couponing

About a month or 2 ago, I decided I was tired of not having any money. I decided to start couponing. I have a few friends that do it and they save a ton of money. My friend April, showed me pics of her surplus of grocery item she got really cheap or free. So I thought I'd give it a shot. She told me she uses a binder and baseball card holders to keep her coupons in, so that's what I got, too.

I usually buy anywhere from 3 to 6 newspapers on Sunday. You can preview the coupons for the week at sundaycouponpreview.com to help you decide how many newspapers to buy. When buying newspapers you may get stared down as you inspect every newspaper for your coupon inserts but make sure that you check each of them as I have been robbed of an insert once. You can buy more newspaper if you have a bigger family or if you feel there's something you really want to stock up on. I also use websites like coupons.com and couponmom.com as well as SmartSource.com , RedPlum.com and WeUseCoupons.com Those are the major ones I use. They have helpful hints to help you coupon and links to more coupon websites too. Also Target's website has a section for coupons and some of them are manufacturers coupons while some are Target coupons.
I research the store's website, browsing their local ad to see the deals and compare prices. I usually do this on Saturday and Sunday nights since one of the stores I use changes their sales on Saturday night while the other major store I use changes their ads on Sunday nights. I shop stores like Meijer, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS. The coupon policy is different for each store. Right now, Kroger will double every coupon up to $1. So say you have a $.50 coupon for something, Kroger will give you the other $.50 so you will save $1. Meijer does that too, but only on the first 2 coupons so if you want to use more than 2 of a coupon that is less than $1 you will only get face value for each additional coupon. CVS, Target and Walgreens sometimes have store coupons that you can use in addition to a manufacturers coupon. I have personally only done this at Target and tried at Walgreens, but the store coupon was $.99 and my manufacturers coupon was $1 and for some reason she would not allow me to use the coupon.

This is kind of hard, dedicated work. Takes patience and sometimes you can be in the stores for a few hours. I am fortunate enough to have all these stores really close by so as to not have to drive all around to save money. I have been to as many as 3 different stores in one shopping trip.

Today, I bought $134.05 worth of groceries at 2 different stores for $55.04. total savings of $79.01. I saved $34.48 in coupons alone along with $44.53 in store promotions and bonus coupons. I purchased 67 items total. Some of them were:

oral b toothbrush $2.00 ea -2.00 off 1 coupon =free x5
suave deodorant $1.19 ea -$.50 coupon (doubles to $1) $.19 x4=$.76
hunts tomato sauce $.97 ea coupon for free store brand pasta when you buy 3 I bought 4 cause that stuff is like $1.07 at Wal-Mart if not more. $3.88 and the pasta was $1.05 (free)
tuna and hamburger helper 10 for $10 -$.75 off 3 (doubles to $1)=3 for $2 x 2 so 6 boxes for $4
frozen vegetables again 10 for $10 -$.60 off 3= 3 for $2 x2 so 6 for $4
post cereal $1.88-$1 coupon $.88 x4=$3.52
coca cola 3 12pk for $9
dial hand soap $1 ea -$.35 (doubles to $.70)= $.30 x3= $.90

That's just a sample of the things I bought today.

I also got 2 razors one today and one yesterday at walgreens sale priced at $7.99. I had a manufacturers coupon for -$2.00=5.99. Then, you get a coupon at the register called register rewards for $4.00 off your next purchase so I have $8.00 to spend at Walgreens now.
I will try to write more blogs as I get better at this. There are so many different ways you can coupon and probably a ton more options out there like coupon clipping services but I am doing good enough on my own I think. I am not trying to buy a boat load of stuff just because I can. I don't understand the point of buying a ton of one item, you know you will never use that much of just cause it's cheap.

