Last week I was pleased to spend less than $40 at ShopRite, saving $40-something. I always like saving more than I spend. This bill included lunchmeats, yogurt, produce, laundry detergent, foil, and a dessert for my girls-night-in. Also last week I spent around $13 at the drugstore, which included 2 gallons of milk, 4 tooth spinbrushes, toothpaste, huge sticker letters and a trifold board for Bailey's school art project. So I was about $3 over what I wanted to spend, but I'm including Bailey's stuff in there, which was about $7.
This week I want to spend around $50 also. There are not many drugstore sales that I want, so may pass them up. I need to go to Acme, not a store I usually like, but they are having a sale on General Mills/Yoplait products where if you buy 5 products - they're $2.50 each product - you get free milk. You can buy whatever kind of milk you want, it take's up to $4.50 off your bill. We need some cereal so this is a good deal for me with coupons making the $2.50 each, less. I also need our weekly produce, etc but I think that I am going to hit up our local farmers market. I even have a $5 off coupon to use there - a rare find!
I have made up a meal plan menu for May (20 days worth, leaving room for going out, family fun nights at church, leftovers and when I just don't feel like it!) and I am pleased that I have all the ingredients already for all of these meals, minus a few fresh ingredients. Here is my menu -
*Baked chicken legs, corn, stuffing, salad
*Stuffed shells, salad, bread
*Ground turkey and refried bean burritos, yellow rice
*Clam Chowder, bread or crackers, fruit salad
*Spicy chicken strips salad
*Sloppy joes, baked red potato slices
*Ham, macaroni and cheese bake, applesauce
*Roast turkey, rice, peas
*Creamy chicken noodles, salad
*Turkey pot pie, fruit cups
*Crockpot roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans
*Chicken veggie rice casserole, applesauce
*Roast beef sammies, mashed tater pancakes
*Ravioli w meat sauce, salad, bread
*Make-your-own calzones
*Ground turkey swedish mtbls, noodles, salad
*Breaded chicken cutlets, broccoli casserole, applesauce
*Beef and veggie stir fry, rice
*Breaded chicken cutlet sandwiches, macaroni salad, fruit cups
*Turkey noodle soup, bread or crackers, carrots and dip
These are really frugal meals and not because I use trashy food ingredients. I use a lot of fresh herbs, brown rice, real potatoes - not boxed or frozen. But because I buy things on sale, I have a full freezer of meat, cheese and veggies, a full pantry of pastas, sauces, rice. The turkey I got for free with the Easter promotion (spend $300 - a price that is BEFORE coupons so I estimate I spent 1/2 that if not less!) and the bread I get for free as Panera Bread donates to MOPS biweekly and I freeze it. Think about substitutions for your favorite meals. For instance, I have never made swedish meatballs with ground turkey but I don't have any ground beef as it hasn't been on sale in FOREVER. My stock up price for that is $1.99/lb for 93% lean. Why by the 80% when after you cook it you have tons of fat? Then you have less meat - so it's pointless in my book. Anyway, I am craving them soon, so I am going to try a ground turkey swedish meatball recipe I found. We'll see how it turns out!
Anyone have any frugal meals they want to share?
Showing posts with label Sales Saturday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sales Saturday. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sales Saturday - how to save without coupons
Ok so everyone knows how much I love couponing. It has freed up money for us to use in other areas, or save for fun stuff. This year I am using the money we're saving for a few vacations, but next year I hope to use it for a few home improvements. It's a wonderful way to relatively-painlessly shave money off your grocery/necessities/entertainment/dining-out bills.
That being said, I may not always be a couponer. I have fallen in love with it, but I can see myself falling out of love pretty quickly. It does take some time each week to cut and organize coupons, and if I get a full-time job at some point, I don't know if I'll be able to maintain this level of couponing. It is something you can do a little or a lot of. I consider my level medium, so to speak, and I do think I will continue for a long while. As the years go on though, I may make time for it, but maybe I won't. Thankfully, I have learned a few ways to save money without having to hardcore coupon.
*Shop the circulars - by far the best non-couponing savings tool. There are still great sales even without coupons. For instance, I have learned that many of ShopRite's sales of "Buy $20 worth of (whatever)...Get a Catalina worth $10 off your next visit' go by the SHELF price, not the sale price. So for example, a few months ago, they had a health-and-beauty deal of buy $20, save $10 on ShopRite brand products. Their fem hygiene pads were priced at $1 each - already a great price. But the SHELF price was something like $2.50. I bought 8 - reaching the $20, but I only really spent $8 bc that was the SALE price. Then I got back $10 in Catalina money (it looks like a coupon that prints out with your receipt) to use on my next order. So I actually MADE $2 buying pads! That's a for instance, but you get the idea? The best way to know if a sale is working on shelf or sale price to get a catalina is to check out my fave site "Living Rich with Coupons" bc she does the work for you and tells you what's on sale and how to do the deals.
*Speaking of LRWC site, before I shop I always check her site bc she lists everything on sale, and if there's an online coupon available for it (ie - say "Ragu" pasta sauce is on sale and the Ragu website offers a .50 coupon, she'll link you right to their site so you can print it off). So even without cutting insert coupons that come in the paper, I could still take a few minutes to at least save a few dollars with coupons that are available online immediately.
