It was a pretty good day at the grocery stores. I had a $ 5.00 King Soopers Gift certificate that DH had gotten for subscribing to the newspaper, and that more than paid for two 20 oz. boxes of Kellogs Raisin Bran, and a large fresh pineapple. I had a $1.00 off coupon for the cereal, and it was on sale for $1.67 a box, so they cost only $1.17 each. They have coupons for free DVD's on them too! The pineapple was a loss leader at only a dollar. Total saved was $7.51, and total spent was $3.34, so it was all free, and I still have credit.
At Albertsons, I got six cans of Kuner's chili beans for 44 cents each, and five cans of Campbell's tomato soup for 34 cents each, with a coupon and the sale price. I spent $4.34 and saved $5.43.
This is how I shop, and I can save quite a bit of money combining loss leader prices and coupons. I don't use a lot of coupons, and don't spend much time on collecting them. It is the Sunday papers, only. I buy Wal-Mart's store brands much of the time.
Most of my grocery list revolves around loss leaders, and meat that has been marked down.
I spend very little on groceries this way.

One store is on the way to where my mom lives , and the other is close by. I go to visit her twice a week, and hit the sales on the way.

So, today, I saved $12.94 which I will add to my challenge money.

My DH's favorite jacket had two large oil stains on it, and a cap had auto grease on
it. I tried laundry pre-treatments with no success. I was ready to throw the items in the trash, when I decided to try "Goop", the hand cleaner/stain remover that is sold in the automotive department at Wal-Mart, and in some grocery stores. I applied the "Goop" liberally on the stains and rubbed it into the fabric. I waited about 20 minutes and then laundered the jacket and cap in hot water in the washing machine. NO MORE STAINS! I saved $50.00 by resurecting these items from the trash!
This product is amazing! It is the only thing I have ever found that will remove black grease and oil stains, as well as other difficult to remove stains. In the past, I have used it on infant car seats, strollers, carpet stains, and stained clothing. It is very inexpensive too.

DH and I have been in Texas for the past 10 days, and were taken to a rodeo and concert in Houston. A relative's company owns a box at the stadium, and we were invited to join in on the festivities. It was pretty interresting to say the least. All food and drinks were free, we were waited on, and there was even a private bathroom with a bouquet of beautiful roses on a table. Then, it was back to reality when the evening ended.

While there, we walked around the fairgrounds, and I watched people who looked like they could not afford to be spending money at the carnival and concession stands, spend like there was no tomorrow. The prices were outrageous. Lemonade and ice cream cones were $5.50 each, a turkey leg was $7.50, t-shirts averaged $18.00 each, and some of the booths were selling baby onesies for $40.00 each! Every booth had a crowd waiting to spend.
I wondered if I have gotten too frugal, because I could not bring myself to spend on these things. Maybe I need to loosen up and not worry about the cost of things and just have fun, and worry about the expense later, like everyone else seemed to do. I looked at extremely young couples with babies and toddlers, spending money like crazy. This area has a very high population of minorities who don't make much money, and they seemed to be in the majority at the carnival. I worry about what effect this kind of spending has on them, but then I think maybe they just want to have fun, for a while, and not care about the expense. It is kind of sad, though, that those who can least afford to squander money at a carnival seem to be the ones who spend the most.

While visiting relatives, I was also bummed that a dad talked his twenty year old daughter into buying a brand new Mustang and financing it for SEVEN years.
Her payments are over $300.00 a month. She is a college student, and works part time, earning about six hundred a month! What was he thinking? If she put that money into a mutual fund every month for seven years, and never added another dime, she could have a tidy sum when she retires.
Why do so many people live for the moment?
Are they fools, or are we, the ones who worry so much about saving for the future?

Is it possible that people can give out too much information on a site like this?
Some people have given out their first and last names, the towns they live in, and other identifying information, as well as their net worth. I find this a little concerning in today's world. Am I the only one who has these concerns?