couponing

Tired of being broke and feeling like I need a second job, I've decided to do what so many of my money savvy friends are doing, and that's couponing. Last Sunday, I purchased 4 newspapers on top of printing and clipping coupons online. I scan online ads and compare them to the coupons I have. I am off on the weekends, so I decided to make Saturday my day to shop for groceries. I go to Kroger and what would have cost me 151.79 costs me 74.63 due to my strategic planning and scouring the ads for the best deals and Kroger's awesome sale prices they have as well. I only bought items that were already on sale and I had a coupon for. So for instance I had a coupon for some pancake mix which was priced at 1.49. At Kroger your coupon doubles mine was $.50 so since I had 4 coupons for said mix, I bought 4 for $.49 each. I also had coupons for $.75 off toothpaste that was on sale for $.98 and since that coupon was worth $1.00 I got 5 tubes of toothpaste free. Toothbrushes that were $.98 were like $.18 a piece because of my $.40 coupon doubling. I bought some other stuff I didn't have a coupon for but it was on sale and I ended up saving more than I spent. For my first trip I have to say it was very successful and exciting to see how much I am saving for my family. Hopefully this will help me not feel as broke as I truly am, and my goal is to use the money I am saving from groceries, to put towards other bills that need to get outta my face!

pondering life

You often wonder why you were given a second chance at life. You drown at age four, jumped into the wrong side of the pool and didn't know how to swim. You had to have CPR performed, rushed to the hospital, IV's inserted, scary stuff! So instead why didn't God just take you then? It would have been a lot easier. So then, you find something simple you're glad to be alive for and when you're four, it's probably a simple toy because you have both parented forever in your little mind and life means very little to a four year old. Not because you are heartless but simply because you know any better. Then you grow up and the older you get the more you understand life or so that's what's suppose to happen. You are now thankful for your parents but only when they aren't up in your business. You have a few good friends now and you loath your sister. She's a pain the the ass that never leaves you alone and you cherish your alone time, well, you do if you're me. So then you grow up even more, appreciating the little things in life if you were raised right, food, clothes, a roof over your head, your curfew, OK, maybe you don't appreciate or understand all the rules but you will sooner than you think. Mom and dad seem like the enemy, you're never left alone with your boyfriend and you just now got a TV in your room because mom found it in some one's spring cleaning junk and it still worked. You idolize and crush on people that won't even matter in a few years but it doesn't matter because you live in the now. You listen to music and try to fit in desperately. Your mom still won't buy you any name brand shoes or clothes which completely sucks and is totally not fair but unbenounced to you, she is actually teaching you something that you'll totally appreciate when you have to buy stuff yourself. Your parents divorce and you hate someone for it but not sure who to hate. Dad gets remarried and now you have a brother. He is like your best friend but he's only 2 and he has no clue but you sense he admires you.

And now you're out on your own. No job experience, mom wanted you to concentrate on school, which by the way, got you place #36 out of 198 but not much more. What do you do? The easiest way out and furthest away from staying home feeling like a failure. Yes, you join the army. It fits like a square peg in a round hole. Totally too girly, you end up crying every day you're there instead of using that energy toward something more productive. But somehow, through adversity, you make it. No thanks to the cute virgin guy who had more confidence in you than you did, you find that everything you thought was going to kill you did in fact do quite the opposite. AIT was a blur, you were too busy partying and loving life. Hell you're 18, you're allowed. You have what you think is the most perfect boyfriend ever and he asks you to marry him. You say yes but aren't the perfect girlfriend, cheating on him having a blast not a care really.

Your sister has a kid, the cutest baby you've every been around up to this point in your life, well, next to your little brother and sister. You're stationed at Ft Campbell, KY, you still love that party scene and can have the greatest time as well as be the designated driver. Gay clubs, dance clubs, titty bars, you name it, you've been there and partied. Tequila, coke (the kind you drink) any kind of liquor, great friends or alone you know how to have fun. The wild nights dancing on stage teasing all the guys, sleeping with the cute guy your friend just described as her boyfriend. Sleeping with the cute nerd because you were drunk but so was he. Not remembering sleeping with people when they clearly remember you. Gaining so much confidence you never had. The fun times with Captain Ramos while you're a specialist.

