Secrets to supermarket savings - Part 7
For those who enjoy these, here's my shopping from this morning. Since we went and picked pumpkins a few days ago at the apple orchard, we also picked up a big bag of fresh apples, and a bag of sweet potatoes - in addition to the salad stuff I bought today, these will be our our fruits and veggies for the week. I like to buy what's in season and what's on sale, whenever I can. And the fresher I can get it, the better. I might cook up some of the pumpkin this week, too. We'll see! I know for sure we're going to have some fresh apple pie!
By the way, since selling off some of our stockpile went so incredibly well at our garage sale, my husband wants me to try to start collecting as much of a stockpile as I can in preparation for our next garage sale in March or April. So, some of this stuff is actually for that. My first priority is to coupon in order to meet my family's needs, but if there are leftovers, they are going in the garage sale stash! I'm hoping to buy 5-10 items every week to add to it so that near the end of March, I'll be well-stocked for our next sale!
Store #1 - CVS (fast becoming my favorite store!):
Since we bought a lot of items there which we would get free on Friday night to sell in the garage sale the next day to replenish our supply, I had almost $60 in Extra Bucks split up in five different ways earned to spend today. I decided, since I'm still new at this, to just spend two of them and save the others to use later in the week. My goal, at CVS, is to basically only buy items which I earn the amount they cost or more (if they are one sale) back in Bucks. Then, I top it off by using as many manufacter's coupons that I can so that I am not only getting back the amount I spend, but I'm also earning more money than I spend. This way, I keep rolling my Bucks over every week plus earning more. Our store only allows you to use one Buck per order, so I chose to use a $6 Buck and a $23.94 Buck.
First order (to use $6 EB):
2 Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste - on sale for $2.50, earn $2.77 back in EB's per toothpaste, used $1/1 coupons - earned $1.27 per toothpaste
1 Purell Hand Sanitizer - on sale for $3.00, earn $3.00 back in EB's, used $1/1 coupons - earned $1
Clearance small Purell hand sanitizer - $1.50 (used this as a filler since I was under the six dollar amount - I am also hoping that possibly this might count towards the current EB promotion and I'll get $3 back on it. Not sure, I'll have to wait 48 hours and check my account!).
Total before sales, coupons: $12.22
Total with tax after sales, coupons, and $6 EB: $0.76
EB's I'll earn on this order: $8.54
Saved: $11.46 plus the EB's I'll earn
Second order (to use $23.94 EB):
3 Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste - on sale for $2.50, earn $2.77 back in EB's per toothpaste, used $1/1 coupons on two of them - earned $1.27 per toothpaste on two, and $0.27 on another
1 Bic Comfort 3 Advanced shaver 4-ct - on sale for $3.99, get $5.00 back in EB's, used $1/1 coupon - earned $2.01
1 Oral-B Cross-Action Power Toothbrush - on sale for $5.97, get $5.99 back in EB's, used $1/1 coupon - earned $2.01
1 Reach ACT Restoring Mouthwash - on sale for $4.69, get $4.77 back in EB's, used $0.75/1, - earned $0.83
2 Garnier Fructis Hair Gel - on sale for $3.33, get $3.99 back in EB's, used $1/1 coupons - earned $1.66 per gel
Nail polish remover - on clearance for $0.99
4 Candy bars - The nail polish remover was supposed to be my filler and I thought I had the amount right (didn't have my calculator with me!) but when I went to pay, I still needed over $1 in order for them to take all my coupons, so I threw in four candy bars at the last minute! I'll try and calculate better next time!
Total before sales and coupons: $33.08
Total with tax after sales and coupons and $23.94 EB: $0.70
EB's I'll earn on this order:$32.05
Total saved: $32.32 plus the EB's I'll earn
Store #2: Kroger
1/2 gallon milk - reduced to $0.50
1/2 gallon whole milk - reduced to $0.50 (we'll use both of these until the day they expire - near the end of this week - and then I'll either make up a big batch of waffles with it and freeze them, or I'll freeze the milk to use in pancakes or waffles later. We have corn chowder and waffles on the menu this week so we just might be able to use all this milk before it even needs to be frozen!)
