Frugalicious

Money Saving Tip: Think "Food", not "Grocery"

2010-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Think 'food' not 'grocery'
If you are trying to spend less on food, think of all the places you spend money on food. There are many more than just the grocery store. What about restaurants? Soda and candy machines? The popcorn counter at the theater? Fast food? Coffee? The bottle of water when buying gas? All such expenses add up. Make a list, then eliminate non-essentials.

Grocery Shopping Tools Tip: You Can Search Each List

2010-06-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can search each of the Grocery Shopping Tools? This can be very useful when planning a shopping trip.

The Current Deals List

Search for items that you need that week, but are not on sale for a rock bottom price. You can see if they are on sale at all and where they are the lease expensive.

The Coupon List

If you don't find an item you need listed in the Current Deals list, but you must buy it that week, you can search the Coupon List for a coupon that will help lower your cost.

The Virtual Price Book

Searching is actually the only way I use the Price Book. Remember to search by type of item. There are no specific brands listed here.

How about you? Are there any ways in which you have found it helpful to search the Grocery Shopping Tools?

GROCERY SHOPPING TIP: Bring a calculator with you

2010-06-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of the things I always (well, okay, not always....I have 3 kids under 3...c'mon, but I sure wish it was always) have with me at the grocery store is a calculator. I use during almost every shopping trip.

I use it to help me calculate price / ea so I know when a larger size of something is actually cheaper. When I tell people this, they often say to me: "Don't you know that the price / ea is already calculated out for you on the price tag? Just look a little closer." Yes, they are right, the price per each is often calculated for you. But there are two situations where this still isn't enough information:

Different Brands Calculate Price / ea Differently
For example, one brand of mouthwash may say $0.53 / oz on the price tag while another may say $0.018 / mL. Those two prices are the exact same ($8.99 for 16.9 oz or 500 mL), but because the two brands use a different form of measurement, it is difficult to make a fair comparison.

Coupons Can Change the Price / ea Significantly
Coupons often make smaller sizes a better deal, but it is hard to be sure unless you have a calculator. For example, Let's say jumbo pack diapers are on sale for $8.99 ($0.25 ea for size 3) and mega packs are on sale for $13.99 ($0.23 ea for size 3). Without a coupon, you can quickly glance at the price tags and see that the mega pack is the better deal. But what if you have a $3 off coupon? Now, your jumbo pack is $5.99 and your mega pack is $10.99. You will need a calculator to figure the price / ea because this isn't written on the price tag. The jumbo pack is now $0.166 / ea and the mega pack is $0.183 / ea. The jumbo pack is the better deal, but without a calculator you may not have know that!

COUPON TIP: Do I Have To Use Coupons?

2010-06-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

One questions I get from a lot of people is:

"Do I have to use coupons to save money?"

My answer is:

"It depends."

It depends on how you currently shop.
It depends on the types of food you buy.
It depends on how much you want to save.
It depends on how busy you are.

Frugalicious Shopping consists of two parts:

Stockpiling when things are on sale for a rock bottom price
Stacking deals (stacking sales with coupons and / or rebates etc) for increased savings.

Our Grocery Shopping Tools tell you when something is on sale for it's rock bottom price before coupons.

Can you save money with just that information? Well, it depends.

It depends on how you currently shop.
If you already shop with a list, only buy essentials, and track prices on your own or have a fairly extensive Price Book, you won't save much more by using the Grocery Shopping Tools. However, if you don't shop with a list, don't track prices, and just buy whatever you need each week, you should be able to cut your grocery bill by about 30%-40% by using the Grocery Shopping Tools without using coupons.

It depends on the types of food you buy.
While there are coupons for organic and whole foods, they are less common that other coupons. They can also be a little more difficult to find. So, if you buy a lot of these types of foods, you will save less than someone else, but you will still save.

It depends on how much you want to save.
If you want to cut your grocery bill by 60%-80%, you will need to use coupons. If you are comfortable with saving 30%-40%, you should be able to accomplish that without coupons (as long as you really focus on stocking up when things are on sale for a rock bottom price)

It depends on how busy you are.
"Couponing" takes time. Personally, I believe it is well worth my time, so I have made time for it. However, everyone's situation is different. You may not have time to add it to your life right now; it may not be worth it for your family right now. You can still save money. I have a good friend who is extremely busy right now. She simply glaces at the Current Deals List right before she goes shopping. She filters it to show just the store she is planning to shop at and checks just 2-3 items that are on sale for a rock bottom price. She stocks up on just those 2-3 items and does the rest of her shopping just like she normally would. She has been doing this for almost a year now. She has slowly built a nice stockpile of food without spending much time and without using coupons. Her grocery bill has lowered by about 15% from where it was 1 year ago and she has a nice stockpile of food.