Then you're deployed to Kosovo, sobering shock to appreciate even smaller things in life than before. Running water, clean clothes, paved streets even your hubcap less car that blew a tire in the first damn week you had it. You meet more people while deployed. The cute guy in special forces you slept with, the other in 3rd ID you fell in love with. You do crazy thing with said 3rd ID cutie. Things ill performed before or since. You struggle with depression or maybe just a bad case of someone feel sorry for me. Attempt suicide and spend a week in a mental hospital the sanest among the insane which results in an early discharge from the army. The cute 3rd ID guy is still there for you and doesn't think you're crazy at all maybe a bit of an attention whore but he's loving giving that attention. Pretty soon dad is there to pick you up from the airport forgiving, never hating a thing you've ever done. Parents love is unconditional as is your love for them.

So, clueless as to what the next step is, you go to California and Vegas, party some more look like a hooker in your best friends "wedding" at a Vegas chapel. Unemployed for about a month hating it so much. Get a shitty job at Converges. You work there two weeks before quitting and going to work for Wal-Mart. It's only temporary, right? At least you're in the vision center and vision, eyesight, glasses, is what you were trained on. Have a psycho boyfriend that physically abuses you one too many times and you kick him out. Psycho boyfriend leaves you roses at work and tapes homemade cards and poems to your car as well as leaves roses on your computer chair at home. Forces you to call your newest friend and ask him to stay the night. Of course this spawns a new relationship kinda unwanted but not resisted. He's a funny guy and laughs at your jokes too. He wants to be around you and you enjoy his company. He's in the army and deploys to Iraq as it's just starting. You don't hear from him for weeks. Your heart and eyes can't stop watching the news and your five minute phone call once a week sucks but it's great to hear his voice. Fearing the mailman isn't stopping by your house, you write a letter to him every day and get one back with a proposal. Yes of course! So when he returns you get married. A month later move to Texas. 3 more months later he goes back to Iraq. You're left alone missing him again. Watch the news swearing if someone came to the door in uniform, you would hurt them physically. You get put on lexapro for depression and why not? The one person you love more than anything got ripped away from you again. You're about 900 miles from the nearest family and you have no friends close by. Facebook, twitter even myspace doesn't exist. So your Christmas that year sucks and you refuse to take your tree down until you have Christmas with him. February it comes down, you finish Texas and move to Cincinnati but not before you get pregnant and lose a baby. That was probably a good eye opener. Question God and the meaning of life rightfully so. Your sister is pregnant again 3rd baby and while she goes on to have a healthy baby boy you are having a successful D&C performed.

Onward to Cincinnati. You live with family feeling like a moocher for about 3 months, not 100% sure on the exact time but it feels like close to forever. Starting to despise each other because he doesn't have a job yet and you still don't have a place to live. You work about an hour away and the commute sucks. So you find a cheap place and by cheap it's not worth the $350 a month you pay. You get pregnant and have a healthy baby boy but don't enjoy being pregnant due to your previous loss. But he's beautiful and you might now understand why you were granted a second chance at life when you where just four. But then when your son is about 4 months old, Iraq calls again. This time, you're too busy for the news and decide to boycott TV all together. You work full time and when you're not working you're with your son, barely with time to yourself. so then he comes back. New house now cause you're fucking super woman and bought and moved into a house all by yourself while he was deployed. Your son is 13 months old and afraid of his daddy. Thank God that doesn't last long. You kinda despise his return because he's screwing up your pattern of life. A month after he returns, you find out while he's deployed he befriended a girl, one who had no idea he was married or had a kid and instantly your heart sinks right into the very pit of your stomach if not further to your feet. You opened yourself up to him and he betrayed you. You begin questioning life again but there's gotta be someone out there that can appreciate you and care for you without the betrayal shit. Now you are hurt, forever wounded no matter how hard you try you can't forget the fact that he told someone else he loved them and then his excuse!! That is shittier than used toilet paper. "You didn't pay attention to me, write me or send me care packages." Well, really? Fucking loser. So yes, you forgive him but you can't seem to get over it. Rightfully so. Now you're stuck questioning yourself. Where do you wanna go? What do you want to do? Do you wanna be like this forever? Do you even know what you're feeling or doing? Do you think too much? You aren't spontaneous enough to just get out even thought you feel dead inside. You keep being told to think about everything you'll lose. Like what? A fucking house? Fuck that. You already live like friends. You have no idea what he spends his money on and don't care. You ask him for half the bills already and the sexual desire does not exist. If you do have sex you are imagining it's someone else. Sucha sad life you live. So you need to change it before your next suicide attempt is your last. You don't want your son to grow up in a broken home but that's probably better than the way it is now. So you continue to think, you do it so well, and eventually you'll realize that putting up with all this, being unhappy, staying stagnant for money or a child makes your second chance, not worth living.

