Blockbuster has recently made major changes in the way that it handles it’s customers.

Recently, Blockbuster has decided to drastically changed it’s business practices concerning those that have mail subscriptions. Specifically, Blockbuster now requires that if you have received a movie through the mail and have turned that movie in for movies from a Blockbuster location, you must first turn those movies back in before Blockbuster will place any more movies that are in your queue in the mail to you. This policy greatly affects the time in which it takes for you to receive the movies that you have listed in your account to be delivered to you.

From my investigation and research, local Blockbuster store owners and operators are really not too happy about the new policy and are saying that it has greatly slowed down traffic in the stores and affected sales. Now, in all actuality, Blockbuster is no different from Netflix and a lot of people are beginning to defect to Netflix.

My question is : what moron at Blockbuster came up with this policy? The very aspect of Blockbuster that set it apart from Netflix has been done away with and allowed Blockbuster to become just another movie distributor.

In my opinion , the way that Blockbuster operates now, does not justify the fees that it charges and in light of this I will be canceling my subscription soon and I suggest tht you do the same.

Well, it has been quite some time since my last post, and in the in the interim I have learned quite a bit about posting and running a blog as well as providing quality content for you people to read.

Life is funny about giving you something to write about.  If you pay close attention to what actually happens in your life you can really find some interesting things to write about especially a lot of things that other people are afraid to say.  In any event I just want to let everyone know that I will have a lot more to post about because I now know that posting is just about writing what you feel and not trying to necessarily find something that everyone will like. If you look at it, life is just one big novel.

And, I will also place a lot more emphasis on the primary reason why I established this site: to help people get  the best things in life — FREE STUFF!!!  In today’s economy I believe that every little thing that a person can get that is free or costs as little as possible is surely a plus and allows for money to be spent  in other areas.

After re-evaluating my objective in establishing this blog, I decided to broaden my perspective and the areas that I cover to include basically all kinds of info that will direct people to things that are beneficial to them. I plan to include the following (but wll not be limited to):

• Providing reviews of products that are offered on free sites .
• Offering in depth information and research about services and goods that directly affect the household and everyday life.
• Reviews on restaurants in the Austin, Texas area (after all, as tight as money is now you should make sure that you get the most for your money. Read about my most recent experience here)
• And a whole lot more.

I have also engaged in extensive research of at home jobs and business opportunities that will truly send you in the right direction as to what is real and what is fake.

In short I am committed to really taking this blog to another level and making it enjoyable for all.

I am proud to say that I was victorious yet again in my shopping endeavors and this excursion bore almost the same outcome as the previous one.

RANDALLS

As you have probably already noticed, Randall’s is becoming one of my favorite shopping places.  This is because of the fact that they offer such a benefit through the use of store saving incentives (Remarkable card) as well as the wonderful sales that they have every week.

In all actuality, I really did not shop for much at Randall’s this go around and somewhat limited my purchases to items such as coffee creamer, brownie mix, granola bars and chips.

The initial ring up for the items that I purchased came out to $127.46.  After I presented the coupons the ring up went down to $20.29. But, more impressively, I received a huge discount through the Remarkable card in the amount of $52.19 for a total savings of $72.48. A whopping 57% savings!!!

WALGREEN’S

I went to another favorite store of mind which is Walgreen’s.  Walgreen’s also has an excellent in store savings program and they recognize both manufacturer’s as well as store coupons.  Teh sales at Walgreen’s are also phenomenal and when you take advantage of these sales  and then use your coupons with you , you are really in store for a heck of a savings. However, because of the popularity of Walgreen’s sales I had to go to two different stores to really take advantage of the sales that were going on.

At the first Walgreen’s  the initial ring up amounted to $71.18.  In store savings, I received the amount of $12.65, $1.96 in savings with the use os store coupons, and , I saved $6.00 using manufacturer coupons.  The savings amounted to  the saving of $20.61 . Not extraordinary but my standards, but twenty bucks is twenty bucks.