Here are a few questions people often ask me about coupons. Hopefully, the answers will help you decide if “couponing” is worth it for you.

1. Are there coupons available for things I use?

There are many coupons for the following: snack foods, cereal, baby supplies, frozen foods, canned goods, and boxed/prepared food, cleaning supplies, personal care items, medicines, cheese & yogurt, condiments, baking needs, and paper goods.

There are occasionally coupons for these categories (more so if you use online coupons): produce, milk, eggs, bread, fresh meats, and lesser known organic or health food brands.

2. How much time will it take?

If you choose to try and match coupons to sales on your own, it can take hours each week. If you choose to use the Grocery Shopping Tools provided here at Frugalicious which do most of the work for you, you should only spend 15-30 min a week on average.

3. How much money will I save?

The average coupon is worth about $0.90. The Current Deals List database tracks coupon trends and suggests using about 60-80 coupons each week.
Of the 60-80 recommended coupons, there will still be many for things you do not need, but even if you are very conservative and only use 1/8 of the suggested coupons (8-10/week) would save you $30-$40 a month. If you use multiples of any coupon (which you should if you are stocking up), you will save significantly more.
Most people use 15-25 coupons a week on average, bringing their savings to $50-$90 a month.

4. Why should I spend money on coupons in order to save money on groceries?

You can get a newspaper subscription through www.discountednewspapers.com for as little as $4-$8 a month. Even with multiple subscriptions, you will save significantly more than you spend.

DRUG STORE TIP: Giving Your Coupon to the Cashier

2010-06-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Cash register computers are set up to accept coupons in a certain order. Sometimes a coupon that you are allowed to use as per the fine print on the coupon and the store's coupon policy will still beep simply because the cashier scanned the coupons in the wrong order. One example of this is written right into the coupon policy I received from CVS. Usually a knowledgeable cashier or manager will push these coupons through for you, but wouldn't it be nice to avoid the problem in the first place? I've listed below the order you should hand your coupons to the cashier at Riteaid and CVS. Hopefully, this will cut way back on the number of "beeps" you get when checking out!

CVS:

$ off $$ coupons
CVS store coupons
ECBs
Manufacturer’s coupons

Riteaid

$ off $$ coupons
Riteaid In-ad coupons
Riteaid Video Values coupons or Wellness coupons
Manufacturer's coupons

So, try it this week. Stack your coupons in the above order before you get to the checkout. Then hand your cashier each type of coupon one after the other. Don't give them the next type of coupon until then finished scanning the first. For example, don't give them store coupons until they have scanned your $ off $$ coupons. Then don't give them manufacturer's coupons until they have scanned all store coupons etc.

ONLINE SHOPPING TIP: Buy Discounted Gift Cards

2010-06-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned this idea before, but in light of Father's Day coming up, I thought I would do a quick overview again.

Buying Discounted Gift Cards as Gifts
One of my favorite money saving tricks is to buy gift cards at less than face value. Obviously, gift card can make great gifts for others: especially those that are a bit harder to buy for (ahem....my dad....ahem). Buying a gift card means you won't waste money on something they don't really want, but paying less than the gift card is worth is what truly makes it smart shopping!

One great place to do this is Plastic Jungle. I use this website often for my discounted gift card purchases. They buy gift cards that others don't want or can't use. Then then re-sell them to others that do want or need them.

One reason I wanted to mention this a few weeks before Father's Day is because the good gift cards go FAST! So, if there is a certain store you would like a discounted gift card to, but it isn't currently available, I would suggest you sign up now for Plastic Jungle "notifications" feature. Pick a merchant (or a few merchants), a minimum discount, and the card face value you are looking for. Then, Plastic Jungle will email you immediately whenever a card that meets those requirements becomes available.

I typically get my gift cards within just a few days of ordering them.

Stacking Discounted Gift Cards With Other Deals:

I buy discounted gift cards for myself. Yep. I do. And I consider it very smart shopping. In fact, I try to make all of my major purchases (especially clothing) with discounted gift cards. It is simply one more way in which I stack deals.

Let's say you bought a $100 gift card for just $90. Then, you used that gift card to purchase $130 worth of merchandise that is on sale for $100. That is $130 worth of merchandise for just $90! Combine that with a coupon code / printable couopn, free shipping code, and/or online cash back and you can save some significant money!

Anytime I see a great sale (one that is combined with a great coupon code or cash back) that will last for the next week or so , I quickly head over to Plastic Jungle to see if I can get a great gift card to go with the sale.

