Grocery Shopping

[Lindsey]

Tink, you reminded me! I think it was from a thread in YT that I discovered this... I also use vinegar for cleaning. It's cheaper than cleaning products too And I read that you can put a bit of it in a container in a room and it will take smells out of the air... Well Layla has had a few accidents on the old carpet in the basement, and I've cleaned as many spots as I could find but there was still a smell. I took a small tupperware container, put a bit of vinegar in the bottom, and put it downstairs. It really worked. It didn't smell like vinegar, but the pee smell went away!

[Marilyn]

We buy a mix of the store brands and name brands. Just depends. I have to be careful with detergents. Hubby is alergic to some of them, so I use All Free, just to be safe, and Downy. I don't use the fabric softener sheets of any brand because they cause the lint to be sticky and it builds up in the exhaust air tube and plugs it up where the flapper is outside.

The store brand zipper bags and trash bags are really good around here. I use them all the time. There is actually a tall kitchen garbage bag that I like better than the name brands & I keep a big box of super cheap kitchen garbage bags in the pantry for miscellaneous uses. They come in quite handy.

We buy mostly fresh vegetables, but when we do buy canned or frozen, I have bought the store brands and don't notice much, if any, difference. A few stems in the green beans, but I pick them out and they taste fine. I'm picky about flour and usually buy the King Arthur unbleached all purpose. I think it makes a difference. Any brand of sugar will work as long as it's pure cane.

It definitely pays to use a calculator and compare prices at different stores. You'd be surprized sometimes what and where things are actually cheaper.

Happy hunting and experimenting. I like finding bargins and saving money. No time for garage sales, but I can do comparison shopping at the grocery.

[Marilyn]

By the way, I do buy store brand cereals they are fine with us. And also use bleach and vinegar for cleaning. They work well and are a lot cheaper. I have been known to dilute a bottle of Clorox Cleanup with bleach and water when it got low and really couldn't tell the difference.

[Dobie]

I tend to buy the generic brands for cleaning supplies. Most food items, I have preferred brands.

[2tiredmom]

Amonia is another great cleaner. I mop my kitchen floor with it and it really picks the dirt. It also works on carpet. If you have stains it lifts them right out but you need to use it full strenght. Just make sure you have lots of air moving around.
Walmart 97cents a bottle.

[HALEY]

I use to buy the cheaper cleaners, but since i had Micah i went back to the more expensive ones... i think they work better..

[Janet]

I'm really watching now, you ladies have great suggestions. I'm even back to cutting those coupons.

[HALEY]

Originally Posted by Janet

I'm really watching now, you ladies have great suggestions. I'm even back to cutting those coupons.

Janet don't forget you can download coupons too..... i clip tons of coupons..... and download a lot of baby ones, i sign up for huggies diapers all the time and they send them in the mail, check out some web sites. sometimes they have free samples too...

[Dobie]

Originally Posted by HALEY

Janet don't forget you can download coupons too..... i clip tons of coupons..... and download a lot of baby ones, i sign up for huggies diapers all the time and they send them in the mail, check out some web sites. sometimes they have free samples too...

You are so right about the download coupons - it's a great way to save money. Every so often I'll go to a brand's website - lot's of times they'll have free offers for you to try their products.

[HALEY]

Originally Posted by Dobie

You are so right about the download coupons - it's a great way to save money. Every so often I'll go to a brand's website - lot's of times they'll have free offers for you to try their products.

Wal marts always has free samples they ship to you to, check them out to! i always sign up every month on the huggies website and get 1.50 coupons in the mail, trying to save some pennys...

[DianaB]

Speaking of coupons. Before I went school shopping with Jaci at Wichita I got on-line and searched for coupons for the stores that she likes to shop in. I found a 30% off coupon for Aeropostale and saved over $60 on what I spent. It worked really great because they already had everything half off. I spent $150 and saved over $210! The checkout girls were even amazed. Then they handed me back my coupon and said that it was good until the next Sunday. I knew that I wouldn't be using it so I handed it to a woman who had an armload of stuff so she could use it too. I'll be checking on-line for coupons again.

I also ordered some stuff from Kohl's the other day and I had a scratch off with 15% off but I wanted 30% so I looked on-line and found the codes for it and ended up with 30% off of my order! Cool!!!!

[Janet]

Do you just go to the store website for coupons or is there a safe coupon site to go to?

[HALEY]

Originally Posted by Janet

Do you just go to the store website for coupons or is there a safe coupon site to go to?

Janet, i just go to the store, and when the store comes up, search around for a coupon or special, free shipping, discount codes, coupon downloads, special offers.

[DianaB]

I put the name of the store and the word coupon in my search engine. For the Kohls coupon I typed in Kohls and 30% to find the codes. I didn't find coupons for every store that I shopped in but just finding the one good coupon really worked for me enough that I'll try it again.

[Janet]

Thanks ladies, I will definitely try that!