It's Back: Roche Bros. 7 Days of Ways to Save

Roche Bros. is once again running a 7 days of ways to save promotion with a special item on sale for each day of the week. 

Here are the deals for each day of the week:

Friday: Seafood Surprise day, a different fish item is on sale for the week. This week it's medium raw shrimp 41-50 ct. lb. farm raised, previously frozen (2 lb. bag - $9.98) for 4.99/lb.

Saturday: "5 Buck Chuck" 85% lean ground beef, $5 each. The circular doesn't specify the quantity.

Sunday: Roche Bros. premium hearty bread, 24 oz. loaf, $1.49 each.

Monday: Chiquita bananas for $0.49/lb.

Tuesday: Double $1.00 coupon day. You can double up to five manufacturer's $1.00 coupons per customer per week with a minimum $25 initial purchase.

Wednesday: Is Wacky Wednesday. This Wednesday's deal is a 10 lb. bag of all purpose potatoes for $0.29. Limit one with an additional $25 purchase.

Thursday: 5 Buck Cluck Rotisserie chicken for $5.00/each.

This promotion ends on November 8.

Saving Money on Sporting Goods

Now that school is back in session, fall sporting season is starting up. If you are a parent with an athletic kid, you are inevitably faced with buying expensive sporting gear. One way to save money on sporting equipment is to buy used. Alex starts skating lessons in a couple of weeks. Since this will be his first time on skates and his feet are growing at an alarmingly quick rate, we didn't want to shell out a lot of money for brand new skates. We visited Play is Again Sports. We found a great pair of skates for him in excellent condition for $25. We also got him a helmet. We bought the helmet new.  We didn't want to risk buying a used helmet that may have been damaged and not as effective. Some things are worth splurging on like a helmet that prevents brain damage. If you are in need of sporting equipment, consider buying used for any items in good quality that don't jeopardize safety.

91% Savings at Star Market Today

 

 Please forgive me while I brag: I stopped by Star Market today to pick up some items that when combined with a coupon were too good to pass up. I was giddy when I looked at my receipt and saw that I saved 91%! 

Here's the breakdown:

Breyer's ice cream: On sale for $1.88. 

***Note: This is a one day sale for Sunday, September 16 only.*** 

I used a $0.75 coupon from Facebook that doubled to $1.50 making the total $0.38.

I bought two for a total of $0.76.

Green Giant Seasoned Steamers for $2.00. I used a $0.75 coupon from coupons.com that also doubled to $1.50 making it $0.50. I bought two of these for at total of $1.00.

My grand total was $1.76.

The veggies negate the calories in the ice cream, right?

What Do You Think of Them Apples?

This past weekend, we took our annual apple picking trip to Russell Orchards. We've gone every September for the last few years. To me, it's the perfect kick off for the fall season, my favorite time of year. I enjoy the hay-covered wagon ride out to the orchards, the apple-laden trees close to the ground for easy picking, visiting the farm animals, and, most of all, the yummy cider donuts.

Even though I enjoy the apple picking trip and look forward to it, I always think of one of my first apple picking trips and how absurd my future brother-in-law, Bernd, found the apple picking experience to be. I ventured out to Honey Pot Hill with my roommate, my sister Carrie, and her new boyfriend at the time, Bernd. This was in the early 90s when Honey Pot Hill only offered apple picking and a quaint farm stand that sold cider, cider donuts, and already-picked apples. It was before Honey Pot Hill became the Disney World of New England apple picking spots with a hedge maze, petting zoo, and hayrides. Bernd was a good sport about the whole apple picking experience until he went into the farm stand and realized that they were selling the apples for less than what we had paid to pick them ourselves. He pointed this out to us and then added, "Also, apples are on sale this week at Star Market for less than they cost in the store. It would have been much easier to go to Star Market." Bernd had a point. We were paying a premium to be Honey Pot Hill's farm hands. A Slate article from a few years ago also points out that apple picking is a wasteful scam.

Yes, I know that we pay a premium for this apple picking experience and it may be a bit of a scam. It's obviously not the most efficient and cost effective way to get apples. When apples are in season, they are undoubtedly less expensive than they are at any of the pick-your-own orchards. We go because we enjoy it. As with most things about saving money, it's about priorities. I choose to save money in other areas so that I can splurge on things like this once-a-year and enjoy a pre-autumn day picking apples and eating cider donuts.

Fill that Lunch Box

Back to school time means that there are good deals to be had on lunch box items. This year, Alex needs to bring a snack to school along with his lunch so I am on the lookout for good deals on Alex approved snacks to fill his lunch box. Here are some of the good deals this week:

At Target, Juicy Juice Fruitfuls, 8 pk juice boxes are $2.25 each through 9/15.
Use two $1.00/1 – Nestle Juicy Juice Fruitifuls Juice Beverage, 8 pk – (juicyjuice.com)
And use one $1.00/2 – Juicy Juice Beverages, excludes single serve, limit one item or offer per coupon, Target Coupon – (target.com)
The final price is $0.75 each when you buy 2.

At Whole Foods, Clif Kids Zbars, 9 oz. pk of 6 or Clif Crunch bars, 9 oz. pk of 10 are $2.50.
Use $1.00/1 – Clif Kid Organic Bars, 6pk, Whole Foods Coupon – (wholefoods.com) or
$1.00/1 – Clif CRUNCH Granola Bars, 10pk, Whole Foods Coupon – (wholefoods.com)
The final price is $1.50 each.

