Remember to print out your coupons today and tomorrow, because at the start of the new month, coupons change!
For a BOGO Coupon for Bob Evans Products, join their emailing list.
KMart now has a sampling center. They have some really great samples offers!
Sign up for a free Atkins weight loss kit and three Atkins bars!
Suave is offering coupons for free products if you can guess the correct answers to their quiz!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Holiday weekend means no coupon inserts
Sooo, Monday is a holiday which means no coupons in the newspaper tomorrow.
However, if you just gotta have coupons check out the following websites for printable and e-coupons:
Coupons.com
Shortcuts.com
Cellfire.com
Redplum.com
Smartsource.com
Printablecoupons.blogspot.com
Target.com
And remember, Target's website has printable store coupons that you can combine with a manufacturers coupon for double the savings!
I'll be spending my Sunday with my family! I hope you all have a great weekend!
However, if you just gotta have coupons check out the following websites for printable and e-coupons:
Coupons.com
Shortcuts.com
Cellfire.com
Redplum.com
Smartsource.com
Printablecoupons.blogspot.com
Target.com
And remember, Target's website has printable store coupons that you can combine with a manufacturers coupon for double the savings!
I'll be spending my Sunday with my family! I hope you all have a great weekend!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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How does menu planning save you money?
I have been asked a couple times recently, "How does menu planning save money? What does it have to do with couponing?"
The short answer is: it has everything to do with saving money and couponing!!!
If you are cooking on the fly each night when you get home from work or other daily activities, you run the risk of being short on ingredients and having to go to the grocery store multiple times per week. Once you are there, the temptation to buy other items is there. Seldom will the ingredients you need be on sale the moment you need them or will you have a coupon. Not only are you potentially wasting money, but time that you could be home with your family. Or... the other scenario you face is one that is familiar to everyone reading this. You've had a long, bad day. All you want to do is go home and chill. So you head to the closest drive-thru. Dinner from a fast food joint can be upwards of $25.00 for a family of 4 (that's without coupons!). For that price, you could have gone to a casual dining restaurant like Chili's or Applebee's.
If you have never menu planned, it's pretty easy. Take stock of what is in your pantry, freezer and fridge. Make a list of meals that you can make with what you have on-hand. Take a look at the grocery store circulars for the upcoming week as well as the coupons you have and plan menu items around what is on sale and you have coupons for. If you are new to couponing and don't have a lot (or any) coupons, check out coupons.com, shortcuts.com, redplum.com, and cellfire.com to load coupons to your store club card or print out and take with you to the store.
For example I want to make spaghetti with meatballs coming up soon and while I have the rest of the ingredients, I don't have any ground beef, so I will add it to my grocery list. I will buy whatever ground beef is on sale that week, or I will check the mark down meat section of the meat department if my store doesn't have ground beef on sale. If I can't find ground beef on sale, then I will opt for another ground meat (chicken or pork) whichever is cheaper.
When menu planning, it is a time saver to have a pantry inventory and freezer inventory. Below is a photo of our Freezer Inventory from December 2010. We also have one taped to the inside of the pantry door. I update each of these after each shopping trip as well as whenever I use something from either the freezer or cupboard.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="752" caption="One lone Hot Pocket.. how sad!"]
[/caption]
If you tend to eat the same thing for breakfast each day, you may not want to write that out on your meal plan. For example, we tend to eat a bagel thin, fruit and coffee for breakfast on week days, not too exciting. I don't write it out, however for the weekend, when I make omelets or a breakfast casserole, I will write that out. I use the weekly menu planner from Organized Home, which you can see here.
I tend to make a list of the possible dishes I can make within a week, and if I don't feel like meatloaf on Monday, but I'd rather have Wednesday's scalloped potatoes and ham casserole, I just switch. Menus aren't set is stone!
It seems daunting, but after a few weeks of planning and cooking, you'll be an old hand at it!
Remember to give yourself off once every week or so and go out for dinner- and remember to use coupons when you do!
The short answer is: it has everything to do with saving money and couponing!!!
If you are cooking on the fly each night when you get home from work or other daily activities, you run the risk of being short on ingredients and having to go to the grocery store multiple times per week. Once you are there, the temptation to buy other items is there. Seldom will the ingredients you need be on sale the moment you need them or will you have a coupon. Not only are you potentially wasting money, but time that you could be home with your family. Or... the other scenario you face is one that is familiar to everyone reading this. You've had a long, bad day. All you want to do is go home and chill. So you head to the closest drive-thru. Dinner from a fast food joint can be upwards of $25.00 for a family of 4 (that's without coupons!). For that price, you could have gone to a casual dining restaurant like Chili's or Applebee's.
