WELCOME

I am a stay at home mom who is fed up with spending a large portion of income on grocery bills. It is my job, according to God, to be a good help mate for my husband. I am trying to live up to my job description. I am starting a journey into the grocery coupon world and invite you to come with me. I have never used coupons for grocery shopping and as of January 1st 2008 I am diving in. I will be using http://www.thegrocerygame/ , http://www.moneysavingmom.com and the http://www.couponmom.com/ website to guide me on how to save money. I am going to treat this adventure as a part time job and put in the hours necessary to make it work. I am excited and nervous to get started.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Officially debunking Crock Pot


I am officially debunking Crock Pot. I bought a 5 quart Smart Pot, actually I bought two. Both times when I cooked in it the lid started to rattle. The first one I bought about a month ago and took it back after cooking in it. The second one I bought on Black Friday, I really debated buying it again because of the trouble I'd had. I figured since it was $15 and anyone can get one bad product I decided to give it another try. Still it rattled and spit water at every passer-by. I think this second one is actually worse than the first! Shame on you Crock Pot Corp.

Can you guess what my next step will be?







My next step-









Tomorrow I will be calling Crock Pot and telling them about this product and, you guessed it, I will be asking for a discount or something to make me a less disgruntled customer.

What is my motto? If you don't ask you don't have a chance for a discount.

I will post tomorrow after I get a response.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Answering a request

I have had a question about adding coupons to my Kroger card so I am going to answer it. Please remember I am not an expert there maybe more ways to add coupons but these are the only ways I know.

Why would you want to add coupons to your Kroger card? Because its added savings of course. If you have a coupon attached to your card and you have a manufacturer paper coupon in your hand both of these coupons can be used on the same item. A perfect example for me would be this: Betty Crocker frosting has gone on sale for $1.50 I have had a .50 paper coupon that double to $1 at Kroger. Then I have had a .50 shortcuts coupon on my card. This makes a frosting free.

$1.50 frosting
-$1.00 manufacturer coupon doubled
-.50 shortcuts coupon
= FREE frosting

CAUTION WITH ADDING COUPONS TO YOUR CARD I was adding coupons that I thought I would use and then I ran out of room and there were coupons I wanted to add but couldn't . Now I look at the sales and then go and add my coupons from the websites.

Here are the websites I use. The first is shortcuts.com when you go to this link you will have to register and then add you cards.

The next site I use us P & G eSavers This site is actually a Kroger site. You need to register and then add you card number. Once you are registered you can add coupons here as well.

My third and last website I use is called Cellfire.com This is a new site I just added it tonight. My friend has used it for awhile and really loves this site too. With this site you need to add your cell phone number. They do not contact you or do anything to your cell phone but you do need to add you number to get access to this site. Now with this site you can add coupons to your cell phone or you can add them straight to your Kroger card. They will send a confirmation code to your cell and then you are to add that number into the website. I added All of my coupons directly to my Kroger card. It was a little confusing to do but if you register then login and go to the deals area, I think it even said add coupons to your phone. When you click on the coupon you want to add a little window will pop up and allow you to add your Kroger card.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING


Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I went to Kroger this past Friday

I went again to Kroger this past Friday. It was a new week with new deals. I couldn't resist. I am getting ready for Thanksgiving and Winter. Here is my list and pricing:

3 Breyers ice cream
2 boxes of Betty Crocker Au gratan potatoes
7 boxes of 24ct Tylenol Rapid release gel caps FREE (if anyone needs Tylenol please see me)
2 cucumbers
2 gallons of milk
1 bottle of diet coke .99
2 bags of Kroger cookies
2 Honeysuckle turkeys 10-16 lbs
14 cans of Dole Tropical fruit and Mango oranges.
7 lbs of Blue Bonnet margarine FREE
7 bottles of Crisco vegetable oil
2 cans of Hormel chili

Total before Kroger card and coupons $162.63

Total after coupons $64.71
Total of coupons used $40.32

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Good and bad news

I have some good and bad news, which would you like to hear first? Huh? Speak up I can't hear you. What? Oh, o.k. the good news first. Here it is. When I was at the mall yesterday I had to go by Ritz Camera and look at the Nikon D80 one more time. I do this every once in awhile you know. I noticed that a new camera came out called the Nikon D90. I was hoping and praying that the D90 was the new D80 camera. The good news is The D90 has taken the place of the D80. Why is this good news? Because the D80 has went down in price by $200.

Do you want to hear the bad news now? The Bad news is the Nikon D80 still cost $750.00. The really bad news is my hubby thinks even $500.00 is way to much for a camera. UGH!

