randomosity

It's been requested that I start a "deal of the day" post! So I am! :) No promises on if it will actually be every day, because you guys know how I am when it comes to keeping up with things. But I will try. I will post coupons, great deals I find, etc. If you have any you'd like me to share, just email me! randomosityblog AT gmail DOT com

Click here to print $5-$10 worth of Kellogg's coupons! Hold on to these and match them up with sales!! They don't expire for a while.

Also, if you click here you can sign up for daily deals and freebies. I recommend using a spam email when signing up for these types of things. (A spam email is one you create JUST for deals, freebies, etc.)

Labels: coupons, deal of the day

Questions answered about couponing! VLOG!

Yay for my droopy eye! It was itching the whole time.. shouldn't have tried a new mascara right before doing this video! Hope it doesn't distract you as much as it distracted me!

Labels: coupon classes, couponing, coupons, saving money, vlog

My first VLOG on couponing!!

If you have any questions about couponing, let me know and I will answer them in my next video!

Labels: couponing, coupons, saving money, vlog

Couponing for Extreme Beginners

**RIGHT CLICK ON LINKS, CLICK OPEN IN NEW TAB**

I got a few messages asking for more tips/tricks for actual couponing virgins, so I threw together a few ideas and I hope these help. Feel free to email me any time or leave a comment if you have questions. If this info is too basic, check out my couponing series (week 1, 2, 3).

This will all be kind of scattered, as I am thinking of these as I type.

*If something is on sale for 10 for $10, you don't have to buy 10 to get the sale price unless it specifically says so (which is rare). When I first discovered a Schnucks (they do 10/$10 a lot), I thought you had to buy all 10. I ended up buying 10 jell-o's, 10 two-liter sodas, etc etc. My roommates laughed at me when I got back home and was complaining about having to buy 10 to "get such a good deal". Just buy 1 and it's $1. 2 and it's $2. You get the concept. :)

*Find out if your store doubles coupons. If they do, find out the maximum value they will double for. Most stores will only double up to a dollar.

*I don't use abbreviations or acronyms when talking about coupons, but some folks do. This site breaks it down for you.

*Visit your store online and find their coupon policy. Print it out and carry it with you in your coupon binder every time you visit. If you have any problems, or questions, you can easily refer to it because it will be in the back of your binder (use a sheet protector). (Wal-Mart's NEW coupon policy - 4/2011 - is here.)

*Make sure your store takes internet coupons before you go crazy and print 872389473 of them. Many stores do not.

*Ask for rain checks. Many stores will offer rain checks if they are out of the items you are after. If there is a great sale going on, and you have coupons, you want a rain check. Just hope the coupons don't expire before they fulfill the check. :) On the flip side, a rain check allows you some extra time to come up with more coupons to use!

*It is usually a better deal to buy the smaller size. The larger size will be cheaper with a coupon but sometimes the smaller size is free!

*Get coupons! Besides the newspaper, you can check my past posts... or visit these sites to sign up for mailings: Baby coupons, General coupons

*Pictures of other coupon binders and organizers can be found here.

*Sometimes being a suck up pays off. Contact the company and give them positive feedback, and they will send you coupons and/or free stuff. Extensive list of companies and numbers.

*This part isn't quite about couponing but it will save money. Organize your grocery list by the part in the store the items are in. For example, if aisle one has bread and snack cakes, you would write them next to each other on the list.

*And, just for kicks, in case you want to go all 'extreme' couponing on me... your very own dumpster diving tool kit. No, I'm serious. Click it.

I know this is simple stuff for some of us, but I was asked to go back to the verrrrrrry basics. So I hope this helped. Add your tips to the comments!

Labels: couponing, coupons, saving money

Week 3: Couponing

Since this is week 3, I thought maybe you guys were ready for a huge couponing resource list. These websites will all help you save money, but if you think you are going to get overwhelmed just do a few at a time. :)

Would you like to know more about DOUBLE coupons? Click here to see which stores (by state) double.

There are no inserts in our Sunday paper this week. :( So, click HERE to be entered to win over $200 in coupons. Giveaway ends soon!

{RIGHT CLICK ON EACH LINK. HIT "OPEN IN NEW TAB". I did not format these to open in new tabs. If you don't do this, you surely will get lost in blogland.}

Saving to a Better Life

The Coupon High
Money Saving Mom
A Few Short Cuts
Target Savers

Frugal Follies
Single Mom Saving Money
Bluegrass Savers

Deal Seeking Mom
Embracing Beauty
Coupon Frugality
Blessings n Couponing
Clip It To The Bank
Super Saver Sisters
Vanessa's Values
Red Plum
Pirates of the Supermarket
Coupon Network

The Frugal Find

The Savvy Student Shopper

Sunday Coupon Preview
Obsessive Coupon Disorder

Suzy Coupons

Mommy Savers

Coupons and Freebies Mom
A Little Simplicity
Couponing To Be Debt Free
Loving the Little Things
The Thrifty Momma Says

The Mama Report
Thrift Me
Frugality is Free
The Deal Scoop

Save The Coupons
Thrifty and Thriving
Love to Save

Hip 2 Save

And don't forget to check out Couponing Week 1 and 2 for other great resources.

{**Featured today: The Spaceyard. Please check them out on Facebook. If you'd like to be featured, email me (randomosityblog AT gmail DOT com)!**}

Labels: couponing, coupons, frugal, saving money

Quick: Sweet Deal!

*UPDATE* Try coupon code WELCOME5 -- it should give you $5 off!! I did not see this coupon until after using my $4 off. Let me know if it works! :)

I usually don't post these things but I just scored a pretty sweet deal, so I'm going to share! :)

$6 $5 for a 1 year subscription to Nat Geo for Kids. See below for details on how to save.

It's free to sign up for E-Bates, so do that real quick and then come back to this post. :) Then visit Mamapedia and look for the Nat Geo offer (should be on the right side of the page). Click "BUY" and then in the promo code box, type INTRO4. You will save $4! That makes the subscription to Nat Geo for Kids only $6 for an entire year. On top of that, you will get 4% of that put into your E-Bates account! How cool is that? Considering Nat Geo for Kids is usually $24 for a year, I'd say that is a pretty SWEET DEAL.

Share your sweet deals in the comments!

Labels: coupons, ebates, saving money, sweet deals

HUGE Coupon & Gift Card Giveaway!!!

As a THANK YOU for reading my blog, I'm giving away a HUUUUUGE stack of coupons and a $5 Target Gift Card. 95% of these coupons are manufacturer's coupons but about 5% are Target coupons. Not the ones that come in the papers, ones that I won in a contest on Cafemom. I am not about to count and see how much they are all worth, but my guess is about $200. Probably quite a bit more. This is a GREAT way to get started couponing or add to your current stash!

Yes, $200 in coupons! Yours for the taking!

Some coupons you can expect to see in this stack:

~yogurt

~cleaning products

~beverages

~dish soap

~makeup

~hair care products

~and more!

All you have to do is follow my blog (just click on "FOLLOW" over there to the left) and leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL. To avoid spam bots, leave it in this format: randomosityblog AT gmail DOT com. Get it? Got it? Good! :)

You can get THREE extra entries by doing the following. Leave a separate comment (with your email) for each. This is OPTIONAL.

~"LIKE" Randomosity and POST about this giveaway on Facebook.

~Follow me on Twitter and TWEET about this giveaway.

~Tell me how much you have saved by using coupons in the past 2 weeks. :)

*This is not mandatory but if you could vote for me on the top mommy blogs I'd really appreciate it. Just click here or over there where it says Top Mommy Bloggers>> and then when it takes you to the site click on the ENTER button to confirm that you are voting for me. I'd REALLY appreciate it.*

Giveaway ends 4/25/2011 at 9PM - just like my COASTERS giveaway. :) I will announce the winner the next day.

Labels: coupons, giveaways

Frugal Friday: COUPONING Week 2

Price matching!! Yay! This is my favorite way to save money, because I don't always buy the things that coupons are available for. If you have a super Wal-Mart near you, they price match (brand for brand) so head over there after reading this post, and let me know how much you saved! If you don't have a Wal-Mart, call your local stores to see which ones (if any) offer price matching.

Keep in mind that most stores allow you to use a manufacturer's coupon as well as a store coupon on a single item. If you combine that great deal with price matching, you're going to save a ton! Be patient. Hear me out. :)

Let's start with simple price matching. Wal-Mart sells pineapples for $3.50 (prices change a LOT, but let's go with it). Aldi has them on sale for $.99 this week. You save $2.51!

