Clipping Coupons...is It Worth It? Well, That Depends

Went to Ingles today to shop. I normally don't find many of my bargains there. My WH had 2 co-workers here for the day (training, etc.). I told them about my shopping adventure when I popped into his home office to say "hi". One of them had never heard of Ingles and thought it must be some spectacular savings store. The other nearly fell out of his chair laughing. He assured her that there was nothing in Ingles in and of itself to make it a bargain-shopper's dream.

But I digress. I was in the checkout line at Ingles. The woman in front of my had about 6 bags of various items that I could not see because it was bagged when I arrived. Her total came to $162.something. She was ranting about the high price of food. Then she pulled out some coupons and her total went down to $150.something after they were scanned. She turned to me and said, "That's a lot better, isn't it?" I smiled and said she did well, and I was happy for her.

Let me pause to interject that I have so much to learn about this stockpiling while prices are rock bottom thing. I feel like the past 4 weeks of this type of shopping (email me for details) has been a whole education in grocery shopping.

Once all my items were rung up, my bill was $120.something. After the cashier scanned my Ingles card it went down almost $20. That reflects lower prices for those who have signed up and present their special card. That was great, right? Even better was my grand total due after my coupons were scanned...$37.86. I thought that was a bit high, but I did buy a few items that never go very low, even on sale. Plus, the coupons were not doubled like they are at two of the stores I shop at weekly.

Here's what I got with that...

~2 candy bars my son asked me to buy him for his brothers as a reward for helping clean up the room the 3 of them share (I will be reimbursed for that tomorrow). That was $1.46.

~20 4-packs of AA and AAA batteries (I will resell 16 packs of them tomorrow and be paid 50 cents more per package than I paid, netting me $8 profit).

~3 Benefiber (38 serving) powder (ditto on the resale, netting me $12).

~10 eight-ounce packages of luncheon meats (honey ham and grilled turkey to be exact). I will also be reselling most of these for I don't know how much yet.

~2 loaves of Italian bread (an extravagance...$1.68 EACH), but we can't do Italian w/o it.

~the big priced item...ground chuck @1.78 a pound. I bought 9-1/2 pounds. This is a good price around here. I brown and drain it all at once, then pack it into sandwich baggies, one pound per bag, and freeze it. Instantly ready for spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, tacos, cheeseburger soup, etc.

I did fairly well overall. The cashier asked, "Why in the world did you tell the woman in front of you that she did well and you were happy for her?" I replied that I thought she did, and I was. Besides...she didn't know who she was up against ;)

~Joan

Grocery List ~ by Request

No pictures for this post. I've had some write and ask me what in the world I bought at the store today (for the receipt shown in the last post). Here is a complete list for that store (normal shelf price in parenthesis)...

6 Mott's Juice for Tots ($2.49 each)
10 Knorr's Side Dishes (rice and pasta mixes...$1.29 each on special 10 for $10)
4 BBQ sauces ($2.19 each)
10 Hellmann's mayonnaise ($3.99)
6 Worcestershire sauces ($2.95)
9 Grill blends (rubs for meats...$2.45)
9 Chef Boy-Ar-Dee pizza mixes ($2.94)
2 dozen eggs ($2.09)
1 Suave Deoderant ($2.19)

Email me for the "secret" to shopping for these items and how I ended up paying $17.66. There is a method.

~Joan, who is stockpiling everything she can at rock-bottom prices

Grocery $aving$

Some of you have wondered why I haven't been posting as much as when I started the blog back on December. What am I doing with my time? Why don't I make a new queen-sized quilt every week (that's for you, Marcie!)? Well, I am devoting myself to making shopping an art form.

Notice the above close-up of one of my receipts from this AM. That's me in the lower picture, displaying my mile-long receipt (over 2/3 of it was coupons).

Email me if you want details, ladies. I can get you on the road to grocery savings. Glory to God for grocery savings!

~Joan

Blessing Slip

Above is one of the blessing slips from my jar on Mother's Day that has made me laugh right out loud. I know you will, too. Notice how thin I am in Benjamin's drawing . My skirt is a little short, but that can be remedied.

The handwriting is OK, but the drawing of my son is swine.

~Joan

Things That Make Us Happy

This is my very own purple clematis vine. I moved it here from our last house. It had just started blooming when we moved. I figured since we owned both houses at the time, it was still mine. I'm glad I dug it up and moved it. When I see it, I am reminded of the blessing God gave us when He planted flowers in the garden.

Take time to appreciate the beautiful things around you.

What makes YOU happy when you see it?

~Joan

A Mother's Day to Remember

Waking up to the smell of bacon frying is a wonderful start to ANY day, but this one was super special. My children (and I'm sure my WH had part) planned so many nice surprises for me.

Elisabeth prepared a delicious breakfast of grits, eggs, bacon, and biscuits. At my place at the table was this jar of blessings.

The sign on the front is from Proverbs 31:28. Although I aspire to be a Proverbs 31 woman, I fall short all the time. The entire verse says, "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." It's still my goal, lofty as it is. The colors you see inside this big jar are slips of paper, rolled up and taped. Each of my 8 children wrote things on the papers...things that they wanted to thank me for. There was also a package of Hershey kisses in the mix. Delightful!

They all chipped in and got me a beautiful corsage to wear to church. It was quite possibly the most beautiful corsage I've ever seen. Five baby pink roses with baby's breath, a silver bow, and some tulle for filler. So thoughtful.

Knowing my love for flowers, they also presented me with these beauties. They are freesias. They smell like Tang breakfast drink. Really!

Below is a close-up. I can plant these outside after they die, and then can enjoy them for years to come.

It has been fun and enlightening to read some of the slips of paper in the blessing jar. Rachel (10) wrote, "Thank you for all the birthday presents you bought me for other people, then let them think they were from me." Isn't that sweet?

From my 18-year-old son..."I love you so much!" Ahhh...these will put a spring in my step for a long time.

~Joan

Saturday Summary ~ Out With the Old, in With The New

It ended up that I did NOT help with the rehearsal dinner Friday night. I was still not completely well. My eldest daughter went to help in my stead. I did prepare all the food and drink I had volunteered to do though. Some of our family went to the wedding Saturday AM. It was lovely.

Below is my husband (and unseen son) Saturday afternoon carrying out what might be the world's ugliest and most uncomfortable living room furniture in existence. You know the ugliness to life ratio? The uglier furniture is, the longer it lasts.

We've had this sofa and equally horrid love seat for over 12 years. They were old when we got them. Enough said. It just hasn't been a priority to replace them.

I've been checking craigslist.com for a used ping pong table for our children. On a whim this past Friday, I looked at furniture. We've been wanting new (to us) furniture for our living room for a long, long time. The children have been developing scoliosis (or so they've told us). Each night at family time, I have looked at their pathetic postures and wished for new stuff. Stuff with straight backs and pretty fabric, all at a low, low price, of course.


To my joy and delight, I saw the sofa below (and matching love seat) on craigslist.com. The problem was that it was fairly far away. The good news is that the couple was only asking $100 for the SET of the two. The even better news is that my WH and son, Luke, went and bought them for us Saturday afternoon. But the best news is that they are Thimbleberries navy, green, and burgundy. SCORE!! That means that they match all my quilts.

Something that was funny (to me anyway) is that they were listed as "good for a starter family". With 8 children living at home, I think we are well beyond a starter family, but I really like this set. Look just like new and smell good, too!

I considered this a sizable Mother's Day gift for myself (the time invested as well as the expense). But I was in for a GREAT surprise the next day.

Stay tuned,

~Joan