Freebies2deals

I just wanted to share with you one of my favorite blogs. It's called freebies2deals: www.freebies2deals.com I love this blog, because deals, freebies, online deals, coupon deals and much more are posted all day long! and then on Saturdays, there is a post with links to all the freebies from that past week that are still available. I usually check freebies2deals several times a day, and I definitely check it every Saturday morning to see if there are any great freebies from the week that I missed. Check it out!!!

Meal Planning & Couponing

Meal planning is essential when trying to save money on groceries. I typically plan my meals once a week. I usually plan the amount of meals needed, but not which day I will make what. I decide on something each day depending on what sounds good and how much cooking I want to do that day.
Here are the steps I use in meal planning (This system works for me, find what works best for you):

1-Decide on a meal for each day (I keep a list of meals in my daytimer and pick from that)
2-Figure out what I already have on hand for those meals
3-Make a list of what I need to get
4-Clip any coupons I will need for those meals

The most important thing when it comes to meal planning is to be FLEXIBLE. Sometimes I have my entire meal plan done and then I'll find some great marked down meat, or a great deal with a coupon. For me personally, it's also important to remember that every meal doesn't have to be amazing. The most important thing is that there is a plan in place. It's also a great idea to have a frozen pizza or frozen meal on hand at all times for those days that you don't feel like cooking. Another money/time saver is usually during the fall/winter, we have a soup and grilled cheese night every week. This summer we have been having salads once a week.

Happy Meal Planning!!!

My Favorite Coupon Sites

Printing coupons online is a great way to start couponing especially if you don't get the Sunday paper (I'll talk about the Sunday paper coupons in an upcoming post). If you are new to couponing, remember you can only print off 2 of each coupon. Here are some of my favorite sites to print coupons from:

http://www.coupons.com/

http://www.smartsource.com/

http://www.redplum.com/

http://www.allyou.com/ (All You is a magazine sold only by Walmart and sometimes they have exclusive coupons.)

http://www.btfe.com/ (Don't forget to collect boxtops for your child's school, they get 10 cents for every one.)

Another thing to remember is never buy anything without searching online for a coupon. For example:

*Most restaurant websites have some type of email club that will send you emails with coupons for free or discounted items on your birthday.

*You can almost always find an online coupon for retail stores such as Kohl's or Payless Shoes.

Now get out there and print some coupons!

Mega Bloks Family Club

www.megabloks.com/familyclub/

This is posted at many different sites, but if you haven't signed up for Mega Bloks family club yet, do it! My girls love playing with Mega Bloks. There are $30 in coupons to print and they don't expire until November 30, 2011! That is after Black Friday, so hang onto them because there could potentially be some great deals come November. The last time I bought Mega Bloks WAS black friday.

Tips for shopping the clearance bin & a frugal meal idea

Checking out the clearance cart/table/bin at the your store can get you some great deals, even WITHOUT coupons. I picked up these few items at Smith's this morning. A large can of pumpkin, a squeeze bottle of honey and a spaghetti sauce. All 3 were $3.78 including tax. All three were marked down 50% from the original price. The pumpkin and honey will go in my food storage and the spaghetti sauce will be part of my meal plan later this week (see below).

Remember when buying items out of the clearance bin:

**ALWAYS check the expiration date. Most canned goods are fine well beyond their expiration date, but try and get the furthest away date possible.

Later this week this will be our dinner:

Spaghetti-FREE from Smith's sale w/coupon a few weeks ago

Sauce- .49 cents from clearance cart at Smith's

Ciabatta rolls-$1.99 from Smith's sale with coupon a few weeks ago

Steamed veggies-$1.58 from Walmart

The entire meal is less than $5!

Why I LOVE Smith's rewards card

One of my favorite stores is Smith's. In my opinion, their rewards card is way better than most stores (and I have quite a few on my keychain). The way it works is you get one point for every dollar you spend. You choose how you spend your points. You can choose to get a certificate to spend like cash or you can use them for fuel discounts (My personal choice). Unlike Macey's gas card, you can let your points accrue. Several weeks ago we got a .60 cent fuel rewards and my points are already up to 425 again. It doesn't take as long as you might think.

The other thing I like about Smith's is they send store coupons fairly often and they are usually good for about 2-3 months. Sometimes they will send coupons for free items. I have received coupons for a free box of cereal and a free dozen eggs. If you don't have a Smith's card yet, take a moment next time you are at Smith's to get one. It's definitely worth it!

Walgreen's Diapers

Every few weeks, Walgreen's puts their diapers on sale for a GREAT deal. This week I got them for $3 a package. A few weeks ago I happened to stop at Walgreen's in Orem and I noticed an end cap of diapers that said $3.99 w/ in store coupon. I asked the cashier and she said they have a $2 off coupon for Walgreen's diapers that they keep in store behind the counter. This past week I noticed in Walgreen's ad that their diapers were on sale for 2 for $10, I stopped in Walgreen's again and sure enough, they were 2 for $6 with in store coupon. This is a great price for a great diaper. We typically buy Luvs diapers, because they are good and a good price. They are .23 cents per diaper for size 5 and Walgreen's are only .12 cents per diaper on sale! Walgreen's diapers are as good as Luvs or better. I do not like Parent's Choice from Walmart. Another great Walgreen's deal I got was these Skinny Cow treats. They were on sale for 2/$5 with a $1 coupon good on your next Walgreen's purchase. I bought 2 of them and got the $1 coupon AND the machine spit out a coupon for $1.25 off 2 more, so I went back and bought 2 more, got the $1 off next purchase coupon AND a coupon for $1.50 off 2 more. (At this point, I stopped buying them :)).