Am I too busy to coupon?

Hi again, remember me? Sorry about the hiatus, school work hit me like a truck, and while I am still crazy busy, maybe even more so right now, I thought I'd take a break to come back and visit you. Hopefully with some more consistancy. :)

The other day at Pick N Save (double double daze!), a customer and I struck up a short conversation while we were searching for items on our list. I was discouraged that I could not find the yogurt smoothies I had on my list - they would have ended up being only $.16 after double coupon! I had never bought one before, and I was looking forward to trying them. The lady sounded surprised when I told her how much they would have cost me, and she responded "oh, I don't normally coupon, I just want to use these up." I laughed as I showed her my coupon binder, to which she responded "Oh, I don't have that kind of time."

Do I have that kind of time? How much time does she think this takes me each week? Do I come off like one of the crazy people on TV who spend 40 hours a week? I was surprised by her comment - sort of. Yes, I am a crazy lady with a coupon binder, and other couponers recognize me in the store because of it. I had one lady that same day, ask me if I was on my first, or second around... well in general, I only have enough time and money to shop once, but oh boy wouldn't it be nice to have the time to make two lists?! :) But even if I AM one of those crazy binder ladies, I don't buy ten papers, I don't jump in recycling bins, and I don't spend 40 hours cutting coupons. So how much time DO I spend?

Well, since school is in full swing, not as much as I used to but my stockpile is still growing, and we are eating delicious dinners for little money. In general, it all starts with Sunday morning and the paper. I used to have it delivered, but since I never had time to actually read the paper, getting everyday was a waste of paper, and money. Now I drive into Cascade in the morning, and pick one up.
 It usually takes me an hour or two to clean out expired coupons, cut the new ones, sort, and file. Now mind you, I usually do this in the livingroom, on the floor, with a DVR'd tv show playing on the tv... relaxation time!!
As for making the lists, I will pull up the ad matching blogs I have saved, and take a half an hour sometime during the week. Another night, I may pull out the ads from Sunday's papers and make a list of things I am interested in. That is maybe another half an hour. Then another night I will look at my list, pull out all the coupons I can use, and print others. Since I already sorted my coupons, it is easy to see what I have, and what I need. Then on shopping day, I grab my binder which has all my coupons and my list, and I shop. Shopping for me, used to take forever - because I would wander the store aimlessly trying to decide what I wanted, or what I could afford. Then came coupons! Now I know what I want, and how much it will cost, so grocery shopping takes half the time!

So if we estimate 4 hours of couponing a week (a little less if you count the time I save in the store now), and 40% savings on groceries, then I would say couponing is well worth it for me. Also, since we live off a construction workers pay, that stockpile of extra products under the stairs leaves me with a nice feeling of security knowing I won't have to worry when the weather turns nasty and Cecil is home for an entire week. We just skip the grocery shopping that week, and snuggle in with a bowl of 'mater soup and grilled cheese and enjoy our extra time together. :)

Yes, I think I have enough time for coupons. :)

rebuilding - slowly...

Okay folks, I have begun the slow trek back to my former stockpiling glory... This week I added 4 cans of butterball chicken broth, two cans of Campbell's Chunky Soup, 12 rolls of Cottonelle toilet paper, and a tube of Crest toothpaste to my stockpile. Of course I also raided my stockpile to make a donation to the Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Center in Oshkosh for Kappa Delta Pi, but those ladies need it more than my stockpile does anyway...

I am also pretty proud of the storage area I put together to store my stockpiled items. The space underneath the stairway has always been a catch all for wrapping paper, extra chairs, the table leaf, etc. Well I think it's been a good year since we took out the table leaf, or put away the extra chairs, so the space could be put to better use. I took a bunch of the wire grids I bought this summer at a rummage sale, and started assembling cubes. I figure I will use the cubes for things like laundry detergent, maybe some extra soda (like there is ever extra soda here! LOL), and then use the floor to pile the larger items like paper towels and toilet paper.


You'll notice the room is fairly empty... The food product stockpile is currently still housed in the pantry, as it isn't that big yet, the personal care items like soap and toothpaste are in the guest bathroom (with the HUGE drawers and cupboards...), and I just opened my last extra bottle of laundry detergent.... I told you I fell off the horse...

So, what are YOU stockpiling? I would love to hear how you are storing all your extra loot! :)

Recreating a stockpile...

okay folks, I'll admit it, I've fallen off the horse. My stockpile is dwindling... So while I was browsing the web for ideas to start over, I found this wonderful post on another blog about starting stockpiling from scratch. I am including the link to the original post, then I'll copy and paste her words of wisdom. Ready to learn with me? Here we go!

http://thecouponproject.com/2010/01/how-do-you-start-building-a-stockpile-when-theres-nothing-in-the-pantry.html

How do you start building a stockpile when there’s NOTHING in the pantry?

 

Reader Jennifer left a very good question at the bottom of one of my posts this week. I felt it deserved answering in a separate post and not in a quick comment. Here's what she writes:

