ConAgra Rebate

ConAgra is offering another rebate.  If you purchase $10 worth of their products, you receive a coupon book worth $25. Receipts must be dated 3/10-5/30/10, so you will have plenty of time.  I did this last year and toe coupons were great and most were high value.  Go to All You ConAgra Rebate.
Thanks to Mommysnacks.net

Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-a-Clean for $0.99!

Just found this out from mommysnacks.net.  Walgreen has Scrubbing Bubbles  Extend-a-Clean for $7.99 with $2 RR making it $5.99.  Then there is a $5/1 coupon here making the final price $0.99!  Needless to say, I'm going to need to make another trip to Wags this week.

Walgreens 3/31

Made it to Walgreens today.  Got my deal ideas from mommysnacks.com.

My retail total was $56.25.  After sales, coupons and RR, my total was $6.48 which is a savings of 88%.  I received $17 in RR which means Wags paid me $10.52 to take $56.25 worth of products from the store.

Here's the deals I used.

Buy $12 in Dove Products: $4 RR

Includes: $6 Dove Bar Soap 6 ct, Clinical Deodorant 1.7 oz, Lotion 13.5 oz, Body Wash 24 oz / $3.50 Dove Ultimate Clear Deodorant 2.6 oz, Body Mist 3 oz, Men’s Body and Face Wash 13.5 oz, Active Clean Shower Tool
$3/2 Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Deodorant or Body Mist here.
Final Price: $2/4 or $0.50 each

$2 DenTek Floss 55 yds: $2 RR
$1/1 DenTek Floss Pick or Floss 1/17/2010 SS Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
Final Price: $1 money maker

$10 Dulcolax Balance 14-Day 8.3 oz: $10 RR
$3/1 tag off previous purchase
Final Price:  $3 money maker
 
  $4 Dove Hair Products: $4 RR
Includes: Shampoo or Conditioner 8-12 oz, Styling Products 7-9.25 oz
$1.50/1 Dove Hair Product 3/28/2010 RP Insert (exp 4/25/2010)
Final Price: $1.50 money maker

$7 Simply Saline Allergy & Sinus Relief Nasal Mist 4.25 oz: $7 RR
$1/1 Simply Saline Nasal Product 11/15/2009 SS Insert (exp 12/31/2012)
and/or
$1/1 Simply Saline Nasal Product 1/24/2010 SS Insert (exp 5/31/2010)
Final Price: $1.00 money maker

$.99 Halls Cough Drops 20-30 ct w/ Walgreens Weekly Ad Coupon
$1/1 Halls Cough Drops 3/28/2010 SS #2 Insert (exp 5/30/2010)
Final Price: FREE

Apple Market Cha Ching!

Made a run to Apple Market today.  I had to get it done today because some of the coupons I had expire today.  I had picked those coupons up from a tear pad at the store a few months ago.  I made an awesome deal with these plus a few other things.

Kraft Dressing on sale 2/$4 or $2 each.  Coupons from a tearpad for $1.50 makes them $0.50 each!
Wholly Guacomole for 1.99.  Coupon for $1/1 from 3/28 SS makes it $0.99.
Snuggle fabric softner for 3.99.  Coupon $3/1 from 3/28 RP makes it $0.99.

Again, Apple Market's receipt doesn't help me know what my original retail was, but my total from the sale was 17.98.  After $13 in coupons, my OOP was 4.98.  That's a savings of 72%!  Not bad for a regular grocery store run.

FREE THINGS

I have learned the hard way to use my coupons for free items quickly.  I just had to pitch a coupon for a free bottle of Excedrin.  You know how I hate throwing money away! 

Well, as a result I gathered all my coupons for freebies and went to Walmart.  Here's what I got.

A box of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal: 3.18
A bottle of Country Bob's sauce:       2.64
A bottle of VitaminWater:                1.25
2 coupons B1G1 Stacy's Pita Chips:   5.36  for the 2 free bags

That's 12.34 in products that I got for free!

