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Gas: Murphy USA Coupon and gasbuddy.com

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With the fluctuating prices of gas, most individuals are looking for ways to stretch their dollars at the pump. For the last two weeks, I have shared how I maximize the fuelperks! program to stretch our dollars: Part 1 and Part 2. Another option for saving on fuel is to find coupons. Though I have not found many coupons, there are some out there.

Jenny over at Southersavers.com posted how to get $2 off a $20 gas purchase at Murphy USA gas stations in her post Major Gas Discount from Murphy USA. To get this coupon you must register with Foursquare, a web site that allows you to ping back your location via a downloaded app on your phone. If you are comfortable signing up for this free web site to get the coupon, then go for it.

Since I don’t feel comfortable “checking-in” with my exact location and I want to stretch my dollars at the pump, I check www.gasbuddy.com. By searching by state and zip code, I can locate the best gas prices in my area. If you will be traveling this summer, this web site can help you stretch your dollars while you’re away from home.

Please leave a comment with other ways to save and stretch our dollars while filling up our fuel tanks.

Fuelperks!: Lowering Gas Prices at the Pump – Part 2 of 2

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Bi-Lo and Spinx Gas Program

Last week, I shared the basics of the Bi-Lo/Spinx partnership program called fuelperks!. For each $50 purchased in products at Bi-Lo, I earn $.05 off per gallon. I can then purchase my fuel at Spinx to redeem that discount. The fuelperks! program is also available through Winn-Dixie, Martin’s, Copps, Pick ‘n Save, Giant Eagle and Rainbow.

To maximize my savings through the fuelperks! program, I give you these additional tips:

Purchase items in the fuelperks! bonuses. I can earn more fuelperks! by purchasing these items. I shared last week how I purchased the Huggies diapers and earned an additional $.40 in fuelperks!. I like to scan the fuelperks! bonuses, but I only purchase items that our family will use and that I can pair with coupons. For me, paying much more at the grocery store for a small savings at the pump is not worth it. Now if I can get the product at the same price I would normally pay and then get the bonus on top, then yes, I will pay at the grocery store for those items.

Not all Spinx stores are the same. I always use a credit card to pay for our fuel purchases. I do not like to carry cash, and I don’t want a hold placed on my debit card. Since my credit limits on my credit cards handle the holds on the accounts, I choose to use a credit card when purchasing gas. With that said, most of the Spinx stores charge an additional $.10 if you pay by credit card. If you purchase your fuel at one of these locations, then your savings decreases by $.10. Since I am visiting their location to use my fuelperks!, I am not going to fork over $.10 of my savings to their establishment to use my credit card. I have found that the Spinx/Sunoco stores do not charge extra for credit. Their gas prices are about $.02-$.04 more per gallon than the regular Spinx stores, but there is no surcharge for using a credit card. With this knowledge, I always choose a Spinx/Sunoco store when redeeming my fuelperks!.

Pump all 20 gallons. If your gas tank is smaller than 20 gallons, then get creative! When the low fuel indicator light comes on in my car, the tank will take 16 gallons of fuel. To take full advantage of the discount, I will pump my tank full and then pump the remaining 4 gallons into our portable gas container used for the lawnmower. Another option is for my husband to follow me to the gas station in his car. We could then fill up one car and use the remaining available gallons in the second car. By pumping all 20 gallons, we are assured of maximizing our savings.

Use before expiration date. If I have saved and earned these rewards, I do not want to lose them. I will build up my savings, and then head to the pump when my car is near empty. Since I can find gas less expensively at other stations, I only use Spinx to redeem my fuelperks!. To stretch my dollars, I will build up my fuelperks! savings, and then get a deep discount on one tank of gas. The rest of the time, I purchase fuel at another location that is usually $.05 to $.07 less expensive.

If you have a fuelperks! program or another similar program available in your area, I hope these tips and tricks that I have learned along the way can help you stretch your dollars as you fill your tank.

