recycling centers and you can't get into them to find coupons and couponing on the internet is BIG business! There are sites to order coupons, sites to tell you what stores are having sales and which coupons match which sales and much much MORE! I've been doing this a long time and still find some of the new info overwhelming! My friend Cindy introduced me to couponing and taught me most of what I know ( I have discovered a few things on my own ;) ). She is asked repeatedly "How she does it" and so she has decided to do a coupon class locally for anyone interested in getting started with coupon shopping! If you are local to the North Georgia Area, here is the info:
Learn Couponing with our Local
"Coupon Queen" Cindy Ryals
When: Tuesday, March 16th,2010 6-8pm
Where: Union County Civic Center
Fee: $10.00
Fee Includes a packet of handouts
to help you put all the information to use at home!
Topics Include
"Where do I get my coupons?"
"What do I get with my coupons?"
"How do I use them effectively?"
For more information or to pre-register (recommended)
Call Cindy at 706-897-3123
Even though I've been using coupons and trying to eat better for less, I've never really thought about a grocey "budget"...I mean, you've gotta eat, right? How can you "budget" that? Well, I'm learning! This year I am keeping track of my grocery expenses...pretty much every expense, including the pizza and soda from Wal-mart on Friday nights. I was surprised that even though I have a "stock pile" and a full freezer, how much I've been spending on groceries! It's all the "unplanned for" things that come up (like giving the kids a hot dog and s'more roast during this beautiful weather) and those Friday pizza/movie nights we've been having!
I found the MommySnacks.net Grocery Savings Chart over at MommySnacks.net and I enter every receipt into it! Once you enter your info, it does the math for you! It even lets you enter the store name so you can keep track of which stores you frequent and/or spend the most! There is a note section, where I keep track of promotions like Catalina deals or double/triple coupons. I can also make a note on an unexpected expense like the hotdog cookout. I hope to know how to spend more effectively after using this spreadsheet.
Normally when I find something like this, I want to change this or that to customize it for my needs or way of doing things. I am pretty happy with this just the way it is! Here is a screenshot of the original version. Mine is about two weeks behind and after two unexpected shopping trips I'm putting off updating...shame on me.
When it's caught up, I'll share mine! ;o)
This works for me, so I'm gonna share it over at "Works for me Wednesday"
i have a hard time sticking to our budget. {sigh} can't wait to check out that spreadsheet. I tried making my own up and never got around to finishing it ;)
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