My Return To Coupons

I haven't posted about coupons lately...mostly because I haven't been able to do much shopping lately. But, I'm baaaackkk! I am ready to do this every week to rebuild our stock pile (the one that has allowed us to live for about 3 months (since before Thanksgiving) without buying much more than staples!

So, tonight, I returned to the store alone. I may decide to do all my coupon shopping alone from now on. It was good me-time and was much less stressful than dealing with two tired and bored kids and an impatient husband (although he does love the savings).

I'm pretty satisfied with our success tonight. I definately think it was a success. I bought our normal staples: 2 gallons of milk, carrots (organics were on sale! whoot!), grapes, strawberries, bananas, and lettuce.

I also bought 18 (!!!) boxes of cereal for about $1.30 each. Isa has reached a phase where she eats cereal at least two times a day, as does her daddy. It's hard to keep it stocked!

I also got 12 cans of Chef Boyardee pasta, 12 boxes of Kleenex (donations for our church), 3 large pizzas and one individual one, 4 bags of Skittles, 4 Dove body washes, 4 packets of alfredo sauce mix, 2 bottles of teriyaki glaze, and 6 sippy cups (not a sale item or a coupon item, but we've fallen habit to leaving them everywhere, so we needed some).

Whew, I totally just had a freak out because I lost my receipts (and the ONYOs)...but no worries, I found the ONYO's and one receipt.

Total spent: First order was $8. Second order was $64. Total of $72.

Total saved: I lost the receipt for the first order, so I'm not sure. Second order was $57.

Plus, $3 in ONYOs.

Not too shabby. At least, in my opinion.

We Don't Really DO Valentine's Day, But...

For us, Valentine's Day is rarely a big deal. The only year that it really was anything special was 2005. That is the year when Jose bought me a beautiful ring in January to propose, but it was back ordered and whatnot, so as of Valentine's Day, it still hadn't arrived. However, on Valentine's Day, we went to the clinic and it was confirmed that we were about to be parents.

So, this year, I've not thought much about it. We don't do gifts or flowers or candies or much at all. However, since Isa's now in school, I realized that they have a card exchange tomorrow. And, so Jose came by and dropped off Valentine stuff for her class before running out again to help his sister move tonight. So, he will be coming home to this:

I guess I may be convinced to do a little something for future years, but it may always be construction paper and string...

RSVP: No.

In my 26 years of life, I have attended a handful of "parties" that women throw. You know, the ones where there is "no obligation to buy" but then you feel so guilty, you walk away spending over $50 and get two things that you don't really need.

I hate shopping to begin with. I am frugal and have problems saying "no" (read previous posts about boundaries if you doubt this). I am a salesperson's dream.

What is funny is that, in all my years of attending these parties with my mom or with friends, I have yet to walk away with something that is so beyond amazing that it has transformed my life, despite all the promises.

Mary Kay, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Pure Romance, Lia Sophia, Tastefully Simple, etc....although you all are lovely products, my life is not completed by you.

And, while I love spending time with my friends, I do believe that I would rather have a day of playing wii or shooting billards or just plain eating a meal together, than having someone tell me how amazing a product is.

Why are salespeople so good at what they do?

One time, we bought a Kirby from a kid with holey shoes that came bearing a bottle of hand soap. Kind of. But that is a story for another day. And one time, we bought a house full of windows from a man who came to the door. Kind of. But that is another story for another day as well.

I can see how weak I am in regards to door-to-door salespeople. And I know how weak I am in regards to sale-parties.

Therefore, for the same reason that I no longer open the door to someone holding a clipboard, flyer, or a bottle of soap (well, maybe with the bottle of soap, but only to take the soap, then tell them no and lock the door)...I will no longer attend your "parties".

Invite me to hang out, and I'll try my hardest to be there. Invite me to listen to a sales pitch and I'll have to deny. (And for those friends who are consultants themselves, keep rockin' what you do. I just don't have the willpower to say walk away without buying something that I don't need.)

So, what's the best and/or worst purchase you've ever gotten from a "party"?

And A Makeover...

SURPRISE!

Discussions with a good friend, Jill, has led me to think for the past 24 hours or so about giving my blog a makeover. She said it bothered her that I had the same generic layout as many other blogs she read. And encouraged me to check out a few free sites for layouts. I hated them. And the ones I did like, I couldn't get to work.

She also encouraged me to pay someone to design my blog. I don't care that it would be inexpensive. I am cheap. And it was more than I wanted to spend on something like a blog. No offense to the 14 followers that I have. Hehe.

So, I did the next best things...dove in.

Yup, that's right. I just went in head first to figure out the layout, design templates, and for fun, created my header and a footer. So, taa da! Welcome to my new page!

(I think it fits my personality perfectly!)

My Favorite Deals This Week

So, I jumped in the bandwagon full force this week. Shopped at Kroger/Scotts, Target, and Meijer within two days. And, plan on at least two more orders at Meijer before Saturday.

Here are my favorite deals:
* Target Freebies or Cheapies. I got Clean and Clear facewash for next to nothing. I also got Bagel Bites, Clorox 2 Detergent and Clorox Bleach, Olay soap bars, and Chef Boyardee for free or next to nothing. The two purchases that I did pay out for were 12-packs of soda (got five for about $2.50 each) and diapers (Luvs jumbo packs for $4.50 each).
* Meijer's Kelloggs & Fruit of the Loom Deal. Buy $10 in Kelloggs foods, get $10 off your purchase of 3 Fruit of the Loom items totalling over $10. We got 3 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of poptarts, 2 packages of undies and 1 package of socks for Isa to start school for about $13 after the deal and using Kelloggs coupons. We will be doing this a couple times more; I have four booties and feet to cover in this house...
* Kraft Cheese Deal. Meijer and Kroger are participating in this. Buy 5 Kraft cheese items, get a $5 ONYO. If you catch them on sale and use coupons, you can get a pack of cheese for about $1.50 to $2. So, spend $10 on cheese, get $5 back. With the rate we go through cheese, and the normal, "unsale" price of cheese, you better believe that we have 35 packages in our home and that may continue growing. An added perk is that Kraft will also donate an additional $5 to charity for every deal done.

