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RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 3/24/2011 10:19:24 PM

porcelaine

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Joined: 7/24/2006
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quote:

ORIGINAL: AlwaysLisa

See..thats what happen when you get old and move to a city the size of a wart, no kids, just you two, and the idea of spending less at the store is very appealing. I have other things I can do with the money :)

I am old. I just hit my stride before most encounter it.

quote:

It's a little mind bending actually, how much money is spent on food, with little to show for it. It's not like shopping for diamonds, the more you spend the bigger the rock, the higher the value...it will remain for an eternity and possibly climb in worth. Where does food go?

Knowing where my food comes from and how it's produced has encouraged me to make important changes even if they hit my pocketbook. Because something's can't be replaced. Most of the things I eat are homemade (when I'm being disciplined) and wouldn't have a coupon. Plus I eat seasonally. And although I'm a huge Whole Foods fan my costs are lower than most because I buy things when they're cost efficient (in season) and freshest. That philosophy made a huge dent in my budget.

The Local Harvest CSA program may be of interest to you.

Namaste,

~porcelaine

_____________________________

His will; my fate.

(in reply to AlwaysLisa)

Post #: 21

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 3/24/2011 10:55:12 PM

Hippiekinkster

Posts: 5512
Joined: 11/20/2007
From: Liechtenstein
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: LillyBoPeep

i love trader joe's - that store has revolutionized my life.
okay, it's not that drastic, but i really love that store. great asparagus.

i like coupons but i don't go out of my way for them. if i see a good one on something i know i'll use, or something i've really wanted to try, then i'll get it.
i don't get a paper, but occasionally get a little grocery mailer that sometimes has great coupons.
you really can save a lot with them. it's actually really fun, but clipping them all is time consuming, and keep them organized is more time still...

Trader Joes is owned by the co. that owns Aldi's. Thing I hate about Trader Joes is they package all the veggies. Wasteful. I like that they carry Tri-tip roasts.

Aldi's produce is quite inexpensive. I don't like their yogurt (Kroger brand is better). Their canned stuff has too much salt.

Our local kroger now sells Parmagiano rinds for $6.99/lb. My favorite cheese, pretty much.

I made my own soap about a year ago. Sold a bunch which paid for the coconut, palm, and hemp seed oils, and Shea butter, and the essential oils and clays and micas (color). I have enough for the rest of my life. The scents fade, but the soap is still fine. I use the soaps for the kitchen and laundry, too. Bulk citric acid is a good cleaner, and is a disinfectant, too, much cheaper than Lysol etc. I do the same with candles. About 20 votives warms my den (25' x 15') enough in the winter so I can wear a t-shirt. They last about 13 hours. I use palm wax and scents (mostly vanilla, lavender, gingerbread, and a couple others) from Candlescience.

I eat less meat and more legumes these days. I've been able to get off my cholesterol meds because of the increased fiber, and eating fewer sweets (fruit better than fruit juices, for example). Helps keep my BP down, too.

Be careful that when you are running around shopping to save money you don't burn your savings up in gas. Over-inflate your tires by a # or two. Make a game out of coasting to lights so you don't have to brake. How often do you see some moron zip past you just to end up next to him at the next light? Stop and go burns up the gas.

I refuse to buy cheap Chinese shit at Wallyworld/Target/etc. Really good American (UNION-MADE, usually. Hooray!) stuff is available. Here's an example: http://allusaclothing.com/index.aspx

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Post #: 22

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 3/24/2011 11:27:06 PM

SexyBossyBBW

Posts: 1693
Joined: 2/25/2010
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I forget my coupons at home, or in the car most of the time.
Depending on the coupon, I still use them with some degree of shame, but not so much on everyday things that are expensive as a name brand. M

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Post #: 23

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 3/25/2011 6:16:08 AM

porcelaine

Posts: 5020
Joined: 7/24/2006
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Hippiekinkster

I made my own soap about a year ago. Sold a bunch which paid for the coconut, palm, and hemp seed oils, and Shea butter, and the essential oils and clays and micas (color). I have enough for the rest of my life. The scents fade, but the soap is still fine. I use the soaps for the kitchen and laundry, too. Bulk citric acid is a good cleaner, and is a disinfectant, too, much cheaper than Lysol etc. I do the same with candles. About 20 votives warms my den (25' x 15') enough in the winter so I can wear a t-shirt. They last about 13 hours. I use palm wax and scents (mostly vanilla, lavender, gingerbread, and a couple others) from Candlescience.

