Monday, April 25, 2011

Happy Easter

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter!  We had a really lovely day.  I had to work, but the sun finally came out and it was a beautiful day! 

NOW, be sure to check out those AFTER EASTER CLEARANCE DEALS!!!!  All the stores are having deals right now, to clear out thier easter stock.  Go and get your stuff for next year at 50% off.  You can get an egg dying kit,  toys or treats for next years baskets (don't get chocolate that will melt, or anything that will get stale)  toys, and decor at half off!!!   

Hurry! don't wait too long because alot of it will disappear.  They will  cut the discount to 75% and 90%, but by then, there may not be much left. 

Monday, April 18, 2011

Another Swagbucks update...

I can't stop raving about swagbucks!!  Sorry! LOL    But once I tell you this, you'll know why!

What is swagbucks??  click the label on the side that says Swagbucks, or click my swidget to find out more.   Basically, I get  paid to search the web,  play games, and use my coupons.   Is that all bad?? HECK NO.  I get paid in Swagbucks, that I turn into Amazon Gift Cards, and buy FREE groceries,  Christmas gifts, Birthday gifts and more.

So check this out,   some  recent pictures of items I've been credited for:




On their site, under Earn, there a link for coupons.  This link takes you to Coupons.com, and you can print any coupon you want.  Once your print and redeem that coupon, you get credit with swagbucks.  We all know I use alot of coupons, I earned 130 sb in one trip!    This could NOT be easier.  See how many swagbucks I have on my Swidget?  I only need 450 to get a Amazon Gift Card.  It does not take long to earn at all, as long as you are printing coupons, searching, and getting referrals.   Last year I shopped for free on Amazon for my kids Christmas presents.  Please check it out!!  Click  HERE to join,  or click the swidget.  Its not hard at all, if I can do this, then you can to.  If it wasn't legit, I wouldn't promote at all, I don't do anything that is going to waste my time.

Don't wait!  Do it now!

Do you Groupon?

Does anyone who reads here, do Groupon??

If you don't know what it is, Let me tell you.  Its a site where you can buy packages to local business for half price.  For instance, today's Groupon in my area is  $5 for a $12 worth of donuts from the Donut Factory.

I'm not anywhere close to the Donut Factory, so I probably won't take advantage of this one.   However, I've seen some other really great deals here, for instance a family membership to the Pequot Indian Museum for $30!  And then there are the national groupons  that let you buy a $50 GC to GAP for $25.

This is a referral program, so for each member that purchases thier first groupon after I have referred them,  I get $10 to be used on thier site toward groupons.   If you think you are interested, please use THIS link to sign up so I get the credit.  

If you don't like what you see for your city, check cities in other areas close to you.  I like to check Providence, since we are only 40 minutes from there.  Sometimes there are some good deals that I can get for area restaurants  and its well worth it.  Or if you are going on a vacation, see if there are groupons for the cities that you are visiting to help cut costs.

Check it out and let me know what you think.


Friday, April 15, 2011

$10 off at Kohl's



Are  you on Kohl's email list??? If you aren't please sign up!! I just got a $10 off coupon sent to my inbox.  If you get thier emails check and see if you got one too!!    There was a pair of earrings I saw there a while ago, I'm going to go back and see if they still have them, so I can get them FREE.   I love FREE!! LOL

Tips for the Aspiring Extreme Couponer

Instant Bargains: 600+ Ways to Shrink Your Grocery Bills and Eat Well for Less




I've been getting alot of questions from readers and friends about extreme couponing, especially since the show has begun airing in a regular time slot.   I get asked, 'Is that how you do it?', 'What are your favorite sites?' and 'Teach me to coupon please!'  Lets start at the beginning.....

Couponers first commandment, "Thou shall not pay retail"   Remember that!

Also remember, its not about what you get for free, or the dollar amount that you spend at the store, its about how much you can SAVED off the bill.   I don't ever get out of the store for free, ever, even with coupons.  I always have to buy produce and meat, and there are no coupons for that.  The store I shop at doesn't do overages,  so  I can't apply any extra savings toward items that don't have coupons.   However, I routinely save around 70% off my bill every week.  And there are weeks I don't even have to shop because I have enough on hand to last me for a few weeks, or until the next sale.  

