ANJIES NEW SYSTEM!

NEW COUPON FILING SYSTEM! I finally did it!

photo credit:  tommi brandt

The photo you see is the OLD system I created about 18 -20 years ago?  I don't know exactly when but this coupon box was created from a CASSETTE TAPE BOX.   I had been couponing about 10 years when I developed this system to be a "cheaper and more efficient version" of the one I had before this one!

I gutted the bottom out of it and used cards, envelope boxes,  envelopes and snack bags to file all of my coupons.   IT WAS THE BEST SYSTEM I EVER USED!   When I was introducing my GF, TOMMI to the coupon world (we think 16 years ago she started?)    I don't know if you can see everything , but I ditched my box from wear and tear years ago,  TOMMI HAS NOT THIS IS THE BOX SHE IS STILL USING !  (photo taken today)

Since that time that I ditched my beloved coupon box and rebate box too for that matter.......... along with all of the FILES AND FILES of cut UPCS that used to be the "bread and butter" of couponing and rebating,  I have tried, reviewed,  and tested many methods.  The binder system , many boxes, wallets and last but not least the system that my new friend and fellow couponer ANN uses..........   this was the absolute best way I could find and I posted about it HERE 
and more recentlyin the article  FILES AND PILES UNCOVERED

Photo from the OLD DAYS!  @ Vicki P my BFF and KINDRED SPIRIT and I collecting the forms and coupons!

NOW....................... TO UNCOVER MY NEW FILING SYSTEM !   I just finished putting it together THIS AM and it is cleaned out and ready to be ROAD TESTED!   :)   I have been brainstorming what I wanted for a very long time and this is the closest I can come to the OLD BOX  (see first photo) that lasted for so long!  I am sure it will need to be TWEAKED to get it JUST RIGHT........ but for now ........... I LOVE IT! 

I don't think the photo does it justice but for now this will have to do as I am multitasking like crazy!

HOW I MADE IT

ANJIES NEW SYSTEM! :) not a stereo silly........ a COUPON ORGANIZER

I bought an attache case at STAPLES  item # 555695  priced $35.99 ,  I actually bought mine in store and used the 15% off savings pass that I got in the mail.  BE SURE to have your reward # on your online account if you order on line, thats how I got this free savings pass, being an online customer with a reward #.  Staples does have coupons to use online too, if you are not ordering right now , sign up for their emails and if they have a sale or coupon you will know and you can apply it to your order then.  I am sure other stores have similar ones and you may find a better deal.  I like this one as it is ROOMY without being too big and has locking hinges on the side to keep the "lid up" while shopping.

measuring the boxes ..........empty envie boxes worked great

I had to make sure not to interfere with the hinges on the sides and not too tall to block the top from closing, I still may need to tweak this ,   Faith said I should "hot glue" them to the bottom,  I'm not so sure about that .

4 reg. sized envie boxes and one #10 envelop box they are 99cent each at Target

I am using a pampered chef free coupon wallet I got to hold my "cards" and have it tucked away in a pocket

I got these nifty avery small files with tabs as a free sample via snail mail this week

 The AVERY envelopes with tabs were just what i needed to put in coupons that I am going to match with sale flyers .    They are thin and opaque, PERFECT!

manilla folders .........for sale flyers

I labeled some manilla folders with the store names that I shop most often and paired them with the Avery envelopes.  I put these in the expandable pocket in the top of my box.

I made organizer dividers to reflect what I deem the necessary categories, how I shop, everyone may be different!

Some people would file alphabetically, others by store aisle,  I file according the categories I "grew up with" the ones that I know from years gone by........ Everyones will probably be different , you do what works for you!   I paperclipped all of the boxes together so they do not slide around, they are all connected.  there is empty space on the right side of the box so that I can put my keys in the box while shopping.

SNACK BAGS , those little short bags with the purple and pink birds on them are what I am using because I could not find the clear ones at a price I liked, these are clear on the backside, so I put the coupons in to the clear side.  I found these bags for 25cents each at target on end cap clearance.    As you can see I have scissors, pens, paper clips, business cards  etc all in the box.  there is a spot for my cell phone which I can just slip in the case top while shopping.  It doesn't fit well enough to carry it in all the time.  I still want to take a better photo, cover the envelope boxes (maybe with some of that cool new duct tape?) and tweak it to make it "perfect."  Only time will make that happen and USE............. which I plan to get plenty of!

I hope this system works as well as the last ..............here is a photo of the last system that my GF tommi is still using as of this post from 16 years ago!