The second Walgreen’s that i went to I did a little bit better.  The initial ringup was in the anount of $144.68, and I then commenced to knocking this amount down  by first hitting them with store savings in the amount $43.40 and then put the icing on the cake with coupons in the amount of $26.75. I managed to secure the amount of $70.15 .

In the course of my shopping excursion I also went to Dollar General, where the initial ring up was $7.83 but I only actually spent $4.33. I then made my way to Target where the initial ring up amounted to $42.55 at which time I only spent $26.55, saving $16.00 .  I then moved to HEB generating an initial ringup in the amount of $20.22 only spending $13.82.  These savings were minor compared to what I did at CVS.

CVS

CVS is basically like Walgreen’s  when it comes to keeping the shelves stocked with the popular items which called for me to make a visit to two different CVS stores.  The first one that I went to the initial receipt rang up to $155.50 and I only actually spent $56.18. I saved $99.32 through the use of coupons and taking advantage of the sales that  were  going on.   I encountered another approximately fifty percent savings at the second store.  I really enjoy shopping at CVS due to the fact that not only do they have wonderful sales but  with the use of of the CVS card, you generate extra rewards which can be used towards future purchases.

The savings that I generated this day was well over 50% and these types of savings will take you a long way. Look at it like this: the money that you save can be used for other purchases (or simply saved) that you would not otherwise be able to make.  Additionally, I know that you may be wondering about the  money that I may have  spent  on gas  but  in all actuality it was minute  compared to what I saved on shopping. I believe that the biggest costs is time, so be prepared to use a lot of it. Sometimes I am gone 4-6 hours . But I still think it is worth it. Plus , my husband keeps the boys with him when I am on my excursions.

Just a reminder, in case you have not heard Jack in the Box is offering 2 free tacos when you present any gas receipt at any participating Jack-In-The-Box. This offer is only good for Thursday the 26th of June, 2008.  GET THOSE TACOS!  They would be great snacks for the kids!

That is my husband’s favorite football team above.

As I was shopping a few days ago I ran into a situation where it was necessary for me to obtain a rain check. Asking for a rain check is something that I will not hesitate to do if the circumstances call for it. The situation that arose is actually the catalyst for this post due to the fact that when I was obtaining the rain check other customers were not aware of thefact that this could be done. I eventually engaged in brief conversations with other patrons concerning the use of rain checks and how they work and I could not believe how most people wre completely unaware that the practice existed. .  Moreover, a couple of times I engaged in debates with store managers concerning the practices and steps that are supposed to be taken prior to the issuing of a rain check. After the day was done, I realized that I had some pretty good fodder for a post.

However, since I ran into so much confusion concerning rain checks with managerial staff at different stores, before I began this post I decided to contact the corporate offices of a couple of stores to determine exactly what the policies and practices were concerning rain checks for the stores that I contacted, and I have to admit that I was a little surprised as to what is really supposed to take place. The following is the information that I came up with:

Out of the three stores that I have researched so far, Walgreen’s has the best policy and practice concerning rain checks (even though some of their store managers may not be aware of it).  Because of the conflict that I was having from store to store concerning receiving rain checks from Walgreen’s I decided to contact the corporate office to get an official explanation as to how this is supposed to work.  What I came to find out is that even before a rain check is issued, Walgreen’s corporate policy is that management is supposed to offer you a substitute. For instance, let us say that some generic brand of bottled water is on sale but when you get to the store to purchase some it is out of stock. Well, in a situation like this management is supposed to offer you a substitute even if the item that will be used as the substitute is of greater value! So, in my situation, instead of giving me a rain check managment was supposed to offer me a substitute, even if the substitute was Dasani or some other name brand water. The principle is, explained to me by the individual in the corporate office, is that they do not want you to leave that store without any water, which makes sense because  you may go by water at a different store.  What makes this situation even more outrageous is that I went to seven different Walgreen’s stores looking for an item and only one out of the seven offered to substitute instead of giving a rain check.  Also, when you obtain a rain check, know that if you are obtaining a rain check for an iten that was on sale at the time that you wanted it, when the rain check is issued it has to be for the sale price. So, if you go back to the store 2 weeks later and the item is not on sale any longer but the item is in stock you still get it for the sale price.

