Alright, I know that this whole thing has come out of left field from me. I did explain at one point that I should not watch TV because I am exactly the person that they write ads for and watching shows really gets to me. If I see an episode of Hoarders, I immediately go into cleaning mode. I watch Extreme Couponing and say "Huh, I could do that", etc.....I can almost see them at the advertising agency looking at each other and saying...What would Miss Ran think, how can we hook her? So, I usually keep the TV off and just toss my Ipod in one of the players (Yes, I have one in every room of the house including the master bath) and listen to an audiobook instead. Commercial free and still entertaining! As an added bonus, when the twins were babies and I put them in their crates for a nap I ran the book so they associate it with napping which means that they calm down and pretty much sleep when I listen. Although when I combine it with cleaning, I do get sleepy help so as I clean I have two 60lb dogs laying on the floor at or on my feet but, well not important.
The point is that after watching a few episodes, I started doing some research. I wanted to find out if it was worth it, it can take some serious time and effort. However, I have no intention of loading up my garage with a bunch of stuff that it will take me 100 years to use. One of the guys on the show has a wall of toothpaste, something like 1000 tubes. Really? What on earth would I do with that much? Even if I handed out toothpaste to all of my friends and family every time I saw them and only used half a tube I still could never ever use that much. How much toothpaste can you donate to a food bank or charity? I have no idea but the idea that I would have to store it for any period of time makes me a little twitchy.
Ultimately my decision was, that yes it can be worth it. Coupon use is great when, like anything else, it is used in moderation. Please keep in mind I am not headed to the grocery store with a list of a thousand items that I plan on paying $.50 for. That is out of the scope of normal for me. However, keeping an eye on the sales ads and getting the stuff I normally buy for a lot less or even getting to try new things for an excellent price is worth a little of my time.
I would *love* to reprint the introduction from Pick Another Checkout Lane Honey, unfortunately there is that whole copyright thing. However, I am going to link it here again. If you click on the link and find the book excerpts on Amazon they do have the introduction there and you can read it. These ladies say it much better than I ever could.
Now, I am not recommending that you get in touch with your local newspaper and have 6 copies delivered to you on Sunday and spend all of your time clipping, organizing and going bananas to save $10. There are other ways. As a matter of fact, you can even save money with just internet coupons. There are a couple of different sites that you can print coupons directly from (coupons.com, target.com, etc.) and some free websites that can clue you in to the deals. I am once again going to recommend http://thekrazycouponlady.com/krazy-this-week/ they have updates all the time on great deals. Also, utilize your Facebook. Like your favorite products and they will send updates on new stuff along with some coupons that you can print, etc. If you decide to go the route of getting a newspaper, you can look at my previous blog about organization techniques. There are some that require almost no time or effort.
Personally, I am getting 3 newspapers a week (I have time on my hands so this is not an issue for me.). The Houston Chronicle issues an Early Sunday Edition that is available on Saturdays. Since Joe and I are almost always out on Saturday anyway, I pop into a store and pick one up. This has all of the ads and coupon inserts in it, so I can check and see if there is any reason for me to get up at the buttcrack of dawn and race to CVS to catch any really great deals. (Quick reminder, newspapers do NOT issue coupon inserts on holiday weeks. 4th of July is coming up so, don't expect to see anything that week).
Sometimes there really are great things going on at the drugstores. This week it was 5 12pks of Coke products for $13.....that is $0.21 a can, rather than the $0.23 you can get when they do 4 for $11 and I actually pay $0.27 when I buy the 32 pack at Sam's....This is one of those things that I have no issue with stockpiling. I drink a lot of Coke Zero and the cost can be gawdawful. Now I am sitting on a good 14 12pks for me and another 5 Cherry Coke Zero for Joe. They are currently piled up in my nook and yep, I am totally OK with that. This is something I absolutely know we are going to use. Now, I can wait for the sales and cash in on them without ever having to pay full price for it. Also, I get points with My Coke Rewards when I enter the codes on the website and will be able to earn free 12 pks......Also, some of these drugstores issue rewards for purchasing different items. So at CVS, the issue ExtraCare Bucks when you purchase certain items. I have talked about these before. Ultimately, these are credit for an item that you purchase that print on your register receipt and you can use them for any other purchase in the store. You also earn a 2% back bonus (These start printing on July 1st, so it will be interesting to see) for using your card. So, when I went to buy my Coke my out of pocket cost was $0.01 because I had CVS bucks enough to cover the cost. They will not issue change on these so, don't waste one for $1 when you owe less than that. Walgreens has a very similar program and I think that Rite Aid does too......check out the ads and see what you can get. Ultimately when you get going on this you can just roll your CVS bucks over and never have to pay out of pocket! Course, I used a bunch of mine on something that didn't have a reward so I am down to $5, so I may have to do a trip or two to rebuild my stash.....Am I sorry? Not at all.....totally worth it. Walking out of a store after digging in the bottom of my purse to find a penny gave me quite a rush....You should have heard Joe after I told him, I actually got a "Holy Crap!" out of him ;-)
Ultimately, you can save money with coupons. The best way is to watch your sales, use a coupon in conjunction with the sales at your stores and buy the stuff that you normally do when the price is low and you can utilize your coupon for maximum effect. If you get a coupon and run out and use it the next time you go to the store you can save a little (and the manufacturer and store will love you for it) but you will not get the maximum savings from it. Another note is that until you really get the hang of it there will still be items that you need to buy even though you don't have a coupon. Don't worry about it, cut yourself some slack and just do it. Please do not run out of deodorant because you have no seen it on sale or do not have a coupon! If you do, please do not come visit me.....just find where it is not the most expensive and buy one. Then wait for your coupon and sales to line up and buy a few. Then keep an eye on your sales and when you see it at a great price and have a coupon buy a few more......Set yourself a limit on how many you will keep on hand (for example, I will not keep more than 10 of certain items...deodorant, toothpaste, etc) and stick to it. Once you max out on it then don't buy it until you get down to a level that you want to restock on, then start watching your sales again. Also, set yourself a limit on how many you will purchase at a time....I won't use more than 3 coupons on any one type of product. So, if I have coupons for $1 off on BBQ sauce and they are on sale for $.99 I will not buy more than 3....make sense? Your limit on items may be different than mine, and it will probably really be based on what you use more. We use a lot of laundry detergent in our house....so that is definitely something I do not mind having around. However, we don't use a lot of frozen spinach.....see where I am going with this one?
Do not expect that your first couple of trips will be perfect. It takes time to get the hang of it...and again you are still going to be buying stuff that you need to have for a while. Now, if you manage to have a perfect shopping trip? Definitely let me know how you did it!!!!
Good luck and happy couponing y'all.....as always any questions or comments are welcome!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Saga Continues...
After my fabulous adventure at the car dealership yesterday morning I decided to take the opportunity to crawl back in bed for an attitude adjustment. A few hours of sleep can work wonders when you are so exhausted you cannot see straight. I have also found that being tired amplifies things and makes them look much worse so I was hoping to get a little perspective on the car situation after I had rested. I had a lovely nap, the dogs were completely on board with this and we all slept for a few hours.
When I woke up I had a voice mail from the dealership so I fortified myself with a Coke Zero and made the phone call. They were unable to find the problem that I had explained to them even though I pretty much told them exactly what to look for. At this point, the only thing that they could figure was that it was *possible* that the AC blower was shorting out. Unfortunately, this repair is not covered by our extended warranty and would cost us around $250. Ummm, no......
I gave the nice man Joe's cell phone number so that he might be able to get more information about what the problem was and where to find it since all I knew was what Joe told me and could not give him specifics. I do not give out Joe's number lightly, I try not to call him during the day when he is working because as a programmer he needs to be focused and the last thing he needs is his wife yammering at him. When I do require something from him I generally send a text that he can answer when he has a break and can get to it. At this point, I have already made 2 phone calls to him from the dealership and now I am giving out his number. So, I finally hear from Joe around 5ish and apparently they did call him several times and after he explained exactly what the problem was and where to find it (this required him to basically explain the electrical system of the car to them) they finally located the problem and came up with a way to fix it that will only cost us $100. Ok y'all this is the DEALERSHIP, they work on these cars all day every day. When Joe told them where to find the problem you would think that they would have had a little lightbulb go on over their heads and understand without him having to tell them how the car is wired..........but no. I mean c'mon, really?
Today they are scheduled to actually do the repair so Joe is driving the loaner car, which by the way they gave to me with less than a quarter tank of gas. By the time I got home (less than 5 miles) the fuel light went on. Joe has to stop on the way to work to put gas in this car and leave early to get to the dealership before they close to pick up his car.
I have to tell you that yesterday afternoon I was seriously considering becoming a one car family. If we sold off both of our cars, we could pay off the remainder of the loans and still have enough to put a really good down payment on a better commuter for Joe. Luckily Joe can maintain his head when I go into my insanity mode and the idea was pretty much shot down in flames. Although, as soon as my truck is paid off (December, thank god) I think we will be in the market for a new commuter car for him. I can tell you now that a Hyundai will NOT be on our list of potentials.
When I woke up I had a voice mail from the dealership so I fortified myself with a Coke Zero and made the phone call. They were unable to find the problem that I had explained to them even though I pretty much told them exactly what to look for. At this point, the only thing that they could figure was that it was *possible* that the AC blower was shorting out. Unfortunately, this repair is not covered by our extended warranty and would cost us around $250. Ummm, no......
I gave the nice man Joe's cell phone number so that he might be able to get more information about what the problem was and where to find it since all I knew was what Joe told me and could not give him specifics. I do not give out Joe's number lightly, I try not to call him during the day when he is working because as a programmer he needs to be focused and the last thing he needs is his wife yammering at him. When I do require something from him I generally send a text that he can answer when he has a break and can get to it. At this point, I have already made 2 phone calls to him from the dealership and now I am giving out his number. So, I finally hear from Joe around 5ish and apparently they did call him several times and after he explained exactly what the problem was and where to find it (this required him to basically explain the electrical system of the car to them) they finally located the problem and came up with a way to fix it that will only cost us $100. Ok y'all this is the DEALERSHIP, they work on these cars all day every day. When Joe told them where to find the problem you would think that they would have had a little lightbulb go on over their heads and understand without him having to tell them how the car is wired..........but no. I mean c'mon, really?
Today they are scheduled to actually do the repair so Joe is driving the loaner car, which by the way they gave to me with less than a quarter tank of gas. By the time I got home (less than 5 miles) the fuel light went on. Joe has to stop on the way to work to put gas in this car and leave early to get to the dealership before they close to pick up his car.
I have to tell you that yesterday afternoon I was seriously considering becoming a one car family. If we sold off both of our cars, we could pay off the remainder of the loans and still have enough to put a really good down payment on a better commuter for Joe. Luckily Joe can maintain his head when I go into my insanity mode and the idea was pretty much shot down in flames. Although, as soon as my truck is paid off (December, thank god) I think we will be in the market for a new commuter car for him. I can tell you now that a Hyundai will NOT be on our list of potentials.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
No Good Will Come of an Early Morning Excursion.
