Deals & Giveaways

  • Living on a Budget: Sav-Mor Sidewalk Box Sale

    Stock Up Your Pantry with Sav-Mor's Sidewalk Box Sale!

    Sav Mor has been doing their Box Sale for several years now.  They will occasionally offer additional discounts as well.   For example, at the last sale you could get a case of Tortilla Chips for $2.00 which meant you were getting the chips for 25 cents per bag.  The above picture is from one our are recent trips to their sale (further description of what all is in the picture is given at the end of the post after the information section).

    More information about the Box Sale for those in the Greenville / Upstate Area:

    • What is it? Sav Mor does a Sidewalk Box Sale every couple of weeks where you can purchase a box full of food, health, household, baby items for a set price.  The parking lot beside Sav Mor has rows of banana boxes filled with overstock, dented, expired, or unwanted items from local grocery stores (Ingles, Whole Foods, Bi-Lo, and more) in the Greenville area.
    • Where is it located / Contact Information? The parking lot at Sav-Mor, 2117 Wade Hampton Blvd, Greenville, SC 29615.  Phone:  864-244-6128
    • How Does It Work?
    1. The day of the sale customers pick which aisle they want to go down (based on what you need, for example, if you need cereal you choose an aisle that has a lot of cereal boxes in it) and everyone lines up around the perimeter of the banana boxes.  It is good to ask the person (or people) in front of you which box they are going for prior to starting to avoid going after the exact same box.  A lot of the boxes within that aisle will contain similar items.
    2. Approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the sale “starts” a Sav-Mor representative will Welcome everyone, explain the rules, tell about any extra deals (for example, the case of chips for $2.00) followed by the store manager announcing a few of the current deals they offer at their store.
    3. Right at 9:00 AM they will blow the horn and / or say “GO” and you go as quickly as you can and fill up your banana box with as much food, health, household, and baby items that you can find.  You can fill as many boxes as you want (we typically consolidate down to 2 boxes at $7 each).  Your boxes must be level prior to paying, I have heard that they will stop you if it is too full although we have never had them stop us so I guess we are what they consider to be level (a potato chip bag may be sticking up a little bit, you should be able to get plenty in the box)
    4. They will have a different variety of groceries and other items each time.  It is common to see Cereals, Crackers, Pasta, Can Goods, Baby Items, Salad Dressing, Sauces, Gravies, etc… every time.
    5. You can fill your banana box a couple different ways.  Some people take an empty banana box and fill it with the items they want.  What has worked for us in the past is to grab an already packed banana box, pull it to the side and once we have found 3 or 4 boxes that have items that we want in them we’ll go through the boxes and consolidate the 3 to 4 boxes down to 1 or 2.  The items that you don’t want you put back into the middle and someone else can come take them for their box.  (For example, we had visitors coming and we wanted to get some snacks and juice boxes, Jake grabbed a box that looked like it was full of juice boxes, however, underneath the top layer of juice boxes was kitty litter which wasn’t something we need.)
    6. Once you have sorted, consolidated, and packed your box you can check out.  They will have shopping carts for you to use or you can carry the boxes (we just carry them).  You pay the store representative cash as you walk out of the area and to your car.
    • When Is It? The Box Sale is typically every other Saturday morning at 9:00 AM.  Call to confirm the week of to make sure they are doing it that week, they will know by Wednesday and can confirm.  Although, it starts at 9:00 AM you will want to arrive early because you will have the opportunity to pick which aisle you want to go down.  If you arrive late and the horn has already blown it will be a lot harder to get a great deal or there may not be much left.  The entire sale is over in less then 30 minutes.
    • How Much Does It Cost? The banana boxes are provided and each full box is $7.00.  Note – they take cash or check only!
    • Useful Information! You have to watch some of the items as they may be expired or close to expiring.  The items come from local stores who have overstock or for whatever reason no longer want the items.  Although a couple items we picked up this week were already expire, a few were expiring later in 2011 but the majority of the items were not expiring until 2012 to 2013 or later.  A few items every time in the rush get opened or broken so make sure to check the items before packing them into your box.
    • Tip On Packing Your Box: We typically get the items we are looking for then check for smaller items to squeeze in between the cracks.  For example, one time we got can goods, pasta, cereal, and snacks in a box.  Once we filled it with the regular stuff we stuck packs of gum, gravy / sauce packs around the edges and in the small spaces (I think we ended up with about 100 packs of gum which we distributed among our family and friends).
    • Team Work: We often go as a family because it helps to have someone watching the boxes while you are gathering the items.  Thankfully we have never (or at least not to my knowledge) had someone take items from our boxes but an honest mistake can happen with that many people trying to get their items at the same time.
    • Additional Information: It is outside so dress appropriately for the weather.  If it looks like rain they may cancel or start the event early, if you are driving a distance make sure to call the store to confirm.  Be polite, it is only food and not worth fighting over.  We have always had a pleasant experience but I know some people can get a little “pushy” so be respectful.
    • Is It Worth It?  How Much Do I Save? We typically get between $100 to $300 worth of items into each box, some days you get more others you get less.  For example, one time we got a half a box full of vitamins (ranging from $5 to $20 a piece).   Bigger items will take up more space, but if it is something you will use it may be worth it for your family.

