A blog about keeping yourself and your expenses lean in Oakland County, Michigan.



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Sunday, January 31, 2010

VGs $1 Doubles Match ups 02/01/10-02/07/10


These match-ups are tailored to the Waterford VGs that double coupons up to $1. 

Grocery
Ragu Pasta Sauce 16-26.3 oz. (excludes organic) $1.49
$.75/2 - 1-31 RP
Final Cost $.74 each when you buy two with coupons

Nabisco Snack Crackers $1.88
$1/1 - 1-24 SS
Final Cost Free!

Hormel No Beans Chili 15 oz. 2/$4
$.55/2
Final Cost $1.45 each when you buy 2

Dixie Plates Ultra Garden (20-30 ct.), Heavy Duty: Traditional (24-48 ct.) or 8-5/8-inch (45 ct.); Bowls: Heavy Duty Traditional (35 ct.) or Ultra Garden (24 ct.) 2/$4 or $2 each
$.55/1 1-24 RP
Final Cost $.90

Dixie White Napkins (200 ct.); or Mardi Gras Assorted Napkins (250 ct.) 2/$4 or $2 each

$.55/1 1-24 RP
Final Cost $.90

Meat
Eckrich Smoked or Polish Sausage or Grillers Assorted Varieties (14-16 oz.) or Healthy Ones Smoked or Polish Turkey Sausage (14 oz.) Buy 1, Get 1 FREE $4.39
$.55/1 - 1-31 SS (Use two if allowed)
Final cost as low as $2.19 for two if two coupons are allowed or  about $1.10 each

Jimmy Dean Roll Sausage 2 for $5 or $2.50 each
$1/2 - 1-31 RP
Final Cost $3.00 for 2

Ball Park Franks Beef, Cheese, Fat Free, Turkey or Singles, 12.8-16 oz. $2.69
$.55/1 Ball Park Lite, Turkey, Fat Free or Lower Fat Franks or $.75/2 Ball Park Beef, Meat or Angus Franks
Final cost $1.59 or $1.94 each when you buy two

Healthy Ones Assorted Varieties, 8 oz. 2 for $5 or $2.50 each
$.55/1 - 1-03 SS1
Final Cost $1.40

Dairy
Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits $1.99
$1/2 here
Final cost $1 each when you buy two

Daisy Sour Cream 16 oz. 3/$5  or $1.67 each
$.65/1 - 1-03 SS2
Final Cost $.37


Frozen
DiGiorno Pizza (13-34.20 oz.) (11.90-12.8 oz.) 2/$8.88 or $4.44 each
$1/1 - 1-24 SS
Final Cost $2.44

Pillsbury Savorings (7.8-8.5 oz.) 4/$10 or $2 each
$1/2 - 11-15 GM, 12-13 GM, 1-31SS or $.55/1 here
Final cost $1 each when you buy two or $.90 each

Armour Meatballs Original or Italian, 16 oz. 2/$5 or $2.50 each
$.55/1 1-31 SS
Final Cost $1.40

Totino's Party Pizza 9.8-10.9 oz. 4/$5 or $1.25 each
$1/5 11-15 GM
Final Cost $4.25 or $.85 each

Health and Beauty
Suave Shampoo or Conditioner Professional, Men's or Kid's (12-14 oz.) or Styling Products (7-11 oz.)
3/$6 or $2 each
$1/2 1-31 RP
Final Cost $1

Suave Body Wash 12 oz. 3/$6 or $2 each
 $.75/2 1-31 RP
Final Cost $1.25

Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion 6.8 oz. $4.99
$1/1 any Vaseline Lotion excluding renewal or glow
Final Cost $2.99

Suave Invisible Solid Deodorant 2.6 oz 2/$4 or $2 each
$.75/2 1-31 RP
Final Cost $1.25 each when you buy 2

For VGs full ad see their website here.

Check out this months Spartan Coupons here.
I will edit and add in the rest of the deals once the post is up on Macomb Money Savers.

Kroger Coupon Match-ups Courtesy of Macomb Money Savers!


