Golden State

One of my top 100 pet peeves. 

"When people say "Cali" instead of "California" 

ughhh (makes me shiver) 

the end. 

American FASHION TREND PREDICTION:

“Goodbye mediocre “CUTE” headbands and hair accessories”

Thanks to this elegant, classy, newest Duchesses request of “ladies hats” at her wedding to Price William…..(Kate’s fashion is my new obsession)

Hello, GLAMOROUS, feminine, statement making, 

hats, and hairpieces!!!

What do you think? Would you wear it? 

Bargain Shopping with an Amateur

Bargain Shopping with an Amateur
(judge free zone please!)

I have been asked by many people to share how I do my bargain shopping and couponing. I was surprised because I have very little experience and insights with little evidence.  However, here goes nothing. I didn’t really feel a need to make it frilly and fancy… I am not the artsy type.  Let me know what you think!

Couponing:

Coupons: Almost everyone receives the “Red Plum” and “Money Mailers” in the mail. From this day forward DO NOT THROW AWAY ADS AND COUPONS. Other coupons come in the Sunday paper such as “P&G, and Smart Source” Cut out and save every coupon because the item might be free or super cheap in a few weeks or months. (Of course, there is no reason to save dog food if you don’t have a dog etc.)

Warning: Couponing can be a gamble.

Rules: You really have to feel out if the offer and the coupon match well and make sure you are getting the best savings for your money. (This will come with more experience. I still do not have it down). DO NOT let your coupons expire.

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Resources:

Savvy Shopper Deals

Step #1

“Like” Savvy Shopper Deals on Facebook

Step #2 Sign up for email updates and subscriptions.

About:

Savvy shopper deals, is run by my sister’s friend Amy. What does she do? What is it? Well, you can visit this website http://savvyshopperdeals.com/utah/ to find out more. What she does is has a crew that scours the ads and keeps track of all of the coupons that are in the paper and the mail (she works for the daily herald in Utah, all of her deals and ads are in Utah) . They put all of their research together to help you figure out the lowest prices and deals for the week. It takes a while to get to know the website but there are many resources if you use it right!

My favorite resource? (follow along closely)

The Shopping Wizard. I ALWAYS select grocery deals first.

Once you select the shopping wizard here are my tips for using this tool.  

A- Sometimes the site can be finicky and not show the correct filtered results so I always leave it open to all categories and just scroll to where I want to go.

B-   I always select the “WOW” rank. Being a poor college student I don’t have the money or time to settle for “Good” deals.

C- I Click search

D- At Letter D you can add the item to your shopping list and after you add each item it will make a sweet shopping list for you

E-  Is the store you can find the item (or use as reference to price match at Wal Mart)

F-    Is the deal or item

G-Is the coupon offer and you can click the link to find out where to find the coupon ie: RP 3/18 means “Red Plum” issued “march 18”

H- You find the sale price and then you find the price with your coupon.

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Resource # 2

Deals to Meals:

www.dealstomeals.com

Like “Deals to Meals” on Facebook

Info:

This website does cost money but its so worth it ($4.95 per month) Each Wednesday they post the ads and sales in your area and how good of deals they are.

-           If they are red, they are better than Costco and Wal-mart. If they are blue they are “good deals”. Again, as for me,  I don’t have the time or money for “ just good deals”  (It also gives you recipe ideas and food storage ideas; like when it’s a good time to stock up, how much to get, and how long it will last, and how to store it. SO NICE! )

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Match, Mix, Research, Organize:

Now you want to match the coupons to the deal make sure it has not expired and plan your shopping trip! Be careful and thorough when planning. Sometimes you MIGHT need to go grocery shopping each week and get a few things here and there while they are “a deal”

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Shopping and discipline:

Ok, so I am the weirdest shopper ever. I HARDLY ever think a sale is a good deal. I hate spending money, especially on food. When I would go shopping with my mom when I was younger, I would always cover my eyes or walk away when she would ring up the items because I hated seeing the price. Not that it was outrageous or anything, because she is a bargain shopper too, it’s just that I HATE SPENDING MY MONEY… even if it isn’t mine. My parents thought I was crazy because their money had little to do with me. I had no idea what their budget was, their financial standing, income… nothing.

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Tips:

A trick to being a “strategic shopper” is to avoid marketing gimmicks. Here is a list of the top grocery store marketing gimmicks. (I hardly fall for it anymore)

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/6-ways-supermarkets-trick-you-to-spend-more-money-974209/

Use wise judgment, discipline and your BRAIN.

1.      Never go to the grocery store on an empty stomach.

2.  Stick to your list…

3.  Budget budget budget

4.      Really balance your needs or wants and use discipline

5.      Always use a coupon (or price match at participating stores) and research the best deal when you are able.

6.      Usually if I don’t really need it and its under $1 or $2 and I will use it… I get it.

General Shopping:

Take responsibility for your time, money, and decision-making. There truly are SO many marketing tactics out there to catch your eye. Be careful what you choose. Just because the item says, “Sale” or “Clearance” does not mean it’s actually a good deal. Many stores will capture your attention by a measly bright colored, bolded “Sale” sign.

Remember, take what you want from my ideas, tactics, and tips. These are the things that I have found work FOR ME. Everyone is different. J

Yes. This takes time but remember TIME= MONEY!

PS When there is a good deal don’t forget your food storage and stock. Here is a great website about how much food storage you should have and other emergency prep ideas. http://providentliving.org/

The END

What shall I post?

I need posting ideas. Does anybody have any questions for me/us? What do you look for when you are blog stalking/surfing. What would you like to see on our blog?

Strategic Shopping

Last night Jordan and I watched a show on TLC (i think) about extreme couponers. I HOPE I WILL NEVER BECOME THAT OBSESSED WITH DEALS. There was a lady who had her own little "grocery store" in her basement. She would shop for 5-6 hours with 9-10 carts. Once her bill was going to be over $1,000 and her total came to a couple hundred dollars. INSANE.

So, I am planning a mild strategic shopping trip of my own. Jordan and I go grocery shopping once a month to force ourselves to use what we have and not just keep buying other stuff. Anyway, its that time again to shop.

My resources?
Nickel Ads
coupon and grocery mailers (they always seemed annoying to me but they have great deals)
Savvyshopperdeals.com
dealstomeals.com

These websites will tell you which stores are having the BEST deals in your area and how they are compared to Walmart and Costco.

Speaking of Walmart did you know they price match? For example.

Kellogs Cereals are normally $2.50-$4.00
Walgreens has them on Sale for $1.88 So wal mart will price match my Kelloggs cereal at $1.88
Then.... I have a $1.00 off coupon for any kelloggs cereal.
My total?
$0.88 for a box of Kelloggs cereal.
Yes Strategic shopping takes time, energy, and patience. BUT ITS SO WORTH IT.

See ya later fellas. I'm going grocery shopping. :)