20 Ideas for Saving Money on Groceries

Lately I have been hearing a lot of complaints about how expensive food has gotten -- and it has.  I have been a coupon queen for over 30 years (way before it was cool) and here's my 15 tips on how to save money on food.

FTC disclaimer:  The following contains affiliate links.

1. Shop Loss Leaders

Stores will often have sales to draw you in.  I remember the days of 4/$1 boxes of macaroni and cheese, and while those are long gone, you can still find some good sales and while you might have to go to a couple different grocery stores, you can save some money this way.

2. Price Booklet

Back thirty years ago I was telling people they should do this.  Take note of what the cost of your typically purchased groceries are  where you shop regularly.  I often shop at Kroger and Walmart, but Kroger isn't near me so I will want to see if there are cycles to sales. But if I had a Kroger and a Walmart nearby, I would see which generally has the better price on things I would need to buy that week.

3. Eat the Sales

You might plan to have burgers on Monday, pizza on Friday, etc. but if there isn't a good deal on beef that week, then wait until beef is cheaper and eat something that is on sale.

4. Use savings apps.  

I save so much money doing this.  I have more in depth posts about using savings apps, but the ones I usually use are

iBotta -- this one you need to add offers BEFORE you shop

Fetch -- My referral code is NP7PE -- with this one I just scan my receipts after shopping and whatever I get back is pure bonus.  

Receipt Hog -- My referral code is stroh862 -- again I just scan for what I would be purchasing anyway

5. Use store apps

While Walmart doesn't have a store app, Kroger does.  Adding coupons before shopping can really give some significant savings.  Sometimes you can use a coupon up to five times, other times the coupon is only good once.  I also have store apps for Walgreens, Dollar General, and CVS.

6. Food at Dollar Tree

I really think Dollar Tree has upped their game since they went to charing $1.25 per item.  Although lately I've been finding clearanced items for as low as 25 cents for a box of cake mix.  I love their egg rolls.  The frozen ravioli is top notch.  The spring rolls (8 for $1.25) is also a great bargain.  But watch sizing.  Some of the products are smaller than a regular grocery store and may cost more per ounce.

7. Stock Up

If something you use often goes on sale, buy extra.  As I write this, iBotta has  75 cents off a jar of Ragu, up to five times on one receipt.  We eat a lot of spaghetti and ravioli (as I mentioned above).  I have learned that if you use your offer, it sometimes comes back for another use.  So this month I have purchased 15 jars of Ragu for about $1.50 a jar.  

8. Shop Grocery Outlets

Not everyone has a grocery outlet near them, but if you do, see what they have.  Sometimes these are called scratch and dent stores.  You need to watch expiration dates, but many times "best by" dates are just that -- best by and will stay good for a while afterwards.  In fact, one time I ate microwave popcorn with a best by date of six years before -- I really wanted popcorn and it was all I could find in the house.  It tasted fine -- just not as many of the kernals popped. 

9. Forage

Did you know that upscale grocery stores can sell dandelion leaves for over $3 a pound?  Wild onions for $15 a pound.  As long as you don't chemically treat your lawn, add some dandelion leaves to your salad.  My husband made some amazing dandelion jelly this year. 

10. Make it Yourself

It is easy to find bread machines in thrift stores.  It may be cheaper to make the bread yourself.  I know it is for us, and it is so much tastier.  Instead of ordering out for pizza, make your own.  Many foods can be made easily at home.  When I visited friends overseas, I loved her chili seasoning.  I asked her what brand it was, and she said it was her own, and now I always make my own taco and chili seasonings as well as ranch seasoning.

11. Dollar General 

Dollar General is another favorite store of mine.  You can scan items while in store to see if there are coupons on the products you are buying.  Most Saturdays they have a $5 off $25 coupon which can be combines with manufacture coupons in the app (make sure they say manufacture and not store.). Many Saturdays I can walk out of Dollar General with $25 for about $10.  Of course, don't forget to scan your receipts!  Also, seasonings are cheap there, which is great for when I make my yearly chili and taco seasonings.