If you have never menu planned, it's pretty easy. Take stock of what is in your pantry, freezer and fridge. Make a list of meals that you can make with what you have on-hand. Take a look at the grocery store circulars for the upcoming week as well as the coupons you have and plan menu items around what is on sale and you have coupons for. If you are new to couponing and don't have a lot (or any) coupons, check out coupons.com, shortcuts.com, redplum.com, and cellfire.com to load coupons to your store club card or print out and take with you to the store.
For example I want to make spaghetti with meatballs coming up soon and while I have the rest of the ingredients, I don't have any ground beef, so I will add it to my grocery list. I will buy whatever ground beef is on sale that week, or I will check the mark down meat section of the meat department if my store doesn't have ground beef on sale. If I can't find ground beef on sale, then I will opt for another ground meat (chicken or pork) whichever is cheaper.
When menu planning, it is a time saver to have a pantry inventory and freezer inventory. Below is a photo of our Freezer Inventory from December 2010. We also have one taped to the inside of the pantry door. I update each of these after each shopping trip as well as whenever I use something from either the freezer or cupboard.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="752" caption="One lone Hot Pocket.. how sad!"]
[/caption]If you tend to eat the same thing for breakfast each day, you may not want to write that out on your meal plan. For example, we tend to eat a bagel thin, fruit and coffee for breakfast on week days, not too exciting. I don't write it out, however for the weekend, when I make omelets or a breakfast casserole, I will write that out. I use the weekly menu planner from Organized Home, which you can see here.
I tend to make a list of the possible dishes I can make within a week, and if I don't feel like meatloaf on Monday, but I'd rather have Wednesday's scalloped potatoes and ham casserole, I just switch. Menus aren't set is stone!
It seems daunting, but after a few weeks of planning and cooking, you'll be an old hand at it!
Remember to give yourself off once every week or so and go out for dinner- and remember to use coupons when you do!
Amoritizing the cost of food bought in bulk
In our house, Costco is a valuable resource. There are a lot of food items at Costco that aren't cheaper in bulk (most frozen convenience foods), however, there are a lot of items that are cheaper in bulk. For example: Milk, hot chocolate mix, salsa, whole wheat pasta, frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, and shredded cheese.
When I budget a trip to Costco, I amoritize the cost of the food. What does that mean?
What does that mean in terms of my grocery budget? Simply this: There is no way that we are going to eat 5 lbs of shredded cheese in a 1 month period (my grocery budget is done by the month), so I figure out how long it will take us to eat that much and divide it among the budget periods. For reference, it takes us 2 months to eat 5 lbs of cheese. That's $6.49/mo. for 2.5 lbs of cheese. That's cheaper than buying cheese at the supermarket even with coupons and sales.
On a recent trip to Costco, I bought: Whole wheat Pasta. 8 1-lb packages for $6.75. That pasta will last s about 6-8 months. We eat less than a 1/2 package at a time, and we eat pasta once or twice per month. That's less than $1.00 per month from my grocery budget!
How does this play a part in my normal grocery shopping and budgeting? I calculate how long each bulk package will last, and divide the food up as needed (the cheese gets put into ziplock bags and stored in the freezer until we need them). I then subtract the cost per month from my grocery budget.
Monthly Grocery budget: $75.00
Whole Wheat Pasta -$1.00
Shredded Cheese -$6.49
Adjusted Grocery Budget for June: $67.51
I also do the same when we buy meat from Omaha Steak. We buy about once a quarter when there is a good sale through Mypoints. I can get a quarter's worth of red meat for about $50.00, and it usually comes with a free gift, such as a dessert or twice baked potatoes. Omaha Steaks has wonderful meat and with a sale offered via Mypoints, it is always less than what I can buy at the grocery store. And the bonus is that the meat is individually vacuum packaged and frozen, so I don't have to break up the packages myself.
By amoritizing, I am able to stay within budget when buying in bulk.
When I budget a trip to Costco, I amoritize the cost of the food. What does that mean?
