Let the Donating Begin!

Note: My computer is doing funky things; sorry for the weird formatting: If you've been following my Couponing for Charity weekly posts, you know I've been gathering FREE deals (mainly hygiene products) to donate to deserving organizations. Our MOMS Club chapter has chosen four local organizations over the course of a year to be recipients of our crafty couponing skills. Every three months, a different one will benefit. I've felt a bit like a squirrel--hunting, gathering, and storing my precious finds--but it was finally time to relinquish my gems to our first deserving group: a non-profit, interfaith agency serving the poor and homeless of Knoxville called the Volunteer Ministry Center.

This from their website: "The Volunteer Ministry Center helps people find their way out of homelessness by offering “tough love” programs that work. It’s not enough to meet the basic needs of food and shelter. Real progress means that people face their problems and overcome them. It means that they set goals and achieve them – and in a timely manner. It means that they are held accountable. The work of The Volunteer Ministry Center has one purpose – to help our clients achieve housing and a higher level of self-sufficiency so that they are no longer homeless."

I actually got involved with the VMC through my church, The Church of the Good Samarita, an Episcopal church in the Cedar Bluff region.There's a group of 10-15 female parishioners who attend a monthly "ladies night in" at the VMC. It's a chance to share some life skills, but more importantly, an opportunity to build relationships with women struggling to overcome homelessness. They seek to give them a comfortable bridge to the community.

So when I began my Couponing for Charity mission, this group was the first to come to mind. I was excited that not only was this a chance to "give them fish" but to "teach them to fish." Over the weekend, I began pouring out some of the knowledge I'd gained the past nine months and tips for how to get the great deals at Walgreen's and CVS in a hand-out. I quickly filled 4 1/2 pages. Would they be overwhelmed? Will they be able to stockpile? Would they call me Crazy Coupon Lady when I walked out the door?

When I put all the goods I had in a box, along with several donations from another member of MOMS Club, I could barely carry the box. In total, we had at least $250 of products and we broke even with paying tax. Here's what we gave:

9 tubes toothpaste, 7 toothbrushes, 2 dental floss,

14 body wash, 7 shampoo, 2 conditioner,

1 hand soap, 2 dish soap,

9 deodorants,

9 feminine care,

1 sinus spray, 1 multi-purpose eye solution, 1 heat wrap, 2 lip balm, 1 barrette, 1 box of tissues, 1 box of vitamins, 2 boxes of cereal, 1 box of crackers

Seeing it all on a table was very gratifying. When I said I got it all for free, some women looked astonished and a bit wary, as if I were about to pull a rabbit out of hat. Surely it isn't possible to get all that for FREE in three months! What's the catch? was reading on some of their faces.

Unfortunately only 2 of the 11 expected VMC clients showed up. Periodically KARM (where many of them live temporarily) has a lock-down and they will not let you come back in after 6:30pm if you leave. So I think most of them were trapped. However, there were about 10 women from our church, and they were all eager to figure this out for themselves. Though some of them were new to using coupons and many had never shopped at drugstores with this strategy, they soaked in the knowledge. I think I inspired several of them to give it a try and begin bringing to the VMC each month some of the deals they pick up.

Probably the most important person I educated tonight was Lisa Wells, a caseworker who plans to work with their clients one-on-one to help them get these deals themselves. Since you can't use food stamps on hygiene or cleaning products, this is a huge way to stretch their dollars. The VMC also have three computers clients can use to print coupons and access the weekly blogs detailing the deals like Southern Savers, Coupon Katie, and Coupon Mommie. Finally I have to give a big thanks to the one who educated and inspired me to start this couponing mission for others: Gabrielle at Couponing in Critical Times.

Though I didn't get to see the excited expressions of the recipients, Lisa was thrilled to now have items that she can put in "welcome home baskets." Four of their clients signed leases this week, and she's giving them each a basket full of goodies to get them started. She expects any extra products will be quickly snatched up.

As I walked out the door and glanced back at the stockpile, it was a little hard to leave it behind. After all my hard work, I now start with a clean slate for the next organization. Will I be just as successful? What will the next box look like? One thing I do know: it sure feels good to give.

Target Gift Card Winner Announced

Congratulations to Julie B., winner of the $250 Target Gift Card from Seize the Deal. With all the clearance deals being shared by Coupon Katie and KnoxMamabelle, she could make that card last a long time!

Seize the Deal is a group buying website coming to Knoxville soon. If you sign up here, you'll get daily emails with ways to save 50-90% off local services. Can't wait to see what deals they'll have for us!

Should you Buy Baby Formula off Craigslist?

Tonight local reporter / anchor Tearsa Smith of WATE did a story on buying baby formula on the internet. For the full story (written or video format), go here. I was happy to assist Tearsa in finding a mother from our MOMS Club to speak on camera about formula. Lauren Cook did great!

