It’s hard to believe, but in just a few short weeks, many kids will be headed back to school. Whether your kids are in full-day school every day or part of homeschool co-ops where they need to pack a lunch a few times a week, it can very quickly start to get overwhelming. And with food prices the way they currently are, we definitely don’t want to be wasting money on food! As we approach the beginning of the school year, this week we’ll be doing a short series on school lunches to rejuvenate your efforts to save money while keeping it simple.
Today we’ll be talking about saving money on school lunches, and then we’ll move into our favorite products, extra tips and hacks, and even some printables to help you plan school lunches your kids will eat!
Saving Money on School Lunches
You may not find it helpful to use all of these tips—you have to figure out which ones work for your family and your lifestyle. Maybe it’s worth it to you to have a few more convenience foods.
Avoid pre-packaged foods
Instead of buying boxes or packages of chips, crackers, or yogurt, package them yourself with reusable bags or disposable ones. This also lets you better control portions and opens up the possibilities of what you can include in their lunch!
To give you a savings example:
Cheez-It Snack Packs, 12 ct., 1 oz bags – $3.49 (reg. $6.99)
vs.
Cheez-It Crackers, 12.4 oz box – $2.09 (reg. $4.19)
It’s the same amount of Cheez-It crackers, but you are paying $1.40 extra for the individual bags. You could buy quite a lot of sandwich bags for that price!
Buy pre-packaged foods with coupons
There’s no judgment if you find it easier to buy those big packages of individually wrapped chips. Just make sure you use coupons to get the best deals! Use the item search to find sales you need.
Right now Pottery Barn is offering up to 50% off select patio furniture with an online clearance sale. After looking at prices I knew the deals could be even better… so check out these great Pottery Barn Patio Look-alikes that will give you a very similar look for a fraction of the price!
Tip: If you’ve never shopped from Wayfair head over and here and sign up for their emails to get 10% off your first order. That makes the deals even better!!
Pottery Barn Patio Look-A-Likes
Pottery Barn Hampton Wicker 2-piece Loveseat Sectional – $3,198 (reg. $3,998)
cushions included
compare to:
Wicker 4-Person Seating Group with Cushions – $439.99 (reg. $629.99)
-10% off first order
makes it $395.99 shipped
Pottery Barn Chatham Mahogany Sectional – $2375 (reg. $3.395)
cushions not included – would add another $1500+
table not included
compare to:
Summer may not be over yet, but Sam’s Club is already debuting their costumes!
If you know already know what you and the kids want to dress up as this year, you can go ahead and grab them now.
If you’re not a Sam’s Club member yet, grab a membership for $25 and get $25 off your first purchase!
Here are some ideas:
Raya Costume – $16.98
Rubies Grogu/Baby Yoda Costume – $19.98
Girls’ Superhero Harley Quinn Costume – $19.98
These deals are good online and in-store. Shipping is free for Plus members.
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Use stacking deals for Similasan Eye Drops at Kroger to get this product for just $2.49! It’s part of the Mega Event, and you can save even more when you add in a printable and an Ibotta rebate.
Kroger Similasan Mega Deal (ends 7/19):
- Similasan Eye Relief Products, 10 ml, $6.49
-$1 off Similasan eye products printable
-$3 off Similasan Eye Drops, Ibotta mobile app
-$3 off Similasan Stye Eye Relief, 0.33 fl oz, Ibotta mobile app
(use $1 off mfr. and $3 off Ibotta, makes it $2.49)
Check out more great Kroger deals.
Summer is almost over, and if you have students in your home who are starting or continuing college courses, you may be balking at the price of textbooks. While there’s no way to fully take away the cost, always remember research is one of your best bets for making sure you’re paying the lowest price possible! I’m going to share my best tips for saving on textbooks and where to go to look for the best deals.
Throughout this post, I’m going to use the example of a current book used in many Intro to Psychology courses. I’ll compare the cost of buying it from the school bookstore versus all the other options! When searching for a book on any site, using the ISBN is your best bet to make sure you’re seeing the book you’re looking for.
Here’s the book: Psychology in Modules by David Myers (13th edition), ISBN: 978-1319132095.
Saving on Textbooks for College
Buying or Renting Textbooks
Chegg is a website where you can sell, buy, and rent textbooks, among other things. At Chegg, you can rent the psychology textbook for $42.99 with free shipping when you return it. You can also buy a used copy of the book for $204.49.
