Town Talk

Now I'm what you might call 'particular' about food. I can be weird about texture, or if I have the memory associated with a particular food it affect me tremendously. I remember 12 years ago a guy told me about the FDA guidelines concerning insect parts in cereal. I didn't eat the drop of cereal for almost 8 years after that. And thanks to Food, Inc I haven't set foot inside a McDonald's for over a year and a half.

I am also weird about sell by dates and brand names I've never heard of. So when I first learned about Town Talk I was extremely skeptical that it would be a place for me.

A while back my mother-in-law asked me if I would meet her there so she could take some of my kiddos for the day. It's a good halfway point between my house and hers. So I wandered inside and meandered through the aisles. It definitely has a warehouse kind of feel with it's cement floors and industrial shelves. It's not the bright inviting Central Market experience. But I was a little surprised at some of the things I found inside. Yes, there were the obscure brands I'd never heard of and the strange items that appeared to be a failed 'new product' attempt, but there were also some items and brands I recognized. And not only were they things I recognized but some of them were actually really good items, some even the pricey stuff I'd previously purchased at Whole Foods or Central Market. Now granted, some of the frozen foods were past date, some WAY past and some of the dairy items were very close to their date, but I was intrigued. I purchased an item or two and decided I wasn't ready to completely discount this establishment yet.

I'd been back a time or two to meet her again and each time I've found an item or let the kids pick out a snack but that's been about it. While having a playdate at my friend Stephanie's a few weeks back she had some Hummus from Town Talk that was really good. So last week I decided to go there first before hitting up the regular supermarket to see what I might find. Boy, am I glad I did. I took my time and looked through EVERYTHING. My objective going in was to find some inexpensive munchies for the kids. They have been going through snacks like crazy lately and I found a lot of good deals. The end result was 2 bags FULL of good, quality, in date stuff for only $20. What did I find? Some of items I know off hand have the regular retail price in ( ).

• a bag of Frontera (Rick Bayless) tortilla Chips   79¢ ($3.50)
• a bag of Boulder Canyon potato chips   59¢  ($1 is a good sale price)
• a box of Uncle Sam cereal   $1.59  (around $3)
• a qt of Oregon Chai Vegan Tea Latte mix   59¢ ($4 a box)
• 2 boxes of Cheez-its (I know, not healthy)   $1.50 each ($2.50 @ Walmart)
• 2 bags of elderberry & zinc lozenges   99¢ each
• Pure vanilla extract   $2.50
• A bag of Stacy's pita chips 59¢
• 2 boxes of Annie's white cheddar Mac-n-cheese $1 each ($2 something @ WF)
• 4 boxes of Near East Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous 79¢ each ($1.50 @ Walmart)
• a box of Back to Nature fudge rounds $1.59
• a bottle of Bragg's (the ACV people) organic Hawaiian Marinade & Dressing $1.59 

I know I'm missing a few items and I wrote down a list that has mysteriously disappeared but you get the idea. As I was checking out they were starting to shelve some Muir Glen organic canned diced tomatoes for 79¢. That's a good price! Everything I purchased was half-price or better. Who could argue with that. And then of course I turned around and spent $40 bucks on two bags not nearly as full at the regular grocery store.

Town Talk's inventory changes daily so you never know what you're going to find but I'm definitely adding this stop to my regular grocery rotation. If you haven't already then you should check it out. 

Town Talk Foods

121 North Beach Street  

Fort Worth, TX 76111-7054

What is a Good Price?

This was a big question for me when I started couponing. How do you know when the price is worthy of purchasing more than one of an item. I started making a list of things we typically buy (a list much longer than I originally expected) and started to write down the regular prices for these items. I listed the prices for these items at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, and if they were grocery items I listed prices for Kroger and Albertson's as well. This was SO tedious!
The idea was I could refer to the list, see who generally had it cheapest, and determine what I would consider a good sale price. If it was 75% off or more I'd consider it a 'stock-up price'. I searched the internet for some pre-made price lists but just couldn't find exactly what I wanted. I stumbled upon this good summary article by Clippin' with Carie . My comments are in BOLD.

