Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
As requested by readers I’ve expanded this list to include grocery deals at Ralphs, Safeway/Vons, Albertsons, Whole Foods, Publix, ShopRite, Fresh N Easy, and Food 4 Less. I’m still looking for coupon matchups for Henry’s and Smart N Final. What other grocery stores do you want to see featured?
Ralphs - Cathy at Chief Family Officer shared four great grocery deals at Ralph’s this week. Highlights include Hostess Snack Cakes for $1.09 after coupon, Better Oats Revolution! Oatmeal for $.50 each with coupon, Country Crock Spread for $.20 after coupon, and Palmolive Liquid Dish Detergent for $.50 after coupon. The Ralphs prices assume coupon doubling up to $1. Get Ralphs coupon match ups and more deals.
Safeway/Vons - Highlights include (more…)
This weeks CSA haul: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, green beans, beets, tomatoes, corn, peppers, garlic, eggs and goat cheese.
Earlier in the summer I joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, paying $525 for 20 weeks of vegetables, eggs, and cheese. I’m considering re-upping my membership for winter, but first want to re-consider my hefty investment. The program costs me about $11 more per week compared to buying groceries at my local chains. Does joining a CSA make financial sense?
Cost is the first thing I considered. For the 20-week summer program, I paid $365 for good-sized portions of about seven vegetables, including lettuce, tomatoes, corn, beets, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and garlic. I paid another $100 to receive freshly made goat cheese (chevre or feta) and $60 for a half dozen free-range organic chicken eggs that are free of hormones and antibiotics.
That amounts to $26 a week! Before joining this CSA I spent roughly $15.50 for vegetables, one dozen eggs, and a block of cheese each week. So I am spending $10.75 more (more…)
Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com/Flickr
Scoring deals with coupons feels fantastic, but it can also be a complete pain in the BLEEP! Tom emailed me his story:
My wife and I use coupons all the time, from any source. Today we went to Ralph’s because they have promotion, buy 8 promotional items get $4.00 dollars off. We have coupons for the promotional items. This particular Ralph’s had all the products that we have coupons for, others we have gone to didn’t carry all the products.
We are checking out and give the cashier our coupons. She says she can’t (more…)
Home decor from Dollar Tree: SavinSome.com
Every Friday I link to my favorite money-saving posts. If you came across a great money-saving tip, please link to it in the comments.
If you’re interested in being a mystery shopper, make sure to read Nicole’s Nickels post about mystery shopping FAQs.
Create back to school traditions to get your kids excited for learning, says Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.
Stock up on these eight green back to school supplies, courtesy of Bargain Briana.
Think the dollar stores are full of junk? Brandy at SavinSome will prove you wrong with her ye for frugal home decor.
How much food do you waste each week? Nikki at CouponCookin has tips to reduce food waste.
Kacy at Valuing Today shares a personal story about cutting her medical bills by negotiating monthly payments with her doctor and dentist.
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
I am impressed how many readers are committed to eating organic and natural foods! Dozens of readers (there were 64 comments) shared their strategies to save, including many who grow edible gardens as part of a contest to win the eBook “Real Food on a Real Budget.” The majority struggle with the cost of organic food, which is certainly a big reason why I have not fully embraced organic.
EllieD and Jana had a thoughtful conversation, spurred in part by a plea for help by Shane. A snippet of their exchange:
@EllieD, I think we do agree on a lot!
I like the Whole Foods in-store organic brand, it is dollars cheaper than other brands. The only problem I have is with canned goods. Most, if not all–except for Eden Organic brand–canned goods are contaminated with BPA. This is cause for concern. This is why I don’t often buy canned tomatoes at all, since Eden brand is quite expensive. I guess the best way is to can your own, in glass jars. (more…)
I’m not a mind reader. Aside from this roundup of grocery deals at Ralphs, Safeway/Vons, Albertsons, and Whole Foods, what grocery store do you want to see featured?
Ralphs - Cathy at Chief Family Officer shared four great grocery deals at Ralph’s this week. The Ralphs prices assume coupon doubling up to $1. Highlights include Powerade for $.39, Hot, Lean or Croissant Pockets for $.49, Welch’s Grape Jelly or Jam for $.99 cents, and Dial Liquid Hand Soap for $.30. Get all the Ralphs coupon deals.
Safeway/Vons - Saving Cents with Sense posts Safeway/Vons coupon deals Wednesday afternoon.
Albertsons - Save at Home Mommy shares weekly Albertsons coupon deals sometime Wednesday.
Whole Foods - Thrifty Mama posts her weekly Whole Foods coupon deals Wednesday afternoon.
