Grocery goof-ups

Today I went to the grocery store to cash in on some amazing deals.  I went, against my better judgement, on a Saturday afternoon - the busiest time to go to the store, and it was madness.  Unfortunately, the store (No Frills) was already sold out of most of the products that were advertised in their flyer.  I had also intended on stopping by Food Basics on my way home to grab a bunch of their reduced priced Ristorante pizzas, but I couldn’t find parking - it was a madhouse, too - and I had dairy products in the car, so I never even made it into the store.  Needless to say, it wasn’t the most successful venture, but here is a list of both the great deals I got and the ones that “got away.”

Hits & Misses:

Hit:

JUMBO sized box Special K - on sale for $2.44 - with coupon: $1.44

Crisco shortening - $1.97 - with coupon: $1.22

Miss:

Ristorante Pizzas, $2.99 - with coupon: $2.24

Soft Soap Hand wash (500 ml), 88¢

Oasis Orange Juice, 1.5L, $1.69 - with coupon: 69¢

Today’s savings

Good products made cheap by coupons!

Today when grocery shopping, I saved $10.75 on coupons alone, not to mention the great deals I got shopping at Price Chopper.  Some of the products turned out really cheap with the coupons.  For example, one box of Catelli Pasta was only 39¢ with the coupon. And the boxes of Muslix only came to $1.44 each (they had many other varieties on sale, too.)  The other box of cereal I got (Organic Flax Plus) is normally too expensive to purchase, but it came with $1 off coupon for SoyNice (one of my favourite brands of soymilk) plus I had a $1 off coupon for the cereal.  So once I deducted $2 in coupons, the cereal was only $1.97. And the Campbell’s Healthy Request soup you see here was free!  I also saved 75¢ off Dairy Oh! omega 3 milk with a coupon from save.ca! I love that I can save on good, healthy products like organic cereal, soymilk, omega-3 milk, and whole wheat pasta.  

While we were at the store, Josh noticed a sales clerk taking down a pack of coupons for $2 off Kelloggs cereals, and thought to ask her for them.  She gave us a whole wad!  And they don’t expire until June, 1999.

I also made sure to use my Green boxes and cloth bags, which not only helps the environment, it also saves a few cents off my bill, since I don’t need to buy bags.

Other coupons and deals to check out this weekend: 

Look in your flyer for PC stores (Loblaws, Superstores, and Zehrs.)  They have lots of coupons for baby stuff.  Most of them require at least one other purchase, but you can get free Pampers megawipes, Pampers clean n go wipes, Nestle cereal and save $10 on Pampers club packs of diapers and wipes, Huggies and pull-up products. 

Shoppers Drug Mart is offering 10xs the points this weekend when you buy $40 or more - and 15xs the points when you buy $50 or more.  If you have been saving up for a big trip to Shoppers, now is the time to go.  Unless of course, you can hold out for a 20xs the points sale!

A runnin’ fool

Running is actually a great sport to get into if you want to stay in shape and be healthy but don’t want to dole out a lot of money for expensive gym fees. In Toronto, gym, yoga clubs and spinning clubs are expensive, and you can easily pay $150 a month for a basic membership. Running is cheap, since all you really need is a good pair of running shoes and personal commitment. But as any serious runner knows, running can get expensive. There is lots of technical equipment that you will want to buy, especially as you get into the longer distances. But there are ways to reduce your costs:

1. When buying running shoes or running equipment, always check for coupons before heading to the store. Running Room coupons are usually easy to find. I’ll never forget when Vector cereal offered 20% coupons on their cereal box packages. I drove across the city to 3 different grocery stores in the middle of the pouring rain, and then rummaged through their shelves to find one (there were very few left). Recently, the same coupon was offered on containers of Nordia cottage cheese. Who can say no to 20% savings? If you’re looking at buying running shoes, you’ll spend $100 minimum - so that’s $20 in savings right there. As I’ve previously mentioned, you can get this same deal at www.visaperks.ca and by using your visa card. Of course, if you sign up for a Running Room clinic, you get 10% coupons - but you need to use them while you’re still in the clinic.

