Shopping the Ads

Today is Wednesday.... that means the NEW Grocery Ads are out! Almost ALL the grocery stores run their weekly sales from Wed. to Tuesday (with the exception of Kroger, who does theirs from Sunday to Sunday - remember I live in the Southeast so your area MAY be slightly different)
This is the day that I look forward to almost as much as Sunday when the new coupons come out :-) I am going to try and break down the process of how I make my list to get the best deals on Food. (Getting the best deals on household and beauty items takes place on Sundays. That's a "whole nudda story")
First - Let's gather our materials
1) you got to actually GET your ads out of the mail box (or newspaper if you are on regular delivery)
        * I have streamlined my preferred places to Bi-Lo, Publix and Kroger. I do not bother even looking at the "other" ads that come, because after lots of research I do not feel they offer the best deals for me. This is something you will have to determine for you and your family. I should also note that Food Lion does have lots of BOGO's BUT they do not offer double coupons OR preferred customer perks AND their prices ARE slightly higher then my Preferred Stores 
2) Get 2 different color markers or pens
3) have your coupon folder/file/box/pile etc. handy
4) Comfy place to sit and save
There very first thing I do is take my pen and circle the items that jump out at me as I do a quick scan of the sales.  The items that get a circle are the ones that are BOGO or stand out as a good price. * at this point I know by heart what is a Ok, Good or Great prices for the things I buy most often. When I first got started I would take a little note pad and write down the prices of Milk, OJ, TP, detergent etc. and at what stores. *
Then I take time and go back through the ads with the 2nd color pen. At this point I really consider what I NEED and IF I have a coupon for the item. If I have a Coupon then I put a big C on the item. If it is a great deal or I really NEED the item then I will put a star on the item. The 3rd consideration is IF it is BOGO and I don't have a coupon OR NEED the item, is it still a good deal @ 1/2 price? DO we USE the item, Can it be stock piled? ust because something is BOGO does not mean you should run out and buy it. You will get the BEST deals when it is BOGO AND you have a Coupon, If the store double the coupon it can be even a better deal!
Next I get out the coupons and gather them into a "store specific" pile. When I go to the store I take my circled ad with me with the coupons already separated. You could make a list, but I am a visual person and like to see the picture of what I am buying.


* this brings me to another side note. I use binder clips to keep my coupons secure while I am in the store (will have to post some pics to really show you what I am talking about)
NOW at this point I may or may NOT run to the stores to gather my deals. If it is a super deal and I know that the store will sell out then I am more likely to run right out and get the item. Otherwise it will depend on our family schedule as to when I get to the store, however I do make an effort to get there before the weekend. I never go to the grocery store on the weekends.. (85% of Americans do their grocery shopping on the weekends)
PLEASE NOTE that when it comes to getting the best deals on your household items I very OFTEN run right out on Sunday Mornings to get the deals , because they are such a good deal that others will be there in the AM to get them too and the store often runs out of the advertised items. In fact I have seen other "coupon clippers" with their binders and list searching for the same items that I am often enough that I've even become friendly with a few.
So GO GET your ads and coupons and start your savings!

guess what.....

It's takes effort to save.

I like to share my freebies and deals with my friends. I'm cool like that :-)  I am currently working on my second $40 check from inboxdollars.com. Of course I have sent this site to my BFF to encourage her to save and earn some extra change for our famous shopping trips that last all day and cost way more then either of us tell our selves we will spend when we set out for the day.
 While chatting with her last night she told me that it was too much work to save money with inboxdollars... imagine my shock and dismay upon hearing this from one of the closes people in my life... Actually I completely understood what she was saying and KNEW that she would say this when I sent her the site. To tell the truth I was surprised that she even signed up at all. THIS brings me to the point of this blog....
Saving MONEY takes TIME and lots, lots, LOTS of EFFORT! but in the same sense so does getting up at the butt crack of dawn and going to work for someone else. I am not gong to tell you that "all ya gotta do is clip some coupons" and you'll see a huge difference in your grocery bill.... wait, that IS all ya gotta do for your grocery bill......ok, What I am trying to say is that you will find your self asking "is this really worth the effort" while you are scouring for discounts online and cutting your Sunday inserts. REST ASSURED my dear penny pincher's it WILL PAY OFF! There's an art to getting the best deals. The kinda deals like I just got where I went to CVS and got  $53.30 worth of items for $6.29 out of pocket AND had $10CVS dollars to spend in the future. But it all comes down to two simple questions. 1) Do you WANT to save $ and 2) are you willing to do what it takes to save the $?

