The very first time I shadowed Mrs. HB while she was doing her grocery shopping was pretty interesting. The main thing I wanted to do that day was to follow her around and watch how she shopped. Did she just grab an item off the shelf? Go for the lowest price? Go for the name brands? Was she able to stick to her list? Did she wander up and down the aisles? You know, that kind of stuff.
But I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
Coffee was on her list. She had a $1.00 off any $5.00 coffee coupon. She instinctively grabbed a can of Folgers off the shelf. Clearly, she’s not a coffee snob {because if she was she wouldn’t be drinking Folger’s}. 😉 Anywho, I asked her if she really liked the taste of Folger’s because at $8.49 for a 24 ounce can she could just be buying a 30 ounce can of Fred Meyer medium roast coffee for just $4.99.
“But I like how the Folger’s can has a handle and if I buy the Fred Meyer coffee I can’t use my coupon.”
The comment about the handle on the coffee can was HILARIOUS to me. I had no idea it could be a selling point for a can of coffee that is going to sit on a pantry shelf.. We had a good laugh about it right there in the coffee aisle.
So then I pointed out that even with her $1.00 off coffee coupon she’d be paying $7.49 for 24 ounces of coffee when she could be paying only $4.99 for 30 ounces. And if the Fred Meyer coffee was just as good {or better in the HH’s opinion} then wasn’t the Fred Meyer coffee a better deal?
“Ohhhhh, you’re right, it would be. But I really like the handle.” 😉
“But you’re paying more for something you are just going to throw away.”
Yada yada yada… she bought the less expensive coffee with no cute handle.
Mr. HB asked her to buy Allegra allergy tablets. She tossed a bottle in her cart and started walking away.
I made her go back and check the active ingredients.
Yada yada yada… Not only would she get TWICE as many tablets buying the generic version but she could save $6.80 + tax if she went with the less expensive brand.
She bought the less expensive brand.
A few things Mrs. HB bought during last weeks shopping trips that I wanted to talk about.
Costco samples can be dangerous. 🙂 Know your limits. Set aside a set amount of money in your grocery budget for splurge or luxury items.
Don’t forget to get your freebie items when stores offer them. Even if you can’t use it, you can always donate it to your local food bank.
Mrs. HB paid $6.99 for 6 peppers at Costco. Fred Meyer had bundles of 3 peppers for $0.99 in their quick sale produce section. Had she bought them at Fred Meyer instead of Costco she would have saved $4.99.
I didn’t know peppers were on her list so I forgot to point them out to her while we were in Fred Meyer. So let that be a lesson to you. ALWAYS check the quick sale items in the produce section. You never know… you could get lucky.
$26.99 for 14 razors? ARE YOU SERIOUS? When did spending ridiculous amounts of money on razors become a thing? Seriously? 20 years ago we were all buying the cheap disposable razors that were $1 for a 10 pack {and you still can today thank you very much}. Now for a guy, obviously the less expensive route is to buy an electric razor. But for us girls? Lather up! Seriously, you do not need to be spending that much money on disposable razors. It’s only in the last 5-10 years that society/marketing companies have told you you NEED this.
Jif Peanut Butter – 2 40 oz bottles for $7.49 at Costco is a great price!
If you are out of ketchup or mustard Fred Meyer/Kroger has an ecoupon available right now. See if you have it in your account. I remembered this while we were shopping but Mrs. HB couldn’t log into her account for some odd reason to take advantage of the offer.
And last but not least… Soda cans.
Save them! You can recycle the cans. The going rate for aluminum {if you don’t live in a state that collects can deposits} is between $0.25- $0.35 a pound. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but if you drink a lot of soda it does add up.
There are so many little things our parents and grandparents did to shave a little off their budgets that people don’t even bat an eye at today. Maybe I’m weird. But you earned your paycheck. So make it count. You’d be amazed at how just a few little tweaks to your way of thinking could change your bottom line.
~Mavis
Adina says
If she really likes the handle on the Folgers, she can just dump the store brand coffee into the empty Folgers container.
Elise says
That’s exactly what I was going to say! I do things like that all the time.