The problem with being unemployed is that my responsibilities at home include taking care of everything that is not Joe going to work. This includes fun stuff like vehicle maintenance, dog care and all the shopping, cleaning and laundry. Sometimes this is enough to want me to run screaming back to work, a job...any job...anywhere. Then reality asserts itself and I recall my working days when I was up early every day, racing to get ready to go and driving off to work, spending my entire day away from home and still being responsible for all of the things I currently have to get done and never having enough time for anything.
Gracie and the Twins are all feeling much better, we have not had any throwing up issues since midday yesterday from them. Now they are restless since they had a "down" day. Mattie is feeling better but he did throw up around 3am, which requires me to get up and clean the mess and love on the poor sick baby. He is still a little off but doing better.
Leaving my house to run an errand early in the morning requires an effort on my part. Gone are the days when I could hop out of bed half an hour before I needed to leave grab a shower and go. These days I need to get up a couple of hours before I need to leave and run the twins around to get them tired out before I put them in their pens and leave the house. This is difficult on the best of days but after Sunday night when I was up every hour because the twins were taking turns throwing up, then last nights joyful awakening to Mattie's addition to the puke party makes it completely awful. I am not a morning person to begin with and I do not function well with limited sleep. I know this will not shock anyone, especially if you have ever had a reason to deal with me before 10am.
This morning I needed to take Joe's car to the dealership since he has been having some issues with a couple of different things. Since the warranty was due to expire this month I wanted to make sure we got it in ASAP. I was due at the dealership at 9 which meant getting up at 6:30 and dragging all the dogs around the house in puppy games. Grace and Travis are not morning dogs, trying to wake them up early is just not a productive experience. They are definitely their mama's dogs, mornings are not for them and playing and running around is just not an acceptable start. On days like today when I am not in the mood either, the impulse to just lay on the floor next to them and take a nap is nearly overwhelming. Luckily Jack and Mattie are more than happy to keep me awake and to drag Grace and Travis into their morning adventures no matter how unhappy they are about it.
So we spend the morning running around, and finding some mud in the backyard to track on mama's carpet (that is their favorite game, they like to help mama clean it up. I am not sure that drinking the soapy water and standing on the mud is actually helping but they like to think so.) and generally being noise and chaotic. I get the twins back into their pens and the big dogs upstairs and head out on my merry way.
I *hate* driving Joe's car. The hamsters that run the thing are slow to start and stop, compared to my SUV it is like being in a go cart so I need to leave at least 15 minutes earlier than normal to make sure that I actually make it where I need to be on time. I get to the dealership and wander in a few minutes early so I can drop the car off and get my loaner. My plan is 15 minutes there and then back out again. However, come to find out that our factory warranty expired last month!!! When we bought the car, we spent the extra $2k on the extended warranty, as a general rule I tend to avoid these but since we were buying a Hyundai and I was uncomfortable about that to begin with and this is a transferable warranty so it should help with the resale value. Now I get to take another trip out to the car to see if I can find the paperwork on the warranty so they can verify (Apparently even if it is purchased through a dealership they do not have a record in the system and need some paperwork for which warranty company you are covered by) coverage and all that.
We get that taken care of and NOW I find out that our extended warranty requires that we pay a $100 deductible on covered repairs. WTF?!?!?!??!?! No way, you have GOT to be kidding me. Unfortunately, I said a very filthy word when I heard this because, really I have already paid $2k for coverage that I am just now getting? Alright, I am over it....sort of. Now I have to make a phone call to Joe so he knows what I just found out. Thank god his brain is on because mine is still in bed, he reminds me that both of these issues that we are having are things that we have already taken the car to the dealership to have repaired while we were still under warranty. OK, good.....I can work with this. So, I go back in to talk to the nice man and pass this information on. Now here is the problem, when we first moved here we took the car into a different dealership to have the work done on the AC System. I refuse to return to that dealership because they were jerks and idiots. I had so many problems there that I was just not interested in going back. So, the bottom line is that *IF* this is something covered by the extended warranty I still have to pay $100 to get it fixed. If it is not covered by the warranty then I have to pay $89 for the diagnostic. This absolutely infuriates me because we paid a good chunk of change for this additional warranty on a car that I had no faith in to begin with and have consistently been proven correct about my misgivings in owning it. This is just another annoyance to add to my reasons for not owning one. If it made any sense I would just sell it and get something else but, well sometimes the emotional response has no logical basis. I comfort myself with the fact that Joe said the same thing after I talked to him ;-)
Ultimately the lesson learned from this mornings adventure? Stay in bed, everyone will be better off.
Gracie and the Twins are all feeling much better, we have not had any throwing up issues since midday yesterday from them. Now they are restless since they had a "down" day. Mattie is feeling better but he did throw up around 3am, which requires me to get up and clean the mess and love on the poor sick baby. He is still a little off but doing better.
Leaving my house to run an errand early in the morning requires an effort on my part. Gone are the days when I could hop out of bed half an hour before I needed to leave grab a shower and go. These days I need to get up a couple of hours before I need to leave and run the twins around to get them tired out before I put them in their pens and leave the house. This is difficult on the best of days but after Sunday night when I was up every hour because the twins were taking turns throwing up, then last nights joyful awakening to Mattie's addition to the puke party makes it completely awful. I am not a morning person to begin with and I do not function well with limited sleep. I know this will not shock anyone, especially if you have ever had a reason to deal with me before 10am.
This morning I needed to take Joe's car to the dealership since he has been having some issues with a couple of different things. Since the warranty was due to expire this month I wanted to make sure we got it in ASAP. I was due at the dealership at 9 which meant getting up at 6:30 and dragging all the dogs around the house in puppy games. Grace and Travis are not morning dogs, trying to wake them up early is just not a productive experience. They are definitely their mama's dogs, mornings are not for them and playing and running around is just not an acceptable start. On days like today when I am not in the mood either, the impulse to just lay on the floor next to them and take a nap is nearly overwhelming. Luckily Jack and Mattie are more than happy to keep me awake and to drag Grace and Travis into their morning adventures no matter how unhappy they are about it.
So we spend the morning running around, and finding some mud in the backyard to track on mama's carpet (that is their favorite game, they like to help mama clean it up. I am not sure that drinking the soapy water and standing on the mud is actually helping but they like to think so.) and generally being noise and chaotic. I get the twins back into their pens and the big dogs upstairs and head out on my merry way.
I *hate* driving Joe's car. The hamsters that run the thing are slow to start and stop, compared to my SUV it is like being in a go cart so I need to leave at least 15 minutes earlier than normal to make sure that I actually make it where I need to be on time. I get to the dealership and wander in a few minutes early so I can drop the car off and get my loaner. My plan is 15 minutes there and then back out again. However, come to find out that our factory warranty expired last month!!! When we bought the car, we spent the extra $2k on the extended warranty, as a general rule I tend to avoid these but since we were buying a Hyundai and I was uncomfortable about that to begin with and this is a transferable warranty so it should help with the resale value. Now I get to take another trip out to the car to see if I can find the paperwork on the warranty so they can verify (Apparently even if it is purchased through a dealership they do not have a record in the system and need some paperwork for which warranty company you are covered by) coverage and all that.
We get that taken care of and NOW I find out that our extended warranty requires that we pay a $100 deductible on covered repairs. WTF?!?!?!??!?! No way, you have GOT to be kidding me. Unfortunately, I said a very filthy word when I heard this because, really I have already paid $2k for coverage that I am just now getting? Alright, I am over it....sort of. Now I have to make a phone call to Joe so he knows what I just found out. Thank god his brain is on because mine is still in bed, he reminds me that both of these issues that we are having are things that we have already taken the car to the dealership to have repaired while we were still under warranty. OK, good.....I can work with this. So, I go back in to talk to the nice man and pass this information on. Now here is the problem, when we first moved here we took the car into a different dealership to have the work done on the AC System. I refuse to return to that dealership because they were jerks and idiots. I had so many problems there that I was just not interested in going back. So, the bottom line is that *IF* this is something covered by the extended warranty I still have to pay $100 to get it fixed. If it is not covered by the warranty then I have to pay $89 for the diagnostic. This absolutely infuriates me because we paid a good chunk of change for this additional warranty on a car that I had no faith in to begin with and have consistently been proven correct about my misgivings in owning it. This is just another annoyance to add to my reasons for not owning one. If it made any sense I would just sell it and get something else but, well sometimes the emotional response has no logical basis. I comfort myself with the fact that Joe said the same thing after I talked to him ;-)
Ultimately the lesson learned from this mornings adventure? Stay in bed, everyone will be better off.
Posting Comments to Blogspot
I have been having some complaints that Blogspot is not allowing people to post comments. I believe that I have found the solution! I have opened up allowed commenters to anyone, although all comments WILL be moderated. So, please feel free to leave your comments!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Coupon Organization 101
There are a ton of different ways to organize your coupons and it really all depends on what works for you. I will list several different ways and that I have read about with what I think are the pros and cons and then I know you will be thrilled to hear how I organize mine!
The first is the easiest and most painless way. When you get your Sunday papers, pull out the inserts and write the date on them and then toss em in a file folder for the month. Also, when you print your coupons on the first business day of the month (from coupons.com, etc) you can toss them in the front of the file folder. Most of your match up sites will list which insert and the date so you can just grab your inserts and cut out the appropriate one and go.
PROS: This is the least time consuming method, very simple and saves on time clipping. Match ups are super easy because they give you the date and tell you what the coupon is.
CONS: Overseas military can use expired coupons for up to 6 months beyond expiration which means that eventually you will have to clip them anyway (Here is a link to the website for more information http://thekrazycouponlady.com/coupons-for-military/). This also limits your ability to "shop of the fly" and take advantage of any good sales you might run across in the store that were not advertised because your coupons will be at home.
The next is a variation that requires some serious arm strength! Take your inserts and split them into individual sheets then write the date on each sheet (not on top of your coupons!) then put them in a sheet protector and toss em in a binder. Clip your coupons before you go for you match ups and then heft the massive binder and take it to the store with you to take advantage of anything you run across that was not advertised.
PROS: Time saving method all that is required up front is to separate your inserts, write the date and then file them.
CONS: Carrying a huge binder with a ton of paper in it is not high on the list of things I want to do. This will also require you to carry scissors to clip coupons in the store. There is no way to look for a specific coupon you just have to flip through every page.
Next is the category method. Clip your coupons and then put them into inserts (baseball card inserts available at Target, Walmart, etc.) by category. You can decide what categories work for you or lay it out based on the aisles of the store that you shop in the most. Whatever works for you. Here is a recommendation on categories http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2010/09/24/how-to-start-your-coupon-binder-this-ones-for-you-kathie-lee/
PROS: This can be laid out based on the way your store is so it can be really easy to look while you are shopping.
CONS: Trying to decide what items go into what category can be obnoxious and can change based on your mood. Sort and file carefully!
Finally there is the alphabetical method. Clip and sort your coupons by alphabet, put them into inserts and then file them in your binder. When you run into a sale in the store then you can just look it up by the product name! There are a couple of things that can be sorted into a main name, for example all Kellogg's cereals can go into on sleeve....save a little space ;-)
PROS: Alphabetical, Wooooooo! Product searching is easy because when you see anything on sale...look it up by alphabet! OK, we all know I live for this.
