Posts under ‘Couponing 101’

I know I have a hard time keeping up with which Mail in Rebates are available so I thought it would be nice to give you a Round Up of the best Mail In Rebates available right now. Some of these are printable forms and others are found in recent newspaper inserts.

FREE Schick Hydro Razor (Exp. 8/18/10) -
$10.99 MIR Schick Hydro Razor printable

FREE Zegerid OTC (Exp. 7/31/10) –
Use $4/1 Zegerid OTC, exp. 7-31-10 (SS 06/20/10)
And $12.99 MIR Zegerid OTC, (SS 06/20/10)

Clorox Toilet Wand $5 Mail In Rebate (Exp. 2/1/11) –
$5 MIR Clorox Toilet Wand printable

FREE Finese Product (Exp. 8/15/10) –
Use $1/1 Finesse Purchase, exp. 8-15-10 (SS 05/16/10)
And Up to $3 MIR Finesse Product, (SS 05/16/10)

FREE Red Baron Pizza By The Slice (Exp. 7/25/10) –
FREE After MIR Red Baron Pizza by the Slice (SS 4/25/10)

FREE Armor All Wheel Protectant –
FREE After MIR Armor All Wheel Protectant wyb Select Items printable

FREE Just for Men Touch of Gray (Exp. 12/31/10) –
FREE After MIR Just For Men Touch of Gray printable

Woolite Dry Cleaners Secret –
$3 MIR Woolite Dry Cleaner’s Secret printable

Also, I put together a handy Mail In Rebate Tracker so that you can mark when you purchased the items, when you mailed them, and when you received the rebate. I like to keep this in a folder and put the photo copies of my rebates behind the master form. ;) Just another way to help keep you organized!

Now that we’ve talked about The Basics of Stockpiling and gone over How to Create a Stockpile I thought it would be good if I gave you a few tips and tools to actually get started :)

I’ve created a simple (and I want to stress the Simple part) worksheet for starting to create your stockpile. Keep in mind this isn’t for those of you who already have closets overflowing, but for those who are looking for somewhere to start and need a plan.

1. Download and Print the Stockpiling Worksheet and use it as you follow along this post.

2. Write Down 10 Items you buy every time you go to the store. Do this for each category listed. You will want to include items which you could stockpile, so you probably don’t want to list Milk, Bread, or items that will perish.

For the Health & Beauty items you want to list your most frequently used items. So for my family we would use items such as Toothpaste, Contact Solution, Shaving Cream, Razor Blades, Lotion, and so on.

Pharmacy is for items that you prefer. My mom prefers to use Aleve over anything else so even though I can’t get that for Free very often I do want to purchase it at Rock Bottom Prices. Another item we use is Children’s Tylenol so that’s going to go in this category as well so that I make sure I’m watching for the best deal.

3. Fill in the Retail Price of the Item. This is the price you would pay if you just walked in to the store and picked the item up off the shelf. If you normally buy the generic than you could also use that price.

4. Aim to Buy Items at 50% Of the Retail Price. The Buy price of an item is around 50%  This would be when the item is either on sale, or you have a coupon for the item. This is the highest price that you typically want to pay for an item.

5. Watch for a Stock Up Price. One of the reasons you want to know the Buy Price of the item is so that you can determine when it’s time to stockpile. My typical rule of thumb is that you want to pay 75% or less for an item that you are stockpiling.

6. Set aside $10 each week for stockpiling (You may need to reduce the items you buy by $10 to avoid busting your budget)

7. Print Coupons & Watch for Sales. As coupons for the items on your list come along you will want to print those or cut them out and put them in your coupon box or binder. This is so that when you find a sale you already have the coupon available.

8. Try to Stockpile 1 item a week, or as much as you can with the $10. You will find that most of the Health & Beauty items go on sale frequently for Free and that would be a great time to stockpile without using much of your $10.

9. Check off your list! I love to check off my list so I included a checkbox so you could see your progress. The goal is that as you stockpile the items you use on a frequent basis you will start to see freedom in your budget to expand your list of items that you stockpile.

Stockpiling is just one of the ways that I have reduced my budget overtime. I love that now I buy only necessities and several stockpile items each week. Hopefully this has been helpful, I would love to know what questions you still have? Leave a comment and let me know and I will do my best to answer them in the upcoming weeks!

Photo Credit: babaghan

When I first started using coupons I spent a lot of time reading about stockpiles and thinking about stockpiling and still never got started. I’ve thought a lot about why I just sat on the sidelines knowing that people were stockpiling with success and yet I never took the plunge.