Nicole says
Me too. Mavis readers think alike.
Lesley says
You all beat me to it. 😉
mdoe37 says
Yup!
I use Zyrtec allergy meds and purchase my off-brand at Sam’s Club, between that some vitamins and coffee for my parents….the savings pays for the membership.
Sarah says
This is how it works at my house as the HH has terribly arthritic fingers and the Folger grips work great for him. Other coffee gets dumped in for the convenience of having the handle!
Kellianne says
Exactly! It’s not just cute, Mavis…it’s functional! 🙂
Also, I’ve purchased the large sized ones at Costco and use them to save food scraps for the compost bin. I figured since they’re made to ‘lock in aroma’, they’d keep stinky odors contained, too. And indeed they do! Works like a charm. 2 of them stack under my sink and they hold a LOT more than any fancy compost container you can buy.
Jay says
Arthritis can really be a pain 😉 so I just decided to keep the old empty handled container and refill it with whatever coffee has a good price…hope your Dh stays pain free for many years!
a says
My first thought, too.
Another Lisa says
Yep. I buy the beans at Costco and grind them all up while I’m waiting for something in the kitchen, (water to boil, hamburger to brown, etc) then dump the grounds in the Folgers can. I’m all thumbs in the morning before my coffee, so I like the beans already ground and ready.
We have another Folgers can that we use for kitchen scraps for the chickens. Has a lid, keeps the dog out, but is easy for the kids to take to the chicken yard.
Kudos to whoever designed that can 🙂
Tammy says
Costco has a grinder – it might be easier to dump them in there than to do them in small batches at home. In my experience, the grinder is somewhere near the customer service desk.
Another Lisa says
I’ll have to look for Costco’s grinder, wow, that would be great. But I’m betting it’s the big city/coffee loving stores that have one. The one I go to in the backcountry is lucky to carry coffee beans at all, vs. the Seattle store which has a coffee aisle from heaven 🙂 I’ll look tho!
Nancy says
Yes, pour the cheaper (and better) coffee into the Folgers can.
Ashley O says
That is exactly what we do!
Simone says
She could save the Folgers can with the handle and pour the other coffee into it. Best of both worlds!
Susan says
Mrs. HB can transfer her FM coffee into the Folger’s can if she really likes the handle! 🙂
I do that with the bulk spices at Winco. I put them in the empty containers from previous spices.
Pam E-P says
If Mrs. HB already has a Folgers can, she could just pour the new coffee into the old container.
Anne says
Yep I totally dump into my Folger can!
Linda says
I love reading these posts. I’m a frugal shopper also, but I’m learning a ton from this series. I garden, can, freeze, dehydrate, bake everything from scratch, but still purchase from the store. Thanks for all this valuable information.
Mavis, Lisa from Headintheclouds-feetinthedirt has a great post today. If you haven’t already seen it, you need to check it out.
I would love to comment to her, but it’s too difficult to get thru her spam detector. I just can’t devote that much time to continue to go thru the hoops.
Naomi says
The allergy medicine may be cheeper for the off brand but for some of us the off brand doesn’t work. I have tried them all. I can’t use the off brand of claritin it gives me a head ache. Just FYI for those who don’t have allergies.
Marcia says
I was going to say the same. I take Claritin for allergies. At one point, I bought the Kirkland brand because it was 1/3 or 1/4 the price. Crazy cheap right? My allergies were HORRIBLE after the switch. I am embarrassed to say that it took a month or more before I quit, and they got better.
My friend the pharmacist noted that I was probably allergic to an inactive ingredient. I had to specifically make my husband take BACK the generic brand the next time he bought it without asking.
Cassandrs says
I am in the same boat with generic vs name brand allergy meds. I can’t use generic allegra or sudafed. Costco sells a 2-pack of allegra but they no longer sell sudafed.
We have discovered with my son’s prescription meds that most manufacturers also sell their name brand products under a generic label. Same exact medicine just a different label. It takes a bit more work getting a correctly written prescription from the doctor, but you get the name brand med at the generic price.