Now I will admit up front that unlike my BFF who has a full time job, takes care of her invalid mother, two granddaughter's AND runs a household (to hold said people) I DO have more time to save money. I am lucky enough to be able to stay out of the traditional work force. I am what I like to refer to as a "Household Manager"...yeah, yeah I am a stay-at-home Mom with a dear husband that works hard so that I can be. HOWEVER; that does not mean we are wealthy. In fact it takes all the coupon clipping and frugality I can muster up just to justify me staying home. For us, me being here for our daughter was more beneficial then me being back in the lab working for "da man". Regardless of your financial standing it is always worth the effort to save money. When I see a $0.50 coupon I see 2 quarters. If you saw 2 quarters laying on the ground would you just walk by and ignore them? most people would scoop them up and put them in their pocket...that's what clipping coupons is all about...scooping up the change that the manufactures are willing to give you to buy a product that you would buy anyway.

2011 New Year MO Money in my pocket!

It's been awhile since I last posted...Hell, let's be honest it's been YEARS! I have still been cutting the coupons, sending in the rebates and saving the big dollars. We could say that I've gotten even BETTER then before, heck we WILL say it! In an effort to spread the love for staying home and saving money for my BFF's and the likes I am going to make a REAL effort to keep this blog updated. I have people ask me every day how to save the $ I do... well, maybe I can tell them to... "Go, to my blog and you'll see all the how to's"...maybe.

First, let's get this out of the way. I was NOT an English major in college. I may LOVE to read but I DO NOT love to put the appropriate effort into actually making sure this blog reads like a well written novel (Sorry Jennifer!). I will blog like I talk, with a little hood thrown in for good measure. For those of you who do not know me personally you'll just think I'm an idiot (which I am) and for those of you who DO know me (you lucky devils) you'll totally get the jab at humor I'm constantly striving for...
Peace!
Vicki

New Town

We have moved to a new state, smaller "city", although it seems more like a Town compared to Charlotte, NC. Guess what! There are no Harris Teeters here.............um, anybody? What in the world do they do here with out a Harris Teeter????
So I am on the search for a new grocery store, they must double coupons, be VERY clean and be cheap enough that I can justify not shopping at Hell-Mart.
Have I told you how much I hate that place? oh' well I'll save that for another time.

Normally I would suggest to anyone in my predicament to join the grocery game (www.thegrocerygame.com) however, since I have been doing this for years I suspect it will not take me long to get back into the swing of things soooo..........

Stay tuned as I gear up to save $ in a new place :-)

