Stacking and piggy-backing

Stacking Coupons

 

Some stores let you "stack" coupons. Stacking is when you use one manufacturer coupon (like the ones that come in the paper, or a tear pad, or a “blinkies” machine) and one store coupon (it will have a store logo on it and it will state that it is only redeemable at X store) in the same transaction for one item,

 

Target, Walgreens, CVS, and Vons allow this type of coupon use. Make sure to check the coupon acceptance policy of your local stores. Remember, “your mileage may vary”, and you may have different results.  Ask at your store if you can use them both.  Here is a great example for Coffee-Mate Creamer at Target.

From the Target Website:



 

 

 

From The Coffee Mate Website:



 

 

 

Print those two coupons out, take them to the store, and use them on the purchase two Coffee-Mate Creamers.

 

Here is what the receipt might look like:

Coffee-mate $2.00

Coffee-mate $2.00

Cpn Man     $1.00-

Cpn Target  $1.50-

Total          $1.50 for two bottles of Coffee-Mate



Another example of stacking is when you use an E-coupon (electric coupon) that is loaded to your club card and a paper coupon in the same transaction. Depending on the store you shop at, they may allow you to stack one e-coupon and a printed coupon.

 

Check your stores’ coupon policy before you go on your shopping trip.

 

Piggy Backing

 

Piggy backing is different from stacking.  It is using two coupons when 2 or more products are offered on the coupons with overlap.

 

Example:

 

Save $2.00 on any gallon of milk when you buy any 3 packages of Keebler cookies.

 

And

 

Save $1.50 on any 3 packages of Keebler cookies.

 

Another example using a BOGO coupon and a money off coupon.  Not only are you saving money on the item you are buying but, you receive a second item for free.

In this example, we are going to buy Silk brand Soy Milk.  They are on sale for $2.50/each.

Coupon 1: Buy one Silk  product, get one free.

Coupon 2: Save $1.25 on any one Silk product.

Use both coupons together and you will get both cartons of Silk Brand Soy Milk for $1.25!

 

Some stores do not allow piggybacking, so it is definitely a YMMV, but it is worth a shot.  When you find a store that allows piggybacking, make a note in your price book so you will remember which stores to save those coupons for.

 

It is easiest to piggy back coupons when you have the “when you buy” coupons, which are frequently for money off produce or diary when you buy a shelf stable item.

Coupon Previews- You can see your Future Savings!

There are several websites that preview the weekly coupon inserts.  However, there are regional differences due to product availability.  There also may be slight differences in the value of each coupon. Most coupons received on the West Coast have a higher value, .50 or more each due to the increased cost of food.

 

http://www.taylortownpreview.com/

http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/

 

Not all media outlets carry all of available the coupon inserts.  Generally, Smart Source or Vlassic arrives weekly, Proctor and Gamble AKA The P&G Saver arrives about once a month, and General Mills Puts out a smaller insert with their brand specific coupons in it about once a month.  Red Plum Coupons does not come in the newspaper in some areas.  It may be delivered with the weekly bulk/junk, including the grocery and drug store fliers. If you do not receive Red Plum in your paper, visit http://www.redplum.com/ and type in your address to see which local newspaper delivers the Red Plum Insert. In Southern California, it’s the LA Times.

 

“Match ups”

 

A “Match Up” is when you have a coupon and match it up to current or upcoming sale items. Various websites, such as Hotcouponworld, Afullcup, and Couponmom all have match ups for different grocery stores each week.  You can also Google search “Coupon Match up” plus the name of the store you shop.  The sites do most of the work, including telling you which insert the coupon is in and from which week the coupons are from, or in the case of printable coupons, what website you can get printables from.

 

Depending on where the writer of the match up gets their information on sales and coupons, the coupons you receive may be slightly different in value.  Additionally, not all products are carried nationwide, so there may be some variants in the advertisements and coupons you receive.

 

You can also do your our match ups by making your shopping list and grabbing the circular for your favorite store from the junk mail.  Most stores run sales starting at the opening of business on Wednesday until the following Tuesday at close of business, so you’ll get your circulars in Monday’s junk mail- that gives you 2 days to do your own match up scenarios. Once you have the list, and your circular, take a look at what’s on sale that you need and you can match your coupons.

 

Remember to go to the store at “off” times (not right after work or Saturday afternoon) when you are new to couponing so you do not feel rushed, and it’s always better to shop alone, so you can stick to your list, guilt free.