Elise says
Isn’t it funny how we all still call it a “can”? Do you remember when Andy Rooney did his rant on the size of “a can” of coffee? Or maybe it was “a pound” of something that wasn’t sold in a pound anymore – like the half gallon of ice cream that is now 1.75 quarts…
Helen in Meridian says
I miss Andy Rooney’s curmudgetony advice on lots of things. He was a 60 Minutes Treasure.
Tara says
Disposable razors are completely unnecessary. Buy a decent quality non-disposable safety razor and just replace the razor blade in them as needed. My husband and I each have our own and have not bought razors in over 7 years. In fact, the cost of that pack of disposables you site is more than half of what I paid for a very nice quality non-disposable Merkur safety razor. My husband loves his and we both get a better shave.
Rosaleen says
Yep, yep, yep, most of the comments are running to reuse the Folgers “can” by filling it with the cheaper brand. I run with the bag for two reasons: It is easier to see when the ground coffee is running low, and it takes us less and less space as the coffee is consumed. Big round objects are space wasters VS squares, rectangles, and bags.
I was surprised Mavis didn’t suggest refilling the Folgers can on the spot, but maybe she was leaving us room to comment?
There is one local grocery store that I visit specifically for its house brand reduced calorie/carb breads and marked-down meat and produce. (Although I generally avoid short-sale poultry.)
Yeppers again with the smaller sizes of commonly purchased items. Mavis has posted on this already, Who the heck is going to refer to a container of ice cream as 1.75 half gallon?
Jenny Young says
So Rosaleen, what grocery do you buy your reduced carb breads?
Brenda says
Could she have bought 2 of the $4.99 brand of coffee and still used her coupon? Buying 2 would have gotten her over the $5 mark for the coupon. The coupons like that around me are just save on a coffee purchase over $5.00 total (not a single item over $5). Then she’d be stocked up for a while?
Deborah says
I’ve always looked at the prices on the house brands verses the name brands. Yes I clip those coupons we will use, but very often the house brand is still a better price, then sale and coupon prices. I always compare the cost of the two grocery stores in our little town. They happen to be right across the street, so it is easy to run into both for the best over all price. If I try a new cheaper brand and don’t find I like it, I don’t mess with it again. Most Kroger brand items taste the same as the brand items. So it’s a fair exchange. As to the person you went with who had the issue with the coffee. Just save the Folgers handy container and dump the Fred Myers coffee into it. It is plastic and can be re-used. Good luck.
Katie W says
She needs to try Dollar Shave Club! It’s a monthly subscription, but it’s good quality razors for CHEAP. My husband switched to Dollar Shave Club and he has it set up to send him new blades every other month for $3. That’s $18 a year for good blades. You can change the type of blade and frequency of when they’re sent to you. You just buy the handle in the beginning (don’t remember the cost, but it’s not expensive) and then the blades come as a subscription. They aren’t pink and pretty, but they get the job done! (I still buy the super cheap pack of disposable razors because I don’t need to shave often enough to justify using a better blade. A pack at the grocery store for less than $10 easily lasts me over a year.)
Gigi says
Might want to check out Dorco also. They’re cheaper than DSC and no monthly subscription. The Christmas deals this year were great.
Lauralli says
Re: cost of meds–last night my son (23yo) texted me that he had gotten a prescription for dermatitis that he has and asked me how he would go about getting it filled. I told him to just give his insurance card to the pharmacy when he went in (walgreens) and ask how much it will be. I told him it would probably be pretty cheap (thinking it was a common steroid solution) so he could pay out of pocket instead of coming home to pick up our HSA debit card. He texted back in a little bit and said it was $75!! Said he was coming home to get the debit card. I was floored, so I started checking around online to see what this stuff was and if that’s a typical cost. One of the search results led me to a site that offered a coupon to pay just $42.79 for it. Was this too good to be true? I was curious so I went back to the pharmacy with him taking our printed out coupon (I also had it send it to me in a text just in case) and lo and behold, they took it and it cost us $42.79!! And, it went through our insurance and HSA debit card just like normal! I’m astounded! I’ll be checking every prescription we get from now on!! My son was pretty impressed too! He is going to medical school in July so I’m hoping he learned a big lesson he can teach his patients one day too!!
