http://www.marilynmoll.com/2011/02/introducing-the-wondermill-junior-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-3882
Free is my favorite word!! Manual is right up there too ;)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Remembering The Past To Help Me Focus On The Future
Dia Duit my friends
It's morning here, not too early in the day, but everyone is still just stirring around. The TV is off and it's as quiet as it gets with four girls. It's a cleaning day. Time to get the house back into some sort of order.
I think every mother can relate to my feelings this morning...frustration, tiredness, uselessness, defeated. Didn't we just clean all this? Didn't I spend most of every day this week doing the same exact thing to the same exact stuff, saying the same exact things to the same exact kids???
There are times I just don't know what to do about it all. I feel like either throwing up my hands in defeat and just letting us live like pigs...clean pigs mind you, we're talking clutter, not filth!...or throwing everything away so there isn't anything TO clean.
I've been leaning towards the second quite a bit lately. I can't even begin to count the number of bags that have gone to the dump or the trunk loads that have already been dropped off to Goodwill. And yet.... :/ There's still more. It's as if when you remove the first layer the "stuff" starts seeping up out of the pores of the house. Like digging a hole in the sand on the side of the sea. You dig and dig, empty all the water out of it, turn around...and it's filled up with water again! A couple waves come and within seconds all that work you did just disappears.
So I decide to throw it all out. One of my favorite sayings is "If we get rid of it we never have to clean it again!" :-D And that's true! There are a lot of people who live very minimalistic lives and seem very happy in them. But I've been down this road before. I start picking up things, considering their importance and value, and then think "but what if I need this later?" :/ And thus begins digging by the side of the sea.
I can see where it's going wrong. I can see the spiral that sucks the stuff back into my house instead of allowing it to be released. But knowing that doesn't necessarily make the answer any clearer. If you believe like I do, that this country and our economy are headed for a real nose dive, that things are going to be tougher than we've seen in generations, then what to do?? My daughters have never known tough times, I never have, my parents really didn't...perhaps their parents have a clue as to what is coming.
I remember my Grammie speaking of the depression and war in Germany, where she's from. I remember her saying that they were hungry and that she will never go hungry again. Grammie always had a TON of food...her canning shelves were filled with jar after jar of produce that she and Grandpa grew. Grandpa always hunted and fished and it was put in the freezer. They had a beautiful home that Grandpa built. It was simple; it didn't have a den, or office, or family room, or formal living or dining rooms, lots of bedrooms or bathrooms. My mother and her sister even had to share a bedroom (gasp! lol). It was sturdy, it was built with quality and made to last, and it had heart shapes cut out of each window shutter <3 I loved those heart cut outs, it was a house filled with love. There was always room for family and friends. My darling husband has promised to make me those same shutters someday if God sees fit to have us own a house. Excuse me as I have a few thoughts here. Grammie lived thru hard times...really hard times...things that I can't even imagine...and things I hope she has forgotten. All of us are shaped by the things we live thru. So if I make an observation of her life after she had lived thru such hard times maybe I can learn from her what is really important and what I need to know and do now?? Sounds logical :o) Food...Grammie always had that food stored. We'd run to Zazzara's down in town for a few groceries, but I don't ever remember having buggies full of food. It always seemed to be the few things she needed to go with what she already had at home. Now maybe she did have those buggies of food before we had gotten there, but really there wasn't alot of storage for that type of thing, so I'd think I'd remember seeing it all. Grammie is an amazing cook...everything tastes better when Grammie cooks it. Our family gatherings always included lots of food...not fancy, but GOOOOOD. The same things were always cooked...I mean Thanksgiving without pumpkin, chocolate (pronounced SHocolate), and lemon meringue pie would not have been Thanksgiving at all! Decor...Grammie's house would have never made it into one of todays decorating magazines...but it was very tastefully decorated and comfortable. Things didn't change at Grammie's, hardly ever. I remember when they finally had to get new couches and new carpetting in the living room...it was just weird! The same glass dome clock sat on the fireplace mantel along with the brass eagle and candle sticks. The same lamps always sat there, the same end tables, the same coasters under the coffee table, same gold leaf dish, same bookshelf with the same picture frames filled with grandchildrens pictures (which would change as we grew), and the same corner console that held the ever important record player and radio up top and all of the records underneath. Things never changed unless they had to I guess. There was comfort in that...I always knew what to expect when I got to Grammies. If it was late at night when we arrived after our 5 hour drive there would be a pizza from the local shop in the oven that Grammie would turn on to heat up. The beds upstairs were always the same...the same pink blanket underneath the same white chenille bedspread. Why didn't they