THE BOTTOM LINE! are you really SAVING MONEY? "APPLES TO APPLES"

Photo Credit: http://mykidsneedshoes.com

One of the biggest shopping tips that I can give you is DO NOT (I repeat) DO NOT spend more money than you need to...........this defeats the purpose of couponing.   Another thing that is a "throw off" is how some blogs show you "how much money I saved" meaning how many coupons and discounts they rec'vd, NOT the amount they spent.  THAT IS WHAT COUNTS, the BOTTOM LINE.................HOW MUCH MONEY WAS SPENT , HOW MUCH MONEY CAME "OUT OF POCKET" as I originally coined it!
DONT GET CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN TRYING TO SAVE MONEY!

If you are buying items that you don't use and you don't gift or donate then all of those coupon savings are a waste.  In Addition some people actually end up spending MORE money than they used to because they not only are buying EXACTLY WHAT THEY USED TO but they are also purchasing couponed items IN ADDITION.   If you do the math, the only way this saves you is if all of your "extra items" are absolutely FREE.  It is very disenchanting and confusing when you are not savvy in the coupon world and you attempt to "do like the pros" and copycat buy what they buy.................just because they are "saving money" and your bank account shows that you are "spending more."  YES THIS IS A COMMON NEWBIE MISTAKE and often discourages you from continuing your process because ................is this really saving money?

A great example of what I do that really works.AND SAVES YOU MONEY..................I have been pantry shopping since December, when I made my last huge grocery shopping trip because I was having my people over.  Even though it was "bring a dish" I still spent $250 on supplies, food and drinks.   This is over my "monthly" budget for an entire month.  In addition ,  we emptied our chest freezer when we built our carport and donated 8 bags of grocery items to the Food Bank since December.   Soooooooooooooo I normally spend $30- $50 a week and have been spending much less on misc. items to "fill in the gaps" which actually frees up $30-$50 a week (depending on what I Have to buy) for other things.   THIS IS SAVING MONEY when you save in one area and use that money to pay off other things (credit card balances, bills, birthday gifts or even stashing it in the bank) BECAUSE I have had other things to pay I wasn't able to "stash" this money but yes I was "robbing Peter (my grocery money) to pay Paul (other things). 

I am not making my weekly pilgramages out to the DRUG STORES to pick up the "free and almost free items" either. Saving money on gasoline and also the item cost (if any)  I am depleting some of my resources as I truly am bursting out of the seams of my closets and storage places.   I am not willing to use even more space, I have shared with non-couponing friends and have made up a few baskets as gifts as well.  This is in addition to making a large bag of donations and oh yea gifting a person I freecycled from.  I love what I do but I have enough...........more than enough when I run down on supplies then I will replenish.............  A few times I have participated in the community yardsale and sold many of these items at a fraction of the cost of what they could be bought for (without the couponing skills) and done very well.   I haven't done that in a while and my supplies runneth over! NOT that I would love the FREE BUTTERFINGERS From Rite Aid but until I "need" to drive that way it is not cost effective to go get them or time effective either.

Creative Cooking Skills come to play when you "pantry shop" and meals take a bit longer, this is TRUE but they are so worth it.   I am making lasagna tonight, I had to buy the Ricotta as a "fill in" item but everything else was here ............ and I am making the sauce from Tomatoes I bought with paypal money from MUR GLEN that I had on my other blog.   Yes it will take a bit longer and it cost about $2 out of pocket (ricotta) but will be eaten and the left overs will be frozen for Butch's lunches.  If I were "buying" groceries instead of pantry shopping we would be having garlic bread and salad with this but because I am creative cooking
we will have biscuits or tortillias with parm . cheese on them and fruit salad (from cans).

This week our Grocery list has on it:   Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Hormone free Milk, carrots and deli turkey for Faith's lunches.  Oh yea and we may need some Paper Towels.   Now, when Butch goes to the store he may pick up something else he sees/wants but that is because he has no will power LOL not because we NEED anything! :)   The total for what we need should cost around $10 - $12 which is at least a $20 savings.   If I were to write a blog and say that
"I saved $20 this week at the grocery store"   and you saw another blog that said "I saved $180 at the grocery store" you would assume the 2nd scenario was the best scenario wouldn't you?   ITS NOT!  unless the person that saved the $180 also  spent $12  after the savings.  THEN that would be a comparison of apples to apples.


THIS IS HOW TO CALCULATE
Ask yourself  "what do I normally spend at the STORES  (all of them ,  divide them up to "GAS"  "clothing" "food" "health & beauty" etc)  "
TAKE THAT AMOUNT AND REDUCE IT.................... if you are INCREASING YOUR SPENDING
you are NOT SAVING MONEY its that simple.............I don't care what your receipt says , what matters is what your BANK ACCOUNT SAYS!   :)

You want to do little things that MAKE MONEY (maken baken) to apply to the items you want to SAVE MONEY ON !   