 One thing to keep in mind is that if you want to become an extreme couponer, you'll have to do a little bit of work.  Its not going to just start out that you'll just clip some coupons, get a bunch of stuff for free and be done with it.  Lets remember the old saying, "you have to spend money to make money", that's true here too. The first time you'll spend money is to buy the paper.  Its suggested that you buy a paper for every member in your family, that's up to you. I don't do that.  Also, the coupons are free in the Sunday paper, however every good couponer knows that you never take the inserts out of unpaid for papers, that's stealing.  Don't do it.  How would you like to be the next couponer to come and buy a paper and the coupons are missing?



One thing any good couponer knows is to always have a good stockpile.  This helps with spending less at the grocery store, because if you already have a good supply of an item, there is no need to buy more, esp if its full price and you have no coupon for it.  Shop in cycles, shop according to the sales.  Shop to replenish your stockpile, NOT for stuff you need.  You will see the savings in your stockpile, not what you spend at the store.  If  the store is selling cereal for 1.99, and you have the .75 coupon that doubles, you pay .49 for a box of cereal.  If you have 6 coupons, use all 6.  Put the cereal in your stockpile, so you aren't rushing out to buy cereal every week.

Toothpaste is an item that is always pennies or free.   When the Colgate coupons come out, I save them until  the store runs their sale where the Colgate is less than $1 and  I buy as many as I can for free.

Other items that I routinely get for pennies or cheap and stock up on are Bread, ketchup, mustard, relish,  salad dressing, bbq sauces, coffee creamers,  Peanut butter and Jelly,  and tuna.    I keep a large freezer in my basement and in it I have chicken I buy when its less than 1.99 lb,  pork that I buy for less than 1.79lb, and ground turkey that I was able to get at .99lb.   (Among other things! LOL  I have a healthy supply of ice creams too that I was able to grab at .99 each! Plus my bread and rolls I always buy off the reduced bakery rack and freeze till I need it).  I've even hit some great sales on coffee and I'm able to get my favorite brands, Maxwell House or Folgers for around $1 for the 1lb can.

Here is another question I get alot:  Where to all those people on TV get all their coupons???  Answer:  They buy them.  A hidden cost that is not told to you. And lets be clear, buying coupons is NOT legal.  Coupons have no monetary value.  So what they ARE doing is paying for the time spent clipping, the supplies and postage.   Add that cost into the final grocery bill  and its not  $10, its $310.    Its still a savings compared to the retail value of all the product, which is generally way more than that.  Have I ever bought coupons?? Once, I bought some from ebay.  I did a random envie and was pretty disappointed.  SO I've never done it again.  But, honestly, I'm not that type of couponer.  I enjoy the savings, I get what I can get, I stockpile,  and that's about it.

So that brings up the next question:  I always seem to have a bunch of coupons, where do I get them all??  I have good friends and family that actually save them for me.  If they are just going to throw them out anyway, they give them to me.   I'm on 2 coupon trains through mommysavers and have gotten a few that way too.  And finally, I have 2 computers in the house I can print off of.  When I've printed my limit off one computer, I move to the other one and print off that one.   I can usually get 4 coupons, as opposed to 2.

I know this seems like alot of information, so here is my top tip.... Just take it slow.  You can't just clip 100 coupons and go to the store and think you'll walk out for free.  You are just gonna stress yourself out.   So what I like to tell people is, don't overwhelm yourself.  Just start out slow, clip a few coupons for items you know you will use, and try to match them up to a sale.  Once you get the hang of it, you can start to clip more and save more.   

In another post, I'll discuss doubling and coupon rules,  but I think I've covered what I can for now.    Please comment and let me know this was helpful, or you need more info!! I'll  do the best I can at answering any questions you might have!  Couponing is not hard once you get the hang of it.

I need more followers!

Good Morning and Happy Friday! 

Have you shared my blog with your friends??  I intend on doing some more over here. Eventually, I'll be working on some coupon match ups for ya, and try to link deals.

But I need to know that you all want to see this!  Right now I pretty much do this blog for myself,  just a bit of my ramblings on occassion.   However, being the resident 'coupon queen', I've been getting alot of questions on couponing and getting stuff free or cheap.  I hope to share more of that with you.

When I reach 25 followers, I'll have a giveaway.   When I reach 50 followers, I'll have another giveaway. But I can't tell you until I reach 25 followers, so if you want to know what it is, you have to follow!  And get your friends to follow!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Tips for the online shopper

Today I'm letting my friend Michele take the reins. She does a great job at shopping online so I asked her to go ahead and put something together for a guest blog post. Please comment and let her know you liked it. Enjoy!!!

