I love using the whole insert method but lately I may use one or two of my 10 coupons (I get 10 delivered each week) and then have to sort through my folder of those inserts to find the other 8 that still have the coupon.  It was getting tedious but I REALLY didn’t want to cut out 10 inserts each week.  PLUS I wwas wasting coupons because there are somethings I just won’t buy.  Pickles, hot sauce (I have enough to last 2 yeas!), etc.  Those coupons were just wasting away.

 

So for the last 3 weeks I have been taking about 20 minutes a week to make my life a bit easier!

Step 1:
Separate all your inserts into each “type”: Smart Source, Red Plum, etc.

Step 2: Take one set and start to collate it.  I use the floor because I can watch TV while I am doing it 🙂  Plus my kids like to help ( notice the little toes?)

Step 3:I tear each 2 page sheet in half (be sure to check that there is no coupon spanning both pages before doing so!) I staple each set together.

It took me about 20 minutes to collate all 3 insert sections, staple and pile up.  Yes, this is more time than I would LIKE being organized each week but over time it will save me a LOT of time.  For example this morning I wanted to cut out all of my Yoplait Simplait coupons.  It took all of 3 seconds to find that section and clip.

This method also allowed me to see all of the coupons I am certain I won’t use and clip those out.  I was also able to pull out all the “extra” pages such as the ads, etc. that were just taking up room in my whole insert box.

Now one concern I have/had is the idea of “gang cutting”.  Some manufacturers deny reimbursing stores when coupons are gang cut.  My thinking is this: The maxmium of coupons I will cut all together is 10.  First I doubt my scissors will do a good job on more and secondly that is usually all I have.  Secondly, most of the stores around me will double a max of 3 like coupons at a time.  So only 3 coupons are usually redeemed on one trip. Gang cutting is generally not a concern for 10 or so coupons but for larger quantities.  If I hear that this is a concern of my stores I will re-evaluate my organizational method. 

How do you organize your coupons?  The best organization method is the one that works for you!

I am am avid supporter of Credit Unions. I have banked with many different banks and I have to say that Credit Unions ROCK! Credit Cards can offer some really great rewards but honestly we’re not using credit any more.  Debit and cash are all we are using.  So, I still want some of those rewards & savings!

We are currently members of two different Credit Unions and one of them is  Truliant (I am in NC).  I recently just noticed something pretty cool on Truliant’s website!  TruRewards!

One of the current offers is 20% back at the Dollar Tree!  They even have offers from Redbox and Burger King!

Be sure to check with your bank (or credit union) and see what savings promotions they offer!  If you find (or know of) one leave a comment below so everyone can save!

My Coupon Buddy Kim is a savvy shopper.  REALLY savvy.   When she told me this- it was something I had never thought about!

She went by McDonald’s this morning for breakfast and got a Sausage McGriddle meal and a large sweet tea.  The large sweet teas are $1 everyday at McDonalds.  (p.s. Warning to my Southern Friends traveling North- when you order a tea in the Northern States they only have UNSWEET so be sure to ask before ordering!  I’ve made that mistake only ONCE!)

They charged her 79¢ to up-size her med drink to the large sweet tea.  By asking them to ring up the items individually it was actually 50¢ cheaper than buying the meal.  Since the Large sweet tea was actually cheaper than the medium drink that comes with the meal she saved some change!

Just goes to show- always do a little math.  50¢ might not seem like much but change adds up! Why pay more than you should?  This goes for sit down restaurants too.  Many times I’ve found that it’s cheaper to buy the items a la cart rather than buying a full meal.   This goes against conventional wisdom about saving money.  Most of our phones today have calculators built in- take that 30 seconds and run some numbers.  you might be surprised at how much you can save!

My family is blessed with two cars: A Honda Odyssey van and a 1999 Honda Civic.  In fact- the Civic was my “first” car.  It was the one I purchased (with a loan) when I got out of high school.  So it’s old and has a lot of miles but it rides GREAT.  We just put new tires on it and in fact it gets over 30 miles a gallon!  My van on the other hand- while it runs great and gives us a TON of room- gets less than 20 miles a gallon!

This weekend I promised my kids a weekend trip to the beach.  I snagged a GREAT deal on a suite with a kitchen and a living room for the weekend.  So, instead of spending $60+ to eat out dinner and $25+ for lunch we are taking stockpiled food from home.  We’ll be cooking in the crock pot while we play in the sand and come home to a delish pot roast.  For lunch- all that frozen lunchmeat and cheese and stockpiled chips are going to good use.  Since the beach is free, our only expenses will be the hotel and gas and any souvenirs/trinkets.  We’re even bringing our own drinks.

So my husband and I talked alot about this- to take my van will require two tanks of gas (more or less) at $65 a fill up.  To take his car will take aboua tank and a half at $35 a fillup.  To take my van will cost us $130.00 to take his car- $52.00.  is $75 worth having 5 of us in his smaller car?  We talked to the kids and told them- we had a choice to make- spend the $75 on gas or use it for fun things like putt-putt and ice cream. We only have so much money to make this trip happen so sacrifices have to be made.

