It's all about the hunt! Finding the best coupons is the name of the game, I think.
I just saw a friend in Target and she mentioned she had her coupons in hand. She had just run in to pick up a couple of things while her husband waited in the truck with their baby. Baby? I have baby coupons! I cut them out and save them but don't use them. I will usually give them away or share them with a young mom looking at diapers trying to decide which ones to buy. I offered those coupons to my friend tonight and she picked out the ones she would use. In turn, she only clips the ones she knows she'll use so she is going to send the remainder to me. This turned out to be a win-win deal and I was happy.
Then she said it... I couldn't believe it. Their church has tons of papers delivered on Saturday and she has access to nearly unlimited coupons! How fair is that? At this point, my mind is spinning, my palms are sweaty and I can not even utter a single sound. I'm speechless (and for those of you who know me...that's a rare occasion!). With a few moments to collect myself, I decided that was not the mature approach. I should be happy for her that she is finding success in her couponing efforts. Yeah, right!
What I did learn was I need to get busy! There are probably plenty of opportunities for me to do the same. After all, the girl with the most coupons WINS!!
Are you in a coupon sharing group? Please post where you find the best coupons.
My favorite sites are:
http://www.thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://www.coupongeek.com/
http://www.happymoneysaver.com/
http://www.couponmom.com/
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
Karen in TX
Friday, July 9, 2010
Couponing
Ok, I'm officially hooked. Got Coupons? I look for them everywhere. I'm all about saving money these days. Should have been all about it years ago.
To start...it can be very overwhelming! When I take a deep breath and slow down I remember that using any coupon at any time is better than I use to do, which was nothing. Of course, now I try to match them with current ads from my local grocery stores and any in-store coupons to go with them.
Next...was deciding which organizing system would work best for me.
I started out with a plastic box that had a snap-on lid.
After that, came the binder. Ehhh...the binder method didn't work so well for me. I think if I had put white paper between the pages it would have helped. Also, for example, on the frozen page I put all the veggies in one slot, all the entree's in one slot, etc. For me, sorting them one more step would have been best. I should have dedicated one entire page to veggies and then sorted them by brands ie..Green Giant in one slot, etc.
Last, and best, I went back to the box with a snap on lid.
I used my left over scrapbook cardstock, cut it to fit my box (6.5" x 5.5") for dividers and wrote the main categories on them (Breads, Dairy, Frozen etc). In order to make them more like 1/3 tabbed dividers I wrote the categories on the left, middle or right side, along the top and then cut away the remaining top of the card. I used whatever colors I had so it was a little difficult for me to get past the fact that the colors of the dividers didn't rotate in a colored pattern. I had lots of extra green cardstock in different shades. I tried sticking green between each of the other colors. They were free so, in the end, I could get past the fact the dividers were not in a color order.
After using this for about a month, I knew I needed more organization. I had previously bought a package of white cardstock at Big Lots ($2.00, bought more today!) to use at school. It wasn't as thick as I'd hoped for so I brought it home. Turns out, it was perfect for some little folders I wanted and made. I cut a rectangle 6.5" x 7" and using the 6.5" as the width, I folded the bottom of the rectangle up leaving about a 1/4" showing. I then wrote my sub-categories on the top. For example, behind my 'Cereal' tab I created a little folder for each of the main cereals I use - General Mills, Kellogg's, MOM (Malt-O-Meal) and Post. Behind the 'Meat' tab is a little folder for each of the following - chicken/turkey, hot dogs/sausage, lunch meat, etc. That way when I'm in the meat section at the grocery store and there's an unadvertised special I go to the 'Meat' tab and pick up the 'chicken-turkey' folder to flip through and check for a coupon.
Here is a picture of my 'Frozen' tab divider and all the sub-categories included.