As Coupon Katie recently had her third child, she recently posted a request for ways to save on formula. I applaud her for reaching out for ideas, since she will be undergoing treatment for MS shortly and won't be able to continue breast feeding. I've been impressed with the comments and suggestions.

Personally, I think it's wonderful women have options to feed their babies, but I strongly believe in breast feeding whenever possible. There's just too much literature supporting it to deny breast is best. But I know how hard it can be; trust me, I know! Using a shield for 4 months with one and pumping every ounce for another for 10 months, I have discovered it's not always as "natural" as I'd once envisioned. But then along came Brooke who breastfed exclusively with virtually no problem; kids are all so different.

So where do you stand on the formula issue? Would you buy it from a stranger off Craigslist? Do you trust that generic is just as good as the name brands? How do you save money on formula?

Couponing for Charity Update #6: $40 of products FREE

I've had a marginally successful week scoring deals for charity. Since many of these coupons expire 4/30, hurry to take advantage of them. Here's where I had outlined my plan, and here are my results:

Kroger: Sadly the free Speed Sticks and Tobasco were all gone, but I did "splurge" for the Dial deal (normally $1.63, on sale for $1, used a $.35 coupon which doubles, making it $.30). Thanks to Coupon Mommie, I got a Srubbing Bubbles sprayer for just $1 ($8.99, used $5/1 coupon, and got $3 to use next time). She had it as free; maybe other stores have it cheaper. Regardless, I'm going to keep this one to try. I also managed to get three deodorants as money makers. Here's how:

Thanks to a tip from Coupon Katie, I remembered I had loaded a $3/2 Old Spice deodorant e-saver from Kroger.com. With a B1G1 coupon (expires 5/30) and a $1/2 coupon (expires 4/30) from the paper along with the $3 digital savings which deducts automatically, I actually made $.50. (normally $4.29 each, on sale for $3.50 each). So that was an $8.58 value for -$.50.

Last month I had printed a rebate form for Sure (can't seem to find it now, but here's their website with a $.75 coupon). Thanks to this rebate form, if you buy a Sure for Women with the designated "Try me Free" sticker before 11/15/10, you'll get the full refund up to $2.99. They're regularly $2.29 at Kroger and I had a $1/1 coupon (expires 4/30). Once I get my rebate, that will be a $2.29 value for -$1.

Walgreen's: I had a frustrating experience at Walgreen's this week--all three of them! Yikes--I know! My initial trip was cut short by squirming and out of control kids. I made the mistake of looking at Hallmark cards. Sometimes you have to know when to walk out of a store. My second visit I had a few minutes to kill and had only Brooke with me, but that store was out of all the free promotions. The third store was also out of the shaving gel, but I did get the Stayfree, dental picks, and two free chocolate bars. The Stayfree was $2.99, get $3RR, I used $1/1 coupon and made $1. The dental picks were $2, get $2RR; no coupon there, but it was free. The chocolates are for me! Since both charity items were on sale, I'll take the full value for accounting purposes: $3.79 for pads and $2.99 for dental.

CVS: Despite two kids running up and down the aisles and a clerk's error, I still managed to get good deals here too. The Irish Spring body wash was $3, get $2ECB; with a $1/1 coupon, that was free.

They had two Oral B toothbrushes left that qualified for the spend $3, get $1ECB; limit 2. I bought 2 for $6, used a B1G1 and a $2/1 (both expire 4/30), paid $1 and got $2ECB. So that was a $1MM. At first the clerk said I couldn't use both, but she scanned them and they worked.

Finally the Nivea deal worked out to $1.25 a product for 2 body washes and 2 lip balms. It should have been $.50 a product but the clerk didn't key in one of my B1G1 coupons. Maybe she doesn't like clever couponers, maybe her machine malfunctioned, but her mistake cost me money. Live and learn. Each body wash was $6 and each lip balm was $3. I used a B1G1 for body wash, a B1G1 for lip care (didn't register), and a $2/1 coupon for body wash (all came from the All You magazine). If you spend more than $15 before coupons (my total was $18 before and $10 after coupons), you earn $5ECB. I'll be keeping one of each and donating one of each. So charity will be getting $9 of product for $2.50. Not everything has to be totally free, right?! The values before sale prices for the Irish Spring: $4.99, for the toothbrushes: $7.58, and for the Nivea products $17.96.

THIS JUST IN: Right after I originally posted this, I turned the corner to discover the dental picks all over the dog's bed. Smelling the mint flavor I suppose, she tore into them. Seriously?! I couldn't make this stuff up. So the new totals below will reflect one less product. Ugh!