Kroger is continuing their  Big Game Events sale.  You must buy any 10 participating items and you will get $5.00 instantly at checkout. To get these savings you have to mix and match the listed items to get the $5.00 off savings, as well as shop with your Kroger plus card.  Combining coupons and any free coupons you have on items will result in big savings! Note as with any other Kroger savings you must use your Kroger card and there is a limit of 2 total $5.00 rewards per transaction. Look for special tags on participating items while you shop as not all items are listed in the ad. This promotion continues from last week and runs until February 7th. For coupon match ups go to Macomb Money Savers Kroger Match-ups.

There are a few new ones to add as well.

Note that the Hunts deal mentioned in her match-up do qualify. Additionally there were Pillsbury Savorings and a $.55/1 coupon is available here.  I also saw Orville Redenbacher included.  There is a $1/2 coupon in the 1-24 SS.  Let me know if you find any other deals. 

I plan to go to the Grand Blanc Kroger which will double coupons up to $1 to maximize my savings.  If you are in an area that does that as well check out the Kroger match-ups from 1-2-3 Save for additional deals.
Thanks Macomb Money Savers!

January Grocery Summary


So here is my monthly summary.  I was able to purchase $677.60 worth of food, household goods, personal products and a few minor household maintenance things for $228.41 for an overall savings of 66.29%.  I exceeded slightly my budget of $220 but this was my first attempt at a reduced budget and I am proud of those results.  I also learned a lot from my new spreadsheet as Macomb Money Savers had provided some great references and the one I chose has me separate out store savings and discounts and coupons.  My total savings were $475.72 but only $278.18 came from coupons or 58.48%.  That shows that matching the coupons with the sales is where the true savings come in.

Macomb Fresh Food Price Chart Courtesy of Macomb Money Savers


Here is an great reference that Macomb Money Savers posted showing the average price of meat and produce, lowest rock bottom price and Aldi's price.  Go here.

$25 Kroger Giveaway courtesy of This Side of Eternity!


Another excellent metro Detroit blogger is giving an awesome giveaway!  You can win a $25 Kroger gift card and this giveaway goes on until February 15th!  You just have to explain why you enjoy shopping at Kroger.  For more details and other ways to enter go here.

The Sharp Scissors Lady Show them Love Giveaway ends today!


Another great giveaway!  Go here to nominate your top five bloggers and get an opportunity to win a $25 gift card!

CVS $5 Challenge Hosted by Centsable Momma


I've linked to this before and being the start of a new month (tomorrow) I thought I'd do so again.  These are some CVS deals for those that haven't worked them before and assume you start out with no extracare bucks.  So check out the deals here if you are interested in getting involved in the pharmacy game!

Wal-Mart Deals 1/31/10



At least once a month I do like to link to some Wal-Mart Deals for those that shop there.  This list was updated on January 27th so check out deals here.  Please note these are not in our area so always price check first to be sure the deal truly exists here in metro Detroit.

Thanks Couponing to Disney!

Sav-A-Lot Coupons



Since there should be match-ups for Sav-A-Lot weekly soon I thought I'd let you know about some coupons available. 

You can sign up for a P&G exclusive coupon booklet to be mailed to you here.

There are also printable coupons available here.  Many are manufacturer coupons that can be used any where.

Pharmacy Round Up 01/31/10

Go here for Coupon Crazy Chrys Rite Aid match up.



Go here for CVS.


Go here for Walgreens.  Note this is the long ad due as Coupon Crazy Chrys is on vacation to proceed with caution and compare to the ad you get in the mail today.

Check out Macomb Money Savers for Meijer match-ups today 01/31/10!


Some deals are only good today and there are lots of free items so hurry and check it out today!Macomb Money Savers Meijer Match-ups 01/31

Goals for my tax return


 

In accordance with one of the posts I wrote below as I now have my W-2 here are my goals of how to use it wisely and not go on a wild spending spree.  We did pretty well last year but could've done better. 

