Couponing headache...

Trying to navigate the world of couponing is giving me a headache....I mean I try and use a coupon when I notice them and will buy things on sale but I had literally no clue how people could not be lying when they say they buy $2000 worth of shopping for like $10 or less.....Really??????

So I have made it my mission to try and figure out the whole couponing thing and have scoured websites and talked to people who do it and signed up for a bunch of stuff (hope my spam filter doesn't mind the extra workload) and here is my simplified step by step guide for anyone else trying to figure it out....

1. Expectations......this is actually a process of gathering a stockpile which will eventually mean you really only have to be buying your perishables on a regular basis and can wait for the lowest possible price for everything else....but it takes a bit of time and effort before you get to this point.....

2. Figure out sources of coupons......sunday paper inserts, in store coupons, online coupons etc
shortcuts, cellfire, zavers and P&Gesavers load right onto your card
smartsource, redplum, coupons, boodle, couponbug, valpak, PGeveryday print from your computer (only 2 per computer and do not copy them!!)
Most brands have coupons right on their websites too

3. Figure out how you're going to organize your coupons......files, bins, binders etc...personal preference on this one....there are tons of opinions....I say try one and see how it works out for you...

4. Focus on 2 or 3 stores to begin with - seriously makes it more manageable......Fry's is a great one. Accepts competitors coupons, will double and sometimes triple manufacturers coupons....Safeway does great promotions too and often will double coupons (but not always - you have to check).....Walmart will match any competitors price and deal too.....and then if you can venture into the drug store thing, CVS is not a bad one to start with....the Extra care points work pretty good.

5. Look around the coupon matching/database websites....there are free ones (but you need to find one in your area - some deals are location specific) or you can pay for ones like couponsense....they do save you time in searching through ads for the deals but may or may not be worth the money to you.

6. Start matching the deals of the week with the coupons you have - 50% sale price is ok. Aim for 65-75% after coupon to be a great deal....obviously sometimes you'll get for far less and even Free but especially when you're first starting it's not very practical to expect 90% savings on everything.....

7. Consider making a separate "stockpile" shopping trip...make a list according to the killer deals only rather than the things you actually need to survive the week/month....it helps to be focused and is encouraging to see the savings you are making...

8. Make sure you have a system to organize and rotate your stockpile so things don't go to waste!!

Yeah so now I feel like a little bit of a coupon nerd but I figure if other people are paying pennies for hundreds of dollars worth of shopping what kind of crazy is it to be paying the hundreds of dollars???

The adventure begins....

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Living in AZ with a pool in our own back yard, I think it's always good to be reminded....

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Gotta love summer...

Something idyllic about the lazy mornings when no one has brushed their hair (or probably their teeth either for that matter!) and every (ok maybe only half of them) stuffed toy is lined up on a blanket watching cartoons....

Ok so we're right at the beginning of summer and quite possibly this exact sight might just be driving me nuts by the end of July, but for now we are loving summer:)

Castle...

Amelia built me a castle and then took about one hundred photos of it on my iPhone...she must love it....it must deserve a blog entry:)

Mesa Temple

So this week I finally got my act together and took Jordan for his first visit to the temple...Abbie had a party to go to and Laura obliged and watched Amelia so it was just moi and my boys....

We managed to find a lonely family file name for Jordan to do and headed off with another family in the ward.

It was a fun afternoon....I think they enjoyed the ice cream and donut stop on the way home too:)

Daniel's High Adventure

So for my High Adventure trip I (Daniel) went to Carlsbad, California. Thanks to Brother Howard and the other leaders we got to go surfing, sailing and sea fishing.

Our campsite was the best we were right above the ocean in a place called Pelican Point. we could smell the salt in the air and feel the sea breeze. Most of us slept under the stars.

Surfing was awesome!! The water was cold but thanks to wetsuits we stayed warm. I caught a bunch of waves and stood up but that was before dad got there to take pictures..... i got pounded by the waves a bunch ,and sometimes the board, but i survived.. the worst thing about surfing was the huge rash i got on my neck and the sunburn.....

Fishing was cold wet and most people got seasick. The weather wasn't good, so we didnt get to go as far out as we had hoped or catch big fish... but just about everyone caught something. Hayden as always got hungry so on the drive out there he told the deckhand and they ate some bait minnoes.... yea pretty gross.....

It ended up that he was the only one not to catch anything...

The next day we went to the BSA James Marine Adventure Center to do some two man sailing

I knew that dad used to do a lot of sailing and i wanted to be in a sailboat with him, but he took too long putting the camera away and i got paired up with someone else. it was sooooo much fun, until we went in....... that was the only time i went in the ocean without a wetsuit, and it was FREEZING!!! Dad was smart enough to tell me to leave my jacket on land so i had some dry clothes when i got back. My shoes are still soaked two days after......

Then we had the opportunity to go to the US Volcom Headquarters. it was so interesting to see how all the clothes go from an idea to the real deal that can be sold. we even got a free hat!!























When we got back we all had hot showers and changed to warm clothes. Some kids went surfing, and i tried to but i felt super sick and i took some advil and went to bed. i heard that i missed one of the most amazing testimony meetings ever..... i could tell because the first day home was fast Sunday and i felt the spirit strongly there and made up for my missing the meeting by bearing my testimony.

The next day it was time to pack up and go home... but we werent done with our trip yet... we stopped at the beautiful San Diego Temple and had a nice devotional.

i felt the spirit strongly there too... it  must have been amazing for our two non-members that we invited to come with us. After that we went to the Mormon battalion historical site and had a great time learning about their sacrifice and their trek west.

Then i rode with dad in his BMW and went on ahead of the other group and got home about 7:30. it was only the next day i found out that the other guys go home at 10:00!!!!
This trip was amazing and i hope i can go on more with that group of boys.