Saving money on gas

Ahhhh! I went to the gas station today and the price of gas has jumped 50 cents per gallon in the last couple of weeks! So I thought I would give some proven pointers to save you from consuming too much gas and wasting that hard-earned cash. I drive this way and actually fit in this time of year (meaning I drive like a granny and there are alot of grannies around for the good weather). ;-) There's nothing wrong with being safe, driving slowly, and saving money.

• City traffic is the worst. Stopping means you are converting any momentum you have into heat through the application of your brakes. Accelerating is the biggest gas guzzling action of anything in your car. So be smart. When you approach a light that is either a stale green (meaning it has been green for a while and may change to red soon) or is already red, take your foot off the gas when you are far away and coast in to the light. If you are lucky, it will change to green before you even get there, you will have saved all that gas getting to the light and you won't have to make a complete stop...you have preserved your momentum.
• Go the speed limit. There is a reason why the speed limits are what they are. Some of it has to do with safety, but alot of it has to do with keeping traffic moving. Lights are timed for the traffic that was predicted and observed by the City Traffic Engineer. These people get paid alot of money to set the light timing and speed limits; I have worked with them and they know their stuff. Trust them.
• You have all heard it, but do it: Inflate your tires to their recommended pressure. According to fueleconomy.gov, you can save up to 11 cents per gallon by doing this. So let's calculate this out: if you have a 15 gallon tank, that's $1.65. It doesn't seem like much until you consider how many times you fill up. Say you just do it twice a month for a year...that equals $39.60. That's a night out to dinner, 10 drinks at Starbucks...anything is better than giving that money to the gas companies!

Now let's talk long term: do you have a giant gas-guzzling car that gets 16 or less miles per gallon? Do you really *need* it? If you need it to cart kids/boats/5th wheels, then great. Do you have two of these cars? Or maybe you have a Suburban-type vehicle and a mini-van. Do you need both of these? Can you get by with one big car and one sedan or compact car? These are important questions. There are big savings when you are talking about an average of 16 mpg versus an average of 25 mpg, not to mention the reduced impact from air quality emissions. Even better: if you can trade in one of your big cars for a smaller one and work it so you don't have a loan, you are really sitting pretty. Less fuel costs plus no car payment = happy campers!

Just remember: even if you don't change the car you are driving, you can still change your driving habits and save money. If you are really interested if your driving habits change your gas costs, there are plenty of apps out there for smartphones that will track your mpg. If you don't have a smartphone, write down your mileage and the amount of gas you get at your fill-up. Divide your mileage since your last fill-up by the amount of gas and there is your mpg. Keep a log. See how you do.

And good luck with the rising prices...it is enough to make me want to walk EVERYWHERE.

--Katie

Costco Trip on Tuesday

I was running low on juice boxes for the kids' lunches, so I stopped in at Costco for a quick trip. (Yeah, right.) I went WITHOUT a list. Big mistake #1. I took the kids. Big mistake #2. ;-)

I did find a couple good deals...they always have their bisquick at the cheapest per ounce price (works out to about 6 cents per ounce). I also found butter for pretty cheap - I have found that butter is really getting expensive. I am sure it has something to do with energy costs, but it seems to have gone up about $1 since just last year. Costco's Kirkland brand butter worked out to about $1.75 per 4-stick package, which is way cheaper than what I have found ($2.50-$3 at the grocery store). Costco also has the Capri Sun 100% juice for about $2.70 per box.

I was kicking myself, though, because their half-and-half is much cheaper than at the grocery store and I had just bought some at Sprouts. I also get interested in their milk, but I am reluctant to buy that much unless it is the organic milk. Organic milk and most half-and-half will last a very long time because they "ultra-pasteurize" it; this means it is super-heated (275 degrees F) for a short time of 1-2 seconds and then cooled quickly. (For reference, regular pasteurization requires that the milk is heated to 165 degrees F for 15 seconds.) That's why you see "best if used by" dates that are much further out on these products. The organic milk at Costco is a pretty good price...I wasn't paying close attention yesterday, but previously it has been about $3 for a half-gallon, which is competitive with or better than sale prices at Sprouts.

