We….well my husband really..just figured out a few cool things that allowed us to get a new Keurig coffee machine for free and a Wii with spare change.

Keurig for Free

Let’s start with the Keurig machine. I have wanted one for years and my husband just surprised me with one for our anniversary. To make the surprise sweeter, he told me he basically paid nothing for it.

He used the cash back bonus credits from our Discover card, which we have been racking up for years. To make the money go farther, instead of taking the cash outright, he bought $25 gift cards at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for $20 bucks each. Combine that with a 20 percent off coupon from the store – he paid nothing out of pocket for the machine.

BTW – We now only use the Discover card to buy gas and groceries (since you get more cash-back bonus credits for those purchases) and pay it off at the end of the month. After all, the cash back bonus really is no bonus if you are paying interest rates on a balance.

(A side note: If you buy a Keurig – be sure to read the manual. They have a deal – buy two large boxes and get two for free. Plus you get 10% off each order and free shipping if you register online.)

Wii with Spare Change

Now to the Wii. We have wanted to get one for a while, figuring it would be a great video game console the whole family could play together. Then one day I came home from work, and my husband was setting one up.

He told me he paid for it with the spare change he’s been saving up for years. Every time he comes home he throws his spare change into a big jug. We’ve been meaning to roll it up for a while now – but it’s such a pain, we always put it off.

We always knew Coin Star was convenient – but we were reluctant to use it because of the fees - UNTIL my husband realized there were no counting fees if you choose to take your money in gift card form as opposed to cash. There are several gift card options. He chose to take an Amazon gift card.  We had enough change to buy the Wii and still had some money left over on the card.

Not bad for life’s little luxuries!

For months I have wanted to go and get a manicure/pedicure – but never did because I didn’t want to spend the money. I was being fiscally responsible and not spending my money on frivolous things.

You see - as part of a financial makeover - I am much more frugal than I was even a year ago.  Back then, I would have gone to get my nails done at the first urge. I would have had to charge it because money was tight and my day of pampering would have ended in guilt.

But that was then. For months – I have been strategic shopping, saving my family hundreds of dollars. I’ve also been doing my daughter’s clothes shopping at consignment and trying to pack my lunch on most days. I have even given up my $50 haircut in exchange for a $15 do.

Saving money does feel great. But, then it hit me – what is the point of saving a bunch of money, if I don’t take the time to spoil myself every now again? Isn’t that the point of pinching pennies in some areas, so I can afford the small pleasures in life – without having to turn to my fair-weather friends, Visa and Mastercard?

So with this new revelation, over the weekend I put my daughter to nap, kissed my husband goodbye and went to the salon. I got that mani and pedi. I even sprung for an eyebrow wax. And you know what, for the first time in years, I didn’t feel guilty about it one bit.

Gap, Children's Place, Talbots shirts. Gymboree skirt.

Anyone who has a child knows clothing him or her is one of the biggest expenses you will face. Especially if you are in my position, where my daughter, 4, is my only child thus far and hand-me-downs are limited.

Two Baby Gap sweaters

For years I longed to dress by precious little girl in Baby Gap, Gymboree, LL Bean, etc. However, since I had to buy a new wardrobe for my growing child every few months, my bank account wouldn’t allow it. How could I justify a pair of $35 jean for a toddler who would outgrow them in a matter of months? (more…)

There is a new website that is supposed to save you money on household items like toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Better still – you can do it all online, delivery is free and coupons are supposed to be right there for your use.
We have an article about it on wpri.com – It’s called Alice.com.
I am going to check it out myself and will keep you posted.

I have been saving a ton of money since we’ve adopted strategic shopping, but this is the first week I bought things just because of the deal and not necessarily because I use them all of the time – and let me tell you I am already regretting it. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t go off the savings wagon. I bought $165.17 worth of groceries for $83.58 – a savings of $81.59 – almost 50% - Even better considering we haven’t gone shopping in 3 weeks or so. However, I need to keep myself from getting caught up in the high of getting a great deal – and to make sure I am buying only what we need and what we use. Let me explain.. (more…)

A new thing I have discovered – competition is good when it comes to grocery shopping. (more…)

This week we saved $98.37 on our grocery bill – and spent $120.62 – a savings of  45%. What makes me happy is we are getting closer to my goal of saving more than we spend – and I was able to get several things for free or close to free.

