Getting Organized can save you so much Money!

I have been working on systems that can help my small house be more organized. By doing that it will not only help me happier and save money at the same time!  Did you hear that! 

I have probably the worst pantry design ever for us! It is the cabinet style, that is very deep and when you put pantry items away it covers up all the other items. It is so annoying. We can't even tell what we have in there, so I can't tell you how many times we have repurchased the same items or the items in the back will go bad and then it is trash!

This week I ordered these Food Storage Airtight Containers. They are freezer safe, microwave safe and dishwasher safe HOLLA! Dishwasher safe is probably my favorite one. 

That's right 

4 X 5.2L (175.9oz) LARGE WIDE Food Storage Container Size 6.3’’X6.3’’X8.86’’ (Each Container)
Measuring Cups (4 INCLUDED- 250 ML Each)

FOOD STORAGE AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS * Airtight, Watertight & Leak Proof
* Dishwasher Safe, Freezer Safe, Microwave Safe (Remove Lid)
* Stackable Design
* Non-Slip & Sealing Lids
* BPA Free
* Reusable & Durable

Pros: 

• I love that I can see what is in these containers
• It is fun with the chalk labels
• I love that it comes with measuring cups
• Square containers give you more room in the pantry

Cons: 

• You do lose a little space in the pantry by being organized

That's really it because I am really liking these. 

 

Debt Free Living: 52 Week Challenge!

 It's that time of year again.

Our main goal is to be Debt FREE and that not only means for Christmas but for every aspect of our lives. Being Debt Free is a HUGE goal and takes some planning in our lives.

I know that this 52 week Challenge is all over the internet and hard to pin point who actually came up with it first but I thought that my readers would like to join me in planning for Christmas 2018.

This 52 week challenge is pretty simple, you save the dollar amount that corresponds with that week. So the week of Jan 1st you save $1,

the week of Jan 7th you deposit $2 and so on,

by the end of the year you will have $1378 in cash for anything you choose.

You can also do this challenge backwards where you save the $52 on Jan 1st and take away $1 every week. 

I like things more uniformed so I think for me I like the 52 Week Challenge EVEN plan. I will just deposit $27 in my envelope every week and by the time Christmas comes I will have $1404. 

This challenge and everything else is 100% up to you. You don't have to use these particular plan or if you feel you need more or less money at the end of the year change your weekly deposits. This is totally up to you and your families needs.

Click on any of the forms above to the printable version.

We are starting up our next session of Financial Freedom classes! If you are ready to grab a plan to becoming debt free, you should join us! Check out more info here. 

A Simple Plan For DEBT FREE

If you had an $400 emergency, would you be able to take care of it right now?

That could be a scary questions for some but the fact is that most small emergencies are about $400 and 39% of Americans would not be able to cover that total. 

Just thinking of that is super scary. At any moment we could have vehicle issues, a refrigerator go out, the A/C stop pumping cool air, you name it, something could happen to put you in a situation that could be of some concern. Those hypothetical items I listed above are not something you can wait until payday for. They would need to be repaired and pretty quick. Another horrifying statistic is that 80% of

Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. That was in 2019 during the economic boom, I am sure that number is through the roof right now. As if those weren’t shocking enough, money is the number 1 reason couples get divorced. Number 1! Money or lack thereof causes fights, divorce, stress, overwhelming, depression, anxiety and so many other issues that don't need to be. 

I don’t think that people are living paycheck to paycheck because they think it is cool. They aren’t doing it because they like “living on the edge” I personally think 80% are living paycheck to paycheck because they weren’t taught how to look at money. How to manage it. It might seem boring or hard to use a budget. Maybe budget is a bad word. Does it make you feel that they are now restricted so, why bother. 

What if I told you that creating a budget or an expense sheet will free you, would you believe me? A little planning, will help you to see where your money is going so that you can have your “cake and eat it too”! You can still buy those clothes, you can still go out and eat, you can even do those amazing trips you love so much.