change? Was it because they didn't have money for new things? If they were poorly off we certainly had NO idea! Or was it just that Grammie had lived thru really hard times and was happy and content with what she had and felt no need to change it all the time? Maybe it was a bit of both...and maybe that is a lesson for me today! So many of the things at Grammies were handmade. I don't know if that was out of necessity or because she enjoyed it, or both. The afghan on the back of the love seat, the pillows on the couch, the doily's on the tables, the curtains in the windows. She has the skill set to be able to make a house a home. She can sew anything...really...anything. I remember her always having some needlework under the end table next to the loveseat...she was either crocheting or knitting something. Later we'd find some of those things to be dresses for us. She canned all the produce they grew. The only thing I don't remember Grammie making from scratch was bread, we did always buy that...and ice cream...but that was a Grandpa thing ;) We'd go down to Turkey Hill and get a half gallon of chocolate with the peanut butter swirl and another one of black cherry...they're still my favorites! I'm learning skills all the time, or at least I try to! I do can...I haven't braved the pressure canner yet, but I own it and will this coming year. Grammie taught me to crochet New Years 2000...I'm pretty handy at it if I do say so myself. I can knit now...not nearly as well as crochet. I've taught myself by watching videos online. I'm practicing...I have a long way to go before my needles click as fast as Grammies used to! I can sew. I have ALOT to learn there...but no one would be naked or go cold if they were dependent on my skills. I don't garden as well. Each year I try, each year I end up fustrated and wondering how Grammie and Grandpa always made it look so easy. I have a friend that is helping me now though and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can get next year. So if I try to sum up these thoughts maybe my lessons for today are 1) Food...having it stored up, and knowing how to cook simple good things from it. 2) House...simple but beautiful handmade things are best. There doesn't need to be alot, but what you have should be nice. Less is more. We don't need the latest and greatest...I'm sure there were lots of trends and new things that people just "had" to have...we were just as happy without them. 3) Know how to take care of your family and home. Have the skills so that you're not dependent on the stores and others. 4) The thing that really matter and made Grammie's house such a great place to be was being with family. Kids in the living room playing triominoes while the grown ups played pinochle. There was always a lot of laughter...some speaking in German when we weren't supposed to hear what they were saying ;) ...and lots and lots of good times. Can my kids be happy with just those things? I was. And maybe if I get rid of some of this clutter, this junk, this stuff that is sucking the life out of us, we'll have more time for those things :o) I think I'll go start cleaning...I see another trip to the dump and Goodwill happening this weekend!
This was our entertainment...boy great times when Grandpa would let us drive the lawnmower!!
Grandpa feeding my sister probably mashed potatoes with gravy.
And these were Christmas dresses that Grammie made for us. The shirt and skirt were both crocheted...I can't imagine how many hours she spent making those for us. We sure were cute though :o)
It's morning here, not too early in the day, but everyone is still just stirring around. The TV is off and it's as quiet as it gets with four girls. It's a cleaning day. Time to get the house back into some sort of order.
I think every mother can relate to my feelings this morning...frustration, tiredness, uselessness, defeated. Didn't we just clean all this? Didn't I spend most of every day this week doing the same exact thing to the same exact stuff, saying the same exact things to the same exact kids???
There are times I just don't know what to do about it all. I feel like either throwing up my hands in defeat and just letting us live like pigs...clean pigs mind you, we're talking clutter, not filth!...or throwing everything away so there isn't anything TO clean.
I've been leaning towards the second quite a bit lately. I can't even begin to count the number of bags that have gone to the dump or the trunk loads that have already been dropped off to Goodwill. And yet.... :/ There's still more. It's as if when you remove the first layer the "stuff" starts seeping up out of the pores of the house. Like digging a hole in the sand on the side of the sea. You dig and dig, empty all the water out of it, turn around...and it's filled up with water again! A couple waves come and within seconds all that work you did just disappears.
So I decide to throw it all out. One of my favorite sayings is "If we get rid of it we never have to clean it again!" :-D And that's true! There are a lot of people who live very minimalistic lives and seem very happy in them. But I've been down this road before. I start picking up things, considering their importance and value, and then think "but what if I need this later?" :/ And thus begins digging by the side of the sea.
I can see where it's going wrong. I can see the spiral that sucks the stuff back into my house instead of allowing it to be released. But knowing that doesn't necessarily make the answer any clearer. If you believe like I do, that this country and our economy are headed for a real nose dive, that things are going to be tougher than we've seen in generations, then what to do?? My daughters have never known tough times, I never have, my parents really didn't...perhaps their parents have a clue as to what is coming.
