Free Stuff Calendar - November 2011

In all the hubbub of Halloween, friends, don't forget to mark your calendars for all the free stuff November offers!
_______________________________________


The first week of November (October 31-November 6): Get a free small coffee at any McDonald's location nationwide.

November 11-13      Fee free weekend for over 100 National Parks. Click here for more information and for a list of participating parks.

November 24th - 6 a.m. on November 25th Free AAA "tipsy tow" in participating states. You do not need to be a AAA member...You just need to have had too much to drink to drive home, and AAA will come and tow your car back to your house for free.
                                               ______________________________

****Special Feature: Free Stuff for Present and Past Members of the U.S. Military ****

November 7-November 11  Free Bloomin' Onion at Outback Steakhouse

November 11: Free meal at Applebee's (choice of 7 entrees)  
                         Free meal at Chili's (choice of 6 entrees)
                         Free doughnut at Krispy Kreme
                         Free doughnut at Tim Horton's
                         Free six-inch sub at most Subway locations
                         Free meal at Texas Roadhouse until 4 p.m.
                         Free car wash at thousands of car washes around the country. Click here for a list of              
                             participating locations.

November 14 (5-9 p.m.):  Free dinner at Golden Corral Restaurants

(Special thanks to The Military Wallet for the list provided here. )

Here's to another cheap month, readers!

Scoring Savings: Spotlight on Cereal!

Readers, where do you buy your breakfast cereal? Are you getting the most for your money?  This week, let's take a look at where you could be buying it, because changing your cereal-purchasing location can save you up to $10 per month!

Before we get talking about cold cereals, though, let me say this about breakfast foods: Oatmeal is almost always the cheapest way to go. Not instant oatmeal, but rolled oats, purchased from the bulk foods section or in a big cardboard tub. You can cook these up in the microwave just like instant oatmeal, and then add your own flavorings, like maple syrup or fruit, for cheaper than almost any other breakfast option. Oatmeal is also one of the healthiest foods out there, stocked full of protein and fiber. 

However, not everybody likes oatmeal. So here are some other ways to cut down on your breakfast cereal expenses: 

 See if Trader Joe's carries a version of your favorite cereal. Yes, Trader Joe's is known in some places for carrying expensive food, but it has one of the best deals in cereals around. One of my roommates claims that you can't taste the difference between Joe's Os (TJ's version of Cheerios) and name-brand Cheerios. Your wallet sure can tell the difference, though: A 15 oz. box of Joe's O's is $2.50, and the same size box of Cheerios can run up to $4.50 someplace like Walgreen's.

Try Target. Strange though it may seem -- since Target is not necessarily known as a grocery store -- Target offers mean deals when it comes to name-brand cereals. My favorite cold cereal, Quaker Oatmeal Squares, are $3.36 a box at Target at regular price, but are $5.19 at the grocery store near my house. Target offers other cereals even cheaper - a box of Rice Krispies come in at only $2.75, NOT on sale. 

Look up or down on the
grocery aisle to find
cereal like this, just
waiting to be taken
home!

Look Low! A commercial a few years back encouraged people to squat down in the cereal aisle and look at the bottom shelf to find a good price, and that's still true. This commercial was for Malt-O-Meal, which has been the industry leader in discount breakfast cereal for years, but that's the case with all generic cereals;  they're still often stocked on the bottom or top shelves at grocery stores. No matter where you shop, be sure to look up and down to consider ALL your available choices, and not just the brands the store wants you to buy. 

Of course, coupons and sales can alter the playing field, too, so be sure to shop smart and rack up the savings in as many ways as you can! 

Here's to a week of scooping up some good deals on breakfast, friends! 

Grocery Budgeting: It's As Easy as $1, $2, $3

Managing a complicated grocery budget can be a pain in the neck, especially when you're busy and on the go. But what I call the $1, $2, $3 method is a really easy way to get a handle on your spending on food.

Ready? Here it is. Spend:

$1 for breakfast,
$2 for lunch, and 
$3 for dinner. 

