Brand Loyalty

I love saving money. But sometimes there are products that come along in our lives that can't be beat and switching to a cheaper alternative just doesn't yield results that seem worth it. I don't have many, but here are a few of my favorites:

Tide: If I find a good deal on alternative detergent, I buy it. But I always long for my Tide. Yes, its the most expensive in the grocery store but it works the BEST. It doesn't fade my clothes; therefore, they last much longer! Additionally, it gets most of the stains out without help from pricey stain removers. I think these two qualities make it worth its price.

Another product I love is Clorox2. I use this for the stains that don't come out with my Tide alone. These include grease, blood, dark juice, etc. Its the best stain remover EVER! With the boys' clothes, I usually add a splash in with my Tide because they generally have more stains on their clothes. If there is a pesky stain that I know I'll have trouble with, I spray it with a half and half mixture of Clorox2 and water. This usually pulls the stains right out. I even use it on stains that I missed and have already washed and dried; it works really well.



The next great product that ends up saving me money in the long run are the International Coffehouse Creamers. I love Starbucks, but this momma can't afford to go there everyday. I've also heard amazing things about the Keurig, but I don't have that kind of money either. So, I make regular old Folgers (or a brand on sale) and add these awesome creamers. They get the job done for pennies a cup! They come in Vanilla Late (and skinny), White Chocolate Mocha (and skinny), and Caramel Machiatto (and skinny). They run about $1.50 at your local grocer. What a GREAT price for yummy coffee!!!

Hot Sauce: I have to have Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. Nothing else will do. Period. YUM!!

Those are the only ones I can think of so far. I'm not loyal to too many brands for many reasons. I like to shop around until I find the best product and, in my opinion, these are the best of the best.

What are some of your favorites.

Couponing 101: Getting you started

I hope this is a good how-to to get you started in couponing. It really is very easy, but let's all remember to leave some for others. If there are only two mustards left on the shelf, okay, take them. But, if there are 80 mustards and you take all 80, you're asking for bad karma! Okay, I've said my peace on clearing shelves. :) Let's move on.

The number one question I get from people is "Where do you get your coupons?" Well, like everyone else, I get them from the paper. I take the time to cut them all out myself, too. Crazy, huh? But, that's what I have to do to save LOADS of money for my family! Now, I have learned to go get one or two early edition papers from Walgreens or Randall's on Saturday. I double check that the papers I'm picking have coupons in them as well. I highly advise against getting your paper from gas stations/convenience stores because "someone" usually takes out all the coupons and you pay $2 to recycle the entire paper. What a waste of time and effort and money. I also have a subscription to my metro area paper (the Houston Chronicle), but a lot of times my delivery person skips me, hence, the reason I decided to make sure I get at least ONE early edition each week. You don't know how many times I've been left with no coupons on Sunday afternoon and regret it for WEEKS when I see a great deal that I didn't get the coupon for. Can you say AGGRAVATING?!? Lastly, you should clip every single coupon in your paper. A lot of times, things you would never expect to buy will make you money and you can donate the item to a local women's shelter, food bank, or your church + it leaves you feeling good about yourself to be able to give back!


I also print some coupons, but only the ones I truly need. I suggest that if you find a good deal in the blogs (I'll get to those later) that has a link to print a coupon, make sure you don't already have the paper coupon. There are a few different websites you can use to print your coupons: SmartSource, RedPlum, and Coupons.com. You can also "like" manufacturers on Facebook or sign up on the manufacturer's websites and get coupons there.


Now let's get to how you should organize your coupons. Everyone has a different way of organizing their coupons but this is the way I've found is best for me. You need a 2-3" binder. Bigger is better in this case because you don't want to have to change it later. You will also need 40-50 dividers and a minimum of 60 baseball card sheets. I made a category for everything from dairy and yogurt to hair care, oral care, and beauty. I have about 38 categories + a miscellaneous, and a divider for each store as well. My stores are Randalls, Kroger, Target, Walgreens, CVS, HEB, and Walmart. Behind every store's divider I have the store's coupon policy. This is the only thing I have behind my Walmart and HEB dividers. In my binder, I also have a stock up price spreadsheet from ForTheMommas and the The Krazy Coupon Lady's Sales Cycles. I also have a list from The Krazy Coupon Lady's website that says how long items last such as peanut butter, evaporated milk, etc., but I can't locate it at the moment on the site. I have all of these lists and policies in sheet protectors in my binder. Make sure you keep the weekly ads in your binder as well. I also have a pocket for coupons that haven't been organized, scissors, and a magic marker - all for just in case.


Once you have all your coupons organized, you can start deal hunting. Yay! Almost the most fun part! I suggest visiting the following blogs daily to make sure you know about all the great deals. You don't want to miss anything. KCL, Couponing To Disney, For The Mommas, and I'm sure you'll find more that you like as well.


