About Us 
I am a stay at home mom with four wonderful kids. I have been married for over 10 years to my best friend. I am head over heels in love with him. He always supports my crazy "thrifty adventures". We have a lot of fun together.
I was raised on a small dairy farm. Where I learned very young, the value of hard work and how to be thrifty in all areas of life. Growing up our meals were made from scratch. Only on special occasion would we get name brand cereal, chips, or any other fancy treats. Now that I am a Mom with my own budget, the basic foods always comes first. I too make most of our meals from scratch and take pride in feeding my family a well balanced healthy diet.
I enjoy seeing how far I can make our budget stretch, and when I take the time to match sales with coupons I am able to get all those "fun & fancy" items that would other wise be out of my budget. Being thrifty has always been a way of life for me, but it has also become a real joy.
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With the show Extreme Couponing out – we are trying hard to make sure that appropriate couponing is taught. Propper manners and good etiquette are traits we need to remember. But once you do get up to the 70% -80% – 90% off on your grocery shopping how do you plan for your stockpile? Here is a repost of a question from a Q&A on readers comments:
Question:
I have a question on starting a stockpile. How do you get started and what do you start with. Do you start with what you can get free ? It seems that when Im able to get something at a realy good price, and for one I may only have four coupons per item, I dont know how to get more but by the time a sale runs on the same item again, I have already used what I was able to get from the last time, I guess I feel that I cant keep a stockpile its always gone. How do you fix that problem. The only thing I have been able to get free is floss,and my family cant live on that  And I also was wondering do you just take extra money and start your stockpile that way. If I had more of a stockpile it would be easier to add to it, but like I said when you only have a few of each item it doesnt last long in my house. Just wondering how and what you did to start your family stockpile . ****
Answer:
This is a great question. If you have watched Extreme Couponing on TLC you know that some coupon shoppers have a stockpile of items they have purchased at a rock bottom price. What this show does not explain is that stockpile (in most cases) did not appear overnight. Instead it took months even years to build and maintain. TLC shows coupon shoppers paying just a few dollars for over a $1000.00 in items…. yes this is possible but not realistic. As well as the size of their stockpile, there is a reason the show is called Extreme Couponing.
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How much money do you apply to building your stockpile? In my classes I teach that you need to take a portion of your weekly budget and dedicate it building you stockpile. If you were to take your whole food budget and apply it you may get some killer deals….. but it would be hard to feed you family on just the items you are able to stock up on that week. So if your weekly budget is $100.00 then apply $10 of that just to your stockpile. That way you are still able to provide the basics for your family. With that $10 use your coupons and match them with the sale items or FREE items of the week. Your $10 before coupons may have only gotten you 2 boxes of pasta, 1 can of soup and a tube of toothpaste……BUT with coupons you may be able to find these items FREE or at a major discount….. so stock up and buy as many as you can for $10. Come home put them in your pantry and you now know you do not need to buy pasta, soup or toothpaste for another 2 months (depending on how many you were able to get). The next week do the same thing, before long your pantry will be filled with a variety of items that you do not need to buy again, till they are a price you are willing to pay. The longer you do this the less money you will need for your must have items, and be able to apply more to your stock up items making it grow even quicker.
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What to buy? Try to stock up on items that you can create a Menu Plan with. Even if something is free that does not mean you should bring it into your home. Purchase items you know your family will eat (but don’t be afraid to try new things either). Pay attention to what sale or season you are in and take advantage of these seasonal prices.
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How many to buy? Think about how many your family will need before they expire. Also how much space they will take up in your home. How good of a deal is it, and will they be on sale again soon. One of the most important questions is how many does the store have, and is this an appropriate store to stock up at. Remember not to clear the shelf, or be greedy just cause it is a good deal.
