COUPONING 101

          

My last column on the Couponing Craze was printed June 22, when I had been actively striving to become a Coupon Goddess (like on TLC’s show “Extreme Couponing”) for about a month.  I am now four months into the project and I’ve reached one of my goals: to cut my grocery bill by 20%.  Along the way, I’ve learned a few things about effective couponing.

1)   The kind of couponing shown on the show—where people get $1,000 worth of product for $3—just won’t happen around here.  We don’t have many stores that double coupon OR have reward programs. Still you can save substantial money if you have the TIME and SPACE to actively coupon.

2)   By TIME I mean time to locate the coupons (you find them online, as well as in the newspaper), compare the coupons to the ads, and then SHOP AROUND.  It often takes trips to several different stores to reach Coupon Nirvana.  With gas at $4/gallon, it is important to plan your trips to town so you aren’t actually losing money trying to save money.  I work in Fort Dodge on Monday and Thursdays, so those are my bargain hunting days.

3)   By SPACE I mean a place to stockpile.  Mine is full now, so I am asking for more shelving for Christmas. Stocking up is one of the huge secrets of being a successful Coupon Goddess.  

4)   One thing it took me awhile to learn was that I needed to have a decent knowledge of how much stuff costs at a discount store—like Walmart. Some stores offer what appears to be good deal—a product for 50% off, for instance—but the product is already priced much higher than it should be so the deal isn’t all the great.  Walgreens and Kmart both tend to have higher prices than other big box stores—so their sales need to be watched closely.   For example, a good price for dishwashing soap is less than 90 cents and a good price for laundry soap is less than $2.50 for 50 ounces.  These are my baselines that guide me in my bargain hunting.

5)   Walgreens, however, does offer some of the best savings if you watch closely and use their coupons.  Also, they offer something called “Register Rewards” that gives money off your next order as well.  The Walgreens in Fort Dodge, however, has never once had everything in their ad in stock when I have gone there.  The Walgreens in Ames is much better at stocking their shelves.   Walgreens (as well as most retailers) allow you to “stack” coupons—which means you can use a Walgreens coupon and a manufacturer coupon both on a product for even greater savings.  Be sure to watch their register closely. If you catch the machine not accepting a coupon, just point it out to the clerk and she’ll fix it.   Walgreens is very accommodating towards couponers.  They also have a monthly coupon book available in aisles—be sure to grab it.

6)   Kmart has the best rewards program.  I was recently able to get $50 worth of merchandise for free using this.  Their Sunday ad is also very good and has extra coupons if you belong to the rewards program, which is free to join.   Kmart is also the only place I’ve found that double coupons—and they don’t do it very often. About four times a year they offer double coupons (only for coupons under $1) for a week.  I have participated in this twice and saved a TON both times.

7)   Speaking of Sunday ads, the Des Moines Register has much better coupon inserts than the Fort Dodge Messenger. If you are like me and prefer the Messenger to the Register, just enlist your non-couponing neighbors to give you their coupons.  My neighbor and my mom both give me coupons. In order to build up your stockpile, you need multiple copies of each coupon. That way, when you get a good deal, you can buy more than one. 

8)   You want to look for coupons that don’t have size requirements. For instance, I recently had coupons that said “50 cents of ANY Tide detergent” and another that said “$1.50 off any 2 Tide products.”  At Target, they had travel-sized Tide for .97.  So, using all my coupons I was able to get a TON of travel-sized Tides to take camping for next-to-nothing.  Tide doesn’t really like couponers, apparently, because they have a whole bunch of restrictions on their coupons that other coupons don’t have.  My advice: just read the fine print and you’ll be fine—and once again, watch the register closely.

9)   In addition to print coupons, there are TONS of Internet coupons available. I found the best way to find these are through facebook. I subscribe to several facebook sites devoted to couponing and they send me daily updates.  My favorites are Couponista Queen, Budget Savvy Diva, and Coupon Mom.    These sites also give you links to FREE STUFF—which is even better than coupons sometimes.  Sundays afternoons and the first day of each month are the best days to Internet coupon.  Most sites allow only two printings of each coupon—so if you have access to more than one computer you can get around this rule.

