Big Lots

Wow! Has anyone been in this store lately? I made a random trip in there for some last minute items as I was in the Kohl's next store. I ended up spending an hour in there "browsing" and "comparing prices".

Some things I did notice:

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers $1.80 (for 2)

Small coupon organizers: $2.00

Post its pack of 5 for $2.00

The only downfall is that Big Lots does not accept coupons. However, with prices this low you don't need to use them. I definitely will be making Big Lots a stop on my shopping trip this weekend.

What do I do With All Those Expired Coupons?

So here's something that I have been wondering for a while so I decided to do some research. Here's something that helps us help those who help us maintain our Freedom. Who am I talking about? Why our military members and their families. You may be thinking what are they going to do with expired coupons? Well here is the answer in a nutshell: Military and their families can use the expired coupons on base for up to six months. So if you have coupons you know you are never going to use, or you just didn't use before it expired you can do something with them other than throw them away.

Here's what I am going to do with mine: I am going to pick a base/post to adopt by using the resources here and here. I am going to pre-write the envelopes. As I find coupons that expired when I organize each week I will put them all in there and mail them out first thing Monday morning. If you choose a stateside post you won't have to worry about sending so frequently as it will only take a few days to reach their destination. However oversees locations will take a little bit longer to reach them.

Tops Weekly Deals 5/17/09 - 5/23/09

Bison Dip 2/$3
use the $1/2
Final cost $1.00 each

Edy's Fruit Bars 2/$6
use the $1/2
Final cost $2.50 each

General Mills Cereal (Cheerios/Lucky Charms/Trix/Reese's) 2/$6
Buy 3 ($9)
Use the $1/3
Final Cost 3/$8 (or $2.67 each)

Kellogs Cereal $1.99 .
use the $1/1
Final Cost .99 cents (BUT HURRY COUPON EXPIRES 5/17/09)

Kraft Dressing 3/$5
$1.50/1
Final cost: 3/$3.50
Remember you don't need to buy three to get the sale price - if you only get one you would pay .16 that's a good deal :)

Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa (Rope Style) BOGO
$1/2
Final Cost: 2/$3.19

Bob Evans Sausage Rolls (2/$6)
$1/2
Final Cost: 2/$5

Oscar Mayer Deli Creations 2/$5
$1/2
Final Cost 2/$4

Jello Ready to Eat Desserts (Gelatin or Pudding) 2/$5
$1/2
Final Cost: 2/$4

Tropicana Orange Juice 2/$6
$1/2
Final Cost 2/$5

Dole Mandarin Oranges (10/$10)
$1/3
Final Cost: 10/$9

Ragu Pasta Sauce 3/$5
$1.25/3
Final Cost 3/$3.75

Bertolli Pasta Sauce 2/$5
$1.50/2
Final Cost: 2/$3.50

Soft Scrub Pads (or cleanser) $2.79
$1.50/1
and the BOGO coupon
Final Cost: $2/1.29

Nabisco Snack Crackers 2/$4
$1/2
Final Cost: 2/$3
-OR-
use the Buy one Ritz Cracker and Get one wheat thins free coupon from today's paper
Final cost 2/$2

Kraft BBQ sauce 10/$10
$1/2
Final Cost: 10/$9 or if you only buy 2 it will be 2/$1
PS - if you purchase 4 get a coupon for $2 off your next purchase (5/$2.50 or 6/$3.00) must be purchased in same shopping trip.

McCormick Black Pepper 2/$4
.75/1
Final Cost: 2/$3.25 or if you only buy one 1/$1.75

Kens Salad Dressing/Spritzers 2/$4
$1/2
Final Cost: 2/$3

Gladware Containers 2/$5
$1/2
Final Cost: 2/$4

Glad Trash bags $6.99
$1/2
Final Cost: 2/$12.98

Tums $3.79
$1/2
Final Cost: 2/$6.58

Dove Body Wash $6.99
$1.50/1
Final Cost: $5.49

Dove Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant $3.49
$1/1
Final Cost: 1/$2.49

Dove Shampoo/Conditioner $3.49
$1/1
Final Cost: 1/$2.49

Dove Styling Products $3.49
$1/1
Final Cost 1/$2.49

Lubriderm Lotion $6.99
$1/1
Final cost 1/$5.99

Johnson & Johnson Lotions $3.99
$2/1
Final Cost: $1.99


Please note these coupons were all found in previous Sunday circulars. I will post any updates after I go through tomorrows paper.

Produce & Meat

I'm asking readers for suggestions on this topic. How are you saving on these items such as produce, meat, and dairy. The prices keep going up but there are no coupons for these items. What are some of your ideas?

Creating a Price List

This is a new concept to me, but I am going to start one this weekend. If you are like me and you have a few grocery stores in your area to choose from this is definitely something worth taking the time to create.

So here's the idea: start an Excel spreadsheet of items you purchase frequently and the typical price for this item (two ways of getting this started you can use your receipts from previous purchases or the sale ads for the stores.) I think I will start one while in the store this weekend and fill in some of the blanks. While this particular trip may be a little longer, it will pay off in the long run. A few extra minutes in the store could end up meaning lots of savings.

I would suggest that you categorize the items by type (example shampoo, frozen food, breakfast foods). This will help you to easily locate the products on the spreadsheet. Having this accessible in the store will be helpful to know if you are getting the rock bottom price. This is also useful when planning your shopping trips around the sale ads to compare coupons that you have.

How do you tackle debt???

One of the main reasons that I started using coupons was to get myself out of debt. So the one trick that I have learned is budgeting. I remained on the same budget that I had set for myself before I started using coupons. So for example if I budgeted $120 for groceries and only end up spending $50, I put the remainder towards debt. It's tempting to spend that money frivolously but that will come with time when the debt has been paid.

Another debt paying trick I have learned in my endeavors is to roll payments. What I mean by this is that I choose the highest interest debt first to tackle. I always pay the minimum on all of my debt except this one. This is the one that I roll my "savings" from other places in the budget. Once that debt is paid off I pick the next highest interest debt and use the money that was previously budgeted there to put towards this debt.

There are great calculators on the web that will help you determine how much you have total and how long it will take you to pay it off.

So my question to you is how do you pay off your debt and what tricks can you share?

Planning Meals

This is probably the most fun part of using coupons. I enjoy planning meals around sale items. Each week I tend to by the same "staple items" such as bread, various meats, and vegetables. Typically you will not find any coupons on meat and vegetables you can however find sales and rock bottom prices. These are the times to stock up and put your freezer to good use.

Planning meals around the sales usually requires a little thought and ingenuity but once you get the hang of it you can do it rather quickly. Think about the staple items you buy each week such as chicken breasts, pork chops, and hamburger. This will help tremendously.

There are lots of blogs out there that have great thrifty recipes. Another thing to keep in mind when using coupons is brand loyalty needs to be thrown out the window. I have tried some new things that I haven't like but I have also found a few new things that I do now like. You have to have a willingness to branch out from the brands you normally buy if you want to save a lot of money.

If you are only looking to save a few dollars you can search the web for brand specific coupons. This will help you save money but not as much as if you were to let go of that brand loyalty. (Don't get me wrong there are somethings that I just refuse to let go of and try something new).