Aren't Coupons Just for Junk Food?

I get asked this question all the time! You won't believe how often I get asked this :) If you coupon and share about your experience, I bet you have been asked this too. Or, I get told that there are better deals at Aldi. Yes, I know that as well :) I think there is a taboo that comes with people's thoughts on couponers-they must be buying only name brands all the time, they must be spending more than if they would just buy store brands, it has to be all junk or processed foods...
The only 'junk' or processed foods in my cabinet or freezer/fridge from this last shopping trip are-

snack packs for my husband's lunches (which I save right there when he takes a lunch instead of buying)-bought these with a coupon and it equals out to about 25 cents per package and will last him about 3 weeks.

frozen item-bought with coupon and it cost me only $1-this will be a quick dinner for DH one night when he doesn't want to eat leftovers-lol! He is not a leftover sort of guy unless I disguise it.

another frozen item-bought with coupon and it cost a $1-another quickie dinner for DH.

mac and cheese-store brand that I bought with a rancheck issued for a sale from 2 weeks ago. Quick meal for a busy night accompanied by good veggies and a protein.

Now, I know I have other processed things-these are just a couple deals I wanted to share. But I do have far more healthy things in my kitchen than processed. Yes, some were bought at Aldi, but some were bought using coupons and getting better deals from other stores with those coupons.

Frozen peas-used a coupons from Coupons.com and got the peas for 75 cents. These will last us a few meals.

Dish soap-big bottle, used coupon from Coupons.com and got it for 78 cents. This should last me over a month!

soy candles-free with coupon from a previous Sunday insert-and they smell so lovely!! Will be nice to light up when the cooler weather comes in :)

seasoning salt-also a coupon from Coupons.com-msg free and it cost me only 36 cents-almost free :)

Basically-what I am trying to say is that coupons are out there for things you need or want-they are not just for cakes, frostings, junk foods, etc... And you can find some good deals. My trip to one store saved me about $2-not alot, but combine that with my trip to Walmart and I saved about 25% or more on my total shopping trip this paycheck! We have a budget of about $300-$350 each paycheck (depending on what I might need to stock up on or what we may be out of that particular week) and this time around, I kept my bill under $300. To be a bit more precise, it was right around $286-and that was with a special trip to Reasor's last night to pick up some sodas on sale for Labor Day and  for my DH's lunches. I am stocked up on ground beef for probably the whole month. I have a whole chicken that will make one meal this paycheck and a soup later on when the weather is a bit cooler. I have preformed burgers from Aldi for Labor Day cookout and some will be left over for another meal or quick dinner for DH. I even was able to buy a couple items for when the Holidays come-Im trying to stock up now so money will not be so tight during those times :)

Junk food-nope! Not even close! No good deals-hey, free candles are fun (and if there are no scents you might like-how about adding them into a present for a friend-or use it in a gift basket ;), and it is always a blast to buy items for less than a $1 or for almost free!! It does take time to learn all this coupon stuff when you start out, but it does add up! I estimated if I save even $20 per paycheck-paid bi-weekly-I can save us $520/year! That could make a nice family vacation for us! Or, it could be put aside into an emergency fund. Right now, it is blessing us to make it paycheck to paycheck :) Eventually, I hope to tuck away atleast half of what I save and keep it for a goal-like Christmas, a family trip, whatever we can decide on :)

Food Pyramid Sales and Coupon Match Ups 9/02

Here are some sales and coupons matches from Food Pyramid:

Fresh Ground Round-$1.69/lb

Seedless Watermelon-$2.99

Lay's Chips-2/$3

Dutch Farm Cheese-block or shredded-2/$3

Ekrich jumbo franks or bologna-1b-99 cents


Caprisun-$1.50

Pepsi, Mtn Dew and other Pepsi products-5/$12 w/ coupon on back of ad
 
Chinet Plates 12-36ct- 2 for $5-$1/1 (6/28 SS) = 1/$1.50

Hiland Sour Cream or Dips- .99cents-$.45/1  (7.12 SS) doubled = .09 cents

Pork Butt Shoulder Roast-99 cents/lb

Reasor's Sale and Match Ups-9/2

Here are the some deals for Reasor's this week :) If you did not get any Oklahoman Sunday papers this month, you might miss out on quite a few of these deals :(

