Friday, August 30, 2013

Frugal Friday! How To Shop At Target





My new favorite store for groceries is Target. If you have a Super Target nearby, check out their prices on groceries. Because my Target isn't as close as other grocery stores, I didn't really pay attention to the grocery items. I would go in for clothes, personal items, etc. Especially when they offer gift cards.

Recently, I really started looking at their grocery prices, what coupons they offered, what cartwheel is available and is there a gift card. I was surprised to discover that their prices are better than the grocery stores (in most cases). Often when they have a sale, they offer a Target coupon and a Cartwheel to combine with it. I was so surprised to see how much I could save on produce, meats, frozen foods, and pet items.

Target offers a variety of ways to save. 
  • Printable coupons at Target.com 
  • Mobile coupons at Target.com or their mobile app 
  • Cartwheel mobile app 
  • Text coupons. 827-438
I love that I can use Target coupons and cartwheel on Target and manufacturer brand items.

Here’s how it works: 
     Find an item on sale 
     They will deduct the Target coupon 
     Next they will deduct the percentage of savings from Cartwheel 
     Finally, they deduct the manufacturer coupon

Here’s an example: 
Market Pantry frozen chicken. $6.99 for 2.50 lb bag. 
Printable coupon for $1.50 off two Market Pantry frozen chicken products 
5% off of Market Pantry frozen chicken via Cartwheel 
2 @ $6.99 = 13.98 - $1.50 = $12.48 - .62 cents (5% Cartwheel) = $11.86 or $2.37 per pound.

Also Target will price match other stores. You will need to have the ad, using a phone to show the ad won’t work.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Frugal Friday! How To Begin Couponing and Savings at the Grocery Store!



Step ONE: Pick a few stores that are close to you. Start following their ads each week. They should have a sales cycle of around eight weeks.

Mine is Aldi, Albertson’s, and Target (sometimes Walmart and Kroger)

Step TWO: Make a list of the items you like to buy on a regular basis

I always look for deals on hamburger meat, chicken, and steaks. I LOVE pasta. I like to have Wolf brand chili, lunch meat, and lots and lots of cheese. I keep yogurt and frozen dinners for my husbands lunch.

The condiments that I usually try and find are any brand of mayo, and Heitz ketchup

Step THREE: Start taking the time to pay attention to the prices of the things you like to buy all of the time.

Things that I like to keep under a dollar
  • Pasta
  • Soups
  • Chili
  • Yogurts
  • Eggs
  • Frozen veggies
  • Fresh produce
  • Things that I like to keep under two dollars
  • Breakfast cereal
  • Milk
  • Chicken
  • Frozen dinners
  • Beef, I try to keep it under $3

I like shopping at Albertson’s because they double and triple coupons (triple up to .35, double up to .50), Aldi because their prices on eggs, milk, and cheese are usually lower without coupons. Target because their sale prices are very competitive and they usually have Target coupons and cartwheel deals that increase the savings.

Once a grocery store ad comes out, look at the items you prefer to buy. Is it the best price? Cereal is on sale all the time. But it is only under $2 every couple of months. So once you know if the item the best price you’ll see for a couple of months, add it to your list. If it is a manufacturer item (ie Pillsbury or Kraft) and not store brand, use an online coupon database to see if there is a coupon.
Couponmom.com
Survivingthestores.com

Take your list, and the coupons, and go shopping!!

Make your weekly menus based on the items that are on sale. Maybe you normally buy frozen chicken breast. But if the fresh chicken breast are sale cheaper, go with fresh. But if they have frozen on sale, and there is a coupon, buy the frozen. You have to ask yourself, which gives me the best overall savings.

Plan the menus based on meats, produce, and other items on sale.

When you do see that it’s a good price, and if there is a coupon, buy enough to last for two months. (if you would normally buy a box a pasta per week, buy 8 of them to last you until they go on sale again)

Plan your other items the same way. You may have to no longer be brand exclusive. I no longer buy Tide because its usually not a good deal. But I am happy to switch around other brands. For those items that I have to buy a particular brand, (dog foods, coffee, etc) I try and stock up more.