Spring Bagged Salad greens - reduced to $1.00
"Lots of veggies" bagged salad greens - reduced to $1.00 (I usually buy 2-3 bunches of lettuce, but if I can get it reduced in bags, we like that better - it's usually organic and there are a lot more varieties of greens in it)
Organic broccoli - reduced to $0.75
Organix sunshine salad (shredded broccoli hearts, carrots, and a few other veggies - we use this to add a healthy and nutritious crunch to our salads!) - $0.75
2 Campbell's microwavable soup bowls (a special treat for Jesse's lunch) - on sale for $1.00 each, used $1/2 coupons, plus, since I bought 4 Campbell's products, I got a $1 store coupon back - $0.25/each
2 Campbell's Soup at Hand - on sale for $1.00 each, used $1/2 coupons, plus store coupon - $0.25/each
4 Colgate toothbrushes - on sale for $1.00 each, used $1/1 coupons - Free
2 8 oz. cheese blocks - on sale for $1.67 each
2 dozen eggs - on sale for $0.67/each
Sandwich Bread - $0.70
Total before sales and coupons: $39.66
Total with tax after sales and coupons: $13.14
Total saved: $26.52
Store #3: Walgreens
4 Theraflu Warming liquid - on sale for $0.99, usually $3.99, used $1/1 coupons on each
Total before sales and coupons: $15.96
Total with tax after sales and coupons: $1.15
Total saved: $14.81
Monday's totals
Combined totals before sales and coupons: $100.84
Combined totals spend after sales and coupons: $15.75
Total savings: $85.09
Plus, I will earn $40.59 in EB's to spend at CVS so you could say that I earned a profit of $24.84 by buying all these groceries. :)
More to come tomorrow on getting started couponing and where to find coupons...
Oh and I wanted to briefly mention how much I've appreciated all the kind feedback I've gotten on this series. It has blessed me so much to hear that what I've written has been helping some of you. I'm so grateful that what I've learned and practiced out of necessity for the past few years is now able to be a blessing to more families than just ours. And, I'm excited to actually be following through on writing all this down - something I've long wanted to do. Your encouragement has kept me pressing on in this, even when sticking to one topic for any length of time is not my forte. I'm even considering writing a few future series of posts on this blog since this has gone so well (Any suggestions? I'm contemplating a series on ideas for making money from home, since that seems to be another area I do have some ideas and thoughts in. I'm open to suggestions and feedback.). Also, please let me know if there is anything I've not covered in this series or anything you'd like further information on. I'm trying to make it as indepth and practical and self-explanatory as possible since it is going to be turned into an ebook once finished. I want to make sure I've not left any "holes." :)
By the way, since selling off some of our stockpile went so incredibly well at our garage sale, my husband wants me to try to start collecting as much of a stockpile as I can in preparation for our next garage sale in March or April. So, some of this stuff is actually for that. My first priority is to coupon in order to meet my family's needs, but if there are leftovers, they are going in the garage sale stash! I'm hoping to buy 5-10 items every week to add to it so that near the end of March, I'll be well-stocked for our next sale!
Store #1 - CVS (fast becoming my favorite store!):
Since we bought a lot of items there which we would get free on Friday night to sell in the garage sale the next day to replenish our supply, I had almost $60 in Extra Bucks split up in five different ways earned to spend today. I decided, since I'm still new at this, to just spend two of them and save the others to use later in the week. My goal, at CVS, is to basically only buy items which I earn the amount they cost or more (if they are one sale) back in Bucks. Then, I top it off by using as many manufacter's coupons that I can so that I am not only getting back the amount I spend, but I'm also earning more money than I spend. This way, I keep rolling my Bucks over every week plus earning more. Our store only allows you to use one Buck per order, so I chose to use a $6 Buck and a $23.94 Buck.
