Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Wednesday Weekly Shopping: Right on the nose

I invite you to link up to your best grocery deals below, to inspire others to save more! 
 
I budget $80.00 per week to purchase food, paper goods, and drugstore items. Sometimes I go over a bit, but most weeks I'm a bit under budget.

This week I spent... exactly $80.00, to the penny!

Here's what I got:

Western Beef: Spent $20.12


Publix: Spent $17.19, saved $36.15


CVS: Spent $6.34, saved $14.56


Walgreens: Spent $12.60, saved $18.13

I also spent $17.64 at ALDI (buying milk, cheese, lettuce, bread, and a few other items) and $6.11 at Walmart, purchasing bananas, whole wheat flour, and popcorn kernels.

Overall, this week I spent $80.00 for items which retail for $141.42, or a 43% savings based on the retail value of the products at the stores where they were purchased.  (But don't compare percentages!)  My real savings (how much more I'd spend if I bought those items at the lowest possible regular price in my area) was $26.63.

For the year (35 weeks), I've spent $2611.50 for items which retail for $4950.33, and saved $2338.83, or a 47% savings. That's an average of $74.61 spent each week for a family of five (husband, wife, and daughters ages 14, 10, and 6), including lots of fresh produce, dairy items, and kosher meat.

See all my shopping here.

How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. The aim is not to brag, but to inspire!  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!



For more great shopping deals and trips, please check out the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Shopping Deals Linkups. There are lots of great ideas on each blog and I'm sure you'll find inspiration for you to save even more!

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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

How much does couponing cost me?

Previously I've blogged about cutting the cost of couponing. I thought today I'd try to make a list of expenses I incur due to couponing.

If I were not couponing, I would purchase groceries at the stores with the cheapest regular prices. For me, this would be ALDI for most pantry basics, Walmart for the things that ALDI does not stock, and BJ's Wholesale for items like paper goods and toiletries. So since I would go there anyway, I am not including the cost of trips to those stores in my calculation.

Here's what I've spent (or not spent money on) to coupon:

  • The coupons themselves.  Some people order coupons from coupon clipping sites, or they get several copies of the newspaper.  I generally do not do this.  I get one copy of coupons from the newspaper I would get even if I didn't coupon, and several more sets from a free local newspaper.  I pick up copies of this newspaper at stops I normally make throughout the week, so there is no extra cost to collecting them.

    But the free newspaper doesn't always have the best coupons, so maybe once every three months I'll buy a second copy of the newspaper to get a second set with the better coupons. The newspaper is $1.00 at the dollar store, so that's a per-year cost of $4.

    So far I've never ordered coupons, but I am not ruling out that I won't in the future. If I did, I'd have to include the cost of the coupons and the shipping, as well as the cost of coupons that I ordered but did not end up using.

    I also get a subscription to All You magazine, which has some great coupons. I purchase this as part of my children's magazine subscription fundraisers at their schools. Since I'd buy something anyway from the fundraiser, I'm not including the cost of the subscription as an added expense.
  • Coupon storage: I file my coupon inserts in a filing cabinet my husband got for free when his previous company downsized and got rid of excess office furniture.  The hanging files that the inserts are left over from a previous business venture.
  • Coupon binder: I do store some coupons in a binder, such as coupons I pick up at stores or coupons that I cut out but end up not using.  I use a binder from some previous work project.  I did buy two packs of trading card storage pages for the binder - these cost about $5 per pack, or $10 total.  These do rip and break, so let's assume I'd buy two sets of pages per year.
  • Printer toner and paper: I print out coupons from Coupons.com, RedPlum, and Coupon Network., so there is an added cost of extra toner and printer paper.  I'd have a printer anyway, so I'm not going to include the cost of the printer itself (or for that matter, for my computer or my Internet connection).  I'll estimate I go through two extra pack of printer paper and two extra toner cartridges (1 color and 1 black) per year, beyond what I would use for other purposes  I bought a pack of paper at Walgreens for $1.99 recently, and a twin pack of the toner is $58, full price.  So that is an extra cost of about $62 per year.
  • Mileage: Besides trips to ALDI and Walmart, I generally make one trip to Publix (round trip of 2.8 miles) and one separate Sunday trip to CVS and Walgreens (round trip of 4 miles).  Charging 50¢ per mile to cover gas and repairs, I'm spending $3.40 per week to make special trips to those stores, or $176.80 per year.
  • My time: This is harder to quantify.  I only spend a few hours a week looking for deals, planning my trip, and doing the extra shopping.  I wouldn't be spending that time earning money elsewhere, so I'm going to call this free for the purposes of this calculation. 
So the total expenses for one year of couponing is $252.80.