Now, price matching with a coupon. Not sure how much cereal is at Wal-Mart this week but it's usually over $3 a box. Schnucks has Kellogg's on sale for $1.77, and I got a coupon out of the newspaper for $1.50 off 3 boxes.

Here are a few other examples:

Now you really want to save some cash? Let's do a price match, manufacturer's coupon, and a store coupon!

If you have a store that doubles coupons, don't forget to try them out as well - even if they don't offer price matching. Some stores will only double up to a certain amount, or only on certain days, so be sure to check their policies before going.

Like I said last week, I'm not an extreme couponer. I have no plan, desire, or need to be one. I buy only what we need. However, I have just started planning our menus around sales and coupons, which saves even more money. We slashed our grocery bill from $150 down to $125 when I first started using coupons. Since I started using my binder and price matching, I've slashed our bill from $125 to $80. This isn't $500 worth of groceries for $25 like on TLC, but it's what works for us. :)

The best deals I've found are with coupons on shampoo, deodorant, razors, toothpaste, makeup, hair care products, and frozen/canned/boxed foods.

The best deals I've found with price matching are with produce, meat, and drinks/snacks.

Keep in mind that they only match the same price on the SAME BRAND. And don't forget to bring your ads with you (I circle all of the products I'm price matching) to the check-out or they won't do you any good. :)

If you have any questions please let me know. Sometimes I get to typing and it doesn't make as much sense as it did in my head! So if you are confused at all, just ask. If you don't have a store that price matches, don't get discouraged. Check out last week's post for great coupon sites. You can save LOTS by printing coupons. I only use the Sunday paper and have cut my grocery bill quite a bit. I know you can do the same!

See Week 3!

Labels: couponing, coupons, frugal, saving money

Frugal Friday: COUPONING Week 1 LONG

UPDATE: See Week 2 and 3!!

This might only be a 2 week series, because I'm not sure how much I can teach you about couponing. I am not one of those extreme couponers, or one of those "crazy coupon ladies", but I do like to save money. Today I'm going to show you how I keep my coupons organized.

I am the type that always says "I'm not going to clip coupons to save 25 cents on a name brand when I can get the generic for less". This is so true. Do not waste your time clipping coupons if you are going to the store only to realize the generic is cheaper. I'm not a brand snob, I'll buy the generic of just about anything. However, when you see an ad for toothpaste for $1 and you have a $1 off coupon, you just got toothpaste for free. This is what makes couponing worth while.

Now I'm not going to tell you to buy 87 Sunday papers and stock up on that many boxes of toothpaste. I live in an 800 square foot apartment. We have room for one toothpaste at a time. Again, I'm not an extreme couponer. I only buy things we need. I do not buy things because they are cheap or because they will be free after a rebate. That's just not me.

Anyway... to get started, you need a coupon binder. You could use one of those accordion coupon holders, but they just aren't the same. If you don't want to carry a huge binder to the store with you, try to find a mini. Heck, use a travel photo album. I don't care - just get those suckers organized!

Today we are just going to focus on how to make your coupon binder. One step at a time, right? :) It seems like common sense but sometimes it's just easier if someone breaks it down for you. So here we go!

You will need:

*A Sunday paper (or another newspaper/magazine with coupons in it)

*scissors (unless you want to tear them all..err..not recommended)

*3 ring binder

*baseball card sleeves (I got a pack of 35 at Wal-Mart for $4.88)

*A Marker

*A few pieces of white/scrap cardstock

First, you want to sit down with your newspaper(s). Take out all of the sale ads from the grocery stores, and set them aside (we will talk about this part next week). Then, grab all of the coupons and get to clipping. This should only take about 10 minutes, assuming you don't have any ~~kids~~ interruptions. Now you should have a nice pile of coupons.

You can organize as you are cutting, by putting them into piles. I only shop at one store, so I usually have mine organized by aisles. However, for this tutorial, I made labels by category: dairy, frozen, produce, boxed, canned, snacks, beverages, breads, cleaning supplies, paper goods, misc food, and non-food. Just take the sleeves out and put the coupons on top for now.

Then you need to put the coupons in the sleeves.... obviously... :)

Little dividers were like $5 at Wal-Mart, so I just made my own. Take a piece of card stock and write the different categories down. Use tape to secure to the coupon sleeves.

