Our weekly preparations

Amy, at Homestead Revival, has a weekly preparedness challenge for her readers. Each Saturday she blogs about the preparations she has made for her family's future. This could be canning, learning something new, stocking up on supplies, purchasing tools and equipment - the list goes on and on. I have learned so much from her and her readers, that I've decided it's time to jump on the wagon myself.

Last week, I was blessed to be given 3 large containers of pears from a friend. I made 9 pints of pear preserves - 3 regular, 3 with cinnamon, and 3 with fresh mint. I also have 4 gallons of juice waiting for jelly. I made one batch of jelly, but it didn't set...not sure what was up with that!

I, finally, was able to get back into the coupon routine. Summer makes it difficult to keep them organized, or to do much shopping. While I didn't do any major shopping, I was able to go to a few stores and pick up some really good deals!

• Walgreen's - 10 jars of Planters Peanut Butter - $7.50
• CVS - 2 toothbrushes, 5 bottles of Dawn Dish Liquid - $2.00
• Kroger - 4 Febreeze Air Fresheners (just because I love them), 2 bottles Herbal Essence Shampoo - $1.45
• Wal-Mart - 10 3-packs Cascade Dishwasher Gel Tabs - FREE

Not bad for $10.95! 

My oldest daughter and I went to a "Wild Edibles" class at one of the State Parks in the area last weekend. The class itself was rather disappointing. I was hoping to learn a lot more than I did. The instructor covered very basic things such as kudzu, dandelions, wild berries, etc. I did learn how to identify wild ginger which was fun!  I also picked up a couple of books that should be very helpful.

• Peterson Field Guide - Edible Wild Plants
• Peterson Field Guide - Medicinal Plants and Herbs

Yesterday, I ordered a cast iron waffle iron from Lehman's. It's their September sales item, and the cost was $14.99.  This is great for camping and will be a much welcomed addition to our preparation equipment. 

We are still working on building a new chicken coop for the new ladies. It's almost finished! Mark also started putting in the post for the fencing that will contain our goats! I can't wait! 

How are you preparing?

This post is linked up with http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2011/09/preparedness-challenge-24.html

Coupons - Shopping with

The key to successfully shopping with coupons can be stated in one simple sentence:

                         "ONLY BUY ON SALE AND ALWAYS USE COUPONS."

As I stated in an earlier post, I used to plan my menu and shopping list, then I would pull the coupons according to my list. I would save $5-6 each trip, but found that it wasn't worth the time or effort involved. After a few short weeks, I would give up, only to attempt couponing again several months later. Same story, different day!

While talking with a friend at a homeschool class one evening, she began to talk about how much she was saving using coupons. I will admit, when she first began explaining it, I was not very receptive. I had been there/done that, and I just wasn't up to attempting it again. Somewhere in the conversation, probably about the time she pulled out her last grocery receipt, I realized that using coupons could work for me! That was the day my grocery shopping changed forever.

Meats seldom have coupons available, so purchase meats when they go on sale and place in the freezer. Soon you will not have to worry about what to cook for dinner, because your freezer will be full, and purchased at the best price possible! Remember the #1 rule...ONLY buy when it is on sale. The same applies even if you do not have coupons for the item.

In case you are still skeptical, let me give you an example from one item that was on sale at Publix recently.


Kellogg's Cereal 12-18 oz, Buy One Get One Free $4.09 ($2.04)
note: The $4.09 is the regular price - The $2.04 is the sale price per box

Coupons available:  $1.00/1 manufacturer's coupon
                                    $1.00/1 competitor's coupon

Since Publix allows you to stack a competitor's coupon with a manufacturer's coupon, you will spend $.04/box for cereal!  Because the regular price is $4.09 per box and you are paying $.04 per box, you have just saved $4.05 for cereal. Multiply that savings by the number of coupons you use, and you can see how much money you can save.

While the savings are not always this great, you will find that by buying on sale and using coupons, you will save 60%-80% on your weekly grocery bill. Although not many, there have been a few times that Publix has paid me to buy groceries! It doesn't get any better than that!