*Stock up on sales. Chicken breasts are a rare $1.79/lb? Buy a lot. Freeze in Ziploc freezer bags, and freeze the way you want to use it. Like when chicken is on sale, I buy as much as my store (they might say "Limit 1 pkg per family") or budget allows, then I cut it into strips, nuggets, etc. If the store does have a limit but I want more, I'll make another trip that week and use my mom's phone number instead of mine at checkout. I give her some too, and I don't feel badly about that - I make meals often for others too. Also, some stores have coupons right in the circular, making the sale better.
*Use cash. Now, this is not a tip I even use. For shame!! But I do believe in it. If you know your family can only afford $50/wk in groceries, you'll figure out a way to do it. Farmers markets for your produce for $25 let's say, and then $25 for the rest...you'll get creative. This is where your stockpile comes in great, that you can do a little at a time. You can fill in your families meals with cheap pasta, potatoes that you bought when they were .99/ 5 lb bag, etc.
*Now taking that $50 budget for example, where do toiletries fit in? This would be hard to do without couponing. Using coupons means you can get name brand toiletries for pennies on the dollar from drugstores, Target, Walmart, etc. BUT you can still save, just not as much. Drugstores offer toiletries often with sales like "Buy $10 worth, save $5 on your next order." Say it's John Frieda shampoo/conditioner and it's priced at $5 each. You buy 2, spending $10 but getting $5 back, so $2.50 each after sale. More than Suave but a better product. Now, this is a brand that has $3 or $2 off coupons often, making it then cheap or free...and sometimes they're available online. Again, worth check the LRWC site to see the deal. And also again, this takes looking in the circulars - you don't buy John Freida when you "need" it - you only buy on sale so you HAVE it already when you DO need it.
*After couponing for over a year now - and nothing like you what you see on tv, just saving some money - I have realized that the easiest thing to save on is in fact toiletries/necessities. You can amass a great stockpile in a short amount of time, and then you can live off of it without messing with coupons for a long while.
*Some sales are seasonal and that's the time to stock up. Like BBQ sauce - it'd be nice to have it in your pantry for a winter craving of shredded pork in the crockpot - but summer brings the best sales for that and things like salad dressing.
*And perhaps all of this just boils down to being intentional about how and where you spend your money. Knowing what you need, knowing where it's cheapest to buy it, saving some for later, and even just plain old going without.
Please ask me a question if you have one - and if I don't know, I'll try and find out!
That being said, I may not always be a couponer. I have fallen in love with it, but I can see myself falling out of love pretty quickly. It does take some time each week to cut and organize coupons, and if I get a full-time job at some point, I don't know if I'll be able to maintain this level of couponing. It is something you can do a little or a lot of. I consider my level medium, so to speak, and I do think I will continue for a long while. As the years go on though, I may make time for it, but maybe I won't. Thankfully, I have learned a few ways to save money without having to hardcore coupon.
*Shop the circulars - by far the best non-couponing savings tool. There are still great sales even without coupons. For instance, I have learned that many of ShopRite's sales of "Buy $20 worth of (whatever)...Get a Catalina worth $10 off your next visit' go by the SHELF price, not the sale price. So for example, a few months ago, they had a health-and-beauty deal of buy $20, save $10 on ShopRite brand products. Their fem hygiene pads were priced at $1 each - already a great price. But the SHELF price was something like $2.50. I bought 8 - reaching the $20, but I only really spent $8 bc that was the SALE price. Then I got back $10 in Catalina money (it looks like a coupon that prints out with your receipt) to use on my next order. So I actually MADE $2 buying pads! That's a for instance, but you get the idea? The best way to know if a sale is working on shelf or sale price to get a catalina is to check out my fave site "Living Rich with Coupons" bc she does the work for you and tells you what's on sale and how to do the deals.
*Speaking of LRWC site, before I shop I always check her site bc she lists everything on sale, and if there's an online coupon available for it (ie - say "Ragu" pasta sauce is on sale and the Ragu website offers a .50 coupon, she'll link you right to their site so you can print it off). So even without cutting insert coupons that come in the paper, I could still take a few minutes to at least save a few dollars with coupons that are available online immediately.
*Stock up on sales. Chicken breasts are a rare $1.79/lb? Buy a lot. Freeze in Ziploc freezer bags, and freeze the way you want to use it. Like when chicken is on sale, I buy as much as my store (they might say "Limit 1 pkg per family") or budget allows, then I cut it into strips, nuggets, etc. If the store does have a limit but I want more, I'll make another trip that week and use my mom's phone number instead of mine at checkout. I give her some too, and I don't feel badly about that - I make meals often for others too. Also, some stores have coupons right in the circular, making the sale better.
*Use cash. Now, this is not a tip I even use. For shame!! But I do believe in it. If you know your family can only afford $50/wk in groceries, you'll figure out a way to do it. Farmers markets for your produce for $25 let's say, and then $25 for the rest...you'll get creative. This is where your stockpile comes in great, that you can do a little at a time. You can fill in your families meals with cheap pasta, potatoes that you bought when they were .99/ 5 lb bag, etc.
