Go here and request your free sample of Natural Nibbles dog treats.
Thanks Money Saving Mom for the information!
Happy Savings,
Tina
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Recipe - Shredded Pork in the Crockpot
Good morning ladies. As I told you the other day, Bi Lo has their Boston Butts on sale for 99 cents per pound. This is a pretty good price. Every once in a while they will get as low as 79 cents per pound but 99 cents is still a good deal. Anytime they are on sale for this price, I stock up on at least 2 or 3 as my family LOVES when I cook BBQ and we have it a couple times a month usually.
So, since Boston Butts are on sale this week and some of you don't know what to do with a Boston Butt, thought I would share my recipe with you today. My goal is to share at least one recipe per week that is a "tried and true" recipe that my family loves that incorporates at least one item that is on sale for that week. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
BBQ Shredded Pork (Provided to me years ago by my good friend Joette C.)
3 lb or larger Boston Butt
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
BBQ sauce of choice (my family prefers I use a mustard base sauce)
* Place the Boston Butt in your crockpot and pour the vinegar and water over the top of the roast.
* You can salt and pepper the meat, along with any other "spices" your family like at this point. However, my family always prefers it when I cook it "plain".
* Cook on low in your crockpot for 8-10 hours (I have been known to leave them in the crockpot overnight and until the next afternoon when I come home from work and it still cooks up wonderfully and never overcooks).
* When ready, drain the liquid from the crockpot and use two forks to shred the meat.
* Add your favorite bottle of bbq sauce, stir and enjoy. (Sometimes I leave it "plain" in the crockpot and let everyone use the sauce on the side as well, especially if company is coming that may prefer a "red" bbq sauce.) Good served on hamburger buns as well!
That is it!!! I know - you are thinking "That is awfully plain and it ain't going to be good." But I assure you, try it and you will like it. I cooked 30 pounds of boston butt for a party I had a couple months ago and everyone that came raved about it and said it was the best they have had, including any from the "famous BBQ spots" in town!
I hope you enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
Tina
So, since Boston Butts are on sale this week and some of you don't know what to do with a Boston Butt, thought I would share my recipe with you today. My goal is to share at least one recipe per week that is a "tried and true" recipe that my family loves that incorporates at least one item that is on sale for that week. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
BBQ Shredded Pork (Provided to me years ago by my good friend Joette C.)
3 lb or larger Boston Butt
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
BBQ sauce of choice (my family prefers I use a mustard base sauce)
* Place the Boston Butt in your crockpot and pour the vinegar and water over the top of the roast.
* You can salt and pepper the meat, along with any other "spices" your family like at this point. However, my family always prefers it when I cook it "plain".
* Cook on low in your crockpot for 8-10 hours (I have been known to leave them in the crockpot overnight and until the next afternoon when I come home from work and it still cooks up wonderfully and never overcooks).
* When ready, drain the liquid from the crockpot and use two forks to shred the meat.
* Add your favorite bottle of bbq sauce, stir and enjoy. (Sometimes I leave it "plain" in the crockpot and let everyone use the sauce on the side as well, especially if company is coming that may prefer a "red" bbq sauce.) Good served on hamburger buns as well!
That is it!!! I know - you are thinking "That is awfully plain and it ain't going to be good." But I assure you, try it and you will like it. I cooked 30 pounds of boston butt for a party I had a couple months ago and everyone that came raved about it and said it was the best they have had, including any from the "famous BBQ spots" in town!
I hope you enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
Tina
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Dove Deodorant - less than 50 cents!
This is weird - I am actually going to tell you to go to Wal-Mart to buy something! I know, I know, some of you are thinking "I LOVE Walmart!" and yes, I LOVE Walmart too, sometimes. However, I have learned over the last year that Wal-mart is about the last place I buy groceries or household products because I can usually end up getting them for lots less other places when they are on sale and I have coupons. After all, Walmart tells you all the time "Low Prices Everyday", that is their way of saying "Don't look for a sale here!" because they keep their prices the same all the time (at least most the time.) Anyhoo, off my soapbox about Walmart, today I do have a deal to share with you for some inexpensive deodorant.
Go here and click on offers at top off screen and then coupons. You will see a link to print a $2.00 off one bottle of Dove Invisibly Smoothy Deodarant. Take that coupon to your local Wal-Mart, where they sell this deodorant for around $2.47 (varies by area) and get some for less than 50 cents!
Until the next deal comes along....
Happy Saving,
Tina
Target - 50 cents SoBe Lifewater
This week at Target you can get SoBe Life Water for an amazing 50 cents a bottle (techincally). The SoBe Life Water is on sale for 10 for $10 (which is $1.00 per bottle). If you buy 10 bottles, you will automatically receive a $5.00 Target gift card so you are only OOP $5.00, resulting in .50 per bottle! Happy Savings!
Tina
Monday, December 28, 2009
How to - Shop at CVS with Extra Care Bucks
If you are reading this post, you have probably "heard through the grapevine" that people are buying up loads of stuff at CVS and getting their items FREE and you want to get in on that action. Well - me too!! Although I have been couponing for quite some time now, I have pretty much avoided the whole "CVS system". Now of course, every once in a while I will see a good deal on something on their bright sign out front and run in and grab one or two items, or get my prescriptions filled there. But other than that, I pretty much avoid the store. I just didn't think I needed one more store or one more "sytem" to figure out. And plus, CVS, in my opinion (and other great shoppers out there) CVS is overall high priced on everything. However, just like any other store or "shopping sytem" out there, they will always have good deals on items as well.
Well, I have been sticking my little toe into the CVS system the last 3 or 4 weeks and boy......have I been missing out!!! I could just kick myself in the you know what for not shopping and scouring the CVS ad a long time ago!!!
So, over the next several weeks we will simply learn together on how to get the best deals on the CVS system. For now, I will give you a very brief run down on what the CVS system is all about.
CVS has a customer loyalty program, just as most grocery stores have these days. Their program is called Extra Care. To participate in the program (and to get FREE Stuff and great deals) you must have an Extra Care card. If you don't have one, then put that on your list of things to do this week! You simply go to your local CVS store and tell the cashier you want to sign up for their Extra Care program and "Voila!" you will be a card carrying member of the Extra Care program. (You can also sign up online, however then you have to wait for your card to come in the mail to start enjoying the savings.)
