MAJOR Savings by Stacking Coupons

Quick Couponing 101 lesson: Stacking Coupons

Stacking refers to using TWO coupons on ONE item.  Find out your store's coupon policy on this.  My grocery store will accept ONE store coupon (issued by the store) and ONE manufacturer coupon (issued by the manufacturer) on EACH item.  Some stores limit you to a certain number of times you can do this or will only allow you to purchase a certain number of the items at the special pricing with coupon. 

Stacking store and manufacturer coupons along with a SALE is when you get deep savings of 70%-100%.

Here is what stacking did for me tonight:

Yep.  I paid $1.44 out of pocket (OOP) for nearly $50 of groceries.

Here is how I did it:

6 boxes of Fiber One cereal on sale for 2/$5

(only two kind work for this scenario--Raisin and Caramel)

Use 6 $2/1 any GM cereal (also on back page of weekly ad)

Used 6 $.75/1 Fiber One from the 1/1 SS

Overage $1.50 on 6 boxes after coupons

2 Phazyme $3.49 each

Used 1 $5/2 Publix coupon--Green Advantage Flyer starting 1/28

Used 2 Printable coupons: $2/1 Phazyme MQ

Overage $2.02 

2 Sominex $3.29 each

Used 1 $5/2 Publix coupon--Green Advantage Flyer starting 1/28

Used 2 Printable coupons: $2/1 Sominex MQ

Overage $2.42

2 Gallons of milk $3.79 each

$1.44 OOP for $48 of groceries

97% Savings!!! (Definitely a personal best)

Just to give you a REALISTIC perspective on this as well, I will add this to my weekly shopping totals from earlier this week.  

My total OOP was $105

Savings: $213

Retail: $318 of groceries/cleaning products/produce/health and beauty/paper and plastic/pet food

77% savings for the week!

This is largely a food bank donation.  We will keep 2 boxes of cereal and the milks and donate the rest to our local food bank.  They are always so appreciative and I am happy to support their efforts to help the community.

Say it with me "Stacking is my friend!"

Find out how you can stack coupons at your local grocery store too.  Knowing the coupon policy is going to be your FIRST key to saving money.

Questions?  I love to help you learn how to save MOMumentally!

5 Savvy Saving Secrets Every Couponer Needs to Know

Welcome Tatertots and Jello Readers!
Thanks for visiting MOMumental Savings!


So you can coupon!  Great!  But how can you take it a step further? I have 5 ways you can shrink that spending budget even more!

1.  How to save $10-$15 every trip by clipping ONE coupon.


I use the coupons in my local weekly grocery ads that frequently come out for $5 off a $30 purchase or $5 off a $50 purchase.  Since I get multiple newspapers, I have several of these coupons.  By simply splitting my groceries into 2-3 separate orders, I can use one of these coupons on each order! My grocery store also accepts competitor coupons from other stores so I bought several of these books for $10 each.  Each coupon book has FOUR $5 off a $30 purchase, so I actually MADE $10 for every book I bought! You might find similar coupons in your local Entertainment book as well.  When you do, buy in multiple so you can use these coupons often!

2. How to save money on meat:

I buy my meat in BULK! There are nationwide events currently listed for 40lbs of chicken breasts, ground beef and even bacon!  I recently bought the 40lbs of 93% lean ground beef and it has been AMAZING. So easy to pull out of the fridge and brown up for a meal! 
The price is great too! If you don't need all of it, split it with a neighbor or friend! Either way, you will have meat and can shop the grocery sales for all your other needs! ;-) This saves me money twice: 1) I don't have to buy (higher priced) meat at my local grocery store weekly and 2) When we are in a pinch for dinner, I ALWAYS have something in the freezer I can defrost and through in a recipe instead of having to go out to get food!

3. How to save money on Newspapers:


I subscribe here in Orlando through the Simple Truth Foundation (a non-profit that assists in connecting people to food banks) because they SUBSIDIZE my subscription! YEP! For every subscription you order, you get a $10 Publix gift card!! Each 13 week Wed-Sun subscription is around $24, plus $10 back! That's just about $1 a week. And seriously, if you can't afford $1 a week per paper, then you need to "hang up the scissors" as Fran the Coupon Man says. I completely agree.

