How I Use Coupons

Coupons are the easiest way to save money on groceries, household items, health and beauty items, and more. I am a little crazy about my coupons. I look forward to Sunday afternoon, when I sit down with my paper and go through all the new coupons.

How I Organize My Coupons:
(I am still working on my organizational method, but this is how I do it right now)

I have my coupons in a coupon organizer (like this one). I have them organized into broken down categories (like instead of "Household Items" - I break it down further into "Paper Goods", "Cleaning Supplies", "Laundry" etc). This makes it easier to find a coupon when I need it. The order I have the categories in my organizer, matches the path I take through the store.

Within the categories, keep the coupons in order by expiration date, with the soonest dates in the front. When I make my list, I take out any coupons that are going to expire that week before I shop again, so I can use the coupon, if I want to, before it expires. (I did just find out that Cub takes expired coupons for up to 3 months past their expiration date, so I might stop throwing them away, and save them to use there!)

I have a second, smaller coupon organizer that I keep in my bag at all times. I have a section for each store shop weekly, and put the coupons I will be using at that store that week. I also keep restaurant coupons, my Menards rebates, hair cut coupons, etc, in this binder so that they are always with me when we are out and about.

How are my tips for coupons:

1. Use coupons to save on top of sale price - I try to save my coupons, and use them when the item goes on sale to save the most money possible on that item.

2. Compare sizes to save the most money - Normally when you buy an item, the bigger the item, the better "deal" it is. Meaning you pay less per unit (ounce, pound, etc). When you use a coupon, sometimes it makes more sense to buy a smaller size. So do the math and find the best deal.

3. Use the Internet for finding coupons - sites like coupons.com, smartsource.com, red plum.com, target.com, plus many others, let you print coupons right from their site. Follow deal sites like moneysavingmom.com (my favorite site for saving money!), that posts about deals and coupons that are available. I have saved so much with deals I found out about through these sites, that I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

4. Sign up for emails from your favorite brands - They often send coupons.

5. Stack coupons - Many stores, including Target, Walgreens, and pretty much every grocery store I know about, allows you to use a manufacture coupon and a store coupon on the same item. So you can save twice on an item this way. (Wait for the item to go on sale, and then stack your coupons, to save even more! I get many items free, or nearly free, by doing this). When I come across 2 coupons I can use together, I sometimes keep these coupons together in my coupon organizer so I remember to use them together.

6. Find out if your store doubles coupons, and take advantage of this! - None of the stores I shop at do this, sadly. But if your store does, learn the policy and make it work for you.

7. Be Smart - Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the whole coupling thing, and start buying things just because you have a coupon. Ya, maybe you can get 10 boxes of something really cheap, but are you going to really eat that much before they go bad? Think about a purchase, and make sure you are going to use the item. Or there are sometimes the product is something unhealthy, or the kind of stuff I am trying to get my family away from eating. So, even though it may be really cheap or even free, I have to hold back. The point of coupons is to save money, and if something is just going to go to waste, or is something I don't want my family to eat, then it is wasting money, not saving it.

8. If you aren't going to use it, give it to someone who will - Share the savings! If your kids are out of diapers, give your diaper coupons to a friend or co-worker who can use them. Or if you don't have a pet, give pet food coupons to someone who does.

9. Give items to charity - My grocery store has coupons for free items every week. If it's not something I can use, I get it anyways and donate it. I drop it right in the food shelf donations on my way out the door. There are a lot of scenarios in which you can get items free, or nearly free. So if you can't use it, donate it to someone who can.

Have any tips for using coupons? Please comment and share!

How I Price Match at Walmart

In my weekly paper I get ads for many different grocery stores and drug stores, that usually have some good sales. But for me, most of them are about an hour drive away. I only shop 3 stores (Cash Wise, Target and Walmart) most weeks. Having to bring 2 little guys with me when I shop, that is all I have the time or energy to do. However I am able to take advantage of all the great sale prices in all those other stores, by taking advantage of Walmart's Ad Match policy. They have actually been doing this for years, but they are advertising it a lot more lately, and more of the cashiers are trained on how to properly do it. I have never had a problem at the store, and it is so simple! This is how I do it.

1. I search through the ads, looking for good sales (this is when it is handy to have a Price Book to compare prices!). I highlight what I plan on buying at Walmart, and add it to my grocery list. On my list, I also write the price I will be matching for, and what ad it is in (this makes checking out a lot easier).