Hello. Let me introduce myself. My name is Michele and I've been friends with Melissa ever since our sons were 3 years old. During that time I've been incredibly inspired by Melissa to learn about couponing in order to save on my once ridiculous grocery bill. Up until January of this year I was easily spending over $220 a week for a family of four. This seemed absurdly high and after talking to Melissa and reading her blog I realized how I could save money. (Couponing, doubling coupons, shopping the sales etc). I have saved approximately $380.00 a month since then by using Melissa's methods. This is significant!

In talking to Melissa almost daily I told her that she may be the queen of coupons but I have a serious knack for shopping online and finding online promotions, free shipping, stacking coupons and other wonderful things. She suggested I be her guest blogger so I could share how to find great bargains online and never pay full price.

The first thing I would suggest to you is to set up a 'spam' email account. This is an account where you can register for coupons, newsletters, and emails and not have to worry about if other spam comes your way. It's sort of your junk email account but you can still manage it. I use Yahoo and I'm able to filter out a lot of the other junk that ends up in there.

The main thing I buy online these days are children's clothes. I get emails from Carters, Osh Kosh, Gymboree and Lands End among others. These inform me of upcoming sales and Carters and Osh Kosh typically email me 20% coupons several times a year. Once I have these coupons is when I'll start surfing their websites for the sales. I just got a Lands End Bomber Coat from $65 for $19. I also got another jacket from $45 to $12. By shopping the sales and clearance with coupons just like Melissa does with grocery shopping, you can save a mint.

But what happens if you don't have an online coupon or promotion code? Simply surf the net for one. (Note of caution - be careful what sites you click on. Yahoo's browser tells me what sites are safe before I click on the link.) The following sites are legit and are where I find the majority of my promotional coupons:


http://www.couponcabin.com

http://www.retailmenot.com/ (Just featured in a Consumer Reports type magazine as a great web site for coupon codes)

http://www.couponmountain.com/


http://www.couponalbum.com/

You can also search for things like "Kohls Coupon" and see what comes up. My rule of thumb would be, if you don't find what you are looking for on the first page of your web search, it doesn't exist at this time. The further you go into your search pages, the more junk sites you'll find.

The best way to get an online deal is to meet their free shipping requirement. Amazon, I'd have to say, is the best for this. I do about 85% of my Christmas shopping through Amazon. When you surf Amazon for let's say "Blue sandals size 9" make sure you check off the "Free Super Savings Shipping" option on the middle left of the page in your search options. This will bring up all the items that will ship for free if you reach $25.00. By combining items you'll save tremendously.

I was in Target the other day with a book in my hand, it said "buy 2, get 1 free". I almost did it. Instead I came home and found the same book for $6.00 that Target had for $14.00. My son wants this Thomas the Train DVD for Easter. I found that too for about $3.00 less than Walmart and ordered that. Plus you don't pay state sales tax which between the Free Super Shipping Savings, their low prices and no tax makes Amazon the place to beat. You will be hard pressed to find prices lower than Amazon on pretty much anything from toys, shoes, books to household goods. Books are cheaper here than Waldenbooks, Borders and Barnes and Noble - up to about $3.00 at least. I use Amazon as a price comparison constantly when shopping online, also. If I can get it cheaper than Amazon, it's a GREAT deal.

Now a word on why Kohl's is not the big deal maker they promote themselves to be. Yes, I shop Kohls, yes I have a credit card and yes I love their 30% off coupon. However, they are famous for having ALL their stock ALWAYS 50% off, 65% off, buy one get one half price. Their shirts are listed for $44. But lo and behold how lucky are you because the day you happen to be in the store that shirt is now only $20 (normally priced!). Don't get sucked into Kohl's marketing ploy. Shop wisely and pay off your card quickly as their interest rates are crazy - even if you do have great credit. Also, watch out for their big "All toys 50% off" sales.

At Christmas I was happy to see this and got online to see what I could find. I found the Batman Imaginext toy on sale from $79 to $39.50 Wow.. that's a great price! Right? WRONG. I got that same item, regularly priced, at Toys R Us 6 months previously for somewhere around $35-$39. When I went to Amazon I saw that that toy was NEVER listed for $78 anywhere. Toys R Us same thing - they had it for the REAL price which was $39. Kohls jacked up the price of their toys and then told you there was 50% off to get you in there but the price of the toys was then regularly priced after that. Truthfully I think they should be reported to the CT Attorney General for this kind of practice - but that's another story! Again - ALWAYS do your homework on the item first to determine if it really is a great deal. Kohl's is sneaky so pay attention. Plus - remember anything over $25 ships free from Amazon..so if it's cheaper there - go for it!

