Housewife Hacks

Leave of Absence

Amy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:14:50 +0000

Thanks to all of the Housewife Hacks readers who have made this blog so fun to publish. Unfortunately, I have some family obligations and events going on right now that make it impossible to publish in a timely manner. My site will stay up but for the present time I won’t be updating until the situation here eases. Thanks for your understanding.

Best,

Amy

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Matchups This Week

Amy — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:40:35 +0000

Due to illness and needing to tend to little ones there won’t be any grocery matchups this week. I’m sorry for any inconvenience. I’ll be back in full swing next week. Nobody else is allowed to get sick! Hop on over to Learning the Frugal Life for local Iowa grocery matchups. Thanks for the well wishes and understanding.

Cough Cough

Amy — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:25:26 +0000

Hopefully I’ll have Menu Plan Monday up as scheduled later today. My posts have been more infrequent during the last week. We’ve been cycling through illness in this house. I’m sure a lot of other parents can relate! Sick parents, sick little ones; rinse and repeat. I’m off to take my 3 year old to the doctor this morning. I’m ready for spring!

Save Money at the Grocery Store – 6 Helpful Habits

Amy — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:33:27 +0000

If you want to save money at the grocery store there are the big changes you can make to how you shop. You can save money by using sale circulars, shopping from a stockpile, clipping coupons, and so on: those I cover in Frugal 101. But there are small changes that can deliver powerful results too. You can still afford many of your favorite foods and save money, just shop smartly. Here are some more ways to save when you shop:

Work off a List
I think most of us know this but it can’t be understated that using a list to shop is a huge way to keep your grocery spending under control. The grocery displays are a lot less enticing if we know that we’re sticking to what we wrote down. If I have “free money” leftover from my planned grocery budget then I can splurge on an item without any guilt.

Consider Warehouses or places like Aldi for Staples
I’m a Costco member and I’m still debating whether I think my membership is worth the cost. Many items can be found for a better price at a grocery store if I wait for a coupon and a sale. However, I’ve noticed that certain things like dairy and baking items are consistently much cheaper per ounce at Costco. Aldi is the same way for those categories. I just have to be disciplined to not go bonkers in Costco.

Make a Pricebook. No, really. Even if it’s in your head, on paper, or in an elaborate database. My friends want to know how I know that something is a steal. The only reason I know is because I track the prices. Many goods advertised on sale each week are highlighted because of manufacturer promotions, not necessarily because the sale price is truly a great deal. Items go through price cycles. Learn to know a deal and you’ll shop smarter.

Look for unadvertised sales.
Most stores have areas where they’ll have clearance items. This holds true for everything from plastic bags to meat. Our local Fareway store often puts meat on clearance on Saturday nights. I love that!

Don’t be fooled. Promotions like “5 for $5″ rarely require you to actually buy 5 of an item. Buy only what you think you’d actually use and evaluate the value of the sale regardless of the way it is promoted.

Save time. Find out if the stores you use will accept store coupons from competitors. Many will and this can save you time by not having to shop at so many stores.

Fareway Deals 2/16 – 2/22

Amy — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:59:59 +0000

Here are my top picks and coupon matches for Fareway during the week of 2/16. There are some really great printable coupons this week! Find my other matches on my matches tab, or find store sales nationwide at the Grocery Gathering. Read on for the good stuff!

Lingo:
SS = SmartSource
PG = Procter and Gamble
RP = Red Plum
BOGO = Buy One Get One
WYB = When You Buy

Dole Lettuce
Fareway Price = $.49/head

Chicken of the Sea Tuna in Water or Oil 5 oz.
Fareway Price = $.58

Van de Kamp’s Fish Fillets, Tenders, Portions or Sticks 10 to 25 oz.
Fareway Price = $2.99

Dole Baby Carrots 1 lb.
Fareway Price = $.88

Texas Red Grapefruit
Fareway Price = $.25 each

Granny Smith Apples
Fareway Price = $.88/lb.

Betty Crocker Pizza Crust
Fareway Price = $.40

Minute Rice 28 oz. box
Fareway Price = $2.88
Use $.50/1 cpn from 12/13 SS or several February magazines
Your Price = $2.38

Fastco Cooking Spray 6 oz. reg or butter
Fareway Price = $1.19

Fiber One Bars
Fareway Price = $2.50
Use $.40 printable coupon or $1/2 from 1/31 SS
Your Price = $2.oo – $2.10

Coffee-Mate Flavored Creamers
Fareway Price = $1.79
Use $.75/1 printable or coupon from 2/7 RP
Your Price = $1.04

Birds Eye Corn, Mixed, Peas or Steamfresh Veggies
Fareway Price = $.99
Use $1/2 Birds Eye (NOT Steamfresh) from 2/7 SS (haven’t checked this one yet to see if we got it in Des Moines)
Your Price = $.49 wyb 2

New York Garlic Bread Products
Fareway Price = $1.99
Use $.50/1 cpn from Feb. All You, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, BHG
Your Price = $1.49

Reames Egg Noodles
Fareway Price = $1.99
Use $.50/1 from 11/22 SS
Your Price = $1.49

Blue Bunny Ice Cream 4.25 ltr
Fareway Price = $4.49

V8 Fusion Juices 46 oz.
Fareway Price = $2.50
Use $1/1 printable Bricks coupon or Campbell’s Kitchen coupon
Your Price = $1.50

RC, Diet Rite, or Big Red 2 ltr
Fareway Price = $.79

Tidy Cat Scoop Litter 14 lb. jug
Fareway Price = $4.99
Use $1/1 cpn from 2/7 RP
Your Price = $3.99

Sirloin Filets 8 oz
Fareway Price = $2.50 each with in-ad coupon

Farmland Jumbo Hot Dogs 1 lb. pkg
Fareway Price = $.99

Fresh Farm Raised Catfish Filets
Fareway Price = $3.99/lb.