Total products to donate this week: 1 hand soap, 3 deodorants, 1 feminine care, 2 body wash, 1 lip balm, 2 toothbrushes

Total value of products to donate: $37.84 ($1.63 for hand soap, $10.87 for deodorant, $3.79 for feminine care, $2.99 for dental picks--NOW TRASH, $10.98 for body wash, $2.99 for lip balm, $7.58 for toothbrushes)

Total spent: -$.70 (yes, all that and I made money: $.30 for hand soap, -$1.50 for deodorants, -$1 for feminine care, $1.25 for body wash, $1.25 for lip balm, -$1 for toothbrushes)

Total products to donate to date: 3 tubes toothpaste, 4 deodorants, 2 bars of soap, 1 hand soap, 3 body wash, 2 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 1 heat wrap, 1 feminine care, 1 lip balm, 2 toothbrushes

Total value of products to date: $74.54

Total spent to date: -$10.20

So how did you do?

Couponing for Charity: 4/4 - 4/11

I've had so much fun getting freebies and even "making money" for charity the past three weeks, that I was highly disappointed about the prospects this week. Honestly, I'll be skipping Walgreens, CVS, and Target this week and making my Kroger list as slim as possible to stay on budget in this "five week month." So I will be getting NO goods for charity this week, but if you feel inspired, here are some suggestions from the pros.

Southern Savers seems more impressed with CVS this week if you want to pick just one store. She lays out how to get free gum, multi-purpose solution, and Colgate Total toothpaste. You can also get Dawn for just $.46 and perhaps some deals on Scotch tape.

Here are Southern Saver's match-ups for Walgreens. If you bought three papers today (or managed to score a few extra inserts from a recycling bin--I can neither confirm nor deny that I support such activities), you could get three Oral B toothbrushes for free. They also have a deal on Kotex and Dawn for $.49.

Coupon Katie lays out how the Double Coupon Days at K-Mart work this week. She notes several freebies like deodorant, dental floss, kitchen cleaners, odor eliminators, and bar b que sauce. From comments posted about K-Mart, that place sounds like too much work to me and there are always problems when you're trying to work the deals. I'll pass.

Kroger has a few sales but nothing free that I could see.

So what's your plan this week?

FREE Coupon Exchange

Ever since reading Coupon Katie's post about sharing coupons, I've been thinking. How could I best share the coupons I don't plan to use? I settled on the Karns Library, and I'm happy to report the box is full and ready for the taking.

I figured small and contained was a good way to start. I reused a popsicle box and added my blog's information on the top. I figured if I was going to go to the effort to do this for my community that a little self promotion wasn't out of line. I also made three index cards: Expires Soon, You Have Time, and Expired. I decided to keep the expired ones in there for awhile to see if we have any military families that could use them. Each week I hope to add more coupons and move the older ones to the appropriate categories.

Here's my plan; we'll see how it works. Sunday is my day to scan the adds, plan menus, make lists, gather coupons I'll likely use, and clear out the coupons that will expire that week. On Tuesday morning, I usually make my Kroger run, and on Tuesday afternoon, I take Devin and Brooke to the library to kill 20 minutes before picking up Bobby. I can add new coupons weekly without making an extra trip.

I'm curious to see the response and how many coupons are taken. The librarians seemed eager to check it out once I left. I can feel good about the fact that coupons are not only allowing me to donate to charities but to my community as well.

What do you do with your extra coupons?

Coupon Mania: The Bad Kind

Today I was checking out Gabe's blog and saw at the top this video from Earthfare. You know how much I love Earthfare and organic in general, you know how much I've loved saving money there. So it was with great sadness to learn they are having issues, especially the last few weeks, with people committing COUPON FRAUD.

They have multiple cases of people trying to take advantage of the weekly freebies 4, 6, even 8 times! Some have even purchased the item, changed clothes in the parking lot, and returned "in disguise." Really?! Who does that? I'll admit the free pizza and cheese deal was so tempting, I dragged a sick child into the store to get it. It's actually kindof a funny story if you need a laugh. But try to redeem more than one free offer? Never!

The coupons clearly state one coupon per person. Get your deal, say thank-you, and go home! Hopefully you'll value the freshness or quality enough that you'll return another time to purchase it again. But don't abuse the system. When you do, we all suffer.

According to this recent Wall Street Journal article, fraudulent coupons are not a big portion of coupons redeemed but they have increased 14% in the past year. Additionally 198 faulty coupons have been identified since late December--more than the previous decade combined! And if you're ever tempted to use bogus coupons, beware of these guys: the CIC, a non-profit fighting coupon fraud. They haven't lost a single case. You go!

Now I don't think Earthfare is battling fraudulent coupons. The coupons they email weekly CAN be printed multiple times and are often shared on lots of local coupon blogger sites. But just because you CAN print them multiple times doesn't mean you SHOULD. What Earthfare is dealing with is people abusing the system. And the more people who do that, the less likely they will share wonderful deals in the future. It's not worth a couple of extra pizzas--really!

