Couponing 101

 I thought for years that it was always cheaper to buy generic than to use coupons on name-brand items. That certainly isn't so! When you combine a coupon with an already dirt-cheap sale-priced product, I learned that you can usually get those items for 50% off or more. Sometimes you can even get them for free. Yes, FREE!!! Since I'm all about getting something for nothing, I decided to look into it further.

IT IS VERY POSSIBLE TO SAVE 50% (OR MORE) ON YOUR GROCERIES WEEKLY!
You will save the most if you're willing to go with any brand. However, you can still save loads of cash if you're brand-specific. This may sound complicated at first, but I spend very little time preparing. It is much less time-consuming than clipping all of your coupons every week and wandering aisle-by-aisle looking for things you might need. Plus, you'll save a ton. 

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO (IN A NUTSHELL): 

*****This doesn't take as long as you'd think.*****

1) Hoard coupons. Get coupons from newspaper inserts (ie, Red Plum, Smart Source and Proctor & Gamble), magazines (ie, All You) and from online sites such as www.coupons.com . Also, if you go to a store and see coupons, add them to your stash!
-For easy access, I pull the coupon inserts from the paper each Sunday, label them with that day's date, and put them into a binder with the dates labeled on it. Loose coupons (ie, internet and store coupons) are stored in the front divider
2) Keep your coupons until they expire. Even if you don't think you'll need it--keep it! Too many times, I've been unpleasantly surprised to see that I got rid of a coupon for something that could have been nearly free.
3) Begin to learn what prices are cheapest.
-If it helps, keep a record (over a 4-week timespan) of the prices of the top 20 items that you buy.
4) Shop the weekly ads.
5) When your product is at its cheapest, it's time to buy.
-Stores usually work on a 12-week rotation, so when your product is at its cheapest, stock up on enough to get you through the next 12 weeks. This step is what makes you save the most money.
6) See if there's a coupon for your product.
-Try the Coupon Matchup (http://supercouponing.coupontom.com/coupons/match) or the Coupon Search (http://supercouponing.coupontom.com/).
7) Write down your shopping list, prices and stick your coupons in an envelope. 
-Bring a pen with you so that you can write down a "Raincheck List" on your envelope. Just give the envelope to the employee when you check out and ask for a raincheck for each of the items.
8) Shop at coupon-doubling stores if you can. Imagine that 50 cent off coupon becoming $1 off! Coupon doubling is amazing!
9) STICK TO THE SHOPPING LIST! Impulse buys are costly. What you need is on your list. It's understandable to see one or two things that you may have forgotten, but more than that will just get you in trouble financially over time.

This whole process, along with shopping, should take 30-60 minutes. It may take you longer initially, but it will get much faster as you learn the process.

You won't believe how good it feels to get out of the store having saved a huge percentage of your bill. Why pay more when you don't have to?? Give it a month. If you don't like it, eh, at least you tried.

Finding Amazing Deals-- As Easy As Checking Your Email!

I subscribed to coupon mom's emails--each week I get emails about amazing deals available right now. These items are (usually) below $1 a piece, and often times FREE! These deals are listed by store and usually require a coupon (either from online, All You Magazine, or from a newspaper).

Just go to http://www.couponmom.com/ to sign up for your weekly emails!

Building a Composter 101

Because we're planning to garden organically, we've decided that composting will be necessary. Plus, we're always looking for new ways to keep our stuff out of the landfills. Until I actually studied composting, I thought composting was simply throwing your materials in a pile until it discentigrates. I wondered how it wouldn't get stinky. Now I know better...

When picking a composter, you need to decide whether you are going to buy one (lots of $$$) or you can make your own (less $$$)! If you know us, then you know that we always go the cheap route, so we're building one! Here are a couple of ideas I found that I thought I'd share.

I saw this cool video by "The Urban Homesteaders" about how to make an easy-to-use composting bin that spins on a pole to make the breaking-down process faster. Check it out!



There's also a page online about how to make a metal screen rotating composter that takes only 2-3 hours start to finish. You can find it at: http://www.instructables.com/id/Composter-Drum-Style/ Depending on the weather where you live, this one's in a container that may require a tarp to be wrapped around it. Be sure to read the comments found below the instructions!

If you compost, I'd like to hear what kind of a composter you use and what you think of it! Also, let me know what you think of these two options. Seeing as how I'm new to the world of composting, I'm not sure which I like better at this point.

Until next time,
Sarah

The Master Plan

I haven't always been thrifty. Just 7 years ago, I owned more shoes than anyone's business. I'd go out and buy new... a lot. Sure, I frequented thrift stores, thanks to my mom's excellent training as I was growing up, but buying new gave me this "rush". It's like the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. The manequins weren't talking to me, no, but I did buy things for the excitement of having something new. When that excitement wore off, I'd go get more. Then I got married, and soon after I got extremely sick with mono, and my health went downhill from there. Before we knew it, I was too sick to work and we began falling behind on our bill $700 a month. How did we pay them? With credit cards. We're still digging ourselves out of that hole, and we will be for quite a while.

The Master Plan:
We've implemented a list of things to help us to catch up with our debts. We haven't gone all "Dave Ramsey", but we're taking a lot of advice from him. (Learn more about Dave at: http://www.daveramsey.com/) Our goal is to cut back on unnecessary expenses, including fast food (our major weakness), groceries, and other discressionary items. At the same time, I believe it's just as important to feed your family healthfully, feeding them organic and natural foods that have been processed safely, and to use natural body products that have as few chemicals as possible. We are using the money we save to pay extra on our bills, starting with the smallest. As the smaller bills are paid off, we put that extra money towards larger bills, and that continues until everything is paid off ("the snowball effect").

I am always looking for new ways to cut back on our expenses, and this blog is my way of sharing what I find with my friends and family! I do hope that it helps someone.

~Sarah