Week 3/4 $tart $aving w/Coupons

I posted this on my Blogger blog and it has pictures–so if you need the visual check out http://joyfulmombaude.blogspot.com/2012_05_01_archive.html and you should get there.

This is exciting isn’t it!  I have had a few of you come and tell me how much you saved without too much planning!  One Mom spent the $75 at Dominicks and was happy to get her $10 catalina, another Mom was upset that it was a light week for paper coupons, and the best story was how a Mom and Dad had a free lunch out.  Now just think of the savings if a little more time was spent planning each week!

 

This week’s Assignment 3:

 

1.  Where do you find your coupons?  I do not go to extremes to get my coupons.  I have my Dominicks card registered and they have coupons that I can load right onto my card.  I also get the Sunday paper and I swap coupons with other friends.  If I need granola bar coupons and I know that they came in the paper I will send out a email or text to my friends and ask them to save them for me–if they aren’t using them.  It helps to have friends that are in a different season of life . . . the Grandma next door may not need her coupons!  I do go online see LINK. for coupons as well.

 

This week Dominicks online coupons has a Free Starbucks drink and the paper coupons has the same coupon–so by the end of it all I will see how many free Starbucks drinks I can get.

 

2.  Catalina’s.  A catalina is the paper coupon that comes printed out with your receipt.  A catalina can be a coupon like the $10 ones you get when you spend the $75 or if you buy a certain number of things you get a smaller denomination coupon amount.  These are like cash–you can use them for anything that you buy in the store.  Catalina’s also give you information on future deals–if you buy 4 Kraft cheeses you will get $3 in catalina cash, 6 cheeses will yield a $4 catalin cash–it gives the date of when these “deals” will be available.

 

A few weeks ago I bought bogof cheese and for each 4 packages of cheese that I bought I received $3 in catalina cash.  So I went through the self check and bought 4  packages of cheese for $7.98 and earned a save $3 off my next order.  I used it immediately to buy 4 more packages of cheese at $7.98 (50% off) and then save another $3 on that order–4 bags of cheese for $4.98.  The reason I went through self checkout is so that I’m not annoying the cashier and if I wanted to use my catalinas to buy more cheese right away, I find it easier that to try and explain what I’m doing to the cashier.  Some friends are more understanding than others.

 

I found out by accident that it was on ALL Kraft items and there were a ton of Kraft products bogof that week.  So I went home and found all my coupons and asked friends for their coupons and went back.  This time I just went through the self check out a bunch of times and held on to all of the catalinas like my own money and used them all at once on a bigger order.  Afterall I was already saving 50% off on the cheese, cream cheese and milkbites!

 

IMPORTANT:  When earning a catalina–you must buy EXACTLY what it says or it won’t work.  If the deal is buy 4 of a certain item that is what needs to happen.  No mixing and matching.  Sometimes you only earn one per trip through the checkout.  Using the example above, if I bought 8 cheese all at once I would get the 50% off but I may only get one catalina printed.  By separating my order I get $6 back and not just $3.

 

IMPORTANT AGAIN:  Make sure the machine is working!  If you have a deal that you are working hard to get make sure that the green light is going or ask the cashier if it is working.

 

Another calalina deal is Hallmark cards.  If you buy 3 cards you get $5 off your next shopping order.  I rarely buy cards but if I do I try to buy them in 3’s when this deal is going one.

 

3.  When the cashier hands you catalinas always look at them.  I have received several $20 coupons for shutterfly.  I simple open my account and put the code in and my account shows a credit.  Now that I have a credit I need to find time to download my photos, print them off and then do something with them.

 

Target had it’s own catalinas.  Again, make sure that you look at them.  I often have a catalina coupon for a Gift Card if I fill a prescription at Target–Strep Throat x 4 kids and an ear infection or two and I have a nice little stockpile of Target gift cards.  I often keep these and give them as teacher gifts.

 

Good Luck this week–here’s hoping that you will get a surprise catlina!

“Teacher/Boss” for the Day

When we began homeschooling we had some rocky days.  I had the idea in my head that my kids needed to learn a boatload of things each day–no matter what.  I needed to teach and they needed to learn–there was a disconnect on several different levels.

 

After a while I learned that

  • kids love learning
  • kids love to explore
  • kids love to be read to
  • kids love working things out
  • kids love being the “boss”

So I took “being the boss” to heart and I let them be the “teacher” for a day.  I helped them organize their day which included the lessons, snack time, lunch, dinner and of course dessert!  We spent one day organizing the next day–because some days are like that aren’t they.  I love Donna Young’s website donnayoung.org that includes lots of ways to plan just about everything so we used a few DY pages to help them succeed.

I let each kid “teach” one day when they “needed” it.  Some kids just need the boost of being Number 1.  Some kids need an eye opening experience of what it takes to make it all happen–it usually gives them a new appreciation for what parents do all day.  Allowing them to plan and take responsibility for the day may look like a simple task for them but they soon realize there is more to getting through the day.  I let them handle conflicts as well and I’m often surprised at the way they use their problem solving skills.

At the end of the day the “Boss” is usually more than happy to give up the role of parent and be a kid again.

Quiet Time

Our family went “up north” almost all the time when I was little.  The cabin was built by my Dad before I was born.

I wonder if “100 Acre Joe” had any idea of the other men and boys named Joe and Joseph that would come spend time and fish in the same spots he had.

I wonder if he knew that his daughter and granddaughters would wipe down the walls that he built?

I wonder if he looked at us in amazement and wonder?

I go to the cabin for the QUIET and PEACEFULNESS.  I go to the cabin to just be.  I go to the cabin to unplug and think.  I love watching the kids play and splash.  I wish I could pack that and bring it back home.

Thank you God for my Dad–for life and for the cabin.