Let me say at this point.... if you are a totally organic, no processed foods, type person, then you will not save as much as others do. You will, however, be able to save on cleaning supplies, personal care items, paper products, etc. We are getting away from processed foods ourselves, but that is another subject.

One other thing that you need to remember... When buying items with coupons, you need to buy enough to last you for 2-3 months. That's how often the sales re-cycle. You want to purchase enough while it is on sale, so that you don't have to pay full price for it a couple of weeks down the road. I will discuss storage/stockpiling on a later post.

I can see that a post on menu planning is in order, too. Until then.....

Happy Savings!

Coupons - Store Policies

Since every town has different stores, it would be impossible for me to list all of them for you. You can, however, check their websites or talk with their customer service managers. For now, I will list some of the stores in our town.

Publix
Doubles coupons up to $.50
Accepts competitor's coupons (store manager decides which competitors are allowed).
Allows stacking (using a competitor's coupon or store coupon along with a manufacturer's).
Buy One Get One sale items are charged at 1/2 price, so you can use a coupon for EACH item, or buy only one item at half price.
Does not price match (match the sales price of other stores in the area).
Accepts an unlimited amount of computer printed coupons from legitimate websites.

Kroger
Doubles coupons up to $.50
Does not accept competitor's coupons
Allows stacking ONLY if it is a Kroger coupon and a manufacturer's coupon
Buy One Get One sale items are charged at 1/2 price, so you can use a coupon for EACH item, or buy only one item at half price.
Does not price match (match the sales price of other stores in the area).
Accepts only TWO computer printed coupons per shopping visit.

Ingles
Doubles 3 coupons for each $10 spent in groceries. Doubles coupons up to $.50
Does not accept competitor's coupons
Does not allow stacking
Buy One Get One sale items are charged at 1/2 price, so you can use a coupon for EACH item, or buy only one item at half price.
Does not price match (match the sales price of other stores in the area).
Each store's policy on computer printed coupons varies, so check with your store.

Wal-Mart
Does NOT double any coupons
Does not accept competitor's coupons
Does not allow stacking
Buy One Get One sale items - The first rings up full price, the second rings up free, so you must get both in order to get the sale price
Does price match with competitors for the exact product AND you must bring the sales flyer with you showing the price.
Will not take any coupons for "FREE" products.
Each store's policy on computer printed coupons varies, so check with your store. (Mine gives me a hard time about computer printed coupons.)

Coupons - Organizing

There are three primary ways you can organize your coupons.  I have tried all three ways and have found pros and cons with each. 

File folders - Write the date of the newspaper on the outside cover of the insert. If you have more than one insert from the same source, clip them together with a paper clip. Place into a file folder labeled for the specific source, i.e. RedPlum (RP), SmartSource (SS), P&G (PG), other.

• This method requires the least amount of time to maintain and works well if you use an online service that matches coupons with sales items for you. One site that is very good is Southern Savers. She lists not only several grocery stores, but drug stores as well. (That, however, is another post.) You can print your grocery list from Southern Savers with the coupon match-ups. Each coupon is listed with the source and date. Simply pull the correct insert and cut the coupons you need. BTW, Southern Savers is FREE!
• What I don't like about this method is that you can't take your folders with you. There are always sale items that are unadvertised and you may just miss out on that "gotta have" brownie mix!

Accordion folder (small) - With this system, you label each section of the folder by category. Some examples of categories could be baking, dairy, meat, canned goods, paper, etc. Use those that fit your shopping needs.  Each coupon is then cut and placed behind the proper category.

• This requires more time than the file folder method, but allows you to carry all of your coupons with you.
• If you save a lot of coupons, this system becomes a problem simply because of the quantity of coupons you will have.  It is almost impossible to keep all of the same coupons together, causing you to go through each coupon to insure you have all of them when you head to the store.  Also, if you are trying to find a coupon while at the store, it becomes a juggling act that can become quite the disaster. Ask me how I know :)

Binder with baseball card inserts - This system is also set up by categories with baseball card inserts behind each section. Cut your coupons, group all like coupons together, and place them in one of the slots behind the correct category.

