The first 100,000 people who click here and “Like” Suave on Facebook will be able to sign up for a coupon good for one free bottle of Suave Professionals. Thanks, Money Saving Mom!
Free Suave – First 100,000
May 13th, 2010This Month’s Frugal Challenge: Eating From the Stockpile
May 12th, 2010
May has certainly been a packed month so far. As you know, I’ve been in the process of moving this blog and Contest Corner to my own host, and it’s been an all-consuming project. In light of the technical difficulties I’ve encountered during Contest Corner’s move, I have been spending a great deal of time researching the answers to these issues so that Super Coupon Girl’s transition to WordPress will be as easy as possible. With all this going on, I haven’t done any grocery shopping, save for picking up a gallon of milk or two – instead, I’ve been using what we already have on hand. That’s why I thought it would be a good time to declare this “Eat from the Stockpile” week here on Super Coupon Girl. Obviously, I’ll need to pick up the odd perishable item to supplement what we have, but the vast majority of the food which I prepare this week will come straight from my cupboards. This frees my time and attention up to focus on getting this site transfer done ASAP – and eating out of the larder is a good thing to do every once in a while anyway, no matter what you have going on. Here’s my top four reasons why eating out of the pantry is a great thing to do periodically:
1. Eating from your stockpile saves you time and money.
Smart couponing is all about getting the most value out of your time. You might use coupons and shop sales most of the time; but when in a time crunch, find yourself paying a lot of money for groceries or eating out. Or you might try to fit couponing into an overcrammed schedule by staying up late and rushing around like a madwoman clipping coupons – then give up in exhaustion, saying that it just isn’t possible because you’re too busy. Trust me, we’ve all been there! The key is to use your time carefully – and by stocking up on necessities when you can get them for free or steeply discounted, you’ll have things on hand to use when you’re short on time, which will help you avoid paying a lot for groceries when rushed.
2. Eating from your stockpile frees up space for future sales.
I’ve gotten into a good rhythm when it comes to buying essentials like meat – I purchase it in large quantities when it’s on a great sale (Like the recent deals on ham & beef) and pack my freezer full. Then I don’t have to buy meat for a long time while I use up what I have; this helps me avoid paying full price when there’s no good deals going. And by the time I’ve cleared out some space in my freezer, I can take advantage of the next good sale!
3. Eating from your stockpile reduces waste.
I hate wasting food, for a lot of obvious reasons. Letting food go bad is a waste of money and resources – I feel very lucky to have food when so many go hungry, so it’s sad to squander it. By eating from the pantry, I can use up what I have before it goes off; this goes hand in hand with pantry organization. I have some pasta and rice that needs to be used up soon, so this is the perfect opportunity to do so!
4. Eating from your stockpile can help you through a crisis.
If you need to cut back on your budget for the month, having food on hand is a great help. If you get sick or have a similar emergency, it can be comforting to have food available so that you don’t have to worry about shopping.
This week I’ll be sharing tips on how to best use what you have, as well as recipes and pictures of what we’re eating. So tell me, readers: How has your stockpile helped you out?
Free Drink at QuikTrip on May 11th
May 10th, 2010
Click here to “Like” QuikTrip on Facebook, and you can to print a coupon good for one free 32 oz fountain drink, good on May 11th only. Thanks Money Saving Mom!
Barrie Pace Going Out of Business Sale: Clothes From $5.80 & Up
May 8th, 2010
Barrie Pace is going out of business and has marked most of their stock down by 50-75%, and they are also offering an additional 80% off by using promo code FINAL80 at checkout. After these discounts, many of their items are priced between $5 and $10 – it’s no .50 cent cocktail dress, but still a good deal nonetheless, especially since they carry a lot of formal wear. If you need an outfit for a wedding or other special event, you should definitely check it out.
I got this lace-trimmed floral dress and this cowlneck jersey dress for a total of $26.10, which includes shipping. According the website, the cost for both of these dresses before markdowns and promo code was $316(!!!).
I’m guessing these clothes will get snatched up quickly, so if you’re interested, I would place an order soon – just bear in mind, all sales are final since they are going out of business.
Thanks, Money Saving Mom!
Free Cami at Lane Bryant or Cacique
May 6th, 2010****This offer has now expired.****
Click here to print a coupon good for one free cotton shirred cami, up to a $19.50 value, at any Lane Bryant or Cacique store through May 10th while supplies last.
