Coupon Clipping Contraption

Hey Everyone!

I have gleaned another great idea from a fellow coupon queen and thought I would pass it along to you.

I don't know about you, but for me finding the right coupon in the middle of the grocery store was quite a frustration! I mean, I know I am "wonder woman" (insert laughter here) and all, but juggling screaming kids and trying to find just the right product...and then make sure that the size matches...and then shuffling through an overstuffed accordion style coupon holder is a little much.

So, here is a great solution to help us keep our sanity and save a buck or two...or $100 (wishful thinking)...


This notebook is a zippered 3 ring binder made by "Case It". They have a large variety of these at Staples but I found this one at Target.

Here you can see that it is pretty thick. This one has two sets of 1 1/2 inch rings inside. Some have one large set of 3" rings.

Inside are two pockets. I use these to hold my store ads for the week.
Again, the features vary in these binders, but you can find one that best fits your needs.

Next is a zippered pocket. I keep my "extra bucks" and other register rewards receipts in here.
If you can't find one with a zipper pouch, a zippered pencil pouch with three holes will do the same thing.

Next there is a divider that holds receipts I need to keep handy for rebates and some pen holders.

This is the other side of that divider. I love the way it Velcros down to the front cover.
In the top pocket I keep my monthly rebate /coupon book from Walgreen's and then in the Velcro pocket...

I have a small pair of scissors and my calculator. These are so handy to have in close reach when I am in the store.

For the second ringed part I bought three packs of baseball card holders (at Staples for about $2.75 per pack). These are the perfect size for store savings cards and gift cards...

And of course coupons!

If the coupons are two long or wide I just simply fold them over a little, but for the majority of coupons the slots are the perfect size. If I do fold them, I try and leave the product and expiration date showing through the front.

I simply put like items together
(i.e.-frozen foods, toiletries, make-up/cosmetics, baking stuff, etc.)
But you could also put them in the order that you walk your store isles
(i.e.-produce (b/c it is at the front of the store), then juices, canned goods, etc.)
Whatever works for you!

When I run out of space in the front I use the back of the same slot with another coupon.

This binder also has another divider thingy in the back that Velcros to the back cover. On its front it holds a small legal pad. This is perfect for my grocery list or to help me have a place to jot down deals...it also has more pen holders and a ID pocket for my info...in case I lose the book.

The other side of the divider has more pockets. I couldn't resist this great zebra print pocketed folder. I use it to hold my meal plan for the month.

This book has been great for me. Now I have all I need at my fingertips when I am at the store. It even sets perfectly on the front of the shopping cart.

I hope that this helps you with your clipping!

All In A Days Work

I have a new hobby...making money while I shop!

I have officially become a fan of coupons. A friend of mine introduced me to the whole concept. Yes, I knew coupons could save me money and I have tried on several occasions to clip and save. But it wasn't long before I threw up my hands in frustration (and coupons went flying all over the store) and I ventured back to Wal-Mart and the ole faithful generics that I have come to know too well.

But this time is different!
In the past few weeks I have learned some tips and tricks and have begun the crazy task with a new attitude and outlook.

I know this is probably so cheesy to share this with you all...and you may all sigh and say...well, duh, but I have to think that there may be someone out there like me that this might be new and exciting for...so humor me.

The first thing I did in my adventure was meet with my friend Janet and she began to share with me how she does this whole coupon thingy. I fervently took notes and tried to keep up but came out stinkin' overwhelmed and confused.

Determined not to give up before I even started I decided to do as she said.

First I went to several of our local grocery stores and stood in front of those little coupon dispensers and gathered all the coupons I could. Yes, I did get some looks as I stood there waiting for the sensor to shoot out another coupon...but the results were worth it. I came out with a handful of coupon from each store. On the way out I made sure to grab their specials ad for the week.

Then I got a Sunday paper. Of course I knew this was a coupon mine...but usually didn't take the effort to go and buy one. I waited until Monday morning and got it half off. Two of our local drug stores (Walgreens and CVS) have their weekly ads in the paper, too. Plus the ever so loved JoAnns and Michaels. Gotta love it!

So I came home and clipped.

Then I compared the ads.

Then I shopped.

