Friday, April 30, 2010

atTENding to Our Finances in 2010 April update

It's the end of April, so it's time to update our financial goals, which I posted at the beginning of the year.

As you may recall from last month, I reported that my husband had lost his job at the end of February.  He had received several months' notice before the job ended, though, and he started looking for a job as soon as he received the news.  We were fortunate in that he was able to find and start a good job just a few weeks after his previous job ended, though he had been looking for several months.

And, we were fortunate in that his previous job gave him severance pay.  We lived off that money for the weeks that we were without a paycheck.  Now that he is being paid again, we were able to put the rest of the money toward our goals.

And the good news is, we were able to complete two of our goals!

So here is where we are:

  • Save up and pay cash for the expenses of my daughter's bat mitzvah by July 2010.  Completed in April 2010.
  • Save up a proper emergency fund by December 2010.  We have 2-3 months of living expenses saved now.  We'd like to increase this, but we are satisfied with this amount for now.  Completed in April 2010.
  •  Once those two goals are finished, pay off our home equity line.  No action on this goal.  We did pay the interest accrued on the loan. 
So now, our big challenge is to pay off our home equity line of credit.  I don't want to get into exact numbers, because it might be a huge accomplishment for one family to pay off a certain amount, whereas for another family that amount might be incredibly easy.  Suffice it to say that the amount we owe is about 25% of my husband's yearly salary.  The interest rate is very low as of now, even lower than our mortgage.  But the interest rate is variable, so it could rise in the future.

How did we get this debt?  Part of it is from a car we bought in 2005, although some of that has been paid off.  And some is from the private school tuition we paid in the past for my eldest daughter (she now goes to public school).  And another part of it is from two years ago, when we neglected to save for our yearly property taxes (they aren't escrowed with our mortgage).

Why don't we just use our emergency fund money to pay down this debt?  Certainly that is what Dave Ramsey would recommend.  But having just survived a job loss, I feel better in having that money in the bank.  Also, the emergency fund money would pay down only a portion of debt. If an emergency came, we'd still have a large debt, plus almost no money in the bank.  It's possible that when we pay down the debt enough that using the emergency fund would pay it off completely, we may do that.

How are you doing on your 2010 financial goals? Post them (or a link to your blog) in the comments.

Check out more financial goals at Saving on a Shoestring @ Cha-Ching on a Shoestring and Coupon Teacher.

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Welcome Friday visitors!

I'm so glad you've come by today, and I hope you find some great blogs to follow!

Here are some of my posts from this week that you might want to check out:

Come see what I and other frugal bloggers bought this week at Wednesday Weekly Shopping. If you're looking for bargains, check my Under a Buck series, with listings for Publix, Winn-Dixie, CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and Target.

I'm also on Twitter and Facebook, so you can see me there, too!  Or subscribe to my RSS feed.

Thanks for stopping by - please leave a comment so I know you've been here, and I'll return the favor!


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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Under a Buck at Publix 4/29/10 - 5/5/10

Want to get a great deal at Publix, but don't have the time to clip coupons or figure out deals? Here's a list of some of the items at or under $1.00 this week at Publix, according to the weekly (South Florida) ad. Please check your local ad to be sure that these deals are available in your area.  The price listed for the buy one, get one free (BOGO) items is per item; in most areas you will be required to buy two of the item to get that price.

  • 40 - Breyers YoCrunch yogurt, 6 oz (BOGO)
  • 49 - Green cabbage, per pound
  • 50 - Sweet corn, each
  • 53 - Breakstone's sour cream, 8 oz (BOGO)
  • 74 - Hunt's tomatoes, 14.5 oz (BOGO)
  • 75 - Publix lemon essence water, .5 gal (BOGO)
  • 85 - Pillsbury Moist Supreme cake mix, 18.25 or 18.9 oz (BOGO)
  • 99 - Navel oranges, per pound
  • $1.00 - Hass avocados, each
  • $1.00 - Zatarain's New Orleans style mix, 5.2 to 8 oz (BOGO)
  • $1.00 - Rio Water Glass, 20 oz 
  • $1.00 - Idahoan Mashed Potatoes
  • $1.00 - Oscar Mayer Lunchables
  • $1.00 - Michelina Authentico entrees
  • $1.00 - Wonka candies
  • $1.00 - Pasta Roni or Rice-A-Roni
  • $1.00 - Mini Mott's 100% apple juice
  • $1.00 - Chobani Greek yogurt
  • $1.00 - Apple turnover
  • $1.00 - Quaker Quakes rice snacks
  • $1.00 - Banquet meal
  • $1.00 - Glaceau Vitaminwater
  • $1.00 - Softsoap liquid hand soap
Check out Wednesday Weekly Shopping to see what bargains I snagged this week, and link up your bargains as well!  And check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

Find other great grocery deals at Surviving the Stores and Frugal Reality.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

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May Freezer Cooking Days: Cooking list

Time once again for May Freezer Cooking Days, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom.

When I plan out my freezer cooking, I don't just decide what I want to make and then go buy ingredients for the recipes.  That would be just as bad as doing that each night for dinner!  Instead, I ask myself a few questions:

What do I need to use up?

I check my cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer to see what's in there and what I want to use.  For instance, right now there's a huge jar of applesauce in the refrigerator.  But my kids aren't as enamored of applesauce as they used to be, so it would be a good candidate to use up in some baking.

What can I get in bulk cheaply?

I often see produce marked down dramatically, but I don't buy it because it would need to be used up quicker than our family of 5 could.  But freezer cooking is perfect for buying produce in bulk, then preparing it for the freezer.  This week, I found 5-lb. bags of white potatoes and sweet potatoes at a local supermarket, marked down to 99¢.  I bought a bag of each, and they'll be featured.

What convenience items are we out of?

My cold cereal stockpile has been running low, and I don't want to spend a lot of money to add to it - I'd rather wait until a great sale comes around.  So I'll be making granola to fill this void.  Also, we are pretty much out of canned beans.  But a couple months ago I discovered how easy it is to make dried beans in the crockpot and freeze them for future use, so I'll be doing that.

How much time do I have to cook?

When I don't have a lot of time for cooking, I'll try to plan items that don't need as much hands-on time - in particular, items for the crockpot.

So here's what I plan to make:

Granola
Blueberry waffles
Applesauce pancakes
Oven-roasted potato wedges
Oven-roasted sweet potato wedges

Crockpot Chicken and Olives
Kidney beans cooked in the crockpot
Black beans cooked in the crockpot
Chocolate fudge cookie dough

This is quite the list for me, so I am hoping I can accomplish all this! 

Please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the weekend.



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Giveaway winner for 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget

The winner of the giveaway for the book 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget is Jennifer V.!

Jennifer's quick and easy money idea was:
I like to shop online and use cash back shopping sites to get cash back. Plus, you can usually find free shipping and no sales tax, so there are a lot of saving opportunities! :) I would love to learn more in this book.
Congratulations!  I'll be shipping  your book to you shortly.  And to everyone who entered, thank you!  I may be using your money saving ideas in a future article!

Stay tuned for another fun giveaway coming soon!

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Fruit, vegetable, and meat coupons from Target

Who said that coupons for fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats don't exist? I opened my mailbox today and found this great mailer from Target.  It seems that a regular Target in my area is adding a fresh grocery section.  I'm not sure how this differs from being a SuperTarget (I shop at one that is closer than this particular store), but it's good news for the nearby folks, who now have another venue for groceries.  Besides lists of the new products and their prices, the mailer also had the following coupons:

$1 off 3-lb. Market Pantry Gala bagged apples
$1 off 2-lb. seedless grape package
$2 off Sutton & Dodge steakhouse-quality choice Angus beef
$1 off Dole bagged salad

In addition, there was a card for a free $10 Target gift card with purchase of any new or transferred prescription, and another card which said "$2 per 12 pk - with purchase of four 12-pk. Pepsi products."  I'm not sure if that's $2 off each 12-pack, $2 off 4 12-packs, or that each 12-pack is $2 each when you buy 4.

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Wednesday Weekly Shopping: Meat and veggies

I invite you to link up to your best grocery deals below!

As I predicted last week, I went way over my budget of $80 per week this week.  It's looking less like a budget and more like a goal.  I probably need to be more strict about it.  I do bring only cash to the grocery store, but when I go over, I use money that I set aside for my own personal, non-food spending.  So I am sort of cheating myself by overspending.

One reason we went over was that I purchased meat this week.  I buy kosher meat, and even though I am very price conscious, and only bought whole chickens, chicken breasts, ground beef, and sliced turkey for sandwiches, I still spent $60.62 there.  What I really need to do is set aside $5 or $10 per week and use that to buy meat every so often.