Children and Money

This chart is from an article entitled The 15 Money Rules Kids Should Learn.

If anyone has any advice on the hows and whens of allowance, I would love to hear it!



Adapted from "Piggybanking: Preparing Your Financial Life for Your Kids, and Your Kids for a Financial Life." Copyright 2010 by Jeff D. Opdyke. Published by Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

How to Have a Garage Sale

Another piece about garage sales from Living on a Dime, but this time it about having one!




If you want to have a garage sale, your objective is to make money while getting rid of stuff in your house. The spring is the best time to have a garage sale. After a long winter people are ready to get out and find some good deals. Here are some tips to make the most of your garage sale:


1. Have as many signs as possible. Put one on every major corner, including the corner nearest the house and any needed in between. If it is more than 1/2 mile from the corner to your house, put some signs in between so people don't get confused. You really can't make enough signs.

• Make your signs large!!- At least 12 inches but 18-24 is much better.
• Use contrasting colors. Black and white are best but other colors such as light colored paper with black ink will work well. A black permanent marker works best.
• Be sure to put your address AND an arrow pointing the way to your house.
• Make all your signs out of the same material. For example, make all of them out of cardboard with white painting. That way people will know it's your garage sale and know which signs to follow.
• Check with your city or town and find out if they have any particular rules for garage sales. Our city requires a permit that costs $1.50 per day. When we purchase the permit, they give us a list of rules telling us things like not to nail signs on telephone poles.

2. Check to see if any of your local papers or thrifty papers have free garage sale ads. Put one in if they do.


3. Clean out everything you can so you can have as large as sale as possible.

• If you don't have enough stuff to make a big enough sale, then ask friends, family or neighbors to have one with you.
• Give all of your neighbors a flyer telling them when you are having a sale and ask if they would like to have one also. The more sales that there are in one area, the more people will come to your sale.

4. Price you stuff LOW. There is nothing more frustrating than going to a garage sale and finding items for prices equal to or higher than the same items brand new on clearance, even if it is "Baby Gap". Name brands can let you get by with a little higher prices.

• I recommend pricing really nice kids clothes no higher than $1 each and clothes that have stains or are not name brand at .50 or less. Socks and underwear shouldn't be higher than .10 each.
• You may think that these prices are too low but please remember than you are getting rid of stuff!! You don't want to bring it back into the house and store it for a few more years. If you are not selling to get rid of things, you will keep most of what you put out. You will also get a lot more sales if your prices are reasonable which means more in the long run. If you sell fifteen $1 items or you sell 200 at .25 each ($50 total) you will make much more if you sell the less expensive items. A good rule of thumb is to price items a maximum of 10% of the retail price.
• By the way, people who go to yard sales really don't care if it's brand new in the box and you paid $80 for it so you "must" get $50 for it. It has been sitting in your house for who knows how long so you aren't getting your money's worth anyway. Price it for $5 and get rid of it!

5. Expect people to ask you to come down on the price. If you feel your prices are very reasonable then don't come down, but remember you are trying to get rid of stuff so don't put too high a value on it. If someone asks you to come down on a price and you aren't ready to come down at that point, ask for their name and number. Tell them you will call them later if it hasn't sold and you are ready to sell it to them at that price.

















Here is an additional reader tip about shopping at garage sales:


Great Garage Sale Tip!




Lisa in Tennessee sent this and I thought it was a wonderful idea! I am going to use it this summer with the my kids. TJ


We go regularly and the kids almost always go with us. People who are trying to get rid of things will usually just give each child something. In fact, I have to limit the amount of things they get for free or we'd come home with all kinds of trash.


Here is a suggestion I have for taking kids along (I had to learn the hard way): I have taught mine that sometimes people's prices are too high and you can tell right off the bat if they're willing to come down. If one of them asks me if they can purchase an item and I don't agree with the price, I have a key phrase that I tell them. It's something like, "I don't think we need to get that today." Then they know NOT to ask and beg over and over. They just put the item back and we go on to the next place. Every time this has happened they always have found a better and cheaper item at another sale.