So, now you have your little card in hand - what do you do?
First, everytime you shop at CVS, before you put your items on the counter to checkout, be sure to hand your card to the cashier. This will tell the register that you are a "loyal customer" and automatically ring up your items at the advertised low prices for the items on sale that week/month.
This card will also enable you to earn "Extra Care Bucks" that are on special at any given time you go. What are Extra Care Bucks (ECBs)? I like to think of them as Paper Money. When you buy certain advertised specials that earn you ECBs, your ECBs will print at the bottom of your cash register receipt. BE SURE TO LOOK CLOSELY AT ALL YOUR RECEIPTS, OTHERWISE YOU MAY BE THROWING MONEY AWAY!!
For instance, this past week if you purchased a Scope Outlast Mouthwash, you earned $1.00 ECB. So after I purchased my mouthwash, a $1.00 ECB printed at the bottom of my receipt. I in turn clipped that "cash" off the bottom of my receipt and placed it in my wallet. So, on my next trip to CVS I already have $1.00 to spend on whatever I want in the store. Now keep in mind that ECBs are just like cash in that (1) it spends just like cash at any CVS store on any future purchases and (2) if you lose it or throw it away, nobody is going to replace it for you. So, make sure you keep these in a safe place just like you would cash.
Your goal in shopping at CVS is to continuously purchase items that earn you ECBs so on your next trip to CVS, you will have ECBs to spend for your items you need and not have to spend your hard earned cash. That is how people say they get stuff at CVS for FREE because they are walking in the store with ECBs to pay for their merchandise and walking out without having to spend any REAL money. Make sense?
When you are just starting this system, of course you are going to be OOP (out of pocket) some regular hard earned cash since you don't have any ECBs to begin with, but within just a few short weeks, you will see how you will earn ECBs and then continuously "roll them over" into other products for more ECBs
Over the last 3 weeks, I had earned ECBs on my purchases and have been using them week after week to buy more items that earned me additional ECBs. However, this week I used up all my ECBs that I had in hand by buying items they had on sale that did not earn me any ECBs so now I am once again starting from scratch. So, starting next week I will share with you my scenarios for buying things at CVS and we will see how we can help each other in rolling our ECBs from week to week to see how much of a "stash" of ECBs we can get and we can all start getting our FREE merchandise as well. I will admit - I loved walking in CVS this week and buying my Tide detergeant (which I hate to spend my hard earned cash for) and handing the cashier ECBs with a smile on my face and walking out without having to spend any of my cold hard cash!
Stay tuned as I will update this CVS "How to" when I have more time on my hands! :o)
Until then,
Happy Saving!
Tina
Well, I have been sticking my little toe into the CVS system the last 3 or 4 weeks and boy......have I been missing out!!! I could just kick myself in the you know what for not shopping and scouring the CVS ad a long time ago!!!
So, over the next several weeks we will simply learn together on how to get the best deals on the CVS system. For now, I will give you a very brief run down on what the CVS system is all about.
CVS has a customer loyalty program, just as most grocery stores have these days. Their program is called Extra Care. To participate in the program (and to get FREE Stuff and great deals) you must have an Extra Care card. If you don't have one, then put that on your list of things to do this week! You simply go to your local CVS store and tell the cashier you want to sign up for their Extra Care program and "Voila!" you will be a card carrying member of the Extra Care program. (You can also sign up online, however then you have to wait for your card to come in the mail to start enjoying the savings.)
So, now you have your little card in hand - what do you do?
First, everytime you shop at CVS, before you put your items on the counter to checkout, be sure to hand your card to the cashier. This will tell the register that you are a "loyal customer" and automatically ring up your items at the advertised low prices for the items on sale that week/month.
This card will also enable you to earn "Extra Care Bucks" that are on special at any given time you go. What are Extra Care Bucks (ECBs)? I like to think of them as Paper Money. When you buy certain advertised specials that earn you ECBs, your ECBs will print at the bottom of your cash register receipt. BE SURE TO LOOK CLOSELY AT ALL YOUR RECEIPTS, OTHERWISE YOU MAY BE THROWING MONEY AWAY!!
For instance, this past week if you purchased a Scope Outlast Mouthwash, you earned $1.00 ECB. So after I purchased my mouthwash, a $1.00 ECB printed at the bottom of my receipt. I in turn clipped that "cash" off the bottom of my receipt and placed it in my wallet. So, on my next trip to CVS I already have $1.00 to spend on whatever I want in the store. Now keep in mind that ECBs are just like cash in that (1) it spends just like cash at any CVS store on any future purchases and (2) if you lose it or throw it away, nobody is going to replace it for you. So, make sure you keep these in a safe place just like you would cash.
Your goal in shopping at CVS is to continuously purchase items that earn you ECBs so on your next trip to CVS, you will have ECBs to spend for your items you need and not have to spend your hard earned cash. That is how people say they get stuff at CVS for FREE because they are walking in the store with ECBs to pay for their merchandise and walking out without having to spend any REAL money. Make sense?
When you are just starting this system, of course you are going to be OOP (out of pocket) some regular hard earned cash since you don't have any ECBs to begin with, but within just a few short weeks, you will see how you will earn ECBs and then continuously "roll them over" into other products for more ECBs
Over the last 3 weeks, I had earned ECBs on my purchases and have been using them week after week to buy more items that earned me additional ECBs. However, this week I used up all my ECBs that I had in hand by buying items they had on sale that did not earn me any ECBs so now I am once again starting from scratch. So, starting next week I will share with you my scenarios for buying things at CVS and we will see how we can help each other in rolling our ECBs from week to week to see how much of a "stash" of ECBs we can get and we can all start getting our FREE merchandise as well. I will admit - I loved walking in CVS this week and buying my Tide detergeant (which I hate to spend my hard earned cash for) and handing the cashier ECBs with a smile on my face and walking out without having to spend any of my cold hard cash!
Stay tuned as I will update this CVS "How to" when I have more time on my hands! :o)
Until then,
Happy Saving!
Tina
Bi Lo 12/27 - 1/5
Hello there! Sorry this is late and not provided yesterday but there is just not enough hours in my day, especially around the holidays.
