Coupon Guilt

Ok... so I have to confess that I suffer some coupon guilt. Each time I enter a store that I'm about to get a great deal with... I enter with mixed anticipation and nervousness. The nervousness increases as I complete my shopping and enter the checkout counter. I reach into my envelope to pull out my wad of coupons, practically shaking prior to their response.

I'm always afraid I'll get caught. I know, I know... I'm not doing anything illegal, but I'm afraid that one day, they'll say "You can't do that". Take my latest drugstore trips...
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Rite Aid -

I purchased:
Ben Gay Ultra Strength Patch - 5ct - 7.99 - on sale - 6.99
Kendall Antimicrobial non-stick pad - 10ct - 4.99
Bayer Contour Meter - 79.99 - on sale - 29.99

My total came to ~ $43.00






I then pulled out my envelope and handed the cashier:
-$5 off $25 front end purchase
-$1 off Ben Gay (Manufacturer's Coupon)
-$2 off 1st aid item
-$30.00 off Bayer Contour Meter (Manufacturer's Coupon)


My total after coupons = $4.12


At this point, I feel like the cashier is looking at me weird... and usually looking over the items purchased to make sure that they didn't make a mistake. They never really look confident with the transaction. I didn't even bother to tell her that my purchase also qualified for $7.00 back with Rite Aid's Single Check Rebate program. So far, I've earned about $22 back on my Rite Aid purchases. I quickly gathered my envelope and left the store, as I noticed a manager walking over to the register.

Rite Aid just gave me money. My consolation is that I used manufacturer's coupons, so I'm not really taking money from them... they will get something back.

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CVS Trip #1



My first CVS trip went well too. My plan was to buy tresemme products, bayer asprin & edge shave gel. Fortunately, I remembered to scan my card at the coupon machine first. Out popped a $5 off of $15 on Tresemme products. I decided to wait to purchase those until I had worked out a plan. I also went to the Dr. earlier in the day and she gave me quite a lecture about taking a multi-vitamen. While checking out that section and gawking at the prices, I realized that these were on sale... so I did a few mental calculations and purchased:


3 One-A-Day Womens 60ct - 7.99 each
Crest Pro-Health 4.2 oz - 3.89 - on sale - 2.88
(and I let Drew raid the Easter Sale)
Jelly Beans - 2.99 - on sale - .75
Spice Drops - 2.99 - on sale - .75
Lifesaver Jelly Beans - 2.79 - on sale - .69
Creme Egg - .50


Then used:
-$4 off of $20 (really important to hand this first)
-.75 off Crest Pro-Health (manufacturer)
-2.00 off of 1 one-a-day women's (manufacturer)
-4.00 off of 2 one-a-day (manufacturer)


= $19.35



I paid with $12.99 in Extra Care Bucks and $6.36 cash

I got back $14.00 in Extra Care Bucks

Cash & change in ECBs = $5.35 total spent

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CVS Trip #2

I went back tonight for the Tresemme products. I bought:
6 Tresemme hair products - $5.50 - on sale - 3 for $10
Edge Infused Shaving Gel - $3.29 - on sale - 2.89
Bayer Fast Acting Crystals - 2.99 - on sale - 2.00



I used:
-$5 off $15 Tresemme
- (6) $1 off Tresemme 24 hr body (manufacturer)
- $1 off Bayer Asprin (manufacturer)

Total = 13.21

Paid with $12 Extra Care Bucks & $1.21 Cash
Got back $14.89 Extra Care Bucks

Cash & change in ECBs = (1.77)

I made money on this transaction too!

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So you can see why I'm wary when checking out. I've worked hard to get a better control over our finances, and I'm so nervous that one of these days, they'll stop me at the register and tell me that I can't do that. The confidence I'm gaining over being able to control our money could just be snatched away. I guess until that moment, I will continue to revel in my amazing deals... yes, I do place them where I can see them... my little make-shift displays are like my shopping trophies, placed where I can admire them.

PS: Mom, hope you don't mind hair-spray and toothpaste for Mother's Day!

Food Lion Run

Just got back from Food Lion... here was my short list...