Here’s what I decided: It’s overwhelming. There, I said it. We all know that looking at someone’s stockpile makes you think you have to immediately have a pantry and closet full of items and honestly it’s like we don’t know where to start.

When stockpiling you have to remember why you are doing this. You are stockpiling to ultimately reduce the amount of money you spend on budget items. So there are a few things to keep in mind.

• Only stockpile items you need – Make a list of the top 10 items you use on a weekly basis. I have a Health and Beauty List and a Food List.
• Only buy at Rock Bottom Prices – This is actually easier said than done since prices and sales come and go and it gets easier the longer you do it. But a general rule to start off is to buy at 50% and stockpile at 75% or more of normal retail prices.

So if I have Macaroni & Cheese on my list of items I use on a weekly basis and it’s normally $1 a box. I’m going to buy at $0.50 a box or as close to that number as I can get, but when I find it for $0.50 a box and I have a coupon for $1/4 making it $0.25 a box then I’m going to stockpile so that eventually I’m not ever paying $0.50

Another reason I didn’t start stockpiling sooner is that, well… Stockpiling costs money. I had finally gotten my budget in balance again, but I didn’t have extra money to buy extra items. I was “making ends meet” on a weekly basis so adding in items I wasn’t going to use seemed daunting.

I really do believe that couponing and saving money can enable you to have so much more. However as with anything in life there is often a degree of sacrifice required to get ahead.

• $10 a week is all it takes to get ahead. Just think if you could buy cereal for $1 a box then you could buy 10 boxes of cereal! So where do you find that extra $10? The easiest thing I know of is to give up $10 worth of Snack items, Soft drinks, Orange Juice, etc. If you can give up 2 or 3 $3-$4 items for one week then you can begin.

Here’s an example to help you understand:

Week 1:

1. Sacrifice $10 worth of items you can consider (Extra’s) Don’t worry these will eventually come back into your budget.
2. Use that $10 to stockpile one item that you use on a weekly basis
3. If you can purchase 10 boxes of cereal for $1 each rather than $3 each
   And you use 1 box of cereal a week then you will have saved $2 out of your grocery budget every week for the next 9 weeks. ($18 Savings)

Week 2:

1. This week you only need to reduce the items you are purchasing by $8 (Since you are already saving $2 from the cereal) You should still have $10 to work with.
2. Try buying another staple. Check the ads for the best price or check my site for the best match ups. Purchase something like Cheese If you can find 10 bags of cheese for $10 and you normally pay $2.50 a bag you will save $13.50 over the next 9 weeks.

Week 3:

1. This week you only need to reduce your items by $10 – 2 – 1.50 (Your savings from previous weeks) = $6.50 this allows you maintain your $10 weekly Stockpile budget.
2. Find another item you buy on a weekly basis. If you continue this trend it won’t take long to be able to purchase all your normal items and still have the remaining $10 to spend stockpiling. You will be amazed at just how fast your stockpile grows and how fast you can start to see the freedom in your budget.

Remember, this same strategy can be used with just about any budget item.

I would love to know what you used to start your stockpile. Did you have a plan, or did you just try to purchase items that were free to get you ahead. There’s no wrong answer but I would love to here your thoughts on this subject.

Photo Credit: babaghan

When you think of stockpiling what comes to mind? I think of shows like Hoarders or segments  from Good Morning America of Extreme Couponers stockpiling hundreds of boxes of Jello in their garage. But stockpiling can be an every day practice that could just change the way you shop. Here are a few common questions and answers to get you thinking on the idea of building a stockpile.

So what is Stockpiling?

Stockpiling in the sense that I use the word is buying multiples of an item to get you through to the next sale. You can purchase items at rock bottom prices when you can combine a sale with a high value coupon.

Will the food go bad?

I only encourage people to 1) Stockpile food and personal items they know they will use and eat and 2) Only purchase enough of an item to get you to the next sale. Everyone’s stockpile will be a different size and contain different items depending on your families size and what products you use and eat. The key in my opinion is to keep it manageable. The goal is to reduce your food and household budget by always buying on sale and never paying full price.

Where do you keep your stockpile?

I often hear from friends that they don’t have anywhere to store items in bulk quantities. I think this goes back to the pictures we’ve all seen of hundreds of items lined up on shelves in the garage. The truth is that you really don’t need as much space as you think and you would be surprised where you can store things.

