Going to the grocery store is akin to walking down a city street where a guy in a pinstripe suit says, “C’mere… I needs to have a word witcha.” If you follow him down the dark alley, you’ll stumble back out pennyless.
A grocer is just a gangster in an apron. They act like your friend, but they are only there to rip you off.
Take toilet paper. We all need it, but they stymie you with choices and ridiculous descriptions that make no sense! Double rolls, triple rolls, soft, extra-super soft – what does all that mean? I got the Delicately Quilted Super Cuddly Teddy Bear Soft one time and it felt so good the whole pack was gone in a day. The kids wiped when they hiccuped just to feel it and our septic tank backed up from all the quilting. Forget that, now I buy the thinnest, coarsest paper I can find – single ply and unscented. The stuff lasts forever because it’s almost a punishment to go to the bathroom. Some kids refuse to use the toilet at school, mine hold it until they get there.
Another hang-up I have is laundry detergent. It’s so stinking expensive! It’s just soap! When did they start charging by the fragrance? My wife is very particular about her lavender scent. Me? I’m just partial to clean and really not immovable on that point. So, while at the store, I made the command decision that we needed a new scent at our house. Out with the lavender and in with the wonderful smell of whatever the store brand that’s half-price. It’s gotta be good, it says it is Trustworthy right on the box.
I worked out savings on paper products, hygiene, and hair care all before tackling food. 
There I found some pretty good bargains in meats. The store has this whole refrigerated section of half-priced meat. Some of it seemed slightly discolored and the expiration date was fast approaching. But as long as we cook it real well and have 3 – 5 pounds with every meal before Friday, we should be fine.
Yesterday’s bread – check.
Dented cans – perfect.
Brownish bananas – Viva Variety!
By the time I had my cart filled, I noticed the apron-clad robber standing in the dairy section watching me. He worked a toothpick with his stumpy fingers as he sized me up. The plethora of orange clearance labels in my cart told him I was onto his little game. We squared off like gunslingers in the Old West. Time stood still. Mothers pulled children out of the center aisle in slow motion, afraid of the impending showdown. From the back of the produce department I heard the signature ominous whistle and somehow, the slap of saloon doors. I cracked my neck, rolled my fingers, and readied for the call to draw.
But the old grocer was yella. I had him beat and he knew it.
I checked out to find I had shaved $87 from our weekly bill. Genius. Street genius. The little old lady behind me nodded proudly as she fingered through a thick wallet of neatly cut newsprint. Intrigued, I inquired about them and learned all about these things called coupons from my new friend, Mildred.
Turns out they save you even more money! Who knew?
“Hey Guido the Grocer, I’ve got a coupon-cutting date with Mildred on Saturday… After that, I’m coming back to town. And it ain’t big enough for the both of us.”
(This story would have ended happily if I hadn’t have changed scents. Turns out, my wife didn’t feel threatened at all by my new 84 year-old coupon girlfriend. She just really likes lavender.)
Photo by: By Bill Branson
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If you're a loyal Etsy shopper, you'll be happy to hear we also have an Etsy shop, BabyCarSeatSigns.Etsy.com!
While our product selection is significantly smaller on Etsy than it is on DontTouchBaby.com, you can still get plenty of unique baby shower gifts at a great price! And to make it even better, if you purchase $18 or more worth of baby signs, you can use coupon code 3SIGNS to save 15% on your entire order!
Shipping is FREE on most Etsy U.S. orders only!
If you live in the United Kingdom or Canada, you can now get FREE shipping on orders over $20 ONLY through our website, DontTouchBaby.com.
Here are a few of the baby signs we sell on Etsy:
As a reminder, you can always view our sales and DAILY DEAL and reach our site through these other websites as well:WashYourHandsSigns.com, PremieSigns.com,CHDSigns.com and CarSeatSigns.com!
There was a time when young people didn’t use coupons. They were far less likely than their older peers to read a Sunday newspaper and see coupon inserts, and they didn’t care much about clipping coupons to stretch their money further. That is,... Read the rest of this post
Phaidon Book Store and Scoutmob have partnered for a special deal, offering a 50 percent off coupon at the art bookstore.
Unlike some online deal sites, Scoutmob does not require money upfront–you simply email or text the deal to yourself. Phaidon specializes in art, photography, and architecture books. It’s located in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City.