Anyhoo - here are what I consider "the deals" at Bi Lo for this week. These are really good prices and would be worth "stocking up" on any items that you can use over the next 6-8 weeks. That way, you won't get stuck paying full price between now and the time they go on sale again perhaps. There are other items on sale as well of course, but I like to share with you the items I plan to buy and items that should be stocked up on since most of the other items that are "on sale" this week will be "on sale" at a better price in the weeks to come most likely. I will add the coupon match ups as I come across them but wanted to get this list to you now.
Remember:
* Bi-Lo doubles coupons up to a face value of 60 cents per coupon.
* You do not have to buy 2 items on the BOGO specials - one item will ring up at half the regular price.
* If have 2 coupons for BOGO items, buy 2 items and use both coupons.
BOGO Deals
Shady Brook Turkey Meatballs $6.99 ($3.49 ea.)
Armor Meatballs $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Carolina Pride Cocktail Smokies $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Eckrich Beef Franks $4.99 ($2.49 ea)
Southern Home Cooked or Raw Shrimp $8.99 ($4.49 ea)
Lay's Pototo Chips $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Purex Laundry Detergeant $4.29 ($2.15 ea)
Kelloggs Cereal (Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Rice Krispies) $3.39 ($1.69 ea)
Farm Rich Snacks/Meatballs $7.79 ($3.69 ea)
$1.00 off - SS 12/6 (will make it $2.69)
$0.75 off - SS 12/6 (will make it $2.94)
OTHER GREAT DEALS
Cleaners/Paper Products:
Sparkle Paper Towels - 6 rolls - $4.99
Charmin Bath Tissue - 18 Big Rolls - $9.99
$0.25 off PG 11/29, 12/27 (will make it $9.49)
Cascade Dishwasher Soap - $3.99
Frozen Items:
Tony's Pizza $1.00
$1.00 off SS 12/12 MAKES IT FREE!
$0.50 OFF ss 10/4 MAKES IT FREE!
Meat
Boston Butt 99 cents/lb. (I will provide a crock pot recipe for this later in the week!)
Assorted Pork Chops $1.79/lb.
Other Items:
Pillsbury Crescent or Sweet Rolls - 3 for $5.00
.40 off 2 - SS 11/8, 11/15, 11/25, 12/6
.55 off 2 - SS 12/13
.40 off 3 Grands Biscuits - SS 10/4, 11/08, 11/15
.30 off 2 Grands Biscuits - SS 10/4, 11/8, 11/15
Sargento Shredded Cheese - 2 for $4.00
Produce:
Collard Greens - 99 cents/bunch
Pets:
Purina One Dog Food 18-20 lb bag $17.99 (Regularly $22.50)
Meal Deal:
Buy 2 Tombstone Pizzas for $10.78 then Get for Free:
Ms. Smith's Cobbler
Southern Home Whipped Topping
6 pk Pepsi Product
That's it for now!
Happy Saving!
Tina
Anyhoo - here are what I consider "the deals" at Bi Lo for this week. These are really good prices and would be worth "stocking up" on any items that you can use over the next 6-8 weeks. That way, you won't get stuck paying full price between now and the time they go on sale again perhaps. There are other items on sale as well of course, but I like to share with you the items I plan to buy and items that should be stocked up on since most of the other items that are "on sale" this week will be "on sale" at a better price in the weeks to come most likely. I will add the coupon match ups as I come across them but wanted to get this list to you now.
Remember:
* Bi-Lo doubles coupons up to a face value of 60 cents per coupon.
* You do not have to buy 2 items on the BOGO specials - one item will ring up at half the regular price.
* If have 2 coupons for BOGO items, buy 2 items and use both coupons.
BOGO Deals
Shady Brook Turkey Meatballs $6.99 ($3.49 ea.)
Armor Meatballs $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Carolina Pride Cocktail Smokies $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Eckrich Beef Franks $4.99 ($2.49 ea)
Southern Home Cooked or Raw Shrimp $8.99 ($4.49 ea)
Lay's Pototo Chips $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Purex Laundry Detergeant $4.29 ($2.15 ea)
Kelloggs Cereal (Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Rice Krispies) $3.39 ($1.69 ea)
Farm Rich Snacks/Meatballs $7.79 ($3.69 ea)
$1.00 off - SS 12/6 (will make it $2.69)
$0.75 off - SS 12/6 (will make it $2.94)
OTHER GREAT DEALS
Cleaners/Paper Products:
Sparkle Paper Towels - 6 rolls - $4.99
Charmin Bath Tissue - 18 Big Rolls - $9.99
$0.25 off PG 11/29, 12/27 (will make it $9.49)
Cascade Dishwasher Soap - $3.99
Frozen Items:
Tony's Pizza $1.00
$1.00 off SS 12/12 MAKES IT FREE!
$0.50 OFF ss 10/4 MAKES IT FREE!
Meat
Boston Butt 99 cents/lb. (I will provide a crock pot recipe for this later in the week!)
Assorted Pork Chops $1.79/lb.
Other Items:
Pillsbury Crescent or Sweet Rolls - 3 for $5.00
.40 off 2 - SS 11/8, 11/15, 11/25, 12/6
.55 off 2 - SS 12/13
.40 off 3 Grands Biscuits - SS 10/4, 11/08, 11/15
.30 off 2 Grands Biscuits - SS 10/4, 11/8, 11/15
Sargento Shredded Cheese - 2 for $4.00
Produce:
Collard Greens - 99 cents/bunch
Pets:
Purina One Dog Food 18-20 lb bag $17.99 (Regularly $22.50)
Meal Deal:
Buy 2 Tombstone Pizzas for $10.78 then Get for Free:
Ms. Smith's Cobbler
Southern Home Whipped Topping
6 pk Pepsi Product
That's it for now!
Happy Saving!
Tina
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Publix - 12/26 - 12/31
Here are some of the better deals that I see in the paper today for the short sales week at Publix this week after quickly scanning the paper. (There are of course other items on sale, but these are the items that I feel are the better deals and great for stockpiling until they are on sale again.) I have not matched up coupons yet, but will add those as I find them and come across them.
Don't forget:
*Publix will double coupons up to 50 cents face value.
*They will also take a competitor store coupon.
