A couple of things

If you have not already heard, 7-11 is giving away free slurpees today cause it is 7-eleven day. It is a 7.11 oz slurpee and it is pretty tasty! They'll be free until 11 pm

Arby's has a coupon out where you can get a free roastburger with a purchase of any size soft drink.

http://www.arbys.com/coupon/

This offer expires within 3 days of printing so if you print them out today, they will expire on the 14th of this month. I have already taken a part of this awesome deal twice (once yesterday and once today) and it makes for a pretty tasty deal!

Websites that help you save

Ok, so there are a lot of moneysaving tips online and it's hard to know who to go to. I tried looking at a lot of the coupon forums and I have to say, only one has been near and dear to me and has helped me save lots of money. Of course I'm talking about Hotcouponworld.com. I hate to pimp them out every chance I get, but it is run by really great people and they're only in it to help others save.

Here are some websites I'd recommend for newbies starting out to go to:

1. cellfire.com (load your Kroger card, or whatever grocery store card it lets you, into their system.)
2. eSAVER (same concept as cellfire.com, you load coupons on your store card)
3. shortcuts.com (same thing as the above two... you can also combine these q's w/ manu q's you cut!)
4. Hotcouponworld.com (Site that has a forum where people discuss saving money)
5. Any of the bloggers I read here on blogger.com

Ok, that's all I got today. :)

And thanks to Ashley (http://getgroceriesfree.com/blog/) for nominating me as a blog that shows gratitude!!

How I organize my coupons

Ok, so about 2 years ago I decided to be a couponer. My DH and I had ordered the paper out of pity from a middle school student who had been going door to door in frigid weather and we had past sunday papers piling up everywhere. I took all the inserts out and got my coupons together.

At first I did the binder method. I had bought baseball collector sheets ages ago for my class and I had about 50 of them left over. I put these in the binder and separated them with old dividers I had used in my college classes. I had them separated into different groups: Meat, Healthcare, Beauty, Boxed goods, Canned goods, Frozen goods, Dairy...

I then would put the coupons in the appropriate place and that was that. Well... that method and I didn't get along very well. It caused some serious downtime for DH and I when we went out because he'd be flipping through the binder, not really understanding how it was set up, and I'd get so aggravated with it that we'd end up coming home pretty angry about the whole experience.

So I ordered them by aisle... and that didn't work out too well either.

So I alphabetized them. Let me tell you, alphabetizing coupons into a coupon binder that was already in alphabetical order SUCKED so I gave up on that.

I then resorted to...the box.

Now, my box (haha) isn't big. It's a small clear caboodle box I had been using to store a bit of makeup I don't use. I threw away the makeup (since it was like 10 years old) and created dividers.

How I start out cutting and organizing my coupons is this. I put the inserts on the floor.



Then I separate the pages within the inserts.


Don't mind the cat. Then I carefully hold the stack and cut out the coupons at once. After I've done that page, I then file it into my box.


And I thought this ad for a coupon was pretty funny cause apparently gamers have different hairs than everyone else....


As explained in Penny Arcade's comic.


Hope you enjoyed this post!

Hiatus

Ok, my hiatus from this blogger and from me on HCW and the hounds on MSN is over and done with. I had to just chill out from couponing for a bit. It was getting to be overwhelming, so I just hung back and relaxed. I'm back now though, so expect more posts in the future! :)

Surveys that pay - Hotcouponworld shows 19 sites that pay

So many of you know that I am a big fan of Hotcouponworld. They've compiled 19 sites that pay money and are legit. It's a real easy way to make a few bucks on the side!

It is recommended that if you decide to do surveys, make a seperate email like couponcrazysurvey@gmail.com or something like that.

Want to learn more? Click here to go to the site!

Kroger run!