• This is the most time consuming method, but in my opinion, is worth the extra effort.  I spend 2-3 hours per week keeping my binder updated.
• The binder can be carried with you to the store and coupons can be found quickly when needed.

What system do you use?

Coupons - Sources

There are many sources for coupons, but the best source is the Sunday paper.  The coupon inserts will vary depending on where you live. We live in the Atlanta area, so we have access to the AJC, which has some of the best inserts in the southeast. The larger the city, the better the inserts.  You may also be able to purchase the newspapers in "bundles".  This will be two papers banded together, costing a lot less than the purchase of two single papers.  The AJC bundles cost $3.00, while the single papers cost $2.50 each.  For our family, I purchase two bundles, for a total of four papers per week.  The coupon inserts will be from RedPlum and/or SmartSource, and once a month you will receive an insert from P & G.  You may also find inserts from specific stores that can be "stacked" with manufacturers coupons for additional savings. (More on stacking in a later post.)

Many coupons can be printed online.  Coupons.com is an excellent source for printable coupons.  RedPlum, and SmartSource, have printable sites as well.  You will need to download a coupon printer in order to print the coupons. This is a free download which you will be prompted to download when you first print a coupon.  By default, you can only print two coupons per item, per computer.  I only print coupons from these sites and directly from the manufacturer's site.  There are many fraudulent coupons floating around on the internet, so please be very careful. 

"Blinkies" are the little machines that you see on grocery store aisles that give you coupons.  Usually, the product will not be on sale at the time, but grab your coupons anyway for future sale items. 

Store coupon booklets can often be found on the turnstiles in the front of the store, or check with the customer service desk to see if there are any available.  Our Publix store keeps them at the customer service desk, or occasionally, you will find them on a display scattered throughout the store.

Magazines will have a few coupons, but I have found that it is not worth the cost of the magazine to get them.  The exception to that rule is the "ALL YOU" magazine found only at Wal-Mart.  It is full of coupons and you will be able to recoup the cost of the magazine by the money you will save from the coupons. 

Train yourself to always be on the look-out for coupons.  You might also talk with friends and family members to see if they will save their coupons for you, especially if they do not use the coupons from the newspaper.  If several of your friends use coupons, consider a system whereby you can swap coupons among yourselves. 

Happy savings!

Couponing 101

Hello friends!

After many past attempts, I have finally mastered the art of couponing! (Well, maybe not mastered, but I'm on my way.) I was talking to another homeschool mom a couple of months ago and she was so excited about couponing! I had clipped coupons in the past, pulled a few when I went to the store, and soon became frustrated because the amount of money I was saving didn't seem to be worth the effort I was putting into it. Finally...finally! I understand the concept of how couponing works and I am saving lots! Thanks, Lisa! So, for all of you out there who have felt the same way, let me assure you it is worth the effort when you understand the principles.

There are many of you who have years of experience doing this, so please comment away with all your tips and strategies.

BASIC INFORMATION REGARDING COUPONS
1. Sales cycles repeat every 6-8 weeks. If you missed that wonderful sale on cleaning supplies this week, don't fret! It will be back soon!

2. Many stores will double coupons with a value of $.50 or less.

3. Some stores will accept competitor's coupons.

4. When a store accepts competitor's coupons, stack these with other coupons for additional savings. (i.e. store sale, store coupon, competitor's coupon, manufacturer's coupon.) Often times, you will get the product for FREE or even make a profit on it!

5. Buy items when they are on sale and use your coupons. (Information on stockpiling to come on later post.) This is the key to successful couponing.  If you only purchase when an item is on sale and use coupons with the purchase, you will save from 50% - 100% on your grocery bills.

While this may not sound very exciting to you now, let me assure you that it is worth it! Here is an example of what I saved last week.

Publix total spent $104. (rounded to the nearest dollar)
Total paid $ 36.
Total SAVED $ 68.

With today's economy, coupons are one way to cut $'s from your budget.