Organizing your coupons

Organizing your coupons

Ok, you’ve gotten some coupons sitting in a pile; Now what? You gotta get them organized. Not to sound cliché’ but organization is the key to success…..ok, maybe not total success in this case but it sure makes a big difference when it comes time to shop. You can go to any store and pick up a pre-designed coupon folder type organizer, however; in keeping with saving as much money as possible I took an old 2” binder I had left over from my days of 9-5 and turned it into my coupon organizer book.
I went to the store and bought two packs of 3 x 5 photo refill sheets and a pack of 8x10’s. I then used a list I had previously acquired and labeled each pocket with a item category. (I am hoping to post a photo of this soon). Each Sunday after church I sit down with the Sunday newspaper and enjoy a little me time. It is during this time that I separate out the coupons, cut them ALL, then separate them into two piles. Pile one is to keep ( these are the ones I feel that I will use before they expire). Pile two is to trade, I put those coupons that I know I won’t or can’t use into a lidded box that I take with me to let others go through. It is at this time that I put aside special coupons for my friends with small babies and dogs (I am totally a cat person!!!). When I go to my “events” I bring along my box and sit it somewhere everyone can see, giving them access to my extra coupons. This is my form of trading, but you can also get on a coupon train.
Once I have my coupons separated, I go trough my binder and put the coupons in their categorized pocket. This whole process (from cutting to filing) takes me about 30 mins. HOWEVER; It DID and WILL take longer until you get your system down. This is where MOST people FAIL at coupon clipping. They feel over whelmed by cutting and separating all those little pieces of paper. Only to find that NOW, they need to file them in a way that prevents them from having to go through a hundred little squares to find that one $0.35 off soap coupon that they need. Most people feel that the time it takes to do all this is not worth the savings…… My entire point of this blog is to help change your mind about this one singular thought! YES, it is!!! Yes, I will admit, that at first it will take some time. And Yes, is you divide your time up by how much you save you would be working for 3rd world labor wages. HOWEVER: and this is the most important part….. Give it time and sooner than you think, you will be saving enough money that you can retire 10 years earlier if you were to put all your coupon savings into a savings account. OR you will save enough that you will be able to convince your spouse that only one of you needs to work full-time, while the other get’s the privilege of being a stay-at-home parent. I know this sounds outrageous but I have seen it time and time again. After sticking to it for as little as 3 weeks people start to see huge savings. It can also lead to a new way of thinking about money.
Quick story; my mother-in-law a.k.a Mini who is a devout Christian and a firm believer in being a good steward with Gods money did not use coupons. She gave me all the same stories I hear from everyone else. "I don’t have time, I’m too tired from working full-time, It’s just $0.50 what good will that do" ….. finally after years of hearing me tell my stories about couponing and after hearing me ask my favorite question… “How much do you think I paid for this?” about a million times, she is starting to cave. Just the other day she said out of the blue. “If I buy it while it is on sale, I can save it until I really need it”. Like wow, I’ve never heard that before….Let me clarify this, she has heard me preach that for YEARS!!!! But it has just started to sink in… and tonight she called to tell me that she saved over $20 buying stuff she was going to buy anyway! Yeah!!! My M.I.L. is a Coupon believer!!!! P.S. Can you guess what I’ll be giving her for Christmas?
I personally do my grocery shopping on Wenesdays, which is the start of the new weekly sales for grocery stores. I sit down with my circulars (sales papers) and coupon binder, make a list of the things on sale, pull any coupons I need and make a list. I put my coupons in a small accordion file that fits into my purse making it easier to carry them into the grocery store. You can even use a envelope, which is what I used until my dear husband bought me the small file as a gift.
My next post I am going to talk about when NOT to use a coupon, what is really a good deal and tips on how to know what is really a sale…………………..………until then, keep on clipping!


Here are a few statistics that may interest the nay-sayer……..
-Almost 70% of America's primary shoppers frequently clip coupons
-$331 billion dollars in potential consumer savings were distributed through coupons in 2006 with over 2.6 billion redeemed.
-82.9 percent of people in the $25,000 - $50,000 income range used coupons, the highest usage of any income group.

Getting Started

Where do I start? This is the second most asked question I encounter. So here is the answer….Start cutting those coupons! The most common and easiest way to get them is with the Sunday paper. With the exception of about two Sundays a year the Sunday paper will have coupon inserts that will get every clipper started. I get the weekend edition that comes Fri-Sun and Mondays during football season (Carolina Panthers are a staple here in Charlotte) and still pay $0.26 LESS then if I went to the grocery store and bought just the Sunday paper. The Sunday newspaper is the best way to get those coupons….and I would suggest it to everyone. However; there are many other route to stocking up on your coupon stash that you might want to start exploring once you get your own storage system down (Checkout my post on Coupon Organization). Here are a few of the ways….

