This Wife's Savings

Used Walgreens Ad to get them to match Gallon of Milk price $3.79
Coupons used:
Buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Mayer products, Get Free Wheat Thins
Buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Mayer products, Get Free Kraft Dressing
Buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Mayer products, Get Free Kraft Cheese Slices
Buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Mayer products, Get Free Crystal Light
Buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Mayer products, Get Free Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs
2 of $1 off Johnson Buddy Soaps
$1 off Kotex

Total before coupons & price match - $33.51
Total after coupons & price match - $18.15
Savings of - $15.36

Posted by Daphne at 5:35 PM 2 comments  

Labels: Grocery, Walmart

Oh boy, did I pick a good day to go to Old Navy.

Here's a breakdown:

Old Navy Boys Jeans are originally $19.50 per pair.
I bought 4 pair today for 2/$25
I also let LittleMan pick out 3 shirts because they were on sale for $2.99 each.

When we were checking out, the guy told me that they were running a special and since I spent over $50, I got $10 off!!!

So essentially, I got the 3 shirts for free!

Total Spent - $48.97 before tax
Savings of - $38.00 plus tax

Don't ask me why all 3 of the shirts LittleMan picked out were black. I didn't even realize it until I was taking this picture.

Posted by Daphne at 5:22 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Clothing, Old Navy

LittleMan starts school on August 7th. So we had some shopping to do.

This weekend is our tax-free weekend. I don't like to shop for clothing on tax-free weekend for 2 reasons.

1. Everybody shops then, so the stores are super crowded, and the choices dwindle quickly.

2. In Alabama, on clothing, it's only tax-free on the first $100. Which is only an $8 savings.

So, I thought we'd get what we needed before the tax-free weekend. I usually go to several places before finding some shoes he likes for a good price. But we got lucky in our first store.

Shoe Carnival had a Buy 1 Get 1 50% off.

Sketchers Kewl Breeze Airators - $44.98 [the blue & red ones]
Sketchers Z Straps - $34.98 - 50% off - $17.48 [the yellow & black ones]

Total = $62.47 before tax
Savings of $17.48 plus tax

Posted by Daphne at 4:47 PM 1 comments  

Labels: Clothing, Shoe Carnival

Getting Freebies, or Free Samples is one way to save money on groceries.

If you've never tried a product, but don't want to waste money buying it just to find out you don't like it, it's great to get a free sample. This is one way it helps save money.

Another way? If it's a product you already buy and use, getting that free sample is one less thing you have to buy.

Also, a lot of companies put in coupons with their free samples. Even more money saved!

Some of the best freebies (for me) to get are: tampons/liners, cereal, deodorant and subscriptions to magazines.

Posted by Daphne at 4:20 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Saving Money

Posted by Daphne at 5:08 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Making Money

Probably the biggest way to save the most money on groceries is using and utilizing coupons.

You can get coupons in the Sunday paper, online, and sometimes by contacting the product manufacturer and asking for them.

This site will tell you what coupons will be in the Sunday paper, so you can decide how many papers you want to buy. [Also, by clicking on the 2008 Coupon Schedule, you can see which weeks there will be No Coupons.]

If there's a lot of coupons that are really good for my family, I buy 2-3 papers. If the coupons are just good, I usually just buy one paper. You have to remember that you're paying $1.50 per paper, so don't buy more than you need.

Some good sites for printing coupons online are: Boodle, SmartSource, CouponBug, and CouponsInc.

Now that you have your coupons, put them to good use. Sometimes you have to sit on them until a good sale comes along. Other coupons can be used right away. Like the $3.00 Planters coupons that's been circulating lately.

I never buy a product just because I have a coupon. If it's a product that I'm not going to use, I don't buy it, unless the coupon makes it totally free, then I will give the product a try. Some people even give the free products to charity.

I normally save $15-20 dollars per week, at least.

You do need to know your store's coupon policy, in case any cashier fights you on a coupon. Especially printed coupons. It hasn't happen to me yet, but it has to a lot of my blogging buddies. You can usually find your store's coupon policy by going to their website. Print it and keep it with your coupons.

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As for rebates, which usually make the product free, I am very picky on the ones I choose to use. If it's not a product I've been wanting to try, or that I normally buy, I will not use them or buy the product. It's money out of my pocket now, even though I will eventually get it back.

If the product is going to go to waste, it's not worth the time.

Also, if you can find a good coupon for a product that you are buying to send in a rebate for, you can essentially make money off of the product.

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Some stores double coupons, up to a certain amount. Find out when your store does and use this to your advantage!!


Daphne

Posted by Daphne at 5:02 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Saving Money

The first cardinal rule of saving money at the grocery store is: Stick to your List. It can be possible!!

The best way to do this, is to shop alone. Believe me, I know that's hard. I hardly ever get to shop alone, but if it's possible, do it!

They say if you stay near the perimeter of the store, you will buy less junk. Stay in the fresh foods and you'll be less tempted. I never get to do this either.

But my trick is, Know Your Aisles. Get down the aisle, get what you need and get out. Especially if shopping with children. The stores place their products that are targeted towards kids on the bottom shelf.

Another tip about shelving is that stores often place their more expensive versions of a product At Eye Level. So look at the above and below shelves too!!


Daphne

Posted by Daphne at 5:00 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Saving Money

I. Groceries & Household Needs
----a. Stick to the List
----b. Coupons and Rebates
----c. Freebies & Samples
----d. Using a Loyalty Card
----e. Using Wal Mart's Price Match
----f. Taste vs. Price
----g. Buying in Quantity

II. Clothing
----a. Sales
----b. Thrift Stores
----c. Yard Sales
----d. Trader's Helpers, eg. Craigslist, Ebay or local publishings
----e. Hand-me-downs
----f. Buying ahead of time

III. Utilities
----a. Electricity
----b. Water
----c. Natural Gas
----d. Trash
----e. Telephone, Cell Phone & Internet
----f. Satellite

IV. Misc.
----a. Automobile
----b. DIY
--------1. Home repair/remodel
--------2. Lawn Maintenance
--------3. Washing vehicles
--------4. Taking Photos of Your children
----c. Wait Game; aka. Researching
----d. Taking Care of what you have
----e. Knowing what you Have
----f. Borrowing
----g. Running Errands
----h. Online buying
----i. When Gift Buying
----j. Doctor visits


**May be Updated**
Daphne

Posted by Daphne at 4:53 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Saving Money