    Below is more details about the recent Box Sale.  You can see the specific items from the picture at the beginning of the post:

    We bought 107 items and paid $16.00 total which means we spent less than $0.15 per item (see the picture at the beginning of the article)!!!  You can often get some excellent deals at Sav Mor’s Box Sale.  I was hoping to stock up on snack items for our family since I will be traveling a little I wanted to make sure there were plenty of easy snacks to take as well as  meals that could be made quickly for our family.  Our dining table was full once we unpacked the boxes!  We even got some Organic / Whole Wheat food items for the family.  We purchased two boxes at $7.00 each and the case of chips was $2.00 giving us our total of $16.00.  Here is what we got on Saturday:

    • 8 Bags – 18 oz Laura Lynn Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips (they sold these for $2.00 per case, we got 1 case)
    • 4 – 4 packs Vermont Organic Strawberry Banana Applesauce
    • 1 – 25 count Milkshake Straws
    • 1 – 4 oz Kettle Baked Potato Chips – BBQ Flavor
    • 2 – 26.5 oz Hunts Pasta Sauce
    • 1 – 14.5 oz Sliced Potatoes
    • 1 – 64 oz Laura Lynn Fruit Punch Juice
    • 1 – 3.5 oz Quaker Vanilla Creme Brulee Rice Snacks (Whole Wheat)
    • 2 – Annies Organic Alfredo Shells & Cheddar
    • 1 – 4 pack Gerber Yogurt Blends
    • 2 – Roasted Chicken Gravy Packs
    • 1 – Roasted Turkey Gravy Pack
    • 6 – Simply Organic Alfredo Packs
    • 2 – Molly McButter Fat Free Natural Sprinkles
    • 2 – Laura Lynn Woven Wheats
    • 6 – Hamburger Helper Lasagna
    • 6 – Brach’s Candy Hearts
    • 1 – Pasta Roni Chicken
    • 2 – Mrs. Fields Rainbow Chocolate Chip Packages
    • 2 – Mrs. Fields Snickerdoodle Packages
    • 1 – 15.4 oz General Mills Total Cinnamon Crunch
    • 3 – 15.25 oz General Mills Total Blueberry Pomegranate
    • 1 – 16 pack Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes, Gushers, Rollups, By the Foot, Fruit Stickerz
    • 3 – Betty Crocker Fruit Rollups
    • 4 – Betty Crocker Fruit Stackerz
    • 1 – 10.5 oz Kraft Marshmallows (4 flavors)
    • 1 – 8 pack Chi-Chi’s Flour Tortilla’s
    • 8 – Land O’ Lakes Caramel Hot Chocolate Packs
    • 1 – 9 oz Annie’s Natural Organic Dijon Mustard
    • 2 – 10 packs Propel Raspberry Lemonade
    • 13 – 4 packs Starkist Chunk Light Tuna (the sticker on the packages read $4.98 each and they didn’t expire until 2012, so that is a huge savings – it would normally cost us $64.74 to buy them)
    • 4 – 6 packs Quakers Simple Harvest Dark Chocolate Chunk (the sticker on the packages read $3.28 each – it would normally cost us $13.12 to buy them)
    • 5 – 6 packs Quakers Simple Harvest Trail Mix (the sticker on the packages read $3.28 each – it would normally cost us $16.40 to buy them)
    • 1 – Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers
    • 1 – 8 pack Ocean Spray Oatmeal with Cranberries
    • 2 – Nutritious Living Hi-Lo with Strawberries
    • 3 – 14 oz Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch
    • 1 – 16 oz Captain Crunch

    Here are some additional pictures from our last stock up day!

