How do you say "yummy" in Italian? Deliziosa! And that is exactly what this recipe will have you saying. First of all, this makes a pretty large batch which means- leftovers!!! These are not just any leftovers. They are probably the best ever!! Here's what you need:
4- good sized chicken breasts
1- quart stock- chicken or veggie (I prefer veggie as I think it has a richer, deeper flavor- I only use about 2/3- 3/4 of the quart of stock)
1- packet dry Italian dressing seasoning mix (like Good Seasons)
1- jar pepperoncinis
Put chicken breasts in a crock pot. Add stock and entire jar of pepperoncinis (with the juice). Sprinkle top of chicken with the seasoning mix. You can put the chicken on top of the stock and pepperoncinis if you like. Cook until chicken is done. Pull the chicken out and shred it. It will likely be falling apart anyway so shredding should be easy. Put it back in the crock pot with the juices. If you have time to spare let it sit in the crock pot on warm for a while. It infuses all of those flavors. Serve on bread, in pita pockets, or whatever you prefer.
* If you like your food with a little kick (and I do mean little), you can cut the stems off of the pepperoncinis prior to cooking and leave them in the chicken. They get infused with that Italian goodness so even if you don't normally like them, you just might mixed in with the chicken. If you don't want to leave them in, fish them out when you pull the chicken out to shred, before putting the shredded chicken back in. You can serve them on the side. The longer they're in there the softer they get and they start to fall apart.
* This makes a lot of chicken and it's super light. If you're a Weight Watcher it's only 4 points for about 1c serving. Basically you just get charged points for the chicken.
* Leftovers are amazing! The flavors just continue to develop and infuse.
4- chicken breasts- Meijer has 40 oz bag of chicken breasts on sale this week for $4.99. You'll use half of the bag. So $2.50
1- jar pepperoncinis- not on sale they typically run around $1.69/jar- I get them at Meijer or Aldi
1- packet Good Seasons Italian dressing mix- $1.19 (or get store brand cheaper)
1- quart chicken or vegetable stock- get store brand unless you can get a good deal- $2
Total Cost: $7.38- and this won't just feed your family of 4, it will result in leftovers! Yummy!
Good pairing: Stewed Tomatoes with green beans. Get a can of each and mix together and heat on the stove. You'll add approximately $1.50 to the cost bringing it up to $8.88!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Chicken or Meatballs Garam Masala- Either is under $6
I have recently fallen head over heels in love. With Indian spices and food. I was always afraid of Indian food. After watching the movie "Along Came Polly" there's a scene in the movie where Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller go to a restaurant and they eat some crazy food that looks like regurgitated baby food with their fingers out of a large bowl. I'm not even certain that they were at an Indian restaurant but for some reason that scene was etched in my mind as what Indian food looks like. So.Not.True. I have discovered the richness of Indian food and I am truly, madly, and deeply in love. Here is one of my favorite recipes. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that I liked but I put my own spin on it.
Chicken Garam Masala (scroll down for Meatballs Garam Masala)
1-lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1- bunch green onions
1- can diced tomatoes, with juice
2-TB water
1-tsp garlic powder or minced garlic
1-2TB garam masala*
Heat skillet and add 1-2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil. Cut chicken breasts in bite sized pieces and add to pan. Season with pepper (and salt if you prefer). Cook until mostly done and add chopped green onions. Add tomatoes, water, and garam masala. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat. Serve over brown rice. If you like, add chopped, fresh cilantro over the top and squeeze lime juice over the rice.
*Garam masala is an Indian spice that contains many different spices. If you can't find garam masala then make your own. There are many great recipes out there. Or, you can do what I did and order yourself some from Penzeys- you can order a 1/4c jar for $3.99. They have tons of fabulous spices and they are pretty reasonable in price. You can also sign up for their catalog which they send out each season and it typically includes a coupon for a free product. Besides having spices in it, the catalog also contains some great recipes.
*Cost of the meal is below the recipe for Meatballs Garam Masala
Meatballs:
1-lb ground, lean turkey breast (or super lean ground sirloin)
1-tsp cumin
1-Tb garlic powder
1-Tb kosher salt (or sea salt), optional
1-tsp ground black pepper
1- egg
2Tb-1/4c bread crumbs*
Fresh cilantro, optional
Mix all ingredients. Heat skillet with canola oil (olive oil will smoke at a high temperature so it's best to use canola). Slowly brown meatballs. Once they are almost done, follow the Chicken Garam Masala recipe above beginning with adding the chopped green onions.