12. CVS

While CVS is often more expensive on stuff, combining sales, coupons, and their Rewards Pass (which costs $5 a month for a $10 certificate) can make things much cheaper.  Sometimes there is a $5 off $30 of food coupon in the app.  We also get our prescriptions filled there, so we earn Extra Care Bucks from that.  About a month ago I walked out of CVS with $30 of groceries for $5 ($10 if you count the $5 I spent on the Rewards Pass for the month.). Even if you don't live near a CVS, you can get free shipping if you sign up for the Rewards Pass and purchase certain CVS or Gold Emblem items.  I didn't leave the house for almost a year before I got the vaccine and I would get great deals once a month from CVS.

13. Fast Food Apps

Download the apps for the fast food places in your area.  When our local professional hockey team wins, our local McDonalds will have free six piece nuggets with a $1 purchase.  Since my husband and I each have an account, we can order the cheapest thing on the McDonalds menu (2 cookies for $1.19) and each have two cookies and six nuggets for $1.19.  Sometimes they have other deals.  Keep an eye on your apps

14. Enter Sweepstakes

I have a group on Facebook about entering sweepstakes.  It's not a sure fire way to save money on food since sweepstakes are random, but read my blog posts about how to win sweepstakes and contests.  You can check out my group on Facebook.  It's not uncommon for me to win gift certificates or free coupons.  (I have won year's supplies of Lay's potato chips, Totino's Pizza Rolls, Colivita Olive Oil, Kellogg's Cereal, Mrs. T's Pierogies, and more!)  Also, Circle K often has a sweepstakes where you can win small convenience items.  This year I've won slices of pizza, Polar Pops, roller grill items, energy drinks, chips, nuts, and more.  

15. Stretch meat

Meat is expensive.  If you can, use it in recipes where you can add beans to make it stretch.  This is great for taco night, chili, etc.  

16. Garden

My husband and I began a small garden in 2020.  (Who didn't? Ha!). The amount of tomatoes we have been able to get from a package of seeds (purchased at Dollar Tree or Dollar General) is amazing.  Same with cucumbers.  Even if you don't have room for a garden, some herbs on the windowsill are a great idea.  I won a cooking class for my husband and the grandmother teaching it was thrilled he had fresh basil from a plant in a window.

17. Farmer's Market

Not everyone lives in an area where farming is prevalent, but if you do, check out farmer's markets.  Often you can get fresher fruits and vegetables than at the grocery store and at lower prices, too.  Of course, eat what is in season, as that helps save money as well.

18. Canning / Freezing

When my husband made the dandelion jelly, he took his first try at canning -- and in our Instant Pot no less!  We have green tomatoes frozen for enchilada sauce -- we had to harvest them last year as it was about to freeze outside, so he made enchilada sauce to freeze.  I took the red tomatoes and parboiled them and froze them for a dish I enjoy making.  

19. Dry Milk

Before you think, "I would never go that far", Dry milk is great in baking and cooking -- in fact, our bread recipe calls for dry milk.  Nido is our favorite dry milk as it is a whole milk, and not a skim milk like most dry milks.  Once you mix it and chill it, it is hard to tell the difference between store bought milk and Nido.

20. Check Amazon

It sounds odd, but groceries can at times be cheaper at Amazon.  Also, if you are a Prime member and not in a super hurry for something, you can often get $1.50 digital credit if you order 3 items that cost a total of $8.50 or more.  So then I search for groceries, lowest price first, Prime eligible (or you can click this link)

Also, watch for Amazon deals.  I recently had a coupon for $10 off a $20 or more Amazon order if I picked it up locally.  So I went to the general grocery section of Amazon, found stuff I needed, and ordered it for pick up.  I used a gift card I had earned from a savings app, and was going to where the pick up locker was anyway, so it was not an extra trip.  So I ended up getting a dozen cans of tomatoes (great for making tomato soup) for under $4!   I have also been very pleased withe their store brand of items, Happy Belly.  