First order (to use $6 EB):
2 Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste - on sale for $2.50, earn $2.77 back in EB's per toothpaste, used $1/1 coupons - earned $1.27 per toothpaste
1 Purell Hand Sanitizer - on sale for $3.00, earn $3.00 back in EB's, used $1/1 coupons - earned $1
Clearance small Purell hand sanitizer - $1.50 (used this as a filler since I was under the six dollar amount - I am also hoping that possibly this might count towards the current EB promotion and I'll get $3 back on it. Not sure, I'll have to wait 48 hours and check my account!).
Total before sales, coupons: $12.22
Total with tax after sales, coupons, and $6 EB: $0.76
EB's I'll earn on this order: $8.54
Saved: $11.46 plus the EB's I'll earn
Second order (to use $23.94 EB):
3 Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste - on sale for $2.50, earn $2.77 back in EB's per toothpaste, used $1/1 coupons on two of them - earned $1.27 per toothpaste on two, and $0.27 on another
1 Bic Comfort 3 Advanced shaver 4-ct - on sale for $3.99, get $5.00 back in EB's, used $1/1 coupon - earned $2.01
1 Oral-B Cross-Action Power Toothbrush - on sale for $5.97, get $5.99 back in EB's, used $1/1 coupon - earned $2.01
1 Reach ACT Restoring Mouthwash - on sale for $4.69, get $4.77 back in EB's, used $0.75/1, - earned $0.83
2 Garnier Fructis Hair Gel - on sale for $3.33, get $3.99 back in EB's, used $1/1 coupons - earned $1.66 per gel
Nail polish remover - on clearance for $0.99
4 Candy bars - The nail polish remover was supposed to be my filler and I thought I had the amount right (didn't have my calculator with me!) but when I went to pay, I still needed over $1 in order for them to take all my coupons, so I threw in four candy bars at the last minute! I'll try and calculate better next time!
Total before sales and coupons: $33.08
Total with tax after sales and coupons and $23.94 EB: $0.70
EB's I'll earn on this order:$32.05
Total saved: $32.32 plus the EB's I'll earn
Store #2: Kroger
1/2 gallon milk - reduced to $0.50
1/2 gallon whole milk - reduced to $0.50 (we'll use both of these until the day they expire - near the end of this week - and then I'll either make up a big batch of waffles with it and freeze them, or I'll freeze the milk to use in pancakes or waffles later. We have corn chowder and waffles on the menu this week so we just might be able to use all this milk before it even needs to be frozen!)
Spring Bagged Salad greens - reduced to $1.00
"Lots of veggies" bagged salad greens - reduced to $1.00 (I usually buy 2-3 bunches of lettuce, but if I can get it reduced in bags, we like that better - it's usually organic and there are a lot more varieties of greens in it)
Organic broccoli - reduced to $0.75
Organix sunshine salad (shredded broccoli hearts, carrots, and a few other veggies - we use this to add a healthy and nutritious crunch to our salads!) - $0.75
2 Campbell's microwavable soup bowls (a special treat for Jesse's lunch) - on sale for $1.00 each, used $1/2 coupons, plus, since I bought 4 Campbell's products, I got a $1 store coupon back - $0.25/each
2 Campbell's Soup at Hand - on sale for $1.00 each, used $1/2 coupons, plus store coupon - $0.25/each
4 Colgate toothbrushes - on sale for $1.00 each, used $1/1 coupons - Free
2 8 oz. cheese blocks - on sale for $1.67 each
2 dozen eggs - on sale for $0.67/each
Sandwich Bread - $0.70
Total before sales and coupons: $39.66
Total with tax after sales and coupons: $13.14
Total saved: $26.52
Store #3: Walgreens
4 Theraflu Warming liquid - on sale for $0.99, usually $3.99, used $1/1 coupons on each
Total before sales and coupons: $15.96
Total with tax after sales and coupons: $1.15
Total saved: $14.81
Monday's totals
Combined totals before sales and coupons: $100.84
Combined totals spend after sales and coupons: $15.75
Total savings: $85.09
Plus, I will earn $40.59 in EB's to spend at CVS so you could say that I earned a profit of $24.84 by buying all these groceries. :)
More to come tomorrow on getting started couponing and where to find coupons...
