A little Coupon How - To!

Hi, my name is Heather, and I am a couponer. I started couponing after I had my daughter. I didn't go back to work once she was born and I figured why not. I'm home anyway, may as well save some money. I started with www.thekrazycouponlady.com and expanded from there. I always knew about, and used minimally, the coupons in the Sunday inserts, but I wasn't religious about it and I definitely didn't print coupons online. The biggest hurdle, for me, was figuring out how to organize my coupons. Those little coupon wallets totally did not work for me. I constantly missed coupons for items I purchased because I couldn't flip through them quick enough, or they stuck or I just plain forgot. I'm going to start by breaking down where to print coupons, my favorite coupon blogs, how I organize my coupons and finally how I coupon. My favorite store to shop at is Target, followed by the grocery stores Wegmans and Tops.

My favorite sites to print coupons are:

• www.coupons.com
• www.redplum.com
• www.commonkindness.com
• www.target.com
• www.facebook.com - you have to go to the products page and print, if there are coupons available

My favorite blogs:

• www.iamthatlady.com
• www.totallytarget.com
• www.krazycouponlady.com
• www.allthingstarget.com
• www.moneysavingmom.com

In order to print coupons, you have to install a coupon printer, from each site you print from. It tracks how many prints of each coupon you have used - and remember photo copying those prints is illegal. The coupons all have limits of how many you can print. Sometimes it's only one, but usually it's at least two or more. The mainstream coupon sites are safe to install the printers from. If you are on some obscure site, I would be careful. I have two printers in my house, so I can print twice the coupons.

To organize my coupons, I use a huge, zipper binder. I think it's bigger than 3 1/2". I purchased it at Target, on clearance, after back to school, for $5.70. It is filled with baseball card holders, which I put my coupons into. I have it divided into sections, which are pretty close the the aisles in my favorite stores. Within each section, I divide into brand, especially for hair care products, cereal, and oral health products. I have heard of some people just alphabetizing their binders, but the sections work for me. I am visual and as I'm walking an aisle, I can just flip my binder open to the correct section and quickly know if I have a coupon for whatever I am looking at.

Now to planning and shopping. I go to Target weekly, and Tops or Wegmans almost weekly. Target is the most time consuming, but I also get many more items for free, or next to nothing there. Here is how I save at Target:

1 - Get a Target RedCard. There are two types of RedCards - one is a traditional credit card and the other is a debit card that gets linked directly to your checking account. I opted for the debit card because, as a former banker, I hate credit cards and don't need one more bill to pay. Either way, you automatically save 5% off of every single purchase you use your card for.

2 - Print coupons from Target.com. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of Targets homepage, there is a coupon link down there. You will have to download their coupon printer, but there are tons of coupons for Target, which can be stacked with manufacturers coupons, RedCard savings, and Cartwheel, which I will get to next. Almost all of the coupons on the page will print as Target coupons, versus manufacturer coupons. You can only use these at Target. Once in a while, manufacturer coupons will print instead. You can tell, before printing, that a coupon will print as a manufacturers coupon when the wording under the coupon says "when you buy". Any other wording, such as "with purchase of", or just a description of the product, will print as a Target coupon. You CAN use a manufacturers coupon, printed from Target.com, at other retailers. It will normally have the bullseye logo, but will say "manufacturers coupon" at the top.

3 - Download the Cartwheel App. Cartwheel is a Target app that offers savings, anywhere from 5% on up, on certain products. You have slots open to add deals to. Choose your offers, and at checkout, after all other coupons have been scanned, have the cashier scan your barcode, on your smartphone. You start with, I believe, ten slots. The more you save, new ones open up.

4 - Text "offers" to 827438, to receive Targets mobile coupons. These count as Target coupons, so you can't stack them with a printed Target coupon, but you can stack them with a manufacturers coupons, RedCard savings and Cartwheel.

5 - Target often has gift card deals, where if you purchase multiple quantities of a certain product, you receive a $5 or $10 gift card to use on your next purchase.

6 - Stack all of the above savings with a manufacturers coupon. You can stack one Target coupon and one manufacturers coupon per item.