    New Quaker Simple Harvest (originally priced at $3.28), Organic Alfredo, & Propel

     

    StarKist Chunk Light (originally price at $4.98 and not expiring until 2013), Kraft Marshmallows, Brach's, and More!

    Mrs. Fields, General Mills Total, Betty Crocker, and More!

     

    Gerber, Annies, Hunt's, Del Monte, Quaker, and More!

     

    Our fun purchase of the day - Milk Shake Straws! On package it says "May Cause Brain Freeze"

    We are excited to have our pantry restocked.  Thankfully, we will be able to utilize these items for quite some time plus share a little with family and friends.  Our family typically goes to the Sidewalk Box Sales about once a quarter.  Although I do know some families that go more regularly.  Happy Bargain Hunting and Saving!

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    Another great week doing Groceries $40 for 4. It was another busy week but I managed to break away this past Saturday morning to go to the Sav Mor Box Sale with the family. If you haven’t been before and you live in the Greenville area it is worth the time to stock up on food items. It felt great saving some of the grocery shopping cash this week while stocking up on some items for our pantry. Below are my grocery shopping adventures for the week!

    Sav-Mor Sidewalk Box Sale - A Table Full for $16!

    We bought 107 items and paid $16.00 total which means we spent less than $0.15 per item!!!  You can often get some excellent deals at Sav Mor’s Box Sale.  I was hoping to stock up on snack items for our family since I will be traveling a little and I wanted to make sure there were plenty of easy snacks to take as well as  meals that could be made quickly for our family.  Our dining table was full once we unpacked the boxes!  We even got some Organic / Whole Wheat food items for the family.  We purchased two boxes at $7.00 each and the case of chips was $2.00 giving us our total of $16.00.

    Sav-Mor Groceries from the Saturday Sidewalk Box Sale:

    • 8 Bags – 18 oz Laura Lynn Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips (they sold these for $2.00 per case, we got 1 case)
    • 4 – 4 packs Vermont Organic Strawberry Banana Applesauce
    • 1 – 25 count Milkshake Straws
    • 1 – 4 oz Kettle Baked Potato Chips – BBQ Flavor
    • 2 – 26.5 oz Hunts Pasta Sauce
    • 1 – 14.5 oz Sliced Potatoes
    • 1 – 64 oz Laura Lynn Fruit Punch Juice
    • 1 – 3.5 oz Quaker Vanilla Creme Brulee Rice Snacks (Whole Wheat)
    • 2 – Annies Organic Alfredo Shells & Cheddar
    • 1 – 4 pack Gerber Yogurt Blends
    • 2 – Roasted Chicken Gravy Packs
    • 1 – Roasted Turkey Gravy Pack
    • 6 – Simply Organic Alfredo Packs
    • 2 – Molly McButter Fat Free Natural Sprinkles
    • 2 – Laura Lynn Woven Wheats
    • 6 – Hamburger Helper Lasagna
    • 6 – Brach’s Candy Hearts
    • 1 – Pasta Roni Chicken
    • 2 – Mrs. Fields Rainbow Chocolate Chip Packages
    • 2 – Mrs. Fields Snickerdoodle Packages
    • 1 – 15.4 oz General Mills Total Cinnamon Crunch
    • 3 – 15.25 oz General Mills Total Blueberry Pomegranate
    • 1 – 16 pack Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes, Gushers, Rollups, By the Foot, Fruit Stickerz
    • 3 – Betty Crocker Fruit Rollups
    • 4 – Betty Crocker Fruit Stackerz
    • 1 – 10.5 oz Kraft Marshmallows (4 flavors)
    • 1 – 8 pack Chi-Chi’s Flour Tortilla’s
    • 8 – Land O’ Lakes Caramel Hot Chocolate Packs
    • 1 – 9 oz Annie’s Natural Organic Dijon Mustard
    • 2 – 10 packs Propel Raspberry Lemonade
    • 13 – 4 packs Starkist Chunk Light Tuna (the sticker on the packages read $4.98 each and they didn’t expire until 2012, so that is a huge savings – it would normally cost us $64.74 to buy them)
    • 4 – 6 packs Quakers Simple Harvest Dark Chocolate Chunk (the sticker on the packages read $3.28 each – it would normally cost us $13.12 to buy them)
    • 5 – 6 packs Quakers Simple Harvest Trail Mix (the sticker on the packages read $3.28 each – it would normally cost us $16.40 to buy them)
    • 1 – Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers
    • 1 – 8 pack Ocean Spray Oatmeal with Cranberries
    • 2 – Nutritious Living Hi-Lo with Strawberries
    • 3 – 14 oz Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch
    • 1 – 16 oz Captain Crunch