Behind all the coupons, at the back of the box, I keep a calculator, scissors, pen and a small, plastic box to store my mini binder clips. By the way, I found the most amazing little box at The Container Store for $1.49. Its intended use is to store AA batteries. I simply moved the plastic divider it came with to the far right for future use and now my mini clips are close at hand. I use the clips to secure coupons to the store ads.
This method works for me, at this point in time. Would love to hear if you use this sort of system and what makes it work for you.
Oh, and the crazy part to this is...I just bought another box! Same box, same width, longer length. The hunt is on for more coupons!
Happy couponing!
Karen in Texas
To start...it can be very overwhelming! When I take a deep breath and slow down I remember that using any coupon at any time is better than I use to do, which was nothing. Of course, now I try to match them with current ads from my local grocery stores and any in-store coupons to go with them.
Next...was deciding which organizing system would work best for me.
I started out with a plastic box that had a snap-on lid.
After that, came the binder. Ehhh...the binder method didn't work so well for me. I think if I had put white paper between the pages it would have helped. Also, for example, on the frozen page I put all the veggies in one slot, all the entree's in one slot, etc. For me, sorting them one more step would have been best. I should have dedicated one entire page to veggies and then sorted them by brands ie..Green Giant in one slot, etc.
Last, and best, I went back to the box with a snap on lid.
I used my left over scrapbook cardstock, cut it to fit my box (6.5" x 5.5") for dividers and wrote the main categories on them (Breads, Dairy, Frozen etc). In order to make them more like 1/3 tabbed dividers I wrote the categories on the left, middle or right side, along the top and then cut away the remaining top of the card. I used whatever colors I had so it was a little difficult for me to get past the fact that the colors of the dividers didn't rotate in a colored pattern. I had lots of extra green cardstock in different shades. I tried sticking green between each of the other colors. They were free so, in the end, I could get past the fact the dividers were not in a color order.
After using this for about a month, I knew I needed more organization. I had previously bought a package of white cardstock at Big Lots ($2.00, bought more today!) to use at school. It wasn't as thick as I'd hoped for so I brought it home. Turns out, it was perfect for some little folders I wanted and made. I cut a rectangle 6.5" x 7" and using the 6.5" as the width, I folded the bottom of the rectangle up leaving about a 1/4" showing. I then wrote my sub-categories on the top. For example, behind my 'Cereal' tab I created a little folder for each of the main cereals I use - General Mills, Kellogg's, MOM (Malt-O-Meal) and Post. Behind the 'Meat' tab is a little folder for each of the following - chicken/turkey, hot dogs/sausage, lunch meat, etc. That way when I'm in the meat section at the grocery store and there's an unadvertised special I go to the 'Meat' tab and pick up the 'chicken-turkey' folder to flip through and check for a coupon.
Here is a picture of my 'Frozen' tab divider and all the sub-categories included.
Behind all the coupons, at the back of the box, I keep a calculator, scissors, pen and a small, plastic box to store my mini binder clips. By the way, I found the most amazing little box at The Container Store for $1.49. Its intended use is to store AA batteries. I simply moved the plastic divider it came with to the far right for future use and now my mini clips are close at hand. I use the clips to secure coupons to the store ads.
This method works for me, at this point in time. Would love to hear if you use this sort of system and what makes it work for you.
Oh, and the crazy part to this is...I just bought another box! Same box, same width, longer length. The hunt is on for more coupons!
Happy couponing!
Karen in Texas
Friday, May 14, 2010
Happy Birthday, Kait!
Kait is 14 on the 14th! Happy birthday, sweetie.
Pretty amazing my big girl started out as a 4 lb. 2 oz., malnourished, 17 1/2" long baby. That's what drugs and huffing will do to your baby. No, not me silly. Her biological parents. I had a neighbor one time who thought I had done all that to my baby. She didn't say anything for a few months until I mentioned Kait was adopted. She was visibly relieved according to the look on her face.