Cincinnati Reds Rally on Fountain Square

so excited to see them go far!!!!! all the way reds!!

what's bugging you?

Dear Great Value, (wal-mart brand)

I opened this particular can of spinach, my taste buds watering, craving some spinach and there was something discolored in it. Not thinking anything of it I poured the contents of said can into a small pot and set it on the stove to cook. Upon serving, I decided to remove discolored piece only to notice it was a grasshopper's lower body with one leg still attached. I removed said piece but the damage was already done and i just threw the whole can in the garbage. I cooked a can of great value green beans too but could not eat that either because at that point it seemed as though my plate was teaming with grasshoppers. My appetite was ruined, even though I was assured by my mom that it was just added protein that it would do no harm, I couldn't get past the fact that there was still a grasshopper's lower body in my spinach. I am aware of how spinach grows, that one day, there could be a possibility of a bug piece in my vegetables, however, there is no warning on the can other than "allergy warning: may contain traces of PEANUTS" Although I am confused as to how this is even possible, and don't really want to know how it even COULD be possible, I do believe that changing the warning to 'traces of insects' would be a bit unappetizing to say the least. I am only writing to let you know that your bug-picker-outer was taking a smoke break <--(Mike's words) when my can of spinach went through the separation process. I don't think I will be buying any more spinach for a while either way by any manufacturer.

yes this was my actual complaint that I sent to Wal-Mart

ps yes I still work there....LOL

oil spill

I hope you weren't thinking that I wasn't going to post my opinion on the oil spill. I actually am quite speechless on this matter. I think there is only one person to blame and that's the head honcho of the oil company responsible for doing the drilling. It is ultimately his responsibility to make sure that everyone that gets hired into his company knows what they are doing and to do the work right and safely.

Here is an article that my friend on facebook posted (thanks Carlyn) about the wildlife now being effected by the oil on the shore of Louisiana. Caught in the oil - The Big Picture - Boston.comIt's super sad. Most of the comments are valid and good points. Stop blaming the president, stop blaming the oil company start blaming yourself. I didn't make this damn mess but I am just as oil dependant as the rest of the world and am not afraid to admit it. The comment I got bothered by, now mind you I just skimmed the comments rather quickly not reading the first 500 or so but one really caught my eye. #573 was ORIGINALLY posted as "if we as humans cared about human life as much as the oil spill then there wouldn't be the issue of abortion and all the aborted babies." Something along those lines.
#691 is my comment

SOAP BOX TIME
I am proud to say I am pro choice. Is abortion a form of birth control? HELL NO! I once knew a girl that used it as such and I thought she was lower than scum. I personally would never get an abortion, I refuse to mess with what nature intended and I also know that when two people lay down with intentions on having sex, there is always the possibility that this could result in making a child whether that was the intentions or not. I am fully aware of my potential consequences. The comment was not relevant to the subject matter at hand and when I read it I shook my head and said "ohhh please!" Sometimes I just wish people would shut the hell up and not post crap if they have no thought process to back it up.

