Being Frugal in Real Life: Our Zoo Trip

Here in the Twin Cities area of MN we are lucky enough to have two zoos. We have the Como Zoo, which is free to visit and the Minnesota Zoo, which is not. The Minnesota Zoo is larger and has more variety, but it is also much further for us.

Nevertheless, my husband and I had noted that we had not been to the Minnesota Zoo for a long time (over 10 years) and that it might be something we wanted to do this year as a family.

Enter MomIsBroke, who posted about a free pass deal through the Smithsonian Museum that included our Minnesota Zoo. I checked the date and signed up for the passes. I emailed our family about the deal and my mom decided to join us for the day, since she was excited to see the new Russia's Grizzly Coast exhibit.

Once we arrived at the Zoo, we got out of the car and realized that it had already cooled quite a bit! Everyone had sweatshirts or jackets except Will and I. I had cleaned out the van right before we left and took out my sweatshirt and a sweatshirt for Will. Duh. It has been hot (it was 84 degrees yesterday), but it IS Minnesota after all. I should have been prepared for this scenario. It may have been my pride, it may have been my stubbornness, it may have been my determination to visit the Zoo frugally, but I refused to buy sweatshirts for Will and I. Will stayed in the stroller when we were outside, unless it was a warmer part of the day, and he was happy all wrapped up in blankets. I just shivered from time to time.

Normally, entry to the Zoo is $14 for adults, $8 for kids and parking is $5. We had passes for everyone except Will, who is under 2 and free anyway. So, we saved $66.00 on the entry fee and my mom paid for the parking since we picked her up and drove to and from the Zoo. (Thanks, Mom!)

As anyone who spends the day out with children in tow knows, entry is just half the battle. Next comes food! Before we left this morning, Steve and I packed up lunch for all seven of us, so we were able to eat lunch on the picnic tables outdoors. We enjoyed sandwiches, grapes, chips and drinks. Plus, as we entered there were free cartons of Stonyfield yougurt, so we had four cartons of that, too! I would estimate that buying lunch there would have cost us at least $35, so this was quite a savings!

We enjoyed most of the exhibits throughout the day. We packed various snacks and we treated everyone to an afternoon treat, which cost us $25.09 in total. My mom wanted to treat the kids each to a purchase in the gift shop (her choice; we realize sometimes grandparents enjoy treating the kids, so we did not object). The kids shopped in the gift shop while Will napped in the stroller. Once he woke up, he was all over the truck set that Max picked out, so Steve went back in and bought one for Will. We spent $11.98 at the gift shop ourselves.

We made it out of the Zoo by 5:30, but we still needed to drop Mom off and Steve needed to take care of some work he has been doing at her house, so we stayed there until 6:30. Everyone was really hungry, so we broke down and stopped for fast food on the way home - $13.96 for the six of us by sticking to the dollar menu and finishing the drinks we had packed for the day.

All told, our Zoo trip cost us $54.03 and that covers the lunch and dinner hours, snacks, drinks and a gift shop trip. This includes $3 that we donated to the worthy cause of endangered animals in Russia's Grizzly Coast. It was an interesting kiosk in the exhibit - it had a money acceptor like a pop machine, where you fed in the dollar for one of three highlighted animals, to "vote" for your favorite!

It is not always easy to save on an outing. It is not always easy to do a day long outing with four kids even when you spend a lot, for that matter! Overall, I am happy with out day of fun - it was at a place we have rarely been (the youngest two had never been there), we spent a lovely day with my mom, and for the most part, our other family events this month have been very low cost (movies at home, things like that).

So, even if you are one of my fellow frugalites, I would like to encourage you to find some funds in your budget for an occasional outing that may cost a bit more. Chances are, if you stick to your frugal fundamentals and inject in some little treats, you can still pull off your outing for less than is typical. Have fun!

Save Money and Time - Use Bill Pay

What on Earth was I waiting for?

I am an accountant for goodness sake and I still had never signed up to use Bill Pay with my checking account. Tsk, tsk.

Well, I finally got around to it, having been at the bank alone for once, I asked the teller about it. I assumed there was a fee (there was not at my local bank) and it took about 60 seconds to get it set up.

Once I was signed up with the bank, I could just click on the Bill Pay icon on our online banking system to get started.

I simply click to add a Payee, and after a month or two of paying bills, I have our main bill information entered, so I really don't spend much time at all paying bills now.

I am saving on postage ($.42 a month adds up - if you just send out 10 bills a month, that is $4.20 a month or $50 a year). I know that we actually have more like twice that a month, so like I said, it can add up!

The most awesome part is that you can set the date the bill gets paid. That way you can go on, pay what needs to be paid, but set it to be sent to the company on the date it is due - no more worrying about forgetting to send the payment on time or paying it too early when you don't have to.  Assuming that the financial system does not collapse... (oh, sorry, there I went getting all pessimistic again!)

I love it! If you have not done this yet, I highly recommend it. Check with your bank on any fees or sign up procedures, as I am sure they can vary from place to place.

Wellness Journal Entry 9.28.08

This week I tried to focus on getting more sleep, with my Week of Sleep experiment, read about it by scrolling through the past week's posts, there are various updates throughout the week.  It was a flop - not a good week to try.  But, I am not giving up in my quest to feel more rested, I am just recognizing that it is a delicate process.

I have been downright lazy this week, plopping on the couch to watch Dancing With the Stars (go, Brooke!) with my daughter, Alex, for three nights this week AND the two hour premier of Grey's Anatomy (oh, what a long summer it was). Since I rarely watch TV other than the news, that was a big change, but it was fun and I enjoyed it, so what the heck!

I have also been seeing a Chiropractor, Dr. Carrie, who has been a God-send! I have felt SO much better in my neck and upper back, the headaches I was suffering from have greatly deminished.

The big difference in my back and neck feeling better has been that I have been so much less stressed! It has been wonderful! I think maybe being all seized up in my neck made me feel tense all the time. I have been sleeping better, too, when I actually do get to sleep.

Another thing that finally came to fruition this week was the updating of my blog. Updating the site was something special that I did for myself. I hope that you are enjoying it, too! If you are considering making changes to your blog but are not sure where to start, see Ashlyn at Sashwhy Studios - she was fantastic to work with! Click on her icon at the bottom of my sidebar on the right to get in touch with her.

I also worked on shortening my blog entries, keeping to quick tips and updates, which has made my time online more managable and still enjoyable.

Finally, this week I re-hired our old cleaning gal (as in we used to use her, not that she is old) to clean the house every other week. This took an enormous load off of my to do list and I felt so much better knowing that I did not have to get to every little cleaning project this week. Plus, I love her and it was great to see her again and reconnect!

Up for this next week: Making sure I clean my face before bed (oh, I am so lazy about that), trying to fit in more walks and healthier snacks and continuing to work on removing chemicals from my beauty routine (more on that next week!).

Super Savings Saturday

Welcome to Super Savings Saturday!

All around the blogsphere, there are people sharing their great deals for the week. Some call it bragging, but others appreciate it, since they are working hard to learn how to do these deals and can learn from the detailed transactions.

I have decided to put my Leaving Excess spin on this regular post and not go into gory details on the deals, but show the overall savings that you can acheive and link to more indepth posts and other websites for those of you who want to learn more about saving big on your household goods and groceries.

Have fun - it is a bit addictive to regularly save over 50% on these types of expenses!

CVS:
I was able to stick with my one, simple, Leaving Excess transaction
(see it here) this week.

I spent $.36 for $17.60 worth of products and
increased by ECBs by $1.

For tips on shopping at CVS, read this post here.

To see my scenarios for this coming week at CVS, see this post here.

To see my scenarios for this past week, see this post here.

Cub Foods:
Armed with my Grocery Game list and a list of some things we needed, I bought $55.72 worth of groceries and household goods for $22.96, including $.96 tax.

Of the $32.76 I saved, $21.57 was due to coupons, the rest to items being on sale (or
using a store coupon, which shows up differently on the receipt).

