E Coupons

I like the Upromise program.  If you get a card from your local grocery store and register it, it's like getting free money.  It's for your child's college savings...but it says you can take money out for anything. You don't have to save for college(I'm not saying it's not a good idea, but when your kids are almost grown, like mine, there's not much time to save a whole lot for them).  Anyways, companies donate money per each item you buy.Some are there all the time and give you a percentage.  But, something new they are doing now is called E Coupons.  The items change every month. You click on the coupon and it gets registered with your card.  If you buy Huggies you get $2 for your college savings. You can get $2 for buying a 6 pack of Bounty towels. There are a bunch of others on the list too.

Upromise E Coupons

It just takes a little planning is all.  But, it saves you in the end. Most of the coupon blogs will let you know when there is an item on sale, has a coupon, AND if it has an E Coupon.  Which helps with the planning A LOT! Just don't forget to hand over the U Promise card when you shop! :)

Oh No Baby

I pushed my full cart up to the check out line and started unpiling my items onto the belt.  I handed the cashier, LaTonia, my coupons. She said, "Oh, no...baby, what are you trying to do to me?"  I laughed. I noticed right away that she was handling the transaction differently than the cashier I had been using previously.  She painstakingly eyeballed each and every coupon and each item to be sure they all matched up.  She was very careful, but she laughed the whole way saying, "I AM NOT BELIEVING THIS".  She was joking that the next time she sees me coming to her line, she was going to turn her light off! I laughed.  At the end of the transaction she looked at my receipt and said, "WOW,you made a killing! I will remember your face".

Well, the next day I came back in because I had found those Breakstones Cottage Cheese Double coupons that would make them free.  So, as I was on my way to the bathroom, I seen last night's cashier, LaTonia, walking towards me. She asked, "What's the name of that site you go to? I was telling my friends that you taught me something last night. I want to shop like that too."  So, I gave her the name of the site and a couple others that I really like.

www.frugalcouponliving.com 
www.iheartpublix.com
www.hotcouponworld.com

So, my best buys at Publix this week were:

Teddy Grahams - (4)50 cents a box
Special K cereal- (2) free boxes    (2) 50 cent boxes
Cascadian Farms granola bars- (2) boxes for $1 each
Lender's Bagels- (2) .50 each
Peter Pan Peanut butter -(4) .66 each
Breakstones Cottage Cheese Doubles- (5) free
64 ounce Juicy Juice-(4) .25 each
Egg Beaters/chive- (2) .40 each
Thermacare heat pad 2 ct- (1) .99

(Double click images
to enlarge)

Of course this is quite a bit of food, but I have 2 growing teenage boys! It is a lot of boxes to have in my pantry so I have assigned another closet for some of the extra food that I have multiples. 

Organizing the coupons are pretty simple now that I have a system in place.  I don't cut out the coupon until I am ready to shop.  They all stay in this crate my sister picked up for me at Walmart for $5.  I label each folder by the date of the coupon insert. I buy multiple newspapers ( have been buying 4 each weekend), to make good use of my coupons.

 

Uhh...that brings me to the Walmart trip.  We found some really good stuff there too, (because not all things are cheaper at Publix ), as well as Walgreens and CVS.  I will post those later.  :) It really isn't as difficult as most people think.  Before I got my crate, I basically had all my coupons in a stack with post it notes on them so I could remember what date they came in the paper. I also save the weekly grocery fliers that come in the mail in the middle of the week.  They always have coupons in them too.  I especially love the $5 coupon in the Albertson's paper because Publix takes competitor coupons. :)  

We are all crazy

This coupon thing has become an addiction of mine. Yes, sister...you can stop saying it. I've gone crazy. Coupon crazy.  It's gotten to the point that I don't want to shut down my computer because I know I can find just ONE more deal. The sneak peeks for the grocery store sales start on Tuesday/Wednesday.  By the time Thursday has rolled around I have my coupons printed and ready to go. And then I have to wait another 5 days for my next fix! I have begun sending texts, emails and msg's to most of my friends spouting off about the money they can save! I haven't been getting any replies. I think maybe I have gone overboard.  Someone may need to rescue me. BUT, one thing I have learned from watching many hours of Internvention is that you can't rescue someone who doesn't want to be saved.  :)

The other day I paid $5.99 for a bag of Ore Ida french fries. It almost killed me.  It reminded me of the time my best, long time friend, Cathy, became pale after buying an expensive pair of jeans. Well, they weren't really expensive, they just weren't Wal-Mart el cheapo jeans. :) I didn't understand it then. But, I do now.

