Stocked Up Freezer

I know it's not very extreme but this is pretty stocked up for us lately.  I wish we had the room for a chest freezer.

Good Read for Beginners

10 days to super savings, all thanks to the Krazy Coupon Lady.

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/beginners/

Want a FREE BBQ Cookbook?

Martha Stewart has a downloadable copy of a BBQ Cookbook on her XM Site.  Click on the link to pull the PDF then save to your computer!  You gotta love anything free, and I love anything free that has to do with cooking!

Martha Stewart BBQ Cookbook

Meal Plan W/O: 5/28/11

So even though I only spent $20 this week I'm going to try and get thru the next week without buying anything other than milk for $3.

I'm trying to come up with a meal plan using our stock pile

Sat:
Dinner - Hamburgers w Fries

Sun:
Lunch - BLT
Dinner - Lasagna, Fried Zucchini, Rolls

Mon:
Bfst - Biscuits & Gravy
Lunch - Grilled Cheese
Dinner - Leftovers

Tues: Client Dinner
Dinner - Veggie Turkey Meatloaf w Potatoes & Gravy

Wed: Client Dinner
Dinner - Grilled Chicken w Stuffing & Potatoes,  Asparagus Turkey Bacon & Cheese

Th:
Dinner - Leftovers

Fri:
Dinner - Hamburger Helper

Sat:
Dinner - Hamburgers, Potato Salad, Chips

Sunday:
Bfst - Eggs & Hash Browns
Lunch - Sandwiches
Dinner - Chicken Quarters, Fries, Vegetable

Monday:
Dinner - Bag Dinner

Tues:
Dinner - Burritos & Rice w Peas

Wed:
Dinner - Pasta & Sauce

Thur:
Dinner - Chinese Chicken w Rice

Friday:
Dinner - Chicken Nuggets w Mac & Cheese

Sat:
Dinner - Tuna Noodle Casserole


That's all I have so far.  Hopefully I can come up with a few more so we can get thru another week.

Why didn't I do this when I was there?

I've been spending this afternoon reading up and studying to be a better couponer, Thanks cuckooforcoupondeals.com for all the help, and I found this! Why didn't I take advantage of this while I lived there?  You can bet I'll be looking for these while I'm there in October.

NO Beer Purchase Required Rebates:

Super-Cool Fact: Most beer rebates require you to purchase a certain amount of alcohol in addition to meat, soda, snacks, etc…   However, in some lucky states (AL, AR, CT, HI, KY, ME, MD, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OK, UT (yeah! that’s where Deidre is!) and WV) you are not required to purchase beer in order to get the rebate.  The law prohibits it.  Which means, you can buy the item – and NOT the alcohol – and get money back!

Saving Money Printing Coupons

Thanks to Cuckoo for Coupon Deals

1. Before you even start, I’d set your printer settings to draft quality.  This is black and white and so it won’t use your color ink, and will use minimal amounts of black and white ink.  All stores I know of that accept internet printables, accept them in color or black and white. Go to “Control Panel“, click “Printers“, then right click your printer and choose “Printing Preferences.” Here you can change the quality to fast draft or quick printing.
2. Saving Ink: Once you get those coupons printed, keep an eye out as they come out of the printer.  Sometimes there are large ads printed after the coupon.  Click on “cancel” and stop the printing – your coupon has already printed, no need to waste ink on the ad at the bottom.

Coupon Toutorial

Want Money for your Old Books?

http://www.cash4books.net/index.php?ref=165531

The Ultimate Schedule

Thanks to Cuckoo for Coupons

JANUARY - Historically, Quaker has hot deals on cereal/all items. We see Pepsi/Tostitos go on sale mid-January (again, rebates abound for these). Other items of note this time of year are chili, side dishes, anything for hearty/warm meals.
• Post-Holiday Sales
• White Sales
• Sports and Weight Loss Equipment
• Computers
• Winter Apparel and Accessories
· Organizers, Rubbermaid totes, shelf organizers, planners, filing cabinets

FEBRUARY – many of the same food items as January
• Electronics
• Floor Coverings
• Housewares
• Furniture
• Candy and Chocolates

MARCH - Frozen food month. You’ll find many stores are offering free freezers or fill-a-bag deals. Between March and April, look for spring cleaning deals, so many cleaner items will be on sale. With Easter, looks for eggs, ham, Kraft products to cycle into good sales. Paper products like towels, napkins, plates are starting to come on strong. Beverage items.
• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Winter Sports Equipment
• Gardening Supplies
• Luggage

APRIL – 

• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Coats and Hats
• Paint
• Wallpaper
• Jewish Foods and Eggs

