So here is my “Black Friday 2009 Survival Guide”:

1) Know your rules : What time does each store open?  What is their location?  How MANY of the items you want are “in stock” or “guaranteed”?

2) Make a List : Sit down with your ads and make a list of the items you want and organize them by store.  TAKE THE PAPERS with you!  Sometimes you will have to ask store associates where an item is and its much easier to SHOW them the ad than to have to “ask” about “something in the ad”.  A lot of the BF help is NEW.

3) Map out a plan : Check times and “deals” and make a plan of attack.  It is often good to find yourself in the center hub of shopping which has MOST of your bargains in one place.  Yes there may be more parking issues but there is less travel time!

4) Scope out your stores : we often go the day BEFORE thanksgiving to get a lay of the land, take inventory etc.  Although some of the door busters may not yet be “on the floor” you will often be able to see HOW things are organized.  If you see that there is only ONE Wii system then its a safe assumption that you may want to find an alternative location to try and get a deal!

5) Prioritize:  Will you be wanting a HOT item such as a cheap TV or game system?  Is that item higher on your list than say the $3 fleece blanket?  Make your list according to opening time of the store and priority of the item you want.  This year there is ONE big purchase on our list so no matter WHAT TIME that store opens… we will be at IT regardless of other store’s opening times.

6) Dress to shop: Wear comfortable easy clothing, IN LAYERS!  As the sun comes up the temperature will change and you don’t want to be caught in a store that is 100 degrees with polar fleece from head to toe!  For me my standard uniform is:  yoga pants, t-shirt with a sweatshirt or fleece jacket over top, fleece headband, gloves, coat (for standing in line), pony tail and most of all:  TENNIS SHOES!  Yes those cute little clogs are easy to slip on but they are not good for running 2 miles to your car or supporting your feet for the long shopping day ahead!

7) Be safe : I do NOT take my kids with me.  I am too focused (or distracted however you look at it!) to try and keep my eye on them!  There are too many people and too much commotion.  You should ALSO consider keep your wallet either in your back pocket (for the guys) or in a messenger bag instead of a PURSE (for the ladies).  It is REALLY easy to loose track of your purse in a buggy or crowd.

Consider shopping with a GIFT card or single use debit card:  I try to NOT carry cash (in case its stolen) and NOT my debit card either (for the same reason).  I shop with a debit card that only has XX amount of dollars on it so even if someone gets my card they will only be able to empty a certain amount of money!

9)   Take a BLANKET to put over your purchases in the back of your car.  It may work double duty when you are freezing your butt off in the line!!  LOL  OR if you have a trunk that is not visible, consider also locking the “trunk only” lock that most cars include for valet. (our Honda Accord had a separate lock for the trunk beside the driver seat).  Sad but true, there are MANY thefts that are “crimes of opportunity” from someone having seen an item in the back window of your car.

10) Be AWARE : BF is a thief’s playground.  Watch your carts, purses, cars, etc.  Also be careful walking to and from stores in the pitch black!

11) Take a friend : Seriously, having a shopping partner is critical!  You can split up to get double the deals.  They can watch your back and you theirs.  Troy and I will be shopping one set of stores and my parents another.  We each have OUR lists and THEIR lists.  We will make sure to call each other to check in and check off our lists what the other has been able to acquire!

12) If you are unable to get a shopping cart : GO FOR A LAUNDRY basket.  You don’t have to buy it but at least it is a means to put your stuff in it and drag it around!  Lots of times shopping carts get in the way!  For the stores in which I will only be going for small items like DVD’s, books, games, I will be taking a re-usable boat and tote bag so I don’t even have to STOP at the cart!

13) Check online : So say you want the BIG TV that Target only guarantees to have FIVE in stock… check online!  Many time there will be 50 times the stock online and shipping may cheap or even free!  You may be able to totally avoid the lines by shopping online during the Doorbuster hours!

