So I thought I would do a little series on my money saving tips. I thought about doing one big blog, but it's hard to just sit down and try to bang something out on a keyboard when you have a little one that constantly wants to play....or get into something. The series will go as follows;
1) Coupon Basics
2) The Stockpile- Essential for Any Super Saver
3) Non Coupon Deals and Steals
4) Christmas Shopping- It's ALL the time.
So let's get down to basics. You need to save money...or you just want to spend less money. You see all those crazy coupon people and wonder "How can I do it?" Now while it really isn't that hard, it does take a lot of time. During the last couple months of the campaign I was recently working on, I found myself running into CVS and Walgreens in between canvasses with an envelope full of coupons (and the shopping list written on the back) and would run in and out with my purchases for the week. When I'm not working, it's much easier to devote myself to couponing, but with only my husband's income- it's much more of a necessity. So let's get down to tactics:
PREPARE!
Stacks of coupons and circular ads don't mean shit if you can't organize them. Without organization, before you know it, your sales ads will be months old and you won't be able to find "that one coupon you need and know you have" (awful feeling, by the way). My suggestion is before you even cut that first coupon- find a place to put them. Some people like those little accordion coupon organizers, but I'm a fan of a binder loaded up with business card organizers and separated with tabs by category (frozen food, toiletries, dairy, cleaner, household, etc...). now the accordion organizers are tiny and can usually fit into a purse, which is a plus if you tend to forget things. I prefer the binder, though because I don't have to leaf through all the coupons in each little folder. I can flip to the section I need, and the coupons are all on display for me which is a huge time saver when I have a 3 year old that is getting fussy and a husband that likes to throw things in the cart when he thinks I'm not looking. So figure out which organizational system works for you and dive in.
CUT AND ORGANIZE
Pretty self explanatory.Cut your coupons from the paper, print them out online (I recommend getting an account with Inbox Dollars as they will pay you .10 for every coupon you redeem (you can also have them pay you for shopping you do, we will cover that later). And then organize them according to your preferred method. If you have kids, do this ASAP, because usually any slacking leads me to finding coupons I could've used months after they expired (usually hidden in a toy box). Some people organize every single coupon, but I know I'm not going to be using Depends or need cat items (because I don't own a cat), so I let my kid play with those. He likes to "help" and cut up the coupons.
CIRCULARS
Time to go through the ads! Keep in mind that grocery stores tend to have different sale dates (Usually Wednesday through Tuesday) than drugstores (Sunday through Saturday) so I usually wait until I have all the ads (which is by about Tuesday or Wednesday) so I can compare. The only exception to this is if I KNOW that what I see on Sunday is a good deal (like Purex detergent for 1.98-2.00 at CVS- if you see something like that- GRAB YOUR KEYS AND GO! THAT STUFF WILL FLY OFF THE SHELVES! BUY AS MUCH OF IT AS YOU CAN AFFORD! We will go over this more when we go over stockpiling).
So circle what looks like a good deal and compare. The biggest issue with this is that it will get easier and easier to spot a good deal the longer you coupon. Remember- just because a store says it's a deal- doesn't mean that it is. 3/12 when it comes to a 12 packs of soda is NOT a good deal, but stores advertise it like it;s the second coming of Coca-Cola (my personal max spending limit is $3 for a 12 pack- but I usually spend about $2.50).
Also, the longer you coupon, the more familiar you will become with stores you frequent. Target and Walmart are GREAT for using coupons that don't specify the size of the product, because they have a decent selection of travel sized products. I also know that I can combine a Target store coupon with a manufacturer coupon and in this effect- double coupon (which is something a lot of stores don't do unless they are doing some promo thing...FYI- Albertsons lets you combine store/manufacturer coupons as well). PLUS Target's Cartwheel app can ass up to triple savings with some items!!! Make sure to get familiar with the coupon policies. How many like coupons can you use? Is there a total coupon limit? This is stuff you will need to know once you start to heavily build your stockpile and your coupon arsenal.
NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS A COUPON IF IT'S A KICK ASS DEAL!
The Purex detergent deal I mentioned earlier- I rarely have a Purex coupon that coincides with the deal. But that's not going to stop me from loading a cart full of the stuff as soon as I see it advertised. Some people feel as though they won't buy anything without a coupon. I'm more of "It's a genuine good deal, who cares?!" Many people get tricked into using a coupon just because they have it, and while it does save them money, it's not getting them the maximum potential for savings. Because while the optimal deal is something that is a great deal that can furthered with a coupon, sometimes the deal happens and you don't have a coupon, but you know that it is a good deal. In fact, a lot of the best trips I'm made to the store (with 78% to over 100% savings) were more so the product of knowing what a good sale was combined with the store loyalty card and whatever coupons I could use. Sometimes the coupons themselves only accounted for about 20% savings while the store loyalty + sales made up the bulk of my savings. This is something that you will get better and better at the more that you do it.
This awesome haul was the result of % of store coupons, good sales and a groupon for frozen meals at Albertsons.
GO TIME! BINDER? OR ENVELOPE?
So you are at the store with your list. You have your kids in the cart and you are trying to focus so you can the hell out of there. Question; Do you bring your entire arsenal of coupons? Well that's up to you. Clearance sections of stores can offer MASSIVE savings (even potential money makers), but it is a treasure hunt. Sometimes I bring my binder, and sometimes I bring an envelope with the coupons inside and my list written on the outside. The binder is good if my budget for this time isn't super strict and ESPECIALLY if I have the luxury of going to the store alone, or if my son is in a good mood. If he is being a bit grumpy, I stick with the envelope because having a fussy kid with you when you are trying to focus on saving money at the store, should be an Olympic event.
Also- keep an eye on the register when you are checking out. Are the items ringing up correctly? You don't need to know what the exact total should be before you coupon, but it's good to have a general idea Checkout is not the place for unexpected surprises. So before you leave home- do a general tally of what your total should be (try to make an excel spreadsheet of advertised prices - coupons and look at the total, with tax and such- it won't be an exact match but it will be close so you will know if something isn't ringing up right).
Next- swipe your loyalty card (if applicable) and hand over your coupons. Now believe it or not, sometimes the order you hand your coupons makes a difference. Do you have % off store coupon? MAKE SURE IT GOES ON TOP! If your pre coupon total is $50 and your after coupon total is $30 than have the 10% off total coupon scanned first is the difference between $5 and $3! Dollars absolutely count in this game! Also do a final check of the coupons before you leave home. Make sure they haven't expired, make sure you are planning to buy the number of items needed to use the coupon (some coupons apply to single items, others to 2 or 3). Details count! I have had coupons not work at checkout because of silly rookie mistakes like this, and then it throws off my whole total and just pisses me off. Don't make these mistakes!
I hope these pointers help you get started on your couponing journey. I promise the longer you do it, the easier it gets. Soon you will be able to recognize the ins and outs of saving money with just about everything you do and you be disgusted at the thought of paying retail for anything!
Happy Hunting!
