Money Saving Madness: Ordering a Side of Beef

In my quest to save money at the grocery store I decided to order a side of beef from a cattle farmer who sells at my local Farmer's Market. I've got a house full of people to feed and I knew that if I ordered a side of beef we'd definitely use it. The problem was I had NO idea what to ask or what to look for when getting my beef so I did the smart thing and asked my network of friends. Deanne from Trying Traditional answered my plea for help and did me one better-- she wrote a blog post about it!

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Deanne:

First a bit about me. I am a stay-at-home mother of four beautiful girls and am blessed to be married for 11 years now to my highschool sweetheart. We live in the same very small community that we grew up in, met each other, and where grandparents are only a 3 minute drive down the road. I love to cook and bake, though along the way I feel like I was thrown a couple curve balls. If anyone already reads my blog, you know that I have a child that is very sensitive to processed foods. If it comes in a box, she probably should not be eating it. With the exception of a brown rice pasta I love (Tinkyada brand) and the occasional loaf of bread when I am feeling lazy, we make it all from scratch. We make our own stock/broth, soups, casseroles, pizza, salad dressings, cereals, baked goods, and even ketchup. I can barely remember the days where I would open up a can of cream of mushroom soup or a package of mac and cheese. If the label has any form of wheat, milk, soy, sugar, or msg on the label we make it ourselves. This is what got me started on feeding my family a nourishing, whole-food diet. I hope to answer some of the common questions I am asked about ordering a side of beef. Being that I always order a side instead of a split side, from here on I will talk mainly on ordering a side of beef. If you are interested in a split side, ask your butcher for more specifics about what cuts you will be receiving (seeing as you will be buying either the front or hind quarter) or buddy-up with someone and split the roasts, steaks, and other cuts as evenly as possible.

What exactly is a side or split side of beef and why would I want one?
A side of beef is half of a cow, with a split side being a quarter of a cow. There are many reasons people buy a side of beef. For us the reasons are part economical and part quality. While I would love to buy a side of organic beef, that is simply not in our budget. I have found a farm that uses antibiotics sparingly, allows their cows out into the sunshine and to chew grass to their hearts content, but also feeds them some grain as well. We will get to cost later, but for now this is the best I can afford to feed my family and I know the farmers personally and am pleased to help support their family. When I order grocery store meat, I know nothing about it but the grade assigned to it by the USDA. What I do know is that it has been injected with a sodium solution to make up for the lack of marbling. Let's face it, fat means flavor and with the popularity of reducing fat in our diets tough, tasteless meat wasn't selling either. These solutions help to flavor the meat and plump the weight as well. Think about the last time you paid $5.99 a pound for beef, you were also paying that much for salt water. While it is possible to find meat without the sodium solutions, it can be pricey and hard to find.

Other reasons people buy a side of beef could be: trying to eat more local foods, wanting organic meats, preferring to know where the meat originated from, and it just tastes better.

You mentioned economical, how economical are we talking?
This is where it gets tricky. Costs vary widely. I can give you an example of what we pay. We will usually spend around $650 on a side of beef, before you click on to the next blog keep reading as I will give you an approximate tally of what you get for that kind of money on down the post. If you are working direct with a farm, they will give you a per pound hanging weight price and the processors will give you a per pound processing price. Say the hanging weight of your side of beef is 300lbs and your farmer is charging you $1.50 a pound. You will be writing them a check for $450. Then say your processor is going to charge you $.75 per pound for the cutting and wrapping of you side of beef. Do you see how this adds up? And, just to make it more confusing, you will not be taking home 300lbs of meat, in fact, about 20-35% of your hanging weight is waste (fat and such that that is trimmed away.) When all is said and done, we average a little over $3 a pound for the meat we take home. Imagine paying that for T-bone steaks at the store! I said it before, but will say it again, this is just an example of what we pay. Prices vary greatly due to local economy, organic or not, and so on. A good source should be able to give you a loose idea of what you will be paying.

