Learning to Coupon

Some of you have been asking me about what I’ve learned or how I’ve learned to coupon lately. I’m definitely still learning, but I’ll share with you what I know so far.

First of all, be realistic. I know that Extreme Couponing on TLC’s network seems to be bringing a lot of interest to couponing. But I don’t think you should expect to spend $15 on $500. This just isn’t realistic at all. The people on this show are buying things like 40 bottles of soda. I have yet to see anyone REALISTICALLY saving that much money, while being able to provide items for healthy meals and snacks for themselves or their family. On average, I have begun to save 35% of my grocery bill, and I am convinced that I can get it to 50% as I continue to learn to look and find deals while using my coupons. So here’s what’s helped me out so far:

Know the stores coupon policy

It’ll help you out greatly to know your local grocery stores coupon policy. If you are embarrassed to ask in person when you are there, call on the phone and ask. Publix is the major grocery store here in Central Florida, and they just came out with their official coupon policy (http://www.southernsavers.com/2011/05/new-publix-offcial-coupon-policiy/).

Publix Accepts:

· Manufacturer’s coupons (limit one per item).

· Publix coupons (originals only-no copies).

· Valid Internet coupons.

· Coupons from nearby competitors identified by each Publix store. (Competitor names are posted at each Publix store.)

· We will accept a manufacturer’s coupon and either a Publix or a competitor coupon on the same item.

· We will accept coupons from competing pharmacies for prescriptions only.


Coupon Acceptance Limitations/Exceptions:

· We will not accept percent-off-items or percent-off-total-order coupons.

· We will only accept coupons for identical merchandise we sell.

· Dollars-off-total-order coupons will be limited to one Publix and one competitor coupon per order. The order total must be equal to or greater than the total purchase requirements indicated on the coupon(s) presented.

· Acceptance is subject to any restrictions on the coupon.

· We reserve the right to limit quantities.

· Manager approval is needed for individual coupons above $5.00.

· For a buy-one-get-one free (B1G1) offer, each item is considered a separate sale. (Means you can use a coupon on each item).
Build a Couponing System
There are different systems to use, depending on what’s easiest for you. The quickest system seems to be the couponmom.com system. It involves only cutting the coupons you need before your shopping trip. I like to clip my coupons and file them so that I can have them at the store with me, in case there is something I need last minute, or a deal I didn’t know about. But do what works for you depending on how much time you want to spend. And don’t expect to save 50% of your grocery bill instantly. It takes time to collect coupons over a few months, and build up a good collection to pull from. Also consider sharing coupons with a friend or neighbor. I generally buy 1 paper, and try to get a second set of coupons from a friend. That way if an item is buy one get one free, I can use two coupons to maximize my savings.

Prepare Before You Go
Spend a little bit of time while preparing your grocery list to see where the best deals are. Remember to check for printable coupons online as well, and don’t forget to check for competitor coupons if your store takes them (http://www.southernsavers.com/printables/).

Make a list! I wouldn’t recommend ever going grocery shopping without a list. And keep it on your refrigerator all week, so that you can add items throughout the week as soon as you realize you need them. Try to stick to your list as much as possible to eliminate unnecessary spending.

Meal Planning is by far the biggest savings you will get! When planning your meals and grocery list, first look in your pantry and kitchen to see what you have left to use before you go grocery shopping. Then look at the stores weekly add. What meals can you make out of it? I use this as a time to try out new recipes. Most recipe websites like allrecipes.com or foodnetwork.com will allow you to simply type in an ingredient, and search out recipes that way. Every family is different, but 4 meals a week is more than enough for my family to get through the week, between leftovers and occasionally eating out. Don’t forget to plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks! This will eliminate impulse buys or overbuying and allowing vegetables or lunch meat to go bad and get wasted. And time wise, it’s so much easier for me to choose what we have to eat for dinner when I have a list of 4 meals on the side of my refrigerator.

