Kroger’s Buy 5—Save $5 Event {Win a $25 Kroger Gift Card}

When you have a family as big as mine, it’s essential to save money every chance I get and the one area that it’s always a challenge is feeding the family.  Feeding eight people every day can get very expensive so I’m always looking for ways to help ease some of the financial burden on myself and my husband.  Though I’m not completely loyal to one grocery store over another, I do love going to Kroger when they have awesome deals going on—like their Buy 5—Save $5 event that’s coming up in a couple of weeks!

About Kroger’s Buy 5 Save $5 Event!
Attention Kroger shoppers! Grab a cart (or two!) and head to your local Kroger Co. Family of Stores for the Kroger Buy 5 – Save $5 Event! From October 14th through October 24th purchase 5 participating General Mills products, and receive a coupon for $5 off your next shopping order* (coupon printed at checkout)!

• Look for some of your favorite participating General Mills products like Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Pillsbury Toaster Strudel, Betty Crocker Cake and Brownie Mixes, Hamburger Helper, Totino’s Party Pizza, Yoplait** and many more!
• Promotion varies in different locations so please be sure to check your local Kroger Co. Family of Stores*** for specific deals and offers which include: Kroger, Ralphs, King Scoopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Fred Meyer, Pay Less Supermarkets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy

* Products must be purchased during one shopping visit. To view a list of participating products see your store for details. The $5 coupon offer off your next shopping trip offer expires 1 week from the print date, with the coupon prints ending October 24th. Any offers printed on October 24th will expire on October 31st.
**Yoplait items vary by state
***Excludes Food 4 Less 

Kroger and MyBlogSpark provided me with a $25 Gift Card recently to go check out some of the awesome Buy 5—Save $5 deals and I can’t wait to see what awesome deals I can score!  Some of the kids favorite afterschool snacks (Totino;s Party Pizza and Yoplait yogurt) are part of the Buy 5—Save $5 deals as is something we go through a lot of around here….cereal.  General Mills is definitely one of our favorites when it comes to cereal and they have great deals on kids favorites during the Buy5—Save $5 event!   I can’t tell you how much I love hitting sales with like this one, it helps me stock up on some much needed basics and even leaves a little room in the budget for some of the kids favorite snacks…it’s a win—win!

Make sure you check out the Kroger website for more information on the Buy 5 Save $5 event and more ways to save!  You can also Like Kroger on Facebook and Follow Kroger on Twitter for more great deals!

I have great news for y’all…thanks to Kroger and MyBlogSpark I have one $25 Kroger gift card to give away to one lucky MIBR reader!  Official rules and details on how to enter can be found using the Rafflecopter widget!


a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Disclosure:  “Disclosure: The gift card, information, and additional sample have been provided by Kroger and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.”

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How To Save Money and Still Have Fun This Summer!

Hey y’all!  I hope everyone is enjoying “What’s HOT For Summer” so far, I know I am!  It’s finals week for me at school, though it’s mucho stressful I’m actually thankful that this semester is nearly finished, and today is a particularly heinous day with 2 finals and a paper due.  That means that I decided to switch things up a bit for today’s post!

 

Since rising gas prices have us most of us wondering if summer vacation will even happen this year I decided to get some advice on how to save money and still have a great summer from consumer savings expert  Andrea Woroch.  “As a media expert source, Andrea has been featured on NBC's Today Show, FOX & Friends, MSNBC, ABC News NOW and many more” and she has some great tips on how we can all have a rockin summer without breaking the bank. 

 

Q:  Is it possible for families to vacation on a budget and still have fun?

Andrea Says:  Yes, of course! Being frugal doesn't mean you have to drastically change your lifestyle. With a little bit of planning and research, you go on an amazing family trip without sacrificing the fun stuff.

 

Q:  What are your top 3 tips for saving money on vacation?
Andrea Says:   Create a budget and research various vacation options to find one that suits you and your family. If airfare seems out of your price range, you can still getaway. Consider a road trip which can be full of memories and a wonderful bonding experience for you and your family. Look for free events in various cities along your route and consider camping to save on hotel. You can hike, bike and participate in various outdoor activities that are not only free but a healthy and fun way to spend time together.

2. Research destinations that are experiencing their off-season to save on airfare, lodging, dining, attractions and more. As well, consider traveling during the week -or off-peak days- to finder better rates.