Total savings: 59%, plus a coupon to save on gas at Holiday Station Stores.

Aldi:

I spent $21.85 at Aldi this week on the usual produce, milk and
staples. Strawberries are STILL $1.69 a pound there - my kids are loving it!

In Summary:
This week I spent $44.81 out of pocket (after ECBs, rebates, gift cards) for $101.73 worth of household goods and groceries for our family of 6 (adding to and using from our stockpile). I saved about $56.92 or 56%!

For tips on organizing your coupons, see this post here.

To learn how to save using coupons, read this post here.

To read my series on How to Save on Anything, start with this post here. See all the CVS, Target and Walmart deals at MoneySavingMom and The"Cents"ibleSawyer, find the links to CVS coupons and see the ads weeks in advance

CVS Scenario for 9/28 - The Leaving Excess Way

CVS, the Leaving Excess way: One simple transaction. Here are the best deals that I see and at the end of this post I will layout my plan for one simple transaction this week.

Campbell's Soup or Swanson Chicken Broth

CVS deal: 2/$1, limit of 6

Use: $.40/2 soup coupons from Campbells

Final price: $.30 per can!

Softsoap Liquid Handsoap

CVS deal: $.99 each, limit of 6

Use: $.35/1 softsoap coupons in Sunday's paper

Final price: $.64 each

Dawn Dish Liquid, 10.3 oz

CVS deal: $.99 each

Use: There are a few different coupon options: $.25/1 Dawn, $.50/1 Dawn, $1.00/1 Dawn Plus Hand Renewal (these were included in the sale last time) and $1.00/1 Dawn Simple Pleasures (which has been included in the past as well), plus another coupon is coming this Sunday.

Final price: FREE - $.74 each, depending on coupon used

The Leaving Excess Way:
- 6 cans of Campbell's soup
- 1 Softsoap liquid hand soap
- 6 bottles Dawn liquid dishsoap (2 hand renewal, 2 simple pleasures,
2 any kind)
- a filler transaction ( a candy bar, milk, whatever), to cover
$.07. Let's say I buy a chocolate candy from the counter, $.25.

I am going to go on Sunday, so I can use the $2/$10 one more time:

- $2/$10 CVS coupon

- $1/1 Dawn Hand Renewal (I am using 2 coupons)

- $1/1 Dawn Simple Pleasures (I am using 2 coupons)

- $.50/1 Dawn dish soap (I am using 2 coupons)

- $.35 Soft Soap coupon

- $.40/2 Campbell's soups (I am using 3 coupons)

Final bill: $1.63. No ECBs back, but a good deal on 6 bottles of dish
liquid, 6 cans of soup and a bottle of hand soap (not to mention a tasty
chocolate treat!)

Week of Sleep: Day Five

Last night I found myself glued to CNN as the news of Washington Mutual hit the airways.

It is like a bad accident; I cannot tear myself away!

This week has been unusually tough for me, so I have decided to suspend this experiment until a better week. I will take notes as I go and I will share my experiences with you once I complete it.

In the meantime, if you have some tricks to getting a full nights sleep, please share!

Is it Time for New Skivies?

Underwear is one of those things that you sort of take for granted, you know?

I mean, who wants to spend money on such a basic and usually hidden sort of thing?

Plus for women buying underwear and especially bras, is sort of like jean shopping. A huge production that generally falls short of where we set our sights. It seems like you are always between the standard sizes, not enough support, uncomfortable and so on and so forth.

Alas, the time had come. I was down to two bras (not very practical when you only do laundry twice a week). One was in fact a nursing bra (have not nursed in over 9 months) that was in danger of falling apart in the next wash or two. The girls had no support and let's just say that I cannot get away with that at this point in my life.

It is so easy to put off buying new underwear! I know that this happens to women, but judging from my husband's underwear drawer from time to time, I would say that men suffer from this as well. For a while, the poor man only had a pair of worn out silk-type boxers from the 1980s, a pair of SpongeBob Square Pants boxers and a pair of Christmas boxers featuring The Grinch. I felt very sorry for him and stocked him up with respectable neutral colored underwear and he is all set now.

Sadly, no one was coming to my underwear rescue, so I trudged online and ordered up four bras. I had a 15% coupon, but bras that go into stripper sizes (ugh) are rather expensive (actually, all bras are expensive!) and the final bill was over $170!! (In case you didn't know, there are not a lot of places to buy bras for the, um, more endowed ladies. In fact, I have yet to find anywhere that you can buy the larger sized bras in person!)

But, it was more than necessary and I am happy now to have a few different bras to choose from. Luckily, everything fit well and I did not need to make any returns.

I thought I would pass along this piece of encouragment:

If you need new Underoos, why not treat yourself right and stock up? You deserve it! Having respectable underwear is NOT an excess, so don't leave it off your to do list.

Week of Sleep: Day Four

I have to say that I am beginning to feel like my experiment is a big old failure.

I got to bed later than I wanted to last night, as evidenced by my rant last night.

For the second night in a row, I tossed and turned, moving in and out of dreams that I don't quite remember fully. I am feeling frustrated that I am not getting more rest.

So, on Day Four, I am left to wonder: Is it impossible for a busy mom to get some decent sleep? In this day and age, is there just more to do than is humanly possible in 24 hours and still get some decent sleep?

My to do list is certainly not shorter - there are things still on it from four weeks ago!

I have been relaxing more, and that has been good, but with my husband gone most of the weekend and two of the three nights this week (so far), the daily tasks are keeping me running.

I will keep on keeping on... There has to be a way to be more rested, and for the sake of us all, I am going to try to figure that out.

Donating Expired Coupons

Here is a great tip from MoneySavingMom:

You can donate your expired coupons (within a 1-3 months) to military families by sending them to:

48MSS/DPF
Attn: Coupon Connection Program
Unit 5200, Box 105
APO AE 09464-0105

http://www.ocpnet.org/

Where is My Flippin' Bailout?!

I know I am supposed to be in bed, but I was up late doing must do things (husband was out AGAIN tonight - meeting with the mayor - WHATEVER).

So I am feeling a bit panicked about getting to bed, but I just have to post a quick vent session.

One of my must do items was to get out a payment to our wonderful state due to "delinquent taxes".

Although I am an accountant, I am not a tax accountant. Similar to a neurosurgeon not being able to reattach a severed limb, I am really only good for auditing financial statements, financial analysis and the general running of companies. Not taxes.

You see, several years ago, I made a mistake on our tax return that eventually came back to haunt us. After that, I swore that I would leave taxes to the OTHER accounting professionals (the ones who read tax code for fun) and avoid any future mistakes.

Yeah, good plan.

It seems that our tax preparer accidentally (one would assume) put Steve's piddly income as a Volunteer Firefighter (they do get paid a small amount per call) on the wrong line, claiming it was tax withheld by the state, not income to be taxed.

Fast forward to a month ago. Since good 'Ole MN is finally getting around to checking out the tax returns from 2005, we get a love letter notifying us that we owe that amount (plus interest, of course). Payable in 30 days, thank you very much. It is not a hideous amount, but it sure looks a lot bigger when we have to PAY it out.

So, just go to the tax preparer you say? Yeah, that would work out well, except she was in a horrible motorcycle accident and is slowly recovering. I did leave her a message, as someone else took over her tax practice, but she has yet to call me back and it has been about 30 days and counting. And, I am reluctant to be nasty, since I feel sorry for her current situation.

So, we are basically screwed. It is not our fault, yet, of course, we are liable for taxes that we rightfully owed the state (plus interest, of course). Perhaps the state took pity on our situation (which we did notify them of) because we are not being charged a penalty. Who knows.

After all the latest financial news, what I want to know is where the heck is my bailout? I mean, it is not my fault, should I just get a break like all these other Bozos? How there is even a debate over whether or not the yahoos running these companies should get their bonuses and giant salaries is a disgrace and an insult to us all. You know, us, the hard working American types who do their best to do what is right and still get raked over the coals on a regular basis.