As of this writing, six and a half hours remain for the deal and 749 people have taken the deal.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
By Andrea Woroch
Spending money to save money doesn't seem like a logical concept, but if you know what you're doing then it can be a smart way to stretch your budget. The trick to this strategy is to only buy what you need and what you planned on purchasing anyway. Take toilet paper for example. Toilet paper doesn't spoil and often costs less when bought in bulk, so it's worth stocking up on to reap the savings overtime, as long as you have the storage space.
Read on for more ways you can spend money and save at the same time.
1. Purchase a Club Membership
While you have to pay for a membership fee to join clubs like Costco and Sam's Club, they do offer excellent prices on many items sold in bulk. Try not to buy on impulse, however, as you could find your pantry stocked with 20 years worth of canned beans.
2. Buy Gift Cards
Buying gift cards from discount sites like Gift Card Granny is a great way to save on everything from groceries to electronics, particularly since you can buy gift cards at these sites for up to half their face value.
3. Dive into Deal-of-the-Day Sites
I recently received an offer from Groupon to buy $40 worth of bedding plants for just $17. Since I planned on spending at least $50 on garden starts this year, that's a real deal. Make sure the group-buying deal is truly something you'll use. While a sky diving adventure may sound like a real kick, it's not worth the price if you're afraid of heights.
4. Stock Up to Increase Online Savings
Purchasing more may qualify your online order for a better value coupon or free shipping. For example, Amazon.com has free shipping on most orders over $25. If your cart reaches $22, throw in an extra item to reach that threshold and benefit from the delivery discount.
5. Stockpile with Multiple Coupons Keep an eye out for coupons on non-perishable items you'll actually use and collect extra coupons for your next shopping trip by dumpster diving in recycling bins or ask neighbors for their newspaper circulars. Use all the coupons you've collected to bulk up on the offer and stockpile products for later while enjoying the immediate money-saving offer. Make sure you read the fine print, however, as some coupons can only be used for a maximum amount, say two or four packages of baby diapers.
6. Throw In a Little Lagniappe Lagniappe is a term used in New Orleans referring to something extra you get for free, like a baker's dozen of donuts. Sometimes it pays to buy a little something extra you don't really need to make use of a coupon. For example, I had a $10 off grocery coupon that kicked in if I spent $50. My bill came to $49, so I tossed in a few gum packets to reach the $50 mark. Basically, the gum was free Lagniappe.
About Andrea Woroch As a media expert source, Andrea has been featured on NBC's Today Show, FOX & Friends, MSNBC, ABC News NOW and many more. To view recent interviews or get more information, visit
http://andreaworoch.com/ or you can also follow @AndreaWoroch on Twitter to receive daily savings tips.
Twitter. Forums. Facebook. This blog.
I've kicked up a little extra self-promotion of late, and, like many authors, fear I've talked about my "stuff" too much. But have I? Who knows. I hope you, dear readers, will tell me if I'm being a boar. Really.
What I do know is that, when marketing, one must put something in front of potential buyers for them to know about it. Most buyers must see a product several times before they purchase. I haven't mentioned Violent Ends on the blog yet, but I am now. Yes, it's another e-book endeavor, but this time I'm pricing it $1.99 (after much soul-searching and self-debate). Of course, the coupon code WY56K will score 50% off at Smashwords. Violent Ends is also available for Kindle at Amazon.com. This is part of the big experiment. This is about planting seeds rather than leaving them in their little paper pouches (see Monday's post).
These are some of the most...well, violent of my stories. Three of them are brand new/never published before including "The Hustle", a story originally slated for an ill-fated anthology. I hope you enjoy.
The Bottom Feeders is *almost* available in print, too, and I've put a fairly reasonable tag of $7.99 on the dead tree edition. Of course there will be a discount on copies ordered directly through Createspace; details to follow once I've approved the proof.
Thanks for your support. Now go hug a writer.
By: Brimful Curiosities,
on 11/29/2010
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Here are some deals I have found online. I have not tried them out yet though, so if they don't work, please let me know.
