Saving with Mel: Video Blogging

Hi Internet. I wanted to spice things up a bit this week with a podcast that includes a few tips on how to save money. This was my first attempt of a youtube video. I hope you all enjoy it and one or more of these tips is useful for you.

Happy Savings,
Mel

Lost Receipts Make My Day!

Good day fellow savers! I finally found a reciept that I have wracked my brain trying to find for weeks now. This was my pride and joy, my best saving at Publix to date! OK, alright, this isn't Extreme Couponing amazing BUT for anyone who shops at Publix Supermarket knows getting an almost $50 savings on your grocery purchase is AMAZING!

Which is what I did, my savings was $49.28 and I am so proud of myself. My mom didn't believe me but here it is. This was just when my girlfriend was laid off, we received food stamps, also known as EBT.

This purchase was plenty of buy 1 get 1 free (bogos) deals. I bough a few bogo pastas with bogo pasta sauces, some bogo sodas, meats on amazing sales, chicken discount, and lots of other yummy goodies. I don't know about you but food tastes better when you make it with lots of love and get it an amazing deal.

I have tried my darnedest to try to beat my record for savings, but alas I have not. Doesn't mean I will stop trying, just means I haven't met the right deals as of yet. I still hunt, I still coupon, I still feverishly coupon hunt online for those deals that will make my day, my week and even my year.

Happy savings everyone,
Mel

Purchases of Saturday, August 28, 2014

Normally, I do the dreaded grocery store run once a week. This weekend was about convenience because I was on a time crunch. Lately, my weekends have consisted of house hold cleaning, homework and grocery shopping.

This weekend I needed to make a detour. I absolutely had to buy a pair of flat shoes for work. Again, normally I have both Saturday and Sunday to run my errands. Alas, I only had time for one store to find shoes and one store for a grocery run.

The only reason I went to Kohl's was because I received a 30% off coupon in the mail this week. I figured I could get a good deal and I did. I found a pair of copper colored flats that are cute, comfortable and cheap.

Publix Supermarkets are usually more expensive than Walmart or Winn-Dixie stores. Today, I couldn't really afford to be incredibly picky. Publix had some really awesome buy 1 get 1 free (aka bogo) deals that I was more than happy to take advantage of.

Kohl's Savings: $36.10
Publix Savings: $19.22
Total Savings Today: $55.32

Happy Savings,
Melissa

Some Banks Give You Money Back?!?! What?

Just recently I found out some Banks give you money back on shops you frequent. Isn't that amazing? I know Bank of America offers a certain percentage back on stores like California Pizza Kitchen, Petco, Starbucks, etc. Usually, there is a list of 15-20 stores you can receive cash back for purchasing items.

You can find your deals using the Banking Online feature and selecting Cash Back Deals. Make sure to click on the store or stores you plan on buying from so you can get those deals. Below you'll find a very simple way to find the Cash Back Deals.

As of now, I will receive $1.50 in a few weeks. Not much, but it will continue to grow.

Word of advise: Be careful. What may look like a deal, might not be a deal at all. Just be aware of pricing. I noticed Petco was one of the stores. Petco is also one of the most expensive pet stores I have ever walked into. I have only shopped at Petco when Lucky or Max needed food and it was on the way home and of course I was in a super hurry to get to the house. But other than that I stick with Walmart for pet food.

Happy savings,

Mel

Find your deals

You can choose cash back deals right in Online Banking. Visit theCash Back Deals tab to see all your deals and the cash back you’ve earned.

Saving on Birthday Presents and Cat Food

You're birthday only comes once a year and I believe it should be celebrated with gifts and cake. My friend's birthday is coming up and I wanted to get her a little something to let her know how special she is to me. Of course, I wanted to do this on a budget. I purchased gift wrapping paper, a candle set and a Bar sign that's a wine bottle holder all for $7.60.

Kohl's send a coupon the mail once a month. The coupons range from 15%, 20% or 30%. This month I only got a 20% coupon, that is what I used for this transaction. Every few weeks Kohl's offers $10 Kohl's when you make a purchase of $50 or more. Plus I received a $10 off savings pass in the mail which I used for this purchase. The purchase came up to $7.60 with a $96.80 savings.

That was my best purchase of the day. I still got a little savings at Target for cat food and birthday card. My total savings at Target was $1.50.

My total savings for the day was $98.30. That made me so happy! Hope this is inspirational and you get your happy savings behind in gear to get you an almost $100 savings for a day of shopping.

Happy Savings,
Melissa