2. At the store, I keep all the things I am going to ad match separate from my other groceries. Make sure you are selecting the exact brand, size, flavor etc., that is stated in the ad. (Also make sure to look at the shelf price! Sometimes Walmart is cheaper and I didn't realize it. I have almost had them Ad Match something to a higher price! Oops!)

3. At the checkout, I put those up on the belt first. I let the cashier know I will be ad matching the first few things, so they don't just start scanning. I have all my ads ready, and as each item comes up, I show the cashier the ad and tell them the price I am matching it for. (I always do the math ahead of time on things like 3 for $5.00 and write it on the ad, so the cashier and I don't have to think ;) Again - I'm shopping with 2 boys who are usually done with the whole shopping thing at this point! So anything I can do to make this go smoothly, I do!)

That is pretty much it. According to their policy, you don't even have to have the ad with you to get the sale price. I always have the ad with me, so I am not sure how it would work if you didn't. I have never had a problem with them not matching an item, or anything. I did once have a cashier tell me that they weren't supposed to take coupons for items that were matched - which, according to both their Ad Match Policy and their Coupon Policy, is not true. So I have now printed both policies and have them in my shopping binder to reference if needed =)

I save a lot of money shopping this way, and it saves me so much time going to multiple stores!

Have you tried price matching at Walmart? Please comment below and share any tips you have!

Shop Smart!

My goal is to try not to pay full price for anything, whether that is through sales, coupons, price matching, whatever. This isn't possible with everything I buy, obviously some things I have to pay full price for. Some things just don't go on sale or have coupons, so it isn't always possible. But I try my hardest.

Here are the things I do to save money, and some of the guidelines I follow. (As I learn more, I will add to this post)

1. Shop sales - this one is kind of obvious. When something you need or use goes on sale, buy one......better yet buy more then one! Buy as much as your budget will allow, and as much as you will use until it goes on sale again or before it goes bad, and stockpile it! I have shelves in my basement and a freezer full of pantry staples and things I have gotten for a great deal just waiting for me when I need them.

2. But remember, all sales are not created equal - Learn what a good sale price is for the items you use most, and wait until they go on sale for that price before you buy. Sometimes sale prices in store ads aren't really that good of a deal, they just advertise them so you think they are and spend more. I have a "buy-now" price for most items, and I wait until are that price, and that is when I stock up. (For example, I want to pay about $1.00 (but no more then $1.50) for a box of cereal, after sales and coupons. So I wait for that price to come along).

3. Price match! - see my post on How I Price Match at Walmart

4. Shop at the right time - Learn when your store restocks items, or marks down items. I usually shop the grocery store mid-week so they have restocked from the weekend. My Target usually marks down clearance items on Wednesdays, so I try to go there then.

5. USE COUPONS! - Read my post on How I Use Coupons. Also know your stores coupon policy. If you can shop at a store that doubles coupons, take advantage of it! I also recommending printing the stores coupon policy from their website, and keeping it in your coupon binder, so that you are prepared to deal with any discrepancies.

6. Know how to save when shopping online - I ALWAYS use coupon code when shopping online. The are many sites that list coupon codes, I usually have luck with retailmenot.com. I also wait for higher percent-off (25% off or more) sale before I buy. I (almost) NEVER pay for shipping, I search for a free shipping code (try freeshipping.org), and if I can't find one, I usually just wait to order until there is one because I HATE paying for shipping that much. Also sign up for emails for sites and stores you shop at the the most, they will send you emails with great discounts.

7. Earn money while shopping online - Sign up at a site like Ebates or Shop At Home, to earn a percentage of what you spend shopping back. I just got my first "payment" from Ebates deposited right into my Pay Pal account.

Do you have any money saving shopping tips? Please comment below and share them!

"Better" Oatmeal

My boys favorite thing for breakfast, hands down, has to be oatmeal. We would go through a couple boxes a month of the Quaker packets. But as I was trying to eliminate the "pre-fabbed" foods from our diet, I though there had to be a better (and cheaper!) way to give them this for breakfast. After comparing at the store, I noticed a box of 10 packets was about the same price as a giant canister of oats, so it had to be cheaper to make my own. So I searched through some of my go-to sites for recipes, and found a super simple way to make a sweetened instant oatmeal that I thought they might work. I was a little worried they might not like it, that maybe they were too accustomed to the Quaker packets, but they gobbled this stuff right up!! Now, the minute I take the canister out of the cabinet, Logan is trying to climb in his booster chair, because he can't wait to eat it!

This is one of the easiest switches we have made. It takes me maybe 5 minutes to whip up a double batch of this recipe, and it lasts us a little over a month. And after that, it's the same convenience as the Quaker packets.

