STARS: Avoiding the garder/bouquet at a wedding

I will dive back into my couponing series after I have that huge haul or when I get to shadow a seasonal vet. I saved almost $30 this week and had a decent haul but it wasn't anything life changing or different.  

I will say this before I start my STAR story: make sure you know the stores and cashiers you shop at.  You need to know how to navigate it, obtain what items you need, and even which cashiers will work with you best. Doing that is slowly helping me. 

Ok now on with the story. Many of us have been a part of a wedding in one way or the other. Some of us do not like the bouquet and garter tradition. It puts your singlehood on display and rarely seems to work. I have devised a way to get out of this tired tradition.

I pay attention to what is going on at the reception, especially the order. It is printed on the program sometimes.  But remember if it isn't, it typically happens after the cake cutting (my favorite part btw).  Also, listen for the DJ or whomever is doing announcements to yell for the single men/ladies. 

I saw at the most recent wedding that if all that isn't enough, wait till the bride is seated in front of everyone. That is a dead giveaway of what is about to be given away. Another thing I look for is the DJ to play "Single Ladies" by Beyonce'. 

I then make a timely exit, often minutes before then. I have missed toasts and almost cake because of this. I even allow up to 15 minutes for this ritual to be complete and I wait outside until I no longer see the bride with her bouquet.  I am then free! 

Now if you like this and you jump for the bouquet, go ahead. But if you're like me and others and would rather not partake, this can help you. 

STARS: Putting together a Homecoming formal/semi-formal

Since I didn't coupon this week and have yet to shadow one of the masters, I decided to focus on another topic.  

I realize some of my best works comes as a result of a social media question and here we go. 

Blacksburg High School has not had at least a semi formal Homecoming in the modern era as other schools do. I have found that money and manpower are the two biggest obstacles, outside of desire. 

Therefore, I would first poll the students , PTA; and even the active alums.  If I get a 2/3rds vote, I move forward with the dance. 

Now this is NOT a prom so no extravagant decorations nor the other frilly stuff is necessary.  I would operate on a shoestring budget and stick to that. 

The tickets would be $3/piece or $5/couple. Photos would be by a local student photographer, refreshments would be light, decorations would be handmade and bought from places such as Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby. I would employ a house DJ to offer their services or simply obtain a temporary license (around $20/$30) similar to karaoke and play iTunes or Spotify. 

Regarding attire, you would encourage a dress code in the style of thrift shops and even Walmart, not Men's Wearhouse. Even a female could look elegant for $100 or less. I realize parents pay for so much now, especially if the student is a senior. Cost would max at around $100/parent and even less than $40 if you wore something used or low budget. Low budget does exist; I have seen it at plenty of college and adult gatherings. People have a great time and no bank is broken.

You would have it in the cafeteria from 10pm-3am on that Friday night to not interfere with football, Saturday band competitions or anything else. 

I would then make sure I at least broke even at the door and personally see from parental response how much was spent per student. I would try it three times and if it didn't work, then I would scrap it. 

Moral of the story is do not say something can't be done or it is too expensive. I find it ironic this comes from the same fundraising crowd that somehow manages to send Tre and Dawn to Disneyworld or DC but is concerned about a party that may cost as low as $30/person? Here's a quick power tip that may help: not eating out for two weeks would easily net you that money and more alone. 

I will continue to research and gather details but the point is with enough desire and support, it is absolutely doable.

Couponing series: my latest adventure

The store was Dollar General. I had all of my coupons together except one for Bounty Towels. The cashier was even a former coworker of mine. 

I organized how much I would need to get for the $5 off of $25 first, then getting what I needed including what I had specials off it.  The digital coupons matched the paper ones and I saved well and got a decent haul.  

My OOP was close to my goal: $14. I got two Crest toothpastes, a Crest SCOPE mouthwash, three packs of Gilette disposable razors, Nivea lotion, Angel Soft 12 pack toilet paper and a pack of gum. I ended up saving $26. 

I still think I could have did a little better but my first small haul wasn't bad. I used a combination of Klip2Save, a coupon fairy and had 3 P&G inserts (they come once/month). 

I am now prepping for a possible return trip on Halloween weekend and to shadow one of my couponing mentors. That big haul and sub $10 day is coming! 

Couponing series: how to get started

My STAR series is ending for now, sort of. I will discuss couponing but will incorporate the STAR method to do so. 

I saw the huge hauls that many people I know were getting from couponing, often on the small scale. I decided I wanted to try it.

*DISCLAIMER* I am very much a novice. I have the tools and resources but I have yet to hit that huge haul. Join a couponing group or register for a class to receive advanced tips especially for your area. 

That said, I registered for a couponing class.  Biggest takeaways was finding out a good app for digital coupons, www.coupons.com. I learned how to link all of my store accounts and such to take advantage of deals. The best stores in my area appear to be Walgreens, BiLo, Harris Teeter and Dollar General. 

I then discovered different ways to obtain paper coupons. The newspaper, especially the Sunday newspaper is one method.  However you can find folks called "coupon fairies" that sell inserts for certain items you may need and buy more.  Couponing groups and circles have helped me here. 

I also have focused on stores with mass deals and ones that allow me to build up points like Walgreens or BiLo. 

Next, get a 3 ring binder and envelope to organize your coupons by store, product and even date. It's best to go early or late to catch the better deals and miss the longer lines. 

I saved $15 on my one and only haul. I plan on going again this week to Dollar General and my goal is to have less than a $10 OOP (out of pocket cost) for $30 worth of deals. 

It takes work, organization and even downloading apps and having multiple ways to get and print paper coupons but it is worth it. I will continue posting my finds and tips in the coming weeks. I'm ready for that huge $20 for $200 worth of merchandise haul!