Couponing !

Couponing

I purchase 5 newspapers from individuals who sell newspapers on the corners in Hiram/Dallas for $ 1.00 each.

BUT, BEFORE BUYING NEWSPAPERS . . .

I make sure there will be coupons in the newspapers by going online to . . .

2009 Coupon Schedule (so you know when the SS, V, and P&G inserts will be released)

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=980677

ALSO, if I want to see the coupons in advance, so I can decide if to buy 1 newspaper or 20 newspapers,

I go online to . . .

View list of coupons that will be in Sunday's paper in advance (this is for 11/8/09 coupons)

There will be a new thread in the forum at SlickDeals.net each week. Just scroll through slickdeals.net and you will find it.

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1619949

Finding the Sales Ads BEFORE the newspaper hits the stands !

At this link you can see scans of the ads and they also list what items have a coupon available to match up with it for a great deal.

TONS of GREAT information at SlickDeals !

http://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=38

I go through all the newspapers, pulling out the Smart Source, Red Plum, P & G, and any other coupons that may be included.

I also pull out all the store sales flyer ads that I am interested in. Sometimes even the ones I am not interested in.

Publix has a 1 cent coupon (buy $10 of stuff, get 1 Publix item at $ 0.01) Sunday only.

Michael's has 40% off coupon to be used that week.

JoAnn's has 40% off coupon to be used that week.

Wal-green's has store coupons that can be used in conjunction with a manufacturer's coupon.

Rite-aid's has store coupons that can be used in conjunction with a manufacturer's coupon.

Sometimes, Office Max will have a paper bag with a coupon for 10% off anything you can fit in the bag.

Sometimes, other stores will put store coupons in their sales flyers, that can be used in conjunction with a manufacturer's coupon.

Plus, I pull out one copy of the free newspaper's TV guide and the Comics.

(I have heard of people who have used the comic/funny pages as free gift wrapping paper. Haven't tried that.)

After you have pulled out ALL the pages/items you need, stack up what you don't need and take them to your newspaper recycling container at the school. (I have heard of people pulling newspapers out of the recycling container to get the coupons out of them, but I have never been able to stomach the idea or been brave enough to try it. Fear of mice, bugs, police, etc.) lol

Organizing your coupons

Some people keep their Smart Source, Red Plum, P & G's intact and put the newspaper date on the front, then file them away until The Grocery Game or some other person tells them it is time to use it. Saves a ton of time now, but I think it may take more time later and I like to be able to see all my coupons and have access to them, sometimes I even take my whole binder to the store. Clearance items, with a coupon on top, can mean free.

If you want to keep the inserts whole, here is a video on how one woman organizes hers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijdZR8eh1g8&feature=related

But you have to decide what works for you. What works for one person, may not work for another. To each her own.

I cut out all the coupons and organize them in my coupon book.

I separate all the types of coupon packs, then pull all of the Smart Source's together, pull out identical pages from each, then staple on each coupon. Make sure not to staple on the bar code or the expiration date. I try to staple in the upper right corner if possible. On top of the photo of the product sometimes works good. I make a stack of these pages, then cut them out after I have ALL the pages stapled. While watching TV, supervising homework, or waiting on the car riders at school. (If there are two pages that are folded, I staple all I can, then tear the pages apart, and finish stapling the hard to reach coupons.) ((WATCH OUT. Two pages are sometimes a continuation with a coupon that is both on the left page and the right page. Pull those aside to do more carefully))

Some people do not cut out all the coupons. I do. If I do not need it, SOMEONE else will need it, and I like to share if possible.

Here is a video I found of a man who buys a TON of newspapers. He cuts his out similarly to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snFVId-gUXE&feature=related

Here is a lady who cuts them out this way too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7QMhrDqxQY&feature=related

The following video link shows a coupon book similar to my own, except I use Photo sheets and mine is zippered. I fear dropping my book and coupons flying everywhere !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feLNNwU90ec&feature=related

I love this lady's binder with handles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn3R-_jfrIw&feature=related

I have 2 coupon binders. I just had too many coupons and categories to fit into one binder. Probably because I get 5 newspapers & clip all the coupons. My binder zips up and has a few handy pockets & organizers. Some binders even have a handle or a shoulder strap.