And how much do I save?  I calculate my real savings each week - how much I'm saving with coupons compared to buying the item at the lowest possible regular price.  I generally save a minimum of $30 per week by couponing (and sometimes much more than that).  So for the year, I'm saving $1560.  Subtracting out the cost of couponing for me, I'm saving around $1300 per year, at a minimum.

Of course, if the costs of couponing were more than what I was saving, I'd change strategies.  But couponing saves me lots of money, even when taking the costs into account.

For more frugal tips, please check out the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Frugal Tips Linkups. There are lots of great ideas on each blog and I'm sure you'll find lots of wonderful tips!
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    Monday, August 29, 2011

    Fortune Follies Tuesday 8/30: List and Enter Giveaways

    Welcome to Fortune Follies Tuesday, where bloggers can list their giveaways, and readers can enter them!

    I'm convinced that entering giveaways is a great way to acquire things frugally.  It doesn't cost anything but a bit of time, and blogs often offer great prizes to their readers.  A few months ago, I won $100 in grocery gift cards in blog giveaways - check out how!

    So take some time and enter some the giveaways listed below!

    Please also enter my giveaway for $25 in Amazon.com gift codes (ends 9/13) or a $20 Publix gift card (ends 10/4)!

    Please link up your giveaways using the following format: Blog Name - Name of Contest - End Date.  Please link directly to your giveaway and not to your home page.  A link back to Fortune Follies Tuesday is always appreciated!

    Also, if you have a list of sites which have giveaway linkies, please add Frugal Follies to your list.  I'd appreciate it!



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    Free shampoo, free hearing aid batteries, and more!

    Here's are some of the great freebies listed right now at MySavings - go check them out!
    • Secure a Free Sample Pack of Poise Hourglass Feminine Care Items
    • Watch Videos & Take a Quiz for 2 Free Suave Products
    • Score a Free Pack of Hearing Aid Batteries
    • Request a Free Fragrance Sample of Calvin Klein Beauty
    • Sign Up to Order Free Samples of Tena Products
    Click here to see all the deals at MySavings.

    Also, be sure to check out Freeflys, WomanFreebies, and BabyToBee for even more free samples!

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    Paint coupons, Kashi coupons, and more!

    Coupons.comHere's the new coupons from over at Coupons.com!

    Beverages

    • $1.00 off 1 Minute Maid Juice Box 10-pk
    • $1.00 off ON ANY TWO TRUE CITRUS PRODUCTS
    Foods
    • $0.40 off Yoplait Yogurt
    • $0.55 off on any Bagel-fuls (4ct)
    • $0.75 off 1 package of PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme
    • $1.00 off 3 Kashi GOLEAN Bars
    • $1.00 off any WhoNu?™ Nutrition Rich Cookies
    • $1.00 off off any box of Kashi TLC Snack Cracker
    • $1.50 off any 2 boxes of Kashi TLC bars
    Health Care
    • $1.00 off any Urinozinc Prostate Formula
    • $1.50 off ON ONE (1) BOTTLE OF EMETROL FOR NAUSEA
    • $2.00 off Any Aleve 80ct or larger
    • $2.00 off Florastor probiotic
    • $3.00 off any Non-Drowsy Claritin-D Allergy
    • $4.00 off Non-Drowsy Claritin Allergy Product
    • Up To 75% Off On Prescription Medication
    Home Entertainment
    • $3.00 off Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2 or Spy Kids 3
    Household
    • $0.40 off THREE (3) KLEENEX On-the-Go Tissue Pack
    • $1.00 off (1) package of Vanity Fair Hand Towels
    • $1.00 off 1 Renuzit Pearl Scents
    • $1.00 off One (1) Renuzit Super Odor Neutralizer
    • $10.00 off any Comfort Zone diffuser or spray
    • $3.00 off 1 gallon of Glidden Paint
    • $3.00 off 2 Glidden Paint Testers
    • $5.00 off 1 gallon of Benjamin Moore paint
    Personal Care
    • $0.75 off any Efferdent or Effergrip product
    • $0.75 off any Effergrip Denture Adhesive product
    • $1.00 off (1) Nivea Sun-Kissed Radiant Product
    • $1.00 off any Mitchum Product
    • $1.00 off Healthy Gums Rinse
    • $1.00 off on any 1 Dove VisibleCare™ Body Wash
    • $10.00 off ON ONE (1) PHILIPS NORELCO SPEED XL
    • $3.00 off (1) NIVEA Good-bye Cellulite Product
    • $3.00 off 1 BOTTLE OF 16 oz. BreathRx Mouth Rinse
    • $30.00 off ON ONE (1) PHILIPS NORELCO SENSOTOUCH
    • $5.00 off 1 PHILIPS NORELCO BG2020, BG2030, BG2040
    • $5.00 off 1 PHILIPS NORELCO REPLACEMENT SHAVER
    • $99.99 off with No-Line Bifocals only $34 more per
    • 2 for $79.99 Kids' Eyeglasses at JCPenney Optical
    Click here to print any of these coupons.

