My interview with Boca Raton Magazine

My husband happens to know the owner of the Boca Raton Magazine and told him about my book, "Wow! You Saved How Much?" A few days later I received a phone call from the editor wanting to interview me for an article they are doing on smart shopping techniques! The interview was tonight and it was alot of fun! I enjoyed the aspect of "teaching" someone how to do what I do. Now they want to arrange a photo shoot for the article. I'm very excited about it. The article will be in the November issue. You can also view my book's website at http://wowyousavedhowmuch.com. The book should, hopefully, be available by the end of the month.

If you subscribe to the newspaper, read this...

I have subscribed to the Sunday newspaper for quite some time now. I had it set up for auto-billing to my credit card just so I wouldn't forget to renew! The last time it was due for renewal we had cancelled our credit card since someone had started using our CC # and so they sent me a bill. When I looked at it I was surprised to find they were charging me $2.23 per copy! It sells at the store for $1.50! It used to be cheaper to have the subscription. Anyway I paid it as they had still been delivering it even after it had expired and it was my error but I cancelled the auto-billing. When I asked them about the cost I was told (twice by two different employees) that the in-store price was going up to $2.25 that week. Well, 6 weeks later it was still $1.50. So when renewal came due again I called to cancel. And lo & behold they could offer me a discount!! Now I'm paying only $1.23 per issue... So, if you subscribe to a newspaper, be sure to check your bill and make sure you're getting the best value.

Almost $150 in Groceries for under $60!

This is from my shopping trip on 5/6/09.

First some acronyms...
BOGO - Buy one, get one free
MC - Manufacturer coupon
SC - Store Coupon
OOP - Out of Pocket

Ok…so here’s how I got almost $150 in groceries for less than $60!!

2 Publix Ice Cream – on sale 2 for $5, used 2 store coupons for $1 off each (1 from the Publix Family Style magazine and one from the Preschool Pals program)
2 Farm Rich French Toast Sticks – BOGO for $3.29 less $1 MC
1 Publix Texas Toast – on sale $1.67
7 Kashi frozen entrees – half price sale for $1.89, less 7 MC for $1 off
3 Kashi Pocket bread sandwiches – half price for $1.59, less 3 MC for $1 off
Onions - $2.35
Canteloupe - $2
2 pkg Strawberries - $2.50 each
Plum tomatoes - $0.74
4 Corn on the cob - $1
4 Breakstone sour cream, 8 oz – BOGO for $0.99 less 2 MC for $0.55 each, so $0.22 each!
4 Contessa Complete meals, on sale for $4.99 (reg. $7.99), less 4 MC for $2 each that were right in front of the product!
1 Oscar Mayer Deli Creations sandwich – MC for FREE
1.5 lb shrimp - $7.68 less SC for $1 off
1 can Publix Black beans - $0.83
1 lb Publix Sweet Ham lunchmeat - $6.05
2 boxes Capri Sunrise juice pouches – on sale for $3 each, less 2 MC for $1 off
Ground Chuck – sale for $2.69/lb - $3.79, less SC for $1
1 box Bandaids- $1.99 less $1 MC
1 pkg 30 ct Corn Tortillas - $2.09
1 Country Hearth bread - $1.89
1 Publix Multigrain Bagels - $2.59
Also had a coupon from a mailer for $5 off $30 or more.
Total retail value: $146.56
Less coupons & sales - $87.20
Total OOP: $59.36

Walgreen's shopping 4/30/09

I was very disappointed to find out today that Walgreen's has discontinued their rebate catalog in favor of their Register Rewards. However, I still got some good deals. At first the cashier tried to tell me I could not combine Register Rewards with a manufacturer's coupon if I was only buying one item, but the manager came over and told her how to override it.

Transaction #1
Bayer Quick Release 4 ct - sale for $2.49, used $1 manufacturer coupon and received $2.50 in Register Rewards (RR) for next purchase.
Total OOP (out of pocket): $1.49

Transaction #2
Nivea Body Wash - sale for $4.99. Used $2.50 RR from Transaction #1 and $1 manufacturer coupon. Received $5 RR for next purchase
Total OOP: $1.49

Transaction #3
4 Pepsi 8pk - sale 4 for $10. Used $5 RR from Transaction #2 and $1 manufacturer coupon. Received $3 RR for next purchase.
Total OOP: $4.65

Transaction #4
3 Pepsi 2 ltr - on sale 3 for $4. Used $3 RR from Transaction #3.
Total OOP: $1.26

Grand total OOP was $9.22
Retail price was $28.55

meal planning site based on store sales

I recently found out about this site called E-Mealz, http://www.e-mealz.com/amember/go.php?r=44682&i=l0. I actually signed up for a trial basis last night. Basically, for $1.25 per week (but you have to pay in 12 week increments) you get a meal plan and shopping list for a week based upon the sales of the store of your choice. Publix was one of the choices and I usually shop Publix. And, they had a regular version, a low-fat version and a points version for those on weight watchers. I picked the Points version because we keep TRYING to get on WW! LOL

Anyway, a friend of mine used it and said she had lowered her grocery bill to about $125 or less per week for her family of 6. I figured with adding coupons in, I could get it even lower. The recipes seem good & easy too - not these ones that take hours of prep! here's my menu for this week (this is just for dinners)

Lemon-Basil Pork chops, roasted red potatoes
Baked French Toast, bacon, eggs
Tomato & Broccoli Penne Pasta, salad
Corn tortilla Soup, cauliflower, parmesan crips
Broiled Tilapia, sweet peas, fresh melons
Chicken Burritos, BBQ Chips, apple sauce
Honey Pecan Chicken, carrot puree

Now, some of this I know my family won't eat (like carrot puree, sweet peas or applesauce), but with a few substitutions, it seems pretty reasonable.