* Also remember that a store coupon can be "stacked" with a manufacturer coupon to double up on the savings!
* You DO NOT have to buy 2 of the items when they are BOGO. If you buy one, it will be at half price. (I have placed the price of one item in parenthesis beside each BOGO sale item below.)
BOGO ITEMS
Lay's Potato Chips - $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Collard Greens (or Turnip, Mustard or Kale) 16 oz. pkg. $2.99 ea ($1.99 ea)
Fresh Express Salad Blends - $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Click here for 55 cents off one package (would make it $1.44 ea)
Crystal Light Drink Mix - $4.69 ($2.35 ea)
Juicy Juice 8 pk - $2.99 ($1.50 ea)
$1.00 off 2 Coupon at Target.com in Grocery Coupons
Pasta Roni or Rice A Roni - $1.29 ea (.65 ea)
Pace Salsa - $2.79 ($1.40 ea)
Kellogg's Cereal (assorted varieties) - $4.19 - ($2.10 ea)
General Mills Cereal (assorted varieties) - $4.29 ($2.15 ea)
A.1. Steak Sauce 10 oz bottle - $3.91 ($1.95 ea.)
Hidden Vallen Ranch Dressing 16 oz bottle - $3.39 ($1.70 ea)
Cheese-It Crackers - $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
$1.00 off 2 - 12/13/09 RP (would make it $1.49 ea)
Nabisco Toasted Chips - $3.39 ($1.70 ea)
7-up, A&W or Diet Rite 2L bottles - $1.45 ($ .72 ea)
Chex Mix Snacks - $2.49 ($1.25 ea)
$0.50 off 2 - 11/15/09 or 12/13/09 SS (would make it $0.75 ea)
TGI Friday's Frozen Snacks - $8.99 ($4.49 ea)
Dean's Dip - $1.89 ($ .95 ea)
Lindsay's Spanish Olives $1.99 ( .99 ea)
Go here for $1.00 off 2 coupon (would make it .49 ea)
FROZEN ITEMS
Bertolli Complete Skillet Dinner for Two - $4.99 (Regularly $7.99 ea)
$1.00 off 1 - 12/06 RP (would make it $3.99)
PRODUCE
Chiquita Bananas - 39 cents per pound. ****EXCELLENT PRICE****
Cantaloupes - 2 for $3.00
OTHER ITEMS
Cottonnelle Toilet Paper - 12 roll package - $5.99 (regularly $8.27)
$0.50 off one - 12/13 SS (would make it $4.99)
Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps - 2 for $4.00
Click here for $1.00 off one pack (would make it $1.00 ea)
IN SALES AD COUPON
$4.00 off Enfamil Infant Formula Large Powder - Selected Varieties
Happy Shopping!
Tina
Don't forget:
*Publix will double coupons up to 50 cents face value.
*They will also take a competitor store coupon.
* Also remember that a store coupon can be "stacked" with a manufacturer coupon to double up on the savings!
* You DO NOT have to buy 2 of the items when they are BOGO. If you buy one, it will be at half price. (I have placed the price of one item in parenthesis beside each BOGO sale item below.)
BOGO ITEMS
Lay's Potato Chips - $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Collard Greens (or Turnip, Mustard or Kale) 16 oz. pkg. $2.99 ea ($1.99 ea)
Fresh Express Salad Blends - $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
Click here for 55 cents off one package (would make it $1.44 ea)
Crystal Light Drink Mix - $4.69 ($2.35 ea)
Juicy Juice 8 pk - $2.99 ($1.50 ea)
$1.00 off 2 Coupon at Target.com in Grocery Coupons
Pasta Roni or Rice A Roni - $1.29 ea (.65 ea)
Pace Salsa - $2.79 ($1.40 ea)
Kellogg's Cereal (assorted varieties) - $4.19 - ($2.10 ea)
General Mills Cereal (assorted varieties) - $4.29 ($2.15 ea)
A.1. Steak Sauce 10 oz bottle - $3.91 ($1.95 ea.)
Hidden Vallen Ranch Dressing 16 oz bottle - $3.39 ($1.70 ea)
Cheese-It Crackers - $3.99 ($1.99 ea)
$1.00 off 2 - 12/13/09 RP (would make it $1.49 ea)
Nabisco Toasted Chips - $3.39 ($1.70 ea)
7-up, A&W or Diet Rite 2L bottles - $1.45 ($ .72 ea)
Chex Mix Snacks - $2.49 ($1.25 ea)
$0.50 off 2 - 11/15/09 or 12/13/09 SS (would make it $0.75 ea)
TGI Friday's Frozen Snacks - $8.99 ($4.49 ea)
Dean's Dip - $1.89 ($ .95 ea)
Lindsay's Spanish Olives $1.99 ( .99 ea)
Go here for $1.00 off 2 coupon (would make it .49 ea)
FROZEN ITEMS
Bertolli Complete Skillet Dinner for Two - $4.99 (Regularly $7.99 ea)
$1.00 off 1 - 12/06 RP (would make it $3.99)
PRODUCE
Chiquita Bananas - 39 cents per pound. ****EXCELLENT PRICE****
Cantaloupes - 2 for $3.00
OTHER ITEMS
Cottonnelle Toilet Paper - 12 roll package - $5.99 (regularly $8.27)
$0.50 off one - 12/13 SS (would make it $4.99)
Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps - 2 for $4.00
Click here for $1.00 off one pack (would make it $1.00 ea)
IN SALES AD COUPON
$4.00 off Enfamil Infant Formula Large Powder - Selected Varieties
Happy Shopping!
Tina
Thursday, December 24, 2009
FREE Icecream at Earth Fare!
If you have an Earth Fare in your area, you can get a FREE tub of Earth Fare ice cream until December 29 with any purchase. Simply, go here and print your coupon.
That is all I am going to have for you today since I am off to begin the holiday celebrations with the inlaws and to get ready for Santa's big arrival this evening.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Tina
That is all I am going to have for you today since I am off to begin the holiday celebrations with the inlaws and to get ready for Santa's big arrival this evening.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Tina
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
What does that mean?
In the coupon world, and throughout my blog and other great blogs out there on the adventures of saving, you will come across numerous abbreviations. Some of them, you probably are already familiar with, others you may not be. So....I am going to keep a list of the most commonly used abbreviations that you may need to know here so you can refer them to as needed. I will try to update this lists as I think of them.
