Some Quick Target Deals

Snacky foods:

4 Nabisco 100 calorie snacks

Sale: $2.04

Minus $1 Target coupon (printable from HotCouponWorld)

Minus $1 Manuf. coupon (print from kraft.com or coupons.com)

= .04 a box X 4= .16

Smartfood

Price: $3.33 (not on sale, but I wanted to try)

Minus $1 Target coupon (printable from HotCouponWorld)

Minus $1 Manuf coupon (Sunday paper, don't remember which week)

= $1.33 for 1 box

Ritz reduced fat

Price: $2.99 (not on sale, but okay)

Minus $1 Target coupon (HCW)

Minus $1 Manuf coupon (print from kraft.com or cooupons.com)

= .99 for 1 box

Then...

Wheat Thins

Price: $2.66

Minus FREE when you buy Ritz Manuf Coupon ( SS 5/17)

= FREE

2 Kraft Dressing

Price: $1.99

Minus $1/2 Target Coupon (HCW)

Minus $1/1 MQ x 2 (print from kraft or coupon.com)

= .49 each

Grand Total = $3.46

Rules for Saving Big on Groceries

Rule #1: Stockpile
Stockpiling vs. Need Shopping:
To get the most bang for your buck you have to change your mindset about how you shop. Stockpiling is buying more of an item than you need, but only when it is free or at a rock bottom price. As your stockpile increases, you “shop” from there when you need something, instead of running to the store and paying full price. This concept alone will drastically change your grocery bill.
Need shopping is what we do when we need an item this week, it is not at a rock bottom price and we don’t have it stockpiled. I recommend that you do your need shopping at Wal-Mart, Target, Sam’s…etc. As your stockpile grows your need shopping will decrease and then you will begin to see the big savings.



Rule #2: Use Coupons ONLY on Sale Items
If you have been the primary shopper in your home for awhile, you probably have an idea what a good sale price is on the things you purchase frequently. Just because an item is in the stores weekly ad doesn’t mean the item is on sale. And a sale is not always a good deal. You must have an idea of the lowest price possible on the items you buy. When you see an item go to its rock bottom price, this is ideally when you want to use your coupon. Try not to use your coupon on items that are full price.

Sales typically run on a 12 week cycle through the store. This means different departments of the store will go on sale throughout this time and then it starts over. So it will take about that much time to get a good start on your stockpile. If you can, purchase enough to last 12 weeks, then typically you will see it cycle through again. Also, there are seasonal sales. For example: June and July is condiments and grilling, August is school supplies, October and November is soups and baking needs. Pay attention to these sale trends to get the most savings.

To be continued...

Two Frugal Things I Do

Frugality is a mindset. It is not just chasing down the greatest deals with a coupon. It is a way of living.

When I decided to be a stay at home mom, and go from two household incomes down to one, we had to find some major wiggle room in our budget. And that brings me to the first frugal thing I do.

1. We have a BUDGET. Honestly, we always thought we had a budget. But just recently, with the help of Dave Ramsey's books, we have a serious budget that tells us where every single dollar that comes in should go. My husband and I did this together and came up with our goals together. We are both on the same page and not just one person in charge of the finances. This is a large part of how we became debt free last year.
2. We Don't have Cable or Satellite. This is just one of those things that we have never had in our married life. But, when you are looking for wiggle room in your budget and you are trying to get down to the bare minimum in order to meet some goals, this becomes a luxury item. One that we have been willing to do without.

To be continued...

Please Be Patient....This Blogger is Getting Her Priorities Straight

Change is soon to come to Frugality. A slighty new approach to my frugal presentation. In the meantime, please visit my friend Leah at Metroplex Savers. She was mentioned on NBC this week!

Thanks to a heads up from Leah at Metroplex Savers, I found out about this great money maker at CVS. Basically these $1.97 CVS brand crackers are producing a $1 ECB. There is a $3 off CVS brand printable coupon that makes them free. To learn more go HERE and to print the coupon. I bought 2 today, and still haven't reached my limit. Act quick, the coupon expires 1/17!

Albertsons = Cheap Milk!

A quick heads up! Albertson's has their half gallons of Schepp's milk on sale again for $.99, the best price I've seen. Combine that with the coupon in yesterday's paper for $1.00 off 3 Schepp's and they become $.67 a half gallon. And you can freeze those babies! This advertised sale ends Tuesday (tomorrow).

Recipe with Pumpkin Substitution

The last few weeks I have picked up some cheap cans of 100% pumpkin on clearance. I've been poking around on the internet trying to find some new ways to use this vitamin rich stuff. I had heard rumors of using this as a substitute for oil and eggs in baking. Well, guess what?! This is absolutely true. And with 0 grams of fat, 50 calories and 3 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup, you can really get creative. Try pancakes, muffins, brownies etc. Here is an awesome recipe I tried out tonight and you CANNOT taste the pumpkin, but they were so moist and yummy!

YUM YUM Brownie Muffins

by http://www.hungry-girl.com/

1 15oz can pure pumpkin

1 devil's food cake mix

Simply mix these two ingredients together. Batter will be thick. Bake as directed minus about 5 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

With the mix and pumpkin I used, I calculated per muffin to be 175 calories, 2.5g of fat, and 2grams of fiber and lots of vitamin A!

Cost: Pumpkin $.25, cake mix .69, so less than $1 for 12

Anybody have any other ideas?