Tried and true tips that never grow old

I am pround of my little bloggity blog; I haven't posted here in quite a while but love coming here to re-focus.  


I believe it is important to prepare, think ahead, save money, stock up and get a food supply going especially in this shaky economy. (What will you do if Gas goes to $10 a gallon, or if food prices inflate more? Or if you or your spouse lose a job? Or if your friends or family do? How will you help??) 

Everyone wishes they had more time and the one lesson I learned is to stop reinventing the wheel;  I stopped posting deals here to gain more time with my family; and I will now refer you to my tutorial and the great links to the right, the tips and ideas here are still applicible -  They are good for as long as this blog is alive.

I STILL coupon and STILL save 50-75% at the grocery store almost every time I go shopping. I still am stocking up, increasing our food storage, and saving money even after two years.


I do this mostly by going to these great websites and following through on the deals they find. I print the coupons that others link to, and use the shopping lists others create.  (Thank you to everyone creating these blogs; you save me SO much time and money!!) Please take some time to check out the links to the right; they will help you... and so will I! Post a comment, I'll get an email. I'm happy to help you anytime.

Good Luck!! And follow these tips and you'll enjoy your extra $400-$600 a month including your new growing food storage supply and growing peace of mind.  Peace of mind is a wonderful thing. I always want to find ways to help people; my wish is that if you use these tips; you find peace of mind just like I did.

My best,
Kelley

Get 50%-90% off all around town (And the country!)

Check out these daily deals - huge discounts on the coolest stuff: I love all of these sites; 50% off and more on things to do, hotels; restaurants, you can buy these as gifts etc and eat at all sorts of new and favorite restaurants around your town. Most of the time you buy the certificate and print it immediately - Citideals mails your certificates to you for $.99 -

Some examples of 50% off vouchers I've gotten: (so far!) 
Cutlers
Nutty Guys
DQ
Cavanaughs
Nielsen's Frozen Custard
Cold Stone
Speed Street
Rock Climbing Gyms
Movie Ticket Discounts
Cherry Hill
Raging Waters
Ete.....


 SIGN UP !  IT'S FREE! YOU CAN CHECK FOR A NEW DEAL EVERY DAY!

Local and Nationwide – click on your city or others, some are online deals


http://www.groupon.com/r/uu4685567


https://www.godealgo.com/?MID=2&s=36


http://www.screamincoupons.com/r/M1UKPC0HOU


http://www.dealsthatmatter.com/salt-lake-city/recent


http://livingsocial.com/deals/


http://www.screamindailydeals.com/deals/


http://www.citydeals.com/


Just a couple Internet deals:

http://www.woot.com/


http://www.dailydeals.net/


http://www.dailysteals.com/

Go Deal Go   is a great new website that has a deal a day at 50% or more off a different place every day!


My favorites have been Nielsen's ftozen custard and Cutler's sandwiches and cookies!. You can usually buy as many certificates as you'd like, usually you buy a $5 a certificate worth $10, buy as many as you'd like.
These don't work like cash so you must use all of the certificate at once. The have Davis and Weber county deals, and Salt Lake is coming soon.
Sign up today for their daily email, or check back daily. When you purchase you can choose a venue to support; my mom's school, Cook Elementary, is sponsoring these deals and could use your help if you don't see a school around you from the list. Pay by credit or debit card and print your certificates right from the website.

Enjoy the daily deals!

Support Local Community Growers and Save

https://foodco-op.net/
Food Co-op Info, check it out!
You buy "shares" that are around $28 each: It includes 3 cuts of meat, 5 vegetables, 3-4 Fruits, a loaf of wheat bread, beans or rice @ 50% off retail.....volunteer your time, and pick up once a month at a local spot. Supports your local growers, butchers, bakers and candle stick makers....:)
Shopping With Cents blogged about this:
http://shoppingwithcents.blogspot.com/2009/07/do-you-co-op.html

Or......Utah Deal Diva did this one today!
Guest Post: Joining a Food Co-op
From Utah Deal Diva:
Guest Post by Marie Moser, a former blogger, couponer & member of a Utah food co-op for the past several months.

For the past six months my husband and I have been ordering food via the Crossroads Urban Center Community Food Co-Op of Utah. This non-profit organization plays many parts in our community, but namely it is a resource for families to obtain healthy, high quality food at 30-50% savings through collective purchasing. In addition, they build a strong sense of community by bringing people together to work towards a common purpose and goal. When you see the Co-op at work within your community, you know that it’s about more than just good food and good prices; it is about doing good deeds. In neighborhoods along the Wasatch Front and beyond, it is about people sharing a part of themselves for the betterment of their community.

