I have blogged before on my experiences learning to use coupons. There is definitely a big learning curve. And, remember, all those coupon shows that show women buying hundreds of dollars of stuff with pennies don't show them going back in to buy the meat, dairy, fruit and veggies they will need to actually feed their families for the next week.
You CAN save a lot with coupons, but it is a lot of work and it doesn't cover everything.
My pursuit has been derailed, though.
No, we didn't suddenly become so rich we don't need to worry about saving money. But I have blogged before about my families problems with allergies. Trying to eliminate them has had the affect of making almost all coupons worthless to us.
"Hmmm, a great coupon for the dish soap Jackie is allergic to. Oh, and here's one for the laundry soap Hubby's allergic to. Good shampoo coupons, but that's next on my list of eliminating and since Jackie had another bad school day, I better make that switch sooner than later."
I have had weeks where I have cut a whole ONE coupon out from the two papers Hubby buys each week- put together!
This week was actually better than normal, but still very few we will use. And I can't do the normal coupon-er thing of taking advantage of coupons that get us free stuff because I don't want the allergy causers to be in the house at all. And it seems a bit hypocritical to get the free stuff to give to charities: "Hey this stuff is poison for my family but I'll give it to you:-)"
I now make my own laundry soap and dish soap (replaced fabric softener with vinegar when we first married because Hubby is allergic.) I also make my own yogurt so I can control dyes and artificial flavorings, so those nice and reliable Yoplait coupons don't help now.
Thankfully, it turns out making my own is much cheaper anyway. Turns out all these things we buy in the store that we think are staples are really convenience items. We are paying people to mix our borax, washing soda and soap (and dyes and perfumes and chemical preservatives) together for us to wash our laundry with.
I have also begun to look for ways to get rid of disposables. Not a lot of success actually doing it yet, but there are plans. I had just stocked up on Kleenex, for example, when we started really caring for the allergies. I have been picking up handkerchiefs since, so when the Kleenex runs out we won't rebuy.
I am just potty training my youngest instead of going back to cloth, since our septic is messed up and the extra laundry wouldn't be good. Would rather have him potty trained anyway.
In that vein, here is what I am thinking of getting Hubby for Father's Day: http://www.strawesome.com/
Imagine! No more plastic taste with our water!
And just to show I hold no grudges to coupons, still believe in them to a certain extent in fact, here is a coupon for my book maker: (and by "book maker" I mean the company that prints and puts together the books I have written, not someone to make bets with:-D)
15STACK
Type this into the checkout for 15% off of 15 or more books!
So, What non-disposable items does your family use? What things do you make for yourself? Inspire me!
You CAN save a lot with coupons, but it is a lot of work and it doesn't cover everything.
My pursuit has been derailed, though.
No, we didn't suddenly become so rich we don't need to worry about saving money. But I have blogged before about my families problems with allergies. Trying to eliminate them has had the affect of making almost all coupons worthless to us.
"Hmmm, a great coupon for the dish soap Jackie is allergic to. Oh, and here's one for the laundry soap Hubby's allergic to. Good shampoo coupons, but that's next on my list of eliminating and since Jackie had another bad school day, I better make that switch sooner than later."
I have had weeks where I have cut a whole ONE coupon out from the two papers Hubby buys each week- put together!
This week was actually better than normal, but still very few we will use. And I can't do the normal coupon-er thing of taking advantage of coupons that get us free stuff because I don't want the allergy causers to be in the house at all. And it seems a bit hypocritical to get the free stuff to give to charities: "Hey this stuff is poison for my family but I'll give it to you:-)"
I now make my own laundry soap and dish soap (replaced fabric softener with vinegar when we first married because Hubby is allergic.) I also make my own yogurt so I can control dyes and artificial flavorings, so those nice and reliable Yoplait coupons don't help now.
Thankfully, it turns out making my own is much cheaper anyway. Turns out all these things we buy in the store that we think are staples are really convenience items. We are paying people to mix our borax, washing soda and soap (and dyes and perfumes and chemical preservatives) together for us to wash our laundry with.
I have also begun to look for ways to get rid of disposables. Not a lot of success actually doing it yet, but there are plans. I had just stocked up on Kleenex, for example, when we started really caring for the allergies. I have been picking up handkerchiefs since, so when the Kleenex runs out we won't rebuy.
I am just potty training my youngest instead of going back to cloth, since our septic is messed up and the extra laundry wouldn't be good. Would rather have him potty trained anyway.
In that vein, here is what I am thinking of getting Hubby for Father's Day: http://www.strawesome.com/
Imagine! No more plastic taste with our water!
And just to show I hold no grudges to coupons, still believe in them to a certain extent in fact, here is a coupon for my book maker: (and by "book maker" I mean the company that prints and puts together the books I have written, not someone to make bets with:-D)
15STACK
Type this into the checkout for 15% off of 15 or more books!
So, What non-disposable items does your family use? What things do you make for yourself? Inspire me!
No comments:
Post a Comment