The One with All the $aving$

Disclaimer: I did NOT come up with this stuff on my own. I just read tips from a lot of really, really smart women! If I do a HORRIBLE job explaining this, don’t panic! Just read the blogs I've linked and they will help you alot. I sincerely hope this post will help your family have a fun, blessed, and AFFORDABLE holiday season!

I have a confession: I'm kinda cheap (fiscally responsible?). Now, I LOVE shopping, and am loyal to a few clothing brands... but I LOVE getting a good deal, and see value in being careful with our money. I feel that by saving on the "small stuff" (groceries and toiletries for example), we can have more money for the FUN stuff (family vacations, a great pair of shoes, going out to eat, etc- not to mention you will have more money in your emergency fund for a rainy day!).
I came across this Proverb a few weeks ago, and even if you are not a Christian I feel its words still have great value:
Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. Proverbs 13:11
This highlights two key things:
1. Be honest! Money you earn dishonestly or through wrongdoing will only bring you trouble.
2. I like the idea that by saving a little (and often a lot) every week, my money will "grow." :) I might print this out and put it in my wallet as a friendly reminder to myself of why I shop the way I do. :)

My secret shame: I am in my 20s, and I use coupons. There, I said it. I'm that crazy coupon lady. Not only do I USE coupons, but I have 30+ categories of coupons, based on the layout of the grocery store. (Shut up). Every week my husband and I make a menu, search the Sunday ads and online money-saving blogs (I'll post the links) for good deals, then make notes about which items are on sale/have a coupon/can be price matched with a competitor ad. Ideally I would make our weekly menu based entirely on what's on sale that week/what I already have stock-piled in my pantry, but let's get serious- I'm not THAT good. :)
I bring all the competitor grocery ads, my recipes, and coupons with me to the store, along with my somewhat obsessive-compulsive list. (Yes, the grocery list is organized by aisle/food category. Again, shut up.) For awhile my husband and I were planning our meals 2 weeks at a time, and only going grocery shopping every OTHER week. If you've ever read a book or article by "America's Cheapest Family", the Economides, they suggest going only once a MONTH to the store. The idea is that the fewer times you go, the better you'll be about planning and won't make all those extra, impulse purchases. While I see their reasoning, I'm just not THAT good at planning. haha! And what would happen is we would buy produce and some perishable items that wouldn't necessarily stay fresh as long as we wanted. So back to once a week shopping for us.

Because I’m kind of obsessively organized, I keep my coupons in these three little expandable binders (coupon sized, not like school binders) that are separated into categories…I take them with me every time I go to the store so if I see a good deal I can quickly check to see if I have a coupon for it. Don't quit on me just yet- this method is NOT necessary. I'll explain below how you can keep the entire coupon insert and only cut out the specific coupons you want once you check the blogosphere for good deals. If you want to separate your coupons into categories, just let me know and I can send you how I did it to give you a starting point.

In couponing, I have found the keys to success to be:
1. Get a Sunday paper so you can get the coupon inserts (having a subscription is probably easiest/cheapest, but you can buy them week by week too.) The savings from coupons MORE than pays for the subscription for the paper (plus I get to read the comics! Woot!). Tip: A lot of the blogs I read will give you a heads up if there are going to be extra coupon inserts in the upcoming paper. For example, if I know that there are going to be a lot of good coupon inserts one Sunday, I'll go buy additional papers so that I can double or triple my coupon stash and stock up on items this month.
2. Read the blogs I’m about to give you (you don’t have to read ALL of them, just giving you lots of options so you can find the ones that fit you best!)

That’s it! I’m not a genius, I just do what these blogs tell me to and save lots of money along the way. : )

2 other ways to stockpile coupons:
1. Check out: http://www.thecouponclippers.com/. I know it sounds silly to “buy” coupons…but it’s super cheap, and if you buy expensive items such as diapers or a certain beauty product you love, it may be worth the small investment! Again, I haven’t used this, but I’m not opposed! I see definite value/potential.
2. Check out All You magazine (I think I’ve only seen them at Walmart, but I could be wrong on that). They’re super cheap, and have TONS of coupons inside- the magazine definitely pays for itself, coupon wise, and it has lots of helpful articles for "real", everyday people. If you go to one of the first few pages in the magazine, it will even LIST all the coupons inside if you need help deciding whether or not to buy it. I just got a 2 year subscription for $16 (there was some random deal going on in July that I read about on a blog :)).

One other thing to keep in mind: Using this method will get you tons of items for free or nearly free. It’s a GREAT opportunity to donate to local shelters/food pantries! It’s AMAZING knowing that you’re saving tons of money for you and/or your family, AND have the means to share with those in need as well! So keep that in mind as you check out each week’s deals. An item that you may not necessarily need may be a something a family in need would very much appreciate!!!