What is Receipt Hog? Is it worth signing up?

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Years ago, I joined as many app based savings and earnings communities as I could.  Some have faded away (such as Checkout 51), but others have stayed around and have become my favorites.  One I have on my phone that I don't often talk about is Receipt Hog.

So what is it?  You take photos of your shopping receipts.  you earn coins you can spend.  Why do I not talk about it that often?  I have never won one of the 'daily shopping sprees" and have earned under $20 in Amazon gift cards.  When you snap a receipt you earn coins or spins on a slot machine.  On the slot machine you can win coins (I often win 2-5 coins), cash, or the purchase price of  your receipt back.  Also, you get entered into a sweepstakes that happens on the first of the next month.

I've not earned a lot with this one.  Is it worth it?  Well, I still snap my receipts when I have a shorter one.  When it's massively long, I don't bother.  I have been using it long enough I get a decent amount of bonus coins to make one snap a shorter receipt once a week worth it.  (You level up by submitting receipts each week.) 

Is it one I would join again?  Probably not.  Will I keep doing it.  Yes.  I know this sounds like opposing viewpoints in one, but it doesn't take much to use it each week, but the rewards just aren't easily obtained.

If you want to join, you can find it in the App Store or on Google Play.  If you use referral code stroh862 you will get five bonus spins when you sign up.

What is Fetch Rewards? Is it worth it?

 Very few people see their smartphone as a savings tool.  But that is how I view my device.  Why?  Savings apps.  I have several, and snap receipts from different places, but the one I want to talk about today is Fetch.

Savings apps are just that -- savings.  You won't get rich from them because you are getting something that you paid refunded to you.  But they can help you save on your grocery bill and help you out with saving for something special, be it Christmas gifts, a Disney trip, or just back to school shopping.  And good news, you can earn rewards from those purchases as well when you use Fetch!

With some savings apps, you have to go into the app before you go to the store,  add offers, see what the limit is etc.

The best thing about Fetch is you just snap your receipt after you are done shopping.  Really!  Usually most brands get you about the value of 1% back in points.  BUT most receipts will give you 25 points.  That's about 2 1/2 cents.  That's not a lot, but then there are times you find something you will use a lot of on sale, and you might earn quite a few points on those receipts.

ANY receipt works.  Fast food, grocery store, home improvement store.  Plus, there is a feature when you download the app where you can attach your e-mail for them to check for Amazon receipts.  

Another thing I like to do is see what the "pop up offers" are.  While these are things I have to remember to look for, and living in a rural area like I do, my stores may not have it.  Sometimes the pop up offers are for 100% of your purchase price back in points.  A few things I've gotten totally free are certain types of bread, Reese's Klondikes, Back the Roots growing kits (which my guinea pigs loved having some fresh sprouts!) 

I don't look at apps as a way to get rich, but I did cash out about $50 of rewards from Fetch last year.  That's a Christmas gift.  Or my phone bill for one month. Just from snapping receipts that I would have otherwise thrown away.  Of course a number of these came from offers I got totally free, but sure, I can eat a certain kind of bread that week to get the purchase price back.  

If you download Fetch Rewards on the Google Play or App store and use my code of NP7PE you will have an extra $3 put into your account and I will have $2 put in mine.  

Bottom line:  Fetch Rewards is a must have savings apps because all you have to do is snap receipts.  No adding offers to your account before shopping, and all receipts are accepted.

When Buying SMALLER Saves Money

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Like the rest of the world, we are getting ready for Christmas.  Our niece was born during lockdown in 2020, so in my very well stocked gift closet, I found some diapers but instead of the size six she is now wearing, they were size two.  For whatever reason, I often have trouble with store employees helping me, so I asked my husband to see if CVS would return them and give us the same diapers, but in the correct size.  Most stores will do this as babies and toddlers are ever growing and it's not uncommon to get too many of a size.  

