couponing
June 9, 2009
For those of you who doubted (ahem… Carolina), I went on my first couponing extravaganza yesterday and did pretty well. I don’t have a huge arsenal of coupons so my trip wasn’t super long. But I came home with (among other things) a free package of shredded cheese, a free box of cereal, and 2 boxes of cereal for 50 cents each! There were a few other items that I should have gotten for free/next to nothing, but I didn’t get to the grocery store until 4 pm and they had been wiped clean. Note to self: go shopping earlier on Mondays.
What was funny, though, was that every single woman that I saw at the store had a stack and/or binder full of coupons in her hand, and they were all looking for the exact same items. If you looked in the grocery carts, they were all filled with the same brands of toilet paper, cereals, toothpaste, dish soap, etc. I’ve gotten pretty hooked on couponing blogs (they do all the hard work to figure out which coupons to use and when to use them so you can get the most for your money), but it seems kind of crazy how far some people will go. I refuse to buy things I know we won’t use or things I know are not great in quality. But it is great to save money on the items that I would normally buy anyway.
about 2 years ago
I haven't gotten into the coupon thing, but more and more people are. What coupon blogs do you recommend?
about 2 years ago
*Ahem, Carolina* hahaha….I never doubted Nat! If anyone can do anything…it's you!!
Glad you got some great deals! I can't wait for the day that you tell me to come over just so I can see the thousands of dollars of groceries strewn about your kitchen as you ask me "how much do you think this cost mr? And I answer, "uh…$1,000 dolares" and you say.."NOPE, $3.22"!
SCORE!!
about 2 years ago
Seans mom and I do this. We bought a baseball binder and label it into categories. Then you just file then into the category it goes in. We have a lot of fun with it!!!
about 2 years ago
There are tons and tons of couponing blogs out there. I'm still sifting through a lot of them to figure out which ones I like best and have the right prices for things in the area where we live. My favorites blogs so far are:
- grocerysmarts.com (they give you a list of all of the current prices of items and how to match them up with coupons and the nice thing is that there is a different list for each major grocery store… unfortunately they only have lists for Utah, California, Idaho, and Washington)
- utahdealdiva.com
- thesavvyshoppers.blogspot.com
I actually decided to go with putting all of my coupons into a photo album (one of the several we got for our wedding that I didn't know what to do with). I really like it bc it is small enough that I don't feel like a HUGE dork carrying it around (I only feel a little dorky), and since I'm new to this whole couponing thing, I don't really need something huge yet.
about 2 years ago
Good for you! My friend uses a photo album and that works well for her.
When they are out of things….get a rain check. That way you'll get the sale price when their next shipment comes in. You just won't be able to use doublers, coupons, or promos that have expired before they arrive. So make sure to check the expiration date.
I did that a few months ago when post cereal was on sale. Grape nuts, normally $5/box, for $0.32 (after coupons and a catalina deal)….needless to say, the shelves were cleared. But I just rain checked it…..got as many as my heart desired. Try it next time….you won't be frusterated that the shelves are empty ;)