What cuts of meat will I be getting?
This is where it gets fun. The first time we ordered a side of beef, you can imagine the crickets chirping in the background when the butcher asked me how I wanted it. Umm, how about cooked and ready to reheat, is that an option? What on earth was I supposed to tell the guy and why didn't anyone warn me? Thankfully, he was took the time to explain many a thing that I was clueless about. He started by asking me if we were particular to roasts, steaks, ground or any other certain cut. From there he started asking if wanted -bone steaks or strips and a tenderloin. I communicated to him, that we weren't big steak eaters (turns out we love steaks now that we are getting quality meat) and that I used a good bit of ground beef and he obliged. Now when I order, I tell them that we prefer our ground beef in 2 pound packages and that I prefer our roasts to be about 4 pounds. We do not have them make any of our ground beef into patties, though this is an option that some places charge a little bit more money to do. I also instruct that we will eat nearly anything and to please include soup bones, liver, heart, tongue, etc. in our order. (Don't cringe, if you eat hot dogs than you are likely eating all kinds of unknown meat pieces and you know it!)

When you order your side of beef, you can expect to get the following (this is not a precise list, just an estimation):

* 4 chuck roasts
* 2 chuck steaks
* 3 arm roasts
* 10 pieces of short ribs
* 8 soup bones
* 6 pounds of stew meat
* 1 rib roast
* 10 rib steaks
* 2 sirloin roasts
* 8 sirloin steaks
* 2 rolled rump roasts
* 8 T-bone steaks
* 8 porterhouse steaks
* 6 round steaks
* 12 cube steaks
* 60 pounds of ground beef
* 3 packages of liver

Keep in mind that these quantities change with the size of cuts you prefer. The average cut for roasts is 3 pounds. We do 4 because there are more of us and I can throw leftover roast in soup or fried rice for an easy meal. You see, there is flexibility here, you can get the sirloin steaks instead of roasts, same with the rib section. Instead of the T-bone steaks you could get a tenderloin (have the tenderloin cut into filet mignon if you like) and strip steaks. This all affects the cuts you get, but in the end you still get about the same weight of take-home meat.

That was a bunch of information, can you simplify that for me?
Sure, your will be getting a huge amount of meat cut into steaks, roasts, ground meat, and more. Here is what you are going to need to tell your butcher in regards to your side of beef:

* how big do you want your roasts
* how thick do you like your steaks and how many to a package
* how much ground beef per package
* if you want some of your ground beef in patties, how big do you like your patties
* do you want the rib section to be steaks, roasts, or both
* do you want the sirloin tip as steaks or a roast
* do you want the top round as a roast, steaks, or London broil
* do you want cube steaks and if so how many to a package

Okay, I'm going to do it...what now?
Once you order your beef, you should be given an approximate date of pickup. The butcher will likely call you when it is ready for pick up. One thing you should know is that you will need coolers and or boxes to pick up all this meat. Think about it, we are talking about 200 pounds of frozen beef. Even if you did manage to bring enough grocery bags for that much meat with you, can you imagine that rolling around in your mini-van after a sharp turn or stop? We usually use either boxes or milk-crates unless it is a hot day, then I borrow all the coolers I can fit.

When I get my meat, I try to start sorting it as I put it into boxes as I put it into my vehicle. The butcher has my meat stored in carts in his freezer, they roll them out to me and I start loading up. Ground beef is stacked like bricks all into a couple milk crates that will stack one on top of another in my chest freezer. Roasts go into another, steaks another, etc. This helps me keep my freezer organized so that when I want to make liver I am not digging through 150 pounds of ground beef, roasts, and steaks tossed into the bottom of the freezer.

Do not be afraid to ask questions, you will be paying quite a bit of money up front for a large quantity of food...might as well do your best to get exactly what you want for your family. Ask others that have ordered a side of beef, ask the farm or ranch you are getting your meat from, or ask your butcher. Most of these people are proud of the work they do and are more than happy to help you in the choices you have.

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Denise: I think if you are a person who strictly buys your beef when it's on sale at the grocery store and price is your primary focus, ordering a side of beef probably isn't for you. But if you get a lot of different cuts (steaks, roasts, etc) then ordering a side is something you should investigate. I was also interested in it because I could get meat that was organic or as close it as possible without having the official organic seal (which takes farmers a lot of time, money and energy to get.)