12 packs of Coca-Cola products were on sale for 5 for $12 – a savings of $13 in its own right. However, there was also a coupon in the Shaw’s circular for 2 FREE 80z containers of Hillshire Farm Deli Meats with the purchase of 5 12-packs – a savings of $10.58. So, we got 5 12-packs of soda and two containers of deli meat for $12. A savings of $23.58 or about 66%.

I also had two coupon for free 18oz Purina Kitten Chow. My cat is full-grown – but my sister just got a kitten – so I got the two boxes for FREE that I plan to give to her – a savings of $4.20 – or 100%

Kraft BBQ Sauce was on sale for $1 a bottle. I had a two $1 off coupons. So I got two bottles of BBQ sauce for FREE. A savings of $3.78. To be honest, we really didn’t need it, but it was FREE, so how could we pass it by. We put it in our pantry for now, but we’re probably going to give it to some family members who like to grill.

And finally, Kraft dressing is normally $3.49/bottle. It was on sale for $1.67. I had a coupon for $1.50 off – so I got the dressing for 17-cents!  This is a very good example what strategic shopping is all about - waiting until prices are at their lowest – then using a coupon to lower the price even more.

I work in a TV station, but I purposely work behind the camera not in front of the camera. Being on tv is not something I aspire to. However – when our Call 12 for Action Problem Solver Susan Hogan asked me to share what I have learned about saving money at the grocery store, I couldn’t say no.  In the few months I’ve been doing this – I have already saved hundreds of dollars – and if I can help someone else do the same – or just help them realize that it really takes only an hour a week to practically cut your bill in half – it will all be worth it.

Check out the story online:

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/12_for_action/local_wpri_call12_clipping_coupons_saves_big_bucks_20090513_mds

One of the reasons why we switched where we normally shopped was because Shaw’s doubles coupons up to $.99. However, since most coupons are $1 these days, we really didn’t see this come into play – that is until this week.  We had several coupons that doubled and it really made a savings difference.

I’ll get to that more in a minute – but first -  the overall savings from this week. We bought $168.82 worth of groceries – but only paid $95.92 – a savings of $72.90 or 43%.

I have noticed this week’s savings/cost are becoming the typical for our shopping trips, which are averaging about every two weeks. So – we are spending less than $50 dollars a week on groceries for a family of 3. But more importantly – we are saving $140 a month – sometimes more. That’s $1,680 a year!!

Now – on to doubling coupons. When you see a 55-cent coupon or a 40-cent coupon, it hardly can seem worth it. However, when you double that coupon – it becomes $1.10 off, etc. Here’s the best part, many $1 off coupons require you to buy 2 of a certain item – so it’s really only 50-cents off.  But – many coupons that are, let’s say, 55-cents, only you to require one item – so that entire $1.10 comes off one item instead of two. And if you buy it while it’s on sale, and have a store coupon in addition to a manufacturer’s coupon, the savings can really add up.

Suddenly Salad: normally $2.69 a box.

However, it was on sale for $1.50/box this week at Shaw’s.  I found coupons on coupons.com for 40-cents off (the link is also right on couponmom.com). Since Shaw’s doubles coupon – that was really 80-cents off. So – instead of paying $2.69/box I paid 70-cents/box. A savings of $1.99 a box or 74-percent!

 Betty Crocker Frosting: normally $2.19/tub.

Another way doubling kicked in this week was with frosting. I don’t bake a lot – but with my daughter in pre-school I sometimes have to bake cupcakes for special events – so it’s good to have that stuff on hand in a pinch.

The frosting is on sale this week for 3 for $5 0r $1.67/tub. I had two coupons for 55-cents each, which doubles to be $1.10 off per tub. I bought two because I only had two coupons and the final cost was 57-cents a tub. A savings of $1.62 or  74%!  (btw – just because it was 3 for $5 – it doesn’t mean you  have to buy 3. Normally the sale price will apply even if you buy one – unless of course it stipulates otherwise).

Now on to some of the other savings – sans double coupons.

Kraft Salad Dressing: normally $3.49/bottle.

It was on sale for 3 for $5 or $1.66/bottle. I found four $1 off coupons online – meaning I only paid 66-cents per bottle! A savings of $2.83/bottle or about 81%. I bought four bottles – which would have normally cost me $13.96 actually cost me $2.64 – which is less than what one bottle costs at full-price.