* Make your own bread crumbs- toast a few slices of whole wheat bread and drop in a food processor. Voila! Your own homemade bread crumbs.
Cost:
Chicken (Aldi- 3-lb bag of frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts- $5.99)- 1-lb is $2.00
OR
1-lb ground, lean turkey breast- if not on sale approximtely $3.99
1- can diced tomatoes- $.59
1- bunch green onions- can typically get on sale 3 for $1- $.33
1- head of garlic- $.30- if you're using fresh, minced garlic (and you're only using a few cloves)
1- box brown rice $1.29- use 2 of the 4 cups in box- $.65
Total: Chicken- $3.87
Total Meatballs- $5.86
At those prices you can add a yummy veggie like steamed broccoli ($1.39 at Aldi for 2-large or 3-regular crowns) or mashed cauliflower (1-head cauliflower at Aldi $.99). Or go even cheaper and add a couple cans of french-style green beans ($.59/can at Aldi).
Chicken Garam Masala (scroll down for Meatballs Garam Masala)
1-lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1- bunch green onions
1- can diced tomatoes, with juice
2-TB water
1-tsp garlic powder or minced garlic
1-2TB garam masala*
Heat skillet and add 1-2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil. Cut chicken breasts in bite sized pieces and add to pan. Season with pepper (and salt if you prefer). Cook until mostly done and add chopped green onions. Add tomatoes, water, and garam masala. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat. Serve over brown rice. If you like, add chopped, fresh cilantro over the top and squeeze lime juice over the rice.
*Garam masala is an Indian spice that contains many different spices. If you can't find garam masala then make your own. There are many great recipes out there. Or, you can do what I did and order yourself some from Penzeys- you can order a 1/4c jar for $3.99. They have tons of fabulous spices and they are pretty reasonable in price. You can also sign up for their catalog which they send out each season and it typically includes a coupon for a free product. Besides having spices in it, the catalog also contains some great recipes.
*Cost of the meal is below the recipe for Meatballs Garam Masala
Meatballs:
1-lb ground, lean turkey breast (or super lean ground sirloin)
1-tsp cumin
1-Tb garlic powder
1-Tb kosher salt (or sea salt), optional
1-tsp ground black pepper
1- egg
2Tb-1/4c bread crumbs*
Fresh cilantro, optional
Mix all ingredients. Heat skillet with canola oil (olive oil will smoke at a high temperature so it's best to use canola). Slowly brown meatballs. Once they are almost done, follow the Chicken Garam Masala recipe above beginning with adding the chopped green onions.
* Make your own bread crumbs- toast a few slices of whole wheat bread and drop in a food processor. Voila! Your own homemade bread crumbs.
Cost:
Chicken (Aldi- 3-lb bag of frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts- $5.99)- 1-lb is $2.00
OR
1-lb ground, lean turkey breast- if not on sale approximtely $3.99
1- can diced tomatoes- $.59
1- bunch green onions- can typically get on sale 3 for $1- $.33
1- head of garlic- $.30- if you're using fresh, minced garlic (and you're only using a few cloves)
1- box brown rice $1.29- use 2 of the 4 cups in box- $.65
Total: Chicken- $3.87
Total Meatballs- $5.86
At those prices you can add a yummy veggie like steamed broccoli ($1.39 at Aldi for 2-large or 3-regular crowns) or mashed cauliflower (1-head cauliflower at Aldi $.99). Or go even cheaper and add a couple cans of french-style green beans ($.59/can at Aldi).
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Whole Grains and the Breakfast of Champions
I've really been into eating whole grains but I was sort of at a loss as to what consitutes a serving of whole grains and what exaclty makes a food a whole grain. After doing a little research I found out about the Whole Grains Council. This website offers so much information about the various types of whole grains, what each type offers, and how to eat it. They even have their own logo that you can find on foods that advertise so many grams of whole grains per serving. Did you know popcorn is a whole grain? Well, it is. Air pop it and spray it lightly with a bit of spray butter or even butter-flavored cooking spray and you're getting a ton of whole grains in one bowl. The recommended daily amount one should have is 48grams. I've been using the WGC label on foods to determine what is worth eating and not. Guess what I found to be an amazing source- Granola cereal! For just a 1/2c of some varieties you can get 29 grams!
Here's my latest breakfast love:
Greek yogurt is wonderful. It's lower in carbs than regular yogurt while being high in protein which means you're getting fuller and staying fuller. I love Greek yogurt for breakfast. I keep it in the refrigerator at work along with a box of Granola at my desk.
