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You know the feeling. The burnout. The feeling of dread when you know you have to go to the store but realize you haven’t cut out your coupons yet. The anticipation of receiving your Sunday newspaper to get caught up on the news only to remember that along with the paper comes coupons that you are supposed to save, use and NOT just place in the recycle bin. The feeling of guilt after leaving the grocery store knowing you didn’t use any coupons. You are burnt out.

I’ve been couponing for 9+ years now. Through the years I’ve had periods of time where I’ve loved everything about couponing – I’ve loved the highs of getting awesome deals (that felt more like “steals”), overflowing stockpiles, and finding those amazing deals where you know you will never get a better one (I mean really, can you beat getting paid to take home toothpaste by CVS?). But along with those highs, I’ve also had some lows. The moments where exhaustion from parenting, working full-time and trying to maintain a home have overcome me and instead of shopping with coupons, I have skipped shopping entirely because I didn’t want to feel the self-imposed guilt from knowing I spent full price. I’ve also been so frustrated that Tampa, Florida no longer gets Red Plum inserts that I’ve wanted to kick, scream and throw a tantrum while at the same giving up on couponing entirely. The disappointment through the years as I’ve watched the cost of food rise and the value of coupons decrease. The highs are always fun. But the lows are always just as disappointing and frustrating.

Through my years running this blog, I’ve had countless friends give me excuses as to why they don’t coupon.

Some say “I only buy organic food.” (and then I look in their shopping cart and see non-organic ice cream, cake mix and chips…). 

Others says “I don’t have the time.” (and then I see them commenting on Facebook all.day.long which leads me to think they do have time – they just use it on other endeavors.)

While others will say “I don’t know how to use coupons.” (and then I feel bad because it’s my job to help them learn how to use coupons and obviously, it’s my fault they are confused.)

But the truly honest will say “I hate couponing.” And to you, I want to tell you that it is OKAY for you to hate couponing.

If you are someone who experiences the highs and lows of couponing like me, when you get sick of couponing and find that it is more of a frustrating chore than an empowering endeavor, TAKE TIME OFF. Stop buying Sunday papers (Yep – I said that). Save your ink and computer paper and stop printing coupons. Go ahead and pay full price without paying attention to what is on sale for a couple weeks. And then, once you feel ready to start saving money again, ease back into couponing slowly. The world will not stop if you take time off from couponing.

If you are burnt out, examine how much time you spend couponing. You should not be spending hours and hours each week getting ready to shop. (Unless you are a frugal blogger like me in which case every minute of the day is spent looking at coupons and online deals )

When your grocery store’s sales flier comes out, flip through it and buy what’s on sale. If you need something that isn’t on sale and it’s urgent (i.e. bath tissue), buy it full price. (Yep – I said that too.) If you need something but have enough to last you a week or two, hold off paying full price and wait to see if it goes on sale. Then buy it.

Then, slowly integrate coupons back into your life. Start with printable coupons. I’ve found that within the past two years, 75% of the coupons I use are printables. Honestly, if I stopped buying the Sunday paper, I probably wouldn’t miss many deals (especially since I no longer get Red Plum inserts being that I live in Tampa).

I post high value coupons daily. Head HERE to bookmark my High Value Coupons page and once you are ready to start using coupons, follow this page. And once you are ready to buy what’s on sale, head HERE to see if I post your local grocery store’s coupon matchups. I try to do all of the hard work for you.

If you are saying “I hate couponing”, take time off to regroup. Once you are ready to start couponing again, it will be fun and you will once again be empowered as you save money that you can put towards debt, savings or luxury items. Couponing should be enjoyable. Not another job. Let’s be honest, we all have a lot of jobs already don’t we?

Have you taken a break from couponing? If so, why? Do you think you will get back into couponing? Share your thoughts – I would love to know that I’m not alone!

The post I Hate Couponing appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

If you are wanting to watch some new movies and TV shows, don’t miss this! Right now on Amazon we can get a FREE 30 Day Trial to HBO! Head HERE to get your freebie. If you decide not to extend your HBO plan after the free 30 days, head HERE prior to your trial period ending and cancel your plan.

