…Shopping Day Game Plan

Happy Thursday!  Even though the spring cleaning continues I wanted to give you all an idea of what I do when the time comes to go shopping.  I’m TOTALLY obsessive-compulsive when it comes to organization and preparedness, so your methods may not be the same as mine…you’ll figure out what works best for you as you go along.

Before I head out I always make sure that I  have my binder, and that I have copied the stores’ COUPON AGREEMENTS just in case I run into a problem with a cashier who is unfamiliar with their store’s policy.  I check my fave couponing websites for deals (as well as the store’s weekly ad), and I make a list of what I want to buy that day at that particular store.  As I’m making my list I pull the coupons from my binder and set them aside.

I also check behind my “store coupons” divider (in the back of my binder) to make sure that I have all of the coupons cut that I need for a particular trip.  I print them off from the store’s website, punch holes in them with a three-hole punch, and add them to the section without clipping them…I can always clip what I need later and it saves space.  IMPORTANT TIP OF THE DAY: Remember that you can use a manufacturer’s coupon AND a store coupon on the same item…BIG savings!  You can use these on as many items as you’d like…for example: if you purchase 3 boxes of Kleenex tissues, you can use three manufacturer’s coupons AND three store coupons.  Get it?

When the list is complete, I stick it and the coupons that I’ll be using into a legal-sized envelope labeled with the store name (as shown below).  I usually always have my binder in my bag for quick referencing in case I find a deal that wasn’t advertised, but sometimes I just take the envelope instead if I’m making a quick trip out.  Either way all of the coupons I’m going to be using are in one place, and if I need to add more I can.

So here’s your simplified shopping day strategy:

• Know when the sales start and end for each store;
• Have your coupons and shopping lists ready to go;
• Take your store cards with you (most sales only apply if you have a store card.  You can also upload store coupons onto your store cards using Cellfire.com)
• SHOP EARLY;
• If the sale products you want are sold out, ask the cashier for a RAIN CHECK.  These last up to 30 days, and you can still get the sale price and store rewards for those items as well.

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope this helps you as you get ready to head out and save some money! :)  I’ll see you back here in the next day or two with another card.  Until then…

…Getting Started With Coupons

Let me start by saying that I am in NO WAY a professional at this whole couponing thing, but I do have some tips and tricks to share with you.  I started couponing just last month when my husband and I decided to get a handle on our finances and look into buying/building a new home.  We decided to pay off our debts and lower our household expenses, and one of the most expensive (after our house payment) was our grocery bill.  Now, thanks to couponing, we’re on the road to cutting that by 60-80%!

I started by purchasing one newspaper and scouring the weekly ads and coupon inserts.  Now I purchase four newspapers a week unless there are going to be more than two coupon inserts that week…then I buy six!  I suggest buying newspapers based on the amount of people in your family.  There are four of us, so I buy at least four.  Now let me breakdown the types of newspaper inserts you’ll find. 

There are two that appear almost every week (usually one, but sometimes both at the same time)…Smart Source (SS) and Red Plum (RP).  These are jam-packed with savings!  Once a month there will be one or two others that appear along with the SS and RP…Proctor & Gamble, and General Mills.  Want to know when each of the inserts will be included in the paper?  Check out this complete list of coupon inserts for the year (This applies to the newspapers in the South for sure, but I’m not sure about other regions.  The coupons included each week also vary by region.):

SOUTHERN SAVERS’ COUPON INSERT SCHEDULE FOR 2011

Some people clip ALL of the coupons to add to their coupon binder (I’ll be discussing that in a second) while others only cut what they’ll use for that week.  I like to go ahead and cut everything out and get it organized so I’ll know which coupons I’ve got at a glance.  Here’s how I organize all of my coupons:

This is my “Coupon Binder”…a 3” three-ring zippered notebook!  I found this Five Star zippered notebook on sale at Office Depot for $9 (you can use whatever you’d like, but why spend a bunch of money when you don’t have to, right?), and I chose a zippered one so that my coupons wouldn’t fly out when I throw my binder into the backseat of my truck!  LOL!  And believe me…I take it EVERYWHERE with me!  Here’s a peek at how I organize it:

I purchased an alphabetical set of dividers that included an index and plastic dividers.  You can use the paper ones, but I’ve found that they tend to tear when you’re flipping back and forth in your binder.  Each letter represents a certain category.  For example, “D” represents “Breakfast” (I have my categories listed in alphabetical order as well because I’m a bit OCD…you do NOT have to do your this way).  Let’s see what’s behind the “D” divider:

It’s all of my coupons that have to do with “Breakfast”…cereals, oatmeal, grits, pancake mix, syrup, etc.  I organize all of the  manufacturer’s coupons using baseball card protectors that can be purchased at any office supply store.  I recommend starting with at least 60 of these baseball sleeves…you can always buy more when you need them.  If I have multiple copies of a coupon I’ll include them ALL in one pocket whether they’re from the paper or from the internet.  Here are some of my favorite online printable coupon places (You can usually only print out 2 coupons from your computer per site.  If someone else has a computer in your house you can use theirs to print out a total of 4):