Barnes and Noble -
Many deals on books including some picture books over 40% off
25% off one item with code B4D7H9A
Free shipping through midnight! Use coupon code B3X4N4N
Borders - Many books are 50% off today
33% off one item with coupon code BLX5879E (Borders rewards members valid 11/29 – 12/2/10)
Selected Holiday Books for Kids 50% off
Free shipping on orders of $20+
Printable in-store coupon for 33% off
Christian Book.com
Free Standard Shipping until December 9th on orders of $35. Use code 338535 (via Bargain Sleuth)
Books-A-Million
$25 off your purchase of $100 or more - Use coupon code BFRDYCM
Did you find any other great book deals today?
I know Halloween is over, but I received these stats from Coupons Code and thought it was interesting.
New research from one of America’s leading coupon code and voucher sites has revealed that a quarter of American children under the age 12 are on a diet. Furthermore, a fifth of parents admitted that they wouldn’t allow their kid to go Trick-or-Treating for fear of them eating ‘too much candy’.
New research has shown that a quarter of American parents have put their kids aged 12 or under on a diet. A further 19% of parents polled said that they did not allow their children to go ‘Trick-or-Treating’ this Halloween for fear of them eating too much candy.
The poll was conducted by one of America’s leading coupon code sites,
http://www.couponcodes4u.com/, which wanted to investigate the attitudes of parents towards the food that their kids eat. As result the site polled 6,523 American parents with kids aged 12 or under to find out their thoughts on the subject.
* When the site asked the question “what food do your kids generally eat the most?” only 24% stated ‘healthy food’, while a further 58% said ‘junk food’.
* A quarter of parents, 26%, admitted that their child is on a diet, while a further 11% said that that they were currently ‘watching what their child ate’. When CouponCodes4U.com asked them to stipulate their reason for their child being on a diet, 6% said their child’s pediatrician had recommended it.
* A fifth of the parents asked said they wouldn’t allow their child to go Trick-or-Treating for fear of them ‘eating too much candy’, while 41% insisted on giving their child a packed lunch for school instead of letting them eat in the cafeteria. When asked ‘why?’ 62% of these parents said it was to ‘keep track’ of what their child was eating.
* Despite the fact that 26% of the respondents said their child was on a diet, only 11% said they made sure their child was exercising regularly. On a similar note, 19% admitted to having previously given their child a note to allow them to skip gym class.
Mark Pearson, Chairman of CouponCodes4U.com, had the following to say about the study;
“With Halloween very close now, we wanted to find out if parents would prevent their kids from going Trick-or-Treating, for whatever reason. The study actually found that more parents were concerned about their child eating too much candy on the night than them being safe, which is quite surprising."About Coupon Codes:Coupon Codes are great way to save money when you shop online. Also known as promotional codes, e-coupons or discount codes, they are simply special codes which will get you a discount from the listed retail price of many goods, at a variety of different online USA stores.
We watched The Princess and the Frog movie when it first arrived in theaters last year. My daughter will always have fond memories of Princess Tiana and the other characters because it was the first movie she saw in a movie theater. Even though the darkness of the movie and the voodoo aspects surprised me, I appreciated the hand drawn animation and diverse musical score in the New Orleans style. Today the movie makes its debut on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD. Since we weren't one of the lucky blogs selected to review the new DVD, we'll most likely buy our own copy to add to our Disney Princess collection. If you are planning to purchase your own Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, don't forget to print out the $10 coupon available at http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/disneymagicalsavings/. Plus, check out Friday's Full to the Brim list and enter some of the blog contests for the DVD.
Several related coloring pages and printables are available online:
Random House - The Princess and the Frog Activity Pages
Disney Family.com - Everything Princess and the Frog features crafts, recipes, and fun ideas. We like the printable Princess and the Frog Playset [pdf]
About.com Family Crafts - The Princess and The Frog Printable Activities lists several coloring pages
With Thanksgiving less than a week away, I've already begun my preparations. This year I'm hosting not one but TWO Thanksgiving dinners in my home. That's a lot of turkey! I'm hoping my meals will turn out as delicious as the feasts my mom has always prepared. Both my grandmother and mother are talented cooks and bakers, so I have some big shoes to fill. Thanksgiving is truly a special holiday for us filled with wonderful traditions. Usually we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade and a little football. We gather together and give thanks for all of our blessings. And of course there is the food: the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, cranberry sauce and numerous pies and treats.