Tomatoes on the vine-97 cents/lb

French Bread-10 for $10

London Broil Steak-$1.99/lb

KoolAid-unsweetened-8/$1

Reser's Potato or Macaroni Salad 3lb $2.50 - $1.00 Printable  (you must sign up for their site-but that's ok, right ;) = $1.50 each

Pepsi and Mountain Dew 12 Packs- In ad coupon- Buy 4 get 5th one free= 5 for $12.00

Fresh Ground Beef-$1.68/lb

Blue Bell Ice Cream 1/2 Gallon - $4.00- $1.00 Printable (sign in or join their site, then click on "EXTRA SCOOPS")= $3.00 each

Kraft Cheese Chunks or Shreds -$1.66 each- $1.00/2 (8/9 RP Oklahoman)= $2.32 for 2 or $1.16 each

Philadelphia Cream Cheese- $1.25 each- $1.00/2 (8/9 RP Oklahoman)= $1.50 for 2 or 75 cents each

Kraft Singles- $1.50 each- $1.00/2 (8/9 RP Oklahoman)= $2.00 for 2

Nabisco Snack Crackers- $1.66 each- .75 cents/2 (8/23 SS Oklahoman)= $2.57 for 2 or $1.29 for each

Hiland Dips 16oz - .99 cents each- .45 (7/12 SS)= .54 cents each

Hiland Sour Cream -16oz  .99 cents each- .45 cents  (7/12 SS)= .54 cents each

Folgers Coffee-34.5 oz-$5.99

Totinos Pizza Rolls- $1.25 each- .40cents /2 (7/12 SS)= $2.10 for 2

Old Orchard Juice Concentrate-$1.33 each- $1.00/4 Printable here= $4.33 for 4 or $1.08 each
 
Crest Toothpaste -$1.88 each- .50 cents(8/30 PG)= $1.38 each
 
Kotex Pads -$2.79 each- $1.00 (7/19 SS)= $1.79 each
 
Oral B Indicator Toothbrushes -$1.69 each- B1G1 (8/23 RP Oklahoman)= $1.69 for 2 or 85 cents each


Suave Body Wash -$1.79 each- .50 cents (8/2 RP Oklahoman)= $1.29 each

 

Dannonomics

Eat lots of Dannon Yogurt? Then you will like this! Buy Dannon products (different amounts for different savings) and get money saving coupons for future purchases :) Don't forget to use coupons you might already have to buy those first products!

Hurry for these deals!!

Free sample of Kashi cereal-you pick flavor or let them surprise you :)


Right at Home - 1st 10,000 will get a free Glade Fall into Fragrance Gift Pack but everyone gets a coupon booklet :)

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons

Don't forget, you can buy 2 Tulsa World Sunday papers for $3 at Quik Trip locations on Sundays-but, look through each paper you buy before hand to be certain there are actually coupons in there or that the correct amount is in each paper :) Of course you could be like a friend of mine and hit the jackpot of 17 in one newspaper :) She didn't even know it until she got home and started digging through the paper!

Also, new internet coupons are starting up:
RedPlum $1 off Any Hefty One Zip-I often see the small packages of these for about $1.20 at my Walmart-you could get baggies at a pretty good price :) Other new coupons as well
Coupons.com Toward the end of every month, they always start new coupons-check them out :)

Goal Setting Sunday

I did very well this week trying to figure out a good schedule for myself. I was able to get laundry done-atleast one load a day but usually two loads. In between the kids school work and lunch break, I was able to vacuum a room. After most of the kids were done with their school work and while I was waiting on the oldest to finish up or need me for a test, I spent one afternoon reorganizing the linen closet. I really felt like I accomplished alot, the kids accomplished alot, and my house felt cleaner :)

This week, I will of course continue with my schedule in between the kids' school work-this will become a regular course for me. But, my major goal this week is to go through my desk and clean it off :) It is not too bad, but I do have some coupons I printed out, recipes that need to find their way to recipe books, etc...