- Amoritize: To account for over a period of time. For example, if a company amortizes the expenses associated with the acquisition of another company, it means that instead of recognizing all of those expenses in that particular fiscal year that the company will instead recognize a certain portion of those expenses each year for a certain number of years.
What does that mean in terms of my grocery budget? Simply this: There is no way that we are going to eat 5 lbs of shredded cheese in a 1 month period (my grocery budget is done by the month), so I figure out how long it will take us to eat that much and divide it among the budget periods. For reference, it takes us 2 months to eat 5 lbs of cheese. That's $6.49/mo. for 2.5 lbs of cheese. That's cheaper than buying cheese at the supermarket even with coupons and sales.
On a recent trip to Costco, I bought: Whole wheat Pasta. 8 1-lb packages for $6.75. That pasta will last s about 6-8 months. We eat less than a 1/2 package at a time, and we eat pasta once or twice per month. That's less than $1.00 per month from my grocery budget!
How does this play a part in my normal grocery shopping and budgeting? I calculate how long each bulk package will last, and divide the food up as needed (the cheese gets put into ziplock bags and stored in the freezer until we need them). I then subtract the cost per month from my grocery budget.
Monthly Grocery budget: $75.00
Whole Wheat Pasta -$1.00
Shredded Cheese -$6.49
Adjusted Grocery Budget for June: $67.51
I also do the same when we buy meat from Omaha Steak. We buy about once a quarter when there is a good sale through Mypoints. I can get a quarter's worth of red meat for about $50.00, and it usually comes with a free gift, such as a dessert or twice baked potatoes. Omaha Steaks has wonderful meat and with a sale offered via Mypoints, it is always less than what I can buy at the grocery store. And the bonus is that the meat is individually vacuum packaged and frozen, so I don't have to break up the packages myself.
By amoritizing, I am able to stay within budget when buying in bulk.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
This week in Food- A Menu Plan
I try to menu plan at least 2 weeks at a time, but we'll need to go to the grocery store at the med of next week. The freezer is looking bare. Here is our menu plan for this week:
I only plan dinners, as we tend to eat the same things for breakfast during the week: A mocha (I bought a huge canister of Cafe D'Vita at Costco last week. It will last us at least a month), a piece of fruit and a Thomas Bagel Thin with cream cheese. Lunch is usually leftovers or frozen Weight Watchers entrees, a piece of fruit, a fiber one bar, and a re0usable bottle of water.
Monday: Pepper Steak, rice, salad, and pot stickers (gyoza)
Tuesday: Omelets with carmelized onions, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and bacon with Potatoes Au Gratin from Omaha Steak, fruit, and juice.
Wednesday: BBQ boneless pork chops (cooked in the crockpot), baked squash, spring green salad.
Thursday: Cheeseburger Salad (A bed of spring greens topped with a hamburger patty, cheese and bacon crumbles) with choice of dressing and other salad fixins'.
Friday: Leftover Night!
Saturday: Skillet Casserole (probably with ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, cheese, noodles and veggies)
Sunday: Pizza and salad. There is a pizza place a block over that has a carryout special for $8.99. Exercise and a pizza!
I only plan dinners, as we tend to eat the same things for breakfast during the week: A mocha (I bought a huge canister of Cafe D'Vita at Costco last week. It will last us at least a month), a piece of fruit and a Thomas Bagel Thin with cream cheese. Lunch is usually leftovers or frozen Weight Watchers entrees, a piece of fruit, a fiber one bar, and a re0usable bottle of water.
Monday: Pepper Steak, rice, salad, and pot stickers (gyoza)
Tuesday: Omelets with carmelized onions, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and bacon with Potatoes Au Gratin from Omaha Steak, fruit, and juice.
Wednesday: BBQ boneless pork chops (cooked in the crockpot), baked squash, spring green salad.
Thursday: Cheeseburger Salad (A bed of spring greens topped with a hamburger patty, cheese and bacon crumbles) with choice of dressing and other salad fixins'.
Friday: Leftover Night!
Saturday: Skillet Casserole (probably with ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, cheese, noodles and veggies)
Sunday: Pizza and salad. There is a pizza place a block over that has a carryout special for $8.99. Exercise and a pizza!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Crock Pot Recipe- Pepper Beef
Mr. CaCoupondiva and I love Chinese food. I love cooking in the Crock Pot.
This is the best of both worlds.
Ingredients
(with spices, use more or less to taste, this is how much I used)
Directions
Serve with rice, pot stickers, a side salad topped with rice wine vinegar and sesame oil dressing.
