My Stockpile

We love freebies!

     Many of you have been asking what kinds of products can I get for free or for nearly nothing.  It's a msiconception that freebies and/or rebate items are usually reject items.  A lot of the items I get for free are actual items that we would use on a daily basis.  I stock up, hence "stockpile," so we have what we need whenever we needed, or for someone else that can benefit from our "frugality."  Enjoy the pics.

My RiteAid Profit

Look at all the goodies I got from RiteAid for free!!!  And I actually make a profit of $0.01.  Hey, it may be a miniscule amount now, BUT a penny saved is a penny earned!  lol

I just love FREE stuff.

Thank You Rite Aid for providing for our family's luxurious lifestyle.

:)

Great Things Come in Small Packages

It has finally arrived, yes, the beloved Walgreens Rebate Giftcard. Great things do come in small packages. There really weren't THAT many great deals this week, not stuff we necessarily needed or really used. HOWEVER, since I got that nifty little gift card, I went coupon shopping at Wags this afternoon. I ended up purchasing:

• 4 rolls of Bounty
• 4 bags of Ghiradelli chocolates
• 2 things of tape
• Air Wick air freshner kit
• A birthday card (for sister)

These best thing is that I ended up making $1.01!!! And I get a rebate off the air freshner for this month's rebates at Wags. Life is good! I honestly do not know why this gives me such a thrill. I do like being frugal, being responsible with my family's finances. It is important to us that we have money to give back to the Lord, and money to support our family. I am slowly learning little tricks here and there to help us financial. Here are some big ones I've learned, that have worked for me:

• Always go in with a list (I list the sales price by each time, and a C if I have a coupon(s) for it.
• Have into the "Get in, Get out" mentality (Don't go to shop around; even when I do coupon shop, I do my research first. I coupon-shop for specific items).
• You're just headed for trouble if you go into a store with no list, no preparation.
• Don't shop when you're hungry.
• Get ONLY what's on the list (even my husband has to remind me of this one).
• Don't buy just because it's a "good" deal (I really don't pick up extras unless it is free, or VERY close to free).
• Don't be ashamed to ask prices and use coupons.
• Do frequent small trips, as oppose to few LARGE purchases. (I've saved quite a bit making small trips to Wags and CVS, and using the register rewards or CVS Bucks for subsequent purchases).
• Don't be lazy - look for rebates (then be patient waiting for the mail).
• I put rebate moneys back into savings until it's needed.
• Calculate an item's economicality (not sure if I made up that work, but what I mean it, which is cheaper per item - that small bottle of ketcup or the family jumbo size).
• Bigger is not always better (I used to buy TP at Costco, but there just isn't the space, and honestly, I can get TP and paper towels for pretty cheap hitting sales and coupons).
• Outside of dairy, bread, produce, there are FEW items I will buy if it's not on-sale AND I have a coupon for it.
• Self-discipline!

In closing, here's a picture of my little beauty that brought me happiness!

Why I Like CVS

So lately, I have joined the CVSing, WAGing, and Riteaiding worlds of frugal spending.

Of those three, I enjoy CVS the most.  That is mostly because I can usually get the most freebies and save the most there.  I've tried to put a $5 limit each time I go.  I'll go about once a week to snag the weekly deals.  I usually do pretty good.

I was really excited that the Always freebie that I found is free at CVS.  There was actually a sign up for a limit of 1 rebate per household, but when I rung it up (I already had coupon for $4.98, so I figure I'd get another free box even if I don't get the coupon), it popped out another coupon!  So I've gotten 2 free boxes of Always so far.

For my trip this morning, I also got a thing of Lady Speedstick, 2 bottles of propel gatorade, and 2 bottles of ice tea.  Got ECB (Extra Care Bucks) back, and spent $4.  I actually got almost $9 back in ECB's, so I actually made $5!  Woo Hoo!

People ask me if it's confusing keeping track of all the deals.  Not really.  Usually I will browse through all the Sunday ad's at my inlaws and make my shopping list for CVS, Walgreens, and Riteaid.  I'll take out the coupons I need for each store, and put everything together.  That way when I go, everything is set.  I don't "shop around."  I got in with my list, and I come out with just what I needed.

I guess so might say it's a hassel.  With the way the economy is though, I take it as being more responsible with my family's finances.