Earn Gift Cards With Me!

I have been using this site for sometime to earn gift cards. Those of you who know me, you know I’m an Amazon junkie! Everything from Kindle books to scooters for my boys has come from Amazon! This is one site I use regularly to cash out for Amazon money. You can cash out as little as $1 or you can let your points add up. You can cash out to Amazon, Wal Mart, Target and many others! It’s very simple and you can earn by watching videos and submitting your e mail for things like newsletters and daily deal sites. C mon along!

Go HERE to join instaGC and start earning today!       

Here’s The Deal

Good morning! Today, I’m going to post some deal scenarios. These are different ways to get great deals on some of the items on Lori’s List. This will be the first post and if response is good, I will do more. If it isn’t so great, because it does take some planning and time, I will concentrate my efforts elsewhere! I hope you like this feature! if you do, please follow my blog! The “FOLLOW” button is over there –>, just click it, and then enter your e mail. After you enter your e mail you will have to confirm. Then you are set! Ok, here we go!

First scenario: Dillons has an amazing list of “When You Buy 5″ prices this week. Sometimes it’s a little overwhelming to try to think about all these items and which 5 you should purchase, then add coupons, then do the math. That’s why I’m doing it for you! If you want to eat a bit healthier in the new year here’s an idea for a great shop!

1. Tropicana Juice x 1= 2.39 (this sale includes Trop 50, for those who are more calorie conscious)

2. Special K cereal x 1 = 1.99 (printable coupon here)

3. Tide laundry detergent x 1= 4.99 (1.50/1 in Sunday 12-30 P & G insert)

4. Secret deodorant (1.29 each) x 2= 2.58 

Now, you have your 5 items required to get the “WHEN YOU BUY 5″ price! This should also dispel the old myth that it it always cheaper to buy and use generic! IT SIMPLY IS NOT TRUE!!!

Ok, there’s your list. It is small, but you have some good stuff! Here are the numbers:

Original retail value before price matches or coupons: Approximately $19 (probably closer to $20 with tax, depending on exactly where you live and shop).

After price match and coupons: $9.75

Percent saved:     51%

Just like that, YOU KEPT $10 OF YOUR MONEY IN YOUR POCKET! And, you bought only things you need!

Don’t Plan, To Fail

Here’s the cold hard truth.If you don’t spend some time planning your shopping trips, you will spend waaayyyy too much money! If you don’t plan your menu’s, even just a couple of days in advance, you will spend waaayyyy too much money! Do you want to know how I know this to be a fact? Because, until a little over a year ago, I did just that! I did not plan and I spent way too much money. Bear with me for a minute and tell me if this has ever been you….

I spent $10 for all this!

Skip lunch…put dinner off until later…go grocery shopping. Your stomach is all growly and you could eat anything. A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G. So, you move very quickly thorugh the store, paying virtually no attention to prices. You throw stuff in the cart to satisfy the meal requirements for the next couple of days. You stand in the check out line adding things in your head (come ON, you have sooo done this!!). Wondering. Hoping. PRAYING that you have enough on the  trusty ol debit card to cover it! All the while you’re thinking, “Wow, I didn’t mean to get so much. I’m hungry. It’s only Tuesday. I’m hungry. I hope I have enough for gas in the car to get to work the rest of the week. Good grief, I am HUNGRY! Let me see, the husband spent $8 on lunch yesterday. I had to give the kids $20 for lunches at school. H U N G R Y. Oh no, I don’t think I have enough. What can I put back….” At this point, you start to scan the items in your cart to see what you can put back in order to save money. You WILL NOT put back the peanut M&M’s! You understand what i’m trying to say? I have done this! This exact thing! I used to do it all the time! After checkout, I would walk out of the store feeling utterly defeated! I spent EVERYTHING I had! I would literally sit in the car and go over and over the receipt hoping against hope that the computer had made some mistake. I wanted to cry. From there, it’s a toss up. Who are you borrowing money from to make it through the week? Where is the money coming form to get that extra gallon of milk? Yeah, sadly, I have been there more times than I would like to admit. BUT, not anymore! Now, when I shop, I know exactly how much I’m spending  I know exactly what i will be eating for the week and Praise the Lord, I am NEVER hungry at the grocery store!

