Don't Forget Clearanced Dairy

Yes, it sounds a bit icky -- yogurt on clearance.  But, I really would never buy a small container for $1.29.  I love the Price Chopper on West Mountain Street in Worcester, MA.  There is a small frig occasionally devoted to these rejects.  On my last visit, Dannon Oikos Fruit on the Bottom Greek yogurt was $1 off via orange peel by the cashier only sticker.  The expiration date was approaching, but not for another 5 days.  The deal was great for 29 cents a container -- 12 grams of protein, 170 mg potassium, 15% calcium and vitamin D.  It got even better with my collection of 75 cents off three container coupons I had from various blinky machines.  Total cost for three containers regularly priced $3.87 - $3 clearance coupon - 75 cents = 12 cents or 4 cents each! 

Stock up on your yogurt coupons and look out for reduced prices due to approaching expiration dates at your grocery store.

On the Bright Side at Wegman's

My toddler has now switched allegiances from loving CVS to Wegman's best.  CVS used to be his favorite because of the rack of sporty cars they sell.  I did buy a few, my most recent one (a white New York luxury bus) I used a 25% off store coupon on, making the $4.99 pricey price tag somewhat easier to pay (the rest was paid with rewards bucks). 

That rack of cars cannot compare with what they have at Wegman's, however.  How can you beat a Thomas the Tank engine fan's love for an actual, moving, sounding choo-choo train above the dairy section?  They also have a small track set with one freight car in the seating/dining section by the prepared foods/ take-out section. All of that, combined with the spacious room to roam, great children's book section, and the occasional rooster popping out above the mocha and latte area, and we've got a winning store. 

Of course I love what my children love.  With my husband very sick all week and needing two prescriptions filled, where then did I turn?  Wegman's of course.  And the deal was fantastic!  A household's first 5 new or transferred prescriptions come with a $20 store merchandise coupon.  With the meds coming out to only $11, we made out with $29 in free groceries.  Well, not everything was food -- I succumbed and bought a Wegman's truck (which is actually a PEZ candy dispenser) with the same sunny side egg picture one of the freight cars features. So, despite the somewhat depressing tempo of having a loved one ill, Wegman's once again brought out the bright side to shopping.

Everything Organic Festival at Wegman's

I am thoroughly enjoying the little coupon booklet sent out by Wegman's a couple weeks ago.  For only a minimum purchase of $10, I was able to redeem a coupon for a free 11.5 ounce bag of potato chips and a bag of frozen vegetables.  Also, by the pharmacy, $1 coupons for frozen organic vegetable bags were available, making these nutritious veggies only a dollar.

According to their free January issue of "Nature's Marketplace" (found in the organic food section), which includes a couple of great coupons, there is an upcoming Everything Organic Festival on January 21st and 28th from 11am-3pm where one can "sample Wegmans organic products," "learn more about organics," and "spin the Wheel of Fun for a chance to win a basket of organic products."

Sounds like a great time to plan a Saturday grocery shopping trip!

Heads Up on Free School Supplies

After perusing the http://www.howtoshopforfree.net/, I am looking forward to some early morning shopping tomorrow.  Avery heavy duty binders, banker's boxes, and portable file boxes can be bought and credited 100% in Staples Rewards.

This website is wonderful in finding all the free little items at Walmart and all of the various pharmacies.  If you get a chance, check it out.

A Quick Run to the Stores

Because of an afternoon nap and two free teenagers on hand, I was able to make some quick stops at some stores today without lugging around a toddler.  At Aldi's I picked up six 3 pound onion bags for only 99 cents each, four 10 pound golden potato bags for only $2.99 each, and 3 dozen eggs for only $1.09 each.

At the Dollar Tree I grabbed some Brillo boxes, brooms, and sponges.  At Walgreens I picked up a 24 Dasani water bottle pack on sale for $3.99.  I then swung by Taco Bell to buy a $20 gift card and get a free soda and chicken flatbread meal.  That promotion is over now, but the manager took my order and allowed the free incentives to ring through anyway.

And finally, my stop at Target was 'excite'ing -- five holiday boxes of Axe Excite, Dark Temptation, and the Shower pack originally $9.99 reduced to $6.98.  I used five $3 coupons, bringing down each gift pack to only four dollars, the regular price of a deodorant stick.  My boys will love this, making it worth the babysitting today, perhaps?

