Tuesday, June 7, 2016
How to earn money when you have no job.
What do you do when you're down to $46 in checking, $200 in savings and you have no job?
You get creative. That's what you do.
After you're done freaking out because you are down to so little money in your accounts, dry your tears, slather on some valor and peace and calm essential oils and get out your notepad. You're in survival mode and this is where we usually have to make up our minds to fight or run. Are you kidding me? You're a strong woman! You pull up your big girl panties and make a plan!
First make a list of all your bills and get rid of everything non-essential. Then you figure out how you're going to put some funds back in your accounts! Here's some ideas.
Yard sale. Run through every room and hold a yard sale to get rid of stuff! Kids clothes are usually pretty popular as are women's shoes, purses and accessories. The more in-style, the better! Dishes, Nick-nacks, kids toys they no longer play with, etc. plan it for a weekend and you could bring in $200-$500 or more! There are usually "yard sale" groups on Facebook you can list leftover items and continue to earn money after the yard sale is over!
Speaking of those Facebook groups, they are a great place to sell crafts and homemade goods! Know how to knit or crochet? Make up some items to sell. You can also do hand painted items, jewelry, hand sewn items, luxury bath items and more!
Are you good at cooking? Make some goodies to sell in those groups too like muffins, breads, cookies, cakes, or specialty treats!
Offer your services. Babysitting, book work, elderly care, pet sitting, gardening, landscaping, etc. take what you're good at and offer to do it for people!
Blogging! There's tons of tutorials on Pinterest and online on how to start a blog and earn money maintaining it!
MLM companies. I'm not a huge fan of these because you often have to spend money to get started and bug the crap out of your friends and family to get them to buy your stuff, but if you're good at it and it's a product you love, go for it! Some to check out might be Young Living Essential Oils, Mary Kay Cosmetics, It Works! Wraps, Beach Body Shakes, Avon and more!
Finally, there are tons of online survey companies you can sign up under that will pay you to take surveys!
If all else fails, check with the Salvation Army, your churches or charity groups for financial help until you can secure a job or means to financial security! I hope this helps!
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
If - My motivation
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.
Rudyard Kipling
I memorized this poem in 5th grade. It was assigned to me by one of my favorite teachers Mrs. Janey Schurr. I never knew it's exact meaning when I memorized it way back then but as I grew older, I came to love the poem and it became my manifesto by which to live a worthy and righteous life. My teacher knew I loved that poem and when I graduated from High School, she gave me a card and in it was another "If" poem.
"If" For Young Women
If you can trust yourself though others doubt you
And conquer fears that limit what you dare
So you can then enrich the world about you
With skills and talents that are yours to share;
If you enjoy both quiet introspection
And festive times with friends and family,
If you make time for dreaming and reflection
But still find joy in others' company;
If you can balance dreams with practicality
And deal in facts but never lose ideals,
If you can face the harshness of reality
And find the truths that prejudice conceals;
If you can be courageous when defeated
And humble in the face of victory
Or give your best until a task's completed,
However difficult the task may be;
If you can be sincere when giving credit
And work at building bridges and not walls
Or strive to reach a price until you get it,
Yet never fail to help someone who falls...
If you can temper facts with understanding
And manage well the things in your control
And neither be too lax or too demanding
But keep in mind the worth of every soul;
If you can reach objectives, not begrudging
The patience, time, and effort you impart,
And look at others' actions without judging
And see not with your eyes but with your heart;
If you can take resources that surround you
And use them in the way you feel is good,
You'll be successful... and all those around you
Will be the richer for your womanhood.
-Barbara Burrow
Now I had two sets of words to live by and I loved both of them because they really dig into your heart and show you what it means to really live. I hope these two poems resonate in your soul and help you to live a more meaningful life too.
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.
Rudyard Kipling
I memorized this poem in 5th grade. It was assigned to me by one of my favorite teachers Mrs. Janey Schurr. I never knew it's exact meaning when I memorized it way back then but as I grew older, I came to love the poem and it became my manifesto by which to live a worthy and righteous life. My teacher knew I loved that poem and when I graduated from High School, she gave me a card and in it was another "If" poem.
