Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Tipster Tuesday- Organizing Coupons

It took me months to figure out a way to organize my coupons. I tried many different methods, and today I will show you the one that I finally picked. This may not be the best for everyone, but it works the best for me.

First, I get all of the same inserts together and I separate all of the pages. Then I stack each of the like pages on top of each other.







Next, I staple each of the coupons.




Then, I cut them out and put them in my coupon box.




My coupon box is actually a photo box that I had. It came with category separators, and then I added envelopes for each subcategory. For example, I have a separator for Cleaners and the envelopes within that category consist of air, all-purpose, laundry, dishes, etc.

This makes it very easy to find and organize my coupons.

I would love to hear feedback on your organizing method.

Shopping at Goodwill

I work every Saturday, so I have a hard time stopping at yard sales. Last week I went to Goodwill to get Syd some winter clothes and look what I got for $25.00!

A Disney Princess sweatshirt, Old Navy shirt, Gymboree blouse, Ralph Lauren dress, 3 pair of blue jeans, 1 pair of dress pants, and a pair of Barbie tennis shoes.


Ingles week of 09-28-08




Not too much going on at Ingles this week.

Here are a few deals.

Remember, all coupons $.50 and under are doubled.


Zataran's Rice

$1.00

Use $.75/2 coupon from 9/7 RedPlum insert


Sunny D

$1.33

Use $.25/1 coupon from 8/17 RedPlum insert


Yoplait Yo-Plus

$2.00

Use $1/1 from 9/21 SmartSource insert


Danactive

$2.00

Use $1/1 from 9/21 SmartSource insert


Febreze Noticeable Starter Kit

$5.98

Use $5/1 from 9/28 P&G insert


Northland Cranberry Juice

$2.48

Use $.50/1 from 9/21 SmartSource insert


Campbell's Spaghettios

$.75

Use $.40/2 from 9/21 SmartSource


Softsoap Elements Hand Soap

$1.00

Use $.35/1 from 9/28 SmartSource insert

Ingles brand 8oz block of cheese

2/$4.00

CVS deals week of 09-28-08




Buy 1 Contour Blood Glucose Monitor @$14.99
Get 5 ECB's (limit 1)
Use coupon for $30/1 from past SmartSource insert
Final price= Free plus $5 ECB's (Profit of $5.00!!!)

Buy 1 CG Clean Make-up @ $5.49
Get $5.49 ECB's (limit 1)
Use $1/1 from last P&G insert
Final price= Free plus $1.00 overage after coupon and ECBs
There is also a coupon in the last P&G insert for a free complimentary CG product with the purchase of any CG foundation. This would include any make-up product. So you would get 2 free CG products and make a $1 profit.

Buy 1 Gilette Fusion Razor @ $9.99
Get $5 ECBs
Use $4/1 coupon from last P&G insert
Final price=$.99 after coupon and ECBs

Buy 2 Sunsilk Hair Care @ $7.00 (limit 2)
Get $2 ECBs
Use two $1.50/1 from last 8/17 RedPlum insert
Final price= $1.00 each after coupons and ECBs

Buy 2 Gilette Hair Care products for $9.00 (limit 5)
Get $2 ECBs
Use two $2/1 coupons from last P&G insert
Final price= $1.50 each after coupons and ECBs

Make-over Monday- Baby Steps

Sorry this is a day late!

This past week I have been working on a mental make-over. One area I have a lot of problems with is anxiety, and this can affect every area of a persons life. It makes me very irritable and I can have a short fuse, especially with my children.

One thing I have done this week is to identify the areas that cause me the most anxiety and find solutions, broken down into baby steps, to ease the anxiety a little.

The main area that I have been focusing on this week is a cluttered house. When my house is cluttered (which is often), I get extremely anxious and overwhelmed. What I have started doing is picking a small area at a time, working on it for about 10-15 minutes, and then walking away and doing something else. If I have a lot of papers in an area, I will stack them all in a box, pick out 3-4 at a time, and either file them, shred them, or organize them.

As I am working on an area for the 10-15 minutes, as I pick up each item I will take it to its appropriate place or room. This probably does take more time than taking everything in one trip, but this makes me feel lessed stressed and overwhelmed ( and the extra walking sure won't hurt me any.)

Another area that causes me major anxiety, is when I have my paperwork from the weekend follow me into the week. For those of you who don't know, I work as a home health care nurse on the weekends. Although it is hard to turn in all the paperwork the very same day (especially if there is a start of care with about and hour's worth of paper work) I have decided if I complete it all in the persons house, it takes more time there, but less in the long run. I also plan on organizing my papers, folders, and supply box with everything I need at the end of the weekend, so the next weekend, I will be completely prepared.

Finances

Another area baby steps can come in handy is your finances. Whether or not you have any savings or a lot of debt, breaking it down into smaller amounts in your mind, can keep you from being as stressed.