Catch up on all property taxes

Catch up on student loan payments

Catch up on heating bill payments

Pay off 401K Loan (was used to carpet home)

Pay off one credit card (preferably highest if possible, husband has one I have 2)

Pay 50% of remaining to cards and work plan to get them paid off

Start overpaying mortgage to work down principal and try to refinance within 6 months

Start overpaying car loan

Start IRA for husband by June

Start high interest checking account

If able buy bedroom furniture

Friday, January 29, 2010

Grocery Store Roll Call 01/30/10

Kroger Detailed below about $68 worth of food.
Kroger (Grand Blanc Kroger that doubles three like coupons up to $1
Number of Items: 29
Total Spent: $16.31
Total Saved: $52.01
Percentage Saved: 76.13%
Meijer's #1 Detailed below $10 worth of food.

Meijer #1
Transaction #1
5 Breakstone Cottage Cheese Doubles
Used $5 off next order coupon
Total Spent: 0
Total Saved: $5
Transaction #2
5 Breakstone Cottage Cheese Doubles
Used $5 off next order coupon
Total Spent: 0
Total Saved: $5
Percentage saved (on both): 100%
VGs & Meijers detailed below about $64 worth of food.

VGs
Number of Items: 24
Total Spent: $15.52
Total Saved: $32.66
Percentage Saved: 67.79%

Meijer #2
Transaction #1
5 Breakstone Cottage Cheese Doubles
Used $5 off next order coupon
Total Spent: 0
Total Saved: $5
Transaction #2
Ice Melt and Biz Color Safe Bleach
Used $5 off next order coupon
Total Spent: $2.02
Total Saved: $8.70
Percentage Save: 81.16%

Aldi's spent $7.65 on Ground Turkey, Bagels, Salad, and two 4 packs of toilet paper.

So my total was I bought $149.87 worth of food for $41.47 for a total savings of 72.33%.  This includes food and rocksalt!

Best Deals Around Town Courtesy of Macomb Money Savers

Many things free to keep extra cash in your pocket!  Check out all the best deals here.

It's Megaswagbucks day!

What is swagbucks? It is a search engine and you get randomly rewarded for your searches. Any time I am on the web I always go there first and type in where I want to go, even my own website! I'll then randomly get 1 - 5 swagbucks per day. They can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards the most popular one is a $5 Amazon.com gift card. I get two or three of these a month. Also be sure to refer your friends. When they win you win! However today on megaswagbucks day you can win between 1 - 100 swagbucks!  So get to searching and if you haven't signed up yet you can do so here! Last month I got $20 in Amazon.com bucks which will be using to build up my Wii Fitness game collection!


















Kraft Coupon has reset for me and end of the coupon print reminder

The Kraft Coupon has reset for me so go here to see if it has reset for you.  Also print off any other coupons you would like until you reach the print limit as it is close to the end of the month.  Print them by January 31st as they will all reset on February 1st and you can then print them again!

High-Touch and Word of Mouth marketing and how you can use them to get things for free


I actually have a Bachelor’s in Business Administration-Marketing and did retain a few things from my classes. It is interesting to be able to connect things when you are trying to be a smarter consumer.

One thing we learned right away is that the best form of marketing is Word of Mouth. If you can get your customers to try products and then recommend it to their friends they are much more likely to buy it rather than from a commercial.

For example I am not really a movies person. Going to the movies is more of a social thing for me. Other than dramas (mostly about overcoming) I’m not all that motivated to watch movies. I’d much rather read a self-help book or do something else.

My husband however is the opposite. He loves movies and he loves good stories. So he is constantly recommending movies that we should watch together. His recommendations have gotten me to see a lot more movies than seeing any previews has.

Word of Mouth Marketing works so well because you already trust the person that is recommending it to you since you know them. Therefore it is hands down one of the best forms of marketing.

High-Touch marketing involves you actually trying the product as a way of marketing it to you. It is the science behind why marketers give out free samples and free products. They hope that if you try it you will like and being that we are creatures of habit, that we will continue to buy it. And they know this strategy is better than High-Tech, that is wowing you with all the features and with information.

So how can a smart consumer use these to their advantage? Well there are several companies that combine these methods offering people free products (High-Touch) and then encouraging them to pass on coupons and compliments to their friends (Word of Mouth).