10)         Grocery ads come out in the Fort Dodge Messenger on Wednesdays.  Fareway managers must get up very early in the mornings and then go around their store replicating HyVee’s ads.    SO—if HyVee is having a great sale—like Campbell’s tomato or chicken noodle soup for 39 cents—you can count on Fareway having it on sale as well.  I always hit both stores.  A lot of these awesome deals have limits on them.  The soup deal had a limit of two.  Fareway, however, let me get two tomatoes and two chicken noodles.  HyVee only let me get two total.  With a manufacturer’s coupon I had from Campbell’s, I was able to get 6 cans of soup for less than $2 by going to two grocery stores.  Once again, it is important to have a place to stockpile all your newfound “wealth.”

11)         Dollar General is the last store where I’ve had a lot of luck couponing.  For some reason, both Dollar Generals I’ve patronized (Webster City and Eagle Grove) could not take my Mastercard, which was just odd.

12)         BOGO (Buy one; get one free) are a couponer’s DREAM—especially if you have a manufacturer’s coupon for the “buy one.”  This phenomenon explains why I have 26 bottles of Gillette Body Wash.

13)         In my experience, buying from Sam’s Club doesn’t really save money.  You have to watch their unit prices very closely and they generally aren’t that great of a deal.  Add that to the yearly fee, and I think I’ll let my Sam’s membership expire.  Sam’s also doesn’t take coupons, which is just wrong if you ask me.

14) PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY:  I am a HUGE fan of my local grocery store and try to buy all my non-stockpile stuff—like dairy, bread, and pop—from the DCG.   Actually, if you watch their weekly ad in the pages of the Review, the DCG sometimes has better deals than the big box stores—and you don’t have to drive.   In addition, the DCG supports our local sports teams and community projects; big box stores—not so much.  I pay attention to the stores that support local activities and try to shop there frequently.

This has turned out to be my longest column ever (even longer than ones when George Bush was president!), but I’ve just learned so much and had so much fun I had to share.  Hope I saved someone out there a buck or two. Until next time—see you shopping and saving!

Rewrite of 9/28 column

Note to Self:  Just because you CAN say or do something, doesn’t mean you SHOULD

 “I may disagree with what you say, but I’ll defend to your death your right to say it.”    The French philosopher Voltaire said this and I have always believed it. After the last council meeting, however, I have come to think that my mother’s old adage “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all” may trump Voltaire’s.    I’ve come to the conclusion that even though a person has the RIGHT to say something, they need to just shut their trap and keep their vitriol to themselves.

                  I have been meaning to write a comprehensive city council column for quite some time—you know, to summarize and analyze my four years on the council.  I was just waiting for inspiration.  It finally came to me as I left city hall in tears:  we could have been the best city council in the history of man—and we ended up being more dysfunctional than the cast of Jersey Shore.

                  The five council members and the mayor are all talented in different areas.   For example, I am a decent writer; Norm knows everything there is to know about water infrastructure; Paula knows real estate inside and out.   We should have been able to change Dayton for the better.   What happened?  I think perhaps PETTINESS is to blame.

During the last four years, I have noticed more and more people doing and saying things simply because they CAN—not thinking of consequences or other people or the good of the community.  They CAN make demands and phone calls and stupid insinuations—so they do.   

                  Originally I had planned                  to list some of the petty behaviors I have dealt with in the last four years.  I decided against this as I didn’t want everyone in town to be playing the “who is she talking about?” game.  As tempted as I am to vent about specific individuals, I’m going to keep my comments very general. Let’s just say I’ve witnessed plenty of petty behavior on both sides of the council table.  More often than I want to admit, when I’ve asked someone making what seems to be unreasonable demands “Why are you doing this?”, they responded “because I can.”  Not “because it will make my life better” or “because it is the right thing to do”—but simply “because I can.” 

