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These should be Free or almost Free after the coupon!

Don't forget to hit the back botton 3 times so you can get 2 coupons

Cutting the Budget Part 2:Cash Cash Cash

I know a lot of people think using cash is a little old fashion but it WILL save you money! My husband and I started using cash for almost all of our purchases over 3 years ago and we have saved hundreds of dollars a year. Every month we get a predetermined amount of cash out to use for Grocery’s, Eating Out, Entertainment, Toiletries, Haircare and Blow Money (to use as we want) then put in into envelopes to use throughout the month.
Dave Ramsey's Envelope System is how we got started! I know for a lot of people this can be overwhelming. I would suggested starting with just a few envelopes like grocery’s and eating out and expand from there. There are a lot of great resources and tools on the website to help you get started. And there is not better time then NOW!
Here are a few ways using cash has help us.
• Has focused us to plan ahead. You don’t want to use all your cash at the beginning of the month.
• If I don’t have any money left in that envelope I don’t buy it! This is hardest when it comes to the grocery envelope. When it is a week before the beginning of the month and I only have $10 left it can cause a bit of a problem, that is when planning ahead to so important. Sometimes if I have money left in another envelope I will use it. If you are new to using cash be sure to give yourself a little wiggle room in the beginning but if you aren’t firm in using the allotted money you won’t save!
• Easy to keep track of what I spend. Not many people could tell you quickly how much on average they spend on grocery’s a month. If you use some type of predetermined cash system to purchase things you will know how much you spend and can easily keep your spending in check.
• Makes me be creative! When you only have $10 left for the month you will go the extra mile to get the most out of the money. This is where coupons, watching for sales and stockpiling come in to play.
• We don’t pay interest! It would be so easy to go out to dinner or get that pair of shoes you love and put it on a credit card, but it is just as easy to forget to pay your bill at the end of the month.
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Meijer Matchups

Meijer Matchups in Central Ohio (Coupons are doubled up to .99)

B1G1 Chi-Chi’s Salsa
Coupon Match .55 (Use 2)
Final Price-Cheap!

2.50 Snyders Multigrain Chips
Coupon Match .75
Final Price 1.00

1.50 Ragu Pasta Sauce
Coupon Match .50/2
Final Price 1.00
Bonus-FREE Pasta when you buy 1 Ragu

1.66 Peter Pan Peanut Butter
Coupon Match 1.00(I got this with a popcorn sample)
Final Price .66

2.00 Cool Whip Aerosol *
Coupon Match .75
Final Price .50

1.00 Progresso Soup
1.10 Printable
Final Price FREE

2.00 Pam Cooking Spray
Coupon Match .35
Final Price 1.30

2.00 Wesson Cooking Oil
Coupon Match .50
Final Price 1.00

Jello Pudding Snacks*
Coupon Match $2/2 from Meijer Mealbox
Final Price $1

*There are several items that are 10 for $20. If you buy 10 you get a $5 coupon for you next visit! Not sure where to find coupons? Read this post!

Meijer Matchups

I am keepin it short and sweet this week! At first glance I didn't see much...but there are several FREEBIES if you have the coupons!

,99 Ronzoni Pasta
Coupon Match 1.00
FREE!

1.66 Kraft Dressing
Coupon Match-I have a store coupon for .50 off
Final Cost 1.16 and if you buy 3 you get a $2 Catalina!

.97 Pringles
Coupons Match .30/3
.77 each if you buy 3

1.47 Crest, Colgate or Aquafresh
Several .75 coupons out there
FREE!

B1G1 Covergirl Trublend Makeup
Coupon Match B1G1
FREE!

You can also see a really great list of matchups over at MommySnacks.

Instant Replay:This Weeks Savings

I have been so busy this week-I almost forgot about these trips that I made on Monday.
Walgreens

Paid .05!( I used the $5 Register Reward I got last week)
Meijer

I paid 20.92 and Saved 48.18(22.69 with coupons)
I got several items I needed for Christmas baking this week and ran into a great deal on Betty Crocker(I love good old betty!), if you buy 5 cookie bags/muffins/Gold Flour you got a $2 Catalina! I already had 2 bags of flour on my list and a lot of coupons for the other items.
Check back on Sunday for Meijer Coupon Matchups!

CVS Preview for Sunday and Monday 12/21 & 12/22

This is just one page from the ad! Yea Freebies!! I will share coupon matchups later this week.

Meijer Matchups

Here are the best deals I see at Meijer in central Ohio this week! We get double coupons up to .99!

1.25 Pillsbury Cresents
Coupon Match .25
Final Price .75

2.00 Asian Sensations
Coupon Match .75
Final Price .50

½ off Mrs T’s Pierogies
Coupons Match 1.00
Final Price ?(I think these will be less then .50)

2.00 Bob’s Evan Sides (I love these for a quick side!)
Coupon Match .35
Final Price 1.30

1.66 Ocean Spray
Coupon Match .55
Final Price .56 (I have tried the Cranergy and they are very good!)

.79 Veggie Steamers
Coupons Match .50
Final Price FREE!!

2.00 Post Cereal
Coupons Match Printable for Just Bunches (my new favorite!)
Final Price FREE!!

$2.00 Eggo Waffles
Coupon Match .75
Final Price .50
Note: You may want to hold on these unless you were planning on getting anyway-I have seen them cheaper and paired with the .75 coupon you may be able to get them close to FREE!

1.66 Mt Olive Pickles
Coupon Match .50
Final Price .66

1.00 Knorr Sides
Coupon Match .75/2
Final Price .25

1.19 Jet Puff Marshmallows
Coupon Match Meijer Mealbox Printable(on my sidebar!)$1.00/2
Final Price .69

Kraft Cheese ½ price

1.25 Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Coupon Match .50/2 or .20/2
Final Price .75 or 1.05 each

Cutting the Budget Part 1:Angel Food Ministry

During this past year the price of almost everything has gone up! Even though prices have gone up we have found several ways to cut our budget. One of the ways we have been able to cut our grocery budget this past year is by participating in the Angel Food Ministry. For $30 we get all this food.

Menu from December 2008
1.5 lb. Choice Cut Beef Roast
2 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders
2 lb. IQF Chicken Breast
1.5 lb. Pork Chops (4 x 6 oz.)
1 lb. 80/20 Lean Beef Patties (4 x 4 oz.)
28 oz. Salisbury Steak Entreé
1 lb. All Meat Hot Dogs
1 lb. Carrots
1 lb. Green Beans
1 lb. Rice
24 oz. Steak-Cut Fries
32 oz. 2% Reduced Fat Shelf Stable Milk
7.5 oz. Mac and Cheese
14 oz. Chicken Broth
7 oz. Corn Muffin Mix
Dozen Eggs
Dessert Item
They say it will feed a family of 4 for one week-which if it was just dinners that would be about 4.25 per dinner. Each month the menu is different so you can choose whether or not it would be worth it for your family. There have been a few items we didn't like but all in all I think it is worth it. You can check there website for host sites(normally churches) and place your order through them. I know alot of people think this is only for people on food stamps-but let me assure you it is not-anyone can order! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions!

Instant Replay:This weeks savings!!

I made lots of stops this week in between Christmas shopping and going to Christmas parties!
Here is my Meijer Trip.

Spent 11.77 and Total Saved 23.87(7.78 from coupons)
My favorite deal was the coffeemate creamer-it was FREE after coupons!!!
Kroger had some great deals this week.

Spent 5.36 and Total Saved $28.88(14.98 from coupons) and 2.00 in catalinas for next time!!
Lots of free stuff there...Toilet Paper, Altoids, Yeast and the Cresents were .16! I also got the Sure for free and there was a Try me Free sticker on it so I will actually get a $1 check back from them!
Walgreens had there special going on again this week where you spend $25(before coupons) and get a $5 Register Reward.

I spent 9.94 and Saved over $60.00! I also still have $5 in Register Rewards and will get back 5.99 for the Bald Guyz(yes my hubby is a bald guyz!and he loves this stuff!)I think I am stocked up for the cold and flu season.
Not Pictured-2 rolls of Reynolds foil, 6 rolls of scotch tape and 3 Sunday papers(since the coupons where so good last week!) for FREE.
OK..so if all of this isn't enough...I had to stop at Target anyway for some Christmas shopping so I picked up these for FREE(I just paid tax)

Free Toilet Paper at Kroger!!!