 

I like to circle the items in the advertisements that I am going to buy and bring the ad with me to the store.  I pull my coupons, and put them in a zip lock bag.  I put them in the front of my coupon wallet.  I always bring my entire wallet with me- JUST IN CASE.  You never know when something will be on clearance or when there will be an item that the store accidentally ordered too much of and they had to mark it down!

 

Match up Examples

 

Match up sites generally use a type of short hand to save posters time when they are typing up all of their deals!

Lingo: There will be a set of initials that indicate where the coupon came from.

SS: Smart Source,

PG: Proctor and Gamble- sometimes P&G

RP: Red Plum (In San Diego, Red Plum doesn’t come in the paper, it comes in the weekly junk mail),

IP: Internet Printable (Most match up websites will link to the site where the printable came from)

Then there are the other usual sorts of coupons: Blinkies, in magazine (followed by the name and month), direct mail, on package, in package.

 

Then a date will be listed, this will be the date the insert was in the paper.  On the cover of the coupons, on the spine there will be the date and the “market” the coupons are for.  Example: 10/10/10 San Diego Union Tribune.

 

Here are a couple of examples from the 1/13/10-1/13/10 Albertson’s ad:

 

Coffee-mate Flavored Creamer 16oz $1.99 ($.50/1 RP 11-01)

 

Raisin Bran 20oz ( $1/1 Package coupons & Peelies, $1.50/2 Redplum IP) This example gives you a couple different coupons to choose from.  Remember one manufacturer paper coupon PER ITEM purchased.  You can’t use all of these coupons on one package/item.

Grocery Store & Drug Store Club Cards

If there is one word of wisdom I can impart to new frugalistas it is get a grocery store Club Card for each supermarket you shop, and pick up a CVS Extra Care Card. The cards entitle you to discounts on merchandise or an accumulation or points or special rewards for buying specific merchandise. Club cards are also referred to as a loyalty card, a rewards card, a points card, or an advantage card.  Most stores have a Club Card, check with your local supermarket.  These cards are free to apply for and use.

Club Cards typically have a barcode or magnetic stripe (like a credit card) that can be easily scanned.  Cards are issued after you fill out the application.  Many times the card is linked to your phone number.  If you forget you card at home, give the cashier you phone number, and you are still entitled to the same discounts and card advantages as if you had presented your card.

Stores utilize the information they gather when consumers scan their cards to look at shopping trends. Grocery companies look at sales trends to help them decide what items should be sold, put on sale or completely discontinued. Cards also offer information about what each consumer purchases, and coupons tailored to the individual cardholder can be mailed or emailed to each card holder.

If you do not present the card or your phone number, you will not receive a discount, which is usually advertised at the sale price.  Grocery stores with Club cards do not offer sale prices without the presentation of the card at checkout.

In addition to discounted merchandise, some stores allow accumulation of fuel discounts for specific fuel stations. Usually stations the grocer has affiliations with or is co-branded with. If this is not the case, this promotion may be only for a limited time offer, for example in summer 2009 Ralphs/Kroger offered .03 discount for every $100 worth of groceries purchased at Shell gasoline stations for a limited time. Some have tie-ins with airline frequent-flyer programs, such as the now defunct United Airlines/Safeway promotion, wherein the cardholder earned 125 United Airline miles for every $250 in groceries that was purchased.

Most office supply stores have a Club Card.  They offer discounts on merchandise, and track purchases.  If purchases reach a specific amount within a time frame (usually once a quarter), a gift card is mailed to the club cardholder for the amount of a percentage of the cardholder’s purchases.  In the case of Office Depot, club cardholders can turn in computer ink cartridges to earn an extra $3.00 reward per ink cartridge. The  reward is then mailed to you at the end of each quarter in the form of an Office Depot gift card.

Other stores offer cards, such as book or music stores.  These cards usually have a cost associated with them and are good for a finite amount of time, usually a year, and offer a very high discount and extended benefits.  Barnes and Noble offers a discount card that costs about $25 and offers 20% off purchases and other special discounts throughout the year.

WOO HOO!

Wow.  It's only the 14th of January and we have already hit one of our goals.

Having a specific amount of money in our savings account before I go on Maternity leave.

We hit it this morning!  Now it's time to re-assess our savings goals, and start saving even more!

 

I'm so excited!