CONS: It is a lot of work up front. If you are not an alphabetical person, it can get really obnoxious.
So now for my binder. I actually just picked up a new binder yesterday, it is a double binder (One on each side) with a handle and a shoulder strap (Ha!). On the right side I have tabs for each of the stores I shop in that has a regular sheet protector in the front with a couple of baseball card inserts behind it so I can put the coupons I know I am using that day in them, then a copy of the store coupon policy (you can get these online or ask at customer service in the store). On the other side I have my alphabet tabs (I have one for 2 letters so I only have to have a dozen tabs) with baseball sleeves for all my coupons sorted in alphabetical order. I have a feeling that the complete alphabetical will break down and I will just have them in A, B, C.....but I can live with that.
Anyway, I figured that I would post this today in case anyone was waiting on the edge of their seat with their coupon inserts waiting until someone gave them a good way to file them ;-)
Happy couponing and share your binder layouts with me, would love to hear about em!
The first is the easiest and most painless way. When you get your Sunday papers, pull out the inserts and write the date on them and then toss em in a file folder for the month. Also, when you print your coupons on the first business day of the month (from coupons.com, etc) you can toss them in the front of the file folder. Most of your match up sites will list which insert and the date so you can just grab your inserts and cut out the appropriate one and go.
PROS: This is the least time consuming method, very simple and saves on time clipping. Match ups are super easy because they give you the date and tell you what the coupon is.
CONS: Overseas military can use expired coupons for up to 6 months beyond expiration which means that eventually you will have to clip them anyway (Here is a link to the website for more information http://thekrazycouponlady.com/coupons-for-military/). This also limits your ability to "shop of the fly" and take advantage of any good sales you might run across in the store that were not advertised because your coupons will be at home.
The next is a variation that requires some serious arm strength! Take your inserts and split them into individual sheets then write the date on each sheet (not on top of your coupons!) then put them in a sheet protector and toss em in a binder. Clip your coupons before you go for you match ups and then heft the massive binder and take it to the store with you to take advantage of anything you run across that was not advertised.
PROS: Time saving method all that is required up front is to separate your inserts, write the date and then file them.
CONS: Carrying a huge binder with a ton of paper in it is not high on the list of things I want to do. This will also require you to carry scissors to clip coupons in the store. There is no way to look for a specific coupon you just have to flip through every page.
Next is the category method. Clip your coupons and then put them into inserts (baseball card inserts available at Target, Walmart, etc.) by category. You can decide what categories work for you or lay it out based on the aisles of the store that you shop in the most. Whatever works for you. Here is a recommendation on categories http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2010/09/24/how-to-start-your-coupon-binder-this-ones-for-you-kathie-lee/
PROS: This can be laid out based on the way your store is so it can be really easy to look while you are shopping.
CONS: Trying to decide what items go into what category can be obnoxious and can change based on your mood. Sort and file carefully!
Finally there is the alphabetical method. Clip and sort your coupons by alphabet, put them into inserts and then file them in your binder. When you run into a sale in the store then you can just look it up by the product name! There are a couple of things that can be sorted into a main name, for example all Kellogg's cereals can go into on sleeve....save a little space ;-)
PROS: Alphabetical, Wooooooo! Product searching is easy because when you see anything on sale...look it up by alphabet! OK, we all know I live for this.
CONS: It is a lot of work up front. If you are not an alphabetical person, it can get really obnoxious.
So now for my binder. I actually just picked up a new binder yesterday, it is a double binder (One on each side) with a handle and a shoulder strap (Ha!). On the right side I have tabs for each of the stores I shop in that has a regular sheet protector in the front with a couple of baseball card inserts behind it so I can put the coupons I know I am using that day in them, then a copy of the store coupon policy (you can get these online or ask at customer service in the store). On the other side I have my alphabet tabs (I have one for 2 letters so I only have to have a dozen tabs) with baseball sleeves for all my coupons sorted in alphabetical order. I have a feeling that the complete alphabetical will break down and I will just have them in A, B, C.....but I can live with that.
Anyway, I figured that I would post this today in case anyone was waiting on the edge of their seat with their coupon inserts waiting until someone gave them a good way to file them ;-)
Happy couponing and share your binder layouts with me, would love to hear about em!
Dogs, Books and Coupon Inserts.....
My weekends are generally not peaceful or restful. I do not do cleaning on the weekends, I use my weekdays to do that so that I don't have to worry about it while in the midst of crazy dogs (Because daddy is home with them all day) and an obnoxious husband (yeah, yeah, yeah....some of you think he is an angel. Live with him for a few weeks and then talk to me) not to mention a gabazillion errands that *have* to be done.
This weekend has been particularly interesting (I find that I need to use that word because anything else only has 4 letters in it and I know that some of you *hate* when I revert to my swearing like a sailor). Grace (aka: Doodle Bug, Doodle or Princess) is not feeling well at all. She has been throwing up nearly non stop since yesterday morning, poor girl is sick and mama is chasing after her with the Resolve and the steam cleaner. Not to mention force feeding her Pepcid to try to settle her stomach (Sidenote: I have discussed this medication with my vet for all of my dogs and have been given the green light as well as recommended dosages. Please do not give your animal ANY medications without having that discussion!). She is finally feeling better this morning and even ate a little of her kibble which has miraculously managed to stay down. However, Jacky jumped on the bandwagon and threw up last night before bed and refused to eat more than a little of his kibble this morning. Travis is ok but I can tell his tummy is not well (My backyard is the best evidence). The only one NOT feeling any pain is my big ole sensitive tummy Mattie......he is just fine ;-)
Sick animals terrify me....I am one of those lunatics that is on the phone to the vet if one of my dogs sneezes (Thankfully Joe keeps me from stalking my vet and makes me wait to see if it is anything more than a little dust in their nose before I make the call). We had a chronic illness in one of our cats and we learned to pay attention to "baseline" behaviors and go on alert if we see anything outside of the norm. It is much easier to treat an animal if the problem is caught early enough. Yes, yes, yes....I am a "Crazy Doggy Mama" get used to it. Not gonna change. Our personal choice not to have children means that I am allowed to go a little nutso about my dogs and we are fine with it. Unfortunately sometimes this interferes with my life in ways that are seemingly ridiculous. I had to stay home last night while Joe went to the Father's Day/Birthday dinner for the family last night because the idea of leaving Grace here and having to come home and attempt to clean up all the messes after they had sat there for hours was just completely unacceptable. I hope that everyone will forgive me, if not next time she is sick I will bring her to your house and let you watch the carpets get yucka and see how well you handle it ;-) Yup, I'm a nut....but really, I am ok with it and so is Joe. In actuality sometimes he is way worse than I am......but we won't go there.
Next on the list is the latest book I have read in my quest for couponing information. This book is a very fun read but not a ton of new information. However, the best thing is that they actually provide the current coupon policy for a ton of different stores in the back of the book! There are two different methods for binder organization explained in the book (Neither of them alphabetical, so no go for me) but again very entertaining. This book is EXTREMELY popular. They did not have any copies in either the used book store or ebay. The local retail bookstores did not have any copies in stock and I actually had to order it from Amazon. My poor mail carried was a little disturbed that I was stalking him while I waited for it to arrive but hey, I was excited to read it. I can't say that everyone should rush out and buy this one (Sorry Miss Joanie and Miss Heather!) There is some good information in here for a beginner and really a very easy read but again, very basic beginner stuff. The worst part is that most of the information they give in this book is available for free on their website http://thekrazycouponlady.com. Definitely check this site out, there is tons of information and they do early warning for upcoming deals for the week. This is my second favorite site and the information is pretty consistent with my store prices and deals.
This morning I got to make an incredibly entertaining phone call to the Houston Chronicle. Some background in case you are not all hanging on my every word and remember that a couple of weeks ago we had a little guy show up on our doorstep offering an annual subscription to the Chronicle for a $1 a week for just the Sunday edition and promising me double coupon inserts. When I got my paper last Sunday it was in 2 different bags, the first two sections were in one and the rest was in a second. I pulled it out and had stuff fly all over the place.....and only 1 set of the coupon inserts. Well, I always assume that the first delivery is wonky so I blew it off and went on about my business. This morning when I wandered out to get my paper, I discovered that once again it was in separate bags and only 1 coupon insert. So, I picked up my phone (If you are unaware, I *hate* making phone calls....really, it makes me unhappy. I only do it in extreme circumstances, I prefer text messages) and called the Chronicle. Now, my approach to making any phone call with a question or complaint is to check my attitude. People are much more willing to work with someone who is not yelling or freaking out at them. As a matter of fact if I start the phone call with "I'm an idiot" I generally get phenomenal service! I highly recommend never making a phone call when you are angry about something. Wait until you are calm and be cheerful, customer service people are generally so happy to talk to someone pleasant that they will go out of their way to help you. Anyway, soap box is firmly tucked back under the desk again and onward. I spoke with a very nice lady this morning and asked her about my double coupon inserts. She *almost* laughed at me, they have never offered anything like that to subscribers and there is no such program (I am not shocked, door to door sales people are awful about making promises since they know there is no way to really track it....and they are probably not going to get in trouble for it anyway because how can you prove it?). So, I asked if they did discounts on multiple subscriptions and found out that they are currently offering a promotion for $.50 an issue for Sunday only delivery. Houston take note, $.50 a week for a $2 paper!!!! Make the phone call, NOW. Fair warning, you will have to pay for it in advance by credit or debit over the phone. I now have 2 subscriptions to the Chronicle (So I still get my double coupon ads) and I paid $1 for the first and $.50 for the second. So I get 2 papers for $1.50 a week which is still less than the newsstand price for a single one.....The promotional $.50 is only available for your first subscription any additional will cost you the $1 but still an excellent deal. Two for less than the price of one....The Krazy Coupon Lady would be proud of me!
Speaking of the Krazy Coupon Lady, I know I linked to the website earlier but I am going to do it again. http://thekrazycouponlady.com because I actually have a few things to say for my couponing buddies. Due to the success of the show on TLC (Extreme Couponers) the coupon craze has hit BIG TIME. Do not be shocked to see people stalking your neighborhood looking for newspapers sitting in driveways. This is NOT acceptable behavior, even if they did show someone do it on national TV. Also, supplies for coupon binders are going like crazy in the stores. I need to add to my baseball card sleeves and cannot find them anywhere locally but BEWARE of Ebay. Right now with the demand the prices have gone a little nutty. Do some homework, I can buy more for less at Amazon.com right now and that includes shipping. Although, there are some lots of binder inserts with different sizes on Ebay that I have been looking at. Set your price, do not get caught up in a bidding war and pay twice what they are worth. Now that the season is over the craze should start to die down some at least until the next season starts. The chaff will start getting separated from the wheat, blah, blah...you get what I am saying. Also, do not expect to walk into the store and immediately get $800 worth of stuff for $10.....that is not remotely a realistic expectation. Understand that it takes time to build up your coupon collection and it does take work to match it up with your store circulars (although this is getting much easier with the success of some of the couponing websites) and really watch the savings start rolling in. Give yourself at least a month to start seeing changes to your bottom line and also cut yourself some slack when you get a not so good deal. This is a learning process and like learning any other skill it takes time, practice and you're going to make mistakes. Accept that now and move on, it will make it a much better experience and something you can stick with past the craze and please do not buy 100 bottles of ketchup just because they are on sale......you will regret it ;-)
Happy couponing!
p.s. My plan for my next post is a breakdown on how my binder is organized, in case you are not liking your current set up or haven't found a system that you like. I will also offer some different ways that I have read or heard about from the books I have read and the sites I have wandered across.