Now, some of you expert frugalites out there might be thinking: "Six dollars a day?! I can do way better than that!" Yes, you most definitely can. BUT for those who are just starting to budget -- or too busy to cook things from scratch -- the $1, $2, $3 Method is a great starting place. There are several estimates out there that say that it costs $200 per month for food for a single person living alone; this puts you right under that and can help get you in the habit of watching what you spend.

Here are some $1, $2, $3 ideas to get you started:

My favorite cereal, Oatmeal Squares,
sells regular-price at Target for
$3.36 per box, and lasts me
seven days! 

Breakfast: 
A box of cereal, costing $3.50 per box, could last you a week, which comes out to $.50 per breakfast, plus the cost of milk. 


Oatmeal is even cheaper than cold cereal per bowl - and more nutritious! :) 

Lunch: 
A package of saltine crackers can be gotten for around $1.00, and you can pick up a can of tuna for as little as $.65. 
Macaroni and cheese is often $1.00 or less per box, and if you spread it out over two days, you can include hot dogs! 

Dinners: 

Who doesn't love a
dinner of chicken
Caesar salad? Especially
when it comes out to
$3.00?!

A "bag salad" can be as cheap as $2.50 - and  your remaining $.50 can go towards a package of chicken you can cook and toss into this salad -- as well as eat in three or four other dinners (or salads) throughout the week. 


For the TV dinner fan, you could eat up to three $1.00 Michelina frozen pasta meals for one dinner and with tax, still be pretty close to the $3.00 range. 


Heck, even a 6-inch Veggie Delight sandwich at Subway is $3.00 plus tax! 




The $1, $2, $3 Method is particularly handy when it comes to being tempted to buy pre-made food at a grocery store's deli or visit a drive-thru. Often, these choices are more expensive than $1, $2, or $3. The good news, though, is that isn't hard to meet these limits at all if you're willing to throw something in the microwave yourself!

Want to start budgeting your groceries? Just remember - it's as easy as $1, $2, $3! :)

Here's to another money-saving week, friends!

Birthday Giveaways: Where to Get Free Stuff and Coupons on Your Birthday

Well, readers, this last Saturday was my birthday, and I got a bunch of stuff -- free stuff and coupons, that is!

Want to score some stuff on YOUR birthday? Check these links out:

Arby's - Sign up online for Arby's Extras, and they'll e-mail you a coupon for a free 12 oz. milkshake when you purchase anything on their menu, good for the week before your birthday (it expires on your birthday).

Baskin-Robbins - Sign up for the birthday club online, and they'll e-mail you a coupon good for a free 2.5 oz scoop of ice cream (coupon expires five day after your birthday.)

Biggby Coffee - Register for their e-wards club online, and they'll mail (snail mail) you a postcard coupon for a free 20 oz. beverage of your choice.

Best Buy Reward Zone - If you're a member, you can earn triple or quadruple points when you make a purchase around the time of your birthday.

Chicken of the Sea Tuna - Sign up for the Mermaid Club online, and they'll send you a coupon in the mail (snail mail) for $.25 off a can of tuna on your birthday.

Cold Stone Creamery - Join the My Cold Stone Club online, and they'll e-mail you a buy one-get one free ice cream coupon.

IHOP - Join the "Pancake Revolution" club online, and they'll e-mail you a coupon good for a free Rooty Tooty  Fresh 'N Fruity -- or any other menu item of equal value. Coupon valid up to one week after your birthday.

Also: If you go to Denny's on your actual birthday (they may ask for ID), you can get a free Grand Slam!

What could be a better birthday present than some awesome deals?! Here's wishing you all a very happy, and frugal, week!

***********************************
A special thanks to friends who gave me the heads up about some of the places featured here. Thank you, all!

Cut Down Expenses by Cutting Down on Meat

Many folks in today's world know that meat is expensive. But let's take a serious look at just how these prices break down, and then look at small changes you can make to trim down your grocery budget without losing real value -- nutritional value, that is!

