Here's their slogan "Save Money. Live Better." Now I do agree with the bit that if you save money, you will live better. I've been on this flyer watching, coupon using bandwagon for more than six months now. And it has saved us a ton. But what drives me nuts is that most people assume that Wal-mart is the cheapest. That if they shop at Wal-mart they are getting the best price.
Here's the truth. It's simply NOT true.
I typically only shop at Wal-mart if an item is on sale, or because they will price-match to other stores flyers. Not because I think everything there is a bargain.
For instance, last night as I walked through, the LifeSavers and Gum packages for Christmas were on for $2.50 each. Safeway had them this week as 2/$4 plus 10% off if you spent more than $35 in groceries. Their Christmas Rice Krispies were on for arond $3.50. Across the parking lot at Sobey's you can find them for $2.99. I realize that this is counting pennies. Bu $0.50 minimum on each item you purchase in a week can quickly add up.
I am also fully aware that you'd have to know the deals in order to well, know the deals. And not everyone wants to shop at a million different stores (I hear you here. That's why price matching is a gem).
What I'm trying to get across (and off my chest), is please do not shop at Wal-mart because you think it is the cheapest. If you don't want to flyer watch, Superstore is a much better bet. Really, it is.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Downstairs Stash
Are you ready?
That's my basement stash (& my dog Clifford) :) It works really well given our basement isn't yet developed. The top shelf was already there, and my husband added the bottom two for me. It's hard to tell what is on those shelves so I'll explain some of it:
The stash downstairs does not show items that I keep upstairs, such as other bathroom cleaners, shampoo, conditioners, toothpaste and body wash.
I'm really proud of our wall of food & cleaning items. It's nice to know that we could go a few weeks without needing to get more than produce and refrigerated items, and be more than alright. It's like having our own mini little grocery store right at our fingertips.
Does it convince you to create a stash of your own?
That's my basement stash (& my dog Clifford) :) It works really well given our basement isn't yet developed. The top shelf was already there, and my husband added the bottom two for me. It's hard to tell what is on those shelves so I'll explain some of it:
- 20 boxes of cereal
- 13 cans of diced tomatoes
- 5 packages of 24 toilet paper
- 12 boxes of kleenex
- 9 bottles of laundry soap (all over 40 use each)
- 6 bottles of toilet bowl cleaner
- 6 bottles of Fantastic cleaner
- 2 bottles of ketchup
- 4 bottles of mustard (I use it for a Honey Curry Chicken recipe... trust me, we don't use mustard on much else).
- Pasta
- Peanut Butter
- Salsa
- Tostitos
- Pop
- Tomato Sauce
- Paper Towel (I tried couting but gave up. At least 12 rolls plus a Costco container)
- Goldfish
- Oatmeal
- RedHot Sauce
- Tuna
- Pizza Sauce
- Crackers - alot of Crackers. Probably as many as the cereal.
- Swiffer mop refills.
- Laundry stain remover.
- Windex
- Rice
- Annie's Noodles
- Ok, this list could keep getting longer, I keep seeing more things - lol.
The stash downstairs does not show items that I keep upstairs, such as other bathroom cleaners, shampoo, conditioners, toothpaste and body wash.
I'm really proud of our wall of food & cleaning items. It's nice to know that we could go a few weeks without needing to get more than produce and refrigerated items, and be more than alright. It's like having our own mini little grocery store right at our fingertips.
Does it convince you to create a stash of your own?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
There comes a time
When you have been shopping only with deals, that you no longer need to buy groceries. My flyers FINALLY arrived on my doorstep this morning. It took four weeks of calling Flyer Force and asking for them. I sat down and looked through them, and NOTHING jumped out at me. I could take advantage of getting sme ice cream for free (Nestle on sale at Sobey's, with a $5 off any brand ice cream cereal coupon), and I could pick up some more Christie Crackers (such as Triscuit's) for $2, but none of it is needed. Our stockpile is sufficient.
When I first started using on cash, and the limit of $125 a week, we needed that limit. Our stockpile was still growing, and it took that much per week to grow it/maintain it. But I've been noticing more and more, that that money has allowed me to buy frivolous items. Last week I picked up a foldable chair for each of my kids for $5 a piece at London Drugs. And I picked up the boxes of 6 packets of Real Fruit Mini's for $1 a box at Wal-mart. Items that are needed? No, not really. Nice? Sure. But, it didn't surprise me this morning when I realized I need to pick up nothing this week other than produce and milk. Looks like this will be a $40 grocery week.
Guess it's time to trim down that $120 budget a bit. Maybe bring it down to $100 or even crazier $80?
If you are out there, and still reading this, would you like to see my stockpile? I'd be happy to show you! Post back and let me know :)
When I first started using on cash, and the limit of $125 a week, we needed that limit. Our stockpile was still growing, and it took that much per week to grow it/maintain it. But I've been noticing more and more, that that money has allowed me to buy frivolous items. Last week I picked up a foldable chair for each of my kids for $5 a piece at London Drugs. And I picked up the boxes of 6 packets of Real Fruit Mini's for $1 a box at Wal-mart. Items that are needed? No, not really. Nice? Sure. But, it didn't surprise me this morning when I realized I need to pick up nothing this week other than produce and milk. Looks like this will be a $40 grocery week.
Guess it's time to trim down that $120 budget a bit. Maybe bring it down to $100 or even crazier $80?
If you are out there, and still reading this, would you like to see my stockpile? I'd be happy to show you! Post back and let me know :)
Friday, July 8, 2011
Comedy of Flyers
For the third week in a row, my flyers did not arrive. I looked outside my front door Thursday to see they were on the neighbours steps, but not mine. One more call to Flyer Force, and she said if the manager didn't bring them by that night, that she would have them brought over by a courier Friday morning. I went about my day with the kids, and pulled into the driveway noticing my neighbour was out in his. I went over, youngest on my hip, introduced myself (again) and asked if I could have his flyers. He looked at me and said "What do you do with them?" I chuckled inwardly at this comment. It's true. What I'm working so hard to have delivered, is one item most people are happy to not receive. He thought this was all too comical, and was happy to pass me his flyers, saying he just "burns them in the winter." Score. More flyers for me (this weeks came with some good coupons from Rexall!).
Maybe next week I'll see Flyers on my steps?
Maybe next week I'll see Flyers on my steps?
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Still here, Still saving!
I've been away from this space, but have still been busy learning this new art of saving. Here are some of the new to me things I'm doing:
- Hounding Flyer Force to deliver flyers to my doorstep. I've been having to buy the Herald every Thursday to access a paper copy of the grocery store flyers. I'm hoping that this week will be my lucky week and flyers will arrive free on my doorstep. (If you don't get flyers, call Flyer Force - they are friendly and perhaps they can set you up!).
- Using these Flyers at stores to price match. Similar to coupons, the first time I asked for a price match, it felt a little bit like "really, you are going to do this?". But, if it is just one item I need from a different store, so much easier to get it while I'm shopping where I'm getting the majority of my other groceries. Just make sure it is the exact same item - weight/size, brand etc.
- Trading coupons! Through SmartCanucks, I have done my first successful coupon trade with a couple ladies in Ontario. A great way to get rid of coupons you aren't going to use, and get ones you will.
- Still shopping with just cash. The $125 was a great weekly amount for my family, but was hard to take out of the bank machine so I've reduced it down to $120 for the month of July.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Fundamental Truth
Here is what I know to be true after couponing and looking for deals since April. If you are going to coupon, and look for deals, you need to get over yourself. You will be shopping in places you may never have been willing to go to before. I hear this more than anything else - I would never shop at 'so and so'. I understand. For me it was Superstore. I hate (yes I still do) what I refer to as 'Stupidstore'.
My SP is not one of the new fancy locations. It's an older store that is absolutely nuts on weekends. I avoided it at all costs. I'm lucky I can go there during the week at quieter times of the day. I used to only shop at Safeway - I liked it there. Clean, organized, and I knew my way around. But here is the thing. By being willing to shop at places you never would have seen yourself before - you will save money. Lots of it.
We are down to $125 a week this month. And with three weeks under our belt, this is a fine amount for our family. We are able to get all of our essentials, plus get other stuff to stock up on. It is crazy to me that by only shopping at SF for weekly items, and paying full price, we used to spend $1200 a month. In our third month of couponing and saving, we are now spending $500 (4 weeks in June). And you know what, we have more food and supplies than before.
Yes, I am doing all the shopping. My hubby used to do his fair share, but with me looking for deals, I now handle it all. My husband said this past weekend that he "doesn't know how I do it" and that "we never seem to go without whatever it is we want." This feels like a huge compliment.
I want to tell you that if you are willing to stretch your shopping boundaries a bit, it will do wonders for your pocket book. For me, this has meant I could buy a new dress guilt free this month, some new yarn, our family went out for a nice dinner, and Nate can splurge on extra beer. And all these extras came without worrying we were stretching our budget. How wonderful is that?
:)
My SP is not one of the new fancy locations. It's an older store that is absolutely nuts on weekends. I avoided it at all costs. I'm lucky I can go there during the week at quieter times of the day. I used to only shop at Safeway - I liked it there. Clean, organized, and I knew my way around. But here is the thing. By being willing to shop at places you never would have seen yourself before - you will save money. Lots of it.
We are down to $125 a week this month. And with three weeks under our belt, this is a fine amount for our family. We are able to get all of our essentials, plus get other stuff to stock up on. It is crazy to me that by only shopping at SF for weekly items, and paying full price, we used to spend $1200 a month. In our third month of couponing and saving, we are now spending $500 (4 weeks in June). And you know what, we have more food and supplies than before.
Yes, I am doing all the shopping. My hubby used to do his fair share, but with me looking for deals, I now handle it all. My husband said this past weekend that he "doesn't know how I do it" and that "we never seem to go without whatever it is we want." This feels like a huge compliment.
I want to tell you that if you are willing to stretch your shopping boundaries a bit, it will do wonders for your pocket book. For me, this has meant I could buy a new dress guilt free this month, some new yarn, our family went out for a nice dinner, and Nate can splurge on extra beer. And all these extras came without worrying we were stretching our budget. How wonderful is that?
:)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
June Good Food Box
Our Good Food Box arrived today. I've been looking forward to this since the beginning of June! There were many similar items to the box we received in May, but also some new goodies as well.