• Food Lion sandwich bread 1.19

- .40 MVP savings

= .79

• Smart Ones cookie dough desserts 5 @ 2.50 (this is a splurge... if you've tried them, you'll know why)

- 5 x 1.25 = 6.25 MVP savings

- 1.00 coupon

= 5 for 5.25

• Food Lion 1% Gallon of Milk 2.99

• Breyers yogurt (yes, we really do eat it a lot) 4 @ .70

- 4 x .20 = .80 MVP savings

- .50 coupon

= 4 for 1.50

• Bird's Eye Voila skillet meal 4.99

- 1.99 MVP savings

- 1.00 coupon

= 2.00

Total of purchases = 12.91

Total savings = 11.94

So overall, not my best trip, but I needed milk, and I splurged on some Smart Ones treats for Andrew and I. Seriously, if you're looking for a lower-fat, high-taste treat... these are amazing. It's a layer of crumbled cookies at the bottom, low fat ice cream in the middle, and small chunks of cookie dough on top. Wait... maybe next time I should try to make my own. Hmmm....

Bye Bye Cable

Cutting cable is an easy way to save around $50 per month. Andrew and I got rid of cable 1 1/2 years ago. It was late fall of 2007. Have we missed it? Not at all! There are so many options out there for getting your entertainment fix without paying an arm and a leg for 250 channels of nothing! Here are some of the things we use for our tv fix.

1. Netflix

I cannot sing Netflix praises enough! We started out just getting the movies by mail. We would watch the movies and return them, and then the next ones would be sent. Then we started to play with the online streaming. We would sit in the office around my computer and watch old 80s movies and interesting independant films. I even started streaming videos on my work computer. Andrew was working for the C-Ville Weekly and had to work a lot of late nights, and since we carpool, I was stuck too. I would turn out the lights, put on a movie, and prop my feet up. No longer was it a hassle to wait on him.

Everything changed, though, when Neflix paired with the Roku box to stream to our tv! Also, Neflix started streaming some recent releases and popular tv shows that we wanted to watch. We hooked the box up to our HD tv, and we were amazed. We now have a queue of 500 movies and tv shows to watch, that we can update at any time! It's like having a video library stored in a device smaller than most of my books. Now, we always forget the mailing a movie part... I think we've had the same movie sitting on our coffee table for two weeks... we've just been streaming what we want to watch. They even broadcast a chunk of their listings in HD... the quality is absolutely amazing!

To have this awesome service, we paid a one-time-fee of $100 for the box (it was my birthday present last year). We also pay $8.95 per month to Netflix for the one movie at a time plan. I think we also pay about $40 per month for internet, but we don't count this fee since we have to have internet for Andrew's business.

2. TV on DVD

We are big TV on DVD fans. I usually wait until Black Friday or after-Christmas specials to buy the seasons that we are interested in. Usually at these times, you can get a season for less than 50% of its' original cost. We then store the seasons on our DVD rack and watch them when we get to them. We have commercial free tv options just waiting to be watched... and we don't even have to linger in suspense waiting for next weeks' episode!

Once we finish a season, I will check the box and discs for any defects, and then list the series on half.com (see yesterday's post). Most of the time, the going price at least what I paid for it, if not more. There have been a lot of instances where I've paid 25% of retail cost for the DVDs new, but then the half.com price averages to 45% of retail cost. I just made $10.

My favorit places to buy DVDs online are Amazon.com, and Deepdiscountdvd.com. Amazon has really random sales. Sometimes DVDs will appear in their Gold Box discount or Lightening deals. What I usually do is add the seasons that I'm interested in to my cart, then click on save for later. Every day, I open my cart... and if the price on the season has changed, it will alert you. Deep Discount has sporatic sales as well. Usually, their sales are B1G1 sales. They will list all the shows they have to offer, and then you'll want to do seperate transactions for each price tier. Say I want four movies at 32.95, and 2 movies at 24.00. If I bought them all in one transaction, I would pay 98.85... three movies at 32.95 and my 24.00 ones would be free. If I broke that down into two transactions, my total would be 89.90... two movies at 32.95 and one at 24.00. Both of these sites offer free shipping!