🍼Check out my article: A dozen tips to getting free and low cost diapers.

CVS put the money on a gift card, and the next thing I knew as I was doing my shopping, my husband called me asking what coupons on our card he should be using.

How To Save Money Shopping for Groceries at Walmart

How to Save Money Shopping at Walmart

I live in a town that has a grocery store that is smaller than some convenience stores I have been to.  Ten miles away there is a Walmart and a mom and pop grocery store.  While Wal-Mart doesn't give me the best savings for my grocery dollar, it's most convenient, and the easiest to save money when shopping.

My first tip is simple.  Just shop there.  Usually prices are a couple cents cheaper than other places, and this can add up.  There are exceptions, especially if you use coupons, but for the most part, just shopping at Wal-Mart saves you money over other stores.  Wal-Mart can be very picky about coupons.  This can vary by location, but whenever I have had a problem with a coupon, it has tended to be at a Walmart.  Most recently I had a coupon for a free bag of Lay's with a price limit of $4.29.  The bag of chips I got was $4.30.  Instead of writing in $4.29, the cashier said I had to get a smaller bag.  Called a manager over, and she said the 'good on any Lay's item" was in fact, NOT good on any Lay's item, but the price limit could not be exceeded.  Finally my husband (who had worked at Walmart for a few years) explained that it should work if the price is keyed in.  (That usually has to be done with ANY totally free coupon, regardless of price.)  The manager was gone by that point, the cashier tried it, and viola -- we got $4.29 off our bag of chips.  I've had cashiers (and managers) create unique coupon policies at check out (We only accept one coupon per day since we don't "double" and using two different coupons is "doubling" -- which is NOT what doubling is!)  My point is if you plan on using many coupons, WalMart may not be the grocery store of your choice.

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My second tip is to use iBotta.  It's super easy to use at Walmart.  You just sign up, add offers to your account, and then scan the bar code at the bottom of your receipt once you check out.  You don't have to scan any groceries at all!  In fact, if you are using grocery pick up, it is so much easier to redeem your offers because you just make sure you are putting the correct item in your cart and even if you don't know where a certain free after offer item is, the employee pulling your order would know!  One great thing about iBotta is Walmart is a partner store with some offers.  Last year at Thanksgiving and at Back To School they had a number of free items (including a turkey breast!) 

Third, use other savings apps.  While savings apps aren't specific to Wal-Mart, they do help.  I use Fetch (My referral code is NP7PE ).  It takes a while for points to add up but I get a few Amazon gift cards a year with this app.  I also use Receipt Hog (My referral code is stroh862 )  This one takes even longer to see rewards from it than Fetch.  With both of these, instead of scanning the bar code like you do with iBotta, you have to snap photos of your receipt.

Fourth, there aren't many places that offer cash back for grocery pick up at Walmart unless it's your first time using the service, but if what you need can be shipped, go through a cash back site.  This can work because sometimes the items you want aren't in stock at your local store.  My husband and I love spicy Nongshim noodles but they are not sold in our area because most people don't like spicy food where we live.  Another item we use is Nido.  It's great for cooking and you can't tell it was powdered milk when you use it to cook with or in potato soup.  It's often found in Hispanic markets, and none of our stores within an hour carry it.  So I order it online, and Walmart is the place.  Pet items count if you order from walmart.com and not use the online grocery pick up.
The best places for cash back at Walmart are:

TopCashBack - 2% for pet items  Swagbucks offers 1 point per dollar spent at Walmart.com.  (Although I admit I could be mistaken on this and it could change at any time.)  

One of the great things with going through Swagbucks is you can turn your points into rewards for future Walmart cards!  You can also add "magic receipt" items which are usually identical to iBotta offers if you would prefer Swagbucks over iBotta (but usually the value is higher with iBotta.)

