Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Making Up My Own Rules...Again!
So. I was talking to a friend about my grocery spending and I mentioned how I went over by about $15 this month. We talked about some recent purchases and she asked me why I was counting my fake crocs in my grocery spending. Then I thought, "yeah! Why am I?" I mean, it was a CVS purchase, but it was more of an apparrel purchase. If I bought shoes and Goldfish at Target, I wouldn't count the shoes. So I subtracted $12.80 from my total (the price of the 2 pair of shoes). Now I'm at $417 for this month and since my average I aim for is $416, I am happy. The best part of having your own blog and your own challenges is that you can just make up your own rules! It's great!
BJ's!
I didn't take a picture because things are crazy here. Plus, I think there is something wrong with my USB cable. I might be short on pictures for the next week - the in-laws are coming and taking pictures of my groceries might be a little too much for me - and them. They already think I'm kind of weird - so this may put me over the top! Only kidding!
Here's my run last night:
TOTAL: $53.92
1 pack of Nutty Bars - $2.99 (these looked so good. I had to have them)
1 2-pk of BJ's Apple Juice - $4.69
3 quarts of Half & Half - $1.99 ea
1 1200 ct box of Sweet & Low Packets - $10.99 ($1.00 instant coupon) $9.99
2 pk Wonder Kids Bread - $3.19
1 pack Hamburger Rolls - $1.99
1 pack Hot Dog Rolls - $1.99
1 18 pack Sirloin Hamburgers - $14.99 (I bought the good stuff for the in-laws - have to keep them on the good side! ;) )
1 gallon of 1% milk - $2.11
2 dozen eggs - $2.49
1 lbs Land O'Lakes American Cheese - $3.52
- So yeah. The Nutty Bars. They just looked so good staring at me as I was heading to the bread. I ate a pack in the car on the way home. They are divine.
- Sweet & Low. I'm almost out. Now I guess a true "frugal" person would just steal them from restaurants and whatnot. a. We don't go to restaurants. b. I drink more coffee with Sweet & Low in it than I'm capable of stealing.
- Gearing up! My husband's mother and family are coming to visit from South Carolina tomorrow for a week. Since I really don't like to cook - I'm hoping we have good weather for most of their visit so I can throw things on the grill. We're sitting on a bunch of hot dogs, 6 lbs of chicken, these hamburgers, still more hamburgers from when I bought a ton of ground beef. I love to grill!
So I blew my $416 goal for this month but that's okay. It's for a good cause. In-laws.
Here's my run last night:
TOTAL: $53.92
1 pack of Nutty Bars - $2.99 (these looked so good. I had to have them)
1 2-pk of BJ's Apple Juice - $4.69
3 quarts of Half & Half - $1.99 ea
1 1200 ct box of Sweet & Low Packets - $10.99 ($1.00 instant coupon) $9.99
2 pk Wonder Kids Bread - $3.19
1 pack Hamburger Rolls - $1.99
1 pack Hot Dog Rolls - $1.99
1 18 pack Sirloin Hamburgers - $14.99 (I bought the good stuff for the in-laws - have to keep them on the good side! ;) )
1 gallon of 1% milk - $2.11
2 dozen eggs - $2.49
1 lbs Land O'Lakes American Cheese - $3.52
- So yeah. The Nutty Bars. They just looked so good staring at me as I was heading to the bread. I ate a pack in the car on the way home. They are divine.
- Sweet & Low. I'm almost out. Now I guess a true "frugal" person would just steal them from restaurants and whatnot. a. We don't go to restaurants. b. I drink more coffee with Sweet & Low in it than I'm capable of stealing.
- Gearing up! My husband's mother and family are coming to visit from South Carolina tomorrow for a week. Since I really don't like to cook - I'm hoping we have good weather for most of their visit so I can throw things on the grill. We're sitting on a bunch of hot dogs, 6 lbs of chicken, these hamburgers, still more hamburgers from when I bought a ton of ground beef. I love to grill!
So I blew my $416 goal for this month but that's okay. It's for a good cause. In-laws.
Wild Harvest Book - Be On The Look Out!
Teresa in Maine let me know of something great the mailmen are delivering - Wild Harvest Coupon Books! She got hers two days ago! There are $16 worth of coupons in it, including a $3 off $10 Wild Harvest one! I like those type of coupons! I personally haven't gotten this -but honestly - I don't remember the last time I bought a Wild Harvest item! I know I'm signed up with them from Shaws.com - but since I never buy that line (too organic for me! ;) ), they might have passed me up. Yeah - I think this is common knowledge but you know those little cards you scan to get the discounts? They are also tracking what you buy to notice trends or some marketing thing like that.
Monday, June 29, 2009
My Guest Post @ Simple Thrift!
A little while ago, Wendy at Simple Thrift shouted out for guest bloggers. I guess I jumped at the chance because it seemed like a great idea. But then I had zero inspiration and my mind drew blanks for days. Why? I don't know! I enjoy writing my stupid blog posts but heavens, I was a little nervous to actually write something serious for someone else. It was bizarre and foreign to me. Writing and the English language have never been my strong point.
Well, thanks to English 101 at Keene State College, I was able to pull off something. Wendy posted it (so it couldn't have been THAT bad!). Check it out HERE! It's called "Teaching Our Young Kids To Be Thrifty By Example". Simple Thrift is a great blog! Wendy posts great challenges and ways to be thrifty. She is also doing The 2009 Fabulous Food Network Magazine Challenge!
Wendy is a mother of 6 (yes, 6!!) out of New Hampshire. She is a journalist and has a column in The Nashua Telegraph called "Simple Thrift."
Well, thanks to English 101 at Keene State College, I was able to pull off something. Wendy posted it (so it couldn't have been THAT bad!). Check it out HERE! It's called "Teaching Our Young Kids To Be Thrifty By Example". Simple Thrift is a great blog! Wendy posts great challenges and ways to be thrifty. She is also doing The 2009 Fabulous Food Network Magazine Challenge!
Wendy is a mother of 6 (yes, 6!!) out of New Hampshire. She is a journalist and has a column in The Nashua Telegraph called "Simple Thrift."
How Much Are You Spending At The Grocery Store This Year?
As we're approaching June 30th, I'm about to hit the half-way point of my grocery spending tracking this year. My initial goal for 2009 was to spend $5,000 or less. I don't set a weekly budget because I find with certain sales and what we need, I'm spending more some weeks and less other weeks. So I do averages. The first 3 months were a breeze - spending just over $300 each of those months. The next 3 months - I was very close, if not over my $416 a month goal. I'm currently at $2,177 spent with 3 days left of the month. I do have a small BJ's run to do today, but I'm $323 under the half-way mark of $2,500. So it's been making me think about spending at grocery stores and whatnot...
Most people - they just go to the grocery store weekly, drop $150-$200 and don't think anything of it. Actually - the "experts" say that people should spend between 5 and 15% of their income on food spending. That's a BIG difference. Some others have broke it down more:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average family spends 12.5% on food.
The Department of Agriculture estimates the average family spends 9.8% on food.
Gary Foreman of "The Dollar Stretcher" estimates the average people spend on groceries and dining out is between 15-20%
**(Stats taken from an MSNBC Article)**
Now let's break it down in dollar terms. Let's say a family makes a combined income of $75,000 a year.
Based on 5%, that's $3,750 a year.
Based on 15%, that's $11,250 a year.
(See how 5-15% is a BIG difference? - I can only assume the experts give those figures based on higher income people spending closer to 5% of their income and lower income people spending closer to 15%.)
Based on 12.5%, that's $9,375 a year.
Based on 9.8%, that's $7,350 a year.
I've decided that I should own some grocery stores. I mean really, what other business manages to get $8,000 per family EVERY YEAR?! $8,000 is a major investment. Sure, spread out over weekly $150 grocery trips, it doesn't seem that much - but it is a lot - and we do it EVERY SINGLE YEAR! I think it's so incredibly important to be price savvy on the things that YOU buy, want and need.
When I set my $5,000 goal, I really had no idea what I was doing. At first it was pretty easy to stick to, but it's been getting challenging. There were a few factors that went into my initial setting of that goal - but pretty much, all those factors have changed, but I'm trying to stick to my goal anyways.
If you are new to trying to save a buck or two at the grocery store, I recommend to take one of the percentages I listed up above (or any percentage that you feel comfortable with), multiply it by your yearly income and divide it by 52. This will give you a rough estimate of a weekly amount you should be spending. So if you are making $62,000 a year, want to spend 10% of your income on groceries ($6,200), just divide by 52, and you get $119.23 a week you should spend on groceries. Round it to $120 to make life easier. Maybe you are already spending less than this. Maybe you are spending a lot more. Now you have a goal and can work from there. Before I actually started "tracking" my grocery spending, I was telling people I averaged about $70 a week at the grocery store - which was true - but I never took into account the crazy random $100 trips to BJ's or my CVSing. Now that I'm tracking, not only am I more aware of where my money goes, but we are definitely spending less and becoming more healthy (a trip to BJ's ALWAYS included a box of mozzarella sticks before this January. Now, not so much).
Most people - they just go to the grocery store weekly, drop $150-$200 and don't think anything of it. Actually - the "experts" say that people should spend between 5 and 15% of their income on food spending. That's a BIG difference. Some others have broke it down more:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average family spends 12.5% on food.
The Department of Agriculture estimates the average family spends 9.8% on food.
Gary Foreman of "The Dollar Stretcher" estimates the average people spend on groceries and dining out is between 15-20%
**(Stats taken from an MSNBC Article)**
Now let's break it down in dollar terms. Let's say a family makes a combined income of $75,000 a year.
Based on 5%, that's $3,750 a year.
Based on 15%, that's $11,250 a year.
(See how 5-15% is a BIG difference? - I can only assume the experts give those figures based on higher income people spending closer to 5% of their income and lower income people spending closer to 15%.)
Based on 12.5%, that's $9,375 a year.
Based on 9.8%, that's $7,350 a year.
I've decided that I should own some grocery stores. I mean really, what other business manages to get $8,000 per family EVERY YEAR?! $8,000 is a major investment. Sure, spread out over weekly $150 grocery trips, it doesn't seem that much - but it is a lot - and we do it EVERY SINGLE YEAR! I think it's so incredibly important to be price savvy on the things that YOU buy, want and need.
When I set my $5,000 goal, I really had no idea what I was doing. At first it was pretty easy to stick to, but it's been getting challenging. There were a few factors that went into my initial setting of that goal - but pretty much, all those factors have changed, but I'm trying to stick to my goal anyways.
If you are new to trying to save a buck or two at the grocery store, I recommend to take one of the percentages I listed up above (or any percentage that you feel comfortable with), multiply it by your yearly income and divide it by 52. This will give you a rough estimate of a weekly amount you should be spending. So if you are making $62,000 a year, want to spend 10% of your income on groceries ($6,200), just divide by 52, and you get $119.23 a week you should spend on groceries. Round it to $120 to make life easier. Maybe you are already spending less than this. Maybe you are spending a lot more. Now you have a goal and can work from there. Before I actually started "tracking" my grocery spending, I was telling people I averaged about $70 a week at the grocery store - which was true - but I never took into account the crazy random $100 trips to BJ's or my CVSing. Now that I'm tracking, not only am I more aware of where my money goes, but we are definitely spending less and becoming more healthy (a trip to BJ's ALWAYS included a box of mozzarella sticks before this January. Now, not so much).