And if you aren't local to Orlando, call your local paper and see what deals they offer for couponers! The saying is true: "You never know until you ask!



If you want to get "fiscally fit" for 2012, click on the link to the left to subscribe and start saving on your papers too!!!

4. How to save money outside of the grocery stores:

Make the most of online coupons, in store specials and store loyalty cards--then wait for a sale!!!


This week I bought:

• 2 Wii games for the kids
• 3 Easy Bake oven mixes and 1 cake pan
• an Orange Glow mop
• a pack of boys size 4 underwear
• superglue
• Sally Hansen Salon Effects
• and a dozen PERSONALIZED golf balls 

Coupons used:


• $10 Best Buy rewards (Reward zone card) used on two Wii games marked down to $14.99 each (originally $29.99)

• $5 any purchase at Toys R Us (Rewards R Us email coupon)

• $5 Rebate peelie on Orange Glow mop

• Sally Hanson nail art marked down half price in the Clearance section at Target


• $10 off $25 purchase at Dick's Sporting Goods

• Free shipping and golf ball personalization (in store special) at Dick's ($17 value)


Total retail value was around $90 and I paid just $50 after rebates and coupons!  Not too shabby for retail shopping!

The strategies of grocery store couponing really can be applied to everywhere you shop!! Collecting coupons, waiting for a sale and then paying attention while you SHOP!

MOMumental Savings Tip: I love the website Retailmenot.com to look up coupon codes and printable coupons for retail stores!

5. How to save money on non-sale grocery items you need to buy, but don't have coupons for?

Here is the secret: The Coupon Database.

Go to your favorite coupon matchup website and look for a section called "Coupon Database."  Once you click on it, you will be taken to a search engine type of page where you type in the name of the product you need coupons for.

  

For me it can sometimes be as generic as "sausage" and it the database pulls up every sausage related coupon of many different brands.  Other times, I might type in "Jimmy Dean" because I am looking for a brand-specific coupon for sausage.  Many times there are NO coupons for the things I am looking for! Oh well!  Other times, I might be able to print or clip as much as $5 worth of coupons for things that I NEED, even if they aren't on sale.  (And yes, that happens!!!).

So there you go!  5 MOMumental Savings tips to help you save even more!

Do you follow me on Facebook?  You should! 

 It makes me feel important.  ;-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

VIDEO--How to Organize your coupons!

How I organize my coupon inserts to save TIME (that is just as valuable as money, right?)

Enjoy!

There ya go!! Questions?  Comments?  Let me know what you think!!!

My thoughts on Black Friday......

Another store makes a Black Friday announcement: For the first time, Target will open stores at midnight Thanksgiving night!   This is not the only one.  Toys R Us, Walmart, Best Buy and others will open at midnight or earlier in hopes of capturing your dollars.

Just a public service announcement--if you are paying attention to prices, planning your gift list early, following my page here and on Facebook, then shopping the sales, you can find MOST (if not ALL)  of your items prior to Black Friday! 


I post dozens of "daily deals" on my Facebook page!  Why not get a $40 gift card to an online beauty store for $20?  What a perfect gift for a niece or daughter!  Or maybe order your parents the awesome Omaha Steaks deal that has been featured recently?  

THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BLACK FRIDAY BOX!

I have most of my kid's presents done as well as a many of my relatives! (I have actually been shopping since summer--hey--a sale's a sale!)  I'll work with the kids to make handmade gifts for the grandparents and call it good.  


I am not against Black Friday shopping.  In fact, if you are in the market for electronics or household appliances, and are not brand specific, Black Friday can really pay off for you.  Year after year, however, I am in shock of the lengths people will go to, simply to purchase a toaster for $10 or a hand mixer for $3! 