14) Pack a thermos of coffee or hot chocolate and a snack.  Not only will you waste precious time standing in line at Starbucks but once your mid morning slump hits and you have been awake for 5 hours already – you will not think of the repercussions of your 4th cup of $7 coffee but your BANK account will!!  We usually pack a smaller cooler – 6 or so cans of soda, and a few little snacks.  During a shopping bag drop its easy to chug a coke and granola bar and be on your way to another store!  Time IS money on BF!!!

15) Can’t find something you direly WANT? : Look around the checkouts or down the aisles.  Lots of people do the “grab and run” philosophy and will make their final decisions while waiting in line.  LOTS of items get discarded at the checkouts!

16) Check out ANYWHERE you can : Walmart has checkouts in odd places that will often allow you to check out THERE without waiting in the main lines.  Electronics, seasonal, jewelry and even HUNTING!  (yes I have checked out with TOYS in hunting before!).  Don’t be afraid to ask… all they can say is NO…

17) Last but not least : ENJOY BF in the SPIRIT of Christmas. You will attract more flies with honey!  Make sure to tell your cashiers how much you appreciate their hard work and be KIND to those around you.  I anticipate that this year’s Black Friday will be the largest in a few years due to the economy.  Everyone is stressed to the max and desperate to save money and make the holiday special.  Be understanding with those around you and if for some reason someone gets snippy… just SMILE and say “Happy Holidays” and move on.  You never know what their life circumstances are that lead them to be snippy.Recent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• November 30, 2009 -- We came, we saw, we conquered!
• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• November 1, 2009 -- What does 20 cents look like to you??
• October 13, 2009 -- 11 weeks and counting (’till Christmas of course!)
• October 12, 2009 -- Preppy Pumpkins

7 Weeks Till Christmas: Organize Your Family’s Holiday Calendar

Photo: Country Living

1. Write down some descriptive words. Take a few minutes before the craziness of the holidays sets in and physically write down what the holidays should MEAN to you.  What do you WANT the holidays to be above the presents and lights?  It doesn’t matter what Martha Stewart’s Christmas scene looks like if its not what is best for YOUR FAMILY.  For us I came up with the following:

I want Christmas to be: Warm, Comfortable, Happy, Magicaly, Sentimental, Special and a Spiritual Experience.

2. Update your Calendar. Go to your calendar NOW.  Write down all of the events that you have for your kid’s schools, activities, church, plays etc.  Get it all down on paper so you can reference it and not overbook yourself.  Now… research the things you WANT to do to make your holiday “word wishes” come true.  Is there are special play or ballet you make a day of?  For us, in our family, we MAKE time to go to the living nativity Walk Through Bethlehem, at our church.  We also love to go to the Southern Lights and this year I am DYING to do a Cookie Exchange (a la my friend Ali!!!  She did one last year and it was one of the best experiences of my entire holiday!).  So those are things I will carefully map out to make sure that we have time for them!

3. Evaluate your Commitments. Is there is enough WHITE SPACE on your calendar to leave time for you to ENJOY the holidays?

4. List the rest of your priorities. Nothing like “get in the car and flee the city to the beach!”.  For me these are my other priorities.  Schedule “family” Christmas time for each of our families and extended families.  Yes this may take some balancing but its worth it for my kids to know that they are loved and to feel the warmth of the season that I remember so well from being a kid!  Bake Cookies!  A LOT of cookies!  Namely like 100 dozen!   We bake from the minute Thanksgiving dinner is over until after New Year’s brunch.  Make and Take Christmas gifts to Ky’s doctors.  Sleep in on New Year’s Day.  Have brunch with family on New Year’s.  Drive around and look at Christmas lights while the kids eat cookies and drink hot chocolate.  Play in the snow.  Just PLAY.  Work a puzzle.  Make Monkey bread!

