I had the opportunity to volunteer in support of the Ewa Beach Community Development Organization today. It was the FIRST annual Healthy and Hapai Event hosted at the Waipahu Bethel Chapel. The event is to teach low to middle income families how to be healthy and take care of baby. It is only open to a limited number of families and they are invited by PACT and WIC.

When I first got there, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I was there to support Christiane and her workshops. How to make your own baby food, making over your diaper bag to more natural solutions, and cloth diapering 101.  There were so many groups and organizations there pulling together for this event and the results were amazing.  Aside from them getting free promotional giveaways and door prizes, they got to take home what they made and they each got a home made baby blanket to take home too.

At first, when the families poured in, I found myself looking at them differently. Almost pitying them. Because they are YOUNG (some looked as young as Shelby), pregnant, and probably afraid of what to expect once baby comes. After I saw them all sitting in one room, listening attentively to what we had to share, I saw MYSELF in some of them.

I was once them. I was once that 18 your old girl, pregnant, and just starting my life. On WIC, on medquest, and had no idea what or where we were going to pay for this new life we were about to engage in. That's when I was overwhelmed by a sense of happiness and J O Y. Joy because here I am GIVING back to the community. Giving back to the people who need help and need guidance. Giving back to families who are probably shunned by their loved ones because of the predicament they're in. Helping those who are probably looked down upon BECAUSE they're on welfare and medquest. 

I was once in their shoes and if it were not for the support and guidance of the people around me, I would not be where I am today. Sometimes, a little helping hand, an encouraging word, and even a small nudge in the right direction is all people need.  The world we live in today is full of "victims". It's full of people not willing to put in a little elbow grease to get things done. It's full of blame and it's never my fault.  We need to step to the plate and change it up.  Do something. Stop expecting someone else to take care of it. Because if everyone does that, everything will be neglected and we waste our time pointing fingers on who's at fault.

A little bit of giving can open doors you never knew existed. I'm ready to take in the abundance of wealth coming my way. Not monetary wealth, but wealth in love and support. Wealth in knowledge and sharing. 

Here are some pictures of today's event. Thank you Christiane for allowing us to be a part of it.

I was asked if I had pictures of my pantry. You know, I didn't. Till now. Thankfully, RJ re-organized everything and purged old stuff. So I am now ready to share the innards of my kitchen cabinet.

For the mainland folks, unless you've got money, most homes here are nothing like what you get there. Space is limited so we don't all have huge kitchens with islands and a walk in pantry.  Most people who do have that kind of beautiful "mainland" style home, usually pay a pretty penny for it.

I have an older, quaint 3 bedroom, 2 bath home that has just enough room for the five of us. Besides, just the thought of having to maintain and keep a home any bigger than this clean, scares me. Thank god for KIDS! They keep my house clean. HA! 

Shelf 1:
Dressing 73 cents
BBQ sauce 35 cents
Salsa 75 cents
Oyster sauce 9 cents
Honey from costco.
Yes, that's fiberwise from Melaleuca. I am a member and when they have another $1 membership month, I'll be sure to alert you. Cause I love their products.

Shelf 1, full:
I had to put some boxes back in that I removed so I could show you my "full" pantry.
Baby Mum mum snacks $1
Country time lemonade $1

Shelf 2:
Spam luncheon meat $1.50 each
Jello 17 cents each
Honey Nut cheerio medley $1.50
Black beans 75 cents
Spam meals $1.09 each (very good btw)
One a day $3.99 each
Snack pack cookies under $2 a bag
Hinode microwave jasmine rice and zesty asian rice 39 cents each
I cant remember how much the soup was.

Shelf 3:
All the boxed dry goods
Pasta 79 cents each
Suddenly salad 80 cents each
Cake mix, I think it was 50 cents each or so
There are probably some other flavored cake mix and brownie mix back there too. So, there's no shortage of food in my house if we get hit by a hurricane. 