I'm not saying there aren't good deals on Black Friday, just keep in mind the retailer's ultimate purpose: TO GET YOU IN THE STORES.  If you are there, you will likely spend money.    Be a smart shopper.  
And if you're there, and see me standing in line next to you, make sure to say hello.  I'll be holding a hand mixer.  ;-)

BOO on a Budget

So here is the long-awaited (atleast for me!) post on how to decorate for Halloween for under $10! I like to think of it as "Boo on a Budget."

You can decorate your home for under $10 to give it some Halloween flair! 

 Take a look at what I did and see how LITTLE I paid.  

It's frighteningly frugal (tee-hee!)

This little guy was easy!  I re-used a jar (I rinse and keep jars and cans for things just like this!).

I added some gauze from the dollar store and some google eyes from my craft stash.  Add a tealight and you have a cute little decoration. 

 The kids could even help you wrap it!

Total cost= $1

This was one of my favorites--the stick centerpiece.  I re-used a vase and added some sticks that had fallen from a tree in my yard.  I used some black spray paint on the limbs to add some "darker" appeal for Halloween.  If I have time, I will likely add some spider webs to it before Halloween night.  The rest of the centerpiece was from my stash.  I actually liked the stark look of the sticks by themselves on the center of the table as well.

Total cost= $0

On a side note--if you don't already own several colors of spray paint, start collecting some!  

I find it is the easiest and cheapest way to repurpose things around your home from frames to vases and sticks!  

Here I have once again repurposed spaghetti jars, spray painted the lids black, and added some cute printables and dollar store candy. (You can see where someone had already depleted the candy corn and tootsie rolls by the time I got my camera out!)

Total cost= $0 for printables (found on Kikicreates!  Love her!)  and $3 for candy.

Okay, these lanterns were total impulse buys at the dollar store.  I couldn't resist!

Total cost= $3

I re-used (again!) some frames from around my house.  (My kids' pictures are behind these.) I used an online template and black scrapbook paper to cut out the silhouettes.  You could use black construction paper just as easily as well.  

Glue and frame and you're set with more free decor!

Total cost=$0 (Get the templates here)

Another freebie!  Love the eyechart concept! Find this freebie at Tatertots and Jello.

Total cost= $0

This last free printable resides right after you enter the front door.  (My kids had to add their own touch on either side!).  I love the subway art concept and the chevron design that frames it out too.  Again, reuse a frame from around your house.  I figure my kids' pictures are displayed all the time, so it's okay to cover them up for a few weeks.  All for the sake of decorating!

Total cost= $0
Printable from the girls at eighteen25

So that brings my total cost for decorating to just $7.  Which leaves me enough money to go buy a pumpkin from the patch for our front porch!

There is your BOO on a Budget!  I hope you enjoyed it!

Don't forget to find me on Facebook!

Update

So to say I've neglected the blog is probably an understatement.
In any case, if you are arriving here for the first time, WELCOME!  You will find some of the best resources about couponing in The Coupon Institute in my sidebar.

I have an at-home business that has taken most of my time and focus (along with my three kids!)  But I still coupon EVERYDAY!  I just can't coupon for my family and the rest of the web too!  So look around my site and follow some links to see some of the other GREAT bloggers that are finding the best deals for you each week.  My favorite? Hip2Save.

Enjoy!

Coupon Institute Reminder

Just a reminder that this is the first of two break weeks in the Coupon Institute.  Use this week to catch up on the lessons.  They are now archived in my left sidebar.

We will resume next Monday, Nov 2nd with CVS Shopping.  Don't forget those Walgreens Monthly deals I listed here, are good until Oct 31st.

I will post a new poll this week as well as continue to post deals and freebies for you.  Check back daily!

If you love MOMumental Savings, why not share with a friend?  See my left sidebar to share via Facebook or Twitter!

Week 3 Homework!

Okay, here is what I want you to do for your homework: Go SHOPPING!  I am going to give you a couple of scenarios, and you can of course make your own.