"If" For Young Women
If you can trust yourself though others doubt you
And conquer fears that limit what you dare
So you can then enrich the world about you
With skills and talents that are yours to share;
If you enjoy both quiet introspection
And festive times with friends and family,
If you make time for dreaming and reflection
But still find joy in others' company;
If you can balance dreams with practicality
And deal in facts but never lose ideals,
If you can face the harshness of reality
And find the truths that prejudice conceals;
If you can be courageous when defeated
And humble in the face of victory
Or give your best until a task's completed,
However difficult the task may be;
If you can be sincere when giving credit
And work at building bridges and not walls
Or strive to reach a price until you get it,
Yet never fail to help someone who falls...
If you can temper facts with understanding
And manage well the things in your control
And neither be too lax or too demanding
But keep in mind the worth of every soul;
If you can reach objectives, not begrudging
The patience, time, and effort you impart,
And look at others' actions without judging
And see not with your eyes but with your heart;
If you can take resources that surround you
And use them in the way you feel is good,
You'll be successful... and all those around you
Will be the richer for your womanhood.
-Barbara Burrow
Now I had two sets of words to live by and I loved both of them because they really dig into your heart and show you what it means to really live. I hope these two poems resonate in your soul and help you to live a more meaningful life too.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
It's never too late
For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early
to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you
want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing.
We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of
it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things
you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of
view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re
not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.
Eric Roth - A Curious Case of Benjamin Button
This is by far my favorite quote, ever.
I have this printed out and I used to have it hanging by a tack at my desk when I worked at IFA. It reminded me that no matter what, I could always start over. I didn't have to wait for some huge event to take place or for a natural beginning to begin again. I have started over many times.
Sometimes it was because things got stale. I needed the change, so I would rearrange things and begin again in hopes that I would find a revelation that would set me on the right path to where I wanted to really be.
I'm still not there. I will be though. I'm sure of it.
It reminds me that sometimes the rules that I was living by were made up and I could break those rules and make my own and start over again! I love making my own rules. Like the rule, the laundry doesn't ever get folded, just recycled into the chair of clean clothes. I hate laundry.
It reminds me to make the best of things. There's so many times I could have just rolled over and let life run me over. I didn't. I made the best of what was handed to me. I always managed to add a bit of vodka to my lemons....er, I mean water.
So, here I am, heading into a part of my life, where I chose to completely shake things up and rearrange things. You see, apart from college, I've never lived anywhere but little bitty Cortez, CO. Well, from what I can remember anyways. So, I decided it's time to leave. I'm moving to Colorado Springs, CO in about a week. I hate big cities. They scare me. But starting over somewhere I've never really experienced before is just what I need. I may be 30 and I should be settling down, but remember, it's never too late!
Eric Roth - A Curious Case of Benjamin Button
This is by far my favorite quote, ever.
I have this printed out and I used to have it hanging by a tack at my desk when I worked at IFA. It reminded me that no matter what, I could always start over. I didn't have to wait for some huge event to take place or for a natural beginning to begin again. I have started over many times.
Sometimes it was because things got stale. I needed the change, so I would rearrange things and begin again in hopes that I would find a revelation that would set me on the right path to where I wanted to really be.
I'm still not there. I will be though. I'm sure of it.
It reminds me that sometimes the rules that I was living by were made up and I could break those rules and make my own and start over again! I love making my own rules. Like the rule, the laundry doesn't ever get folded, just recycled into the chair of clean clothes. I hate laundry.
It reminds me to make the best of things. There's so many times I could have just rolled over and let life run me over. I didn't. I made the best of what was handed to me. I always managed to add a bit of vodka to my lemons....er, I mean water.
So, here I am, heading into a part of my life, where I chose to completely shake things up and rearrange things. You see, apart from college, I've never lived anywhere but little bitty Cortez, CO. Well, from what I can remember anyways. So, I decided it's time to leave. I'm moving to Colorado Springs, CO in about a week. I hate big cities. They scare me. But starting over somewhere I've never really experienced before is just what I need. I may be 30 and I should be settling down, but remember, it's never too late!
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Good things come to those who....
Patience. It's one thing I have never been particularly good at. I know the bible teaches a lot on patience. I specifically avoid praying for God to give me patience because He will then put me in a situation where my patience is tested in the worst way and I get frustrated and angry. Be patient. Good things come to those who wait...
