as you can when they are on sale. If you aren't a member of the grocery game, I would keep a price book. You don't need to keep track of every single item but keep track of your most commonly used and/or expensive items. Also with your price book consider the price of the item per unit/ounce. Many times you will find that the smaller package is actually cheaper, especially when you can apply a coupon to the item. You might be able to get it for free.
4. Keep an index card in your purse and/or wallet and keep track of your weekly spending. If you are looking at a way to cut your expenses, set a weekly goal.
After each shop, I write down what I spent and what I saved.
I carry this in my wallet. I use this to help (force) me to reconsider running out to get more things because they are on sale or I "need" it. Usually, I can wait until the next week to get it. This has really helped me keep to my grocery budget. I am considering trying this process for other budgetary items. Many of you may have some great strategies that you use. If you have a good strategy please share by posting a comment.Happy saving!!!
Kroger coupons
Hello! There are coupons in today's Pantagraph that are good for 4 days only. These look like great coupons.
1/2 gallon of milk for .99 cents
12 eggs for .79 cents
4 lb bag of sugar for .99 cents
Wheat/White bread for .69 cents
Bacon 1.49
Dole Classic Salad Mix .77 cents
Bar S Franks .67 cents
Ibuprofen .49 cents
These are only valid from 8/14 through 8/17. The coupons are on the back of the GO section.
1/2 gallon of milk for .99 cents
12 eggs for .79 cents
4 lb bag of sugar for .99 cents
Wheat/White bread for .69 cents
Bacon 1.49
Dole Classic Salad Mix .77 cents
Bar S Franks .67 cents
Ibuprofen .49 cents
These are only valid from 8/14 through 8/17. The coupons are on the back of the GO section.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Meijer shopping this week!
Hello! Well, I spent more than I planned today, but it was worth it. I had hoped to spend 50 dollars. I had even decided I would spend 75 if needed. Well, I spent 98.00. I had to buy toilet paper and this was about 15 dollars of my grocery bill.
My children accompanied me on this shop and this is part of the reason I was over. We didn't buy anything that wasn't on sale, but I did give in on a few items. I don't know about you but shopping with my children stresses me out. By the end of the shop, I am frustrated and crabby.
My goal this week was to get my weekly grocery bill down to $75 this week. With my shop from yesterday at Kroger, I spent 125.00 dollars this week. Oh well! I still got some great deals that we will eat over this month.
I wanted to share a really good deal on Turkey italian sausage.
If you buy the Turkey store ground turkey (It is on sale for 2.99.), many of the packages have a coupon to save a $1.00 on Turkey store Italian sausage. Well, the Turkey store Italian sausage is also on sale for 2.99 so I got it for 1.99!
I bought 2 packages of ground turkey (I did leave some with coupons) and 2 packages of Italian Sausage. I used the coupons on both.
I spent 98 dollars and saved 64 dollars! With my shop yesterday and today, I saved 81 dollars! Yeah!
Have a great week!
My children accompanied me on this shop and this is part of the reason I was over. We didn't buy anything that wasn't on sale, but I did give in on a few items. I don't know about you but shopping with my children stresses me out. By the end of the shop, I am frustrated and crabby.
My goal this week was to get my weekly grocery bill down to $75 this week. With my shop from yesterday at Kroger, I spent 125.00 dollars this week. Oh well! I still got some great deals that we will eat over this month.
I wanted to share a really good deal on Turkey italian sausage.
If you buy the Turkey store ground turkey (It is on sale for 2.99.), many of the packages have a coupon to save a $1.00 on Turkey store Italian sausage. Well, the Turkey store Italian sausage is also on sale for 2.99 so I got it for 1.99!
I bought 2 packages of ground turkey (I did leave some with coupons) and 2 packages of Italian Sausage. I used the coupons on both.
I spent 98 dollars and saved 64 dollars! With my shop yesterday and today, I saved 81 dollars! Yeah!
Have a great week!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Diaper Savings this week!!!
Info from the Grocery Gathering about all the diaper and baby product sales for this week!!
My checkbook feels for you as baby items are soooooo expensive. We have twins and I remember the diaper/formula/wipes/daycare debt that we had every month!!
http://www.becentsable.net/2008/03/weekly-diaper-formula-and-baby-food.html
My checkbook feels for you as baby items are soooooo expensive. We have twins and I remember the diaper/formula/wipes/daycare debt that we had every month!!
http://www.becentsable.net/2008/03/weekly-diaper-formula-and-baby-food.html
Coupon Envy
Well, yesterday I experienced extreme coupon envy.
Yesterday, I spoke to my mother-in-law who bless her heart saved the Sunday coupons for me. This was a really good paper and I was going to get another paper during my Kroger run on Sunday. This saved me $1.00!
Well, she was sharing that I would be so proud of her and how much she saved at Kroger the other day. I said that I was proud of her. But then she told me that she got a TON of Kroger only coupons in the mail last week. I about died. What Kroger coupons I said? Well, I never received any coupons. I teased her that they were mine because there was a brief period that we lived with them and that is when I orginally signed up for my Kroger card.
