Not Inadequate

All right, people.

I am going to break down and show you my coupon binder.

I don’t know why I find this embarrassing… I already have so many weird qualities, what’s one more?

I originally bought one of those little accordian files that are specifically for coupons. However, it did not have enough categories and it was a gigantic hassle to sift through in the store. After realizing in the middle of the toothpaste aisle that I needed a better system, I came home and fell down a Google rabbit hole called Coupon Binder Organizers.

After driving myself nuts trying to figure out what kind of pages I wanted and comparing prices on Amazon, I threw my hands up and ordered this binder kit.

It comes with a variety of pocket sheets and divider tabs, as well as a list that tells you which weekends will have which inserts in the paper. She even has a video that shows you how she organizers her binder and her coupon strategy as she moves through the aisles in the store. I didn’t care for the categories on the tabs, so I bought some plain divider tabs in the school supply department at Target (with a coupon!), and made categories to correspond with my local grocery store.

I have taken the binder to Target, but have yet to make the maiden voyage to the grocery store. I need to go shopping in a pretty bad way, so my plan is to get the paper on Wednesday and see what the specials are; then go to the store early Thursday morning. I shall report back and let you know how it went.

• We are having a pretty decent holiday weekend around here. Memorial Day is the first day off Jim gets every year, and the stretch between New Years and this weekend is pretty long. The kids played all day outside with Daddy on Saturday and they went to the zoo on Sunday. Big made Jim take a picture of the Naked Mole Rats to send me.

• This menopause/hormonal situation around here is becoming untenable. I wasn’t this moody when I was a teenager (I don’t think…who can remember that far back?) Saturday I was Super! Grouchy! and Sunday I was crying every ten minutes. I explained the whole Menopause Emotional Roller Coaster o’ Death thing to my husband, but reassured him we could get through it if he tiptoed around me for the next ten years, and also did everything I say. Frankly, I think we would ALL be happier if my family did everything I say. I don’t know why people can’t get on board with it.

• So far I have successfully fended off the desire to stockpile a lifetime supply of deodorant, but I did break down and buy a binder for all my coupons. I got some mighty suspicious looks in Target the other day, but I saved $5 using coupons. It’s a good thing too, because now I have to do enough couponing to pay for all the organizing supplies I bought. Oooh, a lifetime supply of page protectors…now that is a temptation I don’t know if I could resist. Or sticky notes! Highlighters! A trip to Office Max is like Christmas to me, people.

I also have clipped some coupons for Best Friend as part of a plan to draw her over to the dark side. Do you hear me, L? You may as well buy a binder right now and save me the trouble of persuading you.

• Speaking of couponing, I have recently discovered that some of the people on Extreme Couponing are cheating. Something about not buying the product the coupon is actually for, but matching just enough of the bar codes so the computer will accept it. Apparently this has created quite the stir in the couponing community. Personally, I found it discouraging to realize I won’t be saving 95% on my grocery bill without committing fraud (not really an option for this goody-two-shoes). On the other hand, it explains why it takes them 40 hours a week to coupon – cheating can be time consuming. So it’s good news that I can coupon without turning it into a full time job. I don’t really get why someone would spend 40 hours a week to cheat and STILL come home with 25 cases of instant ramen and not actual FOOD, though. That hardly seems like a good return for all the time and anxiety.

• Happy Memorial Day and a big Thank You to our military and military spouses for all the sacrifices you make for the rest of us. 

• Naked Mole Rats! Gross!

Happily, after all the dithering about whether or not I should knit a chemo cap for my kids’ swim teacher’s mom - they had good news and after surgery to remove her kidney, she should be good to go and will not be needing chemotherapy! The cancer was relatively small and had not spread.

I could see the relief and joy on his face as he told me the news, and I am very, very, happy for their family. We are all set to resume swim lessons with him in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for the encouragement the other day. Jim was surprised that everyone voted for knitting the hat.