This weekend has been particularly interesting (I find that I need to use that word because anything else only has 4 letters in it and I know that some of you *hate* when I revert to my swearing like a sailor). Grace (aka: Doodle Bug, Doodle or Princess) is not feeling well at all. She has been throwing up nearly non stop since yesterday morning, poor girl is sick and mama is chasing after her with the Resolve and the steam cleaner. Not to mention force feeding her Pepcid to try to settle her stomach (Sidenote: I have discussed this medication with my vet for all of my dogs and have been given the green light as well as recommended dosages. Please do not give your animal ANY medications without having that discussion!). She is finally feeling better this morning and even ate a little of her kibble which has miraculously managed to stay down. However, Jacky jumped on the bandwagon and threw up last night before bed and refused to eat more than a little of his kibble this morning. Travis is ok but I can tell his tummy is not well (My backyard is the best evidence). The only one NOT feeling any pain is my big ole sensitive tummy Mattie......he is just fine ;-)
Sick animals terrify me....I am one of those lunatics that is on the phone to the vet if one of my dogs sneezes (Thankfully Joe keeps me from stalking my vet and makes me wait to see if it is anything more than a little dust in their nose before I make the call). We had a chronic illness in one of our cats and we learned to pay attention to "baseline" behaviors and go on alert if we see anything outside of the norm. It is much easier to treat an animal if the problem is caught early enough. Yes, yes, yes....I am a "Crazy Doggy Mama" get used to it. Not gonna change. Our personal choice not to have children means that I am allowed to go a little nutso about my dogs and we are fine with it. Unfortunately sometimes this interferes with my life in ways that are seemingly ridiculous. I had to stay home last night while Joe went to the Father's Day/Birthday dinner for the family last night because the idea of leaving Grace here and having to come home and attempt to clean up all the messes after they had sat there for hours was just completely unacceptable. I hope that everyone will forgive me, if not next time she is sick I will bring her to your house and let you watch the carpets get yucka and see how well you handle it ;-) Yup, I'm a nut....but really, I am ok with it and so is Joe. In actuality sometimes he is way worse than I am......but we won't go there.
Next on the list is the latest book I have read in my quest for couponing information. This book is a very fun read but not a ton of new information. However, the best thing is that they actually provide the current coupon policy for a ton of different stores in the back of the book! There are two different methods for binder organization explained in the book (Neither of them alphabetical, so no go for me) but again very entertaining. This book is EXTREMELY popular. They did not have any copies in either the used book store or ebay. The local retail bookstores did not have any copies in stock and I actually had to order it from Amazon. My poor mail carried was a little disturbed that I was stalking him while I waited for it to arrive but hey, I was excited to read it. I can't say that everyone should rush out and buy this one (Sorry Miss Joanie and Miss Heather!) There is some good information in here for a beginner and really a very easy read but again, very basic beginner stuff. The worst part is that most of the information they give in this book is available for free on their website http://thekrazycouponlady.com. Definitely check this site out, there is tons of information and they do early warning for upcoming deals for the week. This is my second favorite site and the information is pretty consistent with my store prices and deals.
This morning I got to make an incredibly entertaining phone call to the Houston Chronicle. Some background in case you are not all hanging on my every word and remember that a couple of weeks ago we had a little guy show up on our doorstep offering an annual subscription to the Chronicle for a $1 a week for just the Sunday edition and promising me double coupon inserts. When I got my paper last Sunday it was in 2 different bags, the first two sections were in one and the rest was in a second. I pulled it out and had stuff fly all over the place.....and only 1 set of the coupon inserts. Well, I always assume that the first delivery is wonky so I blew it off and went on about my business. This morning when I wandered out to get my paper, I discovered that once again it was in separate bags and only 1 coupon insert. So, I picked up my phone (If you are unaware, I *hate* making phone calls....really, it makes me unhappy. I only do it in extreme circumstances, I prefer text messages) and called the Chronicle. Now, my approach to making any phone call with a question or complaint is to check my attitude. People are much more willing to work with someone who is not yelling or freaking out at them. As a matter of fact if I start the phone call with "I'm an idiot" I generally get phenomenal service! I highly recommend never making a phone call when you are angry about something. Wait until you are calm and be cheerful, customer service people are generally so happy to talk to someone pleasant that they will go out of their way to help you. Anyway, soap box is firmly tucked back under the desk again and onward. I spoke with a very nice lady this morning and asked her about my double coupon inserts. She *almost* laughed at me, they have never offered anything like that to subscribers and there is no such program (I am not shocked, door to door sales people are awful about making promises since they know there is no way to really track it....and they are probably not going to get in trouble for it anyway because how can you prove it?). So, I asked if they did discounts on multiple subscriptions and found out that they are currently offering a promotion for $.50 an issue for Sunday only delivery. Houston take note, $.50 a week for a $2 paper!!!! Make the phone call, NOW. Fair warning, you will have to pay for it in advance by credit or debit over the phone. I now have 2 subscriptions to the Chronicle (So I still get my double coupon ads) and I paid $1 for the first and $.50 for the second. So I get 2 papers for $1.50 a week which is still less than the newsstand price for a single one.....The promotional $.50 is only available for your first subscription any additional will cost you the $1 but still an excellent deal. Two for less than the price of one....The Krazy Coupon Lady would be proud of me!
Speaking of the Krazy Coupon Lady, I know I linked to the website earlier but I am going to do it again. http://thekrazycouponlady.com because I actually have a few things to say for my couponing buddies. Due to the success of the show on TLC (Extreme Couponers) the coupon craze has hit BIG TIME. Do not be shocked to see people stalking your neighborhood looking for newspapers sitting in driveways. This is NOT acceptable behavior, even if they did show someone do it on national TV. Also, supplies for coupon binders are going like crazy in the stores. I need to add to my baseball card sleeves and cannot find them anywhere locally but BEWARE of Ebay. Right now with the demand the prices have gone a little nutty. Do some homework, I can buy more for less at Amazon.com right now and that includes shipping. Although, there are some lots of binder inserts with different sizes on Ebay that I have been looking at. Set your price, do not get caught up in a bidding war and pay twice what they are worth. Now that the season is over the craze should start to die down some at least until the next season starts. The chaff will start getting separated from the wheat, blah, blah...you get what I am saying. Also, do not expect to walk into the store and immediately get $800 worth of stuff for $10.....that is not remotely a realistic expectation. Understand that it takes time to build up your coupon collection and it does take work to match it up with your store circulars (although this is getting much easier with the success of some of the couponing websites) and really watch the savings start rolling in. Give yourself at least a month to start seeing changes to your bottom line and also cut yourself some slack when you get a not so good deal. This is a learning process and like learning any other skill it takes time, practice and you're going to make mistakes. Accept that now and move on, it will make it a much better experience and something you can stick with past the craze and please do not buy 100 bottles of ketchup just because they are on sale......you will regret it ;-)
Happy couponing!
p.s. My plan for my next post is a breakdown on how my binder is organized, in case you are not liking your current set up or haven't found a system that you like. I will also offer some different ways that I have read or heard about from the books I have read and the sites I have wandered across.
Friday, June 17, 2011
God had a slow morning...
Y'all I know that God had a slow morning because he was getting lots of giggles at my expense! I saw a post on one of my websites about a great deal on Hershey's chocolate (Those of you who actually read my FB posts will know what I am talking about) so I got my coupons printed and raced for the door. I was so excited I almost ran out in my pajama pants, I only realized it when I was slipping on my flip flops and wound up with my pants around my toes in my shoe (Yes, it happens.....I'm short, pajama pants are long...back off!). So I run back to my room and change really quick then head out the door. I actually did forget to brush my teeth (Good thing I scored Tic Tacs for $0.24 each yesterday!).
I had 3 stores to hit this morning: Sam's Club, Walmart and Target (Chocolate!)
Sam's went fine it was a super quick trip and I always score a $0.94 diet coke so that makes life good. They are doing some remodeling so the actual cafe is closed off but they have a temporary area set up for it. The credit card machine was not working so the nice man behind the counter had to actually swipe my card and print out something for me to sign. So I bend over the counter to sign it and when I look up I catch him staring down my shirt. I left the house in a crew neck T shirt this morning.....course my dogs have the "Unfortunate Aiello male boob obsession" so they are in the habit of grabbing the tops of my shirts or sticking their big fat heads in the necks of my shirts and causing some serious stretching. I really don't get bent about having my chest stared at, it's entirely too common when you have a large one and I guess for a $0.94 soda the poor guy can take a look if it makes his day a little brighter.
Walmart is another story. Now this is the really nice Walmart that I do not get the shakes before going into....however, I have been in this store a couple of different times looking to scores some great deals and they are just not there.....I give up, really. No more Walmart for me. Luckily I did need to pick up this month's copy of All You so there really was a reason for me to go into the store (This is not on any other newsstand so either you have to go into Walmart or you have to subscribe). I am not sure my subscription has gone through yet so, better safe than sorry plus I was in the parking lot. Now here is where it gets more interesting. I put my grocery bag in the back of the truck, grabbed my Sam's stuff and tossed it in then shut the back of the truck..........WITH MY KEYS IN IT! I have owned my truck for more than 5 years, I am not supposed to be ABLE to lock my keys in it because I have automatic door locks. There I go again, proving that it is possible to do the impossible. I usually do not toss my keys back there because I do not unlock the rest of the truck for just this reason (I cannot see the front and side doors while I am at the back and I often have my purse or wallet or whatever in the front). This time I had my purse, binder and an unused shopping bag with me....so as soon as I realize this I pull out my AAA card for a rescue. A word on AAA, today they sent me a hero...Henry, is my best friend today. This one incident is enough to justify my annual fee, I do not have a spare set of keys at home. They are on Joe's keys and he works downtown. For him to come rescue me would have cost us 2 hours of his pay and a quarter tank of gas. That is more than my yearly cost for AAA.....so, score for us. This is one bill I never hesitate to pay as soon as I get it, a total no brainer. Sorry, there goes that pesky rant again. So, it is in the late 90's outside and I have about a 45 minute wait for my rescuer to arrive.....AND, my brand new magazine is locked in the back of the truck with my keys *sigh*. So back into Walmart I go....I grabbed a cheeseburger and tried to entertain myself with a reminder that I hate spending money and I am not going to do it anymore and even though they have big discounts on books I don't need anymore and I can get them for less at the used bookstore and.......well, I think you get the picture. The good news is that the truck arrived about 20 minutes ahead of schedule, I did manage to not buy anything else and he unlocked my car in about 45 seconds. Oh, AND he gave me a cold bottle of water.....Yup, my hero!