The second worse place to shop online is Sears. They just revamped their website and when you search for items you come up with 1,595 of them. Whoa! Sears has that many washing machines? Answer is no they don't. They are featuring products FROM OTHER WEB SITES on their main search. Be very careful about this. If you are expecting a great warranty from Sears you want to do a store pick up, or want to use their credit cards, you have to make sure you actually BOUGHT it from Sears. You can select at the top to "Search Sears only" but I still find the site cumbersome, the deals aren't great and it's my least favorite place to even look for deals.

Back to a couple of fun sites: www.slickdeals.com and www.woot.com. Slick Deals users post where to find some of the day's best deals. That's how I found out about Lands Ends clearance sale and the code to take an additional 20% off. Some of the deals are 'lightening deals' and you'll see a little flame next to it. This means hop on it fast because it won't last. I check this site several times a day. You never know what will turn up.

Woot is a web site that posts one daily deal at a reduced price. You do have to sign up to be a member in order to purchase anything. I got a handheld steam cleaner machine for half off what it was in Target. Deals ship for a flat rate of $5. They also have 'sister sites' of Wine Woot and Kids Woot. However, the BIG however, is always double check prices against Amazon, Best Buy etc on anything electronic. Sometimes you can get a new item, not refurbished for only a few bucks more with a better warranty. Not all the 'deals' on Woot are fantastic deals. Several times a month they have a "Woot Off" where they sell a bunch of items, one at a time, until they sell out. That's always fun to see what they are offering next. Don't be hasty on Woot though, compare notes, read reviews and make sure you are getting what you think and it's the latest and greatest model, has company warranties, etc.

Famous Footwear is another great place for great online shoe bargains, as is DSW. I was able to stack several coupons at DSW, plus my rewards points, plus free shipping code and I got two pairs of shoes that would have cost me $229 for $45 shipped. Shoes I wouldn't have bought otherwise because they were ridiculously expensive. At Famous Footwear I got the buy one get one 1/2 off and was able to stack a 20% coupon I found online and $5 off. THESE are the types of deals that you can only do online because you wouldn't have the printed coupons at hand. Sign up for DSW Rewards online and you'll be notified of sales and start earning points towards credit off. Same as Famous Footwear.

Not every place will let you stack the coupons. Sometimes you have to opt for free shipping vs. 20% off. Just do the math and figure out what coupon gets you the best deal. Always aim to reach the free shipping limit when possible. Land's End was just offering free shipping, no minimum. That's awesome! If you use a 20% coupon there on clearance, you made out!

A note on shipping charges. No one wants to pay shipping charges. It seems like a frivolous waste of my money to do so. BUT, with the gas prices being the way they are, with the big mall being 35 minutes from me, Carters is 50 minutes away, with my truck getting 16mpg, sometimes it DOES make sense to ship your item and you DO save money. What I save on time and gas and aggravation to drag my 3 yr old to every store is worth it for a $6 shipping fee. It would cost me more in gas to get there at almost $4 a gallon. Weigh it out and you may find that some of the shipping fees are quite worth it! Some sites will also do a free ship to store option for you. That is definitely worth it if you find great online promotional codes that you wouldn't have been able to use in store.

Which brings me in summary to: When you order online always double check the return policy. Some places will offer free return shipping. Some places will allow you to return items to the store like Gymboree and JC Penney. Also know, just FYI, that Gymboree, Osh Kosh, Old Navy and Carter's clothes tend to run big for kids sized 4 and up. I've had to return a few things here and there and exchange for the size smaller even though their measuring chart read correctly.

I hope these ideas help you to shop online and find bargains. I can honestly say I never pay full price when I shop online and always find a promotional code to reduce my purchase! Good luck!

Thanks Michele!!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

My opinion of Extreme Couponing


Since Extreme Couponing has aired and now become a regular series, I have alot of folks asking me many questions about the show.  The reactions have been mixed, some good, some.... not so good.   As always, this show portrays people to be crazy, hoarders with a shopping addiction, and in the case of MOST coupon users, this could not be farther from the truth.