My kids quickly dove into the grapes :) (Don't mind my sons overalls - lol. He'd just woken from a nap and I hadn't done up his snaps yet!)
In the box we found:
Bag of Celery
Bag of Potatoes (I've concluded with the monthly delivery of this box I no longer have need to purchase potatoes or onions).
Bag of Onions
4 bananas
2 Mangoes
5 Granny Smith Apples
2 Grapefruits
Bag Carrots
Head Lettuce
2 Green Peppers
Butternut Squash
Lemon
Grapes
4 Oranges
3 Bunches of Broccoli
1 Zucchini
The Good Food Box is now on a break until September. Sign ups at our pick up location start September 5th.
My kids quickly dove into the grapes :) (Don't mind my sons overalls - lol. He'd just woken from a nap and I hadn't done up his snaps yet!)
Bag of Celery
Bag of Potatoes (I've concluded with the monthly delivery of this box I no longer have need to purchase potatoes or onions).
Bag of Onions
4 bananas
2 Mangoes
5 Granny Smith Apples
2 Grapefruits
Bag Carrots
Head Lettuce
2 Green Peppers
Butternut Squash
Lemon
Grapes
4 Oranges
3 Bunches of Broccoli
1 Zucchini
The Good Food Box is now on a break until September. Sign ups at our pick up location start September 5th.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Quick! Grab the Calgary Sun!
In today's Calgary Sun, is the SmartSource flyer. In it you will find coupons for:
Finish Quantum Dish Soap
Free Lysol No Touch Hand Soap System
Resolve Stain Remover (this stuff is awesome)
St Ives Lotion
Vileda Mop & Refill
Little Swimmers
Red Lobster
Pull-Ups
Toilet Duck
Fantastik/Scrubbing Bubbles
Huggies Diapers & Wipes
Zest
Raid
Off
Splenda
Shoe Company
Towne Shoes
Elastoplast
Chuck E Cheese
Sweet!
Finish Quantum Dish Soap
Free Lysol No Touch Hand Soap System
Resolve Stain Remover (this stuff is awesome)
St Ives Lotion
Vileda Mop & Refill
Little Swimmers
Red Lobster
Pull-Ups
Toilet Duck
Fantastik/Scrubbing Bubbles
Huggies Diapers & Wipes
Zest
Raid
Off
Splenda
Shoe Company
Towne Shoes
Elastoplast
Chuck E Cheese
Sweet!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Week 2 Summary
At the end of week 2, having been shopping only using cash, I have to say I am loving it. And $125 seems like the perfect amount. We are able to get our weekly essentials (milk, eggs, produce etc.) and still have plenty to use to stock up our storage. Here's how I spent the bulk portion this week:
SF:
Most of the money was spent at Safeway this week. They had some great deals, plus the additional 10% off.
I bought the 3 cereals for $12, and received a 4L of milk for free. This deal was also available at Sobey's, but the cereals were not as well priced, and not ones my family would normally eat. I picked up 2 boxes of Rice Krispies, and a box of Mini Wheats with the coupon for free Yogourt. Here's the math - $12-$4 (milk) - $4 (yogourt) = $4 for 3 boxes of cereal - awesome!
I stocked up on Old Dutch Salsa - $1.99 each
Pampers - I bought the 2 Megapacks (92 diapers in my sons size) for $25. I had two, $2 coupons, and applied those to the purchase. I got the diapers for $21 before the 10% was taken off. This worked out to about $0.18 cents per diaper. Great deal!
Unico Tomatoes - These were $1.33 for 6.
SP:
Unico Beans - these were on for 4/$5. I picked up 4 cans.
Tostitos - I picked up two bags at $2 each, plus used a coupon from the storefront tear pad for a free salsa!
Five cans of Tuna at $1 each
Co-op:
I had a $10 gift card from a deal back in April and used it to pick up three boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios for $6.99.
Overall, I spent $92 at SF, and saved $65. I also saved $5 at SP by paying attention to in-store promotions.
Coming Up:
I usually look at upcoming flyers online, but today picked up a Calgary Herald to see if I prefer them in paper format. The verdict is still out. BUT, it looks like Co-op is having some great $10 deals this week, and Sobey's is having their dollar days! Deals start tomorrow. Happy shopping everyone!
SF:
Most of the money was spent at Safeway this week. They had some great deals, plus the additional 10% off.
I bought the 3 cereals for $12, and received a 4L of milk for free. This deal was also available at Sobey's, but the cereals were not as well priced, and not ones my family would normally eat. I picked up 2 boxes of Rice Krispies, and a box of Mini Wheats with the coupon for free Yogourt. Here's the math - $12-$4 (milk) - $4 (yogourt) = $4 for 3 boxes of cereal - awesome!
I stocked up on Old Dutch Salsa - $1.99 each
Pampers - I bought the 2 Megapacks (92 diapers in my sons size) for $25. I had two, $2 coupons, and applied those to the purchase. I got the diapers for $21 before the 10% was taken off. This worked out to about $0.18 cents per diaper. Great deal!
Unico Tomatoes - These were $1.33 for 6.
SP:
Unico Beans - these were on for 4/$5. I picked up 4 cans.
Tostitos - I picked up two bags at $2 each, plus used a coupon from the storefront tear pad for a free salsa!
Five cans of Tuna at $1 each
Co-op:
I had a $10 gift card from a deal back in April and used it to pick up three boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios for $6.99.
Overall, I spent $92 at SF, and saved $65. I also saved $5 at SP by paying attention to in-store promotions.
Coming Up:
I usually look at upcoming flyers online, but today picked up a Calgary Herald to see if I prefer them in paper format. The verdict is still out. BUT, it looks like Co-op is having some great $10 deals this week, and Sobey's is having their dollar days! Deals start tomorrow. Happy shopping everyone!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Deals of the week!
Here are the deals to be found this week (& don't forget 10% Tuesday today!):
SF:
Pampers Mega Pack - Baby Dry, Swaddlers or Cruisers 2/$25. Now, this normally isn't a deal as you can get the same at SP for $12.50 each if you buy at least 2. BUT, with 10% off today, it does make it cheaper. There were also Pampers coupons in this weekends P&G Brandsaver. I picked up the pampers today for 2/$21 + 10% off (2 coupons for $2 off).
Salsa - buy more than 2 and get them for $1.99 each
Unico Tomatoes - buy at least 6 and get them each for $1.33
Buy 3 Kelloggs cereals, and get a free 4L milk.
Kellogg cereal - 3/$12
Sunlight Laundry - B0G0
Breton Crackers - B0G0
Co-op:
Cheerios Honey Nut - 3/$6.99
SB:
Cornflakes - 2/$7
Buy 3 Kellogs & get a fre 4L milk
SP:
Unico Beans - 4/$5
Tuna - $1 each
Tostitos - $2 each (there is also a coupon at the front of the store for buy 2 and get a free salsa!)
Wal-Mart:
Thanks to an anonymous tip on a previous post, Ragu is on sale for $1.25 and pasta is on sale for $1.50. Sweet!
What deals have you found?
SF:
Pampers Mega Pack - Baby Dry, Swaddlers or Cruisers 2/$25. Now, this normally isn't a deal as you can get the same at SP for $12.50 each if you buy at least 2. BUT, with 10% off today, it does make it cheaper. There were also Pampers coupons in this weekends P&G Brandsaver. I picked up the pampers today for 2/$21 + 10% off (2 coupons for $2 off).
Salsa - buy more than 2 and get them for $1.99 each
Unico Tomatoes - buy at least 6 and get them each for $1.33
Buy 3 Kelloggs cereals, and get a free 4L milk.
Kellogg cereal - 3/$12
Sunlight Laundry - B0G0
Breton Crackers - B0G0
Co-op:
Cheerios Honey Nut - 3/$6.99
SB:
Cornflakes - 2/$7
Buy 3 Kellogs & get a fre 4L milk
SP:
Unico Beans - 4/$5
Tuna - $1 each
Tostitos - $2 each (there is also a coupon at the front of the store for buy 2 and get a free salsa!)
Wal-Mart:
Thanks to an anonymous tip on a previous post, Ragu is on sale for $1.25 and pasta is on sale for $1.50. Sweet!
What deals have you found?
10% Tuesday!
Today is 10% off at Sobey's & at Safeway (or 10X your airmiles at SF). Great time to get your groceries! I'll be back around lunch hour with the deals of the week - enough time to check the list AND get your 10% off :)
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Red Plum & P&G Brandsaver!
These two awesome coupon books can be found in today's Calgary Herald. Make sure you look through the paper before purchasing - I found mine at Safeway, but my local 7-11 didn't have them.
Tide
Pampers
Duracell
Dove
Iams
Voortman Cookies
Charmin
Puffs
Bounty
Swiffer
Dawn
Mr Clean
Cascade
Venus
Clairol
Covergirl
Crest products
Gillette
Bounce
Downy
Go get yours soon!
Tide
Pampers
Duracell
Dove
Iams
Voortman Cookies
Charmin
Puffs
Bounty
Swiffer
Dawn
Mr Clean
Cascade
Venus
Clairol
Covergirl
Crest products
Gillette
Bounce
Downy
Go get yours soon!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Week 1 Summary
It's Thursday - which means today is the last day of week 1 of my adventure with shopping with a cash budget for groceries. I'm excited to see that I did it!
Here was my plan:
$85 of 1 my $125 budget went to weekly expenses. I broke this into five categories. Milk, Meat (deli meat for my hubs), Eggs, Produce & my hubs Monster Drinks. The remaining $40 was allocated to purchasing bulk items.
I took a look through the flyers last week and wrote down all the deals. Previously I would have gone and tried to stock up on them all. This week, I decided which ones were the most needed for us, and/or which ones were the best deals. Items that were deals that I scratched off my purchase list were Pop & Tylenol at SF, Tomatoes & Yogourt at Co-op, and Kleenex at SB's.
Here is what I did get:
2 choc bars on sale at SF for $0.50 each. (Hey, a girl needs her chocolate!)
4 Toilet Duck Toilet bowl cleaners
4 6pack of Monster (on sale at Co-op - this fell into both weekly amounts & bulk amounts).