3. Always compare prices online, read trip reviews and look for coupons to save on hotel, car rentals, theme parks, event tickets, restaurants and more.

 

Q:  What if our family doesn’t want to spend the extra money on vacation this year, are there ways that families can have fun closer to home? What are they?

Andrea Says:  Plan a "staycation" when you can't afford a getaway. Organize several family activities like hikes, picnics and bikes rides and then camp out in your backyard with a few tents, games and marshmallows to recreate an exciting weekend away.

 

Q:  When should families ideally start saving money for a summer vacation?

Andrea Says:  The farther ahead you plan, the better prepared financially you're family will be for any vacation and the better airfare rates you'll be able to book. However, you can still save money with short-term planning by being smart about other daily purchases and living expenses. For example, forgo restaurant outings during your saving period and stash that cash away for the vacation. Look for other areas where you can trim down on your spending to save more in the long or short term.

 

Q:  How much money should the average family have saved before they consider going out of town for a vacation?

Andrea Says:  This all depends on the size of the family and the destination. Careful planning and preparing a budget beforehand will make every trip go smoothly and be memorable. Save enough for your trip with a little extra on the side for those unexpected purchases or last-minute

 

Q:  What are your tips on teaching children to save money, as it relates to vacationing?

Andrea Says:  Involve your children in the planning the vacation and give your child chores so they can save up for souvenirs on the trip. As well, remind your children that you can't go toy shopping because you are saving up for that exciting trip to Disney Land!

 

Q:  What are your tips for parents when it comes to saving money on groceries this summer?

Andrea Says:

--First of all, always plan out your shopping trips and make a list. Shopping with a list will help you avoid impulse purchases on expensive and unhealthy foods.  Base your meals on sale items, simply review the circular before heading to the store and look up recipes online to find new ideas or to learn how to prepare a certain discounted meat that you've never cooked with before.

--Avoid out of season produce to find the best prices

--Use coupons. Most supermarkets accept manufacturer coupons and will allow you to stack coupons which means using the store coupon along with the manufacturer voucher to multiple savings. You can download these via the Cellfire mobile coupon app, upload them to your grocery store rewards card via the store website or search for manufacturer coupons on sites like CouponSherpa.com to print them straight from your computer. The Sunday circular still provides a number of great grocery store coupon so spend sometime each week looking for deals and you can save up to $1,000 a year with coupons!

--Use credit cards that offer supermarket and grocery reward points and cashback bonuses, some of up to 5%!  Just make sure to pay the balance off in full each month or after each transaction to avoid paying interest rates which would defeat the purpose of this action.

--Stock up at Warehouse stores like Costco, BJ's and Sam's Club where you can save anywhere from 20 to 40% on some groceries. Remember though to check the expiration date of perishable items and consider if you have room to store the bulk product and if you will use it before it goes bad.

--Shop Dollar Store deals - from canned to bagged and boxed food, dollar store offers some great deals. Make sure to check the exipration date though and if you don't recognize the packaging on brand name goods, sit's best to skip it all together. Basic kitchen and dining staples like dish towels, storage containers and cutlery as well as cleaning supplies are great buys there as well, so stuck up on your buck!

--Generic is always the cheapest and smartest buy at any supermarket. Shop by price not by brand and you'll quickly save a few dollars. Generic organic goods are a great option for those looking to stay healthy without overspending.

 

Q:  Are coupons always a good idea? What about coupons for attractions and destinations, are they worth looking in to?

Andrea Says:  Of course, coupons can save you a bundle and these days you can find coupons for just about anything including travel. From hotels to car rentals, themes and attractions, restaurants and luggage needs, your family can find great deals by researching coupons first. To save time when looking for specific deals, go directly to a site like CouponSherpa.com which aggregates all the top travel coupons and offers in one place. Families can also find discount gift cards for savings of up to 50% off at sites like GiftCardGranny.com.

 

Q:  What advice would you give to moms who want to save money this summer while still making sure their children have a memorable summer break?

Andrea Says: 

--Consider day camps instead of sleep-away as a less expensive alternative. Find out if there is an option to volunteer at the camp to receive a price break for your campers or ask about multiple camper discount rates.

--Get with other families and neighbors who too may not have room in their budget for camp this summer to organize daily activities for your kids. Parents can take turns chaperoning and coordinating kid-friendly activities, from arts & crafts to hikes and scavenger hunts.

