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The Walgreen’s flyer has some pretty good back-to-school sales listed. They’re having a “Buy 1 get 2 free” sale on a lot of items. So, basically three for the price of one. The sale is through August 1, 2009.

For $1.99, you can get three 2-packs of Sharpie markers, three 24-packs of Crayola Crayons, three 3-packs of glue sticks, three composition notebooks or three 12-packs of colored pencils. That’s $.66 each, a pretty good deal.

For $.99 you can get three of the following: 5-packs of tab dividers, 1-subject notebooks or 10-packs of sheet protectors (both on several school lists). For $2.99 you can get three 4-packs of pens, three 5-packs of highlighters or three mini-staplers.

A couple of other items listed are 2-pocket poly folders (three for $1.00); 5-subject notebooks (buy 1 for $2.99, get one free) and 2-pocket folders with prongs (buy 1 for $.59, get 2 free).

So, when shopping back to school don’t just think of the bigger department stores. Check out the drugstores too – they have coupons in their circulars and some good deals!

I know – it’s only July! But, as my hubby can tell you, I’ve always been one to start holiday shopping early. Several reasons for this – something may be on sale and I spread my spending over 6 months instead of one!

So, I’m going to watch for things to help you with your holiday shopping. This one is a bunch of coupons (thank you Johanne) for Toys R Us and Babies R Us. The sale is July 30th from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. and it’s only for their “Rewards R Us” members.

Becoming a member of the Rewards R Us is easy. Go to https://rewardsrus.toysrus.com/enroll.cfm and follow the instructions. You’ll then be given a membership number and you can print a temporary card. I’d do it quickly so you’re ready to shop on Thursday! The coupons add up to about $900!

Today, I made a visit to Kroger to compare national brand pricing with corporate brands. I discovered several things. First, wandering the store with a pen and tablet in hand certainly gets some stares! The good news is – you can really save some money by using the Kroger brands! In my check, I used the mid-range Kroger brand. It’s easy to find on the shelves and there are a lot of them! According to Kroger’s corporate office, they offer more than 14,400 Kroger brand items in the three tiers!

I selected random products ranging from daily staples (milk, bread, margarine), to staples (flour, oil, catsup) and some often used items that are pricey (cheese, dishwashing detergent and cereal).

There doesn’t seem to be a pattern in what saves the most money. You just have to pay attention to the prices. They have the breakdown right there on the shelves for the “per ounce” price. This is the key to the price. Just because the packages are the same size, doesn’t necessarily mean the weight of the contents is the same!

Another thing to think about when purchasing corporate brands is what you’re going to use it for. If the margarine is for cooking, you can go cheaper and use more herbs for flavoring. The same goes for frozen or canned vegetables; butter; and condiments such as catsup, mustard and spices.

Even things like jarred spaghetti sauce (this was over a 50% savings) just need to be doctored up a little. Add some herbs, a little parmesan cheese and the kids will never know!

I’ve tried some of these items and here’s what I’ve discovered:

Milk is milk – I can’t tell a difference!

Butter – I always buy the least expensive, unless I have a coupon that makes buying the national brand worthwhile and this does happen sometimes!

Frozen vegetables – For vegetables like corn, peas, and carrots I buy the least expensive. Broccoli and Cauliflower I’m a little pickier about since the less costly brands tend to have more stem.

Dishwashing detergent – I am now a fan of Kroger’s Everyday Living detergent. It’s 33% cheaper and it does the same thing!

Lunchmeat – we buy the Kroger brand and have seen no difference.

I bought some Kroger coffee to try and I’ll let you know on that. If you’ve tried any of the Kroger brand products and have any input for our fellow shoppers, please post a comment on my blog to let people know! I can’t try everything out there, but I’ll do what I can!

Now, here’s your info – a chart of the prices I found today:

ITEM NATL. BRAND PRICE KROGER SAVINGS Milk – 1 Gallon Coburg $ 5.49 $ 2.18 60.29%
Bread Sara Lee $ 1.99 $ 1.29 35.18%
Butter Land o Lakes $ 3.49 $ 2.39 31.52%
Margarine Country Crock $ 1.39 $ 0.88 36.69%
Cheese – chunk Kraft (24 oz.) $ 8.97 $ 4.49 49.94%
Coffee Folgers (11.5 oz.) $ 3.69 $ 3.39 8.13%
Juice, Apple Juicy Juice (64 oz.) $ 2.49 $ 1.99 20.08%
Frozen Corn Bird’s Eye (11 oz.) $ 1.79 $ 1.39 22.35%
Dishwashing Detergent Cascade (75 oz.) $ 4.37 $ 2.89 33.87%
Canned Tomatoes Del Monte (14.5 oz. can) $ 0.75 $ 0.65 13.33%
Lunchmeat: deli sliced ham Hillshire Farms (9 oz.) $ 3.50 $ 2.50 28.57%
Canola Oil Wesson (48 oz.) $ 3.79 $ 2.99 21.11%
Flour Gold Medal (5 lb.) $ 2.79 $ 1.83 34.41%
Spaghetti Sauce Prego $ 2.11 $ 1.00 52.61%
Macaroni Ronzoni (16 oz.) $ 1.39 $ 1.00 28.06%
Cereal Honey Nut Cheerios $ 2.99 $ 2.54 15.05%
Catsup Heinz (32 oz.) $ 2.19 $ 1.49 31.96%

I’ve never been a big buyer of store brands at the grocery store but recently, I’ve started paying attention to these items. Store brands can save you a lot of money and if you shop around, you don’t have to sacrifice quality. Since they were the first to respond to my request, we’ll start with Kroger. It’ll probably take me a couple days to do all the research, so I’ll update you daily. Next week, we’ll address another store, then another, until we address them all.

