Have you considered yourself lucky if you get $5.00 off your grocery bill with coupons?  I have to confess, that has mostly been my story.  I always wondered how anyone could get substantial savings with 50 cents here and a dollar there.  It often seemed like the store brand was cheaper than the name brand coupon so why bother?

Yesterday I went shopping with my daughter.  She has been working on learning effective couponing and what a difference.  My register tape ended up showing $16.00 vendor coupons, $1.59 store coupons, $20.33 advertised special savings and $1.22 advantage buy savings.  Better than that, these were all on things that I use everyday.  Yes, I stocked up some things but why wouldn’t you when you are going to use it anyway?

The secret is to buy what the store is advertising.  Use their coupons and pair them with manufacturer coupons for additional savings.  (You can pair a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon even if it says one coupon per item.)  I know it takes a little homework but there are ways to make it easier.  If you visit the Krazy Koupon Lady site , you can learn what is on sale and where to get the coupon for it.  You can also visit the Sunday Coupon Preview site to learn what coupons will be in your Sunday paper.  That way you save time clipping what you need.

I intend to learn more about how to cut my food bills and will post my progress here.  If you are new to all of this, let me know what is the hardest part for you and I will try to find the answer.  In this economy, we have to do whatever is legal to stretch our budget and couponing is definitely an option.

If you need some help, you might want to read an article I wrote titled Enjoying the Holidays In a Tough Economy .  Also, if you happen to be in Orlando on December 5th, my Chiropractor is having a Christmas Event.  He is gathering toys and such for Christmas boxes.  Even if you can’t fill a box yourself, you can find something to share with those who are less fortunate than yourself.  It’s a great way to kick off the Christmas season.  Visit Dr. John Bellomo’s Blog here for more information.

Find It Free

When you are seriously working on stretching your budget, you can’t beat free.  You can join the Free Cycle Network.  In it, people who have something they no longer want offer it free for the taking to anyone who wants it.  The problem is that things move quickly and it’s hard to connect for what you want.

The Second Rule of Couponing

My local store doubles coupons up to $2.00.  That means that if you have a manufacturer coupon for $2.00 and the item costs less than $4.00, you get it free.  Now sometimes the item costs a little more than $4.00.  In that case, you wait until the store puts it on sale so that you can still get it free.  I know it sounds crazy but I know people who buy10+ of the same item for free and smile all the way to their car.  (I think you still have to pay the tax on them but you can use a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon.)

Now, here comes the good part.  You don’t have to use the item that you ‘buy’.  My friend started doing this and ended up with a lot of stuff in her garage.  Her family kept coming over to ’shop’.  Finally someone urged her to have a garage sale and she made a bundle.  When you get stuff free, you can sell it super cheap and still make money.  She has been doing it long enough that people have gotten to know her and call her up to shop even when she isn’t having a yard sale.  Now that’s a good thing.  She takes the money she makes for these things that she doesn’t use and buys the stuff she wants.  All it costs her is time to clip the coupons, visit the store several times and then sell the stuff.

Listen, my friend had to quit her job because after childcare, she wasn’t making enough money to make it worth it.  Her couponing is adding to her family finances and she is doing it on her schedule while she stays home with her son.  Sometimes we get so caught up is what isn’t working for us that we don’t see the opportunities that are staring us in the face.  What can you do to make extra money?

Plan Ahead and Shop Around

Running from store to store to compare prices makes no sense.  You will use up more gas and time than you will save.  With the internet at your fingertips, there’s no need and comparison shopping is easier than ever before.

Last December I was in the market for a small countertop convection oven.  I wanted it to be big enough to hold a casserole or even bake a chicken or pan of muffins.  By searching Google, I found several sites that showed different models and prices.  The best part was they included customer feedback.  It covered everything from some models being hot to the touch, others were smaller inside than they looked or had maintenance problems.  I was able to narrow down exactly what I was looking for and figure out an online price including any shipping.  Then when I went to the store, I was armed with the knowledge to make a good deal.  In the end, I decided to wait until after Christmas and try to find a sale.  I found out that a store had donated a dozen ovens to my local food pantry and they were selling for half of what I expected to pay.  I love my Oster Convection oven and use it often.  It doesn’t heat up the kitchen like my big oven did and makes holiday cooking much easier.

