Going for Not Broke

Late yesterday evening, our modem died. It had been coming for a while, because on more than one occasion, our Internet would stop and we'd have to restart the modem. I had hoped to limp it along for a little bit longer. I needed an Internet connection to complete a freelance project I was working on, so I ran out to the only store open at the time, Wal-Mart, which had only one option in DSL modems. Because it was late and I was tired, I bought it, shelling out $100 for a modem/wireless router combo unit. Had I waited until this morning, I could've bought a modem by itself at either Target or Best Buy for less. I know Target has them for less than $50 because just a few hours before our old one died, I had priced one there. I don't know why I didn't just wait. I chalk it up to being very tired. On the plus side, though, our Internet seems a lot faster than it had been. I didn't realize it would make such a difference.

Yesterday, my husband and I stopped by Target to pick up a few needed items ahead of our bi-weekly grocery shopping trip. Every time I shop at Target, I get the same offer from the cashier: “Would you like to save an extra 5 percent and apply for a Target REDcard?” Just in case he/she forgets to ask, each check-out line sports an advertisement for the card. Because I don’t want to accrue any more debt, in the past, I’ve given neither the signs nor the cashier’s question much thought. But yesterday, I noticed something on the sign I hadn’t before: REDcards can be credit cards or debit cards. I have no interest in a credit card, but depending on the terms, a debit card that gives me a 5 percent discount on all purchases at Target might come in handy. I didn’t want to hold up the line asking the cashier questions, so when she asked whether I wanted a REDcard, I said no. When I had a chance later, I went to the company website to see if the card’s for me. My answer: Probably no...

Through the Target website, I requested a sample of Garnier’s Ultra Lift 2-in-1 Wrinkle Reducer . The Target link will take you directly to its Sample Spot page. Other samples that you can also request include a spring beauty bag, but I don’t have the code required for that one, and a Gevalia coffee, but I’m not a coffee drinker, so I passed on that one.

I love checking out daily deals, such as the ones on Amazon , Woot and other sites to see if they offer anything I can use for gift-giving. I noticed recently that Target also offers one as well. It's rare that I actually buy anything, but occasionally I do find something that will suit someone on my shopping list. And when I do, I LOVE the savings. I think all daily deal offerings are worthy checking out.

I don't know if I don't fully understand extreme couponing or if it's just not as doable in my area. (My grocery store options are Aldi , Walmart supercenters, a regular Target , Dollar General , Walgreens and an IGA, which offers a loyalty program similar to S&H Green Stamps, through which you trade loyalty points for prizes, but I'd rather have money off my overall bill.) Aldi doesn't accept coupons, so I've been keeping track of sales and coupons I can use at the other places. I've saved as much as 3 percent on my overall grocery bill, but never the 50 percent and greater savings I see on the extreme couponing shows For my most recent shopping trip, I went to Aldi to do all of my grocery shopping. For the first time in years, I got out of the grocery store for less than $100. In fairness, this was a light shopping week, so my overall bill would've been less than normal no matter where I went. However, I plan to shop there for the bulk of m...