You get 100% of what you don't ask for

Don't feel bad. I had to stop and think about that the first time Tim said it to me too.

I'm not very good and bargaining and asking for deals, but I'm definitely getting better. Yesterday I had to take the car for a muffler. We were going to use money we had been saving for the tires, but decided to use the garage sale money instead. I hadn't had a chance to go to the bank and deposit it yet so I had all the cash with me. As I was getting ready to pay I asked, "Do you guys offer any discounts for paying in cash?" The lady behind the counter said, "No. Sorry." and then the manager spoke up from the office and said, "Sure, give her $10 off." It doesn't sound like much, but $10 is $10.

Along the same lines, I was at CVS last night and they didn't have the right size diaper that I needed. Since they are on sale this week, I asked for a rain check. The old me would have been too embarrassed to ask. I would have felt bad for the people behind me in line. Not now. It can make a real difference in your grocery budget. In fact, I was kicking myself for not asking for some last week when their CVS brand diapers were on sale. I'm not very good at asking at bigger stores, but it's some thing I'm working on.

With Troy in school yesterday, I did a lot of running... here are my finds:

Aldi = Milk $1.99/gallon (limit 10) - Some times I notice a difference in the flavor of milk, so I only bought one gallon to try. It passed the test, so I'll have Tim pick up a few more on his way home some night to put in the freezer.

Meijer = Saved $5 with Meijer promotion coupon, $1.25 coupon, and $49.82 in advertised specials. Total savings = $56.07 (37% of our bill). What is funny is that I was actually disappointed because I didn't really have any coupons and a lot of things weren't on sale. Our biggest savings came with the BOGO on the chicken. We eat a lot of frozen chicken.

CVS = Saved $9.40 and earned $14 Extra Care Bucks by shopping the Ad. Addison has really dry skin and the nurse highly recommended Aveno Baby. Normally it's $5.29 at CVS, which is a lot compared to most lotions that are $3.99 or less. This week select Aveno is on sale for $3.99 each plus you get $10 ECB when you buy $20 worth of select Johnson & Johnson. So I stocked up on lotion and a couple baby baths for Troy. The other $4 ECB came from some Aleeve that we needed. As I mentioned, I also got a rain check for Pampers. Now when I got back to get that, I can use my coupon and ECB and REALLY save.

Those were my deals for the day! It's been a long time since I've done bargain and deals shopping. By the end of the day, I felt really accomplished. The only store I didn't make it to was Sam's Club. I'll try to go there tomorrow. Those savings are hard to calculate, but I've been careful to price compare and only buy items that are actually cheaper.