Scenario A:
Buy TWO Pert Plus hair care items (13.5 oz) @ $2.50 each, Get $2 in Register Rewards
Use (2) $1/1 coupon from the 9/13 or 10/18 SS
Pay $3 out of pocket
Get back $2 in RRs
50¢ each after coupons and RRs


Scenario B:

Triaminic Scenario

(3) Triaminic $4.99 ea. ($14.97)

- (3) $1.50/1 Qs (10/18 SS) or Printable Coupon

- (1) $2/1 Walgreens Q (Walgreens Healthy Savings Book) *will deduct $6

= $4.47, Earn $8 RR

= Free + $3.53 Profit!
(make sure you get 1 filler for this one!)

Scenario C--For the truly brave! (this one will "roll" your RR's)
Transaction 1:
Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion (6.8 oz.) $6.99, Earn $6.99 Register Reward
- $1.50/1 Printable Coupon HERE
= $5.49 OOP


Transaction 2:

Emergen-C Booster (2 pack Energy or immune Defense) $3.49, Earn $3.49 Register Reward

Robitussin DM To Go (2 pack) $2.49, Earn $2.49 Register Reward


Halls Refresh Sugar Free Drops $1.00, Earn $1 Register Reward
- 75¢/1 Q (9/27 SS)

ChapStick Fresh Effects $2.99, Earn $2.99 Register Reward
-$7 RR from Transaction #1
=$2.22 OOP
Total =$7.71+tax OOP 
$10RR to roll next week--You just made $2.29!


So which scenario did you try??

Coupon Institute Week 3-Walgreens Deals

Walgreens deals and matchups

Thanks to TiasSavingCents for this week's coupon matchups!

Monthly Register Rewards

$6.99 wyb Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion 6.8oz $6.99 
Price= FREE after Register Reward

$2.99 RR wyb Chapstick Fresh Effects $2.99 
Price= FREE after Register Reward

$1 RR wyb Halls Refresh Sugar Free 20 ct $1
-.50/1 Halls Refresh, October All You
-.75/1 Halls Refresh 9/27 SS insert
Price=as much as .75 moneymaker!!!

$1 RR wyb (2) Trident Extra Care or Layers Single Pk $1 each
-.75/1 Tridet Gum Layers printable coupon or
-B1G1 Free coupon from 10/18 S
Price= FREE

$6 RR wyb Gillette Fusion MVP Manual or Power Razor System for $8.99
-$4 Gillette Fusion 9/27 P&G insert
Price= $1.01 after coupon and Register Reward

Register Reward Deals

$8.99 RR wyb Zantac 24 or 30 ct $8.99
-$5 off Zantac printable coupon
Price= $5 MONEYMAKER after coupon and Register Reward

$7 RR wyb Zyrtec 30ct at $18.99
-$4 off Zyrtec Tablets 30ct+ 9/13 RP insert
-$2 off Zyrtec product printable coupon
Price=$7.99 after Register Reward and coupon

$1 RR wyb (2) Glade products at $2.50
Jar Candle 4oz
-$1/2 or $1.50/2 Glade Jar Candle 4oz 9/20 SS insert
The Fragrance Collection 2oz Candle
-$1 off Glade The Fragrance Collection 2oz Candle 10/4 SS insert
-$2/2 Glade The Fragrance Collection 2oz Candle printable coupon
Scented Oil Candles Holder, Warmer, Candle Tin, or 4-pk Refills
-$2/2 Glade Scented Oil Candle Product 9/20 SS insert Plugins Scented Oil Warmer, Refills, or 3-pk Scented Gel Refills 
-$1 off Glade Plugins Scented Oil Refill printable coupon
-$1 off Glade Plugins Scented Oil Warmer, (1) Twin Refills or (2) Single Refill 9/20 SS insert FREE Glade Plugins Scented Oil Warmer wyb (1) Scented Oil Refill 9/20 SS insert
-$1/2 Glade Plugins Scented Gel Refill 9/13 SS insert

$1 RR wyb (2) M&Ms at $2.50
-$1/2 M&M’s bag candy 10/11 RP insert
Price=$1.50 each after coupon and Register Reward