I don't wait. I charge on. I tackle my goals. I hustle. Good things come to those who hustle! Honestly, if good things come to those who wait, why is procrastination frowned upon?
My lack of patience often gets me in trouble. When I am seeking a relationship with a man, I often just want to skip all the bullshit and go straight to an exclusive relationship because I don't like to play games. I know what I want and if I see it in you, I'm going to go after it. Men don't like being chased. After 4 years, I still haven't learned my lesson and that's why I'm still single.
My kids notice it too. They've picked up my impatient attitude about certain things. For example, we have been packing the house and I told them we had to pack their toy room. It was a total wreck. I told them we would dump everything in the center, then sort it into boxes to be packed. My son charges in and just starts filling bins without sorting it wanting to just be done with it so he could go play. When I tell him that's not how I want it packed, he asks why it has to be sorted if its just going to be dumped out and messy at the new house? Oh you smartaleck child! He has a point though. I still make him sort it out because it's how I want it done. After 5 hours, it's all sorted and he exclaims "Mom! I have all my Legos in one place to play with now!" Naturally, patience and perseverance in getting the job done paid off. If only it worked like that in every aspect of my life.
If you don't ask, the answer is always "no". If you never take a step forward, you will always be right where you're at. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always have what you've always had. Change. Move forward. Take a leap of faith. Hustle. Sometimes its not always clear what you should do. Sometimes patience is key. Sometimes hard work is the only solution to reaching your goal. So, good things come to those who wait but also those who get up and work their asses off for it. Taylor it to your current goal and either get up and go after it, or have a little patience for the answer to reveal itself.
Have an amazing day everyone!
Coupon Bootcamp Day 3
I promise we are almost finished! Today we are going to cover stockpiling, coupon etiquette and we will debunk some coupon myths. So, lets dive right in!
First is stockpiling. Now, I get a lot of people that tell me they have no room to stockpile anything. People, I live in a tiny apartment. TINY! It is me and my two kids in 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. I can find some crazy places to put stuff and I literally have a small grocery store in my apartment.
The key to saving with coupons is combining a sale with your coupon so that you are getting your item at a rock bottom price! The Key to saving consistently is to purchase enough of that item at that rock bottom price to last until it goes on sale again. Stockpiling is the act of accumulating items purchased to be able to use at a later time. It means you wait until the item is on sale at a rock bottom price and buying enough to last until that item goes on sale for that rock bottom price again. Buy it when you don't need it right away, but you know you will use it before it expires.
Here's an example of how stockpiling saves you money:
Carol Couponer’s family uses 1 box of cereal per week. She sees that her store has cereal on sale for $1.88. This sale comes around every 6 weeks. Carol has 6 coupons for 50 cents off 1 box and her store will double that coupon making it $1 off 1 box. Carol pays $5.28 for 6 weeks of cereal. ($.88 x 6)
Carla Clueless’ family uses 1 box of cereal per week. She sees that her store has cereal on sale for $1.88. She doesn't use coupons. She buys 1 box of cereal and next week when she needs another box of cereal, she pays the full price of $3.69. For 6 weeks of cereal Carla pays $20.33 (1.88+3.69x5)
Products go on sale in cycles. For example, January you will find a lot of health foods on sale. July you’ll find a lot of grilling and picnic items on sale. Go to http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2010/08/17/sale-cycles-how-to-be-a-coupon-psychic/ to see what is on sale during each month and what is clearanced during each month to know what you will be stocking up on each month. A natural question I get asked is "How will I know when an item is worth stocking up on? Typically, if an item is discounted after sales and coupons 65% or more from retail, you should stock up on it.
Now lets debunk some myths about couponing or really what the naysayers are screaming at us!
Myth - Using coupons loses money for that store.
Truth - Stores earn on average 8 cents for every coupon redeemed on top of the face value. So for every 25 cent coupon, they are getting back the 25 cents plus 8 cents. If they turn in 100 25-cent coupons they will get back $25 plus $8 for handling. They don't earn money for taking cash, credit or a check do they!?
Myth – Couponing will cost me more than it’s worth.
Truth – No, you are saving more than you are spending. If you buy 1 newspaper at a news stand, you will pay $2. If that paper has only 2 coupon inserts, you will average $200 in savings. Even if you only use 10% of the coupons in there for the week, you've gained $18!