*Now taking that $50 budget for example, where do toiletries fit in? This would be hard to do without couponing. Using coupons means you can get name brand toiletries for pennies on the dollar from drugstores, Target, Walmart, etc. BUT you can still save, just not as much. Drugstores offer toiletries often with sales like "Buy $10 worth, save $5 on your next order." Say it's John Frieda shampoo/conditioner and it's priced at $5 each. You buy 2, spending $10 but getting $5 back, so $2.50 each after sale. More than Suave but a better product. Now, this is a brand that has $3 or $2 off coupons often, making it then cheap or free...and sometimes they're available online. Again, worth check the LRWC site to see the deal. And also again, this takes looking in the circulars - you don't buy John Freida when you "need" it - you only buy on sale so you HAVE it already when you DO need it.
*After couponing for over a year now - and nothing like you what you see on tv, just saving some money - I have realized that the easiest thing to save on is in fact toiletries/necessities. You can amass a great stockpile in a short amount of time, and then you can live off of it without messing with coupons for a long while.
*Some sales are seasonal and that's the time to stock up. Like BBQ sauce - it'd be nice to have it in your pantry for a winter craving of shredded pork in the crockpot - but summer brings the best sales for that and things like salad dressing.
*And perhaps all of this just boils down to being intentional about how and where you spend your money. Knowing what you need, knowing where it's cheapest to buy it, saving some for later, and even just plain old going without.
Please ask me a question if you have one - and if I don't know, I'll try and find out!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sales Saturday
So last week I told you how I overspent on my weekly budget - but I did get a lot for what I spent, for many upcoming occasions. This week I wanted to spend about $25 to balance it out a bit. I ended up spending under $20 at ShopRite - would've been $15 but I bought myself a flowering plant for the deck. Cause I wanted to feel better about something and I thought that had more value than the lunch at ChickFilA I contemplated. I bought 8 lbs of Land O Lakes butter - they were $1.50 a lb after sale and coupon. I freeze it and this will last us a long time! We only use butter in our house, not margarine. I also bought a few necessities and other items that were free after coupons. My produce basket is getting low...but I won't replenish it until the end of this coming week bc I'm taking the girls to my moms for a few days. I did buy Kev bananas and he has some apples and grapes, lettuce...that'll do for him. My budget breaker this week though was going to CVS - they had a deal I couldn't pass up and I had no ECB remaining to pay for it so it had to be OOP. I bought 7 Finish dishwasher tabs boxes (20 in a box) for an OOP cost of $17 after coupons, and received $10 back in ECB. So it's really like paying $1 a box, and I was down to my last box, so it was a good price.
This coming week I haven't figured out my list yet, but I do need to get milk, yogurt, lunch meats, bread and perhaps some meat. I think I may need to spend $40 realistically, and I can get all these things from the Marlton farmers market. I can get my milk from RA bc my $14 in UP rewards expires Saturday, and I'm hoping they sell dessert toppings there so I can buy them for the girls Tangled party they're having Saturday with make-your-own sundaes. If not, I'm making my own toppings...for instance melting my own chocolate with some whole milk (which is what my kids still drink per docs orders), pureeing some strawberries to make strawberry sauce...hmmm...it sounds better to make my own anyway! Maybe I'll use the UP rewards to get my mom the Alpha Keri bath oil she loves so much.
Anyone have any good deals they've scored recently?
This coming week I haven't figured out my list yet, but I do need to get milk, yogurt, lunch meats, bread and perhaps some meat. I think I may need to spend $40 realistically, and I can get all these things from the Marlton farmers market. I can get my milk from RA bc my $14 in UP rewards expires Saturday, and I'm hoping they sell dessert toppings there so I can buy them for the girls Tangled party they're having Saturday with make-your-own sundaes. If not, I'm making my own toppings...for instance melting my own chocolate with some whole milk (which is what my kids still drink per docs orders), pureeing some strawberries to make strawberry sauce...hmmm...it sounds better to make my own anyway! Maybe I'll use the UP rewards to get my mom the Alpha Keri bath oil she loves so much.
Anyone have any good deals they've scored recently?
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sale Saturday - cheap vs frugal
Ok so did any of you see that "Extreme Couponing" show on TLC this week? Garbage!! TLC has a real opportunity to teach millions of people a way to trim their grocery budgets in these hard economic times and they are instead sensationalizing hoarders. I didn't like the show at all, and it is not portraying real "couponers" who use their time to save money for their family, store enough to get them through for a few months, and give to others. In addition, savings like that is not even possible here in NJ - and many other states - as most stores will only let you use 4 "like" coupons (as in, 4 Cheerios coupons) in one transaction - not 50. Also most stores have a limit on how many like products you can buy in one transaction, or even per week, per family.
What I took from the show, is that I am so thankful I am not like that!! I have a real interest in couponing and yes, I like knowing I have 20 boxes of tissues in my garage (what - we're a bunch of snotfaces in this house) but I am nothing like those other women who store toilet paper under their kids beds, and I never want to get to that point. It made me sad in addition to angry, because really I think those people shown have a real problem and need psychological help. Perhaps they are so scared of being without, perhaps they feel less-than without their shelves crammed with stuff. Perhaps they went hungry as a child, I don't know.
