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Back to School Commissary Specials on Sale in August

08/03/2015 By Julie Provost

August is here. School is starting back for a lot of people and summer is wrapping up. Might be time to host a back-to-school barbecue or get started on your kid’s lunches.

When we think about going back to school, we need to think about breakfast. Luckily the commissary has a few foods we can stock up on to eat in the morning.

If your house is like our house, school mornings can be quite busy and having quick meal choices before they go off to school is a plus.

Fiber One cereals are on sale for just $2.49. If your kids are older, they can even pour their own bowl making life a little easier for you in the mornings. This is a great item to stock up on.

You can also find the Pillsbury Toaster Scrambles and Toaster Strudel are on sale for $1.50 for a 4 or 6 pack. Click here a $0.50 coupon for Pillsbury Toaster Scrambles and Toaster Strudel. These can be something you can make and even take in the car with you. I am not a big fan of breakfast but foods I can stick in the toaster and then grab and good work best for me.

You can also find Nature’s Valley granola bars on sale which are good in the mornings but also a nice choice for lunches. You can download a $0.75 coupon for Nature Valley’s granola bars for extra savings.

Our house is really into yogurt, at any time of the day. Yoplait happens to be on sale, $0.50 for a 6-oz container. Don’t forget to combine this savings with a $1-off-of-10 coupon. Stock up on these to have a snack available for after school or something to eat in the morning with your coffee.

Speaking of coffee, you can also find International Delight Iced Coffee drinks on sale for $2.89. Pick up a few of these to have on hand for your early mornings or even afternoon pick-me-ups.

Moving on to lunch and dinner, some nights you don’t want to cook a huge meal. Especially with fall sports starting up. You also don’t want to depend on your local fast food restaurants. You can find a good deal on Wishbone dressings in August. They are on sale 2 for $3. You can stock up for the next few months. Buy a few different types of dressings and each member of your family can customise their salad their way. You could also plan to make salad in a jar to take to work with you.

You can also find Horizon Organic Classic Mac for just $0.99. I know my youngest son is a huge fan of that meal so I will probably go and stock up on a few of those for him. You can add the food to your list of easy meals to make when you have a busy evening with helping the kids with homework and getting used to the new school year.

If you are planning on one last neighborhood barbecue before Labor Day, pick up some discounted chips. Family-sized Lay’s chips for just $2 and Party size Ruffles and Tostitos for $2.98. You can also add some of the Dunkin Hines Perfect Size Chocolate Cake and Frosting mix. Make a yummy dessert for your guests to enjoy.

We can’t forget about our furry friends. Some Purina items (cat litter, dog and cat food and treats) are on sale until August 15. I know my Hound Dog will love the doggy treats they have.

When you go to the commissary, don’t forget your digital coupons. You will be able to save even more when you use them on products at the store.

Want to know the weekly manager’s specials? Sign up for MilitaryShoppers’ newsletter.

For ALL of the items found in our Commissary Specials Flyer, click here.

Your Guide to Digital Coupons

07/27/2015 By Julie Provost

We all know that coupons can save us money at the commissary. However, sometimes finding those coupons can be quite the challenge, from having to get the Sunday newspaper to finding the coupons you want to use. You also have to buy the paper and that might not be in the budget.

That is why digital coupons can be a lot easier. You can find sites that work best for you, only clip the coupons you will use, print and take to the store. They are a lot easier to manage.

Are you looking for printable coupons?

Coupons.com is the first place I like to go to get digital coupons. They have an easy to navigate website and you can find the coupons you want to use. You will need to go through their list of coupons and digitally “clip” them and print out the ones that you want. They update with new coupons on the 1st of every month so it’s a good idea to get in the habit of going to the site on the 1st and getting your coupons for the month.

There are a few other sites you will want to go to on a regular basis to find coupons to use at the commissary:

SmartSource Online Coupons

CoolSavings

Coupon Cabin

Coupon Mom

You should be going to your favorite products pages too, a lot of times you can get digital coupons that way. Sometimes they have them on their website and other times they might want you to sign up for their newsletter or like their Facebook page.

Make sure to do your research on the sales going on at the commissary and matching them up to your coupons. You will save more money if you use your coupons on sale items. I like to get into the weekly habit of doing this based on what is on sale and what coupons I have. If you take the time to do this, you can really increase your savings.

I like to go to Southern Savers to get my commissary match-ups done each week. This blogger makes finding the match-ups easy because all you have to do is click on the link to the commissary and find out what is on sale that you can match with your digital coupons. You can also find some printable coupons on her site.

You will want to have a good way of keeping your coupons organized. If you don’t do this you will be more likely to forget your coupons and not find the ones you need for the products you plan to get. Once I started organizing my coupons I was able to always remember to bring them and no longer left them at home when I would head to the store.

One option is to buy a binder, some baseball card holders and make categories for the types of items you buy. You can break the sections down to be specific or keep things more general such as “breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.” I like to have them more specific than that because I find it is much easier to look through my coupons before my shopping trip. If you don’t want to use a big binder, you can find or make a small coupon wallet that will fit into your purse.

Are you looking for printable coupons? Check out the coupons.com for valuable coupons to help your family save money on your grocery bill.

You’ll Love the February Deals at Your Commissary

02/02/2015 By Rachel Tringali Marston

I don’t know about you, but I’m loving the commissary specials for February! It’s probably because of all the deals in juices and for our furry friends this month.

My husband absolutely loves orange juice. He has at least one tall glass every single day. Seriously, we toss in 2 cartons of OJ in our basket at every visit to the commissary. From February 19 to March 4, Minute Maid Premium orange juice is 2 for $3. That’s right folks, meaning each carton is only $1.50 (yes, I’m pretty excited about it!). We’ll be sticking more than a couple of cartons in our basket in that timeframe. That’s for sure.

