Ipod USB Travel Kit $3.15 at Amazon

Here's a hot deal on a Apple iPod USB Travel Kit with Car Charger/ Travel Adapter/ Cable at Amazon.com, this kit is white and it includes an interchangable charger with car charger and travel wall charger.  This is a pretty sweet deal as it's rare to find just a car charger or just a wall charger for under $10.

While you are there you may want to pick up this  Rapid Travel Charger for iPod for only a penny (that's right just $0.01 plus shipping).

24 pack Ziploc Storage Containers $8.60

Amazon has a really good deal right now on their Ziploc Storage Containers . Get 24 containers (variety pack) for just $8.60.  This is an excellent deal. And if you are an Amazon Prime Member it will ship for FREE!






thanks Because Cheaper is Better

FREE SAMPLE: Kellogg's Mini Wheats Touch of Fruit

VocalPoint is offering up a FREE SAMPLE of the new Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats Touch of Fruit cereal.  Just click here and fill out the info to grab yours.

$10 Amazon Card Giveaway - Enter Now

Head over to this post to enter NOW for your chance to win the $10 Amazon card.  I've noticed lots of new likers today (we hit the 100 mark on Facebook) and we are just 6 followers shy on GFC, but surprisingly not all of you have entered the giveaway.  Go enter, because as soon as I see that I've passed the 100 mark on BOTH Facebook and Google Friend Connect, I'll be picking a winner from the entries on the giveaway thread, here.

Don't Miss Your Chance!

COUPON: BOGO Athenos Hummus

Head over to Facebook and "like" Athenos to grab a coupon for BOGO Hummus.  You can occasionally find this on sale for as low as $1 and it makes for not only a great snack but you can use it in recipes too.

Take a Virtual Snack Break with Yoplait

Join Yoplait Greek and Maria Menounos for a live virtual snack break, because it´s time for a better snack! Please see attached and below for details of the virtual event that will take place on Thursday, March 24. Simply log-on to register.

Yoplait Greek invites you to join Maria Menounos, Access Hollywood Correspondent and author of the upcoming book The EveryGirl´s Guide to Life, registered dietitian Christina Meyer-Jax, and Allison Curran from Yoplait Greek, for a live virtual snack break.

When: Thursday, March 24, 2011, 12:30-1:15 p.m. PT (3:30-4:15 p.m. ET)

Where: Log-on to http://event.xfactorcom.com/sd/yoplait/20110324/ (password: "Yoplait" - case sensitive) - Pre-register to receive a free Snack Pack**

Why: Let´s face it, we´d all like an upgrade every now and then

Event Features:
- Maria´s expert organization, health, recipe and lifestyle tips
- A sneak peek of Maria´s new book
- Introduction to the new and improved Yoplait Greek
- Launch of the Better Snacking Sweepstakes
- Live Q&A and snacking poll

** If you pre-register by March 21, Yoplait Greek will send you a fun Snack Pack including Yoplait Greek coupons, a meal planner, a reusable grocery bag and a pocket organizer.

Sunday Coupon Preview

It appears that we will have at least 2 inserts in the paper this Sunday; a Redplum and a SmartSource.  I'm hoping it's a better coupon week personally as I have really had to dig to find coupons I would really use in the paper since the first of the year.  How are you feeling about the inserts we've seen so far?

This week we will be seeing some new coupons for things like Edge shave gel, $4 off Gillette Fusion razors (love these), & B2G1 Suave body wash, these all give me hope.  If you'd like to check out the preview of what's coming in this week's coupon inserts and see what's going to make it worthwhile FOR YOU, then please check out the Sunday Coupon Preview.

Spending Goals Report - March 17

I've totally slacked off on reporting on my spending goals.  But, I am happy to say that so far I'm doing much better this month than I did last month.  We are still trying to find the best way to allocate the cash to prevent going over budget and at the same time make sure I have enough on hand.  At this point we have opted for taking out cash on a weekly basis for groceries (all other cash we take out every other week).

Here's where we were at the end of February.

One issue I'm running into is that the month and our budget month don't line up.  So I'm having to just remind myself that it doesn't matter and as long as I don't over-spend in the 4 week period that makes up a month (as per the Savings/Spending tracker, I'm good.

So here's the list of the trips so far this month (March)....

• Kroger, paid $1.22 for $45.88 worth of groceries (used up the remaining $3 Daytona Qs on this one). (2/25)
• Kroger, paid $7.49 for $25.51 worth of groceries (3/1)
  - returned $2.70, so total spent was only $5
• CostCo, paid $3.79(3/1)
• CVS, paid $9.15, for $20.97 worth of drugstore items (left with $11 in ECB) (3/3)
• Rite Aid, paid $3.14 for $27.35 worth of drugstore items (used $8+UPs, got back $1+UP) (3/3)
• Publix, paid $8.65 for $38.62 worth of groceries (3/3)
• Walgreens, paid $8.08 for $31.34 worth of drugstore items (used $5RR, got back $4RR) (3/5)
• Rite Aid, paid $6.62 for $26.95 worth of drugstore items (I know I used some +UPs and got some back, just didn't enter it in my tracker) (3/11)
• Walgreens, paid $41.44 for $115.75 worth of items (this was my Swiffer stock up trip - started with $4RR, left with $6RR) (3/11)
• Publix, paid $23.15 for $66.32 worth of groceries (3/11)
• Kroger, paid $20.71 for $41.31 (3/11)