Our rule of thumb is to never pay more than $25 for a season.... and usually we scoff at anything above $18.00. Yes, we get the current released seasons for $18.00 or less. It's all about being patient. If you are really anxious for a season, consider buying it used on half.com. If you can wait for a sale, then you'll get an amazing deal. The average price that we re-sell for is around 22.00 - 24.00, so if we're patient enough, we make money to be entertained!

Warning: It can get addicting when you see a good sale. Be sure that you're not overspending for something you're not even interested in seeing.

3. Hulu.com or Internet TV

Many individual station sites are starting to post their recently aired episodes onto their website. Hulu.com is basically your one-stop-shop for recent episodes from many different stations.

We started going to hulu.com because we're suckers for The Office. After finishing season 4, we really wanted to keep up with the show. We read an online review for hulu.com and realized that they were carrying the brand new episodes, plus new episodes of many of our favorite shows.

The Office airs on Thursday nights on NBC. On Friday evenings, we sit in our nice, leather office chairs, turn out the lights and play the new episode on hulu.com. Great quality, limited commercials. The commercials play approximately 3 times per episode. Hulu commercials are far superior to other online commercials because not only do they feature mostly non-profits... the volume actually goes DOWN when they air. We had started off watching The Office on nbc.com, and their commercials would play at 2x the volume of the show!

So now I can keep up-to-date with what's on TV... I just have to delay our office's recap of The Office until Mondays... they happily oblige my delayed viewing.

4. Live Streams

Every once and a while, there's something that will be on TV that you've just got to watch. A presidential address, breaking news, or even a sports game. The good news is that most of these events are broadcast live on sites such as msn.com, cnn.com, & espn.com. For Obama's inaguration, I tuned in on msn.com and watched at my office. Even the Olympics were streamed online!

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So really... you don't miss much by cancelling cable. You don't get sucked in to crap tv... you pick and choose what you're willing to watch. You have greater control over what your kids watch if you have netflix streaming... (most Disney shows and kids movies are in their instant viewing list)... and you don't have to worry about them seeing all of those enticing commercials. I don't think we will ever purchase cable again!

Craigslisting

So, I spent most of today creating 22 new listings on craigslist. Most of the stuff was remnants of our yard sales that I hadn't wanted to donate just yet. So far, we've sold two items, a briefcase for $20 and a really unique double-sided shelf for $25.

*briefcase & shelving unit*

I know Drew's happy to get rid of that shelf. It came in handy to hold my books, but since I've taken the time to sort most of the books I'm selling into plastic, stackable containers, we didn't really have much use for the shelves other than for the yard sales. For the last two weeks they've been sitting in our living room and getting rid of them will give us, if not much physical space, a greater illusion of space... if that makes any sense at all!

We'll see how the rest of our listings go. Unfortunately, we have decided to get rid of the stainless range that we had bought to replace our oven. Given our horrendous tax bill, and my appendectomy fees... we could use the money much more than a pretty kitchen right now. One day we'll be able to afford what we want... but right now we need to focus only on what we need. I'll let you know how it goes!

Selling Stuff...

So, now that I've accumulated all of this stuff, my goals are to sell it! Luckily, I'm pretty good in the selling department. I've been selling on ebay, craigslist, and amazon for years. I'm a pro. In fact, my coworkers often give me stuff to sell for them on commission. I couldn't sell you a sandwich in real life, but I know my internet sites!

ebay.com
I rarely sell on ebay anymore. The only things I sell here are clothes or shoes that won't sell on craigslist. I suppose if I had anything of value, I might sell it here... but unfortunately, most of my stuff is junk. The reason I don't sell here is because you have to pay for each listing up front, even if it does not sell. I don't like to pay for a listing if I'm not getting rid of my stuff! Also, it takes a long time to move through all of the screens necessary to list an item, then you have to wait 7 days... it's just not my favorite. When I'm selling clothes on ebay, I usually list items as lots... they seem to sell better... just be sure to cover your shipping! Also, pictures are essential... if you do not have a digital camera, find an online picture of the same item, but be sure to use a disclaimer giving credit to the site that you take the picture from.

half.com
This site is a sub-set of ebay and it is my favorite site to list media! I list books, movies, audiobooks, video games, and cds on here regularly. The items usually sell quickly, and they sell for competitive prices. Half.com keeps your listings up indefinitely, allows easy inventory access and sorting, and only charges a flat 15% commission on anything you sell. I love it! All you have to do is type in the ISBN or UPC number of the item you wish to sell. Browse the current selection and figure out a competitive price. Once you've surveyed the competition, click the link "sell my copy" and proceed through the two or three windows to list price and condition. Pictures are not supported since there is a generic picture at the main item page... just be sure that you're honest about the condition of your item. Once you're finished, the item will stay online until sold. Once it is sold, half.com will send you an e-mail (be sure to turn on vacation settings if you will be away) and you ship your item via media mail to the address provided. Payments are set up to transfer to your bank account twice a month.