The more I hear about the proposed bailout, the more I want to scream. I heard a proposal that instead of bailing out these companies, let's give the $700 billion to the citizens, let them pay off their mortgages and get out of their own debt and they can better weather the financial fallout that is going to hit the economy either way. Unfortunately the math does not work out (you would only get a few grand per person), but I like the principle of the idea anyway.

Alright, alright. I am off to bed.

Week of Sleep: Day Three

Ahhhhh. Much better!

After my nap yesterday afternoon (about 25 minutes) and getting to bed at a decent time, I am feeling much better today.

However, I think this is just the tip of the iceberg, since I am catching up from the past two nights. Well, really, the last two years or so, but whatever!

The challenge will be to get to bed early the remaining four nights, now that I am feeling more rested, and see what a difference it can make.

Stay tuned!

A Tip for Freezing Milk

When I read some posts about how you can freeze milk, I made a mental note about this interesting tip. Having found some great deals on milk, I had a few too many gallons to use up in a week. Sweet - time to use the tip - so into the freezer they went!

One post mentioned that it might be good to dump a bit out, to give the milk room to expand, but said it was not completely necessary. Throwing caution to the wind - I just froze the milk without dumping any off.

Turns out, for me at least, it is necessary. Take my word for it - pour a bit out (and use it, of course) before you freeze it. Also, shake it as it thaws and be prepared, it may take a while to thaw in the fridge - mine took a few days to completely thaw!

Week of Sleep: Day Two

There has been good news and bad news on Day Two of the Week of Sleep.

I knew Monday would be a challenge, since my husband has a weekly meeting on Monday nights and I am on my own wrangling four kids through homework and bedtime routines after a long day (Monday is a work day for me).

As predicted, I was up until 10:00 wrapping everything up for today with the kids and the house. It did not help that I turned on CNN (just for a bit)! I was hooked into a discussion about the finanical woes of our current situation and had a hard time turning it off.

I got to bed by 10:30. Then the dog started wandering around, and given my day yesterday, I thought I had better let him out. Turns out he was just thirsty, so I refilled his water bowl for him.

While I was waiting for him to do his thing outside, I hopped on the computer to check out the new design (thanks Sashwhy Studios!) and add back some sidebar information.

Yeah, so I am tired again today.

BUT, Max is at school and Will is napping, so I am off to lay down on the couch for one hour to nap. That's right, I am ditching my special projects, to do list and general mess around the house and taking a nap.

I figure that I am entitled, since it IS in the name of experimenting, after all.

Proud to Have a Cleaning Lady

One might think that a person who has a blog about leaving excess, making things herself and doing things herself instead of buying these goods and services might be embarrassed to admit that she just hired a cleaning person to help maintain the house.

Not so much.

I have hired a cleaning person and I make no apologies.

I love to bargain shop and enjoy routinely saving $150 or more on my household goods and groceries each week. It is something I don't want to give up.

I have worked hard to learn to make things or do things myself, instead of paying a lot more for these goods and services. Again, many of these things really work for me. When I make our food from scratch, I use good, wholesome ingredients and avoid all those chemical additives and preservatives.

I have done these things to save money, but also because I am tired of paying so much all the time for things that I just don't need or want to spend so much for.

Adding part-time work to my already busy schedule as a mom to four kids and head of our household has taken its toll, and I finally tossed up the white flag and called my former cleaning lady (from days gone by) to come and help me out.

Is my house a mess? No. But, I don't want it to get that way. She had not even come yet (this is her first week), and already I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I am not stressed about the crumbs in the corner or dog nose prints on the patio door; I am not worrying about how I will get to everything. I have been able to focus on other things (like caring and spending time with my family) and I am enjoying it. A lot!

I don't mind cleaning my house at all, in fact, it is a great feeling to get things all fresh and clean, but there are only 24 hours in my day and I am spending way too many of them awake trying to get things done. Plus, I love my cleaning gal, she is a wonderful single mom to four great kids, all of them now grown (or nearly grown) and she is a bright presence that I have missed since I last hired her.

I am happy to hire her to clean my house, help my family during this busy time and in return, enable her to support hers by doing a great job cleaning our house. The deal seeking (and giving less money to corporate America) is working for me, and I plan to continue it. The money I save will help to pay for adding this piece of sanity to our lives.

I guess my point is that I am working to not spend too much on things I don't have to or need to, so that I can spend it where I feel it most benefits my family. I am getting rid of the excess, so that I can focus on the signifcant, important things in life.

And, now that my house is clean, I can get back to my Week of Sleep...

Week of Sleep: Day One

Photo by Jennie Hunter

Aha ha ha ha, aha ha ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Not much sleep on day one of the Week of Sleep experiment, sad to say.

Last night I whirled around the house prepping dinner for today, finishing the laundry, getting kids' things ready for school, packing my lunch, tucking everyone into bed. I made it to bed shortly after 9:00, where I read until nearly 10:00 (I lost track of time relaxing!).

OK, not too bad, right? Well, I no sooner laid my head on the pillow and my 22 month old began screaming. He has basically never been up in the middle of the night for the past 9 months, so I did not see this hurdle coming at all.

My husband was still up, so he went in to settle him down. Great. I drifted off to sleep. Only to be awakened at 10:45 when my husband dared to leave Will's room and the screaming began again. He appeared to just be frustrated with having to sleep right now, and we really could not identify a reason for all the fuss.

Finally, around 11:00, Steve gave Will some Tylenol (in case it was a teething issue) and then laid down on his floor until he went to sleep. Excellent. Off to sleep again.

Screaming at 1:10. Some rustling around at 2:30 -3:00. I did not know if it was my dog walking around or Steve still up or what - but I was too tired to care. I drifted off to sleep again.

I finally drug myself out of bed at 5:45 only to discover that the rustling around I heard in the middle of the night was indeed our dog. He had done his duties in our bathroom. Dog poo everywhere, since he cannot take care of business in one spot - he has to turn around in circles while he does it.

Sooooo, I cleaned up the dog poo, tossed the rugs into the wash (on super santizing, extra rinse, extra wash, 2 hr and 20 min cycle - no time for energy conservation on this load!) and got ready for my day.

Needless to say, I am not feeling the least bit well rested. But, on the bright side, my bathroom floor is clean, dinner is waiting in the crock-pot and my kids are at daycare will I am at work, working in peace.

Maybe Day Two will be better...

Can Your Blood Type Dictate Your Personality?

My sister-in-law had some interesting news for me the last time I saw her.

She said that someone at work was having a hard time with jitters and other such anxiety and that her doctor shared that if your blood type is A+, then you are likely to be "Type A" personality-wise, hence the phrase "Type A".

Very interesting.

My blood is type A+ (shocking, I know) and so is my sister-in-law's. We would both freely agree that we are your typical Type A personalities.

It got me to thinking that all this time I have been trying to change who I am; spending my time being frustrated with myself for having those typically Type A thoughts and attitudes. It occurred to me that it may just be how I am wired and that I should stop being upset that is who I am and instead focus on ways to work with it.

Just thought I would pass that little nugget of wisdom along.

A Week of Sleep; a Leaving Excess experiment

Photo by Jennie Hunter

(This is essentially my Wellness Journal entry for 9.21.08.)

Yeah, you heard me, A Week of Sleep. How good does that sound?!

I think it sounds pretty darn awesome, thank you!

Here is how the Week of Sleep experiment has come about: I have been thinking about my priorities, planning out my time and basically figuring out how I can simplify. Read all the details with this post, following the links to the second and third posts (three total). I am still spinning my wheels trying to get things done and I feel like I am in a fog. All I can think for most of the day is "I am SO tired."

How can I expect to get things done if I am so tired? I know better. I know that I am not at my best when I am tired - I am more hungry, I care less about what I eat, and I just cannot concentrate, going round in circles and taking a lot longer to accomplish any task. In short, I am a zombie. I need to get more sleep. Going to bed at 11:30 and getting up around 5:30 is just not working for me.

