That couponing thing again.......... LOL

[Hound dog]

I'm learning. Seems I'm catching on faster than easy child when it comes to coupon stacking and bogo deals........I can tell if it's worth it or not quicker than she can. So we've been working out our "deals" together since it turns out I catch the really good ones she sometimes misses.

I did pretty good last week. Not sure how to figure out the percentage thing........but I got what we needed and things we will use for around 60 bucks last week. For the things we will use but don't need? I'm making sure it either comes out free or so dirt cheap it doesn't matter that I bought it ahead of time. Example: I now have enough deordorant to last me at least 6 mos and I paid like 50 cents ea for it instead of 2.99 stacking coupons. Didn't hurt my budget for the week to buy it when I didn't need it yet, so I picked it up. There were a few other things I did that with too. Then I got quite alot in reward dollars toward future purchase.....which is money.

So far this week I had a 48 percent savings at krogers. yay! Since experts seem to be saying a good average is between 50-90 percent....I'm happy. I'm not done yet for this week. (krogers put the percent savings on your receipt lol )

easy child's savings are higher because she has the extra cash to buy up deals on things she doesn't need. I don't have that extra cash. It will save her more in the long run.....but when you don't have it to put out, you work with what you got.

I've finally learned how to work the coupon deals on facebook........FYI free swiffer starter kit if you "like" their page........giveaway starts at 8pm and will be offered again later in the month. This one was hard for me.......trial and error. I'm not that facebook savvy.

I am proud of myself for getting my pedigree deal for the dogs.......and am going back for more as they love it and suddenly they're full of energy. lol (and I have a stack of coupons) Made it several dollars cheaper than the generic brand. I'm not going to complain about that, lemme tell you!

If you want to do this........watch store prices......get ads for all stores in your area and compare prices/sales before you go out and write out what you plan to buy at each place, coupons you'll use, estimated cost. In store double check to make sure you're picking up the right product. easy child got burned on some razors last week thinking she got the right ones because they had a similar name. She won't make that mistake again. Expect it to take time, cuz it does. Not only finding what you want to buy, but checking out.

But...........

Our biggest problem right now is not store policy ect.........it's that others have been watching extreme couponing and are also trying to get those money maker deals. Prepare not to be able to get what you went for and have a back up plan if possible.

Tell you what............little town plus lot of Moms walking around with huge binders full of coupons looking for basically the same deals you are is not the greatest combination. lol We're learning to work around that.

I'm just happy that so far it seems this clicks right into my ability to spend exactly the amount of money I have on me to spend. I just think of my coupons as actually being money and it falls into place. Now if I could just manage to hand the cashier the right amount of cash every time I'd be good. lmao

 

[PatriotsGirl]

I really need to get into this again...need printer ink!

I know some one that does this and buys a ton of food for food banks. The tax deductible amount is the whole amount before coupons are deducted. Coupons are treated as cash payment towards the purchase!

 

[AnnieO]

I'm just not finding that many coupons for stuff I actually USE. A few, here and there - but mostly stuff I don't buy. If I don't buy it, even paying 5 cents is not a good deal.

And I get super frustrated, too...

 

[Hound dog]

Step, I've had to "rethink" due to the whole generic thing. Because buying generic appears to be cheaper (and easier) than doing the coupons.....but if you're watching sales, it's not. Memorial day is coming up and the deals are going to be HUGE. Can't wait for those to come out.

Sunday paper helps a ton. Not only does it have the coupon inserts, it has most of the sale ads you'll need. husband bought 4 last wk. lol I also snitched county shoppers (mini paper with coupons that is free) from katie's apartment complex. To be fairl there was a stack of about a hundred.....and I only took 2.

Once you build up a base of coupons, it works much better. You have more items to work with cuz different things go on sale at different times.

Then I had to rearrange my brain to try new things. Cat litter for 89 cents (someone has caught on around here they're always out of stock now) I can try a new brand. Yesterday I got arm and hammer laundry soap for like 2 bucks each....bought two.........going back for more. At that price I don't care that it's not Tide. It' still not generic (I don't like the generic brands gave me holes in my clothes) but price is better than generic. Coupons are in the paper and krogers has it on sale. Coupons are also online for it.

I'm a tad luckier than most starting out I think. I'm a stockpiler by nature when it comes to food and cleaning supplies. So I have a base I'm already working from that is giving me some elbow room to wait for deals. But this week I had to buy some stuff off sale so just made sure that was as cheap as possible. Lucky for me husband likes generic cheese slices better than kraft......

 

[KTMom91]

Same here, Step. Plus, we have NO storage space. NONE. There are three of us in an 800 square foot house.

I'm getting back into the coupon thing on a smaller scale, though.

 

[AnnieO]

OK, Lisa... SOON... We are going to have to get together and do some couponing. I guess I'm still stuck on the Grandma-was-a-hoarder thing...

 

[susiestar]

Be sure to check ebay for coupons. I have often got ones I will really USE that are either high dollar or can be doubled and gotten about $25-$50 worth for $3 to $5 shipped. Even counting that in it imakes for huge savings. I look for auctions that include shipping because otherwise the price can get crazy. Evenf iguring that cost in I can save a bundle. My problem is that we don't use many, many of the items that they make coupons for.

But if you see coupons for the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls thingys that are mini (24 to a tube, not really a "roll" but awesome tasting) they are WELL worth the cost. They were $1 at one store and I had a 75 cent coupon so I did the price match at Wallie World (because the other store is a PITA to get to) and we loved them!

One strategy if you have kids at home is to split the savings with them. Not do-able if you are super tight on $$, but it teaches very valuable lessons and helps cut your time investment. I used to cut them, circle the expiration date and organize them, then take the grocery list and pull the coupons we would use. At the store I had to figure out if the price after coupon was actually cheaper than the generic price. If it was, I got half of what we saved. I started at about age seven or eight and kept it up through my teens. Only in my teens I mostly just did the shopping myself with-o my mom with me. By then I was great at it.

It not only teaches life skills and bargain hunting, it also teaches frugality, what food really costs and amazing math skills.

 

[Hound dog]

Sure thing Step. easy child is better at parts of it than I am at the moment, which is why we shop together.......we catch each other's mistakes. I know we still have a lot to learn though. But once you get started it's not quite as hard as it looks.

Only thing I'm a little worried about is easy child really going OCDish over this. She is sort of a shopaholic as it is, this is giving her the high of shopping on top of the high of saving tons of money. I can say though, that she already recognizes the potential for it to get out of hand, so that is a good thing. She did, however, have sister in law cutting out coupons with her the other night. lol He's thrilled to help, he's a natural bargain hunter by nature and has been after her for years to watch her spending.

Susie I'll mention ebay to easy child..........I don't have the spare cash to do ebay, even if it's cheap. She's ordering coupons for 5 cents each...........ehhhh I can't get her to see she has to deduct that from her savings. If you don't watch it that adds up fast.

 

[Star*]

I had a really good lady here in FL that was about the cheapest EVER to buy coupons from - I'll see if I can find her number -

If ANY of you want to get into a trail - let me know - because I'll be glad to share and pass on what I have if you'll pass them on to my Engineeer too -

 

[KTMom91]

I'd like to join the coupon train...even though I haven't seen coupons for hay and oats, Star!