Olay Rebate Check – Free Lotion + Profit
May 5th, 2010
Last month, I bought a bottle of Olay Quench Lotion and sent in for a “Try-Me-Free” rebate. The original price was $5.99, and I also received a 10% store discount for using my Safeway club card, so I paid $5.39 out of pocket for this lotion. I received my rebate check a few days back, and Olay reimbursed me for the full amount, pre-Safeway discount, of $5.99. This .60 cent profit covers the price of the stamp I used to mail in the rebate, plus .16 cents!
Free Can of Libby’s Vegetables
May 4th, 2010
Click here to “Like” Libby’s Vegetables on Facebook, and you will receive a coupon for one free can. They say they will “either send you an email with a link to print your coupon or will mail it to you directly”. This offer is valid through May 15th, while supplies last. Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom!
Contest Corner is Now on WordPress!
May 4th, 2010
Contest Corner has now moved to its new home over on WordPress! Transferring everything over to the new host has been a big job that has taken all of my attention over the last few days – which is why things have been quiet around here. There are still some technical matters to be worked out on the new site, but once I have those sorted I will be able to get started on Super Coupon Girl’s new WordPress site. In the meantime, check out the new Contest Corner and let me know what you think!
Shopping Trip, April 29th: $61 Worth of Ham & More for $9.00
May 1st, 2010
On Thursday afternoon, I headed over to Safeway to use the last of my meat wine tags. I had traded for 20 altogether, and they all had an expiration date of April 30th. I had planned to make use of them throughout the month, but getting sick threw a wrench into my plans – so I had a big stack of coupons left that needed to get used up before they expired!
I came out of Safeway with $61 worth of groceries for $9.00. Here’s the breakdown:
Transaction #1:
Total spent: $1.18
Total before coupons: $7.18
View receipt
Got:
4-lb bag of chicken thighs – regularly $3.99, used a $3/1 poultry winetag that I got through trading; final price: .99 cents.
A little over half a pound of ham from the deli – on sale for $3.19, used a $3/1 ham winetag that I got through trading; final price: .19 cents
Transaction #2:
Total spent: .04 cents
Total before coupons: $3.04
View receipt
Got:
A little over half a pound of ham from the deli – on sale for $3.04, used a $3/1 ham winetag that I got through trading; final price: .04 cents
Transaction #3:
Total spent: .35
Total before coupons: $3.35
View receipt
Got:
1 Cook’s Ham steak – regularly $3.35, used a $3/1 ham wine tag that I got through trading; final price: .35 cents
Transaction #4:
Total spent: .47
Total before coupons: $3.47
View receipt
Got:
1 Cook’s Ham steak – regularly $3.47, used a $3/1 ham winetag that I got through trading; final price: .47 cents
Each time I went through the line, I would take my purchase out to the car, then walk back into the store and do it again. I went through the same cashier’s line each time, because she is an excellent cashier – she scans everything correctly, so you don’t have to worry about a coupon being overlooked, and she is also well versed in the store’s coupon policy. I’m well known at our Safeway, since it’s a small town, so I always have fun chatting with the cashiers and they get a kick out of my crazy coupon antics. After going through this cashier’s line four times, she looked down at the ham on her conveyor belt and started laughing – “I knew it was you again because of the ham and the reusable bag!”. She then asked me why I didn’t just use all the coupons at once, and I explained that the coupons were limit one per transaction. “Well, then just get the rest of your ham and I’ll ring each one as a separate transaction – it’ll be quicker for you that way.”
Have I mentioned lately how much I love the awesome cashiers at our local Safeway store?
Transaction #5:
First, I went to the deli once again and said, “I have a unique request for you. Can I please get eight bags filled with $3 worth of ham each?” They chuckled but were happy to oblige – and there were no other customers at the deli, so I wasn’t holding anybody up. Next, I grabbed one more ham steak and headed to the checkout. “Are you ready for all this ham?” I asked my good-natured cashier. To make it most efficient for her, I set down my club card and stack of coupons on the counter and had a big handful of change in my hand. This cashier can ring up faster than anyone I’ve ever seen – and it’s always accurate. It was pretty amazing to watch her fingers flying as she quickly swiped each coupon off the stack and keyed in each transaction. A big stream of receipts piled up at the register as she rang up each one! I was concerned that this would cause a delay for the person behind me in line, but get this – my cashier was so fast, that by the time the person behind me had finished loading their last item on to the conveyor belt, the cashier was already ringing up my last transaction! She pulled off the long strip of receipts and put them into my bag because there were so many – this is what it looked like:
So here’s the breakdown:
Total spent: $1.70
Total before coupons: $28.70
View receipts 1-2
View receipts 3-4
View receipts 5-6
View receipts 7-8
View receipt 9
I got 8 packages of deli ham, each of which ranged in price between $3.04 and $3.24 because they were all slightly different weights; after using 8 $3/1 ham winetags, the total price for all 8 packages was $1.07.
