A good shopping day...

Wow, I am sorry. I started this post Friday night and no idea where the time has gone. I know I have been slammed recently and the next week is not likely to be any better, but hope once this insanity dies down, I can get back to regular posts.

So FRIDAY was a good shopping day. First, I learned that Bed, Bath & Beyond lets you double dip coupons. Meaning, if you have one from them for $5 off and another thats 20% off, as long as you have two items (or more) you can use both coupons. Before when I tried this they always told me either or.

I did some serious (well as much serious as you can with a toddler) shopping at Target. I saved receipt to do some comparison pricing with the other generic brands. I was disappointed though, their cereal bars are about 50 cents more than Trader Joes. Yes, you get two more, but not worth it to me...at least not yet.

I also returned my aluminum foil. For whatever reason they sell 50 sf of foil for the same price as 75 sf. So exchanged my 50 for 75. They were fine about it, since I had receipt. Another example of how it is important to always save receipts.

Costco came in super handy as well. Was able to buy Word 2007 for a project I am beginning in the next few weeks, and it was about $30 less than what I would pay at Staples or Office Depot.

Finally, on Sunday, Nov. 1, I made a resolution. This time next year we will be living someplace else. I am going to scrimp and save as much as I can to make that possible because our 800sf of love is just too small for an active toddler. And its not fair to him.

Hope you all had a nice Halloween.

It was always the little stuff...

The first time I was laid off, it was the parking that galled me. The second time I was laid off it was the fancy dinner only a few weeks earlier.

One of the best lessons I had in my journey toward ultimate penny-pincher, was being laid off. It was very easy for me to think of ways my bosses could have saved money instead of giving me and my colleagues the ax. With this foundation I have looked at every expense we incur in the same vein. The (not-so) recent poll I posted is case and point.

It's my time to "upgrade" my phone. Verizon keeps calling ad nausea um to have me do it automatically and recommit for another two years. Since I have been with Verizon for 10 years -- that fact scares me -- the likelihood of me switching carriers is slim. Still, I don't want another long contract, unless I have to. I considered getting a BlackBerry since Verizon has a super sweet promotion right now, buy one at $49.99 and get the second free. How life would be sweet if I could gchat and update Facebook while at the playground or sitting on couch watching "Yo Gabba Gabba."

But to upgrade my service would cost an extra $30/month on top of the already $70/month we pay for our cell phones. That works out to an extra $360 (plus taxes) a year. I'd rather have that money for a car payment or to go toward my (never ending) student loan.

When I asked in the poll who paid, it was to get a sense of how many people pay for this service themselves. It's one thing if work wants you to be constantly available, but to pay the extra money yourself, why? This is an EASY thing to eliminate if you are looking for ways to cut back.

But Mary, I can't live without email????

Try texting. And guess what, your friends can "email" you there instead. I know with Verizon my number @vtext.com arrives as a text. And this was Twitter before Twitter, since it only allows 160 characters. And when you text, you can always email as well, just manually add the address. Unlimited texting varies by plans, but I know I pay $10/month. Before you go calling me pot, I *could* live without it..believe me, it was definitely on the top of the list had my husband not been hired when he was.

People told me my ideas for cost cutting with my previous employers* would never work, it would save too little. I disagree. Perhaps these tips would not have saved the jobs that were lost in the end, but I think they would have ensured shared sacrifice and an awareness of the gravity of our economic situation. When you are aware of the situation -- really aware -- you work to save.

As you are looking for ways to save, especially since the holidays are approaching and we will all have extra expenses that add up, think about your cell phone. Do you need to email all day? Do you need to have unlimited minutes? Have your family and friends call you at HOME first, and if its not an emergency, just leave a message.

***It needs to be noted that my most recent former employer did a fair share to keep me on. While I was ultimately let go, I do not fault them and hold no bitterness. After all, they hired me 7.5 months pregnant AND gave me maternity leave. The same cannot be said about my initial layoff. Two years later, I still have a draft email to the head of the company in my email. It will never be sent, but I will likely never delete it either. Their absolute lack of appreciation for reality is what has driven their stock prices down 85 percent from the date I was initially hired in 2003 until today. It is a perfect example of why the economy -- both in broad terms and individual finance -- is in the shape it is.

Freecycle.org

Ok, I heard about it for awhile, but never checked out. This past weekend I signed up and wow!

