Bouquet and Card, For Free!

As I had mentioned in the last blog, Stop and Shop this week has amazing specials -- purchase any gift card of a value $25 and over, and receive a free bouquet of flowers (valued at $4.99).  The bouquet I chose was originally marked as $11.99 (actually, the sticker said $14.99), but it was placed as a manager's special for $4.99.  This allowed me to receive a big, beautiful bouquet of flowers for free, after purchasing a $25 gift card for Stop and Shop, which I will use on my next grocery trip.

The Hallmark card deal is really fantastic -- I selected baby, welcome home, and get well cards, each for 99 cents, and still received the $5 rewards coupon for my next purchase.  By selecting these inexpensive cards through this transaction, I actually earned $2.03 and special occasion Hallmark cards. 

I must not hoard.  I must not be greedy, but this is so enticing to try one more time (my flower vase can hold more, too).

My Heroine

WBZ-TV late last night featured my heroine, coupon queen Kathy Spencer.  Please google her interview, along with previous ones with news stations and newspapers, and learn from her website, http://www.howtoshopforfree.net/.  I can only hope to someday be able to shop and save like her!

Although her ideas for shopping at Stop and Shop this week were already on my to-do list (purchasing 3 Hallmark cards and receiving a $5 rewards coupon and purchasing a $25 gift certificate (I would have just chosen the store gift card) and receiving a free bouquet of flowers), there were so many other money-saving ideas and coupon links.  One coupon which I already printed out was for tobasco sauce, making it free this week once doubled. 

Reading her personal story (and income level on paper) will be an inspiration to you to really "train your eyes" and look out for those deals.  Have fun!

Cream of the Crop?

I love testing out new products, especially when they are free by rebate.  In today's case, Kraft Philadelphia's Cooking Creme was my target.  Usually priced at $3.29 at Stop and Shop, it went on sale this week 2/$4.  I have been collecting coupons for this for a couple of weeks, piling up two from the Sunday Telegram, one printed out from the internet, and a handful from a coupon dispenser right next to the item itself (two weeks ago).

I try to use only pure olive oil for all of my frying needs, except for deep frying, which can denature the olive oil.  So, buying cooking creme was not a priority.  I kept the coupons only because they were for $1.50 off -- a considerable amount.  With the product being $2, it meant each of the 10 ounce tubs cost only 50 cents.  As a bonus, Stop and Shop was throwing in an additional incentive to try the new items -- "Save $1 on the purchase of 2 instantly."  So after this additional subtraction of $3 to my order, each tub was free!

Total fat per serving, 1/4 cup, is 9 grams, but there are some benefits -- protein 4 grams, Vitamin A 10% and Calcium 6% since the main ingredient is milk.  The containers I bought had a small recipe booklet attached to the top.  I am excited to try the Chicken Bruschetta Pasta one-- it does look creamy in the photo. We'll soon see if this cooking creme is 'cream of the crop.'

An Egg-cellent Dish

If you have an abundance of eggs in the frig, try whipping up my favorite quiche recipe:



3 eggs

1 C unbleached flour

1 C milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

handful of cheddar cheese (or more...)

2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach

1- 2 tsp of raisins

1 small onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

red pepper section chopped (optional - I use the jar of peppers from the Dollar Tree)

Mix ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 35- 40 minutes. I usually keep a foil over the baking dish for twenty minutes or so, and then take it off for the top to brown the remaining time.

Better than Butter

I forgot to put this post up earlier.  I went to Price Chopper two Fridays ago and found my favorite alternative to butter on sale -- $2.39 for a container.  Sometimes Price Chopper keeps certain items on sale for weeks;  at other stores, Olivio occasionally gets on sale 2/$5 for one week. Better yet, these bonus packs contained 42% more than usual, giving 21.3 ounces per tub.  What I love about Olivio is the ease in spreading it onto my whole wheat bread.  With olive oil as one of its ingredients, it makes an excellent source of ALA Omega 3 fatty acids, and has Vitamin A 10%, Vitamin D 20%, and Vitamin E 10% per serving.  I just thought I would "spread" the news to my wonderful readers.

No Domino's Today

I am so proud of myself today.  I resisted the urge (I have so many of these) to buy something again.  This time it was take-out pizza.  My cell phone keeps handy the numbers of the ones I frequent, depending on what location I am in-- two Pizza Huts in New Hampshire, one in Boston, two shops in Marlborough (one of them is Pizzeria Regina), two in Worcester, and Dean Park and Domino's in Shrewsbury.

