flash's saving Blog

Wow, time flies even when you aren't having that much fun!

Finances have remained fairly stable, and I've only been to the grocery store once in two months. Instead it seems like it's been a month of doctors, and everything that comes with them.

Mom, well, she refused help from the senior care, and is driving my sister a bit nuts. Mom wants what she wants. So, I'm letting the fight go for now. If she can manage and my sister is willing to be there full time for the summer, it's between them. Cost is still a huge issue, but it's not MY issue right now.

The organic garden is going really well, the tomato plants are getting large already, and tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, squash, onions, blueberries, fruit are all set on and starting to fill out. It always takes much more time than I anticipate, but it's good. Well, it would be better, and faster, if my body was back to where it was before the accident.

Spending hasn't been much, although my stockpile is running low on a few things now, so I'll need to check the ads and pull a few deals together.

That's about it.

Hope everyone else is doing great!

Yea

$25 from Olay ProX, from a sale/coupon/rebate offer plus another rebate last month. There's another rebate for $25 this month, but I haven't decided if I'm going to use the last rebate to buy more and get the new rebate. It's pretty expensive, even after all the discounts.

Also a booklet of $1 coupons from General Mills. But no ads! I can't shop without seeing what's on sale. So, it may just be another no shop week.

The rest of the day was spent CONTINUING to deal with the phone/internet company on the new contract. They just CAN'T seem to get it right. But they have managed to roll all the old bills together, so we can see what we were paying all combined, and YIKES! I'm so glad I'm getting back in the habit of reviewing these things.

Well, we’ve also been sorting out our “media” bills…newspaper, magazines, cable, all the fun stuff!

For the last year, I’ve been mostly leaving the bills and finances up to DH while I’ve been “recovering” from this accident. Which is great, except that he tends to assume that various charges are legitimate, or that I ordered a magazine or whatnot; he doesn’t ask me about it. We were tracking down my sister’s AOL charges on our credit card bill, when I noticed, well, a bill for Jet magazine. Hmmm…we don’t receive Jet magazine. But we do receive a few others that I thought I discontinued.

In fact, I HAD canceled them, but I had contacted the magazine subscription services directly. The charges were coming through auto-payments to various credit cards, and even though I had stopped subscriptions, I hadn’t double checked that the charges had been credited to our account before the accident. Turns out they hadn’t been credited, they hadn’t even been canceled!

To make matters worse, I’d order a subscription for my Mom three years ago, and the magazine clearinghouse had contacted her directly with offers for some “free trials”, with the auto delivery later being billed to me! My 87 year old, very white, mother was receiving Jet magazine, and a few others, and had no idea I was getting charged for them!

Tracking all this down has been difficult. The magazine clearinghouse runs on an automated system, and you can only access a few magazines at a time. It doesn’t tell you what else might be on your account. Just time, sniffing around, loads of phone calls, and monitoring credit cards for charges. So far we have canceled:

New Yorker
Atlantic Monthly
Child
Parents
Redbook
Ladies Home Journal
Better Homes and Gardens
Kiplinger’s
Times
US News
Travel and Leisure
Harpers
Cosmo
Science
Natural Health
Body & Soul
Garden Design
Architectural Digest
Astronomy
Bon Appetit
Taste of Home
Jet
Vegetarian Times

The charges have been credit back to my account. Yea!

We did keep a few health and fitness magazines, which I renegotiated the rates for. I also had the auto bill removed and a block put on our account.

Our newspaper is offering a new subscriber rate, and even though I’m not a new subscriber, I asked about it and my account was immediately rolled over onto the new rate, at $1.49 a week for 16 weeks. We were paid ahead by two months on the old rate, but they credited the account forward. Whew!

I can’t believe things got THAT out of hand. DH and I are both pretty thrifty, but life sometimes distracts attention from other things, like finances. At least we’re getting back on track now.

Whew!

Nothing like a free sample (and coupon) to brightening the day

You can receive a sample of Eucerin Plus Smoothing Essentials here:

Wow, we just saved $300 a month on lawn care!