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How many coupons do you have? Remember you can use 1 coupon per item (to read more about this click here) so if you have more coupons than you will be able to get more of that item at the rock bottom price. Remember P&G coupons will limit you to 4 like items per transaction. Every families needs are different, So I do not think you can place a number on how many coupon inserts you should get each week. But a good number to start out with is 5, and then go from there to fit your families needs. If you are local click here to read how to get 5 Sunday Papers plus the daily paper for only $3.00 a week.
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Remember there is a sale cycle. Did you know that items have a sale cycle, and every 3 months they well vary in price sometimes just a few pennies, or up to a few dollars. Also sales will come by season, for example in January and February there will be lots of new coupons for health or diet food, as well as lots of sales. Match the coupons with the sale and you should be able to get these items at the lowest price of the year. Or now that we are heading into summer we will see lots of picnic and BBQ items on sale, or sun screen and razors as well as coupons. We should be able to get salad dressing, mayo, pasta salad, sports drinks, crackers etc. for a good price. In the Fall you will see a great price on baking items, and canned goods.
What tips do you have for starting or maintaining a Coupon Stockpile?
 TLC - Extreme Couponing There are a lot of views to what Extreme Couponing can do for you. Our motto has always been Mom First, A Thrifty Mom second. But for those who also like to save over 90% off your shopping trips this is the beginning to a thrifty life. You can accomplish this with out being “extreme” and still save over 90%. You do not need to shove your arm into the shelve and slide everything you can reach into your shopping cart. We can show you how to shop, cook, and start a “healthy stockpile”. A “healthy stockpile” is not parking in the street so you can use your garage for food storage. And it is not boxes full of tofu and celery either. We can show you how to save money and live a thrifty lifestyle. With the economy the way it is, and people losing jobs and the fear of losing jobs – we are all trying to figure out ways to save money and survive.
In 2010 we totaled our entire year and figured out what we would of spent with out coupons:
- 2010 – total spent was $1253.85
- If I did not use coupons or sales these products would have cost me $9847.25
- That means coupons saved me $8593.40
- Or 87.2% off the entire year!
You can do this too! We do the work to matchup grocery store deals and sales – NATION WIDE – with coupons from many different sources. We help others become thrifty, save money, and stay out of debt! It is easy and can be fun, at the same time help others who are in need. Common rules are politeness, thoughtfulness, not clearing the shelves, ordering large numbers in a pre order from your store. Other things to check up on are:
As you know each week I try to write a Mommy Moments post, where I reflect on the past week, and the moments that I will want to remember. Last weeks post was titled “What path are you going to climb“. I talked about how I went to BlogHer and yes it was great, and I came back motivated to make sure my family was always first.
Later that night a comment was left that said…
ATM, It does sound and has been sounding like you are no longer enjoying your blog. I have noticed that the deals are not as upto date and you are no longer on top of the latest rewards. Not to mention your post are usually days later than other blogs. Maybe its time you consider no longer doing your blog… It sad that you have time to ask us to vote for Matt but obviously you dont have time to post the latest match ups… How selfish..
I decided to ignore the comment. But I admit it has bothered me all week. I am glad the person who left the comment did not leave their name as I am not here to point fingers or back lash. Instead I want to make a few points clear. This post was not meant to sound as if I did not want to blog anymore, or that I am not enjoying it, instead to say that I choose to put my family first.
What you may not know is this site is a FULL time job for me and my husband, normally 10 hours a day 7 days a week. I try my best to schedule post, and then I work on it late into the night 7 days a week, once my kids are in bed. Sure I am paid some for my site, and would always like to do better (hello I would like kitchen cabinets someday…lol) But no matter how hard I try I will never be able to post all the deals, nor can any one else.
Are coupons and deals part of my life, you bet they are. But the key word is PART of my life, my life is my FAMILY! Everyday I have to make the choice how I spend my time, and it feels like a constant battle. The person who left that comment called me selfish, and when it comes to which path I choose…. then yes maybe I am a little selfish. Because I pray I will always have the courage it takes to take the path towards my family. And put them first because at the end of the day nothing else really matters more than my family.