What about those great sales that only last a few days? Well, this is the reason I really like Plastic Jungle's notification feature. I sign up to be notified whenever gift cards to stores I'm sure I will shop at are on sale for a great price. Currently I am signed up to receive notifications for various grocery & drug stores, Costco, Target, Walmart, Payless, PF Changs, The Children's Place, Staples, & Ebay, and Kohls.

Whenever these cards go on sale for a great price, I pick one up. Then I use it at some point in the future, always in combination with a great sale and/or coupons, rebates, or cash back. That way, I am always saving 10%-20% (which is the discount applied to most gift cards) in addition to any sale, discount or coupon being offered.

I've found Plastic Jungle to be very easy to use / navigate. If you have any questions, be sure to let me know!

**Note: This post contains an affiliate link. To learn more, read my Disclosure Statement.**

COUPON TIP: Look Beyond the Picture

2010-06-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

One comment I often get from cashiers when using coupons is this:

You didn't get the item shown on the coupon, so you can't use this coupon.

Often, this is simply untrue. Most coupons can be used for quite a variety of items, they simply can't put a picture of each one on the coupon. The item pictured is very often the most expensive item you could buy with that coupon. The coupon will clearly state exactly what products it can be used on. As a recent example of this, I had a coupon that stated it was for "any Maybelline eye product." There was a picture of one of their more expensive mascaras on the coupon. I decided to use the coupon on a less expensive eyeliner instead. The cashier told me I couldn't use the coupon and gave me the above reason. I carefully (and kindly) showed her the actual wording on the coupon. And you know what? She thanked me! She said she had always wondered why people used coupons when they could each only be used for a very specific item (the one pictured). She said now it seemed far more worth it to her. I gave her my card and left with my very inexpensive eyeliner!

Make sure you read the wording and fine print to find out what items the coupons can be used on: don't just trust the picture!

Weekly Tools Tip: Knowing When to Use Your Coupons

2010-05-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

Focusing Your Stockpiling Efforts
One of the things that makes the Weekly Tools so useful when learning to shop smart that they help you focus your stockpiling efforts on those items that really are on sale for a rock bottom price each week. They take all the guess work out of finding the hot deals and quickly turn you into a money saving expert! As you already know, you should focus on stocking up on the red and green items that you family needs.

How Do Grocery Store Coupons Change That Focus?
Some of you may be wondering: What about those times where there is a grocery coupon available that matches a sale that isn't red or green? What then?
Well, sometimes it is still worth stocking up on that item. Other times it is not. Luckily, the Weekly Tools take the guesswork out of this as well. All you need to do is sort by the "Stock w/ Cpn?" column in the Current Deals List. To do this, just click on those words at the top of the column. This will organize the list in a very helpful way. It will pull all the black colored sales (meaning non-rock bottom sales) with coupons that make them worth stocking up on at the very top of the list. If you have the coupon (and money in your budget), add those items to your shopping list!

How Do We Decide Which Items Are Worth Stocking Up on With a Coupon?
If you are at all like me, you will want to know just how the system decides if you should use your coupon to stock up or not. Well, there are two requirements:

The coupon will expire before the next rock bottom sale is expected, AND
The price of the item with that coupon brings it below the 5* price for that item.

Weekly Tools Tip: How to compare a sale to Costco's Prices

2010-05-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Warehouse clubs (like Costco) can waste or save you money. They key is to know what you should and shouldn’t buy there. There are some items that are almost always cheaper at warehouse clubs. Even when using coupons, you simply won’t find these items for less at the grocery /drug store. On the other hand, some items are almost never cheaper at warehouse clubs. You can easily find these items for less at the grocery/drug store.

Did you know that the Virtual Price Book shows an estimated cost for hundreds of items available at Costco? Every 6 months or so, two of the awesome ladies that help me compile all the data for the Weekly Tools walk the isles of Costco and write down all the prices. This information is then included as part of the Virtual Price Book.

There are some things you should never buy at Costco. These will be marked with "Never at Costco" in the "Price that beats Warehouse Club" column.
There are other items that you should always buy at Costco. We very rarely (if ever) see them for less at the grocery store even with a coupon. These will be marked with a "Better at Costco" in the "Price that beats Warehouse Club" column.
For all other items, we list the price an item would have to be at the grocery store in order to beat the Costco Price. So, if you plan on shopping at Costco and a few other stores one day, you could quickly check this list to find which items you should be buying at Costco.

Coupon Tip: How I organize my coupons part II

2010-05-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I showed you how I organize the coupons I will be using at each store I shop at. Today, I want to tell you what I do with the front half of that organizer.