Then later on Sunday I made my Kroger run and my envy continued!! I saw tons of people walking around with a WAD of coupons in their hand. I knew that these were the ones that my mother-in-law had talked about. I just can't believe that I didn't get any.
Well, when I got home I logged into Kroger.com and saw under my profile that they didn't have my address in the system. So if you are Kroger shopper and use your card double check that your address is in the system so you don't have coupon envy!!
I just hate missing out on a deal.....
I still saved a lot on my Sunday shop. I purchased 29 items for $25.33. I saved $16.53 (39%) using my Kroger card and coupons!
The deals weren't very good this week. This was more of an essentials trip. We needed yogurt, luna bars were on sale (these are great for on the go breakfasts!), milk, canned chicken, peanut butter, and poptarts. I also bought cheese and bananas.
I plan on making my Meijer run on Tuesday. My grocery goal this week is only $75.00. So I am going to try to spend only 49 dollars at Meijer. I have created quite a stockpile so I don't need as much to have us up and running this week. I am hoping to stay at this number for the rest of the school year! We will see how this goes!!
Yesterday, I spoke to my mother-in-law who bless her heart saved the Sunday coupons for me. This was a really good paper and I was going to get another paper during my Kroger run on Sunday. This saved me $1.00!
Well, she was sharing that I would be so proud of her and how much she saved at Kroger the other day. I said that I was proud of her. But then she told me that she got a TON of Kroger only coupons in the mail last week. I about died. What Kroger coupons I said? Well, I never received any coupons. I teased her that they were mine because there was a brief period that we lived with them and that is when I orginally signed up for my Kroger card.
Then later on Sunday I made my Kroger run and my envy continued!! I saw tons of people walking around with a WAD of coupons in their hand. I knew that these were the ones that my mother-in-law had talked about. I just can't believe that I didn't get any.
Well, when I got home I logged into Kroger.com and saw under my profile that they didn't have my address in the system. So if you are Kroger shopper and use your card double check that your address is in the system so you don't have coupon envy!!
I just hate missing out on a deal.....
I still saved a lot on my Sunday shop. I purchased 29 items for $25.33. I saved $16.53 (39%) using my Kroger card and coupons!
The deals weren't very good this week. This was more of an essentials trip. We needed yogurt, luna bars were on sale (these are great for on the go breakfasts!), milk, canned chicken, peanut butter, and poptarts. I also bought cheese and bananas.
I plan on making my Meijer run on Tuesday. My grocery goal this week is only $75.00. So I am going to try to spend only 49 dollars at Meijer. I have created quite a stockpile so I don't need as much to have us up and running this week. I am hoping to stay at this number for the rest of the school year! We will see how this goes!!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Time to start cooking!
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/crockpot-pizza-soup-recipe.html
This looks really yummy! In my frantic crazyness that has now set in (because I go back to work in a week), I am thinking about how this would be a great dinner for when I am working again.
If you are not a regular reader of my blog, I recommend this site. This wonderful woman has vowed to use her crockpot every day for an entire year. Bless her heart! I wish that I could vow to cook everyday. I love to cook, but I go through stages when I just don't feel like it!
She has gained a lot of attention and was featured on Rachel Ray in June!
So far I have made only one of her recipes - spaghetti sauce. It was good!! I think it would be yummier with turkey italian sausage. I would also add some fresh basil.
Through her blog, you can set up to receive emails of when she posts a new dish. I like receiving these via email as they give me some good ideas.
Happy cooking!
This looks really yummy! In my frantic crazyness that has now set in (because I go back to work in a week), I am thinking about how this would be a great dinner for when I am working again.
If you are not a regular reader of my blog, I recommend this site. This wonderful woman has vowed to use her crockpot every day for an entire year. Bless her heart! I wish that I could vow to cook everyday. I love to cook, but I go through stages when I just don't feel like it!
She has gained a lot of attention and was featured on Rachel Ray in June!
So far I have made only one of her recipes - spaghetti sauce. It was good!! I think it would be yummier with turkey italian sausage. I would also add some fresh basil.
Through her blog, you can set up to receive emails of when she posts a new dish. I like receiving these via email as they give me some good ideas.
Happy cooking!
Meijer sale 8/8 and 8/9
I have many friends that are die hard Meijer fans!
Here is info about their 2 day sale from a blog that I read!
http://thriftyinthecincy.blogspot.com/2008/08/meijer-2-day-super-sale-88-89.html
Here is info about their 2 day sale from a blog that I read!
http://thriftyinthecincy.blogspot.com/2008/08/meijer-2-day-super-sale-88-89.html
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tips about the Grocery Game
For my friends who live here in Bloomington/Normal, I recommend that you enter Normal's zipcode to choose your stores for the grocery game. This way you will have more stores to choose.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
I have finally found the easiest way to grocery shop and save money!!
