Still Couponing-just not blogging about it!

Just so you all know, I still do this method of couponing.  I have moved from Utah to Arizona and I don't teach classes anymore, but I still take 3 newspapers and I still coupon.  I leave my blog here because it is very informative of how to coupon and save lots of money.  I also refer to it for the insert schedule (lower right side of my home-page) and for other things as well at times.  But I just thought I would let people know that I think it is a great system and I know you can save a lot of money doing it.  I may do a blog post here and there, mostly for me to help boost me in my effort to save and see the reality of it in a picture, and I can show my kids when they are older for the fun of it!  I hope you have a great 2013!!

Wal-mart, thumbs down; Smith's, thumbs up!!

There are some GREAT deals this week!  

Be sure to check out grocerysmarts for what you are interested in!

Things I got for FREE:

18 Propels

Noxzema razors

toothbrushes

dental flosses

Similac pre-mixed formulas (aren't I nice-I got 13 of them for my sister-in-law)

Feminine care items

Things I got for GREAT deals:

Kool-aid packets ($.03 each)

Crystal Light 12 quart packs

Huggies little swimmers ($4 each package-they are $10 at walmart)

Arrowhead 24-pack waterbottles ($2 each)

Country time lemon-aid

I am now stocked up on drinkage for the summer--which is perfect timing!  They were out of Mr Clean Magic Erasers, which I was going to get for $.47 for a 2-pack, and they were out of Wheat Thins Crunch Stix, which would have been $.67 each.  I may have Jon grab those on his way home from work next week (they said they were getting more in over the weekend).

Anyway, the only thing I hated about this shopping trip was that I went to walmart for the bulk of it and price-matched several things, other things were the same price, but after using the coupons it made some of the items more than free (ie:  item on sale for $.94, coupon for $1 off).  My walmart cashier couldn't handle that.  She was furious, like I was ripping walmart off or something.  It was making her really mad that I was getting so many things for free and I reminded her of the sign in the front of the store that states they will match coupons and beat any prices.  She called a manager over, who said the sales and coupons were legit and it was okay.  She even tried to make one of the coupons that was supposed to be buy 2 get 1 free be only $.10 off rather than the $2.48 it was supposed to be.  I was watching closely though and caught her.  She acted like it wasn't her fault, and deleted it and "tried" again, once again, typing in 10 cents.  I actually said to her, "why don't you try typing in $2.48 instead of 10 cents, maybe it will work then".  She didn't like that, but realized that I wasn't going to fall for her "act of computer glitching", and she did typed in the correct amount the third time, and surprise, it worked.  Anyway she was really mad and took FOREVER (would pause and huff after each item) and I was reminded why I just shop at Smith's and sometimes Maceys and Walgreens.  I only went to walmart because I had some gift cards there and I hadn't gone in a long time and thought to myself, "it shouldn't be hard to pricematch and do coupons there--they probably have tons of people doing that by now".  Boy was I wrong or I happened to get just the wrong cashier.

Then I still went to Smith's to get 2 of the things walmart wouldn't match (the Little Swimmers and waterbottles).  Smith's was SO SO nice as usual and I asked where the tip box was.  Seriously, I am going to start tipping my cashiers at Smith's that are SO nice, and say things like, "that is such an awesome deal, I think it's great you know how to save so much".  So I ended up taking about 3 times the amount of time I normally would have.  I guess we learn from our mistakes!

GREAT stuff at Smith's this week (May 4th-10th)

Be sure to check out grocerysmarts before you go shopping!  I hope you are all getting this style of shopping down-eventually you should be able to only buy the 4 & 5 star items and your fresh produce, milk, and eggs and that's all you have to buy!  If you stock up on the 4 & 5 star items, you really will begin to have a great food storage and have what you need when you need it and be saving tons of money!  Figure out which store is best for you--I usually check Smith's Maceys, and Walgreens.  Then check those stores once a week and get your coupons ready--you only need to go on one shopping trip and you can just choose one store to go to--whichever has the best deals for that week.  

Last week I chose Maceys--I got 20 FUZE drinks for free!  I got some taquitos, pizzas, stove top stuffing, and a few other items.  This week, I am going to Smiths.  I may hit walgreens for some personal care items that are really cheap.  

Realize that when I say something is really cheap, that means I am getting that from the grocerysmarts website and it tells me where to get a coupon to match the sale.  

If you keep up on this way of shopping, it really does pay off!  I have a full food storage room, I have two full freezers, and I have a full pantry.  I also have a laundry room full of laundry supplies, and bathrooms filled with bathroom supplies.  I have been doing this for 2 1/2 years now.  It took me about 1 year to really get it down.  Now I can't imagine how I used to shop-I spent more and got WAY less, I couldn't afford a food storage; and now I am so grateful for how much I save doing grocerysmarts!

Anyway, check out grocerysmarts and try it out if you aren't really doing it!  Some of the really cheap things at Smith's that I plan to get are:
Razors, Pasta (FREE), Nivea bodywash (FREE), KRAFT Mayo, Miracle whip and barbeque sauce--in preparation for summer barbeques, Toothbrushes (FREE), Quaker Cereal, Pizza, Coconut milk, and some milk and bread.  I have everything else I would need on my shelves or in my freezer--and I get my fresh produce through Bountiful Baskets.  What a blessing.

Let me know if you want me to teach a class for you--check out the FREE CLASSES section of my blog for info on classes if you are interested!

Have a wonderful May and Mother's Day!