I don’t have one place to store items, I have lots of spaces to store things. I have to spread it out around my house to find the space. For example, I use the cabinet in the Laundry room to store extra bottles of laundry detergent and fabric softener, under the sink I store all my extra cleaning supplies. The top shelf of the pantry is my food stockpile, the kids closets each have their diapers and the hall closet is where I store health and beauty items. I know this isn’t always as convenient as having everything in one place, but the key is make it work for you and when you clean out you will be surprised at the space you have.

What items should I stockpile first?

I’m going to do a separate post on what to stockpile, but the general rule of thumb is to stockpile the item you use the most frequently that is on sale first. So if you can only buy extra of one item each week pick the item you use the most that is offered at the greatest discount. This is what will reduce your weekly expenses the fastest.

I would love to know if you stockpile and how you got started. Also, if you have questions on stockpiling then let me know and I will do my best to address them.

Photo Credit: babaghan

Today I want to share with you the details of how to use Subscribe and Save on Amazon.com. This is something I mention often because you can typically save 15% off Food and Diaper Purchases by using this option, but it also is a little confusing if you haven’t used this system before. Here’s a step by step guide to using Subscribe and Save.

Subscribe and Save is a subscription service that will automatically ship the products you purchase every 1, 2, 3, or 6 months. However you can cancel this at any time with no obligation.

1. When shopping you want to look for the blue subscribe and save boxes. These boxes will let you know that you can save 15% off your purchase by using the subscribe and save option.

2. Add the item to your cart by choosing your desired frequency and clicking the Subscribe Now button (This is below the normal add to cart button). I like to choose 6 months to give me plenty of time to cancel if I decide I don’t want to continue shipments.

3. Enter your Credit Card Information – You can still use your Amazon Credit or Swagbucks to purchase, the Credit Card information is simply for the Subsequent purchases that will be sent to you if you don’t cancel your order.

4. You will then be able to review your order and you will see the Subscription Discount from using the Subscribe and Save Option at this point. Also, you can see that my Amazon.com credit from Swagbucks was applied to my order. You also get Free Shipping with Subscribe and Save regardless of the amount purchased.

Canceling your order:

1. When canceling your Subscription to Subscribe and Save you will want to go to your account page. The easiest way to find this is by going to the homepage of Amazon.com and looking above the search bar.

2. Under Order Options Click on the link for Manage Current Subscriptions.

3. You will see a list of your Subscribe and Save Subscriptions. Use the Cancel Subscription Button to end your subscription.

Once you have done this process once you realize just how easy it is to use the Subscribe and Save option. Like I said I’ve started using this more and more. The only thing you have to remember is you have to wait till your order has shipped to cancel the subscription. Other than that there are no phone calls or sales people to deal with. It’s a great service and a great way to save a little extra money!

Today’s Budgeting Basics Tip is about Using Cash. I know that this can be a polarizing issue so I’m going to give you both sides of my experience and I want to hear your thoughts on this topic.

We’ve used one main system since we got married. Our budget is on the computer and every time we have income it gets divided into one of our many categories. We then save all our receipts and enter them 2-3 times a week and each receipt total is deducted from a category. It’s been really easy for us to track how much we have remaining in each category. We also use cash for specific categories such as Food, Fun Money and Clothing. I had gotten kinda lazy at the beginning of the year about using cash and was using my credit card a little more (I’m going to blame it on being 8-9 months pregnant and having a newborn), but recently we decided to get back into the discipline of using cash. Here are my thoughts on the positives and negatives of using cash.

The Positives:

• Research says you spend 25% Less when you use cash. I recently switched back to Cash in a few of my budget categories to keep me accountable and it really has helped.
• You don’t have to track receipts. For me not having to keep up with every single receipt is nice, I’m not nearly as worried about missing a receipt and having my budget out of balance.
• You instantly know what you have remaining to spend.I love knowing exactly how much is left in each envelope. I’m never worried about the exact amount or putting in receipts before I go shopping.
• Planning Ahead. I know that I always plan ahead more when I use cash because I know I need to be efficient with what I buy, I also find myself tracking my purchases better as I go throughout the store.