This year Walmart wants to help families serve up delicious holiday meals without the worry of overspending their budget. They've rolled back their food prices and have announced that consumers can prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for as low as $20. According to their website, the scrumptious $20 feast includes the following (see http://connect.walmart.com/holidaymeals/ for complete details):
* One 12-pound Grade A turkey
* Three 11 to 15.5-ounce cans Green Giant vegetables
* Two 14-ounce cans Ocean Spray cranberry sauce
* Three 6-ounce boxes of Stove Top stuffing
* One 5-pound bag of red potatoes
* One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
* One 22-ounce pumpkin roll cake
I've seen some great food deals advertised this week, so I'm sure that I'll be able to save quite a bit of money on my grocery bill with some frugal shopping. I'm a regular user of Walmart's Ad Match policy where they match local competitor's prices. I've also spotted quite a few coupon deals on the following websites:
Campbell's Soups and French’s® French Fried Onions
Libby's Vegetables
Pillsbury/Green Giant/Progresso
By the way, after browsing Walmart's website, I noticed they have a Food & Recipe center. Who knew? After a quick search I discovered several Turkey recipes including, Apricot-Onion Roasted Turkey, Brined Hickory Turkey, and Lemon-Herb Turkey Roast. This holiday season the site will also post some great recipes from the Food Network’s Melissa d’Arabians.
And don't forget those photos with Santa. Last year our local Walmart had a couple special days when Santa visited and they gave out free photos with Santa
By: Brimful Curiosities,
on 9/14/2009
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I buy diapers. Plenty of diapers. We primarily use Luvs in our household, and we've always been happy with the brand. But it isn't always easy to find coupons for Luvs. That's why I wanted to let you know that a Luvs coupon promotion will go live at Luvs.com on September 15th at 12am EST. There's a limited supply -- hurry to reserve yours ASAP by joining the Luvs Network! If you are already a member, it looks like you can still sign up for the coupon. Sign in using your password, and click on the promotion. On the right hand side, the site will prompt you to check promotions you wish to enter, including the coupon deal.
This promotion is part of the Luvs "Take a Stand" campaign, which rallies moms to unite and take a stand on things that are important to them, such as not paying too much money for everyday items such as diapers! If you have some time, visit the website, share your own inspiring "Take a Stand" story and have some fun building a baby avatar. Yep, that's my design to the right, a little baby Brimful.
Thanks to Mom Fuse POP and Luvs for alerting me about this offer. I did not receive any payment or product as compensation for this post.
The first time I heard about Kraft Bagel-fuls was not from any advertisement or PR campaign but from a good friend. She recommended them to all the moms in our weekly playgroup. Her words, "Some mornings by the time I get myself and the kids dressed and ready to go out the door, I hardly have time to eat. I like to eat Bagel-fuls for breakfast on mornings when I otherwise wouldn't have the time to make myself anything. Plus they are super delish!"
After hearing her glowing recommendation I was very excited to get the chance to try the Bagel-fuls. Thanks to http://blissfullydomestic.com, I received a free coupon to redeem for a box of Bagel-fuls. I bought a box of the blueberry variety for my family to try out using my coupon. Yes, they are indeed very, very easy to prepare…only 10 or so seconds in the microwave and the bagel is ready to eat. The blueberry variety filled with cream cheese filling really hits the spot and satisfies those morning hunger pangs. I loved how the cream cheese is right inside the bagel. No fussing with knives or other packages…no spreading needed. My toddler son enjoyed his bagel cut into bite size pieces and almost ate an entire serving himself. My only complaint: I wish there were more than 4 servings in the box because it didn't take our family of four long to polish off the package! I wholeheartedly agree with my friend. Bagel-fuls are especially ideal for those moments when you lack the time to prepare breakfast and need to eat something fast. And yes, they taste so delicious it is tempting to eat one every single morning! (Very tempting considering my morning breakfast usually consists of a bowl of oatmeal. Guess it will be OK to splurge on the calories [190/serving] every once and awhile.)
If you want to give Bagel-fuls a try, you can print out a $1 Kraft Bagel-fuls coupon from the Kraft website. See top right hand corner.
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Hahahahahaha priceless ;)
And yet so expensive 😉
I remember the TP in school that was so cheap it had wood splinters in it!!!
Wonder where I can find that!!
“Some kids refuse to use the toilet at school, mine hold it until they get there.”
You never fail!! Brilliant storytelling!! Thank you!!