Ran across some really good coupons and deals today and really wanted to share them.
First, for you fans of Stacy's Pita Chips (I think they're pretty good anyway), Amazon.com this deal that allows you to get (24) 1.5 oz bags (that's single serve) for $9 shipped. Pretty good, especially if you routinely spend money on chips or snacks at work!
In the market for a book? If you're a Borders Rewards member (and you should be, because it's free), you can use this coupon for 40% off one item good only until 5/24.
Going out to eat? Consider Ruby Tuesday and they'll give you 1 FREE entree when you purchase 1! I love these coupons! Valid 5/21 - 6/2.
If you shop at Lane Bryant, check out this coupon for 50% off your order + $2.99 shipping through 5/26!
This is a good one for Mastercard holders from CVS: 20% off everything (coupon code) plus Free Shipping & $15 off orders ($10 sign-in bonus + $5 off when you pay with MC). Keep in mind, you can purchase some food items from them as well!
And last but not least, there is a coupon for Restaurant.com that will allow you to purchase selected $25 gift certificates for $2 each! We use these for an Indian place closeby that we love to go to. Check it out and see what restaurants they have that are in your area.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Shout out for Shoplocal.com
Quick shout out to a site I had previously overlooked. Shoplocal.com allows you to put in your location and finds brick and mortar sales that are close to you.
I'm shopping for a razor scooter for my son (he has one at his grandmother's, but not at my place) and I had a ToysRUs gift card. I thought "well, let me go see, I'm sure they can't be more than $30", but alas, THEY ARE! Ridiculous - on Toysrus.com, they wanted $40 for a scooter PLUS SHIPPING!
I said "no way" to myself! I know my mom said she got his for around 20 bucks, so I went on a quest to find one way cheaper. So so so many sites have them for so so so many different prices. I'm not really interested in paying that much for it, so I was thinking "man, I wonder if there's a way to find local sales, because I don't keep the circulars for very long", so I typed "find sales" into google search. BING! Came up with the first site, shoplocal.com, which I have heard of before but I haven't really checked it out much.
I should be checking it out for more stuff from now on, because I found that the local Walmart has these scooters, same one I was going to buy online, for $19.97. Hello, WAY BETTER!
This is shared on Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family (you should visit that blog!)
I'm shopping for a razor scooter for my son (he has one at his grandmother's, but not at my place) and I had a ToysRUs gift card. I thought "well, let me go see, I'm sure they can't be more than $30", but alas, THEY ARE! Ridiculous - on Toysrus.com, they wanted $40 for a scooter PLUS SHIPPING!
I said "no way" to myself! I know my mom said she got his for around 20 bucks, so I went on a quest to find one way cheaper. So so so many sites have them for so so so many different prices. I'm not really interested in paying that much for it, so I was thinking "man, I wonder if there's a way to find local sales, because I don't keep the circulars for very long", so I typed "find sales" into google search. BING! Came up with the first site, shoplocal.com, which I have heard of before but I haven't really checked it out much.
I should be checking it out for more stuff from now on, because I found that the local Walmart has these scooters, same one I was going to buy online, for $19.97. Hello, WAY BETTER!
This is shared on Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family (you should visit that blog!)
Monday, May 18, 2009
The Value of Good Shampoo
This morning I realized that there really is value to good shampoo! It only took me years to get to this, but here I am.
I have been blaming my son for not washing his hair correctly, and he's been telling me that there's something wrong with the shampoo. I had washed my hair with that type of shampoo (White Rain, ugh) before and didn't have any problem, so I was telling him he was crazy and he just wasn't doing it right.
Boy do I owe him an apology!
I ran out of Pert Plus and had to use the White Rain. HE IS RIGHT! That stuff stinks! It would barely lather! I could not believe it.
From now on, I'm sticking to Pert Plus or Head and Shoulders. They're not extremely pricey, but they are both great and treat my hair way better than the crappy stuff.
I have been blaming my son for not washing his hair correctly, and he's been telling me that there's something wrong with the shampoo. I had washed my hair with that type of shampoo (White Rain, ugh) before and didn't have any problem, so I was telling him he was crazy and he just wasn't doing it right.
Boy do I owe him an apology!
I ran out of Pert Plus and had to use the White Rain. HE IS RIGHT! That stuff stinks! It would barely lather! I could not believe it.
From now on, I'm sticking to Pert Plus or Head and Shoulders. They're not extremely pricey, but they are both great and treat my hair way better than the crappy stuff.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Link to Review of Plants vs. Zombies
Plants vs. Zombies is a really fun 2D Tower Defense game. Since I couldn't say it better, I'm linking to Michael Aulia's review of the game!