I love my site, and through it I try to share with all of you the way I live my life, a small gimps of what living within your means can look like. But more important I hope the message is LOUD AND CLEAR that motherhood is my life. Raising these sweet little ones is my life, being in love with my husband after 11 years of marriage is my life, learning to be ok with who I am is my life. I think that message is more important than any deal post.
 Well with the Extreme Couponing show that was out, it has gotten a little crazy in the Coupon World. From dumpster diving to taking inserts to crazy hoarding. But here is a story that really has taken the cake or newspaper or coupon or what ever.
A Lady in Springdale Arkansas was arrested for taking 185 Sunday editions of the local paper off of the curb of a Harps grocery store.
You can read the full article here
Please be aware that inserts that are not sold must be returned to the publishing company that makes them. That is the newspapers and publishing companies agreements – nationwide.
So no matter what a store employee tells you – or what the guy at the back loading dock tells you – NO you can not take the extra inserts that are waiting to be picked up.
Thanks to Stretching Your Dollar$ for passing along this email,
As many of you know I am a newspaper manager. We received emails today from our corporate office regarding coupon distribution and disposal.
Apparently Red Plum, Smart Source and P&G are filing suit against eBay for allowing the buying and selling of coupons. They are also in talks regarding the same with TLC. According to them it`s all considered coupon fraud.
Before, we were allowed to give away the leftover q`s and those returned from papers that did not sell. We must now destroy all leftover inserts immediately. Newspaper employees are allowed to take home ONE insert per family member , per household.
They are going to do everything possible to make it almost impossible to get coupons without buying the actual newspapers. They are also going to shut down all online sites that sell whole coupon inserts.
So, it appears MAJOR change is coming.
No big surprise that the TLC show Extreme Couponing has created a ripple effect and changes will need to be made. In case you have not seen the show they spotlight each week shoppers that buy in mass amounts, hundreds of coupons at a time. Many all for the same product. Sure it makes good TV ratings, but has the stores and manufactures outraged. It does make me sad that they show the “extreme” and it will now effect the every day couponer as well.
But here is the good news ….this change does not really effect me, or how I teach you to coupon for the following reasons.
- I teach you to stock up… but instead of 100 we are buying 5-20 depending on your family size
- I teach you that being a MOM should come first, and being A Thrifty Mom should always come second…. we are far from extreme
- I have never purchased coupons off a clipping site… so no loss for me there
- I have purchased coupons off ebay, but not very often so big deal, I will still be able to get great deals from the coupons in my local papers.
- I am happy to buy my Sunday papers that include the coupon inserts because I know it is worth the investment for how much I am going to save.
- Both my local papers have always been very strict about destroying all unsold papers, so no change for our community there.
What are your thoughts on this?
With all the buzz the new TLC show Extreme Couponing has caused, I worry that it makes some viewers think they have to live up to certain standard of savings. I was listening to a group of women talk this weekend about how they wish they could “do it all”. Have a perfect house, perfect children, perfect job, hit all the coupon sales, and do it all. I just sat and listened to them talk for awhile, as they were putting themselves down and comparing themselves to something on TV. I finally decided to add my “two cents”, but was quickly told…. um hello your A Thrifty Mom you always get all the good deals and never miss a sale. SAY WHAT???
Yes I do get good deals, but I also MISS A TON of good deals every day. Why, well because I am a “real mom”, and I have learned there is always going to be another sale. For example Albertsons has a few really good deals with doublers. I choose not to shop on Sundays so I am already a day late to the sale. Today Matt works a 12 hour shift, I have 4 kids at home and a field trip to go on with my pre-schooler. Inside it is killing me that I am missing out on these deals. I tried to figure out how I could make it to the store, feeling like I am totally missing out or a failure if I miss the sale….. but every option I came up with was putting my family second and a deal first.