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Another Lesson In Newspaper Mulching!
Here's another post about newspaper mulching. I actually get quite a few hits from people searching "newspaper mulching" on google or whatnot. For the record. I have no idea what I am doing. I just read an article from the University of West Virginia who said this was good. I'm testing out those crazy West Virginians theory. Here is what I do:
Here I have my cheapo $10 paper shredder from Walmart that I bought to "shred my personal" stuff years ago. I bring it outside with an extension cord. I have this wonderful Ames wheelbarrel that the previous owners left. I shread and dump in there.
I just use basic old newspapers. I don't use ads.
Here's what my garden looks like now. Too much newspaper? I don't know. I try to build up around each plant to make the water stay around the plant.
And here is my beloved Gretchen.
Here I have my cheapo $10 paper shredder from Walmart that I bought to "shred my personal" stuff years ago. I bring it outside with an extension cord. I have this wonderful Ames wheelbarrel that the previous owners left. I shread and dump in there. 
I just use basic old newspapers. I don't use ads.
Here's what my garden looks like now. Too much newspaper? I don't know. I try to build up around each plant to make the water stay around the plant. 
And here is my beloved Gretchen.I talked to my Polish neighbor. He asked me what was all over my garden. I told him I shredded a bunch of newspaper for mulch. I think he thinks I'm some sort of Ecofriendly Hippie. I'm not. I'm just cheap and do weird things like this from time to time.
CVS!
Total Before Savings: $71.89Total Coupons Used: $17
Total ECBs Used: $6
Cash OOP: $30.58
ECBs Earned: $6
2 pairs of fake toddler crocs - $6.40 (the husband wanted these - I think they are ugly)
2 packs of Tylenol Rapid Release - $4.99 ea ($2/1 CVS coupon, $3/2 MFC) $2.48 ea ($2 ECBs each)
1 Coppertone - $6.99 ($2/1 CVS coupon) $4.99 ($2 ECBs earned) - There is a MFC for this but I left it at home!
4 packs of AA CVS batteries - BOGO Free @ $6.49 ea
2 packs of Cs - BOGO @ $6.99 ea
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Pull-Ups $2 Off Coupon!
I hate pull-ups. I think they are the worst thing to happen to potty training. But I know a lot of friends and moms out there use them (I'm just a weirdo who hates them).
Well in case you need an extra coupon or two - enjoy $2 off a pack! Click HERE to get yours!
Well in case you need an extra coupon or two - enjoy $2 off a pack! Click HERE to get yours!
Shaw's Deals 6/26-7/2
Here are the pretty good deals at Shaw's for the week of 6/26-7/2. Not all deals are mentioned. Just the ones that I think are pretty good. See the entire circular and print Shaw's coupons at Shaws.com.
**Spend $20 on meat, get a 14" grill for $9.99 with coupon on back page of flyer**
**Buy 5 12-packs of Coke for $12, get 2 packs of Hillshire Farms Kielbasa for FREE (use $1/2 Hillshire Farms from paper, if you participate in MyCokeRewards.com, print off $1 coupons).**
**Spend $50 and buy 5 of the "locked in price" items on page 1, get an extra 10 cents off gas at your participating Gulf or other gas station that are part of the Enjoy the Ride program.**
Meat
Chicken Breast - $1.99/lbs ($1/3 lbs at Shaws.com)
Hillshire Farm Kielbasa - $2.50 ($1/2 MFC from paper)
Oscar Mayer Wieners - $1.25 ($1/2 from paper)
Babyback Pork Ribs - $2.99/lbs
Sirloin Steak - $3.99/lbs
Perri Sausage - BOGO Free
Chicken Leg Quarters (10 lbs bag) $7.90 ($1 off Shaw's coupon)
Produce
Peaches - .99/lbs
Broccoli, Eggplant, Zucchini, Yellow Squash - .99/lbs
Corn - 10 for $1.99
Frozen
Friendly's Ice Cream - BOGO Free ($1/2 Xtreme Flavor MFC still good?)
Dairy
Tropicana OJ - $2.77
Grocery
Lay's Potato Chips - BOGO Free
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce - $1 ($1/2 from paper)
Kraft BBQ Sauce - .99 ($1/2 MFC from paper, $1/1 from coupons.com - a long time ago)
B&M Baked Beans (big can) - $1.33
Shaw's Pasta - .88 cents
Pringles - $1.50 (the $1/1 select Pringles products from the P&G Year of Savings book works on these)
Wise Cheese Doodles or Popcorn - BOGO Free (coupon at wisesnacks.com)
Jolly Time popcorn - BOGO Free
Nature's Pride Bread - BOGO Free (there were peelies on these a while back. Check your packages)
Shaw's Light Bread - BOGO Free
Household/Beauty
Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent - BOGO Free
Sundown, Nature's Bounty, Osteo Bi Flex, Knox Dietary Supplements - BOGO Free
Dixie Dinnerware - $2
Shaw's Reusable Bags - .99 (coupon inside for a Free reusable bag & $1 off any 2 products with Tetra-Pak (what's this??!!)
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
**Spend $20 on meat, get a 14" grill for $9.99 with coupon on back page of flyer**
**Buy 5 12-packs of Coke for $12, get 2 packs of Hillshire Farms Kielbasa for FREE (use $1/2 Hillshire Farms from paper, if you participate in MyCokeRewards.com, print off $1 coupons).**
**Spend $50 and buy 5 of the "locked in price" items on page 1, get an extra 10 cents off gas at your participating Gulf or other gas station that are part of the Enjoy the Ride program.**
Meat
Chicken Breast - $1.99/lbs ($1/3 lbs at Shaws.com)
Hillshire Farm Kielbasa - $2.50 ($1/2 MFC from paper)
Oscar Mayer Wieners - $1.25 ($1/2 from paper)
Babyback Pork Ribs - $2.99/lbs
Sirloin Steak - $3.99/lbs
Perri Sausage - BOGO Free
Chicken Leg Quarters (10 lbs bag) $7.90 ($1 off Shaw's coupon)
Produce
Peaches - .99/lbs
Broccoli, Eggplant, Zucchini, Yellow Squash - .99/lbs
Corn - 10 for $1.99
Frozen
Friendly's Ice Cream - BOGO Free ($1/2 Xtreme Flavor MFC still good?)
Dairy
Tropicana OJ - $2.77
Grocery
Lay's Potato Chips - BOGO Free
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce - $1 ($1/2 from paper)
Kraft BBQ Sauce - .99 ($1/2 MFC from paper, $1/1 from coupons.com - a long time ago)
B&M Baked Beans (big can) - $1.33
Shaw's Pasta - .88 cents
Pringles - $1.50 (the $1/1 select Pringles products from the P&G Year of Savings book works on these)
Wise Cheese Doodles or Popcorn - BOGO Free (coupon at wisesnacks.com)
Jolly Time popcorn - BOGO Free
Nature's Pride Bread - BOGO Free (there were peelies on these a while back. Check your packages)
Shaw's Light Bread - BOGO Free
Household/Beauty
Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent - BOGO Free
Sundown, Nature's Bounty, Osteo Bi Flex, Knox Dietary Supplements - BOGO Free
Dixie Dinnerware - $2
Shaw's Reusable Bags - .99 (coupon inside for a Free reusable bag & $1 off any 2 products with Tetra-Pak (what's this??!!)
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Friday, June 26, 2009
My Peapod Experience - Part 2 (the delivery)
Total Before Savings: $127.54Total Stop & Shop Savings: $46.87
Total Peapod Discounts: $4
Total MFCs: $4
Total: $66.67
Total Gift Card Used: $50.00
Cash OOP: $16.67
Total Tip: $7
(I didn't know how much to tip the guy! Was I too cheap? Was it just right? I don't know!!!)
So $23.67 out of my pocket
2 Tropicana OJs - $2.50 ea ($1/2 MFC)
1 Nature Promise Bread - $2
3 bags of Kraft Shredded Cheese - $2.50 ea
1 block S&S Cheese - $2.50
2 packs S&S Pudding - $1 ea
1 Starbucks Ice Cream - $3 ($2 Peapod Coupon, $2 MFC) $1 Money Maker!
.75 lbs of Steamer Clams - $3.74 (I've been craving these. Now I just want more)
4 packs of Oscar Mayer Beef Franks - $2.20 ea ($1/2 MFC - I had 2, but left one on the counter)
8.89 lbs of Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast - $15.91
6 ears of Corn - $1.59
1 pack of Romaine Hearts - $2.50
2 Tomatoes on the Vine - $1.58
2 Kraft BBQ Sauce - $1 ea (had $1/2 MFC but left it on the counter...oops)
4 Dole Pineapple bowls - $1.40 ea
So. I got my $50 Peapod gift card the other day when I went on the Peapod tour in Framingham. I ordered Wednesday and had my delivery on Thursday. Here are some things I have learned or observed from the Peapod experience:
- The delivery charge is $9.95 for orders under $100. There is a minimum purchase of $60. So you're talking at least $70 OOP for groceries. Once you pass $100, the delivery charge is $6.95.
- If you sign up now, you get FREE delivery for 60 days after your first purchase! This would be great if you are an expecting mom, are really busy or just want to try it out. It's actually a $6.95 credit (the delivery charge of an order over $100).
- If you sign up to have the $ come directly out of your checking account (instead of credit card) - you get a $1 discount.
- If you pick funky times, you save a $1.
- Peapod accepts MFCs! Give them to your driver. My driver seemed to know just want to do with them and didn't think twice when I gave them to him.
- There are some Peapod coupons that save you money too. For instance, I got that Starbucks Ice Cream. It's $3. But there is a Peapod coupon for $2. Then I gave them a $2 off Starbucks Ice Cream. This was actually a money maker of $1!
- If you don't have cash, you can place your tip on your order to be put on your credit card! That's great to know. I'm not sure what grocery delivery guys are suppose to be tipped. 10%? 15%? More? Less?
- My delivery guy was really nice. He put all the groceries right on my kitchen floor.
- All the cold stuff was VERY cold. That was nice. I had over 8 lbs of chicken delivered so it was good to see that they were kept very chilly. Warm chicken would gross me out.
- Some of the prices are actually REALLY good! Like I got the Dole Fruit Cups for $1.40 ea! I consider anything under $2 for these good.
- I really DO NOT like how they sell produce by the quantity instead of pound. It just doesn't seem right.
- The website is very easy to use. You can also keep up-to-date with Peapod through Twitter and Facebook.
- It was convenient, I'll admit that - but between the $10 delivery fee and tip, I feel like I'm "throwing away $20" by doing it. Is it really that hard for me to go up to ths store?