NEVER FAILS:  fabulous freebies and items that you WIN on the computer without leaving your seat
are NEVER FAIL items, you cannot lose!  you got them free doing something you like to do and didn't spend any more time (if you follow along with me I save the time finding the REAL items for you) and the money / gas .  You get items for FREE and you can use, donate, gift or sell them for a profit.

NEVER FAILS:  surveys, search to win, paypal interest, referral dollars pennies on the dollar, mystery shops etc ............. MAKING MONEY you wouldn't otherwise have AGAIN saving the time (I do this for you) and I don't WASTE YOUR TIME by posting things that will get you no return or just because I will get paid to share.

REMEMBER ..................if your BANK ACCOUNT or your CREDIT CARDS say you are spending too much money it doesn't matter what discounts you got...................and thats the BOTTOM LINE!

SHOPPING STRATEGIES: don't put all of your eggs in one basket

Photo Credit:  www.rainboweggfarm.com

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Hello Southern Cooking Fans! My name is Anjie and I am The Frugal Freelancer. I ! I am originally from the deep south, the state of Louisiana but now reside just below the Mason Dixon Line in Virginia. I was thrilled to have found Christy and her blog several months ago while surfing the net. Being a lover of both cooking and books, her site caught my eye and I had to make an order! After reading her blog and ordering her cookbook, It quickly became apparent that we shared the same recipe heritage! I didn’t think that many other people even knew about these! My readers will certainly recognize the home made doughnuts along with a few other goodies that I have posted over the years

I have been on the internet now since 1996. Back then you turned your computer on and a little blinking line welcomed you. It was the PONG vs’s WII Days - if ya know what I mean! I met some friends on the only internet choice “Prodigy” that shared some of the same interests that I had: Couponing, Cooking, Saving Money, Free things, Contest and anything that could help one to live more lavishly , but for LESS! I traded coupons and upcs with a “group” (the one and only original group) of couponers on the net! (”the starving student, anjie” is now waving to Dorothy, Bobby & Ethel in case you are reading this) We all met each other here in Virginia and Dorothy even came all the way from California!

Couponing and Saving money is an entirely different story! I started that hobby / necessity in 1982. I was a single parent, with no support that didn’t want to be “in the system,” but rather yearned to “live lavishly” and buy named brand products, eat well, and live well! :) So I worked full time, lived in government subsidized apartments and did “what ever it took” to have and experience the finer things in life. I do all of this now because I love it, it’s my passion, and I don’t know of any other way to do it! I occasionally splurge and buy things without a coupon now (even though it is a air tight economic climate) like a LAVISH $10 bottle of peach tea syrup at lunch today with my girlfriends at a local tea shop and a bottle of wine for when my husband gets back from his trip to California next week. This lifestyle is made possible for me because I live beneath my means. I use a plethora of making money and saving money ideas and strategies to “make it work” and it is just a “way of life” for me. I don’t live in huge house but I still have that southern big front porch and a deck with grill that was won recently in a sweepstakes! I live in a cottage bungalow that was a fixer upper on a lake, drive a Hyundai and spend UNDER $45 a week in groceries.
$45 a week in Groceries? YES that’s right and it has recently increased to that amount from $30 - $35 in the past due to the recession and drastic increase in prices! I know a lot of you think that I must eat poorly to do this because they have read my $30 a week menu / shopping article I wrote years ago. This isn’t exactly so, those menus (along with other sites menus that have popped up drastically in the last few years) were written to help out people who are “just starting out on their journey’s to save money” or have just recently had a hardship etc etc……… They work and are better than ramen noodle and peanut butter & rice diets, if you know what I mean? They are not the healthiest of diets and tend to be mostly “carbs.” It is expensive to eat healthy………. and eat gourmet style meals ESPECIALLY if they are organic ! So with all of that in mind, I would like to give you some ideas on how you can save money and cook “SOUTHERN STYLE” but for less money………..
I use any and all of these strategies together…………. not one excusive strategy……….for now you may want to try ONE at a time and work your way up, if you are a “newbie freelancer.” First you learn to SHOP and then you learn to COOK around what you bought!

