Part Two in Coupon Tips

General Helpful Hints:

• Have your list carefully organized before you go shopping.


• Have coupons cut and organized to minimize confusion, frustration and time.


• Watch your cashier carefully.


• Make sure all your coupons get scanned, all promotions come off your total and all items ring up correctly--otherwise you might not be getting the best deal.


• Have your total figured out before you go shopping. This will ensure that you will know at checkout if anything got missed.


• Before checking out, double check quantities of promotional items. For example: "Mix and Match any 10 participating General Mills products and receive $5 off at checkout". This means you have to buy in quantities of 10. Make sure you only have 10, 20 etc.


• Read the fine print on all coupons and ads.


• Watch expiration dates on food as well as on coupons.


• Use club cards where offered.


• Even if an item is free you still have to pay tax on it.


• Don't be afraid to ask for a manager.


• Look for e-coupons offered by your local grocery store.


• You need one manufacturer coupon per item. You cannot use one coupon for multiple items or sets of items. For example: $1 off two boxes of cereal, means you need one coupon for every two boxes.


• Check the specifications on every coupon and ad carefully. Check for things like; ounces, quantities etc. Buy the correct item.


• You can always call a parent company and ask for coupons to be sent to you for their items.


• Don't buy anything your family won't use no matter how good of a deal it is!!


• You don't have to get EVERY deal. There is always another deal.


• Sale cycles rotate roughly every three months. Stock up for 3 months.


• Couponing is just like any other new skill. It takes time to master. Be patient!

New Printable Coupons

Utah Deal Diva posted several links to some great, high-value printable coupons.

I love the Lysol wipes, and the Dishwasher Detergent coupons. They are both Facebook coupons, so you need to log into your account and "like" the company in order to print the coupons. You can print each coupon twice. Usually coupons like this reach their print limit quick, so be sure and print them while you can!

Smith's Sale week of April 13th - 19th

Utah Deal Diva posted more information about the Smith's cereal sale here. It looks like a great sale, and I'm looking forward to going this weekend. Here are the other sale items worth mentioning. The full grocery smarts match-ups are listed here. The following items will earn triple rewards points:

• Milk - $2.18/gallon


• Kroger Cheese - 2/$3.00


• Coca-cola, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi or 7 up 2 liter soft drinks - .89


• Red Seedless Grapes - .99


• Apples 10 lbs/$10

Be sure to check out the Catalina offer for Nestle Toll House Morsels on Utah Deal Diva's website. It's a great deal if you need chocolate chips, it expires 4/17.

Macey's Deals - Week of April 13th - 19th

Here is a list of items that stood out to me this week. For the full Macey's list, visit the grocery smarts website here.

• 80% Lean Ground Chuck - $1.97/lb.


• Iceberg Lettuce - .68 each


• Kellogg's Fruit Snacks - .99 each - with in-store coupon & purchase of 2. (Ask for coupon at the register)


• Western Family Cereal - .99 each - with in-ad coupon & purchase of 4.


• Wish Bone Dressings - $1.49


• 18 count Eggs - $1.78


• 46 oz. Nalley Pickles - $1.99 with in-ad coupon - also use coupon in yesterday's Red Plum - 4/17. .75/1 16oz. or larger. Final Price - $1.24


• All Laundry Detergent - $2.99 - Use $1/1 RP 4/10 (exp. 5/22/11)

Homemade Bread

I love to make homemade bread. It's become a hobby of mine. It's so yummy, and a lot of fun to make. I have tried several different recipes, but the one I like the most is the one Utah Deal Diva posted a while back. You can find the recipe here. This recipe makes 2 big loaves.

I use half of the sugar the recipe calls for, and I find it still has a really good taste. Dough Enhancer really does help wheat bread a lot. I buy mine at Macey's during the case lot sales for $3.99.

I have also found that sometimes you need all of the flour the recipe calls for (6 cups) and sometimes you don't. I think it depends on the weather outside. I usually use between 4 1/2 to 6 cups. I always add the wheat flour first, and then the white flour. You know you have enough flour when the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl, but still just slightly sticky. If you use too much flour, the bread will crumble when cut.

Smith's Sale: Cheap GM Cereal

Utah Deal Diva is reporting that starting tomorrow, Smith's will have a great sale on GM Cereal. Click here for details!

Last Week's Shopping Trips

Last week, I ended up going to three different stores. I do not do this every week, but it worked out that I had the time on Friday afternoon. My girls went to their piano class on, and so I used that time and took my son with me to run errands. I wrote out my detailed list and went. It took me about an hour and a half. My mom's family was in town on Saturday and we were asked to bring a green salad to a lunch on Saturday. I took a trip to Sam's club and spent $16.10. I went to Macey's and bought a bunch of produce and laundry detergent. My total came to $24.04 and then I used one of my produce vouchers that I bought on City Deals, which brought my total down to $14.04. Then I went to the bread store, and bought 12 loaves of bread for $10.30. My total between all three shopping trips was $40.44. If you add the $5.00 in that I paid for the City Deals voucher, that still only brings my total to $45.44. It felt really good to have my plan laid out before I went to the store. It saved me a lot of time in the store, as well as money.