- I REALLY like how you can change/cancel your order up to 11:59 pm the day before delivery! I can see myself possibly using this service around Christmas time. This past year, I ran to Roche Bros. for one thing the day before Christmas Eve and I was in the parking lot trying to leave for OVER 30 MINUTES! Now that is worth the delivery fee to have some things delivered. It might also be good to do birthday party shopping - one less thing to worry about during party preps.
- More on the changing order part - So say you are at work and place an order at 10am to be delivered the next day. You talk to your husband at lunch time. He wants to add 3 things. You can just log in and add them to your cart! Your order isn't processed until right after midnight the day of your scheduled delivery!
- I REALLY like how the sale prices of the meat advertised at Stop & Shop match up with Peapod.
- If you enter your Stop & Shop card number, Peapod will suggest things that you might like based on what you bought in the past at S&S.
- If you refer someone to Peapod, you get a $10 credit. If you sign up, put me down as a referrer!! ;) habean (at) gmail (dot) com
- I really like how they take MFCs. Unfortunately, I forgot to give my delivery guy 2 of the ones I had. Oops.
- I got 2 packs of chicken. It said each pack would be between 3 and 4 pounds. Both were over 4 lbs. I really don't care - but I got about an entire pound more of chicken than I thought I was going to get. I don't know if this bothers some people.
So in conclusion, I was very happy with my Peapod service, however, I still feel like as a homemaker, I can do my own grocery shopping. Would I do this on a regular basis, no. But honestly, I never considered this if I was in a rut (kids sick, I get too busy, holidays, birthdays). This would also be a great "gift" if you have kids in college or whatnot. If I was rich and had money to burn, sure I'd do this all the time - my food quality was great, the delivery guy was nice, the webpage is so very easy to use - But at this time in my life, we're just normal schlubs who can find better ways to spend the $20 needed for the delivery and tip.
Have you ever used Peapod or another grocery store delivery service? How was it for you? Do you do it regularly?
FREE PAINT FROM GLIDDEN!
FREE PAINT!
I just found a BAT in my sons' room - so I'm freaking out. I ordered myself some free paint to calm me down while waiting for the doctor to call me back (rabies shot needed?) and trying to figure out how much to "de-bat" our house will be.
Many thanks to the Glidden company for calming my nerves during this extremely difficult time! ;)
I just found a BAT in my sons' room - so I'm freaking out. I ordered myself some free paint to calm me down while waiting for the doctor to call me back (rabies shot needed?) and trying to figure out how much to "de-bat" our house will be.
Many thanks to the Glidden company for calming my nerves during this extremely difficult time! ;)
Stop & Shop Deals 6/26-7/2
The following are good deals at Stop & Shop for the week of 6/19-6/25. Not all deals are mentioned, but these are the ones that I find to be pretty good. Check your circular for all deals this coming week. Check out their circular HERE to see all deals.
Meat
(Remember your $5 off $15 Meat Purchase Coupon)
Sirloin Steak Tips - $3.99/lbs
Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops - $1.99/lbs
Chicken drumsticks or thighs - .99/lbs
Ball Park Franks - BOGO Free ($1/2 MFC from paper)
Oscar Mayer Bacon - BOGO Free
Pork Spareribs - $2.49/lbs
Mussels or Mahogany Clams - $1.99/lbs
Hillshire Farm Kielbasa - BOGO Free
Jennie-O Turkey Franks - $1
Produce
Watermelon Whole - $3.99
Corn - 12 for $1.99
1 lbs Strawberries - $2
Dairy/Frozen
Edy's Ice Cream - $1.99
Butter - IT'S 8 oz (small package!) .99 (not a GREAT deal because it's not the normal size. Marketing is trying to have it's way with you!)
Heluva Good Dip - $1.67
Stop & Shop Sherbert - $1
Stop & Shop Waffles - $1
Grocery
Kellogg's Cereal - $1.67 ($1/1 MFCs from paper)
Health & Beauty/Cleaning/General
Band-Aids - $2 ($1/1 MFC from paper)
Farberware Grilling Tools & Kitchen Gadgets - BOGO Free
Saran Wrap - $1.99
Jokari Kitchen Gadgets - BOGO Free (My mother recently gave me a Slider (mini burger) Maker from this brand. Again, odd but I'll probably use it. Good for kids, right?)
Olay/CoverGirl Catalina
Spend $15 on select Olay and CoverGirl products, Get $5 OYNP
CoverGirl - 25% off
Olay - 20% off
Stop & Shop is doing a promotion now. Earn up to 20% off a future shopping trip. How it works is that for every $1 you spend, you get 1 point. 250 points = 5% off, 450 points = 10% off, 600 points = 15% off, 800 points = 20% off. This begins now and runs through 7/23. So pretty much the next 5 weeks. If you spend $160 or more per week, you might actually earn 800 points. Then if you have to redeem the certificate by 8/6. The system will track your purchases for you.
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Meat
(Remember your $5 off $15 Meat Purchase Coupon)
Sirloin Steak Tips - $3.99/lbs
Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops - $1.99/lbs
Chicken drumsticks or thighs - .99/lbs
Ball Park Franks - BOGO Free ($1/2 MFC from paper)
Oscar Mayer Bacon - BOGO Free
Pork Spareribs - $2.49/lbs
Mussels or Mahogany Clams - $1.99/lbs
Hillshire Farm Kielbasa - BOGO Free
Jennie-O Turkey Franks - $1
Produce
Watermelon Whole - $3.99
Corn - 12 for $1.99
1 lbs Strawberries - $2
Dairy/Frozen
Edy's Ice Cream - $1.99
Butter - IT'S 8 oz (small package!) .99 (not a GREAT deal because it's not the normal size. Marketing is trying to have it's way with you!)
Heluva Good Dip - $1.67
Stop & Shop Sherbert - $1
Stop & Shop Waffles - $1
Grocery
Kellogg's Cereal - $1.67 ($1/1 MFCs from paper)
Health & Beauty/Cleaning/General
Band-Aids - $2 ($1/1 MFC from paper)
Farberware Grilling Tools & Kitchen Gadgets - BOGO Free
Saran Wrap - $1.99
Jokari Kitchen Gadgets - BOGO Free (My mother recently gave me a Slider (mini burger) Maker from this brand. Again, odd but I'll probably use it. Good for kids, right?)
Olay/CoverGirl Catalina
Spend $15 on select Olay and CoverGirl products, Get $5 OYNP
CoverGirl - 25% off
Olay - 20% off
Stop & Shop is doing a promotion now. Earn up to 20% off a future shopping trip. How it works is that for every $1 you spend, you get 1 point. 250 points = 5% off, 450 points = 10% off, 600 points = 15% off, 800 points = 20% off. This begins now and runs through 7/23. So pretty much the next 5 weeks. If you spend $160 or more per week, you might actually earn 800 points. Then if you have to redeem the certificate by 8/6. The system will track your purchases for you.
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Dig The Helpers?
You dig the Hamburger Helpers? I grew up on the stuff. I don't really make it that much. Mostly due to the fact that if I buy hamburger meat, I like to make tacos or hamburgers with it. I know this sounds crazy, but I also find it's a little too salty for me. I do like to have some of the Tuna Helpers in the house at times just as back up for when I just really don't want to cook much or we don't have anything else. Plus, I think it's good.They just came out with Asian Helpers. These are on sale at Shaw's for $1 ea until 9/10. Just the Asian ones. I haven't tried them, but I just picked up a box for no real reason than I was being impulsive. Coupons.com has a .80/3 coupon - this doubles making each box a whopping .47 cents. Sometimes it's good to have this crapola in the house for the "ugh...I don't feel like doing anything tonight." Plus, I think most husbands are pretty good at making these Helpers.
Roche Bros. Deals 6/26-7/2
The following are good deals at Roche Bros. for the week of 6/21 - 6/27. Not all deals are mentioned, but these are the ones that I find to be pretty good. Check your circular for all deals this coming week. See your local Roche Bros. circular HERE.
Meat
Boneless Chicken Breast - $1.77/lbs
London Broil - $1.99/lbs
Baby Back Pork Ribs - BOGO (I think they are $7.49/lbs)
Salmon Steaks - $5.99/lbs
Hebrew National Franks - $2.50 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Roche Bros Bacon - BOGO Free
Produce
Pint Blueberries - $1.77
Tomatoes on the Vine - $1.99/lbs
Pint Grape Tomatoes - $2
Dairy
Hood Sour Cream - $1 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Philadelphia Cream Cheese Bar - $1
Roche Bros 1/2 Gallon Milk - $1! - Great price! Comes out to $2 a gallon (better than BJ's!)
Heluva Good Cheese - $2
Heluva Good Dips - $1.67
Frozen
Breyer's Ice Cream - $2.50 ($1/2 MFC from paper)
Whole Fruit Bars - $2.50 (MFC from paper)
Grocery
B&M Baked Beans - $1 (MFCs from paper)
Kraft BBQ Sauce - $1 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Ken's Salad Dressing (8 oz - small size) - $1 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ - $1.67 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
French's Mustard - $1.50 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Thomas English Muffins - BOGO Free
Wise Popcorn or Cheese Doodles - BOGO (print coupon at Wisesnacks.com)
Pirate's Booty - $2
Hi-C 10 pk - $2
Jello Gelatin - .40 ea
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Meat
Boneless Chicken Breast - $1.77/lbs
London Broil - $1.99/lbs
Baby Back Pork Ribs - BOGO (I think they are $7.49/lbs)
Salmon Steaks - $5.99/lbs
Hebrew National Franks - $2.50 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Roche Bros Bacon - BOGO Free
Produce
Pint Blueberries - $1.77
Tomatoes on the Vine - $1.99/lbs
Pint Grape Tomatoes - $2
Dairy
Hood Sour Cream - $1 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Philadelphia Cream Cheese Bar - $1
Roche Bros 1/2 Gallon Milk - $1! - Great price! Comes out to $2 a gallon (better than BJ's!)
Heluva Good Cheese - $2
Heluva Good Dips - $1.67
Frozen
Breyer's Ice Cream - $2.50 ($1/2 MFC from paper)
Whole Fruit Bars - $2.50 (MFC from paper)
Grocery
B&M Baked Beans - $1 (MFCs from paper)
Kraft BBQ Sauce - $1 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Ken's Salad Dressing (8 oz - small size) - $1 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ - $1.67 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
French's Mustard - $1.50 ($1/2 MFCs from paper)
Thomas English Muffins - BOGO Free
Wise Popcorn or Cheese Doodles - BOGO (print coupon at Wisesnacks.com)
Pirate's Booty - $2
Hi-C 10 pk - $2
Jello Gelatin - .40 ea
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Hannaford's Deals 6/28-7/4
The following are good deals at Hannaford's for the week of 6/28-7/4. Not all deals are mentioned, but these are the ones that I find to be pretty good. Check your circular for all deals this coming week. See the Hannaford's Circular HERE. Make, Save, & Share your Hannaford grocery list HERE.
