Shopping To Save Tips (pt.2)

I shared in the previous post that I am not a fan of Walmart, but sometimes they are just a necessary evil and must be utilized. So, if we must shop at Walmart there is no reason not to really save some money.  In order to truly save money you need to be aware of their policies and regulations regarding coupons and such.

The best suggestions I can give you is to print out their coupon policy and stash it in your purse. My biggest pet peeve is for an employee not to be familiar with their own stores policies.  But, when I am having one of “those” days I just love teaching the cashier what she should already know. The only way to politely do this, is for you to know more about the store policies than they do.  And remember, before you go postal on the person behind the counter, they encounter all types of people throughout the day and you never know what nut-case they just finished with. The bad attitude may not be intentionally aimed at you and being patient and polite (yet firm) will get you a long way.

I am going to give you a brief overview of Walmart’s coupon policies, but again my suggestions is to go their website and print out the full policy.  Walmart will accept Print-at-home internet coupons in black and white or color. They must be a manufacture coupon with expiration date and scannable bar code. There must also be listed a valid manufacture address and must be legible. If you have a internet BOGO coupon it must specify  a price (ex. buy one for 2.49 and get the second one free).

A regular manufacture coupon is acceptable along with competitor coupons, discounts/coupons on soft drink caps, and check out coupons. Each type of coupon has guidelines for being acceptable. These rules are listed clearly in the Coupon Policy. I will admit that the list of coupons they will take are longer than the list of ones that they will not.

What Walmart will not accept are checkout coupons that give dollars/cents off of basket purchase or a percentage off the entire purchase. Print-at-home coupons are not valid if they require no purchase.  Most BOGO coupons are required to have a specified price for the items, and no coupon can be double or tripled.

Now here comes the good stuff. I was amazed at the overall guidelines and limitations. I felt that they were fair to the consumer, especially since it is Walmart after all.

They will only accept coupons for merchandise they sell.

Coupons must be presented at the time of purchase.

Item being purchased must be identical to the coupon. (ex. size, quantity, brand , etc.

There is no limit to the number of coupons you can use per transaction.

All coupons must have an expiration date and be used prior to that date.

*** If the coupon value exceeds  the price of the item, the excess may given to the customer as cash or applied to the total purchase. **** (This rule does not apply to WIC or SNAP recipients.)

Walmart brand coupons are also not eligible for the overage to be give as cash back or applied to the total purchase.  (Still not to shabby)

Now, be prepared, because certain coupon transactions will prompt a supervisor or floor manager for approval. If you use 40 or more coupons during a transaction, 1 coupon with the value of $20.00 or more (let me know where you find those), and 50 dollars or more in coupons during one transaction. If you are prone to being embarrassed, or if the checkout is already backed up, I would suggest wondering around the store or waiting until things die down a bit.

Sometimes a store will count on a consumer getting easily frustrated or embarrassed. They also can count on consumers not knowing their coupon guidelines.  My personal opinion is that my money, no matter how much or little I spend, is important to any store’s bottom line. In this economy a consumer’s spending power is very important to any business. If it isn’t, then you should not be shopping there. Period.

 

 

Shopping To Save Insider Tips

I am not a big fan of Walmart. I am also not a hater of Walmart. It is what it is. A huge irritating store with way to many people in need of  a stylist (or just a mirror). However, I will give them props for being just about the only store around me that stays open 24 hours a day. Many a trip I have made past midnight to grab last minute school project supplies. At that time of night it really doesn’t matter what the price is, you just have to have it before the sun comes up.

Most assume that Walmart has the lowest prices, biggest selection, and “Rollbacks” are the only way to save extra money. Well, that is just not the case. While doing some research I located the coupon policy for Walmart Stores. It is rather lengthy, but well worth reading if you want to save some cash.

Walmart does have a Ad Match Guarantee Policy. The best part is you no longer have to have the competitor’s ad for them to match the price. All cashiers are suppose to have all the information needed at their registers to match prices. You also do not have to wait in the horrid customer service line to request a price match. Again, the cashier is able to handle it all. According to Walmart policy they will match any local competitor’s advertised price. However, items purchased must be identical to the ad. Which means, the same size, quantity, brand, flavor, and so on.

They will even match buy one get one free offers as long as a price is specified. For example, the competitor’s ad states buy one for $3.49 and get one free, it will be honored as long as you are purchasing the same as the ad specifies. The Ad Match Guarantee also applies to produce and meats when the price is offered in the same unit type (lb for lb, each for each).

I do recommend printing out the Walmart Ad Match Guarantee Policy and keeping it with you when you shop. Most managers, cashiers and customer service are usually not familiar with their own policies, and if you think they are going to take the time to look it up for you, think again.

Taking a little extra time could save you some extra money. It may take me a little while to get these tips posted, but as previously promised, I will keep them coming!