Another was the birthday party.  I put out platters of fresh vegetables and fruits for the parents, which wasn't cheap.  (And coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables don't exist... or do they?) But I did check the ads for the best prices and ended up running to five stores to get the food.  (On my way home from dropping my daughter off at preschool, I pass four grocery stores, two supercenters, and two drug stores on a seven mile route.  So it's not like I was traveling miles out of my way.)  On the good side, there were plenty of leftovers, which we are eating from this week.

So here were my trips:
Kosher Marketplace: $60.62
Western Beef: two trips totaling $20.60
Winn-Dixie: $6.73
Target: $9.54
Wal-Mart: $15.32
Publix: two trips totalling $13.07
Penn Dutch: $3.22

I spent a total of $129.10 this week for $168.42 worth of food, or a 23% savings.  No spreadsheet this week, sorry!

Check out the following to see how others shopped this week!

How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. Please link up directly to your post, not to the blog itself. I'd appreciate it if you put a link to Wednesday Weekly Shopping in your post as well. If you don't have a blog, please leave a comment!



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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Under a Buck at Winn-Dixie 4/28/10 - 5/4/10

Want to get a great deal at Winn-Dixie, but don't have the time to clip coupons? Or are you so consumed with using coupons that you miss good deals on other items?

Here's a list of some of the items at or under $1.00 this week at Winn-Dixie, according to the weekly (South Florida) ad.  Please double-check the ad for your area to confirm that these deals are available in your area.  For the BOGO items, the price shown is the price per item, though in most areas you will be required to buy two of the item.
  • 34 - Sweet corn, each
  • 45 - Friskies cat food, 5.5 oz can
  • 50 - Winn-Dixie yogurt, 6 oz
  • 50 - Cucumbers, each
  • 55 - Campbell's tomato or chicken noodle soup, 10.75 oz (BOGO)
  • 65 - Winn-Dixie seasonings, sauces, or gravies, 0.7-2.6 foil pack (BOGO)
  • 70 - Green Giant vegetables, 11-15.25 oz (BOGO)
  • 79 - Large baking potatoes, per pound
  • 89 - Haas avocados, each
  • 99 - Vidalia sweet onions, per pound
  • $1.00 - Stuffed crab, 2.5 oz
  • $1.00 - Ocean Market tilapia, flounder, salmon, or scallops, 4 oz
  • $1.00 - Winn-Dixie corn tortillas, 6 inch, 16 oz
  • $1.00 - Winn-Dixie flour tortillas, 8 inch, 12.5 oz
  • $1.00 - Winn-Dixie mixers or sparkling water, 1 liter
  • $1.00 - Winn-Dixie English muffins, 6 ct
  • $1.00 - Sunny D citrus drinks, 64 oz (BOGO)
  • $1.00 - Winn-Dixie cream cheese, 8 oz brick
  • $1.00 - La Costena pinto or black beans, 20.5 oz
  • $1.00 - Ro-Tel diced tomatoes, 10 oz
  • $1.00 - Gatorade, 32 oz
  • $1.00 - Sobe or Sobe Lifewater, 20 oz
  • $1.00 - Colgate toothpaste, 4 oz
  • $1.00 - Aim toothpaste, 6 oz
  • $1.00 - Cliff or Luna bar, 1 ct
  • $1.00 - Nutrament, 12 oz
Check out Wednesday Weekly Shopping to see what bargains I snagged this week, and link up your bargains as well!  And check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

Find other great grocery deals at Surviving the Stores and Frugal Reality.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

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Thrifty Birthday Party Ideas

I'm still recovering from my five-year-old daughter's birthday party last weekend, so I thought I'd share some ideas about how to throw a memorable yet inexpensive child's birthday party.

Last year, my daughter went to a friend's birthday party.  It was held at a specialized party place - a storefront with rooms decorated by theme.  There was a pirate area complete with boat, a TV studio area, and a princess area with a castle, which is where we were.  The kids dressed up, did crafts, and played games with the teenage employees, while all the parents chatted in an outdoor area.  It was so nice, I thought maybe my daughter would like her party there, too.