Myth – Clipping coupons takes valuable time.
Truth – Yes, and there are other things you could be doing other than clipping coupons like cleaning house or cooking. Do any of those tasks pay you to complete them? Lets use the example from before. If I am saving $18 from 1 newspaper and it takes me 30 minutes to clip and organize those 2 inserts I just made $36/hour.
Myth – You will buy items you would not normally buy – negating the savings.
Truth – You will buy items that you would not normally buy, but at greater savings than what you do normally buy. My husband needs lunch items. I usually get bread, cheese, lunch meat, pickles, and chips. One week there were Red Baron single pizza items on sale 2 for $4. I have 10 coupons for $1 off 1. They are regularly 2 for $7. With the sale and with the coupons I can get them each for $1. I buy 10 of them for $10. I would have spent $4 on 2 loaves of bread $6 on sliced cheese, $6 on lunch meat, $6 on chips and $3 on pickles for 6 days worth of lunches. Hmm....$10 for frozen pizzas for a week or $25 for sandwiches and chips for a week.
Myth – All coupons are for food that is not healthy for you.
Truth – I just clipped a coupon for almond milk, greek yogurt, cherry tomatoes, organic prunes, and chicken sausages. While fresh produce and fresh meat coupons are rare, you can still save on those items. If you are getting your household items and other food items for free or close to it, the money you just saved can now be used on the fresh produce and meat! If you do not want to eat the unhealthy items that are on sale – don’t buy them!
Myth - Wont I save more by buying the store brand?
Truth - Not always! Example: Safeway brand Tomato or Chicken Noodle Soup is usually about $.75/can. Safeway ran an ad 10/5 -10/11 with Campbell's tomato or chicken noodle soups at 2/$1 ($.50/ea) That sale alone was cheaper than the store brand, BUT there was also a coupon out for $.40/4 cans of Campbells tomato or chicken noodle soups that at Safeway doubled to $.80/4 making the deal even better at $.30/ea!
Myth - Wont I save more by buying in bulk or the economy size?
Truth - NO! Example: Nesquick chocolate milk mix 38 servings is around $7. There is also a smaller 7 serving pouch for $1.10. Without any coupons, it would absolutely make sense to buy the larger 38 serving container. However, about twice a year Nesquick puts out a coupon for $.50/1 which at the stores that double, makes it $1/1. This means you are then paying only $.10 for 7 servings instead of $6 for 38 servings. This works out to just over a penny per serving as opposed to almost $.16 per serving. Buying the smallest size available on sale and using your coupon on it will drive the price per unit extremely low and will often allow you to get items for pennies or FREE!
Now lets go over some coupon etiquette.
#1 rule of coupons: Never ever photo copy a coupon. This is fraud and is illegal!
Only use a coupon on the intended product, size, quantity, and variety that it states on the coupon.
Read your coupon to make sure you follow its consumer guidelines and restrictions. Example, P&G coupons state “limit 4 like coupons per transaction” meaning you may only use 4 of that identical coupon in one transaction. Some coupons have other restrictions that you must abide by.
There are no stores that allow you to use a coupon that is expired, so check that the coupon is within its available useful time period before using.
Pulling out several newspapers from the stand and not paying for them is theft. Similarly, pulling inserts from newspapers you or someone else has not paid for is theft! Don’t steal papers/inserts, more people will lose out than just the news stand owner.
Don’t clear shelves! While product is intended to be purchased, you should leave enough for other customers to purchase some. My rule of thumb is to leave 2/3 on the shelf. If clearing the shelf by simply purchasing what a normal “non-couponer” is unavoidable, don’t feel bad. But, if you would like more than a reasonable amount of certain items, please create a special order with the store.
When price matching at wal-mart, please remember that it is not in their policy to price match items after rewards. ie if Walgreens has toothbrushes that are free after register rewards, walmart will not price match it, nor is it within their policy to do so.
Please be courteous to those around you. You never know when someone around you is watching as you lunge in front of them to grab the very last tube of toothpaste. You’ll end up being ranted about on a coupon page on facebook ;) Also though, the more courteous you are, the more people will start to accept the coupon world and the less you’ll hear “oh, you have coupons” or “you must be a couponer” in those not so nice tones.
