It is Back-to-School day tomorrow! This means school supplies, lunch stuff, and homemade dinners. Yes, you CAN cook dinners every night and save money. You just have to have a plan! The more planning you can do in advance (say on a not-so-busy Sunday) means that you will know exactly what you can make each night and you know you have the right ingredients to do that. I have a list of about 10-12 different dinners that I make and I know exactly what ingredients I need to make them. This makes it easy to stockpile items and use fresh ingredients when they are available.
So I was fortunate that my daughter's teacher did not have an individual student supply list, but she did have a class list. I am going to shop for the lowest prices and get them in the coming weeks. I have looked at ads and it seems that EVERYONE is running $0.01 sales on supplies. You might try looking on weusecoupons.com for the best deals on supplies.
For store shopping, it will take going to a couple stores this week in order to get the best deals, unfortunately. I like to try to narrow it down to the best one or two stores, but I don't know if I can do that this week! It looks like I will be stopping at CVS, Target, Walmart, Vons, AND Sprouts. :-S
At CVS, there is All detergent (we have found the free and clear is the best!) for $3.99 minus a $1 MQ. They are also running a $1 ECB deal on milk. I am pretty well stocked-up on toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash for the next couple of months, but if you need these items, check the deals on couponmom.com.
At Target, you can get a Cascade complete 3ct pack for free. They are apparently $0.97 each and there is $1 off MQ. They also have nutrigrain bars for $2.50 each and I think there is $1/2 MQ.
Walmart has Huggies flushable wipes for $1.64 minus a $1 MQ, I am getting an 8-pack of yoplait yogurt for $4 and I am SURE I have a coupon (will revise when I figure out that one), they have Dreyer's ice cream for $3.88 and there was a coupon for $2 off 2 back in June. There are moneymaker deals for floss, febreze, and a couple other items too. Again, check couponmom.com.
At Vons, they have Buy 2 Get 2 Free on the 12 packs of Coke and you also get 2 free bags of Snack Artist chips, Fresh Express salads are B1G1 AND I got a get one free coupon in the mail from Vocalpoint, and I will be getting a few items so we can make Ribbolita again with our CSA box veggies.
FINALLY, at Sprouts, they have Cantaloupe 3 for $1 (!); Red bell peppers 3 for $1; celery, iceberg or romaine lettuce for $0.88 each; Peaches or Plums for $0.88 a lb.; Bartlett pears 3 lbs for $1; Baby peeled carrots, 1 lb bag for $0.88 each, Green and red seedless grapes, 4 lbs for $5; Organic gala apples, $1.50 a lb.; Hansen's natural apple juice for $1.50 each (sunday only); Mini seedless watermelon, 4 for $5 (sunday only); chicken breasts 50% off; Sprouts sprouted breads, $2.50 each; Organic lemonade, $2.50 each (there was a coupon for this in-store last week); and Pork sirloin chops or roasts for $2.99 per lb. Looks like you could put together some healthy lunches this week with some of those items!
Post here if you find any other good deals worth mentioning...Thanks and Happy Shopping!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Strange shopping week...
Just thought I would share my shopping this week...or lack of shopping...
I did go to the new Sprouts and use my $5 off coupon...was able to get a bunch of good deals and I still forgot to get the hummus! Oh well. There was a great coupon sheet at the front of the store, too. It is right when you walk in by the flowers. Hopefully they still have some left - any saving is good!
I have been very unimpressed by sales lately...not much going on. It looks like there *might* be some better prices in the coming week, but I have avoided Vons. And now I am not sure what is going to happen with strikes, so we all may want to avoid it for the near future. :-S Don't know what I will do with that... It is bad when you get spoiled by low prices and then get frustrated when you only save 40%.
Hopefully the stores will run some specials with school starting in the coming days. I will let you know what I do for back-to-school supplies, too!
This is when I am glad I have a good stash of frozen meat...stockpiling can be good if you have the room in your freezer. Good luck to you on saving...hopefully it will get better soon!
Happy Shopping!
I did go to the new Sprouts and use my $5 off coupon...was able to get a bunch of good deals and I still forgot to get the hummus! Oh well. There was a great coupon sheet at the front of the store, too. It is right when you walk in by the flowers. Hopefully they still have some left - any saving is good!
I have been very unimpressed by sales lately...not much going on. It looks like there *might* be some better prices in the coming week, but I have avoided Vons. And now I am not sure what is going to happen with strikes, so we all may want to avoid it for the near future. :-S Don't know what I will do with that... It is bad when you get spoiled by low prices and then get frustrated when you only save 40%.
Hopefully the stores will run some specials with school starting in the coming days. I will let you know what I do for back-to-school supplies, too!
This is when I am glad I have a good stash of frozen meat...stockpiling can be good if you have the room in your freezer. Good luck to you on saving...hopefully it will get better soon!