Plus, after comparing the costs, this homemade version is about half the price of the Quaker packets, and is better for you!

Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets
(recipe adapted from: A Few Short Cuts)

I get about 10 servings out of a batch.

Ingredients:
- 3 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon

Instructions:
1. In a food processor, pulse 1 cup of the oats until they form a powder.
2. Mix oat powder, whole oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon
3. I put mine in a small, pourable container (you could also put them in small Ziplock bags, to make little "packets")

To prepare:
1. Measure out 1/3 cup of the oatmeal mixture into a bowl
2. Add 1/3 cup warm milk (you can use more or less, depending if you want it thicker or thinner. You can also use water instead of milk)
3. Stir and let stand for 2 minutes.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 144 (16 less) Fat: 2 g (1 g less), Carbs: 28 g (4 g less), Protein: 4 g (same)
(Comparisons are to Quaker Maple and Brown Sugar or Cinnamon Spice Packets)

Price Comparison:
This recipe: $0.16/serving
Quaker packets: $0.30/serving
SAVINGS: $0.14/serving (nearly half!)

Revamping Breakfast - Starting with Pancakes

We often ate frozen waffles, frozen pancakes, frozen french toast sticks, etc. for breakfast. Then, one day it hit me, I could probably make these things way cheaper then what I was paying for boxes of pre-made, frozen ones (even with coupons!). Since my kids LOVE pancakes, I started with those. I had a box of baking mix, so I made up some pancakes. It was cheaper, and I felt a little a better about giving them these "homemade" pancakes instead of the frozen ones. I even made extra and put them in the freezer, so I wouldn't compromise on convenience (a necessity for my mornings!)

Then after few months, I was trying to get us into eating more whole grains, and "whole" foods in general. And I thought about it, how hard would it be to just make them totally from scratch? Instead of baking mix, I just need flour, oil, baking soda, etc. Not to difficult. So I searched for recipes, and after trying a few, and tweaking them, we found our favorite. Adam loves to eat these strait out of the freezer. I have to hide these in these basement freezer, otherwise he eats them all!

I usually make a 1 or 2 batches of these at a time, and then freeze them, so that I have them for a couple weeks (if Adam doesn't find them). That way I am only spending one day cooking, the rest of the times we eat them, its just heating them up from the freezer. And when I make them, I use my griddle, that way I can make 8 of these at once!! Another great time saver ;)

These are way cheaper, way yummier, and better for you then the frozen pancakes! I am still trying to find the best waffle recipe, so when I find that, I will post!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
(adapted from Money Saving Mom)

• 5 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 3 Tablespoons baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5 1/4 cups milk*
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 9 Tablespoons sugar**

Combine flour, oatmeal, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Beat milk, butter, eggs and sugar together.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix together.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or add a sliver of butter. (Or I use my griddle at 350*)

Pour 1/8 cup of batter onto hot skillet. Cook pancake bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until golden brown on the other side.

Makes about 56 medium sized pancakes (If that is too many for you, simply cut the recipe in half)

Nutrition Info - (per pancake - my kids normally eat 2) Calories: 89 Fat: 2 g Carbs: 12 g Protein: 3 g

Freezer Instructions:

Cool pancakes. Lay on a cookie sheet and flash freeze for 1-2 hours. Put in a freezer bag, remove all air and seal. Freeze.

To serve: Reheat in microwave or toaster oven for a few minutes. Or, lay pancakes on a cookie sheet and heat in oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Serve.

*Crystal (Moneysavingmom.com) said she uses clearence milk that she freezes. I never see milk clearanced at the stores I shop at. But, if there is a really good sale on milk, I will buy extra and freeze it for this recipe, since it uses so much.
**She uses raw sugar, I haven't made this switch yet, so I am just using regular sugar, for now.

Price Comparison:
These pancakes = $0.08/pancake!
Kellogg's Eggo Buttermilk Pancakes = $0.20/pancake
SAVINGS: $0.12/pancake

Our Garden - An Unexpected Hobby

When we bought our house 3 years ago, the previous owners had a plot already laid out for a garden. We were excited for the next spring when we could start our own. The first year we didn't really know what we were doing, and I didn't know what to do with all the things that we were growing. So we gave away a lot of veggies and sadly, some went bad before we could use them. (We did some really cute pumpkins though!) It was a very hectic summer, Logan was still a little baby and not sleeping well, I was babysitting my nephews most days, and Adam was still working 90 minutes away. So meals were simple, and to be honest, most of the time from a box. I didn't have the time or energy for being in the kitchen. Shortly after that summer is when we decided to make the change in our family that I am writing about in this blog.

