Big, Deep Breath and ECBs

Midterms are over. Well, I just got them over with. I had until the end of the week to finish up, but I knew I wasn't going to learn anything new between now and then. I cannot completely express just how ready I am for this semester to be over, but in the meantime, post-midterms, I feel like I can take a big, deep breath.

Now, if only I could take that breath without hacking up a lung. I'm finally, finally getting over whatever totally wiped me out last week, but I have this horrible, lingering cough. I've been fever-free for about 72 hours, so if I could just shake this bone-rattling expectorating, I'd be as good as new. Perhaps there's hope for me yet.

To celebrate my being well-ish, I went out coupon shopping today. I took advantage of the 5/$5 cereal deal at Tom Thumb, which by the way, neither requires the coupon or the $10 minimum purchase, apparently. Also, the ad lists only Life, Cheerios, Cap'n Crunch, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch on sale within that special. After some inquiry, I discovered Quaker Oats Squares also worked, which made my cereal free after the discount plus coupons. I also picked up some Soft Soap, free after coupon, and some other things. I thought I was getting some really great deals because I picked up some other on-sale items to purchase with coupons, but I remembered (for the millionth time) when my coupons were being scanned that Tom Thumb only doubles/triples the first coupon of a multiple purchase, so I probably lost about $6-7 in doubled value. Regardless, here's a run down of Tom Thumb for me today:

2 boxes of Pop Tarts Splitz
2 bottles of Soft Soap Hand Wash
5 boxes of Fiber One Granola Bars
2 boxes of Caribou Coffee Bars
2 boxes of Milk and Cereal Bars
2 Snickers Bars
4 pounds of Fresh Strawberries
3 Tangelos
22 boxes of cereal (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cap'n Crunch, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Life, and Quaker Oats Squares -- and YES, I will be sharing)
2 cans of Dog Food (because it was free after coupon, but added to my "required" $10 purchase before coupon. I will be giving this away, because I think we all know my position on dogs.)

Total Out of Pocket: $32.97
Total Savings: $67.52

So, my savings today at Tom Thumb was only about 67%, which isn't bad, it's just not the best. Had I not gotten the strawberries (though who could pass them up at $1.88 a pound today when there was snow on the ground yesterday?) and had I realized my coupons weren't all going to double, I wouldn't have gotten so many things, or would have split my order differently. Oh well. That's my lesson for today...

Then, I stopped by Kroger and picked up 12 packages of Nissan Low Fat Ramen, 2 bars of Johnson Buddies kid's soap, and 2 containers of Old Spice Deodorant all for .98 cents total after coupons.

After that, I decided it was time to get back on the CVS ECB bandwagon. I stumbled into ECBs accidentally right after we moved here. Gracie was a baby and I had a $5/$15 mailer. At that time, the CVS brand diapers had ECBs attached, so I bought them and used the ECBs to buy more diapers and more diapers and more diapers. Within a week's time, I think I supplied all the diapers we needed to get her to potty training. After that, though, I let it sort of fizzle out.

Today, I went to CVS to start again. I purchased 2 Gillette Fusion Razors, 2 packages of Mach 3 Razors, a Gillette Venus Razor, 4 Oral-B Cross Action toothbrushes, 2 Colgate Toothbrushes, 4 packages Hershey's Kisses, 2 containers of shave gel, 2 boxes Hershey's Sweet & Sour Bars, 2 Payday Bars, 2 boxes of Puffs with Vicks, and some Juicy Drop Candy (to keep the kids from burning the joint down). After coupons, I spent $46.86 today, and have $57.77 ECBs to spend later. Yay! Now again, I know that's not the very best that could have been done today, but I got the ECB stuff I wanted plus a few more things I had coupons for. The bottom line is that I profited while at the same time preventing my kids from systematically disassembling the toothpaste aisle, and that's an accomplishment all on its own.

Clipper Helper

Is it a good thing (or most unfortunate)
that my kids perfected their scissor skills
helping me clip coupons?

Asked and answered: I think it's a good thing. They actually love coupon shopping and often help through the entire process. Sometimes when we go to the store, they're assigned certain products to find on their own. (Not that I let them run off through the store by themselves, but when we reach an aisle all together, they're allowed to look.) To them, it's a game. To me, it's life-learning and a great deal of help.

The Grocery Game and Warehouse Clubs: A Frugal Debate

I used to subscribe to The Grocery Game, and while I loved the ease of the click-to-add shopping list, nearly every time I went to the store to purchase my goods, they were completely blown off the store shelves. I would be left to hang on to the coupons, finding similar deals on my own later. Eventually, I cancelled my subscription.