Sunday

Dear Readers,

It is 7 am on a beautiful Sunday morning and I am trying to hurry up the pancake process so that I can go outside and pick up the morning paper from our driveway.  I don't know if it is the exhilaration of sprinting into the crisp outside dressed in a bathrobe or the thrill to see what is on sale this week, but I love these mornings.  How delightful it is to sit with my cup of tea and inserts, while everyone eats pancakes.

Last week I held out on buying eggs as long as I could.  My husband's omlets dwindled in size from three to one (with lots of vegetables) as our stock of eggs went down.  Target's dozens were around $2.83 and Price Chopper's $2.89.  I had used my last $1 off eggs coupons at Stop and Shop, where it came out to $1.12 with a coupon.  So, I succumbed to shopping at Aldi's, my least favorite store.  Buying 6 dozen there at $1.09 saved me at least ten dollars.  But just watch them be on sale somewhere else this week...

Hope you have fun pre-shopping and menu planning on this beautiful Sunday morning!

Yours truly,
Dilara

On My Way to Wegman's

For a couple months, I have been wondering what all the hoopla has been over Wegman's.  I have a friend who is willing to drive 30 minutes just to shop there, and another who raves about their bakery items, especially the cinnamon bread.

I agree that the store is more spacious and that the prepared foods look marvelous with the variety of international dishes (not that I would ever buy expensive prepared food).  I bought a bag of store brand unbleached flour for only 99 cents and their Lifeway lowfat Kefir cultured milk smoothie probiotic is almost one dollar cheaper than other places, but then again, the store does not double coupons.

This negativity stopped this morning when I realized I was out of garlic.  I learned by shopping around the vegetable aisles, nearby the amazing fresh orange juice stand, that Wegman's sells garlic that has been grown right here in the USA!  Do you know how difficult it is to find this?  And, even their store brand "Food You Feel Good About" offers apple juice that contains juice from the USA or Canada, not China, which even my toddler's Juicy Juice boxes can't beat!

So I guess I am on my way to Wegman's sometime this week, and proud of it.

Holiday Sample Fest

I just learned that on Saturday, December 10th, from 11 am-3pm, the Price Chopper off West Mountain Street in Worcester, MA will be offering "delicious samplings and special offers in every department throughout the store."  Apparently, there will be samples of sweet clementines, turkey rollups, fresh fried Swai fillets, Boursin spreads, Chevrai cranberry cinnamon goat cheese, Central Market Classics -- Italian meatballs, peppermint ice cream, coffee cake, gourmet coffee, dipping sauces, and more.  If you are in the neighborhood, it might be worth a try.  It sounds much more organized  and packed with goodies than a recent fall fest Hannaford in Marlborough offered.

Cashless and Creditless Week

As retribution for overspending last month, I am trying my best this week to not charge anything.  I was able to exchange $20 worth of luau decorations from my daughter's party with Dollar tree grocery items.  From non-nutritious study break staples such as Utz cheese curls to bottled jalapenos and pumpkin seeds (15 g protein per serving, 45% DV of phosphorus, 50% magnesium, plus a lot of Vitamin A, folic acid, iron, niacin, magnesium, and zinc), the food section really has a wonderful selection of inexpensive snacks.

I have a bunch of gift cards to use to help me out this week.  Our neighbors gave us a $50 gift card to Price Chopper on Thanksgiving.  Which was strange, because neither of us really celebrate that holiday (Thanksgiving is every day).  I think they were extending their gratitude for when my husband helped jump-start their car and when he and my oldest son broke down their back door the night our neighbors were locked out of their home...

So, I have this card to use, which is great since Price Chopper has a buy one get one free sale on potatoes this week, along with $1.99 detergent.  Plus, I have a bunch of gas gift cards from when it was a twice the gas points sale at Stop and Shop and Price Chopper.  And, I'll be using my $30 of CVS rewards bucks for food items as well.  Cashews and chocolate (another staple) are all on sale this week over there.

We'll see how this goes...

Free with rebate items

Check out the cleaning product aisle in your local grocery store.  Today I found rebates forms for free Lysol wipes and Woolite pet urine eliminators.  

$2 Milk

The Stop and Shop in Shrewsbury, MA normally sells store brand milk gallons for $2.50.  This week their special is to buy two gallons of milk and receive $1 instantly off your bill.  That's certainly a great deal for whole milk (cheaper than BJs).

