What are Some of the Things I do to Save Money?

There are many other things that can be done outside of couponing that allow me to save money. I think my number 1 money saving habit is shopping the clearance rack. Just Tuesday I spent $7.31 in a store called Cititrends. I walked out with a short set for my son, 2 short sets for my daughter, a pair of baby phat capris for my daughter, a dress for myself, a rip cord motorcycle for my son, and a smocked dress for my daughter. The majority of the clothes in this store are urban brands. Because of this, the prices are a little too high for my taste. I don't even look at the regular racks. I simply walk in and hit the clearance racks to see what deals are to be had. Everything except the toy and the short set for my son were marked $1, the car was marked $1.50, and the short set $2.93. Each rang up $1 obviously, well it was more like .93 cents. I shop all of my stores this way. I have no problem buying things out of season if I have room in the budget. This saves me money and time in the long run. I'm in NC and up until Monday it was not hot, but there were days you could go outside with only a long sleeve coat on. For this reason I often buy my children their winter coats for Christmas. But, during spring/summer when the weather just changes without warning I don't have to be in the stores that weekend with all the other parents trying to buy clothes which equals major chaos. I have a few outfits, possibly an entire wardrobe due to me shopping off season.

A budget is also a good way to save money. I mean actually making a budget, and sticking to it. Start with your income if you work a corporate postion and subtract all your bills from there. Then, I use to allot 10-20% of the remaining money to my savings account. You may or may not be able to do this, that is totally fine. This is an emergency fund for a rainy day if you should need it. After that is done I allot a certain amount on groceries. This depends on the area you live in, how big/little your stockpile is, and once again your financial situation. You can also create an entertainment/spending money group. This is the money you do whatever with. This is the money my $7 shopping trip was purchased with. Once again, depending on your situation you will do what you see fit with it. I have used this money for stockpiling before. We had food in the house so we did not need to go out to eat, movies from redbox for $1 were cheaper than going to the movies, etc.

We rarely eat out. If it is with someone elses money then we're game, but we eat our meals at home for the most part. Monday we were out all day, so we ate McDonalds. Prior to that, the last time we at out was also at McDonalds in September on the way back from Hilton Head Island(we were living in GA so it was not a long trip at all). That right there saves a load of money. When I was working outside the home I took my lunch. Most of the time it was leftovers from the previous night, and sometimes it would be "tv dinner" type things I got on a good deal with coupons. I use to work for IBM and we had a cafeteria. The food was AMAZING! I spent on average $7 a day at lunch. If I did not have time to eat breakfast for whatever reason that was another $5. So, just saying I ate lunch there every day, which I did for a while, I spent at least $35 a week on lunch. That is my total grocery shopping for the entire week now and I can promise you I get more food now than I did then. When I thought of it that way it put things into prospective for me about my spending. I still miss their buffalo chicken tenders even though that was like a $10 meal because I had to have my grapes, and the chicken was sold by weight.

I shop thrift stores, yard sales, craigslist, etc. There is nothing wrong with these places. We have a Goodwill that gets the things target was just going to destroy, as a result I've gotten many great things including a Mr. Potato head for my son that was missing an earring. Really, it's missing an earring so they discard it as unsalable? Well, I guess if I was shopping target I would want all my pieces, but you get my drift. Other things have nothing wrong with them like the overstock Christmas stuff, or Halloween costumes they sell. It's not just about use clothing that people for whatever reason seem to be disgusted by. I have no problem with used clothing either. If you've purchased used from ebay from a seller selling many different sizes chances are they got the clothes from a thrift. Honestly, if you did not get the clothes from a sales associate as they unpack your item from the box then chances are someone has tried your clothes on before you purchased them, thus they're used. I wash everything before wearing it anyway both "new" and used so it does not bother me, but others it does and I understand, I guess. I got a brand new stove(what your hair stylist heats her curling irons up in) complete with the hot pad for $1, a $3 bread machine(which deserves an entry to itself on making things from scratch), $10 rival seal a meal with all the accessories, etc from garage sales. If you live close to a military base check out www.bookoo.com they not just for military people, but they are centered around them. People deploying, or wives moving back home because their husband is deploying put stuff on there for sale amazingly cheap.

Of course I could go on and on about the things I do to save money, but that would take a few pages of my blog and most likely feel like information overload to some. So, we'll save those for another day, and perhaps I can catagorize them or something of that nature.