I remember my Grammie speaking of the depression and war in Germany, where she's from. I remember her saying that they were hungry and that she will never go hungry again. Grammie always had a TON of food...her canning shelves were filled with jar after jar of produce that she and Grandpa grew. Grandpa always hunted and fished and it was put in the freezer. They had a beautiful home that Grandpa built. It was simple; it didn't have a den, or office, or family room, or formal living or dining rooms, lots of bedrooms or bathrooms. My mother and her sister even had to share a bedroom (gasp! lol). It was sturdy, it was built with quality and made to last, and it had heart shapes cut out of each window shutter <3 I loved those heart cut outs, it was a house filled with love. There was always room for family and friends. My darling husband has promised to make me those same shutters someday if God sees fit to have us own a house. Excuse me as I have a few thoughts here. Grammie lived thru hard times...really hard times...things that I can't even imagine...and things I hope she has forgotten. All of us are shaped by the things we live thru. So if I make an observation of her life after she had lived thru such hard times maybe I can learn from her what is really important and what I need to know and do now?? Sounds logical :o) Food...Grammie always had that food stored. We'd run to Zazzara's down in town for a few groceries, but I don't ever remember having buggies full of food. It always seemed to be the few things she needed to go with what she already had at home. Now maybe she did have those buggies of food before we had gotten there, but really there wasn't alot of storage for that type of thing, so I'd think I'd remember seeing it all. Grammie is an amazing cook...everything tastes better when Grammie cooks it. Our family gatherings always included lots of food...not fancy, but GOOOOOD. The same things were always cooked...I mean Thanksgiving without pumpkin, chocolate (pronounced SHocolate), and lemon meringue pie would not have been Thanksgiving at all! Decor...Grammie's house would have never made it into one of todays decorating magazines...but it was very tastefully decorated and comfortable. Things didn't change at Grammie's, hardly ever. I remember when they finally had to get new couches and new carpetting in the living room...it was just weird! The same glass dome clock sat on the fireplace mantel along with the brass eagle and candle sticks. The same lamps always sat there, the same end tables, the same coasters under the coffee table, same gold leaf dish, same bookshelf with the same picture frames filled with grandchildrens pictures (which would change as we grew), and the same corner console that held the ever important record player and radio up top and all of the records underneath. Things never changed unless they had to I guess. There was comfort in that...I always knew what to expect when I got to Grammies. If it was late at night when we arrived after our 5 hour drive there would be a pizza from the local shop in the oven that Grammie would turn on to heat up. The beds upstairs were always the same...the same pink blanket underneath the same white chenille bedspread. Why didn't they change? Was it because they didn't have money for new things? If they were poorly off we certainly had NO idea! Or was it just that Grammie had lived thru really hard times and was happy and content with what she had and felt no need to change it all the time? Maybe it was a bit of both...and maybe that is a lesson for me today! So many of the things at Grammies were handmade. I don't know if that was out of necessity or because she enjoyed it, or both. The afghan on the back of the love seat, the pillows on the couch, the doily's on the tables, the curtains in the windows. She has the skill set to be able to make a house a home. She can sew anything...really...anything. I remember her always having some needlework under the end table next to the loveseat...she was either crocheting or knitting something. Later we'd find some of those things to be dresses for us. She canned all the produce they grew. The only thing I don't remember Grammie making from scratch was bread, we did always buy that...and ice cream...but that was a Grandpa thing ;) We'd go down to Turkey Hill and get a half gallon of chocolate with the peanut butter swirl and another one of black cherry...they're still my favorites! I'm learning skills all the time, or at least I try to! I do can...I haven't braved the pressure canner yet, but I own it and will this coming year. Grammie taught me to crochet New Years 2000...I'm pretty handy at it if I do say so myself. I can knit now...not nearly as well as crochet. I've taught myself by watching videos online. I'm practicing...I have a long way to go before my needles click as fast as Grammies used to! I can sew. I have ALOT to learn there...but no one would be naked or go cold if they were dependent on my skills. I don't garden as well. Each year I try, each year I end up fustrated and wondering how Grammie and Grandpa always made it look so easy. I have a friend that is helping me now though and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can get next year. So if I try to sum up these thoughts maybe my lessons for today are 1) Food...having it stored up, and knowing how to cook simple good things from it. 2) House...simple but beautiful handmade things are best. There doesn't need to be alot, but what you have should be nice. Less is more. We don't need the latest and greatest...I'm sure there were lots of trends and new things that people just "had" to have...we were just as happy without them. 3) Know how to take care of your family and home. Have the skills so that you're not dependent on the stores and others. 4) The thing that really matter and made Grammie's house such a great place to be was being with family. Kids in the living room playing triominoes while the grown ups played pinochle. There was always a lot of laughter...some speaking in German when we weren't supposed to hear what they were saying ;) ...and lots and lots of good times. Can my kids be happy with just those things? I was. And maybe if I get rid of some of this clutter, this junk, this stuff that is sucking the life out of us, we'll have more time for those things :o) I think I'll go start cleaning...I see another trip to the dump and Goodwill happening this weekend!
This was our entertainment...boy great times when Grandpa would let us drive the lawnmower!!
Grandpa feeding my sister probably mashed potatoes with gravy.
And these were Christmas dresses that Grammie made for us. The shirt and skirt were both crocheted...I can't imagine how many hours she spent making those for us. We sure were cute though :o)
Friday, December 17, 2010
Saving Money is a Way Thinking
Dia Duit :o)
Today was a shop shop day. Not my normal day..but I don't drive in snow or anything that even remotely resembles it ;) Hubby was home today so he took me. There weren't any great sales this week and I didn't have any great coupon savings.