Yard-saleing (as we call it) is a form of entertainment for us. We always pack snacks and water (as you suggested), the kids have their own money, and we drive around for a few hours and see what we can find. People give away the most amazing things. We spend much less than our peers and we have all the modern necessities!


Also, thanks for what you said in the other article about pricing your items low enough when having your own sale. I have been to some places that try to get way too much out of their things! It's quite irksome. Also, some of the best finds for us have been at the yucky looking places that look like they just have a bunch of old junk. Often we find a buried treasure at these places!

Keep up the good work, Lisa in Tennessee


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Living On A Dime newsletter is published by:
Kellam Media and Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 844, Andover, KS 67002

Walgreens was only 70% this week :-(

Made my run tonight so I could pick up some Easter candy without Micki! 


Let's make it simple.  My original retail was 92.62.  After sales, coupons and getting $20 in RR back, my final was $28 which is a savings of 70%.


BUT this included a new polo shirt for Mike for only $2.  I happen to see clearance marked on their selection of "sportswear."  It always pays to look around!


Here's the deals for me.  Most are from mommysnacks.net except a few.
 
 
2/ $5 Hershey’s or Cadbury Easter Candy 8-10 oz


$2/3 Hersheys, Reeses, or Cadbury 3/14/2010 SS Insert (exp 4/4/2010)
STACK $1/2 Walgreens March IVC (exp 03/27/2010)
Net Price $1.50 each
 
$1.50 Planters Trail Mix 6 oz


$1.00/2 Planters Products coupon on FB
STACK $1/2 Walgreens March IVC (exp 03/27/2010)
Net Price $.50 each
 
$6.99 Schick Disposable Razors


Includes: Quattro 3 ct, Xtreme 3 4 ct, Slim Twin 12 ct
$4/1 Schick Disposable Razors 3/21/2010 SS Insert (exp 5/2/2010)
STACK $2/1 Walgreens March IVC (exp 03/27/2010)
Net Price $.99 each


Vicks, Nyquil or Dayquil Products: Buy $15, receive a $5 RR; Buy $20 or more, receive a $10 RR


Includes: $4.49 Sale Price
B2G1 Free Puffs wyb (2) Vicks 2/7/2010 P&G Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
$1.50/1 Vicks, NyQuil or DayQuil 2/7/2010 P&G Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
$1.50/1 Vicks,NyQuil or DayQuil 2/21/2010 P&G Insert (exp 3/31/2010)
$1.50/1 Vicks, NyQuil or DayQuil 3/7/2010 P&G Insert (exp 4/3/2010)
$1/1 Vicks, NyQuil or DayQuil  Package insert
Net Price $1.49 each
 
Kotex 2.99 each 
Buy 3 get $5RR
Net Price 1.33 each with no coupon

Hmmm... Apparently my family is not middle class.

 A home worth $231,000?  2,300 sq foot house? A weeklong $3,000 vacation?  Definitely not us!


How to Gauge your Middle Class Status
by Rick Newman

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Assessing Your Middle-Class Status


Despite the so-called recovery, many families continue to struggle, with income and other living standards slipping below thresholds that typically represent middle-class quality of life. We've assembled a variety of metrics to help determine whether you're getting ahead, holding steady, or slipping further than most.


Income


For the 50 percent of families in the middle of the scale, household income ranges from $51,000 to $123,000 for a typical four-person, two-parent family. The median is about $81,000. Those numbers are from 2008, and have probably fallen 5 to 7 percent since then, on account of the recession. Median income for a single-parent, two-child family is about $25,000.


Housing Costs


For two-parent families, the typical home is worth about $231,000, accounting for $17,600 in mortgage payments and other costs per year. Housing costs have risen by more than twice as much as income since 1990, a trend that may finally be reversing thanks to the housing bust.