I also have cereal on the top of the cabinets in my kitchen well beyond my reach. I use extra long BBQ tongs to grab them or call RJ since he's tall.  For my family of five, this is more than enough food for all of us. It's about a 2 month supply for us. RJ loves cooking italian. Romel loves chocolate so all that cake and brownie mix will not last long.  The jello I've had for a while. I bought that when I rekindled my love for couponing and couldn't resist buying it all up. I mean, it was 17 cents a box and who doesn't love jello? Besides, it has a long shelf life. Good till 2015!

Many of you are probably thinking, "oh my god, who uses that many salad dressings?" Well, Romel brings some to work, and I'll leave a bottle at work too for those days where I want to pack a salad or need extra sauce for my chicken nuggets.

In the very first picture is a huge bottle of honey from Costco. THIS is why I'll never shop Costco again. I loved it at the time but hated that we were spending so much money for way too much stuff that ended up going in the trash or down the drain. On average, I estimate every item in Costco to be about $10 each. We were spending $200 - $300 easily in Costco and more than half of the products were bought were getting thrown away. The waste was tremendous and painful to our wallets!

By couponing, you can buy the same amount of product for LESS. You have to change your mindset. Buy smaller containers for less money. But you have to calculate. Figure out your "each" price. Price per each, unit, lb, etc.  The numbers may surprise you. People equate size to value. Is this the American method of thinking? Just because that huge bottle of honey costs $10, it seems cheap. How cheap is it, when you use less than 1/3 of it and dump the rest? When you could've bought smaller containers for less money and actually use what you need? My kids LOVE that I no longer shop at Costco. Why? Because NOW they get to eat different cereals every week instead of 10 lbs of frosted flakes for two months. Costco sends out coupons too, but how much money are you REALLY saving? I'll bet your tab at checkout is still in the hundreds unless you ran it to grab ONE item.
 
Don't get me wrong, Costco is great for new tires. For groceries, unless you're the Duggars, you'll save more money by using coupons and planning your shopping trips better.

Now that I showed you mine, show me yours.  Comment below!

So, last night I was kicking myself repeatedly because I missed my 60% savings mark on my Times Supermarket grocery trip. Well, I finally had time to fill in my savings calculator on excel because I ALWAYS need confirmation on my numbers.

So, I've been on a mission to get my savings up to 60% or more on groceries and my shopping trip MUST include the following:
at least 4 lbs of produce
at least 4 lbs of meat
bread
milk
eggs

If I can do my grocery shopping, include those staple items, use my coupons, and get 60% or more off on my receipt, that helps validate my purpose of being a coupon instructor.

One of the top asked questions I get is, "Yeah, but do you really eat or use all that stuff you buy?"

My answer is always YES. Not only do I eat and use it, but the coupons used to attain those items offset the cost of the staple items that rarely or NEVER have coupons available.

This takes a lot of planning, time, and PATIENCE. This is NOT my usual shopping trip. I have to set aside time to get this "assignment" done.

How do I do it? That's the 2nd most frequently asked question I receive.

First, I compare ads. Now, these ads list the sale price. I look for what has the a really low sale price. I notate that and log it on my notepad which flags me when I'm in the store to look for it. Then, I look for the sale items that have a store coupon (possibly) on top of the sale. After I find those, I go through my coupon inventory and see if I have a manufacturer coupon (MQ) to stack on top of that for a deeper discount.

I gather my list, my "flags", my calculator, notepad, and pencil and head to the store that offers me the best deal that week. 

Once I get there I look for the regular prices. Why? So I can calculate what my true savings is. Without that regular price, the sale price is meaningless.  Again, rule no 1 as a couponer, you DON'T shop for need, you shop for rock bottom price. With that being said, I don't care if my kids don't feel like eating apples this week. If it's on sale for $0.89 a pound from $2.19, they're eating apples. 

I continue on my route through the store searching for deals and deep sales. As I move along, I tally up two columns on my note pad. One shows the sale price after coupons and the other the total price based on the regular price before any sales and coupons.  As I continue to load stuff in my cart and rack up my bill, I subtotal everything and do the math to calculate my TOTAL percentage in savings.