MAY – get ready for summer! Here come loads of deals on BBQ sauce, frozen veggies, baked beans, and condiments of all kinds, summer-time meats (ribs, hotdogs, and ground beef). Also with all the holidays, look for tons of paper goods that match the holiday and pick them up after clearance. These deals generally continue through September!
• White Sale – Linens and Towels
• Spring Cleaning Supplies
• Auto Maintenance
• Home Maintenance
• Sodas & Bottled Water, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments, Paper & Plastic plates & cups
* Raid/Off bug repellents and sunscreens

JUNE – 
• Summer Apparel and Accessories
• Pianos
• Television Sets
• Building Materials and Hardware
• Dairy Products

JULY – 
• Air Conditioners
• Summer Sports Equipment
• Sportswear
• Craft Supplies
• Sodas, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments

AUGUST – 
• White Sale – Linen and Towels
• BBQ and Patio Equipment
• Back to School Supplies
• Bathing Suits
• Fresh Fish and Vegetables
• Breakfast foods (Cold cereal-Juice-Waffles-etc)
• Cold lunch items for in lunch boxes

SEPTEMBER – back to school; time to fill up on snacks! Pudding cups, Capri suns, fruit snacks, cereal sales start up hard again, peanut butter/jelly. Also, like clockwork, there will be Prego coupons in August, and plan on getting lots and using them in a hurry before they expire in September when the spaghetti sauce goes on sale. Sauce wars between Ragu and Prego this month. Campbell’s soups will go on as well and there will be coupons in the end of August for these as well. Lunchables are on sale this time of year, too.
• Back to School Supplies and Apparel
• Gardening Supplies
• Housewares
• Bicycles
• Canned Goods

OCTOBER - Stock up on holiday foods – Stove Top, turkey, instant mashed potatoes, broth, cranberries, marshmallow, ice cream, pie shells, whipped cream, pudding. Look for great Kraft deals again this time of year. Piggyback those Kraft coupons when you can. Crackers are a biggie – going on for $1 or less a box. Lots of extra deals like $ off cheese WYB crackers. The real kicker is the after Christmas food deals! Save your coupons because pie fixings, fried onion, broth and canned green beans will be on deep discount. I got those onions for .50 a can, normally almost $4. These generally continue through December.
• Cars
• Houses
• Fishing Equipment
• Crystal, Silver, and Glassware
• Candy
· Baking/candy-making items (choc chips, sprinkles, vanilla, corn syrup, nuts, etc)

NOVEMBER – 
• Winter Apparel and Accessories
• Quilts and Blankets
• Heating Devices
• Turkey, Sweet Potatoes
• Canned goods (soup, chicken broth, condensed milk, veggies etc)
• Baking goods

DECEMBER – 
• Toys
• Gift Items
• Party ware
• Post-Holiday Sales
• Party Foods, Baking Goods, and Various Meat
• Canned goods (broth, soups, etc)

Year-round: after a holiday, you can always pick up cheap cookie dough and any food related to a holiday.

Continual sales: candy, popcorn, chips, anything snacky, cereal (heavier in the fall/winter, but still around in the spring).

Produce: Cheapest when they are in-season  (see picture above).  You can stock up and can what you don’t use for later. I am new to canning but I have done strawberry freezer jam – its the easiest! I personally don’t can food as except this and Huckleberry jam… Wow just typing the word Huckleberry has my mouth watering!

Frozen food sales: seem to centralize on a brand and the switch brands the next month. I think the manufacturers buy slot time for sales. So last month, Stouffers was on sale hard, now lean cuisine is. Save the entire frozen coupon and then keep checking back for the brand of the month.

Frozen pizzas: go on sale in the fall and then again the spring; not often in the summer because people don’t want to turn their ovens on in the summer.

The Book for Couponing

Buy it here:  http://pickanothercheckoutlanehoney.com/

No Inserts this week

So I was organizing my page and adding some new links I've found and every blog I've been to has a post saying not to buy papers this weekend since there won't be any inserts.

I figured I would pass it on too.  I plan on spending my Sunday researching online coupons and trying to find some new sites.  No reason to waste the money printing them until I need them.  That's at least what I've come up, another effort to save money.

Want to Save even more?

Find store that double and even triple coupons in your area!

http://couponing.about.com/od/groceryzone/a/finddoublecouponstores.htm

Need to find your weekly sales?

Here is the link you need:  http://www.sundaysaver.com/

This site has every type of weekly flyer you could ever need.  No matter where you live you can find your store.

