Millstone is a popular coffee. I like that you can buy it by the pound. I don’t brew a lot of coffee, so I like that I can purchase 1/4 lb if I choose.  It also allows me to try different flavors and bean types without feeling stuck with a whole pound of something (if I don’t like it).  The problem I have with Millstone is that I find it to be incredibly bitter.  I have yet to find a Millstone flavor that I really like.  Any suggestions?

The Juan Valdez coffee is a more affordable option.  The price is pretty good and we’ve heard the Juan Valdez name for years, but I have never tried their coffee.  If anyone has tried it, please let me know what you think of it.

A few months ago, Wal-Mart began carrying a less expensive by-the-pound coffee.  At $6.54/lb, Veneto’s is an affordable alternative to Millstone.  I found that Veneto’s has a similar taste to Millstone.

A few other coffees I have tried are Folgers, Maxwell House, and Starbucks.  Folgers is ok, Maxwell House seems to taste good for a few days and then loose its intensity, and I have yet to find a Starbucks flavor that I enjoy.  They’re too strong, too bitter, or something just isn’t right.  I don’t mean to be so picky, but if I’m going to have coffee I want it to taste right.  Know what I mean?

I was getting very frustrated at my coffee experiences and so I asked my friend Marye at Kettle & Cup which coffee she recommended.  Her top recommendation was Ugly Joe’s.  I was giving thought to trying Ugly Joe’s (and still am), but then I came across Caribou Coffee while I was shopping at Target. 

I probably wouldn’t have bought the Caribou Coffee, but it was 50% off.  The $4 price tag made it hard to pass up, plus I had tried the Caribou Coffee granola bars before and they were quite tasty.  I decided to give it a try and got the Sumatra blend.  Let me just say, I am pretty happy with this purchase.  It is creamy and not bitter and the earthy taste is delicious.  I don’t know that I have found the “perfect coffee” for my personal taste, but this is pretty close. 

Some of you may have no problem drinking inexpensive coffee such as Maxwell House, Folgers, or S&D.  Unfortunately, I have developed a preference for a certain taste.  In areas such as this, it is difficult to use coupons and buy whichever brand is the cheapest.  It is, however, thrifty to find something that you like and not waste hard earned money searching for something that meets your preferences.

If you enjoyed this article you may also enjoy 20 Ways to Save on Coffee. 

Which coffees are your favorite?

Disclaimer:  These thoughts are only opinions and should be treated as such.Images 1-3 by Karen Weideman.  Image 4 from Caribou Coffee. 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

It’s a good time to stock up on things like Campbell’s soups, creamed soups, stuffing, and baking supplies.  While I was at Wal-Mart this week, I noticed that they had their Campbell’s cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups for 60 cents.  This was about 20 cents cheaper than the Wal-Mart brand. 

Watch for these lower prices and if you have a few bucks to spare, now would be a good time to stockpile a few of these items while the prices are lower.

Happy saving!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

My hubby and I have learned not to buy the first thing we see.  This is a good thing because we want to be good stewards of our money and we want to be happy with our purchase.  And this is bad because we want to be good stewards, we want to be happy, and it takes us way too long to do our research and make a decision. 

Making a decision on which mattress is pretty tough.  After all, you don’t lie on the store mattress for very long and every night you have to sleep on the one your choose.  You just can’t go throwing out money like it’s nothing.

I just have to say that the Tempurpedic was our first choice, but I would have to save for a lot longer to buy it.  I didn’t have $3500 lying around.  lol  And just a bit of advice . . . if you’re in the market for a mattress, I would recommend going by The Original Mattress Company.  They actually buy name brand mattresses and cut them apart so that you can really see what’s inside and make an informed decision.  Some mattress companies out there are advertising memory foam and all these other bells and whistles.  I looked inside one mattress that claimed to have memory foam and the piece of foam was about 2 ft by 2 ft.  No kidding!

Our mattress purchase cost us over $1200.  I’m such a cheapskate sometimes.  It makes me cringe to spend that kind of money.  I hope our backs will be happier for it.

What kind of big purchase have you made lately?  Did you do your research before buying?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I took her glasses in to a local shop and asked them what could be done.  They said she would need new frames.  The problem is, they didn’t have the frame in stock.  It would take a week and the frames would be $98!!!  Ouch! 

I really didn’t want her to go without her glasses for a week.  I decided to try another place.  They had the frames in stock and they were only $40!!!  Fifty-eight dollars difference for the exact same frame. 

As you can imagine, I was very pleased with the savings and also glad that my daughter could have her glasses right away.  It’s amazing at how much you can save if you’ll just take the time to comparison shop. 

Sometimes we think that we don’t have the time to comparison shop or we just don’t want to be bothered.  I am guilty of this as well.  If the first place would have had the frames in stock, I might have hesitantly paid the $98 just to be done with it.  Going to the next business only took a few minutes of my time and the rewards were great.

How about you?  Are you guilty of paying the first business?  How has comparison shopping paid off for you?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

1)  U.S. Cellular is an inferior service to Suncom.

2)  U.S. Cellular costs A LOT more than Suncom.

3)  U.S. Cellular nickel and dimes you for every little thing. (nights starting at 7 pm, texting, etc)

4)  U.S. Cellular has done me wrong. 

5)  U.S. Cellular charges an activiation fee for EACH phone.

6)  The roaming areas for U.S. Cellular are just ridiculous!!!!

This is really burning me up!  But, what can I do?  I guess I have to bite the bullet and pay the dough.  This really stinks!!!!  Anyone else having similar problems?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Yesterday I went to Target and after looking at about 40 or so lunchboxes I finally decided on the Artic Zone lunchbox.  It has a bottom chamber with container, which is perfect for keeping sandwiches safe.  The top part is tall enough that it will hold a sports bottle upright so that it won’t leak. 

Finding the right lunchbox is important to me because I don’t want to waste my money on something that doesn’t work for us.  Still, paying $8.99 for a lunchbox made me cringe and complain.  After all, I am a clearance shopper. 

I bought the lunchbox at Target and then headed Wal-Mart.  Imagine my surprise when I found the same lunchbox for $6.34.  That’s a savings of $2.65 each!!!!  You can see the pictures here.  Compare the two Artic Zone lunchboxes and you’ll see there is very little difference between the two.  The one on the left is from Wal-Mart and the one on the right is from Target. 

I purchased the lunchboxes at Wal-Mart and then returned the other one to Target.  I can handle a savings of 30%!

Have you found a big difference in the prices of things between Target and Wal-Mart?

image by Karen

Post from: Thrifty Mommy