 

Organizing- Time really is money

One of the things I've been doing lately is "nesting", which I think is a nice way of alerting the other person in the relationship- "Watch out, the preggo lady is going to go crazy and start cleaning!!"

GUILTY.

There were a lot of things that i had wanted to do for a while, but now seemed like a good time, since I had 2 3-day weekends in a row.

If you don't know what you have in your house, you won't save as much time or money as you would if you were organzied.

Example-  If your pantry is a jumble, when you peer into it to prep for your grocery trip (because in this scenario you are making a list to take to the store, which you always should), you won't see the 26 cans of Ro*tel tomatoes that you have.  You'll think you're out and buy more.  Eventually you will eat them, but if your pantry was organized you'd see them all in a row and know that you're good.

As part of my goal to use our family binder (more on this in my next post), I printed pantry and freezer inventory sheets.  Instead of carrying them with me at all times, I have placed them in plastic page protectors with a pen and taped one to the inside of my pantry, and one to the outside of my freezer.  Now I know what we have in stock at a glance.It also makes prepping my grocery list a breeze!

This pic was taken about a week or so ago, before I went to the grocery store for January.

 

Now the freezer is full, but I still have the lone Hot Pocket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I plan on making an inventory of our HBA as well. I recently cleaned out our HBA stockpiles, getting rid of stuff that we didn't like or would never use.  I traded a large flat rate box full of HBA for a huge coupon pot luck, and the 2nd large box of HBA was traded to a friend for make-up products that she makes and sells (I plan on using some of this for prizes at my shower)

I also organized the tupperware/rubbermade/gladware/ziploc re-usables that we put leftovers in.  Before (thankfully, there are no pics, 'cause WHOAH was it awful!), lids and bowls were just tossed up on top of the fridge, willy nilly.  If they got too close to the edge and we opened the freezer door, they'd fall on us. LAME.

 

A quick trip to 99 Cents Only, and $4.o0 later, the lids and bowls were separated into green baskets that fit on top of the fridge. 2 baskets for lids, and 2 for the bowls.

[caption id="attachment_832" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The lids!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_831" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="After- Doesn't it look much better?"][/caption]

 

 

It is much easier to navigate... and also, nothing falls on me when I open the freezer.

Now doing my once a week lunch and dinner prep is so much easier, all of the lids and bowls fit together- no more orphans.  I threw a bunch of lids missing bowls and vice versa into the recycling.

 

 

 

 

The linen closet- the final frontier of my mad organizing skills.

Before, much like the top of my fridge- Towels crammed in (not folded), flat sheets mixed with fitted sheets, wash cloths everywhere. It was chaos.  Once again, we trotted off to  99 Cents only and picked up some baskets.  These are black.

One basket for wash cloths and hand towels, one for pillow cases, 2 for flat sheets, two for fitted sheets.  That takes up half the linen closet.  The other half are blankets, flannel sheets for my massage table, the top sheet of our polar fleece sheets (they are so snuggly, but it is never *that* cold here), laundry soap, dryer sheets and some misc. exercise equipment ( Elastic bands and the pump for our exercise ball, that I use for a desk chair) and the larger towels (bath sheets).  We are big, tall people, so we use larger towels.

 

[caption id="attachment_833" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="What lurks inside???"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_834" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="That's a lot of towels..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_835" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="The Baskets- and yes, so many more towels!"][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, it's so much a lot easier to find everything (especially pillow cases!).  And because everything is put away in the linen closet, there aren't a pile of towels sitting in my room in a basket, that DH washes over and over again, even though they are clean.  Because- if it's in a laundry basket, it's obviously dirty.  Even if it smells clean and is folded.  That by itself will save me money- we have a coin op. laundry in our building.

I also cleaned off the shelf and re-organized the photos, and added a few more.

The sewing machine and the pile of mending on top of it will be tackled tomorrow!  Most of it is sewing new buttons on DH's pants and fixing fallen hems.  Doing your own clothing repairs is also a great way to save money.  Learn to sew on a button or fix a fallen hem and you'll save $20-$100/year by avoiding paying the local tailor or dry cleaner to do it. You can pick up an inexpensive sewing kit at most mass-merchandisers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tax time approacheth....

Taxes- OH NO!!  No one likes to do their taxes, even if you are going to get money back.

Here are two links to websites that will help you organize everything you'll need to get your taxes done.  Being organized will make sure everything runs smoother and you'll be (hopefully) less frazzled!

