Thoughts on coupons

I love coupons! They are a great way to save money. I don't care that the cashier sometimes roll their eyes at me or the local pharmacy probably recognizes me as the coupon lady because I save a lot of money using coupons! I have gotten pretty good at the coupon game. Every Sunday I get the paper browse the ads, make a list and clip coupons. I can save anywhere from $20-$60 at the grocery store and $5-$20 or more at the drug stores per trip!

The drug stores are a great place to shop for your essentials such as paper towels, toilet paper, tissues,a few non-perishables, diapers and milk! I have figured out the sale rotation for the sale on diapers so I stock up when the brands I use go on sale. There is usually a coupon or two every week for diapers, plus the cash register reward bucks you get back make the price per package of brand name diaper $7 or less! Once a month I can get a four oz tube of big name tooth paste for 25 cents using coupons!

At CVS, if you bring your own shopping bag and have a green bag tag (initial cost of $.99) you get a quarter back for every use and after four uses you get a dollar coupon back! Can't beat that, free money for caring about the environment!

Speaking of getting cash back for using your own bags, Whole Foods Market gives you back ten cents per bag and you can choose to donate it to a good cause or have it deducted off your bill. I usually donate mine, it's just another easy way to help others when you can. At Target, you get five cents back for every bag you bring. It's a great incentive and helps rid the house of all the unnecessary bags.

You might think that it takes too long to browse and clip coupons, but it really doesn't take more than 30 minutes. I usually sit down with a cup of coffee, scissors, a notebook, pen, store ads and coupons. I do this every Sunday because Jimmy is home and can keep the kids from distracting me. If you want to give it a try and don't want to clip coupons you can load them to your grocery club card via the internet and that takes less than five minutes to do.

So how do I organize all the coupons I clip?  Well, after making a list for all the stores that I will visit for the week, I label envelopes for each store and I keep the coupons that I am going to use in them. For the extra coupons, I sort and store in a coupon file that stays in the car.

It is not just about saving money, it has turned out to be a little game for me to see how much I can save. Why would I ever pay full price for an essential when I can usually get it at 20-75% off? I do pay full price for certain things like make up, cologne/perfume and other things, but the savings from groceries allow me to direct my saving toward other necessities or the occasional surprise toys for the kids.

So if you are looking for a way to cut back or save money give coupons and reusable bags a try. I'm waiting for my Sunday paper as I type. Have a great week!

New Gloss

Just read my sister in law's blog and was inspired to write a quick thing about this week's new item in my make-up tray. I was craving lip gloss (to wear of course not to eat...I'm not preggie), and went to put some on, but realized that during one of my 'must throw everything out' phase I had also gone and threw out some of my make up too...so no gloss. I walked over to CVS and picked up a Cover Girl Wet Slicks Crystal gloss to satisfy my craving, but I didn't like it. The color was fine, but all the glittery specks is what I didn't like. I'm 30 not 15, but I guess that's what the 'crystal' on the label is! I'm not knocking the product, it's just not for me...I'm not into the glittery lips.

So yesterday, I picked up two more at Target; Burt's Bees Super Shiny Natural lip gloss and Boots Botanics lip gloss. I loved them both!!! I'm already a big fan of Burt's Bees and knew they wouldn't disappoint and I was right. Boots is a brand I read about in some magazine a while back (probably some parenting mag, since that's all I seem to read these days) I finally saw it at Target and bought one to try....and hey...it's pretty good! They both have a citrus scent and flavor to them and they do wonders for keeping your lips moist not to mention the perfect little hint of color that I was looking for. Love them, love them, and great price at $6-$7 each.

For the hair products; I've been using Aveda's new line of products called Smooth Infusion and let me tell you I can not live with out it now! I use the shampoo, conditioner, and style prep and let me tell you I will not use anything else on my hair! One day I used my old hair care products and noticed a big difference! My hair was not silky and soft like it is with the Aveda products! So now I use the old stuff to clean the tub! Seriously, what else am I suppose to do with it? I also use Aveda's sensitive facial moisturizer because it was they only thing that didn't leave my skin all flaky during winter. It's light and wonderful!

Eyes and Face
I am using Philosophy's The Supernatural airbrushed canvas spf 15 powder foundation. It goes on so easily and I don't miss messing with the liquid foundation at all. It is light and has spf to boot! For my eyes, I use Origins eyeliner and Aveda's Mosscara in black. Love'em!

As you can see, I try to stick with the naturally made, organic and earth friendly cosmetics. Have you read or even know what goes into makeup these days? I feel guilty enough using Burt's Bees because the recent news about the honey bee population decrease and possible extinction! But I love their stuff so I will still use them for now.