Fuelperks!: Lowering Gas Prices at the Pump – Part 1 of 2

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As the gas prices continue to rise, I am seeking options to lower the price I pay at the pump. To help stretch our dollars, I use the fuelperks! program at Bi-Lo, a local grocery store chain located in the Southeastern United States. Bi-Lo has joined forces with the The Spinx Corporation, a chain of gas stations serving North and South Carolina.

Bi-Lo and Spinx Promotion

Here is how our program works:

When I make a purchase at Bi-Lo, I earn fuelperks! for each dollar spent. For example, I go shopping at Bi-Lo and scan my Bi-Lo BonusCard at checkout. I purchase $47.55 of product, use $21.26 in coupons, and pay $26.59 (including tax) out of pocket. I receive a printed receipt stating that I have earned $26.59 toward my next fuel purchase.

After I have purchased $50 in product at Bi-Lo, then I earn $.05 per gallon in fuelperks!. At my next shopping trip to Bi-Lo, I scan my Bi-Lo BonusCard, purchase $56.76 in product, use $32.36 in coupons, and pay $24.46 (including tax) out of pocket. My receipt will print showing I have earned $.05 per gallon in fuelperks!, and I have earned $1.05 toward my next fuel purchase.

I can also stack my fuelperks! earnings. Bi-Lo runs fuelperks! bonuses where you can purchase a set of items in one transaction and earn additional cents per gallon. One such bonus was purchase $20 in Huggies diapers and earn $.20 per gallon. I paired the Huggies diaper sale with coupons and the fuelperks! bonus to increase my fuelperks! earnings. I had enough coupons for 2 transactions, so I earned $.45 the morning I shopped. (I earned the $.40 for the Huggies transactions. I then earned an additional $.05 since my out of pocket spent reached $50.) Having already earned $.10 per gallon the previous weeks, I had a total earned of $.55 per gallon in fuelperks!

By earning $.05 off or $.55 off per gallon, I am able to go to a Spinx station, and purchase gas at a discount. As my gas gauge lowers toward empty, I choose a nearby Spinx station to purchase fuel. At the pump, I scan my Bi-Lo BonusCard.

TIP: I must use the credit card sized version rather than the keychain version. The keychain version will not fit in the outside card readers. I just carry the larger BonusCard in my wallet. If you don’t have the larger BonusCard, then you will need to pay the cashier in advance. You will want to pay more than you plan to pay to be sure you get the full discount. You don’t want to pay $50 and find that to fill your tank would cost $60. You will only get the discount on the gas pumped with your $50 payment. When you overpay, you can return to the cashier for a refund of your overpayment.)

Once the gas pump computer recognizes my BonusCard, the display indicates a discount. (Unfortunately, I have not used a Spinx that displays the amount off at the pump.) I then swipe my credit card and pump the gas. After replacing the nozzle, I check my printed receipt. I will then notice that instead of paying $3.70 per gallon, I paid $3.65 per gallon ($3.70 minus the $.05 Fuelperks! discount) or $3.15 per gallon ($3.70 minus the $.55 fuelperks! discount). The result of my $.55 per gallon discount was a savings of $11.

The fuelperks! expire. I will lose my fuelperks! discount if I have not used them within 3 months. After earning your $.05, then you have 3 months to use them. If you earn an additional $.15 in 3 weeks, then you have 3 months from then to use them. It is possible to lose $.05, but then be able to use the other $.15. Having the savings at hand, I assume you would be using them sooner rather than later.

Fuelperks! is limited to 20 gallons. When I use the fuelperks! at the Spinx station, the pump will cut off at 20 gallons. If you need more fuel, you will need to start another transaction.

Fuelperks! can only be used in one transaction. Once you swipe your card or have the cashier access your fuelperks!, then that discount is gone. You cannot use 15 gallons in one transaction and then use 5 in another. Once you access your fuelperks!, your amount earned returns to $0. To stretch my dollars, I wait to fill up when my tank is almost empty.

