Savings with Style!

Start Saving with Style with Southern Coupon Belle! I'm now COUPONING IN CoMo!
What happens when a Coupon Expert in one region of the USA moves to another area of the country? I have started over learning new stores, coupon policies and building a reasonable stock pile and savings routine from scratch since October 1, 2011. I was an expert in Atlanta and the South but now happily reside in Columbia, Missouri!

I've searched other blogs and sites but I can't find someone else in my shoes so hopefully reading how I started over can help you! Whether you are a seasoned couponer in a new area OR a beginner- I know I can help walk you through what to do and help you start saving big! Starting over has made me realize how newbies to coupons feel and made me walk a grocery store aisle or two in a beginner's shoes again! Email me at southerncouponbelle@gmail.com and let me know how I can help! Thanks for reading and taking this journey with me!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Deals at Kroger this week!

Finally! Some good deals after some slow weeks.
Here's what I found good at Kroger this week by generating my list at CouponMom.

Peaches
Sale Price: .78 per lb or 61% off
Minute Maid Fruit Drinks
Sale Price: .90 or 60% off
Frozen Kroger Popsicles
Sale Price: $1.00 or 50% off
Angel Soft Toilet Paper 4 count
Sale Price: $1.00 Coupon: 4/19RP Final Price: FREE or 100% off
McCormick Grill Mates Seasoning
Sale Price: $1.00 Coupon: 5/3RP Final Price: FREE or 100% off
Bounty Paper Towels 1 count
Sale Price: $1.00 Coupon: 6/7PG Final Price: .50 or 75% off
Tony's Pizza
Sale Price: $2.50 Coupon: 6/7S Final Price: $1.50 or 63% off
Note: Check the back of the box for a free bowling coupon
Purina Mighty Dog Dog Food
Sale Price: $1.00 Coupon: 6/14S Final Price: FREE or 100% off

If you bought all these items, you would save 72% and spend $4.77!!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Dads! Run to Chick-Fil-A tomorrow for a free milkshake!

I hope you have a Chick-Fil-A in your area. If not- you are missing out big time! Our favorite fast food restaurant. My sister lives up North and when she comes home- the first stop on her agenda is Chick-Fil-A!

Take your children tomorrow and get a free 14 oz milkshake for Father's Day! It's one per customer. Can't go on Sunday- the founder decided from conception of the original restaurant that he would never open on Sundays.

Their milkshakes rock!! My fav is cookies and cream. They just came out with a Peach and I've heard it is awesome.

Don't forget to take advantage of this great deal!

Update on the Canning Sessions at my house

I mentioned canning pickles the other day and after only 1 week- our pickles looked so great that we caved and opened a jar. They are incredible!!! If I can say so myself! They were good at room temperature, put them in the frig overnight and that jar of pickle spears were gone in a couple of minutes.

We canned 12 more jars tonight and at the rate the girls ate them- I need to can a ton more to get us through the year until the next harvest.

You can always get great deals on pickles with CouponMom and the stores' sales plus coupons but there's always something special about creating your own and realizing they could compete if not better with store bought.

Allrecipes.com generated a great tried and true recipe, I learned the tricks of the trade to keep them crisp and I'm Super Mom to two little girls that devoured a jar with their Dad in minutes!
And made them for next to nothing!

I've had a couple of people email that they are intimidated by canning- it's not hard and if you want help- shoot me an email and I'll walk you through it!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Coupon 101: Where discounts and deals don't work

Okay- super sorry I've been so quiet but it's been a crazy week with VBS and swim lessons. And just a need to unwind from the school year. Deals are slim and I'm waiting for them to pick up hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

You know that I love getting discounts and finding ways to get what we need or services at the lowest price possible. However, I've learned there are times to buy the best or research your options to decide how much you are willing to pay and know you will get the best service or quality in the long run.

A great example- we love to cook and in the first 10 years of our marriage- I went through at least 3 sets of cookware. I finally decided to research and decided I was going to get All Clad. I've been lucky because we have a great Williams Sonoma outlet near our house and by being patient and finding killer deals over the last 5 years just for being in the right place at the right time. I didn't run out and buy everything I needed or wanted- it was a slow process but I now have killer cookware! And a couple of heavily discounted pieces were a little scratched but you know what- made that first time I scratched it easier to handle knowing how much that particular pan or pot cost originally. I will be using my All Clad for years to come because of the quality.

Other things that I think quality outweighs cost- shoes, leather, furniture etc.

Tell other readers what you think demands quality by commenting!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

One of my favorite sites

Hopefully, you've got a garden coming and we are yielding a ton of veggies from the garden we helped plant at my in-laws. I decided to can this year and I forgot how easy it is!! And I've made a goal that I will try to utilize our harvest and don't let things go to waste.

I love www.allrecipes.com! You can search for anything and I have found some of the best recipes. One thing I love is the 5 star rating and the ability to read reviews. The reviews are great because posters add their suggestions, changes and additions to each recipe.

