Do you find yourself with questions about couponing? About getting out of debt? About the details of it all? How to get organized? Stay organized? How about saving money in areas that Pocket Your Dollars doesn’t usually cover? If you’re honest I bet you’ve asked yourself at least one question in those areas.
This Open Mic post is a chance to ask that question in a money-saving community where others are full of vigor, creativity, and great ideas to help you in your journey to financial freedom. While you’re here, please read through the comments and throw your two cents into the mix for the benefit of others.
Your turn: Ask your questions or leave your thoughts in a comment. For those that read this email in a blog reader or through email, just click on the title “Open Mic 10/29/09″ and you’ll come to the website where you can join in (and no registration is required!)
I am wondering about freezing things (cheap produce, meals, etc.)-what containers have you found that work well? What things freeze well and what things are not worth freezing?
I’ll start this one out –
For those wanting to compare their spending and savings habits.
We are family of 3 people with cats and a dog, so this info reflects groceries, pet needs, health & beauty, etc. etc.
We shop at Target, Cub, Rainbow, and occasionally at Walgreens, CVS, Walmart.
Our receipts for all of these stores in 2009 is an average $231 per month.
Total $6,091 – $3,783 savings = $2,307 paid for average savings of 62% over 10 months
Probably more than this since we buy a lot of clearance and sale items at Target but those savings aren’t reflected because it does not show up on receipts.
Anyone else care to share how much they spend and/or save on groceries?
Katy – I bought the book “The Freezer Cooking Manual” off the 30 Day Gourmet website:
http://www.30daygourmet.com/
It gives lots of freezer recipes, but the part I enjoy most is that it tells you what foods freeze well (a LOT more than what you would think), how to freeze, containers to use, methods, how to store them, what foods you can pre-cook, leave uncooked, etc.
After reading the book I feel so empowered to freeze veggies, meals, etc. without destroying them! I think the book is about $15, and it’s been a great investment for me. If you buy the book it also gives you a code or something to access a lot more information on the website. If you buy more than one they’re cheaper (think Christmas gifts maybe?)
I have not tallied up my grocery/household expenses for the year, but I do have a weekly budget. We are a family 2-3 (depending on whether my sister is with us which is dependent on her school calendar) with two cats and our budget is $40/week for two, $60/week for three. This is an average (if I’m a few dollars over, I’m not hard on myself because some weeks are significantly under). I reduce the stockpiling portion of my shopping lists when my anticipated shopping totals exceed my budget.
I bought some of the Kerr freezing jars which worked great for freezing homemade salsa. We also freeze a lot of veggies from our garden in freezer bags after they’ve been prepped. I don’t have a vacuum seal, but I do use a straw to suck out the extra air! I’m also a big fan of freezing cheese and meats. With the meat, we usually wrap in packs of 2-3 in tinfoil then put in a larger bag to stay organized and keep track of what’s what.
I like that Carrie has a page with her maximum prices…I’ve used it as a guide to try and keep my spending as low as possible, but the list isn’t exhaustive. Would you please share additional maximum prices that you live by? For example dry cat and dog food, kleenex, ziploc bags, frozen pizzas, milk, juice, ground beef, pork chops, ect. Thanks! :)
FYI – the rainbow foods in robbinsdale, mn has the Reynolds Vacuum seal battery-operated with 3 bags at 50% discount -so $4.xx something after discount – there are also $2 off coupon available from awhile back that expire 12/31/09. We use this for freezing and it works great.
I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to keep all these coupons, rebates and receipts organized! What has worked best for you?
Where is the page on here that lists max prices to pay for things? i can’t find it. Thanks!
Carrie max prices here
http://www.pocketyourdollars.com/2009/09/rock-bottom-prices/
I have found that some rural area grocery stores run some fabulous sales on ground beef at different times of the year. This summer I purchased 15 pounds of 81% lean gr beef at $1.49 a pound-no limit on amount purchased. 2 weeks ago they had 93% lean gr beef for %1.99 a pound-no limit, so I purchased 12lbs.
