Couponing~Savings or Insanity?

Hi everyone!

As part of my “Menu Planning” series, I told you that I would also talk about how to save money when planning your meals. Coupons are one way to do this.

Did this title freak you out? Did you instantly think, “Oh good grief! No not coupons!” or did you think “Coupons! Woohoo! Give ‘em to me!”

If you are not obsessed with coupons, which it can easily become an obsession, you can just as easily be in the other extreme, a fear of jumping into the coupon craze.

Well, I have been both! I have done the whole “Extreme Couponing” and the opposite end of not even wanting to touch a coupon.

So, let me give you my personal take on couponing.

Coupons = money (if used correctly)

At the same time…..

Time = Money (if your time is limited)

4 categories of couponing:

1. Extreme Couponer -

• You LOVE it!
• You have the extra time to really go at it (which means your family, your friends, your job, your home, your sanity does NOT suffer!)
• Your income demands it
• You help others with your bounty

2.   Moderate Couponer -

• You want to try to save some money
• You figure out an acceptable “time vs money” ratio
• It doesn’t interfere with your life to any extreme
• You created an workable coupon routine
• You help others with your bounty

3.   Occasional Couponer -

• If you happen to see a coupon for something you plan to get, you use it.
• Once in awhile you check for a coupon for a particular product

    Anti-Couponer -

• Not even going to touch couponing

That is my list of the type of couponers there are out there. Like I said, I have been all 4. Where am I now? Moderate Couponer.

I was an Extreme Couponer but, burnt myself out and dropped down to Occasional Couponer for about the last 9 months.

Since “Organize” is my keyword for 2012, I decided that I needed to save some money but the only way I can do that is if I am organized.

I know I have a very busy life so, extreme couponing is out. I cannot and chose not to dedicate that much time to couponing.

Since I have been using January to set up routines and schedules, I have been working in couponing as part of my schedule.

Keeping in mind that this will get tweaked over time and as things change, this is how I have scheduled couponing into my routines. And I will be honest with you, once in awhile I crave the whole “extreme couponing” and will probably do it from time to time. Time doesn’t permit me to do this often. But, there is a huge “high” when you do it successfully and it is also a great way to be able to help out the local food pantry that Troy and I volunteer at.

I have decided to use $8.00 an hour as my time spent goal. What that means is that for every hour I spend dealing with coupons, I need to save $8.00 using coupons.

Sundays – 2.5 hours

• Buy the Sunday paper
• Quickly go through the coupon inserts
• Then go through the sales papers
• Make my menu plan for next (I try to stay one week ahead in order to save money) week based on what I have on hand, what is on sale that week and what coupons I can use for those meals

Tuesdays – 1 hour

• Check online coupon sites for extra coupons to use
• Clip and print out coupons

Thursday – 1 hour 

• Grocery shop for next week

Friday or Saturday – 1.5 hours

• Check out my coupon/best deals blogs to see what to look for in the next week. This is one of my BEST resources! There are a ton of bloggers out there that compile the best savings using sales ads and coupons for the upcoming week. They save you a ton of time because they do all the work!

So, there you have it. I have scheduled 6 hours a week to saving money via coupons and sale ads. Granted this is set in stone but, for me I do not want to go over a total of 10 hours a week in this area. so, it may fluctuate between 6-10 hours in any given week.

Just a couple of tips:

I cut coupons at night while watching TV

I often take my coupons to be cut with me when I know I will be sitting and waiting somewhere

I don’t precut coupons until I need them

I use a black marker and write on the top of the coupon circulars that date.

I keep my coupons, menu plan, sales ads, scissors and plain envelopes all in a tote bag.

I generally grab this tote bag just like I do my purse and take it with me when I head out. That way I always have my coupons with me in case I stop somewhere and see something and think, “Well, crud! I have a good coupon for that!” I now can just run out and get them if I want to.

I am working on compiling some good resources for coupons, blogs and couponing deals. I will eventually post them on my top toolbar.

What category do you fall into?

Don’t forget I have a giveaway for a $25.00 Sam’s Club gift card! What better way to save money than to have a free gc!

Look at the top of my sidebar and click to enter!

Giveaway time! Win a $25.00 Sam’s Club GC!

Hi everyone!