And of course they placed the kids' swimsuits at the front of the store, so we had to pick those up. Swimming season is going to arrive much sooner than desired, I am afraid. :-) And I can never leave Costco without getting some of their raisin bread.

So, it was a quick trip that turned into a much bigger trip. Oh well: since it is Costco I can successfully avoid it for at least a month since everything comes in massive quantities.

Good luck to you in your shopping...
--Katie

Shopping this week

Well, I think I am going to successfully avoid visiting Vons this week...I went to Sprouts yesterday and got milk, half and half, apples, some grains and dried fruit from the bulk bins to make crockpot oatmeal, asparagus, baking potatoes, sweet potatoes, a bag of salad, half a pound of smoked bacon, half a pound of pollo asado, bagels, a treat of chocolate covered caramel popcorn from the bulk bins, two grapefruits, strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, and an odwalla juice for the kids....for less than $50! And like I said, I think that will do it for this week. We'll end up going out at least once since it is my birthday this week, but I will use some of the birthday coupons I have received in the mail and in my email. ;-)

I wanted to mention some things to keep your eyes on or possibly sign up for:
--The online coupons (like coupons.com, smartsource.com, and redplum.com) generally reset at the beginning of the month. So you might want to check those out before the end of the month in case there's any you might need that could disappear. I always forget to do this.

--I recently found Superpoints and it is another "click to get points to spend on items" website. Many have posted that they get amazon.com gift cards every week for doing almost nothing. There is a "SuperLucky Button" that you can click on each day to try to win points. Those points add up and then you can get gift cards. There are surveys and other things you can also do to get points if you want. Use this link to sign up: http://superpoints.com/join/ysk0by

--I once signed up for Swagbucks; this is a way to get points when you search for things online. I was never able to get into it, but many of my facebook friends do this regularly. I may have to revisit this site again. www.swagbucks.com

--I just signed up for Ebates; this gives you cash back when you shop by way of their site. For instance, I got a toy organizer for my son this week from Walmart. By starting at ebates.com, I got a $10 Target gift card (for signing up and spending a certain amount) and then I will get 1% cash back. There are lots of stores listed with an average of about 3% cash back that they pay to you quarterly (as long as you reach $5). Join here:

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=NyL04kzeJLM6NcuJ0A2%2F6w%3D%3D

Well, I hope you all are doing well...I was excited to see that I surpassed 1,000 hits on my posts. I love that more people are checking out this blog and I hope my tips are helping you a little bit. I would love to see posts/comments, though! Feedback/input is appreciated. I am brainstorming some posts about ways to save electricity (since the summer months are coming and our a/c's will be on 24 hours a day) and green cleaning tips (like using homemade cleaners).

Thanks for looking and good luck to you in your savings!
--Katie

End of a crazy week

This week has been totally strange. With two consecutive 3-day weekends, then a last-minute business trip for DH, a trip out of town for the weekend, and two weeks of *not* shopping on my regular shopping day (Sunday), I am just thrown off. However, since I was only cooking for three, and I had planned for the four of us, I have leftovers and some meals still available. I definitely will need to go tomorrow since we have one millimeter of milk left in the jug. ;-)

More than likely our meal plan will include:
Spaghetti and meatballs
Burritos/nachos
Chicken tortilla soup in the crockpot
Leftover poppyseed chicken casserole
Pizza and salad

Are you seeing a pattern? I actually feel like I am in a little bit of a rut, so I need to seek out some meals to add to my repertoire.

Here's a great tip for someone who is busy with working and carting kids all day...I was talking with someone about meal planning and couponing and she said she used to put all the items needed for one meal into a ziploc bag in the refrigerator. That way it was easy for ANYONE in the family to get the meal started if she was running late and it also prevented family members from inadvertently consuming items meant for dinners. I may try that one!