5. Smile, Laugh, Relax. Don’t force yourself to be so BUSY enjoying the holidays that you forget to ENJOY them.  It does happen so remember to slow down, sit back and feel the magic!

For the full article and to see more great tips on organizing your Holiday Schedule visit SimpleMom.netRecent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• November 7, 2009 -- 8 weeks til Christmas
• October 28, 2009 -- 9 weeks until Christmas…
• October 13, 2009 -- 11 weeks and counting (’till Christmas of course!)
• November 9, 2009 -- HOT DEAL- FREE photo Christmas cards!!!
• October 19, 2009 -- 10 weeks ’til Christmas (prozac anyone?)

This is what it looks like to us!  In truth… the Krusteaz company actually PAID us to shop and take home their product.  In total Troy paid (OOP) $0.20.  Then he received back $5 in Catalina rewards.  He used two $1 cats to pay.  All told we profited $2.80 on this trip.  This is a prime example of how to reduce your out of pocket costs on your grocery bill.  Sometimes you need to buy things you DON’T want to GET the things you DO want cheap or free!  Did I need Krusteaz pancake / waffle mix?  Well yeah… the first ten boxes!  But I think, all told, we have something like 55 boxes now.  The overage was used to pay for the saltine crackers (which we go through a TON of with peanut butter and soups in the winter) and chex mix.  This week the catalina’s will buy our produce and milk, further reducing our grocery bill.  In total we SAVED 102% on our grocery bill!  Can’t beat that with a stick right?

This is what we got:

25- Bumblee Tuna, 10 Krusteaz Pancake Mixes, 4 Zesta Saltine Crackers, 2 Chex Mix, 1 can of Hormel Chili

So… how did we do it?  Here’s the scenario:

Buy 2 Krusteaz mixes get $1 Catalina.  (normally these would be a “or more” cat but this week it is NOT… therefore if you buy 10 Krusteaz to make the “Buy 10 get $5 sale” the cat will spit out FIVE $1 Cats instead of one!”).

• Buy 10 Krusteaz @ $1.17 each- $11.70
• Use 10 $0.50/1 Krusteaz (10/11 RP – i think… I know it was 10/11 not sure SS or RP) doubles to $10 off
• OOP $1.17 Receive back $5 in Cats from Krusteaz.  Profit of $3.83!!

Also the Bumblee Tuna Evelopes are producing overage! Here’s how:

• Buy 10 Bumblebee Tuna Envelopes @ $0.49 each
• Use 10 $0.55/1 (does not double) = $0.06 overage on EACH
• or $0.60 profit on the total of 10

Overage was used to pay for the Saltine’s $0.99 each (cheapest I have ever seen this brand!) and the chex mix ($0.49 each).  The hormel chili was FREE with the purchase of 2 zesta saltines (via a tearpad coupon someone sent me in a trade!).

Better yet!  The mega sale at Kroger is STILL ON this week!  Take these scenarios and run with them!  I hope you get tons of great deals!  I may be trading for more Q’s as this is just too good to pass up!  The Ronnie House looks to be getting a LARGE donation of Krusteaz soon!  LOLRecent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• April 21, 2010 -- FREE Scentsy!
• January 12, 2010 -- Coming Home!
• January 5, 2010 -- New Year’s Resolution: ADD Magazines to your list of things NOT to pay for in the new year!
• November 24, 2009 -- Be Still my heart… (er.. nose)
• November 22, 2009 -- Making Peace…

Hosted by Simple Mom… check out her blog for the FULL story!

This week’s project is GATHER YOUR ADDRESSES for your Christmas Cards.  NO!  It is NOT too early.  Doing these little things in ADVANCE saves you when you NEED to be doing things like baking etc.

