Why Extreme Couponing Isn't For Me

If you know anything about me, you know I love to save money. I feel it's part of my job as a homemaker to save my family money in the area of groceries and toiletries. About 2 or 3 years ago I had a little fling with extreme couponing. It was exciting and fun! But over the past year, I've realized couponing, or at least the extreme variety isn't for me. Here are my main two reasons:

1. Time and Energy

I have a hard time keeping the laundry up (who am I kidding, the laundry is never caught up around here). So, adding something into my schedule that takes up a good bit of time is just going to cause me to neglect something else. I have terrible time management skills and I know me. Something important would be neglected. I would rather spend my 'extra' time cooking a batch of homemade oatmeal cookies, making a double batch homemade muffins for the freezer, mixing up solution for homemade disinfecting wipes than clipping coupons and scouring through sale papers. Not forgetting to add in gas money and time driving to different stores. And you know what, all of those things I listed help me save money too.

Now for the most important...

2. Health

I find most coupons are not for real foods. Real foods consist of anything that doesn't come with a bar code or at the very least has 5 (real and known) ingredients or less. Once I started learning about real foods... things like produce, grass fed meats, cage free eggs, cheeses, milk and fruits I quickly realized that you can rarely find a coupon for any of these things. Even organic milk from the grocery store is highly processed, so local (shout out to Wright's Dairy) is best. I started reading real food blogs and learning a lot about natural sweeteners, healthy fats, whole wheat and cooking from scratch. It just made sense couponing and real food don't mesh well. Even organic or natural processed foods are still processed.

As far as non-food items go I do occasionally use a coupon for toilet paper/paper towels if I happen to come across one. I make my own disinfecting wipes. I use a half and half vinegar/water to clean just about everything. Add in some baking soda for my toilet bowls and tubs and that is the extent of my cleaning supplies. I've been doing research on what we put on our bodies and have slowly changed a few of our hygiene products (though not all). The boys use Baby Bee's by Burt's Bees and the Hubs uses the Burt's men's bar. I use Dessert Essence Tea Tree Oil for body wash and Alba Original Fragrance Free Lotion. Coupons for these items are hard to come by. We live on a very limited budget but we are able to purchase them by scrimping in other areas! I told someone recently that I'd rather buy a shirt at WalMart on clearance for $3 and spend $20 on organic produce than the other way around.

As I stated earlier, it's my job as homemaker to help my family save money in these areas. But it's also my job to see that I'm taking care of what goes in and on their bodies! Yes, we have freedom in Christ, but we also have brains and a vast amount of great information on how to take care of what God has given us!

We're not perfect. In fact, there are Cokes in our fridge right now and a gallon of Blue Bell in the freezer. Ok, so my mom bought them both but I do still allow those types of things. And we do eat packaged cereal but only because we get them on WIC. We are a work in progress. Hopefully, I'll share more about what we've kept in our diet and what we will hopefully be changing in the future. I'm not casting judgement, friends. I'm just sharing what works for our family and the journey we're on.

When the inserts in the paper start having $ off for fresh produce and free range chicken*, I'll have my scissors ready!

(*That is only a dream of mine, I can't find free range chickens anywhere!)

Saturday $ense

I'm going to try to do this quickly! We had a super busy weekend and the computer was really the last thing on my mind! So here is how I spent my money this week. I'm not going to list individual prices, just total cost. If you don't really care what I bought but want to know what I spent just scroll down!

Walmart (Trip number 1)

Household Goods:

Paper Towels

Pantry:
Diced Tomatoes (yes, I bought cans for soup! Ugh.O
Diced Tomatoes and Okra
Lima Beans
Peas
Raw Honey
Olive Oil
Juice (WIC)

Produce:

Bananas
Onions
Organic Carrots
Green Cabbage

Dairy
Milk (WIC)

Total: $38.10

Walmart (trip number 2)

Household Goods:

Toothbrush
Bandages
Shaving Cream
Diapers

Pantry Items:

Pasta Sauce
Trail Mix
Teddy Grahams
Wheat Thins
Coffee
Sunflower Seeds
Juice Boxes
Black Beans (WIC)
Cereal (WIC)
Bread (WIC)

Dairy:

String Cheese
Milk (WIC)

Produce:

Organic Carrots
Organic Salad
Peaches (which were gross)
Tomatoes
Bananas

Extras- Diet Coke

Total: $53.08


Winn Dixie-

Frozen:

Organic Corn

Pantry:

Chicken Broth
Organic Green Beans

Total: $6.89

Grand Total: $98.07

Those are the groceries I bought for us! I did spend a little more than that for home-group:

Tea
Coffee To-Go Cups
Bowls
Plates
Spoons

Total $11.10

So, technically I spent $109.17, which is not bad. My mom did buy us a pound of hamburger meat. She was conveniently coming this way and I had her stop by the dairy! ;) Seriously though, that is a blessing! Alrighty, now to get going on this weeks menu!

