Additional Sale Items

I was so bummed after reading some comments last week about the Grocery Smarts list not having all items that are on sale in a given week.  I decided to do some digging.  I emailed Smiths to see what was up with that.  Here's the scoop:

CUSTOMER COMMENTS:
I am wondering if there is a master list somewhere of all the items that are on special at your stores?  I have gone into the store several times and there have been items on sale that are not listed in your weekly circular.  I have a lot of blog readers as well, and we are always looking for great deals.  If we could get a more complete list of sale items, we would be better prepared with coupons and such when we shop at your stores.  Any information you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Ms. Morris:

Thank you for contacting Smith's.  At this time we do not publish a list of all the sale items as they number in the hundreds.  I have let our marketing department know that you would like them to work on offering this information online in the future.

Thank you again for taking the time to write to us.  If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to contact us again.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Diggs
Consumer Affairs

Reference:  9855781

 

I am not sure if this will ever happen, but you never know until you ask right?!  Another thing I discovered about the items that are on sale, but not in the ad is that the store does not have to honor the prices with reign checks.  They only do that for an advertised sale price.  

 **Still waiting on a response to our request to do shopping demonstrations in the store at Smiths {sigh}.  That's a battle for another day I think**

For My Princesses

 I LOVE having little girls!! 

While we don't have a lot of extra money to buy the cutest clothes for the kids, I do love to make them look their best.  Having a cute hairdo is tops on our list these days - lots of "bang" for very little bucks.  

If you have a little girl, or know someone who does, send them to Princess Hairstyles.  On the site, she has lots of video tutorials on how to do fancy braids, buns, knots, and even some fun stuff with ribbons!  I have tried about a dozen of the styles and they are as easy as they seem.  Some a little more time consuming than others, but still fun and a huge hit with my princesses.  

  I snapped some quick pictures of the hairdos we did for church yesterday.  Happy to say that they stayed pretty well for school today too!  Check out this link to see this tutorial.  We didn't have any wide headbands, so after some digging in my scrap ribbon box, this is what we came up with.

Princess #1 is almost 3 and she did great during the process as long as she had a movie and snacks ;-)

Princess #2 is almost 10 {yikes} and since she sits still a little better we did a little extra criss-cross work. 

Digital Fun

 You may have noticed that we recently underwent a tiny makeover.  I owe the change to my good friend Colette, who is my digital scrapbook GURU!!  I will admit I was a bit skeptic at first that I would be good at {or could even accomplish} anything digital scrapbook-ey.  You HAVE to check out here site at My Computer Is My Canvas. She has some great tutorials on how to use the Scrapbook Max software.  If you ever want to do anything cutsie, you NEED this software.  I have done several church handouts, fliers, gift tags, and such and did it SO quickly and easily!  Don't judge my stuff - like I said, I'm terribly new at this, but I wanted to give you an idea of what you can do with this.  

This was a tag I made to go with pumpkin bread I made for my kids' teachers.

Halloween Visiting Teaching handout - I can't remember where I found the poem though -sorry.

We can't forget our amazing Primary Teachers!!

My old neighbor asked me to make a flier for her to start babysitting out of her home {those polka dots look familiar -eh}.

Oh, after you get the Scrapbook Max software, you must go to Just So Scrappy and download a few digital scrapbook kits. You can get most of them for $1.50 and they are LOADED with some darling stuff!

I used the Appelicious Kit to design this blog.  Fun huh!?

Stay tuned for another fun post about how I am overcoming the issue I have with my kids doing their chores.  I just need to get my laminator to work and we are in business....

New Directions

Not blogging about Glee, but yes, I am a closet fan.  I have been thinking a lot lately about changing directions with this blog.  I feel somewhat constrained with only talking about "groceries" and coupons, so I think I have decided to just open it up to any and all things frugal. 

Why the change?  Well, I have realized that I have accumulated a bunch of fun, cute, and {cheap} crafts, recipes, projects, and such.  And well, I just feel the need to share some of my favorite things.  So, I hope you enjoy, and can use some of what I have found. Enjoy!!

OshKosh Coupon

Check out this coupon and take it to the outlet mall on Warm Springs and LV Blvd.  I love that store because I can find coordinating outfites for ALL my kids! And since they range in sizes from 12 months - 8/10 that's really saying something. 

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Norwex give-a-way!!  

Target Deals!!

Target is quickly becoming one of my favorite stores for finding good deals!  Not only did we score some great deals on Black Friday, but I may have to scoop up some other things on clearance right now!  I love stocking up on cheap toys to have on hand for birthday parties and even for rewarding my kids every so often during the year.  Check out these Target Coupons right now and you could even save on shipping too!

On clearance for $5.98

Get this!!  Only $4.88!!

On Sale for $5.52

 I would love to hear if you find any other great deals!!

I WANT IT ALL... {bad}!!

*UPDATE* In home demonstration has been postponed*  Check the sidebar to contact Sara if you would like to order products or host your own class!  THANKS!! 