2 Finish laundry detergents @ SP
2 Lil Ones Yogourts at SP
2 Quaker Rice Cakes
1 30 pack of Breathe Right Nasal Strips
Total savings from the receipts were $38. This doesn't take into account items I purchased at SP that are already cheaper than buying at the other grocery chains. Of that $38, $6.5 were coupons - either in-store pad coupons, or ones that were mailed to me. These were for the Lil Ones Yogourt, Finish laundry detergent & breathe right strips. We spent around $15 on fresh produce.
Heading into next week I have $14.74 carried over from this week!
Does anyone want/need diaper coupons? I have some that expire June 10th for Huggies & Lil Swimmers. Please leave me a note here if this interests you!
Here was my plan:
$85 of 1 my $125 budget went to weekly expenses. I broke this into five categories. Milk, Meat (deli meat for my hubs), Eggs, Produce & my hubs Monster Drinks. The remaining $40 was allocated to purchasing bulk items.
I took a look through the flyers last week and wrote down all the deals. Previously I would have gone and tried to stock up on them all. This week, I decided which ones were the most needed for us, and/or which ones were the best deals. Items that were deals that I scratched off my purchase list were Pop & Tylenol at SF, Tomatoes & Yogourt at Co-op, and Kleenex at SB's.
Here is what I did get:
2 choc bars on sale at SF for $0.50 each. (Hey, a girl needs her chocolate!)
4 Toilet Duck Toilet bowl cleaners
4 6pack of Monster (on sale at Co-op - this fell into both weekly amounts & bulk amounts).
2 Finish laundry detergents @ SP
2 Lil Ones Yogourts at SP
2 Quaker Rice Cakes
1 30 pack of Breathe Right Nasal Strips
Total savings from the receipts were $38. This doesn't take into account items I purchased at SP that are already cheaper than buying at the other grocery chains. Of that $38, $6.5 were coupons - either in-store pad coupons, or ones that were mailed to me. These were for the Lil Ones Yogourt, Finish laundry detergent & breathe right strips. We spent around $15 on fresh produce.
Heading into next week I have $14.74 carried over from this week!
Does anyone want/need diaper coupons? I have some that expire June 10th for Huggies & Lil Swimmers. Please leave me a note here if this interests you!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Deals of the Week
I apologize for this post being so late in the week. For the month of June I've made a few personal changes, one being the cash grocery system I discussed in my last post, and another being that I have signed off of Facebook. Here's a little secret - I'm really enjoying it. It's true. It's really nice to not be so plugged in. For the most part, I don't check my computer unless my littlest is napping, or until the evening when both are in bed. This frees up so much time to just be during the day. But I'm digressing. You came here to see some deals right? Here they are:
This week I went through the SF, SB's, Coop, Wal-mart & Shoppers Flyers. I wrote down the items that both looked liked deals, as well as were items my family would use. Then I hit SP on Sunday and figured out which were actually deals. Here is what I came up with:
SF:
2L Pop - $1 each (the photo showed Sprite & Gingerale I believe. I think Cola was excluded).
Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade - $1. Not a deal. Regularly $0.99 at SP.
Reese Choc Bars - 2/$1
Toilet Duck Toilet Cleaner - $2 (Great deal. This is over $3 at SP).
Sunlight Dish Detergent 625mL to 950mL. Not a deal. Regularly $1.98 at SP.
Co-op:
Breathe Right Nasal Strips 30's - $14.99.
Finish Dish Soap - $7.99. Not a deal.
Alymer Tomatoes (are you seeing a theme. I've been noticing tomatoes are on sale alot right now). 3/$4.98. At SP for $1.99 for 19 oz.
Astro 650g Smooth & Fruity Yogourt - 4/$5. I keep wondering if that was a typo in the flyer. Seriously? Awesome deal.
SB:
Chipits Choc Chips 1Kg $7.99 - Not a deal. Same price at SP.
Kleenex 6 pack - $4.99
SP:
Picked up Rice Cakes for $1.27 and Goldfish Crackers (club size like Costco) for $7.99.
I've decided to run our cash 'weeks' the same as the flyers - Friday til Thursday. I started it this past weekend, and with just a couple days to go, we are doing great. Looking forward to reporting back to you all with what we were able to get, and how much we saved!
June is upon us tomorrow - have you made your meal plan? Would love to hear about what is on your list!
This week I went through the SF, SB's, Coop, Wal-mart & Shoppers Flyers. I wrote down the items that both looked liked deals, as well as were items my family would use. Then I hit SP on Sunday and figured out which were actually deals. Here is what I came up with:
SF:
2L Pop - $1 each (the photo showed Sprite & Gingerale I believe. I think Cola was excluded).
Reese Choc Bars - 2/$1
Toilet Duck Toilet Cleaner - $2 (Great deal. This is over $3 at SP).
Co-op:
Breathe Right Nasal Strips 30's - $14.99.
Alymer Tomatoes (are you seeing a theme. I've been noticing tomatoes are on sale alot right now). 3/$4.98. At SP for $1.99 for 19 oz.
Astro 650g Smooth & Fruity Yogourt - 4/$5. I keep wondering if that was a typo in the flyer. Seriously? Awesome deal.
SB:
Kleenex 6 pack - $4.99
SP:
Picked up Rice Cakes for $1.27 and Goldfish Crackers (club size like Costco) for $7.99.
I've decided to run our cash 'weeks' the same as the flyers - Friday til Thursday. I started it this past weekend, and with just a couple days to go, we are doing great. Looking forward to reporting back to you all with what we were able to get, and how much we saved!
June is upon us tomorrow - have you made your meal plan? Would love to hear about what is on your list!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Paying with Cash
For the month of June (starting this Monday, May 30th), I am going to be using a cash system to pay for my families groceries. I've set myself a budget of $125 a week. I'm excited, and a bit nervous, to see how this will go. The amount of $400 seemed a bit daunting, so I switched it to the weekly amount mentioned above.
I'll be posting on Mondays (starting June 6th) with updates on what we've been able to purchase, and how we are doing.
For more information on using a cash budget, head here.
Thank you to those who posted comments on my previous post! I enjoyed reading them. For the month of June I will not be on Facebook. Please keep leaving comments as a way to keep communication open about great deals in our city!
I'll be posting on Mondays (starting June 6th) with updates on what we've been able to purchase, and how we are doing.
For more information on using a cash budget, head here.
Thank you to those who posted comments on my previous post! I enjoyed reading them. For the month of June I will not be on Facebook. Please keep leaving comments as a way to keep communication open about great deals in our city!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Free Candy!
I've never heard of these before, but my family love candy, and it's even better when it's free. Head to this Websaver link to get some for yourself!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Art of Using Coupons
I've been collecting & using coupons since April, but I'm only just starting to figure out the 'art' of using coupons. Yes, there is a technique. A simple one, and I'm going to share it with you.
Only use coupons when the item is also on sale.
I told you - easy right? Ok, it does sound alot simpler than it is. But almost two months into it, I'm getting a bit better at it.
First, you need to gather enough coupons of items you'll actually use. I'm already finding I'm getting caught in the trap of gathering coupons for items my family previously would not have eaten (like Quaker granola bars), but I pick them up because 'heh! That's a treat!'. I need to curb this or my children will think grocery shopping and couponing means goodies for them. All in moderation I suppose.
Once you have your coupons, you need to keep track of their expiry date, and keep on the lookout for the items on sale. And be careful of where they are on sale. Items at sale at SB's, SF, or Co-op are not necessarily items that are cheap. I have encountered quite a few times where sale items are still more expensive than at SP. For example:
Windex was BOGO last week at SF. It ended up being the same price as buying them individually on any given day at SP.
Catelli Smart Pasta -on sale at SF this week for 2/$5. The spaghetti at SP is $1.97 per box. Still a $1 cheaper when you buy two.
Tostitos - SF likes to feature these for 2/$6. You can find them at SP whenever you like for $2.97, and sometimes even for $2.47.
The key is being on the lookout.
Here are some great deals I've picked up this week, and used coupons for:
Tide 26 load regular laundry detergent. At SF for BOGO. They are regularly $7.99. I got two for that price, plus had a $5 off coupon. The deteregent only cost me $2.99.
RedHot Hot Sauce - at SF BOGO, priced at $5.59 (per bottle at SP are $4.37). I got two bottles, plus I had a $1 off coupon. My total cost for two was $4.59.
Tylenol Extra Strength 100 count - these were on sale at SP, 150 count for $7.79. I ended up getting a 100 count with a travel 10 count included instead as it featured $5 extra of coupons inside (bonus!). I had a $2 off coupon, so the Tylenol cost me just over $5 (don't forget I have $5 of savings inside the box as well!).
Off Bug Spray - SP had this on sale for just over $7. I also had a $2 off coupon and got it for $5. Sweet!
It's amazing how much you can save when you double up the coupons.
Ok, now onto great deals in the flyers this week (& not so great deals):
SB's - Breyers icecream $2.99, limit of 2. (I love their commercial that says you know it's a deal when there is a limit) ;)
SB's - NOT a deal. Groundbeef on for $6.49/kg. Costco has it for $5.49 a kg on any given day.
SF - Tide laundry detergent & Purex laundry detergent - BOGO.
SF - RedHot Sauce - BOGO
SB's - Kiwis, BOGO
SB's - Corn on the Cob - $1.99 I believe for 6, limit of 12
I know that Fantastik and a couple other cleaners are on sale at SF for BOGO this week but I haven't compared them to regular SP costs.
And lastly, SP has some great coupons available when you come in the store right now. Lil Ones Yogourt for $.75 cents off, Tampax $1 off, and $1.50 off Finish detergent.
What deals have you found this week? (and I know you are all out there lurking, please do say hello. I like comments. I might assume nobody reads this and I'd stop posting. Would you really want that? (Yes, I'm not below threats) ;)
ETA: Finally got the Co-op flyer to load and there are lots of great deals there this week. Old Dutch Tortilla Chips 3/$6, Dove Body Wash $2.99, Unico Beans 4/$5, Unico Tomatoes 4/$5, Breyers Icecream $2.99 (not sure if there is a limit). This was all just at a quick glance. Co-op is worth checking out this week!
Only use coupons when the item is also on sale.
I told you - easy right? Ok, it does sound alot simpler than it is. But almost two months into it, I'm getting a bit better at it.