Which is embarassing in itself. We moved to the property 15 years ago with a plan to mow the lawn, do all the planting, trimming, weeding, maintence, mulching, have a fruit garden, a vegetable garden...and on and on.

Then, DH was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I was assaulted, we retired, I had an accident. Little things that changed our lives forever.

The first thing to go off of DH's to-do list was mowing 2 acres of grass. Radiation treatments meant lots of sun screen and little sun exposure, and he was hypersensitive to allergens, dirt, mold, etc. So we hired someone to cut the grass at $50 a week.

Then there was the issue of homeowner's responsibilities, no dandelions, no harsh chemical treatments, curb appeal required. Costs were associated, of course. Careful planning to tuck "produce" gardens out of eye sight, behind trees while getting proper sunlight.

Then came the deer, rabbits, ground hogs...

Anyway, the cost of cutting the lawn had grown to $100 twice a week! The treatment was up to $3000 a year, plant replacement, etc., well, it all added up.

So, we spent March doing research on services in the area, getting new bids, and getting those costs down. We've gone from almost $800 a month to around $250, which includes budgeting for annuals like tomatoes, zucchini, etc.

Whew! VIctory feels great, but it hurts, too!

I feel guilty replacing the people we've used for all these years. They have done a good, solid job. They probably need the money as much as we do. But, I'm trying to come to terms with the simple fact that I can't be responsible for the rest of the world, but I HAVE to be responsible for me and my family, our finances.

Just growning pains.

and all she could say was that she was a burden and wished she would die. Argh! My sister was sitting right there with her on the cell phone, on speakerphone, and didn't do anything to help.

I tried the "free services" logic, the "get help for these things and then there will be more time/money, etc., for other things", etc. Wow.

I couldn't sleep last night, woke up angry this morning, which rarely happens, and irritates me. I'm not typically an agry person. But I did feel like if my sister wanted the help, she should own up to it with Mom and not act like she is fine with the way things are and I'm somehow just causing problems. Sister asked for help, after all.

And it just made for a horrible morning. Plugged the toaster in, which promptly sparked, flamed, and burnt out in glory. We've had it 26 years, and we JUST gave our spare in it's unopened box, also 26 years old (wedding gifts), to a friend in need. The power had gone out overnight, and the timer for the coffee maker had reset and didn't come on, so no coffee. We missed an important phone call while walking the dog. Somewhere along the way I burst into tears, had a good cry, threw up, put my back out, and fell asleep on the couch.

Which gave DH some time to look at some financial improvements, and start on our taxes.

Some days just start out wrong! I'm digging in, remembering that I'm doing the right things for the right reasons. Stretching finances for everyone requires creative thinking, and doesn't always mean everyone gets everything they want. That's a struggle for me, I like to keep everyone happy, and sometimes ignore the financial costs that result. I can't do that right now. So, deep breath, a bit of tylenol, and charging on.

Thanks again everyone!

General Mills has a promotion, play the fiber one fiber friend face off (try saying that fast!), and get a $1 /1 coupon for Fiber One Chewy Bars. You also get entered to win $50 every day. But...I can print the coupon, no problem, but I'm clueless on how to get to the game!

Anyone else get it to work?

http://www.fiberfriendfaceoff.com/

The bars are very tasty, so the coupon will be used, but I'd love to win the $50!

Five phone calls and several hours on the phone long distance, but I think we at least have a plan. Even if it's just a plan to get more information.

A social worker will go out and assess Mom and her living situation. They can't force her to take care of herself, but at least they can evaluate things and give a different perspective.

I'll think about the costs after they provide the information. No use worrying about things before they happen.

Good news, well, a smile. I was panicking thinking I had two hours of prime time long distance charges. Then I remembered the new phone plan just kicked in, which includes unlimited long distance. A silver lining among all the black smoke.

DH and I are so both upset with my sister right now, we are positively bristling. Unfortunately, since we've decided not to respond to her until we calm down and do some research, we're boiling over at each other. It's a scalding heated agreement that we are angry together about, and yet here we are, well, angry. Sigh.