Lastly, use a good rewards credit card.  Unfortunately Walmart is not coded as a grocery store for most credit card issuers, so a good overall no fee card is a good choice.  Just be sure and pay it off and not carry a balance or your rewards will not be as much as you spent.  A card I would recommend for Wal-Mart shopping is Discover.  You also get a $50 statement credit when you use the card in your first three months of opening it.

Wal-Mart used to have more offers that appealed to bargain shoppers to lure us in.  But gone are the days of the Savings Catcher and ad matches, and we have to do what we can with what is available, but thankfully the Walmart only iBotta offers have really helped make up for Savings Catcher.  (Especially for me because there were no major stores to compare prices to within a 25 mile radius!) 

Wal-Mart is the toughest store to save money at if you are wanting to take a little extra time and stretch your budget as far as it can go, but it's also the easiest in the fact that overall their prices are lower than most grocery stores.  There's not a lot of ways to save at Wal-Mart, but at max you would spend about 5 minutes looking up iBotta offers, then putting in your receipt.  Time is money, so I do shop at Wal-Mart even though I can often save more elsewhere with a little effort.

This is the first in a series of saving money on groceries at different stores. 

Is Your New Year's Resolution saving Money? You NEED these apps!

 FTC disclaimer:  The post contains affiliate links.

One of the most made new year's resolutions is to save money.  I've pinched pennies my entire life, and here are the apps and savings sites I plan on using in 2021! I used to keep a great notebook of how much I saved, how much I spent, and what I got in the mail each day.  I think I'll start that again in 2021 as I love reading back through past
notebooks from the 1990s!

1. Ibotta.  This is super easy to use, and I especially love using it with grocery store pick up because I don't have to hunt for the items needed for the refunds.  Please use my code of mtgkg when you sign up.  What I like about this app is they often give small savings on "any brand" items, and are having more and more totally free items.  For Thanksgiving 2020, there was over $20 of items including a 3 pound turkey breast you could get full purchase price back on.  These savings CAN be combined with other savings app.

2.  Fetch.   You can download this on the app store or Google play.  Please use my code of NP7PE when you sign up.  This is simple, you just scan your receipts and they will give you money back based on what you buy.  I never buy anything out of the way unless there is a full purchase price back on an item. You can even connect your Amazon account and earn points from your Amazon purchses.

3. Rakuten.  This was once called eBates.  Start your shopping through here and you can earn cash back.  In the years I have been a member, I have gotten hundreds of dollars back on stuff I would have purchased anyway!

4.  TopCashBack I tend to use this a little more than Rakuten because there is cash back for sites I often order from that Rakuten doesn't have.  Examples are eBay and ThriftBooks.

5. I use Swagbucks as my main search engine.  I earn about $25 a year just using it for my normal searches.  Also, if you print coupons to use, you can go through swagbucks first to print them, then earn points in your account for ones you redeem on top of using iBotta and Fetch for rewards!  

These are the apps I use the most.  With most things, once you get too many apps it takes more time than the savings it creates, so the only one that I have to pick from each time is when ordering online who gives better savings? TopCashBack or Rakuten.  It's been so much easier for me as I have gotten away from paper coupons and just am using store apps to download coupons to my card, and a few savings apps.  

I've been a coupon queen for almost 30 years now, and I have to say that my savings isn't what it was in the 1990s, but it doesn't take nearly as long now, either.  :)

Free Thanksgiving Dinner November 2020!

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Right now, iBotta has a FREE Thanksgiving dinner when you purchase it at Walmart.  It is no secret that I love iBotta, especially with the Walmart pick up.  Just link your accounts and order for pick up and your money earned goes into your iBotta account with no scanning barcodes or snapping receipts.  I've gotten almost $500 back this year alone, thanks to offers such as $2 back on Morningstar Farm sausages.  I'm not a big meat eater and I'm less picky about meat if it's plant based, so a package of 6 vegetarian sausages for $1.37 is a deal I will snag as often as it is in my account -- and most times I can get five at once -- and since I use it, similar deals often pop up.