Good luck in your meal planning; would love to see your plans in the comments!
--Katie

Homemade donuts this morning

I saw somewhere (maybe pinterest) that you could use refrigerated biscuit dough to make donuts at home, so I thought I might try it. My kids love donuts (who doesn't?) but I *do not* love having to go out and spend money at a donut store. ;-) When I searched for the method of how to make them this morning, there were several recipes, and the first on the list was from Paula Deen. I am interested to know if the home method is "healthier" than buying them from the store...I may have to do a search for that, too.

I picked up some biscuit dough at the store this week; I was able to get the store brand for $1.79. This gave us 6 donuts and 6 donut holes. I made chocolate and vanilla icing with confectioners sugar and milk and mixed up some cinnamon and sugar. I always have sprinkles of some sort, too.

They turned out pretty good; I will say that I will need to leave them in the oil a little longer next time...there were some spots that weren't quite cooked through. But I think they were a hit. Will do this one again, especially since it cost me about $2 maximum to make 6 donuts and holes.

Birthday freebies!

My birthday is next week and the free stuff has started arriving in my email inbox. I can go to IHOP and get a free "Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity," I can go to Rubio's for a free meal up to $7, and I can go to Souplantation with my hubby with my buy one meal get one free coupon. I expect I will get something from Red Robin, too.

I thought I would list a couple more companies that offer free items for your birthday. Most of these require that you sign up on their email list, so you might want to create an email just for your coupons/company websites so you don't muck up your personal email too much.

Applebees - free dessert on your birthday when you sign up on their email list; www.applebees.com
Baskin Robbins - free scoop of ice cream on your birthday when you join the birthday club; www.baskinrobbins.com
California Pizza Kitchen - gives kids a free meal on their birthday; www.cpk.com
Cold Stone Creamery - buy one get one on your birthday; www.coldstonecreamery.com
IHOP - you saw above: free meal; www.ihop.com
Red Robin - free gourmet burger; www.redrobin.com
Rubio's - free meal; www.rubios.com
Sonic - free creamslush, medium drink, or tater tots; www.sonicdrivein.com
Starbucks - free drink on your birthday with My Starbucks Rewards; www.starbucks.com
Added 2/23: Daily Grill - $15 gift certificate on your birthday and anniversary; www.dailygrill.com


Most of these are loyalty programs, too...not just birthday programs. I get lots of great coupons for Souplantation and Rubio's throughout the year.

I especially like the My Starbucks Rewards. All you do is register a gift card and use that to pay for your coffee. (Note: this is actually a good way to budget yourself if you have a bad/expensive coffee habit - once the money is gone from the gift card, no more coffee at Starbucks until next month!) I am a gold member and I do not spend more than $10 a month on coffee/items there. Every 15 visits I get a free drink. The trick is to get something little and inexpensive when you go (think tall lattes, tall iced teas, or just brewed coffee) and then use your free drink coupon for your splurge drink (think venti coffee frappucino - I usually pick something that is REALLY expensive). Also, if you are going with a couple people, have each person walk up separately to get their drink with your gift card. Each separate purchase counts for one visit.

I am sure there are plenty of online stores that also have birthday benefits...you just have to do some quick searches!

Hope you are able to take advantage of some of these programs.
Good luck to you!
--Katie

Tuesday Mail

I always love Tuesdays because that's when the flyers come for Sprouts and Vons and I can start thinking about what my plan will be for next week. I also have started receiving emails from Vons that show some of my personalized prices. I was excited to see that I can get Rosarita refried beans for 90 cents each (I usually get them for $1.25).

Sprouts has some good deals starting today on produce: haas avocados are 49 cents each; grapefruits are 49 cents each; asparagus is 99 cents a lb.; yellow, white, and red onions are 49 cents a lb.; russet potatoes are 49 cents a lb.; blueberries, blackberries and strawberries are 2.50 each; and Fuji, Gala, and pacific rose apples are 99 cents each. Don't forget that last week's sale prices and this week's sale prices combine on Wednesdays!