                  This pettiness is not only evident at council meetings, but downtown as well.  Any perceived insult results in people threatening to pull their business—hurting the insulter financially.  What they don’t seem to realize (or perhaps they don’t care) is they don’t only hurt the person they thought insulted them, they hurt the entire community.   For example, if the City were to pull its legals from the local paper, yes, that might teach the editor a lesson.  However, that lesson might result in one of the state’s oldest newspapers shutting its doors and leaving Dayton without any local press. 

Apparently it makes a certain type of person feel better to WIN—at anything.  If they can bully someone into getting their way—than by gum, their gonna do it.  They “win”—and everyone else loses.

                  I firmly believe that if we could just harness all this negative energy we could make Dayton a better place.  Heck, if we could just stop the rabble rousing and gossip for one week and use the time saved to spruce up the city, it would make a major difference.    Think of all the negative press Dayton has had in the past four years.   Can you imagine how GREAT it would have been if this could have been positive press instead?  Don’t you think that if Channel 5 or the Des Moines did a story about this awesome little town—this unsung jewel in the middle of the heartland—maybe that would attract a person or two to visit or even move here?    Dayton has a bunch of beautiful houses for sale—and in this economy they are dirt cheap.  Wouldn’t it be great if some new families would move into them—bringing new ideas and new energy—and paying property taxes to boot? 

                  I have three more months on my council term and I am going to try mightily not to erupt like I did last night when the straw broke this camel’s back and the floodgates opened.  (And—by the way, that’s called mixing metaphors.)  When my term is over, I hope to find a way to use my skills to benefit the city I love so much—without the aggravation of monthly meetings that become screaming matches on an astoundingly regular basis.

                  There’s gotta be a better way, my friends.  We can’t do too much about what people choose to say at meetings (although I do think the rules could be enforced more vigorously about citizen participation and general decorum), but we can vote for the candidates we feel have the best interest of DAYTON at heart—and aren’t just running to push through their petty agenda and make themselves feel important.  I haven’t decided for whom I will vote this November.  I am going to a little research first—and I urge you to do so as well.  Let’s make sure the next council has four years of moving Dayton forward—not arguing over insignificant items and wasting everyone’s time.

rough draft of column--HELP ME

                And—this pettiness is not only evident at council meetings, but downtown as well.  Any perceived insult results in people threatening to pull their business—hurting the insulter financially.  What they don’t seem to realize (or perhaps they don’t care) is they don’t only hurt the person they thought insulted them, they hurt the entire community.   For example, if the City were to pull its legals from the local paper, yes, that might teach the editor a lesson.  However, that lesson might result in one of the state’s oldest newspapers shutting its doors and leaving Dayton without any local press. 

Apparently it makes a certain type of person feel better to WIN—at anything.  If they can bully someone into getting their way—even if their way does absolutely nothing to make lives (even theirs) better—than by gum, their gonna do it.  They “win”—and everyone else loses.

                I find myself asking WHY?  Why would you to start a petition that will cost the city a ton of money and give no new information?  Why would make demand after demand on city maintenance crews regarding a vacant lot you happen to own?  Why would you accuse your neighbor of a “cover up”?  Folks that show this type of pettiness must be compensating for SOMETHING.  They must get SOMETHING from causing a ruckus and making people feel bad.  I’ll just be darned if I can figure out what it is.  I’m thinking they must have been picked on a lot in high school.

                I firmly believe that if we could just harness all this negative energy we could make Dayton a better place.  Heck, if we could just stop the rabble rousing and gossip for one week and use the time saved to spruce up the city, it would make a major difference.    Think of all the negative press Dayton has had in the past four years.   Can you imagine how GREAT it would have been if this could have been positive press instead?  Don’t you think that if Channel 5 or the Des Moines did a story about this awesome little town—this unsung jewel in the middle of the heartland—maybe that would attract a person or two to visit or even move here?    Dayton has a bunch of beautiful houses for sale—and in this economy they are dirt cheap.  Wouldn’t it be great if some new families would move into them—bringing new ideas and new energy—and paying property taxes to boot?  Imagine this lovely scenario and then ask yourself why would anyone move into a town as DYSFUNCTIONAL as Dayton?  Why would anyone invest in a community where citizens don’t care about each other and only care about “winning” dubious victories?  Heck—why would people even choose to remain in Dayton with the toxic climate?