**For those who have gluten allergies, use gluten free soy sauce. If you are a vegetarian, omit steak and cook as directed, 20 minutes before serving after thickening the sauce, add slices of very firm tofu to the crock pot. **
It's very yummy and makes about 5 servings!
This is the best of both worlds.
Ingredients
- 2 4-ounce steaks, cut into thin slices
- 1 T. cooking oil
- 3 bell peppers, any color you like (2-3 C. bell peppers) sliced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1/2 C. Beef Broth (I used the low sodium variety)
- 1/3 C. Soy Sauce (I used the low sodium variety)
- 3 T. Corn Starch, divided
- 1 t. Powdered ginger
- 1 t. Siracha sauce (more if you like it SPICY)
- 1 t. powdered garlic
- 1 T. pepper
(with spices, use more or less to taste, this is how much I used)
Directions
- In a saute pan, heat oil and add sliced steak. Cook steak until no longer pink in the middle.
- While steak is cooking, in crock pot, place peppers and onions in the bottom.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, 2 T. corn starch, ginger, Siracha, and pepper. Taste sauce, adjust spices as needed.
- Add steak to crock pot, pour sauce over the top of beef and veggies.
- Put the top on the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- 20 minutes before serving, scoop out 1/2 C. of liquid, add remaining 1 T. cornstarch to removed liquid, stir until combined, and add back to the crock pot. Stir to incorporate and cook on high for 20 minutes to thicken the sauce.
Serve with rice, pot stickers, a side salad topped with rice wine vinegar and sesame oil dressing.
**For those who have gluten allergies, use gluten free soy sauce. If you are a vegetarian, omit steak and cook as directed, 20 minutes before serving after thickening the sauce, add slices of very firm tofu to the crock pot. **
It's very yummy and makes about 5 servings!
Monday Mail Call
For some reason, Monday's have been a great day for mail!
Today I received a coupon for a free tub on Cottonelle moist flushable wipes, a coupon for a bag of free sweet potato fries, and 2 $1.00 off Arnold's brand bread.
Since it's Monday, we also received the Red Plum Coupon Insert.
And.. Most exciting of all (at least for me!), my business cards came for the blog. I can now hand out cards with my blog address, instead of scribbling it on sticky notes when people ask about my blog!
Did you get anything great in your mail box today?
Today I received a coupon for a free tub on Cottonelle moist flushable wipes, a coupon for a bag of free sweet potato fries, and 2 $1.00 off Arnold's brand bread.
Since it's Monday, we also received the Red Plum Coupon Insert.
And.. Most exciting of all (at least for me!), my business cards came for the blog. I can now hand out cards with my blog address, instead of scribbling it on sticky notes when people ask about my blog!
Did you get anything great in your mail box today?
Dinner kit review- Good Earth
When our local Vons closed for a remodel, everything Was 50% off and they were still honoring coupons. There were $2.00 off coupons in store for good earth dinner kits, and they were $2.00 before being 50% off. So after the coupon, I got paid to take it home, which around these parts seldom happens.
We bought the mediterranean chicken with angel hair pasta kit. I used pork tenderloin instead, since all of the chicken breasts we had were frozen like a brick.
Our over all impression was... Meh. Per the package info, it was supposed to serve 5, but, in reality, it would have served 2 dinner sized portions, maybe 3. I made extra whole wheat spaghetti to bulk it up, and added cooked green beans. I also added some parm. to the top. Cheese makes everything better!
I don't think I would spend the $6.00 that is the usual price, but for free, it was.... Ok. We don't eat a lot of kit dinners, I prefer to cook from scratch. Next time we want Italian food, I'll be starting from scratch!
Cost- 5 stars (it was free)
Easy to make- 5 stars
Taste- 3 stars
portion size- 2 stars
We bought the mediterranean chicken with angel hair pasta kit. I used pork tenderloin instead, since all of the chicken breasts we had were frozen like a brick.
Our over all impression was... Meh. Per the package info, it was supposed to serve 5, but, in reality, it would have served 2 dinner sized portions, maybe 3. I made extra whole wheat spaghetti to bulk it up, and added cooked green beans. I also added some parm. to the top. Cheese makes everything better!
I don't think I would spend the $6.00 that is the usual price, but for free, it was.... Ok. We don't eat a lot of kit dinners, I prefer to cook from scratch. Next time we want Italian food, I'll be starting from scratch!