I spent $23.77 for this!

First, never go to the store hungry. Bad mojo. Period. Second, you have to plan. Plan with Lori’s List. Plan with your coupons. Plan your menu BASED on sales for the week. DO NOT TRY TO MAKE THE SALES FIT YOUR NEEDS! MAKE YOUR NEEDS FIT THE SALES! This is the ONLY ONLY O N L Y way to maximize your savings. Look for coupons that will stack with your price matches. YES YOU CAN DO THAT!! If you are purchasing something that is insanely cheap for the week, grab a couple extra. The pictures in this post are my own. I did these shopping trips with a minimum of planning. Part of the whole process is KNOWING what the sales are, the other part is taking advantage of them. YOU can do this! Lori’s List can help! listbylori@gmail.com for more information!

No Words To Describe It

Recently, I shared with you all that I was going to do something very interesting for you. I made good on my word today. I went into enemy territory. I went to Aurora Wal Mart and had a face to face with management. Many of you will remember that they were not friendly to Thrifty Shoppers. No, that is an understatement. They were MEAN to Thrifty Shoppers. And, what’s worse is that they were mean for no reason. But, this is not about Thrifty Shoppers. I went there to day for one simple reason. To find out for my own purposes exactly what their policy is in regards to their ad match guarantee. Honestly folks, I’m still not positive that I could possibly convey to you what they shared with me. This was yet another instance when I wish I had had a video camera.

I knew it wouldn’t be a cordial visit, so I made it a point to put on my business face. I asked specifically for a manager. His name was Jim and I know he was at least an assistant manager. I asked him very specific questions about the price match policy. Here they are:

Me:  What exactly is your policy regarding ad matching?

Manager Reply: Well, what do you mean? (seriously?)

Me: I mean what is your policy? Do you have a mile radius? Do you just match the Springfield area or is there a wider area.

Reply: We will match a 75 mile radius.

Me: Ok, then 75 miles in any direction?

Manager: Yes

Me: Ok, will I need to have the ad?

Manager: Oh absolutely. That’s our corporate policy. That’s what puts the burden of proof on the customer! That’s how we keep people from scamming us. (?)

(Enter a CSM named Sue)

Sue: You should also know that our policy regarding general merchandise is different than our policy regarding groceries.

Me: Oh? How so? I thought it was an across the board type of thing.

Sue: Oh no, its different.

Me: Ok, how so?

At this point things went south. Neither of them could really tell me how its different for General Merchandise. In fact, at one point the Manager looked at the CSM and said “We really need to get on the same page about this policy”. I could not agree more! This was very disturbing to me. Not only where it concerns customers of that store but also where it concerns the employees. At best I would say there is a disconnect between management and employees. In the end, I wanted to just shake my head and tell them to STOP THE INSANITY! First, it is NOT Wal Mart corporate policy to require the customer to have the ads in hand. Secondly, there is no distinction between grocery and general merchandise. I have no clue what Aurora Wal Mart is trying to do, but it is both confusing and aggravating. I can’t imagine trying to shop and save money there. The last thing I asked about was whether or not the 75 mile radius was put in place only for the Holidays or whether that would be the permanent policy. Neither Jim nor Sue had any idea about this one. My recommendation is that nobody try to price match in that store, and if you do, make sure you have the ad in your hand. If you have something you would like to add or if you have had an experience at the Aurora, good or bad, please e mail me at listbylori@gmail.com, I’m going to write to corporate and let them know whats going on.

 

It SNOWS!!

It is finally snowing! It’s 3 days late, but Matthew will still eat it! I miss being a kid!!