Some places to FIND your card addresses are:

• your wedding mailing list
• university and/or sorority alumni databases
• church directories
• your kids’ school directories
• Facebook

A great way to compile these and save time on the addressing is to make your list in a simple Excel or Open Office spreadsheet.  When the time comes around you can print your addresses on white mailing labels, stick on the envie and poof… done!  You could even print those addresses NOW and file them away for a later date.  To break up some of the cost right AT the holidays you could EVEN buy the stamps NOW, place them and the printed labels in a file folder and all you have to do later is get the cards… I am going to try and achieve this goal this week…

Then you must decide WHAT type of Christmas Card to create!  Decisions, decisions… Will it be a photo greeting or just something cute off the sale aisle?  Depending on budget you can personalize ANY old card by sticking a photo of your family or a family newsletter inside.   You could even go GREEN and do no hardcopy cards at all!  Go to an E-greeting for your family and friends.  This year we will be doing a combo.  Since yours truly, is a photographer, I might be the black sheep of all my amazing photog friends if I did not send a REAL card… so I will do both a printed card and an e-card!  Its the best of both worlds   Whatever you want to do, decide now.  Most photographers have a cutoff date of late October for professional card and it may take you a trip to SEVERAL store to find that perfect pre-made greeting card.  Start now to reduce stress LATER!

For more great ideas on organizing your holiday card sending and great ideas for FRUGAL, CREATIVE Holiday cards, hop on over to Simple Mom.

Recent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• November 7, 2009 -- 8 weeks til Christmas
• November 16, 2009 -- 6 weeks till Christmas!!!
• November 9, 2009 -- HOT DEAL- FREE photo Christmas cards!!!
• November 8, 2009 -- Christmas Card Preview!

Last year I did THESE:

directions at Good Houskeeping.com

This year I am wanting polka dots… I am still on the polka dot kick and I love PAINT.  If I am going to put the effort into a pumpkin I am thinking a FOAM pumpkin is the way to go that way I can use it AGAIN next year!  I did a door arrangement last year and I still love it.  Thus its on my door again this year!  It was so easy to just get that sucker out of a box and hang it that I think I could get used to this!

I LOVE these:

Jennifer over at Half Full Martini Makes these!!!  I mean really could they be any cuter?

This is more elegant:

This arrangement comes from Holly at Holly Mathis Interiors

I am smitten with the white pumpkins and black dots!

OR how about these pumpkin house numbers??  O… my… word… I wish I had a big huge house with columns (not really… I am perfectly happy with our house… we have made it our own now!)… imagine these stacked on a big southern wrap-around porch? Or my mom’s maybe?! (hey mom!!!!!!!!………..)

From Sunset

But THESE I love the most!  They are of COURSE Martha Stewart! I have decided that I am a closet Martha Stewart.  I am too busy to be as organized as put together as her but I aspire!  LOL I still have to thank Ali, my domestic diva friend! She awakened the sleeping giant in me last year with her Cookie Exchange!

I couldn’t find these on her website any more.  I actually found the pic on Mrs. Delightful’s blog.

I just LOVE the way they glow and are so warm.  Makes me smile There is something so elegant yet homey. Its just PERFECT!

I have also been saving Ky’s formula cans to make these:

Idea from Woman’s Day.com

I usually like “fall” decor that way I can leave it up until my Christmas stuff goes up.  I think these are “fallish” enough without being “Halloween” to keep out until Thanksgiving.  I am so excited!  Now if only Owen’s trip to the pumpkin patch would hurry!  Actually we will be buying $3 Pumpkins at Meijer or somewhere because I am SURE they will be outrageous at the Pumpkin patch but I cannot wait to get some pics.  I need to take the kids pics for fall / Christmas cards *yes I am already planning* / Christmas gifts.  Hopefully they will cooperate.

As a PS… and a Kyleigh update: we will see her urologist SOON.  She has had an infection brewing and we have manage to scathe it off for a few weeks now but alas we failed this weekend and the infection took over.  Now we get to do the whole culture, blood, etc.  Considering the kid is getting DAILY antibiotics straight into her bladder I have NO idea how she gets infections!  I am worried that she is building a resistance to the abx.  I will try not to worry until we talk to Alam.