One such company is House Party. I’ve applied to 3 of their house parties and was accepted to one. I’m going to be doing their Digiorno Game Day party and I am using it for my Superbowl party this year.



Afterwards I’m looking forward to calculating the results of how much I saved combining smart shopping and the ability to use this method for my “frugal” superbowl party.

Currently they are accepting applications for Ziploc home organization house party.



If you’d like more details on house party and other companies that provide similar but slightly different opportunities see my post Test Out Products and get Samples for free.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Hot new Coupons!



$2 coupon when you register and get updated to chance your filter: here


2 new Healthy Choice coupons here

Hip2save   just posted this:



Buy 1 get 1 Free Coupon to sweeten the Kroger deals over the next few days here.

$10 off purchase of $50 or more Honey Baked Ham Party Tray


Go here.

Free $5 eGift Card From Babies R Us via Facebook 01/28/10


Today Only 1/28 Babies R Us is offering a FREE $5.00 eGift Card when you become a a fan on facebook.

Sunday Coupon Preview for 01/31 is up



Remember what we get here in metro Detroit will differ.  But some highlights from the redplum insert are:
Advil 40ct or larger Save $2.00/1

Advil Cold and Sinus, Allergy Sinus or Children’s Advil Save $1.00/1
Advil PM 16ct or larger Save $1.00/1
Alka-Seltzer product 12 ct or larger Save $1.00/1
Blink Tears, Geltears Lubricating Eye Drops Save $2.00/1
Caress 12oz Body Wash or larger Save $.75/1
ChapStick Classic Original or Cherry or Moisturizer Save $1.00/3
Complete Blink Contacts Lubricant Eye Drops Save $1.00/1
Complete Multi-Purpose Solution 12oz or larger Save $2.00/1
Contessa Microsteam or On the Stove Meal Save $2.00/1
Contour or Breeze 2 test strips Save $20.00 WYB a Bayer Meter or Monitor
Deans Dip 12oz or larger Save $1.00/2
Degree Men or Women Clinical Protection Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant Save $2.00/1
Degree Men or Women Deodorant or Body Mist Save $.75/1
Dove Beauty Bar 6 pack or larger Save $1.00/1
Dove Body Lotion or Hand Cream ETS Save $1.50/1
Dove Body Wash 10oz or larger Save $1.25/1
Dove Brand Chocolate 8.5oz-9.5oz Save $1.00/2
Dove Clinical Protection Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant Save $2.00/1
Dove Cream Oil Body Lotion or Hand Cream ETS Save $1.50/1
Dove Hair Care Products Save $2.50/2
Dove Men Body and Face Bar 4 Bar pack or larger Save $1.75/1
Dove Men Body Wash or Scrubber 13.5oz or larger Save $1.25/1
Dove Men or Women Deodorant or Body Mist Save $1.00/1
Frigo Cheese Heads String Cheese 10oz or larger Save $.40/1
Hefty One Zip Bags Save $1.00/2
Hefty Plates or Cups Save $.50/1
Hellmans Product 16.5oz or larger Save $.50/1
Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage Save $1.00/2
Hot Pocket Side Shots Save $.50/1
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Save $.75/2
Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked Sausage product Save $1.00/1
Jimmy Dean Sausage Roll products Save $1.00/2
Kellogg’s Fiber Plus Chewy Bars 5ct or larger Save $.75/1
King’s Hawaiian Sandwich Rolls 12 count Rolls Save $1.00/2
Knorr Rice and Pasta Side Dishes Save $.60/2
L’Oreal cosmetics Save $1.00/1
L’Oreal Skincare Product Save $1.00/1
L’Oreal True Match or L’Oreal foundation, Powder, Blush or Concealer Save $2.00/1
Lever 2000 Bar Soap 2-bar or 4-bar Save $.50/1
Lever 2000 Bar Soap 6 Bar or larger Save $1.00/1
Lipton Cup-a-Soup or Lipton Soup Secrets Save $.40/1
Lipton Tea Bags Save $.60/1
Lipton Tea Bags, Lipton To Go or any Iced Tea Mix Save $.50/1
Mrs. Ts Pierogies Save $1.00/2
Pringles Fat Free 165g or larger Save $.50/2
Pringles Multigrain Super Stack Cans Save $1.00/4
Pringles One Snack Stacks, Stix, Minis, Bold Bites or To Go Bites Save $.50/1
Q-Tip Cotton Swabs 170ct or larger Save $.30/1
Ragu Pasta Sauces Save $.75/2
Shedd’s Spread Country Crock Spread Save $.30/1
Skippy Peanut Butter 15oz or larger Save $.40/1
Snuggle Fabric Softener Save $.75/1
Suave Body Lotion 18oz or larger Save $.50/1
Suave Body Wash Save $.75/2
Suave Deodorant Save $.50/1
Vaseline Lotion 200 ml or larger Save $1.00/1
Wholly Guacamole or Wholly Salsa Save $1.00/1
Wish-Bone or Wish-Bone Western Dressings 16oz or larger or Salad Spritzers Dressings 7oz Save $1.50/2
Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers Dressing 7oz Save $1.00/1