Yet I still think todays trip will end up saving me money.
Did yall see this in the news earlier this week?
http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-baltimore/florida-freeze-record-cold-may-squeeze-orange-crop
This paragraph particularly caught my eye..
I normally buy a bag of naval oranges a week. I started when I found the 8 pound bags for $4.99. A couple weeks ago it went up to $5.99. That of course wasn't related to this weather. Today when we went the price was still $5.99 for the 8 pounds of Naval Oranges.
I had a choice to make at that moment..and it struck me that my way of thinking has changed. I could have thought "oh see, no big deal..." and just bought my one bag and gone along my merry way. I mean in truth the oranges are a treat that the girls enjoy but can just as easily live without. But I didn't...I thought "the prices are going to go up...I should dehydrate some now while they're still reasonably priced so that I'll have them later."
Instead of one bag I bought three. The first one has already been sliced and is dehydrating in Excalibur :-D The second one will be done tomorrow morning. So while there were not great savings...nothing that WOWed them at the registers...I know this will save me money, and not only that but I will have the ingredients I need when I need them. Next week if the price is the same I'll probably buy another three bags and then be satisfied with that.
Dia Duit :o)
Today was a shop shop day. Not my normal day..but I don't drive in snow or anything that even remotely resembles it ;) Hubby was home today so he took me. There weren't any great sales this week and I didn't have any great coupon savings.
Yet I still think todays trip will end up saving me money.
Did yall see this in the news earlier this week?
http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-baltimore/florida-freeze-record-cold-may-squeeze-orange-crop
This paragraph particularly caught my eye..
The cost of the freeze has already hit the market. Last week, prices for orange juice jumped 3.6 percent acording to The Wall Street Journal. According to Bloomberg News, orange futures jumped 90 percent in 2009 on fears of a much smaller crop due to cold air damage
I normally buy a bag of naval oranges a week. I started when I found the 8 pound bags for $4.99. A couple weeks ago it went up to $5.99. That of course wasn't related to this weather. Today when we went the price was still $5.99 for the 8 pounds of Naval Oranges.
I had a choice to make at that moment..and it struck me that my way of thinking has changed. I could have thought "oh see, no big deal..." and just bought my one bag and gone along my merry way. I mean in truth the oranges are a treat that the girls enjoy but can just as easily live without. But I didn't...I thought "the prices are going to go up...I should dehydrate some now while they're still reasonably priced so that I'll have them later."
Instead of one bag I bought three. The first one has already been sliced and is dehydrating in Excalibur :-D The second one will be done tomorrow morning. So while there were not great savings...nothing that WOWed them at the registers...I know this will save me money, and not only that but I will have the ingredients I need when I need them. Next week if the price is the same I'll probably buy another three bags and then be satisfied with that.
Dia Duit :o)
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Do You Shop at Thrift Stores? You Should!
Dia Duit, friends :o)
Part of shop shop day almost always includes a trip to Goodwill :o) When we lived in Maryland we never went to Goodwill. I remember going into one once, it was dark and dirty and smelled awful...I never went back! After moving to Virginia there were a couple years when I still wouldn't go to one even after hearing many ladies at church talk about their deals. And then one day I went...and it was like a ray of light straight from Heaven fell on me and that store and an instant bond was made. :o) I almost NEVER go to a "real" store anymore. With careful shopping and planning in advance I am able to keep my family dressed in name brands that I could never afford to buy in the mall for less than Walmarts clearance prices. I could never begin to figure how many thousands I've saved by shopping there these 9 years I've lived in Virginia...but I know that there is no way we could have the nice things we do and the standard of living that we enjoy without it!
Today for example I bought a new Queen Vellux blanket to go on one of the girls new bed sets that they will be getting for Christmas. I just checked on Amazon.com and the average price was $55...I paid $6! I bought a new white collared Lands End tshirt (and I LOOOOVE a good white tshirt!) for $3.50.
If you haven't checked out your local Goodwill or thrift store I encourage you to look them up online or in the phone book (do people still have those?) and check them out! You wouldn't believe all the new and like new name brand things people donate!! And while you save all that money you're also helping people who can really use a little help. Our Goodwill employs many people who couldn't go and get a "normal" job due to challenges they have. Our Mission Thrift Store takes all that money made to run a homeless shelter, women's and children shelter, drug/alcohol treatment programs etc...all while telling those hurting about the Love of Christ...I can support that! I can spend my money there and feel good about it, not like shopping at the "greatest savings place" ;o)
Dia Duit!
