I started a post on “ethical couponing”. Things like taking peelies off of products, knowingly using coupons incorrectly.. blah, blah, blah…

Then I ran to the grocery store for some meat for dinner, and came across this deal that was too good to pass up, and too good not to post.

I always make sure to glance through the clearance department of any store I go to. I’m glad I did tonight!

Each of these boxes of dishwasher detergent was $1.27 each. They were full price $6.54 each, marked down 50% to $3.27, and there was a $2.00 on a tear pad right under the product, making them $1.27 each.

Full price $39.24 less 50% less $12.00 in coupons = final price of $7.62.

OMG, I'm One Of "those" Couponers

My sister and niece popped in for a bit today to visit. I’m embarrassed to say that I couldn’t wait to get them into my store room to show them my stockpile. That’s just sad…

Now when I say stockpile, I’m not talking about a mini grocery store. Just a nice stock of staples that keep me going until the next sale comes along.

One good thing, I let them “shop” in my stockpile .

Somehow this turned into talking about shaving ones legs. I’m not sure when, or where we jumped the shark, but we did.

There is no shame in my game; I’ll admit I’m one of those women whose legs don’t see a razor in the winter. I was also pleasantly surprised, when we lifted our pant legs to compare hair length … Oh please, don’t tell me you’ve never done that with your girlfriends! … much to my delight, I hardly had any hair !!!

That’ makes two things to look forward to as I age, not having to shave and menopause!

Only at Walmart

I almost became the star of my very own “only at Walmart” video. I know there is a video out there somewhere … I saw my sister’s friend with her phone.. It’s only under the threat of telling “dad” that it’s been kept locked away…

While out on a coupon shop with my sister and a friend of hers, I sort of went off on another shopper. Well, not really sort of, there was no mistaking it, I drew quite an audience.

As we were shopping in the toothpaste isle (yes, more toothpaste, sigh), my sister reached around a young man, who was talking to a friend, to grab some tubes. The young man moved out of the way, and said something to my sister.

She laughed and responded to him that she had a boyfriend, thanks…

This resulted in a little lighthearted banter… Until this stoned asshole tried to tell her that his c**k could satisfy her better than her boyfriends…

Well that my friends is what started it all. Surprisingly my sister went to walk away (which is not at all like her), me, not so much.

I went up one side of him and down the other. His fake Jamaican accent was no match for a pissed off mom…

When I was done, there was an isle full of shoppers enjoying the show, and my sisters friend with her phone out…

We laughed about the incident and it actually made the shopping trip that much more tolerable, if that is believable.

Shhhhhh, it's a secret!!!

I received my first panel review product today!

I heard a knock on the downstairs door, opened it up to find a package left at my feet. I gingerly picked it up and brought it inside. Placed it on the kitchen counter and stared at the box.

I had completed a few different surveys and wasn’t sure what was in the box. I opened it, unpacked it and read the instructions….

Wouldn’t you know, it was for a product I’m not allowed to talk about yet…

So much for my first product review blog!

Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash

I’m not really a take care of my body kind of woman. I’m half black, and as the saying goes “black doesn’t crack”. I admit I’ve neglected and abused my skin throughout my life.

I also never really put much thought into the cleansing products I used. As I age, I am more aware of how my skin is reacting to the years of abuse. Soap was whatever product was on sale.

Over the last 5 or 6 years, I’ve noticed that my left elbow is extremely dry. Dry to the point that if I leave it untreated, the dry skin catches on my clothes. Sometimes it gets cracked and sore, and the skin is getting thick and very gross. My elbow is looking more like a lumberjacks hands than lovely lady elbows. I’ve used different moisturizers over the years (albeit, none faithfully or with any regularity).

Lately, it’s been getting worse and I knew I had to commit to caring for it.

Behold, my couponing comes in handy! I had coupons for Dove body wash. It was on sale for $3.99, I had coupons for $2.00 off. So I grabbed a few bottles of Dove Deep Moisture body wash for .99!! Can’t kick at that.

I’ve only been using it for two weeks now, but wow! My dry skin has been completely transformed. My skin is no longer dry and cracked. In fact, my skin is repairing itself. It’s not thick and ugly anymore.

My skin does not feel oily after using the product. It feels clean, with no “film” left from the body wash.

I have elegant lady elbows!! I’m a body wash convert … I would highly recommend this product to everyone, not just for problem skin.

Presidents Choice Thai Green Curry cooking sauce

OK, so I’m not a big fan of spicy food… I’ve only just started cooking with a little heat from Jalapeno peppers…

The hubby decided to cook dinner tonight, pork stir fry. He brought home Presidents Choice Thai Green Curry cooking sauce. I’ve seen in it the grocery store; we use cooking sauces quite a bit. I’ve always walked past it as it, didn’t look appealing.

He started by cooking the pork, no problem. Opened the cooking sauce and added it to the frying pan, I have to admit, right off the bat, I wasn’t impressed. Visually, I was looking at a cream based sauce, but I knew it was curry. I was having difficulty making the connection, but chalked it up to my own bias.