I've mentioned Aldi more than once. Here we go again:
1- box Fit & Active Low Fat Granola (29g WG/serv)- $1.99- contains 9- 1/2c servings at $.22/serving
1- container Strawberry or Blueberry nonfat Greek yogurt (from Aldi)- $.89
1 breakfast of 1/2c granola mixed into one container of Greek yogurt: $1.11
And trust me- this breakfast will stick with you. You're getting a serving of dairy, over 10g of protein, plenty of fiber, and over half of your daily recommended whole grains. Now if that isn't a breakfast for champions, what is?
Here's my latest breakfast love:
Greek yogurt is wonderful. It's lower in carbs than regular yogurt while being high in protein which means you're getting fuller and staying fuller. I love Greek yogurt for breakfast. I keep it in the refrigerator at work along with a box of Granola at my desk.
I've mentioned Aldi more than once. Here we go again:
1- box Fit & Active Low Fat Granola (29g WG/serv)- $1.99- contains 9- 1/2c servings at $.22/serving
1- container Strawberry or Blueberry nonfat Greek yogurt (from Aldi)- $.89
1 breakfast of 1/2c granola mixed into one container of Greek yogurt: $1.11
And trust me- this breakfast will stick with you. You're getting a serving of dairy, over 10g of protein, plenty of fiber, and over half of your daily recommended whole grains. Now if that isn't a breakfast for champions, what is?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Ritz Chicken and Veggies for 4- under $6
This Ritz chicken recipe is one I snagged from Weight Watchers a while back and I put my own little spin on it- I substituted sour cream for plain, Greek yogurt and added veggies.
1-1/2 to 2lbs chicken breasts
1- can healthy request cream of chicken soup (or Aldi Fit & Active brand)
1- small container plain Greek yogurt
1- sleeve whole wheat Ritz style crackers
1- can your choice veggies
Garlic salt or powder
S&P to taste
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Spray skillet with non-stick spray and add chicken. Season with garlic salt or garlic powder if you are cutting back on salt. You can also use minced, fresh garlic if you so desire. Add S&P to taste. Layer chicken and drained can of veggies (carrots and french-style green beans are great!) into a casserole dish. Mix together the can of soup, yogurt and 1/3 sleeve of crackers. Top the chicken-veggies mix in the casserole dish with this soup mix. Crush remaining crackers and put over the top. You may want to spay the cracker topping lightly with non-stick spray or even spray butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Chicken is already cooked so it's just a matter of heating it all through.
Cost:
Chicken breasts, frozen, 48oz- $5.99 at Aldi (use 1/2 of bag for $3)
1- can light cream of chicken- at Aldi it's $.89/can- you can sometimes find a good deal with coups
1- can french style green beans or carrots- Aldi's $.59- you may find canned goods cheaper on sale at the grocery store
1- box Ritz crackers (unfortunatley, Aldi does not offer the wheat variety)- on sale $2 - sometimes you can get them for $2 on sale less a $.50 coupon for a total cost of $1.50/box. We'll assume you pay $2. Check store brands for deals too. You use only 1 sleeve so $.50.
1- small container plain Greek yogurt- average $1 (sometimes less on sale)
Total Cost: $5.98 for 4- and that means 1/4 of the casserole dish. You could actually make this an easy 6 servings or even 8 servings and add a salad.
Most places you can get a head of lettuce for $.99. Aldi's dressing range in price but are very cheap. Or you can get good deal on salad dressing with coupons. I have scored plenty of free bottles of salad dressing such as Ken's Steakhouse and Wishbone Western dressing for as little as $25 a bottle.
1-1/2 to 2lbs chicken breasts
1- can healthy request cream of chicken soup (or Aldi Fit & Active brand)
1- small container plain Greek yogurt
1- sleeve whole wheat Ritz style crackers
1- can your choice veggies
Garlic salt or powder
S&P to taste
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Spray skillet with non-stick spray and add chicken. Season with garlic salt or garlic powder if you are cutting back on salt. You can also use minced, fresh garlic if you so desire. Add S&P to taste. Layer chicken and drained can of veggies (carrots and french-style green beans are great!) into a casserole dish. Mix together the can of soup, yogurt and 1/3 sleeve of crackers. Top the chicken-veggies mix in the casserole dish with this soup mix. Crush remaining crackers and put over the top. You may want to spay the cracker topping lightly with non-stick spray or even spray butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Chicken is already cooked so it's just a matter of heating it all through.