Part of shop shop day almost always includes a trip to Goodwill :o) When we lived in Maryland we never went to Goodwill. I remember going into one once, it was dark and dirty and smelled awful...I never went back! After moving to Virginia there were a couple years when I still wouldn't go to one even after hearing many ladies at church talk about their deals. And then one day I went...and it was like a ray of light straight from Heaven fell on me and that store and an instant bond was made. :o) I almost NEVER go to a "real" store anymore. With careful shopping and planning in advance I am able to keep my family dressed in name brands that I could never afford to buy in the mall for less than Walmarts clearance prices. I could never begin to figure how many thousands I've saved by shopping there these 9 years I've lived in Virginia...but I know that there is no way we could have the nice things we do and the standard of living that we enjoy without it!
Today for example I bought a new Queen Vellux blanket to go on one of the girls new bed sets that they will be getting for Christmas. I just checked on Amazon.com and the average price was $55...I paid $6! I bought a new white collared Lands End tshirt (and I LOOOOVE a good white tshirt!) for $3.50.
If you haven't checked out your local Goodwill or thrift store I encourage you to look them up online or in the phone book (do people still have those?) and check them out! You wouldn't believe all the new and like new name brand things people donate!! And while you save all that money you're also helping people who can really use a little help. Our Goodwill employs many people who couldn't go and get a "normal" job due to challenges they have. Our Mission Thrift Store takes all that money made to run a homeless shelter, women's and children shelter, drug/alcohol treatment programs etc...all while telling those hurting about the Love of Christ...I can support that! I can spend my money there and feel good about it, not like shopping at the "greatest savings place" ;o)
Dia Duit!
Todays Savings
Dia Duit friends :o)
Today was shop shop day...an exhausting, long, tiresome, shop shop day. I haven't slept well the last three nights and it's catching up to me, still the family insists on eating, so I must.
Kroger once again had a Mega Event sale this week. The Mega Event sale saves you an extra $5 for each 10 participating items that are on sale. For example Bumble Bee Premium Albacore Tuna in the pouch is normally $1.85 each (who pays that?!). It was on sale this week for 99cents, an 86 cent savings immediately (getting better). But then in was also in the Mega Event sale, so for each 10 that I bought I saved another 50cent off each pouch making them only 49cents a pouch (now we're talking! :-D ). I bought 30 pouches...saving a total of $40.80 just on Tuna!!! Tuna is an excellent thing for food storage as well ;)
A new thing I learned today was Krogers pricing policy. If an item is marked on sale and rings up full price you get the first item free and any others at the sale price. Well I made out quite well with that deal today! Razors were on an endcap in the pharmacy section. I had my coupon book with me as always and realized I had two $1 coupons for them and the sale was Buy 1 Get 1 Free (B1G1). There were 10 packs, but if you looked carefully there were also a few with 2 'free' razors in each pack...always look for those things! So the first two bags of razors where $6.99 a bag. I had those two coupons. So for $4.99 I got 24 of my husbands favorite razors :o) Great right? Just wait ;) There were also fancy pink "cool" razors that my oldest will enjoy getting in her Christmas stocking. They were $7.99 normally but also on sale for B1G1. Take note here that Kroger does NOT make you buy two of something to get the sale price, you can buy just one of the item for half off. So after all the shopping we get to the registers, thankfully my young friend who comes with me on shop shop days for a girls day out knew these policies and was able to tell me. So all the razors rang up full price. It seems that someone forgot to take all the signage down. So when we politely brought it to their attention the manager took care of it right away. Ready for this? Those $7.99 "cool" pink razors were FREE! And then the $6.99 razors for my husband I had bought two of...so they gave me the first one FREE and the second one at $3.49. :-D Oh yeah, I was excited!!
There was another lesson learned though...and that is...CHECK THE PRICES WHILE THEY RING UP!!! Those razors were no longer on sale...the sale had ended the 4th...FIVE days ago!! Now you just know someone bought razors in those 5 days and ended up paying the full price when they thought they were getting them B1G1 because they didn't pay attention while they were there. As soon as the manager found out and fixed ours he immediately went and pulled down all the old signage. A tough lesson for them, but a $18.47 savings for me!
Another big savings this week was on Barilla Pasta Sauces. Normally $2.99 a jar. On sale this week for $1.99...but also part of the Mega Event...so another 50cents off of each jar as long as I kept things in multiples of ten. I bought 20 jars. We love the roasted garlic. So a total of $1.49 savings per jar equaled a total savings of $29.80.
There were lots of other savings as well...but these Mega Events are such a great time to stock up on things for your normal pantry as well as your Food Storage Pantry. $60 of the savings I had today was just multiples of that $5 bonus savings. Another important factor..you do NOT need to buy 10 of the same item, although I do many times...it's every 10 participating items, mix and match as you like. While I carry my shopping list around I have my pen and make tally marks on the top to keep track of the savings...I don't want to get up there and have 29 items and miss out on $5 savings because I didn't buy an extra 49cent pouch of tuna.