The only difference is you will be planning for them ahead of time, so that you can afford them. Maybe your trip is on pause for a little bit, 6 months or even a year. The outcome will be that you go to more places or come home to NO credit card bills.

If you have ever experienced a vacation or even Christmas that is paid off before it happens, you would never go back. Those trips mean more when you are not stressing out about how you are going to pay for it.

What about your marriage! Can you imagine what it would like if

you didn’t have to fight about money. Does that even seem possible? No more fighting! It can happen when you are both on the same plan and working toward that plan.

I get it, we live in an instant gratification world. We text someone and if they don’t reply back immediately, we start to wonder why. (pssst, they could be in the bathroom) 

Instead of saving for an item: a purse, a car or even a new house, we just go out and get it now because “we deserve it”. We might get it because “we will look cooler when everyone sees us with XYZ”. Regardless if you are purchasing items to “keep up with the Jones’” or not, we all do this to some degree. The question to ask yourself is why? Why do you need that item, right now? Why are we looking for others approval? In the big picture of life, they don’t matter.

If not fighting about money sounds like something you want to try. 

If you want to walk into the Christmas season with a plan so that it's paid for before December 25th. If you are just sick and tired of working so hard but you can't figure out where your money went, you should join us in the next session Financial Freedom! 

• This is not one of those courses that tells you can't have fun ever again. 
• This is not a course that is boring and hard to follow. 
• This course has quick, easy and simple steps in order to get that financial plan up and running. 
• This IS a group of like minded people that are working on similar goals, and they are simple. Plan your money!

Check out Financial Freedom! What do you have to lose... some debt?

Instant Pot Refried Beans

I am really not sure anyone can make Refried Beans look great in a picture but I will tell you that this recipe is absolutely amazing and easy to make! 

I promise to get a picture of the beans before the family devour them. (It's true, it is a thing)

Using the Instant Pot is the only way that I will make these because they are so fast and delicious. No need to sit and watch your food cooking. It is just doing the work for you so you can do other things. I love that kind of cooking. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups dried Pinto Beans
• 9 cups water
• 1 yellow onion (quartered)
• 2+ TBS minced garlic (your preference)
• 1/2 - 1 Jalapeno (I use canned)
• 6tsp Salt
• 2tsp pepper
• 1/8tsp cumin

Directions:

I rinse off my pinto beans in a strainer. 

The rest of this recipe is just dump it in the Instant Pot. 

Add all ingredients and stir

Turn the IP on manual for 45 minutes. 

Make sure the seal is closed

When it is done and beeps, let the IP natural release for about 10 minutes. 

Then you want to release the pressure, and open up the IP away from you. It will be super hot. 

I take a large glass and start taking some of the water (only) out of the pot. You will need some of the water for reserves.

When you think you have enough water out of the pot, grab that Immersion Hand Mixer and start blending the beans right in the IP. 

If you feel that you don't have enough water, add some in. 

If you feel that you have too much water, take some out. 

From this point on this is your preference. 

You will want to blend these until you get the consistency that you like. 

You can't mess this up

I usually keep some of the reserved water for the leftovers. That way when we eat them the next day they are not dry. 

Enjoy! 

If you have leftovers you can freeze them. I like to put them in Food Saver bags and pull them out weeks later when we need them. 

Disney+ Free for 1 Year with Verizon

If you are a Verizon wireless customer, be sure to log into your account and see if you are qualified to receive Disney+ for free. This is for an entire year which is awesome! 

Don't forget that Disney owns Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic and Star Wars. I don't think you will have any issues finding something to watch. We are huge Marvel Fans so the kids have already made a list of the shows and movies they want to watch. 

Here are the requirements for getting the Disney+ for free. So be sure to see if you qualify for this offer. You have to either have, upgrade, switch to an unlimited data plan or get Verizon Home Internet. 

This will get you FREE Disney+ for a year and it will be a charge of $6.99 a month after that. 

I will tell you that my husband and I were sharing a 3GB data plan for years. It was ok for us, we would get close to going over but didn't each month (because I was watching it like a hawk). I went into a store earlier this year and started asking some questions. I wanted to know if I paid off the phone "contracts" earlier what would our month cost for service be.