They have everything listed from nearly-new shampoo to clothes to furniture. You can sign up by region so you get a very specific and targeted area of postings. Rules apply, but what a great resource!

I get an email about 2-3 times a day and just scan. I plan to use a lot once I get a handle on all our clutter. I decided after visiting my friend, while our home will never be Martha Stewart clean and stylish, it *must* be organized. I tackled the kitchen (with help from the husband) over the course of a few days...so it can be done.

If you have used freecycle let me know your experiences.

Costco vs...Round 1

In the baby category, at least diapers and wipes (and NOT the aforemnetioned clothes), Costco loses big.

Target sells 704 wipes for about $11. Costco sells 900 wipes for $18.

Costco diapers are under $40, but since they are like Huggies -- so says a very trusted reader -- they won't work for us, because Huggies leaks (I still love their new commercial though with the running Dad) we will stick with Diapers.com.

*** Target adendum

Yesterday I talked about saving my TJs receipt, or I should say not saving it. For the last week or so I have been saving a Target receipt because I *knew* I was overcharged for aluminum foil.

As I was shopping during my trip in peace, I calculated in my head how much everything was going to cost in the end. I read that 50 feet of Target foil was $1.79 (or so). But when I got home, I noticed I had been charged $2.69. Today I went back and checked. Turns out the 75 feet foil is $2.69. I must have the 75 feet option? When I got home I checked. Nope, its 50 feet.

I'll let you know how that return trip goes. And since I ran out of foil tonight, chances are that trip will be sooner rather than later.

Pumpkin Bread

Trader Joe's has the best pumpkin bread! It seems everyone else agrees with me because they have been out of it almost since they got it in early October. I usually buy two or three boxes at once just so we have on hand and the mood strikes me to make it (total price is $2.99 and its super super easy!)

I bought two boxes the second week of October and when I opened the box, it was clear it had already been opened on the inside. Doh! And I hadn't saved receipt. Ugh. So I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally last night my husband was going to go shopping in the strip mall with TJs and I asked him to buy me a box. He did.

Today I went back to TJs and returned the box along with the receipt from yesterday. I know not the most honest thing, but $3 is $3 and its not like I could buy TJs Pumpkin Bread at Giant. Turns out though, the guy didn't even look at receipt! Just told me to go switch it out.

It took me less than five minutes.

The moral here is 1) Save Receipts -- I know I need to get better about that, and 2) take the time to return things and not just "waste" them.

Back from Connecticut

Had *the best* time with my old roommates. We all had our children within two months of each other so it's a blast to see the kidlets grow and play!

Sorry to have been away so long, that was not the plan. Here are some observations from the last week.

Costco is cheaper than Babies R Us, and likely other clothing stores as well. EXACT same pajamas with footies (green with monkeys) is $7 at Costco, SALE price at BRU was $10. I was stunned. Will likely buy more clothes from them in the future.

I have turned into my mother :) In this case, that's a good thing! Growing up, we always packed sandwiches for car trips. ALWAYS. And last week I did the same. Packed a lunch for my son and myself. I was not about to spend $15 at some rest area for food that he may not eat, not to mention would not be very nutritious. So instead he got a 1/4 ham (that I just broke apart and fed him, some applesauce and raisins. Total cost, under $4. As for me, I took leftover bagels from a Sunday brunch, got my own turkey deli meat, and had a great sandwich which would have easily cost $8 had I bought at the store...and which never would have been available at the stop on the NJ Turnpike.

Magruder's coupons keep coming! This week I got one for a free Hot Chocolate. There were others too, but since I was offline for a week, the emails added up, so didn't go through as religiously as I would otherwise.

Happy Monday, it's good to be back home.

Frugality, yesterday's news?

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a nice weekend. Here in NoVa we were pretty much drowned rats.

Short post tonight.

First, saw this article today in Washington Post. Ironically I was just talking about this very issue with a girlfriend yesterday. I sincerely hope this is not the case.

On Saturday I had a rare trip to Target where I was not rushing around and did not have my son with me. Unfortunately it was 9:30 at night and not only was I exhausted from a long day of cabin fever inside our 800 sf of love with a sick hubby and a rambunctious monkey, the store was just about to close at 10, so I didn't have that much time. What I noticed though really surprised me.

For example, Yoplait yogurt is regularly .52, this is significantly cheaper than all the grocery stores I have shopped in. Some will have this as a sale price, but not a regular price.

