Life Update + How to Maximize Your Savings at BJ's Wholesale Club

Whew! It's been a while since I last posted!! I guess it's time to get back into things...

The last few months have been absolutely life-changing and incredible. I lost my job (for good reason), had three weeks off and began taking classes at The National Personal Training Institute. NPTI is the first and as of yet only hands-on, intensive learning program for personal training. I've been there for six weeks so far and it is astonishing how much I have learned! On Day 1 I was wondering how in the world I was ever going to learn all of the stuff on the syllabus, and how on earth I was ever going to become an effective trainer. Fast forward to the end of week six, or day 30, and I am a completely changed person inside and out. I have found a new love for all kinds of different fitness equipment, a confidence I never thought I could have, and I am fitter than I ever thought I could be. Just one example of body transformation is this -- on day 1 I could barely squeak out 5 push-ups in a row... now I am up to 20, and can perform 15+ on an unstable surface. It is really remarkable and it is so motivating to me as a trainer. I am learning that YES, I CAN... so my intent with my clients will always be YES, YOU CAN!!!

ANYWAY, onward to the main event here.

Do you shop at wholesale clubs? I do. I have memberships to all three of the big ones in the US, currently -- Sam's Club, Costco, and BJ's. But the one that stands out is BJ's, and here's why. They accept any and all manufacturer's coupons. Their program is fantastic. Here are a few lesser known highlights to their coupon policy:

• You can combine store coupons with manufacturer coupons. This means if you have a $1 off coupon provided by BJ's, and a $0.75 off coupon from the Sunday newspaper, you can use both.

• You can use TWO manufacturer's coupons for one item. You must have two (no doubling). I always use the self-checkout lanes so I can scan my own coupons. Example: I have two 55 cents coupons for Almond Breeze almond milk. I scan both for a total savings of $1.10. (This is particularly awesome when you have a $1 off BJ's coupon, too-- then you get an 86 oz jug of almond milk for $1.79!
  
• You can use two different coupons for the same item, too. So, if you have a $1 off coupon for Wholly Guacamole, and a $0.50 off coupon for Wholly Guacamole, you can scan both for a total savings of $1.50.
  
• If you forget your coupons or for some reason don't receive them at your house (I don't!) Go to the counter and ask for the latest coupons and they'll hand you a stack. Merry Christmas!
  
• At the front of the store there are also quite a few coupons to take a gander at. A few months ago there were coupons for organicgirl, and $1.50 off a bag of organic apples (THAT was a good couple of weeks!).

To boot, BJ's prices are already great on many items! They often have instant rebates on certain items and their store brand is also noteworthy. I recently snagged a great deal on a 16 oz. container of vanilla extract. Regular price was $8.99, but there was an instant rebate that brought the price down to $6.99, which put the price per ounce at 43 cents, which is lower than what I usually pay (99 cents/oz., at Aldi).  And I don't have to buy it as often! I plan on using the larger container to refill my smaller Aldi container.

Here are some of my favorite things to buy at BJ's... with or without coupons! There are a lot more things I buy there, too, but these are my staples!

• Organicgirl greens -- they have a HUGE variety of organicgirl greens ranging in price from $4.29/lb to $4.99/lb for the Super Greens mix (tasty!). I usually go for the spinach to use in my smoothies... for a while they had 55 cent off coupons stuck to the Super Greens containers that I peeled off and used on the spinach occasionally... -- I've also been able to print off an unlimited amount of $2 off any organicgirl product coupons in PDF format online. I used a total of 4 coupons, before the coupon expired (one on each box -- I did NOT use more than one per product, because I felt that was being a little too greedy!) which saved me a total of $8 -- essentially, that's almost two entire pounds of spinach for FREE.
  
• Organic quinoa -- $4.99 for a 2-lb bag. Costco's got 'em beat by a few cents on this one, at $9.79 for a 4-lb bag, but if you're on a budget or tight on space (it is recommended to keep quinoa in the refrigerator), then the 2-lb bag is perfect. And you don't need to wash this variety!
  
• Nasoya tofu -- $3.99 for two packages -- I've seen coupons, too! Same price as Whole Foods' store brand, but MUCH better price that Whole Foods for Nasoya brand.
  
• Blue Diamond Almond Breeze almond milk -- $3.79/ 86-oz jug. Every time I go to Publix, I "harvest" about 4-6 of their $0.55 cents off coupons for Almond Breeze to use at BJ's :::guilty::: ... and I use two each time I buy a jug. It's always a good day when BJ's has a coupon, too. PLUS... the jugs are really sturdy and easy to pour. I save some of them and use them to store my homemade laundry detergent!
  