The sales rep punched some numbers and told us that we would be saving about $40 or if we wanted to go unlimited, we would still be saving $38. 🤔 You might want to read that again.

When we paid off the phones (that had 2-5 more payments on them) we only had a $2 difference between the 3GB plan and the newer unlimited plan! I was shocked. I even asked about getting the kids a couple of phones and if we added them to the plan. Guess what? We would still be saving money! 

Unlimited Data plans + 2 new phone lines + Disney+ FREE = Saving Money 

Always make sure that you ask about new plans and features because they are changing all the time. Verizon and every other utility company will not openly advertise these new offers with you so you have to do your own homework. I wonder how long we were paying more for less data. I don't even want to think about it. It is just depressing.

Saving Money Tip: 

I am going to set up automatic transfers in the amount of ($6.99) $7 a month to go into the savings account. I know that isn't very much but that is the price Disney+ would be if we had to pay for this add on. Just think, next July I will have an extra $84 in the bank. Every little bit adds up. 

Want to grab my FREE guide on other ways to save money? 

Be sure to check them out here.  

Finding Easy Ways to Save Money Part 1

Saving money does not have to be hard. It doesn't have to be like the show from years ago, Extreme Couponing. It can literally be you looking around the house and finding little ways to save money. 

I am probably the only one in the entire world that never thought of this until today. If you are already aware of this incredible yet simple trick, why didn't you share it with me! You could have saved me a ton of money over the many years of living on my own. 😜

When I am usually to the end of a mayo, jelly or any other kind of jar that you scoop out with a knife, I do what I can and then throw away the jar. No big deal, I move on to the next one. Today for some reason I thought about how much was really on the sides of our mayo jar and I grabbed a regular silicone spatula. Seriously! Why didn't I do this years ago. 

I had really no idea how much was on the sides but I figured it was a tablespoon or so. I was in total shock that it was almost a half of a cup of Best Foods Mayo. That is a lot!! Just think of how much I have wasted over the years because I just didn't pay attention. It really only took about an extra minute to scrap the sides. 

You bet I am going to be telling my son he needs to do that with the Jelly, ohhh maybe the peanut butter jars too. It's like an entire world has opened up in my head of how much we actually waste. 

What are some extra things you do to save money here and there?

Want other great tips? Grab my guide: 3 Easy Ways to Save Money HERE 

How I make my Non-Toxin Cleaning Wipes

Anyone that knows me, knows that DIY has to be "REALLY" easy for me to want to do it. That's why I have been getting lots of requests on how I make DIY Thieves Cleaning Wipes. Easy and it doesn't hurt that they are very inexpensive. 

The thing I missed the most when I started taking the chemicals out of my house was my cleaning wipes. That is why I am so happy that I found these. I don't have to worry about the kids using these or the pets if we use this product on the floor.  It is safe! 

All you need is:

bucket (similar to this one in the video)

Thieves Household Cleaner (2 capfuls) 

2 cups of water

Paper Towels (1/2 roll)

Young Living Essential Oils of your choice (optional)

Thieves Household Cleaner is a plant based cleaning product that leaves no chemical residue. It is a concentrated so I only use 2 capfuls for these wipes and 1 capful for a bottle of all purpose cleaner.  I have replaced all of my other household cleaners for this one bottle. It is amazing and we love it. 

We make these wipes on a regular basis and how great is it that it only took me 5 minutes. That is less time than it would take to get in the car and drive... anywhere. 

Talk about saving time, money and our health!

Debt Free Living: Making Your Own Laundry Detergent and Saving the Difference!

While talking to friends, I just realized that I do things a little strange different than other people. I was kinda shocked, but with that said, I thought I would share one of the different ways I try and save money to help my family become Debt Free.

I find that it is easier for me to save little by little. I mentioned earlier that I make my own Laundry Detergent to save money. It cost about $2 for 10 gallons of detergent. It might sound like one more thing on your to do list but it really only takes 20 minutes.  That kind of savings is worth 20 minutes of my time. I leave the 5 gallon (you dilute the soap with water to make 10 gallons) in the garage and refill the 3 old containers and leave them in my laundry room.