"Now when it comes to stock up pricing…
That is always a tough question to answer as not everyone has the same store sales or coupons that I may have or you may have a greater “tolerance” for what you will pay for an item, but I am going to do my best to throw some numbers that I use at you:

Obviously when you can get something FREE…STOCK UP!!

PERSONAL CARE ITEMS:
Bar Soap $.25 or less
Toilet Paper (dbl roll) $.30 per roll or less
Body Wash, Deodorant, Kotex, Razors (disposable), Shave Cream, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes $.50 or less (I don't think I've paid more than a quarter for toothbrushes & toothpaste)
Shampoo, Conditioner, Mouthwash, Razors (like Venus or Fusion) $1 or less

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS:
Paper Plates, Liquid Hand Soap, Paper Towels (per roll), Fabric Softener, Liquid Dish Detergent $.50 or less
Dishwasher Detergent or Laundry Detergent $1.50 or less *

FOOD ITEMS:
(I haven't stockpiled any food items except for maybe some pasta and a few frozen meals. I do have some good cereal coupons I'm hoping to use soon since this is a quick and easy thing the big girls can get themselves which will be EXTREMELY helpful when #5 arrives and the littles need A LOT of my attention. I'm thinking of stocking up on some easy snack things as well, like granola bars)
Canned Veggies, Canned Beans, Cake Mix, Canned Soup, Salad Dressing $.50 or less
Pasta, Tub Frosting, Rice, Ketchup, Mustard $.75 or less
Cereal, Shredded Cheese (can be frozen) $1 or less
Peanut Butter, Jelly, Mayo, Fruit Snacks $1.25 or less (I don't think this is a good price for fruit snacks since Kroger usually has their store brand on sale for $1.39 and I can always find a national brand for $2.00 regular price at Wal-mart.)

Now when it comes to finding storage racks and shelving at good prices I personally have been able to get mine for as low as FREE to $25 by watching for businesses or retailers that are going out of business and they need to get rid of everything. (You can also try Craigslist or Freecycle)"
- http://www.savingmoneyinmissouri.com (Clippin' with Carie)

If you read my couponing posts you know that I love the Krazy Coupon Lady website. It's very well organized and easy to navigate. She has these handy little symbols she posts next to items to let you know that this is a good price. Yesterday she posted her own extensive stock-pile price list. Go here to print out a copy to keep in your binder. Now I have noticed a few discrepancies in what she's marked on her posts and then what she has listed in the list, but it's still a GREAT resource.

Another helpful link:
This is a price list from SouthernSavers that compares stock-up prices to the regular bulk prices at Costco : http://tinyurl.com/5tr87uv

* Kroger is currently having a sale on Wisk laundry detergent with the 32 load bottles marked down to $3.99, but they are also part of a "buy 10 participating items get $5.00 off" (or .50 an item) making these $3.49 each. I also had 2 $2.00 off one bottle which would make these $1.50.... BUT they were all out. So I went to the service desk to get a rain check and the kind sales man marked the rain check price as $3.49 WITHOUT the stipulation that I'd have to buy 10. So, for the first time ever I used a coupon clipping service (BlissCoupons) to order 8 more coupons. So in a week or so when they've restocked I can go back to the store and get 10 bottles of Wisk using my coupons AND the rain check to get them for $1.50 each. 320 loads for $15 bucks! This is very exciting to me :) I've never used Wisk before so I'm hoping it doesn't suck. ;) But we go through so much laundry soap I figure the price is good enough that it's worth a try.