Sound Money Matters

Preparing for your taxes

How to save money in 2011

All You has an article to help you spend less in 2011.  Many frugalistsa's already use some of these strategies.  Let's take a look at the list:

Eat out less.

Good idea!  I recommend that you menu plan in advance, so you always know the answer to the age old question, "What's for Dinner??"

Reduce memberships.

Spend more time at home, with the family.  Game night, watch a DVD, Go for a walk, play in the backyard!

Trim transportation costs.

As a complimentary idea- shop around for cheaper gas- the station right down the street may not be the cheapest.  Check out Gas Buddy.

Stretch your grocery dollars.

Start a Price book, eat leftovers, combine coupons with sales, grow some veggies!

Save on health care.

With new healthcare regulations, wellness visits are free! Check your meds to see if they are elligable for $4 30 day supplies, available at most major pharmacies (including Target, Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens). That's a big savings for those of use who take RX meds!

Boost your income.

Sell your unwanted stuff on craigslist, have a garage sale, pick up a paper route, offer to babysit the neighborhood kids, or pick up a weekend job.

Lower your living costs.

Got a spare room? Consider renting it out.  Garage or sell a spare car, check for energy wasters in your house (unplug stuff when not in use, esp. cell phone chargers!!), make sure your windows and doors seal correctly to keep in the warm (or cool) air. Turn off the lights when you aren't in a room. Open the windows during the day instead of turning on the lights.

Put retirement on hold.

This is the only one I don't agree with. You should always save for the future.

Part 2- Where do I find all of those awesome coupons????

Where to find coupons?

 

The first place to look is the Sunday paper.  There are inserts filled with coupons.  Make sure to check the Parade Magazine, if that is included in your paper.  Often times there are coupons in the Parade Magazine or other syndicated weekly magazine insert. Coupons can also be in the individual sections of the newspaper, like travel, arts or food.

 

If you are looking for coupons other than grocery, take a few minutes to look through the paper each week.  You might be surprised at what kind of the coupons are available.

 

Attached to displays, in or on products, in dispensers (called “blinkies”, because of their blinking light).

 

Check your junk mail too.  Coupons usually come the same day that the grocery circulars for the next week arrive. Keep your eyes open for all types of coupons, not just grocery coupons.

 

All You Magazine- All you is a great a magazine full of coupons, usually $50-$80 in savings for grocery and HBA items.  In addition, there are great articles on money saving, healthy, delicious recipes the whole family will love.  It is available for purchase at Wal*mart only.  You can also subscribe to the magazine, visit the Magazine website: www.allyou.com for more info on subscription info.  Magazines.com also sells All You.

 

Other Magazines- Some magazines have coupons within advertisements spread throughout the magazine, or in the back with the advertising sections.  Self, Shape, Parents, People all have had coupons for HBA products in them each month for the past few years.  Each magazine usually has one or two coupons, that is for a higher value- $1.50-$3.00 off or a BOGO (Buy one, get one).

 

Store Circulars- Some stores, such as Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid and selected grocery stores distribute coupons that are valid only at their stores.  These coupons tend to be valid for a shorter amount of time.  These circulars may be mailed to you, inserted into the newspaper, or available for pick up at the store.

 

The Internet- is a great place to print coupons.  Here are a few sites:

 

Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, Couponmom.com, Redplum.com

 

The best online/printable coupon-hunting tip I can give is: Google whatever item you are looking for plus printable coupon. Be as specific as possible.  “Ovaltine printable coupon” will yield better results than “Chocolate milk mix printable coupon”.  Please remember that when you print coupons from the Internet, not all stores accept them, as there is high incidence of counterfeiting and forgery.  Using fake coupons hurts all couponers.

 

Other websites offer great printables, but ask you to sign up.  They’ll email when new coupons are ready to print or, in some cases will mail you samples of new products.

 

http://vocalpoint.com (they also offer free samples from time to time)

http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/coupons/ (coupons for healthy products)

http://www.coffee-mate.com/coupons.aspx (Coffee-Mate coupons)

http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/clip/coupons.aspx (Betty Crocker Coupons)

http://www.betterathome.com (More Betty crocker coupons)

http://www.kashi.com/account/new (Kashi coupons)

https://www.pillsbury.com/coupons-promotions (Pillsbury coupons)

http://www.livingnaturally.com/common/coupons/ (Health food coupons)

http://coupons.mambosprouts.com/online_coupons (Health food coupons)

 

 

Types of Coupons

 

There are two types of coupons: Manufacturer and Store coupons.