I am the first to admit that some of these people are NUTS.  The very first person profiled was just crazy.  She bought somewhere around 200 candy bars because they were free after coupon.  To me, that was pointless, ridiculous.  Even if she planned to donate them, where on earth did she plan to donate them too? Unless she was putting them away for Halloween, which is fine, but of course the show isn't going to tell you that.    The other part that bothered me about her was the fact that she took out insurance on her stockpile, so the money that she was saving by shopping coupons and sales, was being spent on insurance.  Sorry, ridiculous.

The next person I'd like to address is 'Mr. Coupon', as he is affectionately know as on his website,
http://www.weusecoupons.com/.   While his stash was very cool, it was not realistic.  What store is going to let you take 1100 boxes of cereal out the door??   Another question is, what store actually HAS 1100 boxes for you to take out the door??   So while his trip was awesome, it was not for the average person who walked into a Kroger today to accomplish.    And while we are on the subject of Mr. Coupon, the show also did not tell you that the majority of his haul was donated to charity.  If you read that site and his postings about his appearance on the show, he explains how much he donated and to whom.   The other person I know featured on that show, The Krazy Coupon Lady, also donated much of her haul to charity as well.  She posted the video on youtube, click HERE to view it.

Lets move on to last weeks episode. There were 2 ladies that were profiled.  Again, I feel this was an unrealistic presentation of the average 'extreme' couponer.  Lets start with Tiffany, the second woman profiled.  Again, this is not realistic.  She has 7 kids so yes she has to be on her game, but as a mom, I just don't have the time and space to do what she does.  She had stuff stockpiled in her kids closets, under their beds,  and where ever else she could find room.  I'm all for a good deal, but I just don't want a stockpile taking over my house.    Again, I think she donated quite a bit of what she purchased, but of course the show will not tell you that.  Its not 'sensational' enough.  As we all know, TLC goes for the shock value in their programming.

Which brings me to my final person to discuss.   This goes under the category of 'do not try this at home kids!'.   J'aime Kirlew made her way onto the show, as the 'Diva of coupons' with her own website and facebook page.  She got ridiculous with the stuff she was buying, most notably, purchasing a large quantity of mustard, (63 to be exact), while her husband stood on the side of her and said "I don't even LIKE mustard...."  She defiantly struck a nerve with people, as she cleared the shelves of everything she wanted, and stuff she didn't. When she was cashing out, the register locked up because the transaction was so high, so the manager came and did manual overrides on each coupon to get the bill lower so the transaction could continue.    Later on down the line, it was revealed that she may have used fraud to purchase items for the show during her trip that day.   She used coupons the wrong way, buying items that the coupons were not intended for,  and buying the wrong item size than indicated on the coupon.   The coupons that were overridden by the manger, were all beeping, and not allowed through, thus the override.  (Could it be because they were fraudulent?)     Blogger Jill Cataldo broke the story last week, and blogged about her findings on her site. 

Was coupon fraud shown on TLC's Extreme Couponing? 

So lets get real.  Lets break this down for  'real' people.  Most of us do not need to go in a store and purchase 63 bottles of mustard, and most of us do not have the space to stock toilet paper under our kids beds.  Did you also notice that most of the stuff they showed was nothing 'good'??  A common misconception about coupons, is that  you can never get anything good or healthy for you, its all junk.  This show just showed the stereotype plain and simple. 

 

Stocking up for several months is smart, stocking up in case the bomb falls and you'll never see another sheet of toilet paper is dumb.      Whats my opinion of this show?  I think is inspiring, but I also think its sensational.  Lets face it, the couponing I do would never get me on that show.  One day I'll take pictures of my stockpile  and you'll see I stock up for the next few months, maybe 6 weeks out ahead, not 6 years.  I'd like to see this show redone, with out all the sensationalism, and the shock and awe of it.  I'd like to see a regular person go into a store with $25, and a book full of coupons, then  shop for 2 weeks with only that.  Can it be done????   It probably could!    Now based on this show, and what 'real' people do, would you call yourself an Extreme Couponer??   I do impress the people in line behind me, and the cashier when I cash out and that's enough shock and awe for me.  I guess I am an 'Extreme Couponer'. 

 

 

Monday, April 4, 2011

Stacking coupons at Target



This is a tutorial post as I've had a few folks tell me lately they didn't know you could do this.  Yes, you can use 2 coupons for the same item at Target!