PPS.. Dr. Alam informed us last time we were there that we were one of his FAVORITE patients!  HAH!  Nice.  Considering the fact that Shumyle and I have nearly gone to blows (not really just some heated debates!) my mouth nearly dropped on the floor.  I am sure he is just fond of my kid (not me!) ROFL.  Its always nice to know that someone is taking extra special care of your child.  Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.  (Until I have to unleash the mama bear on him again… maybe I won’t have to…)  I think its really just because he is convinced that I KNOW everyone.  There are so many patients of his that run in our same circle its funny.  He always seems astonished that so many of his patients “talk”… hah… you have NO idea buddy!Recent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• December 15, 2009 -- One Day closer…
• August 26, 2010 -- Be Still…
• February 23, 2010 -- So it begins, Kyleigh’s next medical journey.
• January 12, 2010 -- Coming Home!
• October 26, 2009 -- Do not be anxious about anything…

I found this series over at Simple Mom’s Blog and since I wasn’t reading her blog last year its all brand new (and VERY fascinating!) to me!  Maybe its new to you too!  Since the cooler weather has finally hit Kentucky and the leaves are starting to change I am ALREADY feeling the pressure of the holiday season closing in!  I am excited but at the same time, there are SO many things to do, so many crafts to create, so many COOKIES to bake!  I always want to DO IT ALL and find myself in a miserable state of failure when its the week before Christmas, there are 10 unfinished projects and the cards are not even mailed yet!

So… I am SO excited to see this series come along.  Hopefully by starting NOW I will get to enjoy my holiday season and get EVERYTHING done!

It IS just 12 weeks until Christmas!  Sounds like a lot of time… but not really!

Week 12: Soldify the Christmas Budget

For us… the budget is rather small this year.  We are going to focus more on “doing and being” than “buying and spending”.  Our kids are young enough that they will be happy with anything as long as its something they can do with us!  We have a few places that we KNOW we will be spending.

1) Our one big purchase this year will be a gaming system.  We have been back and forth between a Wii and PS3.  One thing that we really like about PS3 is that it will play DVD’s also.  I am ALL about some multi-tasking.  The plus of Wii is that it is just SO darn fun!  But the console is not really the EXPENSIVE part even though they HAVE dropped the price on Amazon… we won’t be buying from there anyhow.  We are hoping to purchase from Toys R Us as we have been saving a large gift card that someone sent us earlier in the year along with some other monies (a bit of the profits from yard sales etc…).  We have enough saved to buy one but not both. We also like the idea of buying one nice item to keep so that the families can just buy “add ons” to it as gifts.  That is better than getting tons of little stuff that none of the kids will care about in a month from now.

ANY opinions on the two systems?  Please feel free to leave it in the comments!!

2) Another thing that is really important to us are really fabulous Christmas cards! We have so many friends all over the world and we LOVE sending (and receiving) cards.  Its always a challenge for me to get the outfits, the pictures, the design, printing etc together but that is a huge goal this year… to have our cards MAILED the weekend of Thanksgiving!  YAY!!!!!!!!!

3) The kid’s gifts to EACH OTHER. We have made this into a tradition and plan to keep it.  Each year we take our kids, individually, out shopping.  They are to pick out ONE present for each of the siblings.  We give them a pretty good size budget for this because we WANT them to know what it feels like to GIVE.  It always brings tears to my eyes to hear them telling each other, with such excitement, to “open MINE first”…

4) Holiday Baking. I will have to include this in our budget because I am a HUGE baker.  I LOVE me some Christmas goodies!  I probably spend a good 1-2 week food budget on this!  (for us that is $100-150)  That is something I really REALLY like to do.  I love to don my apron and get flour in my hair, have my entire kitchen in shambles and produce YUMMY goodies!