For a complete list and more details go here.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

New Kraft Coupons



Go here to print.

Thanks Hip 2 Save!

IHOP National Pancake Day is February 23, 2010 - Free Pancakes



IHOP will be celebrating National Pancake day on Tuesday February 23rd and you can enjoy a free short stake (three) buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.  What they ask is that you consider making a donation to support local children's hospitals through  Children's Miracle Network, or other local charities.  There is a limit of one free short stock per guest.  The offer is valid for dine in only while supplies last and is not valid with any other offer, special coupon or discount.  For all the details go here.

Thanks Savvy Spending!

New Swagbucks Code out!



If you haven't done so this week be sure to go swagbucks then in the toolbar go to ways to earn.  After click on special offers.  There to the righthand side you will notice this:


Notice it says: Find helpful offers from the web's premier brands. Sign up only for what looks good to you, and be sure to visit at least once a week for a rewarding surprise from The Swag Guy!
Click through some offers and you should get a swagcode.  You then enter that swagcode on the homepage where it says: Enter Swagcode and press "gimme." 

If you haven't yet signed up for Swagbucks go here.  It is a search engine and you get randomly rewarded for your searches.  Any time I am on the web I always go there first and type in where I want to go, even my own website!  I'll then randomly get 1 - 5 swagbucks per day.  They can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards the most popular one is a $5 Amazon.com gift card.  I get two or three of these a month.  Also be sure to refer your friends.  When they win you win!

New Restaurant.com Deal!



Currently you can get a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate if you use the Discount Code BONUS at the checkout and then click apply. This offer is valid until Offer ends Sunday, January 31st, 2010 11:59pm PST!

Not sure what Restaurant.com is or if it is worth your time? Go here for a brief explanation. 

To get even more bang for your buck go through cashbaq that is currently offering 20% cashback on a purchase, making your overall price then just $1.60 for a $25 restaurant.com gift certificate.  If you are not signed up for cashbaq you can go here and you will also get a $5 sign up bonus.  If you just want to keep things simple you can go directly to the website here.

Sign up at Be Snack Ready for Frito Lay Coupons



Sign up at Be Snack Ready and complete your snack profile to receive free samples and coupons in the future from Frito Lay. 

Go here to sign up.

Thanks Couponers United!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Buy 1 Get 1 Free Subway Coupon




Go here create a sub and you can get a coupon for a free 6 inch sub when you buy another 6 inch sub and large drink. It is pretty cute as it also gives you a personality profile.

Thanks Centsable Momma!

Use your tax refund to save money in the long run Courtesy of Monroe on a Budget



Here are some great suggestions and some of which I already have plans to implement.  I definitely will be paying off some debt, buying some things to get organized for my basement (and thus be better to stockpile more) setting up a budget to get new windows and a large freezer by year end, just to name a few.  Here are some highlights of things you can do:

•Purchase the office supplies you need to get on a grocery savings routine.


