Generally, coupons will reset or disappear at the beginning of the month.  New coupons generally show up in a HUGE flood in the first few days.  So here are a few things to consider doing to be prepared.

1. Be sure you have INK!  I use 4inkjets  This Coupon “BLOOMINK” Will Give You 10% Off All Orders (Excludes OEM Items). Free Shipping on all Contiguous U.S. Orders Over $50!

2. Be sure you have PAPER!

3. Check out Coupons.com, Redplum, Coupon network and Smart Source for all the coupons you want now.

4. Be ready the first of the month!  I will be up early sharing all the newest coupons!

Sometimes there is a nice coupon that comes out that I don’t plan to use but I still want it in my coupon stockpile just in case- but printing it out will cost me money in paper and ink.  Since I don’t really NEED or want that coupon right now- instead of printing the coupon – get it mailed!

This is not always an option but many times it is!  Here is a little video tutorial in getting it mailed to you instead of printing at home!

One of my worst habits is just shoving things into cabinets!  With all the super deals on spices and extracts with Harris Teeter I decided it was time to tackle my spice cabinet.

I’m ashamed to show you the “before”

 

Then I pulled everything out of the cabinet & wiped down the shelves.

WOW there was a LOT shoved in the cabinet!

Then I checked ALL the expiration dates (found a package of yeast from 2007!!!!) and all the in-date spices I combined.  The problem with stockpiling is I may buy 3 Paprika and not realize I’ve already opened one- and then I open a 2nd…So I combined all the in-date, fresh spices into 1 single open container per spice.

Above is all the expired and condensed containers! How wasteful- that bothers me that I allowed that to happen.  Never again!

Then I replaced all the open containers onto the first shelf, lesser used spices on the 2nd shelf and the top shelf is all my unopened spices and backups!

I’m pretty pleased with the final result!  Now I just have to keep it up!

 

OK so why I am I posting my mess?

Take a lesson from my mess up- I probably tossed $15+ worth of product simply because I didn’t take the time to PROPERLY store and use my spices.   Be sure to follow the first-in/first-out method (new items go BEHIND the older ones).  Be sure to check expiration dates and don’t buy a bunch of spices you will never use (we don’t eat canjun foods so why did I have 2 bottles of canjun spices?  Luckily they are still good and I know someone who LOVES canjun flavors so I will pass it on!)

 

During our chat the other night at the Winston-Salem Journal, I was asked how I plan meals as a couponer.  The truth is that I don’t!  I wake up and decide what we are going to eat….it’s easy to do as a couponer because I have a grocery store in my house- only it’s filled with foods we eat!

Here are the staples in my house:

In the pantry:

Pasta

Pasta Sauce

Rice

Rice mixes

canned veggies

canned fruits

cereal

cereal bars

Taco seasonings

soy sauce

flour

sugar

bread crumbs (esp. Panko- I LOVE that stuff!)

hot sauce

juice

bottled water

My Coke Zero stash (yes I’m an addict & I like it that way)

taco shells

tortillas

A1 sauce

BBQ sauce

Itatlian dressing

Ranch dressing

broth

soups

crackers

snack items (chips, crackers, cookies etc)

 

In my fridge:

eggs

cheese (TONS of shredded cheese)

yogurt

bacon

butter/margarine

salad mix or makings (lettuce, carrots, etc)

fruits (oranges, apples, lemons, limes, plums, peaches, etc. varies by season)

veggies (carrots usually)

cream cheese

 

Other produce:

onions, peppers, potatoes

 

Freezer:

Wide variety of meat – beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, sea food all varieties of cuts, etc

frozen veggies (both purchased and grown)

frozen fruits (both purchased and grown)

ice cream

A few frozen meals

 

 

So my point in this list is that these are all items my family eats routinely.  So stockpiling them allows me to “shop” at my own house each morning!  When I wake up in the morning I decide what we are going to have.  Sometimes if we are having a cook out, etc.  I may plan it in advance (i.e look for deals on hot dogs, etc) but mostly we go with the flow!  And worst case- I don’t feel like cooking we have frozen meals in the freezer- toss in the stir fry pan and voila!

 

Do you plan a menu?  Share your tips with us!

 

 

 

 

At a coupon class a few years ago, I was asked “I live alone- is it worth it for me to coupon and stockpile?”

And my answer: YES!

I have a family of 6 (including 4 children that I just don’t know WHERE they put all the food they consume) so my stockpile and buying patterns are vastly different than that of a single person or a couple.  For my family- 20 boxes of cereal is not “extreme” (oh how I detest that word!)

