finnime
Junior Associate
Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 7:14:35 GMT -5
Posts: 7,395
|
Post by finnime on Sept 27, 2011 21:14:10 GMT -5
Dancin, that's just perfect - "To me what is more important is how much I HAVE TO SPEND to get those savings and historically for me that has always been minimal (pennies on the dollar or free or sales tax only)."
Not what you save, but what you spend. Of course! Thank you for the succinct description. ;D
|
|
hopetoberich
Established Member
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 15:31:10 GMT -5
Posts: 403
|
Post by hopetoberich on Sept 27, 2011 21:24:40 GMT -5
Smiths (Kroger) are doing Bulls eye BBQ sauce for buy 10 @ 69cents each. I have 17 .50/1 BE BBQ sauce MQ's. So i used up 10 and got the sauce for 0.19 cents each.My first stockpile item in the new house. I don't really care for BBQ sauce but it will be eaten i'm sure at some point and DH likes it so he's happy. HD did not have the 4 pack near me but the bounty was 78 cents which is not too bad.
|
|
dancinmama
Senior Associate
LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 20:49:45 GMT -5
Posts: 10,659
|
Post by dancinmama on Sept 27, 2011 21:37:46 GMT -5
Dancin, that's just perfect - "To me what is more important is how much I HAVE TO SPEND to get those savings and historically for me that has always been minimal (pennies on the dollar or free or sales tax only)." Not what you save, but what you spend. Of course! Thank you for the succinct description. ;D finnime: It's so good to see you post again!! ;D I'm not sure that this will be the case going forward; but in the past, I have found that if I am just patient, I can usually find the products that we use for free or almost free after sale, coupon, and/or in-store promotion. This has led to huge coupon savings for me AND very little spent in OOP. I can't count the number of high valued coupons I have just let go because there was no really good sale to match them up with before they expired. This is why the rain check is such an awesome tool. IF you see something you use regularly at a rock bottom price, but there is no high valued coupon available at the time of the sale, TRY to get a rain check. IF a high valued coupon comes out before the rain check expires, then I've hit the jackpot. If not, I can choose to stockpile at the rock bottom price on the rain check or let the rain check go depending on how badly I need the product or how often I use it.
|
|
dancinmama
Senior Associate
LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 20:49:45 GMT -5
Posts: 10,659
|
Post by dancinmama on Sept 27, 2011 21:47:46 GMT -5
Smiths (Kroger) are doing Bulls eye BBQ sauce for buy 10 @ 69cents each. I have 17 .50/1 BE BBQ sauce MQ's. So i used up 10 and got the sauce for 0.19 cents each.My first stockpile item in the new house. I don't really care for BBQ sauce but it will be eaten i'm sure at some point and DH likes it so he's happy. HD did not have the 4 pack near me but the bounty was 78 cents which is not too bad. hopingtoberich: I have found a new use for barbecue sauce. Instead of buying Bush's baked beans (which have gotten outrageously expensive even on sale), I take a couple of cans of pork and beans (bought at rock bottom price during the summer/barbecue season), add a diced onion sauteed (I use bacon grease instead of oil to add a little flavor), 1/4-1/3 C. barbecue sauce, and some brown sugar. Sometimes I also add some cubed cheddar cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 or until heated through. The total cost is usually under $.75 as opposed to the high cost of Bush's and we like them better. ;D
|
|
meli_beach
Initiate Member
Joined: Mar 21, 2011 21:37:17 GMT -5
Posts: 82
|
Post by meli_beach on Sept 28, 2011 6:52:51 GMT -5
hopingtoberich: I have found a new use for barbecue sauce. Instead of buying Bush's baked beans (which have gotten outrageously expensive even on sale), I take a couple of cans of pork and beans (bought at rock bottom price during the summer/barbecue season), add a diced onion sauteed (I use bacon grease instead of oil to add a little flavor), 1/4-1/3 C. barbecue sauce, and some brown sugar. Sometimes I also add some cubed cheddar cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 or until heated through. The total cost is usually under $.75 as opposed to the high cost of Bush's and we like them better. ;D[/quote]
Dancin' -- do you know roughly how much brown sugar you use?? sounds yummy!!
