Teen Still Loves Goodwill’s Prices–Look What She Found Today!

Today Aimee and I took our daughters to Goodwill in Westport to shop for clothing. My daughter really needed summer clothing — we are out of hand-me-downs, unfortunately. (Ah, those were the good years when I rarely had to pay for great clothing, but now, the hand-me-down stream has dried out.)

I paid $16 for four items of clothing, all in excellent shape, at the Westport Goodwill today. That kind of money won't get you far in a clothing store. (However, I will say that I scored an adorable long-sleeved shirt at Old Navy this weekend for my daughter for a whopping $1.97. Gotta love their clearance sections.)

Here’s what my daughter found and everything looks fantastic on her. She found four items that were $3.99 each. So, for $16, she was able to get four items for the price she’d pay for one flimsy piece of clothing from a regular clothing store. The tops are in great shape, hardly worn, and the jeans (Old Navy–with adorable detailing) and shorts (Gap–also with cute detailing) look brand new and fit her perfectly. We left before Aimee checked out, but I think her family scored some great deals, too, since it was “1/2 off blue ticket” day.

I can’t wait to get a day to myself when I can scour the racks for some new items.

~Marilyn, TFF

Fairfield Coupon Debuts and Offers Local Group Discounts

Sign up with Fairfield Coupon for hyper-local deals and discounts.

Can’t get enough 50% to 90% off deals around town? Turn to Fairfield Coupon for your fix.

You might be wondering about those pretty, retro pink-and-blue Fairfield Coupon signs you’ve been seeing around town. We wondered, too. It’s a new service—a more localized Groupon-type discount service—that wants to support the success of local, small businesses in our area by offering great deals.

Fairfield Coupon is taking suggestions about what businesses you’d like to see deals for in and around Fairfield County (and parts of Westchester County). Now, if anyone was lucky enough to get in on that Whole Foods Groupon deal a while ago, and we’re all hoping for another round at that, by all means, give your thoughts to Fairfield Coupon! (I mentioned the Whole Foods deal to Fairfield Coupon and hoping really hard that they try to get the market to do another deal like that.)

In fact, one of Fairfield Coupon’s recent deals was $9 for $20 worth of organic food and natural products from the Fountain of Youth in Westport. Of course TFF missed that one! But hoping for more goodies like that.

Make your way to the site and sign up, support them, and by all means, offer your suggestions!

Marilyn–TFF

Undercover at New ShopRite in Fairfield, CT

 

Prices are always attractive when a new grocery store opens–but then they slowly edge up. Let’s hope Fairfield’s new ShopRite will remain a great destination for years to come. Photo: TFF

Fairfielders are genuinely happy to see ShopRite open today in the former Shaw’s space. Though we have Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop, and for those willing to pay the price—we have a new Whole Foods—in Fairfield, what a relief to have ShopRite (whose parent company also owns TFF favorite PriceRite in Bridgeport) in the neighborhood.

Yes, there was a minor crowd of 100 or so anxious shoppers and press at 9:00 a.m.to witness the ribbon cutting and speeches by town and store officials. Yes, there was minor trampling when the doors opened (shoppers rammed carts into my backside and stepped on my sandaled feet numerous times! Folks–it’s only a grocery store for heaven’s sake!). No, there were no giveaways or free coffee (much to my surprise) so you didn’t miss much if you weren’t there.

In a whirlwind walk-through, TFF managed to get some decent deals (grapes .99 cents a pound, frozen ravioli for $1.33 a bag), snagged a few coupons that were being handed out (though I asked for a dozen, the store associate gave me only three), surveyed some prices (some good, some not), and asked about coupon policies which stumped a couple of associates. All in all, it seems like a decent place, utilitarian, and clean (if you want atmosphere and chic design, head to Whole Foods).

The courtesy desk associate said that sometimes there will be triple coupon vouchers in the store flyers—nice perk, but let’s see how often they show up.

Watch for tricky price signage at ShopRite. You can easily confuse the price of an item with what you’re “saving.” The cost of the toothpaste here is not .80 cents or $1.00 as the signage above may have you believe if you’re walking down the aisles in a hurry.

One word of warning – the price signage under products can be misleading (see above). The signage emphasizes what you save, not what the actual item costs, which can throw most shoppers for a loop especially when in a rush.

TFF will continue reporting on any good deals at the new ShopRite!

 

 

Criticizing Couponers: C’mon, Leave Us Alone!