Amazon is a good place to start with your textbook search as it will show you many different options all in one place. If there is an ebook or Kindle version of the book, it will list it. It may sell the textbook on its own, or it may be partnering with another site to rent the book. Amazon also has an option for buying a loose-leaf version of the textbook, which is lower priced at both the used and new price points.
You can rent the psychology textbook for $43.43, buy a used copy for $179.95, or buy new for $220.31.
Abebooks allows people to sell their textbooks, which allows for a competitive market! A paperback used copy of the psychology textbook was listed for around $125. Abebooks also links to older editions of the textbook, if that’s an option.
This weekend head over to Zulily where you can get great toy deals. They have Melissa & Doug toys up to 40% off, plus you’ll get to stack the savings with two other offers!!
You’ll get an extra 15% off any items you grab when you shop through our links PLUS get $10 off any $50 purchase of Melissa & Doug!
You only need $50 before the extra 15% off to get both discounts!
Stock up for summer fun, birthdays and more. Melissa & Doug toys are my favorite to give as gifts!
Deal Ideas:
Melissa & Doug Vanity Play Set – $17.96 (reg. $39)
-15% off at checkout
makes it $15.27
Scratch Art Doodle Pad – $8.08
-15% off at checkout
makes it $6.86
Blue’s Clues Red & Yellow Play Tent – $20.36 (reg. $49)
-15% off at checkout
makes it $17.30
We just got (2) $1.50 & $2 off all Detergent coupons in today’s paper, so grab the coupons and head to Kroger, CVS, or Walgreens and get a bottle of detergent or the Mighty Pacs for as low as 99¢! This is a great detergent price, so make sure you grab it at one of these stores!
All Detergent Deals:
-
Kroger – all Liquid Laundry Detergent, 32-36 oz, $2.99
all MightyPacs, 19 ct, $2.99
-$2 off All Mighty Pacs laundry detergent, limit 1, Save 07/17
-$1.50 off All laundry detergent, excl trial, limit 1, Save 07/17
(use $2 off, makes it 99¢) - Walgreens – All or Snuggle Laundry Care, $3.49
-$2 off All Mighty Pacs laundry detergent, excl trial, limit 1, Save 07/17
-$1.50 off All laundry detergent, excl trial, limit 1, Save 07/17
-$1.50 off Snuggle product, excl trial, limit 1, Save 07/17
(use $2 off, makes it $1.49) - CVS – All Laundry Detergent 36-60 oz or Snuggle 31.7-32 oz, $3.99
-$2 off All Mighty Pacs laundry detergent, excl trial, limit 1, Save 07/17
-$1.50 off All laundry detergent, excl trial, limit 1, Save 07/17
-$1.50 off Snuggle product, excl trial, limit 1, Save 07/17
(use $2 off, makes it $1.99)
Hit up the gym in some new activewear!
Head over over to PUMA for big savings during their Semi-Annual Sale! Save up to 50%, plus get an extra 20% off with code.
To get the extra 20% discount, enter code EXTRA20 at checkout. Offer is valid on sale + outlet items.
Deal Ideas:
Classic Women’s Logo Tee – $16.99 (reg. $30)
—20% off with code EXTRA20
makes it $13.59!
Essentials+ Men’s Shorts – $14.99 (reg. $30)
—20% off with code EXTRA20
makes it $11.99!
Smash Platform v2 Candy Women’s Sneakers – $34.99 (reg. $65)
—20% off with code EXTRA20
makes it $27.99!
Cool Cat Men’s Slides – $9.99 (reg. $30)
—20% off with code EXTRA20
makes it $7.99!
This offer is good through 7/18/2022. Shipping is free for orders of $75+.
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You’ve still got time to grab this Prime Day offer from Audible!
Through July 31st, Amazon Prime Members can get 3 months of Audible Premium Plus for FREE.
You’ll get to pick a FREE audiobook each month that all are yours to keep forever!! Prime Members also get an additional 2 FREE titles each month.
Tip: This is supposed to be new users only, but it let me sign up and I’ve definitely been a member before!!
If you like Audible Premium Plus, you don’t have to do anything after the trial and you’ll automatically be charged $14.95 per month. Otherwise, you can cancel at any time (just go to your account details).
Audible Premium Plus Features:
- Unlimited access to the Audible Plus collection of podcasts, audiobooks, Amazon Originals and more.
- Free Premium Audiobook of your choice each month that is yours to keep forever.
- Prime Members get 2 Free Premium Selections each month that are yours to keep.
This offer is available thru 7/31.
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