Mavis Butterfield says
Wow! That is a huge difference! I’m so glad you checked. WAy to go Lauralli.
Anne says
I’ve been using goodrx.com for some years — I check before I go as to which pharmacy gives the best price with their coupon codes. Then I email myself the coupon and show it to the pharmacist – I don’t have a printer. They are fine with that. My son is a starving artist and doesn’t have health insurance. His prescription would cost $1200/month if we didn’t go generic! The cash price for the generic is about $75.00/month, big difference! But even better, when I looked it up on goodrx.com and went for the lowest price around me, it was at Randalls grocery for $27.00. Can you believe, $1200 versus $27!
Goodrx.com also has a free card they will mail you, to keep in your wallet. If you’re in a rush going home from the doctor’s office and don’t have time to search for the best price, the card will help get at least a lower price.
Carrie says
Different pharmacies in the same town will charge different prices. I’d call around and find the best price. It would probably be too much of a hassle if your family takes a lot of Rx’s though.
Lucy says
Also..Kroger will start giving her best customer bonus coupons for Kroger coffee after she buys a couple! I bought multiple cans for 3.99 just before Christmas!!! SCORE!
Jannette says
A few thoughts
I know others have likely suggested this but here goes: tell her to buy/invest in a container with a handle like Sistema/Oxo/Rubbermaid. That way she can buy the coffee in whatever container — bag, can, box, wheelbarrow; backpack — gives her the best deal.
I’ve never been to a Costco (it is on my admittedly humble bucket list) but everyone says it is wonderful. Will make a point of going to the one in Orland Park, IL as soon as I can. But would it be worth it for a one person household?? I wasn’t that excited about Sam’s Club.
And lastly I hear you on the razor thing. It must be a cool hipster deal to get shaving stuff delivered these days. I gave my brother an old fashioned shaving brush — cause it reminded me of my dad’s dapper beard and mustache — which he genuinely appreciated. Still, I’ll be a dollar store disposable razor gal for life. For my needs they are sufficient.
Suzy says
Was just at the Orland Park, Il Costco a few hours ago. We are a 2 person, 2 dog household. My nephew is a one person household and he still finds great value there. Freeze bigger portions of meat, etc. Depending on what you need to buy,
the membership can pay for itself.
Jannette says
Thanks for the info. I’ll give it a try
Brianna says
A membership isn’t always necessary for Costco. If you have a gift card with any balance on it you can shop there without a membership. The amount of your purchase can exceed the amount on your gift card too. So you can buy $250 of merchandise with a $100 gift card and $150 cash or other Visa card. When you purchase using your gift card, let them know you either would like to reload it with X amount or tell them you only want to use $50 off the card and pay cash for the rest. That way you will still be able to retain your Costco gift card when you leave the store and use it next time. I did this cycle for about 3 years when I was in college. Nowadays I split a business membership with my father.
Jannette says
Thanks. I might try this.
Anonymous says
I worked at Costco many years … and they (management) are very wise to this … we were never allowed to split payments. Non member MUST use the entirety of their cash card and no reloading … it takes away from the fact that people to pay money for memberships to get the great deals the company offers on high quality product offerings. Also, it makes paying members grumble when they see certain abuses being enabled (believe me I have been on the receiving end of some valid arguments! )
Carrie says
I love the discount fruit stand. We buy all our apples there (when not getting a case from the local Apple man). We always get organic apples, big ones at that, 3 for a dollar. I always forget to weigh them, but I know it’s over a pound so a good buy even if it wasn’t organic. They also often have bags with a bunch of smaller apples which we use to pack for snacks when we’re out and about for the kids.
I also regularly get the bell peppers, often organic but not as frequently. I just bought two bags and sliced them all up for fajitas and to throw in with eggs. I stock my stash in the freezer with diced peppers from these bags as well. Oh and I roast the red one’s too! So good on our homemade pizza, flat bread, eggs, all kinds of things!