Gasping Victory

A wind of exhilaration overcame me the other day as I filled up my SUV for under ten bucks.  I used Price Chopper's two week opportunity of double points with gift card purchases and a $1 off per gallon with a new prescription at their pharmacy to achieve this small feat.  

FREE GROCERIES!

Shaw's supermarket is offering an incredible deal this week -- buy $100 or more of select gift cards and receive a coupon for $20 off your next grocery order (coupon expires 7 days after the transaction).  Our family generally spends at least $2200 a year in books (my kids have to purchase textbooks for school and my husband is also taking classes), so my obvious choice today was to buy $100 worth of amazon.com cards.   Not only did a $20 coupon spit out, but also a $5 one off a $25 gas gift card purchase.  I quickly took these and shopped around for groceries, not remembering until I reached around $18 worth of items to check the clearance rack.  And there they sat -- 3 huge boxes of Pampers, regularly priced at at least $19.99 reduced to only $10!  With the $20 off, that came out to $10 for a three month supply. It would have been cheaper if I had coupons to add to it, but I only had $3 Huggies coupons.  I put the rest of the groceries back, except for the bakery item, a chocolate chip muffin for my daughter.  I'll definitely go back each day this week (limit of one such transaction per day) until the sale ends.  I hope it works for you, too!

A New Month, A New Membership

I am not an avid warehouse shopper, but I finally paid for a membership at BJs, having not shopped there for a few years.  Their new membership fees were attractive:  $40 for 14 months, with a money back guarantee.  The deciding factor was their new gas station.  It consistently sells gas at least 10- 15 cents less than local stations, which should save me money when I am out of Price Chopper Sunoco or Stop and Shop Shell gas points.

I Met My Budget Goal, but...

Finally, after months of overspending, I limited my grocery/pharmacy purchases to $820.07.  What scares me is that I tried really hard this month, grouping coupons with sales and specials, using free coupons from store promotions, and yet, all I did was save $10 from my goal.

It is more than disappointing; even a little depressing.  We have seven members in our family, but surely there are other big families out there that spend significantly less.  Nevertheless, I must keep at it.  Maybe next month I can do even better.

Fall into Savings

Stop and Shop does it again with another free coupon booklet with over $33 worth of savings inside.  My favorite -- a manufacturer's coupon for $1 off two Tropicana orange juices.  I have plans on using this one at Roche Brothers this Tuesday.  Their sale this week is $1.99 for orange juice, not from concentrate, limit 6.  If I buy two, it will cost only $1.98 after using the coupon and having it doubled.  That's 99 cents a container!

Check out Stop and Shop's $10 off Holiday dinner promotion when you purchase $50 in gift cards (not Stop and Shop store cards).  Their Turkey Dinner for Two is only $24.99.  With ten dollars off, $14.99 is a great deal, especially with a nice 8" pie at the end (your choice of apple, pumpkin, or sweet potato).

Are you falling in love with Stop and Shop yet?

Tidbits

I finally made my way inside Roche Brothers last week.  It is an additional twelve minute drive -- a direction opposite to where I generally tend, but I must admit the free coupons I received in the mail from them were incentive enough to make the trek.  The store gave me a strong sense of professionalism, if that is a word that can be used for a grocery store.  The cart attendant, cashier, and bagger were extremely friendly and courteous.  The cart attendant even carried the water bottle packs I purchased into my car.  Someone from management, or someone dressed up in a suit anyway, greeted me in the aisle where my son spilled a mango smoothie which I had just purchased at the Panera in the same plaza.  Immediately someone rolled up a mop cart and took care of the mess.

Tuesdays are double $1 coupon days.  I didn't really have a stack ready (limit is 5), as I mainly wanted to make my minimum purchase of $25 to receive my free mozarella cheese package, tuna fish can, and Poland Springs 6 pack.  But I quickly saw that Kikkoman soy sauce was on sale 2 for $3.  It is a brand I rarely get because of the price (I usually use the dollar store brand).  But, I had a $1 coupon which doubled, making each bottle 50 cents!

My cart quickly filled up with great deals.  Dasani water and orange juice were on sale.  Apples and grapes were under a dollar a pound; apple cider samples were nicely offered by the fruit stations.  By the door a complimentary booklet of recipes and coupons called Tidbits was available.  Inside was a "totally free offer" of New Grain Berry cinnamon bran muffin mix.  I couldn't find the mix, but I used a coupon on the same page for $2 off The Silver Palate Grain Berry Bran Flakes whole wheat, multi-bran cereal with high orac, "more antioxidants than blueberries, pomegranate, or red wine" and "70% less sugar, 30% less sodium, and more crunch."  It was on sale for $1.99, so it became free with the coupon.  Plus, inside the cereal box are $4 worth of coupons.

