"You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts."
~Charles Spurgeon

Showing posts with label Coupons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coupons. Show all posts

Couponing Tip: shelf life & proper stockpile rotation etiquette

The Krazy Coupon Lady has a great article on her blog about the shelf life and rotation of the everyday foods we buy. It was a very insightful article so I thought I'd share it with you. If you ever get a chance, go and visit her site.


Salty Snacks

Chips, corn tortilla                                          3 months
Chips, potato                                                   2 months
Crackers                                                           3 months
Nuts, shelled                                                   4 months
Popcorn, kernels                                           18-24 months
Popcorn, packaged/ microwave                 12 months
Pretzels                                                             3 months
Snack mix                                                         3- 6 months

PB & J

Jams/ Jellies/ Preserves                             12 months
Peanut Butter                                                   9 months
Nutella                                                               8 months

Fruit

Applesauce                                                        12-18 months
Fruit, canned                                                      12 months
Fruit, dehydrated                                                8- 12 months
Raisins                                                                6-12 months

Vegetables

Beans, canned                                                   24 months
Beans, dried                                                       12 months
Beans, refried                                                     24 months
Lentils, dried                                                       12 months
Olives                                                                   12 months
Pickles                                                                 18 months
Pumpkin, canned                                               24 months
Tomatoes, whole or diced                               12- 18 months
Tomato sauce                                                    12-18 months
Vegetables, canned                                           24 months

Pasta

Pasta, dry                                                              24-36 months
Pasta sauce, tomato based                              18- 24 months
Pasta, white                                                          12-18 months

Soup

Bouillon                                                                 24 months
Broth, canned                                                      12 months
Chili, canned                                                        18-24 months +
Dry soup mix                                                        12 months
Soup, canned                                                       24 months

Baking

Baking powder                                                     18 months
Baking soda                                                          24 months
Cake/ Brownie mix                                              12 months
Chocolate chips, semisweet                             18 months
Coconut, shredded                                             12 months
Cornmeal                                                              12 months
Cornstarch                                                            18 months +
Corn syrup                                                            24 months +
Flour, all purpose                                                8-12 months
Flour, whole wheat                                              6 months
Frosting                                                                 3-8 months
Gelatin                                                                  18 months
Honey                                                                  indefinitely
Marshmallows                                                     3-4 months
Milk, condensed                                                 12 months
Milk, evaporated                                                  12 months
Milk, non-fat dry                                                   6 months
Molasses                                                              24 months
Oil, canola/ vegetable                                        18-24 months
Oil, olive                                                                24 months
Pudding mix                                                        12 months
Salt                                                                        Indefinitely
Shortening                                                          18 months
Sugar, brown                                                      4-6 months
Sugar, powdered                                               18 months
Sugar, white granulated                                   24 months +
Vanilla extract                                                     24 months
Yeast, active dry                                                 Exp date on pkg

Breakfast

Cereal                                                                    12 months
Fruit snacks                                                            9 months
Granola bars                                                          6-8 months
Oats, old fashioned or quick                              12 months
Pancake mix                                                         6-9 months
Pop Tarts                                                               3-6 months
Syrup, pancake                                                    12 months

Prepared Sides & Rices

Bread crumbs, dried                                             6 months
Rice, brown                                                             6 months
Rice, minute                                                           18 months
Rice or pasta, herb/ seasoned                            6 months
Rice, white                                                               24 months+
Instant potatoes                                                      12 months
Stuffing mix                                                               6-12 months

Condiments and Toppings

Ketchup                                                              12 months
Mayonnaise                                                        4-10 months
Mustard                                                               24 months
Parmesan cheese, grated                             10-12 months
Salad dressing                                                 10-12 months
Salsa                                                                  12-18 months
Soy sauce                                                           24 months
Steak sauce                                                       24 months
Syrup, chocolate                                               12 months
Vinegar                                                                24 months +

Drinks

Coffee, ground                                                12-24 months
Coffee, instant                                                 12 months
Creamer powder                                             18-24 months
Drink mix, powdered                                     18-24 months
Hot cocoa mix                                                  8 months
Juice, bottled                                                  12 months
Soda pop                                                         3-9 months
Sport drinks                                                     9 months
Tea, bags                                                        18 months
Water, bottled                                                12-24 months

Baby

Infant Formula                                                 Exp date on can
Jarred baby food                                             12- 24 months
Rice cereal                                                      12 months

Meat

Chicken, canned                                            12-36 months
Tuna, canned                                                  24-48 months
Shelf lives listed are for unopened products stored in a cool, dry environment and are commercially canned, bottled, or packaged. Dates are approximate and may vary by brand. Always look at the product’s Best By or Use By date and discard any food that exhibits a change in odor, color, or taste. Once products are opened, shelf life decreases substantially.
Happy Couponing!
on Wednesday, March 23, 2011
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COU·PON·ING

[koo-pon-ing]
–noun
1.
the practice of distributing discount coupons  to consumersas a form of product promotion.
2.
the activity of seeking out or saving discount coupons  tosave money on food or household purchases.


I'm going for definition #2!  Coupons have been around since (believe or not) 1887. That's when the very first coupon was invented by Asa Chandler (you can read more about it here).  For generations frugal moms (& dads) have been cutting coupons to save a buck or two.  In our days of internet and smart phones sometimes there's no need to clip your coupon. Some stores allow you to take advantage of their coupons right from your phone! Pretty cool...and saves our trees too (my Coco will be so happy about that. Ever since her class did a study on Reduce, Reuse & Recycle, she's been quite environmentally cautious and reminds us to apply the 3Rs.  I'm really proud of her for being a good steward of what God gives her but if she starts lecturing me about reusing that paper towel, we're going to have some issues.).

OK...sorry, I got a little side tracked.

Back to coupons...

I personally didn't really cut coupons when my children were little.  Maybe just for diapers, wipes and those baby essentials but never really took advantage of the savings! BOY....did I MISS OUT!!

Now that we really need to watch our spendings, I'm going really start using them little money savers as much as possible.  If you type in coupons in your browser you'll be bombarded with tons of links, blogs and sites full of coupons.  This can get overwhelming for sure!  There are sites out there that do the coupon watching for you already (like The Krazy Coupon Lady).  I'll put some of my favorites on the sidebar to left pretty soon.  

You know what's also big....coupon binders!!! BINDERS....yay! Seriously, what is my fascination with binders?! Anywho, here's one of my favorite videos from YouTube that explains what a coupon binder is.  If you do your research, there's lots of variations of this wonderful money saver.

**Don't forget to turn off the music before you watch the video. Just scroll down and pause it.**

Hope this encourages you to grab your scissors or other cutting contraption and start saving some money!

HAPPY COUPONING!!
on Wednesday, March 02, 2011
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Psalm 116: 1-9

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.

Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came upon me;
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of the LORD :
"O LORD, save me!"

The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.

Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.

For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.