As promised, here's a little how-to when you are a wannabe extreme couponer. Disclaimer: I work part-time. There is NO WAY I would be able to do this if I worked full time. Most of those crazies on the TV show don't work. Couponing is their full time job. Not joking. It takes me an entire day to get everything in order. I saw some lady on Extreme Couponers that couponed 7 hours a day, 7 days a week. I am just trying to do this on a small scale. When I go back to work, I'll probably give it up. However for now, I am still in pursuit of my dream to have a store pay me to shop!
So here we are. Sunday morning. Paper day. My goal is to get at least two inserts per week. I usually have mine and my parents give me theirs. How do the extreme couponers do it? Well, a variety of ways. They buy their coupons on ebay, steal them from their neighbors, hang out at coffee shops and wait for people to leave their paper on the table, buy extra papers (which I feel defeats the whole purpose of saving money) and oh yes, dumpster dive! Sick. I'm good with just my two little inserts rather than 50-100!
What you want to do next is line up your inserts so you don't have to cut so much. I usually tear them down the middle, match them up and cut a few at a time.
I don't cut
everything. Just stuff I will actually use. This may mean not using your
absolute favorite soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, detergent, etc. I use what
I can find on sale. Now, we aren't eating Spam and processed crap, but I will
buy Olay soap rather than Dove if it is what is on sale. Trust me, it's not
that big of a difference. I also once read in Cosmopolitan that you should
change up your shampoo and conditioner and we all know Cosmo knows all so
they're probably right. Change it up. Take a walk on the wild side!
What's that? Where else do you get coupons? Glad you asked. The internet! One of my faves is going to Target.com and doubling up my coupons! Since there aren't any places around here that actually double coupons (another way those extreme couponers save so much darn money), you have to find stores that will allow you to use their coupon plus a manufacturers coupon. Target is my favorite! They also print out coupons when you check out, so that is an extra bonus! It's like the TiVo of couponing. The machine knows what you like and suggests other products! Anyway, back to the computer and printing them yourself. They will only let you print them once though so make sure your printer is ready.
Coupons.com is another favorite of mine. They also have an app for your phone that will allow you to load coupons to your preffered shopper cards so you don't have to worry about printing anything.
Now get your coupons organized! I use the Krazy Coupon Lady for all my couponing needs:). Click here to start your binder and get yourself organized. I also use the Kray Kray Lady to help me find deals. You can sign up to receive emails about deals each day. I also use the Money Saving Mom, but there are lots and lots of sites out there that will do the deal work for you.
This is my little beauty...
I use basball card holders to keep my coupons organized between the dividers.
Now onto looking at your adds. Basically I shop in what I call the trifecta (basically the stores close to my house). I go for Target, CVS (a little hidden gem) and either Family Dollar or Dollar General (not the safest after dark I gotta tell ya, but whatever you can do to save a buck). I usually throw in a Price Chopper or Wal-mart run sometime during the week as well, but I like to do all my shopping on one day so I stay close to home. Here's why CVS is bomb. In all the stores I visit, I only buy what is on sale AND that I have a coupon for. Extra bonus if I am at Target buying something on sale, with a Target coupon plus a manufacturer's coupon. I give myself extra snaps for those purchases. It feels like stealing:). Now, for CVS, I buy stuff that is on sale OR that I will get a coupon for next time I shop. See that heading for "$5 extrabucks rewards"? If you buy a certain amount of that product, you will receive money to use at your next visit. Again, I only buy those items if I have a coupon but I like CVS because the stuff they have on special or sale is usually pretty common items I already have a coupon for.
Now here's where stores will try to fool you. Take a look at this add. Some of these items say "sale" other's don't, but they trick you into thinking they are on sale. That Nivea chapstick looks like it is on sale, but truely it isn't. They are just showing you what you would spend if you used the coupon in that day's paper. The same goes for Target. Be really careful and read the signs next to the product. Sometimes Target will put up one of those red signs making you think it is on sale, but move that little red sign to the side, and the price on the red sign matches the actual price on the shelf underneath. They also try to fool you and say something is on "sale", but read the sign carefully. There are many times you are only saving ten to thirty cents. Don't be fooled.
I saw a documentary where it said that Americans are drawn to "sales". Places like Kohls will say something is on sale, when really, that is their regular price. Don't be fooled peeps.
My final step is clipping my coupons to each of the ads. I take both my ad and coupon binder in with me just so I can double check and make sure items are priced right. It happens every time. I either think something is on sale, then read the fine print on the ad or something doesn't ring up on sale and I need to pull my ad out. I bring my binder in because there is usually something on sale that was not in the ad and I can pick up some extra stuff from either a clearance isle (BONUS!) or just something else I can use later.
Now you're ready! It takes time and practice to get it right and I am by no means a guru, I have just had a lot of trial and error. The longer you coupon the more you will start to see trends. "Healthy" food options like fiber rich cereal and low fat frozen meals will go on sale right after the new year so stock up. Baking supplies, cold and flu meds and candy are on sale October-December. Cold drinks and cleaning supplies are in the warmer months. The list goes on and on. You will also see that somethings are on sale week after week so you don't need to rush out and get them. Toilet paper, dish soap and Kleenex are always on sale somewhere. Just wait for the best deal.
Another disclaimer is that I don't coupon on most of our food. I buy items like cereal, frozen vegetables and meals, applesauce, peanut butter, bread, pasta and pasta sauce, things like that with coupons. However, my family eats A LOT of fresh food. I try to buy mostly organic and I don't eat meat so there is a lot of veggies happening in the Hash house. There just aren't coupons for that. I found that my grocery bill was getting larger and larger so that is where all of this craziness began. I couldn't justify spending $200 per week on groceries, even when fresh food is what is so expensive, I am not going to sacrifice my family's health to save money. I buy the best I can and we eat fresh food as much as possible. 90% of the meals I make are fresh. Couponing has helped lighten the load on personal items so that I can feel better about my budget when not buying my family processed food.
Good luck to you and again, stay tuned to see what a shopping trip is like and where I store all my loot.