REMEMBER YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING………….
Couponing….…… wanna see me in action? THIS Today Show clip shows me “couponing” in 2002. I have also started a blog called Coupononomy. It will eventually hold all of my past articles that are still relevent. Right now it has a good amount of information if you are interested in the “how to’s”

REBATES
HERE is a recent example at Walgreens……
which we STOCKPILE (buy lots of)

it is expired NOW but you can get the idea:
2 Nabisco crackers 4-8oz are $1.99 each *****STOCKPILE ITEM!
- Buy one get one free SALE
- $2/2 Sunday paper coupon = 2 FREE
****GET EXTRA COUPONS FROM YOUR FAMILY / FRIENDS to STOCKPILE THIS ITEM, DONATE AND/OR SHARE YOUR EXTRA……….. OR COOK CREATIVELY WITH CRACKERS AND PACK THEM IN LUNCHES!

Angel Food Ministries This is for EVERYONE, no income limits or barriers……. it benefits religious organizations when you buy it and you get a lot of food , no coupons needed for $30. Read about it here and find out if there is a local pick up site in your area. I had to wait until late last year to take advantage of this program. I have been “watching” this program in other areas for years! Great program thus far! You order online and pick up 1x per month at scheduled date and time. Some areas take Food Stamps and my area takes a Credit Card. This is not a benefit for “poverty” it is a “nutrition program” for everyone.

Outlets / Salvage stores: Big Lots, Salvage Barns, Ollies, Dollar Stores: these can be good resources at times, but no coupons are allowed. I don’t have a bread outlet near me but if I did I would definitely take advantage of it) I recently found the entire ZATARAINS LINE at Dollar General (they do take coupons btw) and they have BLUE RUNNER RED BEANS (rare find in VA) …….oops…..maybe I shouldn’t have given away that secret….. and they have a sweepstakes there now……so enter while you are reading about it, remember you gotta be in it to win it!

ORDERING ONLINE From time to time if you order items online they are cheaper, or should I say “not as expensive” to get them online. When this happens I share this information with people via email in my newsletter HERE. I call these GDAS or Good deal alerts. A recent example of this was that I was able to buy 4 boxes of Kashi Mountain Medley Cereal for $1.98 shipped to my house! The only way to beat this deal is FREE and they would have to ship it to me, because the gas would cost more than this to go pick it up these days.



TEST / REVIEW PRODUCTSI have done several from survey sites as well as on blogs …here is just one example.I had my husband make meatballs for one! Blogs are FREE. You can start one on blogger its easy! You too can test products and review them from your home!


GROW YOUR OWN here
I use an aerogarden now! I love it. I have eaten lots of fresh herbs and now am growing romaine lettuce. It is wonderful and is EASY! A great way to buy this product is save your Amazon Gift certificates. Get these with your search and win points and redeem for a pricey item you otherwise wouldn’t buy for yourself. If possible (as I did) match with mail in rebate & make money for buying it. The rebate for $25 was used to buy another “kit.” I think you could probably make your own kits for these if you were savvy! I also have grown outdoor herbs and gardens as well, on a small scale (raised bed)


CONTESTS / WINNING
I have won several small prizes that reduce my shopping expenses! Even if I don’t normally buy a product or don’t use a product I will get it to GIFT it - if I cannot use it! More recently I won a $50 Gift Certificate to use on BEEF at Safeway! How cool is that? Christy, get ready I will be asking you for some BEEFY ideas! ***note that I am using 2 strategies here……..
In a pinch menu
Use this menu in emergency (the prices have gone up since written)
THIS IS WHERE IT GETS REALLY INTERESTING…………. IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE DO THIS:

Stockpiling / Sale Shopping: take advantage of items that you can get for nearly nothing or free and stockpile them. (SEE PICS of one of my pantries……… some stockpiling going on there!) Do you see the stacks of canned chicken? I recently paid 25 cents a can for them with coupons. What would you do with 20 cans of canned chicken? Well, if you don’t already know the answer to this question I have the answer…………CREATIVE FRUGAL COOKING! The steps are easy………… pay as little as you can for the healthiest of foods and cook around what you ALREADY HAVE rather than what you need.
USE COOKING SITES AND VIDEOS to find recipes using ingredients. You can search for these recipes by using SEARCH & WIN SITES (if I am going to be searching, I might as well have a shot at winning something or earning points! I have won many items this way) I have a drop down menu of them on my blog if you are interested in a list of them (l see eft side of home page) I usually will shop for a “main” ingredient or the item I have the “most” of . Here is a Favorite that gives you suggestions by ingredient

