G's Money Saving Life Group Tips

Collecting Coupons is a Lot Like Collecting Baseball Cards

SAVING ON FOOD

Coupon Shopping My Way Through the 12 (+4) Days of Christmas Break

Q's from back pg of last week's Publix sales circular.

December 15, 2010

Publix Score - For $97.40 I bought:

• 6 Welch's Grape Juices,
• 4 Crystal Lights 8 qt packets,
• 2 large bags of Chex Mix,
• 3 blueberry muffin mixes,
• 2 containers blueberries,
• zucchini and squash,
• fresh green beans,
• 2 Sargento shredded cheese,
• free dozen eggs,
• store brand raisins (not on sale, no q),
• Quick Bread Mix,
• 2 Cheez-Its,
• 2 Chips Ahoy,
  
• 2 blackeyed peas (not on sale, no q),
• 2 packs boneless skinless chicken breasts (used two $1 off Earth Fare chicken q's),
• Publix premium apple pie,
• 8 single serve packs of chips,
  
• 6 pasta roni kits; and a
  
• $50 giftcard from Old Navy? ($10 savings when you buy (wyb) giftcard).
  

SIDE NOTE: Went online and bought 7 pieces for $62.12 (with 15% off and free shipping) - Don't tell the fashionista! Hats off to Lylith for sharing that tasty savings morsel.  There's still one more day to take advantage of the giftcard savings.

Harris Teeter Score -  For $34.60 I bought:

• 4 loaves 100% Whole Wheat Nature Pride Bread
• 3 gallons of skim milk,
• 1 bag granulated sugar (not on sale, but I had a q)
• 8 cans tuna,
• 2 jars Jif peanut butter,
• 4 Fleishmann's pizza crust yeast,
• 3 Campbell's gravy,
• 5 Empire apples,
• 2 Krusteaz Choc Chip Cookie Mix,
• 2 2 pound bags of carrots; and
• 2 Smuckers ice cream toppings

My superlative shopping experience was due to me finding the best deals on food with SouthernSavers.com and then reading a majority of the blog comments. Except for another turkey for Christmas, my family has all the food we'll need for the entire break and beyond. I plan to spend the first two days of break sleeping off my shopping frenzy.

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SAVING ON LAUNDRY

My money saving laundry tools: Ammonia gets out tough stains, urine and 'oops I forgot to take the clothes out of the washer' odors, dish liquid is a cheap and scent free alternative to laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent whitens clothes and vinegar is our choice instead of fabric softener!

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SAVING ON HAIR CARE

Money Saving Natural Hair Care Tips:
Stretching My Hair (and My Budget)!

Money saving tips aren't always cute

November 18, 2010

Thanks to the Metanoia Dream Team for stopping by class last week.  We covered a lot of ground including a new passion of mine - cheap and easy natural hair care tips. 

Last New Year's Eve 2009 I chopped off my already short hair and joined the TWA (teeny weeny afro) revolution. Inspiration for my 'big chop' came from watching prettydimples' page on youtube.  She's one of many natural hair gurus that shows us mortals how to make sense of unprocessed hair. 

I've mainly sported (and neglected) a fro the last year but have gotten a lot of good information and easy to follow natural hair care ideas from others online like nikkimae, curlynikki and the Alton Brown scientista of the natural hair care bunch, kimmaytube. 

We've trimmed over $1,000 from our annual household budget by doing our own hair at home.  I've gotten extra savings by adding coupon savings to the mix. I love this topic so much that I created a new germainesolutions page - G, Natural Hair Care is Easy (and Fun).

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G, When Does the Money Saving
Life Group Meet?

December 12, 2010

SAVE THE DATE: Life group sessions will be held on the second Thursday of each month.  To make the sessions more valuable, we'll try out some of the tips you see here at local grocery and drugs stores. Just learned that stores require some previous permission for group sessions, but one-on-one shopping trips shouldn't be a problem.

October 14, 2010

Today is the first day of a Money Saving Life Group I'll be hosting in North Charleston. This group will cover many of the the following money saving tips.  I'm not sure yet if we'll run the class every week or every other week, but get in touch with me to double check. 

Thursdays from 6-7
Dream Center North Charleston
5505 North Rhett
North Charleston, SC 29406

Top 10 Money Saving Tips
for October 2010

1: Benefit Banks - one-stop eligibility info Food Stamps (aka SNAP), utility assistance and other programs without wasting a day at DSS)
2: Back on Track Charleston - our local Time Bank (get and give help for free)
3: Smart food and grocery shopping tips (with or without coupons)

• Shop sales only, especially Buy One Get One Free sales
• Get rain checks for out of stock sale items

4: Make cheap restaurant style meals at home
5: Replace home phone service or cut down on mobile minutes with free/low cost telephone calls with Skype or Google
6: Buy cheaper glasses for the family without insurance! This past summer, I bought 2 pairs of glasses for my son for $88 + tax. JcPenney's Optical Department seems to run sales and has coupons all the time.  Another bonus is their Free Warranty on glasses.  They will fix scratched or broken glasses until kids outgrow their glasses or the prescription.  VERY IMPORTANT: Only buy frames that are free with the deal or you'll pay way more than you expected.
7: Reduce Your Water Bill.

• Save a 1/2 gallon of water every time you flush with this diy toilet water device from Instructables.com.
• Tip #111 from Wateritwisely.com: when you are washing your hands, don't let the water run while you lather.  Our family took this tip another step further and used the same principle when taking a shower, referred to as a Navy Shower - a tip I learned from a classmate in Philly this summer.My plan is to post answers to money saving questions on this site.  So keep checking back if you can't make the class.

8: Free/low cost legal services.  The Dream Center (Seacoast North Charleston) offers pro bono legal assistance for residents of North Charleston and Hanahan. SC Legal Services offers free/affordable services for South Carolina's low income population.
9: Use a coupon database to help you find coupons for the foods you need.
Hotcouponworld.com is my favorite by far - find coupons by type, name, store or coupon type (insert, printable, peelie, any ,etc.)
SouthernSavers.com added a coupon database to their list of services.
AFullCup.com not only has a coupon database but also connects you to coupon fanatics in your area!
10: Reduce your energy bill
Insulate your water heater and then turn off the water heater's power at the main breaker.  The water will stay heated sometimes for days without drawing power.

BONUS TIP

11: Stop buying clothes and shoes from the mall.  Buy stylish and well made clothing from thrift or consignments stores.  Goodwill has to be our personal favorite.  They even offer a loyalty card.  Once you earn 250 points, you get an extra 25% off your next purchase. Donate to Goodwill and earn 10% off your next purchase. On Wednesdays, seniors and the military get additional discounts. The savings never seem to end.