In fact, you can do this at pretty much any store, as long as 1 of the coupons is a Store coupon, and the other is a Manufacturer coupon.  A store coupon will say across the top 'Target Store Coupon', or whichever store.  A Manufacturer coupon will clearly say, usually across the top, 'Manufacturer coupon' next to the expiration date.  As long as you are shopping in that specific store, you can use  both coupons on 1 item.   'Stacking' coupons like this is extra savings, especially for a store that does not double coupons.   When I shop at Target, I try to stack as many coupons as possible.

Case in point, quite often Target issues thier own coupons in your sunday inserts.  I've gotten Charmin, Bounty, and Tide.  I took these coupons down to Target, combined them with my MC, and saved upwards of $2-3 per item, as opposed to just a simple $1 savings.

For the current list of printable coupons at Target.com, click HERE.   

Try it out for yourself and tell me how you do!

New coupons!

April is here and your favorite coupons have reset!  Make sure you print what you want but remember you will probably have a print limit of 2 or 3, rarely do they let your print unlimited. 


Here are some good ones to check out for this month!

On Shortcuts.com, there is a $1 off 1 Toaster Strudels!   Major score, way better than .50 off 2.

On Coupons.com, there is a BoGo (Buy one get one) Poweraide.  This week Poweraides are  sale at Shoprite this week for .88, a Bogo makes them .44 each!!  I was able to print 2,  Gonna see if I can get 2 more off our other computer.

There is also a .75 off 1 Kraft Singles, if your store doubles, that's 1.50 off 1!!  HUGE.  Pair it with a good deal and save BIG.

You will also want to print the .35 off 1 goldfish,  the .30 off 1 French's mustard,  (only .99 right now at Shoprite, doubled your final cost is .39) , and the $1 off of Ritz munchables.



At coupons.com, check zip code 80033 for a $1 off Any Blue Bunny Quart Ice cream.  The last time my store had these for 1.99, I was able to get them for .99!   We bought 6 of them. LOL!

And finally, if you have a kitty, there is a BoGo on Friskies cans!  My kitties loves me forever when I buy them canned food.  My husband calls them drugs for kitties. LOL   They go nuts as soon as they hear the top pop off!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Dressing up your frugal meals

Whats the most frugal meal you serve??   Do you ever think its a bit boring and perhaps there are other ways to serve it a bit more dressed up? 

One of the most frugal meals I serve, is my version of American Chop suey, which is basically pasta with meat sauce.   I remember my mom making this a kid, and it was always my favorite.  To this day, its my 'go to' meal, its cheap, its easy, and everyone likes it.   So basically, I cook off a box of pasta and drain, (any kind), brown up some gound meat (ground beef, or turkey), drain it,  and add a jar of sauce to it.   Then I just serve the meat sauce over the pasta, viola!  A meal thats filling and cheap.  Add a side of veggies to stretch it out, and make it more filling, and healthy. 

Lately, I've been watching the sales at Shoprite on thier frozen Raviolis.  With coupons I can get them really cheap, or even free. 2 small bags  is plenty for my family.What a nice change from plain old pasta    I've also been watching the deals at Walmart, on thier reduced bakery rack.   I found an already made loaf of garlic bread for around a dollar, that I tossed in my freezer to use when I need to.   

SO My dressed up 'go to' meal for my family tonight was:
Mama Rosie's cheese raviolis (total cost $1 for 2 bags after coupons)
Meat sauce (3/4 browned ground turkey around $2, and a jar of sauce was .99)
Green Giant Frozen Broccoli (I got for FREE today after coupons)
1/4 of the Garlic Bread loaf, (about .30)
Total cost of my Italian dinner: about $4.30. 


So switch it up once and a while!  Dress up a meal when you can.  Just changing out ravioli for the plain pasta was a huge difference and still cost about the same as a box of pasta.  

I guess common sense and humility has left the building.

Wow, what a interesting day.   I can't believe a few of the things I witnessed  today, it really makes me cringe about the way people act in public.

I'll start at the beginning.  I started the day out good, I was able to score tickets  to see a certain Disney star that my girls will just die when they actually find out about it.  I'm really excited to tell them, trying to think of a great way to tell them so they will be surprised, maybe wave my 'Wizard wand' and make them just appear? LOL

After that, I went and picked up my friend for our weekly grocery shopping trip, we always go to Shoprite  together, find the deals, share our coupons, and have a good time.   The first thing that happens is when we get out of our vehicle, there is a woman leaving the store, and it appeared she was yelling across the parking lot.  She's screaming, "I'm so F-ing Mad!........ At my mom!!!...... Cuz she's a B***H!....... I don't know... It's just Fed up!...."  Then I realize she has a blue tooth and she's actually on her phone, shouting for all of Eastern Connecticut to hear.  I yelled loudly, "UH REALLY?"  Thank Goodness it was a school day and there weren't any impressionable ears around to  hear this garbage.  

