I have spent the month of January stockpiling lots of things. In terms of food I now have enough juice, coffee, tea, pasta, rice, tomatoes, cereal, frozen veggies and canned corn to last at least 4-6 months. In the pharmacy and toiletries department I have stockpiled toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, tampons, toilet paper, paper towel, cold and flu remedies to last 6-18 months. I also have enough aluminum foil to last about 12 months.
My vow: I will not buy any of these items until the next time there is a major sale and I am buying them for pennies- extreme couponing style.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Back from a short break
I haven't posted for a few days and I feel bad for not keeping up with a daily post. I have been distracted with some fantastic happenings in my life. The most exciting is I received a job offer. I say "job offer" because not all the details have been worked out and therefore I don't consider myself fully employed. I'm hoping that by mid-week I can announce new job, here's to hoping.
So back to coupons . . . I have been working hard at my savings and have been rather successful in my shopping purchases. I even started a small stockpile in my storage closet to house the incredible deals I scored like Hunt's canned, diced tomatoes (100% natural, of course) for $.19 a can. Pretty AWESOME!
I have spent the morning planing out my next weeks purchases over a few cups of coffee. It looks like the big deals will be at the pharmacies; Rite aid, CVS and Walgreens. I've been reading blogs and mapping out my transactions to maximize my savings. I'll be sure to post about my purchases when I return from the stores.
My biggest couponing dilemma is Harris Teeter. I love Harris Teeter and I have manged to stick to my rule of only buying items if they are on sale, I have a coupon or both. The problem is that I can't seem to break the 30% savings rate. At every other store I'm saving at least 50%, if not 60 or 80%. I need to plan my trips better and look for more ways to save on high priced items, such as beer. Attention beer makers, please send me coupons. Although I appreciate your sales, it's not saving me enough money.
So back to coupons . . . I have been working hard at my savings and have been rather successful in my shopping purchases. I even started a small stockpile in my storage closet to house the incredible deals I scored like Hunt's canned, diced tomatoes (100% natural, of course) for $.19 a can. Pretty AWESOME!
I have spent the morning planing out my next weeks purchases over a few cups of coffee. It looks like the big deals will be at the pharmacies; Rite aid, CVS and Walgreens. I've been reading blogs and mapping out my transactions to maximize my savings. I'll be sure to post about my purchases when I return from the stores.
My biggest couponing dilemma is Harris Teeter. I love Harris Teeter and I have manged to stick to my rule of only buying items if they are on sale, I have a coupon or both. The problem is that I can't seem to break the 30% savings rate. At every other store I'm saving at least 50%, if not 60 or 80%. I need to plan my trips better and look for more ways to save on high priced items, such as beer. Attention beer makers, please send me coupons. Although I appreciate your sales, it's not saving me enough money.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Superfoods . . . .yum
I just opened my daily Real Simple email and look through the article about 30 Superfoods. I was pleased to discover that I eat most of them and over half are currently in my kitchen. I then thought to myself, "Are there coupons for these foods?" Hmmmm . . . I think I need to do some more research but it seems to me that it will be harder to find coupons for these foods than for junk like soda and sodium-filled instant noodles packaged in styrofoam.
What are my favorite of the 30 foods?
Mushrooms- I LOVE MUSHROOMS! I was raised to love them, thanks Mom! I currently have three varieties in my fridge- portabellos, creminis and shitakes. I buy most of my mushrooms from Papa Spud's. They are a home food delivery service of mostly organic products. I don't buy
Quinoa- I have regular quinoa bought from the same place as the barley. I also found a brown rice and quinoa product made by Seeds of Change. I can buy it in a 4-pk at Costco or single packs at Krogers. I recently got two coupons from their website.
Other superfoods I eat: Barley, Walnuts, Whole grain pasta, Natural Peanut and Almond butter, Oatmeal,
Almonds, Lentils, Bulgur, Spinach, Kiwi, Wild Salmon, EVOO, Chicken breasts, Kale, Avocados, Kidney Beans, Sweet potatoes, Chard, Edamame, Pumpkin, Oranges, Non-fat Greek yogurt, Broccoli, Black beans
That's 27 out of 30!
It turns out that most of the superfoods I eat I either purchase at Trader Joes, online through bulk food stores or through Papa Spuds ( home-delivery of fresh produce).
And the ones I DON'T eat:
Skim milk- I can't do it. I grew up on 2%, switched to 1% in college, but I haven't been able drink skim.