For example, my husband and I are major
Dave Ramsey fans. I listen to his shows on-line. I have read his books. My husband and I have taken his 13 week Financial Peace University class, and we have seen him live (with free box seats at the Gwinnett Arena, thanks to Katti and Kevin Senior!). His motto is "If you will live like no one else, later you CAN live like no one else."

In his book The Total Money Makeover, he has 7 Baby Steps to help you get out of debt, save, and plan for the future
Step 1: $1,000 in an emergency fund.
Step 2: Pay off all debt except the house utilizing the debt snowball.
Step 3: Three to six months expenses in savings.
Step 4: Invest 15% of your household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement plans.
Step 5: College funding.
Step 6: Pay off your home early.
Step 7: Build wealth and give.

We are just now getting started on Step 2, and even the baby steps can feel overwhelming, which is why I break the baby steps down into smaller baby steps.

For step 1, $1000 in saving, in my mind I broke it up into 4X $250 and focused on $250 at a time. Now that we are on step 2, I am focusing on $500 at a time, until we are out of debt. This really helps me to not feel overwhelmed and feel like I am getting something accomplished.

We still have a long way to go to be debt free, but with the baby steps, focus, determination, and strength from God, one day we will be calling Dave Ramsey and screaming at the top of our lungs "WE ARE DEBT FREE!!!!"

Home Improvement at it's Best

Guest post by Karen Allen

Some of you may know that I co-host a home improvement show and I've learned so much since I've started. Instead of looking at how pretty the front door is, I now look to see if there's cracks in the foundation. Instead of admiring the beauty of a newly finished basement, I wonder where the load-bearing walls are. My outlook on home improvement has changed dramatically - it's more important for me to know the home is secure, the foundation strong, and able to carry the weight of an entire house. Proverbs 14:1 says "The wise woman builds her house, but with her OWN hands the foolish one tears hers down." (emphasis mine) Our job as wise women is to build our homes in such a way that it cannot be shaken. Are our foundations strong in the Lord? Does everything we do point right to Him? From the shopping to the cleaning to the raising of our children, are we building homes that will last? Leaving a legacy of Truth, Strength, Integrity, Love and Hope. On the flip side, we could be the very ones who tear our house down. With gossip, prejudice, hate, judgment, ignorance, and apathy. We own the very hands that could tear down, or build up, our homes. The closing line to our home improvement show is "It's more than a house, it's your home" and I agree. It's my home, and it is built on very Solid Rock. Continue to build...and build well.

May God richly bless you,
Karen Allen
http://www.wctv24.com/
http://www.itsmorethanahouse.net/

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Ingles week of 09-21-08


*Nesquick 16 oz milkshake- 5/$5.00
.50/1 coupon in recent insert
Final price= FREE
I got 5 for free!!!
*Laura Lynn milk 1/2 gallon
2/$3.00
*Sanderson Farms boneless, skinless chicken breast
$1.98/lb
*Fresh Lean Ground Chuck
$1.98/lb for 5lbs or more
*Blue Bell IceCream 2/$7.00
$1.00 coupon in recent insert
Final price=$2.50 each
*Chips Ahoy BOGO
$1.96 each
*Charmin Basic 12 Double Roll Bath Tissue or
Bounty Basic 8 Roll Paper Towels $5.98
$.25 coupon in recent insert
Final price=$5.48
*PopTarts 3/$7
$1/2 coupon in Kellog's coupon insert
Final price=$1.83 each
*DelMonte Canned Veges 3/$2.00
Final price= $.67 each
*Uncle Ben's rice side dishes-10/$5.00
$1.00/2 coupon from 8/24 Redplum insert
Final Price=FREE
I got 8 boxes for free!!!
*DelMonte Harvest Selections-2/$4.00
$1.00 coupon in recent insert
Final price= $1.00 each
*StarKist chunk light tuna-4/$3.00
Final price=$.75 each
*Land O' Frost turkey/ham 14oz pack-BOGO
$.50 coupon from 8/10 Redplum insert
Final price= 1.24/each
*California Seedless grapes-$1.28/lb

Tipster Tuesday



Today I thought I would share about tips on saving gas from Thirty Gas Saving Tips.

I chose this topic today, mainly b/c of course it is effecting everyone, and also b/c I had to run some errands this morning and only ONE gas station in all of the city had gas! They were only letting people get $30 worth, which doesn't go very far in a Suburban. My husband and I are very blessed in that he only works 2 miles from home and he enjoys riding his bike to work, and I work only on the weekends and get paid mileadge. I know, however, that there are lots of people who use a lot of gas every week.

Here are some tips on saving gas, check out the website above for even more!

*Don't start and stop engine needlessly. Idling your engine for one minute consumes the gas amount equivalent to when you start the engine.

*Eliminate jack-rabbit starts. Accelerate slowly when starting from a dead stop. Don't push pedal down more than 1/4 of the way. This allows carburetor to function at peak efficiency.

*Avoid filling gas tank to top. Overfilling results in sloshing over an out of tank.

*Traveling at 55 mph gives you up to 21% better mileadge when compared to 65-70mph.

*Traveling at fast rates in low gears can consume up to 45% more fuel than is needed.