This exercise has taught me that at civilian stores, the savings will almost always be much deeper than at the commissary. Commissary prices are low margin. Unlike civilian stores where they have huge mark ups on items, especially cereal. I had no idea civilians were paying up to $7 or $8 per box! I've also learned by that you can easily score savings of 60% or more simply by looking for a closeout or super sale item. Example: The fudge brownie mix I just bought was on sale for $1.29. Regular price was $3.89. That sale alone is 67% without any coupons.  Now, had I gotten this in the commissary, I probably would've paid under $1 for that same box. But the object of the game here is to get commissary prices at civilian stores. That extra $0.29 I paid covers the gas and extra time I would've spent just getting to Pearl Harbor or Schofield. 

This is the THIRD time I've attempted this and either I'm a complete idiot or I'm overfocused on my numbers that I'm always forgetting ONE thing and I ALWAYS walk out at 59%. Was this just not meant for me? The first time, it was because I was a dummy and fell for the B1G1 mini heat and go pancakes for the kids. I wasn't paying attention to savings and came out at 58%. I was thinking about what the kids NEEDED and not my "scorecard". Fail.

Second time, I forgot to hand over my save $0.30 coupons x 5 for the gummy bears. THAT mistake cost me 1% of my goal. That taught me to pay attention to my coupons and the cashier. Because that same trip, the cashier failed to mark down my milk to 99 cents from $5.79. Fail, again.

Tonight, I was so busy calculating my pork and beans savings I forgot to grab the five cans and dump it in my cart! ugh! This is why sometimes, its helpful to have RJ with me to help. While I'm calculating, he helps me gather my thoughts and the items. TRIPLE FAIL.

Why am I so hard on myself on this? Because it's a goal I set for myself and I'm always falling short on it for extremely stupid and careless mistakes. Each of these trips took me TWO hours in the grocery store. I'm calculating, finding good percentages, and figuring out if I should get more or less of the really good sale items to help me hit my goal. I must be delirious after all is said and done and I slip up.

Each time I prepare, I tell myself not to screw it up again. And it never fails. I'm not going to give up trying. I will try again. On the flip side, getting a 59% savings on my grocery bill is still impressive. See the picture below? Without sales or coupons, that shopping trip would've costed me $144.58 plus tax.  I paid $60.05. In the end, I still win. I have food for my house. My husband is happy with all the candy. My daughter is happy cause she has her soy milk. My son is happy because he has pasta and more food to cook with.

And you know what, by spending between $50-$60 a week on fresh produce and meats in this manner, I actually spend less than I do when I do my large shopping trips in the commissary every month. $200-$240 a month for a family of 5 shopping at a civilian grocery store? That's pretty damn good if you ask me. And the savings don't end there. I use Ibotta. A rebate app where I get MONEY BACK for the stuff I just bought using coupons and sales. Ha! I win again!

Till my next shopping trip...

Thanks for reading!
-Maria

In this shopping trip from Times:
Gala Apples 5.41 lbs = $4.81
Kraft Dressing $0.73 each, used $0.55/2 MQ's
Capri Sun $1.50 each, used in ad $1/2 Q
Cake Mix $1.62 each, used $0.75/2 MQ 
M&M's $0.40 each, and used B2G1 MQ
Bread $2.39
Eggs $2.99
Chicken Thighs $9.19
Soy Milk $2.88
Pasta $0.79 each, used $1/2 MQ
Chef Boyardee $0.99 each
Brownie mix $1.29 each

I also used 5 of my own bags and got $0.15 in bag credits.
Everything I purchased was on sale and in the ads from the Sunday Star Advertiser paper and the Midweek.

I had a great time at Blossom's triple threat event yesterday in Ewa Beach. She had a nice turnout and I hope I was able to enlighten them all on how to save money on their grocery bill. It was a great afternoon and so nice to catch up with family and friends that we haven't seen in a while.

Now on to October. My cousin, Jo, has been promoting me a lot and I am so thankful for her! The new connections and networking I've been exposed to due to her efforts in getting me out there has been wonderful! 

If you're free on Sunday, October 6th, we've got a triple threat party happening in Kaneohe.

I will have my massage table and will be doing Aroma Touch on those who need refreshing, balancing, and to find their zen place. If you would like to have one, please contact me as soon as possible. I will be doing them from 10: 00 am until the oil learning power hour at 1:30. The session is about 30-45 minutes long and I do NOT charge for the service, but donations are kindly accepted.