So, I went to get a price sheet.  And would you believe, for 12 children, the place was asking $440?  And $18 more for each extra child?  And that didn't include everything you'd need for a party, like goody bags or food for the adults.  Oh, and I just looked online at the place, and there's a list of upgrades, including (you won't believe this) limousine service.

Well, not all parties are quite this expensive.  But you can have a great party for not a lot of money!  Here are some ideas I used.

Have it at home.

It seems like most parties my daughter is invited to are at places like bowling alleys or paint your own pottery places.  Though they may be fun, these places can be quite expensive - so have it at home!  I like home parties better because the kids can play together and socialize more - they're not so distracted by the event.  If your place is really too small for a party, then consider reserving a shelter at a local park and hope for good weather.

Use what you have.

Before deciding the theme or activities, look through the things you already have to see if they can be repurposed for a party.  My daughter vacillated between a princess theme and a Dora the Explorer theme, so we decided to do a Princess Dora theme.  Since I have a lot of arts and crafts supplies, we decided to do an arts and crafts party, where I could use some items (like beads and string for necklaces) that I already had.

Look online.

There is loads and loads of birthday party ideas on the Web.  Do a search and see what you can find!  Since we were doing a Dora theme, I used a lot of printables that I found at the Nick Jr. website.  I found a pattern for a crown there; I had the children cut and color them, and an adult helped put them together for the kids.  The children loved them!

Spend on what will make a big impression.

One of the projects we made at the party were T-shirts.  I found coloring pages on Dora and of Swiper the Fox on the Web.  I used my printer to print the coloring pages onto Wilton Easy Image iron-on transfer paper, which I had purchased at the crafts store.  (The office supply store also carries that type of paper, but at a much higher cost.)  I put a piece of cardboard inside the shirt, and the kids colored the shirts using fabric markers from the crafts store.

The whole project cost about $40, but it made a huge impression on the kids.  They loved it!  Some of them spent 20-30 minutes coloring in their masterpiece.  Plus, the shirts served as take-home items, so that I could spend modestly on goody bags with a pencil, small notebook, container of play dough, and some candy purchased cheaply at CVS.

Spend on things you can reuse.

Another project we did was to decorate cookie magic wands.  I purchased a star-shaped lollipop pan at the crafts store and used my stockpiled baking ingredients to make cookie dough.  I put a lollipop stick in each cookie and baked them. The children then decorated them with icing that I had from previous birthdays and projects.  The project cost about $10, but I got a new cookie pan out of it that I can use for future birthdays and projects.

Purchase things ahead of time.

When I was at the Albertsons closing sale back in February, I bought items I ended up using for the cake.  I made a boxed mix sheet cake (25¢) and decorated it with frosting (25¢), three colors of sprinkles (15¢ each) and the icing I mentioned above.  Total cake cost (not counting the eggs and oil): 95¢.

I didn't spend a lot on the party, but all the kids had a great time, and it was a lot of fun for me to plan.

Got any other great birthday party tips?  Leave a comment below!

Check these sites for more great tips:
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Monday, April 26, 2010

Giveaway ends Wednesday!

Don't forget - my giveaway for the book 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget by the writers of Wise Bread ends on Wednesday!

This is definitely a book you'll want to have in your frugal library!  To enter the giveaway, click here.

And come back on Thursday to enter my next giveaway for a $10 e-gift certificate!  From where, you ask?  You'll have to come back and see!

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Menu plan: Meat in the freezer again!


There's meat in the freezer now!

Last week I made a run to the kosher butcher - this was the first time I had bought meat there all year, though I had picked some up at the Albertsons closing sale. (They had a kosher butcher within the store.  I so miss that.)

And boy, did I get sticker shock.  After months of typing in great deals on meat for my "Under a Buck" series, it was sad to see the prices.  But I did the best I could, so now we have ground beef, chicken breasts, and a few whole chickens in the freezer.  Along with canned tuna and hot dogs, I'm hoping we won't have to go shopping again for meat for a couple more months.

So you won't be finding loads of meat in my menu plan.  Also, I'm repeating last week's plan for Monday - the menu plan there was derailed by my birthday dinner FAIL.  And this weekend I hope to be doing some freezer cooking, so meals will be super simple!

Monday - macaroni and cheese, tuna salad, cut-up veggies

Tuesday - chicken stir-fry over brown rice

Wednesday - mushroom pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - hamburger patties, oven fries, cut-up veggies

Friday - roast chicken, rice with caramelized onions and cranberries, soup, salad, challah

Saturday - grilled cheese and tomato soup

Sunday - eat out!