When I ordered my side of beef it was already butchered, processed and boxed up waiting in a deep freeze to be sold. I paid $3.50 a pound for my half side of a 630 pound cow. (However, I only received a little over 200 pounds of processed meat, so I really paid more than $3.50 a pound.) I met the farmer in the Farmer's Market parking lot on a weekday and he transferred the meat into my van. (His farm is about an hour and half south of where I live.) I took home 5 boxes of beef, set them in my garage and began to inventory what I had.















I kept hearing how hard it was to keep track of the beef in your freezer but my new chest freezer has built in compartments so I made a chart of where I put everything. I also made a list of every package of meat that I received and planned to check off what we got out to use. This is a great plan and might work for someone else but not for us. We just aren't that organized but I think with my chart showing what compartment the specific cuts are in is organization enough for us.















I have to say that I didn't expect that big of a difference between grocery store beef and my farmer's beef, but even the ground beef is better. The farmer's ground beef is a deep red instead of the grocery store's pink tones. (That's one of the two packages of ground beef we're having in our chili tonight.) We've also tried out the steaks and they are incredible! I can't believe beef can taste that good.

It takes a chunk of money up front and a lot of freezer space but buying a side of beef just might be something for you.

And no people, I'm not dressing up like a cow.

Welcome to My Little House on the Prairie

When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with Little House on the Prairie. I devoured the books and read them several times each, well except for Farmer Boy. (Not only was it boring to me, it was about a boy.) I wanted to live 100 years in the past. I wanted to be Mary Ingalls. Forget Laura; I wanted to be a girly girl.

To the amazement of my children, we only had 4 tv stations when I was a girl. Oh the horror!!! No Disney channel, no Nickelodeon. What was kid to do? We played outside and used our imaginations. Our neighborhood was the land of make believe-- Lost in Space, Huckleberry Fin (which we had completely wrong), and Little House on the Prairie. All the others were prop-less but with Little House on the Prairie, I would wear one of my mom's old dresses and a baby dress on my head, the bodice cinched to make a sun bonnet. What can I say? I had a rich childhood.

When I decided to make my own laundry, memories of Little House came rushing back. Doesn't making soap seem like something Ma would do? So before I started my soap making endeavor, I had to have my props.

I was ready to make some soap but my girls were horrified. Maybe some things are better left in the past.

I assembled all my ingredients and prepared to start mixing. For those who might have missed my Money Saving Madness post about making your own detergents the recipe is:

1 box of Borax
1 box of Washing Soda
6 cups of Baking Soda
6 bars of Fels Naptha, shredded

Gathering the ingredients was actually a scavenger hunt. I had never bought Borax, but apparently it's everywhere. I bought my box at Target in the laundry detergent aisle, but I also saw it everywhere else I went. Borax is easy.

Washing Soda was found at my grocery store, HyVee. It was also in the laundry aid aisle. Interestingly enough, it wasn't at my Super WalMart. But the Fels Naptha was. Baking Soda, no explanation necessary.

I realized the toughest part was shredding SIX bars of Fels Naptha. Let's get this party started!

With a quick break to update my Facebook status.

Still shredding, and by the looks of things, I've got 4 more bars to go.

Trying to stay motivated.

By this point, Jenna was taking pictures and I was making all kinds of poses.

I freely admit that we watch too much America's Next Top Model in this house.

Julia thought that shredding soap looked fun and wanted to give it a go.

Her ANTP pose. She couldn't be out done by her mother.

Okay! The shredding is done, as you can tell by the smile on my face, and the mixing has begun.

Unlike Cynthia, I don't live close to a ginormous cheese factory where I can buy big tubs for $0.50. So I found this file box clearance priced at WalMart for $3.50. I poured the ingredients in layers and stirred it with a wooden spoon.

I wrote the recipe on the top of the box so I wouldn't have to look it up again. I completely stole this idea from my friend Heather at Five Bucks, who called me multiple times yesterday with questions about finding the ingredients. (That's okay, she tells everyone that she's my stalker.)

I used my old laundry detergent cup and marked the 1/8 cup line all the way around the cup.