Looks like Vons has some deals on fresh items too: strawberries are b1g1, making them about $2 each; Fresh Express Shreds or garden salads are 99 cents each; and cantaloupe are 99 cents a lb. It also looks like they are having a 4-day sale (Friday through Monday) that includes Buy 1 Get 1 Free Farmland Bacon; Buy 2 Get 2 free Coca-cola 12-packs; and $5 for 50 ounces of Tide Detergent. There are Farmer John hot dogs for 99 cents a package, goldfish crackers for $2 each, B1G1 on Ritz and Fig Newtons, and London Broil for $2.27 a pound. Be sure to look up the best coupon matchups on couponmom.com or weusecoupons.com. There are also lots of blogs out there that do matchups for Vons.

I thought I would share some other websites to find deals on other items too...I have become very intrigued by the website NoMoreRack. Lots of people were talking about it on their websites and blogs over Christmas, but it just was too frantic for me. However, there are some really great deals on that site and if you can catch them they have "Insanity Deals." We're talking Kindle Fires for $15, Sony Playstation 3's for $15...if you can get it before everyone else does. ;-) Check here to sign up: http://www.nomorerack.com/?cr=5045183

Amazon can have great deals. I always comparison shop there. I was looking for a phone case recently and found an "Otterbox" (basically a drop-proof case) for half the retail price. I always check there for fabric prices (many online stores have storefronts on Amazon) and craft items. There are also Kindle books that are free sometimes...mostly cookbooks, but still nice to get them for free!

Thanks for looking and good luck to you this week. I will be back soon to tell you about my plan for next week!
--Katie

Whew!

Ok - made it to CVS and Vons...But I had to go to two different CVS stores. The one I have been visiting NEVER has the items I want and another one nearby ALWAYS has the items I want, so I may be switching stores. It has happened enough that I am tempted to call corporate and let them know that the store needs help! I can't tell if there are just a bunch of people all shopping for the best deals at the one store and clearing shelves, or if the store just can't keep up with stocking shelves. At any rate, I was able to get my items for about $20: two centrum probiotics, two children's advil, one dimetapp cold and cough, 4 secret deodorants, 6 Arizona tea half and half, one rootbeer (for ds), and 3 boxes of kleenex. There were no lysol wipes available. However, I didn't think I would get any ECB's and there was a deal for $4 of ECB's when you buy 2 select advil products. So I did get $4 for next time and I will get $10 in the mail from the advil mail-in rebate.

Then at Vons I was able to get some snacks, some spaghetti sauce, some ice cream treats, bread, cheese, eggs, yogurt (enough for a while - put them in the freezer for lunches, so they'll last about a month), some beans, some condensed soups for cooking, two packages of kitchen trash bags (I like to get these cheap and get alot so I don't have to buy them as often - I think the last time I bought was 6-8 months ago!), some cereal, and a couple other things...I was able to keep it under $100. I only saved 35% today, but I am still ok with it. ;-)

I still need to get to Sprouts for some berries and organic broccoli, but I may wait until tomorrow - double ad Wednesdays are always fun. Their prices from this week and next will all be in effect so I won't be kicking myself if something comes up as a better deal tomorrow.

I hope you are able to find some good savings this week! Good luck to you.
--Katie

Shopping trips

Well, I successfully avoided going to the store this weekend and now we are having a grocery emergency! :-) I am going to CVS, Vons, and Sprouts this morning to restock on items...I am very glad that lunch at school was something good because I ran out of sandwich bread!

This new Vons Just for U program is pretty great, but it actually makes a little more work for me since I don't really have an already completed coupon match-up list since my "personalized prices" are different. But that's alright since there are lots of great coupon databases to search and see if there are coupons out there for my items.

I have modified my menu a little bit too since we didn't do much for dinner last night (too much Fair food).