Countdown To Chaos

In a previous post,  I firmly declared that I am not a fan of the Back to School thing. There are numerous reasons why, but no need to vent again in this post. One good thing is I am back into the savings game. Yes, even frugal people fall off the wagon sometimes. We need a 12 step program to keep us on track.  (No disrespect intended for the 12 step programs.)

Office supplies are such a joy to me, but not school supplies.  Office supply stores have some organization and not such a cluster of mess. Most companies do not send their employees to not swarm the store, leave it in disarray and put items in the wrong places.  Parents, however, are a different story.

Never go shopping for school supplies during the peak “parent” times.  The isles are overcrowded with rude, pushy, and determined child owners. Do not expect them to move out of the way.  Items are shoved, squished, thrown and left a mess. With this past weekend being the tax free weekend in NC you can only imagine the annoyance factor at the local Walmart.  I wanted to utilize the tax free thing, but did not want to encounter the social event with other parents. Walmart is not my favorite place to shop, and they do NOT always offer the best deals. However, they are the only store still open around here at 1:00 a.m. .  That is the time I went back to school shopping and had a very peaceful trip. I also recommend going without the children (which I did) and it will be even less stressful. I purchased all the hum-drum,  run of the mill pencils, paper and notebooks. The girls can go with me and pick out their book bags, lunch bags and clothes.

Going without the children can also save you a lot of money. It is amazing how much you can spend on tissues, pencil boxes and highlighters (and not even the pretty ones).  Check for online coupons, and newspaper coupons before heading out.  That is another way to maximize your tax-free weekend.  Be sure you stick to the items on the classroom list. Only buy the number that is required and do  not purchase the “donation” items as of yet. Every teacher has items that they request donated, but sometimes wind up getting 50 of the same item and none of the rest needed.  Wait on donated items until a few weeks into school. Plus keep a list of the items needed with you and keep your eyes open for good deals.

One of my biggest pet-peeves of the supply list are those ziplock bags in all sizes. REALLY?? What is being done with all those blessed bags. My girls rarely bring home anything in ziplock bags, and if they do, they use the same one all year long.  Plus, it is not a real “earth friendly” thing to be using for most things and I would love to suggest some alternate choices.  But the school is just not “open” to suggestions from me. I wonder why??

The countdown to chaos has begun and the first few tasks I have handled rather well. Plus I found ways to save money. However, I will keep the Martini’s handy because it could be a bumpy road ahead.

 

 

Eating Healthy Is Your Choice, Not Our Governments

A recent study has been published that  concurred that eating healthy is more available to the wealthy than any other group of people. It also suggests that our government do more to make sure all people have the opportunity to access healthier food choices. Well, first of all the government is a having a hard time right now deciding if they should rob Peter or Paul first. I believe we have given away to many of our rights and I refuse to have them tell me what I should be consuming. I am not making light of the fact that millions of people in our world, not the third world, are currently having trouble providing any type of meals for their families.

What I do believe is that anyone can eat healthier, no matter what they have to spend. The “study” made the excuse that pictures being shown of a healthy plate of food consisting of leafy vegetables and salmon are out of most peoples price range. Well, once again I beg to differ.  A can of Sardines is healthier than a portion of salmon. Plus Sardines are less likely to contain forms of mercury that have been detected in certain salmon.  Sardines can cost as little as $1.00 a tin, up to $2.99. A bag of spinach is in the price range of $2.89. Grab a bag of potatoes, which can be found for around $4.99 or less for a 5# bag.  There are other stores that carry the 10# bag for even less. Potatoes are a wonderful source of protein and fixed in various ways and Martha Steward even eats sardines.

An average family of 4, going to the local fast food joint, will spend more than $25.00 on “value meals”. Which in reality contain no value at all whatsoever. That same money could be spent on healthier items and have enough to serve 4 or 5 meals vs. the one meal. But it is a matter of choice on what anyone eats no matter what financial status they have.

Brown rice is another “super food” of sorts that will not break the bank. It provides vitamin B1, B2, B3, Iron, Magnese and dietary fiber. It is also a complex carbohydrate that gives us energy.  Rice again is not an expensive food, but most American’s, by choice, will choose the greasy, artery clogging, hamburger over something that may be potentially good for them.

American’s have made the prices for healthcare increase, not the government.  This is a society of  greedy, overeating, overweight people that have gotten in the habit of blaming everything on the over consumption of food.  Searching for happiness is not found by staring at the bottom of a chip bag.

Choosing to be responsible has become very scarce these days. We would rather give up the freedom of being able to make choices instead of admitting any fault of our own.

This blog is being written by a skinny, spinach eating, avocado fanatic who has first hand knowledge of the effects of unhealthy eating habits being blamed on the pocketbook. (I am married to one!)