Meat
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - $1.79/lbs
Boneless NY Sirloin Steak - $2.99/lbs
80/20 Ground Beef - $1.99/lbs
Steamer Clams - $3.99/lbs
Split Chicken Breast - $1.49/lbs
Eye Round Steak - $2.49/lbs
Johnsonville Bratwurst - $2.99 (19.75 oz package)
Produce
Cherriers - $1.99/lbs
Pint Blueberries - $1.49
4 lbs bag Red Potatoes - $1.99
Mangos - .89
Cucumbers - .59/lbs
Pineapples - $2.79
Dairy
Hannaford Sour Cream - .99
Hannaford brick Cream Cheese - .89
Frozen
Smart Option Ice Cream - .99
Friendly's or Edy's Ice Cream - $2.50
Weight Watcher Smart Ones - $1.89
Grocery
Poland Spring 24 pk water - $3.88
Coke 12 packs - $2.50 ea
Hannaford Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns - .99
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Meat
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - $1.79/lbs
Boneless NY Sirloin Steak - $2.99/lbs
80/20 Ground Beef - $1.99/lbs
Steamer Clams - $3.99/lbs
Split Chicken Breast - $1.49/lbs
Eye Round Steak - $2.49/lbs
Johnsonville Bratwurst - $2.99 (19.75 oz package)
Produce
Cherriers - $1.99/lbs
Pint Blueberries - $1.49
4 lbs bag Red Potatoes - $1.99
Mangos - .89
Cucumbers - .59/lbs
Pineapples - $2.79
Dairy
Hannaford Sour Cream - .99
Hannaford brick Cream Cheese - .89
Frozen
Smart Option Ice Cream - .99
Friendly's or Edy's Ice Cream - $2.50
Weight Watcher Smart Ones - $1.89
Grocery
Poland Spring 24 pk water - $3.88
Coke 12 packs - $2.50 ea
Hannaford Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns - .99
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Shaw's Trip!
Total Before Savings: $154.28
Total Preferred Savings: $63.99
Total Preferred Savings: $63.99
Total Coupons Used: $33.00
Total Recycling Return: .90 cents
Cash OOP: $57.29
**I had a $10 OYNP Coupon**
2 pints of Blueberries - BOGO @ $3.99 - $1.99 ea
2 Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes - BOGO @ $3.99 ($1/2 Shaw's Coupon) $1.50 ea
1 DelMonte Pineapple - $2.49 (.50/1 from Coupons.com DOUBLES) $1.49 ea
1 bag Lettuce - $2
1.5 lbs Chuck Beef @ $2.99/lbs - $4.49
Quaker Cornmeal - $2.19
2 Ken's Dressings - .99 ea ($1/2 MFC) - One actually rang up at $1.99. Debating about arguing about a $1.
5 lbs Shaw's Flour - $2.49
2 Ice Cream Cones - $1 ea
8 Kellogg's Cereals - $1.75 ea ($1/4 Shaw's Coupon, 8 $1/1 MFCs) $5 for all 8 boxes or .63 cents ea.
1 Chinese Chicken Helper - $1 (this is just new and I like trying weird stuff like this)
1 Frito Lay Snack pack - $5.99
5 12-packs Pepsi - 5 for $5 with purchase of Snack Pack ($1/1 Diet Mountain Dew 12 pack)
$3.00 for Deposit
2 Caprisun Sunrise - $2 ea (2 $1/1 MFCs) $1 ea
1 M&M Treat Pops - $2.99 ($1/1 MFC) $1.99
1 Lindy's Italian Ice - $2.50
10 Dannon Yogurts - .50 ea ($1/10 MFC) .40 cents ea!
1 gallon 1% Shaw's Milk - $2.49
1 Bamboo Skewer pack - $1.59
Edy's Cat - Buy 4, get $4 OYNP
2 Edy's Ice Creams - BOGO @$5.99 - $3.00 ea
2 Eskimo Pie Pops - 2/$5 - $2.50 ea
-
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tales from a Stop & Shop in Framingham! - Part 1
First, I want to just extend a "thank you" to the people of Peapod and Stop & Shop who invited a bunch of bloggers and whatnot to their Framingham store today! I had a great time learning about the grocery delivery service, Peapod and I also enjoyed being away from my kids for 45 minutes! Many, many thanks to the two young ladies who watched my precious lads this morning! Well anyways....2 weeks ago, I got an invite from Stop & Shop to come on down to their Framingham store to get a tour and talk about Peapod (their delivery service). I'll be honest. At first I was thinking "What? Oh great, drive 40 miles to see a couple guys walking down the isles of Stop & Shop preparing people's grocery orders." (Let me add - I was also thinking "People who are obviously too lazy to do their own grocery shopping"...). I'll be honest. Grocery shopping doesn't bother me. I enjoy it actually. Why pay a store $10 (plus tip) to do it for me? Will I ever get so busy in life that I can't devote an hour a week to a supermarket? I hope not.
Well anyways, since grocery stores amuse me, I decided to give it a shot. I have to say, sometimes I am not fair to Stop & Shop. I grew up going to Stop & Shop (3 thumbs up for the circle Stop & Shop in Fairfield, CT!). I was there when they ripped down walls and upgraded from "Stop & Shop" to "Super Stop & Shop". As a teenager, we moved to a closer Stop & Shop - but I kept true to that circle Stop & Shop whenever my teenage impulses made me go grocery shopping (which, by the way, was pretty much never). What was my thought of Shaw's back then? It was blah. Well Shaw's was relatively new to the area - I think it came around Southern CT in the early to mid 90s. I was in high school. I really didn't care. All I knew was it was on the other side of town and dealing with traffic on Black Rock Turnpike drove me crazy. It still does.
So I decided to pack the kids up in the car and venture off to watch a couple guys bag some groceries. Plus, there was an offer of some lunch. We don't pass up free lunch in this house. We got there and 2 amazing young ladies watched a gazzillion kids for us crazy bloggers. I think my little red head got anxious because when we got back, one of the ladies was holding him. Oops.
Back to the tour. So I didn't know this, but Stop & Shop has about 21 stores that do Peapod. Peapod is actually it's own little store that is owned in part by Stop & Shop. I always thought it was some fancy name Stop & Shop came up with for this service - I didn't really know it was it's own thing. We walked upstairs of the rear of the store and it was amazing - it was like a mini grocery store up there! There were a bunch of people running around getting orders processed. I thought it was funny because they call the people who pull the groceries for the orders "Shoppers." It really is a whole methodical way of doing stuff. I was also actually surprised at how many orders they had. Honestly - they much do a great business - there were a lot of workers there for Peapod, so it must make some money, right? I'm honestly shocked. In my mind, the only people who get groceries delivered are the elderly and rich people. Apparently Framingham is booming with both - or maybe just "normal" people have jumped on this bandwagon as well.
So besides lunch, the kind people of Stop & Shop and Peapod gave us a $50 gift card - so of course I jumped on the chance to use it. I have my order placed and it will be delivered tomorrow night. I have until 11:59 tonight to change it. I will talk more about costs, quirks, benefits and whether or not it's worth it to use this service on Friday!
Going To CVS Today!
I haven't really been in CVS for a long time. Well I ran in last week to get my husband's prescriptions - but I haven't been to score some stuff lately. I'm going today because I have $6 ECBs to blow and a $10 off $50 I need to use. Rumor around the blog world is that $10/$50s are spitting out for lots of people at the coupon center (price checker). So what am I going to buy? SoyJoys and Always? No. I'm probably going to stock up on batteries for the most part. We are down to pretty much nothing. I stocked up well during that awesome "Spend $20 on Duracell, get $15 ECBs" a while ago. I thought about grabbing some Huggies - but I don't think it's worth it. Why?
A pack of Huggies is on sale for $8.99 ea. There are a bunch of $1.50 coupons in my stash - so $7.49 a pack. Assuming I go just over $50 with my $10 off coupon, that's an extra 20% off - or about $6 for a pack of 34 Size 4 diapers. That's 17.6 cents a diaper. I'm happy with Luvs. I know not as great as Huggies, but they work well for us. They have a case of 180 Size 4 Luvs at BJ's for $29.99. But there is a $5 off BJ's coupon and I can use that $1 off one from the interwebz. So $23.99 for a case of 180 - Making each Luvs diaper 13.3 cents. So you might think "What's the big deal - it's a 4 cent difference." But over 180 diapers, it's a savings of $7.74.
I may grab some Tylenol with the $3/2 coupons that were in the paper recently. Possibly some children's vitamins but I might grab those at BJ's (Flintstones have a $3 BJ's coupon and a $1/1 MFC from the paper recently) or Shaw's (Shaw's Equaline is on sale this week).
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
My Garden Has Some Color!
As most know - here in MA, it's been doing nothing but rain for the past who knows how long. I braved the sprinkling to take pictures today.
Here is my beloved Gretchen. She had another flower below that one, but there was a bug on it, so I went to flick it off and when I flicked, the flower flicked off too. I'm so sorry Gretchen! Gretchen also has some bird poop on her.
These are the Grape Tomatoes I planted from seeds. I honestly don't think these are going to take. We'll see.
Here a few tomatoes and my miracle cucumbers. I swear, these cucumbers were dead and then all of the sudden, there was life again.
And I can't forget about my butt shaped tomato. Mr. Butt is growing well. Even though he looks like a butt.
Here is my beloved Gretchen. She had another flower below that one, but there was a bug on it, so I went to flick it off and when I flicked, the flower flicked off too. I'm so sorry Gretchen! Gretchen also has some bird poop on her.
These are the Grape Tomatoes I planted from seeds. I honestly don't think these are going to take. We'll see.
Here a few tomatoes and my miracle cucumbers. I swear, these cucumbers were dead and then all of the sudden, there was life again. 
And I can't forget about my butt shaped tomato. Mr. Butt is growing well. Even though he looks like a butt.
I thought I took a picture of our pumpkins (doing great!)...but I guess I didn't. My watermelon are all gone. Carrots - yeah, that was a joke. Tomatoes aren't doing too hot - but they are still alive. The old owners left some tomato cages here. During one of the many rains, I went out to check on them and noticed they were a little droopy. So I threw those in really quickly.
Food Snobbery. Even I am Guilty!
I have to say - on the surface, I don't really think of myself as a "food snob". I'll eat anything. I really am not into dieting or eating healthy - I'll just eat whatever. I don't think we're all up here eating junk all the time (but a lot of the time). But if I can get a good price on certain things at the grocery store, I'll buy it. Whenever we go to anyone's house - I typically like whatever is made. I'm not picky at restaurants. So I think I'm kind of mellow when it comes to food consumption.As I was scanning the ads this week, I saw split chicken breast on sale for .99/lbs. Then it dawned on me - I AM A FOOD SNOB! Why? I cannot buy or cook meat on the bone. I think it's disgusting. Now granted, I'll eat buffalo wings from my local pizza joint all day long if given a chance, but handling or actually cooking meat with bones grosses me out like no tomorrow!