I was thrilled this month when iBotta offered a FREE Thanksgiving dinner.  You need to join iBotta, then download the chrome extension.  It sounds like a lot of work, but it's really quick to do for  $20 of free groceries -- a 3 pound turkey breast, a two liter of Coca-Cola, French's Onions, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, a box of stuffing, cream of mushroom soup, and family sized mashed potatoes.  (The stuffing isn't pictured in my photo because Walmart was out of it, but it's still in my account for next time I do a grocery pick up.)

Another thing I love about iBotta is you pay out of pocket then have the money refunded to you.  So I use whatever credit card I have that is best for groceries, and earn points on money that I get back! 

To receive your money from iBotta, you have options of getting a gift card to Amazon, money into your Paypal account, or directly into your bank account.

If you aren't going to need these things yourself, this is a great deal to do and donate to someone who can't afford it.  I remember what it was like to not be able to afford a turkey at Christmas or Thanksgiving before I got into couponing, and I know it would be greatly appreciated by some people, especially with the pandemic and people being out of work.

I've saved and made thousands of dollars with these phone apps!

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Selling your stuff on eBay is super easy with the app.  This is the one that has netted me the most money, but then again I love 'picking' and reselling.  I like the app because I can take the photos, edit them, and create the listing all right on my phone or iPad.  My husband lists on eBay occasionally, and he has never even listed from a computer, he's always listed from a mobile device.  I also like the portability of it.  There was one time I was sitting in a car listing and selling items I was listing.  How is that for fast turn around?

Store apps!  You would be amazed at how much you can get back through the apps of your favorite stores.  I don't really shop at Target, so I don't use Cartwheel, but I love Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, and Dollar General apps.  There are coupons you can add to your cards and sometimes even freebies!  Walmart's store app works slightly differently and you scan the QR code on your receipt after you shop there, and they will see if there are any advertised sales anywhere else in the area and refund you via a Walmart e-gift card.  Even gas stations get into apps.  I have Sheetz, 7-11,  and Circle K on my phone, and there are often coupons there as well as purchase x number of items get one free offers.  Cici's Pizza, Chilis, and Rita's Italian Ice have rewards programs.  I am sure this is just a drop in the bucket of the many rewards programs and store apps out there, but these are the ones I use and am most familiar with them!  I have saved the most with the Kroger, CVS, and Sheetz apps.

How to Win Sweepstakes and Prizes!

I started entering sweepstakes as a hobby in 1998.  My very first prize was a trip for two to Arizona and $2,000 cash.  I was hooked, and since that time I have won a whole host of other things.  One of the questions I get asked most is "How do you do it?"  Today you are in luck, because I'm going to share my secrets with you!

By definition a sweepstakes is a giveaway where no purchase is required (in the USA) and the winner is picked randomly.  (A contest requires skill.  Watch for an upcoming blog post on that!)

Have an e-mail address different from your personal one.  You will get overwhelmed with "gray mail" after a while (e-mail receive from mailing lists).  It will be easier if you separate this from the beginning by having different accounts.  Also, I recommend keeping the words "Win" "Sweepstakes" "Contest", etc out of your e-mail address.

Frugal or Frivolous? My opinion on Subscription boxes. And a Frugal solution.

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I have won a few subscription boxes over the last few years, but only one month of them.  For someone who loves mail, I have to say they are extremely tempting, but I also am a frugal person.  I just looked at one of the more popular subscription boxes, and it costs $19.95 for a month, but it claims to have $50 of stuff in it.

Six Ways to Best Use Your Income Tax Refund

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It's that time of year again when the tax refunds come in.  Some people seem to think it's Christmas and go out and buy the latest and most expensive stuff they can't afford the rest of the year, but that's not really the best use of your refund.   Here are some better ideas.

