If you've been following my couponing series, I promise I'll be getting to "Part Five" soon. It's been super crazy in this household with my birthday that was on the 31st and hubby has finals coming up and I haven't had a chance to finish the last part, so sorry about the delay on the final couponing post. But I wanted to take a quick second away from coupon talk and chat about this...
I'm going absolutely INSANE from starting over and trashing all the hard work I've done. I found the above picture/quote and I'm glad I came across it, I needed to see it. Last July when I started my One Year, 52lbs challenge to myself...so far, I've failed. I have NOTHING to show for it and that in itself is depressing and unacceptable.
My husband deserves a wife that strives to make herself better and a wife that won't end up leaving him before her time because of weight related health issues. My daughter deserves a Mother that will hopefully live to see the faces of her children's children but most of all, I deserve to be a better version of myself. I deserve to be healthy and so much more. Why I constantly do all this work, only to quit, is beyond me. All I know, is that I'm EXTREMELY tired of starting over.
I won't lie, I was ridiculously intimidated by starting the C25K program because I hate, hate, HATE jogging/running of any kind, I'm not in shape AT ALL and let me tell you, it was way less painful than I anticipated! WOO HOO! I actually laughed at my hubby (who was my time keeper) when he said that I was done. I thought he was on something because it felt like I had JUST started right when he told me I was done. So, if I can do this...YOU can DEFINITELY do this! ;-)
I might be absolutely crazy for starting both of these challenges on the same day, but I have to, I NEED to. I need to make a severe lifestyle change and I'm going to kick start it with these two things! :-)
I would LOVE it if any of you joined me throughout these two challenges. People lose weight and get healthier better if they have a support system! ;-)
Don't forget, I'm also on My Fitness Pal! Look me up: cblakley0531 :-)
P.S. - if anyone knows of a program that "piggy backs" off of C25K or is a continuation off of it, I'm on the lookout for one!! Thank you!
If you're just joining us, this is my FIVE part coupon help
series! Here are the topics, along with the first and second topics that has already
been covered, just click on any of the previous segments to head directly to that post.
PHEW! Was this information in this series a lot to take in or what?! Once you start putting all this awesome information
into practice, it will become a little easier and a little less intimidating.
Now
that you know the lingo, have your coupons, have chosen a method of organization, let's
move on to the next and last step...learning how to navigate a couponing blog. And the couponing blog I will be using today is....YOU GUESSED
IT...Fabulessly Frugal! It's the main site that I use to organize all of my coupons and shopping trips.
The great thing about the gals at Fab Fru is that they already have a video tutorial for learning how to navigate their blog!!! Keep in mind that they've updated a few things on their site since this video was made, so there will be a few things missing but you'll get the general idea from it. It's only a 9 minute video that will break down their site for you and hopefully all the things that I have gone over will start to make sense and fall into place a little more for you once you start watching it.
"Twice the Value (TTV)" coupons (is what they're known for at Albertson's), also knows as "Doubles" are sort of the equivalent of gold in the couponing world. Albertson's is known for offering them close to every other week and some stores like Safeway only offer doublers once or twice a year. The TTV coupons are actually what got my attention to want to start couponing more. What they are, are coupons that you can use to double the amount of any manufacturer's coupons of $1.00 or less. So instead of just getting a $1.00 off of the coffee creamer you've had your coupon for, when you double that coupon, you'll get $2.00 off that one item! Pretty freakin' awesome, huh?!
Here are some tips that I have for everyone - - -
#1 - It takes some time to REALLY start seeing the FULL savings of couponing. How long does it take? Well, again that depends on you and what kind of a stockpile you want to build. I generally only have a stockpile that would feed my family of 3 for three months. I don't like to go more than that because then you start running into things expiring or going past their shelf date, which is not what anyone would want, since you all worked so hard to build the stockpile in the first place, right?!