But with all of these negative opinions I just threw out there - yes, I will be watching again on Wednesday night. Sure call me a hypocrite, it's ok.
So last week I told you of my pantry challenge for April and to only spend $150 for the month. WHAT?! was I thinking?! Between hosting Kevin's birthday party for family this past weekend, buying part of 2 shower gifts for friends and cards for Easter, birthdays, Mothers Day, Easter supplies and items for the Tangled party I'm letting the kids throw with their friends and of course our usual produce, dairy, etc...I spent the whole months budget last week!!! I did save about $140 between ShopRite, RiteAid and CVS, with $27 left over (in RA rewards and ECB) to spend, but out-of-pocket I spend around $150 exactly.
Kevin and I took the girls to the beach playground on Saturday and I was upset with myself with how much I spent last week. I went through my purchases in my mind and tried to see what I could have not bought. And really, everything I bought we either needed or wanted. I realized that while it's good to have goals for our spending, I don't want to be cheap. I WANT to be hospitable and entertain at our house. I want to give nice gifts and give to others who are in need.
So basically, I am on a journey to a happy medium. I don't want to be an extreme couponer, but I do want to save money on the items we need and want. I do want to have goals, but not at the sacrifice of enjoying our lifestyle, which my husband works so hard to maintain. Really, $150 for the week is what I used to spend on just that week's worth of food and necessities! I am still in the pantry challenge though...I do need to hit the store for their best sales this week, hoping to spend around $25, but we have enough of everything where I don't have to buy any produce, bread, etc.
Where are you with your couponing journey if you have one? What were your opinions of the TLC show?
What I took from the show, is that I am so thankful I am not like that!! I have a real interest in couponing and yes, I like knowing I have 20 boxes of tissues in my garage (what - we're a bunch of snotfaces in this house) but I am nothing like those other women who store toilet paper under their kids beds, and I never want to get to that point. It made me sad in addition to angry, because really I think those people shown have a real problem and need psychological help. Perhaps they are so scared of being without, perhaps they feel less-than without their shelves crammed with stuff. Perhaps they went hungry as a child, I don't know.
But with all of these negative opinions I just threw out there - yes, I will be watching again on Wednesday night. Sure call me a hypocrite, it's ok.
So last week I told you of my pantry challenge for April and to only spend $150 for the month. WHAT?! was I thinking?! Between hosting Kevin's birthday party for family this past weekend, buying part of 2 shower gifts for friends and cards for Easter, birthdays, Mothers Day, Easter supplies and items for the Tangled party I'm letting the kids throw with their friends and of course our usual produce, dairy, etc...I spent the whole months budget last week!!! I did save about $140 between ShopRite, RiteAid and CVS, with $27 left over (in RA rewards and ECB) to spend, but out-of-pocket I spend around $150 exactly.
Kevin and I took the girls to the beach playground on Saturday and I was upset with myself with how much I spent last week. I went through my purchases in my mind and tried to see what I could have not bought. And really, everything I bought we either needed or wanted. I realized that while it's good to have goals for our spending, I don't want to be cheap. I WANT to be hospitable and entertain at our house. I want to give nice gifts and give to others who are in need.
So basically, I am on a journey to a happy medium. I don't want to be an extreme couponer, but I do want to save money on the items we need and want. I do want to have goals, but not at the sacrifice of enjoying our lifestyle, which my husband works so hard to maintain. Really, $150 for the week is what I used to spend on just that week's worth of food and necessities! I am still in the pantry challenge though...I do need to hit the store for their best sales this week, hoping to spend around $25, but we have enough of everything where I don't have to buy any produce, bread, etc.
Where are you with your couponing journey if you have one? What were your opinions of the TLC show?
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Sales Saturday and a new grocery challenge for April
I did a bit more shopping this week than I wanted to, but good deals were beckoning me. Off the top of my head, I spent $20-something at ShopRite, $20-something at Genuardi's, and around $10 at CVS, with $8.50 back in ECBs to use on my next visit (so in my mind it's like paying $1.50 for my stuff, which was a Skintimate shaving cream, 2 M&M candy eggs, 2 Colgate toothbrushes and 2 Colgate toothpastes, 2 Reach toothbrushes and 1 bag of Smartfood popcorn - Bailey was with me and she asked me nicely. The cost of that popcorn is really what I spent OOP on that trip.
Anyway, I need to go over my receipts from March and tally up exactly what I spent. I want to say it's around $150 for the month, saving hundreds of dollars on what I bought. Which included 8 laundry detergents and fabric softeners, 20 boxes of Purina One cat food (so not like it's crap - the good stuff!), 30 cat food cans, dairy, produce, meat, juice, toiletries, paper goods...and I have donated a few bags of items too and qualified at SR for a free turkey or ham. Couponing is a huge blessing to me and my family! I was able to save a great amount this month because of ShopRite's 2 weeks of "dollar days" deals they had, but I am over my goal of spending $100 this month. This tells me that even with saving $40-something a week right off the bat bc of dollar day rewards, I would've spent more like $300+ and that's WITH couponing. So I'm definitely not like those women on tv that leave the store paying $5 for carts full, but I am pleased with how much I spend for what I spend it on. I buy Dietz and Watson lunchmeat, not the junk. I buy 100% whole wheat bread, organic milk about 1/2 the time, 100% juice, all-fruit jelly...you get what I'm saying. Not to mention the shelves I have full of Wisk and Era laundry detergents, John Freida shampoo, Dove soap -- good stuff, the stuff I want.