Kroger has three levels of what they call “corporate brands”. First is the Private Selection brand which they consider their premium tier. This includes ice cream, gourmet meat and cheese and frozen desserts such as tiramisu.

Next is the Kroger brand. These are the mid-range items and include a lot of the staples we use every day such as cereal, bread, peanut butter and cleaners. Milk is included in this category as well and we use Kroger brand milk all the time. The milk has saved over $2.00 a gallon at times!

The third tier is their Value line and is for those people who are looking to really save a lot of money. While it is their “lowest” tier, it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. Their chicken (boneless and other cuts) is well received by shoppers. I just bought the Value coffee to try it – I’ll let you know how it is.

I contacted Kroger to find out how the sales of the corporate brands have done. A recent report, released June 30, 2009, from their corporate offices indicated that corporate brands represented 26% of sales dollars. The report also stated that Kroger’s own brands “typically carry retail prices significantly lower than the national brand equivalent”. As much as 50% lower in some instances – which can’t be beat even using coupons.

So, my next task will be to make a trip to Kroger and compare items head-on. I’m planning on using the basics such as bread, milk, cereal along with some higher priced items like household cleaners. I’m planning on going tomorrow at lunch, so if you know of anything you want me to check the price on, email me at jill.maxwell@wrdw.com.

As for taste and quality, that will take a little longer to investigate – I can’t taste everything in one night! As I mentioned earlier, the milk tastes like milk. I’ve also tried other items before like peanut butter, frozen vegetables, sour cream, cream cheese – all items I’ve used in another recipe. When used to create something else, I’ve never had any issues.

If you’re making something like vegetable soup from scratch – the broth is the key ingredient. If you have a good, rich broth – you can use the generic vegetables and it’ll taste great!

Probably the only item I haven’t gotten good reviews on is their shredded cheese. A friend used it on pizza and… it never melted. So, I’d be wary of that one!

Stay tuned to Maxing Your Money and I’ll update you on what I find during my outing!

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I AM FROM THE COUNTRY

I AM FROM ROUGH DIRT ROADS

And Ford pick-up trucks.

I am from old horses, dirty boots,

And mounted prize bucks.

I am from what many call the boondocks.

A place where silence is pure and life isn=t overtaken by clocks.

I am from creek beds, 4-wheelers, and cluttered barns,

From ranch trucks and loud cattle horns.

I am from parents who preach AStand up straight@

And friends who try to make their own fish bait.

I am from crazy river trips and pot holes.

To wild animals and fishing poles.

I am from Mom=s famous hot rolls and steak

From water sprinklers and trampolines that break.

I am from dog bones, tree houses,

And neatly stacked wood.

I am from parents who teach

Only to do things I should.

I am from AQuit biting your nails@

And winding cattle trails.

I am from the country, a place all of my own,

Where families bond, and relationships have grown.

An ATV can go for more than one ride in an hour.

ATV’s never develop spare tires.

ATV’s don’t get you pregnant.

An ATV doesn’t care what time of month it is.

ATV’s don’t have parents.

Your ATV will let you know if something is wrong.

Your ATV won’t judge your friends.

If your ATV is boisterous, you can buy a muffler.

If your ATV smokes you can do something about it.

ATV’s don’t care about how many other ATVs you have ridden.

When riding, you and your ATV both arrive at the same time.

One ATV will satisfy you every time.

If your ATV has high mileage, you can just get a new one.

ATVs don’t care about breast size.

If your ATV is too soft you can get new shocks.

You don’t have to drink beer before your ATV looks appealing.

You can be proud of your ATV regardless of the model.

You can ride a ATV as long as you want and it won’t get limp.

ATVs always feel like going for a ride when you do.

ATVs don’t insult you if you are a novice.

Your ATV never wants a night out alone with the other ATVs.

ATVs don’t make you late.

You don’t have to primp before riding your ATV.

Your ATV won’t complain when you use protection.

If your ATV doesn’t look good, you can paint it or get better parts.

Your ATV won’t care if you fake it.

ATVs are always ready to stop when you are.

Your ATV has a built in vibrator.

Your ATV doesn’t care how heavy you are.

Your ATV won’t shrink when it’s cold.

If your ATV can’t fire up, you can just replace the battery.

You don’t have to cook for your ATV.

Your ATV can’t ride around behind your back.

If your ATV is cold you can choke it.

You only have to ride your ATV when you want to.

Your ATV won’t go for rides by itself.

ATVs don’t snore.