Coupon Alert & Money Maker!

There are try me free COUPONS on the refill packages of Glade Scented Oil at most Walgreens. However, do not use them there.

Take them to Kroger, where until October 4th you will receive a $2 catalina for each one you purchase. MONEY MAKER!!!!

If you were ever wondering how I get free milk or meat, this is the key way to do so. $2 will easily buy a half gallon of milk on sale. It will also purchase small one-meal packages of meat.

So go out and stock up!

Freebies for Coupon Newbies

Any hard-core coupon queen knows about these coupons already, but I have had so many new visitors who might not know exactly where to look, I thought I would revisit a couple of CVS freebies. These printable coupons work on regular priced CVS goodies, so all you have to pay is applicable sales tax.

Johnson & Johnsons Buddies soap bars are something sweet for the kiddos. They are bars of watermelon scented soap, in a cloth-like wrapper, so no more great big wash clothes for little hands. This coupon is good for $1 off any one Johnson's Buddies products, including the bars of soap, which are only .99. CVS will price adjust it, so all you pay is tax. You can print two of these off of each computer.

CVS has a special size box of Malt O Meal cereal, which are only $1. My store had knock-off Honey Nut Cheerios and they were REALLY good. This coupon is for $1 off any one Malt O Meal cereal. There is no size restriction, so this coupon works on this box of cereal. All you pay is applicable tax. You can print two of these off of each computer.

These are deals that anyone with a computer can get in on. There is no Extra Buck Deals involved. Just walk in with your printed coupons, get your deals and that's it. Happy CVSing!

Whoa Nelly! A Walmart Deal???

If you read many couponing blogs, you already know this deal by now (so I understand if you don't wanna read on). A coupon deal is to be had at Walmart.

Yes, I said Walmart!

Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner, which is normally about $23, is on sale for $12 this week. There is a lovely $10 coupon that will make it only $2. TWO DOLLAHS! WOO HOO!!!

I haven't been excited about a Walmart coupon deal since last summer and the .33 a bottle Pantene deal.

I wonder if they have actually moved as many as they hoped to....because each store orders around 500 of a one time special buy, and I doubt each store actually moved that many. The sale paper says that it ends on Saturday. But if I were a betting chick, I would say that it lasts past then. I bought 6 today, and there was a huge display of them left. This was in my small area that has a boodle of coupon shoppers (about 30 -- no lie!) I am not an employee of Walmart, but I almost bet it will be a deal until they are sold down, because it would take them forevah to sell 500 or so at normal price.

And, yes, you will see those in my next batch of yard sale photos ;)

For more Frugal Fridays tips, see Crystal and the gang at Biblical Womanhood.

Shopping to Sell

To the unknowing person buying mass amounts of coupon purchases to resell for a profit may not seem very thrifty or even fair to other shoppers. So, I feel the need to do a little explaining.

I shop and resell to people who do not coupon shop. This way they can save money off normal retail price without the "work" of couponing. If they are truly interested in couponing to save even more, I will gladly teach them. Yes, I do try to buy the right things so that I can maximize profit, but I also so it with the mindset that I have to get the absolute best price so that I can pass on my savings.

Cleaning off a shelf is also something I try to avoid. I want to make sure that regular shoppers get in on the deals, too. So here are my rules for cleaning off shelves:
*As often as possible I order what I need from the manager, so I can get the amount I need and they will have enough for other shoppers, too.
*I try to hit the last day of the sale, that way others have all week to get in on the deals.
*Clearance is my exception; Retailers are trying to get rid of this merchandise, so I will buy all that is available. (If there is a lot left on the shelf, I often ask for an additional discount if I purchase all of it, and often receive it.)
*If I see someone else looking at the same item that I am, I will offer a coupon to them (if I have one).
*When there is a small amount left at the beginning of the week, I ask the manager/owner if they mind me to buy it all. I am often encouraged to do this, they generally know their customers and know whether or not they will sell it off or not.