B1G1 or BOGO - Buy One Get One (normally get one FREE or half off, depending on the deal)
PG - Proctor Gamble Coupon Insert
RP - Red Plum Coupon Insert
SS - Smart Source Coupon Insert
FLIP - Food Lion Internet Printable
ECB - Extra Care Buck (CVS)
RR - Register Rebates (Walgreens)
OOP - Out of Pocket
Happy Savings!
Tina
B1G1 or BOGO - Buy One Get One (normally get one FREE or half off, depending on the deal)
PG - Proctor Gamble Coupon Insert
RP - Red Plum Coupon Insert
SS - Smart Source Coupon Insert
FLIP - Food Lion Internet Printable
ECB - Extra Care Buck (CVS)
RR - Register Rebates (Walgreens)
OOP - Out of Pocket
Happy Savings!
Tina
Organizing Those Coupons
Good morning ladies. This morning I thought I would share with you the various ways you can choose to organize and keep your coupons. I will also share with you the pros and cons (in my opinion) of each system so hopefully you can decide what is best for you.
If you look through the world wide web, you will find tons of different ways people suggest to organize their coupons and each person will tell you they like a different way. So, you may want to try a few different ways and see what works best for you. I have tried them all pretty much and found what works perfect for me and almost all those that I have helped with the couponing adventure, have chose my "notebook" system as well. However, I will explain a few different ways for you below:
#1 - "Don't cut at all method"
This method seems to be used by a lot of the "big name coupon clippers" (clippers not being the real proper term since they don't even bother clipping their coupons. LOL) I do not use this system, never have and never will. The "no cut method" is when you get your coupon inserts from your Sunday paper, or wherever else you may obtain coupons from, and you dont actually cut them but simply paperclip or staple the upper corner of the pack in order to keep that entire insert of coupons intact and then you would file them away like that by date. So what you would have is something similar to a small file cabinet or box with file folders in the box labeled in chronological order by date.
PROS:
This is a time saving method for sure! You have absolutely no time consumed up by clipping those coupons and organizing them by product type or whatever other means you may keep your coupons in, so it is definitely a real time saver.
If you use coupon sites that match weekly sales to coupons, it makes your life easy. You will see something like this on those type of sites:
"Publix Lays Potato Chips BOGO - RP 11/15 - .50 off"
That would mean that Publix has Lays Potato Chips at BOGO and you can go to your "Red Plum Newspaper Insert dated 11/15 and there is a coupon in there for 50 cents off"
CONS:
You have absolutely no idea what coupons you have for any given product at any given time. So, say you are at your local grocery store and they have an unadvertised "Close Out Special" on Bandaids (this is a true story) for $1.00 per box. If you use the above system you would have no idea (most likely) that you have a coupon for 50 cents off per box in your coupon stash because (1) you would not have ever looked through your coupons; (2) they are not on the sales list for that week since it is an unadvertised special so you would not have been told to clip that coupon and take it with you. So, you may go ahead and buy 5 boxes of bandaids and spend your $5.00 and think you just got the best deal in town. However, the lady behind you that uses some other sort of couponing system that sorts by product sees those same bandaids, looks in her coupon organizer (which she carries with her everywhere), sees that she has 5 coupons for bandaids at 50 cents off each box. She carries her 5 boxes to the cashier, hands them her coupons and she gets all 5 boxes for free since the store doubles coupons.
#2 Coupon Pocket Organizers/Box Organizers
This is a very common type of organization used by "newbies" to couponing. It is also used by "coupon queens" as their preferred method. I did use this method to begin with but since I collect so many coupons, I seemed to "outgrow" this method rather quickly. The pocket organizers are those little organizers you see hanging up at grocery stores and other stores you frequent often. They are usually made of fabric or plastic and have a little flap on them that folds over and is either held around by an elastic band or velcro. You open the little flap and there is a large "pocket" that will have 10-15 dividers for your products such as canned goods, meats, dairy, frozen goods, etc. You simply clip your coupons as you get them and file them behind the divider appropriately. You can do the same thing with a little 4x5 file box and use some dividers. I have even saw ladies use old shoe boxes, make their own little dividers and keep their coupons in there.
PROS:
Will keep coupons organized by section for easy access to whatever you are looking for. So you can quickly go to the section of any coupon you may need to look to see if you have for those "surprise" sales you will run into. - Or, say your husband says as he is rushing out the front door "I need razor blades so I'm running out to buy some". If you kept your coupons in the "no cut system" explained above, and you say "Hmmmm, I think I saw a $5.00 off coupon for those" do you think he is going to stand there long enough for you to flip through the last 5 months worth of flyers looking for that coupon? Mine wouldn't! However, if you could quickly go to "Body Care" section of your coupons and flip through 20 coupons, he just may wait to save that $5.00!
You can easily transport this system with you anywhere you go by throwing in your purse or keeping in your car with you for unexpected trips to the store.
Your small children can help you place in the separate sections of the organizer to help them with sorting. (Of course, your teenagers can help too but might be a little less "willing" to do so unless you pay them! LOL) Trust me I know. If they don't want to do it and you make them, you will end up finding a frozen pea coupon in your dental hygiene section!
CONS:
If you are a "hard core" coupon clipper and clip every coupon you see, you may quickly outgrow the little fabric/plastic organizers you buy at the store. If you are this type of coupon clipper, or plan to be, you may want to opt for purchasing a file index box or just start with the shoe box method to begin with. I "busted through" many of the little paper organizers you can buy within a matter of weeks. It is not fun scrambling around on the floor of your local Bi-Lo picking up 200 coupons - don't ask me how I know this! :o)
Certain sections of your organizer will be "overgrown" with coupons more than others. For instance, you will usually always have lots of coupons for dental hygiene products, body wash products and frozen foods. It would be nothing to have 50 frozen food coupons in that section alone. If you were looking for a coupon for Birds Eye Frozen vegetables, you would have to flip through every coupon in that section until you found it. But, when you found it you would certainly not want to stop looking because you may have 2 or 3 more of that same coupon tucked within those 50 coupons.