Recently, I started taking $20 and putting it in a jar every time I refill my 3 old Tide Laundry containers. I don't really have any scientific reason for picking the amount of $20.  If I was to purchase Tide at the store, it runs about $11.97 each at Walmart.  I fill up 3 containers at a time, which would equal about $36.  I still have to make the homemade laundry detergent and purchase the products, and lets face it, we have homemade detergent because I can't afford the Tide, so I figured $20 was a good round number. 

I didn't know exactly what to do with the money, until just now as I am typing this. Our washer and dryer are about 12 years old.  The dryer has been making weird noises and has been repaired by hubby multiple times. The washer sometimes likes to skip the rinse and spin cycle. Not sure why, maybe it was just having a bad day and said forget it! Whatever the problems that are coming our way, I want to be prepared and this is not a bad idea, the more I think about it. Can you imagine if they go out and I have a jar full of money ready to help purchase a replacement set. That's my new goal. 

Do you do anything off the grid to save money?

Do you make New Year's Resolutions or Goals? Here is my Vision Board and I would love to hear yours.

Print out your very own 52 Week Challenge

Case lot is Back at Smiths this week!

 

It's that time of the year, Case lot sale.  This is the time that I stock up on all of my canned goods, which helps us save even more money. Smiths has changed their policy and now, some items require you to purchase the entire case. Here is a list of the items and I have split them up so you know which ones you will have to purchase the entire case for.

These are the items that have to be purchased in the entire case.

Kroger Peanut Butter 12ct $14.99

Libby's Vegetables 12ct $5.99
$1/4 Libby's Vegetable Product, exp. 1/31/15 (RP 11/16/14 R)
Pay $0.25 each

Campbell's Chunky soup 12Ct $12.00
$0.50/2 Campbell's Chunky Soup or Chili printable
$0.40/2 Campbell's Condensed Soups, exp. 12/31/14 (SS 10/12/14 R) [Excludes Chicken Noodle, Tomato or Cream of Mushroom soups]
$0.40/4 Campbell's Condensed Soup, exp. 1/15/15 (SS 11/09/14 R)
Pay 0.75 each

Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light Tuna 48ct $24

Ramen Noodles 24ct $3.42

Ragu Pasta Sauce 12ct $12

Ragu Alfredo Sauce 12ct $12

Campbell's Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup 48ct: $26.40
$1/5 Campbell's Condensed Soup printable [Excludes "Great for Cooking" Soups]
$0.40/4 Campbell's Condensed Chicken Noodle, Tomato or Cream of Mushroom soups, exp. 12/31/14 (SS 10/12/14 R)
$0.40/4 Campbell's Condensed Soup, exp. 1/15/15 (SS 11/09/14 R)
Pay $0.35 each

Kroger Canned Fruit 24ct: $18.00

These items can be purchased separately or in a case:

Kroger Tomato Sauce $0.20 or 24 for $6.00

Campbell's Soup: $0.90 or 48 for $43.20
$1/5 Campbell's Condensed "Great for Cooking" Soup printable
$0.40/4 Campbell's Condensed Chicken Noodle, Tomato or Cream of Mushroom soups, exp. 12/31/14 (SS 10/12/14 R)
$0.40/2 Campbell's Condensed Soups, exp. 12/31/14 (SS 10/12/14 R) [Excludes Chicken Noodle, Tomato or Cream of Mushroom soups]
$0.40/4 Campbell's Condensed Soup, exp. 1/15/15 (SS 11/09/14 R)

Hormel Chili $1.10 or 12 for $13.20
$0.55/2 Hormel Chili Product, exp. 1/5/15 (SS 11/09/14)
Pay $0.83 each

Kroger Broth: $0.50

Kroger Beans $0.58 or 24 for $13.92

Psst Sugar 4lbs: $1.79 or 10 for $17.90

Hamburger Helper: $0.88 or 12 for $10.56
$0.75 off any three boxes Helper Skillet Dishes
Pay $0.63 each