And here it is in my washing machine dispenser tray. I've washed a load of towels and my kids tell me that they smell fabulous. I'm onto some bigger test cases later this morning (my kids clothes.)

Was this hard work worth it? I buy my laundry detergent at Costco for $13.59 and it washes 110 loads which equals $0.12 per load. The price for my homemade detergent:

Borax: $2.56 (Target)
Washing Soda: $2.69 (HyVee)
Fels Naptha: $5.82 (6 bars at $0.97 each, Super WalMart)
Baking Soda: $1.59 (used 6 cups of an 8 cup box, Super WalMart)
Total: $12.66 divided by 300 (approx loads per batch)
$0.04 per load vs $0.12 per load.

And who said I'd never use those math story problems???

Yes, this endeavor was totally worth the effort. But that's not where my Little House adventures end. In the near future I'll post about my bread making experiences. Next thing you know, I'll be getting my own butter churn. But I'm stopping short of getting my kids a pigs bladder. A girl's gotta have her standards.

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Edited Wednesday, Sept 16 afternoon: I have ran 6 loads through my washing machine using the homemade detergent and there isn't a single trace of detergent when I open the tray.

Also, I made a small batch of the homemade Dishwasher detergent (equal parts Baking Soda and Borax.) Cynthia suggested to get the dishes pretty clean before putting them in the machine but I wanted to really test out this recipe. So put dishes in with chocolate and peanut butter still on them. Not covered, but still present. Then I ran the load and when I opened it up and began to put the dishes away I was astounded. Not only were the dishes clean but they were more sparkley then I've ever seen them.

Money Saving Madness-- Laundry and Dishwasher Soap

I ain't gonna lie: the first time I heard of people making their own soap I thought they had jumped off the deep end. Visions of Little House on the Prairie ran rampant through my head. But then I got serious about saving money and thought about all the laundry I wash with a house of 9 people and the 3 dishwasher loads I run a day. I figured it was worth a shot.

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Hello everyone! This is Cynthia from Under the Misty Mountain with your guest blog today… ready to get clean for PENNIES??????


Earlier this year I had a change of heart about spending money. I started to resent any and every company getting one thin dime of ours, especially if I felt like it was something we could make at home for next-to-nothing. Baking soda and borax have become my best friends. Somewhere around here I even have an Idiot’s Guide to Cleaning and it was a tremendous help getting me going, but basically if you start with baking soda, you’re off to a good start!! And Costco sells the GIANT BAGS of baking soda for nearly nothing…so get mixing!!

LAUNDRY DETERGENT

My homemade laundry soap recipe came through a friend of mine on Facebook after I sent out a complaint, I mean, a status update… asking why we couldn’t make our own soaps for regular household cleaning. We were almost out of our regular laundry soap and I wasn’t looking forward to going to Costco and buying yet another giant plastic bottle of whatever detergent they had for sale this week.

This laundry soap is VERY simple, it has four ingredients:
1 box 20-Mule-Team Borax
1 box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (NOT baking soda!)
6 cups of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (THIS is baking soda!)
6 bars Fels Naptha soap, grated with cheese grater


Use 1/8 of a cup for each load. Our giant bucket of soap, that cost around $15 to make will last (my friend reports) over 300 loads. This recipe works great in front-loading as well as top-loading machines, as the Fels Naptha soap makes little to no suds.

It took a bit of elbow grease to grate all of the Fels-Naptha, but it really wasn’t that bad. The soap isn’t as hard as I thought it would be, just slightly harder that an aged cheddar. And it smells AWESOME. Which means you will smell awesome when you are done grating all of that cheese. I mean, soap.

I used a giant tub to gently stir all of the ingredients together and then we keep it in a giant plastic tub with a tight-fitting lid. Keep in mind Borax is poisonous if you inhale or swallow too much of it, so I don’t advise inviting all the toddlers on the block on a windy day to help you stir your soap. I used a big tub with higher sides and a long whisk and had the kids unglue themselves from my legs for ten minutes while I gently stirred the soap.

After we started using this recipe for our laundry soap, we haven’t used dryer sheets AT ALL, which is REALLY excellent, since we were nearly out of those, too!! And it doesn’t matter if we put the clothes in the dryer or hang them on the line, they smell SO GOOD and are SO CLEAN, my husband was even amazed and we’re never going back to store-bought soap again.