To learn more about Aroma Touch, go to my Aroma Touch section to read about it.

The Bag event will include cash and carry. We will have items for sale that we have on hand. Cash only and first come first served. The October special: for every $35, get 1 of 7 travel items at half off.

Attend one, or attend all. We'd love to have you!

For more details on the location and times, go to my upcoming events page.

I hope to see you all there!!

-Maria

I absolutely love this bag and am so glad I got this before it was discontinued. It's one of my favorite bags to use when I have a load of stuff and need to be hands free. There's just this one thing.....

It's Aloha Friday!

Because I was on a plane every two weeks for 6 months last year, I became accustomed to the ins and outs of traveling. I tried a lot of different gadgets to help make it easier and I want to share what I've learned with you. For those traveling with babies, scroll to the very bottom to see the items we use for strollers and car seats at check in. Hope this helps you in your future travels!

Arranging travel

After you’ve booked your flight, you’re normally allowed to pick your seats. Go to seatguru.com, look up the airline, type of plane and check out the seating chart.

Green is good
Yellow is caution
Red means DON'T DO IT!

Always hover your mouse over the seat you’re interested in to read the fine print. It will tell you the pros and cons. Recline, leg room, etc.

Bulkhead seats are good for leg room. HOWEVER, note that there are no under the seat storage spaces during take off and landing. So you will have to stow your stuff above until its clear to get up and move around. 

I have found that the exit rows tend to be best. Roomier, but sometimes hard to get. So before you even BOOK your flight, pull up seat guru and look at what seats are best. That way you can choose your seat at the time of booking.

Plan

Always have an itinerary. It doesn’t have to be a firm one. Just a guideline. It’s the only way to maximize your trip. 

Be flexible.

Depending on the airlines and if you are a member, check the rates of check in bags. I always fly Delta. If you’re an miles member AMEX card holder, THE CARD HOLDER ALWAYS GETS 1 CHECKED LUGGAGE FREE. If you plan on going shopping and lugging home a ton of stuff back home, consider checking in a bag, even if its empty. It’s free and you just might need it.

If you DON’T, great! It makes traveling a LOT easier and quicker. 

PACKING

Based on that plan, pack accordingly. You can ALWAYS reuse jeans. So for a 1 week trip, 1 pair of jeans should do. Unless you’re planning on getting wet (rides, rain, etc)

Use the space saver vacuum bags.  Just be careful with weight. I always pack 1 or 2 extra bags for the trip home. Because you can compact your clothing, the tendency is to over fill the bag because you have room, watch the weight.

Always pack a light jacket and carry it on, even if you’re going to a warm weather location. It might get cold on the plane or you might need it if you get caught in the rain.

Wear your heaviest pair of shoes aka sneakers. Pack the light weight items. It’s a pain at security because you have to remove your shoes, BUT, it lightens your load on your shoulders and back AND allows more room in your baggage. NOTE: When wearing sneakers, LOOSEN the laces. Your feet will swell in flight.

Pack ONE pair of shoes/sandals that can be dressed up or down. Honestly, no one cares what shoes you have on unless its something god awful. Make sure its comfortable. It will completely suck if you’re at a wedding or something and your feet feel like hell and you have 6 more hours to wear them.

Invest in a pair of foldable flats/ballet slipons. They are light weight, don’t take up much room, and great for emergencies. Blisters, busted heel, etc.

Most hotels have blow dryers. Call and check or look up the property. Don’t pack what they have there.

ALWAYS pack an extra duffle or small foldable bag that easily stowed. This is for overflow items. Le sport sac duffles work GREAT for this because you can literally roll them up into a ball and pack it away. Or pack a large 31 bag that can fold completely flat and put that at the very bottom of the luggage.

Your purse is counted as 1 bag. You’re allowed 1 carry on and 1 personal item. USE a large purse on the trip. It will come in handy. The super organizing tote and retro metro weekender will fit under the seat. Use a FLEXIBLE bag as a carry on. You can manipulate it to fit. Try to use a bag that has easy to access outside pockets for storing earphones, ipod, phone, etc. That way you’re not digging around it to find what you need.

