Thrifty Thoughts

Publix Deals Week of 11/26-12/1

2010-11-27T16:19:00.000-08:00

Publix Shopping deals with Coupon Match-ups:

Campbell’s Chunky Soup, Assorted Varieties, 18.6 to 15.25 oz bowl, BOGO $2.45
$1/2 Campbell's Chunky Soup, Any Can, Microwaveable Bowl Or Healthy Request Variety - Campbellskitchen.com
Total price after coupon: $0.73 a can

Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers or Party Mix, Assorted Varieties, 9.75 to 14 oz box, BOGO $4.09
$1/3 Cheez-It Crackers and/or Crispix Cereal Rolling
fyi:You will have to sign up for the coupons
Scenario:
Print and use 2 coupons
Buy 6 boxes
Total Price after coupons: $1.71 a box
DONATE a few boxes to charity since it is a Non-Parishable!

Fresh Express Salad Blend or Greens, Assorted Varieties, 4.5 to 12 oz bag, BOGO $4.09
$0.55/1 Fresh Express Blend Salads Rolling
Total price after coupons: $1.55 a bag

General Mills Cereal, Assorted Varieties, 12.25 to 18.25 oz box or Oatmeal Crisp Cereal, 17 or 18 oz box, BOGO $4.29
0.50/1 11/7/2010 SS
$1/2 10/31/2010 SS
$1/2 any TWO BOXES Select General Mills cereals
Total price after coupons: $ 1.65 a box
fyi: this is a great item to stock pile esp if you are like my SW and eat lots of cereal

DiGiorno Pizza, 12.6 to 36.8 oz box, 2/$10
$1/1, $1/2 11/14/2010 RP
$1/1 10/10/2010 RP
Total price after coupons: $4.00 a pizza (cheaper than take out!)

Kashi All Natural Entrees, 10 oz, 4/$10
Total price: $2.50 an entree (more affordable than eating out!)

Blueberries, 2/$5
Total price: $2.50 for a 6-oz container

This is a brief snap shot of some of the Publix deals. I posted the money saving ones, and others that I may add to my list. Check out the link at the bottom of the page for a full list of coupon match-ups.

Finally do not forget to use the Publix coupons that come in the Red Plum Mailer $5/50 purchase (it may look like junk mail but check out the front for a money saving coupon)

Thank you Hot Coupon World for the match-ups.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

2010-11-27T15:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a recipe I am going to try with all my turkey leftovers. This year we bought a 25-lb Tom the Turkey!! I know, for five people, that is a lot of leftover turkey. So since I become tired of the same ole thanksgiving left over plate, and I am always ready for some spicy I am going to test this out.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups chicken broth
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 1/4 cups green enchilada sauce
1 1/4 cups red enchilada sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1 cup half-and-half
1 tomato, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Combine chicken stock and tortilla strips in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until strips soften and broth thickens slightly. Stir in green and red enchilada sauces and cumin. Stir in turkey and half-and-half; heat through but do not boil.
Divide soup among four bowls and garnish with diced tomato, jalapeno, avocado and cheese.

Thank you Allrecipes.com for this inspiring soup. you can find the link here.

What are some of your favorite leftover ideas?

How it works

2010-11-06T09:52:00.000-07:00

So here is a pretty basic outline of what I do before I visit the grocery store:

Make a meal plan

I have enjoyed using EMealz, as a basis to my weekly meal plans. SweetHeart and I use the "meals for two" with match ups from Publix. Since SH works at Publix, and it is so close to our house I like how EMealz matches the weekly-ad at Publix and various meals.
Meal plans are helpful in keeping you focused on what you are going to fix durning the week. I also find it encouraging. If I know what I am going to fix for dinner each night it keeps me accountable, and away from eating-out (which can be a blow to the budget if it is unplanned).