I have become a walking coupon commercial. When I see a coupon, I see $$$$$. Couponing isn't like it use to be, where you stand in the store with your box of coupons desperately attempting to match up coupons with items to save a few dollars.  Now, someone figures it all out for you and posts all the deals online.  AND there are extra coupons that you can print online.  This week, I have over $80 worth of coupon savings.  Can I help it that I want all my friends to benefit from saving this kind of money? These companies are handing it over, freely. Why not take it?  Why do my friends keep shrugging me off?  Oh yah, I forgot, I can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved........ It's crazy. Just plain crazy, I tell ya.

FREE Ziploc bags

Ziploc bags are on sale at Publix, two for $4.00. I bought three for $6.00 and used a $1 coupon in December 6th's Sunday's paper, which made them $5.00.


Then fill out the rebate form for $5.00 back and get them FREE!! You can do the rebate 3 times per household.

Tomorrow, Jan. 6, is the last day for the sale.

Silly New Years

I think it's funny how people wait until the New Year to start on goals, they wait on Thanksgiving to express all the things they are thankful for, and they wait on Christmas to give back to those who need.  Why can't we do these things all year? Life. Life gets in the way. Why do we let life get in the way? What is life without goals, giving thanks, and giving back? Why can't we do these things everyday? It's silly.

So, here goes my silly New Years Resolution list:

1. I will pursue my goals, give thanks daily and give back at least weekly. 
2. I will learn to prioritize a "to do" list and forgive myself for not completing everything on the list.
3. I will put myself first in the area of health. 
4. When life punches me in the face, I will punch back! 
5. I will not spend time with people who don't care if they hurt me. 
6. I will make a conscious effort to start letting go of my babies. (this is going to be the hardest)

One of the things that makes me the happiest is giving back.  I use to work at Kash N Karry (now Sweetbays) as a cake decorator.  It was a new store, so they had top executives stopping in frequently.  We had to make sure the shelves were stocked full.  Of course, after the executives left, the items were never bought.  They went into the trash.  My heart dropped.  All that food, gone to waste.  I drove my car around to the back of the store where I had discarded all the unfresh baked goods, and I put all of it into my trunk and drove off.  It was all still edible, just not fresh fresh.  There was a family that lived down the road whose kids had came to my door one day asking for some food.  The teen girl told me that they didn't know where their mom was and that they were hungry. (coincidentally this is the family who lost the little girl, Sarah, who was strangled to death and left in a pond) I packed them up some bread and peanut butter among some other stuff I had that day.  Anyways, they were the first ones that I thought of when I had all this food in my trunk.  So, I gave them a big cake, and some bread.  The kids were home alone; they appreciated it with big smiles. Then, I found a local charity right down the road that gives food to families and the elderly who can't afford it.  I showed up with my trunk full of food.  THEY HAD SMILES ON THEIR FACES FROM EAR TO EAR. And so did I.  I told them about all this food that the store was throwing away.  They couldn't believe it.  So, I gave them the name and number of the store manager and before I knew it they were showing up weekly to pick up dented cans, slightly bruised and over ripened produce, AND the baked goods.  I was so happy the food was not going to waste anymore. I hate waste. Eight years later, I still see them going in there to pick up their free food to give to people who need it.

So, I got to thinking.  I have learned how to save money with all these coupons I'm clipping.  I am going to set aside a box and put something in it weekly.  And when the box is full, I am going to take it back to that charity, to give back.  Nothing feels better than giving back.  Why should I wait for Christmas to do it?

In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.~MARRIANE WILLIAMSON

The strongest bond of human sympathy outside the family relation should be one uniting working people of all nations and tongues and kindreds.~ ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Clean up on aisle 25

Cleaning up is never fun, but I will be smiling a little bit brighter when I have to wipe up that spilled drink, and wipe my mouth, with these items I got from Sweetbay today, for two reasons: 1. they are made from recycled paper and  2. they were all FREE with coupons from the Tampa Tribune! 

I also got the Kleenex from Walgreens for only 4 cents each. How cool is that? My cabinet is stocked! :)

FREEBIES

If your local grocery store was handing out free items, wouldn't you take them? Well, that's exactly what Publix is doing! I can't believe how easy it is to get free food! Yeah, I don't need TWO ketsups but, I got them free, and I have the space to keep them.  When you are feeding a family...ketsup goes fast! Check out the other free stuff I got!

 SCORE!

Where have you been all my life, Publix? I found so many deals this week.  I bought 4 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter packages (4 sticks of butter per pkg) for only .25 each.  I also bought three Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese pkg's for only .25 each! Check out my receipt.  (Double click on the image to enlarge).

My total could have been around $52 if I had shopped on Friday, Saturday or Sunday and used the Albertson's coupon for $5 off of $50 purchase, and if I had not donated a holiday bag of food. But, it sure did feel good to give back when I have been given sooo much. :)