Category

31 Days to Saving Sensibly

Category

Sensible Saving Resource List

Well guys we made it! 31 Days! As promised here’s a list of all the resources we discussed, plus a few more if you feel like taking it a step further.Sites for Printable Coupons:RedPlumSmart SourceCoupons.comWhole Foods Printable CouponsCouponing Sites to Bookmark (Ones I mentioned before and more of my favorites!):Sunday Coupon PreviewSouthern SaversCoupon DivasThe Krazy Coupon Lady (This is more extreme, but now that you know the score, you can be more sensible about her advice.)Addicted to SavingApps You Should Have (Check your smart phone app store):WalgreensCVSTargetJoAnnMichaelsMake sure you check for your local grocery store too!Saving While Shopping Online (Ebates and Swagbucks are referral links. I will be compensated in a small way if you sign up):EbatesSwagbucksRetailMeNot.comTake a Class:Grocery University – I took this class myself. I am not an affiliate at the time of this posting. I just really like the class! You just download it and listen and…

Final Thoughts

I wrote this last night just after we lost power.I’m laying here on the bed and it’s midnight, October 30th. Right now, Sandy is upon us and we are without power. I figured now was as good a time as any (considering that I can’t sleep) to go ahead and give you my final thoughts on sensible saving.The point that all these extreme shows seem to miss is that couponing and being a diligent saver is supposed to make your life better, and while they might mention it, they don’t focus on it.*You* should.Why bother doing all of that clipping and shopping and storing if you’re going to live in a house so stocked you can’t move or lose time with your family because you’re too busy looking for deals? That’s ridiculous. I hope that I’ve managed to show you that you can save big without giving up too much…

Sensible Stockpiling

OK, you’ve scored major deals, you’ve bought enough for at least three months to tide you over until the next great sale…now what?If you’ve watched that couponing show on TV, you’ve probably seen the homes these people live in. It kind of looks like a slightly more organized home on Hoarders. Harsh? Yes. Sorry, I’ve watched the show and I’ve seen how those people live. Saving money is supposed to make your life better. How are you living a better life if you can’t live in your own home because there are 400 Powerades sitting under your coffee table and 600 boxes of Yakisoba filling your guest bathroom? (For the record, I’ve never bought sports drinks or ramen with my coupons. You don’t have to eat like crap to save money…really.)If you were to come to my home, you’d see that there are no products sitting on our bookshelves in the middle of…

Be Patient

Ah patience. I’ll be really honest with you and admit that I am not a very patient person. I want what I want right now. Unfortunately, to save big, you can’t always have what you want right now. Sometimes you have to wait. Sorry. There’s no real way around it. To save big, you have to be patient.There are times when I want something, but I choose to wait (plan your pain, remember?) because I know it’ll eventually go on sale. Generally, my best friend and I have the same motto…if I’m meant to have it, it’ll be there when I come back (and hopefully, it’ll be on clearance and I’ll be rocking some awesome coupons!).Truly, by living by that sentiment and being patient, I’ve become more thankful for what I have. It’s also forced me to be creative with the resources I already have. The saving lifestyle isn’t all…

Saving Online

This post contains links that will compensate me in a small way if you sign up. I’ll indicate where. I have NOT been paid for my review of these sites. I use them personally and I endorse them wholeheartedly. All opinions are 100% mine. NONE of the following sites even know who I am aside from being one of their millions of users. I cannot vouch for the reliability of any sites mentioned in the comments section – proceed with caution.So, now that you’re an expert at saving in your local stores, we’ll talk about saving online. I’ll fully admit to you that I don’t do a ton of online shopping, but when I do, I do my best to save as much money as possible. Here’s how:*By clicking on the Ebates logo above, signing up (FREE), and making a purchase I will be compensated a few dollars for referring…

Get Creative

Another easy way to save (especially on fresh foods) is to be conscious about not being wasteful. If you spend good money on fresh and organic foods, don’t throw half of it out because it spoiled! Get creative before that happens!We’ve already talked about buying in bulk and freezing, but you should also learn to reinvent your leftovers. Hubby and I are big foodies so we find it fun and relaxing to try to create meals around our leftover ingredients. We’re not always successful (and sometimes we end up tossing half a pepper or something…) but we’re improving! Here are two of our favorite leftover makeovers:Turkey Noodle SoupClick HERE for our Turkey Noodle Soup recipe. It’s great for post Thanksgiving leftovers! Since it’s just the two of us we always have a ton.Ham and Potato SoupClick HERE for our Ham and Potato Soup recipe. When we can get a great deal on…

Saving on Fresh and Organic Products

Yes Virginia, it is possible to save on fresh foods and organic products. For a long time now, if you wanted fresh products or if you purchased primarily organic ingredients then you were making a choice to pay more. It was that simple. Want organic? Be prepared to pay.This is still somewhat the case, but I can tell you after two years of heavy couponing, things are getting better for those of you who focus on whole foods (or Whole Foods) and who want organic products. We’ll start there.Here are my tips for saving on organic:Buy in bulk – Lately, we’ve been trying to branch out and eat a little better, and that includes buying more organic, whole foods. I buy almost all of our grains in bulk now and I can tell you from experience that buying our cous cous from the bulk bins at our Wegmans is way cheaper per…

Shopping with Scrappy

Today I wanted to take a quick break from the tips to give you a better picture of how I shop. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t make huge trips to the store and that I stockpile product until the next sale cycle, but up until now I haven’t shown you what my trips actually look like. I thought it might help if you have a visual.Here’s a picture of the stuff I bought on my Target run last weekend:Not pictured: One E.l.f. nail polish that was on clearance.I bought:4 bottles of Olay Body Wash4 small bags of Milo’s Kitchen Chicken Jerky (our dog has a slight addiction)3 bottles of Simple face wash1 e.l.f emory board1 e.l.f. Python edition nail polishNow, in all honesty this wasn’t a fantastic trip percentage wise (31% – the sales here have been kind of mediocre), but I was good on hitting my target price on…

Branch Out – Avoiding Brand Loyalty

OK, this post comes with a warning – for some of you, today is going to be one of the hardest things to swallow. In the interest of being honest with you, I have to say that up front. We all have favorite brands or products that we just do not want to stray from – I get you. Really. But hear me out.In the quest to be a mega saver I’ve read a ton books, ebooks, articles and pamphlets and I’ve even taken a couponing class and they all say you can’t save big and stay brand loyal.I have to agree with that – to an extent. I think the better philosophy is just to be open to trying new things that are on sale and you have a coupon for. There are some things I won’t give up. Though now that I think about it, it’s hard to come up with an…

Finding Alternatives for Family Staples

People always ask me about my couponing skills, but that’s not the only way I save. There are many ways you can cut your grocery and household budget just by finding inexpensive alternatives for the things you buy often. Here are a few of my favorite swap outs:Microwave popcorn – We swapped microwave packets of popcorn for plain old popcorn kernels. Hubby even timed it (yes, we’re nerds…). It doesn’t take any more time to do it the old fashioned way on the stove than it does in the microwave. Seriously. As an added bonus, when we do it on the stove we only use a couple of tablespoons of oil and then we season it with spices or a popcorn sprinkle like cheddar cheese or kettle corn (we like Archer Farms brand) so it’s healthier too.Canned/boxed broth – We used to use a lot of boxed broth and I…