Now CVS on the other hand is a little different but basically similar to that of Walgreen’s.  First of all, CVS will not issue a rain check on a seasonal item. if it is out than you are just stuck out, but they will attempt to substitute. Secondly, they would rather issue a rain check than to substitute if the item that they are substituting with will not earn you any “extra rewards bucks.”  For those of you who do not know, extra reward bucks are store credits given to those that have a CVS shoppers card and believe me, they come in real handy (I have a post talking about how much I saved and obtained free from using the extra reward bucks that will hit the air this week, so stay tuned!) so I would advise anyone that shops at CVS to GET THAT CARD!  After all, it’s free.    This policy is really in your best interest due to the fact that if they were to allow you to substitute the item with an item that will not earn you any extra reward bucks, then you are screwing yourself.  I cannot emphasize all of the free stuff you can get accumulating those extra reward bucks.

HEB sucks when it comes to rain checks and substituting items. First of all, their rain checks only last five (5) days and if there was a limit on the items then  no rain checks will be issued.  Lastly, they DO NOT SUBSTITUTE.  As I said before, HEB sucks concerning their rain check policy. With a capital “S.”

Since this seems like a very important issue that all good shoppers should be aware of , I will continue my research focusing on all of the major chains and retailers.  Of course , as soon as I get ths info I will get it to you.

Until the next time , continue to strive to make a $ out of 15 cents!

PS–

The photo above is a picture of my oldest son Greg. It was his first baseball game and we won!

DID YOU KNOW …. that if you have stainless steel that you could save a lot of money on cleaning it by using a common household item? The household item that I am speaking of is baby oil!  That’s right baby oil  is equal to , if not better than,  your leading stainless steel cleaners, and all it takes is a few drops!  Place a few drops of baby oil on a soft, clean cloth and rub the steel down. Then take a clean, dry towel and rub the stainless steel dry. You may have to do this a couple of times depending on the dirtiness , but this is a sure-fired way to get that dull stainless steel back to life.  This technique will also work good with cleaning the chrome trim of kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures.

HEY YA’LL!!!  I just came across a real cool website for really good free stuff. Just click on the link in my sidebar. Some REALLY  good stuff!

DID YOU KNOW that  white potatoes  have a propensity not to freeze well due to the fact that the majority of the cells will burst which causes the potato to become mushy and watery when it thaws.  Fortunately, commercial processors have a special process for preventing this.

However, cooked and peeled sweet potatoes can be frozen without becoming mushy.  The trick is to store them in a tightly seeled plastic container with as little as air as possible (using the smallest container usually works the best) and then put the container into a tight sealing plastic freezer bag.  They will keep for 10 to 12 months.

Hello everyone. Today I discovered a website where you can watch free movies and even download them. These are not weak movies. I seen “Jumper” on there as well as a long list of other good movies Check it out and tell me what you think. The web address is www.thizzedout.com .

Well, today was a very eventful day and a shopping experience that really paid off!

My husband, sons and I went to a Re-Grand Opening at a Randall’s Supermarket on Manchaca and 290 in Austin, Texas. This was a special event due to the fact that this “Re-Grand Opening” entailed a wide range of benefits and extras such as free food and drink samples all over the store, gift giveaways (200 Apple Shuffles) and extremely reduced prices on a wide range of items sold in the store. There were even trailers set up outside in the parking lot giving away free food samples.  I shop at Randall’s on a regular basis and this is the first time that I have ever seen it where the traffic was so heavy that it was hard to navigate around the store! (Normally Randall’s is never busy).

Anyway, let’s get to the cash that I saved.  Letting you know ahead of time, I NEVER go shopping for groceries or household items without coupons of some sort.  Sales are good but when you throw in coupons that makes the shopping experience all that better when that receipt pops out and you see that you have saved 60%-75%.