According to MSN Money, these are some average prices of popular meats by the pound in the U.S.: 

Cheapest Ground Beef                       $3.00

Boneless Chicken Breasts                   $3.40

Canned Tuna                                      $2.00

Compare this to their price estimates for non-meat protein items: 

Dried Beans and Lentils                      $1.00

Rice (tasty mixed with beans)              $.69

Tofu                                                   $1.80

So, what are we supposed to do with this information? Not everybody wants to become a Super Vegan or something, right? (OK, well, I sure don't.) But here are some ways even meat-eaters can benefit:

•   Challenge yourself to eat just one dinner per week without meat.  Try black beans and rice (basic recipe here), red beans and rice (basic recipe here), or eliminating meat from a dish you already cook (for instance, making spaghetti without meat, or making tacos with pinto beans instead of ground beef.)

Ham and bean soup, courtesy
of New Gourmet

• Let meat share protein duties with non-meat. Choose a meat protein and then find a recipe that mixes it  with  a plant-based protein. This will require less meat overall, and will save you some money in total costs. For example, you could make chicken chili or red beans and rice with sausage.

• Keep in mind that completely "going vegetarian" (depending on what a complete vegetarian diet entails) isn't always a money-saver. Be sure to check prices and to look at different options! 

...Here's to another happy week for your wallet -- and your stomach! 

The Scoop on Social Buying Sites: Groupon, Social Living, and Some Sites You've Never Heard Of

A way to save money that's been growing in popularity are social buying websites.

What are social buying sites? Basically, they work like this. You sign up with the website to get email notices about local buy-in deals for restaurants/entertainment places/services/what have you. Often, the deals are daily or weekly. So, the deal one day might be something along the lines of: "Pay $25 for a $50 gift card to Bob's Cafe downtown!" It's a buy-in deal because you have to "buy in" to get it - you pay the $25 online through the social buying site. It's call "social buying" because in order for the deal to go through, a certain number of people have to "buy in." This is how local businesses are willing to be a part of these sites - because through "buy-ins," they're guaranteed a certain number of customers. The amount of discounts range generally from 40% to 80% off. Some of the sites also offer additional discounts - like money for signing up or referring friends. 

Disclaimer: I generally don't post about things unless I've personally used them, but while I'm registered with a few of these sites, I have not "bought in" to any of the deals (yet). But. Several of my friends DO regularly use sites like these, and they've gotten some really awesome discounts. Click the names of the sites below to visit them!

The major "buy in" sites are:

Groupon

Living Social

Here are some others you might want to check out: 

BuyWithMe - This is focused on about 15 major U.S. cities, including Seattle, Chicago, and Boston. 

CBS Local - Major metro areas represented, including Detroit (woo woo!)

Dealster - Offers deals for a huge amount of major and more minor metro areas, including Yakima, WA, and Lansing, MI.

KGB Deals - Includes a nationwide option, as well as more localized deals for specific cities

PriceBunch - Deals for major cities and also a few smaller-ish cities, like Charlotte and Fresno. 

Tippr - The regular line-up of major metropolitan areas, as well as Honolulu and Columbus, Ohio.

Trubates - Allows you to search by your specific town - rather than by metropolitan area. 

Yipit - Deals for U.S. cities as well as some Canadian cities for you readers from the Great White North!

Zozi - Includes activity-based deals for several U.S. and Canadian cities

There are also city-specific websites, such as WeDeal (Chicago), BogoTown (Indianapolis), and Get Sugar (Boston). 

There are several more that are up and coming, too! 

In order to not get overwhelmed by all these sites, you might want to check out Daily Dibs, which shows you current deals for your city from Groupon, TravelZoo, KGBDeals, and Living Social all together. 

If you use Google Chrome, the Groolu app does something similar, grouping together "buy in" deals from Groupon, Tippr, Zozi, Dealster, and Living Social for you for your specific area. 

Happy deal-shopping, readers!

Special Request: Dorm Living on the Cheap

Jen, a Captain Cheap reader, has asked for some tips on how to save a few bucks while living on campus.  Back in my undergrad days, renting just half a dorm room came out to about $800/month, which is hardly economical, so I do encourage you college-y readers to consider off campus living if you're really looking to save some serious money. But. For those of you who ARE living the dorm life:

Circus/magic themed
collage I made entirely
from pictures printed
from the Internet.

* Don't lay out hundreds of dollars at Target to deck out your half of the room like everyone else does. Instead, chances are good that, as a student, you have a certain amount of pages you're allowed to print for free every semester in computer labs on campus; use this to your advantage! Print off your own digital photographs to hang up, or print pictures from the Internet to use for collages.