Accomplishing the (almost) Impossible

Today I felt accomplished while grocery shopping. My stores double up to .99 cents instead of $1 which would be a whole nother playing field if they did. I mean, just think of all the things we could get free if our stores doubled up to $1 instead of just .99 cents. When they say they double up to .99 cents what they're really saying is .75 cents as I've personally never seen a coupon for .99 cents.........until today that is. Yes, that is my accomplishment, and I felt like a giddy young child the entire shopping trip, heck I'm still smiling about it. Here is how the transaction went down:

I had a coupon that stated buy 2 easy mac cups and get the third one free. Easy mac cups at my store are .99 cents. Thus, my coupon value is .99 cents. Because of this value it will automatically double. This means I'm really buying 1 cup and getting 2 free, or spending a total of .33 cents for each easy mac cup. I started to use these coupons at Walmart since their price is .88 cents, but figured what could it hurt to look at the prices in the grocery store? I'm glad I waited, and I've also already ordered more of these coupons. Although the price was $3 for 15 coupons it was worth it to me. Sadly, these coupons state there is a limit of 1 per transaction. I always do at least 2 transactions at each store, so that is 4 coupons each shopping trip. Depending on the crowd I may go through self checkout and do more transactions if I only need 2 transactions that day as it gets closer to the expiration date. I'm happy with the price, and my kids are happy we now have easy mac stocked once again.

This has got me to thinking about all the bogo coupons I've wasted at Walmart because their prices are cheaper and this item is not, or rarely goes on sale. Things like gum, of course those coupons would double, and most of them will be nearly free if not completely. How much money have I thrown down the drain this way? Oh well, I will not be doing that anymore for sure. All it takes is a quick second to look at the prices either while I'm doing my online "shopping", or while Im in the store myself.

I still ended up going to Wal-Mart as planned. I planned on checking their marked down meat since this is where I get the majority of my ground turkey from, but also to get some boxes of jello. My son could live on Jell-O if you let him. For the past few months there have been coupons that offer me a great deal on Jell-O. The coupon states you'll save $1.25 off the purchase of 3 of the items listed. There is Jell-O Philidephia cream cheese and something else. Since I just used my last coupon Im not really sure what it was. I don't need any of the other products, but Jell-O is always on my needs list since he goes through so much. The price of single boxes of Jell-O at Wal-Mart is .50 cents a box. So, for 3 boxes the before coupon total is $1.50. After the coupon the price is .25 cents for 3 boxes. I got 60 boxes for a little over $5. I will most likely go back and get 60 more boxes. I would love to get 120 more, but I need to put these up to see how much room they actually take up before ordering more coupons.

Below is are pictures of my bounty for the day along with totals.

Is Purchasing that Extra Paper REALLY Worth It?

Today is Sunday, and what better day to explain, or should I say attempt to explain the various souces of insert coupons. Up until this point, I thought my method of determining if I should purchase more than 5 papers or simply purchase the coupons I want multiples of was rather simple. In trying to type it out for you guys I confused myself many times. Now, I actually use the method and was confused, so I can only imagine what others on the outside looking in will think. So, I'm going to try and break it down without using algorythems and such. There are pretty much 4 ways you can get extra coupons/inserts.

The first is obviously purchasing more news papers. But, if you're only purchasing that paper because of one coupon it's better to not purchase the paper. Todays paper contains 5 inserts. Without a doubt it is probably cheaper to purchase more papers than to order those coupons separately. Depending on the value of the coupons in the papers I tend to set a limit for myself. If I can not save at least $11 from each newspaper I buy then I will not buy them. I can spend that $1(I purchase my papers at Dollar Tree where they are only $1) and get 20 of that coupon I wanted and save much more and have more product in my home.

The second method is buying coupons. Technically you're not buying coupons, you're paying for the persons time to find/sort/clip, and mail you those coupons. You can find a list of places I "shop" for my coupons here. You can buy multiples or simply one of each. Each source has their own purchase requirements.

The third source is having a great relationship with the gas station/store attendants or the paper carrier. They will usually save the inserts for you since they simply throw them out. This is a good free method that helps all involved. If you get one of these sources, especially if it's your personal carrier(meaning they deliver to you at your home) I would make it a point to give them a basket/bag of goodies you got for cheap and/or free. They will appreciat it, and continue to get you inserts.

The final method is dumpster diving. No, you do not actually go dig in a trash can at all. In fact, it's rather clean, and easier than it sounds. Most cities have recycling centers. Some schools are even drop off locations for newspapers as well. There is a section for newspapers and that's where you'll "dive". At any given time you can have around 100 inserts. Why would you need them? I'll explain in a few. But PLEASE make sure you verify that it is alright for you to dumpster dive as in some places it is illegal and I would hate for your coupon savings to be spent on bail.