I also got one Cook’s Ham steak, which was priced at $3.63; after using my last $3/1 ham wine tag, the price came down to .63 cents.
Transaction #6:
Once I had the ham taken care of, I had two more necessities to pick up before calling it a day.
Total spent: $5.26
Total before coupons: $15.26
View receipt
Got:
2 half-pound packages of organic, fair trade Millstone coffee – regularly $8.99 per pound, used two $2.00/1 coupons from the 3/14 Red Plum newspaper insert, which doubled; final price: $3.28 for both. I had extras of these coupons thanks to a “Coupon train” which I participated in on Hot Coupon World – I mailed two envelopes of coupons to other members and received two envelopes of coupons from others in return. It was fun and I got some great coupons from it!
2 packages of Stayfree pads – regularly $3.49 each, used two $2/1 coupons from the 3/28 Red Plum newspaper inserts, which doubled; final price: .99 cents each. I got these coupons during a recent trade also!
Shopping Trip, April 28th: $59.72 Worth of Meat, Produce & More for $10.97
May 1st, 2010
It’s been a while since I’ve gone to the store, because I’ve been sick for two weeks. Fortunately my lovely fiance filled in for me, and on Wednesday I was feeling well enough to re-stock on produce and the other necessities that we were out of!
I headed to Safeway on Wednesday and got $59.72 worth of groceries for $10.97.
Transaction #1:
Total spent: $9.43
Total before coupons: $52.18
View receipt
Got:
1 bag of Mahatma brown rice – regularly $2.89, used a .75/1 coupon from the 4/25 Red Plum newspaper inserts, which doubled; final price: $1.64
5-lb. bag of sugar – price: $2.99
10 packages of Mission flour tortillas (10 count each) – regularly $2.29 each, used a coupon from the Safeway sales flier to bring the price down to .99 cents each – $9.90 total for all ten. The coupon was limit ten per customer – the reason I decided to get that many was because this is a very low price for tortillas, and they are a staple in our household. They also freeze beautifully, so I stuck all but one in the freezer for future use!
1 dozen eggs – price: $1.69
2 lb. bag of cheese – on sale for $3.99
4-pack of Yo Plus yogurt – regularly $2.50, used one free product coupon that I got through the Psst…Network. Final price: Free!
4-lb bag of chicken thighs – regularly $3.99, used one $3/1 poultry wine tag that I got through trading; final price: .99 cents
2 avocados – on sale 2 for $1.00
6 ears of corn – .66 cents each, $3.96 total for all six.
1 bunch of cilantro – price: .99 cents
2 mangoes – on sale 2 for $1.00
2 lb bag of Bolthouse carrots – regularly $1.29, used a .50/1 coupon that I received after writing to the manufacturer; final price: .79 cents.
A little over half a pound of ham from the deli – I asked for $3 worth of ham, and after my club card discount, the price for this came to $2.99. I used one $3/1 ham wine tag that I got through trading, which made the final price free plus one cent overage.
The cashier also doubled both wine tags and my carrot coupon, although they said “Do not double”. I’ve noticed that this happens from time to time, so I’ll be alert when I have “Do not double” coupons next time so that it doesn’t happen again. This deducted another $1.50 from the total, but I’m putting the receipt aside so that I can take it into customer service and give them the $1.50 back – I’ll post an update once I do.
I then used the $18 worth of catalinas that Jai earned during his awesome shopping trip, which brought my final total down to $9.43. Those Lunchables paid for the fresh produce and other staples that I bought on this trip!
Transaction #2:
Total spent: $1.54
Total before coupons: $7.54
View receipt
Got:
4-lb bag of chicken thighs – regularly $3.99, used one $3/1 poultry wine tag that I got through trading; final price: .99 cents
1 Cook’s Ham steak – regularly $3.55, used one $3/1 ham wine tag that I got through trading, which made the final price .55 cents.