You CAN save on healthy items!
One of the biggest difficulties that people have when learning to coupon is that it’s hard to find coupons for healthy food. I said the same thing. They are little more rare, but still there if you seek them out. (http://www.couponing101.com/2010/06/teach-a-woman-how-to-fish-for-nutritious-deals.html). Also, don’t rule out shopping at a produce store. At many, you can get items for less than half the cost as the grocery store. But be careful – this is not always true. The one I find very affordable is Clemons Produce in Orlando. They aren’t organic, but you’d be shocked how far $20 will go at this place! But even if you aren’t able t o find deals on the healthier items you like, save where you can. There are plenty of deals on things like paper towels, cleaning products, razors, body wash, etc. Then stick with the brands you like on the items that you have a preference on.

Make Some Money Back
This probably won’t be one of your huge forms of savings, but one of the exciting experiences I had this week, was that I not only got some things for free, but I actually made some money back on my coupons. Granted, it was $1.50 I made back to put towards other items, but it’s a start. I found on couponmom.com, where it lists items by percentage saved. This includes items listed that are FREE with coupons. So I found that I had 4 coupons for free items. I went to the store, had a $3.00 coupon for body wash, and the item was on sale for $2.54! I don’t expect to save $50 this way, but now that I know to look for these deals, it helps.

And if a coupon comes out the week after you just purchased a product (this always seems to happen to me), take the coupon back to customer service with your receipt, and ask for a refund! Even if it’s just $3.00 in refunds, you are already going to the store, you might as well get the money back that you can. Or if you are shopping, and the store is out of a sale item, ask for a rain check so you can still get the item for the sale price.

So best of luck to the rest of you who are starting this venture of learning to coupon. Don’t expect to save a lot of money instantly, but take some time to check out some websites, build a good stockpile of coupons to pull from, and find the system that works best for you. As you learn, you’ll see your savings go up more and more.

http://www.southernsavers.com
http://www.couponmom.com

http://www.couponing101.com

First "Couponing" Trip

So this past week was my first official “couponing” shopping trip.  I always thought that perhaps couponing wouldn’t work for me, because I try not to eat canned or processed foods, and they don’t exactly have coupons for fresh fruit, dairy, or organic meat very often.  But I am finding ways to still make my dollar stretch a little further. 

I’m excited to say that I saved $49.34 on last week’s grocery bill!  I shopped for 2 weeks worth of groceries for 2 adults.  My total was originally $182.01 (ouch!), but with my savings came out to $132.67.  The breakdown - $29.96 was saved on sale priced items, such as buy one get one free deals or 2 for XX amount.  And an additional $19.38 was saved using coupons.  That’s a 27% savings.  My goal next week is 35% savings!  But all in all, I was pretty excited to have saved nearly $50 worth, and not even spending anything on items that I normally wouldn’t have bought just because they are on sale.

Also, be aware of your grocery stores policy on coupons.  I shop at Publix, which allows you to use 2 coupons per item – one manufacturer and one store coupon.  They also accept competitor’s coupons.  And if you have coupons you forgot to bring or that didn’t come out until the following week for items you purchased, bring them back to the store with your receipt for a refund on the coupon amount.  I’m not sure about other grocery stores, but Publix also has additional coupons at the front of the store, as well as their programs such as the baby club or pet club you can sign up for online, which are also great deals.  For instance, the baby club this month sent me coupons for $1.00 off any deli meat and also $1.00 off any fresh meat item.  Who can’t use those coupons?  Another great idea, utilize your stores resources.  Publix has itemized grocery lists for free at the front of their store.  Why not grab a few next time you’re there and keep them on hand?  Organizing your grocery list this way will save you time on your next trip so you’re not running to and from departments for things you forgot to grab.

No Other Gods

Let me start by saying that I am becoming a big Kelly Minter fan!  I just finished her study on the book of Ruth, and am now beginning her study “No Other Gods.”  She’s a great author, and writes in a way as though I feel like I’m just hanging out with one of my friends.

The first couple days of the study really hit me like a book (I know, my comedy really needs help!).  2 Kings 17:33 says “They worshiped the Lord, but they also serve their own gods.”  I never thought of myself as having “idols” or “false gods.”  I don’t have any statues that I worship, I don’t dream of being like someone famous, and I don’t even follow astrology.  I had always thought of an idol as being a tangible object or person.  But until this study began, I never thought of an idol as being what motivates our actions. 