The Negatives:

• I don’t like paying for a purchase from more than one category with cash. For Example, I like having lots of categories and so It’s hard if something is $4 from one category and $13 from another. I try to keep smaller bills, but I never seem to have the right amount from each envelope. I much prefer using the credit card for this type of thing because it was much easier to enter the exact amounts from each category on the computer.
• Going to the bank is my downfall on the cash system.I forget to go to the bank, then I end up needing something and running to the store. It’s definitely where I struggle to stay on track. I just have to remember to get cash the first day of the pay period so that I stay on track.
• I don’t track what I spend.I’ve mentioned several times that I’m the spender and not the saver. Having my husband as my accountability when he was entering receipts forced me to stay in budget. When I have cash, I’m way more likely to spend grocery money on riding the mary-go-round at the mall or I spend extra clothing money on lunch. Since I am not the disciplined one when it comes to money cash is much easier for me to blow through than if I know my hubby will be seeing the receipts and asking me what I spent the money on :)

I’m not going to say that one system or the other is best. But I can say this. If you are having trouble getting your budget in line switch to cash! For example, I know that I tend to overspend in 1-2 categories, for me it’s clothing money and lunch money so if I have those in cash it creates boundaries for me. I know exactly what I have to spend and I have better control over the situation.

I would love to know, Do you use Cash, and what are the advantages/disadvantages that you see?

When you start making a budget one of the first things people tell you to do is to “Make a list of everything you spend money on”. But I want to suggest that you start by Deciding how much you want to save. If your budget is like mine there are times when saving can be the last thing on the list, we spend first and save the rest. But the concept of “Paying Yourself” or setting aside your savings immediately when the paycheck comes in is a great way to start to see your savings goals realized.

Develop a Savings Plan.

What are you saving for? Are you working towards an initial $1000 Emergency Fund, are you saving for new Furniture, for Retirement, maybe all of the above? You need to first know what your goals, write them down and start allocating money towards those goals. Even if it’s just a little bit each month you will start to see these accounts grow and for me that’s always motivating.

Save First.

It sounds simple enough, but make sure that you are setting aside your savings first when creating a budget. Remember, You are in control of your money. Why not have your paycheck go directly to your savings account and then only transfer the amount you want to spend to your checking account rather than waiting to the end of the month to see whats left. It might make you a little more accountable to what you are actually spending.

Reduce your budgets.

I used to think I was “Saving Money” all the time after I first started using coupons, but in reality I was still spending my same food and household budgets each month, I was just simply buying more stuff with that same amount. There came a day when I decided the only way I was actually going to realize the savings was to reduce the budget. I decided that I would take a percentage (Say 10% at first) and reduce my budget by that much. Could I make it work? I wouldn’t know till I tried, but I was surprised that when  you have a limited amount you are more likely to stick to that budget than you are if the money is sitting in an envelope and you have to have the discipline to save it.

What’s Your Saving Strategy? Do you set aside your savings first? I would love to know! I’ve gotten some great ideas and suggestions from all my great readers, so let’s keep the conversation going.

This week I want to cover some Basics when it comes to budgeting that I think we all can use a reminder on. I am by no means the budgeting expert so if you are looking for a help with getting your budget created and in line then I want to suggest you check out Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. My goal is just to simply remind us all of the basics that so often we forget or get lazy about as time goes on.

My Number 1 Rule when it comes to Budgeting is: What Comes in Must go Out! 

I was a business major in college and the equation Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity was drilled into our heads because you cannot run a successful business without knowing where all your money is. In the same way, You can’t run a successful budget without knowing where you money is going!

Be In Charge of your Money!

I love to think of a budget basically as telling my money where to go. I get to decide how much goes where, I make the rules, and then I choose to live within them. Make sure you account for all sources of income when creating your budget, Include cashback and rewards programs. For Example: We have our Credit Card Points Estimated in our budget and that money is used to pay for Christmas Gifts. If it wasn’t accounted for in the budget we most likely would spend it on several small (unnecessary) items during the year, but by placing it in our budget it’s helped us to save that money and redeem it once a year when it’s time to buy gifts.

Make a List!

Do you really know where your money is going? I recently had to sit down and look back at our budget and re-commit to staying on track. In all honesty I tend to do really well for a while, then I start “Slipping” and getting lazy about sticking to the amounts for each category. Taking a look at the whole picture helps me to evaluate if the budget needs to be changed, but it also allows me to remember the reasons behind budgeting and the goals we have.

Every $ Accounted For.

Make sure you spend 100% of your income. Everything you make needs to be allocated to a budget category (Savings is a Category for us). Also, everything you spend needs to be accounted for. For us this means that we have a small Miscellaneous account that covers the random expenses like Stamps or something that you might not have a category for. It just  helps us be in control.

What are your budgeting basics??? I would love to know. I’ve got a few more for you this week, but I know that I always learn so much from you guys and I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.