Check out Menu Plan Monday and Tasty Tuesday for more menu plans!

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Wild Rice with Caramelized Onions and Dried Cranberries

I am not much of a side dish person.  I'd much rather make a one-dish meal.  Like a chicken and vegetable stir-fry served over brown rice, or some ground beef with tomatoes, onions, and peppers served over pasta.  That kind of thing.   But every once in a while I'll make a "proper" meal with a piece of meat and some sides.

This is a side dish that I modified from a package of Craisins many years ago. I've thought about buying lots of packages of cranberries around Thanksgiving when they're cheap, and drying them myself.  Maybe I will do that later this year.

I love the sweetness of the caramelized onions, but I'm not always patient enough to wait until they're done.  If I cook them for less time, it's just not as sweet, and thus not as delicious.  If you don't have wild rice, you could just double the amount of brown rice - this would make the recipe less expensive.  I haven't tried it yet, but I suspect that this recipe would be even better with dried cherries. 

Wild Rice with Caramelized Onions and Dried Cranberries

2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
3 tbsp. margarine
3 medium onions, sliced
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 cup dried cranberries

Combine vegetable broth and both rices in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat.  Cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.  Meanwhile, melt margine in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and brown sugar.  Cook 6-7 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.  Reduce heat to low and continue to cook onions, stirring often, for 25 minutes or until onions are a caramel color.  Stir in dried cranberries, then cover and cook cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until cranberries swell.  Fold cranberry/onion mixture into cooked rice. 

Check out more recipes at:

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Under a Buck at Rite Aid 4/25/10 - 5/1/10

Got a great Rite Aid deal?  Leave a comment below!

Trying to keep your Rite Aid bill low, but don't have time to go through coupons?  Or are you so focused on using coupons that you miss the best price deals on items without coupon matchups?

Here are some of the items that are at or under $1.00 this week. All you'll need is the weekly ad, which you can pick up in the store, and a pair of scissors to cut out the in-ad coupons.
  • 50¢ - M&M Mars or Nestle single serve candy bars
  • 99¢ - Renuzit adjustable air freshener, 7.5 oz
  • 99¢ - Glade aerosol air freshener, 9 oz
  • 99¢ - Lipton Sides, 4.3-5.7 oz
  • 99¢ - Nissin Rich & Savory Bowl, 3.36 oz
  • 99¢ - Nissin chow mein or noodles, 3.63-4 oz
  • 99¢ - Barilla pasta, 16 oz
Check out the following for more Rite Aid deals:
See what I bought this week at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

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Under Two Bucks at Target 4/25/10 - 5/1/10

Want to get a great deal at Target, but don't have the time to clip coupons? Or are you so focused on getting coupon deals that you've missed the best prices? Here's a list of some of the items at or under $2.00 this week at Target, according to the weekly ad. Some items may only be available at SuperTarget stores.
  • 50¢ - Yoplait yogurt, 4 or 6 oz
  • 50¢ - Fancy Feast cat food, 3 oz
  • 89¢ - Market Pantry frozen turkey breast, per pound
  • 99¢ - Red seedless grapes, per pound
  • $1.00 - Vitaminwater, 20 oz
  • $1.00 - Smart Water, 33.8 oz
  • $1.00 - Fuze, 18.5 oz
  • $1.79 - Up & Up hand sanitizer, 8 oz
  • $1.84 - Bertolli tomato & basil sauce, 24 oz
  • $1.84 - Barilla Plus pasta, assorted varieties, 14.5 oz
  • $1.99 - Nature's Own Whitewheat bread, 24 oz
  • $2.00 - Smart Ones frozen meals, 6 to 11 oz
  • $2.00 - Gerber selected Graduates juice treats or Finger Foods
  • $2.00 - Reveal 60 watt light bulbs, 4 pk
  • $2.00 - Dannon Activia yogurt, 4 pk
Check out Cha Ching Queen and Coupon Geek for more Target deals!

See what I bought this week at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

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Under a Buck at Walgreens 4/25/10 - 5/1/10

Got a great Walgreens deal?  Leave a comment below!

Trying to keep your Walgreens bill low, but don't have time to go through coupons or figure out complex Register Rewards deals?