Because certain items like bread, milk, eggs are not shelf stable, I check to see who has the best price. Because I’ve check a few different locations that are close to home, its usually not a big deal to go to that store for that item. Some weeks, all I need to do is make the quick trip to Aldi to get my basics because I have a stock pile of everything else I need.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

CENTSable Beauty: Are Beauty Subscription Boxes Worth It?


Two months ago, I talked myself into subscribing to a beauty box.

A beauty subscription box is a service that charges us a monthly fee for a random bag of beauty items.  There are several out there, all ranging from $10 a month to $50 a month and all with their different pros and cons.  After doing some research on the $10 a month subscriptions (specifically Ipsy Bag and Birch Box), Ipsy one out.

My reasons for this were that although they both had "high end" brands, Ipsy tended to also include either newer/unknown brands (i.e. cheaper) which led to bigger samples or full size samples in the bag.  Birch Box did always have the same amount of items as Ipsy, but they tended to have smaller samples because they were well known and expensive brands.

My first bag came in the mail in July.



The items included were:
Coola Moisturizer with SPF 20
Big Sexy Hair Weather Proof Humidity Resistant Spray
Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub
BH Cosmetics California Collection Eyeshadow Sample
POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon

I really enjoyed the July bag.  I took the hairspray on vacation with me and have already used it up, and the full size lipstick sample was a great product (although, I wish I got a different color).  I haven't had a chance to try the moisturizer and scrub yet, but I've heard good reviews.  None of the samples were too small and will last me a good while.  Plus, the little pink bag in the background was pretty cute.

Last week, I got my second bag!



The items included:
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick
Pixi Beauty Lash Booster Mascara in Blackest Black
MicaBeauty Eye Shadow in Bronze
Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub
Chella Dazzling Dark Brown Eyebrow Color Pencil

I was even more excited about this bag!  First, I love the purple bag in the background that the products came in.  Second, the eye-pigment in Bronze was beautiful.  I've been wearing it to work every day for the last week.  I've tried Pixi mascara before and like it, so I was happy to get another decent sized sample to last me until I find a good sale.  I haven't had a chance to use the eyebrow pencil yet, although I don't normally fill in my brows and I've heard WONDERFUL things about the Michael Todd line.  The Urban Decay lipstick applied beautifully... but why do they keep giving me the bright fuchsia colors?  I looked like a clown.  The sample did make me want to buy a full size in another color though...

All in all, out of the two months I've received my Ipsy bag, I've more than gotten my $10 out of each bag.  They are sample sizes, but they're deluxe to full size samples of product that retail over $20 each.  If every item in the bags are used, then we get around $50 worth of products to try, plus a bag, for $10.  Even if we don't try everything (anyone want my clown lipstick!?) I've still gotten well over the $10 I've spent of usable products.

Final verdict: I love it.  I'm kind of a cosmetics nerd, so this subscriptions allows me to get 5 new products a month for $10.  I get my fix, and don't go over budget... plus I get some cool higher end products as well!  I can't wait for September!

If you'd like to give Ipsy bag a try, click here for subscription information.

Have you ever tried a beauty subscription box? Let me know in the comments below!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Dollar Tree: What to Get, and What to Skip



Don’t you just love Dollar Tree? It’s like a gigantic dollar hot spot of items. Unless you’re buying your Sunday paper, it’s hard to walk out of that store without feeling like you got a great deal! On the other hand, just because everything is $1 doesn't necessarily mean that it’s worth $1. Let’s take a look at some of the things I always buy at the Dollar Store, and items I’m willing to pay extra for somewhere else.

What to Get 

Bagged Gift Items: Greeting cards are .50 cents. Gift bags and tissue paper is $1 a package. This is the ONLY place I will buy these items. Some big box stores have now opened a “dollar” section for greeting cards, but the selection is very poor compared to Dollar Tree. Gift bags at other stores can cost upwards of $3 to $4, especially if you’re gift is big enough to need a jumbo bag. Stick to Dollar Tree for all your gift wrapping needs. 