This all could have been prevented. It should have been. Before my Dad passed away, he begged my Mother to sell their house and move into a retirement community. The housing market was up, and even though the home is older, it would have closed quickly. The retirement community provided progressive care, so as my father's illness worsened, more medical staff, less straining, and now as my Mom struggles alone, she would have had everything she needed.

Even a reverse mortage would have worked, at least a year or two ago.

Instead, she refused. Then Dad wanted to get the house retrofitted for their walkers and handicaps: bathroom fixtures, wider doorways, ramps going in and out of the home. But he died before it was taken care of.

I live on the opposite coast of the U.S., thousands of miles away. So my sister, who lives near Mom, started caring for my Mom on weekends. Washing sheets, weeding the garden, just being there. In exchange, my Mother transferred the house into her name, or at least willed it to her. Mom is 87, and we are never quite sure what she has really done versus what she says, and my sister hasn't really been clear.

Last year my sister transferred all my Mother's money into her own accounts where she said she was getting better rates. DH and I were pretty adamant that she not put it into stocks or investments that were already showing signs of going south. It's not clear what happened with Mom's accounts, but sister said she lost $30K of her own money. I didn't think she had $30K of her own saved away, but, well...

...and she decided Mom should remodel her kitchen instead of putting in the handicapped features. New countertops, new top of the line appliances, $40K. In a very old, small house. I pressed Mom not to do this, Mom is not even allowed into the kitchen according to her doctors. But she wanted my sister to have what she wanted, and my sister wanted the best. Mom's money, Mom's choice.

But here's the rub. Mom uses a walker, and she has been falling. Alot. We had paid for installation and monitoring by a good facility, but Mom and sister canceled it and picked up a different contract with a system that doesn't work that well. She uses it several times a week, sometimes a day. But she's so old and weak, most of the people on her "call" list aren't strong enough to lift her.

As I blogged, she recently fell and laid on the grass, in the rain, for over two hours, with a giant bump on the head. When help finally came, she refused to go to the ER (where an assessment of her living conditions would be required). Sister came, sent everyone away, etc.

Yesterday I received a scalding email from my Sister, demanding that I move out to care for Mom, and pay for additional care. I'm currently disabled from my accident, my husband continues his fight with cancer, and even though I'm just in my 40s, I can't provide care for everyone. My husband and I arne't employed right now. My sister flat out refused in her email to sell Mom's house. She plans to retire in it, and she won't sell it.

DH is beyond furious. And I am too. And instead of yelling at my sister, or my Mom, we're just tense with each other.

Finances do that to people. And inheritences, even when there is really very little to inherit, seem to turn loving, wonderful people into something else.

Sigh. I'm going to have to do more research to see if I can demand someone outside the family step in to evaluate the situation.

My Mom has steadfastly refused to accept in home care, a paid roommate, or (gasp) stay in a retirement home or facility. But since Dad past, she's really had a difficult time.

She fell two weeks ago, and laid outside on the grass, in the rain, for over an hour. She canceled the beeper system I ordered, and the one she replaced it with would not pick up outside the home.

I've begged my sister to sell my Mom's house (it's in my sister's name now) and get care for Mom. But my sister is banking on the house for her own retirement.

Mom fell twice today, and I have an upset email from my sister. Because the housing market is down, she is refusing to sell, or even do a reverse mortage of some sort, and expects me to cover the costs of care. The quotes she gave me are over $2000 - $10,000 a month! I can't do that.

I can't go out there, I'm still recovering from my own accident and can't really even travel, let alone care for another person. DH is furious, and I'm feeling overwhelmed. I just don't have the money to cover that kind of expense. We are just redoing our budgets and trying to work out our expenses after a very long year of medical issues.

My heart is breaking.

I’ve been sorting through the expenditures from last year, sorting out Mom’s and my families expenses, and updating with items we’ve already canceled or renegotiated. It's been a painful process (The magazines will be a story in themselves!)