Well, here it is my first giveaway for 2012! Woohoo! And it’s M-O-N-E-Y!! Okay, a gift card but, same as cash at Sam’s Club!

Don’t miss out on precious moments by wasting hours at the grocery store and fussing over budgets. Discover an easy way to save on baby essentials from P&G by buying them in bulk at Sam’s Club® this February! Purchase all the basics for baby at your local Sam’s Club store to save time and money with this limited-time $10 Gift Card offer.

• Stock up on P&G products at Sam’s Club in February so you can afford to give your baby quality products and a little more mommy time
• Pick up any two of the following baby products to receive a $10 Sam’s Club Gift Card toward your purchase made between Feb 1st and Feb 29th:
  • Pampers® Swaddlers® or Pampers Cruisers® Diapers
  • Pampers SoftCare™ Scented Baby Wipes
  • Similac® Advance® Powder or Similac Sensitive® Powder
  • Dreft® Liquid Laundry Detergent
  Register for your Gift Card at SamsClub.com/giftcardoffer by March 14, 2012

To kick off the P&G savings and special offer, Sam’s club is offering one of my readers a $25.00 gift card! This is not just open to new mommies, everyone could use $25.00 spending money at Sam’s Club!

So, want to win? Here is what you need to do:

1. Be a Thrifty Groove Follower (leave a comment)
2. Tell me what you like to stock up on at Sam’s Club (leave another comment)

That’s it! This giveaway ends Saturday February 4, 2012 (Midnight EST)

For more info, check out these sites:

Sam’s Club Website http://bit.ly/SamsPG

• Sam’s Club on Facebook http://on.fb.me/SamsPGFacebook
• Sam’s Club on Twitter http://bit.ly/SamsPGTwitter
• Pampers Website http://bit.ly/PampersSite
• Similac Website http://bit.ly/SimilacSite
• Dreft Website http://bit.ly/DreftSite
• P&G Website http://bit.ly/PGwebsite
• P&G on Facebook http://on.fb.me/PGFacebook
• P&G on Twitter http://bit.ly/PGSamsTwitter

“Disclosure:  The Sam’s Club Gift Card and information have been provided by Sam’s Club and P&G through MyBlogSpark.”

Thrifty Things Friday #43

Hi everyone!

Wow, we are in the last week of January already! Geez, this month zipped by!

I have a few little thrifted items I picked up last month. The other day was the first time I stopped in a thrift store since before Christmas. And I was kind of disgusted with the prices and ended up with a $1.75 purchase and that's it. To be honest, I have been working on the things I already have during the month of January and haven't wanted to add anything to my home right now.

I picked up this large water pitcher at a thrift store. It still had the original price tag on it. I paid $2.00 for it. Although looking at this picture, you can’t see the size correctly, it is a heavy ceramic large jug. We always have a pitcher of iced water on our dinner table and I like to switch out and use different ones.

Don’t you love Amber glass? I bought this set of four amber saucers at a little antique store and the woman who owned it was really trying to sell out her stock before the new year. I was looking at them and they had a price of $10.00 on the set. I placed them back on the shelf. She told me they were half off but, I said, “No thank you. But, they really are pretty.” She then said, “How about 75% off…only $2.50 for the set?” SOLD

I love painted vintage glassware. It is usually so expensive. These glasses were marked $1.99 each. That is a little too much for me. For most people I am sure that is a decent price. However, that color of sticker was 50% off! Okay, .99 cents each worked for me! I wish they would have had more than just the two!

I love silver candlesticks. When I spotted these two small tarnished ones and the were only $1.29 each I decided to get them. When I got to the register I discovered that they were $1.29 for the pair. Even better! I did a very quick cleaning on one because I always have to see how they sparkle! LOL

So, those are a few of my thrifted treasures. Let’s check out some posts from last week!

Over at Mary’s Meanderings we saw some beautiful milkglass pieces!

Zuni at Chickadee Home Nest shared her redecorated hutch in glass and silver.

  Thank you ladies! I hope you will grab the “I was featured” button below to add to your blog if you don’t already have it!

**Stop back by tomorrow because I am hosting my first giveaway for 2012!**Giveaway is up! Check it out here to enter!
And a week from this Saturday, Feb 4, is our next Thrifty Tablescape party! I am seeing a thrifty Valentine's Day table in my future! LOL

Please link back to The Thrifty Groove on the post you are sharing today. It is the courteous thing to do for me, the Hostess. Thank you!