THIS WEEKS NO COUPON SHOPPING was under $39 without even touching my coupon box! multitasking , tax season, catching up, scrapbooking, lost an hour, electricity out, full schedules, meetings, school, PTO, sports ………. etc etc.. does this sound familiar? I had to “stay home” from the trip to California that I was scheduled to go on….. this ought to tell you how much “extra” time I had this week………. in this case you are “in a pinch”
If you are an average spender of $145 a week you can use my techniques (there are many others) and save $100 a week if you want or need to! What would you do with the “extra?” MAKE SURE you give extra items that you don’t or won’t use to charities, share with your neighbors, friends and family too! They will all appreciate the help and you can earn a tax deduction, pay it forward and/or barter for other things you may need! Take the monetary savings and use on items that are “splurges” or pay down your other bills, take trips, buy diapers, heck, what ever you do with it…………… its like Free Money! I have stockpiled my kitchen with all kinds of cookware, serveware, appliances and even kitchenaid dishwasher for FREE! If I can do this YOU CAN TOO!   What are you waiting for ? Get started!
Remember Neva Neva Neva Pay full price for ANYTHING!
@njie

ORGANIC / NATURAL COUPONS BY MAIL AND PRINTABLE

Coupon Books from MAMBO SPROUTS

ORGANIC / NATURAL COUPONS BY MAIL AND PRINTABLE
HERE

Our unique coupon program provides consumers with savings at their fingertips. Free coupons for natural and organic products are mailed three times a year to 385,000 consumers in nine different markets. The value-packed book is also mailed to almost 1,000 retail stores four times a year.

Be healthier, greener and save money on your grocery bills with 'just a click' when you use Mambo Sprouts free printable grocery coupons. Download free grocery coupons for savings on your favorite healthy and natural products, including organic food and beauty products, healthy kid's snacks and more! The choice is yours with Mambo Sprouts natural and organic E-Coupons! Print your organic coupons today!

BRICKS COUPONS

BRICKS COUPONS are coupons that come up very often after you complete a form, sign up for mailing list, enter a contest etc............. I am often using SEAMONKEY that does NOT let me print the coupons so I have to repeat / retrace my steps in another browser to get them to work/view/print............

USUALLY BRICK COUPONS ARE HIGH VALUE! recent examples of this
$3 on a pint of Ben & Jerrys (was pulled quickly due to abuse)
and
50 cents on one RICE A RONI (making them FREE at kroger and other double coupon stores) AGAIN this one was pulled, lasted a bit longer but not everyone that wanted one got one that is for sure...........
if you get in on a GOOD ONE you are quite fortunate! :)

FOR A CURRENT Listing of many / most current bricks coupons you can go HERE

I found that others were having some "issues" printing the BRICKS STYLE coupons and found this interesting article printed on a sweepstakes site that I thought would be helpful for many:

Fix Problems Printing Online Coupons ~ Sweeties WINNABLE Online Sweepstakes 2009 and Blog Giveaways via kwout

BRICKS COUPONS tries to keep the "couponer honest" in that it is almost impossible for the AVERAGE OR BEGINNING coupon user to print more than one of each coupon. "copying" with a scanner or copier usually does not print as clear of a coupon and would often cause a store /company etc to invoke the policy of NO INTERNET COUPONS due to the large amount of fraud in these areas (costing us all) so please don't be greedy, there are ways around the "limitations" as there are most "rules, laws, ethics" , I do say why not use the back button and print 2 of the coupons, but really that should be ENOUGH for ANY ONE PERSON OR FAMILY depending on the rules. SOMETIMES "bricks" will "reload" if things went well on a particular campaign and allow users to repeat a coupon. I try to keep up with this and let you know when this happens! :)

ANOTHER COURTESY..................
MANY TIMES a company will "pull" a bricks coupon after so many coupons are printed out. PLEASE do not PRINT them unless you plan on USING THEM so those that want them can find them to print! :)

AVOIDING FAKE COUPONS

CBS 6 - WTVR, Richmond Va - Avoiding Fake Coupons (5:17am) via kwout

HOW TO REDEEM INTERNET COUPONS UPDATE

IN 2005 I wrote an article about REDEEMING INTERNET COUPONS, in my article I had a sample letter for those that wished to "take issue" with stores that did not redeem internet coupons. NOW SMART SOURCE has joined with us in the quest to have stores accept and redeem our coupons ...........they have their own sample letter HERE to print and bring with you to the store

IN ADDITION they also have some NEW great coupons out HERE to print and redeem!

GO GET UM!

SMART SOURCE COUPONS print from home!

NEW addition to the FLBYU website!
GO HERE
Smartsource coupons you can print from home
contest to enter on site as well!
ENJOY!

How To Redeem Internet Coupons

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