CVS
My CVS trip should be ok, although I am a little bit bummed that it looks like I won't get any ECB's this week. I just didn't need the items that are on the ECB list. Here is what IS on my list:

• Advil Liquigels, Dimetapp cold and cough, Robitussin - these three are on sale and there was a $10 mail-in rebate form in the coupon insert (2/19 Redplum) along with good coupons. You can only do one rebate per household, and you need to buy three for the rebate, so I will do some combination of the three items.
• Kleenex: these are on sale for 88 cents, and there was an electronic coupon (SavingStar) for 50 cents off three. Final price will be 71 cents each when you get three.
• Centrum probiotics are on sale for 9.99, and there was a high value $5 off q in a recent insert (2/19 Redplum).
• Secret deodorant is buy one get one 50% off and there was a $1 off 1 q in the 2/12 Redplum insert.
• Arizona Half and Half is on sale for 50 cents each - these are my favorite and they are usually $1.
• Lysol wipes are on sale and there is a $1/2 coupon from the 2/5 Smartsource insert.

So I have calculated that the total should be $47.66, minus $12.50 in coupons, and I have $16 in ECBs, bringing my out-of-pocket total to about $20.

I will come back and let you all know how everything goes...I have to get my q's together and get out the door!
Good luck to you...
--Katie

CVS trip

Here's what I bought today...with the extra hair accessories and one extra "got2b" product my total was $24, with $11 in ECB's printed on my receipt. Saved about $50.

Plan for CVS

I haven't said much about my favorite drugstore, CVS. If I could do all my shopping there, I would. I love their Extracare Bucks (ECB) program and it is really easy to work their system and not pay much for your items. I get almost all my toiletries at CVS with rare exception. I currently have $10 in ECB's from my last trip there. I haven't been back in a while because I haven't seen anything I really need and I went there on superbowl weekend to find that the one item I really wanted was competely gone.

But, I need to go this week because I need to get some hair items for DD and I am running low on hair stylers for me. You can check CVS ads almost three weeks ahead and plan out your trips, but I am going to focus on this week for now...

This week, their Got2B stylers are $3.99 each and there was a $3/1 coupon in the 2/12 RedPlum insert. Apparently, these stylers are also at Walgreen's for free after the coupon. But since I am already going to CVS and I have the ECB's, I'll just make one trip.

Also, Dove shampoo, conditioner, and stylers are on sale for $3 each. When you spend $15 on Dove items, you get $5 in ECB's back. There is also a $1/1 q from the 1/29 Redplum insert. So, $3x5 = $15, minus $5 in coupons = $10 out of pocket. You will receive $5 in ECB's on your receipt.

John Frieda "hair treatments" (not sure if this means conditioner, or their smoothing serums or what...) are $8 each, there was a $3/2 q in the 2/2 smartsource insert, and you get $5 ECB's when you buy two. So, $8x2 = $16 minus $3 = $13 out of pocket. You will receive $5 in ECB's on your receipt.

So my total should be:
Got2B...$3.99
Dove.....$15
John Frieda...$16
Subtotal = $34.99
minus $3 + $5 + $3 = $11 in coupons
minus $10 in previous ECB's
I also have $5 off $30 purchase from CVS
Total out of pocket = 34.99-11-10-5 = $8.99
Then I will also receive a total of $10 in ECB's for next week!
So that's a 74% savings with $10 to spend next time. Not a bad deal.

I'll post what I got when I return from CVS later...
--Katie

Plan this week

Vons is having some good produce sales and Sprouts has their berries on sale this week...we've been loving having strawberries and blueberries as a snack or a side dish. You should take a look at the ads when you are thinking about what you will have this week for dinners. This way you can use some of what you already have, and then fill in with what is on sale this week.

