Answers to Your Questions

As promised, here are the questions/comments you have been waiting to see a response too for the last month or so!  If you haven't seen my earlier post, I was totally unaware that I had any comments in the comment section.  For some reason Blogger was keeping me in the dark about them :)  I figured it out and shouldn't have any more problems, so comment away!!

"Saturday's Seed to Sow- Nurses for Newborns":

Does anyone know of something like this in CA?


Arielle, I contacted our Nurses for Newborns program here and they don't have any affiliates.  However, if you can find a pediatric doctors office that focuses mostly on the uninsured, they usually love to receive blankets, diapers, etc. (check with them first)  There were some sweet grandmas in our local area that had gathered to make blankets for a local pediatric office- such a great idea!  




 "Coupon Basics, Part 5- Coupon Stacking":

just to verify - if publix has a coupon in their paper for $3 off huggies and i have a huggies coupon for $1.50, i can combine those? 


Suz, yes you can stack those as long as your $3 off Huggies is a "store" coupon.. and if its in the publix ad, it more than likely is.. YAY for stacking coupons!




hutch mom has left a new comment on your post "$100 Home Challenge UPDATE!":

you may already know this...but you can purchase "oops" paint at Home Depot/Lowes for $5 a gallon & quarts for $1. most of the time these are just colors that were mixed & the customer changed their mind, didn't match EXACTLY...we have found multiple neutral colors this way! just thought i'd pass the tip along!  that shelf is AWESOME! looks like West Elm to me. 


GREAT tip Hutch Mom, thanks!!!  I have seen these at Walmart too.. but the larger home stores probably offer better colors/higher quality paint.




 "Online Coupon and Promotional Codes":

Yet another lesson in "in never hurts to ask/look"! I went into the apple store to renew my apple care- the genius asked if I was an educator. I said "Not officially, but I went to school to be a teacher and do teach art at my kids' school." thinking it was worth a shot. HE GAVE ME THE DISCOUNT! That's a $66 discount! woo hoo!
I also looked online for a coupon to the SF Zoo (we're going next week) and got coupons so the kids get in free! Another $18 saved!
I LOVE DEALS!!! 


Love it Sara!!!!!




Shyla has left a new comment on your post "Groceries Galore, This Weeks' Totals":

I have a question!
How much time do you think you spend daily and/or weekly doing coupon stuff? When I had fewer children I was a big couponer (not as big as you, though :o) but once our family grew larger and we really got into homeschooling it became apparent that my time was also worth something and I had to be more intentional about how I spent it. I still use coupons, I just don't take time anymore to match them with sales. I use very few coupons since I'm not getting stuff near free and I'm careful to only use coupons on things we will use. We also have a gluten allergy when means quite a few speciality items. I can't just buy any brand of any thing, I often have to be very specific.

We won't talk about the logistics of me dragging everyone in and out of the car that many times - ha ha!

That said, I would *love* to reduce our grocery bill. So I wondering how much time you think you put into it because I know I could more of it than I currently do. Which coupon sites, etc. do you feel would be the most valuable for someone with limited time? 


Awesome question Shyla!  Once you get into a routine with your coupons, you really don't have to spend a ton of time doing it.  I know you must be extremely organized to accomplish what you do, so you probably will have no trouble fitting it in.  I, on the other hand, am very UNorganized so it took me some time pulling my brain together to make coupons work for me.    I now spend probably 3-4 hours a week between meal planning, clipping, organizing and shopping.  Not bad for saving an average of 68% on my groceries.  I spend many more hours than that blogging, haha.  I find if I am very "together" before I leave the house, my shopping and saving are a breeze.  (adding lots of kids to the mix would be a different story though... just my 2 keep me hopping!)  I like to clip at night after the kids go to bed to ensure my coupons aren't scattered around the house.. learned that lesson the hard way :)  


I would recommend sticking with blogs.  I tried some of the bigger coupon sites when I was first starting out and sometimes they can be hard to follow or don't provide those extra tips moms and blogs can provide.  I link to several blogs (local and otherwise) that have great posts so keep your eyes open for those. Also I would recommend picking one store to shop at.  I stay mostly at Publix, but when Kroger is doubling or tripling coupons, I naturally head over there.  By not doing a bunch of store bouncing, you are cutting time as well.  If you miss an incredible deal at Kroger one week, don't worry, it will probably be at Publix in the next few weeks.


I am offering a very practical in home class right now called "Outrageous Life Application" which includes healthy shopping, meal planning with coupons and more... It is a step by step class on how to actually walk this stuff out!  Go HERE for more info.




Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Coupon Basics Class- "Grocery Stores 101"":

Jazz,
You should record your coupon basics class so that those of us are far away can hear you.
-Allison 


Hi Allison! I actually offer coupon classes over Skype!!  Isn't technology the best?!!  This way you can get some friends together and get all the coupon goodies long distance! 




stirring the light has left a new comment on your post "Summer Fruit... Stockpiling for Winter":

how do you dry your fruit? 


I use a regular food dehydrator... Besides buying an used one on ebay, the best deals I have found on these are at Bed Bath and Beyond using the 20% off coupon they send out all the time!