This Week's Deals

1. At Shopko and Kmart, Purex detergent is on sale for 4.00. I have a Buy one get one free coupon from a recent Red Plum coupon insert (usually comes to my house in the mail on Wednesdays).
2. I never stockpile things like presents or toys ahead of time, but this was too good to pass up. Toys R Us has a Pictureka game on sale for $6.99. If you go here you can find a coupon for $5 off the game and get it for $1.99. The game is for 6 and up so too old for most of my kids, but great for a present from my 6 year old! (For the last birthday party I spent $12 on a barbie; before that $8 on a transformer.)I checked the normal pricetag and it said $19.99. The lady in front of me bought 3 (she had three coupons) and I wondered why it has taken me this long to start using coupons.
3. Harmons has Cheese Nips on sale this Friday and Saturday only for 99 cents!

Discovery 1

I have discovered coupons. I have never used coupons because I am a loyal Walmart customer. I shop there not for there outstanding customer service which does not exist, but for their low prices. Often I go to price match something (you can match the sales at another store) and find it already cheaper here. I didn't even know they accept coupons. But they do. I'll let you know if you can price match, then add the coupon as soon as I find out.

Back to coupons. You can use a manufacture's coupon, a store coupon, and a loadable coupon (loads onto your store discount card-go to shortcuts.com and cellfire.com for these) all in the same transaction. So when items go on sale you can use all these coupons and get your items much cheaper and even free sometimes.

This week I got 10 yoplait yogurts for 31 cents apiece. Smiths had them on sale for 40 cents each if you buy 10, then I had a loadable coupon which took even more off. This is just one example. For more info check out www.savvyshopperdeals.com. This site told me where the deals are and where to find which coupons. It helps if you have been saving coupons for awhile. I can't wait to get started with my Sunday newspapers.

Lesson Number 1

Making a menu creates a shopping list. I've always made a menu for the week. Because I don't keep food stashed away, I can't make many things on the fly. I make a menu, I buy for that menu, and I cook the menu. Variations mean another trip to the grocery store. I try to look at what is cheap for the week in the ads and plan meals accordingly. I also piggyback meals. I use leftovers for another meal.

This is my menu for this week:

S-BBQ Pork Roast on Rice

M-Beef and Bean Burritos (I had leftover pot roast from last week)

T-Spaghetti and Salad

W-Penne with Sweet Potatoes in a creamy chicken sauce

Th-Leftover Pork with Mashed Potatoes

F-Frozen Pizza

S-Teriyaki Chicken on Rice

The Journey Begins

Okay, so I have always been very, very cheap. Recently, I have found that others are able to be even cheaper than I am. I am not sure how they do this, but I am on a journey to discover their secrets. This is a journal to record how and if I am able to do this. I have some goals:

1. Make a budget.

I currently budget $100 a week on groceries. After bills, I am left with about $200 a month. This is what I have left to buy gas, eat out, and pay for anything else that "comes up." We usually end up dipping into our savings at the end of the month and I'd like to to add to it instead of take out of it.

2. Only buy when it's a good deal.

(Never "run in" to a grocery store to grab one thing and come out with five more). This requires a stash in a pantry that I don't currently have. Food storage and emergency preparedness are important to me, but I have been waiting for a permanent residence. I have decided to wait no more.

I'm sure I'll add to this later but these are my starting points.