I’m pretty sure pigs are flyin’ today. I really never thought we would see Walgreens come together and make a clear and concise coupon policy but as of today one exists!
They have followed the lead of CVS and Rite Aid and spelled things out exactly as they should be. Many of you will notice that stores in your area have never allowed 2 coupons on B1G1 deal or a B1G1 coupon on a B1G1 deal… well now it’s spelled out for that you can!
Check out the full policy, print it cause I’m pretty sure for the next few weeks you are going to need it!
(thanks Amy!!)
As a mom of three messy little people I rarely buy new clothes. We do a majority of our shopping at consignment sales. If you are a newbie to the world of shopping consignment sales it can be very overwhelming. Thousands of garments, toys, books and shoes (not to mention equipment) overflowing from gyms and expo halls. Many times there isn’t room to even turn around, you just have to keep going forward!
How do you figure out what to buy and still leave with your sanity? How do you not over buy? It is a fine art of thinking quickly before someone else takes that hand smocked dress, and not leaving with 14 pairs of pants all the wrong sizes for your kids. I used to help run a non-profit sale in our area and here are the top things I learned from watching others:
- Have time to spare. Slow down and really look, not just fly through the racks. Since there typically aren’t large amounts of one item, there are a lot of items to choose from.
- Wear the right shoes. Simple but often overlooked.
- Know what you need. Go through your kids drawers the day before make a detailed list, also put clothing and shoe sizes on your list. I’ve seen some shoppers write this on their hands since your arms will filled with items.
- Measuring your children is often better than knowing sizes. A Gap size 6 isn’t the same as a Gymboree 6 etc. I take a cheap cloth measuring tape for each child in my purse with painters tape marking dress length, waist, foot size, and pant length. You won’t need to pull it out for every garment but it will be there if needed as a reference (your kids will probably enjoy helping you make it too).
- Go early!! If the sale starts at 7 am people line up at 6 am. Really they do. The best equipment and clothing goes first. Often the best quality is priced the same as some of the worst, so the first folks in the door not only get great condition items, but they get great deals!
- Take a laundry basket or rolling basket. You will not be able to carry everything in your arms. If you don’t have a basket with wheels loop a belt around the handle of a regular basket and pull it behind you. (I know it sounds funny but you won’t be the only one doing it).
- Be okay with lines. Just go prepared for a wait. Wait to get in and to check out. There are great deals but most of the times consignment sales have way more shoppers than volunteers so be patient and kind.
- Do a little research on the sale. This is an inside tip… consignment sales that run as businesses usually offer the sellers a lower percentage of their earnings over non-profit sales. Because of this your non-profit sales have much lower prices for the same item (held mostly at churches etc.) . The mom’s selling their clothes don’t have to mark the clothes at a higher price to compensate for the decrease in commission. (Sorry if you run one as a business, but it’s the truth.)
If you leave the store with all the deals and feel like there is no way to make a meal out of them, hopefully this can help. These are very basic ingredients this week, so many of you with other stores will also find that many of these items are on sale in other stores too!
*These prices are based off of averages and subject to change weekly
Breakfast for Dinner
Kellogg’s Eggo Waffles, 10.75-12.3 oz., 50¢
Smithfield Naturally Hickory Smoked Bacon, 16 oz., $3
Lender’s Bagels, 12 or 16.5 oz., 99¢
Eggland’s Best Large Eggs, 12 ct., $1
Baked Mahi-Mahi
Publix Mahi Fillets,12 oz., $6.99
Tomatoes on the Vine $1.69 lb.
Brothy Shrimp & Rice Scampi
Medium White Shrimp, 41-50 per lb., $4.99
Rico Long Grain Enriched Rice, 3 lb., 99¢
Swanson Broth, 32 oz., $2
Pompeian Imported Olive Oil, 32 oz., $5.49
Grilled Chicken Tacos
Perdue Boneless Chicken Breasts $3.99 lb. (if you have some in the freezer do that — this isn’t the best price)
Taco Bell Home Originals Dinner, 10.75-16.35 oz., $1.34
Tomatoes on the Vine $1.69 lb.
Sargento Shredded Cheese or Sunburst, 5-8 oz., $2
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-fry
Perdue Boneless Chicken Breasts $3.99 lb.
Rico Long Grain Enriched Rice, 3 lb., 99¢
Broccoli or Cauliflower $2
Swanson Broth, 32 oz., $2
Tuna Cakes
StarKist Solid White Albacore Tuna, 4 pk. 5 oz., $3.18
Sargento Shredded Cheese or Sunburst, 5-8 oz., $2
Mt. Olive Pickles, 16-46 oz., or Pickle or Jalapeno Pepper Slices Pak, 4 pk. 3.7 oz., 39¢
I know you guys are around for deals, but I thought I would let you know about the fun we are having in all our travels. Currently I have college student (Amanda) in LA with TJ Maxx at the Teen Choice Awards and I’m in Manhattan for Blogher. So far we are both having a blast.
