Extreme Couponing: Coupon Diva Desiraeh

On tonight's episode of Extreme Couponing, our friend Desiraeh will be featured.  You had a chance to ask her some questions, and here are her answers.  Be sure to share your thoughts here, and any questions you have for her after you watch tonight's episode.

Coupon: $2 Off Ribs

Get $2 off pork ribs when you buy KC Masterpiece bbq sauce from grilling.com

Interview With The Couponer: Passionate Penny Pincher

Today we are interviewing Laurie from Passionate Penny Pincher, she has a great site that focuses a lot on the savings to be had at Publix, while still giving a broad grasp of the deals available in many forms and sources.  She also does a great little series on her blog to help us remember to do those little cleaning jobs that seem to so often get swept under the rug.  Laurie is also in my local area, although we have not yet had the pleasure of meeting in person.

The Interview

Julie:  How long have you been couponing? What made you decide to start?
Laurie: I've always been a frugal girl, and even tried couponing when my hubby and I were first married fifteen years ago. Back then I'd always get frustrated because after spending time to clip my coupons, I'd get to the store to find the generic items cheaper than the items with coupons! Five years ago, my best friend introduced me to "super" couponing, and now, thanks to the internet, it's easy to find out what the best prices are and which coupons coincide with the top grocery deals!

Julie: Could you explain what you mean by "super" couponing?
Laurie: I guess before the term "extreme" couponing came out, I learned the term "super" couponing (I'm sure some blogger out there started it!) Basically, it's matching up the sale price with a coupon so that you get the benefit of both!

Julie: What is your grocery budget? How has it changed since you started couponing?
Laurie: Our family spends about $50-$60 each week on groceries. When I first started couponing it was substantially less - maybe $40 a week. But as my family as grown (and my time to spent clipping coupons has become less frequent!), I've chosen not to get every deal in town just to save my sanity.

Julie: That's a relief.  I think new couponers can often get the idea that they just aren't saving enough and can never keep up.  So the idea that someone as involved in couponing as you would "back off" and "slow down" a bit on couponing and even increase her grocery budget, makes me feel better, anyway.


Julie: How large is your family? Are you teaching your children the value of couponing?
Laurie: My husband and I have three children, aged 4, 8, and 11. My kids definitely know the value of a coupon, in fact when I mentioned to my littlest that her Barbie doll might need some clothes on :), she said "nope. . . we don't got a coupon for dat".

Julie: What do you think is the most important thing for new couponers to learn? What one piece of advice do you want to pass on?
Laurie: START SLOWLY. Find out where the best store in your area is to grocery shop at (with coupons), and learn to shop it well. Be patient and remember that just about every item in the store goes on sale every six to twelve weeks!

Julie: You have a great blog, what made you decide to share your coupon knowledge in this way?
Laurie: My husband's dad became very sick about eighteen months ago. While my husband was away taking care of his dad, I couldn't sleep so I stayed up reading coupon blogs all night long. The thing that I didn't see often promoted on blogs was an encouragement to donate inexpensive or free items, as well as ways to create recipes each week that matched up with the sales ad. So, I started Passionate Penny Pincher! (Well, Publix Penny Pincher at the time.) I also wanted a way to earn money to donate to overseas missions, so God just kind of nudged me this way! One half of the proceeds from Passionate Penny Pincher go towards mission work (and the other half is in my kiddo's college fund!)

Julie: Giving is very important for you, how has couponing allowed you to help others?
Laurie: Giving is really just about the only reason I hang in there some days with coupons (and blogging, to be honest!) Our family is incredibly blessed, and thanks to couponing it really isn't even a big deal to give from our abundance. A few years ago our church handed out $100 to several members, and I spent that $100 to get over $600 worth of food, cleaning products, and toiletries to donate to our local food pantry. Being able to make that kind of a donation to others was just amazing, and giving is what has kept me going on days when I wonder if it's worth the time that it takes!

Julie:  Have you watched Extreme Couponing? What are your thoughts about the show? What impact have you seen it having on couponers and couponing?
Laurie: Ughhhhhhh . . . yes I've watched it. My biggest disappointment is that I don't think TLC is accurately portraying couponers . . . and I wish they'd focus more on the true heart of giving that I believe so many couponers have. I am a little frustrated at watching people clear the shelves, because I've found that our family has plenty without ever having to buy dozens of one specific item. I do think there will be an impact in the near future to couponers (as many of us have seen in the grocery stores), however I believe it will be short-lived as people recognize the amount of work that is involved in that kind of "extreme" shopping.

Julie:  any final thoughts you'd like to share?
Laurie: If you're new couponing, don't get overwhelmed! Start slowly, and create a realistic budget for your family. . . then determine to stick to it. Also remember that groceries are one of the few items in your family's budget that you have complete control over. So, decide to pinch a few pennies to see huge savings at the grocery store!

Laurie, as you can see, is pretty awesome. I suggest you take the time to get to know her better by visiting her blog, as well as her Facebook page.

- if you are interested in being interviewed and sharing your couponing story for this series, please just comment or email me (drunkitty2000 at yahoo.com).  You don't need to have a blog of your own to share your story.

Facebook Freebies

There are two new Facebook Freebies today, head over and
"like" Folgers for a free sample of coffee and then go
"like" Quest Bar for a free bar
"like" Ore-Ida Potatoes for a free bag of Sweet Potato Fries

CVS Shopping Trip - 4/26

One thing I'm finding at my CVS stores around my neighborhood (I have 3 within 5 miles of my house) is that if I don't go first thing Sunday morning or right after their trucks come in the middle of the week, (truck days are Wednesday afternoons at my stores)  the shelves are cleared out of the sale items that I want.  Last week, it was the Reach and Aquafresh Kids' toothbrushes and the Aquafresh Kids' Toothpaste.  This week, its the Dove Men's deodorant.  I make sure that I get rainchecks for the items that CVS is out.  The best thing about CVS rainchecks is that they don't expire!  As long as they get those products in before my coupons expire, I'm golden.

My CVS trip this week was small, but successful. 

(2) Clean & Clear Morning Burst Body Washes 16 oz, $5.79
(1) Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Cleanser $6.79

Used:
(1)-B1G1 Clean & Clear body wash, max $5.99, SS 3/27
(2) -$2 off Clean & Clear product printable , printable
$1.99, $0.99, $1.00 ECB from prior trips

Total including tax - $5.82
Savings of $13.77 - That's a 65% savings.  Not as good as some of my past trips, but good enough for me!

EDIT - I also earned a $5 ECB for spending $15 on Clean and Clear products.  And I also received a 25% off your total purchase that expires 4/29. Thanks for the reminder Julie.

Interview With The Couponer: The Coupon Hustler

Morgan from The Coupon Hustler has been gracious enough to let me interview her today.  I think you'll enjoy getting to know her better.

Julie: How long have you been couponing? Why did you decide to start?

Morgan: I started couponing in December of 2005 when my first son was born. I was a teen mom, and we didn't have help from any family, and we lived on our own. Back then, I would use coupons, but I never even thought of matching the coupons to the sales. I eventually realized I was spending more than I was realistically saving! In January 2011, during a period of time both my husband and I found ourselves unemployed, I saw the first episode of Extreme Couponing. Seeing this episode couldn't have come at a better time. It was a daily struggle for me just to buy the store brand laundry detergent, dish soap, shampoo, etc. I thought to myself, "Wow! I never thought of that!" (referring to matching coupons with the sales). I said to my husband that night, "On Sunday, we are going to buy 4 Sunday Papers, we can do this!" I did exactly that, on that following Sunday! I heard about WUC on the show, and went to Nathan's website, along with several other couponing websites and taught myself how to coupon!