Here are some of the items that are under $1.00 this week.  All you'll need is the weekly ad, which you can pick up in the store, and a pair of scissors to cut out the in-ad coupons.  A * means that an in-ad coupon is required.  This list is based on an ad scan; please double-check your local ad to see if these bargains are applicable in your area.
  • FREE - Stayfree maxi pads (buy one at $2.99, get $2.99 RR)
  • FREE - Plackers dental flossers (buy one at $2, get $2 RR)
  • FREE - Skintinmate shave cream (buy one at $2.99, get $2.99 RR)
  • FREE - Clio Beautytrim personal hair trimmer (buy one at $4.99, get $4.99 RR)
  • 39¢ - Nestle candy, 1.4-2.1 oz
  • 50¢ - Household gloves *
  • 50¢ - Walgreens pantiliners, 22 pack *
  • 59¢ - Walgreens aluminum foil , 20 sq ft *
  • 69¢ - Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 5 oz *
  • 69¢ - Campbell's chicken noodle or tomato soup, 10.75 oz *
  • 69¢ - Swanson chicken broth, 14 oz *
  • 99¢ - Hershey or Nestle chocolate bar, 4-4.5 oz *
  • 99¢ - Fun Size candy, 8 pack *
  • 99¢ - Scotch packaging tape, 2x800 in *
  • 99¢ - Sunlight dish liquid, 12.6 oz *
  • 99¢ - Softsoap liquid hand soap, 7.5 oz *
  • 99¢ - Tone body wash (buy one at $3.99, get $3 RR)
Of course, by using coupons and figuring out Register Rewards deals, you can get some of these items and many more for less or even for free!  Check out  these sites for more Walgreens deals.

See what I bought this week at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

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Saturday, April 24, 2010

Under a Buck at CVS 4/25/10 -5/1/10

Got a great CVS deal?  Leave a comment below!

Are you trying to keep your CVS bill low, but don't have time to clip coupons or figure out complex ECB deals this week?  Or are you so focused on using coupons that you've missed the best price deals?

Here are some of the items that are on sale at or under $1.00 this week, without coupons.  The only thing you'll need is your CVS card. The information below is based on my local ad; please check your local ad to be sure that the deals are available in your area.
  • 88 - Snow's chopped clams, 6.5 oz
  • 88 - Bumble Bee chunk white tuna, 5 oz
  • 88 - Bumble Bee chicken or tuna salad kit, 3.5 oz
  • 88 - Gold Emblem canned vegetables, 14.5-15.2 oz
  • 88 - Palmolive dish liquid, 10 oz
  • 99 - Irish Spring bar soap, 2 pk
  • 99 - Softsoap liquid hand soap, 7.5 oz
  • 99 - Softsoap or Irish Spring body wash (buy one for $2.99, get $2 ECB)
  • $1.00 - Gold Emblem spaghetti or elbow macaroni, 16 oz
  • $1.00 - Keebler crackers, 5.25 oz
  • $1.00 - Nabisco crackers, 4-8 oz
  • $1.00 - Coke, 2 liter
  • $1.00 - Powderade, 32 oz
  • $1.00 - Vitamin Water, 20 oz
  • $1.00 - Selected grocery items
  • $1.00 - Essence of Beauty mesh sponge
Of course, if you do use coupons and figure out ECB deals, you can purchase many other items for under a buck or even for free!  Check out these sites for great CVS deals:
See what I bought this week at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Welcome Friday Friends!

I'm so glad you've come by today, and I hope you find some great blogs to follow!

This week, I shared some thoughts about Earth Day sales.  I also gave out my simple recipe for Veggie Chili.  And, I bragged about my great deals at CVS and did some decluttering.  I also have a giveaway for the book 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget.  Other than that, it was a quiet week here - we're getting ready for my youngest daughter's birthday party this weekend. 

Come see what I and other frugal bloggers bought this week at Wednesday Weekly Shopping. If you're looking for bargains, check my Under a Buck series, with listings for Publix, Winn-Dixie, CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and Target.

I'm also on Twitter and Facebook, so you can see me there, too!  Or subscribe to my RSS feed.