5) Troy and My gifts to each other. This WILL have a place in our budget this year.  Too many years have gone by that we allocated money to everywhere but each other.  I have already started thinking of what to get Troy but nothing struck me as brilliant like last year’s DUNDER MIFFLIN and Nooma DVD’s!

Be sure to hop on over to Simple Mom’s blog and read her tips for creating a budget!!!  Simple mom even has a cool Christmas Budget WORKSHEET Pdf… she rocks!  Go check it out to see ALL of her tips!

Recent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• November 9, 2009 -- HOT DEAL- FREE photo Christmas cards!!!
• November 7, 2009 -- 8 weeks til Christmas
• October 28, 2009 -- 9 weeks until Christmas…
• October 13, 2009 -- 11 weeks and counting (’till Christmas of course!)

There is some good common sense that goes along with your shopping experience. Generally you MUST be nicer than the other 90% of customers because you are “complicated” when you check out with coupons. I know … the manufacturers put out coupons for you to use them and there SHOULD NOT be a stigma attached to them… but lets face it. There is.

1. Get a TRAVEL coupon caddy. When I get my “runs” ready on Saturday night, I go through the ads, pull the Q’s I need and my TRAVEL caddy is separated by STORE. Each deal that I am going to use is WRITTEN down on a scrap piece of paper and wrapped AROUND the Q’s in my caddy pockets. When I go to a store I take out only the Q’s I need for that store. This also helps to curb IMPULSE buys. That is the GOAL of the marketers. Go in with a plan, stick to the plan and get out with your deals!
2. Get Organized. It can take me up to a few hours the night before a run to get my deal organized and coupons clipped and sorted. I work on a clipless coupon system so I do have to clip the night before a sale. If you are a working on a sorter system it will take you less time than me but I just cannot make the commitment to clip every coupon knowing that I am only going to use 30% of them! I have had cashier compliment me on how organized my coupons are and how EASY it is to check me out. I try my best to make it easy on the cashiers.
3. The Cashier is your FRIEND… NOT your enemy. Smile and be friendly. I know that people think I am trying to distract or suck up to the cashier but mostly I am just trying to be nice. They are helping me to save money by spending extra time ringing up my order… THAT is something to be HAPPY about. Generally I know that standing on your feet all day, dealing with gripey people at Walmart… is not the ideal job. I try to make their day a little better. I have even gone as far as sharing Q’s and hading a free candy bar to the cashier. I generally apply this to my life to though… if someone flips me off on Nicholasville Road… I usually say a prayer … unless its bad day… LOL
4. Be considerate. If you have not put items on the belt yet, or even if you HAVE, and there is someone in line behind you, ask them if they would like to go ahead of you. This usually wins you big points with all involved! Ask the cashier, if you are going to have a complicated transaction, if they would like you to split it into seperate transactions. That way, you come off as someone wanting to make their life easier and not as a “know it all”.
5. Shop at OFF times. During the day time mornings or EARLY on weekend mornings has been the best time for me to shop. Cashiers are fresh and are generally more friendly and willing to help you out if they have not been on their feet for 6 hours and slammed all day on Saturday. Also, you are less likely to end up with a piled up line behind you, thereby further stressing out the cashier.
6. Shop Smart. When I enter the store I pull my list and coupons and then my caddy goes BACK in the purse- closed. As I pick up each item I verify the number of items needed compared to Q’s and as I USE the Q I put them in a “discard” pile in the outside pocket of my purse. This also helps me to double check that I am getting what the Q specifys etc.
7. Prepare your buggy. I stand at the head of the checkout lines and sort. All of my like items, coupon items, sale items, etc. Then I STACK the coupons on top of each of the items. Price matches are done the same way. Paper laid on top with the big Price Match circled so they cannot miss it. COUNT your items and Q’s. This is where my list comes into play. My list at WAGS has all of the items, number of Q’s and RR’s used, and number of RR I should receive. Machines and humans do malfunction and if I miss a Q or RR its a LOT easier to get it back RIGHT THEN than in a week from now when I realize it!
8. Size up your cashier. Its bad to say but I do this. I like to go to younger cashiers, mostly guys. They seem to be more agreeable and less likely to balk over my stack of coupons! They are also less likely to call the manager and start to nit pick or act like they are the God of all coupons!
9. Get Educated! KNOW THE RULES of the various stores. Be kind but firm. Once managers and cashier realize that you KNOW what you are talking about they will usually leave you alone. I recommend getting a copy of each store’s policy and putting it in your travel coupon binder. Their statements are generally short and can be printed on half a page or index card. Be honest with your coupons and if an issue arises you have good ground to stand on! Do not be pushed around by managers who assume making their OWN rules are ok. If there is a big issue… copy down the names of everyone involved. Leave the buggy behind, TAKE YOUR COUPONS and leave. Go to the parking lot and call corporate and inform them that you are in the parking lot. Generally you can get the issue resolved immediately and your buggy will not have been re-sorted and put back yet.
10. Don’t be intimidated. Lots of time the cashiers don’t have the authority to override something but managers do. Kindly explain the problem and most of the time the managers will fix it. If the manager refuses… call corporate. They are generally nice and so are the HEAD store managers. Remember that SHIFT managers are not STORE managers…
11. Utilitize the self check out if you can. After 10 pm at Meijer the self check out is all that is left open. I LOVE THIS! I can scan away with my Q’s and never inconvenience anyone! I prefer it actually!
12. Exercise general safety. When you are in depth and looking at coupons you sometimes neglect your purse. I have a carbinder clip that I use to clip my keys and handle of my purse to the buggy. I have read too many stories where couponers had their purses nabbed! BE SAFE… a $1 coupon is NOT WORTH your wallet! When you are hauling your goodies to your car late at night and trying to check the receipt… do it INSIDE the store… not at your car. Stay on the phone with a friend or your hubby… makes everything safer!
13. Takes pics and post to your blog so we can link to it here! (ok… so that’s not a real rule but I would LOVE to see your runs!)