|
|
973beachbum
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:12:13 GMT -5
Posts: 10,501
|
Post by 973beachbum on Sept 28, 2011 8:25:34 GMT -5
Frugal Suz, first I am posting here because google won't let me post a comment on your blog. CVS has Excedrin migraine/extra st 8 ct on sale for .99 cents with an ECB of .99, limit 2, making them free this week. My DD LOVES Excedrin for headaches so I did this deal twice with both my cards. I also got back a dollar ecb both times for using my green bag tags. So hooray for the accidental money maker. ;D For the person asking about CVS bag tags. They only work once per day per card, but are not attached to any card. This means that you can use the same bag tag more than once in the same day, with different extra care cards and still have it count once for every card. You just can't do multiple transactions with ONE CVS extracare card in, one day, and have it count for more than once per extracare card. Hope that made sense.
|
|
saveinla
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 2:00:29 GMT -5
Posts: 5,222
|
Post by saveinla on Sept 28, 2011 9:34:11 GMT -5
Hey ladies - red plum's deal of the day is 1.50$ off Filippo Berio Olive oil. It goes on sale regularly at CVS for 2.99 and should be a good filler. HTH
|
|
dancinmama
Senior Associate
LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 20:49:45 GMT -5
Posts: 10,659
|
Post by dancinmama on Sept 28, 2011 9:46:25 GMT -5
hopingtoberich: I have found a new use for barbecue sauce. Instead of buying Bush's baked beans (which have gotten outrageously expensive even on sale), I take a couple of cans of pork and beans (bought at rock bottom price during the summer/barbecue season), add a diced onion sauteed (I use bacon grease instead of oil to add a little flavor), 1/4-1/3 C. barbecue sauce, and some brown sugar. Sometimes I also add some cubed cheddar cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 or until heated through. The total cost is usually under $.75 as opposed to the high cost of Bush's and we like them better. ;D Dancin' -- do you know roughly how much brown sugar you use?? sounds yummy!![/quote] meli_beach: I'm going to guess at about 1/3 C - just enough to add a touch of sweetness. Oh, and you COULD add 1/2 - 1 t. of Worcestershire as well. After we got the new Bush's Grillin' Beans for free a couple of summers ago, I never saw any of the Bush's beans on sale for a price that I was willing to pay, so I got creative instead.
|
|
saveinla
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 2:00:29 GMT -5
Posts: 5,222
|
Post by saveinla on Sept 28, 2011 9:53:43 GMT -5
2 free CVS ECBs if you take a pledge to not trash ECBs. You have to give them your card number and email - www.cvs.com/moneytrashers/
|
|
|
Post by bluecluessubtlety on Sept 28, 2011 10:48:41 GMT -5
A few posters outside the Grocery Challenge constantly want to know HOW MUCH I save and are floored when I tell them that I have no clue because I don't keep track. To me what is more important is how much I HAVE TO SPEND to get those savings and historically for me that has always been minimal (pennies on the dollar or free or sales tax only). Exactly. In the beginning months I tracked and got over $1800 for under $400 OOP. People hear that and think WOW. When I look at those old spreadsheets, I would never spend those OOPs today now that I know better. So while I don't track anymore, I look at OOP instead of savings and can stick to my budget and get great deals. Even free items aren't for me because of high tax so I pass on most deals that a year ago I would have gotten multiples of. CVS Excedrin is one of those. I have several bottles already, hardly ever use it, and it would cost me 10¢ a bottle. Not worth the trip to me for something I already have a few of.
|
|
973beachbum
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:12:13 GMT -5
Posts: 10,501
|
Post by 973beachbum on Sept 28, 2011 11:30:55 GMT -5
2 free CVS ECBs if you take a pledge to not trash ECBs. You have to give them your card number and email - www.cvs.com/moneytrashers/Thanks so much for sharing this!!! I signed up for emails back when they offered 4 or 5 dollars in ECB's but if they want to give me 2 more who am I to say no?
|
|
|
Post by picghaw on Sept 28, 2011 11:45:30 GMT -5
Good morning Ladies, I hope everyone is doing okay. HOUND ALERT....its a long shot & odd one but ....-------------------------------------------------- $25 Miller Rebate wyb purchase a 12 pack or larger of Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft or MGD 64, together with $100 worth of groceries. Purchases must be between 8/1/11 thru 9/18/11 and post-marked by 10/3/1. Valid States: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, MA, MD, MI, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, WA, WI and WY. There is another one out with different purchases dates + 24 pack which is why I underlined those. -------------------------------------------------- I was thought I was going to get one from someone but it turned out to be a misunderstanding. All I'm missing is the rebate form and as you can see the postmark date is close. I know its a long shot, but I figured why not ask. Thanks. Reposting in case anyone missed it.