I like to make a list of all my deals I plan to get when I go out. Sometimes I get them all, sometimes I don't. Don't let it get you down if you miss out on something or there isn't as great a deal at your local store that one of the blogs found at their store. Also, be sure you take your binder with you to the store every single time. A lot of times you'll notice something on sale that you missed on the blogs and you'll be kicking yourself if you don't have your binder. Additionally, you can use coupons on clearance items so make sure you always have that baby with you!

Now on to the stores.
Randall's: Here (as in the Houston area), they triple up to $.39 and double up to $.50. They also have "Catalinas" which are coupons that print out at the register. Be sure you know what you should be getting Catalinas from so you can make sure you get them all. The KCL has a post that is updated regularly so you know what Catalinas you should be getting. They also have coupon booklets around the store so make sure you get these! These are considered store coupons so they are stackable with manufacturer coupons. :) You'll get the best deals stacking SALES with store coupons, with manufacturer coupons, with catalinas from previous trips.
Kroger: Discontinuing their d/t coupon program on Wednesday, April 13th, in the Houston area. BOOOOOOOOOOO Kroger!!!! Not much else to write home about here.
Walgreens: They have coupon booklets each month at the front of the store with the ads. Get one (or 5). Also, you can use these coupons with the in-ad coupons. The in-ad coupons are not deals you get just by going to the store. You MUST have the ad and have them scan the in-ad coupon to get this price! You can stack sales with the the coupon booklet coupons, with in-ad coupons, with manufacturer coupons, with Register Rewards for maximum savings. Register Rewards are Walgreens "bucks" you can use on your next purchase just like money (except for alcohol, tobacco, etc.). Note: you can not get RR's for one item and use them in the next transaction to get the same item and get additional RR's. For example: If I buy a pack of Huggies and get $2 RR's, I can't buy another pack of Huggies and use the $2 RR's and get another $2 RR's. I would need to use the $2 RR's for something else like toothbrushes or whatever else is on your list.
CVS: CVS is fabulous! First, make sure you have a CVS card. When you go to the store, make sure you scan your card at the coupon center in the middle of the store. It will print out coupons for you there. Scan it until it says, "No more coupons today. Try again tomorrow." CVS gives ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) which are just like Walgreens RR's except that they have a limit of how many times you can get the ECB for each item since they can track it with a card. Pretty genius for them! Again, you can stack sales with manufacturer coupons plus ECB's for maximum savings.
Target: One of the most fun stores ever to shop at now that I know what I'm doing. Target is SO cool because you can stack Target coupons (you can print them from their website) plus manufacturer coupons. When they have a great sale, they have great coupons! LOVE this store!!


Some more tips before I go: scan the registers and look for the HS aged boy. They just want to get you through their line and on your way. Older women cashiers act as if you're taking money physically out of their pocket and it's SO much hassle. Trust me on this. :)
BOGO sales (especially at CVS!): You can use two (2) coupons for these 2 items. You're "buying" them both so use those two $1.50 off coupons for those BOGO toothpaste. I got some a few weeks ago for $.60 total! I was so proud - until I realized I probably could've gotten them for free at Target! Nuts. :)


I hope that is enough to get you started for now.


Happy couponing!

My deals this week!

The last two days I've been good about going out to get my deals. YAY! Here's what I've gotten so far.



This was my Kroger shopping trip. My original order was $139.24. I saved $63.62 and walked out paying $75.62. I saved 45%. Here is what I came home with:

17 boxes of General Mills Cereal

2 gallons of 2% milk

2 sticks of Old Spice Deoderant

6 cans Pillsbury bread

7 pkgs of kids yogurt

2 boxes of Nature Valley bars

1 pkg of Pillsbury break-apart cookies

4 boxes of Zatarrain's rice mixes

2 6-pack 16.9oz sodas

8 pack of Bounty papertowels

1 small box of Totino's pizza rolls (got those for -$.40!!)

6 Totinos pizzas

1 Box of Pop-Tarts (didn't bring a coupon for these. Harrison snuck them in! Rascal.)

At Target, I think I did really well. I got all this for $8.60!!!

Sorry the picture is dark. I got 2 LARGE bottles of Pantene, 1 large creamer, 3 regular creamers, and a 20ct. Excedrin Extra Strength. I even got a $1.00 off Excedrin coupon from the checkout printer to use next time. The shampoo and conditioner run $5-6/ea. alone!

I also went to CVS and got 2-Nutregena equivelant (store brand) oil-free, non-comodegenic moisturizer for $17.95 + I had a $7 ECB coupon bringing my total to $10.95 + I received another $5 ECB coupon to use at a later date!

All in all, I've spent less than $100 this week and I have a pretty nice stock-pile going on.

Tell me about the deals you got this week!

Happy deal hunting!

Oh I almost forgot: I called the Houston Chronicle to up my Sunday only subscriptions from 1 every Sunday to 4 every Sunday and I ended up getting each issue for $.50!! Can you believe that? They are a minimum of $2 if you buy them from a convenience/grocery store! YAY! 4 issues a week for a year = $104!!! I KNOW I'll save $2 a week in coupons for sure.