Cost:
Chicken breasts, frozen, 48oz- $5.99 at Aldi (use 1/2 of bag for $3)
1- can light cream of chicken- at Aldi it's $.89/can- you can sometimes find a good deal with coups
1- can french style green beans or carrots- Aldi's $.59- you may find canned goods cheaper on sale at the grocery store
1- box Ritz crackers (unfortunatley, Aldi does not offer the wheat variety)- on sale $2 - sometimes you can get them for $2 on sale less a $.50 coupon for a total cost of $1.50/box. We'll assume you pay $2. Check store brands for deals too. You use only 1 sleeve so $.50.
1- small container plain Greek yogurt- average $1 (sometimes less on sale)
Total Cost: $5.98 for 4- and that means 1/4 of the casserole dish. You could actually make this an easy 6 servings or even 8 servings and add a salad.
Most places you can get a head of lettuce for $.99. Aldi's dressing range in price but are very cheap. Or you can get good deal on salad dressing with coupons. I have scored plenty of free bottles of salad dressing such as Ken's Steakhouse and Wishbone Western dressing for as little as $25 a bottle.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Tropical Chicken with Broccoli for 4
During these winter months bring a bit of the tropics into your life for a very reasonable price! For starters, I typically purchase all fresh produce at Aldi. Never been? You're missing out. Even when grocery stores have sales on certain produce, Aldi can oftentimes still beat them. Have you ever seen a whole pineapple for $.99 at a grocery store? Nope! Well, I have purchased it at Aldi. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
Tropical Chicken and Rice
1- 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts, thawed and cut into small chunks
1- whole pineapple, chunked (or you can use a can of chunk pineapple in it's own juices)
1- red onion
1- lime
1- orange
1-1/2 cups brown rice
Sautee onions, sliced in butter flavored cooking spray or a small amount of olive oil. Add chicken, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is almost cooked through. Add half of the zest and half of the orange's juice. Add half of the zest of lime and half of the limes juice. Add pineapple. Cover and simmer while cooking rice. For rice, follow directions. Once it is done, fluff and then add remaining orange and lime juice. Stir rice into the chicken mixture.
While this is going, steam one package of broccoli from *Aldi. While steaming, add the remaining zest from the lime and orange. Salt and pepper to taste (or just pepper with fresh ground black pepper if you want to cut out salt).
*Aldi:
1- whole pineapple, $.99
1- bag of frozen chicken breasts, 48oz, $5.99 (and you only use half of it- so $3)
1- pkg of broccoli, $1.39 (Note: where you get one crown for the same price at a regular grocery store, Aldi gives you 3! There is no beating that price!)
1- red onion $.60
1- orange $.30-.45
1- lime $.25
1- box brown rice $1.29 (at Aldi- if you can find a better deal with coupons, please do) Typically a box of rice contains 4 cups. You are using 1 1/2-2 cups. So $.65
Total Cost: $7.33 for 4 servings, and these are hearty servings that will be really filling with the rice and fruit. Plus this is a very healthy meal on a budget. If you're only cooking for 1 or 2, you have leftovers to take to work or have for dinner the next night!
Tropical Chicken and Rice
1- 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts, thawed and cut into small chunks
1- whole pineapple, chunked (or you can use a can of chunk pineapple in it's own juices)
1- red onion
1- lime
1- orange
1-1/2 cups brown rice
Sautee onions, sliced in butter flavored cooking spray or a small amount of olive oil. Add chicken, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is almost cooked through. Add half of the zest and half of the orange's juice. Add half of the zest of lime and half of the limes juice. Add pineapple. Cover and simmer while cooking rice. For rice, follow directions. Once it is done, fluff and then add remaining orange and lime juice. Stir rice into the chicken mixture.
While this is going, steam one package of broccoli from *Aldi. While steaming, add the remaining zest from the lime and orange. Salt and pepper to taste (or just pepper with fresh ground black pepper if you want to cut out salt).
*Aldi:
1- whole pineapple, $.99
1- bag of frozen chicken breasts, 48oz, $5.99 (and you only use half of it- so $3)
1- pkg of broccoli, $1.39 (Note: where you get one crown for the same price at a regular grocery store, Aldi gives you 3! There is no beating that price!)