    Sav Mor has been doing their Box Sale for several years now.  They will occasionally offer additional discounts as well.  For example, last Saturday you could get a case of Tortilla Chips for $2.00 which meant you were getting the chips for 25 cents per bag.   There is more information I want to share with you about how the sale works so  I will be going into more details about the Sav-Mor Sidewalk Box Sale in a later post.

    Groceries at CVS

    Groceries from CVS:

    • $2.85 at CVS for Kellogg’s Fruit Loops ($1.16 for the box), Kellogg’s, Rice Krispies ($1.16 for the box), and CVS Honey Wheat Pretzel Twists (of clearance for $0.49 cents)

    Groceries from Bi-Lo (I didn’t have a chance to take a picture this week, but wanted to include our milk purchase):

    • $6.04 at Bi-Lo for 2 gallons of Milk ($2.99 each)

    I am excited to see us doing better on our Groceries $40 for 4 budget.  This week we spent $24.89 on groceries so it was a pretty good week regarding saving extra grocery cash.  We did better this week because I a little extra time and went to the Sidewalk Box Sale at Sav-Mor.  I was able to stock up on a few extra items this week for the pantry.  I am still trying to work out all the details of how to make the budget most effective for our family and I think we need some weeks have been easier than others.  It was nice to share some of the items we picked up this week with some friends too!  Love being able to get a great deal and share with others.  We’ll see how next week goes, it should be interesting because my husband is in charge next week of the $40 grocery budget since I will be traveling!

    It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 50 Free Points

    Receive 50 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  happybdaypamprs

    The code doesn’t have an expiration date listed  so don’t wait to use it just in case!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!

  • Save A Lot: Deals for the week of April 13 – 19, 2011

    The Save A Lot deals are similar to the ones from last week so if you haven’t had a chance to stock up on these deals you can do it this week.  The weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience.   Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!

    Meats and Seafood

    Bone-In Shank Potion Ham – $0.99 per lb

    Sugardale Sliced Bacon (12 oz) – $1.99

    Fresh Chicken Wings – $0.99 per lb

    Gwaltney Pork Sausage (12 oz) – $0.99

    Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).