And MORE savings...can you stand all this??? Still lovin it here!! :-D Kroger has been having a Holiday Rewards program going. If you spent more than $800 in a months time you will earn a bonus of 20% off ANY shopping trip between 12/26 and 1/11/2011. So, as I scope out the sales I will get the best deals I can and then save another 20% off of that! $800 sounds like alot...but most people spend at least $200 a week at the grocery store between food, paper products, cleaning supplies, personal items, animal needs etc.
Oh...and all of this counts in the gas points as well! I recieved $324 fuel points today...combined with my other ones I can now save 40cents a gallon on a fill up in my van which I'll save till New Years when we travel to see my sister. By then I should have at least 70cents off a gallon...right when we need it! 20 gallons at 70cents off will be another $14.00 savings...all these bits add up to hundreds and thousands...over $3,000 this year alone...and I didn't start till April!
I know this is getting long, there's lots of savings to discuss and I know not everyone understands how all this works so I want to make it as clear as I can so that everyone can take advantage of the savings. :o) I want to add one more thing though which is my plan with all these savings. I budget a certain amount for food each week. Now some people would take the savings and the extra cash back and run...but not me ;) My goal is to spend as close to my budget each week and get as much food as I possibly can for that set amount. So while I'm saving hundreds a month, I'm also still spending hundreds. All this extra savings is used to stock our pantry and Food Storage pantry. I just wanted to be clear so someone who spends $200 doesn't look at my savings etc and think they could have enough food for their family and a weeks menus and stock up only spend $70 ;o)
Dia Duit my friends...Happy Savings!
Today was shop shop day...an exhausting, long, tiresome, shop shop day. I haven't slept well the last three nights and it's catching up to me, still the family insists on eating, so I must.
Kroger once again had a Mega Event sale this week. The Mega Event sale saves you an extra $5 for each 10 participating items that are on sale. For example Bumble Bee Premium Albacore Tuna in the pouch is normally $1.85 each (who pays that?!). It was on sale this week for 99cents, an 86 cent savings immediately (getting better). But then in was also in the Mega Event sale, so for each 10 that I bought I saved another 50cent off each pouch making them only 49cents a pouch (now we're talking! :-D ). I bought 30 pouches...saving a total of $40.80 just on Tuna!!! Tuna is an excellent thing for food storage as well ;)
A new thing I learned today was Krogers pricing policy. If an item is marked on sale and rings up full price you get the first item free and any others at the sale price. Well I made out quite well with that deal today! Razors were on an endcap in the pharmacy section. I had my coupon book with me as always and realized I had two $1 coupons for them and the sale was Buy 1 Get 1 Free (B1G1). There were 10 packs, but if you looked carefully there were also a few with 2 'free' razors in each pack...always look for those things! So the first two bags of razors where $6.99 a bag. I had those two coupons. So for $4.99 I got 24 of my husbands favorite razors :o) Great right? Just wait ;) There were also fancy pink "cool" razors that my oldest will enjoy getting in her Christmas stocking. They were $7.99 normally but also on sale for B1G1. Take note here that Kroger does NOT make you buy two of something to get the sale price, you can buy just one of the item for half off. So after all the shopping we get to the registers, thankfully my young friend who comes with me on shop shop days for a girls day out knew these policies and was able to tell me. So all the razors rang up full price. It seems that someone forgot to take all the signage down. So when we politely brought it to their attention the manager took care of it right away. Ready for this? Those $7.99 "cool" pink razors were FREE! And then the $6.99 razors for my husband I had bought two of...so they gave me the first one FREE and the second one at $3.49. :-D Oh yeah, I was excited!!
There was another lesson learned though...and that is...CHECK THE PRICES WHILE THEY RING UP!!! Those razors were no longer on sale...the sale had ended the 4th...FIVE days ago!! Now you just know someone bought razors in those 5 days and ended up paying the full price when they thought they were getting them B1G1 because they didn't pay attention while they were there. As soon as the manager found out and fixed ours he immediately went and pulled down all the old signage. A tough lesson for them, but a $18.47 savings for me!
Another big savings this week was on Barilla Pasta Sauces. Normally $2.99 a jar. On sale this week for $1.99...but also part of the Mega Event...so another 50cents off of each jar as long as I kept things in multiples of ten. I bought 20 jars. We love the roasted garlic. So a total of $1.49 savings per jar equaled a total savings of $29.80.
There were lots of other savings as well...but these Mega Events are such a great time to stock up on things for your normal pantry as well as your Food Storage Pantry. $60 of the savings I had today was just multiples of that $5 bonus savings. Another important factor..you do NOT need to buy 10 of the same item, although I do many times...it's every 10 participating items, mix and match as you like. While I carry my shopping list around I have my pen and make tally marks on the top to keep track of the savings...I don't want to get up there and have 29 items and miss out on $5 savings because I didn't buy an extra 49cent pouch of tuna.
And MORE savings...can you stand all this??? Still lovin it here!! :-D Kroger has been having a Holiday Rewards program going. If you spent more than $800 in a months time you will earn a bonus of 20% off ANY shopping trip between 12/26 and 1/11/2011. So, as I scope out the sales I will get the best deals I can and then save another 20% off of that! $800 sounds like alot...but most people spend at least $200 a week at the grocery store between food, paper products, cleaning supplies, personal items, animal needs etc.
