Organic and Healthy Coupon Roundup

I love love looove coupons for fresh, healthy and organic products. If you don't like getting a lot of offers/junk in your email, I suggest starting a new couponing email account. Here are some coupons I have found:

• Stonyfield Farm -register on this website and get a load of coupons on organic dairy products
• Stonyfield Contest - Enter the contest and get a $1.50/1 half gal. milk coupon! You may also be able to get it by "like"-ing them on Facebook. There are lots of coupons for this company so just poke around!
• Annie's Homegrown Facebook - "like" them on Facebook and get coupons!
• Seventh Generation Coupons - register and save
• Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes - join their "Tomato Connoisseurs Club" and get a coupon
• Kashi - no printable coupons at the moment but they have a recycling program that leads to coupons
• Dave's Killer Bread - okay, okay... no coupons but this bread came highly recommended to me (thanks Deanna!) and I haven't looked back. It is so SO yummy! I usually buy it at Costco because it's $3.50 a loaf (two pack) and that is the cheapest price I have found. Seriously, try it.
• Pacific Natural Foods - sign up and save. I swear by their stocks and their creamy tomato soup!
• Whole Foods Market Coupons - I can't step foot into Whole Foods without wanting to buy everything in sight. Luckily Whole Foods has coupons and specials. If you have one close and  you have some self control, check out the coupons.
• Odwalla $0.55/1 coupon - Yay! Go here and print off a couple of coupons and then head over to Safeway before 6/15 and get them on sale. Odwalla is a part of the buy 8 participating products, get $0.50 off each item promotion. Making Odwalla $1.50 wyb 8 products. Add a $0.55 coupon to that and you get Odwalla for less than a dollar! (woot!)
• Cascadian Farm Coupon - sign up and get a $1 off coupon
• Organic Valley Coupons
• Mambo Sprouts Coupons - awesome selection of coupons including Organic Valley, Country Choice Organic and R.W. Knudsen
• $1/1 Jovial Einkorn or Gluten-Free Cookies
• Drisoll's - sign up and get $0.50/1 Driscoll's raspberries. And Safeway has them buy one, get TWO free!
• Newman's Own
• The Hain Celestial Group Coupons - no coupons right now but they have coupons for products like Maranatha nut butters, Terra, Imagine, etc.
• Imagine Foods Coupon $1/2
• Earth's Best Coupons - great baby products
• Green and Black's Coupon - $1/1 coupon for "like"-ing them. Yay Fair Trade chocolate!

Giving Back

Photo found at http://www.wishuponahero.com/

One aspect of couponing that I think is really cool is the opportunity to help others with donations. Whether you buy pet food for animal shelters, donate some of your stock to shelters or send care packages or expired coupons (military families can use them overseas!) to our troops, there are so many ways you can help others with your "extreme couponing". One of my long term goals for after I get a stockpile going is start donating! Especially to military families. Our soldiers and their families sacrifice so much and live off of so little and I want to do what I can to help. So here are some resources for ways you can help our troops.

• Operation Troop Aid
• The Krazy Coupon Lady - Coupons for the military - The Krazy Coupon ladies explain how to put your expired coupons to good use!
• military.com - A comprehensive list of ways to support our troops, check it out!

Even if the idea of couponing makes you cringe, I think anyone can get behind the idea of helping out the less fortunate and the people who fight for our freedom!

*Update*
Here is another great resource for ways to donate to shelters

• http://feedingamerica.org/

My favorite meals

Everyone in my little family of 3 are all big eaters and we eat some meat with almost every dinner. I also buy a lot of fresh produce like large bags of baby carrots, lettuce, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, apples, and bananas. Those things are staples in my house. It gets very pricey, very fast. Because I am the type of person who plans what to cook and then goes out to buy the groceries I spend A LOT on groceries. That has to change. I have to change my mentality. From now on I will be planning meals based on sales and coupons.

This couponing thing got me thinking about how I can be more frugal with my meals. So I started thinking of the things I make that are inexpensive and would easily work around spending less at the grocery store. I still intend to eat healthy and buy produce but I am going to be smart about it.

Here are some meals that I make that come as second nature to me and are inexpensive to make. Many of these I learned to make from my Mom or are similar to things I had growing up. Some are typical meals that most people eat fairly often.