|
|
dancinmama
Senior Associate
LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 20:49:45 GMT -5
Posts: 10,659
|
Post by dancinmama on Sept 28, 2011 11:53:17 GMT -5
A few posters outside the Grocery Challenge constantly want to know HOW MUCH I save and are floored when I tell them that I have no clue because I don't keep track. To me what is more important is how much I HAVE TO SPEND to get those savings and historically for me that has always been minimal (pennies on the dollar or free or sales tax only). Exactly. In the beginning months I tracked and got over $1800 for under $400 OOP. People hear that and think WOW. When I look at those old spreadsheets, I would never spend those OOPs today now that I know better. So while I don't track anymore, I look at OOP instead of savings and can stick to my budget and get great deals. Even free items aren't for me because of high tax so I pass on most deals that a year ago I would have gotten multiples of. CVS Excedrin is one of those. I have several bottles already, hardly ever use it, and it would cost me 10¢ a bottle. Not worth the trip to me for something I already have a few of. bluesclues: That is why we TRY, TRY, TRY to warn newbies to take it slowly. It's hard to fathom that there is or would be a way to get so many of the items that we use regularly for absolutely free. I still think that a lot of people who have heard about it, but who haven't actually looked into it for themselves, find it hard to believe. I too have taken a pass on a lot of freebies due to the sales tax. Sometimes I will buy them if I need to roll my rewards based on an ad preview and then I donate the products; but other than that, I take a pass. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the rewards programs at the drug chains. I certainly hope that we are not seeing the beginning of the end.
|
|
saveinla
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 2:00:29 GMT -5
Posts: 5,222
|
Post by saveinla on Sept 28, 2011 12:19:07 GMT -5
Staples question - do you ladies know if there is free after rebate item and I pay with earlier rewards, will I still get the rebate? Thanks
|
|
jdnstl
Familiar Member
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 10:21:56 GMT -5
Posts: 949
|
Post by jdnstl on Sept 28, 2011 12:47:32 GMT -5
saveinla - if it is a rebate item, yes. if it is a rewards item, no. at least it worked around april/may when i rolled some rewards cash into FAR stuff.
|
|
saveinla
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 2:00:29 GMT -5
Posts: 5,222
|
Post by saveinla on Sept 28, 2011 13:01:58 GMT -5
saveinla - if it is a rebate item, yes. if it is a rewards item, no. at least it worked around april/may when i rolled some rewards cash into FAR stuff. Thanks jdnstl. I am planning to buy a rebate item.
|
|
leanna
Well-Known Member
Joined: Feb 28, 2011 16:33:40 GMT -5
Posts: 1,800
|
Post by leanna on Sept 28, 2011 13:42:44 GMT -5
MizBear-Happy belated birthday! Sorry I am a little late. I feel like for me the deals have been worse in the past 6 months, and I still get some negative feedback from some cashiers asking if I'm one of "those" extreme couponers. But now that my new job has settled down and we've eaten our stockpile down a bit I am focusing on stockpiling again. We are moving in 2012 so I'm trying to be careful about what I stockpile, I do not want to move too many items or be overstocked on something I cannot move because of restrictions. Having just moved - I can confirm that it is a bit overwhelming if you have a large stockpile. So you are smart to be careful about ending up with too much stuff.
|
|
leanna
Well-Known Member
Joined: Feb 28, 2011 16:33:40 GMT -5
Posts: 1,800
|
Post by leanna on Sept 28, 2011 13:50:05 GMT -5
NAGWarning - this is sad... I thought I'd be coming on here this week to share how our move was hard but we are glad to be in our new house. But instead, I got some horrible news. A good friend committed suicide. I am devastated. I hope you all don't mind me sharing this tragic news. This thread has been a wonderful support for me in this past year as I was recovering from my TBI and related injuries. I would check in multiple times throughout the day and you all have been a source of stability for me. And, as odd or silly as it may sounds, getting back into couponing was in a sense a form of therapy for me- because I was able to work on regaining my math/writing/logic skills by couponing. So it feels weird not to be writing on here every day. We had the internet off as we moved. But, like I said, I thought I'd be coming on here saying "Hi I'm back. Hard move - back to couponing." But instead I am grieving the loss of a dear friend. So, I don't want to hijack the thread or anything - the couponing is very important and helpful to people so please carry on with the deals. Just wanted to share with you all where I'm at and why I may be posting infrequently at the moment, instead of intensively like I have been. Hugs to all of you and thank you again for just well being here!