I haven't canned in years because one year I put all this effort into making pickles. I stored my many jars and they were mush! This week I found a recipe on this website and learned the secret- ice water bath for the cucumbers for at least 2 hours. They turned out perfect! (so far) It's really not hard, you don't need a pressure cooker for things like pickles and relish. Just make sure you sanitize the jars, wipe the rim of the jar off before placing the lid and boil the lids right before placing on the jar. The heat of the contents or brine plus the heat of the lid will seal the can. Once the lid is on the jar, put the ring on and tighten as hard as you can. And if canning intimidates you- there are some great icebox pickle recipes and recipes for bread like zucchini bread. Super easy and the girls loved it this week.

Garden harvest is one of my favorite things about summer. There's nothing better than a tomato sandwich and fresh veggies. The best thing... no buying commercial produce at the grocery store!

Monday, June 8, 2009

CVS deals this week!

Here's the deals I found for CVS using CouponMom.com.

Nabisco Ritz Crackers
Sale Price: $2.00 Coupon: 5/17S1 Buy Ritz and get Wheat Thins Free
Final Price: $1.00 or 74% off
Gillette Fusion, Venus Embrace or Spa Breeze Razor Limit 1
Sale Price: $7.99 Coupon: 6/7PG Final Price: Free after $4 ECB
Dawn Dish Liquid
Sale Price: $1.50 Coupon: 6/7PG (must buy 2) Final Price: .25 or 75% off after $1.00 ECB

Deals at Rite Aid this week!

If you don't mind spending the money now and applying for the rebate check that you'll get about a month later, here are some great deals!

Orajel Kids Plaque Revealing Rinse or Toddler Pre-Brush
Free after $3.00 rebate. Limit one. Final Price: 100% off
Coupon: 5/3S + $1.50 rebate Final Price: 100% off
Air Wick 1 Motion Kit
Sale Price: $4.99 Coupon: 5/17S2 + $5.00 rebate Final Price: .99 or 90% off
Complete Multi Purpose Solution
Coupon: 5/31RP + $7.99 rebate Make $2.00 Final Price: 100% +
Colgate Childrens or Plus toothbrush
Sale Price: .99 Coupon: 6/7S Final Price: .24 or 88% off
Note: Check with toothbrushes are included on the coupon
Colgate toothpaste
Sale price: .99 Coupon: 6/7S and $1.00 in ad coupon Final Price: .24 or 88% off

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Deals at Kroger this week!

Here's great deals at Kroger this week:

Oscar Meyer Deli Style Lunchmeat BOGO
Sale Price: $1.50 Coupon: 5/10S (must buy 2) Final Price: $1.00 or 67% off
Knorr Rice, Pasta or Fiesta Sides
Sale Price: $1.00 Coupon: 5/17RP (must buy 2) Final Price: .70 or 59% off
Eckrich Assorted Meat Products (lowest price shown)
Sale Price: $1.50 Coupon: 5/17S2 (must buy 2) Final Price: $1.00 or 67% off
Daisy Sour Cream
Sale Price: $1.67 Coupon: 5/31RP Final Price: $1.67 or 66% off
Sunny Delight 64 oz (Smoothie variety is the coupon if part of sale)
Sale Price: $1.25 Coupon: 5/31S Final Price: .70 or 59% off
Lysol Cleaning Products 50% off
Sale Price: $1.10 Coupon: 6/7S Final Price: .10 or 95% off
NOTE: I'm not finding these cleaners at the price listed above but still a good deal!

If you bought all these items- you would spend under $10.00 and save 67% off!

Deal at Target this week

I haven't been shopping Target much lately but here's a good deal:

Glade Sense & Spray Starter Kit
Sale Price: $5.99 Coupon: 5/10S Final Price: $1.99 or 78% off

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Call your utility companies!

Sit down one afternoon and call your companies. See if there is a special going on or just specifically ask if there is a way to lower your bill. You'd be surprise how easy and it works!
We normally do it at least once a year.

Called the cable company today and inquired about adding another premium channel. It was going to be $7.95 a month so Mike asked what the difference is if we just added everything? There was a special for doing so and it's a no commitment, locked in rate for 2 years. Now we have all the channels, they threw in the HD DVR for free and we are going to save over $30 a month!! SWEET

All for making a 15 minute phone call.

Friday, June 5, 2009

KMart may be doubling up to $2.00 next week

Go to KMart.com and click on weekly ads. Type in your zip code and look for a coupon on the bottom right of next week's sales ad. If there is a coupon for up to 10 coupons doubling to $2.00 then your local store is participating next week.

I tried several stores around my area and the ad for next week does not have the coupon. Check your area and see if you might be one of the lucky ones!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Q&A: Combining Downloadable and Paper Coupons

Note: If you comment on an older post- make sure to also send me an email especially if you have a question. I may not see the comment right away and I want to help out!
southerncouponbelle@comcast.net

Q: Hi! I'm new here and not really sure where to post my question. If you have UPromise ecoupons loaded and you have paper coupons or other ecoupons for immediate savings on an item, do you get both the Upromise and the traditional savings at the same time? Thank You for your help, and I'm loving your advice!

A: I have had no problem using downloadable with paper coupons. If anyone else has had a different response- please comment!

Deals at Publix this week!

Here's what I found to be 50% off or higher at Publix this week that I need or can stock up on.