Andy Rooney is clueless?

i60 Minutes/i' Andy Rooney Gunning for Gaga

This is just a short video of Andy Rooney expressing how little he knows on the world of music. He mentions artists like Sting and The Rolling Stones. Yea of course he would know who they are, they are about as old as him! He thinks of himself as a "normal, regular" guy that was in the army got married had kids and bought a house. Doesn't he know what year it is? This day in age more people are having kids, getting married maybe. Half of the people out there don't have jobs anymore either because they lost them or are too damn lazy to get one in the first place. This is the day in age where a lot of people that owned homes were foreclosed upon due to the sinking economy. So to be classified as normal now a days would almost be an insult to me. I consider myself above average. I have a job that pays above minimum wage and have had it for over 8 years now. I too served in the army, got married, had a child and bought a home. Hell I even own my truck. I don't know everyone on the Billboard top 200 list but I have heard of most of them. No i am not an avid Justin Bieber fan myself but I think Andy here needs to quit playing his records and go out and buy his first Ludacris cd or even Lady Gaga (not gah-guh). I can only assume that this is the Billboard 200 Artists chart he was talking about (although I only see 100 on here you can get the point right away) Either this man has lived under a rock since 1990 or needs to really click on youtube every now and then


The Billboard 200 Artists
Issue Date: 2009

# Artist Number of Charted titles Label
1 TAYLOR SWIFT 3 Big Machine
2 MILEY CYRUS 6 Hollywood
3 BEYONCE 2 Music World/Columbia/Sony Music
4 NICKELBACK 1 Roadrunner
5 RASCAL FLATTS 3 Lyric Street
6 BRITNEY SPEARS 3 Jive/JLG
7 KANYE WEST 1 Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG
8 LADY GAGA 1 Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope/IGA
9 EMINEM 1 Web/Shady/Aftermath/Interscope/IGA
10 THE BLACK EYED PEAS 1 Interscope/IGA
11 KINGS OF LEON 1 RCA/RMG
12 JAY-Z 2 Roc Nation/AG
13 JONAS BROTHERS 6 Hollywood
14 DAVID COOK 1 19/RCA/RMG
15 ZAC BROWN BAND 3 Roar/Bigger Picture/Home Grown/Atlantic/AG
16 SUGARLAND 3 Mercury Nashville/UMGN
17 PINK 1 LaFace/JLG
18 JAMIE FOXX 1 J/RMG
19 U2 1 Island/Interscope/IGA
20 DAUGHTRY 2 19/RCA/RMG
21 CARRIE UNDERWOOD 2 19/Arista Nashville/SMN
22 KEYSHIA COLE 2 Imani/Geffen/IGA
23 DAVE MATTHEWS BAND 2 Bama Rags/RCA/RMG
24 MAXWELL 1 Columbia/Sony Music
25 GREEN DAY 2 Reprise/Warner Bros.
26 T.I. 1 Grand Hustle/Atlantic/AG
27 KENNY CHESNEY 3 BNA/SMN
28 JASON MRAZ 2 Atlantic/AG
29 DARIUS RUCKER 1 Capitol Nashville
30 COLDPLAY 2 Capitol
31 GEORGE STRAIT 3 MCA Nashville/UMGN
32 MICHAEL JACKSON 6 MJJ/Epic/Sony Music
33 AC/DC 2 Columbia/Sony Music
