Looking for Cheap(aholic of course!) Airfaire??

As the Miracles once said “My mama told me, you better shop around.”

• Look at more than one website, there are plenty of deals to be had if you are willing to take the time and do your research. Besides looking at the airline sites directly make sure you visit sites such as: Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak, Travelzoo, Priceline, and Cheapseats.

• Check airfares by searching for just one ticket, even if you want to buy multiple tickets. Any given plane will have a multitude of different prices for their seats. You will find that sometimes buying multiple seats all at once is not always the cheapest. If you buy them separately, you might be able to buy more than one seat at a lower cost as opposed to buying them all together and getting one price.

• Flexible? Travel flexibility has its rewards. Sometimes changing just one date can make a world of difference in price. Be sure to check out websites that allow you to search within a range of days (Airfare Watch Dog, Travelocity, Kayak, and Fare Compare to name a few).

• Is your destination somewhere within a day’s drive? Compare airfares vs. the cost of driving. Savings by car can be considerable if you have a large group traveling. Check out AAA Fuel Cost Calculator to get a good estimate as to what the drive would cost.
  
• Frequent Flyer Miles/Rewards Points. Don’t overlook these resources if you know the flight is going to be costly. If you have a lot of miles or points saved up, don’t forget to calculate the value of your frequent flyer seat to get the most for the points you'll spend. If it’s a short, cheap flight, you might want to save these points for a later date.

Keeping in the song theme..."I get by with a little help from my friends!"

Thanks Celeste!

Gray

You want me to pay WHAT?!?!?!

I was really excited about trying something new. I love smoothies. I will replace a few meals with them occasionally – not a fan of high calorie ones though...

Yoplait has come out with smoothie mixes in the freezer section. Grabbed a few Sunday papers and clipped the Yoplait smoothie coupons - I really wanted to try it; that is, until I saw the price and what they were selling. A bag of frozen, over priced fruit. WHAT? $3 and change for a small bag of fruit? Insane. I can add my own fruit to a cup of milk and call it a smoothie.

My take: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY

Remedy: Walk over to the produce section and buy real fruit. Search the circulars to see who is selling bananas, blueberries, etc cheap and freeze it yourself.

I bought a couple of pounds of bananas, chopped them up, divided them into equal parts, and they are sitting in my freezer begging to be a part of my next smoothie.

You could do this with any fruit your heart desires.

Enjoy and please do not over pay for frozen fruit!!!


Gray

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Save Money Lose the Waist!

Are you buying the foods because you have a coupon or are you using your coupons wisely? A lot of the coupons found today are for processed foods. Believe it or not, there are coupons available for milk, meats, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The processed foods add pounds to your waistline. So, how do you get the coupons for the healthy stuff? Sign up for special offers and programs with your local grocery stores. Publix has a great baby and toddler program. I have received many coupons for produce and dairy products through it. I just signed up with Kroger on their site and you will receive coupons for the fresh products from there as well. I have collected many coupons from the Sara Lee displays that if you buy milk you get a loaf of bread for free (up to a certain dollar amount). I just used a coupon that I received in the mail from Target, buy 1.5 lbs of deli meat and get ½ pound of cheese for free.

Also, tuna coupons are always available. Tuna is the key to many diets and plans for healthy living. Tyson, Purdue, and Springer Mountain Farms chicken coupons are available as well. Do not buy junk just because it is cheap. Always compare prices of meat and fish at every store prior to buying it. Do not discard Trader Joe’s! Trader Joes may not sell major brands but their prices are great on frozen fish.

For example, this week at Publix there are TONS of healthy foods to choose from, such as:

Publix salad blends 2 for $4

Cheerios BOGO (save up to $4.99)

Snow crab clusters $4.99 lb!! (A favorite at my house!) Instead of butter, try dipping it into extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs

Purdue Boneless Chicken Breasts $2.99 lb (all though…I have seen them cheaper in the past)
Yellow Squash, Zucchini, or Green Beans $.99 lbs

There are many great deals on super healthy foods every week! While not everything that’s on Atkins or the South Beach Diet is not on sale, why follow one of those diets? They are COSTLY!! Instead, stop buying the JUNK.

