How Do I Coupon ?Save Money While Buying Healthy for You, Your Family, and the Planet!

Click HERE for a link to an online printable coupon for Sunbelt Granola Bars. I have seen these sold at Walmart and Fry’s for around $2.00 a box. So, with the coupon, you could get 2 boxes for granola bars for around $1.00 each!! You can also register with Sunbeltfreekicks.com and earn money for your sports club! Lemme know if you find these where you shop and how much they are

Happy Shopping!

Well, you’re in luck. Click HERE to sign up for and receive coupons for Chef’s Requested Ready to Cook Beef including fillet Mignon. As soon as you sign up you can print out coupons. One is worth $3.00 so should be a great deal at Walmart or your local grocery store! Just don’t be like me and forget that your printer is out of ink and try printing. Now I am out of ink and out of an awesome $3 coupon….grrrrr. You can also request coupons to be sent to you via snail mail on the same page

This is the time of year to buy Christmas presents! What?! Yep, right now stores are marking down their toys that are left over from Christmas. This recession has hit stores hard and I do not think the sales are as good as in years’ past but there are still deals to be had.

If you head to Target, make sure to check out their toy section. Right now they should have their toys marked down in the clearance section anywhere from 75-90% off! That is a HUGE DEAL!! Last year I was able to get most of my Christmas shopping done in January at Target. What a great feeling!

Bath & Body Works will probably have their travel size toiletries on sale as well from $1 up.

Check out Walmart (I saw toys on clearance there although not as good of a deal as Target), Toys R Us, KMart, Family Dollar and Big Lots for deep discounts on left over toys.

I am not going shopping this year ::sigh:: as we do not have the cash to do it right now. I figure what is the point of buying toys at such a deep discount if I am going to pay with a credit card and carry a balance? Kind of defeats the deal, doesn’t it? If you go, it is smart to have a list of who you need to buy for, a price point so you do not go over, and ideas for each person on your list. That way you stay within your budget and do not buy excess. It is a great time of year to go and stock up on Birthday presents as well!

Happy Shopping!

The day after Thanksgiving, as most of you all know, is the biggest shopping day of the year for retailers. There are tons of stores that will be offering great deals on toys, electronics, clothes, and so on. The key to Black Friday is to be prepared.

1. Figure out your budget. How much can you spend? How much do you want to spend per person or family? Set a limit and stick to it. A good tip to avoid more credit card debt is to take out the cash you plan to spend and separate it into different envelopes. When it is gone, it is gone!

2. What do you want or need to get from the sales? Make a list and use it as a guide when you are shopping. It is also good to have substitutions thought out so when an item is no longer available (which it will be) you have a back up plan. Try to make your shopping experience as stress-free as possible.

3. Take a look at all the store flyers and plan. What time do you need to wake up to be in line? Plan to carry just your wallet instead of a purse. It really does help to not carry much as stores often run out of carts and you may end up having to carry your merchandise. Bring a bottle of water or thermos of coffee to keep you going. You will be grateful you did. Shopping is hard work!

4. Compile the ads for the stores you are interested in. A lot of stores will be offering Loss Leaders again.  Fair warning: most of the super great deals will have a very limited supply. For instance, this year Sears is offering a smokn’ deal on a washer a dryer set, but there will only be 4 sets available per store. Keep this in mind when you shop for the great deals and understand the store limits and rules. BTW, Best Buy has a fantastic deal on a washer/dryer set . While the set is a higher price than Sear BF deal, more than likely you will be able to purchase it because there will be more quantities available.

5. Hate the rush and insanity at the stores on Black Friday? Consider shopping online. Amazon and many big box retailers will have fantastic deals online. Consider staying up late on Thanksgiving to take advantage of sales that will be online. What’s a better way to snag some great deals than in your PJ’s and a cup of hot cocoa by the glow of your computer monitor?  ;)

Here is a list of links to stores and Black Friday Websites to help get you started:

Black Friday- The Official 2009 Website

Amazon

Best Buy

CVS

Big Lots

KMart

Kohl’s

Macy’s

Sears

Target

Walgreens

Walmart (You can even get a map of your store to plan out where to go first. Yes, I am serious! And, again, they will match any advertised price during the BF sales.)

If you shop online and want to see if there are any extra discounts available, check out this great website:

RetailMeNot

You can type in what store you would like to find discounts for. If there are codes available you will find them here along with their respective success rates. How great is that?! I have been able to score free shipping and discounts at many stores I shop for online.

As for me, I am probably going to Walgreens as their toys will be 50% off and shop a little at Amazon. I am done shopping except for a few gifts and crowds are not my thang .

Happy Shopping!!

Okay, so it is a week before Thanksgiving and it is time to shop! I want to try and get done with shopping this week to avoid the crowds and depleted items.

One thing to remember is Loss Leaders. These are the items listed on sale in your local grocery ads. Normally they are on the front and back page of the weekly advertisement. They are items that are super discounted to get you in the store to buy other products. So, the key is if you have the time and determination, is to go to all the stores to take advantage of the loss leaders. For instance, Safeway in my town is offering 10# bag of russet potatoes for .97 cents! Fry’s is offering deals on produce and cheese. Plan your list and stops accordingly and you can take advantage of these super great deals.

One hint for you super busy working moms: WalMart and Target price match.You should be able to match the prices from your local grocery stores at the big box stores. Two things to keep in mind: 1. Bring the ads to WalMart and/or Target so you can show the cashier and avoid any extra hassle. 2. Neither store doubles coupons and only takes coupons at face value. Often, people think that the big box stores are cheaper but they are not once you factor in coupons and doubling coupon values. Right now stores are in heavy competition to earn your business and often coupons are doubled, tripled and even quadrupled right now! That is some serious savings!