But, what is a tired mom of four to do? I have so much to get done, that I end up staying up late to get ready for the next day and to finish the day's obligations (sweep the floor, pay bills, fill out school papers, etc.). I want to go to sleep earlier, but the idea of permanently making a change to an earlier bedtime leaves me shaking with fear that my house and life will crumble into chaos.

So I got to thinking: What if I just made sleep a priority for one week? The house would survive for that long. I could see how it is if I leave the dishes to the next day or skip sweeping one day (horrors!). Maybe I would be more productive as the week went on. Maybe I would feel better. Maybe I would feel so much better that I would realize it is more important to take care of myself than have a (semi-) perfect house. On the other hand, maybe my house will be condemned, my kids will miss field trips or starve to death and I will get fired. Actually, I don't think any of those things will really happen, but I do fear that loosening my death-grip on my duties will lead to a total loss of control. I feel like I am barely hanging on the way it is.

Well, let's see what happens, shall we?

Starting tonight and going through Saturday, I am going to get to bed between 9:00 - 9:30, aiming to have lights out by 9:30 - 10:00. No CNN (sorry, Anderson Cooper; you are a doll, but I have GOTS to get some sleep!), no local news, no "I just need to do this one more thing...". Just relaxed reading in bed, then lights out.

I will log in during the week for updates as to how it is going, so stay tuned!

(PS - My husband, Steve, the trooper that he is (note sarcasm here), has graciously agreed to partake in this experiment with me - thanks for taking one for the team, honey!)

Super Savings Saturday

Welcome to Super Savings Saturday!



All around the blogsphere, there are people sharing their great deals for the week. Some call it bragging, but others appreciate it, since they are working hard to learn how to do these deals and can learn from the detailed transactions.



I have decided to put my Leaving Excess spin on this regular post and not go into gory details on the deals, but show the overall savings that you can acheive and link to more indepth posts and other websites for those of you who want to learn more about saving big on your household goods and groceries.



Have fun - it is a bit addictive to regularly save over 50% on these types of expenses! This week I saved $169.75 or 58% - read on to see how!

CVS:
This week I was able to do my usual one transaction (the Leaving Excess
way) to get $35.89 worth of goods for $0, after ECBs.

For tips on
shopping at CVS, read this post here.

To
see my scenarios for this coming week at CVS, see this post here.

To
see my scenarios for this past week, see this post here.

Cub Foods:

Armed with my Grocery Game list and a list of some things we needed, I bought $133.34 worth of groceries for $57.38, including $.52 tax. Of the $75.96 I saved, $18.93 was due to coupons, the rest to items being on sale (or using a store coupon, which shows up differently on the receipt).



Total savings: 57%, plus a coupon to save on gas at Holiday Station Stores.



********



Aldi: I spent $20.90 at Aldi this week on produce, cheese, eggs, pretzels, chips, hamburger buns and crackers.



I love Aldi prices on buns, produce, some cheeses and meats, frozen pizzas, frozen veggies, bagels, milk, eggs, chips and crackers. Shop wisely, as some sales matched with coupons at the grocery store (Aldi does not accept coupons) can wind up being less than Aldi prices. As a general rule, if it is an private label (not name brand) at Aldi, it is usually less than the name brand equivelant at the store without a coupon or sale combination, and usually, even with a coupon/sale combination!



*******



In Summary: This week I spent $78.28 out of pocket (after ECBs, rebates, gift cards) for $196.40 worth of household goods and groceries for our family of 6 (adding to and using from our stockpile). I saved about $118.12 or 60%!



*******



For tips on organizing your coupons, see this post here.



To learn how to save using coupons, read this post here.



To read my series on How to Save on Anything, start with this post here.



See all the CVS, Target and Walmart deals at MoneySavingMom and The"Cents"ibleSawyer, find the links to CVS coupons and see the ads weeks in advance at iheartCVS.

Why does Blogger hate me?

Is anyone else out there technically challenged? Please say yes. I need my peeps right now.

After many attempts to outsmart Blogger, I just cannot get the spaces to show up between the lines at the end of my last post (see below). I apologize for the formatting and if anyone knows what I can do to fix it, please let me know.

So far, I have tried hitting return twice after each line, making the line between the sentences be centered (instead of left justified - my lame attempt to make Blogger think that since the formatting is different, the line must belong in the post) and I guess that is about it.

Argh.

CVS - The Leaving Excess Way

CVS The Leaving Excess Way: One trip, one transaction. Get the best deals on only what you need. Rarely make an exception! See my scenario listed after the best deals.

The best deals I see this week (remember - just because it is a deal does not mean that you need it!):

L'Oreal Advanced RevitaLift Anti-Wrinkle Serum, 1 oz.

- CVS deal: Buy it for $11.99, get $11.99 ECBs, limit 1 per card

- manufacturer coupons: I do not use this, so I do not have any coupons saved, but if memory serves me correctly, there are have been some in the papers recently.

Total cost after ECBs: FREE or make money if you have a manufacturer coupon.

M&Ms, Mars, Hershey's, Spangler, Ferran Pan or Brach's products

- CVS deal: Buy $15 worth, get $7 ECBs, limit 1 per card

Total cost after ECBs: $8 for $15 worth of Halloween candy.

(Remember that this candy can be good for birthday goody bags or lunch box treats, too).

Nivea Men Body Wash

- CVS deal: Buy it at $4.99, get $4.99 ECBs, limit 1 per card

- manufacturer coupon: $1/1, expires 9/30/08 from recent insert

Total cost after ECBs: MAKE $1!

Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste (4.2 oz) or Mouthwash (250 ml)

- CVS deal: Buy it at $2.99, get $2.00 ECBs, limit 2 per card total

- manufacturer coupons: $.75/1 Crest Toothpaste and $.75/1 Crest Mouthwash

Total cost after ECBs: $.24 each.

Propel (1 lt.) or Gatorade (32 oz.)

- CVS deal: Buy it at 5/$5, get $3 ECBs, limit 1 per card

Total cost after ECBs: $.40 each.

I don't know about Gatorade, but this is a good deal for Propel. If you are happy just drinking regular water, then pass on this deal!

Cottonelle toilet paper (12 pk 24 double rolls); Viva paper towels 8 pk.

- CVS deal: Buy $25 of these products, get $10 ECBs, limit 1 per card

- manufacturer coupons; $.35/1 Viva (previous inserts), $.50/1 Cottonelle (this weekend's paper)

Total cost after ECBs (assuming 2 Viva and 2 Cottonelle), $3.60 each.

My Leaving Excess Transaction:
Nivea Men Body Wash (1), $4.99

Propel, 5 1 ltr. bottles, $5

Crest Pro-Health toothpaste, $2.99

Subtotal: $12.98

Coupons: $2/$10 CVS coupon

$1/1 Nivea coupon

$.75/1 Crest coupon

Total after coupons: $9.23 (I have an ECB for $9.00, I will use that)

ECBs Received: $9.99.

At the end of this transaction, I will have rolled by ECBs, gained one more and spent only $.23 plus tax out of pocket.

Why would I not buy the L'Oreal? Because I don't need it. I have enough face stuff to last a while and it is not worth my time or effort to do another transaction and then store it for how long. That is just my way of leaving the excess behind.

New to CVS? Read this post here.

Want to see all the deals?

MoneySavingMom has a round up of deals each Saturday (look for Super Savings Saturdays) and CVS scenarios and deals for the week on Sundays.

The"Cent"sibleSawyer has a round up of CVS Superstars each Friday/Saturday and CVS deals and scenarios each Sunday.

KeepingTheKingdomFirst hosts a $5 CVS Challange on Sundays, head over there to see some great smaller transactions that can help you get started.

Here are my Leaving Excess $5 Challange scenarios:

Option 1:

- 5 bottles of Propel for $5.

- get $3 ECBs for next week.