First, you need to gather enough coupons of items you'll actually use. I'm already finding I'm getting caught in the trap of gathering coupons for items my family previously would not have eaten (like Quaker granola bars), but I pick them up because 'heh! That's a treat!'. I need to curb this or my children will think grocery shopping and couponing means goodies for them. All in moderation I suppose.
Once you have your coupons, you need to keep track of their expiry date, and keep on the lookout for the items on sale. And be careful of where they are on sale. Items at sale at SB's, SF, or Co-op are not necessarily items that are cheap. I have encountered quite a few times where sale items are still more expensive than at SP. For example:
Windex was BOGO last week at SF. It ended up being the same price as buying them individually on any given day at SP.
Catelli Smart Pasta -on sale at SF this week for 2/$5. The spaghetti at SP is $1.97 per box. Still a $1 cheaper when you buy two.
Tostitos - SF likes to feature these for 2/$6. You can find them at SP whenever you like for $2.97, and sometimes even for $2.47.
The key is being on the lookout.
Here are some great deals I've picked up this week, and used coupons for:
Tide 26 load regular laundry detergent. At SF for BOGO. They are regularly $7.99. I got two for that price, plus had a $5 off coupon. The deteregent only cost me $2.99.
RedHot Hot Sauce - at SF BOGO, priced at $5.59 (per bottle at SP are $4.37). I got two bottles, plus I had a $1 off coupon. My total cost for two was $4.59.
Tylenol Extra Strength 100 count - these were on sale at SP, 150 count for $7.79. I ended up getting a 100 count with a travel 10 count included instead as it featured $5 extra of coupons inside (bonus!). I had a $2 off coupon, so the Tylenol cost me just over $5 (don't forget I have $5 of savings inside the box as well!).
Off Bug Spray - SP had this on sale for just over $7. I also had a $2 off coupon and got it for $5. Sweet!
It's amazing how much you can save when you double up the coupons.
Ok, now onto great deals in the flyers this week (& not so great deals):
SB's - Breyers icecream $2.99, limit of 2. (I love their commercial that says you know it's a deal when there is a limit) ;)
SB's - NOT a deal. Groundbeef on for $6.49/kg. Costco has it for $5.49 a kg on any given day.
SF - Tide laundry detergent & Purex laundry detergent - BOGO.
SF - RedHot Sauce - BOGO
SB's - Kiwis, BOGO
SB's - Corn on the Cob - $1.99 I believe for 6, limit of 12
I know that Fantastik and a couple other cleaners are on sale at SF for BOGO this week but I haven't compared them to regular SP costs.
And lastly, SP has some great coupons available when you come in the store right now. Lil Ones Yogourt for $.75 cents off, Tampax $1 off, and $1.50 off Finish detergent.
What deals have you found this week? (and I know you are all out there lurking, please do say hello. I like comments. I might assume nobody reads this and I'd stop posting. Would you really want that? (Yes, I'm not below threats) ;)
ETA: Finally got the Co-op flyer to load and there are lots of great deals there this week. Old Dutch Tortilla Chips 3/$6, Dove Body Wash $2.99, Unico Beans 4/$5, Unico Tomatoes 4/$5, Breyers Icecream $2.99 (not sure if there is a limit). This was all just at a quick glance. Co-op is worth checking out this week!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Calgary Deals Blog
I can't recall where I first found out about this gem, but it's great. Rather than getting an e-mail from Groupon, Dealfind, Living Social & others, you can sign up with 'Calgary Deals Blog' and get a list of all the daily deals in one simple e-mail. It's awesome. Give it a try & clean up your inbox!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Need Gas?
Next time you need to fill up on gas, check out this website first! Maybe you'll find somewhere cheaper to go near to where you are, rather than your regular joint!
I was pretty surprised to see 1.14 at Costco today, but am more surprised to see there are other cheaper options still within our city. Weren't we just in the mid '20's last week? Seriously crazy fluctuation.
I was pretty surprised to see 1.14 at Costco today, but am more surprised to see there are other cheaper options still within our city. Weren't we just in the mid '20's last week? Seriously crazy fluctuation.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Deals for the Day!
- Last day. Wal-mart - Triscuits/Ritz Crackers on for $1.97 a box!
- Last day. Wal-mart. 28oz cans of Alymer Tomatoes on sale for $1.27
- Check out this list of great coupons to print.
- And this website has a great list (if you scroll through the first page of posts) of coupons. Tea, Scones, Bread & McDonalds!
- Wonder bread. Click 'like' on their FB page and enter your personal information. The more 'likes' they get, the better deals we get! Go click!
There are some sweet deals coming up in the flyers this week. Sobey's is having their BOGO event, and Safeway has a few BOGO items as well! Check them out online today. The deals start tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
One Step Furthur
Here's a personal challenge I'm not yet sure I should post... mostly because I'm not sure I can stick to it. But here it goes!
Since starting the effort to trim down our grocery budget a month and a half ago, I have cut our monthly food bill by about $300. Not only have I cut it significantly, I've also created quite a stockpile of items (perhaps I'll post a photo one day). But I want to trim it even more, because our overall budget still makes me cringe. When we went down to one income, sadly our bills still stayed the same. Groceries are one area that I can easily control how much is spent, therefore how much we can save.
I did some research tonight (Google can be called research right?) and the average 'couple with children' in Canada spends roughly $830 a month on food. In Alberta, the average spent on food is around $650 (but this lumps together all types of households from one person upwards).
I do feel content that we are spending the average amount per household, and creating a stockpile, but I also was reading some posts on SmartCanucks, that those crazy shopping savvy women usually spend $400 a month. That is HALF what the typical household spends.
Now that I've created a stockpile, and know that my family spends about $30 a week in fresh produce, I think that perhaps a budget of $400 on groceries is acheivable. That still leaves $70 a week to stockpile and deal shop with (given alot of our staples are already stocked up and I would just be replenshing).
It's food for thought (ha!). But I might make this my personal challenge in June. And I think in order to stick to it it would need to be a cash system.
Thoughts on this? Possible? Impossible? My family will starve?
Since starting the effort to trim down our grocery budget a month and a half ago, I have cut our monthly food bill by about $300. Not only have I cut it significantly, I've also created quite a stockpile of items (perhaps I'll post a photo one day). But I want to trim it even more, because our overall budget still makes me cringe. When we went down to one income, sadly our bills still stayed the same. Groceries are one area that I can easily control how much is spent, therefore how much we can save.
I did some research tonight (Google can be called research right?) and the average 'couple with children' in Canada spends roughly $830 a month on food. In Alberta, the average spent on food is around $650 (but this lumps together all types of households from one person upwards).
I do feel content that we are spending the average amount per household, and creating a stockpile, but I also was reading some posts on SmartCanucks, that those crazy shopping savvy women usually spend $400 a month. That is HALF what the typical household spends.
Now that I've created a stockpile, and know that my family spends about $30 a week in fresh produce, I think that perhaps a budget of $400 on groceries is acheivable. That still leaves $70 a week to stockpile and deal shop with (given alot of our staples are already stocked up and I would just be replenshing).
It's food for thought (ha!). But I might make this my personal challenge in June. And I think in order to stick to it it would need to be a cash system.
Thoughts on this? Possible? Impossible? My family will starve?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Diaper Deal!
When my daughter was born, I used Kirkland (Costco) brand diapers until she was about 18 months. When she really started moving, I found they didn't fit her as well and switched to Pampers. With my son, I therefore started right off using Huggies (as I could get them at Costco whereas Pampers you can't). I also prefer as limited scent as possible to diapers, and find Pampers have a way stronger scent than Huggies.
A box of Huggies diapers on sale at Costco will run you about $38. A box of size 5 Huggies contains 176 diapers. As I was doing my shopping at SP on Monday, I noticed their huge display of Pampers and it piqued my curiosity. I got home and did some math.
The Pampers diapers are on sale at SP, sizes newborn to size 6, for $26.89. A box of size 5 for comparison purposes, has 136 diapers.
Costco - $0.22 cents per diaper
SP - $0.20 cents per diaper
Now that may seem like a small difference given it's only $0.02. But here is how the big picture works out:
If Costco Huggies diaper were $0.20 cents per diaper, 176 diapers would cost you $34.80. (Excuse some rounding I didn't post). You save roughly $4 overall. I believe the regular price of Costco diapers is $43 a box. That's almost a savings of $10 if you don't buy them on sale!
I'm not sure how long the deal is on for at SP, and there is a limit of 4. The more you buy though, the more you save :)
A box of Huggies diapers on sale at Costco will run you about $38. A box of size 5 Huggies contains 176 diapers. As I was doing my shopping at SP on Monday, I noticed their huge display of Pampers and it piqued my curiosity. I got home and did some math.
The Pampers diapers are on sale at SP, sizes newborn to size 6, for $26.89. A box of size 5 for comparison purposes, has 136 diapers.
Costco - $0.22 cents per diaper
SP - $0.20 cents per diaper
Now that may seem like a small difference given it's only $0.02. But here is how the big picture works out:
If Costco Huggies diaper were $0.20 cents per diaper, 176 diapers would cost you $34.80. (Excuse some rounding I didn't post). You save roughly $4 overall. I believe the regular price of Costco diapers is $43 a box. That's almost a savings of $10 if you don't buy them on sale!
I'm not sure how long the deal is on for at SP, and there is a limit of 4. The more you buy though, the more you save :)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Counting Pennies
I was a bit slow going through this weeks flyers and figuring out the deals. I finalized my list this morning, and hit the stores with my son after dropping my daughter at pre-school. Thank goodness he's too little to protest about going to three seperate stores :|
Here's how I typically shop. I look through all the flyers online (there is a list of where to find them on the right sidebar). I write down what either we need, or what looks like a great deal. I then take that list and go to Superstore. I check all the items from the other stores against Superstore prices. This will solidify if it's truly a deal, or not. Once I have all that figured out, what are actual deals I will head to the other stores to get. Here is what I found this week:
Co-op:
Monster Drinks 4 pack. These usually retail for $10.99 and are on sale for $6.99. My hubby drinks one a day so I always look for these on sale.
Tostitos 2/$6 or Ruffles (not sure the pricing). Normally this wouldn't be a deal, as they are currently $2.47 a bag at SP. However, when I was there this morning, they had a buy 2 and get a dip for free. There is salsa which retails for just over $2, or ranch dip for just over $5. If you like ranch dip, then this is an awesome deal!
