If you’re wondering “what’s Open Mic” let me tell you. It is a post that facilitates an open discussion between readers about anything related to saving money or getting out of debt. Folks have asked questions about how to save money on home repair, on school uniforms, how-to get their spouse on board with a new approach to their finances and everything in between.
I suspect some of you are nervous about leaving a comment and feeling like the whole world will know who you are. Not so. The only thing that appears to the “whole world” when you leave a comment is your name. You do need to leave an email address, but I am the only one who sees that and I will NEVER make that public or release it to anyone else. It’s not scary to leave a comment, I promise.
All that to say, please go ahead and ask questions, share deals, share tips, and make suggestions. This post is all about you and your amazing ideas for saving money.
For these reading this in an email or RSS feed, please click on the title of the post to join the conversation or learn from the tips others share.
Your turn: What have you learned about coupons? Saving money? Getting out of debt?
I LOVE getting good deals! I live in Florida, and my grocery store, Publix, will take ANY competitor coupons. They even take CVS Extra Bucks, and other store coupons like the CVS $4 of a $20 purchase (or any store coupon like that. I’ve used KMart’s, Staples’, and Office Depot’s store coupons at Publix) You can also use the Target coupons in conjunction with the manufacturer coupon! There are so many great ways to save a lot of money, that there is no need to waste $$$ on food. Just ask your local grocery store if they accept competitor coupons. It never hurts to ask!
Wow Alison! You’re very lucky that they take such a variety of competitor coupons!! I bet you save tons of money.
For those that live in the Twin Cities, today starts the legendary THYMES WAREHOUSE SALE. If you haven’t been, it’s worth a try just for the experience, and there are incredible deals to be had. Thymes makes all sorts of fancy, incredible-smelling soaps, home frangrance stuff, bath stuff, candles, body stuff, etc. The warehouse sale is literally a giant room filled with boxes and boxes of stuff. They also usually have great items to make gifts out of, like little wire baskets, travel bags, etc. Prices vary, but I’ve gotten $20 candles for $2, and $18 hand soap for $1 in the past.
I’m not going this year – my budget just can’t afford the extra temptation, but if you are looking for something a little more fancy for a gift or something, it’s perfect. It’s also just really fun digging around and seeing what you can find.
The sale is at 1546 Fillmore St NE in Mpls (not far from 35W, The Quarry, etc.) today and tomorrow 9-5, Saturday 9-2.
Good luck and have fun!
Cath – I’ve got classes this morning but I’m going to try to go this afternoon! I adore bath type stuff and I need to get some Christmas shopping done! Thanks for the recommendation!
Other than groceries and household items, what other things do you all save money on? I’m doing great on saving on groceries (thanks to PYD), but feel like there’s still plenty more to be saved! We always use coupons when we eat out and buy all of our clothes on clearance or at least on sale (I’m a tall guy so the likelihood of finding used clothing in my size is very slim). We have been buying some larger baby items used off of Craigslist. I kind of run out of ideas there.
My neighbor and I (we live in a townhouse, so we’re attached) were trying to figure out how we could share cable and internet (which I’m guessing is against Comcast’s policies). We think we figured out how we could, but I’m debating the ethics on that one.
My Vacuum died yesterday, what is your thoughts on buying a good one and not spending tons of cash, last time I bought the Dyson, which only lasted 3 years, granted I do daycare so I use it tons, but I thought it would last longer than that. Please help, I need one tonight! Thanks
Does anyone know if the Herbal Essences offer is starting today? I checked their website but didn’t see anything about it.
Nate – I’m not sure on the cable policy, but I think it would be fine to share internet. I figure if you have a wireless connection, you can allow whomever you want to connect to it. Restaurants and businesses do it all the time. The cable sharing might be more of an ethics issue. I’ve known people who’ve done it though (but of course that doesn’t mean it’s right).