Here’s what I have so far:

I’ve been sorting through the expenditures from last year, sorting out Mom’s and my families expenses, and updating with items we’ve already canceled or renegotiated. Here’s what I have so far:

Monthly Summary:
Home - $587
Utilities - $570
Transportation - $222
Health related - $675
Grocery/Drug Store - $100
Entertainment/Media - $40
Dog/Wildlife - $10
Clothing - $0
Gifts - $TBD

Total - $2204/month + gifts and charities

Wow, that’s a huge difference from my original calculations.

I'm hugely embarrassed at how out of hand things were, or at least appeared. Those weeds in the budget spread quickly, but were weeded out with many phone calls and a few heated discussions.

Here’s the breakout.


Home
Insurance - $70
Repair and Maintenance - $40
Mortgage - $0
Security System - $32
Lawn Service - $70
Lawn Cutting – in progress
Property Taxes - $375
Total: $587/month

Utilities:
Fuel Oil - $125
Electric - $250
Water Systems - $30
Phone/Internet - $70
Cell Phone - $5
Cable - $90
Total: $570/month

Transportation:
Vehicle payments - $0
Gasoline - $75
Maintenance and Repair - $70
Insurance - $70
Registration - $7
Total: $222

Health:
Insurance for all: $480
Prescriptions - $125
Dental - $50
Eye - $20
Total: $675

Grocery/Drugstore Purchases:
$100/month

Entertainment/Media/Luxury:
Newspaper - $5
Magazines - $8
DVD/Music/Games/Workout - $27
Total: $40

Dog&Wildlife Repairs
$10

Clothing:
$0 (all will be gifts)

Auto-Delivery items
CANCELLED


I'm sure I am forgetting something.

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Staples has started a new program for schools,SchoolKidzs.

If you sign your school up, they will give 2 $25 g/c: One for you and one for your school when your school signs up to participate and is new to the program.

The form for sign up is at

One of the problems we've had in sorting out last years expenses is sorting out my parents expenses, and estimating my mother's costs for the future,

Mom is 87. Her SSI is minimal, my Dad was a janitor, and she works hard to keep her costs down. She decided to find a cheaper health insurance plan last Spring. And, after almost 30 years being insured by Blue Cross, she changed to AARP.

Unfortunately, she didn't understand the fine print on the new insurance. My Dad died just over one month after she "made the switch". But, under the terms of the new policy, she had no major medical coverage for the first three months of the policy.

No coverage for the ambulance, or the ER, or the ICU where he stayed for almost one week. The hospital simply billed AARP. It was over a month before the bills trickled back to Mom as "denied". Then the trickle became a flood. And she didn't understand any of her paperwork, simply hid it away for the children to figure out later.

Sigh. Later was painful. Very painful.

AARP was of little help, as the terms of the policy were quite clear, at least to them.

Blue Cross terms were a bit fuzzier, and we weren't sure exactly when the "end date" of the policy was signed off on. When we called and explained the situation, very openly, they agreed that to extend the policy for the additional six weeks if the premium for that period was paid. We did, and we just received notice that they have paid the final bills.

Wow! My parents were with Blue Cross for over 30 years, and their premiums were fairly high. Still, a company that was will to extend a hand to a widow in a difficult situation gets a big thanks from me.

Home - $
Utilities - $
Transportation - $
Health related - $
Grocery/Drug Store - $
Entertainment/Media - $
Dog/Wildlife - $
Clothing - $
Gifts - $
Miscellaneous - $

Total - $/month

no way. we have ALOT of work to do here! Argh!

Average $400 a month

Goal is $100 or less

this includes all drug store, personal care, health and beauty, parents medical supplies, etc., so it should be fairly easy to reduce it this year.

To start our new budget, and find more extraneous spending, I'm breaking down last year's expenses into categories, averaging things out into monthly costs, and them I'll roll them up into an overall spending review.

I spent the morning with DH estimating our monthly expenses from last years bills. WOW. Then I spent time removing services and miscellanceous charges, like magazines we had on a trial basis before my accident and somehow got renewed at full (outrageous) prices. Then shopping, with good savings, and now I'm running late to physical therapy.

I'll detail the findings later, but WOW, we found some HUGE savings by making a few phone calls. And unfortunately some that will take awhile to figure out.

