You may or may not be aware that I love saving money. (I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm as good at spending it as the next gal) But, I'm a bit obsessed with getting good deals if I'm going to spend our hard earned cash. I am NOT an extreme couponer and I do not have a stockpile of Apocalypse supplies in the garage. I DO have apps on my phone and a coupon book I carry with me everywhere though. I pretty much never pay at the register without having looked for coupons for the items I'm purchasing. So, in case anyone wondered what I do around here, one thing that takes just a small amount of time each week is couponing.
Why do I coupon?
Well, it saves money. God has blessed us with pretty steady income and it is our job to be good stewards of that income. If I can maximize purchases by staying in budget, or better yet, under budget, then it is totally worth it. I also see coupons as free money. Why pay full price for something I can get for cheaper? Like I said, I love saving money!
How do I coupon?
1. I get the Sunday paper. I currently subscribe to the weekend edition of the Jacksonville Daily News. Mostly for the Sunday ads. I do enjoy keeping up with the local happenings, but good journalism seems to elude even the most highly respected news sources these days. I pay around $55 every 6 months for newspaper delivery. Not sure if the price is totally worth it, but there's something about sitting down and reading the Sunday paper that Adam and I enjoy on top of the coupons (and comics for Adam)
2. I print coupons off the internet. I have a folder of bookmarks just for coupon websites. Sites like coupons.com, smartsource.com, and redplum.com are just starters. Just type "printable grocery coupons" into your search bar and tons of sites appear. I do not pay money for coupon services or site memberships. I only print coupons from free sources that I feel I can trust. I also will go straight to manufacturer websites to see if they have any coupons for products I am specifically looking to purchase. Kraft and P&G have coupons often.
3. Besides grocery coupons, I print or find coupons on my phone for other products. Old Navy and Target have coupons on their websites. Retail Me Not has an app that I can use to search for coupons ready to use in-store.
4. I never buy anything online before searching for a coupon code or other sites for better prices. Retail Me Not and similar sites have coupon codes all the time. I save 10-20% every time I make an online purchase. And I rarely pay for shipping. Often I find that online purchases can be less expensive than in store as long as the shipping is free and I'm willing to wait. I also receive coupons from retailers I frequently purchase from.
5. When I'm ready to make a trip to the store, I make a list and go through my coupons and walk in prepared. It's when I'm not prepared that I make extra purchases or miss out on coupon savings.
How much do I really save by couponing?
Like I said before, I save 10-20% every time I purchase something online. Adam wanted a new pair of shoes and I saved him $18 plus got free shipping. I was pretty proud of myself. This allows us to get more out of our budget. We each get our own "fun" money, and we have a budget for "eating out" too. Using coupons allows us to get more our of those budgets.
I also keep a chart of my grocery savings. Out of a $400/month budget (which includes cleaning supplies, toiletries, and other household items AND we pack our own lunches for work) I have been saving an average of $25-30/month. That means I can keep our house stocked with extra toilet paper or get a fun treat without breaking the budget, and usually transfer some of that into our savings account. It's not a lot, but I'm definitely getting more bang for my buck. That also helps us stay within that budget even if we invite friends over for dinner or have a special event we need to bring food for. I stayed within our budget even in the month of November when we hosted Thanksgiving (and saved money on that 10 lb. Butterball!).
Things I've learned about couponing:
1. Don't clip coupons for items you don't need or use. Just because I have a coupon for something doesn't mean I need to buy it. A 30% coupon code for Gap is appealing, but that doesn't mean I have to buy something. And $0.50 off Oreos doesn't mean they're going to be calorie free. I have definitely fallen prey to tempting coupons and bought things I didn't need just because I had a coupon.
2. Be organized. I have a coupon book, that I'm looking to replace. Right now it's divided into grocery coupons and store coupons. But it has a pad of paper in if for my lists. I also keep paper clips in there to organize the coupons I'll be using at different stores. I want a coupon book that is as slim, but has more pockets to organize by coupon types. It's a good idea to make coupons easy to find so you'll be more likely to use them. I hate when I walk out of Target realizing I didn't use my $1 off Cover Girl coupon.
3. Be prepared. It's not the coupons that save money, but the effort you put into using them. A big wad of coupons is not useful if I don't have a plan. I grocery shop on Monday afternoons, so on Sunday afternoons I plan and make a list. I plan out the meals I'll need for the week. Then I make my list from the meals I plan to make. After I have the ingredients for dinner, I add the basics to the list that we usually take for lunch or keep for snacks like yogurt and carrots. Then I go through my coupons to see if I have coupons for the the things on my list. I also keep the house stocked with paper towels, toilet paper, and other necessities. If I have a coupon that is going to expire on a product I will definitely use, I usually add it to the list. This is usually a 3 pack of Puffs or some Charmin. I never pay full price for cereal, Adam's deodorant and shampoo, or toothpaste because I'll use coupons and look for sales. That doesn't mean I always use my coupons before they expire. For example, I use Aveeno sun screen on my face, but I haven't used my coupons for a while because one tube lasts two or three months and I have two tubes I bought with a coupon sitting under the sink. There will be more Aveeno coupons when I need more I'm sure.
4. Know the coupon policies of the stores you shop at. Some stores accept competitor coupons or let you double up coupon savings. Other stores will let you use percent off coupons from multiple means (like your phone and paper) as long as you have the same number of items as you do coupons.
Another way I save money:
Ebates.com. I kept seeing these commercials for cash back when shopping online and wondering what the catch was. But I found there really isn't one. I literally go through Ebates when I want to make an online purchase and it will track my purchase and give me cash back. They also will have the latest coupon codes. The only catch is that they will then bombard your email account with advertisements. There's no jacked up prices or gimmick. (You just have to be strong enough to delete the emails BEFORE seeing that 40% coupon code that you don't need to use right now.) Just for signing up, I got a $10 Target gift card. Then, we've been in the market for baby supplies and Christmas presents. So far, I've received $70 worth of checks for cash back from those purchases and I have more cash back waiting for the next pay out in February. So on top of the Black Friday savings I'm also getting cash back and I didn't have to wait in line or traffic! Sign up through my Ebates link
HERE. You get bonuses just for signing up. (And so do I!)
Disclaimer: I have not been paid by any of these sites to write this post. I am just sharing my information. If you do sign up for Ebates using my link, I will receive a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase. It's not about the bonus though, I really just like sharing this information.
Check out this article and infographic from
LearnVest for more information.