Saturday $ense

So, this week.. I didn't do so great. Here is my menu so you can see what meals I had planned. I did have to buy meat this week and I didn't find great deals on meat. I'm not sure if we're going to be having one of the meals on the menu. It all depends on our plans tomorrow. So, one meal could be a roll over meal. Here are the things I had on hand to complete my meals/snacks:

Tuna
Ranch Dip
Flour
Butter
Annie's White Cheddar Bunnies
Pretzels
Crackers

(Again, we have more stocked. This is just what I remember off the top of my head that I didn't have to buy to complete meals and for snacks)

I shopped at WalMart and Winn Dixie this week.

WalMart:

Household Items:

Chalk 1.00
Ivory Soap (3) 0.75
Quart Storage Bags 1.64
Imodium AD 4.00
Wipes 1.78

Dairy:

String Cheese 2.98
Parmesan Cheese 2.18
Sour cream 8oz 0.88
Provolone slices 2.36
Danimal Yogurt 2.00
Cage Free Eggs: 2.27
2% Milk 2 gallons WIC

Pantry:

Wing Sauce 1.47
Rolled Oats 2.24
JFG Mayonnaise 2.68
Penne Whole Wheat 1.08
Classico Pasta Sauce 2.28
Organic Chicken Broth 2.63
WW Tortillas 2.00
Kettle Chips 2.98
V8 Juice 2.58
Cranberry & Nut Mix 2.88
Nutra Grain Fruit Bars 2.50
Bread WIC
Peanut Butter WIC
Honey Bunches of Oats WIC
Cheerios WIC
Juicy Juice WIC

Produce:

Organic Spinach 4.88
Coleslaw 1.50
Clementines 3 lb 3.75
Onions 1.64
Bananas 0.97
Organic Carrots 0.97
Organic Garlic 1.68
Pears 1.78


Meat:

Italian Turkey Sausage 2.98

Extra:

Diet Sunkist 1.48

Total 74.71

Winn Dixie (mid wk)

Household:
Angel Soft 5.00
Sparkle Paper Towels 5.00

Pantry:
Natures Own Bread 2.59
Apple Juice 2.49

Produce:
Bananas 1.66


Meat:
Sirloin Tip Roast 8.85
Boneless Chicken Breast 6.05

Total 34.35

Grand Total 109.06

Yes, technically that is over for the week. But if you remember last week I only spent $90.24. So, for the pay period I spent a total of $199.30 out of our $200.00 budget. I sure know how to just barely make it, huh!? I'm a little frustrated with it because I was hoping to save a little. But I did my best, minus that Diet Sunkist! I did use two coupons, one for the pasta sauce (-1.00) and one for the string cheese (-0.55). I'm just going to have to be more resourceful and thrifty! So, time to start planning next week!

Saturday $ense...

Clever, huh? Ok, maybe not.

So, are you wondering how I did with my grocery shopping? Here is my menu, so you can see what meals I had planned for this trip. I spent a total of $90.24 this week of my $100. Below is how it was all spent. I did have a pretty large expense that you'll see in the "household" section. Here are the items that we already had on hand that helped complete our meals*:

3 large chicken breast (freezer)
organic blueberries (freezer)
salsa
sour cream
Colby jack cheese
eggs
butter
flour
pasta
frozen spinach
ricotta cheese
black beans
Snacks: granola bars, Cheerios, string cheese, raisins, Annie's Bunny Grahams, crackers


Here is the breakdown of what I was able to purchase. Over all I am please with my trip. My goal is to feed my family as healthy as I can. Healthy meaning, as little junk, mostly from scratch, real foods. Our resources are somewhat slim around here as far as produce and meat goes and at this point in our lives we take advantage of WIC and that helps greatly.