Grocery Shopping with Coupons

I have a hard time with this. "They" say you are doing well if you can save 50% or more. Extremer's save about 75% on a regular basis. I am no where near this. I'm not sure how they do it. I clip my coupons, I check the websites for match-ups and good deals but I just don't feel like I'm able to save lots. There are a few things that I feel hinder me and I'm o.k. with that. Mostly it's because of our eating habits. We almost NEVER eat beef, at least not at home, maybe twice a month and we buy it straight from the farm. And when the budget allows we also get our milk and eggs there too. We almost never have soda in the house unless company is coming over. (Now, in full disclosure I must admit that pregnancy makes me crave some good ol' Dublin Dr. Pepper from Chicken Express, so this is on occasion - or lots of occasions- in our home). I share this because a lot of the food I find on spectacular deals tends to be the stuff we wouldn't eat, or at least not buy normally.

I try to shop at Albertsons or Kroger because they will double and triple coupons. Last week Albertson's had several things on sale Buy One Get One free and an even better sale of Buy One Get Two Free. I stocked up on some lunch items for here at home and beverages to take up to the pool. There was only one item on sale at Kroger this week I wanted so I just price matched it at Wal-mart with the other items I needed to get. If I have a higher value coupon that can't be doubled at the other stores I will use it at Wal-mart. Their non-sale prices and store brand are consistently cheaper than the other stores unless they are on sale. It's not hard for me to find good prices on pasta, which we do eat alot of.

I haven't done much grocery shopping at Target but this week I've got a manufacturer's coupon I'll stack with a Target coupon to get some yogurt for the girls fairly cheap which will make for good snacks. I'm not a big stock-piler on grocery items for three reasons. 1. I don't have much pantry space, 2. I won't stockpile food items in my garage because I live in Texas and it's currently 180 degrees in my garage, 3. I'm concerned about critters... bugs, mice, etc. Now I do have a large chest freezer so freezable things I'll more than gladly stock-up on.

So, I'm at a loss. What do you do to save on groceries? What kinds of items do you find on sale consistently? Do you meal plan and then shop to your plan or do you buy what's on sale and make meals out of that?

How I Coupon

I did not start couponing at the best time. Sunday papers are where I plan to get the bulk of my coupons and whenever there is a holiday that falls on a Sunday, the local paper won’t have coupon inserts. First week it was Easter, then a good coupon week, then Mother’s Day. So instead of three weeks worth of coupons I only have one. I purchased two papers at Walgreens for $4 and saved WELL over that since. My Wal-Mart also carries two packs of the Sunday paper at a discount but they were out when I stopped by. I’ve also printed off several coupons online from coupons.com and target.com. Most websites that list store/coupon match-ups will have links to the coupon if there is a printable one available online. This is extremely helpful to me. Most sites will only let you print off two of each coupon. I’ve decided two papers is a good number for me as well. Not too overwhelming. Some of the ‘Extreme’ folks get anywhere from 5-10 papers a week. Some even dumpster dive or pick through their neighborhood recycling bins to retrieve discarded coupon inserts.

I took my papers home and spent about 1 ½ hours clipping the ones I wanted or thought we’d use. The remainder I plan on passing to a friend OR you can send unused or expired coupons to military families. There is a link on www.krazycouponlady.com with more info on this. I then place my coupons in my newly organized binder and set aside the sales ads for the stores I knew I wanted to shop at.

Here is a little sample of my savings over the past week & a half:

Walgreens:

Gillette ProGlide Razor - $9.89
used $4.00 off coupon
paid $5.89 then received a $5.00 Register Reward (store Credit)

used the store credit to turn around and buy this:
Cottonelle Toilet Paper- 2 12 pk - $10.00
used 2 50¢ coupons PLUS used the $1.00 off each one coupon in the Walgreens May Book
paid with the $5 credit, and $2.00 then received a $3.00 Register reward

So I still have a $3 credit for my next trip!

CVS:

Ivory Soap 3 bar pk - $.99
used a $1.00 off coupon
so it was FREE!!