Target brand tomatoes, the ones I would use make pasta, are less than $1!

There were others too, but I can't remember. There were also much more expensive items as well.

Bottom line, I have decided I need to plan a trip to Target sans son and not up against a time clock, so that I can really examine their prices more closely. I might have to make it one of my must stops.

Following up on last week's Magruder post, I did receive my coupon today for $1 gallon of milk. Also in the same post, I talked about reusing my green peppers from a Chinese delivery order for pasta sauce and Shepard's pie. The verdict: can't tell the difference. I washed off all the kung pao sauce and both items turned out great.

Finally, I off tomorrow to visit my old roommates for a few days. They are doing super loud construction here and not only can my son not nap, but I can't think. I will have sporadic Internet access. I am going to try to post while away, but if not, that's the reason.

Saturday mish-mash

It’s gross outside, so this posting will sort of reflect that since it’s going to be all over the place.

First up Trader Joes. Yesterday we went for one of our numerous trips. I am saddened to report their cost of eggs is now $1.29/dozen. As such I am removing them from the master list.

Next it’s Wegmans. I hauled out there yesterday because of the weather and also because I was hoping they might have blueberries. My son loves them! It’s a 30 mile r/t excursion, but I figured it would be worth the gas since its such a magical place AND they would surely have blueberries.

They had blueberries (yeah!) for $3.49/4oz. This galls me since two months ago they were $1 packet. But I was time constrained then and didn’t learn how to preserve for the fall and winter. Oh well, lesson learned for next year.

I did compare some of their other prices, some good (very good) and some not so much. Their milk is on sale this week for $2.35, which is better than Costco. They have flour on sale for .99. They also had Smart Ones entrees for $1.99/each, which is a great money saver for workday lunches. I can’t remember the specifics for the not-so-good deals, but needless to say, I won’t be going back unless we have a repeat of really bad weather and my son’s need for healthy food overcomes me with a desire for more blueberries.

Reposting from the Facebook page (and if you are not a fan, you should be!) is this deal I found in a Washington Post ad.

As I mentioned earlier one of the first things we did away with magazines. I think my Good Housekeeping must have been paid in full for a while because it still keeps coming, but no bill. I have checked the stamp on front, but each issue lately has been a ‘special’ with a bag, so no date. At this point though, we are likely to renew when the time comes, especially when you consider the money savers included and the coupons they offer (lots!). November is case and point. Many money savings tips: including kitchen odor elimination (pg 42), emergency switch-outs (pg. 44), and grocery shopping tips (pg.123). (* I would post direct links but I can't find on their website, www.goodhousekeeping.com)

Finally, this has nothing to do with money saving. Nothing. But I read it yesterday and it gave me such peace of mind that I had to include it. Since most readers are women, and a fair amount have kids, I thought appropriate.

Stay dry and have a great weekend!

NoVa consignment sale SEVERAL DAYS next week

Just got this tip from reader Kristen. Many thanks!

CLASSY KIDS CONSIGNMENT
One of Prince William Counties best organized resales of gently used children's clothing, toys, books, videos, furniture, maternity items, etc ..... at BARGAIN prices!

OPEN 5 DAYS! Shop early for best selection.
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 12 NOON-8PM
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2PM-7PM
Friday, Oct. 23, 10AM-3PM
Saturday, Oct. 24, 8AM-1PM (50% OFF SALE)
Sunday, Oct. 25, 10AM-1PM (DOLLAR DASH)

Prince William County Fairgrounds
10624 Dumfries Rd.
Manassas, VA 20112

For more information browse www.ClassyKidsConsignment.com

Cash preferred. Checks, MC, and Visa okay with proper id.
***No strollers with baskets are allowed at the sale

Magruders update

As mentioned in yesterday's post, Magruders said they would send me ecoupons if I was on their mailing list. While I did not get the one promised (yet), I did have three waiting for me when I logged on, including one for free donuts. Might be worth your while, for my VA/DC/MD readers to sign up, you never know what coupons they are offering, and as I have noted before, their prices are fairly competitive.

Turn the lights out...

Ok, not really, but that got your attention, right :)

For the second night in a row, the television has pretty much been OFF since 6. I am rather certain I myself could live without it. Sure, I enjoy the Food Network and TLC (minus a certain PA couple of course), as much as the next person, but I don't *NEED* these things.