Kroger Mandarin Oranges: $0.50 or 24 for $12.00

American Beauty Pasta: $0.75 or 24 for $18.00

Langers 100% Apple Juice: $1.50 or 8 for $12.00

Chef Boyardee $0.85 or 24 for $20.40

Kroger Diced Tomatoes $0.50 or 24 for $12.00

Kroger Evaporated Milk: $0.90 or $24 for $21.60

Snack Pack: $0.89 or 12 for $10.68

Botan Rice 20lbs $13.99

Jennie O Ground Turkey: $1.99 or 12 for $23.88

$1/1 Jennie-O Ground Turkey (Ibotta Deposit) [Any variety, any size]
Pay $0.99

Kroger Flour: $1.69 or 8 for $13.52

Duncan Hines Cake Mix $1.00 or 12 for $12

Kroger Vegetable Oil: $2.29 or 9 for $20.61

Tillamook Shredded Cheese 5lb: $12.99

Kroger 24pk water $2.50

Spam: $2.49 or 12 for $29.88
$1.50/3 SPAM Product Printable [12-oz.]
Pay $1.99

Kroger Breakfast Links: $1.99 or 12 for $23.88

Simple Truth Organic Pasta: $1.39 or 20 for $27.80

Simple Truth Organic Beans: $0.79 or 12 for $9.48

Amy's Soup: $2.00 or 12 for $24.00

Mom's Best Naturals Cereal: $1.25 or 8 for $10.00

Clif Bars: $0.89 or 12 for $10.68

Annie's Mac n Cheese: $0.89 or 12 for $10.68

Almond Breeze 32oz: $1.79 or 12 for $21.48

Kit Kat or Reese's $0.66 or 36 for $23.76

Do you make New Year's Resolutions or Goals? Here is my Vision Board and I would love to hear yours.

Print out your very own 52 Week Challenge

Saving Money: Sally Hansen

I don't know about you but I have been trying really hard to save money where ever I can.  One of the things I have cut out is waxing my brows.  It would cost about $15 + tip every 3 weeks or so. That adds up to about $340 a year.  

At first I was really scared to wax my own brows, that I would do something wrong and look like a total freak but it is so much easier than I thought (and no one has ever told me that I looked crazy.....yet).  :)

I have been purchasing Sally Hansen Wax Kit, it has clear directions and is really easy to use.
So when I saw this coupons I printed it out immediately. 
Yesterday, I picked up one from Walmart.

Sally Hansen Eyebrow wax kit $5.19

$2.00 off any Sally Hansen Wax Kit

Total OOP $3.19

This will last 3-6 months, that is a huge savings every year.

 

 

 

What are some ways you are saving money?

Money Saving Challenge ~ Jan 3rd

What are you doing to save money this year, so far? 

So far I am off to a great start, and it has  everything nothing to do with the fact that I have not really been out and about in the last 3 days. :)

Today I heard on the news that our weather is going to be 67 degrees.  I immediately turned the heater off.  The fact that our power rates are going up again (I think they said 5% this time) I am going to try my best to keep this bill under control.  I personally can't tell that the heater is off, we will have to see if my husband notices. (SHHHHH I didn't tell him ;)

Don't you just hate when you get every single piece of clothing washed just to have your whole family (including yourself) get in jammies and it just ruins your perfectly clean laundry room.  Those are the times when I want to be a nudist, and then I realize that people probably don't want to see all "THIS".  :) 

Since I have been flying (flylady.net)  I usually do 1 load of laundry everyday.  Right now I could wash some towels but since it is such a small load I am going to wait until we have more.  That way I can save money on the water bill too.  Don't get me wrong I do love Flyladys ideas on why you do 1 load of laundry a day but for me right now I need to take care of our finances more.