I do have to say one way I did not do well this month was on eating out. Initially I wanted to spend $100 on BOTH eating out and groceries combined and after one week realized I was C.R.A.Z.Y! I don't even know what we spent eating out...I would guess $200-$250. So clearly I have work to do there. We love dates though, and we love going out with friends...so I'm not thinking about it yet.
But I am ready for a new challenge for April. My shelves are stocked, my freezer full. I want to what the coupon bloggers call a "Pantry Challenge" and that is to only buy what is absolutely essential over one month's time, using up items you already have. I will have to get milk, eggs, lunchmeat, yogurt, bread, produce each week as we go through that stuff quickly. But as far as meals and snacks go, we are going to forage through what we have.
My goal is to spend $150 in April on groceries/necessities. I'll let you know how I do! Does anyone want to join me in the challenge?
Anyway, I need to go over my receipts from March and tally up exactly what I spent. I want to say it's around $150 for the month, saving hundreds of dollars on what I bought. Which included 8 laundry detergents and fabric softeners, 20 boxes of Purina One cat food (so not like it's crap - the good stuff!), 30 cat food cans, dairy, produce, meat, juice, toiletries, paper goods...and I have donated a few bags of items too and qualified at SR for a free turkey or ham. Couponing is a huge blessing to me and my family! I was able to save a great amount this month because of ShopRite's 2 weeks of "dollar days" deals they had, but I am over my goal of spending $100 this month. This tells me that even with saving $40-something a week right off the bat bc of dollar day rewards, I would've spent more like $300+ and that's WITH couponing. So I'm definitely not like those women on tv that leave the store paying $5 for carts full, but I am pleased with how much I spend for what I spend it on. I buy Dietz and Watson lunchmeat, not the junk. I buy 100% whole wheat bread, organic milk about 1/2 the time, 100% juice, all-fruit jelly...you get what I'm saying. Not to mention the shelves I have full of Wisk and Era laundry detergents, John Freida shampoo, Dove soap -- good stuff, the stuff I want.
I do have to say one way I did not do well this month was on eating out. Initially I wanted to spend $100 on BOTH eating out and groceries combined and after one week realized I was C.R.A.Z.Y! I don't even know what we spent eating out...I would guess $200-$250. So clearly I have work to do there. We love dates though, and we love going out with friends...so I'm not thinking about it yet.
But I am ready for a new challenge for April. My shelves are stocked, my freezer full. I want to what the coupon bloggers call a "Pantry Challenge" and that is to only buy what is absolutely essential over one month's time, using up items you already have. I will have to get milk, eggs, lunchmeat, yogurt, bread, produce each week as we go through that stuff quickly. But as far as meals and snacks go, we are going to forage through what we have.
My goal is to spend $150 in April on groceries/necessities. I'll let you know how I do! Does anyone want to join me in the challenge?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sales Saturday
I'm too lazy to get up and find my receipts from ShopRite, but after 2 trips this week I spent around $37 and saved around $140. This week I will hopefully not spend that much, it's a slow sale week. I have to go to ShopRite instead of another store because I have $49 in catalina money and there's no way I am letting that go to waste! I'll use it towards milk, produce, eggs, bread and lunchmeat. Those are things I have to buy every week.
Ok so here are a few more tips for you.
*There are more ways to get coupons other than just printing them off the internet and getting the Sunday paper. You can buy coupons from different sites (legally, you're not buying coupons, you're "paying for someone's time to cut them") or you can do things like Cellfire and text coupons. Cellfire's website has different groceries listed - enter your cell # and birth year, pick your grocery and then you click the coupons you want to save to your store loyalty card. The great thing about this is that you can use a regular paper coupon on top of that. Target has text coupons - you load coupons onto your cell phone and show it to the cashier when you check out.
*Speaking of Target, you can "stack" a Target coupon with a Manufacturers coupon. Meaning, if you go to Target.com and print out the coupons you select, it is a store coupon. It says "Target coupon" on the top. When you pay, use that and also a like coupon that says "Manufacturers Coupon" at the top. ie - say Target has a $1 off of 2 Kraft cheese products coupon, and in the paper there was a Manufacturers coupon for $1 off 2 Kraft. That's actually then $2 off of 2 products...wait for a sale where they have Kraft cheese at 2 for $3, and you get 2 products (like string cheese, shredded cheese, etc) for $1. A good price!
*When there is a good sale - even better, a great sale - buy enough to last your family for at least a few months, unless it can't be frozen or is perishable. Of course this means trying to get your hands on a good number of coupons for the same product and also having the space to store it. Don't be a hoarder and get all crazy, but buy what your family will realistically use. This really saves time and your budget - you don't have to run to the store and you bought it at a much lower price.
