Sense to Save

Join me on my journey to live a more frugal lifestyle. Here, you'll find common sense and not-so-common sense on ways you can save money.


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    How to ‘do’ the drug stores




    October 31st, 2007

    Country Girl at Heart has posted a question for me:
    …I have a question about shopping at Rite-Aid, Walgreens and CVS. When I look at the ads I don’t see all of the deals that you (being the veteran that you are) see. But when I come to your blog I see all these great freebies [...]

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    Tracking electrical usage




    October 31st, 2007

    In the name of saving energy (and, consequently, saving money), I’m going to keep a tally of my main electrical usage each day.
    On my electric company’s web site, you can see how many kilowatt hours you are using each day, including days that haven’t yet been billed.
    I will keep track of how many times I [...]

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    A quick (or, sort of quick) energy audit




    October 31st, 2007

    Here in the Pgh, it has been getting pretty chilly at night for the past week. We’ve seen lows in the low 30s and even upper 20s. Yeesh. The days are still nice, with highs in the 50s and 60s.
    As you might recall, I am trying to use the heat as little as possible, to [...]

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    "I can’t do it! I can’t save money like you can!" Yes, you can. You can probably do better than me, even.




    October 30th, 2007

    Some of my friends and some blog commenters have been surprised when they see my dinner menus. Not surprised at the food I serve–they’re surprised at how much my menus cost.
    For the last few weeks, our lunches and dinners have cost around $15 for the week for two people. And, eying my savings sidebar to [...]

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    Pizza! Pizza!




    October 30th, 2007

    I tried making my very first homemade pizza tonight. Surprisingly, it came out ok. However, I’d like some tips from you pizza experts.

    My dough was sticky. Ideas? Need more flour?
    How can I get it to stretch out better?
    Normally, I use a pizza stone to cook our frozen pizzas. I used a metal pan because it [...]

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    Giveaway! CVS Nova Max $50 coupon (will generate $20 ECB)




    October 30th, 2007

    I just got back from CVS and picked up a few “Managing and Preventing Diabetes” booklets. Inside are $50 coupons for Nova Max blood glucose monitors. This week, they are on sale for $29.99 (so they are free with coupon).
    The best part? They will generate $20 ECB!
    The CVS I went to didn’t have the monitors, [...]

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    Wooeee! Lotsa savings today




    October 30th, 2007

    Would you drive an hour round trip for $20? I guess I would.
    I went to my closest CVS (maybe 10 minutes away) to see if they had any of the “Managing and Preventing Diabetes” booklets I’ve heard about. They did! I grabbed a few, since they were well-stocked, so I could use a coupon to [...]

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    Rite Aid & Walgreens rebate deadlines




    October 30th, 2007

    I mailed my Walgreens rebate info for October, and I want to remind everyone to submit their rebates. It must be postmarked by November 3. Put it in the mail TODAY. Why wait?
    The Rite Aid rebate program for October has ended, so last week, I requested my check. It will be $52.19. Whoa! Yeah, gimme [...]

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    Instant frugal heat (or cold) pads




    October 29th, 2007

    I’m sure most of you already have tried this tip, but I love it so much, I’m going to post about the wonders of a sock filled with rice.
    When you have a sock that has lost its mate, such as a blue one (where on Earth did I get a blue sock?), you can turn [...]

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    Winning…it makes you feel, well, like a winner!




    October 29th, 2007

    Those of you that know me well know I have had a long winning streak. I’ve won raffles, things on the radio, even prizes on a game show. It’s hilarious!
    In the spirit of this awesome carnival giveaway that’s going on right now (go and enter to your heart’s content…you’re likely to win something!) I think [...]

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    The Complete Tightwad Gazette giveaway!




    October 29th, 2007

    About two months ago, I checked out a book from the library: The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. This 959-page book is a compilation of her (now retired) monthly newsletter. Most frugal bloggers have read this cover-to-cover, as have I.
    This is the book that inspred me to start this blog.
    It isn’t often that I [...]

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    $15.06 menu for the week of Oct. 29




    October 29th, 2007

    I’m excited about this week’s menu! I’ve never made my own pizza crust before. I really hope it turns out well.

    Homemade pizza, side salad $2.70
    Penne and vodka sauce, side salad $1.12
    Homemade waffles, homemade apple syrup, fruit $1.52
    Taco soup $4.65
    Grilled cheese sandwiches and leftover salad or soup $0.27
    Side salads (whenever): $4.80

    Total: $15.06*I just realized I included [...]

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    Me vs. winter: Right now, I’m winning




    October 29th, 2007

    My winterizing efforts are almost finished. I insulated the electrical outlets on our exterior wall, put foam strip stuff along the seals of all of our windows, covered that with painter’s tape for an extra seal, and put window plastic over all of that.
    I put rolled-up beach towels at the base of the windows for [...]

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    Rite Aid savings this week




    October 28th, 2007

    Yesterday, I decided to take a little blogging break. For one, I didn’t have anything to say, and two, sometimes you just need to step away from the computer for awhile. My husband and I drove around town and looked at all the pretty leaves. It was a lovely day!
    I just got back from Rite [...]

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    Rite Aid freebies for the week of Oct. 28-Nov. 3




    October 26th, 2007

    The Rite Aid circular came in the mail today, and it looks like there’s some good free after rebate deals! This is a week not to miss out. If you have a Rite Aid or Eckerd in your area but you’ve never tried the rebate program, check out my post on Rite Aid. I’m not [...]

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    How much are your appliances costing you?




    October 26th, 2007

    I found another energy calculator I’d like to share with you. Everyone can use this one.
    Want to know what the electric bill will be if you have the TV on for 4 hours each day? Or, what it would cost if you leave your computer on 24 hours/ day? [$285 for the year].
    You plug in [...]

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    Our wedding: The stationery




    October 26th, 2007

    Sending wedding invitations, creating programs, and thank-you cards can cost a ton of money. Some designer styles can cost $5-10 each–I’m not joking. Just check the bridal magazines. That would be fine if you planned to invite, oh, 10 guests. But anything more than that, and really, I think you’re throwing away your money.
    I really [...]

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    Cooking ground beef all at once




    October 25th, 2007

    I took the $5.47 leftover from my Aldi trip and added it to the $5 or so left over from last week. The only thing I wanted from Giant Eagle was ground beef at 1.99/lb. It’s not always that low here, in fact it usually takes a few weeks to drop to that.
    I bought a [...]

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    Hooray for Aldi and a nice man with a quarter




    October 25th, 2007

    Last week, I had about $5 left of my grocery budget to spend. I thought about going to Aldi, then I decided it could wait until this week.
    Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to Aldi I go…
    and I forgot a quarter for the cart. I searched under rugs in my car, every crevice and even [...]

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    Last call on a super deal for Supermarket Savings 101




    October 25th, 2007

    Just a friendly reminder, you only have until midnight to get Crystal’s eBook, “Supermarket Savings 101″ at the 50 percent off price of $8.97. And, you’ll get six other really great eBooks for free: Thriving on One Income, Momma’s Guide to Growing your Groceries, Simply Centsible Breakfasts, Simply Centsible Suppers, Meal Planning Made Easy, and [...]

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