1- red onion $.60
1- orange $.30-.45
1- lime $.25
1- box brown rice $1.29 (at Aldi- if you can find a better deal with coupons, please do) Typically a box of rice contains 4 cups. You are using 1 1/2-2 cups. So $.65
Total Cost: $7.33 for 4 servings, and these are hearty servings that will be really filling with the rice and fruit. Plus this is a very healthy meal on a budget. If you're only cooking for 1 or 2, you have leftovers to take to work or have for dinner the next night!
Couponing 102
So, you're all couponed up with no place to go. Let me help you. I'm going to take you through each of the stores I regularly frequent. Some might surprise you, but I assure you these are tried and true couponing methods. I will also assure you that I do not cheat stores. I will never offer you advice that is shady. If you ever have questions, feel free to ask but you can also check with stores, too. I will caution you though- many stores do not understand or even know their coupon policies. You might have to call corporate about it. You can also typically go to the corporate sites and print off copies of the corporate coupon policies. You will probably not need them unless you're planning an extreme coupon trip. Happy couponing!
1. Target: Did you know that Target has its own coupons? It does. If you go to the Target website and scroll down to the bottom, you can click on a "coupons" link. Then you check each coupon you want to print and print them off. Here's what is so fabulous about store coupons- you can use one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon together. This is NOT cheating the store. In fact, you will find that in most coupon policies it even states as much. Here's a "for instance": Orbit gum 3pks were on sale for $2 each. There was a printable Target coupon for $1 off of the 3pks. There just happened to also be a $1 off manufacturer coupon. Know what that means? Yep. I got 3 pks of Orbit gum for free! You can find amazing deals this way. You can also sometimes find Target coupons in the coupon inserts you find in newspapers. You can combine those coupons with MCs too!
2. Walmart: I don't typically shop Walmart. Too many people. But if I have an amazing coupon I make an exception. First of all, Walmart is unique in that it will actually pay you to take stuff home. I mean actual money in hand. This makes up for Walmart not having their own coupons. If your coupon is worth more than the product's price you will actually make money. No joke. It's even written in the corporate policy! This is not cheating, it's their own policy! Back in October there were $8 off of 2 Cover Girl products coupons. I had lots. They happened to have Blush and Bronzer for $2.94 each. So, when I purchased two for a total of $5.88 I made a little over $2. You can either be paid back that money or use it to buy other things, getting those things for free. In one shopping trip I used several coupons and got a bunch of groceries for free! Walmart also price matches. I suggest you bring your ad. If you want the convenience of getting everything in one place, this comes in handy. Plus, Walmart is typically a pretty coupon-friendly store with no hassel on the use of your coupons. Also, if the sale is really good, sometimes other stores (like Walgreens, who is notorious for running out of sale stuff) run out of the product. So, price match it. Plus, for stores, like Walgreens, that offer rewards on purchases, Walmart will match the "final" price. Example: Walgreens could have your favorite shampoo 2 for $8 and offers that if you buy 2 you will get $2 in Register Rewards (a store coupon good on your next shopping trip). So, it effectively makes the price 2 for $6, although you pay $8 out of pocket. Walmart will usually price match for the AFTER Register Rewards price, meaning they would price match the same product for 2 for $6. Plus you can still use coupons on it.
CVS: Quickly becoming my favorite store for so many reasons. First of all, you have to sign up for the Extra Care card. You can do it right there in the store and use it that day. Once CVS has processed the card, go onto the website and register your card and sign up for emails. They will occassionally send you coupons through your email. Many times the coupon will be $5 off of a $30 purchase. (But don't worry- you'll never spend $30 out of pocket). Then, they have a program called a CVS cash card deal. It's different every week so look at the ad (which can also be viewed online). There will be many products listed throughout, designated by a little cash symbol that are a part of the deal. What's the deal? Spend $30 total on participating products and get a $10 CVS gift card. Spectacular, because that $30 is pre-coupon total! Let me give you a for instance: One time they had Tide on sale for $5.94 and it was part of this deal. I had $2 off coupons. So, I purchased 5 for $29.70 plus 1 bottle of Dawn (also part of the deal) for $.99, meeting the $30 requirement. I then used a $5 off of $30 purchase, bring the total down to $25. Then I used 5 $2 off Tide coupons bringing it down to $15. Then I used a $.50 off of Dawn coupon to bring it to $14.50. I paid under $15 for 5 bottles of Tide and 1 bottle of Dawn AND got $10 CVS gift card. Then, I went back. Because Pantene was also part of the deal, on sale for 2 for $7. There were $3 off of 2 Pantene coupons from the same insert as the Tide (Proctor & Gamble insert which comes out once a month). I bought 8 bottles for $28 and 3 more Dawn. I used 4 $3 off Pantene coupons and 3 $.50 off of Dawn coupons. Which brought my total from $30.97 to $17.47. Then I used my $10 CVS gift card to bring it down to $7.47. I paid $7.47 out of pocket for 8 bottles of shampoo and conditioner and 3 bottles of Dawn! Then, yes, I got another $10 CVS gift card to use later!! Typically, the cash card deal is good for up to 5 times per Extra Care card. The next week they had a great deal on Cottonelle and it was part of that week's $10 cash card deal. So, I bought 6, used 6 $.50 off coupons, plus my $10 cash card from the week before and got tons of toilet paper and another $10 cash card!! Some weeks the products are not great and the coupons are worse. But, there are plenty of times when the coupons rock and so do the deals!