Cost- 5 stars (it was free)
Easy to make- 5 stars
Taste- 3 stars
portion size- 2 stars
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Houseparty!
Houseparty has some really great events coming up!
RedBook Happy Hour, Kraft has Breakstone Sour Cream and Velveeta Cheesy Skillet parties, and Jarden is offering a Ball canning party (that's the one I want to get- I love canning!!)
If you haven't signed up for houseparty- Go check out the website! it's a great way to check out new products and share them with family and friends!!
RedBook Happy Hour, Kraft has Breakstone Sour Cream and Velveeta Cheesy Skillet parties, and Jarden is offering a Ball canning party (that's the one I want to get- I love canning!!)
If you haven't signed up for houseparty- Go check out the website! it's a great way to check out new products and share them with family and friends!!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Grocery Couponing- the tip of the savings iceberg
For my family, grocery and HBA couponing is just the tip of the money savings iceberg. I save between 40-70% per month on groceries and HBA using coupons and shopping sales, but my entire life doesn’t consist of shopping for groceries.
I only shop when there is a sale and I have coupons- that goes for clothes, household goods (linens, books, exercise equipment, furniture, kitchen equipment, etc.), pretty much EVERYTHING we buy.
Here are some really great examples:
Yankee Candles: Recently I needed more Yankee candles for the house. I went to Yankee’s website, and signed up for their email list. They email me coupons every month. I buy Yankee Candles about twice a year, whenever I can get the most for the least amount of money. If I don’t have any coupons in my inbox, I go to retailemnot.com and search for Yankee Candle coupon codes.
Bed, Bath and Beyond: They are very coupon friendly. You can use up to 5 of their coupons in one transaction, and they accept their expired coupons too! A few months ago we bought wedding gifts for friends and using coupons, we saved over $100.00! And as a bonus, we received 2 $50.00 gift cards due to a promo that the store was running, so the bride and groom got a bonus gift!
Babies R Us: Sign up for their loyalty club, and every time you shop, swipe your card and you can earn points for free gift certificates. I just received $20.00 in gift certificates last week. BRU also lets you stack a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon. Example: I had to buy more formula for the baby over the weekend. I went to BRU and I had:
2 $5.00 Formula Checks
2 $2.00 off Enfamil coupons
1 $4.00 off any 2 formula BRU store coupon
2 $5.00 gift certificates
I bought two packages of formula at $32.00 each, after coupons and formula checks, it bought the price down to $18.00, that’s a 56% savings!
We are members of every loyalty club and free frequent buyer club that is available. If I shop at a store, I want to be able to save as much money as I can.
We also use coupons, rebates, and discount codes for vacations too!
Last year, we went to Disneyland for a few days. Using a rebate from the Entertainment book, we were able to stay at a great hotel for 3 nights at a very low price, and we received a $50.00 rebate, which made 1 night free!
On that trip, we also purchased discount tickets because we are Southern CA residents, saving us money as well.
We purchased discounted restaurant.com gift certificates and ate out for just $10.00 OOP several times! We used gift cards earned from my Mypoints membership for coffee at Starbucks and buy gas for our trip. We saved money by staying at a hotel that had a free continental breakfast each morning. We had coffee, milk, juice, pastries, cereal, yogurt, and fresh fruit each morning.
Gifts: Recently I received an email from Photoworks, which was a company that had been purchased by Shutterfly. I had purchased photos from Photoworks before, but now Shutterfly wanted me to open an account with them and use their service. To tempt me, they offered a $30.00 credit. It was just in time for Mother’s day, so I ordered Mother’s day gifts for my Mom and DH’s Mom, as well as some prints for us of the baby, and I also ordered DH’s Father’s Day gift. After the discounts that Shutterfly was offering, and the $30.00 credit, my OOP was only $9.00! That was 3 gifts, plus 100 free 4x6 prints! I found a coupon code at retailmenot.com for 100 free 4x6 photos. There is no way I could have bought 3 gifts for just $9.00 if it wasn’t for coupon codes and promos!
Saving money on groceries with coupons really is just the start- there are discounts, coupons, coupon codes, and rewards programs for almost everything you buy or do.
If you don’t see coupons or discounts, just ask! Sometimes companies don’t promote discounts, but they are out there, just for the asking!
If you are shopping online, check out retailmenot.com or couponcabin.com for coupon codes for your favorite stores.