    Fridge and Freezer

    Coburn Farms Cream Cheese – $0.79

    Creamy Whipped Whip Topping – $0.79

    Buyers Best Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes – $0.99

    Imperial Spread Quarters (16 oz) – $0.50

    Fairgrounds Jumbo Hotdogs – $1.00

    Oscar Mayer Bologna – $1.00

    Banquet Family Size Entrees (26 to 28 oz) – $2.00

    Port Side Battered or Breaded Fish Fillets or Fish Sticks – $2.99

    Wylwood Frozen Vegetables – $0.99

    Banquet Brown & Serve Sausage Links – $0.99

    Oscar Mayer Microwave Bacon – $2.99

    Oscar Mayer Lunchables – $2.49

    Home Churned Spread – $1.89

    Morning Delight Crescent Rolls – $1.55

    Mr. P’s Pepperoni Pizza – $0.99

    Household

    Ginger Evans Baking Cups – $1.19

    Star Ware Food Storage – $1.49

    Produce

    Large Fresh Pineapple – $1.50

    Fresh Romaine Hearts – $0.99

    Baby Carrots (1 lb) – $0.79

    Grocery

    Grissom’s Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls – $0.79

    Potatoes on the Side Au Gratin or Scalloped – $0.79

    Ritz Crackers – $1.79

    Shelby’s Grove Sliced Peaches (29 oz) – $1.00

    Libby’s Pineapple – $0.99

    Portmann’s Tartar Sauce – $1.29

    Mantia Mostaccioli Penne Pasta – $0.99

    Morning Delight Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix – $1.49

    Morning Delight Syrup – $1.49

    Hargis House Regular or Chicken Vienna Sausage – $0.39

    J. Higgs Potato Chips – $0.99

    Palmer Peanut or Caramel Candy – $0.99

    Portmann’s Salad Dressing – $1.89

    Portmann’s Real Mayonnaise – $1.99

    Ginger Evans Cake Mix – $0.99

    Ginger Evans Frosting – $1.99

    Ginger Evans Muffin Mix – $0.79

    Ginger Evans Graham Cracker Crust – $1.29

    Ginger Evans Instant Pudding – $0.50

    Shelby’s Grove Mandarin Oranges – $0.49

    Toast Em PopUps Poptarts – $0.99

    Malt O Meal Cereal – $0.99

    Vista Sandwich Creme Cookies – $0.99

    Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals!  Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.

    For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here.  If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.

  • Love It – Eye-Fi Explore X2 8 GB + Wi-Fi

    A couple months ago my sweet husband got me a Eye-Fi Explore X2 8 GB + Wi-Fi. When he explained what it was I liked the concept; although I didn’t realize how nice it would be until I started using it.  He had it set up and I was using the new card within minutes of putting it in my camera.  I LOVE my Eye-Fi especially when it comes to taking pictures or videos of my twin daughters as well as using it to take pictures for my blog!

    What is the Eye-Fi Explore X2?  Don’t worry I asked that question several times before I started using it as well.

    • The Eye-Fi is a wireless memory card used to transfer photo and video uploads from my camera to my computer (or online sites).
    • Eye-Fi memory card replaces your existing memory card in your camera.
    • It operates by transferring the pictures and videos via your wireless router.
    • You can use it for geotagging as well (I don’t use this feature).
    • If you are not at home on your local wireless spot you can actually upload using a hotspot access.
    • It stores up to 4,000 picture or 3 hours of video (I typically do a combination of the two)
    • The pictures & videos get downloaded automatically and are filed in their appropriate folders by date.

    It is so nice being able to download the pictures immediately after taking them.   If I don’t want to use them right away or do not have time to name or edit them when they download they will be waiting for when I have a free moment.   For example recently I used it for the following blog posts:

    The Eye-Fi card has been a huge time saver over the last couple months.  So thankful for a husband who knows how to make my life more enjoyable, efficient, and easier.  If you take a lot of pictures and need to have access to them within a few seconds this may be a great tool for you too.  I never have to worry about finding my cord or remembering to download the pictures because they are already downloaded and ready for me when I need them.  For those who take a lot of family and blog pictures / videos I would recommend requesting this as a gift or use your Swagbuck Amazon Gift Cards to get your Eye-Fi Explore X2, it really is pretty amazing!!!

    “Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love!  There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun.  I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list.  It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!

  • CVS: Spent $0.52 and Got $17 ECB’s Back!

    CVS has a few great deals this week.  I was happy to get some items this week for free with ECB’s  plus I was able to utilize a few of my B1G1F coupons.  I also picked up a couple products for an upcoming event!   This week I was able to get the items for $0.52 plus tax ($3.24) making my out of pocket $3.79 and received $17.73 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase.  Here is what I purchased this week.

    • 1 – Biore Nose Strips – $7.50
    • 1 – Biore Blemish Control Face Wash – $7.50
    • 2 – Airwick Freshmatic Kits – $6.00 each
    • 4 – Airwick Freshmatic Refills – $5.00 each
    • 1 – Russell Stovers Chocolate Coconut – $0.74
    • 2 – Lifesavers Mint & Winterfresh – $3.49 (B1G1F)
    • 1 – Super Miracle Bubbles (16 oz) – $1.99
    • 1 – CVS 12 Hour Nasal Relief – 4.89

    Here are the coupons I used on the items.

    • Used $7.50 Biore B1G1F Manufacturer Coupon
    • Used $4.00 Airwick Freshmatic Manufacturer Coupon
    • Used $4.00 Airwick Freshmatic Manufacturer Coupon
    • Used $5.00 Airwick Freshmatic Refill B1G1F Manufacturer Coupon
    • Used $5.00 Airwick Freshmatic Refill B1G1F Manufacturer Coupon
    • Used $30.97 ECB coupons from prior purchases

    I received $17.73 ECB’s back today:

    • $10.00 ECB’s for Airwick Products
    • $5.00 ECB’s for Biore Products
    • $1.99 ECB’s for Super Miracle Bubbles
    • $0.74 ECB’s for Russell Stover

    This week I was able to save over $77 at CVS by purchasing these items and using coupons.