#3 Coupon Notebook
This is my preferred method of coupon organization. It may take a little bit more of an investment at the begining, but it is sooo worth it. If you think you may "eventually" want to use this sytem, I would suggest you start with it, even if you only have 10 coupons to begin with. I say this from experience. I did not move to this method for several months and it took me literally WEEKS to convert to this method because it is time consuming when you have hundreds of coupons to organize. However, if you start with this method, it is easy-peasy and this is how I have all my "students" start at if they are serious about wanting to save money. Even if you have hundreds of coupons, I still feel it is worth the effort to convert to this method. The time you "waste" now converting over, will be saved three times over later in your weekly shopping ventures.
The "notebook" system is simply that. It is a 3-ring notebook binder that you keep all your coupons in organized by section and by individual coupon. I highly suggest spending the extra few dollars and getting a 3 ring binder that has a zipper around it to keep everything in the notebook contained. This will prevent from accidentally picking up the notebook upside down and all your organized coupons ending up on the floor (Again, don't ask me how I know this! ugh). You will fill that notebook with baseball card holder sheets. These can be found at your local Walmart, Kmart, Target, or any other store where you can find baseball cards. They are 8 1/2 x 11 plastic sheets that usually have 12 or so individual "pockets". You will divide those plastic inserts by dividers labled with the various sections you prefer your coupons to be divided. Some examples may be: Beverages, Canned Goods, Cleaners, Frozen Foods, Meat, Medicine, Snacks, etc.
Then, as you clip your coupons you simply place them behind the designated section for that type of product in its own separate pocket. Have 3 of the same exact coupon? Place them all together in that same pocket.
PROS:
Will keep coupons organized by section for easy access, similar to the "box method" above. However, when you flip to that section, you can easily see every coupon in that section without having to flip through 50 coupons.
Fast access to every coupon! In a store and see something on sale and want to know if you have a matching coupon? You can find out in less than 30 seconds!
At end of each month when lots of coupons usually expire, you can easily "sort" through your coupons in less than 5 minutes no matter how many coupons you have and easily pull out and discard any expired coupons since you can see the face of the coupons at a quick glance.
Can easily take with you everywhere.
CONS:
Slightly more of an "investment" to get the items you need to organize this way. However, you will most likely save the amount of money you spent on this sytem in your first week of grocery shopping.
Time consuming to get system started if you have a "backlog" of coupons to organize, however will quickly make up the time and effort by quickly finding coupons on a weekly or daily basis when you need them.
Well - that is it ladies. The top 3 ways I have found that people use to organize their coupons. I hope this will help you in deciding the best way for you to stay organized, or perhaps show you a different and possibly better way than you are already using. There are no right or wrong ways to organize coupons, as long as you pick a system and follow through!
If you would like to use the notebook system as I do and would like a copy of the index I have finally perfected (in my opinion) on how to best separate your coupons for maximum efficiency, leave me a comment here or email me and I will certainly email you a copy for your use!
I know this was a long topic, and thanks for hanging in there!
Happy Couponing!
Tina
If you look through the world wide web, you will find tons of different ways people suggest to organize their coupons and each person will tell you they like a different way. So, you may want to try a few different ways and see what works best for you. I have tried them all pretty much and found what works perfect for me and almost all those that I have helped with the couponing adventure, have chose my "notebook" system as well. However, I will explain a few different ways for you below:
#1 - "Don't cut at all method"
This method seems to be used by a lot of the "big name coupon clippers" (clippers not being the real proper term since they don't even bother clipping their coupons. LOL) I do not use this system, never have and never will. The "no cut method" is when you get your coupon inserts from your Sunday paper, or wherever else you may obtain coupons from, and you dont actually cut them but simply paperclip or staple the upper corner of the pack in order to keep that entire insert of coupons intact and then you would file them away like that by date. So what you would have is something similar to a small file cabinet or box with file folders in the box labeled in chronological order by date.
PROS:
This is a time saving method for sure! You have absolutely no time consumed up by clipping those coupons and organizing them by product type or whatever other means you may keep your coupons in, so it is definitely a real time saver.
If you use coupon sites that match weekly sales to coupons, it makes your life easy. You will see something like this on those type of sites:
"Publix Lays Potato Chips BOGO - RP 11/15 - .50 off"
That would mean that Publix has Lays Potato Chips at BOGO and you can go to your "Red Plum Newspaper Insert dated 11/15 and there is a coupon in there for 50 cents off"
CONS:
You have absolutely no idea what coupons you have for any given product at any given time. So, say you are at your local grocery store and they have an unadvertised "Close Out Special" on Bandaids (this is a true story) for $1.00 per box. If you use the above system you would have no idea (most likely) that you have a coupon for 50 cents off per box in your coupon stash because (1) you would not have ever looked through your coupons; (2) they are not on the sales list for that week since it is an unadvertised special so you would not have been told to clip that coupon and take it with you. So, you may go ahead and buy 5 boxes of bandaids and spend your $5.00 and think you just got the best deal in town. However, the lady behind you that uses some other sort of couponing system that sorts by product sees those same bandaids, looks in her coupon organizer (which she carries with her everywhere), sees that she has 5 coupons for bandaids at 50 cents off each box. She carries her 5 boxes to the cashier, hands them her coupons and she gets all 5 boxes for free since the store doubles coupons.
#2 Coupon Pocket Organizers/Box Organizers
This is a very common type of organization used by "newbies" to couponing. It is also used by "coupon queens" as their preferred method. I did use this method to begin with but since I collect so many coupons, I seemed to "outgrow" this method rather quickly. The pocket organizers are those little organizers you see hanging up at grocery stores and other stores you frequent often. They are usually made of fabric or plastic and have a little flap on them that folds over and is either held around by an elastic band or velcro. You open the little flap and there is a large "pocket" that will have 10-15 dividers for your products such as canned goods, meats, dairy, frozen goods, etc. You simply clip your coupons as you get them and file them behind the divider appropriately. You can do the same thing with a little 4x5 file box and use some dividers. I have even saw ladies use old shoe boxes, make their own little dividers and keep their coupons in there.
