Today I found a mini 2.5 inch thick binder that holds half sheets of paper and decided that since I am starting to outgrow my Couponizer already, I'd like to try to make a coupon binder out of this. So off to google I went searching for ideas on how to do this. I am not an extreme couponer and don't want to do baseball card sleeves in a full sized binder. I did find a good instructional video and here it is.
Happy Couponing!
I shamelessly love money...cash, gold, silver...whatever I can get my paws on. And when I get it I'd like to keep it, thank you. This is my blog on money, frugality, getting out of debt, couponing, silver and gold, saving and investing. In these uncertain economic times I am educating myself on personal finance matters, getting out of debt, and taking the necessary steps to improve my financial situation.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Customer Satisfaction
I went to Jewel this weekend to take advantage of some of their BOGO specials and to cash in my coupons from the game. Of course, I spent more than I wanted to. To punish myself for that I skipped the BOGO special on those yummy Diana Bananas that I love so much and haven't had in years.
I spent just over $100 and I had planned to spend $75. I took cash and a bunch of coupons in my handy dandy couponizer book. I got the donut and free jar of gravy from the game pieces and cheap cookies too. Some of the deals I got were Italian sausage, olive oil, fish oil, peanut butter, jelly, dishwashing thingys and soup. The one BOGO I thought I was getting was on pork chops. Turned out that the deal required an in-store coupon and there were none there. I called the store and talked to the manager and he said bring in the receipt and get a refund. That was nice. Got about $6 back.
I feel that now I am pretty stocked up for awhile on most things and even though I bought a couple things not on the list such as the fish oil (BOGO big bottles) and the Finish dishwashing tabs, which were on preferred card special in a buy 2 get one free bonus pack for $10.99 (just over a penny each with no coupon). I knew we would be needing these within a week or two anyway so I jumped on the deals. How much are dishwashing packs or pellets worth anyway. Seems like a small pack of cascade are about $7 or so.
BTW - I want to do a price book but don't know how to start. Can anyone direct me to one for Chicago stores such as Jewel, Dominicks, Aldi and Food 4 Less. Thanks!
I spent just over $100 and I had planned to spend $75. I took cash and a bunch of coupons in my handy dandy couponizer book. I got the donut and free jar of gravy from the game pieces and cheap cookies too. Some of the deals I got were Italian sausage, olive oil, fish oil, peanut butter, jelly, dishwashing thingys and soup. The one BOGO I thought I was getting was on pork chops. Turned out that the deal required an in-store coupon and there were none there. I called the store and talked to the manager and he said bring in the receipt and get a refund. That was nice. Got about $6 back.
I feel that now I am pretty stocked up for awhile on most things and even though I bought a couple things not on the list such as the fish oil (BOGO big bottles) and the Finish dishwashing tabs, which were on preferred card special in a buy 2 get one free bonus pack for $10.99 (just over a penny each with no coupon). I knew we would be needing these within a week or two anyway so I jumped on the deals. How much are dishwashing packs or pellets worth anyway. Seems like a small pack of cascade are about $7 or so.
BTW - I want to do a price book but don't know how to start. Can anyone direct me to one for Chicago stores such as Jewel, Dominicks, Aldi and Food 4 Less. Thanks!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Six at Sam's
Yesterday we went to Sam's Club to buy a few items. These are things that we almost always buy there so I wanted to give you a glimpse of a typical Sam's run. Here are the items and prices:
2.5 lbs Eight o'clock Columbian Coffee $14.24
2 lbs Kraft Mexican Shredded Cheese $6.78
1 gal Skim Milk $2.39
1 bucket Cole Slaw $3.88
2 1.5 doz eggs $3.58
1 delicious rotisserie chicken $5.99
The bill came out to be $38.10 after tax this time and the coffee price has been stable for a few months, but the chicken went up $1.00 recently. We generally go to Sam's about twice a month. Other things we buy there are chewing gum, printer paper and big cans of pinto beans, my favorite flax seed tortilla chips and hamburger. Any other bargains to be found at Sam's? Let me know.
