Coupons

So, I have discovered lately that alot of people are where I was at not too long ago and dont know how to use coupons to really make their grocery dollar stretch. This is HUGE right now while gas prices are SHOOTING food prices through the roof!

So, I thought I would do a quick tutorial on what I have learned, and how much it has helped me save a little dough.

I started using the Grocery Game. It was great for teaching me how the cycles of the grocery store sales, and the coupons in the paper go together. Also, how to stock up and buy alot of stuff when it was on sale, so you have it when its not.

I dont use it anymore, only because the schedule for the ad/coupon combo doesnt work for me (the list of which coupons to use with which specials doesnt come out til Sunday afternoons, then you have only two days til that ad expires to shop). I do my shopping on the weekends, so her list doesnt work for me. BUT..using it for a bit did teach me alot about how to use coupons and how to combine with the cyclical ad speicals to really get some great bargins.

First, you have to clip coupons. That is a pain, I know. BUT, the first time you check out with $250 of groceries for $175, you will be glad you did. They come in the Sunday paper, which alot of grocery stores will actually sell on Monday for half price (see..you are already saving $0.75!).

Then, you need a system of keeping your coupons so they are easy to find and sort. I use a coupon organizer you can get for less than $5 at Walmart. I divide it into sections that make sense to me (i.e., frozen, meat, baking, household goods, kids stuff, pet stuff, misc, etc.). This makes it easy to find both while I am shopping, and when I am planning a shopping trip.

Third, ideally you get the paper ad in your mail on Tuesday or Wednesday and you can go the store prepared for which coupons you will use in advance. You have those in the front pocket of your organizer and your trip will go smoother. With the ad, you match coupons with specials. My favorite, and the times that you save the most are with BOGO sales. You can STILL use a coupon on those items, and you can use ONE coupon for each of the TWO items you are buying (the one you "buy" and the one you get "free").

Now, a note on BOGO ..in case this is lost on some of you as it was to me for a bit, that simply means that the items are half off. They want you to buy two so they act like you are getting one for free, but its just each item is half price. Thus, you can use a coupon for each item you buy. OR..you can use those "buy 2 save $1.00" coupons you hate so much! You ARE buying two items, but you are getting them for EVEN more cause you are using a coupon TOO!

Take this example, Cheerioes at Publix is $4.59 a box. I wait for BOGO week (it comes aroudn EVERY MONTH), I get two boxes for $4.59 making each one $2.29 each. I use my "Buy 2 get a $1.00 off" coupon (there is one EVERY month in the coupon sections of the paper before the BOGO sales..trust me on this one). I get the same box of cereal for $1.79! Now, I go ahead and buy 4 boxes, one for each week before the next sale comes around again.

Now, you say, I dont have the money to be buying 4 boxes of cereal when I need to buy the MILK too! Well, the first time you do it will be a little tougher. BUT, you will NOT need to buy that $5 box of cereal for the next three weeks. Instead, you will be buying the things that on are on sale for THAT week, and in a couple of months you will have a store house of stuff like this.

I have had to clean out a part of my hall closet for the overfill of the thigns that we ALWAYS use but that do go on sale (i.e., we will use every bottle of Ranch Dressing, every bag of chips, every box of Cheerioes, all the fruit snacks, green beans, instant oatmeal,etc.).

Meat is the same way. I have a Sam's membership mostly for the meat. I will spent more than I usually do in a week on meat, but I have meat for a month by shopping the "reduced for sale" meat. Also, check your Walmart for their day that all their meat gets reduced. Mine is Wednesday. Alot of times you can get double the meat for the money. A storage of that is great!

Also, I make menus from my storehouse rather than shopping with one. I use what I have, and be creative with that. I still get some stuff here or there, not EVERYTHING I buy I use coupons on but its amazign what you can use on the stuff you can get for next to nothing.

So, use coupons in combination with the sales.

Look for double/triple coupon days ...you may even be lucky like me and have a grocery store (wahoo Publix!) that doubles ALL coupons $0.60 or less EVERYDAY. Ask your store. You may be surprised.

Okay. There is your insight on saving money today.