• Mini meat loaves with mashed potatoes and green beans

• Chicken stroganoff on rice (my Mom learned this one from my Aunt. I LOVE it! Stay tuned for the recipe)
• Spaghetti with salad and garlic bread (sometimes)
• Tacos (with ground beef or chicken)
• Chicken pot pie (either using homemade crust, store bought crust or puff pastry)
• Shepherd's pie (meat, veggies, sauce, topped with mashed potatoes)
• Cornflake chicken with potatoes and corn
• Bacon, eggs and potatoes (like hash)
• Pancakes (love me some bisquick supreme pancakes!) - sometimes with add-ins like blueberries
• Beef stroganoff with egg noodles
• Hamburgers or hot dogs with tater tots and watermelon
• Whole roasted chicken with roasted veggies
• Chicken noodle soup (usually made with the left over chicken from roasted chicken)
• Baked ham, cheesey potatoes and veggies (like asparagus)
• Split pea soup (using the left over ham and hambone)
• Enchilada lasagna (I will post the recipe eventually)
• Cheesey chicken enchiladas (Cambell's soup recipe)
• Chili with cornbread
• Mini pizzas (made with rolled out Pillbury biscuits) with salad
• Lasagna (this is really is more economical when you can get cheese on sale)
• Busy day casserole (doesn't get cheaper than this - tomato soup, french cut green beans, onions, ground beef and Worcestershire over mashed potatoes. So good!)
• Scalloped potatoes and ham
• "Toscana" soup - an Olive Garden imitation. Served with cheesey bisquick biscuits

Whew! There were more of those than I thought. And I am sure there are many more in my memory banks that I didn't put up there. As I make these things with the groceries I buy on sale I will try to remember to take pics and post recipes.

Resources

Here are a couple of cool resources I have found for couponing:

• Price book - to track your favorite items and their prices so that you can know when to buy.
• Living Well, Spending Less - another awesome website. She also has a bunch of videos on youtube that are fun to watch.
• Saving Well, Spending Less  - Made by the same woman who does Living Well, Spending Less. This website does coupon match-ups for different stores. A SERIOUS time saver!
• Rock bottom price list - this is helpful to put in your coupon binder to know at what price certain items are their cheapest so that you can stock up. Prices may vary depending on where you live/shop though.
• We Use Coupons - this is a website created by "Mr. Coupon" Nathan Engels who was on Extreme Couponing. He has his own web series called Frugal TV. Very amusing and informative!
• Coupon lingo

I am gearing up for my first extreme grocery shopping trip next week. I am kinda nervous but luckily since I will be going on vacation for a good chunk of next week, I won't need much. So I will just focus on the very best deals and hope that some of what I need to take on my trip will be on sale!

My first couponing trip to Walmart

I tried my hand at Walmart couponing today and I must say, it was awesome! Here is what I got:

The All You Magazine (for coupons) and the card protector sheets were not on sale and were the only reason my trip was not completely FREE. Here is how it went down:

• Lysol $1.97 - $1/1 mfc = $0.97
• Carmex $1.00 - $0.35/1 = $0.65
• Pine-Sol $1.97 - $1/1 = $0.97
• Idahoan dry potatoes $0.42/ea - $0.75/3 = $0.17/ea
• Snuggle $1.87 - $1/1 = $0.87
• Aqua Fresh travel size $0.97 - $1/1 = $0.03 money maker/ea
• Pringles $1.00 - $1/2 = $0.50/ea

And last but not least and best of all

• Dial body wash travel size $0.97 - $2/1 - $1.03 money maker EACH! 

So I paid $13.53 with taxes but that was mostly for the sheet protectors ($4.98/ea and the magazine $1.88)

Not a bad trip out I'd say :)

Some tips and tricks with couponing

I am by no means an expert on couponing. I am a rookie, a beginner. But in just 3 days I have gathered a boat load of information that is going to save me thousands of dollars! First off, the best resource for information that I have found is The Krazy Coupon Lady. They have a comprehensive beginners guide to couponing and comprehensive lists of printable coupon websites, freebies, coupon matching deals, store guides, etc. Check them out and get informed!