As for saving money elsewhere, I would recommend signing up for the free e-mail newsletter “Everyday Cheapskate”. She gives all sorts of tips and suggestions on how to cut costs (look in the upper right hand corner): http://www.debtproofliving.com/
I’ve also heard many people rave about the book “The Tightwad Gazette”. I’ve only thumbed through it at my sister’s place, I saw some great suggestions.
Tabby – that’s too bad! I have a friend who bought a Dyson and hers only lasted a little over a year… My parents had the same Kirby vaccuum for almost 20 years and recently upgraded to a newer model, but those are pretty spendy!!
I would check out Consumer Reports at your local library, or online if you have a membership with them.
The herbal ess offer starts at 11:30 pm eastern time 10:30 for us.
I’m wondering if any has used the $4 Quilted Northern coupon that was in the papers a couple of weeks ago. Do I need to buy both the Quilted Northern and the Bounty at the same time? Or will I get the coupon for the Bounty after I purchase the Quilted Northern?
Tabby –
We vaccuum all the time too and finally decided to invest in an Oreck. Best decision we ever made! We’ve had it for three years now and it still works like it were brand new. When you buy an Oreck it comes with a free yearly tune up. We drop ours off once a year at one of their stores (we go to the one in Maple Grove) and then pick it up in a day or two.
JAE, I haven’t used that Northern/Brawny (it’s Brawny, NOT Bounty) coupon yet, but hope to if I find a good sale on those items first before I use it. I have it here by my computer. It states $4 off Brawny Paper Towels (6 big roll or 8 regular roll) WHEN YOU BUY 12 Double roll pkg of Quilted Northern and you will get the $4 off the cost of both products together.
So ethically speaking, I think we are supposed to be buying both products, at the same time, in the sizes mentioned. Which makes it not as good of a coupon as if you could just buy one or the other, but if we f ind a good sale on both those things, it might end up a good deal.
Regarding the $4 q for Brawny they are on sale for $6.99 at Cub. There is also a q for $1 off Quilted Northern. Can I use that too since the q states $4 off Brawny? That would make it $9 for both. Not sure if that is a good deal or not?
I’ve been saving money many ways, but one way is by riding the bus to work. It’s 17 miles one way, which isn’t that far compared to many people’s commutes. But if you take into account not only gas prices, but wear and tear on your car, insurance, and even higher miles on your odometer, it adds up. To figure my savings, I use the IRS mileage rate, which last I checked about 6 months ago was 55 cents per mile. If I work an average of 20 days per month, that’s a savings of over 300.00 per month! Of course some of that savings is realized later, when your car lasts longer or you sell it with lower miles on it. I saved on car insurance too, my premiums went down when I called the car insurance company and told them I no longer drive to work.
I also find that I like riding the bus MORE than driving! Even with being tied to the times the bus comes, and especially in the winter. And, I’ve made friends on the bus too so the whole thing is a win-win :)
Kelly
Just got back from the Thymes sale and I did a good job of sticking to my budget! They do have great deals on high end lotions, candles, room sprays, soaps, etc. (most of the lotions are priced around $6 but their regular retail is well over $20) I actually just stuck with the reed diffusers. I was able to get 3 sets for $12 (and the oil is in a large bottle so you can make it last a lot longer than most of the retail reed diffusers).
In the past they have discounted stuff even more on Saturdays but I don’t know if they will do that this year or not.
Definitely a good place to pick up gifts if it is in your budget!
I used the Brawny/Northern $4 coupon yesterday at Cub and stacked it with a $1 coupon for Northern. I purchased a 12 dbl roll pack of Northern and a 8 dbl roll pack of Brawny. It averaged out to .45/roll and I try to stay under .50/roll, so I think it was a fair deal.
Be careful sharing cable with a neighbor in a townhome. My husband tried that about 25 years ago and the cable company pressed criminal charges.
