Spend Smarter!

It is all about spending smarter - Why spend money you do not have to??
The Deal Diva appears in the Charlotte Observer on Sunday in the Business/Moneywise section! Thanks to all of you for reading!!
Check out MOM Charlotte - this is a great website and offers lots of great information. http://mom.charlotte.com/
Send me tips by leaving comments on this blog! Or email me at thedealdiva@bellsouth.net I would love to share your great ideas!!
How to Best Use The List :
* The lists are current store specials with recent coupons from Sunday coupon inserts found in the newspaper.
For additional coupons use RedPlum.com, Coupons.com, and SmartSource.com
BOGO deals are generally the best deals out there especially if you have a coupon. Remember you do not have to buy two to get the special price. If you want to buy two make sure you have two coupons to save the most!!
Part of being a savvy shopper is staying organized. Try going through your coupon organizer every few weeks to discard old coupons.
If a coupon says "ANY" and does not specify " does not include trail size" then you can get the smallest size possible and it is perfectly legit to do so. Some of the best coupons say "ANY" and I have gotten tons of trail size products, great items to donate!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Tara's Tips for Sunday Dec 28th 2008

Hard to imagine that on Thursday we will usher in a new year. I am wondering if this year instead of making a list of what I will do in 2009 if it would be better to make a list of what I won’t do in 2009. I am working on mine now – anyway on to saving money!

Here are a few things I found online that I would like to share
Do It Herself – did you know that Home Depot has developed a great free service called "Do it Herself" workshops? They are conducted across the country throughout the year. The workshops are about 90 minutes long, teach a practical skill, and even provide a generous coupon to attendees who attend the workshop. There is no cost to the workshop, you can register online at the Home Depot site and if you encourage some of your friends to join you it could even be a fun social get-together.
Think outside the box or bottle - There are many items that that commonly go on sale and have coupons available throughout the year, making them free or practically free. Items such as shampoo, cake mixes and rice mixes are common freebies. If the items aren’t your brand or are not what your family eats, finding an alternative use for them could still help your household budget.
Ideas include:
Shampoo: If you find that the freebie shampoo is not the brand you prefer for your hair. You can use shampoo to get oily rings out of shirt collars as a pretreatment and use it as dishwashing liquid on a camping trip because it is biodegradable. Because it is safe for the environment, two tablespoons in a bucket of water works well for washing cars. It makes great bubble bath, works well as a hand washing liquid, and you can also use it in a sink full of water to soak hairbrushes and combs.
Cake mix: If your family only eats cakes on birthdays but you can’t pass up the 19 cent cake mix, try making cookies with them. The simplest cake mix cookie recipe calls for 2 eggs and one quarter of a cup of vegetable oil. Bake at 350 until firm to the touch (being careful not to over bake). You can find many more creative recipes by entering “cake mix cookies” in an Internet search engine. You can also bake muffins by combining one box of cake mix and one 15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin, baking at 350 until done.
Soup mixes: Even if you prefer making homemade soups instead of using mixes, they are ideal for seasoning recipes creatively. Read the side of the soup mix box to find good recipes using the soup mix as seasoning in casseroles, chicken dishes, and pasta dishes.
Rice mixes: Many people find that prepared rice mixes are too high in sodium to use on a regular basis. However, rice mixes can be a good starter for main dish one-pot meals like chicken and rice, casseroles or even frittatas using cooked rice as a base. Read the side of the rice mix box for good recipe ideas. When using the rice as a side dish, I like to add plain rice and more water to feed more people and reduce the sodium content.
What type of shopper are you?
An industry study conducted by News America Marketing (the people who bring you the Smart Source coupon circular) showed that 68% of people don’t like to go to the grocery store. Grocery shopping either takes too much time, costs too much money, or generally causes stress. If you are part of that 68% and think that saving money at the grocery store is too difficult or time-consuming, keep reading. This study found that shoppers fall into five personality types. Fortunately, some of the best savings strategies are also the easiest. Find yourself and start saving!