                Announcing at a council meeting “the rodeo never done anything good for me” and insinuating that because of this we should just get rid of it is just selfish.    Personally I am not a big fan the sport of rodeo myself. I don’t really get it.  By, doggone it, I am going to do everything in my power—including volunteering my time and spending my money—to help make it a success.   I may not like certain business people in Dayton, but I’m gonna give them my money anyway.  Business in Dayton is good for Dayton and even though an individual might offend me, I realize that that person’s business benefits all Dayton.

                I have three more months on my council term and I am going to try mightily not to erupt like I did last night when the straw broke this camel’s back and the floodgates opened.  (And—by the way, that’s called mixing metaphors.)  When my term is over, I hope to find a way to use my skills to benefit the city I love so much—without the aggravation of monthly meetings that become screaming matches on an astoundingly regular basis.

                There’s gotta be a better way, my friends.  We can’t do too much about what citizens choose to say at meetings (although I do think the rules could be enforced more vigorously about citizen participation and general decorum), but we can vote for the candidates we feel have the best interest of DAYTON at heart—and aren’t just running to push through their petty agenda and make themselves feel important.  I haven’t decided for whom I will vote this November.  I am going to a little research first—and I urge you to do so as well.  Let’s make sure the next council has four years of moving Dayton forward—not arguing over insignificant items and wasting everyone’s time.

FYI--city council elections coming up. File your papers now!

Three Council Seats/Mayor up for grabs in Dayton

Deadline for filing papers is September 22

The elected positions of Mayor and 3 City Council members will be voted on by Dayton electors on November 8, 2011.  These are all 4 year terms that will begin on January 1, 2012, and expire on December 31, 2015.   Those council members whose seats are open are Kevin Bensen, Norm Vegors, and Kendra Breitsprecher.  The current mayor is Richard Travis.

Any candidate for these positions must be an eligible elector.  An eligible elector meets all requirements to vote, but does not have to be registered to vote.  An eligible elector must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Iowa, a resident of Dayton, and at least 18 years old.   Eligible electors may not be a convicted felon (unless voting rights have been restored by the President or Governor), be currently judged incompetent to vote by a court, or claim the right to vote in any other place.

Candidates must complete an affidavit of candidacy and nomination petitions and file with the City Clerk.  The affidavit must be notarized, which can be done by the City Clerk.  The nomination petitions must contain at least 10 signatures of eligible electors.  Both documents must be filed with the City Clerk at the same time.  The last day to file is on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. at the Clerk’s Office, 202 1^st Avenue SW, Dayton.  There are no filing fees in Iowa.

Jefferson Cross Country article

Number Fourteen Ranked SWG Boys Run Well at Jefferson

            Propst,Breitsprecher medal

Luhmann, Orngard medal for the girls

            Three meets into the season, the SWG Eagle cross country teams continue to improve.  The boys were surprised and pleased to be ranked 15^th by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches the first week of the season.  They were even more surprised and pleased to move up to 14^th the second week.    After beating #12 South Hamilton and tying with #11 Panorama, it is expected the Eagle boys will move up even more in the next rankings.
            “I was absolutely thrilled to see the rankings. Our boys run as a pack and that strategy is paying off,” said head coach Dean Breitsprecher.  “The girls are running great as well. I expect to see them ranked very soon.”

             Nine teams competed at Jefferson September 8.  SWG finished tied for third placed, with Guthrie Center and West Marshall placing first and second respectively.  West Marshall won the 2A title last year.  

            The number one runner for the Eagle boys was once again Senior Miles Propst, who finished tenth with a time of 19:31.  Senior Cody Breitsprecher also medaled and finished 19^th with a time of 20:01.  Also competing for the Eagles was Sophomore Randy Schwering (25^th, 20:22); Senior Tyler HInman (28^th—20:29); Sophomore Colten Bill (29^th, 20:30); Freshman Malachi Swanson (61^st—22:39), Sophomore Zach Hansen (84^th—24:29), and Freshman Joe Sedlacek (88^th—25:10).    There were 103 total runners in the varsity boys competition. 