I only shop when there is a sale and I have coupons- that goes for clothes, household goods (linens, books, exercise equipment, furniture, kitchen equipment, etc.), pretty much EVERYTHING we buy.
Here are some really great examples:
Yankee Candles: Recently I needed more Yankee candles for the house. I went to Yankee’s website, and signed up for their email list. They email me coupons every month. I buy Yankee Candles about twice a year, whenever I can get the most for the least amount of money. If I don’t have any coupons in my inbox, I go to retailemnot.com and search for Yankee Candle coupon codes.
Bed, Bath and Beyond: They are very coupon friendly. You can use up to 5 of their coupons in one transaction, and they accept their expired coupons too! A few months ago we bought wedding gifts for friends and using coupons, we saved over $100.00! And as a bonus, we received 2 $50.00 gift cards due to a promo that the store was running, so the bride and groom got a bonus gift!
Babies R Us: Sign up for their loyalty club, and every time you shop, swipe your card and you can earn points for free gift certificates. I just received $20.00 in gift certificates last week. BRU also lets you stack a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon. Example: I had to buy more formula for the baby over the weekend. I went to BRU and I had:
2 $5.00 Formula Checks
2 $2.00 off Enfamil coupons
1 $4.00 off any 2 formula BRU store coupon
2 $5.00 gift certificates
I bought two packages of formula at $32.00 each, after coupons and formula checks, it bought the price down to $18.00, that’s a 56% savings!
We are members of every loyalty club and free frequent buyer club that is available. If I shop at a store, I want to be able to save as much money as I can.
We also use coupons, rebates, and discount codes for vacations too!
Last year, we went to Disneyland for a few days. Using a rebate from the Entertainment book, we were able to stay at a great hotel for 3 nights at a very low price, and we received a $50.00 rebate, which made 1 night free!
On that trip, we also purchased discount tickets because we are Southern CA residents, saving us money as well.
We purchased discounted restaurant.com gift certificates and ate out for just $10.00 OOP several times! We used gift cards earned from my Mypoints membership for coffee at Starbucks and buy gas for our trip. We saved money by staying at a hotel that had a free continental breakfast each morning. We had coffee, milk, juice, pastries, cereal, yogurt, and fresh fruit each morning.
Gifts: Recently I received an email from Photoworks, which was a company that had been purchased by Shutterfly. I had purchased photos from Photoworks before, but now Shutterfly wanted me to open an account with them and use their service. To tempt me, they offered a $30.00 credit. It was just in time for Mother’s day, so I ordered Mother’s day gifts for my Mom and DH’s Mom, as well as some prints for us of the baby, and I also ordered DH’s Father’s Day gift. After the discounts that Shutterfly was offering, and the $30.00 credit, my OOP was only $9.00! That was 3 gifts, plus 100 free 4x6 prints! I found a coupon code at retailmenot.com for 100 free 4x6 photos. There is no way I could have bought 3 gifts for just $9.00 if it wasn’t for coupon codes and promos!
Saving money on groceries with coupons really is just the start- there are discounts, coupons, coupon codes, and rewards programs for almost everything you buy or do.
If you don’t see coupons or discounts, just ask! Sometimes companies don’t promote discounts, but they are out there, just for the asking!
If you are shopping online, check out retailmenot.com or couponcabin.com for coupon codes for your favorite stores.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Big news-Mama’s getting out!
I learned about Mamafest 2011 from an email in my inbox from thebump.com. After taking a look at the website, I decided to bite the bullet and spend $15 and buy a ticket. A few mommy friends and I are going, and I am very excited.
It’s going to be a fun night- dress up check out some great vendors and products, there is a silent auction, good bags, and a cash bar!
It’s Next Friday (5/20/11), which is also my last day at my present job. That’s right, we’ve decided that I am going to be staying home with the Cub.
That means that all of my frugal living habits will have to become steadfast, since we’re losing my day job income. I will still be teaching coupon classes to groups and of course the one on one lessons for those who don’t want to learn in a group setting, or who have busy schedules and cannot make the classes.
I will also be re-opening my former business selling fabric and jacquard ribbons to bring in a little extra money.
There are a lot of changes ahead for this CouponDiva and her family, but they are all for the best!
It’s going to be a fun night- dress up check out some great vendors and products, there is a silent auction, good bags, and a cash bar!