 Home Size


The housing bubble was one factor that boosted housing costs, but the typical family also lives in a much bigger home. The median size of a new, single-family home jumped by 40 percent between 1979 and 2007, to about 2,300 square feet. That may now be declining, as families downsize and some get booted from homes they can't afford.


Medical Expenses


You've probably heard — healthcare costs are going through the roof. A study by the middle-class task force headed by Vice President Joe Biden says the median two-parent family spends $5,100 per year on health insurance and non-covered expenses—assuming an employer provides health insurance. Healthcare costs have risen far more than any other aspect of the family budget since 1990, with no end in sight.


Cars


They provide mobility and represent freedom, one reason the typical family spends about $12,400 per year on two medium-sized sedans or the equivalent, with a new-car value of $45,000. The recession may have dampened our love of the road, however: Americans are driving less and car sales are off about 40 percent.


College Savings


The typical family puts aside $4,100 for college expenses for two kids, estimated to cover about 75 percent of expenses at a state university. Financial aid helps with the rest. But if possible, toss more into the college fund: As states face budget crunches, tuition and fees are going up.


Vacations


One week at the beach or another destination is standard, at a cost of $3,000 or so for four. More affluent families can afford two weeks, at a typical cost of $6,100.


Retirement Savings


A median-income family that saved 3.2 percent of its income—roughly equivalent to the national saving rate—would sock away nearly $2,600 per year for retirement. Of course many families don't hit even that modest goal, and stock-market losses over the last several years have further shrunk the national nest egg.


Everyday Spending


Clothes, food, utilities, entertainment and other living expenses amount to $14,200 a year for a median-income family. Not surprisingly, this is one set expenses many families are trying to reduce, by buying more discount brands, using less or doing without.


Number of Earners


In 76 percent of two-parent families, both parents work. The higher the household income, the more likely it is that both parents are contributing.


Hours Worked

Few parents will be surprised to hear that Moms and Dads are working more than they used to. The total number of hours worked in a two-parent family is 3,747 per year, up 5 percent since 1990. The increased hours add up to more than four 40-hour weeks of additional work per family.


Education


The typical household head has a high school degree plus about two years of college education, up by more than a full year of college since 1990. Good thing—education is a key factor in lifetime earnings, and high school dropouts face a dim future by nearly every measure.


Free Time


What's your top priority? In a 2008 poll by the Pew Research Center, it wasn't healthy kids, a strong marriage or a great career; 68 percent of respondents said it was free time. (And just 12 percent said it was being wealthy.)


Household Net Worth


The typical household has a net worth of about $84,000, according to the Federal Reserve. That's down 30 percent since 2007, thanks to losses in stock portfolios and home values.


Debt


About 18 percent of disposable income, on average, goes toward mortgage payments, auto loans, credit cards and other forms of household debt. That's a bit higher than it was in the '70s and '80s. But since debt payments peaked at the beginning of 2008, at 18.9 percent of income, they've been steadily falling.




Copyrighted, U.S.News & World Report, L.P. All rights reserved.

Apple Market

I'm liking my little Apple Market that's nearby.  I don't get a lot there, but I can usually find a few good deals.  Here were my deals last night.

Hamburger Helper 10/$10 or basically $1 each (which, BTW, is the going price at Aldis).   Coupons in 2/7 and 3/7 SS for .75/3 makes them $0.75 each  AND I also had received a coupon through snail mail from Box Tops for Education for $1/3 making those three boxes $0.67 each.

Dawn was on sale for $0.99.  I had a coupon from P&G 3/7 for $0.25/1 which is doubled at Apple Market making the Dawn only $0.49

KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce was $1.  SS 3/14 had a coupon for $1/1 making it FREE!!

I mentioned last time that I can't find my full savings at Apple Market because I can't tell my original retail prices, but after coupons were applied to the sale price by savings was 33%.  So, I only paid 2/3 of what others did on just the sales alone.

