Coupon Booklet Tip

Instead of clipping my coupons (I DETEST clipping coupons), I write the date the coupon booklet came on the cover and keep the booklets whole. I know a plethora of websites that tell you where a coupon is based on the date that it came. It is a heck of a lot less hassle than clipping all the coupons and trying to organize them. Let those websites do the dirty work for you while you just clip the coupons you are going to use when you are going to use them. Easy-breezy!

And as always, don't forget to do a google search for printable grocery coupons before you shop!

EBay Coupons

I went to my favorite coupon website yesterday, Coupons by Dede (look to the right for a link to this website) to look for coupons. The coupon I wanted was sold out (the $1 off 1 Kelloggs cereal coupon). So, I did something I have never done before...I went to eBay, found this coupon, and bought 20 of them for $5. The seller is supposedly mailing them out today and when they come, I will be able to buy 20 boxes of Kelloggs cereal for .67 each! I just hope they get here by next Tuesday while the 3/$5 sale is going on! I plan on buying some of the cereals at Price Chopper and then hopefully taking the ad to Walmart to buy additional boxes. EBay is more expensive than Coupons by Dede, but hopefully worth it in this case. My cereal rations were totally decimated during my 3-months of being confined to my bed and this will be a great way to build it up again. I'll let you know how it goes!

Grocery Deals

Here are the great deals that I found for this week...not too many coupons to go with them, but I did find a few:

Price Chopper:
-Beefsteak tomatoes, .98 lb
-Mangoes, 2/$1
-Tostitos 1.88
-Pace Picante Sauce 1.68 + cpn .75 off 2 (found in this past Sunday's paper)
-Kelloggs Cereal, 3/$5 + cpn for $1 off one, (found in Red Plum coupon book from 4/5)

HyVee:
-Strawberries 1-lb, .99
-Hamburger or Chicken Helper, .99 (look for online coupons)
-Ragu pasta sauce .99
-HyVee shredded cheese, .99
-Barilla Pasta, .99
-Puffs Tissue, .99 (look for online coupons)
-Old Orchard juice cocktail, .99
-Quaker Cereal, 1.98
-General Mills Cereal, 2.48
-Anjou pears, .99 lb
-Dole Iceberg Lettuce, .69
-5lb bag russet potatoes, 1.18

Hen House:
-General Mills Cereal, 1.99 + cpn $1 off 3 (from Smart Saver coupon booklet in 4/5 paper)
-American Beauty Pasta, .96
-Avocados 5/$5
-Broccoli Crowns, .99lb
-Roberts Sour Cream, .98

Overall for me, just kind of a ho-hum week as far as deals go. There are some good ones, but nothing that totally screams at me.

Swine Flu

So, unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably been hearing an awful lot about the dreaded swine flu over the past few days. I'm not really freaked out by this, but it has got me thinking.

For the past year I have been so focused on getting my year supply of food and other commodities that I think I have missed the mark just a tad. I came to the conclusion that what I should be focusing on first is getting a fully stocked three month supply and then move on to the bigger picture. I think of the people in Mexico who are being encouraged to stay indoors, whose churches and schools are closing, and wonder if any of them have a three month supply of anything.

So, my new goal...a three month supply. I sat down with my husband and we wrote down all the meals that we eat on a daily basis. What would we want to have stocked in our cupboards and freezer to make sure that, if we do reach a pandemic and are stuck in our house, we will be able to live as close to normal as possible. We divided our list into breakfast, lunch and dinner categories and then wrote a list of things we are missing that we need to purchase. It is not going to happen over night, but thanks to already starting our food storage, we are close (relatively speaking that is).

Also, I've said this before, but make sure you have a three month supply of things other than food...like toilet paper, diapers, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, garbage bags, medicines, etc...

Apart from food and these other necessities, I have been looking at yard sales for entertainment items for my family. I have purchased quite a few board games for all ages, books, puzzles, coloring books, play doh, etc... Anything to make being "stuck" with my family a more pleasant experience.

If any of you have things you are doing to get prepared, I would love to hear about them! I am always looking for fresh ideas to get my family ready. :)

I'm Back...Grocery Shopping Here I Come!

Okay, I think I may be back in the game now. I was able to grocery shop last week without my gag reflex kicking in to high gear...hooray! So, this week I will be posting the great grocery deals and any coupons I have to go with them. Check back on Wednesday to see what deals I have found.