This weekend is a long weekend and then we have ABSOLUTELY NO ACTIVITIES next week! We will be eating out on Monday because we will be attending the Riverside County Date Festival. However, for the rest of the week I don't need to find alot of convenience foods since I will be able to prepare normal meals with my extra time. My list of meals includes:

Spaghetti, broccoli
Poppyseed chicken casserole, rice, green vegetable
Chicken Tortilla soup in the crockpot
Pork Chops, Sweet potatoes, green vegetable
Chili and Cornbread
Burritos/nachos
Mac and Cheese with kielbasa sausage and broccoli

My shopping list will actually be pretty sparse because I have many of the items I need to make these recipes. I just need to get some of the fresh veggies and pick up items that are on sale this week (i.e. Prego spaghetti sauce is on sale at Vons, so I will restock my pantry).

The trick is to gather enough items in your pantry that on those days when you just don't know what to make, there are several easy options available. I used to have the problem that I would have an idea of what I wanted to make, but I would be missing one or two items that I needed to complete the recipe. If you keep your pantry stocked with the regular items needed to make your family's favorite meals, then you won't ever have this problem. 

Sit down this week and make a list of the meals you like to make and that your family enjoys. Then make a list of the items you need for these meals. Now you know what you need in your pantry and refrigerator! If you don't have a plan, you will always spend more than you should.

Good luck making your plan this week.
--Katie

To cut or not to cut...

...that is the question! On my "Couponing 101" tab, I talk about the two ways you can handle your coupons: either cut them all out and put them into a binder like I usually do, or just put the entire coupon insert into a folder and call it a day. (I am strongly considering changing to that last one - I have a PILE of coupons that I haven't looked at for three weeks.)

When I cut everything out, I get an idea of what I have. Then I categorize them so that I can find them easily in the store (go to www.krazycouponlady.com for a good system). This is a good method if I find something on sale or clearance; I can quickly check to see if I have a coupon. However, this method can also be very time-consuming. In addition, if you are prone to impulse buys when you get to the store then you might consider NOT doing this to curb that practice. I have a smartphone and can check while I am inside the store if the price is really a good one or not, but if you don't have this ability you may be paying more than you should.

If you decide to go with the second method of just putting the entire coupon insert into a folder, here's what you do: 1. Get a black marker; 2. Write the date on the front of the insert; 3. Put all the same dates together; 4. Get some coffee and enjoy your Sunday. Then, when it is time to shop, you have a little bit more work to do, but not much more than you would do with the first method. (Tip: if you get behind and haven't marked the dates lately, they are printed on the "spine" of the insert - it is pretty small, but it is there!)

With either method, before you go shopping you need to look up the coupon matchups for your store and the things you need. You look in your binder under the correct category for your coupons with the first method. However, if you are using the second method, you will see something like the following on matchups:

"Use $0.35/1 Totino’s Rolls Snacks, exp. 4/21/12 (SS 01/29/12)
or use $0.35/1 Totino’s Rolls Snacks, exp. 3/31/12 (GM 01/08/12)
or use $1/2 Totino’s Pizza Rolls printable"

"SS 01/29/12" and "GM 01/08/12" are the codes that tell you where to find those coupons. These mean that you will find the coupons in the SmartSource (SS) insert that came in newspapers on 1/29/12 and in the General Mills (GM) insert that came in newspapers on 1/8/12. You know which date you received the coupon insert because you marked it on the front in black marker before you kicked back and relaxed! You find that folder, cut that coupon, and you are done! Or, in this case, you might also consider printing the internet coupon since it is available as well.

I think there are really great resources out there from several places that can help you get started with your couponing: www.couponmom.com and www.weusecoupons.com are two great websites. There is also www.southerncalisaver.com - I use this one since she is in our area and most of the prices match what we have here in the Coachella Valley.

Just remember: don't just go shopping and don't just buy things because they are on sale. Have a plan for what you will eat that week and a list of any toiletries/cleaning supplies/etc that you need before you even start. I went to the store too many times and came home with "nothing" (meaning I didn't have a complete meal for any night of the week). I won't do that again!