I need help! I'm new to this & I'm not sure what to do in the meantime while trying to grow my stockpile. I currently have 0 groceries & I mean that literally. The fridge is empty for some condiments, eggs, and a few bagels. The cupboards are bare except for cans of soup….This is mostly because I'm so busy at home with my baby and hubby is so busy at work we just haven't had time to shop.
I just started collecting coupons… I'm going shopping tonight and I know that a lot of the coupons expire the end of this month. Should I go ahead and use all of the coupons (that expire soon) to stockpile items that I need anyway even if they're not on sale? I hate for the coupons to go to waste & then end up paying full price anyway…  
Jennifer, I'm going to do my very best to take you from square one to stockpiled!
Let's start with your last question – and it's a great one. Should you use coupons just because they're about to expire? In short, NO!! It sounds like you're in a place where you simply NEED some food. Here's what I propose you do. Head to the store with your coupons, but pay attention. Often you'll find the generic counterparts are cheaper than the name brand at full price with a coupon. Your goal is to simply find the lowest price on the items you need – coupons or not.
So let's talk about two kinds of shopping that we do as couponers and I think this will clear some things up. First, there's NEED-BASED SHOPPING. These are the items you need for the week ahead to complete your meals. For instance, produce, dairy, bread, meat, and/or anything you don't have in your stockpile. When you are starting out, most of your shopping will likely fall into this category. But as your stockpile grows over the months, you'll notice the items on your NEEDS list declines. You'll also learn how to become a more savvy shopper and you'll discover how to find deals on these items.
The second type of shopping is STOCKPILING. The idea here is that you buy items your family needs and uses when they are at their low prices. By using coupons on low prices, you sweeten the deal. But let me get something straight – not every stockpile deal uses coupons! I've stockpiled cans of broth when my store had them for $0.33 each. Don't think you MUST use coupons to stockpile! If you find a good deal, go for it!
Knowing this, how do you start? I recommend that you start each week with a meal plan – do not go to the store willy-nilly to buy things you "need." Make sure every item has a purpose. The items on this list become your NEEDS-BASED items. Do your best to find deals on these items, but do not stress! I like to shop at Fred Meyer or Winco for items I need but aren't on sale. I know that because these stores generally offer lower prices than their competitors, I'll be saving money. For more ideas, read this post I wrote about how to save money without using coupons.
With your need-based shopping out of the way, start to slowly add in a few stockpile deals each week. For instance, you might find a deal on soup you like. Try to get as much as you can reasonably use and store before it goes bad. I also recommend you start slow so you don't overwhelm yourself. Ease in! I also recommend you start looking to acquire household and personal care items such as toilet paper, shampoo, soap, and toothpaste as soon as you can. Why? Because you can often find these items very cheap if not free and these items can easily eat into your grocery budget otherwise. I think they'll make the biggest difference in your budget the fastest.
So how can you find these great stockpile deals? Well, are you not reading this blog?! Each Saturday night (hey – that's today!) I feature Walgreens and Rite Aid matchups. I also do Fred Meyer deals. All of these come late in the evening. On Wednesdays, I tackle Albertsons. Simply scan through my list and pick and choose a few deals out that make sense for you. I'll tell you the sale prices, which coupons to use, and what you can expect to pay. After awhile, you'll get the hang of it and you'll be able to find similar deals in nearly every ad you pick up.
I decided this morning to give this post a great visual, so I turned once again to my friend Mr. Excel:        

 

I created this chart to illustrate how your shopping might look now and how it might evolve over time. Suppose you ordinarily spend $100 a week at the store. For the first couple months, you may continue to spend this amount. However, the composition of your trips will be different. Now you'll start looking for better prices on the items you need and you'll begin to carve out a small portion of your budget to stockpile. 
As the months progress, you should notice a couple things. First, the amount of the items you need each week should slowly go down. Why? This is simple. As your stockpile grows, you'll be able to draw on those items to complete your meals. The second thing you should notice is that you'll be spending less overall. You'll also begin to notice that different items go on sale at different times of the year. This means it's going to be important to cycle through one calendar year to fully develop your stockpile. 
At 12 months, I would say I've seen the biggest savings in my budget. As of late, I've devoted more of my budget to stockpiling – particularly meat and other "more expensive" stockpiling deals. I couldn't have afforded to do this at the beginning. Three months from now, the chart may change again. But the conclusion is I've ended up with a nicely rounded stockpile and am spending less overall. Of course, your personal shopping and stockpiling needs may yield a different chart…but this illustrates how it *might* look for some.
Jennifer, I hope this serves to help answer your question. I also encourage you to read the series of coupon lessons I wrote – you can find them in Getting Started. I know I have a lot of knowledgeable and talented readers and would love their input too!   

I WON!

Guess who just found a new way to save money on crafting supplies? ME! It's easy, just win contests! LOL. I was excited to see my scrapbook page appear on Facebook as the new profile picture for a page called scrapbook rooms. They were announcing the winner of that contest I entered at the beginning of the week! :)

My winning entry! :) Thanks for letting me share!

Something a little crafty!

Hey all! Remember when I started this blog and I said sometimes I may post some of my crafty items? Now is the time! I stumbled across this contest, and decided I wanted to enter. Maybe some of you would like to enter too! The prize is your choice of scrapbook kits, and boy oh boy do I want to win! (but I would be really happy if any of you won!)

So, here is the link to the contest, and an awesome crafting blog, stop by and check it out! :)
http://scrapbookrooms.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-favorite-things-challenge.html

now - on to what I want to enter :)

(sorry that last one is sideways, I'm confuzeled!)

So, follow the link if you'd like to enter, and if now, wish me luck! :)

Bzzagent - a freebie hunter's dream!

Hello again!

I am often asked how I get freebies and high dollar coupons. You already know how much I love Swagbucks (ordered pretty jewelry the other day from Amazon.com - FREE!). My next favorite is Bzzagent.com.

I joined Bzzagent because it promised to give me the opportunity to try free products if I completed surveys. Now many sites have promised that, and very few freebies ever come of it. This site however is FAR different. When I first signed up, I spent two days completing surveys, waited a week, and... nothin. I was all set to be disappointed and never visit the site again. Then a few days later, I got an email asking me if I'd like to try some spring cleaning products... hmmm sure, why not. Shortly after that I received a giant box at my mail  box with a full can of Pledge, an airwick air freshener, a glade candle, a can of scrubbing bubbles shower foamer, scrubbing bubbles toilet cleaning gels, and gosh I don't remember what else. And not tiny sample packets - full products! So I figure this website had to be pretty cool, and I went back. I earned more points by telling them all about my experience with the products (dear bzzagent - I love you!). A few weeks later they ask if I want free Covergirl lipstick - duh! Over time I have also gotten free Covergirl foundation and lip moisturizer. My newest prize is free computer antivirus - a $79.99 value! Each time I tell them my honest opinion, I earn points for my Mypoints.com account (another site I absolutely love!). Each time I tell YOU my honest opinion on the products I get more of those points. By doing this I also earn honeycombs (leveling up) - the more honeycombs I have, the better my chance of being chosen for the new campaigns!