Now that we live in a slightly more rural area, I've thought about joining again, but I'm not sure if I want the nearly $200/year investment (6 local stores, including CVS and Walgreens). I don't know that being in a rural area makes that big of a difference, but I've been able to find abundant Grocery Game-type deals on my own in my local stores, and that makes me wonder what more I would have access to if I subscribed again. I'm just concerned to shell out the dough to subscribe again and end up in fierce competition, ultimately doing without the good deals.

I guess I'll never know for sure without just trying again, but I'm wondering if I can get the same kind of benefit just from taking advantage of the free message boards at The Grocery Game website, from a similar (but free) click-to-add shopping list from Coupon Mom, and from deals mentioned by all the generous bloggers at Frugal Hacks.

Thoughts? What have your experiences been with this stuff?

On another note, I've been giving some thought to Discount Clubs, like Sam's or Costco. Years back when James and I were self-employed, we became Sam's Club members and found many of our office and shipping supplies at a discount rate. Two years ago, our Sam's Club membership gave us access to an extraordinary travel discount to Disney World in Orlando. Since then, we primarily use our membership for photo developing and the occasional pantry stock-up, and we use our Sam's Club membership more than our membership to Costco.

As we approach renewal time, I've been wondering if maintaining a membership at these clubs was truly worthwhile. I think sticking with Costco probably is not, because though I prefer the photo printing there, every other bulk thing I prefer is found at a better price at Sam's Club. I do like some of the occasional specialty options at Costco, but I think I could find similar products at BulkHome, a bulk shopping website. I think that rules out Costco for 2008. As for my Sam's Club membership, it has proven to be valuable time and again. I mentioned previously that we booked a trip to Disney World in 2006, and as a result, we saved an amazing amount of money, even when compared to travel deals we could find online.

In addition to the savings I acquire on those day-to-day pantry items all year long, along with the occasional travel deals, a few days back I saved money on tires for my car. I had to replace three tires at once, and went to Discount Tire where the fourth one had been replaced about five months back. Since my tire replacement, the price of the tire I needed went up nearly $20 each, so a $60 increase in total based on my current need. When I called James, he suggested trying Sam's Club or Costco, and though I know both places sell tires, I never before considered them to be an option for me.

I came home and visited the tire section of each store's website. Costco only offered one style of tire in the size I needed, and it cost $18 more than the tire option at Discount Tire. The Sam's Club website, however, offered many options in my required tire size, so I picked the price range I wanted to remain in and dropped by the store to talk to the clerk. The tire I wanted cost $24 less than the tire at Discount Tire (so $4 less than the Discount Tire price I paid five months ago.) The clerk assured me that the tire was very good, and as a well-known name brand tire, I'm sure he wasn't pulling my chain.

I had to special order the tires online, but the site was easy to navigate and payment wasn't required until the installation was complete. Additionally, I was told there could be a 3-5 day wait, the three tires were in the store about 48 hours later. I went in for installation at lunchtime on a weekend day and the three tires were all installed in under a half-hour. (At Discount Tire during off-peak hours in the middle of a workday I was quoted an hour or more wait.) Bub and I barely had time to finish our $2.48 pizza and drink combos before it was time to go. I saved $72 on tires and had the fastest service I've ever experienced, and that in addition to any day-to-day savings makes me feel it's worthwhile to maintain a membership for a long time to come.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) was an American writer and cartoonist best known for his classic children's books under the pen name Dr. Seuss, including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. His books have become staples for many children and their parents. Among Dr. Seuss' trademarks were his rhyming text and his outlandish creatures. He wrote and illustrated 44 children's books. Many of his books have been adapted into short animated programs. His books The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch and Horton Hears a Who! have been adapted into feature films, and the musical Seussical is an adaption of all his books. Today, Dr. Seuss would have been 104.

To celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday, read your favorite Seuss books, take a virtual tour of the Dr. Seuss National Memorial, or learn a bit of Seuss trivia (for example, did you know the German name Seuss is pronounced "zoice" like voice, instead of like juice with an "S"?). For fun Dr. Seuss games, check out Seussville. Also, check out this great list for Seuss crafts, treats, and other Seuss activities for today and everyday.

Sick and Unoriginal

I'm still sick, sustained solely by Nyquil and hot tea. As a result, I feel completely unoriginal. In my frugal stead, enjoy an article from Kiplinger.com about saving money on food. Also, check out Project Working Mom for information about free-ride scholarships for working moms who want to go back to school.