Coupons and stock piling and saving money

[Marty]

Hi Friends, this is what I'm into lately and thought I would share. Nobody loves to save money more than me, well, except for my husband but I'm out to save as much as I can.

I wish I had the brains to be one of those extreme coupon people but for the life of me, I can't figure it out and I have watched that crazy show a lot and I give up. But I am going to get serious with coupons and I"m about to start a modest stock pile for many reasons. One reason is I am very tired of getting stuck in the dead of winter having to haul tons of heavy groceries so I figure if I can stock pile my staples such as canned foods and paper goods, cleaning supplies etc. that will help a lot and I'd also love to save a buck wherever I can. My illustrious husband made me some very nice floor to ceiling built in cabinets for my pantry and I also have the closet in the guest room to use. If I go completely crazy I have plenty of storage in my barn loft as well but I don't think it will get all that out of control but who knows?.

I have been researching and found out a few things: Great Value (Walmart brand) canned food is actually made by Libby's. They pay LIbby's to use their own label on their canned foods. I also found out that some of the generic foods at the discounted type grocery stores are not from the US and can be from anywhere from Mexico to overseas.

I know to check expiration dates on canned foods and learned to dig to the back of the shelves for the newer canned foods because they bring the older ones forward to sell first.

I'm actually going to take notes at Walmart for some paper towels, toilet paper and record how much is in a roll and compare prices with Dollar General. On the dollar general website you can print off coupons for a lot of cleaning supplies and staples and I think I can save more money there than at Walmart but I'm going to find out for sure. It should vary when Walmart rolls back their prices on these things so I have to keep an eye out on that as well. I want to fill up my truck with these things.

I am also going to be Christmas shopping very soon. I don't know about your States but here we have a tax free weekend for kids for Back to School to purchase school clothing and supplies and i'm going to be taking advantage of that as our taxes are quite high here. During August, there are a lot of sales happening in the department stores so I'm going to be knocking out my Santa list then. I have already been grabbing up miscellaneous toys that i've seen marked down all summer long for my granddaughter so she will have a lot of toys under grandma's tree. I also shop at Tractor Supply and grab those TSC tee shirts they put on sale for $4.99 also and put them in my stash. I also watch for their work jeans when they mark them down to $10.99 for my son who needs them for work.

Last but not least, we are going to be filling up our gas tank outside in August before the prices go up. Gas prices always go up in the winter when propane is needed to heat the house so we have shopped around to the different companies and our gas tank will be full before winter hits.

Is anyone else doing this? And would love any ideas you may have as well.

 

[Riverrose28]

I'm with you on the coupons, seems they are always for something I don't use or need. I also buy my paper products at Walmart and my laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. One thing that I do to save at the grocery is to can and freeze the veggies that we grow in the garden. I also try to stay out of the aisles at the grocery store. I do need to go up and down some for like coffee and pasta, but try to avoid looking around too much as I'll over spend. Never buy cookies and only have junk food occasionaly, such as ice cream or chips. WE also have chickens so I don't need to buy eggs, but do need to buy milk and butter. One thing I do slurge on is real butter. We don't use a furnice, we use our two wood stoves and don't buy wood, Mother Nature provides it for us, had two trees come down this summer with dead hearts. Been cutting and splitting them already. I even freeze what some would throw away, like pea pods, my dogs love them and I add some veggies to their food in the winter to add more fiber. It also saves on dog food. I do have to buy meat at the store and I try to only buy what is on sale and stretch it out. I'll buy a beef roast and use it for three meals if I can, same with a chicken. I've found if I go to the grocery store once a month to save on gas and unneccesary purchases, that way I get what I need. I do try to stock up on flour, sugar and bisquick when on sale. Can't wait to hear from others, maybe there will be some new ideas I haven't tryed.

 

[Bess Kelly]

Haven't been on here in so long that I had to sign in ---

I do like to can & freeze fresh grown as well as any I've gotten really cheap and from friends or neighbors. Like many, I have wonderful laying hens. The girls are all free range and extremely dependable layers -- also have guineas but, haven't eaten those eggs. SO, remember you can freeze eggs. My barred rocks lay all winter but, some hens don't. Get a lot of recipes for this great protein. Often have quiche, bread puddings, etc. This uses any stale bread that the girls weren't already fed.

