Saving money with online purchases

This time of year SO many online retailers offer free shipping so here are some more ways to save even more $$!!!

My favorites:
Ebates
                   You get a certain % (varies with store- but most around 3-4%) in CASH back on your online purchase by going through Ebates.  They actually send you a check.  PLUS you can pay with a gift card and still get the rebate AND it doesn't effect any promotion codes you are going to use on the site.

Plum District it offers deals online and locally (Charlotte and Raleigh).  For example today's deal is $20 worth of photobooks or calendars at Kodak.com for $10!  Email me with your email address and I can email you a link that gets you a $5 credit so you get the book for $5!!!


Groupon  is great too!  It offers online and local deals that are amazing!  We got a Sci-works membership for VERY cheap a few weeks ago! 





 

HT meat sales this week coming up

Fresh Turkeys 1.18 lb
HT Whole Beef Tenderloin 9.99 lb (save $3)
Bone in Rib Roast 5.99 lb (save 3)
Spiral sliced smoked ham 1.99 lb (save 1 lb)
ez peel shrimp 5.99 lb (save $7 lb)
10-22 lb bell and evans or plainville farms fresh turkey 2.29 lb
leg of lamb 6.99lb (save 80 cents)
filet mignon 11.99 lb (save 4)
boneless eye round roast 3.49 lb (save 1.50)

Ham Dinner (7.9 lb ham, 2 lbs sweet pot. cass, 2 lbs green bean supreme, 2 lbs broccoli and rice casserole feeds 8-10) 49.99

Turkey Dinner (9-12 lb booked butterball, 2 lbs stuffing, 2 lbs green bean supreme, 2 lbs mashed pot, 2 lbs glazed carrots, 1 lb turkey gravy, 1 lb cranberry relish serves 8-10) 49.99

Prime Rib Dinner (4 lb cooked boneless rib, 2 lb mashed pot, 2 lbs green bean supreme, 2 lbs broccoli and rice cass serves 6-8 49.99

Save over 72% at Harris Teeter!!!

For the week of 11/17-11/25 Here are the top deals with the coupon matchups!

Birds eye reg or steamfresh veggies B1G1 free (reg. price 2.59/1.30 sale price)
                -10/24 SS: buy 1 steamfresh get 1 lightly sauced free
             
12 oz Heinz Gravy 4/$5 ( 1.25 each)
                -$1/3 coupon printable
              
Friskies Cat food (3.15 lb) B1G1 Free (4.85 each/ sale price 2.43)
                -$1 off coupon 9/12

8 oz Heluva Good Cheese sale for $2
               -0.50/1 printable
               -.55/1 11/14 Red Plum
        
Smart Balance FF Milk 1/2 gal $3
               -$2 off 10/31 Red Plum
         
Sister Schubert 11-15 oz Parker House or Dinner Rolls B1G1 Free (sale price $1.98 each)
               - .75/1 10/3 Smart Source

Sargento Shredded Chesse 2/$4
               -.50/2 Smart Source 11/14

Green Giant Frozen Veggies (B1G1 regular price $1.95 sale price .98)
               -.50/1 printable
               -.50/2 Smart Source 10/24

MccAin Sweet potato fries (sale $2)
                -$1 off Smart Source 10/24

Here is how to save over 70%!!

http://moolasavingmom.blogspot.com/
Item		price	coupon	double	savings
Birds Eye Steamfresh	2.59	1.3	0	0	1.3
Steamfresh lightly sauce	2.59	1.3	1.3	1.3	0
Heinz Gravy (3)	5.85	3.75	1	1	2.75
Friskies Cat food	4.89	2.43	1	1	1.43
Heluva Good Cheese	2.79	2	0.55	1.1	0.9
Smart balance 1/2 gallon	3.89	3	2	2	1
Sister Schubert	3.85	1.98	0.75	1.5	0.48
Green Giant Frozen	1.95	0.98	0.5	1	0
mccain Sweet potato	3.35	2	1	1	1
		0	0	0	0
		0	0	0	0
Total	31.75	18.74	8.1	9.9	8.86
Percentage Saved:	72.09%

Here is how to maximize your savings (aka my list!):