•Pay off or pay down a credit card or a debt.
•Buy a slow-cooker, electric griddle, beginner’s cookbook, coffee pot, a new set of pots and pans or whatever you need in the kitchen to make it possible to cook more real food at home.
•Take a DIY class. When you learn skills such as home canning, sewing, gardening, furniture repair, computer diagnostics, lawn maintenance and bookkeeping, you no longer have to pay someone else to provide those services for you.

•Buy a financial software package for your computer or a personal finance app for your mobile phone. You’ll make better long-range plans with your money when you track on a routine basis what you are spending.
 
Check out all the details here.

How Stockpiling saves you money even when you're not trying




Have you ever heard someone say or perhaps you yourself have said, "By the time I buy everything I need for a meal it seems like it is cheaper for us to just go out to eat."  It usually happens more with families like mine a two-person family.  And what usually happens is that you have a taste for something, say Mexican food or Chinese food, so you go to the produce section of the closest store purchase all the produce, then all the necessary sauces and extra things and by the time you are done the meal is like $30 - $40 or at least $15 a person.  (I saw this phenomenon when my husband cooked me dinner on our annervisary.)  And in that case it is true it would've been better to find a nice Taqueria or Tex Mex joint or $8.99 chinese buffet and you would've saved the energy of cooking. 

However if you stockpile you won't have to worry about that. Which brings me to my Kroger #1 entry in the previous post.  At first glance it truly looks like a couponing failure.  However what happened was this.  I'd made a marinated steak in the crockpot the two nights prior and had that the night before.  My husband asked me what was for dinner and I told him we still had leftover steak.  He thought about it and asked could I do something else with it, like a stirfry or something so I thought about it and said sure.  I went to the store on my way home and bought fresh mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and frozen edamme beans for the stir fry.  There were three brands of edamme beans and one was cheaper and on sale and that is where my small 6.81% of savings came in at. 

To make the rest of the meal I used things I already had on hand.  I had Teriyaki marinade that I got for free during VGs Triple Coupon event, frozen green beans from Aldi's, canned carrots from a previous store trip, and the meat still left that was bought discounted at VGs.  Granted I didn't even really need a store trip but those were some things I preferred to have in my stirfry.  The meal was a sufficient complete dinner for my husband and I and I had some left over for lunch for work the next day.  So although the $6.84 spent with little savings seemed like a lot, due to my stockpile I probably still had a meal for about $10 or so, three meals really so a little over $3 a serving for a delicious stirfry, much cheaper than restaurant prices. 

So what is this concept of stockpiling?  Check out my post here buy things you don't need.

Another good article to check out is this one here Grocery Coupon Guide Stockpiling groceries.  It is very detailed and even has pictures of what to do if you believe you have limited space to stockpile.

This is just one of the benefits of stockpiling it makes planning a meal that you don't normally make a lot simpler.  It truly saves more money over the long run.  My husband has about 8 bottles of body wash right now most of which were bought for $.50 or less.  I don't have to buy any more body wash for a while and won't until it is available to me at $.50 or less. 

A stockpile also gives you some financial stability and leeway.  If I had a an unexpected expense come up and I really didn't have the funds to go grocery shopping for two or three months I could survive.

Lastly you can stockpile many things and then use them as gifts.  When make-up, perfume, candy, all kinds of things are on clearance in a store or on-line I buy them and later use them as gifts.  For weddings you can put together a nice gift basket with household goods, bridal showers perfume, lipgloss etc in a nice bag or later just donate things if you really have excess.
One other good post that I had earlier linked to a really good discussion so check it out here: How Many Coupons do you need to stockpile?

Grocery Store Roll Call 01/23/10

Kroger #2, Gordon Food Service and Meijer's detailed below. About $30 worth of food.

Kroger #1 (I will have a detailed post about this transaction later.)
Number of Items: 4
Total Spent: $6.84
Total Saved: $.50
Percentage Saved: 6.81%

Kroger #2
Number of Items: 8
Total Spent: $4.36
Total Saved: $10.47
Percentage Saved: 71.81%

Meijer
Number of Items:
Total Spent: $13.38
Total Saved: $15.95
Percentage Saved: 54.38%

Gordon Food Service
1 Bag of frozen chicken bites $11.49

VGs detailed below about $25 worth of food.