Happy Shopping!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Henry's 8/17-8/24
The big news this week: Henry's is now back with Sprouts! We drove by there today and they were already changing the sign. So, really the title of this post should be "Sprouts 8/17-8/24"!
I don't know if this is a promotional thing for just this week, or if we will be getting these coupons every week, but there is a $5 off $30 coupon in the flyer today. Yay! So if you can calculate it just right so that you only spend $30, that's a 17% savings.
All sorts of good deals, too...which makes me think it won't last. But I will be taking advantage while it does!
Here they are:
UPDATED 8/17**I just noticed in the top right corner of the front page of the ad: Bananas for $0.49! I am not sure why they hid that deal unless they really don't want everyone clearing out their stash. That is about as cheap as they get.
Red Bell Peppers, $0.49 each. (Remember to weigh and get the biggest one...more for your money!)
Red, White, or Yellow Onions, $0.49 per pound.
Broccoli and Cauliflower crowns, $0.88 per pound.
Mushrooms, sliced or whole, $0.99 each.
Roma tomatoes, $0.49 per pound.
Red or Green Leaf Lettuce, $0.49 each. (Again, pick the biggest one!)
Yellow nectarines and Black Plums, $0.88 per pound.
(I am getting hungry!)
Organic Red or Green Seedless Grapes, $1.99 per pound. (This is a good price for organic!)
Sprouts Bread is on sale 30% off.
Horizon Organic Milk is 2 for $6. (Keep in mind this is a ploy to get you to buy two. You don't have to buy two!)
Pumpkin Granola with Flax in bulk bins, $2.99 per pound.
Toufayan Pitas, 2 for $3. (see note above)
Organic Cantaloupe, $0.69 per pound.
Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs, $1.39 per pound.
Extra Lean Ground Beef, $3.79 per pound.
Eat Well Hummus, Buy 1 Get 1 Free.
There were a couple other items that seem to be a good deal, but I don't usually buy them, so I don't have the price in my "Price Book" (i.e. Edamame for $2, 12 oz Cobb Salad for $3.99...). Just not sure about the price comparison. Post if you think there are others in the ad that I missed. Or if you go and find something else, let me know! Thanks for reading and Happy Shopping!
I don't know if this is a promotional thing for just this week, or if we will be getting these coupons every week, but there is a $5 off $30 coupon in the flyer today. Yay! So if you can calculate it just right so that you only spend $30, that's a 17% savings.
All sorts of good deals, too...which makes me think it won't last. But I will be taking advantage while it does!
Here they are:
UPDATED 8/17**I just noticed in the top right corner of the front page of the ad: Bananas for $0.49! I am not sure why they hid that deal unless they really don't want everyone clearing out their stash. That is about as cheap as they get.
Red Bell Peppers, $0.49 each. (Remember to weigh and get the biggest one...more for your money!)
Red, White, or Yellow Onions, $0.49 per pound.
Broccoli and Cauliflower crowns, $0.88 per pound.
Mushrooms, sliced or whole, $0.99 each.
Roma tomatoes, $0.49 per pound.
Red or Green Leaf Lettuce, $0.49 each. (Again, pick the biggest one!)
Yellow nectarines and Black Plums, $0.88 per pound.
(I am getting hungry!)
Organic Red or Green Seedless Grapes, $1.99 per pound. (This is a good price for organic!)
Sprouts Bread is on sale 30% off.
Horizon Organic Milk is 2 for $6. (Keep in mind this is a ploy to get you to buy two. You don't have to buy two!)
Pumpkin Granola with Flax in bulk bins, $2.99 per pound.
Toufayan Pitas, 2 for $3. (see note above)
Organic Cantaloupe, $0.69 per pound.
Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs, $1.39 per pound.
Extra Lean Ground Beef, $3.79 per pound.
Eat Well Hummus, Buy 1 Get 1 Free.
There were a couple other items that seem to be a good deal, but I don't usually buy them, so I don't have the price in my "Price Book" (i.e. Edamame for $2, 12 oz Cobb Salad for $3.99...). Just not sure about the price comparison. Post if you think there are others in the ad that I missed. Or if you go and find something else, let me know! Thanks for reading and Happy Shopping!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Our First CSA Box
The Ribbolita is going to use up quite a bit of this: carrots, greens, garlic...and I am adding white onion, celery, chicken broth, cannelini beans, and diced tomatoes. I may have to supplement my canned tomatoes with some of the fresh just to use them up! I also already have plans for the zucchini: I have a great recipe for a squash-rice casserole that hides the zucchini well. Cheese = kids like it. ;-)
The kids were very excited to see what was in the box - it was almost like Christmas. They devoured one of the apples and an orange within 5 minutes of getting it out. I think this whole thing *may* just have the result I was looking for: excitement about vegetables and fruit.
That Armenian cucumber was the highlight. They were surprised that I didn't know what it was and we all looked it up on the internet together. They picked it up and smelled it...now if I can just get them to try a bite!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Store closings around town
There are a couple of big-box stores closing/moving around town. I hate to see jobs lost, but the discounts are good.
