Food Storage

So, I got this cook book this summer that has started a whole new phase in my life. I have become totally interested and excited about food storage. I know to a lot of people like I once was, this may sound really strange. It is funny, because I hear myself talking to people about using powdered milk, and when I sit back and think about it, I even think it sounds weird!

The book I bought is called "I Can't Believe It's Food Storage" by Crystal Godfrey. I bought it at Deseret Book. You can also order it from Amazon. It has totally opened my eyes to using food storage. I don't know what about it drew me in, but something did. It must have been the right time, I guess. Anyway, turns out the author has a website too.Everyday Food Storage . And she is part of the Fun with Food Storage Network, that includes 2 other sites as well. I have found my latest time waster on the internet. Although, I don't consider it wasting time, since it is very valuable information that I am excited to implement.

One of the things I have gotten excited about finally trying to do is use coupons. I have never understood the whole coupon system, but I finally found a site that explained it well enough for me to understand.
The Obsessive Shopper. She has great videos that walk you through how to organize and use coupons. For anyone who lives in Utah or the general area, there is a lot of help that makes it a bit easier for you. I have to do some work on my own, but that's ok. I still need to decide on the best method for gathering up 4 copies of the Sunday paper, so I can get 4 copies of the coupon booklets. I have my file folder box and file folders to organize, and have a few weeks worth of coupons already. I have to totally change the way I think about grocery shopping. I used to plan my menus, then make my grocery list of the things I needed, and then shop that way.This way I have to look at store sales, then try to match up coupons, and shop that way. This will be interesting!

I decided today was the day I was going to go on my very first couponing trip.

I went to 3 different stores. Price Chopper, Hen House, and CVS. Price Chopper was the bulk of items. I know I am sure to figure things out and get better deals in the future, but this is how I fared on my first time out.

I spent $5.80 at Hen House. The receipt said I saved $12.20.

I bought:
3 bottles of A-1 Steak Sauce
2 4- packs of Dole fruit cups and fruit parfaits.

That's all. I know it seems silly to go to a store for only those things, but I really like the Dole fruit cups, and the steak sauce was a great deal! Originally $3.74. On sale for $2.97. Used coupons for $2 off. Making them $0.97 a bottle.Now I need to make some steak I guess!

At Price Chopper I spent $39.19. The receipt said I saved $40.63. Awesome.

I bought:
3 boxes of Cheerios
3 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios
4 bottles of Hershey's Syrup
3 cans of Manwich
4 cans of Spaghettio's
2 Colgate toothbrushes
2 boxes of Nabisco Cheddar Nips
4 Nabisco Snak-Saks (2 Chips Ahoy, 1 Honey Teddy Graham, and 1 Nutter Butter)
2 bags of Knorr Rice Sides
2 packages Kraft Singles
4.75 pounds of ground beef.

I didn't use coupons on the hamburger, spaghettio's or toothbrushes, but they were on sale.

At CVS I spent $17.19. The receipt said I saved $17.80.

I got 5 packages of fem.hygiene items. Sorry for the info, but it is a necessity in any household where women reside. I also got a Schick intuition Plus Razor. I had a $4 off coupon for the razor. Then I got $2 extra bucks to use later. If I was smart, I would have bought the razor first on one transaction to get the $2 extra bucks. Then I could have purchased the other items and used the $2 extra bucks towards that purchase. So I could have shaved $2 off the above total if I would have thought ahead like that. It's ok. I am just learning.

So, here is a fun picture of all the items I purchase today...minus the hamburger. It was in the fridge.



My Grand Total was $62.18. My Total Savings was $70.63.

We'll see how I do next time!

Does anyone else use coupons to shop like this? Let me know if you have any good tips!