Free Sample of Baby Barn Wash & Lotion

Found out about this from becentsable.net.  It's a free sample of Baby Barn Wash & Lotion.  Samples are limited so get over there quickly.  I don't have a baby anymore, but you never know when you'll get an invite to a baby shower!  I can add it to a larger gift or basket.  Just go to: Baby Barn Combo Sample

Ten Garage Sale Shortcuts

From the email newsletter from www.livingonadime.com.




1.  There are two kinds of garage sales - the ones where people want to make money and the ones where people want to get rid of stuff. The object is to find the ones where people want to get rid of stuff.

2.  Get a map and newspaper and map out your route. Photocopying a map from a phone book or printing one from the web works great. Using this method, you can easily visit 25 sales an hour. If you're a beginner you might hit neighborhoods you are familiar with first.

3.  If at all possible, leave the kids at home. If you must take them use a baby backpack or an umbrella stroller to make it easier. Give older children 25 or 50 cents and let them see what good deals they can get. Kids love picking out gifts for grandparents, siblings, parents and other family and bargain hunting helps them learn about money. Bring snacks (animal crackers, cereals, crackers in plastic bag works well) and cold water for everyone and plan ahead for potty breaks. If you have children with you, it's best only to plan on hitting about five sales until you see how they do.

4.  Wear cool, comfortable clothes. Bring lots of change and one dollar bills. Put your money in your pockets so you don't have to worry about carrying your purse. Also bring a tote bag in which to carry your finds as you walk.

5.  When you find something you're not sure you want, pick it up and carry it around while you continue looking. Otherwise someone else may take it while you're trying to decide.

6.  Always ask politely if they will come down on the price. Most of the time they will. Every once in a while some things are so reasonable that I do not feel right asking for less. Finding women's sweater's at $1.00 each isn't bad, but I still ask if they will take 50 or 75 cents. If I find a name brand sweater in perfect shape for 25 cents, I don't ask for less.

7.  If there is something you really want, but the seller is asking more than you want to pay, offer them a lower price. If they say no, leave your name and number and ask them to consider selling it to you at your price if they still have it at the end of the day.

8.  Always check items well for hard to see tears, stains, or breakage. Remember it is a garage sale so everything won't be perfect.

9.  It is best to go early, but don't panic if you can't. Sometimes you get the best buys after lunch when sellers are tired and don't want to have to drag everything back into the house. It's great to go on the last day of a sale because most sellers will almost pay you to take things so they don't have to keep them.

10. If you don't have success in one part of town, try somewhere else the next time. Sometimes the best garage sale neighborhoods are the ones you don't expect.

Don't be embarrassed about buying at garage sales. Some of the wealthiest people in the world love garage sales - Martha Stewart and Oprah are among them! When you're done, go home, put up your feet and have a nice glass of ice cold lemonade. Grab the phone and call someone who will share the excitement and appreciate your good buys. Garage sales are like old fishing stories. Die-hards always brag about the one that got away!

Stacy's Pita Chips

How about a B1G1 free coupon for Stacy's Pita Chips?   Found this on Slickdeals.net.  B1G1 Free Coupon

Free Pastry Day at Starbucks

This is directly from the Starbucks Website...

Get a free pastry on the morning of March 23 with the purchase of a handcrafted beverage.

Come to participating Starbucks on Free Pastry Day, March 23. Choose a delicious pastry to pair with your beverage and that tasty item is free.


To get your free pastry, print out the coupon below and present it to your barista. Or simply show them the coupon on any mobile device. But Free Pastry Day ends at 10:30 a.m. – so don’t miss out!


Get Coupon Here

Free History Channel DVD for Home Schools

History Channel is offering a free DVD of their upcoming 12 part series entitled America the Story of US. They will be airing it this April and then will mail the DVDs out this summer. Of course, it's History Channel so you don't know how skewed it might be, but hey, it's FREE!!!







And it does offer it to home schools, so that's a plus.


Go HERE to sign up for yours.
 
Thanks goes to Diane Ward for posting this for IHE.

