The Beginning of my Coupon Adventures

As I've mentioned before, the town I live in is quite small. There is only one grocery store, the nearest Walmart and Walgreens are 35 minutes away, CVS is 45 minutes, and Target is about an hour. Well, why does this matter? Lately, while I've been looking at coupon/frugal blogs, I am often envious of all the great "deals" others in larger towns can get by frequenting the sales at various stores. Then I remember that:

1. I often get stressed out while shopping on my own
2. I always get stressed out while shopping with my one year old and three year old
3. I'm not particular fond of driving 45 minutes to Santa Fe in order to get in and out of the car numerous times

I am, however, always looking for a great deal! :)

One of my solutions has been to focus of what is nearby, and that is Smith's. Like all stores, most products are overpriced, but since I've been paying closer attention to the weekly ads, clipping my coupons, and keeping a price book, I've been able to stock up on the bargains and forgo the rest (most of it, at least). For my local readers, I'd like to start posting weekly about my top finds in order to help out my fellow homemakers, as well as anyone who would just like to save some of their hard-earned money! :)

So, I'll be focusing on Smith's as well as CVS (the closest is located at the de Vargas Mall), my favorite drugstore. I'll occasionally be listing deals at Walgreens and Target. I haven't been to Walmart since I almost stepped on a dead kitten in the parking lot...I'd just rather not go there!

I currently have quite a stockpile of coupons, and it did take time to build it up. Here in northern New Mexico we may get coupons the following ways:

1. Sunday papers. The Monitor always has Smartsource, but for the P&G and General Mills inserts, you'll need to purchase (or borrow from a friend who doesn't coupon!) the Santa Fe New Mexican or Albuquerque Journal.
2. Red Plum: these are delivered in the mail each Tuesday or Wednesday. Most people throw these away as "junk," but there are some great coupons in them!
3. Online: try coupons.com, smartsource.com, redplum.com
4. You may also load digital coupons onto your Smith's rewards card--just fill out your card info, then select the coupons you would like.

I'll try to keep this little space updated as much as my life allows, so stay tuned... :)

Blessings,
Katie

Home

The above picture was taken last week when I was driving home from Santa Fe. Both of the boys were asleep in the car, for once I had my camera with me, and the sight was so breath-taking that I just had to pull over. I often forget, or perhaps just ignore, what a beautiful part of the world we live in--wide open space, gorgeous skies, little pollution or litter, and NO strip malls. Since both my husband and I grew up here in northern New Mexico, we sometimes fantasize about moving somewhere else--no where in particular, just someplace different. Then I stop for a moment (or pull the car over) and realize that we're in just about the perfect place, especially for this time in our lives. I feel not only content, but extremely blessed.

Mid-August Garden

Lots of green beans and zucchini, the tomatoes are starting to ripen, and the pumpkin vine has really taken off...






We spent most of the day outside enjoying God's creation.

Blessings,
Katie

Frugal Blogs

Typically, when I find myself having a little free time (ha!) I enjoy surfing around the 'net checking out all the great crafting blogs out there. Lately, however, I've found myself in new territory: frugal/thrifty/coupon blogs! I've been introduced to some fun sites and great ideas, although I do get a bit tired of the same ol' advertisements...

One of my favorite "discoveries" has been to this site: www.jasmere.com

Directly from the site:
"Jasmere seeks out lesser-known specialty retailers that deserve national attention. Our team of New York, Los Angeles and Washington, DC- based shopaholics personally tests every product we feature, using jasmere's negotiating power to offer you an exclusive discount. But don't let the low prices fool you. Every merchant we feature on jasmere meets our highest standards of quality. You may not have heard of these websites, but you can be sure their products and services are the best around. We guarantee it."

Basically, vouchers are given at a huge discount, and the more people who purchase the vouchers, the steeper the discount. Credit cards are not charged until the sale has ended. I've already seen the price for today's sale go down within the past couple hours. So, check out this fun site, and if you're so inclined, purchase some vouchers for Maple Landmark Woodcraft. I've already bought a couple!

$50 Maple Landmark Woodcraft Gift Certificate for only $19 (and price may still drop)! Deal ends at noon tomorrow!


Here are some of the blogs I especially like:
Savings and Stewardship
Just Frugalicious
Two Frugal Friends

Many blessings,
Katie

Coupon Madness

During the past two days I have done things that I never thought I'd do. I'm not ashamed, but I would have never pictured myself being that woman at the check-out with forty coupons in hand. I never would have imagined myself dumpster diving either...Here is what transpired:

Lately I've been doing some modest couponing, but nothing too extravagant. I would check the Sunday paper (if we got it), as well as the Red Plum pamphlet that came during the week. If there was a coupon for something I would regularly purchase anyway, I would cut it out and save it in a drawer. After I started seeing savings, I started cutting out more coupons. I'm still limiting these to items I would actually use, but in terms of "more," I mean duplicates. I've started raiding my parents' newspapers, checking the local library's "free" bin on Sundays, and having my husband ask my father-in-law for the coupon inserts from his papers.

