Cleaning Product Recipes

One of the most costly products in our nonfood grocery items list is the cleaning product. Whether it's laundry detergent or kitchen cleaner, it is really easy to shell out some serious dough on anti-bacterial, "fresh"-smelling  products designed to make cleaning a "breeze" for the harried homemaker. Now, there are deals to be had when it comes to off the shelf cleaning products. If you catch a BOGO sale at your local grocery store and combine it with 2 manufacturer's coupons, you can really do pretty well. Stack store coupons, if you grocery store uses them, and you can get many surface cleaners for almost free. While it is hard to get "free" laundry and dish detergent (at least here in Florida), watching the sales and adding manufacturer's coupons can produce some really decent bargains.

While bargains are to found in the cleaning product category, another excellent alternative is handcrafing simpler, less caustic cleaners from natural ingredients. Not only is is safer for your family, but it also will cost you much less (unless you catch free or near free off the shelf products). I have several recipes I've used down through the years, primarily using baking soda, vinegar, borax & washing soda. There are tons of recipes on the internet...(check pinterest). I will be sharing some of my favorites over the next few posts, but I will start out with this extremely simple one for dishwasher detergent.

Combine 2 cups of baking soda and 1 1/2 cups of borax...mix well and store in a an airtight container...use 1 to 2 Tablespoons in your dishwasher dispenser. Also, you can use white vinegar as a rinse aid in your rinse aid dispenser.

Before closing this blog post on low cost dish cleaning, I must add that it is really much cheaper to wash dishes by hand...but I don't. This is a choice I make based on what works for our family and keeps me sane! But if you are able to hand wash dishes and stay ahead of them (and don't HATE it), you can save money on water and electricity by doing so.

Blessings,
Donna

Sunday 2/19/12 Redplum Insert

This is what's suppose to be in the Redplum insert this upcoming Sunday. We'll see how many come to our area. And apparently we will only get one insert. If you use Meow Mix, the $1 off is a pretty good coupon...however it remains to be seen if that one will come our way!

$1 off Advil Children’s product (exp 4/15)
$2 off Advil Congestion Relief, Cold & Sinus or Allergy Sinus (exp 5/6)
$2 off ahh bra product (exp 5/30)
$5 off Centrum Pro Nutrients supplement (exp 3/17)
$2 off Cheer detergent, excl trial sizes (exp 3/31)
$1 off Covergirl lip or eye product, excl trial sizes (exp 3/31)
$5 off DermaSilk full size product (exp 2/28)
$1 off Dial lotion, 12 oz + (exp 3/11)
.50/1 Gain detergent, softener, sheets, dryer bar or scent booster (exp 3/31)
$1.50/2 Gain detergent, softener, sheets, dryer bar or scent booster (exp 3/31)
$2 off Gillette Mach3 razor wyb Mach3 cartridge  (exp 3/31)
$2 off i-cool for menopause or +D for menopause + bone building (exp 4/30)
$5 off i-flex product, 120 ct. (exp 4/15)
.55/1 Keebler fudge stripes dark chocolate cookies, 11.5 oz (exp 4/15)
.55/2 Keebler cookies, 6.6 oz + (exp 4/15)
.55/1 Land O’Frost Premium, 1 lb (exp 5/14)
.75/1 L’Oreal kids shampoo or other kids product (exp 4/1)
.75/1 L’Oreal Studio Line styling product (exp 4/1)
.75/1 L’Oreal Vive Pro shampoo or conditioner (exp 4/1)
$1 off L’Oreal Paris skincare product, excl trial sizes (exp 4/1)
$2 off L’Oreal haircolor product (exp 4/1)
$2 off L’Oreal Paris face product, excl Magic Perfecting base and .17 oz (exp 4/1)
$5 off L’Oreal Paris Youth Code kit (exp 4/1)
$5/2 L’Oreal haircolor products (exp 4/1)
$1 off Meow Mix dry cat food, 3 lb + (exp 4/14)
$1.50/2 Milk-Bone dog snacks (exp 4/19)
.75/2 Nestle Wonka candies, 3.1-6oz (exp 3/31)
.50/2 Pop Secret products (exp 3/31)
.50/1 Purina Friskies cat treats (exp 4/19)
$2.50 off Purina Beneful dog food, 3.15 or 7lb bag (exp 3/25)
B4G2 Purina Beneful prepared meals tubs dog food, max $4.60 (exp 3/25)
.50/1 Sunlight Power Pacs dishwashing product (exp 4/1)
$1 off SuperPretzel soft pretzel product (exp 3/9)
$1 off Swiffer extendable handle duster, excl trial sizes (exp 3/31)
$1 off Swiffer WetJet refill, excl trial sizes (exp 3/31)

My Hybrid Coupon Organization Method

Thought I would share a shot of my personal coupon organization method and the one that I teach and help you prepare at my Coupon Workshop! The handcrafted file box holds the uncut inserts for the last 3 months and the binder holds clipped coupons by category. I carry my binder with me whenever I shop...which means I have to throw it in the car every time I head out. I keep it in a tote bag that makes it easy to do so. Other options might be to use one of the zippered binders with a handle. This system works for me because it does not require that you clip every single coupon you get your hands on but does allow for a method of carrying coupons with you when you shop to catch the surprise deal. I think it is the best of both worlds!