Seriously, I've been playing it for 3 days and it's addictive!
Seriously, I've been playing it for 3 days and it's addictive!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Time and Sanity Saving Tips
I may or may not be repeating myself with some of these! Here are some little tips and habits I've picked up to save time, energy, and sanity.
- YoCrunch yogurts (you know, those yogurts with the little add-ins on top?) were on sale at my Acme this week. I bought 20, but they had a lot with toppings like M&Ms, Nestle Crunch, and Reese's Pieces. I thought "well I add wheat germ to my yogurt, so not sure what I'm going to do with these toppings". In the shower this morning, inspiration hit me! I'll separate the toppings and put them away for small treats later! There's always a time when someone in my house is craving chocolate, so this should work out perfectly.
- If you see something in the house that needs to be done and it's a very quick fix, just do it right when you notice it. For instance, I look at the floor in my bathroom while I'm peeing and think "ugh, look at all that dirt and hair in that corner there". After I'm done on the terlet (my word for "toilet"), I just use some TP and wipe it up, flush the TP, and then ta-da, done!
- If it can't be done within that very few seconds when you notice it, WRITE IT DOWN for later. I am such a fan of WRITING STUFF DOWN because it simply works. Keep the list in a place where you'll see it and you will likely not forget to do that thing later.
- If you're on a roll, keep going. When I get up in the morning, I make sure I do the cat food (water, dry food, wet food) and then the litter, and then packing my breakfast and putting anything that needs to go to work with me in my bag. I do all of this before I even get in the shower, because I know if I don't do it first thing and all at the same time, I'll get distracted and forget to do it.
- Have a plan. Know what you're going to do and when you're going to do it. This saves A LOT of sanity, and if something unexpected comes up, you can always re-arrange the schedule. This avoids the "OMG WHEN AM I GOING TO DO THIS?!" syndrome.
- Have a grocery store near your work? If you're like me and don't really socialize every day at lunch, you can do this. Check the sales circulars for good deals at your work-local store, and pick them up on your lunch break! I do this a lot now, and it helps me to save time and get some good deals.
Just some things that work for me!
- YoCrunch yogurts (you know, those yogurts with the little add-ins on top?) were on sale at my Acme this week. I bought 20, but they had a lot with toppings like M&Ms, Nestle Crunch, and Reese's Pieces. I thought "well I add wheat germ to my yogurt, so not sure what I'm going to do with these toppings". In the shower this morning, inspiration hit me! I'll separate the toppings and put them away for small treats later! There's always a time when someone in my house is craving chocolate, so this should work out perfectly.
- If you see something in the house that needs to be done and it's a very quick fix, just do it right when you notice it. For instance, I look at the floor in my bathroom while I'm peeing and think "ugh, look at all that dirt and hair in that corner there". After I'm done on the terlet (my word for "toilet"), I just use some TP and wipe it up, flush the TP, and then ta-da, done!
- If it can't be done within that very few seconds when you notice it, WRITE IT DOWN for later. I am such a fan of WRITING STUFF DOWN because it simply works. Keep the list in a place where you'll see it and you will likely not forget to do that thing later.
- If you're on a roll, keep going. When I get up in the morning, I make sure I do the cat food (water, dry food, wet food) and then the litter, and then packing my breakfast and putting anything that needs to go to work with me in my bag. I do all of this before I even get in the shower, because I know if I don't do it first thing and all at the same time, I'll get distracted and forget to do it.
- Have a plan. Know what you're going to do and when you're going to do it. This saves A LOT of sanity, and if something unexpected comes up, you can always re-arrange the schedule. This avoids the "OMG WHEN AM I GOING TO DO THIS?!" syndrome.
- Have a grocery store near your work? If you're like me and don't really socialize every day at lunch, you can do this. Check the sales circulars for good deals at your work-local store, and pick them up on your lunch break! I do this a lot now, and it helps me to save time and get some good deals.
Just some things that work for me!
Grocery Comparison Shopping
As far as grocery shopping goes, I keep my list pretty much in my head. I can tell you, though, that I've shopped almost all of the grocery stores in this area, and have consistently found Shoprite to come up with the best prices on most products.
I've shopped (and of course this is my locality, so some of you may not have seen these stores in your area):
Pathmark
Superfresh
Acme
Aldi's
Save-a-Lot
Genuardi's
Giant/Super G
... and probably a couple more!
Cons of "discount stores" such as Aldi's and Save-a-Lot:
- Don't always have everything you need.
- Meat and produce is sometimes low quality.
- Not always the best prices in any case. You can get similar or better prices on sales at other stores.
For a quick trip, I don't mind going to Acme, but I always know I'm going to spend more. I've found it to be one of the highest priced stores in the area, and even their sales are sometimes not worth it.
I feel the same about Genuardi's as I do about Acme, but I shop online with them in a bind, if I REALLY don't have time but desperately need groceries. I always use their coupons for free delivery, though. I don't order unless I can get free delivery!
Giant has fairly good prices, but can be all over the board, so I would always check the circulars before going there.
The best advice I can give for grocery shopping is this:
- Stick to sale items
- Buy generic whenever possible
- Compare prices for each brand on the shelf. Sometimes the sale price isn't always the best price.
- Compare unit prices. Sometimes buying the larger one may seem more expensive, but if you will use all of it before it goes bad, it is a better value in the long run and you'll be making less trips to the store.
- Check expiration dates and see if you can get the latest date possible. Less waste = less trips to the grocery store = saving money.
- Plan meals around the good sale items. Of course, not around the sale items that are crap, though. Bad nutrition certainly isn't frugal!
- Shop with a list. This has saved me a lot of money and storage space, actually, since I don't end up purchasing a lot of stuff I won't use. It takes me some time to make my list, since I create a loose meal plan (including desserts, breakfasts, snacks, drinks) before creating my list, but it also allows me to know EXACTLY what I need.
- Go through your pantry, freezer, and fridge and take "inventory" before going shopping. There's probably some things lurking back there that you forgot you had and can use.
The bottom line for getting the best prices on grocery shopping is that it pretty much depends on your purchasing habits. I can tell you where the overall best prices are, but you need to evaluate if that works for you.
Links to grocery circulars:
http://www.sundaysaver.com/category/grocery
This "Works for Me", so I'm posting it over at WFMW at the wonderful blog, We Are That Family.
I've shopped (and of course this is my locality, so some of you may not have seen these stores in your area):
Pathmark
Superfresh
Acme
Aldi's
Save-a-Lot
Genuardi's
Giant/Super G
... and probably a couple more!
Cons of "discount stores" such as Aldi's and Save-a-Lot:
- Don't always have everything you need.
- Meat and produce is sometimes low quality.
- Not always the best prices in any case. You can get similar or better prices on sales at other stores.
For a quick trip, I don't mind going to Acme, but I always know I'm going to spend more. I've found it to be one of the highest priced stores in the area, and even their sales are sometimes not worth it.
I feel the same about Genuardi's as I do about Acme, but I shop online with them in a bind, if I REALLY don't have time but desperately need groceries. I always use their coupons for free delivery, though. I don't order unless I can get free delivery!
Giant has fairly good prices, but can be all over the board, so I would always check the circulars before going there.
The best advice I can give for grocery shopping is this:
- Stick to sale items
- Buy generic whenever possible
- Compare prices for each brand on the shelf. Sometimes the sale price isn't always the best price.
- Compare unit prices. Sometimes buying the larger one may seem more expensive, but if you will use all of it before it goes bad, it is a better value in the long run and you'll be making less trips to the store.
- Check expiration dates and see if you can get the latest date possible. Less waste = less trips to the grocery store = saving money.
- Plan meals around the good sale items. Of course, not around the sale items that are crap, though. Bad nutrition certainly isn't frugal!
- Shop with a list. This has saved me a lot of money and storage space, actually, since I don't end up purchasing a lot of stuff I won't use. It takes me some time to make my list, since I create a loose meal plan (including desserts, breakfasts, snacks, drinks) before creating my list, but it also allows me to know EXACTLY what I need.
- Go through your pantry, freezer, and fridge and take "inventory" before going shopping. There's probably some things lurking back there that you forgot you had and can use.
The bottom line for getting the best prices on grocery shopping is that it pretty much depends on your purchasing habits. I can tell you where the overall best prices are, but you need to evaluate if that works for you.
Links to grocery circulars:
http://www.sundaysaver.com/category/grocery
This "Works for Me", so I'm posting it over at WFMW at the wonderful blog, We Are That Family.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Kellogg's cereals for 50 cents and emailing for Grocery Coupons
Wanted to alert y'all that if you buy breakfast cereal with any regularity and like a wide variety (i.e. are not that picky about brand/type), you can get boxes of cereal for about 50 cents a box @ Acme with their sales this week (at least in my region - East Coast, PA)! This is actually better than their circular coupon sale of 88 cents for a store brand box.
Acme's sale thru May 14:
Kellogg’s Cereals
Bite Size Frosted Mini-Wheats 24 oz.
Frosted Flakes 17 oz.
Raisin Bran 25.5 oz.
CARD PRICE: $1.50
Must Buy 4 Greater or Lesser Quantities $2.50 (PAY ATTENTION TO THIS)
Get the coupons:
http://www2.kelloggs.com/Product/KelloggCoupon.aspx?id=1992
There are 3 there - All for $1.00 off. 1 is for Raisin Bran, another for Frosted Flakes, and another for Mini-Wheats.
You can print them more than once.
Buy 4 boxes of cereal. Use (1) $1.00 coupon for each.
Voila, 50 cents cereal!
Also, found this article online and thought maybe I'll try it out. Can't hurt!
Emailing for grocery coupons
Acme's sale thru May 14:
Kellogg’s Cereals
Bite Size Frosted Mini-Wheats 24 oz.
Frosted Flakes 17 oz.
Raisin Bran 25.5 oz.
CARD PRICE: $1.50
Must Buy 4 Greater or Lesser Quantities $2.50 (PAY ATTENTION TO THIS)
Get the coupons:
http://www2.kelloggs.com/Product/KelloggCoupon.aspx?id=1992
There are 3 there - All for $1.00 off. 1 is for Raisin Bran, another for Frosted Flakes, and another for Mini-Wheats.
You can print them more than once.
Buy 4 boxes of cereal. Use (1) $1.00 coupon for each.
Voila, 50 cents cereal!
Also, found this article online and thought maybe I'll try it out. Can't hurt!
Emailing for grocery coupons
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Organic Meats, Health Insurance, and Food Donations
This is a GREAT website to find/shop for organic meats. This is becoming increasingly more important to me, as I'm starting to feel sick with myself when I eat meat. This could be a good compromise. Visit Local Harvest to see what they have to offer.
Very Informative and Comprehensive article for dealing without health insurance. Be sure to read through it all - it has GREAT ideas and tips!
I didn't even know about this until now, which seems odd, but the NALC (National Association of Letter Carriers) is having a food drive on 5/9. All you have to do is leave out a bag of food for your postal carrier to pick up. Read more about it here. I got the original link here, and you should also check out that page because it gives some good ideas on how to afford to donate food.
Very Informative and Comprehensive article for dealing without health insurance. Be sure to read through it all - it has GREAT ideas and tips!
I didn't even know about this until now, which seems odd, but the NALC (National Association of Letter Carriers) is having a food drive on 5/9. All you have to do is leave out a bag of food for your postal carrier to pick up. Read more about it here. I got the original link here, and you should also check out that page because it gives some good ideas on how to afford to donate food.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Lower Your Bills/BillShrink, Webby Awards, and Free 8x10
Have been away for a couple of days dealing with some crappy issues (health, cat health, mental health!), but here are a few cool and potentially useful links for the day!
Webby Awards have been won and posted! It's pretty cool to check out this list of websites, because you could find some interesting stuff you didn't know was out there. Of note would be the legal websites, and BillShrink (which I am looking through now). Of course, you should scroll through the entire list.
I also find this site useful, and not sure why it's on there (unless I missed it) - Lower My Bills. I just got an auto insurance quote that would save us about $60/month and I might actually decide to switch.
Also, Walgreen's Photo is giving a free 8x10 today with the code MOTHER. Today only, guys! Great Mother's Day gift - give your mom an 8 x 10 Framed (you can get frames at the dollar store, btw).
Webby Awards have been won and posted! It's pretty cool to check out this list of websites, because you could find some interesting stuff you didn't know was out there. Of note would be the legal websites, and BillShrink (which I am looking through now). Of course, you should scroll through the entire list.
I also find this site useful, and not sure why it's on there (unless I missed it) - Lower My Bills. I just got an auto insurance quote that would save us about $60/month and I might actually decide to switch.
Also, Walgreen's Photo is giving a free 8x10 today with the code MOTHER. Today only, guys! Great Mother's Day gift - give your mom an 8 x 10 Framed (you can get frames at the dollar store, btw).
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Freelancing, Medical Care, and Air Conditioning
GREAT ideas for freelancers trying to network. I thought the BarCamp thing and this Help A Reporter thing was (were?) darn intriguing!
More on medical care for the uninsured. 5 good resources - some you may have thought of, but never hurts to be reminded!
Hrm, Food for thought if you're considering going "AC free" this year (most likely because you can't afford it).
More on medical care for the uninsured. 5 good resources - some you may have thought of, but never hurts to be reminded!
Hrm, Food for thought if you're considering going "AC free" this year (most likely because you can't afford it).
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