To Shortcut or not to Shortcut

In the past week or so I have heard arguments about using shortcuts and manufacturer coupons on one item.

I have a position and thought I would share. First let me say that my friend Lori emailed the shortcuts company and they emailed back saying that we should not use a shortcut and a manufacturer coupon on one item and that they are working on fixing the problem. Now that said here is where I stand.

I feel if I can use both a shortcut and a manufacturer paper coupon then I will use both. As a matter of fact I did last night. By the way, I have been using shortcuts and manufacturers paper coupons for about a year now.
These companies know exactly what they are doing. They have teams of people who sit around and come up with "what if" scenarios. They knew that the system would allow both and they let it fly, for at least the past year anyway. Now that the economy has changed and people are using more shortcuts they have decided that it is not right to use both. When they change the system I will stop using both but until then I say save save save.

Now please do not leave comments about how bad and immoral I am blah blah blah. You know what, you can leave comments if you want because they are pretty funny to read. This is where I stand and this is what I will continue to do.

The only problem I have with this whole argument is that it might end soon, and my great deals won't be so great anymore.

Downside of not having my binder in order

I went to Kroger the other day and look at what coupons I forgot to use. These were not in my binder but aimlessly wondering around my house being placed in different piles over time.

I totally spaced and forgot that I had these coupons. I will not do this again, I will put these coupons in my bra to make sure I don't forget about them.

I had a coupon for
1 FREE pack of Lenders bagels
1 FREE box of nature Valley granola bars
1-$1 off 2 packs of Lenders bagels

When I found these coupons yesterday it truly made me say UGH! At least they are not expired, that would have truly broke my heart.

KEEP YOUR COUPONS IN YOUR BINDER!

My Kroger trip today, success I say.

I went to Kroger today after many weeks of not going to Kroger. I spent $146.23. When I saw the total I started to get hot flashes, no I am not old enough for hot flashes-thanks for asking. Then I remembered the last time I did a big grocery shopping trip was back at the beginning of February. I was o.k. after that. This picture does not do the "load" justice. I had a couple of things not pictured because I ran out of space.

Here is the list:

2-6 pack of Danimal yogurts $1.69 each after $1 coupon
1 pack of sweet potato french fries not on sale $2.29
5-4 packs of Danactive yogurt $1.29 each after $1 off coupons
1 pack of Crayola toothbrushes $1.50
2 Oral b stages toothbrushes $3.38 before coupon. I had a B1G1 coupon
4 packs of Lenders bagels $1.69 (a company I should have stock in by the way)
4 bars of Kraft colby jack cheese $1.50each
1 lb of Private selection honey ham $5.99
1 bunch of asparagus $1.99 (trying Pioneer Womans asparagus)
6 Pillsbury french loafs on sale for 4/$5 I had .40 off 2
1 Kroger peanut butter on sale for $1.79 I had a .55 off coupon
1 fresh bag of spinach
1 FREE Kroger yogurt with a coupon they sent me
2 english cucumbers
7-4 packs of Hunts sugar free chocolate pudding on sale for 10/$10 I had coupons for $1 off 2
5.3 lbs of grapes $1 a pound on sale
2 packs of Kroger grape tomatoes $1 each
1 bag of lettuce hearts $2.99
1 bag of onions $1.99
6 cans of Rositas refried beans on sale 10/$10 I had coupon for $1 off 3
1 container of fresh mushrooms $1.48
1 egg plant .99 (making Sherri's famous egg plant Parmesan)
3 Kraft dressings $2.44 each
10-18oz jars of Peter Pan peanut butter on sale for $1.99 I had coupons for $1 off 2
2 jars of Planters peanuts 2/$5
2-2 liters of Crush soda on sale 4/$5 I had $1 off 2 coupon
1 16oz bottle of diet coke for the ride home .99
1 Snickers bar for the ride home .50
4 loaves of Natures Own bread
Before coupons and Kroger discounts my total was $242.64
After coupons and discount my total was $146.23

I had $96.41 in Kroger savings and coupons
I had $33.43 in coupons


Oh and by the way I have 251 fuel points that expires 4-30-09 which right now gets me .20 off per gallon.

Deals for me this week at Kroger

O.k. I am going to Kroger this week. I know I said that last week but I mean it this week. I have my paper out and I am clipping coupons.

I have found a couple of deals so far that I will definitely do this week. Here they are:

Hunts snack pack puddings on sale for 10/$10 I have coupons for $.50/2 which doubles to $1.00 these will come to be .50 per pack. I have 7 coupons.

Peter Pan peanut butter on sale for $1.99 a jar. I have coupons for $1.00 off 2 which makes it $1.50 per jar of peanut butter. I have 13 coupons.

Kroger peach, apricot, cherry or strawberry preserves on sale for $1.99. I have coupons for $.50/2 which will double to $1.00 making them $1.50 each jar. I will use one or two coupons.

Manwich and buns are on sale for 10/$10. There are coupons out there for $1.00 off when you buy 2 Manwich's and one pack of buns. If you buy 2 Manwich and 1 pack of buns you will pay $2.00 for everything. Pretty good deal I will probably do one.

Rotel tomatoes are on sale for .87 and Kroger tortilla chips are on sale for 10/$10. I have coupons for $1.00 off when you buy 2 Rotel and 1 torilla chips. I will pay $1.74 for 2 rotel tomatoes and one back of tortilla chips.