*Keep windows closed when traveling at highway speeds. Open windows cause air drag, reducing your mileadge by 10%.

*Remove excess weight from trunk or inside of car - extra tires, back seats, unnecessary heavy parts. Extra weight reduces mileage, especially when driving up inclines.

Here are a few more obvious tips:
*My personal favorite- Stay at home more! I am a homebody. Not only will you save gas, but you will probably cut back on unneccessary expenses such as fast food.

*Plan your shopping trips on one night, maybe combine with an already planned trip such as dance or soccer practice.

*Be creative and come up with some family activities you can do at home: backyard picnic or camping, movie night at home with popcorn, or just going for a walk.

What are some ideas that you have on saving gas?

Food for Thought...

Guest post by Karen Allen

I think we all know that we should be good stewards of the money we have. I also think we all know that we should do our best to save our money. And I think we all know that we should be looking for ways to decrease spending and increase saving. Knowing and doing are two different things, aren't they? It's like me knowing that cramming that donut in my mouth will completely cancel out the 45 minute workout I just did, but choosing to eat that yummy, glazy, circle of sugar anyway. I came across a verse in the Bible that I had never seen before and it spoke to me quite loudly. Matthew 11:19b "But wisdom is proved right by her actions." WOW! Wisdom is knowing what to do AND DOING IT! Knowing I need to really be wise about my spending is great, but unless it translates into action, I've missed what true wisdom really is. So, are you proved right by your actions? Does the wisdom of knowing the need to be a wise steward translate into action for you? Or does it translate into more of the "just knowing"? I challenge and encourage you this week to allow wisdom to be proved right by your actions. Oh, by the way, I did put down that donut! Now that's food for thought!
May God richly bless you,
Karen Allen
http://www.wctv24.com/
http://www.itsmorethanahouse.net/

Monday, September 22, 2008

Makeover Monday

A few weeks ago, I posted about how it is much easier to manage your finances when your house is in order and organized. So I very eagerly made a weekly schedule of all the things I was going to accomplish each day. Well, here I am two weeks later, and I have to admit, I didn't follow it at all.

Am I disappointed with myself? No! I got a lot of other things accomplished in the last two weeks. We had a two weekend long yardsale (that was the first, and last time we will do that) and it was very successful. My goal was to make $200 and we made $360, and we got rid of a bunch of clutter. We made the EXACT amount we needed to finish Dave Ramsey's babystep 1. If you aren't familiar with Dave Ramsey you need to be. Go to his
website and peruse around. More on that later.

God definetely spoke to me about setting priorities the last two weeks and not only about being a good manager of my money, but also of my time.
Am I spending too much time on the computer looking for bargains?
Am I spending more time trying to keep my house in order instead of spending it with my children?

I became a stay at home mom to focus on my children, not focus on my house, my grocery shopping, or myself. Don't get me wrong, the house, grocery shopping, and myself are a priority but when they are out of order, then someone suffers.

Also, am I filling my time with busyness that 2 months or 2 years from now won't matter or that I won't even remember what I did with that time?

As the wise Karen Allen said Sunday(you can pay me back for that later!), "In the critical arenas of life, you cannot make up for LOST TIME."

You cannot make up for time you didn't spend with your children. It makes me sad to think about the times I will be on the computer, and Sydney will ask me to color with her or Briggs will ask me to play with him, and I say "sorry, not right now, mommy is busy." We don't know if we will have tomorrow, so what is the most important choice that we can make today.

I know Karen won't mind me posting this. This was at the end of our lesson Sunday.

So, the question is not "What time is it?", it's "What are you doing with your time?".
Write down 1 thing you can begin doing, on a regular basis, that would have a positive cumulative value in the following areas:

Physically
Relationally
Professionally
Spiritually

My answers were (Go to bed by 10:00-which you will see I didn't do tonight when you look at the timing of my post!), (Plan a weekly event to spend quality time with the family, we love going to the park and picnicking), (Read updated research bi-monthly), (Read Bible and spend time in prayer daily).

Ephesians 5:15-17 says:
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

So..... will you be wise with your time and your choices today? ..... will you re-evaluate your priorities to make sure you are putting God first, family second, and everything else thereafter?

I would love to here comments about what you plan on doing with the above aspects of your life! Please feel free to share!

CVS week of 09-21-08 deals and my shopping trip.





These aren't all of the deals, but some of the best.