1.  Unless you are getting Earned Income Credit, make sure you don't get much of a refund.  Why let the government hold on to your hard earned money all year when you could be using it?  If you like having a "windfall" once a year, start a savings account!

2.  Pay off credit cards / bills.  If you owe anything on credit cards, pay them off.  With interest rates as high as they are, you are much better paying off credit cards.   I highly recommend the method of paying off debt that Dave Ramsey talks about in The Total Money Makeover.  Pay off your smallest debt first and then you can put that money that you pay each month towards your next biggest debt, and so forth.  (If you haven't read Dave Ramsey's book, I highly recommend a small part of your tax refund and buy it or another good financial planning book for everyday people.)

Why It's Not Worth Going Into Debt for the Holidays

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When I was growing up, we had a LARGE tree, and the underneath was filled with TONS of packages.

We all got gifts -- cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents -- and multiple gifts from each person.  It was total chaos of bows, ribbons, wrapping paper, and Under Roos.

Great Deal on Hamburger Helper and Milk 8/19/17

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This is certainly a your milage may vary offer, but I just did this deal and I wanted to share it.

I had a $5 off $25 coupon for Dollar General, so I stopped in.  (I'm not even going to mention the savings from that in this offer.)

I found Hamburger Helper on sale for $1 each.
There were $1 off 2 coupons on the boxes.

Buying 4, that cost $2. I bought a gallon of milk for $2.75

Total cost at store was $4.75 for four boxes of Helper and a gallon of milk.

When I got home, I submitted my receipt to http://rewards.tpgrewards.com/freemilk/ to receive $2.75 back on the milk.

Then I went into my SavingStar app and redeemed the rebate for $1 back on 4 Tuna or Hamburger Helpers.

I went into Ibotta and redeemed for 25 cents back on any purchase.

Finally, I went into the Boxtops for Education App and snapped a photo of my receipt for an extra 8 boxtops for the school of my choice.

Final breakdown:
4 Hamburger Helpers = $4
gallon of milk = $2.75
Total:  $6.75

Minus in store coupon of $1 off 2 (use two) $2     $4.75
Minus SavingStar money back = $1                      $3.75
Minus Ibotta money back  = .25                            $3.50
Minus milk refund  = $2.75                                   $0.75

So for 75 cents I bought 4 boxes of Helper, a gallon of milk, and between the Boxtops on the boxes and the ones I collected extra, I earned  $1.20 for the school of my choice.

Pizza Hut Rewards & Travel Hack for App Ordering

I received no compensation for this post.  I just wanted to make everyone aware of the points program and the app!

Did you know about the new Pizza Hut "Hut Rewards" program?  Since I love to earn points on all kinds of things, I signed up when I heard about it.  Unfortunately, you can't earn rewards unless you order on the app or online.  (So there goes points for my occasional lunch buffet purchase.) But it's super easy to sign up.  The rewards seem reasonable, too.  I hate "rewards" programs where you have to earn for years to earn anything.  It only takes 200 points to get a free medium pizza, and last night, our $10 order yielded us 36 points.  (Too bad this didn't exist a few months ago when we ordered 4 pizzas to take a a work crew of teenagers who were volunteering time to help repair homes in our area for people who couldn't afford to hire it done, but next year, when I order online, I'll be happy to know our order counts for points!)

The 100% Legal Way to Get PAID to use Coupons!

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I love using coupons.  I love to go to the grocery store or CVS or Walgreens, and have a cart filled with items, and then scan my card, hand the cashier a bunch of slips of paper (coupons) and then have my total come down dramatically -- sometimes even free!

Yet, as much as I love using coupons, I just found this new trick to making money when you redeem them.

Okay, so it's not money on the outset, but you can turn it into money eventually.

