SmartShopper Discounted at Yugster.com

Sorry I've been MIA so much going on there isn't enough room in cyberspace to get anyone caught up. I wanted to share a great deal with everyone though.

The budget guru Erin over at Jane4Girls had posted this great giveaway back in January for a great new tool for help with grocery & to-do lists. It was called the SmartShopper.


Well, I didn't win BUT while scoping out my 1 a day sale sites this morning I found the deal of the day. Yugster.com is offering the SmartShopper as a sneak peak special (which means if you're registered you can go ahead an order it but if not you can order it tomorrow-registering is FREE) this awesome tool is being sold on Yugster.com for....$27.97!!!! Yes that's right $27.97. I had a $10 Gift card from earlier purchases so I got mine for $17.97 plus $7 shipping and handling for a grand total of $24.97! That's a HUGE savings. So I would jump on it. I've order from them several times before they are very reliable. A bit slow with shipping but I've always received what I've ordered.

So Happy Friday everyone!

Using Coupon Codes to save on Online purchases

One of the great things about the web is you can shop around to find the best deal without running yourself rigid. You can also save yourself a little more buy using coupon codes or promo/promotional codes. For those who aren't familiar with these, they are basically codes that you can put into your online checkout cart that will give you a discount. You can sometimes find them on the mailing label of a catalog or retailers you order from frequently may even send you a postcard with the special code. However, if you don't ever receive them or don't get the ones you could actually use, don't despair. As with all things virtual, you can find virtually any retailer's codes on the web. If you're going to buy online, do a little search (google's my personal favorite) for the retailer you're shopping at with the key words "coupon codes", "promo codes", or "promotional codes". i.e. shopping on Amazon.com I search for : Amazon.com coupon codes and end up with sites that have codes such as this one: 4DNW5Q89 FOR $25 off shoes sold by RoadRunner thru Amazon.com or 326465 5% discount on DVDs. Basically, you just look for a code that fits what you are looking for. Some of the places to look that I've found helpful are:

Retailmenot.com

Currentcodes.com

Couponcabin.com

These are just a few of the ones I've used. You can also find them on some of your favorite forums. Some of the ones I've used included:

Hotcouponworld.com

Fishingfordeals.com

Mommysavers.com

All three of these sites are great coupon code resources as well as having a multitude of other savings ideas. Just remember to shop around and look for virtual coupons just like you would a traditional paper coupon or sale. Combining these with some of reward programs like Mypoints.com and ebates.com that give cash back or points for purchases, can really cut your costs on things you buy. It takes a few extra clicks but a few extra clicks can really add up to extra savings.

PAPERS! PAPERS! GET YOUR PAPERS!...

Sunday's papers that is. On a tip from Saving Money Ideas, I've learned that this Sunday's inserts will be a wonderful New Year's gift. With a total of 5 different inserts, three Smartsource inserts and two Red Plum (Valassis) inserts, the possibilities are endless. This basically amounts tons of savings and swaps for the avid couponer. How does she know? She pointed to Taylortown Preview to see a complete listing of the coupons that will be in this weekend's paper. So I ventured over and WOW! What an awesome resource. Her dedication and hard work/time really pays off. She offers a preview of the upcoming weeks insert coupons AND offers them for sale including past inserts. Of course, they are on a "While Supplies Last" basis but if you are looking for a particular coupon, she's more than likely got. Or if you just can't remember when a coupon came out or if there is one for a particular product, she has a search feature that works by pressing ctrl + F to pop up a search box at the bottom of the screen. To see what's coming click here: Taylortown

Yesterday I mentioned Hotcouponworld.com in my quest for free toliet paper. I thought I should tell you a little about hcw. I stumbled across this wonderful virtual community by accident one day and have never turned back. It's a huge resource for the hard core couponer AND the beginner.

At HCW, there's a place for everything - from introduction to couponing and the entire process to get started, to where to find coupons and even suggestions on how to set up a coupon organizing system. Other resources include individual sections for individual stores that list current and upcoming sales, how to handle any problems you encounter, sharing deals people have gotten there, and my favorite, the wonderful ladies (& gents) list coupon match ups to the sales ads. Helping you get the most out of your money.

There are so many resources on this site, you'll find yourself addicted to it. Not only do they help you learn and navigate through the wonderful world of couponing but they also list freebies, have a helping hand program, classifieds, coupon trading, and even a place to blow off steam.