            The girls also ran well, finishing in sixth place out of ten teams with 129 points.  Winning this meet was South Hamilton with 67 points.  Finishing second was Guthrie Center with 89 and #12 in class 1A Panorama with 94 points.  Sophomore Emma Luhmann, who is ranked 20^th on mile/split/com, and  Senior Solveig Orngard both medaled, finishing 5^th and 11^th respectively.  Senior Natalie Williams finished 27^th (19:12), Junior Morgan Strauss finished 40^th (19:55), Freshman Nicole Williams finished 59^th (21:25), and Sophomore Caitlin Pace finished 63^rd (21:42).

            This was also the first junior high meet.  Unfortunately, the football and volleyball teams also had games this night, so the only junior high runner was Bryce Scott, eighth grader. He did very well—finishing 39^th with a time of 16:33.  Junior high athletes run a two –mile course.             

            The next meet is a combined junior high/high school meet at Carroll on Saturday, September 17.

THE BACON MOBILE: A LITTLE PIECE OF PARADISE ON FOUR WHEELS

               

It seems as though I’ve written quite a few “fluffy” columns lately—garage sales, new puppies, vacations, and the like.  I feel like I should tackle something more  . . . intellectual.   I should give you my opinion on the various Republican presidential candidates or perhaps solve that pesky world hunger problem.  Alas, I am unable to contemplate anything complex as my mind is completely, totally, idyllically relaxed.  You see—I am now the proud owner of one of my life-long dreams.  For my birthday, my husband bought me a motor home.  Yeppers—the Breitsprechers can now live in luxury while we commune with nature.

                  Well, sorta.  I guess we can travel as long as the communing doesn’t happen very far from home.  You see, the camper isn’t exactly a brand-spanking new one.  As a matter of fact, I was only 12 years old the year it was built.  That’s right—my new home-away-from-home is a 1977 Dodge Brougham, which we have fondly nicknamed the “Bacon Mobile”—and I couldn’t be happier.

                  I have a pastoral image of my newfound life in a camper.  First of all, the Breitsprechers will miraculously have much more free time in which to enjoy our camper.  I will also miraculously learn how to cook, as my dream involves me making gourmet meals and homemade cookies in my motor home’s kitchen, while watching my children frolic with the flora and the fauna in the distance.  Oh yeah—and the kids will get along perfectly—that’s part of my vision, too.

                  We’ve only taken the camper out of the driveway once—and that was only as far as the Dayton Oak Park camp ground.  We decided not to go very far on our first trip—to work the bugs out.   This was probably a wise idea, because when we went to leave—the battery was dead and we had to call a friend to come jumpstart Paradise.    We still haven’t figured out how to hook up the water or the stove—but, hey, it’s a work in progress!

                  Because our first trip was so very close to home, I was able to do most of the cooking at the house and didn’t need the stove anyway.  I was also able to run home and pick up anything I forgot.    I have to brag a little—I didn’t really forget very much.   You see, I had spent the week between when we bought the camper (which Dean found on Craig’s List) and when we were finally able to go camping loading my little paradise with supplies for every conceivable situation.    I didn’t have to buy much because I have been secretly shopping for my dream camper for years.   Whenever I was at a garage sale, an auction, or even a really good sale at Target and there was something that would be just PERFECT for my future motor home, I bought it—just in case.  Because of this little obsession, we already owned plastic dishes, an extra set of silverware, cookware, serving utensils, extra bedding and towels, an 8-man tent, a small fire pit, and a portable hammock. Yep—you read correctly—I bought a “bag hammock” at a garage sale this spring for the grand price of $10—just in case I ever went camping.

                   When Josie, Paddy, and I reached the campground one Saturday afternoon, the first thing I set up was that hammock. Then Paddy and I tried to set up the tent.   It didn’t come with instructions and it became obvious pretty quick that we’d have to call in reinforcements.  Thank Heaven we weren’t very far from home—one quick phone call and our neighbor was at the campground, with a rubber mallot, a pair of pliers, and more patience than me.