When/if I determine I'm going to buy 10 or more papers I usually end up making a profit off the papers in the end. This week there are coupons I know i'll use such as the $2/1 all detergent, $2.50/1 electrasol, $1/1 marcel small steps paper towels, .50/1 maruchan yakisoba(fancy name for ramen noodles), .75/1 welchs jelly, $1/1 wanchai ferry dinner kit, $2.50/1 lactaid among many other things. Those just got me to the $11 value I mentioned newspapers must hold in order for me to buy multiple copies. There are actually at least $100 worth of coupons(including the final value after being doubled) that I will use from this paper, so it only makes sense to buy multiple copies. Now, there are coupons I will not use, as there will be for you. With these I simply lot up into groups of 10 and list on eBay for around $1. Of course for higher value and/or hot coupons I will charge a slightly higher handling fee. After paypal/ebay fees I net around .60 cents per set. So, once I sell 10 sets I've made som of my newspaper cost back. This is also why it is good to take the 100 sets you find dumpster diving. You can sell these and make a little money. I personally would not cut them until sold. That way you're not cutting everything out because that is A LOT of cutting when you think about it.

You will soon find your personal threshold as far as coupon sources, paper purchasing, etc. I use a combination and on any given week I may decide I need to buy coupons from 3 papers ago so I visit one of the shopping methods. Nothing is set in stone, and a deal may pop up out of the blue. It's great to have the resources, and knowledge to get those coupons when and if you need them though.

Abbreviation Cheat Sheet

Here you will find a list of every abbreviation I may use at any given time in my blog. Because I never know when someone new has come each entry will have one abbreviated word that will link to this post. This post contains the break down of every word though, not just the word that linked you here. If you plan on becoming a couponer or simply a bargin shopper these are terms you should familiarize yourself with.

AR = After Rebate
AC = After Coupons
BC = Before Coupons
BLINKIES = In-store smartsource coupons near product (red blinking box)
BM = Brick and Mortar (an actual store location)
BOGO = Buy one get one free
B2G1 = Buy two get one free(any number other than 1 can/will be inserted here)
CAT = coupons you get with your receipt after your purchase
CO= Cents off another name for a coupon with a value under $1
CRT = Cash register tape
ECB - CVS Extra Care Bucks earned for purchases
ESR = EasySaver Rebate (Walgreens Monthly Rebate)
FAR = Free After Rebate
TGG = The Grocery Game
HBA = The health and beauty aids
HTH = Hope this / that helps
IVC = Walgreen's Instant Value Coupon (In the monthly EasySaver Catalog)
IP = Internet Printable Coupon
LOD = Land of Doubles
LOND = Land of No Doubles
MFG = Manufacturer's Coupon
MIR = Mail In Rebate
OOP = Out of Pocket
OYNO = On your next order
P&G = Proctor & Gamble Sunday coupon insert
RC = Rain check
RP = Red Plum Sunday Coupons Inserts
RR = Register Rewards (Walgreens name for Catalina Coupons)
SS = Smart Source or Sunday Supplement coupons
STACKING = Using a store specific coupon with a MFG coupon (most stores allow)
TIA = Thanks in advance
Q = Coupon
WYB = When You Buy
YMMV = Your Market/Milage May Vary = success may vary at your store


Coupon Sources
eBay
The Coupon Clippers
The Coupon Master
Coupons and Things by Dede


This list will be updated on an as needed basis.

Allow me to Reintroduce Myself

So, this is my first entry of the newly revamped, and renamed savings blog. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Janah, a 26 year old college graduate and mother of two. I live a very frugal lifestyle; although just looking at me you would not know it. I've been shopping thrift stores, using coupons, and hitting garage sales since the age of 19, and I love it. I started all of this out of need. I made too much to qualify for foodstamps and any other government assistance, but really too little to get by on like many "middle class" people as we're classified. I took to the internet as that was my second home(My degree is in Computer Engineering) to find ways to save money, and more importantly make my dollar go further.

In 2002 I found The Grocery Game. The Grocery Game, (herein known as TGG) was my first look into the world of couponing on the major level. Back then the grocery game was a much smaller site and had a smaller following. Today, TGG has a "list" in every state for just about every store you can imagine. The trial was $1, and for $1 I would've probably spent on McDonalds I decided to give it a try for those 4 weeks. Since I was already using coupons on a small scale, and understood the meaning and value of a coupon I caught on really quick. My first deal was at a store called Winn-Dixie. It was on the Campbell's Homestyle Bakes and Corolina Pride lunch meat. I was able to get around $100 worth of name brand groceries from Winn-Dixie for around $20. From that point on I knew I had to do grocery shopping like this on a much larger scale. This is called stockpiling. So, I started my stockpile and have not looked back since.