While we're on the subject of coupon ethics, Katie had some great suggestions for making sure we all remain ethical when the dollar signs of savings are in our eyes. I'll admit I've been greedy with taking a few extra peelies off products in the past, but I've vowed to change my ways. Thanks for reading and being one of the good guys.

Couponing for Charity: A Mission Begun

Over the past six months that I've been eagerly couponing, I've sometimes picked up deals that we don't typically use or more of a product than we really need. If I buy one more box of toothpaste or can of soup, my husband may insist I seek counseling for my addiction.

However, rather than give up my thrill of the deal, I've decided to channel my money saving super powers to help those less fortunate. The idea is to gather some of the freebies or super deals out there and donate them to a good cause. I'm calling it "Couponing for Charity" and will begin writing posts regularly with specific deals if you'd like to join along.

First of all, I'm not talking about all the free samples you can sign up for. I find most of those a waste of the manufacturer's resources (packaging, shipping, etc.) and would rather they channel their energies into coupons. I'm talking about the freebies that bloggers highlight all the time, if you're willing to do a little homework.

To help me on my journey, I've enlisted other savvy shoppers, members of our MOMS Club chapter that supports SAHMs and part-time working mothers, to do the same. By the way, if you live in the 37931, 37921, 37909, or 37923 north of I-40 zip codes, we'd love to have you check us out! I've learned that many of these fabulous ladies are already experts at finding deals, clipping coupons, and working the specials at places like Walgreens and CVS. So now it's just a matter of hunting and gathering.

For simplicity sake, we're going to have a trial run for six months and see what we get. We're aiming for hygiene products mostly (things that qualify for register rewards / ECBs or items we can get for free with coupons). After looking at weekly match-ups that other bloggers do, I'll make my recommendations on my blog. I'll list what I plan to pick up for charity that week and how it will cost me little to nothing or even save me money. At the end of the summer, we'll look at what we've all acquired and vote on a charity to donate to (probably something related to women or mothers). Service is a big part of what we do.

Here's an example. A few weeks ago, Walgreens had a RR for Dove Men's Body Wash: spend $6, get $6RR. Since I had a $1.50 coupon for that product, I only spent $4.50 and got $6RR. In a separate transaction, I bought a pack of Huggies diapers on sale for $9 and used my $6RR and a $2 coupon. I had to buy another item to get the coupon ratio correct, but stay with me. In the end, I only spent $5.50 for both diapers and body wash (cheaper than if I'd bought the diapers alone), and as a bonus, the diapers gave me another $3RR. Since my husband is more of a bar soap man, I'll donate the men's wash to our cause. It's a win-win: I saved money and a charity gets a great product for someone.

I plan to keep a running tally of my finds (value vs money spent). In the above example, I'd record a $6 value and -$1.50 (a "money maker"). That will make me feel better when I spend some money on products--like $.24 for a tube of toothpaste.

Thanks to Gabe from Couponing in Critical Times for the inspiration to get this going. If you need guidance for mastering CVS or Walgreens deals, Coupon Mommie has put these tips together.

There are several deals you might consider this week. At Kroger, if you buy 8 qualifying products, you save $4 instantly. With that sale, Speed Stick deodorants are $1; with a $.50 coupon that Kroger doubles, that one's FREE. I'll buy 2 3-count bars of Irish Spring soap on sale for $1, use a $.50/2 coupon, and pay only $.50 each. Dial hand soap (also $1) will only be $.30 after a $.35/1 coupon.

Click here for Coupon Katie's Walgreens recommendations and here for all the Walgreens match-ups. I'll be picking up the Colgate (spend $3.99, get $3.99RR) and will use a $1/1 coupon. I'll be doing this in twice in separate transactions to get two register rewards to use next week. I also have all the coupons for the $.38 toothbrushes and the $.22 boxes of Kleenex.

Click here for Coupon Katie's CVS recommendations and here for all the CVS match-ups. This will be my first trip to CVS, but I have my new card and I'm ready to give it a try. I'm excited about the Dove and Degree deodorant special (spend $15, get $5ECB) that should make 6 of them $.17 each with coupons. If you have not printed these high value coupons, do it now before they're gone. I have 3 $3/2 coupons (hoping the Degree Girl is included in the special) and 1 $1.50/2 Dove coupon if not. I'm hoping the shelves won't be clear by the time I get there. Save a few for me, will you?

I'll let you know how my plan works out (with totals) in a future post. If you have any tips for me and my money saving mommas, please leave a comment.

Coupon Promised Land

I check the clock: 8:38am. Am I too late? Can I still find a parking spot? Will there be a line around the building waiting for the free give-aways for the first 100 visitors? This is, after all, THE Knoxville Coupon Fair and all the savvy shoppers will be there! Coupon Katie's post on it had over a thousand hits. Everyone it seems these days has dropped any stigma attached to using coupons and is learning the fine art of getting free or nearly free products. I am strangely mixed with nerves and excitement.

Thankfully there is no line and I traipse right in to connect with my pal Coupon Katie. She's vowed to try cloth diapers since I’m giving her my infant stash. Go Katie! She has 3000 coupon books filled with savings on primarily pain medication leftover from the Health and Wellness Fair. She also has good handouts about coupon ethics and shopping at Target. She recommends if you're stacking coupons at Target to give the manufacturer coupon first and then the Target coupon, and her schedule for which days each department marks down goods is helpful.

Gabrielle Blake, who goes by Gabe and has the Couponing in Critical Times blog, is the primary organizer of the event. I love her posts about organics or homemade crafts. She has a great handout on how to start a coupon ministry at your church, synagogue or community program and where to donate goods. I have found that I'll get some freebies that I don't really need and this is a great idea of how to put our bargain skills to good use. Also from Gabe I learn that not every Sunday paper has coupon inserts, but you can see the schedule beforehand at southernsavers.com. She has a list of businesses and days that give special discounts for seniors; though this doesn't help me, I'm going to share this with my favorite Walgreens cashier Rusty who will be thrilled. If you'd like to meet Gabe, she's speaking at the Burlington Branch Library Monday, March 29 at 6pm about how to save 50-75% on your grocery purchases.

Jennifer Wilson, aka: CouponMommie.com, is happy to share tips on working the deals at Walgreens and CVS. Up to now I've only shopped at Walgreens. Now that I'm getting the hang of it, I might try CVS. She says CVS is easier. I like that CVS has the Green Bag Tag, which you attach to one of your reusable bags. For every 4 times you shop and scan the tag, you'll get $1 ECB (Extra Care Buck). I admire that they're rewarding green efforts. I also learn from her that CVS will take expired manufacturer coupons as long as the register doesn't beep (normally if they're just a week or two old) and that Walgreens works best if you scan the manufacturer coupon first and then the Walgreens coupons or register rewards. Her five-inch binder filled to hilt from the coupons she gets from eight weekly papers is intimidating, but she seems down to earth.

Hannah Barringer, a mother of six who feeds her family on $50 a week, is also here. She's probably the earthiest of the bunch, as she raises her own cattle and grows a lot of what they eat. I find her tip about United Grocery Outlets intriguing--places where you can find inexpensive and fresh organic foods and produce. There's one in Oak Ridge on the turnpike that I'll give a shot. You can also find "pick your own" farms at localharvest.org and picktnproducts.org. I'll let you know if I find any great farms beyond the Fruit & Berry Patch.

I'm in awe of the hundreds of coupons people have brought in to swap. Most expire tomorrow but I pick up a few deals. And the freebie swap table is fun. I forfeit toothpaste, lip balm, and Excedrin for hand soap, a lint remover, and dental floss. I pick up four new cloth bags for my shopping excursions; I've become somewhat obsessive about no longer using plastic bags. One includes an emergency preparedness kit for Knoxville families. I get to spin the Chick-fil-A wheel to win a free chicken sandwich. Knoxmoms is giving away a dry erase board for menu planning and grocery lists. By far the best freebies are from Three Rivers Market, Knoxville's only food co-op: a yo-yo, Toms toothpaste, as well as organic pasta, granola bars, and kid snacks. I'm interested in trying it but it's out of the way for me; we'll see.

A number of women stop to admire my new coupon organizer I tote around like a Prada bag. I meet a number of other coupon bloggers including Knoxville on a Dime, Cheapknox, Living on More for Less, Frugalissa Finds, and East TN Rewards. I'm pleasantly surprised that no one seems threatened by yet another blogger giving tips to save money. We all have the same goal and all the women are happy to work together. I have no desire to be the source of the deals—just the messenger for being the guinea pig to try them.

As I get in my car, I can't suppress a smile about how fun it's been to become part of this community. I'm no longer an outsider looking in. It feels good to have found the Coupon Promised Land.

FREE is Good

I like to write about FREE. It's a word that deserves to be in all caps because it's that great. Even though saving money is good, the idea of getting something completely free is exhilarating.

This morning alone I got three freebies, all thanks to Coupon Katie. After dropping off Bobby at school, I swung by Chick-fil-A for the final free breakfast. Since there were three of us in the car, we got three chicken & biscuits (worth $6.15). The kids loved them, and though I rarely do fast food, I admit I liked mine too.

Then I stopped at a Pilot Food Mart for a free box of tea (worth $5) with this coupon which expires Sunday. I chose the Honeybush Carmel flavor that boasts high levels of antioxidants. For free, I'll try it.