Not only will there be a discount on Minute Maid orange juice, V8 brand also will be on sale. The 64 oz. V8 Splash juice drink with flavors like Tropical Blend, Strawberry Kiwi, Berry Blend, Mango Peach or Diet Tropical Blend will be 2 for $3 from February 5 to February 16. I’m the tropical juice drinker, so I’ll be grabbing some of that and if you’re into the V8 Fusion drinks, they will be on sale from February 16 to March 15 at 2 for $4.

In our house, our cat Xena is our furry family member (let me be honest, she’s like a child to me) and it’s important for us to make sure she’s happy too. Her favorite treats, Purina Whisker Lickin’s is only $.99. I can probably get enough treats to last her for years at that price. Purina also has a couple other goods on sale too: One Smartblend Cat Food ($5.50) and Fancy Feast Mornings (65 cents). For the pup lovers, Purina’s 16 lbs. Alpo, Come & Get It or Prime Cuts Dog Food will be $6.99 with 28 oz. T-Bonz snacks at $3.50 and 13 oz. Pro Plan Select Dog Food at $1.26.

There’s no denying that it’s still cold outside for most of us. Campbell’s 17 oz. Organic Soup (Lentil, Chicken Noodle or Sun-Ripened Tomato & Basil) is only $2.33 and Homestyle selections (Chicken Noodle, Zesty Tomato Bisque or Healthy Request Italian-Style Wedding is 2 for $3. Paired with a tasty grilled cheese sandwich any of those would be delicious for a quick weeknight meal.

Don’t forget to pair these great discounts with coupons from coupons.com.

If you’re a huge snacker, there are a handful of deals that might be to your liking. I’ve mentioned before that my husband and I love to hike and I’ve actually shared with you some great trail mix and granola bar recipes in the past. Cascadian Farms’ 13 oz. Organic Granola Cereal will be on sale at $1.99 and that would be a great addition for your trail mix. In addition, Larabar Renola, which is grain free granola (yes, grain free and also gluten free!) is a powerbuy at $4.99 for cinnamon nut or berry. It would be a great alternative to actual granola in your trail mix or granola bar recipes. I’m interested to give it a try!

Other great deals for snacks I have to mention:

Totino’s Pizza Rolls, $2.25
Totino’s Party Pizza, $.89
FritoLay Party Sized: Tostitos, Lay’s Potato Chips, Ruffles and Doritos, $2.98

So basically, if you have the munchies, you’re covered!

Want to see the all of February’s Commissary Specials?

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10 Signs You are Frugal to a Fault

07/25/2014 By Kimber Green

Are you guilty of being frugal to a fault?

Is it really worth it to only have single ply tissue?

I love saving money. My proudest moment in savvy shopping was when I haggled with a Navy Exchange salesperson to reduce the price of a patio set by 55% and it wasn’t even on sale. However there have been times when I have to admit, I’ve been guilty of being frugal to a fault.

Here are 10 ways you think you’re saving money, but are actually spending more. (Yes I am guilty too.)

Clipping ALL Coupons: We all love coupons, but if you buy something you don’t need just because there’s a coupon, you are wasting money. The flyer when you walk into the commissary is full of coupons but do you really need everything offered or do you just feel the need to buy them because there is a coupon? Don’t buy the bottle of mouthwash just to save 50 cents.
Buying Sale Items: You see that big red sale sign and are drawn to it. Though you know you don’t need it, you no doubt instantly come up with a reason you should buy it. Read sale signs carefully. Target has red clearance signs that make you think you’re getting a great deal, but quite often it’s only a few cents difference. Seriously, numerous times I have almost picked something up only to read the fine print that it’s only 5 cents off the regular price.
Creating Upcycled Crafts: Turning something into a craft project sounds good and fun, but how much money did you just spend buying all the other things you’ll need to turn that toilet paper roll into something?
Redeeming a Store Credit Card Discount: As you check out of most stores these days the clerk will likely ask if you want to save 15% by opening a store account. You might want to open their little pamphlet and check out the details first. The 29% APR is going to change your mind.
Buying in bulk isn’t always the best way to save money.
Purchasing Warranties: As Consumer Reports points out, it isn’t worth the money in most cases. You might be spending more money than your product is worth and many companies will work with you regardless because they want to keep customer service positive.
Buying in Bulk: Do you really need 5 gallons of mayonnaise? Will it go bad before you can use it all? Before you buy something break down the price per ounce to see if it really is cheaper.
Being a Cash Hound: Saving money for a rainy day is great, but keeping large amounts of cash on hand is actually causing you to lose money. You’re missing out on interest you would be earning through a checking account or other financial endeavor.
Buying More for the Free Shipping: I’m guilty of this one. I just can’t stand the idea of paying more for shipping than I did for the product itself. If shipping will cost the same no matter how much I buy then I feel like I should get more for the money. Similarly, if spending $75 qualifies for free shipping but you’re only up to $60, do you buy more to meet that amount?
Making Your Own (fill in the blank): Pinterest has many wonderful ideas. Is it really worth the money to spend the time to make some of these things (ie. beer, laundry detergent, butter)? Many DIY projects require buying supplies that you’ll only use for one project.
Being Cheap. If you are so over the top frugal that you will only buy what’s at the cheapest price possible you might just be missing out. Is it really worth it to only have single ply tissue? Did you buy something so poorly made that it breaks and you have to buy another? Did you thaw out a chicken breast and not get around to cooking it until 5 days later and make yourself eat it even if it is bad just because you don’t want to waste the money you spent?
Keeping cash on hand is actually causing you to lose money.

Sometimes being frugal just doesn’t add up.

What have you done to save money that ended up costing you more?

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