Beginners: Start Here

While I can write posts about Couponing 101 and how to save more at the grocery stores, I find that the majority of posts out there are sufficient enough and basically all cover the same concept of helping beginners learn how to save more. Here is a list of my favorites that can help you along the way if you are new to couponing or need a refresher!

Read Grocery Store Savings Secrets to get the most for your buck.

You can start by learning how to use the Couponmom's system of how to save money by watching this short video.

Coupon lingo is a must as there are so many acronyms out there and making sense of it all at 1st can seem daunting. Ginger has compiled an extensive list that can help you sort through the language of coupons.

HotCouponworld has the best and most comprehensive lists available:

Coupon 101 for Complete Beginners

Coupon 102 for Trading,Rebates & Tracking your Savings

Coupon 103 for Rebates, Refunds & Special Promotions

Slickdeals has a great thread on CVSing for Beginners here.

Need help with Walgreens? Get the basics here.

Hopefully this list will serve as helpful tool that will encourage you on your Frugal Path!!

Overwhelmed?

Since I started blogging, it has become almost an obsession for me at times. And a hard one to keep up with too when you have a full time job and a family to take care of all at the same time.

You feel as though you have to "Keep up with the Jones'es". Some days I feel so completely overwhelmed and wonder how do they do it all and sometimes I feel as though I should just let the blog go.... then I see all the readers and their emails and then I feel guilty as if I would be letting my readers down.

And yes, the deals are always there no matter where you turn- there are fabulous blogs out there that do an amazing job of keeping each other up to date for the frugal minded. Which is why when I read Marianne's post about "Competition & Greed not apply", it touched upon a very real sense of being for me and I thought each one of us should read it! She's such an AMAZING writer and I always enjoy her posts which are thought provoking and this one definately was worthwhile.

I know firsthand myself about feeling overwhelmed with it all and trying to get it all done at the sake of sitting at the computer almost all day! There's too many great deals and it seems as though there is a race to get the word out and compete to get the best deals and such and if you don't succeed, you feel as though it isn't worthwhile. But we all count for something I realized, no matter what stage we are in at this time.

A wise blogger once emailed me: The blog/deals will always be there, but the moments/family life won't! And don't sweat the small things in life!

As Marianne wrote:
"Can you overdo all this deal-making, couponing, and CVSing? Well, yes, I believe you can. If its consuming your time to the point that you're missing out on life, then you may well be."

So, yes... while there are days that I feel like giving up, I am like anyone else. I am no super mommy, just me and I'll learn as I go and hopefully learn more in the process as I go along!

Ways to Save @ The Grocery Store

While I have received many requests as to why I don't have a "Coupon 101" list, I feel there are many posts out there that have been written that already do a great job at the basics. I will however choose my favorites and post at the sidebar this weekend so that newcomers can get the information that is so imperative to learning to save!! Look for my link list shortly!!

Meanwhile here is a short list of ways that you can implement to help you save @ the supermarket:

1. Be sure to plan ahead before going to the grocery market:

Check your local sales ads and favorite sales blogs before making your grocery lists out to see what's on sale.

2. Gather/Clip your coupons:

Match up your coupons with the sales. There are plenty of sites that do the matching up for you:

Coupon Mom
Becentsable
The Grocery Game

Or print coupons online:

Coupons.com
Smartsource.com
Coolsavings.com
Boodle.com

(Try and go to markets that double the manufacturer coupons to double the savings! )

3.Try the store brand instead of the name brand items.
Believe it or not, sometimes there really isn't a difference other than the price. For instance, I actually prefer the Pathmark brand of loaf bread to stroehmann bread as it is so soft and fresh!

4. Check unit prices per size vs cost.
This can sometimes make a really big difference in derterming whether the price is good for the value! More doesn't alway mean better savings. Stay informed and you'll save more.Do you know the difference between an item price and a unit price? If not, you can get more details here.

5. Buy your meats in bulk family packs and separate into smaller packs for freezer storage.

6.If an item is on on sale for example 3/$5, you don't always have buy the full 3 items unless stated "You Must Buy 3".
Example: That pasta that is advertised at 3/$5 is really only $1.66 wyb buy just 1.

