This N That

 Keep Using Those Coupons

In my quest to continue saving money is these tough economical times, I have observed some very interesting trends.  Most of which involve women as they are the primary purchasers of groceries in this country.  Please check out the following observations.

Grocery cost are rising yet the amount of coupons available has gone down.

The expiration dates are now less than 90 days which used to be the norm.  Sometimes you will come across one that doesn't expire for 6 months but not often.

Online coupons have become much more competitive, unfortunately for us that means they will find ways to make it harder for us to use them, i.e. loading them directly to your card.  Also only allowing you the ability to use 1 coupon though you may have multiples of any given item 

(Tom Thumb loves this method). 

I am seeing less and less women using coupons in the store.  DON'T cross over to the dark side.  

Remember any money you save is money you did not have!

All grocery stores are not the same!

 I still consistently shop at Albertsons and Kroger as they are the stores that fit my grocery planning.

I am still persistent with my coupons and do continue to save anywhere from 40-60 dollars on my monthly grocery expenses.  I do say I have become a beast at stockpiling which saves even more.  Being able to maintain a $300.00 monthly grocery budget for a family of 3 adults is a challenge.  

We enjoy a quest here in suburbia!

Next week on Tuesday Tips we will talk about coupon sharing!

THOSE MORNING SHOWS

I know many of you watch TV in the mornings as you are getting ready for work. On Wednesday morning of last week NBC's Today show had the "Coupon Mom". She was given a shopping list and had her coupons and was to go through a local store and see how much she could save. Well her total bill was $.25. Yes I said 25 cents.

This is fantastic, super, great! If you are living in NYC where apparently her grocery store doubles everything up to $1.00. Ladies, this is not living in reality, first it is not a fair display of the average American household.

As I have shared before I feel the same way about the Grocery Game, yes it is a help and yes use it to help you get started. Once you have used it for a while then try it on your own. Why? Well if you do it yourself YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY A FEE TO YOU. This saves you money. And back to the Today show segment, you have to use what you have in your area. We get triple coupons up to 39 cents and double up to 50 cents. That is what we have to work with. That is why I am always telling you to use your manufacturers coupons with your grocery store coupons to save more money.

OK, I feel a little better getting that off my chest. I just do not want each of you to be discouraged by the "Coupon Mom's" wonderful shopping trip. We do not live in her area, we live here. You can only do what you do in your area.

Now on to something important. My sweet friend Stephanie "Couponing A Mom's Sport" will be teaching a couponing class through Plano's Parks and Rec program. If you live in this area, please check this out. I think it is coming up in March but will keep you posted.

JUST REMEMBER EVERY PENNY YOU SAVE IS A PENNY YOU DID NOT ALREADY HAVE! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

THE ANGRY DOG

Most of you who know me, know that I do not usually dine out. I am not a picky eater but I am picky about everything else. How it is presented, atmosphere, service, taste and one very important final ingredient, PRICE. This week we had the opportunity to go out with a dear friend Bill Lewis. We had dinner at The Angry Dog and the we went to Fair Park to see The Wizard of Oz.

Let me tell you, The Angry Dog is in Deep Ellum, the atmosphere was very relaxed, the service was wonderful. The food, I just can't find the right words to tell you how amazing it was. I got the Angry Dog, a kosher hot dog with all of the fixins, chili (homemade) cheese, grilled onions (yummy). The fries were enough for a small country, cooked to perfection. The taste, there are not words to describe. Daniel, City Slicker and Bill all had burgers, well let me just say they had to be served on a platter with the "small country" fries. They were all in dining heaven.

Lastly I must tell you I was shocked by the prices. They were beyond reasonable! Four people dining out for under $35.00. That is just unheard of in these parts.

One final thing you do have to pay for parking, but it was WORTH IT!

The Wizard of Oz was great too!


THE FISH FRY

Well as promised here is my "Restaurant Review" of the week. As each of you know, the fam went to Deport, Texas on Saturday. Well for those of you who do not know Deport is East of Paris, Texas.

There is this wonderful restaurant called the "Fish Fry". I should stop right there, but I won't. The food is out of this world, the fish so crispy and fresh and I understand they are the best steak place in town. I have heard this first hand from other diners. We always order the all you can eat and it comes with all those sides that are yummy as well.

We eat until we are stuffed (really)! and I can not continue without talking about the service. Wonderful just like everything else.

Paris is only about 1 and 1/2 hours from Plano, a beautiful drive. The Fish Fry is on the North loop around Paris. Please take some time and visit this great restaurant!

I am going to start my first official blog with one of my "Lynneisms".

"Stupid only takes a second and the you can't get it back"

Today is such a beautiful day! Such a cool morning for May in Texas. Well as a lot of you know, my baby graduated college this weekend. Yes COLLEGE, WOO HOO! Mama gets a pay raise! It was a glorious day for him, but alas he must settle into being home for the summer. This will be the first time in 2 years that he is residing at home full time. PLEASE take time to pray for us all. Lucky for Burt and I, Daniel will be in Europe for 30 of those glorious days of summer. WE WILL SURVIVE, no need to send in the troops just yet!

Now for the important stuff. Please note under my Tips drop down that my "Deal of the Day" has been posted. You may click on it and print.

Have a great day!