The only things we don’t put out on the line are our bath and hand towels, because of the rough texture they come back in with. BUT – that was the case when we were using the other kind of laundry detergent anyway. Everything else comes back in super soft and smelling wonderful, so we think it has more to do with the fabric of our towels. So they are spoiled and dried in the dryer.

There are a million other combinations for laundry soap out there, and some will tell you how to make a liquid soap, so don’t be afraid to experiment! I like our powder. It’s easier to sweep up if it spills!

DISHWASHER DETERGENT

Okay… this is REALLY EASY. There is no excuse for anyone to be buying those giant tubs of little blue cakes with the pink pearls ever again.

Mix equal portions of baking soda and borax together (carefully – don’t want to breathe in a bunch of that dust – yuck!) and keep it in a tight-fitting lidded container. I started with 3 cups of each, and I put it right in the container that formerly held all of those little blue cakes with pink pearls. *snap*

Some websites say to use 2 teaspoons and others say 2 tablespoons, but what we do is fill the little spot up and close the little door, and that’s about 2 tablespoons. We put straight white vinegar in the spot where you would normally put your FUNKY BLUE LIQUID to keep your dishes streak-free, and so far, so good.

Oh, do not worry that Borax is poisonous and you are using it to wash your dishes. ANYTHING YOU BUY MADE FOR DISHWASHERS IS POISONOUS… just in case you missed that… ANYTHING YOU BUY MADE FOR DISHWASHERS IS POISONOUS. That’s why they all have those pesky “harmful if swallowed” warnings on them. Don’t worry about it.

Now, this has not been a perfect process for us, but I still prefer using this recipe over relying on the store-bought processed cakes for two reasons – I always have borax and baking soda on hand and therefore will never run out of dishwasher soap, and it makes me pay more attention to what I’m expecting my dishwasher to do.

Our dishwasher is 11 years old…that being said, it’s obvious it’s not a top-of-the-line machine like the Bosch we stuck in our last kitchen (the one we remodeled from the floor joists up and recovered none of the costs when we sold the house? Yeah…THAT kitchen has the GOOD dishwasher…), so I make sure I give the dishes a swipe before putting them in the dishwasher. I check for dried-on cheese and other things that may still be there when the cycle is finished. I also am careful and I don’t overload the dishwasher, because if things are too tight, then *stuff* could be left behind. But it’s still better.

DISHSOAP FOR HANDWASHING

Another thing I got tired of buying every time I turned around (or so it felt like it) was hand dishwashing soap. I was already buying the happy-happy-green alternative from Bio-Kleen at $6 a pop, but I felt I was going through it too fast.

Now…I love knowing I am Saving the Earth by buying green, but Saving the Earth loses when I am choosing between buying chicken at 79 cents a pound and happy-happy-green soap alternatives. I have to feed my family first.

So I looked to Costco again and they happened to have that week a GIANT bottle of something that sort of looked environmentally friendly, and it was less than $10. Sold. I smelled it in the store, because I hate soap that smells like chemicals, and it passed the sniff test, so we brought it home. It is a concentrated formula, so I add maybe ¼ of a cup to an old dishwashing soap bottle and fill it up with water. Now when I do dishes by hand, I am using a fraction of the amount of soap I used to use and still have bubbles and still have clean dishes. What more could I ask for?? (Maybe some rubber gloves that last longer than a week?)

SPRAY CLEANER

My final “homemade” soap solution is Mrs. Meyer’s lavender soap. I tried to find a picture, since I am out and actually need to pick some up, but the website is below for you to check out. The lavender soap is an all-purpose soap, and I dilute a small amount in a spray bottle with water. I use this to clean the countertops, the table, the stove, and the floor for spot cleaning. I am a stay-at-home mom with three kids, which means I am cleaning the counters and the table 2-3 times a day, and the floor about once a day in certain areas and for spills. This soap solution leaves behind a FABULOUS lavender scent that makes me WANT to clean (CAN YOU IMAGINE???).