Couponing Terms

Thanks to Coupon Princess

• SS - Smart Source coupon insert, comes in the Sunday paper or the Edmond Weekly (on Saturdays)
• PG - Proctor and Gamble coupon insert, comes in the Sunday paper or the Edmond Weekly (on Saturdays) normally the first Sunday of the Month.
• RP - Red Plum coupon insert, comes in the Sunday paper or the Edmond Weekly (on Saturdays)
• BOGO - Buy one get one free
• WYB – when you buy
• OYNO - on your next order
• YMMV - Your mileage (manager) may vary
• OOP - out of pocket (real money you use to pay)
• ECB - Extra care bucks (CVS shopping term) use these on your future purchases like cash!
• RR - Register Rewards, (Walgreens money) use these on your future purchases like cash!
• CATALINA - Homeland, and other grocery stores little machine next to register that prints coupons out, some of them will be save money on your next purchase!
• BLINKIE - Coupons that your child likes to pull out of the machines at the grocery stores, these normally will not double!
• PEELIE - coupon found on products you buy
• TEAR PAD – pad of coupons that produt reps leave in store for you to buy there products!
• MIR - mail in rebate

Weekly Trip

So here was my plan for this weeks trip to Target & Safeway

Secret Deodorant (2), Mr Clean Magic Eraser - Twin Pack, Prilosec OTC, Cascade, Febreeze, Dawn Plus, Bounty Towels & Tide Powder

I had coupons for all of these items.  But like I mentioned in my previous post I don't really shop there so I don't know the prices.  I had estimated spending $23.17.

When I went to the store some of the items were really high so I changed it up.  I ended up doing two transactions only to go back and check out the food specials and use the rest of my gift cards.

Transaction 1:
Dawn $2.59 (C1: -.25 C2:-.50)
Cascade Powder $3.99 (C1: -.25)
Tide Stain Release $4.99 (C1: -3.00)
2 - Secret $3.99 (C2: -$1.50)

TOTAL: $15.57 (Saved $6.30)  Gift Card Balance: $9.43

Transaction 2:
Tyson Chicken Nuggets $6.98
2 - Frozen Potatoes $3.94
Frozen Burritos $3.19
2 - Frozen Dinners $7.38

TOTAL:  $22.51

Out of Pocket Cost:  $3.08

My plan was just to stock up on a few things they had coupons for and ground beef.

Heinz Ketchup $2.99 Store markdown $1.69 (C1: -.25)
2 - Hamburger Rolls $2.98 Store markdown $.77
2 - Drumstick Ice Cream $4.30 Store Sale 2/$6 (C1: -1 off 2)
18 ct Eggs - $2.69 Store Markdown $1.99
2 - Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs $3.79 Store Markdown $.99
4.5 lbs - Ground Beef $8.80 Store Markdown $5.01

TOTAL: $19.07  (Savings $15.47 - 46%)

OVERALL OUT OF POCKET COST:  $22. 15
OVERALL COST OF GOODS:  $72.62

Now Pete is very quick to tell me that it really isn't that big of a savings since I used the gift cards but that was free money in my opinion.

Unexpected Shopping

So last night I reviewed my coupons to see what would be expiring this weekend and got a list together.  This is the first time that I really tried to calculate everything, it was hard since I haven't shopped at Target  for food or anything else before.

I also went online and looked up the specials for the week.  I saw that Safeway was having some sales that could really help us.  Since for some reason the weekly flyer wasn't in the Sunday paper I was gonna have to rip them out at the store.

This morning before work I decided to check the Post Office again and there was a door open and another Target card for $10 was waiting for me.

Looks like it was shaping up to be a good trip.

First Card in the Mail

I got my first $25 card in the mail.  Two more to go.  I plan on getting a list together this weekend, Stay Tuned!

My trip Could have gone better

So I've been to the store and even though I found another coupon last night that would help my trip it was still higher than I estimated.  There was a little mess up that led to a trip back to the store so I could get some money back.

The total for my trip the first time was $37.81 with a savings of 43% totaling $27.73 - Not too shabby

When I went back I received a credit of $3.49

Overall Total:  Paid: $34.32  Savings: $31.22  Almost 50% Savings!

Breakdown:

Denver Post                      $2

Bread                                $.99

Eggs                                 $1 (Even though I didn't buy 10 I still got it for a dollar)

Butter                               $2.99

Colgate  (2)                      $1.76

Cheese (2)                        $3.76

Milk                                  $2.83

Bacon                               $2.99  (Credit for 3.49)

Frozen Veggies                $11.90

Cool Whip                        Included in Veggie Total

Biscuits                            $10

Tax:                                 $1.89                                 Coupons: $1.50

My Total:  $37.62          

A few mistakes I made:
My $1.00 off coupon was for Crest NOT Colgate
Fore some reason this mega event didn't work out the was it was supposed to.  Looks like I need to do some more research, since I thought you could mix and match items on specials.

