Tag: budget

How to Save a TON of Money Buying Chicken

How to Save a TON of Money Buying Chicken

by hannahshelbymorgan ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Get ready to learn my biggest shopping secret!

If you’re anything like me you’re obsessed with chicken. I kid you not–we eat chicken for nearly every meal. It’s no secret that buying boneless skinless chicken breast at the store will put a small dent in your wallet.

Most quality chicken breast at the grocery store is in the $5-10/lb range. The chicken I normally get at Hy-Vee runs about $6.99/lb. Do the math–(6) 1 1/2lb packages of chicken will run you about $62.91 before tax.

Fun Fact: When shopping at the meat cooler at Target, an employee was stocking the refrigerated section & noticed I was comparing the different brands of chicken. HE LET ME IN ON A SECRET! The Good & Gather brand of chicken literally comes in the same box as the Tyson chicken (which comes with a MUCH higher price tag).

SO HOW DO I DO IT?

My entire chicken haul was 14.95 pounds of chicken which I purchased for $14.84. If I would’ve purchased this amount of chicken at Hy-Vee (where I usually buy my meat), the same exact amount of chicken would have cost me $104.50. That is a grand savings of $89.67 . . . seriously INSANE!

Let’s get down to it!

Target sells big packages of Good & Gather boneless skinless chicken breasts at $1.99/lb in packs that weigh 5-7ish pounds. Not on sale, this will run you somewhere around $10.

They way to save major cash is by checking the expiration dates. If you notice that Target has a pretty high stock of packages that are close to the expiration date, come back the day before or the day of the “best by” date. At this point the chicken is still totally safe to eat & maintains its quality.

When the chicken reaches its “best by or freeze” date, Target slaps $5 off stickers on it to get it out of their inventory. The attached coupon made each of the 3 packs of chicken I bought roughly $5 each, give or take. They will also put $3 off coupons on the smaller packs of chicken breasts that are 3 pound(ish) packages. Since it is so close to the “best by” date when you purchase the chicken, it is important to get it prepped & in the freezer right away.

If all of the packages you pick up have a coupon like the one pictured below, they will all ring up at a discounted rate! When I purchased 3 packages I was able to use $15 worth of coupons, so basically half of it was FREE!!!

Target attaches coupons to chicken close to the “best by” date.

After I got that CRAZY steal, I prepped the chicken by dating freezer bags, trimming the chicken, & separating it out–2 chicken breasts per quart freezer bag. Make sure to get all of the air out of the bag before you seal it to avoid freezer burn.

Freezer bags prepped & ready to be filled!

I ended up with 9 portions of chicken out of my haul, all of which I stacked in my freezer to use for oven recipes & crockpot meals. In the end, each bag of chicken ended up costing $1.64. Compared to the $7 you’d spend at Hy-Vee, Walmart, etc., that is MAJOR SAVINGS!

I paid $14.84 for almost 15 pounds of chicken.

Wishing you happy savings & happy, CHEAP meals! I can’t wait to hear how much you save on chicken breasts from now on. Don’t settle for paying hundreds for meat any longer . . . you’re welcome! Let me know in the comments section how you will be using all your newfound savings!

xo, Han

Secrets Retailers Don’t Want You to Know

Secrets Retailers Don’t Want You to Know

by hannahshelbymorgan ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I have discovered some amazing tricks while shopping lately! These are total money savers & tips that retailers don’t just give out (seriously, why would they want you to know?!). Happy saving, friends!

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Bed, Bath & Beyond is one of my go-to stores for my household basics. One thing I can find there that I can’t find anywhere else (other than Amazon) is the Connoisseurs Silver Wipes I use to clean my silver pieces.

Save those print 20% off coupons, because guess what? They don’t actually expire!

You’re probably wondering why they even put expiration dates on the coupons–my guess is so that people will throw them away, saving the company money! Keep in mind that it is only the print / paper coupons that don’t expire — digital / smart device coupons do actually expire.

I found this shopping hack out when I was in line to buy my silver wipes at the customer service desk this summer. I was going on to the cashier about how bummed I was that I’d had all these 20% off coupons at home that I’d just thrown away because they expired, & she told me to dig them out of the trash because they’re still usable! The customer service gal told me that she had a customer in that week that used a 20% off coupon that EXPIRED IN 2011!

Lesson: never E V E R toss a Bed, Bath & Beyond coupon.

Hobby Lobby

Have you ever been wandering the aisles of Hobby Lobby waiting for just the perfect thing to jump out at you that completely ties your space together? Let’s just say that happens to be a buffalo plaid throw pillow (ALL the rage this fall!) & of course they only have 1 & it’s on super sale. Do not pass it up simply because there’s only 1 & you need more — ask for a raincheck!

At the returns register the cashier can write a rain check for you that secures the exact number of items you need at the sale price. They give you a call as soon as the item(s) are in & you can pick them up at any register for the same price you would’ve the day you found it. What I love about this is that you don’t have to pay more money for what you were already going to buy & you don’t have to stalk the aisles waiting for it to be re-stocked. I’d say that’s a win-win!

Lesson: if a sale item is out of stock, ask for a raincheck to get it at the sale price when its restocked.

Target

First of all, if you don’t already use Target’s Cartwheel app you are MISSING OUT! Simply download the Target app on your smartphone, then scan the items with your camera when you’re at the store & if there is a coupon or sale it will automatically pop up. You have to manually save the offer & let the cashier scan your wallet on the Target app at checkout. (Hello, savings!!!)