When I look at it in that light, I realize the choice is simple. I choose real life and my family is more important than any free product I can get. If you are just starting this couponing journey don’t let couponing consume your life, just make it a part of your life and you will be much happier. It is okay to miss a sale now and then. (Now if for some reason Matt gets put on call, then yes I will be darting out of here to see if I can snag a few double deals….. But most likely I will be spending the day with my kids instead)
Do you ever feel like you have to choose between the deals and real life?
Question:
I have a question on starting a stockpile. How do you get started and what do you start with. Do you start with what you can get free ? It seems that when Im able to get something at a realy good price, and for one I may only have four coupons per item, I dont know how to get more but by the time a sale runs on the same item again, I have already used what I was able to get from the last time, I guess I feel that I cant keep a stockpile its always gone. How do you fix that problem. The only thing I have been able to get free is floss,and my family cant live on that And I also was wondering do you just take extra money and start your stockpile that way. If I had more of a stockpile it would be easier to add to it, but like I said when you only have a few of each item it doesnt last long in my house. Just wondering how and what you did to start your family stockpile . ****
Answer:
This is a great question. If you have watched Extreme Couponing on TLC you know that some coupon shoppers have a stockpile of items they have purchased at a rock bottom price. What this show does not explain is that stockpile (in most cases) did not appear overnight. Instead it took months even years to build and maintain. TLC shows coupon shoppers paying just a few dollars for over a $1000.00 in items…. yes this is possible but not realistic. As well as the size of their stockpile, there is a reason the show is called Extreme Couponing.
****
How much money do you apply to building your stockpile? In my classes I teach that you need to take a portion of your weekly budget and dedicate it building you stockpile. If you were to take your whole food budget and apply it you may get some killer deals….. but it would be hard to feed you family on just the items you are able to stock up on that week. So if your weekly budget is $100.00 then apply $10 of that just to your stockpile. That way you are still able to provide the basics for your family. With that $10 use your coupons and match them with the sale items or FREE items of the week. Your $10 before coupons may have only gotten you 2 boxes of pasta, 1 can of soup and a tube of toothpaste……BUT with coupons you may be able to find these items FREE or at a major discount….. so stock up and buy as many as you can for $10. Come home put them in your pantry and you now know you do not need to buy pasta, soup or toothpaste for another 2 months (depending on how many you were able to get). The next week do the same thing, before long your pantry will be filled with a variety of items that you do not need to buy again, till they are a price you are willing to pay. The longer you do this the less money you will need for your must have items, and be able to apply more to your stock up items making it grow even quicker.
****
What to buy? Try to stock up on items that you can create a Menu Plan with. Even if something is free that does not mean you should bring it into your home. Purchase items you know your family will eat (but don’t be afraid to try new things either). Pay attention to what sale or season you are in and take advantage of these seasonal prices.
****
How many to buy? Think about how many your family will need before they expire. Also how much space they will take up in your home. How good of a deal is it, and will they be on sale again soon. One of the most important questions is how many does the store have, and is this an appropriate store to stock up at. Remember not to clear the shelf, or be greedy just cause it is a good deal.
****
How many coupons do you have? Remember you can use 1 coupon per item (to read more about this click here) so if you have more coupons than you will be able to get more of that item at the rock bottom price. Remember P&G coupons will limit you to 4 like items per transaction. Every families needs are different, So I do not think you can place a number on how many coupon inserts you should get each week. But a good number to start out with is 5, and then go from there to fit your families needs. If you are local click here to read how to get 5 Sunday Papers plus the daily paper for only $3.00 a week.
****
Remember there is a sale cycle. Did you know that items have a sale cycle, and every 3 months they well vary in price sometimes just a few pennies, or up to a few dollars. Also sales will come by season, for example in January and February there will be lots of new coupons for health or diet food, as well as lots of sales. Match the coupons with the sale and you should be able to get these items at the lowest price of the year. Or now that we are heading into summer we will see lots of picnic and BBQ items on sale, or sun screen and razors as well as coupons. We should be able to get salad dressing, mayo, pasta salad, sports drinks, crackers etc. for a good price. In the Fall you will see a great price on baking items, and canned goods.