Hello! If you have been reading my posts, you may remember me mentioning that I was trying out something that should save time and still save money!! I am now able to share this information with you. This is what I plan on continuing to use.
Well, I have spent the last 4 weeks trying something called The Grocery Game. This is a paid service that does all of the work for you. They match up coupons and better yet they keep track of the prices of items.
In April at the beginning of my coupon journey, I spent A LOT of time going to blogs and reading the postings at The Grocery Gathering at BeCentsable. This is a great resource and I saved a lot of money using this. I appreciate all of their work. They take the sale flyers of the grocery stores that you shop at and then match coupons to the sales. The only downside is they don't keep track if the item that is on sale is at its cheapest. (I was saving about 20-30% off my grocery bill when I was doing this.)
This is where the Grocery Game comes into play. They have a database and keep track of the sale trends of the items that are sale. Most items will circulate through a sale period and will be at it's cheapest price once every 12 weeks. The key is to try to apply your coupon to the item when it is the cheapest. (I have been saving 35-50% off since I have used their lists.)
They offer a month trial period for only $1.00. I would also recommend that you sign up when you have also saved at least a month or so of coupons. Otherwise, your savings wouldn't be as great.
You can sign up for as many stores as you want during this trial period. After the trial period is over you only pay for the stores that you want. I originally signed up for Jewel/Meijer/CVS/Kroger/Walgreens. Honestly, I looked at the other store's lists but still continued to shop at Kroger and Meijer.
Once a week, you can access your store's list. The list is based on that week's sale flyer. They color code the list based on percentage of savings. If an item is green, you can get that item for FREE with the matched up coupon. Blue items should be purchased if you use the products featured on this week's list because according to their databases this is the time to buy. This item may be on sale again but not for as low as this price -until the next cycle (which is usually 12 weeks).
They refer to blue items as things that you should stockpile. This means that you would buy as much of this product as you can afford and/or store (if it has a good shelf life). The theory would be that if you stockpiled this item and used your stockpile during the 12 week cycle you would always be buying this item at it's cheapest. This may or may not work for you. During this process, I have stockpiled deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, shampoo, shaving creme, and pasta. Most of these items were less than a 1.00. I shouldn't need to buy these items again for another 12 weeks. For example, we eat pasta at least once a week. I have bought 12-15 boxes of whole wheat Barilla pasta when it was the cheapest and with a coupon!!! This should last us until the next time it hits the lowest price again.
Black items on the list are good prices but not the lowest. They recommend that you buy these items only if you need them.
I spent a lot of time investigating this site and read lots of reviews from people who have tried this. The majority of these people LOVED this service. There were a few that didn't like and their reasons were hilarious. One lady said that she gained weight because she only bought junk food! Really!!! I also viewed video clips and read many references to The Grocery Game on such sites as MSNBC, Fox, etc. This company has been favorably mentioned everywhere that I have read.
There are a few negatives I have noticed, but I will still be using this service!!
1. Sometimes I am not able to find the coupon they are referring to. I have learned that certain areas get more coupons than others. Since we live in a smaller city, we don't receive as large of a circular as the bigger cities. This hasn't been that much of a problem.
2. The other negative is when they release their list for each store. They wait to release the list to advantage of the most recent Sunday paper. For our area, Meijer's list isn't released until Tuesday. The sale flyer comes out on Sunday but the list isn't available until Monday evening. So you would have to shop at Meijer on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. For Kroger, their sale flyer comes out on Thursday and the list isn't available until Sunday. So you would have to shop at Kroger Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
I shop at Meijer on Tuesday's and Kroger on Sunday's. This is what works for me. My time in the grocery store is also a lot shorter because I am shopping off the list and not browsing the aisles. I am in each store for less than 20 minutes! HONEST!!!
When the list comes out, you can manipulate the list to print only the items you would purchase. This week's Meijer's list was over 13 pages long. I chose the items that we needed or would eat and my list was only one page. You take the list and then match up the coupon to the item. They tell you where to find the coupon. I recommend using the binder system I had mentioned in an earlier post. This only takes me about 10-15 minutes to find the coupons for each list! This is a HUGE reason for me to continue with this service!!! I have no problem taking 20-30 minutes a week on this process. This is less than the 40 minutes to an hour that I spent using the other method.
Well, many of you are wondering the cost..... It depends on how many stores lists' you want to receive. I will be paying for 2 lists. For one list it costs 5.00/month. For 2 lists, it costs 7.50/month.
I have been saving a greater percentage using The Grocery Game's shopping list. I feel that the $7.50 investment a month is worth the savings....
Week 1 of the game I spent 101 and saved 86 =46% savings
Week 2 I spent 41 and saved 43=51% savings
Week 3 I spent 134 and saved 77=36% savings
Week 4 I spent 98 and saved 64=39% savings
So, I saved $270 dollars this month for a $7.50 investment....You do the math!!!