Excellent! I'm using up my products and have started making things as well. It smells much better and the thought of forking over money for convenience when I can get a superior product at home (and have the time to make it) isn't very wise in my opinion. I wish I'd jumped on this bandwagon before the price of Neroli shot up.

quote:

I eat less meat and more legumes these days. I've been able to get off my cholesterol meds because of the increased fiber, and eating fewer sweets (fruit better than fruit juices, for example). Helps keep my BP down, too.

I was flexitarian for years. I went back to meat but we only eat protein and fish for the most part. My beef consumption is minimal and I probably have steak once per year. I love legumes! Cannellini beans and French peas are my favorites. I often steal a peek in other people's carts. The biggest expense is usually processed foods. Convenience costs a bundle.

quote:

Be careful that when you are running around shopping to save money you don't burn your savings up in gas. Over-inflate your tires by a # or two. Make a game out of coasting to lights so you don't have to brake. How often do you see some moron zip past you just to end up next to him at the next light? Stop and go burns up the gas.

Exactly. I don't drive and all my stores are in walking distance. It's good exercise. I also think it's better to shop more frequently than making a big trip. I spend far less this way and often employ menu planning successfully.

Okay, I'm totally feeling like a domestic diva today. You guys are fab!

Namaste,

~porcelaine

_____________________________

His will; my fate.

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Post #: 24

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 3/25/2011 8:51:13 AM

DomMeinCT

Posts: 2355
Joined: 5/5/2005
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quote:

ORIGINAL: littlewonder

seems like a lot of work to do...sounds nice to be able to save all that money but when I hear of people who coupon like that I wonder where they get all this time to do it. I mean when do they find time to clip coupons all the time, organize them, figure out the savings, etc...when you have kids, cleaning, job, hobbies, relationship?

I do it when I can multitask, such as watching the news, and I don't take responsibility for it all: the kids help get rid of expired ones (driving places), and they help cut them out too. We fit it in small bits of downtime and never let it become a big project. They're motivated to help because it it's something they want, they're much more likely to get it (eventually) when it's on sale and I have a coupon. lol

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Post #: 25

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 3/25/2011 12:41:01 PM

Phoenixpower

Posts: 8098
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here was another way how folks saved money...

damn I hadn't thought about that...and now its sort of too late

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/Shoppers-cash-Tesco-Price-yahoofinanceuk-2240009733.html

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Post #: 26

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 3/27/2011 6:26:33 AM

Hippiekinkster

Posts: 5512
Joined: 11/20/2007
From: Liechtenstein
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Off topic, but for the one or two people who might be interested, CandleScience is suspending their sales of Palm wax.
This is why...
I am impressed that they are socially and environmentally conscious. Obviously not republicans.

I will likely buy some of their remaining stock since it has already been harvested... I won't be adding to the destruction of the rain forests in Indonesia. I love how it looks and burns. It is the most beautiful wax there is.

Note that palm oil is in a lot of prepared foods like cookies etc. So when you buy that box of cookies you are probably helping to destroy the rainforest. Soy isn't much better, unless it comes from the US or Canada. Canola is best, it seems.

_____________________________

"We are convinced that freedom w/o Socialism is privilege and injustice, and that Socialism w/o freedom is slavery and brutality." Bakunin

“Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love.” Reinhold Ne

(in reply to Phoenixpower)

Post #: 27

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 3/27/2011 8:05:38 AM

porcelaine

Posts: 5020
Joined: 7/24/2006
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Hippiekinkster

Off topic, but for the one or two people who might be interested, CandleScience is suspending their sales of Palm wax.
This is why...

Thank you for the heads up!

Namaste,

~porcelaine

_____________________________

His will; my fate.

(in reply to Hippiekinkster)

Post #: 28

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 4/1/2011 5:15:16 PM

AlwaysLisa

Posts: 1088
Joined: 10/6/2006
From: Washington State
Status: offline

Well...I was really let down.