You are now a coupon pro! If you have questions about it at all, please ask and I will answer as best I can! Have an amazing day everyone!
First is stockpiling. Now, I get a lot of people that tell me they have no room to stockpile anything. People, I live in a tiny apartment. TINY! It is me and my two kids in 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. I can find some crazy places to put stuff and I literally have a small grocery store in my apartment.
The key to saving with coupons is combining a sale with your coupon so that you are getting your item at a rock bottom price! The Key to saving consistently is to purchase enough of that item at that rock bottom price to last until it goes on sale again. Stockpiling is the act of accumulating items purchased to be able to use at a later time. It means you wait until the item is on sale at a rock bottom price and buying enough to last until that item goes on sale for that rock bottom price again. Buy it when you don't need it right away, but you know you will use it before it expires.
Here's an example of how stockpiling saves you money:
Carol Couponer’s family uses 1 box of cereal per week. She sees that her store has cereal on sale for $1.88. This sale comes around every 6 weeks. Carol has 6 coupons for 50 cents off 1 box and her store will double that coupon making it $1 off 1 box. Carol pays $5.28 for 6 weeks of cereal. ($.88 x 6)
Carla Clueless’ family uses 1 box of cereal per week. She sees that her store has cereal on sale for $1.88. She doesn't use coupons. She buys 1 box of cereal and next week when she needs another box of cereal, she pays the full price of $3.69. For 6 weeks of cereal Carla pays $20.33 (1.88+3.69x5)
Products go on sale in cycles. For example, January you will find a lot of health foods on sale. July you’ll find a lot of grilling and picnic items on sale. Go to http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2010/08/17/sale-cycles-how-to-be-a-coupon-psychic/ to see what is on sale during each month and what is clearanced during each month to know what you will be stocking up on each month. A natural question I get asked is "How will I know when an item is worth stocking up on? Typically, if an item is discounted after sales and coupons 65% or more from retail, you should stock up on it.
Now lets debunk some myths about couponing or really what the naysayers are screaming at us!
Myth - Using coupons loses money for that store.
Truth - Stores earn on average 8 cents for every coupon redeemed on top of the face value. So for every 25 cent coupon, they are getting back the 25 cents plus 8 cents. If they turn in 100 25-cent coupons they will get back $25 plus $8 for handling. They don't earn money for taking cash, credit or a check do they!?
Myth – Couponing will cost me more than it’s worth.
Truth – No, you are saving more than you are spending. If you buy 1 newspaper at a news stand, you will pay $2. If that paper has only 2 coupon inserts, you will average $200 in savings. Even if you only use 10% of the coupons in there for the week, you've gained $18!
Myth – Clipping coupons takes valuable time.
Truth – Yes, and there are other things you could be doing other than clipping coupons like cleaning house or cooking. Do any of those tasks pay you to complete them? Lets use the example from before. If I am saving $18 from 1 newspaper and it takes me 30 minutes to clip and organize those 2 inserts I just made $36/hour.
Myth – You will buy items you would not normally buy – negating the savings.
Truth – You will buy items that you would not normally buy, but at greater savings than what you do normally buy. My husband needs lunch items. I usually get bread, cheese, lunch meat, pickles, and chips. One week there were Red Baron single pizza items on sale 2 for $4. I have 10 coupons for $1 off 1. They are regularly 2 for $7. With the sale and with the coupons I can get them each for $1. I buy 10 of them for $10. I would have spent $4 on 2 loaves of bread $6 on sliced cheese, $6 on lunch meat, $6 on chips and $3 on pickles for 6 days worth of lunches. Hmm....$10 for frozen pizzas for a week or $25 for sandwiches and chips for a week.
Myth – All coupons are for food that is not healthy for you.
Truth – I just clipped a coupon for almond milk, greek yogurt, cherry tomatoes, organic prunes, and chicken sausages. While fresh produce and fresh meat coupons are rare, you can still save on those items. If you are getting your household items and other food items for free or close to it, the money you just saved can now be used on the fresh produce and meat! If you do not want to eat the unhealthy items that are on sale – don’t buy them!
Myth - Wont I save more by buying the store brand?
