Friday, April 1, 2011
My first product recommendation!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Spring is almost here!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Couponing Craziness
First things first, the common reasons why people don't coupon.
1) "The things I buy never go on sale!"
2) "It takes too long to cut them all out"
3) "Generic is still cheaper, even when you use coupons"
4) "I get so confused by all of this couponing stuff"
5) "I can never find coupons"
Before I defend couponing against these common complaints, I'm going to start off with the fact that in order to be a successful couponista, it usually takes a month before you start seeing real consistent improvements. The keys are flexibility and dedication.
Here's my answers to the complaints:
1) You have to be willing to change your mindset. Don't go in with a list and then looking for coupons/sales. You have to look at what's on sale and make your list from that. Once you've got a successful stockpile started, you'll find that your menu planning gets a little easier.
2) It does take a little time to cut, sort and store. However, when you figure that you can successfully save $10 (easily) or $100 (a little more planning) you're paying yourself to work. Even if it takes you an hour (which it rarely does) and you *only* save $10, you're paying yourself $10/hr. You can make weekly coupon dates with a friend/spouse or even just watch some tv while you do this to make the time go faster. Bonus on working with a friend, you can trade coupons that don't need for ones you do--and you can plan your shopping trips, taking advantage of buy one get one free sales.
3)If you're going in buying things off your list and finding coupons for items on your list, you're right, generic probably is cheaper. However, the key is finding the coupons to match the items on sale and stocking up when it is free/cheap (even if you don't need it right that second). For example, over the course of the week, I ended up with 5 *FREE* boxes of pediacare infant fever drops. One for me, a couple for various other pregnant/new mom friends and a couple for donation to a food bank! The only thing better than free is when they pay you to take an item out of the store and that's possible (but rare) too!
4) You're not alone, I get confused too. However, there are TONS of coupon and sale blogs out there on the internet if you go looking for them. Some of my favorites?
http://mommysmoneysavingobsession.blogspot.com/
http://hip2save.com/
http://www.adventuresofacouponista.blogspot.com/
http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/
http://www.couponsequalcash.com/
http://ingoodcents.com/
http://thriftywifey.com/
Abc's of me
Here’s a little alphabet of me!
A. Age: 27
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore you hate: Dishes
D. Dogs: None, sadly. We do, however, have two fish: Gibbs and Dinozzo. We used to have a third, abby---and the other two ate her.
E. Essential start to your day: Facebook Newsfeed
F. Favorite color: Dark red
G. Gold or silver: Silver
H. Height: 5’7
I. Instruments you play: None lately, but I used to be first chair clarinet and used to play piano.
J. Job title: Teacher
K. Kids: 1, Probie, almost 4 months old
L. Live: Indiana
M. Mom’s name: Kikie
N. Nicknames: Ballsy, Boo, Mandie, Muhmanduh (a three year olds butchering of my name)
O. Overnight hospital stays: When I was little and broke my arm and in November when they gutted me like a fish to get Probie out.
P. Pet peeve: Being lied to. I always tell people "Lying to me is just your way of saying I'm either too stupid to figure out the truth or too immature to handle it"
Q. Quote from a movie: "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: Just one, Wes
T. Time you wake up: 5:30am-ish
U. Underwear: plain old mom undies
V. Vegetables you dislike: Mushrooms, Zucchini
W. What makes you run late: My inability to motivate myself to get ready
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Um, 3 that I remember.
Y. Yummy food you make: Loads
Z. Zoo: Ok, I don't get this one. Do I live in a zoo? Do I like a zoo? Have I been to a zoo?