So are you guilty of any "food snobbery"? Sure - some people might just say we have certain tastes for different things - but I like to call my hatred of meat on the bone (especially chicken) "food snobbery."
Monday, June 22, 2009
Stop & Shop Coupons!
Today in the mail, I got another series of 5% off coupons at Stop & Shop! Now honestly - think about it - it's not really that Earth shattering. If you spend $100, you save $5. Big whoop. But every bit helps - and a BIG tip - if you use this coupon with other coupons, put this coupon ON TOP of all other coupons. The register will take off 5% off the PRE-COUPON amount. If your Shaw's or other supermarket takes competitors coupons, these should work (I'm convinced my Shaw's is the ONLY Shaw's that says they take competitors coupons, but in reality, they don't. I still love them.)
My mother does all her shopping at Stop & Shop. She gave me a big stack of coupons this past weekend. In there were lots of good things for Stop & Shop - a coupon for a FREE pint of Grape Tomatoes. 10% off meat purchase (I do not think you can use this with the $5 off $15 out there - because they are both store coupons - if you want to test your luck committing coupon fraud, be my guest. Bargain Becky advises against it though) and a couple other things that came in her mailbox. Remember - not all mail is junk mail - even though it might look like it!
My mother does all her shopping at Stop & Shop. She gave me a big stack of coupons this past weekend. In there were lots of good things for Stop & Shop - a coupon for a FREE pint of Grape Tomatoes. 10% off meat purchase (I do not think you can use this with the $5 off $15 out there - because they are both store coupons - if you want to test your luck committing coupon fraud, be my guest. Bargain Becky advises against it though) and a couple other things that came in her mailbox. Remember - not all mail is junk mail - even though it might look like it!
CoCo Keys Cyber 3 Day Sale!
So - I really don't think this is a great deal for the Massachusetts CoCo Keys lovers - but if you are near Newark, OH or Rockford, IL - it seems like a steal! You can buy a 10 pack of day passes at CoCo Keys for the next 3 days - for $10-$20 per ticket (see below for location cost). I've been to the Danvers CoCo Keys once before. It was pretty neat. I managed to survive alone with my two toddlers (I had some friends there with me). These passes are good from now until August 28th - so if you think you'll go a couple of times with your kids this summer, or want to team up with some other parents and kids, get in cheaper by going the bulk route!On June 23, 24 & 25 you can purchase day passes for as low as $10 per pass, with the purchase of 10 tickets. Choose from any of the 10 CoCo Key Water Resorts locations nationwide. Hurry, as a limited supply is available!
Buy 10 day passes for only $10 each -- Newark, OH & Rockford, IL locations
Buy 10 day passes for only $15 each -- Chicago, IL; Mt.Laurel, NJ; Omaha, NE; Kansas City, MO; Cincinnati, OH and Waterbury, CT locations
Buy 10 day passes for only$20 each -- Boston, MA and Fitchburg, MA locations
A total minimum savings of over $150! You are saving a minimum of $15 per ticket at any of the 10 CoCo Key locations nationwide. (Day passes range from $25 - $39.) Purchase your day passes now!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Shaw's Deals 6/19-6/25!
Here are the pretty good deals at Shaw's for the week of 6/19-6/25. Not all deals are mentioned. Just the ones that I think are pretty good. See the entire circular at Shaws.com.
**Front Page Deal - Need Coupon from Circular. Get 5 Pepsi 12-packs for $1 each with coupon and the purchase of a Frito-Lay Multi-Pack!**
**FREE Dasani 24-pk water When You Buy 2 Wheat Thins and 2 Crystal Light Drink mixes! Crystal Light coupons were at Coupons.com. Wheat Thins have been in the paper**
**General Mills Cat - Buy 3 at $2.50 ea, get a coupon for up to $4.50 off a future milk purchase! Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Honey Nut Cheerios, Reese's PB Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Trix!**
**Edy's Cat - Buy 4 Edy's products, Get $4 OYNP! Edy's is BOGO Free so you just grab 4 and only pay for 2!**
Produce
Blueberries - BOGO Free
Del Monte Pineapple - $2.50 (.50 cent/1 at Coupons.com)
Fresh Cut Watermelon - .49/lbs
Desert Glory Cherry Tomatoes - BOGO Free (Coupon at Shaws.com)
Fress Express Garden Plus Salad - $2
Meat
Diluigi Beef, Turkey or Parmesan Tips - $4.99. Chicken or Pork Tips - $3.99 (Coupon for FREE Deli Salad with purchase in circular)
Nathan's Sausage or Kielbasa - BOGO Free
Dairy
Edy's Ice Cream - BOGO Free (Buy 4, get $4 off your next purchase)
Dannon Yogurts - .50 ea
Cabot Cheese - $2.50
Hood Sour Cream 16 oz - $1.50
Minute Maid OJ - $2.99
Frozen
Culinary Circle Pizza - $4.88 (Get a FREE Sunkist 2 liter with in-store coupon)
Grocery
Barilla Pasta - $1 (Coupon at Shaws.com)
Capri Sun 10 pack - $2
Adam & Eve Juice - $2.50
Jolly Time Popcorn or Wise Snacks - BOGO Free (Coupon at Wisesnacks.com)
Coke 2 Liters - $1 (Buy 4, get a FREE pack of hamburger or hotdog buns!)
Ken's Salad Dressing - $1 (this is the small one)
Shaw's Light Bread - BOGO Free
Drake's Cakes - BOGO Free
Thomas' English Muffins - BOGO FREE
Cleaning/H&B
Tide (100 oz) - $10.99 (Coupon at Shaws.com & Coupon in P&G Year of Savings Book)
Gillette Foamy Shaving Cream - $1
Cottonelle 4 pk - $2.99 (I have a few .75/1 coupons - that would make this $1.49)
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
**Front Page Deal - Need Coupon from Circular. Get 5 Pepsi 12-packs for $1 each with coupon and the purchase of a Frito-Lay Multi-Pack!**
**FREE Dasani 24-pk water When You Buy 2 Wheat Thins and 2 Crystal Light Drink mixes! Crystal Light coupons were at Coupons.com. Wheat Thins have been in the paper**
**General Mills Cat - Buy 3 at $2.50 ea, get a coupon for up to $4.50 off a future milk purchase! Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Honey Nut Cheerios, Reese's PB Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Trix!**
**Edy's Cat - Buy 4 Edy's products, Get $4 OYNP! Edy's is BOGO Free so you just grab 4 and only pay for 2!**
Produce
Blueberries - BOGO Free
Del Monte Pineapple - $2.50 (.50 cent/1 at Coupons.com)
Fresh Cut Watermelon - .49/lbs
Desert Glory Cherry Tomatoes - BOGO Free (Coupon at Shaws.com)
Fress Express Garden Plus Salad - $2
Meat
Diluigi Beef, Turkey or Parmesan Tips - $4.99. Chicken or Pork Tips - $3.99 (Coupon for FREE Deli Salad with purchase in circular)
Nathan's Sausage or Kielbasa - BOGO Free
Dairy
Edy's Ice Cream - BOGO Free (Buy 4, get $4 off your next purchase)
Dannon Yogurts - .50 ea
Cabot Cheese - $2.50
Hood Sour Cream 16 oz - $1.50
Minute Maid OJ - $2.99
Frozen
Culinary Circle Pizza - $4.88 (Get a FREE Sunkist 2 liter with in-store coupon)
Grocery
Barilla Pasta - $1 (Coupon at Shaws.com)
Capri Sun 10 pack - $2
Adam & Eve Juice - $2.50
Jolly Time Popcorn or Wise Snacks - BOGO Free (Coupon at Wisesnacks.com)
Coke 2 Liters - $1 (Buy 4, get a FREE pack of hamburger or hotdog buns!)
Ken's Salad Dressing - $1 (this is the small one)
Shaw's Light Bread - BOGO Free
Drake's Cakes - BOGO Free
Thomas' English Muffins - BOGO FREE
Cleaning/H&B
Tide (100 oz) - $10.99 (Coupon at Shaws.com & Coupon in P&G Year of Savings Book)
Gillette Foamy Shaving Cream - $1
Cottonelle 4 pk - $2.99 (I have a few .75/1 coupons - that would make this $1.49)
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Random Stuff To Record!
It's been a crazy couple days here! My husband just got his last wisdom tooth out. We just got our electrical service updated, a tree cut down and we're gearing up for new gutters on Monday. I haven't been really "shopping" in a while - but I had a few quick trips:
OXYCLEAN! I needed more upholstry spray since my kids get my sofas disgusting. I was with my mother and she fronted the whole $4.16 - but I'm counting it towards my spending.
We grabbed a few things good for when you have a tooth removed. I can't find the receipt. It was $13.27.
I bought CVS brand Benadryl for $3.99. The husband needed it as part of his tooth recovery. I thought about counting my prescriptions - but we don't really use that many prescriptions throughout the year and they are always under $5. Plus, that might be boarderline too personal - but obviously I'm not too concerned with being too personal.
OXYCLEAN! I needed more upholstry spray since my kids get my sofas disgusting. I was with my mother and she fronted the whole $4.16 - but I'm counting it towards my spending.
We grabbed a few things good for when you have a tooth removed. I can't find the receipt. It was $13.27.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Let Shaw's Help You Save on Your "Staycation"!
First, I must admit - I hate the phrase "staycation." It just sounds stupid. For starters, my husband and I have been partaking in "staycations" since 2005. That's right. We haven't gone on vacation since 2005 - and even that vacation was pretty cheap - I won a 4 night stay at any Sandals resort of my choice, so we went to the Bahamas.
Here I thought for the past 4 years that we were just poor. In comes the Spring of 2009 and the new and hip thing are "staycations." I personally would like to credit myself and my husband for helping to make this trend popular. I'll have to stop telling people we're just poor and uncultured - we'll change it to we're trying to help the environment and our local economy.
Well if you are looking for some day trip fun in New England, Shaw's just launched 6 pages of discounts at New England museums, sporting events and other things. The best one I could see was a Buy One Ticket, Get One Free at the Brockton Rox. They have coupons for Edaville, CoCo Keys, Davis Farmland, Roger Williams Zoo, etc. etc. There are honestly just too many to list. So check out the coupons yourself: CLICK HERE!
Thanks Shaw's and all the area attractions for making our "staycations" cheaper than ever!
Here I thought for the past 4 years that we were just poor. In comes the Spring of 2009 and the new and hip thing are "staycations." I personally would like to credit myself and my husband for helping to make this trend popular. I'll have to stop telling people we're just poor and uncultured - we'll change it to we're trying to help the environment and our local economy.
Well if you are looking for some day trip fun in New England, Shaw's just launched 6 pages of discounts at New England museums, sporting events and other things. The best one I could see was a Buy One Ticket, Get One Free at the Brockton Rox. They have coupons for Edaville, CoCo Keys, Davis Farmland, Roger Williams Zoo, etc. etc. There are honestly just too many to list. So check out the coupons yourself: CLICK HERE!
