Okay, today was the Rite Aid experiment. I signed up for their Check Rebate program, as well as their wellness+ program which gives cashback and points.
The very best deals were empty shelf situations - good lesson for me to go at the beginning of the week instead of the end.
Everything I got was on sale.
My favorite deals were:
$5 cashback on three bottles of Pantene (Big bottles - I think I have enough for the next year now.)
Secret clinical strength deodorant buy one get one 50% off + $2 cashback
Buy 1 get one 50% off Revlon eye products + $4 cashback
Buy 1 get one 50% off Neutrogena liquid foundation - I actually did comparison shopping with another brand that was 40% off without the deal, but ended up deciding to pay a little more for the one I like best.
I spent $138.
$34.34 wellness+ discount + $15 cashback + $4 rebate = 29% off regular retail price for everything I bought.
That was only a test drive. I can do better.
It’s amazing to me how many sales there are going on at any given moment. It’s like I’ve been walking around my entire life not even paying attention.
It’s very important to realize that no one store has the best price on everything. Even the ones that say “we’re always cheapest” can be undersold. Produce may be cheaper at one store, meat at another, paper products at a third.
It’s very important to realize that no one store has the best price on everything. Even the ones that say “we’re always cheapest” can be undersold. Produce may be cheaper at one store, meat at another, paper products at a third.
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That’s right - I have a running idea in my head at all times for the things I regularly buy of what a good price is. I get my meat and dairy at Safeway (because it tastes the best and the price isn’t much different); I get toiletries at WalMart usually, and some canned goods at Safeway, some at Superstore, and some at WalMart. If Safeway’s having a two for one sale on canned icing, hey! You get my money because you’re the cheapest this week!
I posted about this on the No S Diet boards. Some people who have a less laissez-faire approach to finances than I do reported that their grocery bills went down 10-20% when they started doing No S.
Last grocery bill - $85 The most important thing I did there was figure out the cheapest brand of everything we were using, and learning to get a lot of non-perishables in advance when the price is at a major discount. (Six jars of pasta sauce for $2 each, for example.) Wegman’s has an online grocery shopping list that makes it easy to compare prices.
I have now made two trips to Rite Aid for sales. This week I picked up toothpaste that is free after the rebate. I signed up for the rebate program and for the wellness+ program, though I didn’t realize you have to bring in the receipts to scan for the cashback rewards. I have accrued about $20 in +UP rewards at RiteAid just for buying stuff we’re going to need eventually anyways.
I made my first batch of dried beans this week, as well as my first batch of oatmeal for the week (cheaper than cereal for my husband, and in our opinion, more filling.) I tried making homemade egg mcmuffins to freeze, but that didn’t work out so great.
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Some people who have a less laissez-faire approach to finances than I do reported that their grocery bills went down 10-20% when they started doing No S.
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That sounds brilliantly simplistic. I may just have to try it.
I guess I’d be curious at how ‘‘snack’’ is defined. I tend to eat four small meals a day but some of those meals might be considered snacks.
Coupons can be a hazard when trying to save money. They force you to buy the more expensive brands. These days, it’s hard to find any that don’t require you to buy at least 2 of the item. Because of that, and the extreme couponing craze, you’ll be lucky to find one of something, that is currently being promoted by a coupon.
Most grocery stores have a loyalty program. Sign up for the ones in your immediate area, don’t waste gas and time, chasing deals in other areas.
Buy store brands on as many things as you can, especially OTC drugs, and staples like flour, sugar / sweetener, milk…
If you have a flexible enough schedule and can go to the store at an off peak time, I suggest breaking your order up into 2 or 3 receipts. I buy everything that has an UP in one transaction and then buy everything that doesn’t in a second, using all the UPS from the first one. That way I never go home with UPS I could lose.
I suggest getting a coupon book for $2-3 at Staples as well; if it’s not convenient, get it for $5 on Amazon here. Clip on Sundays and throw in your car and leave it there so it’s always with you if you find yourself with extra time.