Tabby – After enduring a night of a Kirby high pressure sales pitch this week (and not buying one), I too started looking for a new vacuum cleaner. I would definitely recommend checking out Consumer Reports. org. Also one of their magazines “Shop Smart” had an article this month rating vacuum cleaners. I will try to paste a link here to the Consumer Reports ratings, but I don’t know if it will work without an account.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/appliances/laundry-and-cleaning/vacuum-cleaners/upright-vacuum-cleaner-ratings/ratings-overview.htm
I didn’t get the Dove coupons in my Rainbow ad and could not see them on Red Plum, although other readers said they could find both. What’s everyone else’s experience? Does anyone know if Rainbow’s ads that are in the store have the coupons? If so, I’ll stop in and grab a copy or two before I do my shopping at Walgreens this week.
Nate, I save a lot of money shopping second hand. You’d be suprised what you can find at some of the local thrift stores — I like Unique (locations in New Hope, St. Paul, Burnsville, St. Anthony (?–by the old Apache Plaza) (maybe more locations – check the internet). Also, I like Valu Thrift (Sun Ray shopping center in St Paul). If you haven’t been to one of these stores, I’d highly recommend checking one out as they are like a department store — they sell just about everything. As a family of 4 (2 boys ages 11 & 14), myself and my husband, I buy almost all of our clothes second hand. My kids love to thrift shop because they often find some name brand (hollister, abercrombie, etc) at a fraction of the retail cost. Almost all of the thrift stores have 50% days on any ‘holiday’. Monday, Oct 12 is Columbus Day and considered a holiday, so all items will be 50% off (Unique and Valu Thrift for sure. I don’t know if Good Will participates). If you go on a holiday, be prepared for crowds! Additionally, some of the these thrift stores have NO FITTING ROOMS…so you really need to know your size or prepare in advance. For example, I always wear bike shorts under my jeans and a sleeveless tank under a sweater/shirt so I can try things on in an isle if necessary.
Tabby – I would email Dyson and explain the situation, ie what is wrong with the vacuum etc. I contact the companies ALL the time and they are usually really really good about it. You never know what they might do for you?!
Carrie, my Rainbow did have the Dove coupons in their in store ad.
Nate- annually I go thru our monthly bills and see where we can save money-I check out changing insurance policies, lowering cell phone usage, etc. This year I checked out tips from Connexus and did some them-signing up for your AC and water heater to be cycled off during peak times, changing shower heads, changing light bulbs, etc to lower our energy usage-helping the environment and my pocket!
I’m curious how much time people are investing in trying to save money….Are you spending hours surfing the web for coupons and looking through ads/blogs, etc? How much time do you spend shopping each week? Do you shop every week? Do you go to multiple stores? I ask because I go back and forth — sometimes feeling obsessed with trying to find the best deal and save the most money. But then I step back and look at the time I have invested and question if it was worth it…and did I buy things I really needed or things just because they were cheap and on sale. I’ve been following PYD which has led me to other blogs — such as the woman who spends only $800 yr on groceries/toiletries/pet food and wonder just how much time and energy it takes to accomplish that. So….with all that said, I’m not really looking for advice…I think I’ll find my balance again, I’m just curious what others are doing and their perspective of their time commitment. Thanks Carrie for this website and forum, as I, too, am passionate about helping others (and myself :-) save money.
Hello all, I’m sure you all know that Extreme Home Make over is in town. Well, I know of the family that is getting the new home. She is a cousin of a friend and I have met her before (it was just in high school, over 25 yrs ago). :-) They are conducting a food drive as well so if you need to rotate and donate from your stockpiles now would be a great time. I am going down with my kids after they get off the school bus. There are several locations and you don’t have to come to St Paul to do it. here’s a link with more info and other locations. http://www.neighb.org/extremefooddrive.aspx
I just noticed a change from Chuck E Cheese. The coupons they send me (email) specifically have my email addy on them. This is new. So I can only assume at this point that in order to get the GOOD coupons you may have to register with them. In this email is a coupon for 20 free tokens valid over Halloween weekend.
thanks Cath that Thymes sale was definetly an experience. i would never had known about it had i not saw your post. i got some gifts. there was so many people. the line to pay was 50 minutes but everyone there had a load of stuff.