Once you have a good stockpile going, THAT'S when you'll start to see the big savings of couponing. When you have a stockpile, you'll shop from it for your snacks, meals and when you need a few ingredients here and there to go with the items that you pulled from your stockpile, you'll see your grocery bill get lower and lower. You'll want to keep replenishing your stockpile, but establishing it is the "hard" part. When you build your stockpile and find yourself struggling to keep up with the expiration dates, DONATE! :-) If you know you won't get to certain items, donate them before it's too late so that someone else can benefit from them and it will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside :-)
Here are a couple of videos on HOW to successfully stockpile:
#2 - Another important thing to keep in mind are the sale cycles. Every store has their own sale cycles and this video will tell you more about that:
#3 - Know and learn Coupon Ethics! Pretty please! I believe it is VERY important that we all continue to do couponing RIGHT and fight to educate those that abuse it, how to do it correctly. So, please do me a huge favor and take the time to read about Coupon Ethics :-)
#4 - Set a budget! Have some fun with the budget you created by participating in Fab Fru's 2012 Grocery Budget Challenge
**For my family of three, I have a budget of $250, which is actually pretty close to the average food budget for families of three.
Something to keep in mind when you set up your budget...what do you want to come out of that budget? For example, my $250 per month is for FOOD ITEMS ONLY. I know that when some set their budget, they include "anything they purchase from a grocery store" from cleaning products to cookware, etc. Just something to think about when you set up yours ;-) And if you go over your budget the first month, don't worry! :-) I would suggest keeping what you originally come up with for a couple months and then adjust accordingly :-)
#5 - Unless you're some super super couponing hero...you will most likely have quite a few left over coupons that go unused and expire. And that's OKAY! :-) For me personally, I kind of get knots in my stomach at the very thought of throwing coupons away that I took all the time to clip/organize, but you don't have to!! Yes, that's right, you DO NOT have to throw away our expired coupons and there's something good you can do with them. The Overseas Military Program is a great way for your expired coupons to get some extra "life".
For me, unfortunately I don't have to time to sign up for the program and I don't coupon enough to have enough expired coupons to justify paying the shipping to send them overseas, so what I did was contact the gals at Fab Fru and asked them if there was a read that was already set up to do the program, that I could just send my small amount of coupons so and I got in touch with a very sweet gal that does all the organizing and mailing of the coupons overseas after I send them to her :-)
Fab Fru doesn't just share grocery deals, they also show Snapfish, Amazon, Zulily and SO MUCH MORE. Click HERE to find out about more amazing, online deals.
#6 - Fab Fru, as GREAT as it is, isn't the only couponing site out there. Here are a couple more that I keep an eye on for more deals:
These are just a few of the sites that are out there and you can easily find more, especially if you have a Facebook account. You can probably find more sites that cater more to the areas that you live in too :-)
#7 - Plan out your shopping trips before you go and get your coupons organized! :-) This helps SO much when you get to the store so you're not scrambling to find things or try to remember what deals you were hoping to get. Have back up plans! I don't know how many times I've gone to the store hoping for the items I wanted, only to get to the store and see them all sold out :-( It sucks, but it happens, so have a back up plan before you leave the house, unless you're amazing at thinking on your feet and improvising ;-)
#8 - Fab Fru doesn't always catch EVERY deal out there because some stores are different and sometimes mark stuff down at one Albertson's but not at another. So, browse the clearance stuff, you'll never know, you might find an item for free or even better - a money maker! :-)
Are you excited?? STILL overwhelmed?? Do you have more questions??
Please
don't hesitate to comment on this post with any questions or concerns,
etc (I can directly reply to your comments as long as your blogger
account
isn't set as "no reply blogger" - take a look at my comment form to find
out more details on that). Or, you can email me directly at
cblakley0531@gmail.com - Just in case your email gets sent to my SPAM
folder, write "Couponing 101 Post" in the subject line so I know you're
not a spammer :-)
**Disclaimer: I was in no way paid by FabuLESSly Frugal to write this series for my readers. I honestly just love couponing and this site THAT much. I wanted to share all my new knowledge with you!**
If you're just joining us, this is my FIVE part coupon help
series! Here are the topics, along with the first and second topics that has already
been covered, just click on any of the previous segments to head directly to that post.
-
- This method is best for those of you that aren't sure if you want to
get heavily involved in couponing or just want to start out small, then
work your way up. I personally never tried this method, because I knew I
was going to absolutely want to learn how to coupon, no matter how long
it took me to figure it out. I jumped straight to the next method...