We pay just under $100/month for cable and Internet. We do need Internet and to get it without the cable attachment would be ridiculously expensive. So we get cable. I called last year to cancel and they threw in a free DVR to keep us, as well as lowered our rates, so until next month at least we can DVR our favorite shows...not that we ever have time to watch them.

The point of this being, we don't have to use the power for our cable and to light up our living room every night. By "we" I mean not just us but anyone. Instead, try turning off the tv one night and read a book (we all have tons in our personal libraries we never read) or a newspaper, that is of course if your town still has one.

Our local power company has been running radio ads lately about turning off our power strips when the multiple appliances aren't in use, so I have started doing that as well when we go to bed.

I am not naive. I don't think these things in and of themselves are so huge that our bills will go down, especially not when you consider I had to turn the heat on today since the temps never got out of the 40s...its October 15, not January 15, right? But I do think every little bit helps. And if we can keep our bills low and steady we can budget accordingly.

Random savings and an idea I am going to try..

Giant has tomato sauce (you know the kind you need to make your own spaghetti/pizza sauce as described here) on sale again this week, $1 can. That is not better than the big jar at Costco, but it is a great price and if we didn't have the membership (and I hadn't just bought the big jar) we would get some.

I will need to make some more sauce soon. Made it this weekend for meatballs for my Dad's 87th bday and it was a huge hit. I will admit I now like my own sauce better than the jar kind, and it is not entirely because of the price...it just tastes better.

Tonight I ordered Chinese food since my husband is at the US Soccer game in the pouring rain. My Kung Pao Shrimp was mostly red and green peppers. I have decided I am saving the bulk of them for a day or two, rinsing and then making with my sauce. I am not going to waste these veggies, especially since there are so many of them! I will let you know how it turns out.

This week's circulars were disappointing, but Magruders seems to have some good things on sale (for my Virginia readers) beginning today and going through next Tuesday, including an offer to sign up for their email alerts and get a coupon for next week for $1 (total price) for a gallon of milk. I am going to sign up now, will let you know, or feel free to sign up yourself. Just email circular@magruders.com and put 'subscribe' in the subject line.

Also, they have the Pepperidge Farm layer cakes which my husband loves for $2 (regularly $4.19 elsewhere) and .79 Duncan Hines Brownie Mix...yum!

Finally, getting back to Giant, they have their frozen waffles on sale for $1 box...that's a great deal! I know my son goes through them like crazy.

Stay dry, warm, cold, out of the snow, rain, wind, etc....depending on where you are.

HWDI: Two become one

This is the second in the series of How We Did It.

Communication was a key part of our survival. We have communicated pretty openly and honestly since the first day we met -- including me telling my future husband I didn't want to date him and turning him down (again) when he asked me out in front of a group of friends. (Clearly I changed my mind).

This foundation played a key role over the nine months. There were things I wanted, that my husband did not feel were necessary and I had to respect that. Likewise, there were things he wanted that I didn't. He too respected that. I don't think we fought, I mean really fought, once during this entire time. Sure we had our disagreements. And yes there were times all he wanted to do was play his Wii or all I wanted to do was read my cooking magazines. But in a marriage, especially when you have children, you have to work together and put the needs and wants of the family ahead of your own individual needs.

Lucky for us, we were never big-goer-outers (especially since our good friends moved away and we didn't have anyone to regularly go to the Irish bars with us :p)

We played a lot of Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit.

We began a Netflix account, wound up watching The Wire, among movies we hadn't seen but wanted to.

When I got discouraged, he was there lift me up and I did the same for him. Or, on those rare occasion when we both had our pity-party at the same time, our son would do something so hilarious we would both forget our cares and laugh with/at him...and soon our worries were put back in their place. Children really are priceless entertainment!

I still do the bulk of the cooking, but he began to help out more in the prep department (he always cleans up that's been the standing trade-off).

When we needed "our space" one would stay in the living room, the other would go in the bedroom. We took our son on a lot of walks and discovered just about every playground in the Northern Virginia area.

Perhaps what was most important, and this is key, we had faith. We had faith in each other and in God. I *knew* he would get a job and I also *knew* God would not let us fall through the cracks and things would work out (whatever that meant.)

I am not writing this to brag, but rather to explain. A friend has told me several times that my husband and I are the only couple she knows who are just as happy and in love today as the day we were married. At first I just thanked her, but as she said it more and more, I began to think about it. The key really has to be communication.