A spur of the moment decision for my daughter to gather some friends together before trekking to a library meeting/movie had me suddenly wondering what to serve her guests.  Though my freezer, thanks to Frozen Food Month, was stocked, I couldn't imagine offering Eggos and green beans to the girls.  I rinsed out salad items (lettuce head 99 cents) and pints of strawberries I bought buy-one-get-one free the other day.  I boiled some macaroni (40 cents for half the box) and melted some slabs of butter ($2.49 a pound on sale) and mozzarella ($1.50 a pound after a coupon) into it, fried some hamburgers, set out snacks which I had stock-piled from previous sales -- Skittles,  Twix bars, Fruit Roll-ups, Wheat thins, popcorn, fresh-baked brownies ($1 a box), and a red velvet cake ($3.99 - premade so I did not have to bake it!).

I still felt the spread was not enough, so I ended up peeling three quarters of a bag of Russett potatoes ($1.49) from Price Rite, slicing them with a crinkle cutter into a batch of french fries. Her friends were satisfied and I was overjoyed that I, for once, did not have to depend on take-out for a gathering.  I wish I learned sooner that though time is short and there are other tasks to do in the house, putting together a frugal snack table isn't that difficult if one stocks up sale items and sets out to prepare the food.  This is probably a no-brainer, but after all these years of dialing Domino's, it is a small, pathetic revelation!

Great Trip to Price Rite

Beans for 89 cents a pound, in addition to all of the other usual inexpensive items they offer at Price Rite (like Russet baking potatoes, 5 pounds for $1.49).  My goal during the last trip was to find a decent cake that could beat Price Chopper's round cake of $6.99.  These pre-made cakes generally cost that price at other stores, but sometimes even $7.99-9.99, depending on the radius of the cake. 

Indeed, the perk is that one can have it personalized for free in their bakeries.  But, given my budget, and the fact that cake is not very nutritious, I did not want to spend much money on it.  It had to be wonderful since it was to congratulate my daughter on achieving her black belt, but not the focus of the surprise party table, which offered fruits and eggrolls. 

At Price Rite, I was able to find what I wanted -- a special looking oreo decorated cake, kosher, and delicious.  At $3.99, it was a nice deal, a regular price there actually, and a pleasant surprise for my daughter.  Also available there are coconut topped golden cakes and carrot cake iced with cream cheese.

An Almost Free Gift

I finally was able to indulge in Haagen-Daz without feeling guilty.  A weekly special at Stop and Shop had them for 2 for $6.  Without a coupon, I went ahead and purchased four out of curiosity for a special advertisement given to me with one of my register receipts -- Buy $10 of Haagen-Daz products and get a FREE $20 red Envelope Gift Purchase" in one transaction from 4/1-5/31.  (This offer presumably is still good for anyone till end of May, but perhaps only at Stop and Shop).

I was simply curious, knowing well ahead that one can not get anything really free; that it was most likely a gimmick of some sort and that items offered in exchange for the gift certificate were most likely over-priced.  True to this, when I went to the www.redenvelope.com/icecream website with my thank-you code for a $20 gift certificate, I ended up looking at jewelry and other gift items in the $30-60 range. 

However, the website is also affiliated with Pro-Flowers and other websites.  As I clicked on Pro-Flowers, I did see some packages costing $19.99.  I ended up selecting a pound of fudge, sending it to my mom across the country.  I figured I would have to pay for shipping and handling, but it turned out that by signing up for a special program (which I can cancel anytime within one month), I would get the shipping cost for my order for free through a rebate. 

My gift, which turned out to be a unique and sweet surprise for her, was not free.  I had to pay 53 cents for tax, but it was well worth it, especially since it gave me an excuse to buy my favorite pistachio ice cream pints (so much better than Ben and Jerry's!!).

Going Nuts at Walgreens

I had another fantastic trip at Walgreens today.  Their Blue Diamonds almonds were on sale (last day of sale is this Saturday), buy one at $3.69, get one free. On sale at grocery stores, they might, if one is lucky, be advertised at 2 for $6, so this was a very good deal.  Plus, I had three coupons for $1 off the purchase of 2 (coupons I found at Stop and Shop a few weeks ago).  The cost for 6 cans of these almonds was $8.07, less than $1.35 a can.  Each serving provides 6 g of protein, 35% DV Vitamin E, 20% Magnesium, 8% Calcium, 6% Iron, and 3g of dietary fiber.  A nutritious and delicious deal!