Item		price	coupon	double	savings
Birds Eye Steamfresh	2.59	1.3	0	0	1.3
Birds Eye Steamfresh	2.59	1.3	1.3	1.3	0
Birds Eye Steamfresh	2.59	1.3	0	0	1.3
Birds Eye Steamfresh	2.59	1.3	1.3	1.3	0
Birds Eye Steamfresh	2.59	1.3	0	0	1.3
Birds Eye Steamfresh	2.59	1.3	1.3	1.3	0
Heinz Gravy (3)	5.85	3.75	1	1	2.75
Heluva Good Cheese	2.79	2	0.55	1.1	0.9
Heluva Good Cheese	2.79	2	0.55	1.1	0.9
Heluva Good Cheese	2.79	2	0.55	1.1	0.9
Smart balance 1/2 gallon	3.89	3	2	2	1
Sister Schubert	3.85	1.98	0.75	1.5	0.48
Green Giant Frozen	1.95	0.98	0.5	1	0
Green Giant Frozen	1.95	0.98	0.5	1
mccain Sweet potato	3.35	2	1	1	1
Friskies Cat food	4.89	2.43	1	1	1.43
Friskies Cat food	4.89	2.43	1	1	1.43
Friskies Cat food	4.89	2.43	1	1	1.43
Total	59.42	33.78	14.3	17.7	16.12
Percentage Saved:	72.87%

        




               

Sunday Pharmacy Shopping

Here is how my week usually goes: Wednesday: Harris Teeter, Sunday: Pharmacy Shopping (CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid) and then on Monday, Harris Teeter.


I do it this way to maximize my coupons.  Grocery Store deals start on Wednesday.  I go on that day to Harris Teeter to use up all the coupons I have on free or virtually free items.  Then on Sundays, I go to the three pharmacies to use up my Register Rewards, Extra Care Bucks, or +UP.  Then on Mondays I go back to Harris Teeter (usually) to get my E-vic specials and/or new items with my Sunday Coupons. 

Today I did really well, especially at Rite Aid:
I got:
Large Refills of Baby Wipes (6.99)
Gain laundry detergent (4.99)
2 Toothpastes
1 Toothbrush
2 Dry Idea Deoderant

Paid $2.89 and got $3 in +Up rewards back!

A great deal even without the +Up! 

Unilever Deal

Sad to say I messed up :(  The unilever deal at HT (buy $10 worth of specific product and get $3 off) is good 1 per HH.  I had already bought one round the other day and tried again to day.  I hadn't read the fine print (SHAME SHAME).  The tea bags are still a great deal with the coupon coming out tomorrow even without the $3 off.

I hate doing this....

But I am actually going to have to buy some things with out coupons and actually have to pay more than $10!  There are some things we need that I haven't been able to get free recently or have to replace sooner than expected (thanks to my potty training 3 year old who has dropped about 12 rolls of TP into the toilet!!) and we are having guests for dinner..so I plan on combining a trip for what I need, what I can get free/cheap and get a 39 cent/lb turkey! 

Why I stock pile

The other day someone came over and saw my HUGE FULL pantry.  They asked me WHY I buy 10 boxes of popcorn or 20 cans of fruit at the same time.  "You will never eat all that this week" they said.  "This week?" I countered, "These will last us two months.  I need it to."

About 2 months ago, the sale items at Harris Teeter were mostly breakfast items.  Pop tarts and cereals.  I got each box of poptarts for about 10 cents.  I bought about 40.  $4 for 40 boxes?  That is about the regular price of just 1!!!  Boxes of cereal were about the same.  I probably bought another 20 or so (sadly I ran out of coupons!).  I have 3 kids and a big eating husband, so we go through a box of poptarts and/or a box of cereal at most every breakfast! 

Cereal and pop tarts have not been at such a low price since.  Since this month is Thanksgiving, I don't expect them to be that cheap again until maybe the new year.  So, I haven't bought any breakfast items since then.

This week it was canned goods, last week was pasta. Each week offers something new I can stock up on and not buy anymore until the next sale comes where I can get it virtually free and most likely I am really low on the item or completely out. 

Another reason I stock pile is because it is good to share.  Last week I got about 40 bottles of Gingerale for free.  WONDERFUL, it is great for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year get togethers. I have already shared several bottles with friends and family. 

Once a month or so, I go through my pantry and pull out items that either are close to expiring or my family just didn't like too much.  I offer through www.freecycle.org or www.craigslist.org.  There are ALWAYS families struggling to put food on the table and if 2 or 3 grocery bags of food will help them out, I have plenty and we can share.

My grocery shopping trips might look like a hodge podge of items that could not possibly make a full meal or meals for a family of 5- but combine it with what I have stocked at home- we eat like queens and kings on a pheasant budget.

Here's a great example.  Chicken was on sale a while ago (I brine and freeze the chicken in freezer bags).  I got each package for about $1.  Frozen Rhoades rolls were on sale last week at HT and I had a coupon that made them free.  I bought (sadly- no coupon!!) two packages of Knorr alfredo noodles at $1.35 each.  So my total was about $3.70.  Add in maybe a quarter for some milk, the margarine I got free (Thanks Country Crock!) and for $3.95 I feed my family of 5 plus my sister a hearty meal.  I even had some canned peaches and pears that I had canned (thanks to freecycle the fruit was free!).  Each person ate a full meal for less than 70 cents each!