My (extremely wonderful) CVS manager (who knows I resell) put it best when she said, "You buying it to sell to others essentially means they are buying it from me. I get paid, you get paid, everybody wins!"

I know people can save more money if they shop like I do, but some people would rather pay me a little to get them better deals. Some do not have the patience or passion to shop the deals. I am fortunate enough to see them once a month and help them save a little money along the way.

Yard Sale Saturday

Today was my monthly yard sale. I have written before about how I have these with coupon-bought items, but not really much description. Price it all and keep it in totes and bins, usually priced and ready to go at least a couple of days ahead of time. I use small stick-on tags from Wal-mart, they are the cheapest I have found. I mark the prices clearly, using a fine point Sharpie.

On yard sale morning, we load up everything and take it to town (because I would NEVER do well so far out in the country). I set up my yard sale in the parking lot of my husband's work (which is right next door to the Dollar General -- great captive audience).

I have found that butting the tables right up to the truck keeps people from roaming around behind the "counters", because I really like to keep people out so that I can move from person to person very easily. I use six tables -- two on each side and two in the middle. Keeping like items together, the labels of each item turn outward, just like they would on store shelves. I try to keep items in the same basic location from sale to sale, since I HATE it when stores move their aisles for no good reason -- I like knowing where things are, and I think my guests probably think the same.

I keep a large (repurposed) hamper full of shopping bags, which I beg from everyone I know -- it's ok, they are glad to be rid of them. I separate them and throw them all into the bin. When a customer picks up the first item, I sweetly say "Here's a bag, fill it up and we'll add ya all up at the end." They can put more into the bag than they can gather into their hands. If they fill up one bag, and are still browsing, I take it and put it into a crate "behind the counter", then give them another bag. Some guests fill up as many as 10 bags in one trip.

Great prices are the best point of it for my guests. I have a very loyal customer base, probably close to half of all people that come to my sales come each and every month. If I am uncertain how much to price something, I take a trip to Wal-Mart and compare prices. It is a rare occassion, but I have even gone up on things a little when other stores have. It means I can afford to pay a little more, which means I can be more liberal with my deals and still know that I can make a profit. Shoppers are still saving a great deal of money -- yet I can offer them more variety, since I do not have to merely depend on the "free deals" for their selections.

So it all boils down to three main things: Great prices (if they are not saving money buying with you, what's the point?), Location (the most traffic possible -- at a rent free location is best) and Great Service (how many times have you sworn off a store due to rude employees?). It is the basic fundamentals of any business, and if you can get the merchandise cheap and a location for free, the rest is up to you. Just be your lovely self and you, too, can learn to make a profit through shopping.

See What $25 Can Buy?

I know a lot of you are interested in my Grocery Challenge. This is what a trip to Walgreens and CVS with $25 can buy me. The Walgreens deal is AWESOME this week! I did it 10 times! The CVS deals were with rainchecks and with coupons, too.

It raised my total money spent, but it was well worth it. All this loot will go into this Saturday's yard sale, and it raised my totals up by 25%. I keep up with all of it in Excel, and it was so cool to see my totals go up so much for so little spent.

So this is my frugal tale for the week, for more Frugal Friday tips, scoot on over to see Crystal at Biblical Womanhood.

Sweet Deal

I found a great deal on Sweet Sue Chicken Breast (in a can!) yesterday at Save-A-Lot. It is .99 everyday and I had a bunch of .75/1 coupons. So that worked out to .24 a can for chicken. Not too bad! So I wondered what do you do with chicken in a can.......chicken salad, chicken casseroles, chicken soup. Hmmmm.....