*screen shot of half.com inventory page*

amazon.com
I use Amazon to sell my antique or rare books. Anything without an ISBN number can be difficult to find on half.com, if they have it at all, but Amazon already has practically everything listed. Similar to half.com, you type in the name of your item, survey the competition, and then click "sell yours here". Proceed through the windows listing price and quality... (be especially careful for older books to list condition, an excellent condition antique book might be worth a lot, but a well-worn copy may not be worth much)... and then your listing is created. Again, there is a main picture page, but Amazon also gives you the ability to upload user pictures, so you can post a picture on the main page and refer to it in your listing. The fee structure is slightly different for Amazon... they charge the 15%, but they also charge a flat per-item-sold fee of .99 unless you pay for a monthly charge of ~ 39.00. They also charge a listing closing fee of 1.35 for books and .80 for movies. Nothing is paid until an item is sold, so all of the fee is taken out of your payment. I, personally, won't list a book under $4.00 because the fees aren't worth it. I've never sold anything other than media on Amazon, and their fee structure varies depending on what you sell... so be sure to check their fee structure here.

craigslist.com
Ok... so craigslist is awesome! I've saved the best for last. You can sell virtually anything on craigslist, and usually get a fairly competitive price... AND they don't charge a fee! When pricing, think, higher than yardsale, but not quite retail. I usually start high here... like a yardsale, you will have people making offers. A lot of people find it much easier to haggle online than in person... so start high, but not high enough that people won't be interested. With craigslist, you have to click on your state and region before creating a post. You do not have to sign up for a craigslist account... but it makes inventory much easier to handle. Preform a search on craigslist for what you're selling before you list it... then you get an idea of what other people are charging. If you cannot find your particular item on craigslist, go to google.com or ebay.com to check prices there... you always want to have an idea of what your stuff is worth before you list it... just remember that an item is only worth what people will pay for it, so be willing to negotiate some. Once you have an idea of what you want (and you've taken the necessary pictures), click on the post tab in the upper right corner. Select the correct categories and create a title and description for your item. You can reference other websites, post pictures, and post pick-up arrangements... then list your item. Craigslist postings will expire, but you can easily relist if you have an account. As for the exchange, many people feel uncomfortable having strangers to their house. Our rule is that both my husband and I have to be home, and unless they need to come inside, we do the exchange on the porch. Usually, we've found it easier to tote the item into town and exchange either at work or in a public place (Barracks shopping center parking lot is a popular exchange place).
A few tips...

1. Do not create one listing for multiple items unless you are selling similar items as a lot. As people are scrolling through craigslist, they usually won't click on an item unless the title lists specifically what is in the ad. It is more work, but it's usually worth it.


2. If you want to lower the price on an item, delete the listing, wait a day, and then relist it with its' new price. If you edit the listing, it will still be listed on the day when you initially posted. If you delete first, it will re-post on today's date. You will have to re-attach pictures, so make sure they're handy.


3. When you've typed a really extensive description, select all of the text and hit copy before you click to the next screen. If your photos are too large, the error message will pop up, but it will not take you back to the screen with your text... you will have to type it all over again!


4. Delete your posting when your item is sold... you do not want to be answering "is this still available" e-mails for the next two weeks... plus it keeps the system clean. I hate clicking on an item that's still listed and finding out that it was sold.


5. Do not fall for any "I will mail you a certified check" scams. Do be careful. Not everyone is as nice as you would expect them to be!

