Finding Deals and Saving Dollars.. What A Week...

I have enjoyed this week more than most.... I had time to work on listing new items to our online auctions.... there were a lot of great deals at some local grocery stores, so despite the cold weather, storms, snow, and rain.. it was a nice week. I admit, it is nice to have some time to relax and not have to be so stressed out. Since I'm a couponer, I scope out some good deals with the Wednesday sales ads and check online to see what other deals I can find. I make my shopping list using a mixed method, of things that we need, use the most, and of course, things that are on sale.


I have been couponing for over a year now. I have really enjoyed it... I can't believe that all of these years that I never really used them much before... I missed a lot of deals by not using them. I've gotten several great deals for really cheap and even some for free. I think that the best deal that I was able to snag this week was a 4-pack and a 6-pack of toilet paper for $1.10 using a coupon on each package. I used the coupons at Walmart and Kroger. Kroger is one of favorite stores, because they have the shopper's card to help maximize your savings using your coupons. I love the fact that they double coupons as well... which helps out so much more. Yesterday, my total prior to my coupons was well over $48. I used 7 coupons and got $11.32 in manufacturer coupon savings, $3.10 in bonus coupons savings, and $16.49 in Kroger plus savings. I was able to score a 46% in total savings and only pay $38.50 for everything that we needed, plus was able to get 3 free bottles of Country Bob's sauce.


I know that some may say, that's not a lot, but considering that most of the items that I got were on sale and some were not, I had coupons for most of what was not on sale. I even used coupons on some of the sale items to make things even cheaper. When I went by Walmart yesterday afternoon, I purchased 7 items and had a coupon to go with each item that I bought. I paid only $12.18 after my coupons, and considering that Walmart doesn't double coupons... I thought that this was a nice deal, since we needed these items. I plan to start price matching when using coupons at Walmart.. to get the most out of shopping there. I most often use Food Giant, since they double coupons everyday up to $0.50 and plus... it's closer to us. I go once or twice a month to Kroger, but will certainly be trying to go more often, since they have some amazing deals on most of their items.


Since I clean a lot and need to keep plenty of cleaning products on hand, I use Fred's on Saturdays when they double coupons up to $0.70. Of course I use coupons every time I shop... I just try to plan everything according to what store has certain things on sale, so that I can group and sort my coupons to use at each store. It's especially helpful to my coupon sorting this way, because things can get really tricky really fast, when you're shopping with a 2 and 4 year old... lol I used to bring my binder with me, but since I have made a system of sorting according to store and sales ads, I just use the large binder clips and clip everything together and stick all of my lists and coupons inside a zip-up money bag.


Looking back, I think that the best shopping trip that I ever took was right before Thanksgiving 2011, my total was $85.50 and using my coupons I only paid $25.35. My husband was astonished at what all that I was able to get using coupons and watching the sales. So now, with the economy crumbling and the future of jobs uncertain, I find it more important to use coupons. I think that it is also very important to be good stewards of what we have. I've never been one who liked to waste anything..... so nothing is ever wasted around here. I once took a very nice shopping trip at Walmart last summer using remainder balances of some gift cards and lots of coupons. The total balance prior to coupons and gift cards was $65.85. The total after the gift cards and coupons were used was only $16.25. I think that was my favorite trip to Walmart, after over 20 years of shopping there.


I have been lucky enough to convince a few family members to give coupons a try and so far, they love using them. They easy to use, and don't require alot of time either. In just a few minutes, I can have what coupons I need and use clipped out of the inserts and sorted into my binder. I also print some online and in about 15-20 minutes.. tops... I have printed out what coupons I need for the items that i use the most. It doesn't take long to have those cut out either... I'd say that I spend 1-2 hrs a week total, planning, clipping, and sorting. I just work along the week on the coupons that I use... because it's hard to have 1-2 hours at one time to sit and work on anything much since the boys are into everything and tons of house work to be done each day. For me, the time that I work on coupons, is quite stress relieving. I work on them most of the time at night after the boys have gone to bed.