Kellogg’s Cereal: normally $3.84/box on average

Cereal can add bulk to anyone’s grocery bill. One thing I have learned from strategic shopping is I will NEVER pay full price for cereal.

I bought 8 boxes of Kellogg’s cereal this week (remember – I have a sizable pantry in my basement). Normally this would have cost me $30.72 or an average of $3.84 a box. However, cereal was on sale for 4/$10 or $2.50 a box. Shaw’s also had a coupon in the circular for $4 off/4 boxes. I clipped two – so that was an $8 savings. I also had $4 in manufacturer coupons (remember you can use manufacturer coupons and store coupons on the same product – it’s not either or). So – instead of $30.72 for 8 boxes – I got them for $8 – or $1/box. That’s a savings of $22.72 or 74%.

Yoplait yogurt: normally 75-cents/cup.

And finally, let’s talk yogurt.   It was on sale this week for 10/$6 or 60-cents a cup. Shaw’s also had a $1 off /10 coupon in the circular and I had a $1 off/8 manufacturer’s coupon. I also had two coupons for buys 6 get 1 free. So I bought 14 cups of yogurt. Normally – it would have cost $10.50 – but I paid $5.20 or 37-cents a cup. A savings of $5.30 or 50%!

Before I end this post – I really want to stress that anyone can do this. I am not spending hours on end scouring for coupons, then clipping and organizing them.  No – I don’t just get in the car and go shopping. I spend about 45 minutes week preparing my list and getting the necessary coupons together. Most of the time I do it while watching TV at night. So in my mind it’s so worth that time.

Please feel free to ask me questions or better yet, share your own money-saving strategies.

I have been doing strategic shopping now for several weeks, and have saved a bunch of money. But now I have learned you can save even more with help from your friends. Let me explain.

According to couponmom, there were $318 bllion in coupons printed last year and only $3 billion were redeemed – that means $315 billion worth are thrown away, and I’ll bet many of your friends and family members are among those discarding coupons. Coupons that could be saving YOU lots of money.

Several of my co-workers know I am doing the strategic shopping thing, and I have asked them for their coupons. Now, when I come into work on Mondays I find 2-3 extra booklets of coupons.  We also have taken the coupons whenever we’re visting our family in NY. I have learned this week – having multiple coupons can multiply your savings.

In all, I bought $170.86 worth of groceries this week for $91.02 – a savings of $79.84 or about 47%. Here are some of my better deals:

Arm & Hammer laundry soap was on sale this week at Shaws – buy one get one free. I bought 4 bottles. Normally selling for $6.99 a bottle, that’s a good deal in it’s own right.  But, because I got extra booklets from friends, I also had two $1 off /2 coupons – so that’s another $2 saved. I also printed two $1 off/2 coupons on shaws.com – so that was another $2 off. In the end, detergent that would have cost me $27.96, ended up costing $9.98 – a savings of almost $18 or about 65%!

Yoplait yogurt – normally 75-cents a cup – was on sale 20 for $10 – so 50-cents a piece. Shaw’s had a circular coupon for $2 off with the purchase off 20. In addition, there was a newspaper coupon for a free yogurt with the purchase of 6. Since I was buying 20 anyway, and I had three of the coupons, I was able to get 3 cups of yogurt for FREE. So in the end – I got 23 yogurts. At full price, it normally would have cost me $17.25, but I paid $8 - or 35 cents a piece – a savings of $9.25 or about 55%

We have a 3-year-old and as a treat we give her ice cream on Fridays. Breyers ice cream was on sale this week, normally $5.79/container – it was on sale for $2.99. I had two coupons, one for $1 off 2 and another for 75-cents off one – which was really $1.50 off since Shaw’s doubles coupons. I bought 3 containers. What normally would have cost $17.37, ended up costing $6.47 or $2.15 a container. That’s a savings of  $10.90 or about 60%.

Remember, strategic shopping is about buying when items are at their lowest, using coupons, and buying in bulk. My earlier blog enteries talk more in depth about the premise. I welcome any questions, comments, and of course your money saving tips. If we can all learn from each other, we can all help each other save a lot of money. And, who couldn’t afford that!