And remember, I never feature a post that does not have a link back to this party!

 

Let’s start this party!

Mission Organize 2012!

Hi everyone!

Do you ever notice that you straighten up an area and if you don’t keep a very close eye on it, it becomes chaos in no time and you wonder when and how that happened! It’s a fact just like The Broken Window Theory. Chaos creates chaos.

Since I am  one of those types that want everything done now, I generally end up killing myself doing as much as I possible can from sun-up to sun-down. Only to find myself the next day in a great deal of pain and feeling frustrated because I am not Wonder Woman and EVERYTHING did not get done. And that mentality just burns you out fast!

This is not a concept for everyone. I know a lot of you out there are so organized and enjoy housework. I envy you! I love, love, love a clean house. But, I don’t love the work that it takes to get there. I don’t hate housework but, I just love a lot of other things more. However, keeping a clean home and an organized one is a necessity for me. Because I have so many “balls in the air” all the time, things have to run smoothly at home.

So, I sat myself down and had a good “talkin’ to”. LOL What I decided to do (this is going to sound very weird to a lot of you) is hire myself as a professional cleaner and organizer! Yup, I needed to take the personal out projects and think of it as a job I was doing for someone else.

I am not talking about everyday household cleaning and upkeep,  I am referring to those projects that need to be dealt with like:

• Cleaning out the linen  closet
• scrubbing down and decluttering the kitchen cabinets
• going through closets and cleaning/purging

Any area that doesn’t generally fall into an everyday routine. I’m sure you all know what I am talking about.

What I did last week was I broke down my kitchen in different project zones. Instead of simply saying, “Clean the kitchen”, I tackled (as a Pro cleaner and organizer) one specific area in the kitchen that needed to be deep cleaned and reorganized. I determined a realistic amount of time for each project. It has really helped to think of this as hiring an outsider to do the job. Like most of us, I have a tendency to set unrealistic time frames for myself but, I am completely fine with giving more time to a hired person.

Since I am hiring myself to do one project only, I am not going to do any other things such as doing the laundry, doing the dishes or straightening up other areas. Would a professional person hired to do one job say, “Hey, while I am here, I’m going to do their laundry and dishes while I work on the area I was hired for”? Of course not! That allows me to completely focus on doing a professional job on a specific project.

What a freeing experience! I’m not going to beat myself up because I wasn’t multitasking my little ‘ol heart out! And guess what? Projects are getting done and I had the rest of the day to deal with other things in life. No semi-finished project. No “that will have to do” . It was done!

I have been using this “hire myself as a professional for one project at a time” method all last week. And I have to say, I am very happy with everything I have be able to do so far. And I wasn’t in dire pain or stuck with uncompleted projects. I have done a lot of purging and de-cluttering. I can actually do the project in the allotted time frame, see the completed project done and get a sense of accomplishment! It feels great!

So, do you think this method would help you? If so, I would love to hear how you did Hiring yourself for a project! And if you are curious, no I didn’t read about this method anywhere. I just created it for myself. I have always been able to tackle things if I take the personal part out and go at it from a business aspect.

Don’t worry, I won’t bombard you all with the scary project zones I work on each week! But, I do want to share some organizational tips that seem to work for me from time to time.

Next week I am going to share an embarrassing area that seems to get out of control fairly easily around here: The Top of the Fridge.

Thanks for stopping by!

Old School~Paper Chains

Hi everyone!

I have had basically empty shelves and tabletops in my living room since taking down Christmas decor. I have to confess, I enjoy it. I have been in no hurry to re-decorate the room. It may surprise you but, I LOVE clean, completely empty flat surfaces. But, I also enjoy decorating. So, I have decided that I will enjoy my clear flat surfaces in between some of the holidays.

Now that Valentine’s Day is coming up, I am thinking of what to use to decorate for this holiday.As I have been doing for the past few years, I only budget $5.00 for decorations for what I refer to as the Minor Decorating Holidays. Everything else is from using things around the house. Or making things from what I already have on hand.