Allston Christmas

It's that time of year again. If you live in Boston, August 31 and September 1 marks the annual return of college students and apartment turnover. Boston's streets get blocked by moving trucks and the sidewalks get littered with the discarded remains of the student's apartments. A dozen years ago, I lived on a one way side street off of Commonwealth Ave. that always became inaccessible from the last day of August until the second day of September. My sister got married one year on Labor Day weekend. (Happy anniversary, Carrie and Bernd!) It was so nice to escape not being able to get to my home that year that I decided that I should leave town for this weekend every year.

Boston.com has dubbed the ability to trash pick the sidewalks for the student's abandoned items as Allston Christmas with a witty poem written in the style of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I like how they work in the street names of BU's student ghetto that remind me of my BU days. If you don't mind used stuff, you can take your pick of abandoned microwaves and furniture. Please stay away from the used mattresses and bedding that may come with pet bed bugs. The city is even going around and putting stickers on abandoned furniture warning about the risk of bed bugs.

I read an article this week about a woman, Katy Wolk-Stanley, in Oregon who has not bought anything new in five years except for the following list of items:

• Underwear, socks and bras (I totally agree with this one. Used unmentionables. Gross!) 
• Personal care items (makeup, etc.)
• Food (Duh, I don't see how you could avoid buying food for five years unless you are a vegetarian living on a self sustaining farm.)
• Harmonicas??

Katy chronicles her journey not to buy anything new on her website, The Non-consumer Advocate. In the article she says, "The tagline for my website, The Non-consumer Advocate, is 'Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without,' which I take seriously. I try very hard to fix instead of replace, accept that not every one of my possessions has to be the very best, and accept that my family can live without the luxuries than many of our friends take for granted."

She goes on in the article to say that deciding not to buy anything has changed her perspective on her stuff. She finds it freeing that with less stuff to maintain and clean she now has more time to spend with family and friends. I know that cleaning out a closet or basement and seeing how much unused clutter I have does open my eyes that I don't really need the things that seem so important while I'm shopping. Still, I know that I would not be able to meet the challenge to not buy anything new.

In a related article, Stephanie Becker, the producer of Katy's Today Show segment chronicles her life as a bargain hunter. She said that she was pleasantly surprised about the quality of Katy's furniture and home when they visited her. She goes on to describe how shopping for bargains or "antique-ing" was passed down in her family. She ends by mentioning with pride the $12 Neiman Marcus dress that she found at a thrift store and wore to the Daytime Emmy Awards.

To me, this just shows that everyone has to decide for themselves their own standard for acquiring used items. I don't have any furniture that I picked up at Allston Christmas, but some of my favorite pieces of furniture were handed down to me from the previous generations. We have a rocking chair that family folklore claims was made from a tree in my great grandfather's yard. Whether this is true or not, I love the history of this chair and knowing that previous generations rocked in it. So, whether you enjoy Allston Christmas (Avoid those bedbugs!) or not buying anything new for five years, find your own level of comfort with used items.  Merry Allston Christmas!

Week of August 26: Back to School Deals

Here are this week's best deals from August 26-September 2, 2012:

Staples

$0.01 – $0.50 Deals:

Staples #2 Pencils 8-pack — $0.01 (with minimum $5 purchase – limit 4)
Staples Pink Cap Erasers 12-pack — $0.01 (with minimum $5 purchase – limit 4)
Staples Slider Pencil Box — $0.01 (with minimum $5 purchase – limit 4)
Bic Mechanical Pencils 5-pack — $0.50 (limit 2)
Staples See Through Plastic Ruler — $0.50 (limit 2)
Staples 8 1/2 x 11″ Writing Pad — $0.50 (limit 2)
Staples Steel 1-Hole Punch — $0.50 (limit 2)
Sharpie Black Permanent Markers 2-pack — $0.50 (limit 2)

$1 Deals:

Staples Stickies 1/2″ Page Flags — $1 (limit 2)
Staples Poly Composition Books or 1-Subject Notebook — $1 (limit 2)
5×7″ Specialty Writing Pad — $1 (limit 2)
Staples 3 x 4.25″ Memo Pad with Magnetic Closure — $1 (limit 2)
Staples Graph Ruled Notepad — $1 (limit 2)
Staedtler Compass — $1 (limit 2)
Colored Paper Clips 100-count — $1 (limit 2)

Office Depot

$0.05 – $1 Deals:

Pocket Tissue Packs — $0.05 (limit 3)
Office Depot Pencil Top Erasers 12-pack — $0.05 (limit 3)
Individually Packaged Antibacterial Wipes 18-count — $0.50 (limit 3)
Office Depot Single Chisel Tip Highlighters — $0.50 (limit 3)
Sharpie Single Permanent Markers — $0.50 (limit 10)
Office Depot Graph Ruled Filler Paper — $1 (limit 3)
Elmer’s Xtreme School Glue Stick large — $1 (limit 3)
Office Depot Notebook 3-Hole Punch — $1 (limit 3)

$2-$3 Deals:

Office Depot Copy Paper ream — $2 (limit 10)
Post-It Die Cut Notes — $2
PaperMate Mechanical Pencils 24-pack –$3