Today is a New Day

So today I've been thinking about taxes. Weird huh? I read all these wonderful articles about people who live in sales tax free states or no tax on grocery states and think what if?  What if I had that extra 8.735% back in my pocket every month how awesome would that be. Well let's be honest I live in Oklahoma and that's not going to happen.
   But this brings me to another topic, taxes and coupons. I am going to approach this two different ways one for the foodstampers and two for those of you who don't get foodstamps.

First if you use foodstamp cards you should only be paying tax on the coupon portion of an item. So say an item is $1.00 and you have a coupon for .30 that doubles to .60 making the item. .40. You should only pay tax on the .30 portion and depending on what store you are at sometimes they charge it back to your foodstamp card and sometimes you have to come up with it out of pocket.

There is an exception to this if you go to buy an item that is a $1.00 and you have a .50 coupon that doubles your total would be .04 cents that you must come up with out of pocket for the item not with your foodstamp card.

Second, non foodstampers it is a little easier for you. You will always pay tax on the total amount of the item unless the item is free minus the doubles portion of the coupon. So if an item is $1.00 and you have a .50 cent coupon that doubles you will pay tax on the .50 cent portion.

If you have an item that is $2.00 and you have a .50 coupon that doubles you will pay tax on $1.50.

Hope this helps. This is the 2nd most popular question I get.

Happy Couponing,

The Cute Couponer

Coupon Horror

So my annoying and idiotic brother thought he was doing us a favor when he totally trashed my piles of coupons. That's right months worth of coupons totally trashed and down the  drain. I could kill him !!!!!! So it's back to square one for me to start all over again. Sorry guys that's why my posts have been behind. I haven't been shopping because I haven't found any coupons to go shopping with except for the ones I got in this Sunday's paper.


So go have a nice day keep checking back over the next week and hopefully I can figure out a plan.

Enjoy the Sunshine,



The Cute Couponer

Let's Talk Carrot Juice

If all goes well I am hoping to escape to the Chinese Market today to stock up on some essentials like brown rice, mullet, and quinoa. I will tell you more about these things later. Tom. I will return to my big shopping day. I like Wednesday because it is the only day in Oklahoma City all the sales are current and overlapping at all my favorite stores.

   Today I wanna talk about Carrot Juice. Carrot juice is something that has been and is becoming again a big part of my life. This may sound crazy but on average my family uses 2 lbs of carrots a day. Know we aren't addicted to carrots we just juice them. See carrot juice is great for everyone. It's cancer fighting helps with Rheumatoid Arthritis and weight - loss. Frankly I can't believe I am admitting this but, oh well,  it is just darn good. Now you can buy carrot juice or make carrot juice. A juicer is necessary if you are making  it.

This is what it looks like after you make it. The cute little cutouts are courtesy of someone else. Who knew you could do that with a carrot. Next time I get really bored I might try it.

The other way to get it is to buy it.

        In my experience, Bolthouse Farms has the best if you are going to buy it. At almost $4.00 a bottle (ouch) I choose to make my own.

        I buy organic carrots at Wal-Mart for .88 cents a lb. The other option if you live in Oklahoma City is to buy them for 21. 00 at the Health Food Center southside. The bag is a 20 lb  bag but they have a different flavor to them my family isn't oh so keen on.

       Anyway, I am off to clean house, plant grass seed, decorate outside for Easter oh and I'm starting walking the dogs today. Wish me luck.

    3.5 lbs lost so far so let's hope I keep losing.

      Hope You Try Some Carrot Juice,

 The Cute Couponer

 ***Bolthouse Farms rarely puts out coupons

Love Your Body

So it is after 11:30 p.m.  tonight and I can't sleep. I don't know if it is the cleanse or the 2 Excedrin I had to take to get rid of my nagging headache.  Health and happiness have been on my mind alot lately. Probably because Spring is in the air meaning bathing suit and short season.  Uugh ... So it occurred to me if I am ever going to lose weight and actually like my body I need to start liking it now. In other words I have to find things about it that I already like so here goes.



 I like my long hair.

I like my face.

I like my neck.

I like that my shoulders are a great width apart. Weird huh?

I like my hips. Yes even though I am overweight I like them I think other than losing a little padding on them I think they are the perfect  width  apart.