Here is the website: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/
If you decide to sign up, I would appreciate you using me as a referral. My email address is rexie.wl@verizon.net.
In a quick summary, I am now a Grocery Game girl because I can save more money and save a ton of time!!
Well, I have spent the last 4 weeks trying something called The Grocery Game. This is a paid service that does all of the work for you. They match up coupons and better yet they keep track of the prices of items.
In April at the beginning of my coupon journey, I spent A LOT of time going to blogs and reading the postings at The Grocery Gathering at BeCentsable. This is a great resource and I saved a lot of money using this. I appreciate all of their work. They take the sale flyers of the grocery stores that you shop at and then match coupons to the sales. The only downside is they don't keep track if the item that is on sale is at its cheapest. (I was saving about 20-30% off my grocery bill when I was doing this.)
This is where the Grocery Game comes into play. They have a database and keep track of the sale trends of the items that are sale. Most items will circulate through a sale period and will be at it's cheapest price once every 12 weeks. The key is to try to apply your coupon to the item when it is the cheapest. (I have been saving 35-50% off since I have used their lists.)
They offer a month trial period for only $1.00. I would also recommend that you sign up when you have also saved at least a month or so of coupons. Otherwise, your savings wouldn't be as great.
You can sign up for as many stores as you want during this trial period. After the trial period is over you only pay for the stores that you want. I originally signed up for Jewel/Meijer/CVS/Kroger/Walgreens. Honestly, I looked at the other store's lists but still continued to shop at Kroger and Meijer.
Once a week, you can access your store's list. The list is based on that week's sale flyer. They color code the list based on percentage of savings. If an item is green, you can get that item for FREE with the matched up coupon. Blue items should be purchased if you use the products featured on this week's list because according to their databases this is the time to buy. This item may be on sale again but not for as low as this price -until the next cycle (which is usually 12 weeks).
They refer to blue items as things that you should stockpile. This means that you would buy as much of this product as you can afford and/or store (if it has a good shelf life). The theory would be that if you stockpiled this item and used your stockpile during the 12 week cycle you would always be buying this item at it's cheapest. This may or may not work for you. During this process, I have stockpiled deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, shampoo, shaving creme, and pasta. Most of these items were less than a 1.00. I shouldn't need to buy these items again for another 12 weeks. For example, we eat pasta at least once a week. I have bought 12-15 boxes of whole wheat Barilla pasta when it was the cheapest and with a coupon!!! This should last us until the next time it hits the lowest price again.
Black items on the list are good prices but not the lowest. They recommend that you buy these items only if you need them.
I spent a lot of time investigating this site and read lots of reviews from people who have tried this. The majority of these people LOVED this service. There were a few that didn't like and their reasons were hilarious. One lady said that she gained weight because she only bought junk food! Really!!! I also viewed video clips and read many references to The Grocery Game on such sites as MSNBC, Fox, etc. This company has been favorably mentioned everywhere that I have read.
There are a few negatives I have noticed, but I will still be using this service!!
1. Sometimes I am not able to find the coupon they are referring to. I have learned that certain areas get more coupons than others. Since we live in a smaller city, we don't receive as large of a circular as the bigger cities. This hasn't been that much of a problem.
2. The other negative is when they release their list for each store. They wait to release the list to advantage of the most recent Sunday paper. For our area, Meijer's list isn't released until Tuesday. The sale flyer comes out on Sunday but the list isn't available until Monday evening. So you would have to shop at Meijer on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. For Kroger, their sale flyer comes out on Thursday and the list isn't available until Sunday. So you would have to shop at Kroger Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
I shop at Meijer on Tuesday's and Kroger on Sunday's. This is what works for me. My time in the grocery store is also a lot shorter because I am shopping off the list and not browsing the aisles. I am in each store for less than 20 minutes! HONEST!!!
When the list comes out, you can manipulate the list to print only the items you would purchase. This week's Meijer's list was over 13 pages long. I chose the items that we needed or would eat and my list was only one page. You take the list and then match up the coupon to the item. They tell you where to find the coupon. I recommend using the binder system I had mentioned in an earlier post. This only takes me about 10-15 minutes to find the coupons for each list! This is a HUGE reason for me to continue with this service!!! I have no problem taking 20-30 minutes a week on this process. This is less than the 40 minutes to an hour that I spent using the other method.
Well, many of you are wondering the cost..... It depends on how many stores lists' you want to receive. I will be paying for 2 lists. For one list it costs 5.00/month. For 2 lists, it costs 7.50/month.
I have been saving a greater percentage using The Grocery Game's shopping list. I feel that the $7.50 investment a month is worth the savings....
Week 1 of the game I spent 101 and saved 86 =46% savings
Week 2 I spent 41 and saved 43=51% savings
Week 3 I spent 134 and saved 77=36% savings
Week 4 I spent 98 and saved 64=39% savings
So, I saved $270 dollars this month for a $7.50 investment....You do the math!!!
