Review: Christi the Coupon Coach

I don't know what it's like at your house but, these days, money is tight at our house. Between two children with a chronic illness, increased healthcare premiums on top of that, and a generous pay cut courtesy of our government, we need to start stretching the dollars that we have left.

And in his perfect timing, God provided a way for us to do just that. Enter Couponing Made Simple from Christi the Coupon Coach.

About Couponing Made Simple

In this book Coach Christi gives you a step-by-step plan to saving money with coupons. We're not talking extreme couponing that will take over your life. We're talking a simple system to help you organize and utilize coupons to their greatest potential, helping you stretch those hard earned dollars.
The book includes 10 chapters of easy reading. I read the whole thing in one night. Once I started I couldn't put it down.

     *Chapter 1 Success Stories
     *Chapter 2 A New Way to Shop
     *Chapter 3 The Language of Couponing
     *Chapter 4 Organization System
     *Chapter 5 Step-by-Step Process
     *Chapter 6 Tips and Tools
     *Chapter 7 Couponing Ethics
     *Chapter 8 Networking & Communicating
     *Chapter 9 Bonus Section
     *Chapter 10 Beyond Couponing
   

Our Experience

Like I previously mentioned, this book was easy to read. Next I gathered what I'd need to be successful. Organizing bin, shopping coupon box, accordion folder, computer, and a printer. So I grabbed my book, gathered up my newspapers (1 per family member), and got to saving using her 8-step plan.


First up, buying and organizing your newspaper coupons.  I realize that buying multiple Sunday papers sounds expensive  but there are ways to get them cheaply. I checked my local dollar store and I get them for a $1 a piece. Still not in your budget? There are tons of printable coupons that you can use too.

I pulled out all of the coupons, and store flyers, and separate them into piles. Scan the flyers for coupons, keep the ones that have them. Then you sort the coupon inserts. Some people cut them all art then and there. That doesn't sound like a good time to me so I was very thrilled with Coach Christi's alternative method. She prefers to stack each page of the inserts together to form one "super coupon insert" and store them that way, in a dated hanging file folder. Then you cut them as you need them. Genius!!!!

The next few steps involve finding deals and matching up coupons with the deals. Doing this is how you follow the two main rules of couponing, buying on sale and stacking coupons. I'm not going to go into the details of these steps, you'll need to read the book for that, but this can be the most time consuming portion. Coach Christi recommends finding websites that will help you find the deals and make the matches. There are websites dedicated to couponing that do this portion for you, Coach Christi will teach you how to find them. I found quite a few sites that I have been using frequently. They will list the items on sale, coupons (whether from a newspaper or a printable on line ) that can be used with the sale, and what the final cost should be.
I like to go through these sites and just copy and paste them into a word document to form my list. Then I go through my coupons and cut, or print, the ones that I need and head out to the store.

So does it work? I'd say so. With my best run I saved $129 in coupons with another $93 in savings using my store VIP card. That was more than 50% of my total cost this particular trip. My husband and I were practically giddy since we were buying for a Fourth of July party.

I've saved at least 30%, usually more, each time I shopped using the methods in Couponing Made Simple. And I'm getting a lot of stuff for free. I haven't had to pay for a bottle of BBQ sauce all summer. I'm sold.

If you are looking for an easy way to save money on your grocery bill, this book is worth a read.

F.Y.I.

Website: http://christithecouponcoach.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christi-The-Coupon-Coach/221126247948027

Age Range: all ages, my daughter even helped me out with this

Pricing: $18.00 for the physical book, $4.99 for the ebook

Molly Crew Review: Everyday Cooking

Today I get share with you a different kind of review. The Schoolhouse Review Crew is branching out to include the Molly Crew. So not only will I get to continue bringing reviews of great homeschooling curriculum, but I'll also be reviewing great items and gadgets that pertain to other areas of your life.









First up on the Molly Crew, deck... Everyday Cooking from Everyday Homemaking.

About Everyday Cooking

A collection of tried-and-true recipes and hints for simple, everyday cooking with an emphasis on whole foods - from a busy homeschooling mother of eight. Includes photos, sample menus, shopping, equipment tips, and more! 100 full-size pages; color cover and color photos.

Our Experience

I received the e-book version of this cook book in a PDF format. I was able to quickly and easily load it  onto my iPad and get cooking. 

The book contains recipes for the following categories:

**Breakfast Ideas

**Appetizers &Dressings

**Breads & Grains

**Main Dishes & Soups & Salads

**Desserts & Snacks

It also includes:

**Basic Measurements and Helps

** Planning & Shopping Hints

**Basic Cooking Skills Checklist

**Sample Menus & Menu Planning Masters

**Basic Kitchen Accessories

**Kitchen Equipment

**and more

Mackenzie and I had a great time trying out recipes in this cookbook. In fact, the recipes were simple enough that Mackenzie was able to make a lot of them on her own. We made taco seasoning mix, Chicken Broccoli Braid, Italian Chicken and Rice, Chicken Taco Rice, Vicki's Italian Chicken and Pasta, Sloppy Joes, Chocolate No-Bakes, Fruit Juice Knox Blox, Helen's Orange Delight, and Becky's Mystery Cake. We enjoyed them all! My husband doesn't usually like Sloppy Joes but he really enjoyed this version. There is something for everyone in this cookbook.

While she does use a lot of whole food options, I wouldn't label this as a whole food cookbook. In cases where she uses less healthy option, she offers alternatives. And the recipes are easily customized to suit your family's tastes or health needs.

One of my favorite features was the Basic Cooking Skills checklist. I plan on using this list as a guide for teaching my sixth grader some cooking skills. A nice and simple way of incorporating some home ec into your home or homeschool.

F.Y.I.

Website: http://www.everydayhomemaking.com
Price: $17.99 for the print edition, $14.99 for the e-book

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own or those of my family.