A Thrifty Mom

This might be the best coffee deal out there. Get 3 bags of Gevalia coffee, and a free stainless steel mug, for $3!!!!

Click the logo to get yours.

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It’s Sarah ( sorry I have been MIA the last few days)

Thanks to Matt for taking over the blog the last 2 days.  I have a pinched nerve in my lower back, and I am not feeling very well.  I am not one to take pain meds, but I have been in so much pain I did not really have a choice. It was causing me to have labor pains, at 31 weeks I was worried about going into full labor.  Long Story short, I have not even looked at coupons or the blog the last 3 days…..Thanks to my Mom and Dad for coming to help while Matt was gone, and thanks to Matt who has been taking care of things while I have been resting.   I am still in pain, but each day is a little better.  Hope to be back in the swing of things soon…thanks for all your get well wishes!

Here are a couple more great freebies from Shoptext that will be live on 2/10.  Only the first 1,000 texts for each will receive the samples.

Text SHINE to 467467 for a sample of Covergirl ShineBlast Lipgloss

Text SMOKY to 467467 for a sample of CoverGirl Smokey ShadowBlast Eyeshadow

Thanks Free Snatcher

Planning a stay at home dinner for your sweetheart. Need some background music. Here is a Romantic Moments Digital Sampler from Amazon that will keep things romantic.

Thanks Smart Couponing

Just enough time to make this and get it shipped to you or your loved one. Get an extra 25% Off with code 25LDAY - Today OnlyIf you are inspired by the notion of finding a love letter in the ocean, you can create your own personalized SOS. This unique gift is a great way to say, “I Love You!” Your message on a parchment scroll is inserted into a 7” High glass bottle. Any name 15 characters; any 5-line message, 30 characters per line; and any 2-line sentiment, 20 characters per line.Click Here

We post are grocery budget reviews to show what we get in savings each month. I want to show everyone that saving over 90% off your grocery bill in one month is possible.  You don’t need to be some kind of rocket scientist, or a super couponer. Here is a great example of budgeting that one of our readers sent into us this weekend:

You said that you’re not asking for person info but I don’t mind sharing some. My fiance and I live together and he has a job making about $18,000/year. I am currently unemployed. I do little odd jobs here and there, cleaning, baby sitting, etc. but no steady income.

We were doing okay before I started couponing. I didn’t really keep a budget but I did try to save as much as possible by shopping sales and buying generics. I always thought that coupons weren’t worth the time. Early last year I started signing up for free samples of stuff online. I don’t even remember why I started. I think that I saw a story on the Today show or something. Most of the samples came with coupons and I started realizing that coupons might be worth it. I started buying a paper on Sundays and Memorial day weekend I started shopping at CVS… It took me a while to get the hang of things but now I’m pretty good at it.

I didn’t start to keep track of my spending/saving until November. Here’s what I’ve spent/saved over the last few months with the help of this website and others like it.

November
Value: $1642.74
Out Of Pocket: $102.79
Saved: $1539.95 or 95%

December
Value: $1211.83
OOP: $189.94 (this included some presents that I bought at Walmart and included in my totals)
Saved: $1027.89 or 84%

January
Value: $2088.05
OOP: $91.85*
Saved: $1996.20 or 95%
* I received $64.18 in rebates in January

February week 1
Value: $454.57
OOP: $20.91
Saved: $433.66

Wow now these are actual numbers not from Sarah but from one of our readers. It is possible. Now that you have saved maybe 40 or 50% off your groceries. Lets amp it up! See what you can do to save even more. Is it realizing you save money and now can afford more newspapers, like our A Thrifty Mom Newspaper Deals. Or maybe its simply switching brands of your favorite grocery.

One of our readers emailed this to us. What would you do?

I have a close friend that I turned on to couponing a few months ago. There have been a few times that she has had the “clear the shelves” mentality or a snippy/rude cashier. When that happens she takes the attitude that she is always right and she has the right to coupon so there is no reason to question her. When she tells me about these instances I try to play the devil’s advocate to give her another perspective as to why someone may have been questioning her. I have been a retail cashier before (and a pageant girl, which I think really does help when dealing with people) so I can empathize with other cashiers. I have tried to help her understand that if you want to buy ALOT of a product to wait until the last day of the promotion to see how much is left and give others a chance, and even then the store still has the right to limit you if they feel you are being excessive. She has started to pass on some of her bad habits to other people. At the same time I realize that everyone has to have their OWN “epiphany” moment (I can’t MAKE her have it) when they realize that if you miss a deal, oh well. Or that someone may be rude, but you don’t need to be rude back. Or that a store may decide not to honor a coupon, but it isn’t the end of the world and no need to make a fuss.