There is a new printable coupon here. You can print 2 and use them at Kroger. A 4 pack of cottonelle is .99 everyday. Want to sweeten the deal? Load the Cottonelle coupon at shortcuts.com to your Kroger Plus card and you will get another .50 off!

This Weeks Meijer Match Ups!

Meijer Deals for Central Ohio
(Note: Meijer doubles coupons up to .99)
I didn’t list everything just some of the best deals that I see! Please leave me a comment if you see something else or have questions.

-Jif PB $2.00 Coupons Match($1/2)-1.50 each
-Ocean Spray B1G1* Coupon Match(.55) Use two coupons-should be cheap!
-Quaker Granola Bars $1.50 Coupon Match($1/2)-$1 each(Great stock up price!)
-Toll House Cookie Dough $1 Coupon Match($1)-$1 each
-Sargento Cheese $2.50 Coupon Match(.40)-1.70 each
-Coffee-mate 16oz .99 Coupon Match(.50)-FREE!!!!!
-Land’o Lakes Butter $1 Coupon Match(.50)-FREE!!!!
-Kelloggs Mini Wheats(plus others) $1.88 Coupon Match(1.00)-.88
-Meijer Family Pack Chicken $1.79lb Great stock up Price!

Check out the Meijer Mealbox on the right side of my blog(!) for more coupons! Click the “special” button in the box on the right side of the page for a list of current coupons. You can print as many as you like!

*B1G1 = Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

This Weeks Kroger Match-Ups!

Kroger Deals for Central Ohio
(Note: Kroger in Central Ohio doubles coupons up to .99)
These are just highlights-I like to feature FREE and very cheap stuff!

-Parkay $1.00 Coupon Match (.75/2)-Buy 2 for .25 each!
-Daisy Sour Cream $1 Coupons Match (.50)-FREE!
-Fleischmann’s Yeast $1 Coupon Match(.65)-FREE! PLUS you get a .50 Catalina=Moneymaker!
-Sure Deodorant $1 Coupon Match(1.00)-FREE
-Ban Deodarant $1.65 Coupon Match(.75)-.15

I would also check out Shortcuts for ecoupons that load to you Kroger Plus Card-these can be combined with a Manufacturer Coupon! One of the best ones is the .50 Cottenelle coupon, combined w/ a .25 manu coupon (doubled) you can get a 4 pack for FREE!

Always keep your eye out for Managers Specials! You can save big on markdown items at Kroger.

Homerun:Free Batteries!

If you go to Rayovac's Website you can print off a $1.00 coupon for any package of batteries. Target has them in there dollar spot right now!

Instant Replay:This Weeks Savings!

My sister(who is also an avid couponer) and I made a trip to Kmart since they were doubling coupons up to $2.
I got the following for $7.16.

I saved $55.28 just by using coupons!

This is my Meijer and Aldi trip. Total for everything was $34.37

I really loaded up on produce this week. Here is a breakdown of what I got.
Aldi-7.28
Oranges
Apples
Bananas-0.22 cents lbs!!
Strawberries

Meijer-27.11 Saved 32.60
2 bags dole salad
1 earthbound farm salad
Carrots
Broccoli
3 bags of cheese
Velveeta
Milk
4 muffin mixes
2 jars of pickles
Bagelfuls
Pizza
3lbs of hamburger for 2.99*
5 turkey brats for 2.29*
* I always look for markdown meat and stock up when I find some. You cannot beat .99cents a pound for hamburger!

Walgreens was having a 4 day sale. Since I almost whipped us out of cold medicine I took advantage of their deal on Dayquil.

I paid $11.27 in cash, got $9 back in Registar Rewards(which can be used like cash on my next visit) and will get $6 back as a part of their monthly rebate program.

She Signs Up...She Scores:Mailbox Fun!

I got lots of good stuff in my mailbox this week!

I got the cutest package of Ghiradelli chocolates from SheSpeaks to taste test along with 5 $1 coupons to share with friends! Let me just tell you...they are SOOOOO good!


Who doesn't LOVE getting cash in the mail...??? I tested a body wash product for a company and they sent me $10 in cash as a thank you! And I got a full size body wash for free! I got this offer through a survey site called SurveySpot. I also filled about a rebate form for TheraFlu(this came in really handy last week when I was sick!) and received my check for 2.99 this week.