We never stopped communicating, and we never will. This means I will know every statistic known to man about the Yankees and he will always know exactly what I am thinking exactly when I am thinking it (like an hour after getting home telling him in extreme detail about the joker who nearly cut me off earlier in the day because some guy on tv looks like him.)

But on a serious note, we will both always know that the other has their back, because on March 12, two became one.

Computer issues

Sorry, no post tonight. We are having computer issues, most likely internet. Will be back tomorrow. Stay warm.

Clean out your fridge & your freezer

Real quick Saturday post that dawned on me as I was getting my lunch and getting ready for dinner.

1. Make sure to clean out your fridge of leftovers and not forget them. This might sound obvious but it was eye-opening when we first started counting every single penny how much food we wasted from leftover dinners that could have either been a whole meal in itself or combined with other items. Today for lunch I finished off both the chicken from the other night, as well as corn from earlier in the week and continued to make a dent in the Spanish Rice which was enough to feed the Russian Army. You can often mix-and-match pastas and vegetables as well. Believe me, there is no worse feeling when you are on a budget than throwing out food, and calculating in your head how much that cost.

2. Freezer bags can be used and used again! I took out the last of some ground beef for hamburgers tonight and the bag has written on it, ground beef. So, I put back in the freezer empty and the next time I need to freeze GB, will go use that bag instead of wasting a new one.

Happy Weekend!

Dinner for under $7

This idea comes courtesy of Erin P, a faithful reader. It's not her recipe though since I couldn't find it on her FB page and had to do some online research. The result...incredible. Not sure what is better, the price or the lack of effort required.

Ingredients
1. Chix breast ($1.68)
2. Fixins -- lettuce, onions, peppers and tomatoes, ($2.13)
3. Flour tortillas ($1.27 -- this is half the price of the package I bought last month, which kept nicely in the fridge)
4. Chicken broth ($.99)
5. Taco seasoning ($.99)
4. Spanish Rice-a-roni (leftovers)
5. Shredded cheese (leftovers)
6. Sour cream (leftovers)

Total: $6.86

Place 1lb boneless/skinless chix breast, along with 1 cup chix broth and taco seasoning packet in crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken, prepare on tortillas as desired. Enjoy.

This meal took me less than 5 minutes to prepare and was yummy! And maybe the best part ...if all that isn't enough...there are leftovers for tomorrow :)

Boneless/Skinless chix breast on super sale!

Safeway has them for $1.68/lb!!!! Sale runs through the 13th. I just stocked up and used for dinner tonight (will post that later). This is a great price!

By the numbers: $627.39

That's the amount we have saved in the last 11 months (since Nov. 17, 2009) in our Way2Save account through Wachovia. The way it works is simple. Everytime we use our debit card or we pay online (which we only do for 3 bills/month), they will transfer $1 from our checking to savings, AND PAY INTEREST! I know Bank of America has a similar program. Not sure about other banks but you might want to inquire, or if they don't have one..consider changing. And if you go to Wachovia, let me know...I think we both get money...hehe.

I thought this was an appropriate time to calculate this little gem based on the lede article today in the Washington Post. It seems more Americans are relying on debit than credit. Simply by establishing the account, everytime I swipe my card, whether for $2.50 to pay parking meter in Ballston or a $100 grocery bill, we get money. It could not be simpler, and as I have said before, this savings account was a life saver during our dual unemployment, we dipped into it several times.

Costco

For his birthday last month my brother/sister-in-law gave my husband a membership to Costco. This has to be one of the most useful, outside the box, and very much appreciated gifts either of us has ever received. We went on Sunday to sign up, but the place was a zoo, so I went back today for our first shopping trip.

Some observations, although all prices are rounded since my son was not about to let me take notes.

Some things are cheaper! This should not be a surprise. But six cans of tomatoes --crushed, diced or whole -- were just a little more than $6. This works out to about $1 can. Considering most stores here sell them for about $1.50-$1.75, this is a great deal. As I have blogged before, I now make all our spagetti/pizza sauce since its cheaper and I believe (with no medical training to back it up) that this is healthier.

Also cheaper, much cheaper, were SmartOnes frozen meals. You can get a package of four for slightly more than $6. At best, I have been able to find these on sale at grocery stores for $2 each, so there is savings there.