34 WHITNEY HOUSTON 1 Arista/RMG
35 KELLY CLARKSON 1 S/19/RCA/Sony Music
36 THE FRAY 1 Epic/Sony Music
37 JASON ALDEAN 1 Broken Bow
38 MICHAEL BUBLE 2 143/Reprise/Warner Bros.
39 LADY ANTEBELLUM 1 Capitol Nashville
40 KEITH URBAN 3 Capitol Nashville
41 IL DIVO 1 SYCO/Columbia/Sony Music
42 AKON 1 Konvict/Upfront/SRC/Universal Motown/UMRG
43 THE KILLERS 1 Island/IDJMG
44 KID ROCK 1 Top Dog/Atlantic/AG
45 LIL WAYNE 3 Cash Money/Universal Motown/UMRG
46 TOBY KEITH 3 Show Dog Nashville
47 LUDACRIS 1 DTP/Def Jam/IDJMG
48 KATY PERRY 1 Capitol
49 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 2 Columbia/Sony Music
50 SHINEDOWN 1 Atlantic/AG
51 ANDREA BOCELLI 2 Sugar/Decca
52 DAVID ARCHULETA 2 19/Jive/JLG
53 GUNS N' ROSES 1 Black Frog/Geffen/IGA
54 ENYA 1 Reprise/Warner Bros.
55 DEMI LOVATO 2 Hollywood
56 BRAD PAISLEY 3 Arista Nashville/SMN
57 THEORY OF A DEADMAN 1 604/Roadrunner
58 HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD 3 A&M/Octone/IGA
59 ADELE 2 XL/Columbia/Sony Music
60 METALLICA 1 Warner Bros.
61 NE-YO 1 Def Jam/IDJMG
62 JAMEY JOHNSON 1 Mercury Nashville/UMGN
63 RIHANNA 2 SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG
64 KERI HILSON 1 Mosley/Zone 4/Interscope/IGA
65 THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS 1 Doghouse/DGC/Interscope/IGA
66 THE-DREAM 1 Radio Killa/Def Jam/IDJMG
67 ANTHONY HAMILTON 1 Mister's Music/So So Def/JLG
68 TIM MCGRAW 3 Curb
69 KIDZ BOP KIDS 5 Razor & Tie
70 SEAL 1 143/Warner Bros.
71 MARIAH CAREY 3 Island/IDJMG
72 FAITH HILL 1 Warner Bros. (Nashville)/WRN
73 ALAN JACKSON 3 Arista Nashville/SMN
74 BOB DYLAN 4 Columbia/Sony Music
75 HARRY CONNICK, JR. 2 Columbia/Sony Music
76 RICK ROSS 1 Maybach/Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam/IDJMG
77 FALL OUT BOY 1 Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen/Island/IDJMG
78 BARBRA STREISAND 1 Columbia/Sony Music
79 JOHN LEGEND 1 G.O.O.D./Columbia/Sony Music
80 T-PAIN 2 Konvict/Nappy Boy/Jive/JLG
81 COLBIE CAILLAT 2 Universal Republic/UMRG
82 CHICKENFOOT 1 Redline
83 PEARL JAM 1 Monkeywrench
84 DIANA KRALL 1 Verve/VG
85 MUSIQ SOULCHILD 2 Atlantic/AG
86 PARAMORE 3 Fueled By Ramen/AG
87 PLIES 1 Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic/AG
88 CHRISETTE MICHELE 1 Def Jam/IDJMG
89 JADAKISS 1 Ruff Ryders/D-Block/Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG
90 SOULJA BOY TELL'EM 1 ColliPark/Interscope/IGA
91 TREY SONGZ 1 Song Book/Atlantic/AG
92 LEONA LEWIS 1 SYCO/J/RMG
93 MIRANDA LAMBERT 2 Columbia (Nashville)/SMN
94 JENNIFER HUDSON 1 Arista/RMG
95 HINDER 1 Universal Republic/UMRG
96 ROB THOMAS 1 Emblem/Atlantic/AG
97 CASTING CROWNS 2 Beach Street/Reunion/Sony Music
98 3OH!3 1 Photo Finish
99 ELVIS PRESLEY 1 RCA Nashville/SMN
100 MARY MARY 1 My Block/Columbia/Sony Music

used (without permission) from Billboard.biz