I have also decided that I need to involve the Princess in decorating these small holidays. She loves decorations and loves to be part of creating things. I forget that simple basic arts & crafts skills are not things you are born knowing how to do. It is my responsibility to take advantage of any skill building projects to teach my 4 year old!

So, that is why we are starting our decorating old school ~ Paper Chains!

When was the last time you made old fashioned paper chains? For me, it was MANY years ago! I forgot how time consuming they are to create! LOL But, I also forgot how fun and pretty they can be!

Of course, I did the bulk of them while the Princess was in bed because Mama has new and easier tools to make them.

But, I wanted to teach her some important skills so, I had her do it old school. Just look at the simple skills she is gaining by learning how to make paper chains:

• Learn how to use a ruler
• Learn to draw a straight line
• Learn how to measure spaces
• Learn how to use scissors and cut along a line
• Learn how to make a chain link
• Learn how to use a dab of glue
• Learn how to use a paperclip

Wow! Who knew there were so many learning opportunities in making something as simple as a paper chain! I am really trying to take advantage of these moments to teach the Princess any thing new. And if you are creating some fun decorating project, it makes it so much easier for kids to want to be part of it. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about learning and having fun!

The Princess is 4 years old and it seems that about 15 minutes is that age groups maximum attention span. So, keep their help and involvement to small increments. One small section of a chain, turned into an all day affair (broken up throughout the day). But, in her eyes, she made all of the chains. LOL

I am joining:

 Works For Me Wednesday

Rednesday

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

I’m Lovin’ it Fridays

Tickled Pink

Hodgepodge Friday

Pink Saturday

Use It Up!

Hi everyone!

Last week I was sitting in the living room doing a project. The Princess was at school and Troy was off doing some things. I did something that I rarely do and that is, I turned on the TV in the middle of the day.

I happen to catch the Rachael Ray Show, which I have only seen a couple times. The episode’s name caught my attention, “Trash to Treasure”. Well, it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be but, it was still a good episode and I did learn a few things. Most of the ideas presented, I already do but, whenever I can get new thrifty ideas, I am all for that!

And Wednesday starts my “Monthly Financial Fast” because it is the first day of the last 7 days of the month, I thought this was a good time to share these little thrifty tidbits.

So, I thought I would share some of the show’s ideas with you. You can click on the episode and read about it yourself HERE.

Click picture above for recipe 

Rachael started the show with some “use up the last of jars in the fridge” recipes. Now this is something I have always done as well as I am sure a lot of you do. Here are a couple of ideas that I do with those little dabs of things in the fridge.

• Tired of that tablespoon or so of jam or jelly still in the jar? Spread it over meat that you are baking. It turns into a very yummy glaze. The other night I did something a little different. I was cooking some polish sausage in a frying pan and I added peach jam and a little water to gaze them. Oh, this was so delish!
• I also love to add applesauce leftovers to a roast. So good!
• Any little dabs of citrus or vinegar based salad dressing go into a ziplock bag and I use it to marinate chicken.

Click the above picture to watch this segment

The next section of the show was using up the bits of makeup you have leftover called Bottom of the jar beauty. This one area I got some new to me tips. But, I will add some of my own ideas:

• I had some foundation that was to dark for my skin so, I added it to my favorite moisturizer and it blended in perfectly. Not to mention, instead of 2 steps (moisturize then apply foundation) It was only one step.
• I have also done the same thing with self tanner. Instead of this instant dark (or darker) tan, I do it gradually by mixing it with body lotion.
• When my favorite eye shadows just have that little bit in the corners, I use the pointed tip cotton swaps, dampen them with water and get the last little bit out and use it as eye liner.

Click above picture to see tips and recipes

The final section of this episode was with a chef who wrote a cook book . He showed how in restaurants they use up all of the ingredient whether it be meat or fruits and veggies. I found this interesting. He gave me some good ideas. And his cookbook looks very good because he gives you a recipe and then another recipe to use the leftovers! He calls it “The Second Meal”. Brilliant!

Here are a couple things I have done.

• When I peel apples for whatever reason, I use the peels in the pan of a roast. This just steams a yummy apple flavor into the meat and the drippings for gravy.
• I save the orange/lemon peels from eating the fruit and keep them frozen for recipes that call for grated peel.
• All those hard dried edges of different cheese get that part cut off and tossed into a ziplock bag labeled “Cheese” in the freezer. When I want to add cheese to something I am baking or cooking, I grab a handful of this cheese.