My Experience With Couponing

As promised, here’s my first couponing lesson.  If it looks a little obvious, remember that I’m learning the do’s and don’ts of how the experts shop.  Since I often learn more from my mistakes, I’m sharing them with you.  Eventually I’ll put them into their own Coupon Post for easy reference.

I had a coupon for “Buy one Get one Free” on toothbrushes.  The toothbrush was $2.19 which makes this a good deal.  I was shopping during double coupon days at my local store and heard that you could get both free when they doubled coupons.  At the checkout my coupon was not doubled and it took me a moment to realize why.  They only doubled coupons up to $2.00.  My toothbrushes were .19 over that so no doubling.   You can bet I won’t forget this lesson and will sure pay attention to price in the future.

(By the same thinking, if a store doubles up to $1.00, a 50 cent coupon will double but a 75 cent one won’t.  If the store doubles coupons that are up to $1.00 then both of them would double.  Yes, it’s a little confusing, but if you spend a little time learning it, there are big rewards.)

I think that is what shakes me the most about the bank bailouts and supposed health care reform. They all carry a hefty price tag and sooner or later, someone is going to have to account for it. If our paychecks are hardly covering expenses now, what makes us think we can budget for it later? Don’t worry, that is as far as I am going to comment on that stuff. We could fill the blog up with such rants and it wouldn’t help anyone. We need to figure out how to survive in today’s economy. If you haven’t ever had to count your pennies, that can be a real challenge.

A Word to the Wise

Many people go shopping to make themselves feel better. I personally know a woman who claims to have hit bottom financially and yet brings home new clothes every week. If you identify, you need to realize that what seems like comfort is really digging your financial hole deeper and creating more stress. If you can begin to enjoy finding a good deal or even something for nothing, shopping can still give you a boost but in a positive way.

My Experience

I’m taking another look at couponing.  Until now, it hasn’t made much sense for me to spend time clipping coupons.  Store brands near me are really good and often cheaper than the other brands with coupons.  In addition to that, most of the coupons I saw were for stuff my family doesn’t use.  I figured the companies were just trying to advertise new products we didn’t need so why bother.  That all changed last week.

It turns out that my neighborhad a yard sale and cleared almost $1,000 on that stuff that we never use.  She has learned how to clip a coupon, shop during double coupon days, be careful what she buys and often leave the store paying tax only for her purchases.  Yeah, I’ve heard about people like her but never been able to duplicate it.  She is promising to teach me her tricks and in turn, I’ll share them with my readers.  It’s time we shopped smarter and made our dollars stretch.

The old TV shows used to tell people to “tune in next week for another exciting episode.”  If you want to get the next installment of this series, why not add your email to  the form on the right.  That way these posts will find their way to your inbox and you don’t have to remember to check back.  :0)

The other part is one of those cost saving ideas that makes sense to us here at Cheap Living Today.  If you know that you are going to shop at a particular store, you can buy a discounted gift card and apply it to your purchase.  It’s like an instant coupon.  You can boost your savings by adding other coupons or shopping sales.  This is especially nice if you have to buy a big ticket item.  It’s really worth your time to check out the Plastic Jungle and see if they have something that fits your need.

The reason I like this so much is that it really is a win/win situation for all involved.    PlasticJungle.com verifies the validity of the card so you are guaranteed to be getting what you purchase.  When the original card holders can get some cash for a card they don’t want to use and other people can buy that card at a discount, what’s not to like?

Here’s a thought:

So many people were given gift cards and never used them that companies began charging handling fees after the first year. They wanted to get the cards off their books and figured a year is plenty of time for you to redeem your gift.