Safeway:
Windex is on for BOGO. However, their BOGO price is the same price you can get them for at SP. No deal here.
Quaker Oats are on for BOGO. I thought this would be great, but it is just their Quick Cooking Oats for porridge, not the oats you can use in baking. Too bad.
Lysol BOGO. There were none on the shelf so I grabbed a Raincheck. The bathroom cleaner would work out to about $3 a bottle. SP has the cleaner (the kitchen one) for $3.97.
Honey Nut Cheerios - 2/$8 with a coupon on each box for $5 icecream. You make $2!
Counting Pennies:
I found this week, that alot of items on sale at Co-op, SF, or SB's were only a penny more expensive on sale, than SP. Some examples:
Kids bandaids. On sale at SF, one penny cheaper at SP regular price.
Astro yogourt. 2/$5 at SB's. At SP for 2.49 each, limit of 4.
Taco Kit (with a free salsa coupon!) - SB's for 3.49, SP for 3.47 regular price.
Mustard - at SB for 1.99 (400ml) and at SP for 1.98 regular price.
Pull-Ups - on sale at SF for 15.99, at SP for 14.99, limit of 2.
What great deals have you found in the stores this week? Flyer items good until May 19th.
Here's how I typically shop. I look through all the flyers online (there is a list of where to find them on the right sidebar). I write down what either we need, or what looks like a great deal. I then take that list and go to Superstore. I check all the items from the other stores against Superstore prices. This will solidify if it's truly a deal, or not. Once I have all that figured out, what are actual deals I will head to the other stores to get. Here is what I found this week:
Co-op:
Monster Drinks 4 pack. These usually retail for $10.99 and are on sale for $6.99. My hubby drinks one a day so I always look for these on sale.
Tostitos 2/$6 or Ruffles (not sure the pricing). Normally this wouldn't be a deal, as they are currently $2.47 a bag at SP. However, when I was there this morning, they had a buy 2 and get a dip for free. There is salsa which retails for just over $2, or ranch dip for just over $5. If you like ranch dip, then this is an awesome deal!
Safeway:
Windex is on for BOGO. However, their BOGO price is the same price you can get them for at SP. No deal here.
Quaker Oats are on for BOGO. I thought this would be great, but it is just their Quick Cooking Oats for porridge, not the oats you can use in baking. Too bad.
Lysol BOGO. There were none on the shelf so I grabbed a Raincheck. The bathroom cleaner would work out to about $3 a bottle. SP has the cleaner (the kitchen one) for $3.97.
Honey Nut Cheerios - 2/$8 with a coupon on each box for $5 icecream. You make $2!
Counting Pennies:
I found this week, that alot of items on sale at Co-op, SF, or SB's were only a penny more expensive on sale, than SP. Some examples:
Kids bandaids. On sale at SF, one penny cheaper at SP regular price.
Astro yogourt. 2/$5 at SB's. At SP for 2.49 each, limit of 4.
Taco Kit (with a free salsa coupon!) - SB's for 3.49, SP for 3.47 regular price.
Mustard - at SB for 1.99 (400ml) and at SP for 1.98 regular price.
Pull-Ups - on sale at SF for 15.99, at SP for 14.99, limit of 2.
What great deals have you found in the stores this week? Flyer items good until May 19th.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
What to do with ALL that food?
You may have been wondering after this post, how I would possibly use all that produce. Here's the scoop (and some ideas for yourself if you are now considering getting a box!).
I wasn't too worried about the fruit, as we go through fruit rather quickly in our home. The struggle was figuring out how to use all the veggies. Here's where it all went:
Carrots - I ran all the carrots (both bags worth) through the Food Processor, then steam blanched them. They were then saved in 1C portions and put in our freezer. I will use these in soups, sauces, stews etc.
Spinach - similarly, I steam blanched the spinach and also froze it in usable portions. I'll secretly mix this into sauces & lasagnas (small enough so the kids don't know it's there... I like to be sneaky like that). I will admit I did make a Spinach Frittata one night for dinner. The kids like eggs so I thought it would fly. It did not. Lesson learned.
Broccoli - one bunch will be used in a stir fry this week, and the other will be frozen.
Green Peppers - I am going to food process these tomorrow and make a spaghetti sauce with them.
Corn - for dinner, tonight!
I wasn't too worried about the fruit, as we go through fruit rather quickly in our home. The struggle was figuring out how to use all the veggies. Here's where it all went:
Carrots - I ran all the carrots (both bags worth) through the Food Processor, then steam blanched them. They were then saved in 1C portions and put in our freezer. I will use these in soups, sauces, stews etc.
Spinach - similarly, I steam blanched the spinach and also froze it in usable portions. I'll secretly mix this into sauces & lasagnas (small enough so the kids don't know it's there... I like to be sneaky like that). I will admit I did make a Spinach Frittata one night for dinner. The kids like eggs so I thought it would fly. It did not. Lesson learned.
Lettuce - my Mom loves salad, so I gave her the head of lettuce.
Zucchini - the zucchini was quickly made into a batch of zucchini bread. I also added in some dark chocolate chips :) Half the loaf was frozen, and half is currently in our kitchen. I had never made zucchini bread before for the kids, but they love it!
Tomatoes - haven't touched these yet, but I will most likely freeze them as well.
Onions & Potatoes - stored downstairs in our food storage area.
Corn - for dinner, tonight!
I also made a batch of muffins this week from Deceptively Delicious, which used up one of the apples and some of the processed carrots.
I love that I have so much produce frozen and ready to use at a moments notice.
What would you do with all that produce?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Good Food Box
Today was a day I've been looking forward to for awhile - the arrival of my Good Food Box. When I first started trying to cut back our grocery expenditures, I asked on Facebook ways other families save. One friend responded she uses a Good Food Box. What is it you ask?
A Good Food Box is a community run program, where essentially the produce is purchased in bulk, and distributed so the consumers save. When possible, the produce is directly from farmers or wholesale distributors.
My jaw almost dropped when I picked it up today.
A Good Food Box is a community run program, where essentially the produce is purchased in bulk, and distributed so the consumers save. When possible, the produce is directly from farmers or wholesale distributors.
Not knowing what I was really signing up for, I purchased a family box in April - 30 lbs of produce for $20.
My jaw almost dropped when I picked it up today.
Inside I found:
4 bananas (as I layed the fruit out, the girls decided to eat one of the bananas)
5 apples
2 bunches of broccoli
A bag of potatoes
4 onions
3 tomatoes
5 oranges
2 lemons
2 large bags of baby carrots
2 bunches of spinach
1 head lettuce
2 green peppers
2 zucchinis
1 cantaloupe
2 grapefruits
5 ears of corn
5 ears of corn
Isn't that INCREDIBLE? Now, I would only venture to guess that this amount of produce would cost around $50 at a supermarket. What would your guess be?
Now I am going to figure out how much of it I can freeze so I preserve some of this goodness.
The next Good Food Box to sign up for is in June, then the program takes a break and starts back up in the fall.
Yeah for fresh food at a great price!
Monday, May 9, 2011
My husband and I were away over the weekend and were enjoying a quiet, non interrupted, dinner together at The Keg. As I was looking through the menu, I commented to him on how popular Facebook is becoming. I doubt you could find a company now that does not have a Facebook page. On the bottom of The Keg menu, it had the Facebook icon and directions on how to find their page.
I'm not someone who usually tracks down these companies to 'like' them. However, you can't pass by opportunities to receive items for Free by simply having to make one click.
The latest is Triscuit. Head to their Facebook page, click the 'like' button, and fill in your info to get a free box of Triscuits mailed to you, plus a recipe book.
Happy clicking!
I'm not someone who usually tracks down these companies to 'like' them. However, you can't pass by opportunities to receive items for Free by simply having to make one click.
The latest is Triscuit. Head to their Facebook page, click the 'like' button, and fill in your info to get a free box of Triscuits mailed to you, plus a recipe book.
Happy clicking!
Joe Fresh - Superstore
Here's a great link from my girlfriend. If you buy clothes at Joe Fresh (the Superstore line), click on that link to find great coupons on clothes. The current one is for a pair of girls socks - BOGO. Offer is good until May 20th.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
McGavin's Bread Basket - Groupon
I'm not much of a Groupon shopper. I see the e-mails come into my inbox, and sometimes, actually quite a few times, I see a good deal come through, but I have yet to act on one. Perhaps I should!
A good friend forwarded me the link earlier today for the current Groupon - for $15 worth of baked goods at McGavins Bread Basket, you only pay $7. That's a savings of 53%! It also says in the fine print that there are bulk buying options. Might be a good thing to look into!
Hurry though - you can only purchase this deal for 1 more day!
I added a link on the sidebar for Coupon sites last week, and today added Groupon Calgary to that list. Hopefully that will make it easier for you all to find great local deals!
A good friend forwarded me the link earlier today for the current Groupon - for $15 worth of baked goods at McGavins Bread Basket, you only pay $7. That's a savings of 53%! It also says in the fine print that there are bulk buying options. Might be a good thing to look into!
Hurry though - you can only purchase this deal for 1 more day!
I added a link on the sidebar for Coupon sites last week, and today added Groupon Calgary to that list. Hopefully that will make it easier for you all to find great local deals!
Who doesn't like Free?
Want a free pack of chewing gum? Follow this link to the Stride chewing gum Facebook page. Click the 'Like' button. Wait for the video to load, then on the right you will see the Free sign. Click on that, fill in your info, and wait for your gum to arrive in the snail mail :) Fine print says there is one free pack per person, and only 10,000 samples available per week, for five weeks, starting May 2nd. Offer expires June 13th.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Deal too good to share
But not sharing wouldn't really be fair, so I will.
The new flyers for this upcoming week were posted last night (see the right hand side bar for the links). There are quite a few BOGO at Safeway, and Sobey's is featuring dollar days.
For myself, there weren't many deals this week that grabbed my attention, other than the BOGO of Raisin Bran at SF. My daughters birthday was yesterday and she was gifted a Leap Frog Tag reading system. I hit SF this morning to pick her up some batteries (also BOGO) as well as the Raisin Bran. As I was venturing down the cereal aisle, I noticed Mini Wheats were also BOGO.