Chicken w/Dressing Pie

• 1 box Stovetop Stuffing
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can chicken breast, drained
• 1/2 bag (more or less) frozen peas & carrots

In an oven proof pan, prepare your stuffing mix as directed on the box. Once it is done, put into a bowl. In the same pan, mix together soup and chicken breast. Heat until warm. Slowly add in peas and carrots, until they are all incorporated. Take off the eye. Carefully layer the stuffing on top of the cream mixture, forming a "crust" on top. Put under broiler in your oven until the stuffing is slightly browned, creating the crunch to the crust. (Just barely browned.) Rest for 5 minutes after removing from oven. Serve in bowls.

This is SOOO satisfying on a chilly day. It is almost instant comfort food, since the whole thing takes less than 15 mins.

For Kyle

What are OYNO deals, or ECBs & stockpile sales?Also in which state do you live (Cost of Living comparison), thou I am afraid once you answer I will be ashamed!
I am looking at my budget now and trying to drop it back down. We are a family of 5 on a $450 budget (recently increased from $400) We do have some medical issues (diabetes) that causes me to steer clear of pre-processed foods likes the boxed potatoes and I have to buy fruits & veggies until our garden and orchard start producing. Where do you get your coupons from?I have never seen a coupon for Bananas or lettuce, where is that from?
Please post again on your grocery shopping with more details on how you trim your budget.
Thanks
Kyle

Dear Kyle,

I'm going to do my best to answer your questions. If you still need help, feel free to ask! I will gladly tell you all I know. If ya need a little coaching privately, email me anytime.

OYNO deals are when a store has a promotion where if you buy certain products they will give you a coupon for money off your next order. Say if you buy Hillshire Farms sausage, you will get $2 OYNO (on your next order).
ECBs are essentially the same thing as OYNO deals, but they are exclusively at CVS. Walgreens has a similar system, and they call it Register Rewards.

I live in Tennessee, and I don't know how that compares to where you live, but tonight I bought a dozen eggs from a "discount" grocer for $1.89, so that might help you gauge your area to mine.

I did not start out with such a small budget, I worked my way down slowly. Building up a great big stockpile is the best way to be able to live on one deal until another one comes along. We have literally lived off our stockpile for months during tight times. It is very comforting.

I get many of my coupons from my little sister, who is a paper carrier, so I get her leftovers from her Sunday route. If I need something else, I go to my friend Angie at Ladybugscoupons. She has great prices and is a super sweet gal.

As for lettuce or produce coupons, Dole puts out coupons regularly for "salad in a sack" and you just find a good sale on one kind, or maybe even a bogo (make sure you use 2 coupons!) and you have (nearly) free lettuce. As for bananas, I buy them in a 50 lb. box and can them or freeze them for smoothies. They are oh-so-yummy. If we have a major hankering for them, I will just pick up a bunch when I find them on sale, because they are among the cheapest of fruits.

As for your diabetes problems, Glucerna puts out coupons often, so you might could use them to get some good deals on things your family could eat.

Just let me know if you have anymore questions. I hope this helps!

Grocery Challenge -- 2 1/2 months later...

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I would challenge myself to spending $1500 this year on my food budget. I have had lots of questions regarding my own rules and regulations about my little experiment.

Probably the most frequent question is what do I include in my food budget. I generally include anything that is a constantly renewed resource, other than clothing. This includes people food, pet food, cleaning products, paper goods, light bulbs, etc. Almost every thing I purchase is done with coupons. If it is not bought directly with coupons, it can be bought with overage, OYNO deals, or ECBs. Yes, occassionally, I have to buy things, just like every one else, without coupons.

With all that said, however, eating out is NOT included in my food budget. That money either comes from our fun money or entertainment budget. Going out to dinner is entertainment for us. Grabbing an occassional Happy Meal and heading to the park for a quick trip is fun for us. We do not eat out a ton, but we probably do eat out more often than some families. We try to aim for no more than once a week. We about one big family meal out a month (usually at our great local steakhouse).