    When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club).  As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS.  Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase.  You can pick and chose what is best for your family.

    I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week!  For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week!  Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household.  In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    It was my fifth full week of doing my new cash budget system – Groceries $40 for 4. This week I was super busy so for the most part we ate from what we had in the fridge, freezer and the pantry.  I think it is important to have these weeks where we utilize our food stockpile.  Although, it is nice to stock up during the weeks it is equally rewarding having the opportunity to be more creative with the food we have on hand.  I even made and delivered a meal for someone in our church this week with the food on hand without making a run to the grocery store for extra ingredients.   It felt great saving some of the grocery shopping cash this week too especially since I had a couple higher weeks in the past. Below are my grocery shopping adventures for the week!

    Bi-Lo Groceries

    Grcoeries from Bi-Lo:

    • $7.02 at Bi-Lo for 1 gallon of Skim Milk, 1 gallon of 2% Milk, and 1 loaf of bread.

    In our fifth week of the challenge – Groceries $40 for 4 we spent $7.02 so it was a pretty good week regarding saving extra grocery cash.  We did better this week because I didn’t have the extra time to go grocery shopping and we ate from our pantry.  Although I wasn’t able to stock up on a few extra items this week it was wonderful being able to eat some of the items we already had in our fridge and pantry!  Last week we stocked up on milk and I froze it, however, I didn’t pull it out in time for it to thaw enough to drink otherwise we wouldn’t have even purchased the milk this week.  Oh well….you win some and lose some!  I was thrilled to see Bi-Lo still had their milk under $3 so everything went well.   I am still trying to work out all the details of how to make the budget most effective for our family and I think we need some weeks have been easier than others.  We’ll see how I do next week and yes it’s another busy week!

    It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • CVS: Allegra 180 (30 Count) for $2

    For those of you who are suffering along with me during this heighten pollen season there is a way to get relief without breaking your budget.  I was able to get Allegra 180 (which I used to take with a prescription) for $2.83 without using any of my ECB’s from previous purchases.

    Here’s how you get it:

    • Buy 1 Box of Allegra 180 (30 count) on sale at CVS this week for $18.83
    • Use $5.00 coupon for Allegra you receive by scanning your at the in store kiosk
    • Use $4.00 coupon for Allegra you receive by scanning your at the in store kiosk (I was able to use both store coupons, so go ahead stack them)
    • Use $2.00 Allegra Manufacturer’s Coupons Attached to the in store displays (Walgreens also has $2 off coupons on their displays), take one and use it when you check out
    • Receive a $5 ECB back with your purchase

    Our originally the Allegra 180 for a month was $18.83 but by using and stacking the 3 coupons plus the ECBs.  You can’t beat $2 for allergy medicine for 30 days.  If you are like me you may only have to use it once in awhile so it could last you even longer.  Make sure to always scan your card at the in store kiosk whenever you can.  I make it a habit to do it each time I am in the store, sometimes I use the coupons and other times I don’t but it doesn’t hurt to check it out!

    Another great way to help with allergies is buy local honey and have a teaspoon twice a day.  Most of the year I do great but during high pollen season I can really get stuffy and my eyes start itching.

    When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club).  As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS.  Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase.  You can pick and chose what is best for your family.

    I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week!  For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week!  Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household.  In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.

     

  • Team Work at the Family Yard Sale

    Yard Sale Sign - Jake put the arrow on when he staked them on Saturday morning.

    We recently did a Yard Sale at our house.   It was a  success, we even had to thin out the cash box twice during the sale because we were getting so many $1 bills.  I was shocked when we counted up the total at the end of the day, it was the best sale we have had yet!  I am not sure if it was just a great day, beautiful weather, we had the right people, right items, luck, answer to prayer, or a combination.  No matter what it was we were blessed with a great sale.  Our Yard Sale was a one day sale starting at 7 AM (although we always have those early birds which is fine with me) and we ended at 1 PM.  This year it was just our family doing the sale and we made almost $700.  Jake and I sold over $650 and the girls brought in over $15 selling drinks, cookies, and candy.

