Feeling Gypped

Today I got a newspaper, knowing that there should be a smartsource insert with coupons in it. It didn't. I don't know if the Bozeman paper just doesn't carry smartsource or if I just got a fluke, but I feel gypped!

Another Week of Couponing

Another week of couponing is about to begin, and I have done a few things to prepare for it...

1. I have started making my "Price Book" - the place where I track what prices are and what the best sale prices I've had are for the items that we use most. I'm using a spreadsheet so it's easy for me to alphabetize as it grows.

2. I have started organizing my manufacturers coupons in my household binder alphabetically by brand. That way I can easily find them when I want to use them for a specific store.

3. I have entered all of my manufacturers coupons into a Google task list by expiration date so I can easily see which coupons are expiring soon.

4. I have made plans with Kristiina to go through the ads tomorrow and make my shopping lists.

5. I have been utilizing couponmom.com to see what free or nearly free deals I might be missing simply because I've overlooked them or they are things I wouldn't normally think of. These free items are great for collecting toward my guest supply, future gifts, or Operation Christmas Child boxes!

We will see how this week improves over last week! I am amazed at how much quicker and cheaper I can shop when I have a list to follow... I don't wander up and down every aisle, trying to remember what I need, and therefore I don't have the impulse buys that I am so often prey to! I'm excited to start streamlining my process so I can be efficient with my time and money each week.

Weekly Review

Well, my first week of couponing is just about over, and I'm pretty pleased with how it went. Here's a general overview...

Kmart = $27.89 - $7.98 in savings because of coupons. Would have been more if I'd been more assiduous and gotten my $5 off for the Slimfast. Doh!
Slimfast - bought 5 @ $5 ea, used $3.60 in coupons = $4.28 per 4pack I was supposed to get a coupon for $5 off my order for this, but I don't think it printed out, or if it did, distracto girl who was checking me out didn't give it to me. I should pay more attention at Kmart, I think. 
Nice 'n Easy - bought 1 @ $4.99, used $1 in coupons = $3.99
Oreos - bought 1 @ 2.50 I used a super coupon for this, so it should have been $2.38, but I don't think she counted it. She was distracted and I should have paid more attention when she entered it. Note to self for the future.
Cupcake Mix - $1 - not on sale, just needed.
Distracto girl I think scanned one of my coupons twice so I got an extra dollar off. It's the only way the math makes sense, and there are two coupons on my receipt with exactly the same number. 


Walmart = $34.38
Bush's Beans (various) - bought 18 @ $0.92 ea. These are normally around $1 ea, and are something we use. I got the varieties I can't get at Costco. 
Rotel Tomatoes - bought 4 @ $0.88 ea. These are normally closer to $1, and something we use.
Lysol Motion Sensor Soap - bought 2 @ $3.47. Not on sale, something we needed for the guest bathroom. We were completely out of these. 
Hormel Turkey Pepperoni - bought 1 @ $3.28. Not on sale, just needed for dinner tonight!
Hormel Canadian Bacon - bought 1 @ $2.12. Not on sale, just needed for dinner tonight!


Staples = $20.16 Would have been $50.59 if I'd paid full price for everything. Mind you, I wouldn't have paid $6+ for scissors, so that's not a realistic number, but I was pleased with how this purchase went! I read the ad, chose what we needed, and calculated as I went so that I could make the most of the trip! I did need the pens, driving log, and scissors, so that would have made the trip anyway!
Goals Notepad - bought 1 @ $4, reg. $7
Scissors - bought 3 @ $1 ea, reg. $6.29 ea
Driving Log - bought 1 @ $3
BIC Mark It Pens - bought 3 @ $1.29 ea.
Glue Stick 4 Pack - bought 1 @ $1, reg. $1.99
Rainbow Pens - bought 1 pack @ $4.79
Tamper Resistant Envelopes - bought 2 @ $1, reg. $3.29 ea.
Zipper envelope - bought 2 @ $1
Business card holder - bought 1 @ $1, reg. $1.99
Lollipop - bought 1 @ $0.50 - for Eliana, to get over $25 and use coupon
$5 off $25 order coupon

Rosauers = $12.31
Provalone slices - bought 2 @ 2.50 ea This is the one thing that wasn't on my list, but is something I wanted and it was a good price!
Cucumbers - bought 3 @ 3/$1
Green Lettuce - bought 1 @ $0.89
Green Bell Peppers - bought 3 @ 3/$1
Grapefruit - bought 1 bag @ $2.50 (7 grapefruit @ $0.36 ea)
Grape Tomatoes - bought 1 container @ $1.99

Costco = $101.80
Fage Yogurt - $12.49 ($1.05 ea.)
Canned Chicken - $9.99
Craisins - $7.49
Chicken Chimichangas - $13.49
Bananas - 2 @ $1.39
Dried Coconut - $8.99
Shredded Mozzarella - $11.99
Feta - $7.45
Tillamook Cheddar Slices - $8.49
Walnuts - $14.99
Eggs - $3.65