They chose to take the smaller car.  Am I crazy? What would you do?

I know it’s terribly disappointing to go to the store and find the shelf empty of that one thing you really really wanted (or needed to make your deal work out right).

And there is no replacement for that product, but RAIN CHECKS are a couponer’s friend.

Rain Checks are basically a promise from the store to honor the current sale price after the sale ends for everyone else.

Stores each have different policies but almost all will allow you to combine a current (unexpired) coupon when you redeem the raincheck.

In fact, sometimes a raincheck can make a BETTER deal than the one you were originally after. For example-today I used a Buy 1 Get 1 Free raincheck on Sorrento Cheese Sticks at Harris Teeter.  They are normally $4.99 each.  I had $3/2 coupons I wanted to use then that would make them each about $1 each.  I was disappointed but got rainchecks.

This week it is Super Doubles and they are now on sale for $2.99.  My rainchecks allowed me to get (2) Cheese sticks for $2.99 and my $3/2 coupon gave me both for free! I was able to get (6) FREE packages of string cheese!

Now, it is true that during coupon events (like the Current Harris Teeter Super Doubles) that they raincheck doesn’t give you the “doubled” amount but hold onto that raincheck- the shelves may be refilled during Super Doubles week and you can still get it PLUS you will have the raincheck.

Then the next time Super Doubles rolls around, or another super deal, you will have that raincheck and no one else will be looking for that Simply Pure milk (or at least ALOT less than who have been looking this week!)

Harris Teeter’s rainchecks NEVER expire and can be used at any Harris Teeter. Lowe’s Foods rainchecks expire in 30 days. Food Lion raincheck policy is not written or available online but my local stores do not have an expiration date.

Do you have any raincheck tips?

 

To me, time is like money.  If I spend more time than I should on a task ~ well it makes me irritable.  I hope you find some of these tips helpful!

The other day my husband cooked scrambled eggs for my children.  Some how (don’t ask me) the spoon he used (again- why this one?) got lost in the kitchen.  I found it yesterday in the cabinet (sigh).

It was SO dried on nothing I tried worked.  I tried soaking it, scrubbing it and was about to give up.  Then I remembered a trick that has worked on some pans that had stuck on food: boil it.

I put some water in a medium sized pan and started it to boil.

Remember: If you have a metal spoon like I do it will get HOT. I let it boil about 10 minutes and it got VERY hot so I used an oven mit to remove it.

I used a nylon scrubber. Took me about 45 seconds.  I kept the spoon over the steam to help loosen up the dried on eggs.

 

 

Voila!  A clean spoon!

This same technique works on stuck on food in pans!  Water is a great cleaning agent!  Simply add water to cover the bottom of the pan with the stuck on food- boil until it begins to loosen.

 

Can you believe August is over today? I honestly cannot it seems like this year has FLOWN by me!  Be sure to check out the full list of August coupons and print any you want before they start disappearing!

Here are some of the tasks I am tackling in the next two days to help ensure a successful September:

1. Clean up & Clean out: I am cleaning out all the expired coupons from my coupon binder (I only use this for loose coupons) and pulled out my expired P&G inserts.  I will send these over to a military family in Portugal.  It costs the same to mail a package or envelope across the street as it does to send to Portugal! You can get the address to a military base HERE.

2. Get what you want: Coupons tend to reset or disappear the last day of the month and new ones come out the first few days of the next month.  If you see any coupons on Coupons.com, CouponNetwork, Smart Source, Red Plum– get them now.  We don’t know if they will be around September 1st.

3. Prepare TODAY: Check your ink levels, check your paper.  NOTHING is worse than a wonderful new coupon appearing and you are out of ink….or have no paper.  TONS of office supply stores (see some deals HERE) are running great deals on paper and other office supplies.

4. Do a quick inventory: Think like a grocery store.  They look at what they have, estimate what they will need & order enough to keep their shelves full.  As couponers we can do the same.  Do you have 100 tubes of toothpaste but only 1 toothbrush in your stockpile? Make a note of that. Then actively look for good deals on those items that you need.  I just did my health & beauty cabinet.  I found over 60 shampoos but only 2 mouthwash- so guess what I am looking for a deal on?

5. Donate: Check the dates on all the items in your pantry.  Something close to expiring?  Donate it- don’t toss it!  Check with your local food bank or shelter- some will take items past their “best by ” date!

6. Analyze: Again, think like a corporation.  At the end of every month many companies look at their cash flow- how much comes in and how much goes out. Are you going over your budget week after week?  Analyze why.  Were you being realistic when you set it?  Maybe you are spending far LESS than your budget (congrats on that!)- maybe you can cut that expense and put some $$ in savings! I keep a running total each week and keep myself accountable in my Tuesday Totals posts.  Stay accountable- and keep a record.  This will help you be honest about what you are spending.