I went to Kroger today with DH and tried to unload quite a few coupons. Of course, DH is of the sane mind saying "This will go bad before we can even eat it" and I'm of the "let's get as many things as cheap as we can!" mind. It can be quite a conflict so needless to say, we didn't get as many things as I had thought we might get but DH was really nice and we did quite a few things for pretty cheap (compared to what we were spending before). Anyways, here's the booty:

4 boxes of Cheerios cereals
1 gallon of nonfat skim milk
12 chef boyardee canned pastas
1 box whole wheat pasta
1 head of lettuce
2 green bell peppers
1 thinger of celery (a stalk? I dunno, it's celery lol!)
2 newspapers
2 progresso black bean cans
1 Kroger ranch salad dressing bottle
1 loaf of kroger bread
1 package of kroger hotdog buns
3 john morrell hot dog packages
3 john morrel sausage packages
2 bags of kroger frozen chicken tenderloins
4 boxes of betty crocker fruit snacks
3 Pillsbury Grands! biscuits
1 can del monte tomatoes
2 Marquez bean and cheese burritos
1 can kroger kidney beans
1 package of kroger bacon
1 box of Imperial Butter
------------------------------------
$122.37
- $69.04 in store coupons and manufacturer coupons
------------------
$53.33

saved 56%. Hey, reached my goal: to save over 50%!

Got a catalina: save $2.50 off of your next order courtesy of General Mills

Organic Grocery Deals!

I know that some of my followers like to eat organic and it is hard to go green on a budget. I present to you a forum that may help you find those deals you are looking for.

Organic Grocery Deals is the kind of forum that will help you sniff out those good organic/green deals! What does this forum include? Here's the list!

gardening

eating in season

organic and natural product information

coupon trading

green living tips

book recommendations

organic news

deals
... and more!

All you have to do is click here to go to Organic Grocery Deals and sign up! I already did as and I'm having a great time since I do plan to do some more gardening this year and to eat healthier.

How I feel about the economy....

Ok, this whole economy-is-getting-worse thing needs to end. I am not impressed with the leaders of our nation on how they are handling this. I'm certain that this whole thing is much harder than I am perceiving it to be, but let's get real here folks: giving tax-payer money to corrupt wall-street frauds is not the way to help out an entire nation who is struggling to keep their jobs/put food on the table/keep a roof over their heads/keep the heat slash water slash electricity on. I just get so annoyed with how everything has been handled that it makes me want to go straight down to Washington and picket... but I won't. Mainly because I can't afford to.

So what can I do to help make ends meet? I already don't take yearly vacations. I don't have enough goods to really make enough money in a garage sale. I don't even eat out that often anymore. (Does three times a month equal to eating out too much? I really hope not...)

The way I do this is to coupon. I may not be really good at it yet, but I'll get there. I can take pride in knowing that we got $100 worth of groceries for only $55 (and that's not even as good as many of you following me can do! I know you guys can do better too!).

I just hope that those out there don't fall into too much despair over how crappy the economy is. It's a bleak time we're living in, but as long as we have friends and/or family to keep us smiling there's always hope for a better future.

What have you guys done to help make ends meet?

PS. I hope to take pictures of my coupon box either tomorrow or Saturday. I know I love looking at other people's coupon holders, so I hope that entry will be entertaining for you guys. :)

Hotcouponworld Valentine's Day Contest - Get a gift from your wishlist

Hey guys. I have been making changes to my blog and it's been slow going because like I said in my last post, I have trouble focusing. I'll try to keep this post pretty short and focused hehe!

One of the sites I use is Hotcouponworld.com and I love love love going there to check out the deals. Last winter, they had a giveaway contest and the person who won got to get a gift basically from their choosing. Awesome, right?? Well, they're doing it again!

This time they are having a Valentine's Day Contest. Here's the gist of it.

First, if you are not a member of Hotcouponworld, I highly suggest you register to become a member. These contests are fun and the forum is a great resource for couponers and deal seekers!

Second, click here to go to the thread about the contest!

Want to know the details before doing anything? I'll just copy it here so you can get the idea before registering to enter the contest. (Though I do suggest registering just for the amazing resource that website is!)