Another thing that often comes up is if the money I make off stockpile sales will reduce my budget. No. Any money made from stockpile sales does not reduce the amount I have already spent. Currently, any money I profit from sales is going towards our upcoming family vacation. We have been looking forward to it all year, and that week at the beach will be a sweet reward for spending all those hours in the sun hocking my coupon gotten gains.

Other frequent questions include how I include fruits and veggies into our diets with such a limited budget. We are very blessed to be recipients of bounties from other people's gardens during the warm months. I use the skills that my mamma taught me all those hours canning, so that I can put up those wonderful gifts and we can have them all year long. I also get a great deal of canned and frozen goods for very cheap or free couponing. Although I realize that people argue that canned foods do not have the same nutritional value as fresh, we actually PREFER canned green beans to fresh ones. And frozen foods have almost the same nutrional value as their fresh counterparts that are cooked the same ways. I do still buy fruits, generally bananas, and lettuce (which can often be had for free with coupons), as well as tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. We do not use fresh potatoes, so the instant ones are perfect for us, since (of course) they are often free. But, yes, we do have plenty of fruits and veggies in our diets, just most of them come from free sources and are frozen or canned, so you will rarely see me gloating over a great coupon deal on them.

Sometimes people are afraid their questions may seem as critism, but I honestly don't take them that way. I am not ashamed of the way that I feed my family. I feel as if I do the absolute best I can with what I have. Well, maybe not absolute, because I am quite sure that I could do better, but I am learning more and more every day.

I still do not know if I will make my budget, since it is barely 2 1/2 months into the year, but I feel like I am still good so far. Hopefully, I will learn enough along the way that I can reduce my budget even further next year. I would love to see my budget fall to around $1000 a year. Right now, with rising prices, I am not sure if it is feasible, but I would love to see if I can make that goal one day. Even if I don't, to think that I once spent $500 a month, and now spend less than $150 a month, is proof enough to me that if I can do it, anyone can.

Got more questions? Let's hear them! I love to help others learn to save!

My Secret Coupon Source

I have never posted about a company. I don't do ads, either. This, however, is a little different.

In the past, some of you have asked me where I get my extra coupons. My dear friend Angie, who operates Lady Bug's Coupons, is a wonderful source for all of those coupons that you want more of, but just do not want to buy the entire paper. Another reason is that some coupons only come out in certain regions, and if you want better deals, you might need to get them outside your own region. For example, I only get .25/1 Charmin, she gets $1/1. Yep, it's worth the extra few cents to get coupons from her.

Not only is it a great source, she also has some of the best prices, and hands down the very best shipping prices I have ever used. She accepts Paypal, or other credit cards. She ships very fast, most times within the same day.

Being a coupon chick for quite some time, I have used a few other sites (there are only a handful of these). I highly recommend this source, Angie is the ONLY clipping service I use now. So, if you need more coupons, scoot on over to see Angie at http://www.ladybugscoupons.com/ and check out her deals.

This is NOT a paid advertisement. This site is being featured because I truly believe in the service she provides. I am not associated with this site or business.

Harris Teeter Triples Weekend!

Starting today through Saturday, many Harris Teeter stores will be tripling coupons up to .99. They will triple up to 20 per person per day, 4 like coupons only. (This means you can only use 4 of the same coupon and them be tripled.)

Have fun getting baskets full of free goodies!!!

Valentine's Shop Now

Want a cheap way to survive Valentine's Day? Look at all the Christmas goodies out now. They are as much as 90% off, and with the coupons out there for Russell Stover and Whitman's -- you can give some really good sweets, at a really sweet deal.
The best part is, when you take off the gift wrapping, it looks just like the normal kind! Oh...and use those pretty bows and Christmas loot on them to wrap with next year. Gotta love free stuffs!

Q&A Time!

Thanks for all of your questions from yesterday! Let's see if I can help you out a little.