                  By the time Dean arrived, I had French dip sandwiches cooking in the crock pot, fresh sweet corn cooking on the grill, a scented candle burning on the table, and was sipping a glass of wine while reclining in my hammock, reading a little Shakespeare.    It was pretty much perfection.

                  Because we were in town, the kids were still able to ride their bikes down the hill and hang out with friends.    Dean was able to drive back home and pick up additional items—like the EZ UP tent we used as a canopy over the picnic table and MacBeth, who loved frolicking in the grass.  We built a beautiful fire and had a lovely evening.

                  Paddy’s plan for sleeping in the tent didn’t happen—but that was okay as he was forced to sleep in the upper compartment with me.  My kids don’t want to cuddle very often anymore, so this was yet another treat in an already  treat-filled weekend.  We woke up the next morning, rekindled the fire, and enjoyed our coffee alfresco.  I had even brought along my Keurig coffee machine, so we had a gourmet experience while watching the golfers arrive for a tournament at the course.  Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

                  It has been a month since that first trip, and we have yet to find another unstructured weekend so we can recreate the experience.    We hope to make a least one more foray into the wild before the snow flies.  During the winter months, I will be converting the Bacon Mobile into the “House Divided” mobile, as we have decided to decorate it in Iowa and Iowa State gear. 

                  Come next spring, we may not be taking a trip to the Grand Canyon, like the Brady Bunch, but I’m betting we’ll be all fired up for an overnight to Don Williams or Dolliver.  This whole camping thing—it’s gonna be great.

                   

Eagle Boys CC team Ranked Fifth in 1A

This is not really an article or column, but a NEWS FLASH.  SWG  Eagle boys are ranked fifteenth this week in 1A!!  WOO HOO

Second cross country meet

CC TEAMS RUN WELL AT WEBSTER CITY           

Despite intermittent rain and cold winds, the SWG boys and girls cross country teams traveled to Webster City August 30 for the Lynx Invitational, which is held annual on the Links Golf Course.  Both Eagle teams placed tenth overall for the third straight year.  “This is a very respectable finish,” said head coach Dean Breitsprecher, “as this meet is not classed.  In other words, we were competing directly against large schools like Fort Dodge Senior High and Algona.”

            The fifth-ranked (2A) girls from Humboldt took home top honors with 79 points.  Eagle Grove (84), Algona (104), and Roland-Story (105) were right behind.  St. Edmond’s finished 6^th and FDSH was 8^th.  The Eagle girls had 219 points.  Thirteen teams competed in the girls’ event.

            “I was really pleased with how hard out teams competed,” said Dean.  “The quality of the competition was very high.”

            Emma Luhmann, sophomore, once again led the way placing 13^th with a time of 17:05.  Solveig Orngard (22^nd, 17:40), Natalie Willialms (52^nd, 19:18), Morgan Strauss (62^nd 19:50) Caitlin Pace (76^th, 21:57),Nicole Williams (86^th, 23:50), and Emma Clausen (88^th, 25:39) also competed for SWG.

            Senior Miles Propst spearheaded the Eagles effort placing 44^th with a time of 19:38.  Cody Breitsprecher (52^nd, 20)2), Colen Bills (53^rd, 20:16), Tyler Hinman (56^th, 20:39), Randy Schwering (58^th, 20:43) and Zach Hansen (86^th, 23:43) also ran for the varsity. 

            Two freshmen Eagles ran in the junior varsity race. These were freshman Malachi Swanson (51^st, 21:59) and Joe Sedlacek (71^st, 23:36)

            The second-ranked (class 3a) boys from Boone took home top honors with 56 points.  Host Webster City captured runner-up accolates with 66 points.  St. Edmonds (94), Humboldt (112), FDSH (122),  Algona (162) all followed. The SWG boys placed tenth (263) out of the 14-team field.

            The next cross country meet will be September 8 at Jefferson. This will also be the first junior high meet.