I think I'm ready for my trip

So today I reviewed my list and checked online for new digital coupons that could help.  Good thing I did I found a dollar off coupon for the toothpaste I plan on buying.  Below is a breakdown of my plan.

2 - Colgate Toothpaste (4.6oz) On Sale for .88 = $1.76
Digital Coupon -1 off 2 larger than 4oz = -$1
1 - Bacon = $2.76
Free Bacon Coupon from Store = -$2.76
10 - Biscuits (10 for $10) = $10
8- Green Giant Frozen Vegetables on Sale for .99 if you buy 10 = $7.92
2 - Cool Whip on Sale for .89 if you buy 10 = $1.78
Save $5 if you buy 10 items = -$5
2 - Shredded Cheese on Sale 1.88 = $3.76
1 - Butter on Sale 2.99 = $2.99
1 - Eggs on Sale 10 for $10 = $1 (Not sure if this will work)
Sunday Paper = $2.00
Bread - $1.50
Milk - $3

SubTotal: $29.71
Tax: $3.47

TOTAL:  $33.18

Now I know that I said my weekly budget is $40 but this week it's been bumped down to $30.  Otherwise I would have had some cake/brownie mixes on there since I found out that City Market will accept competitor coupons.  Oh well, next time.

Change of Plans

So today is still really nasty.  It's been snowing for 3 days straight and I'm over it.  I've been watching the cars drive by on my road and it's slushy and slippery and did I mention it's still snowing.

I've decided that my $12 trip to Safeway just isn't worth the hassle.  Tomorrow is really the day I like to go out since I can get my paper at the same time and City Market is only a 10 minute drive.

I did take some time today to clean out and reorganize my freezer.  I have a lot more than I thought in there.  So we'll be able to make it thru this week with no problem.  Next weekend, hopefully all my gift cards will be here and I can make my Target run.

I do plan on taking some time to re-organize my coupons today but I'm still unsure of a good/cheap system.  I'll be doing more research to try and figure out the best way for me.

Setting a Budget

So Pete and I discussed and we set our weekly grocery budget for .......... $40

It's been a really long time since that's been our shopping budget.  And really that was only because it was hard enough to get a pay check out of the boss.

I'm going to try and get on a better schedule with shopping so it's only one day a week but this week it will be two trips.

Saturday - Safeway - Frisco:
I clipped a bunch of coupons last Sunday that are going to expire tomorrow so I'll be stocking up on Cake/Brownie Mix, Artisan Bread & Tissues

Saturday - Wal-Mart - Frisco:
I need more paper clips for my coupon filing system and this is the cheapest place around here (Why do we always end up in SUPER expensive places?)

Sunday - City Market - Breckenridge
There is a mini sale going on, Buy 10 participating frozen items and get $5 off - I'll be stocking up on frozen veggies and cool whip.  Colgate is on sale for .88 and since that's what we use I'll be grabbing a bunch of that too, plus I think I have a coupon.  The biggest score I think will be the Pillsbury Biscuits, 10/$10.  We use them for almost everything and I made "Monkey Bread" (Butter, Cinnamon, Sugar Pull apart Bread) that was amazing with it so I can't pass it up.  I'm a little nervous since I'm going to try and freeze it.  I read some forums and quite a few people said it worked for them, I'm just sure they don't live at 10,000 ft.

According to my calculations I'll be $3.41 over, not including my Sunday Paper, not too bad for the first week I'm really tracking and maybe my 3rd week couponing.  Fingers Crossed it stays that way at the store.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to beat my savings of last week, 31% but we'll try.

How to Save at Kroger

Finally I understand how to shop at my extremely expensive grocery store. Can't wait for the next mega event!

The Best Thing EVER!!!

So everyday I've been trying to find more and more ways to save money.  The most frustrating thing is not having the coupon I need when I need it.  Today my problem was solved.  I found an awesome site called Southern Savers, and they have a searchable database.  Perfect!  The link is below for anyone interested.

http://www.southernsavers.com/coupon-database/

They even have a section on learning to coupon so that's my focus for tonight.  I ordered $60 of Target reward cards (free from our debit cards), so I'm trying to figure out how to use my coupons and cards to get the most I can.

First Post of my New Blog

Welcome to my new blog.  I'm going to try and post all my couponing finds here.  If you want to read about my cooking/day to day and other funny stuff I see or find, Please check out my other blog Having Fun in Colorado.

Check back soon and Thanks for visiting 

-Crystal