Oh and those freebies often come with high value coupons for me to share!

is being a Bzzagent something that interests YOU? Check out www.bzzagent.com

Magical new ways to save money!

Hello Ladies!

I am in such a great mood today, I could float away!

First things first, it is almost time to start school... which means money spent on textbooks... ugh. Now as I'm sure you can all guess, I am the queen of buying used textbooks and previous editions (because most of the time the difference between the third and fourth editions of a book are the cover art, the color of the text on page 27, and $138.00). Now sometimes old editions don't exist, or really ARE different, Or sometimes those books cost just as much as the current edition (me thinks someone has discovered what I discovered, LOL). In those situations, I usually toy with the idea of renting, because the dollar amount is so much smaller, but I usually cave and pay full price... Why, you ask? Because renting means the book isn't mine, so if I fall asleep while studying for finals and spill my Redbull all over my textbook, now I owe big time. OR what happens if I forget to take that book out of my bookbag and mail it back? Yep, I owe again. Mailman drops the box in a puddle of mud then runs over it with his truck? Yep, I owe... My new found solution?

KINDLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had been toying with the idea of getting a Kindle for a while, something light and handy to take with me so I always have something to read, but lets face it, $189 book is hard to swallow, so I waited. Then I discovered the Kindle apps. First I downloaded Kindle for PC. It is free to download from Amazon.com, and Amazon often has wonderful books you can also download for free.

Next, I downloaded Kindle for Android when I got my new phone. Now I have all those free books - in my pocket!

So how does this save money on my textbooks? Well I need a $110 book for my math class, which lasts 30 days. I could buy it used off of Amazon.com for about $50. That's not too bad I guess, but $50 for a book I will use for 30 days is a bit much for me. Guess what else was on the Amazon page? A button that says "rent this title on your Kindle" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For just over $20, I will have my book for those 30 days, on my home computer, AND my cell phone, plus all those web addresses listed in textbooks are actually clickable on my Kindle app! :) Now, not all of the books I need for my semester are available on the Kindle (but the most expensive one is!), but I think for those that are, I will go that route. No more stacks of outdated books that no book buyback wants. Nope, I will read it, then when class is over, it will go away!

Think of all the back pain I will avoid this way!

Craigslist!

Okay ladies! I'm back! Last Thursday I had my nasal surgery, so I was out of commission all weekend. I felt like I had the world's WORST head cold, AND they told me I wasn't allowed to sneeze or blow my nose... TORTURE! Yesterday I had the straws taken out of my nose, and may I just say for the record, I love breathing! I haven't breathed this easy, well, ever!

So, what have I done to save money this week? CRAIGSLIST! This whole weekend was pretty much lazy, so I found myself surfing the net, finding ideas for re-purposing furniture in my craft room. Since I was unable to yard sale this weekend, I perused Craigslist. You'd be amazed at the kind of things people are selling or giving away!

I am particularly proud of today's find. I made Cecil drive me to Keil to pick up a free heater :)
In our old farmhouse, the house heaters are never enough to keep the chill out of the air. We often resort to space heaters to drive the cold out of some of the rooms we are in. Obviously that is not a very cost effective (or safe) way to do things, so we had been looking into those Amish style Quartz Infra-red heaters. They do not get hot, just warm the air molecules in the house. The big ones we are looking at are a couple hundred dollars, but we think a good investment.

Then I checked Craigslist! Someone was giving away a free infrared heater! It in not as large as the Amish style, and is supposed to heat an area about half the size of the area the Amish one is supposed to heat. FOR FREE! The poster said she just didn't use it any more, tried to sell it with no takers, and she just wanted it out of her garage. SOLD! We plugged it in when we got home (yup, we turned on the heater when it was 80 out), and boy does it work! You could feel the heat come off of it, but the heater was cool to touch which is a great safety feature!

So, Craigslist is my new best friend! I will be checking the listings for wonderful useful items for good prices (or free!), and hopefully I can find a way to get the things our family wants and needs for a great steal!

Do you have any great Craigslist finds?

Pattypan!

Okay, so the chaos of coming home from vacation is beginning to wear off, and I had the opportunity today to go to the local (Plymouth) Farmer's Market. Yay for having food in the house other than camping food! LOL. I picked up quite a few veggies for $10. For dinner tonight we had chicken grilled on the Foreman Grill (not Farmer's Market fare) with lemon juice and rosemary, a salad of fresh greens with kohlrabi slivers, and my new favorite vegetable, Pattypan squash! After a little research on the internet, I decided to try it baked with salt, pepper and crushed garlic. I sliced them fairly thin and baked them for 20 minutes at 425. Ooooh yummers!

So the lesson for today is, always try something new! I've always passed up those pattypan squash because I had no idea how to cook it, but 5 minutes on Google, and I have a new favorite!

Chicken - $ 2.40 for two servings
Seasonings from spice cupboard - $0
Pattypan Squash - $1.00 for 2
Kohlrabi - $2 for 3 HUGE ones (anyone know any good Kohlrabi recipes?)
Fresh lettuce - $2 (half the bag made two yummy salads!)
Delicious healthy meal after an afternoon of shopping with the hunny - PRICELESS! :)

What are your latest farmers market finds? Please share!  :)

A camping we will go!