2.5 lbs Eight o'clock Columbian Coffee $14.24
2 lbs Kraft Mexican Shredded Cheese $6.78
1 gal Skim Milk $2.39
1 bucket Cole Slaw $3.88
2 1.5 doz eggs $3.58
1 delicious rotisserie chicken $5.99
The bill came out to be $38.10 after tax this time and the coffee price has been stable for a few months, but the chicken went up $1.00 recently. We generally go to Sam's about twice a month. Other things we buy there are chewing gum, printer paper and big cans of pinto beans, my favorite flax seed tortilla chips and hamburger. Any other bargains to be found at Sam's? Let me know.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Going like a Gazelle!
Right now I'm squeezing every penny to become debt free. In FPU we call that Gazelle Intensity. At the beginning of the year I had about $4,500 in credit card debt which was kicking my ass. I also have a mortgage which I pay an extra $40/month towards principal.
I have my baby emergency fund of $1000 and have reduced my 401k to free up cash... about $70/month. I am couponing and following sales more at the grocery stores, using envelopes and eating out much less. Yesterday my brother met me for lunch at work and he brought some pulled pork he made in the crockpot and a couple cans of soda. I bought two fries and it was lunch out for two for $3. Normally, we would go out and spend about $15 for lunch and go out once a week. He is now on medical leave, battling cancer and cooking more so this was a special treat.
For my turnaround since the beginning of the year the total is $1631... $1041 paid and $590 saved. Yes it is painful but I paid off the last $161 from Macy's (my winter coat and accessories) and about $600 is mortgage principal reduction. I still have over 25 years left so the principal is not going down very fast. When I added it up and saw $1631, I was amazed. Yes, I am still saving for college for my boy who is a high school senior and because I am pushing 50, I don't want to cut retirement savings completely. This does deviate slightly from the Ramsey plan, which is perfect when you are 30. I hope to be out of the credit card hole by next fall and am watching my accounts closely.
In other news, I caught an automatic charge to my checking account for $67 from Angie's list to automatically renew my subscription. No warning... just boom! Snatched it out of my bank. I saw red. I got on chat and had them reverse it. I subscribed a couple years ago for, I think, $30 because I was doing some work on the house. I don't like these automatic renewing things and will be more watchful in the future. BEWARE: You touch my money and you will be pimp-slapped on my blog!
I have my baby emergency fund of $1000 and have reduced my 401k to free up cash... about $70/month. I am couponing and following sales more at the grocery stores, using envelopes and eating out much less. Yesterday my brother met me for lunch at work and he brought some pulled pork he made in the crockpot and a couple cans of soda. I bought two fries and it was lunch out for two for $3. Normally, we would go out and spend about $15 for lunch and go out once a week. He is now on medical leave, battling cancer and cooking more so this was a special treat.
For my turnaround since the beginning of the year the total is $1631... $1041 paid and $590 saved. Yes it is painful but I paid off the last $161 from Macy's (my winter coat and accessories) and about $600 is mortgage principal reduction. I still have over 25 years left so the principal is not going down very fast. When I added it up and saw $1631, I was amazed. Yes, I am still saving for college for my boy who is a high school senior and because I am pushing 50, I don't want to cut retirement savings completely. This does deviate slightly from the Ramsey plan, which is perfect when you are 30. I hope to be out of the credit card hole by next fall and am watching my accounts closely.
In other news, I caught an automatic charge to my checking account for $67 from Angie's list to automatically renew my subscription. No warning... just boom! Snatched it out of my bank. I saw red. I got on chat and had them reverse it. I subscribed a couple years ago for, I think, $30 because I was doing some work on the house. I don't like these automatic renewing things and will be more watchful in the future. BEWARE: You touch my money and you will be pimp-slapped on my blog!
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