End Of Summer…Savings Begin!!

In a little over 3 weeks the school buses will start running and the fun times of drop off and pick up begins! I hate this time of year.  I hate shopping for school supplies, which is not to be confused with office supplies,  searching for the coolest back packs and clothes. All this really annoys me and the worst is having to set the alarm clock and get the girls back on a hectic schedule.  In case you haven’t noticed it is “all about me”. I do so wish the school systems would check in with me on occasion and I could give them some advice. (like they would listen)

The only thing I do enjoy is the peace and quiet of the several hours a day the girls are at school.  I have become a little slack on finding deals and saving money during the summer. I do not want to sit down and clip coupons or figure savings when I could be watching the latest episode of reality shows on Bravo (at least I am honest..ha). Clipping coupons seem to be a “seasonal” thing for me anymore and I do not recommend this to anyone else. We should be saving or being thrifty all year round.

So, if you have been a little lazy this summer, let’s get back into the swing of savings. Especially since all of us with kids will be spending money on supplies, clothes, field trips, lunches, school pictures, extra curricular activities and the list goes on.  This coming week I will be conditioning not only myself, but the girls, to get ready for the awful idea of getting up early and going to bed on time.

The end of summer is upon us and let the savings start up again! I will be posting more and have some great time and money saving ideas for the upcoming months and how to keep money in the bank!

Penny For Your Thoughts….Oh, Wait, I Don’t Accept That Form Of Payment!

I have the tendency to be slightly over opinionated on occasion. But, on those certain occasions,  when my opinions go into overdrive, it is for something that I feel very strongly about.  There is no use in getting worked up for no reason, and that is why I usually feel the need to share my (always right) thoughts with others. It is always for a justified and good reason.

All that brings me to this. Is the penny no longer a form of acceptable currency within the United States. The last time I checked it was, unless the government has chosen to ban this little item and failed to share it with the rest of society.  According to a news story a man in Utah was attempting to pay a medical debt of $25.00 and brought it in in pennies. The facility clearly stated they accepted cash as a form of payment, yet they called the police on the man who brought in pennies to pay his debt. First of all, with this cluster of an economy and the ever rising cost of medical care, the facility should happily accept any form of legal payment. Obviously the witch at the desk who called the police is ignorantly unaware of the expense of operating a medical facility. Does she not realize that those mans pennies help pay her salary.

As I learned in elementary school, pennies can be made into dollars. Those dollars made with pennies, nickels, dimes or quarters all go back into the economy and create a cash flow within the economy. I do not know why this would not make sense to anyone, unless they worked within the government, and we know that common sense is not required to hold office.

The medical office should be charged a fine for calling a police officer, being paid with tax dollars, to such a waste of time.  My guess is this, the person collecting the payment would be responsible for counting the pennies and was to lazy to do so. It would have taken away from her time of gossiping about the patients and their medical histories.

Slowly but surely our laziness and need for immediate gratification will allow the government, local and federal, to take away our rights and ability to think for ourselves and use common sense.  When did it make sense to call in the authorities for someone paying a bill, using pennies, a legal form of currency.

I would suggest you refrain from the saying “Penny for your thoughts”, as that form of payment will probably not be accepted. However, they would gladly let you put that on a credit card, which charges a usage fee to them, and charges daily interest to you.

Fabulous Things That Are Free

Nothing in life is free? Really? I have found that many fabulous things are free, rarely used and readily available for everyone. It doesn’t matter what social status you maintain, where you live or what college you went to. These things are just plain FREE to everyone!

Manners are free. This is one of my favorite things that will not cost anyone a penny. Yet, it is rare that you find anyone taking advantage of this wonderful offering. I believe the reason that no one cares to use them anymore is because they are free. So, here is my solution. Local business owners need to start selling them as a luxury item. I can only imaging the line of shallow minded people that would line up to buy them. However, would “manners” wind up being one of those items still hanging in the closet, tags intact, and never used?

Morals are free. Yes, this is another free item that countless people fail to take advantage of. Once again, I believe, that because they are free to use that people have put very little value on  this product. What we need is a PR firm or Marketing expert to run some commercials or print ads and build the hype. Or, better yet,  Morals could have its own Facebook or Twitter page.

Compassion is free. I have noticed that compassion is used more towards other countries and their causes and rarely used locally. Apparently this is an item that the US has outsourced and has ended up costing us dearly.

Kindness, Empathy and Love are also worth mentioning. All of the things I have listed cannot be bought or sold. However, they can cost everything if they are not utilized and shared.  Everyone is so busy being wrapped up in their own noise that they never tune in to anyone else.

Start being Frugal and take advantage of the wonderful things that life has to offer. They may be free to use, but can be priceless to the person we share them with.