My old bread machine has been used for great and inexpensive breads. Hate to have to go to store for "just" bread. Oh, I am not a big bread eater unless it's fresh made, either. Crock-pots, double recipes for freezing, etc. Less expensive meats can be used for this & pressure cooking. Use bones for making broth for soup bases. Save left over veggies from dinner -- you know those not enough for more than one serving, or less -- into a container in freezer. Little her & there and you soon have enough for soup. Plus cooking enough for more than one meal saves on cooking energy if you use electric/propane, etc.

Since I have wonderful milk goats, there is always raw milk for "everyone"..... plus, ice cream, pudding, yogurt, kefir, sour cream. My cats, dog, chickens all love some milk, also. Plus, I make super goat milk soap for own use and sales at some craft shows. So good for your skin, nice soft, creamy skin. I've even made butter -- with goat milk that is quite a chore as it doesn't separate like cow milk. And I always use real butter, no margarine.

Keep a list of what you need and make far less trips to store.......save on gas and unplanned shopping purchases. Take a list to store and use it to control purchases, with less looking at those buyer "sucker shops". Junk food is limited in our house for health and cost. Rarely drink colas but, like a nice glass of wine! Many of our inexpensive home essentials will clean as well as many of the ones bought at stores. Vinegar, baking soda, toothpaste are only a few of these. Always nice to know as some of us do get snowed in each winter.

Clotheslines, drying racks -- I even have an old washboard if I really needed it!

I love to save $$ and use many of the conveniences of today but, try to not be wasteful or extravagant. Also make a point of keeping stocked for TP, etc.

Like most, I make old jeans in shorts. You can cut sleeves from winter to make summer shirts, etc. Hey, working on the farm and no one complains.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Bess Kelly it was fun to see your name again!

My husband retired last year and it is finally sinking in that we are on the infamous "fixed income" now. Yikes!

I'm not much into coupons; it is hard work to make them pay off, and since I am mathematically challenged, it doens't work for me. They can be negative; an example is the Sherwin Williams coupon for 50% off all paint. My husband buys 2 gallons that he MIGHT use because it is such a good deal!

We don't have any TV except one local channel, which we use for news and weather, so avoiding commercials and exotic shows helps with curbing spending.

Indeed, do read all the food labels. I wanted to buy canned peaches and only one brand did not come from China (Libby's). I'm not going to knowingly buy peaches from China, no matter if they are cheaper or not.

I admire everyone who is planning ahead!

 

[chandab]

I'm going to guess when stores really catch on to the extreme couponing, more stores will drop double coupons, with out doubling many coupons just aren't worth much.

We don't have storage space for such shopping, but already buy in bulk since we live 60 miles out, we don't run to the store on a whim.

 

[bevann]

Marty thanks for reminding me about store brand items.When I was growing up every little town around here in Delaware had their own cannery.My dad sold IH farm equipment and often went to the canneries.goods were canned and put on shelves in the cannery.ACME would order 100 cases of something and ship their store brand labels to the cannery to be put on.Several days later A&P would order 100 cases of the same thing.Same cans different labels.I think it still goes on today.

 

[Marty]

Today I saved a good amount of $ just on coupons. I got Suave and Aussie conditioner and shampoo for a quarter each. Saved on toilet paper and paper towels and laundry detergent so I"m on a good roll.

Everyone watch this video and here's your coupons

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/coupons-for/walmart/deals/weekly-deals/

 

[Debby - LB]

wow several great ideas here! Bess so good to hear from you! It was only this year that I found out I could freeze eggs! how do you do yours? The extension agent on local tv said I could crack and freeze them whole but on the usda Website I read they need to be cracked and scrambled and one of the suggestions was to freeze them in ice cube trays then pop them out into a freezer container.

 

[susanne]

The biggest savings with food has been in planning menus for at least two weeks before shopping for groceries. This enables us to get several meals out of a single item and greatly reduces impulse buys.

While we may on occasion use a specific coupon, in general they tend to sucker you into buying things you wouldn't otherwise purchase or spend more on gas going to different stores.

Instead of buying cheaper items that are not what we want, We simply use less of what we really like. For example, whole bean and fresh ground coffee are more expensive, but I'd rather have none than buy canned or other swill. I eat bread plain rather than use margarine (yuck!). The real waste is in buying something you don't like. Better to do without.

The same thing works with clothing. I put my money where it counts. I invest in nice quality jackets (of course, one of my major clients is a clothing boutique, and trade is a very good thing), while the tops worn underneath often come from Goodwill.

As much as I aim to save money, I rarely buy from Walmart or other businesses that destroy the local economy. Produce is not much more expensive purchased at the Farmers' Market, and it helps the individual farmers in our community. That is true economy.