Research found that roughly one third of shoppers are what I call “Super Shoppers.” When it comes to shopping, they pride themselves on being pros and have detailed shopping lists and organized coupon systems. They shop the best deals at more than one store every week, scan the aisles for unadvertised bargains, and spend a total of two and a half hours a week in the grocery store. They may be saving a lot of money, but you definitely do not want to get stuck behind them in the checkout lane! If you are a “Super Shopper”, you have your savings strategies set, you know how to save, and you enjoy shopping. You know all about saving money, but you may be able to save time if you take advantage of online coupons, automatic rebate programs, and online advertising circulars to help plan your trips efficiently.

The second one-third of shoppers are “Strivers” and “Stressors.” These shoppers have hectic schedules and limited time. Their shopping trips tend to be disorganized, stressful, and are filled with impulse purchases. Unplanned trips end up resulting in more frequent trips to the store to buy forgotten items. They want to save money, of course, but they aren’t organized enough to even know where to begin. Most shoppers would say they go to the store about once a week. But in reality, Strivers and Stressors go to the store for one big trip each week, then stop in the next day for a forgotten ingredient, swing by the store on the way home from work the next day to get a quick dinner, and finally go to the store at the end of the week to get snacks for the baseball team as that week’s snack parent. That’s four trips per week, with only one being a “planned” trip. If you see yourself as a Striver or a Stressor, the good news is that you can save big money with one simple change. You do not have to organize hundreds of coupons or develop complicated shopping systems. It’s easy—all you have to do is make one good shopping list once a week. It may take a little more time before that one big weekly trip, but it will pay off. Think through every day of the week, what you plan to have each night for dinner, what the family will need for breakfast, lunches and snacks. Check the calendar for school events and activities that might require providing refreshments. By anticipating every possible grocery need over the week and getting as much as possible in one trip, you will end up saving a lot of time and money by cutting unplanned trips to the store. Once you have mastered that Really Good List and see the difference it makes, you can work your way up to planning your week’s meals around the advertising circular’s sale items, then throw in a few coupons and you are on your way to being a Super Shopper without much effort at all.


The final third of shoppers are called “Anti-Shoppers” and “Casual Spenders.” These shoppers are not interested in changing how they shop and they do not care how much they spend. Shopping is definitely a chore they could live without. Their motto is “I don’t mind paying more if it means zero effort.” If you are an Anti Shopper or a Casual Spender, getting the store discount card is as close as you can get to zero effort, so make sure you have that in your wallet or purse to help you save without taking any time.

Ok on to the Savings!!
Due to the holidays the typical sales weeks have been a little weird. This week HT released a very “condensed” list of specials and they are good only until12/30. Bi – Lo weekly specials were also very limited and started on 12/26 and will continue until 1/1. Food Lion started 12/26 and continues until 12/30. So the lists for HT, Food Lion and Bi-Lo are short with only the BOGO specials. Next week it is back to normal.

There was only one coupon section and it was from Proctor and Gamble. Currently PG is offering a special deal. If you buy $50 worth of PG products from now until Valentine’s Day you will receive a coupon book with over $120 of coupons. It takes a little work. HT is keeping up with your PG purchase at the bottom of your receipt. I have not seen any other stores with the feature. If you look at the Rite Aid list below – it may be pretty easy to make the $50.
The link for the offer - http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/en_US/jsp/EDS_Page.jsp?pageID=Year-of-Savings

If you buy the $50 of PG products at Sam’s Club you get a extra $10 gift card to Sam’s Club
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/en_US/jsp/EDS_Page.jsp?pageID=Sams-Club-Rebate

Harris Teeter - This week’s BOGOs
Lay's Potato Chips - 10.5-11 oz
Nabisco Snack Crackers - 6.75-9.5 oz
Fresh Step Cat Litter - 21 lb.
Purina Dog Chow - 17.6-20 lb
Freschetta Pizza
Pepsi Products - 12 Pack Cans- Fridge Mate
Best deal of the week – Dunkin Doughnuts coffee is on sale for $5.99 usually $7.29 and the there is a coupon in today’s paper for $.75 double that and the final cost for the coffee is $4.49