*screen shot of craigslist account page*

If online selling isn't the thing for you, there are always yard sales and charities for your stuff. I'll post more on that later. Also, there is another site, freecycle, which is frequently used by de-clutterers... but I haven't used this site. I've posted free items on craigslist, and they are always snatched up within days. If you have any other sites, I'd love to hear about them!

My name is Adrienne and I'm a shop-a-holic...

So I don't know what started it, but I love shopping... especially for deals. The high of coming home, unloading your stuff, and looking at what you got for such a low amount of money is just awesome! Unfortunately, I used to be bad about sticking to just what I needed...

About 5 years ago, I started compulsively shopping for bargains. "DVDs for $4! I'll get 15!" Seriously. I'm not happy getting one book for $1... I have to pick up 65 (yes, that has actually happened). You don't even know how overboard I went when a local used book store shut down and sold its' wares for .50 each. And then there was the craigslist posting for 1,000 FREE books.... my book collection is seriously out of control. In my dream home, complete with the two story library, it would work well... in my 1,000 square foot home, not so much. The worst purchases, though, were the ones that we haven't even used yet!

Two years ago we moved from our tiny, 500-600 square foot apartment to our new house... we barely had any furniture at the time. It took us less than a year to fill it up! No, we aren't made of money, which is why this was a problem.

Since late last year I've really made an effort to curb these tendencies. I still try to save as much as possible... nothing like the thrill of a good bargain... but I try to keep myself in check. Will I ever use this? Is this something that I have the space to store until I will need it? Is this something I can re-sell if I determine that I don't need it?

My only problem right now is sorting the stuff that I've already accumulated. Last month, we had a series of three yard sales and we were able to get rid of a lot of stuff that we weren't using. I still have things left over from the yard sales that I'm in the process of listing on craigslist... and we have a pile of stuff for donation. Slow, baby steps are my solution for managing the stuff.

I've been participating in a thread in the Amazon Gold Box Forum called "hoarding, disorganized, OCD -- HELP!" and it's been really insightful to read about other people's struggles with clutter. If anyone else is having trouble managing stuff, I'd highly recommend the thread here. It's great to have a support group for shop-a-holics, hoarders, and accumulators.

Grocery Day!

So, because the economy is wrecking havoc on the construction industry, my employer has cut back our hours. While I've always wished for three day weekends, it's not quite as much fun without pay... or without Drew here to share it with! Today I decided to take advantage of my day off by going shopping as frugally as possible.

My total out of pocket - $36.25

My purchases:

Here is what I bought and spent per store:

Kroger - 6.16

• Bisquick
• Nature Sweet cherry tomato bags - 2
• Green Giant frozen white corn
• Bird's Eye mixed veggies - 2
• Suave deodorant
• Brut deodorant
• Bertolli premium sauce packet

Kroger Plus savings: 6.70

Coupons: 6.70

Total Savings: 13.40

Harris Teeter - 16.93

• Gain detergent
• French's brown mustard - 2
• Lady Speedstick 24/7
• St Ives Apricot Scrub - 2
• Oikos Greek yogurt
• Yoplait yogurt - 20
• Halls cough drops - 3

VIC card savings: 16.44

Coupon savings: 11.60

Total savings: 28.04

Giant - 11.45

• Hostess donuts
• Fiber One strawberry yogurt
• Yo-Plus strawberry yogurt
• Yo-Plus blackberry pomegranate yogurt
• Duncan Hines brownies - 4
• Knorr terriyaki rice - 2
• V8 Fusion

BonusCard savings: 5.32

Coupon savings: 6.50

Thank you savings: .55

Total Savings: 12.37

CVS - 1.30

• Kellogg's Fruit Loops - 2
• Softsoap Apricot Scrub body wash
• Sobe Lifewater - 2
• Natural Dentist Healthy Gums rinse
• Orbit Big-E pak
• Trident Extra - 2

CVS card savings - 6.67

Coupons - 13.78

ECBs used - 9.98

Total saved - 30.43

ECB's earned - 8.99

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Total Saved - 84.24

First Post

So, I'm a little late jumping on the blog-wagon, but I want a place to post my thoughts, ideas, and advice. I am a young, married adult, starting my career in architecture. I am struggling to manage my weight, my stuff, and my budget! I hope that by sharing my journey and my struggles, I might help myself and others in difficult situations!