*Make a list of everyone who you buy for at Christmas and throughout the year for birthdays. As items are on sale - especially if you have kids and they're invited to a lot of birthday parties! - buy it. For instance, at Christmas time, Target had a great Hasbro games sale and there were Hasbro games coupons online that I printed off. I bought a bunch for a few dollars each (like Twister, Operation, etc). Actually, post Christmas clearance is a great time to load up on your kids' friends' birthday gifts for throughout the year. A great way to see what is on sale without being at the store ('cause then you'd probably buy stuff you don't need!) is to subscribe to coupon blogs like A Thrifty Mom, Couponing to Disney and Living Rich with Coupons. They're my faves. They do a lot of grocery store coupon match ups, but they also let you know when there's random great deals, like getting 2 years of Redbook magazine for $5. Really!
*Eating out at restaurants is another way to use coupons. Or if you don't have a coupon, try to go to a place that has a 2 for $20 deal or something like that. Out with the kids, try to go on a night when they eat free - kidseatfree.com shows you what restaurants and which day of the week they offer free kids meals.
*Groupon and LivingSocial are ways to get basically what is a gift card, for more money than you paid for it. For instance, speaking of eating out, I bought a $30 gift card for Pasta Pomodoro in Voorhees for $15. I also bought a $200 Groupon for $95 to a local hair salon for a cut and highlights, and a Living Social deal where I got 2 movie tickets through Fandango for $9 total. Every day these sites have a different deal.
*Look at saving money like a part time job. It's easy to get frustrated with keeping up, cutting, printing and organizing coupons. I remember when we spent HUNDREDS of dollars a month (and I don't mean a few hundred) on groceries, toiletries, toys, renting movies and random things like printer ink. I save as much money now as I would make at a part-time job and I love it SO much more! I can do it when I want, for as long as I want, as much as I want...and at home with my babies. Well, they're not babies anymore which is why I have time. :) You mommies of little ones take heart if you'd like to coupon but the thought of breastfeeding and scouring the circulars at the same time doesn't sound appealing to you. Or even feasible. You will be able to someday...and every little bit counts.
More tips next week :) If you ask me a question, I can try to answer!
Ok so here are a few more tips for you.
*There are more ways to get coupons other than just printing them off the internet and getting the Sunday paper. You can buy coupons from different sites (legally, you're not buying coupons, you're "paying for someone's time to cut them") or you can do things like Cellfire and text coupons. Cellfire's website has different groceries listed - enter your cell # and birth year, pick your grocery and then you click the coupons you want to save to your store loyalty card. The great thing about this is that you can use a regular paper coupon on top of that. Target has text coupons - you load coupons onto your cell phone and show it to the cashier when you check out.
*Speaking of Target, you can "stack" a Target coupon with a Manufacturers coupon. Meaning, if you go to Target.com and print out the coupons you select, it is a store coupon. It says "Target coupon" on the top. When you pay, use that and also a like coupon that says "Manufacturers Coupon" at the top. ie - say Target has a $1 off of 2 Kraft cheese products coupon, and in the paper there was a Manufacturers coupon for $1 off 2 Kraft. That's actually then $2 off of 2 products...wait for a sale where they have Kraft cheese at 2 for $3, and you get 2 products (like string cheese, shredded cheese, etc) for $1. A good price!
*When there is a good sale - even better, a great sale - buy enough to last your family for at least a few months, unless it can't be frozen or is perishable. Of course this means trying to get your hands on a good number of coupons for the same product and also having the space to store it. Don't be a hoarder and get all crazy, but buy what your family will realistically use. This really saves time and your budget - you don't have to run to the store and you bought it at a much lower price.
*Make a list of everyone who you buy for at Christmas and throughout the year for birthdays. As items are on sale - especially if you have kids and they're invited to a lot of birthday parties! - buy it. For instance, at Christmas time, Target had a great Hasbro games sale and there were Hasbro games coupons online that I printed off. I bought a bunch for a few dollars each (like Twister, Operation, etc). Actually, post Christmas clearance is a great time to load up on your kids' friends' birthday gifts for throughout the year. A great way to see what is on sale without being at the store ('cause then you'd probably buy stuff you don't need!) is to subscribe to coupon blogs like A Thrifty Mom, Couponing to Disney and Living Rich with Coupons. They're my faves. They do a lot of grocery store coupon match ups, but they also let you know when there's random great deals, like getting 2 years of Redbook magazine for $5. Really!
*Eating out at restaurants is another way to use coupons. Or if you don't have a coupon, try to go to a place that has a 2 for $20 deal or something like that. Out with the kids, try to go on a night when they eat free - kidseatfree.com shows you what restaurants and which day of the week they offer free kids meals.
*Groupon and LivingSocial are ways to get basically what is a gift card, for more money than you paid for it. For instance, speaking of eating out, I bought a $30 gift card for Pasta Pomodoro in Voorhees for $15. I also bought a $200 Groupon for $95 to a local hair salon for a cut and highlights, and a Living Social deal where I got 2 movie tickets through Fandango for $9 total. Every day these sites have a different deal.
