I'm Only a Little Crazy

I have half-heartedly clipped coupons throughout my career as a homemaker. I always understood that they were just like money--but I figured that my time was too valuable to spend many hours clipping, filing and driving from store to store. But it seems that my time (and everyone else's) is worth a lot less in our current economy. (What DOES a stay-at-home grandmother command per hour these days?)

If you have checked out Emily's blog, you know that she has gotten into money-saving in a big way. While we were in Arizona, enjoying a soak in the hot tub with about fourteen of our best friends, she talked up the merits of re-thinking the whole coupon thing. She sent me links to an informative series of "how-to" videos and links to some of her favorite online coupon, freebie and sale alert sources.

I gotta tell ya...some of these gals are CRAZY!!!!! They have turned frugal shopping into an art form...a lifestyle...even a career. I was instantly intimidated. I thought that there was no way I could figure all this out and keep up with it. So I almost quit before I even started.

But I hung in there and carved out my own path through the coupon jungle. I will never be one of those gals who buys $470 dollars worth of groceries for $1.27. BUT after my first experiment I can proudly report that I bought $221.74 worth of groceries for $142.66! In other words, I saved $79.08 by being smart about how I used coupons. ALL of it is stuff that we use and a lot of it was stuff for food and household storage.

So if, like me, you want to get into couponing--not in a scary BIG way--but in a very doable MEDIUM way, here is my quick-start advice:

1. Buy the Sunday paper every week and clip out the coupons for everything you normally use or would like to try at a reduced price. The vast majority of these are manufacturer's coupons--not designated for a specific store.

2. Find a way to organize your coupons that works for you. Keep track of expiration dates and keep the ones that expire quickest where you can see them easily.

3. Stop throwing away the weekly store fliers that come in the mail (mine come on Tuesday). Most of these have coupons that are good for a short period, usually a week, at that specific store. Again, cut out only the coupons for the things that you normally buy. Don't forget storage possibilities. I believe I now have a year's supply of liquid dish soap and lunch meat. Many of these store coupons allow you to buy more than one item--purchase the maximum allowed if you feel good about the price.

4. Don't throw away the sale fliers yet! This is where it gets REALLY fun! Actually look through the sales (What a concept!) and match that week's sales with items that you have manufacturer's coupons for. For example--this week there was a coupon for $1.00 off of two four packs of a new product, Velveeta shells and cheese in a microwave cup. I cut it out because this is something that will store well and work great for a quick grandkid meal. Then, I noticed that in the Target flier today, that very product is on sale for $2.79 a four pack. So, with my coupon, I will be able to buy two four packs for $4.38. BUT WAIT--there's more!!!! In last week's Target flier there was a sale of pet products. If I purchased two (which I did) I automatically received a $5 Target gift card! So...my eight cups of microwaveable Velveeta stuff will actually cost me .38!

5. If the store is out of the coupon item, ask for either a rain check or ask if they are substituting something else. At my Walgreen's this past Saturday I had a coupon for up to 4 cans of Chicken of the Sea tuna for .59 each. They were sold out, so the store manager substituted the albacore for me which normally costs $1.79 a can!

In addition to couponing, there is a whole world of freebies. Again, I'm not into anything that is going to take much effort, but I have had a lot of fun (and spent VERY little time) in the last two weeks acquiring the following items ABSOLUTELY FREE: 3 movie tickets, $10 worth of food delivered to my home (FREE) from Schwann's, and all the free tacos from Jack in the Box that I could enjoy. (Not nearly as many as Bill can enjoy.)

Jack in the Box is repeating the taco giveaway this Tuesday, August 11. The coupon is for two free tacos and there is no limit to how many you can print. If you REALLY love their tacos (like someone we all know) you can plan your whole day around this event--tacos for breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, etc. Here is the link:

http://coupon.jackinthebox.com/coupon/two-free-tacos_20090811.php

And here is the link to Emily's blog where you can get more info and link to the sites that give you the heads up on freebies, coupons, sales, etc.:

http://web.me.com/ericcwhite/emerican_made/Home/Entries/2009/7/3_Coupon_Lady.html

Don't let the flood of information out there scare you. Jump into the pool at the level that you're comfortable with and have fun saving money!