Thanks Shaw's and all the area attractions for making our "staycations" cheaper than ever!
Stop & Shop Deals 6/19-6/25!
The following are good deals at Stop & Shop for the week of 6/19-6/25. Not all deals are mentioned, but these are the ones that I find to be pretty good. Check your circular for all deals this coming week.Buy One Get One Free Deals
Doritos
Prego 25-26 oz
Kellogg's - Corn Pops, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops
Dole Fruit Bowls
Oscar Mayer Beef Franks
Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent
Utz Potato Chips
Banana Boat Sunscreen
Sabra Hummus
Kool-Aid Drink Mix
SoBe Lifewater
Nature Made Vitamins
Smart Living Charcoal
Hormel Black Label Bacon
Steak-umm Chuck Beef Burgers
Alouette Cheese Spreads
Planter's Mixed Nuts
Finish Dish Detergent Tabs
Sylvania Spot & Flood Lights
Produce
3 pk Romaine Hearts - $2.50
Tomatoes on the Vine - $1.99/lbs
1 lbs Strawberries - $2.50
Vidalia Onions - .99/lbs
Whole Seedless Watermelon - $3.99
Pint Blueberries - $1.25
Meat
**Remember the $5 off $15 Meat Coupon HERE**
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast - $1.79/lbs
Petite Sirloin or Roast - $3.99/lbs
Pork Tenderloin - $2.99/lbs
Extra Large Shrimp - $6.99 ($12.98 for a 2 lbs bag)
85% Lean Ground Beef - $2.99/lbs
White Gem Drumsticks or Thighs - $1.29/lbs (3+lbs)
Pork Shoulder Ribs - $1.69/lbs (3+lbs)
Shady Brook Farms 93% Fat Free Ground Turkey - $2.99 for a 20 oz package ($2.39/lbs)
Gorton's Seafood - 25% off ($1/2 at Coupons.com)
Dairy
Tropicana OJ - $2.50
Yoplait Yogurt - .50 ea (coupons from paper and Coupons.com)
Kraft Shredded Cheese - $2.50
Frozen
Friendly's Ice Cream - $2.50
Eggo Waffles - $2
Drinks
Pepsi 12 Packs - $2.40 (Must Buy $5)
Kool-Aid Jammers - $1.88
Organics
Nature's Promise Crackers - $2
Nature's Promise Breads - $2
Grocery
Stop & Shop canned Vegetables - .66 ea
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce - $1.67
Wonder Bread - $2
Cleaning/Health & Beauty
Care One Multi-Purpose Solution for Contacts - 50% off
Stop & Shop is doing a promotion now. Earn up to 20% off a future shopping trip. How it works is that for every $1 you spend, you get 1 point. 250 points = 5% off, 450 points = 10% off, 600 points = 15% off, 800 points = 20% off. This begins now and runs through 7/23. So pretty much the next 5 weeks. If you spend $160 or more per week, you might actually earn 800 points. Then if you have to redeem the certificate by 8/6. The system will track your purchases for you.
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Stop & Shop - All This MEAT!
Total Before Savings: $36.37Total Stop & Shop Savings: $16.14
Coupons Used: $12.01
Cash OOP: $8.22
**Used 5% off Your Total Order BEFORE other Coupons to get $1.01 Off!**
**Had $5 off $15 of Meat and $5 OYNP Coupon from the P&G Deal Last Week**
10 Dannon Yogurts - .33 ea
1 Hometown Bakery Cookies - $1 (Free Stop & Shop Coupon) FREE!
5.45 lbs 80/20 Ground Beef - $1.99/lbs - $10.86
2.52 lbs Italian Sausage - $1.99/lbs - $5.03 ($5 off $15 or more Meat)
Roche Bros Deals 6/21-6/27!
The following are good deals at Roche Bros. for the week of 6/21 - 6/27. Not all deals are mentioned, but these are the ones that I find to be pretty good. Check your circular for all deals this coming week. See your local Roche Bros. circular HERE.
Produce
Peaches - .99/lbs
Whole Watermelon - $4.99
Produce
Peaches - .99/lbs
Whole Watermelon - $4.99
Iceburg Lettuce - $1.50
Red Potatoes - .99/lbs
Meat
Sirloin Tips - $3.99/lbs
Boneless Pork Sirloin Cutlets - $1.99/lbs
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs - $1.99/lbs
Jennie-O Turkey Tenders (12 oz) - BOGO FREE
Jennie-O Turkey Tenders (12 oz) - BOGO FREE
Dairy
Food Club OJ - $2.22
Food Club Shredded Mozzarella - BOGO Free
Food Club Shredded Cheese - BOGO FREE
Food Club Sliced Cheese - BOGO FREE
Food Club Sour Cream - BOGO FREE
Food Club Whipped Topping - BOGO FREE
Food Club Block Cream Cheese - BOGO FREE
Food Club 6 pack Pudding - BOGO FREE
Dannon Yogurts - .50 ea
Florida Natural OJ - $3
Daisy Sour Cream $1.50
Frozen
Food Club Sherbert - $1.33
Food Club Ice Cream - $2.22 (Buy 1, Get a pack of Food Club Cake Cones FREE!)
Food Club Red, White & Blue Pops - $1.25
Eggo Pancakes or French Toast Sticks - $2
Eggo Pancakes or French Toast Sticks - $2
Hood Novelties - $2.50
Lindy's Italian Ice - $2
Grocery
Wishbone Salad Dressing - $1
Quaker Cakes - $1
Ritz Crackers - $1.99
Kellogg's Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, Froot Loops, Apple Jacks - $1.77
Barilla Pasta $1
Hellmann's Mayo - $2.50
Food Club Ketchup - $1.25
Food Club Ketchup - $1.25
Food Club Relish - $1
Rice A Roni - $1
Rice A Roni - $1
Suddenly Salad - $1.25
Roche Bros. White Bread - $1
Country Kitchen Bread - $2
Roche Bros. Catalina
Buy $30 Worth of P&G Products, get a $10 Gift Card (not sure if this works on PSP)
Herbal Essences - $3.33
Old Spice Deodorant - $2
Old Spice or Ivory Body Wash - $3.33
Crest Whitening Expressions Toothpaste - $2.50
Gillette Fusion - $3 off
Bounty Paper Towels 6 pack - $8.99
Charmin Bath Tissue 24 Rolls - $8.99
Pampers - $9.99
Cheer or Gain (100 oz) - $9.99
Downy Liquid Fabric Softener - $4.49
Cascade Dish Detergent - $3.33
Swiffer Starter Kit - $9.99
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Hannaford's Deals 6/19-6/25
The following are good deals at Hannaford's for the week of 6/19-6/25. Not all deals are mentioned, but these are the ones that I find to be pretty good. Check your circular for all deals this coming week.
Produce
Mini Watermelon - $1.99 ea
Produce
Mini Watermelon - $1.99 ea
Peaches - .99/lbs
Broccoli - $1.49/lbs
Broccoli - $1.49/lbs
Russet Potatoes - .79/lbs
Fress Express Garden Salad - .99!!
2 lbs Strawberries - $3.69
Jazz or Cameo Apples - $1.29/lbs
3 pack Organic Romaine Hearts - $2.49
Meat
Top Round Steak - $1.89/lbs (3-4 lbs packs)
Southern Style Pork Ribs - $1.29/lbs
Turkey Pastrami (at Deli) - $3.49/lbs
Turkey Pastrami (at Deli) - $3.49/lbs
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs - $1.99/lbs
Colonial Sliced Bacon - $2.89
London Broil - $2.49/lbs
Dairy
Dannon Yogurts - .50 ea
Blue Bonnet Stick Margarine - .99
Hannaford OJ - $2.50
Frozen
Hood Ice Cream - $2.50 (Buy 2, Get a FREE pack of Hannaford Ice Cream Cones)
Frozen
Hood Ice Cream - $2.50 (Buy 2, Get a FREE pack of Hannaford Ice Cream Cones)
Grocery
Hannaford's Salad Dressing - .99
Goldfish - $1.79
Hannaford BBQ Sauce - .99
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A Stop at BJ's For Basics!
Total OOP: $18.78
2 gallons 1% Milk - $2.11 ea
3 lbs Bananas - $1.39 (.46 cents/lbs)
5 lbs Pears - $6.99 ($1.40/lbs)
2 pk Wonder Kids bread - $3.19
2 dozen eggs - $2.99 ($1.50 per dozen)
-Eggs at BJ's have gone down in price - It used to be $3.49 for 2 dozen - now it's $2.99. Shaw's eggs went from $1.79 a dozen to $1.59 a dozen. Many thanks to the chickens of the USA for lowering their prices for us.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Free Fun Fridays in Boston!
Thanks to Thrifty Craft Mama's Twitter update (that's right - most of us crazy bloggers are on Twitter too) - I learned about Free Fun Fridays in Boston! Every Friday, beginning July 3rd, there are Boston area attractions that are offering FREE admission! Here's the summary:
July 3rd - Museum of Science
July 10th - JFK Museum
July 17th - Boston Harbor Island Ferry (free transportation to the Harbor Islands!)
July 24th - Franklin Park Zoo
July 31st - Boston Children's Museum
August 7th - Plimoth Plantation
August 14th - Stone Zoo
August 21st - Peabody Essex Museum
August 28th - MFA
September 4th - Springfield Museums
Check out this website HERE for details! Thanks Thrifty Craft Mama!!
July 3rd - Museum of Science
July 10th - JFK Museum
July 17th - Boston Harbor Island Ferry (free transportation to the Harbor Islands!)
July 24th - Franklin Park Zoo
July 31st - Boston Children's Museum
August 7th - Plimoth Plantation
August 14th - Stone Zoo
August 21st - Peabody Essex Museum
August 28th - MFA
September 4th - Springfield Museums
Check out this website HERE for details! Thanks Thrifty Craft Mama!!
$5/$15 Meat Purchase at Stop & Shop!
Check out Wicked Cool Deals today! Michelle over there found a printable $5 off $15 meat purchase at Stop & Shop! If your grocery store takes competitor's coupons, this is great. I won't test my luck at my Shaw's - I love them, but they never take my competitor's coupons. 80/20 Ground Beef Big Buy packs are on sale for $1.99 a pound until Thursday at Stop & Shop!If you bought 7 1/2 pounds of ground beef (think 4th of July BBQs people!) - it would be about $15 - use your $5 off coupon, to make it $10. $1.33/lbs for 80/20 Ground Beef! What a steal!
BJ's - Using The Baby Edition Member Savings Book to Show How To Use MFCs!
The other day, I got a BJ's coupon book in the mail - the Baby Edition one. If you are the primary member with a child under 3 - you probably got this book. All coupons are good from 6/10-7/10. I thought I'd use them to show you how to "stack" MFCs with them.