Colgate MaxPro Toothpaste- 2 tubes - $5.54
used 2 coupons for 55¢ off each tube
paid $4.44 and recieved $5.54 in ExtraBucks (store Credit)

I used the store credit to buy some Neosporin & gum later in the week without a penny from my pocket.

Wal-mart:

Colgate toothbrush, 2 - $3.94
used 2 coupons for $1.50 off each
paid 94¢

Soft Scrub Cleaner, 2 - $3.98(price match)
used 2 $1.50 off each
paid 98¢

Febreeze Noticeables refill - $3.97(price match)
used $1.00 off cooupon
paid $2.97

Febreeze Noticeables Warmer - $3.99
used coupon for free warmer when you purchase a refill
price: FREE!!

Noxzema Razor 4 pk (plus 2 bonus razors)- $2.67
used a $2 off coupon
paid 67¢

Noxzema Bikini Razor 3 pk - $1.97
used a $2 off coupon
price: FREE!!

Kroger : (I shopped here last week as well but can't find my receipt and can't remember my deals so these are my big deals from my shopping trip this week. They had tons of markdowns so i saved a lot but these were my free/almost free scores.)

Boulder Natural Potato Chips, 2 bags - $2.00
used 2 $1 off coupons
price: FREE!!

Fage yogurt w/ fruit, 4 cups - $5.00
used 4 50¢ coupons which the store then doubled
paid $1.00

All in all that’s almost $60 in product for only $26. That’s a 54% savings! (if I did my math right).

I like the discounts at Kroger because they will double (up to .50 coupon) & triple (up to .39) coupons. You can also load ecoupons on to your Kroger card from the Kroger website and even print out a list of what’s on there to keep with you. The only thing I don’t like about these is they don’t double and you can’t use them with any other coupons (at least if I remember the policy correctly). CVS and Walgreens have clear ads, will often note if certain items have a coupon in the Sunday paper to match, and will offer store credits on certain purchases. CVS has a shopper card you’ll need to get to get the best deals and sale prices. They also have a coupon machine in the store. You scan your card every time you go in and it will spit out some coupons for you. I also have both of these within walking distance to my house so it’s not a hassle to run and pick up some goodies. Walgreens also puts out a monthly coupon book. You can use these in ADDITION to manufacturer’s coupons for extra savings and they just scan the coupon in your book so you can use it all month long. Wal-Mart doesn’t double/triple coupons but they will price match, which is AWESOME when CVS or Walgreens is out of a sale item.

To get the best bang for your buck, hang on to your coupons and wait for the item to go on sale. Just because you clipped it this week doesn’t mean you should use it this week. Discounted price + Coupon = Big Savings! If you find a store with an item on sale, plus you have a manufacture’s coupon AND you have a store coupon then you’ve hit the jackpot. But matching all of this up does take some time. You can match the ads with your coupons yourself OR you can use a handy website that will do it for you. thekrazycouponlady.com and couponmom.com are two good ones but there are tons more. One thing you do have to be careful about is that the grocery store match-ups like Kroger and Albertson’s are regional so your store’s sales might not match up with the website’s posted deals. CVS, Walgreens, Target, Wal-Mart are all national and should be correct regardless of where you live.

Last week I spent about an hour and a half each evening looking through deals, getting familiar with the websites, and planning out trips. This week has been quite a bit less but I also haven’t needed as much in the way of household stuff. How much time you spend it completely up to you.

Hope this is helpful. It can be really confusing when you are first trying to figure it all out. Different websites have different codes and it took me forever to figure out what ‘Catalina’s’ were. (They are the coupons that the register spits out at the checkout.) Feel free to ask questions. And let me know if you score an awesome deal. It always makes me a little proud of myself when good planning pans out into big savings!