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that we are all about saving time and money.  Well, I went to a party last week and I was over the moon excited about the potential of these new cleaning products.  Not only will this be better for my family, but in my mind, I am calculating the amount of paper towels, cleaning products, and even some beauty items that I could ELIMINATE from my budget!  The company is called Norwex and their stuff is awesome!  I just knew that you all would want to check it out so I am hosting a virtual party for the next week or so and you are invited!!

{If you need to come see, touch, and feel, see below for an real live party info}

OK - so here's why they are so cool... This company from Canada have created these microfiber cloths that contain silver in them because no bacteria or virus can survive when it comes in contact with silver.  So all you do is get these cloths wet and then go nuts cleaning your house!  When the towel dries, all the germs and gunk are dead and the cloth is completely sanitized and ready to go for another round.

I'm not a sales person per say, so if you have a little bit of time, check out this virtual class at this link.  It's about an hour so get comfy and grab a paper and pen to make your wish list.  My favorite part in the presentation {so far - I'm listening to it while I write this} is when she said by using this you can save about $600 a year on cleaning products {probably way less for us coupon savvy gals, but hey! savings is savings right}, and 75% of time cleaning!  Now THAT makes me excited! These cute gals go through a bunch of items in the catalog, but if you want to check out the catalog click here to view it and get more info.  They have some fun customer deals this month.  The best deal I think, is the cleaning pack.  Pretty much for $46 you can get everything you need to clean every part of your home.  They do have loads of other stuff, but if there was a "go to" kind of product this would be it.  The set of kid cloths are totally on my wish list... Imagine it... "here kids, go clean the bathroom", and not handing over any harmful chemicals for them to use!

Now for the fun stuff!!  Like I said, I am hosting this "virtual" party until the end of the month.  Well, what's a party without a prize, right?!  On January 29th, I will give away 1 travel size Enviro Cloth!!  Here's how to enter:

• Place an order here.  Leave me a comment that includes your email address, and let me know what items you would like.  I'll get in touch with you to get all the other info you need for your order.  
• Refer a friend to this party, and when they order, please leave another comment and there's another entry!! 
• Book a class!  Let me know that you want Sara to come show you and your friends all about this and you could have a 3rd entry as well! 

If you are like me and are more of a touchy feelie person, and need to see this demonstration live, you are welcome to come to my home on January 26th at 7pm and see Sara use these products to clean my house {my other reason for wanting to host a party}.  I promise, she will have her work cut out for her ;-).  Email me at jcrewmamma@gmail.com and I will send you the evite information!  

THANKS!  and Happy Cleaning!! 

p.s. I almost forgot!  If you want Sara to come clean your house too, I mean if you want to host a party as well, here are the January and February hostess benefits!  I can't wait for a clean stove! ;-)

Shortcuts.com

There are new coupons up at Shortcuts.com!  If you haven't ever tried this, all you do is sign up with your Smiths card, and you can load electronic coupons on your card.  What happens then?  You simply shop off your GrocerySmarts list and buy the item, scan your card, it automatically takes the coupon!  BONUS!  And from what I have experienced, if you already have a coupon for an item, it takes your electronic one too!!  Yeah!! 

Walgreens Tips

I got a few questions about Walgreens at one of my last classes, so I thought I would give you a sample of how Walgreens works.  So, here's the skinny {this will work for this week, so feel free to print and try it out}.... Every week there are several items that will earn "Register Rewards", which for all intents and purposes at Walgreens just like more coupons.  The Register Rewards {RRs} will print after you make your purchase so you can use them on the next transaction.  The trick with Wags is that you MUST consider the RRs as coupons because their computers will not allow you to use a RR on an item where you are also using a coupon.  Let's look at our first transaction {click on the pic if you need it bigger}:  

 

We want to start out buying some cheaper items that earn RRs.  So, if I buy these 3 items, I will have 2 RRs totaling $4.50 to use on the next transaction. 

 

I added the toothpaste because I needed an item that did not already have a coupon so I could use all my RRs.  Luckily, I found something cheap that would earn me another RR!!  

Can you see now, how after this second transaction, I will have 3 RRs worth $18!?!  Now, I just need to use them on 3 items that I do NOT have coupons for.  Sometimes I will just pick up diapers or wipes, or some other high cost item, and sometimes, I will hang on to them and see how much I can get for them next week! If you have never tried shopping at the pharmacies, this is a fun way to get things rolling.  After a few weeks, you will notice that you are spending VERY LITTLE out of pocket for some really nice items.

   

TLC Extreme Couponing

Ok... I have been thinking about this post for some time now and after it was brought up at my class last night, I think it's time to address the issue of "TLC's Extreme Couponing".  If you haven't seen this yet, it airs again on January 15th at 10pm or January 16th at 1am. 

Now, down to the nitty gritty.  I saw some good things in this show and some things that frankly were really embarrassing.  Let's break it down by "Extreme Couponer". 