-
- You can find the baseball card holders in most office supply stores
or office supply sections in your grocery stores or you can even find
them online for some great prices. Check out Amazon.com for bulk sets.
- - You can see how Monica, from Fabulessly Frugal., organized her coupon binder HERE
but I organized mine a little differently (when I actually used this
method - I use a different one now) to cater to my family's needs. My
organization went like this...
Main tabs (with sub tabs underneath):
FOOD
Baking Goods/Cooking
Beverages
Frozen
Refrigerated
Canned
Boxed
Pantry
PERSONAL CARE
Body Care
Feminine Hygiene
Shampoo/Conditioner (Hair Care)
CLEANING
Air Fresheners
Laundry
Cleaning Supplies
OVER THE COUNTER (OTC) MEDS
GAMES/TOYS
- - Here is a picture of what my binder looked like...
**If
you want to organize your binder differently to where it makes more
sense to you, I ENCOURAGE it! :-) I know that there are some couponers
out there using this method, that organize their binders according to
the order of the aisles in the store that they shop at the most**
**I
don't recommend taking on this type of method until you become SUPER
comfortable and organized with your couponing, know how to navigate
couponing blogs like Fabulessly Frugal., understand all the "lingo", and
have some successful shopping trips under your belt to get the hang of
things. Like I mentioned before, I started couponing with the baseball
card method back in Aug 2011 and I JUST converted my binder to the
"clip-less" method last weekend**
- - Here is what my binder NOW looks like...
You
might notice that my binder has a few different things going on. In the
front, you'll see my "clip-less" organization with the inserts divided/stuff in the sleeves and then behind that,
you'll see that I still have all my tabs from the Baseball Card Holder
Method. Since I just started this new method, it's going to take some
time for my clipped coupons to disappear. However, I don't plan on FULLY
getting rid of the baseball card holders because that's how I'm going
to choose to organize my printable online coupons.
You'll need page/sheet protectors like these for the "clip-less" method...
I'll stop here for today! :-) I just really want to say THANK YOU for those of you that are taking the time to read this! I worked really hard to put this series together for you and I really hope that you can take something away from it! I know how much I appreciated having the help to get started and I hope you feel the same :-)
Please
don't hesitate to comment on this post with any questions or concerns,
etc (I can directly reply to your comments as long as your blogger
account
isn't set as "no reply blogger" - take a look at my comment form to find
out more details on that). Or, you can email me directly at
cblakley0531@gmail.com - Just in case your email gets sent to my SPAM
folder, write "Couponing 101 Post" in the subject line so I know you're
not a spammer :-)
**Disclaimer: I was in no way paid by FabuLESSly
Frugal to write this series for my readers. I honestly just love
couponing and this site THAT much. I wanted to share all my new
knowledge with you!**
If you're just joining us, this is my FIVE part coupon help series! Here are the topics, along with the first topic that has already been covered, just click on Part ONE to head directly to that post.
Today's post is going to be "lighter" than yesterday's since I threw quite a bit of information at you ;-)
So, now that you know some lingo and have other information about couponing, where in the heck do you even start?! Well, start by collecting
coupons, of course! hehehe! There are two places you can find coupons.
The first place, by grabbing your Sunday newspaper!
For me, it's the
Spokesman Review, for Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle it's The Olympian, The News
Tribune, etc. For deals on The Olympian or The News Tribune to have
these papers delivered straight to your door so you won't have to fight
for them at gas stations or news stands...go HERE.
Paying for a subscription might be something that you'll want to wait
on until you really get the hang of couponing because you might not feel
like it will be worth paying that until you know how to maximize your
savings with couponing. For our family, we just buy 2 newspapers a week
at a nearby gas station unless it's a "doubles" week - which I'll get
into later what "doubles" are - where we buy upwards of 4 papers at a time :-)
Here are my newspapers I just bought this last Sunday.
What
I'm going to do now, is walk you through the anatomy of your newspaper, what to look for, what to keep, what to RECYCLE (please, please, please
recycle - you will be going through a lot of paper each week), and more.
What you're looking for in your papers are the coupon inserts. Here are the ones that I found in last weeks paper...