You can label these by aisle, by section, etc and you can place them in the order you will pass them in the store or you can place them in alphabetical order.

I make my menu for the week (breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks), make my grocery list, and then take the coupons out that I'm going to use during my trip and I put them in an empty sleeve at the beginning of my binder. Most couponers will suggest planning your menus around store ads and coupons, but I am just not that talented yet. :)

Remember how I told you to set aside the store sale ads? We will talk about those next Friday! :)

Here are a ~~few~~ ton of coupon sites that were recommended by friends. I haven't had a chance to start printing coupons out yet, or visiting these sites, but I know they can help you save a LOT of money... so if you have time, visit a few of them. :) Add your own in the comments.

Penny Pinchin' Mom Frugal Fun & Fortune

Smart Source Money Saving Mom

Hip 2 Save Passion For Saving

Coupon Mom The Krazy Coupon Lady

A Full Cup Refund Cents

Pinching Your Pennies Coupons.com

Deal Seeking Mom Clippin' With Carie

Pocket Your Dollars Free Snatcher

Totally Target Couponing 101

Hot Coupon World Maven of Savin'

My Litter Bargains to Bounty

Don't get overwhelmed. This is a really simple process, and believe it or not it can actually be relaxing! Take a few minutes, grab your drink of choice, and clip some coupons. The entire process (menu planning, coupon clipping, etc) won't take more than an hour each week. If you have any questions or need help with getting started, please let me know! I will try to help in any way I can. Next week I will be doing a giveaway and it has to do with COUPONING so be sure to check out my post on Friday. :) Thanks for stopping by -- leave your blog link in the comments and I will try to visit!

UPDATE: Check out Week 2 and 3!!

Labels: couponing, coupons, frugal, links, saving money

April issue of ALL YOU

I always buy this magazine, because it's full of useful stuff. :) Recipes, coupons, and more.

My favorite things about this issue:

Online Freebies

1. Test Preparation -- Get your kids ready for the SAT, AT, or GRE with prep courses, vocab builders, tutorials, and more.

2. Business Classes -- I like How to Prepare a Business Plan and Marketing 101.

3. Language Courses -- I checked this one out today and I really like it. You can practice conversational skills in other language with others, and you can help others learn English as well.

4. Text Messaging -- I have unlimited texts, so I haven't used this, but you can sign up for an online account here and then enter your friend's mobile number and carrier so you can text each other. It won't cost you a thing. If you don't know your friend's carrier, you can use gizmosms.com

5. Books -- You can access more than 5,000 full classis online, just scroll to the bottom of the home page and click "Free Books".

6. Medical Advice

7. Legal Advice

You can enter at allyou.com/giveaways for a chance to win a year's worth of veggies and Hidden Valley salad dressings, a portable iPod dock with LCD monitor, and an HP TouchSmart 600 PC.

Some more freebie links (I haven't checked these out yet):

freebies4mom.com -- A stay-at-home-mom started this blog to share giveaways and sweepstakes she finds.

heyitsfree.net -- This site promises that no listed free sample will require the purchase of something else first, meaning these are actually FREE samples.

freestufftimes.com -- No-cost items from across the Web provides user feedback, to help gauge an offer's value.

Teach Kids Money Smarts (p.85-90) was probably the best read in this issue. I liked the money lessons because they are divided between age groups.

Coupons
Weight Watcher's
$5 off any $10 NYC purchase (makeup) - combine this with a local sales ad and save $$
$2 off any La Cross Beauty tool purchase of $4 or more
$2 off Lubriderm
$3 off Neutrogena Cosmetics
and more

smartsource.com
redplum.com
afullcup.com
coupontom.com
consumerqueen.com
dealseekingmom.com

There's also an article titled "Becoming a couponing pro" that gives a few good ideas. Nothing absolutely amazing, but somewhat helpful at least. :)

Quiz -- Assess your risk for diabetes. You choose the answer to each question and it tells you if your risk is low, medium, or high. It also includes a spread "Eat to beat Diabetes". Helps you choose "this not that". I love that type of thing! :)

There are a pair of boots featured from zappos.com that go up to size 13! :) That is very rare. I wear a size 13 and cannot ever find women's shoes! They're $75, so I wouldn't actually buy them.. haha, but they were cute to look at.