Milk too. Their price for a gallon of milk is $2.35. I have paid as little as $2.39at Magruders, but that was a sale price. Most milk I find is $2.99-$3.65.

Some items though were not cheaper. Notably ground beef. Theirs sell for $2.29/lb in bulk, whereas Wegman's sells theirs for $1.99/lb in bulk.

I know some of my readers go to Costco, my question is, how are their generic diapers? I noticed our Costco did not sell Pampers, and thats my go to brand. If Costco diapers don't leak (I have found that Huggies are horrible and do) than they are cheaper than Diapers.com. But if they are cheapo and not strong for boys, it is not worth spending the money.

Over the next year during our membership, I am going to try to keep track of the difference in spending to see if it amounts up to the $50-$60 membership fee. Thats the real question. I will let you know what I figure out, and welcome your thoughts if you are a Costco/BJs or other price club type member.

The way I was raised

I was talking to a friend today about purchasing a fairly common item for $20. It doesn't matter what the item was (although if you are really interested, I'll bury it in here, I just don't want this to be tagged as only relevant to a certain segment). I told her I didn't want the item because we had a perfectly good version of the item, which cost at least 15 times as much -- not a typo -- and I just couldn't justify buying it, even if it was "only $20."

She asked if I had always been this way? Yup, it's the way I was raised.

I didn't get new tennis shoes just because my "old" ones weren't fashionable anymore. I got new shoes when the old ones were too small or worn out. The first TV I had in my room was a hand-me-down from my grandmother. I got it in 1988 when I was 13. It was black and white, and had a dial. No remote. Big rabbit ears. It worked until I sold it in a yard sale in 2001.

My parents sacrificed to send me to a Catholic High School that is so prohibitively expensive today if we had a daughter she wouldn't be able to go. We tease my parents (I am the youngest of 5, only girl) about our food routines -- Tuna Fish Wednesday, Regular Fish Friday, Hot Dog Saturday, Chicken Sunday. Monday, Tues -- leftovers. But this routine saved them money (not to mention the stress and agita of planning).

McDonald's was a treat, for when report cards came out and I had good grades.
The pea-soup-green (again, not a typo) carpet in my room had its origins during the Johnson administration and was still there when my parents sold the house in 2001.

(By the way, the item in question is an umbrella stroller, which is smaller, lighter and much less bulk than a regular stroller and could be used for quick trips or travel).

When I moved to DC in my single days I lived in a fantastic apartment in the heart of Dupont Circle. It did not have air conditioning. Eventually my roommates bought their own, but I just didn't see the need. I wasn't there enough, work was AC, and it just wasn't that bad. A friend felt sorry for me, and when he moved, he gave me his free of charge. I admit I used it on occasion, and I very much appreciated it, but I never would have bought it on my own.

We often think "We can't live without ..." but the fact is we don't know what we are capable of doing until we try. I am grateful my parents taught me how to "try." I never wanted for anything I really needed, but there were plenty of things I "wanted" that at the time I thought I "needed" (pink tretorns and call waiting come to mind), but the reality is...well, I didn't.

Thrifty is the new black....and its 'selling' like hotcakes!

This article comes courtesy of the husband of one our readers. He sent the whole thing, so I decided I would just cut and paste here. Enjoy!

NEW YORK (AP) - There has never been a better time to be a consumer. America is on sale.

The Great Recession has caused massive job losses and hardship for millions, but it has also fostered a shoppers' paradise. Anyone who still has the means to spend can find unheard of deals.

Prices on everything from clothes to coffee to cat food are dropping, some faster than they have in half a century. Items rarely discounted - like Tiffany engagements rings - are now. The two biggest purchases most people make - homes and new cars - are selling at steep price reductions.

"This is the new normal," says Donald Keprta, president of Dominick's, a supermarket chain in the Midwest, which just cut prices by as much as 30 percent on thousands of items. "We aren't going back."

Consumers like Karen Wilmes, a mother of two in Hopkinton, R.I., relish the steals. During a recent trip to Shaw's Supermarkets, she bought a basketful of goods, including Eggo waffles, Kleenex tissues and Betty Crocker cake mix. The retail price: $63.89. Wilmes paid $7.31 by buying items on sale and using coupons.

"The deals out there are unbelievable," says Wilmes, 36, who writes the Frugal Rhode Island Mama blog, which tracks local and national bargains. "We can put the money I save toward something else."