So, my plan is to go to both WalMart and Fry’s this week to get my items for Thanksgiving dinner and save as much money as I can. They are typically the stores in my town with the best deals anytime of the year. If I were to go to just one store my grocery bill would easily double because I would not be able to take advantage of loss leaders and coupons. It is cheaper in the long run to use more gas in my car and go to both places than it is to shop at one place.

Another thing to remember is turkey prices. Right now stores are going to offer amazing deals but, some, if not most,  have catches. For instance, some stores will offer a turkey at a discounted price per pound or even a free turkey. The key to remember is there is often a minimum amount of money you must spend to get the discount. So, while a turkey at .40 cents a pound or even a free one sounds great, are you going to maximize your savings and keep money in your account if you have to spend $50 or $100 dollars to get the turkey? It is really smart advertising for the stores but often ends up being a poor deal for you. This is also often the case in other periodic grocery sales where you have to spend a certain amount to get the discounted savings.

So far my menu has not changed from my last post, however, I will adjust my menu if something comes available (like wild rice for a yummy stuffing!) or remove something if it is too expensive. I try to remember when I shop that I can be flexible on certain items. And, I also remember there are certain things I cannot budge on (hello, real butter!).

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday and I love it because it is centered around one delicious meal and it is great to hang out with friends and family without the pressure of giving gifts. This year, money is especially tight for our household so I thought I would post ways I am saving money and using coupons while still having a wonderful Thanksgiving.

1. I think the very first step in saving money on anything is to have a plan. So first I plan a menu for the big day. My first menu consisted of turkey with an incredible amount of sides and three desserts:

Turkey Breast

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Dinner Rolls with Butter

Green Bean Almondine

Creamed Spinach

Corn

Sweet Potato Souffle

Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Cookies N Cream Pie

Can you say YUM?!

 Then reality slapped me in the face. After unending expensive car repairs my hubby and I decided to trade in our 9 year old vehicles and we financed two newer vehicles. Yikes, right?! After seeing we will have two car payments and an increase in car insurance I quickly realized that I needed to trim down the trimmings for our Thanksgiving menu.

2. Look in your kitchen pantry to see what items you already have on hand.

I was quickly able to see I could replace quite a few things on my menu with what I already have on hand in my kitchen. For example, instead of green bean almondine made with fresh green beans and almonds, I could make canned green beans. I even had most of the ingredients on hand to make a green bean casserole as a replacement if I wanted to.

3. Trim the trimmings. What can you live without on your menu?

I want to have a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner just like the next person but I realized pretty quickly I could still have a tasty menu (even if I cut out a couple of sides on the menu) and save some serious cash while doing so. I decided I could cut out two side dishes right away. I also made sure my menu still had items on it that I knew I and/or my guests would be disappointed if they were not there. Fresh cranberry sauce and pecan pie are musts for me!

4. Consider substitutions, but still keep the must haves. Take out any extras you can do without.

Instead of a sweet potato souffle I decided I could make a casserole. Substituting this recipe would cut down on my ingredients I would need to purchase. Also, I decided instead of the usual pricey dinner rolls we buy for Thanksgiving I will get whatever is on sale (usually a pack of rolls this time of year are .99 cents or less). That alone is a savings of a few dollars and every amount adds up! I also considered substituting real butter for margarine but realized I would have a revolt on my hands and come on, it is real butter! I am confident that I can find great deals on butter this time of year anyways so I know it is something worth keeping on my menu. I also decided cutting down a few of the more pricey sides would allow for me to still make the desserts. I just revised one dessert to use what ingredients I have in my kitchen. I will make a pumpkin roll instead of a pumpkin pie and I will omit the nuts in the roll to save a little extra money there. It is a small thing but it does add up!

Here is my new menu with substitutions and cutting down some of the sides:

Turkey Breast Whole Turkey

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Dinner Rolls with Butter

Green Bean Almondine Green Beans (in my pantry)

Creamed Spinach

Corn (in my pantry)

Sweet Potato Souffle Casserole

Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pie Roll (I have all the ingredients on hand)

Cookies N Cream Pie

Can you still say YUM?! I know I can!

5. Make an ingredient list.

Go through all of your recipes you are using and make a list of everything you will need. Include everything down to what drinks you will be serving. Then double check your cupboards against this list and check off what you already have on hand. Once this is done you have your list for the store(s). Mundane, I know, but it will be well worth your time later when you have just what you need and not 3 extra bags of powdered sugar on your grocery bill.

6. On to the grocery store! But, be prepared that you will probably go to more than one store to maximize your savings.

My first trip for Thanksgiving dinner is sort of a reconnaissance mission. I head to the king of big box stores: WalMart. I plan it to when I go for stock up items on my usual grocery list (such as cat food and litter). I take my ingredient list with me and I write down prices so I can compare with the grocery store chains. I write down prices for pecans, turkey, etc. I find that the halved pecans are cheaper at WalMart than what is advertised thus far at any local grocery chain. I also note that turkey breast is super pricey (starting at $1.42/lb.) while the whole turkeys at WalMart are .40/lb.!! That is quite the savings right there so I know I will be having a whole turkey now instead of just the breast. I can also use a whole turkey for stock and some serious leftovers. Being willing to adjust my menu as I check for prices will save me some Benjamins! I did not purchase much for Thanksgiving on this run to WalMart. It is more of a baseline to compare prices to when I look at grocery ads.

Check back for Part II!!