Work On It Wednesday - Coupon Workshop

I attended a couponing class given by Thrifty & Chic Mom. We met at a Panera Bread and filled the little back room. She said that 29 people told her they were coming and it was probably very close to that.
She gave us her tips on how to make the most of our coupons.
It is a different way of shopping. You buy when the sales are good on that product AND you have a coupon for it. Then if you have accumulated several coupons you buy as many of that item as you can.
Again...stockpiling is a very negative word for me...but saving money is not, and to a point I can make a place for these items.
I have been having several difficulties starting out. I don't really know what a "good price point" is yet on each item that says...."BUY IT NOW...YOU WON'T GET IT FOR LESS!!" Of course if it is free I understand that. But, one tip she gave me was that she never pays more than a $1 for a box of name brand cereal. So that helps me. So I see when a deal ends up that a box of cereal is going to be down to $1.69, I wait because it will go lower. (Or others will go lower than that)
If you have a chance to go to a couponing class where you live, I suggest that you go.

What are you working on? Add your name to the Mr. Linky and pick up my Button and keep in touch weekly.

Work On It Wednesday

I have to admit, this couponing business has been bigger than me. I have been good about clipping them out, but not as good at getting them in the notebook. I think it is a time thing. I just haven't fully worked it into my schedule. I am going to the store now and thinking, "Oh, I need that..but wait, I know I have a coupon at home for it, so I don't want to get it now, I am going to wait."
That can be a good thing and a bad thing. Decreases "impulse" buying, but there may be a lag in some of the things we could use that I am not getting. So maybe I am saving anyway? LOL
I am going to sit down and work on a list today and get it all together. This Saturday I am going to a class given by Thifty & Chic Mom on couponing. So I am hoping to pick up some more tips.
It gets overwhelming to me. I know that sounds really silly, but when you are looking at 3 or 4 store ads and you see the same product for sale, but one may be "buy one, get one free". Then another one is a certain amount off...etc. It is just getting it all coordinated and trying to figure out which is the best deal. Then deciding if it is a good deal to go to "that" store instead of "this" store because of location.
Share what you are working on with me. Add your name to the Mr. Linky and put the button on your Wed. posts and we can share along with you.

Guest Blogger - Ellen from Thrifty & Chic Mom

Ellen from Thrifty & Chic Mom is a blogger who I have had the privilege of meeting through our new local bloggers group. This is who is teaching me the art of "couponing". I told her I did NOT want to use coupons...I really didn't. I thought that I bought mostly generic and I saved more already than using coupons to buy name brand items!! (For those of you who haven't read before I have been kicking and screaming as I learn this coupon method of saving money.) She told me, "Sandy, I never pay for toilet paper, I don't pay for toothbrushes, I never pay more than a dollar for a name brand box of cereal." I was like,"What?...Are you kidding? Please tell me no...I don't want to do this!!!" But I am trying it and its not bad. It just takes some time, but I think once I get it down it will really be worth it. I am learning...but it is slow. I am thrilled because Ellen is going to put on a class locally to help us "coupon dummies" get the technique down. She has been featured on the local news several times and has it down. Her blog is one you want to follow if you want to save money.


Hi my name is Ellen and you can find me at Thrifty & Chic Mom.
I am thrilled today to share with you my money saving philosophy as it applies to coupons and hope it encourages you to take the plunge and start couponing and saving your family money.

As I continue on my journey of saving money and stretching my dollars farther I have slowly reshaped the way I shop and view my money. This attitude is constantly evolving but I am going to attempt to explain my thoughts, philosophy and methods in order to help you enjoy the benefits of saving money as I have.

This mainly refers to shopping grocery and household items but can be applied in other areas as well.

I regularly shop each week at 2 grocery store and 2 drug stores. Yes I know that is a lot of time and travel. This is only worth it if you have the stores all within a short distance and the time to do it. If you spend too much gas driving around the savings are not worth it. I am lucky and have Kroger, Giant Eagle, CVS and Walgreens all very close. Meijer is a bit farther but the deals are worth it for me to drive to.

Each week I look at the deals at my grocery stores and decide where I am going to shop at based on the store with the greatest number of applicable deals. All week I keep a running grocery list on my fridge which I update as I run out of basics. Then based on the items I have on hand and the deals running that week I make a meal plan and add the missing ingredients to my list. Next I take this list and add to it based on the items that are Great deals, these items are not necessarily for the upcoming week but are such a great price that they are to be stockpiled for the future.

I buy constantly for the future. By that I mean that by stocking up on items when they are on sale I already have them on hand when I need them. You should almost always buy when:

* it is a great deal
* you will use it at some time, now or in the future
* it is either non-perishable or freezer friendly
* it will not put you over your budget ( unless you have money to wiggle with)

If these criteria are met, buy as much as you can without blowing your budget. By stockpiling in this manner you will build a great supply to pull from in the future. This way you can plan your meals based on what you have and what is on sale. Planning your meals and shopping this way can drastically reduce your monthly bills.

