I am beginning to use coupons!

For the longest time, coupons and I didn’t get along well.  My husband and I had a paper route and each Sunday would come and go with me looking through the ads and trying to match sales up with coupons we might use (and on average, I’d find 3 from the paper inserts we might use).  It wasn’t worth my time.  We bought in bulk, I cooked from scratch, I gardened, anything else we bought was rarely an item found in a coupon.

As I look around more though, I’m noticing maybe I could do better.  The things we buy in bulk (toilet paper, toothpaste, sugar, flour, etc.) I seem to be able to easily find sales and coupons making these items virtually free.  Virtually free beats any bulk deal any day of the week, right?  I’ve always been so caught up in knowing that the price we pay for an item in bulk is better than we would at a regular grocery store (well thought out, mind you – not every bulk deal is really a deal!), I’ve never thought about purchasing smaller quantities at better pricing.

Then as I look further, I’m finding really good deals on sweet treats my husband and I like to treat our family to once in a while.  Even some coupons for fresh meat and vegetables.  Things are looking up in the coupon world, so when I go shopping next month i am going to begin using coupons.  And a price book, to log the best deals on food we buy most often.

Another binder is being put together and I’m on a coupon hunt right now online.  I’m bookmarking the stores we shop at, and signing up for their free coupon offers.  I’m noticing some store sites have online-only coupons that you won’t find in the Sunday inserts.  I’m finding out when double coupon days are at the stores I might shop at, and next month i am going to try to get more bang for my buck.  My husband has landed a new job (praise God!  Let’s see how it goes!) which will require more ready made food for him.  I’ll be cooking as many meals as I can, but they only last a few days and he may be gone up to a week or longer.  So he’ll need some easy meals that will keep for the end of the week, and even though I’m dissapointed he’ll have to eat that kind of food I’m thankful that most of it should be affordable with coupons. 

I’m also seeing that a lot of items we might not normally buy, come out free with coupons and sales.  this could mean a treat for us, or something we pick up and donate to someone in need.  I remember a family on my paper route years ago asked me for the extra Sunday inserts.  in exchange, she supplied me (each week, a big surprise and a HUGE blessing at the time) with as many non-perishable personal care and food items as she could stuff in her mailbox.  So even if we don’t use it, I know someone else will be able to and if I happen to notice it and have a coupon, I will certainly pick it up.

Anyway, I’m also going to big coupon sites (www.hotcouponworld.com and www.afullcup.com have been most highly suggested) to find coupons also.

I don’t know how long this will take me – at the start probably a few hours a week until i get the hang of it.  How much I’m able to save will determine if the time is worth it.

I’m noticing coupons will also go over into non-food items – toys, clothing, personal care and other aspects of life.

Do you have any coupon tips to share?  other coupon sites?

Frugal Tips

The rising cost of EVERYTHING has me determined to do everything I can myself – or at the very least support our LOCAL grocery stores, famers/farmers markets, and local privately owned businesses.  We were able to support our local businesses when we needed a new fridge and a washer and dryer – we traded our stackable washer and dryer unit for seperate, bigger units and paid a little out of pocket for a fridge.  But hopefully the store owner will go on to make money on our unit, and he’s been in business for about 20 years in the Toledo area.  He buys used and sells used, does repairs, and I was happy to support his business. 

Anyway, frugal living and smart budgeting is something we should all be doing right now.  Costs are only going to continue to rise and if we dont’ start making changes to our daily lives, we are not going to be able to support ourselves as things get worse.

Here are just a few things we do to cut costs – honestly I’m looking for ways to cut costs or do things myself every day in every way so this list is only a few things I can think of off the top of my head.  I will certainly be adding more ideas as time goes on.

• Look into the cost of public transportation.  Most likely it will be MUCH lower than fueling your own vehicle and driving around.  It will also cut down on cars being driven on the road, which can help our environment.  Also look into car pooling – most major cities have programs set up and many individuals now are looking to do this on our own.  Share-A-Ride comes to mind.   We are going to begin using public transportation to explore the city, travel to the zoo, and if I can figure out how to handle grocery bags and three, soon to be 4 young children I am going to be doing my once a month grocery shopping by bus also.  Typically the things I buy only amount to a few bags – flours (perhaps next year I’ll be growing my own grain if I can purchase a grain mill attachment for my KitchenAid mixer by then!), pantry items, vegetables and fruit if I don’t have them growing, sometimes meat if i’m in a pinch but we buy our meat in bulk from what was a local store (The Erie IGA).  I say was, because we’re no longer local to them but have become friends (and i also do their webpage) so i will be continuing to shop there.  But we certainly don’t buy a lot of freezer meals (we might buy a couple if there is a good sale and they are something we enjoy eating but we could go months on end without buying anything like that. I prefer to cook my own meals for the freezer instead).
• If you do use public transportation the majority of the time, you may be able to pull full coverage off your vehicle and only insure it for driving when you actually drive it.  You’ll still want to keep basic coverage on it incase it is involved in an accident while parked or has been vandalized, etc.
• Bread is something our family uses a LOT, and perhaps your family does too.  We like toast, sandwiches, subs, bagels, bread crumbs, croutons and just eating fresh bread right out of the oven.  It became a very wise choice to learn to make all of the breads we like because we save a bundle!  Anything bread related that we eat (bread bowls, tortilla shells, rolls, biscuits, bagels, bread, sub loaves, white bread, wheat bread, french bread, rye bread, etc, etc, etc.) can all be made at home without ANY special equipment. My mom blessed us with a KitchenAid mixer last Christmas but it is not something that is NEEDED to make bread. 
• If you enjoy french toast for breakfasts, avoid using fresh bread.  There are plenty of other immediate uses for fresh bread, so collect your stale bread and put it in the freezer until you want french toast, and use stale bread for that.
• Clean and re-use plastic reclosable bags like the ZipLock variety.  You can get several good uses from them (unless you store raw meat in the bag, then throw the bag away after its used).
• Learn about the things you can easily make at home.  Yogurt (which can then be made into cream cheese and whey), cottage cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, seasonings, condiments, etc.  You’ll save a lot of money, cut out unnecessary ingredients, and eat healthier, too.
• Obviously growing a garden can cut your costs tremendously if you use a lot of fresh vegetables in your meals.   If you don’t have room or the time to put in a large garden, just grow what you eat the most in containers!