If you want to see pictures of all the celebrities stopping by the T.J. Maxx Teen Choice Awards Swag Suite, or all the adventures I’m up to NY and bloggers I’m meeting follow @SouthernSavers on twitter.
To help you guys not get confuddled, we are tweeting with separate hashtags #SSLA and #SSNYC. This way you don’t think I’m a crazy person that is in two places at the same time.
For those not on twitter…
Yesterday my husband I got in to NYC around 9 am. I posted a few deals for you guys from the backseat of a Taxi and then we headed off on an entire day of fun. Everything we did yesterday was FREE! First we rode the Staten Island Ferry, it goes right by the State of Liberty and Ellis Island. Went over and then came right back, absolutely no charge. After walking and site seeing we ended our day being in the audience for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Tickets to NBC shows are also FREE!
Total spent so far: $27 for a week long unlimited Metro Pass.
(I’ll post the LA pictures later tonight or first thing tomorrow for non twitter folks.)
I shared last week that I am currently working with TJ Maxx and Marshalls for the back to school season as a spokesperson. This has already been a lot of fun but also very educational. I recently got to sit down with TJ Maxx style expert, Sonya C., and talk about all the trends for this season and ask a few questions about how in the world they are able to get designer products for such a low price! I personally have no style, unless being barefoot in jeans and t-shirt counts as a trend. So, it was awesome to learn and see some of the looks.
I took two different lines of questions, first for the style and then for the bottom line (that’s really where my heart is, who cares if you’re fashionable Mama is going to save money…).
Fashion
Q: If we could only afford three items for this back to school season what would should they be?
- A middle weight hoodie or light jacket – the layered look is in so get something that will work now into late fall. Mix with print T-shirts you already have for a “new” look.
- A new pair of jeans, best would be dark wash with detail around the pockets with stitching or grommets etc.
- One new graphic printed t-shirt.
- Jeggings – this is a new one for me, but they are leggings that look like jeans.
- Dress or long tunic that can be worn now and in the winter with leggings under it.
- Light to Medium Weight Jacket – Miltary or Bomber Style
Q: Are there “in” colors this year?
Like last year, plaids are still huge. Fuchsia, coral and other bright colors are also in.
Savings
Q: What is “off price”?
Off Price means that you are getting the exact same merchandise as department and designer stores (same quality, look, designer names etc.) the only difference is the price is “off”. You are paying 20-60% less for the exact same item!
Q: Okay, exactly how are TJ Maxx and Marshalls (TJX) able to get a lower price? Why wouldn’t the department stores also want/get this price?
-
- We are with or sometimes even ahead of the trends buying constantly rather than in large bulk orders.
- We are also able to buy smaller quantities. Maybe a big designer fulfills an 200,000 piece order for a department store but has enough fabric left to make 20,000 more shirts. We come in and offer to buy the remaining shirts, they are able to have no remnant fabric left and we are able to get a steal!
With 1600 stores across the US we are also able to handle large orders if they become available, so we are able to jump on any deal that pops up.
Q: If you are only buying a small number of items how do they get split amongst stores.
With our buyers always on the road, we always have merchandise coming in. We have our own distribution system and can actually take a product and have it on store shelves within 2 weeks of buying it!
Each store gets around 10,000 new pieces every week, so basically your store can have an entirely different look and feel every time you go in.
Q: If you always have a better price for the same item, how do the department stores not get upset??
One requirement we do have to abide by, is that we never share the exact brands or prices of items in the stores. So you might see commercials or great deals but we try to never name exact names. This way the department store doesn’t get too miffed that we are sharing with the world that we have a better deal!
If I were able to chat with someone else from TJ Maxx or Marshalls are there any questions you would want to ask?
I need your help! I have a lot of things in the works behind the scenes of Southern Savers and I need 40 of you to help me test something. If you are up for getting a sneak peek and trying out something fun leave a comment below. I’ll pick the 40 winners tomorrow and send you an email.
(I am also planning on sending you a small gift for your time too…)
Also, here are the winners from the recent giveaways.