How many gift cards do you have gathering dust? Maybe you planned to use yours eventually but just never got around to it. Why let that money fritter away? Isn’t it better to take part of it before you lose it waiting for the perfect shopping trip? Visit the Plastic Jungle and see what your card is worth. You will feel good that you are helping someone else get a discount while putting some cash back into your pocket. If that doesn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy, you can even go the extra step and donate the value of your card to charity.

It’s like finding money in an old purse and you didn’t have to clean your closet to do it!

Don’t have a card? Visit Plastic Jungle and buy someone else’s at a discount. They verify the card and the amount so you can trust that you really are getting a good deal.

I’m not pushing a quick weight loss plan. I just want you to take a moment and realize that a lot of what is floating on the TV airwaves, clogging your email box or strategically placed in the latest magazine is bunk. We have tried them and even if they worked for a while, they eventually fail. It’s time to change our thinking and find out what will not only improve our weight but also our health. Let’s take what makes sense like adding exercise to our daily routine and finding good food to eat that actually nourishes our bodies. We know sugar is bad and sugar substitutes are worse. Let’s start removing what we know we shouldn’t be eating. One thing a week won’t be that hard but over a year will make a big impact. Maybe we will finally start to feel good, lose weight and improve our lives.

One of the things I have found to help me make these changes is The Nourishing Traditions Cookbook by Sally Fallon. It is wonderful because along with excellent recipes, she tells you why certain foods are great for you to eat. My daughter and I have enjoyed reading all the extra information she has included. Do you know why fermented food is so good for you? Do you know that you can easily ferment your own? If there was ever a cookbook that fits a ‘back to the future’ category, this is it. You owe it to your self to check it out.

Now on to the contest….Coconut Oil is very, very good for you. For a short while you can put your name in the hat to win a quart of it. Just go to the Contest Corner and sign up. There are several ways to enter including joining their mail list, using Twitter and blog posts. It’s easy and the Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil prize is definitely worth it.

Please note that things stay on the internet for a long time so just in case it’s over, this contest is running July/Aug. of 2009. If you are here during the contest window, I wish all of us Good Luck!

These days there are so many places to get coupons on the internet,  you can literally print out dollars of savings on your computer.  As with most things in this world, if there’s a way to benefit from it, crooks will try.  Save yourself from embarrassment at the checkout with these simple rules.

*  If it has no expiration date, it is probably fake.  These days, most coupons have a 30 day to 6 month expiration date.  If your coupon is unlimited it is probably an old one that someone illegally reproduced.

*  Don’t pay for free coupons.  Manufacturers always give their coupons for free.  If a coupon club or website wants you to pay for coupons, it is highly suspect.

*  If you print out coupons,  it’s a good idea to save the whole sheet rather than to cut them out.  That way if there is a problem, the store has the URL address of where you got the coupon.  They will prosecute people who are taking advantage of the system.

*  You can generally trust coupons you download from a brand’s main website.

If you want more information, please visit The Coupon Information Center.

Did you get a Blu-Ray for Christmas?  If so, you need Blu-Ray disks to play in it.  Now is the time to get ready for summer because Amazon is running a huge sale.

Blu-ray and DVD Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale that allows you to mix and match Blu-ray with DVD. This sale is going on now through April 24, 2009 while supplies last. There are over 400 titles in the sale including 300 [Blu-ray], Into the Wild, I, Robot [Blu-ray], and many more. [SORRY, TIME RAN OUT ON THIS ONE.]

You can also save on 600 DVDs as Low as $4.99 from now until May 12, 2009 while supplies last

Last but not least, there’s a Disney Preschool Sale that allows your customers to save up to 43% on DVDs for kids from now until May 1, 2009 while supplies last [SORRY - time's out on this one.]

See, I told you it is a huge sale but it is only for a limited time and each offer has its own alloted time.  Be sure you check it out before it’s too late!  Why spend more for the same movie?