    Don't forget to check out all the online printable coupons at RedPlum, Cellfire, and Coupon Network.

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    Walgreens: Crestfallen

    I went to Walgreens yesterday, hoping to score a couple of great deals. But first I checked my local ad to compare it to the online ad matchups. One of the deals I wanted to get was cream cheese and sour cream, each 99¢ with an in-ad coupon. I searched through the ad several times, but no coupon for cream cheese or sour cream was to be seen there. Darn it!

    Another deal I wanted to get was for Crest toothpaste. That was in the ad, but when I went to get it, I couldn't find the particular product at my Walgreens. They just didn't carry it. I was crestfallen (get it?), but not too upset since I planned to get Crest at CVS this week, too.

    Here's what I did find there:


    2 Planters peanut butter @ 2/$3
    - $0.75/1 Planters Peanut Butter, exp. 10/2/11 (SS 08/21/11)  (I only had one coupon)
    = $2.25 for two, or $1.13 each

    2 Triscuit @ 2/$5
    - $1/2 Nabisco Crackers or Newtons Fruit Thins, exp. 9/24/11 (Walgreens, Sept)
    = $4.00 for two, or $2.00 each
    (There is also a manufacturer's coupon, but I had already used my copies)

    1 Playtex Sport tampons @ $3.99 (receive $1 RR)
    - $1/1 Playtex Sport Tampons printable
    = $2.99 ($1.99 after RRs)

    6 RoseArt glue sticks @ 49¢ (with in-ad coupon; there is a limit of 3 but my Walgreens ignores these limits)
    = $2.94

    Total product: $12.18
    Tax: 42¢
    Total out of pocket: $12.60
    Total saved compared to Walgreens full prices: $18.13
    RRs received: $1

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    CVS: A surprise and a mistake

    This week at CVS, as usual, I scanned my CVS key tag into the coupon machine when I first entered the store. Now, usually the coupons are pretty disappointing. $5 off a $50 purchase sometimes comes up - even before coupons, I rarely buy that much at CVS at one time. Or a few cents off a personal care item that isn't on sale and that I don't use.

    But this time, I got a coupon for a free item - for Always pantiliners. I was excited because that would be a great donation item for the women's shelter that I support. (Here's the details on my most recent donation.)

    But when I got home and took the picture below, I realized I had made a mistake. Instead of the Always brand, I had picked up the CVS house brand - and since the coupon came up as $1.77, and the CVS brand cost 99¢, I had inadvertently made 78¢ on the deal.

    So should I return them and get the right brand, or should I just forget about it? I'm not sure what to do. What would you do if you were in my shoes?

    Here's what I got on the trip:


    1 St. Joseph's aspirin @ $2.00 (receive $2 ECB)
    - $1/1 St. Joseph Aspirin, exp. 12/1/11 (ALL YOU Aug '11) (or $1/1 St. Joseph 81mg Aspirin, exp. 12/7/11 (SS 08/07/11 R))
    = $1.00 ($1.00 moneymaker after ECBs)

    2 Oral-B Satin floss @ $1.99 = $3.98 (receive $2 ECB)
    - 2 $0.75/1 Oral-B Floss or Floss Picks, exp. 9/30/11 (P&G 08/28/11)
    = $2.48 for two, or $1.24 each (24¢ each after ECBs)

    2 Crest Pro-Health toothpaste @ $2.99 = $5.98 (receive $2 ECB)
    - 2 $1/1 Crest Toothpaste or Liquid Gel Excl Cavity, Baking Soda, Tartar, exp. 9/30/11 (P&G 08/28/11)
    = $3.98 for two, or $1.99 each (99¢ each after ECBs)