Just thought I'd share in case anyone else is interested in giving it a try. Per their rules, I cannot share their recipes but if you go to their site, they'll show you a 2-3 day sample.

CVS Deals 4/23/09

ECB - Extra Care Bucks - store coupons issued by CVS for specific items
OOP- Out of Pocket, total actually paid out
MC - manufacturer coupons

Ok, so I'm really liking the www.iheartcvs.com site and the www.kingdomfirstmom.com site!

Total retail value of all: 50.89
Total spent: $24.17 plus I still have $2 in ECB's for next trip. Not the GREATEST trip, but still good

Transaction #1
3 John Frieda shampoos - on sale for $5 each, get $5 ECB's back, used 3 MC for $2 off 1 and a ECB for $0.50
Spent $9.45 OOP

Transaction #2
3 Tresemme hair spray =- on sale 3 for $10, get $5 ECB's back, used 3 MC for $1 off 1 and the $5 ECB from transaction #1
Spent $2.33 OOP

Transaction #3
2 Crest Pro Health Rinse - on sale for $2.88 each, get $4 ECT ($2 each), used 2 MC for $1 off 1
1 Breathe Right Strips - $13.99, used $3 ECB that was product specific (ONLY for these), and $1 MC (not the greatest price, but with store & mc it matched the price I'd probably pay at Walmart or Target), also used $5 ECB from Transaction #2
Spent $9.52 OOP

Transaction #4
1 Act Restore Mouthwash, on sale $3.79, get $2 ECB back, used $1 MC
2 cokes
used $4 ECB from transaction #3
Spent $1.96 OOP

Transaction #5
1 Act Restore Mouthwash, on sale $3.79, get $2 ECB back, used $1 MC and $2 ECB from Transaction #4
Spent $0.91 OOP

If I had been thinking better, I would have saved the 2 cokes for the final transaction and used my final $2 ECB and saved a bit more. Oh well, I'll use it later.

I had some other items on my list but they were out of them and then I forgot to get a raincheck!

Also, I looked at the Aveeno deal - spend $25 get $10 ECB's but I wouldn't use the facial skin care so I was only looking at the sunscreens. Seemed like a good deal - just over $4 each with coupons & ecb's, but the bottles were only 3 oz. So, ounce per ounce, there are other brands that would be less and still quality brands. For example, Banana Boat was on sale for $6.99 and it was an 8 oz bottle. I'm sure Walmart or Target would be even cheaper.

Today's savings - 3/21/2009

Well, today was a very good day for shopping! I went to my favorite local store to get some lunch supplies and purchase some good deals. I spent $58.87 but I SAVED $73.81 and still have $2.49 coming back to me on a rebate! YIPPEE!

Here’s what I purchased and how I did it:

2 Lender’s Bagels – BOGO (Buy one, get one free) - $1.99

4 No Yolks Noodles – sale for $1.59, less manufacturer coupons: 1-$1.00, 3-$0.50 for a total of $3.86 ($0.96 per bag)

2 Light & Fluffy Egg Noodles – sale for $1.50 less manufacturer coupons: 2-$0.50 for a total of $2.00 ($1.00 per bag)

8 Knorr Pasta sides – BOGO for $1.59, less manufacturer coupons: 4-$0.75 off 2 for a total of $3.36 (0.42 per package)

1 Strawberries – on sale for $1.67, less store coupon for $1 - $0.67

1 Store brand cream cheese – $2.29 – no sale but cheaper than name brand even with coupons

8 Smart Balance Buttery Spread – BOGO for $3.09, less manufacturer coupons: 4-$1.00 off 2 for a total of $8.36 ($1.045 each)

4 Smart Balance ½ gallon milk – FREE!!! Used for manufacturer coupons that gave the milk free when you purchase Smart Balance Buttery Spread.

1 Over the Moon ½ gallon chocolate milk - $3.49, less manufacturer coupon of $1.00. Also have a rebate for the remaining $2.49, so this was also FREE

6 South Beach Living Granola Bars/100 Cal bars – on sale for $3.00 each, less manufacturer coupons: 6-$1.50 off ($1.50 each)

1 Mini seedless watermelon – on sale for $2.99 less $1 store coupon

1 French’s Worcestershire sauce – on sale for $1.50, less manufacturer coupon: $0.50 - $1 total

2 Sweet Onions – no sale but $1 store coupon - $0.69 total

1 Folger’s Decaf singles - $4.49 – no coupon or sale but hubby was desperate! J

1 Canteloupe – sale for $1.50

4 Campbells soup – sale for 4 for $5, less manufacturer coupon: 2-$0.40/2 – total of $4.20 ($1.05 per can)

1 lb lunch meat - $6.05

1 package fresh green beans

Total before sales & coupons: $132.18
After: $58.87

56% savings

Not bad for an area with no double coupons!