Oh and I wanted to briefly mention how much I've appreciated all the kind feedback I've gotten on this series. It has blessed me so much to hear that what I've written has been helping some of you. I'm so grateful that what I've learned and practiced out of necessity for the past few years is now able to be a blessing to more families than just ours. And, I'm excited to actually be following through on writing all this down - something I've long wanted to do. Your encouragement has kept me pressing on in this, even when sticking to one topic for any length of time is not my forte. I'm even considering writing a few future series of posts on this blog since this has gone so well (Any suggestions? I'm contemplating a series on ideas for making money from home, since that seems to be another area I do have some ideas and thoughts in. I'm open to suggestions and feedback.). Also, please let me know if there is anything I've not covered in this series or anything you'd like further information on. I'm trying to make it as indepth and practical and self-explanatory as possible since it is going to be turned into an ebook once finished. I want to make sure I've not left any "holes." :)
posted by Crystal Paine at 1:38 PM
39 Comments:
I have a wonderful recipe for canning Apple Pie filling, if you have an excess of apples. It is wonderful and looks really pretty in the jars...I made up a bunch of it a couple of weeks ago, and now it's quick and easy to pop an apple pie in the oven. Let me know if you're interested and I'll send it to you!
Christy
Thank you so much for all the great info! For the past two weeks I got the Sunday paper, and used the adds to save a lot of money! I would not have done this without you! Thanks again!
I'm still confused as to where you get coupons for non-processed food/non-personal hygiene items. As hard as I try, I can't seem to be able to save much money on staple items.
I am so enjoying your couponing/saving money on groceries series. A series on earning money from home would be great!!!!
Trixie
I am so enjoying your couponing/saving money on groceries series. A series on earning money from home would be great!!!!
Trixie
I just love hearing about your couponing!! It is so edifying to know that I'm not the only one doing this! :)
Keep it up...the Lord has given you a great gift!
OK, OK, so you have inspired to start couponing. In the past my excuse has been that we don't really eat a lot of the stuff that coupons are printed for, but now I am going to try to get some things free or VERY cheap and then donate them to needy families in our church. Or resell them if I have opportunity! :)
Did you notice there was a limit of 1 on the Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste deal? This was my first time to do any shopping at CVS and I was ready with 2 or 3 toothpaste coupons but then saw the limit. I assumed that meant only one would be counted for ECB, but do you know something I don't? :)
I did, however, get paid $7.50 to take three boxes of tampons off their hands (hooray for printable internet coupons!) and got some hair gel and mousse for free!
Thanks for all of the inspiration!!!!
Mrs. Zoid - more on that later, I promise. :)
Carrie: You go girl! I'm bummed about the Tampons, though. I had five coupons and was excited to use them since that is the best deal right now at CVS - especially with the $2.50 off coupons - but our CVS is converting from an Osco and they don't have the Playtex Sport Tampons or the Pantene Icy Shine. Oh well. Gotta be thankful for what I can get. :):) Since it's a month-long deal, I'm hoping maybe they get them in before the end of the month. One the Colgate, it says limit one in certain areas, but so far, everywhere I know of, it is not being limited (this from my favorite CVS coupon forum on Families.com). Since we're converting from Osco, we don't have any limits on anything. I purchased six or more Colgates last Friday and got credit for all of them. VO5 is the only thing I've found having a limit, at least in purchasing in one transaction. Too bad you don't live closer and we could gather up a big stockpile and have a sale! :) Maybe you can find someone locally to have a sale with, or something.