In my binder I keep a pen, scissors, calculator, and my store cards, Kroger, CVS, Ingles, etc.

I also keep my CVS Extra Care Bucks and any store gift cards.

To hold my coupons, I use Photo sleeves. These are like sheet protectors that are divided into 3 sections. One on top and 2 at the bottom.

Some people use baseball card holders/ , but most coupons are larger than baseball cards. With the photo organizer sleeves I can put quite a few coupons in one pocket. Like shampoo, all my shampoo and conditioner would go in, and there are many brands of shampoo. I put the newest coupons in the back. Thereby, when I go through my coupons to weed out the expired coupons, it is easy to spot them, they will be on top.

I also use sheet protectors for large coupons, or to hold un-filed coupons.

I use tabbed dividers to keep general categories separate. Such as, food, medicine, cleaners, personal care, paper products, restaurants & specialty stores.

Within those larger divisions are: frozen foods, snacks, drinks, candy, refrigerated items, canned goods, condiments, pet food. Shampoo/conditioner, hairspray/stying products, make-up (I separate by company Max Factor Loreal etc sales are by co), deodorant, lotion, feminine products, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, misc. Pain relief, cold relief, heartburn relief, misc. Bathroom cleaners, laundry detergent, fabric softner sheets, glass cleaner, air fresheners, lysol, dish detergent, dishwasher detergent, etc. Paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, ziplock baggies, trash bags, etc.

Some people use a price book, I do not. I think it is a waste of time for me. It may be helpful to others. Price books are used to list each individual item you buy on a regular basis and how much you spend each time. Eventually, you would see a pattern of when products go on sale. Too time consuming for me.

The best way to use your coupons is when items are on sale. If you use your coupons only when you need items, you won't get the best prices. If you find a good sale, and use your coupon, and buy multiple items, you will be saving your family more money and you will not have to buy the item as often. If you shop wisely and use your coupons, you may find that you don't have to go to the store as often, or maybe only for perishable items on a weekly basis. As long as you have storage space, there is no such thing as too much. There is always a group, school, or church taking up items for the needy. There are a lot of families having money/job problems. And, you probably think you do not have much storage space, but think outside the box. Under beds, under or behind the couch, under or in an end table, basement, garage, storage room, or storage building, etc. Remember, some items don't need to be kept at a specific temperature. Bottled water, cleaners, shampoos, paper products, etc.

I take my coupon book with me to catch unadvertised sales and clearance items, as well as impulse buys.

ALSO, if you are out of an item, but don't have a coupon for it, try the website below. They have items listed alphabetically with a link to sites that you can print a coupon for those items.

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=836711

THE BEST WAY TO FIND THE BEST DEALS

The very best, quickest and cheapest, way I have found to find the very BEST deals

is "The Grocery Game" ! ! !

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

You can sign up for $ 1.00 for 4 weeks. (it says free, but they do charge 1 dollar to your card to make sure you are legit.

During those 4 weeks you can sign up to have information available to you for ALL the stores that they list.

They find free products for you ! The find products for pennies and for great percentages off.

You can print their list by final price, amount saved, item description, or many other ways.

They do ALL the work for you except collecting the coupon and shopping.

And it is cheap.

Stockpiling

FIFO = First In, First Out. Use the oldest products first.

Here are several videos on stockpiling your purchases. Great advice, encouraging, educational and entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Couponbailout#p/a/u/1/77vsfVKYQcI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEOGWKUW2uY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2kznaY_5cs&feature=related

This is extreme, but here is a canned food storage solution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCnXfO7YMfk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wadjAWcR5M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHYXqCMyDXk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAeS6XN_O3E&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I94pIUIFt-s&feature=related

Or Build your own - for free

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nespzEi8nKc&feature=related

Canned cheese storage tip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIz1iPm7bUc&feature=related

Bloggers who write about COUPONS and SALES !