As part of preparing to build our little house (finally!), we had to cut several medium sized fir trees, which has greatly increased our direct sunlight and facilitate edible gardening. We have chickens and plan on getting a couple of milk goats, which will mean vegetables, eggs, milk and possibly cheese will be produced right here on our faux farm.

Since Keith has a lengthy commute, we use more gas than we like. When we lived in town, we used mass transit most of the time, but that now is mostly impossible. He is searching for someone with whom to carpool, but it's challenging finding someone who needs to be in Portland by 5am.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. This not only helps your personal life, but it helps the world. It's also FUN.

 

[Brody]

As Debby mentioned - I am also curious as to how you freeze your eggs. I haven't heard of this or tried it before. Right now our hens are laying so many eggs we are giving some away - but when the cold hits they will slow down and we won't have enough. So I would LOVE to learn how to best freeze them!

A few things we do: 1- We make all our own detergents and cleaning supplies. This includes laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, and many other cleaners. This has saved us a LOT of money as it costs maybe a penny a load for both the dishwasher and the washing machine. We were hesitant at first, but we actually like it better and it is very easy to do. Second, we have our garden which produces a lot, but we also have several Amish communities around that set up roadside stands to sale their produce (which is MUCH better than what you can find in the grocery store and about half the price). We are loading up on the produce this summer and canning and freezing enough to last us through the winter (hopefully). We also only eat the meat we raise ourselves (which means we are pretty much vegetarian as we only have a few chickens we'll be harvesting this year). Cutting out the expense of meat allows us to spend money on better quality food/produce that makes for a much healthier (and less expensive) diet.

Last, we use amazon - a lot - we are about 30 miles out from the store and ordering on amazon vs. going to the store gives us a lot more options and saves money. We have little kids in diapers still - so getting diapers and other supplies through amazon saves us big time!

 

[Bess Kelly]

I freeze my eggs both ways mentioned. Whole & scrambled. If you freeze whole (just dropped from shell) they will not maintain that yolk when you thaw. The freezing breaks the thin film that keeps the yolk separate. Therefore, you end up either scrambling or eating with broken yolk when you use them. For me, this is a none issue as I always cook the yolks solid anyway. But, if using them in a recipe, the whole is easier to count out. Break them into a container, remove as much air as possible and dump into freezer.

OK, those of you thinking fresh milk -- Suzanne, I saw your post

-- you will be so amazed at how great the goat milk can be. Not to say that there aren't some who give off-flavor, just as a cow if she eats a lot of wild onions, for the most of us it is a great source of fresh, wholesome, tasty milk! Just be sure that you look to a dairy breed. All does will milk once freshened but, the quantity, quality and length of time they will produce between freshenings can vary greatly.

For those who have not researched this topic I offer the following: There several breeds in dairy -- Nubians, Alpine, Saanen, Nigerian dwarf (not dwarf as in horse, just very small) The large, full-sized breeds also come in a "mini" size. These have been crossed with a Nigerian. There are several dairy goat registries...shows, etc. Anyhow -- it would be obvious that the minis are smaller versions and offer less milk per animal/per day. The milk is still great! Less room, less feed, etc. than full sized. The butterfat content varies with Nigerians being probably the highest percentage, sometimes 10+ % where a Nubian or saanen will be in the 3.5-4.5% range. The "richness" of the milk is tied to the butterfat. If cheese if your goal, more is better. But not the end.

Personalities vary with the breeds. So, I have 1 full-sized Saanen, 1 full sized Nubian, 2 mini Nubians and a mini Nubian buck.

My Saanen was bought "in milk" and was giving me 1.5 gal a day!!! I dried her off in the winter (anticipating breeding & not wanting to milk with the cold). My buck arrived in Jan (proven dairy lines in all -- important) and while I planned to breed all, our weather gave us extreme cold and 2 bouts of snow -- for us, extreme, LOL. Oh, dairy goats do not like rain or wet!!!!!!!!! So, Jan & Feb were horrid weather and girls wouldn't go out on days in season, eventurally the Saanen went into estrus in Mar (out of norm) and was bred -- kids due next week !! So, this year I plan to milk Ivory thru and not rebreed until next Fall. Goats are seasonal, breeding Sep-Jan, mainly. 5 mos gestation. I will breed the other 3 does for Spring kids, and milk does - bottle babies, to keep them as milkers.