 

Manufacturer coupons are distributed by the manufacturer and can be redeemed at any store that accepts coupons.

 

Store coupons are distributed by stores and can be redeemed only at the store that issued the coupon. Store coupons can be found in store circulars, home mailers or the newspaper.

 

Using Coupons to your Advantage

 

This is very important for those shoppers who prefer to purchase organic or “all natural” products! When using coupons, it is important to read and understand the terms of the coupon.

 

Example, "Save $.50 on any TWO (2) Hunt’s Tomatoes." Then, there is a graphic of a can of Hunt’s diced Tomatoes.  This graphic doesn’t limit you to that specific item (this is true for any coupon, unless the language prohibits specific items to be purchased with a coupon).  The language or terms of the coupon state ANY TWO Hunt’s Tomatoes. For example, if you like the organic variety of the Hunt’s Tomatoes, you can use this coupon for those products.

 

Many companies make organic versions of their products- Prego, for example, makes an organic sauce.  Prego puts out coupons about once a quarter.

 

Keep your eyes open, be an informed consumer!

 

 

Coupon Policies

 

It is important that before you pack up your shopping list, coupons, calculator and hit the stored, you need to understand the coupon acceptance policy of each store that you will be shopping at.

 

Most grocery stores and mass merchandisers (Wal*mart and Target, specifically), post their coupon policies on their website.  I print the policies out and keep them with my coupons in page protectors, back to back in alphabetical order.  Some couponers have them saved on their Smart Phones, instead of carrying paper copies with them.

 

It is important to keep up to date, since policies can change at any time without warning.  In June 2010, Vons/Safeway changed their coupon policy, and they no longer accept Internet Printable coupons for free items, including BOGO coupons.  Please refer to Appendix VIII. for selected coupon policies for grocery, mass merchandiser, and drug stores.

 

E- Coupons

 

There are sites that you can "load" coupons onto your grocery store club card. Leave your coupon wallet at home! Just swipe and save.  Cellfire.com, Coupons.com, and shortcuts.com all offer Electronic coupons(sometimes called “E-coupons”).

 

 

Cellfire

 

Cellfire registry requires a valid cell phone number and appropriate store card. Card must be used at least once-this activates the card, in order to load e-coupons onto it.

The only down side is that if you have more than one type of store card on your account, you must choose only one card to add each e-coupon to. Electronic coupons can only be used once.

 

Coupons refresh every two weeks.

 

There is no maximum number of coupons that can be selected, however, in most markets there are not more than usually more than fifteen coupons available to be added to the card.  Cellfire in newer, so it’s offerings tend to be smaller.

 

Coupons are automatically removed when they expire.

 

Cellfire is currently available for these grocery stores:

Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Gerbes, Fry’s, Hilander, Jay C Food Stores, King Soopers, Kroger, Owen’s, Pay Less Markets, QFC, Ralphs, Randalls, Safeway, Scott’s Food & Pharmacy, ShopRite, Smith’s Food & Drug Stores, Tom Thumb, & Vons.

 

Coupons.com



Coupons.com registry requires a valid email address and appropriate store card.  Card must be used at least once-this activates the card, in order to load e-coupons onto it.  You can add as many cards as you possess, however, currently coupons.com only loads coupons to Safeway Brand store cards (see list below). When you select a coupon, it adds the coupon to all of the cards, however coupons can only be used once per card.

 

Coupons refresh every two weeks.

 

There is no maximum number of coupons that can be selected.

 

Coupons are automatically removed when they expire.

 

Coupons.com is currently available for these grocery stores:

Randalls, Safeway, Pavilions, Carrs, Dominicks, Genuardi’s, Tom Thumb, & Vons.

 

 

Shortcuts



Shortcuts.com registry requires a valid email address and appropriate store card. Card must be used at least once -this activates the card, in order to load e-coupons onto it.  Coupons refresh every two weeks. The only down side is if you have more than one type of store card on your account, you must choose only one card to add each e-coupon to.  Electronic coupons can only be used once.

 

A maximum of 75 coupons may be added to your account at any time.

 

The only way to remove coupons from your account is to either allow them to expire or to use them.

