Posts tagged coupons

Timely Tuesday

May 5, 2009 · Filed under Timely Tuesdays · Tagged , , , , , , ,

The beginning of the month is ideal time to restock the items in your pantry. Also, in May, August, and November I add the staples I keep on hand to go with that season.  May will be items I use for Spring & Summer vegetables and fruits as well as canning supplies, etc.  November is my holiday cooking and winter time menu staples. 

The beginning of the month is also when more coupons are issued and more stores run staple sales at the first of the month.  (See yesterday’s post of coupon websites)

What should be on your Pantry checklist? Key ingredients you repeatedly use throughout the month.  If you make menus that this list will reflect the next four weeks of meals, if you’re a night by night meal person this will make your life so much easier.

I made a master list and posted it on the door to my pantry so whenever I remove an item I can mark.  NO memory for me, I’ve made way too many batches of cookies with borrowed sugar.

I add items as new recipes become mainstays in my menus or subtract items when season’s change.

 

Here are some links to pantry list that you can add or delete to.

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/freeworksheets/pantrylistprint.htm

http://oldrecipebook.com/basicpantrylist.shtml

What are some of the basics you keep in your pantry?  What is your favorite ‘pantry’ recipe?

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Money Monday’s

May 4, 2009 · Filed under Money Monday · Tagged , , , , ,

I’m back after a week of no electric which in turns equals no internet.  We had major rains, which washed out MILES of electric lines. 

Anyway, for today’s money Monday, I gathered some websites that offer coupons or money saving deals.  I would love to hear what you thought of them or if you have any favorites.

Coupons & Thrifty websites revisit

Couponwinner.com – fairly new.  Offers discounts and coupons for more than 5,500 retailers.  Cool features:  You can view multiple deals side by side! 

Couponcode.com – Cool feature:  breaks coupons into categories – new, expiring, and free shipping

Ebates.com – offers discounts for shopping on line

Paperbackswap.com is great to save money on books.  Our library is small and the selection is very limited and it’s 35 miles away.  I have saved over $5,000!  And solved the problem of what to do with the books once I’ve read them.

Shortcuts.com to see if your grocery store offers e-coupons

Swapsavers.com – “a social network for frugal folks who love freebies, coupons & rewards.”  Offers a lot of different forms and some fun information. 

thriftyfun.com is a coupon swap

wholegrainscouncil.or is a great resource.  Includes recipes, general information and a list of whole grain manufactures.

Donate Expired Coupons – U.S. military families stationed overseas are able to use expired coupons on base for up to six months after the manufacturer’s expiration date. You can adopt a base. See http://www.ocpnet.org/base_list.htm

Have a great day!

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Money Monday’s

March 2, 2009 · Filed under Money Monday · Tagged , , , ,

Money Monday

So where are the good deals?  I do love to shop on the internet.  Mainly because I’m like a little kid and love to get things in the mail.  So today’s Money Monday is a list of websites I have found or have been suggested to me as great money savers:

(1) http://www.paper-source.com – Is a great place to check for home-office supplies like decorative file folders, stationery and office storage items.  They offer some neat how-to’s and project instructions also.  This is great for scrapbooking paper for a fund raiser.

(2) http://www.etsy.com  - features 10,000 unique sellers and if you can’t find the gift for Great-aunt Judy here then it doesn’t exist.  (I have some really cool stuff listed here that I think Great-aunt Judy would LOVE)

(3) http://www.cybermonday.com – this is a referral site to me.  But from what I gather….they feature year –round deals from more than 500 retailers.  And on Monday they have the Deal of the Hour.

(4) http://www.shoppingnotes.com – this is another referral.  Here you register an item that you covet then when it goes on sale you receive an e-mail. 

For coupons:

http://www.couponcabin.com

http://www.coolsavings.com – personally, this isn’t one of my fav’s  too many pop-ups and hoops to jump through

http://coupons.smartsource.com – this the site I use the most

Do you have any money saving websites you would to share?

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Money Monday –

February 16, 2009 · Filed under Money Monday · Tagged , , ,

Is This a bargain

Not all bargains will be a money saver for you.  Regardless of the fact they really are a good deal.  They may not work for my family.  As economic times continue down a rocky road, more and more people have suggestions of great money saving ideas.   Some will work great for you and result in saving you money while others may actually end up costing you more.

My friend has a membership to our local Sam’s Club.  I’ve shopped with her on occasion and have considered getting a membership myself.   But when I sat down and did the math, it didn’t work out to be a deal.   First, buying in bulk just doesn’t work in my family for most items.  Because of my menu system (see last weeks Money Monday), I never buy food unless it’s on sale, except eggs. 

Second, I’m too distracted by the shining objects.   My local supermarket has food, the end.  Sam’s has cute PJ’s – a huge weakness of mine, books, something I lack all willpower to resist and rows of other impulse items.  Maybe if I possessed more self-control a membership would work for me.

I also find I can usually beat the price. Now 200 rolls of paper towel would be handy but when I divided the individual cost and compared it to the sale price less a coupon, the bulk price was higher.  So the question here is – is the convenience of having 200 rolls of paper towels worth paying a few pennies more?  This is a personal question. 

When I buy bags and filters for my vacuum, I purchase enough for almost a year.  I’m sure they may go on sale from time to time, but it’s one of those items I want on hand, so it’s worth paying full price for to me.  

So how do you determine if something is a bargain for you?  Evaluate the time spent using this bargain, the overall cost (membership needs to be factored in to the discount price) and finally, will this great deal cost you more in the long run because of shiny objects?   So next time you hear about a bargain, evaluate it to be sure it works for you.

 

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Timely Tueday

February 10, 2009 · Filed under food, Timely Tuesdays · Tagged , , ,

This week’s time management tip is related to yesterday’s menu post.  And it deals with the dreaded “coupon.”  You know the tiny slips of paper designed my some cruel individual that wanted to see how much stress a person is willing to go through to save twenty cents. 

I struggled with this.  Do I clip and then how do I sort and store them?  Or do I just keep the flyers intact and go through them as I shop?  Neither of these worked really well for me.  But with the menu system, I know exactly what coupons I’ll be using.

The key to efficient coupon clipping is NOT to over clip.  Since, I know what we’re going to eat for the next four weeks, and that’s about how long a coupon is dated, I’ll know if I need it or not.  For example, if there is a Betty Crocker cake mix coupon and I’m going to bake a cake in week two, I’ll clip the coupon.  Then I place it behind that menu 3×5 card.   So when Betty Crocker cake mixes go on sale, I know EXACTLY where my coupon is. 

I store all my coupons for shampoo, cleaning products, and other non-food items in the back of the photo album.  

Also for items that I know are frequently on sale, like Hamburger Helper, which I don’t make, I clip those coupons also.  Then when the local store is running a sale buy 10 for $10 and get the 11th free, I purchase them with a coupon and donate it to the local food pantry. 

Hope this timely tip helps! 

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