I told him it was just ’cause he’s not a mama. It’s okay though – he does a good job in the Daddy position.

• So Arnold Schwarzenegger has a 10 year old love child, huh? Do these rich politicians not understand how that whole make-a-baby thing works or what?

• I spent $40 at iTunes, downloading Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, and Classical Music from Classic Cartoons. And then my credit card company called to alert me to suspicious activity.

• I have nothing even mildy interesting to report. We spent the entire weekend cleaning the house from top to bottom and now it’s Monday and I feel completely ripped off.

• I’m glad the end of the world did not come the other night…I’d have been REALLY ANNOYED to have my last moment come whilst cleaning the toilet. 

A few weeks ago, the kids’ swim instructor texted me that he would be unavailable to give lessons in May. We have been taking lessons twice a week with him since January and we all like him very much. Even though Matthew is obnoxiously young (seriously. I think he graduated high school in like 2007. It’s kind of disgusting), he seems to be a natural teacher and he is nice to my babies.

This abrupt text message made me pretty grouchy though, and I may or may not have stomped down into my husband’s basement office for a mini-rant about the irresponsible whippersnappers of today.

…and then felt like a horrible monster about 3 hours later, because when we showed up for our lesson (with a substitute), Matt was there and came over to explain that they had just found out that his mom had cancer.

Horrible, horrible, monster. Dang it.

We saw him at the pool again on Monday, and he came over to say hi to the kids. I asked him how he was doing and the poor guy almost broke down in tears. Apparently his mom had basically gone in for a routine check-up and bam! walked out with advanced stage kidney cancer.

I mean, that totally sucks.

I’ve felt sad about it all week. He’s just a boy and he might lose his mama. I think he’s in his early twenties, but…he’s still just a boy. Boys need their mamas.

After discarding several ideas because they seemed a little too “Who is this Creepy Lady and Why is she Bringing Us Soup,” it occurred to me to knit her a chemo hat.

So, the question is: what do you think about that? I really barely know the guy, so I don’t want to stray into Weird, Entirely Too Personal territory. Does a hat seem too weird and personal? Or thoughtful gesture? My husband thinks it might come across as weird, so I don’t know…

But I have a son, too. And if I was sick, I would want someone to be kind to him.

Thoughts?

Okay, shoppers. This week I finally clipped the coupons out of the papers I have been collecting for the last three weeks and tried to make a grocery list.

I don’t mind telling you, I was COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED when I was making my list. I didn’t know what to do first – make the list, check the sale ads, or go through my coupons. Sunday night I wanted to throw in the towel and I hadn’t even started.

Eventually, I decided to not deal with grocery items at all, but rather focus on toiletries and WalMart-y type items. After all, I don’t really care what kind of shampoo or razors or laundry soap I use, and thought it might be easier to navigate the coupon world if I wasn’t tempted by discounts on ice cream and cookies. My number one goal in couponing is to save money - but to do it buying only things I would have bought anyway. I do not want couponing to interfere with my ongoing food goal of eating healthier. That would be a step back, and one not worth the money.

I hit Target early yesterday morning. The store was practically empty, and when I checked out, I was grateful to have time to hand over my coupons and watch the register without someone behind me sighing pointedly. My shopping trip took longer than it would have, but that was probably because I did not organize my coupons very well. I discovered in the middle of the toothpaste aisle that merely having an envelope called “toiletries” was not the most efficient system.

At Target, I saved $21.76 using coupons. Twenty-one dollars! My total was $115 before coupons and I got it down to $93. That’s almost 20%!

The only thing I bought that wasn’t on the list was a bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies – they were on sale and I had a coupon. I would’ve been a fool not to buy them. Anyone can see that.

Encouraged, I continued on to the grocery store, where coupons shaved $11 off my bill. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but that is coupon only savings – since I normally shop the sales anyway, I need a clear picture of exactly how much the coupons themselves are saving me. I saved another $43 on sales, for a total of 20%.