Just keep in mind that this is just soap…it was not made with Killing Germs in mind. When I have a situation such as raw meat juices or raw egg on the counters or in the sink, I reach for my 409. I like to know some things are dead and in the trash. That is also the only time I use paper towels for spills. Otherwise, I have an army of dishcloths and I use about two or three of those a day chasing around our messes.

OTHER LITTLE IDEAS

I keep a small tub of baking soda by the sink because a little of that in the sink and some scrubbing gets it sparkling clean. I used an old cinnamon shaker bottle (one of the big ones from Costco) and filled it with baking soda and we use that in the bathroom to add a shake to the cat pans every day. I also shake baking soda all over the carpets once every two weeks, let it sit for about 15 or 20 minutes and then let the kids vacuum. They can tell where they still need to vacuum and they keep going until all the white powder is gone! *SWEET*

WHERE TO START FOR HOMEMADE SOAP:
http://www.soapsgonebuy.com
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm
http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/articles/detergent.shtml

MY LUSCIOUS LAVENDER SOAP I WOULD MARRY IF I COULD:
http://www.mrsmeyers.com

20 Mule Team Borax USES FOR:
http://www.dialcorp.com/documents/borax.pdf (has a picture)

ARM & HAMMER:
They have all the answers for what baking soda can do:
http://www.armhammer.com/basics/magic/
Here is a link to their washing soda (not on A&H website??):
http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/Arm_and_Hammer_Washing_Soda_p/ah1001.htm

Now…. Get crackin’ and have fun!!

Cynthia Moyer
mother: www.underthemistymountain.com
author: www.clmoyer.com

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Denise: Where do you get Borax and Fels Naptha? Oh and Washing soda too?

Cynthia: You can find anything online, but I actually found all of these products RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER at our Fred Meyer store. The borax you can usually find at Safeway or WalMart or whatever, but the Fels Naptha is a little trickier.

I am not sure why our WalMart didn't have it, but Fred Meyer did??? People will just have to look, and they can always ask the store to stock it if their big box store doesn't have it.

Denise: You say that you use this in your front loading washer, but the detergent is a powder. Do you put the detergent in the tray or do you add it directly to your wash?

Cynthia: I use it in the tray and it hasn't caused any problems yet, and I've been using it for months!!

Thank you Cynthia for these great ideas! Now I'm off to make some detergent.

Money Saving Madness! Finding Coupons

Welcome to our very first Money Saving Madness! Every Monday a guest blogger will post about how SHE saves money.

One of my biggest household expenses is my food bill. As you can imagine, feeding a house full of 9 people gets pretty expensive. So in my quest to save at the grocery store I turned to my Bloggy BFF Brandy from I'm Not Your Average Soccer Mom for help. Brandy also has another blog Craving Savings where she posts about her impressive deals using coupons. The whole world of coupons seems pretty overwhelming to me so I asked Brandy to explain to me where she finds coupons.

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Where to find coupons?

Most people think that the Sunday paper is the best place to get coupons when in fact there are many sources.

These are some of my favorites:

Online Internet Coupons - aka Printables have quickly become one of the most popular ways to get coupons. By only printing & clipping coupons that you choose it saves money AND time.

And companies often gift us with high value printable coupons. For example, I've found $3 off Smithfield bacon, $2.50 off Healthy Choice meals & $1 off Motts applesauce all in the last week.

A few reputable sources that I use:

-Coupons.com
-SmartSource.com
-CouponBug.com
-Betty Crocker
-Red Plum
-Mambo Sprouts (Yes you can find coupons for organic food!)

**Tip: You can usually print two printables by using your back browser.

E-coupons - These coupons require no clipping & no sorting. You just add the offers to your grocery card & the savings are automatically deducted at the register when you buy the specified items. It doesn't get much easier that that!

-Cellfire.com
-Shortcuts.com
-P&G esaver

Upromise also offers e-coupons, but it works a little bit differently. Instead of receiving discounts at the register your "savings" will be added to your college savings account through Upromise. It's an easy way to save your pennies for college.

Blinkies, Peelies & Tearpads - These coupons are found right in your grocery aisles.

Blinkies are little distributing boxes containing coupons that stick out from the shelves, typically in front of the product featured on the coupon. As you pull one another one is released.