Another place that I get great coupon and sales tips and information is blogs. There are a few blogs that I check out regularly.

Granted, some of the blogs tend to repeat the same deals and the same coupons they have found, but all bloggers do not list all the stores, so you have to find the blogs you like to follow.

Here are some of my favorites.

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/

http://www.centsible-sawyer.com/

http://www.dealseekingmom.com/

http://www.stretchingabuckblog.com/

Between all these websites and videos, these people have done a lot of the hard work for us. They have found the coupons online, found scans of the sales ads, found what weeks to buy newspapers, matched available coupons to sales to find the best deals, figured out some good organizational methods for couponing.

Now we just buy the newspapers, collect the coupons, look at the deals they suggest, grab our coupons and hit the stores !

Look Up !

As Christians, we sometimes say we want to be on the mountain.
We don't want to be down in the valley.

The mountain represents a time when we are at our best.
Things are going great, no problems to weigh us down.

But the valley represents a time of being at our lowest.
When we are going through troubles and our problems seem to be insurmountable.

But I got to thinking about the different view we have while in the valley,
versus when we are on the mountain top.

When we are at our lowest in the valley, we feel like we are on the
dirt,beneath the grass and the flowers.
Not even able to see our way out of our troubles.
We feel like everything is TOO BIG !

But all we have to do is LOOK UP !

We can see all the beautiful things God created for us to enjoy.
The flowers reaching for the sunlight.
The trees raising their branches in praise to God.
The leaves on the trees flowing in the wind.
The clouds floating by, collecting moisture to later provide rain for the earth.
The stars shining in the night.
And the Sun brightly warming the earth below.

The view from the mountain top seems endless.
But remember, almost all of the beauty you are seeing is in the valleys.
While on a mountain top, you cannot see the intricate beauty of a rose.
You have to be down close to the rose to fully enjoy the beauty of a single rose.
When on the mountain, you can see the large expanses below, but not the tiny details.

When we are on the mountain top, we don't usually stay there long.
You'll notice, most mountain tops are not that big.
But valley's can be miles long.
On the mountain, it is often hard to grow plants.
In the valley, plants, flowers, vegetables all grow in abundance.
There is rich soil in the valley.
In the spiritual valley, there is a richness available for us as Christians to grow, if we will be ready and open to God's word.

So, the next time you find yourself in a valley, Look Up !

There is SO much room to grow in the Lord !

There are SO many blessings in store for you !

There are SO many lessons to learn.

The possibilities are endless !

Squeak, Squeak, Squeak

Squeak ! Squeak ! Squeak !

We are hearing that sound a LOT these days.

Timmy bought Loli a toy rubber hammer that squeaks.
She is a PRO at making it squeak !

Loli doesn't just squeak it once, or twice.
NO, Loli loves to make her squeaky hammer into a musical instrument !
She just keeps squeaking.

And if you are not paying attention to her, she will bring the hammer & put it on your lap.
She wants you to throw it down the hall for her.
She LOVES running after anything.

We have to put the squeaky hammer away at night. Or there would be NO sleep in our house.

Squeak ! Squeak !

Lap Dog ? I don't think so !

By the way, Loli thinks she is a lap dog.

I keep insisting that she is NOT a lap dog. Loli will come up to me & put her 2 front paws in my lap & TRY to kiss/lick me. (That's actually all she can get into my lap. And I have plenty of lap room, long legs.)That's when I start a serious conversation with a 50+ lb dog.

Talk about spoilt !

It's green, leafy & grows a foot a day !

It's KUDZU ! ! ! !

They say that kudzu can grow 7 feet in one week.

The back portion of our property is COVERED in Kudzu !
We would love to be able to use all of our property. We just got a dog, a Lab/Weimaraner mix.
Loli would LOVE to use the back part of our property to run & play.