I found that the "only clip the coupons you when you need" them method didn't work perfectly for me. Only having the coupons I planned on using caused two problems:

I couldn't take advantage of unadvertised sales on items I needed that I knew I had a coupon for at home.
Sometimes a store would be out of an item I'd planned on buying that was part of a catalina rebate or instant rebate deal. Instead of being able to replace that item with another that I had a coupon for, I either had to forget about the entire deal, or replace the missing item with something I had a coupon for at home.

However, clipping every coupon does not work for me either. One of the biggest reason I believe I am able to shop this way successfully is because I have found a way to do it without spending an enormous amount of time. I do not have the time to clip every coupon, nor do I want to spend the time once I am in the store to look for every unadvertised deal and then check to see if I have a matching coupon. For most items, I've found that I can buy enough stock when it is advertised at a great price to last me until the next advertised sale. I don't have to spend time stressing about all the unadvertised sales.

So, this is the compromise I've made:

I clip coupons that fit into one of the following categories:

Coupons for items that are difficult for me to keep in stock at rock bottom prices (diapers for example)
Coupons for items I don't really need a "stock" of, but occasionally need to buy (Ant & Roach killer or Popsicles for example)
Coupons for fresh produce, dairy, or milk

I keep these coupons in the front of my coupon folder filed by category. I also keep any other coupons I get from blinkie machines, by mail, or from random magazines etc in this area of my coupon folder.

If I have time while at the store, I quickly check to see if there are any unadvertised deals on those items. Wether or not I make the time to do this depends on a few things: (1) if I have my kids with me, (2) if we need something I know I have a coupon for, (3) if I'm already walking down that isle for something else anyway. Sour cream, yogurt, diapers, and refrigerated salad dressing are items I often buy with these coupons.

In addition, when planning to shop a rebate deal, I always clip coupons for a few extra items just in case the store is out of what I really wanted. That way I can replace the missing item with something I have a coupon for.

Questions? Leave me a comment!

Random Frugalicious Tip: Using Rainchecks (Tip from a reader)

2010-05-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am loving all the tips that Coralie is giving us! Especially since I'm running behind (when am I not? ha ha) and hadn't planned this morning's post yet. This is the 3rd tip she has contributed and they've all been great! Thanks so much Coralie!

This time, she says:

Use rainchecks to your advantage.

If you know you will be getting some more coupons for a product but don't have them in time for the sale, get a raincheck if possible.
The two best days to get rainchecks are the day before delivery and the last day of the sale.
If scent doesn't matter, find a scent that they are out of and get a raincheck for that scent.

Those are some great tips!

Weekly Tools Tip: What Do all the Colors Mean?

2010-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce:

The Weekly Tools are now available for FREE!

We will continue to offer this service for FREE for at least 4 months (through Sept 14th). If you are unfamiliar with these Tools and would like to learn about them you can read: "What Are the Weekly Tools?"

THE CURRENT DEALS LIST: What Do All the Colors Mean?

To save the most money when using The Current Deals List, focus on BLUE and Red items. BLUE items are FREE (after a coupon or rebate etc), and Red items are on sale for the lowest price we have seen in 6 months! These are the items you should be stocking up on. There are some Green items that are worth stocking up on as well. Pay attention to the “stock?” column to know which Green items to focus on once you have added BLUE and Red items to your list. Unless you are using coupons, Blackitems should only be purchased if you needthem that week. (If a BLACK item should be stocked up on with a coupon, there will be a “yes” in the “stock w/ cpn?” column).

The list of items that you need to buy each week will get shorter over the next few weeks as you add to your stockpile. As you stockpile, you will build your own store at home, and this is how you truly save money grocery shopping. Buying more than you need of each item that is on sale for its rock bottom price allows you the luxury of never being forced to buy that same item at an above average price.

Online Shopping Tip: How To Find Free Shipping

2010-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest drawbacks to online shopping is the shipping cost. Sometimes the shipping can really kill a deal. Solution?

FreeShipping.org

They list free shipping coupons for thousands of online stores. It is very easy to search for the store you are looking for to find a free shipping code.

So, the next time you are about to forget about a deal because of the shipping cost, make sure you check out FreeShipping.org!

Coupon Tip: Organize Your Coupon By Store

2010-05-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

While planning my shopping at home, I clip all the coupons I am going to need. I organize them according to store (The Weekly Tools make this easy!). I carry just a small coupon folder with me into the store. This is what it looks like:

The back section of this folder has a place for each of the stores I shop at. There are three 3x5 card in each section. The first, second and third section in each store folder are for the coupons I will need during my first, second, and third transactions (if I am doing more than one transaction). The last section is for coupons I may or may not use but wanted to have handy just in case. It also includes any store coupons I have that I don't plan on using during that trip.