Planning my Target trips does take some time. I cannot go into Target without my binder organized and ready to go. I do utilize the blog www.totallytarget.com while planning my trip. The problem with just using the Sunday ad is that Target has TONS of unadvertised deals. The wonderful blog writers race into the stores and post deals I would have not known about early in the week. Here are a some examples or recent cheap or free deals I found:

Mossimo Yoga Pants $14.99, on sale for $10

- 15% Target printed coupon

- 15% Cartwheel

Paid $7.22

Archer Farms K-Cups 3-pack $1.99

- $2.00 Target printed coupon

Free!

Up&Up Razors $4.90

- $1.00 Target printed coupon

- 10% Cartwheel

Paid $3.51

Starkist Tuna Pouches $.99 x 4 = $3.96

- $1.00 off two manufacturers coupon (from Sunday paper)

- $1.00 off two manufacturers coupon (from Sunday paper)

- $1.00 off two Target printable coupon

- $1.00 off two Target printable coupon

Free for all four!

Up&Up Ibuprofen $1.07 x 2 = $2.14

- $2.00 Target mobile coupon

- 10% Cartwheel

Paid $.12 for both

Speedstick $3.99, buy three get one free

$15.96 for four

- $3.99 free with Target deal

- $6.00   4 x $1.50 off one manufacturers coupon (printed on coupons.com)

- $.75 off one Target coupon

- $.75 off one Target coupon

- $.75 off one Target coupon

Paid $3.72 for four, or $.93 each

* I had one more $.75 off one Target coupon, but they wouldn't let me use it on the free item. I recommend always at least trying because it depends on the cashier. Some push it through.

Garnier Shampoo on clearance end cap $2.48

- $2.00 off one manufacturers coupon from Sunday inserts

- $.75 off one Target printable

Free!

We don't eat a ton of processed food, so I tend to do better at Target for household and beauty type products. They often run $1 off $1 fresh fruits, $1 off $1 fresh vegetables, $1 off $1 fresh meats and $1 off $1 bread, in their mobile coupons. For those deals, I usually get:

5 bananas for $1.20 - $1.00 = $.20

Steaks are usually $7.99, but I can almost always find a package with a $3.00 off today coupon, so $4.99 - $1.00 = $3.99

Carrots, mushrooms and two peppers end up under $1.

Bread ends up $.20ish for whole wheat.

Once I exhaust my mobile coupons (mobiles can only be used once), I move on to my husbands, mothers, uncles... The mobiles are internet links, which I just have my family forward me.

Always walk the end caps and check for clearance. Target has the most random items marked down and you can really score cheap and free deals. The blogs are great about posting their finds and what to look out for. My absolute favorite is totallytarget.com.

The blogs also have links to coupons, from reputable sites. If there is a hot coupon you think you will use, print it right away. Sometimes they have limits on total prints and won't be available if you wait, especially facebook coupons.

For my weekly grocery shopping trips, I just read the ads and matchup what I need. They don't have the unadvertised deals that Target does. Both of my local grocery stores double coupons up to $.99. So, a $.75 coupon is worth $1.50. Sometimes my local stores have store coupons available at the service desk or via mail, but not all that often.  I generally save 50% at the grocery store and 30-50% at Target.

To add to my savings even more, I use three other apps:

Ibotta - Ibotta is a more of a rebate app than a coupon app. You have to do quick tasks to receive the rebate, such as share on facebook, take a survey or watch a short video. It's only good on certain products at certain stores. Once you purchase the item the deal is good on, you scan your receipt, scan the barcode of the item and submit. They are usually approved within hours. Your money goes into an Ibotta account and once you hit $5, you can cash out via paypal, venmo (I have no clue what that is), or various gift cards. Sometimes, Ibotta will have bonus deals where if you complete certain deals, you get more money back. There was one over Labor Day, on paper products, where I cashed in over $55, right to paypal. It was great. Ibotta is good at Target, Wegmans, Walmart, CVS, Military Commissary, Hannaford, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Sams Club, and 7-eleven. There are also sporadic restaurant, home improvement, pet and entertainment offers.

Checkout51 - checkout51 is similar to Ibotta, in that it's a rebate app, but there are no store limitations. You also don't have to do any tasks. The offers are just offers. Scan your receipt, scan your item and you're good to go. Checkout51 also can be redeemed right through paypal.

Savings Star - Savings Star is a newer app for me. There are offers, as with the other apps, but you link the app right to your store savings card. Once you hit $5, you can payout via paypal, direct deposit, or amazon gift cards.