I am going to interject a couple of sidenotes at this point.
I had 3 stores to hit this morning: Sam's Club, Walmart and Target (Chocolate!)
Sam's went fine it was a super quick trip and I always score a $0.94 diet coke so that makes life good. They are doing some remodeling so the actual cafe is closed off but they have a temporary area set up for it. The credit card machine was not working so the nice man behind the counter had to actually swipe my card and print out something for me to sign. So I bend over the counter to sign it and when I look up I catch him staring down my shirt. I left the house in a crew neck T shirt this morning.....course my dogs have the "Unfortunate Aiello male boob obsession" so they are in the habit of grabbing the tops of my shirts or sticking their big fat heads in the necks of my shirts and causing some serious stretching. I really don't get bent about having my chest stared at, it's entirely too common when you have a large one and I guess for a $0.94 soda the poor guy can take a look if it makes his day a little brighter.
Walmart is another story. Now this is the really nice Walmart that I do not get the shakes before going into....however, I have been in this store a couple of different times looking to scores some great deals and they are just not there.....I give up, really. No more Walmart for me. Luckily I did need to pick up this month's copy of All You so there really was a reason for me to go into the store (This is not on any other newsstand so either you have to go into Walmart or you have to subscribe). I am not sure my subscription has gone through yet so, better safe than sorry plus I was in the parking lot. Now here is where it gets more interesting. I put my grocery bag in the back of the truck, grabbed my Sam's stuff and tossed it in then shut the back of the truck..........WITH MY KEYS IN IT! I have owned my truck for more than 5 years, I am not supposed to be ABLE to lock my keys in it because I have automatic door locks. There I go again, proving that it is possible to do the impossible. I usually do not toss my keys back there because I do not unlock the rest of the truck for just this reason (I cannot see the front and side doors while I am at the back and I often have my purse or wallet or whatever in the front). This time I had my purse, binder and an unused shopping bag with me....so as soon as I realize this I pull out my AAA card for a rescue. A word on AAA, today they sent me a hero...Henry, is my best friend today. This one incident is enough to justify my annual fee, I do not have a spare set of keys at home. They are on Joe's keys and he works downtown. For him to come rescue me would have cost us 2 hours of his pay and a quarter tank of gas. That is more than my yearly cost for AAA.....so, score for us. This is one bill I never hesitate to pay as soon as I get it, a total no brainer. Sorry, there goes that pesky rant again. So, it is in the late 90's outside and I have about a 45 minute wait for my rescuer to arrive.....AND, my brand new magazine is locked in the back of the truck with my keys *sigh*. So back into Walmart I go....I grabbed a cheeseburger and tried to entertain myself with a reminder that I hate spending money and I am not going to do it anymore and even though they have big discounts on books I don't need anymore and I can get them for less at the used bookstore and.......well, I think you get the picture. The good news is that the truck arrived about 20 minutes ahead of schedule, I did manage to not buy anything else and he unlocked my car in about 45 seconds. Oh, AND he gave me a cold bottle of water.....Yup, my hero!
I am going to interject a couple of sidenotes at this point.
- When I got up this morning I realized that I had forgotten to set up the coffee pot. Since we all know that really bad things happen when I attempt to make coffee after I wake up I have established a personal policy that does not allow me to touch the coffee maker other than to push the button and pour it from the carafe after it is ready. So, I am running on NO coffee....
- I am not angry, actually I am cracking up about the whole thing. I sent Joe a text and he called me probably assuming that I was going to yell and scream and have a fit. Instead, I laughed and told him about what an idiot I am. He was probably incredibly grateful ;-)
- This is all occurring before 11am......Not my best time of day.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Check your attitude at the door....
I went trotting into Target today carrying my Dooney Burke, wearing a pair of Ray Bans and my tennis shoes that cost more than most of my full retail trips. I was also carrying my coupon binder and an accordion file with the rest of my "Target Only" coupons in it, just in case, with my reusable Target bags for my purchases (.05 off for each bag you bring in and use instead of the plastic ones!). I was never a bargain hunter, I was very much a "I want it, where is it, I am going to get it" kinda girl. Making a change to a coupon frame of mind has been, in nice terms, difficult for me. Although I have to admit that watching my totals go down when I hand over a few coupons gives me a tingle.....I am hooked!
I walked into Target with a $30 budget and walked out for $28.43....Please tell me, has anyone EVER walked out of a Target UNDER budget? Not this girl, until today. I also walked out with 7 items I did not plan on buying when I walked into the store.....Oh the JOY!
My trip there was for something very specific....Lysol No Touch Soap Dispensers, I have been coveting these since they came out but even without my new mindset of "don't spend it if it's not on sale and you don't have a coupon" I could not justify spending $12.99 for hand soap. I can get 4 at Bath & Body works for that price so I have tried to avoid looking at them. Imagine my joy when I saw on Savings Angel that they were on sale for $7.99 at Target AND there was a $3 off coupon in both the Sunday ads and online at Lysol.com (You do have to register for the site, but there are a bunch of different coupons for Lysol products there.) My total for each was $4.99, now that I can justify....Yes I can pay less at Bath & Body Works but hey, this one has batteries which made Joe super excited and actually made him happy about the coupon chaos. Although he has yet to get excited enough to help me clip them......
One other thing of note that my Sis-In-Law Kristin passed on to me. Target has a debit card program that gives you the same 5% off all of your purchases that you get for using your Target credit card. Super easy to sign up for. Next time you are in the store take a voided check with you, go to the customer service counter. In 5 minutes you are signed up and they will issue a card that gives you 5% off all purchases and takes the funds directly from your checking account. No bill at the end of the month! I had no idea that they had the debit card, so I had to pass the information along!
I also ran into the HEB on my way home because they had Oceanspray Cranberry Juice advertised for .88, which of course they were out of but in the 10 minutes I was in the store (looking for unadvertised sales that I could go home and match up with coupons) I saw 2 different people with their coupon binders.....and they were my age or younger! I was almost embarrassed that I had left my binder in the car, the impulse to run out and grab it was a difficult one to control but I somehow managed to keep myself in check.
It has taken quite a bit for me to adapt to this mindset, but coupons can make a serious difference in your life if you have a few hours a week and the knowledge to use them correctly. The books I have linked from Amazon are great, there is a lot of good information about making it work. Also, there are lots of websites out there that can help.
I did a comparison of some of the free coupon matching websites this week and am still completely on board with Savings Angel. The ease of use, the fact that I can pull up only the stores that I want to see, get a list together and then they tell me which coupons to grab or link to print them makes it totally worth the fee. The others either require you to write up a list, write down the coupons then go on a hunt or just generally have bad information on them. I like printing my list and my coupons in one sitting, gathering what I need from my box of alphabetized coupons (There is that shiver again) and then heading out the door...that totally appeals to the lazy in me. As of now, I am not doing the research on the other sites anymore it's just not worth the time and effort.
Happy couponing y'all and let me know if you find any excellent deals!
I walked into Target with a $30 budget and walked out for $28.43....Please tell me, has anyone EVER walked out of a Target UNDER budget? Not this girl, until today. I also walked out with 7 items I did not plan on buying when I walked into the store.....Oh the JOY!
My trip there was for something very specific....Lysol No Touch Soap Dispensers, I have been coveting these since they came out but even without my new mindset of "don't spend it if it's not on sale and you don't have a coupon" I could not justify spending $12.99 for hand soap. I can get 4 at Bath & Body works for that price so I have tried to avoid looking at them. Imagine my joy when I saw on Savings Angel that they were on sale for $7.99 at Target AND there was a $3 off coupon in both the Sunday ads and online at Lysol.com (You do have to register for the site, but there are a bunch of different coupons for Lysol products there.) My total for each was $4.99, now that I can justify....Yes I can pay less at Bath & Body Works but hey, this one has batteries which made Joe super excited and actually made him happy about the coupon chaos. Although he has yet to get excited enough to help me clip them......
One other thing of note that my Sis-In-Law Kristin passed on to me. Target has a debit card program that gives you the same 5% off all of your purchases that you get for using your Target credit card. Super easy to sign up for. Next time you are in the store take a voided check with you, go to the customer service counter. In 5 minutes you are signed up and they will issue a card that gives you 5% off all purchases and takes the funds directly from your checking account. No bill at the end of the month! I had no idea that they had the debit card, so I had to pass the information along!
I also ran into the HEB on my way home because they had Oceanspray Cranberry Juice advertised for .88, which of course they were out of but in the 10 minutes I was in the store (looking for unadvertised sales that I could go home and match up with coupons) I saw 2 different people with their coupon binders.....and they were my age or younger! I was almost embarrassed that I had left my binder in the car, the impulse to run out and grab it was a difficult one to control but I somehow managed to keep myself in check.
It has taken quite a bit for me to adapt to this mindset, but coupons can make a serious difference in your life if you have a few hours a week and the knowledge to use them correctly. The books I have linked from Amazon are great, there is a lot of good information about making it work. Also, there are lots of websites out there that can help.
I did a comparison of some of the free coupon matching websites this week and am still completely on board with Savings Angel. The ease of use, the fact that I can pull up only the stores that I want to see, get a list together and then they tell me which coupons to grab or link to print them makes it totally worth the fee. The others either require you to write up a list, write down the coupons then go on a hunt or just generally have bad information on them. I like printing my list and my coupons in one sitting, gathering what I need from my box of alphabetized coupons (There is that shiver again) and then heading out the door...that totally appeals to the lazy in me. As of now, I am not doing the research on the other sites anymore it's just not worth the time and effort.
Happy couponing y'all and let me know if you find any excellent deals!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
God has a Sense of Humor
I amuse God, I know it. I think that when he has a few idle moments he wonders "Hmmm, what is Miss Ran doing and how can I make it more interesting?". He found a doozy this morning.....at just before 6am, Miss Ran was sleeping (finally) and my beloved Mattie started whining at the door to go out. He usually waits until his daddy's alarm goes off before he starts this but this morning was apparently an emergency. It takes me a bit to wake up in the mornings as this is just NOT my time of day. Joe was already up but I knew he had another 20 minutes or so to sleep so I opened the door for Mattie then turned around to get the boys out of their crates. While my back was turned Mattie had the opportunity to yak up about a gazillion tons of pureed dog food on my (wait for it.....) freshly steam cleaned carpet. I spent the last 2 days steam cleaning the crap out of every carpeted surface in my downstairs...........Mattie has tummy problems, he is easily stressed and has a very sensitive tummy. The last few days he has been in a cone because he has a bug bite on his tail that he will not leave alone. This happened last year and he licked at it so badly that he created a huge wound that took weeks to heal. This time we reacted proactively and stuck him in the cone before it could get to that point. He does not enjoy this particular insult to his dignity and reacts by being grumbly and crabby, lashing out at the puppies (although that is not really any different than any other day....I think he is amazingly nice to them considering) and just generally wandering around moping and looking abused. One of the guidelines for anything that makes Mattie unhappy is a Pepcid with dinner. Pepcid is perfectly safe to use with dogs, although definitely check with your vet regarding the dosage, Mattie at 80lbs gets a full pill but smaller dogs can often be given half. Usually this does the trick and we can sleep easy knowing that we will not have an "incident" at least from that particular dog. Obviously we were wrong......
