Adventures in Couponing

I’ve always been one for finding deals and finding things on sale for what I think is a reasonable price…which basically tends to be more than 40% off of retail price. You’d think this would be hard, but with some time and effort, it’s really not very hard at all. You just need to have PATIENCE, which is something I possess a lot of luckily. :)  I started doing this when shopping for clothes and accessories, but now it has overflowed into my other purchases.

So the past couple of weeks, I have been experimenting with using coupons and finding deals. I’ve built up a small collection of coupons – mostly for things like shampoo, body wash, razors, lotion, toothpaste, makeup, and anything else I frequently buy. I have also been visiting blogs and websites that help you get the most out of your coupons – some of my favorites include The Krazy Coupon Lady and Living Rich with Coupons. With these resources, I have been able to score some incredible deals! Some I even figured out on my own, and it makes me feel like a proud soccer mom!

Now, in order to do this correctly, it takes a lot of time and (again) PATIENCE. You have to spend time planning and looking for sales. Here some things I have learned so far:

·    Stores don’t advertise ALL of their sales. You have to physically GO to the store to see what they have on sale. For instance – I never know what’s on sale in the beauty department at Meijer. They don’t post it on the website and usually only have a page or 2 in the weekly ad. Luckily I live only a couple of miles away!

·    You get the most out of your money when you stack your coupons. Stacking means that you use a manufacturer’s coupon with a store coupon. If you can also find the item on sale, THAT’S when you start getting things for dirt cheap or free. I have a bunch of Meijer coupons to use that I am going to match up with my MFT’s coupons, so I should be getting some really great deals here in the next month.

·    It’s worth it to pay money up front to get rewards back. Here is an example – at CVS this week you can buy Crest toothpaste for $2.77, and you get $2.77 ExtraCare bucks back. Basically that means you are getting the toothpaste for free. You have to pay the $2.77 up front, but you then have $2.77 to spend at CVS on anything you want. You can also use coupons to make it cheaper if you have them! I spent $9.04 at CVS yesterday, and got $7.54 in ExtraCare bucks back. I pretty much got 2 toothpastes, a body wash, and a deodorant for free! (Or $1.50) It would have been cheaper if I didn’t have to pay the sales tax on my sister’s wine she made me get her!

·    It’s worth it to buy 2 or 3 newspapers! Enough said! If you don’t have any other way of getting more than 1 set of coupons, buy more papers! It’s a small investment on big savings! Plus you can donate or recycle the coupons you don’t use. The school I work at collects discarded coupons for soldiers. I have been bringing all of my unused or extra coupons in to donate. Find someplace that does that!

Want to know some of the things I have been getting? You may not believe me when I show/tell you, but I have the receipts to prove it!

My favorite deal so far I got last week at CVS. I’ve never been much of a CVS or Walgreens shopper before last week, but after finding out the deals I could get, I have drastically changed my shopping habits. I would go in there occasionally, but it always seemed like their prices were higher than Target or Meijer. Coupons have definitely changed my feelings on that!

So last week they had a “buy $15 worth of Clean & Clear products, get $5 ExtraCare bucks” deal going on. I remembered that I had a BOGO Free coupon for Clean & Clear body wash – which sells for $5.99 there. I also live on Clean & Clear Oil sheets, so that was my third product – all 3 costing $17.97 before tax. I used my BOGO Free coupon, so there went $5.99. I also used two $2 off 1 Clean & Clear product, and one $1 off 1 Clean and Clear product. I had $5 ExtraCare bucks from a previous purchase too. I paid a whopping $1.98 before tax, and I also got a $5 ExtraCare bucks. I MADE MONEY! This deal I came up with all on my own – I didn’t see anyone else on any websites doing this.

Yesterday I went to Family Dollar armed with my Reach toothbrush coupons and also a $1 off Febreze coupon. I got 4 toothbrushes and a full size bottle of Febreze for $1.88. Here’s a rundown:

BOUGHT:
4 Reach toothbrushes @ $1 each

1 Febreze Thai Dragon Fruit fabric refresher @ $2.50

COUPONS:

2 - $2 off 2 Reach toothbrushes

1 - $1 off any Febreze product

Now, I understand that I don’t really have a need for 4 toothbrushes. The best part about this whole experiment is that I am going to donate whatever I don’t use. I am going to keep using my coupons and finding deals, and whatever I have at the end of the year that I don’t need or don’t plan on using will be donated. My aunt collects travel sized products and purses to donate to her church, where they fill the purses with products and give them to needy or homeless women. My sister and I have been helping her out with the collection the past 2 years, and I can’t wait until she sees how much stuff I am going to have for her this year! I was also thinking about making care packages for US Soldiers (like the crazy man on Extreme Couponing!) if I can come up with enough stuff. I don’t really have anywhere to “stockpile”, so a little at a time with have to do for now.

