Thrifty Tips

If you are looking for a new hobby that will be both entertaining and lucrative while feeding your love of lists and control over a world of chaos, COUPONS are for you.

I love the couponing game.  

I love that I get to tell the Wal-Mart cashier what I want to pay for an item.

I love that I can beat "the Man" at this game.

Oh, and I love to be in control...of my grocery budget :)

While I am still a novice at the couponing thing, a friend of mine has taken me under her wing.  She has shared some awesome tips with me!

If you want more information on how to begin saving money with coupons, check out:

http://www.hip2save.com/

http://www.couponmom.com/

If you are a bibliophile (like me) and want to read up on it, I suggest:

(source)

I have been reading it, and it really is helpful!

So, here is my tip.  It is not earth-shaking or brilliant, but I am still excited.  I am easily amused, obviously. 

My family and I are leaving for vacation next week (I won't say where, but I will say tar balls), and I have been collecting provisions for a couple of months.  Using every coupon I could that didn't say "excludes travel size," I scoured the stores for mini everything.  I ended up with all of this:

Each of these items were either free or close enough. 

Score.

I capped that vacation spending faster than you can say "BP."

Romantic Asparagus?

Ahhhh, Saturday.  I had my Lentil Burger lunch around 11:00 am today, so by 2:00 pm, I was ready for lunch number two ;)
So, I cooked again.

Tomato Soup

Better than Campbell's, cheaper than Campbell's.

1 can tomato paste

2 1/4 c. water

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried basil

3-4 tsp. real maple syrup

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and black pepper, to taste

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Put the tomato paste into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the water and whisk until combined.  Add all other ingredients and whisk.  Bring it to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for five minutes.  Ladle into bowls and top with cheese, if you are using it.  I say go for it.  It is even better after it sits for a while!

Two lunches down, and it was time to go couponing. 

I went to the Wal-Mart in my town, which always proves annoying and fruitless.  I usually go to the store in another town, as they are much more cooperative and...nice.

I had coupons that enabled me to get lots of goodies free or nearly so, which wigged out the cashier. 

The loot the lady thought I was stealing:

Nice!  It was worth the ten minute argument with TWO cashiers. 

I came home and cooked again. 

Oh, and I got a bouquet from the Husband today!

Local, organic asparagus for one.  He knows the way to my heart :)

I Like Free Stuff

What is all this stuff on my computer desk?

Today's freebies!  I got all this stuff free with the help of coupons.  I did use a couple of internet coupons, which I probably won't be getting anymore.

*tear*

My favorite freebie today came in my mailbox:

Oh, how I love coconut oil.  I love it on toast instead of butter, I put a little in my protein shakes, I cook veggies in it, the possibilities are endless.  It is super healthy, mild-tasting, and sometimes FREE!  You can also use it as a skin moisturizer, but I recommend you get a separate jar for that task ;)

Today, between Walgreens deals, coupons, and price matches at Wal-Mart, I saved...

$98.15! 

That's how you get high on life, people.

Was It Worth It?

I went grocery shopping this afternoon, which for me means driving to three stores to get the best prices. It also means dragging six store adds and an envelope full of coupons into Wal-Mart. Today, the weather is less than perfect for such an endeavor. When I got home, I had battle scars:Apparently my pants are too long. My hair showed signs of a struggle as well, but we won't go there. At the end of the day, I saved $40.46 price matching, and I saved $15.55 in coupons. I would say it was worth it. I mean, I would have braved the weather if only for this DEAL OF THE DAY--

That would be an eight pack of Schick razors, originally costing over eight dollars, which I got for $1.28 (with coupon and price match). Power to the people.