Where I get my coupons

Local Newspaper- We found a deal to get it delivered on Thurs and Sunday. It was cheaper to do this than to buy a weekly paper at the store.

Online sign ups and samples- I watch these blogs for mailing sent out from companies. If you have a favorite brand they will probably send you coupons. I signed up with all the formula, diaper, and baby companies when I found out I was pregnant (each time) I get sent samples and really good coupons. Other companies have this too. Check the web site of your faves.

Printable coupons- There are several sites that you can print great coupons from. A few of my faves are coupons.com, Redplum, and smartsource. Also, the blogs will often post special deals. Another site with printables is Meijermealbox.com. I will give the detailed instructions further down.

Catalinas- These are the coupons that print at the grocery store check out. These can be high dollar or not worth it so you have to pay attention

E Coupons- Sites like Shortcuts.com and P&Gsaver.com have e coupons you can load on to your loyalty card (Kroger) These are nice because they are stackable which means you can use them with manufacturers coupons.

Meijer Mealbox

http://www.meijermealbox.com/ is a website that is hosted by Meijer with coupons to use only at their store. These are store coupons which mean you can stack them with Manufacturer coupons. These can result in some good deals and freebies.

1. Go to http://www.meijermealbox.com/
   
2. In the box on the right click specials
   
3. Scroll down and click "add to shopping list" on the coupons you want.
   
4. When you have all your coupons click "shopping list".
   
5. Then click "Print List"
   
6. Check the "coupons" button.
   
7. Print as many copies as you need. There are no limits to how many you can print to my knowledge.
   

Note: When checking out at Meijer be sure to watch your total to make sure the correct amount is being deducted. We have had trouble with these scanning. Just save them until the end and ask the cashier to go slowly.

Blogs I heart!

http://www.moneysavingmom.com Awesome ideas for how to save money, recipes, and being a Godly wife. She also home schools.

http://mommysnacks.net/ Realistic busy mom with 3 boys. Lots of great ideas for moms who are just trying to keep it all together. Lives in Cinci. (So for me)

http://cincinnaticents.blogspot.com/ Great for grocery match up, local activities, good freebies.

http://www.momsbyheart.net/ Mom of five with lots of great deals. I did most of my Christmas shopping online with all the ideas through her site.

I follow several blogs. To keep it easy and make sure I don't miss anything I use google reader.

Tips for keeping your grocery bill low:

Make a meal plan/menu- Don't buy food that will expire before you use it. Just because it looks good doesn't mean you have to buy it. Have a plan for all perishables.

Have a realistic budget- If you spend $100/week on groceries don't set your budget at $20/week right off. You will be frustrated and give up. Also, know what your budget includes. Do you use the same amount to buy groceries, diapers, formula, cleaning supplies? Be realistic about what your family needs.

Use cash- This is something I used to be a lot better at. However, after a year of a cash budget I don't typically go over budget. When you know you don't have a credit card to fall back on you are much more careful about what you buy.

Stockpile- When an item you know you will use (but won't expire before you will use it) goes on sale stock up. For example: if you can find a kick butt sale on cereal for say $0.25/box and it is something you know you go through quickly buy 10 or more if you can. Then the next week you aren't stuck buying it at full price. Once you have a good stockpile it allows you to only buy those items for rock bottom prices. Some weeks all I do is stockpile (and milk and produce). I have enough food that really aside from some perishables my family could eat for at least a month. This also allows us the joy of being able to give at times to others in need.

Coupons- A huge part of saving money is to use coupons. When doubled and matched with sales you can find great deals, free stuff, and sometimes they even pay you to take it home. I watch several blogs to help with match ups and I collect coupons from everywhere I go. It is a game to me to see how little I can spend.

kroger gift card give away...

I follow several blogs to keep up on all the good deals. One of them is mommysnacks.net, and she is doing a giveaway for a $30 Kroger gift card. You can check it out here. I could use a free gift card for groceries how about you?

Asher is two!

Two years ago today our little Asher came into this world. We are so blessed because of him. He is such a joy and a handful. God is so good to us to have given us such a smart, fun, and cute little boy. Happy Birthday Asher.

Organizing my life

Well, this week was overall successful. I was able to organize my fridge and freezers, garage storage, and pantry. It all still looks very full, but I know where everything is and what I have. Which was really my goal. I realized while cleaning my deep freeze that it is in bad need of being defrosted. So this week we are going to work on eating down some of the contents and then defrosting. I've never actually done this so it could be interesting. I'll keep you posted. :)