Going down the aisles of the grocery store can be disheartening to say the least.  Packaging and sizes of food containers have all decreased.  At some point when costs increased, food companies decided to decrease the amount of food in each package rather than increase the cost of the package.  I see it everywhere with all foods – organic, fresh dairy, cereals etc.

Does anyone remember the days of 16oz(1lb) Nestle Toll House Morsels?  Now you’ll get a package of 10oz-12oz.  Oreos used to be a 16oz package and Ritz and Triscuit crackers weren’t 9oz’s either.  Those days are gone and will not be returning.

Saving money on your weekly shopping for food and toiletries has never been more important!  Not every family can afford to put aside 6-12 months of cash for bills in the event of an emergency as Suzie Orman and Dave Ramsey would have us do, but we can afford to stockpile food and toiletries and cut our expenses in very real ways from week to week.  I have a close friend that is a fellow “extreme couponer” (as am I) and she tracked her savings and couponing expenses for the last 6 months of 2010.  She saved $7,000.00 in food and toiletries with coupons and sales and spent $275.00 in ink for printing coupons from her printer and $128.00 in the purchase of Sunday newspapers to obtain coupons.  She has a stockpile of food and personal care items that would last her family for many months and she only purchases items for her stickpile when they are FREE or at a bottom basement bargain prices.  So even with the increased cost of ink and purchasing Sunday newspapers for coupons she saved $money, built up her stockpile, and decreased her weekly food and toiletries bill.

Some of the couponers on this blog are newbies and are wondering about the nitty gritty details of couponing. It does take a little bit of time, but like a new job, once you get the hang of it, in 6 months it will seem easy and you’ll spend less time couponing as you become a pro – you’ll also increase your savings from about 50% up to 75%!  Commit to never paying full price for anything, cutting your weekly expenses, and doing the things with your money that you’d like to do for your family.  Keep couponing and thanks for reading!  We love to hear your stories!

Ok – here is a yummy offer priced just right….. I found a promo code for the popcorn factory which makes many of their items half price!!! The VAL10 promo code made this Monkey bucket of pretzels just $4.99!  Nice Price!  They had other gifts too that when paired with the promo code were very affordable (and delicious)! This mailbox tin filled with candy and the plush lion is just $4.99.  Good deal! You have to pick 1 promo code or the other (I tried doing them both together but it wouldn’t work – hey it was worth a try!).

You can even send a FREE 144 character message with your order.

Receive $10 off your order, no minimum. Use code: VAL10

Receive 15% off your order, no minimum. Use code: VAL15

What a Great gift to give!! I Love the Cheese Popcorn!!!

Think Valentine’s Day!

Here is a nice deal from Groupon!  Today’s Groupon is in Ocala, Florida but you don’t have to live there to get in on this sweet deal….. (its an online deal and is available for anyone – anywhere!) Its a half price coupon for Bath & Body Works!  This Groupon will be great to score for some really cheap goodies at Bath & Body Works for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day!  Make sure you’re always thinking ahead so you aren’t caught “needing” a gift because that is when you’ll get stuck paying full price!

Here is the fine Print for this deal in Ocala, Florida:

The Fine Print

• Expires Apr 27, 2011
• Limit 1 per person. Limit 1 per order. Online only. Not valid on previous purchases. Must use in 1 order, no cash back. Tax and shipping not included.

Click here to find the Best Daily Deal in Your Neighborhood! Then find Ocala, Florida!

Think Valentine’s Day!

Gerber is having a 7 Day Giveaway on several of Gerber items. You must go here to “like” them to get in on the giveaway. You can also print out some coupons:

$1./1 coupon for Gerber onesies
$5./$25.00 purchase of Gerber apparel or bedding
$1./1 coupon for Gerber Sleep N’ Play or Gown

You can also enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win a FREE house cleaning by Merry Maids for one year!! Who wouldn’t Love that!!

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Each year on the first Friday in February, thousands of dentists and their dental team members provide free oral health care services to children from low-income families across the country. (While the first Friday of February is the recommended event date, Give Kids A Smile programs can be successfully conducted during any month of the year. Some dentists may choose to pick another date that is more convenient to their schedule.)

Go here to sign up with the ADA and find the dates and times that this is happening in your area.

If you live in the North, then you should definitely get this FREE sample. The weather this year has been so crazy.  Here in Florida one day its 78 degrees, the next is 40 degrees. It’s hard to stay healthy. Emergen-C is trying to help with this Free sample so Stay Healthy!!