Kroger Mega Event Shopping

If you're an extreme couponer - watch this video!! It's amazing! :D

Tips from a friend.

This is a friend of mine, Andria Olson, who decided to write a Facebook Note about her coupon learning experience, too. She has some great information for you, so check it out!

ALL my favorite sites (that I can think of right now)

This is a mix of recipes, deals, coupons, and more... pick and choose as you like.

JUICE IN THE CITY
Living Social
Groupon
Houston Chronicle Daily Deal
Get Grouby
Moolala
My Daily Deals
Save More
Buy With Me
Plum District
Grocery Game
Ebates - cash back on online purchases
Shop At Home - cash back on online purchases
Coupon Mom
Coupon Network
RedPlum
Smartsource
Coupons.com
Swagbucks - get 30 swagbucks just for signing up
Cellfire - eCoupons
Shortcuts - eCoupons
PGeSaver - eCoupons
Kroger - eCoupons
HEB
CVS
SmartyPig
101Inks - recycled printer ink cartridges - CHEAP
Allrecipes
Pillsbury - recipes and coupons
Redbox
ShoeDazzle - shoes
Just Fabulous - shoes

You can also sign up for brand websites like Coffee Mate, General Mills, etc. They will send you coupons to your email. And don't forget to like brands on Facebook, too. I have gotten free Redbox movies, creamer, and more. Also, "like" I Love Free Things on Facebook and get free stuff everyday! Check back here often because I'll keep adding sites.

Happy saving!

Things I learned in my first week of extreme couponing

Ok, so, this whole couponing thing takes a lot of practice. Here are some things i learned this week that I hope to implement next time to do even better. This week I saved $100!! Hey, I'll take it!

1.) Sign-up for the The Grocery Game. They offer a 4 week free trial. Only subscribe to the stores you're actually going to go to. I signed up for Walmart as well, but you don't need to do that. Go to Coupon Divas and look at their coupon match-ups. This site is FREE!!!! What could be better??

Walmart will match the prices - keep that in mind. I used Walmart for all the extra stuff I needed that wasn't on sale anywhere else. After a few weeks of this couponing thing, that list of items should become significantly shorter - here's why...

2.) Like the GG website says, do "investing". Just because you don't need cream cheese this week, doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it - especially when you can get 2 for $1! Stock up - then when things aren't on sale and you need them - you already have them. (if can goods are on sale - buy the maximum - they are getting expensive and I got them for $.32 a piece + canned tomatoes for $.12 a piece)

3.) HEB closes at midnight - unlike the "small" error on my local website states of 1 am. Shopping at night is so stress-free (unless you have 15min left until the store closes) because there aren't many other customers there and your kids are asleep! WOO for mom's getting a break.

4.) MAKE SURE YOU GET THE IN-STORE COUPONS!! If you have a deal listed that has an in-store coupon - FIND that coupon in-store. Otherwise you end up buying things you thought you were getting FREE or for cheap. I know I could've saved a minimum of $10 additional dollars at HEB last night. But, they were closing, I was in a rush, and I missed some in-store coupons. DRATS!!

5.) Get the physical ads anyway you can - from a friend, the paper, the store, etc. Look at the ads. Double check the sales match up with your print-out of the sales. I planned to buy Oreos last night for $1.00 but I got to the store and they weren't on sale still. (an error of the site, but it's our responsibility to double check) Now I am without Oreos until I get to walmart again. I wasn't going to pay $3.99 at CVS and that was the last stop I made.

6.) Go to Walmart last. This way, anything I forgot, or thought was on sale but wasn't, I can pick up at WM with all the extras that I need this week that aren't on sale. Typically, Walmart is the cheapest place if it's not on sale somewhere else.

7.) And finally - Keep your coupon inserts! I wish I had my coupon inserts from weeks ago, but I don't. So, I am stock-piling now.

If you're new to couponing like I am, I hope you found these items helpful in your endeavor to save your family as much as you can. Now whatever you saved, put it in a savings account or toward debt!

Some ways we stay organized

A couple of the ways we stay organized at our house:

1.) We have a dry erase board on our fridge to keep up with our grocery list. We write down things that we have run out of or are close to running out of. This helps prevent too many trips to the grocery store, which saves on gas.

2.) We also have a dry erase calendar in our kitchen to help keep track of everyone's schedules. We list football games, track meets, karate classes, doctor and dentist appointments, my school exams, major testing for the kids, and sometimes we list our bill due dates when money is tight and we need to decide which to pay first.

3.) I also list these items in my smart phone with reminders. This helps remind me of items even when I'm not at home staring at the dry erase calendar.

4.) When I get bills, I post them to my bulletin board in my home office - right behind the computer so I can see it while I'm surfing Facebook.

These items are just to help get your started. Start with one thing at a time and see how it works for you. If you like it, keep it. If not, tweak it!

Melissa