    1 CVS pantiliners @ 99¢
    - Free Always pantiliners coupon (worth $1.77)
    = 78¢ moneymaker - oops!

    Total product: $6.68
    Pay with $1 ECB from last week
    Total after ECBs: $5.68
    Tax: 66¢
    Total out of pocket: $6.34
    Total saved compared to CVS full prices: $14.56
    ECBs received: $7 ($2, $2, $2, and $1 for using green bag tag four times)

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    Menu plan 8/29/11: Out of the house

    This week in menu plans:  Unlike many weeks, I'll be out of the house at least one full day and one full afternoon.  I hate rushing to make dinner after being out of the house for several hours, so this week I'm going to try using my crockpot to help make things go quicker.

    One night, I'm going to try cooking a whole chicken in the crockpot.  I've never done this before and I"m not sure why I never thought of it.  The other night, I'll make my vegetable chili, then quickly make some pasta to serve it on once I"m home.  I'll let you know how these work out!

    So here's what's for dinner this week:

    Monday - spaghetti and meatballs, salad

    Tuesday - chicken cooked in the crockpot, tabbouleh, veggie sticks

    Wednesday - 3 Can Veggie Chili (made in the crockpot) over pasta

    Thursday - veggie burritos, fruit

    Friday - steak, rice, salad, challah

    Saturday - ravioli, salad, breadsticks

    Sunday - dinner out!

    If you're a frugal food blogger, please come and link up with Frugal Food Thursdays. And check out all of my frugal recipes!

    Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans!

    This post is sponsored by Competition Accessories. Check their site for Bell Star helmets as well as other major brands.

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    Friday, August 26, 2011

    Giveaway: $20 Publix gift card

    I really love getting great deals at Publix.  I bet you do, too!

    A few months ago, I filled out a rebate form for a $20 Publix gift card after purchasing $50 in groceries, including $25 in ConAgra products during this shopping trip.  By combining deals and coupons, I was able to get the requisite products for only $23!

    And now, I've decided to give this gift card away to one lucky Frugal Follies reader!

    To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below telling me about your best deal at Publix, or what you plan to purchase with this card.  This entry is mandatory. If you're the winner, I will post your username (but not your email address) and your comment in a future post announcing the winner of the giveaway. If you're posting a comment and don't have a Google account or OpenID, please leave an email address in your comment so that I can reach you if you've won!  This contest is only open to readers 18 years of age and older from a US state where Publix does business - that's Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama.

    To get more entries (optional), you can do one or more of the following and then leave a separate comment for each action:
    • Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
    • Subscribe to my RSS feed. (1 entry)
    • Become a fan on Facebook (1 entry)
    • Follow me with Google Friend Connect (find it on the left sidebar) (1 entry)
    • Follow me via e-mail (find it on the right sidebar) (2 entries)
    • Post this giveaway on your own blog (3 entries)
    • Post the link to this giveaway to a blog giveaway linky and leave a comment.  Please put the giveaway linky you used in your comment.  (1 entry per linky - you can do this as many times as you wish, but make sure each link is to a different site)
    • Tweet about this giveaway using the following wording (1 entry per day): I just entered to #win a $20 #Publix gift card #giveaway via @FrugalFollies http://bit.ly/qcxVdP
    • If you've previously done any of those, leave a comment saying you've done so.
    Good luck!  This giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 4, at 11:59 pm Eastern time.

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    Free garbage bags, free yogurt, and more!

    freeflysHere's the latest available free samples!  Not only is it great to get something to try for free, but sometimes the free samples also contain high-value coupons for the product, should you wish to buy it.  I can't promise, but you never know!

    Check out all the free samples at Freeflys.

    Also, be sure to check out MySavings, WomanFreebies, and BabyToBee for even more free samples!

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    Publix: Ah-choo!

    This week, Publix had one of my favorite sales: Buy one, get one free on Scotties tissues. We go through a lot of tissues later on in the cold and flu season, so it's nice to be able to load up now in preparation for later. Also, all of the children's teachers want to have tissues for the classroom, so it's nice to be able to stock up cheaply and donate them to the classroom, to take care of all those little runny noses!