Just a note, whenever I share something on Facebook, I change the privacy settings to viewable only to me. I don't want to inundate friends newsfeeds with coupons or info regarding products they really don't care about. I know some people make up a separate profile, strictly for couponing. It's all personal preference.

Hope that helps - feel free to comment with anything you have to add, or any questions!  Also, check out the FAQ here!

~~Heather~~

October 16th, 2013 - Family Fun Time

At the Poenisch house, most of our nights are spent getting into some mess or another.  So when my daughter asked if we could do an experiment, I grabbed the cornstarch, and figured we'd make something up.

 

The ingredients for this were:
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Bowl
- Something to mix with
- The space to make a mess

We talked a little bit about solids and liquids before we started.  My three year old was able to easily understand that water was a liquid and cornstarch was a solid.  We didn't get to complex with matter though.  We explained that liquids don't have a certain shape, and they flow.  We tipped our measure glass back and forth and watched the water move.  We talked about how solids have their own shape, and are hard when we touch them.  Then we poured some cornstarch in the bowl and touched it.  We spent a few minutes having Isabel identify other solids (her blocks, and her cat...well, close enough anyways) and liquids (her bubble bath and apple juice).

 

 

We poured some cornstarch in, and added a bit of water.  Isabel stirred it until it was too stiff for her to stir, so I took over.  I mixed it until it was thoroughly mixed.  Then we talked about solids and liquids again.  We poked and prodded the cornstarch water mix.  We talked about how it felt solid when we touched it.  We even squeezed it in our hands, and watched it go from solid to dripping.

 

 

At this point, she asked what would happen if we poured more water in, so I told her to go ahead and pour more water into the bowl.  She mixed it up, and was less than thrilled to see that the cornstarch suspension seemed to have lost it's magical half solid, half liquid properties, and was now all liquid.

 

Her papa's explanation of how the molecules are no longer lining up when she touches it, and that's why its not firm anymore did not help her.  So this is where it gets interesting.  Isabel turned and asked, 'Mama? How can we make it feel hard again?'  I figured this was a great time for the scientific method, and so off we went on our adventure.  Here is the simple version of the scientific method we use with our little lady.

 

Isabel has asked the question - how to make it firm again, and sort of did the research backwards (prior to asking the question.)  We reviewed what we had learned already about the suspension of cornstarch and water.  We talked about how each had felt separately, and how they felt when we mixed them.  Isabel described what it felt like to poke, and to squeeze after we had mixed the two, and the again stated her dismay at the cornstarch turning all liquid when she added more water.  Her next step was to come up with a hypothesis - a proposed solution, and then to test that idea.  Her hypothesis was to squeeze the mixture.  This was a pretty good idea, since with the first round, when it is squeezed, it becomes firm.  We were proud of her for thinking of it.  She dug her hand in, and squeezed.

 

No dice.  She was not impressed when it ran out of her hand like water.  Her conclusion was that squeezing it was not a successful solution to make it hard again.  Though, I think she put it something like, 'well. That didn't work. What now?' So she thought some more.  Her next solution (hypothesis) was to pour more of the cornstarch in.

 

So, we poured some in, and she mixed it up.  Then, when it got too stiff for her, I mixed a bit.  She tried touching it, and...

Success!

Her second hypothesis was successful and correct.

She was very proud of herself, and so was I (she's my only smallie :) ) and because we were now satisfied with our experiment, we spent the next twenty minutes or so just playing in the mixture.

After we finished playing in the cornstarch water mix, we called in the troops (daddy) to help clean it up.  Everyone had a lot of fun, and it was a great hands on learning experience for our little lady.

 

Enjoy!

~Danielle

October 9th, 2013 - Family Fun Time - Epsom Salt Crystals

Hello! As we learned previously, my small one is eager to 1) Do crafts, 2) Do science experiments, and 3) Make a mess.  So, when she asked to do something fun, I turned to my husband for an easy activity.  He’s a chemist and often has ideas on simple, fun experiments.  These often make for GREAT family time and learning time as we all explore new ideas, and often discuss the scientific theory - which is almost always free, or cheap, as we are usually using household things in these experiments.  

He offered up this idea: Epsom Salt Crystals.  This was simple and easy – and very hands on for my curious three year old (thought she is four now, and still enjoys it).  We took 1/4 cup of Epsom Salt and 1/2 cup of warm water and mixed the salt until it was completely dissolved. The we added a tablespoon or so of Epsom Salt until no more would dissolve.