Truth - Not always! Example: Safeway brand Tomato or Chicken Noodle Soup is usually about $.75/can. Safeway ran an ad 10/5 -10/11 with Campbell's tomato or chicken noodle soups at 2/$1 ($.50/ea) That sale alone was cheaper than the store brand, BUT there was also a coupon out for $.40/4 cans of Campbells tomato or chicken noodle soups that at Safeway doubled to $.80/4 making the deal even better at $.30/ea!
Myth - Wont I save more by buying in bulk or the economy size?
Truth - NO! Example: Nesquick chocolate milk mix 38 servings is around $7. There is also a smaller 7 serving pouch for $1.10. Without any coupons, it would absolutely make sense to buy the larger 38 serving container. However, about twice a year Nesquick puts out a coupon for $.50/1 which at the stores that double, makes it $1/1. This means you are then paying only $.10 for 7 servings instead of $6 for 38 servings. This works out to just over a penny per serving as opposed to almost $.16 per serving. Buying the smallest size available on sale and using your coupon on it will drive the price per unit extremely low and will often allow you to get items for pennies or FREE!
Now lets go over some coupon etiquette.
#1 rule of coupons: Never ever photo copy a coupon. This is fraud and is illegal!
Only use a coupon on the intended product, size, quantity, and variety that it states on the coupon.
Read your coupon to make sure you follow its consumer guidelines and restrictions. Example, P&G coupons state “limit 4 like coupons per transaction” meaning you may only use 4 of that identical coupon in one transaction. Some coupons have other restrictions that you must abide by.
There are no stores that allow you to use a coupon that is expired, so check that the coupon is within its available useful time period before using.
Pulling out several newspapers from the stand and not paying for them is theft. Similarly, pulling inserts from newspapers you or someone else has not paid for is theft! Don’t steal papers/inserts, more people will lose out than just the news stand owner.
Don’t clear shelves! While product is intended to be purchased, you should leave enough for other customers to purchase some. My rule of thumb is to leave 2/3 on the shelf. If clearing the shelf by simply purchasing what a normal “non-couponer” is unavoidable, don’t feel bad. But, if you would like more than a reasonable amount of certain items, please create a special order with the store.
When price matching at wal-mart, please remember that it is not in their policy to price match items after rewards. ie if Walgreens has toothbrushes that are free after register rewards, walmart will not price match it, nor is it within their policy to do so.
Please be courteous to those around you. You never know when someone around you is watching as you lunge in front of them to grab the very last tube of toothpaste. You’ll end up being ranted about on a coupon page on facebook ;) Also though, the more courteous you are, the more people will start to accept the coupon world and the less you’ll hear “oh, you have coupons” or “you must be a couponer” in those not so nice tones.
You are now a coupon pro! If you have questions about it at all, please ask and I will answer as best I can! Have an amazing day everyone!
Monday, May 16, 2016
Coupon Bootcamp Day 2
Yesterday we went over finding coupons and sorting them. Today I want to go over matchups and coupon lingo.
Lets start with coupon lingo:
Some of these sites will let you know that there is a rebate on an app to earn cash back. These apps include Ibotta, Mobisave, checkout 51 and more. These apps usually will deposit money you've earned into a paypal account that you can then transfer into your checking account or you can use the money you've earned on giftcards for places like starbucks, toysrus, red lobster etc. It is to your advantage to use these apps. You can also download the app for certain stores and often these have places to download digital coupons that will further reduce your bill by applying coupons at checkout usually by using your store loyalty card before paying.
We still have a bit to go over, but you are well on your way to becoming a coupon pro!
Lets start with coupon lingo:
- Double Coupons: coupons where a store will match the value of the coupon discount. (Safeway and City Market will double any coupon up to $0.50 and Safeway will round any coupon from $0.51 to $0.99 up to $1!)
- Moneymaker: An item that when purchased will earn you money
- Price Matching: When you are allowed to use a competitors price at another store to get the price lower. (Wal-Mart and Target allow this)
- Rain Check: A slip allowing you to get a sale price on an item that is out of stock.