Unfortunately, she still suffers from the prenatal exposure. Instead of being out celebrating tonight as planned, we're home eating frozen pizza. The excitement has been building since the day after Christmas. Finally, earlier this week she couldn't take the excitement any longer and threw the phone down in huff. That was AFTER being told, "If you throw the phone down there will be NO Rancho Grande on Friday for you birthday." Guess what...she threw it anyway. So here we sit, dang it.
What she doesn't yet know is her friend's grandmother agreed to the postponing of the Mexican food celebration until Saturday. But, by gosh, we did NOT go to Rancho Grande tonight. Surprisingly, Kait has taken it quite well.
Note to self...sticking to what I promised worked out this time.
Pretty amazing my big girl started out as a 4 lb. 2 oz., malnourished, 17 1/2" long baby. That's what drugs and huffing will do to your baby. No, not me silly. Her biological parents. I had a neighbor one time who thought I had done all that to my baby. She didn't say anything for a few months until I mentioned Kait was adopted. She was visibly relieved according to the look on her face.
Unfortunately, she still suffers from the prenatal exposure. Instead of being out celebrating tonight as planned, we're home eating frozen pizza. The excitement has been building since the day after Christmas. Finally, earlier this week she couldn't take the excitement any longer and threw the phone down in huff. That was AFTER being told, "If you throw the phone down there will be NO Rancho Grande on Friday for you birthday." Guess what...she threw it anyway. So here we sit, dang it.
What she doesn't yet know is her friend's grandmother agreed to the postponing of the Mexican food celebration until Saturday. But, by gosh, we did NOT go to Rancho Grande tonight. Surprisingly, Kait has taken it quite well.
Note to self...sticking to what I promised worked out this time.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Run, run, run
Spring break is almost over and I still have so much to do! Yes, I've completed several items on my list but I haven't read a magazine or done any scrapbooking yet. I still have projects I want to work on like cleaning out the garage, hanging all the art and wall decorations in my house and shoveling out Kait's room
Kait's room scares me. There are probably big, green, moldy things growing in there or, at the very least, stuck to the carpet. Nothing is in the correct drawer and I just straightened and reorganized them. Now her socks are in with her pajamas and a sandal is in with her shorts. A little out of sight, out of mind going on there?
Another thing...did you know 13 year olds go into a semi hibernation? They can sleep for 12 hours at night and then get another 10 hours in during the day. I read, one time, teenagers sleep a lot but really? This much? Is this really necessary? I do love the part where she wants to stay home and sleep while I go to the grocery store. Ahhh...the peace and quiet while shopping is a forgotten experience.
Yes, I know it will all end too soon. She will grow up, be on her own and this all ends too soon. I really do treasure every moment with her but shopping in silence is a luxury. Hey, I will take those moments when I can!!
Off to enjoy the last days of spring break...
Karen in Texas
Kait's room scares me. There are probably big, green, moldy things growing in there or, at the very least, stuck to the carpet. Nothing is in the correct drawer and I just straightened and reorganized them. Now her socks are in with her pajamas and a sandal is in with her shorts. A little out of sight, out of mind going on there?
Another thing...did you know 13 year olds go into a semi hibernation? They can sleep for 12 hours at night and then get another 10 hours in during the day. I read, one time, teenagers sleep a lot but really? This much? Is this really necessary? I do love the part where she wants to stay home and sleep while I go to the grocery store. Ahhh...the peace and quiet while shopping is a forgotten experience.
Yes, I know it will all end too soon. She will grow up, be on her own and this all ends too soon. I really do treasure every moment with her but shopping in silence is a luxury. Hey, I will take those moments when I can!!
Off to enjoy the last days of spring break...
Karen in Texas
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Big Green MONSTAH
The Big Green MONSTAH is the 37' 2" green wall behind left field at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Today, St. Patrick's Day, I wore my 'GREEN MONSTAH' shirt my Aunt (prounounced ANT to all you non-Texans) Marlene sent me. Actually, her name is Maureen but Kait has never been able to say it correctly so 'Aunt Marlene' it is and she is fine with that.
