So, you got a coupon for a BOGOFree (BOGO=Buy one get one) item...while this is a great deal in itself, if you wait a bit, you might be able to make this an excellent deal!
Using a BOGOFree coupon when that item is on sale for BOGOFree = 2 items for FREE!
Search those ads to find the best way to use your coupon! Or search Our Coupon Home ... we may have a deal posted for that coupon!
IT'S SUNDAY and it's coupon day!! Buy your newspapers and start clipping out those coupons!
There will be 2 inserts in the paper. Smartsource and Redplum.If you want to see what coupons are in the paper before buying you can check them out here and here. (coupons may vary by area)
Don't forget to get the ads out of the paper, as well. Make a list of items, for each store, that you think you may want to buy. You may find that another store has the same item, but for a cheaper price.
A lot of times the stores coincide their sales w/that weeks coupons, so be sure to match up the coupons. Check here to see if there any internet printable coupons that you might be able to use this week.
Got your lists, so go shopping! I advise to not shop on Sunday morning, you'll be hit with a mad rush of couponers wanting to get the deals immediately. This will be you in a few months, but not now ;).
Comment what deals you see ... I'd love to read them!
Did you see the ad for City Market? Probably not, but I did and I will be buying $10 worth of 73% (lean) hamburger meat. Why? Because it is only 99cents a lb! This is not my favorite percentage of Hamburger meat, but this will tide us over while I wait until 90% goes on sale again. And, whatever is leftover, I can mix w/the 90% and make some great meatloaf out of it!
What I'm getting at is when you see something on sale, that you know you use, stock up on it. Meat especially. Don't buy just 1 pack, get 4 or 5 or more of them. This is a big cost up-front, but in the long run, you will notice a savings.
my tip for today ;) ...
When you sign up at www.ourcouponhome.com you can go here to request a coupon neighbor. This neighbor will answer your questions and send you a FREE envelope of coupons to get you started. If you make a wishlist (coupons you would like to have), the neighbor will try and get you some of what you need.
Come on. Don't be shy. Get in there and post :)
xoxo
My friend, Marti, had great idea. She wants me to post a tip a day about how I save money by using coupons. Problem is, it's not that easy. I can, however, tell you my story, give a few starting tips and send you on your way to learn more.
Here's some background:
3 years ago, my friend Laura, kept telling me what great deals she was getting by using coupons. Much like I do to you all on Facebook. I just envied her and went on my way, not clipping coupons, not stockpiling, not getting those Sunday papers ... I mean, who has time for that? I was working full-time, had 3 kids, a husband, cats, laundry, dishes, supper ... ... I didn't have time to cut and file coupons.
It took Laura just about a year to finally get me into using the coupons. She was a great mentor and for her, I am thankful!
She got me hooked on my first 'coupon' board. I read and read and read some more. I asked question after question. I was up way past my bedtime, it was the only peaceful time I had. When it finally clicked, I was saving money. I was finally ahead on shampoo and body wash and paper towels. I finally realized what Laura was doing. SHE WAS SAVING MONEY AND LOTS OF IT!
As I'm sitting here, 2 years later, typing this, I'm looking back at how many boo boo's and blubbers I had when I first started. I was most definitely saving money, but I had those mistakes that would now make me cringe, maybe even cry. I'm not going to lie, using coupons isn't something that's fast, it does take time. But, the time is worth it.
Time for some tips now, eh? I'll start with baby steps, then you can grow on your own.
~Start with getting 2 Sunday newspapers every week. Clip the coupons for the items that you use. As time goes on, you'll 'learn' to use other brands and therefore will have more coupons. You may even find yourself buying Crest mouthwash, even though you don't use it, but it was only 25cents! (Helpful hint: put the like pages of coupons together, clip them both at the same time)
~Use small envelopes and label them and file the coupons accordingly:
Hair
Lotion
Deodorant
Shaving Needs
Dental
Baby
Food
Miscellaneous
~If you don't already have them, get saving cards for ALL of the grocery stores and drug stores around you. (Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart & Target do NOT have cards) Be prepared to shop at more than one store. I don't care if you don't like the color of Food Lion's floor, you WILL shop there if you can get toothpaste for free, right?
