Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Welcome!

I would like to say welcome to any and all who visit, and take a moment to introduce meself. I am a busy mom to three wonderful young men and two beautiful young ladies. My other half works for the coal mines as an electrician. I, myself, have just graduated with an associate degree from college in medical administration. Being a stay-at-home mom has been truly a blessing. However, living on one paycheck while paying a house payment, car payment, and other monthly bills, and still putting clothes and shoes on growing kids’ feet can max out any budget.

When looking for a blog for our area ( Logan and Boone counties), I found that the only ones that had our stores (Foodland and Kroger mostly) were so far away, they did not even have similar sales. So I began doing my own leg work. Soon, my mother-in-law joined in on my mission: to stock up on my family’s necessities at rock bottom prices. From then on, several households wanted in on my coupon trips. I shared some of my deals and coupons with others who wanted to know how I got my information. So, here I am.

I have gathered coupon policies from my main stores of interest: Foodland, Kroger, and Wal Mart. These I will share in a future installment in detail. For now, Kroger and Foodland policies are pretty similar. Both stores double coupons up to 50 cents. The Foodland in Man on Buffalo Creek is my “home store”. I will do most of my research here. They double everyday here, as well as at the one in Chapmanville. Kroger, in Logan, is my 2nd favorite. They also double everyday and have nifty online coupons which you can load to your Kroger card online.

Wal Mart is my fall-back store. I pretty much only go to Wal Mart if my coupon is over the double limit because of the hassel comp pricing can bring. You have to have the exact size stated in the ad, and meats are pretty much out of the question when comp ads come into play. For me, limited quantity sales are about the only time I go to Wal Mart because I choose to support the little guy. Our local grocers deserve all the help and support we can give them…. especially when we can get great bargains!

So far, my proudest stocks have been:
  • Colgate toothpaste – 13c per 4 oz tube
  • Colgate toothbrushes – 13c per brush
  • Bounty Basic paper towels – 38c per roll
  • Ragu spagetti sauce – 49c per jar
  • Capri Sun – 69c per box of 10
  • Kraft BBQ sauce – 19c per bottle
  • Birdseye Frozen veggies – 23c per bag
  • Kool Aid ready-to-mix canisters – 49c per canister
  • Xtra Laundry detergent – 99c per bottle
Every week I will share the deals that I find with anyone who visits. I will also help anyone who asks to learn how to coupon effectively. Realistically, you can spend around $30 each week on your couponing trip and cut out around $350 or more from your monthly grocery bill. This is what I accomplished over the 4 months I have been doing this. I also would like to encourage anyone who finds a good price or an online coupon to share with the rest of us. We can all help each other.

Unlike “Extreme Couponing” on TLC, I encourage you to get what you think you will need to last you for a couple months. Don’t clean out a grocery store just because you can. Yes, saving a bunch of money is a thrill, but remember to be courteous to other fellow shoppers. Also, instead of becoming overly protective of your coupon stash, encourage your children to take part and learn, especially if you have pre-teens and teenagers. You will teach them good habits in money saving.
Angie

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