Frugal Planning

I hate the word “budget”.  I truly believe that word should be removed from the dictionary.  Everyone, including the government, struggles to stay within budget.  I do not disagree with the concept of a budget, just the stress that comes with it.  We should control our money. It should not control us. However, when you begin to write figures on a piece of paper and our paycheck falls short, the panic sets in.  Panic creates fear and a state of mind that paralyzes us from handling the situation.

I feel quite sure that most of us know what our weekly, monthly or yearly income is. We know already what bills remain constant and which ones can fluctuate and send us into a tailspin. There is not a need to express it on a piece of paper. It is reminder enough each time we have to pay the mortgage, water bill, gas bill or insurance.  The expenses that creep up and come from nowhere are ones that possibly can be prevented or reduced. Those are the ones we should be focusing on.

Let’s take for instance your automobile. Plan for regular maintenance and that unexpected breakdown, which includes the creepy towing guy, can be avoided. It is much less expensive to have an oil change on a regular basis than to have an engine replaced.  Checking your tire pressure requires taking the time to do it, and is a lot less stressful than having to replace the tires that didn’t last as long as you thought they should.

Instead of an monthly budget, try a monthly plan, annual plan or weekly plan. Frugal planning can help relieve some undue stress and leaves the door open for a “change of plans”. It is much less restrictive than “budgeting” and serves the same purpose.

Most of us never plan to fail, we just fail to plan.

Thoughtless Society

It is amazing to me just how many humans do not bother to think about their actions prior to putting them into motion.  It appears that most of society have their brains on auto-pilot and take in whatever they are told. Then when it all falls apart everyone runs to find someone else to blame.

When it comes to your finances why would you trust someone else to advise you on what to do.  How many of those people go with you to work each day and help you earn the money that you so easily turn over to them.  How easily we are swayed to make purchases and hand over our hard-earned money to someone else. Most never ask questions and if they do they are questions that could have easily been answered with a little thinking. It is just easier to hand over the responsibility to someone else. Once again, so that when it falls apart the blame can be placed on someone else.

Do you really think that Bernie Madoff  would be where he is today if people had not been so stupid as to trust their money to someone else. It was greed that gave Madoff such a wonderful lifestyle. I do not think that Bernie was completely to blame. It was greed on both the investors and him that created such a mess.

The government is releasing data daily that shows the unemployment rate is coming down and we are under way to a recession recovery. Have you taken time to think about that statement. I doubt it.  During The Great Depression unemployment was tracked by anyone who did not have a job, unless they were retired. Period. If you were not working, you were unemployed and counted as such. Today, we base unemployment rates on the number of people claiming unemployment benefits. Those benefits are now running out and fewer people are collecting. Hence, giving the government the data that says unemployment rates are dropping. In reality, they are still the same or worse.

The same thoughtlessness applies to the stock market. We invest money based on data that is released by the media and so-called experts and most do it with little research of their own. I am not suggesting that you hide all your money in the backyard or under the mattress. I am merely suggesting that you realize how hard you work for your money and think a little more before you fall into the money pit of the “greedy”.  Most of us have our money in a federally insured bank and feel that it is all safe.  However, it is only insured up to a certain amount, and with the government being in debt way over what we possibly imagine, how “insured” do you really believe it is.

We should take the time to think about our financial actions prior to putting them into motion. It is your money and you should guard it. Whether your money was given to you or you earn it, the bottom line is that someone worked hard for it. Don’t give it away haphazardly. Be frugal with it and you can still live fabulously.

Blessings of Frugality

In a recent report I read that 48 million Americans are living in poverty.  In that number, 17 million of those people are living on less than $11,000.00 yearly. That is 1/2 of the amount that is considered to be poverty level in the United States. This is heart wrenching considering are country is suppose to be the host of the American Dream.

I am a frugal person by choice. I have a choice to save money on items that I need or want.  I am able to cut coupons and go to the grocery. I am able to find killer deals online. I am able to send my children to school with lunch money. I know that tonight my family will have enough for everyone to go to bed with a full stomach. That is a true blessing.

When you are living within poverty levels choices are limited. There is not an option of being frugal. It is sometimes a matter of doing without. When you haven’t any money there is no option to save money.  There is only an option of making do with what little you have, and sometimes that is nothing. This is not acceptable. Period.

The ones that fall into the category of poverty loose their voice and give up on things being any different. Living the same day over and over filled with worry can only result in things staying the same. All the tips and advice in the world cannot make things any better at this point.  It is easy to judge others when you do not have to live in their situation and it is easy to be thankful when you have things to be thankful for.

The next time you send lunch money to school with your children, send a little extra for a child who may be without.  The next time you go to the grocery buy a little extra to donate to a food bank.  It is the little things that can make a huge difference to someone in need.

The Blessings of Frugality are endless. The biggest blessing is that I have enough to have the choice to be frugal. That I am truly thankful for.