Coupon Tips #1

   I am totally ready to start trying new recipes again. We have decided to cut sugar from the diet. We've already been slowly cutting out gluten in light of my Celiac. So now, it's time to break some rules, break out some books and tricks and discover some new yummy low sugar to no sugar gluten free yummy dinners that the kids and ourselves will eat. This is surely going to be a task! I have been saving a ton of money with coupons which is super exciting!

    I've been asked to share a few tips on coupons so here are some that I have learned over time...

1) Be aware of all coupon policies. Create a binder for your coupons and print out all of the local store coupon policies to have on hand. Becoming familiar with these policies puts yiu above a cashier who may not want to honor a coupon. They are out there, trust me. They are rude, sometimes very inconsiderate and look down upon you. You need to overcome this, because you're saving money and there is NOTHING wrong with this. Actually it's super awesome!

2) Get the Sunday paper, two if you can. Three if you want. Sunday papers have wonderful coupons in them and most you cannot find online. It's important to subscribe if you can to the weekend paper because it's much cheaper this way. Here where I live there are no newspapers that deliver. If you find yourself in this position, make a trip to the closest store that carries them...easy peasy.  If you know neighbors who do not coupon but get the newspaper ask them for their coupon inserts. You can really save a ton of money with these golden sheets of coupons =)

3) Become aware with coupon printing websites. There are three major sites...redpum.com, coupons.com, and smartsource.com. You can often visit your favorite brands website and get coupons also.

4) Look at sale ads, coupons, and store deals before making your grocery list. You are going to start making your meal plan around what is on sale.

5) Understand coupon lingo. Understand stock up sales mean serious cash saved. It may seem stupid to buy 10 boxes of cereal but over time you're saving money. Here is some important lingo you should become aware of.

Coupon lingo:

$1/1, $1/2: One dollar off one item, one dollar off two items, etc.
2/$1, 3/$2: Two items for one dollar, three items for two dollars, etc.
B1G1: Buy one item get one item free
B2G1: Buy two items get one item free
Blinkies: Grocery/drugstore coupon dispensers with blinking lights
Catalina: Catalina coupon, prints from a separate machine when your receipt prints
DND: Do not double
Ea.: Each
ECBs: ExtraCare Bucks, CVS loyalty rewards system
ETS: Excludes trial size
Exp.: Expires
GC: Gift card
IVC: Instant Value Coupon, Walgreens' store coupons
MIR: Mail-in rebate
NLA: No longer available
OYNO: On your next order
OOP: Out of pocket
OOS: Out of stock
Peelie: Peel-off coupon found on product packaging
PSA: Prices starting at
RRs: Register Rewards, Walgreens' Catalina coupons
Q: Coupon
SCR: Single Check Rebate, Rite Aid monthly rebates program
Stacking: Using both a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon on one item
UPC: Universal product code, bar code
Tearpad: Pad of coupons attached to a display, shelf, or refrigerator door.
+UP Reward: Rite Aid reward program
WYB: When you buy

6) DO NOT BUY something you do not need. Sometimes getting an item for free or extremely discounted is temping. But do not waste money, buying something just because you have a coupon is not the proper way to coupon. However, sometimes getting free items or discounted items that may benefit a local food pantry is okay. Go ahead and get a ton of food and personal items and donate them.

7) Make up care packages for soldiers or children in need with products you are overstocked on. You can and should buy full priced items for the care packages however you can offer a lot more when you use coupons. You can do great things with couponing.

8) Do not become greedy. Do not become a hoarder. Buy what you need for your family, but only what you need for your family. This goes along with number 6. You do not want couponing to become a problem. This is very, very important. A good rule of thumb is 3 months for boxed goods ie. cereal, hamburger helper, mac and cheese. 6 months for canned goods and it varies depending on sale items for meat.

9) Purchase a binder and find an organization method that works for you. There are tons of resources online for ways to organize a coupon binder. Keep it updated or you will lose all kinds of track of it. Seriously.

10) Couponing is fun. Couponing is rewarding and empowering. When I walk out of a market with $300 worth of groceries for my family and only forked out $100, I feel proud, and just overall overjoyed. My freezer is always full of great meats. We eat our favorite cereal, and meals now. Feeding the animals is cheaper. Washing our bodies, home and laundry is cheaper. Everything is just cheaper. Saving money is important to a lot of people.

Some people feel bad about using coupons and they feel like they are ripping the store off and making the economy worse. This is NOT true. The face value of a coupon is a tax write off for the store, or reimbursed by the company that offers the coupon. Take advantage of stacking coupons which means taking a store coupon or sale and stacking it with a manufacturers coupon (these are the printable coupons or the ones you find in the newspaper)/ This can save you even more money!

Most of all, have fun and save tons!

Much Luv,
Lady Bea

My Story - An Idea..

