Recall of Note- OTC Medicines

McNeil Consumer Healthcare is expanding their recall. McNeil is the manufacturer of Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, and Zyrtec. The recall is not life-threatening, and has to do with quality control issues.
For more information, see their website HERE.

For what's it's worth, I filled out their form for a refund. I had two bottles of infant's Motrin. Last week I received a check in the mail from them, for more than I probably paid for them. So they are definitely keeping with their word. So check your cabinets for the recalled items, and then head over to their site to choose between a coupon or a refund.

Publix Trip 6/17

I spent $12.31 for $75.68 worth of groceries, saving $63.37 or 84%!

I'd say it went well, the only downer was somehow my $3 off Huggies coupon did not make it to the store, so I didn't purchase the diapers or wipes.
Here's a list of changes from the original list.
Nature's Own bread was not BOGO at my store, but Arnold's bread was BOGO at $3.69
Added:
Hamburger Buns 89¢
Dan-o-nino $1.67
 -$1.50/1   SS 6-6-2010 
Deleted:
As mentioned Huggies diapers and wipes
Country Time (I somehow completely forgot I wanted to buy it, it's been one of those weeks...) 
 I'll probably pick up these on another day this week.

Frugality- Organizing Coupons

What is the best way to organize coupons? I see this question come up all the time on the various blogs I follow. So I figure first I'll go through my method, and then share some other methods of organization.

My method
Items Needed: 1 large binder (at least 3"), several dividers (25-30), a ton of page protectors (50-100 based on personal preferences). The following is a description of each divider with what is in that section.

• The 12 months of the year. I have one divider for each month. Within each month I have several page protectors. I section each week into a page protector. I then either hand write or find a print out of the list of coupons in my paper and place it in front of the page protector. As I use a coupon I cross it off, so I know not to bother to look for it. 
• Publix Advantage Buy Flyers. I have one page protector for green flyers and one for yellow. 
• Publix Booklets. This is wear I put any of the booklets found at Publix, such as "Summer Savings"
• Publix Blinkies, Tearpads, Peelies, Mailers, or Printables. This section houses all other Publix coupons.
• Competitor's. This section houses all my competitors. I am unfortunate where I live that we don't have very many competitors, so mainly this section contains Target coupons, and occasionally some others.
• Tearpads, Blinkies, and Peelies- This section houses any manufacturer's coupons generally found at the store. It may also include single page flyers or small booklets of manufacturer's coupons.
• Online Prints- For this section I cut out my internet prints and organize them by month. I stick them in a page protector for each month. I then write out each coupon with expiration date and put it in the front of each page protector. That way I can add to each month when I print them.
• Other Coupons- This section houses mostly coupons that I clipped from the weekly ads and might not of used (if the product wasn't in my store, for example), or coupons I clipped from other sources (found in a magazine or newspaper).
• Home Mailers- These are coupons I receive from requesting samples or joining a company's "club." This mostly houses coupons from baby companies, but also houses most of my free item coupons (coupons a company sends you for a free item to try their product, in hopes you will buy it again in the future and spread the word)
• MIR- Mail in rebates. This houses forms, receipts, upc's, or anything needed to complete a MIR. 
• Local Coupons- This is where I keep coupons local to my area. This will be things like auto shops, cleaners, etc.
• BJ's- Coupons for BJ's wholesale club. 
• Restaurant- Coupons for places to eat.
• Previous Year's Newspaper- Most coupons in the inserts expire within a month or a couple of months. This is where I can put those random coupons that happen to last a whole lot longer (which is rare). So that way when I see a deal that says 5/10/09 SS, I'll look in this section.
• Non-grocery Major Stores- I keep my coupons for Lowe's, Home Depot, Office Max, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Bath and Body Works, JC Penney, etc. here. 

My binder has 2 pockets in both the front and the back. In one of my front pockets I have a guide to my Publix (it shows what the aisles are in the store). I also use a front pocket for coupons I need to sort into my binder. In my back pockets I keep any pieces of paper I can print on the back of or make lists on.

Other Methods-

• File Method- Similar to my method, but with file folders instead
• Clipped Method- Clipping all coupons and sorting them either by expiration date or category (frozen, baby, pet, produce, etc.) into a coupon organizer.
• Combination of Binder/File and Clipped- A mixture of the two where you file the weekly Sunday inserts and booklets and sort all other coupons into a coupon organizer. 

Dealing with the pesky internet prints-
This is a tough one. I choose to clip them and sort them by date as explained above. You could also leave them full sheet and punch holes in the side. The reason internet prints are so hard, is because we tend to print them in hopes of a sale. Internet coupons seem to appear and disappear quickly, so if you don't print them right then, they might not be there when you want them. I prefer to clip them as it is one less step when I want to use them. With the list I put in the front of each page protector I can just look down the list for what coupons I have and can cross them off when I've used them. Having them sorted by expiration month helps me to decide if I should use them on a sale right now or hold off a little longer for a better sale.