First, I would like to apologize to all of you for me slacking off in the blogging world. This is new to me, and sometimes, I'm just not sure what to say, LOL. I will try very hard to become more talkative in the future. Want to help? Tell me what YOU want me to talk about! I do this for you!

Okay, so Cecil and I have been looking forward to a big family camping reunion since our vacation last year. We had a grand week planned, but in recent months had decided that since Cecil was just starting a new crane job this week, we should reduce our vacation to one weekend so he wouldn't have to take time off after his first week there. I was extremely bummed, but still excited that we could enjoy the weekend in our favorite Michigan town with family.

Fast forward to yesterday, Cecil's first day on the job. Well apparently, they are going to put the crane up this week, then they aren't sure what day the job will start. Cec spent all day in the blistering sun helping them set up the crane, and by the time he came home, he was fairly convinced that we could leave on Thursday instead of Friday. YAY! An extra day!

Fast forward to today - They will have the crane up and ready to go by the end of the day today, and they may not have him come back to start the job until maybe the week after next... who knows what that means? YEP! Longer vacation!!!!!!

So, here is my planning mission. Originally we were packing clothes for two days, we'd leave on the ferry late Friday night (technically early Saturday), and land in Ludington around 7 am on Saturday, camp Saturday night, and leave 8 pm Sunday night. All meals were going to be eaten out, since we were going to be pressed for time. NOW, we will be there longer, and eating every meal out would get pricey. SO, what would YOU pack for a week long camping trip? Here is my ideas:

• small propane grill
• air matress
• 9v pump (last year we forgot this - kinda makes the air mattress pointless, LOL)
• Small tent (someday I will own a popup...)
• Flashlights
• Lantern
• bug spray
• sun screen
• beach towels (yep, we're going to the beach!)

 Now for food:

• Hot dogs
• Smores
• burgers
• chips
• local fresh fruits (last year we found fabulous cherries, blueberries, and peaches at a roadside stand )

What other ideas do you have for me? We have a few more days to plan, and I want to bring as much of the food with me as possible, because I know our grocery store sales better than the sales over there. I think a trip to Aldi is in order! Any other tools I've forgotten now that we will actually be cooking at the site? How else can I save money on this camping trip?

Piggly Wiggly week of 6/28/11

What are your plans for the fourth of July weekend? We're having a small cookout before band practice on Monday, so I'll be hitting up the Pig to stock up on supplies!

What caught my eye? Well the soda got my attention first. Pepsi products, 4/$8.88 with in ad coupon and separate $10 purchase. I love this time of year for soda sales. Regular price on soda can be as high as $4.50 per package, and can make a bit dent in grocery budgets, so when soda is on sale this cheap, I stock up so I don't have to buy as much in the winter at full price!

3 lb box of Johnsonville Sausage is priced at $6.79. Seems like a pretty good price. Please let me know if you find a better deal somewhere, because brats will be on the menu for Monday's cookout! :)

Other good grill foods: Fresh Bi-Color Sweet Corn, 24 cents an ear limit 12, T-bone steaks $2.99 per lb. , Oscar Mayer Wieners, 3 lb box $2.88.

Also, don't forget the charcoal! Kingsford Charcoal, $5.99 with in ad coupon and Separate $10 purchase. (There are 4 coupons in the ad that require a separate $10 purchase, but it can be the same $10! That means if you make a $10 purchase, you are eligible to use all 4 coupons, the Pepsi deal, Ice Mountain Spring Water for $2.99, The Kingsford Charcoal, and 30 oz Kraft Mayo for $1.99.)

How does Watermelon sound for your cook out? Get a whole seedless watermelon for FREE with the purchase of  Miller High Life 30 pk! Don't need the beer? Buy the watermelon for $2.99 each, limit 2.

I hope you all have a wonderful fourth of July weekend! Stay cool tomorrow, it's going to be a scorcher!

Piggly Wiggly week of 6/22/11

Good morning all!

I had fully intended to have this Piggly Wiggly post up last night, but life got in the way. Isn't that just the way life goes? I think I tend to over plan my days, LOL.

Today is the day I will be stopping at the Piggly Wiggly for groceries, so let's take a look at what is on sale this week.

Front page, bold letters - 99¢ for previously frozen all natural split chicken breasts or natural chicken wings by the lb, or a 6 oz pkg of Butterball Turkey Bacon.

California peaches 99¢/lb

Piggly Wiggly Gallon Milk $2.49

Crystal Farms chunk or shredded cheese $1.49 limit 3

Era Liquid detergent 50 oz $1.99 limit 2

Coke products 4/$10
7-up or Dr. Pepper 6 pk bottles 4/$10( I think this is a good week to stock up on soda! )

Food Club Granulated sugar 4 lb 99¢ (with coupon from ad and separate $10 purchase)

Of course you all know there is no way for me to list all of the specials in the ad this week, that would take forever, but these are a few that peaked my interest. Take a look at the full ad HERE and tell us what deals you find. Also, if you know of any available coupons for the deals, please let us know! We're here to help each other out! :)

A great week to stock up on groceries!

Hello friends! This week is a very exciting grocery week for me for a number of reasons. (oh  boy, am I a dork, LOL) First, Pick N Save is having double double daze Saturday! That means we can double 10 coupons up to $1 with a $25 initial purchase! :) Also, with the All You Grocery Challenge running, I am extra excited to put together my grocery list this week. AND the Piggly Wiggly ad has some great items in it, so I will have two great ads to shop from. Even better? I think I will be able to put together a list to make two trips to Pick N Save on double double daze to stock up on cereal for Justin to munch on. First things first, lets double them coupons!

To see the list of deals pocketyourdollars.com has put together for the Roundy's stores, click HERE.