March Madness

I have taken a dilatory approach towards calculating last month's grocery bill tally, mainly because I know I surpassed the limit.  The total for March was $989.22.

In my defense last month was officially "Frozen Food Month," at least according to a grocery store flyer.  One of the specials going on at Stop and Shop was if you purchased $100 worth of frozen foods, you would receive a $25 rewards coupon good for your next shopping trip.  Of course, I always fall for these wonderful deals.  And so, to this day in mid-April, my freezer barely closes.  It is stock-piled with frozen vegetables (on sale for $1 a bag), Eggos (the new ones called "Fiber Plus Antioxidants" -- boasting 35% of your daily fiber), frozen fish sticks (not from minced fish; bought on sale for 50% off), at least two months supply of Lean Cuisine, and for the first week or two of this frozen food frenzy, 6 gallons of frozen yogurt.

The additional amount of spending was due to dining, not fine dining, but a couple trips to Indian cuisine restaurants, a splurge my husband rarely makes, and a few meals in Boston. 

But still, no excuse.  I need to stick to this budget!  Shame on me!

Another Great Deal at Stop and Shop

Great news for Stop and Shop shoppers.  This week if you buy 4 participating General Mills products, you receive a $4 rewards coupon.  Also, if you purchase $20 worth of participating General Mills products/cereals, you receive a $7 rewards coupon.  Using two of my $1 off Cheerios coupons, and two of my double your dollar coupons, I ended up paying $16 for 4 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of granola bars, and 2 boxes of fruit roll-ups.  Including the $11 worth of  savings for my next visit, my total comes out to $5, plus each box of cereal has a $1.50 coupon for Pampers.  

Welcome, Aldi's!

I had a terrific shopping experience up at the newly opened Aldi's in Worcester yesterday.  I became aware of its opening from a newspaper advertisement, which included a coupon for $5 off any order of $30 or more.

Not many Aldi's can be found around the area.  There are a few in Boston, Raynham, Springfield, and Milford.  It is a German chain store with only 1000 in 30 states in the US.  I used to frequent Aldi's in Ohio when we were stationed at Wright-Patterson.  One of my neighbors would claim that she could go into one with ten bucks and leave with an armful of bags, hinting that it was even cheaper than the commissary.  Cheaper than the commissary?  I had to try it.

Now, Aldi's is quite a unique store, so prepare yourself before entering.  I heard a lot of people muttering in the first aisle by the entrance, mainly because of the carts.  You see at Aldi's, you need to deposit a quarter in order to use a cart.  I had to explain this to a man who had asked me where I found my cart.  He gave a bit of a "hmph!" and did not go back outside.  An informative sign by the carts explain how this system saves the customer money, and I completely agree, knowing how much Target alone pays my teenager son time-and-a-half on Sundays just to collect the carts from their parking lot. 

Aldi's does not offer many national brand products.  So, though I saw Legos (I don't know why?) and Arizona Green Tea bottles for sale, I could not utilize my coupons.  Hence, you may not be able to buy specific products.  However, the prices are great if you don't mind generic.  Ten pounds of Russett potatoes were only $3.29, 2% milk was $2.39, a 16 ounce bottle of salsa $1.69, and a dozen eggs -- only 89 cents! 

Checking out might be crowded over there.  There was only one lane open and I found myself and two others merging into it, not knowing who was right of way.  The manager, Jessica, said that I was actually shopping during a "lull."  As with Price Rite, you need to provide your own bags, and for payment -- no credit cards!

If you are too accustomed to the busy suburban shopping types and feel a little uneasy with city characters,  this store may not be for you.  As, it may be rare to find yourself by a lady in a designer outfit, salon-styled hair, and heels. But Aldi's is worth at least one try (especially if you can find a coupon in the newspaper), just don't be offended by the cart system, and remember to bring cash and a quarter.

A Visit to an Asian Food Market

As I dropped off my children to a nearby city's movie theater the other day, I decided to stop by a Chinese food store in the adjacent plaza.  I go to these markets very rarely.  In contrast, when I was younger, we frequented these places as much as we could.  As the only Asian family in our neighborhood, and the only Asian in my entire school, finding such international foods was a difficult task.  We would have to trek to Boston's China Town those days, and a few times we even shopped in New York and New Jersey.

I did not hold a very fond impression of those shopping experiences.  The aroma of some of those places was pungently strong.  I had seen an occasional cat wondering up and down the aisles, dust and dirt here and there, and the sharp foreign accents confused me.  But my mother enjoyed the wide selection of noodles, entire rows of lo mein, rice noodles, bean threads, and the scores of other yellow, transparent, thick, and thin varieties.  My mother would be victorious if she would find her favorites -- pancit bihon and pancit canton. 