BJ's has a great coupon policy - not only can you use the BJ's coupons, but you can use Manufacturer's coupons too. It can be tricky though. Pretty much, the way it works, is you can use as many coupons as there are UPCs in the package. Do you get that? For instance, the Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks at BJ's. There are 42 little packs in the box. However, you can only use an MFC with a quantity of 1 on it. Why? It's technically, 1 box of fruit snacks. The 3-pack of Coppertone sunscreen they have? You can use 3 MFCs on that. Why? There are 3 individually wrapped sunscreens - each with a UPC (barcode) on each one.You can always print off random BJ's coupons by clicking their website HERE.
So here is the Baby Edition book coupons broken down with the **QUANTITY** of MFCs that can be used with them. So for instance, if you had a $1 off 2 Balmex, you can use just that coupon - because it has a quantity of 2 on it.
Baby
$5 off Berkley & Jensen Diapers (I would not recommend this product - I've tried BJ's diapers and they are blah)
$3 off Any Pampers Baby Dry - Match up with 1 Pampers MFC
$5 off Any Luvs -Match up with 1 MFC or click HERE to get $1 off
$4 off Pampers Cruisers or Swaddlers - Match up with 1 Pampers MFC
$5 off Pampers Cruisers with Ultra Absorbency or Swaddlers Sensitive - Match up with 1 Pampers MFC
$5 off Pampers Easy Ups - Match up with 1 Easy Up MFC
$2 off Balmex - Match up with 2 Balmex MFCs
$3 off Berkley & Jensen Wipes (These wipes are awesome! Stock up!)
$3 off Luvs Wipes - Match with 1 Luvs Wipes MFC
$5 off Pampers Sensitive Wipes - Match up with 1 Pampers Wipes MFC
$3 off Pampers Natural or Baby Fresh Wipes - Match with 1 Pampers Wipes MFC
$3.50 off Johnson's Bathtime Gift Set
$2 off Johnson's Baby Shampoo or Lotion - Match up with 2 MFCs
$1.50 off Johnson's Bedtime Bath, Oil, or Powder - Match up wtih 2 MFCs
$2 off Johnson's Head-To-Toe Wash 3 pk or Aveeno Baby Wash 2 pk - Match with 3 Johnson's MFCs or 2 Aveeno MFCs
$5 Similac Advance or Sensitive 6 pk Ready-to-Feed - I don't even think there are MFCs for this stuff.
$3 Berkey & Jensen Formula - My 2nd son used this. It was great. $19.99 reg. price.
$2 Beech-Nut Stages - Match with up to 18 MFCs
$5 Nestle Good Start - Remember the Formula Checks!
Health and Beauty
$3 off Aveeno Lotion - Match with 2 MFCs
$3 off Flintstone Vitamins - Match with 1 MFC
$3 off Viactiv Chews - Match with 1 MFC
$3 off Neutrogena Sun Protection - Match with quantity in package (probably 2 or 3)
$2 off Tylenol or Motrin Product - Match with 2 MFCs
$2 off Bandaids - Match with 1 MFC
$1.50 Q-tips - Match with 4 MFCs
$2 off Oral-B Kids Stages or Zooth - Match with 2 MFCs
Buy Any Gillette Venus Cartridge, Get a 3 pk of Secret FREE - Match with Venus MFCs and 3 Secret MFCs
$6 off Roc Day or Night Cream
Cleaning/Household
$3 off Dreft - Match with 1 MFC
$3 off Clorox 2 - Match with 1 MFC
$3 off Puffs Plus 10 pk - Match with 10 MFCs
$4 off Charmin - Match with 1 MFC
Buy any Febreze, Get Tide To Go Free - Match with 2 Febreeze MFCs and 1 Tide-To-Go MFC
Grocery
$2 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks - Match with 1 MFC
$2 Banana Nut Cheerios - Match with 2 MFCs
$2 Rice Krispies - Match with 2 MFCs
$2 Kashi TLC Chewy Granola Bars - Coupons out there??
$2 Folger's Product - Match with 1 MFC
$2 YoBaby Yogurt - Match with 1 MFC
$1.75 off Frigo String Cheese - Match with 1 MFC
$1.25 Immaculate Baking Co Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough
Household Stuff
Buy a Pur Faucet Mount, Get Pringles Snack Stacks FREE
$2 Playtex Sippy Cups
Instant $10 off Alpha Omega Car Seat
$20 off Sony Handycam Camcorder
$70 off 4 Michelin Tires
I would give you a link to BJ's official coupon policy - but there is none to be found on the internet. This is just what I interpret their coupon policy to be - and what has worked for me. If you happen to know where I can find the official BJ's coupon policy on the internet, I'd love to see it - I'd hate to promote "wrong coupon doings". I searched high and low on the BJ's site and couldn't find it.
Walmart Trip!
On Sunday - we did go to Walmart and get a few things. The cashier didn't greet me. So on the little pin pad when it asked, "Did your cashier greet you today?" I clicked "no." I never actually clicked "no" before - but she was mean! BJ's lost my business this one time since they refuse to give me a keyring membership card! 1 24 pack of water - $2.99
3 big things of Apple Juice - $1.97 ea
1 pack of hamburger buns - $1.50
1 bag of pretzel sticks - $1.18
2 packs of Goldfish - $1.88 ea
Total: $13.46
Monday, June 15, 2009
My Garden Update!
Paula, from Saving Money 101 gave a shout out to the gardeners to post pictures! So here are some pictures I took from over the weekend!
Here is one of my tomato plants. Tomatoes have started to form. I'm glad I already have one that looks like a little butt.
Here is Gretchen. She is my prized zucchini (or maybe yellow squash - I forgot) plant. I have 4 squash plants left from when I planted from seed. It's weird to think this plant started off as a dried little seed in a packet.
Here are the sons' pumpkins. I transplanted them a few days ago.
I transplanted my little watermelon sprouts too. I'm not sure how they are going to take.
Here is one of my tomato plants. Tomatoes have started to form. I'm glad I already have one that looks like a little butt.
Here is Gretchen. She is my prized zucchini (or maybe yellow squash - I forgot) plant. I have 4 squash plants left from when I planted from seed. It's weird to think this plant started off as a dried little seed in a packet. 
Here are the sons' pumpkins. I transplanted them a few days ago.
I transplanted my little watermelon sprouts too. I'm not sure how they are going to take. I still have much more newspaper shredding to do! The weather has been so blah here lately. I like shredding outside since it's a little messy.
Someone at BJ's & Costco - Listen Up!
Virtually every grocery and drug store have them. My library has them. Petco, Staples, Toys R Us - they all have them! Why can't BJ's & Costco? What am I talking about you ask? Membership cards that fit on your key ring! Really! I went out to a birthday party this past weekend and on the way home, we realized we needed juice, milk and bottled water. Of course I knew the only place we had to go - BJ's! But no. Why? Me, being the unorganized dummy that I am, left my BJ's card in the pants pocket of the pants I was wearing the last time I was at BJ's and didn't have my membership card with me. It made us divert to Walmart - and even though I only had 3 things I "needed", I completely forgot the milk. This is why I need grocery lists to go shopping. I also need a keyring card for BJ's!I know this has nothing to do with bargains - I just felt the need to complain.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Do You Know Someone in NY or Lower Fairfield County CT? - Steal Their Coupons!
I already pretty much knew this, but my mother also verified it (at none other than a Weight Watcher meeting). My mother is kind enough to mail me her coupons. The cool thing about this is not only do I get a double stash of coupons, but her coupons are MUCH BETTER! Why? I don't know - all I know is that NY and Lower Fairfield County have the same coupons as us other New Englanders - but the values are different.For instance:
Breyers - I just got a $1/2 MFC. My mother's version was a .60/1 Doubles! - ($1.20 off 1 vs. .50 off 1.)
Ragu - I get $1/3 MFCs. My mother gets .30/1 -Doubles! (.60 off 1 vs .33 off 1)
Skippy - I get $1/2 MFCs. My mother gets .40/1 - Doubles! (.80 off 1 vs .50 off 1)
Klondike Bars - i get $1/2, My mother gets .75/1 - Doubles! ($1.50 off 1 vs .50 off 1)
Why does this happen? Again, I do not know! (Are there any coupon people out there who know??) I do know that they don't double coupons in NY. Maybe that's why? Well if you can get your hands on these coupons, they are much more valuable up here. I believe stores DO double under $1 in all of CT - so if you are in Fairfield County and get these coupons - you score big. My mother is saying that actual NY paper coupons are even better than her Fairfield County coupons so she's going to score me a NY paper - I'll see if they are even better!
I haven't seen Deal Finding Mom and Wicked Cool Deals post these coupons - and they are both in the central/northern part of CT - so I'm assuming they get the same coupons as us Massachusetts people.
Shaw's! One More Catalina Round!
Total Before Savings: $62.33Total Preferred Savings: $19.07
Total Coupons Used: $29.00
Cash OOP: $14.26
OYNP Coupons Earned: $10
***I had $15 in OYNP Coupons***
3.23 lbs of Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast - $6.43 ($1/3lbs or more Shaw's Coupon) $5.43
Buy $25, Get $10 Catalina
2 Skippy Peanut Butters - Reg. $2.50, Sale $2 ea (2 .40/1 MFCs DOUBLE) $1.20 ea
2 Betty Crocker Frostings - Reg. $2.19, Sale $1.67 (2 .50/1 MFCs DOUBLE from Coupons.com) .67 ea
2 Bertolli Sauces - Reg. $3.29, Sale $2.50 ea ($1.50/2 MFC from paper) $1.75 ea
4 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks - Reg. $2.99, $2.50 ea (2 .50/2 MFCs DOUBLE from Coupons.com) $2 ea
1 Breyers Ice Cream - Reg. $5.79, Sale $2.99 (.60/1 MFC DOUBLES from paper) $1.79
4 Yoplait Trix Yogurts - Reg. $3.19, Sale $2.50 ea (2 .80/2 MFCs DOUBLE from Coupons.com) $1.70 ea
1 Suave Deodorant - Reg. $2, Sale $1.50 (.75/1 MFC DOUBLES from paper) FREE!
Total Pre-Sale: $48.47
Total Sale: $36.83
Total After Coupons: $23.83
Things I have Learned From This Trip:
- I honestly couldn't be bothered making a list to get right over $25 PSP and hoping everything was in stock. Instead, I just took all my coupons I had for the Catalina and pulled out the things that I really wanted to buy or things that were good deals. I knew I was way over my $25. Now actually adding it all up - I could have added one more thing, split it up into 2 transaction and had an extra $10 OYNP. I know this doesn't sound thrifty, but I just couldn't be bothered. Sometimes when we get wrapped up in the Catalina, we forget that a lot of the sales going on with them are actually really good sales in themselves. Like the Breyers. $2.99 and matched with my .60/1 MFC that doubles - $1.79 is a great price for a carton of ice cream - even if catalinas weren't involved.