Needless to say I will be watching sales ads.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

I picked up a money saving tip today


I picked up a money saving tip today in a most unlikely place. First let me give you a little background so this story will make sense. When I go shopping to the mall or the grocery store even McDonalds stray people come and talk to me and give me their life stories. They carry on conversations as if I have known them their whole life. It's really kind of funny and a little strange at times.
Today I went to the mall and a lady started talking to me, as usual, in the shoe department at Macy's. We got into a conversation about high heels and I told her that I hate wearing high heels. It is such a drag to find a great pair of shoes only to see a 3 inch heel on it. Anything over 1 1/2 inches is like being on stilts to me. She gave me the greatest tip! She told me to take the shoes to a shoe repair shop and have them cut the heels down for me. She even gave me a local shoe guy that does it for $10. She old me she just took 3 pair of shoes last week and had them all cut down. *Caution* There was a caution with this though- you can only cut about 2 inches off of a heel. You can only cut down the heel until the front of the shoe starts to lift up.
From now on I will not shy away from any shoe just because of the heel. I usually buy all of my shoes on sale so I can get a great pair of shoes or boots NOW!!
Thank you anonymous talker!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Getting on top of things


Finally I was able to get onto of my coupons from last week and dig out my Kroger receipts from last week.

I did a huge Kroger shop last week. I spent around $90 I have not done that in months.
Here is a list of everything I bought. Hold onto your seat its a ton. I ended up doing 6 different transactions. With the Kroger deals you can do 3 transactions of 10 at one shop. Have I mentioned that I am missing my camera? I would love to have some pics of this shop.

3 gallons of milk
3 Bryers ice cream
4-6pks of Dannon yogurt
1-6pk of Bryers yogurt
28 can of Carnation evaporated milk FREE
**please if you need some evaporated milk call me**
3 packs of Nestle chocolate chips
2 jars of Smuckers jelly
1 Peter Pan peanut butter
6 18oz cans of Quaker oats FREE
12 Bath Buddies FREE
9 boxes of Cheerios
7 packs of Duracell batteries (getting ready for Christmas)
1 Sour Cream
1 box of Kroger Vanilla wafers (paid full price UGH! coupon had expired)
1 Kroger syrup
4 bottles of Pledge
4 big bottles of Welches grape juice
1-2lb Domino sugar
4 boxes of Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix
7 bottles of Shout
1 18ct large eggs
2.49 lbs of bananas
2 things for $6.99 that for the life of me I cant figure out what it is.

Total before coupons and Kroger card $271.92

I used $115.16 in coupons

Total OOP $104.77

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Changing the system

I have changed my shopping system a little and I thought I would share. I now have a three ring binder with baseball card inserts which hold all of my coupons. I do not take a clipboard anymore. I stick my Grocery Game list into my binder. My binder is divided into sections, here are all or most of my sections. Obviously you make your sections to what best suits you.

Baby
Beverage
Breakfast
Desserts
Condiments
Canned goods
Other food
Refrigerated
Frozen
Toiletries
Cleaning products
Paper products
Medication

At the back of most of these sections I have a page protector. This protector allows me to store extra (over flow) coupons in it. That way I do not have to keep buying inserts.

I pull all of my coupons I am going to use before I shop. Then I put them into an envelope before I get to the store. Then as I am shopping I pull out the coupons and check expiration date again and quantity per coupon etc. Any coupons I decide not to use I slide them into the sizable pocket in the front of my binder. When I get to the cash register all of my coupons I am using are in my envelope. All of the coupons in my binder pocket get refiled at a later date. Sometimes a much later date.

Tip to use at Kroger

I have a tip I use at Kroger all the time. When I go through the self-check out I always look for catalinas there. A lot of the time people do not take their coupons. I think my $2 Pamper catalina was obtained this way. Sure I look like a bag lady checking pay phones (a.k.a on top and around the Kroger machine) But a deal is a deal. I do not mind taking coupons that other people leave behind.

First CVS trip in a month or two

Maybe some of you have noticed, I have not been to CVS in a month or two. The reason? I got burned out on couponing I decided that Kroger would be my main store and everything else just kind of fell by the wayside. That is until 2 nights ago. I found myself out of diapers for my little one and saw CVS had Pampers on sale with ECB's, so off I went. The deal was buy two packs of diapers and get 5 ECB's limit 1 per card. I had a Kroger catalina for $2 off Pampers and thought I would try and use it at CVS. Here is how I worked my deal. It was not a great deal but the diapers were needed.