It seems that processed food is the biggest "coupon saver" for most stores, and since we only buy staples (coffee, sugar, flour, etc.), I'm not having alot of luck becoming a coupon diva. Paper goods rarely have good buys, but I did manage to save a bit on those, the food items though were a bust. Dry goods (beans, rice and pasta) were the next to save on...but I certainly spent more then six dollars, like the women in the programs :(

If we started using boxed and frozen prepared foods, this would work a whole lot better.

Not to mention, since the popularity of these shows, some stores are starting to change their coupon policies. Ah well, back to the drawing board.

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Post #: 29

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 4/1/2011 7:15:01 PM

DameBruschetta

Posts: 116
Joined: 1/10/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: porcelaine

quote:

ORIGINAL: peachgirl

I think in a way it does become a hobby for people...when I used to clip coupons I found it was time consuming and I was always irritated by the fact that the coupon I needed was never for the size/flavor/scent of what I wanted to buy.

That's precisely why I don't do it. The cost benefit is too low to justify the time allotment. I'd rather allocate my energy towards something with a bigger bottom line.

Namaste,

~porcelaine

Fast reply

The beauty of coupon clipping is you take it as far as you have time for. I spend about an hour doing it a week these days. Buy the sunday paper, look at sales, clip coupons, browse coupons online and make decisions on what I need to buy and what I can get a deal on that I should buy.

I save on average 200-400 a month, it depends on if I am at a point where I am restocking my pantry and how hard I want to try. If you are persistant there are some things you'll never have to pay for again without hardly any effort (like toothbrushes and toothpaste.) Each week I usually manage to pick up one or two items for free when combing sales & coupons. If I am not busy I'll check on a couple coupon blogs that might have picked up on a few good deals I have missed. These days I've been busier and I won't actually shop sales - just shop and check for coupons before I purchase. (Like the two free bottles of fabric softener I am picking up at Target tomorrow.) The only thing I ever pay full price for these days is really meat. I will occasionally buy on impulse or because I want x for dinner and x just isn't on sale. Coupon clipping can really make you overspend or buy things you need - but that is easily avoided by only clipping coupons for what you need on brands you usually use. Some people will ONLY buy what they can get coupons for, I just see them as a way to get the things I would already buy - but for less when I can. You could shop for $5 and get $200 but often I find its items I don't really want or need (like junky frozen food or air freshener or little things.) I do however very very rarely walk out of the grocery store and not have saved about 50%. For that reason I think its totally worth my time - 1-2 hours every grocery trip... $75-100 an hour for my effort. Worth it to me!

I keep my coupons organized in a binder full of currency protective pages, makes it easy to find what you want. I started off with a few pages for different sections but have branched out into areas and then items/brands to make searching easier.

If you are considering the whole coupon thing you might like some of the blogs I follow..

Jessicas Coupons
Money Saving Mom
Free Sample Freak
Coupon Geek
Freebies 4 Mom

For printable coupons make sure you check all the big names (coupons.com, smartsource, red plum) but some of the smaller ones like eatbetteramerica.com and don't forget target.com if you shop at target. A lot of your actual brands will offer coupons but you need to know where to look. (Thats why I love the blogs they often find the links for you.) A good bit of the printable target coupons are target coupons which means you can stack them with a manufacturer coupon (which is how I am picking up my free softener).

(in reply to porcelaine)

Post #: 30

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 5/15/2011 6:57:13 PM

DomImus

Posts: 2004
Joined: 3/17/2009
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: AlwaysLisa
We don't buy snacks or junk, and I don't see much in the way of savings for flour, coffee, sugar...but paper goods and cleaning supplies, oh yeah!

Evidently you can save on coffee, too. I just watched an episode of Extreme Couponing. The lady had some coupon that was something like $2 off on every small bag of coffee she purchased. We're talking about the really small almost sample sized bags. The bags sold for $1.69 each so she effectively made money on each one she purchased. Then she proceeded to clean the shelf entirely of every single bag there. I hope the next shopper didn't want to purchase a few of those. The sad thing was that she had her kids in tow helping her clear the shelves. Nice lesson to teach the youngsters.