All of my spending totals include tax and I have to say that tax puts a really big dent into what I spend.  If I had to estimate I'd say that tax ends up being about 30-40% of what I end up spending (since tax is paid on the pre-coupon total).  Overall, my savings rate so far this month is just about 75%, which seems to be about where I average out every month.  I was just a little lower last month.  I have a feeling that rate may go up slightly as I shop at Kroger less and less.  They seem to bring my percentage down, with savings around 55% compared to the 75% at Publix and usually over 90% at the drugstores.  It really makes me wish our drugstores carried more in the way of groceries around here, but they rarely even have the advertised grocery items available.

• 
  

Clearance Clothing Finds

Last weekend we were in Nashville and as we do when we are Nashville we hit up Macy's.  It's funny how your perceptions can be so off about things. Growing up I thought Macy's was so expensive, but once I finally got to visit one, I found it wasn't any more expensive than any other mall dept store, and if you know how to shop, it can even be cheaper.  I love Macy's clearance (both in store and online) and have always had pretty good success with it.  Last weekend was no different as I managed to find 5 shirts (4 of which were on clearance for under $5) for just $30.  The one that wasn't on sale was only $10 (and I don't even think that was a sale price).

Macy's Finds

Then yesterday I was in CostCo to pick up some prescriptions and I decided to scan through their clothing section.  I've found some really good deals there in the past and you just never know what you'll find so it's always worth a look.  While looking I found a section of Lucky Brand printed thermals for just $6.97.  I'd looked at these a few months ago and while I think I did buy one I was feeling cheap that day and couldn't convince myself to spend the money to buy more than that (even though at the time they were only about $20, which is still a steal for a Lucky Brand anything).  I kept looking and also found some Jake's Dry Goods shirts marked down to the same price.  I managed to find four and again spent about $30.

CostCo Steals

All but one of the shirts I bought at Macy's are long-sleeved and since it's already warming up nicely here, I doubt I'll have much need to wear them this year, but it will feel so good to pull them out next year and find that they still have the tags on them and be able to start the cool weather in the fall with some brand new shirts that I got for super cheap.

I May Be Cheap But I Still Splurge

I was talking to a friend last night and something came up about how cheap I've gotten.  Our favorite local hangout (bar) is pretty upscale and because of their prices we haven't spent nearly as much time there as we used to.  We just can't justify it.  But, we still go occasionally and splurge (of course, we try to get there when Happy Hour prices are still in effect).

There are a lot of things I've declared myself just "too cheap" to do anymore.  I won't be spending $100 on a pair of jeans, or buying my shampoo at the salon. My shampoo now comes extremely cheap thanks to the local drugstore sales and coupons, and when I head into a retail store I have returned to all that I was taught when I was young, and head straight for the clearance rack.  We won't be dining out at restaurants where we end up paying over $100 for the two of us, without a really good coupon (or Groupon). 

But, we do still splurge.  We just do it less often.  A few years ago it was nothing for us to go out of town and get a hotel room once a month (sometimes for 2 nights in a row), however now it has to be in our budget and it's very rare.  We did it last weekend for the first time since New Years (and NY was the first time in about 4 months).  Instead of just jumping at the first thing that comes along we price compare a lot more these days.  We will also still splurge on going out.  We have a decent portion of our budget set aside just for that, but we use it much more wisely.  It's funny how when you are spending cash and you know your cash is limited you will go much further out of your way to get a good deal and make sure you enjoy it.  Instead of just going out to eat because we are bored or don't want to cook, we now go out to eat because we want to eat at a particular restaurant.  And if, for some reason, our dinner at that restaurant is not all we expected it to be, I will write and complain and those complaints usually result in our next meal being on them.

It's not that we can't afford to do more, we've just changed our priorities.  One of our priorities is still to enjoy life and live it, it's just moved down a couple of rungs on the ladder of importance and has been replaced with things like "paying off the house" and "saving for the future".

WOOHOO 100 Followers on Facebook

And We just need 8 more Public Followers on Google Friend Connect and I can choose a winner for the $10 Amazon gift card!

For full details and to enter the giveaway, click here.

Code Worth 11 Swagbucks on the Blog

There's a Code on the Swagbucks Blog worth 11 Swagbucks till 3pm PDT.

If you haven't signed up for Swagbucks, it's codes like these (on top of getting rewarded for searches) that make it all worthwhile.  It only takes 450 Swagbucks to grab a $5 Amazon gift card, and between search rewards and bonus codes you can easily grab your first one in just 2-3 weeks (faster if you do special offers and other Swagbucks earning activities).  If you haven't joined yet, click here to sign up and they'll start you off with 30 Swagbucks just for joining, then be sure to head to the blog listed above and get that code!

COUPON: $1 Off Total Cereal

Head over to Total Cereal for $1 Off Total.  This is by far my favorite cereal, it's just a bonus that has more nutrients.