Just A Little Something

I want to take a minute to share a few things with you. First, my new list will be different from the original Thrifty Shoppers list. Yes, I was one half of Thrifty Shoppers and it was a good run. I had a ton of fun with it and forged some lasting and precious friendships. Those are intact! I will offer different ideas, a different format and hopefully, tools that you will use to save a bunch of money! Here’s the deal though. It will not work if you do not understand how to use it! By and large, people do not understand what “price matching” or “ad matching” is. Even though the policy has been in place for many years, it has not come to the forefront until the last year. I believe it began with the television show “Extreme Couponers”. While I do not advocate extreme couponing, I do advocate stacking coupons on top of price matches! Many times, this will result in very cheap or free product. I will always strive to keep you informed if there is a way to get anything free. It doesn’t happen everyday, but it does happen! I actually received free dental floss yesterday! Want to do it yourself? Go here and print your $1 off Reach Floss. They are only .97 at Wal Mart, so actually, you will receive 3 cents overage! That’s right! Wal Mart will PAY YOU to take that floss! Awesome! See, this is how it works! I hope you all will e mail me at listbylori@gmail.com if you have ANY questions! Or, if you just want to chat! I’m always open to good conversation or even a great joke Please feel free to leave comments here, or on the Facebook page. Share any good deals you might have gotten that I may not know about! Let’s all help each other! One last thing. If you know someone who needs help, who can use this list, please PLEASE, give it to them. Let them use it and benefit from it. I do not mind if you share! Of course, I would love to have new customers, but most of all, I want to help!

12 Days Of Christmas

Good Morning! Recently, I discovered something very interesting (this has nothing to do with the list or price matching or anything of that nature!). Have you ever heard the song “The 12 Days of Christmas” ? Of course, everyone has. In my humble opinion, it is THE most annoying song ever ever EVER! Honestly, every time I hear the song, I think of the Jeff Foxworthy version. You know, the one that includes “Parts For a Mustang GT” as the first day gift??  Anyway, I always thought it was about the 12 days leading up to December 25. Turns out it ain’t so! The 12 days of Christmas run from December 25 to January 6, or Epiphany. Epiphany is the (traditionally regarded) day that God was revealed as human in the person of Jesus Christ. I’m not sure why this fascinates me so, but it does. Maybe its simply because I learned something. Maybe it contributes to that drive to somehow understand the world around me. As complex and contrived as it is sometimes, it does have some intrinsic beauty. When I learn about something like The Day of Epiphany it makes me see the larger plan, the thing that binds us together. I suppose the greatest gift of all is the mercies I receive every day. They are new and fresh and undeserved. Thank you Lord. Have a great day folks~

Heres the “Epiphany” article from Wiki. Enjoy~

Epiphany (Koine Greek: ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia, “manifestation”, “striking appearance”^[1]) or Theophany^[2] (Ancient Greek (ἡ) Θεοφάνεια, Τheophaneia meaning “vision of God”^[3]), which traditionally falls on January 6, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. Western Christians commemorate principally (but not solely) the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the Baby Jesus, and thus Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God.^[4]

Eastern Churches following the Julian Calendar observe the Theophany feast on what for most countries is January 19^[5] because of the 13-day difference today between that calendar and the generally used Gregorian calendar.^[6]

Since 1970, the date of the celebration by Latin Rite Roman Catholics is fixed as January 6 only in countries where the feast is a Holy Day of Obligation, while in other countries it falls on the Sunday after January 1. In the Church of England also, the feast may be celebrated on the Sunday between January 2 and 8 inclusive.

A separate celebration of the Baptism of the Lord was introduced for Latin Rite Roman Catholics in 1955.^[7] Initially, this was to be held on January 13, previously the octave day of the Epiphany, but in the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar the date was changed to the first Sunday after January 6.^[8] In countries where in a particular year the Epiphany falls on January 7 or 8, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the following Monday. In the Church of England, the same custom may be followed. In the Episcopal Church in the United States, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is always the Sunday after January 6.

Alternative names for the feast include (τα) Θεοφάνια, Theophany as neuter plural rather than feminine singular, η Ημέρα των Φώτων, i Imera ton Foton (modern Greek pronunciation), hē hēmera tōn phōtōn (restored classic pronunciation), “The Day of the Lights”, and τα Φώτα, ta Fota, “The Lights”.^[9]