Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Oct 12, 2013 16:31:48 GMT -5
The fiber bars tasted stale. Back to safeway for those
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donnafreedman
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Post by donnafreedman on Oct 14, 2013 12:04:49 GMT -5
Kosher salt: $1 for a pound. Lemonade mix: 8 (or sometimes 10) of those sticks for $1. These are good to carry when traveling because if a city's water is kind of yuck (yo, Philly and Phoenix!) I sprinkle in a little lemonade to disguise the taste. Flour-sack dish towels: I bought a couple once to use for straining cooked fruit to make jelly. Rarely make jelly any more (jam is much easier!) but I use the towels to strain my homemade yogurt. (I wrote the yogurt how-to in the "crockpot yogurt" thread.) Gingersnaps. There's no dollar store here in Anchorage, just something called "Dollar Zone." Not the same thing. When I visit my daughter for Christmas, we're making a field trip to the dollar store(s). Hoping to find more flour-sack towels because these will eventually wear out -- although I've been pleasantly surprised at how they're hanging on (3+ years of frequent use). Some guy had a "99 Cent Chef" blog, in which he shopped at the 99 Cent Store and made up meal plans/created recipes. Anyone who lives near one of those sure is lucky -- 99-cent cream cheese? Here in Anchorage you pay about two bucks for the stuff.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Oct 14, 2013 12:11:00 GMT -5
<<Waves at Donna from down here in Florida>>
We have Dollar Stores, Tuesday Morning, etc.
I'd like to make holiday decorations this year, and plan to stop and check these places to see how the selection compares with Michael's. I know the prices will be more favorable, and most of the decorations will be used outdoors, so I am not looking for anything expensive, anyway.
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pepperdoo
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Post by pepperdoo on Oct 14, 2013 17:38:26 GMT -5
Donna Freedman: I saw that blog for the 99 cent Chef. It was great. Our 99 Cent only stores have everything to make full meals. It's crazy. Now I can plan meals for a few days for less than $10.00 instead of the grocery store for $20.00. They have regular stocks of fresh veg, eggs, cheeses, brand name deli meats, rices, beans... geez, too many to name
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Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Oct 16, 2013 20:50:46 GMT -5
I took those stale fiber bars & Kelloggs breakfast bars (afraid they might be stale) took the EU meeting (support group for unemployed professionals, managers). We bring snacks to share during the mtg. One guy picked them up. Saw him putting handfuls in his pockets. Makes me appreciate where I am in that I'm nowhere close to hungry
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Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Oct 16, 2013 22:15:43 GMT -5
I posted it and I meant it. It's an example of how these stores have you think you're getting a great deal but wind up spending more per oz. Another example is they sell a mix that makes 12 cupcakes for $1 whereas I always (at least once a month) see the same brand making 24 cupcakes @ Safeway for $1.24. Not suggesting Safeway as the only cost saving alternative just suggesting that you do the math
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Oct 18, 2013 11:03:25 GMT -5
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jeep108
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Post by jeep108 on Oct 18, 2013 11:24:19 GMT -5
I went last night to our 99 cents store
bought 2 Lg. shiitake mushrooms for a $1.00, which run $4.99 each at the grocery store.
1 pound of Jasmine rice. I can get a better deal at the oriental market but it's 30 mins away and the dollar store is 5 mins. from the house.
Black Pepper
Birthday Cards
Bagels (5) in a bag and no high fructose corn syrup. sweet.
Toenail clippers
Some how I ran out of my free tooth brushes from couponing. Bought 5 in a pack for $1.00.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Oct 21, 2013 11:12:04 GMT -5
I posted it and I meant it. It's an example of how these stores have you think you're getting a great deal but wind up spending more per oz. Another example is they sell a mix that makes 12 cupcakes for $1 whereas I always (at least once a month) see the same brand making 24 cupcakes @ Safeway for $1.24. Not suggesting Safeway as the only cost saving alternative just suggesting that you do the mathDefinitely!! Just because it's in a dollar store and is a buck doesn't necessarily make it a good deal. Not all the produce at the .99 Cent Store is prepackaged. Not everything that is approaching its sell-by date is stale. I purchased Better Crocker mac and cheese for my DS who is on a tight budget. It was a week past the sell-by date and called to let him know before I purchased it for him. When I told him the price, he told me to go for it. It was $.25/box and he said it did not seem stale at all and was every bit as good as Kraft. I think Smart Spenders know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Oct 21, 2013 11:42:15 GMT -5
Great article even though we wouldn't ever make some of the items in the menus provided. I have a 99 Cent Store and a Grocery Outlet right across the street from each other. The 99 Cent Store is better for fresh produce and bread items (bagels, hamburger buns, etc.). The Grocery Outlet is better for deli, meat, dairy (especially cheese), condiments, and pantry staples. For the most part, we try to stay away from pre-packaged boxed stuff like hamburger helper, with some exceptions like Rice A Roni rice pilaf. For some reason we love that stuff when we grill fish. Another item I noticed on the list was boxed pancake mix. Pancakes are a lot cheaper (and we think better) when made from scratch and take no time at all to whip up. We also make our own syrup using sugar, water, and mapleine. That's what I had growing up, I prefer it, and it's a lot cheaper than buying bottled pancake syrup.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Oct 21, 2013 11:56:19 GMT -5
Some guy had a "99 Cent Chef" blog, in which he shopped at the 99 Cent Store and made up meal plans/created recipes. Anyone who lives near one of those sure is lucky -- 99-cent cream cheese? Here in Anchorage you pay about two bucks for the stuff. They don't ALWAYS have it, but I get Philly cream cheese at the 99 Cent Store regularly. When I see it, if we're running low, I grab about half a dozen blocks. I haven't paid over $1 for cream cheese for a very long time and I believe the regular price at Safeway is now over $3.
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MonicaLee5186
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Post by MonicaLee5186 on Oct 21, 2013 20:15:17 GMT -5
We just got a new Dollar Tree 5 minutes from the house! I always buy loofahs there, 2 in a pack for $1. This way if we have someone staying with us and they need one it's not a big deal. Or if we are traveling we just toss it instead of bringing home a wet loofah.
I bought 2 32oz bags of frozen French fries there, the woman behind me in line told me last week she spent $65 on frozen food! She recommended the FF. I made some last night and while they were very good, I was disappointed that they were all small piece. For $1, I'll deal with it.
I wish I had a dollar store that sold produce or a Grocery Outlet! For now I'll just have to settle for cherry picking my 2 grocery stores ... sigh!
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donnafreedman
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Post by donnafreedman on Dec 20, 2013 2:54:51 GMT -5
I'm now down in Phoenix for the holiday and we've visited one dollar store thus far; I bought a hardback book and a bag of gingersnaps. Didn't find the flour-sack towels, but this trip is young! Tomorrow her cat needs to go to the vet so we'll stop at another dollar store in that area. We're also going to hit the 99 Cent Only store. I sense a blog post coming on....
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