The milk is awesome! I use a hand powered vacuum system, so it is clean and easy to collect/store. 1/2 gal canning jars used to collect. I drink it, make great cheese, soaps and have made butter. To do the butter with goat milk you really need a separator to make it worth while. Cheese is easy, I froze enough for winter, had people clamoring to buy it! Trust me, you won't regret a goat for milk. The minis will give you 1/2 + a day. I enjoy the efforts and products.

I wish there were some Amish in my area -- many were here years ago and sold out, mostly moving to GA, with their dairy herds. It would be nice to have the produce as they use great natural methods to grow.

I'm on a run with non-GMO, natural growing, not using chems and only my livestock fertilizer. At this point I am considering the purchase of a few heritage hogs to raise for own use. With the outside work I do, I have met a great butcher who moved here from CO and will do private slaughter. He is willing to do the butcher of my hogs in exchange for a portion........I'm loving that idea! I've butchered hogs in past and what a job that is -- WOW. He will also do chickens, if I consider those...venison, rabbits, whatever!

Haven't used chemicals on pastures for several years, either. Lot of cutting and hand pulling or machete use BUT, goats help me out with some of it. LOL they love weeds!

YES -- ldry detergents, etc are so simple to do and really worth the effort. The chemicals they put onto and into us is over the top with commercial brands. I want to keep moving my entire life and I plan to be here until 105. That means I have 37 more years to keep myself healthy! Have always been "good" with that but, improving as I get older and see what it means for those who might have to care for me if I don't continue. I'm quite healthy and active but, want to remain that way.

For those who actually remember me, thank you -- LOL for being around LB for so long.

 

[susanne]

Thanks, Bess! We need to freeze our eggs -- our hens go crazy laying eggs in winter, giving us too much of a good thing.

Another reason for making your own soaps: Many communities are now allowing and encouraging grey water systems, which means re-using water from sinks, tubs and laundry. This saves natural resources and money, but it means you want to use natural and phosphate-free soaps. Making your own helps ensure that you can use your grey water on your gardens -- especially great for drought-stricken areas -- no water restrictions this way. It also lightens the load on your septic system.

Bess, have you had any problem with the fat in the goat's milk soap clogging drains? My sister's friend had problems with this, and I'm always cautious with our septic system.

 

[Bess Kelly]

No issues with the drains/septic. I buy all food grade oils & lye (not that THAT has anything to do with the drains) which limits chemicals, etc. Plus, I am a firm believer in using Rid-X every 4-6 weeks. Then, occasionally I use vinegar and baking soda in all sink and tub lines. Have had septic systems for many years and luckily have not had any problems at any of the locations with the Rid-X use.

There is a lot of oil but it seems to do fine with the hot water. In fact, except for the lye and milk there is nothing but various oils.

I can remember my grandmother making soaps -- pure lard and lye made with rainwater run thru hardwood ashes. She also made vinegar, canned, etc. OK, had no electric, heated/cooked with wood, water from an old hand dug well by bucket. Lived in a "holler in West VA".......great memories! And, got to see those little mine ponies traveling to & from. Those impressions are probably why I still have these old minis and love to collect eggs, pick veggies and be self sufficient (with a little modern help).

The West Coast has been having terrible drought conditions. I wish we could wave a magic wand and stop all the extremes.

 

[Debby - LB]

thanks I'm going to freeze some of my eggs then starting tomorrow. That is interesting about the goats. It would sure be nice to have fresh milk and cheese all the time.

how about canning Or vacuum sealing dried beans and peas anyone do that?

 

[sfmini]

Pete has been into the garden and canning thing for years. Judy and I say no way, too much time and work. Our basement is full of canned foods.

Two heifers have been pigging out for a year or so, they have an "appointment" soon. We will keep 1/2, sell the other 1 1/2 which covers the costs. Just bought an electric pressure cooker so we can cook the tougher cuts of meat, plus can make food faster.

Pete is experimenting with coating whole eggs with oil and keeping them in the basement. Our neighbor has chickens and we get the extras. Nothing better than fresh eggs.

 

[Riverrose28]

I can peas, english variety, its not hard but is time consuming shelling them all. I also freeze some then shell and use those in soups and stews cause the can jars hold alot of product, too much for soup unless you make pea soup. Several years back we dryed some cow peas, or black eyed peas. then shelled and bagged them, it didn't turn out to well, so if we ever grow them again I will shell and can. I'm canning tomatoes again today. Lots of work but pays off come winter. We don't have a celler so we store our potatos and onion in an unheated room on the north side of the house.

