Couponing

So I have realized I have a problem. I'm addicted to coupons. My last post was about the amazing deals I scored, but only part of that was actual sales. The rest was a coupon I had. I rarely go shopping without coupons anymore (although the most shopping I've done lately is at the grocery store). If you know my in real life, you know I come by this honestly. My daddy is notorious for being...thrifty...frugal...oh heck, he's cheap. People joke that his wallet creaks as he opens it. However, I actually thank him for being cheap. His philosophy was to save on the everyday things so you were able to splurge on big things. We went on some awesome vacations (on frequent flyer points of course :) ). I didn't have to work for my clothes or gas to school and church. Dad retired early and now they take amazing trips together. Most importantly, he taught me those lessons. Our church recently offered the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University, but I didn't see the point. I've skimmed his book and there's nothing I didn't know or already do, namely spend money we don't have. Admission: I didn't realize until at least college that there were people that not only didn't do this, but were never even TAUGHT that idea.

Anyway, back to my coupons. I have some tips for those out there who may struggle with non-thriftiness.

1) Only get coupons for products you already use...

2)...but don't let that stop you from trying something new. I could clip that weekly coupon for Activia yogurt, but I know husband doesn't like yogurt period and honestly, after a few bites, it makes me gag as well. I may have saved 25 cents, but I had to spend $1-something for something we'll end up throwing away. However, if we ran across a coupon for a new flavor of Ben & Jerry's, we just might. After all, you won't be paying full price!

3) Make a routine for going through coupons. When we are getting ready to go grocery shopping, we make a list of our staples, ingredients of the weekly menu (we plan for 2 weeks), and anything else we're running low on. Then we go through our coupons. We toss anything expired and set aside anything that's on the list. If we find a coupon for something we use, but won't go bad (paper products, etc.), and it's about to expire, we throw that in, too.

4) Sign up for store mailing lists or loyalty cards. I created an e-mail exclusively for those e-mail alerts stores are always pimping. I check it when I think about it. Most of the time they don't fit in the "something I need" category, but every once in a while, you can catch a sale plus % off! Kroger's has loyalty cards that get extra savings on (usually) Kroger brand stuff. Also, I finally signed up for Speedway's Speedy Rewards. I haven't earned enough points for anything good yet, but it's the gas station closest to our house, so we'll be there a lot.

5) Finally, take a minute and price compare. What good is 30 cents off name brand something when the store brand is 50 cents cheaper than that? HOWEVER, there are cases when it's worth to have name brands. I call this the Oreo Theory (since name brand Oreos are significantly better than generic). Toilet paper. I won't scrimp on my TP. We have to have Charmin and I prefer the mega-rolls. But paper towels, eh. As long as the job can get done, I'm not picky. Oreo theory is a post on it's own though. So we'll leave this with a simple price vs. quality comparison.

If you feel so inclined, you could even start saving the difference coupons saved you. Kroger's (and other stores) will print what you saved by using their Plus card at the bottom of the receipt. If you use cash, put it in a jar, credit could go in a savings account. Then treat yourself to something special.

Super Saturday Sales

I love alliteration! It's one of my favorite literary devices, next to onomatopoeia. Has anyone ever tried to spell "onomatopoeia?" Spell check was not at all helpful. Sorry, I'm back. So sales on Saturday. I know, today is Monday. But the weekend was crazy busy and slightly stressful, so I didn't get around to sharing with the world beyond Facebook about my deals. I got over $170 worth of clothes for $60-something. I KNOW!

Old Navy was having a "fun"damentals sale, so most of their basics (which is what I needed) were cheap. The best part was I didn't realize some of my stuff was on sale until after it was rung up! I almost ran back and picked up a skirt I put down because I was worried about my total. However, my birthday is this month...gentle hint. I have it on my Amazon wish list :) another subtle hint.

Anyway, I got

this tank for $5 in green, brown and white.

These jeans from their "Dreamer" line for $19. I need to hem them, but that's the story of my life :)

This denim skirt. It's a little long, but I actually think it looks cuter, especially when I put some wedges with it.

And this skirt, only in khaki. Another staple that makes me want Spring NOW!

Plus, I had a 15% off coupon, so my deals were even better!

Then we went over to the mall, although I was totally OK with not since I scored such a great deal at Old Navy. But we had a rough budget set (and nowhere near met) and I still was looking for a few other things. I found a few other tops at New York & Company, a sweater on clearance for $8 and an embellished shirt for $10. Plus, I got a coupon for $s off my next purchase. Yes, please and thank you.

Still no black flats yet, which are one thing I desperately need, but I have a coupon for DSW good for the month of March, so I might head out to Hamburg one day and see what I can see. They also have an Off-Broadway that I L-O-V-E. All in all, a happy Saturday evening!

Decorating Kind of Day

Husband had to go to work today. On a Saturday. Boo. That left me home alone. And bored. That's a dangerous combination. Especially since it was above freezing. Luckily I had already planted the seed in Husband's head that I might make a trip to Lowe's since I found a gift card from Christmas in my purse. We will have guests stay with us in March and I thought they might like some blinds on their window. Call me crazy!

I went to Lowe's. And I purchased blinds. For essentially 50% off (the gift card was roughly half the cost). And I was happy. But still a little bored. Everyone on The Nest raves about a store called HomeGoods, which we have here in town but I've never taken the time to go to. It's on the other end of town and the only reason we go there is for IHOP. And you don't get between us and our IHOP. We're usually too stuffed after to shop, so I had never been in. Well, like I said, I had the majority of the day to kill and was sporting some major cabin fever, so I took the trek halfway around the circle and went in. Y'all, I have found heaven! It's like a TJMaxx, only all home stuff. And most of it is CUTE stuff. TJMaxx can often be hit or miss, but they had all kinds of things. I walked in and BAM! was hit in face with an idea for a plant shelf we have as you come in the house. They had rugs that did not cost a zillion dollars, nice looking chairs and side tables, art for pretty cheap (got a few ideas for the dining room), and of course standard kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom stuff. I'm in love. Puffy pink heart love. I then started making my way back around towards home, stopping and Bed, Bath, & Beyond to look for a sheer to put over the side "window" by the front door. It's not really a full window, so I was looking for a fairly specific size. I found something online, but they didn't have it in store. Boo. I did walk out with two baskets for the office (4 down, 3 to go!) and a second set of flannel sheets...sheets that were 50% off, I might add. They're chocolate brown and go perfectly with our new bedding. Winter sheets, done. Now to search for new summer sheets. Since I didn't get what I needed at BB&B, I decided to hit up Target, who also didn't have what I wanted. I magically walked out without anything else! Admire my self control ;). I then hit Wal-Mart, since I knew they at least had the rod I needed. I got that as well as a couple of pillows for the guest bed. Total damage done: about $60. Not bad for 2 steps closer to a "finished" guest room and office (the shelf is starting to come together. I can see the vision!) and 1 step closer to a "finished" bedroom.

I Have Found Heaven

I was out and about today after a dentist appointment (this whole "no job" thing has its perks!) and found heaven. There's a newer shopping center not far from our house. I've been there a few times before, since they have a Hobby Lobby. That in and of itself constitutes heaven, but stay with me. It gets better! There is also a Kroger that puts our other one to SHAME...even the one we shopped at when we were in the apartment. It's amazing. Granted, I haven't tried shopping for our regular grocery list, only one thing. Still. A-mazing! But wait! It gets BETTER! I also stopped in the Furniture World Superstore. Nice stuff. The sales lady was friendly without being overly pushy (considering I was the only customer in the store). I saw a couple of possibilities as we begin shopping for the bedrooms and dining room. There is also an Oak Factory something or other across the way. For you Lexingtonians out there, that's the place with creepy kid commercials. You know. I didn't make it in, but it's THERE. BUT WAIT!! Not only is there an awesome Kroger, 2 furniture stores, AND Hobby Lobby, but there is also a Sherwin Williams. Why is that so great? Because we have COUPONS!!! Be still my heart. When I die, I hope I get to hang out there.
BTW, Hobby Lobby has 80% off Thanksgiving and 30-50% off Christmas stuff! What I REALLY had to show restraint on, though, was wall decor. Sigh.

Suzy Homemaker, in the Making

My blogging is sort-of, almost picking up. I blame the message boards on The Nest. I'm addicted to them! I never really got into The Knot boards. I think most of those brides were just a little too stressed for my liking. Anyway, since I've been on The Nest boards so much, I've come away inspired for decorating and cleaning. Cleaning has never really been my thing ("But Mooooom, if everything's on the floor, I know exactly where it is!" and "I'm just going to be sleeping in my bed in a few hours"). But, being halfway done with my break, I have done some deep down cleaning in the apartment and decided it's much more time-effective to sacrifice 15 minutes of my freetime after work to clean than for it to build up until I can't stand it and have to find 2 hours to clean. That sounds a little reminisent about my childhood Saturdays...hm. I'm still deciding on a schedule, but I think I'll have a clean week and and off week (mostly since Adam already does grocery shopping and I do laundry every 2 weeks). I'll let y'all know how that works.
Another thing I've been inspired, partly by The Nest but mostly by the excitement is decorating. There's only so much I can do in our apartment both because of paint rules and our lack of an extension ladder for some of our walls! We plan to begin the pre-approval process in Feb. and get an agent about that time too and then begin hunting to buy by the summer. Then the decorating begins! Sherwin Williams, look out! I'm keeping some of my ideas for paint and furniture on a document in Pages (Mac's version of Word), but I'm limited by the color palatte. I look at pictures on The Nest and in the occasional magazine, but all of those rooms look like "magazine rooms." Who really lives there? They seem extremely minimal, yet overly cluttered. There's never any personalization. How does anyone live in a room without pictures of loved ones or the random knick-knacks you pick up on trips? Anyway, I'm excited about decorating. My goal is to make out home personal, yet classy and adult. We're both pack-rats, so some major "purging" will be required of us both. We're also very heavily furnished by band-me-downs so I (I think we) am looking forward to doing some furniture shopping and get some grown-up stuff. That's in my document as well!
One more and I'll be done. We did our shopping on Saturday, spending a few gift cards and Christmas money. We got some amazing deals! I'm not quite done, as I still need a pair of black casual shoes and I want to get us some ornaments for next Christmas. We got 50% off at Hobby Lobby for wrapping paper and a timer for our lights. We went on to Old Navy where I got 2 pairs of dress pants and Adam got some t-shirts and jeans all for $80. Adam got dress pants and 2 pairs of shoes at the mall while I got several tops and a top that will be my trendy outfit (the rest of my closet is basics). I loved second Black Friday!