At the very front of my coupon folder, I have a place where I put any coupons I had planned to use, but didn't (for example, if the store was out of stock, or the price was different than what I'd expected). If for some reason I decide not to buy an item I had planned on buying, I immediately (meaning right there in the store isle before I get to the check stand) move the coupon from the store section of my coupon folder to this front section.

Getting all this organization done before going to the store really cuts down on the time I spend there: especially in the checkout line. It is a lifesaver when I have my kids with me. I don't have to fumble through stacks of coupons. I can confidently get in line and hand the cashier my coupons quickly at the very beginning of the transaction. The cashiers appreciate it as well. I've gotten many comments about how much easier it is for them when I am organized. Comments like: "I don't mind coupons at all when they are organized" are very common.

So, try it this week. Organize all your coupons as much as possible before you get to the store. See if it makes things run a bit smoother for you. Come back and comment! Let everyone know how it went or if you have any additional tips that have worked for you.

ps...Next week I will tell you about what is in my coupon folder between that very first section and all my store sections!

Grocery Shopping Tip: Check Dates

2010-05-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a fried the other day and this subject came up. I was surprised to learn that even though I've done this for years, she had never thought of doing it. So, I reasoned that there may be some of you haven't thought of it either and decided to post it.

Anytime I buy fresh liquid dairy (milk especially since I buy that often, but also sour cream, yogurt, whipping cream, half & half etc) I check the dates. Usually there will be a few different expiration dates available. I always buy the one with the absolute latest date. This way, I'm getting the freshest product available, and the one that will last the longest which eliminates waste and save money!

Random Frugalicious Tip: DealRadar.com

2010-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

I just got a press release in my inbox yesterday that goes perfectly with the advice I gave on Tuesday about the Daily Deals. It looks like DealRadar is a website where you can find multiple local daily deals at once (instead of checking each site individually). I'm excited to start using their service. I think it will help save me some time and find some great deals! Here is the info I got in my inbox:

Dealradar.com (www.dealradar.com) today announced the release of its newly expanded shopping resource for "Daily Deal" offers on dining, travel, spas and other products and experiences from more than 80 deal sites in more than 60 cities across the US, UK and Canada. Dealradar.com is an improved version of the service previously available as LocalOfferLounge.com, and remains completely free for consumer use.

Groupon, LivingSocial and BuyWithMe are among the best known daily deal destinations and consumer demand has given rise to more than 80 such sites.
This requires shoppers to spend more time than ever to avoid missing great offers -- in fact, some consumers would have to read 15 or more daily e-mails to see every deal available in their city that day.

Dealradar.com solves this problem by finding deals across multiple sites and delivering them to consumers in one place, clearly listed by type of product or service. Consumers can subscribe to email, Twitter, or Facebook updates that consolidate deals that normally span many emails and sites.

Weekly Tools Tip: The Coupon List

2010-05-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Frugalicious Grocery Shopping is about to get a lot more fun!

If you missed the earlier posts in this series, you can find them here.

I am VERY EXCITED to announce that we will be making the WEEKLY TOOLS available on Wednesday, May 12th! That is just 1 week away! What makes this even better is that we will be making them available FOR FREE (for a limited time)! I cannot even describe how excited I am about this.

These Tools are the result of years of work and were developed in response to various things I found frustrating as I tried to learn to shop this way a few years ago. I believe that more than anything else I've done or created, they can help you save not only money on your groceries, but time too. From my experience in learning to shop this way, I know that there are many times when it simply isn't fun! I have designed these Tools to help solve that problem. Their entire purpose is to make Frugalicious shopping simple, fun, and effective.

So today will be the last preview into just how amazing these Tools are. Starting on Wednesday of next week, I will give you a weekly tip on how to use them more effectively.

Easily find the right coupon

I've already told you about the Virtual Price Book, and The Current Deals List including all that makes it unique. Today I would like to tell you about my Coupon List:

This search-able, sort-able, print-able, database list all the unexpired coupons that you can get from the following sources:

The Sunday newspaper inserts
Online Printables (those that Stephanie lists at Printable Coupons & Deals)
All You Magazine

That seems simple enough, but this really is another amazing tool. Have you ever needed to buy something and wondered if there were a coupon available? I have. Even with my large stockpile of food, I run out of things on occasion. I occasionally have to buy things even when they aren't on sale for a rock bottom price (imagine that!).

For example, my kids were sick a few weeks back and I wanted to buy them some popsicles. I didn't have any in stock (we don't eat them often), but I wanted to spend as little as possible on them. They weren't listed on sale in the Current Deals list, so I searched the Coupon List to see if there was an available coupon! Easy. It only took me a few seconds.