Walgreens: I don't shop WG much anymore. While they do have awesome Register Reward deals, I prefer paying less out of pocket. Sometimes the deals are still very good. They do have monthly coupon books at the front of the stores full of SCs which you can combine with MCs. But Register Rewards are limited and you can only do the same RR deal once per transaction. If I were you, I'd price match at Walmart and pay less out of pocket.
Grocery Stores: These are difficult. For the most part, grocery stores are much more skeptical of coupons. I have found that even when I plan perfectly I still might get hasseled. While I am not trying to cheat the store, I find that I still have to deal with skeptical looks and a checker that digs through the bags to ensure I've purchased the right products. I appreciate that they probably have dealt with coupon frauders but I am not one of them. County Market is pretty good about coupons and if you are lucky enough to get a Penny Pincher in your Wednesday junk mail you can combine those coupons with MCs too! One time I got an amazing deal on Eggo waffles. The Penny Pincher made them 2 for $3 and I had $1 off of 2 coupons which made hem 2 for $2, or $1 a box! Meijer has made my life difficult on several occassions. I usually check out at the self checkout stations when I don't anticipate issues with the coupons. If you have a buy one get one free coupon or something of the sort, you have to have a cashier. Otherwise, checking out yourself gives you lots less headaches. If you like Meijer, go to their mperks website and sign up. You can virtually clip store coupons. At checkout, you simply enter your pin (at self checkouts there is a button on the screen that says MPerks and you push that and it asks for your pin) and it automatically takes each coupon off one time so long as you buy at least one of the item. Note: if you buy more than one of the product it still only takes the coupon off once. You will want to enter your MPerks before scanning your MCs because sometimes it messes things up.
Happy couponing!!
1. Target: Did you know that Target has its own coupons? It does. If you go to the Target website and scroll down to the bottom, you can click on a "coupons" link. Then you check each coupon you want to print and print them off. Here's what is so fabulous about store coupons- you can use one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon together. This is NOT cheating the store. In fact, you will find that in most coupon policies it even states as much. Here's a "for instance": Orbit gum 3pks were on sale for $2 each. There was a printable Target coupon for $1 off of the 3pks. There just happened to also be a $1 off manufacturer coupon. Know what that means? Yep. I got 3 pks of Orbit gum for free! You can find amazing deals this way. You can also sometimes find Target coupons in the coupon inserts you find in newspapers. You can combine those coupons with MCs too!
2. Walmart: I don't typically shop Walmart. Too many people. But if I have an amazing coupon I make an exception. First of all, Walmart is unique in that it will actually pay you to take stuff home. I mean actual money in hand. This makes up for Walmart not having their own coupons. If your coupon is worth more than the product's price you will actually make money. No joke. It's even written in the corporate policy! This is not cheating, it's their own policy! Back in October there were $8 off of 2 Cover Girl products coupons. I had lots. They happened to have Blush and Bronzer for $2.94 each. So, when I purchased two for a total of $5.88 I made a little over $2. You can either be paid back that money or use it to buy other things, getting those things for free. In one shopping trip I used several coupons and got a bunch of groceries for free! Walmart also price matches. I suggest you bring your ad. If you want the convenience of getting everything in one place, this comes in handy. Plus, Walmart is typically a pretty coupon-friendly store with no hassel on the use of your coupons. Also, if the sale is really good, sometimes other stores (like Walgreens, who is notorious for running out of sale stuff) run out of the product. So, price match it. Plus, for stores, like Walgreens, that offer rewards on purchases, Walmart will match the "final" price. Example: Walgreens could have your favorite shampoo 2 for $8 and offers that if you buy 2 you will get $2 in Register Rewards (a store coupon good on your next shopping trip). So, it effectively makes the price 2 for $6, although you pay $8 out of pocket. Walmart will usually price match for the AFTER Register Rewards price, meaning they would price match the same product for 2 for $6. Plus you can still use coupons on it.