I think it's great when anyone can find a way to save money on their shopping trips. Instead of using coupons in the spirit in which they are offered these people exploit the loopholes in the couponing process as some sort of game to see how much they can save and how much they can hoard. I'm not terribly impressed. It really borders on disgusting, if you ask me.

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Post #: 31

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 5/16/2011 2:52:55 AM

LadyConstanze

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Joined: 2/18/2005
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FR

You know if you got to do dumpster diving and all that, I think I pass on that, plus over here you usually have the restriction that you can use a coupon on one item and the purchase of the items is limited, if I want it anyway I will use a coupon, but seriously, using coupons and buying something cheap that you don't need or want because you have the coupon is far more of a waste.

Stuff that keeps well, I store when it's in the sales (toilet paper, kitchen rolls, tin cans...) but I tend to buy most food fresh from a farmer's market, no coupons there but quite cheap. You know like the one woman who has a spare bedroom to file and store her coupons - if they'd rent it out she'd possibly make more money and spend less time chasing coupons in dumpsters. Given the time it takes, to collect, search, organize coupons, I guess a job will pay you more...

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Post #: 32

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 5/16/2011 8:08:10 AM

flcouple2009

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FR

I passed by the show one evening and was just appalled by the crap that was passing for food.

Yes I saved all of this money and now I will go home and feed the family,
    40 yogurts
    20 packs of cheese
    20 snack pack puddings
    12 cans of Hunts Spaghetti Sauce
    Packs of prepackaged processed meats from Perdue and the like

Yes I saved all of this money so I can go home and feed my family crap. The one thing missing from all of these food list were any things like fresh vegetable or fruits.

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Post #: 33

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 5/16/2011 8:44:30 AM

Toppingfrmbottom

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I like the buy 1 get 1 free things. Or the 10for 4 buck sales. I got 6 sweet white corn on cobs once for a buck, that was a great deal here. But that's only thrifty if the items don't cost less individually or you actually use the item.

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RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 5/16/2011 9:34:48 AM

windchymes

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I'm a fan of anyone who can use coupons wisely. My niece recently posted in fb how she saved over $70.00 on $230.00 worth of groceries at Safeway, who doubles and triples.

Only thing about shopping at multiple stores these days, you have to factor in the cost of the gas you're using to travel to the various stores. No sense burning $1.00 worth of gas to save 50 cents. If you're in a large metro area where the stores are all relatively close together, no problem, but if you're 25 miles from the Walmart, and the grocery store is five miles from there, it's just cheaper to buy local.

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RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 5/20/2011 7:57:19 AM

graceadieu

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From: Maryland
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I've been trying to do the coupon thing for a while, but the Sunday Post rarely has coupons for the things I buy. We're both vegetarians and prefer to go for natural/organic foods and household products, so coupons for Charmin or Easy Mac or deli meat aren't much use to me. Also since it's just the two of us, big bulk coupons are a waste (like save some money on 12 yogurts - I can't even eat that many before they go bad!) I usually only end up saving enough to pay for the paper.

Does anyone have any tips on where I can get coupons for "natural living" type products like veggie burgers, all-natural detergent or Amy's brand soups?

(in reply to AlwaysLisa)

Post #: 36

RE: I wanna be a coupon diva! - 5/20/2011 12:09:29 PM

DameBruschetta

Posts: 116
Joined: 1/10/2010
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quote:

ORIGINAL: graceadieu

I've been trying to do the coupon thing for a while, but the Sunday Post rarely has coupons for the things I buy. We're both vegetarians and prefer to go for natural/organic foods and household products, so coupons for Charmin or Easy Mac or deli meat aren't much use to me. Also since it's just the two of us, big bulk coupons are a waste (like save some money on 12 yogurts - I can't even eat that many before they go bad!) I usually only end up saving enough to pay for the paper.

Does anyone have any tips on where I can get coupons for "natural living" type products like veggie burgers, all-natural detergent or Amy's brand soups?

Check their websites, email and ask, snail mail too. Many companies will send out coupons I'd you ask. Keep your eyes out on their facebook pages too.

(in reply to graceadieu)

Post #: 37

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