Here are is some of the information I have learned:

• First rule of couponing: BE PREPARED. Sure it takes time to clip coupons, study store flyers, find coupon match-ups online and write out  your list but it is well worth the savings.
• Get organized. Set up a coupon binder and have a schedule for clipping and culling coupons. There is an awesome how-to on coupon binders on The Krazy Coupon Lady. As well as many others online.
• Stock piling is KEY to savings. Most products hit their rock bottom prices ever 3-4 months. When something is dirt cheap, get several so that you aren't paying full retail when you really have to have it. Example: toothpaste is normally $2.50 - $4.00 per tube but there are almost always deals out there to get toothpaste either FREE or $0.50 or less. So stock up!
• Just because something is on sale, doesn't mean you need to jump on it. It's easy to buy things you don't need or aren't healthy because you can get them cheap, resist. A good deal is something your family uses and not only is it on sale, you have a store coupon and/or a manufacturers coupon AND you get register rewards. 
• Learn the lingo. Couponing websites are full of different terms that can get confusing but there are lists all over the internet that explain. Terms to know: BOGO, Catalina, MFC, RR, +up, peelies, RP, SS, PG&e,  etc. 
• Buy several sunday newspapers. Sure you spend $2 a piece but you will more than make up for in savings every week. 
• Know your stores coupon policies! Print it out from their website and have it on hand. Often couponers know the policy better than the employees.
• Know how coupons work. Most stores will accept one manufacturers coupon and one store coupon PER ITEM, not per transaction. If something is buy one, get one free (BOGO) you can still use a BOGO coupon and get BOTH free (this works at most stores)!!
• Utilize your stores rewards programs. It is so so important to saving the big bucks. Grocery stores print out catalina coupons that spit out at the end of your transaction and they are often great deals. Drug stores have register rewards and rebates. Big stores have gift cards.
• If jumping in intimidates you, START SLOW. Learn one store at a time. Use coupons when you can. Don't stress about it. Savings come with knowledge and knowledge comes with experience.
• Get to the store EARLY. There are more people then you would think that are out there doing this so get there first to get what you need. If the store is out of something ask the clerks when they get their shipments and get there early the next day.
• Don't be afraid to ask for rain checks, especially if they don't expire at that store. 
• Use the coupon on the smallest size it will allow (unless the bigger ones are the same price). You often get more bang for your buck when you combine coupons with smaller sizes. And if your coupon doesn't exclude trial/travel sizes you can often get items FREE!
• Full retail is a dirty word
• Plan your meals around what is on sale. Often the front page has the best deals at grocery stores. If meat is on sale for BOGO, stock up and freeze!
• If you aren't finding coupons for something you use a lot or that you love, check their website! Manufacturers often offer coupons if you sign up for emails or "like" them on facebook. You can always email them too! Manufacturers want your business!
• Forget brand loyalty, you'll save more that way and you might even find something you like!
• Take your coupon binder with you when you shop and look out for surprise deals and clearance that you can use them with.
• Know how much your favorite/frequently purchased items cost at full retail, on sale and rock bottom price so you know when to get them. Keep a list of "stock-up" prices for things you use. Example: $0.50 toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, $1.60 milk (milk freezes!), $0.75 box of cereal, etc.
• There are coupons out there for fresh produce and organic items! Don't forget to check your cereal boxes or other items for "peelies" coupons.
• Be courteous to your checkers, coupons and multiple transactions do take more time and can be a hassle, so be nice.  However, don't budge if you know the rules. Ask for a manager if a cashier won't accommodate something  you know to be a corporate rule. Call corporate while in the store if  you need to. Knowledge is power!

Okay, there it is. My tips and tricks so far. Hopefully this helps anyone looking to try this!

My Target deals! June 7th, 2011

This was a short and sweet trip to Target. Here is what I got:

• Seattle's Best Coffee on sale for $6.04

         - $2/1 MFC and $1/1 Target store coupon = $3.04 for Organic Fair Trade coffee!!

• Buy 3 John Frieda products, receive $5 Target gift card. 2 were $5.99, 1 was $4.99.

         - $3/2 Target coupon and (x3) $2/1  MFC = $7.97 for 3 or $2.65/ea for products that are normally $8 - $10! $7.97 - $5 gift card = $0.99/ea

I paid $11.84 out of pocket after taxes and received $5 gift card = $6.84 spent!