Today only:

VO5 shampoo and conditioner 15 oz.
$.65
Physician's Formula Cosmetics
BOGO free

* L'Oreal Advanced RevitaLift Anti-Wrinkle Serum 1oz.
You pay $11.99
You get $11.99 in ECB's
$3.00 coupon in recent coupon insert
Final price= $3.00 profit after coupon and ECB's


Deals lasting all week:

Pepsi 12-pack
You get 4 12-packs for $11.00
You get $3.00 ECB's
Final price= 4/$8.00

Buy $25 of Cottonelle, Viva, Kotex, Kleenex, Huggies, Depends, or Poise(only certain items included, see ad) and get $10 ECB's

Viva towels 8 roll $6.49
-.50/1 Viva Towels printable
-.35/1 Viva Paper Towels SS 9/7
-$1/3 Viva paper towels SS 9/7

Kleenex Cottenelle 12 roll $6.49
-$1 off Cottonelle printable, can print 2 total after making 2 “pledges”
-.50/1 Cottonelle SS 9/21
Kleenex Tissues $1
-.50/3 Kleenex Tissue SS 8/3

Depends and Poise $13
-$2 off any Depends product printable

Kotex liners,pads,tampons $6
-$1/2 Kotex Light Days Pantiliners, any 34ct+ SS 9/7
-$1 Kotex Pads, any SS 9/7
-$1/2 Kotex Security Tampons, any 18ct+ SS 9/7
-$1 Kotex Products printable

Huggies Diapers or Pull Ups Mega Pack $15
-$1/1 any Huggies Diapers SS 8/24
-$2 off Pull Ups SS 8/24 or printable
Save $1 towards college with U promise, load coupon onto your CVS card

Huggies Wipes $2.99
-.50/1 any Huggies Wipes SS 8/24
Adidas Deodorant 2.8 oz
You pay $4.99
You get $4.00 ECB's
Use $1.00 coupon from 9/7 RedPlum insert
Final Price=Free

Nivea for Men Body Wash 16.9 oz
You pay $4.99
You get $4.99 ECB's
Use $1.00 coupon from 7/20 SmartSource insert
Final price= $1.00 profit

Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste 4.2 oz
You pay $2.99
You get $2.00 ECB's
Use $.75 coupon from 8/31 P&G insert
Final price= $.25

Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash 250ml
You pay $2.99
You get $2.00 ECB's
Use $.75 coupon from 8/31 P&G insert
Final price=$.25


Here's my shopping trip today
Transaction #1
3- 12packs Mt Dew
1- 12pack Pepsi
Total $11.00

Used $2/$10 coupon (go to page 30)
Total $9.27 with tax.
Payed $9.27 with gift card.

Total out of pocket= $0.00
Received $3.00 in ECB's

Transaction #2
1- L'Oreal Advanced RevitaLift
Total $11.99

Used $2/$10 coupon
Used $3.00 coupon
Used $3.00 ECB's
Payed $4.48 with gift card.

Total oop $0.00
Received $11.99 in ECB's

Transaction #3
1- Kotex tampon 36ct- $6.00
1- Crest Prohealth Mouthwast- $2.99
1- Crest Prohealth Toothpast- $2.99
1- Nivea Bodywash- $4.99
1- Adidas Deodorant- $4.99

Used $.75 coupon for mouthwash
Used $.75 coupon for toothpaste
Used $1.00 coupon for Kotex(I previously found online?)
Used $1.00 Nivea coupon
Used $1.00 Adidas coupon
Used $11.99 in ECB's
Payed $2.68 with giftcard

Total oop $3.49
Received $12.99 in ECB's

Transaction #4
2- Cottonelle 12-pack toilet paper- $6,49 each
1- Huggies wipes- $2.99
1- Kotex tampon 36ct- $6.00

Used 2/$1.00 cottonelle coupons from on-line
Used $.50 Huggies wipes coupon from coupon insert
Used $1.00 Kotex coupon from mail(received with free tampon samples)
Used $12.99 in ECB's

Total oop $6.11
Received $10.00 ECB's

Sidenote-The gift card I used, I received last week b/c I had a coupon (that had previously printed on the bottom of my receipt) for a $25 gift card with any new or transferred prescription.) Also, I would have spent $5.00 less oop but I had left $5.00 worth of ECB's at home.


Total oop= $9.60

ECB's left for next trip= $15.00

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Publix 09-17-08 thru 09-23-08


Sorry so late with this. Promise I will do better next week!!

If you will go to this link, she shows all of the deals.

Also, go here for a coupon for $1.10 off of one Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust, thanks to Be CentsAble. Publix has them on sale for 3 for $5.00, so that would make them $.57 a piece.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Ingles week of 09-14-08

Sanderson Farms
Boneless Chicken Breast Tenders
$1.98/lb.

Del Monte canned veges
3 for $2.00
$.67 each (usually I won't buy canned veges until they are on sale for less that $.70)

Chex Mix Bars
3 for $7.00
Use $.50 coupon from 8/24 smartsource or 9/07 GM(doubled)or $1/2 printable printable
$1.33/ box or $1.83/ box

Blue Bunny Ice Cream
2 for $6.00
Use $1.00 coupon from 6/29 smartsource
$2.00 each

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
3 for $5.00
Use $.50/2 from 08/10 General Mills insert (doubled)or $.75/2 printable from my sidebar
$1.17 each

Pillsbury Grands
3 for $3.00
Use $.30/2 from recent insert (doubled)or printable for $1.00 printable
Either $.70 each or free