Contest Dates: Today - Feb. 13, 2009 (12 midnight pacific time)
Details: This is going to run just like our Christmas giveaway, but with one caveat - the gift really needs to be something for you. We know you all scrimp, save, and devise ways to make sure that those in your family are taken care of. So this is the contest for the members who are always thinking of their families first and go with holes in the nightgowns or are carrying a purse with a broken strap. We really want YOU to be our Valentine.

And, we're going to spread the love so instead of one person with a grand prize, we'll break the prize money into five $50 gifts.

So, go to the "SHOP" tab on the menu, search for the gift(s) you would like for Valentine's day and link the page with the gift(s) you'd like back here so we can see what you're hankering for. You should post the page that looks like this page HERE to be entered in correctly.And if you've got a funny story or some reason why we really must pick you to be our Valentine, then post it!Fine print details of the contest....You must have your Valentine's Day gift posted no later than 2/13 at 12 midnight Pacific Standard Time. You've got a $50 budget for your gift (but if you go over +/- a few bucks, no big deal - we'll still consider it if something you want is $52.99 kind of thing.

You can only enter once. You can tell your friends and have them join and enter too - this contest is for newbies and oldtimers alike.

We will pick and post the winners and get the gifts bought and shipped right away, so you'll know on Valentine's Day that they're coming - you just won't have them on Valentine's Day proper.

Other Information: I just wanted to add that shipping is NOT included in the $50! Hotcouponworld will cover the shipping. If you'd like to know more, feel free to comment here with your question. I'll be happy to answer it for you!!

Ok, so that's all. I hope everyone has a great hump day!

Ok I'm back!

Man, I know it's been a while since I've posted here. I've been busy for the past couple of weeks and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that couponing kinda took a back burner there. In fact, I even let some of my CVS ECB's expire. O.o

So I'm back at it now that things are going smoothly again. What can you expect from me, as a blogger, this month?

Posts about:

• how I got started into couponing
• what I do to get my coupons organized
• my savings per month (will be posted monthly)
• other things that involve saving money

I'm not the best at it just so you are aware of this right off the bat. But at least I try. And I'm really commited to helping others save money too. (Ask my mother.. she doesn't understand why I bring my coupon box everywhere I go but she was totally excited when I brought it down to Kentucky while visiting and saved her 48% on her grocery bill)

Ok, that's all I got. I think almost every journal entry should have a picture. I'm nonfocused like that, so I present to you... my Andi Kat.

She likes sitting on top of my newspapers and other misc. crap that I have on my desk. Man, I need to clean it.

Ok, watching "The Happening" and this was the best scene in the movie imo (like.. the only good scene) and it totally reminded me of couponing... and what it would be like if Mark Walhberg and Zooey D. were couponers like us.

Mark Wahlberg: "Look if we're gonna die I want you to know something. I went to the pharmacy awhile ago and there was a really good looking pharmacist behind the counter. Really good Looking. And I went up and asked where the cough syrup was. I didn't even have a cough. And I almost bought it. And I'm talking about a completely superfluous bottle of cough syrup. Psch, that's like 6 bucks."
Zooey D: "Are you joking?"
Mark: *nod*
Zooey: "Thank you."

New Year, New You?? Please don't pressure me!

Well, it's that time. It's the start of a new year and that slogan "New Year, New You!" keeps getting repeated everywhere a person can turn. On the tv, on the internet, in your mailbox (thanks fitness magazine!) and pretty much everywhere a person can go.

My resolution? To put aside half of my paychecks a month towards savings. We have NO emergency fund since it got wiped out last year thanks to our mortgage company. It's a very scary feeling. So that's mine. That and lose 20-30 pounds. (Sorry! Couldn't resist!)

So with that in mind, off I go searching for some subbing jobs. I am also applying to a few jobs that popped up. Please pray for me! It would be amazing to get a band job!

Shortpacked.com

Kroger/CVS

Ok... Kroger run. I boo-boo'd and spent more than I wanted because I thought I had an eSAVERS Q loaded onto my card for B1G1 Pantene shampoo.... it was buy 1 Pantene Shampoo, get 1 styler free.

.... so annoyed.