Rosita refried beans are on sale 10/$10 and I have coupons for $1.00/3 so I can get 3 cans for $2.oo which is a good deal. These things hardly ever go on sale for less than $1.00 a can.

To see the complete run down of sale items go to Trying to save alot or hit the button on the right side of my blog to take you to the deals.

Ten Things You Can Do to Stay In Your Home

I was at Staples on Thursday and a lady came up to me and gave me a photocopy from a magazine and I thought I would share it with you.

The information came from The Nation Magazine, March 23,2009 edition. This magazine has a monthly feature called "ten things". The editorial is written by an editorial board member named Walter Mosley. This is a do-it-yourself opinion and action device. The magazine describes this feature as a "go to the heart of issues in a stripped-down, active and informed way. They interview experts or everyday citizens and construct a list of ten things you can do.

Anyway

Here are ten things to help you fight foreclosure and to stay in your home.

*****DISCLAIMER**** I am not a professional financial advisor nor do I claim to be. I have no real financial experience except spending money on groceries.

I am passing this information on hoping it can help someone.

1. Make sure your loan has a fixed rate of interest and not a variable rate. If it has variable rate, work with your mortgage lender to get it to a lower fixed rate.

2. Seek out HUD-certified counselors (hud.gov) when you are thinking of refinancing. Contact only nonprofit agencies such as legalaid.org. You do not have to pay a fee to get out of foreclosure.

3. If you are being foreclosed, call the ACORN foreclosure hot line immediately, at (347)410-5894

4. Do not take out loans that are beyond your financial means. (I think this should be #1 but as I said I am not a professional) Do not make payments to any institution except your lender.

5. If you are a renter in a house that has been foreclosed, your landlord must give you notice before evicting you. Once you are given notice, find out how much time you have- the laws vary from state to state. For renters rights in a particular state, search hud.gov/renting/tenantrights.cfm Go to nolo.com, click on "Property & Money" and go to "Foreclosure" for more information. (If you have info or resources on renters' rights, please send an e-mail to NationTenThings@gmail.com.)

6. Avoid companies that promise a quick fix. Go to fraudguides.com/mortgage-foreclosure-rescue-scam.asp to see a list of scams.

7. If you believe you are in a foreclosure scam, contact a lawyer immediately. Go to naca.net or foreclosurelegalassistance.org. Always use an attorney with a background in representing familes in foreclosure.

8. Stay in communication with your bank, and always ask questions when you don't understand something that was said or something that you read. Go to responsiblelending.org/glossary.html for an explanation of foreclosure terms.

9. Suppport organizations that assist families with foreclosures:
Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (naca.com)
Center for Community Change (communitychange.org)
Take Back the Land (takebacktheland.org)
National Low Income Housing Coalition (nlihc.org)
Housing Assistance Council (ruralhome.org)
National Housing Law Project (nhlp.org)
Watch testimonials on the Brave New Films website fightingforourhomes.com

10. Call your local ACORN chapter for help (acorn.org/offices). Volunteer to be a home defender in your area. Display an ACORN Foreclosure-Free Zone sign in front of your house or apartment. Tell family and friends facing foreclosure to seek counseling from ACORN, and tell Congress to keep families in their homes. Go to acorn.org and click on "action" for more information on advocacy.

A Call to teach

This post is to inspire you.

I have been asked to help teach a class on couponing. My two friends and I are going to teach single teenage moms how to use coupons. We will have a few weeks to break down the system and teach, teach, teach. I am so encouraged and excited about this opportunity! First off I get to teach someone about something I love to do, save money. Secondly, I am helping a group of young women become empowered. Thirdly, this is an opportunity to show these women, some on a fixed income, how to use their money wisely and how to make it stretch farther. Most importantly I get an opportnity to share Gods love.

I am encouraging all who read this blog to share what you know. Everyone of us has been given a gift from God. We are responsible to use this gift for the good of others.

Jumping back on the band wagon

I have been slacking this last month or so in case you haven't noticed. I have not cut my coupon inserts since the beginning of February. Yes, it has been at least a month. Here is a picture of all my inserts I need to cut, UGH! I am working on it today and I will hopefully get everything back into my binder as well.

Swagbuck gift cards came and went

I'm sure I have mentioned before on this blog that I am a homeschooler. Not that I am a teenager or young adult being homeschooled but that I am a mom homeschooling my children. I am always on the look out for good homeschool curriculum or fun books that we can incorporate and use in our daily quest for knowledge. I received 2-$5 gift cards to Amazon.com for searching through Swagbucks. Remember me signing up through them to earn extra gift cards for things? As soon as my gift cards became available I headed straight to Amazon to buy some books. I really wanted to get a Phonics Pathways book for reading. This is a great book to teach reading if you have a chance, go to the library and check it out. It's simple, simple, simple to follow and understand. Anyway this books runs about $23 with shipping at Amazon. I took my $10 gift cards and bought this book. I love that I got this book for $13.

Saving Money

My blog has been boring because I have been saving money. How am I saving money? I have not been to Kroger. I have not done any shopping there in 2 weeks. We seem to be living off of what we have. I did go to Sam's Club once or twice in February but even there I did not break the bank. The 10 for $10 deals at Kroger start up again on Sunday so maybe next week I will go back. I am sure they miss me.