Oh...and all of this counts in the gas points as well! I recieved $324 fuel points today...combined with my other ones I can now save 40cents a gallon on a fill up in my van which I'll save till New Years when we travel to see my sister. By then I should have at least 70cents off a gallon...right when we need it! 20 gallons at 70cents off will be another $14.00 savings...all these bits add up to hundreds and thousands...over $3,000 this year alone...and I didn't start till April!
I know this is getting long, there's lots of savings to discuss and I know not everyone understands how all this works so I want to make it as clear as I can so that everyone can take advantage of the savings. :o) I want to add one more thing though which is my plan with all these savings. I budget a certain amount for food each week. Now some people would take the savings and the extra cash back and run...but not me ;) My goal is to spend as close to my budget each week and get as much food as I possibly can for that set amount. So while I'm saving hundreds a month, I'm also still spending hundreds. All this extra savings is used to stock our pantry and Food Storage pantry. I just wanted to be clear so someone who spends $200 doesn't look at my savings etc and think they could have enough food for their family and a weeks menus and stock up only spend $70 ;o)
Dia Duit my friends...Happy Savings!
Monday, December 6, 2010
More Coupons!
Because I homeschool, and because I crave fellowship with other Christian women who are walking a simular road as I am, I belong to a forum online. It's a wonderful group of women and I have found some of my very best nearest and dearest friends thru there. We share lots of our lives together...and it was thru one of those sharings that a friend in PA mentioned a website where she buys her coupons.
www.lorihas3kids.com
So I went to check it out. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I've been quite happy with my first purchase and I have ordered again this past week.
She has the coupons listed by week. They are sold in sets of 20 (most of them) and are usually $1 (some of the big ticket ones I've seen for $2.50, but not many). So when you put in quantity 1, you will really be getting 20 of the same coupon. My first order I got 40 Fleishman yeast coupons that don't expire till April 2011 and 20 Sargento Cheese coupons that were save 50 cents off two packs. Kroger will of course double that so it's $1 off two packs.
This week Sargento cheese was 2/$4...subtract from that the $1 coupon for each two bags...and I paid $1.50 a bag for Sargento shredded cheese :-D We love the fancy blends they have...so I stocked up on 36 bags.
Note of warning...The Kroger register automatically stopping accepting the coupons once the first ten were used. Evidently it's a program thing. The young man had to call a CSM over to overide the other ones. She checked to make sure I had bought all 36 bags of cheese (and that I wasn't trying to use one coupon on one bag) and then ok'd the other 8 coupons. Had she not I would have had him just stop there and do a seperate order to continue my savings. But just wanted you all to know incase you run into the same thing. You may want to split up your orders between different shoppers with you, or hit several stores nearby if one is out of something you want.
The shipping with www.lorihas3kids.com is free if you go regular mail. This past order I put in on Sunday, I've already gotten an email confirmation that they have been shipped out on Monday here, and I expect them in my mailbox by Wednesday...which is perfect because Thursday is Payday and shop shop day :-D She is in FL...so depending on your location shipping times will vary.
And just a note on savings...I paid $3 for that first order of coupons. I have already saved $18 just on the Sargento cheese. Was it worth it...you betcha! :-D I'll wait till yeast goes on sale and then use my other 40 coupons there for even more savings.
Another saving tip...another way to trim a few dollars off the budget to then turn around and invest it in the Food Storage plan...I hear McDonald's in my head singing "I'm lovin it!" LOL
Dia Duit dear friends!
www.lorihas3kids.com
So I went to check it out. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I've been quite happy with my first purchase and I have ordered again this past week.
She has the coupons listed by week. They are sold in sets of 20 (most of them) and are usually $1 (some of the big ticket ones I've seen for $2.50, but not many). So when you put in quantity 1, you will really be getting 20 of the same coupon. My first order I got 40 Fleishman yeast coupons that don't expire till April 2011 and 20 Sargento Cheese coupons that were save 50 cents off two packs. Kroger will of course double that so it's $1 off two packs.
This week Sargento cheese was 2/$4...subtract from that the $1 coupon for each two bags...and I paid $1.50 a bag for Sargento shredded cheese :-D We love the fancy blends they have...so I stocked up on 36 bags.
Note of warning...The Kroger register automatically stopping accepting the coupons once the first ten were used. Evidently it's a program thing. The young man had to call a CSM over to overide the other ones. She checked to make sure I had bought all 36 bags of cheese (and that I wasn't trying to use one coupon on one bag) and then ok'd the other 8 coupons. Had she not I would have had him just stop there and do a seperate order to continue my savings. But just wanted you all to know incase you run into the same thing. You may want to split up your orders between different shoppers with you, or hit several stores nearby if one is out of something you want.