Here are some of the basics about the food Co-op:Freshness and SelectionThey offer a wide variety of the freshest food for the best value, whenever possible working directly with local Utah farmers and producers - such as Colosimo's Sausages, Stone Ground Bakery, Mountainview Mushrooms, Palace Meats and Tree Hugger Granola

Your Monthly Order Makes a Big DifferenceThe more people who participate, the greater the savings become, because it allows the Co-op to buy larger and larger quantities at discounted rates. These savings can make a world of difference - refrigerators full of meat and produce mean families that don't have to depend on the emergency food system.

If You Eat, You Qualify!The Co-op is for everyone. Whether you are struggling to meet your basic food needs or are just looking for a way to share in a community, you can be part of this simple exchange: giving and receiving.

Why Should You Join?Every member makes a difference. Through the Co-op’s collective purchasing power, volunteer labor and low overhead, they can consistently offer quality, healthy food at up to 50% below retail. It's your order and volunteer time, combined with hundreds of others, that makes this all possible. Together, we are building a grassroots food distribution system dedicated to promoting people's access to affordable, nutritious food - and having a lot of fun in the process!

How Does It Work?Each month, members pre-order their groceries. You can order as many “shares” as you like, and how often you place an order is up to you. On distribution day (generally the third or fourth Saturday of every month), a network of volunteers help distribute the food to "team sites" all along the Wasatch Front where you can pick up your order. Team sites are sponsored by local churches, schools, non-profit organizations and community centers, but are open to everyone.

What's the Catch?Cooperation - the Co-op can't work without it. The food or “share” prices include two hours of your volunteer time - either with the Co-op or in your local community. While we encourage everyone to take part in the Co-op itself at least once a year, our volunteer requirement is very flexible and can be anything you do for someone outside of your family for free! You log your volunteer hours when you pick up your food on distribution day, and will even have the option to bank your hours for future months.

How Do I Join?It's easy! Anyone can join - if you eat, you qualify! They do ask that with your first order that you pay a $5 lifetime membership fee, but it is only with your first order. Otherwise it is as easy as 1-2-3:
Select a team site and place your food order online before the order deadline. You will receive an e-mail confirmation of your order and have up until the order deadline to change it if needed.
On distribution day, head down to your selected team site and pick up your order. It’s that simple.
And don’t forget to take your own bags or boxes to bring your food home! There are many options for ordering through the Co-op and 2010 has brought a few changes to the ordering system, so here are the nuts and bolts:

Meat Share: ($15) includes 4 fresh meat items. Ground beef is always a staple for most families, so that is always included month to month. In addition there are often pork chops, ribs, steaks, pork loins, turkey and other various cuts and types of meats.

Produce Share: ($10) includes 3 fresh fruit and 5 fresh vegetable items. Each month the fruits and vegetables are different according to what is in season. In previous months I have received onions, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, bananas, apples, oranges, squash varieties and eggplant (to name just a few).

Standard Share: ($24) includes one meat share and one produce share.

Add-Ons: the purchase of one of the three share options listed above are required to purchase any add-ons. The add-ons vary by month but generally include: Nutty Guys Samplers (4-1 lb. bags of mixed nuts or dried fruits), Colosimo's Kielbasa Sausage, Stone Ground Bakery products, and Chaparro's Beef Tamales. Often the add-ons are season specific as well, such as turkey breast at Thanksgiving and ham at Christmas. There is a set price for each add-on and the price is listed on the order list each month.

Fair Trade Items: (same rules apply as add-ons) rich and delicious products benefiting small-scale farmers and the environment. All the fair trade items are organic and generally they include coffee and tea options. When ordering, you can order as few or as many things as you like and in any combination. For instance, for a family of 4, you can order a standard share plus an additional meat share and pay $39. Or if you prefer more produce to meat, you can order one standard share and an additional produce share at a cost of $34. The options are endless and they are up to you! You can also choose NOT to order one month, and it won’t affect your ability to order the following month. Now, I know that some of you have these statements going through your minds: “That won’t feed my family of four for a month!” or “I can buy all that in the store for cheaper with sales and coupons!” And you know what? Both statements are true. But keep these two things in mind: 1) this one order isn’t meant to feed your family for a month (unless you buy one standard share for each family member each month), it is meant to supplement your grocery store purchases; and 2) you might be able to purchase the same amount of food in the store with coupons and sales for less than you are paying with the Co-op, but keep in mind that there aren’t a lot of coupons available for meat and produce items AND think of the good you are putting back into your community by participating in this program.