* Research all your meal plan options before choosing one (I know, most schools require you to buy one if you live on campus). Choose the minimum plan that will fit what you absolutely need. Remember, you can supplement meals (particularly breakfast and snacks) with your own stash of food at a much lower price.

* Speaking of food, here are some things to stock up on if you don't have a fridge or microwave. Some can seem expensive to the average grocery store shopper, but trust me. All are WAY cheaper than food being sold on your campus, and don't forget -- you can use coupons!:  Trail mix, nuts, bread, peanut butter, honey, fresh fruit, toaster pastries, bagels, protein / granola bars, beef jerky, pudding cups (non-refrigerated kind), applesauce, banana chips, fruit snacks, sunflower seeds, crackers.
     
* Other campus tips: Join e-mail lists and/or Facebook groups for any clubs that you're even remotely interested in, so that you can hear about events that might offer free food. See if your student ID will provide you a discount at any local businesses, including museums and events (check with your card office.) For entertainment, your campus should be your first stop, since so many free things, like movie screenings and art events are offered on campuses. Check your school's website to see if you can find an events calendar for all clubs and departments.

Once A Month Cooking: Saving You Time AND Money!

One of the best ways I know how to save money as a person who lives alone is by cooking things in bulk and freezing them. This saves me money because:
1.  It eliminates the temptation to buy (more expensive) pre-made food;
2. It saves me time; (and time is money, right?), and
3. Food doesn't go bad if it's frozen (unless it's been in the freezer for longer than 6 months.)

Chicken rice soup, beef barley stew, burritos, and a stack of small  homemade frozen pizzas chillin' in my freezer.

I'm a big fan of once a month cooking (OAM). If you can spare one Saturday a month, you can cook up and freeze enough food to last you for four weeks. I helped my friend fill up her freezer this way a few months back, and we made her 60 meals on $100. A GREAT resource for OAM cooking is the Once A Month Mom website, which features a ton of great recipes, as well as help with things like flash freezing, organizing a full freezer, and so on.

If you're thinking about trying this out, here's my advice:

* A lot of bulk cooking recipes out there are for large families, and involve pre-making full trays of lasagne and whatnot. For those who live alone, cupcake tins (muffin pans) can help you make smaller portions of things like meatloaf and homemade macaroni and cheese. When freezing, put two or three portions in each ziploc bag, and you'll be all set for one night's dinner without having to commit to two pounds of food or eat the same thing for five days in a row.

* If you are storing your food in ziploc bags, be sure to double seal everything. Put however much food you're going to eat in a sitting in a sandwich-sized bag, and place these inside a freezer sized ziploc. This will help prevent freezer burn. You can also freeze things in plastic storage containers, like Gladware, which is great for things like soup. Just be sure that on the bottom of your containers, there is a snowflake picture (which means freezer safe).

* Make a variety of different food. When I do this, I like to make something that can be eaten with my hands, something that requires a fork, something spicy, and something that I can eat if I'm sick or not feeling well.

Here is some food that I have made in bulk, frozen, eaten, and recommend:

• Taquitos - I got the recipe from once a month moms, but it can be found here . I  make mine with chicken and use half the jalapeno.
• This quick meatloaf recipe: mix together 1 lb ground beef, 1 box of Savory Herbs Stove Top stuffing, 2 eggs, and 1 cup of water. Divide into muffin tins; cook for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.   
•  Homemade frozen pizzas. Use any recipe for pizza /pizza dough, but instead of making a big pizza, cut into pieces small enough to fit into a ziploc bag. Follow recipe directions, but when adding toppings, leave off the cheese. Cook the pizzas for half the time you normally would. Take out of the oven, add your cheese, and freeze. Re-heat at 300 degrees until cheese is melted. (The crust finishes cooking in the re-heating.)
• Any soup you normally make from scratch. Instead of eating it all in one sitting, put it into plastic containers and freeze for later. I've made chicken vegetable soup and beef barley soup this way, and both turned out great. 
• Homemade granola bars. Another recipe I swiped from the Once A Month Moms, who originally got it from here -- in the summer when it is 80 degrees at 6 am, these taste great frozen!-- Be sure to cut them and individually wrap them, though...otherwise they will stick/freeze together.