    It was a lot of work and I am very thankful it is now done so I can get my house back in order again.  Last Saturday was a beautiful sunny day and we had a steady amount of traffic the whole time.  One time when traffic started slowing down my husband checked the signs and one of them had fallen down, immediately after setting it up again the crowds starting coming again.  Our first customers arrived before we even finished setting up. As soon as the signs were up there were people were outside with their flashlights going through the items.

    Our family always enjoys seeing what the first item that sells will be……this year it was a cord for 25 cents.  My husband had a box of electronic power cords for 25 cents each.  The guy later came back and purchased the entire box of cords along with a few other items.  It makes me smile seeing people leave the yard with full bags of goodies and knowing that I don’t have to bring it all back inside!  Not to mention it is wonderful being able to put the extra towards your goals and to have a more uncluttered home.  I haven’t quite master that completely yet but I am getting closer!

    The more Yard Sales we do the more I learn what do to or better yet what not to do.  I grew up in a very rural area in Kansas and my family never had or went to a Yard Sale / Garage Sale / Tag Sale or whatever you call it in your area.  Here are some quick and easy tips that work for us and have made our Yard Sales successful:

    • Get Organized Early – clean out your closets and rooms in advance.  I typically collect items throughout the year and place them in bins marked for “yard sale” so it makes it easier once the time gets near.  After getting out the bins I go through a room a day and collect any items that we are no longer using.  If I have more time I will do another sweep of the house.  As I am collecting the items I go ahead and price them then put them in the room next to the front door so they are ready to take out the day of the sale.
    • Clearly Mark & Price All Items to Sell – we had only a couple items in the $10 to $20 range.  The majority of our items were marked from 2 cents to $1.00 each.  Many of people that come to your sale will want to negotiate so it is important to know in advance what items you are willing to negotiate and how much.  Typically, I will do up to half off the price unless it is one I have specified in advance that I will not do additional discounts (like brand new items from our stockpile).  Mark all items!  One exception to this rule is if you have a bin of similar items to sell you can mark the amount per item on the outside of the container.  A lot of people will pass up the opportunity to buy something they want because they don’t want to ask for the price.  I would rather the items sell then have to drag everything back into the house, to Goodwill or somewhere else afterwards.  If you have a lot of specific items to sell (candles, clothes, gift bags, stuffed animals, etc….) you can sell them for 50 cents each or they can stuff a bag as full as they want $5.  I had a lady buy my entire bin of stuffed animals by stuffing bags for $5 each (you can fit a lot of clothes and stuffed animals into a shopping bag).
    • Plan of Action – having a plan mapped out of where you want items and how it will look.  This will help make the whole Yard Sale run more smoothly and in the end be a success.Group like items together as you are preparing them and know in advance which items you want on the tables, in the front to draw in the crowd, which ones are okay to put on the tarp or hang on the fence.
    • Answer the Important Questions in Advance – Who is in charge of what? What are the kids selling?  Who is putting out the signs?  When are you putting out the signs?   Who will be collecting the cash?
    • How much cash / change do you need to start? We did $70 cash this time and it was a great amount (we had 2 – $10, 4 – $5, 20 – $1, and a roll of quarters).  We used $3 in loose change we had around the house to buff up the cash box a little bit more.
    • Pick a Good LOCATION – we usually do our Yard Sale at our house because we live right off a busy road.  Also, our road is a small half circle and no matter which direction a person comes down it they will drive past our house.  You want it close to a road that gets a lot of steady traffic so you get a continual flow of people.
    • Do a Multiple Family Sale – this is the first year we have not done a multiple family yard sale.  We have had up to 7 families do the yard sale with us at one time.  We even have a software program that tracks how much each family is making and then we divide up the cash at the end of the sale.  If you do it this way and use 1 cash box make sure whoever is entering the amounts knows the program and during the busy times it is wise to have a couple people helping check out.  Otherwise you can do separate cash box per family.  You can share the cost of signs, materials, work, etc…when you do a joint sell as well.
    • Select a Date / Time – pick a good date and time to do your sale.  For example, if it is freezing or raining it will be much harder to have a successful sale.  Consider the benefits of doing a 1 or 2 day sale.  We have typically only done a 1 day sale on Saturday because we don’t have a garage that faces the street where we can leave everything set up for the next day.  Plus, we don’t have to take time off work to have since we only do it on Saturday.
