Adding to your grocery bill savings

Most everyone knows the most common ways to save on your grocery bill – clip manufacturers coupons, buy generic, shop the grocery sales, etc.  But what else can you do?

Go to http://www.SavingStar.com, sign up (it’s FREE!!) and register your loyalty cards.  SavingStar works just like e-coupons, except the money gets added to a special account, instead of coming directly off your grocery bill.  It may take a couple days for the savings to be recorded.  Once the account reaches $5, you can request a payout via PayPal, check or even direct deposit.  You can even donate your savings if you prefer.  The best thing about SavingStar is that you can still use coupons when you purchase the items.  It’s just additional savings going directly into your pocket.  The stores that participate are Price Chopper, Rite Aid, CVS, Tops, Hannaford and ShopRite.

Some of the coupons available right now -

Save 75 cents/1 Chock Full O’ Nuts product

Save $1/1 McCain Purely Potatoes product

Save 75 cents/1 Comet bathroom spray

Save 50 cents/2 Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls (50 cents/2 manufacturers coupon available at www.pillsbury.com. use it for additional savings!)

Please feel free to contact me for additional information.  Happy Savings!

Mail in rebates as a saving tool

If an item you normally buy is offering a mail in rebate, buy it! And if you have a coupon for that item, even better! What makes mail in rebates so great is the ability to build your savings account without even thinking about it.  You are buying items you normally buy, so when the check comes in the mail, deposit it and watch your savings grow.  Just this past week, I received 4 rebate checks totaling $18.25. That’s a nice addition to my savings.

Sometimes mail in rebates can even be money makers if you have coupons for the item. For example, one of my rebates was for World’s Best Cat Litter.  The rebate was for a free bag of cat litter (after rebate).  I had a $3 coupon for the litter.  I paid $4.99 before tax.  I mailed the rebate and when I received the check, it was for $7.99 – the full purchase price.  It turned out to be a $3 money maker.

Some tips about rebates -

1.  Make sure you buy the exact item listed on the rebate form.

2.  Don’t buy more than 1 rebate item per receipt.  Most rebates require the original cash register receipt to be mailed.  Do separate transactions.

3.  Pay attention to expiration dates!  There is usually a “purchase by” date and a “postmark” date.  Also, some rebates are “while supplies last”.  As soon as you purchase the item, prepare the rebate and mail it, so you don’t lose out!

4.  If you plan to use coupons or register rewards to pay for a rebate item, try to combine your rebate item purchase with other items, otherwise, you may not be eligible for the full rebate amount.

5.  Make copies of what you mail, in case there is an issue.  If you don’t get your rebate by the time frame listed on the rebate, then call the number listed. 

Any other suggestions?

Please let me know.  Thanks!

Welcome to my new blog!

I hope you enjoy your time here.  My goal for this blog is bring savings to your everyday life, through money saving tips, coupons, ideas, etc.  I will admit that the idea for my blog came through a combination of my work life and my personal life.  I work for a non-profit housing counseling agency.  My main job role is Homebuyer Education instructor.  I like helping people make their way towards homeownership.  Along with that, they need to come up with ideas on how to save towards the downpayment, as well as additional costs that come up once they own a home.  I am also a homeowner who needs to do the same, so in my free time, I am a couponer.  Not extreme by any means, but I do save about 60% on my grocery bill.  I enjoy saving money.  It's my favorite hobby.  So the idea came about to combine my love of couponing with saving money and here we are.  Please feel free to leave your comments or e-mail me directly.  Glad to have you on board.