I like the length of my legs. Not too short, Not too tall ...

I like my feet. They have gotten a little wider lately but I still like the little suckers.

I like my hands. They are a little chubby but everyone has always told me I have pretty hands. Hands tell alot about a person. My grandfather had great hands. A former neighbor of his who is a sculptor used his hands as a model for The Praying Hands of Jesus Statue at Oral Roberts University. I think that is a huge compliment.

I like my lips. They are not too small and not too big.

I love my eyes. I think people comment  on my eyes more than anything else about me. Eyes and hands are my favorite things on people. Usually, these 2 body parts tell me all I need to know.

So go ahead people write down what it is you like about your body so you can start to appreciate it.

Start by being grateful for 2 legs, 2 feet, 2 hands, 2  arms  and all 10 fingers and toes.

Just Thinkin

The Cute Couponer

It's A New Day

So I am in much need of some retail therapy.

I have missed my coupons so very much this last week. Last night I had to make a quick run to the grocery store and my total was $6.00 for yogurt I usually get for  .90  cents. Yuck ....

So back to my binder today to get my shopping back on schedule.

So Coupon Gods hear my prayers we need some killer deals.

On a side note I just got finished completing my cleanse to jump start my weight loss.

It only lasts overnight and I lost 3 1/2 pounds. Yay Me !!!

I used Hulda Clark's recipe

it involves Grapefruit, Epsom  Salts, and Olive Oil

To be fair it was very easy. As promised I am going to try to start using my coupons to buy healthier options so hopefully over the next several days I have lots to share.

In the meantime google Hulda Clark's Cleanses and try one for yourself  I feel really good.

The  Cute Couponer

Starting From Scratch

I thought it fitting to title this blog post Starting From Scratch because that is what it is all about. So there are two things I wanna talk to you about today.

One making smarter choices with food to lose weight so I am healthier and can achieve my dreams and goals and the second is taking care of yourself.

First so many of you have asked me can you really coupon and buy foods other than processed and pre -packaged garbage. The answer is yes sometimes it takes just a bit more hunting. So let me be honest here for a second I need to lose some major weight and in a hurry so you will see many more healthy postings and hopefully fun recipes that are actually good for you .

Second I can't tell you the number of people lately that have told me as the caretaker I need to start taking care of myself. Now when one person says it you think maybe they are being nice when two you think what do I look like a ragamuffin but when 3 or more in this case say it I can finally say I get the point.  Done and doing it. It's so much fun thinking about what I am going to do first. Excercising ... not the most exciting until you see the results and you get an excuse to wear your headphones for an hour.... Going back to singing fun but wish I was thinner  to perform but that's ok I can still work it... three going back to church yes I know I need to get there so as long as it is not snowing next week Count Me In ...

So fellow couponers and all my newbies pay attention this week I am back Mom is out of the hospital and doing ok. The never ending supply of snowstorms is just about over and Spring is in the air so let's have some fun together on this new journey .

Take Great Care of Yourselves. I  Mean It.

The Cute Couponer

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Sorry guys my mom has been super sick and back in the hospital so I haven't felt much like blogging so busy with her. I will be back tomm. In the meantime are you getting ready for Spring and  Happy St. Patrick's Day. I am gonna leave you with some of my favorite images for the holiday.

               What a show huh?

                                   
              I know this seems  a bit cruel and it stains but it is cute !!!!!



   The Cute Couponer

Much Ado About Nothing ...

So today has been yet another exciting I mean tiring exhausting wear me down not just out kinda day.

It all started this morning when my mom woke me up to tell me she needed to go to the ER. That's right I think we should get a discount for frequent visits kind of like frequent flier miles. So we hung out in the ER for 6 + hours then they decide to admit her. Yay for me. I get a break but she gets a much needed surgery. So then I come home to my little monsters wait I mean munchkins and the little nuts won't quit barking. This is how the afternoon has gone ... potty, bark, chew get interrupted by a phone call.

So I just got off the phone negotiating with her doctor and what a surprise they are barking again.

Now they broke a coffee mug

Whewww.... what a day.

So this little lady is going to try to tough out the rest of the day.

Back to couponing in a few days.

The Cute Couponer

Let Me Introduce Myself

So it occurred to me the other day that  I never really introduced myself and why I decided to write a blog. Hello my name is Valerie and I am full of dreams. My wishes for this are many. I can't wait to share my never ending exciting journey of life with you. I plan on writing about many things like singing, saving, shopping, and my passion for cooking and gardening. I love to entertain and I love to decorate. I've recently decided I want and need to get back into shape. No I've never been married and my children are the Canine kind. I will tell you lots about them. I take care of a loving family my mom, grandma, my munchkins, and one of my brothers. I love music and will talk alot about it as I go. My mom says I was born to entertain.

My family also says I have never met a stranger I would definitely have to agree..

Don't worry I will tell you about my super fun dating life and my quest to find Prince Charming.
Do I look like and angel or what ? ( I'm the little blonde w/ the white dress on)

 I have lots of fun friends too... We'll talk more about them later ....

 I'm a very active woman in my community and my family. I adore my nieces and nephews and love being Aunt Valerie.

Of course I can't wait to be a mom but I'm a super happy proud doggie mom.

You will also hear me talk about getting healthy and couponing. I have a passion for saving animals and making sure they are healthy.

I love to watch movies and get carried away with music.

I am very giving and love to volunteer my time.

I have opted to not work for the past few years and live off of my savings due to a sick mom and now sometimes Grandma.

                   She turned 87 a few months ago. Doesn't she look great. Good jeans run in the family.
                   Grandma is a fashionista complete with hat and gloves. 

             I'm really surprised she let me take this  picture of her. Thanks Grandma !!!!!!


 I'd post a picture of my mom but she would absolutely kill me. The latest one I have of her is right after waking her up from being in bed and eating a banana. I'll work on this one.


 I love to sing country music probably because the older I get the more my life seems like a country song. In fact I love to sing to all music.

Of course I love to shop and to write about goofy girlie things. So thanks for taking the time to read about me and hopefully I can teach you a few things about the way I've learned to save.

I hope you enjoy my adventures into life, love, and couponing.

Yes I plan on returning to work soon.

Happy Couponing

The Cute Couponer
                                     

A Freebie a Day Keeps the Bills Away

Are you ready for my big announcement ?????????????

So I have to keep up with the times and created a fan page on FACEBOOK. Go to www.thecutecouponer.blogspot  on Facebook and everyday I will post a freebie for you. That's right a daily freebie!!!!!! How easy is that?

 

Now yes I am still writing my blog on here. Facebook is where you will find my daily freebie.

Have a Great Evening

The Cute Couponer

$200 Worth of Groceries for $65.00 Bucks

Crest Anniversary Sale Round 3 or is it 4 hmmm ...

All Crest cheese is 1.00 a pack
Hillshire Farms Beer Brats 1.00 a pack
Swiss Miss Cocoa .79 a pack
Yoplait Yogurt on sale for .30 (this never happens) and I had a 1.00 off 6 so .80 for 6

Sadly the Crest Anniversary Sale is coming to an end on Tuesday. Oh well, all good things must come to an end for a new thing to begin.

So check out more deals

 

Hiland Ice Cream was on sale 2 for $5.00

used 4 .75/1 Do Not Double and voila 1.75

 

Just about every noodle you can imagine for .50 a package

Farmland Bacon $1/2 so $2 a package (not my best)

Gravy Pack .50 a piece

Grab and Go powdered and choc. covered donuts 1.00  a piece

  

Sunkist Orange Soda .50 a piece

Juicy Juice $1 a bottle

and 1 Glade Spray $1

Then over to Buy For Less for my deal of the week

Farmland sausage was on sale for 1.00 a package

I had 1.00 off 2 coupons and cha ching

.50 a pack

(don't worry I have a plan for these)

 

tomato sauce .27 a piece and 

tomatoes .77 a pound (see why I grow my own)

Corned Beef for St. Patty's Day 2.50 a lb

Finally over to Aldi (which doesn't accept coupons)

frito chips for $1.00 a bag

bananas for .39 a lb

Onion Soup Mixes for .69 a 4 pack

Brown Gravy Mixes for .33

mandarin oranges for .50 for each large can

Ahh what a great week of shopping. In the meantime have a great Sunday night and I have and exciting announcement tomorrow so check back in.