Old El Paso: Use $1/2 coupon from 8/10 General Mills insert
sale price
Salsa 2 for $3.00
Dinner Kits 2 for $4.00
Seasoning Pouches 3 for $2.00
Taco Shells 4 for $5.00
Refried Beans 4 for $5.00

Yoplait Yogurt 4-6oz
10 for $6.00
Use $.40/6 from 8/10 or 9/07 General Mills insert
$.52 each

Hamburger, Chicken, or Tuna Helper
10 for $10
Use $.75/3 coupon from 9/07 GM insert or you can try the $1.10/3 from sidebar(this is for singles, but I have heard of it working for others before)

Progresso Vege Classics Ready to serve soups 3 for $4.00
Progresso Traditional Soups 2 for $3.00
Use $.50/2 or $.25/1 from 9/07 GM

Litehouse Salad Dressing 13 oz
2 for $6.00
$1/2 coupon from 6/22 or 8/24 SmartSource
or printable from sidebar

Big G Cereals- Trix, Lucky Charms, Whole Grain Total, Cheerios, or Fruity Cheerios
3 for $6
Use $1/3 from 8/10 or 9/07 GM or $1/2 from 8/24 SS or $1.50/3 from 8/17 SS
Or use printable from my sidebar


If I find anymore I will let you know. If anyone else sees any deals not listed, please leave a comment in the comment section.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Tipster Tuesday



Today I am going to talk about recycling your aluminum cans!
Here are some interesting facts:
*Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours -- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.
* More aluminum goes into beverage cans than any other product.
* Once an aluminum can is recycled, it can be part of a new can within six weeks.
* An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now!
* There is no limit to the amount of times an aluminum can can be recycled.
* Aluminum can manufacturers have been making cans lighter -- in 1972 each pound of aluminum produced 22 cans; today it yields 29 cans.
* We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum pop cans every year.
* At one time, aluminum was more valuable than gold!
(info from http://members.aol.com/ramola15/funfacts.html)

In most towns there is a metal recycling facility. In Winder, we have Orr's recycling. Ben and I both have areas at our work places for people to put their cans, we then collect them, along with ours once a month and take it to Orr's recycling. We usually get about $10/month. When you have a grocery budget of $60 a week, $10 is a lot of money.

Yours, Mine, and Ours!

Guest post by Karen Allen


When my husband and I first got married, one of the things he struggled with was trusting me with "our" money. Being single, he had only to worry about his spending, his saving, his purchases and now, a newly married man, he felt like he had to worry about his wife's spending as well. Proverbs 31:11 says, "Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it." I was talking to my husband about writing these posts for Heather's blog and do you know what he said? He said, "When you said that you were coupon shopping and strategically going to stores in order to be a good steward of our money - you had me! You had my trust! Tell them that once we as husbands trust what you are doing for our family, we won't have reason to worry any more." Now, there have been times when I have given him reason to regret trusting me with our money. Purchases that should have not been made and such. However, for the most part, he sees what I am trying to do to save money for our family and he TRUSTS me to do so, not regreting it. So, ladies, let's give our husbands reason to trust us without reserve and never give him a reason to regret it!
Karen Allen
www.wctv24.com
www.itsmorethanahouse.net

CVS week of 09-14-08

These aren't all of the deals, but the best ones I found!
Also, thanks to Karen Allen, here is a $2/$10 coupon you can print multiple times to use on your transactions.
use this link
Go to page 30.

Excedrin (20 ct) $3.99
Get $3.99 ECB
Free after ECBs

Aleve (Sinus & Cold or Sinus & HA) 10 ct $3.99
Get $3.00 ECB
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Free after coupon and ECBs

Purex Detergent $2.99
Get $1.00 ECB
Use $.50/1 coupon from 8/10 SmartSource or $1/2 from 9/14 SmartSource
Final Price=$1.49 each after coupon and ECBs (Limit 5 thru 09/30)

Revlon Age Defying products $9.99
Get $5.00 ECB(limit 1)
Use $2/1 coupon from 7/20 or 8/24 SmartSource
$2.99 after coupons and ECBs
(coupons are only for color cosmetics, so they can't be used on the firming face primer or wrinkle eraser)

Tylenol Rapid Release $6.49
Get $2.00 ECB
I have coupons for $2/1 Tylenol PM and $1/1 Tylenol product(not sure what paper these were from), or Use $1/1 Tylenol printable coupon

Children's Tylenol or Motrin $5.99
Get $1.00 ECB
Use printable coupon above
$3.99 after coupons and ECB (I always get generic at Walmart for the kids and I believe it is still cheaper than this.?)

Revlon B1G1 free ($3.49-$11.99)
There are coupons for $2 off any Revlon Color Cosmetic Products, so if you bought 2 products for $3.49 each, you would pay $1.49 for 2 products.

Pert Plus shampoo 2/$5
There are $1.50 coupons out there, so if you use 2 coupons you can get 2 Pert Plus shampoos for $2.00.