The Giveaway Giveaway
keat06@
(this person got to pick which food bank got this month’s Food Bank donation money of $6,200)
Editing.com Giveaway
onefrugalgirl@
lexism81@
Betty Crocker: FLIP Camera
nutrition_utopia@
Thirty-One Giveaway #2:
lisanole78@
jaggreer@
juliebear73@
joyoussunsets@
jcavender4@
A Guide to Shopping at Kroger
Many of you ask if I will go to the store with you. That’s not really an option unless you want my three kids to go too. So let’s head to the store through video. This is the first of many store specific videos I’ll be adding.
Give me a little leniency on quality it’s very hard to control the inside of a store and we kept getting interrupted by over head announcements!
How to Reduce Time Spent Couponing
Many people say couponing is not worth the money you save because it takes so much time. Using coupons can take a lot of time, but it doesn’t have to. The amount of time it takes is really up to you.
Limit Deal Finding Time
Your time is valuable, don’t spend it all on the internet. There are a ton of frugal websites, and you do not need to go to every one of them. Just pick three or four of your favorites and check those regularly. Beyond those three or four sites you probably will not find any new deals – the deals just get repeated. If you spend 4 hours looking for every possible deal, you may find something like free mustard, but you have to evaluate whether it was really worth the time you put into it just to find that extra free mustard.
A way to make looking at your favorite sites easier is to read them through a feed reader such as a Google reader. I use Google reader and love it. It makes it so easy to quickly look and see what is new in the blogging world. Just so you know, you’ll still need to visit these sites from time to time since you can’t comment or enjoy any of the advanced features (like printable shopping lists) in a feed reader. Want to follow Southern Savers in a reader? Get started here.
Don’t spend a ton of time driving all over town. Remember you only really need to shop at one grocery store and one drug store. Things will go on sale at every store at some point, so you do not need to go to six stores to find what you need. This will save time getting ready to go shopping as well as when doing the actual shopping. There might be a crazy deal at another store, go for it if you have the time, but don’t run yourself ragged for one deal.
Remember, the coupon organization method you pick can greatly determine how long it takes you to get ready for shopping. For many useful tips on all of the different methods of coupon organization go here.
Get Ready Before You Go Shopping
If you have everything ready to go when you hit the stores you will spend a lot less time doing the shopping. Having your coupons cut and put together saves you from walking aimlessly around the store hunting for products and fumbling through your coupons.
Print your shopping list and your printable coupons, then pull/clip your coupons. As you get everything ready, save yourself a few extra minutes in the store by writing on your shopping list how many of an item you plan to buy. For example: I’ve got (2) coupons that are $1/2 Kraft Cheese, put on our shopping list next to the cheese that you want to buy 4.
Did you know that you can add additional items to your shopping list on Southern Savers?? After selecting your items, click create list. At the bottom of each category on your shopping list you’ll see the box above. Just type what you need in the blank, then click the + and your item will be added. This will be very helpful in remembering to grab another good deal or anything else you need.
Decreasing Time At The Store
As the first day of school rapidly approaches and all of you are seeking out the best deals on pens, paper and school supplies, I am sure that one other thing is in the front of your minds: clothes. Odds are your kid is a little bigger than last year and his or her clothes have suffered at the hands of playgrounds, ketchup, and brightly colored markers. As you head to the stores to help your kid look sharp I hope I can help point you in a good direction.
I have posted a lot in the past about awesome deals at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls and they must have noticed. Recently I was asked to be one of their back-to-school spokespeople!!! I’m giddy just typing it. First I love their stores, but to get to be spokesperson for anything is just awesome.
Why T.J. Maxx & Marshalls??
They are the leaders in “Off-Price” clothing. Everything is the name brand, and same-as quality of the department store but the price is between 20-60% lower than in a department or designer store. That means your kids get exactly the look they want and you save a ton!
Some people think it is because they are have small flaws or off season. Wrong! All items are exactly the same as the item in the more expensive store and each store gets over 10,000 new items each week and they work hard to stay in season and with the trends. To stay in season they have buyers out all year working with designers. They like to call themselves “opportunistic buyers”. This means that are always looking for any opportunity to help you score a deal. An example: A Top name shoe designer makes too many shoes for an order with department stores, Marshalls swoops in and buys what’s left to put in their store!
Over the next six weeks we are going to have some fun contests and I will share some tips on truly getting the most for your money shopping TJ Maxx and Marshalls!
A Savings Challenge::
Over the next 3 weeks when you head out to T.J. Maxx or Marshalls and find an awesome deal (like the dress we found a few months ago), take a picture of it with your phone or bring it home and take a photo. Email me your photo and we are going to have our own contest. You guys will get to vote on all the entries and decide the best Marshalls T.J. Maxx deal.
The winner will receive $250 in giftcards for T.J. Maxx or Marshalls (winner’s choice).