If you are new to couponing or you're a pro and have never stopped by, I highly recommend clicking over there. Hotcouponworld.com is an excellent source of knowledge, encouragement, and just a lot of fun while saving. I learn something new every time I'm there. Go check them out: Hotcouponworld.com

FREE TP & the rest of my shopping "experience:

Today I did some grocery shopping, partly for Christmas dinner; partly for the fact we will be eating 3 meals a day at home for the next 2 weeks while I’m off work, and of course, there was a sale and I was armed with coupons. I don’t have my camera set up yet but I’ll work on that later & post some pictures. (that always makes it seem more real! Lol)

My first stop was to Walgreens were I attempted to pick up a Conair blow dryer for $10 and get a $10 RR (register return) making it virtually free but I was too late. They were gone before 5 am! It was a great deal; but I do still have my loyal dryer. I was able to take advantage of their Pepsi product sale and picked up 4 – 12 pks of pepsi products for the 4/$12 deal and received a $3 RR (my first, yeah me!) I always seem to miss something when I try to do the RR specials. That made them 4/$9 (just under $3 a piece) I also picked up 2 of the 15 count waters for $1.99 each with Walgreens coupon. We went back after our trip to Kroger & price comparison on the Betty Crocker Brownie bowls. I had 3 coupons for .50 off two and they were on sale for 3/$5. I used my $3 RR .

I picked up MANY (too many probably) things at Kroger but my brag deals have to be the Pillsbury Frozen Biscuits on sale 2/$5 then I had .50 off Coupons which were doubled making them $1.50 each. I bought 6 making it a total of $9.oo PLUS each bag had a $1 off coupon for Pillsbury frozen Cinnamon rolls!! So that’s kind of like only spending $3 (ok that might be stretching it but you get the picture). Now my favorite deal which my family is so tired of me bragging about it is one I have to give props to the ladies (& a few gents) on HOTCOUPONWORLD.COM! Thanks to a tip from one of the ladies in the Kroger forumn I learned that Kroger carries the 4 pk Cottonelle TP for $0.99 I surfed the web until I found 4 $0.50 coupons which Kroger doubled. DRUMROLL……..I purchased 4 packages of the 4-pk Cottonelle for a grand total of -$0.04!!!! I also had earned enough points to get $0.10 off per gallon which I needed gas so I filled my 4 wD up for $30.00 which never seems to happen. Again…Yeah me! Lol

Without boring you with all my items here’s an overview: At Walgreens I saved $14.50 and at Kroger $36.45…$15 of that was pure coupons! It was a productive day and I feel like I really accomplished something today. It took some work surfing the web and digging through my coupons but it was well worth it. For those out there that say you can get the off brand for cheaper than wasting your time with coupons…well yes, sometimes you can but sometimes the coupon, combined with a sale, and the right store that doubles can make the name brand cheaper than the off brand. It just takes time to comparison shop. My advise…invest in a good calculator…or carry your 14 year old math whiz…that’s what I do.

Learning from JANE4girls $800 Annual Budget

There’s an amazing woman online out of Texas who has inspired not only myself but hundreds of people online to buckle down, get creative, and save on groceries and more. On her blog, JANE4girls $800 Annual Budget For A Family of 4, she not only tells you how she spends next to nothing on groceries she also shows you how to do it. With gift cards earned from rebates, surveys, and even test drives, she recently took herself and her girls to Red Lobster and ate for $1.85!!! I haven’t even been able to take my crew to McDonald’s for less than $20 but I’m inspired to look into this. Erin, who holds free couponing classes in her hometown of Katy, Texas, has taken couponing and frugal living to a new and fun level. She still lives like she spends a ton but has maintained an $800 budget with change to spare for this year. On her blog she shares her secrets to getting the best deal and even shares some recipes in which she uses items from her stockpile of goodies. All the things she does she does to share the knowledge she has gained learning to live frugally and still have fun. The coupon classes she holds in Katy, Texas she does at no charge so that she can share with others how to save and live a better life. During this time of economic downturn, it’s refreshing to find a great resource for not only information on saving some of our hard earned money but encouragement to enjoy the fruits of our labors as well as life in general. Kudos to this great motivator of the frugal. Thanks for helping us all learn to live for less. Great job, Erin! Great job!

Check her great blog out at : http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/

In the Beginning...

As this year comes to an end, I've decided to start a project for myself. I'm going to track my spending (and lack of spending) over the next year. Since July I've been reading, studying, and even dabbling in couponing and rebating. I've actually done a pretty good start but I have in no way tracked how much I've spent or saved. Thus, this is my self improve project for 2009!!!

First thing I need to do is figure out what my true income/liquid assets, recurring expenses such as utilities, traveling gas, etc., and need base expense are. That sounds easily enough, right? Somehow its not coming to me that easily. That's one of the reasons I'm starting this blog ahead of time; before the actual 2009. I need to get a grasp of where I am financially both incoming and outgoing.

In general, I'm a single mom of 3 boys: Crisco 18 soon to be 19 and graduating this year, Wes/Andrew (its the name game with him; his name depends on his mood) he's 14, and little bit who's 11. They eat like an army constantly so groceries will be the area I will concentrate the most on in cutting costs. I commute to work - about 44 miles and work for the State which at this point is in a Budget Crisis so my income has been froze for the past year and will be until July when it may be either cut somewhat or well...I don't want to think the worst. Also, I'm a part time student working on my IT degree so I do have some expenses there.

Overall, I just need to spend the next couple of weeks going over what's coming in and what's going out. I plan to document my next year on this blog so I can look back and learn from it and possibly even get the input of anyone who stumbles across here and of course, share what I learn on the way!

Wish me luck!
Gertie