Option 2:

- Crest Pro-Health toothpaste

- Crest Pro-Health mouthwash

- use $.75/1 Crest toothpaste coupon

- use $.75/1 Crest mouthwash coupon

Pay $4.48.

Get $4.00 in ECBs for next week.

Option 3:

- buy Nivea Men Body Wash

- use $1/1 Nivea Men coupon

Spend $3.99

Get $4.99 in ECBs for next week.

CVS for Beginners

Why go to CVS? Well, because they will often PAY you (so to speak) to buy goods at their store. If you are consistent, you can find yourself with tons of free toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, lotion, makeup and more. In these tough times, having this stuff on hand REALLY eases the old budget vise, leaving you more money to spend on things that go on sale less often, like produce and such (even a few luxuries!). As a bonus you will find it easy and fun to pick up things that you can donate to a family or shelter in need, and that is a gift that keeps on giving!

New to CVSing (yes, that is the technical term)?

When I started, I read this great post at Money Saving Mom. Then I read this other great post, also at Money Saving Mom.

After you get how it all works and understand the terms (quick - what is an ECB??), then you are ready to start learning how the "pros" do it. The best way to get the hang of things is to look at how others are working their transactions. One great place to do that is at The"Cent"sibleSawyer. Denise has a post each Friday called "CVS Superstars" where people can link into the post and you can go to their site to see what they did at CVS in detail and you can begin to learn how to group things together in a transaction to maximize the CVS rules on coupons and such.

MoneySavingMom's Super Savings Saturday (Saturdays, of course) also allows for links to be added, but this is for all sorts of deals, not just CVS.

Once you get how things are working, then you can look and see what you should buy for this week, given the deals for this week. It helps to have a CVS flier, but it is not essential.

Here are my suggestions for where to look for scenarios (transactions put together for you by CVSers). First, KeepingTheKingdomFirst hosts a $5 CVS Challange each Sunday and you can go there to see how to do a transaction (or multiple transactions) for $5 or less. Great for a beginner, because you spend a limited amount of cash and end up with some ECBs to use next time.

Next, both MoneySavingMom and The"Cent"sibleSawyer also host CVS scenarios, generally on Sundays as well, so you can go there to see ideas for the coming week.

Finally, each Saturday morning, I will post my 'CVS Deals: The Leaving Excess Way', where I lay out one simple transaction that I intend to do for the week at CVS. I do this because I do not want to be going to CVS multiple times and I really dislike doing more than one transaction while I am there. I usually have this post up by Friday evening, so check in early if you just can't wait!

Once you get going, if you want to see the CVS flyers weeks in advance, check out i*heart*CVS.com - I have no idea how she gets them this early, but they are there. I find it overwhelming to get too many deal details in my head at once, so I just take it one week at at time.

How to Save on Anything: In Conclusion

Thanks for following along in my series on How to Save on Anything.

Here are the five steps I outlined in thius series:

Step One: Do I Need It?

Step Two: Can You Make It or Do It Yourself?

Step Three: Is There a Less Expensive Option?

Step Four: Is There a Coupon?

Step Five: Can I Wait for a Sale or Use a Sale to Stock Up?

One fundamental of saving money on anything are to challenge yourself to see if you can live with less or do without. Find out if you already have a substitute or can make it yourself, explore less expensive options -all of them. Even if you cannot use them, at least it gets you thinking and you never know what great ideas you might unearth! Look for coupons and stock up using sales (or wait for a sale).

The more of these steps that you can combine, the better! If you identify a less expensive option, have a coupon AND can get it on sale, then you are really paying less than you normally would have to and THAT can add up!

My overall thought on buying anything is this:

Once you follow these steps and decide to make a purchase, you can be sure that you need the item and have explored all of your options. Now you know that what you are purchasing is not excess, but a useable item that you have purchased for the best (or at least a good) value.

The final thing for you to do is relax, and enjoy having that item work for you.

How to Save on Anything: Step Five - Can I Wait for a Sale or Use a Sale to Stock Up?

Steps one through five in this series covered:

Step One: Do I need it?

Step Two: Can I make it or do it myself?

Step Three: Is there a less expensive option?

Step Four: Is there a coupon?

Now, on to Step Five - Can I Wait for a Sale?

In step one, we talked about finding a possible substitute, even if it was temporary. The reason for that is so that you can work through the other steps before having to buy the item you are wanting or needing. Waiting for a sale can take time and patience, so if you have already identified something that can fill your need for a temporary time, you will be prepared to wait things out in search of the best deal.

One example of this would be waiting until July or November to buy a car (when the dealers are working hard to unload this year's models before the next year's models come in). Another example would be clothing. This past year, I took a tip from my friend Missy and hit the outlet mall the second week in January to load up on unbelievable deals (shirts for $2 or less, anyone?) for winter clothes for this coming year for all four of my kids. This was the greatest time to stock up on dressy clothes, which are so nice to have on hand for a wedding or funeral or orchestra concert at school. Buying these items on sale is so much less painful than paying full price for something the child will wear but a few times. Dressy shoes fall into this category, as well.

The key in this step is to be organized about knowing what you need. Take sometime to clean out the kids' closets and make a list of what is needed. Know what size your kids are and have an estimate of what size they will be by the season you are shopping for. Don't forget about things like winter coats, hats, boots, swimsuits and all that outdoor stuff that can really add up!

Also, be prepared to buy things anytime of year. You may find a swimsuit in September and think, I don't need to get a swimsuit. But, if it is a great deal (which is likely in September), you may want to think ahead and look for next year's size (in the case of your kids; hopefully you or your spouse will be the same size :>)

We were shopping recently, stocking up on new shoes for my husband and some other items. To kill time, the kids were roaming around the boys' section and we ran into some summer clearance sales. We ended up finding a suit for our 5 year old for just $1.20 after the coupon I had for the whole purchase. Since I have two boys, had there been more sizes, I could have really stocked up - it is likely that we would use it sooner or later! If you end up getting something that is out of season for your kids - that is, your kids grow faster or slower than expected and you cannot use the item - relax and donate it. When you bargain hunt, you pay far less than retail, so you can afford to share the wealth and pass along an item or two.

Another thing to consider when you happen upon a great sale is gifts for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, kids' birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas or other holidays. If you are willing to store items for a bit, you can really save a lot or give a lot more than your budget would normally allow just by planning ahead and keeping your eyes open. If you do this, make a designated spot in your home that can serve as the gift center, so that you do not lose track of what you already have. Last spring, I found a great sale at Target and already have all the cute toys to tuck into my kid's Easter baskets next year. You can put candy in the freezer, stock up all year on teacher gifts - the list goes on and on. Think outside the box and watch your savings pile up! Plus, it is so nice to have gifts on hand - it saves you time when you need that last minute gift!

As I mentioned in Step Four, I try to keep a running list of what we need - Chandler will need shoes soon, Steve could use some long sleeve dress shirts, etc. That way, when I see a good sale or deal advertised or run across a coupon, I can take advantage of it and get what we will be needing and avoid having to wait to buy it when we need it. That being said, I will wait whenever I can, in order to find the best deal and get the most value for my money.

How to Save on Anything: Step Four - Is There a Coupon?

If you have followed this series from the beginning, you have already done steps one through three:

You have determined that you (1) need an item, (2) cannot make it or do it yourself and (3) you have considered some less expensive options.

No it is time to look for a coupon.

Some places to find coupons are mailings, flyers and paper inserts, in magazines and look for coupons at places that you frequent, sometimes they will have coupons for your next visit or a neighboring business. Many stores, restuarants, etc. will have email sign up lists that you can opt into and receive notices of promotions and coupons. Often, your receipt will have a coupon or offer a future discount for answering a short phone or internet survey about your experience.

For groceries and household items, I have had great success by clipping coupons and stocking up when I can match a coupon with a sale. To find coupons for groceries and household items, I simply get the Sunday paper each week and clip the coupons in the inserts. I just use those coupons, although sometimes my generous and wonderful mother give me her spare coupons from her paper and a lot of time I can use those coupons to stock up twice!