Spend $10 on Covergirl Products, Get $3 ECBs (limit 1)
scenario
Buy 2 covergirl Wetslicks or LipSlicks @ $3.99 each
Buy 1 covergirl Brow & Eye Makers or Eye Shadows @ $2.99
Use $2/$10 coupon
Use B1G1 lip products from 8/31 P&G insert
Use 2 $1/1 coupons from 8/31 P&G insert
Make $.02 profit after coupons and ECB's!!!

Glade air freshener $.99
Use B1G1 Free from 09/14 SmartSource
Get 2 air fresheners for $.99

Buy 1 Arnicare Homeopathic Pain Relief Get for $8.99
Get $8.00 ECBs
Use $2/1 printable coupon

Johnson's Baby powder, lotion, oil, wash, shampoo, bath,etc, bedtime washclothes, or Desitin on sale for $2.99
There is a $3/3 in the 09/14 SmartSource, so you could get 3 items for $5.97, which would be $1.99 each.

If I come across anymore I will let you know!
Also, you can do as many transactions as you need in order to keep recycling your ECBs and using the $2/$10 coupon. It felt a little strange at first doing multiple transactions, but they are used to people doing that.

If any of this confuses you read CVS 101 from Money Saving Mom.

Friday, September 12, 2008

I had all the intentions in the world to post Ingles and Publix deals with coupons this past week, but with getting ready for my yardsale, I haven't had much time. Be sure to check in next week. I will be posting Ingles deals Monday and Publix deals on Thursday. Thanks for your patience!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Free $10 CVS gift card!!

Everyone remember to check my blog everyday this week for a new background. Then leave a comment to this post by Sunday night at midnight about which is your favorite design. I will randomly choose someone to win a $10 CVS giftcard Monday morning!

Tipster Tuesday

Every Tuesday this is where I will post some tips on saving money and tips on what you can do to help take care of the environment.

Recycling Facts from www.DoSomething.com

Did you know the average American uses 650 pounds of paper each year. If all that paper were recycled it would save 100 million tons of wood!

Recycling one ton (about 2,000 pounds) of paper saves 17 trees, two barrels of oil (enough to run the average car for 1,260 miles), 4,100 kilowatts of energy (enough power for the average home for six months), 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space, and 60 pounds of pollution.

The 17 trees saved by recycling one ton of paper can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air each year.

If all of our newspapers were recycled, we could save about 250 million trees each year! If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we could save about 25 million trees each year.


So, what can you do about this? Recycle your paper. My husband and I put out boxes and bags at our work places to collect the papers and shredded paper, we also of course, recycle all of our paper at home. I take all of the paper to a recycling place in Monroe every weekend. I know this isn't convenient for most, so I am working on getting a recycling bin at our church. You can bring newspaper and bagged, used white paper. The company that picks it up gives money to Come Alive Ministries in Winder, depending on the weight of the paper. This ministry helps pregnant teens, single pregnant women, and single moms by providing education and resources to help equip them for life. So not only will you be helping the environment, but you will also be helping your community! I will let everyone know when this becomes available.

Here are a few tips that have helped me greatly in saving money over the last few months!

1)Learn the coupon policies of the stores you shop at.

Publix and Ingles doubles all coupons up to a $1.00(so for all coupons $.50 and under, they will double.) Publix also takes competitor's coupons. I have used Target, Food Lion, and Ingles coupons at Publix. Publix will double 3 coupons for every $10 spent, not sure about Ingles.

At Publix and Ingles, if an item is BOGO you are charged 1/2 price for each, not full price for one and zero for the second. So you can only buy one item if you want. If you get two items, you can use 2 coupons. For example: A bag of chips that costs $4.00. If it is on sale BOGO, you pay $2.00 a bag, and if you have $.50 coupons, they will be doubled to $1.00 so each bag will cost $1.00.

2)I am a coupon junkie!

I collect coupons like other people collect baseball cards. The more the better. I usually get 5-6 copies of the coupon inserts on Sundays. I have an AJC delivered to my house, I get 1-2 copies from my mother-in-law(althought she may want to start keeping them after reading my blog!), I buy 1-2 double edition AJC's at the store on Sundays, and I get a set from my mom. So I have 5-6 of each coupon.

I do this b/c if I can get something for .$25 to $.50 I might as well stockpile that way I won't have to buy any for a while.

3) I have certain price limits I will pay for certain items.

Once you have been shopping frugally for a while, you see how the sales ads and coupons cycle back around. So I know for instance that if I get 5-6 of an item, it will last me until it goes on sale again.

Some examples of my price limits are-

marinades-$.25 (I have so many marinades at the moment I won't need to buy any for months!)

name-brand cereals-$.25-$.50

cheese 8oz block- $2.00

Mt. Dew 12-pack- $2.75

shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes- free to $.50(I also have a closet full of these items, most I got for free.)

Beef and boneless, skinless, chicken breasts- $1.99/lb

What are some things you do to help the environment or save money? Please share your comment below.

CVS shopping trip

I got all of this for $7.58 out of pocket and got back $5.99 to spend next time!!