Boston, Cape Cod, Lowell, Dracut, Tyngsborough...I love it there! My dream would be to build a cottage on the beach in Orleans or Chatham, MA. Yep, that's where I am in my dreams. It is like heaven on earth. The Chatham Coffee Co, Ben Franklin's, Cape Cod Potato Chips, lighthouses, lobster ('lobstah' to my fellow Texans) and last, but certainly not least, The Christmas Tree Shops!! I love that place way too much. It took me an extra suitcase to get back to Houston after a little shopping adventure there.
You can't tell by my TEXAS accent, ya'll, but I was actually born at Ft. Devens, MA. My dad was in the Air Force, stationed at Hanscom AFB but there wasn't a hospital on base and we were sent to Ft. Devens for delivery. 13 months later my brother, Richie, was born and a few months after that we were back in Texas.
Oh, yes, back to my story. Lobstah, Monstah ~ They don't have the letter 'r' in MA. You can even ask my Aunt Mahlene!! However, her grandson Tylah's name for her is Naner. They just take out the letter 'r' at will and add it at random. Cracks me up! I have to be really careful though, Ant Mahlene is the one who crammed 100 lbs. of The Christmas Tree Shops treasures into the extra suitcase, so I just call her 'Queen'.
Queen Mahlene's husband, Dube, now there's a real King for ya! What a treasure that Dube is. Do you know he can spot a french fry on the grass from 50 feet away? Very observant. And maticulous...every single thing has its own place and in that place it goes. Including the blue, speckled, Texas plate I gave them which hangs above the sink. When it falls into the sink, scaring him to death, he's reminded of how loved he is and puts it right back above the sink only to scare him another day. And record keeping...he knows how much his weekly groceries were back in July of '78. However, I must say the jewel in his crown is...he knows where EVERY Christmas Tree Shops store is within a 50 mile radius. Now that is pure genius to me.
I almost took a teaching job in Hudson, MA. but finally decided to stay in Texas for the time being. Maybe next year Kait and I will live in MA. Think I could talk my parents in to going with us? Nahhh, probably not.
Hugs, ya'll,
Karen and Kait
Boston, Cape Cod, Lowell, Dracut, Tyngsborough...I love it there! My dream would be to build a cottage on the beach in Orleans or Chatham, MA. Yep, that's where I am in my dreams. It is like heaven on earth. The Chatham Coffee Co, Ben Franklin's, Cape Cod Potato Chips, lighthouses, lobster ('lobstah' to my fellow Texans) and last, but certainly not least, The Christmas Tree Shops!! I love that place way too much. It took me an extra suitcase to get back to Houston after a little shopping adventure there.
You can't tell by my TEXAS accent, ya'll, but I was actually born at Ft. Devens, MA. My dad was in the Air Force, stationed at Hanscom AFB but there wasn't a hospital on base and we were sent to Ft. Devens for delivery. 13 months later my brother, Richie, was born and a few months after that we were back in Texas.
Oh, yes, back to my story. Lobstah, Monstah ~ They don't have the letter 'r' in MA. You can even ask my Aunt Mahlene!! However, her grandson Tylah's name for her is Naner. They just take out the letter 'r' at will and add it at random. Cracks me up! I have to be really careful though, Ant Mahlene is the one who crammed 100 lbs. of The Christmas Tree Shops treasures into the extra suitcase, so I just call her 'Queen'.
Queen Mahlene's husband, Dube, now there's a real King for ya! What a treasure that Dube is. Do you know he can spot a french fry on the grass from 50 feet away? Very observant. And maticulous...every single thing has its own place and in that place it goes. Including the blue, speckled, Texas plate I gave them which hangs above the sink. When it falls into the sink, scaring him to death, he's reminded of how loved he is and puts it right back above the sink only to scare him another day. And record keeping...he knows how much his weekly groceries were back in July of '78. However, I must say the jewel in his crown is...he knows where EVERY Christmas Tree Shops store is within a 50 mile radius. Now that is pure genius to me.