Also, since Flying I usually start my dishwasher every night before I go to bed so that I will not only walk into the kitchen every morning to a clean sink but also a clean dishwasher.  It is amazing how something so small means so much to your attitude in the morning.  I love seeing no dishes in my sink.  Yesterday, I didn't have that many dishes in the dishwasher so I decided instead of starting it and wasting all that water I would just wait until it gets full.  Right now as I am typing I can hear the dishwasher going. 

I know it doesn't sound like much... waiting for the laundry or dishes for full loads but it is going to all add up to lots of savings as the year continues.  It is kinda like that 25 cent coupon, it doesn't seem like any big deal but when you add up all your savings each and every month you are going to see the big savings.

I also went through my coupon binder and got rid of all the expired coupons.  That way when I am putting together my grocery list I am better prepared and ready to easily and quickly get list and coupons together.  Saving time and money.

Yesterday, I did go through all of my food and household items to see what I have.  I am so glad that I did. When I got my mail today I saw that Smiths is having the CaseLot sale again.  I usually stock up on ALL the items I know are a great deal whether I need them or not. (Now, just to let you know, all the prices have gone up including caselot items.)  This time I am going to be a little smarter because I know exactly how many of (whatever item) I have and how many I should get.
NOTE:  you do not need to purchase the whole case to take advantage of the sales price.

That is what I have done in the last 3 days to save money.  How are you saving money?

Coupon cleanup!

A great way to saving money is being organized (not one of the things I am best at).

You have had your day to celebrate now if you cut coupons, it is now time to go through your binders and clean out all the expired coupons.

2012 Money Saving Challenge ~ Inventory

One of my goals this year is saving as much money as I can. I don't know about you but I have a very small house and I use every little space I can find to store the products that I find great deals on.  I think you also need to know that I don't have as much stuff as the people on Extreme Couponing (I personally don't need 62 mustards :) but I do have some stuff in a couple different areas on the house.  Which sometimes makes it VERY difficult to find.

My goal this week is to take an inventory so that I know what I have and what I need.   Their is nothing worse than trying to save money but you purchase something you already have at home.  By taking a little time to see what I have, I think it will make my life a lot easier in the long run!

2012 Money Saving Challenge

Last year I participated in a money saving challenge with Precious @ Frugal Makes Cents, now I am not the best of saving money in every aspect of my life, but I am certainly trying.  2011 has been a crazy year for us financially.  We were not able to accomplish much of our financial goals from last year but if it wasn't for my couponing, making my own laundry soap and the other corky things I do I don't think we would have made it.  

This is a new year and hopefully things will be a little more stable around here. 

I don't know if you have thought about your goals for 2012 but I have thought of a couple of things that I want to accomplish this year and I thought I would share them with you.  I would love to hear what your goals are and maybe we can all help each other to achieve them.

My 2012 goals are:

1. To keep on couponing like a crazy woman and to keep our food and household budget to $70 weekly average or less. (about $300 month)
2. To meal plan so that I can save time and money in the long run. 
3. Be consistant with my daily/weekly household "chores" 
4. Be able to increase my savings account by 20%
5. Increase saving for retirement. 
6. Save up money to paint the kids room
7. Save up money for the front and back yard.
8. I have picked some books that I would like to read this year. 
9. Be more consistent with my blogging, I would like to schedule 20 a week. 
10. Have more fun. I think I need to actually schedule fun on my calendar or I will just work on these goals and ignore everything else. 
11. Continue on my Total Money Makeover baby steps 

I think the hardest part of setting goals is telling others, now if I fail at these, you all know my failures.  

Happy New Year everyone.  I hope you join my on my 2012 Money Saving Challenge.

What are you doing to save money?

Be sure to grab my FREE guide on how to save money here. 

Saving money.

What was the best deal that you found this week? 

Mine was the grapes at Vons for $.88lb 

and the Money Maker Keri Lotion at Walgreens.

 

Wish I had more items but my sales ads were not the best this week.

Saving Money on groceries Part 2

If you missed part 1 of Saving Money click HERE to read it.

The next step of Saving Money on groceries would be to start accumulating coupons.  There are so many places to find coupons nowadays.