It’s Next Friday (5/20/11), which is also my last day at my present job. That’s right, we’ve decided that I am going to be staying home with the Cub.
That means that all of my frugal living habits will have to become steadfast, since we’re losing my day job income. I will still be teaching coupon classes to groups and of course the one on one lessons for those who don’t want to learn in a group setting, or who have busy schedules and cannot make the classes.
I will also be re-opening my former business selling fabric and jacquard ribbons to bring in a little extra money.
There are a lot of changes ahead for this CouponDiva and her family, but they are all for the best!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Couponing classes- Polling for interest.
My San Diego Area Readers, would any of you be interested in a couponing class? The cost is $25.00 per person. It's a 4 hour class, usually held on a weekend afternoon.
For $25, you will receive:
A copy of my couponing/frugal living book, a coupon wallet, and access to hundreds of free coupons (I will bring my stash- you get to go through it and take what you want!). I also offer a one on one shopping trip, so you can see couponing in action, and how you can save money with coupons (we take your shopping list!)
If you have a group (homeowner's association/manufacturered home park, church group, ladies club) that would be interested in having a group class, I do offer a group discount!
If you are interested, please leave a comment or you can email me directly at cacoupondiva@gmail.com with any questions.
For $25, you will receive:
A copy of my couponing/frugal living book, a coupon wallet, and access to hundreds of free coupons (I will bring my stash- you get to go through it and take what you want!). I also offer a one on one shopping trip, so you can see couponing in action, and how you can save money with coupons (we take your shopping list!)
If you have a group (homeowner's association/manufacturered home park, church group, ladies club) that would be interested in having a group class, I do offer a group discount!
If you are interested, please leave a comment or you can email me directly at cacoupondiva@gmail.com with any questions.
Friday, May 6, 2011
$2.11 for groceries... Not impossible!
Monday was a great mail day at our house- we received 4 coupons for free products.
Uncle Ben's Rice coupon (Uncle Ben's website)
2 Stouffer's frozen entree coupons (Facebook game offer)
Kraft Cheese with Philly cream cheese coupon (Kraft First Taste)
I also had free product coupons for: Sauve Professionals hair care, Cafe Breve creamer, Frank's Red hot Sauce, Philly Cooking Creme.
Wednesday the baby and I had a day of free shopping. We planned to hit up Target because I had 2 $10.00 gift cards and a handful of high value and free product coupons, plus Target has $5.00 gift card WYB 10 Weight Watchers Smart Ones. Combine the gift card with the $3.00 off 10, and the 5% off with my Target Red Card, the Smart ones were less than $1.00 each. That's a pretty inexpensive lunch!
My OOP after the $5.00 gift card to use on my next purchase was... $2.11!! WOO HOO! We now have lunches for the next two weeks, plus the misc. ingredients I needed for the meals for the rest of the month.
This was all that we got on Wednesday. The second trip we made was to Ralph's because Target didn't have the Cafe Breve creamer or the Kraft Cheese. I also bought 2 bags of marked down Salad while I was there. My OOP at Ralph's was $1.44.
We also stopped at 99 Cents Only to pick up a bunch of Bananas (it's the cheapest place in town to buy Bananas).
Someone asked if I was an extreme couponer, and honestly I have to say NO. Here is why: The people that you see on that TV show bring home tons of food and HBA and display/store it in their home. I don't need 40 tubes of toothpaste, even if they are free. I don't have room in my house, and there is no way I'd use them before they go bad. None of the stores around here give overage either, so buying stuff I'd never use for the overage money isn't possible here.
I only buy what we will use within a reasonable amount of time. I use coupons that I find online, find on products or in stores, in the newspaper or that I request from companies whose products I use regularly. If there are coupons for free products that we won't use, I give the coupons away to friends or leave them on the shelf at the store.
I am a sensible couponer and I'm proud of it.
Uncle Ben's Rice coupon (Uncle Ben's website)
2 Stouffer's frozen entree coupons (Facebook game offer)
Kraft Cheese with Philly cream cheese coupon (Kraft First Taste)
I also had free product coupons for: Sauve Professionals hair care, Cafe Breve creamer, Frank's Red hot Sauce, Philly Cooking Creme.
Wednesday the baby and I had a day of free shopping. We planned to hit up Target because I had 2 $10.00 gift cards and a handful of high value and free product coupons, plus Target has $5.00 gift card WYB 10 Weight Watchers Smart Ones. Combine the gift card with the $3.00 off 10, and the 5% off with my Target Red Card, the Smart ones were less than $1.00 each. That's a pretty inexpensive lunch!
