So, I know I am a little late on the bandwagon, but since we need to save a little money, I decided to try couponing. I was always skeptical of it because it seemed like you would go into the store and the Walmart brand was cheaper than any other even with the coupon. I obviously didn't know what I was doing. After some research, I have learned that you have to pair manufacturer's coupons with great store sales and even stack them with store coupons. That is how you get the real bargains. There are some coupon crazies out there who get 8 Sunday papers and spend hours doing this. I can't devote that much time and money to it, but I have already discovered some pretty amazing deals. It is saving us money and it is kind of fun and exciting to try to get the best deal possible. Here was one of my recent trips after using all of my coupons:
*4 Rice/Corn Chex Cereal: $1.50 each (you can probably find cereal cheaper, but we wanted to have Chex mix for the holidays, so I was pretty excited)
*4 Stove Top Stuffing: $0.25 each
*2 Nivea Men's Body Wash: $1 each
*2 Reach Floss: FREE!
*2 packages Starburst gummies: $0.67 each
Total Spent: about $10
Total Saved: about $15 or a 60% savings
I have also learned the benefits of shopping at drug stores (Walgreens in this case). Here is my latest receipt:
If you can read by the stars it says, "Total: $29.65 and Total Savings: $40.33" That is 57% savings. Yay! Among other things, I got:
*4 cans of FREE baking powder
*Hydrogen Peroxide for $0.33,
*Air Fresheners for $0.67,
*FREE Secret deodorant.
Not bad!
I am still new to this, so I'm sure people have done better, but I am pretty excited about the results so far. Hopefully, I can keep it up. Our budget would appreciate it :)
My main resources right now are:
thekrazycouponlady.com (she pretty much taught me everything I know)
grocerysmarts.com
couponcabin.com
and the Sunday newspaper (Red Plum, Smart Source, and Proctor and Gamble coupon inserts)
Any other suggestions?
3 comments:
I tried the coupon thing while I was on bed rest (and had time to find coupons and plan everything out) but as soon as I went back to work, it was all over. Take a lot of time and energy. Perhaps when I'm on maternity leave I'll get organized again.
Go Sarah! I started doing it this summer and got pretty hooked. We are stocked up on toothpaste, deoderant, shampoo, etc. for at least a year or more! My favorite website is hip2save.com Do you have a Rite Aid near you? That is where I do most of my coupon deals. I, too, was skeptical for quite awhile about actually saving money, but we have really saved a lot in our hygiene/household budget.
Have fun! (I do find it rather fun...yes I'm a geek.)
My ward is having an RS activity later this month that includes a class on bargain grocery shopping. I'll pass the info on if I learn anything useful.
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