Tonjad says
May I ask where you live? I am curious where youcan get three organic apples for a dollar, what a deal.
Carrie says
Gig Harbor , Washington. They are from ‘ugly fruit’ shelf at our Fred Meyers. Rarely do they have more than a small bruise, sometimes I can’t see any flaws. I have two small boys so by the time they have helped me hop and away groceries all our fruit is bruised so we don’t notice.
UpstateNYer says
I recycle cans/bottles in NY. My tip is don’t crush the cans before throwing them in the bin at home to recycle. The machines spin the cans to see the upc codes. If it is crushed, they are unable to be read and not accepted for recycling.
We put our cans and bottles into a lined garbage can at home to do a large return all at once. This can bring us from $3-$5 in returns. Enough to buy 3-4 bottles of soda on the next trip- for essentially free.
You could also put aside the bottle return cash in a savings jar/account. Use it for something special later in the year or save it to accumulate. It is barely a hardship to save $$$ that way.
Another way to save is to buy 2 litter bottles – instead of cans or smaller bottles per serving.
Teckla says
Here in Oregon, it pays to return cans and bottles. Since you pay a 5 cent deposit up front, if you don’t return them you are essentially throwing the money away. If you return them and get the 5 cent return, at least you stay even. Of course, if you collect cans and bottles from your family and friends who don’t do the return, you can make a little extra cash. Lots of good tips from everyone.
I’m pretty frugal, but always learning new things and finding inspiration/encouragement to do some of the things that I’ve just been lazy about. The worst thing about this little town is there are only two places to grocery shop–Safeway (expensive) and Walmart (not a super store–limited choice). Happily, there is a Waremart (Winco) store about 10 miles away. Otherwise, we have to drive in to Salem. Mavis, I’m really enjoying your adventure with Mrs HB. You are a truly good friend. It really is all about becoming aware and learning new ways of doing things. So, Mrs. HB, you go, girl!
Rebecca says
Really enjoyed reading this post and all of the comments. I love to save money buying the store brands. My HH makes fun of me and the names of the store brands. For instance, I purchased a “Mama Cozy” self rising crust pizza for $2.97 compared to the DiGiorno for $6.99. I made it and thought it was as good, if not better. He calls my purchases “Johnny Generic.” LOL
Jessica says
I have to TOTALLY disagree with the advice to just lather up and use disposable ! Disposable razors TEAR ME APART! I purchase razors from Dorco.com and have been very impressed with their mens and womans products! They often have amazing % discounts and I often find great sales posted on Slickdeals. They are comparable to all the name brand fancy blade systems and a small fraction of the cost!
suzanne says
Agree on the Dorco razors. Sign up first before ordering so you can get the 1/5 off coupons for their already good prices.
Carrie says
I also get razor burn easily with a new blade. I use dollarshaveclub.com and my hubby and I share a every other month subscription.
Deborah says
Ok, about Folgers coffee. My hubby will only buy Folgers Classic Roast. It is good. I’m like, I can’t really tell the difference. I’d buy the least expensive, if we’re just me.
T.J. says
Check out Goodsense allergy meds on Amazon. 365 pill for less than $16. Same as Zrytex. All 3 of us use them and we were paying $25 for 45 pills.
Denise B says
Thanks for this information; it could be a big savings for the three of us in my household!
Practical Parsimony says
I do all these things to save on groceries. My friend buys my generic Zyrtec at Sam’s club since I live far away from there and he visits me once a week. So far, disposable razors work for me and I only use a new one about every other month. A $1 bag of ten lasts a year or more.
The Folger plastic can works for keeping chicken scraps to take to my hens each day. Two or three icepick holes in the top keep out fruit flies and prevent anaerobic spoilage which is worse that any rot you ever smelled.
Additionally, I price-match at Walmart which is only about 2 miles from me. I must use an electric cart, so stopping at other stores without one or even the walking to get there is prohibitive. I get the absolute best bargains for things I use. Denise at Don’t read this; its boring gets the best of Rite Aid, enough to have free items for her family and extended family and still donates free items to food banks. No one can beat her so far.
Practical Parsimony says
Mavis and Denise are tops!