The aroma (smell would be a better word to use), was not what I expected from a curry based sauce. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it smelt stale.

We served it over a bed of brown rice (undercooked I might add). I was fine with the texture, but I can’t lie, I was less than impressed with the taste.

I ate less than a forkful and couldn’t eat any more. There was very little curry flavor in the dish. There was very little flavor period. I will admit that the reason I couldn’t finish the dish was not the cooking sauce, but rather the undercooked rice.

I picked out the pieces of pork in my dish and ate those. Again, not impressed with the sauce. The smell emanating from my plate was very off-putting.

All that being said, the hubby and the boys finished their plates. Although none of them went back for seconds (which is unusual in my house). Let’s also remember that my boys still live by the 5 second rule for anything that makes it onto the floor accidentally, so don’t put much stock in the fact they finished their plates.

My opinion, not a product that I will ever purchase again.

Save The Stockpile !!!

Ok, so last night my sump pump decided to stop working. 

I’m not sure why, but some guardian angel was looking after me last night. 

I stopped in my laundry room on my way to bed (at 3am no less) and discovered my floor drain shooting up water like the Bellagio fountains in Vegas…

And my first thought …  my stockpile … 

It’s at times like this I am thankful to still have my 2 boys at home J.

Manually tripped the sump pump to shut off the waterfall and then sop up the ankle deep freezing cold water off the floor.

Oh, and the stockpile was safe …

Facebook

Where to start with Facebook?  Let’s start with the drama…  I love a good reality show (let’s face it, I love a bad reality show too), and Facebook delivers, each and every time.

There is something about the anonymity of the internet that can bring out the worst in folks.  I see it in my everyday work environment.  When people have the ability to hide behind their keyboard, they become assholes.

 

There are a ton of Facebook sites out there that provide you with information on how to coupon and groups that offer a place for folks to trade coupons.  I got caught up in trading for a minute, but only for a quick minute.

 

Trading is work!  Lots of work…  Wow, I don’t know how those folks manage to find time to trade.  That’s a real hard core couponer!  If you’re just in it to save some money, stay away from trading!  Also, that’s where most of the drama is anyways.

 

Don’t get me wrong, there are some great people out there to trade with, very generous and gracious. 

 

Unless there is an exceptionally good coupon out there that I’d like, I no longer trade very often.  By the time I troll my FB groups, find someone with the coupons I want, and then try to negotiate a deal, get the envelope, label the envelope, stamp the envelope, take the envelope to the post office.  Sigh, that’s a lot like work, I can sometimes spend 3 or 4 hours doing that!

 

I can honestly say I tried my hand at hardcore extreme couponing, and it was a lot of work, not for me thanks!!  I can still save hundreds of dollars, and not spend my days tied to my FB groups.

Shopping with Coupons

One of the most important processes that took me some time to wrap my head around was shopping according to my coupons, not my grocery list.

I used to make a list of groceries I needed, and the tried to match up sales and coupons.  That took me forever; needless to say, I got frustrated and stopped couponing.

 

I got back into it a few months later and changed my strategy.  I now make a list according to the sales listed in the flyers and only for those items that I have coupons for.

 

This wasn’t hard, it doesn’t take forever, but it does mean that I had to change my shopping habits.  I probably took about 2 months to build up a supply of staples.  Now I can wait out the sales to make sure I match up with coupons.

 

I started out with nothing as a “stockpile”.  I now have a stash of staples I know will last me for at least 4-6 months.  This means I can be patient and wait for great deals.  I also don’t buy something simply because I have a coupon for it, or because it is free!  That is a beginning sign of hoarding ;).

 

Tip:  Don’t shop with someone who doesn’t share your enthusiasm for coupons!  I learnt that the hard way by trying to shop with my sister one day.  Yeah, that didn’t work.

 

Another tip: take your coupons with you …  always!

 

I used to only take my “binder” with me when I actually went shopping.  Once I popped into the Real Canadian Superstore to grab something for supper, and there on the clearance shelves was dishwasher soap.  It was reduced for clearance (the boxes had banged up corners), if I had of had my binder, it would have been free!  I don’t do that anymore, my binder is with me at all times.

 

Speak of clearance shelves …  Almost every store will have a clearance section, hit that up first!  There are some crazy deals you can get in the clearance section.

 

Once at my Shoppers Drug Mart, in their clearance section was some Miss Clairol Nice ‘n Easy hair color with a $5 off store sticker on it.  Nice ‘n Easy is usually about $8.99, and I happened to have some $2 coupons that I had printed.  This would make it $1.99 a box!!  Score!!!  They even had my color (dark brown).  I grabbed 5 of those puppies and headed to cash! 

All this - $2.25

What I didn’t realize is that Nice ‘n Easy was on sale that week at Shoppers.  It was on for $6.99!  This meant that it was $1.99 after the instore clearance, plus my $2 coupon…  Can everyone say FREE!!!