In all honesty, we have not fought much with the kudzu in the last few years. Other than keeping it out of our grassy areas, we have pretty much let it run wild in the back part of our property.

In the past, the only thing that has worked has been "Bush Be Gone" or another type of chemical in the "Round-up" brand. But it takes SO much money and so much time.

Plus, I don't want to walk on the kudzu, there's no telling what might be UNDER it.
So we spray from just outside of it. Then by the time that section of kudzu has died, the kudzu behind it is catching up ! ! !

I've been looking for answers online for how to get rid of this green monster.
So far, there seem to be very few options.

• Get a goat. (I don't think my neighbors would appreciate livestock, even in my rural subdivision)
  

• Use the same kind of chemical we've been using, "Bush Be Gone" or another type of chemical in the "Round-up" brand. (expensive for large areas, and possibly dangerous to animals)

• Burn it. (too dangerous in this drought)

• Cut off the root crowns of the kudzu plant. (instructions below)

Quote from ehow:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2072149_kill-kudzu.html

The root crown of the kudzu is usually just below the surface of the ground. (By noting where the vine tendrils meet, you will locate the root crown.)

Cutting the root crown off has two important advantages. It will immediately and completely kill the kudzu and you can entirely avoid herbicides.

Burning as described above will prepare the area for removal of the root crown by making it evident where the root crowns are and by destroying the existing vines.

You do NOT need to burn the area to find the root crowns. Burning accomplishes easier location of the root crowns and the destruction of established vines.

You need to be sure to locate ALL of the root crowns, and also to remove all of the root crowns dug up from the area. They need to be destroyed as, if they are covered by ground in the future, they can eventually start growing all over again, and perhaps infest a new area.


Does anybody have any other suggestions ? I'd love any help you could give.


Well, unless someone has a better suggestion, I guess I better get out my cutters, trowel & gloves. Nothing else seems to help, and everything else seems to expensive or dangerous.

Wish me luck !

We have added a new member to our family

We got a dog ! !

Our son, Jarrett, has been BEGGING for a dog for years. We have stalled him as long as possible. We told him we had to wait until we could afford to fence in our yard, maybe in a year or two after we possibly move. But when Loli became available, we just couldn't resist.

Loli is a Lab/Weimaraner mix. (I just LOVE Labs) She is almost 1 year old, already been fixed, and she is potty trained.

Loli's previous owners are my niece Amanda & her kids Cassie & John Robert. They just hated the thought of giving her away, but they just moved to a new apartment and animals are not allowed. When they realized they needed to find Loli a new home, they looked to family first. I had mentioned to my sister Linda that Jarrett would love to have a dog and that I love labs.
So, we all talked and decided that Loli needed us and we needed her.

Since Loli has been an inside dog for all her life, we are keeping her inside for right now. Eventually, we want to set up a trolley & cable system, or maybe an electric fence system.
At least for potty times, and possibly for long days when we might be gone. (I hate the thought of keeping a dog her size confined inside all the time or for long periods of time.) We want her to have the opportunity to run & jump & play without constraint. But right now, if she gets loose, she runs through the whole neighborhood !

We have a little over an acre. Loli would LOVE to use the back part of our property to run & play, but Kudzu has taken over that part.

So far, Loli has not had any accidents ! She is such a good girl !

I love the personality of Labs. They are so sweet with children, and also protective, but not dangerous like some breeds can be.

Loli has already become one of the family, already spoiled rotten by her previous owners.
(we say that all 3 of us are spoiled (mom dad & Jarrett))
And Loli fits in another way too. She snores ! Just like the rest of us ! ! lol ! !

I'll add some photos soon.

Make your own soap

I have never done this before, but it sounds so interesting !

It reminds me of "Little House on the Prairie" or some of the pioneer type books I have read.

Of course, it was a LOT harder back then. Now we can make soap much easier, compared to then.
One day I would like to try to make my own soap.

If you were ever interested in how to make soap, check out this link at http://allthingsholdtogether.com/blog/2008/05/27/melt-and-pour-soap-making/