If you really want to lose weight and you are serious about it, stop buying the cookies, cake mixes, potato chips, and especially PASTA (unless you are burning 800 calories an hour during your workouts you do not need the carbohydrates!!) IF the pasta is on sale plus you have a coupon, buy it – but not for you. Donate it to a food bank (see ThanksGIVING blog post). Yes, I love my pasta. But I treat it as a side dish and it’s rare that we eat it at home (exception to the crazy kid that loves macaroni and cheese – which is made with REAL cheese, not a lab created, orange, cheese-like substance and it’s from Trader Joe’s). I do cave at times and buy the Scooby Doo or Spiderman Kraft Mac and Cheese...

Keep in mind, "A Happy Cheapaholic, is a Healthy Cheapaholic"

Gray

ThanksGIVING...

Just because you have a coupon for something and its on sale, you don’t have to buy it. Instead, become a coupon fairy and pass those along to those that will benefit from it. For example, you have 8 coupons for spaghetti and it just happens to be BOGO. Do you buy 8 boxes and eat nothing but pasta everyday? If that’s the case, you will put weight on (I will post more on this at a later date). You have to eat a balanced diet. Pasta on a regular basis is not balanced. It’s carbs - straight carbs. The other day, I have 2 Barilla pasta coupons, 50 cents each; they doubled and became $1 each. The pasta was 2 for $1.39. I was PAID to buy it. Do I need it? No. Did I buy it? Yes, because you were paid to do so. Donate the pasta to a local shelter that will benefit from it more than you will.

Remember:

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

Same with the Betty Crocker potatoes that are BOGO free at Publix right now through Wednesday(11/11); all you have to pay is tax. There are coupons online that are for 40 cents off one package. Print off as many coupons as the sites allow. I grabbed a few from www.coupons.com. If you miss this round, I am sure they will go on sale again soon.

While November and December seem like the only time to give, you can and should give year round. People that are in need do not show up around the holidays, they are always there. Look around your house, are there any coats, scarves, hats, etc that you do not wear anymore? What about your kids’ clothes? Grab those as well to donate. Do not forget about baby supplies (strollers, car seats, etc) and toys that are in like new condition.

Happy Giving!

Gray

www.CheapaholicLiving.com

The new site is up and running!! Don't worry - the original blog will still be up and running. Of course, as with all things electronic, there's a minor glitch. The forum didn't make it. It will be back up soon though. Just a minor technical error. Oops.

Cheapies will be able to unite soon! I promise...

'Til then -

Coupon Kisses and Trader Joe's Two-Buck Chuck Dreams!

Gray

Tips and Thanks...

I would like to thank everyone that is helping me with the new site in preparation for tomorrow’s launch. I hope everyone enjoys the site and will have their own ideas, tips, and tricks to contribute; whether it is posted on the forum or submitted thru the “Contact Us” page it is all greatly appreciated.

The AJC Sunday edition is released tomorrow, and in some places, by noon. Pick up multiple copies to save even more on your grocery bill!

Here are a few tips to remember:

Just because you get the coupon today, doesn’t mean you have to use it today. Wait until the item is on sale, and then go crazy.

Be mindful of those that cannot afford groceries. Use the multiple coupons plus the store coupons to buy a lot of non-perishable items. Many shelters ask for pasta, pasta sauce, rice, baby food, and oatmeal.

Plan for tomorrow and not for today. By doing so, you will save a lot of money. What if you are planning a chicken dish? Don’t buy when you need it! Chances are, it will not be on sale. Buy when it’s on sale and freeze it for later.

Contact your local homeless shelter and see what they are in need of. Right now, at Kroger, they have “buy 10 get $5 off.” Included in that is Colgate toothpaste. You may have a coupon for $1.00 off Colgate. If not, scour the internet for a few. Toiletries are always on homeless shelter’s list of items needed. There are a few tubes that are on sale for $1. You will be getting those for free. The shelter that I donate to is Marietta’s MUST Ministries. http://www.mustministries.org/

Happy Shopping!

Gray

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