Why I use the method I use-
Because I feel like it works well for the deal sites I use. When they say "6/6/10 RP". I can flip to June and find the page protector with the week of 6/6/10 in it. I can than scan my sheet to see if I received the mentioned coupon in my ad. I don't have to spend 15 min going through the pages 3 times to realize I must not have received that coupon. When the site says "Green Advantage Buy," I go to my advantage buy section. When it says tearpad, I can check my tearpad section. Because of the clear page protectors I can also glance through many of mine to catch a coupon match up they might not of seen. The reason I choose a binder over a file system is simple. I can take it with me. I can lay it out on my table to work.

What methods do you use? Please feel free to share with me what method or tricks you use to organize your coupons.

Edit to add pictures.

 These are the dividers (specifically for the newspaper inserts)

My lists of coupons to make searching for coupons a breeze.










Edit: I generally only go to Publix, but if you shop at multiple stores or do the drugstores, you could add a tab specifically for each store's coupons instead of doing a competitor's section. You could also for the sections with individual coupons buy baseball or photo pages and show each coupon individually or organize by category. There's a lot of room for personal preference.

Shopping list

So here's what I'm planning on buying tomorrow.

Blue- Manufacturer's
Green-Publix
Red- Competitor

(2) Nature's Own Bread BOGO $2.85

(2) Tostitos Tortilla Chips BOGO $4.99
    -(2) $1 off 1 family size Target Printable HERE (if included)

(2) Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream BOGO $3.79
    -$1/2 Printable (I can't seem to find it for a link?) or $1/2 6/6/10 RP

(6?) Kellog's Eggo Waffles BOGO $2.49 (It depends on my Target coupons how many they will take)
    -(3) $1/2 Blinkie
    -(6) $1/1 Target Coupon HERE or HERE

(1) Huggies Wipes $5.99
   - 50¢/1 home mailer
   -$3.50 off wyb Huggies Diapers and Wipes Target Coupon

(1) Jumbo Pack Huggies Diapers
    -$3/1 printable (I don't think this one is available anymore)
    -$2/1 In Ad Coupon

(2) Tropicana OJ
   - (2) Free Juicy Reward Promotion (promotion over)
   - $1 on produce wyb 2 Tropicana products

There are a few more items I'm considering. I'll update if I do them.   
Check out the full-ad with match-ups at iheartpublix or southernsavers.   

Edit:
(1) Gallon 1% Milk
(1) Gallon Whole Milk
(1) Schick Hydro Razor
   -(1) $2/1 Blinkie
   -(1) $1/1 Publix Green Advantage Buy
   -MIR for purchase price HERE
(2) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
   -(1) BOGO Internet print from cooking with Kraft (unsure if still available)
   -(2) $1/1 Internet Print HERE
(1) Country Time Lemonade Mix (My husband has been asking for it, and it's on sale)       

Introduction to Food Storage

Last week I discussed making 72 hour kits for disasters or other emergencies. This week we are going to begin a series on food storage, and what better way to start than an introduction to what food storage is all about.

What is food storage?
Food storage is a supply of food for a given length of time, ultimately one year.

What is the purpose of food storage?
The purpose of food storage is for it to be a safety net for hard times and major long-term disasters. One example might be if you become unemployed. With a supply of food, you'll still be able to eat, and can use the money you would of used for food toward other expenses, such as the mortgage/rent. It is also good for long-term disasters in an area, examples would be after an earthquake strikes an area. Some times when a natural disaster strikes, your house may receive little to no damage, however forms of aid for the area may be cut off due to problems with roads and airports. You may need food storage for a variety of reasons, such as serious illness or loss of a loved one(especially if they were the breadwinner). It will be a source of comfort to know that even if something unexpected happens, you still will have food for your family.


How much  food is one year's worth of food?
Well it depends on the size and needs of your family. 2 adults and a toddler is much less than 2 adults and a teenager. But have no fear, I found a handy online calculator for you to use to get at least an idea of how much you need. Head on over there and check out the numbers.

Wow that is a lot! How on earth will I ever acquire that much food?
A little at a time. It would completely defeat the purpose of food storage if you go into debt to obtain it. The easiest solution is to set shorter goals and work up to the ultimate goal of a year. Probably the best way to do it is to work toward a 3 months supply with foods you eat normally and can rotate through. At the same time you can work toward your year supply by buying an item here or there that lasts longer (like flour or sugar).

300 lbs of wheat? What would I ever do with that?
This is where some fine tuning will come in. If you have no idea how to use wheat or what to make with wheat, don't store it for now. It will do you no good to do so. For now substitute or for things you do no how to work with such as more flour, whole grain flour, wheat flour, etc. A good tip with the calculator is to look at the overall category, and try to meat that goal. So instead of 300 lbs of wheat, try to meet the goal of 600 lbs of grains. In future editions we'll look at how to work with some of the lesser used foods on the list, as well as some recipes for food storage items.