 

Couponers don't care about the dirty looks we get at check out. We still love to get our coupons (especially those P&G newspaper inserts!) To find out when your next P&G newspaper insert is coming your way, click on this photo. Photo: Courtesy of P&G/PRNewswire

Never did I think that couponers would be criticized for their actions. There are certainly more extreme problems in the world than extreme couponers. After reading way too many long and scathing articles about how awful couponers act, you’d think we were a bunch of Bernie Madoffs. C’mon, folks, we’re just trying to cut our grocery bills, not swindle people out of peanut butter.

Now, I’m not an extreme couponer, but I do coupon, and I see the benefits of saving 50 to 60 percent off my groceries at check out, and I will continue to coupon to feed my hungry crew.

I have seen some strange reactions to my coupons, though—from positive to downright rude. I’ve had a handful of people at check out comment that I know how to shop right, to a handful of people at check out give me the once over, tell me they think TLC’s EC show is dumb (I am a fan of the show because I learn a lot from it), then ask me if my family really needs ten boxes of typically expensive cereal and thirteen boxes of juice packs (uh…yes!).

The benefits of couponing became crystal clear the day before school started when I was running ragged through Target, picking up groceries willy-nilly without thinking about cost or coupons. My thought process went something like this: paying this much for single packet Pringles is crazy, but I will get back to couponing once the kids are back in school… I wonder why other people are willing to pay these prices without coupons…how is it that the woman down the aisle can just throw groceries in her cart without coupons or looking at the price?

After the sticker shock of that little shopping spree, I vowed to get back to couponing asap. Happily, I used my Catalina coupons at Stop & Shop yesterday and walked away with my free toothpaste, $1.00 boxes of Keebler fudge granola bars, and paid pennies for Pantene shampoo and conditioner.

Ahhh, it’s good to be back in the couponing business. I can’t wait for the second season of EC to start. And, I couldn’t care less who gives me the evil eye at check out. ~TFF

Innovative and Budget-Minded — Oransi’s Robby Wash Ball Laundry Detergent

Here's a Robby Wash Ball in a traditional washing machine ready to go. Note the detergent pellets in the ball.

 

As promised, we tested the Robby Wash Ball, a new, innovative, space-saving, and possibly money-saving product from France (which we love). The manufacturer says that one ball should last for 12 months, or, for 120 loads. But, that is assuming you wash one load every three or so days. Many families need to wash one load a day. It’s also good for all types of washers, including HE. 

We’ve used it for a month. Here’s the review. 

How it’s going: Not bad! We’ve been using it in cold water for a month. It’s so easy to use, we haven’t even had to add more detergent granules to the ball. The ball is so easy to use! Just pop it in the wash (see photo) and forget about it. You have to take it out of the washer when done so it can dry, but it is no muss, no fuss. 

How it cleans: It cleans well. We don’t notice if it’s better than other detergents, but it is just as good as other detergents. 

How it smells: It is a fragrance-free product. Some people will love that, some won’t. 

Pre-treatment of stains: We love the pre-treat stain stick! It works, it works! It works on tough stains (on jeans, on shirts, etc.) 

One con: We had some clothing with some odors on it. We smelled a faint whiff of the odors even after washing. But, we washed it in cold water, so we will try again in hot water. Since this is a fragrance-free product, there is no fragrance to mask the smell of odors that may not wash out right away. 

Cost: $32.95 for one ball which is supposed to last one year assuming you do 120 loads a year. That means about 10 loads a month, which means about two loads a week.  

The reality of the cost: (also see above and below) Based on what the manufacturer says, our ball won’t last a year. We do a load or two a day, which means our ball will last only a couple of months, three at the most. But, we have to say, the granules are slow dissolving, which we guess is good news. We haven’t had to use other detergent yet, so we are satisfied for now. 

Is it economical?: Yes…and no. For families who use low-cost detergent ($2.99 or less a bottle which lasts about three weeks), this option may not be economical. We pay about $40 a year for laundry detergent (we don’t buy fancy or expensive products and our washer is not HE) so the Robby Ball would not necessarily save us money. For families who opt for more expensive detergents ($3.99 and up), this could be a very economical option, and we’d highly recommend it. 

How to order: Online only, but click here for ordering details.

This Just In: Coming Up…Free Offers from Local Businesses in CT Post Newspaper

Freebies coming up from the Connecticut Post print version.

Buried on page 19 of Sunday’s Connecticut Post, a new program beginning April 1st offering readers free deals every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday from local businesses. One example (not an actual coupon, just a preview) is a coupon from Stew Leonards offering a free $10 cookbook. We will keep you updated on when we spot these freebies and on what pages…it’ll most likely be a print promotion only. Stay tuned!