Couponing Made Easy

One of my favorite hobbies is couponing, and I plan to post some great deals that I find here on my blog. For this interested in beginning, here is an introduction to couponing and weekly ads. I'm hoping this will teach you the basics of using coupons and shopping the sales to save the most money each week. 

Coupon Matchups

At the beginning of every ad week, which always varies by store, I peruse the weekly ads and blogs that do coupon matchups for each store. What's a coupon matchup you ask? Basically, someone goes through the weekly ad for CVS, for example, and writes down all the sales from the ad. They then go through and match up each sale with any available coupons that are out there from both the newspaper and the internet. They compile these lists together neatly and make it much easier for you to see what you can get on sale and how much you will pay for each item. There are entire websites dedicated to doing just this and can be easily found through google. Usually, I google something like "Publix coupon matchups", and it comes up with tons of websites that post these for you. 

Here is an example of what a coupon matchup will look like:

Colgate Max Toothpaste $3.49

$0.50/1 – Colgate Toothpaste, 3 oz or larger from SS 2/22
And use $2.00/1 Colgate, CVS Coupon from CVS Coupon Center Week of 2/22

Final Price: $0.49

I'll break this down and explain more in a little bit, but there's a few more things to learn in order for this to make sense. 


Weekly Ads

Like I mentioned, each store's weekly ad comes out on a different day. Here's a list of some stores and the days their weekly ads come out.

CVS: Sun - Sat
Walgreens : Sun - Sat
Publix: Wed/Thur - Tues/Wed (depending on where your store is located)
Harris Teeter: Wed - Tues
Target: Sun - Sat
Walmart: Sun - Sat
Food Lion: Wed - Tues
Winn Dixie: Wed- Tues


Double Coupons

Some stores double coupons and some don't. That also depends on what state you are in. For example, Publix does not double coupons in FL or NC, but they do in other states. It's best to check on each store's website under their coupon policy to see if they do or not. 

Now what does it mean to double a coupon? Some stores will double the face value of a coupon for coupons up to 99 cents. For example, if you have a coupon that is for $.75 off of 1 item, that will automatically double to $1.50 off of 1 item. Double coupons is really the key to getting things for free at super markets like Harris Teeter. At Harris Teeter specifically, once in a while they do a week of "Super Double" coupons. This means that they will double any coupon up to $2 in face value. Meaning if you have a coupon for $2 off of 1 item, that doubles to $4 off of 1 item! When it comes to shampoos, deodorants, detergents, vitamins and other high value items, these are the weeks to stock up on those since you can get most for free or very cheap. 


Manufacturer's Coupons vs. Store Coupons

You can find manufacturer's coupons in the Sunday newspaper, online at websites such as coupons.com and redplum.com, on retailer's product websites or Facebook (for example angelsoft.com), and sometimes at the stores themselves whether they be on display near a product or they may print out with your receipt at the end of an order. You can even BUY coupons from some people off of Ebay (I'm not kidding). Manufacturer's coupons will be labeled at the top of the coupon saying exactly that, "Manufacturer's coupon". This coupon comes from the manufacturer of a product themselves. Make you to read exactly what the coupon is for. For example, if you have a coupon that says $1 off of 2 Cheerios cereal boxes, you MUST buy 2 boxes of Cheerios to get the $1 off. Also make sure if it specifies a certain product, such as "Chocolate Cheerios", to make sure you are buying the right product. 

Store coupons are from a store directly, such as Target or CVS. They can be found on store websites, such as cvs.com or coupons.target.com. They can also be found in store. Publix, for example, has a display as soon as you walk into their stores that has inserts of store coupons for you to take and use. CVS has a kiosk close to the front of their stores where you can swipe your registered CVS card and it will print out store coupons for you each week, some for specific items and some for a certain dollar amount off of your purchase. Sometimes store coupons print at checkout with your receipt as well. These coupons will usually say "Target coupon" or "Publix coupon" at the top to indicate they are store coupons. 

As a general rule, you may use ONE manufacturer's coupon and ONE store coupon per item. For example, if you have a $1 off of 1 Cheerios cereal box manufacturer's coupon and a $.75 off of 1 Cheerios cereal box Target coupon, you may use both and get a total of $1.75 off of 1 box. However, if you have a $1 off of 2 Cheerios cereal boxes manufacturer's coupon and a $.75 off of 1 Cheerios Target coupon, you will still have to buy 2 boxes to use the manufacturer's coupon. But you CAN use 2 of the .$75 off of 1 coupons and 1 manufacturer's and get a good deal for a total of $2.50 off of two boxes. 