I have been trying to deal with my cell phone provider by phone or email, which sounds logical, but HAH it's not.

So I finally made it down to their store with DH (don't even ask, but two phones requires both of us). I've had the same provider for 15 years, back when Corporate paid the bills. I changed plans a few years ago, and hadn't really noticed that after the contract was up I didn't renegotiate a new contract, and the charges started moving way up. It was up to $70 a month for the two phones, which we really didn't need. I mean, yes, we used them, but NEED did not equal $70 a month.

We went for a prepaid pay-as-you-go, with 99c only on days it's used, and no minute charges for family members. We stayed with the same provider, so kept our activations etc, and the annual savings will be around $750 - $850!

The other problem with our current plan had been that the same provider was our internet provider, but not the line provider and local and long distance were separate, and there were little charges all over the place. I went nuts trying to track some of them down, but our DSL/internet/local calls/long distance was over $150 a month, and quite a bit was miscellaneous little charges that made no sense to me or DH.

We bundled all the services together into one bill, at $59 a month, still high but unlimited local and long distance and high speed DSL, lots of features, and -- -- I got them to agree to clean up the mess of all the weird little charges. One simple bill and plan.

I also had to clean up AOL charges, which were supposed to be "free", but I hadn't quite realized that when my sister set up an account while she was staying here, she didn't cross over to the free account, and it was still linked to ours, and AOL had linked their charges into our phone company local provider and also into our long distance provider AND also into our DSL provider. Getting that cleaned up is still in progress.

Still, a good savings day.

I'm still working out the budget, trying to decrease these "line items" while figuring out the actual costs we have. One day at a time

Dr.Pepper has been running SO many promotions that I hadn't really checked out the online offer. But, I looked into this offer, it's legit, just provide your snail mail address and they will send you a coupon for a free bottle of Dr. Pepper.

I've got a cold, and so instead of laying out a budget and my current expenses and evaluating the cost of phone plans and bundles, I've been glued to CNBC and MSNBC and Fox and CSPAN...and even though my finances aren't a catastrophy, it feels like they are. Every one guessing on how bad it will get, how long it will last, what else might happen next.

That Audacity of Hope seems rather audacious.

But if I don't find the hope, I won't stop fighting to make things better. A good part of the financial recovery relies on believing it can get better, and it will. Even though it takes a heck of alot of work, it WILL be worth it.

I've got to believe.

And so...I search back through the hard times to see how I've made it through to the other side.

I started life seriously poor. I was a late life baby, and my parents had grown up during the depression. They knew how to stretch a dollar, or coupon, to get through tough times. But Daddy was a farmer, and just before I was born there was a drought. The crops dried up, the chickens died, and the dream for my parents quickly became a nightmare.

I started life finding meals out of trash cans.

My father had polio and could barely walk, but he took a job as a custodian, and worked hard. Mom had been a pastry chef before she married, and she started a bakery in our home. She fed us the "scraps": crusts cut from little tea sandwiches becamse our French Toast. Cake trimmed to level a wedding cake was layered with pudding and marshmellows to make a fantastic trifle dessert.

Me, I was the dishwasher, unpaid other than the benefit of food on the table. And trust me, when Mom is catering five weddings, with wedding cakes serving 500 people, there are alot of dishes! But we got by. I started giving piano lessons, watering and gardening for a neighbor, keeping score at bowling alleys, anything to contribute.

My Mom's business took off, and she published cook books, taught at the local college, ran a business. My brother was sent to a top university on her dime.

My sister and I had to pay our own way, being girls and all . But we worked hard, got scholarships, took out student loans, graduated with honors and advanced degrees. We got the high tech jobs, with the high tech salaries and benefits. We spent, we saved, we invested, and we spent. Yes, we spent on things that don't seem so important now, but when you work 100 hours a week to get that top salary, the fact that some is wasted on restaurants and fresh produce that spoils because you aren't home to eat it, well it just doesn't seem foolish at the time. It seems necessary.