|
|
saveinla
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 2:00:29 GMT -5
Posts: 5,222
|
Post by saveinla on Sept 28, 2011 13:50:58 GMT -5
|
|
ohiositter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 18:21:31 GMT -5
Posts: 185
|
Post by ohiositter on Sept 28, 2011 13:51:48 GMT -5
Leanna ..... Congrats!!! on your new house ;D ;D, I hear you about moving your stockpile just went thru the same thing not to long ago myself but at least now your stuff will have a permanent home ;D
|
|
ohiositter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 18:21:31 GMT -5
Posts: 185
|
Post by ohiositter on Sept 28, 2011 13:56:32 GMT -5
OMG.... Leanna I'm so sorry to hear about your friend
|
|
jeep108
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 20:20:19 GMT -5
Posts: 1,056
|
Post by jeep108 on Sept 28, 2011 14:01:59 GMT -5
Leanna, Glad your move is over and sorry about your friend.
|
|
saveinla
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 2:00:29 GMT -5
Posts: 5,222
|
Post by saveinla on Sept 28, 2011 14:03:54 GMT -5
Leanna, I am really sorry to hear about your friend. It makes you pause and reflect what would drive someone to such desperation.
|
|
leanna
Well-Known Member
Joined: Feb 28, 2011 16:33:40 GMT -5
Posts: 1,800
|
Post by leanna on Sept 28, 2011 14:33:22 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for your condolences. It is very hard - we were the same age & had many, many things in common. She suffered silently from a mental illness and that is what got her. It is very difficult - she was a beautiful person - so kind and all of us who were close to her are overwhelmed with grief. She was not at all a dramatic person and this drastic ending seems so out of character for her. But, sadly, an illness like that takes over a person. It is absolutely heartbreaking.
|
|
rubyslippers
Well-Known Member
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 19:32:42 GMT -5
Posts: 1,001
|
Post by rubyslippers on Sept 28, 2011 14:43:55 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for your condolences. It is very hard - we were the same age & had many, many things in common. She suffered silently from a mental illness and that is what got her. It is very difficult - she was a beautiful person - so kind and all of us who were close to her are overwhelmed with grief. She was not at all a dramatic person and this drastic ending seems so out of character for her. But, sadly, an illness like that takes over a person. It is absolutely heartbreaking. Leanna: My heart goes out to you on the loss of your friend. There aren't any words to take away your pain but know my thoughts and prayers are with you.
|
|
leanna
Well-Known Member
Joined: Feb 28, 2011 16:33:40 GMT -5
Posts: 1,800
|
Post by leanna on Sept 28, 2011 14:44:35 GMT -5
Thank you.
|
|
skubikky
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 7:37:12 GMT -5
Posts: 3,044
|
Post by skubikky on Sept 28, 2011 14:48:31 GMT -5
thinking of you..
|
|
973beachbum
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:12:13 GMT -5
Posts: 10,501
|
Post by 973beachbum on Sept 28, 2011 15:06:20 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for your condolences. It is very hard - we were the same age & had many, many things in common. She suffered silently from a mental illness and that is what got her. It is very difficult - she was a beautiful person - so kind and all of us who were close to her are overwhelmed with grief. She was not at all a dramatic person and this drastic ending seems so out of character for her. But, sadly, an illness like that takes over a person. It is absolutely heartbreaking. Leanna: My heart goes out to you on the loss of your friend. There aren't any words to take away your pain but know my thoughts and prayers are with you.
|
|
leanna
Well-Known Member
Joined: Feb 28, 2011 16:33:40 GMT -5
Posts: 1,800
|
Post by leanna on Sept 28, 2011 15:30:17 GMT -5
You all are so kind. I am just trying to keep myself busy because I find sitting still is overwhelming.
I'm actually going through my boxed up stockpile & reorganizing it (still in boxes since my husband will be renovating the house.) Initially, I was really good about labeling each box with different things -i.e. shampoo/conditioner, etc. But towards the end of packing, I just put various things together in a box. Now I've got it all taken out & spread all over the place. I'm putting things together by category.
My friend was a very kind person - for many years she worked for a homeless org. I am thinking of doing something in her honor this Christmas using some of my stockpile items.
|
|
dancinmama
Senior Associate
LIVIN' THE DREAM!!
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 20:49:45 GMT -5
Posts: 10,659
|
Post by dancinmama on Sept 28, 2011 15:30:30 GMT -5
leanna: I'm so so sorry about the loss of your friend. Unless you know someone who suffers from a mental illness, it is very hard to understand how anyone could get to the point of taking their own life. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your late friend. And, as odd or silly as it may sounds, getting back into couponing was in a sense a form of therapy for me- because I was able to work on regaining my math/writing/logic skills by couponing.I knew that couponing served a double purpose for you and I am sooooo happy that you found us so that we could share in your journey to recovery.
|
|