Category Archives: Saving $/Coupons

Checking the Grocery Ads

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Every week, I check the grocery ads for the major grocery stores in the area.  These ads are delivered to our house which makes it very convenient.  I look through the ads and find the good deals for that week and write them on my list.  Then when I’m already in the area of a certain store, I make it a point to stop and buy the things on my list.

For example, Albertsons has some great buys this week.  On the front of their circular, which you can pick up at the front of the store, are store coupons for these items:

  • Rotisserie Chicken for $4.77 (regularly $6.99)
  • 6-pack of 1/2 liter Ozarka Water for 88c
  • 10 ounce bag Pistachios for $1.99 (great deal)
  • Lean Pockets for 99c  (I haven’t had these in ages.)
  • Swanson Chicken Broth, 2 cans for $1

These are a few of the items on sale that I plan to purchase.

Four Foods On Friday 93

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1. Name one bad habit you have in the kitchen.

I’m sure I have several, but one I have in common with Val is turning the heat up too high.  I’ve been working on turning the heat to medium to begin with and then adjusting as necessary.  I’ve also been trying to remember to put the lid on the pan ASAP to help things heat up faster.
2. Do you have a TV in the kitchen?

No, we never have had one in the kitchen.  I can hear the TV, though, if my husband is watching TV while I’m cooking.
3. What’s one food you can’t stand cold?

Again, I agree with Val.  I do not like cold french fries!  (I also cannot stand cold bread rolls.  Years ago, we ate at a really nice restaurant, and they served cold rolls – like they had been in the fridge.  I should have asked the waiter if he could warm our bread, but it was a special dinner so I just didn’t eat my roll.)
4. What’s your favorite juice?

Definitely fresh squeezed orange juice or grapefruit juice!

(To my fellow bloggers:  I’m having a problem.  Somehow, comments that are left on my blog are not emailed to me like they used to be.  On my admin page under settings, it shows that they are.  Have any of you had this problem?)

Do You Miss Circuit City?

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For those of you who were a Circuit City customer, there is another place called Buy.com that can offer you a great selection and the best deals around.  They carry name brands and offer free shipping offers on most items.  And they offer informative videos, offer product reviews, are eco-friendly, and have a competitive price engine so they can offer customers as many options as they possibly can.

Check Out Arby’s Coupons, Summer 2009

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We’ve saved money this summer 2009 by choosing Arby’s when we want to eat at a fast food restaurant.  We use coupons and also get “Wednesday Freebies” where several Wednesdays a month they offer free items.   This Wednesday, for example, we can get one of their new deli-style “Roastburgers” free by purchasing a drink.  They’ve had this offer before, so we know their Roastburgers are delicious!

If you do eat at Arby’s, be sure to check your receipt.  Often ours will say that if we complete a telephone survey, we will get a free regular sandwich.  The survey is short, and there is no purchase required to get the freebie.  You can’t beat that!

Laptops for Business, Home & College

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Are you in the market for a laptop?  Check out wholesale laptops for savings.  Maybe you need one for your business or have a college student in the family who needs a laptop for college work.  Or maybe you would like to have one for home to check email and do searches on the Internet.  Whatever reason, in today’s market it’s great to be able to save money on your purchase!

Low-Cost Vacation: Austin, TX

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Austin is a fun place to visit and can provide an inexpensive vacation.   It really is a pretty area, and one part of the vacation can include driving on the west side of Austin and enjoying the beauty of the hills and the Colorado River.

There are several free things to do while visiting Austin.

Freebies:

* Texas State Capitol – open daily.  It’s 14 feet taller than the National Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., and is recognized as one of the nation’s most distinguished capitol buildings.  It is definitely impressive inside and out.  The view from the ground floor looking straight up to the top of the rotunda area is awesome!   Children enjoy going up the beautiful staircases.   Located at 1100 Congress Ave.  (512) 463-0063

* Austin Nature and Science Center – provides families, individuals, and also groups with recreational and educational experiences including a “living museum,” trails,  interpretive exhibits, programs, and collections. Open on Saturday 9- 5 & Sunday 12- 5.   Located at 301 Nature Center Dr, Austin, TX.

(512) 327-8180

* Texas Memorial Museum – a natural history museum which contains exhibits about Texas’ geological and zoological history.  Children especially enjoy the first floor.  They are open on  Saturday from 10 –  5 & Sunday from 1-5 and are  located one block north of the UT football field at  2400 Trinity St.  Austin, TX  (512) 471-1604.  Free admission.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS WITH ADMISSION FEE:

  • Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum – an excellent museum worth visiting!  Located at 1800 North Congress Avenue.  (512)-936-8746
  • Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum – also a museum worth visiting.  Located at 2313 Red River Street.  (512) 916-5137
  • Austin Children’s Museum located at 201 Colorado Street.  (512) 472-2499

* Texas Rowing Center located on the Hike and Bike Trail on Town Lake – a fun place to rent canoes.  They are open 6 AM until dusk every day.  (512) 467-7799.  (We have done this a couple of different times, and it’s a fun activity for the whole family.  Town Lake provides a great view of downtown Austin.)