Thank you for writing more on this! I'm still a little confused about how the bucks work. Do you have to use the entire "bucks" on one purchase? And my ad says they start printing off the register two days after you shop. So do you just shop a couple of times before you start getting them, and then pick up your new bucks every time you buy something else?
Oh, and another reason I'm glad you wrote this: the way the ad was worded on the free items, I thought it was buy one get one free, but from what you wrote I think they were outright free, right?
Thanks for sharing this Crystal! It's really amazing. I just signed up at the CVS website. I only wish there was one closer to me so I could get these savings more regularly...The closest CVS to my house is 1 hour away, but I suppose it would be worth it for occasional big shopping trips.
Happy birthday too! :-) My big day is coming up on the 29th...I'm going to be....well, let's just say, Older than you, ok? ;)
Kimberly Eddy www.joyfulmomma.org
I've enjoyed the "supermarket savings" series too! My question would be about ideas of places to find coupons.
Also, I think a series on making money from home would be excellent! :)
I have really appreciated the supermarket savings posts! They inspired me. I'm a decent shopper, but could definitely use some help. After reading through some of your posts on frugal shopping I used sales & coupons to buy 3 bottles of shampoo, a tube of toothpaste & a stick of deoderant for $5.00. This was a pretty great deal b/c the city I live in has a pretty high cost of living.
Keep it up!
Crystal,
You are so inspiring! I really appreciate all of the great tips that you are sharing on couponing/shopping.
BTW, I signed up for the Extra Bucks program at CVS. I can't wait to start saving.
Looking forward to more tips.
Oh, hey, I have another question! Crystal, do they print out all your ECB's together, or I am going to get a bunch of them for $4.97 and $2.77 each? Just wondering... I know some people have trouble redeeming multiple ones in one transaction and I wasn't sure how that worked exactly.
This is fun! :)
Thanks so much for your grocery shopping tips. I pray I will be a more diligent shopper and save our family more. I have a few questions. I have a 9 month old baby - Do you shop with your child? I find it hard to concentrate on deals, etc. when I'm trying to keep her happy, and end up spending more. The other question is do you use filtered water and what is the cheapest suggestion you have for that? (We don't have safe city water for drinking.) The third questions is what is the cheapest you've found for digital prints? Thanks so much!
I love your grocery series!! You're definitely qualified to write it!! :D
Living in a smaller town, I think I may be somewhat limited, BUT of course I can still find frugal ways to shop ;) Our Rite-aid store has free-with-rebate items, usually about one item per week (toothbrushes, mouth wash, toothpaste, and occasionally something like a box of cereal, tea, etc.) but there is always a limit one. But, I can submit the receipts online, so that is handy and saves stamps/paperwork!
I know when we lived in MO... we had one local grocery store (nowhere nearly as big as the Krogers here) and a small wal-mart. I just watched for sales and clearance, because I didn't want to drive 60 miles to Springfield for sales... plus I didn't know where anything was in S. ;) (And S. really was the next place with ANY stores!! lol) But I think it can be easier or harder, depending on where you live, at least to a certain extent :D
To the momma of 4 who has an apple pie filling recipe, I would love to hear about it! I have a tasty canned apple pie filling recipe but last year my mom and I had the MOST difficult time getting the jars to seal. We tried everything. We know how to can lots of other stuff, and with good success... the pie filling baffled us. We gave up. I need advice!! :D fourteen_seventeen@yahoo.com
I've been using CVS lately too. =)
And I can't believe some of the deals you find. A half gallon of milk reduced to 50 cents?! I paid $2.10 for a half gallon of whole milk for my grandparents today. Our family pays close to $3 a gallon (at Sam's!) for milk.
I'm looking forward to hearing where you get coupons. Since I do most of the grocery shopping in our family (of 9) I love finding new sources and mom loves it too!
LeAnne
I would love it if you would write more specifics on your coupon filing system, and how you organize them.
I don't shop at CVS, but I think I should start! What is/are EBs or ECBs????? HOw does this work?