I know the cashier wanted to cry when she saw me walk in (I seem to get the same one everytime), and I know she wanted to cry when I left, but the stinkin' register didn't want to take any of my coupons. NOT ANY!! The manager had to override every single one. So when they wouldn't take the $2 off any Revlon color cosmetics coupon for the fingernail polishes I didn't argue.

I am not a pro yet. I seem to run low on ECB's every 3-4 visits, especially if I buy GoodNites or Diapers, but a lot of the blogs I visit, they seem to never run out of ECB's. I'll be there one day, but hey, I am not going to complain.

Transaction #1

3 Right Guard Deodorants-$2.99 each (Received $2 ECB's back for each at checkout)

2 Soft & Dri Deodorants-$2.99 each (Received $2 ECB's back for each at checkout)

2 Chex Mix- $1.00 each

10 LifeSaver Gummies- $2.19 each(BOGO)

4 Chocolate Covered Peanuts- $.99 each

Used:

(3) $1/1 Right Guard coupons

(2) $.75/1 Soft & Dri coupons

(2) $1/1 Chex Mix coupons

(5) LifeSaver BOGO coupons

(2) $2/2 Gold Emblem nut coupons

Used $9.99 in ECB's from last shopping trip.

Payed $1.20 out of pocket and got back $10 ECB's from the deodorant

Transaction #2

Huggies Goodnights -$9.49

2 Aussie shampoos- $2.49 each

2 CVS Paper Towel 3-packs- $1.99 each

Used:

(1) $2/1 Goodnights coupon

(1) $2/2 Aussie products coupon

(2) $1/1 CVS 3-pack Paper Towel coupon

Used $10 ECB's (received in transaction #1).

Payed $3.11 out of pocket and received back $2 ECB's from Aussie shampoo to use on next purchase.

Transaction #3

Loreal Skin Genesis cleanser- $5.99

Used:

(1) $1/1 Loreal cleanser coupon

Used $2 ECB from Transaction #2

Payed $3.27 out of pocket and received $5.99 ECB's for next visit.

In Summary:

10 free bags of LifeSaver Gummies

4 free bags of Chocolate Covered Peanuts

2 free bags of Chex Mix

$.98 for 2 Aussie shampoos

$1.98 for 6 Paper Towel rolls

$7.49 for GoodNites (normally $11.49)

Made $1 profit on Loreal cleanser (paid $4.99 after coupon and received $5.99 back)

$.45 for 5 deodorants.

If anyone has any questions feel free to post a question in the comments section.





The Proverbs 31 Woman was in Real Estate?

Guest post by Karen Allen.
Yup! You heard it here first! The Proverbs 31 Woman was in Real Estate! Well, maybe she didn't work for Century 21 or Keller-Williams, but she did have experience in the business. Proverbs 31:16 says, "She considers a field and buys it..." Get it - she considers a field - that's the real estate!! What intrigued me about this verse is not so much her buying a field but that she "considers" the field BEFORE she buys it. The definition of "considers" means to: reflect on something, weigh possibilities before deciding, look carfefully at something. This wise woman chooses to weigh the possibilities before deciding on this purchase. She looks carefully at it. Why? Because she realizes that it is not her money she is dealing with. First off, it's the LORD's, secondly, it's her families. Hats off to her for understanding the importance of "considering" before purchasing. Sound familiar? That's what we are doing. Even right now, reading Heather's blog, your "considering". Considering where to shop, how to shop, how to spend, what coupons to use. Maybe you didn't know just how much you mirrored the Proverbs 31 Woman, but you do. So what if she "considered" a field, and you are "considering" toothpaste. It all has the same roots and I say "Great Job and Keep up the Real Estate!"
May God richly bless you,Lindsey & Karen Allen
http://www.wctv24.com/
http://www.itsmorethanahouse.net/

Monday, September 8, 2008

CVS Deals for week of September 7th, 2008

Here are some deals that are only good for today!!!!


All Revlon Nail Enamel @ $3.99, Get $3 ECB's (Limit 3).
Use $2/1 coupon from 7/20 or 8/24 Smart Source insert. I also have a $2 on any Revlon Cosmetic CRT(coupon at the end of a receipt) that I can stack on top of the manufacturer's coupon
Free plus overage after coupon and ECB's


Life Savers, Creme Savers, or Gummi Savers on sale B1G1
Use B1G1 coupon from 6/8 Smart Source insert (Expires 9/8) to get 2 free.
Yes, you can use a B1G1 coupon on a B1G1 sale and get both items absolutely free!


ECB Deals


Buy 1 L'Oreal Age Perfect, Revitalift, or Skin Genesis @ $5.99, Get $5.99 ECB's(Limit 1)
Use $1/1 coupon from 6/22, 7/20, or 8/10 coupon insert
Free plus $1 overage after coupon and ECB's.


Buy Right Guard Sport, Xtreme, Soft & Dri, or Dry Idea @ $2.99, Get $2 ECB's (Limit 5) Use $1/1 Right Guard coupon or $.75/1 Soft & Dri or Dry Idea from 7/13 or 8/10 Smart Source
Free or $.24 after coupons and ECB's


Buy 1 Right Guard Professional Strength Deodorant @ $6.99, Get $5 ECB's (Limit 3)Use $1/1 coupon from 7/13 or 8/10 SmartSource insert
$.99 after coupons and ECB's.