In addition, the Frugalicious Coupon List differs from other similar lists in two important ways:

1. In addition to coupons, it lists available mail-in manufacturer's rebates and catalinas. (a catalina is a coupon rebate that prints at the end of a transaction when you purchase certain required items. It can be used like cash on a future purchase). This allows me to find a lot more FREE deals.

2. I do not remove printable coupons from the list when they are no longer available to print. Instead, I remove them when they expire. Some extremely hot coupons are only available to print for a few days, but they don't expire for weeks.

For example, there was a HOT $1.50 off Oscar Mayer Bacon coupon available a while back. It was only available to print for ONE DAY! A few weeks later, that Bacon was on sale for $2 at Ralphs. Had I removed the coupon from the database, I may not have caught that great matchup! Using this method allows me to find more deals than I would be able to otherwise.

So, I recommend subscribing to (or visiting) Printable Coupons and Deals multiple times a week (daily if possible). Stephanie does a great job of finding more printable coupons than anyone I know. Print the coupons you know you would use if paired with a rock bottom sale. File them away by date. They will be listed in the Coupon List (and matched to sale in the Current Deals List) by the date Stephanie posted them on her site.

If you do not want to visit Printable Coupons and Deals daily, I try to do a fairly thorough job of listing any hot coupons in my Printable Coupon Roundup on Mondays. I consider a coupon *Hot* if it meets one or more of the following requirements:

It is for Dairy, Produce, Meat, or Organic foods.
It has an usually high value.
It will likely make an item FREE or next to free.
It is rare for some other reason.

EXCITED YET? Just wait until Wednesday when you get to use all these Tools!

Online Shopping Tip: Daily Deals are Worth Checking

2010-05-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that in my navigation bar at the top of this website, I have a section titled "Daily Deals?" I would highly encourage you to quickly check those deals each day. It won't take you more than 1 minute, but if I were a betting gal (which I'm not), I would bet that over the course of a year you will find at least 3-5 amazing deals on things you were planning on buying anyway.

Many websites offer "Daily Deals," which is basically just an awesome deal that is available until the end of the day, or until they sell out, whichever comes first. Most of the time the deals listed there really are pretty amazing prices (although not always, I would still recommend a price comparison) You will find deals on all sorts of stuff: clothing, electronics, furniture and more. If you were to buy just 3-5 of those items a year and saved just $20-$30 on each one (you could save far more depending on the item), it would be well worth your time. In fact, I'll do the math for you. If you spend 1 min every day of the year, that is just over 6 hours of your time. If you save just $100 total, you've "made" almost $17 / hr. That is a pretty decent hourly rate!

A warning: Remember that Daily Deals (like the coupons) are a marketing tool. Don't get sucked in! Once you start checking these daily, you will see many great deals on things you were not planning to buy anyway: things you don't really need. Resist the urge to buy them! If you don't, you won't actually be saving money; you will be spending it. If you patiently wait, you will see deals on things you already intended to purchase, and you will save yourself some money.

A personal example of this: A while back, Target had a daily deal on a mount for an LCD TV. Cory and I have been wanting (not needing) to mount our TV for a while. So, when I saw the deal, I immediately ordered it. It really was a great price ($10 for a $60 mount). It was about 5 am, so Cory wasn't awake yet. When he woke up, I excitedly told him about my great purchase. His response? "Thanks, but we don't need it, so it doesn't matter how little you spent on it. It wasn't in the budget. Can we take it back?" He was SO right! We didn't need it. I was spending outside our budget. Luckily, all Target's Daily Deals have free shipping and free return to store.

If you know of a store that offers Daily Deals that you would like me to add to the list, let me know!

Coupon Tip: Coupons Are Marketing Tools

2010-05-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought of a coupon as a marketing tool? Think about it. Companies want you to spend money. So, they create coupons in the hopes that you will do just that. They would much rather you spend $3 on a $4 item that costs them $1 than not buy that item at all.

Coupons are created to get you into the store spending money. For the majority of people, this is exactly what they do. However, you know better! Here are two rules:

(1) Do not buy anything you are unlikely to use no matter how great of a coupon you may have for that item. Spending $0.50 on a box of cereal you won’t use is still wasting $0.50!

(2) Even if you have a coupon for something you will use, try not to use it until that item is on sale at a great price. For example, say a box of cereal is normally priced at $4. If you use a $1 coupon, you would only spend $3. Some would say this was a good deal. Not me. Instead, wait until that box of cereal goes on sale for $2. Now, use your coupon! You only pay $1 for that same box of cereal!