One thing that sticks out to me in today’s culture is money.  The Bible speaks more about possessions and money than any other topic.  One verse that is a favorite of mine Luke 16:11 - “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”  It reminds me that we will one day be judged by how we choose to use what God has given us here today.  So having this verse in the back of my mind, it’s always been important to me to be financially stable, to be smart with my finances, to save, and not to be controlled by debt.  But one the other hand, I realized that while my reasons behind this might be good, the comfort that I seek is my real motivation.  Which makes me wonder – is it possible to ever be comfortably growing in Christ?

Or maybe what motivates you is not money at all, it could be the desire to gain someone’s respect, the desire to be heard, your career, or to be physically fit.  It could be your kids, your desire to have children, or another relationship entirely. 

Session one ended with a thought – Can you think of anything in your life that is inherently good and right, but that has become detrimental simply because you desire it too much?

If you’d like to join our study of “No Other Gods” it’s not too late.  It begins this Thursday at 6:30pm at the Lake Nona YMCA.  Free childcare is available.  It’s going to be a great time together, so we’d love for you to join us! 

Couponing Failure

Couponmom.com you've failed me.  I liked this website because you can sort deals by percentage saved to get the most bang for your buck.  I was excited - I know, it’s sad to be excited over coupons - because there were 100% savings deals – and I am always a fan of FREE!  But when I went to the newspaper add for the coupon deal, the coupon value was not the same as what the website stated, meaning it wasn’t free.  Sure, it was still discounted, but I am not going to spend money on something I never would have bought to begin with, just because it’s discounted.  Then the second item I wanted had a printable coupon.  But when I clicked the link to the printable coupons, the item was nowhere to be found.  I looked over and over again, but just couldn’t find it.  So couponmom.com, I am very disappointed in you today.  The learning continues.

Change In Plans

It's amazing to me how every New Years Eve, I have an idea of all the plans and goals for the next year, and how different the actual path of my life seems to go.  As the New Year of 2010 came around, I made resolutions with my neighbors and friends of plans to get in shape, places we wanted to travel to, and career goals.  Five days later, I became pregnant, although it was another month and a half before I realized this surprise.  So my entire year of 2010 was anything but expensive vacations and getting into shape.  My beautiful daughter was born toward the end of 2010, and I decided to stay home and raise her in these early years.  For how long, I don't know yet.  But now I am faced with all new challenges.  Other than caring for a baby when I've never even been one to like being around kids much (this one I adore, fortunately!), just doing regular household chores has been a bit of an adventure.  Not getting them done of course, but finding the time.  I can now sympathize with the moms who stay home, and still seem to have a messy house!  I used to wonder, "How can they not get their house clean when they are home all day?"  But with a baby who likes to be held all the time, and only takes 20 minute naps, I can see how little time a stay at home mom really has. 

Another thing that's been hard emotionally for me is not making a paycheck to contribute to the family.  I've always been very independent, and made plenty of money to support myself and any extras I wanted to buy.  So now I find that I just feel guilty even spending money to get a haircut.  I am constantly racking my brain for work from home business ideas, and ways to save money on our expenses.  The sole reason I am beginning this blog, is in hopes to start up a following and make some extra cash getting paid to blog about companies and products.  But upon further research, these companies generally want you to have a blog already in existence with a following before they’ll even consider paying you.  I didn't really know what to blog about, so now I am just telling it how it is - a once career woman gone housewife, trying to find ways to contribute to her household. 

I am currently entertaining several options.  I sign up for all types of free drawings from magazines, whether it's stuff I need or things I can sell.  I do consumer reports in hopes to win a drawing prize, I am attempting to learn how to coupon, and also using all types of discount coupon websites, like Living Social and Groupon.  So far, it seems as though many others are also doing all this.  It has been 4 months, and I have not won a thing!  I am simply hoping to find ways to make our money go further.  So here we go, and I will continue to blog and update any followers I get, on what I find.

Psalm 20:4 (NIV)
⁴ May he give you the desire of your heart
   and make all your plans succeed.