And she's doing just that, but only when she can find another deal. Wilmes and her husband recently bought a Samsung television from Best Buy's Web site for $1,299, about $300 less than she found at other stores. She also got free delivery and another $13 back from ebates.com, which receives commissions from online retailers for directing customers their way.

What's happening now has been building for years. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. introduced "every-day low prices" many years ago. Amazon.com redefined the idea of bargain prices during the late 1990s when it helped introduce online shopping. After the 2001 recession, automakers introduced zero-percent financing to boost sales. McDonald's "Dollar Meals" made fast food even cheaper.

But until the Great Recession came along, consumers hadn't seen anything yet.
Last fall's financial meltdown triggered a plunge in stock prices and home values and wiped out 11 percent - $6.6 trillion - of household wealth in six months. It also put an end to easy credit, which had fueled the consumption that powered the economy for most of the decade.

Those who still have jobs don't want to spend as they once did. There is a new societal pressure to be careful and smart when buying almost anything. From Chicago's Miracle Mile to malls around Orange County, Calif., it was once a status symbol to trot around with armloads of shopping bags with designer names on them. Now, it's considered ostentatious.

Traditionally, manufacturers and retailers lowered prices to clear inventory. Today, they're cutting prices because consumers are demanding it. If it lasts, the ramifications will be wide-ranging.

"There's almost a new morality to spending," Liz Claiborne Inc. CEO Bill McComb told an investor conference last month.

The bargains being offered at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., make it seem the day after Christmas. But it's only a weekday in September. The deals start at 25 percent off and keep getting better. Neiman Marcus, Forever 21, Ann Taylor, Macy's, Gap - across the retailing spectrum there are promotions.

Retail sales remain sluggish, and more than half of the people surveyed recently by America's Research Group and UBS said they are shopping less. But when they do shop, most go to stores with lower prices or wait for sales before returning to their favorite retailer, according to the survey.

Dave Ratner sees this price chase first hand. His four-store chain in western Massachusetts, Dave's Soda & Pet City, has never been so focused on promotions and low prices. During the past year, customers stopped buying $50 bags of premium dog food and "special" $10 pet treats. Pet-related Halloween merchandise usually sells well, but he isn't stocking any this year because he doesn't think people will buy it. Instead, he's offering big discounts on cheaper brands of pet food.

"It's killing my profit margins, but if you don't offer specials and lots of promotions, you aren't operating in the current world," he says.

Great buys are not exclusive to retailing. The government's Cash for Clunkers program is over, but more than half of car buyers still get a cash rebate, according to J.D. Power & Associates.

Hotel rooms cost travelers nearly 20 percent less, on average, than last year, the biggest decline since Smith Travel Research began collecting data in 1987.
Home prices have dropped 30 percent, on average, from the peak in 2006. In some markets, they're down more than 50 percent. Homes in parts of Detroit are cheaper than a new car.

Overall, prices are tumbling at the fastest rate in decades. The government's Consumer Price Index, which measures the average price of goods and services purchased by households, has fallen 1.5 percent over the last 12 months. The reading for July showed a 2.1 percent annual decline, the biggest since 1950.

The largest decline has been in energy prices, but other areas have fallen, too. Among them: food, appliances, furniture, jewelry, sporting goods, audio and visual equipment and apartment rents.

People like Bruce Halkin, 64, an advertising executive in Aventura, Fla., are benefiting. He will soon close on a three-bedroom home in nearby Boca Raton on a golf course. He's paying $335,000, 8 percent below the $365,000 asking price. The sellers bought the home for $410,000 in 2006 and spent $75,000 on renovations.
Halkin's deal-chasing doesn't stop there. On a recent trip to Macy's, he picked up two pairs of Ralph Lauren Polo shorts, a Polo shirt and a hat for $50. At full price, the bill would have topped $200.

"I've learned to buy when I see deals not necessarily when I need anything," he says. "Thankfully, the bargains keep coming."

Those with goods and services to sell hope that the discounting bolsters sales, which would help get the economy chugging along again. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the economy.

But ever-lower prices have risks, too. The more shoppers expect prices to fall, the less they shop until prices drop. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that forces companies to keep cutting. That reduces profits, making it less likely companies will hire workers or raise wages. Economists say the worst scenario would be a deflationary spiral, which Japan has been stuck in for the last two decades.
"The Japanese government has been trying to stimulate the economy there since the 1990s," says Gary Shilling, who runs an economic consulting firm in Springfield, N.J., and has written two books on deflation.