I know it’s nerdy, but I am really excited for this! It’s a good experiment and in the end it will help out people who need it. Does anyone else do this? (Or just soccer moms? LOL)

The Heidelberg Project - Detroit, MI

This week I had the amazing experience of visiting the Heidelburg Project in Detroit. I have been there before a handful of times, but never able to walk around and really look at all of the installations (which by the way, are ALWAYS changing!). My experiences there consist of driving down the road at 3am after being at the bar all night, getting creeped out by all of the baby heads and mannequins. You don't get to appreciate it in that light. If you have no clue what I am talking about, here is an excerpt from the website:

"The Heidelberg Project is art, energy, and community. It’s an open-air art environment in the heart of an urban community on Detroit’s East Side. Tyree Guyton, founder and artistic director, uses everyday, discarded objects to create a two block area full of color, symbolism, and intrigue. Now in its 25th year, the Heidelberg Project is recognized around the world as a demonstration of the power of creativity to transform lives.
The Heidelberg Project offers a forum for ideas, a seed of hope, and a bright vision for the future. It's about taking a stand to save forgotten neighborhoods. It's about helping people think outside the box and it's about offering solutions. It's about healing communities through art - and it's working!"

It's really an incredible place. The second graders that we took were just dazzled by the whole thing. They had been learning about it all year. I took some incredible pictures, which will be posted when I edit them over the weekend. For now, here are some beautiful pictures that our art teacher Tina took!

 

I took a lot of pictures of the houses and art - look for that later this weekend!

Good tunes

LOVE this song!! Do you like it?

Shout Out!

I've been feeling awfully lonely lately...maybe it's all the time by myself with the dog monsters...

Don't get me wrong, they are great dogs!! I love them to pieces. Just would like some human company. Which leads me to the reason for this post - you see, I thought NOBODY read my blog. I just thought I would blog anyway, in hopes of someone one day reading it. But lately I found out that my very best friends read it! And I didn't KNOW! So shout outs to Becca and Tabs, I love you guys! Thanks for reading my blog and making me feel loved, and being the greatest friends I could ever ask for.

Spring Break

So I fully intended to finish my Favorites week posts, but fell short (yet again). This week is our Spring Break and I have a whole 10 days off! I planned to rid my room of half of my belongings, clean out my bathroom closet, draw and paint to my heart's desire, and spend lots of time writing blogs. But that plan got completely scratched when I got asked to dog-sit! So I am living about 15 minutes away from my house with 2 French Bulldogs for the week! It's been fun so far...but I have no internet! I found a wireless signal but it won't work even though you don't need a password to join it. I will be going home occasionally, so I plan to update then! I am sure I will have plenty of stories :)

Anyone else have any unexpected plans this week??

Favorite Books

I’ll admit it… I love the Twilight series. You can’t really judge unless you have read all of the books, because I think that the books are a million times better than the movies. Not that I don’t enjoy me some Jasper Cullen in the movies, though! I have, however, read many other books as well. I tend to enjoy biographies and other books that tell true stories. I also like to read mysteries and sci-fi books. I’m all over the board when it comes to books. Here are some books that have stuck with me over the years.

Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card

When I read this book, I could not put it down! I saw it many times in the past, but never thought I would enjoy it, even though it always came up as a recommendation for me on Amazon. It takes place in a future after the world has been attacked by an alien species (called “Buggers”) and is preparing for a third invasion. The children of Earth are picked and trained early to be soldiers in an army to fight off the third attack. Ender Wiggins turns out to be a special kid whose genius proves to be useful. He is the star at Battle School, and his skills earn him important missions. If you haven’t read Ender’s game, I suggest reading it! I am not really into sci-fi movies or anything, but this book is very well written and irresistible. I loved the character of Ender and his wisdom beyond his years.