Best of luck to you in your cooking endeavors, readers! And here's to another week of saving money!

Blast From the Past: Depression-Era Penny-Pinching Tips!

Especially when it comes to saving money, our elders are/were in the know! Here are some suggestions from the Depression that helped our ancestors get through the tough times. I've scrabbled them together from across the World Wide Web and adapted them for the modern solo-apartment renter. They can all be put to use today to help stretch your dollar!

Also: Attention readers!! Next week's post will be dedicated to reader tips and wisdom -- all about cheap house cleaning! Do YOU have a tip about keeping things clean (while keeping things cheap) to share? Be sure to let me know, so that your advice can be included in next week's post!

Some Depression-era tips (for a modern apartment dweller):

•  If you drink tea, use your teabag more than once before tossing it out.
•  Use cloth napkins instead of always buying paper ones.
• Instead of using expensive store-bought household cleaners, use vinegar and a baking soda/water mixture for floors, countertops, and windows.
•  If heat is not included in your rent (an extra expense for you), put on a sweater instead of turning up your heater.
•  Also, if heat is an extra expense for you,  be sure to block any drafts under your doors and windows with towels or another homemade "draft blocker" to save energy and money.
•  If your heat IS included in your rent, hang your clothes to dry around your apartment rather than pay to run a dryer.
• Before giving away old clothes to the thrift store, think about what you might be able to do with them. Could a pair of pants with a hole in the knee be made into shorts? Could part of an old sheet be made into a tablecloth?

Special thanks to mommysavers.com and caring.com!

Valentine's Day on the Cheap

For those of you readers who don't celebrate Valentine's Day - I, myself, am in your club - congratulations! Just think of the money we're saving by sitting at home on our couches alone eating leftovers! (But also - you don't have to be in a couple to enjoy the things listed below. Why not take yourself on a date, especially when it could cost you absolutely nothing?)

And for all of you frugal lovebirds out there, here's to you, enjoying a financially-stressless February 14th!

Thinking about a relaxed night in with that special someone? Why not:
          * Cook up a romantic dinner using ingredients that are already in your kitchen? Visit http://www.supercook.com/ - you enter what you have, and they tell you what to cook!
          * Check out a movie from your local public library? While in my opinion, documentaries are always a great choice, libraries also have recent comedy and drama movies (yes, even "romantic comedies"!) for checkout on DVD / VHS. Libraries also have CDs for checkout if you're on the search for "mood music"!

Thinking about an adventure outside the house? Why not:
          * Visit an art gallery nearby? (Art galleries are almost always free to visit because the art on display is for sale, as opposed to a museum.)
          *  Speaking of: why not see if your local public library participates in a "Check Out a Musuem" program, where library holders can get free passes to visit regional art and cultural museums? (This program is certainly in place for these metro areas: Phoenix, Twin Cities, Detroit, Boston, San Diego, and Tacoma, WA...can your area be added to this list?)

Why not spend Valentine's Day exploring
art, culture, or dinosaur bones - for free?

          * If you live somewhere where this won't entail hypothermia, take the time to enjoy some natural scenery. Bring a picnic lunch or dinner to share along with you to a city, state, or national park nearby. What says romance better than dining al fresco? Note: Often, state parks do charge a few dollars for parking.

           * Colleges and universities frequently host poetry readings, film screenings, guest lectures and more that are often open to the public, and free (or very cheap.) Visit the websites of community colleges and universities near you to find a calendar of upcoming events.

For the cheap folks who want to look suave:

           * Remember this trick: If you have a coupon for a restaurant (say, an amazing 2-for-1 deal), before lunch/dinner is over, tell your date you need to use the restroom and pay the bill up front before it even comes to the table. That way, how much you're paying - or not - can go unnoticed, and that dreaded word, "cheapskate", will not even enter your date's mind. Plus, in general, it's just a suave move, coupon or not, although, of course, there is no reason to go to a restaurant without a coupon in hand! Keep in mind, though, inviting someone on a date with this line: "Hey, want to go to this restaurant? I have a sweet coupon!" is not generally a suave move. Remember, sometimes when it comes to romance, keeping deals on the downlow - no matter how great they are! - is sometimes the best idea.