So there is a difference between the short term and long term food storage?
Yes. The short term storage (about 3 months worth) is generally food you eat normally day in and day out. You would rotate through it, and restock it from the grocery store as needed. Short term food storage is things like canned soups, mac and cheese, and other convenience foods. Longer term storage is made of things that will last for longer periods of time when stored in ideal conditions (more on that in future posts in this segment), and is made up of things such as flour, sugar, oats, dry beans, etc.

Where will I store all of it?
You'll have to be creative. I'll do a whole post on ideas in the future. We'll focus on getting the food first.


That's it for now. Please feel free to ask if you have any burning questions. Next week we will look at some easy ways to get started on the first 3 months of food storage.

Weekly Publix Ad

I meant to share this with you earlier, but my air conditioner broke and I didn't want to be anywhere close to the hot computer. Anyway, Michelle over at iheartpublix has the new Publix ad up, you can find it HERE

New Uses for Clear Nail Polish

This week I am going to focus on the ever handy clear nail polish. Not only is it great for nails, but here is a list of other clever uses.

• Stopping a run in panty hose
• Keeping tiny screw in place, such as those on your eye glasses
• Securing a button in place (just a little over the center to keep the thread in place)
• Avoiding rust stains in the bathroom. Who hates when the shaving cream can leaves a ring on the side of the tub? The solution is to paint the bottom to keep it from rusting!
• Sealing an envelope. Did the glue not stick? Don't want to cover it with tape? Use clear nail polish!
• Extending the life of costume jewelry. Ever gotten that green ring on your finger (or on your ears). Give the jewelry a coat of clear nail polish and voila.
• Keeping labels readable. Ever had the labels on medicine or toiletries get smudged and unreadable. Give it a coat of clear nail polish.
• Prevent rusting screws (on the toilet seat or other water prone areas)
• Closing holes on a shaker. Does the shaker give too much salt, or are you trying to cut back? Paint some of the holes shut.
• Keep laces from unraveling
• Threading a needle. Drag the cut end through the brush of the nail polish.
• Keeping frayed fabric or ribbon from fraying more.
• Filling small knicks on the floors or glass
• Resetting a loose jewelry stone
• Keeping chipped car paint from rusting
• Keeping the hole in the screen from getting large (same concept as runs in the panty hose)

If you have any ideas for clear nail polish, comment and I will add them to the list!

Schick Hydro Rebate

Go here to print a form for a MIR for Schick Hydro. If you were lucky and got the $5 off coupon in yesterday's paper this will be a great money maker. Especially if you pair the $5 off coupon with the $1 off found in the new Green advantage buy flyer at Publix.

There are also many other stores that have it on sale right now, so be on the look out!

Now if only my paper had included the $5 off coupon. :-(

Monday Money Sense- Step Two of Getting Out of Debt.

Last week we discussed becoming honest with ourselves about how much money is coming in and going out. Today we will move on to steps two and three.
Step Two-Establish a Budget
During last week's exercise, you laid the foundations for creating a budget by looking realistically at your income and expenses.Using that information you can now create a budget.

• Go here for a simple printable budget worksheet in pdf format. You can also choose to create your own on a computer program such as excel, or search the internet for other templates.
• Choose a time period for your budget (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly). I like doing a monthly budget, but you can choose whichever is easiest for you to realistically track based on your pay schedule and/or bill schedule.   
• Fill it in using the information you gathered from last week (and taking into account any changes you've made or want to make in your lifestyle since doing the exercise last week).
• Use it as a guideline for purchases/bills throughout the week throughout the week.
• At the end of your specified time period, evaluate your budget. Did you spend more than you budgeted in certain areas? All areas? Did you spend less in a certain area? Several areas?
• Use what you learned to create your next budget. Remember though that you can only spend as much as you make. 

One tip I have is budget money for fun things. It is hard to feel successful about getting out of debt if you feel like you never get to do anything fun. It doesn't have to be a lot of money. Even $10-$20 can be enough money to do something fun (picnics and parks anyone?), it may not be what you currently are accustomed to, but remember you are now living within your means and changing your spending habits.

I hope you'll take some time this week to create your budget if you don't already have one or tweak your budget if you already do . Join me next week as we create a debt pay down schedule.

Service Idea- Lunches

 Many people may not realize it, but when schools are out for summer, many children are also without lunch at the same time. The reason is simple. During the school year the children were eligible for free and reduced lunches at school, but in the summer they are not at school and therefore do not receive lunch. There are several government and community initiatives to help provide free lunches in the summer, but sometimes they need a little extra help, especially considering the greater need currently for these programs.

This last week in my local paper, there was an article for a food drive happening next week to collect food to serve for lunches in the summer and also to help restock the food banks. Perhaps think about taking stock of your pantry this week to see if there is anything you can give away. Then look around for local organizations that may need food to provide lunches to children (local church ministries are a good source), or just donate to a local food bank.

Please remember that this is a service idea, and is not meant to be a forum for a debate on free lunches, government assistance, or anything of the sort. Thanks!