CVS: Quickly becoming my favorite store for so many reasons. First of all, you have to sign up for the Extra Care card. You can do it right there in the store and use it that day. Once CVS has processed the card, go onto the website and register your card and sign up for emails. They will occassionally send you coupons through your email. Many times the coupon will be $5 off of a $30 purchase. (But don't worry- you'll never spend $30 out of pocket). Then, they have a program called a CVS cash card deal. It's different every week so look at the ad (which can also be viewed online). There will be many products listed throughout, designated by a little cash symbol that are a part of the deal. What's the deal? Spend $30 total on participating products and get a $10 CVS gift card. Spectacular, because that $30 is pre-coupon total! Let me give you a for instance: One time they had Tide on sale for $5.94 and it was part of this deal. I had $2 off coupons. So, I purchased 5 for $29.70 plus 1 bottle of Dawn (also part of the deal) for $.99, meeting the $30 requirement. I then used a $5 off of $30 purchase, bring the total down to $25. Then I used 5 $2 off Tide coupons bringing it down to $15. Then I used a $.50 off of Dawn coupon to bring it to $14.50. I paid under $15 for 5 bottles of Tide and 1 bottle of Dawn AND got $10 CVS gift card. Then, I went back. Because Pantene was also part of the deal, on sale for 2 for $7. There were $3 off of 2 Pantene coupons from the same insert as the Tide (Proctor & Gamble insert which comes out once a month). I bought 8 bottles for $28 and 3 more Dawn. I used 4 $3 off Pantene coupons and 3 $.50 off of Dawn coupons. Which brought my total from $30.97 to $17.47. Then I used my $10 CVS gift card to bring it down to $7.47. I paid $7.47 out of pocket for 8 bottles of shampoo and conditioner and 3 bottles of Dawn! Then, yes, I got another $10 CVS gift card to use later!! Typically, the cash card deal is good for up to 5 times per Extra Care card. The next week they had a great deal on Cottonelle and it was part of that week's $10 cash card deal. So, I bought 6, used 6 $.50 off coupons, plus my $10 cash card from the week before and got tons of toilet paper and another $10 cash card!! Some weeks the products are not great and the coupons are worse. But, there are plenty of times when the coupons rock and so do the deals!
Walgreens: I don't shop WG much anymore. While they do have awesome Register Reward deals, I prefer paying less out of pocket. Sometimes the deals are still very good. They do have monthly coupon books at the front of the stores full of SCs which you can combine with MCs. But Register Rewards are limited and you can only do the same RR deal once per transaction. If I were you, I'd price match at Walmart and pay less out of pocket.
Grocery Stores: These are difficult. For the most part, grocery stores are much more skeptical of coupons. I have found that even when I plan perfectly I still might get hasseled. While I am not trying to cheat the store, I find that I still have to deal with skeptical looks and a checker that digs through the bags to ensure I've purchased the right products. I appreciate that they probably have dealt with coupon frauders but I am not one of them. County Market is pretty good about coupons and if you are lucky enough to get a Penny Pincher in your Wednesday junk mail you can combine those coupons with MCs too! One time I got an amazing deal on Eggo waffles. The Penny Pincher made them 2 for $3 and I had $1 off of 2 coupons which made hem 2 for $2, or $1 a box! Meijer has made my life difficult on several occassions. I usually check out at the self checkout stations when I don't anticipate issues with the coupons. If you have a buy one get one free coupon or something of the sort, you have to have a cashier. Otherwise, checking out yourself gives you lots less headaches. If you like Meijer, go to their mperks website and sign up. You can virtually clip store coupons. At checkout, you simply enter your pin (at self checkouts there is a button on the screen that says MPerks and you push that and it asks for your pin) and it automatically takes each coupon off one time so long as you buy at least one of the item. Note: if you buy more than one of the product it still only takes the coupon off once. You will want to enter your MPerks before scanning your MCs because sometimes it messes things up.
Happy couponing!!
Couponing 101
So, you've decided you want to join all of those coupon-saavy shoppers out there and you want to become a Couponing Queen. So where do you start? It can be overwhelming to a Coupon Newbie, especially if you have never really used one. Here you will find all things couponing, from the beginner steps to the know how for an extreme couponing shopping trip. I'm going to break it down for you in easy steps.