~Read the ads to every single store in your area. I'm sure you know what you 'normally' pay for lunch meat? Dog food? Here's the thing. You see 'it' on sale and it is $3 less, but wait, you have a coupon for $3 off, that is a savings of $6! Not only do you have 1 coupon, but because Kerri said to buy 2 papers, you have 2 of those coupons. You have now saved $12. You didn't just buy 2 of those items, you also bought time between buying that item again. And so begins the 'stockpiling'. If you were to buy 5 papers, you will have gotten 5 of those items, saved $30 (between sale price and coupon), and bought more time between purchasing that item again. Go ahead and figure in the cost of the newspapers, you still saved at least $20!
The paragraph above is very important. It is telling you in a nutshell how you end up saving money. You buy 2 or 3 or 4 of that item that is on sale with a coupon. At first, it will seem like you are spending a lot of money out of pocket, but after about 3 to 4 months, you will notice that you are buying less in one shopping trip because you bought certain items 2 weeks prior. You WILL start to realize that a particular item only goes on sale at a certain time of year, like ketchup (Memorial Day & Labor Day), and you will stock up then to have it on hand until the next sale. You'll realize that boneless chicken breast goes on sale every 4 weeks, so you'll stock up 4 weeks worth until the next sale.
~If you can't get away to shop by yourself, take your kids with you!! They will learn from a young age that momma won't buy that without a coupon! Seriously, they do learn from this and they can be helpful. They have tearpads (coupons located on a cardboard display case in the middle or end of the aisles) and blinkies (machines that have a blinking light and hang on the shelves by the products it is offering coupons for) and kids go NUTS finding and gathering the coupons.
~Sign up for a 'coupon/savings' board and ask questions, we LOVE questions! We love sharing our successes, the deals we find, the hell (or joy) of finding them. I'm not going to lie, I'm on my 3rd board. I have no doubt in my mind that this is my final stop. I will be there until they take me away and place me in a CA (coupons anonymous)home. These women/men are the most outstanding, reliable, understandable, most helpful, couponers, that I know! (My friend, Laura & my mom included!). I can't say enough about the women/men that are there. We are constantly seeking deals, posting about them, deciphering them, talking about them all the while we are still learning more. So, without further adieu, we are at:
www.ourcouponhome.com ... ... When you get there, introduce yourself and don't be shy!
2 years into this adventure:
~I am spending only $300 a month in groceries on a family of 5. I'm trying hard to get that even less, but compared to the $600 I WAS spending, I'm happy.
~I have a basket full of free band-aids, a bathroom cupboard full of FREE deodorant, a shelf full of dishwasher detergent that I spent no more that $1.50 on each, and a laundry room with at least 10 ALL detergents that I got for 50cents each.
~I've conquered 3 cities with using coupons. Chambersburg (PA), Hagerstown (MD) (since that is where I worked), and now where I live in Colorado. My toughest stores yet are here in Colorado.
~I have started a 'gift' closet. What is this? I've been buying toys that have gone on clearance to use as birthday gifts (my kids or others) and/or Christmas gifts. This is easy to do for younger kids, it's Jake's age that is hard to buy cheaply for!
~I spend a ton of time on the computer, searching and reading deals ... I've found a hobby of sorts and I enjoy it thoroughly.
~I still have a lot to learn.
I think I've rattled enough for tonight, but I do have one more thing that I want you to keep in mind. Coupons are LEGAL, you will not go to jail for saving money!
I'm still trying to figure out the reason.
~Is it so I could be a stay-at-home-mom? If so, that isn't going so well, I think I'm going a bit insane, no wait, I KNOW I'm going insane.
~To get a dog? Yeah, right, we moved to Colorado to get a dog because there are no dogs in PA.
~To be with Frank? This would be my first answer, but then I wonder what the reason was for him to be promoted and transferred.
Anyone?
to the most glorious couponing/deal website yet? Well, hurry up and get your butt there...I know you want to save money this year :)
~Drink MORE water!
~Smaller portion sizes!
~Vigorous (LOL) activity for at least 20 minutes a day!
~Smoke less!
weight loss. Just like everyone else, right? LOL I did so well last year for the 4 weeks (or was it 6 weeks?) that I was on the diet that I could kick myself for falling off the wagon! Here is my day today:
Breakfast:
2 pieces wheat toast w/very little butter
10 pots of black coffee (4 cups really...needed 10 pots though!)
1 Glass Water
Wii Fit - 20 mins
Mid Morning:
1 clementine
Lunch:
Subway 6inch on wheat - Ham w/tons of veggies, vinegar only
unsweet tea
Ana and I walked to lunch
Mid-afternoon snack:
7 nacho chips w/picco de gallo
After typing this out, I noticed I need to work on my water intact even if it is just unsweet tea.