Do you have any month end preparation tips?

We had a Free Coupon Class yesterday and one thing I always try to tell people is that your budget may go UP before it goes down.  Many times when this happens- people quit trying to strategically shop because they think “Hey- I’m spending MORE than I was- obviously this doesn’t work!” And they go back to their old ways.

The reason why it goes up first is that they have no stockpile- so they are buying the items to create a stockpile PLUS buying what they “need” to feed their family (and keep them clean) for the week.

There is a way to keep that from happening but it takes discipline and effort.  This is my suggestion for not seeing your budget go up too much while starting out.  And if itdoesgo up anyway- analyze why and make adjustments.

If you don’t want to take these steps- that is fine- but remember that your spending will go up and don’t become frustrated.  Give it a few months (to see part of the sales cycle) and you will be astonished at what you have been able to buy for just a little bit more & then you realize “Hey, I don’t need to buy cereal this month.  I have 10 in the pantry!”

If you are spending $150 a week right now here is what I would do. Please remember that we are ALL different- our families are different sizes, we have different dietary requirements and favorite foods. But this is what I would do.

Week 1: Instead of having $150 a week to spend only spend $130. Take $100 of that for your “needs”- the items you are out of that you need to keep you going for the next week. The remaining $30- use to stock up on items you use that are at a great price. Look over the grocery store & drug store matchups (look at the top of the site for “grocery” and “drug” store tabs to find these lists) and look for the items at really good prices. Don’t just buy 1 of these times buy 5 or more or however many you have coupons for.

Week 2: $130 budget: $100 needed items, $30 stock up items

Week 3: Reduce your new $130 budget by 10%. Instead of a budget of $130 only have a budget of $115. Take that same $30 and stockup. Spend $85 on “needed” items and $30 on stock up items.

Week 4: $115 budget, $85 needed items, $30 stock up items

Week 5: Reduce budget by 10%. New budget: $100. $30 stock up items, $70 needed items

Week 6: $100 budget, $70 needed items, $30 stock up items

Week 7: Reduce budget by 10%. New budget: $90. $60 needed items, $30 stock up items.

Week 8: Budget: $90. $60 needed items, $30 stock up items.

Week 9: Reduce by 10%. Budget: $80. $50 needed items, $30 stock up items

Week 10: Budget: $80. $50 needed items, $30 stock up items.

Week 11: Reduce by 10% Budget: $70. $40 needed items, $30 stock up items.

Week 12: Budget: $70. $40 needed items.$30 stock up items.

Onward: Keep reducing until you are at a plateau. $55 was my plateau. It’s a number I am comfortable spending each week and it sustainable. A weekly budget of $10 a week honestly is not possible for most families.

Hopefully by this time, you have seen your stockpile grow and you have a nice foundation. You may even have found that your “needed” items have been reduced to $10-$15 a week. Awesome! Then you can roll that excess into the stock up items or start a fund for that vacation you want to take, pay down your credit bills, etc.

A few tips:

1. Be realistic. A $10 a week budget for a family of 5 is not realistic. We need to eat & we like to eat!
2. Don’t fret if you go over budget. Just adjust. If you go over budget week after week – examine your budget maybe it’s NOT realistic for your family.
3. Don’t compare. My weekly budget is based on the fact that my stockpile is 10+ years old. A new couponer won’t reach this level of stockpiling for at least 1 year. Sales cycle around. It takes time.
4. Don’t sacrifice…too much. My family has learned we eat what we have. If we have a lot of canned veggies- that is what we eat. If we have rotini pasta and the wanted spaghetti- sorry we have this variety. Slight sacrifices is what allow us to spend on our money on FUN things (like ice cream sprinkles and a fancy cheesecake) instead of paying $2 for a boring box of pasta.
5. Splurge a little. Just like a “cheat day” on a diet. A splurge here and there on something that you ENJOY will allow you to be motivated to stay on track the rest of the time. It”s like a reward.
6. Stay accountable. Keep track. You never realize how much you spend until you keep track. Check out myFREE Budget Tracker to help you stick to your budget. That is why I write my Tuesday Totals. If I have it all there in black & white I can’t hide from the fact that I spent too much! Keeping a record also allows you to see that your $150 a week budget is too high or your $30 budget is too low. Analyze your spending and see where you can make cuts (are you spending $100 a week AND buying dinner out 3x a week and buying lunch out 5x? There might be an issue!) or adjustments.
7. Run your budget Wed-Tuesday to coincide with the grocery store sales. I have found that is the best way to keep track of what I am spending and allows me to budget for the week easier. If I know that there are HOT deals at Lowe’s Foods than I have my entire budget to stretch out the week. If you run Sun-Sat you will cross 2 sales cycles and it can get messy.

What tips do you have for starting out a stockpile budget?

This post was updated and modified from a post previously posted on MoolaSavingMom.com.