$5 RR wyb $20, $2 RR wyb $10 Yes to Carrots, Cucumbers or Tomatoes

$2 RR wyb Herbal Essence, Head & Shoulders (23.7oz) or Pantene (25.4oz) Shampoo or Conditioner at $5.99
-$1 off Herbal Essence Shampoo, Conditioner, Styling Product 9/13 RP
FREE Herbal Essence Styling Product wyb Shampoo or Conditioner 10/11 P&G insert
-$1/2 Pantene Products 10/11 P&G insert
-$1 off Pantene Expressions or Restoratives Product 9/13 RP
Price=as low as 2.99 for Shampoo & FREE Herbal Essence Styling Product with both coupons and Register Rewards

$2 RR wyb (2) Pert Plus 12 or 13.5 oz at $2.50
-$1 off Pert Plus or Pert Plus for Men, 9/13 SS or printable coupon
Mail in Rebate Try-for-Free Pert Plus For Men available here
Price= as low as FREE

$1 RR wyb Bic Comfort3 4-pk (Men or Women) Disposable Razors at $3.99
-$3 off Bic Disposables 9/20 SS insert
Price= FREE after coupon and Register Reward

$1 RR wyb Pampers Jumbo or Training Pants at $9.99
-$1.50 off Pampers home mailer
-$1.50 off Pampers coupon on boxes of Cheerios
Price= $6.49 after coupons and Register Rewards

$8 RR wyb 3, $4 RR wyb 2 of the follwing: Theraflu $4.99
-$2 off Theraflu product printable coupon
-$2 off Theraflu, Walgreen’s Healthy Savings Booklet
Triaminic $4.99
-$1.50 off Triaminic 10/18 SS insert
-$2 off Triaminic, Walgreen’s Healthy Savings Booklet
Vagistat-1 $9.99
Excedrin 80-100 ct $6.99
-$1 off Excedrin printable coupon
2-pack Clear Care or Aquify Contact Solution, Genteal, or Zaditor $5 off
-$1.50 off Genteal Product 10/18 SS insert
-$1.50 off Clear Care 10/18 SS insert
-$2 off Zaditor Eye Drops printable coupon
Prices= Varied but as cheap as FREE!

$10 RR wyb $30, $5 RR wyb $20 of the following: Benefiber $10
-$2 off Benefiber product 7/12 SS or printable coupon
-$1 off Benefiber product 9/20 SS
Ducolax $10
-$1 off Dulcolax Stool Softener 9/13 SS
Miralax 14 Day $10
-$2 off Miralax 9/27 SS or October All You
Mylanta or Tums $4
-$4/2 Mylanta 10/4 RP
-$1 off Mylanta 10/4 RP
-$1/2 Tums 24 ct+ 8/30 RP
-$2 off Tums Dual Action 8/30 RP
Prilosec OTC 28 ct $18.00
-$3 off Prilosec OTC 10/11 P&G
Gas X, Ex-Lax or Maalox $5
-$1 off Gax-X printable coupon
Prices= Varied

Oral B Crossaction Toothbrush $3, Buy 2 and Earn $3 Register Reward
- $1/1 Q (9/27 or 10/11 P&G)

= 50¢ ea.

Other Deals

Starbucks Frappuccino $1.29 w/in-ad coupon
-$1 off Starbucks Frappuccino printable coupon
Price= .29 each after coupon

Lindsay Olives 99¢ w/in ad coupon
-$1/2 Lindsay Olives printable coupon
Price= .49 each wyb 2 and use coupons

Quilted Northern Bathroom Tissue 9 Big Rolls $3.99
-$1 off Quilted Northern Bath Tissue 6+ Big Rolls printable coupon
Price= 2.99 after coupons

Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna 55¢
- $1/5 Printable Coupon
= 35¢ ea.

Dickinson’s Witch Hazel Toner $1.99 (on mega-saver through 10/31)
- $3/2 Printable Coupon
= 49¢ ea.