Here is the website: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/
If you decide to sign up, I would appreciate you using me as a referral. My email address is rexie.wl@verizon.net.
In a quick summary, I am now a Grocery Game girl because I can save more money and save a ton of time!!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Meijer sale ends on Saturday 8/9
Another great shop!!!
This is so much fun!!
Well, I should be done shopping for the week. I am planning on making a quick CVS trip but this shouldn't cost me anything because of my ECB's (extra care bucks). I have over $10.00 and many of the items I am getting this week are free...
Well, Meijer is having their 10 for 10.00 sale with the 11th item, for free.
I spent $50.48 and saved $24.75. My groceries should have cost $75.23. Therefore, saving our family 33%. Yeah!
Our shop consists of....
3 Garlic toast on sale for 2.25 with 3 -.40 cent coupons (doubled to .80) = 1.45 each
1 breadstick on sale for 2.00 with .40 cent coupon (doubled to .80) = 1.20 each
Hard Salami
2 pkg. English muffins
5 Yoplait yogurt whips with one FREE
8 Barilla pastas with 2 - 1.00 coupons off of 8.
1 Country crock on sale for 1.00 with .55 cents off coupon= .45 each
Jennie-O turkey breast on sale 4.96/lb
1 Frozen Green Beans on sale for 1.00
1 Dial soap 3 on sale for 1.00
2 Banquet turkey sausage 1.00 each
2 Meijer Microwave popcorn packages 1.00 each
2 Aunt Jamima breakfast great starts 1.00 each
1 Breaded Chicken patties 1. 00 each
1 Tortilla chips Meijer brand 1.89
1 Cottage Cheese 1.50
3 Coffee mate creamers for 1.50 each - coupons 1.00 off and .50 cents off (doubled to 1.00)= .50 each
1 BBQ chips 3.79
This week's shop combined with previous shops should feed us for the week. Therefore our weekly grocery bill is $98.21 not too bad for a family of 4 with 2 growing preteens!!
This is so much fun!!
Well, I should be done shopping for the week. I am planning on making a quick CVS trip but this shouldn't cost me anything because of my ECB's (extra care bucks). I have over $10.00 and many of the items I am getting this week are free...
Well, Meijer is having their 10 for 10.00 sale with the 11th item, for free.
I spent $50.48 and saved $24.75. My groceries should have cost $75.23. Therefore, saving our family 33%. Yeah!
Our shop consists of....
3 Garlic toast on sale for 2.25 with 3 -.40 cent coupons (doubled to .80) = 1.45 each
1 breadstick on sale for 2.00 with .40 cent coupon (doubled to .80) = 1.20 each
Hard Salami
2 pkg. English muffins
5 Yoplait yogurt whips with one FREE
8 Barilla pastas with 2 - 1.00 coupons off of 8.
1 Country crock on sale for 1.00 with .55 cents off coupon= .45 each
Jennie-O turkey breast on sale 4.96/lb
1 Frozen Green Beans on sale for 1.00
1 Dial soap 3 on sale for 1.00
2 Banquet turkey sausage 1.00 each
2 Meijer Microwave popcorn packages 1.00 each
2 Aunt Jamima breakfast great starts 1.00 each
1 Breaded Chicken patties 1. 00 each
1 Tortilla chips Meijer brand 1.89
1 Cottage Cheese 1.50
3 Coffee mate creamers for 1.50 each - coupons 1.00 off and .50 cents off (doubled to 1.00)= .50 each
1 BBQ chips 3.79
This week's shop combined with previous shops should feed us for the week. Therefore our weekly grocery bill is $98.21 not too bad for a family of 4 with 2 growing preteens!!
Kroger Sale ends on Wednesday 8/6
I love grocery shopping!!
Today, I bought an extra Sunday paper. This is the first time that I have done this. There were 3 inserts this week in our paper: Red Plum, Smart Source, and P&G.
I bought 34 items. I spent $47.73 and saved $38.79. My groceries would have cost me $86.52. I saved 45% today on my groceries.
They are having their promotion if you buy 10 of their qualifying items you will get $5.00 off your grocery bill.
Here is what we got....
4 packages of cheese (sliced for sandwiches and shredded) 4 for $6
5 yoplait whips and got 1 free w/ coupon (Not on sale :( )
3 packages of Ore-ida french fries and crowns on sale for $2.50
2 containers of Daisy sour cream - FREE.
2 Clearasil wipes on sale 1/2 off each
3 Skintimate shaving gel each one with a .55 cents coupon On sale for $2.00
1 Ken's salad dressing -1.00 off coupon
1 Ken's spray -1.00 off coupon
1 loaf of wheat bread
Hamburger patties (DH has been craving red meat. We have been eating a lot of turkey burgers)
4 Salmon
1 Hebrew National Hotdogs -.75 cents off coupon (I love these.)
2 packages of toaster poptarts
Edy's yogurt -.50 cent coupon which is doubled to 1.00. So, it was 2.00
6 pk. propel
3 bars of Irish Spring
Not too bad...