Thanks for stopping by - please leave a comment so I know you've been here, and I'll return the favor!
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Under a Buck at Publix 4/22/10 - 4/28/10

Want to get a great deal at Publix, but don't have the time to clip coupons or figure out deals? Here's a list of some of the items at or under $1.00 this week at Publix, according to the weekly (South Florida) ad. Please check your local ad to be sure that these deals are available in your area.  The price listed for the buy one, get one free (BOGO) items is per item; in most areas you will be required to buy two of the item to get that price.
  • 50¢ - Sweet corn, each
  • 50¢ - Cucumbers, each
  • 59¢ - Bananas, per pound
  • 69¢ - Arizona tea or fruit drink, 20 oz bottle (BOGO)
  • 79¢ - Navel oranges, per pound
  • 85¢ - Knorr Sides, 4-6.4 oz (BOGO)
  • 90¢ - Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta, 12 to 16 oz (BOGO) 
  • 90¢ - Gerber 2nd Foods, 2-pk 
  • 95¢ - Selected Pepsi products, 2 liter (BOGO)
  • 99¢ - Scotties White facial tissue
  • $1.00 - Margaritaville tortilla chips, 6 oz (BOGO)
Check out Wednesday Weekly Shopping to see what bargains I snagged this week, and link up your bargains as well!  And check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

Find other great grocery deals at Surviving the Stores and Frugal Reality.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

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Under a Buck at Winn-Dixie 4/21/10 - 4/27/10

Want to get a great deal at Winn-Dixie, but don't have the time to clip coupons? Or are you so consumed with using coupons that you miss good deals on other items?

Here's a list of some of the items at or under $1.00 this week at Winn-Dixie, according to the weekly (South Florida) ad.  Please double-check the ad for your area to confirm that these deals are available in your area.  For the BOGO items, the price shown is the price per item, though in most areas you will be required to buy two of the item.
  • 34¢ - Kern's nectars, 11.5 oz
  • 49¢ - Green cabbage, per pound
  • 50¢ - Yoplait yogurt, 4-6 oz
  • 50¢ - Sweet corn, each
  • 65¢ - Old El Paso seasoning mixes
  • 74¢ - Sanderson Farms whole chicken, per pound
  • 75¢ - Old El Paso refried beans, 16 oz
  • 75¢ - 4 rolls Winn-Dixie soft & strong bath tissue
  • 79¢ - Barilla pasta, 13.25-16 oz (excluding lasagna)
  • 85¢ - Winn-Dixie big roll paper towels, single roll
  • 89¢ - Sanderson Farms chicken thighs or drumsticks, per pound
  • 89¢ - 7-Up, RC Cola, A&W, or Diet Rite, 2 liter
  • 90¢ - Kuddles Stage 2 baby food, 8 oz
  • 99¢ - Betty Crocker traditional family size fudge brownies, 18.3 oz
  • 99¢ - Old El Paso taco shells, hard or soft
  • 99¢ - Golden Delicious or Red Delicious apples, per pound
  • 99¢ - Mangoes, each
  • $1.00 - Chicken, Tuna, or Hamburger Helper, 5-8.8 oz
  • $1.00 - Birds Eye vegetables, 12 oz Steamfresh or 16 oz plain
  • $1.00 - Swanson pot pies, 7 oz
  • $1.00 - Kuddles baby water, 1 gallon
  • $1.00 - Nestle Nesquik flavored milk singles
  • $1.00 - Healthy Choice soup, 14 oz microwave cup (BOGO)
  • $1.00 - Campbell's Select Harvest soup, 18.6 oz
  • $1.00 - Margaret Holmes seasoned greens, 27 oz
  • $1.00 - Betty Crocker specialty potatoes, 4.6-6.6 oz
  • $1.00 - Winn-Dixie evaporated milk, 12 oz
  • $1.00 - Martha White muffin mix, 7.4 oz
  • $1.00 - Rice-A-Roni or Pasta Roni, 3.8-7.2 oz
  • $1.00 - Hunt's pasta sauce, 26 oz
  • $1.00 - Winn-Dixie canned fruit, assorted, 15-20 oz

Check out Wednesday Weekly Shopping to see what bargains I snagged this week, and link up your bargains as well!  And check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

Find other great grocery deals at Surviving the Stores and Frugal Reality.

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Wednesday Weekly Shopping: Birthday dinner fail

I invite you to link up to your best grocery deals below!

I ran a bit over budget again this week *sigh*. We had a birthday child here this week, and before making my planned dinner I asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner.  And, of course, she requested something we didn't have.  So I did something I rarely do - I went to the grocery store at 5:00 pm, with my two younger children in tow.