Drug Store Tip: Shop the Clearance at Riteaid

2010-04-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Today's tip comes from one of our readers! Coralie really knows how to make Riteaid work, and even better, she is willing to share her knowledge. She submitted this tip:

If something is in the Rite Aid rebates, you will get the rebate even if it is on clearance. So, look for the clearance stickers for possibly an even better deal than the sale price. For example, I just bought berry flavored Metamucil for 6.99 for 114 doses. $4 rebate available, plus a $3 coupon. Starting may 2, the orange flavor will be on sale for $9.99. I like free better than $2.99!

This is a great example of a few different principles:

1. Stacking sales (or clearances) with coupons and rebates. You can typically use all three on one item to get amazing deals just like Coralie did.

2. Tracking prices and knowing what a truly good sale is. Next week's "sale" price of $9.99 is a full $3 more than the current clearance price! Start checking those clearance items!

3. Being willing to try a different brand or flavor of some items. Coralie saved $3 by buying the berry flavored instead of the orange flavored Metamucil.

Thanks Coralie!

If you have a tip you'd like me to feature, I would love to hear from you! You can use this form to submit it.

Wednesday Tip: Let's Define Coupons

2010-03-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

If someone were to ask you to define what a coupon is, what would you say? A discount? A sale? A way to pay less for something? Something only cheap people use?

I think there are a lot of misconceptions out there about coupons, and I would like to change that. I like to think of my coupons this way:

A manufacturer's coupon = A Form of Payment

That's right. Just like a check or a credit card or cash. It is simply one way you can choose to pay for something. Thinking of coupons in this way solves two different misconceptions:

Misconception #1: When you use coupons, you are cheating the store out of money.

Wrong! Coupons are simply a form of payment. In fact, when correctly redeemed, they are the most valuable form of payment a store can receive. Stores do not lose money when a coupon in used. As long as you are redeeming the coupon for the correct item(s), the store will be reimbursed for the full value of that coupon, plus a handling fee (usually $0.08). So, if you use a $1 coupon, the store actually makes $1.08! If you were to pay with $1 cash, the store would would only make $1. If you were to pay with a credit card, the store would actually make less than $1 b/c they will pay a fee to the credit card company. So, your coupons are very valuable to the store. They do not make you cheap!

Misconception #2: Coupons are worthless.

Wrong! If you were to find a quarter on the street, would you pick it up and throw it in the trash? I'm almost certain all of you would say "no!" You would stash it away somewhere...likely with your other change and you would use it eventually. But, how many of you have thrown out a coupon in the trash b/c it was only worth $0.25? Stop that! Those coupons are just as valuable to you as cash! They are simply one way you can choose to pay for the things your family needs. That is part of why I consider "couponing" to be my part time (paid) job as a mother. Every coupon I clip (and then use) is "making" us money. As you clip your coupons, imagine yourself cutting out dollar bills and quarters out of the inserts...it may help make it feel a little more worthwhile! On average, I "make" around $50 / hr "couponing." That is some serious cash!

What sorts of misconceptions have you seen as you "coupon?" Does this idea help with those?

Wed Tip: Save time, money and stress with this simple tip!

2010-03-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Wednesday's Tip!

I actually almost forgot to post one. I'm about ready to get in bed and by the time most of you read this, it will actually be Thursday! Sorry!

This is a very simple thing you can do that will save you time, money, and stress! Shopping this way can be stressful at times, so anything that decreases that is a great tip in my book!

Have a store ad with you while you shop.

I always pick up an ad when I walk into the store. There are a few reasons this is helpful:

Having the ad with you can help you quickly find which items are part of a particular rebate, instant savings or catalina deal. This is especially helpful if something you had planned to buy is out of stock and you need to replace it with something else.
Sometimes things aren't correctly marked / labeled at the store (I've found this to be especially true at CVS). Having the ad with you can help you verify that you have the the correct item(s).
Sometimes things don't ring up correctly at the register. However, if the store advertised that price, they are bound to honor it. If you have the ad with you, it is much easier to quickly show the cashier (or a manager) the advertised price you would like them to honor.

Wed Tips: A Reader Riteaid SCR Tip

2010-03-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Wednesday's Tip! Today's tip was submitted by one of our readers: Coralie. It is a very simple tip to implement, and may help you save / earn a bit more money! She says the following:

I enter all my receipts for the [Riteaid] rebates. Sometimes I get credit towards things I hadn't even realized. :)

Riteaid offers many different rebates each week and month. Some are not advertised. It can be difficult to keep track of them all. So, take Coralie's advice and enter each and every reciept you have from Riteaid into their online system. It doesn't take more than 15 seconds and you may just find youself with some rebates you weren't expecting!