Target = $87.84 My total was well over $100 before they started entering all the coupons, so it was really fun to see the number go down, down, and down! I scored some really good deals on this trip to Target, including the Lean Cuisine deal, and the Fiber One deal! Woot!! Those will make lunch time and snack time easier when I want a quick fix and am tempted to eat something that won't help me lose weight!
Pantene Detangler - bought 1 for $3.99, used $1 coupon
Nice 'n Easy - bought 1 for $6.99, used $1 coupon
Nice 'n Easy Foam - bought 1 for $7.99, used $3 coupon
Pantene 2-in-1 Shampoo/Conditioner - bought 1 for $5.84, used $2 coupon, and $3 coupon
Ziplock snack bags - bought 2 @ $2.50 ea.
Wet Ones Travel - bought 2 @ $1.29 ea, used 2 $0.75 coupons ($0.54 ea.)
Expanding File / Notepad - $5.99
Dollar Spot Notecards - bought 5 @ $1 ea.
Always Wipes - bought 1 @ $3.29, used $1 coupon
Always Pantiliners - bought 1 @ $2.99, used $0.50 coupon, plus $1 coupon for both
Fiber One Bars - bought 4 @ $2.75 ea, used 2 $0.40 coupons, plus got one box free Woohooo!
Lean Cuisine - bought 10 @ $2, used $5 coupon, received $5 gift card for future Woohoo!
Venus Razor - bought 1 @ $8, reg. $9.49
Venus Blades - bought 1 @ $20.99, used $5 coupon, received $5 gift card for future
Colgate Toothpaste - bought 1 for $2.99, received coupons for future, plus free travel size

I got stuff at CVS as well, but I don't remember where my receipt is. But anyway... that at least gives an idea of how my couponing went this week! I hope to get better and better at it as the weeks go by!

Couponing....

Coupons confuse me. I hear about people that save oooooodles of money by using coupons, and I know it is possible. But I seem to be struggling with how to keep everything straight. I thought I was doing pretty well, but somehow my piles of coupons have confused me again and I can't even make a decent list of what we need and where we should get it. There are obviously TONS of coupons for things we don't need, so I suppose I could start by weeding those things out....

Here's one of the confusing things, for example... Slim Fast Shakes. Turns out, if you heat them up they taste like hot chocolate, only are high protein, low carb. According to Safeway, a 4 pack is $5, and they are "Buy One Get One Free with Manufacturer Coupon from Sunday Paper". The only problem is that I couldn't find any manufacturer coupon in the Sunday paper that made them B1G1. Did I miss it? I do have a couple other Slim Fast coupons, so I should use those. Kmart has Slim Fast at 2 for $10, plus you get $5 off when you spend $25 on Slim Fast. Since my existing coupons are for $1.60 off 2, and $2 off 3, that would be $25 of Slim Fast, minus the $5, minus the $2, minus the $1.60, for a total savings of $8.60, according to my calculations. So, really it's only $16.40 for 20 bottles of Slim Fast, making them 82 cents each. Now, CVS has them for 2 for $9, so for 5 it would be $22.50, minus my coupons, making them $18.90 for 20 bottles. Turns out, Kmart has the best deal. Huh. Is it just me, or is that a lot of thinking for Slim Fast? BUT, it is something I have on my list, and I will be going to Kmart for hair dye anyway.

Okay... Here's another one. Target has Lean Cuisine meals on sale for $2, plus you get a $5 gift card when you purchase 10 of them. That's $20, but you get a $5 gift card back. I also have a random $5 off Frozen Food Puchase of $20 or more Target coupon, so that would technically be $15 for 10, plus $5 to spend later.

Couponmom.com makes it somewhat easier to get good deals, but only for national chains like Walmart, Target, etc. My local grocery stores like Town&Country and Rosauers aren't in that list, so it takes just a bit of extra work for that, too. Sometimes it is definitely worth looking at the local grocery ads, too. Just last night I sent Leif to Town&Country for a few items. They have the best price on the special yogurt our daughter eats, and they also had onions on sale. They also had a GREAT deal on Yoplait yogurt, which is normally around 60 cents a container. They had Yoplait for 5/$1, PLUS I had coupons for 50 cents off 8 and 40 cents off 6. Leif ended up getting 20 containers of yummy flavored Yoplait yogurt for less than $3!! Not bad at all! I'm glad I looked at their ad this week or I'd never have known!

Possible Dinner Menu...

Monday... Fend For Yourself?
Tuesday... Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
Wednesday... Date Night
Thursday...
Friday... Chicken/Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Plum Reduction, Pear Salad
Saturday... Curried Cashew Pear Salad
Sunday...

Bountiful Baskets

Recently I heard about http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/, which is operated out of Utah. Basically, it is a food coop. It kind of reminds me of a CSA and Azure combination. Today was my first time picking up a "basket." The baskets are available for purchase every other week and contain both fruits and vegetables. I also volunteered this morning, since it is a completely volunteer run organization, which was kind of fun! Here's what I brought home from my basket...

From Instant Upload

It includes... 

5 apples

2 bags celery

2 avocados

5 heads garlic

6 bananas

4 tomatoes

8 oz. mushrooms

1 head romaine

2 bags grapes

11 plums

6 pears

9 sweet potatoes

Not bad for $15! I'm getting excited about planning meals for this week and figuring out what I'm going to do with the produce! 