PROS:
Will keep coupons organized by section for easy access to whatever you are looking for. So you can quickly go to the section of any coupon you may need to look to see if you have for those "surprise" sales you will run into. - Or, say your husband says as he is rushing out the front door "I need razor blades so I'm running out to buy some". If you kept your coupons in the "no cut system" explained above, and you say "Hmmmm, I think I saw a $5.00 off coupon for those" do you think he is going to stand there long enough for you to flip through the last 5 months worth of flyers looking for that coupon? Mine wouldn't! However, if you could quickly go to "Body Care" section of your coupons and flip through 20 coupons, he just may wait to save that $5.00!
You can easily transport this system with you anywhere you go by throwing in your purse or keeping in your car with you for unexpected trips to the store.
Your small children can help you place in the separate sections of the organizer to help them with sorting. (Of course, your teenagers can help too but might be a little less "willing" to do so unless you pay them! LOL) Trust me I know. If they don't want to do it and you make them, you will end up finding a frozen pea coupon in your dental hygiene section!
CONS:
If you are a "hard core" coupon clipper and clip every coupon you see, you may quickly outgrow the little fabric/plastic organizers you buy at the store. If you are this type of coupon clipper, or plan to be, you may want to opt for purchasing a file index box or just start with the shoe box method to begin with. I "busted through" many of the little paper organizers you can buy within a matter of weeks. It is not fun scrambling around on the floor of your local Bi-Lo picking up 200 coupons - don't ask me how I know this! :o)
Certain sections of your organizer will be "overgrown" with coupons more than others. For instance, you will usually always have lots of coupons for dental hygiene products, body wash products and frozen foods. It would be nothing to have 50 frozen food coupons in that section alone. If you were looking for a coupon for Birds Eye Frozen vegetables, you would have to flip through every coupon in that section until you found it. But, when you found it you would certainly not want to stop looking because you may have 2 or 3 more of that same coupon tucked within those 50 coupons.
#3 Coupon Notebook
This is my preferred method of coupon organization. It may take a little bit more of an investment at the begining, but it is sooo worth it. If you think you may "eventually" want to use this sytem, I would suggest you start with it, even if you only have 10 coupons to begin with. I say this from experience. I did not move to this method for several months and it took me literally WEEKS to convert to this method because it is time consuming when you have hundreds of coupons to organize. However, if you start with this method, it is easy-peasy and this is how I have all my "students" start at if they are serious about wanting to save money. Even if you have hundreds of coupons, I still feel it is worth the effort to convert to this method. The time you "waste" now converting over, will be saved three times over later in your weekly shopping ventures.
The "notebook" system is simply that. It is a 3-ring notebook binder that you keep all your coupons in organized by section and by individual coupon. I highly suggest spending the extra few dollars and getting a 3 ring binder that has a zipper around it to keep everything in the notebook contained. This will prevent from accidentally picking up the notebook upside down and all your organized coupons ending up on the floor (Again, don't ask me how I know this! ugh). You will fill that notebook with baseball card holder sheets. These can be found at your local Walmart, Kmart, Target, or any other store where you can find baseball cards. They are 8 1/2 x 11 plastic sheets that usually have 12 or so individual "pockets". You will divide those plastic inserts by dividers labled with the various sections you prefer your coupons to be divided. Some examples may be: Beverages, Canned Goods, Cleaners, Frozen Foods, Meat, Medicine, Snacks, etc.
Then, as you clip your coupons you simply place them behind the designated section for that type of product in its own separate pocket. Have 3 of the same exact coupon? Place them all together in that same pocket.
PROS:
Will keep coupons organized by section for easy access, similar to the "box method" above. However, when you flip to that section, you can easily see every coupon in that section without having to flip through 50 coupons.
Fast access to every coupon! In a store and see something on sale and want to know if you have a matching coupon? You can find out in less than 30 seconds!
At end of each month when lots of coupons usually expire, you can easily "sort" through your coupons in less than 5 minutes no matter how many coupons you have and easily pull out and discard any expired coupons since you can see the face of the coupons at a quick glance.
Can easily take with you everywhere.
CONS:
Slightly more of an "investment" to get the items you need to organize this way. However, you will most likely save the amount of money you spent on this sytem in your first week of grocery shopping.
Time consuming to get system started if you have a "backlog" of coupons to organize, however will quickly make up the time and effort by quickly finding coupons on a weekly or daily basis when you need them.
Well - that is it ladies. The top 3 ways I have found that people use to organize their coupons. I hope this will help you in deciding the best way for you to stay organized, or perhaps show you a different and possibly better way than you are already using. There are no right or wrong ways to organize coupons, as long as you pick a system and follow through!
If you would like to use the notebook system as I do and would like a copy of the index I have finally perfected (in my opinion) on how to best separate your coupons for maximum efficiency, leave me a comment here or email me and I will certainly email you a copy for your use!
I know this was a long topic, and thanks for hanging in there!
Happy Couponing!
Tina
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Basics of Extreme Couponing
If you are here reading my blog, you must be interested in how to save money with coupons. I am certainly not an expert by no means, however I have managed to cut our grocery bill by an average of at least 50% when I stick to my system. That not only includes food to feed my family of four, but also includes all household cleaners, paper products and dog food for three very hungry dogs. So yes, although I am not an expert, I love to see how low I can get my grocery bill each month and love even more to help others see how much they can save as well.
You also may be thinking, "coupons are easy-peasy and what is there to know about them..... you simply clip a 50 cents off coupon, take it to pretty much any store and at least get 50 cents off that particular item." To that I would have to say that is true. However, I don't coupon - - I "extreme coupon" which is where you will find your savings!
What is extreme couponing? Extreme couponing is when you take that 50 cents off coupon and make it worth more than just getting a measley 50 cents off a product. How do you do that? Stick with me.......
One simple way of making that 50 cents off coupon worth at least $1.00 is by going to a store that offers double coupons. Some stores do, some stores don't, so you need to figure out what stores in your area do and try to stick with those stores. Otherwise, you are simply throwing 50 cents away, right?
I live in the lowcountry of South Carolina, so most of my posts on my blog are going to be about shopping here in the south and the stores I have available to me. You live up North or out West? No problem, the principles I use for shopping will work anywhere, you just have to find the stores in your area that offer the same type of deals.
In my area, Publix doubles coupons up to a coupon value of 50 cents. For instance, you have a 25 cents off coupon - it is worth 50 cents there. ....you have a 50 cents off coupon - it is worth $1.00 there. However, if you have a 75 cents off coupon, it is still only worth 75 cents because it is over 50 cents face value. Make sense?