Background on the blogs I read: It seems like the majority are moms, often stay at home moms, and it’s a great money-saving network! They all share deals they find! They point out great coupons and help match them up with sales and voila!- you get CHEAP stuff. It’s that easy. And what’s great is that you’re getting “name brand” items for way cheaper than store brand!

Several of the blogs post weekly shopping lists to various stores that break it down for you step by step. They tell you the price of the item, exactly where to find the coupon to use for it (they provide a link if it’s online, or will tell you exactly which Sunday paper/which coupon insert the coupon is in), and will tell you the final “out of pocket” price you will pay after the coupon/sale price. A lot of these websites also keep you posted on specials such as Redbox free movie rental codes, promo codes, free samples you can sign up for, etc. etc. etc. Love it!

Don’t get discouraged if you HATE clipping coupons, either. The glorious thing is you DON’T HAVE TO CLIP THEM EACH WEEK! These blogs will tell you exactly which coupon insert, from which Sunday paper, in order to find a specific coupon- so you can ONLY cut the ones you want! For example, the blog may say “use $1.00/1 mfr coupon from 8.2 RP Insert”. This means go get the Red Plum (RP) coupon insert from the Sunday, 8/2/09 paper, and cut out the $1.00 off 1 manufacturer (mfr) coupon for ___(whatever the coupon is for). Easy as that. (These blogs use a LOT of abbreviations- don’t panic! Most have a “key” on the side of their blog. If you can’t find what the abbreviation stands for, just let me know or contact the blog writer.)

Cliff Notes version: Save coupon inserts from the Sunday paper and label with the date. Read the shopping lists on these blogs and pick out the items/deals you want. Follow the directions as far as where to get the coupon. Then go save yourself some money. :)

Some random tips:
1. Homeland (an Oklahoma store) is fabulous because they DOUBLE coupons up to $1. So for example, if I buy a $2 item but have a $1 coupon for it….that’s right= it’s FREE because my $1 off coupon was doubled to $2 off. I get a lot of basics this way. I don’t go to Homeland for all my groceries because their items are pretty pricey- but with coupons (especially when doubled or used on sale items) the savings are unbelievable. I’ll walk out with $40 worth of groceries for less than $10, easy, if I plan ahead.
2. Target is great because they let you stack a Target coupon WITH a manufacturer coupon. (Usually, you can only use one coupon per item). If, for example, you have a $1.00 off manufacturer coupon for Kashi cereal that you printed from online, you can pair it with a $1.00 off Kashi cereal Target coupon (these blogs have links where you can get them quickly and easily), and you now get $2.00 off one box of cereal. If the cereal is on SALE on top of all that, the savings are even better.
3. It helps to carry the store’s coupon policy with you- I’ve never been questioned, but it just helps to feel confident that you’re right and can prove it if they challenge you. I also try to choose cashiers that look nice, and try to shop at not-so-busy times. Also- be courteous to those in line. Have your coupons 100% ready to go, and if the person behind you only has a few items, it's nice to let them go first. :) Play nice, everybody.

The Drugstore Game: You can save a TON of money at CVS and Walgreens, folks. Their normal prices can be high, but they have some AMAZING promotions and deals that can save you THOUSANDS over the year (I'm NOT kidding! We pay very little for toiletries, and usually have lots to donate!). You need to read about CVS Extra Bucks…they’re amazing. The blogs talk about it, and you can check www.iheartcvs.com as well. Basically, if you buy certain items each week at CVS, you earn “Extra Bucks”, which are essentially store credit to CVS (check the CVS Sunday ad for details on which items will earn you Extra Bucks). For example, maybe I’ll buy a bottle of lotion for $2.00 and earn $1.00 Extra Buck back to use on a future CVS purchase. Almost every week, they have items that you can actually get for FREE after Extra Bucks. For example, the item of the week may be a body wash for $4.99, and you earn $4.99 in Extra Bucks to use on a future purchase. Voila! FREE. (As long as you're careful not to let your Extra Bucks expire, that is!) Again, it takes about a month to get a decent stash of Extra Bucks and get the hang of it, but it’s a pretty sweet deal…. And of course if you use a coupon, you not only get an item for super cheap, but you earn Extra Bucks, too!

Walgreens does something similar called “Register Rewards.” Also a great deal: check out iheartwags.com for more details. Walgreen's program is a LITTLE trickier than CVS- you will definitely want to print their policy, or you will walk out feeling discouraged and with a headache!