My Coupon Binder

Most couponers will tell you that organization is the key to savings success. You can't use a coupon if you can't find it, right? The Krazy Coupon Lady has a great little video here explaining two different methods of setting up your coupon binder. I like the clipping method just because I can then toss, or pass on, the ones I know I won't use. Less clutter.

Now, I'm a homeschool mom so I had most of these 'supplies' already laying around the house. With the purchase of a package of baseball card holders ($5 at Target), I was good to go.

Target also has some REALLY cute binders that looked all fun and girlie but I already had this plain black one and it worked for my budget :)


This is the first page: A plastic page protector where I keep my designated coupons for a particular shopping trip. I tossed a few paper clips in there to clip them together and some post-it flags to label each group of coupons with the name of the store I plan on using them at. This way I can plan several different trips at once and they are ready to go when it is convenient to go to that particular store.

The second page is a homemade Table of Contents. Krazy Coupon Lady also has a printable one of these that's very cute but I knew I didn't want all of her categories and it's not alterable so I opted to make my own. (Sorry, these pictures are not very good, at all)


Next I have a copy of sales cycles in the left pocket. This is a list that breaks down each month and lists items that typically go on sale during that time. I keep the current month on the front page for easy reference. In the opposite sleeve are all of my store coupon policies. This way I can refer to it if there is ever an issue with a transaction while I'm in the store.


The next sleeve is where I keep my Walgreens Coupon Booklet. (A book of coupons you can find at the front of the store with the regular weekly ad.) I also keep retail store specific coupons in this sleeve. For example, here I have some coupons for Compass Trading Co. because I've got a graduation gift to buy soon.


This next sleeve is usually empty but this week I happened across two really good coupons that I knew my sister Erin might use. It's her sleeve. Sometimes it holds sales ads.


And finally, this is what the rest of the binder looks like. Pages and pages of baseball card holders precisely stuffed with various coupons. Each page has its own category designation. I think this part is pretty. It strangely makes me happy to see all of these useful pieces of paper neatly tucked away. I know. I'm odd.

So there it is. Now, show me yours.

A better way

O.k. I’m obviously in new territory here. Thanks to my precious friend Dathel, I’ve discovered a different couponing website that I like A LOT more. This is probably why the professional bloggers do things like research and write a series of blogs BEFORE posting them.

www.thekrazycouponlady.com

There are several things about this site that I like better than the first site. For one it’s pretty :). It definitely appeals to the girly side of me. It’s brightly colored, well organized , and easy to understand. There is a section for beginners. It contains a 10 day breakdown of how to get started and how to make the process work for you. A LOT simpler and less redundant than the 31 virtual classes.
Day 1: Change the way you shop
Day 2: Find coupons
Day 3: Learn How & When your coupons
Day 4: Learn the Lingo
Day 5: Get Organized
Day 6: Tips for making checkout a breeze
Day 7: Build your stockpile
Day 8: Rain Checks
Day 9: Finding Balance
Day 10: Making KCL a way of life

She also has separate sections for different stores. For instance, if you are wanting to only shop at Albertson’s there is a special section that will show you their weekly specials, where to find coupons that match those specials so you get the best deals, the store’s coupon policy, and a 101 crash course on how that specific store handles coupons so you can get maximum savings.



There are tabs for several popular stores and a drop down list containing quite a few more.

If you are wanting to know if a certain sale item is a good deal the site has neat little graphics to tell you if you should stock up. 3 cans means a price worthy of stocking up a 3 month supply, 6 cans for a six month supply - meaning you won’t see sale prices this good for at least 3/6 more months, so get it while you can.


In addition to the regular grocery/drug store savings, She also shares good deals for retailers so you can potentially save more in ALL areas, not just your grocery budget.

Thanks to all the helpful info I’ve found here I’ve begun to re-think my binder. Similar to what I had decided before with a few modifications. I’ll have pics with my next post.