Julie: How big is your family? What is your grocery budget? Has your grocery budget changed since you started couponing?

Morgan: My family consists of me, my husband, and my two boys (ages 5 and 3) along with 2 German Shepherd dogs, a Chihuahua, a cat, a California King Snake, 7 Chickens, and 4 Ducks! We have many to feed! My budget is $500 a month for groceries, and $20/month for H&B/Cleaning products. I don't ever purchase garbage bags, and that saves me about $10/month. I buy so many groceries, that I use the grocery bags for garbage bags! I used to spend $250/week on groceries; which in my book is insane! I am buying the same products as before, except now I'm getting the name brands for less than the store brands!

Julie: What is your favorite store to shop at?

Morgan: Personally, my favorite store is Publix. We just moved from FL to TN and in FL there is no coupon doubling. Although, Publix in FL accepts stacked coupons (store coupons combined with MFG coupons for one item); competitors coupons; and of course the Publix Promise. Now, we live where prices of groceries are significantly cheaper, and they double coupons (at Kroger). I haven't been able to find as many deals as I was able to at Publix. Kroger does offer the mega sales, which I believe makes shopping at Kroger worth it!

Julie: What has been your favorite coupon deal?

Morgan: My favorite coupon deal was the 10/$10 Mueller's Pasta deal at Winn Dixie in FL. In February 2011, just a month after starting out, I found a wonderful deal at WD! Mueller's Pasta was on sale for $1, and there was an IP on Mueller's website for $1/1 (which allowed unlimited prints). I printed about 200 coupons and went to three different stores. At the same time, there was a $5/$25 store coupon in the weekly ad, so I separated my pasta, meat, and milk (because of the overage) into about 6 or 7 different transactions! This was when I realized, I CAN do it even though my store doesn't double coupons! I later found a similar, but better deal, at Publix for Mueller's Pasta! It went on sale BOGO (Price for one: $1.43), and I had more of the $1/1 coupons! This time, I had $0.57 overage for every two that I bought. I combined this deal with another favorite of mine, the Purina One Beyond Free or $3/1 cat food (about 30 boxes or so), along with meat, laundry detergent, lysol, etc, and ended my transaction spending $2 and saving over $400!!

Julie: I did that deal at Publix, and it worked out great!.

Julie: Do you stockpile? If so, where do you keep your stockpile? Got any pictures to share?

Morgan: Yes, I do stockpile! Right now, since we just moved out of state, I had to say bye-bye to my refrigerated and frozen stockpile, but as of right now here's a few things in my pantry I have stockpiled the following using coupons: Hunts Tomato Sauce/Paste/Diced Tomatoes, Kraft Homestyle Mac N Cheese, Mueller's Pasta, Kraft BBQ Sauce, Manwich, Cereal, Coca-Cola, Manhatma's Yellow Rice, and Steamfresh Veggies (frozen). In my bathrooms, I have Purina Beyond Cat Food, Dentastix, Kibbles N Bits, Pedigree Dog Food, Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioner, Nivea Body Wash, Dove Body Wash, Rightguard Body Wash, Dove Deodorant, Maalox, Halls Cough Drops, Advil, Aleve, Excedrin, etc.! My food stockpile stays in the pantry and the kitchen, but my H&B stockpile is spread throughout 3 of my bathrooms, and under the kitchen sink! I don't have any pictures at this time. :(

Julie: What made you decide to start a blog? What do you hope to share with your blog?

Morgan: After successfully teaching my neighbor how to coupon, I sought out to teach more people. I am a very resourceful person, and I needed somewhere to share all my good finds, deals, success trips, etc.! My blog is still in the works, but it is new and should be fully loaded by May 2011!

Julie: Congratulations on getting started!

Julie: If you could give one piece of advice to coupon newbies what would it be?

Morgan: I would tell them to start slow! My first month of couponing, I spent way too much at the drug stores, even after coupons! I was going coupon crazy! Get comfortable with the prices at your stores and do the math at home before you go to the store to avoid overspending! Always go with a list!