When the program first began, I did not receive any information about the program. I just noticed the savings at the bottom of my receipt. As cashiers would indicate my fuelperks! savings, I inquired about the program. From numerous conversations and using the program, I have perfected my system for maximizing my savings with the resources at hand. Next week, I will share how I have used this program and found additional ways to stretch my dollars.

Do you have a fuel program near you? If you do and you don’t use it, try it! A little savings here and little there adds up. I hope you can fuel your vehicle with a little savings to help stretch your hard earned dollars.

Choosing to By-Pass a Great Sale

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Do you ever by-pass a great sale? I do. The best way for me to stretch our dollars is to NOT spend them. Do I love a great sale? Absolutely! When CVS had a great moneymaker on makeup, I chose not to shop.

Why? Here are my reasons:

1. Did not need any of the sale or “free” items that week.

2. Decided not to take time to scan the sales ads. The weather that week was beautiful. I spent lots of time outside at the playground and taking walks with my children. For me, this was time wisely spent.

3. My Extra Bucks did not expire during that week. I did not lose out by not shopping the sales.

4. Enjoyed taking a week off from matching up coupons and searching for items in stock.

5. Kept some extra money in the budget for when a great deal on diapers comes around.

Do you give yourself a week off? I’m thankful for all the sales I have been able to claim which has kept our cabinets stocked with personal items and cleaning supplies. When the week passes me by and I choose not to shop, I can relax and spend time with family without regret.

10 Ways to Cut the Expense of Eating Out – Part 5 of 5

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As our 5-week series comes to a close, I hope you have either learned or been reminded of some options to lower your out-of-pocket expenses while enjoying a meal at a restaurant. Thus far, we have considered options 1-8 in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. In this fifth and final week, we will look at the children’s menu and reward programs.

OPTION 9:     Check the price of the children’s menu.

When you have more than one child eating from the kid’s menu, you might want to consider the cost. In some cases, we have found purchasing an adult entrée to split between our two oldest children (ages 3 and 6) is more cost-efficient than purchasing two kid’s menu items. If our children drink water, then we don’t need to consider that the drink may be included in the kid’s menu item.

As our third child begins to eat more, splitting an adult entrée between the three of them may be more cost-effective than purchasing 3 separate kids’ meals. Another option is to check the limits on coupons. In the fine print, the coupon should state limit 1 per customer or limit 2 per table. If the limit is 2 and the coupon is a buy one entrée, get one free, then purchasing 2 entrees to get 4 meals would be our best option. Any extra food will be eaten on leftover night. Our decision when ordering will depend on specials, coupons, and total cost.

OPTION 10:    Sign-up for reward programs.

In an effort to encourage loyalty to their restaurant, some establishments offer a reward program. Here are two programs of which I am aware:

1. Subway: Not all Subway restaurants participate in the Rewards program. For those that do, here is how the program works.

  • Earn 1 point for each dollar you spend.
  • Request a Reward card at your Subway.
  • Redeemyour points for the following menu items:
    • 10 Points = 1 Cookie
    • 15 Points = Bag of chips
    • 20 Points = 21 oz. drink
    • 30 Points = Deli sandwich
    • 50 Points = Regular 6-inch sub
    • 60 Points = Regular wrap
    • 75 Points = Regular foot-long sub

Photograph Credit: P. F. Chang's

2. P.F. Chang’s:  When you sign up for the Warrior Card and present it at the time of your visit, you will receive a 10% discount on your bill. This discount cannot be combined with any other offer. If you have a coupon, then consider which option will save you the most on the menu choices chosen.

As we conclude this series of 10 ways to cut the expense of eating out, I hope you have some options available to you to ease the burden of feeding your family when you are short on time. Remember that you can combine these 10 options to maximize your savings. Do you have other suggestions? If so, please leave a comment sharing your ideas.