Before I go to bed for the night I decided I want to put an idea I had today out there. I want to write my story. A story I have had in my mind forever, I have started it at least fifty times but never really finished it. Once I got over 200 pages in only to have all my hard work burnt before my eyes. It hurt. I have always felt like I needed to jump back onto it but always had that pain on my mind. I've decided, I think, to write a chapter a week or every other week and post it here. Within a year, perhaps two depending on how well I stay on task, I will have written my book.

I will not share this story until I have figured out labels. This way those who are not interested in reading it will not even have to see it. There will be material that may be triggers or be very upsetting to some. The story is based on extreme child abuse and will be detailed accounts of abuse. I just do not want anyone who does not want to see this sort of story to have to see it.

Anyways, that is my idea! So, I think I will go shower now (for real this time haha) and get some shut eye!

Much Luv,
Lady Bea

My "Motherly" Thoughts

    Being a mother to me is more than being the person who carried a child in my womb for nine months. I consider a mother the woman who takes care of anything in a parental way. They teach, direct, discipline, and love whoever or whatever it is that they are mothering. When I say that I am the mother of my puppy, our cats, our fish..it's because I really think I am. I am their adopted mother. I am caring for them, teaching them, feeding them etc. So yesterday, I was thinking about being the mother of the house and decided to write about being a mother, and the crazy thoughts that go through my mind in any given day. You might think I am weird, but I don't care haha!

    I have always felt like I would make a great 'human' mother. And I think I am. I lose my patience and need a break sometimes but who doesn't? Having three boys isn't easy and sometimes I find myself wondering what goes through their minds. Z having a lack of vocabulary leaves me wondering what's going through his little head. Why does he think the dog is a cow? but then a cow is a cow? Fred, the dog, in no way looks or sounds like a cow. Why is he afraid of Mr. Potato head...is it how he feels? Why was he afraid of a flower yesterday, after I picked it but not before? Weird..no answers.
   Why is Fred afraid of Gracie the kitten? Fred could probably eat her in two bites yet she can back him in a corner and make him cry. Blizzard at least leaves Fred alone. Came across a coyote and Fred laid on the sidewalk and surrendered his death to the animal. Nice watch dog. I just wonder how to teach this pup sometimes, he seems like such a blockhead. He cannot stand not seeing me, walking out side is torture on him. I think this is normal for some dogs, and I am glad he loves me. I just love having a puppy under my feet and a toddler who doesn't want me to put him down. Gracie who thinks every sound of metal is a can of food..Blizzard who is on the prowl most moments...then there is the fish...ah the fish...
    The fish are most difficult. They cannot speak, or signal anything. They come to the top of the tank when you walk near them...are they hungry? or happy to see me? I feed them and its gone in a moment...are they still hungry? Should I feed them more? If I feed them more the water will get dirty and will stress them out..but..am I starving them? Do they like their tank? Are they happy? Is it weird to care about how happy our fish are? Is this typical fin-mothering? I get sad some days that the goldfish are in the babies room where they never see sunlight or people unless its morning or bedtime. Does this make them sad or depressed. They are fish...but how much do we really know about fish emotion? A fish will die from sadness or anxiety..and their growth will blossom in happy environments and they will mate and make fry. So, obviously fish emotion is very important and obviously there...and I optimizing their happiness? Or are they in a lonely world of ...waiting for more.
    C sent me a mothers day package. It was paid to arrive on Saturday however it did not arrive. He called me at least four times on Sunday and we Skyped once and every time was the same.. "Did your package come?" Over and over I told him it hadn't, it was okay, and that the mail doesn't run on Sundays. He kept asking, so sad that his package didn't arrive in time. Why doesn't he grasp the concept that the mail does not run on Sunday? I only told him eight times at least and this doesn't count repeating during each call, or message or video call.  I felt terrible when he found out it wasn't going to come and he started crying because he was so upset.
   Why is being a mother so difficult? Nothing worthwhile is easy I suppose. The thoughts that go through my mind on a daily basis are sometimes hilarious. Sometimes I wonder if anyone heard my thoughts would they think I was going crazy. Maybe I am crazy? Who wonders if their fish are still hungry or if they're depressed? I want to help our Z overcome his fear of these very weird things...and help him overcome his inability to speak. Which..is getting better thankfully. I think it would be an awesome thing if for one day I knew what was going through all of our "children's" minds..cats, dog, fish included. I guess...this is pretty open ended because I am not sure what else to say. Sometimes I wonder why I think the things I think and am I worrying about stupid and unimportant things? Ah who knows haha!

...Guess I am signing out...
Mama Bea

    

A Recipe in the Making..

Soooo I got the urge the other day to make something delish..so I decided to make brownies with toffee AND caramel!...How could you go wrong with that! I will post the recipe when I get it right. It's not that it was wrong, but since I had never made it before and had to improvise with some of the ingredients and it didn't turn out exactly how I would make it again. None the less...doesn't this look so good?!

I'll keep trying and update when I get it perfect! We're all on the journey together <3 data-blogger-escaped-br="">