Shopping the Ads

Today is Wednesday.... that means the NEW Grocery Ads are out! Almost ALL the grocery stores run their weekly sales from Wed. to Tuesday (with the exception of Kroger, who does theirs from Sunday to Sunday - remember I live in the Southeast so your area MAY be slightly different)
This is the day that I look forward to almost as much as Sunday when the new coupons come out :-) I am going to try and break down the process of how I make my list to get the best deals on Food. (Getting the best deals on household and beauty items takes place on Sundays. That's a "whole nudda story")
First - Let's gather our materials
1) you got to actually GET your ads out of the mail box (or newspaper if you are on regular delivery)
        * I have streamlined my preferred places to Bi-Lo, Publix and Kroger. I do not bother even looking at the "other" ads that come, because after lots of research I do not feel they offer the best deals for me. This is something you will have to determine for you and your family. I should also note that Food Lion does have lots of BOGO's BUT they do not offer double coupons OR preferred customer perks AND their prices ARE slightly higher then my Preferred Stores 
2) Get 2 different color markers or pens
3) have your coupon folder/file/box/pile etc. handy
4) Comfy place to sit and save
There very first thing I do is take my pen and circle the items that jump out at me as I do a quick scan of the sales.  The items that get a circle are the ones that are BOGO or stand out as a good price. * at this point I know by heart what is a Ok, Good or Great prices for the things I buy most often. When I first got started I would take a little note pad and write down the prices of Milk, OJ, TP, detergent etc. and at what stores. *
Then I take time and go back through the ads with the 2nd color pen. At this point I really consider what I NEED and IF I have a coupon for the item. If I have a Coupon then I put a big C on the item. If it is a great deal or I really NEED the item then I will put a star on the item. The 3rd consideration is IF it is BOGO and I don't have a coupon OR NEED the item, is it still a good deal @ 1/2 price? DO we USE the item, Can it be stock piled? ust because something is BOGO does not mean you should run out and buy it. You will get the BEST deals when it is BOGO AND you have a Coupon, If the store double the coupon it can be even a better deal!
Next I get out the coupons and gather them into a "store specific" pile. When I go to the store I take my circled ad with me with the coupons already separated. You could make a list, but I am a visual person and like to see the picture of what I am buying.


* this brings me to another side note. I use binder clips to keep my coupons secure while I am in the store (will have to post some pics to really show you what I am talking about)
NOW at this point I may or may NOT run to the stores to gather my deals. If it is a super deal and I know that the store will sell out then I am more likely to run right out and get the item. Otherwise it will depend on our family schedule as to when I get to the store, however I do make an effort to get there before the weekend. I never go to the grocery store on the weekends.. (85% of Americans do their grocery shopping on the weekends)
PLEASE NOTE that when it comes to getting the best deals on your household items I very OFTEN run right out on Sunday Mornings to get the deals , because they are such a good deal that others will be there in the AM to get them too and the store often runs out of the advertised items. In fact I have seen other "coupon clippers" with their binders and list searching for the same items that I am often enough that I've even become friendly with a few.
So GO GET your ads and coupons and start your savings!

guess what.....

It's takes effort to save.

I like to share my freebies and deals with my friends. I'm cool like that :-)  I am currently working on my second $40 check from inboxdollars.com. Of course I have sent this site to my BFF to encourage her to save and earn some extra change for our famous shopping trips that last all day and cost way more then either of us tell our selves we will spend when we set out for the day.
 While chatting with her last night she told me that it was too much work to save money with inboxdollars... imagine my shock and dismay upon hearing this from one of the closes people in my life... Actually I completely understood what she was saying and KNEW that she would say this when I sent her the site. To tell the truth I was surprised that she even signed up at all. THIS brings me to the point of this blog....
Saving MONEY takes TIME and lots, lots, LOTS of EFFORT! but in the same sense so does getting up at the butt crack of dawn and going to work for someone else. I am not gong to tell you that "all ya gotta do is clip some coupons" and you'll see a huge difference in your grocery bill.... wait, that IS all ya gotta do for your grocery bill......ok, What I am trying to say is that you will find your self asking "is this really worth the effort" while you are scouring for discounts online and cutting your Sunday inserts. REST ASSURED my dear penny pincher's it WILL PAY OFF! There's an art to getting the best deals. The kinda deals like I just got where I went to CVS and got  $53.30 worth of items for $6.29 out of pocket AND had $10CVS dollars to spend in the future. But it all comes down to two simple questions. 1) Do you WANT to save $ and 2) are you willing to do what it takes to save the $?

Now I will admit up front that unlike my BFF who has a full time job, takes care of her invalid mother, two granddaughter's AND runs a household (to hold said people) I DO have more time to save money. I am lucky enough to be able to stay out of the traditional work force. I am what I like to refer to as a "Household Manager"...yeah, yeah I am a stay-at-home Mom with a dear husband that works hard so that I can be. HOWEVER; that does not mean we are wealthy. In fact it takes all the coupon clipping and frugality I can muster up just to justify me staying home. For us, me being here for our daughter was more beneficial then me being back in the lab working for "da man". Regardless of your financial standing it is always worth the effort to save money. When I see a $0.50 coupon I see 2 quarters. If you saw 2 quarters laying on the ground would you just walk by and ignore them? most people would scoop them up and put them in their pocket...that's what clipping coupons is all about...scooping up the change that the manufactures are willing to give you to buy a product that you would buy anyway.

2011 New Year MO Money in my pocket!

It's been awhile since I last posted...Hell, let's be honest it's been YEARS! I have still been cutting the coupons, sending in the rebates and saving the big dollars. We could say that I've gotten even BETTER then before, heck we WILL say it! In an effort to spread the love for staying home and saving money for my BFF's and the likes I am going to make a REAL effort to keep this blog updated. I have people ask me every day how to save the $ I do... well, maybe I can tell them to... "Go, to my blog and you'll see all the how to's"...maybe.

First, let's get this out of the way. I was NOT an English major in college. I may LOVE to read but I DO NOT love to put the appropriate effort into actually making sure this blog reads like a well written novel (Sorry Jennifer!). I will blog like I talk, with a little hood thrown in for good measure. For those of you who do not know me personally you'll just think I'm an idiot (which I am) and for those of you who DO know me (you lucky devils) you'll totally get the jab at humor I'm constantly striving for...
Peace!
Vicki