- WYB=When You Buy
- BOGO=Buy One Get One (Free or 50% off)
- FAR=Free After Rebate
- IP=Internet Printable Coupon
- IVC=Instant Value Coupon (Walgreens Store Coupon)
- MIR=Mail In Rebate
- OYNO=On Your Next Order
- OOP=Out Of Pocket
- ManQ=Manufacturer Coupon
- Q=Coupon
- P&G 7-3=refers to the insert and date it came out
- WAGS=Walgreens abbreviated
- RP=Red Plum Insert
- SS=Smart Source Insert
- P&G=Procter & Gamble Insert
- CAT=Catalina Coupon
- YMMV=Your Mileage May Vary (different results)
- ECB=CVS Extra Care Bucks
- RR=Walgreens Register Rewards
- +UPR=Riteaid +UP Rewards
- SCR=Riteaid Single Check Rebate
- $3/1=refers to the coupon amount being $3 off 1 of that product. You will see several variations
- Exp=expiration
- Stacking: Using a coupon in conjunction with a sale OR using a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon. NOTE: You may NOT use more than ONE manufacturer coupon on any 1 product.
- Overage: Also known as a moneymaker. When an item is purchased and the coupon value is more than the product price, you can receive overage! Currently only Wal-mart allows you to keep your overage as cash back, other stores may apply the overage to your purchase.
- Purchase: any single item in your order
- Transaction: the cumulative order of all items purchased.
- Several cashiers have mistaken this on coupons that say limit one per purchase. This simply means that you may only use one manufacturer coupon on the item you are purchasing, not that you can only use one coupon in that transaction. If a coupon says limit one per transaction, then you may only use 1 of that coupon in a transaction. If you would like to use more than 1 of that coupon, make your purchase and use the coupon and start another transaction after paying to use your coupon on that same item.
Some of these sites will let you know that there is a rebate on an app to earn cash back. These apps include Ibotta, Mobisave, checkout 51 and more. These apps usually will deposit money you've earned into a paypal account that you can then transfer into your checking account or you can use the money you've earned on giftcards for places like starbucks, toysrus, red lobster etc. It is to your advantage to use these apps. You can also download the app for certain stores and often these have places to download digital coupons that will further reduce your bill by applying coupons at checkout usually by using your store loyalty card before paying.
We still have a bit to go over, but you are well on your way to becoming a coupon pro!
Sunday, May 15, 2016
You saved how much???
In 2011 there was a crazy show called Extreme Couponing. I watched it once. I thought, hey, I can do that. It looks easy! So I watched a few more episodes and found a blog that explained how to do it and I set out to be a couponer. Maybe not as extreme as they were on the show, but I was going to save my family some money! The very first time I went shopping was at Walgreens and Wal-mart I believe.
Total retail of these items was $53.19 plus tax. I spent $21.34 including tax, a 60% savings.
I continued to shop in this manner and I added up total savings from my first trip May 2011 to December 31st, 2011 and I had saved my family over $3500.00 by shopping the sales and using coupons.
Throughout the years since then, I have continued to coupon and save myself money to the point that I had basically a small grocery store in my home (that I now must move to Colorado Springs). This mini mart has saved my derriere on multiple occasions however because there were times I didn't have any money at all to buy anything but I didn't have to worry because it was all in my stockpile for me to use.
It wasn't long after my divorce that I decided that I wanted to start teaching people how to do this and I didn't want to charge them because its hard enough to try to save money without everyone around you trying to take it from you just to teach you how to save it. So, I partnered up with one of the W.I.C. technicians and we taught at the health department in Cortez. I put on 1-2 classes a month and even did drawings and door prizes.
Now it's your turn. I want to teach you how to start couponing.
First things first. Gotta have coupons. Probably the best place to get coupons is going to be your local newspaper. Where I live, that is the Sunday Denver Post. I get 4 of them because I can generally use up to 4 of the same coupon in a transaction or in a day. I would suggest getting a newspaper for each member in your family and rounding it up to the next even number. So, if you have 5 people in your family, get 6 newspapers. Even if that person is a baby or a fur baby, get a newspaper for them. It works out better this way.
You can also find coupons from blinkies at the store (the little dispensers that blink and dispense a coupon), tear pads, hang tags, peelies, in or on product, in store booklets or that are handed out with samples. You can also sign up for coupons from websites of the product or the store itself. Or you can print coupons from places like coupons.com, redplum.com and smartsource.com. Printable coupons will only allow 2 prints per ip address, so if you have multiple computers, you can print multiple sets of 2 of that coupon. Additional good places to check for coupons is magazines and store booklets. All*You magazine is one that has coupons in every issue. Walgreens and Safeway put out a monthly booklet with coupons in it. City Market (Kroger/King Soopers) will mail you exclusive coupons based on your shopping habits with your loyalty card. There are also some companies that will mail you coupons for connecting with them either on facebook, twitter, e-mail or calling them!
