Shop Rite...Can Can...

WOW, WOW, WOW....That's all I have to say about Shop Rite's sale this week.  Ajax laundry detergent only .99 with an addition $10 purchase.  Ronzoni Pasta .59 a box, Shop Rite Corn or Green Beans .33 a can to name a few things that jumped out at me.

If that's not enough of a wow for you, the January Can-Can sale starts January third.

The one thing to be careful about this ad is some prices are only good until Wednesday while others start January 3rd.  If that wasn't confusing enough there are week long savings as well.  Look at this ad carefully.

I plan on going for the Ajax tomorrow before the price goes up on Wednesday.

What are you going to Shop Rite for this week?

House M.D. Sale

While looking at the sales ads for this week I noticed that Best Buy has the television show House M.D. Season 8 on sale for $15.99.  I knew right away that it was a good deal.  Since this was the final season of House I knew that the regular price was somewhere between 39.99 and 49.99.  I was within the correct range.  It is 45.99 not on sale.  I already own seasons 1-7 so I headed to Best Buy today to pick up season 8.

Before I headed there I checked the Best Buy Rewards website to see if I had earned any Rewards Certificates.  With all the shopping we did there for Christmas I figured I had...Yup I was right I had a $15 certificate waiting for me to print.  

For me it was a really sweet deal...On Sale for $15.99 - my $15 Certificate= $1.05 out of pocket!!! 

If you don't have any rewards certificates $15.99 for the final season is still a good deal.

My Goals for 2013

As 2012 is rapidly coming to a close I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish in 2013.  For now let's just focus on my couponing or blog goals.

1. Keep with the couponing.  
2. Even if I am behind on cutting the coupons and filing them take my binder with me.
3. Continue to save
4. Give to others

Here's the big goal for me:

        5. Teach/farther educate at least one person how to save with coupons and sales.  The person could already have some knowledge, but help them be able to save 40% or more in a shopping trip.

Walgreen's Balance Rewards

When the Walgreen's Balance Rewards program started I signed up online.  About two weeks ago I inquired about how to get a keytag associated with my Balance Rewards number.  However I think this is the most confusing rewards program.  They scan your card.  If the item is on sale you get the sale price.  From my understanding if you don't have the card you are not getting the sale prices.  You earn points for select purchases.  When you get to a certain point level you can turn those points into savings.
I know from that it sounds like I know what I am talking about, but I haven't been shopping at Walgreen's as much.  I don't have the points to bring a good deal to an even better deal.  I pass up on the deals that refer to Balance Rewards Points.  I am probably passing up on some good sales, but I just don't get it.

Anyone have an understanding of the Balance Rewards Program?

Extreme Cheapskates

I was flipping through the channels yesterday and noticed a show on TLC titled "Extreme Cheapskates."  I had never watched it before, but vaguely remember hearing about it.  I decided to stop and watch it.  I caught a few episodes and throughout it I was thinking, "I love to save, but I would NEVER go to that extreme to save a penny."
They did have some good ideas like unplugging things that are not in use.  I notice on some tvs when they are not on they have colorful lights or a red light on until you turn the TV back on.  You are using electricity to keep that red light on, but how much does it save you in a month to unplug unused electronics?
Another thing that I found interesting was people in the episodes had outdated appliances and cars.  Things were not made as energy efficient back in the day.  I would think that it takes less energy to run things now then before.
I will say they were resourceful.  They used banana peels to shine there shoes and coffee grounds as a window cleaner.  I won't be trying either, but thought it was interesting how they really put everything to good use.
What tips do you have to save money besides using coupons?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all!  May your Christmas be filled with joy, laughter and love.  Enjoy the day with your loved ones!!

Clearance Already

When I was shopping in Target last week I noticed that they already started to clearance down toys.  I normally see this after Christmas.  Time it just right and you can get some good deals on toys.  Also clearanced was select holiday things.
Yesterday I was in Walgreen's and was surprised to see their holiday decor already marked down.
Unfortunately I didn't see much candy marked down yet.  I know once Christmas comes and goes that candy will be marked down and flying off the shelves.  However I did get elf decor for the car for only $4.99 originally $9.99.
What deals have you seen out there?  Share them so others can benefit from the savings.

Don't Have Much Time....

Do you find yourself not having much time in your day for extra things?  However, want to get samples, find out about free deals, etc. A friend of mine sent me a link a few weeks ago to a website I have been checking out.  It only takes a minute to browse the new free things for that day.  Check out Shop4freebies  I have not requested anything for free yet, but do enjoy taking the minute to see their updated list each day.
Are there any other sites that you all use?  Please share them with me.  I love checking out new ways to save.

Enjoy Savings and Sharing...

Not only do I enjoy getting savings, but I enjoy sharing my savings with others.  Whether that is physically handing people items or sharing my knowledge with them to help them save.  I know some of you have inquired about how you can do what I do.  For whatever reason it hasn't worked out to show some of you, but please contact me and I will be more than happy to teach you some tips.
The first step I would suggest is browsing coupons on coupons.com, maybe even printing them, and/or purchasing a Sunday newspaper.  Before you buy that paper flip through the inserts and make sure there are coupon inserts in there.

Be Able to Adjust

I made my list for Shop Rite and clipped my coupons before I left the house.  Two things on my list were toothpaste that was on sale for .88 and single toothbrushes also on sale for .88.  I picked up a few boxes of the Colgate on sale, but when I went down the toothpaste aisle and noticed that a bigger tube of toothpaste was on sale for .99.  To me it doesn't matter the brand of toothpaste so I put back the smaller tubes of Colgate and picked up some Pepsodent and Aim.  

Another item I had set out for was the single pack of toothbrushes which was on sale for .88.  An end cap caught my eye, they had a five pack of toothbrushes on sale for .99.  Hmm...that seemed like a no brainer to me, put back the Gum toothbrushes and pick up the five pack.  

With a coupon for Idahoan Instant Potatoes I got a pouch of potatoes for free.  Did I have coupons for everything I bought?  No.  Was everything I bought on sale?  Everything, but one item.  This shopping trip I saved 40%  Breaking the receipt down, seeing I got 2 item for free, other items for a dollar or less, just about everything on sale I'm very happy with this shopping trip.

Lack of Posting

The past two weeks I really haven't posted anything.  My couponing and shopping got thrown off by someone in the house being under the weather.   I found myself home more taking care of them, keeping an eye on them, and only going to the store when we actually needed something.  However, now I found that I have a stack of coupons waiting to be sorted, cut and filed.  When looking at the ad today and making my list if I didn't have the coupon in my binder, I had to flip through the inserts to see what I had.  It won't take me long to get all caught up.
I won't let being a little behind stop me after I realized that it has been almost a year since I started using my coupon binder.  In this year I am amazed at how much I have saved and how much I have learned.