The U.S. economy is not near such an extreme. But what's emerging is the realization that pricing is being redefined.

Dominick's supermarkets announced in late August that prices on a range of items in its 81 stores would fall by as much as a third. Included in the cuts were both private-label goods and national brands, such as Coffee Mate creamers, Bumble Bee tuna and Tombstone frozen pizza.

Profit margins at grocery stores typically are just 2 percent. Dominick's hopes the low prices will attract customers, who will also buy enough full-priced items to make up the difference.

Other companies are assessing pricing as never before. Procter & Gamble long dismissed the idea of cutting prices for its stable of well-known brands, including Tide detergent and Gillette razors.

In September, the world's largest consumer products maker relented. It announced price cuts across 10 percent of its global line and plans to increase its promotions emphasizing value.

Others are learning that aggressive price cutting can move merchandise. Sony cut prices on its PlayStation 3 video game console by $100 to about $300 in August, and sales shot up 300 percent during the following three weeks.

Dick's Sporting Goods sold boxes of a dozen Nike One golf balls for $42.99 at the start of the year. The balls are used by Tiger Woods and other professional golfers, but sales were lackluster. Now, Dick's offers two boxes for $59.

Demand has soared.

Twice the Free Heat

I was reminded this morning when I was up with my son that fall has definitely arrived...it was cold!

Instead of turning on the heat, which its not THAT cold to do (but these tips will help even when its snowing out!), what I decided to do was some laundry. Laundry?

I learned this first idea from the Sears man when he came to fix our washer/dryer shortly after our son was born. It works best if you have a small home, but would probably help in just about any circumstance.

Remove the silver vent/tubing/duct from the wall which is connected to your dryer. Instead of blowing all that hot air out into the cold, have it heat your home. Place at the end a cut piece of pantyhose to catch the lint and make sure the air is blowing out. You will notice an immediate difference in temperature and it will help cut back your heating bills (not to mention your whole home smells like fabric softner).

The second idea comes from my mom. When I was home and we would make cookies or cakes or anything in the oven, unless it was summer, she always left the door down when we turned the oven off. "Free Heat," is what she called it...and it was! I do this now in my own kitchen and especially in the cold winter, this is a huge help.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Credit card debt

Michelle Singletary has a regular blog/column in the Washington Post. While I am not saying anyone should subscribe to the newsletter she talks about, her column Sunday has some useful tips on paying down credit card debt that I thought some of my readers might appreciate.

Brown bag it..or when that fails, iced tea it

Today was Oktoberfest in our little community. It was the 2nd annual event and like last year the weather was beautiful. Unlike last year, it was nearly four times as big, or so it seemed. It was a huge success, and I am glad. It's good for the economy and our little neck of the woods to see so many people out and about (and spending money!!!)

The deal with our Oktoberfest is they close off a bunch of streets near the center or our little town/area and sell beer, along with other food. The cost for beer alone was $25 for 10 "tastings." The tastings appeared to be about twice the size of your average shot glass.

I knew even before we got there we weren't doing the tastings. The ridiculous price aside, the lines for these tastings were unreal. We have only so much free time, especially with a 16-month-old who has more energy and more desire to explore than anyone I have ever met.

So instead of spending $50 for both of us to drink, we spent $10 total for nearly 50 oz of beer!

When we got there, we went into Harris Teeter, since grocery stores in Virginia sell beer, and bought two 24 oz bottles of beer (Corona and Red Stripe). Last year we were able to get brown bags, but this year since we bought at HT and not the mom and pop wine store, we had to improvise. So we bought two bottles of iced tea, sadly wasted most of the contents of the bottles, and replaced with beer. With cops EVERYWHERE, we had to sneak it.

Next year I will think ahead and bring travel coffee mugs or save our own iced-tea bottles, but no chance lance are we waiting in those long lines for "tastings." I will take my $40 and put that elsewhere.

Blogs within the blog

I have added a few blogs that I "follow" to the side of this blog. I don't really follow them, but I do get their email updates daily. They are filled with useful information on coupon clippings, grocery store sales and just general ideas on how to save -- not to mention my favorite, the crockpot lady. If you haven't had a chance to check these out, I encourage you to do so.