WalMart

Household Items:
Dish washing Detergent ~ 2.74
Trash bags ~ 3.34
Baking Soda ~ 1.00
Vinegar (Gallon) ~ 2.32
Razor Cartridges (4) ~ 15.97 (the Hubby likes the good stuff. I get these about once every 2-3 months)

Produce:
Tangerines (6) 1.68
Apples (3#) 3.67
Ice burg Lettuce Salad 1.50
Spring Mix Organic Salad 2.78
Onions (WIC)
Bananas (WIC)
Organic Baby Carrots (WIC)
Broccoli Crown (WIC)

Pantry Items:
Sugar 2.08
Whole Wheat Tortillas 2.00
Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil 3.64
Bertolli Basil Pesto 1.98
Pasta Sauce 1.33
Community Coffee 4.50
Polaners All Fruit Grape Jelly 1.93
Sara Lee WW Bread (WIC)
Juicy Juice Apple Juice (WIC)


Dairy:
Dannon Yogurt Drinks 2.46
Oikos Organic Yogurt (4 pk) 3.98
Disney Cheese 1.78
Dried Pineapple snack (2) - 1.56
Gal 2% Milk (WIC)
16 OZ Mozzarella Cheese (WIC)
Barbers Whole Buttermilk (WIC)

Frozen:
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrot Mix 1.58

Total: $71.77

Local Dairy

Local Honey (20 oz) 6.50
Ground Beef (primarily grass fed) 4.00
3 candies 0.90

Total $12.42

Winn Dixie

Organic Tortilla Chips 1.99
Bananas 1.67
Bimbo WW Bread 1.89

Total- $6.05

Grand Total- $90.24

So, do you have any tips for me? The only coupon I used was for the coffee. I bought Community Coffee @ $5.50 with a $1 off coupon. Because I don't buy many processed food items, I don't use many coupons. I know that I need to get back at my bread making attempts. The boys and the Hubs eat a lot of sandwiches. And even though we get a loaf on WIC, I had to buy an extra at my mid week trip (Winn Dixie). I'd love to hear any tips or thoughts on ways to cut this down!

Bargains, Bargains!

Here are some pretty good deals I found online:

Payless Coupon: Get 50% off everything. It's only good through tomorrow! Click here to print your coupon or get a text coupon, if you're snazzy like that. :)

Old Navy: Get 15% off your purchase from Old Navy. This coupon is good through the 31st. Click here and scroll down.

Bath and Body Works: Get a FREE Anti-Bacterial Pocketback Hand Gel with ANY purchase. This coupon is valid through Nov 1st. I don't buy Bath and Body normally because I'm just fine with my Suave. :) BUT since this does say "Free with ANY purchase", you could go in and purchase a $1 or $2 item from clearance or something else that is small and get this free! Click Here.

JC Penney: Now this one can get a little complicated. You can get a 10$ off coupon to use in store (printable) or online (by using promo code and serial number off coupon) by signing up for JC Penney rewards and by saving a credit card on file with them (I used my debit card). This reward is only available for new rewards customers. If you're not a rewards member (I wasn't). You can go here to sign up to be a rewards member. After you save your credit card info you will be directed to a page that should show you in the right corner your 10$ coupon. This coupon is valid through Nov 17th. There is also a promotional code only for online orders. It is $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. The code is SWEETS4U. So, here is what I did... I signed up to be a rewards member, I clicked on my coupon and wrote down the code and serial number.. I didn't print it off because I knew I'd be shopping online. Then I went shopping. I knew that if everything worked out I'd have $20 off my order. Luke is in need of a winter jacket. So, I looked and found that their toddler jackets are on sale for $29.99 (reg $49.99). When I got to check out I entered the promotional code SWEETS4U and then entered my rewards code/serial number. I filled out my shipping address and billing info, it gave me my total. Everything worked out perfectly. I got the jacket for $9.99 plus shipping which totaled to be $16.58. Pretty good!

I did look at other sales and clearance. There are some kids shoes on sale for $10.99 and up so that would make a great deal, even if you only use the SWEETS4U code. You can certainly just do the rewards deal and print off your coupon, if you don't want to shop online or if you're heading to JC Penney soon. There are a few restrictions that are listed on the coupon. I don't know exactly what they are but they are probably similar to all JC Penney restrictions (not valid on Levi's, ect). Think about Christmas gifts. Right now, online they have two ties on clearance for $14.99 each. If you go to the women section and click on Fashion Jewelry you can find some great deals too! (If you click on regular jewelry, you'll get the high priced, real stuff!)

Anyway, just wanted to pass on some good deals! If you take advantage of any of them let me know! I love hearing about good deals! :)