'Tis the Season...

...to save money..."

...to get creative..."

...to be... how does it go - jolly??"

Last week I learned how to accomplish all these things (and more!) in a mere 2 hours at a lovely luncheon put on by the wonderful folks at Stop and Shop.  In the year since I was introduced to the money-saving and customer-oriented culture of Stop and Shop, I have had the opportunity to learn many great things about their stores, and the fact is, they have won me over. My favorite though, is their Scan It! program which allows customers to scan, bag, and pay for their groceries all without speaking a word to another living soul.  Socially inept as I may sound, this does allow for quick shopping and money-savings opportunities I might not otherwise have.    

And now I come bearing some new ideas from Stop and Shop's own Consumer Adviser, Andrea Astrachan, that might help the cash-poor but richly creatively gift-giver get by on not much more than a few dollars and a few minutes this holiday season.

Seriously, I want you to know about the grocery giant's Holiday Rewards program which essentially allows you to earn up to 20% off a grocery order of your choice until December 25th (think turkey!  think apps!  think desserts!).  But I also want to share some of their awesome gift-giving ideas that will simplify, and cheapify (is that a word?) your holiday season so that you can actually relax and enjoy it.

Idea #1:

Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels: 

What you'll need -

• A bag of long pretzel rods 
• Chocolate chips for melting
• Decorations such as sprinkles, cookie crumbs, crushed candy canes.

Melt the chocolate in a pot.  Dip the pretzel rod into the chocolate (use a knife to help apply it if the chocolate is not deep).  Roll the pretzel in your decoration of choice.  Let them cool, then place them gently in a cellophane bag and add ribbon and a gift tag.   

Idea #2:

Cookies in a Jar:

What you'll need -

• The makings for whatever cookies you choose (chocolate chip, oatmeal...)
• A mason jar
• Ribbon 
• Recipe card

Layer all ingredients in the jar, separating by color.  Be sure to pack down ingredients so they fit!  Close the lid and decorate the jar with ribbon or whatever you choose.  Attach the recipe card (which should include the wet ingredients recipient will add themselves).

How easy is that?

We want to help you buy your holiday treats!  The Daily Grind along with the wonderful peeps of 360PR and Stop and Shop are offering one lucky reader the gift of food - a $100 gift card at Stop and Shop!  To enter, simply comment below with your favorite aspect of the store.  The winner will be selected on Saturday, November 14th at midnight.  Only one entry per person.

Luncheon, gift-idea samples, parking and gift card were provided by Stop and Shop.  All views and opinions reflected on this blog are my own and were in no way influenced by any outside party.   

Comments

[Margaret Smith]

I really love the way the store is set up. I also like that it's bright. Thanks so much.

[Adrienne gordon]

i love the sales.

[mary ellen s]

I think that they have the best weekly specials I love to shop thre

[susan varney]

i love the designs mverno@roadrunner.com

[Marilyn Wons]

I love the munchie section. I can always find some fresh snack to nibble on. There is one store less than a mile from my house!

[cdziuba]

cdziuba@aol.com I LOVE the Cheese section. There are always little samples and I more often than not buy whatever they're letting me sample!

[Mel W]

I love the olive/cheese bar. They have goatcheese stuffed olives and fresh mozzerella balls! Not too pricey and a great way to indulge in these gourmet treats!

[Brandi]

I love the weekly specials!

[Karen]

I love the Lunch section where you can get soup or salad or fruit. I am a huge fan of the apples/grapes/yogurt/granola lunch pak. I also love their broccoli and cheese soup!

[PatZ]

They recently re-did my Stop and Shop and it looks great. I love their produce section so bright and green.

[Nate Y]

The cheese, candy, and meat selections are superb... can't imagine doing that shopping anywhere else!

[Kathy Scott]

The produce section is great.

[Kiara]

I like that they have weekly specials.
austma7@aol.com

[Jen]

The Prepared Foods section is pretty nifty!

[Sandra K321]

They have a huge selection of everything, not just one brand. And their fruit and vegetable sections are huge; so much to choose from.

[Nadine L]

I love their new points rewards. You can save up to 20% off a future shopping order with your card!
$1 spent = 1 point, 800 points equals 20% off your order. I spend that at Stop & Shop in a month or two esily. So every two months or so I can get 20% off an order, how sweet is that? Spend $100 get it for $80, we can all use that kind of savings.
iheartsweeping@aol.com

[michelle draveski]

ohhhhhh i am a sucker for a sale

[Serge B]

I like the store coupons and double coupons!

[ali]

I love the recipes section!

[Debra F]

They have really great weekly sales.

[michele]

Thank you for the giveaway. I am partial to the cheese & meat section but, I also love that they have great sales.

[Precious Williams]

Love the cheeses!

[mike c]

I've really started to enjoy the healthy/natural/organic foods section.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000019275265]

I love Stop&Shop for it's diverse and full line of natural/organic food lines..Dairy, Frozen and self stable foods..more so than any other store in my area.

[Denise B.]

I like how large the stores are and how they are laid out. You can easily find specialty foods, and there's many varieties of prepared foods (hot and cold) to eat right away. They have far more varieties of products than many other grocery chains.