Yesterday night while I was waiting for the water to boil for dinner I finally got around to checking my FB page and saw a post from my Auntie S. that sounds incredibly like the story that I just wrote....and her prayer echoes in my heart and mind constantly (Forgive the paraphrasing Auntie) "God give me patience". I am NOT a patient person, anyone who has spent more than 3 minutes with me understands this immediately. I really do think these things are a chance to practice this virtue but I just do not have TIME for it! Alright, actually my dogs are incredible teachers in this regard. Raising 2 puppies at a time with 2 older dogs having to adapt to the new additions and Grace getting sick and, and, and....well, it works wonders. I am still not a patient person but I am learning that I can set it aside until I can find a quiet room (or closet) and scream out my frustration while kicking a pile of dog toys (I keep a stash in my closet since they regularly destroy their toys and need replacements. This save my furniture, shoes, carpets and anything else they can eat....although the dog beds are still their favorite snack and have thus been removed from their crates until they can be trusted with them) until I feel better and can actually look at them without seeing red and thinking repeatedly "Kill, Kill, Kill". Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer says that you don't get the dog you want but the dog you need....I am trying really hard to believe that and accept that my dogs are here to teach me what God wants me to learn, but what I really want is to go back to sleep and call it a day.....at least for a while. A "do over" sounds like a great idea right about now.....I think I should go test the theory.
Yesterday night while I was waiting for the water to boil for dinner I finally got around to checking my FB page and saw a post from my Auntie S. that sounds incredibly like the story that I just wrote....and her prayer echoes in my heart and mind constantly (Forgive the paraphrasing Auntie) "God give me patience". I am NOT a patient person, anyone who has spent more than 3 minutes with me understands this immediately. I really do think these things are a chance to practice this virtue but I just do not have TIME for it! Alright, actually my dogs are incredible teachers in this regard. Raising 2 puppies at a time with 2 older dogs having to adapt to the new additions and Grace getting sick and, and, and....well, it works wonders. I am still not a patient person but I am learning that I can set it aside until I can find a quiet room (or closet) and scream out my frustration while kicking a pile of dog toys (I keep a stash in my closet since they regularly destroy their toys and need replacements. This save my furniture, shoes, carpets and anything else they can eat....although the dog beds are still their favorite snack and have thus been removed from their crates until they can be trusted with them) until I feel better and can actually look at them without seeing red and thinking repeatedly "Kill, Kill, Kill". Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer says that you don't get the dog you want but the dog you need....I am trying really hard to believe that and accept that my dogs are here to teach me what God wants me to learn, but what I really want is to go back to sleep and call it a day.....at least for a while. A "do over" sounds like a great idea right about now.....I think I should go test the theory.
Monday, June 13, 2011
A Day of Rest
Sundays in my house are a day of rest. We get up in the mornings and stay in our pajamas all day. Watch TV, play video games, read books....or pretend to do those things while snoozing in our chairs or on the couch. This is something my family was trained well about. Ask one of my family to pick up the phone and call me on a Sunday and they will turn a bizarre shade of purple and refuse, they know better ;-)
Last week in my search for the best bargains I discovered that a lot of the *really* good deals at CVS are gone right after the first day the ads come out which is on Sunday. There are people who either get the ads the day before in the Early Edition of the Chronicle and are there first thing or they get the ad in their Sunday paper and rush right out. I am lazy and I *hate* mornings....but I decided to give it a try this week. I got up at 7 with the dogs and instead of going back to bed I turned on my computer and went to the savings angel website so they could tell me exactly what the deals were and what coupons and such I needed to take with me (Have I mentioned that I love this service? It really appeals to the lazy in me). I get it all together and I am ready to go at 8:30, so I go in to wake Joe up so he can take on puppy duty. Now, last week while we were out shopping he found a sprinkler thing for the backyard that he decided that he had to have for the dogs, so he decides he needs to go with me to CVS because that is where he thinks it is. I recall it being at Walgreen's but he is insistent so I go along with it because I have been wrong....once.
After an hour of flopping around and petting the dogs and doing whatever it is that he needs to do to get out of the house for a 20 minute trip to CVS we are finally on our way. I have my list, I have my coupons and I have my Extracare Bucks, I am ready to go! We get in the store and immediately discover that the 2 items that are my highest priority (Free Bayer Advanced and Motrin PM) are gone....really??!!?! Wow, gonna have to work on that timing (Lots of throat clearing and foot tapping with a few glares shot in Joe's direction). So, I get the rest of my stuff and we get out of there. Joe is fussy because he didn't find his sprinkler thingie and so we are off to another CVS....I found my Bayer at that one but Joe is still not having any luck with his sprinkler. So, one more CVS on our trip and Hey, I found my Motrin, yay for team me! Joe is still out of luck and I (once again) remind him that I believe it was at Walgreens. We are now going on 11am (Yes, we did leave the house at 9:30 for a quick trip) and we are both getting hungry and crabby, breakfast was on the agenda after our "quick" trip to CVS. So, we hit a Walgreens on the way home and holy cow, there is the sprinkler! Joe is looking around the store at god only knows what so I snatch the sprinkler from him and go pay for it. I want my pajamas and my couch, I need a nap and food. I pay for the sprinkler and we head home, swinging through a drive thru for something to eat because Joe has started to get concerned that at any moment my head will start spinning around and I will start spewing split pea soup.
We eat and as I am settling in on my couch to pretend that I am going to watch TV, Joe announces that we *have* to go set up the sprinkler now. I am not sure why it requires both of us but since he grabs my arm and drags me with him I don't have much in the way of choice in this matter. We get it all set up and then release the hounds....they had a great time for 10 minutes and then got bored. So Joe turned on the other sprinkler and then the brilliant plan hits....we should run the backyard sprinklers for them! So, 3 different areas for 10 minutes equals another 30 minutes of playing in the water for our dogs. We are overheated and I am exhausted so we finally get everyone dried off and into the house and I start to settle down on the couch to "read" when little Travis piddles on the floor. Oh my lord, the poor guy has such a full bladder he couldn't get to the back door to let us know he had to go.....We get him outside and let him go potty then come back in and I sit down again. The dogs are all worn out and sleeping, until 20 minutes later when Travis stands up, walks 3 steps and piddles again.....Holy crap, again? So, I run him outside again then come back and guess what? In 30 minutes I am once again soaking up piddle from my floor. Now we have to set a timer and start taking them out every 20 minutes, then every 30 minutes, then 45....this goes on for HOURS.
This was a Sunday Epic Fail. I have to reevaluate my strategy, like maybe not waking Joe up. I wonder if I can sneak the monsters in their crates and just not tell Joe I am leaving? I feel a new "Personal Policy" coming on......
Last week in my search for the best bargains I discovered that a lot of the *really* good deals at CVS are gone right after the first day the ads come out which is on Sunday. There are people who either get the ads the day before in the Early Edition of the Chronicle and are there first thing or they get the ad in their Sunday paper and rush right out. I am lazy and I *hate* mornings....but I decided to give it a try this week. I got up at 7 with the dogs and instead of going back to bed I turned on my computer and went to the savings angel website so they could tell me exactly what the deals were and what coupons and such I needed to take with me (Have I mentioned that I love this service? It really appeals to the lazy in me). I get it all together and I am ready to go at 8:30, so I go in to wake Joe up so he can take on puppy duty. Now, last week while we were out shopping he found a sprinkler thing for the backyard that he decided that he had to have for the dogs, so he decides he needs to go with me to CVS because that is where he thinks it is. I recall it being at Walgreen's but he is insistent so I go along with it because I have been wrong....once.
After an hour of flopping around and petting the dogs and doing whatever it is that he needs to do to get out of the house for a 20 minute trip to CVS we are finally on our way. I have my list, I have my coupons and I have my Extracare Bucks, I am ready to go! We get in the store and immediately discover that the 2 items that are my highest priority (Free Bayer Advanced and Motrin PM) are gone....really??!!?! Wow, gonna have to work on that timing (Lots of throat clearing and foot tapping with a few glares shot in Joe's direction). So, I get the rest of my stuff and we get out of there. Joe is fussy because he didn't find his sprinkler thingie and so we are off to another CVS....I found my Bayer at that one but Joe is still not having any luck with his sprinkler. So, one more CVS on our trip and Hey, I found my Motrin, yay for team me! Joe is still out of luck and I (once again) remind him that I believe it was at Walgreens. We are now going on 11am (Yes, we did leave the house at 9:30 for a quick trip) and we are both getting hungry and crabby, breakfast was on the agenda after our "quick" trip to CVS. So, we hit a Walgreens on the way home and holy cow, there is the sprinkler! Joe is looking around the store at god only knows what so I snatch the sprinkler from him and go pay for it. I want my pajamas and my couch, I need a nap and food. I pay for the sprinkler and we head home, swinging through a drive thru for something to eat because Joe has started to get concerned that at any moment my head will start spinning around and I will start spewing split pea soup.
We eat and as I am settling in on my couch to pretend that I am going to watch TV, Joe announces that we *have* to go set up the sprinkler now. I am not sure why it requires both of us but since he grabs my arm and drags me with him I don't have much in the way of choice in this matter. We get it all set up and then release the hounds....they had a great time for 10 minutes and then got bored. So Joe turned on the other sprinkler and then the brilliant plan hits....we should run the backyard sprinklers for them! So, 3 different areas for 10 minutes equals another 30 minutes of playing in the water for our dogs. We are overheated and I am exhausted so we finally get everyone dried off and into the house and I start to settle down on the couch to "read" when little Travis piddles on the floor. Oh my lord, the poor guy has such a full bladder he couldn't get to the back door to let us know he had to go.....We get him outside and let him go potty then come back in and I sit down again. The dogs are all worn out and sleeping, until 20 minutes later when Travis stands up, walks 3 steps and piddles again.....Holy crap, again? So, I run him outside again then come back and guess what? In 30 minutes I am once again soaking up piddle from my floor. Now we have to set a timer and start taking them out every 20 minutes, then every 30 minutes, then 45....this goes on for HOURS.
This was a Sunday Epic Fail. I have to reevaluate my strategy, like maybe not waking Joe up. I wonder if I can sneak the monsters in their crates and just not tell Joe I am leaving? I feel a new "Personal Policy" coming on......
Friday, June 10, 2011
Lessons Learned...
So a couple of new and interesting things to report today from the lunatic with the coupons.
Anyway, I have survived another week and will be headed out to the CVS on Sunday right after I get my paper to catch any really impressive deals that hit the ad ;-)
- CVS has some seriously great deals including free items. Go get them on Sunday as soon as you get the ads if not sooner otherwise, they are gone. Lost out completely on a couple of different things today and was very sad.
- PAY ATTENTION: Yeah, this one is hard for me. There were a couple of issues that required patience and forbearing from my cashiers and a second trip to a store to return my cigarettes because I got the wrong ones.....seriously?!?!?!
Anyway, I have survived another week and will be headed out to the CVS on Sunday right after I get my paper to catch any really impressive deals that hit the ad ;-)
Pure lunacy?