Momala said...
Have you always shopped this way, or did it take you some time to develop your frugal shopping habits? The reason I'm asking is because I am working towards reducing our grocery spending atleast 30% in the next 4-5 months. Right now I am spending about $140 - $150 a week and I'd like to reduce it to around $100. We are a family of 6. I am already getting many things free at CVS, but I know I could do better.

I have used coupons on and off for about 10 years. I have always been a cheapskate when it comes to disposable items, and used generics for a long time. I got back into the coupon habit the last time about a year ago. This is the heaviest I have used them. I learn things really quickly -- I guess mainly because I have a BS in history, so I study things in a very detailed manner. I googled "coupon tips" to find a few websites and learned as much as I could. www.hotcouponworld.com is a great one. You can browse as long as you would like, wherever you would like without becoming a member. The best part is -- you can do it for free! I do not advocate The Grocery Game because you have to pay for the service, and I am just way too cheap to pay for it, lol.
I did not start out spending as little as I do. You really have to stockpile so that you are only getting items when they are free, which is called the "cherry-picking phase". Once you are in that phase, you are ONLY getting items when they are at the price you want to pay (which is free for me!) A large percentage of what I pay any given month is in taxes. Where I live you have to pay taxes on the BEFORE coupon price. I would venture that about 65% of what I pay is only tax. Stockpiling is the key to getting your budget lower. When you buy items that you use on a regular basis when they are dirt cheap/free, then you will not have to buy them the next month/week. Just stock up on sale and save the difference.
We also pretty much only eat what is on sale. It is a rare occassion that we eat something that isn't. So make your menus according to sales flyers. Look for the loss leaders, match up coupons to them and in no time you will see big savings!

Innocent Observer said...
I keep hearing about people getting things for free at pharmacies. Please enlighten me as to how this works!
Thank you!
Kerry

You get things free by using customer rewards programs. At CVS it is called Extra Care Bucks or ECBs for short. They spend like money at CVS. The wonderful part is that at CVS if something is "free after ECBs" you can use a coupon on that item to "make money".
Say Crest toothpaste is $2.99 and free after ECB this week. You have a BOGOF coupon and a .75/1 coupon. Use the .75/1 on the one you buy to get the other one free. Then use the bogo coupon. You will have spent $2.24, receive $5.98 back in ECB and have 2 tubes of toothpaste! BINGO -- a freebie!
Walgreens has a program called Register Rewards or RR for short. These are a little different -- if you buy $x amount of a certain product, you will get $x back. Example: Say you buy $15 in Dove product and you will get $5 back. Dove shampoo is on sale 2/$6. You have BOGO and $1.50/1. You would have to buy 5 to get the limit, but 6 is actually the better deal. You buy 6 bottles, use 3 $1.50/1 and 3 BOGO, spend $4.50 OOP (out of pocket) and get a $5 RR back. See -- more free stuff!
Another way is a BOGOF deal with a BOGOF coupon. Example: Kashi cereal is BOGOF and you have a BOGO coupon (or a Free Coupon). Use them with the deal, and you will get both boxes for free!
Yet, one more way to get into the mix is to look at coupon value versus price. If toothpaste is on sale for $1 and you have a $1/1 coupon -- you have free toothpaste!
There are a mutlitude of ways, but this is a way to get you started. If you need more help, I will be right here!

Anonymous said...
I have to ask here you acquire coupons, if it's mainly from newspapers how many do you buy/people save for you?
Lela

I buy on average 5-10 newspapers a week. I get one other copy from the lady I work with. If a coupon is REALLY hot, I will use a clipping service online, usually www.thecouponclippers.com. I tend to get one on Sunday, then the rest on Monday at Kroger for $1 (they sell the Sunday paper all week at a special rate).
Occassionally I will print one off the internet, but it is kinda rare for me to do that. I have also signed up with www.kashi.com , www.vocalpoint.com , and other places that will send me coupons for free products to try out on a regular basis.