Cereal is one item which I will no longer buy full price. There seems to always be a good deal on cereal. Right now, I have 12 boxes stored downstairs. The other great thing about cereal, is many times, other coupons will be featured on the boxes.
Now, here's the awesome deal. If you look, the Mini Wheats boxes feature coupons for Minute Maid frozen juice, Eggo Waffles, a couple other items I paid no attention to, and.... Sihouette 0% yogourt. All these coupons are to receive those items for FREE.
Let's break it down. The cereal retails for just over $6. You get two for those price, so say $3 a piece. Now, if you pick up the Yogourt coupon boxes, yogourt retails for probably over $4. You are actually making money! You walk away with an extra $1 or so in your pocket. Nice!
Now of course, you need to like Mini Wheats, and like Silhouette yogourt (or at least be willing to eat that brand of yogourt). If you do, then this deal is pretty sweet.
Happy Friday to you!
The new flyers for this upcoming week were posted last night (see the right hand side bar for the links). There are quite a few BOGO at Safeway, and Sobey's is featuring dollar days.
For myself, there weren't many deals this week that grabbed my attention, other than the BOGO of Raisin Bran at SF. My daughters birthday was yesterday and she was gifted a Leap Frog Tag reading system. I hit SF this morning to pick her up some batteries (also BOGO) as well as the Raisin Bran. As I was venturing down the cereal aisle, I noticed Mini Wheats were also BOGO.
Cereal is one item which I will no longer buy full price. There seems to always be a good deal on cereal. Right now, I have 12 boxes stored downstairs. The other great thing about cereal, is many times, other coupons will be featured on the boxes.
Now, here's the awesome deal. If you look, the Mini Wheats boxes feature coupons for Minute Maid frozen juice, Eggo Waffles, a couple other items I paid no attention to, and.... Sihouette 0% yogourt. All these coupons are to receive those items for FREE.
Let's break it down. The cereal retails for just over $6. You get two for those price, so say $3 a piece. Now, if you pick up the Yogourt coupon boxes, yogourt retails for probably over $4. You are actually making money! You walk away with an extra $1 or so in your pocket. Nice!
Now of course, you need to like Mini Wheats, and like Silhouette yogourt (or at least be willing to eat that brand of yogourt). If you do, then this deal is pretty sweet.
Happy Friday to you!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Like Coca-Cola?
Are you a fan of Coke? I must admit that I'm not. But, for just 5 cents, on May 7th I might be. Click here to get a printable coupon you can bring into your local Mac's convenience store, and you too can get a 414 mL of Coca-Cola for their original price of 5 cents.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Trim Your Budget
When I started trying to trim down the amount my husband and I were spending monthly on food, I also started to look at other areas we were spending excess cash on that could be trimmed as well.
For me, that was my cell phone bill. I use my phone primarily for texting, and vary rarely use it for chatting. By switching my plan, I have gone from paying aound $65 a month, to now paying only $30. I still have some daytime minutes, but free evenings & weekends. Only perk I lost was having caller ID. And for an extra $7 a month, I was ok with it going.
Friends of mine have recently cut cable from their lives (don't drop your jaws... I know they are going to be OK). My girlfriends husband told me that for the cost of one month of their cable, they were able to buy an antenna to pick up HD stations (the antenna was $30, cable monthly was $42). They still will get 95% of the stations they watched - CTV, Global, CityTV, and CBC. Two more HD stations will be added to that list by the summer. All told, they will save close to $500 a year. Sarah was telling me that her boys watch more movies than TV, and they have been renting shows from the library. I have borrowed videos from the library before, and think that this is a great alternative. They have many of the shows that my kids already watch on Treehouse - Angelina, Thomas, The Wiggles, etc.
Are there ways your family is learning to cut corners and put a little extra coin in the bank?
For me, that was my cell phone bill. I use my phone primarily for texting, and vary rarely use it for chatting. By switching my plan, I have gone from paying aound $65 a month, to now paying only $30. I still have some daytime minutes, but free evenings & weekends. Only perk I lost was having caller ID. And for an extra $7 a month, I was ok with it going.
Friends of mine have recently cut cable from their lives (don't drop your jaws... I know they are going to be OK). My girlfriends husband told me that for the cost of one month of their cable, they were able to buy an antenna to pick up HD stations (the antenna was $30, cable monthly was $42). They still will get 95% of the stations they watched - CTV, Global, CityTV, and CBC. Two more HD stations will be added to that list by the summer. All told, they will save close to $500 a year. Sarah was telling me that her boys watch more movies than TV, and they have been renting shows from the library. I have borrowed videos from the library before, and think that this is a great alternative. They have many of the shows that my kids already watch on Treehouse - Angelina, Thomas, The Wiggles, etc.
Are there ways your family is learning to cut corners and put a little extra coin in the bank?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Frappuchino Anyone?
 |
|
 | Come in to participating stores for Happy Hour and find your favourite Frappuccino® blended beverage at half the cost. Frappuccino® blended beverages are completely customizable – you call all the shots, so you can create the perfect drink for your perfect summer day. And what could make a warm, sunny day better than strolling around with one of our NEW Mocha Coconut Frappuccino® blended beverages? Just tell us how you like it and we'll do the rest. |
Monday, May 2, 2011
Cha-Ching! Spend a little, get alot back!
Shopping in Canada does not compare to the States. The awesome coupon deals to be had in the States, are just not available here.. or so I have so far found. Shopping for awesome discounts, and not paying full price for items, is a pretty good deal. But what makes it sweeter, is getting items for free, AND getting some cash back.
Check out these two deals:
Calgary Co-op: Purchase $30 before taxes (before May 5th) of any Tide, Downy, Bounce, Charmin, Bounty, Cascade, Pampers, Pringles or Iams, and get a $10 Co-op gift card.
Superstore: Still trying to get the particulars of this deal, but purchase $20 of any Pepsi & co. products and get a $30 Superstore gift card. I was at Superstore this morning, saw the banner, but there were no forms to mail in. I have contacted Loblaws about the promotion, and they will be mailing me the mail in rebate form. I'll keep you posted.
Don't forget the discounts available tomorrow on groceries at Safeway & Sobey's!
Check out these two deals:
Calgary Co-op: Purchase $30 before taxes (before May 5th) of any Tide, Downy, Bounce, Charmin, Bounty, Cascade, Pampers, Pringles or Iams, and get a $10 Co-op gift card.
Superstore: Still trying to get the particulars of this deal, but purchase $20 of any Pepsi & co. products and get a $30 Superstore gift card. I was at Superstore this morning, saw the banner, but there were no forms to mail in. I have contacted Loblaws about the promotion, and they will be mailing me the mail in rebate form. I'll keep you posted.
Don't forget the discounts available tomorrow on groceries at Safeway & Sobey's!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Ready to Shop? First Tuesday of the Month.
You should now have a weekly, or monthly meal plan in front of you. Ready to shop?
What you need to do, is write down all the ingredients that are required for the items you wish to make. Be sure to check your pantry for items you already have in stock.
Now add to this grocery list any items you will need for lunches, snacks, or breakfasts.
Ok NOW you are ready to shop. And good thing, because the beginning of the month is the best time to shop. Here are the deals:
Safeway - 10X Airmiles or 10% off your purchase the first Tuesday of the month
Sobey's: 10% off or 15% (if you spend over $150) the first Tuesday of the month.
Pretty good heh?
I make sure I do the bulk of my shopping this first week. Last month I saved almost $120 off my food bill at Safeway by maximizing on sale items, and buying on the first Tuesday.
Here are some of the deals to be had in the flyers this week:
Safeway:
Yogourt - BOGO
Strawberries - 2.49 eac or 2 or more for 1.99
Dove Body Wash - 2.99
Sobey's:
Hunts Tomato Sauce - 3/3.99
Catelli Noodles - 2.77 eac
Strawberries - 1.99
Co-op
Christie Crackers - 3/7.98
Superstore
Post Honey Bunches Oats Cereal - 4/$10
I look forward to hearing what deals you find this week and how much you are able to save!
What you need to do, is write down all the ingredients that are required for the items you wish to make. Be sure to check your pantry for items you already have in stock.
Now add to this grocery list any items you will need for lunches, snacks, or breakfasts.
Ok NOW you are ready to shop. And good thing, because the beginning of the month is the best time to shop. Here are the deals:
Safeway - 10X Airmiles or 10% off your purchase the first Tuesday of the month
Sobey's: 10% off or 15% (if you spend over $150) the first Tuesday of the month.
Pretty good heh?
I make sure I do the bulk of my shopping this first week. Last month I saved almost $120 off my food bill at Safeway by maximizing on sale items, and buying on the first Tuesday.
Here are some of the deals to be had in the flyers this week:
Safeway:
Yogourt - BOGO
Strawberries - 2.49 eac or 2 or more for 1.99
Dove Body Wash - 2.99
Sobey's:
Hunts Tomato Sauce - 3/3.99
Catelli Noodles - 2.77 eac
Strawberries - 1.99
Co-op
Christie Crackers - 3/7.98
Superstore
Post Honey Bunches Oats Cereal - 4/$10
I look forward to hearing what deals you find this week and how much you are able to save!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Menu Planning How To - Final Step
So, you have your two lists. Items your family loves, and new things to try. First, figure out if you'd like to start with a weekly plan, or dive in and try an entire month. Let's look first at a weekly plan.
How does your week look? For myself, my daughter has a dance class one night of the week that creeps into our dinner hour. I love my crockpot (will do a future post on this!) and I make sure that her dance night I have either a dinner in the crockpot, or later in the month, that it is a re-heat and serve day. My kids (especially the littlest) like to eat rather early. When we get home there is NO time to prep. I need to have a dinner that is quick to get on the table.
Now that you have figured out your busy days, do you tend to have a free day or two where you have time to prepare a meal? Jot down a meal on that day that takes you a bit more time where you won't have the stress of trying to squeeze meal prep in.
You now have perhaps two days figured out. A meal for a busy day and a meal for an easy day. Take a look at your favorite list, and pick four more off that list and jot them onto your calendar. You now have six days covered and one left to fill. Fill that last spot up with a new dish to try (I like to make new meals on a day where I have more time as I'm not as familiar with the recipe). As always, this plan will be different for each family. For myself, I usually eat at my parents home one night a week, and only need to fill in six dinners at home. Perhaps your family likes to do a pizza or take out night? Figure these all into your weekly plan.