A Dozen Tip for Getting Low Cost (and even FREE) Diapers!

FTC disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.
Diapers are a huge expense for parents of babies.  Is there any way to get inexpensive diapers?  What about free diapers?   My answer is a RESOUNDING YES.

First I would encourage you to start stocking up as soon as you know you are pregnant (or if you are a relative, as soon as you hear the announcement.)  Diaper deals are often limited, but starting early and being in the know can help you maximize your savings.

Toys R Us suggests the following quantity of diapers:
Newborn / Size 1   320
Size 2                     870
Size 3                     870
Size 4                     728

How I Host a Summer Party On a Small Budget

FTC disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

Some years back, I won an ice cream party from Edy's.  I won another the next year, and from then on everyone assumed it was an annual event.  One thing about ice cream is it's not that expensive.

I invite everyone I know, and I can usually figure the number that RSVP will be the number that show up -- usually it's right on the nose even though some people come who didn't RSVP, but there are always those who don't show.  So by the week of, I have a pretty good idea how many to plan for.

It's a really casual event, so when purchasing party supplies, I keep an eye open all year long.  This year I found lots of Christmas tablecloths, Emoji paper plates in different sizes, and even napkins at the Dollar General 25 cent after Christmas clearance. With some of the tablecloths just being red, no one has to know it was intended for Christmas.

Because our backyard is small for a crowd of about 50, I started renting the pavilion in the park.  It has electric, so that makes it fantastic. There is also nice play equipment for the kids. The downside of this is the logistics of having ice cream in the park in summer aren't exactly easy.  So, I often make my own ice cream cake as this holds up well in the heat.

Ways We Saved Money on Our Wedding

FTC disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Weddings can be expensive, and we went over budget -- ours cost under $3,000 and we had 150 people in attendance and flew our entertainment in from Florida -- a master illusionist who did a magic show instead of having a traditional dance.  Overall, I expect our wedding would have cost about $20,000 if I hadn't done everything I could to save money.  Here are a few of the things I did.

Win everything you can.  There are so many sweepstakes and contests open to just engaged couples.  I won our save the date cards, lollipops with our photos on them as favors, invitations, a Walmart gift card we used for food, and plenty more various things.  Sometimes you get entries by starting a registry somewhere (doesn't mean you have to use it!), or at bridal fairs or other places.  Enter everything you can because people do win!

How to Clearance Shop at Walgreens!

FTC disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

I love to go clearance shopping at Walgreens.  I never know what I might find, and it is as easy as walking up and down every aisle.

Walgreens makes clearance shopping extremely easy with bright orange tags for the items they need to get rid of.  While there is a section for clearance items, I have often found better bargains in other parts of the store.

While with food you do need to keep an eye on expiration dates, many times it is just a seasonal item that they are not carrying for the time being.  An example is I bought boxes of Turkey Flavored Stove Top Stuffing after Thanksgiving for only 49 cents a box!

The New Sheetz Reward Program De-Mystified (Based on What I Know Now)

One of my most visited blog posts is The Ultimate Guide to the Best Deals at Sheetz so I felt I needed to write a blog post about what I currently know about how the Sheetz reward program is changing on April 5, 2017.

This seems to be the year for changes to loyalty offers as My Coke Rewards is changing and the last day to enter codes is March 22, 2017.   Because Sheetz is my favorite loyalty program with My Coke Rewards a second, I have to wonder what is in store for 2017 with anything else I participate in!

One of my favorite things with the Sheetz program has been the buy 10 get 1 free offers.  In my guide to the best deals at Sheetz I suggested saving your free items for MTO products for a more expensive one.  For instance, I love the meatball and pepperoni subs.  (If you haven't tried the pepperoni sub on wholegrain with extra marinara sauce, you are missing out!)  If I save these credits and redeem them for a $9 six inch sub (which can be possible), then here is the breakdown of what I am spending and the rewards on that item.