Fine print: By signing up for a subscription or starting a free trial, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the Prime Terms of Use and the Amazon Video Terms of Use and authorize us to charge your designated card or another card on file $14.99/month for HBO and any applicable taxes; if you signed-up for a trial, we won’t charge your card until the end of your trial period. Your HBO subscription continues until canceled. HBO and other monthly subscriptions can be canceled at any time by visiting Your Video Subscriptions under Your Account on amazon.com. Canceling a subscription stops the monthly recurring subscription charge, but does not refund the transaction for the current billing period. You can continue to access the subscription until the end of the then current billing period. HBO subscription is sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC.

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Most of you know that we are in the midst of adopting a 17 month old little girl. In preparation, I’ve been trying to save as much money as possible and either buy things second-hand or reuse the toys and furniture that we already have in our house. At some point, I had the idea of repainting our dresser and using it in our daughter’s nursery. Our dresser was handed down to me and it has been well-used by us these past 10 years. While the large size of the dresser may be a bit unconventional for a nursery, I love that I can store lots of clothing, diapers and wipes in it AND that it is wide enough for me to use as a changing table.

I’m not a crafty person. So the first thing I did, before tackling this project, was ask my friends on Facebook what chalk paint brands they recommend, if they had any tips and just how hard this project would in fact be. I don’t have a ton of free time so I was worried this project was going to be more than I bargained for!

I received lots of feedback. Some friends told me they spent time sanding the furniture prior to painting. Other friends told me they love chalk paint because it is user friendly. And some even said that they prefer regular paint. Then, my friend Kim from Cocoon Vintage Studio messaged me and said that she would come to my house and help me paint my dresser. And, she introduced me to her favorite brand of Chalk Paint, Dixie Belle Paint Company. I told Kim I wanted to paint my dresser white and she came to my house armed with all of the painting supplies including Dixie Belle Fluff Paint (that is the color white I wanted).

To prepare for this painting adventure, I had to do two things that took a total of 5 minutes. I had to clean my dresser with soap and water (I actually used my Thieves Cleaner to clean it) and then I had to remove the knobs. Easy.

Originally I was going to move my dresser to my garage (or maybe even our lanai) to paint it. But when I learned the paint was fumeless, I decided instead to move it to a large open space in our living room. My husband has painting tarps so we placed the dresser on a tarp.

When my friend arrived, I drilled her again making sure we didn’t need to sand the dresser prior to painting. She reassured me we didn’t need to and within a few minutes we were painting. So, one thing I did learn – the lighter the paint color, the more coats you will need to paint. So, be prepared – if you choose a light color like white, you will have to do multiple coats. (I never would have predicted this.. but remember, I am not a DIY person ) The other thing I learned is that my dresser’s drawers do not come out (except for the bottom right drawer which is broken). This made painting much more difficult. But it was still doable.

We painted using a regular painter’s paint brush. We watered the chalk paint down with a spray bottle with water occasionally spraying our paint brushes. I would ask my friend (every few minutes) if I was doing okay and she would reaffirm that there was really no way for me to mess this project up.

After we painted 3 coats and the dresser was a solid white, we used very light sandpaper (220) to sand the entire dresser making it nice and smooth to the touch. Then we used black brushes to apply Dixie Belle Clear Coat Satin Finish to the dresser. Once we were done, all I had to do was let the dresser dry!

Let me tell you, I am in awe of how easy this project was! For two people, it took us 3 hours to tackle this project. And it would have gone much quicker if I chose a darker color. I’m also amazed by how far the paint went. I barely used any paint. The 32 oz containers you see in the picture above would cover LOTS of furniture. I’m already thinking about my next project. I purchased a beat up Eddie Bauer high chair and I’m thinking about painting it in Dixie Belle’s “Limeade.”  My kitchen is a mixture of light cabinets and dark cabinets and I think the fun yellow/green color would go great!

What do you think of my finished product?

Before & After Shots

And now for the giveaway! One reader will win a $150 Dixie Belle Paint Voucher!

To enter, fill in the rafflecopter giveaway form below! As a mandatory form of entry, make sure you follow the first entry task (leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite Dixie Belle Paint Color). Then, for additional entries, complete the additional tasks. This giveaway goes through Saturday, April 23rd at 11:59 pm EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post and giveaway is sponsored by Dixie Belle Paint. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

The post Ends Tonight: $150 Giveaway & Dixie Belle Chalk Paint Dresser Makeover appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

If you have not signed up for Fuel Rewards, now is the time! From now until June 5, when you sign up for the Fuel Rewards Program, you will save 25 cents per gallon on your first fill up. And, you will save an additional 3 cents per gallon on your fuel balance on each future fill-up! Go HERE to sign up! You will then want to link your Winn-Dixie Card, Fuel Rewards Program Card and credit cards to your account!