 

Shortcuts.com is currently available for these grocery stores: Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Gerbes, Fry’s, Hilander, Jay C Food Stores, King Soopers, Kroger, Owen’s, Pay Less Markets, QFC, Ralphs, Randalls, Safeway, Scott’s Food & Pharmacy, ShopRite, Smith’s Food & Drug Stores, Tom Thumb, & Vons.

 

 

With all three, you will have to register you club cards. All three have the option of emailing you when new coupons are available, usually about once a month.

 

All three options also give you the chance to print out a list of the coupons that are loaded onto your card.  This can be very helpful in planning your trips to the store.

 

Coupons- Part 1: Starting out...

For those new to money savings, this is the beginning of a very exciting journey.  Like any new endeavor, there is a learning curve.  Don’t give up, ask questions at stores if you are confused, or refer back to this chapter at any time if you need to brush up.

How to start?

It all seems pretty intimidating when you look at frugal living, money saving, and couponing websites as fledgling frugalista. There is new lingo, equipment, special websites, it can make your head swim!  Remember: One step at a time.

Step one: Make a list.



What do you buy?

Your list should include groceries, baby formula or baby food if you have kids, & pet food, treats and supplies, cleaning supplies, and personal care items, such as shampoo, body wash, toothpaste.

Which grocery stores and mass merchandisers (Wal*mart, Target type stores) do you shop?

What restaurants do you like to eat at?  Fast food, sit down/full service, make and take.

What kind of services do you use? Car wash, dry cleaners, copy shops.

Step two: Grab a Sunday paper.

That is a good place to start because every weekend, except major holidays, there will be coupon inserts and sales flyers.

Go over the Sunday paper with your list and clip the coupons for the items and services on your list.

Step three: Read on!

What is a coupon?

Dictionary.com defines a coupon as, “–noun. 1.  A portion of a certificate, ticket, label, advertisement, or the like, set off from the main body by dotted lines or the like to emphasize its separability, entitling the holder to something, as a gift or discount, or for use as an order blank, a contest entry form, etc.

2. A separate certificate, ticket, etc., for the same purpose.”



The History of Coupons

In 1887, the Coca-Cola Company was incorporated with Asa Candler as one of the partners. He transformed Coca-Cola from an insignificant tonic into a profitable business by using innovative advertising techniques. The key to this growth was Candler's ingenious marketing including having the company's employees and sales representatives distribute complimentary coupons for Coca-Cola. Coupons were mailed to potential customers and placed in magazines. The company gave soda fountains free syrup to cover the costs of the free drinks. It is estimated that between 1894 and 1913 one in nine Americans had received a free Coca-Cola, for a total of 8,500,000 free drinks. (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupon)  That was the first time that coupons as we know them were distributed.  Since that time, coupons for almost every type of food, HBA item or service has been made available at one time or another.

The basics of couponing- a primer

Couponing- The act of clipping from commercially available printed materials or printing coupons from the Internet and redeeming them is pretty simple.  You take the coupon to a store that sells the product your coupon is redeemable for, and when you purchase the item listed on the coupon, you give it to the cashier, they deduct the face value of the coupon from the purchase price.

To make couponing more lucrative, make a list of the items that you purchase regularly, and look for coupons for those items.  Match your coupons up with items you buy or wait for them to go on sale.  Stores know what coupons are going to be released and they match their sales up with those coupons are available. With the sale price and the coupons, your savings will be exponential, sometimes resulting in free products or products that cost just pennies.

Example of using a coupon when an item is on sale:  Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner is usually $5.00/bottle, it is on sale at Walgreen’s for 3/$10.  There are $1.00 off coupons in the paper and you have 3.  Your three Pantene products are now 3/ $7, making them $2.33/each.  That’s $2.67 savings per bottle!

If there is a brand that is cheaper than what you had planned to buy with the coupon, it makes no sense to pay more, even though you may have a coupon.  Always look at the bottom line.

Example: Rosarito Brand refried beans are 1.19/each and you have a $.50 off 2 coupon, however, the El Pato brand refried beans are .69/each on sale.  El Pato is a better deal.  If your store doubles coupons (your coupon is worth $1.00 off 2 cans), then both items are the same price and it doesn’t matter which one you buy.

Sometimes, you have to buy all of a set (example 3/$10, or 10 for $10) to receive the sale price.  Usually, this is only the case at Mass merchandisers and drug stores.  With Albertson’s and Vons 10 for $10 deals, you do not need to buy all ten items to receive the discount, however, you will need to swipe your store club card.