I mixed it in a measure cup with a handle so I could just hand it off to my little lady.  The idea is that they take a paint brush and draw on glass.  When the water evaporates, it leaves crystals in its place.  First, we tried this on the sliding glass door – which sounds like a great idea, but since we were not able to suspend gravity at our home, the water just ran down the window.  It still dried crystals, but since we couldn't keep the liquid concentrated in one area, it was not the most spectacular display.  This is also part of the reason you keep adding salt until no more dissolves – the more salt you can pack in, the better the crystals.

Next, we decided to try painting something that was horizontal so the water wouldn't drip down.  Isabel hunted out her hand held mirror, and painted the heck out of it.  We waited for the water to evaporate – which took about five minutes, and talked about how water evaporates, and hypothesized what we thought would happen.  When the water had all evaporated, here’s what it looked like up close:

I have to be honest.  My husband assured me this would work, and it would look like frost.  I did not believe him, but in the end, we were sufficiently awed that it did indeed work, and it did look like frost.  Isabel thought it was wonderful that she could touch it and it wouldn’t melt.

This took a short amount of time – about 30 minutes for the whole endeavor, and Isabel was able to mix and paint herself.  The waiting was minimal, and easily consumed by curious conversation hypothesizing what would come next.  This could also be adapted for older kids, making a family night where you are drawing pictures, or being artistic in your own ways. 

Enjoy!

~Danielle 

October 8th, 2013 - Frugal Living, Budget pt. 2

Welcome back to how to get to D world in ten easy steps....errrr, I mean, building a budget and working towards financial health. Whichever. lol.

Today, we are just putting the budget together - in motion, so we can get right to it!

Take out all the hard work you did last week, and get it all together.  The first thing to do is look for a template that works for you. I have posted here three that I like from simple to more complex - choose one that fits you, based on your preferences.  It doesn't matter if you choose based on what is more easily formatted or which color you think is prettiest - choose one that appeals to you.  Once you decide, you can fill in all of your information - both fixed, and flexible spending, income, savings, and possibly a 'grace' amount, that allows for some error - or, you know, you are running late and decide a breakfast sandwich from McDonald's is going to be faster than making breakfast at home!

Template 1

Template 2

Template 3

Once you select one, grab a glass of wine, or juice, and a quiet corner.  You'll want to take your time as you input things. Don't fret if you find you forgot something - just add it now.  Chances are this will be a moving, changing document for you.  When you are finished, put it all away, and take you mind off of it for a few hours, then go back to it, and just make sure you have everything you want or need in there.  Some people also like to list balances they are working on - such as credit card balances, school loans, home loans, etc, so they can see the number going down (hopefully) every month - it can be encouraging.  That's all we are doing this week! It doesn't seem like much, but it can be very taxing to see the input and outgo of your month, so after you are done, just relax and kick back!

Enjoy!

~Danielle 

October 2nd, 2013 - Family Fun Time - Writing in shaving cream

Are you a parent? Are you on the lookout for fun ways to interact with your kids? What about hands on ways of teaching? Or teaching by integrating play?  Today's post is on a very simple, cost effective way to accomplish these things.

Ever had one of those nights where all you want to do it cook dinner, eat, then read a book in the tub?   Yeah. That was me.  I was so drained, and my toddler, who apparently is NEVER drained just wanted to play. Mama, wanna have a dance party? Wanna jump rope? How about we put on our boots and play in the snow? After explaining to her 654,646,546,546,543,266,978,984,165,461,887 that mama needed to make her some dinner, I finally said the magic words.

Izzy…How about we do something MESSY?

She loves those words.  She stopped, and cocked her head to the side, and said, what mama? So I thought for a few minutes, and decided to put two of her loves together – ‘snow’ and her letters.  

I grabbed a bottle of papa’s shaving cream, a baking pan, and sprayed a copious amount into it.

Then I let her go to town. She showed me all of her letters, and chatted me up while I made dinner.  It was a great solution for both of us since she was itching to physically do something rather than just sit and talk with mama, and I was physically exhausted! 

She was very impressed that mama let her get dirty, and it was a sneaky way to help her enjoy practicing her letters.  And it is a great way for her to learn - she LOVED the hands on method of physically making her letters. At the same time, she loved the ease of just running her palm across the pan when she made a mistake to rectify it.   

What methods of learning, and teaching do you employ? 

Enjoy.

~Danielle