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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 11:00:26 GMT -5
I'm a strong believer in keeping it simple. Especially when stockpiling creates more costs - as your freezer example. Your savings can be totally wiped out with a little extra electricity bill. I know a lot of people who have purchased a bigger house because they need storage. I don't care how much free shampoo you get - it probably won't even pay the increase in your tax rate, much less for the bigger house. OMG there was an extreme couponers episode where the woman was stockpiling so she could afford to move to Hawaii....it was all I could do to keep myself from yelling at the TV. clearly she didn't quite understand that having to move all that 'free' stuff to Hawaii was going to cost more in the long run.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 11:01:48 GMT -5
I think the prices are pretty comparable. I also tend to order stuff like washing soda, cornstarch, citric acid from Amazon because I can find them in much larger sizes and for cheaper per oz. or whatever. I like to make my own bath bombs and salts.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Apr 18, 2013 21:01:32 GMT -5
Anne-do you have a bath bomb recipe that you'd share? The ones I've tried don't stay solid. :/
I need to check out s&s on amazon more. Going to the store seems like such a chore lately.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Apr 18, 2013 21:28:42 GMT -5
I've found Sam's Club to beat the S&S Amazon prices for toliet paper. I did buy laundry detergent from there a few weeks ago. It was the sale price I look for in stores delivered to me for free.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 21:32:54 GMT -5
I use this recipe: www.intimateweddings.com/blog/how-to-make-bath-bombs-diy-wedding-favors/I also add vitamin E oil because I read on another site it's supposed to keep the essential oils from oxidizing, or something. It doesn't hurt it so I add it in. I also find it helpful to spritz the water/food coloring into the bowl so I'm not adding drops here or there which seems to make it foam rather than blend. I err on the dryer side.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Apr 18, 2013 21:47:35 GMT -5
Thanks Anne!
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mizbear
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Post by mizbear on Apr 19, 2013 18:44:12 GMT -5
I have altered my stockpiling methods over and over again. Right now, in the new apartment, we stockpile TP, paper towels (momma Bear insists we have them), pasta, and certain canned goods. We also stockpile bottled water and laundry/HBA products. Basically anything that if it runs out might create a problem for MommaBear to make a sudden unassisted trip to the store- unlike a bag of sugar, some spices, etc. We don't have an upright freezer, so that stuff has to be bought at least every 2 weeks or more often.
When I can buy a place, I want an upright freezer and pantry area because my grocery costs were lower when I could shop in bulk once a month. I have set up pantry/storage spaces in the current apartment.
Extreme couponing is nuts.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 20, 2013 16:38:13 GMT -5
I am also one of those people who has a home that happened to come with generous inside storage. I decided that as long as I had the storage and could stockpile non-perishables that we use on a regular basis for FREE without expending an unreasonable amount of time and effort, that I would do so. Over the last couple of years the manufacturers and retailers have pulled back. In the last half of 2012, too much time and effort converged with no longer free, so I stopped playing the "drug chain rewards game". I knew that it wouldn't last forever. Now, because of my stockpiles of non-perishables (all of which are neatly stored and organized), I only have to shop for food. I still use multiple coupons and stockpile when I can find a great deal on cheese, bread, salad dressing, pasta sauce, etc., so I'm still saving money by watching the sales and clipping, just not nearly as much as I used to.
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ses
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Post by ses on Apr 20, 2013 20:38:12 GMT -5
I have enjoyed reading this thread. I live in a very small town with few opportunities for couponing and always felt I was missing out on the entire experience. When I remodeled the kitchen and gained a generous pantry I re-evaluated my shopping habits. I tend to cook from scratch more and use few packaged foods so I developed a shopping list for three months of basics (foods, household goods, etc) and do a major shopping every quarter, then a much smaller monthly shopping trip (mostly for the freezer). I will get produce and dairy as I need them. Once a year friends let me tag along on their visit to Sam's when I do an annual stock up on a few things (for which I have done major planning using the website). Since I have changed to this shopping plan, cooking from scratch and making the bulk of my cleaning supplies -trying to get away from so many chemicals, I find I am saving more than using the few coupons that were available to me. Not being too brand loyal helps, too.
For me it all comes down to planning, watching sale cycles for outstanding deals on stuff I know I will use and not buying just for the sake of a sale. I have gotten my grocery expenses down to about $5 a day/person for a very healthy and diverse diet. This does not include household goods and pet food.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Apr 21, 2013 19:39:23 GMT -5
I agree, coupons have been a lot worse the last couple years--so bad they're not worth the time. I've also been more inclined to value my time more than chasing a deal in the last couple of years. Though, I wish my husband could get another deal on t.p. We got a year's supply once that we stored in out basement. It was awesome! One thing you definitely don't want to run out of...
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Apr 22, 2013 12:12:30 GMT -5
I agree, coupons have been a lot worse the last couple years--so bad they're not worth the time. I've also been more inclined to value my time more than chasing a deal in the last couple of years. Though, I wish my husband could get another deal on t.p. We got a year's supply once that we stored in out basement. It was awesome! One thing you definitely don't want to run out of... I think that's the main factor in a nutshell - chasing "A deal" instead of several great deals all at the same time. It used to be that you could go to one of the drug chains, do one or two transactions, and walk out with several products for free AND more $$ in rewards than you walked in with. These days you are spending the same amount of time to get to the store and money in gas, but you are bringing home A LOT less product and many times it's no longer free because of all the manufacturers' restrictions on the coupons and retailer pull-back on incentives. There are still a lot of valuable savings to be had by clipping; people just have to be A LOT more discriminate than they have had to in recent years to ensure that it is REALLY WORTH the time, effort, and cost (in gas and coupons) before they run out to do "A deal". On another note, for those who really value their time, STOP SPENDING TIME clipping and filing coupons in a coupon wallet, a coupon box, or <gasp> a binder only to spend MORE TIME to purge a lot more coupons than you ever used once they expire. Just keep your inserts whole and filed by date, and clip as you are making your shopping list using a internet coupon database to find which insert they are in. That would save hours and hours of time right there.
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ohmomto2boys
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Post by ohmomto2boys on Apr 22, 2013 12:14:43 GMT -5
I still use coupons, but definitely not to the degree I did several years ago. The deals just are not there. I am on a "clear the pantry" kick right now. Need to use what we have so that nothing goes to waste. I have cut back to grocery shopping just once a week and recently it has been for meat, fresh veggies, fruit & milk. We have a Sams Club membership, but my employer pays for it - which is awesome! There are several items we purchase there. Clutter is an evil word. I have been slowly but surely eliminating some of my kids toys. We keep telling the family that they want $, but they keep buying them stuff for birthdays and holidays.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on May 2, 2013 15:19:13 GMT -5
I am totally at this same place. Not that I've done tons of stock piling.... but i'm just tired of clutter. I'm tired of having too much stuff. my time is valuable and spending time researching deals and going to multiple stores is just too much. I like costco and chose it over sam's or walmart- 1. because they are an amazing company that pays well and keeps the money in the employees pockets. Walmart/sams i the epitome of all that is wrong with this country not to mention that it is a chaotic mess. *steps off soapbox* I try and make the fewest stops possible. I try and buy local and fresh when I can. if there's a deal, I'll stock up if i have the space. but I'm not going to have clutter just to save $5 over the course of 3 months.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 2, 2013 21:48:36 GMT -5
It IS possible to have stockpiles and not have clutter or feel like you have a "bunch of stuff". I have pretty healthy stockpiles, but I don't see them until I open the cupboards to get a product and then what I see is products that are organized and stored very neatly.
I don't like clutter. No one walking into my home would have the slightest clue that I have stockpiles.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on May 14, 2013 14:21:12 GMT -5
It IS possible to have stockpiles and not have clutter or feel like you have a "bunch of stuff". I have pretty healthy stockpiles, but I don't see them until I open the cupboards to get a product and then what I see is products that are organized and stored very neatly. I don't like clutter. No one walking into my home would have the slightest clue that I have stockpiles. Not in my house. If i stockpiled, i would have clutter. I don't even have enough storage as it is.
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