So, if you can't find me over the next couple days...I'm shopping.

60%

This post will be about couponing: a new and developing hobby.

Different people say different things about savings. Everyone has their own system of math to explain what they're doing.

Some people speak in terms of how much they save  a month. "Last month, I saved $540!"
Some determine the average prices. If they had a buy 3, get 1 and the three were $4 each, they see it as getting 4 items for $12 and say, "I got them for $3 each!"
Some refer to entire prices. "I got all this for $20!"
Some speak in freebies. "Of the 34 items, I got 18 FREE!"
Some people add in the ONYO (On Your Next Order). For example, if you buy 5 salad dressings for $1 each and get a printout at the register for $1 ONYO, they say, "I got the dressings for $0.80 each!" because they calculate the future savings.

There's no right or wrong way to describe savings. Truth be told, we are all excited when we get a deal! However, I've been calculating my savings by percentages. The stores do the hard part that way. For every receipt, there's a total that you pay. Most companies also have a line of: "You Saved: $X.XX Today!" Meijer breaks it down further with store savings, coupon savings, etc.

Last night, we did 6 orders at Krogers/Scotts. We are fortunate to have three stores within five or so minutes of one another. So, the hubs did one order and I did another at each store. Of the five receipts I could find, we spent $80 and saved $145. That gives a savings of about 64% provided my math is correct. I also got $30 in ONYOs to spend next shopping trip.

Today, I went to Target and Meijer with Merri. I did one order at each store. Target's savings were 57%. (From what I can tell, Target does not calculate pre-sale prices in it's savings calculation.) Meijer's savings were 61%. At Meijer, I got a $5 ONYO.

So, I'm right around 60% in savings. I'm okay with that. And, as we are starting to stockpile, we're spending the same amounts as before, or maybe a little more, but as we get to the place where we're buying simply for sales, not for necessity, I forsee the spending decreasing.

But for now, I'm going to refer to savings by percentages. It makes the most sense to me.

I Love Being Frugal!

Today was a Frugal Friday! :)

This morning, Merri and I spent about four hours bargain hunting at two association garage sales. I spent a little less than $60 and came home with the following:

• About 20 pairs of shorts for Teo
• 3 pairs of pants for Isa
• 3 swim trunks for Teo
• A bathing suit for Isa
• 2 pajamas for Teo and 2 pajamas for Isa
• About 10 pairs of pants for Teo
• About 15 pairs of pants for Isa
• 4 pairs of tights for Isa
• 2 pairs of sunglasses for Isa
• A pair of shoes for Teo
• A pack of training pants for Teo
• About 5 travel mugs/water bottles
• 2 hot dog cooking stick things for the bonfire
• 2 swimming pool inflatable toys
• Scrapbook and sewing materials
• Coloring and craft supplies
• Approximately 10 board books for Teo
• About 25-30 books for Isa
• Four VHS tapes
• A box full of Matchbox cars (I would guess about 50 cars)
• And much, much more!

It made me super happy!

Then, tonight after all our other festivities, we went to Meijer and Target to practice our couponing skills. At Target, I spent five dollars and some odd cents. At Meijer, six something. Here's the deals I got:

• Shout stain remover. $1.97/bottle. Two bottles. Two coupons each: $1 off and $.55 off (one store coupon and a manufacturers coupon) = $.42/each.
• Fruit Chillers. On clearance for $1.81 each. Coupon for $1 off each. = $.81/each
• A bottle of Raspberry Lemonade that Jose just HAD to have = $2
• Eggs = $1.63
• CoffeeMate Creamer. On sale for $.99 each. Three bottles. One coupon each for two for $.50 off that was doubled and a coupon for $.75 off another = FREE for two and $.24 for one bottle
• Hamburger Buns. On sale for $.99 each. Two packages. One coupon each for $.55 off. = $.44/each
• Kraft Dressing. On sale for $1.59 each (although the shelf price says $1.99). Four bottles. Two coupons each: $1 off and $.55 off. = $.04/each
• Container of Silicone Caulk = $2.99

So, total spent was approx. $12. Compared to original prices, total saved was approximately $21. Not too shabby for a beginner. :)

P.S. - Today was a wonderful day because Jose's court case for his license suspension was DISMISSED! Yay!

Sunday Saver

Yesterday, I went to Scotts and by using coupon's for $2 off, combined with their weekly sale, I bought All laundry detergent for a dollar per bottle.

(Thank you Merri for the coupon's and the head's up on the sale. And for taking me under your wing to learn couponing.)

Edit: This week at Krogers, Coffeemate creamer from the dairy section are on sale for 99 cents for the small bottle. If you have a coupon for $1 off, its free! :)

Sunday Saver

So, I'm always searching for a bargain. Always. So, I'm going to initialize the Sunday Saver. Every Sunday (if I remember), I will post a saving tip or a bargain that I have found for the week. This week, as a startup bonus, you get two! :)

Menards is selling their 13' pools that are 3 feet tall, ya know, the kind with the little filter, for $120. That's at least $80 cheaper than we have seen them. You know, this means if you wanna swim...lol!

On a slightly less investment level, Meijer is selling 24-packs of soda for less than $4 each. This is coming from the gal who is now kicking herself (kinda) for buying 4 12-packs for $10 (well, 8, actually). So, stock up.

I love a good deal!