Just down the road was a Walgreens where I scored big this week. With this coupon today you can get a free 8x10 in store only (worth $2.99). My picture of the family at Disney World will go in the front hallway and was ready in less than 10 minutes. I used my B1G1 Special K coupon and a $2.50RR I got last week to get two FREE boxes of cereal. I also used my coupon for a FREE box of Excedrin I earned here. Can't say as I use Excedrin but our school just asked for donations for the school nurse. Here you go.

Another good deal I got at Walgreens (though not free) was on Charmin toilet paper on sale for $3.49. I used a $3RR I earned from buying pull-ups two weeks ago and a $.25 coupon to get 6 big rolls of TP for $.24. This will be one of the receipts I submit to get $100 worth of P&G coupons. Even though I only spent $.24, I get credit for $3.49 and I'm almost to the $50 worth of products you need to buy by 4/15/10. Tip: The small cans of Hunts tomato sauce (only $.39 with the circular coupon) are a good way to keep the coupon/item ratio in check if you're trying to use two coupons on one product. All told I saved nearly $30 at Walgreens this week and only spent $3.18 (including tax).

On Saturday, I also scored a FREE full-size bottle of Lubriderm and Purell spray at Babies R Us. Since the $5 gift card I earned by becoming a fan on Facebook was going to expire that day, I stopped by. The Lubriderm was on clearance for $4.98 and the Purell was $1.98; I used my $2 Lubriderm coupon found here and got both for paying just tax: $.60. My mom who "wanted to see me in action" seemed impressed. And since Michaels is next door, I stopped in for mod podge to complete a craft for a belated Valentines present (using the FREE photo collage I made a few weeks ago no less). It wasn't on sale, but of course I used the 40% coupon Michaels publishes weekly.

On Tuesday, I plan to stop by Earthfare for the FREE pizza dough and cheese with this coupon. All you have to do is buy an Earthfare sauce, on sale for $2.50. Hopefully, they'll have some left.

And if you haven't heard of the Knoxville Coupon Fair on Saturday, February 27, that's going to be a great FREE event. Would savvy shoppers expect anything else?! I have lots of coupons to swap and am looking forward to meeting a lot of the women I've come to respect.

But perhaps some of the best freebies aren't found in any stores. Since we had a few extra minutes before dropping off Devin at school, we went outside to catch snowflakes on our tongues. Try doing that without giggling! We've had so much snow lately that I've almost begun to dread it, but going out this morning helped me remember what a beautiful gift snow is.

And once Brooke wakes from her morning nap, we'll have lots of free time to do what she likes best right now: walk. She can take some steps on her own, but we spend a lot of time with me hunched over, holding both hands, and following wherever she fancies. Yes, FREE is good.

Taming the Coupon Chaos

When I got serious about using coupons, I had to find a good way to organize them. My envelope system became tattered and confusing after a few months. So which method is best?

Consulting friends who have more experience in this than I, I heard from FOUR trustworthy sources, including Coupon Katie, to go with a binder. Clear baseball card sheets were a popular method for storing them by category. They'd put the older ones toward the back of each pocket and periodically check through them for those close to expiration. This method certainly has its pluses for versatility and expansion as your interests and ways to categorize coupons can change.

But since I usually shop with a 3 year old who can't sit still, even in the race car carts, and a nearly 1 year old who's becoming increasingly squirmy and inquisitive, I have to consider what system works with them as my co-pilots. If Brooke sits in the seat, where's my binder going to go? And do I really want to lug around a binder to every store? It just didn't give me the warm and fuzzies.

When I searched online for the typical alternative--accordion style organizers--I wasn't that impressed, and some of the customer feedback slammed them. Either they were too small, there were too few dividers or the dividers didn't make sense to many customers. Many complained that they were cheap and fell apart quickly. No thanks.

Then I ran across a one woman company called Glowgirl who sews an eco-friendly solution for $12 - $16.50. And had I waited just a few more weeks, I would have found her latest addition, the "mega coupon organizer" (room for 1,000+ coupons!). Here are the pluses of her product and company I like:

1. She's a female owned business who seems committed to excellent customer service.

2. Each organizer comes with 30 divider tabs and 80 peel and stick labels so that you can choose the labels that work best for you.

3. It closes with a button / elastic closure that secures to the grocery cart. It also sits up on its own.

4. The fabric is durable and attractive; it will hold up for years of weekly grocery trips.

5. She scours yard sales, estate sales, on-line sources, friends, family, remnant shops looking for great fabrics to use or "upcycle" from a previous use.

6. The peel and stick labels are 100% recycled paper and the index card stock is 15% recycled paper.

As much as I've enjoyed the organizer I got from her, I bought the smaller one that was the only one offered at the time. I've found it to be just a little too small in width and depth and have wished for something just a touch bigger. The mega organizer would be perfect for me.

