Lately it seems there has been a revival on using coupons – in a BIG way. This isn’t your ordinary using a coupon when your store is running a sale, this is crazy couponing that can cut your grocery bill by over 90%. You read that right. If you watch any of the coupon videos we have posted here, then you will see women save even more than 90%. How do they do it? Now, that part is not so simple – but it can be done. Just ask the Coupon Queen (watch the video at the bottom of this post)

How it’s done – Basically

Saving money with coupons is work, but work that can pay fairly well if you figure it by the hour. The more you do it, the less time it will take you, but figure on spending at least 3-5 hours every week putting it all together at the beginning. Collecting coupons will also take some time, because it goes without saying – the more coupons you have the more you will save. Having the right coupons on hand when the right store is offering the sale is key.

I’m not a coupon-guru, but have been matching coupons and store sales for over 30 years.After researching this coupon phenomenon, I’ve decided it’s just taking it to a deeper level. Spend the time, you’ll save the cash – along with experience.

Basically start with these steps:

• Find local stores that will double coupons and take more than one coupon for an item. Using a columnar pad sheet or Excel on your computer, start your list.
• Once you have your list of stores written down along with their coupon policies, then you will want to find the best way to get their weekly sales flyer. Note the dates the flyer typical comes out.
• Start accumulating truckloads of coupons.  A few ways to do this would be to ask your neighbors and friends to pass along their stray coupons, buy the Sunday paper, and if all else fails, buy them off of Ebay. There are many websites that will list best coupon finds, but this is a bottomless pit you have to decide how much time you will spend searching for coupons. We listed a few websites at the bottom of this post that offer printable coupons.
• Organize your coupons. Here is a video that shows an efficient way to organize your coupons with a binder you create yourself:

Now, there are two stores that are mentioned frequently that seem to be where many of these amazing stories are really from. CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens both have in store programs that compound ways you can save. Watch this video from Coupon Mom and you’ll see what I mean:

Don’t have time to do all this work?

I hear you. Over the years, it seems there are seasons of life that you have more time than money, and other seasons you have more money than time. Regardless,  most of us still want to save money anyway we can. The best way that I’ve found to make the most of your grocery dollar is with Walmart’s Comp program – especially if you live in a more rural area that driving from store to store isn’t practical. That may not be the official name of Walmart’s program, but it’s where Walmart will ‘comp’ any sale price that you can offer proof of the price. This way, I sit down with all the local ads (I pull Kroger’s off the internet and print them out-just make sure the date is somewhere on the print out) and write down the best price for every item that I need for that week. Often, I will even use whatever meat is on sale to plan that week’s menu. Then, I’ll match whatever coupons to the sales, and I’m off to the store. Just don’t forget your sale ads, most Walmarts won’t give you the sale price without it.

For items available at CVS and Walgreens, if you have one close by, I would look into that, too. We don’t have one by us, so it’s not something I’ve tried….yet. (plan to, though!)

Stockpile the best sales

Our final tip is to begin your grocery back stock if you haven’t already. I know that most budgets don’t have much wiggle room, but if you are saving anything at all with your coupon efforts, take that extra money and buy extra of items that are the best deals. Many of the videos I’ve listed here show outrageously stocked pantries, and that is where much of the saving takes place. It’s those emergency trips to the store for a forgotten item at full price that can burst your savings bubble! I really hate paying full price for anything.

Websites to find coupons and savings:

Kroger – you can view current sales, click on the items you want and print a list in only a few minutes. There are also coupons you can download to your Kroger Card if you tend to forget them.

Coupons.com – THE coupon site, you can scroll through hundreds of available coupons easily and print the ones you want.

The Parent Rewards Card - An amazing way to save on non-food items and activities

Coupon Mom – Check out her entire system and database of deals and coupons. You will probably find the most information here. She also has a book that has made the NY Times Bestseller List -  The Coupon Mom’s Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half: The Strategic Shopping Method Proven to Slash Food and Drugstore Costs.

Cool Savings – One of the top coupon sites online, a little too much advertising, but a concentrated source of coupons!

Pinching Your Pennies.com – a great blog with useful advice and the latest coupons

Here’s the Coupon Queen:

How often should you drink green tea?

The more the better (within reason, remember, there is caffeine in it), but if you are drinking it to help your diet along, then a cup every few hours is recommended because:

Green tea is another excellent choice when you’re looking for a little caffeine. Not only is it calorie-free, some research suggests green tea extract may stimulate weight loss through the action of phytochemicals. These are plant-based compounds that may temporarily cause the body to burn more calories and melt fat. The benefit appears to last only a few hours, so it may help to drink green tea at least twice a day. *(WebMD-see below)

What is the difference between green, black, white and oolong tea?

