Sunday, December 18, 2011

FOUR COUPON INSERTS SUNDAY JANUARY FIRST 2012!!!

There were no coupon inserts in today's paper, but I did get some great printable coupons on Sendearnings.com (click link this page for their free sign up). 

Next Sunday, however, we can look forward to restocking our coupons with 4 inserts in the January 1st newspaper.  There will be 2 Smartsource inserts, one Redplum and one Proctor and Gamble.  Pick up a few papers and stock up on coupons for your favorite products, it's a great way to boost your purchasing power with very little effort or expense.

MORE ADVENTURES IN EXTREME COUPONING!!!

Just got back from my weekly trip to Walgreens.  I bought $27 worth of merchandise for $8.60.  I used a $5 coupon matched with a sale on a Gillette Fusion razor system, normally $12.99, on sale for $9.99 with a $4 register reward.  With the manufacturers coupon, I paid $4.99 for the razor and got $4 back in register rewards.  For my second purchase I bought 2 bottles of my favorite laundry detergent, which was on sale buy one get one free.  The laundry soap was $6.99 a bottle, with the second bottle free.  Using the $4 register reward it made the total for both bottles $2.99 plus tax for a total of $3.22.  Less than half the price of one bottle of detergent!

So, for less than the sale price of the razor ($9.99), I got the razor and 2 bottles of laundry detergent.  The razor will make a nice Christmas gift and they don't have to know I only paid .99 cents for it ;0).

Friday, December 16, 2011

WEEK IN REVIEW...

I guess we can forget about the "Santa Rally" I talked about in my last post.  We had kind of a rollercoaster ride this week, up then down then back up, ending mostly flat for the week. 

I collected dividends from Centerpoint Energy (which I reinvested in more shares) and Realty Income Corp.  Otherwise not much activity in my personal accounts.

My MBCI store has generated some commissions for the month.  I've added a Garmin section and have been researching new items to add to the store.  Need to work on promotions to increase my commissions.  It would be nice to build up a steady stream of affiliate income.  Got to spend more time on that.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

WILL WE SEE A "SANTA RALLY" THIS DECEMBER?

Some thought the gains we saw earlier in the week were the beginnings of a "Santa Rally."  However, with today's market stall, I believe it's unlikely.  I think people are jumping on any good news, or at least no bad news.  We all want to see the economy and the stock market revive, but I still don't think that will happen without significant improvement on the jobs front.  That being said, if we get a little good news and avoid any major economic issues, we may still see a rally by the end of the year.  I don't think it will last much past January.  I still believe the best bet is good dividend yields for the foreseeable future.  

From my own investment accounts I collected some nice dividend payments today from ConAgra, Aflac and Intel.  I believe all 3 have good long term prospects and I plan on holding/increasing my positions as part of my core portfolio.  I'll be reviewing my investment strategy and tweeking my financial plan for 2012.  While my current investment plan is working out well, there's always room for improvement.