• Wholly Guacamole -- $6.99 for four packs -- NOT a better deal in comparison to Aldi's two packs for $2.99, however... I am about to buy some with $1.50 in coupons which WILL make it a better deal! It will make each package $1.37 as opposed to $1.49. Every penny counts!
  
• Organic apples -- currently $8.49 for a 5-lb bag, which equals out to $1.69/lb. NOT a bad price for organic apples. Publix usually has regular apples for higher than this. We always buy organic apples because it is #1 on the list of recommended produce items to buy organic due to pesticide content. Spinach is on there, too! I used to have apples on hand at all times but have taken to buying them every other week or so because of the price.
  
• Bananas -- $1.39 for a 3-lb bag ($0.46/lb) -- not a better price than Aldi, but close... Aldi's bananas are currently priced at $0.44/lb.
  
• Greeting cards -- I recently discovered this... birthday cards, holiday cards, the whole shebang -- 50 percent off!!! I will never buy another card at Walgreen's for as long as I live (unless I forget and am in a rush... lol).
  
• Raw sugar -- use it for baking delicious dark chocolate brownies ($5.99 for 4-lbs) I am not 100% on this, but I think I paid $3.99 for 2 lbs at Whole Foods, so this is the better deal.
  
• Organic carrots - $2.99 for 2 lbs  (this is the same price as when Publix puts theirs on sale!)
  
• Agave nectar -- $6.99 for a big 44-oz bottle (AMAZING DEAL! Better than Costco's two 22-oz containers for $7.99)
  
• Morningstar Farms veggie burgers -- $11.99 for 16 large patties (they are DELICIOUS and I love to microwave them a bit and cut them up/mash them for use in veggie tacos or skillet dinners!) Coupons for these items are always readily available and I see them in BJ's coupon books all the time! Remember -- you can use maximum 1 store coupon + 2 manufacturer's coupons!! 

I subscribe to the Sunday paper, which often has some good clippable coupons, but I also like to print coupons... my favorite place to print them is at Krazy Coupon Lady... click the name to go to the printable coupon list. A few times a month (I should do it more often...) I go through the entire list and look for items that I use. If you have more than one computer in your household, install the coupon printers and bookmark this site so you can print more of the same coupons -- there are usually limits of 1-2 on each coupon from the same computer.

Well, that's all the tips I have for right now! Happy saving... remember, every coupon you use for an item you are going to buy anyway is MONEY IN YOUR POCKET!

[Product Review] 100% Pure Cosmetics

I first bought makeup from this cosmetic line in December 2010, and I've been hooked ever since. I first used the fruit-pigmented Healthy Skin Foundation and I swear that my skin literally cleared up overnight. I had been using a makeup from Max Factor that lots of women swore by, but I had come to the conclusion after reading the label (I do that with foods, and I had started doing it with what I put ON my body as well) that these women were simply misinformed. Sure, the makeup does the job to cover up the spot and is the color of your skin... but what are its long term effects? Not good. Chemicals and preservatives all over your beautiful face, all day every day? No thanks.

My first bottle of Healthy Skin foundation is STILL half full, making it more than worth the $32 I spent on it back in December. You need very little. I apply it over my St. Ive's Timeless Skin moisturizer and 100% Pure's antioxidant primer. I love knowing that I am not putting chemicals into my skin and that it is all fruits and veggies! Here is a list of my old makeup's ingredients vs. my current makeup's ingredients... it is shocking the difference!

MAX FACTOR LASTING PERFORMANCE STAY-PUT MAKEUP

• Water
• Cyclopentasiloxane
• Propylene glycol
• dimethicone
• talc
• aluminum starch
• octenylsuccinate
• sodium chloride
• methiconelaureth-7
• PEG/PPG-18/18   otherwise known as WTF
• arachidyl behenate
• trihydroxystearin
• dehydroacetate
• silica
• ethylene brassylate
• synthetic wax
• methylparaben
• polyglyceryl-4
• isostearate
• propylparaben
• PVP
• hexyl laurate
• ethylene/methacrylate copolymer
• stearic acid
• aluminium hydroxide
• cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone
• isopropyl titatium triisostearate
• titanium dioxide
• iron oxides

"MADE IN USA OF US AND IMPORTED PARTS"

VS.