 

Couponing Myths

•You don’t really save money with coupons!

*My grocery bill has gone down from $150/week to $75/week! Once I started using coupons in conjunction with store sales and eating food that was in season, we have saved $3900 in a year.  We eat better food than we did before!

 

•But they don’t have coupons for the items that I actually use.

With coupons and store sales, I have picked up in the past few months:

*1 Gallon of milk for $1.00

*Kashi Cereal for $1.99

*Free Garnier Fructis Shampoo and conditioner

*Free Toothpaste

 

•Store brands are cheaper.

Here is a recent sale that I took advantage of- this demonstrates that with a good sale and a coupon, you can purchase name brand items for less than the generic price.

*Store brand High Protein Cereal/Granola (Generic Kashi) $2.99

*Kashi $3.49

*Coupon for Kashi $1.50 (from Vocal Point)

*Name brand price with coupon $1.99

Back to basics- Basic Couponing info

I'm going to be doing a series of posts for coupon beginners.  Thanks to the TLC Show Extreme Couponers, a lot of people have expressed an interest in couponing and money saving.

As a beginner you will NOT save 90+% on each shopping trip.  But with some hard work (an hour or so each week), you will be able to save 50+% on groceries and toiletries without going crazy and ending up with rooms full of salad dressing, toothbrushes and deodorant.

If you are new to reading my blog, check out some past entries.  A lot of what I write about is not "Look How much free food I got" posts, but ways to save money, live better.  We Combine sales with coupons to maximize our savings.  I only buy food that my family will eat.

Keep your eyes peeled- Couponing info ahead!

 

 

Tonight's dinner!

I did a bunch of prep for this coming weeks dinners.  I cut up veggies, cooked protein (beef), put a roast in the fridge to de-frost, and made lunch for both DH and I tomorrow.

Tonight I made a family favorite:

Aunt Linda’s Mess

She’s not my Aunt, she’s my mom’s aunt, and this dish is a Minnesotan favorite. This is a typical hotdish from the Midwest. It’s freaking heavenly.

 

1 lb ground beef

1 package macaroni (any kind you like)- I used Whole Wheat Spaghetti instead.

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can water

1 teaspoon dehydated onions  (I used more this time- YUM)

½ cup cheese (cheddar is preferred)- You can use more cheese too if you like I always do!

1 small tub sour cream (NOT IMO)



Brown and crumble meat, drain fat.  Add onions, soup, water, macaroni (uncooked).  Stir to combine and cook over low/medium heat in a skillet (or an electric skillet).  Cook until macaroni is al dente, add more water if needed.  Add cheese, stir to combine.  Remove from heat and add sour cream. Serve right away.

We had it with homemade coleslaw, homemade apple sauce, and corn on the cob.

And there was enough leftover for my lunch tomorrow and Thursday night dinner!

2011 Goals and resolutions

2011 is going to be a year of big change in the Cacoupondiva household.

These changes include:

DH starts a new job tomorrow. I know that he will be successful.

Our baby is set to arrive March 23, 2011. But, you know how babies are- He'll come when he is good and ready.

[caption id="attachment_808" align="alignleft" width="497" caption="High Five!"][/caption]

 

 

A new baby means that I will have to go on maternity leave, and that means less income coming into the house during that time.  We have been saving a large portion of each of my paychecks (and DH's UEI) to prepare.  We are only $1000 from our goal, which we hope to achieve by Mid February (my expected start of maternity leave.  I am hoping I can work until the end of February, just so  that we can save more money.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our lease is up in May. We've lived in this building for 5 years together, DH has lived here for 7 years in total.  We are ready for a change to a better (safer), quieter neighborhood.  My hope is that we can find a new place for less money.  I have started some preliminary searches, and it looks good that we will find a similarly sized apartment (or condo... or GASP, a house!!) in a better neighborhood for a few hundred dollars less a month.  My goal is to save $100-$200/month on rent from what we are paying now.  The savings will be put into our Money Market account.

Our Goals for 2011 include:

Having a specific amount of money in our savings account before I go on Maternity leave. This amount is approx. 6 months of my pay.  As stated above, we're only $1000 from hitting our goal!  I know we can do it!