--Go on a weekend or day road trip to visit the beach, drive through the mountains or a nearby city that offers some history lessons and site-seeing.

--Take advantage of all the free activities your city or nearby town have to offer.

--Check your local crafts stores for free family and kid activities. Likewise, stores throughout your community make offer free kid-friendly activities. For instance, Lowe's recently offered a free workshop where children built their own basketball game. Pottery Barn Kids featured a live Peter Rabbit Appearance and AC Moore offered a free "Make & Take Bloomin' Thomas Train" activity for kids. So search store's sites and create a calendar of all the complimentary activities in town for a memorable summer.

 

Those are definitely some fabulous tips that can help us all save a ton of money this summer while still having a blast!  You can check out Andrea’s website:  http://www.andreaworoch.com/ and follow her on Twitter @AndreaWoroch!

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Kroger Add up the Savings BTS Blowout {Giveaway}

We’re in full-on Back to School mode here at Misadventures in Baby Raising, bringing you the best products, supplies, tips, and deals to make back to school shopping easier for your family! 



If there is one thing I love it’s saving money and saving money in the midst of back to school shopping is super important to families like mine who are on a tight budget.  The Kroger family of stores has some amazing deals going on this month!  August 8th-15th they invite you to take advantage of their “Add Up the Savings Event”!  You can stock up on your favorite General Mills and Kimberly Clark products and save big!  When you buy 8 participating items from any Kroger store, you’ll receive $4 off of your purchase.  Some of the great participating brands include: Cheerios, Yoplait Yogurt, Pillsbury Cookies & Biscuits, Kleenex, Huggies, Betty Crocker Brownies, Cottonelle, and Lucky Charms.



As an added bonus when you take advantage of the General Mills and Kimberly Clark savings you can also take advantage of the special Bonus Box Top Offers and get a head start on helping our your child's school this year! 

You will also receive custom offers for Bonus Box Tops for purchasing participating products.

These great offers are:

• Buy any 4 Box Tops products and get 10 Bonus Box Tops
• Buy any 8 Box Tops products and get 25 Bonus Box Tops

The offers you select will then load onto your Kroger Shopper Card to be redeemed once you purchase the items. It’s extra easy because there’s no clipping! Just remember to scan your Kroger Shopper Card and the Bonus Box Tops will automatically go straight the participating school of your choice.

In our family saving money is something we always strive to do, but saving money on brands we already buy and being able to help out the schools our children attend makes it even more worth while.  Be sure to stop by your local Kroger family of stores and “Add Up the Savings”! 

So, I have a great BTS giveaway for all of my lovely readers!  I have a $25 Kroger Gift Card to give away to one very lucky reader…so you can get started adding up the savings!

Win it:  Mandatory Entry!

To enter this giveaway please leave a comment telling me which Kimberly Clark and or General Mills items you would buy with your card if you won!  Easy Peasy…and MANDATORY!

Extra Entries

Please leave separate comments for each additional entry.  If your email address is not visible in your profile then please make sure you leave it in your comment so that I can contact you if you win!

Follow MIBR to the ends of the earth…alright GFC, Email, and or RSS will do:  2 extra entries

Follow MIBR on Networked Blogs:  2 extra entries

Grab our BTS Blowout button:  2 extra entries

Follow MIBR on Twitter:  2 extra entries

Tweet this giveaway on Twitter,please include @Allie_23 in your tweets:  2x per day per length of giveaway

I entered the #myblogspark Add Up the Savings giveaway on MIBR http://tinyurl.com/2ah54g4 @Allie_23

“Like” MIBR on Facebook:  2 extra entries

Share this giveaway on Facebook:  2x per day per length of giveaway

Add MIBR to your Blog Roll:  2 extra entries

Stumble this giveaway (just this post):  3 extra entries

Enter any MIBR giveaway:  1 extra entry each

Blog about this giveaway:  5 extra entries

This giveaway ends on Thursday August 26, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.  One winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced in a separate winner post.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me and claim his prize, failure to do so will result in winner forfeiting his prize and me choosing a new winner.

Kroger Family of Stores gift card, information, and giveaway were all provided by The Kroger Family of Stores, General Mills, and Kimberly Clark through MyBlogSpark.)

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