From the category archives:

Strategy and Tips

Share your best tips for grocery shopping with kids!

March 12, 2010
Thumbnail image for Share your best tips for grocery shopping with kids!

I take my three kids, ages four and under, on about 75% of my grocery shopping trips.  We are the family you see at King Soopers all the time, with a very loud little boy pretending to be a fire engine driver, complete with siren.

We are the family with children who, for whatever reason, actually [...]

Read the full article →

Let’s chat: what receipts do you save?

March 5, 2010
Thumbnail image for Let’s chat: what receipts do you save?

This past week I bought some CFL bulbs to replace a few lights that had burned out.  This time, I bought name brand, since we purchased an off-brand at Walmart the time before and they only lasted as long as a “normal” bulb.  I happened to think that I should keep the pacakaging in case [...]

Read the full article →

Couponing FAQ: all about catalinas

March 4, 2010
king soopers catalina

What is a catalina?
A catalina is a “checkout coupon”, the kind that print at the register at stores like Safeway, Albertsons, and King Soopers. (And now Target, too!)  They are called catalinas because the company the manages the promotions and machines is the Catalina Marketing Company.
What types of catalinas are there?
There are basically three types: [...]

Read the full article →

Top 5 Ways to Save On Maternity Clothes

March 3, 2010
Thumbnail image for Top 5 Ways to Save On Maternity Clothes

So, you’re pregnant, and excited to start buying all those “cute” maternity clothes… that is, until you go to the mall and find out just how much the cute clothes are going to cost!
Here are a few tips on having a great maternity wardrobe without overspending. I’d love to hear what you’ve done to [...]

Read the full article →

How To Read Your Receipt: how percentage discounts are computed

March 1, 2010
Thumbnail image for How To Read Your Receipt: how percentage discounts are computed

There’s nothing better than walking out of the store and looking at the bottom of your receipt and seeing that you saved 50…60…70% or more!  But, how do they actually figure the percentage savings?  And what about the stores that don’t computer this for you, like Albertsons?
Let’s unravel another mystery about your grocery receipt: how [...]

Read the full article →

Let’s chat: what are you making with all the cheap milk?

February 28, 2010
Thumbnail image for Let’s chat: what are you making with all the cheap milk?

The cereal deal at King Soopers is awesome, but with the requirement to buy two gallons of milk for every four boxes of cereal, it’s a little different than most stock up deals.  So far I only have two gallons of milk, but would like to do the deal at least one or two more [...]

Read the full article →

Couponing FAQ: is it buy-one-get-one-free, or 50% off?

February 25, 2010
Thumbnail image for Couponing FAQ: is it buy-one-get-one-free, or 50% off?

Lindsey emailed to ask this question:
Does King Soopers do 50% off an item if it is BOGO and you only buy one item?
Unfortunately, King Soopers’ buy-one-get-one-free sales ring up the first item as full price and the second at $0.00, so if you only buy one, it’s full price, not 50% off.
In some part of [...]

Read the full article →

How To Read Your Grocery Receipt: e-coupons

February 22, 2010
Thumbnail image for How To Read Your Grocery Receipt: e-coupons

Time for another segment in the How To Read Your Grocery Receipt series!  Today we’re looking at the mystery of e-coupons and where these digital coupons show up on your receipt.
E-coupons usually come off next to the product itself, not at the bottom with the rest of the paper coupons and other discounts.  I said [...]

Read the full article →

Couponing FAQ: where to get coupons after Sunday?

February 4, 2010

Recently Amanda emailed and asked me this question:
Can Sunday papers an be purchased later in the week if we don’t get to it on Sunday?  If so, where is the best place to go?
Unfortunately, most stores get rid of their papers at closing time on Sunday if they haven’t sold.  So, the odds of stopping [...]

Read the full article →

Favorite recipe: As-Close-As-You’ll-Ever-Get-To-Chipotle Burritos

February 4, 2010
Thumbnail image for Favorite recipe: As-Close-As-You’ll-Ever-Get-To-Chipotle Burritos

This recipe is going to rock your socks off.  It’s based on a recipe for Barbacoa Beef by my friend Abby, and I’m going to claim it’s the ultimate Chipotle copycat recipe.  Super easy to make for a crowd (Super Bowl parties, anyone?), and works great as leftovers, too.
I’m lovin’ the fact that Mission’s burrito-sized [...]

Read the full article →

Guest post: eating gluten free – frugally!

February 2, 2010
Thumbnail image for Guest post: eating gluten free – frugally!

Today we’ve got a great guest post on eating a frugal gluten-free diet from my friend (and Springs Bargains reader) Melissa.  Thanks so much for taking the time to share with us, Melissa!
The day I found out I was allergic to gluten, I thought I might not survive. Can a person really live without eating [...]

Read the full article →

How To Read Your Receipt: scanned coupons and double coupons

February 1, 2010
Thumbnail image for How To Read Your Receipt: scanned coupons and double coupons

Puzzled by the cryptogram that is your grocery receipt?  I’m answering common questions in the How To Read Your Receipt series, and today we’re going to take a look at how coupons and double coupons show up on your receipt.

Here’s a King Soopers receipt where I used a bunch of coupons.  You’ll see the lines [...]

Read the full article →

Couponing FAQ: which coupons will double and which ones won’t?

January 28, 2010
Thumbnail image for Couponing FAQ: which coupons will double and which ones won’t?

Jen asked this question:
Will coupons only double if they have a “5″ at the beginning of the bar code?
In short, this is a simple answer: yes. But I thought it might be helpful to explore it further, because there are often questions about which coupons do and do not double and why.
So, pull out [...]

Read the full article →

How To Read Your Grocery Receipt: sale discounts and regular prices

January 25, 2010

Ever think that they make grocery receipts as confusing as possible so you don’t really understand what you’re paying? Well, maybe they do and maybe they don’t, but today I’m starting a series on How To Read Your Grocery Receipt.  We’re going to explore everything from double coupons to e-coupons to savings percentages, and [...]

Read the full article →

Introducing The Frugal Map

January 19, 2010

Bargain Briana just debuted an awesome resource yesterday – The Frugal Map!  I often have readers email me that are moving out of the area, or have friends or family in other parts of the country, and they want to know if there’s a bargain blog there!  Now, you can go to The Frugal Map [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries