Not only do I write a blog, but I read blogs. It's a great way to learn what other people are looking for when it comes to food and to try to help them out if I have answers. I had read a couple blogs about these things called Johnson's Buddies. They are little green bars with soap in them that fit perfectly in childrens' hands and lather quickly teaching them how to wash. They seem popular among moms, and I purchased one once because I was collecting a bunch of $1 items to go in a big blanket to give to a girl at the office. So, I'm reading these blogs about free Johnson's Buddies and it occurs to me that with 60 girls in my office, there's bound to be more pregnancies coming up, and I should stock up on anything free I can get. The more I read, the more I learned about free Huggies disposable changing pads.
This doesn't have anything to do with cooking, and I'm sure you've heard about it on some other blog. So, I don't feel smart. However, this whole experience led me by chance to some amazing coupon searching with finds that I am exceptionally proud of.
Find #1
Coupons.com-I'm pretty sure I have somehow navigated to this place once before. But, I spent little time there. I have no idea what led me there this time, but I got there and came across coupons for Weetabix. This is a great cereal in the organic aisle at Publix. I can't find it at any other stores in the area. Maybe it's at a SuperTarget, but I don't live near enough to one. *frown* So, it goes for about $4.99 at Publix, and *choke* every time Paul goes with me, we must pick some up. Then, I came upon $0.75 coupons at coupon.com. Now, that doesn't seem like much, but let's face it: Paul likes something. I have to buy it anyway because I love him, and he wants it. Publix is the only place to get it. The coupons can be printed more than once and Publix will accept them. Any little bit I save helps. Eventually, it will add up.
Find #2
Coupon Search-Again, I have no idea how I stumbled on this, but I'm already rather addicted to it. It's a source where you can search for any item and see what kind of coupons are available for it (printable or what store is giving them out or what week it came in the newspaper). This is great when Publix has a buy one, get one free sale. I get to see if there are coupons that help lower my price any more. I searched for Johnson's Buddies and found even more coupons than other "mommy" sites had. The website also led me to 2 $1 off coupons for Muir Glen tomatoes. These are also only available at Publix and are more expensive than other blogs mention because Orlando functions at a higher cost of living. Although the name says "organic," I was able to search for non-organic products as well. I have yet to register, but have had no problems finding what I've wanted in the week since I came across the site.
Additional Thoughts
Some websites require a sign-up before searching for and printing coupons. For this reason, I have a "junk" email address that I use for websites I want to try out, but suspect I will not want to stay connected to for very long. I just did a search after one week to see what additional spam I got on that email account. It was only partially sad. I found I was signed up for a daily horoscope and a "free" page of news stories that I don't need to know about. I have yet to decide if it was worth putting my name on a few lists. However, a junk email address a great way to check a website out without taking too many chances. After all, if it turns out to be a great deal, you can just sign up with your good email address and get any additional freebies all over again.
There were a few websites I gave my ELAR email address to very quickly. They are Muir Glenn, Eat Better America, and for it's newsletter. So far Aldi is the only one I have received anything from.
What websites do you find helpful in lowering your grocery bill?