Six Tips for Saving Money

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  • Check ALL of the grocery ads every week.  Sometimes I will go to three different grocery stores in one week to buy their sale items.  I try not to make a special trip but stop at each store when I’m in that area anyway.
  • Stock up when often-used items are on sale. If something is on sale at a great price and it’s something I use often, then I’ll stock up on it while I can get it at a bargain.  For example, if I can get cereal half price then I’ll buy two or three boxes.  If chicken breasts are on sale for 99c/pound, then I’ll buy several packages and freeze most of it.  If it’s a large package, then I will separate it into two or three smaller packages.
  • Buy store brands. For the most part, store brands are just as good as name brands.  Through trial and error, though, I learned which  items need to be the name brand.
  • Cut out coupons! Remember stores other than grocery stores will take coupons. (such as Walmart and Target)  Check and see if they do.  Also, try to find stores that double and triple coupons.  Remember, it defeats the purpose to buy something just because it’s on sale.  If it’s a huge bargain and you don’t need the item, donate it to a food pantry, benevolent center, etc.
  • Plan your errands! In order to save gas, group your errands according to general areas.  For example, I try to stop by a certain grocery store because it’s on my way home.  Or I go to Sam’s Club, Target, and the bank on the same trip because they’re close to each other.
  • Re-use paper towels that are barely used.  I save paper towels that I’ve dried clean hands on or towels that are barely used.  I let them dry and then store them in a pretty dish or canister.  Whenever there is a spill, I use those paper towels.  Why get a brand new towel just to clean up a messy spill off the floor?

Books Make Nice Gifts

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chicken-soup-for-the-soul-college-5-29-09If you’re in need of a gift to give for graduation, for a wedding, or for Father’s Day, then you might consider Amazon books. They have a selection for each occasion.

Our son has received a lot of nice graduation gifts recently, and two of his gifts were books.  He received Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, PH.D. and another book called The Power of Attitude by Mac Anderson.  Both look like excellent books!

Add a Touch of Color to Change the Look of a Room…On a Low Budget

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Are you in the mood to redecorate but don’t have the money to do it?  I was a while back.  By adding in a touch of color, the look of a room can be changed. In my case, it was adding “red” to our decor. Here’s how I did it:

  • I decided on the color I wanted to add which was red.
  • I shopped around for bargains and found several.
  • At Cracker Barrel, I found a $20 red silk flower arrangement on clearance for $5.
  • At Pottery Barn, I found red pillow covers half price and bought two.  (We had two really nice decorative pillows that came with our sofa, but I was so tired of their floral print.  We still have the nice pillows…only now they’re red.)
  • Also at Pottery Barn, I found a red cranberry wreath half price and bought ribbon at a craft store to make a bow for it.
  • At a Kirkland’s store in the mall, we found two small framed pictures with red flowers that were just perfect.  And they were on clearance, too, for a great price.

Other stores that would be great to check out would be Target’s clearance section, Ross Stores, T. J. Maxx, Tuesday Morning, clearance items at Dillard’s or any major department store, and possibly Burlington Coat Factory’s home section.

We Saved Money by Installing Progammable Thermostat

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We paid $30 for a programmable thermostat that my husband installed.   We can already see the savings!  The neat thing about it is that the temperature can be lowered during the night and also when no one is home during the day.  It can be programmed to come on before we wake up or before we get home.  Click here to see more of my tips for saving money.

Idea for Gift Wrap

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2nd-sd-card-christis-grad-gift-wrap-2nd-2-20-09This is a gift we gave our daughter last year when she graduated with her master’s degree.  I wanted her gift to look extra special, so I wrapped it a lot fancier than I usually do.  Most of the time, I put gifts in a gift bag with tissue paper; however, I usually do wrap half the gifts at Christmas…but they’re not fancy.

With springtime here, there are going to be a lot of bridal showers and graduation gifts.  If you need some fancier gift wrap but don’t want to pay for expensive gift wrapping, you can do it yourself and save money.

Now that a lot of us are trying to save money, here are some ideas for even greater savings on gift wrapping:

  • Look for nice gift wrap at places like Ross Stores and Tuesday Morning.
  • Use coupons from craft stores such as Michael’s and Jo-Ann Fabrics to buy nice gift wrap, nice sheer ribbon, and silk flowers.

Wrapping a gift yourself for that special person is worth the effort, plus it’s fun to be creative!