So I spent $4 more than I REALLY wanted to spend because I thought I'd be paying 49 cents for 2 shampoos! ARGH!And I don't even know if I can use them toward the P&G coupon book because they rang up as plain ol' "Shampoo" on the receipt!!! Double ARGH! Ok, vent over.

8 bounty single roll paper towels
11 Tropicana 2 liters
3 Pounce cat treats
1 pouch of dog treats
1 half-gallon skim milk
2 bags of Kroger tortilla chips
2 Pantene shampoos
2 cans of beans
------------------------
$53.33 (this is including tax)
-$13.00 (store coupons for using a kroger card)
-$20.50 Manu Q's
---------------------
$19.83 paid. 64% saved.

Then headed to CVS.

6 bottles of dawn
1 box of hot pockets (for hubby's lunch)
-------------------------
$12.83 (not including tax)
-$4.47 (using my card, dawn B1G1)
-$3.00 (dawn Q's)
-----------------------
$5.36(not including tax)
-2.59 ECB
---------
$2.77 +11 cents tax
$2.88 oop.

CVS'ing

Went to CVS this morning and got 6 bottles of dawn, 1 bottle of vanilla extract, and 3 sunday papers for the P&G coupon insert.

paid $8.99 in ecb (expiring soon!), used $1 off 2 dawn Q, and paid 27 cents out of pocket!

Later today, heading to the mall to burn through a gift card and then to Kroger to buy groceries for the week.

Ok, my website

Not too many people know this, but I've been a nerd about websites for YEARS. I taught myself html when I was in 6th grade because I wanted to make up my own website for Sailor Moon.

Now they make programs that do it for you. It's so nice! But it's nice to also understand what the html is doing in case the program screws up and you have to find the boo-boo.

I used to have my website at http://www.krystalily.com/ but the hosting business sucked and didn't get back to me about renewing my domain in time, so I moved it while giving them the middle finger and saying eff you. They weren't getting my business anymore.

So where did I move it?

To here: My website

It's not as good as Pioneer Woman's, but it'll do. :P Not all of us can be as interesting as Ree!

I'm having a good hair day

It's raining out. I'm waiting for the mailperson to get here so I can run out to CVS. I am also waiting on DH's package. Do I really want to go out and risk not getting DH's present? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

A lazy day

Today I may or may not venture out. I feel really lazy. DH's present came and Sammie pounced on the Fedex guy! He was like "Call her, go ahead, you call her" and I'm like "Sammie! Get inside! Go! Inside!" and she'd go in, but she'd immediately come running out, barking at the guy again. I think she was in love!

For those who haven't seen a picture of my dog, here she is!

CVS and Kroger

DH and I went to CVS (omg he actually enjoyed walking around in there! Woo hoo!) and Kroger. I had to get my meds and I asked the cashier at the front desk about my raincheck, which she signed the person's name for them. Anyways, not counting my meds, we paid NADA for everything! In fact, we got back $2.30!

CVS - 2 J&J First Aid trial size kits, box of 10 twinkies (oh that hubby of mine!), and Reinventing Beauty Mag. Spent 5 ecb's for that.

Kroger - 3 bottles of Tropicana, 2 bottles of Verners Ginger Ale, 4 boxes of Banquet Pot Pies, 1 bottle of Parmesan Cheese.



FREE! *dances in da street* Oh wait, it's feelin like -8 degrees out here, maybe I shouldn't do that!

117% savings! At Kroger, we saved $14.27 in store coupons and manu coupons. :)

Meijer run!

I went to Meijer today to take advantage of the Betty Crocker potatoes deal. This is what I hauled away with:


Not too bad for $4 altogether! I got a $4.59 rebate check from Theraflu so that worked out well! I saved $7.97 so that makes a savings of 66%.

My stockpile of Betty Crocker potatoes grows. *insert evil laugh*

I also played coupon fairy and gave some coupons to people looking at the potatoes and the Dixie plates. Not like I need any more potatoes!

Edit: Thanks Pubbler for reminding me! I had this in TWO transactions so the Betty Crocker Q's would double. :)