Reader Tip: Lemons

Today I'm happy to share a brilliant idea from one of our (2) readers!! Thank you, Stephanie!

In order to always have fresh lemon or lime juice on hand I am buying bags of lemons at Costco ( about 14 BIG lemons for $5.49!) and juicing them all and freezing them in ice cube trays. I thaw out what I need each week and keep the juice in squeeze bottles in the fridge. I don't know why this makes me feel like a genius but it does.

I think you're a genius, too.

Groupon.com

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Well, let's go ahead and add this guy to the list of wildly successful people who had a simple, great idea that makes me smack my forehead in frustration and say, "Why didn't I think of that?!?!!?"

I'm talking about Groupon.com founder and CEO Andrew Mason, who is 29. Twenty-nine!!!
His concept is brilliant: harness collective buying power for big group discounts on daily deals. We're talking everything from yoga classes to meals to whale watching tours to salon services. Each deal requires a certain number of people to partake before it is activated.

It's a boon to businesses who have been experiencing slow traffic in this economy, and it helps consumers save money. Groupon.com started in Chicago but has opened operations in major cities across the country. Is there one in your area?

Black Friday: Are You Ready?

Now, I've never been one to hit the stores at 4 a.m. after Thanksgiving, but I can see why people do it. There are some great deals to be had! This year there are also lots of Black Friday deals offered online, saving you the work of standing in line and fighting the crowds.

If you do go, remember these tips:

1. Wear comfortable clothing, shoes. This is akin to an athletic even and you don't want to be uncomfortable or overheated!

2. Bring the ads with you. Sometimes stores will do price-matching.

3. Double-check the model number/features of the item you want to buy. Stores offer "limited supplies" of the loss leader items to get you in the door, then often substitute a comparable item when they run out. Just be sure it's not missing a key feature that you were looking for.

4. Keep your receipts! I've heard that many retailers will be more strict this season about returns.

Here's some other info to get you prepared -- remember to get that newspaper, too!

• Preview Black Friday ads here.
• Don't forget Friday deals at your local grocery store.
• The Simple Dollar's tips for Black Friday shopping.

Happy Thanksgiving and happy shopping!

Tip of the Day: BB&B Coupons

Recently we've been trying to spruce up our bedroom and bathroom, which naturally involves a trip or seven to our local Bed Bath & Beyond store. You know all those 20% off and $10 off coupons that come in the mail? Well, hang on to them, if you don't already!

Here's why:

• You can use them even after the expiration date [the policy on their site differs, but the cashier recently confirmed this for me]
• You can use more than 1 at checkout -- believe this has to be on multiple items, but clarify with the store manager
• If you forget the coupon at home, they'll let you come back and refund the discount at a later time

I think those are some very pro-customer policies that make me want to shop there! Plus, did you know they now sell drugstore items like shampoo, soap and toothpaste? Apparently that's only in select stores, but the south Austin (Brodie) store has it. Convenient!

Randalls Rolls Out Storewide Price Cuts

Interesting article in the Statesman today about how Randalls has lowered prices in every department in the store -- some by as much as 25%. It definitely appears to be in response to today's economic challenges and wanting to help consumers stretch their grocery dollars.

Today's weekly circular came in the mail today (some great deals!) along with a secondary insert advertising these cut-backs. And I have to say, I'm impressed.

In other grocery news, this neck of the woods is benefitting from the presence of both Newflower Farmers Market and the new Sprouts, both of which are attempting to give Whole Foods and Central Market a run for their money. I think it's working. My husband has been really impressed by the produce at Sprouts, both in terms of quality and price (and he never pays attention to that stuff).

How about you? Are you taking advantage of any of the new stores popping up in Austin? Where is your favorite place to shop?

Movie Monday

The nice folks at redbox sent out another code for a FREE rental today. But hurry, it expires at midnight! Code is: QNGJKD

$5 Dinners

Today I discovered a great site called $5dinners.com. As the name implies, the site has great recipes (dinner and otherwise) that cost $5 or less to prepare for 4ish servings. Scrolling through the recipe index I saw at least six things I'd like to try -- all of which looked delicious, EASY and healthy.

Bonus: several of her recipes are gluten free; use the search tool in the upper right corner to find those.

Happy (cheap) eating!