Recent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• May 28, 2009 -- Coupons 101 – Getting started… Types of Coupons and Where to find them.
• November 20, 2009 -- Black Friday 2009: A survival guide!
• November 15, 2009 -- Ten Commandments of Couponing!
• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• November 1, 2009 -- What does 20 cents look like to you??

I am also very privileged that I have so many great blog readers who keep me in nifty coupons from all over America!

I acquire my coupons from a variety of different places including:

1) The Sunday Paper. Lexington’s paper notoriously SUCKS for coupons… we always have the smallest inserts and the least amount of coupons but eh… water under the bridge. If you can get your hands on Louisville Papers you are in business!!!!!!! They get the bigger inserts and their Smartsource / Redplums are always DOUBLE the size of ours!

All coupons that come from the Sunday Paper are MFR Coupons (manufacturer coupons).

** I buy 5-10 papers per Sunday- depending on the inserts. If there is only one SmartSource (as is true for every 3rd or so week) then I only buy 5. If its a week when there is a P&G, Redplum AND a SmartSource then I will buy 10!!** Keep in mind that you will have to factor in the price of your papers to your weekly shopping budget. For me… I rarely pay full price (or any price for my Sunday papers) but I will talk about that LATER

2) Internet Printable Coupons. Most companies are internet savvy. They have websites and they offer coupons through various sources on their own sites or on other internet printable websites such as:

Smartsource
Coupons.com
Redplum.com

3) E-coupons
Cellfire
Shortcuts

4) Bricks – This is the most popular form of online printers for individual companies. Usually when a company runs a promo with an online coupon on THEIR site it will be a Bricks coupon. Most of the time these coupons have a limit of 1-2 prints per computer. If you click the BACK button it will generate another coupon.

