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Archive for April, 2014

4-30 WAGS 81mg Bayer Aspirin for $0.24

April 30th, 2014 at 04:43 pm

For all those on the daily 81mg regimen there is a great sale this week at WAGS. It's Buy One and Get Second at 50 Percent Off. The May Savings Book has a $1.00/1 off Q, which is effective as of 4/27, and can be applied to both bottles in the sale. Plus you can use two $1/1 Q's from several past RedPlum and SmartSource Inserts. My store has the 36 count chewables for $2.99, so after buying 2, and applying 2 insert Q's and the May Savings Book Q, it came to $0.48 plus tax for 2 bottles or $0.24 each.

The expiration date on the boxes that I got is 11/2016, so I got 8 bottles to stock up a little more. This brings up the subject of watching the expiration dates of HBA's and especially OTC meds. You may not want to buy so much that you will end up with a lot of bottles of aspirin that have expired. I did this when I first stated extreme couponning/saving, and now I'm donating some stuff that is about to expire.

May Donations

April 27th, 2014 at 06:01 pm

I've been culling out more HBA and food items for a local charity that will be making their monthly pickup Friday, 05/02. So far it's two grocery size bags of mainly older stuff that I've never got around to using. Also, I'm throwing in a couple items I got for free during extreme couponning/saving trips. Even though they are brands I don't like or use, I picked them up anyway just for the charity. It's just another way to share the wealth.

4-27 Past Week Spending

April 27th, 2014 at 04:07 pm

I ended up a little over budget, about $19, on groceries this past week. Kroger is having a pretty good Mega Event Sale, and I did two trips this past week saving 59 and 57 percent according to the receipts. I had some great coupons that were expiring soon, and they coincided with some included items like Special K cereal and Classico pasta sauces. I also got the ground beef and Helpers for the Walmart Mail In Rebate. See previous entry for MIR details.

I went to Kohls yesterday looking for a new belt. I've lost about 40 lbs since Xmas Day, so I'm on the last hole. Maybe it's the first hole in the belt depending which way you start counting. Anyway, their belts were quite expensive and Not On Sale. However, I found some FILA walking shoes On Sale for $44.99 (regularly $64.99). I had a 20% Off Q from their latest email, which added an additional $9 off. So I got a nice pair of walking shoes for $35.99 plus tax which was about the same price as most of their belts. But, I still need a belt.

Free Ground Beef at Wally World

April 24th, 2014 at 12:30 am

I saw this over at the CouponMom website:

http://blog.couponmom.com/2014/04/free-ground-beef-at-walmart/

$13 Free Ground Beef at Walmart

It's a Mail In Rebate for up to $6.44 of ground beef with the purchase of three varieties of Hamburger, Tuna or Chicken Helper. The Helpers are supposed to be $1.50 each, but there is a printable for $1.00 off 2.

It appears that you can buy fresh or frozen ground beef.

There is a limit of 2 rebates, and from the way it's explained, it sounds like you can do both MIR's at the same time or separately.

The purchases must be done by May 19th and forms mailed in by June 19, 2014.


Here is another link from iheartthemart:

http://www.iheartthemart.com/wow-6-44-in-free-ground-beef-when-you-buy-3-hamburger-helper/

4-19 Week Is Weak

April 19th, 2014 at 11:27 pm

It's been a slow week for deals and couponning. There probably are some good sales somewhere, as there always is something going on. Just not much for me. There is not supposed to be any coupon inserts in Sunday's paper, so no need to get out and about in the morning. Because I came in under the Grocery and HBA budget this week, I made an extra contribution to one of the savings accounts. Tomorrow will be the big family get-together with all the inlaws and outlaws. Maybe I'll even find one of those egg-laying bunny rabbits.

4-13 Extreme Couponning / Saving Adventure

April 13th, 2014 at 03:54 pm

I got out early this morning to beat the rain that is supposedly on the way. Glad I got all the Joys Of Home Ownership (Yard Work) done yesterday.

First stop was Walgreens. The Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths are on sale for $3.99. In today's newspaper inserts there is a Get One Free coupon, so this is a Freebie. But wait! There's more. The Mail In Rebate(expires 4/30) from feelbanfreshdotcom/rebate makes this a $3.99 Money Maker. You need to find a package with the Try Me Free peelie to mail in with the rebate form. I picked up 2 newspapers, 4 Arizona Teas with In Ad Coupon of 2/$1, 2 packs of Ban Cooling cloths, and used the 2 freebie Q's from today's paper, the 2/$1 In Ad Q for the tea, and the four $1 Register Rewards from last weeks haul. Total of $16 for $2.04. Love those Freebies and Money Makers!

Next stop was Kroger, and speaking of Freebies, last Friday's Free Download is for a 12-pack of Nestea 16.9 oz bottles. I picked up 2 more packages of Wright Sausage that's on sale for 2 for $4, and used the BOGO Q. I also found Purina T-Bone treats on sale for $1.00. I had three $1.00/1 Q's, so my puppy dog now has 3 more free packages of treats. He's happy with today's little haul too. The Kroger receipt shows a 90% Total Savings or about $21 of stuff for $2.

And the best part is that I came just under budget of Groceries and HBA for the week.

