We are (slowly) working on some changes around here to make things easier to read and find. We won't be posting as frequently on here or on Facebook while these changes are being made! Be patient and wait until you see what we've been up to!
Let's face it, no matter how many groceries we have, how big a stockpile of food, or even if we have leftovers ready and waiting, going out to eat still happens. Heck, it is always a welcome treat! We always get asked don't we get tired of eating at home? Well, yes, occasionally. Everyone loves to eat out at some point, and let's face it, it makes date night just a bit more special!!
So how, do you save money and still get to at out? Coupons of course! (Girl, I can find a coupon for almost anything I want if I truly set out to do so.) So, were do you find these elusive restaurant coupons?
Restaurant.com offers gift certificates for local restaurants, but at discounted prices. For example, a $25 gift certificate usually sells for $10 on there.
BUT, until March 31, 2010, you can get an 80% discount by using the code COOK. That means that the $10 gift certificate will now cost you $2. Is this legit? Oh, yes. I have used them PLENTY of times. Some people have asked is it worth it when most of the certificates require you to spend a certain amount? Yes, it still is.
Example:
You love Restaurant A so much! You know you and your family usually spend about $35 there, but your gift certificate says you must spend $50 to get the $25 off, right? So, let's order some appetizers. Or how about dessert to take home?
Whew, what a GREAT meal! The bill is up to $55. Hand over your gift certificate. Your total? $30. Um, that's less than your usual total. YES IT IS WORTH IT!
Restaurant.com CODE: COOK SAVE 80%
*Please remember to tip your server based on the total before your gift certificate.*
Walgreens’ promotional incentive is Register Rewards aka RR. RRs are coupons (money to us!) that print out when you purchase certain items at Walgreens. RRs do expire, so make sure to keep up with dates on them.
You can find out what the best RR deals are by checking online ahead of time or waiting and look in the Sunday advertisement. The key is to find free after RRs or find RRs deals with coupons that make them free-cheap. For example: Dove Deodorant on sale for 99cents and I get $1 RR for it, it is like getting it for free. Another example: Bayer Glucose Monitors on sale for $20, I have a $30 coupon (it will be adjusted to fit the sale price) and earn $10 RR. The monitor was free after coupon plus I made $10 in RR! That is a money maker. Of course, I don’t need these, so I donate them to our church.
To earn more RRs, you have to do multiple transactions. When you buy one of the RRs items, you only earn RRs once, as in per transaction. So, I buy one, Bobby buys one. We may go to a few stores just to stock up on a particular item for free-cheap.
Walgreens does allow stacking. Remember, this is using one Walgreens coupon with one manufacturer coupon for more savings. Count your items and your coupons before you check out. You must have the same amount of items as you do coupons. If you need a filler item, look for cheap candy, cups, pencils, etc.
Also, be sure to hand over manufacturer coupons over first and all Walgreens coupons last. For some reason, if you hand the Walgreens over first, it won’t stack coupons. If this happens, you will get the dreaded beep and “sorry, it isn’t taking this coupon”. Another thing to make a note of is that you can’t use a RR to purchase the same item. Example: Remember that Dove Deodorant we got for free after RR? I cannot use the Dove Deodorant RR to purchase another Dove Deodorant.
What do I buy with RRs then? There are two things I use my RRs for. Sometimes, I roll the RRs. Rolling RRs means I save this week’s RRs and use them to purchase next week’s RRs deals. It is possible to just pay with RR every week once you get good at this.
I personally use the majority of mine at Publix. See, RRs are actually manufacturer coupons. Publix takes all of them because they, too, can be reimbursed by the manufacturer. That is the true secret to getting my grocery bill so low each week. Again, keep up with the dates on these because neither Walgreens nor Publix will accept these once they expire.
Questions? Feel free to email us at centsableandersons@ gmail.com (no spaces).
Babies R Us is having a month of March events you are going to LOVE!
Breastfeeding 101
Basics of Breastfeeding Workshop
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 6:30pm
Ready, set, PUMP! Get the scoop on breastfeeding and all of the great sure to make it easy to feed naturally. Sponsored by Medela.
SUPER Baby Shower
Saturday, March 13th 12pm-3pm
We're hosting a baby shower for all expectant moms, as well as their family and friends. Come learn about the must-have products for every Mom's baby registry, valuable tips and ideas for planning a baby shower, plus enjoy great savings and giveaways.
Buckle Up and Boogie
Car Seat Workshop
Tuesday, March 23rd 6:30pm
There's no wiggle vroom when it comes to safety! You'll learn how to choose and use a car seat to keep baby safe...with rules of the road provided by Safe Kids Worldwide. Sponsored by Graco
PLUS for those of you too tired to shop (Girls, I remember how bad my swelled up!), you can shop online and get free shipping on orders of $100 or more.
I don't know about you guys, but we love Redbox movie, especially the FREE ones! They make for a great excuse for date night or family movie night! Here is a new code for Redbox but it does expire tonight at midnight central time, so go grab you a movie, quickly!