What is on my list? I'm looking at stocking up on cereal. Select General Mills Cereal is on sale for $1.99 per box (limit 5), and with double coupons, I should be able to get my 5 boxes down to less than $1/box. If I go twice, I think I'll get cereal both times, because we sure go through it! :)

Also, I see some great deals on soda - Pepsi products 4/$10. We always get the 6 pk bottles, but the sale is also on 12 pk cans.

With coupons I think I can get Best life Buttery Spread and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for under $1 each.

Palermos Pizza is on sale for $2 each, and there is supposed to be a coupon available for $1 off, so that would make them $1 each. That'd be handy to have around!

Bar S hot dogs on sale for $.99 each! No coupon needed!

Skippy peanut butter on sale $.99 each, limit 1. I got a jar earlier this week, may I just put my vote in for the Skippy Naturals Creamy with Honey... yum, yum!

Lipton/Knorr side dishes on sale for $1 each - this is a common sale, but I love having these side dishes around to add to dinner.

Oh, and Aussie or Herbal Essences shampoo are rumored to be on sale for $2.50 with a $1.00 coupon available making them $.50 after double coupon! :)

Also, Purdue Oven Ready Roaster's are on sale for $.99 a lb. This is a little more expensive than the $.79/lb chickens I found a few weeks ago, but those are actually all gone already. :)  I love roasting up a chicken for dinner, then using the leftovers to make a chicken salad for Cecil's work lunch. It's a lot easier, less expensive, and healthier than using processed lunch meat, and I think Cecil likes it better too! There is no limit listed in the flyer, so check the signs at the store!

Honestly there are tons of things in the Pick ad that jump out at me. What are YOU buying this week? Any tips to share on making a $ stretch? Can't wait to hear your ideas! Stay tuned for my Piggly Wiggly shopping list!

All You Grocery Challenge 2011!

Remember when I was bragging about the All You Magazine? Here is another fun aspect of this magazine, their annual grocery challenge! Now officially, the registration is over for the year, because the contest starts today, but I encourage you to play along with me and practice for next year! The rules are simple: Spend $25 per person in your household for a week's worth of groceries - all three meals. Use what you already have, and be creative. The challenge lasts 4 weeks. Our home includes 3 adults, so my budget should be $75 a week (yeah, I can stay under that, LOL). The $ limit only includes food, not toiletries and pet supplies, etc. So, lets see what sort of menu plan we can put together over the next week, and how close to our limit we can come! The more creative we are, the easier it will be to shop like this on a weekly basis! :)

Oooh! and lets not forget to share those yummy menu plans, and recipes! Don't forget to hit up your local Farmer's markets too, they should start rolling out the yummy veg very shortly!

All You Grocery Challenge FAQ can be found here.

Good luck! :)

Farmers markets, Zenni Optical, and other ways to save your family money!

We all know how important it is to save money in an economy like this, and sometimes coupons just aren't enough. I thought we could start a conversation of our favorite ways to save!

My first is to buy local. Food is cheaper if you don't have to pay for the gas to ship it to the grocery store! Another plus is the food is fresher and healthier, because the farmer's can pick it when it is ripe, and sell it instead of picking it early and forcing it to ripen in a truck. Anyone who has eaten a tomato right off the vine knows what I am talking about! :)

Tomorrow I will be stopping by the Plymouth farmer's market. Now, it is still a little early in the season, so I am not sure what will be available tomorrow, but it should be fun to peruse the local produce! Hours for tomorrow's farmer's market are every Thursday from 2pm-6pm at City Park. If you're in the Sheboygan area, check out the Fountain Park farmer's market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 7am-2pm.

Another large expense in our yearly budgets are those eyeglasses. How much did you pay for your last pair of eye glasses? I paid $8 plus $5.95 shipping. Yep! $13.95 for Prescription eyeglasses! You should all visit one of my favorite websites: http://www.zennioptical.com. Instead of paying an arm and a leg for eyeglasses, have your eye doctor give you a copy of your prescription, then visit zenni optical! The last time I got my eyes checked, I got my prescription, and picked out 4 adorable pairs of glasses, for between $8-12 each, and $5.95 to ship all of them. So that time I accidentally put my glasses through the washing machine and cracked the lenses? Yup, I was out $8. MUCH better than losing one of those $100+ pairs! :)

Zenni also does all the extra's for much cheaper! Prescription sunglasses, bifocals, anti scratch, transitions lenses, you name it, they do it, and cheaper! :) This is the perfect solution for glasses for kids too!

So, how do YOU save money? Do you have a secret money saving technique? Together, we can help each other survive in this tough economy!

Side note: Coupons are SOOOOO much easier to clip when you use a paper cutter! (see below post) :)

Have I told you all I love Swagbucks? Here is why!

This arrived on my doorstep today! FREE! I have bragged about Swagbucks for a long time, and this is exactly why. I earn Swagbucks for doing normal everyday searches. Every time I earn 450 Swagbucks, I cash them in for a $5 Amazon.com gift card. Last week I cashed in $30 worth of gift cards for this guillotine trimmer for my craft room! It cost 29.99 plus free shipping, so it was absolutely free out of pocket! We also got a Johnny Cash poster for the music room. FREE!

I encourage all of you to look into Swagbucks, because it honestly is a great way to make extra "money". I know it's only a gift card, but I cannot think of a single thing you can't get on Amazon! Keep in mind, you can trade Swagbucks in for far more than just Amazon giftcards, but I find it is the best deal, and they come in handy!


Click below to join Swagbucks - FREE!




Now I am off to clip last Sunday's coupons with my new paper cutter! :)

Extreme Couponing

Whew! What a weekend! I would like to send out congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs Breit, and thank them for letting me be part of their big day!

Now, on to those coupons! Did anyone watch the Extreme Couponing episode from last week? There were so many things about the show that didn't make sense that I had to take notes.