*Look at saving money like a part time job. It's easy to get frustrated with keeping up, cutting, printing and organizing coupons. I remember when we spent HUNDREDS of dollars a month (and I don't mean a few hundred) on groceries, toiletries, toys, renting movies and random things like printer ink. I save as much money now as I would make at a part-time job and I love it SO much more! I can do it when I want, for as long as I want, as much as I want...and at home with my babies. Well, they're not babies anymore which is why I have time. :) You mommies of little ones take heart if you'd like to coupon but the thought of breastfeeding and scouring the circulars at the same time doesn't sound appealing to you. Or even feasible. You will be able to someday...and every little bit counts.
More tips next week :) If you ask me a question, I can try to answer!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sales Saturday
I am pleased with how I did this week at the grocery. I only went to ShopRite, but I stopped by twice, on my first trip I spent $19.55 out of pocket, and saved $121.71. My second trip I spent $1.83 and saved $14.96. No trips to CVS or Rite Aid.
More and more I am having friends and even strangers at the store ask about couponing and how to do it. I've said it before so pardon if I'm annoying, but I LOVE the website Living Rich with Coupons - she's on FB too. I am so thankful for her site, it makes couponing much easier for me. But here are a few random tips from me.
*Don't even start "couponing" unless you are interested in it. Once you get a system down, it is not too bad, but it is time consuming. If you know you'll hate cutting/printing/organizing coupons, don't. Instead, pay a lot more attention to your circulars. These come in the mail usually on Thursday or Friday. I used to be so annoyed and now I can't wait to get them!! Anyway, look through the different ones and circle items your family needs or wants that are a good price. The store that has the best sales gets your business that week!!
*Buy coupons off Ebay. For example. a week or 2 ago, there was a coupon in the Sunday coupon insert (out of the Sunday paper) for "free or up to $3 off" any size Purina One Beyond dry cat food. We have 3 cats so I view this as a hot coupon. I have several from my coupon friends and ones I got myself, but I also ordered 40 off of Ebay. This cost me almost $15, but the value of the coupons is $120. This cat food has a long shelf life, so I can store them in my garage easily. My ShopRite will not let me get all 40 at once, and I wouldn't want to clear them out like that anyway - so over the next month I will get cat food every time I go to the store, in groups of 4. Most stores put a limit of "4 like coupons" in one transaction.
*If you are close to a neighbor that gets a Sunday paper, ask if they use their coupons and if they don't, would they mind giving them to you. One of my neighbors bless her heart, cuts out what she wants and then hangs the rest of the circular on my door in a bag. I also get coupons from my in-laws, my fake sister-in-law, and my couponing group of friends. Your couponing pile will add up.
*View coupons as money. First of all, most grocery stores double the face value of a coupon - .50 off becomes $1, etc. Wouldn't you pick up a $1 off the street and feel good about it? Same with saving $1. Every little bit adds up.
*Find a good way to organize your coupons, and a good time to do it. I personally have a coupon binder. It is a large 3-ring zippered binder, filled with baseball card sleeves and dividers. I picked it up from Staples and I call it my baby. TMI?
*Keep track of your savings, it motivates you.
*Menu plan and if you can, designate a morning a week (or evening, whatever) to prepping your meals. Chop veggies, shred cheese, etc. Even make the whole meal. What does this have to do w couponing? First, plan your meals around the sales. Pork is $1.49/lb? That's a great price. Buy a huge tenderloin (around $15) and cut it up into sections - you'll probably get at least 4 meals out of it for a family of four. I AM a family of four, but 2 out of our 4 won't eat pork - so for us we get at least 6 or 7 meals out of it. I will freeze most (yes, I am blessed to have an extra freezer in my garage - an investment I think is a great idea for couponers but mine was free!) but also have BBQ pork or pork fried rice that week. Second, you save money by not having 5pm roll around and you don't care what it costs to order take-out, you are NOT doing one more thing that day by making dinner. Been there done that - and still do. But less often.
*Sometimes it pays to stop at an extra store that week. Farmers markets, drugstores, groceries. Yes, time is money, but if you save $50, spending an extra hour and 1/2...and buy exactly what you need and want...that's time well spent. Same with couponing. If you spend 2 hours a week, but save $60 - that's $30/hour. Not bad, right?
*Ok I already said something along these lines, but that's how important I think this is - if you want to get into couponing, get a friend who wants to do it too. It is so much more fun. You can share coupons, tell each other about deals, meet up at a diner while you go organize or cut your coupons.
Let me know if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer!
More and more I am having friends and even strangers at the store ask about couponing and how to do it. I've said it before so pardon if I'm annoying, but I LOVE the website Living Rich with Coupons - she's on FB too. I am so thankful for her site, it makes couponing much easier for me. But here are a few random tips from me.
*Don't even start "couponing" unless you are interested in it. Once you get a system down, it is not too bad, but it is time consuming. If you know you'll hate cutting/printing/organizing coupons, don't. Instead, pay a lot more attention to your circulars. These come in the mail usually on Thursday or Friday. I used to be so annoyed and now I can't wait to get them!! Anyway, look through the different ones and circle items your family needs or wants that are a good price. The store that has the best sales gets your business that week!!