Looks like an entire booklets of ads, BUT WITH COUPONS!! :-)
There are four different types of coupon inserts to
look out for Red Plum (RP), Proctor & Gamble (PG), SmartSource
(SS) and General Mills (GM). With the Spokesman Review, there's an
insert called "PARADE" which will sometimes had a random coupon in it
from time to time. Here is what the PARADE looks like...
While you're looking for your inserts in each paper,
you'll run across all kinds of store ads, etc. Only pull out the ones
that you think you'll need or for places you shop at regularly. The adds I usually like to keep are the local grocery store ones. Or it I know I might be visiting Best Buy sometime during the week, I'll keep that one too :-)
Unless
there are in store coupons in the ads, I only keep one copy of that
particular ad. For example, you don't need two of the same Best Buy ad,
since they're identical ;-)
Here's a quick 2 minute video from Fabulessly Frugal where Monica goes through her Sunday paper, just to kind of reiterate what I explained above and to give you a bit more of a visual...
The second place, an online coupon database like Coupons.com (which is the site I trust THE most). I won't really take any time to go over internet coupons, but for more info, visit Coupon Printing 101. The Printing 101 explains it just like I would :-)
Hope you enjoyed today's couponing segment and that you're looking forward to more!!
Please
don't hesitate to comment on this post with any questions or concerns,
etc (I can directly reply to your comments as long as your blogger
account
isn't set as "no reply blogger" - take a look at my comment form to find
out more details on that). Or, you can email me directly at
cblakley0531@gmail.com - Just in case your email gets sent to my SPAM
folder, write "Couponing 101 Post" in the subject line so I know you're
not a spammer :-)
**Disclaimer: I was in no way paid by FabuLESSly
Frugal to write this series for my readers. I honestly just love
couponing and this site THAT much. I wanted to share all my new
knowledge with you!**
Have you thought about trying to coupon but don't know where to start? Do those three bullet points above make you cringe? Are you wanting to give couponing a try but not sure where to start?
Well, I just may have the answers for you!! Welcome to my FIVE part blog series on COUPONING! YAY!
What I'm going to try, is to do my best to lay couponing out simply, with the help of the amazing Fabulessly Frugal couponing blog, in five segments.
- - Part ONE: Coupon Lingo and More (covering in today's post)
- - Part TWO: Getting Started/Collecting Coupons
- - Part THREE: Coupon Organization and More
- - Part FOUR: Learn How To Navigate Coupons Sites/Blogs
- - Part FIVE: Wrapping It Up!
Let me just start off by saying that 99.9% of everything I'm going to share with you today, I learned from Fabulessly Frugal's website and their 90 Minute Couponing DVD, along with the help of my good friend Kat who helped me conquer my "fear" of couponing by taking me on my first shopping experience to help me get over that first time fear of putting all my work into action. So, if you want to bypass my post or you already have a start up knowledge of couponing and feel good about heading directly to their website to learn...please do! It's an amazing resource! :-)
The information I share about couponing will be pretty specific to the Eastern Washington/Idaho area as far as newspaper names, deal, etc but the all around idea is the same for almost everyone. The creators of Fabulessly Frugal. all live in Boise, Idaho so just know that all the information on their site as far as coupons, store lists, etc won't always be the same for everyone across the country.
**WARNING: If you can, set aside time to go through and process this couponing series. Also, grab some coffee, get comfortable and have a pen and paper because this is going to be long and extensive! If you need to take a lot of breaks, please do it! This is going to be a lot of information to process over the entire series, but I'm here to help!! It might become a little overwhelming, but again, I'm here to help you! You're not going to see IMMEDIATE results, because couponing takes some time getting used to. I'm doing this series for all of you that have asked about my couponing adventure and I would love to share it. So, here we go!!!! YAY!**
I will promise you right now, I was sitting right where you are a few months ago, completely overwhelmed and not sure where to start. What I wish I could do is take all of you to a grocery store and show you first hand on how to use your coupons in a real life setting like my friend Kat did, but I'll do my best to give you all the tools you'll need to do it without me :-)
Before we really get down to the nitty gritty I want to clarify some things and talk about some couponing "myths".