Bread: Dollar Tree carries a full loaf of bread for $1. Great Value white bread normally runs around $1.19 in my area, and DT bread is just as good. This one is a no brainier! 

Personal Hygiene Items: If you’re a couponer, you know that you can get most of your shampoos, soaps and deodorants for free from time to time, but if you’re just trying to live frugally then Dollar Tree’s personal items are a great option. DT sells full size shampoos, body wash, bar soap and deodorant that work just as well as some of your lower end products at the big box stores. Plus, they often have smaller sizes of the name brand products; including in their make-up section. 

Hair Tools and Accessories: Dollar Tree has an AMAZING selection of bows, ribbons, clips and elastics at a great price. I've never had a problem with any of the clips, and only once has a pack of headbands been poor quality (All three snapped in two on top of my head… but I also have a big head, so I’m not blaming the headbands). On top of this, they also carry hair tools like heatless curlers, combs and brushes in a variety of sizes of styles. No need to spend high dollar on these basic items. 

What to Skip: 

Gift Wrap: Section is mostly in reference to #1 on the What To Get list. White Gift Cards, bags and tissue paper are GREAT to purchase at Dollar Tree, gift wrap is not. I noticed this last Christmas, when I bought several rolls to wrap multiple gifts. The rolls from Dollar Tree were not only thin and ripped easily, but the roll contained less than half the paper that a $3 roll from Target contained. I was able to wrap around 2 medium sized gifts with one roll of wrapping paper at Dollar Tree, and that’s if the gift’s sharp corners didn't poke a hole in the thin paper. Next Christmas, I’ll spend a little more for better quality paper. 

Batteries: These normally come in a pack 1 to 2 batteries per pack, which on the surface is a good deal. The problem I've run into with the Dollar Tree batteries is they don’t last! It is much more cost effective to buy a pack of batteries for $2 or $3 that will last over 4 times as long. 

Paper Products: Unless you have a coupon for a brand name item, the price per inch is a better deal at Target or Wal-Mart. As far as the “store brand” Dollar Tree products, they are mostly of the 1-ply variety. You’re better off paying a little more for better quality. Their plastic wrap and foil have been poor quality compared to what I pay a little more for at the larger stores.

Dish and Laundry Detergent: I have two major problems with dish and laundry detergent from DT: size and quality. Every name brand detergent is in such small bottles, it’s not worth it to spend $1 when I can get one slightly bigger for the same price on sale! The store brand detergents, while in a nice sized container, are so watered down and thin that it’s hard to believe there is enough cleaner in the container to do the job. Bottom line, skip it.

Hydrogen Peroxide: The same size that Dollar Tree carries can be found at both Walmart and Target for around .89 cents.

Canned Vegetables:  Dollar Tree will have their canned vegetables priced anywhere from $.79 to $1, but that isn't a good deal.  Most grocery stores have their canned goods priced around $.85 but will often fall even cheaper with a good sale.  Dollar Tree is also notorious for putting close to expiration items on the shelf, so stocking up on canned goods at DT is never a good idea.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Frugal Friday: What To Do With a Free Item Coupon



Have you ever opened up your mailbox to find coupons like the ones listed above?  I LOVE when this happens! Free is the best way to be, right?  While getting a free item, no purchase necessary, is a great feeling, there are certain strategies we can use to make sure we get even more out of these coupons.


1. Wait For A Reward
Drug stores frequently give rewards for purchasing products. If we get a coupon for a free bottle of shampoo, for example, and CVS offers a $1 in ECBs, then that makes this free product a money maker! Use the coupon to purchase the shampoo, pay nothing but tax (depending on your state), and receive $1 back on your next purchase.

2. Wait For A BOGO Sale
What's better than getting one item for free? Well... getting TWO item for free! Buy 1 Get 1 free sales are a perfect time to use a free product coupon. Let's say you have a coupon for a free bottle of shampoo. If you come across a sale that's Buy 1 shampoo, get 1 free, then you can use your free shampoo coupon to buy the 1st bottle of shampoo and then get your second bottle for free.