    Here's what I got on today's trip:


    12 boxes Scotties tissue @ BOGO $1.25 = $7.50
    - 4 50¢/3 Scotties Facial Tissues, exp. 9/17/11 (RP 08/14/11)
    = $5.50 for twelve, or 46¢ each

    2 Ken's salad dressings, 8 oz, @ $1.00 = $2.00
    - $1/2 Ken's Dressing, exp. 9/30/11 (SS 08/14/11)
    = $1.00 for two, or 50¢ each

    4 Keebler Chips Deluxe @ BOGO $3.49 = $6.98
    - 2 $1/2 Keebler Cookies, exp. 10/2/11 (RP 08/07/11)
    - B3G1 Keebler Cookies Target printable
    = $1.49 for four, or 38¢ each

    2 Capri Sun drinks 10 pack @ $1.79 = $3.58
    - 2 $0.50/1 Capri Sun Beverage Target printable
    = $2.58 for two, or $1.29 each

    4 Cheerios @ $1.99 = $7.96
    - 2 $1/2 Cheerios Cereals, exp. 8/27/11 (SS 07/17/11)
    = $5.96 for four, or $1.49 each

    Total product: $16.53
    Tax: 66¢
    Total out of pocket: $17.19
    Total saved compared to Publix full prices: $36.15

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    Finding fresh veggies

    You'd think that it being summer and all, it would be easy to find lots of fresh produce at good prices, would you not?

    Here in South Florida, I'm finding that that isn't true.

    Our farmers' markets are closed for the summer - it's just too hot and humid to grow conventional vegetables in this weather. My produce store, where I got amazing deals during the summer, is just limping along until the weather gets cooler. 

    So I've been going to Western Beef for vegetables most weeks. They have much better prices than Publix or Winn-Dixie or even ALDI (excluding their sale-priced produce). The quality isn't always perfect, but it's acceptable.

    Here's what I got this week. Unfortunately I've lost the receipt yet again... I don't know what's wrong with me lately! I recall the prices per pound and the total but don't know exactly how much I spent on each item.


    2 iceberg lettuce @ $1.19
    1 bunch bananas @ 59/lb
    1 3-lb bag Granny Smith apples @ $3.99
    4 cucumbers (ate one before I took the picture) @ 50¢
    4 tomatoes (ate one before I took the picture) @ 79¢/lb
    4 green peppers @ 59¢/lb
    5 red Cubanelle peppers @ 79¢/lb

    Total spent: $20.12

    What's your secret to getting great prices on fresh produce?  Leave a comment below!


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    Cake pops on a stick - great deal!

    I love having children's parties at home. Besides the obvious benefit of saving lots of money, it's a chance to be really creative, too. Check out all the frugal birthday party ideas I used for my daughter's last year, and check out these cute spring cupcakes we served this year.

    Here's another cute idea that I just may use for next year: cake pops on a stick!  You just add batter to the bakeware, bake up the balls, add a stick, then decorate them any way you like!

    And best of all, Tasty Pop is having a buy one, get one free sale on their kit.  You'll get two sets of the Tasty Pop bakeware, 50 sticks, and a free decorating guide.

    Click here to order your Tasty Pop cake pops on a stick kit now!

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    Such a TASTY deal!

    I do love restaurants - they're so TASTY!  But going to restaurants can be tough on a tight budget. 

    Here's how you can get that TASTY food a little more cheaply!  Right now through August 31, you can buy a $25 dining certificate from Restaurant.com for 60-80% off! Use the code TASTY to get this deal.

    Click here to get your $25 dining certificate.

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    My Swagbucks Day

    Friday is Mega Swagbucks Day, where you can get lots of Swagbucks just for doing searches! (Do searches the easy way with the Swagbucks toolbar, or use your Android phone.) You can also earn Swagbucks for finding Swagcodes, answering polls and surveys, filling out profiles, watching videos and Swagbucks TV, trading in media items, doing tasks, and considering special offers and no-obligation special offers.

    Here's what I do each day in order to earn Swag Bucks:

    Morning:

    • Check the Surveys page - earn 1 Swag Buck
    • Do the daily poll - earn 1 Swag Buck
    • Check out the no-obligation special offers - earn 2 Swag Bucks
    • See if there are any videos or short tasks in the ad box on the main page just above "Recently Earned" - these can range from 1 to 10 Swag Bucks
    • Watch any videos or do tasks listed on the main page under "Complete Special Offers and Earn Swag Bucks" - anywhere from 1 to 3 Swag Bucks each
    Throughout the day:
    • Do searches using the Swagbuck toolbar - every so often I'll earn anywhere from 7 to 12 Swag Bucks - or more on Mega Swagbucks Day!
    • Watch Swagbucks TV - earn 3 Swag Bucks for every 10 videos.  (I have my speakers on mute and click to another window after I've started the video.)
    • Check the Swagbucks Facebook page and the Swagbucks blog for any Swag Code searches.
    When I have time:
    • Fill out surveys - anywhere from 25 to 250 Swag Bucks per completed survey
    • Go through the different Special Offers and watch videos or do small tasks
    I find I can earn enough points for an $5 Amazon.com gift card every 5-10 days by doing these activities.  If I put more time into it, I'm sure I could earn a lot more!