New to coupons? Check out my post on coupon clipping basics. If you want to take advantage of these deals, make sure to save the coupon inserts you receive in the mail or with your Sunday newspaper. Here’s a great suggestion for how to handle coupon organization.
deb roby/Flickr
Here is an update on what produce is currently in season and a resource for what to plant in your late summer/fall garden. The below list of in-season produce is a good indicator of what fruit and vegetables will have the best prices. Greater supply…lower prices. Plus, in-season produce is often grown closer to home than out-of-season produce, which we import from Chile, Mexico, and other countries. Expect prices for early summer fruits and vegetables to rise.
The following list of fall fruits and vegetables comes from FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org. The list includes many hardy lettuces and squashes. If you can’t remember what is in season, price is a good indication.
Acorn Squash
Belgian Endive
Broccoli (more…)
Think clipping coupons is silly? Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam will prove you wrong with her post on stockpiling sale items. She does admit, however, that using coupons is only worthwhile 8% of the time. Yikes!
Ever wonder if you are using coupons the correct way? Jennie at Bargain Blessings has guidelines for ethical coupon use. Her post dovetails with my earlier one on how to spot a fake coupon.
If you are looking for cheap or free date ideas, Nikki at Coupon Cookin shared eight dates, including one that involves frolf. Um, what?
Make your cheap cut of steak taste divine with this two-minute video from Kacy at Valuing Today. You wouldn’t believe how much salt she puts on her meat!
Gudlyf/Flickr
I was thrilled to recently meet Stephanie of KeeperoftheHome because she is an expert in a topic I want to know about: eating organic on a budget. From comments, it seems readers want to know her secrets, too! Here is how Stephanie, who is based in British Columbia, keeps five bellies full of organic food for $450 a month.
Is it really possible to eat organic food cheaply? It really is. We eat about 80-90% certificated organic or non-certificated organic or natural foods. We do that on a pretty low budget for a family of five.
How much is your monthly grocery bill? $450 CAD [$430USD], including all our household and cleaning supplies. At the beginning of the month I start by listing all the firm parts of the budget. I always get $30 of eggs from an organic farmer and I always pay $40 for my organic raw milk and I always pay about $140 for my co-op purchases. From there I start to say well I’m probably going to need about $70 of produce and I’m going to need to go to Costco to stock up on butter and fish. When it’s gone it’s gone. We start eating beans and rice. I’m kidding, but we would do that if we had too.
What are your tips for saving on organic food? It comes down to being really eclectic with how you do your shopping. If I shopped at one store or just used coupons it wouldn’t be enough. I actually shop at five (more…)
iLoveButter/Flickr
If you are interested in eating organic on a budget, finding a nearby grocery store can be a challenge. Stephanie of KeeperoftheHome.org recommended AzureStandard, which is an online organic food catalog and delivery service. AzureStandard delivers to much of the Western states (see below) and can ship orders to other parts of the country, including Alaska and Hawaii. I’m considering eating organic for an entire month as an experiment and may well use AzureStandard! Here’s how it works.
Register on the site to access their sales flyer (free), delivery schedule (free), and product catalog ($.45). Charging for the product catalog strikes me as odd, because you’d think free access would entice potential customers, but perhaps it means only people who are truly interested (more…)
HoskingIndustries/Flickr
Tagging along with my post about eating organic on a budget, here is a list of blogs and sites to find organic coupons and coupons for natural products.
The Thrifty Mama- http://www.thethriftymama.com/
Organic Deals and Coupons- http://organicdeals.blogspot.com/
Organic on a Dime- http://organiconadime.blogspot.com/
Your Green Helper- http://yourgreenhelper.blogspot.com/
Saving Naturally -
http://savingnaturally.com/
Also consider Stephanie’s regular Friday morning guest blog post on Money Saving Mom that shares the best organic deals and coupons of the week. Here is last week’s post on organic grocery deals.
Another option is to order organic groceries and products through the online delivery service AzureStandard.
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
I’m responding to reader comments as part of the $249 swag giveaway contest that posting only the weekly Ralphs deals is not enough. Many readers said they wanted links to more grocery and drugstore deals because they do not live near a Ralphs. So I’m expanding this weekly post to include links to deals and freebies at Safeway, Walgreens, CVS, and Target.
What other stores would you like me to link to? Comment and I will do my best to link to them as well.
Ralphs – Cathy at Chief Family Officer shared five great Ralphs grocery deals valid 8/11-8/18. Highlights include Kleenex tissue for as little as $.69, SoBe lifewater or Juice two for $.49, Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks for $.49 each when you buy two, and Powerade for $.39.
Safeway – Here is a list of the grocery deals at Safeway courtesy of Saving Cents with Sense. They are valid 8/11-8/18. Highlights include canteloupe for $.99 each, corn for $.20 each, and Cheerios for as little as $.49 a box.
CVS – I post each weeks CVS deals on Monday. They are good through 8/14.
Walgreens – Here are this week’s Walgreens deals. I’m going to post them with Monday’s CVS going forward.