My husband is a gulf war vet. What establishments offers discount for veterans?
I just wanted to say a quick thank you for this website. I only started doing this 3 days ago and last night I went out and about just to see what I could get for free/inexpensively…I went to Rainbow and used double coupons and spent $10 for $25 worth of food. I went to Walgreens and spent $3 on $12 worth of items and even made a $1 at CVS. I know that is nothing compared to what I will be able to do when I get a stockpile of coupons, but I was totally amazed and boy is my husband happy. Thanks again!
CARRIE I BET THE RAINBOW ONE’S ARE JUST THE SAME AS THE COPPS DOVE COUPONS..IF SO THEY EXPIRE THIS SATURDAY!.SO I F YOU WANT ONE YOU HAVE TO HURRY UP!I JUST WENT TO MY LOCAL COPPS AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME FOR YOU BUT THEY WERE GONE!! WELL SINCE THE SPECIALS ONLY RUN TILL YESTERDAY I GUESS THEY REMOVED THEM. NOBODY COULD TELL ME WHAT THEY DID WITH THEM AND THEY HAD LOTS! YESTERDAY..
Kim -
I’d say I’m spending about 15 minutes a day looking for deals online and printing coupons. I spend maybe 15-30 minutes each planning my visits to Rainbow, Cub, Walgreens and/or Target each week. I’d say most weeks I end up going to two of the four stores. The first couple of months I was following the deals here I felt like I needed to get every great deal out there. I’ve since discovered that, though I was buying a lot of stuff cheaply, I wasn’t really saving any money that way since the sheer volume of stuff was so high. These days, I’m not going to make a trip to a store just to get one or two free or cheap item, there needs to be several things in order for it to be worth my time. The other thing I’ve been doing over the last couple of months is picking a week where there aren’t many great deals and simply not buying anything that week from anywhere. It really helps to make sure I’m using the products that I have instead of just continually buying more and more just because it’s cheap. I consider deal finding to be my hobby as I’m having a great time doing it. Whenever I find myself stressing out about it or ceasing to feel good about the deals I’ve found, I know I’m going a little overboard.
Kim- I’ve only started this a couple of months ago, but I know what you mean about spending time doing stuff to save money. I’ve also gone back and forth, but I figure in the end it’s still worth it.
Before I think I was obsessing over ways to spend money, anyway, and now it’s fun because I get the rush of shopping without the damage to my bank account. It does take a while, but I’m lucky- I’m a SAHM, have a computer and printer at home, and I also have Target, Kmart, CVS, Walgreens and Wal-Mart within walking distance of my house. If it wasn’t so easy and convenient, I’d be much less likely to do any of it.
I also love that while I’m saving money and having some fun, I can share my spoils. Our income is not such that we get to be the ones helping others, so it’s a blast to now offer stuff to others as I save.
Tabby – go for an Oreck! We love ours! Even got a free canister vac with it! Love Love Love it!
Kim- I limit my couponing to the SS & RP inserts and All You magazines and whatever random ones I come across. I work full time and I’m also in graduate school too so I had to draw a line somewhere. I won’t save as much as others on this board but I’m okay with it. I normally spend 20 minutes on this website and CouponMom before I head to the store. And I normally will visit 2 stores a week but it really depends on the deals that week. I will occassionally stop at Target or Walgreens for one item since it’s on my way home. It can be overwhelming and time consuming at times but I think it’s worth it if you set boundaries.
Tabby – my parents bought an Oreck when I was a teenager (that was, um, a while ago!). They recently gave the Oreck to me as they wanted a new vac w/ attachments. The Oreck is pretty old (at least 10 years) and runs great. Highly recommend!