Borders has decided to close their store in The River in Rancho Mirage. We were there today and most everything is 25-30% off. When I asked about when they would be closing, they said it could be anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks and that they were still receiving pallets of books over the next couple of days at least (presumably from other stores that closed and couldn't sell them). She said it all depends on how fast the merchandise goes. There were quite a few people in there when we went, especially for the middle of the day in the middle of the week.
Also, Toys R Us is moving locations from Palm Desert to Jackson Street in Indio. They are clearing out as much merchandise as they can (it is easier to sell it out than move it) between now and August 24, which is the day I was told the store will close. When we went a week and a half ago, most everthing was 40% off. I would expect it is more now. I am going to grab DH and hit the store for some early Christmas shopping I think! Note: they did NOT receive a shipment of backpacks or lunch boxes, so don't plan to do your back-to-school shopping there. I was highly disappointed about that since they have been running a deal for a free lunch kit with a backpack purchase. Also, don't expect the advertised specials to be valid - the clearance percentage is the only sale.
Hope this helps! Happy shopping!
Borders has decided to close their store in The River in Rancho Mirage. We were there today and most everything is 25-30% off. When I asked about when they would be closing, they said it could be anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks and that they were still receiving pallets of books over the next couple of days at least (presumably from other stores that closed and couldn't sell them). She said it all depends on how fast the merchandise goes. There were quite a few people in there when we went, especially for the middle of the day in the middle of the week.
Also, Toys R Us is moving locations from Palm Desert to Jackson Street in Indio. They are clearing out as much merchandise as they can (it is easier to sell it out than move it) between now and August 24, which is the day I was told the store will close. When we went a week and a half ago, most everthing was 40% off. I would expect it is more now. I am going to grab DH and hit the store for some early Christmas shopping I think! Note: they did NOT receive a shipment of backpacks or lunch boxes, so don't plan to do your back-to-school shopping there. I was highly disappointed about that since they have been running a deal for a free lunch kit with a backpack purchase. Also, don't expect the advertised specials to be valid - the clearance percentage is the only sale.
Hope this helps! Happy shopping!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Inland Empire CSA
I am back. After a brief trip away from the heat of the Coachella Valley, I came back to NOTHING in our refrigerator and I had to scrounge some breakfast for us this morning! Luckily I had picked up some free eggs from the new grocery section of Target, so at least we had that. ;-)
I am not going to post any lists this week since I missed the ads and was frustrated because I was unable to save more than 39% at Vons this week. I guess I am turning into a true extreme couponer. I will say that there are some good deals out there and I still managed to come home with quite a haul: enough food to make about 8 different meals, lunches for us and for DH to have at work, 4 boxes of cereal, milk, bread...and some good produce all for about $140. And I walked away from CVS with a $10 gas gift card, and from Vons with $10 off my next shopping trip. So all in all, not too horrible.
Speaking of produce...I finally did it. I signed up to try the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box. I was waiting to see if our in-laws would be willing to share it with us since I am not truly convinced that we could eat it all. We are going to do a 4-week trial period and we will be getting the small pledge box each week for a month. I have a feeling that we will be switching to every other week, but that's what the trial period is for. We pick up our first box on August 15th. Can't wait to see what is in it! Mostly I like that it is local, seasonal, and fairly reasonably priced since it is certified organic. It is going to cost $130 total for the 4 weeks, which we will split with the in-laws, making it about $16.25 per week. I think I can do that! :-)
I will update you with how it looks next week and how we use the veggies and fruits we get. In the meantime, I will post as soon as I get the new ads and decide what I will do at Henry's this week. Happy shopping!
I am not going to post any lists this week since I missed the ads and was frustrated because I was unable to save more than 39% at Vons this week. I guess I am turning into a true extreme couponer. I will say that there are some good deals out there and I still managed to come home with quite a haul: enough food to make about 8 different meals, lunches for us and for DH to have at work, 4 boxes of cereal, milk, bread...and some good produce all for about $140. And I walked away from CVS with a $10 gas gift card, and from Vons with $10 off my next shopping trip. So all in all, not too horrible.
Speaking of produce...I finally did it. I signed up to try the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box. I was waiting to see if our in-laws would be willing to share it with us since I am not truly convinced that we could eat it all. We are going to do a 4-week trial period and we will be getting the small pledge box each week for a month. I have a feeling that we will be switching to every other week, but that's what the trial period is for. We pick up our first box on August 15th. Can't wait to see what is in it! Mostly I like that it is local, seasonal, and fairly reasonably priced since it is certified organic. It is going to cost $130 total for the 4 weeks, which we will split with the in-laws, making it about $16.25 per week. I think I can do that! :-)
I will update you with how it looks next week and how we use the veggies and fruits we get. In the meantime, I will post as soon as I get the new ads and decide what I will do at Henry's this week. Happy shopping!
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