Are you wanting to make the leap to a monthly plan? Last month (April) was the first time I gave this a go, and I loved it. Obviously it is similar to planning a weekly meal plan, however, at the beginning of the month, I ensured that the meals I prepared, I made double of. The remainder I froze, and at the end of the month, I had essentially no meal prep. Because there were four weeks in the month, eating items in the fourth week we had eaten in the first week, did not seem like we were always eating the same thing. As things changed over the course of the month (an unexpected night out for instance), I'd write down on the May calendar, items that were unused in our freezer from April that I could transfer over. I like that we are entering May with a few items at the ready. At a glimpse, week 1 and week 2 were all different items. No repetition. There were also probably two new dishes we tried. Week 3 and week 4 had 'leftover' meals from the first two weeks, but also with a couple fresh meals (just to keep interest up).
Any questions? Do you have a meal plan now written down either for the upcoming week, or month? I'll do a post tomorrow with the final step - creating your grocery list.
This may all seem a little time consuming, but the end result is worth it. Less effort in the kitchen on a daily basis, and more money saved at the grocery store!
Our first week of May will look like:
L/O frozen macaroni - homemade with sweet potato hidden inside (I enjoy fooling the kids) ;)
Chicken Fingers & fries with salad
Spaghetti
Pizza - my daughters 4th birthday dinner choice!
L/O Burritos
One night dinner out
How 'bout yours?
How does your week look? For myself, my daughter has a dance class one night of the week that creeps into our dinner hour. I love my crockpot (will do a future post on this!) and I make sure that her dance night I have either a dinner in the crockpot, or later in the month, that it is a re-heat and serve day. My kids (especially the littlest) like to eat rather early. When we get home there is NO time to prep. I need to have a dinner that is quick to get on the table.
Now that you have figured out your busy days, do you tend to have a free day or two where you have time to prepare a meal? Jot down a meal on that day that takes you a bit more time where you won't have the stress of trying to squeeze meal prep in.
You now have perhaps two days figured out. A meal for a busy day and a meal for an easy day. Take a look at your favorite list, and pick four more off that list and jot them onto your calendar. You now have six days covered and one left to fill. Fill that last spot up with a new dish to try (I like to make new meals on a day where I have more time as I'm not as familiar with the recipe). As always, this plan will be different for each family. For myself, I usually eat at my parents home one night a week, and only need to fill in six dinners at home. Perhaps your family likes to do a pizza or take out night? Figure these all into your weekly plan.
Are you wanting to make the leap to a monthly plan? Last month (April) was the first time I gave this a go, and I loved it. Obviously it is similar to planning a weekly meal plan, however, at the beginning of the month, I ensured that the meals I prepared, I made double of. The remainder I froze, and at the end of the month, I had essentially no meal prep. Because there were four weeks in the month, eating items in the fourth week we had eaten in the first week, did not seem like we were always eating the same thing. As things changed over the course of the month (an unexpected night out for instance), I'd write down on the May calendar, items that were unused in our freezer from April that I could transfer over. I like that we are entering May with a few items at the ready. At a glimpse, week 1 and week 2 were all different items. No repetition. There were also probably two new dishes we tried. Week 3 and week 4 had 'leftover' meals from the first two weeks, but also with a couple fresh meals (just to keep interest up).
Any questions? Do you have a meal plan now written down either for the upcoming week, or month? I'll do a post tomorrow with the final step - creating your grocery list.
This may all seem a little time consuming, but the end result is worth it. Less effort in the kitchen on a daily basis, and more money saved at the grocery store!
Our first week of May will look like:
L/O frozen macaroni - homemade with sweet potato hidden inside (I enjoy fooling the kids) ;)
Chicken Fingers & fries with salad
Spaghetti
Pizza - my daughters 4th birthday dinner choice!
L/O Burritos
One night dinner out
How 'bout yours?
Friday, April 29, 2011
Menu Planning How To - Step 2
Yesterday we left off with you having created a list of your families favorite meals. Since I first made my list back in the winter of 2010, I have kept it on the side of my fridge. Somewhere easy to find, and not able to get lost.
Here's the second part of the plan. Write down a list of meals, or types of food, you would like your family to try. These might end up being total bombs, but you never know unless you try. By experimenting with new food, my family and I have found new favorites to add to our list.
For myself this month, I have added on a couple vegetarian options, and a meat dish we don't normally eat (ham). My hubs loves meat, but I'd like to incorporate a few 'lighter' dishes into our weekly fair as well.
Here's what I've added in:
Soybeans & Rice
Homebaked beans (& hotdogs/some type of hopefully healthy sausage for the kids)
Ham, potatoes & steamed veggies
You don't want to come up with a whole bunch of ideas and feel lost figuring out how to use them. Throwing in just a couple curve balls into your family routine is a good place to start.
What new things will you incorporate?
Here's the second part of the plan. Write down a list of meals, or types of food, you would like your family to try. These might end up being total bombs, but you never know unless you try. By experimenting with new food, my family and I have found new favorites to add to our list.
For myself this month, I have added on a couple vegetarian options, and a meat dish we don't normally eat (ham). My hubs loves meat, but I'd like to incorporate a few 'lighter' dishes into our weekly fair as well.
Here's what I've added in:
Soybeans & Rice
Homebaked beans (& hotdogs/some type of hopefully healthy sausage for the kids)
Ham, potatoes & steamed veggies
You don't want to come up with a whole bunch of ideas and feel lost figuring out how to use them. Throwing in just a couple curve balls into your family routine is a good place to start.
What new things will you incorporate?
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Menu Planning How To - Step 1
It's almost the end of the month, and that means a whole month of needing a meal plan is ahead.
When I first went on maternity leave with my son, I started doing weekly meal plans. I found these useful, and I did notice it cut down on our bills, but they are nothing like having a meal plan for an entire month.
Over the next few days I am going to post up how I go about making my plans. I hope you'll play along!
Benefits of a Meal Plan
I only make my meal plans for dinner. I find our lunches to be alot of the same (sandwiches, Annie noodles, snack plates) and don't require much forethought. Dinner however, when the kids have reached "witching" hour, having a meal plan is a gift. Having a meal plan takes away the need at 3 pm to think as you stare into the fridge "What am I going to make for dinner?". It's right there, in my case, on your calendar.
Meal planning also eliminates alot of trips to the grocery store. I tend to only go once a week, where otherwise I may have gone two or three times.
My husband is anaphalactic to dairy, and as a result we don't eat out at many restaurants, but I would go so far as to say, if you meal plan, you would probably be more likely to eat out less often.
Convinced? Let's get started!
Step 1
Grab the cookbooks you find you use most frequently, a pen, and some paper. Go through those books and make a list of all the meals your family loves. Utmost importance to me were meals I knew my kids would eat without a fight.
The first list I made looked like this:
Fajitas
Burritos
Stir Fry
Cacciatore
Chicken Strips & Fries (I make my strips from scratch)
Chicken Burgers
Curry Stew
Pizza
Peanut Chicken
Spaghetti
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Noodle Soup (also from scratch)
Alright, I'm going to stop here and come back tomorrow with what to do next. Please share your favorite dinners in the comments. It is always nice to get fresh ideas! ( that is a hint for what's to come!).
Question from Amanda on my Sobey's post: How often does Sobey's do the BOGO deals? Can anyone help answer this? Thanks!
When I first went on maternity leave with my son, I started doing weekly meal plans. I found these useful, and I did notice it cut down on our bills, but they are nothing like having a meal plan for an entire month.
Over the next few days I am going to post up how I go about making my plans. I hope you'll play along!
Benefits of a Meal Plan
I only make my meal plans for dinner. I find our lunches to be alot of the same (sandwiches, Annie noodles, snack plates) and don't require much forethought. Dinner however, when the kids have reached "witching" hour, having a meal plan is a gift. Having a meal plan takes away the need at 3 pm to think as you stare into the fridge "What am I going to make for dinner?". It's right there, in my case, on your calendar.
Meal planning also eliminates alot of trips to the grocery store. I tend to only go once a week, where otherwise I may have gone two or three times.
My husband is anaphalactic to dairy, and as a result we don't eat out at many restaurants, but I would go so far as to say, if you meal plan, you would probably be more likely to eat out less often.
Convinced? Let's get started!
Step 1
Grab the cookbooks you find you use most frequently, a pen, and some paper. Go through those books and make a list of all the meals your family loves. Utmost importance to me were meals I knew my kids would eat without a fight.
The first list I made looked like this:
Fajitas
Burritos
Stir Fry
Cacciatore
Chicken Strips & Fries (I make my strips from scratch)
Chicken Burgers
Curry Stew
Pizza
Peanut Chicken
Spaghetti
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Noodle Soup (also from scratch)
Alright, I'm going to stop here and come back tomorrow with what to do next. Please share your favorite dinners in the comments. It is always nice to get fresh ideas! ( that is a hint for what's to come!).
Question from Amanda on my Sobey's post: How often does Sobey's do the BOGO deals? Can anyone help answer this? Thanks!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Fill 'er up!
Many of the grocery stores also feature their own gas bars, and offer discounts for filling up your car if you are a member.
Safeway - 5 cent per litre discount with grocery purchase (I believe the purchase needs to be over $35). There is an expiry date to use it by however. With groceries purchased in April, I have until mid June to use the discount.
Co-op - You earn 3 cents per litre in grocery money each time you fill up and present your member card.
Superstore - is there a gas discount or do you get dollars to shop?
Myself personally, I live near a Petro Canada where I use a Petro Canada card to get discounts. After earning 18 000 points I qualified to receive a 5 cent per litre discount card. I now save a couple bucks everytime I fill. This is the easiest and most convenient option for me given the proximity of Petro Can to my home. Part of saving is taking into account how far it would require you go in order to get the savings. If you need to drive an extra 20 minutes to a particular grocery store for a special deal, are you truly saving once you factor in your gas and time? For example, there is a new bulk grocery store in the NE, but after factoring in the time it would require for me to get there, I realized I can probably find equivalent deals closer to home, and even if I pay a bit more, I probably end up saving just as much in gas $.
Where do you fill up? Do you take advantage of grocery store gas bars & associated savings?