All I know is this...when you make this an ebook, I'm buying it! LOL! While I am absolutely enjoying this --it is making my head spin! I'm so thankful for you enthusiasm and commitment to continue to write about it.
I agree with Michelle! All this information has been a blessing to me, but it can be a bit overwhelming when you're starting out! I'd love to go back and read it all later. By the way, I linked to these posts from my blog!
Do you shop at Walgreen's much? We have one across the street from the grocery store, so it would be very convenient for me to shop there. The CVS is a bit out of the way, although not that much. Also, do you shop at Walmart ever? I try to avoid spending money at Walmart, but I have a friend who does all her shopping there and I was curious how it compared.
I am really enjoying your series on using coupons and saving money. Where do you get your coupons? We don't get the newspaper although sometimes I can get the coupons from the newspaper at work. Also, I would love to hear about making money from home. I had a friend who was paid to handwrite Christmas cards for someone. Have you ever heard of people who need someone to handwrite things for them?
I was talking about this with my husband yesterday. He's as excited about it as any of the women! =) We think getting things for free, even if we don't use them and then selling the items at a garage sale is a good idea. If you are already going to the store, it doesn't even cost you gas money and with coupons, you end up getting money back sometimes. Plus, you will always have a little something for the food pantry at church. But we were curious about some things. How do you decide what the pricing should be and is there a tax issue? He wondered if there would be any sticky issues come tax time.
I can't wait to hear how you find and organize your coupons. All of this is making my head spin too. =)
Crystal, where do you find coupons? Do you get them all from the paper?
Also, how do you know how many extra bucks you're going to get from CVS? I haven't gone there because the deals don't seem that great from the circular, but if you get bucks back for things that would definitely make a difference.
Jeana: For information on CVS, check this post: http://tinyurl.com/obq6s
Let me know if you have any further questions, that should pretty well explain most everything. I spent a good few hours researching how to do CVS since it is fairly complex. Once you get it, though, it is really simple. I'm working towards shopping there every few days (once my bucks from the last trip are available and I have time in my schedule) and doing a few transactions to get about $40 or so worth of stuff for under $2 while earning more bucks for my next trip. I use the bucks which print that time for my next trip. And on and on it goes. I'm still learning and still getting it all down. Every store is a little different. I've just asked the store manager on the things I had questions on and went from there.
Carrie: The bucks print out based upon your transaction. If you purchase 2 or 3 of the same item in one transaction, it should be combined into one larger buck. I'm still working towards that. I'm hoping to keep most of my bucks around the $10-$15 range. Our store won't let you use more than one buck per transaction (whereas many stores will), so that's why I am trying to get better about purchasing more of the same item in one transaction.
Shannon: Yes, I usually always shop with my daughter. I'm working on training her to be able to last through a few stores - it is something she has had to learn gradually. For some tips on grocery shopping with littles, check out: http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/article101.htm
What works best for me is to involve her as much as possible - I talk to her the whole time, let her help me find things, tell her what I am looking for, let her hold the coupons, etc. I also bring a few snacks and a drink for her (and plenty of wet wipes!). Also, I am very prepared when I go shopping - I have my grocery lists made out according to store, coupons for each store in a separate envelope, and for CVS, I have a separate list with coupons and bucks clipped to it for each transaction I plan to make along with the prices written with it. Also, she is my most important priority when shopping. If she is getting antsy and tired, that's my indication to pick up the pace and get home as soon as possible.
Ashley: I like Walgreens, but I usually only shop there once or twice a month. I get all their free after rebate items on my gift card and use that to pay for the next month's items (so I rarely pay much of anything out of pocket). You can also use their store coupons with manufacturer's coupons so sometimes stacking them you can come out with a really good deal. I don't like Walmart and rarely ever shop there. I've found I can usually beat almost all of their prices by quite a bit. Just my personal opinion.