But life is a balance, and at the peak of our "financial" success, DH and DS both got cancer, and I was badly assaulted. As we recovered, we decided to take some time away, retire, live off of the interest from our investments. Which seemed quite reasonable ten years ago.

DH has managed things well, we didn't lose huge sums of money in this "downturn", but we also struggle with all the basics of everyday living that everyone else does. Gas, electricity, buying healthy food, making ends meet when they seem miles apart.

And so, today, I need some hope. Hope that life moves forward to better times. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and burned it many times over. Yet here we go ago once again.

Times are tough. So am I. There is reason for hope. I just need to find it.

But first I need to blow my nose, have a cup of tea, and turn the channel.

I received this in today's email, save $7 off Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Starter Kit

One of the first things I gave up along with the corporate income was shopping for skin and beauty products at department stores. Sigh. I really liked the products, well some of them, and the cute little freebies in cute little packages. Some not so much. But the price, well, I didn't really notice how high they were until I had to work out a detailed budget.

So, drug store products it is. But how do you choose? Seriously? Do any of them work for semi-aging skin

The thing that is confusing me the most right now is the multitude of products that a single brand puts out. Olay Total Effects, Touch of Olay, regular Olay, Olay Regenerist, and now the Professional. The Olay website for receiving a "personal recommendation" doesn't include the new professional line. The commercials, well...there is the Olay Regenerist beats the $700 department store cream...and then there is the Olay Professional quality guaranteed results...but nothing about Regenerist beating the Olay Professional, or vice versa. Great marketing hype, but HUH?

Both have LOADS of coupons and offers. $5 off ProX, $10 off ProX, $25 rebate on $50 ProX purchase, and $5 off Olay Regenerist, $25 rebate on $50, the drugstore rebates...Regenerist is much cheaper and better than the others, but Olay still recommends the Professional line. Because it's more expensive, or is it better?

Has anyone tried anything that is great on 40-ish skin that's starting to sag, with a few wrinkles from squinting too much? Glasses are the next item for the budget

Well, they are me. But it's a good thing

Ten years ago, most stores in our area were doubling coupons up to 50 cents. This means that a manufacturers coupon, could be redeemed on the item, and the store would equal the value of the coupon to double the discount. In other words, if I had a coupon for 50 cents off the price of a box of Cheerios, I would receive a $1 discount (50 cents from the manufacturer and 50 cents from the store) off at the register. On a sale of $1 a box, that would make free Cheerios. Yeah!

Well, okay, I don't eat Cheerios. But the point is, most stores "doubled" coupon values up to $1 ($2 off received). Then...things changed, the economy got bumped around, competition changed, and some stores went for lower prices, others to more organic selections, etc., and coupon policies were changed. Fewer stores had double coupons, some stores limited coupons to four items, some stores reduced the value that they would double.

As the economy has gotten tighter, competition between stores for business has stiffened. And hence, each store is updating it's coupon policies to attract more of the new "coupon saavy" shoppers.

Our local Superfresh started things off by returning to doubling coupons up to 99c (for a $1.98 discount), but will only allow four of the same coupon or item. Then our local Acme store raised their limit up to 99c (again, $1.98 total), but allow an unlimited number of coupons to be used, as long as it's one coupon per item. So...if you have 10 50 cents off Zone bars and Zone bars are on sale for $1 each, they double all ten coupons to purchase 10 bars for free.

Superfresh started periodically having TRIPLE coupons up to 99c. Which, if you triple a 75c coupon to give $2.25 off, can provide some great deals. Even if it's only 4 items each, if you can find them on sale at the same time as the triple coupons are available, you can purchase a good supply of expensive items for free, or almost free.

But, now Superfresh is running triples for only three days, usually only once a month. Acme continues to allow unlimited doubles. Safeway just entered the game two weeks ago, with up to 99c doubles and no item limits. And tomorrow, Giant Foods is test marketing with a week of four clip and save "double one dollar" coupons from their weekly flyer.

Other stores locally double 50 cents, and some stores double only four, others unlimited, even within the same store Chain but different cities.