Produce Tips From Readers!

After my Avoiding Produce Going Bad post a few weeks back, I got some great tips from readers about saving money and saving produce from the trash! I wanted to pass the wisdom along, so here we go:

* Jennifer told me that dried beans are a much better deal than canned (at only $0.50 a pound, I'd have to agree!) I had a mishap trying to soak beans myself a few years back that has led to me buying canned ever since, but she has convinced me to give the soaking process another shot because of the great savings!
* Rory, another reader, pointed out that frozen vegetables are healthier than canned. Nutritional value IS something worth considering, because while saving money is great, getting the best possible value for your dollar is also good, too!

* Rory also writes that storing cut celery standing up in the fridge in a container filled with 2" of water can prevent, and even reverse, wilting.

*(My aunt) Linda pointed out that the reason lettuce turns brown is from a knife. If you shred lettuce by hand instead, wash it and dry it, and store in an airtight container in your refrigerator, it will keep much longer than cutting it.

Thanks for all the advice, readers, and here's to another money-saving week!

How to Avoid Throwing Away Produce

SITUATION: One of the saddest wastes of money is when produce, bought with the best of intentions, goes bad before it can be eaten. This is a situation everybody has to deal with, but for those of us without families to feed, it seems to almost be a guarantee that a certain amount of fruits and vegetables will go from the fridge to the garbage. Of course, you could just stop eating vegetables and fruits altogether…But here are some other ways of tackling and maybe lessening this problem in your kitchen.

SOLUTIONS:

Apple muffins made with a fresh
apple nearing the end of its shelf
life-added bonus: these are
actually "vegan friendly," since
I didn't want to spend money
on eggs!

    ·         Buy produce that can be cooked.  When your celery starts to go limp because you didn’t eat as many celery sticks as you had hoped this week, you can still slice it up and throw it into some fried rice. That fried rice will keep for another three or four days, so you’ve essentially doubled the life of your celery. Other great (cookable and life-extending) vegetables are: carrots, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and squash. Fruits can be cooked too – apples and pears can be made into muffins or pies; bananas can be used for banana bread or as an egg replacer in baked goods; berries can be used for many types of baked desserts. Think through your choices, either when making your grocery list, or before you check out at the store, by asking yourself: what else can I make with this fruit/vegetable?

·         Learn how to properly store each of the fruits and vegetables you buy. This sounds obvious, but a lot of us don’t know the ideal way to store mushrooms (in a paper bag in the refrigerator but not in the “crisper”), or avocados (not in the fridge unless you have bought an avocado with a “fresh to eat tonight” sticker on it and you’re trying to get an extra day or two out of it.) A quick Internet search can help you out in this department, or you can talk to your grocer/look for signs in the produce department.

Avoid a fate like this for your
lettuce by eating salads
early in the week.

·         Organize your meals around the expected life span of your fresh produce. Look at all your produce, and decide what will probably go bad first, what might last a few days, and what could probably have four or more days before it goes bad. Then organize your meals in that order. Mushrooms, lettuces, and sprouts don’t tend to last long at all, so planning to eat salads right after a shopping trip isn’t a bad idea. Also, any produce you got “on special” – which often means that it’s about to go bad – needs to be eaten relatively quickly. Plan to eat things like potatoes, carrots, and apples later in the week.

·         Shortcut where you can. Yeah, yeah, fresh produce is always the healthiest way to go, but if it’s just going to wind up in the trash, it’s not worth it! Dried/canned/frozen produce is often the best choice when it comes to avoiding unnecessary food waste and saving a few bucks. Also, you’re much more likely to find coupons for packaged produce than for fresh produce. For instance, my “stock” items include: canned green beans, corn, tomatoes, pinto beans, and black beans, canned peaches or pears, dried fruit - like cherries or raisins, pre-cut garlic in a jar, and pre-bottled lemon or lime juice. Altogether, with the help of sales and coupons, this could cost as little as $6 or $7, and some, like the dried fruit and garlic, will last me two weeks or more.