Extreme couponing, day 2

Another successful couponing day! Today I went to Rite Aid and Target. I had also planned a trip to Walgreens to get the $30 Gillette products deal but they were sold out by the time I got there. I might take a look tomorrow morning if I can get up early enough but we will see. I have already dedicated 3 full days to this. Okay, so right into it. Here is what I got at Rite Aid:

So I messed up today and I paid the price for not being more careful. On my first transaction I was supposed to buy batteries to make a total of $30 of PG&E products and I forgot it. I had intended to use the $10 in +up register rewards + the $5 +up rewards from the Veet for my second transaction but all I got from my first transaction was the $5. Oh well, live and learn. That single deodorant on the far left was actually from the second transaction (I will explain on the second one). I still feel really good about this purchase though because I got 4 full size BONUS deodorants on 4 of the ones I bought. Here is how it worked out:

•  Buy 2 Veet products, receive $5 +up rewards. 

           -  $2 in ad coupon
           -  $1.00/1 and $3.00/1 and a $2.00/1 MFC coupons
           - The Veet products were $6.49/ea (I had wanted the ones that were $4.49/ea but they were out)
           - I paid $4.98 out of pocket and received $5 in +up = $0.02 money maker

• Buy $30 in participating PG&E products, receive $10 in +up rewards

            - 4 body wash ($3.50/ea), 4 deodorant ($3.50/ea) (and one pack of batteries I forgot)
            - Used 2, $1.00/2 and 4, FREE Old Spice Body Wash when you buy Old Spice Deodorant
            - Paid $12 (should have been $17 w/batteries)

So I paid $20.75 with tax and received $5 in +up rewards.

Transaction #2:

Even though I didn't spend enough on transaction #1 to get the $10 +up, because I used my wellness+ card (free at Rite Aid), I still got the $10 +up on my second transaction! The card tracked my purchases which is AWESOME. Here is how it broke down:

• One Old Spice deodorant, regular sale price $3.50
• Buy 3 American Greetings cards, get $3 in +up rewards. (2 were $1.29, 1 was $1.99)

          -  $1.00/3 MFC = $4.57 spent, $3 in +up = $1.57
          - I just realized I didn't get my $3 +up on this :/ (I am going to see if there is anything I can do)

• Buy 1 New Skin product, receive $2 in single check rebates (more about that later) It was marked as $6.99 but rang up at the register as $3.99 on sale.

          - $1.00/1 Any New Skin product MFC
          - Paid $2.99, received a $2 rebate = $0.99

• Buy 1 Crest toothpaste, receive $1.60 in +up rewards, $2.57 sale price

          - $0.75/1 MFC = $1.82 spent, $1.60 +up = $0.22

• Buy 1 Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor, receive $4 +up, $9.97

          - $4.00/1 MFC = $5.97 spent, $4 +up = $1.97

I paid $14.61 out of pocket after taxes and received $10, $1.60, $4 in +up and $2 in single check rebates.

And finally transaction #3:

• Buy 1 Blink Tears, submit for a single check rebate of $7.99.

         - $2.00/1 and $1.50/1 Blink Tears MFC. Paid $5.99, submitted a $7.99 rebate = $2 money maker

• Dial soap BOGO, paid $2.29. $2 in +up rewards = $0.30

I used the $4 and the $1.60 +up rewards from transaction 2 and paid $2.13 out of pocket. I received a $2 dollar +up from the Dial on this one and a quick survey that took me 5 minutes on my computer that gave me a $3 off of $15 coupon to use as well.

So all in all I paid $37.49 out of pocket, which is high but you have to invest a little money the first time. I have a $10 and $2 +up rewards to use next time and I have the $3/$15 coupon from the survey. I also submitted my 2 rebates that will come to $9.99. So with my left over coupons I have $24.99 if I subtract that from what I spent that's really only $12.50 spent for all of this stuff! Not too bad I think!

My goal for drug store trips in the future is $5 or less out of pocket each trip.

The single check rebates are rebates that you enter online and they go into an account with all of your rebates from the month. You can request a check once a month and the best time to do it is the end of the month so that you can be sure to get all your rebates back. They do expire so remembering to get your check at the end of the month is KEY. It is a painless process and the check is as good as cash and can be cashed like a normal check.

