Show tickets!

I just found out about this great website showtickets4locals.com. They email you each day with up to 20 different shows here in Las Vegas that have tickets to give away! There is no catch, but the tickets do go pretty fast, so you need to check your email often the day that you want to get to a show! For details go to http://www.showtickets4locals.com.

Albertsons!

I just went to Albertsons to 'stock up' on some things that we needed! They are having a great sale this week. Don't forget to check it out on Grocerysmarts.com! I only spent $22.70 on $56.26 worth of groceries, that is a savings of 67%! That extra 5-10 minutes of planning my shopping trip is so worth it!

Snapfish!

There is a coupon code out right now for Snapfish.com that will take $5 off any order, no minimum. You could buy $5 worth of prints, and get them free, you just pay $1.59 in shipping. Just type in 5offnow at check out!

New Inserts!

Mark your Smart Source inserts 5/31 and put them in a plastic sleeve!

No Coupons Today!

There are no inserts in the Sunday paper today! Darn those holidays. We got 2 inserts last week though, and we will get them again next week. Don't be too sad!

Frugal snack idea!

I found a recipe for home made microwave popcorn. I gave it a shot today, it's not bad. I mixed 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels, 1 tsp oil, and a few shakes of salt in a bowl. Place it in a brown paper lunch bag, folding it over two times. Microwave on high 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. The kids had fun making it, and it only took a few minutes. For the price difference, this is definitely the way to go! I am going to buy some popcorn flavoring and popcorn butter for next time. (You can buy it the by the popcorn at your favorite grocery store)

Los Compadres!

My new favorite store for produce is Los Compadres, Mexican Meat Market and Bakery! Just to give you and idea of how great the prices are...the oranges were on sale last week 8 lbs. for $0.99. No that is not a typo, I got all the oranges I wanted for a whopping $0.21 last week, and they are delicious. The tomatoes were only $0.49 a pound, and I would compare them to garden fresh tomatoes-yeah, they are that good! Check it out, you won't be disappointed. Thanks Sheri for the tip!

Case Lot Sales are coming!

When I was at Smiths today I noticed a sign that said Case Lot Sales coming April 1st! If you are running low on canned goods, you might want to wait a few weeks to stock up! There is more than just canned goods in the case lot sales, but that is what I get most excited about. Remember, no matter how cheap it is, it is not a good deal unless you will use it! And it is easy to buy too much during these sales. Make sure you look at the expiration dates and plan on how much you will consume before it goes bad!

Happy Day!

I was so excited thismorning when I was pulling my coupons out of my Sunday papers. Not only was there a valuable Smart Source coupon book, but there was a P&G coupon booklet too! I got 4! Imagine all the money I am going to save! Don't forget to pull out those P&G's, and label them 3/1!

Freezer Meals!

Another great way to save time and money is to start a freezer meal group. I am in a group of 18 women. After we met a few times and agreed on recipes that our families would all like, we each took one recipe. Every person does their own shopping (of course most of the women in our group are Grocery Smart trained!) Everyone assembles their meals themselves, then we all meet one night, with our frozen meals, and exchange.
Some people in our group have small families, and some have large families, so we have the option of ordering a half meal. The banker adds everyone's reciepts, and on the night of the exchange, she writes checks to those that are owed money, and accepts cash or checks from those that owe.
We set up a blog to communicate better, it is private so we can have all of our contact information right there. We are getting really organized now! We have an A list and a B list of recipes to switch every other month. The same person will make the same things. It makes it much easier to find the deals on ingredients you are familiar with, and it makes the assembly much easier!

Smiths...hidden deal!

I had a great trip to Smiths today! I saved $142.53 and only spent $66.31. That is 68% savings. You might be wondering why I have 24 lbs. of chuck steak...I am in a freezer meal group who feeds 18 families!

HIDDEN DEAL: Anyway, I did buy 5 Betty Crocker fruit snacks with my purchase and I was very excited to see that my fruit snacks triggered a catalina for $3.50 off of my next purchase! The catalina will keep printing through 2/22. If you buy 3 Betty Crocker fruit shapes, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-ups, or Fruit Stickerz, you will recieve a $1.50 off next purchase. If you buy 4, you get a $2.50 off next purchase, and 5 or more, you'll get $3.50 off your next purchase. They were a great deal this week anyway, I think I'll go back for more and keep those catalinas coming!