Tessa said...
My question is about how you sell your extras. Who do you sell to and where do you sell?? :)

Wellllll.....one day I was at a friends house, and I had just made a GREAT score on TONS of free Olay Ribbons bodywash at Kroger. I wanted to give her one. So we went out to my trunk and her neighbor walked over. He asked "Are you selling that stuff?" I said, "Sure, I will sell you a bottle" then I did the math quickly in my head to see what I had paid and how much I could sell it for a make just a tiny bit of profit. I sold him $3.50 (walmart price) body wash for $1.50 a bottle. So he said "I will take all you have." Ummm....ok! So off just the body wash alone, it paid for my entire trip to Kroger! Then he asked "Do you have anything else to sell?" I replied I had tons at home, so I went back the next day. All the neighbors came out that time, and they referred me to friends and so on.
I also do yard sales. My DH works in a building that has a huge parking lot, and the owner loves it when people have yard sales there because it brings business into the store. So now during the warm months I have one about every 4 weeks, I have tons of regular customers that come every single time. I take out a block ad in the local newspaper -- same ad everytime, just different dates. I saw other people on Hot Coupon World doing it so I thought I would give it a try. My only cost is about $10 for the ad, and that's it. I do pretty well in my location, because right next door is a Dollar General (they don't mind -- they shop with me, too!)
Now, I just keep a good supply in my trunk, people know what I do and I can make an extra $10-$50 on any given day, just by being prepared and having the "store" already set up in my trunk.

Hope this helps all of you some. I will be glad to answer any more questions!

My Shopping Strategy

I have said it before and I will say it again -- I shop weird.

I only buy produce about once a month, in one trip where rarely any coupons are used. I am trying to incorporate more organics, and so I am taking a trip to a whole foods store today to see what they might have.

I also basically shop once a month for meats. There is a local chain that does 5 packs for $20 -- which can or cannot be a deal, depending on what you get. Included in that deal is a 8 lb. bag of popcorn chicken, so I typically do 5 of those about twice a year, that makes it about .50/lb. I have figured out how to use these in a bunch of different ways, so that we are not tired of them. Instead when we are on the last bag my girls all remind me, so that we will not run out. I find the best deal possible on ground beef, and usually buy marked down packs. If I am lucky enough to hit the mother lode and score several packs, I buy all I can find -- sometimes as low as .79/lb. I buy chicken quarters when I can find them around .50/lb and pick them off . Occasionally if there is a great deal somewhere, we will buy prepackages Salisbury steaks or something similar. I also like to keep frozen pizzas for the nights when we are just too tired to cook. Once in a great while I will find roasts or stew meat on markdown, so into my freezer they go too, for another night. I also tend to look at the rotisserie chicken, because I have found them to be cheaper than fresh chickens if they are really close to their time being up. You just have to watch every possible outlet, and never completely rule out any option.

As for everything else that comes out of our budget -- snacks, canned foods, oh-so-yummy processed foods, milk, cheese, bread, all paper products, health/beauty aids, OTC medicine -- I always say "whatever's free is best for me!" I am not brand loyal at all. I buy whatever is cheapest. You may have to join a coupon site to learn to trade, but there are coupons out there for almost anything you could ever need from the grocery store. There are coupons for free milk when you buy cereal, and you can use coupons to get the cereal to get the free milk. There are coupons out there for free bread when you buy lunch meat. I buy marked down lunch meat with coupons and get the bread for free.

Oddly enough, the bulk of what I buy never even makes it into the house. I did my figures the other night and I have sold WAY more than I have inside my house. To date -- since April -- I have sold over 500 bottles of Dawn dish liquid. Most of them were free to me, and cheaper through me than they were at Walmart. I am the same way with Venus razors, shampoo, and even some food items. I buy them cheap and resell them to help my customers save money, but I make some, too. I always make more in a month than I spend, usually double what I spend, depending on the month.