#1 - If you've seen the show Extreme Couponing....get that out of your mind RIGHT this second. That show is a HORRIBLE example of what couponing is REALLY all about. In fact, it's that very show that is making it harder for people like us, that respect couponing and others that do it as well, because stores are really cracking down and making almost impossible policies to use our coupons to their fullest. When you watch that show, you see people dragging around dozens of carts, getting 20 of the same item per transaction, clearing shelves of all one item, etc. That's not what I'm going to teach you how to do. The community of people that I've become a part of at Fab Fru and other sites are NOT "shelf clearers", most of us only have a stock pile that will last about 3 months at a time (3 months is about the average cycle that items go back on sale), I have yet to run into anyone that make additions to our houses or take over basements to store the insane amount of items that the people on Extreme Couponing have (most only have pantries), because it's NOT necessary. What the creators of that show don't tell you, is that almost every store on that show, drop their coupon policies for the sake of getting exposure from the media. Period. If you respect the use of coupons, respect other shoppers using coupons, and don't try to abuse coupons by making multiple copies, or by trying to use them for an item that it doesn't work for, store employees will love you and appreciate you and you'll come to enjoy the process.
#2 - Does it take a lot of time to coupon? That depends on where you're at with your experience. There is a drastic difference between the time it takes when you first start couponing vs. when you finally have the hang of it. For me, I felt like the setup of getting ready to coupon took FOREVER! Once I started to become more familiar with it, I took about 2-3 hours a week clipping coupons, organizing them, and creating my shopping lists. As time went on, my prep time slowly decreased. Now I feel like I'm the most efficient I've ever been, because this week, I only spent 15-30 minutes organizing my coupons, meal planning and creating my shopping lists. Couponing in 15 minutes?! I'm crazy right!? If you don't believe me, just watch this video...
#3 - YOU. CAN. DO. THIS!!! I'd be lying if I told you that I picked couponing up fast...I most certainly did not. To this very day, I'm still learning A LOT of things! I can promise you, that by the end of this post, you'll know where to find coupons and hopefully know which method of organization you will use for them, at the very least! I hope you take in and absorb everything...but of course, you won't know how much you'll take away from this series, until you're done reading all the info I share with you.
#4 - Will you use every single one of the coupons you find? No. There are a lot of coupons that end up expiring because I don't use them. Do those expired coupons go to waste? Absolutely not, if you don't want them to :-) I'll explain later what you can do with those unused or expired coupons.
#5 - Is all this preparation, organizing, clipping and couponing really worth it?? Well, that depends on YOU :-) If you are willing to make the commitment and want to become efficient, it is VERY worth it. Do you still save tons of money even if you're spending all this money on newspapers, gas to drive to the store, printer ink from printing online coupons, etc?? As long as you're not driving 2 hours each way to get to your nearest store, absolutely! And since I haven't done the math, you may also be saving tons even if you have to drive 2 hours each way to get back and forth to your nearest store.
#6 - Aren't a lot of the coupons that come out for mostly processed foods, etc? There are a lot of coupons out there that have quite a bit to do with pre-packaged, processed foods. For some people, that's not a big deal for others, it is. However, there are also just as many coupons out there for non-processed and pre-packaged foods. With food, most of it is okay in moderation, especially when serving suggestions are followed. BUT, if you're one of the ones out there that tries to stray away from pre-packaged or proccessed foods, Fabulessly Frugal. also includes produce and other sales per store, freezer meal recipes, and so much more! Again, I'll share all the awesomeness of Fabulessly Frugal. later ;-)
Now onto some good stuff!!! :-)
Couponing Lingo - yep, it's true, us crazy couponers have our own little "language" haha! Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in no time. But it is definitely necessary to cover the lingo now, so you can follow what I talk about later.
**This list is copied directly from Fabulessly Frugal.'s site. HERE is the direct link to the list I'm about to share**
HERE IS A LIST OF THE “Lingo” THAT MAY BE CONFUSING YOU!!
These are the inserts that you find in the Sunday paper:
SS – Smart Source PG -Proctor & Gamble RP -Red Plum or Valassis GM - General Mills insert (in Treasure Valley, the Idaho Press Tribune does not get this insert).