Today, I bought an extra Sunday paper. This is the first time that I have done this. There were 3 inserts this week in our paper: Red Plum, Smart Source, and P&G.
I bought 34 items. I spent $47.73 and saved $38.79. My groceries would have cost me $86.52. I saved 45% today on my groceries.
They are having their promotion if you buy 10 of their qualifying items you will get $5.00 off your grocery bill.
Here is what we got....
4 packages of cheese (sliced for sandwiches and shredded) 4 for $6
5 yoplait whips and got 1 free w/ coupon (Not on sale :( )
3 packages of Ore-ida french fries and crowns on sale for $2.50
2 containers of Daisy sour cream - FREE.
2 Clearasil wipes on sale 1/2 off each
3 Skintimate shaving gel each one with a .55 cents coupon On sale for $2.00
1 Ken's salad dressing -1.00 off coupon
1 Ken's spray -1.00 off coupon
1 loaf of wheat bread
Hamburger patties (DH has been craving red meat. We have been eating a lot of turkey burgers)
4 Salmon
1 Hebrew National Hotdogs -.75 cents off coupon (I love these.)
2 packages of toaster poptarts
Edy's yogurt -.50 cent coupon which is doubled to 1.00. So, it was 2.00
6 pk. propel
3 bars of Irish Spring
Not too bad...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Kroger shop 7/30
Today, I hit Kroger and saved a ton.....The sale ends today...
I spent $32.83 and saved $21.35. This is a 40% savings.
I bought 20 items....
Pork Chops were on sale... I bought 2 packages and broke it up into 4 freezer bags.
2 cans of Chili Magic (My dear husband has been craving Chilli)
2 Packages of Ball Park Franks (used coupon)
3 Skintimates (used 3 coupons)
Bread
6 Canned tomato products (I am making the spaghetti sauce from the crockpot lady)
2 Boxes of Poptarts (as requested by my daughters)
Belligio Mozerella
Ziplock bags
According to my receipt, I have saved $331.62 for shopping at Kroger. This doesn't include what I have saved with coupons..
With today's shop I saved $18.70 since all of the items I bought were on sale. I have $2.65 cents worth of coupons.
Yeah!!!
I spent $32.83 and saved $21.35. This is a 40% savings.
I bought 20 items....
Pork Chops were on sale... I bought 2 packages and broke it up into 4 freezer bags.
2 cans of Chili Magic (My dear husband has been craving Chilli)
2 Packages of Ball Park Franks (used coupon)
3 Skintimates (used 3 coupons)
Bread
6 Canned tomato products (I am making the spaghetti sauce from the crockpot lady)
2 Boxes of Poptarts (as requested by my daughters)
Belligio Mozerella
Ziplock bags
According to my receipt, I have saved $331.62 for shopping at Kroger. This doesn't include what I have saved with coupons..
With today's shop I saved $18.70 since all of the items I bought were on sale. I have $2.65 cents worth of coupons.
Yeah!!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Do you need more coupons?
I wanted to remind some of you about the coupon clipping service that I have been using. I referenced this in an earlier posting.
It is called thecouponclippers.com
I recommend ordering coupons for items that you know that you will always use. This way you guarantee that you will always save money on things that you must have.
Here is what I bought this evening after the girls went to bed...
1 Tide coupon for .35 cents off = .70 cents when doubled at Kroger/Meijer
2 Satin Care Shave gel coupons for .55 cents off= our stores don't double over .50 cents
15 Edy's Slow Churned Yogurt Blends Frozen Dairy Dessert save .50 cents = 1.00 off each
(I ordered a lot of these because the expiration date is good until December. We go through about 3 gallons a month. I can always stash some in the freezer when I get close to the expiration date.)
8 Yoplait coupons .40 cents off of 6 = .80 cents off (Every member of my family eats these!)
8 Yoplait whips coupons buy 4 get 1 free = about .60 cents off for our area
1 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge -1.00 off
2 Huggies Cleanteam flushable moist wipes $3.00 of of 2 (I love to have these in my truck)
2 Tropicana Lemonade -1.00/1
5 Coffee Mate liquid creamer $1.00/2
All of this cost me $5.53. When these are redeemed at the grocery store, they will save me $39.80! Hopefully, I will be able to apply these coupons when the items are on sale and the items will be even cheaper. But honestly, these are items that I will buy year round so sometimes I have to buy them when they are not on sale!
Not bad!!!
It is called thecouponclippers.com
I recommend ordering coupons for items that you know that you will always use. This way you guarantee that you will always save money on things that you must have.
Here is what I bought this evening after the girls went to bed...