Peelies are located on the actual product themselves.

Tearpads are normally found on a display but can be hung on shelves.

**Tip: I always pick up a couple blinkies & tearpads, even if I won't immediately use it. I file them away & wait for a sale to maximize my savings.

Ebay - Yes I said Ebay. Whenever I need a large quantity of coupons I check Ebay where I can get them for pennies apiece & they are already clipped.

**Tip: By checking advance ads I can determine if I need to order additional quantities early enough for the upcoming sale.

I use WeUseCoupons.com to view advance ads, sales/coupon match ups & to see what my fellow couponers are buying. It's free to join & everyone is very helpful. I'm known as "uwoodz" there so stop by & say hi!

As you can see coupons are everywhere!


Denise: What do you say to the people who say you that you spend MORE money and buy things you wouldn't get if you didn't use the coupons?

Brandy: Sometimes I do buy things that I don't need, but I NEVER spend more money on them. Typically those items are free after coupon or I make money on them! And just because I don't need them doesn't mean it goes to waste. I'm always sharing with friends & family and I donate items 3-4 a year.

For example, yesterday I got 10 boxes of fruit snacks, 5 boxes of granola bars & several other items for $10.95 and then got back $11.50 in catalinas good on my next order. We don't eat fruit snacks, but my nephew sure does! Plus they are a great item to send to school for parties or to hand out for Halloween since they are individually packaged.

Denise: How much money have you saved this year using coupons?

Brandy: My total savings is $7828.32! I'm averaging a 76% savings on ALL my grocery purchases and 98% on my drugstore purchases. Using the reward programs from CVS (Extra Care Bucks) or Walgreens (Register Rewards) is a great way to save on toiletries, baby supplies, medicine, etc.

You can check out what I'm buying every week at Craving Savings.

Denise: How do you keep your coupons organized? It seems like so much work!

Brandy: I started out with a small coupon organizer, but I have since upgraded to a case file that has a handle. It has 19 divided sections that I use to separate my coupons into groups (frozen, meats, canned goods, etc.) so that I find them quickly. I carry it right into the store with me & place it in the front part of the buggy. You can see a picture of it HERE. This is what works for me but there are many ways to stay organized including the coupon binder method. Do a little research and find out what appeals to you.

Denise: How many newspapers do you buy each Sunday?

Brandy: Only 1. I check out the inserts and if there is a really good one then I decide to purchase more papers (expensive in my area @ 1.75/each!), buy just the coupons I need from Ebay, look for a trade on weusecoupons.com or ask family & friends for their coupons.

Denise: Will YOU do my grocery shopping for me???

Brandy: If only we lived closer...lol!

Denise thank you for allowing me to share this information with your readers today. Couponing has become my obsession passion and I love to share the ways to save with everyone I know.

Reflections

My blog has always been about the life of my family, and heavens knows that these kids have provided plenty of content. Gotta love that busy, cute little Emma. But lately, my thoughts are also filled with worries over money. I try not to include that stuff because honestly, it's a downer. But recently, I pulled my head out of my own little world and realized that I'm not the only one going through this. Duh. Sure, I've realized that people are suffering, how could I not? But something else struck me.

I'm not the only one.

If you follow me on Facebook, you've probably noticed that I've been working on ways to have money. This seems to consume a good part of my time. I've been blessed to have befriended many women who are much smarter than I in money saving areas. As I've pestered these women with my questions something else occurred to me:

I bet I'm not the only one interested in this information.

And being the giver that I am, I've decided to share. Starting tomorrow I'll be hosting Money Saving Madness which will feature guest blog posts from other woman who save money on their household expenses and are willing to offer us useful, practical tips. This will be a weekly series posted on Mondays, because let's start the week off right! Saving money. My plan is to implement the tips they offer and report back with my results. I want to hear your results too. What works for me might not work for you. But I also need something else from you. Ideas. What are YOU interested in saving money on? What would YOU like to see addressed? Maybe you'd like to do a post of your own! I have posts planned for the next four weeks, but after that anything and everything is fair game. Just email me at dms052564@gmail.com with ideas or suggestions.