Don’t pack shampoo and conditioner. All hotels have them and replace them daily. If you’re staying at a friend or family’s place, pack trial size or pick some up at the store when you get there. 

When packing your clothing, LOOK at what your packing. If you have shoes, ROLL UP your tshirts and shove them in your shoes. If the shoes are stinky and you’re worried about that, put the clothing in a plastic bag, push all the air out and shove it in there. Find every pocket of space and utilize it. This usually applies on the trip home AFTER shopping and you’re tight on space.

PACK A LUGGAGE SCALE AND KEEP THIS IN YOUR CARRY ON! This will save you a TON of headache and worry. Most airlines have a weight limit of 50 lbs per checked luggage.  Do not exceed 49. Give 1 lb clearance just in case. You don’t know how accurate the scales are. If it comes up 1 to 2 lbs over at the airport, they usually let it go.  I always carry this Travel Scale

Gear up

Try to carry a wristlet or pouch around your neck with a lanyard for your ID, ticket, some cash, a pen, cell phone, etc. This makes life much easier when getting through security, boarding, and getting to your seat. 

ALWAYS pack a pen. Why? Because on the inbound flight home, you will ALWAYS have to fill out a customs declaration form. It’s a pain cause beginner travelers and tourists to Hawaii NEVER have a pen unless they’re major crossword puzzle fanatics.

If you will be traveling with MORE than 1 luggage. Invest in luggage straps. It will make maneuvering around much easier.   I highly recommend this Travelon Multi Bag Stacker

If you will have a heavy carry on or some odd shaped bulky item I highly recommend this strap: Travelon Bag Bungee. This strap will make your life easier, especially if you have a far walk from the car to ticketing and vice versa. 

If you have noise cancelling headphones, bring them. Two reasons. One, if you want to turn the volume up, it wont bother the person next to you. Second, if there are screaming kids or a snorer near by, this will block out the noise along with the white noise from the plane. Trust me, it works. I use this one:  JVC noise cancelling headphones its cheaper and does the job. 

GETTING THROUGH SECURITY

ELIMINATE CLUTTER. If you’re bag is cluttered, its hard for TSA to do a proper screening and it will force them to have to do secondary searches through your stuff.

3-1-1. Each passenger is allowed ONE quart sized Ziploc bag. Liquids cannot exceed 3.4 OZ. Be sure to put all liquids, oils, moisturizers, lotions, sprays, etc in this bag. IT MUST BE REMOVED FROM YOUR CARRY ON AND LEFT OUT IN THE TRAY TO BE SCREENED. So keep this Ziploc near the top of your bag or an outside pocket.

Laptops MUST be removed from the bag unless it’s a special tsa approved bag and placed in a SEPARATE plastic tray BY ITSELF.

Keep all the bling at home or in your bag until you’re through security. Anything metal will delay you. Remove all metal objects and put it in your bag. Belts, earrings, watches, necklaces, even COINS! Rings are ok to leave on. FOR WOMEN, refrain from using a bra that has a metal underwire. If you’re using a bra that has a ton of metal clasps, rings, underwire, they will stop you and do a pat down just to be sure. This has happened to me. My tip: use a sports bra and dress comfortably. Leggings and a tshirt is the best. ANY JACKETS, SCARVES, OVERCOATS MUST BE REMOVED so just keep it in your bag.

Have your boarding pass and ID ready. Once they’ve checked it, put it away. You won’t need your ID out at all anymore and you wont need your boarding pass until you’re ready to board. This is where the hanging pouch comes in handy.

BE ORGANIZED: If you know all of the above tips, you will know exactly how many plastic tubs you will need. I can pull it off with 2 depending on how big my backpack/carry on is.

Pop off your shoes
Put your laptop in a separate tub. UNLESS you have the special tsa approved bags.
Pull out your Ziploc bag of liquids and put it somewhere visible aside your bag and shoes.
Don’t forget to take off your lanyard pouch around your neck.

WHEN GOING THROUGH THE SCANNER. NEVER NEVER push your items through until its close to your turn to go in.