7.If an advertised item is out of stock, get a raincheck! Most stores will issue you a raincheck for the sale price so that you can the item for that price.

A few more tools to help guide you as well!

Newbies can start here with HCW's Couponing 101 article.

Track all of your rebates with an Online Rebate Tracker .

Start a Grocery Price Book .You can download and print your own. ( I actually have this spreadsheet!)

Download a Grocery Savings Tracker and a Stockpile Calculator here to help keep you aware of your savings and needs.

Do you have any ideas or tools that you use?

SwapTree

With our financially economy at the present moment, needless to say that buying high priced DVDs, video games and CDs are a careful expenditure to say the least. My one daughter loves CD's and the other one loves video games but we really don't have "budgeting money" put aside for their hobbies which can range from $20 for a single CD or $30 for a new game which in about a month they are already tired of and a new artist has come out by or the newest game craze!

Which is why I'm glad we've discovered Swaptree which actually helps you save money! At Swaptree you can trade the books, DVDs, video games and CDs you have for the ones you want, for free. You simply list the items that you have to trade and the items that you want and Swaptree’s two and three-way trade algorithms instantly shows you all of the items you can receive in trade.

With Swaptree, parents/kids can just list what they are no longer interested in and trade them for the items they want now.

Swaptree even makes the mailing process simple, by providing you with a postage label that can be printed right from your computer, so you never have to go to the post office.

Swapptree, not only saves you money and allows you to discover new authors and artists, it is also environmentally friendly by reducing consumption and promoting sharing and recycling (good for going green!).

ShortCuts.com

I just recently came across a great free website with a unique idea on coupons. Shortcuts.com (a service of AOL) is a totally paperless and free online coupon service that links coupons electronically to your grocery store loyalty cards.

At this time there are only selected participating stores such as Kroger ( which owns Ralph’s, Fry’s, King Soopers, etc).

The concept is to go and choose the coupons you want and they get linked onto your store savings card so you don't have to clip them or forget about a coupon! I wish they had ShopRite on their list!!

You can also view the online store circulars to match the coupons with the sales as well as a on line shopping list for you to create all in one place! Talk about convenient! I can't wait till they get to my area!

Since none of the stores listed are in my area, I'd love to know if anyonehas tried this service before? If so, let us know how you like it or if it has helped you!

Your Very Own Personal Shopper

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to have our very own personal shopper. One who knows what sizes are just right, what kind of clothing we will actually wear, the brands we love and most of all-- Frugal Minded!

Sounds too good to be true? I've found a site that does all that and more for FREE. Are you looking to be Fashionable and Stylish all while saving money? Then read on:

From J.Crew to Old Navy and Gap to Levi's, Shop It To Me will email you as soon as the stuff you love becomes marked down or available at a significant discount. Whether it be bags or blouses, shoes or super-hot frocks, once you sign up for "sale mail," you're on your way to never paying full price again.

It's like having a personal shopper who gives a private heads up on all your favorite merchandise -- better than a sample sale! Perhaps best of all -- users, on average, save over 40% by using Shop It To Me.

Another great feature? The site is also great for Moms looking for great deals for Kids or Maternity clothing!

All you have to do is sign up and then you get to pick which stores you would like to be notified of upcoming sales. You then pick the items that interest you, be it Jeans to Khakis to skirts and the like. You then pick your sizes and voila! You'll receive updated emails (you choose the frequency of the email alerts) with the items you chose when they go on SALE without ever leaving your home or scouring the internet!

And if you change a size or the kiddies grew over the summer, no worries, you can change your preferences/sizes/stores at anytime in your account.

For me, I've already gotten a few great deals at Old Navy that I otherwise would not have known about or even missed!!

If a store isn't listed that you are interested in, just keep checking back as I was told by them when I requested a certain store, that they are always looking for and adding new stores frequently!

Now go and treat yourself to your very own affordable luxury and then sit back and relax. Let someone else find the sales for you!