One other aspect I like about this site is that you don’t have to sign-up to use it. No unwanted emails in your inbox. Check it out. I hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Getting Organized

She looks so happy being organized :)

After breezing through the first ten or so virtual classes I deduced that my first step is to get organized. In an effort to save my sanity and ease my way into this process I’m going to keep it simple and shop one store when couponing. And to my delight, it ain’t Wal-mart. I’ll get into the where and why later as not to confuse the issue at hand…. Organization.

I’ve read about several different methods for organizing your coupons and the one I like best is the binder method (vs. shoe box, recipe holder, bins). I need a few things:

• A three ring binder

• Baseball card binder sleeves (I value my life enough to not empty out the ones currently housing my husband’s collection so I plan on checking Hobby Lobby and if I can’t find some there I’ll check a sports/comic book shop) You could also use photo holders

• A zippered binder pouch large enough to hold a pencil/pen or two and a small calculator (or you can use the one on your phone, if it is handy)

• A few plastic page protectors

The page protectors will be used to hold a copy of my chosen store’s coupon policy, possibly a price list of regular items I buy, and an empty one in the front to hold the coupons I will need at checkout.

The card sleeves will hold the coupons. There are several ways to organize these: by product type (Dairy, frozen, household, etc) or by store layout (What’s on aisle 1, aisle 2, etc.) I think I’m going to start with the second one but this may change.

Here is a great link on how to get organized and a little more detail on couponing itself:

http://www.weusecoupons.com/upload/articles/4595-lauras-couponing-refunding-hints-tips-plus-coupon-binder-how.html

Her binder is a little overwhelming. She goes to several stores and clips GAZILLIONS of coupons. She suggests a binder with a strap or rigging up your own… I’m not that hardcore. I also didn’t read much into the part at the bottom about rebating…. Baby Steps. I think this is key in not getting overwhelmed and giving up.

So my goal for the next few days is to gather my supplies and get my binder together. I’ll post pics when I’m done. Then I plan on starting a Price Book. She explains what this is and how it works in the article. I will only log prices on the things I buy most often or that I’d like to stockpile.

Hope this helps get you motivated to get organized. If you need a little more of a visual I’m sure there are youtube videos - sorry I didn’t have time to find some good ones to post here.

Coming soon…. Where to find coupons

Happy Organizing!!!

Extreme Couponing

After watching a few episodes of TLC’s Extreme Couponing I decided to start researching it for myself. Seriously, what ‘keeper of the home’ doesn’t want to be a good steward of the resources we’ve been given? If I can figure out how to make my budget go just a little bit further it’ll be worth it right? Right. So my search begins. I have noticed a few things about couponing:

• · It takes lots of time & planning

• · You must be extremely organized

• · You need some storage space to house your buys

• · Most food coupons are for prepackaged (usually unhealthy foods) and RARELY for fresh fruits/veggies

• · It’s harder to meal plan and shop based on the plan. It appears to work better the other way around. Shop the bargains and plan meals around what you get.

• · You can’t shop with all your kids in tow

Several of those do not appeal to me or do not fit the way our family functions at all. So, I’m going to try an experiment. I do like the idea of stockpiling household items: Paper towels, toilet paper, toiletries, etc. Things we buy on a regular basis and that I won’t make for myself.

I’m starting here: http://www.weusecoupons.com/index.php?pageid=virtualclasses

It is a website started by a guy who has been featured on Extreme Couponing. And seems pretty well organized. Best of all, it’s FREE.

There are 31 virtual classes that address all different aspects of couponing, from how to get started/organized, to stockpiling, to where to find coupons. I’ll watch the videos one by one and devise a plan. And, I’ll share what I learn here.

I’m hoping for the best but trying to keep a realistic perspective. Most things that I’ve read have said that those $1,000 shopping trips for $50 almost never happen. A more realistic goal is to save 50-75% per trip.

If you want to trek along with me you can register on the website: www.weusecoupons.com . You can put me down as a referral – jlbrowning. I’ll be posting more helpful links in the future.