Hope this helps you get organized...now I need to get organized too!
--Katie

My trip to Vons

I still have to go to Sprouts, but I have a picture of what I got today below as well as my savings. I actually saved $10 more...I forgot to use my $10 reward from last week, so they gave me $10 in cash! I paid a grand total of $67.27!!! Woohoo!

Plan for next week

I am having to get organized a little bit early this week; lots going on this weekend and I won't have time to shop on Sunday. I put together a quick menu for ideas - I still have some things in the pantry that I can pull together in a pinch...but this is my plan:
Lasagna (frozen) with salad
Pot roast in the crockpot for Valentine's Day (a little bit of a fancy meal without having to do too much work)
Burritos/Nachos (always a favorite in my house and easy to pull together)
Pork Chops with mushroom gravy, spaetzle (german noodles), and asparagus (on sale!)
Leftovers

So I am headed to Sprouts and Vons today to pick up everything. Vons has a great new program called Just4You. Here's a screenshot from their website:

You link up your Vons club card and go through their online coupon center (some are manufacturer coupons and some are the coupons that you would normally find in the Tuesday flyer in the mail), then you check your personalized deals (these are deals that are personalized based on your shopping habits - some people I have talked to have deals on milk or other items, but I have deals on orange juice, english muffins, nutrigrain bars, ritz crackers, eggs, bananas...I guess I buy more breakfast items than I realized!), then you look at the Club specials (I assume some are advertised, but some are not). You load it ALL to your card. Then you can print your list so you don't forget what you have. I am going to go to the store today and I am only taking 2 paper coupons with me. Hopefully I still save 50%. I am really excited about the part where I don't have to cut the coupons from the flyer in the mail. Less cutting is better!

So after lunch today I am heading out. I will post what happens!

Good luck to you!

--Katie

Brief summary of trip

Sorry it took me so long...superbowl festivities and then a sinus infection...I realized I hadn't posted anything yet!!! Vons had a bunch on sale for B1G1 including nabisco crackers (wheat thins and triscuits), ball park hot dogs, and hillshire farm kielbasa. I saved 49% and ended up at exactly $100. That also earned me a $10 savings coupon from the Catalina machine (the machine that spits out q's at the end of your order) to use this week. We are running low on snacks, so I may use it for that. :-)

I recommend taking your store's coupon policy or have a way to access it (like I do with my smartphone). The reason I say this is because I actually had at least two q's for the B1G1 deals, but I wasn't sure if they would accept a q for the free item. In fact they don't, and I was able to check that in store and help my checkout go more smoothly.

I also went to Walmart and again they didn't scan all my q's! That just drives me crazy. I guess I just need to hand the q's to them one at a time.

Finally, on Sunday before the game, I decided to visit CVS because my suave q's were expiring and they had an ECB deal with suave products. My kids like the kids' shampoo, so I thought I would try to work the deal. It was a total bust. There were a grand total of THREE suave products in the whole store. You can't win them all. ;-)

I will be back to post about my plan for next week...what are you planning for dinner?

--Katie

Vons trip for Superbowl

Woohoo! Will post details later. :-)

Deals at Walmart

I happened to be at Walmart yesterday to pick up a few things and I only brought a couple of my coupons with me for things I knew were cheap/free...I had some P&G saver coupons for $0.75 off 1 Oral B floss item and two coupons for $1 off 1 Bic Stationary item. Managed to snag 3 flosses, priced at $0.97 for $0.22 each after q's and two packages of Crystal pens by Bic for a profit of $0.03 each. That was pretty good!

However, I was mad at myself because I forgot two q's on the printer and I didn't bring the rest of my q's with me. I found a deal on one of the coupon blogs for Welch's Fizz...apparently a new sparkling juice drink from Welch's. Someone had posted that Walmart's price was $2.98 and then I printed two $2 off 1 q's from  http://www.coupons.com (and now that I am looking for it, it may be gone!). I figured I could get those for the kids for Sunday's big game as a treat. For less than a dollar, I can do that! I am also interested to find out if our price is $2.98. Often there will be prices posted online that are less than what we see in Southern California.