I was reading a book last night (See Amazon.com link) last night and found it completely worth the time invested. If I get more than one good idea from a book I call it a total winner. This particular book was actually entertaining and gave me 2 really great ideas on the first skim.
1. Alphabetizing coupons (Oooo, did anyone else just get a shiver?). I *live* for
alphabetical order, makes me happy.
2. Expired coupons can be sent to a place where they will send them to our military
overseas where they are still good for up to 6 months after their expiration at the
local PX/BX, whatever!
Now, here is what kept me up all night. The Savings Angel website that I am in love with (It really appeals to the lazy in me!) lists coupons based on the ad and the date it was received in the paper so, you only have to clip the ones that you are going to use. However, finding out that our military can use the coupons after expiration means that eventually I will have to clip them anyway. Now really, it wouldn't take me any longer to find the coupons if I had them alphabetically because product names are listed right there. Still, it does take some of the joy of being lazy out of the equation and will require a much bigger place to keep my coupons. However, there is a sale at OfficeMax this week 20% off everything you can fit into a paper bag! Hmmmm, my little couponers heart begins to beat faster. At this point it is moot because my paper cutter is currently lost in puddin's moving boxes and I am definitely not going for the scissors to get these clipped. But really, what to do? Will lazy win out over a little effort that means I can just plop the expired ones into an envelope and ship em off so that the men and women who spend their lives making sure I can live mine free can use them to help support their families and maybe take a little burden off them?? I will be sure to update you all on my decision although really, I know that I will wind up spending my Monday mornings hacking up sales ads and filing them alphabetically (Ooo, there is that shiver again!).
Sometimes all I can think is: Miss Ran, you soooo need to get a life!
**SIDENOTE: This blog was written this morning before I left the house, unfortunately as soon as I finished it before I actually got a chance to post it our internet went out completely! All fixed now ;-)
1. Alphabetizing coupons (Oooo, did anyone else just get a shiver?). I *live* for
alphabetical order, makes me happy.
2. Expired coupons can be sent to a place where they will send them to our military
overseas where they are still good for up to 6 months after their expiration at the
local PX/BX, whatever!
Now, here is what kept me up all night. The Savings Angel website that I am in love with (It really appeals to the lazy in me!) lists coupons based on the ad and the date it was received in the paper so, you only have to clip the ones that you are going to use. However, finding out that our military can use the coupons after expiration means that eventually I will have to clip them anyway. Now really, it wouldn't take me any longer to find the coupons if I had them alphabetically because product names are listed right there. Still, it does take some of the joy of being lazy out of the equation and will require a much bigger place to keep my coupons. However, there is a sale at OfficeMax this week 20% off everything you can fit into a paper bag! Hmmmm, my little couponers heart begins to beat faster. At this point it is moot because my paper cutter is currently lost in puddin's moving boxes and I am definitely not going for the scissors to get these clipped. But really, what to do? Will lazy win out over a little effort that means I can just plop the expired ones into an envelope and ship em off so that the men and women who spend their lives making sure I can live mine free can use them to help support their families and maybe take a little burden off them?? I will be sure to update you all on my decision although really, I know that I will wind up spending my Monday mornings hacking up sales ads and filing them alphabetically (Ooo, there is that shiver again!).
Sometimes all I can think is: Miss Ran, you soooo need to get a life!
**SIDENOTE: This blog was written this morning before I left the house, unfortunately as soon as I finished it before I actually got a chance to post it our internet went out completely! All fixed now ;-)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Personal Policies and Epic Fails
I have a very obnoxious habit. When I take on a project or an idea, I really go for it. It drives my husband to drink because for weeks it is all I talk about. I get obsessive and a little on the crazy side for a while until it just folds into our lives seamlessly. We all know what my latest obsession is.....becoming adept in the usage of coupons combined with store sales to save lots of money on the shopping that we have to do.
I have been reading some books on the subject and doing internet research, I am of the opinion that you cannot have too much information. There is a ton of information out there some good, some bad and some completely useless but as I sort through and process it I begin to establish my "Personal Policies". Yes, I did just capitalize that...these are the guidelines I live my life by. These are the things that I do that mostly drive everyone bananas or that make people look at me like I just dropped in from Mars. Some of my friends and family have even accused me of being anal, or having OCD or well, just being crazy. I am OK with this because these things keep me sane and happy. So criticize if you will but leave me to my policies since they are not likely to change. (Alright, putting the soap box back in the corner for now).
The point of the previous tangent was simply to note that in general I do establish "Personal Policies" about much of my day to day life and this situation is no different. My trip to the stores last week led to two new personal policies:
My usual shopping trip involves a fabulous list that my puddin' put together, lists almost every single item that I buy and the store with a little checkbox next to it. When I start getting low on something I check the little box and grab it on the way out the door. I hit 3 stores during this normal trip: Sam's Club, Target and a grocery store if necessary. Whatever I don't find at Sam's or Target I swing into the grocery store to buy. If I found an item on sale, yay bonus! But I never looked at the ads or made any attempt to plan around sales or coupons so I just grabbed what I needed and headed to the checkout. So my major reality check this week was that I have no idea if what I have on my lists this week are a really good deal or not. Savingsangel lists the amount you save on the item which is helpful but that is based on the retail price of the item AT THAT STORE and not in general.
I was completely horrified with myself, I have been unemployed for more than 2 years now and Joe has been the sole source of income. The amount of money that I spent on groceries or whatever was just what it was and we have cut back in other areas. We don't go out to dinner very often, things like movies or video games or new laptops have been removed from the budget almost entirely. I have not gone to see my family in Portland for nearly a year (Before now, I have gone at least twice a year). These are things that need to be added back in to our lives. Our savings could use a booster shot as well, so I find myself in the position of actually having to do research in the stores that I have spent hours and hours in. The fact that until this week I had no idea that I was clueless about this is even more horrifying....although Joe got a huge laugh out of it. He really loves finding that I have some areas of complete idiocy. Course he quit laughing when I started talking about my new "Personal Policies", his eyes actually went glassy and I would swear he snored at least once.
I have given myself a month to get my coupon shopping up and running, establish my system and start making some decisions about what and when to buy and when to pass up the deal. Apparently now during that time period I also have to learn what groceries and stuff actually cost, I may need to add a month to my time projection to undertake that particular project. In the meantime, I shall be haunting my store aisles and establishing unit prices on the items that I buy for comparison purposes and move forward from there. Makes me tired just thinking of it, I think I shall head for a nap!
I have been reading some books on the subject and doing internet research, I am of the opinion that you cannot have too much information. There is a ton of information out there some good, some bad and some completely useless but as I sort through and process it I begin to establish my "Personal Policies". Yes, I did just capitalize that...these are the guidelines I live my life by. These are the things that I do that mostly drive everyone bananas or that make people look at me like I just dropped in from Mars. Some of my friends and family have even accused me of being anal, or having OCD or well, just being crazy. I am OK with this because these things keep me sane and happy. So criticize if you will but leave me to my policies since they are not likely to change. (Alright, putting the soap box back in the corner for now).
The point of the previous tangent was simply to note that in general I do establish "Personal Policies" about much of my day to day life and this situation is no different. My trip to the stores last week led to two new personal policies:
- Wait to finalize lists until Wed night or Thurs morning after all the grocery store ads have been updated (Drugstore ads and sales reset on Sun, but grocery stores run from Wed to Tue). Then do a line item comparison for everything. This should be a no brainer but last week I did not do that and wound up buying the same item at 2 different stores for 2 different prices.
- Stick to one drugstore. We have CVS and Walgreens close to the house. I had lists for both last week, Walgreens had a 5 item list and after 20 minutes searching the store I found NONE of them. Both drugstores also have a program where they give store dollars based on purchases. Walgreens has register rewards and CVS has ExtraCare Bucks. When you purchase specific items they kick out a "coupon" on your register receipt for a certain amount off of your next trip. So we spent $20 at CVS last week and got $6 back for my trip there this week. Rather than having to track both of these, I will stick to CVS unless there is a really, really, really good price on something because I will probably have to drive to another Walgreens to get it.
My usual shopping trip involves a fabulous list that my puddin' put together, lists almost every single item that I buy and the store with a little checkbox next to it. When I start getting low on something I check the little box and grab it on the way out the door. I hit 3 stores during this normal trip: Sam's Club, Target and a grocery store if necessary. Whatever I don't find at Sam's or Target I swing into the grocery store to buy. If I found an item on sale, yay bonus! But I never looked at the ads or made any attempt to plan around sales or coupons so I just grabbed what I needed and headed to the checkout. So my major reality check this week was that I have no idea if what I have on my lists this week are a really good deal or not. Savingsangel lists the amount you save on the item which is helpful but that is based on the retail price of the item AT THAT STORE and not in general.
I was completely horrified with myself, I have been unemployed for more than 2 years now and Joe has been the sole source of income. The amount of money that I spent on groceries or whatever was just what it was and we have cut back in other areas. We don't go out to dinner very often, things like movies or video games or new laptops have been removed from the budget almost entirely. I have not gone to see my family in Portland for nearly a year (Before now, I have gone at least twice a year). These are things that need to be added back in to our lives. Our savings could use a booster shot as well, so I find myself in the position of actually having to do research in the stores that I have spent hours and hours in. The fact that until this week I had no idea that I was clueless about this is even more horrifying....although Joe got a huge laugh out of it. He really loves finding that I have some areas of complete idiocy. Course he quit laughing when I started talking about my new "Personal Policies", his eyes actually went glassy and I would swear he snored at least once.
I have given myself a month to get my coupon shopping up and running, establish my system and start making some decisions about what and when to buy and when to pass up the deal. Apparently now during that time period I also have to learn what groceries and stuff actually cost, I may need to add a month to my time projection to undertake that particular project. In the meantime, I shall be haunting my store aisles and establishing unit prices on the items that I buy for comparison purposes and move forward from there. Makes me tired just thinking of it, I think I shall head for a nap!
Monday, June 6, 2011
The real deal?
I sat down on Saturday and actually reviewed my shopping trips for the week for an evaluation of my first "couponing" shopping trip. The results were mixed. I got some deals that were worth the time and effort of the planning ahead and such but I also made some errors and did my classic impulse purchases (although not nearly as many as usual, so bonus). These errors and impulses have given me some good information and also led to the creation of some personal shopping policies. My mistakes were actually classic ones made on a regular basis by rookie couponers, so buyer beware and learn from my mistakes ;-) Here are some examples:
Free Smartwater 6pk with purchase of 10 vitaminwater 20 oz. Sale price of Vitaminwater was $1 each and total for 6pk of Smartwater and 10 Vitaminwaters was $10.
Joe and I do not regularly drink Vitaminwater and I have 3 unopened cases of bottled water and another half a case, also I have a water delivery service and a dispenser so generally we use 4 bottles at a time and refill them. Once a week or so I toss out those bottles and open 4 more then rinse and repeat. This was an unnecessary purchase that wound up costing us $.05 an ounce of Vitaminwater as opposed to $.02 an ounce of Coke Zero (in the can).