VGs
Number of Items: 29
Total Spent: $24.49
Total Saved: $45.42
Percentage Saved: 64.05%

So I bought $133.65 worth of food for $61.91 for total overall savings of 54.13%

Monday, January 25, 2010

Match your money-saving tactic to the store - Courtesty of Monroe on a Bugdet



Admittedly is does take some time to cut coupons and to match them up to store sales.  Of course coupon match-up websites help but there is still time involved.  And for some personalities this just might not work. Monroe on a Bugdet has a few thought-provoking questions that will help you find your particular frugal shopping style and answers particular to her area of Monroe County but many work for us here in Oakland County.  Some highlights are:

•Do you want double value for your coupons? Then do the math up to 50 cents and shop at Meijer, Kroger, Busch’s and Food Town.


•Do you want a discount store that takes manufacturer coupons at face value? Then shop at Wal-Mart, Dollar General and Save-a-Lot.

•Do you hate fussing with coupons? Shop at Aldi and Big Lots because neither store takes coupons.

•Are you willing to bag your own groceries? Aldi and Save-a-Lot expect you to do that.

•Do you want a discount for unemployed people? Kmart has such a program.

•Are you willing to cut out and use coupons that are for just one store chain? Walgreens and Target often have such promotions.

•Do you want the store to give you recommendations based on your shopping patterns? Check out the card program at Busch’s.

•Do you want the store to give recipe suggestions based on their product lines? Meijer, Busch’s and Aldi all have those services available on their web sites.

•Are you willing to use a shopper card to get discounts? Sign up for those cards at Kroger, Big Lots and CVS.

•Are you willing to use a shopper card to earn rewards points for a school or charity? Sign up or link your cards at Gordon Food Service, Meijer and Kroger.

•Do you like the idea of eCoupons? Kroger participates in those programs.

•Are you willing to participate in a rebate program to earn coupons for future purchases? CVS and Rite Aid have such promotions.

•Would you like to buy groceries and supplies on line? Meijer, Alice.com and Dollar Tree have that option.

•Are you interested in warehouse or bulk quantities? Check out the selections at Gordon Food Service.

•Do you submit receipts for over-the-counter medications to your Flexible Spending Account? Then shop at a store where the receipts will be coded for you to use in that manner – many of them do that automatically but Walgreens is one example.

•Do you like store brand or generic groceries? The stores where you will find store brands in a variety of product lines include Wal-Mart, Meijer, Kmart, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Kroger, Food Town, Hi-Lite, Target and Aldi.

Check out all the details here.

Free Bagel from Einstein Bagels on Facebook



Become a fan here to get a free bagel.

Get a free movie ticket to AMC theaters if you become a fan on facebook



The first 200,000 people who become a fan of Be Our Movie Critic on Facebook will get a free movie ticket to AMC theaters. The tickets will not be given out until Feb 25th to March 7th.  They are now at 11,000+ so there is time but it would be good to hurry! Go to Be Our Movie Critic to become a fan.

Coupon Match-ups 01/24/10 Courtesy of Macomb Money Savers


Macomb Money Savers now has most of the match-ups posted. 

For Meijer this week the deals are light as there is a 10 for 10 deal on Meijer products only.  So try for the free items or even think about skipping Meijer this week.  Go here for the match up.



Kroger on the other hand could leave to some big savings.  They have a Big Game Events sale  you must buy any 10 participating items and you will get $5.00 instantly at checkout.  To get these savings you have to mix and match the listed items to get the $5.00 off savings.  Combining coupons and any free coupons you have on items will result in big savings!  Note as with any other Kroger savings you must use your Kroger card and there is a limit of 2 total $5.00 rewards per transaction. Look for special tags on participating items while you shop as not all items are listed in the ad.  This promotion will run for two weeks from January 25th to February 7th.  For coupon match ups go here.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Pharmacy Round Up 01/24/10



Coupon Crazy Chrys also has all the match-ups completed for the pharmacies go here for CVS match-up.



Go here for Rite Aid.


Go here here for Walgreens.