    • SIGNS – the signage is very important!  We make big, bold, simple signs with arrows on them.  The signs are placed at either end of our street with two additional signs one on the highway next to us and another at a busy intersection up the street from us.  Half of the signs are to get their attention and the two at the ends of our street are the most valuable because those are the ones that will get the people onto your street.  Add just enough information to get them to your house, keep it big and simple.  We purchased our signs for 50 cents at the Dollar Tree and I had the girls help me color them with crayons.  Since we already advertised in a variety of other places (see below) we typically put up our signs early the day of the sale as we are setting up (we have done it as early at 4:30 AM and had people at our house within minutes).
    • Advertise – having a number people planning to come before the day of the sell is very beneficial.  Many times these people will be the first ones there and more people are likely to stop if there are a lot of cars at your house (there must be great deals). Here are a couple places to advertise:
    1. Your local Craigslist –  we have great success listing our Yard Sales on Craigslist.  People have driven from over an hour away to attend our Yard Sale because they saw it on Craigslist.  We typically get between 5 to 20 emails a day from people requesting more information on what we are selling so make sure you are ready to respond politely and timely to those requesting information.  I always include a bullet list of items that we are selling to catch the attention of those looking for specific things (for example – Infant Clothes Newborn & Up, NEW Health & Beauty Items, CD’s / DVDs, Furniture, Kitchen Appliances, Books, Computers, Game Systems, Electronics, etc…. and MUCH MORE).  Be honest yet specific to draw the attention of those interested in your items.  Craigslist will allow you to post multiple times the week of the sale – I usually post information about it on Monday, Wednesday, and follow up with one final one on Friday that has our address and directions included.
    2. Newspapers – many newspapers will allow you to list your Yard Sale in the paper for free.  Check with your local newspapers for the details.  Make sure to check out the smaller ones as well because they often will give you more promotional space plus they are in your local community homes and stores.
    3. Hang Fliers – in gas stations or a variety of businesses or community boards in your area.  Many of these places allow you do it for free and it generates additional interest.  Make sure your signs are bright, colorful, and easy to read.
    • Large / Popular Items Catch the Buyers Attention – put large or popular and colorful items out in front (children’s clothes, furniture, exercise equipment, etc….) so people will see them and stop to shop.  Many times if they stop to look they will buy something in addition to the items that first got their attention.
    • Sell Ad-Ons – we have our girls sell drinks, small toys, cookies (see picture below), candy, and re-usable bags.  Here’s what we did:
    1. Candy – 2 cents
    2. Small Toys – 2 cents
    3. Re-usable Shopping Bags – 10 cents (or they can choose the free bags – plastic bags we collected from a variety of stores)
    4. Lemonade – 25 cents
    5. Cookies – 25 cents
    6. Soda Pop – 50 cents
    7. Bottled Water – $1.00
    • Thin Out Your Stockpile – if you shop the sales and use coupons take a moment to put together a bin or table full of items.  We had a variety of new Health & Beauty items, Household items, School Supplies, Crafts Supplies, and more for people to buy.  The largest benefit to having a table with brand new items is that it really attracts attention and brings in the crowd plus it gets people excited about getting a great deal.  Also, pack a basket full of those samples you got in the mail and sell them.  We were selling our samples for 2 cents each and a lady came back to our yard sale to purchase more items for her parents and bought the entire basket full of samples.  We sold the majority of the items on those tables plus people purchased other items at the sale because they were so thrilled to find a terrific deal.  This year we even sold a box full of non-expired food from our pantry, I had duplicates of several items that I didn’t think we would eat in time so I put them out and they were a huge hit as well.
    Brina & Karlie's Tray Full of Individually Wrapped (in "pretty" bags) Cookies for the Yard Sale! Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip M&M, and Double Chocolate Chip! They did really well with their cookies.

    These are some of the things I have learned over the course of the past few years.  Several people have asked us email them when we have our yard sales because they don’t want to miss it and other people have gone to get extra money or called friends to come buy items.  The repeat customers know what you typically have available and look for it, a couple ladies asked where all my samples were after someone had purchased them all.  It is a lot of work, but with a little extra effort and planning it can be a successful event.   I am thankful for my family because each member pitched in to help make it a great day.  I wish you the best as you plan for your upcoming sale.  Please leave any comments below on ways you have made your Garage / Yard Sale successful.

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 10 Free Points

    Receive 10 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  WELCOMEGTGPTS10

    The code doesn’t have an expiration date listed  so don’t wait to use it just in case!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!