It bothered me that it showed a lady getting three cart loads of groceries and getting money back. I am sure they are lifting some coupon policies for the show to make that work. The things to remember about couponing here locally is

* The only local store that I am aware of that will give you change back on an overage is Walmart, and I find it hard to create a scenario where you would get anything back, let alone a gift card for $50+ dollars like in this episode.

*Pick N Save is the only local store I am aware of that will double coupons, and they have a limit built into the computer, so the spots in the show where they say " I have 382 coupons for $.75 off that will double to $1.50 making it free", yeah, not realistic, at least not around here. I think I'd like shopping in their stores, LOL.

Something else that I noticed about last week's episode, was the couscous scenario. I love couscous, and if I could get a couple boxes for free, I would definitely stock up, but honestly, 134 boxes of couscous could last me a decade, and I think it may be a little overkill, LOL. The she mentioned that she had never tried couscous and wondered if she'd like it! :) Just some funny things I noticed.

Another little something I think may need clarification is the catalinas. Catalinas are coupons that will print at the register when you check out provided you have purchased the correct number of items. Walgreens register rewards are a catalina coupon. On last weeks episode, the narrator said something about the yogurts generating a $.75 catalina for every three yogurts bought, bringing the price down to $.xx each after catalina. This can get confusing. I never count my catalinas or register rewards in as part of my saving because it is not taken off of your current total, it's taken off a FUTURE purchase. So they were paying more for those yogurts than they let you believe, they just got a future credit. This is why I only count my Catalina savings on the days I spend them, not earn them, because the true money savings takes place when you cash them in, and if you'd like an accurate account of your savings, you don't want to count them twice!

Some of the ad match ups will list things as "free after register rewards". This often confuses people, and is why I try and avoid that type of wording. If I $2 item will earn you $2 in register rewards, you still pay $2. The plus is when you can use that $2RR in the future. I love register rewards and catalinas, I just don't count them as immediate savings. :)

What other tricks have you found? Any great deals? I'd love to hear how you've saved your family money! Remember, we are all here to help each other! :)

Wheww! What a week!

Hi all! Is your weekend as busy as mine? I had my last day in the 4k classroom yesterday, then it was time for a rehearsal dinner and hall decorating for the wedding I'm in today. This morning is hair and make up, so I guess I won't be getting that post on Extreme Couponing up today. I'll work hard on it tomorrow I promise!

Just a heads up for tomorrow, when you buy your Sunday paper, there should be two inserts in it. Click below for a preview of what coupons should be included. :)
Sunday coupon preview

My number one couponing tip:

All You Magazine! Seriously folks, I get the best coupons from All You Magazine, AND I love the articles! The July issue arrived in my mailbox today. I will probably spend this evening reading the articles, then tomorrow afternoon I will tear the magazine apart and clip all the coupons! Articles in this issue include:

154 ways to live on nothing
cool off with summertime drinks
The tasty foods that help you lose weight
outsmart high gas prices
enjoy summer! Entertain friends without spending a lot
Beat Fatigue per up and feel great today

This issue also claims to save us $56.76 in coupons! :)

All You is available at Walmart, or through subscription. I have a subscription, and it's great to see the deals show up every month in my mailbox! :)

On a side note, I just wanted to thank all of you for your questions and comments! I am really having a lot of fun with this blog, and I love being able to help you, and love to hear your tips and suggestions as well! This is a learning process, and we will learn together!
Stay tuned tomorrow for my thoughts on last night's episode of TLC's Extreme Couponing!

This week at the Pig!

Tuesday is the day I get my Piggly Wiggly ad in the mail. I usually find a blog that does all the work of matching up the ads and coupons for me, my favorite is www.pocketyourdollars.com, they always have Pick N save, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart done for me, but I can’t seem to find a match up for Piggly Wiggly, so I have to do that myself. Like any grocery store, sometimes the ad is great, and sometimes the ad is unimpressive, but this week looks like a great week at the Pig!
The first thing that caught my eye in this week’s ad was Pilgrim’s Pride whole fryers. At $0.79 per lb, I think this is a great steal. Want an even better deal? Well you’re in luck!!! I found a coupon! Go to http://www.pilgrims.com/ and click on the gray banner across the top to print a $1/1 package chicken coupon. A thing to remember, when you print coupons like this is you can hit the back button and usually print it again. Two times is the limit, but two coupons is pretty awesome! I bought a couple chickens like this a few weeks ago from Pick N Save, and they made for a really great dinner. I actually grilled them up with a can of beer, and then used the leftover chicken to make a yummy chicken salad! Pig is limiting this deal to 4 per customer.
Roma Pizza’s are on sale for 7/$10. I think this is a pretty awesome price for frozen pizza, and it’s an Eau Claire, Wisconsin based company to boot! Buy local, and eat pizza! :) Limit 7.
Hot Pockets – 6/$10 limit 6.
Banquet Frozen Entrees – 12/$10 – CHEAP!
7-UP or Dr. Pepper 6 pk ½ liter bottles - $1.89 each (one of the best prices I’ve seen in a while!) limit 4, must buy 4.
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - $0.99 each, limit 3, with coupon from ad and an additional $5 purchase
Lipton/Knorr side dishes (pasta and rice) - $0.99 each – Plus there was a coupon in a previous paper for $0.50/2, so if you buy two, the price would be $0.74 each! :)
Oscar Mayer Lunchables – 10/$10!

So, is this all the deals that are in the ad? No way! The ad this week is packed full of great deals, so make sure you check out the flyer! Also remember that adding coupons to these sales is the best way to pay bottom dollar. Where can you find what coupons are available? I usually check a coupon database. This is a searchable list of almost all the coupons currently available. If you search for a coupon, the database will generate a short list of available coupons, and tell you the source. If it is a printable coupon, it will show you a link, if it is not a printable, it will list the paper and insert it came from. Here’s a link to a coupon database I frequent :) http://bargainbriana.com/coupon-database

Also, don’t forget that tomorrow is Double Double Daze at Pick N Save, which means if you make a $25 minimum purchase, you can double up to 10 coupons up to $1.00 in value! The limit is usually 5.