February 2010 Ordering Information: Order due date is Friday, February 12, 2010 at midnight. Order online by signing up HERE. Select your team pick-up site. There are several locations to choose from in communities all along the Wasatch Front, from Ogden to Nephi and Tooele to Heber City.

Pay online with your credit or debit card (food stamp purchasing also available). Food distribution day will be Saturday, February 27, 2010. So, now that all the technicalities are out of the way, what do you think? Is the food co-op for you? Would you be willing to try it for a month or two and see what you think?

Save Time and Get Organized in your Household!

Here's a "Saving Sanity" tip from me; this is how we organize and prioritize our time and around here....

Our good friends Matt and Teri told us about this concept of organization some companies use for their project management..... and they adapted it to household management...brilliant!!

The concept is that if you know what needs to be done, write it down, prioritize it, and break it down by time and resource; then you can get a lot accomplished! And here's the best part; this isn't just for mom's, it's for the whole family. It can help by helping you know what needs to be done.

My hubby and kids want to help; but most of the time they really don't "see" what needs to be done around the house to really know HOW to help....without me nagging anyway. So this is a great way for them to see what needs to be accomplished.

It's a tool to help us ALL know what to do; then we do it; then we feel a great sense of accomplishment by visually seeing what we've done! Lists help, but visually this board is amazing! You manage your time with the cards, colors represent blocks of time.

Here's the setup:
You'll need a large cork board, lots of push pins, different colors of 3x5 note cards, and a place to display so everyone who an read can see it:

You have a "Planned", "In Process" and "Completed" category list.
I have 6 colors of note cards representing how long a task should take: I have: 5, 15, 30 minutes, 1-2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours.
I write the task on a card, and who should/could complete it;



Example:



Blue Card = 1-2 hours - "Clean Room - Nathan"

Pink Card = 5 minutes "Change load of Laundry" - ALL

Yellow Card = 15 minutes "Empty/fill Dishwasher" - Nathan/Cameron

Green Card = 30 minutes "Make a treat for Church" - Kelley
or "Make Dinner" -Kelley/Kevin

Blue Card = 1-2 hours "Cameron's Well Child Check" - Mom/Kevin/Cameron

Purple Card = 4 hours - "Stain Bedroom Walls" - Kevin/Kelley

White Card = 8 hours - 3 separate cards would represent "Work/School" -Kelley/Kevin/Nathan




Here's our workstation; blank 3X5's, sharpies, a box to store repeatable tasks, upcoming tasks, and other priorities in.
I'm not getting too detailed here because my board is different from my friends'.
That's the nice thing though; every family is different so if you think this will work for you; you'll want to make this your own, make it fit your family!

You move the cards through the work flow as you work on them and complete them...




Feels great when the completed category is crowded!

You can take it a step further; gather at the board at the beginning of the day or week; refer to the board often; and/or meet at the end of the day/week to gather up all the "completed" categories and see how much time you've spent being productive.

When the cards equal your waking hours well; then you manage how much time you actually waste doing "Nothing."
Don't get me wrong, a little of that is good for you, I certianly have some "nothing" time every day. but if you ever wonder why you feel like you can't get anything accomplished, feel disorganized, wonder where the time goes.?...this tool will help!

Other Ideas:
You could make it an incentive board for the family or just for the kids; who can accomplish the most? (We all know probably mom/dad does; but the kids can get into this too and get a prize for closest second :)
The kids really like moving cards along the work flow too! And kids LOVE to help; this lets them know how, and helps them feel important.

Again, use it the way you'd like! My friends have the board represent their week; we do it by day; they calculate up their work hours and keep productive; we use it for daily organization and communication.

If you use this idea; tell me how you've adapted it to fit your needs!

Bulk Cooking

I'm doing some "bulk cooking" with the items I've stocked up on to help save money AND time, which all saves SANITY; come on over to my cooking blog and check it out!

Albertson's

Here's the latest Haul.
I must stay that it was kinda expensive! But as you see I got some high value stuff,

Purex refills regularly $9.99
On sale for $4.49
$1.00 off coupon
$3.49 Each
I got 4 - so that's 100 loads of laundry for $14

Cereal was $1.88 on sale
I got 5 for $1.33 each with .50 off coupons

Hefty Garbage Bags regularly $7.99
On sale for $5.99
$1.00 coupon
Got 2 for $4.99 Each

But the Candy!!
So these big bags regularly $8.99
On sale for $4
$2.00 coupon
$2.00 Each!