Ester C 500 mg 90ct  Buy 1 @ $10.99, Get 1 FREE
- (2) $5/1 Qs (10/4 RP) *You can use a coupon on the “free” one too!
= 50¢ ea.

Shopping Scenarios coming soon!

Coupon Institute Week 3

Walgreens
This week we will have three parts:
1. Rules for shopping at Walgreens (and there is alot!)
2. This week's deals
3. Homework!  Deal scenarios to try shopping at Walgreens


MOMumental Savings at Walgreens:
-The key to saving at Walgreens is using a Register Reward in combination with a sale.  Register Rewards are like "Walgreens cash" that come out of a machine at the register after you pay.  They can be earned by buying a specific amount or number of items as advertised in the weekly ad.  This allows you to purchase items at their lowest possible price by combining manufacturer coupons, store coupons and the register rewards.  

-You do not need a store card to earn RR's

-At Walgreens (and most other stores) you cannot have more items than coupons.  Your coupon to item ratio must remain 1:1 or less.

-While I describe the RR"s as "Wags Cash" the register treats them as manufacturer coupons.  This means that if you do this transaction:
Triaminic--Buy 3, get $5 RR
and you use (3) $1.50/1 coupons (one for each bottle)
AND you use (1) $2/1 Store coupon
And you want o pay using $2 Register rewards
You will not have the 1:1 Ratio.
In this case, you will have 3 items and will be using 5 coupons (the RR reward counts as a Manuf. Q)
You will need 2 "filler" items to even out the ratio.  Plan these in advance!! You can usually find items under $1 in the weekly ad.

-If you are using in-ad coupons, cut them out BEFORE YOU GO!  This past week I paid full price for 2 Starbucks Frappicino and forgot to use the 2/$4 in ad Q because I had not cut it out.  DOH!


-You can only earn the RR once in a transaction.  If you are buying Hall's that will generate a $1 RR, and you buy 3 in one transaction, you will still only get $1.  Buy each one in a separate transaction to get those other two $1 RR's.

-You cannot "roll" RR from the same item.  If you get a $7 RR for Vaseline lotion, you cannot go buy another Vaseline lotion, use the $7 RR and get ANOTHER $7 RR.  Alternate transactions instead.  Buy the Vaseline in one transaction, another item in a second transaction to use the $7 RR, then buy the second Vaseline in the third transaction.

-RR cannot be replaced (they are like cash) and usually expire 2 weeks from the date they were generated.


This sounds confusing, so let's look at the weekly and monthly deals and I will give you some scenarios to try this week.

Sneak Peek Week 3: Drug Store shopping

Starting next week, we will be starting our lessons on shopping at drug stores.  Our first store is Walgreens and WOW will you be amazed at everything there is to be had for FREE.  In preparation for our week of lessons, there are a couple of things you might want to grab if you are out at Wags this weekend.
1. Healthy Savings Coupon Booklet--usually found near the pharmacy--ask if you cannot find it!!

2. Walgreens Coloring book $.99.  This Children's Activity book has many Wags coupons in it (I bought two copies!) and you will more than make your money back.  I found mine in the Seasonal aisle hanging off a side of a box filled with Webkinz.

I hope the pictures help.  I can't WAIT to tell you all about how you can save at Walgreens!  It is better than you think!!!
In the meantime, check out iheartwalgreens for previews of the weekly ads!

Coupon Institute: OAMC Part 2

The second method of OAMC is for the more brave.  It requires more planning, an entire day to cook and (maybe) someone hired to watch your kids.  I like to enlist help also!

2.  Once a Month Cooking Day:
I start about two weeks in advance by searching through my recipe books for menus. I try to find things I know my family will eat AND that will freeze well.  I will give you some resources for this later, but I have always just used my own cookbooks (I am partial to Southern Living!)

After I have finalized my recipes, I make a master ingredient list that I will later use as my shopping list.  I go through the ingredient list and cross out items I have already or adjust amounts accordingly (maybe I have 2 cups of shredded cheese already, but my recipes call for 6 cups).