What I have found during my past experiences of using coupons... if you buy something that you don't normally use or need, it will in the end cost you more. I will only use coupons for things that we need or use a lot. Aside from food, I would say that laundry detergent, toilet paper, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, and cleaning products would be items that we tend to use the most of. I also only buy things that are on clearance or on sale, so that when I use coupons for those items.. I can get them for practically dirt cheap. I love that Walmart accepts coupons, but the only thing that irks me is that the receipts don't tell what your savings and percentage of savings were. I know that this may sound crazy, but I like to know what I saved so that I can make the next shopping trip that much better, by spending less.


I always have a certain amount in my head that I anticipate on spending and I usually spend way below what I had hoped to spend. Using coupons helps me with that even more. I have rarely went over the price that I had in my head, after over 20 years of shopping. I've always been a really thrifty person, but these days it pays to be thrifty.


I know that this blog has been a bit long, I'm sorry to have ranted on so, but I have found that blogging is very enjoyable and maybe one of these days.. I can get better at blogging. From what you can tell, I love to write about a wide range of topics, so most of my blog posts will be different. Hoping that someone out there will enjoy reading my blogs as much as I have enjoyed writing them. I hope to also blog about upcoming plans for homeschooling so stay tuned... lol Take care and have a great remainder of your afternoon!! Until my next blog post.. May God bless!!

Not Enough Hours In The Day....

Please forgive me fellow blog readers... I'm running a day behind on what had intended to be my weekly blogging session.  It was my intent to create and make blogging a weekly thing to do on Fridays..... but this past week has been a whirlwind of a week.  As a full-time housewife and mother, it's just difficult to get everything done that needs to be done each day.  I would love for there to be a few more hours in the day, as there just isn't enough hours in the day for me to get everything done.

Now that my game plan has changed for my blogging schedule, I will try my best to blog on Friday's.  I love to write and for me, writing is just relaxing..... who knew just writing for a few minutes (or hours) could be so therapeutic... lol    I have been working on lots of projects the past several months.  I've also made a resolution to not take on more than I can get done, because I love to stay busy all of the time.

I'm trying to make a schedule to better allot my time for certain projects that I enjoy doing, so that I can get more accomplished as well as still have time to work on my projects.  During the warmer months, I'm outside a lot.. most of the day to be exact.  I spend hours working on our flower beds and hedges.  I have gotten our 2 young children very involved in all aspects of gardening and outdoor projects.  I have a few new things that I would very much like to do this year if all goes well.

I had originally intended to plant some gourds last year so that I could work on my gourd ornaments, but since I had so much going on, I didn't get the time to get around to planting them.  I hope that this year, I do get to get them planted in time.  I have been working on some Confederate Rose cuttings the past 3-4 months indoors.  They are doing very nicely and are looking great.  I have sold several groupings of them and still have plenty left for selling some right here from home.

I have enjoyed my newest project.... paper beading.  I got started last summer, July to be exact.  I have been using various types of snack and product boxes to make them, as to me.... the paper and magazine pages are just to flimsy for me to roll into beads.  I have been working on several different techniques and absolutely love how quickly I can make a lot of beads while watching the 6 o'clock news.  It's also helps me to relax from very stressful days.

My quilting has been a work in progress.  I have 2 quilt tops that I have been working on for a while...... several years to be exact.  The reason that it's taken me that long is that prior to the storm on 4-27-11 (I call it the storm because it was a day that changed our lives forever), the sewing machine that we had no longer worked.  Luckily, I had kept one of the quilt tops packed up tightly inside a plastic storage container under what was left of the old stair case and was able to save it.  I purchased an older Singer sewing machine online and I began to continue my sewing projects.  I even sold some of the quilt projects that I worked up to do.  I plan to make some more of them up and sell those as well because I admit.... they were very fun to make.