I also learned a valuable lesson the hard way about where to hang my organizer on the shopping cart. Since Brooke was grabbing at it next to her, I moved it to the outside bar closest to me. That was just enough of an angle for Devin to swing it and send every coupon flying to the floor. Yes, I was practically in tears as I scrambled to gather hundreds of coupons. Thankfully I had most of the ones for that trip in my hand at the time and was able to reorganize the rest in a few minutes at home. I now attach it to the inside of the cart. Live and learn.

Now that I've had nearly a month to work with my organizer, I'd have to say overall I'm happy with my choice. It looks attractive, it fits well in one hand, and it keeps me organized. Mission accomplished.

So what's your vote: binder or purse style?

How to Get $25 of goods for almost FREE

Thanks to some tips from Coupon Katie, I've just returned from Walgreens having scored some good deals. With sales, coupons, and register rewards, I got $25 of products for $6.72 and left with $6 in RR for next time. Here's how.

Neosporin Lip Health is on sale for $8/2. When you use 2 $3 printables found here, you get a $3RR at check-out. That's like a $1 money maker.

Wet Ones are on sale for $4/2. When you use 2 $1.50 printables found here, you get a $1RR at check-out. Now you've gotten those for FREE.

Scope Mouthwash is on sale for $7/2. From the paper, I had one $1 and one $.75 coupon. After the $2RR you earn, that was like getting them for $1.62 each.

Since Valentine's Day is coming up and the Walgreens weekly flyer has a coupon for $.99 a box, I bought 3 packs for half price. Since I now have more items than coupons, I can use two register rewards I earned last week for $2.50 and $2: 9 items, 9 coupons.

The total before coupons is about $25; after coupons, it's $6.72 and I'm leaving with $6 in register rewards for next week. Not bad.

And here's a good tip if you plan to do the weekly Walgreens specials. Make friends with the clerks; know their names and address them with a smile when you enter the store. And whenever possible, help them out. I noticed my friendly clerk Rusty (who's been working at Walgreens for 50 years) was buying some Campbell's soups. I gave her the Walgreen's coupon and a $1.50/3 printable, making them $1 a can for her. She was thrilled. A little goes a long way. ;-)

The Lure of Deals I Don't Need

When I was a child, eagerly clipping coupons from the Sunday paper, my mother taught me a very valuable lesson about "deals" that's easy to forget: "It's not really a deal if you don't need it." I found myself wrestling with the issue of "it's a deal" but "I don't need it" today in Walgreens.

Reading Coupon Katie's post yesterday about her plan to "make $11," I was compelled to investigate. Through a series of coupons and register rewards which she outlines, she figured out how to get two bottles of eye solution, men's skin care, feminine pads, and two boxes of Theraflu by spending $13.97 and walking away with register rewards worth $24.97. Sounds great, right?! But for me, it's just never that easy.

First of all, I wrestled with whether or not to buy the "multi-purpose eye solution" which I've always thought was just for those with contacts. No one in my family has contacts, but I tried to justify it as a solution we might use if we get something in our eyes. What's wrong with water? That's what I've used in the past. I walked away.

Then there were the coupons I didn't have: the one for Neutrogena in a magazine I don't subscribe to and the online Theraflu coupons that wouldn't print. Plus, Bob doesn't use special skin care lotion and do I really need to buy Theraflu if none of us have the flu? (That might come back to bite me!) I did buy two of the feminine pads in separate transactions but made the mistake of using one of the $2 rewards with the second transaction. Guess what: you don't get another RR when you do that. Too late.

In my pursuit of the $5 RR for spending $25, I decided it was time to buy the ear thermometer I've been wanting. It's $10 off this week and I had an additional $5 coupon (making it $35). When I asked my pediatrician today what he thought of ear thermometers, he responded, "They're highly inaccurate. Depending on where you point it in the ear canal, you could get very different readings. Just get the $10 version that goes under the arm." But those take two minutes and I got such a good deal! Begrudgingly I returned it.

Finally, there's always the issue of how I'll spend my register rewards. What do I need that costs $10 or $5 within the next 10 - 14 days? If they're items I wouldn't have bought otherwise, then it's not really a deal for me. Today was a disappointing day for me in the savings endeavors, but it was a good reminder of an important lesson.

Cereal for a Steal

Money Saving Margaret is back, and over the past week, the best grocery deals I've been able to find are on cereal. My friend Tina had told me that she never pays more than $1.50 a box...ever! Since most cereals usually cost $3 - 4, I was stunned at how she did that. Well, I'm proud to say that I have now paid as little as $.47 for a box of cereal and here's how I did it.

Thanks to a tip from Coupon Katie, I went to Target last week for Kellogg's cereals. They had a deal: buy 3, get 1 free. They also had Target coupons for $1 off each box; I printed 4. Lastly, I found 4 manufacturer's coupons for various cereals for $1 off each box. Raison Bran was the cheapest, but I only had one coupon that matched with RB. Therefore, I got 1 Frosted Mini Wheats, 2 Special K, and 1 Raison Bran for a total of $1.87 or $.47 a box. If I'd had more coupons for Raison Bran, I could have gotten them all for free.