Then I start looking through the weekly grocery circulars to find as many of the items as I can on sale.  Inevitably, there will be things that I do not have a coupon for, or that are not on sale.  In those cases I buy the store brand (which is usually cheapest).  It is rare that a name-brand can of diced tomatoes has a coupon--the store brand was $.39/can, and really, can you tell a difference in CANNED tomatoes?  Overall, I try to keep my budget to $100-$150 (including meats) and I will generally be able to make 10-12 recipes.
Once your shopping is done and help enlisted, prep any OAMC items the night before-chop, shred, dice veggies, etc....this will help your day to go faster.  Get up early and get started!  If you have crock pot meals, start them first so they can cook all day while you are cooking other things.

I don't use anything special for freezing--just my Tupperware or Gladware containers, freezer bags or aluminum foil (for meatloafs, etc...)  What you MUST do, though, is LABEL everything.  I label the item with it's name and the date it was frozen.  This is very important if you make, say, a Chili and a Spicy Black Bean Soup.  Once frozen, you won't know which one is which!

I have condensed it here, but I cannot stress enough the importance of PLANNING.  As with couponing, organization is the key to being successful.  My last cooking day I even finished earlier than anticipated!

3.  Resources and tips
Here are some great websites for OAMC/Freezer meals:
Once a Month Mom: gives you everything you need including menus, shopping lists, cooking order and even printable labels.  Click on Cooking.
MomsBudget: gives you downloadable forms for planning your cooking day
MomsbyHeart: has a nice OAMC tutorial

Recipe books I love:

I use this one ALL THE TIME

Another favorite!



Frozen Assets--there is an entire series of these books.  They are considered the "Bible" of freezer cooking.

Tips:

• I split my recipes to get more for my $!  Since we have little kids and most recipes serve 6-8 people, I will freeze them in two parts to get two meals out of one recipe.  For soups and stews I can sometimes get THREE meals out of the recipe.
• These are great "take to work" options as well.  Those items that are precooked, but just need reheating the day of eating it, take them out of the freezer the night before.  In the morning, throw them in your lunch bag and reheat them at work.  I love this for my husband (and no cooking for me!!)
• I keep a list on my fridge of the items I have in the freezer as well as how many servings I have of it.  As I cook them I cross them off my list!  
• Although this is called OAMC, I often get 45-60 days worth of food.  Between leftovers, eating out twice a month and the occasional McDonald's treat, these meals last us.  
• I make breakfasts and lunches as well as dinners.  Don't limit yourself to dinners!

Week 2 Lesson 2: Once a Month Cooking

Once a Month Cooking (OAMC) is a concept that you cook one day of the month and have meals for the rest of the month.  I first tried this idea when I went to Dream Dinners a few years ago.  After we moved, I could not find a meal prep-type place around here, so I thought, "Why not try it myself?"  Upon researching the topic there is a multitude of information available out there for it, but it's most basic concept is this: pick out your recipes, buy your ingredients, cook your meals, then freeze them.  Really.   That's it.
I am going to give you two methods, followed by some web resources and tips.

1. For beginners: Cook-once-eat-10-times method
When your meat goes on sale at your "stock up price" (which you will know if you are tracking the sales and keeping a price book) buy it and cook it.  I like Moneywisemoms series of posts on cooking her meats this way.
For 10lbs of Groundbeef I would divide it this way:
4 baggies of meatballs (4lbs)
8-10 hamburger patties--child and adult sizes (3-4lbs)
2-3 bags of pre-cooked meatmix (2-3 lbs)
The meatmix can be thrown into a boxed dinner, spaghetti sauce, used for tacos, etc... you get the idea.  You know the step in the recipe that requires you to first "brown meat and drain"?  Well, now you'll have that covered.

For 5lbs+ of Chicken I would divide it this way:
3 baggies of pre-cooked, chopped chicken (3lbs)
2lbs of raw chicken breast, frozen
Depending on the recipes I have in mind, I might chop and cook all of it!
Both of these methods take about an hour each, so if you want the Try Me version of OAMC, this is it.