Also, you mentioned upthread when things are gone, you missed out. Nobody touched on what a raincheck is: a little slip of paper promising you the max # of the deal allowed to use in the future. Frankly, it’s even better, since the raincheck will give you (for example) $3 off the product instead of a $3 ups that you later have to factor in for use. I got 4 free bottles of hand sanitizer this way, no purchase necessary.
I suggest getting a separate card for your hubby for drugstores; that way if the deal is really good you can get even more of it. Putting down a fake address always works for me as well.
If you feel bad for not supporting local businesses, always fill your prescriptions at the local pharmacy. Copays are the same everywhere and the small business profits.
The VONS Just 4 U program is worth signing up for to get some pretty good deals on your favorite products now and then.
Also, small changes can mean big savings down the line. Install aerators or low-flow showeheads to save water. Change light bulbs and put green screens or shade trees around your house to cut electricity costs.
If you can shell out for them, get shutters; they are easier to clean than drapes and keep the place cooler longer.
Just off the top of my head, the one thing I’ve found is that (imho) the Safeway brand cereals are actually better tasting than the name brand ones. I second the suggestions about beans and top ramen.
Speaking of celery tops, bits of chicken cadged off of bones and other “leftover” veggies, top ramen “stir-fried” with such items makes a rather cheap and tasty chow mien substitute.
Heh - just noticed this. We do this as well - mostly with the carcasses, not so much the veggies, but we wait until we have 3-4 carcasses in the freezer because it’s no more trouble to make a huge pot of soup, than to make a smaller pot.
If there’s any easy-to-remove meat, separate that before freezing; you can throw that in once the stock is made. Once you’ve boiled everything up, don’t just throw out the solids: take a few minutes to pick through and see if there’s any other meat scraps that you can salvage. It gets to a point of diminishing returns once you’re getting down to tiny shreds, but anything you CAN pick out of the mess of boiled-up solids, is basically free protein. Throw that back in the stock - it has no flavor and won’t be useable for anything else.
The other thing is: don’t boil up ALL your veggies for the stock, save some to throw in when you turn the stock into real soup.
As in: boil, pick / discard, add picked-through meat (and meat you pulled off prior to boiling) and leftover or “new” veggies, and you’ve got a really nice meal.
Oh: and we add allspice and cloves to the boiling process, in addition to the more common peppercorns and bay leaves. Gives a similar flavor to the stock I make each year from the brined turkey.
What about things other than groceries? You have internet and probably cable how much is that a month? Do you need it or just want it? Do you have an expensive phone plan when a basic plan will do? Do you go to Starbucks or out to eat? Can you keep your house warmer in summer and cooler in winter? little things all add up.
Realize that there are really inexpensive things that add a lot of flavor to food.
Onions - saute them for a bit and they are great in almost everything.
Rice - Rice is one of the cheapest staples there is. Get it at the asian market in huge bags. Steam it up and add some onions!
Salt - The original flavor additive.
Tabasco or other hot sauce - this adds lots of flavor, a bottle lasts a long time. THey have bins just full of it for free at Taco Bell!
Scavenging is a new trend. Get a food scavenging book from the library and see if you can find some free food inyour neighborhood. I live in Florida, there is citrus everywhere that is ripe and free, most people are happy to give you some fruit off their tree.
I followed Cecil’s advice from an ancient column on cat-tails. I harvested some pollen and substituted it for the flour in pancakes, they were great, no noticable unpleasent tastes.
Out of the food arena:
Your taxes pay for the public library, I can spend hours in a library, then bring home armfulls of interesting stuff for free! Find out if there is acooperative in your library, you might be able to gets books or other items from university librarys on inter-library loan for free!
Many citys have recreation leagues that you can get out an meet people. You might meet some interesting people, get some exercise and meet other people that have great tips for saving money.
The water utility where I lived charged a flat rate(unless you went over the high limit) so pinching drops of water would be pretty much a waste of time.
The most important thing I did there was figure out the cheapest brand of everything we were using, and learning to get a lot of non-perishables in advance when the price is at a major discount. (Six jars of pasta sauce for $2 each, for example.) Wegman’s has an online grocery shopping list that makes it easy to compare prices.