Labels: all you, coupons, freebies

Savings, a goal completed, and a new challenge

I added a goal (#96) to save at least $120.00 with coupons this year. That's only $10 a month. Easy enough. This morning, I saved $15.66. I still have a few things I need to get, and will probably save $5 more! w00t! I'm excited!

How did I do it? By clipping coupons and price matching. If the place I shopped would have offered double coupons, I would have saved even more. I know a lot of places do offer that, so you should look into it! If you didn't know, Wal-Mart offers price matching. That means you bring in a Walgreen's, or Schnucks', or whatever ad and they give the item to you for the lower price. I saved 25 cents on Skittles that way today. :) Oh and I saved 63 cents on soy sauce.

Buy a Sunday Paper, look at the Red Plum ads (go online to redplum.com for more savings), and clip the coupons you need. I actually clip EVERY coupon and send off a few hundred a week. :) I also buy the "ALL YOU" magazine every month. I usually get at least $10 worth of coupons that I can use out of each issue. Plus, they have a lot of great recipes, health tips, etc. Last but not least, look online. Just google "free printable grocery coupons" and you will find some. Don't sign up for anything, or register anywhere, just find the places that let you print the coupons. (Sometimes you'll have to install a coupon printer in your browser.)

I was able to mark off another goal (#94), but didn't get a picture before the kids took off with my knitted dishcloth. I also added another goal to the list (#97): No shampoo.

Yes, that is correct. I'm taking the 6 week no-shampoo challenge. If I like my hair after 6 weeks with no shampoo, I'll stick with it. Shampoo (POO for short) is filled with all sorts of chemicals, and just.. JUNK. Why use it if we don't have to? Now the "no poo" way of life doesn't work for everyone, but it's worth trying out. I'm on day 4 and my hair is lookin a littttle greasy.. but that's to be expected. I have plenty of bandanas on hand if need be. :) I have noticed it's a lot curlier.. I think I can hang!

Oh, and I attempted to make a headband (goal #27) THREE times last night. Failed miserably all three times. Will post pictures when I finally "get" it.

Anyone else make a goal list? I'd like to see yours!!

Labels: challenge, coupons, goals, no poo

Does anyone want these coupons?

I have 60+ coupons I'd like to send to someone. I have them divided evenly and put in two seperate envelopes. Just reply and I'll email you for your address. Most of them expire in February, March, and April. SOME expire on 1/23/10. So, I'd like to mail these out by Friday!! Just leave a comment. Thanks.

Labels: coupons, free

This Page

randomosity

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Deal of the Day: COUPONS!!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

7/2 Deal of the Day - COUPONS!!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Do you Zozi? (DOTD 7/1)

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Deal of the day!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Questions answered about couponing! VLOG!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

My first VLOG on couponing!!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Couponing for Extreme Beginners

Friday, April 22, 2011

Week 3: Couponing

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Quick: Sweet Deal!

Friday, April 15, 2011

HUGE Coupon & Gift Card Giveaway!!!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Frugal Friday: COUPONING Week 2

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Frugal Friday: COUPONING Week 1 LONG

Monday, March 29, 2010

April issue of ALL YOU

Friday, January 22, 2010

Savings, a goal completed, and a new challenge

Monday, January 11, 2010

Does anyone want these coupons?

Contributors

Links

Previous Posts

Archives

This Page

randomosity

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Deal of the Day: COUPONS!!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

7/2 Deal of the Day - COUPONS!!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Do you Zozi? (DOTD 7/1)

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Deal of the day!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Questions answered about couponing! VLOG!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

My first VLOG on couponing!!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Couponing for Extreme Beginners

Friday, April 22, 2011

Week 3: Couponing

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Quick: Sweet Deal!

Friday, April 15, 2011

HUGE Coupon & Gift Card Giveaway!!!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Frugal Friday: COUPONING Week 2

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Frugal Friday: COUPONING Week 1 *LONG*

Monday, March 29, 2010

April issue of ALL YOU

Friday, January 22, 2010

Savings, a goal completed, and a new challenge

Monday, January 11, 2010

Does anyone want these coupons?

Contributors

Links

Previous Posts

Archives

Frugal Friday: COUPONING Week 1 LONG