100% Pure -- HEALTHY SKIN FOUNDATION WITH SUPER FRUITS, SPF 20 

• Titanium dioxide, zinc oxide (sunscreen)
• Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf (Aloe Juice)
• Rice Starch,
• Peach extract
• Apricot extract
• Cocoa bean extract
• goji berry extract
• Acai oil
• pomegranate oil
• Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
• Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate)
• Candelilla Wax
• white tea leaf extract
• coffee cherry
• maqui berry
• muscadine grape
• mangosteen
• acerola fruit
• elderberry
• grapefruit seed
• japanese honeysuckle

When I started using 100% Pure, my skin literally cleared up overnight. My skin is smoother, softer, there are less flakes, and it actually glows. I love the SPF in it, as well. I really do not like being in the sun. You will never find me tanning or "laying out" purposely to get a tan. I have been to the beach once in the last two years where I laid down on a towel with SPF 50 for less than 3 hours. The sun and I are not friends. But when I'm 50, 60, 70 years old, I will thank myself. Heck, I'm thanking myself already :)

I'm in love with Big Lots

Anyone who knows me knows that I love this store. Though most people look at me and snicker, think I'm weird, and tease me about it, I usually get the last laugh. When I return from my weekly trip with a bag full of great ingredients for delicious meals, desserts, or just pantry staples at a fraction of the cost of even the cheapest grocery stores, I know I've "dun good" with my dollar! 

What you've heard is a myth. They don't sell all "expired" stuff. Although they do have their own brands, it's also a closeout store. So, for example, when stores stop carrying certain brands, or a brand changes their logo, stores like Big Lots buy out their stock to resell in their own stores at a discount. You can get all kinds of stuff there for any kind of lifestyle -- from junk food junkie to health aficionado (totally spelled that right the first time ;-)), Big Lots has something for everyone. And with shipments every week, you never know what you're going to find! Here are some of the great finds I've picked up at my local Big Lots... that really fit my lifestyle!

• organic tomato paste ($0.33 per can)
• organic diced tomatoes ($0.80 per can)
• organic veggie broth ($1.50)
• organic chocolate (cherry vanilla... amazing and $1.80 for a bar!)
• Bob's Red Mill 7-grain cereal and bean soup mix
• whole wheat couscous ($2 a box!)
• organic canned beans (pinto, garbanzo, black, $1 a can!)
• Ghirardelli chocolate chips (their semi-sweet chips are vegan)
• Ghirardelli brownie mix (makes a mean pan of black bean brownies!)
• organic granola bars (Nature's Path)
• Kashi cereals
• Clif bars
• light coconut milk 
• potato gnocchi ($2 per pack, vs. $4-$5 at a normal store)
• Tom's toothpaste
• REAL Italian pasta
• organic pasta sauce
• organic canned vegetables (green beans, yellow corn)
• organic teas ($2/64 oz.) Green Tea Pomegranate, Peach White Tea)
• Ocean Spray Fruit + Veggie juice ($2.50... it's $4.29 at Publix!)
• Arnold 100-calorie Sandwich Thins ($1.40 for eight! Freeze them and use them for veggie burgers)
• lots of ethnic foods, including dry beans and Asian stir-fry sauces -- chili garlic is one I like to have on hand and it is a cool $1.50!

I love to check Big Lots for these kinds of items before I go someplace like Whole Foods--it's great when I find the items here because most of the items listed here do NOT have coupons... shopping at Big Lots is like using coupons... without using coupons! Their loyalty club, by the way, sends 20% off entire purchase coupons through your email periodically, and each $20 purchase gets you a step closer to a 20% coupon as well. Ten $20 purchases = 20% coupon to use on anything!

Big Lots has a lot to offer. They even have furniture, lamps, rugs, hardware and it is THE cheapest place to buy BATTERIES (4 AA batteries for $1.50, it really does not get any cheaper and they have tons), Wii games, dishes, kitchenware, decorations, outdoor stuff, pet supplies... you name it, they probably have it or will have it in time. I try to make it in at least once a week.

I am not a big sandwich eater but they do have a steady supply of bread about a week away from expiration at a DEEP discount - $1.40 - $1.80 per loaf, which is even cheaper than buying them BOGO at Publix. I have stocked up for Ben in the past. Just put the loaves in the freezer and store the loaf you're using in the fridge and it will last for weeks. If I see the sandwich thins though, I will snatch those up quick. They've also had Thomas' Bagels and Bagel Thins.

There is also a great variety of condiments at Big Lots -- many types of mustards, ketchups, chili sauce, hot sauces, relish, dressings, spices/rubs, peppers... it's all there! You really never know what you'll find.