Save time and money by menu planning. If we know what's for dinner in advance, we'll be less likely to hit the drive-thru.  I am also going to do some pre-cooking each weekend for the next week (brown ground beef, mix up casseroles  and put them into the freezer), and write out the menu for the week.  I'm going to do this weeks prep work as soon as I am done with this post! I'm making applesauce and cooking some meat.  I may even mix up a casserole or two!

Continue to combine sales and coupons. Not just at the grocer, but in every aspect of our shopping.  We belong to loyalty clubs at each retailer we shop with who offers a club card, or email list, so we receive coupons and advance notice of sales.  This helps us plan shopping trips for new clothes and gifts for birthdays and holidays.

And as a complimentary goal to the one above:  Only buy what we will use/eat. I am not going to stockpile stuff just because it's free.  If we won't use it (HBA) or eat it, it can stay at the store.  I'll be clipping less coupons, but I'll be savings us money (in storage of the item, cost of gas/time to go to the store). I've just cleaned out my HBA closet and I'm trading a large box of it for some goodies I will use, and a second box for coupons for items we will use.

Stick to the gift giving budget. Keep our eyes open for gifts throughout the year. I carry a list of who we buy for each year, and when I find something I know they'll like, I pick it up and put it in the gift closet.  The gift closet is pretty empty right now, and I won't be restocking it as I had in years past, with lots of goodies for each friend and family members birthday.  We have a large circle of friends, but with our budget being smaller this year, we won't be able to give as much as we had before.

Use our Family Binder. I started a family binder to keep track of our budget, schedules, pantry and freezer inventories, gift giving budgets, savings goals, vehicle maintenance, and monthly bills.  I used some templates from Organized Home, as well as a few spreadsheets I made up myself in Excel.  I have included a section for family addresses too.  This will make sending cards and gifts for birthdays and anniversaries MUCH easier.

Eat out less. This means we may miss some fun nights with friends, but saving money for our baby is important to use.

Start a "Fremily" Dinner Night. Fremily is a mash-up of Friends and Family.  DH came up with this idea and I really like it.  Once a month (or maybe once every two weeks), we get together with our fremily and have dinner at someone's house.  The host provides the main dish and each person (or couple) brings a side dish, beverage, or dessert.  After dinner we can play a game, talk, or watch a movie.  It's a fun way to get together and it saves us all a lot of money.

Focus on family. Last year was my "Year of Free", so I spent a lot of time looking for freebies and "shopping" for free items or items that generated a profit.  We ended up with a lot of crap in our house. I did a lot of affiliate stuff (tweeting for $$, which wasn't too lucrative.  I think maybe I've made $3.00, which I can't cash out.  I also signed up for swagbucks, but it's just not my style and I don't have very many points), and 90% of it was a waste of time. I didn't make any money, and I wasted a lot of time.  This year, I am going to stick to Mypoints (Which I freaking love), and sending SBKC my junk mail (easy to do and the rewards add up).  I am going to spend more time with my family.

I'd love to hear what your Goals are for the year (savings and otherwise!).

Men's Warehouse- Score!

DH wears a suit to work most days.  That's just what being Mr. Cacoupondiva is like. Wearing a suit, going to meetings, looking gooood.

News Flash: Men's  dress clothing is expensive.

DH is a member of the Men's Wearhouse Perfect Fit Club.  It's free to join.

Earlier in the year, they had a BOGO sale on suits, so DH bought 2 suits.  That purchase (thanks to the alterations the suits needed) as well as some earlier purchases entitled him to 2 Perfect Fit Reward Certificates.

$100.00 to spend on new clothes?  DH was like a kid in a candy store! Especially since we held onto the certs until the BOGO sale.  The entire store was BOGO, including Clearance!

DH picked up 4 white dress shirts (2 were on clearance), and 2 packages on hankerchiefs for $10.00 (tax :( ).  About a week later, he received a thank you card from Corporate with a $25.00 gift certificate.

 

On Saturday (yesterday), we hit Men's Wearhouse again to see if there was anything on the clearance rack that he could use his $25.00 gift card on.  The BOGO sale was still in full swing.  The BOGO sale still included clearance items (SCORE!!!).  There were two very nice argyle sweaters on clearance for $39.99.  We picked up both of them, and for $15.30 OOP DH had 2 new sweaters, which had a retail value of $144.00!

If you live near a Men's Wearhouse, it is worth a trip in.  Sign up for  the Perfect Fir Club- they email you advance notice of sales, coupons and deals.  The tailoring is out of this world, and the prices on alterations are pretty inexpensive.