We got the top-rated Kenmore that was in Consumer Reports a few years back. It was spendy (about $180), but worth every dime as it does an amazing job and we expect it to last the rest of our life. Literally.
I really don’t know where to put this (Carrie, please put in the right area) but:
First 10,000* to respond will receive one free retail-size can of Oust® Air Sanitizer II
go to: http://www.rightathome.com/offers/200910-oust/
they call it an “Oust® Freshen-Your-Home Gift Pack” so there may be other things, but usually includes great coupons for their products.
Nate -
1. Learn to buy things at the end of season -(we usually buy at Target when 75% off)
2. Get new quotes on homeowners and car insurance at least every 2 years even if its with your current ins. company (we saved 35% on HO ins and 50% on auto ins just by calling and getting new quotes from our CURRENT INS CO)
3. Find out what offers your cable company is currently offering (TV ads or their website)Call your cable company and ask if they have any current specials you qualify for, if they say “no”, tell them about the ones you are aware of and see if they can offer it for you. – (We reduced our cable tv/internet by $50 a month AND gained free HBO for a year AND locked into a $10/mo. increase for the 2nd year) Even had an agent tell us that whenever a special expires – to call them and see what they can offer you
4. Don’t forget to look at coupons offered in your phone books (Every year we use the coupons we find in there for $9.95 oil changes – can’t beat that price)
Tabby – As for vacuums, check reviews here if you like:
http://www.consumersearch.com/vacuum-cleaners
We were looking to get back to a bagged vacuum, because we just hate the mess with dumping bagless and all the filter cleaning – just wasn’t worth it. Couldn’t decide between Eureka Boss SmartVac $150 or the Hoover Tempo Widepath $60. Got the Hoover online last week and 9 extra bags for another $8 and it does a super job for the money. Didn’t need the extra bells and whistles on the Eureka
Jae – Brawny/Northern $4 coupon – yes, ethically you should buy both products
although the coupon is coded to take $4 of Brawny
Jae -
Brawny/Northern coupon is coded to take $4 off Brawny, but yes you should buy both products
tabby –
You may want to check this review site on vacuums (bagged and bagless):
http://www.galttech.com/research/household-DIY-tools/best-upright-vacuum-cleaner.php
We were looking to go back to using a bagged vacuum. We are tired of all the hassles and dirt when emptying a bagless and upkeeping the filters. Chose the Hoover Tempo Widepath $60 over the Eureka Boss Smart-Vac $120, didn’t need the extra bells and whistles. Added 9 extra bags for $8. Got it last week and it works great for our basic needs.
I went to Coborns in Albertville yesterday. Starting Sunday they have new daily specials. Mondays they are doubling coupons up to $0.50 and you can use 10 coupons.
Today I went to Cub and I got the Brawny and Northern mega packs so I could use the $4 coupon. They were marked as being $6.99 each in the ad, but when the Brawny rang up it deducted $2.20 off the original $6.99 sale price. Not sure why; this was before she deducted my coupons. So that made it a real good deal with the $4 coupon too. I was at the Brookly Park/Zane Ave Cub>
Not sure if all the Cubs are doing this instant price lowering on the Brawny 6 packs.
Nate –
Other ideas:
1. Buy items at the end of the season when they are heavily discounted. (We buy at Target when items are 50%-75% off)
2. Get new quotes on homeowners and auto insurance at least every two years even if its with your current insurance company. (We did this and saved 36% on homeowners and $50% on auto ins and this was with our current ins co. They said it was due to credit score, but I feel they just give you a better deal as if you were a “new” customer with them)
3. Become knwledgeable of “specials” that are available for your cable/internet by watching their TV ads and/or websites. Then call the cable company and ask what specials are available for you. If they do not offer something similar tell them the “special” you heard of and ask if they can offer it to you. (we did this and lowered our cable/internet by $50 per month PLUS got free HBO for 1 year PLUS locked into a second year with only a $10/mo. increase.) The agent recommended that anytime you have a current special that is expiring to call them back and see if they can offer you a current special to take advantage of.