Keep in mind that some Big Lots stores get preferential treatment. Specifically, those stores in a wealthier area of town are actually labeled "flagship" stores, which are generally better stocked and organized. The one closest to my place of work is a flagship store. I prefer this store, but I still love venturing into a non-flagship store just to see what I'll find. It's an adventure every time!

[Product Feature] ROKU -- Little Box of Amazingness

So we got this new TV, right? It is such a huge step up from our giant boob tube it's not even funny. We love it.

Every week, we watch several TV shows. Thing is, we never catch them when they're on TV. We don't like to plan our lives around TV, and we hate all the commercials, so we have been watching them on Hulu.com whenever we feel like it, and we love it!! But once we got this new TV, we were thinking about how we could make it possible to watch our shows on our new TV. Ben's parents (still feels weird to say my "in-laws") received an AppleTV device from Stephanie, Ben's sister, for Christmas this year. So we looked that up on our beloved Amazon.com to see if it was compatible with Hulu... but it wasn't! After a little research and a visit to Hulu.com itself, we discovered ROKU... starting at $59, the ROKU streams over your highspeed wireless internet onto your TV. No hooking up to your computer required. We subscribed to Hulu Plus for $8 per month so we can watch all episodes, past and current, of our favorite shows like The Office, Modern Family, The Biggest Loser, and Glee on the HuluPlus channel on ROKU! Before, we'd sit on the couch with one of our MacBooks, brand-new TV in the background and watch our shows on the tiny MacBook screen. ANNOYING!

The Little Box of Amazingness itself.

With ROKU, you can simply go to the Hulu Plus channel, go to your queue, and select the episode you want to watch, and it plays in HD on your big screen! O-M-G! After doing it the MacBook way for over a year, this was a welcome change!!

Hulu Plus wasn't the only channel that rocked my socks on ROKU -- they also have Pandora (FREE), Amazon on Demand (which allows you to choose from several hundred FREE movies or rent them right from the screen), several other free movie channels, Facebook Photos (where you can watch facebook pictures on the big screen) and my favorite.... THE GYMBOX!!!!

Okay, this has turned into another feature all of a sudden, but it all goes back to ROKU, the Little Box of Amazingness. (Did I mention it only took 10 minutes to set up and it was SO EASY!!?)

Now, The Gymbox. It's a fitness channel. You subscribe online for $10 per month, or $99 per year, and you get to do HUNDREDS of group-fitness-class-at-the-gym style workouts!!! You can choose from

• cardio dance
• core strength
• pilates
• yoga
• treadmill
• kickboxing
• stretching
• strength training
• SPINNING 
• step
• extreme cardio intervals

That is 11 different types of workouts with REAL trainers that upload NEW workouts EVERY week. For $10 a month!?! I actually bought a Spinning bike (for a sweet $300 on Amazon, check it out HERE!) with some leftover bonus money so I could spin in my living room!

This is an absolutely GENIUS invention. My husband and I did a Step class together in our living room! (He was really good at it, too, better than me! Must be is dancing skills kicking in!) All of the past workouts are archived so you can scroll through and select others you haven't done before. The trainers are great, and there are "beginner" classes which are a little more basic, but also shorter. At 30 minutes, the beginner classes are perfect for mornings before work. The longer advanced classes, at 40 minutes to an hour (usually an hour) are perfect for weekends or weekday mornings when I have more time. 

Click HERE to go there now!

And at $10 per month, it is WAY cheaper than a gym membership and you don't even have to leave your house. That's the best part-- Ben and I have often asked each other this after a morning workout in the living room: "Would we even work out if we didn't work out at home like this?" The answer would be NO! Because the exact amount of time I need to get in a good sweat session in the morning is the exact amount of time I would WASTE driving to the gym. No thanks!

You can even bring your ROKU with you wherever you go. Ours was a deluxe model that came with cables to hook up to any TV with an a/v port (so where your DVD player gets plugged in). We use the HDMI cable, but if you're going on a trip, you might not have access to an HDTV.

Anyway, I love it. Ben loves it. Best money I ever spent!

Savvy Spending... How to Get the Most BANG For Your Buck!

Costs can stack up a lot faster if you only shop retail!

Savvy spending. That doesn't mean we DON'T spend. It means when we do spend, we spend very wisely and try to get a lot of bang for our buck. This week-and-a-half, we have spent quite a bit of money...more so than usual. I got a bonus recently and it's been veeeery nice to not have to pay $650 in rent every month for a dinky, dark, downtown apartment. So we decided to make some upgrades to our technology in the house, and we did that first by purchasing a refurbished 42" flat screen LCD HDTV! We ordered it, it arrived, and we installed it last weekend.