I had a great shopping trip, aside from all the rude people up and down the isles.  There was actually one lady that knocked a few things off the shelf and instead of reaching down to pick them up, she just kicked them  away from her.   Wow.  I was standing right there, if she needed help bending down I would have helped her.  Instead, I just went behind her and picked up the items and put them on a shelf.   She had a FULL cart of stuff, and said to her companion "Do you want a bag of chips or something for yourself?" He in turn announced loudly, "NO!  I don't want anything, I want to leave!"   Wowwwwww.

So then I cashed out.  I actually made out really well.  I had $9 in dollar days certificates, plus a $2 cat to use on my final order, that was a total of $11 off my final order.  I also had a BOGO on Pretzel Crisps,  and get a free hummus with  the purchase of 2, so for 2.49 I got 2 bags of pretzel crisps and a hummus.   I got a free cereal container with the purchase of 3 cereals, AND a free gallon of milk.  Cereals were marked down to 1.99 and of course I had coupons for all of them, that was a great deal.   I got 4 cans of Starkist tuna, and only paid for 2 of them after coupons.   Green Giant box veggies were marked down to .99, I got 2 of them free after coupons and I paid .66 each for the following 6 after coupons.  Dove Ice cream bars were .99 each after coupons.  I had some other misc coupons, for a great trip.  I only spent $57 after saving over $97 or so.  I watched my bill go down from $117 to $57 after store sales and coupons.   One of my best trips.  

As I'm leaving, I decided to use my free milk cat, and decided all the other lines were long, so I went to the self checkout, and of course, my coupon got stuck. Ugh.  As the kid is helping me getting it straight, and we wait for the manager. I hear someone yelling  across the store, it was a teenage girl yelling at her mother.  I can't even remember exactly what she was yelling, but yes, of course, there were obscenities  included in her rant.  MY GOD.  The kid working looks at me and says, 'Wow, what a mouth on that one!'.  He must see it all working there. Especially on the first of the month, when all the folks who get their checks go shopping.   That makes 2 people with no  courtesy for anyone around them.

On the way home we decided to stop at Panera, as I was really having a craving for their clam chowder, its a cold rainy day and that is like a comfort food to me.  I'm remember that I went in last week on Thursday to get it, and they told me they only have it on Fridays. Well today is Friday!  Imagine my dismay when I walk in and don't see it on the menu!!!  I told the girl, "I was dying for a cup of clam chowder, but I don't see it!!!" She said she was sorry, someone dropped the wrong soup today and so they had to have that one instead.  I said to her "I'm not happy!" (I was joking with her).  I ended up with French onion.  Not what I wanted, but it was still good.  And add to that their Panera rewards thing isn't working today, so I couldn't claim my free whatever it was today either.  I think it was an espresso or something.  Could have used that. LOL  

As I'm walking out of Panera, my phone rings and its my husband, telling me there was a phone call on the answering machine from the middle school principal, he had my daughter in his office.  Something about a cell phone in school??  UH, she doesn't HAVE a cell phone!  So I called him back and he told me she got caught in the bathroom with a bunch of other girls, watching videos on her camera phone, and phones were against school policy.  I assured him it was NOT a cell phone, she doesn't have one, it was simply a digi cam that had a video option on it.   He said he would send it home with her, and I promised him she wouldn't bring it to school again, blah blah blah.   (I didn't know cameras weren't allowed in school?? Phones I get, but a camera?)  She had to sit in his office, get a lecture, and another one when she got home.  I was thoroughly mortified, as this is my 'good' child. I would have never ever expected a phone call home about her.  Sam sure, Cameron, yes that's a given. But not Meghan.  She's such a goody goody! LOL  A play by the rules kind of girl, she'd never be the one to warrant a phone call home. 

One the way home, we stopped at the gas station that was giving away free coffee today, so  we stopped for it.  That made my day so much better, and was certainly a high light.  And my friend doesn't drink coffee, so she gave me hers.   I have great friends.

So there ya have it, Great, weird, bad, and free all rolled into 1 day!  What a strange day! LOL