I do shop weird though. I have bought 20 jars of pasta sauce and limped along with .33 cent regular price pasta until I found it free, then I stocked up to the hilt on it. I have bought 200 cans of veggies in a week, but then I will not have to buy them again for a year (these were exclusively for my own family). I take a nod from stockbrokers -- buy low! I can see a deal and know without even a second thought as to whether or not it really is a good deal. You have to be careful though.

My best friend is just as much of a coupon enthusiast as I am. We shop together, coupon together, and we live very similar lives. However, a few weeks ago she asked me if .99 was a good price for a small jar of brand name jelly. I pointed out to her than you can buy a jar 3X the size at Save-A-Lot for the same price. "DUH" was her response. Sometimes you get that hot little coupon in your hand and you realize that you cannot always get the best deal by using it. An even cheaper option (what I do) is make it yourself. With a .99 can of frozen concentrate, water, sugar and some pectin, you can make about 6 jars for the price of 2 at Save-A-Lot. You just have to be very conscious of every little cent you spend.

Yes, there are times I have bought something special that I could have gotten cheaper another way. I only use kosher salt, not because of my religion, but because I like the tatse 100 times better than the 3/$1 cheap stuff in the round box. I give about $1.50 for it on sale, and it lasts a long time, tastes much better, takes less to flavor foods, so I buy that. I also purchase olive oil, which I almost never find a good deal with coupons. I buy big cans of it, making it a lot cheaper per ounce than the small bottles. Sure, corn oil is much cheaper, but then again the flavor and health values of olive oil is much better than any other oil. I keep a bottle that I get free here or there, but our cholesterol levels thank us greatly.

There is no hard and fast way to shopping how I do. It just takes work. If I took you shopping, you might say that you would never eat so many processed foods. If I get instant potatoes for free, but I have to pay for fresh ones, I will take instant, TYVM.

My only true rule of thumb is that there are things I always get for free before tax: shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toiletpaper, paper towels, kleenex, cosmetics, OTC medicines, cleaning products, laundry soap, snack foods, razors, shaving gel, etc. My list is too long to put into this blog, but I know what is always free, and so I buy up big and stick it in my stockpile.

There is no real way to answer each and every dilemma without some questions, so let's hear them! I will try my hardest to answer each and every question you have, or give advice if you need better insight as to how to save you money like I do. If you need to know something, ask away! I will be glad to help you learn to save!

My pantry

With all of the sites available on how to coupon -- there is not much need for me to explain how to do it all. However, I can tell you the things that I often buy and keep an eye out for. I will tell you that I shop wierd. I might buy 40 jars of pasta sauce today and then not buy pasta for 3 months. However, I have enough pasta left from last time I bought it that I have enough to get by on.
These are the things that I rarely find free, so I buy them at Save A Lot or Aldi:
Cream of whatever soups
canned mushrooms (often on sale at Walgreens for .39 though)
Canned Veggies - almost all kinds
Saltines

I look for sales on these items:
Milk
Eggs
Cheese

I go to the day-old bread store for these items:
Garlic bread
hamburger/hotdog buns
hoagie rolls
sandwich bread (if it is on sale for .25 a loaf)
**I will buy 3 months worth at a time and keep it in the freezer

For meats:
Sandwich meats are bought with coupons
Hotdogs, breakfast sausage are bought with coupons (mostly free)
Bacon -- I buy a 10 lb. box for $14.90 and break it down into bags for the freezer -- cheapest way I know and it lasts for months
Chicken -- other than whole chicken, the only way I buy chicken is leg quarters in 10 lb bags. (see below for "pickin chicken" method)
Shrimp -- I only buy when frozen bags are bogof
Turkey is only bought during the holidays -- with the great sales
Ham is just like turkey

Pickin Chicken
Buy the 10 lb. bag of chicken (usually on sale for .49/lb.)
Put in a stock pot and cook until done.
Pull out of the stock and let them cool
Put the broth (once cooled) into a clean gallon milk jug -- use it for up to a week!
Pick off the skin (discard or I feed it to my dogs -- they LOVE it), pick all the meat off the bones and lay it on a sheet pan. Slide it into the freezer, occassionally stirring it so it does not freeze into one big sheet. Once frozen, put into zip bags and use to add to soups and casseroles!