Look at my coupon collection and visit coupon match-up sites

I keep all my coupons together. I DO NOT cut out coupons weekly. I keep the SmartSource (SS), RedPlum (RP), and P&G BrandSaver (PG), for each week in a clip together. For example, when I purchase TWO Sunday papers this week I will take out all the coupon booklets bind them together and stick a post-it on the front that has the date 11/7. Then I place it in my coupon bin, the place where I keep all my coupons. When you visit coupon match-up sites they have coupons labeled by the type of coupon (SS, RP or PG) and the date.
I keep all my Publix Yellow advantage flyers, the ad with the coupons, clipped together separately. For now Pubix coupons do not expire, despite the fact there is an "valid through" date. It is Publix policy to accept all their coupons, expired or not. Do not be confused, they will not accept expire manufacture coupons or competitor coupons. So make sure it is a Publix coupon before you use it.
I visit this coupon match-up site in order to see the weekly awesome deals at Publix and the coupons I can use. I find the thread that says "weekly ad with match-ups" and the dates for the current week. The people who post the match-ups do an fabulous job matching the coupons using newspaper coupons, internet coupons you can print, and other types of coupons. Also on the site there are other various match-ups for different stores Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, ect. If you feel ambitious or want to visit a store other than Publix feel free to navigate the other threads.

Make a Grocery List

I am a list maker. I love making to-do lists, housekeeping checklists, christmas checklists, and especially shopping lists! Keeping lists help me to stay organized, help to free up room in my mind and help me to stay away from the crazy shopping runs where I go in for milk and spend $100 dollars on a gallon of milk!
I look at the meal plan and compare it to my pantry and stockpile closet. I place the needed items on my list.
I look at the coupon match-ups and see if there are any cheap items I can stockpile. Stockpiling is a very important concept to successfully lowering your monthly grocery bill. I stock pile items such as laundry detergent, cleaning products, paper goods, salad dressings, canned items, pasta, cereal, frozen vegetables, or any other item that I can use, or more importantly donate. As a side note, I enjoy stockpiling and using my coupons to purchase items for a minimal cost and donating the items to various food banks, women's shelters and even the local animal shelter. I encourage you to do the same if you begin to enjoy super coupon-ing!

Finally I visit the grocery store

When I visit I make sure that I have all the coupons matching my grocery list. I dislike going to the grocery store and having to dig through coupons to find one that might match a sale item.
When I go to check out I ask the cashier if he/she would like the coupons before or after they ring up the items. Typically they like to have them at the end, but I find it courteous to ask. Also,it is important to keep in mind that each cashier and each individual store is different in their openness to coupons. The Publix where I shop is very open and accepting. If you encounter confusion when checking out do not give up on coupon-ing please feel free to ask me any questions, and please try again.

Finally enjoy bragging about how much you SAVED!!!

The above process may take time, but as they say "Time is Money". To me it is important to save money and spend it on other worthwhile things including missions at my church, date night, and even a new pair of shoes (using a coupon or sale price, of course). And it is my hope you begin to start thinking similar thrifty thoughts!

Never Pay Retail

2010-10-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

I have recently purchased movie tickets for half their suggested retail value, massages, even restaurant vouchers at a deep discount. I am most excited about using my maid service I purchased a few weeks ago. It was $39 for two bathrooms and a kitchen scrub down! I am eager especially with the holidays right around the corner to have someone clean a part of my house.

If you are looking for an affordable way to have fun and relax I suggest visiting Groupon, too :) Do not worry if you don't live in Jacksonville, Fl there are daily Groupon deals all over the country, it is a growing trend!

Here is how it works:

1. Visit the site Groupon

2. Confirm your city (there are different deals for each city)

3. Enter your Email address

4. See the Deal of the Day

P.S. This is not just a promotion for a specific site. If you know me you know I love saving money! And this is just an awesome way to have fun and not pay full price, which is my goal when shopping :)

The Begining.

2010-10-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

So I have had aspirations for awhile to begin a blog. And a friend this week encouraged me to make it a reality. This will be a place for me to share and track my coupon adventures, as well as a place to post other ways I find to keep a few more pennies in my pocket. There are so many resources for never paying full price for anything again. And I will help organize some of these resources here on my blog.

My goal is always to save much more than I spend, whether I am shopping at Publix, Banana Republic, Target, Gap, PetSmart Old Navy, Express, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon.

Come follow me on this money saving adventure!!

Lindsey