In conclusion, coupons only saved me almost thirty-three dollars yesterday. 

I realize that is not some jaw-dropping amount. However, I kept my lists really small and I’m sure my savings will grow as I get more experience. Even if I only save $35 twice a month, that adds up to almost a thousand dollars a year. If I spend an hour a week clipping and an extra hour a week shopping, and I’m making almost $20 an hour for my efforts.

I am encouraged to give this a real try over the next few months.

And now, for the next installment of Nicole’s series on couponing:

I hope some of you have found some coupons in your Sunday papers that you can put toward you coupon stockpile.  I have been thinking hard about those of you that are working hard to provide your family with an organic diet and to those of you that do not use manufactured shampoo, cleaners or soap.  I have a friend that uses items from her stockpile (razors, shampoo etc.) to barter at her farmer’s market.  I have never tried this but it’s just a thought.

Today I want to talk to you about probably the most important aspect of couponing for a frugal living and that is store choice.  Where you shop makes a huge difference in the types of discounts you can take advantage of and how low your OOP or Out Of Pocket total can be.  This week for homework I’d like you to list all of the stores in your shopping area. Include drug stores like CVS and Rite-Aid, as well as supercenters (Target and Walmart) and grocery stores (Hy-Vee, Kroger).

Each store’s chain will have a different coupon policy.  To find out the store’s policy, check their website, ask for a copy at the store, or call the corporate office to have one mailed to you.  Once you have the policies for all of the stores in the area, look at them to see which stores are going to be the best stores for you. 

Key areas I look for are:

• Does the store double coupons?  If so how much? Do they only double on certain days?
• Does the store take internet printables?
• Do I need a discount card to get savings?  How do I sign up for the card?
• What do the stores do with the overage? (Overage is the “money” left over from the coupon.  For example, bath soap is on sale for $1.60 and I have a $2.00 coupon. Most stores will apply the .40 to the rest of your order; if that is the only item you are buying, you forfeit the money.  Walmart will give you the .40 back in cash.)

After you determine which stores have the best deals, you need to turn your attention to matching up the stores sales with your coupons.  For most stores these matchups are already done, you just have to find the coupon blog that will point you in the right direction.  Start with this link Grocery Store Database and see if your store is listed.  If it’s not, leave a note in the comment section and I’ll do some digging for you. 

Happy Couponing!

• After having problems with our internet service for weeks, it finally got so bad we called The Guy.

Well, The Guy did a little investigating and discovered that the reason we were having trouble is because our neighbor was STEALING OUR INTERNET ACCESS. He brought back the corroded, illegal splitter and showed it to us. I was – am – shocked. The more I think about it, the more disgusted I feel. I mean, it’s one thing to get the wrong change back at the drive-through and keep it in a moment of weakness. But to have to make a LIST and go SHOPPING at Radio Shack to BUY the parts to STEAL something? AND THEN to BREAK whatever security zip-tied cap thingy they have over our wires, CUT into those wires and run a whole line to the house? That’s like 16 deliberate, calculated steps of wrongness. 

And sure, you might say that they weren’t really stealing from us, they were stealing from the cable company - but my husband works from home and when his computer is down, we aren’t getting paid. So they WERE stealing from us. Furthermore, it really bugs me when my computer is slow, so you can’t really discount the Mental Anguish bit.

Turds.

• I read yesterday that Disney has trademarked the words “Seal Team 6″ so they can have all the merchandising rights for t-shirts and action figures. I guess some lawyer in some dungeon somewhere heard about Osama’s demise and thought “We can make a FORTUNE off this!” I find it to be obscene. I can’t quite put my finger on why I don’t like it. I’m glad the guy’s dead - he was evil. But making money off baseball hats and sneakers because of a connection to that evil….it bothers me.

• Someone found my blog the other day by searching the term “well hung.” I don’t know what to make of that.