Buy 1 Act Dental Rinse @ $4.49, Get $2 ECBs (Limit 1) Use $1/1 coupon from 8/3 SmartSource insert
$1.49 after coupon and ECB's.


Buy 1 Renuzit Tri Scents @ $7.99, Get $3 ECBs (Limit 1)Use $3/1 printable coupon
$1.99 after coupon and ECB's.


Non-ECB Deals


Chex Mix--on sale for $1 Use $1/1 printable coupon. Free after coupon.
After you print the coupon, hit the back button a few times and you can print out 2.
Schick Quattro--on sale B1G1 (2 for $5.99). Use 1 $3/1 Schick Quattro for Women coupon from 8/3 SmartSource insert. Get two for $2.99 after coupons.
Trident Xtra Care--on sale $1. Use $.75/1 coupon from 8/1 issue of All You magazine. Only $.25 each after coupons.
Colgate Toothpaste--on sale B1G1. Use 1 $1.50/1 printable coupons or $1.50/1 coupon from All You magazine.


Buy 1 Arnicare Homeopathic Pain Relief Gel @ $8.99, Get $8 ECBs (Limit 5)Use $2/1 printable couponFree plus overage after coupon and ECBs!

I am going shopping tonight so I will let everyone know how it goes!
For those of you who have never visited my blog before, make sure you look thru the archives from August for some posts from last month.

Make-over Monday

This month Make-over Monday is going to be about making over your home.


No, I don't mean you get to go out and spend money redecorating your home. We will be talking about organizing and de-cluttering. Yeah!!(right?).

I have found that to be more effective in my couponing, menu planning, and grocery shopping, it is much easier when my home is in order. I am definitely a work in progress in this area. I am almost a completely recovered pack rat. Still have some more room to improve, but definetely am doing much better than 4 yrs ago when we bought our home.


I have been spending the last week getting ready for a yard sale! Getting rid of clutter and making money at the same time. To help me do this, I have made out a list of weekly chores, areas in the house that I will concentrate on each week on a certain day.

Monday-Kitchen, Work-out room, Wash all bed sheets
Tuesday-Bathrooms, Closets
Wednesday-Kids Bedrooms(they need a day all by themselves!)
Thursday-Living Room, Dining Room, Den
Friday-Playroom


I will be sticking to this schedule all week. This is the first week I will be strict with this, so I will keep you updated! I will continue this schedule every week with my cleaning and organizing and will tweak it as needed.


Do you have a schedule you stick with, or have any organizing or decluttering tips? Please share them with us.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Monday, September 1, 2008

I got $51.41 worth of stuff for $5.12 at CVS!!!

I originally went into CVS for diapers, toothpaste, and CG lipgloss but thanks to a super sweet CVS employee, who is a bargain shopping mama like myself, I ended up with some other great deals!

When you go into CVS they now have a "magic" coupon machine where you scan your card and it will print out coupons. I received a coupon for $2 off 2 Gold Emblem nut products and a coupon for $1 off a CVS paper towel 3-count pack. I would have probably ended up not using them but a friendly CVS employee told me the Gold Emblem chocolate covered peanuts were $.99 a bag and the PT were $1.99. So the nuts were free and the PT were $1.00. She also showed me the SunLight dish soap was on clearance for $.25 each.

Here is how I did it.

2 Colgate toothpastes= 2.99 each
2 Chocolate covered peanuts= .99 each
CVS Paper towels= 1.99
2 SunLight dish soaps on clearance= .25 each
Playskool diapers= 14.99 (on sale for $10.99)
2 CG Outlast lipglosses= 9.99 each (BOGO)
1 CG Wetslicks lipgloss= 5.99 (not shown)
Total before coupons and sales=51.41
Used (2) $1.50 Colgate coupons
Used (1) $2.00/2 Gold Emblem nut products
Used (1) $1.00 off CVS brand PT 3-count package
Used (1) $2.00 off Playskool diapers coupon
Used (1) BOGO CG coupon
Used (1) $1.00 off CG product
Used $5 off a $30 purchase coupon I received in an e-mail
Used $9.49 in ECB's
Total after coupons and sales= $5.12 and got back $9.99 in ECB's to use next time.

In summary:
I made $1.o2 profit off of the toothpastes (5.98-3.00(coupons) and received 4.00 in ECB's;
I received the choco-covered peanuts for free;
I paid $1.00 for the paper towels;
I paid $.50 for 2 SunLight dish soaps;
I received 2 CoverGirl Outlast lipglosses for free (CVS had them BOGO and I had a BOGO coupon;
I paid $8.99 for the diapers (normally cost $14.99);
I made $1.00 profit on the CoverGirl Wetslicks lipgloss b/c it was $5.99, I had a $1.00 coupon, so I paid $4.99 and got back $5.99 in ECB's