1 Tide coupon for .35 cents off = .70 cents when doubled at Kroger/Meijer
2 Satin Care Shave gel coupons for .55 cents off= our stores don't double over .50 cents
15 Edy's Slow Churned Yogurt Blends Frozen Dairy Dessert save .50 cents = 1.00 off each
(I ordered a lot of these because the expiration date is good until December. We go through about 3 gallons a month. I can always stash some in the freezer when I get close to the expiration date.)
8 Yoplait coupons .40 cents off of 6 = .80 cents off (Every member of my family eats these!)
8 Yoplait whips coupons buy 4 get 1 free = about .60 cents off for our area
1 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge -1.00 off
2 Huggies Cleanteam flushable moist wipes $3.00 of of 2 (I love to have these in my truck)
2 Tropicana Lemonade -1.00/1
5 Coffee Mate liquid creamer $1.00/2
All of this cost me $5.53. When these are redeemed at the grocery store, they will save me $39.80! Hopefully, I will be able to apply these coupons when the items are on sale and the items will be even cheaper. But honestly, these are items that I will buy year round so sometimes I have to buy them when they are not on sale!
Not bad!!!
What do you do with your plastic grocery bags?
Seattle is going to begin charging .20 cents to every customer who uses plastic grocery bags. Do you bring a bag from home? Would you be willing to be charged for this?
For those of you that shop at Aldi, you know that you need to bring bags from home or you can purchase bags at the store. I have always brought bags to Aldi but never thought about bringing them to other grocery stores. I always recycled my plastic bags from other grocery stores or used them to pick up our dog's poop. Even though I recycled, I know that there is more that I can do to help the environment.
My friend Laurel uses her own bags when she grocery shops. She showed me her canvas bags she uses at Meijers. Many grocery stores offer their own bags, but I really like Meijer's bag. You know me, I have shopped around. They are a great size, and they have a loop on them that fit on the twirly thing that most stores use to bag their groceries.
If you do get the plastic bags, there are 2 places in our town that I know of that recycle them - Walmart and Kroger.
I keep a rubbermaid storage tote in my truck with all of my canvas grocery bags and a couple of insulated grocery bags. It is the type of tote that Clean Sweep (on TLC) uses. It has 2 handles on it and it is very narrow so it doesn't take up a ton of space. I leave this in the car, because there are times that I decide to run into the grocery store on my way home from work or an errand. This way they are always available. After I bring the groceries into the house, I take the bags bag out to my truck so they are available for the next shopping trip.
I use this tote to store my canvas bags, plastic bags that I need to recycle, picnic blanket, and umbrella.
I am looking for a small canvas bag to keep in my purse to use when I shop at other stores such as Target, Kohl's, etc.
Article about Seattle's new policy:
http://couponing.about.com/b/2008/07/29/grocery-store-news-seattle-approves-fees-on-shopping-bags.htm?nl=1
Just thought I would share some things that will begin to impact us at our grocery stores!
For those of you that shop at Aldi, you know that you need to bring bags from home or you can purchase bags at the store. I have always brought bags to Aldi but never thought about bringing them to other grocery stores. I always recycled my plastic bags from other grocery stores or used them to pick up our dog's poop. Even though I recycled, I know that there is more that I can do to help the environment.
My friend Laurel uses her own bags when she grocery shops. She showed me her canvas bags she uses at Meijers. Many grocery stores offer their own bags, but I really like Meijer's bag. You know me, I have shopped around. They are a great size, and they have a loop on them that fit on the twirly thing that most stores use to bag their groceries.
If you do get the plastic bags, there are 2 places in our town that I know of that recycle them - Walmart and Kroger.
I keep a rubbermaid storage tote in my truck with all of my canvas grocery bags and a couple of insulated grocery bags. It is the type of tote that Clean Sweep (on TLC) uses. It has 2 handles on it and it is very narrow so it doesn't take up a ton of space. I leave this in the car, because there are times that I decide to run into the grocery store on my way home from work or an errand. This way they are always available. After I bring the groceries into the house, I take the bags bag out to my truck so they are available for the next shopping trip.
I use this tote to store my canvas bags, plastic bags that I need to recycle, picnic blanket, and umbrella.
I am looking for a small canvas bag to keep in my purse to use when I shop at other stores such as Target, Kohl's, etc.
Article about Seattle's new policy:
http://couponing.about.com/b/2008/07/29/grocery-store-news-seattle-approves-fees-on-shopping-bags.htm?nl=1
Just thought I would share some things that will begin to impact us at our grocery stores!
Meijer sale this week 7/29/08 through Saturday
https://honeynutcheerios.icmodus.com/Default.aspx?bhcp=1
They have General Mills cereal 4/$10
The above is a coupon for Honey Nut Cheerios. This is for $1.00 off...
Making them 1.50 a box....Regularly 3.29 a box....
Great shop today....
I spent $62.68 and saved $45.14....It should have cost 107.82 cents. This is a 42% savings.
It should have been about $1.25 less because my Dole salad rang up the wrong price. I didn't notice this until our way out. I would have gone to customer service, but I had ice cream melting on a 90 degree day....Oh well!!