My first endeavor was to Publix. I was pretty proud to walk out 30 minutes later with a shopping cart full of groceries. I spent $53.59 and saved $68.36. My coupon base was pretty small and I had to have several things that were not on sale and I was couponless for. So this total included $10 worth of peanut butter, a bag of apples, a bunch of bananas and two gallons of milk all that were not on sale. My total also included 6 clorox toilet bowl cleaners ($2.64 total after coupons), 6 Arrid XX dry deodorants ($8.97 from BOGO) and 3 bags of dog treats I got absolutley free (with coupons of course).

I also got:
2 bags of Doritoes
2 bottles of coffee international delight coffee creamer
4 cans Progresso soup
2 bottles of Lawry's marinade
1 dozen eggs
2 jars Classico spaghetti sauce
2 boxes of Special K cereal
Lenders bagels
2 8 oz. sargento shredded cheese
2 boxes Rice a Roni

I don't know about you...but lately I can walk out of the grocery store with one bag in tow and have spent this much.

Yesterday, I ventured out again. With more coupons (from the paper...that I subscribed to and now have it delivered for half price, WOO, HOO!) and sales ads in hand I went to CVS first and got 2 packages of candy corn and glow sticks for my kids to use Halloween night for free. I used "extra bucks" from the week before plus I got the full price back in "extra bucks" and can spend them on whatever I want next time I shop there.

Then I went to Walgreens.
I was so proud.
I shopped and came out with quite a few items and money in my pocket.

I spent $22.97 and got:

$13 back from "register rewards"-money I can spend free here on my next visit...which is handy since we usually buy our milk here
$7.99 back in on online rebate
$7 back on mail in rebates for trying 2 new products

Even after my stamps for my mail-in rebates I netted $4.20.


Here is what I walked away with for free:

Theraflu Warming Liquid 8oz.
Malox Total Relief 12 oz.
(2) 13.5 oz. bottles of Pert Plus Shampoo plus conditioner
Benefiber kiwi strwaberry sticks (16 count)
Extra Strength Exederin gelcaps (80 count)
Loreal Facial Cleansers

We will use all these products and I got a head start on stocking my medicine closet for the "sick" season.

My final stop of the day was to Winn-Dixie. (By the way, All of these store are within a mile of my house...much better than driving 20 minutes to our closest Wal-Mart Neighborhood grocery). If you live closer to Wal-Mart, something to consider is using the ads there. I am not sure if they all do this but our supercenter in Huntington WV would honor the prices listed on identical products from all competitors ads.

Anyway, back to Win-Dixie. Several of their cuts of meat were BOGO. I decided to be adventurous and branch out of my ground beef and flash frozen chicken breast rutt. I selected the following:

5 lbs. boneless porkribs
30 oz. adobo seasoned bonelss pork loin
30 oz. southwestern style seasoned boneless pork loin
11 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
9 1/2 lb. bottom round beef roast

Then I had the butcher there:
grind half of the beef roast into ground beef (very lean)
the other half he divided into beef stew meat and beef steaks

He also divided half of my chicken breast and cut half into strips and cubed the other half.

All for FREE!


Here is a picture of all the meat I bought. The ground beef is already cooked in the picture (in meatballs, taco meat and two more lbs. of cooked ground beef that I will make lasagna and taco rice with tomorrow before I freeze it).

I ended up saving more than I spent on the meat. I bought about 32lbs. of meat for right at $2 a pound. And I have a variety of meat to freeze for meals for at least two months.

I have also started advanced menu planning. This way I can partially prepare meals and freeze them for later use. This is another great thing I have learned lately. I will have to blog about this in a future post.

Thanks for visiting my blog and
HAPPY SHOPPING!

The Girls Rooms

This summer my girls (Grace-9 and Olivia-7) decided that they wanted me to redo their bedrooms as their birthday presents from us. So after a lot of searching for great deals and re-thinking what we had...we are pretty much done. I wanted to share pics of the results.

I recycled some wooden signs I had and made them name plates for their doors. I painted the sides black, decoupaged paper to the front and on chipboard letters and finished it of with some ribbon scraps. Very inexpensive way to individualize their spaces.

Okay, I have to brag on the deal on got on the girls beds. Their rooms are small but I wanted a place for friends and other company to stay. I found two This End Up trundle beds with the trundle mattresses for $125 total (that even included delivery) off of Craig's List. I painted their beds and they worked out perfect. Now the girls can easily pull out their trundles and sleep in the same room on the weekends (sister sleepovers:)

Because we need to be able to pull out the trundle, a traditional nightstand would have been in the way. I found shelves at Joann's and painted them to match their rooms. It is the perfect size for their alarm clocks and a cup of water.