4-10 Grocery Shopping / Saving Trip

April 10th, 2014 at 11:03 pm

I can't call it an extreme couponning trip this time, because Kroger, my regular grocery store, doesn't have much going on this week, at least for me anyway. However, I did find a couple great deals. Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, the big 13 oz container, regularly $1.29, is on sale for $.99. A new $.40 printable came out today. Also SavingStar has a $.40 rebate. Together that's a fantastic price of $.19 for Kosher Salt. If your store still doubles coupons (mine quit over a year ago), it's an even better deal.

Also at Kroger the Wright Breakfast Sausage is on sale for 2 for $4.00 or $2 each for the 1 lb package. There is a BOGO from the 3/30 Smart Source insert. That makes them $1.00 each. I've never tried this brand, so when I got home I decided to make breakfast for lunch. It's not the greatest breakfast sausage in the world, but it went good with the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese on a thin Bagel.

For desert it was a cup of Stony Field plain yogurt with real, fresh strawberries on top. I found the yogurt on sale at Whole Food Market today for $0.79 each. I used a $1 off 2 store coupon from their website. That's a good price for organic yogurt.

One thing I noticed during lunch was that everything on the menu today was bought On-Sale together with coupons (except no Q's for the eggs and strawberries). It's the best way to shop frugally.

Free Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money eBook

April 10th, 2014 at 12:04 am

I first saw this on SouthernSavers.com website:

http://www.southernsavers.com/2014/04/noisetrade-free-copy-dave-ramseys-complete-guide-money/

That link will take you to the noisetrade.com website:

http://books.noisetrade.com/ramsey/complete-guide-to-money

When you click on the Download button it will request an email address. You will then get an email with another Download button that will actually get to the free ebook.

Disclaimer: I hope these links and subject don't violate any of this website's Terms and Conditions. Also, I am in no way affiliated with Dave Ramsey.

Last Roth IRA 2013 Contribution... (Deadline Soon!)

April 9th, 2014 at 06:07 pm

I had a short term CD mature a couple days ago, which I decided not to renew. I used part of the proceeds to make the last of the 2013 tax year IRA contribution. The remainder will go into a couple online savings accounts.

I usually make all the IRA contributions during the current tax year, but I got behind last year. My 14 year old car starting needing some serious repairs, so I decided to trade it in for a 2010 model (no more brand new cars for me).

I did a larger than required down payment, because I wanted to get the monthly payment lowered. My high FICO score allowed me to qualify for a 1.99% loan from a local credit union, so that all worked out great for the auto situation, but left me a little short on the IRA situation.

Today's Excellent Shopping Adventure

April 8th, 2014 at 08:46 pm

I'm taking this week off from work. I was hoping to get some yard work done, but the weather wasn't cooperating this morning. So when all else fails, go shopping!

Here is today's little haul involving a round trip to 2 Walgreens', 2 CVS's, Walmart and Kroger.

WAGs
Starbucks Iced Coffee, regular price of $1.99, on sale for $.99, giving a Register Reward of $.99, essentially FREE for a Savings Rate of 100% I did this twice at 2 different stores, because the first one tasted pretty good, and I decided to get a second one at another store near all the other stops today. These two RR's will help pay for next Sunday's newspapers.

CVS
Diet 7-UP, 1 L, regular price of $1.99, on sale for $1.00, less $.30 store coupon, paid .69 for a Savings Rate of 65%.
Snickers Chocolate Easter Egg, regular price of $.99, on sale for $.75, less $.74 store coupon, paid $.01 for a Savings Rate of 99%.
I went to 2 nearby stores trying to do the Right Guard deal, but both stores were out of the Xtreme Clear variety for which I have two $2.00 MC's. I may try again later this week.

Walmart
Beneful Dry Dog Food, 3.5 lb, regular price of $5.48, bought 2 bags and used a BOGO printable manufacturer coupon along with a $2.00 off one MC from an insert, paid $3.48 for both for a Savings Rate of 68%. I did this twice. This means I got 14 lbs of Beneful Dry Dog Food for $6.96.

Kroger
DelMonte Canned Tomatoes, 4 cans, regular price of $1.59 each, on sale for $1.00 each, less 2 printable MC's of $.50 off 2, paid $3.00 for 4 cans for a Savings Rate of 53%.
Beneful Dog Treats, regular price of $4.49, on sale for $2.50, bought 2 and used a BOGO, paid $2.50 for both for a Savings Rate of 72%.

Overall, I bought groceries with a Regular Price of $44.24 that was On Sale for $34.65, Paid $13.65, yielding a Savings Rate of 70 Percent. Not Too Bad!

Extreme couponing / saving

April 8th, 2014 at 02:51 am

Three years ago I started using some of the extreme couponing (or, as I like to refer to it as, extreme shopping/saving) techniques. My goals were to lower my Grocery and HBA(Health and Beauty Aids) bills by 50 percent, while simultaneously building a decent stockpile. I've been quite successful at both goals. In fact a couple times during the last year I've had to slow down, because my stockpile was getting out of hand. I have also been donating lots of stuff to a local charity on a monthly basis. It's a great way to cull out some of the older things I never got around to using, plus getting a little tax deduction.

First Entry

April 8th, 2014 at 01:57 am

This is my first blog, so I'm still trying to figure out how it all works here.

With retirement just a few short years away, I feel like I'm sometimes in the final stretch of saving and investing. I got a late start with serious retirement savings and investing along with a few stumbles along the way, so I'm trying to maximize every tool in the box that I come across. I hope to share what knowledge and experiences I've had along the way with learning new concepts found online. Cheers!