My OOP after the $5.00 gift card to use on my next purchase was... $2.11!! WOO HOO! We now have lunches for the next two weeks, plus the misc. ingredients I needed for the meals for the rest of the month.
This was all that we got on Wednesday. The second trip we made was to Ralph's because Target didn't have the Cafe Breve creamer or the Kraft Cheese. I also bought 2 bags of marked down Salad while I was there. My OOP at Ralph's was $1.44.We also stopped at 99 Cents Only to pick up a bunch of Bananas (it's the cheapest place in town to buy Bananas).
Someone asked if I was an extreme couponer, and honestly I have to say NO. Here is why: The people that you see on that TV show bring home tons of food and HBA and display/store it in their home. I don't need 40 tubes of toothpaste, even if they are free. I don't have room in my house, and there is no way I'd use them before they go bad. None of the stores around here give overage either, so buying stuff I'd never use for the overage money isn't possible here.
I only buy what we will use within a reasonable amount of time. I use coupons that I find online, find on products or in stores, in the newspaper or that I request from companies whose products I use regularly. If there are coupons for free products that we won't use, I give the coupons away to friends or leave them on the shelf at the store.
I am a sensible couponer and I'm proud of it.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Today's money saving strategy....
I have a horrible starbucks addition. If I was given my druthers and an unlimited amount of money, I'd be there everyday for a venti iced mocha.
But, since we are pinching pennies, I am going without. I am getting a little twitchy without my yummy beverage everyday, so I headed into the kitchen and whipped up something tasty. I used an empty gallon jug that once held Nursery Water (to mix formula with).
Abby's Yummy Mocha (makes about a half gallon)
1 tin of International House Original Cupppacino (available at 99 Cents Only!)
4 packets of hot cocoa mix
2 liters of hot water
6 cups of coffee (I brewed mine in a french press, but you can use a drip coffee pot)
Mix everything together and store in the fridge. I just had some with my breakfast and it is soooo good. And the best part is that it cost less than 1 trip to the 'Bux. I reckon the half gallon will last 2-3 days.
But, since we are pinching pennies, I am going without. I am getting a little twitchy without my yummy beverage everyday, so I headed into the kitchen and whipped up something tasty. I used an empty gallon jug that once held Nursery Water (to mix formula with).
Abby's Yummy Mocha (makes about a half gallon)
1 tin of International House Original Cupppacino (available at 99 Cents Only!)
4 packets of hot cocoa mix
2 liters of hot water
6 cups of coffee (I brewed mine in a french press, but you can use a drip coffee pot)
Mix everything together and store in the fridge. I just had some with my breakfast and it is soooo good. And the best part is that it cost less than 1 trip to the 'Bux. I reckon the half gallon will last 2-3 days.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Goal for May
My Goal for May is to only spend $50 OOP on groceries. We've got a pretty good stockpile in the cupboard right now, and the meat from Omaha steaks just came on Friday, so all we'll need to buy is milk, fruit and veg. I'll probably do one trip tomorrow for cuties (tangerines), milk, sour cream, bananas and whatever else is on sale produce-wise.
I menu planned last night for the next month. We'll be doing a lot of crockpot dinners because I am going back to work on May 9th.
In order to stay under the $50 mark I'll use the following:
$20 in Target gift cards
$5 in CVS gift card
Coupons for free items (right now I have about 5 or 6)
Shop sales and combine with coupons
One thing I may buy is Weight Watchers Smart Ones Frozen entrees. We really like them and they are $1.80 at Target this week, and WYB 10, you get a $5.00 Target giftcard. I have coupons for $3.00 off of 10, and with my Target Red Card the total becomes .95/each.
I menu planned last night for the next month. We'll be doing a lot of crockpot dinners because I am going back to work on May 9th.
In order to stay under the $50 mark I'll use the following:
$20 in Target gift cards
$5 in CVS gift card
Coupons for free items (right now I have about 5 or 6)
Shop sales and combine with coupons
One thing I may buy is Weight Watchers Smart Ones Frozen entrees. We really like them and they are $1.80 at Target this week, and WYB 10, you get a $5.00 Target giftcard. I have coupons for $3.00 off of 10, and with my Target Red Card the total becomes .95/each.
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