What tips do you have for starting or maintaining a Coupon Stockpile?
Is your store stocked or cleared out?
 I know some of you new coupon shoppers are feeling rather let down, as you put forth the effort to plan the perfect shopping trip. Only to get to the store and find the shelves empty. I wish I had the perfect answer but unfortunately I do not, but here are a few tips I have learned over the years.
Few reasons the store may not have the items in stock:
More coupon shoppers- TLC ‘s new show Extreme Couponing has really brought a lot of attention to couponing in the last month. I was talking with my local store manager and he said they have seen a dramatic increase. There are more coupon binders in the store than ever before, which they love. They are working hard to order in enough products but do not want to be stuck with overstock either. It is a balancing act, and they will get better at knowing supply and demand as time goes on.
Store has a limited supply- Many stores like Walgreens only get an allotted number of the hot promo items for that week. They are more of a quick-stop-shop store NOT a warehouse. This number is normally based on past sales and earning. Stores that get a limited supply are great to get a good deal at….BUT we do not encourage you to stock up or buy large quantities.
Stores do not know of sales that match with coupons- Most stores are aware of the upcoming sales and what their projected sales may be. BUT what many of them do not know is the coupons that may match up with these sales. Thus turning an “ok sale” into a stock up frenzy. For example a store may know that $.50 for a bottle of Propel water is a good price and they may sell 500 bottles, and order accordingly . But they may not know there is a $1.00 off 2 coupon making them FREE. Which means they now have more people wanting the item and the need goes from 500 bottles to 2,500. Most stores would love to move 2,500 bottles they just need to know ahead of time, so they can order in time. I encourage you to get to know your store managers, tell them about upcoming match ups and help them know what to order.
Some stores value coupon shoppers others do not- Not all stores understand the benefit of having coupons used in their store. I have met personally with some store managers that are clueless as to how coupons work, and the fact they they do in fact get paid by the manufacturer for the full face value of the coupons PLUS an $.08 handling fee. They see it as a hassle, choose not to stock up for sales, and really wish you would shop somewhere else. If this is the case, the only advice I have is to try and educate them with a smile, or if you are a chicken like me shop somewhere else
When to shop- You need to be aware that there are better times to shop than others. The first day of the sale, or the day they restock is normally the best time. Early morning is often a good time, because they restock at night at many stores. Don’t hesitate to ask when the next shipment comes in and plan accordingly. Also do not get upset if you walk in the last day of the sale and find empty shelves, as much as the store would love to have every product you want….. do not take it personally if others get to the items first.
Place and order- Many stores will allow you to place an order, if you are buying in large quantities. This will allow you to get what your family needs but not take away from others. Most of my local stores do NOT do this, but I know many other areas do.
Other coupon shoppers clear the shelves - Yes it is sad but not everyone’s Mommy taught them to “play nice” and some couponers will clear the shelves, and buy many more than they really need. BUT getting upset at others actions, really does not help anything. Do not spend hours mourning the loss of your “could have been deal”. Try to lead by example and show the better way to shop. Also do not be to quick to judge, many people will say all I wanted was one…. and that lady took 6. What you may not know is that lady has 10 kids, and she drove 45 minutes to get to the store. Everyone’s needs are different, and if they really are just being greedy then shame on them… but it does us no good to judge others
Most important rule of all THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER SALE- do not let coupons rule your life. Getting a good deal is fun, and helps me provide for my family….. it needs to fit into my life but not take over my life. If you try to hit every sale, and shop every store you will in deed get lots of good deals but at what price? Freebies or good deals are never worth it, if it means my kids do not have time with Mommy. If you miss out on a sale it is ok, another one will roll around……
What tips do you have? I would love to hear them
 Thanks to Maryhelen for sharing her thoughts on couponing and how it blesses one’s family!
Grateful Couponing
We are a household that coupons, and have been for almost two years now. Thanks to an accidental conversation with a friend that long ago, our family has been blessed by the savings coupons bring. In the first three months of 2011, I calculated our savings to be around $600.With all of the new hype about the Extreme Couponing show, I got to thinking about just what couponing means to me and why I do it. I’ve always said that it’s part job and part hobby: It helps my family and it’s fun for me to work through deals and the success at the check stand is indeed a source of a unique kind of “high”. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to stop myself from skipping out the front door of the store..lol. Just as often I look at how much is in my cart, have a moment of guilt/panic for buying so much, but then have to remind myself that I only paid a few dollars for it all. *WHEW*
As with most things, couponing is all about attitude. So many that we’re seeing on TV these days, clearing shelves and bragging about overages, aren’t the reasons that most of us coupon. There is something fun about getting paid to shop, but as I left the store this last week with five gallons of milk, four dozen eggs, eight half-gallons of orange juice, four cans of evaporated milk and five packages of my long time, MOST FAVORITE cookie that I NEVER buy because they are usually VERY expensive, and my wallet was only lightened about $8 ~ beyond the high of the great deal was a larger portion of gratitude for the gift of matching coupons with sales and what it means to our family.
It isn’t every shopping trip that coupons for milk and eggs and juice come together. One of the complaints about couponing is that so much of what can be bought for cheap isn’t “real” food. It’s snacks or just plain junk. Things that are fun for treats, but you can live on a fruit snack/granola bar/cereal diet for too long without some consequences..
This week might have been unique in some ways, but these weeks do come around. Our biggest household savings is more typically non-food items: I paid $1.53 for diapers a few weeks ago. I don’t pay for toothpaste or toothbrushes anymore. Laundry soap is never more than $1.99 and really great fabric softener is just…cheap now. I got 12 boxes of dishwasher detergent for 25-cents each a while back. This week I bought packages of 6 rolls of paper towel for $3 each. Tampons are no more than $1 a box. Ever. In fact, once they were 30-cents.
This is very normal, run-of-the-mill couponing that many find week after week. Of course not every product comes up each week, which is why we stock up when the stars align and sales and coupons match.
Those same calculations that told me we saved $600 in the year’s first three months also showed me we only spent about $87 for non-food items in that period of time. That feels amazing for our household of seven, including two teenagers and all of their “accessories”.
But what do all of these numbers mean? The first thing that has always come to mind is the smaller amount of stress I feel in making sure we have what we need. Before couponing, things like paper towel and fabric softener were luxuries we often just could afford to do without. We’d get down to the very last diaper and hope it lasted long enough to be able to get to the store. (the last few months of wearing diapers my recently potty-trained 2 1/2 year old would say, “they’re in the garage!” And she was right. Diapers aplenty right on the shelf).
With so much savings going in to these household items, paying regular price for milk isn’t a terrible thing (and we go through 6-8 gallons a week). Or fruit. Or any number of staples that don’t often have coupons put out for them.
Less stress is always a good thing and reminds me of the saying about how when mama’s happy, everyone else can be, too. So true!
I know I’m not alone in these feelings of gratitude. I know that many households are just like mine. With all of the publicity the naughtiness of the TV’s version of couponing is getting, it seems like it’s easy to group everyone with a coupon binder into that hoarding/greedy/selfish sort of category. But that is not the case. I see moms (and dads!) in the store who are just like me. With small kids in tow while the big ones are at school, just like me. Using their coupons with sale prices to get the best deals to bless their family, just like me.
Like so many other things it is the minority that gets the most attention, and often ruins something wonderful for the multitude. I hope that doesn’t become the case with couponing, but we are not ENTITLED to any price being less than the tag on the shelf says it is. Remember no manufacturer is obligated to produce a coupon and no store is required to take them. We are living in such a fortunate set of circumstances with regard to both of those things, I hope we never lose sight of how blessed we really are.
With a happily stocked pantry and refrigerator this week and a few dollars left in my wallet, I am feeling that extra measure of gratitude. It’s a feeling I hope never goes away.
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