The Twizzlers were $4
on sale $2 each






So I spent $84.42 before tax
I had some essentials that I had to get and I did put them on this ticket, apples, reynolds wrap, make up pencil, (gasp!) I know!
Apparently you're not a true couponer if you don't separate the real life stuff from the couponed stuff in your transactions. Ah well. Sue me, but hey, here's the real deal!
I Saved $94.92
Total savings percentage: 53%



And where is all that candy now? I'm not tellin' I also didn't post that I got Hershey's and Dove chocolate for $1 a bag at Target. :) Oh yeah, I stocked up.

The SAT Trip

That would be the Smth's, Albertson's, and Target trips today....

There are some killer promo's out there you can find on KCL. for all three of these stores this week through October 20th. I was looking to keep it simple and just get the stuff we needed using the high value coupons I had....

Smith's

They had an Unadvertised deal on Pillsbury refrigerated items AND Ziploc Bags.
Buy 3 get $2 OYNO
I had $1.00 off coupons for 12 separate Pillsbury items, can we say: Cookie Dough!! and pie crusts, crescent rolls, etc.
So those were $1.85 to $3.49 each original price
with coupons it brought these to $.85 to $2.49 each, then
With $2.00 off 3 promo they came to:
.19 to $1.83 each!

Ah Yeah! Sweet!


Ziplocs bags all gallon/freezer varieties: - $.4.99 each
Minus $1.00 coupons and $2.00 off 3,
That's $1.66 off each one
or $3.33 each.
I know they've been cheaper in the past, but I needed them! I got 6.
I saved $10.02 on these

Other deals w/o coupons:
Apples were .69 a pound
Kroger Cheese was .99 an 8oz bag
Coke was $1 a 2 liter

So I stocked up on those!
I Spent $54.09 and Saved 52.10
That's a 49% Savings
I haven't lost my touch!

Albertson's

Not much going on here this week which is too bad

I went for a couple of items we've been low on

Detergent, dryer sheets, broth, paper towels,

Pasta, margarine, chocolate and soft pretzels,

Hey! I'm the boss!

I spent $37.28 and Saved $16.98

I had coupons for all items and saved 32%

Not great savings %, but they were essentials

Target

I went CRAZY on the Halloween candy folks!

I got all sorts of naughty stuff for $2 a bag or less, most cases $1.25 a bag!

Target has a BIG sale on candy right now....and

I had $1 off coupons for .....

Hershey's Kisses

Nestle Bags

Wonka Bags

Dove!!!

They were $3.00 to $2.50 and $2.25 each originally

$1 off makes them $2.00 (for DOVE!) $1.50, and $1.25 for the rest. Yeah, I stocked up big time, we have enough for Three Halloween's

or one "Nathan's Fantasy Day" according to my 14 year old

Got Skippy PB for $1.04 a jar x 8 jars with $1.00 off coupon

Bumble Bee Tuna pouches for $.27 with $1.00 off coupon

Chef Michael's dog food for $1.58 a four lb bag with $3.00 off coupon

YoPlus/Gogurts/La Creme yogurt all $1.34 each with $1.00 off coupons

This was cool....

Nature Valley Nut Clusters had a buy 3 - get one free special
$2.50 each for the bars or Clusters

I had 4 $1.60 off coupons

B3G1 takes off $2.50

So for $1.10 I got 4 bags of Nut Clusters or $.27 each!
They're really good if you haven't tried them yet!
At Target I spent $77.90 and saved $68.00
That's a 46% savings!!

Ah Yea Peeps!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

Budget Challenge Accomplished!!

I did it!!

A couple of posts ago I challenged myself to go a month without grocery shopping, and I made it!.

With all of my accumulated food storage from this couponing experience we had PLENTY of supplies in my cupboards, we used Rosehill Dairy for milk, bread, and eggs; and we didn't miss much but the fresh fruit, which was provided by my mom once in while, and CJ (bless you!) when he was here.

Did I save money?? Nah, not really. I had 3 car repairs (didn't I SAY that would happen?!?!?!?) which the money went to instead, and them some....but good thing I hadn't bought groceries so really I saved myself from utter destruction, which would happen without a car. :)

So, yes, it can be done, yes, I can resist the shopping bug, IGNORE the great deals and coupons I'm missing out on, and focus on something else for a month! Whoo Hoo. Now back to shopping!! (Rolling my eyes at myself, only slightly)

The first of the month is when you'll want to print coupons before they're all gone!

Some of the same great coupons that available on SmartSource and Coupons.com

These coupons are also available on the following sites:

Pillsbury site here

Betty Crocker site here.

Box Tops For Education site here

Eat Better America site here

*Note You can print 2 coupons for each product listed.