• Coupons
• Smart Source
• Red Plum
• Cellfire (coupons saved to your store card)
• Cool Savings
• We Use Coupons (also a great community and resource)

Now that you have the newspaper weekly ads and coupons it’s time to look for the best sales!  The best way to get more bang for your buck is to utilize both sales AND coupons to get the lowest price you can.  Check out your weekly ads from the newspaper to see what kind of deals you can find, then match them up with your coupons.  ALWAYS LOOK AT THE SALES PRICES PER UNIT…just because it says “value pack” doesn’t always mean that it’s a better value!  Need help knowing what deals are out there?  Check out these websites that not only show you the deals, but they also tell you which coupons you can use to save the most (These are my favorites.  There are literally thousands of blogs and coupon sites online, so get out there and find which ones will help you the most):

• The Krazy Coupon Lady (my most favorite!!!)
• Time 2 Save
• Hip 2 Save
• We Use Coupons
• Southern Savers (this is for the southern United States)
• Coupon Shopping With Treasure

That’s it for today’s “lesson”!  I’ll be back in a couple of days to cover couponing lingo, doubling & stacking coupons, other tips & tricks, and even more about my coupon binder!  THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP FOR TODAY: Start out small.  Don’t get frustrated if you’re not saving 75-90% the first time you try couponing.  There is a method to it, and you’ll pick up on it the more you do it.  You won’t be a professional overnight!  Like everything else…it takes practice.  Keep your heads up and a smile on your face!   Until later…

…Sharing A Little Savings

As many of you read the other day, I have started couponing recently…and I LOVE it!  I wanted to share some of the savings that I’ve gotten from some of my outings!

This first picture was my very first time shopping at Publix back in the middle of last month, and here’s what I came home with:

• 20 Progresso Soups

• 4 packs Mama Mary's Pizza Crusts

• 4 DiGiorno's Shaved Parmesan Cheese

• 2 Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oils

• 4 Eckrich Farm Sausages (2 smoked, 2 kielbasa)

• 2 Ziploc Sandwich Bags

• 2 Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Crackers

• Betty Crocker Deluxe Brownie Mix

• 3 lbs. Onions

Spent $80 for $180 worth of groceries…56% SAVINGS

This second picture was from a combined trip to Bi-Lo, Target, and Walgreens.  What all did I bring home?

• 4 boxes Cheerios Cereal

• 2 boxes Trix Cereal

• 2 boxes Cocoa Puffs Cereal

• 2 boxes Crunchy Nut Cereal

• 3 Pillsbury Toaster Strudels

• 4 Febreze Air Effects

• 1 Aquaphor Lip Repair

• 1 (20 ct) Excedrin Tablets

• 1 Gillette ProGlide Power Razor

• 1 Baby Magic Hair and Body Wash

• 2 packs Orbit Gum

Spent $26.63 for $60.55 worth of groceries…SAVINGS OF 56%

This was the haul from my trips to CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and an impromptu visit to Wal-Mart on Tuesday.  What all did I come home with?

• 2 packs (40 ct each) Pampers Diapers Size 1
• 3 boxes Kellogg's Raisin Bran Cereal
• 1 Single-serve Kellogg's Apple Jacks Cereal
• 6 boxes Tampax Pearl Tampons
• 3 packs Orbit Gum
• 8 Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs
• 2 packs Nestle Crunch Eggs
• 2 packs Wonka Spree Jelly Beans
• 2 packs Dove Peanut Butter Eggs
• 2 packs Ghirardelli Chocolate and Caramel Squares
• 3 Colgate Maxfresh Toothbrushes
• 3 Colgate Maxwhite Toothbrushes
• 2 Lysol Disinfectant Wipes
• 2 Febreze Air Effects
• 6 Dawn Dishwashing Liquids
• 2 Mr. Clean Magic Eraser 2 packs
• 4 boxes Pediacare Infant Drops
• 1 Garnier Moisture Rescue
• 1 Garnier Skin Renew
• 1 bag of lemons (not on my original list, but I needed them for dinner yesterday)
• 2 packs Starkist Tuna Pouches
• 8 can Bumblebee Tuna

Spent just over $80 for $232.61 worth of groceries…SAVINGS OF 65%

I think I’m getting the hang of combining sales prices with a number of coupons to rack up some pretty serious savings overall!  I’ve even been able to start a small stockpile!  Thanks to a wonderful couponing class at my mom’s church (given by Lori Hyde…thanks, lady!) and several online couponing blogs, I’m learning to become a better steward with our household money and I’m also filling my home with food and products that my family needs on a daily basis.  Gotta LOVE those coupons!  If you have any questions about couponing just leave me a comment, and I’ll post my answers for you one day this weekend.

That’s it for today!  Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another card.    Until later…