Thanks Coralie!

Wed Tip: It never hurts to ask and more

2010-03-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

When I first started trying to shop in a "Frugalicious" way, there were two things that made me pretty uncomfortable: (1) Dealing with mistakes the cashiers would make, and (2) Trying to correct mistakes I had made. As I've gained some confidence in my knowledge of Frugalicious shopping, I've become more comfortable in these situations. And do you know what I've found? They almost always end very positively!

Here are a couple of examples from just this last week:

(1) A Riteaid manager told one of our readers, Angela from Queen B, that she couldn't use coupons that had been printed from the internet.
What I would have done a few years ago: Had I been faced with this situation a few years ago, I likely would have just walked away disappointed and avoiding going back to that particular Riteaid (or at least that particular cashier).
What Angela did instead: Luckily, she was smarter than I was. She emailed me to ask if I knew exactly what their policy was. I forwarded her Riteaid's coupon policy which clearly states that printable coupons are allowed. She then emailed Riteaid directly to explain what had happened and ask for her own copy of the coupon policy. They called her back shortly after, apologized for the inconvenience and offered her a $15 giftcard! She didn't even ask for the card! All she wanted was a copy of the coupon policy!

(2) I mailed in a Riteaid receipt for a manufactuer's rebate before I entered it into Riteaid's SCR system online. I had bought items on that receipt that qualified me for a $25 P&G SCR rebate (in addition to the manufacturer's rebate I was mailing the receipt in for). Without entering that receipt, I was about $10 short of qualifying for the SCR rebate.
What I would have done a few years ago: I would have sulked around for a few days about missing out on such a great rebate. My husband would have gotten an earful about how frustrated I was with myself for making such a silly mistake, but no one else would have heard a thing about it.
What I did instead: Well, I've gotten a bit wiser and grown a thicker skin over the last few years. So, I emailed Riteaid and explained the situation. I asked if there was anything that could be done. They emailed me back almost immediately to say that they had credited my account for the $35 and I could go ahead a request my rebate.

So, what can you learn from these two situations:

It never hurts to ask! These stores want their customers to be happy. They are willing to do what they can to earn your business. While I haven't always gotten exactly what I've wanted when I've asked, they are usually willing to do something that makes the situation better than it was.
Know who to talk to. Often the cashier you are working with (or even the manager) doesn't know or understand their own policies. Or, even if they do, they are powerless to help you without their supervisors approval. Unless you are certain of the policy yourself and have proof with you, it is usually a waste of time to try to argue with the cashier right then and there. Wait until you get home and then contact the store's corporate offices directly.
Knowledge is power. It wasn't until Angela knew for sure that Riteaid's coupon policy allowed for internet printables that she decided to email them. If you ever have a similar question, email me! If I don't know the answer, I would be happy to help you find it. Now that Angela has her own copy of that policy, she will be able to take it with her and use it next time she encounters a similar situation.
Demands are less effective. Neither Angela nor I demanded anything. We simply kindly explained our situation and asked what could be done.
Everyone makes mistakes! I've been shopping this way for years now, but just made that silly mistake last week! It happens to all of us. Don't let it bother you too much. Just remember, you are still spending less than you were before you started shopping this way.

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Wed Tip: Use Coupons on the smallest size possible

2010-02-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

Most of us are conditioned to think that larger size packages are better deals. If you don't use coupons, this is usually true.

However, this is often not true when you use coupons. As an example, last week, I bought an 8 oz Daisy sour cream. It was on sale for $1 (or about $0.13 an oz). The 16 oz was on sale for $1.75 (or about $0.11 an oz). So, without a coupon, you paid less per oz when you bought the larger package.

I had a $0.50 off coupon that I used. So, after the coupon, I paid $0.50 for the 8 oz package or about $0.06 an oz. Had I bought the 16 oz, I would have paid $1.25 or about $0.08 an oz. I got a better deal by buying the smaller size when I used my coupon.

In fact, this particular coupon actually doubled, so I was able to get the 8 oz for free. Had I used the same coupon on the 16 oz, I would have paid $0.75!

In fact, if a coupon has no size restrictions written on it, you can often use it on a trial size, which often makes the item free / next to free.

So, when using coupons, even if a larger size package is on sale, make sure it isn't a better deal to buy the smaller package! I carry a small calculator with me when I shop just for this purpose.

Was this helpful? Did you know you can get regular updates by email or in your favorite reader when we post new deals and tips? In addition, if you know someone else who may find this helpful, you can easily share it with them by clicking on a button below (not available if you are reading this by email or in a reader):