Some stores do limit the amount of the same coupon you may use and they may limit the total amount of coupons you can use per transaction. This information varies by store and can also be found on the store's websites under the coupon policy. I wouldn't worry too much about this though, because unless you are going to be doing some extreme couponing like they do on the TLC show, this won't be an issue for you.


Now back to that coupon matchup I posted earlier:

Colgate Max Toothpaste $3.49

$0.50/1 – Colgate Toothpaste, 3 oz or larger from SS 2/22
And use $2.00/1 Colgate, CVS Coupon from CVS Coupon Center Week of 2/22

Final Price: $0.49

The product is listed first, usually with the price that the specific store has it on sale for, $3.49 in this case. Next, the coupons available are listed. This one has a manufacturer's coupon for $.50 off 1 Colgate Toothpaste, 3oz or larger. When it says "from SS 2/22", this indicates what insert in the newspaper it is from and the date of the newspaper it was in. This one is from the SmartSource insert from the Feb 22nd paper. The second coupon listed is a $2 off of 1 Colgate item. This one is a store coupon from the Coupon Center kiosk that I mentioned earlier. Lastly, the final price is listed showing you how much you will be per item if you use the coupons listed. 


This may seem like a lot of information to take in, but I tried to break it down thoroughly so you can understand each aspect of couponing. I promise it is not as complicated as it may seem. And of course as with everything, practice makes perfect. The more you try out small steps here and there, the more it will become second nature to you. Let me know if you have any questions about anything I explained here or if something doesn't make sense or I missed something, let me know. 

Happy Couponing!

The Pizza Diet

Anyone who knows me knows that if I could eat one food every day for the rest of my life, it would be pizza. I never get sick of pizza and I can never get enough of it. I LOVE PIZZA. I even ate pizza for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, pizza isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a healthy lifestyle. However, I still eat pizza at least once per week. I'm a strong believer in eating the things that you love, even if they aren't great for you...as long as you eat them in moderation. 

I mentioned in my first post that I lost 85 pounds several years ago. While I did a complete makeover of the foods I ate, I still kept one day per week where I allowed myself to eat anything I wanted (it was usually pizza). This was my "cheat day". As I also previously mentioned, I used to hate cooking, but I still ate out at a lot at various restaurants and learned to order healthier things on menus at my favorite restaurants, such as Chipotle and Panera Bread. Overall, I just became more AWARE of what I was eating and how much I was eating and learned to limit that. That is how I lost weight. 

I recently came across this article on another blog about a pizza shop owner got tired of people criticizing his giving away pizza coupons at the gym and decided to go on a 30 day pizza diet to prove that you can eat pizza every day and still lose weight and be healthy. He consulted a nutritionist and visited his doctor throughout the 30 day diet. He ate 8 slices of pizza every day throughout a 12 hour period, starting at 9am and ending at 9pm. His diet totaled 2500 calories per day. He also increased his exercise, but he did not change his soda or alcohol habits because he wanted to prove it was the pizza making a change not change from eliminating anything else. The results actually showed that he lost weight and lowered his cholesterol! 

The article states, "With the pizza diet Matt proved that pizza can be part of a healthy diet if moderation and wise topping choices are selected. He believes that the key to any diet is portion control and that’s basically what his pizza diet is, a way to enjoy a great food, but not eat the whole pie in one go."

While this is an extreme example of the point I'm trying to make, I still think it reiterates the fact that you really can eat the foods you love in moderation and be healthy. Life is too short to limit yourself from anything that you love. So pick up the phone, dig out those coupons, and jump on the pizza diet bandwagon. 

Source: http://www.diet-blog.com/09/30_day_pizza_diet.php

My Super Spicy Chili Recipe and My Hatred for Cooking

I used to absolutely dread the thought of cooking. Especially before I met and lived with my fiance Eddie, because I only had myself to cook for and most recipes make enough for an entire family. It always seemed like such a chore after a long day at work or school and I just didn't want to be bothered. Some may even say I had a hatred for it back in the day. I ate out as much as possible, not only because I was lazy, but because I didn't think I could make anything that tasted as good as I could get at a restaurant. 

Over the past few years, (especially when I was unemployed, low on money and had a lot of time on my hands) I started experimenting with more and more recipes and branching out slowly. I found out I was actually a pretty good cook and enjoyed the rewarding feeling of making something that tastes great that other people liked as well! I actually can make something to eat that I enjoy as much as going out, who knew?

I've been experimenting over the past year in search of the perfect chili recipe and one that Eddie loves (sometimes he can be a picky eater) and I think I've finally found a great combination of ingredients that are healthy as well. I started out with a recipe I found on Pinterest and tweaked it from there. The recipe can be made with lean ground chicken or lean ground turkey (I prefer it with chicken, Eddie prefers turkey), but the rest of the ingredients are the same. After cooking the meat (Step 2) you can also transfer the mixture to a crockpot to finish cooking, which is what I usually do. 

