(Not so) Extreme Couponing (Yet)

So, with both of us finishing up at our 2nd jobs we're really trying to hunker down with our finances so we can make a big dent in our debt this year, and for several years after that. When your income doesn't change the only thing you can do different is to change your expenses. We've seen the TLC show a couple of times and thought it was way too extreme and intense, but we like the idea. Even if we can't save 90% when we go to the store it's still nice to save 15%. Every Sunday newspaper has free money in it, via coupons for things we buy all the time anyway. We've only been doing it for like a month, but I've learned so much already. Every trip we make to the grocery store we learn something new. Grocery shopping has always been enjoyable to me, but now I've turned it into a sport that I try to win.

Where

• So, coupons don't come out of nowhere. The first and most obvious place is your Sunday newspaper. The great thing is that most newspapers will let you just order the Sunday newspaper for about a dollar a week. Then, you can have all of the mainstream coupons. If you'd rather not pay for the coupons or just want more check out the website, www.grocerysmarts.com. This has become my go-to website for all things coupon and savvy shopping related. They list the major stores in every state so you can choose the places you shop to see the ads with the recent coupons that will add value to your shopping experience. It will provide you with links to various coupon websites so you can find them and print the ones you'd like. For really great deals or coupons for things you use the most print as many as it will let you. Grab coupons wherever you can so that you can use them when you find a really great deal!
  

Success

• Our first major success happened just the other night. We spent only 31-cents on two Speed Stick deodorants and a Nivea body wash. Here is how we did it: The Speedsticks were each $1.99 on sale. We had a Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) coupon. The coupon then credited the full, non-sale price for the free one. So, that made the one we paid for only $0.49. Then the Nivea was a clearance bottle that was only $3.19. We had a $1.50 coupon for that. Finally, the prior week we had scanned our CVS Extracare card to receive in store coupons and we got one that was $2 off if you buy two deodorants. So, we tried that one last and it worked. That leaves a balance of $0.18 plus tax. That's how we did it basically. Impressed? I sure hope so. You can do it too!
  

Organization

• Okay, so now that you're totally pumped up about couponing and the real money savings, there is a bit of work involved. You can't assume that the coupons in the Sunday paper are going to be the most valuable to you for that week. So, you need to organize them for later use. There might be a great coupon for beans, but if they're at full price it might be best to wait until the beans are on sale and you can add the coupon in for savings. We do this by clipping all of the coupons we want and then putting them into clear slots, basically sheets for baseball cards this way we can flip through and see them. I also maintain a spreadsheet of all of our coupons so that we always know what we have coupons for. It's pretty great, but you may not have time or energy for that. A simpler way is to just file your little coupon books based on the day of the newspaper and then when you go to the website you can always just pull out the coupons from that day and clip what you need to go with your printed coupons.
  

Biggest Mistakes

• When we've gone shopping without a list all hell breaks lose. We look around and buy what we want or what sounds good, even if we're not hungry. Then we forget to buy the stuff that we might actually need. It's important to have a menu plan or you'll just end up making it up or spending more money as you go along the way the following week. That keeps happening to us. Fortunately I just downloaded the grocery smarts app on my iPhone, so if it's not on that list we're not getting it anymore.
  
• Sometimes we buy things that are yummy or fun just because we have a coupon. That's not what makes it a good deal. We either really have to need it or it has to be on sale too for us to buy it from now on.
  
• I'm sure we've made plenty of other couponing mistakes, but we're still learning as we go. It's all part of the process.
  

Tips

• Always shop with a list. This way you know what coupons you need and don't go over your budget because you get coupon-adrenaline.
• Don't be ashamed of using coupons, people use them all of the time. Sometimes it's just one, sometimes people have 15. You have to do what is best for you and don't be ashamed. You have just as much right to shop and pay like everyone else does.
  
• Ease in gently and learn as you go. Don' t beat yourself up over not being perfect. I'm certainly not there yet. But make goals and work towards them. You can do this if you want to.
  
• Learn your stores' coupon policies. Wherever you can get coupons doubled or find extra savings is a good thing. So check around and look for it on the internet. It's all there somewhere.
• Read your coupons. Just because it shows a picture of one thing doesn't mean that is all you can get. Sometimes it will let you use the coupon for other items of the same brand that you're more likely to use. Also, make sure you know the quantities you have to buy to get the discount. 50 cents off a cake mix might be a good deal, but 50 cents off three cake mixes might not be a very good savings on it's own. So watch out for those when you grab your coupons for the day.

Now that you know my secret, are you going to join me in my coupon crusade?