(I totally admire those of you who do that weekly!)

So, because of a lack of planning, I went $15 over my usual budget of $80 per week (that covers food, personal care items, paper goods, and cleaning supplies).  And with a birthday party this coming weekend, and some freezer cooking the weekend after that, I wouldn't be surprised that I run over again for the next two weeks (though of course I will try to stay under budget).  So May is looking like an eat from the pantry month for us.

So here's a summary of the purchases I made:

CVS: $2.05.  Click here for a description of this trip.

Winn-Dixie: $6.25.  I got four boxes of oatmeal, a gallon of milk (free when you buy four Quaker products), and a dozen eggs with a free catalina coupon I had received a couple of weeks before.

Target: $4.76 for four bags of shredded cheese ($2 each, with 2 $2/2 blinkies) (that's a lot of 2's!) and a bunch of bananas.

Publix: 4 trips totaling $82.34.  Too much to list here, but I took advantage of BOGOs on cereal, pasta, and tomato sauce. See all of my shopping details here.

Altogether I spent $95.40 on products worth  $189.95, or almost exactly 50% savings.

Check out the following to see how others shopped this week!

How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. Please link up directly to your post, not to the blog itself. I'd appreciate it if you put a link to Wednesday Weekly Shopping in your post as well. If you don't have a blog, please leave a comment!



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Shopping details 4/21/10

Here's what I got for $85.40 this week:


Product Quantity Shelf Price Total - Coupon - Savings TOTAL Details
CVS






Kellogg's Mini-wheats 2 $4.49 $8.98 $1.00 $3.98 $4.00
milk 1 $3.39 $3.39
$0.20 $3.19 $3 ECB
Colgate Total 1 $3.89 $3.89 $0.75 $0.90 $2.24 $2 ECB
Hershey's 12 oz 2 $3.99 $7.98 $1.00 $1.98 $5.00 $5 ECB
Hershey's 19.7 oz 1 $6.49 $6.49
$2.49 $4.00
$4/$20


$4.00
-$4.00
$14.98 ECB


$12.98
-$12.98
tax

$0.60

$0.60








Winn-Dixie






Quaker instant oatmeal 4 $3.99 $15.96 $3.75 $5.96 $6.25 printables
milk 1 $3.29 $3.29
$3.29 $0.00 free milk w/ 4 Quaker
eggs 1 $1.99 $1.99
$1.99 $0.00 catalina








Publix






juice conc. 3 $1.50 $4.50
$0.75 $3.75
Publix cream cheese 1 $1.59 $1.59
$0.30 $1.29
5 grain baguette 1 $1.89 $1.89 $1.00 $0.60 $0.29 Publix calendar
Peter Pan PB 4 $2.59 $10.36 $1.50 $5.18 $3.68
Mueller's pasta 6 $1.39 $8.34 $1.00 $4.17 $3.17 printable
Mueller's ww pasta 4 $1.39 $5.56 $2.20 $2.78 $0.58 printable
Smucker's preserves 1 $3.29 $3.29 $0.25 $0.79 $2.25
macaroni salad 1 $1.69 $1.69

$1.69
cole slaw 1 $1.69 $1.69

$1.69
Publix bread 3 $1.50 $4.50

$4.50
MealMart chicken nuggets 1 $9.99 $9.99

$9.99
Cinnamon Toast Crunch 2 $3.95 $7.90 $1.00 $3.95 $2.95
Ragu 4 $2.67 $10.68 $0.55 $5.34 $4.79
Goodnites 2 $15.99 $31.98 $6.00
$25.98
Huggies wipes 1 $6.99 $6.99 $1.50
$5.49 $10 rebate wyb $35
strawberries 1 $2.99 $2.99
$1.74 $1.25
garlic 0.1 $2.89 $0.29

$0.29
Publix shredded cheese 1 $2.69 $2.69
$0.69 $2.00
bagels 2 $0.69 $1.38 $1.00
$0.38 Publix calendar
Special K 2 $3.99 $7.98
$3.99 $3.99
tax

$2.34

$2.34








Target






Kraft cheese 4 $2.00 $8.00 $4.00
$4.00 $2/2 blinkies
bananas 1.73 $0.44 $0.76

$0.76








Total Out-of-Pocket

$189.95 $43.48 $51.07 $95.40




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