The Thrifty, Frugal Mom

Hobby Lobby: 40% Off Coupon

Go here to print a coupon for 40% off any regular priced item at Hobby Lobby. This coupon expires 1/9/10.

Thanks Saving with Shellie!

I went over my budget by $15.85 this week but I didn't really mind since the last four weeks I've been under my budget- sometimes as much as $20 to $30. One of the reasons I went over was because I made a trip to the bulk food store. I always like to try to stock up on the things I typically purchase there so that I can save time and only go roughly once a month.

Total Spent: $59.69

Aldi: $7.99

CVS: $0

I would have spent $2.48 on this after using $23.97 in Extra Care Bucks, however, thanks to the CVS gift card I earned through MyPoints, my out of pocket was $0. I got another $20.99 in Extra Bucks and will also get a $15 rebate for the Olay products. So all told, I actually made $35.99 on this!

Local Bulk Food Store: $36.73

Wal-mart: $6.24

Can you tell I was out of beans?! I discovered a couple of months ago that Walmart is cheaper than our bulk food store when it comes to buying dry beans.

Rite Aid: $8.57

The Christmas wrap was on clearance for $0.99. Thanks to using my Rite Aid Wellness Card, I had two $1 off coupons that had printed out on previous receipts, which made these free. I will get $9 back in Rite Aid rebates.

Giant/Martin's: $0.16

When we were in Maryland, I ran to the store for my mom one day and of course took along my stash of coupons. Since the Martin's there double coupons over $1 I took advantage of that and was able to get all of this for nearly free. Oh how I wish our local Giant (same store, different name) did this!

How about you. Did you find any amazing bargins this week? Or maybe you have a question about how to use rebates/coupons or would simply like to see a break down of what coupons I used etc. If so, feel free to leave a comment below!

Giveaway: $25 BJ's Gift Card

I had originally posted that this giveaway included a free 60 day trial membership for BJ's as well. However, that is incorrect...there was an miscommunication between MyBlogSpark and myself. I apologize for this.

A number of weeks ago I accepted an invitation from MyBlogSpark to do a review and giveaway for BJ's Wholesale club. MyBlogSpark partnered with BJ's and General Mills and provided me with a $25 BJ's gift card and a 60 day trial membership which I used to go shopping at BJ's. I was pretty excited since I had been wondering if shopping at club stores was worth it.

First let me tell you a little about BJ's. BJ's is a whole sale club store which means two things: to shop there you need to purchase a membership (which runs about $45 for one year) and the products they carry are family sized. Besides carrying a large variety of grocery items, BJ's also carries things like pillows, bedding, some clothing, gift items, books, small appliances and much more.

One of the really neat things about BJ's is the fact that they accept all manufacturers' coupons and also provide BJ's store coupons that you can use along with the manufacturers' coupons. On top of that, if an item is bulk packed, you can use multiple manufacturer coupons on it! For instance, say I buy a package of toothpaste that has four boxes of toothpaste in it. I can then use four manufacturers' coupons for this item. Wow! Talk about savings!

So what was my take on BJ's? Well, I honestly didn't feel like for me it would be worth paying the $45 annual fee. Right now I only have one child and can easily make several stops at different stores such as CVS, Rite Aid, and Giant to get their weekly sale items. I also have the advantage of living in an area that has an Aldi and several bulk food stores where I can get most of my grocery items for much less than I could at BJ's.

However, getting a BJ's membership is something I probably will consider when I have multiple children and am more tied down and not able to shop multiple stores as easily. And I am pretty sure a BJ's membership would quickly pay for itself if we ever move to an area that doesn't have an Aldi or inexpensive bulk food stores nearby. After all, it is really only like paying about $4 a month to shop there.

Now for the giveaway! General Mills and BJ's partnered with MyBlogSpark to me the chance to give away one $25 BJ's gift card. (Curious if you have a BJ's nearby? Go here.)

To enter this giveaway simply do the following:

* Subscribe to or follow this blog then leave a comment (which includes your email address) telling me which you did. Both the subscribe and follow options are found on the top left hand corner of this blog.

For an additional entry (to be done ONLY after completing the above entry):

* Share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on your blog, then come back here and leave a comment (which includes your email address) telling me where you posted it.

Giveaway ends Monday, Jan. 11, 2009 at 8 am. Winner will be chosen using Random.org.

Just a Little Peek

As you've probably figured out, we are back home after our little "vacation" in Maryland with family. I really enjoyed hanging out with my immediate family and doing Christmas with them and also reconnecting with many of the relatives in my Mom's family at the annual New Year's reunion. It feels like it was a good breather from daily life. Problem is, now I'm feeling a little frantic trying to catch up with everything!

Just for fun, I thought I'd post some pictures of my little family. I always think it's fun to get a little peek into other bloggers lives and it has been a while since I've done that for you all.

Logan opening his gift

He absolutely LOVED the little animals that he got!

Me with my gift from my Sweetheart...I've been wanting a stove top popcorn popper for a long time. Oh and in case you are wondering, the papers are some wonderful gift coupons for things like a footrub, a dinner out, an evening off of washing dishes. I love my man!