 

I left the store wanting to shout “start the car, start the car”!!!

Where to Start?

Wondering where to start?  Well, I would suggest that you begin by getting the habit of price matching. 

Most grocery stores will price match.  If you are curious if your local store price matches, simply do a google search, or even better, pick up the phone and call them!

It drives me crazy when I see folks posting on web-sites…  “does Such and Such price match?”.  Really, is it too much work for you to figure that out yourself?

Sorry for the sarcasm, but the questions out there make me shake my damn head!  Do I look like your personal assistant!

Almost all stores will price match from electronic flyers on your phone.  For this, I use two apps.  Flipp and Flyerify.

I use Flipp because it allows me to “clip” products from the flyers, saving them for me.  When I check out, I simply show my clippings.

I also use Flyerify because it gives me access to almost every flyer in Canada.  I can take an obscure flyer and do a screen capture of it, then show that screen capture to the cashier.

When pricing matching remember the following:

• Check with your store to determine the geographical area they will price match
• Your item must be exactly as in the flyer (including variety and size)
• Group your price match items in your cart by store
• Put your non-price matched items on the grocery belt first
• Make sure you tell the cashier before she rings in your items you are price matching

Following those simple rules will make your shopping trip much easier.  There is no need to get into a dispute with a cashier over a price match.  If you become known as a difficult shopper, then future shops with only be met with further scrutiny.

If a flyer indicates “Colgate Toothbrushes – Selected varieties”, this does not mean you can price match for a Colgate 360 toothbrush.

I have a love/hate relationship with Walmart.  Some of the Walmart stores I frequent will price match across Canada, others will only price match Province wide.  I find also that it depends on the manager on duty at the time.

 

I find it funny when trolling my FB groups how upset people become if their Walmart will not price match Canada wide.  Really people!!!  Just how long do you expect a store to stay in business when you are price matching a product and using a coupon and clearing their shelves of that product!  Get a grip.  I am quite content and thankful that my Walmart with price match Province wide.  I can still get some great deals that way.

 

I once price matched a multi pack of Bic Soleil razors with a store in Quebec to $3.49 and I had some $2.00 coupons….  Making the razors $1.49 for a package of 4!  My husband made the mistake of asking what was the point of buying razors if I’m not going to use them …



One of my sisters hauls - $11.03

Oh, and that’s another irritation, why ask a Facebook group “will Walmart price match this?”  Why not ask the store themselves, sigh.  Some people are so lazy!

There you have it folks.  Start with price matching.  Get comfortable with this, and then you are ready to match your sales up with your coupons.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog, grab a coffee and stay awhile.  I’m not here to “teach” you how to coupon, there are many sites out there that offer that information.  I’m here to share my story and journey into the world of couponing, or as I refer to it “The Real Housewives of Coupon Lane” 

While you’re here, you may as well enjoy my story and if it offends you, well then you’re probably one of those folks I’m bitching about!

Why coupon?  Well, first off, I save a shit load of money.  Really…  Lots of money…  When people find out I coupon, the first thing they say is it’s too bad we can’t coupon here like they do in the States…  First off, the show “Extreme Couponing” is not indicative of couponing in the States (not that I’ve ever done it).  Many of the stores on that show bend their coupon and store policies for the free advertising of being on the show.   Couponing in the States is easier for sure, and there are much more resources for obtaining coupons, but you can also save some pretty good coin up here too.

At first it was crazy, I got my first “free” item (any experienced couponer will tell you your first free item will probably be toothpaste or toothbrushes).   I knew I had a problem when I asked myself, how much toothpaste is too much.  42 tubes probably!

Once I recognized the signed of addiction, and took steps to correct my coupon lifestyle, it became easy and enjoyable.

I hope my sharing will help you with your addiction.  First, there is no need to purchase 42 tubes of toothpaste …. ever …  If you find you are doing that, simply because they are free and you have coupons, step back and re-evaluate your reason for couponing.

I’ve seen posts of folks who have 50-60 toothbrushes or 30 loaves of bread, all headed for the local shelters and food banks; and I do believe they probably are headed for the food bank and shelters.  While that is a very noble and generous thing to do, it does present a problem when I go to pick up a few toothbrushes, and there are none there because someone has cleared the shelves of the product.

It’s getting crazy out there, and I was part of that craziness for a while.  I’ve now learned to slow my roll.

I think it would be better to educate those utilizing the shelters and food banks.  Give them the coupons and show them how to get the “deals”.  That way everyone gets their fair share.

The first few times I went out with coupons, well, that was a little embarrassing.  I would only use one or two coupons, I didn’t want to hold up the line…  Yeah, that was then, this is now…  Now, I have no problem telling folks behind me that I’m price matching and using coupons…  Lol, it’s funny now to see how fast I can clear a lineup behind me.

There is no shame in my game!