Then came the dumpster diving incident. This week I didn't make it to the library until Tuesday. When I looked at the "free" basket, it was completely empty. I asked the librarian about it, and she told me that it was just taken to the recycling bin and everything should be on top. So, it really was more like clean recycling-bin diving as opposed to dumpster, but I know I received looks from the patrons walking by while I sorted through the coupons in the library parking lot. I'm happy to report that I found what I was looking for! :)

Our local Smith's grocery store had a promotion today that all coupons under $1 would equal $1 at check-out. I gathered up my stash, looked through the store's flyer, then wrote out a detailed list of what I wanted to purchase. I couldn't believe it; here's what I got for FREE (the discount was higher than the sale price on these items):

Regular price: $20.29 My price: FREE!!!!!!

I also purchased the following substantially discounted when sales were combined with coupons:

I'm don't want to be selfish or greedy. I also don't want to become that hoarder on 20/20 with 500 bars of deodorant stashed in the garage. Here are some steps I'm taking to ensure that my couponing doesn't spiral out-of-control:

1.) Keep a price book! This way I know if a deal is really a deal, or if I can get the same item for less somewhere else (or make a substitution, use a generic, etc).
2.) Only clip the coupons for products we already use or for products that I could easily donate
3.) Clean out my coupon folder (I have one of those accordion pocket folders) weekly to eliminate build-up and expired coupons
4.) Have fun--there is no need to stress about coupons!
5.) Try to have a little more dignity--no more pulling out the papers from the recycling bin in front of the library (but I'll still check inside the library...)


I believe that I was pushed over the couponing edge today due to reading the following book earlier in the week: Retail Anarchy by Sam Pocker. This book is filled with conspiracy theories, colorful language, opinions and tips--about coupons and retail in the United States. Despite the colorful language, I really enjoyed the points made and fun had. I do recommend this book as much for entertainment as for ideas about how to use coupons.

Today I was that woman--the woman with one child crying and another eating a chocolate donut he was bribed with in the shopping cart. The woman who pulled out forty coupons. The woman who held up the line while a manager was paged to make sure everything was correct on the receipt. The woman who came back two hours later to challenge a discount not given on the receipt (and was rewarded $8 for it). The woman whose children grabbed shampoo off the shelf and squirted it all over the floor by the meat aisle (of course I apologized and cleaned it up).

Even though I was that woman today, I am proud of myself for being assertive. This is something that is often difficult for me and I have to work hard to do. I was polite and courteous, and the sales associates were helpful in return. It worked out well. I know that I have an important role in my family as wife and mother, but I don't get the validation of a physical paycheck for my stay-at-home profession. Today I enjoyed the feeling of adding economically to my household instead of blindly spending the funds entrusted to me.

Happy couponing!
Katie

Granny Stripes

I've really been on a crochet kick lately. Since it is the first handwork skill I learned as a child, I believe it will always be the most comfortable for me. Knitting is a close second. Crochet is also easier to do while taking care of little ones: there's only one hook (as opposed to two needles, or even as many as five with double-pointed needles), and there's only one live stitch. I also stumbled upon this new-to-me blog full of crochet inspiration.

I started using Lucy's pattern for the Granny Stripe Blanket. Don't you just love her colors? I'm using Vanna's Choice yarn in colors sapphire, antique rose, fern, burgundy and mustard. I had to get passed my yarn snobbery to buy 100% acrylic, but Vanna's Choice ha such great colors, plus made the blanket a lot more affordable.

I'm making this blanket to replace another one we have hanging on my husband's lazy boy recliner. Yes, it is my husband's recliner, and it is his blanket. Both he brought into the marriage, and although he's not ready to let go of his recliner yet, he is willing to swap out the blanket. I'm too embarrassed to post a pic of this blanket, but here's a description: crocheted with acrylic yarn in shades of baby blue, flourescent orange, yellow and green sometime in the 80s. His roommate left it when he moved out, so I don't even want to think of what that blanket has seen/been through!

I have nine pattern stripes so far and am excited to keep going. We'll see if I'm ready to move onto knitting when I'm done with this blanket, but I'm thinking of making a matching granny-square afghan next for the sofa...

Mid-summer Gardening

June has been a hot and dry month here in northern New Mexico. I've had to water more than I'd like to keep my plants alive, but hopefully the monsoons will be starting soon. I'm feeling like my hard work in the garden is finally paying off. We've been enjoying peas for a couple weeks now, as well as lettuce and spinach. I was starting to get worried about our tomato plants because they were producing flowers, but no fruit. Well, today I spotted some tomatoes--yay! It feels good to reap what I've sown. :)


Matthew just loves fresh peas. If I cook them he won't even let them on his plate. There just must be something about picking your own veggies from the garden...

My zucchini is really thriving in its partial-shade environment. During previous years, when I've planted them in full sun, they would become super wilted. The sun here in the mountains is so intense that I've found it's helpful to plant in a little less-than-recommended light.

First tomatoes!


Does anyone know what this flower is? We have several of different colors, and they're just beautiful. I'm thinking that it's some kind of lily...


I hope that everyone is having a fantastic summer!