What's a refurb? Factory refurbished items can be a number of things. First, it could be that the item was indeed defective and was sent back to the factory to be repaired and inspected. It could have been a store display, or a store return for any reason (TV too small, recipient did not like, etc.) and once the original box has been opened, retailers are not allowed to resell the TV as new. If the item is not sold as-is, oftentimes they are sent back to the manufacturer to become a certified refurbished item. Then they can be sold online (usually) for hundreds of dollars less than the brand-new price--AND it's been double-inspected. We like that.

You can get refurbished phones, cameras, food processors, refrigerators...heck, we just bought a refurbished hedge trimmer and saved $20!! It feels great to be able to get exactly what you need (and sometimes what you don't need!) for a lot less money than "normal" people pay :-) It feels like you're part of a secret club!

Shop online! The UPS and FedEx guys know us. We have stuff delivered to our house ALL the time from our online shopping ventures. We order vitamins, hedge trimmers, kitchen cabinets (yep), furniture, cat food, cat litter... you name it, I can find it online WITH a coupon code for at least 10% off! I absolutely love online shopping. You can buy with so much confidence due to all of the customer reviews (or lack thereof) on a product and know you're getting a great product before you just buy it in the store because it looks nice... and then it breaks two days after you get it, or just doesn't work. I did this for our wedding registry as well. If the reviews were bad, it was not on my list!

Some of my favorite sites to find great deals are:

www.amazon.com -- everything from fitness equipment, movies, books, appliances, electronics... they don't have much by way of linens or clothing, but that's not a bad thing. Great customer service, so easy to use, and if you use your .edu email address you can get a YEAR of free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime! Yay!!!

www.vitacost.com -- great variety of vitamins and supplements and their "store" brand is great. We also buy shampoo, body wash, etc. on here because they have a great variety of cruelty-free and organic products. We even buy food on it! Ben likes this European cereal, called Muesli, that Vitacost sells for $1.50 less per package than Publix!

www.shopping.google.com -- kind of a metacrawler for online stores. I go here to check and make sure I can't find the same product somewhere else for less money. It even includes eBay, and includes shipping into the total cost!

eBay and Half.com -- great for books. I read the reviews and check prices on Amazon.com first, then cross-check these sites to see if I can find it cheaper.

Overstock.com -- great place to get great deals!! We bought our stainless steel kitchen sink and faucet for hundreds less than Home Depot and Lowe's prices. We also have purchased and office chair. They do have a few coupons as well, and shipping is always $2.95 no matter what! 

www.retailmenot.com -- if you're on a site buying something and you see a field to enter a coupon code, but you don't have one--don't despair! Simply Google the site name plus the words "coupon code" or "promo code" and retailmenot.com will, 9 times out of 10, come up first. I did this for our kitchen cabinets on www.CabinetGiant.com and save an extra 20% (!!!).


What I love most about online shopping is that most of the time, you don't have to pay tax!! Plus, you save TIME, hassles, uncertainty, GAS, and pains in the arse from having to fit whatever it is you are buying, especially if it's large, into the car and out again, to bring into your house. Have it delivered right to your door!

The Internet is a GREAT tool for busy people. And now, you don't even need a computer! With the Amazon iPhone app, buying a hedgetrimmer on your lunch break at work is an absolute cinch! Paying off your credit card bill (in full, every month, of course!) is a snap with Bank of America's iPhone app, too.

Product Feature: E-Z-Rol Garlic Peeler

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

How this little sucker peels garlic so fast and so perfectly, I'll never know... but you won't ever find me in the kitchen peeling garlic with my fingers or by "cracking" it with a knife again, that is for sure! All you have to do is place the "clothed" clove inside the garlic peeler, and roll it back and forth on a flat surface, applying a bit of pressure ... you'll hear a crackling sound. Stop! Shake out your naked garlic and get to choppin'!! I absolutely LOVE this little gadget. Buy it HERE!

Product Feature: Fasta Pasta Microwave Pasta Cooker

This has got to be one of the best items I have ever purchased! For just $10, I no longer have to wait for water to boil on the stove to have fresh cooked pasta. Three cups of dry penne into this container, filled with water to "line 4" as indicated on the side, microwaved for 10 minutes (stir once), then 5 minutes... and you've got perfect pasta! It is so easy! I used it to cook two cups of elbow macaroni noodles this weekend--15 minutes and it was done. It could not have been easier. I recommend this product to anyone who has better things to do with their time than watch a pot of water boil!

Purchase it by clicking HERE!