Bi- Lo - This week’s BOGOs
Assorted Pork Loin Chops
Lay's Potato Chips
Allens Frozen Vegetables
Celia's Soft Taco 10 Count or Corn Tortillas 36 Count
Equal Sweetener Packets
Chex Mix or Bugles
Coco Real Cream of Coconut
Southern Home Heat n' Serve Chicken
Blue Ribbon Extra Long Grain White Rice
Great Fish Tilapia Fillets
Heinz Gravy

Food Lion - This week’s BOGOs
Home-style Glazed Donuts Or Cinnamon Pull-A-Part Rolls
Edy's Ice Cream
Food Lion Chicken Snack Wings
Food Lion Jumbo Cooked Shrimp
Hillshire Farm Cocktail Smokies
Hormel Cooked Ham
White Potatoes
Tostitos

Wal-Mart
Franks Redhot Sauce 5 oz 87%
Suave Lotion 10 oz 56%
Infusium 23 Hair Care 16 oz 51%
Oral B Refill Brush Heads 3 ct 50%
Arm & Hammer Essentials Starter Kit 50%
Gillette 2 In 1 Body Wash 12 oz 47%
Goodlife Recipe Cat Treats 44%
Kellogg’s Eggo Waffles 10 ct 42%
Gillette Fusion Razor 1 ct 40%
Max Factor Eyeshadow 40%
Pantene Shampoo 12.6 oz 38%
Benefiber Stick Supplements 16 ct 37%
Chloraseptic Medicine 6 oz 37%
Clairol Nice N Easy Hair Color 1 ct 36%
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies 10.5 oz 35%
Clairol Herbal Essences Shampoo 34%
Pedigree Dog Treats 34%
Aussie Hair Care 6-13.5 oz $34%
Pantene Hair Care 24.5 oz 34%
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes 17 oz 34%

Target
Gillette Body Wash 12 oz 64%
Dove 16 oz Body Wash 50%
Aussie Hair Spray 10.2 oz 49%
Clairol Herabal Essences Shampoo 47%
Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion 42%
Old Spice Deodorant 2.6-4 oz 42%
Dove Lotion 13.5 oz 41%
Hot Pockets or Lean Pockets 39%
Hershey’s Kisses 11 oz 39%
M&Ms Valentine 12.6 oz 39%

Rite-Aid
Orajel Antiseptic Mouth Sore Rinse 16 oz, Free after $5.99 mail in rebate, earn $1 by using newspaper coupon
Sundown Vitamins or Herbal Supplements 80%
AXE Shampoo or Conditioner 12 oz, final price is after $4 mail in rebate 80%
Osteo Bi Flex buy one get one free (est price) assumes two coupons 78%
Pert Shampoo 13.5 oz75%
Flexamin 75%
Schiff Move Free Dietary Supplement , 75%
General Mills Chex Mix 72%
Oral B Advantage, Stages or Artica Toothbrush, final price is after $1 mail in rebate and newspaper coupon---coupon shown is for Advantage only 70%
Simply Saline 1.5-4.25 oz or Sinus Kit, 67%
Revlon Colorstay Makeup, 64%
Cover Girl Cosmetics 63%
Nature Made Vitamins or Herbal Supplement 63%
Campbell’s Soup Chicken Noodle, Tomato, Vegetable or Chicken Rice 62%
Natures Bounty Vitamins and Herbal Supplements 62%
Gold Bond Skin and Bath Care products or Foot powder 60%
Crest Toothpaste Pro Health 4.2 oz or Plus Scope 6.2 oz , 60%
Pantene Shampoo, Conditioner or Stylers 60%
Air Wick Lumin Air Candles 60%
Vicks DayQuil or NyQuil Childrens 6 oz, Adult 10 oz Liqui Caps 20 ct, 57%
OB Tampons 18 ct 57%
Crest Pro Health Rinse 1 liter or Whitening Rinse 16 oz 56%
Refresh Tears 0.5 oz, Eye Itch Relief 5ml or PM ointment 56%
Clairol Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner or Sytlers55%
Infusium 23 Shampoo or Conditioner 54%
Kleenex White Tissue 54%
Stayfree Maxi Pads 14-24 ct 54%
Olay Regenerist Facial Moisturizer , 53%
Clairol Nice N Easy or Gray Solutions Hair Color 53%
Dawn Dish Detergent 10.3 oz 53%