Coupon Resources

Sales Price Cheat Sheet:

When I go shopping, sometimes there's some confusion as to when an item is listed 4/$5 or 5/$3 etc. and how much the item costs by itself. Of course the marketers want to you purchase said amount and it may seem like a great deal ,but sometimes it may or may not be.

I'm not much of a mathematician so I used to carry around a small calculator to help figure out the cost quickly- to see whether it really was worth buying at the indicated amount.Then I found a Cheat Sheet that broke it all down for me making it quite quicker and I refer to it a lot, in fact, I printed it out and have a copy in my Couponizer so I'm never without it! It's become an invaluable tool that helps me save more by making smarter decisons :

Sale Price Cheat Sheet Breakdown:

2/$1 = $0.50
2/$2 = $1
2/$3 = $1.50
2/$4 = $2
2/$5 = $2.50
2/$6 = $3
2/$7 = $3.50
2/$8 = $4
2/$9 = $4.50
2$10 = $5

3/$1 = $0.33
3/$2 = $0.66
3/$4 = $1.34
3/$5 = $1.66
3/$6 = $2
3/$7 = $2.33
3/$8 = $2.67
3/$9 = $3
3/$10 = $3.33

4/$1 = $0.25
4/$2 = $0.50
4/$3 = $0.75
4/$5 = $1.25
4/$6 = $1.50
4/$7 = $1.75
4/$8 = $2
4/$9 = $2.25
4/$10 = $2.50

5/$1 = $0.20
5/$2 = $0.40
5/$3 = $0.60
5/$4 = $0.80
5/$6 = $1.20
5/$7 = $1.40
5/$8 = $1.60
5/$9 = $1.80
5/$10 =$2

6/$1 = $0.17
6/$2 = $0.33
6/$3 = $0.50
6/$4 = $0.67
6/$5 = $0.83
6/$7 = $1.17
6/$8 = $1.33
6/$9 = $1.50
6/$10 =$1.67

7/$1 = $0.14
7/$2 = $0.29
7/$3 = $0.43
7/$4 = $0.57
7/$5 = $0.71
7/$6 = $0.86
7/$8 = $1.14
7/$9 = $1.29
7/$10 =$1.43

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Keeping Track of your Rebates Online:

Do you need to remember how much money you've saved using rebates, and which ones are still pending? Or maybe how much you actually paid for items after rebate, coupons, and postage costs are deducted? This freeware will enable you to better track your rebate mailings. After entering the what, where, when, and how much of your rebates, you'll have a clear record of your rebate activity, as well as the net costs of your purchases.

Download Rebate Tracker Here.

*Please Note: Theses resources Came from HCW that I myself do utilize and wanted to share with you!!

Do you have a "Tool" that you use or find helpful in Couponing? Let us know about!!

Money Saving Monday

A surefire way to help you save money is by making "to do" lists believe it or not. If you take the time to plan out your bills, shopping list, tasks, etc. you accomplish more things and become focused on what needs to get done effectively. There are different types of lists and each one can play a part in helping you to save.


Types of To Do Lists

The Shopping List:
Ultimately helps you save money by making out a list of what you need or on sale before going to the store to help you resist costly "impulse buys".

The Budget:
When you have a list made out of all your bills/payment dates/amount due/debts,etc. this helps you to keep track of your finances and gives you many opportunities to see where you can potentially save money and in what categories.


The Daily Tasks:
We all have things that need to get done on a daily basis and sometimes this can seem overwhelming. However,if you break them up into small tasks thru out the day/week you feel a sense of accomplishment and self worth. Checking off each item that gets done on the list just feels good and helps to keep your busy life on track.

There are numerous free online "To Do" Lists that offer pre made lists for all occasions and some even have added benefits such as email or sending text to your cell phone. Here are few worth taking a look at:

Tadalist offers a nice selection of simple list with the ability to share your lists with anyone.

Remember the Milk offers many ways to access your lists, even through google and makes adding a task easy wherever you are

Toodledoo this site has a special tool for procastinators to help customize a schedule to make the most of your time

While these are just a few ways to help you organize your time it helps in the overall savings strategy by helping you stay on track of it all.

What ideas have you come up with to save money? I'd love to hear about!