Though Kroger does not have many deals this week, they are having a similar sale on General Mills cereals: buy 4, save $4. Armed with 4 $.75 coupons and one Cellfire discount of $.55, I purchased 2 Multigrain Cheerios and 2 boxes of Kix for $4.23, or $1.06 a box. My husband thinks I've gotten some of my mother's "drawbridge mentality" (a drawbridge between me and the store could go up at any moment and we'd be ready to survive), but that's ok. I won't have to buy cereal for months. One thing's for sure: I'm never paying full-price again.

How Low Can You Go?

It all started with my latest trip to Sam’s Club to stock up on some basics. Lately I’ve been going about every three months for those essentials I buy in bulk. I was feeling great about all the money I must be saving when the cashier said: $722.97. What?! Something must be wrong. Have prices sky rocketed when I wasn’t looking? Is my strategy of buying in bulk not all that it’s cracked up to be?

That’s when I decided to get out my calculator, scour several stores for prices, and figure out how to get the best bang for my buck on everything I buy. I broke down each item by price per pound, price per ounce, or price per unit. I chose to compare prices for select items at Sam’s Club, Kroger’s, Ingles, Target, and Walgreen’s. What I discovered is that there is no one store that’s the golden ticket to savings, but with a little work I could save a lot of money. I now have a new mantra: how low can you go?

I had always thought the grocery chains Kroger’s and Ingles were comparable in prices; not anymore. When I compared nearly 50 regular grocery items, Kroger’s almost always came out cheaper. Ingles won out on a few sale items, but those could easily go on sale at Kroger’s the next week. So even though Ingles is the most convenient grocery store for me, it’s off my regular errand list for now.

When I compared the regular prices for items at Sam’s against the other stores, Sam’s was the clear winner on most goods. So for people who aren’t interested in waiting for sales or clipping coupons, this is probably the best store for them. However, I’m up for the challenge of saving the most money--however I have to do it. I’m convinced if I’m crafty, I can get lots of groceries for less elsewhere.

Here’s an example. The “big rolls” of Bounty paper towels at Sam’s work out to $1.42 a roll. I found the same product at Target on sale for $1.25 a roll. If I found a Target coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon (usually $.25 each), I could bring it down to $1.20 a roll.

Since the regular Kroger’s price is $1.84 a roll, I have my work cut out for me to save money here. For Kroger’s to win out on the price wars, I’m going to have to find $4.69 savings through sales and coupons on a pack of 8. The advantage of Kroger’s though is that thanks to websites like www.cellfire.com, www.shortcuts.com, and www.PGEsaver.com, I can load specific coupons electronically onto my Kroger’s card for free. There is no paper waste, the savings appear automatically at check-out, and they can be used with manufacturer’s coupons for additional savings (a process called “stacking”).

After all my comparisons, I discovered the surprising winner on this particular product is Walgreen’s. Flipping through this week’s flyer (available in the newspaper and online), I found they are selling 12 big rolls for $12; that’s $1 a roll. Armed with my coupon in the weekly flyer and a $7 register rewards I got for buying a $7 item, the total for all those paper towels is $5 before tax (regularly $18.49). If I’d had a manufacturer’s coupon or if they’d had extra savings in their monthly coupon book, I could have saved even more. The young check-out girl is stunned by what I just accomplished and says, “How did you do that?!” I direct her to the real savings expert, Knoxville’s own Coupon Katie (www.couponkatie.com). I’ll write more about register rewards and how to get free stuff in a future blog.

In summary, there were some clear winners at Sam’s that I will continue buying: cheese, fresh salsa, fish sticks, chicken nuggets, frozen blueberries, chocolates, olive oil, potato chips, pure maple syrup, and their yummy cookies. I had been buying all my meat and fish at Sam’s but discovered I could get most of that for less on sale at Kroger’s. At Kroger’s, I’ll be buying most of my fresh food: produce, breads, dairy, and meats. I’ll also see where I can stack coupons and wait until those items go on sale. I’ll be checking the Walgreen’s flyers for sales and register rewards items; I hear they’re great for cleaning supplies and hygiene goods. At Target, I’ll be looking for what’s on sale or in the clearance bins and checking their coupon books as well. Their sale price for canned cokes was the lowest I found from all the stores.

The key is that I’m now armed with prices, which I plan to put on a cheat sheet where I store my coupons. I’ll know what’s a good deal and not impulsively buy something because “it’s on sale.” It all seems so obvious; I’m embarrassed that I’m only now figuring this out. Better late than never, I suppose. I’ll check back in to report on my savings after a few weeks. So let the games begin—how low can you go?