One more thing: Someone asked about water. We are currently saving (using leftover grocery money!) for a water purifier/filter. I found one that seems to be very high quality which is only $179 and you only have to replace the filters once per year at $49. For the health benefits, this seems worth it and much more economical than buying water. I'd love to hear what others of you do for water.
I am interested in your blog and generally enjoy your postings. I do, however, find one of your practices quite disturbing...purchasing items at a store for a reduced price and then reselling them at your garage sale. I think that is unethical and wrong. It is wonderful to save money through coupons and buyer loyalty programs, but I think it is corrupt to do what you so freely post about. It seems un-Christian and greedy and I am disappointed to not only read that but see how you recommend it to your readers. I am sure that many readers look up to you and view your as a mentor type. I don't think that this practice is right or fair. A disappointed reader.
Thanks for answering my q about how the ECB's print out, Crystal! I want to keep my ECB's with a high dollar value so that I don't have to run in every day like some people do! :)
Also, to the person that asked about shopping with little ones - one big advantage to CVS is that they are open 24/7. If you have a few minutes of spare time after the kiddos have gone to bed, maybe your husband could stay home and let you run to CVS?
Even though I'm just starting to do CVS, I think that if you have all your coupons organized and have a list made with exactly what you want, then you can run in and out VERY quickly! The other day I looked at their ad online and used their shopping list feature, which was actually pretty helpful since I was only buying things on sale.
Hope that helps!
Carrie: I just realized I forgot to finish my thought in what I wrote in answer to your Q and I might have not been clear. You get a different buck for each promotion based upon transaction. So, if I purchase 3 Colgate Max Fresh this week, and 1 Garnier Fructis in the same transaction, I'll get two bucks - one for $8.31 and one for $3.99. Since you technically want to not have a whole bunch of little bucks to deal with, especially if your store will not combine them, the goal would be to purchase multiples of each promotional item in one transaction. Since I'm also trying to use coupons whenever possible and to roll my bucks, this can be a fun challenge. I'm gradually getting it, but I still haven't mastered it by any means!
Thanks so much again for the great tips!
I have been working on a project for my family for Christmas. My grandfather died this year and we were all very, very close and this is our first Christmas without him. So I have been trying to think of things to do for the family to make it a little more "fun" I guess...
So... I came up with the idea of my kids and I making stockings for every member of the family. There are twelve of us in all. We are actually going to buy inexpensive brown gift bags with handles and the kids, who are 7 and 9, are going to decorate them with markers, stickers and glitter.
But the best part is that I have been getting all of the "free" or "almost free" items from my coupons so the stockings will cost me next to nothing! Last week I got 7 bags of lifesavers for free... I also have a bunch of totally free toothpaste and toothbrushes to add... and this week I saw that I can get some other candies, treats and hygiene items for free. My kids have been helping me look for deals and we go shopping to but the items and then put them away until Christmas. So it is also a great family activity. And the kids are learning about giving to others, as well as to be frugal and learn to budget.
Also... my brother has a cabin that the family visits often. We all buy items when we go but I know he gets stuck buying a lot of personal care items,cleaning items, etc. So for Christmas, I am filling big bins with cleaning products, personal care products, non-perishble food items, toilet papers, shampoos, etc... which I am also getting for free or almost free. So he will get a really nice Christmas gift and the cost will be minimal.
So... just some other ideas of what to do with stockpiles or extra coupons. I have a lot of people that give me coupons, plus the ones I get in the Sunday papers.
ps... I don't think Crystal did anything wrong at all by selling her extras at a garage sale! She worked hard to buy those items at good deals and they are hers to do as she pleases. I think she is pretty smart! And I am sure she didn't sell them much above her cost which actually helped the others that bought them!
Obviously, Crystal is a very caring and giving person... just look at how much help she has given by sharing her tips for couponing and saving money.
Again, thank you Crystal!
Disappointed reader: Don't worry, you're not the first person I've disappointed. I can't ever please everyone and no matter what I do, someone is going to not like it or think it is wrong. However, my responsibility is to please the Lord first and my husband, not other people.