Today I no longer use TGG, but I am active on their message boards as there are some great things to be found there. Not to mention it is like a large family. Everyone understands why you have 10 tubes of toothpaste, or 20 boxes of cereal, and they even cheer you on. Instead of using TGG I find it more fun to actually find most of the deals myself via my grocery stores online shopping section. I grew from a small Family Dollar accordian style coupon folder to a zippered 3 ring binder with baseball card pages. I've also expanded my message board life and view several daily, sometimes multiple times a day. Aquiring multiple coupons for an item is something many people find hard to do. Each message board I visit plays a different part in my frugal lifestyle. I will expand on the message boards in a separate entry.

Where does the name of my blog come from? Obviously I've already explained the frugal part, but let me explain the urban part, and why it was important to have it as part of the blog name. Being urban does not being black or a minority as many people believe. Although, I do fall in that catagory as do many urban people. Being urban simply means living in a city. Because many people have the misconception that urban is being black or a minority I felt it was a good word to use in my blog to attract my target demographic. My blog is catered towards the younger crowd, the late teens just starting out on their own up to the early 30's. The ones that want to learn how to save money, but don't really know where to start. We all want to wear and have nice things, but if we can get them for a fraction of the price then why not? Many urban people do not know where to begin, thus this blog is here.

I will be moving into my new place and have NOTHING. Literally nothing so you will be starting fresh with me. I like it this way since my main goal is to show people they can look and feel like they're living the exspensive life without aquiring it the exspensive way. Each shopping trip will be documented via this blog and pictures, so feel free to grow with me. I was going to wait until February 1st to actually start this blog since I will officially be in my new place. But, I decided to go ahead and get all the boring stuff out of the way while I only have 1 or two followers, that when when someone does find me via whatever method they use they will have good entries already documenting my savings and how I do it. I can read/listen to someone say things all day long, but it's not real until I see it myself. Renovations will still take place during this time, and some days you may come here and wonder what is going on, but rest assured it will all be on point come February 1st. I hope you still around and grow with me. Please feel free to ask me ANYTHING and I will try my best to answer, or point you in the right direction.

Rennovations

This website is undergoing a major face lift. As a result, many entries have been deleted, but will return once the rennovations around here are done. Our anticipated relaunch date is January 15, 2010. Many of the main posts of the site have been left, other will be replaced soon. If you are on our mailing list you will be updated should the site be finished before the anticipated date, or even if there is a delay.


Thank you for your understanding,
Administration

I'm almost back on track!

I want to build my blog base, and start posting things on a regular basis. I also want to have particular days set aside for certain things, ie I was doing something called "Thrifty Thursday". I have great ideas in my head, now it's time to materialize them. With twitter now becoming more popular, and myspace fading out, I believe it's not time to capitalize on this new venture of mine.

Yesterday I spent $18 at bi-lo. I came home with the following:

2 mystic pizzas
30 bottles powerade
6pks mentos gum
1 box little debbie honey buns
1 box little debbie oatmeal cream pies
10 bottles krat bbq sauce
4pks 6ct o-cel-o sponges
4 o-cel-o scrub sponges
1qt milk
3 jars mt. olive pickles

For a total of $18.xx. Not too bad, but little debbie and pickles were not on my list. But, pickles were really cheap with with blinkie coupons they had by them. I will eventually pick up 3 more jars of this type as the walmart brand isn't so great, but their hamburger slices are my absolute favorite(their being walmart brand).

Todays trip was a LOT better since I only got the things I went in for. Due to my son wanting the racecar cart I had a smaller basket and got the following(had to stop since the basket was so small)

1 snuggle creme liquid fabric softener
2 o-cel-o scrub sponges
75 bottles powerade
6 bottles kraft bbq sauce
10pks mentos gum

For a grand total of $7.xx.

How did I do it? Gas station coupons for $5 off a purchase of 5 powerade, along with it being on month long sale for 2/$1 are responsible for the powerade I'm stocking up on, too bad I only had 10 coupons. Final price for each set of 15 powerades $2.50

O-Cel-O single pack scrub sponges $1.31 bogo special for the month + $1/2 coupon. Final cost per 2 .31 cents.

O-Cel-O 6pk regular sponges $1.76 bogo special for month + $1/2 coupon. Final cost per 2 .76pk.

Mentos gum $1.35, bogo special for month + .55/1 coupon doubled to cost of gum. Final cost FREE.

Kraft BBQ Sauce 1.49 bogo special for this week + .75/1 coupon. Final cost FREE.

Mystic Pizzas 3.99 monthly special +$2/1 coupon. Final cost 1.99



Snuggle was 4.69 bogo weekly special or 2.34 + $1/1 internet coupon, and $3.00 on your next order coupon from previous purchase of 6 kraft products(bbq sauce, yes they paid me to take it off their hands). Final price free plus overage. Now that I look at it, I should have purchased 2 bottles and simply paid the .69 for an additional bottle. I have another oyno coupon so I will do this next trip, and purchase laundry soap with the final oyno I get as I have more kraft bbq sauce coupons.