Coupon Update

I just wanted to let you know there have been some changes in coupon policies lately.  Most King Soopers now will NOT let you use a digital coupon (CellFire, Kroger, etc. that are loaded to your card) in addition to a physical manufacturer coupon.

I've also lately been given tips on additional coupon sites.  Coupon Mom is a site that does similar shopping lists as The Grocery Game but it's free!  Check it out and see if it's to your liking.

My sister clued me in on Groupon, a group-coupon site where they offer certain daily deals.  Once signed up, you receive an email, text, or facebook post each day stating the daily deal.  Then you  decide if you want to participate in the group coupon.  For example, one daily deal was spend $5 for a $10 gift card to Cold Stone Creamery.  If you like ice cream and frequent Cold Stone Creamery, this would be the deal for you!  Just say you're in, pay your $5, and you'll receive a coupon in your in box as a $10 gift card.  The one catch is that enough people have to be interested in it, say 50 people, for the deal to be "on."  (We're talking in the whole Denver metro area, so most likely, most deals are a go.)  If the deal isn't "on" and the time expires, you aren't charged the required amount.  Just be wary of buying something because it's such a great "deal" when you don't really need it or would usually buy it!

Cooking Schedule and Themes

Anyone who knows me well knows I just HATE cooking!  There are so many things I would rather be doing than making a meal and cleaning up after it.  But food is necessary to sustain life (darn it:-) so it's got to be done.  I realized the hardest thing for me about cooking is coming up with the idea of WHAT to make.  So I came up with 12 dinner themes.  By repeating two themes, I have two-weeks worth of themed food nights, making it easier to come up with a menu (and helping us get out of a dinner rut).  I schedule these on the calendar and pick a meal for each theme.  What saves money is knowing before 5:00 what I'll be making for dinner so we don't fall back on "Let's just pick something up."  Another money saving tip is to create your menu specifically on what you have on hand or what is on sale that week.

For those of you who are interested, here's our Themes:
Italian
Mexican
Asian
Soup/Salad
From the Oven
Something New (to encourage me to branch out from our usual staples)
Family Favorites
Crockpot
Pizza (homemade)
Meatless
Simple (mac n cheese from a box, Ramen, grilled cheese, etc.)...twice
CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)...twice

My husband has appreciated the better meals (and not having to wait so much when he gets home) and I've loved the anxiety-free feeling I have of knowing what we're having for dinner.  So, get your calendars and pencils ready and start planning your menus!  Who knows, you might actually start enjoying cooking every once in a while!-)

Leftover Hair Conditioner

Used the last of the shampoo, but still have some remaining conditioner?  Don't throw it out!  Use it as shaving cream instead.  It works just as well and you save some money in the process.

Do-It-Yourself Car Repair

My husband and I are not what you would call handy do-it-yourself people.  Which is a shame, because whenever you can do something yourself, you can save A LOT of money.  But even if you don't know much by way of car repair, there are a few things you can learn to do:

• Change your oil.  It requires a few special tools and some time, but it can definitely save you a good chunk of change.
• Change your air filter.
• Replace a bulb.  Light burned out?  It's a simple procedure.  Just follow the owner's manual for your specific car...each make and model is different.  We recently "saved" $15 by doing it ourselves rather than letting the car repair place do it.
• Replace your battery.
• Replace your windshield wipers.

I'm sure there are other skills that can be easily learned.  Probably most importantly, find a repair shop that you trust for all the big unexpected repairs.

Where have you found a trustworthy mechanic?

Laundry Loads

To maximize savings on laundry, here are some ideas:

• Do all your laundry on one day, starting a load as soon as another load finishes.  This maximizes the efficiency of your dryer...it stays warm inside, so you spend less money reheating the dryer for each load.
• Wash all loads in cold water to save heating costs.  (I must admit I don't do this...I'm too much of a germaphobe...gotta have it hot for certain loads to kill the germs.)
• Wash only full loads.  A full load uses almost the same energy to run as a small load!
• Use less detergent.
• Dry whatever you can on a clothesline.
• Fold or hang clothes immediately after taking them out of the dryer.  This saves money and time because it means less ironing!
• Iron your clothes in one big batch, saving money to reheat the iron multiple times.

What are your ideas?