Hey! It's free...

While surfing the web for money saving websites, I ran across this site which I think is very cool: http://www.heyitsfree.net/

Simply put, this guy lists "100% legit, non-spammy freebies" and he lists LOTS of them.

You have to check it out. :)

The Grocery Guru...

If you don't know who The Grocery Guru is, then you either don't live in Utah, or you don't like to save money... this guy is seriously awesome! He has my dream job... he takes about 100 people shopping each week (in groups of 4-6) and shows them how they can cut their grocery bill by at least 50% by shopping the sales combined with coupons. (Now bear in mind here, that the primary purpose here is to save money, not to eat super-healthy, so you are not going to be buying a whole lot of fresh fruit and veggies on your trip with him, but you CAN build up your food store a bit.)

Last summer I went shopping with Ken! (No his given name is not really "The Grocery Guru", shocking isn't it?) All you have to do is call him on a Friday afternoon and leave him a message letting him know what area you live in and he will call you back on Monday letting you know when and where he will be in your area that week. You don't have to bring a thing... (he cuts all the coupons out for you)... all you have to do is show up, fill your basket with the things he tells you to, (leaving out anything you don't want or wouldn't use), and pay for it all at the end.

I got over $140 dollars worth of groceries and by the end of it all, it cost me about $38 plus tax. (That is at least 72% savings off of the shelf prices.) Note that the boxes that are raised are on MORE boxes of food at the back in this picture.


That price did include ten dollars worth of boneless, skinless chicken breast which I usually stock up on and get a bit cheaper when Smith's has their frozen bags on half price. It also included 8, yes I said 8 boxes of Fiber One bars, which are not my favorite thing to buy, (if you lived with my two boys, you would feel the same way), but all in all, it was a most excellent adventure which I highly recommend anyone living in the state of Utah sign up to do!

(If YOU want to shop with The Grocery Guru, or just find out more about his program, click here !)

*I apologize to anyone who read this post on my personal blog, I just thought it was a good thing to post on this blog too :)

I'm Back! So here's a tip on air conditioning...

Blogging has taken a back seat the past couple of weeks as I have been quite busy moving in to our new home, but I think I am finally ready to get back on track! So with the weather getting a bit warmer (sometimes... we live in Utah... it can be almost 70 one day and snowing the next...), I offer this little tid bit of information on how to cut your air conditioning costs this season:

Did you know that the air conditioner is a major power eater? Try and keep your thermostat over 78 degrees during the summer to increase savings drastically. For every degree you raise your thermostat setting, you reduce your summer cooling costs by 6 to 8 percent. Use a ceiling or portable fan to feel 3-4 degrees cooler for just pennies on the hour. Also, make use of your blinds or curtains during hot times to keep out the heat. :)

Swedish Almond Cake...

Want a sweet treat that takes just a few minutes of your time and costs pennies to make? Try this recipe for Swedish Almond Cake... it is delicious. This recipe was given to us by a lady where my hubby works. Everyone in the family loves it.

1 stick butter (melted)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup all purpose flour

A handful of sliced almonds

Powdered sugar for dusting

Beat together the butter and sugar. Beat in all the other ingredients one at a time. Spray 9” cake pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with wax paper. Pour batter in and top with sliced almonds. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Free $25 worth of groceries at Smiths...

Did you know that until March 31st, if you transfer any prescription over to Smiths pharmacy and scan your savings card, they will give you a $25 grocery credit on your savings card? (I can only speak for the ones close to me in West Jordan, UT... check your local Smiths to see if they participate).

I just did one yesterday! That's $25 of free groceries next time I go in to shop. I don't know if there is a limit on transferred prescriptions... check with your Smiths Pharmacist for more details.

(New prescriptions not included... Transfers only. Transfers from one Smiths to another Smiths don't count.)

Jordan Landing Sams Club Special Of The Week...

This 8 pack of Energy Smart 13 Watt (60 watt equivalent) light bulbs was bought for $2.86. No that is not a typo... We bought 8 packages, but there were STACKS of them. Can you say *HOAD? These are usually around $12 per package.

Head on over to the Jordan Landing Sams Club in West Jordan and pick you some up... or better yet, give them a quick call first to make sure they still have them... with a deal that hot, they could run out any time. I checked before posting and they still had them.

Good Luck! :)

*HOAD = Heck of a deal.

Generic Please...

Did you know that a lot of generic brand merchandise, (also referred to as store brand merchandise), can be at least as good as it's brand name counterpart for a fraction of the price? This week I found out that Walmart has a generic version of Pantene shampoo (Equate). And guess what? It is awesome and is almost HALF the price of Pantene! They will often tell you on the label of generic/store brand items what brand name they are comparable to. I use generic/store brands for:

• over the counter medicines


• prescription medicines


• other toiletry items such as mouth wash, skin care, or beauty items


• cleaning products


• sandwhich, storage and trash bags


• baking ingredients such as sugar, flour, salt and dried herbs or spices


• lots of other grocery items including lower fat peanut butter, canned fruits, vegetables & soups, pasta, jams, jello's, marinades, juices, drink mixes, refrigerated biscuits, cereal bars and even hot or cold cereal

While some store brands don't taste exactly the same as brand name merchandise, for the most part it's not that they taste bad... they just taste different! In fact some of them taste BETTER. Additionally, did you know that some generics are manufactured by big name brand companies? (Just google "who makes store brands" or something similar to read through some interesting findings.) A lot of what you pay for with brand names is the fancy packaging. You will notice that with generic/store brand items that they don't have the well known cartoon character on the front of the box or the bright, beckoning colors that make them stand out above the rest. They will also often be placed on the higher or lower shelves so that the first things you see are the money making brand name items, shelved right at eye level!

Of course, not all generic/store brand items are interchangeable with the brand name counterpart. Take Coke & Pepsi for example and the store brand cola's. Most people say that you can definitely taste the difference there. But there is much less of a difference with generic orange soda and root beer! Generic brands are definitely experimental. You have to try them to find the ones you like. Some are better than others and it will be up to you and your family as which ones are good enough to be on your shelves and which aren't.

Now you don't get coupons for generic merchandise most of the time, (although sometimes the store will send you coupons through the mail or in their mailers), still, often they can be even cheaper than a brand item that happens to be on sale and has a coupon. Keep an eye out and always compare before you buy. :)

Food Storage Made Easy...

The past couple of posts we have been talking about food storage. If you have never visited this site...

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/

... I highly recommend that you go on over and have a peek. Jodi and Julie have lots of good helps including a babysteps checklist that they will email to you weekly to get you started. Here is what they have to say about it...

"If you follow our checklists for one year you will have your 72 hour kits, water storage, 3 month supply of normal foods, and your entire one year supply of long-term foods as well as some critical non-food items. We started this program to help people with their New Year’s Resolutions to get their food storage done, but if you sign up later you will automatically start with the very first checklist so that you won’t miss a single one!"

There are also tutorial videos, worksheets, instructions and handouts that you can print off. I signed up... you should too. :)