Dinner:
Cooking chicken stir-fry w/veggies and rice.
through Christmas w/out to many emotions ...
What saved me from a break down was my brother-in-law and sister-in-law inviting us up to Denver for Christmas dinner! I did, however, have a little breakdown on the drive there ... you see, I was supposed to be going to my parents house.
We had fun ... even had a lot of snow there.
The kids made out w/their gifts, like the spoiled kids they are. My parents did well w/sending gifts, for me too. My favorite, like any other year, is stocking gifts, which my mom sent to me in a purse. I had everything I needed (except for my mom/dad/sister) on Christmas.
like Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day!
Let's start with Thanksgiving ... We had a pretty quiet day. First one in the 16 years that Frank and I have been together. It was just us. I cooked an awesome meal (if I do say so myself) ... 
After lunch we lazed around all day. This holiday wasn't to bad to get through w/out the family, although I'd rather of been with them.
I was thankful that my parents were in Florida w/my sister and my in-laws had a lot of their kids/kids-in-laws there with them.
you brought with you a lot of memories! Go ahead and laugh ... I'll wait.
This is the first EVER Christmas away from my Mom and Dad and Sister. Wow. Unimaginable to me. 29 (+ a few years, I'm 29 forever!) years of Christmas' together ...
I'm Desperately Seeking Holiday Spirit. And what better way to get in the 'spirit' than to get a Christmas tree and decorate it w/the kids?
So, we go over the Arkansas river and up through the mountain valley out of our little town of Florence ... into the next town over to find a tree.
And a tree we found at a grocery store LOL ...
I do have to admit, it is a beautiful tree and smells very nice. It's actually one of the best trees we've had (since we've been married) and only $29.95! On the roof it goes w/some tie downs and we are set!
Frank had to drag Koda over to the tree...all he wanted to do was hide behind me (yeh, I protect him instead of he protecting me) and bark at it.
Frank did a great job at trimming the tree at the bottom, in fact, some of you will recognize the saw he used. Memory #1 ... ... growing up our family went with another family to the Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our own tree. I can't tell you how many years, but it was over 20 years that we did this. Even when I was married and had kids we did this. In fact, Frank somehow came home one year w/the Christmas Tree Farm's saw.
We tried to make Koda into a wreath, but he didn't want to take part in it.
In comes the tree and up goes the lights. No problem finding the lights what-so-ever. They were in the Christmas tote. Huge problem finding the stockings, tree skirt, and the 2 shoe boxes of ornaments. While moving, the packers packed them up for us, in about 4 or 5 different boxes all labeled "attic / toys" ... ... After searching about a dozen different boxes, we found them, thankfully.
Of course, the cat, Hayden, had to check it all out. The same cat that knocked our tree down last year. I have to watch him closely!
On with the decorating ... My favorite part of decorating is looking through the ornaments. (enter memories 2 to whatever) All of them have a meaning or story to them. They might be handmade by the kids or bought by my family or friends. Some are 25+ years old.
Pulling some of these ornaments out made me smile ... all those family and extended family members that bought me ornaments (and decorations) helped me get through this tough day.
From my Aunt, this ornament is 18 years old:
From my extended family, the ones that we went w/to the Christmas Tree Farm:
From my sister, she brought this back from Hawaii:
and from my mom and dad, one of my favorite ornaments, a black Santa
Our tree is loaded with memories for me. I pulled out ornaments and decorations from my in-laws, my grandmother, my Aunts and Uncles...my parents and my sister and my extended family.
When all is said and done...this was a good day. I brought with me my family, in-laws, extended family, and friends. They are here with us, they just live on my tree.
to do what I do best ... SPEND MONEY! However, I would never spend money with out a deal involved.
Today we woke up to more snow, not much, but enough. To think that Saturday was in the 50's and today is in the teen's!
I grab my partner in crime:
and bundle her up...
13 degrees isn't too bad, right? WRONG! It's freakin COLD! But nothing will stop me from shopping deals.
My van was slip sliding away, I'm from PA, I can dive in this mess! As we were heading out of my ack bassward town, I had to take a picture just to show how beautiful it is here:
We only had 2 stores to go to. Walgreen's being the first. I was armed and ready w/my list. First stop, pharmacy. I transferred a prescription to them and got a $25 check from them to use on a future purchase (not to be used on prescriptions)...heck, I'll transfer to them for FREE money!