In essence, I had a great shopping trip and would highly recommend this store.  My next stop this week:  Wegman's.  The grand opening traffic last Sunday (the store was expecting 15,000- 20,000 customers on that day; some people camped out in the parking lot and some travelled from NY and MD!) completely turned me off, but I'll see if the crowd has subsided this weekend and if they offer any good tidbits for coupon moms like me.

Celebrate

I don't exactly understand why the Shrewsbury, MA is celebrating their Re-Grand Opening (this is the second week of celebration).  It coincides nicely with the Wegman's grand opening this Sunday.  Whatever the reason, I certainly am feeling welcomed with their "A Celebration of Savings" coupon booklet.

With a minimum purchase of $15, you can use a $1 off coupon for cookies.  The Stop and Shop brand is only $1, so they come out free.  The $1 off frozen vegetables works nicely with their boxed chopped spinach, which is only $1.09 and their bagged veggies are on sale this week for $1.25, making it only 25 cents.

There are many other coupons I used on my last order -- $1 off eggs, $1 off sugar, $1 off soda, $1 off ice cream.  This week Hood ice cream is on sale 2/$4.  With the coupon, it comes out to only a buck for a half gallon!

If you self-scan your groceries, check and see if you get additional discounts.  Last week I was given a scanned credit of $1 off Tropicana, which combined with a $1 juice coupon from the booklet making it only $1.59 (a great price for my favorite OJ--Healthy Heart with Omega 3 never from concentrate Tropicana).

Finding these coupon booklets might be a little tricky.  The Grafton store had a nice display featuring them (hence the photo), but ironically the Shrewsbury store had the booklets hidden next to a stack of Spanish brochures by a desk in front of the registers (not the customer service desk, however, they had no idea about any coupon specials when I asked).  It might not be fun hunting around, but the coupons, if you find them, can save you a lot of money.

Rolling the Rewards

Here are my recent escapades.
At CVS this week, I bought a gallon of whole milk, two packages of Oreos, two packages of Special K cereal, and two cosmetics items for my daughter which she selected.  I paid $1 cash and then received $3 in extrabucks.

At Rite Aid, I treated myself to my favorite Cadbury fruit and nut bar, 3 packages of colored notecards from the 50% off bin, and four 8 ounce bottles of sanitizing gel.  I paid 38 cents and received $4 back in  +UP Rewards.

And today at Walgreens, I found on clearance eleven 1.5 ounce snack packages of Blue Diamond Almonds Wasabi and soy sauce flavored (8 g protein, 50% Vit E, 25% Magnesium, 10% Calcium and 8% Iron).  In addition, I bought two gallons of distilled water, Halls Warm-ups apple cider flavor drops, and a small package of Nabisco cookies all for 31 cents and then received a $1 rewards coupon.

These shopping experiences were rare to me once before, but now I get the hang of it. I believe it is what the experts (those coupon queens) call "rolling" the rewards.   I use the extrabucks or rewards coupons from previous trips, apply them to current ones, making sure I buy more items that will also bring forth more rewards coupons to use for the next trip.  For example, the Rite Aid sanitizing gels were essentially free since I received $4 in +UP rewards, plus I paid them with previous +UP rewards.

Of course, I had to make an initial purchase of $18, a month ago, for example, to be able to have the Rite Aid +UP rewards to apply to the most recent shopping spree.  But with that initial purchase, I did buy a lot of products (shampoo, toothpaste, body wash) and food items.  The main thing to remember is to keep track of when these rewards expire, because once they do, it is like cash lost.

Check out these Checkout Rewards

I just noticed on the racks where they hold the flyers that Price Chopper clearly prints out a brochure on what their checkout rewards are.  For Advantedge shoppers, for example, if you buy 2 Pedialytes, any size, you save $1.50 on your next shopping order.  Or, if you buy 20 Yoplait cups, you save $2 oyno, buy 4 YoCrunch Greek yogurt cups, sve 50 cents oyno, buy 3 Dole Real fruit bites, save $2 oyno, buy 4 Dole jarred fruit, save 50 cents oyno, buy 4 Dole 8 oz. pineapple, sve 75 cents oyno...

And the list continues.  The best way to use this info is to combine them with upcoming sales and coupons.