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

I guess I never knew how much I liked science fiction books until I compiled my list of favorites. Here is another book that I absolutely adored. This book was heartbreaking and empowering all at the same time. I found myself getting angry at the characters at times, and when a book can pull those emotions from you, you’ve got a great book. I liked the whole trilogy, but I think that the original book was my favorite. Every book was great, though. This book is about a post-apocalyptic world where a central government (called “The Capitol”) is ruling over all of the 12 other districts. Katniss Everdeen is a 16-year-old girl who lives in District 12, the poorest district. Every year, the Capitol picks two people from each district to compete in the Hunger Games, a televised “reality show” of sorts where the contestants fight until the death. At the end, there can only be one winner. If you haven’t read this trilogy – GO GET IT!

 

Tweak – Nic Sheff

I always think about this book from time to time because the ending is a bit unsettling. At the end of the book, Nic is doing well, but you don’t know how he is doing today. This book is pretty self-explanatory. It’s an autobiography written by Nic Sheff, who struggles with drug addiction. His story is unbelievable at times, but if you have known anyone who is a drug addict, you can easily imagine how things could get so bad. My best friend was a drug addict, and he had a lot of similarities to Nic. Luckily Nic was still alive at the end of his story – my best friend was not as lucky. I always wonder about Nic and how he is doing. He closed his blog a couple years ago, and I haven’t been able to find out much since then. This book is not for everyone, but I know that it really resonated with myself.

Jesus Land (A Memoir) - Julia Scheeres

This was a wonderfully written book about Julia's life - from a child in the Midwest through her teenage years. Julia has an adopted brother named David. It was interesting to me how differently the two kids were treated. Julia's mother is extremely religious and ends up sending David and Julia to a Christian boot camp in the Caribbean. She writes about her struggles throughout the years, and amazingly comes out of all of it sane. I bought this book on a whim in Toronto - it was on the sale rack for $4.99. It was well worth every penny spent and more.

Favorite Beauty Products

My skin has always been more of a burden than a blessing. You name it, I probably struggle with it: oily skin, dry skin, acne, and sensitive skin…sometimes I even deal with them all on a daily basis. So you can imagine that I have tried dozens of beauty products over the years, and I have. Here are some of the things that I can’t seem to go a day without…

Up & Up Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes (Target Brand)

I have tried soooo many face washes over the years, but recently I have discovered that using a disposable facial cloth keeps my skin breakout free.  Cleansers I’ve used in the past have left residue on my skin, and they also failed to take off all of my makeup. Cleansing cloths are so easy – you just clean your face, then toss them when you feel like it’s clean! I’ve never had better results with cleaning my face. They also help clear away dead skin cells. Oh yeah, did I mention that they are CHEAP?? I’m sure there are many different brands out there, but the Target brand seems to do the trick for me.

Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets

Let’s be honest – I have no idea how I got through the day without these before they were invented. I think I may have applied layers and layers of powder…but I know that I cannot go ANYWHERE without these. They are perfect for any time of day. Whenever you feel your face getting shiny or oily, just pull one out and blot. You will be disgusted by how much oil you see on the sheets, but it gets it off of your face! (Which I feel is a whole lot better than it being ON your face.) If you have any problems with oily skin whatsoever, I recommend you buy these. They make me feel a lot better about having to deal with my oily skin.

Bare Minerals – Warmth

Usually in the summer I like to use bare minerals because it feels lighter on my skin than liquid foundation feels. When I bought the starter kit last year, it came with an all-over color called “Warmth”. It’s like a bronzer, but has no shine to it. I love it because it looks very natural, and you can layer it to get the look you want. I have been using it ever since I discovered it. You can use it on your body or neck area to blend your make-up in if you need to. It’s a bit pricey, but a little bit goes a very long way.

Burts Bees Chapstick

 

 I am a big fan of chapstick, and I’ve literally tried every kind there is. I have a hard time finding anything better than Burt’s Bees for the same price. If you want to get fancy and buy something 3x’s the price, then you might find something better. But if you only want to shell out a couple bucks to make your lips feel good – invest in Burt’s! It has a wonderful cooling sensation when you put it on, and it stays on your lips for a very long time. Plus your tube will last you months – as long as you don’t lose it! 

Tune in tomorrow for some of my favorite books! YAY!