Bi-Lo stores in my area double up to 60 cents face value of a coupon and Harris Teeter doubles up to 99 cents face value. I have yet to find a Piggly Wiggly or Food Lion that doubles, so coupons are only worth whatever their face value are at those stores. Neither does Wal-Mart. So.....I tend not to use my coupons in those stores 98% of the time because they are worth so much more else where.
Now, in addition to just using your coupons at a store that doubles, the best way to make them worth more is to match them with a sale item to get more bang for your buck. See my example below:
Say your favorite bag of Potato Chips are $2.99/bag. You happen to have a 50 cents off coupon so you take that coupon to Publix on any given day and buy that same bag of chips for $1.99, since they double the coupon. With me? OK....say you wait until Publix puts those chips on sale for half price at $1.50. You take that same 50 cents off coupon in there when they are on sale and you are now getting a $3.00 bag of chips for 50 cents!!!!!!! So you have saved $2.50 on one bag of chips. Just in this small example alone for one product using one coupon you save money. Just imagine if you take 20 coupons into the store, buy 20 items that are on sale....the savings just keep adding up!!
So are you ready to start extreme couponing with me? If you are already clipping coupons, you are a step ahead. If you have not clipped coupons but are ready to jump in, make sure you start clipping every coupon you can get your hands on and get ready to start saving some money!!
Any questions you have along the way or if I don't explain something good enough, shoot me an email or leave a comment here on my blog. I will be happy to explain or answer any questions that I can!
My next posts will be on how to organize those piles and piles of coupons! Stay tuned!
Happy Savings!
Tina
You also may be thinking, "coupons are easy-peasy and what is there to know about them..... you simply clip a 50 cents off coupon, take it to pretty much any store and at least get 50 cents off that particular item." To that I would have to say that is true. However, I don't coupon - - I "extreme coupon" which is where you will find your savings!
What is extreme couponing? Extreme couponing is when you take that 50 cents off coupon and make it worth more than just getting a measley 50 cents off a product. How do you do that? Stick with me.......
One simple way of making that 50 cents off coupon worth at least $1.00 is by going to a store that offers double coupons. Some stores do, some stores don't, so you need to figure out what stores in your area do and try to stick with those stores. Otherwise, you are simply throwing 50 cents away, right?
I live in the lowcountry of South Carolina, so most of my posts on my blog are going to be about shopping here in the south and the stores I have available to me. You live up North or out West? No problem, the principles I use for shopping will work anywhere, you just have to find the stores in your area that offer the same type of deals.
In my area, Publix doubles coupons up to a coupon value of 50 cents. For instance, you have a 25 cents off coupon - it is worth 50 cents there. ....you have a 50 cents off coupon - it is worth $1.00 there. However, if you have a 75 cents off coupon, it is still only worth 75 cents because it is over 50 cents face value. Make sense?
Bi-Lo stores in my area double up to 60 cents face value of a coupon and Harris Teeter doubles up to 99 cents face value. I have yet to find a Piggly Wiggly or Food Lion that doubles, so coupons are only worth whatever their face value are at those stores. Neither does Wal-Mart. So.....I tend not to use my coupons in those stores 98% of the time because they are worth so much more else where.
Now, in addition to just using your coupons at a store that doubles, the best way to make them worth more is to match them with a sale item to get more bang for your buck. See my example below:
Say your favorite bag of Potato Chips are $2.99/bag. You happen to have a 50 cents off coupon so you take that coupon to Publix on any given day and buy that same bag of chips for $1.99, since they double the coupon. With me? OK....say you wait until Publix puts those chips on sale for half price at $1.50. You take that same 50 cents off coupon in there when they are on sale and you are now getting a $3.00 bag of chips for 50 cents!!!!!!! So you have saved $2.50 on one bag of chips. Just in this small example alone for one product using one coupon you save money. Just imagine if you take 20 coupons into the store, buy 20 items that are on sale....the savings just keep adding up!!
So are you ready to start extreme couponing with me? If you are already clipping coupons, you are a step ahead. If you have not clipped coupons but are ready to jump in, make sure you start clipping every coupon you can get your hands on and get ready to start saving some money!!
Any questions you have along the way or if I don't explain something good enough, shoot me an email or leave a comment here on my blog. I will be happy to explain or answer any questions that I can!
My next posts will be on how to organize those piles and piles of coupons! Stay tuned!
Happy Savings!
Tina
Monday, December 21, 2009
Welcome to Mom with Coupons!
Well, here I am, starting a new blog on couponing and saving while shopping in general. Over the last two years or so I have studied and tried to practice "frugal shopping" by using coupons and matching them with weekly ads at my local grocery stores to get the "best price possible" on the items my family uses most often. It has definitely paid off! I have also taught my couponing practices to lots of family and friends and have several ladies that call me weekly for tips and ideas on what to buy on any given week to help save them the most at the checkout. Since every week it seems I have one or two more people asking me "How do you do that?", I figured the easiest way to keep in touch with everyone was to start a blog so everyone can just come to one place and find out what information I am using that week to get the most out of my money!
I probably should not be starting this blog at the beginning of a very hectic and busy holiday week, but I figured if I put it off any longer, I would not get it started. So...here I am!
My postings will be sporadic probably over the next two weeks with tips on how to start couponing, how to best organize your coupons, what is "stockpiling" and other information I hope will be helpful to anyone that wants to save a little money. Hopefully at the first of the year I will be able to post on a more regular basis with weekly sales, weekly recipes and other ways to make or save money around the home! Until then, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and - don't forget -start clipping those coupons!
Happy Savings!
Tina
I probably should not be starting this blog at the beginning of a very hectic and busy holiday week, but I figured if I put it off any longer, I would not get it started. So...here I am!
My postings will be sporadic probably over the next two weeks with tips on how to start couponing, how to best organize your coupons, what is "stockpiling" and other information I hope will be helpful to anyone that wants to save a little money. Hopefully at the first of the year I will be able to post on a more regular basis with weekly sales, weekly recipes and other ways to make or save money around the home! Until then, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and - don't forget -start clipping those coupons!
Happy Savings!
Tina
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