Blueberries- The only berry I don't like and I'm not sure why. I eat lots of blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, cherries and strawberries and of course, I only buy when they're on sale.
Sardines- Not going happen.
HOW MANY OF THE SUPERFOODS DO YOU EAT?
What are my favorite of the 30 foods?
Mushrooms- I LOVE MUSHROOMS! I was raised to love them, thanks Mom! I currently have three varieties in my fridge- portabellos, creminis and shitakes. I buy most of my mushrooms from Papa Spud's. They are a home food delivery service of mostly organic products. I don't buy
Quinoa- I have regular quinoa bought from the same place as the barley. I also found a brown rice and quinoa product made by Seeds of Change. I can buy it in a 4-pk at Costco or single packs at Krogers. I recently got two coupons from their website.
Eggs- I love eggs. Recently, I've been trying to buy cage-free to make myself feel better. I've also been trying to reduce the amount of yolks, so I generally substitute two whites for one yolk to be healthier. And of course, I have $1 coupons to bring the price of my cage-free organic eggs down to a reasonable price.
Other superfoods I eat: Barley, Walnuts, Whole grain pasta, Natural Peanut and Almond butter, Oatmeal,
Almonds, Lentils, Bulgur, Spinach, Kiwi, Wild Salmon, EVOO, Chicken breasts, Kale, Avocados, Kidney Beans, Sweet potatoes, Chard, Edamame, Pumpkin, Oranges, Non-fat Greek yogurt, Broccoli, Black beans
That's 27 out of 30!
It turns out that most of the superfoods I eat I either purchase at Trader Joes, online through bulk food stores or through Papa Spuds ( home-delivery of fresh produce).
And the ones I DON'T eat:
Skim milk- I can't do it. I grew up on 2%, switched to 1% in college, but I haven't been able drink skim.
Blueberries- The only berry I don't like and I'm not sure why. I eat lots of blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, cherries and strawberries and of course, I only buy when they're on sale.
Sardines- Not going happen.
HOW MANY OF THE SUPERFOODS DO YOU EAT?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Free and almost free
I scored a completely free Tilex Mildew Remover at CVS last night. It was on sale for $2 a bottle. I used a $1 coupon and a $1 CVS ExtraCare Buck coupon. 2-1-1= FREE! If I was an extreme couponer I guess I would have collected 20 coupons and stockpiled enough Tilex for a lifetime, but I'm pretty sure by the time I need another bottle I'll be able to get it on sale or perhaps free again.
As for almost free, Restaurants.com is having an 80% sale with the coupon code MEAL. As you know I already stocked up on coupons, however I couldn't resist buying a few more. I spent $12 and bought $175 worth of coupons. AMAZING!!!! The best part is the coupon can be used for alcoholic beverages, which many restaurants don't allow but my favorite Thai place does. And even better Restaurant.com coupons DON'T EXPIRE. And speaking of expiring coupons I need to check my Groupon and Living Social accounts.
As for almost free, Restaurants.com is having an 80% sale with the coupon code MEAL. As you know I already stocked up on coupons, however I couldn't resist buying a few more. I spent $12 and bought $175 worth of coupons. AMAZING!!!! The best part is the coupon can be used for alcoholic beverages, which many restaurants don't allow but my favorite Thai place does. And even better Restaurant.com coupons DON'T EXPIRE. And speaking of expiring coupons I need to check my Groupon and Living Social accounts.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Healthy Savings and a New Rule
I have discovered that there are a million couponing websites and blogs. It seems like everyone has something to say about couponing! There are many that I like, but I particularly enjoy A Full Cup because it's huge and there is a message board for every question I have.
On A Full Cup people will post about their shopping trips and even include pictures of what they bought. I love these posts, however, I cringe when I see a pile of processed foods. I think to myself it would be great to save 90% at the grocery store but not at the cost of being unhealthy. So here's another rule that I need to declare:
5. Use coupons to be healthy
I already try to buy/eat unprocessed, real foods. I need to intensify my hunt for coupons for real food.
On A Full Cup people will post about their shopping trips and even include pictures of what they bought. I love these posts, however, I cringe when I see a pile of processed foods. I think to myself it would be great to save 90% at the grocery store but not at the cost of being unhealthy. So here's another rule that I need to declare:
5. Use coupons to be healthy
I already try to buy/eat unprocessed, real foods. I need to intensify my hunt for coupons for real food.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Couponers are everywhere
I just stumbled across this article on Forbes.com about the most frugal cities in the US. Turns out the city I live in is ranked #10. Go Raleigh! Did your city make the list?
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