Fall Savings!!

When I was researching the coupon industry's tactics and time tables a few years ago, I ran across an interesting tidbit of information that I think bears repeating. Manufacturer's flood the market with over $3 Billion dollars worth of coupons every year. Over half of those coupons are released in the last four months of the year--rather then the first 8 months. That is when consumers are the most predictable with their traditional menu production and consumption. They are eating at home more throughout the holiday season and need more supplies to whip up those tasty favorites. It's the HOLIDAYS--and we do our best celebrating with FOOD! In order to maximize sales and supersede brand loyalty--the quantity of coupons and savings amounts are greatly increased.

With all the changes in the Albertsons' coupon policy and the removal of the doublers from the stores--I haven't really noticed a great opportunity for stocking up on the predictable staples. But tomorrow is hopefully the start of the count-down deals till Christmas. The entire center pages are full of deals that will render additional savings via the Catalina print-outs. Many of the items require purchases in set quantities--and most have coupons that are available in the mass market. Some of them I found on the Internet sites that are free to print. There is a limit of two prints per computer address...but at least some of the coupons don't requirement any extra work to retrieve. One than one computer=2 additional prints :)

There are dozens of others items that are on sale that will also generate those Catalina's that act like money on your next transactions. I'm thinking that a few transactions with some aptly placed coupons will fill the pantry quite nicely, on this week's sales.

Another stellar deal is the Green Giant Vegetables 11-15o.25 oz 6 for $4 ($.67 each). You get back a $2 Catalina coupon when you buy 6; making the final price after Catalina $.34 a can. If you need green beans and corn in bulk--make sure that you call the store ahead of time and have them order the quantities and kinds that you would like, so that the infamous shelf-clearers (and they are out there in droves!), won't leave you empty-handed or with the flavors that nobody likes either! This is a great stock-up price, especially since you don't have to have any coupons to purchase at that price!

General Mills cereals are also going on sale. If you have coupons to layer on the sales' prices--it beats the other competitors' sales--hands down. On the link for the Jello deal above, there are also coupons for the cereal. Don't forget to go through all the different coupons to see what you can print from home for free. Quaker oats look like they would be a great deal if you get coupons to match.

I tell ya'!! Coupons work like magic. They are the only time that you will be able to pay for something with a piece of paper that acts like MONEY at the register--that you didn't have to earn or take from your financial savings account. Coupons are a form of payment that don't require you punching a time clock to earn. It really is the most amazing concept for saving the money that you did work hard to earn! So make sure that you go your ads this week and see what items you can buy that have coupons to match. And 'tis the season to Save, Save, Save.
**Fred Meyer started a great sale on Sunday, which will go through till Saturday. They have hundreds of items that are on a "Save $5 when you buy 10" program. One of the more stellar deals is the Campbells' Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom soups that are 99cents a can. When you buy 10 of them, $5 automatically comes off--making them 49 cents a can. Great price...but if you have some coupons, which are rotating out there, you can save a lot more.

Think about the difference this way. There are coupons for 40cents off of 3 cans and 40 cents off of 4 cans out there. If you were to buy 4 cans of soup at the 99cent price and then apply one of those coupons...your total would go from $3.96 to $3.56 for four cans. But if you buy 10 cans at 99cents, $5 comes off, making the new total $4.90. If I had 3 of the 40cents off of 3 coupons--I could use 3 of them on this transaction. They would reduce the total to $3.70. That is only 14 cents more than the original example--and you are getting 6 cans more soup. If you were to stock up on the items that your family uses the most of with these kinds of sales (and they repeat cyclically--so no worries about this being a one-time gig that won't ever come your way again...), note the difference in the amount of food you would have on hand in comparison to not taking advantage of the sale with the coupon. You can put more food on your shelves that will be your cost savings until the next sale comes around. You save long after the sale is over. It's amazing! And you don't have to have a lot more money to make a difference in the amount you would like to buy.

Another stock-up item found at Albertsons' this week: Jello 3oz packages or pudding packages--4 for $3; Buy 4 and get $1 back. Applying the coupon that you can print here--will increase the savings tremendously. This is a great stock-up price because it's less than 19cents a box and it includes the variety of puddings. Yum!http://www.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=14997&zid=iq55&nid=10&bid=1101221106cf273e082781673e0827816

What to do with all those pudding mixes? Try making these cookies!

AWESOME Chocolate Chip Cookies
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3 1/2 ounce) packages vanilla instant pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups walnuts, chopped (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-cookies-using-instant-vanilla-pudding-409814#ixzz1cWXwAYNj