I love to clean and work.... I know that must sound crazy, but I have always loved house work, yard work, and such.  I think most times that I am the only woman that does.   I used to clean other peoples' houses and when I would clean, I would clean everything in the same way that I would clean my own.  For me, cleaning something daily is as natural as brushing your teeth......  lol

Our pets and outdoor animals also keep us very busy.  I love all of our animals and they're like our other children.  Our boys adore the chickens and find it absolutely amazing that they can lay eggs.  They enjoy gathering the eggs each day and are so excited to go get the eggs.  I think that they will enjoy having their own gathering basket nicely this year.  It should also make for less broken eggs on the way back inside the house with them. :)

This is just a few of the projects that I have.... yes, there are actually several more projects.  I even have plans to make a mini-greenhouse this spring.  I know better than to make it a large greenhouse, because I would take on too much.  I love plants, seeds, bulbs, can cuttings, so if I were to ever have a big greenhouse... I would be working on it at night..  I love working with plants and the like that much.  I plan to start up some peppers and tomatoes in flats so that they will be ready to plant in the garden once the frost dates are over.  I'm so excited about the warmer weather ahead, that I've already planned a few things that I would like to plant this year.  I think that once I get some sort of schedule down, I should be able to get more of the projects I have been working on and attempting to finish, completed.

I've got so many wonderful ideas and advice that I would like to write about in my blogs that I'll be writing about in the weeks and months to come.  My blogs will be about various topics, about things that I experience and deal with..... not to mention some much needed survival skills.  With the future very uncertain these days, I have found it to be very important to know how to rough it, for the just-in-case the unknown should ever happen.  I welcome everyone who reads my blogs to leave a comment.  I hope that everyone enjoys reading my blogs as much as I enjoy writing them.  Well, until next my next blog post, stay safe, and have a great week!!  May God bless!!  

Happy 2013 Everyone!!!

Yes.. it's time again.... another year has finally come to a close and a new year is now upon us.  Since 2011 and 2012 have not been kind to us by any means.. I'm truly hoping that 2013 will definitely be a great year, filled lots of wonderful things happening.  I have been trying to find time to work on my blogs and now I think that it is finally time that I work on them.

I have always enjoyed writing and have several of my teachers in school tell me, "You should write a book one day".  Though I don't think that my life is interesting enough to write a book about, I do think that I have some creative ideas that could possibly interest or help someone.  My biggest fear of writing blogs online has always been what topic should I write about??  Will I ever find the right topic or interest to write a blog about??  Although, I have had problems in the past picking a topic to write a blog about, I will just try to blog about what ideas I have or new project that I have going on at the moment.

As a full-time stay at home mom of 2 young sons, it can be a challenge to get enough time to do everything in a day that needs to be done, but I do give myself snaps, for everything that I am able to get done.  I have also found it hard to bear my inner-most feelings and just put my whole life story out there for the world to know about.  One of the main reasons that I do not enjoy posting much on facebook or twitter.

I have facebook and twitter accounts, but I don't feel comfortable having my information listed on there... feels like that would be inviting danger, as you just never know what is lurking about out in cyberspace.  I hope that some of the things that I blog about will interest someone.  I will put this out there that I am a near-middle aged woman who has always had old-fashioned views and would much rather do somethings the hard way.  I'm definitely cell-phone challenged and would prefer my pc over a cell phone any day.

I have never seen what the hype was over texting.... It would take me so long to say what I wanted to say because you have to press each of the buttons to select a letter.  I could not text... lol  I stink at it really, but would much rather be typing on my pc keyboard.  I think that this is why blogging would more suit me than any of my other writings.  I plan to blog more and express my self in my writing.  So if anyone actually reads this, please let me know what you think... and do be honest.

Most people these days that I happen to know and deal with are not honest... they will not give it to you straight.  I would just like to know if my blogs are actually good enough to cut it.. as I have always wanted to someday take up writing more.  I have always enjoyed writing very much and even in school, I would love the times when my teachers would give us a writing assignment to do.  I loved doing essays, poems, and stories....  I miss those days when things were filled with lots of writing.  I loved to answer everything in great deal...  I loved the one question tests, where you had to explain everything in 1 page or more.  To simply put it, I just loved writing.

Since this is my first blog ever, I don't want to make it to long, as many may not enjoy long-winded blogs.  I've always enjoyed reading posts and blogs.  Especially the long ones...  ;)  I often find myself getting lost in my writing because I enjoy it so much.  Quite often I start with a topic and end with another...  but I do try very hard to stick to one thing.  Well... hope to hear back from some of my blog readers and perhaps one day.. even have some subscribers.  I do hope that 2013 treats each of you very well.  May 2013 bring you all of the success and happiness that you truly deserve!!  Have a great weekend!!  May God bless!!