At Walgreen's I got:
3 ALL Laundry Detergent HE
2 Snuggle Laundry Fabric Softener
2 boxes Kleenex brand tissues
2 Skippy Peanut Butter
1 LARGE container French Roast Maxwell House
5 boxes Triscuits
1 Walgreens brand startch
Total: $73.xx
After sale prices and coupons and the $25 gift card, I spent: $2.xx
As we were leaving Walgreen's, the bell ringer said "HAPPY HOLIDAYS, ladies" ... I know, they are supposed to do this, but it's rare I hear Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas...Happy Holidays IMO is what I should hear, as not everyone celebrates Christmas. So, we gave him some money. And really, at 13 degrees, he deserved something for ringing that bell!
Next stop was City Market (AKA King Soopers ... AKA Kroger):
I got:
4 cans Dole Pineapple Rings
8 cans Dole Mandarin Oranges
2 lbs Ground Turkey
5 I Can't Believe it's not butter Butter
4 4pks Hunt's Pudding
5 lbs Clementines
1 candy bar, for my partner in crime
Total: $50.xx
After sale prices and coupons, I spent: $28.xx
I got all of this for $30!! Now tell me that coupons don't save money? Tell me that coupons are for JUNK only. HA!
My partner in crime was absolutely wonderful today ...
even in the cold!
Here is a picture driving back to our ack bassward town ... it might be backward and slow w/the times, but it sure is gorgeous.
I didn't want to miss out Dad's pickled eggs, he makes them every Thanksgiving, so I pulled out the recipe he gave me and got to work!
3 Cans Red Beats 1 1/2 Cups white vinegar 3 tbsp Salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 tbsp Pickling Spices 1 Large onion (Sliced into rings) 18 eggs (Hardboiled and peeled) In medium size sauce pan mix red beat juice, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pickling spices. Heat to a boil. In large jar put in onions, then beats, then eggs. When sauce boils, pour over top of onions, beats, eggs...let sit for 2 hours, then refrigerate. Best to let sit/soak in fridge for 1 to 2 days ...
I can NOT wait to taste them! I hope they taste like Dad's! Here were my steps today ...
Step 1: Pull out badly written recipe - from my newly made recipe binder. Use Morse code to figure out and wonder to self who Karen Shumate is ~ my dad's name is William. Snip. Pull. Tug. Begin.
Step 2: Remove rather large dog from kitchen so I can walk back and forth from counter to counter. Open w/can opener. Pour. Measure. Stir.
Step 3: Scream at kids AND dog to get out of the kitchen. Use sauce pan big enough so you do not have to wipe off pink splatter marks for the next 4 weeks. Mix. Boil.
Step 4: Screw it and mix all together - I'm sure it will turn out in the end. Throw pans in sink. Wash hands. Wipe pink splatter from face. Pick up hair balls that pulled out of dog when stepped on. Call in kids to apologize for the wicked witch that yelled at them over something they won't even eat. Sit and wait.
on November 23rd, Black Friday to be exact, my little BooBoo was born! Happy Birthday, Kristopher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Approximately 8 months old...
1 1/2 years old
First day of Kindergarten, age 5
First year of soccer, age 5
Kris now ...
I know many of my readers have babies and/or are going to have a baby ...well, here is a deal that even if you aren't a 'couponer' you can do :)
Please note, limit is 3 per customer (have a friend? Take them!) ... valid on Black Friday only from 12am to 1pm!
Buy 2 Fisher Price Happy Days Diapers at $5 per 23 to 50-count package
(limit 3, must buy at least 2 to get this price--available from 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Black Friday)
Use 2 $2/1 coupons here
$3 per package after coupons
That is a great deal on diapers!
My pride and joy shoes are Sketchers flip flops. I have a 'collection' of 5 (now 4) pairs and wear them all the time. I found these latest ones for under $8 shipped ...
I was taking pictures of the kids today in the snow, while wearing my flip flops, and had to take my shoes off before coming in...I left them on the porch.
I take the dog out to pee and find this:
He's lucky these were cheap ... not to mention lucky he is cute.
So, my puppy now has a name brand chew toy.
Here are 2 wonderful freebies! I had to share :) Thanks goes to moneysavingmom!
Free photo ornament:
Here's how to get a free custom photo Christmas ornament:
::Go here and login in or sign up. Then click on "Photo Gifts" and then on "Ornaments".
::Choose between the two ornaments which are $12.99 and create your custom photo ornament. Only the $12.99 ornaments work for this promo code so be sure that is the price of what you add to your cart otherwise it won't work.