Listerine 1L, Selected Varieties:
Ok, this is actually something we do use and is on my NEED list. However, I did not shop around or compare my lists against each other. At the HEB, the Listerine was $1 more even though I got the free toothbrushes. The sale on it was a yellow tag sale (HEB puts up coupons near items) and this was a manufacturer coupon so I could not mix it with my other coupon. Target was better, however, when we went to Sam's Club this weekend (Where I normally buy Listerine) the 3 pack broke down to $3.96 each bottle so ultimately I had no savings on this one and actually paid $.98 for my "free" toothbrushes.
Impulse buys - No real savings!
Now for the good news, there were some really good sales out there and keep in mind I had no coupons from the newspaper but only from internet coupons (Prior to end of the month when they update all the sites with the really good ones, many of them have a maximum number of prints so if you don't get them early they can get used up by someone else! Print your coupons on the first business day of the month!!!) and some from the Target website.
Target:
Overall I can see the worth in pursuing the coupon lifestyle. I have some changes to make with myself, I am not a budget minded person and have serious impulse shopping issues (I know, not a shock to anyone who has ever been in a store with me, hahahaha). Having been unemployed for going on 2 years and not having the extra money to live in the lifestyle to which I am accustomed does not make me happy. If I can save money on the groceries and put it toward my vacations and other things that I would much rather have then well, I am totally there. Also, since I have time on my hands....well, at this point I have no excuse.
Tomorrow I will begin the evaluations for my next shopping trip. Drugstores do their sales from Sun - Sat but the grocery stores do them from Thurs - Wed. My actual shopping trip will probably be Friday so I will be sure to post the results, wish me luck!
Free Smartwater 6pk with purchase of 10 vitaminwater 20 oz. Sale price of Vitaminwater was $1 each and total for 6pk of Smartwater and 10 Vitaminwaters was $10.
Joe and I do not regularly drink Vitaminwater and I have 3 unopened cases of bottled water and another half a case, also I have a water delivery service and a dispenser so generally we use 4 bottles at a time and refill them. Once a week or so I toss out those bottles and open 4 more then rinse and repeat. This was an unnecessary purchase that wound up costing us $.05 an ounce of Vitaminwater as opposed to $.02 an ounce of Coke Zero (in the can).
Listerine 1L, Selected Varieties:
- HEB - on sale for $4.97 and receive 2 free Reach Crystal Toothbrushes
- Target - on sale for $4.99, with a $1.00 off coupon for a total of $3.99
Ok, this is actually something we do use and is on my NEED list. However, I did not shop around or compare my lists against each other. At the HEB, the Listerine was $1 more even though I got the free toothbrushes. The sale on it was a yellow tag sale (HEB puts up coupons near items) and this was a manufacturer coupon so I could not mix it with my other coupon. Target was better, however, when we went to Sam's Club this weekend (Where I normally buy Listerine) the 3 pack broke down to $3.96 each bottle so ultimately I had no savings on this one and actually paid $.98 for my "free" toothbrushes.
Impulse buys - No real savings!
- Target - Beneful Dog Food, regular price but I had a coupon for $1 off. I should have saved this for the next time they have it on sale!!!!
- Target - Misc office supplies, regular price but I had a coupon for 10% off when you buy 2. These are useful items but really....did I *need* them? Nope
- Target - Milkbones Mini's, regular price and NO coupons.....I still had some at home and this was not something I had to have but since I was standing there.....BAD MAMA, no biscuit ;-)
Now for the good news, there were some really good sales out there and keep in mind I had no coupons from the newspaper but only from internet coupons (Prior to end of the month when they update all the sites with the really good ones, many of them have a maximum number of prints so if you don't get them early they can get used up by someone else! Print your coupons on the first business day of the month!!!) and some from the Target website.
Target:
- Johnsons Baby Lotion, on sale 2 for $6. Doubled up coupons on this one, had a $3 off 3 and another $1 off each one. Total cost each $1 (75% off retail!)
- Kraft Cheese 6-8oz, on sale 2 for $5. Coupon for $1 off 2. Total cost each $1.79 (50% off retail) Also the cost of the Target brand cheese in the same size was $2.49 so, I did good!
- 2 Liter sodas, assorted varieties 5 for $5. No additional coupons but a really good sale so stocked up on Sprite Zero, now on the lookout for good sales and coupons for Oceanspray Cranberry Juices to mix ;-)
- Pantene Pro V Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler, on sale for $3.33 each. Added a coupon for $3 off 2 and walked away for $1.66 each
- McCormick Grillmate Spices 5 for $5 plus FREE box Zatarans Rice. This was an accidental find, I wandered down the aisle accidentally saw this and did a happy dance. We like the Zataran's Rice so for $5 I got spices (Normally $1.99 each) and a box of rice (Normally $1.09 each) Very good deal, made me very happy and was something that I got multiples of. I bought 5 and got the 5 boxes of rice!
Overall I can see the worth in pursuing the coupon lifestyle. I have some changes to make with myself, I am not a budget minded person and have serious impulse shopping issues (I know, not a shock to anyone who has ever been in a store with me, hahahaha). Having been unemployed for going on 2 years and not having the extra money to live in the lifestyle to which I am accustomed does not make me happy. If I can save money on the groceries and put it toward my vacations and other things that I would much rather have then well, I am totally there. Also, since I have time on my hands....well, at this point I have no excuse.
Tomorrow I will begin the evaluations for my next shopping trip. Drugstores do their sales from Sun - Sat but the grocery stores do them from Thurs - Wed. My actual shopping trip will probably be Friday so I will be sure to post the results, wish me luck!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Coupon Rookie
I should not watch TV....it is a terrible thing. I see Hoarders and then decide that I need to walk into a room in my house and just throw out everything. Extreme Couponers has gotten me hooked, so now I have decided that I can do that too!
Now, before anyone starts to panic please understand that I have no desire to give up my garage to a gabazillion products that will just sit there for the next 100 years but actually saving lots of money on my groceries that I can put toward other things would be amazing. Being unemployed has given me the time to do my thing, by which I mean research, research and more research. Two weeks later I am still researching and evaluating. I did my first shopping trip yesterday with just internet coupons and store sales and saved a good 50% on what I bought. This afternoon Joe and I will sit down with the lists and actually evaluate the trip......did we really need this, was it actually a good deal or was it me getting overexcited.....These things happen ;-)
This is not your grandmothers couponing, there are several websites out there that actually track store sales and tell you which coupons to use and where to get them. These are under evaluation and so far my favorite is savingsangel.com.....this is a PAID service, costs about $20 a month but you can also offset that by referring friends ($5 for each friend). This one is super easy to use, will actually build your list for you and then provide a list of coupons you need to pull for the trip it also links to any online coupons so you can just click the link, print and go. The information is accurate and has the stores that I shop at (HEB is not currently there but I just got an email that it will be added very soon!) As a side note, if you are interested in trying this service they have a sign up program that gives you a 50% off to try it. I signed up for 8 weeks at $20 to really give myself a chance to test it out. If you want to try it out don't forget to use my code 42879.
To get started the first thing you want to do, even before you start looking at websites is to start getting your Sunday paper. Grab the coupon ads (Redplum, SS and any others) and put the date on the front, clip them all together and then file them. All of the current websites refer to the ad and the date it was in the paper, then watch your website and only clip when you actually need them!
There is also a magazine that they consistently refer to "All You" and it is available by subscription or at Walmart. The June issue is currently out and costs $2.24 in the store, subscription costs $19 a year for a monthly magazine.
At the beginning of the month all of the coupon sites update with brand new stuff, coupons.com is a great one. I went on and just printed anything that looked like I might use. Some of them only have a limited number of prints allowed total so not a bad idea to go and get them at the beginning of the month. I clipped them all together, wrote the month on the top and then went on my merry way.
I refuse to collect 10 newspapers or go dumpster diving or anything crazy like that, I will also not put in 70 hours a week trying to look for sales and clipping coupons. These websites make things super easy and the only reason I have spent so much time the last week is my constant cross checking and evaluation. I will try to keep everyone updated on my progress (In case anyone cares).
Theoretically I will have the energy and inclination to write up my shopping trip evaluation and will post it later. Now I am off to enjoy my weekend and not look at another ad or website or coupon until Monday ;-) When I post the evaluation, I will also give some do's and don'ts....I can think of at least 2 that I did during this one trip.....happy couponing!
Here are the links for some of the websites I have been looking at
https://savingsangel.com/
http://www.couponmom.com
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/krazy-this-week/
http://www.allyou.com/
Now, before anyone starts to panic please understand that I have no desire to give up my garage to a gabazillion products that will just sit there for the next 100 years but actually saving lots of money on my groceries that I can put toward other things would be amazing. Being unemployed has given me the time to do my thing, by which I mean research, research and more research. Two weeks later I am still researching and evaluating. I did my first shopping trip yesterday with just internet coupons and store sales and saved a good 50% on what I bought. This afternoon Joe and I will sit down with the lists and actually evaluate the trip......did we really need this, was it actually a good deal or was it me getting overexcited.....These things happen ;-)
This is not your grandmothers couponing, there are several websites out there that actually track store sales and tell you which coupons to use and where to get them. These are under evaluation and so far my favorite is savingsangel.com.....this is a PAID service, costs about $20 a month but you can also offset that by referring friends ($5 for each friend). This one is super easy to use, will actually build your list for you and then provide a list of coupons you need to pull for the trip it also links to any online coupons so you can just click the link, print and go. The information is accurate and has the stores that I shop at (HEB is not currently there but I just got an email that it will be added very soon!) As a side note, if you are interested in trying this service they have a sign up program that gives you a 50% off to try it. I signed up for 8 weeks at $20 to really give myself a chance to test it out. If you want to try it out don't forget to use my code 42879.
To get started the first thing you want to do, even before you start looking at websites is to start getting your Sunday paper. Grab the coupon ads (Redplum, SS and any others) and put the date on the front, clip them all together and then file them. All of the current websites refer to the ad and the date it was in the paper, then watch your website and only clip when you actually need them!
There is also a magazine that they consistently refer to "All You" and it is available by subscription or at Walmart. The June issue is currently out and costs $2.24 in the store, subscription costs $19 a year for a monthly magazine.
At the beginning of the month all of the coupon sites update with brand new stuff, coupons.com is a great one. I went on and just printed anything that looked like I might use. Some of them only have a limited number of prints allowed total so not a bad idea to go and get them at the beginning of the month. I clipped them all together, wrote the month on the top and then went on my merry way.
I refuse to collect 10 newspapers or go dumpster diving or anything crazy like that, I will also not put in 70 hours a week trying to look for sales and clipping coupons. These websites make things super easy and the only reason I have spent so much time the last week is my constant cross checking and evaluation. I will try to keep everyone updated on my progress (In case anyone cares).
Theoretically I will have the energy and inclination to write up my shopping trip evaluation and will post it later. Now I am off to enjoy my weekend and not look at another ad or website or coupon until Monday ;-) When I post the evaluation, I will also give some do's and don'ts....I can think of at least 2 that I did during this one trip.....happy couponing!
Here are the links for some of the websites I have been looking at
https://savingsangel.com/
http://www.couponmom.com
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/krazy-this-week/
http://www.allyou.com/
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