A word of caution, if you wouldn't buy it normally don't buy it just because it is cheap. A great deal can suck you in but it doesn't have to. For example I do not buy most snack foods. So even if cookies are very cheap I still do not buy them because it does not help me save money if I buy things I normally wouldn't. I make snacks at home instead because it is cheaper and healthier for my family. Try to stick to your normal shopping list by saving money on those items you would usually buy, that is the best way to reduce your cost.

I also shop at both CVS and Walgreens for my household items and some grocery items. If the item is FREE I always get it ( as long as we will use it or it is good for donating). If it is cheap I check my stockpile and assess whether it is worth purchasing based on my future needs. Once again buying for the future is the key and not for now. Now should be already covered from past last weeks of shopping.

Hopefully this helps explain the way I shop and can help you develop your own shopping strategy. For more couponing and money saving advice please stop by Thrifty & Chic Mom.

Ford Invited Bloggers to the Columbus Auto Show

I was among 7 bloggers who were invited to the Columbus Auto Show to see their new cars and be educated about them. My invite came from Christina whom I would like to thank for thinking of me. You can read my post on my review site Organize with Sandy Reviews.
Please also visit the blogs of the other 6 attendees.

1) Christina - A Mommy Story
2)Ellen - Thrifty Chic Mom
3)Lisa - Condo Blues
4)Cheryl - Being Cheryl
5)Dan - Dan On It
6)Tara - Deal Seeking Mom
Ellen is on the left and Christina on right


From left: Lisa, Cheryl, Dan and Tara



Then onto the Hyatt for a lovely lunch.


Click on my Review button to read my full review on Ford.

Adventures in Couponing

For those of you I have discussed this with you know that I am getting into this kicking and screaming! I have tried using coupons in the past and my theory has always been that I can save more money buying generic than using the coupons.
After a meet up with some other Columbus blogging moms I decided I had to try it. See, one of our moms is Ellen from Thrifty Chic Mom. She is a couponing queen. But get this...2 of the moms who are going to try and come to our next meet up (this was our first) are both huge into couponing too! (I think it is a sign Sandy...you HAVE to try this). They are Marcy from Stretching a Buck and Tara from Dealing Seeking Mom.
Ellen told me, "I never pay for toilet paper, I never pay for toothbrushes." and she named a couple others...I was like, "What....How....huh????"

She gave us a little run down on how it works. (She has a tutorial on her site)
So I said I would try it. I knew I would have to make up a coupon notebook.(Kim from Crafty Mama of 4 did a guest post a couple weeks back about making up one, and Ellen also has one on her site.) That took me a most of Saturday to do. Make sure you get dividers that are wide enough to show past the edges of your baseball card holders. I also labeled my coupon pages at the bottom with a labeler to help divide them even better. Making it fast and easy to find your coupons will help in your over all experience.

Here are a few tips from me when you go on your first adventure:
* Do not take kids if at all possible (especially three 8 year olds! LOL)
* Do not pick a New grocery store to do your first adventure out because it is
bigger and has better selection (DH idea). I didn't know where anything was.
* Make sure you have it all planned out ahead of time. Do not try to figure out
what you are going to buy when you get there and then look for that coupon.
I did...and can't imagine if I had not had it planned out.

I am not sure how much money I saved. I mean I know I used about $15 in coupons that came off at the end. The receipt said I saved $67 (with Kroger savings). But I also know I bought things I wouldn't have. It will give us more food, for a longer time....so I guess that is good. I made sure things were less with sales and coupons than with generic. So that is all positive.
I still have to give this some time and feel like I get the system down before I can give it a full review. I have not tackled CVS or Walgreens yet. CVS seems even more confusing with the Extra Care Bucks.
We spent $199 (keep in mind we are buying for 7) which filled two carts (3 when bagged up). DH always likes to estimate what the total is when they are checking us out. He is usually pretty close. He guessed $280. (If you add that $67 he would have been close). He felt it was worth it. My decision is still out, but I will give it more time.
I am going to try and get some coupon resources on my site for you though. So watch for those. Coupon Queen I don't see in my future, but you never know. I have heard this is addicting.
The kids were trying to figure out why in the world I was taking a picture of the groceries! LOL

I have a guest post on Thrifty Chic Mom

Ellen from Thrifty Chic Mom is a coupon guru ladies! You have to check out her site. I met her at a meet up of several local bloggers and she has taught me the money I could be saving with using coupons. My argument has always been that I do not buy name brand foods and I can still get the generic cheaper. She informed me that by really learning how to use coupons you can actually get things free or for very low cost, less than the generic. So guess what...today I am working on organizing my coupon notebook and I am going to learn how to do this. Maybe I will have some posts on my progress with it.