• The first gal, Amanda, her method is to go to several stores on Monday and spend 6-8 hours walking through the stores looking for good prices on items.  Then she goes home and matches the coupons, and will then spend another few HOURS shopping and checking out at the grocery store.  It was early on in the show that I wanted to start screaming at the TV!  PLEASE USE GROCERYSMARTS!!!  By simply clicking on the links at the side to the store(s) you want to shop, you will save LOADS of time.  We even match the coupons for you!  I only spend 2-3 hours a week couponing which includes filing coupons, creating my shopping lists, clipping my coupons, AND shopping.  I actually enjoy spending time with my kids and my hubby, so I'm not willing to give up this tool to maybe save on a few more items.  
•  Joanie, or The Krazy Coupon Lady, is one of my favorites!  I started looking at her site when I first started my couponing adventures.  When you see her stockpile, she has about a year's worth of items on hand.  That is SMART couponing.  You just never know what can happen in your life and to have at least a 3,6, or 12 month supply is such a blessing!  However, she is the dumpster diver for coupons.  That's where I draw the line.  We get such a good deal on our newspaper subscriptions it's silly!  For less than a $1/paper/week, I get 5 Sunday papers delivered to my home.  I do have a few friends and neighbors who will give me their coupons they get in the mail, but that's about it.  I feel like that is plenty of coupons to sustain our family of 7, and create a pretty decent stockpile. She also uses the binder method of filing her coupons which terrifies me.  I much rather just put my whole inserts in a file box and let the Grocery Smarts list tell me when to use my coupons and exactly where I can find it!
• Joyce also get's coupons from her neighbors, but it looks like she may even resort to a little thievery.  I would never, never, never take coupons off of someone's porch because I thought they weren't home or weren't going to use their paper!  Another thing that caught my eye with this gal happened when she checked out.  Notice how she gave the cashier her coupons first, and then her rewards card.  The reason she did this, I'm sure, is because some items probably would have cost less than the coupon amount if the rewards had been applied first.  For example, let's say toothpaste is on sale for $1.00, but with your card it's only .75, but I have a coupon for $1 off.  If I gave my store card first, there is a good chance that my coupon wouldn't be accepted because it's value is MORE than the price of the item.  We don't have to worry too much about this sort of thing in Vegas since we don't get double coupons here, this situation would be pretty rare that after the coupon we were owed money.  Take a look at her total when you see the program.  Her sales tax is - $1 something.  She clearly knew how to work the system.  I do sometimes give them my reward card last, just for kicks! It's so fun to watch the dollar amount on the screen just disappear!
• Finally, there was Nathan.  Again, more work put in than necessary.  If he had GrocerySmarts lists, he wouldn't have to spend so much time figuring out the bottom line deals.  His stockpile is the epitomy of "extreme" and I don't mean that in a nice way.  Seriously, 10 years worth of deodorant and soaps is grossly excessive.  I look at these kinds of things, and I can't help but wonder what is missing in his life that he feels the need to have {and keep} so much STUFF! I DO however, like the idea of donating the items.  You will notice that when you have a good stockpile going that it is so fun, and easy, to donate to any sort of group that may come your way.

On a side note: there comes a point when enough is ENOUGH! If you feel comfortable with a 3 month storage, that's great!  If you have room to make it a full years worth of food and supplies...even better, but guess what!?  When you start using those items, you can replace them when that item goes on sale again, because it WILL!  AND you will have another coupon to save again, and again!! 

As a whole, I totally agree with the rush you get from a good couponing excursion.  I do my shopping at night without the kids and lots of other shopping "traffic", but I typically have a hard time going to sleep on those nights because I am so thrilled with my savings.  I noticed though with a few of the TLC-ers that it seems like they don't have a whole lot of other things in their lives to help maintain a healthy balance in life.  I LOVE coupons, but I also LOVE my family, I LOVE being active in my kids school, at church and in the community.  Please, please, please, make it a goal this year to keep a good balance in your life!  

*that's all - stepping off my soapbox now*

It's Cookie Time!!

Well, it's that time of year again!  I know what you are thinking... just when the holidays are over and you want to start that new diet... BAM! Girl Scout Cookies!!!  My daughter, Jillian, does an amazing job selling cookies (she even got her 7 yr old brother to buy a box with his own money), but I like to give her troop a little boost.  So, all you have to do is click on THIS LINK, place your order, and Jillian will call to confirm the number of boxes and let you know when you can expect your order.  It's just that easy!!  AND, if you know someone who needs cookies, pass this along - just click on the little envelope with the arrow, or the facebook icon right above the comments!  

Thanks in advance for your support!!

 

Smiths Case Lot Sale

Get ready folks!!  Starting on Wednesday, Smiths is having a case lot sale!!  I was in kind of a hurry today, so her are some quick pics of what you can expect...

 

My apologies... I tried 3 times to get these pics to flip and they just wouldn't budge.