    Join Swagbucks today and start earning point toward prizes like $5 Amazon.com gift card codes.   I've earned $165 in codes since joining last year!

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    Three coupon inserts this week!

    How many coupon inserts will there be in your paper this weekend?

    According to the Sunday Coupon Preview, we will get the three coupon inserts in the Sunday paper!  There will be one RedPlum, one Smartsource, and one Procter & Gamble.

    So if you vary how many papers you get based on the quality of the coupons, this would be a good week to stock up!

    I'm very excited about the coupons for Barilla pasta sauce and Mt. Olive products! Check out the list of this Sunday's coupons. What coupons are you looking forward to receiving?

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    Thursday, August 25, 2011

    Frugal Food Thursday: M&M Cookies

    M&M
    Welcome to Frugal Food Thursday!  If you have a great frugal recipe, please link up below! 

    I bought some M&M's cheaply at Walgreens this week.  I didn't get a chance to blog about that shopping trip, but here was the deal (available through Saturday if you have the coupon!)

    2 bags M&M's @ 2/$5.00 (receive $1 in Register Rewards)
    - $1.50 off coupon from the September All You magazine
    = $3.50 for two, or $1.75 each ($1.25 each after Register Rewards)

    This would have been an even better deal had I had two of the All You coupons, but the September issue wasn't on the shelves yet, and I only receive one subscription copy.

    So this weekend, I'm planning to make some M&M cookies!  Here's my recipe:

    M&M Cookies

    2 sticks  butter, softened
    1 cup light brown sugar, packed
    1/2 cup white sugar
    2 eggs
    2 tsp vanilla
    2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 tsp baking soda
    1 tsp salt
    1 12-oz bag plain M&Ms (I bought the dark chocolate kind)

    Cream together the butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add rest of dry ingredients and mix well.  After all dry ingredients are moistened, add half of the M&Ms.

    Drop by teaspoon onto a non-stick cookie sheet.  Flatten each cookie slightly with your palm.  Add the rest of the M&M's to the tops of the cookies.

    Bake cookies at 350 for 9 minutes or until lightly browned.  Allow cookies to sit on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove and cool on wire racks.

    There are lots more cheap recipes posted here at Frugal FolliesClick here for the list!

    Got a great frugal recipe?  Link below to your actual post, not your main page.  Please only link up recipes and other food-related posts; contest entries and other posts are not allowed and will be deleted. I'd appreciate it if you would link back to Frugal Food Thursday as well!  Also, if you have a list of food-related linkups on your blog, I'd appreciate it if you would add Frugal Food Thursday to your list.



    For more great recipes, please visit the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Food Linkups. There are lots of great recipes on each blog and I'm sure you'll find some new favorites!


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    Wednesday, August 24, 2011

    Wednesday Weekly Shopping: Hurricane and school shopping

    I invite you to link up to your best grocery deals below, to inspire others to save more! 
     
    This was an extremely busy week at the Frugal Follies household.

    First, hurricanes have been on our mind for days.  Over the weekend, Hurricane Irene's projected path was headed right over our house!  As the week went on, the projected path moved further and further to the east, and we are no longer in any danger.  We fervently hope that the track will continue to move east so that no parts of the United States are threatened by this storm!

    However, some close family members were visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands, which took an almost-direct hit from Irene.  Everyone is fine, and the storm has passed for the most part now.  But sitting through a howling hurricane is not the way you want to be spending a vacation!  And we spent much time checking every update to see how they were doing.

    Meanwhile, I was getting my three kids ready for the new school year.  I have one in first grade, one in fifth, and my oldest just started ninth grade.  High school - it's a whole new ballgame.  So I spent lots of time shopping for school supplies, filling out forms, and getting the kids ready.

    So... I didn't have much time to blog about my shopping trips this week.  But believe me, I did them!  I actually misplaced a couple of receipts, so this is based on my best guesses.