Once you start collecting coupons, you're going to want to sort them in a way that makes sense to you. I have a binder with baseball card sleeves and page dividers for each category like baby items, pet, health, etc. You can choose to sort them also by grouping that weeks individual inserts in a sleeve or a folder. Or you might use an accordion folder. Whatever works best for you and makes the most sense is what you should choose. The first time you do this, it might take a bit longer and I hear a lot from people that they just don't have the time to do this. If you're committed to it, you'll start to realize that the time it takes you to clip those coupons, sort and file them, it's actually paying you to do so with the amount of money you just saved. I set aside time every Sunday after church to do my coupons, write out my grocery list for what is on sale at a stock-up price then I do my meal plan for the week based on what I have or will have in my pantry or fridge and add anything else I need for those meals to my grocery list. I then pull my coupons and go shopping. I will teach you more about that process tomorrow. For now, go, collect some coupons!
I continued to shop in this manner and I added up total savings from my first trip May 2011 to December 31st, 2011 and I had saved my family over $3500.00 by shopping the sales and using coupons.
Throughout the years since then, I have continued to coupon and save myself money to the point that I had basically a small grocery store in my home (that I now must move to Colorado Springs). This mini mart has saved my derriere on multiple occasions however because there were times I didn't have any money at all to buy anything but I didn't have to worry because it was all in my stockpile for me to use.
It wasn't long after my divorce that I decided that I wanted to start teaching people how to do this and I didn't want to charge them because its hard enough to try to save money without everyone around you trying to take it from you just to teach you how to save it. So, I partnered up with one of the W.I.C. technicians and we taught at the health department in Cortez. I put on 1-2 classes a month and even did drawings and door prizes.
Now it's your turn. I want to teach you how to start couponing.
First things first. Gotta have coupons. Probably the best place to get coupons is going to be your local newspaper. Where I live, that is the Sunday Denver Post. I get 4 of them because I can generally use up to 4 of the same coupon in a transaction or in a day. I would suggest getting a newspaper for each member in your family and rounding it up to the next even number. So, if you have 5 people in your family, get 6 newspapers. Even if that person is a baby or a fur baby, get a newspaper for them. It works out better this way.
You can also find coupons from blinkies at the store (the little dispensers that blink and dispense a coupon), tear pads, hang tags, peelies, in or on product, in store booklets or that are handed out with samples. You can also sign up for coupons from websites of the product or the store itself. Or you can print coupons from places like coupons.com, redplum.com and smartsource.com. Printable coupons will only allow 2 prints per ip address, so if you have multiple computers, you can print multiple sets of 2 of that coupon. Additional good places to check for coupons is magazines and store booklets. All*You magazine is one that has coupons in every issue. Walgreens and Safeway put out a monthly booklet with coupons in it. City Market (Kroger/King Soopers) will mail you exclusive coupons based on your shopping habits with your loyalty card. There are also some companies that will mail you coupons for connecting with them either on facebook, twitter, e-mail or calling them!
Once you start collecting coupons, you're going to want to sort them in a way that makes sense to you. I have a binder with baseball card sleeves and page dividers for each category like baby items, pet, health, etc. You can choose to sort them also by grouping that weeks individual inserts in a sleeve or a folder. Or you might use an accordion folder. Whatever works best for you and makes the most sense is what you should choose. The first time you do this, it might take a bit longer and I hear a lot from people that they just don't have the time to do this. If you're committed to it, you'll start to realize that the time it takes you to clip those coupons, sort and file them, it's actually paying you to do so with the amount of money you just saved. I set aside time every Sunday after church to do my coupons, write out my grocery list for what is on sale at a stock-up price then I do my meal plan for the week based on what I have or will have in my pantry or fridge and add anything else I need for those meals to my grocery list. I then pull my coupons and go shopping. I will teach you more about that process tomorrow. For now, go, collect some coupons!
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