*Buy coupons off Ebay. For example. a week or 2 ago, there was a coupon in the Sunday coupon insert (out of the Sunday paper) for "free or up to $3 off" any size Purina One Beyond dry cat food. We have 3 cats so I view this as a hot coupon. I have several from my coupon friends and ones I got myself, but I also ordered 40 off of Ebay. This cost me almost $15, but the value of the coupons is $120. This cat food has a long shelf life, so I can store them in my garage easily. My ShopRite will not let me get all 40 at once, and I wouldn't want to clear them out like that anyway - so over the next month I will get cat food every time I go to the store, in groups of 4. Most stores put a limit of "4 like coupons" in one transaction.
*If you are close to a neighbor that gets a Sunday paper, ask if they use their coupons and if they don't, would they mind giving them to you. One of my neighbors bless her heart, cuts out what she wants and then hangs the rest of the circular on my door in a bag. I also get coupons from my in-laws, my fake sister-in-law, and my couponing group of friends. Your couponing pile will add up.
*View coupons as money. First of all, most grocery stores double the face value of a coupon - .50 off becomes $1, etc. Wouldn't you pick up a $1 off the street and feel good about it? Same with saving $1. Every little bit adds up.
*Find a good way to organize your coupons, and a good time to do it. I personally have a coupon binder. It is a large 3-ring zippered binder, filled with baseball card sleeves and dividers. I picked it up from Staples and I call it my baby. TMI?
*Keep track of your savings, it motivates you.
*Menu plan and if you can, designate a morning a week (or evening, whatever) to prepping your meals. Chop veggies, shred cheese, etc. Even make the whole meal. What does this have to do w couponing? First, plan your meals around the sales. Pork is $1.49/lb? That's a great price. Buy a huge tenderloin (around $15) and cut it up into sections - you'll probably get at least 4 meals out of it for a family of four. I AM a family of four, but 2 out of our 4 won't eat pork - so for us we get at least 6 or 7 meals out of it. I will freeze most (yes, I am blessed to have an extra freezer in my garage - an investment I think is a great idea for couponers but mine was free!) but also have BBQ pork or pork fried rice that week. Second, you save money by not having 5pm roll around and you don't care what it costs to order take-out, you are NOT doing one more thing that day by making dinner. Been there done that - and still do. But less often.
*Sometimes it pays to stop at an extra store that week. Farmers markets, drugstores, groceries. Yes, time is money, but if you save $50, spending an extra hour and 1/2...and buy exactly what you need and want...that's time well spent. Same with couponing. If you spend 2 hours a week, but save $60 - that's $30/hour. Not bad, right?
*Ok I already said something along these lines, but that's how important I think this is - if you want to get into couponing, get a friend who wants to do it too. It is so much more fun. You can share coupons, tell each other about deals, meet up at a diner while you go organize or cut your coupons.
Let me know if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Sales Saturday
So if you remember, I had a - lofty - goal of only spending $100 for groceries and eating out in the month of March. I had - I don't have the sheet in front of me but $150-200 to spend in reward dollars at SR and drug stores - so that helps a lot of course. BUT I have realized over the last week that goal can stand for groceries, but there's no way I'll make it with eating out. Already we've spent I think around $75 - not counting the Chinese take-out Kevin bought using coins he had from his car.
That's a true story and I loved him for it.
Anyway, we still have a few nights eating out left on the calendar so it's a dead deal. We ARE using gift cards cashed out from reward points on our CC for 2 of the nights, but still. I'm expecting that we're going to spend $100 on eating out ALONE - so maybe $200 for both?
SO for the groceries - I spent $11 the first week of March, and this week I spent $32 OOP, rounded up. Next week I hope to have another $11 week instead of the $32! I have $50 to spend at SR in next week's rewards and I don't need much else besides produce. Chicken is $1.69/lb so I am buying some of that too.
There does seem to be a few good deals at the drug stores but I used up my reward dollars so I don't think I'll hit them up bc we don't need anything.
It's fun making financial goals but I read something this week that is SO true!! A blogger wrote about how she and her husband spent $10 each weekday on coffee, etc and cut that out completely BUT at the end of the year they STILL had no money in savings. They just took that money and spent it on other things!! They could've had a few thousand dollars! So part of my financial goal, is to actually SAVE that money.
I need to become more organized...and I'm thinking my lists on post-its and our summer-savings jar isn't what the financial gerus have in mind.
That's a true story and I loved him for it.
Anyway, we still have a few nights eating out left on the calendar so it's a dead deal. We ARE using gift cards cashed out from reward points on our CC for 2 of the nights, but still. I'm expecting that we're going to spend $100 on eating out ALONE - so maybe $200 for both?
SO for the groceries - I spent $11 the first week of March, and this week I spent $32 OOP, rounded up. Next week I hope to have another $11 week instead of the $32! I have $50 to spend at SR in next week's rewards and I don't need much else besides produce. Chicken is $1.69/lb so I am buying some of that too.
There does seem to be a few good deals at the drug stores but I used up my reward dollars so I don't think I'll hit them up bc we don't need anything.
It's fun making financial goals but I read something this week that is SO true!! A blogger wrote about how she and her husband spent $10 each weekday on coffee, etc and cut that out completely BUT at the end of the year they STILL had no money in savings. They just took that money and spent it on other things!! They could've had a few thousand dollars! So part of my financial goal, is to actually SAVE that money.
I need to become more organized...and I'm thinking my lists on post-its and our summer-savings jar isn't what the financial gerus have in mind.
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