Before I had Nicholas, I was a major grocery store stockpiler. With the right sale and the right coupon, each week there are things that you can get from the grocery store for little to no cost. When we moved into this house 4-1/2 years ago, much to The Husband’s chagrin, we had to pack my burgeoning stockpile. But since we have been here, I have not had to buy any Reynolds tinfoil, Ziploc bags, Colgate toothbrushes and other similar items. I am still using my stockpile - not bad, eh?

For example, when I stocked up on the tinfoil, Shop Rite had a sale where they were selling it for 0.99/each. There was a 0.50/1 coupon out at the time, and since they double the coupons’ value, it made the item free. At Shop Rite, you can use four of the same coupons with each order. Now, comes the fun part. Stocking up. When I identify the “free” items for the week, I start collecting as many of the coupons for that item as I can. Whether it be from friends and family, recycling centers or even ordering them online, I’d get as many as I needed, and then plan multiple trips during the week to get the free items. If I drag The Husband with me, we separate and do two orders, so that means 8 tin foil packages each trip. I go 3-4 times a week when the deals are good, and that’s how I end up with my multi-year supply. ;) Cool, huh?

A lot of people think that coupons take “too much time,” but when I’m wheeling a full grocery cart out of the store, and my receipt is under $20, it’s worth it. Critics always think it means they have to buy store brand or generic to get the cheapest/best deal, but that’s not true either. The toothbrushes that were free were Colgate brand, the foil Reynolds, the ketchup Heinz, and so on.

Most grocery stores at least double coupons, and some of you might be lucky enough to even have triples. And likewise, a lot of often-bought grocery items will go on sale for at least half-price and sometimes, even lower. You just have to keep an eye on the weekly circulars, know what the “good prices” are, and go from there. I’ve slacked off a bit with my couponing/stockpiling habit over the last 2 years or so, but have started gearing back up again. I’ll try to highlight some deals from grocery stores I frequent, in case some of you want to join in the fun. There’s quite a rush to really getting something for nothing.

OK, now to the toys… a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I signed on to become a Pampered Chef consultant. My starter kit arrived, chock full of goodies. Everything from kitchen tools and a cutting board to a ceramic serving dish and batter bowl. Fun! To date, my absolute favorite Pampered Chef item is their Quick-Stir pitcher. It has a plunger thing in the lid, so you just have to push on it a few times to mix up your drink. Nicholas loves using it to stir up lemonade. You can check out all their cool products on my Pampered Chef site. You can’t yet order from my site, but if you see something you want, just drop me a line and we’ll take it from there.

In the meantime, I thought I’d give away some of the goodies from my starter kit to introduce you guys to the products. Here goes:

1. The first person (in the comments section) to tell me what The Husband’s nationality is gets a Measure-All Cup and Egg Slicer.
2. The first person to tell me my background/nationality gets a Crinkle Cutter (and as I’m a bit of a mix, I’ll take either of 2 answers).
3. The first person to tell me either the restaurant or event we visited for Nicholas’ birthday last year gets a Baker’s Roller.

Have at it!

Until tomorrow…

A year ago today… deja vu.