- I tried to use the Stop & Shop 5% off as a "competitor coupon". They said they couldn't take it. I'm just fine with the fact that my Shaw's doesn't take competitors coupons. I'm getting such a good deal at Shaw's that it really doesn't matter. I did ask the cashier if they take competitors coupons. She said "yes." I gave her the 5%, she tried to ring it in and told me, "Oh, we don't take these kinds." I'm not going to fight over .70 cents (5% of $14).
- I'm happy that I have another cashier that I like! My Shaw's hired a new girl (or maybe I just never saw her - but she seems new). I'll call her "Pretty Girl Cashier." She's really pretty, but she's also very bright. I've had her a few times - the thing I like most about her is that if the coupons don't scan in the traditional way, she doesn't get all mad or flip out - she just grabs that handheld scanner and scans them that way.
Visit The Grocery Cart Challenge to see others trying to save on their groceries!
Stop & Shop!
Total Before Savings: $36.57
Total Stop & Shop Savings: $7.08
Total Coupons Used: $16.22
Cash OOP: $13.27
OYNP Coupons Received: $5.00
***I saved $1.47 by giving the cashier the "5% Off Your Purchase" coupon on top of all the other coupons - it took 5% off $29.49. I had $4.75 in OYNP Coupons.***
1 32 oz Gatorade - $1 (Free S&S Coupon, My receipt shows an MFC of .75 off, that's strange!) Money Maker of .75 cents!
1 M&Ms - $1 (Free M&M Coupon from Free Chocolate Friday) FREE!
P&G Catalina
6 20 ct Tampax - $3 ea (6 $1/1 MFCs from P&G Year of Savings Book) $2 ea
2 Pringle Cans - $1.50 ea (2 $1/1 MFCs from P&G Year of Savings Book) .50 ea
1 pack of Luvs - $6.49
Things I have learned:
- Well first and formost, I had every intention of NOT buying the LUVS but buying 5 Dawn dishsoaps. They were $1 and I had 5 .50/1 (Doubles!) MFCs. Would have made my grand total $6.78. But of course, they were out of them. I didn't even think of bringing my back up coupons with me. So I just grabbed a Luvs as we can always use more diapers.
- If you try to plot out these catalina scenarios - I have found more times than none, there will always be one thing on your plan that the store is out of. I like having a "back up" stash of coupons to substitute in case this happens - which it does a lot!
- Even if your catalina scenarios don't pan out the way you intended them too, you're still getting a great deal.
- I know I sound paranoid, but I just do not jive with my Stop & Shop. I swear, everytime I go in there, everyone and their mother rolls their eyes at me (except for the cashiers - the workers are very nice at S&S). Now granted I looked really foolish - my 20 month old was in the seat of the carriage and my 3 year old wanted me to hold him. So I was holding my 3 year-old as his butt was on the carriage handle. I'm going down the BBQ Sauce isle and I have this lady who parks her cart in the middle of isle and is just studying the 48 different types of sauces. There was a worker stocking stuff too. So I come barrelling down and obviously going through. She doesn't even acknowledge my existance so I say "Ahhh. Excuse me, I need to get through." This is when she does a deep sigh and moves her cart over. Is it really that bothersome to move a grocery cart?
Walmart!
Total: $1.49
I went into Walmart to get wrapping paper. I have been thinking if wrapping paper is considered a grocery. I don't think it is. It is disposable but it's more in the whole "gift" category, no? This is why I could never do a real budget - these types of things linger in my mind.
1 thing of salt - .33 cents
1 Cake mix - $1.16
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Shaw's Deals - 6/12-6/18
The following are good deals at Shaw's for the week of 6/12 - 6/18. Not all deals are mentioned, but these are the ones that I find to be pretty good. Check your circular for all deals this coming week. ***Register for Shaw's coupons HERE - over $50 in internet coupon savings this week!***
Produce
Asparagus - $1.99/lbs
Peaches - .99/lbs
1 lbs Strawberries - $2.50
Fresh Express Salad Kit - $2.50
Meat
Shoulder Steak - $1.99/lbs
Chicken Let Quarters - .69/lbs (10 pound bags)
Semi-Boneless Rib Steak - $5.99/lbs ($1/1lbs or more at Shaws.com)
Philly-Gourmet Steaks - BOGO Free
Land O'Frost 1 lbs Deli Meat - $3.99 ($1/1 from Sunday's Paper)
Dairy
Shaw's Cheese (bar or shredded) - $1.99
Tropicana OJ - $2.77
Shaw's Dozen Eggs - $1.29
64 oz Half & Half - $3.49
Frozen
Friendly's Ice Cream - $2.99
Eggo Waffles - $2
Shaw's Whipped Topping - $1
Grocery
Twizzler Big Bags - $1.67 ea (Buy 3, Get 1 Free with in-store coupon) - That's a lot of Twizzlers!
Lays Potato Chips - BOGO Free
New England Coffee - $3.77 ($1/3 Coupon at Shaws.com)
Near East Rice - $1 ($1/6 Coupon at Shaws.com)
Cain's Mayo - $1.99
Select Kellogg's Cereal - 3/$9 ($3/3 coupon in circular, $1/1 MFCs from Sunday Papers)
Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats - $2.50 (like the Arnold ones!)
Shaw's Wheat Sandwich Bread - BOGO Free
Prince Pasta - $1
Wise Cheez Doodles or Popcorn - BOGO Free (coupon at wisesnacks.com)
Ortega Salsa - $1.99 ($1/2 Ortega from paper)
Ortega Salsa - $1.99 ($1/2 Ortega from paper)
Shaw's Giant Bread - $1
Shaw's Chips, Cheese Curls, Corn Chips & Pretzels - $1
Shaw's BBQ Sauce - $1
Cleaning/Health & Beauty
Home Life Toilet Paper (12 pk) - $4.99
Home Life Paper Towels (8 pk) - $4.99
Jet Dry Rinse Agent or Finish Dishwashing Detergent - BOGO Free
Colgate Toothpaste & select Toothbrushes - $1 (coupons from paper?)
Back Page ConAgra Catalina (Spend $25, Get $10 OYNP)
***It has been reported in the past that these work on Pre-Sale Prices (PSP)***
$1 Items
Banquet Dinners
Rotel Tomatoes
Hunt's Tomatoes
Hunt's Ketchup ($1.29)
Hunt's Pasta Sauce
Hunt's Snack Pack ($1.29)
Chef Boyardee cans
Chef Boyardee microwave bowls
$1.50 Items
Hunt's Manwich
$1.67 Items
Orville Redenbacher's Pop Corn
$2 Items
32 oz Dannon Yogurt
24 oz Activia Yogurt
6 pack Danimals Drinkables
4 pack Crush Cups ($3.49)
$2.50 Items
Egg Beaters ($3.99)
$2.79 Items
Reddi Whip Whipped Cream
$3 Items
Pam Cooking Spray
Wesson Cooking Oil ($5.99)
$3.50 Items
Healthy Choice Meals
Healthy Choice Steamers
Marie Callender's Pasta Al Dente
Marie Callender's Dinners
Marie Callender's Pot Pie
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Stop & Shop Deals - 6/12-6/18
The following are good deals at Stop & Shop for the week of 6/12 - 6/18. Not all deals are mentioned, but these are the ones that I find to be pretty good. Check your circular for all deals this coming week.
Produce
Cantaloupe - $1.88
Pint Blueberries - $1.88
Tomatoes on the Vine - $1.88/lbs
Sweet Red Peppers - $1/lbs!
Green Peppers - 1.69/lbs
Yellow & Green Squash - $1.49/lbs
Cut Seedless Watermelon - .49/lbs
Meat
Top round London Broil - $1.79/lbs
Pork Loin Chops (bone-in) - $1.99/lbs
40% off White Gem Boneless Chicken Breast, Tenders or Cutlets
Tuna & Swordfish Steaks - $5.99
Big Buy 80% Lean Ground Beef - $1.99/lbs
Big Buy Pork Ribs (bone-in) - $1.69/lbs
Big Buy 80% Ground Beef Patties - $2.49/lbs
Hebrew National Hot Dogs - BOGO Free (Buy 2 (really 1!), geta free 12 oz Gulden's Mustard!)
Plumrose Ham or Turkey - BOGO Free
Oscar Mayer Beef Bolgna - BOGO Free
Live Steamer Clams - $3.99/lbs
Dairy
DANNON YOGURT CUPS - .33 cent ea!
Stop & Shop bar Cream Cheese - $1.50
Minute Maid OJ - $2.50
Frozen
DiGiorno & California Pizza Kitchen Pizza - $5 ($1 off California Pizza HERE)
Banquet Meals - $1
Stop & Shop Waffles - $1
Drinks
Poland Spring 24 pack - $3.33
Kool Aid Jammers - $1.88
Canada Dry 2-liter - $1
Organics
Nature's Promise Tortilla Chips - $2.50
Nature's Promise Canned Veggies - $1
Nature's Promise Pasta - $1.50
Grocery
Francesco Rinaldi Pasta Sauce - $1
Wish-Bone Salad Dressing - $1
Cef Boyardee - $1
Chicken of the Sea Solid White Tuna - $1
Hershey Single Candy Bars - Buy 2, Get 1 Free
Canned Pineapple - $1
Old El Paso Refried Beans & Taco Seasoning - $1
McCormick Grill Mates - $2
Kraft BBQ Sauce - $1
Pillsbury Brownie Mix - $1
Wise Potato Chips - $1
Rice-A-Roni - $1
Cleaning/Health & Beauty
Angel Soft 12 pack TP - $3.99
Sparkle Paper Towels 8 pack - $3.99
Purex 50 oz Laundry Detergent - $2.50
General
Hot Wheels - BOGO Free! I love Hot Wheels!
P&G Catalina (Buy $25 worth of P&G Products, Get $10 OYNP Coupon)
Head & Shoulders Twin Pack - $6.99
Gillete Clinical Strength - $7.99
Gillette Series or Satin Care - $2
Gillette Men's Hair Care - $3.50
Gillette Body Wash - $3.50
Gillette Fusion Cartridge - Save $2
Ivory 10 pack Bar Soap - $3.50
Always Pads - $5.99
Secret Flawless - $3.99
Secret or Old Spice Clinical - $7.99
Scope Mouthwash - $3.99
Oral-B Toothbrush - $2
Glide Floss - $3.99
Cover Girl - 30% off
Crest Whitestrips - $19.99
Crest Toothpaste - $2
Prilosec - $18.99
Aussie Hair Care - $2.50
Clairol Nice N' Easy - $5.99
Herbal Essence Hair Care - $3
Buy Olay Ribbons Body Wash, Get a FREE Olay 2 Bar Soap
Tolay Total Effects, Regenerist, or Definity Skin Care - 20% off
Breyers Catalina (Buy any 4 products, Get $3 OYNP Coupon)
Good Humor Bars - $2.50
Popsicles - $3
Breyers Ice Cream - $3
Ben & Jerry's or Starbucks Ice Cream - $3
Klondike Bars - $3
Breyers Fruit Bars - $3
Breyers Novelties - $3
Check out The Grocery Gathering to find other great blogs to supermarkets all over the country!
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