While this is fantastic for savings, it also complicates the effort of shopping! Reading the circulars from each store, looking for differences in prices and savings, is complicated. Then there are the unadvertised instore sale prices (when the ad says "more savings in stores"), and then trying to remember which store has which rules on doubling coupons, which days, which limits, and therefore the best deals. And then, of course, the trade off of which store to shop at, since who has the time, or wants to absorb the costs of gasoline, to run all over the place to find one or two items.

Sigh. I think I will enlist DH, two brains might be better than one, and it just might take a rocket scientist to keep it straight

Hi!

Well, it's been a difficult year, and I've been completely out of touch with most of my friends. So...hello!

I was in an accident just over a year ago, and have been spending 4-5 hours a day in physical therapy. My father passed away in late Spring, my mother had open heart surgery, and my family, well, isn't handling everything so well. And then, of course, there is the economy...

and inheritance, or lack thereof, and family issues that I never would have imagined would come up.

But we are actually overall okay. Challenged, but not overcome.

And hoping to get back into the swing of things soon...saving and getting some great advice from everyone!

I receive quite a few questions about coupons on meat. My favorites are wine tags. Something new to me, they don't have them available in my state...we are a "packaged goods" state, where wine is not sold in regular grocery stores.

Surprisingly, most wine tags, or at least the ones I receive, don't require the purchase of wine! Due to the numerous laws regarding wine purchases, sales, and promotions...many wine tags are simply coupons for other items, like $2 on ANY BEEF...no brand specification, no wine purchase, and few limitations.

To learn more about wine tags, and whether or not you might find them in your own local stores, check out our latest article at GroceryCouponGuide.com...

Okay, so I have a bundle of coupons for hair coloring, but I was more focused on finding the right hair color than getting a bargain.

I chose what seemed to be the easiest and less, um...noticeable-in-case-of-failure product...Clairol Natural Instincts.

It WAS easy to apply. It took FOREVER to rinse "until water runs clear". Did I mention I have LONG red hair?

The hair is great, the color, well, since my hair was previously colored, I probably should have done the roots first, then pulled through to the ends. But since I wasn't sure it was a real color match, I followed the instructions and started at the roots.

The overall color is nice. A bit redder than usual (except the roots, which are perfect), and not quite as much coverage of the one white streak I have. Then again, the box says to use a different product for coloring major grays (it's NOT gray! It's White!)

Overall...yes, I'd do it again. Maybe a different product, different color, but I can afford to try a few different things. And $5 - 10 versus $120 or so every six weeks, definitely fits into the savings challenge.

How well it holds up...TBD. But my hair feels BETTER than usual.

So this week's saving challenge, I'm calling a success.

Jen, how did yours go?

Well, I was happy that Kashi sent a second packet of their promotional coupons after I told them mine went in sixty seconds.

And, even though it's almost impossible to get a "FREE" product coupon accepted around here (coupon fraud worries, no printables, no frees)...it's a bit humbling to give away dozens of FREE product coupons. Hoping it's $$$ saved for people learning to save.

I received a really nice surprise in today's mail. Kashi sent -- 6 FREE PRODUCT coupons! The promo packets only had one free product coupon, and 5 $1.50 off one item coupons, and receiving a second set to share was nice.

But, by giving away that one free product coupon...I've received 7 more!.

What goes around does come around, and what you give does come back abundantly...just not usually in coupons!

How long does it take two doctors to fill four welcome packets and one coupon train?

Five hours!

Seriously.

Why? Well, we want to do a good job, ensure that everyone gets their wish lists filled, and, well, there are THAT many coupons!!!

DH did kick me out of the room for an hour while he focused on one list.

Nothing quite like playing Santa!

So...debtfreeme, kashi, amorphous02, garthbarth1, and the Northeaster train...watch for snail mail envelopes!

Eddie Bauer is having their summer clearance, actually ENDING their clearance (and it's only July!). To mark the occasion, they are offering a $25 g/c for any $75 purchase. Add in the 50 - 70% savings...and that's my deal of the day.

Now...do I NEED anything...no. But hopefully someone else can use the info!

http://www.eddiebauer.com/eb/default.asp