They have General Mills cereal 4/$10
The above is a coupon for Honey Nut Cheerios. This is for $1.00 off...
Making them 1.50 a box....Regularly 3.29 a box....
Great shop today....
I spent $62.68 and saved $45.14....It should have cost 107.82 cents. This is a 42% savings.
It should have been about $1.25 less because my Dole salad rang up the wrong price. I didn't notice this until our way out. I would have gone to customer service, but I had ice cream melting on a 90 degree day....Oh well!!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Save Money on Cheerios
The ladies at The Grocery Gathering shared this link.
It is for 6- $1.00 coupons for Cheerios. This is free....
http://www.cheerios.com/promotions/challenge/EntryForm.aspx
It is for 6- $1.00 coupons for Cheerios. This is free....
http://www.cheerios.com/promotions/challenge/EntryForm.aspx
Sunday, July 27, 2008
June/July Savings.....
Many of you are not sure if coupons and shopping the sales are the way to go...
Here are my totals. These are based on the week ending on the date listed. This also includes things such as tp, papertowels, shampoo, toothpaste, deoderant, etc and FOOD!
6/8
$ 107 spent
$ 30 saved
6/15
$ 45 spent
$ 7 Saved
6/22
$ 241 Spent
$ 61 saved
6/29
$ 103 Spent
$ 87 Saved
7/6
$ 81 Spent
$ 37 Saved
7/13
$ 105 Spent
$ 69 Saved
7/20
$ 101 Spent
$ 86 Saved
7/27
$ 41 Spent
$ 43 Saved
This last week was my best! I spent less than I actually saved!! This was 51% savings...
Since June 8th, I have saved $419.00! I wish I had started keeping track in April when I began my coupon adventure. Think of what this savings can do for your family's financial situation. We are using my grocery savings to of course compensate for the cost of gas, but I have also increased my monthly contribution to my retirement account due to this new way of shopping!
I am currently trying something called the grocery game. I plan on sharing my trial experiences with you in the next 2 weeks.
Another thing that has really helped us cut our expenses was for me to write down on an index card my grocery spending for the week. After each grocery visit, I would write down what I spent and keep a running total. Once I got close to my budget for that week, I forced myself to fix meals from our stockpile. I don't know about you but I always bring more food into the house when I actually have food. It is just not something that I feel like eating at the time!
To create your stockpile, the trick is to buy multiples of an item when it is at it's cheapest (using a coupon). So, you will never have to pay full price for that item when you run out. This really amazed me that this was possible. For example, I use to always buy generic cereal because I thought it was cheaper. Cereal in my opinion is so darn expensive. Well, a couple of weeks ago it was on sale at Kroger for $1.88 (name brand) and if you applied a coupon for a $1.00 off it was only .88cents a box! I was also able to get a few boxes for free because of my e coupon and a manufactures coupon.
I actually love grocery shopping now!! I love when I checkout and I see my total and then they enter my coupons and the price goes down and down and down....
Here are my totals. These are based on the week ending on the date listed. This also includes things such as tp, papertowels, shampoo, toothpaste, deoderant, etc and FOOD!
6/8
$ 107 spent
$ 30 saved
6/15
$ 45 spent
$ 7 Saved
6/22
$ 241 Spent
$ 61 saved
6/29
$ 103 Spent
$ 87 Saved
7/6
$ 81 Spent
$ 37 Saved
7/13
$ 105 Spent
$ 69 Saved
7/20
$ 101 Spent
$ 86 Saved
7/27
$ 41 Spent
$ 43 Saved
This last week was my best! I spent less than I actually saved!! This was 51% savings...
Since June 8th, I have saved $419.00! I wish I had started keeping track in April when I began my coupon adventure. Think of what this savings can do for your family's financial situation. We are using my grocery savings to of course compensate for the cost of gas, but I have also increased my monthly contribution to my retirement account due to this new way of shopping!
I am currently trying something called the grocery game. I plan on sharing my trial experiences with you in the next 2 weeks.
Another thing that has really helped us cut our expenses was for me to write down on an index card my grocery spending for the week. After each grocery visit, I would write down what I spent and keep a running total. Once I got close to my budget for that week, I forced myself to fix meals from our stockpile. I don't know about you but I always bring more food into the house when I actually have food. It is just not something that I feel like eating at the time!
To create your stockpile, the trick is to buy multiples of an item when it is at it's cheapest (using a coupon). So, you will never have to pay full price for that item when you run out. This really amazed me that this was possible. For example, I use to always buy generic cereal because I thought it was cheaper. Cereal in my opinion is so darn expensive. Well, a couple of weeks ago it was on sale at Kroger for $1.88 (name brand) and if you applied a coupon for a $1.00 off it was only .88cents a box! I was also able to get a few boxes for free because of my e coupon and a manufactures coupon.
I actually love grocery shopping now!! I love when I checkout and I see my total and then they enter my coupons and the price goes down and down and down....
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