Sweet Dreams

The Cute Couponer

Very Busy Cleaning

Do you miss me? I have missed all of you. I have good and bad news. The bad news is all my shopping trip pictures are completely lost from my camera. Kind of like when you put two socks in the dryer and only one comes out.

Well the good news is I went shopping again this weekend so I am going to try again to load the pictures and all the information.

In the meantime back to cleaning.

Happy Sunday

The Cute Couponer

Freebies

 

Check out the Freebies I got in the mail this week. Plenty more to come.

You are going to want to stay tuned because I have something big coming to show you.

Why did I start couponing?

There isn't one day that goes by that someone doesn't ask me why did I start couponing. Well the truth is there are a few key reasons that made me begin. I was sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office with my mom and picked up a magazine that told me the story of a young couple with a child where one parent lost a job and the other parent learned to coupon. Now they are living better than they were when they both had jobs. I did a double take and said what? Excuse me? It gave me a website address I jotted it down put it in my purse and must say it sat in my mind. Being the investigator that I am you know I absolutely had to check it out. First the information seemed a bit overwhelming and wasn't relative to the area I lived in so I put it out of my mind and let it sit. A few weeks later when I was at my bi-weekly trip to the grocery store I just stood in shock at how quickly the prices had gone up from the last time I shopped. I thought how can we keep affording this? I knew  I was going to have to figure this out.

        See my mom's health is in jeopardy and the purchases I make directly affect her overall health. We buy lots of  organics and fresh fruits and veggies.  Have you seen the cost of veggie burgers lately? How about a bag of apples? Eating healthy costs more now than ever before.

         Another key factor was I have a pile of dogs to feed. I'm not crazy over commercial dog food so I knew that I needed to find a way for some major savings.

        Last but certainly not least paper goods. Now I can't begin to tell you how utterly annoyed I am everytime I go to the store and see what the cost of toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins are. It's disposable. It costs that much to wipe your hiney? That's stinkin crazy!!!!!

         So fast forward two months later and voila I have managed super-sized savings. See the key to couponing is you must stick with it. If you piddle at it that's about what you'll get a drip of savings. If you stick with it you will get a pile of savings.

           One of my brothers hadn't been in the grocery store twice in the last two years and now he actually volunteers to go with me. Every time I hit the store I get asked by another shopper does it really work? I say of course. I just stick with it. I love my coupon buddies.

         Now enough about me let's talk about you when are you going to start your savings? A coupon a day keeps the debt away.

          Have a Happy Sunny Day,

                            The Cute Couponer

P.S. Hopefully the computer guy can load my pic.'s tonight !!!!!

The Basics

Welcome new couponers and skilled ones too. Today I want to talk to the basics with you.Here are the most important things you need to know to get you started and to stay afloat.

1. Get Your Hands on Coupons. 80% of Coupons can be found in the Sunday Paper. Look online for printables. Scan the stores. The drugstores are full of coupons.

2. Get Organized- Personally I love the binder system. Later this week I will picture it for you so you can see what it looks like. One thing alot of people love are those plastic coupon organizers. Small ones are available at The Dollar Tree and the big ones I have found at Target for $1. ( This one is important the better organized you are the more deals you will find. I cost myself $1000.00 in free product this last month from not being organized. That's right. $1,000.)

3. Use your coupons and match them to the sales. This may seem like a no brainer for some but in reality most people don't do this. My general rule is unless I absolutely need it I don't buy it unless I have a coupon and it's on sale.

4. Stock up when it is on sale. In coupon land they always say sales come back around every 3 months. I don't believe that is totally true. So if you need it then buy it and alot of it.

5. Be patient. You will make some mistakes in the beginning. When I first started it felt like forever before I could take advantage of certain sales because I didn't have the  right coupons. By the end of the first month that was all put to an end.

6. Before I shop I search the internet for the items I don't have a coupon for. The majority of the time I can find them.

7. Once you start shopping there are coupons everywhere.

8. Learn to stack them. This is absolutely the best part of couponing. Most stores allow you to stack coupons. You can use a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon and double your savings and often time make the item free. CVS, Target, Wal-Mart, Dollar General, and Family Dollar are among the best places to do this.

9. When you use those Buy One Get One Free coupons you can stack two coupons. The bogo coupon covers the free item. You can use a coupon on the one you are paying full price for too.