These will often times be coupled with a date that reflect the date of
the paper they came out of. Ex: RP-1/4/09-Red Plum insert from the Jan
4th paper.
Store Lingo
SCR – Single Check Rebate (Rite Aid) +UPs or +UP Rewards or UPR – Rite Aids version of a “catalina” or “register reward” VV – Video Values Coupons (Rite Aid) 7-day coupon- coupon found in Walgreens weekly ad RR – register rewards, catalina that prints out at
Walgreens when you buy specific products with a $ amount good for your
next shopping trip. Twice The Value Coupon aka: Doublers – Albertsons store
coupon that allows you to “double” up to three coupons per transaction.
Coupons must be valued at $1.00 or less. Round Up - Albertsons new promotion they are testing in
the Idaho market. All coupons rounded up to $1.00. No limit to the
amount of coupons you can use, and you don’t have to show them anything
to have the coupons rounded up. Wags- Walgreens Drug Store Albies: Albertsons grocery store Fredies or Freds: Fred Meyer grocery store EB or ExtraBucks- CVS ‘s version of a “catalina” or “register reward”
Types of Coupons
Catalina- Click for detailed info- basically it’s a printable coupon that is handed to you with your receipt at the store. Peelies- peel off coupons found on products at stores Blinkies-found in the aisle at the store spitting out of the blinking black box MC or MQ- manufacturers coupon IP- Internet printable coupon
Oh and There’s More
B1G1 -Buy One Get One Free WYB -When You Buy B2G1-Buy 2 Get One Free FAR- free after rebate MIR – Mail In Rebate OOP- out of pocket Stack- refers to using two coupons for 1 purchase (ex. 1 store coupon and 1 MC) YMMV- your mileage may vary (meaning in some stores this deal will be applicable, but you may have trouble trying it with others OYNSO – On Your Next Shopping Order
I'm going to stop here for today's couponing lesson. Keep an eye on my blog for the next four days to get the rest of the couponing series!
Didn't want the lesson to end? Want to look at more couponing stuff? Head on over Fabulessly Frugal. and look around their site. Just remember, there are still 4 more parts to this series, and I will be going over a lot (as well as navigating Fabulessly Frugal.), so if you have questions, write them down and save them until at least tomorrow, because you just never know what I'm going to cover next ;-)
Already have some questions, concerns, need more clarification about this lesson???
Please
don't hesitate to comment on this post with any questions or concerns,
etc (I can directly reply to your comments as long as your blogger
account
isn't set as "no reply blogger" - take a look at my comment form to find
out more details on that). Or, you can email me directly at
cblakley0531@gmail.com - Just in case your email gets sent to my SPAM
folder, write "Couponing 101 Post" in the subject line so I know you're
not a spammer :-)
**Disclaimer: I was in no way paid by FabuLESSly
Frugal to write this series for my readers. I honestly just love
couponing and this site THAT much. I wanted to share all my new
knowledge with you!**
Hope all of you that are Mothers are having an A-MAZING Mother's day or if you're not a Mom, I hope you took the time to wish her well and send your love! :-)
I FINISHED Bloomsday! 7.46 miles of amazing-ness :-)
For those of you that know me well, you know how huge of a deal this was for me. It was one of the most amazing, painful, exciting experiences of my life and it was worth every SECOND!
What I love even more is that we've made it an entire family tradition with my Inlaws and I already can't wait for next year now that I have a time to beat! :-)
This was by far one of the most mentally challenging things I've ever experienced. I was definitely put to the test and I'm amazed at myself for being able to push through everything to get to the finish line. I couldn't have done it without the support of everyone, but mostly, I can't thank my husband enough for supporting me the most! Thanks to all of you for all the well wishes and the congratulations...you have no idea how much it meant to me. I know it seems kinda corny that I'm making a big deal out of this...but it really was a HUGE deal for me :-) It's still weird to say that I survived a 12K race and never once wanted to quit!! haha!
Here is my Bloomsday experience through photos.....
The day before the race, registered and got my number! :-)
This was so cool! If anyone threw an article of clothing in a tree the entire course, the items were donated!
The whole gang, minus my Mother in Law - the photographer lol
