Coupons, What I Have Learned

Well, I have officially been a coupon cutter for a couple of weeks now and man, I have some real insights on this business and feel like I'm taking on the world every time I leave a store. I decided that it was time for me to update you guys on he stuff I have learned, things that I avoid and the things I RUN TO LIKE A MAD WOMAN!

The first thing I have learned is that I need a bigger pantry. When you start doing things the "coupon" way you are going to need space to store things cause it builds up quick. I'm currently waiting for my pantry to be built so right now my kitchen is a disaster and that is a little frustrating. Have a space ready so that you don't end up passing up deals simply because you don't have space.:-)

I have learned that it is important to keep two lists of groceries. I have a pad of paper on my fridge for things that are weekly buys like milk, butter, eggs, etc. Things that you really don't want to stock pile but need constantly. Next you need another list of things that you need to watch for on sale because you WILL run out fairly soon. If you wait until you run out then you will be forced to pay full price. For example, my freezer only holds so much bread. I know that when I get down to about 2 loaves in the freezer it is time to start looking for my sales.

I have learned that health and beauty products should never be paid full price for nor should ANY cleaning supply. It seems that things go on a 6 week rotation for sales so when you buy, buy about 6 weeks of product to get you through to the next sale. Your kids are probably going to get sick again before they are adults so when their medicine is on sale, buy it. Don't wait till you need it. I have also learned that you should never pay more than $.50 for a tube of toothpaste, no matter what brand you use.

Here is what I do each week.

I buy 2 Sunday papers. I found out that I was missing out on great deals by only having one of each coupon. If you have two of each coupon you can use both when there is a buy one get one free sale. You are removing 2 items out of inventory so you get to use 2 coupons. Let me give you a great example from today. At Publix they had Beggin Strips (dog snacks) for BOGO. I had 2 coupons that if I bought a bag of Beggin Strips I got a bag of bones free. Since I had 2 coupons I got 2 bags of bones for free. I paid $5.25 for 2 bags of Beggin Strips and 2 bags of bones. Ummm, YEAH!!!!

After I buy the papers I sit down in a quiet location (well, as quiet of a spot as I can find in this house with 2 wild men chasing a dog). I first pull out the circular ads for the local grocery stores and pharmacies. Next, I cut out all the coupons from the inserts and file them in my coupon binder. After I get everything organized I start with (for example) CVS and go page by page looking for sales on things I use or need that I also have a coupon for. (if you can shop without pictures then you can skip this step and go straight to the southernsavers.com site to do your shopping list). If the store has a coupon for an item in their ad you can pair it with a coupon from the Internet or the paper, be sure to cut the store coupon out of the ad before you get to the store so you don't forget about it. (Store coupons are different from manufacturers coupons so they can almost always be paired.)

I use a small pad of paper and write out my items one at a time. Olay Bar Soap 2/$2 (c) The little c tells me that I have a coupon and when I pick up the item I need to check the ounce size requirements on the coupon compared to the sale item just to make sure I'm buying what I have a coupon for. I go store by store checking the ads and comparing them to my coupons. As I finish a store I put all the coupons for that one place into an envelope with the store name on the outside and then fold up my shopping list for that location and put it in the envelope too. I also stack the ad with the envelope because sometimes the store forgets to put signage up and you want to be able to show the clerk what is in the ad. When I go shopping I just take my coupon binder in with the envelope and go row by row looking for my list. If you keep in mind that you never buy something without a coupon it really helps you stay on track and keeps you from taking so long in the store.

Once I finish my paper insert shopping I sit down to the computer and go to southernsavers.com. This is the step you can skip to if you don't want to see pictures of the products in the ads.:-) southernsavers.com lists out all of the weekly sales and then pairs up available coupons for that item. If there is a printable version she finds it for you. This site is great. I print my coupons, add the items found online to my store list, put the coupons in my envelope for that store and then off I go shopping!

If I'm alone (kid free) I also walk every row looking for clearance items that I may have coupons for. The other day at CVS I found Johnson and Johnson Bubble Bath for $.75 on clearance. I had a $1 off coupon so THEY WERE FREE! I had 4 coupons and they had 4 bottles. CHA CHING!!!!!

Another great thing about pharmacy shopping is that they give you reward dollars if you buy certain products. The other day I bough some diapers and got $1 back for my next visit. Put that receipt into your store envelope and it will be there the next time you fill it with coupons! This is a great way to lower your shopping bill.

Once I finish my circular shopping I then take my "need" list to Walmart or wherever I can to get the last of the items I need that I never will have coupons for. I have found that Walmart is cheaper for most of those things but shop wherever you have to so that it is easiest on you. I found this week that Walgreens had milk for $2.99. That's almost a dollar cheaper than everywhere else so clearly that is where I shopped for it. Again, I found it in the weekly ad.

The first two weeks of doing this I thought I would lose my mind and honestly thought about ditching the whole effort. It took me FOREVER to organize and gather everything. I really didn't see how I would be able to do this with the kids and David's work schedule. However, I stuck with it and it has actually cut my "in store" time in half! I can actually shop with the kids if I need to and it isn't too painful. I try to only do one store a day if I have the kids and we have made a deal that if they are patient with mommy then they will get a surprise at the end of the trip. Either a frosty from Wendy's, a hot wheels car, extra play time outside, or something else simple. Tonight the boys got popcorn after dinner for being good at Publix.

I know you can do this. Use the site, use your quiet time and stay focused on the fact that you will be cutting your grocery bill in half by the end of this month. I'm still learning the ins and outs. Look for a store that doubles coupons and take that into consideration when you shop. Also, keep in mind that most stores now take off $.05 for every bag you bring with you. When you are buying a cart load those bags add up. Some stores stock up on reward points for every dollar you spend. Find out what your local store does to earn your business. Go to customer service and just ask, after all, that is what they are there for! Lastly, ask your store if they take other store coupons. Ask Kroger if they will accept Target coupons. It never hurts to ask!

Good luck my friends. Happy shopping and happy saving. Please follow my blog so that you can post comments on here when you save money or hit a great deal that you want to share. Let's stick together in this "saving" system.:-)