One more thing to be aware of: Be patient, and know that “MMV” (Markets May Vary/prices and coupons may be different based on where you live). These blogs are from all over the country, and prices definitely vary by region. For the most part I don’t notice a big difference, but every now and then I won’t find quite the deal I want because the price was different where the blogger lives. Just know that going in! And sometimes you’ll go to a link for an online coupon, and it will have reached it’s print limit (coupons.com only allows coupons to be downloaded a certain amount of times before they’re unavailable)… It’s not a fool-proof system, but you still save a ton of money!

Don't be shy: Most stores make coupon use REALLY easy- you don't have to sit there and watch for the specific item to go over the scanner, they just ring them alllllll up at the end.
Note: It may take about a month for you to see serious savings using these methods- you need to get a decent coupon stash saved up. I’ve been clipping/saving coupons for a while now, so it’s possible for me to match current sales up with coupons from a month or so ago and get an extra good deal. DON'T be discouraged if you’re not saving oodles and oodles the very first trip! You CAN still save a lot using online coupons (I think I used almost $19 worth of online coupons at Target recently), it just helps to be able to use newspaper coupons as well for extra savings.

Also: Some of the links to coupons require you to register on a website…I’m a little hesitant to do this. I don’t register for EVERYTHING I can find just to get a coupon- I don’t like my personal information floating around everywhere! Just be careful, and use your noggin. If the site is reputable, you’re probably fine…you just may not want to sign up for 10 different new sites everyday and risk one of them being sketchy. (I’m paranoid).

For those who love to go out to eat....
Use restaurant.com! Google/search for coupon or promo codes for restaurant.com and you can find promo codes that will give you a $25 gift card to lots of local restaurants for as little as $2 (with the code...otherwise it's $10 for a $25 off gift certificate). My husband and I will have a big meal (appetizer, main dish, possibly dessert/extra sides) at nice restaurants for a total of about $15 (with tip) for the two of us using these coupons. ***Be sure to keep restaurant singular! It's restaurant.com, NOT restaurants.com. Also- be sure to read the "stipulations"- you need to tip based on the FULL value of the dinner, and for some places you may have to spend a minimum such as $30, or order an entree (i.e. not just a salad or appetizer as your meal), etc. Overall we've been happy with it, though! And if several people are going to dinner (like a family or group of friends), reaching a $30ish minimum isn't difficult.

For movies: USE REDBOX (if your local library doesn't have a good selection)! We don't watch movies enough to justify a Netflix subscription, but if you LOVE movies, Netflix is great!. Redbox has lots of promo codes that make your movie rental free! I think you can only use each code once per credit card...so if you have multiple credit cards, you can use each code several times. :) I can't remember the website I used awhile back to check for codes, one of these may be it:
http://www.insideredbox.com/redbox-codes/
www.redboxcodes.com

I haven't used this one too much, but check out retailmenot.com. I hear it has LOTS of deals on big-name stores (this is great for CLOTHING! WOO HOO SHOPPING!) :) OH! And DEFINITELY check out 6pm.com (especially you ladies- there are some GREAT shoe sales!)

Be sure to check out the links for other blogs that are listed on each blog! I check a lot of them daily for good deals on my lunch break. (Note: I couldn't figure out how to get these as a LINK...you may have to copy/paste. I'm sorry! I'll check back later. :)):

http://www.chachingonashoestring.com/ (Her "How We Save Money" tab is a GREAT resource! She's also doing a series on how she is only going to spend $50 this holiday season, and still have a fabulous Christmas!)
http://couponingtodisney.blogspot.com/ (This woman is using ALL her savings for a family vacation to Disney World. :) Check out her Walmart tab- she has over $100 things you can get for free or $1 or less using coupons. :) Love it!)
http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/
http://attentiontargetshoppers.blogspot.com/
http://www.brandysbigbargains.com/
http://hip2save.blogspot.com/
http://simplesavingsavvy.blogspot.com/
http://www.centsible-sawyer.com/
http://christis2cents.blogspot.com/
http://www.couponsavinggame.com/
http://thefreebieblogger.com/
http://mylitter.com/
http://nwadeals.net/
http://30dollarweeklygrocerychallenge.blogspot.com/ (This woman challenges herself to spend only $30 a week on groceries, toiletries, etc...amazing!)
http://iheartwags.com/
iheartcvs.com
http://coupons.smartsource.com/
coupons.com
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/
http://www.getcouponcodes.com/
http://www.couponing101.com/
http://www.couponing101.com/
http://kingdomfirstmom.com/
http://www.organicgrocerydeals.com/forums/view.php?pg=coupon_generator (I get alot of my Target coupons here.)

Book resources:
I LOVE Ellie Kay! Check out her book "Shop, Save, and Share."
I also enjoyed "Amercia's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money" by Steve and Annette Economides. Some of the tips may be extreme, so pick-and-choose what's realistic for you!

Happy savings! :)