The Tea Man has a chart that shows how each tea is processed. Basically, they all come from the same tea leaf, but differ in the following ways:

White tea: simply steamed and dried

Green tea: withered, steamed, rolled and dried (some variations)

Oolong tea: withered, bruised, fermented briefly, pan fried and dried

Black tea: withered, rolled or cut, fully fermented, dried

Since green tea goes through much less processing the concentration of catechins and other healthful ingredients are higher. The ‘bioavailability’ of the healthy components  in teas are limited to begin with, so the less they have to go through to start working in your body, the better. Quality does make a difference in how healthful that cup of tea is for you. So if you are buying it for health reasons, then look for the good stuff. Research using extract (pill form)  is coming back very positive, also. (I buy the Green Tea Extract at Swanson for just $3.59/100 caps)

Read more here at Web MD about the health benefits of green tea and find TONS of great health information, videos,  BMI charts, a food and fitness planner, and a diet evaluator.  Worth the trip!

*the quote above was found on Web MD’s website in an article called ‘Skinny Sipping Slideshow’. Check it out and read what drinks will help you lose weight  and which ones will NOT!

Here is the list of the 5 worst diets ever (from WebMD):

1. Diets that focus on only a few foods or food groups

2. “Detox” diets (like Master Cleanse, the Hallelujah Diet, and The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox).

3. Diets with ‘miracle’ foods or ingredients (like supplements, fructose water, bitter orange, green tea, apple cider vinegar).

4. Fasting and very low-calorie diets (like the “Skinny” vegan diet, Hollywood Diet, and Master Cleanse).

5. Diets that sound too good to be true (like The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About.)

So, where does that leave you if you want to lose weight? Well, if you do the math, with 3500 calories making up one pound:

Shave off 100 calories a day = 10 pounds of weight loss/year! Almost exactly! To lose 2 pounds per week, you need to burn 1000 more calories per day than your body needs. So if your normal intake is 2500/day, cut it back to 1500. Some good websites to calculate what your body needs and the calories in most foods are:

http://www.sparkpeople.com (one of my favorites!)

http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/calorie_counter.asp

http://caloriecount.about.com/

A few days ago we tried to sort out the pros and cons of getting the flu vaccine, and I promised to give you some ideas for some natural remedies that really work. Since most people already reach for the vitamin C to avert sickness, I’m not going to include the traditional Vitamin C recommendation, so as not to insult your nutritional intelligence. I will suggest you buy the good OJ that has the “immunity” tags on it, because I still think that getting your vitamins from your food is always the best place to start.

The following supplements are all staples around our house, and we can vouch for their effectiveness. However, I’m not allowed by the FDA to say anything cures anything, so you can read between the lines, if you will. This is just what we do when we don’t feel just right – and we rarely get sick. That doesn’t mean that sometimes we don’t feel like something is trying to attack – but our defense line always seems to win! Hope it helps your family stay healthy this winter.

1. Get enough sleep. Read my recent post that referred to an article in the New York Times that cited studies that (getting the right amount of) sleep is better than Vitamin C. However, it’s been suggested that Vitamin C will help you sleep.

2. Drink plenty of water. Don’t stop at the recommended 8 glasses per day. . . keep drinking!

3. Kyolic Garlic. I want to be clear that all garlic supplements are NOT created equal! This isn’t an article on garlic, so I won’t give you all the stinky details, but the medicinal component of garlic is allicin, and is easily destroyed. Kyolic has earned our full trust after years of research into this powerful antioxidant, antibiotic, anti-parasitic and more. We even rubbed the liquid onto the soles of our babies* (it absorbs through their skin) at the suggestion of a midwife for a cold. Do not be without this one this winter. Kyolic’s aging process preserves the medicinal properties and curbs the side effects of the garlic odor. Another remedy for the smell: eat a few fennel seeds (they really taste good!). Fresh garlic is always optimum, and if you can manage to eat 2-6 medium cloves a day, go for it!

4. Zinc. You can take too much zinc, so more is not better, but most people do NOT get enough in their regular diets. A zinc deficiency will make it more difficult for your body to fight infection, and many people swear by the zinc lozenges that are advertised to help fight viruses. Many of the expensive “immune defense” products in the pharmacy are simply different forms of zinc, and you can buy the supplement for as low as $3 for a 100 ct. bottle of 50 mg tablets. Children should never take more than 25 mg in a day, adults 150-200 is toxic. Different situations may increase your need for zinc, and this article at Drugs.com lists them and will give you more important facts to know. You may already be taking some zinc in your multi, so be sure to check. We take one 50 mg. tablet if we feel something coming on.

5. Oregano. Once you take the garlic, then take the oregano, and your friends will swear that you work at a pizzaria. You will think you do too! This is a little known remedy that we have had phenomenal results with. We have found oregano so effective, you’ll find 1 oz bottles of oregano oil, oregano oil capsules, oregano extract caps, and a product called Oregamax and Oregabiotic all in our ‘medicine cabinet’ at any given time. There’s even an oregano sinus spray that I love. What you must know about oregano oil is that all oregano oils are not created equal. Oregano and Thyme are similar, and often confused, even purposely interchanged. The problem with this is that thyme oil can be toxic to the liver, so stick with a reputable brand that states the active ingredient in oregano, carvacrol. North American Spice is considered one of the premium brands, started by Dr. Cass Ingram, author of The Cure Is In The Cupboard.