What great deals have YOU found this week?

The importance of building a stockpile...

So, all those crazy ladies on TLC's Extreme Couponing have one up on me... Last night while making Cecil's lunch, I ran out of mustard. Now, for most people, you run out of things all the time right? No big deal, but in the money saving scheme of things, this is a travesty! Do you know what this means now? I may have to pay FULL PRICE for mustard! *gasp*!

Okay, so paying full price for one bottle of mustard isn't going to send us to the poor house, but it is going to drop my percent saved down a tad. The best way to make use of our coupons, is to get a whole bunch, use them to buy items that are already on a killer good sale, so we spend as little out of pocket as possible. So while I should have found a deal on mustard and bought enough to last me to the next sale, I bought one bottle, and now it's gone. tsk tsk tsk on me, LOL. (please don't turn into some of the ladies on TLC, 6 bottles is a stockpile, 60 is crazy, LOL)

I'm new at all of this, so my stockpile is small, but building! I currently have enough bars of soap and body wash to last 6 months to a year, and enough suntan lotion to last, well, we may never run out of that, LOL. Next on the list is items like toilet paper, paper towels, and gee, lets see, mustard? LOL

Things happen in cycles, or to put it musically, "To everything, Turn, Turn, Turn, There is a season, Turn, Turn, Turn." The best bet, is to figure out this pattern, then buy enough of that item to last your family until it come back around. We're learning this together, but a little research shows us that some things have a normal yearly cycle:

November – Cough Medicine, Cold Medicine, Soup (Campbell’s), Jello, Oats (Quaker), Tissues

December – Carnation Milk, Baking ingredients, Wet Wipes

Summer – BBQ Sauce, Marinades, Condiments, Country Time Lemonade, Charcoal

July & August – Back to School Supplies

Other items cycle about every 6 weeks, so buy enough to last 6 weeks, and you'll pay the lowest price available. These are usually things like toilet paper, paper towels, cereal, etc.

So, what type of things do you stock up on? Does anyone know a good sale on mustard? LOL

Sunday, The Beginning of the Money Saving Week!

Good morning! It’s a beautiful day here in Southeastern Wisconsin! What is on your agenda? Gardening? Headed to the beach? My Sunday routine always starts with a trip to the convenience store for a paper! Sunday is the best day of the week to start saving money!

I have found the best way to start your coupon collection is to buy a paper every Sunday (holiday weekends tend to not have coupons, so I usually skip those). There are many ways people like to organize and collect coupons. I’d like to share my method, which I compiled from a number of different blogs, taking the ideas I like best from each blogger.

To start – I cut every coupon. If you look in my binder, you will see coupons for diapers and denture cream, neither of which we use of course. The reason I cut all the coupons is simple – free. I follow many other bloggers to help me learn, and they often will post coupon ad match ups, and if you have the right coupons, you can get the item for free. If I have an opportunity to get diapers for free, or even denture cream, I can find local shelters and nursing homes in dire need for these products, and I figure it costs me no more time to clip every coupon than it would to decide which I want and which I don’t.

When I started couponing, I had a little plastic coupon file with thirteen slots in it. Since I cut every coupon, that didn’t take long to fill up, and it was quite a mess to dig through at the store. It took me a while to realize that if I wanted an organizational system to hold all my coupons, there was no way it would be able to fit my purse, LOL. Enter my coupon binder.

Yep, it’s pink! Like it? This large contraption actually helps me cut my shopping time, and my grocery bills! I have been consistently saving 40-50% on my grocery bills! :)

Just a quick tour of my binder – I keep a pack of post it notes in the front pocket, to jot down sales I see in the store, or to keep my coupons labeled by store for future trips.

The front flap on my binder opens up to reveal a spot for pens and pencils and other little odds and ends.

There is also a zipper in that front part, and it is perfect for a pair of scissors and a calculator. The calculator is a great thing to have along, sometimes I use it to keep a running total of my groceries, or sometimes it’s handy to figure out per unit prices.

Inside the front cover of the binder is sort of an expanding file. I love this for my restaurant.com gift certificates, and my grocery store flyers. I also keep printed internet coupons I haven’t gotten around to clipping yet. It’s a very nice feature.

Next is my table of contents. I printed this one from hip2save.com, try following this link, you should be able to find the table of contents in my binder. Sometimes I think I’d like to add new categories, but in the long run, this is pretty perfect to start out with! It seems like a lot of categories, but the more categories, the fewer coupons in each, and in the long run, the easier it is to find what you have, at least I think so. :)

My next page is where I store my shopping list. I use an excel spreadsheet that I’ve programmed to keep tally of the totals for me. If I ever get it perfected, I’ll post it for all of you to use too, I promise! Right now, it may just drive you all crazy, LOL.

The next page is an empty sheet protector I use to keep all the coupons I’ve organized by store for that week’s shopping trip. The coupons are sorted with a paperclip and a post-it note for the specific store. It’s working well for me so far, but I’m always open to new ideas!

The very first category I put in, which is not listed on the table of contents I used, is my store cards. I used to keep them in my purse, but they were always so hard to find, so I decided to put them in my binder! The pages are meant for baseball cards, and they fit the store cards perfect. I also use these pages for my coupons. I’ve also used 4x6 photo pages in some places, for bigger coupons, but I like the size and quality of the baseball pages better. I also know you can purchase pages with 4 pockets, or pages with long skinny pockets meant for currency. I think by the time all is said and done I will have a million types of pages, and a type of coupon that works best in each one. I plan on creating a binder just like this one for my mom, so if I keep buying pages, we can split them up between the two binders.