That said, my husband and I don't understand why you would think it was unethical for me to purchase items and resell them at a great discount? Why is it greedy of me? If I've found a good deal and can pass it along to others, why is that wrong? It's allowed in our area and you should see how excited people were at our garage sale to be able to buy things at rock bottom prices. I love to be able to pass my good deals along to other people! Better yet, I love to give stuff away - I do lots of that! I guess I just don't see why it would be wrong for me to do this? I'm not selling it for any great profit, believe me. I priced everything to basically pay for my time, gas costs, and the tax I paid on the items. Most things were priced at 25% their normal cost or less - that's why they were gone in two hours! I had so much fun blessing people with namebrand products at much cheaper than offbrand prices. I coupon for my family first and foremost - they get first dibs - but if I have extras that we can't use or don't use, I'd rather someone get it for really inexpensively or free and be able to use it! I'm sorry if you don't see it this way, but I promise you that I am not seeking to be greedy and am not doing anything unethical. Believe me, my husband would never let me do such a thing!
Blessings!
Thanks for continuing this topic, Crystal. I've been doing the Rite Aid FAR's but I'm going to start shopping CVS now too with your inspiration.
Blessings,
Kelly
mom to 6 in PA
We would definitely not be trying to make thousands of dollars! We would be purchasing and using the majority of the products for ourselves, but the fact that I could get something for free while I'm already there purchasing things for my family makes perfect sense to me. I'm like you, I think it's awesome to be able to pass that savings on to someone else who may not have had the time to benefit from doing it themselves. And like I said in my earlier post, you will always have things on hand for the food pantry. My husband just wasn't sure from a sales point of view if there would be any special taxes that we would be responsible for. I think he was concerned about it being more of a retail thing in the eyes of the IRS. It seems to me that wouldn't be the case. It's not like you going to have garage sales every week, maybe 2-3 times per year. You didn't answer my pricing question directly, but I saw it mentioned in your response to the disappointed reader. It doesn't sound like you are discouraged from posts like that, but if you are, don't be. You always put things before the Lord and you are helping many families make it in an unreasonably inflated market. That goes for reselling the products at your garage sale, as well as by writing about it for others. Thanks for your hard work and your willingness to share. =)
I can understand the thinking of anonymous concerning buying and reselling for profit at garage sales(some localities set a limit on the number per year to avoid folks using it as a type of business rather than to sell personal items for less than purchase price). I believe Uncle Sam(and not sure about state or local regulations) would consider a person acting as self-employed and their profit(charging to cover for time...the gas and possibly? tax might be deductions) reportable. Would the tax man swoop down for yard sales with profits that aren't huge? I doubt it, depending on the definition of "huge"; but, he might audit if someone is compelled to report. There are folks on eBay that sell at a profit all the time that do not report. They consider themselves to be selling their own items(or other ideals they see as honorable reasons) and not a business but the tax folks consider purchase price and resell price along with expenses. It all comes down to what God thinks...and He does want believers to obey the law(and taxes on profit would be rendering to Caesar?). Crystal's motives appear to me to be with thoughts of helping others and have something for her efforts. God will have to convict about checking with authorities to see if hubby and Crystal have all the information they need to make righteous choices. After all, the hubby is an attorney, remember, so law is a priority! :-)
My husband wanted me to rewrite my previous comment on taxation since he didn't think I was clear enough. We've researched our local and state laws and discussed this with a CPA. Since we do a number of different income-earning things besides our LLC, we are always very careful to make sure we are abiding by our tax laws. However, each state and locality is completely different and you need to research it out yourself for what works in your area. Also, be sure to check out laws as far as garage sales. Some places only allow them once per year and you must have a permit to hold one.
Just some things to consider! Sorry if I wasn't clear enough the first time around - I sometimes state what the laws are for where we live as if they are universal!
I'm grateful for the needed clarification, Crystal; it's very helpful! :-)
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