My grocery store (Cub Foods) takes coupons 3 month after they have expired, so that helps me save multiple coupons, as well.

For all the details on how I organize my coupons, see this post. For details on how you can use The Grocery Game to help you match up sales and coupons, click here. I know that others go to BeCentsable's Grocery Gathering, see that here.

For details on Target, Walmart and CVS deals, I regularly check theses sites: MoneySavingMom, The"Cent"sibleSawyer, and Freebies4Mom. Generally, MomIsBroke has Target deals, too. Find a site that posts about stores in your area to make the most of your couponing efforts.

For places like Target and Walmart, I don't go every week, but a lot of those deals are ongoing, so I keep a list and tuck it into my Target section of my coupon binder. If it is a killer deal, only good for one week, then I try to work that store into my errands that week. Often, I already have a list going and need to stop in eventually, anyway!

If you are shopping online or planning to go to a store, you can look online to find coupons and deals. Simply use a search engine (the most famous is Google) and type in what you are buying and "coupon", for example, if you are looking for something at Land's End, type in "Land's End coupon" and see what pops up. Usually if you are going to find something, it will be listed on the first page, so just do a quick search and see what you can turn up. Don't forget to sign up for your favorite stores' mailing lists - they will let you know of promotions and send coupons to your inbox!

One more option is to go to a price comparison site to see what online retailers have for pricing. Try NexTag, Price Grabber and BizRate. These sites will also calculate your shipping costs and sales tax after you enter your zip code, so you can compare the whole cost to you.

Another great option that I have just stumbled onto is EBATES - an online collection of stores that will offer a percentage of your purchase back into your Ebates account for shopping thorugh Ebates. So far, it has worked well for me! You can sign up here; if you choose to participate in the referral program, you can get $5 up front and so can the person that referred you! Great program, isn't it? If you would like to do the referral program with me, my email is rejuvenate (at) mac (dot) com.

Finally, credit cards often offer points reward systems - we have enjoyed gift cards to Blockbuster, TGIFridays, Applebees, and more just for using our card and paying it off each month. These gift cards can help ease your outlay of cash, or you can use them to give as gifts, saving you gift giving costs. The other day, I received an advertisement from Northwest Airlines offering to redeem my miles for magazines - I had no idea I even had miles; it has been so long since I purchased tickets! Just keep your eyes open, and you will be surprised at how many coupons you can come across.

Sometimes I get coupons in the mail for clothing stores, like Kohl's or The Children's Place. You might also get coupons for dining out, having fun (movies, bowling), etc. Those coupons I file in a smaller accordian folder that I keep in my van, so I have it when I need to find a coupon on the fly (especially if we suddenly find ourselves needing to eat out). It used to be that I would get a coupon to Kohl's - figure I did not need anything, toss the coupon and then 3 days later my son would say his shoes were tight. With the coupons on hand, I can be prepared for life's sudden purchase needs.

A lot of times when I get a coupon, I will go through my mental or physical list of upcoming purchases I am anticipating and see if I cannot get something that I know I will need later right now because I have a coupon and can save.

But, once again, I get ahead of myself! Tomorrow we will talk about waiting for a sale or using a sale to stock up in advance.

How to Save on Anything: Step Three - Is There a Less Expensive Option?

In this How to Save on Anything series, I have already outlined two steps you can use to save money on anything.

Step One is to determine if you truly need the item. This may involve challenging your usual assumptions about what you REALLY need, looking for substitutions you may already have and trying some other options, at least temporarily.

Step Two is to determine if you can make it or do it yourself. Again, this may require you to really think outside your normal assumptions about what can be done yourself.

Now we are moving onto Step Three - Is There a Less Expensive Option?

Once again, you have to sort of toss out what you may just assume is necessary and really explore your options.

In Step One, we outlined three examples of "needs" that one might have. We are doing well, only one example is left! Needing a new car.

This is a great example, because you may assume that you just need a brand new car. Many people think this way - it is better because you own it from the beginning, you can take care of it and know the issues, etc. I used to think that way, too. If you run your cars into the ground, then the added cost of buying new might be worth it to you, but it is not justifiable from a finanical stand point. You can still buy new, of course, but at least recognize that you are paying for your own comfort factor.

Let's explore some other options: One is to buy a less expensive model than you think you need. Maybe you think you need an SUV because you have a big family and tend to haul a lot of stuff around. In this case, a minivan might be worth looking into because it has plenty of room, tends to cost less than a SUV and tends to get better gas mileage.

Another option is to buy new to you (a glorified way of saying "used"). We have had great success doing this for our last two family vehicles. In the first case, we bought a 1996 Dodge Caravan, getting the top of the line model with leather and the works for just $11,500 in 2000. We drove it a ton for the next 7 years. The air conditioning went out shortly after we purchased it, and when we took it in, we learned that we could either 1) recharge the coolant used in the air conditioner or 2)fix the leak in the air conditioner ($1200). Since recharging cost $100 and we did not expect to own it 12 years, we opted to recharge it. There were some years that we were able to get away with not charging it, so we did not even pay $100 each year (but when we did, it was worth it!).

In this case, I wanted to purchase the 1996 model or above, because 1996 was the year that the body style changed. At this point (just beginning my leaving excess journey), it was still important to me to feel like I was driving a newer model vehicle and I recognized that if I bought the older body style, then I would feel unhappy with my choice and out of date. So, I was glad that I was able to be honest with myself and whenever the temptation to get a newer van struck, I always reminded myself that my van looked just like the rest of the vans out there, so why bother? I could not justify having a car payment for a van that looked the same on the outside and would be just as dirty on the inside in short order.

In 2007, we had more issues to fix with the van than were worth fixing, so we decided to start looking for a new van. Our intent was to buy something that would serve us well for roughly 8-10 years. We wanted to take our time and find something that was a good value, so we started looking while our older van was still running. We identified things that were important to us and began the search.

We loved the vans that allowed the middle side windows to roll down (I just never felt like I could get a good airflow with the windows down in our old van). The oldest newer model that had that feature was the 2004 Toyota Sienna. We eventually narrowed down our favorite models to the Honda Oddessey and the Toyota Sienna. The Dodge Caravan was about to change bottle styles, so the older models were really marked down, but we were not impressed with the technology as compared to the foreign models.

This is one area that we had to think outside the box. We had never EVER considered buying a foreign vehicle before this point. But we needed to make a smart purchase and save as much money as possible. So, all ideas were on the drawing board. My husband really had a hard time with this, but I appreciate that he was open to my ideas.

Turns out the older Toyotas were really hard to find used. We would just find one, only to arrive to someone driving it off - having just purchased it! This told us we were on the right path, but now the job was getting trickier. It was tempting to just buy new, but that was a lot more expensive!

We wound up sticking at it, hauling our four kids around endlessly, until we just happened upon a Toyota Sienna that had all the features we wanted (plus more) that had not even been marked or cleaned at a local dealership. We bought a fully loaded Sienna that cost $36,000 just a few years earlier for just under $20,000. We added an extended warranty (which we have already used for a minor repair) to protect our significant investment.

This option worked for us. It was less expensive than new and we still had a nice vehicle to drive that will last us for a long time.

You could take the option even lower, if you had to, though. We could have driven our minivan into the ground - it may have lasted a few years longer, you just never know.

We could have purchased a used van for, say $10,000, and taken our chances on the quality of the vehicle. Again, that could have turned out well, too.

In the end we compromised somewhere between brand new and very used, saving ourselves $16,000.

We have also shopped at Scratch & Dent type stores for appliances, looked on Craigslist for computer equipment, stopped in at garage sales for clothes when our kids were younger and for toys. Often we can get exactly what we want at a reduce rate just by shopping around and looking at some nontraditional options.

That is my point on this step. You don't have to go bare minimum, but challenging yourself to compromise a bit down from brand new, top of the line can really save you money. Of course, you see the biggest savings on big ticket items, but doing this everyday on smaller things can add up, as well.