Carrie, I’ll second Susie: it has helped me *immensely* to see what you are willing to pay on items, or what your guidelines of “good” pricing are. I’d love to see a post that is linked in the Tips & Tricks section, that keeps a running list of common items and at what pricepoint you are willing to buy.
I also wanted to say that I reorganized my coupons this week, into a sterlite flip-top locking lid tote that I found at a garage sale this summer. I’d been using a pocket coupon organizer that was bursting its seams, and some of the categories, like “personal care” were unwieldy becuase there were so many coupons. So I broke those categories out into subcategories, based on what I’d read about how others do it, and I absolutely LOVE it! It’s so much easier to find coupons now – in the frozen food, I can grab the pizza envelope or the frozen meal kits, or the ice cream, and I don’t have to flip through everything! I’ve still got two categories to do but I’m so happy!!!
At Rainbow yesterday, I got a coupon for being on an “etrends” panel and getting $25 for doing a survey and downloading a cmputer program. Has anyone else received or done this?
Today on Ophra she is going to announce 50% everything at Payless ShoeSource. You can print the coupon now at:
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20091016-tows-payless
I’ve been noticing something at Cub lately. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I’m sure they used to give out the Holiday gas coupons based on the price of groceries before coupons. Lately my gas coupon has been related to the price I actually pay. For example, yesterday my bill was $120 before coupons, and I think I would have previously received a gas coupon for 12 cents off/gal. But I only paid $80 after coupons, and my gas coupon was for 8 cents off/gal. Anyone else notice this?
Has anyone seen good discounts on rental cars? We have to rent a car for a week and they are coming in at about $600. I would like to see if I can cut the price significantly.
Maureen – you didn’t give much details (like where or dates, if u need at airport, etc)
But – if you go to budget website they have an intermediate car in the specials section for $195/week – neighborhood rental (not airport) hope this helps
Thank you to the person in front of me at AV Rainbow(I think her name was BETH). I found my Kashi Cereal. It was great to see so many PYD people there Weds night. I wish I had a faithful group of women I could shop with. I clip and organize and shop alone. But I enjoy being a regular at the stores and I love having the same cashier.
Maureen – Renting a car away from an airport helps a lot. If you’re flying somewhere, it could be worth it to get a taxi to take you to another rental place away from the airport. On our recent trip, my wife and I rented our car through our Chase credit card website. They had the best deals on a car (about $200 for a week) even though their deals on airfare were awful.
I just got an e-mail from Olay for a $20 rebate if you purchase $50 worth of Professional Pro-X. Since I have a whole bunch of $10 coupons from participating in the Vocal Point Test, it’s a great deal. If anyone is brand loyal, good deal for you, too! I believe the rebate form is on their web site.
Received my $10 “Fuel for School” rebate today from Kellogg’s. Thanks, Carrie!
Maureen – I always use the Entertainment website to book car rentals through. Alamo, Avis and Budget have e-coupons that link you directly to there website. Last spring we saved $600 on a mini van in Orlando through this site.
Another tip is if you are using National or Alamo (one in the same), we book a midsize and then you can take any car out of that row – the last 2 times we got minivans for midsize pricing. A risk, but for us its worth taking.
Carrie – do you know anything about these “House Party” things – Betty Crocker has a deal where you can sign up to become a hostess for a December 5 party and receive two cookie mixes, a $15 gift card to buy ingredients, and all the paper products, etc. to host a party for 15 friends and relatives. Is this a ploy to sign on for more than I bargain for? http://www.houseparty.com/bettycrockercookiemix
Free meal on Veteran’s Day for all active or former military. Details are here: http://www.applebees.com/vetsDay/default.aspx
Maureen- Just a few weeks ago I booked a midsize rental car on Hotwire.com for $135 for the week (that included taxes, etc.) I was pleasantly surprised. I did this about 4 days before I needed it, so maybe being last-minute helped lower the price. Good luck! (also, the Entertainment book has a $10 rebate when you use the code on Hotwire)