    I went to Publix and got the free cereal deal, some cheap cookies, and some almonds, spending a total of $8.06 there.  I also went to my produce store, which didn't have too many good deals, and spent $4.23 on blueberries, red peppers, and green peppers.  And I made an emergency stop to Winn-Dixie to get milk (at full price, ack!) and bananas, as well as some BOGO Cheerios, for a total of $8.93.

    I went twice to ALDI - once earlier in the week, once on Monday to pick up some hurricane and classroom supplies.  I spent $62.61 between those trips.

    I made a quick trip to CVS, spending $3.45.  But I did most of my drugstore shopping at Walgreens, which had amazing sales on school supplies.  I also picked up some free Crest toothpaste and some cheap (after RRs) body wash, deodorant, and candy.  And then I used all those Register Rewards to get school supplies, using the in-ad coupons to make them an even better deal.  I spent $27.52 on those trips.

    Overall, this week I spent $115.61 for items which retail for $208.94, or a 45% savings based on the retail value of the products at the stores where they were purchased.  (But don't compare percentages!)  My real savings (how much more I'd spend if I bought those items at the lowest possible regular price in my area) was $30.83, not counting the school supplies (since I don't what the cheapest regular price for them would be).

    For the year (34 weeks), I've spent $2531.50 for items which retail for $4808.91, and saved $2277.41, or a 47% savings. That's an average of $74.46 spent each week for a family of five (husband, wife, and daughters ages 14, 10, and 6), including lots of fresh produce, dairy items, and kosher meat.

    See all my shopping here.

    How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. The aim is not to brag, but to inspire!  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!

    (Due to my You Link, I Comment challenge this August, I will reading and commenting on every link listed here.  So please link up!)



    For more great shopping deals and trips, please check out the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Shopping Deals Linkups. There are lots of great ideas on each blog and I'm sure you'll find inspiration for you to save even more!

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    Monday, August 22, 2011

    Fortune Follies Tuesday 8/23: List and Enter Giveaways

    Welcome to Fortune Follies Tuesday, where bloggers can list their giveaways, and readers can enter them!

    I'm convinced that entering giveaways is a great way to acquire things frugally.  It doesn't cost anything but a bit of time, and blogs often offer great prizes to their readers.  A few months ago, I won $100 in grocery gift cards in blog giveaways - check out how!

    So take some time and enter some the giveaways listed below!

    Please also enter my giveaway for $25 in Amazon.com gift codes!

    (Due to my You Link, I Comment challenge this August, I will be entering every contest listed here at least once, provided that I am eligible to win.  So please link up!)

    Please link up your giveaways using the following format: Blog Name - Name of Contest - End Date.  Please link directly to your giveaway and not to your home page.  A link back to Fortune Follies Tuesday is always appreciated!

    Also, if you have a list of sites which have giveaway linkies, please add Frugal Follies to your list.  I'd appreciate it!



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    CVS: Just the one deal

    The deals at CVS didn't excite me too much, I'm afraid. Although I prefer their system to that of Walgreen's, it seems like I am buying a lot more at Walgreens lately. Here's to hoping that CVS has better deals in the coming weeks!

    So the only thing I purchased there this week was the ACT rinse:

    1 ACT Rinse @ $4.19 (receive $1 ECB)
    - $1 off coupon from the 8/22 Smartsource insert
    = $3.19 ($2.19 after ECBs)

    Total product: $3.19
    Tax: 26¢
    Total out of pocket: $3.45
    ECBs received: $1
    Total saved compared to CVS full prices: $2.80

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    Menu plan 8/22/11: Hurricane preparations

    Come on, Irene!

    Hurricane Irene is out in the Atlantic, and it's predicted to come this way.  As of last night, the center of the prediction cone had it going almost over my house!  This morning, the predicted track has shifted a bit to the east, but we're still not in the clear.

    One great thing about having started couponing and getting great deals is that my cupboards are filled with canned and boxed food.  So we have plenty of food if the power is out for an extended time.  But we have a lot of food in the freezer, too, which we would lose.  So this week's meals will be using up some of the food in the freezer, just in case.  But let's hope Irene just goes away!  And, of course, the end of the week meals are dependent on having electricity - otherwise we'll be eating sandwiches and the canned food.

    So here's what's for dinner this week:

    Monday - chicken with snow peas, rice

    Tuesday - ravioli with tomato sauce, salad

    Wednesday - hot dogs, chips, peas and corn

    Thursday - breakfast egg casserole, bagels, fruit

    Friday - baked chicken breasts, tabbouleh, broccoli, challah

    Saturday - leftovers, most likely

    Sunday - dinner out!