4. Don’t forget to look at the coupon section available in your telephone books. (Every year we take advantage of the coupon for $9.95 oil change at a local service station) Can’t beat that price. There are others for restaurants, construction, labor, etc.
Hope some of this helps you or someone else
Cheap Date Nights, which includes free salsa dancing with no cover charge at Cantina #1 at MOA and cheap appetizers. My family does not drink, but they have specials for that as well. I have attached the link to their site here ://www.cantina1.com/
Jennifer do you know if this is all Coborn locations? Thanks
Sorry for the double posts – maybe Carrie can delete
Sometimes there is a real delay in posts appearing.
Has anyone else noticed that at times you can read these comments.
Then come back later or the next day to try and see new comments – and you expect them to be at the end – but instead you find new comments mixed in throughout the others you already read? And then sometimes comments just don’t flow right
JC – The deal with the comments is that some get held for moderation and they wait for me to finish a meeting, be done with my kids or whatever else has taken me from the computer. Then I approve them and they go into the mix at the time they were submitted, not when they were approved. Annoying. I am working to get something set-up so you can have new comments emailed to you if you want, but you can opt-out if you don’t want that too. Wish me well in that venture :)
Kim, we have the same deal at Corborn’s here in Mora too. I think it might be all. I noticed it on the bottom of my receipt today.
Nate–Even with the internet I’d be leary of the ethicacy, I think restaurants and coffee shops pay for a different deal than a regular household. I’d say that for sure sharing cable wouldn’t be legit. My husband and I decided to forego cable all together, we save $60/month, and we don’t miss it. It’s too bad you can’t just buy a few channels.
Jennifer and Gennifer–do you have to spend a certain dollar amount before coupons?
Lisa -
Yeah, it’s really a bummer you can’t choose which channels you get with cable. I’ve considered dropping it altogether, but it’s the one splurge item we get every month. We don’t go to movies or shows or anything like that that costs money, so we feel we can afford the cost. I am due to call them up and ask for a better deal though. The last time I did that they said no for the first time. Usually they say yes right away and give me whatever deal I’m asking for.
Thank-you for the feedback all on Coborns! Just a few comments I would like to add about all the posts. I think it is so individual on the time and your situation as to what you spend doing this. I myself look at it as a parttime job and paying myself back. Allowing me to spend the money on things I like too. The more you do it the more it gets easier. Also I never buy anything I wouldn’t normaly use unless it is free and then I can give it away etc. The tips on insurance shopping are dead on correct. The insurance industry is turning to a hard market-meaning all lines will be going up in premium in the near future. Get to know a independent agent and they can shop for you many companys-one call.Raise your deductible also. More more important-make sure you have the right coverage on your house and its contents. It is usually most people’s biggest investments.
Nate-I also have a rebate earning credit card. I charge everything on the card and then pay it off every month to rack up points. If you’re disciplined, it’s a good way to earn a little cash or merchandise on the side.
Nate–don’t do the free cable deal–unethical yes, wouldn’t be worth it when you are found out. . .
also Tabby–I have a reconditioned Dyson I got off of amazon.com 5 yrs ago for less than 1/2 price of a regular Dyson–never has broken down–but I would definitely call their very fair customer service and see what they will do– it would repair cheaper than a new vacum, I would guess. I love Dyson so much, I would never switch.
Carrie: I love the Rainbow double coupon scenarios too–because I find I am still spending more than I should trying to meet the threshold– rats! Maybe you could set up a separate place on you blog for readers to post just their Rainbow double coupon threshold-meeting-scenarios. I know your responsibilities have exploded these days!
Nate-we have wireless and our internet service knows that we have wireless and did not make us pay anything different-i am sure that sharing internet would be just fine. Our internet company never asked how many computers will access the internet-they just advise that the more people on, the slower it will be.