• I have Tivo’d the History Channel series How the States got Their Shapes and it is really interesting. Much more interesting than it initially sounds. In fact, I am going to mark this down as part of the U.S. Geography study we are doing this year. All you homeschool moms out there might think of checking it out. Or non-homeschoolers who randomly dig documentaries. I love documentaries. The History Channel used to have a show called Decisive Battles (or something) about ancient battles in history. It was great – computer generated battles featuring guys with long spears. We used to lay in bed on Saturday nights and watch it. 

oh my gosh, I am the boringest person on the planet.

• I downloaded Bejewelled 3 onto my new Netbook. I now need a 12 step program.

boring AND geeky.

oh well.

The guy two doors down from us is a tennis coach at a local high school. Twice a year, his team toilet papers his house.

Twice.

Every.

Year.

Can you imagine? If I was Tennis Coach’s wife and had my house vandalized by teenagers once a year, I would probably not take it well. 

Especially because Tennis Coach is not the one I see outside cleaning it up – it’s usually Mrs. Tennis Coach.

See the giant pine tree on the right?

That’s not Tennis Coach’s tree. It belongs to the neighbors between us - Mr. and Mrs. Public School Teacher.

Those neighbors are not fans of this ritual.

(Yes, this is how we refer to our neighbors. We also have UPS Guy, School Principal, and Vending Machine Guy. I wonder what they call us…?)

Really, America? Are we just this lazy?

Cuts 5 slices at a time. Thank goodness.

I have been trying to make decent green chile since I’ve been married. Green chile seems to be a food of the Southwest – when we lived in Seattle, no one had ever heard of it. We went out for Mexican food and were shocked that the waiter didn’t ask “Red or Green?”

Green Chile is delicious. And if you live in the Southwest, you should know how to make it. Even if you don’t live here, but love Mexican food, you should try it.

A few weekends ago, we were watching Mad Hungry, and she had a guest on that cooked an AMAZING looking pork shoulder braised in green chile. When I saw that pork shoulder was on sale that week, I decided to make it.

I was a little skeptical, since the green chile did not contain any, you know, green chiles, but it looked so good, I wanted to give it a try. Completely out of character for me, I followed the recipe exactly.

Mad Hungry’s Green Chile and Tomatillo Pork Stew

• 6 tomatillos, husked and quartered
• 3 jalapenos, split lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed
• 2 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed
• 3 tablespoons grape seed oil
• 1 pork shoulder, 3-5 lbs
• 3 medium white onions peeled and quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Combine tomatillos, jalapenos, and 1/4 cup of chicken stock in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the tomatillo begins to break down and get soft. Remove from heat. 

Heat a large, oven-safe Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add grape seed oil. Add pork to hot pan and brown well on all sides. Remove pork from pan and pour off most of the oil and fat. Reserve some fat in pan. 

Add tomatillo, jalapeno, onion, and garlic to food processor and puree until smooth. Lower heat under Dutch oven to medium heat and add puree to the reserved fat in pan. Add cumin and salt, and heat through. 

Add the rest of chicken stock into pot with puree and stir to combine. 

Nestle pork back into the pot of puree and stock. The pork should be covered about 3/4 of the way. Add more stock if needed.

Cover and put in preheated oven for about 3-4 hours, until pork is tender and falling apart. Turn the pork at least once halfway through the cook time. Using two forks, shred the pork a bit and mix it through the sauce to get the flavor incorporated into all the pork. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

It was DELICIOUS. I took the pork shoulder out and shredded it on a cutting board, then put it back in the sauce and back in the oven for another hour or so. Personally, I like my pork and green chile served over mashed potatoes (which is weird), so that’s what I did.

It was rated You Can Stop Searching For A Recipe, This Is THE ONE by my husband. It’s not too spicy – even for me, and I’m a sissy – but the flavor is amazing. Obviously, I packed up the leftovers and stuck them in the freezer.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.