Internet coupons can be found at sites like Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, Redplum.com, BettyCrocker.com, and Target.com.  You can print out 2 of the same coupons per computer.  So if you have 4 computers in your home you can really score with the coupon sites. 

You can also upload coupons directly to your Store Rewards Cards, that way when you purchase the item the coupon is automatically taken off at checkout and you don’t need to cut any coupons or bring them in the store.  You can upload through Cellfire.com and shortcuts.com for Vons and Smiths.

Smithsfoodanddrug.com is a great place to upload coupons to your Smiths rewards card; just remember that you will no longer be able to use a physical coupon and an electronic coupon for the same item. 

Also, if you upload from Cellfire.com or Shortcuts.com it counter acts uploading from SmithFoodandDrug.com 

Personally, I feel the 3 best places to find coupons are the SmartSource, RedPlum and P&G inserts.  The RedPlum and the P&G come in the mail only certain areas of Las Vegas. "Sadly, I'm not sure how they decide who they want to mail them to and I am not sure how you get on that mailing list."  The other insert is the SmartSource.  You can get the SmartSource in the Sunday newspaper here in Las Vegas.

It is recommended you get enough coupons for every person in your family.  That way if Colgate toothpaste is on sale for $1 off and you have four $1 off coupons for the four members of your household you could get FOUR FREE toothpaste to get you by until the next sale.

If you are interested in getting multiple copies of the Sunday newspaper delivered to your home for up to a third the cost of a normal newspaper, I have teamed up, to offer my Vegas Readers, a killer deal. You can order a daily subscription for only $1.55 a week for 26 weeks and add on up to 4 additional Sunday papers, to take advantage of the coupons, for only $.91 each.  You can see that is big difference from the $3 per newspaper that you buy at the store.   Just click this link and don’t forget to tell them who sent you.

Blinkies are those little machines in the store isles with a red blinking light that spits out coupons.

Catalinas are coupons that print out with your receipt and are noted for your “next” shopping purchase.  For more info on Catalinas click HERE

Peelies- are found stuck on the product that you would have to “PEEL” off to use the coupon.

All You Magazine offers $100's of dollars worth of coupons each month.

Saving Money on Groceries Step 1 - Knowing your prices

Knowing when to Buy is the key............

Timing is everything and one of the most important things to know when saving money. It may take a little homework to research but will save you $100's every month.  I personally think that my time is valuable and spending just a couple of hours a week checking out the weekly store advertisements, planning my meals, planning my shopping, matching the great prices with the coupons I have is well worth the $100's a month that I am saving.  Before you get overwhelmed just by reading this, lets just take this real slow. 

When I first implemented a grocery budget, I just carried a small notebook with me, if I saw an item on sale or was picking one up I just jotted the price down in my "price" book.  It got to the point where I just remembered all the prices and oz size and didn't need the book anymore.  The purpose of this book was to remind me what the lowest price was for Xbrand.   For example Rosarita Refried Beans are $.74ea at Samsclub (when you buy 8).  If I see them $.74 or cheaper than that then I get some.  I understand that the world has tons of electronic devices now that you could use to jot down the prices and that is great, if it works for you use it. I am a paper and pen kinda gal so that is what I did. 

Once you know what a great price is you will be able to look at the weekly ads and KNOW for sure what is a great price.  Joyce House from misscoupondiva said it right, "I look at the weekly ads like people look at the stock market."  I am here to tell you if you plan your grocery trips and your spending, you will probably be saving more money than you could earn in the stock market right now in this economy.  Believe it or not on Tuesdays when you get all that "JUNK" mail in your mailbox, that most people throw away, that is when I get my list of exactly what I am purchasing that week.  I make my weekly meal plan from the grocery ads.  My plan is if Chicken is on sale then I get as much as can to get me by until the next sale, same goes for any item.

Did you know that grocery stores actually put products on a 12 week sales rotation cycle. For ex: if General Mills Cereal is on sale this week, then you can anticipate cereal being on sale in 12 weeks.  It may not be the same brand, it may be Kellogg's or Post,  but it will be cereal. This goes for most of the products in the store.