The shipping with www.lorihas3kids.com is free if you go regular mail. This past order I put in on Sunday, I've already gotten an email confirmation that they have been shipped out on Monday here, and I expect them in my mailbox by Wednesday...which is perfect because Thursday is Payday and shop shop day :-D She is in FL...so depending on your location shipping times will vary.
And just a note on savings...I paid $3 for that first order of coupons. I have already saved $18 just on the Sargento cheese. Was it worth it...you betcha! :-D I'll wait till yeast goes on sale and then use my other 40 coupons there for even more savings.
Another saving tip...another way to trim a few dollars off the budget to then turn around and invest it in the Food Storage plan...I hear McDonald's in my head singing "I'm lovin it!" LOL
Dia Duit dear friends!
Coupons Coupons Coupons!!
I am entering the world of coupons! Well not so much entering...because I have been using them...rather entering the world of mastering them, I hope ;) lol
First of all, for any that have heard me rave over The Grocery Game dot com...yes...it IS good, and it DID save me time and money....BUT....there is a new queen of my couponing world
www.couponmom.com
She has Youtube videos on her website and at Youtube itself that show you how to use her sight...how things work etc...and ...the best part?? IT'S ALL FREE!!! Oh yes...you heard me right...all of it!! All the stores...FREE! I was paying $8 every 6 weeks just for Kroger...and it was another $5 for each additional store. Had I *any* idea I would have never! Now I know better though...and I want you to all know as well!!
So last night...while reading her site and while clicking some of the links in her site to other couponing Queens...I found a post of Zhu Zhu pets and massive savings. I had NO idea what a Zhu Zhu pet was, neither did my girls (we don't get out much, but we're ok with that ;) ), but I had heard of them, and heard they were an "it" toy this year...so I read on. According to this site, with a coupon that was FREE online to print (just google ZhuZhu Pet b2g1 coupon it's thru the cvs website) and their current sale I could get Zhu Zhu pets 85% off.
I had to try it. I needed a few more stocking stuffers...and I have no problem leaving things at a register if they don't work out the way I had planned...so what did I have to lose right? I printed out two of the coupons (you will need seperate email addresses) and headed to the store. I had to go searching...there were only 9 Zhu Zhu pets left (lesson learned..GO EARLY to get the great deals!). I bought 6 of them. Each one is regularly $9.98. I bought 6 and between their B1G1 sale this week and those two coupons I got 6 Zhu Zhu pets for $10.37 including tax. Absolutely AMAZING!! :-D 85% off...of one of the "it" toys for Christmas!! At CVS!! Who would have ever thunk it?? LOL
So I'll be doing alot more couponing :) I'm debating the best way to get my coupons..I'm thinking of just getting 5 or 6 Sunday editions of the Newspaper delivered. I'm also looking at buying them online...but that is the next post ;)
Dia Duit my friends...and happy savings! If you get the Zhu Zhu pet deal let me know :-D
First of all, for any that have heard me rave over The Grocery Game dot com...yes...it IS good, and it DID save me time and money....BUT....there is a new queen of my couponing world
www.couponmom.com
She has Youtube videos on her website and at Youtube itself that show you how to use her sight...how things work etc...and ...the best part?? IT'S ALL FREE!!! Oh yes...you heard me right...all of it!! All the stores...FREE! I was paying $8 every 6 weeks just for Kroger...and it was another $5 for each additional store. Had I *any* idea I would have never! Now I know better though...and I want you to all know as well!!
So last night...while reading her site and while clicking some of the links in her site to other couponing Queens...I found a post of Zhu Zhu pets and massive savings. I had NO idea what a Zhu Zhu pet was, neither did my girls (we don't get out much, but we're ok with that ;) ), but I had heard of them, and heard they were an "it" toy this year...so I read on. According to this site, with a coupon that was FREE online to print (just google ZhuZhu Pet b2g1 coupon it's thru the cvs website) and their current sale I could get Zhu Zhu pets 85% off.
I had to try it. I needed a few more stocking stuffers...and I have no problem leaving things at a register if they don't work out the way I had planned...so what did I have to lose right? I printed out two of the coupons (you will need seperate email addresses) and headed to the store. I had to go searching...there were only 9 Zhu Zhu pets left (lesson learned..GO EARLY to get the great deals!). I bought 6 of them. Each one is regularly $9.98. I bought 6 and between their B1G1 sale this week and those two coupons I got 6 Zhu Zhu pets for $10.37 including tax. Absolutely AMAZING!! :-D 85% off...of one of the "it" toys for Christmas!! At CVS!! Who would have ever thunk it?? LOL
So I'll be doing alot more couponing :) I'm debating the best way to get my coupons..I'm thinking of just getting 5 or 6 Sunday editions of the Newspaper delivered. I'm also looking at buying them online...but that is the next post ;)
Dia Duit my friends...and happy savings! If you get the Zhu Zhu pet deal let me know :-D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)