6.  Echinacea Complete Care Tea -Echinacea, Vitamin C, zinc, eucalytus, peppermint and stevia and more in a palatable tea. You can use a little honey to enhance the flavor, or dip a bag of Good Earth Tea Red Tea Sweet & Spicy, 25-Count Boxes (Pack of 6) (my favorite tea) in for a minute or two to make it delicious with no added sugar OR calories.

7. Olive Leaf - a passing conversation with a naturopath that rated Olive Leaf at the top of her list of disease fighters, and a little research later, it’s now on my ‘must have’ list. Standardized extract is your most reliable source. Again, we like Nature’s Way.

8. Herbiotic – a product offered by Swanson Vitamins that packs the biggest immune punch I’ve found.

9. Probiotics – This is not something you should take only when you think your immune system needs a boost, but on a regular basis for continued health. Make sure you buy a reputable brand (the generic at Walmart is garbage) and keep it in the refrigerator. I’m sure there are better ones out there, but we’ve been buying Nature’s Way for more than 10 years. I’ve also come to love the yogurt, ‘Activa’. (especially the cherry flavor!)

10. Don’t complain. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”. I’m not exactly in the ‘Name it and claim it” camp, but in the last few years have studied what God says about what comes out of our mouth being more important than what goes in. Keep it real, but try an experiment next time you aren’t feeling very well. Don’t complain about it, but take your immune boosters, drink some extra water and get a good night’s sleep – then thank God foyour good health. You might be surprised how much better you feel when you refrain from complaining.

Eating plenty of fruits and veges, (carrot-apple juice is great!) limiting sweets (sugar lowers the immune system), 400 Vit D,  Alkaline tea are a few other commonly found suggestions, too.

Don’t take my word for it, here are a few other good articles to check out:

http://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/favorite-immunity-boosters/

http://www.ourbigearth.com/2009/10/09/top-10-immunity-boosters-for-kids/

Immune Soup Recipe:

It’s been proven that chicken soup really does help colds and flu pass faster, so this ‘immune soup’ could pack a punch. . . it’s worth a try!  http://www.care2.com/greenliving/immune-power-soup.html

*Please, check with your health practitioner before giving anything to your baby or child, AND none of the above is to be taken as medical advice or as an alternative to the wisdom of a medical doctor. You know the drill.

Update, 10-29-09: Two more additions to the above list that I’ve been told are indispensable: Elderberry and Vitamin D. One mom said that since she started to give her children Vitamin D they haven’t been sick once. Considering I know many families that don’t drink milk for health reasons, that could be something to think about! Thought you’d want to know.

Well, as you can imagine, like potato chips, I couldn’t just look at just ONE link! I found several new sites that I either want to network with or buy something from. Here are some of my favorite finds (so far):

Diaper Daisy- I haven’t priced around yet, but I love these diapers. OK, I know I don’t have any babies, but I have twin grandsons that are still in diapers and know how much disposible diapers cost. In addition, with the move towards going green, disposables are becoming an endangered species. My daughter is as efficient as she is frugal, and in the tug of war between frugal and efficient, disposables have won hands down. However, with prices only going up, finding a diaper that is as convenient as it’s disposable counterpart, this could be a good alternative. The best part of Diaper Daisy is their offering of a trial package that lets you sample several different types for a $9.95 rental fee, along with great pricing if you keep the package. I love that idea! Check out all the details here..

Flourish Enrichment is another site that shows a lot of promise. Most homeschooling families have trouble incorporating two main elements into their curriculum: Art and Science (experiments). When you are buying for a large group, the cost of all the supplies isn’t an issue, but for one or two students it’s a different story. Flourish offers really unique art projects with everything you need for around $5. Finally!

Peanut Butter and Pickles Reviews is a must go-to if you are a mompreneur. Offering reviews for the cost of a sample product, this is a great site. If you’re NOT a mompreneur, it’s still a great site to go to for winning samples of products simply for giving  your opinion. This site is growing fast, but it’s still at that stage that you have a REALLY good chance of winning some cool stuff.

Foundation Studio caught my eye with a great blog design that I LOVE! I know, am I going to change my blog design AGAIN? Some women like shoes, some like clothes, some like furniture…well, I like blog design shopping! I really like that Foundation Studio… 1) is run my a mom just like us (ok, maybe she’s a little more creative…) and 2) she lists her prices. Think about it, as an online entrepreneur we don’t have to spend as much on our personal appearance (in theory) as someone working an outside job, but our blog appearance is our calling card…so we should look good, don’t you think?

There’s more, but that’s all for today. Check it out for yourself at:  The Mom Mogul, Friday Link Love

You can’t lose taking some time posting your link and finding some new ‘link-love’ in your life!