1st transaction

2 packs of Pampers jumbo diapers $10 each
I used $3.50 in coupons
paid $17 OOP and got 5 ECB's

2nd transaction

1 pack of Pampers $10
used $1.50 coupon
used $5 ECB's
Total OOP $3

So for $20 I got 90 diapers.

By the way the catalina worked. Before I got to the cash register I grabbed the manager and asked him.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Wal-Mart Deal today


I owe a big shout out to Sherri for her diligent deal finding. She found a deal at Wal-Mart for me this morning. Wal-Mart had a deal that was only advertised online but it was an in-store sale. They were selling Compaq Presario notebooks with 2 GB RAM, DVD-R, Celeron processor, Vista Windows for $298.00. When Sherri saw this she called me because she knows I have been waiting for a good deal on a laptop. Last night I readied myself for the crowd, got a good nights sleep and headed to Wal-Mart this morning at 6:45. I got there so early because the ad said the stores would have 10 minimum so I wanted to make sure I got one. When I got there I got a ticket for the laptop and was number 5. The sale didnt start until 8 so I milled around for awhile and came back for the computer. Right around 8 the crowd started to swarm. The electronic guy said they had 29 computers, WHEW!!! I paid for my computer and was a happy camper. I decided at this price maybe my mom should be a happy camper as well, so I waited for everyone else to get their laptop and then I got another ticket and bought another one. Why buy one when you can get two at such a good price? If you see my mom shhh because its her Christmas present.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Receive money for old cell phones or ipods


I saw this on
money saving mom and thought it was a good deal. Flipswap Trade is a program where you can send them your old cell phones or ipods free of charge and receive Amazon gift cards. Below is what I cut and pasted from their website.

Here is the link check it out.

Flipswap Trade-Ins allows you to put an Amazon.com Gift Card in your wallet and help the environment at the same time! In three easy steps and as little as five minutes you can determine your phone's value, print out a prepaid shipping label, and send us your phone. You can expect to receive your gift card within 3-4 weeks (depending on shipping times). Even if your item does not yield any value, sending it to us guarantees that it is disposed of properly. Our recycling practices meet ISO 9001 and 14001 certified recycle standards, ensuring the greenest methods of e-waste disposal.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO LEGO MAGAZINE


Get a free membership to Lego magazine! Follow this link and sign up. I need to send a thank you to money saving mom for this info.

Proud of my hubby

I am so proud of my hubby. Last night he stopped at Kroger before he came home from work and got some pie shells and some cough drops. He got the .77 Kroger brand cough drops. When he got to the counter to pay for them they rang up a lot higher. He got his receipt and headed straight for customer service. He enforced the scanner law. He showed them that the drops were marked at .77 so they gave him all of his money back and the item free.

The scanner law is this (at least in my state) When you are over charged for an item you get your money back and the first one free. If you have bought more than one of these items you get the difference on all the other ones you were over charged.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Getting a little political

Emails have been swirling, phones have been ringing and people have been asking or trying to tell me who to vote for. Enough already, I say. My view of politics does not focus around issues such as abortion or gay marriage. When I think of America and the political system I try and remember why this country was founded in the first place. The pilgrims first came here get get away from Catholicism that had gone corrupt. They wanted to worship freely without persecution. I get it I am right there with that. Here is where I differ. There is a good reason for a division in religion and education. I am not going to pass laws to force people to believe my religion or my beliefs. Just because I live in a country where certain acts are legal and/or illegal I do not have to agree with these acts nor do I have to participate in these acts. Here is my burning question. If we pass laws making things we believe in illegal does that mean all the people doing the illegal act is going to stop? Obviously not! If we are in the mind set to pass laws to get people to stop doing illegal activities then drug use and/or addiction would not be an issue in this country.

I received an email today that totally hit my feelings on politics and religion. Here it is

Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Wins the Election
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross!
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.
ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CONTROL?!!

O.k. rant over moving on.

Thanks to Grace for the email.

FREE COFFEE AND CHICK-FIL-A SANDWICH


Rumor has it that after you vote you can go to Starbucks and get a 12 oz coffee FREE.








Also Chick-Fil-A will trade you their chicken sandwich for
your "I voted" sticker.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Showin some love to Kroger this week


I will be showin some love to Kroger this week. They are having the buy 10 participating items and get $5 off your bill.

So far I see free Carnation evaporated milk, maybe some free Colgate toothpaste, cheap cereal and cheap Nestle chocolate chips.

I will post more after I look through all my coupons and wrap my head around the savings.