It's not WHERE you shop, it's HOW you shop!

Okay, so Ralphs may not be the most economical choice for groceries. BUT, it's the closest besides Henry's. And I am enrolled in a loyalty program that we got when we activated our alarm system that gets me a $20 rebate every month as long as I spend $100 there, so I'm kind of married to it at the moment.

Some days, when I shop really carefully, I can make out like a bandit, like I did today!

I got:

6lbs of ground beef for $11.07 ($1.85/lb)

3 boxes of Betty Crocker loaded mashed potatoes for $1.50 (oops, only wanted to get 2, woulda been $0.25 each). Long story.

2 Pillsbury cinnamon rolls
2 Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 Pillsbury French loaves
2 Pillsbury Grands biscuit rolls

1 Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix pouch

1 (pound?) of fresh parmesan cheese

All of the above was $35.01 and I got back $6 in coupons good towards my next purchase, so basically $6 in "Ralphs" money.

So my investment today really only cost me $29.01 and I will get at LEAST 12 meals from the ground beef, 6 meals from the potatoes, and God only knows how many from those Pillsbury packages.

Okay, so I could have gotten ground beef for $1.59/lb at Stater Bros... but like I said, I'm kind of married to Ralphs for now. :P

Happy hunting everyone, be sure to add my new blog to your feed reader or follow it or whatever you do.

What's New

So, I am mostly using this blog now as a personal outlet and a place to put thoughts that are not quite polished enough for my NEW blog.

The new blog is going to be a source for saving money via coupons and amazing deals, as well as helpful hints for utilizing technology. I am planning to post a mail-merge tutorial on Friday for helping you save time on getting your Christmas cards addressed and mailed. Then the next Friday will probably be an Excel101 tutorial.

I am also going to be posting deals and coupon matchups for Henry's every Tuesday/Wednesday and those will be getting linked up via Money Saving Mom (yay!). Which should help get more traffic over there. :)

For now I'm thinking that Mondays I'll write a "Q&A" type post, assuming that somebody emails me a question. If not, I'll answer general questions which I've been asked in person.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would support me in this new endeavor. It is one way that I hope to contribute to supporting my family. You will find helpful information on my site for saving money, and if you really find a tutorial or something helpful you can always click donate. While you're there, you can grab printable coupons, sign up for Swagbucks, or shop Amazon.com.

Please let me know if you have a suggestion or idea for the new site, it is still very much a "baby" so I'm open to your feedback!

A sneak peak...

Step into my office...

It's not 100% complete yet, but everything is installed so I can start putting things in their homes. :) This is a sneak peak complete with a handsome model.

What's left?

• Repainting the baseboards and window sill
• Curtains
• Cord management
• Figure out a good home for the laptop
• Set up sewing space

But still, what is done is really working for me. SO excited to get this room done!

Lesson Learned!

DOH! I was all set today to shop this deal from Passionate Penny Pincher. I gathered my coupons this morning in a frenzy while Isaac was freshly awake (read: happily playing by himself). What I didn't think to check were my expiration dates! My binder and organization system has been feeling a little neglected with the office remodel this past week. :(  I left my binder at HOME, shambles that it is, and went to Rite Aid without it.

BIG MISTAKE!

If I'd had it with me I'm sure I had other diaper coupons that would have worked to help bring the out of pocket cost on this deal down. Oh well, I'll chalk it up to a lesson learned. And I'll be cutting and organizing my coupons again SOON.

Anyway, it's still not bad considering what I got:

1 Jumbo pack of Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers (size 4)
1 Jumbo pack of Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers (size 3)
2 boxes of Betty Crocker Potatoes
Colgate Total Advanced Whitening Toothpaste
Colgate 360 Toothbrush
4-pack of Colgate Wisps
Gain Dishsoap 
Dayquil (12 Liquigels)
Nyquil (12 Liquigels)

After my coupons, $2 in UP rewards from last week's shopping, and $3 I had left on a Rite Aid gift card, I spent $17.93, including tax. That's my "out of pocket" total.

I got $11 back in UP rewards.

So my actual "cost" for all the stuff listed above is $6.93. It gets a little convoluted.

In January I'll be starting a coupon clipping/swapping club. We can sit and clip and trade coupons together and help one another put together deals based on what we each need. Let me know via comment if that is something you would be interested in and I'll contact you with details as they become clearer. :) We can even share stories of times we made mistakes and learned from them (such as leaving our binders at home). ;)

I get by with a little help from my friends

Hi. I'm just putting this out there on the principle of "you have not because you ask not" and I figure if anyone of my friends out there was considering opening an account with ING if you did this it would help me out: