How to shop at Kroger for less than Walmart

Ok all, here's the skinny on how I save on our household/grocery bills. First, coupons take a bit of time but if you think of your savings as income, you are getting paid. :) Organizing your shopping list and making the trip also takes some time. That said if you are willing to invest some time, you can reap the rewards.

• First things first - try to get ahead. With the exception of fruits, veggies, milk and bread you should be able to buy ahead of time and freeze or stock your shelves so you are only buying when there is a good deal and your coupons are working for you...don't pay $4 for a box of cereal when you could get it for $1.50. (More on this later)


• Utilize all the available coupon sources. Your Sunday paper has 2 - 4 circulars with coupons. Comb through them and clip ANY that you might use. Even if you don't need paper towels right now, if you find a pack of Bounty on clearance and your coupon takes them down to $.25 cents a roll, it will be worth buying and stocking up.


• Try to find a friend that you can swap circulars with. Chances are you buy different things and you'll be able to get a few bonus coupons for free from your coupon buddy.


• Hook up your Kroger shoppers plus card to Shortcuts.com and Cellfire.com. Make sure you sign up to receive email alerts when new coupons are posted and that you go to the site and add any and all coupons to your card. It won't hurt you if you don't use them.


• Make sure that your Kroger card has your current address and phone number attached to it and if you use an alternate ID at check out (like your phone number if you forget your card), make sure that your alternate ID is hooked up to your card and not someone else’s. Kroger tracks your purchases and sends you out coupons based on what you buy regularly, you want to take advantage of these coupons, they are great!


• Keep in mind that you can use Kroger coupons AND manufactures coupons and that all coupons under $.50 double at Kroger EVERY DAY!


• Become a Mypoints.com user and print coupons from their website. Then you are redeeming coupons for points that you can use to earn gift cards, etc. If you are new to Mypoints and you decide to create an account, use my email address (davidandred@gmail.com) so I'll get the referral credit please. :) Mypoints also gives you points for shopping through their website at online retailers. And they will send you emails to visit websites at 5 points a pop and offers to complete surveys for a variety of point values, usually starting at 10 points. These take a few minutes each day, but the rewards add up. Just this week I redeemed my points for a $25 gift card to Kohl’s and I can usually do this 3 - 4 times a year.


• You can get the same coupons you'll find on Mypoints from Coupons.com just without the added bonus of accumulating points.


• Visit the websites of manufacturers you use often and see if they have a mailing list (postal or email) that you can sign up for and get coupons. I belong to Gerber, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson, and probably a few others I can't think of right now. I get email alerts when they have new products and coupon offers and get free samples and coupons in the mail.


• Check out Couponmom.com. She has alot of great coupon resources on her site as well, plus David is her graphic designer so we like to send her business (her site is free to use!)


• Work your circulars. Sometimes Kroger doesn’t have the best deal. In our area Publix occasionally has BOGO offers that will beat the Kroger price. Keep in mind you can use 2 coupons for BOGO offers, and you can use BOGO coupons on BOGO items to get them for free! Unless I really need the item I’ll usually wait it out and buy at Kroger for my gas benefit ($.10 off per gallon for every $100 spent), but if I need it I’ll shop somewhere else. I certainly don’t have loyalties to any one place.


• At Publix and Target, you can use manufacturers coupons AND Target/Publix coupons at their respective stores. For example, if you have a Target coupon for $1.50 off 3 boxes of cereal and you have manufactures coupons for $.50 off each box of cereal, you can use 3 manufactures coupons and your Target/Publix coupon for a savings of $4.50. If you shop when the cereal is on sale you can save even more. I try not to pay more than $2 for a box of cereal ever.

When I found out I was pregnant, my goal was to build up a 6 month supply of staples (deodorant, shampoo, household cleaners, dish soap, laundry detergent, etc.) before the baby came. I keep track of this "inventory" in my budget and update the quantities when I use something so I always know where I am. At month end I check to see where I'm running low and start hunting for bargains again. I never want to pay full price for something and this is how I track it. It does take a little organizational savvy, but it works for me and it has saved us lots of money.

Since I was buying ahead I never bought unless I was saving 50% or more off of Wal-Mart prices, not Kroger prices. For example - I use All Small & Mighty detergent. It's around $5 regular price at Wal-Mart and Target. Wednesday I bought 3, 32oz bottles for $2.50 each. On household items scoring a 50% discount is fantastic!

One final thought. If you have a choice in your wholesale club and BJs is an option - go for BJs. The membership fee is less than Sams and Costco and they honor both their coupons as well as manufactures coupons. I was a long time Sams member, almost 10 years, and we switched because the value at BJs was unbeatable with the coupons. Last month I got a 16 pack of puffs tissues for $7. When do you ever find Puffs for less than $.50 a box? :) Do keep in mind though that just because you are buying in bulk doesn’t mean you’re saving money. I can often times get paper towels or toilet paper cheaper at Kroger with their sales and my coupons than I can get a BJs. Also sometimes Target or Wal-Mart will have the better deal. I shop around before I buy and comparative shop before I buy whenever possible.

I you have other thoughts or ways you save money, please post a comment and share. :)

Master Closet Renovation

So over the last few weeks I have been working on our Master Bedroom closet. David has helped me take down the closet maid system that existed previously and install the new stuff we created. I painted, put everything together and loaded everything in. So, since I forgot to take a "before" picture, I included a picture of what it looked like when we bought the house. We only took down the peg board and had clothes along the back wall.

We still have to put up the new light fixture, but other than that it's done and we love it! I'm amazed by how much extra space we have. We're planning no buying mirror doors for each of the shelving units, but they weren't on sale so we didn't get them. For now it looks very tidy to have our pants folded on them so we're totally ok with it.

Before pictures (previous owners stuff)
Closet - holes are patched, before the paintWith the new silver-grey paintEverything moved back in - love it!

American Idol

So 4 seasons ago, David & I started watching the rejects on American Idol and I got hooked on this guy - Constantine Maroulis. What was it that endeared me to him exactly? I'm not sure. He wasn't a fabulous singer, he was often pitchy, and he wasn't a flawless performer, but there was something about him that I liked.

Perhaps it was the way he made love to the camera with his eyes...Perhaps it was his rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody...

(check out the eyes - that's LOVE baby!)

Or perhaps it was the slight gap in his front teeth that reminded me of my beloved...I'm not sure. For whatever reason I was hooked on this cat and I actually voted for him. He was the first (and only I might add!) person I have voted for and when he got the boot, I was pissed.

Fast forward to today. Let me first say that I hate reality TV, well real reality TV anyway. I love the Ashton Kutcher spoofs and especially the WB's Superstar USA, but that's about it. In general I prefer sitcoms like How I met your Mother & Big Bang theory, or dramas like Grey's Anatomy & Ugly Betty.

All that said, it must be time to fess up - David called me on it so there's no more hiding from the truth. I guess after 4 years of "off and on viewing" and getting somewhat sucked in by the rejects, I have to admit it: "My name is Red, and I watch American Idol." It's embarrassing, I know. Dare I divulge that I, *gasp* DVR it? Yes, I know it's rigged... Yes, I know they cattle call the auditions and miss SO much great talent... Yes I know that they diversify/equal opportunity the winners... but I'll watch it as it unfolds.

So, now that that's out in the open, can I just say how THRILLED I was with the results last night? The top 3 were exactly who I would have chosen! I was afraid they'd put through Tatiana for the dramatic value (I guess they're saving her for the wild card show - milk it Fox!) but they didn't and I am pleasantly surprised. I love Michael, but Danny is by far my favorite. He hasn't done anything I haven't loved yet and the a cappella group song during Hollywood week - rocked! Yes, I know going into this that it's impossible for a white male to win 2 years in a row, but hopefully he'll make it to the top 4 or so. Who knows I may even vote!

So there. It's official. Judge me if you must.

Potential Job Op - The results

I had my meeting with Gretchen of Pathfinders today. It went really well. She was a hoot and we had a great time chatting. My test results came back fabulously and she said she just wanted to see me highlight the admin responsibilities I've had over the last few years more on my resume to make it more obvious why I'd be such a good executive admin.

Why an executive admin? Well, one benefit of living in the metropolis of Atlanta is there are alot of big companies, and big companies pay big money for good people. I'm a good person, so I just need to get in the door and show them how great I can be. I've basically been doing admin for my entire career in one form or another, so why not utilize those skills in this exceptionally tough market and see what comes up. I enjoy the detail oriented, analytical, "type A" parts of being an admin and I've worked closely with my last 2 bosses in a capacity complimentary to that of an executive assistants role to her boss. Plus, I'm looking for a job that won't become me and that I can quit at the end of the day. This may be the perfect fit for me. Finally, this company has 3 job openings right now within the immediate vicinity of David's office - which is the reason I called them. If we can go back to carpooling, that just rocks. And since David can be flexible with the hours he works that is a definite probability.

So now we wait. As always I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and for those family out there that haven't seen them yet...Maggie had her 6 months photos taken recently and here is the online album - enjoy!

Potential Job Opportunity

Friday at 1pm I have a meeting with a staffing agency that places permanent full-time executive assistants. I have applied there on 2 separate occasions and decided to call today to see what their process was (do they keep resumes and filter them into the appropriate positions, is it best for me to re-apply for each position, etc.). They have several open executive assistant positions available in Dunwoody (where David works) and if I'm going to pick where I work that would be the place I'd pick for carpool purposes. Who knows it anything will come of it, but if the money works and if the hours are flexible, then it could be a great fit. I definitely have the administration abilities and it's an area where my gifts get used well. =)

There are a series of tests I have to complete between now and then that are timed and test my clerical abilities and MS office knowledge. Say a prayer and I'll keep you posted on the results of Friday's meeting!

Job Stuff & Free Time

Last week I finally found (and applied for) a job that I was interested in - woohoo! It was like the job description was written for me and I know I'd enjoy what I would be doing there. It had only been posted since Monday so hopefully I got in the door early enough - I sent in my resume Friday, so we'll see what happens. FYI - I have applied for other jobs, more out of duty to fulfill my unemployment requirements than because I was excited about them, but have so far have heard nothing. I'm ok with that though. I'm sure the Lord has a plan and He's providing for all of our needs so I'm grateful!

While I really haven't had any free time with the holidays, being sick, and the wedding, last week I was finally productive. I mean, we've had clean underwear and dishes, but until last week I haven't been able to do anything that wouldn't normally have gotten done. So my first projects were to unpack, get the house cleaned, take down all the Christmas decorations, and get my craft closet reorganized with all of the fun stuff I got for Christmas. I promise to actually do something in my craft closet, and just for Deborah I'll post pictures of it all messy. =)

Anyway, with all that done, I moved on to a few photography projects I want to get done. Since we had taken down most of the pictures in the house to decorate for Christmas, I figured I'd change the pictures - why not? We've had the same pictures up for over 4 years so I decided to go through all the pictures I have in frames around the house and decide which ones would stay and emptied the rest. Then I decided which frames I wanted to keep and which were going to good will, and this week I'll work on putting new pictures in the frames I kept. I also had a few pictures I took this fall printed as 8x10s that I matted and framed for our guest room - I'm pleased with them and may do some more!

I found a lovely album on Black Friday that I decided would be a perfect wedding album (and of course was a killer deal!). I had never made a dedicated album for our engagement & pre-wedding stuff or one for our wedding photos. If you know the drama associated with our photographs you know why this has taken me so long. So I'm working on making both albums and during this sorting phase I've decided to add a whole new series of scrapbook pages to our scrapbook from 2002. Now that my craft closet is all sorted, I'll add that to my scrapping list. =)

Thursday I met my friend Elizabeth for lunch and we ended up chatting for over 3 hours! It was so wonderful to get out of the house and enjoy time with good food (Chinese!) and good conversation. Being alone all day, I'm starting to understand what my friends Lacey & Jen keep saying about the need for adult conversation - somehow talking to the cats doesn't always "cut it".

This weekend we hung out with Paul & Bethany. They had a few house projects they wanted to get done, so David helped Paul install a new light/fan in their bathroom while B & I shopped, then we changed out the outlets on their main floor swapping them to white and putting new covers on before heading to IHOP for a late dinner together. Yesterday we all headed to IKEA where their super sale encouraged us to bite the bullet and buy the stuff we needed to redo our master closet. We've never even painted it (we've lived here 4 years!) but with the stuff almost 70% off, it was a smart move. So that's added to the project list and I'm sure we'll enlist Paul & Bethany's help in assembling everything. ;)

Needless to say, I have lots and lots of projects I am hoping to complete while I'm at home over the next however long. I'll keep you posted with pictures of my at home adventures!

Interview recap

"I am so smart, I am so smart, S-M-R-T" - Homer Simpson

I'm in rare form tonight and a little hyped up, so I'm not sure how this blog post will go. I'm just going to write it and not edit, so here you go:

I had my interview with Primerica today and I was right to not be nervous. It was a typical sales "farming" interview. I should know, I used to do use this technique on a weekly basis! What I don't know is why I didn't ask more questions in the initial call, but I didn't and I wasted my time and his because of it. Oh well, live and learn right?

So, I found out in the first 2 minutes what he was looking for and knowing I wasn't interested I decided to have a little fun. You know, knock an interview out of the park so any future ones won't be so nerve racking. =) After he had given me a glowing overview of his company, he started to ask me a few questions, and I of course had perfect answers for everything....I am after all the ideal candidate for ANY company (whew - at least my confidence hasn't taken a dip!). I let him have his turn and when it seemed he was ready to push me out and schedule me to come back for his farming class, I whipped out my interview questions and started asking him questions. Needless to say, he was less than affluent in his responses. He even said "I've never been interviewed in an interview". Well hello! - you're trying to figure out if I'm the right candidate for your position and if this job is what you say it is, then I'm trying to figure out if you are the right fit for my future boss and if this is the right company for me. I should get to ask whatever I want, and you should appreciate it!

So after a few zingers (I really like my interview questions), I asked about the salary. He of course goes into his spiel about earning potential. This is always the clue folks. If they give you numbers over 100K and you aren't a real VP of some sort, then it's sales. Always. So I pushed and asked if the pay was 100% commission. Yup - and there it is. I'm not interested. I don't give a flip if my earning potential if 500K a year if I'm commission only. It's a known fact that 83% of all commission based people don't even make enough to live off of, let alone the earning potential they're lead to believe they can make. (That statistic brought to you by Barney Stinson - for all you HIMYM fans out there. =)

What was funniest to me was after he gave me the real deal, I said "Well let me be honest - I'm not interested in working for 100% commission. If I'm going to be 100% commission, I'm going to work for myself". He looked at me like I had shot his daughter or something. I get it, people who work for commission are used to it. I have been a salary + bonus person for the last 6 years - I can do that. I enjoy the challenge, but I also like knowing in an economic downturn that I will have money to put gas in my car and pay my mortgage. Judge me if you must, but that's how I feel.

Anyway, the first interview of this season of my life is over and I'm glad. It was truly the most painless and borderline enjoyable interview I've ever had. =) Oh, and what did I learn? It is OK to ask if a position is 100% commission over the phone. And there it is.

Interview today!

First, I know I owe LOTS of updates - Lacey's 30th birthday, Christmas #3/New Years, Our first wedding as photographers...etc.

For now though, I just wanted to let you know that I have an interview today at 11:30 with a VP for Primerica. Not sure what I'm interviewing for - he found me and wants to meet me in regards to heading up his Marietta office. We'll see what that means, what he's offering and if it's a good fit. I'm interested to see what it's about but am surprisingly not nervous. I guess since I don't know if it's something I'll want to do, I am not excited about/hoping for it, so that keeps the nerves at bay. =)

I'll post an update later letting you know how it went and I make the commitment to get the updates from the last month posted this week - so check back. Happy Monday! =0)

Unemployment Update

Resume updated - check.
References contacted - check.
Rough cover letter drafted - check.
Looking for jobs - well I'm looking, but so far there hasn't even been anything to apply for. We're both still feeling fine about everything though. We decided it would be best for me to go ahead and file for unemployment. I figure I've been putting in to the system since I was 14 years old (and no, not that's not a typo! =) so I might was well use it now that I need it.

What shocked me, was that I got my paycheck in the mail today with my separation notice. I couldn't believe it! I thought it would be a huge deal to get this little letter in hand that I need to file my claim with the GADOL. What a blessing that it came even though I didn't ask for it. Just another sign from the Lord that He is in control, and thank goodness for that!

So Monday, after my folks take off, I'll be heading up to Kennesaw to file for unemployment. Hopefully it will be a smooth process. That's all the news for now!

Unemployment

First, I owe a recap from my trip to Richmond, which I'll do sometime this weekend I hope, but I know there are questions on what's up here, so here's the deal.

Yup, I lost my job. Wednesday night my boss called me and told me that our office was being shut down. Today is my last day and I'm currently finishing up the last minute admin stuff and cleaning out my office. I'm surprisingly ok with it. I'm going to file for unemployment while I search for something else, though I'm not sure what that something else will be. I haven't had the time I had hoped to finish preparing to launch my photography business, so that will definitely be a high priority and I want to find something that is far less stressful than this job has been.

David is doing well with this too, though I think everyone is surprised (me included) by how at peace I am with all of this. I know the Lord has a plan and I rest in that despite the lack of understanding. I haven't shed any tears and I'm looking forward to turning in this blasted laptop and cell phone which have been permanently attached to me since Jan when I started this gig. I also take solace in the fact that Bluegreen (where I was working for the first 2 1/2 years we lived here) closed in Sept, so at least I got 2 more months than I would have had.

If you have any leads or suggestions, I'm open to it. Post a comment for me. If you know someone who needs a photographer, let me know that too...I'll be available - ha! =) I'll keep you all posted as we go through the next few months and we certainly covet your prayers.

So that's it! I'm at peace. I trust the Lord's plan. And most importantly, I am so looking forward to a stress-free holiday!

xoxo,
Red