There are countless ways to earn Fuel Rewards and save on gas. You can save by shopping online, eating out, and shopping at grocery stores like Winn-Dixie, HyVee and BI-LO! At Winn-Dixie and BI-LO, for every $50.00 you spend on groceries, you will save $0.05 on gas! And don’t forget, every week we post Winn-Dixie’s Weekly Ad & Coupon Matchups and BI-LO’s Weekly Ad & Coupon Matchups!

One Fuel Rewards member paid a total of 19 cents for 20 gallons worth of fuel, and even if they just saved the guaranteed 3 cents per gallon, that’s still almost a dollar off per tank!

Once you have signed up for Fuel Rewards, you need to tell your friends! For every friend that you refer, you will save 25¢/gal AND they will save 25¢/gal too!

Have you saved big with Fuel Rewards? How much have you saved? Leave a comment letting me know or share your totals on social media using the hashtag #MyFuelRewards

This blog post is sponsored by Fuel Rewards Network. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

The post Sign Up for Fuel Perks and Save 25¢ Per Gallon appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

You may have read my post from a few weeks ago, I Hate Couponing. The post really resonated with countless (and I mean countless) of you. Apparently, I’m not the only person who has a love/hate relationship with couponing! Many of you said that you did not enjoy couponing BUT you had to get back into it due to tight finances. And this post is for you! This post is for every person who is currently taking time off from couponing and is trying to figure out how to get back into couponing without getting burnt out again.  Or, if you are on a tight budget and need to save money at the grocery store, but don’t know where to start, this post will help you too.

Steps to Get Back Into Couponing After Burnout

1) Start Slowly. First, try to focus on buying what’s on sale and do not worry about coupons. And let me be even more specific – don’t buy everything that’s on sale at every single store just because it is on sale. Instead, buy groceries that are on sale (that your family likes and will use)  at one store and begin planning the meals you cook each week’s meals based on what is on sale at that one store. Specifically focus on Buy One Get One Free sales or 50% off sales!

Did you notice how I’m stressing that you need to shop at just one store? I can’t tell you how many readers get super excited about couponing and then decide to shop at two drugstores, one grocery store and one super center each week. Let me be very specific with you – STOP doing that. You will get burnt out if you are driving all over trying to take advantage of all of the deals available. Focus on one store and don’t get distracted by the other stores.

2) Start Using Ibotta. I went back and forth between having this as your second step and having this as one of your last steps. Finally, I decided that because Ibotta is SO easy to use, as you are getting back into couponing, I want you to use this before you use a single coupon. Don’t forget, the goal is to NOT get burnt out again. Ibotta is a phone app. The way it works is when you purchase certain items, you get paid cash. We can get paid on purchasing specific items by specific brands as well as non-brand specific items like fresh apples or bagged lettuce or a jar of red sauce. If you haven’t signed up for Ibotta, go HERE to sign up. Download the app to your phone and browse through it to see all of the current offers.

What I do every week is once I get home from the grocery store, I scan the items onto the Ibotta app that have Ibotta offers and then take a picture of my receipt (while on my Ibotta app). Within a few hours, Ibotta will pay me. You can cash out after you have reached a minimum balance of $20.00. I have been paid hundreds and hundreds of dollars from Ibotta doing just this. It’s truly so simple.

3) Start Printing Coupons. Once you find that you easily are able to cook based on what is on sale each week, start printing coupons to use on the groceries you are buying. My favorite website for printable coupons is HERE. Now. Remember we want to avoid burnout. So don’t print every single coupon. Only print the coupons on products that your family likes.

4) Pay Attention to Coupon Matchups. Since you are already buying what is on sale, your next step is to combine the printable coupons you’ve printed with the sales. Don’t forget that I have coupon matchups for countless stores here on Addicted to Saving. (Go HERE to see all of the stores I highlight.) These coupon matchups list everything that is on sale as well as all of the available coupons you can use. And if there are printable coupons you can use, I give you the links to the coupons. The grocery lists are even printable so you can print out all of the groceries that you want to buy!

5) Start buying the Sunday newspaper. I’m no longer a huge fan of the Sunday paper mainly because where I live (Tampa Bay), the Red Plum insert no longer comes in our Sunday papers. So, while those of you who live elsewhere will get lots of coupon inserts most Sundays, I’m often short coupon inserts. But if you are at this point in your couponing journey, you should start buying newspapers. I recommend buying two papers a week. Why two? That way when there is a Buy One Get One Free sale, you can use two coupons on the two items on sale. This will instantly save you well over 50%!

6) Use Your Store’s Loyalty Card. If your store has an online coupon system that connects to a store loyalty card, use it! It is an easy way to save at the checkout counter just by scanning your card (or if you shop at Publix, by giving your phone #.)

7) Begin to Stockpile. I know I know. You read this an your insides got a little queasy. I’m not telling you to go crazy stockpiling. But I am telling you that if you find an awesome deal on pasta sauce, buy 4 jars of it instead of one or two. I don’t have a magic number for you for stockpiling either. As you get really comfortable couponing, my general rule of thumb is to have enough food to last you a couple of months in your stockpile. That said, always pay attention to expiration dates.  It’s not worth it to buy 3, 4, 5 months worth of food if it expires in just a few weeks.

Lastly, Take a Deep Breath and Have Fun. If you are spending hours and hours getting ready to go shopping each week then you are doing something wrong. If you are going through printer ink and printer paper every month because you are printing so many coupons then you are printing too many.

The post How to Get Back Into Couponing After Burnout appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

Make sure you don’t miss ANY deals on toys, games, electronics and more! Join Addicted to Saving’s Holiday Deals Facebook group and stay on top of all of the latest deals! And, don’t miss my 2015 Holiday Gift Guide to see all of the gift ideas I am loving this year!

ACK! Black Friday is almost here! Can you believe it? This is the absolute busiest time of year for me from a blogging standpoint. I’m constantly updating my 2015 Holiday Gift Guide, posting regular grocery store and drugstore deals as well as posting as many gift deals as I can find. In the midst of my work schedule, I will take the time to prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Do you go shopping on Black Friday? I know many of you do. Personally, I will not be stepping foot in any stores on Black Friday.  Instead, I will be sitting online all day Black Friday and all day Cyber Monday posting deals on Addicted to Saving for all of you.  But if you ARE planning on heading out in the chaos known as Black Friday, I have some tips for you to make your day smooth AND frugal.

1) Make a Plan

Don’t go into your Black Friday shopping frenzy without a plan. Most stores will offer their sale ads online days before Thanksgiving, and we will be posting Black Friday ads as soon as they come available here on Addicted to Saving. We also have a Black Friday Category and a Black Friday Page that we will be updating as the ads/deals come available, so bookmark the page in your browser for easy access.  Of course, you can grab a newspaper and plan your strategy after your Thanksgiving meal if you prefer. Either way, you need a plan.  Saving money doesn’t just magically happen!  Decide which bargains you want to go for then make a plan to make it happen. You will need to decide which stores you want to shop at and make a list of the items you want to buy at each store. Decide in which order you will go to which store.

2) Make a List & Stick To It

Don’t rely upon your memory — Black Friday will be stressful, confusing, and very busy. Write down your list of items at each store, or print the deals you really want from the Black Friday Ads in the Black Friday Page. If you veer from your list, you will end up spending more money than planned. And let’s be honest, on Black Friday it’s really easy to just pull our credit card out and buy everything we see because we automatically assume they are good deals. That isn’t always the case. So stick to your list and don’t get distracted by the bright shiny sale signs.

3) Set Your Budget

I can’t tell you how important this is. While I will find you plenty of wonderful Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, you shouldn’t buy something just because it’s a deal!  Make a budget for how much you want to spend during your Black Friday excursion and stick to it. Will you be paying cash, writing checks, or using debit and credit cards? Decide ahead of time how much money you want to spend and how you want to spend it. I discourage credit card shopping as much as possible, unless you are in a financial position where you are 100% comfortable that you will pay it off in full the next billing cycle.  As you make your shopping list, note how many you need of each item. And keep in mind that some stores may impose limits on their best deals.

4) Bring a Friend

To make your Black Friday shopping a success, you may need to call in the troops. Enlist fellow savers in your shopping spree master-schedule. Will you be taking the whole family? Will you be shopping with friends? Put your heads together as you plan your strategy. If there are five shoppers in your group and five stores that you all want to shop at, make out your lists then split them up. Instead of each of you having your list of items from five different stores, send one person to one store with everyone’s list for that particular store.

5) Use Your Cell Phones

If you are shopping with a group, be sure to make use of your cell phones to communicate while you are shopping. Keep each other posted about your whereabouts and what items you have managed to snag so there are not unnecessary duplicates.

6) Shop Online

Since I’m online all the time anyhow trying to find deals for you all (and myself!), I’m more of an online kind of Black Friday shopper. Join my Holiday Deals group on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and set up your Twitter account to get a text every time I post a deal. Then turn it off once the Holiday Shopping season is over (or keep it on to get year round deals!)    See my post HERE about how to turn on Text Alerts on your twitter account.  Both of these ways are excellent ways to stay on top of the latest deals.

7)  Find out Return Policies and KEEP your receipts.

8) Realize that Black Friday sales are not always good deals. 

There was one year  when my husband and I decided to get up early like so many of you do on Black Friday. We left the house around 4:00 a.m. and were in line at Best Buy before the doors opened.  When the doors opened, we went crazy piling junk into our cart.  Why do I say junk? Because we had NO reason to be buying all of the stuff we bought! We got caught up in the frenzy and found ourselves buying things we didn’t need.  This brings me back to my first two tips Make a Plan and then Make a List and Stick to it!

Make sure you join the group Holiday Gift Ideas for Less to insure you don’t miss any deals. 

The post How to Save on Black Friday appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

Fox 13 came over today to talk to me about the coupon. It’s tough for me because when I saw all of the Facebook statuses showing the coupon yesterday, I wasn’t tempted to click on it. I knew right away that it was bogus. But that said, many of my honest friends were innocently posting it thinking that it was legitimate.

If you were someone who thought the coupon was legitimate, I wanted to give you a few tips as to how to differentiate bogus coupons from legitimate coupons.

First – if a coupon looks too good to be true, it probably is. If you find a printable coupon for a free product or a high value dollar off coupon (example: $10.00 off diapers, $100 off groceries, etc), it most likely is too good to be true. Before clicking on the coupon, go directly to the brand or store’s webpage and see if the offer is there. If it is, then it may in fact be real. But 99 times out of 100, you will find that the coupon is bogus.

Second – a reliable place to find coupons is the coupon inserts in the Sunday paper. If you prefer to print out your coupons, reliable sources are Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, Target.com and Redplum.com.

Thirdly – don’t buy coupons online. If you go on ebay, you can find coupons for free products like Free Doritos, Free Huggies Diapers, Free Coca-Cola 12 packs, etc. The coupons will be pictured on ebay and may look real. But 99 times out of 100 they are not real. And when you go to the store to use them, the store will not accept your coupons. Or, the store will lose money if they do accept your coupons.

For me, couponing is a tangible way for me to help financially support my family by saving money at grocery and drugstores each week. I save hundreds of dollars each month using coupons and we can use that money towards bills/savings/etc. I am able to save hundreds of dollars and I don’t use bogus coupons. So I want to encourage you! If you focus on use legitimate coupons, you too can save hundreds of dollars.

If you have any questions about the legitimacy of coupons, leave a comment! I would love to answer your questions!

The post Fraudulent $100 Publix Coupon appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

I wanted to give you the steps to show you just how quickly and easily you can get your shopping list together. Before we get to the steps, please don’t overthink couponing! You don’t have to buy items you won’t use. You don’t have to buy huge quantities of groceries (if there are awesome deals, I will buy 4 – 6 of the item). You don’t have to have lots Sunday coupon inserts because many coupons are available to print online. You do have to have the motivation to spend a little time putting together your list and then cutting your coupons. If you think of any questions while reading my steps, please leave a comment with your questions and I will answer them.

Step One: Turn your computer on.

I give the Weekly Ad & Coupon Matchups for 20+ stores and each of these stores have printable grocery list. Go through the list and click on the item(s) you want to purchase so that they are added to the grocery list.
Step Two: Print your printable coupons.

As you go through the weekly ad & coupon matchups, you will be given the direct links to the printable coupons. As you see deals that you want to take advantage of, print the coupons that you need. Tips – most coupons you can print twice per computer. Also, I always print my coupons in black ink. Don’t waste your color ink on coupons!

Step Three: Print your grocery list.

You can see from the picture above, I will often write notes on my list as I think of additional items I need to purchase.

Step Four: Gather your coupons.

Gather all of your coupons off your printer, gather your Sunday inserts and store fliers.

(Coming soon – I will show you how I file my coupon inserts.)

Step Five: Cut Your Coupons

Since you printed out the printable grocery list, you will know where to find each and every coupon needed to take advantage of the deals. Follow your list. Tip – if you purchase additional items that are not on sale, make sure you check Addicted to Saving’s Coupon Database to see if there is a printable coupon or insert coupon you can use on that item!

Step Six: Go Shopping!

I carry my cut coupons, shopping list and a pen in a simple white envelope that I saved from junk mail I received. Some people carry coupon binders as they shop. For me, I find it is easiest to carry an envelope of coupons that correspond to my grocery list.  As I shop, I will cross of items on my list that I’ve added to my grocery cart.

Lastly, admire your savings! The receipt pictured above was not one of my most stellar shopping trips. BUT, I saved $17.00 using store coupons and $8.10 using manufacturer coupons. When I combine my coupon savings with the savings from store sales, I saved $38.41. It took me 45 minutes to get ready for this shopping trip and I saved $38.41. Was it worth the time? You tell me!

The post How to Prepare for Your Shopping Trip in 6 Easy Steps appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

So I have a huge confession to make. I guess it isn’t really a confession… so much as it is an admission. My stockpile is at capacity. A few days ago I was going through the freezer in my garage and I realized that there was no free space in it. And the freezer is ginormous. Then I was going through one of my pantries and I realized it too did not have much free space. And I started feeling guilty. When I blog on Addicted to Saving and when I give coupon classes, I help all of you learn how to get the best deals while you are shopping and I give you tips on growing your stockpile. But I also tell you that if you let your food expire or if you have more food in your stockpile than you will use, that you are actually being wasteful and not good stewards. So, all that to say, I am going to be going through my cabinets, pantries and freezers and we are going to start really living off of our stockpile. And we are going to give away a ton of food that we will not eat.

Why do I need to tell you this? For a couple of reasons First, I want you to see that it IS possible to grow a stockpile even with the tightening coupon policies, higher prices of food and less and less high value coupons to use. (I’m still sad about the fact that we don’t get Red Plum coupon inserts in Tampa Bay.) When I first started couponing, we bought 8 (yes eight) newspapers every Sunday because I wanted 8 of each coupon. Now, we buy 4 papers. And most often, you will find us buying 2 boxes of pasta (even if they are dirt cheap) or two bottles of juice, etc etc. Even with us buying lesser quantities, we still have grown our stockpile. So don’t think that you have to buy 10 boxes of pasta at one shot. If you buy 4 boxes of pasta this week and then another 4 boxes of pasta next month, chances are that you will have a sufficient enough stockpile of pasta to live off of one box a week for quite a while. (Of course every family has different food preferences and your family sizes are different – so if you go through more pasta than once box a week, you will want to stock up on more than my previous example.)

Secondly, I want this to act as a reminder to you that you too should go through your stockpiles and make sure that your food is all fresh and that if you too have 10 boxes of pasta (5 of which you will never eat) you should give some away! There is nothing better than giving food away and blessing others!

And lastly, I am showing this because you are going to notice that my weekly Photo Show & Tell is changing. For the past 6 years, every Friday, we have gone grocery shopping with the intent of taking advantage of all of the best deals and then showing all of you what the best deals are. Every week we have bought food we didn’t need strictly with the intent of taking a photo of it and giving you step by step instructions on what coupons to use to take advantage of the deal. For us, money has become tighter recently. And I can’t bring myself to pay for and buy more food that we don’t need when we have more than enough to eat for months and months to come. In the freezer in our garage, we have at least 25 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and at least 20 lbs of lean ground beef. And I have at least 15 freezer slow cooker meals that I just need to thaw and cook. I just can’t justify spending more money knowing I have all of that food! That said, if there are stellar deals, we will still take advantage of them and instead of adding them to my stockpile, we will just immediately give them away! I can’t resist stellar deals!

SO – starting tomorrow, I will do my weekly shopping trip and I will take advantage of some of the sales. But not all of them. And you may notice that I’m buying a lot less (and fingers crossed – spending a lot less). But in addition to that, I will also put together a shopping list you can follow that gives you all of the best deals, prices, coupons and total out of pocket spending. I know many of you rely on my Photo Show & Tell to help figure out what to buy each week. And I don’t want to stop helping you. So my Photo Show & Tell will show you what  I bought and how I bought everything. But it will also give you a grocery list that will show you what I would buy if I had room in my stockpile. Sound good?

Update – I wanted to add one more thing For fresh produce (we love our fresh produce) we will either continue to get it at the coop we belong to OR we will stop the coop and get the produce that is on sale at Publix, Aldi or maybe even Sam’s Club. We haven’t decided yet how to handle produce…

To end this, I would love to hear how your stockpiles are doing? Are you too overflowing at the seams? Or do you need to add to it? Have you had a difficult time growing your stockpile? Share your thoughts! I would love to hear them!

Go HERE to read Introduction to Stockpiling  and learn how to grow your stockpile!

The post Living Off What I Have with my Overflowing Stockpile appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

Tonight is my first class in quite some time, and I’m so excited to talk about two of my favorite things – couponing and saving money on Christmas presents! Have you registered yet? If you live in the Tampa area, I hope you’ll join me this evening for a special class I’ll be giving: Holiday Savings: Meals, Gifts, & More!

The class is FREE and will be held at Calvary Church East Lake Campus in Tarpon Springs. This class will focus on saving money at the holidays. I’ll touch on basic couponing tips, how to save on groceries for the holidays, and of course, how to save on Black Friday and gift-buying all the way up through Christmas.

This event is free, but I would ask that you bring a canned good item so we can pool our resources together and donate to a local food pantry that our church works with. Go HERE to register.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, November 13th
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Place: Calvary Church East Lake Campus
1190 East Lake Road
Tarpon Springs, FL 34688
Cost: FREE (but please bring a canned good if you’re able)

Please pre-register for this class using the EventBrite Registration link below (or in the sidebar). There’s no cost, but we do need to know how many are coming to alert the facilities staff.

Hope to see you all tonight!

The post *Tonight* FREE Addicted to Saving Holiday Savings Class, 7 – 8:30 pm (Tampa Area) appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

You may have seen on Facebook’s “trending” topics that Groupon has come out with an app called “Snap.”   This Groupon Snap Ap is much like Ibotta in that you can scan your receipt after your grocery purchase to redeem offers and get paid cash for your purchase.

How it Works

1) Download the Snap app for iPhone or Android, or use the Snap website

2) Browse the offers before you shop

3) Purchase promoted products in your account at any store

4) Snap a photo of your receipt and voila!, money in your account

Just like Ibotta, you can get $1.00 for each friend you referral with a special referral link (go to My Account and scroll to the bottom to see it), once they redeem their first offer.

Currently I have 31 offers in my account, including high value Huggies Diapers and Wipes offers, Milk, and more!

Go HERE to sign up with an email address or your Facebook account.

FAQ

Where can I redeem Snap offers?
At any store! To get your cash back, simply use the ‘Snap Receipt’ feature to upload your receipt. We don’t care where you shop – we just need proof that you purchased one or more promoted products so that we can add cash to your account.

Can I redeem multiple offers on one receipt?
Yes! Once you snap a photo of your receipt, you will be able to select all cash-back offers you’ve purchased.

Can I redeem each offer more than once?
Sometimes! We try to have as few restrictions as possible on our offers, so you can often multiply your cash-back by purchasing several units of the promoted product. Each offer’s redemption limit is clearly noted on its details page.

How do I get paid?
When you’ve earned $20 or more in cash back, you can request payment. Go to ‘My Account’ page and select ‘Cash Out’.

What devices can I use Snap on?
Snap can be used on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer – just download our app for iOS or Android, or visit us online at snap.groupon.com.

How do I share Snap with friends?
Go to the ‘Refer A Friend’ section of the app and invite your friends. You’ll get paid $1.00 for each friend who joins Snap through your Referral Link and redeems their first eligible offer! Click here for all the terms that apply.

Are there any fees for using Snap?
Snap is absolutely free to use. However, if you do not redeem any offers for twelve (12) consecutive months, Snap may begin charging a monthly Account Maintenance Fee, which will decrease your cash balance over time. Under no circumstances will such fees cause you to owe money to Snap; the lowest your cash balance can go is $0.00.

When will my payment arrive?
Typically, payments are distributed within two (2) weeks of request but may take up to sixty (60) days.

How do I contact customer service?
We look forward to hearing from you! Please contact us at [email protected] or 1-877-741-5790.

The post What is Snap by Groupon & How Does it Work? appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

Addicted to Saving’s Holiday Deals go HERE to join.  **If you are looking to save money on gifts this Christmas season, make sure you join this group. Each and every deal related to gifts, greeting cards and decorations will be posted here.
Addicted to Saving Private Group (shows most deals from A2S) go HERE to join. **Pretty much every deal that I post on Addicted to Saving will go here. This is also an awesome place for you to share deals that you find!

Tampa Bay Addicted to Saving Group (shows all stores, deals and events found in Tampa) go HERE to join.

And if you haven’t already, make sure you sign up to receive Addicted to Saving’s Daily Emails. (It’s free )Everyday around 4:00 pm EST an email is sent out with all of the deals I’ve typed up for the past 24 hours. Go HERE to sign up.

Remember that Twitter doesn’t screen which Tweets they show, so follow me on Twitter and sign up to receive Text Alerts from Addicted to Saving.

Hopefully these ways can help you stay connected with me despite the Facebook algorithm changes.

The post Missing Deals? Join Our Groups! appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

If you have never tried Subscribe & Save from Amazon, you are in luck! Right now and for a limited time, they are giving Prime Members a 50% discount on one item in your new Subscribe & Save order. If you’re not a Prime Member currently, don’t worry, as you can get a FREE 30-day trial so you can take advantage of this offer.

To Get this 50% Offer

1. Go HERE and add a qualifying item to your cart. (includes Household, Personal, Baby, Grocery and more!)

2. Enter promo code PRIMESNS in the “Gift Cards & Promotional Codes” box. You will then see “Promotion Applied in your Order Summary.

3. Since it’s for Amazon Prime customers only, if you’re not a Prime Member, start your 30-day free trial HERE.

**NOTE** Amazon.com Prime customers who have not had an active subscription shipment for 6 months or more are eligible for a one-time additional 45% off a new subscription, for a total of 50% off their new Subscribe & Save item. This item is not eligible for the 15% discount for five or more subscriptions.

Go HERE to view all the products. Remember that you can cancel Subscribe and Save at any time and are under no obligation to continue its use.

The post Prime Members Get 50% off First Subscribe & Save Offer! appeared first on AddictedToSaving.com.

Halloween comes around once per year so it’s hard to think about shelling out money for a costume that will be worn once at best. When you have a houseful of kids, Halloween costumes can turn into big bucks! Despite this, we want our kids to have costumes they can be proud of. How do we mix the two? How do we give our kids what they want while still keeping the costs to a minimum?

It can be tough, but here are some tips on how to save on Halloween costumes for kids:

Shop the local thrift stores and Goodwill

• You will be amazed at the Halloween costume ideas that will spring up from the shelves in these places. If you look long enough, you eventually will come across virtually new store bought Halloween costumes for kids. You can also checkout Goodwill’s Pinterest page to get the creative (and frugal) juices flowing in your brain!

Dig out the old stuff

• Back the farthest reaches of your closet, you can most certainly find a great Halloween costume for your kid. Old hats, scarves and outfits can make some of the coolest Halloween costumes of all time. Be creative and see what you already have on hand. Kids love to dress up in mom and dad clothes anyway.

Work out a costume exchange

• Hook up with your friends and family and have everyone save their costumes each year. Then once per year when the Halloween season approaches, all of you can come together and share costumes. This is a great idea to save cash on kid’s Halloween costumes and will save you a ton of money in the long run.

Sell your used costumes annually

• Many of the Halloween places or even flea markets will purchase your old Halloween costumes if they are in good repair. This is particularly true of costumes that are generic in nature. You will have a tough time selling a Halloween costume of a movie that is popular for only one season, for example.

Be super simple

• If your children are young enough, be super simple. You don’t need to be extravagant to get the point across. For instance, this was my “Super Baby” last year in his Superman PJ’s!  Didn’t cost me a dime!

Buy the year before

• This is a risky one but it is great if you are willing to roll the dice and get it right. Simply guess what size your kid will be the next year and buy some costumes on closeout. Again, if you are part of a group exchange, you can minimize your risks of it not fitting.

Shop for one online

• Halloween costumes for kids are much cheaper online than they are in the store. Enjoy the savings and shop the sites every so often to find the cheapest blowout deals. Savings events like the one at Amazon often allow you to find the hottest costumes at seriously low prices if you are willing to put in the search time. Of course Walmart.com is the low-cost leader in just about everything, including Halloween Costumes.