Minute Maid All Natural Coolers, Just 10 Fruit Punch or Fruit Falls Water BOGO
Sale Price: $1.10 or 50% off
Whole Fruit Sorbet BOGO
Sale Price: $1.45 Coupon: 4/5RP Final Price: .70 or 76% off
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Sweet Rolls, Biscuits etc. 10/$10 promotion
Sale Price: $1.00 Coupon: 4/5S1 (must buy 2) Final Price: .70 or 50% off
Sparkle Paper Towels 2 Roll
Sale Price: $2.50 Coupon: 5/3RP Final Price: $1.50 or 54% off
GE Reveal Light Bulbs 4ct BOGO
Sale Price: $1.45 Coupon: 5/3S Final Price: .70 or 76% off
Dannon Activa Yogurt 4 pk
Sale Price: $2.00 Coupon 5/10S Final Price: $1.00 or 65% off
Dannon DanActive Drinkable Yogurt 4pk
Sale Price: $2.00 Coupon: 5/10S Final Price: $1.00 or 65% off
Breyers Ice Cream BOGO
Sale Price: $2.50 Coupon: 5/17RP Final Price: $1.75 or 65% off

If you bought all 9 items, you would spend $9.15 after coupons and save 63% off!

Make sure you do your own list at CouponMom.com because there are other great deals this week!

Interesting Promotion at McDonald's

I just read this online and I haven't tried it. If you purchase a latte at McDonald's- ask if there is a free sandwich that comes with the latte. Never hurts to ask and the worse they could say is no. It's a "silent" promotion and will only work if you ask.

Supposedly works for breakfast items as well.

Cool website I found today!

Check out www.pickyourown.org and click on the purple box on the left. Click on your state and then your area.

You can find local farms for fresh produce and local pick your own produce farms! I found 3 blueberry and blackberry farms all less than 5 miles from the house and I didn't know they were there! Blueberries will be ready to pick now or by the end of June. There is even an organic farm literally right around the corner from my house!

The best is the prices- the organic farm sells quarts for $1.75 and they are over $4 in the stores. I even found 2 places that charge $5 a gallon!!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Cheap Baseball- $1.00 Upper Level this Monday, June 8th for the Atlanta Braves

Took the girls to their first Braves game last night and I was looking at the schedule. Make sure you check your local team's 2009 Promotional Schedule.

This Monday, the Braves host the Pirates and it's Dave Ramsey Night. All Upper Reserved seats are $1.00. Going to be an interesting game considering the Atlanta Braves just acquired their All Star best hitter today.

Great deal if you don't mind sitting in the upper seats. We did last night and we should have just sat on the roof we were so high. Mike's dad sang the National Anthem with his church choir and these were the seats available through the church. We had fun.

There are great deals on tickets out there but if you plan to feed a family of four at Turner Field- you are going to spend a small fortune. I brought in waters, Capri Suns, sandwiches and snacks. Turner Field used to be so strict but not anymore. We parked, saw the game and spent under $20.00. The girls did get soft frozen lemonades. So you can go have a great day at the ballgame and not spend a ton.

Turner Field is also great about all the fun activities at the stadium. There is a Cartoon Network Kid Zone, the Chick Fil A Cow was there and the girls had fun before the game.

Another tip- if you take your ticket stub to The Varsity after the game and purchase a drink and fries... you get a free "naked" dog. If you aren't in Atlanta- it's a plain hot dog but I got a chili dog for free. The Varsity is an Atlanta Institution and you don't want to ever go downtown without a stop at The Varsity!

IP Coupon for $1.00 off AJC this Sunday

Click here and print a coupon for $1.00 off the AJC this Sunday at Kroger. Remember, you can use this coupon as a competitor coupon at Publix as well.

It works on doubles so that's a great deal to get extra inserts!!

Freebie and good deal on deodorant and batteries at Krogers

Right Guard 3-D Active Sports are $1.00 this week. Match with the $1.00 off from the 4/19S to get this for free!

Energizer Batteries: 4AAA, 4AA, 1 9V, 2C or 2D are 5/$10. Use coupon from 5/03S to get these for a $1.00 each.

Free Movies and Concert Festivals Around Atlanta this Summer

Here are some websites to get more information on some free family fun around Atlanta!

Dive In Movies at W Atlanta- Perimeter's Wet Deck
www.whotels.com

Movies in the Park- Various locations
www.georgiamoviesinthepark.com

Movies Under the Stars- Mall of Georgia
www.mallofgeorgia.com

Northside Hospital- Forsyth Film Fest
www.ngaff.com

Screen on the Green- Centennial Olympic Park
www.peachtreetv.com

Starlight Drive In Cost $$
www.starlightdrivein.com

Concerts:

City of Kennesaw's Summer Concert Series
www.kennesaw.ga.us

Concerts by the Springs- Sandy Springs
www.heritagesandysprings.org

Roswell Riverside Sounds
www.roswellgov.com

Monday, June 1, 2009

It's that time of the month!

HAHA Not THAT but all printable coupons are refreshed, Restaurant.com is reloaded and the downloadable coupons are refreshed also. Take a couple of minutes to go get what you need for this month!