 

[Marty]

Updating! We just had our tax free weekend here in Tennessee and I took full advantage of it. I went CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! I was sooo not in the mood of course and it was almost a downer, but when the holidays roll around I think I'll be gloating a sigh of relief. I went to Kohls and they had a 20% of store total, plus a $10.00 cash back for every $50.00 spent and then of course no tax. Everything was on sale that I had hoped. Prices were slashed like you could not believe. When I came home and did the math, I scored a large amount of gifts for a fraction of the price and I was $30.00 below my budget. When I arrived home and Mr. Retirement saw me hauling in bags and bags from the store he was freaking out until I gave him the total and then he was shocked.

I am continuing to use coupons as it has become a religion to me since I can actually see I am saving large amounts instead of just a few pennies.

 

[AngC]

[SIZE=medium]Mention of septic and Rid-X caught my eye...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]I was always a bit dubious about Rid-X. To me it seemed logical that human waste is loaded with bacteria so why spend the money on an additive. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]We had our septic pumped recently, and I asked the guy about Rid-X, and he said it was a waste of money. He also educated me about some things I was doing incorrectly. For example, I was doing all the housework on one day; which means 5 or 6 loads of laundry, scrub all the toilets, crank all the cleaning fluids down on 1 day. He told me to spread the water usage out; i.e., do a load of laundry and then wait ‘til the next day to do another. He said to only use liquid detergent and liquid dishwasher fluid because the powders contain oils/greases. (We did get good marks since I don’t use our garbage disposal; I compost.)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]So, I was still curious about the Rid-X. The only place I could find that does studies on septic systems is the North Carolina State University. For the most part they found septic additives to be ineffective. Except… there was one more recent study that compared Rid-X, a Drano and a Liquid Plumr additive that showed Rid-X to have a beneficial effect on sludge accumulation in one instance. On septic tanks that had been pumped every 2-3 years, during the first 6 months or so after pumping, the Rid-X tanks had less sludge accumulation. The other two products had no appreciable effect. And on tanks that were poorly maintained (pumped less frequently) none of the products had an appreciable effect.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]I think one would be nutty to rely on Rid-X without pumping. Our tank was in poor shape after four years simply because I was flooding it with water with my one day clean-a-thons (and I was using Rid-X.) I am so glad we didn’t trash our drainfield, which would have cost big bucks.[/SIZE]

 

[susanne]

We just had our septic system checked out by the county in preparation for building our house, and it passed with flying colors although it was installed sometime in the 70s. We are extremely careful with it -- no garbage disposal, no grease down the drains, no bleach or harsh cleaners, only septic-friendly toilet paper, never more than one load of wash per day, and no Rid-X, brewer's yeast or anything like that. The inspector noted that our distribution box has no soap build-up or film, which she said was unusual for the age of the system. Her only recommendation was to have the pipe from tank to distribution box snaked when they pump the tank, just to make certain the old galvanized pipe wasn't closing up, but she was pretty certain it wouldn't be from what she saw. Whew! That was the one test I was nervous about (my sister asked if I studied for it...).

 

[Bess Kelly]

You know, I never even thought to check studies about using Rid-X, so thanks! Reading the above two posts, maybe I just "use" my septic correctly, LOL -- I just do NOT do any marathon cleanings

, always use liquids and some Dawn for greasy or hand washing, a septic friendly TP, no garbage disposal, no cleaners down drains from house cleaning. Possibly the Rid-X simply keeps my sludge out. Still a win-win for me as I have never needed to pump out. And with only 2 people living here, small amounts of laundry & dishwasher use. Plus rarely fry foods and careful to pour grease/oils out for trash, then Dawn on pans/utensils. Truly grease and root systems are some of worse issues for our septic drain fields. No trees within 200' of any part of my systems -- and no heavy equipment, trucks of hay, etc. allowed to drive over or near. I think I still feel good about it.

So, I sit waiting for my goat to kid -- still!! -- she is at day 151 and wanting to unload as much as I want her too.

Soon, I hope. Looks maybe day or two. Since I have work scheduled to do Mon-Thu next week I would love to have her do this today or tomorrow (right!). She's a milk doe so has never had her kids to nurse or raise........always kidded without issue, just need to remove the new cuties. First birthing on the farm in about 5 years as I no longer breed the minis and the cats are fixed. Next Spring I do plan to have other 3 does kidding -- and the buck can hardly wait for October!