Walgreens

Small trip to Walgreens today.  I didn't have any RR since I had used them earlier this week for some everyday things, so my savings weren't quite as great usual.  I bought $31.88 retail for $18.97 which is a savings of 40%.  I got $7 in RR making my total $11.97 which is a final savings of 62%

Here's some deals:

Colgate Toothpaste, Total Advanced, Enamel, sensitive – $3.99

Earn $3.99 Register Rewards wyb 1
$1/1 Select Colgate Total Products – 3-7-10 SS
That makes it a more than FREE.  It's a money maker!
 
Select Kellogg’s Cereal 1.99 each

 $1.00/2  03/07/2010 RP
Final Price 1.49 each box

Got my deals from mommysnacks.net.

Kmart Double Coupons

Found out from becentsable.net that Kmart will offer double coupons again!  The dates will be April 4-10.  You can check here to see if it will be available at your store.  I haven't seen yet what the limits will be. You will need to get then early if you want great deals because things really do clear out quickly!

High Value Deoderant Coupons

Got this information from becentsable.net.  These will definitely score some free to almost free deoderants with the right sale.  These coupons are 1.25/1 and $3.00/2!  Don't Fret the Sweat Coupons

Apple Market Deals

I made a run to Apple Market today for a change.  I wanted to try them out especially since they offer double coupons.  The biggest challenge just for my couponing is that the receipt only showed my savings from coupons and not from sales, so finding my percentages is and endeavor I don't really want to attempt.  However, below are some of my "deals".
Michelina's frozen meals 10/$10
http://www.michelinas.com/SaveMoney.aspx for a coupon for $1/5
Michelina Meal is 1/ $0.80

Betty Crocker Potatoes 10/$1 or $1.00 each
Betty Crocker Potatoes is for $0.40/1
Apple Market doubles coupon under $0.49 so my coupons became worth $0.80!
Betty Crocker Potatoes then became $0.20 each (plus I only picked the boxes that had coupons on the back).

Musselman's Apple Sauce 10/$10
Musselman's apple sauce $1/2 from a previous package
Final price was $0.50 each

Yoplait 10 for $4
$1/10 coupon from General Mills insert 2/7
Yoplaits at $0.30 each

Tony's Pizza 5/$10
Coupons found at store $1/2
Each pizza $1.50

E-Sword--A free Bible software program

I wanted to share with you an awesome resource I found out about.  It's a free software program.  It was even recommended at by my church.  The basic installation includes the King James Version, King James Version w/ Strong's numbers, and Strong's dictionary, but then you can add many commentaries, dictionaries, and some other translations for free.  There are also some other selections that you can choose to purchase.

Here's the http://www.e-sword.net/index.html to the site.

I was excited because I was able to download the Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary!  It's a great resource.

I'm a Friend of the Zoo. Are you?

We bought a yearly membership at the Kansas City Zoo.  We even invested this year in the new "Gold" membership which includes all the rides you want on the tram, train and carousel.

The Gold Family membership at the zoo costs $110 which sounds like a lot until you look at the details.

For Mike, Micki and I to get into the zoo, it costs  31.50.
For the 3 of us to take the tram round trip costs    4.50.
Micki loves the carousel the carousel & it costs      2.00.
So, for one trip to the zoo for the 3 of us it would be $38.00.

All we have to do is visit 3 times in a year and it's paid for.  It also makes it much more easy to attend all the special programs throughout the year which is a big plus for homeschoolers!!

Museums on Us

We bank at Bank of America.  I've mentioned previously the benefit of their Keep the Change program.  Today, I'm going to mention their Museums on Us program.  The first full weekend of each month you get free admission participating musuems by just showing you ID and a Bank of America Card.

Kansas City area museums include:
World War I museum at Liberty Memorial
Science City at Union Station

But there are other museums in other Witchita and St. Louis which could be day trips.  There are over 100 museums in all!

Could easily become a field trip each month for a homeschooler!

KC one of the Top 10 Frugal Cities!

Digital Coupons Growth Outpaces Inserts