Get to know Morgan better:
Blog: http://thecouponhustler.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thecouponhustler
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pinksblog

- Would you like to be interviewed and share your couponing story? You don't have to have a blog of your own to share, just comment or email me at drunkitty2000 at yahoo.com and we'll get the interview started.

Sent Hubby to the Store Trip

Since I wasn't feeling well and we needed eggs, I figured it would be smart to go ahead and give hubby my Publix list.  I did take the "stock up" items off the list (except 1) and cut it down to just the things we actually needed. 

Eggs
Yogurt (Voskos on sale 10/$10)
Oranges
Grapefruit
Salad (Publix brand on sale 2/$4)
BIC razors

I wrote in the amounts next to the items corresponding to the number of coupons I was giving him - 10 BIC razors, 3 Voskos yogurt.  He texted me to say that they were out of the BIC razors.  So, I'll have to go back sometimes this week and at least get a raincheck.

He came home to tell me that he's spent the entire $20 I gave him.  How the heck?  He handed me the receipt and the first half was filled with Voskos yogurt.  How many yogurts did you buy?  Well, your list said to get 10!

I really hope I like Voskos yogurt!

So here's what the trip turned out to be....

10 Voskos Yogurt @ 10/$10
- (2) $.75/1 coupons
- (1) B2G1 free coupon
1 Spring salad mix @ 2/$4
18ct Egglands Best Eggs @ $3.49 (I should have specified that the coupon I gave him was best for the 12ct)
- (1) $.35/1 coupon
1 bag Grapefruit @ $3.29
1 bag oranges @ $3.99

= $19.57 +tax

Saving Star - A New Way to Save

I learned about this from Stacie over at Simply CVS, I haven't tried it yet but I'm looking forward to it.

Saving Star is a new website that you can link your savings cards up to.  Saving Star has their own coupons that you can add to your cards (add the coupons to all your cards at once), where Saving Star is really different is that instead of taking the amount off of your total (like typical e-coupons from Cellfire or Shortcuts), SavingStar tracks the savings you earn through them and when you reach $5 you can redeem your savings in the form of an Amazon.com gift card, Paypal credit or other options.  From what I'm seeing, it shouldn't be hard to hit $5 with many of their coupons being in the $1 range.

I signed up and added my CVS, Rite Aid & Kroger card all at one time.  I'll be sure to report back how this works out for me after I've had a chance to earn some savings.

BIC Razor Deal

I'm so glad I've hung on to all those great BIC razor coupons that have come out in the last month.  I've got quite a few thanks to some of the wonderful coupon traders over at WeUseCoupons, and now is the time to use them.

Publix has an awesome deal this week on BIC disposable razors.  They have the 3packs on BOGO for $5.49 (aka $2.75 each).  There have been two great coupons in the last month, 1 for $2 off BIC disposable razors and the other for $3 off BIC disposable razors.  If you have the $3 coupon you'll be making some money, but even the $2 coupon makes for an awesome deal.

Timing on this one couldn't be better as my hubby just loaded the last of his razors into his baggie and our stockpile is now empty!

Great Deal on NatureLuxe at CVS

Last week, I posted about being a BzzAgent for Covergirl NatureLuxe.  Over the weekend, I finally got a chance to try the new Natureluxe Silk foundation and I have to say I like it quite a bit.  I'll be posting a full on review (with pictures) in the next few days, but in the meantime I wanted to share a deal on this product at CVS this week.

CVS is offering you a $2ECB when you buy Covergirl NatureLuxe Foundation this week.  Now, combine that with the $2 coupon (which has been available in the paper as recently as this week, or let me know and I'll send you one) and that makes for a nice deal.

As for a preview of my review, let me just say that Covergirl Natureluxe Silk foundation could easily replace two products I've been using from Clinque (and save me a whole lot of money, in doing so).