Rite Aid – Here are the deals for Rite Aid this week, which will also join the Monday post with CVS and Walgreens deals going forward.
Target – This list has all the new Target coupons available this week, though no match ups with sale prices so your savings will vary.
Going forward, I’ll link to drugstore deals on Monday and grocery deals on Wednesday.This way the posts are timed with the beginning of the sales.
New to coupons? Check out my post on coupon clipping basics. If you want to take advantage of these deals, make sure to save the coupon inserts you receive in the mail or with your Sunday newspaper. Here’s a great suggestion for how to handle coupon organization.
jetalone/Flickr
Cereal prices are going to be dramatically effected by droughts in Russia and small crops in Canada and Australia, according to SF Gate. So what’s a cereal loving person to do? Stock up now.
Strategy 1: Pay whatever price your favorite cereal is selling for during your next grocery trip. I am a firm believer in having a pantry and/or stashing food wherever you have space. Stocking up when prices are low is a great way to save. (If you keep food in unorthodox places, like under the bed, list your hiding places on the fridge so you don’t forget.)
Strategy 2: Buy whatever is on sale, regardless of whether it is one of your favorites. This is risky as you may well convince yourself not to eat it. Doubly risky if you have never tried the cereal before.
Strategy 3: Buy coupons from TheCouponMaster.com – you’ll pay about $.10 for a $1 off coupon – and use them before prices rise too much. Note the coupon’s expiration date while checking out. If your strategy is to hold the coupons until the cereal goes on sale, you may need a few weeks leeway.
Strategy 4: Read blogs that publish coupon matches for your local grocery and drugstore. A coupon match is when you use a coupon for an item that is on sale, maximizing your savings. For coupon matches check CommonSenseWithMoney, CouponCravings, and BargainBriana. You can also Google “Publix coupon matches” or whatever the store name is plus coupon matches. Coupon matching requires you to save each week’s coupon inserts and file them by name and date, such as Red Plum 8/7/10.
Strategy 5: Make your own cereal or granola, which takes a little time but often tastes better and has less sugar. Plus, you can get exactly the mixture of fruit and nuts that you want.
Strategy 6: Have eggs and fruit instead!
If you are a hard core couponer, paying more than $.50 per box of cereal is embarrassing. I met one frugal blogger who refused to pay more than $.25 per box! If you are a casual couponer, aim to pay less than $2 per box, or a little more for high-end brands like Kashi. Once you start tracking the prices of your favorite cereals, you will have a good idea when something is at a good price or not.
Thanks, Lynda!
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
Cathy at Chief Family Officer shared four great grocery deals at Ralph’s this week. These prices assume coupon doubling up to $1. New to coupons? Check out my post on coupon clipping basics. If you want to take advantage of these deals, make sure to save the coupon inserts you receive in the mail or with your Sunday newspaper. Here’s a great suggestion for how to handle coupon organization.
Yoplait Yogurt Cups on sale for $0.50
Buy 6 and use $0.40 off 6 from 7/11 or 7/25 Smart Source coupon insert
or use $0.40 off 6 printable coupon
Pay: $0.37 each
Dannon Yogurt Cups on sale for $0.50
Buy 6 and use $0.40 off 6 Dannon Yogurt from 7/25 Red Plum coupon insert
or use $0.40 off 6 Dannon Single Serve Yogurt Cups from 6/13 Smart Source (exp 8/8)
Pay: $0.37 each
Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage on sale for $1.97
Use $0.55 off 1 Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage Links from 7/11 Red Plum coupon insert
Pay: $0.97
Vitaminwater on sale for $1
Buy 2 and use $1 off 2 VitaminWater Zero 20 ounce from August All You magazine
Pay: $0.50 each
Keep reading Cathy’s Ralphs grocery deals.
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
Cathy at Chief Family Officer shared four great grocery deals at Ralph’s this week. These prices assume coupon doubling up to $1. New to coupons? Check out my post on coupon clipping basics. If you want to take advantage of these deals, make sure to save the coupon inserts you receive in the mail or with your Sunday newspaper. Here’s a great suggestion for how to handle coupon organization.
And a few highlights:
Buy 2 and use $0.75 off 2 Ball Park Products coupon from 6/27 Red Plum coupon insert or printable coupon
Final price: $0.50 each
Buy 2 and use B1G1 printable coupon
Final price: $0.50 each
Use $0.75 off 1 Smart Taste printable coupon here or here
Final price: FREE
Use $0.75 cents off 1 Crest Toothpaste 4 oz or larger from 7/4 Proctor & Gamble coupon insert (exp 7/31)
Or use $0.50 off 1 Crest Toothpaste 4 oz or larger from 6/27 Red Plum or 6/6 Proctor & Gamble (exp 7/31)
Final price: FREE
Keep reading Cathy’s grocery deals at Ralphs.