For this reason, whenever I do shop at a Chinese, or International food store, I usually only buy noodles, those specific kinds.  The other items my mother would buy -- opaque bottles of pastes, cans of uncommon (to me) fruit called jackfruit, tubs of sardines, and bags of dried squid or octopus, were simply a little too exotic.  For dessert I might sometimes buy sweet buns, but proceed with caution before swallowing, since from a previous traumatizing experience I once found myself chewing an old nail! 

My purchase of three bags of noodles and a pound of frozen sesame buns (vegetarian, with no preservatives) cost only $10.32.  Buying a small bag of noodles at the local grocery store alone normally costs $4 to $5 a bag.  The dishes I make take less than 20 minutes to prepare and stir-fry, and it a great way for my daughter to eat her carrots, onions, and cabbage.   For dessert, I'll be steaming the sesame buns, a process that only takes 10 minutes.  Not overwhelmingly nutritious, the buns provide only 2.6 g of protein, but a great alternative to a sugary cake.

So, if you are in the neighborhood of a Chinese market, you might want to walk over and check out what they have available.  It's always nice to vary the dinner and dessert menu, and you might find that prices there are much lower than at a grocery store.

Use It or Lose It

It's not worth kicking myself over, but I did it again.  I recycled bottles, took the little coupon from the machine that represented some form of money, equivalent to 5 cents per bottle or can, at the register.  But of course, though it stood prominently in the front of my purse pocket, I forgot to use it.  Now I am stuck with this coupon which I cannot forsee using for awhile, as I rarely shop at Shaw's.  Moral of this story:  use your coupons, namely ones from the recycling machines or rewards coupons which made an item you just purchased "free," promptly, or accidentally lose it.

To avoid doing this with those rewards coupons, which sometimes at Walgreens can be valued over $10, I divide my shopping into two, sometimes, three sections.  I ask the cashier to ring up the free deal first and I pay that transaction.  I then use that free rewards coupon towards the next items the cashier rings up.  This way, I do not end up forgetting about the coupon and remembering to use it only after the expiration date. 

My shopping system is as follows:

1.  Look through all store sales flyers at home. 
2.  Write down all sales items with prices on a recycled envelope, each envelope represents a different store.
3.  Look through my coupon stack and pull out the applicable coupons.
4.  Insert those coupons in the envelope.
5.  Shop, attaching the appropriate coupon to the clip each time I mark off the item from my list.

These clips, laundry line clips, generally red or bright green so that they stand out, are essential to efficiency, but today I forgot mine at home. Had I remembered, I would have attached the recycled bottles coupon to the clip. In addition to this piece of equipment, I sometimes also bring a plastic tip for my index finger so that I will be more efficient opening up those plastic bags (if I am not recycling) when self-bagging.

Though I was not able to utilize that aforementioned coupon today, I did enjoy a good deal a Shaw's:  Buy 3 Kellogg's cereals at 2/$6, and get a coupon for a free gallon of milk up to $4.50.   The cereal is normally $3.99 a box, which I would only buy on sale or with a coupon. I chose Kellogg's Special K red berries, which is made with whole grain, gives 3g of dietary fiber, 70 mg Potassium, 2 g protein, and a host of vitamins.  Although a little high in sugar, I use it as a night-time dessert when I am not in the mood for frozen yogurt (good-bye Ben & Jerry's!).

In order to get the free milk, I followed my system.  I divided up my order and had the cashier ring up the cereal boxes first.  After paying for it, I received the free milk coupon, which I used when she rang up the milk separately.  For a new or rare coupon user, it may feel a little embarrassing at first. In the beginning, I used to complete the transaction, stroll back through the store and shop a little more, as if I forgot to purchase something. I might have used the free coupon at a different lane, with a different cashier. Or,  I used to explain to the same cashier that I would probably lose the free coupon if I did not use it right away, and they would nod with empathy.  But time is money, and I have no time to waste re-shopping.  I found that most cashiers generally do not care either way, and if anything we are chatting about the weather or the total cuteness of my toddler.  Of course, my best chat with a cashier was two weeks ago, when after she stuffed my groceries into 4 bags, quizzically looked at the screen, and said, "Your total is 55 cents?"  Now that was a conversation starter.

Feel free to share your own shopping tips on this blog.  I'd love to post them for our readers.