Free 411

If you are calling 411 from your cell phone, it can really add up! I was so excited to find out that if you call 1-800-free-411, you get connected for free. It is just like 411, only you have to listen to a 12 second ad while your being connected. Not a bad deal huh? I haven't tried it yet, but I got the tip from a reliable frugal blog that I follow. Thank you Frugal is Fabulous!

Panda Express

My sister-in-law Liz just informed me that on the back of Panda Express reciepts there is a survey that you can take online or over the phone. If you complete the short, simple survey, you get a free entree! Hmm...Maybe next time I go, Randy and I will check out separately! Thanks Liz!

Free Johnsons Buddies!

The Budgeteer, had a link a couple weeks ago with this $2/2 Johnsons products coupon, and this $3/3 Johnsons products coupon. It just so happens that Smiths sells the Johnsons Buddies easy grip soap for $.99. I bought three at a time (with the coupon, for free) and each time it printed out a catalina for $3/3. Endless free Johnsons Buddies, isn't it great?

Compare your deals to Costco prices!

My sister-in-law Liz put together a Costco list with prices of the things that she regularly buys there, and I love to compare the prices to the deals I get. I thought it might be helpful to everyone else as well. The prices of diapers, fruit snacks, yogurt, and paper towels beat out Costco by a long shot last week at Albertsons!
Note: Costco prices may vary a little bit, but this list was updated recently
Kirkland Batteries
AAA 24 @ $0.271 each
AA 24 @ $0.229 each
Kirkland Toilet paper
$17.99/36 roll
Kirkland Paper towels
$13.99/12 pack
Ziploc gallon
$9.35 for 152
Kirkland Grbg bgs drawstring
$14.59 for 200
Kirkland HE detergent
$17.99/ 411 oz
Cascade
$9.39 for 125 oz
Spray Clorox
$ 9.69 32 oz+180oz refill
OJ Tropicana
$10.59 for 4-64oz
Cheese, shred cheddar
$11.99 for 5lb
Cheese sticks
$8.35 for 48
Sour cream
$3.79 for 3lb
Cottage cheese
$5.99 for 3lb
Butter
$6.59 for 4- 1 lb
Eggs
$7.39 for 5 doz/ 1.64 per doz
Milk
skim 4.63 for 2/ 2% 4.33 for 2
Yogurt Yoplait
$7.85 for 18 -6 oz or $0.436 each
Skippy PB
$7.99 for 48 oz
Goldfish
$6.49/ 58oz
Instant breakfast
30 for 8.99
Pudding cups
$7.49 for 36
Always w/wings
$11.99 for 90 or $0.133 each
Shaving gel
$6.99 for 3 / 9.5oz
Diapers
Huggies size 3 $40.99 about $0.18 a diaper
Kirkland size 3 $37.99 is also about $018 a diaper (Right Liz?)
Kirkland baby wipes $15.99
(sorry, I can't recall how many diapers and wipes come in the packs. If you know, comment and I will update my list!)
Thanks Liz!

Albertsons!

I forgot to bring in my 2 boxes of Cheerios, so they aren't pictured. I always forget something!
Total value=171.80
Total oop=79.79

Coupon used=38.95

Preferred and bonus buy savings=53.06

Time spent planning my trip=1 hour (keep in mind I stopped every 2 or 3 minutes to change diapers, get drinks, stop fights, etc.) I could have cut it in half if I didn't have my sweet little interruptions.

I left the store with $15 (which I didn't even factor into my savings) to spend on my next trip plus a catalina (those coupons you get at the end of your receipt) for $5 off my next baby care purchase. I plan on making another trip now just for more diapers. I am used to the Parents Choice diapers from Walmart, and these nice Pampers are actually cheaper!

Be careful if you leave the store without spending your $15. Save it, and look at the expiration date. They don't last too long! Good luck.

Happy New Year!

What a great start to a new year! First, we had two inserts in the Red Plum (some people got lucky and even got a PG with their Red Plum)! Then, in the Sunday paper, we got 3 inserts! One is a pretty small General Mills coupon book, so be careful not to throw it away. Mark all of them 1/4, and put them away! There are some really good coupons.

Coupons Codes

Before next time you purchase something online, make sure you google coupon codes for the store you are shopping. Some smaller stores may not have coupon codes, but there are hundreds of stores that do. This whole concept is pretty new to me! Most of the time you will be able to get codes for free shipping. Sometimes, there are several other coupon codes (like 10% or 20% off purchase) that you can add to your cart to bring the price way down.