One of those changes was defiantly eating more fruit and veggies. So all winter we were excited to try out this gardening thing again. We planned what we would plant, and I researched recipes I could make with what we were growing and ways to preserve what we couldn't use fresh.

And I am happy to say this year was very bountiful! We grew zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and corn. We also planted pumpkins again, but this year they didn't turn out =(.

However, the zucchini went crazy! We were eating it in every way I could think of! (roasted in the oven, in pastas, in muffins, zucchini pancakes, zucchini fries, zucchini casserole...). And I was busy, chopping and grating giant zucchinis and freezing them for later. (The whole bottom shelf of my basement freezer is FULL of zucchini!). We had plenty of fresh tomatoes to eat and I turned the extras into super yummy tomato sauce! We have been using it for making homemade pizza. (I froze the sauce this year, but next year I may can it.)

To use up all the cucumbers, we made pickles, which means I also experimented with canning for the first time! I was very scared to do it, but it went surprisingly well! This year, I just used a packaged seasoning mix, but I am thinking we will experiment some more next year and try our making our own seasoning. (Thinking we may try to make some of Emeril's Sweet and Spicy Pickles) I had to buy jars, and a couple utensils, but the investment is well worth it. I originally used my big pasta pot to do the water bath, but I have sense bought a big canning pot with a lift out jar holder. (Super excited to try this out for the first time, when I can pears this weekend!) I never pictured myself as someone who would "can" but now I think it will become a routine part of fall harvest time!

At first we thought the corn wasn't going to turn out, but we ended up getting quite a few ears! I processed this the day we picked it, to make sure it was super fresh. I just quickly blanched it, saved it off the cobs, and put it in freezer bags. It is SO super yummy! I'll be sad when it is gone.

We are already planning what we are going to grow next year! Were thinking more tomatoes, more cucumbers, and adding green beans. Can't wait til Spring!

Making a Menu

I can't stress how much making a menu has made my life SO much easier. I used to be standing in front of the pantry or fridge at 5:00 wondering what I would make for dinner. Or end up giving the kids PB &J sandwiches for lunch 4 times a week because I didn't know what else to make. Or be in the middle of making something and realize I was out of a main ingredient. Ugh!

I now make a weekly menu, including what we will eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and anything else I want to make that week (muffins, granola bars, extra pizza dough, etc).

I am a planner by nature. So this was a easy thing for me start doing. I truly enjoy doing it, and love how effortless it makes every meal time throughout the week. No more microwave meals or running for fast food. Which means I know we will be eating healthy and saving money!

This is how I do it.
1- I make a list Sunday through Saturday with a blank for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I make note of any meals we won't be home for.

2- I start with breakfast, that is the easiest for me, because I basically keep it the same week to week. Monday is Oatmeal, Tuesday is Pancakes, etc.Then I add a fruit to each meal, and yogurt a couple times throughout the week. (I make sure they have a fruit each morning with breakfast)

3 - Then I work on lunch. I have a list made up a list of go-to lunch things for the kids (DH and I eat at a different time then the kids, so we usually have left overs, sandwiches or soup). I make note of anything we have extra of in the pantry (tortillas, pasta, etc) and try to pick meals that use those things. Then I fill in fruits and veggies into the meals (I am trying to make sure they have a fruit and veggie each day at lunch)

4 - Now on to dinner. I make a list of proteins to use based on what we have in the freezer, or what is on sale that week. If I'm short I'll fill in with a group that hasn't been used (if I have lots of chicken, and pork is on sale, I'll add something like ground beef). Then I look through my recipe collection and find a recipe to go with each protein).

Then I fill in with side dishes and veggies, also based on what we have on hand and what is on sale that week whenever possible. (I am trying to fit in 2 servings of veggies at dinner each night).

5 - I make note of anything I will want to make ahead (example, if we are making pizza, and I have no dough in the freezer, I will want to make that earlier in the day or week), or anything snacks I want to make or baking I want to do.

6 - The last step, is I start my shopping list. I take my menu and go meal by meal and make note of what we will need to make it. (I am working toward having most of the items already in my pantry, and just having to add fresh ingredients.)

Then I write up my menu on my little print out i found online, like this, and put it up on the fridge. I like having it there to glance at and see what is coming up, and everyone else in the family can look and see what is for any given meal. This eliminates the "What's for dinner?" question 80 times a day ;)

This is what is working for me now. I am always adapting as our family grows, and our needs change. But this is a vital part of my week now.