This recipe won't cost you too much either! The most expensive thing you're going to buy is the meat; the hot sauce, brown sugar and vinegar will last you for a while, since you're only using a small amount. And you can use them for other recipes! Everything else you can get for $1 or less. But if you follow weekly grocery ads and plan ahead, you can make this chili fairly cheap. 

I must also say that this picture doesn't do it justice, it was taken on my old iphone and in low lighting. I'm going to have to work on my photography skills and angles for the future. :)

Super Spicy Chili: 

You will need:

• 1 package of lean ground chicken or lean ground turkey (usually comes in 20oz packages)
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1-2 tbsp chopped or minced garlic (depending on how much you like garlic, I love it!)
• 2 chopped jalapenos
• 1 packet of chili seasoning mix of your choice (I use McCormick low sodium chili seasoning. You can also substitute 1/4 cup of chili powder in place of the seasoning if you prefer)
• 15-16 ounces (about 2 cups) of crushed or petite diced tomatoes with green chiles or chili seasoned (I usually buy one 14.5oz and one 10oz can)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp hot sauce (I use sriracha, again depending on how spicy you want)
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can chili beans aka pinto beans in chili seasoning, not drained
• Garnish with 2% sharp cheddar cheese and fat free sour cream

Directions:

1. Heat canola oil in large pan. Add onion, pepper, garlic and jalapenos. Cook over medium until onion and peppers are tender (just a few minutes). 

2. Add ground chicken or turkey. Break up into smaller chunks (as you would when making tacos) until brown and cooked through (no pink). Stir in chili seasoning thoroughly and cook one minute. 

3. Transfer to crockpot and add tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and hot sauce. Mix. Cook on high for 1-2 hours or on low for 4-6 (cooking times may vary depending on your pot). 

*If you don't use the crockpot, add tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and hot sauce to pan. Mix. Reduce heat to low and cover. Stir often until chili is thickened (about 45 minutes).*

4. Stir in beans and cook for another 15 minutes (uncovered if cooking in pan)

5. Top with cheese and sour cream.

The recipe makes enough to serve at least 4 people. We always have leftovers. We like this recipe because we love spicy food and we like our chili with lots of beans and some extra broth from the chili beans so it's not too chunky. Let me know how yours turned out, if you made any substitutions and if you enjoyed it!

Health and Money Saving Tips From a Former Fat Girl: My Introduction

I'm sure you're all wondering who I am and why on earth would I even attempt to start another blog related to saving money, couponing, and healthy living when there are so many already out there. Let's start with a little backstory about myself:

My name is Amanda, I'm 29 years old, and I've been fat most of my life. I started gaining weight when I was about 7 years old. My diet consisted of mainly pizza, macaroni and cheese, and cookies. I've never felt like I necessarily ate more than other kids my age, but I seemed to gain weight much faster and easier, which I blame partly on genetics but also on my food choices and lack of exercise.

After progressively gaining weight throughout my lifetime, in 2011 I finally gave in and joined Weight Watchers with a friend of mine who had already been following the program and doing really well. In one year, I lost 85 pounds and completely changed my outlook on food and my food lifestyle. I did not switch my diet to clean eating or eliminate any certain foods from my life. I learned the make healthier choices while still being able to enjoy the foods I love the most, just in moderation! I began exercising as well, but didn't find my true exercise passion until a few years later when I discovered group exercise classes like kickboxing and Insanity. It's the only way I will work out now because I love it so much and I get bored doing regular cardio.

It was during this same year that I lost weight that I discovered couponing and how much money I could actually save by using coupons and shopping the weekly ads. Being able to get the best deal really gives me a sense of accomplishment and an adrenaline rush; it's become a really fun hobby for me! After sharing couponing and money saving tips with so many inquiring friends and family members, I've decided why not share with everyone else too.

So by now you're saying, so what? Isn't this what all the blogs are about? The answer is yes, you can get all this information on other blogs and websites. The one thing I throw into the mix is how to nourish and create a healthy mind too! I have my Masters in Clinical Psychology and have done a lot of research on eating disorders and healthy lifestyle changes and how it affects your mind.  Plus, I have some firsthand experience in the subject having gone through a lifestyle change myself. I plan to post articles, tips, and research on how to connect a healthy lifestyle to create a healthy mind as well.

So now you know my story, who I am, and what I bring to the table. Join me in continuing my weight loss journey and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Hoping you all can take away something that you can apply to your own life to make you happier and healthier, without leaving you broke.