Gift Baskets-Not Just for Christmas

Gift baskets can be a terrific gift anytime of the year-they can be frugal too! Especially if you are able to find the contents on a good sale throughout the year. Or perhaps, you could even throw in some of those free samples you have gotten over time to add with store bought items. For instance, right now would be a great time to stock up on school supplies that are on sale (or in some parts of the country, clearance!). Many kids are into drawing, coloring, writing, etc... and would really enjoy a gift basket-or, perhaps, a nice pencil box or craft box-full of supplies! I have set back a few school supplies such as notebooks, colored pencils, and crayons for my little artists and journalists for Christmas presents this year. I plan to decorate the covers of the notebooks with stickers, scrapbooking paper, or whatever else I can find-this gift box will end up costing me much less than $1 per child, but I know will give them quite a bit of pleasure!

How to make gift baskets? First, you need to keep in mind the person(s) you are going to be making the basket for. Are they a busy mom, or dad, who would love an easy dinner night? Are they a college student? Perhaps a new 16 year old who just got her first car? See where I am going here? :) You can make a gift basket for anyone, at anytime! You do not have to be super creative-just look around. Or, even get good ideas online.

For the 16 yo, I would include some of those handy car items we have all come to appreciate over the years. A flashlight, a small notebook to record oil changes and other minor car keep ups, a nice cd holder, some nice car scent doo-dads, etc....you could even throw in a cute keychain and some car cleaning supplies. Even a nice little holder for important things like insurance info and important phone numbers would be nice.

You are getting the idea...the options for gift baskets can be endless.

If you are looking for more ideas, here are some great frugal ideas from the friendly web to help you out :

Dollar Stretcher Gift Basket Ideas
BabyZone-Frugal Gift Ideas  Scan down to the Gift Baskets section or read the whole article as there are many good ideas here!
Family Finance Cheap Christmas Gift Baskets
8 Reasonably Priced Gift Basket Ideas

Getting Ready for Christmas-Doll Houses

We are going to be blessed with a doll house for my two younger kids this Christmas. The friend I am buying it from insists it needs to be painted and fixed up a bit. No problem....look online and you can find great ideas, a wealth of info on how to do it (if you are not very creative, like me :) and even some ideas on how to make little things to go in the doll house!  Perhaps your child does not have a dollhouse-maybe some of these ideas can be used for Barbie and her house. Or, maybe you can make this a neat project to do with your child all year long-get some wood and make your own dollhouse. It could just basic and then add on. Look at yard sales for small dolls to go inside :) The past couple of years, some dollar stores have had small doll accessories, such as small tables, dressers, etc.

Here are some links I have come across:
How to Decorate a Doll House
Laura Anne Doll Houses
Jennifer's Doll House Printables
Flipping Freebies Eh-Doll house printables
Jim's Printable Mini's
Get Started With Miniatures
Doll House Parade

Goal Setting Sunday

Well, the kids got on a pretty good school schedule this week. We got alot done. But, I noticed more of my day was gone and chores-regular ones-got slacked on. Laundry piled up, house needs a good vacuum, etc. SO, my goal this week is to figure out how to get more done myself in a day. Perhaps starting a load of laundry at night, so it is ready to dry in the morning. It is too hot right now to dry during any heat of the day with our gas dryer and I don't have a laundry line, so it is best to dry in the am. I know during the kids' lunch time I can also get some things in, such as a vacuuming, or folding laundry, or whatever. I just need to figure it out. Hopefully, this week I can get myself more organized. I like to have most everything done by the weekend so we can just enjoy the time my husband is off from work :)