So, these are a few of my “Use it up” ideas, how about you? Do you use up all the things that most people just toss away?

I’m joining:

Creative Spark

Living Well Wednesdays

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday 

Foodie Friday

Weekend Cooking

Saturday 7

Colclough Pink Rose Teacup Set

Hi everyone!

Today I have decided to take just a little bit of time for myself with  pot of tea and the latest issues of a couple of magazines. Last week was a very hectic week and I have no doubt that this week will be the same.

I am sharing a new to me teacup and saucer set. I found it at a small thrift store. It originally was marked $8.00 but, with a small chip in the rim of the teacup, it went down to $3.00 and of course, I bought it.

The entire teacup and saucer are in a pretty soft pink with large roses. I don’t find a lot of teacups that have an all over color other than white very often. I had debated on which “new to me” teacup for use today because I received several for Christmas. The pink rose cup won out because our friend and gracious Hostess Sandi is having her 2 year anniversary of Tea Time Tuesday and her favorite teacups are roses. I wanted to make a very special teascape for Sandi! So this is for you Sandi!

This set is a made by Colclough. I had never heard of this china company until I found another teacup set a month or two ago.

History of The Colclough China Company

The Colclough china company was founded in 1890 by Herbert Joseph Colclough, who was an ex-Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent.

Mr Colclough was a very conscientious man who loved his pottery and was known on occasion to stay up all night next to his kilns, which he had packed, so that he could be the first to see the new designs when they emerged.

After expanding his company, he moved to the Vale potteries in Longton and was honoured when in 1913 he was visited by King George V and Queen Mary who gave royal licence for the company to produce Royal Vale china.

In the 1930's Colclough China Limited was expanding fast and it was then that they started to produce the tea and dinner ware that we know today. They were the first company to produce fine bone china for the every day market which was marketed by the piece, ruling out the need for large sets to be purchased first.

In 1948, Colclough China Limited took over Booths and Adderley and then in the early 1950's merged with the Ridgeway Company.

Colclough and Ridgeway became part of the Royal Doulton Group in the early 1970's. However, in 1996, Colclough production discontinued and manufacture ceased.

Source

We will be having “Sweet Cherry Tea” today.

We have a guest in attendance for Sandi’s tea party anniversary. She is a very old Lefton piece and has lots of chips but, she is still so sweet.

And we must have a little treat with a candle for this occasion! So, I chose the less fattening version and used a cupcake candle!

One of the most important things that I have learned about Sandi is she always keeps our Lord in her heart.

Sandi has graciously left comments here about how much she likes this thrifted teapot. It is one of my favorites as well so, that is why it is getting used today.

I wanted to use one of my pretty rose sugar bowls the our party.

Such a lovely, soft and delicate design.

   “The world is a rose; smell it and pass it to your friends”

-Persian Proverb

Happy 2 year anniversary Tea Time Tuesday and thank you Sandi for always sharing beauty and graciousness with us!

And thank you for stopping by and joining me in a little tea break!

I am linking to:

Tea Time Tuesday

Tea Cup Tuesday

Return to Loveliness

Table Top Tuesday

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Some Fun Ideas for Menu Planning

Hi everyone!

Last week I gave you some of my simple ways to get started at menu planning. You can check out the first of this series HERE.

Because planning out your menu for the week, 2 weeks or even a month at a time can really save you money, time and stress. Most of us work around our income. If you get paid weekly, great but, if you get paid only once a month, it feels even more important to have a menu planned. Or is that only me?

What I really want all of you to realize is this is NOT about following your menu to the “T”. It is not about perfection. This is a tool to help you. It’s a reference guide.

Today I want to give you some fun and easy ideas to make your menu planning easier. On last week’s post, many of you shared some of your tips and many of those are the same as mine. I love hearing other peoples ideas because that is what this awesome world of blogging is really great for….sharing tips, ideas and thoughts to help each other. So, keep them coming!

Okay, here are some ideas that have and do help me when I plan out my menu.

• Have breakfast for dinner. Let’s face it, scrambled eggs is one of the easiest things to make and we like that!
• Have a “Baked Potato Bar” one night. This is a great way to use up leftover bits and pieces of cheese, meats, veggies. Let everyone make up their own baked potatoes.