I will try and get up some of my pickin chicken recipes soon!

The Room is Complete!

Im sooo excited. I wander all over the internet drooling over the perfected filled stockpile shelves. I have a decent stockpile, but I just had it scattered all over the place. A few shelves here, some boxes there, my house looked more like a stockroom than a home. My DH decided to build a new room a few weeks ago. In that room he put 6 shelves, each 8 ft long. I'm soooo excited over the amount of storage I now have. There are a few holes left, but I thought I would share the pictures with you just the same. Silly as it is, my favorite part is the peg board for hanging bags, which is now filled with Chex Mix.

Please share your ideas for making the best use of the storage we have. I will take any advice I can get! Don't forget what you think is "simple". Since I was not born with the organizing gene, I don't really think even in the simpliest terms of it.

Walmart Woes

Ok, for the most part, I only go to Walmart when I have coupons that will either create overage or get me something for free. And since mine is pretty well trained by this point, I try my best not to go to Walmart in other towns. They just don't know how to take it when you hand them 200 coupons. Target? They are wonderful. CVS? I think I have a little love affair with them at this point. Walmart? Fagidaboudit.
So, I went to Walmart in the next town over during the weekend. Bad choice. I didn't really have that much stuff. I only had about 40 items or so. I chose to go to the garden center, because they were not busy, and the lines up front were stacked six deep. Another bad choice. I start putting my stuff up on the counter. She looks at me weird because I have only 3 different items, but lots of them. She rings them all up, then I hand her the coupons. She looks at the coupons, then looks at the product. She starts getting flustered because the coupons make the items free. "OH...you can't do this!" she said.
"Um....why not?" I asked
"Because we can't give you stuff for free," she snarkily replied.
"Yes, you can, because you have a coupon for the items," I explained.
So then she calls the Customer Service Desk. OK, I thought this desk was for CUSTOMERS not cashiers. The people working up there know about as much as she did. People in line were stacking up behind me quickly.
Another garden center worker walks up and says "Here let me have a coupon, so I can take it to a CSM to see what she says."
Then I tried to explain to the cashier that I do it at my Walmart all the time, and that it is what their policy says. She said "Do YOU work for Walmart?"
"No" I replied, and by this time I'm getting a little snippy. "I just use a lot of coupons, and I know the drill."
So then she starts reading the fine print, which is completely fine with me. I have no problems, since I know that the coupons are being used correctly. She said, "You did not get full size products."
"Yes, I know. The coupons do not exclude trials, which means it is acceptable," I replied. And then I snapped.
"Ya, know," I told her as I began to gather up my purse, "I don't have to do my business here. Just give me back my coupons and I will go elsewhere, without this hassle."
"But she still has your coupon! You can't leave yet," she replied.
"Sure I can, I have TONS of those, I don't need that coupon, if you can figure out how to use it, get yourself some soap." I replied and walked out.
I do not do business with stores who make it hard on me. There is no reason that I should spend my hard earned money, whether it be in coupons or in actual cash. I shop more than anyone I know, and I know what I am doing by this point in time. There are enough great deals out there to keep an honest person happy. I do not like being treated like I am cheating just because I know how to make it work out.
I am trying to do the best with what God blesses me with. However, I really don't think God intends for me to go through the 6th degree whenever I shop at a store like this. I realize that He puts obstacles in your path to teach you lessons in humility, patience and understanding. But, however, when someone just acts rude and incompetent, I just leave them standing there. I obviously have not yet gathered enough patience to deal with these kind of people. If I had just waited in line and been patient to begin with, I might have not had these problems.