10. Get the raincheck when they are out of the item that is on sale. Some stores vary on this policy. Homeland the raincheck expires in 1 month however when I miss the item or they are out of stock they usually renew it for me. CVS and Walgreens have no expiration date to their rainchecks so check your stores policy. Then USE THEM !!!!!

11. Start asking your friends, family, neighbors and everyone you know for their coupons too.

12. Once you get the basics down you can start coupon trades. I will tell you more about this later. It is not something I recommend until you have a couple months under your belt.

13. Start slow you don't want to get frustrated and give up. Shop with a buddy. There is nothing wrong with riding on the coattails of another couponer. People opt to shop with me every week. I get a crowd to watch everywhere I go. I love to teach but I had to learn first and I'm still learning.

14. Get your hands on the store circulars. This can be done by subscribing to the Sunday Paper or Buyer's Edge in Oklahoma. check in your area. Many stores have their circulars online. I have a free subscription to Grocio.com. It notifies me via e-mail when new ones are out. They don't cover them all so I still go to some stores site.

15. Think of  couponing as one big fun game. It's like a treasure hunt and word search all rolled up into one complete with great prizes.

16. Share your stockpile. What goes around comes around. I like to plant lots of good seeds.

17. Never clear the shelf.  There is always someone who may need it more than you. Now I have mixed feelings about this. If it's the beginning of a sale and you need 100 of the item try to call the store and see if they will order it in. If it is the last day of the sale and 10 pm go ahead and take it and then get a raincheck for more.

Remember you can do those and have fun with it too. You won't be an expert overnight but if you stick with it you will save lots of money make lots of new friends, and live in your very own mini mart.

In the meantime start clipping.

The Cute Couponer

It's All About the Garden Baby

There is nothing better than fresh produce whenever you want it right from your very own yard. With all the extreme weather this year produce is sure to be at an all time high. Wouldn't it be more fun to just walk right outside? Now I know what you are thinking. I don't have the time, the space, the money, and it's just too much work. Well, news flash people all the time you spend at work making money to pay taxes on it and then  to go to the grocery store to waste gas all adds up too.

It doesn't matter if you live in an apartment lots of  fruits and veggies can be grown in a pot. If your yard is small you can make it fit too.

Not to mention it's just plain fun.

If you have kids it can be a great family project !!!!!

There is nothing as rewarding as eating something you know that's good for you and that you grew.

Now for those of you who live in Oklahoma go check out OSU/OKC'S Garden Planning Guide.

Right now is an ideal time to plant Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Onions, Potatoes ,Blueberries, Lettuce, and Peas.

Now Go Get Dirty (Ha, Ha, Ha keep your minds out of the gutter)


The Cute Couponer

*** No I haven't forgotten to post my Walgreens, Crest, and Buy For Less deals just waiting on the darn computer to load the pic.'s

Free Sample

Go Here www.breatheright.com for a free sample.

I'm still loading pictures. Talk to you soon.





The Cute Couponer

Walgreens Was Wild This Weekend

     I hit Walgreens for a super hot sale this weekend.                                                                                        
    Hydrogen peroxide  3/$1
    Seed Packets 5/$1
    and the cutest stinkin St. Patty's Day shirt was $7.99.

    Now who says they can't find any coupons at Walgreens mmm....

 

  The Triaminic Child Finder Booklets are full of coupons. I found them at the Pharmacy at one Walgreens and the photo at another. The new Diabetes and You magazines are out and have plenty of coupons hanging on the wall by the chairs back in pharmacy. You also want to raid the booklet section back by the pharmacy those little booklets are full of coupons. When I went to pick up my free 8x10's the photo sleeves had 2 coupons to tear off. Last but not least hanging on the shelf by the Tylenol I found several Tylenol booklet coupons. Don't forget to pick up your new March Walgreens Coupon booklet those are located by the store circulars.

Now I know what you are thinking you may not be diabetic but remember. Many of the items you buy you are making a profit on so give it to someone who is diabetic. Keep the overage for your very own shopping spree. 

In the meantime, I have lots of pictures to take of my super sale items this weekend and a tornado ripped through my house this weekend. I wish there was a cleaning God I could say prayers to that would clean my house for me hmmm.....

Would that be petty?

The Cute Couponer