 

• Have a “create your own Pizza” night. Just like above, this is a good time to use up all the odds and ends. And you don’t have to buy or make a pizza crust, use a loaf of french bread or any large loaf of bread that is marked down at the grocery store. I find that the day old bread makes a better pizza!
• On busy days, have soup and sandwiches. Early in the day you could make up a bowl of tuna or egg salad so it is already. Make a simple quick soup in the crockpot and you are now all set for whenever you want dinner. And if you can get good prices on canned soup, by all means, use that.
  
• Keep a couple of frozen family meals in the freezer and a bag of salad. Yup, store bought! Sometimes these are lifesavers when something comes up and your time is limited.
• Have a “Appetizer Night”. Use up your leftovers and turn them into little bites or finger foods. Get inventive.
• Have a cold dinner night. Just make sandwiches and salad or cut up veggies.
• Have a “Restaurant at Home” dinner. Pick out one of your favorite restaurants and check the internet for copycat recipes and create that meal at home instead of eating out.
• Have a winter picnic in your living room and pack up some fun but,  simple foods. (Typical summer foods are fun in the middle of winter…potato salad, macaroni salad, hot dogs/hamburgers, baked beans, chips..etc)

•  
• Pretend one night you are on a Food Network show like “Chopped” or “Iron Chef”. I think “Chopped” is a pretty standard thing Troy and I do a lot…..”open your fridge and choose 4 or 5 items and create a meal from them”
• Stir fry’s are also an easy expensive meal that you can use the weeks leftovers in.

These are just a few ideas. Make meal planning fun, involve others in your home, keep it simple and play!

 Next week: Little tips on saving money on your planned meals.

Thrifty Things Friday #42

Hi everyone!

Linens, I love them and love them even more when I can find major great prices on them! Today I am showing you some brand NEW linens I bought a couple of weeks ago.

This set of two natural color napkins were in the Christmas clearance items at Target. I bought the set for .80 cents. The pretty natural color with the silver gray stitching will be perfect for anytime.

And then a stop at the CTS to look for Christmas markdowns. I ended up getting some great curtains! I like to kind of redo my bedroom from Spring/Summer to Fall/Winter. Well, this past Fall I never really got the chance. Since our bedroom is painted a very pale yellow, it really acts like a neutral color and it is easy to decorate around. So, I bought 3 sets of these rust/brown/gold striped drapes to hang up to give the room the warm feel that I like for the cooler months. It instantly changes the look of the room and I really like to be able to do that a couple of times a year and not spend lots of money. So, I was able to change out my curtains for only $1.98 a window….. why not?

  I bought a deep russet red Fall tablecloth with embroidered Maple leaves on it for $2.48.

And then the other two curtains I got are to be turned into napkins and either matching table square or runner.

The above orange/yellow/beige curtain for a whopping .58 cents will be so fun made into Summer napkins and a runner!

And the blue and green curtain was a $1.48. Just think of curtain bargains like this as big pieces of home decor fabric!

So, that was my latest linen thrift finds! So much fun!!

Now, let’s check out some of last week’s party posts! 

A Thrifted Market shared this great Pottery Barn Inspired knockoff wall cubby!Babs at Upstairs Downstairs shared a fun and easy tutorial on how to make this cute burlap pillow!

Laura at I’m not a Trophy Wife shared some fun and cute Laundry Room decor ideas.

Thank you ladies for such fun and thrifty inspiration! Please grab the “I was Featured button” below!

I want to apologize to those of you that did not get a comment from me on last week’s party links. I try very hard to make sure I visit every one of the people who link up to this party and to leave a comment. For some lovely reason, Blogger has really been screwing around and would freeze me out of certain blogs. I was relieved to know that I wasn’t the only one having this issue. We have 2 laptops and a PC and I had frantically tried all three with no success. I even went over to my mom’s and tried her computer. I, at least, found out it wasn’t just a problem at my end. Don’t you just love when Blogger messes with us! Argggh! Let’s hope the problem is resolved soon!

Please remember to Link back to this party on your post. I never feature a post that is not linked to Thrifty Things Friday.

Okay, let’s get this thrifty show on the road!