    If you're a frugal food blogger, please come and link up with Frugal Food Thursdays. And check out all of my frugal recipes!

    Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans!

    This post is sponsored by Martor USA. Check MartorUSA.com for utility knives, spring loaded knives, box cutters, ergonomic knives, strapping cutters, deburring tools, and many more.

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    Thursday, August 18, 2011

    Frugal Food Thursday: Gazpacho

    Welcome to Frugal Food Thursday!  If you have a great frugal recipe, please link up below! 

    Here's a great way to use up the cheap (or free, if you grew a garden) summer produce!

    This recipe is courtesy of my mom's cookbook.  A few years ago, she compiled all her recipes and gave copies to her daughters and daughter-in-law.  I love having it as a resource when I can't figure out what to make!

    GAZPACHO

    2 large tomatoes, peeled (here's how to peel a tomato)
    1 large cucumber, peeled
    1 medium onion
    1 green pepper
    24 oz tomato juice
    1/4 cup olive oil
    1/4 cup red wine vinegar
    1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce (or more if you like it hotter)
    1 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp pepper
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    croutons for garnish

    In an electric blender or food processor, combine tomato, cucumber, onion, green pepper, garlic, and 1/2 cup tomato juice.  Blend at high speed for 30 seconds to puree.

    In a large bowl, mix the pureed vegetables with the remaining tomato juice, olive oil, vinegar, Tabasco, salt, and pepper

    Refrigerate mixture, covered, until well chilled, about 2 hours.  Serve in bowls with croutons. Makes 6 servings.

    There are lots more cheap recipes posted here at Frugal FolliesClick here for the list!

    Got a great frugal recipe?  Link below to your actual post, not your main page.  Please only link up recipes and other food-related posts; contest entries and other posts are not allowed and will be deleted. I'd appreciate it if you would link back to Frugal Food Thursday as well!  Also, if you have a list of food-related linkups on your blog, I'd appreciate it if you would add Frugal Food Thursday to your list.



    For more great recipes, please visit the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Food Linkups. There are lots of great recipes on each blog and I'm sure you'll find some new favorites!


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    Wednesday, August 17, 2011

    Wednesday Weekly Shopping: Guess how much I saved?

    I invite you to link up to your best grocery deals below, to inspire others to save more! 
     
    So guess how much I saved this week?

    A big fat zero percent!

    I shopped at only two stores this week - the kosher meat store and ALDI.  After going to those stores, I had already spent my entire weekly budget, so I chose to skip Publix, CVS, Walgreens, and other stores where I might buy items on sale with coupons.  I'm happy I didn't go (too much) over $80 grocery budget this week, and was still able to fill my freezer with meat!

    Here's what I got this week (click on the links below the pictures to get details about the trip):





    Overall, this week I spent $84.85 for items which retail for $84.85, or a 0% savings based on the retail value of the products at the stores where they were purchased.  (But don't compare percentages!)  My real savings (how much more I'd spend if I bought those items at the lowest possible regular price in my area) was $0.00.

    For the year (33 weeks), I've spent $2415.89 for items which retail for $4599.97, and saved $2184.08, or a 47% savings. That's an average of $73.21 spent each week for a family of five (husband, wife, and daughters ages 14, 10, and 6), including lots of fresh produce, dairy items, and kosher meat.

    How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. The aim is not to brag, but to inspire!  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!

    (Due to my You Link, I Comment challenge this August, I will reading and commenting on every link listed here.  So please link up!)



    For more great shopping deals and trips, please check out the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Shopping Deals Linkups. There are lots of great ideas on each blog and I'm sure you'll find inspiration for you to save even more!

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    Free cereal at Publix TODAY ONLY!

    You can get cereal for free at Publix today only, by combining a Buy One, Get One Free deal that ends today with store and manufacturer's coupons!

    Here's the deal:

    General Mills Cereals, 15.6-21.25 oz, at $4.65 ($2.32) (your local price may vary)
    Lucky Charms, Cookie Crisp, or Reese’s Puffs, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch

    2 Cinnamon Toast Crunch @ BOGO $4.65 (ends 8/17)
    - 2 $2 off selected General Mills cereals coupons from the Great Deals on Great Meals flyer (coupons effective 8/15 - 9/4)
    - 2 50¢ off Cinnamon Toast Crunch manufacturer's coupons
    = 35¢ moneymaker

    I'm headed out to Publix to give this deal a try!

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