2. If you don’t want to sign up for a clinic at the Running Room (they go for about $60 but you get a discount if you are a repeat member) then you can join in for free runs on Wednesday and Sunday (check your local Running Room for times and meeting places.) This is a great way for single people to find a running group without having to pay for a clinic.

3. Sports drinks - I have a few ways of saving here, because Gatorade can be expensive when you drink it nearly everyday! (This is especially applicable when running in the summer or in hot climates.) First of all, stock up when you see a great sale (I once found those giant jugs on sale for $1 at Price Chopper during one of their loonie sales). Secondly, you can buy the powder, which is far cheaper than the liquid. Thirdly, you can make sports drinks yourself - this I admit I have never tried, but if anyone has a recipe, I’d love to see it!

4. Take good care of your running clothes and make sure you launder them right away. This helps to maintain them but also makes sure that you have enough running gear available (my partner and I made it through the summer with only one good quality pair of running shorts each).

5. Buy at Costco. I don’t actually own a Costco membership, but maybe I should get one. I’ve heard that Costco has great prices on sports wear.

6. Wear hand-me-downs. I use my Mom’s old gear. Remember that people often make New Years Resolutions to work out and then don’t, so your friends or family may have gear for you that they don’t use and are willing to part with.

7. You can also seek out running jerseys at Thrift Stores. Free t-shirts from races, for example, are easy to find.

8. Make your own healthy power bars and other refeuling snacks. Alton Brown has a Good Eats episode where he makes his own power bars. In the absence of having this episode on hand, I will share a muffin receipe with you from this months’ Runner’s World:

LIZ’S MUFFIN MIX

2 cups whole-grain flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup skim milk or soy milk

1/3 cup applesauce, regular or flavoured

1/2 cup chopped nuts, or dried, fresh, or frozen fruit

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Fill a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cups. mix the first five dry ingredients in a large bowl. Slightly beat the eggs. Mix in the milk and applesauce. And wet ingredients to the dry mix. Stir until just combined, sprinkling in the nuts or fruit. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until muffin tops are golden brown.

Going sale-ing

Want to know how to take full advantage of the sales? Follow these rules:

Rule #1: Only buy products you need.
Watch for sales, but only buy items that you would ordinarily buy. Otherwise, you’re just spending extra money on products you don’t really need.

Rule #2: Use sales to plan your meals.
In the case of groceries, you may want to watch for sales on fruit, vegetables and meat, and plan your meals according to what’s on sale. But watch that you don’t load up on junk foods or items that you don’t really need.

Rule #3: Take stock and plan your purchases around sales.
Just as you plan your meals, plan your shopping for personal items, clothing and major purchases. Keep stock of what you need and watch for great sales at www.flyerland.ca, or just go to the websites of your favourite stores. Make your move when you know the time is right. For example, my partner and I waited for several months before deciding to buy new furniture. We did so at the end of a great sale at The Bay and saved 75% off high quality leather furniture. I wanted to buy the Cuisinart 4-in-1 Griller, and saved $45 from its original price by waiting for a sale and watching the flyers.

Rule #4: Stock up!
When you find a sale on products you know you’re going to need, stock up to make sure you have enough to last you at least until the next great sale. Make sure the product isn’t going to expire soon, and that you can guarantee you’ll need it in the future. For example, products like contact lens solution, toilet paper, toothpaste, feminine products, and canned goods, will definitely be used and don’t go bad. So if you find a lucrative sale, go ahead and stock up!

The benefits of waiting for sales are many. You save off the normal retail cost, of course. In addition, you walk away from impulse purchases. You have more time to save up for things and are less likely to depend on credit. The other benefit is that when you stock up during sales, you go shopping less often. This saves you time and also saves you money, because the less time you spend in the store, the better!

If you want to keep an eye out for great sales, go to www.redflagdeals.com.