I very rarely buy plums, so I was kind of at a loss for what to do with them. Then I went searching around online for some recipes and came up with a couple that I am excited about! One is for pork tenderloin with a balsamic-plum reduction. Yummy! That's on the menu for this week. The other is for an Asian plum sauce that I will make and (hopefully) can for the future. The plum sauce calls for applesauce, which we don't have right now, so I'm making some with a few of the apples from the basket. 

The pears are also something I'm trying to figure out what to do with, since I'm not much of a pear person. I'm confident, though, that I will find an amazing recipe, or that Leif will eat them before I get the chance to find a suitable way to serve them. =D If all else fails, I think they will be good with some cheese, smoked salt, nuts, and wine. A good, easy picnic for movie night?? We'll see. 

I am unsure of what to do with the avocado so far, but will be searching for recipes on that next. If nothing comes to mind, I will either make guacamole (yum!) or puree it for future use. 

The sweet potatoes will probably get cooked and pureed for Thanksgiving yambake (that's what Leif wants me to do with them), though I would like to use them for a sweet potato curry, so we'll see who wins out this week. ;)

I have some other ingredients I'd like to use this week, too, including potatoes, onions, 2 limes, cilantro, basil, and dill. So... seems like we'll have some good flavor to dinner this week!! Woohoo!

THE PERSONAL PLANNER

The personal planner is coming together. In fact, I am really liking it. Here's how it started....

From Instant Upload

3 Ring Binder with half size sheets in it and my own dividers...

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Notepad in the back for extra notes...

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Monthly Tabs including birthday calendars. This is how it easily becomes a 90 day planner.

From Instant Upload

30 Day Focus sheet for each month...

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Tabs for each of the major areas in my life... Time Management, Money Management, God, Family, Career, and Personal Development including Health and Nutrition.

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Special things for Eliana, like her schedule for the week and important phone numbers.

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A place for notes for the teacher, should I need them.

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Daily schedule sheet...

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Cute fitness and nutrition tracking sheets...

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90 Day reading list... What I'm currently reading.

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Book recommendation sheets for when others recommend books to me.

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And added pockets for the miscellaneous!

That's how it STARTED. I used it for a month or so and then the system I was waiting for came out with their punch so I could customize my own pages to fit into a disk system. I LOVE IT!!

The thing I probably love the best is that my personal planner now fits in this:

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Here's what the cover of the actual notebook looks like:

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A lot of the printable pages I found that I like and use came from these guys:

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In this version of the planner, I have time management focused pages in the front, and then the tabs start.

From Instant Upload

God, Family, Career, followed by a pocket, and then my personal and financial tabs. It's kind of nice to separate the sections that way. I start with my daily list of things to do... 5 most important things, routines, meals, exercise, water, shopping list, appointments... all on one sheet. I found this sheet from simpleorganizedliving.com and I love it. I fill it out at night before bed and it allows me to think out and plan my next day. This is my work-from sheet. If I didn't look at the rest of the planner, but just worked off of this sheet each day, I'd be doing pretty good. I also have some sticky tabs so that I can use if I need to remember where I left off, what didn't get done, or just want to mark something. Then I have my Weekly Plan Sheet that I put together on Sunday night for the week. It's an ideal, but gives me something to work from each day as I plan the next day. Notice, too, that my monthly tabs are here in this section, too, before the God, Family, Career tabs.

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Then I have my Daily To-Do List. This is where I track what I want to do and what I'm actually doing, and how I'm balancing my personal/family and business time.

From Instant Upload

LOOK!!! I can punch coupons and put them in my planner to use that day!

From Instant Upload

This is my weekly meal planner with tear-off grocery list. Leif does the grocery shopping, but this lets me think through next week's meals while I'm out and about and make notes for ingredients we will need.

From Instant Upload

GOD tab:

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This lets me make notes, read scripture and journal it, and journal prayers while I'm out and about, too. I find this much better than using a dedicated journal, since I often don't have the journal with me. FAMILY tab:

From Instant Upload

Ellie's "I-didn't-get-any-checkmarks-at-kindergarten-today" punchcard and perforated "Let's have a playdate" sheets that make planning playdates easier.

From Instant Upload

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CAREER tab:

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Current promotion and place to jot down notes as I make phone calls while I'm out and about...

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Blank note pages. PERSONAL tab:

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Current reading list for the 90 days...

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Book recommendation sheets:

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IOU Coupons:

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FINANCES tab:

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A place to make notes about who paid what and what I paid, etc. Not an actual ledger, but a place for me to make notes. And, of course, my receipt pocket:

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My shopping list...

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Tiny notes...

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And my important pocket!

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(and, of course, the notepad)

It's a ton of pictures, but I really love my new personal planner and disk binding system! All of the pages are easily rearrangable, without having to open up the rings and risk losing all of the sheets. I have done that on more than one occasion! Also, the disk spacing makes it easier to include smaller pieces of paper, like coupons! I'm pretty pleased.