A lot of people get frantic and panicked at security. Don’t leave your stuff behind. There are agents that get huffy when you walk away from your stuff. I normally stay with my things and if the line is moving, I push it through then get behind the person in line for the scanner.

It all depends on the airport and how large they are. They normally have two lines per scanner so you have to keep an eye out.

SMILE. They usually hate their jobs. If you’re pleasant and smile and say hi, hello, they tend to be nicer to you…SOMETIMES.


TRAVELING WITH BABIES

We use this cover when checking our stroller in. It makes it easy to spot and helps to keep it clean.
Childress Umbrella Stroller Cover

We use this car seat cover when checking it in to help keep it clean and intact. 
Childress Car Seat Cover

I changed bags/purses tonight because I have to carry a few extra things with me tomorrow morning. Because I am back to catching the bus, I need to try to be as efficient as possible. And with Thirty-One bags, it's so easy.

Tomorrow, I will be carrying a thermal picnic tote loaded with a 12 pack of soda, a box of microwave popcorn, a box of pop tarts, a bag of mini chips ahoy cookies (snack sak), and some belvita cookies (2 boxes opened to be exact).  It's a little goody bag gift for a co-worker who needs some cheering up. 

Because that picnic tote will be heavy, I had to change bags to make it easier for me to carry around town.

I was surprised at the capacity of this lightweight backpack. Check it out!

Welcome to my not-so-secret diary!

It’s official. I’m ON the internet. Not a social media site, or as a reviewer on yelp or amazon (which I do on both btw).  I now have my own space to share my experiences with the world. I feel like I’m standing on the top of the highest mountain yelling, “AH LEE AH LEE OXEN FREE!!!” or “REEEE KO LAHHHH!!”

So, to start off this blog, I have exciting news!!

As you know, I teach coupon classes. I’ve been posting on Craigslist, Facebook, Instagram, and other online sites that offer free advertising. Well, you can only pester your warm market with your “ads” for so long before they all go numb and start hiding your updates or blocking you from their pages. And for public forums like CL, people have difficulty finding anything credible on there anymore. So even if my ad is worded to fish you in like a hungry ahi and plastered with pictures of my many toothbrushes for 19 cents, I barely get any bites to my invitations.

I have a very good friend who has connections. I asked her if she could possibly use me to help serve the community by offering my free coupon classes. Her response, “come to my meeting on Monday and I’ll give you the floor to pitch your class!”  So, I did. This one hour investment with the Board meeting of the EBCDO (Ewa Beach Community Development Organization), had me walking out of that room on the list as a new Board member. Wowzers!

What does this mean? This means that I’m now a full fledged member of this organization that has done so much for the Ewa Beach Community, including my family.  Did you know that they offer free classes? Not just for children, but adults too?  Thanks to this group, I was able to take a web designing class at Leeward Community College for FREE.  I used what I learned from that class to build this site you’re on now.  YEAH!

My daughter Shelby took a FREE photography class that was being offered by the EBCDO and they even provided the digital cameras to use. At the end of the course, their photos were put up gallery style in the lobby of the Kapolei Hale. There was a full ceremony, certificates for the participants, and Hawaiian Blessing! The kids enjoyed it, learned a new skill, and broadened their horizons.

Have you seen the new playground equipment across from Campbell High School? That was due to the hard work and efforts of the EBCDO.

This organization has SO much to offer the community and they need volunteers. The ONLY requirement of the participants is ONE HOUR a month minimum. Every 1st Monday of the month at 6:30 PM there is a meeting in the Ewa Beach Public Library to discuss updates and upcoming activities.

If there are activities and events, we ask for you to come out and support the cause.  We need manpower to help set up and break down tents, chairs, and tables.  Even if it’s just for an hour. Any and all help is always APPRECIATED!

If everyone pitched in, the change in Ewa Beach would be TREMENDOUS! I may not live in Ewa Beach anymore, but my family does and I want it to see it grow into a community that would make EVERYONE wish they lived there.

Can you donate an hour of your time a month? If so, contact me or go to the EBCDO site on my favorite links page for more information.