Don’t want to fight the Black Friday crowd, but still have your eye on something at JCPenney?  Use this $10 off $25 coupon today only (so sorry for the late notice!).

Krispy Kreme offers a free doughnut for every “A” on a report card, for up to 6 A’s.   Just take the report card and show them at the store, and the doughnut’s are yours!  This works for college students, too!

So, for you college students with just a few weeks–work extra hard to get those free donuts!  Okay, so maybe that’s not the only incentive to push you over the curve…

Thanks to Julie for passing this info on to me!

How Grocery Budgets Can Save

Saving on groceries is often one of the more flexible areas of a family’s “required” spending.  Setting a budget for this area will be extremely helpful in managing your spending (especially if you’re prone to shopping while hungry ).  (A budget in all areas of spending will help save immensely, but if you don’t have one, this is a great place to start!  And if you do already have a budget, keep reading–hopefully there’s an idea or two in here that might inspire you to try to save more.)

If you don’t have a budget in place for this area, start small.  Examine receipts for a month or two, figure out what you typically spend, then try to keep yourself at that average. (It’s typically best to set a weekly budget if you shop weekly.)  Next, try to cut $5-10 off each week for another month (this is assuming you’re not starting out at $30/week).  Do this by eliminating unnecessary and unhealthy items (do you really need that 2 Liter soda, the cheese puffs, etc…), by buying off-brand, shopping bargain stores, and finally by using coupon/finding bargains (in that order).  Of course, when you “extreme coupon” you will often end up buying brand name, but that’s another discussion…

Viewing the savings as long term will help.  Saving $10 a week may not sound like much, but what about $520?  That’s how much you’ll save if you can cut off $10 a week for a whole year!  When I view it like that, I’m compelled to try to save even more.  Go from an $80/week grocery budget to a $50/week budget, and you’ve saved over $1500 in one year.  Do it 5 years, plus invest your savings?  Well, you’ve got at least $7500 that you would have otherwise eaten.  Literally. 

So evaluate your current spending; you could be saving hundreds…or thousands!

Grocery Exile

Our family does this several times throughout the year, but I recently discovered that some people call this practice a “Grocery Exile.”  So what is it?

A grocery exile is a period of not buying any additional groceries, but living off of what you have in your pantry without overspending in the surrounding weeks. For instance, if our weekly grocery budget is $40, it doesn’t mean we spend $75 the weeks before (or after).

Do it several times throughout the year, and you’ll save a good bit.  This is a great way to save towards something without subtracting money from another budgeted area.  You’d be surprised what you might be able to come up with!

Pantry Method of Menu Planning

For those who do weekly menu planning, there are many who plan the weekly menu around the stores weekly sales–the week of the sales.  This is certainly a good way to save.  Others plan a rotating menu that seldom changes.  They plan inexpensive meals, and simply keep inventory to make sure they have the items on hand.  (And then there are the spur-of-the-moment planners…and the non-planners at all! :))  This, too, is a good and very organized method.

I suppose that realistically, the “pantry method” is a mixture of both, but it is also one that I believe helps our family save even more.  Each week, I try to pick up items that are free or nearly free; but I don’t usually incorporate into our menu until later in the month (or beyond).  Additionally, we shop at bargain stores and salvage stores.  With my pantry filled with these items, I plan our meals.  By doing this, I am ensured that I’ve gotten everything within our budget, at a super sale, and that I can use what I have on hand.  Fortunately, both my husband and I are not picky eaters, though we certainly have our favorites.  (For instance, while I prefer oatmeal for breakfast, we have lots of equally healthy cereal in our pantry that we’ve gotten for free or nearly free–so for the time being, I’ll enjoy it!)

If I realize that our pantry is running low in a certain area that is a main ingredient/food, then I will try to obtain that item ahead of time by using overage from other coupons and being extra careful to try to find it on sale.  If I can’t, I try to purchase it at Aldi or as a store-brand item.  But I rarely even need to do that, because of the pantry system.

It may be helpful (albeit time-consuming) to make a pantry inventory list.  You may also attempt to “trade” surplus items with those who may want what you have and have what you want.  There are various degrees to do this, and the regularity of a stay-the-same every two weeks menu may be more necessary.  And, of course, the bigger your pantry, the easier the grocery exile is.

Thoughts?

Several local stores have items you can get for free this week, so I thought I’d share how to combine the sales for a free update: nearly freemeal from these items (plus add a few sides):

The menu? Piccolini pasta with tomato sauce, with cornbread muffins. Here’s how:

Publix:

• Pick up a Thanksgiving Savings booklet at Publix (yellow cover, good through Dec 5), and find the “$5 off your order when you buy 10″ of the specific items listed (including Martha White corn bread mix (7.5 oz. BOX, not packet), at y.5 size).  The price is 2/$.99, so after the coupon, it is free!  (Additionally, if you have coupons from the 11/9 Red Plum insert, you will receive overaged!) (Through Dec 5)
• Use $1 off any Muir Glen product coupon on $.85 tomato paste, to get it for FREE + overage–just make sure you buy something else to use your overage on! (Indefinitely)

Ingles

• Barilla piccolini pasta is on sale $5/5 (you don’t have to buy 5).  This $1/3 coupon makes it FREE Update: Coupon is no longer printing $1/1 coupons (Through Nov 25)

Obviously, you’ll have to add some sides (and meat, if the tomato sauce alone is a bit “spartan” for you), but there’s a starter to an inexpensive meal!

Additionally, you can get free Chex mix at Walgreens through Saturday.  It’s on sale for 99 cents, and it will be free if you use this $1/1 coupon*.

*If coupons do not print, try switching internet browsers.

HT: to Kasey, for the Barilla pasta deal and the Walgreens $1 off coupon!

While some grocery items are more expensive during the holiday season, my observation of frozen turkey prices leads me to the conclusion that the time leading up to Thanksgiving is actually the most inexpensive time to buy frozen turkey meat!

One average-sized turkey (10+ lbs.) can provide meals for a whole month if rationed carefully, and turkey is much healthier than beef, and even chicken.

So, far, here are the prices I’ve seen:

• Bloom and Food Lion: $.57/lb.
  • limit 2 turkeys with and additional $35 purchase (I am not sure if this is pre-coupon/how it works if your total is lower)
  • 10 lbs. or more
• Ingles: $.68/lb.
  
  • Limit one
• Publix: $.69/lb.
• Bi-Lo: $.79/lb.*
  • Limit 2**with $25 additional purchase (bleh!)**
  • *Their ad states that they will price-match any competitor’s turkey price (excludes Butterball and fresh turkeys)
• Aldi: $.99/lb. (Butterball Turkey)

May the best turkey win!  So far Ingles is in the lead!  (In my book, at least, because they don’t state a specific purchase requirement.)  Please comment with any additional input or information!  I will also update as I find new info.