I stumbled upon this Target trick by accident when I was shopping for NYX Makeup Primer. It was $17 & I scanned it with my Target Cartwheel app and it said something like $5 or $6. I was confused because there was no sale sign in the aisle, so I found a gal stocking merch & asked what the deal was. She told me Target price matches their online prices. MIND = BLOWN! I had no idea! So when I went to the register I showed him the page on the app where it said the sale price at Target.com & he adjusted the price. I saved over $10 on this one item!

Intrigued, I did some more research when I got home & verified it with customer service during the next Target haul. Target will price match with Target.com, Amazon & Walmart to name a few. To price match, the item you’re matching has to be perfectly identical to what you’re trying to purchase at Target. When at the register, show the page on your phone where it shows the item & price on the competitor’s page & they’ll adjust the price. Isn’t this completely life changing?! Who doesn’t love savings!

Lesson: scan every item you’re purchasing the the Cartwheel app & ALWAYS do your price research before large purchases.

Complete List of Target Price Match Competitors

  • Amazon.com
  • BedBathandBeyond.com
  • Bestbuy.com
  • Barnesandnoble.com
  • Buybuybaby.com
  • Costco.com
  • CVS.com
  • Diapers.com
  • DicksSportingGoods.com
  • Gamesstop.com
  • JCPenny.com
  • Kmart.com
  • Kohls.com
  • Macys.com
  • Newegg.com
  • OfficeDepot.com
  • Petco.com
  • Petsmart.com
  • SamsClub.com
  • Sears.com
  • Staples.com
  • Ulta.com
  • Walgreens.com
  • Walmart.com
  • Wayfair.com

So the real question is now that you’ve saved all this $$$ on shopping you were gonna do anyway, where are you vacationing with all your savings?! Even more important question, what date did you book our vacay? 😉 If you come across awesome shopping tips & tricks, I’d L O V E to hear about them!

xo, Han

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7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Wedding Dress Shopping

by hannahshelbymorgan ♥ 6 Comments

“At the end of the day, it’s the bride who makes the dress, not the other way around.” — Kang Chun Lin, designer

The day every girl dreams of the day she says yes to the dress!

I had this day planned in my calendar for months. A special trip was arranged for me to go back to my hometown to meet up with my Mom, Mother-in-law, & very best friend/maid of honor to go dress shopping, but fate had a different agenda.

My Mom’s mom (Grammy) ended up in the hospital & was dying with the flu. Being the woman she is, my mother was trying to stay tough for everyone, but I could see she was wearing down after spending the entire night prior to dress shopping in the hospital by her mother’s side. We had plans to shop in Kansas City, MO at a couple boutiques and find T H E O N E! Long story short, my Mom got a phone call from her brother that she needed to rush back to the hospital & I was left with my Mother-in-law & MOH to keep shopping. Of course I found my dress with the very first one I tried on, and sadly my Mom wasn’t there to share that moment with me. It’s one of the most melancholy days I’ve ever had, but I count my blessings.

We set our agendas & expect everything to go as planned, but remember to be flexible. Little things will come up during your wedding planning & threaten to throw you off or make you question what you’re doing—stay positive! Everything will work out exactly how it’s supposed to.

After navigating all things wedding dresses over the last year, I’m confident I can say there’s some things I wish I’d known before shopping for my wedding dress.

  1. Know who to bring. This one might be the most important of all! Take too many people & there may be too many opinions; take the wrong people and there may be hurt feelings. Experts say it’s best to stick to a couple family members & maybe some of your wedding party, but at the end of the day this is your experience. Bring people who will surround you with love and support on this special day.
  2. Make appointments in advance. Most bridal salons require that you make an appointment to shop for and try on wedding dresses—don’t expect to walk into a salon & try on dresses without an appointment. The sweet spot for booking appointments is 6 weeks or more in advance to the day you want to shop. Remember, you can always try your luck on last minute cancellations, but don’t make that your only game plan.
  3. Bring the necessities. This is something I failed to completely research before arriving at my first dress appointment: wear/bring a strapless bra and nude undies!
  4. Have an idea of what you may want. The first thing every consultant at different salons asked me was, “What kind of dress are you looking for?” For me it was easy; I wanted a fitted, long sleeved lace gown with a long train. Search online or in magazines for what you think would look & feel good on your body & what may go with the vibe you want for your big day. Even a few pictures of dresses online will help consultants guide you in the right direction. Don’t get fixated on a certain dress or style though—you never know what dress might surprise you!
  5. Set a budget before you shop. It doesn’t matter if you, your parents, in-laws, fiancé, or whoever else are paying for your wedding dress…talk about the budget! Let’s face it—talking about money can be awkward, but it will be way less awkward to do it anywhere other than the bridal salon when you’re standing there in a gown you can’t afford.
  6. Get what you want. When shopping for a wedding dress there can be a lot of pressure to please whoever has the checkbook or to get what your mother wants you to wear. In the end this is your wedding day, not anyone else’s, so get a dress that you feel comfortable & BEAUTIFUL in. Don’t settle for any less! On that note, make sure it’s physically comfortable (or have a different reception dress)!
  7. Remember why you’re there. It’s so easy to get caught up in finding the perfect dress, worrying about how expensive or inexpensive the dress is, among a million other things; don’t lose sight of what finding this dress is all about. You’re here to find the dress that you get to marry the person of your dreams in! Cheers to that!