5) In store – If you are browsing through the stores you will find the following:

Blinkies – Those little black or red machines that attach to store shelves and spit out a coupon electronically. They are called Blinkies because usually they have a red blinking light on them to get your attention!

Peelies – The coupons attached to the top of an item that states – Save $1 when you buy this item. These are generally intended for if you pick up the item THAT day.

Tearpads – Pads of coupons found on store shelves that you can take multiples of. When I was shopping with Ali at Kroger the other night we found a tearpad that had a mail in rebate form for a FREE Crest Toothpaste. (SCORE!) On Sunday I found a tearpad with Kraft Parmesan Cheese $1/1 Q on it. The Parm was on sale for $2.99 which made it $1.99 after Q! This is amazing because the stuff is normally $4 a bottle!

Wine Tags – Special Coupons that are attached to the bottle necks of products particularly drinks, detergent, 2 liter bottles, dressings, makeup products, etc.

Catalina’s – Coupons that print from the Catalina machine.  These are found locally at Kroger, Meijer, and Walgreens.

6) Store Specific Special Promos – Samplers will generally have coupons and the Beauty Assistants at Walgreens have a whole basket of coupons under their counters.

Also there are store specific deals and coupons.  As I listed in my Coupon Abbreviations / Lingo those are:

ECB’s – Extra Care Bucks (at CVS ) – Printed on the bottom of a CVS receipt these work like gift cards but are really a coupon.

RR – Register Rewards – ( at Walgreens) – Print from the Catalina machine and work like giftcards but there are RULES for RR.  I will discuss those more indepth in a future post.

Meijer Mealbox – found on the Meijer Website.  These are Meijer Specific Coupons.

Target Register Tapes – Come on the bottom of your receipt and are Target Specific.

In Ad coupons – Found mostly at Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS.

7) In Product Coupons – Many times on the inside of a box or backside of a bag there will be a coupon that can be used on a future purchase of a product.  Clip and keep these.  I pulled one off a Gorton’s fish box the other day that does not expire until 2012!!!!!!!

6) Coupons by Mail – Stores like Kroger, Target, CVS and most that have a “loyalty” card will send you offers in the mail. Today I got a pack of coupons from Kroger that included a FREE bag of Lays Potato Chips and FREE Nestle Toll House morsels.

7) Coupon Clippers – There are many places online that you can go to buy JUST the coupons you want for cents on the dollar. Mostly a $1 Q will go for 8-15 cents. That said… the GOOD ones.. go fast! Also.. make sure you are buying from a reputable source. Be very careful buying Q’s on Ebay as there is a rash of counterfeit (copied) coupons out there and those can get you into trouble fast! My favorite coupon clippers are:
thecouponclippers.com
centsoff.com

Buy / Trade – There are tons of places online that you can buy and trade… or even with friends locally! For me… I don’t drink coffee, don’t have a pet… so any of those things I am ALWAYS ready to trade or give away. Better for you to use the $2 off than for them to sit and rot!

So this week… I challenge you: When shopping around in the grocery store, keep your eyes peeled for new coupons!  Generally ones that are found in products or in the stores have MUCH longer expiration dates which is why they are so great to find!

Recent Comments:

• XXX says A tip to save some cash when enjoying movies it that instead of heading to the movies on a busy [more]
• daphne says I JUST LOVE YOU!!! You always amaze me. You’re wonder womman of another kind!! I know it’s hard to BE [more]
• Jen says We are currently going through a pregnancy possibly affected by VACTERL…having more tests run. Would like to discuss some [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]

• November 15, 2009 -- Ten Commandments of Couponing!
• May 31, 2009 -- Coupons 101 – Your FIRST coupon run
• January 9, 2010 -- Top 10 Deal Finding / Coupon Sites
• January 5, 2010 -- New Year’s Resolution: ADD Magazines to your list of things NOT to pay for in the new year!
• December 30, 2009 -- Fabulous deal on Carter’s sleepers at Kohl’s