Safeway - 5 cent per litre discount with grocery purchase (I believe the purchase needs to be over $35). There is an expiry date to use it by however. With groceries purchased in April, I have until mid June to use the discount.
Co-op - You earn 3 cents per litre in grocery money each time you fill up and present your member card.
Superstore - is there a gas discount or do you get dollars to shop?
Myself personally, I live near a Petro Canada where I use a Petro Canada card to get discounts. After earning 18 000 points I qualified to receive a 5 cent per litre discount card. I now save a couple bucks everytime I fill. This is the easiest and most convenient option for me given the proximity of Petro Can to my home. Part of saving is taking into account how far it would require you go in order to get the savings. If you need to drive an extra 20 minutes to a particular grocery store for a special deal, are you truly saving once you factor in your gas and time? For example, there is a new bulk grocery store in the NE, but after factoring in the time it would require for me to get there, I realized I can probably find equivalent deals closer to home, and even if I pay a bit more, I probably end up saving just as much in gas $.
Where do you fill up? Do you take advantage of grocery store gas bars & associated savings?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Let's talk about Sobey's
I'm not a Sobey's shopper.... yet. I've been thinking the past few days about how I only check out the Safeway & Superstore flyers.. never Sobey's or Co-op. I think this is for two reasons. The first being that in my mind, Co-op & Sobey's are two of the most expensive places to shop. Second, because they carry very few non-dairy options for my hubs. However, my girlfriend lives in an area of the city where an IGA was converted to a Sobey's. It is walking distance from her home, and is the most logical place for her to get her groceries (plus she probably doesn't have any strange associations to the store like I do).
I think my perception has to change. She has been posting some Sobey deals up on my Facebook page, and I must say I'm impressed. I did some research, and a Sobey's card is just as easy (and free) to sign up for as a Safeway card.
Here are the awesome BOGO deals at my local Sobey's this week:
Boneless Pork Loin Chops
Breyers Icecream
Kraft Cracker Barrel Cheese
Navel Oranges
Renees Gourmet Cooking Sauce
Raisin Bread (I normally make my own bread, but for $2.99 for one loaf, and you get one free, I think I'll try their Raisin Bread out!)
Goldfish
Quaker Quick Oats
Astro Yogourt
Chicken Breast with back attached
These are just some of the awesome deals and freebies. Now of course, some may still be cheaper elsewhere. For instance, I bet that Goldfish are still a better deal bought at Costco. But I don't think you can go wrong with the Pork Chops, the Chicken, the Icecream, Cheese, or Quaker Oats.
I think one more plastic card and flyer will be added to my shopping regime.
I think my perception has to change. She has been posting some Sobey deals up on my Facebook page, and I must say I'm impressed. I did some research, and a Sobey's card is just as easy (and free) to sign up for as a Safeway card.
Here are the awesome BOGO deals at my local Sobey's this week:
Boneless Pork Loin Chops
Breyers Icecream
Kraft Cracker Barrel Cheese
Navel Oranges
Renees Gourmet Cooking Sauce
Raisin Bread (I normally make my own bread, but for $2.99 for one loaf, and you get one free, I think I'll try their Raisin Bread out!)
Goldfish
Quaker Quick Oats
Astro Yogourt
Chicken Breast with back attached
These are just some of the awesome deals and freebies. Now of course, some may still be cheaper elsewhere. For instance, I bet that Goldfish are still a better deal bought at Costco. But I don't think you can go wrong with the Pork Chops, the Chicken, the Icecream, Cheese, or Quaker Oats.
I think one more plastic card and flyer will be added to my shopping regime.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Flyers - Where to find them Online & Preparing to Shop
Updates to the post are found in red.
Every week I go through the online flyers for the stores where I shop, to see what great deals can be found. If you are a Safeway sale shopper (this is key - Safeway is the most expensive unless you only buy their sale items) you can find the flyer here. Superstore - here. And occasionally Costco will post them here. As mentioned, I have found Wal-mart to be most expensive, and as of yet, I don't check their online sales.
Here are the deals I have found this week for my family:
Safeway
Royale Bath Tissue - Double Roll or 24 Roll $5.00 Limit of 6. Superstore was $9+ and regular price at SF was almost $12.
Mangoes - 5 for $5
Axe Body Wash for my Hubs - $2.99 Superstore around $5, and regular $5+ at SF.
Colgate Toothpaste - BOGO This deal applied to all types, even the kids line.
Superstore
Dole Pinnaeples - $0.87 (On sale these are 4/$5 at SF, and usually around $1.25 each at SP). Obviously others too thought this a great deal. Large chunk cans were already sold out.
Listerine - $4.49 (I have a coupon for $3 off. Paired with the sale I will only pay $1.49).
In order to ensure that the Safeway deals, are in fact deals, I shop first at Superstore and write down the comparitive prices. For the Bath Tissue, I will also be checking the price of buying the item in bulk at Superstore. The Safeway deals last until April 28th, so I have some time to figure it all out.
In the past by shopping this way, I have learned:
Today at SF I saved $73 by buying sale items in bulk!
Every week I go through the online flyers for the stores where I shop, to see what great deals can be found. If you are a Safeway sale shopper (this is key - Safeway is the most expensive unless you only buy their sale items) you can find the flyer here. Superstore - here. And occasionally Costco will post them here. As mentioned, I have found Wal-mart to be most expensive, and as of yet, I don't check their online sales.
Here are the deals I have found this week for my family:
Safeway
Royale Bath Tissue - Double Roll or 24 Roll $5.00 Limit of 6. Superstore was $9+ and regular price at SF was almost $12.
Mangoes - 5 for $5
Axe Body Wash for my Hubs - $2.99 Superstore around $5, and regular $5+ at SF.
Colgate Toothpaste - BOGO This deal applied to all types, even the kids line.
Superstore
Dole Pinnaeples - $0.87 (On sale these are 4/$5 at SF, and usually around $1.25 each at SP). Obviously others too thought this a great deal. Large chunk cans were already sold out.
Listerine - $4.49 (I have a coupon for $3 off. Paired with the sale I will only pay $1.49).
In order to ensure that the Safeway deals, are in fact deals, I shop first at Superstore and write down the comparitive prices. For the Bath Tissue, I will also be checking the price of buying the item in bulk at Superstore. The Safeway deals last until April 28th, so I have some time to figure it all out.
In the past by shopping this way, I have learned:
- Tostitos on sale at Safeway are still $0.03 more per bag than regular price at Superstore.
- Eggs are cheapest at Costco costing $0.08 an egg - they are $0.19 & $0.20 cents an egg at Superstore & Wal-mart.
- Milk is cheapest at Superstore.
Today at SF I saved $73 by buying sale items in bulk!
Friday, April 22, 2011
A Better Way
I have been a stay at home Mom since September 2010, but have only been a one income family since January 2011. We were rolling along merrily when my husband and I looked at eachother in March and asked "Where is all our money going?".
I have flirted off and on with PearBudget, and with monthly meal planning. My first step in figuring out where our money was disappearing to, was signing back up on PearBudget (great site & free for the first month as a trial. After that it's a cheap monthly fee of only $4.95). Taking all of our expenditures from March and inputting them into PearBudget, I was shocked to see we had spent over $1000 on groceries. For a family that consits of four people, two of whom are quite wee, that number was my "a-ha" moment.
The following is a note I posted on Facebook a few days ago about ways that I went about reducing that number over the month of April. We are now a week away from the end of the month, and I'm proud to report that we have saved around $350. I hope to reduce those numbers even furthur in May.
Changes I've Made
I have flirted off and on with PearBudget, and with monthly meal planning. My first step in figuring out where our money was disappearing to, was signing back up on PearBudget (great site & free for the first month as a trial. After that it's a cheap monthly fee of only $4.95). Taking all of our expenditures from March and inputting them into PearBudget, I was shocked to see we had spent over $1000 on groceries. For a family that consits of four people, two of whom are quite wee, that number was my "a-ha" moment.
The following is a note I posted on Facebook a few days ago about ways that I went about reducing that number over the month of April. We are now a week away from the end of the month, and I'm proud to report that we have saved around $350. I hope to reduce those numbers even furthur in May.
Changes I've Made
- At the beginning of the month, I made a meal plan for the entire month. I doubled each recipe I made at the beginning of the month, and then at the end of the month, for the most part I don't have any food prep. I just re-heat and serve. I particularly like that I don't have to think about what to make for dinner. If for some reason a meal doesn't work out for that particular day, I take a meal from a few days later and switch them. Because the "repeat" meal is so much later in the month, it doesn't feel like we are always eating the same thing.
- I am making my bread from scratch. It is a multigrain whole wheat loaf. Most bread at the store averages close to $5. I buy my multigrain cereal from Amaranth and $2 worth makes about 5 loaves. I make 2 loaves once a week and can usually get it done while my daughter is in school. It doesn't take as much time as you'd think!
- We are storing all our grocery receipts so that at the end of the month, we can see exactly what type of food we were buying, how much, and how much we saved.
- I now shop at Costco, Safeway & Superstore. I shopped once at Walmart, but only found a few items to be cheaper. I will be buying our Lil'Ones Yogourt there however. Superstore doesn't carry it, it is $5.77 at Safeway, and only $5.09 at Wally World. I'm lucky that I live in the middle of all these stores so I'm not driving out of my way to get to any of them.
- Other than a few items, it is generally cheaper to buy items at Safeway when they are on sale. BUT, you need to watch the sales. Sometimes items on sale are actually the same as the regular price at Superstore. Which brings me to...
- Pay attention to flyers. I now look at the Safeway and Costco flyer each Sunday to see what that weeks deal is. For instance this week at SF, you can get 3 boxes of crackers for $6. Superstore you would still pay over $2. This is a steal.
- I stock up on when something is a great price. I now have about 9 boxes of cereal stored, 9 boxes of crackers, toilet paper, Ketchup, Onions, pasta etc. No sense buying these things at full price if I can store them and get them for cheap.
- I also (eek) use coupons. Websaver.ca is a great source, as well as save.ca I have found it difficult to use save.ca but have had no issues with websaver.ca
- Don't forget to use rainchecks. They were out of my husbands Soy Milk at SF on the 10% Tuesday (1st Tuesday of the month). I got a raincheck and said I would have bought 8. I now use that raincheck and buy 2 each time. I get the savings for the entire month now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)