Take grocery shopping - if you challenge yourself to look beyond brand loyalty, you may realize that a different brand is less with a sale and a coupon. You may even like it as much or better- you never know! If not, then you know that it is worth it to you to pay more for that item in the future.

For any purchase, you can search online to find out the best price options and alternative products to meet your needs. Try Craigslist to find items for sale near you. Search for free sites in your area, too. In the Twin Cities, we have Freecycle, where people can offer up items they don't need for free. It operates in other areas, too, so check and see if you can utilize it. These sites have free listings, so you can sell or donate things that you no longer need there, as well.

We are currently in the market for something we can use as a chicken coop and clothes line poles to put up outside. We just regularily check these sites and wait patiently for our time to come!

One final tip for Step Three: It really helps to have identified a temporary solution to your need in Step One, so that you can buy yourself some time to explore this step and others.

How to Save on Anything: Step Two - Can I Make It or Do It Myself?

In the first post in this series, Step One - Do I Need It?, I covered the two questions that you should ask yourself when you think you need to buy something: Do I need it? and Can I use something else as a substitute (even if it is temporary)?

Now that you know you definately need this item or service, let's move onto Step Two - Can I Make It or Do It Myself?

I am most definitely passionate about Step Two! I get such satisfaction from finding ways around buying what I thought I needed or could not live without. It has become an addictive game!

As I move along, I am finding that I can add more and more to my list of items I no longer have to purchase. Some of the items on the list so far:

- face toner (I use witch hazel)
- bread
- frozen waffles or pancakes
- household cleaners
- frozen hamburger patties
- frozen french fries
- dog grooming
- haircuts

To see all of the Make It Yourself items that I have blogged about, click here. To see all of the Do It Yourself items that I have blogged about, click here.

When I can do it or make it myself, I am saving shopping time and money. As I reduce the number of items I need to purchase, my time in the store goes down, and so does my time and effort bagging, checking out and putting away these groceries. I also don't need to toss the packaging and store the items in my cupboards. Not to mention the sometimes looong wait at the haircut place!

You might point out that I store the ingredients that I use to make things and that is true. However, when I buy flour, I just store the flour, but by having it I can make bread, cookies, muffins, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, and on and on. Buying each of those items would take more time and space to store than just the flour and other basic ingredients that I use to bake.

This can apply to ingredients for other things, like cleaning supplies. If I have baking soda and vinegar on hand (I buy both in bulk for a few bucks each), I can cook, make cleaning supplies, air fresheners, etc. Just today, my front load washer was smelling a bit funky, so I ran a load with vinegar in the dispensers for soap, bleach and softner and the smell is gone. It took about 2 seconds to set up and I did not have to wait to go out and buy a washing machine cleaner kit or anything like that.

After a while, you begin to free yourself from believing that you have to make a purchase in order to solve your problem. You begin to think for yourself and come up with some great solutions. You learn what you can use things like vinegar for and you laugh when commercials try to convince you otherwise. It is a wonderful feeling, I have to say!

And, I love that I can do these things for myself whenever I need to- I don't have to leave the house, drag the kids with me, make sure the store is open. It really is freeing!

Something funny happened to me this week (while we are on the subject). I have, of course, read about the Walgreens deals out there over time and never really got around to trying it. The deals seem really dependent on how friendly your cashier is, so I have put it off. Finally, all the posts at Money Saving Mom and Frugal Dr. Mom got me going this week. I sat down with my notebook and coupons and set out to make a list and go to Walgreens for the first time. You know what? I did need a single thing that was a great deal. Nothing! I guess that is simplicity at it's best.

It is worth mentioning that you should really only take on one or two items at a time. Try out your options and once that thing has either become a habit to make or do yourself or you have determined that you cannot satisfactorly make it or do it yourself. Then move onto something else. If you try to take on too much at once, you will fail at them all and find yourself really frustrated. You may even just call it quits on the whole leaving excess thing. How sad would that be? I don't want that to happen to you, so please just take it one step at a time.

So, let's take our examples through this step:

Example One we solved in Step One, we don't need to buy a new bowl.

Example Two is ketchup. I decided that indeed, I need ketchup in my house. I read a great little post about making ketchup yourself. No sugar added (amen) from canned tomatoes. Love it! So, I am going to try that. I saved a few containers from our ketchup supply and am waiting for the last two ketchup bottles to run out. Then I will make up a batch and see how it goes from there. This is my experiment with Can I Make It? Maybe I can, maybe not. We'll see, but at least I am trying! And, if I am smart, I will try to make my ketchup before I completely run out of the store bought type, so I have a back up!

Example Three is a new car. Yeah, we are probably not going to be able to make it or do it ourselves, so this example moves onto Step Three: Is There a Less Expensive Option?

Tune in tomorrow for Step Three!

How to Save on Anything: Step One - Do I Need It?

As I continue on my journey to leave excess, which has been greatly helped by reflecting on what I am consuming and how to possibly live without here on this blog, I am coming to the realization that less is more. More money, that is.

I have decided to do a series on How to Save on Anything and I will highlight six steps that I think are key to learning to simplify and save money in today's world.

First, let's reflect on how saving money is more productive than spending money. It has been said that saving $1 is like earning $2, after taxes and such, you need to earn nearly twice as much as what you are planning to spend in order to break even. Therefore, it is wise to save money in the first place, rather than just earn more (if you can even do that in this economy).

As I am 'traveling' along on this journey, I am increasingly motivated to make due with less. Each success (and even failure) teaches me a new lesson and solidifies my passion for reducing, reusing and recycling. For example, we just started composting. Between that and recycling, our trash can has gone from overflowing each week to barely being half full each week. How does this save me money? Well, I use fewer trash bags. I also am cultivating some great soil for my garden.

In the interest of keeping it real, what is truly happening at this exact moment is that the raccoons are scavenging our scraps at night, but we have it on the agenda to fence it in better and work around the issue. When my garden benefits from this (raccoon protected) soil, I will grow more and higher quality vegetables, saving me money at the grocery store. I also feel good because I feel like I am being more mindful of what I am consuming and how it impacts our environment.

When I cut out my weekly coupons, I am now starting to skip certain items because I know that I will never buy them, even if they are free, because I have learned to make it myself or do without.

But, I am getting ahead of myself. Tomorrow we will focus on making things or doing things yourself instead of paying for them. For today, let's focus on whether or not you really need the item in question. Let's look at three different examples, just to be real about how the process is going to work.

Here are the questions to ask yourself in this stage:
1. Do I need this item?
2. Do I have something else that could work as a substitute, even if it is temporary?

Example One: A while back I blogged about the loss of my beloved Pampered Chef Classic Batter Bowl. I have relied on that bowl for years. In fact, it broke once before and I immediately replaced it. Through my own efforts and other circumstances, I ended up challenging whether or not I really needed the bowl. I did need a bowl about that size with a lid, but it turns out that I learned to make due with another bowl that had been sorely under utilized in my kitchen. And you know what? I really like the new bowl. It works well and it is just a bit bigger, so making my double batch of waffles is a bit easier in it! Turns out I did not need that Batter Bowl after all.

Example Two: Ketchup. We go through a lot of ketchup. It works for us - happy kids, food gets eaten, peace in our house. No, we would not die without ketchup, but I would not want to live in a world without ketchup - I have visited it for a day or two and it was not pretty. Is there a substitute? Not really - if you like ketchup, then mustard, mayo or BBQ sauce just won't cut it. Especially if you are two. Or the parents of a two-year-old. This items stays, but I have to say that I am not thrilled about tossing another bottle each week or so, the amount of sugar in regular ketchup or the price of organic ketchup. So there is room for improvement - we will follow this example onto the next stage and see what we can do.