Blessings,

Donna

Meat Shopping

This might seem like a boring blog post, but it is one of the central aspects of my grocery budget. Let's face it, meat is usually the most expensive component of any grocery budget. Therefore, controlling the amount  spent on meat is vital to controlling the grocery budget. I suppose I should really be saying PROTEIN instead of MEAT. If you and and your family are vegetarians, your protein source could probably still be your primary expense. However, non-meat protein sources for our family are usually the more affordable. I guess those would really be lunches for us...peanut butter, grilled cheese or cheese toast, etc. We do not often have a dinner (that is the evening meal for us) that is meatless.  Even when we have beans and rice for dinner, we use a hunk of ham to season them (and I do mean a "hunk.")  I mainly plan for meat at dinner when buying raw meat. Sometimes we will get frozen nuggets or lunch meat to eat for lunches, but frequently eat meatless or low meat lunches. Consequently, when planning for raw meat purchases, I assume one "meat meal" per day. I purchase meat in large quantities...perhaps for weeks...when I find a really good deal on one of my two "backbone"  meats, ground chuck and boneless chicken breast. Then I fill in with other meats when they are reasonably priced. I like to pay under $2.00 per pound for chicken or pork and under $3.00 per pound for beef. I start looking for really good deals on boneless chicken and ground chuck when I get down to 2 weeks worth of meat in my deep freeze. This gives me a little time to locate a good deal. Lately, my stock up boneless chicken price has been $1.49 per pound or less at Save-a-Lot and my stock up price for ground chuck has been $2.49 per pound (at Save-a-lot or sometimes other places.) If I get down to 4 or 5 days worth before a sale hits, I will head to Sam's to get a week or two's worth of each...their regular price for chicken of $1.97 per pound and $2.78 per pound for ground chuck is acceptable.). I normally freeze my meat in dinner size portions, but I am considering using some freezer crock pot recipes to freeze some meals in gallon zipper bags ready to throw in the crockpot. We'll see how that turns out.

So, now that you know my method, I will follow up with the fact that I am down to two weeks worth of meat in my deep freeze...time to stock up on meat again. I will be checking prices over the next few days at my meat sources...Save-a-Lot, Winn Dixie, Sams, Walmart (although I rarely purchase meat there) and even plan to check the grocery outlets (at which neither I normally shop)  and post the deals I see and let you know how I proceed!

Blessings,
Donna

Save-a-Lot Shopping

I got some pretty good deals on produce for the week and added some protein at a fair price to supplement my stockpile of boneless chicken breast and ground chuck. All the fruit was under $1.00 a pound. The potatoes were $2.99 for 10 pounds. The bell pepper were $.39 each so I bought enough to slice and freeze and 4 for making stuffed bell peppers one night this week. Coffee was $5.99 for 33 ounces...the best deal I have seen recently even with a coupon. The roast was $2.99 a pound and each turkey bacon package cost $1.00. The turkey bacon wasn't a fabulous price per ounce, but I cook the whole package no matter how big or small because I don't like an opened package of bacon in the refrigerator. I spent a total of $26.80.

Dollar General deals February 11, 2012

Below find a link to the Dollar General coupons, including the $5 off a $25 purchase for Saturday, 2/11/12.

http://goo.gl/087z0

Blessings,
Donna

Commissary Shopping

My friend Billie Myrick shared some great information about commissary shopping today. Our family is not in the military and, therefore, I do not have the privilege of shopping at the commissary. (I do remember fondly, however, of shopping with my mom out at Tyndall AFB commissary when I was young since my father was retired military.) Billie found that many prices are comparable to sale prices at Publix, Winn Dixie ect. and, used with a manufacturer's coupon, can yield fantastic results.

For those ladies who have the privilege of shopping on base, make sure you price compare...you can check coupon matching sites for the commissary and/or actually go to the commissary website to print out prices. Then, even if you don't have the coupon matching website, you can use one of the many coupon databases (Coupondivas.com or Southernsavers.com, for instance) and look for coupons for the items you have found. One strategy might be to check Southernsavers.com for the great sale items from whichever non military grocery store you normally shop, then compare to commissary prices with coupons and see which is better. This is why it is really important to know what a good price is for the items you normally purchase... you want to know your "stock up" price. Just because a store says its on sale doesn't mean its the best deal.
Also, looking at the meat prices at her local commissary, it seems like their regular prices are good deals. I think you can find better ones for some of the items at their lowest sales prices, but none of the prices were above my personal price ceiling for meat. The commissary is a  great tool in your savings tool belt if you have access to it.

Normally, the "acorns" on Southernsavers.com are the best deals for those items, but, as my friend pointed out, there might be a better deal someplace else. If you want the VERY LOWEST PRICES on EVERYTHING you buy, keep a price book. However, please realize that if you use a coupon matching website and shop with coupons when things are on sale at JUST ONE store,  your overall grocery bill will be much lower than if you simply make a grocery list each week and  buy groceries  on a weekly basis, regardless of whether they are on sale. You must balance your time with your potential savings. I don't want to run you off from couponing by saying that you must keep a price book and shop at four or five stores on a regular basis to be a "real" coupon shopper. Just do what works for you and your life in whatever "season" you're in.

Ecoupons

I promised to post this to my blog...

There are 3 sites I am aware of to load up ecoupons:  cellfire.com
                                                                                  upromise.com
                                                                                   savingstar.com

Check out the sites and register your grocery or drugstore cards. Then when you scan your card at checkout, you will receive the savings. Another mobile method of couponing is having coupons sent to your cell phone. The one I use frequently is Target. The cashier simply scans the UPC from your phone and you get the savings. Very cool...no ink, paper or scissors utilized.

Blessings,
Donna

Saving Money

Something has really been jumping out at me lately about the way I save money compared to, say, some of the Extreme Couponers on said show...I notice the things I DON'T buy that they have stockpiled. Now, don't get me wrong, I know they are usually getting it free and if they want it and use it, fine. However, I find that when it comes to some items, I am simply better off avoiding them. For instance, one savvy shopper had a wall of paper towels. In my old days, I would have been (and was about) right there with her. However, when I buy paper towels, I use them like I'm getting paid to! I really love them...I love throwing those germs away...not having to think about the e coli or salmonella or dead bug that I just cleaned up. However, the cost (since I couldn't get mine free...no double coupons in the Panhandle of Florida) was prohibitive, not to mention being a good steward of my storage space and the earth. (No, I don't worship the earth. I worship the Creator of this beautiful planet who did put it under our care.) So, I came up with a rag system that satisfied my OCD/germaphobic side. Clean rag bucket...dirty rag bucket...sanitize with extra hot water and bleach! That's it. Not too hard, I know, and something my grandmother didn't think a thing about. Well, she was probably simply sanitizing on the clothes line. Sometimes simplicity is the real bargain. Another bargain item that so many of the shoppers on EC have in there stockpile...candy and other sweets. While I do love those delectable treats...we (my kids and I) will scarf them all up, no matter how long a supply I supposedly purchased. I remember getting M&M's after Valentine's Day at ToysR'Us one year for practically nothing. I even put them in the deep freeze, but they disappeared quicker than you can say "bigger pant size."  So, there's another item I have to watch about stockpiling! Stewardship involves not only being a good steward of our Money by trying to get the best deal when we purchase our groceries and toiletries but also prayerfully considering the items we purchase. The Frugal Zealot, Amy Dacyczyn, who wrote The Tightwad Gazette, was famous for saying, (I am really paraphrasing here) " If you follow me around the grocery store, you will be most struck by what we DON'T buy then by what we DO buy." She made a lot of things from scratch as well. Please don't think I am saying you should never purchase paper towels or that you should only make things from scratch and never purchase mixes. As a matter of fact, you can frequently get a great deal on mixes that can really be a nice addition to your weekly menus. I am simply suggesting that it's not a bad idea to think afresh about every item on your grocery list and be willing to go without it or even substitute another item for it. This is an especially valuable suggestion if the item isn't on sale that week and/or if you don't have a coupon for it!

So those are my frugal thoughts for the day...

Blessings,

Coupon Workshop February 18, 2012

For all you locals, I have another Introduction to Couponing Workshop planned for February 18, 2012 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at my home. I am really looking forward to it! After attending, you will have all the tools and information to begin saving 30 to 50 % on your grocery bills, even as a coupon newbie! You will be loaded with the 2 sets of the last 15 inserts that came out locally as well as a system to store both whole inserts and clipped coupons. We will practice the basics and talk through a shopping trip. The cost is $15 and you need to bring 15 8 1/2 by 11 file folders, an accordion file or file box for those size files, a 2 to 3 inch binder, a package of 8 1/2 by 11 baseball card protectors (available at Target for $4.99), scissors and a stapler. Call or message me for more information!

Blessings,
Donna

Living Word Fellowship Coupon Swap

Tonight I have the privilege of sharing with a group of ladies from Living Word Fellowship about coupon organization! I'm so excited. You can have the best coupons in the world, but if you don't know where they are or don't have them with you, they don't do you a bit of good! We all have been there...you notice the great clearance sale at Target and just KNOW you have a coupon that will make that nail polish FREE or close to it, but don't have your coupons with you!! Organization is everything, isn't it! However, we can't easily clip every coupon that comes into our possession...or we won't have time to head to Target to shop! It's all about balance. And the ugly truth is, we won't get every deal...and frankly, we shouldn't. When I see a bargain and pass it up (either because I don't have the coupon, don't need it now, or I don't have enough cash to make it happen) I can smile to myself and know that God has a bargain waiting for someone else and He just let me in on it!

Blessings,
Donna