Pat says
I found out the hard way that the ads in WA are not the same everywhere. I live in OR and spent 1/2 hr showing the Safeway Friday $5 ad to my store manager. It was online through a link of the other money saving blogger I read. Felt pretty silly. That goes for ad coupons and e coupons also.
Tracy says
I laughed at how much YOU laughed at Mrs. HB’s preference for the Folger can’s convenient handle. As a career Marketing exec, I can tell you that brands depend on “highly illogical, but highly predictable” human behaviors just such as these. The car industry can also attest to what extraordinary difference it made which car manufacturers adopted the built in cup holder earlier on than others. Many, many car purchases are made because of seemingly minor product attributes that have little to do with car performance, such as cup holders. (I won’t buy a car that doesn’t have a deep console between the front seats, to fit my handbag. So there!)
Cimputed manufacturers have known for years that “key feel” has a lot to do with a significant subset of the computer buying public’s choice of computer. They’ll pick one model over another because pressing the keys gives a satisfying click in sound or feel.
What marketers know is that EVERY purchase decision is an emotional one. And those who believe they buy only on an objective set of facts are, in fact, the easiest to influence!
Practical Parsimony says
I forgot to say, the price of aluminum cans last Friday at my recycler was $,54/lb. Last fall it was $.42, down from last spring’s price of $.83/lb. You can call the recycler and find their price or maybe go to their website. I had three 33 gallon kitchen bags. I can crush them if I want. Another place won’t take crushed cans because people sometimes put other metal things in that raise the price of the load. I suppose you just have to check and see the regulations of your recycler.
Three full bags got me $3.42, but we drove one mile out of our way and turned off the motor and sat and talked for a bit. Since the weather was in the 50s, we did not freeze or burn up and did not need the ac for comfort or allergies . Otherwise, it would have cost more to take them to the recycler than to just put them in the recycling bin weekly.
I recycle in AL.
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I like the handle too so I just save the container to re-use when I get it on sale. Then I just dump in whatever coffee I happen to have in the reused container. I do the same with sugar. Years ago I got this nicer bucket with a lid on a special. And I really like it. So now I just dump the bag of store brand sugar in the nicer container.
XOKK @ http://www.preppypinkcrocodile.com
Susan says
Also Dorco razor fans here! They are super cheap and work BETTER than fancy brands (according to my HH). I like the ladies ones too. Easy peasy to buy online, and free shipping often available. They last so long that I forget the last time I ordered a “Frugal Dude” pack there! haha!
Irene says
The best way to shave, in my opinion, is to use an old fashioned safety razor ($50 initial one time purchase) and buy single blades for 15 cents a piece. It’s more environmentally responsible (no plastics) and shaves better for both ladies and men.
Candice says
I loved this post because I buy the Domino sugar plastic container for the same reason. I bought the “expensive” sugar in the plastic container once and just refill it with sugar from the paper containers. It is a lot cheaper to buy sugar in the paper containers, especially around the holidays with coupons. I have washed the container many times and then after years of use it will start to get funny or the lid starts cracking so I buy another one and use it until it starts to break down. On another note-I just signed up for Ibotta after reading about it in your post. Thanks Mavis!
Carrie says
I get a $100 Starbucks giftcard from my MIL every year for my bday so I use it to buy coffee beans. When I do buy coffee with my own money I like Whole Foods “Night Owl”. I also prefer Maxwell House shaped containers because they are square with a handle! Maxwell House French Roast is good!
Denise B says
We have several locally owned coffee shops, and when I receive gift cards to them I always buy their beans instead of individual cups of coffee. I bring reusable bags to put the beans in since they store them in bulk. I haven’t tried “Night Owl” or Maxwell House French Roast ~ thanks for the suggestions!
Sarah says
I had my razor light bulb moment last year! I shave maybe…. twice a month (thank you blonde slow growing hair). I switched to dollar tree razors and shaving cream. Yearly total: $4
And to be honest… I can’t even tell a difference between shaving with DT razors and the fancy Venus.
Might not work for every one but I’m so glad I discovered this for myself!