In the end even though I spent more than intended and made some mistakes, this was still a really good trip with amazing deals. According to my calculations I got about $80 in products for only about $12 out of pocket!

Stay tuned for my Target deal!

My first "Extreme Couponing" trip!

I am fed up. I am fed up with paying $600 - $700 a month in groceries for my small family of 3. It's ridiculous what everything costs. So I decided to change things. I am going to learn the system and I am going to work it to the best of my ability.

Thanks to shows like Extreme Couponing on TLC and blogs like The Krazy Coupon Lady and Coupon Mom, couponing is becoming huge. I have never really gotten couponing to work for me before when I tried but I am determined to make it work this time. I did a TON of research and I feel much better informed now. So here is what I did today. I will start with Walgreens where I got my biggest savings.

I spent pretty much all day Sunday going over the sale items and researching the deals so I would be well prepared. The awesome thing about most drug stores is that they have these coupons that print out at the end of your transaction that have a dollar amount that you can use towards your next purchase. Walgreens calls theirs "register rewards". Between manufacturers coupons, store coupons, sales and register rewards there are some great deals to be had. I split my items into two transactions. Here is the first transaction:

Would you believe that I MADE $2 on this stuff? Here's how it breaks down:

SOBE Lifewater $0.99, $0.99 RR (register reward) = FREE

Healthy Woman Soy Supplements $8, $8 RR = FREE

Renew Life Omega Smart Fish Oils $10 - $2 MFC (manufacturers coupon) = $8, $10 RR = $2 money maker!
So I paid $18.79 (with tax) out of pocket and received $18.99 in RR

Then I applied that $18.99 to my second transaction. Here is what I bought in my second transaction:

Blue Diamond Almonds, BOGO (buy one at $3.59, get one free). Plus I had a $1 off one coupon so I paid $2.59 for both or about $1.30 each.
Bic Disposable Razors $5.99 - $3 off one coupon = $2.99 spent, $2 in RR = $0.99
Comet $0.50/ea with ad coupon
Nivea for Men Shave Gel $3.50/ea on sale - two MFC @ $2 off each = $1.50 each, $2 in RR = $0.50/ea when you buy 2 (though I just realized that one of the coupons didn't scan so I got gyped $2, lame.)
They also had a deal where if you spent $10 on participating products you got $3 in RR. So I got 3 Tide Stain Release products on sale for $3.99/ea - $1/1 for each product (3 coupons) so they each cost me $2.99 + I got $3 in RR = $1.99/ea

After using the $18.99 in RR from the previous transaction I paid only $4.03 out of pocket and I got another $7 in RR to use next time! My receipts inform me that I saved $56.62 :D Not bad considering all I spent on all this was $22.82 (you are always going to spend the most on your first trip since you have to put money into the system)

Okay, so now Target. The goal here is to work sales and coupons to your advantage. Target does give $5 Target cards for buying certain items which is a great deal if you have the coupons to make it worth it but I didn't this time. This is what I got:

Nexcare bandages $1.68/ea - (two) $1 off Target store coupons and (two) $0.55 MFC = $0.13/ea
(Most stores allow you to use one store coupon + one manufacturers coupon per ITEM, not per transaction)
A-1 Steak Sauce $3.19 - $1 off Target coupon and $1 MFC = $1.19
Coffee-mate creamer $1.94/ea - $1 off of 2 Target coupon (or $0.50 off of each) and (two) $0.55 off of one MFC = $0.89/ea
Covergirl NatureLuxe Lip Balm $5.99 - $5/2 ($5 off of 2) MFC - $1/1 MFC = $2.99/ea
After coupons, with tax I paid a total of $10.44!

I feel rather proud of myself. Sure I didn't bring in a HUGE haul but I got really good deals and I am quite pleased. I am not done by a long shot either! There was 2 more deals I wanted to get at Walgreens but they were sold out so I am going back tomorrow. The first one is $10 in RR when you spend $30 on participating Gillette products. I have a bunch of coupons that I got in the papers (I got 4 newspapers!) for Gillette products so I should be able to get $30 in products for at least half and I have the $7 in RR to use. I also have 2 coupons that are going to make a stick of Ban deodorant $0.74.

After I hit Walgreens I am going to do Rite Aid tomorrow which also has some killer deals! So I will keep you posted on that!