I almost took a teaching job in Hudson, MA. but finally decided to stay in Texas for the time being. Maybe next year Kait and I will live in MA. Think I could talk my parents in to going with us? Nahhh, probably not.
Hugs, ya'll,
Karen and Kait
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Today...
Today has been one of pure joy. It's Tuesday of Spring Break and I was still in my 'jammas' at 4:00 p.m. Life is so much easier when you have pajamas on. For all the obvious reasons, p.j.s are like rolling up in a soft blanket, such an easy way to deal with life or not.
I did get a lot of items crossed off that never-ending 'To Do' list...sorting mail, cancelling unused credit cards, confirm Kait's place on the C.L.A.S.S. and MDCP lists, file all of 2009's business records and, oh yeah, drink coffee...mmmm!
As you follow along with this blog you will soon learn about 'the girls'. 'The Girls' are whomever is currently living in our apartment complex, in junior high and mean as a junk yard dog. 'The girls' are just like those dogs. They lay and wait for Kait to appear in the open and unprotected area known as 'outside'. Outside is the place where Kait always wants to be whether she is riding her bike, scooter, running, playing tag, finding lost puppies or finding friends. Problem is those junk yard dogs are not really her friends. They apper to be at first and Kait thinks 'this time' they're going to be but they aren't. She's always the weakest link and such an easy target for the cruel world of jr. high girls. Those wicked little creatures pick, taunt, tease, and laugh at her until she retaliates. Then they have the nerve to run home and get their mommas. Really? You big bully! You teased and taunted Kait but now you need your momma?
Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. Emanuel will be 29. I can not believe it. Ahhh...Emanuel you ask? The little boy I had in 1st grade the first year I taught school. Along the way I made secret birthday cakes, took him to school carnivals, paid for school pictures, went to 6th grade open house so he would receive extra credit, signed report cards, arranged high school algebra tutoring, took him to doctor's appointments and numerous other events. His imprint is still on my heart. He's a fine, well mannered,young man who I am so very proud of. He's also one of the few who, as an adult, recently said, "Thank you, Ms. Anderson. I KNOW all the things you did for me that you never told me about. It means a lot." Those are the days I treasure and it is why I teach school.
I did get a lot of items crossed off that never-ending 'To Do' list...sorting mail, cancelling unused credit cards, confirm Kait's place on the C.L.A.S.S. and MDCP lists, file all of 2009's business records and, oh yeah, drink coffee...mmmm!
As you follow along with this blog you will soon learn about 'the girls'. 'The Girls' are whomever is currently living in our apartment complex, in junior high and mean as a junk yard dog. 'The girls' are just like those dogs. They lay and wait for Kait to appear in the open and unprotected area known as 'outside'. Outside is the place where Kait always wants to be whether she is riding her bike, scooter, running, playing tag, finding lost puppies or finding friends. Problem is those junk yard dogs are not really her friends. They apper to be at first and Kait thinks 'this time' they're going to be but they aren't. She's always the weakest link and such an easy target for the cruel world of jr. high girls. Those wicked little creatures pick, taunt, tease, and laugh at her until she retaliates. Then they have the nerve to run home and get their mommas. Really? You big bully! You teased and taunted Kait but now you need your momma?
Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. Emanuel will be 29. I can not believe it. Ahhh...Emanuel you ask? The little boy I had in 1st grade the first year I taught school. Along the way I made secret birthday cakes, took him to school carnivals, paid for school pictures, went to 6th grade open house so he would receive extra credit, signed report cards, arranged high school algebra tutoring, took him to doctor's appointments and numerous other events. His imprint is still on my heart. He's a fine, well mannered,young man who I am so very proud of. He's also one of the few who, as an adult, recently said, "Thank you, Ms. Anderson. I KNOW all the things you did for me that you never told me about. It means a lot." Those are the days I treasure and it is why I teach school.
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