Example Three: Let's take another scenario. Let's say I need a new car. My husband's truck is paid for by his company, so let's say he loses his job (thankfully, this is just hypothetical). We live in the suburbs of a major city. We both need vehicles, since one of us has to work and the other has to get kids to what feels like 95 places a day, run errands, etc. Even if the one of us working takes public transportation, the nearest depot is 8 miles away. In this case we really would need a car. Now - what kind of car, how much to pay, when to get it - all of those items can affect how much money we spend and we will continue to follow this example through the rest of the steps in the series.

Today's challenge: try to be aware of what you are using and if you could live without it by either just doing without or by using something else you already have. Take a good look around your surroundings and just take in every little thing that occupies your time and your space. You will be amazed at all the things weighing on you. Try to keep in mind that for every one thing you can avoid, you reduce your clutter, save time, increase the money in your pocket and your time to spend on truly important things. And, if you are going to acquire something, make sure that you love it and will use it all the time for a long, long time. Then it won't weigh you down.

Tune in tomorrow for Step Two - Can You Make It or Do It Yourself?.

Super Savings Saturday

Welcome to Super Savings Saturday! This weekly post is how I keep up with my frugal pals across the web about great deals we are able to cash in on. There are links at the bottom of this post to all sorts of helpful posts (mine and others) on how to cash in on sweet deals yourself! Enjoy.

I saved $169.75 or 58% - read on to see how!

**Sorry, no pics this week - our main computer is on the fritz**

CVS:
Transaction 1:
3 Revlon Nail Polish, CVS Deal - $3.99 each, get $3 ECBs (limit 3) (I am saving these as part of gifts for my daughter's friends' birthday parties).
1 Arnicare Homeopathic Pain Gel - $8.99, get $8 ECBs (limit 1)
2 Colgate Kids' Toothpastes, Buy one, get one free ($2.99) (Max loves these)
Used:
$4/$20 coupon (received via email)
$2/1 CVS Revlon CRT
3 $2/1 Revlon manufacturer coupons
$2/1 Arnicare coupon
2 $.75/1 Colgate Kids' Toothpaste manufacturer coupons
Paid $7.99 with ECBs, $1.05 in cash and got $17 ECBs back - made $8!!

********

Target:
I am loving Target's buy x, get a gift card deals!

This week, I bought Luvs boxed diapers for $15 each, used two Luvs coupons for $1/1 and one Target coupon for $2/1 AND received a $5 gift card!

I also bought Kashi cereals and crackers, using 7 (yes, count it 7!) Kashi coupons that I received for signing up for Vocalpoint, one for $2/1 and the rest $1/1. Kashi products were on sale, 4/$11 or $2.75 each and when you buy 4, you get a $5 gift card. I did it twice, getting 4 boxes for $.25 each and 4 for $1 each. Most excellent, considering I LOVE Go Lean Crunch cereal and the TLC crackers. I may try to do this deal again without the coupons - we'll see what kind of time I have...

I also picked up some free bread and free dog food from recent coupon insert coupons (yes, I have been making my own bread, but this week was hectic and it was nice to have that spare loaf). I picked up a pencil holder for my desk at work on clearance for $1.03 and body wash scrunchy deal for $1.

All told, I paid just $37.21 (using a $5 gift card from a previous deal) for 2 boxes of Luvs, a loaf of bread, 8 boxes of Kashi cereal/crackers, a can of dog food, a pencil holder and a bath sponge. AND I received $15 in gift cards for next time. That make my total just $22.21 (includes $.17 tax) Sweet!

********

Office Max:
We needed printer ink this week (before the computer pooped out on us), so we stopped in at Office Max. Using an old gift card (from MaxPerks) and a $10/$30 coupon I received from MaxPerks, and taking advantage of a buy $20 in ink cartridges, get an 8 pack of Duracell batteries for $.01, I was able to get two ink cartridges (one color, one black), an 8 pack of batteries, a bag of rubber bands and those spendy EZ view file folders that are plastic (pack of 10) for just $31.86 total (including $2.26 in tax).

********

Cub Foods:
Armed with my Grocery Game list and a list of some things we needed, Willie and I headed out shopping on Tuesday morning. I bought $104.11 worth of groceries for $47.97, including $.12 tax. Of the $56.14 I saved, $33.80 was due to coupons, the rest to items being on sale.

********
Aldi:
At Aldi (without the hubby this week :>) I managed to keep the price down to my usual $26 or so.

I bought:
Strawberries, $1.69 per pound
12" Pizzas, $2.49 each
9" Pizzas (for the kids) $.99 each
Vanilla Wafers, $1.19
Saltines, $.89
Eggs, $.99/dozen
Tortilla chips, $.99 per bag
Bananas, $.45/lb
Red grapes, $.99/lb
Chips, $1.29 per bag

My total was $26.03.

Note: to keep things simple, I assume 30% savings (in the calculation below) by shopping at Aldi, but really I think it is more, depending on what you buy. And, it could not be simpler - no coupons, etc.

*******

In Summary: This week I spent $121.12 out of pocket (after ECBs, rebates, gift cards) for $290.87 worth of household goods and groceries for our family of 6 (plus stockpiling). I have $17 in ECBs, $15 in Target gift cards. I saved about $169.75 or 58%!

*******

For tips on organizing your coupons, see this post here. To read more about The Grocery Game, see this post here.

See all the CVS, Target and Walmart deals at MoneySavingMom and The"Cents"ibleSawyer, find the links to CVS coupons and see the ads weeks in advance at iheartCVS.

CVS Scenario: The Leaving Excess Way

Here are my legit CVS finds for this week:

Purex Laundry Detergent
CVS deal: $2.99, get $1 ECB (limit 5)
- Use $.50/1, get it for just $1.50 after ECBs

Glade Air Freshener, buy two
CVS deal: sale $.99
- Use $1/2 from recent insert

Get two for just $.50 each.

OR - put vinegar in a spray bottle, add a few drops of essential oil and make it yourself!

CoverGirl Outlast Lip Color, buy two
CVS deal: Buy $10 worth and get $3 ECBs; 5.49 each (limit 1 deal)
- Use Buy One, Get One Free on any CoverGirl Lip Color (recent insert) and $1/1 off any CoverGirl product (recent insert).
- Use $2/$10 CVS coupon.

Get two Outlast lip colors for FREE with $.51 overage (buy a filler for $.60 or use it towards something you need)!

See scenarios below on how to match this overage up with another offer.

Revlon Beauty Tools, buy two
CVS deal: Buy one, get 50% off one
- Use $2/1 CVS CRT (given out with some transactions recently)
- $1/1 Revlong beauty tool (if you have two of these, you can use both - even better - I just have one).

If you select a beauty tool that costs $2 (like emery boards), you will get both FREE.

Excederin Express Gels, 20 ct
CVS deal: Buy one at $3.99, get $3.99 ECBs (limit 1)
- Use Excederin coupons, if you have them. I am well stocked, so I have not been saving these coupons. This is FREE either way, but if you have a coupon, then it is a money maker.

CVS the Leaving Excess way: (my scenario)
My goal for CVS is to do one transaction and only get what I need, can use and do not currently make myself.

Two Revlon Beauty Tools (using above details)
One bottle Purex detergent (using above details)
Two CoverGirl Outlast Lipsticks (see above)

Use:
$2/$10 CVS coupon
$1/1 Revlon beauty tool manufacturer coupon
$2/1 Revlon beauty tool CVS CRT
$1/1 CoverGirl product manufacturer coupon
Buy one, get one free CoverGirl Lip product manufacturer coupon
$.50/1 Purex coupon

Total Cost: $4.98 after coupons.
Get $4 ECBs back.

After ECBs, you will have spent $.98 out of pocket for laundry detergent, two lipsticks and two beauty tools. Use ECBs to pay, and you won't be out any money out of pocket and still have $4 for next week!

This scenario meets the $5 CVS Challenge, find it here on Sundays. If you are new, see all the links at that post on how to start CVSing with just $5!

For all the deals from CVS this week and matching scenarios, see MoneySavingMom andThe"Cent"sibleSawyer (on Sunday).