My tabs – I hate them, LOL. I really want to invest in some high quality plastic dividers, but as impatient as I am, I purchased some inexpensive stick on tabs, and used some white cardstock from my craft room. Don’t get me wrong, they serve their purpose for the time being, but eventually, I will invest in the higher quality, because sometimes these dividers get hidden behind the photo pages because they are a tad bit wider, but it’s a work in progress!

This is what the coupons look like in the baseball pages. I keep one coupon type in each pocket. By type, I mean if I have three $1/1 Truvia coupons, they will all be in the same pocket organized with the coupon that expires first on top, but only that coupon. So I know exactly what I have. When I started, I’d put a few similar coupons in one pocket, because I didn’t buy enough pockets, but now I have enough, so each coupon has its own pocket. It makes it so easy to see what I have! :)

So, this is my binder! What do you think? How do you organize your coupons? I’d love to see what you do, it’s so nice to be able to learn from each other!

What day is it? It's Mega Swagbucks Day!

That's right folks, it's my favorite morning, Mega Swagbucks morning!

Many of you have seen me post on Facebook about my Swagbucks, and many of you have asked me what they are. To put it simply, Swagbucks are points you earn for searching online, much like you would do from Google.com, etc. With these points, or Swagbucks, you can "buy" things from the Swagstore. Sound like fun? No, not yet huh? What if I were to tell you, that I earn anywhere from 20-50 Swagbucks a day, and I can turn 450 Swagbucks into $5 at Amazon.com? Do I have your interest now? Maybe? Okay, I'll keep going. :)

The Swagstore has all sorts of things you can cash your Swagbucks in for, from digital downloads and MP3's, to video game consoles like the Wii. All these things are nice, but keep in mind, you will probably save up enough Swagbucks to earn enough Amazon gift cards to buy the Wii before  you get enough to earn the Wii from the Swagstore... just an observation. :)

In addition to earning Swagbucks for searching, you can earn them for taking polls, surveys, playing games, referring friends, and entering Swagcodes from the blog or Facebook. (see the Swidget on the sidebar to check for current Swagcodes!)

Long story short, I love Swagbucks because in the last 2 months I have earned $30 in Amazon gift cards, and if I earn $5 more, I can use them to purchase a guillotine paper cutter for my craft room - for FREE!

Does it sound like fun now? Great! Click my referral link below to get started! I'd love to hear your ideas about how to use your Swagbucks!

Free stuff in my mailbox!!!!!!

Today was a good mail day! I got a Proctor and Gamble sample box with a sample deodorant, and some samples of Always feminine products. The best part of this deal is not only are the sample handy to have around, but they came with high value coupons!

• $2.00 off Always Pads
• $1.00 off Always Pantiliners
• $1.00 off Tampax Pearl
• $1.00 off Tampax Compak Pearl

I am especially excited about the $2.00 coupon, because between Target and Walgreens sales, that translates to free product! The nice thing is, even the $1.00 coupon may translate into free stuff, because there is no size restrictions on the coupons, and with en expiration date of 12/31/11, I have time to wait for a great sale! :-)

I also received my prize from the unique pet name contest! 100 free mutt mitts (puppy clean up bags). Who knew naming a pet "Ittle Yittle Oreo Cookie Conqueror of the Universe" could get me free product? LOL

How do I get free stuff? part 1

Okay, while extreme couponing shows make it look like you get everything for next to free, you really don’t. But you can get SOME items free! Here is how I do it.
First, sign up for freebies! These are samples that the company sends you in the mail to try their product. The point is, they want you to like it so much, you buy more. These often come with high value coupons, so if you love the product, you can save money the next time you purchase. Some of the samples are tiny, like those shampoo packets, or a small packet with two advil. Other samples are full size! I have received snack bars, with a coupon for the multipack, or a full size bag of microwave popcorn. Makes for a great TV snack, Free!
Stacking coupons! Did you know you can use two coupons on one item? Well you can, but they need to be the right coupons. Stores often send out coupons to encourage you to come into their stores. These will say store coupon on them, so you know which one you have. The money off comes from the store, and is basically a special sale for those of us with enough patience to clip them coupons! You can use a store coupon WITH a manufacturer’s coupon! Manufacturers coupons come from the company, and stores can turn them in to get their money back. This is another way for the company to get you to try their products. These coupons can be found in the Sunday newspaper, store fliers, or in those freebies you ordered! Always be on the lookout for coupons, they are EVERYWHERE. Stores that stack coupons include Walgreens, and Target. Always check your store’s coupon policies!
Earn them through point earning websites! I am earning points on all sorts of points programs, so many in fact that I have a spreadsheet to help me keep track of them all! The easiest way to collect points in through your credit card. Now I know that is pretty much a 4 letter word, but if you use credit cards, or a debit card, look into getting into a rewards program. Of course don’t spend money you wouldn’t normally just to earn points, that would defeat the purpose!  For example, my debit card is hooked to a point accumulating program. Last month I checked my balance, just from a year of using my debit card as normal, I earned enough points to order a nice 3 pc set of poly cutting boards from Chicago Cutlery! FREE! Some of my favorite point earning sites are Swagbucks.com and mypoints.com. I will do a separate post for each of those, because there is just so much cool stuff!
Stay tuned!

Hello World!!!

Let’s see how this works! Over the next few weeks, I plan to build a blog that will help all of us money conscious Wisconsinites keep a little more money in our pockets! While TLC’s Extreme Couponing goes a little far, I want to make sure you know you really can get things you use every day for much much cheaper!
I also am an avid crafter, so from time to time I may share a project I am particularly fond of. I hope you enjoy my blog, and I hope I can inspire you to save money! We’ll learn to master retail together!