The first thing you need to do is get coupons and get organized. Without coupons, yeah, ok that's obvious, you won't be able to save any money. But just as crucial is being very organized because if you aren't, you can miss a deal. Even as coupon saavy as I am, I still have the occasional misstep and it can throw you off your game and ultimately throw off your entire shopping trip.
Where Do I Get Coupons?
The answer used to be: newspapers, newspapers, newspapers. This might bring to mind your grandma's purse full of scattered coupons. Not in this century, honey! The newspaper is only ONE location for finding coupons. There are several places to find coupons and the first thing you need to know are the types of coupons: 1. manufacturer coupons and 2. store coupons.
A manufacturer coupon is one that the manufacturer has put out for your use. Once you use it, the store will send it in and be reimbursed for the discount you received as a result of that coupon. I'm going to refer to manufacturer coupons as "MC"s. You can typcially find MCs in newspapers, online (I'll explain more below), or even printed from the store's catalina machine (again, I'll tell you more below), peelies or tear pads in the stores. Typically, you can only use one MC per item (or items if the coupon designates a minimum quantity for the redemption- EX: $1.00 off of 2).
A store coupon is a coupon that is distributed by the store itself. When you redeem it at the store, it is a discount that the store "takes the hit on". They do not get reimbursed by the manufacturer. I'm going to refer to store coupons as "SC"s. You can generally find SC's on the store's website, in weekly ads, in monthly coupon books (like at Walgreens "WG"), in newspapers (only occasionally), and sometimes printed from a store's catalina machine.
I'll explain more on how to use these coupons in the next "Couponing 101" segment.
To start your couponing selection you should begin accumulating coupons for every single product you might want to buy or try (especially if you can get it for a great deal). It may not be the brand you typically buy but you might just want to hang on to that coupon anyway. Here's how to start:
1. Newpapers: You should typically buy 1 (or more)- "big city" newspaper and 1- local paper (so you get local ads). You can also ask friends to give you their coupons if they won't use them. Whenever I do that I will usually try to give some great-deal products to the coupon-supplying friend as a thank you.
2. Online: For favorite products, visit the product websites and see if there are any promotional offers available. Also, sign up for samples. You will usually get a pretty good coupon when you receive your samples. Next, visit general coupon sites such as the following:
*All You also has daily samples on their websites and remember, samples come with coupons.
*Also, you should know that you can generally print 2 of the same online coupon from 1 computer. So if you have multiple computers in your house and you find a really good coupon, print 2 from each one!
3. Store coupons: Start with 1- grocery store and 1- drug store. You will typically get your food from the grocery store, health and beauty/hygiene needs from the drug store, and cleaning supplies from both. Walgreens or CVS are great places to start for drug stores. For Walgreens, visit the front of the store and get yourself the weekly ad and a monthly coupon book. For CVS, sign up for their Extra Care card. For your grocery store, go online and check for printable coupons and take a look at the weekly ad. Some stores have digital "clipping". For instance, Meijer has mperks- you go onto the mperks website, "clip" the Meijer coupons and if you buy any of the products that you "clipped" coupons for you enter your pin at checkout and it automatically takes off all of the virtual coupons for all of the products it applies to (Note: usually it will only take the virtual coupon off for one item, not for multiples).
Now that you have started to amass your coupons, you need to get organized. If you intend to become a "Qpon Queen", get a binder. You can buy baseball card sleeve/protectors at Walmart or Target (probably cheapest). These sleeves generally hold up to 9 cards so that means you can have 9 different coupons per page. Keep your duplicates together in one sleeve of the protector for easy access and viewing. I also suggest that you go to http://www.thekrazycouponlady.com/ and print off her downloadable binder organizer. It has an index and a page to go in front of each section of your organizer, breaking things down by the type of products.
You can also buy a coupon organizer if you don't plan to have tons of coupons on hand. I have one of those too. What I do is group together my coupons by type of product but then I also have labels for the various stores I go to and keep store coupons in there too.
You can also buy a coupon organizer if you don't plan to have tons of coupons on hand. I have one of those too. What I do is group together my coupons by type of product but then I also have labels for the various stores I go to and keep store coupons in there too.
This takes a little time. Don't rush yourself. You have to have patience. Patience is very important for couponers because you have to learn to wait for the deal to come to you. Patience also keeps you focused and organized.
Once your binder is full and organized, you're ready for Couponing 102 (coming soon)!
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