This is a paper mache letter from Joann's. I simply painted the sides black and decoupaged paper on the front. It gives a lot of bang for just a few bucks.

This is hard to see, but this is a picture of the paper close up on the O. It totally describes Olivia. How fun!

I found this empty carved wood frame at a yard sale for $3. I tried to get it for $2 but buckled under pressure and paid $3, lol. I picked some great papers in black, pinks and white and created a patchwork inside. I plan to put pictures in it but haven't yet. The finished product will have to be in a future blog...but you get the idea.

This is another angle.

I found this dresser and night stand at a yard sale for $40. I unscrewed the legs off the night stand and stacked them to save floor space. I love the way it looks together.

I found this lamp at a local thrift store for $1, It was a little faded so I added some polka dots with a pencil eraser dipped in black craft paint. It makes a sassy night light.

We have orangle peel texture on our walls. This made it impossible to get a true staight line when we divided the wall with paint. I had planned to add chair molding but ran out of cash. I decided to hot glue ginham ribbon around the room instead.

I used more ginham ribbon and a tag to dress up this frame.
This is her bookshelf (that I still need to put backing board on) and a cool box from IKEA that I painted black to keep all of her little clutter (I mean treasures) out of sight. The box also serves as a great place to show off her trophies and ribbons.

I used a plate rack and some dollar store silver frames to showcase some pictures (that I still need to have developed, ooppps). I used some scrapbooking frames to make them kinda funky and fun.

This is one of my favorite furniture pieces. A friend of mine in Boston gave me this before we moved from there. It is recycled from MIT.
I still have to work on the window treatments. I have all the stuff but need to find the time. I will add this to a future blog.

Here is Grace's sign.

This is the view of her room from her door.

This is the letter I did for Grace.

Again this paper totally fits Grace's personality.

For Grace's picture board I used four smaller artist canvas and put a large button with ribbon scraps in the center to imitate tufting. I will be putting pictures and embelishments on this board soon.

Another view of her bed.

I found this desk at a thrift store for $30 (was $60 but was 50% off). It was totally ugly wood but I knew it had potential. I used the same cream paint on her bed, dresser and desk and then used antiquing glaze on all three pieces. I painted the hardware, too.

Here it is open. I bought little silver containers for 50 cents each. They are a great way to keep all her stuff organized and out of sight.

This is a close up of the stripe I did on her walls. I used ribbon on the on the top and bottom to frame it out.

This is her nightstand shelf.

Here is Grace's dresser. It is recycled from a friend...gotta love free! It started out green. I painted it to match the other pieces and used left over wall paint to paint the knobs and feet. For the fronts of the drawers I decoupaged more scrapbooking paper. It was a little tedious but I love the results! It truly gave this dresser an unexpected face-lift.
The dresser top sports her cute night light and her trophies and ribbons.
As you can see to the right I still have to work on window treatments in here, too.

Another picture of the dresser.

Some close-ups of the paper on the drawers.

Well, thanks for letting me share more of our home with you.

I am so enjoying reading your comments...keep them coming!

We're All Ears

Tomorrow my girls are out of school and we are heading to Disney.

Planning our day made me remember some fun times we have had with Mickey over the past year.

So I thought I would share some of my favorite moments.

We bought the girls Disney passes for Christmas. We decided to surprise them and didn't tell them where we were going until they saw the archway into the park. I had my camera ready...their reaction says it all!

Posin' with Chip and Dale

Here we were on a Safari tour at Animal Kingdom. It was so cool to see animals so close up.
Lions and tigers and bears, Oh My!

These were the glasses we wore into the "It's a Bug's Life" 3-D show.

This was after we rode one of our all time favorite rides...a roller coaster in Dino-Land.

This lights show was so cool! Would hate to see their electric bill!

Disney was truly larger than life at Hollywood Studios.

Grace and Olivia snuggle in daddy's jacket while we wait on the fireworks.

It was well worth the wait.

Grace and Olivia got to dance with the High School Musical 2 show.

We had to get our picture taken with Mickey.

Heading home after a long but very fun day at the parks.