As I was saying , I saved a nice piece of change today (and so did my husband). Specifically, these were my numbers:

• The gross amount total that was calculated was $116.15.
• The above amount was reduced with the use of the Randall’s Remarkable Savings Card by the amount of $22.91
• I received additional savings through the use of coupons of $35.29
• My net out-of-the-pocket expenditure was $58.20. A 43% savings.

The above is what I saved. In light of the fact that the offers were so good that my husband could not even resist spending a few bones (normally a little close-vested with his money), this is what he saved:

• Gross amount spent initiall calculated  was $43.29.
• Randall’s Remarkable Savings reduction was $11.12.
• Savings through the use of coupons was $8.19.
• Out-of-pocket amount that was spent netted at $23.98. A 46% savings!

My shopping excursion today resulted in a  50% savings, which means that I received $2 of buying power for every $1 that I spent!  (And there was some coupons that I had that I forgot to use!).

I am assuming because of the overwhelming turnout for the event, the cash registers were not properly calibrated to ring up certain sales items properly. For example, they had 6.5 lb. bacon packages on sale for $9.99 (limit 2), and when the ring-up took place the register only picked up one and charged me the full price on the other. Due to the fact that I thoroughly examine my receipts before I leave the store I recognized this and brought it to the attention of the cashier. The odd part about this is that the cashier obviously did not know what she was doing due to  the fact that she adamantly stated that it did ring the proper price up. I quickly cut off the conversation with this individual and took the matter to customer service who promptly set the matter straight and refunded  the proper amount.

Overall, this excursion was pleasant. The employees passing out the samples were very curtious and professional and approached you to offer a sample instead of you approaching them and asking for one (this really helps you to feel like you are not begging or panhandling).  This allowed me to also kill two birds with one stone: I shopped and fed my children lunch (for free!) all at the same time.  If you are really budgetary conscious, free food should never be a problem.

So everyone, the above is just an example of the type of money that I save when shopping. And, before I end this entry, I want to leave a few reminders and tips:

1. Just because a sale is going on does not mean that you are going to get good deals. Try to stay abreast of everday prices of the competitors which will help you decide as to what is a good deal or not.
2. ALWAYS USE COUPONS!!!  Sale or not sale, put those coupons to work, and they work better hand in hand with sales. i emphasize this because there are those that are either too embarassed to use them or too lazy.
3. Especially if you have children, do not be ashamed to let you children fill up on the free goodies that are being given away. Not only did this free me up from having to feed them lunch when I got home, not having to prepare lunch allowed me some free time to take a nap and do other things that I am sometimes pressed for time to do.
4. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR RECEIPT, PREFERABLY BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE STORE!!!  I cannot say this loud enough. I really feel slighted when I look at my receipt and see that I was charged a higher price than what was supposed to be charged. If it is not busy bring it to the attention of the cashier because he/she will be more tentative in your concerns than if it were busy. If it is busy, go to customer service, they can help you just the same.  In the event that you do not realize that you have been overcharged until you get home, do not be afraid to go back  to the store after the fact. If the store is not centrally located try to plan to stop by when you are out doing other things and you have to pass by the store.  Some people may say that it is not worth it to go through the trouble for a couple of dollars or a few cents but after time those few cents and dollars add up.  When I shop to save the trip back, I pull my basket off to the side out of the way and review my receipt . It just takes a few minutes and it is worth it.

Also , the Randall policy concerning coupons is triple up to $.35 and double up to $.50.  Randall’s also has a gas savings program — for every $50 that you spend you get $.10 off per gallon of gas.

I hope that this was insightful and useful. I will be experimenting with this blog to be able to post copies of my receipts for you to examine. One last thing ladies,  try to get your husbands involved on some level, because at times you can double ot triple your savings by splitting up the purchases when items are limited.

Hope that you enjoyed this. Look forward to doing this again soon!