3.  Wait For A Sale
If your coupon's expiration date is coming in quickly and you haven't run across any sales listed above, then your best strategy would still be to wait until the item is on sale.  The reason?  If you're in a state that charges full sales tax after a coupon, then your tax will still be cheaper if the item is on sale.

If, for any reason, you don't come across a chance to use any of the above strategies, there is still good news!  The good news is that you still have a free product coupon, so run to your local store and pick it up!

Hope this helped and fee free to post any questions or comments below.  Happy Couponing!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

CENTSable Beauty: Store Brand Adventures, Family Dollar


Welcome back to CENTSable Beauty, our Frugal Beauty series from the ladies at Auntie M Coupon Training.  Today, we will be taking another look at the good and the bad of store brands. To see our Target Store Brand Adventure, click HERE.

Now, onto the reviews.

Night Firming Cream
Price: $2.00
Grade: F


I really wanted to like this cream.  The first time I applied it, it had an interesting tingling sensation that made me feel like it was working.  Turns out... it was just breaking me out.

Pros:
  • Moisturizing

Cons:
  • Made me break out.  Within a week of using this nightly, I had tiny, under the skin bumps that were not clearing up.  This is not for sensitive skin.
  • I didn't like the scent.  It smelled like basic body lotion, which I wouldn't put on my face.
  • Too thick in consistency.
  • No "Firming" action, or really no benefits to the product.
Clear Hand Soap
Price: $1.25
Grade: B



Bottom line: I would repurchase this product just for the price to quantity ratio.

Pros:
  • This is a BIG bottle for the price.
  • Think formula and no sticky residue.
  • Pleasant Smell

Cons:
  • Didn't work for exceptionally dirty hands (Example, my husband tried to get grease from the car off his hands and NOTHING happened).
Shave Cream for Sensitive Skin
Price: $2
Grade: A



I may be the only person who still uses shave cream (as opposed to shave "gel") but I just prefer it.  Family Dollar did not seem to offer a Shave Gel at my location.

Pros:
  • Foamed Well
  • Spread Well
  • Unscented (or unnoticeable scent)
  • Good size product for the price.
  • Shaved my legs with a new razor and this cream.  Left my legs without a single bump or ingrown.

Cons:
  • No cons worth mentioning.

Foaming Facial Cleanser
Price: $3
Grade: B



This cleanser is supposed to be comparable to the Neutrogena Foaming Cleanser.

Pros:
Left my face feeling clean.
I tested it by using toner after cleansing, and there seemed to be no left over makeup or dirt on the cotton pad.
Unscented or undetectable scent.
No breakouts!

Cons:
Little to no foaming... should just be called "Facial Cleanser."

Oil Free Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin
Price: $3
Grade: A-



This product is comparable to the Neutrogina Oil-Free Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin.

Every once in a while, I find a product that completely surprises me. I bought this knowing it would get an average grade, but I find that I like it even better than the product it is trying to imitate.

Pros:
Very light, but still moisturizing.
No breakouts!  So, it's good for sensitive skin.
No scent or undetectable scent.
Absorbed into my skin very quickly.  I normally wait 10 minutes after moisturizing to start my makeup, but with this product I felt like I didn't have to.  It was set into my skin at least 5 minutes after application.

Cons:
Wish it was a few cents cheaper, just for being an off brand.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Frugal Friday: Another Use For Blue Dawn Dish Soap




Here is a simple frugal carpet cleaner. And it works better than any carpet cleaner I've purchased.

32 oz hydrogen perioxide (.88¢ at Walmart, .89¢ at Target, and $1 at Dollar Tree) 32 oz water A quirt of blue Dawn dish soap (9 oz bottle can be purchase $1.49 when not on sale. And as low as .88¢ when on sale. Combine with coupon and only pay .13¢ after sale and coupon. )

I use an empty laundry detergent bottle to put it in. (32 use) I have put this in spray bottles to spray on stains, or put directly into carpet cleaner. It cleans better than anything I've ever used.

You do not have to worry about the color of the carpet. It will not discolor the carpet. I’ve used it on dark carpet and light carpet alike, no problems.