The other thing I noticed was that they had their Mission Tortilla Chips for $1.98. That's about as cheap as they get. I also was able to snag two coupons for $1 off 1 from a Facebook offering they had a couple days ago. So I am going back to Walmart to get chips for less than $1! I can do that too!

There are some lessons here: one is that if you start to get notifications from some of these blogs and websites when deals come up, and you think you may want to get them sometime in the future, PRINT THE COUPONS IMMEDIATELY! Chances are there are THOUSANDS of other people doing the same thing and there are limits on these coupons.

The second lesson is that the prices you find online may or may not be what we have in the store in Southern California. I consistently see different pricing on all sorts of items. One example: I like to get huggies pull-up wipes for my son. Outside of Southern California, these are priced at $1.25 or less. Here they are $1.67.

The third lesson is that you may want to bring all those q's with you to every store visit, because you may find an unadvertised deal on something you were planning to get or could use soon. I found spray sunscreen once for only $2 because I found it on sale and I had a coupon. I hadn't planned to buy it, but I knew we would use it (since we are in the land of eternal sunshine) and it was a steal!

Hope these tips help you in your shopping this week...let me know how you do!
--Katie

The story!

Here it is! I just watched it and Adrianna did a great job. http://www.kmir6.com/news/toprotator/138621434.html

If you want to see the video it is the lead story on the main page right now, or it is under the "videos" tab.

--Katie

KMIR 6 News Story

The KMIR 6 News story on "extreme couponing" is going to air tonight at 11pm. I am going to try my hardest to stay up to watch it, but since I am fighting a cold I am not sure I will make it. Adrianna Weingold did the story with me and she will be sending me a link to the online video tomorrow. I will post it here when I get it!

I was excited: while driving home from dropping off DD, I heard a promo for the story on KDES radio! Let me revise: I was NERVOUS! I just hope everything looks good in the story...

Hope you'll watch.
--Katie

Planning for the weekend and next week

Well the "big game" is this weekend, and while I like college football, I haven't watched one second of pro football. But that doesn't mean it isn't a good excuse to sit on the couch, eat too much, and drink some beer. Of course, I am not going to do any of that unless I can find it on sale. ;-)

So, based on the sales, I think I am going to have the following plan for Sunday and next week:
Sunday big game:
--velveeta and rotel dip with Mission Tortilla Chips (I was able to snag two $1 off 1 q's from their facebook page, so I may buy a couple and then I have the items I purchased last week)
--Guacamole (since the avocados went to 50 cents a piece after I bought a couple at $1 a piece!!!!)
--Hot dogs (Nathan's hot dogs are on sale B1G1) and buns (safeway buns are 99 cents)
--Hamburgers (we received some from DH's Grani from Omaha Steaks) and buns (hoping for a good Safeway deal)
--Shrimp and cocktail sauce (frozen cooked shrimp is $5.99 on Saturday)
--Probably will have in-laws bring some side dishes, so I am off the hook for that
--Beer (There was a good deal on Fat Tire, one of my Colorado favorites, last week, but not sure if they will still be on sale...)

During the week:
Spaghetti and meatballs with broccoli
Pork Chops with mushroom gravy, rice or spaetzle, green beans or carrots
Pizza (Digiorno is on sale and then I have a $1 off q to use by the 5th)
Something with Kielbasa/smoked sausage (Hillshire farm is on sale B1G1 and I have a $0.55 off q)
Meaty Mac and Cheese (this is the one I usually make and the kids like it - I put in cubed turkey ham and broccoli for a one-dish meal)

I will also be taking advantage of some sales (welch's grape juice, ice cream, cereals, strawberries...) so I will let you know how it works out! What are you planning for your Sunday?

Happy Shopping!
--Katie