CVS

I was so pumped that CVS had Orange Sunkist on sale with the Dr. Pepper drinks. I have been craving it for weeks and waiting for a deal! I used my $5 off $15 that expired yesterday and got me some 3 for $11 with a $3 ECB Sunkist along with Oatmeal and Rice Krispies cereal for cheap! Yea for me!

Target Clearance Insight

Here is Target's weekly markdown schedule:
Mon. -- Electronics, Kids Clothing and Stationary (Cards, Gift Wrap, etc.)
Tues. -- Domestics, Women's Clothing, Pets and Market (food items)
Wed. -- Men's Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden items
Thur. -- House Wares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor & Luggage
Fri. -- Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, & Jewelry

Generally, they mark things down to the next level every 2 weeks. So, if you see something in sporting goods that you are interested in that was just marked down 50%, if you come back on Thursday 2 weeks from that day you should find it at 75% off. Sometimes you will come back and they will all be gone. Bummer!

If it is something I really need, I will buy it at 50% off. If it is something I am buying for the future, I wait to see if I can get it at 75% off.

Also, twice a year Target resets each department, so they will clearance a ton of stuff from that department, to make way for the new seasons merchandise. For instance, the toy department gets reset in January (to make room for Spring/Summer toys), and in July/Aug. (to put out the holiday season toys). So, on one certain day you will be able to find 2 aisles worth of toys at 75% off. I stock up! My favorites are the Lego's & Playmobil sets, you can't go wrong with those, especially at 75% off.

Two more pieces of advice:

1. If there is something you are interested in, SCAN IT! You will find that sometime the sticker does not reflect the price, the price may actually be lower. I love when that happens!

2. SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS!!!!!!! Target has a strict return policy, and if you want to return something you will need your receipt. They do have receipt look up, so if you give them the debit/credit card you paid with they can look it up for you.

Finding Grocery Coupons

When you're just getting started with grocery coupons, you probably turn to the Sunday newspaper first. That's a great place to start, but there are many other opportunities to find grocery coupons once you know where to look:

• National magazines such as Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping, All You (sold at Walmart), Parents, etc. often have coupons printed on their pages as well as pull-out booklets.
  
• You'll see tearpads on store displays. Sometimes it's worthwhile to take a coupon but use it at another store when the price on the product is lower/on sale.
  
• There are also red "Blinkie" machines in some grocery aisles; again, hold onto these coupons to use them when an item is at its lowest price.
  
• While at the grocery store, keep an eye out for "peelies" attached to the front of packaged products (they're often yellow or green stickers). They're meant to be used on that immediate purchase, so please do not take them if you are not purchasing the product.
  
• Coupon-specific sites allow you to print two coupons per computer: Coupons.com, SmartSource.com and RedPlum.
  
• Grocery store chain websites may have printable coupons; at Safeway.com you can print coupons for Safeway's deli, produce and floral departments along with the Coupons.com offerings.
  
• Product websites (Mission Tortillas, Dove, Johnson's, Wyeth, etc.) offer coupons. Just Google any products to which you are brand-loyal.
  
• Manufacturer's websites (Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, etc.) often change their printable coupon offerings monthly.
  
• Sign up for email/newsletters for products you purchase often, like Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs. You'll get higher-value coupons through the mail than you can get in the Sunday paper. This works for food products as well; just check the websites of your favorite products.
  
• Word-of-mouth marketing sites like Pssst and Vocalpoint will mail you free samples and coupons in exchange for your opinions about the products.

CVS

I had my first fun surprise at CVS...a $5 off $15 coupon printed out...if I use it in the next 3 days! Yea...I finally got one of those! In the 5 months I've been doing this, I've not seen one of those until today.

I spent $13 on 4 packs of cokes (received $3 ECB)

I used my $25 gift card from the pharmacy since payday isn't until Monday and I didn't want to miss out on that deal. So cool!

I owe myself $15 when I pull next week's grocery money. We'll see if I can do the rest of June on $185!!!

:)

Crockpot Tuesday

I've decided that Tuesday's are going to be "Crockpot Tuesday". We have family night on Tuesdays where we eat together, read a Bible story, and do a simple activity. Since the kids are only age 1 and 2 (almost 3), we usually color...but I'm hoping to get more creative as we get into this!

Today, we're having roast, potatoes, carrots, and broccoli & cheese! MMmmmm...

This Blog's Purpose

I have been couponing for about 5 months beginning in January 2009. I follow many of the sites like moneysavingmom, makingsensewithcents, thecouponingmom and others. I want to honor God with my finances. Honestly, this blog is for me. I want to track my spending, help set up places for me to see prices and what is a good bargain or not. I want to be able to link into some of the sites without all of my personal business being splashed to the world. So...here it is...a place for me to talk out my own feelings about money, how my grocery budget is doing, what I'm learning, how God is providing, and so on.

The name "Speaking Frugalese" is all about this crazy language that these crazy shoppers out there speak regarding coupons, OOP spending, rebates, savings, deals, and being frugal. Well, I want to become an expert in that foreign language...so here I am.

God has provided in so many ways for us, but especially over the past few weeks, he has shown himself to be Jehova Jireh - God our provider - ever so clearly and faithfully.