For the smaller family- 20 boxes would be far too many.

The first step is to determine your eating habits.  How long does a box of cereal last once you open it?  How many boxes of frozen vegetables do you use? Pasta? Canned veggies?

What items do you use routinely?  What are the “staples” in your house?

Think of items with long shelf lives- toilet paper, laundry detergent, personal hygiene items, etc.  Most people use all these items every day.

Once you have a list of the items you find yourself buying often- when these items go on sale and you have a coupon it’s time to stock up.  Instead of just buying 1 deodorant at 20 cents- buy 3.  Instead of buying 1 tube of toothpaste- buy 3.

The second part of the conversation was about bulk purchases.  For example- whole chickens are often more economical than buying boneless chicken breasts.  My suggestion was to purchase whole chickens and cook/roast the entire bird.  Use one portion for dinner and then freeze the rest in single serving portions.  “Freezer bags are your best friend,” I said.

While my family can devour an entire roasting chicken at one dinner- it may last a single person four, five or six meals!

Buying in bulk can still save you money but it may take a bit of work- for example buying a bag of onions may be cheaper than buying just one.  In this case buying the onions and chopping and freezing them may take a bit of work, but will save time and money later on!

Same with buying ground beef- sometimes the larger package makes more sense and then portion it out and freeze “blocks’ of meat in the portion amount you usually use or cook it and freeze in single  meal size portions.

A single (or small family)’s stockpile doesn’t need to be extreme- but buying on sale with a coupon can save everyone money!

Seriously…it can kill your Drug Store Rewards.

I use a laptop here at MoolaSavingMom.com and it is running constantly from about 5 a.m. until midnight or later most days.  So, it gets a little warm….

And you know I plan out my trips and cut my coupons just for that trip.  So I  laid my Up+ and ECBs beside the computer while I cut a few coupons…..and since these are printed on thermal paper….they began to turn black.

Now, I’m sure that it was a pretty funny image as I snatched them up as I saw the edges turning black – and began to wave them around and blow on them!

I am happy to report that the emergency treatments saved the Up+ and ECB and although their edges will forever be scarred- they are scan-able!

Please learn from this experience and keep those rewards FAR away from the heat of your computer!

 

 

 

I LOVE mail in rebates but they are sometimes tricky.

First, we have to trust in the Postal Service to get our submission there in time.  Secondly, we have to trust that the Postal Service returns our rebate (cash or prize or whatever).

We have to trust that the company doesn’t lose it or run out.  We have to hope we did everything right.

Harris Teeter and Lowe’s Foods are both offering a P&G mail in rebate for a $10 prepaid card when you purchase $30 in select P&G products.  It could make for some great deals! But here are a few things to consider:

1. My Motto is to SPEND less.  I will be spending money out of pocket and hope everything works out for me to get the reward back.

2. Do I REALLY need/want these items or am I just chasing the savings?

3. Do I have all the information?  In this case we have the fine print on the companies’ websites to be sure we are buying the right items and in the right amount- but forms still are not printing.

 

I think I just may skip this P&G rebate offer.  It’s a GREAT deal for those who use these products or want to build up their stockpile more.  But I’m still paying money out of pocket- hoping to get it back.

My goal isn’t to be an extreme couponer or to have hoards of paper towels to soak up the Atlantic Ocean.  It’s fun and amazing and such a rush to see how much we can get for SOOOOO little- but my focus now is to LIMIT my out of pocket expense.

Just something to think about!

If you DO participate in a mail in rebate offer here are some tips:

1. keep copies of EVERYTHING.  The form, the rebate and sometimes I even copy the envelope (you can often do this all on one page)

2. Write down how long they say it will take to process and make a note 1 week later in your calendar.  Then you can check the status if you haven’t gotten it yet.

3. Keep a record of all rebates sent out and cross them off as you get them.

 

I get a lot of questions about where is a certain coupon and I do NOT mind answering them- but sometimes I have to sleep or play with my kids and can’t answer you right away and I know you want to find that coupon to take to the store!

The simplest way to find out where a coupon  may be is the Coupon Database. It is managed by a third party that I contract with to allow me to put it out there for all of us to use for FREE!

It is available through the link at the top of MoolaSavingMom.com (see where it says COUPON DATABASE)?

You can also access it directly from the Moola Saving Mom.com tool bar (a free tool).  It allows you to reach the homepage of MSM, the Facebook page, search MSM and reach the database (see the white box with the blue search icon).  You can also reach the top printable sites through it as well! But back to the Database- Here’s a little video I did a while ago on using it.