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| You are the Devil, I say!!! Because I want you sooo much. |
Mmm.... Any flavor International Delight® Iced Coffee. Oh, God, I wish!
Yes indeed, Couponing is the Eighth Deadly Temptation.
Honoring What's Important To Us
We try to be a natural family. Not complete tree huggers, but not because we don't want to be. But close. We recycle as much as we throw in the trash every day. We eat as natural as possible given time and economic restraints. Processed foods are at a minimum. We substitute natural options for pretty much all our household supplies where affordable and convenient. We buy local whenever possible.
Not only that, but our family must avoid a number of common food allergens for health reasons, including gluten, dairy, and (gasp!) strawberries.
Making natural shopping choices definitely limits what one can buy. In a way, it actually makes it easier - there are whole aisles of processed foods I can skip in the store. We pretty much bypass the entire frozen foods section except for the flash-frozen green veggies, berries for smoothies (just berries, no kits) and fish. I would bypass the cleaning supplies if I could, but of all the remedies I've tried, only Scrubbin' Bubbles will actually clean a porcelain tub to my high standards. So we're definitely not completely crunchy.
Real and Local, but Not Real Cheap
Saving Money is a priority in our house. We live in Loudoun County, Va, an area which has an inordinately high cost of living for being a bunch of sub- and ex-burbs of Washington, DC. We also have the highest per-capita income in the nation, but that figure is skewed by the plethora of Internet millionaires, government contractors and professional athletes who live here. We are among the thousands here struggling -- though it's harder to see the recession here, being that there are golf courses and horse farms practically everywhere. ;) The lowest-level wage earners have, for the most part, been pushed out to the Shenandoah, and everyone commutes at least 15 to 20 miles each way no matter what the job or the employer.
Add on to that the fact that savings for real, whole and local grocery items are comparatively non-existant. Yeah, I can go site-to-site and print out coupons by company, but I really, really do not have that kind of time. Or that much printer paper.
The Lonely Couponer
This year I've been working even harder at keeping frugal. I belong to Swagbucks, and given the $15 I've already earned in Amazon Gift Cards, we plan to nix the cable in favor of instant streaming for our favorite shows. I've also joined SavingStar (no printer paper needed!) and Eversave, and I love this fabulous blog about couponing: Loudoun County Limbo. Ooo, my friend Theresa is so awesome in how she manages to feed 2 adults and 3 teenagers for $50-$75 a week! She ends up with plenty of extras, much of which she donates to the local food bank! I just love to watch her work -- for it is work, it's a full-time job to coupon like that. And I just don't have time kind of time.Even if I did, it wouldn't work for me. You see, I'm never going to actually buy my beloved coffee delights, no matter how wonderfully Internationally they are flavored. Don't get me wrong, I want them. Want them! But I've made a strong commitment to myself, and to my family. We grind our own coffee in this house! So while Theresa goes out and racks up a garage full of goods, I'm left sitting at home, alone, wondering why the marketers aren't targeting me. Boo hoo!
Every week as I learn to navigate the hundreds of coupons snail- and e-mailed to me, I'm starting to back a way -- to no longer look so hard to find savings. Because, truth be told, they're just. not. there.
Clicking through SavingStar. Hurray, a discount on Windex products! Hmm, I can fudge it and get some commercial baking soda toothpaste, just this once, mix it up a bit, ya' know. And..... there's absolutely nothing else on this list we would want.
But if they were there... I've be GLUED TO THEIR SITE EVERY DAY.
At least there's Swagbucks. I use Swagbucks now, Swagbucks is cool. ;)
If you know of any natural foodies' savings programs, please, pass them along! I'd love to try them out!
2 comments:
Oh my goodnes, I can't believed I was featured in your blog post. I was just reading along to see what you had to say and all of a sudden my name popped up!
I think there are a lot of different ways to be frugal depending on your interests. I have 2 friends who make all of their foods from scratch: soups, breads, rolls, pizza dough, etc. and don't spend any money on processed foods. They probably save as much as me, but truth be told, I just don't WANT to spend all day in the kitchen. I'd rather spend the time researching deals and shopping!
I thought my budget was extreme until I read the blog of a family who spends about $80 a month on EVERYTHING. But I don't want to live in a trailer or brush my teeth with baking powder. I'd rather just get my toothpaste for free.
Each person has to find what works for them. The marketers aren't targeting you because there isn't any profit for them in your lifestyle. So, a CSA is the way to go, I think!
Theresa, I mentioned you because you're awesome! =D $80 a month on Everything? At that point it sounds kinda like self-imposed slavery to me - indentured servitude because while their providers lose money, as it were, they have few options, little choice, and not the greatest quality of life. But that is their choice to make, I hope they Love it!
If I could bake with wheat products and use commercial dairy, I probably could save a lot more. But dang it! Then I'd be payin' for trips to the Doctor's office. lol
I'm actually going to be experimenting soon with brushing with baking powder/soda (forget which). I am aware that the thought of it doesn't bother me as much as most; I'll eventually blog about that on WholePup. =)
You'd think the big natural foods providers - Udis, etc. would band together and start their own weekly flyers and email lists. Even if their profit margins are smaller in general, brand loyalty brings in lots of $$ over time. Alas, sigh.... =)
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