::Go to checkout and use promo code mallornament and it should take your total down to $0.00.
::Checkout paying nothing for your free ornament!
If you place a separate order you can get 50 FREE photo cards:
Order 50 4x8 photo cards. Once you put them in the cart, use the code newbaby at checkout and you should get the cards for free--including free shipping! You must create an account to use the code.
Have fun!
I really do not like Walmart...never have, but here in Colorado, I have very little choice of where I can shop. At least the cashiers are friendly, unlike in my 'old' hometown!
I decided to make a list of the deals at Walmart that I found by reading a mass of blogs. I pulled out all the coupons I needed for the trip and set out w/4 kids (1 extra) in tow. Oh, now, give me a break, it was a rainy day, I knew the kids needed something to do! ;)
I purchased a total of 54 items ... the total before coupons was: $73.00 ... after all my coupons were deducted, I paid: $41.00. That averages to about .76 cents per item. I'll list the items, if you want to know what coupons I used, let me know and I'll tell 
Or, come visit at www.ourcouponhome.com for the Walmart forum, and find them.
The price is pre-coupon price...
Milk - $2.27 (no coupon)
Bread - $1.38 (no coupon)
Lunch Meat (Hillshire Farm) - $3.00 (No coupon)
2 Spaghetti O's - .88 (no coupon)
4 pks - Great Value Noodles - $1.00 (no coupon)
4 pks McCormick Brown Gravy - .50
2 Welch's Sparkling Juice - $2.97
1 Honey Bunch's of Oats - $2.50
2 Reach Floss - $1.12
2 Frozen Healthy Choice Dinners - $1.88 & 2.00
3 Danimals Crush cups - $2.12
6 pouches Starkist tuna - $1.00
2 Starkist tuna to go kits - $1.67
10 pks Kotex Lightday pads (20 ct) - $1.00
1 Axe Trial body wash - $.97 (no coupon)
1 Bod Spray - $.97 (no coupon)
1 Hot wheels car - $.97 (no coupon)
2 McCormick Taco Seasoning - .50 (no coupon)
1 Boys T-shirt - $1.00 (no coupon)
1 Boys Shorts - $1.00 (no coupon)
2 Halloween Chip's Ahoy - $1.50 (no coupon)
1 Great Value Chips - $1.75 (no coupon)
1 Great Value Cheetos - $1.38 (no coupon)
2 Frozen Mac/Cheese Meals - $1.08 (no coupon)
For the record, the kids were rewarded for their time ... we went to the duck pond to feed the ducks...on this cold rainy day :)
Our first house guests, my sister and nieces, came to visit over Halloween weekend ... I was overly due for seeing some people I knew, but anxious about my first ever house guests! I found things to clean that I don't think I've ever cleaned before ...
Much to our surprise Denver, where they were flying into, had a major snowstorm. In OCTOBER who would have thought this would happen? Kristi and I searched the web about the storm and roads and finally she made a decision to just go ahead with it and come. I had a 2 hour drive to the airport and I was going to get there no matter what! Thankfully, I took Frank's car for the 4wd ... which I had to use on a major highway in Denver! My van would never have made it ( I would have walked to get there if I had to). After 4 hours (3 driving and 1 sitting in traffic due to an accident) I made it to the airport and received the hugs I so desperately needed!
Being they are from Florida, I think they were a bit cold when we got outside...but my nieces loved seeing the snow! We only got about 2 inches in my town, so they were a bit dissappointed, but they did find some to build a leafy snowman:
(Sasha and Kristopher, cousins)
As the weekend went on, the weather warmed up, not near what they are used to, but enough to enjoy being outside ...
Halloween was a mess of costumes and candy ... and a load of fun for the kids. The girls all dressed as Cowgirls and looked just gorgeous!
My boys, well, they are boys ~ I think I can call them gorgeous as well!?
I have to admit, Colorado is just gorgeous! I was so excited to show my sister all the mountains! We even went to visit Royal Gorge and flew on a Skycoaster 1300ft up over it...yes, Jakob, my sister and I flew over the Gorge!
What a thrill!! I calmly FORCED myself to do it! After having a near freak out on the bridge that goes over the Gorge, I can't believe I did it ... but glad I did!
The visit was awesome ... Koda, the dog, barked at my sister for 3 days and my niece for 4 days, but other than that, I had a blast and can't wait for them to come again!!