1. 
   Ask your NON-clipping friends and family members to save the coupon inserts from their Sunday paper for you. - Most of them are more than happy to do this…until they see how much you save and start clipping for them selves
2. 
   Swap/trade with another clipper - I separate my coupons into 1. To be filed (my personal use) and 2. To trade (these go into a box that I take with me anytime I will be gathering with a group of friends)
3. 
   Pay for them -There are websites that will clip them for you. You pay for the “clipping service” but it is only pennies compared to the face value of the coupon. (You’ll find my suggested websites on my blog page) This service is especially good when you come across coupons that will make an item free - but you gotta be quick because they go fast!
4. 
   Magazines - they will generally have a coupon or two too encourage a new product. There is one magazine that is sold exclusively at WM called “allyou” for less than $2.00 or you can subscribe to it for even less. (please know that this is NOT an endorsement for WM - I personally HATE that place and NEVER shop there - but that is another blog all in it self.. I doubt that you’ll ever hear me talk about them with the exception of this magazine) This is the BEST magazine I have ever come across for coupons. It has at least one coupon for something “free” in each issue and hundreds of $’s worth of other coupons. Plus each issue has great recipes with great pictures (that’s the only way I can cook- I need to know what it should look like.)
5. 
   Printable coupons - however you may find that your grocery will not accept these. Since it isn’t hard to “copy” a printed coupon there are a few places who no longer take them. The best thing to do is give it a try and make a note if they do or don’t accept your printed coupon. I find that if I use a heavier weight paper and quality printing most cashiers don’t really notice. Once you start finding legitimate coupon websites you will come across printable….I get most of mine from www.afullcup.com
6. 
   Sign-up at the manufactures website….you will most likely get a sample and some coupons in the mail within a few weeks. This is even MORE likely if you write a note to the company asking for their latest coupons. This can be done via the internet or check the info on your favorite food packaging.
7. 
   Dumpster-diving - yes, go to your neighbors trash and fish out their Sunday paper to retrieve the coupon inserts. I personally haven’t done this (being a germ phobia and all) However; I have never laughed at someone who has….remember I KNOW how much those little pieces of paper saves!!!
8. 
   Coupon Trains - These are when groups of people send the coupons that they don’t use to a person through the mail, that person then takes out the ones they want and add their coupons to the pile and mail it to the next person on the list. Sometimes these trains are within a group from the same area and sometimes the trains are “cross country” . There are also specific trains - pet food, baby products etc. (I will be starting a train from this blog the first of the year. If you want to join then send me an email with your mailing address.)
9. 
   Catalina’s - coupons that print out at the registers. Another great reason to sign-up for the prefect buyer card at your local store.
10. 
    Tear pads - just that, little pads with tear off coupons that are usually located near the product to encourage the customer to give it a try.
11. 
    Peelies - a coupon that is stuck on a product, usually the cashier will have to remove these BUT it’s up to you to make sure they do!
12. 
    Store Coupons - most of these are found in the weekly ad paper issued each Wednesdays or near the front of the store. They are almost always store specific and are used in conjunction with your customer card. But you can “stack” these with a manufactures coupon for even more savings.
13. 
    SmartSource Coupon Machine - that little machine that will spit out a coupon once you pull one off. Yes, I have been known to just stand around waiting for them to pop out so that I can have multiple ones. My 5yr old loves these things so she is a huge help with this.

Don’t let this over whelm you. Before you know it, you will be spotting coupons every where you look. It may seem like a lot to do to save a “few bucks” but once you get the hang of it you’ll realize how easy it is to do and those “few buck” will quickly become “lots of bucks” . Then you will see the hundreds of $$$$’s you have saved

What are you waiting for? ………. Go cut those coupons!

How did she do that?

As I walked away from the very friendly cashier at Borders, I heard the women in line behind me ask him…How did she do that!? With both amazement and jealousy in her voice. I left the store with one of my self satisfied grins knowing I just got $20.98 worth of stuff for $1.60!!! Including a new day planner that I have been wanting for the coming year. How DID I do that you ask?

First thing is to sign up with Borders for their free borders bucks award program. You get one of those customer loyalty cards that you put on your key chain. Traditionally you need to spend $150 to earn a $5 Border Bucks awards ….NOT ME!!! Here’s my little trick! I joined e-rewards, it is a survey web-site that will “pay you” to answer their surveys….Wait….I know what you are thinking…..and most of those types of sites ARE spam but I have found this site to be one of the better ones. I don’t get but a few surveys a week and most of them are centered around my interest. Plus I have found that it takes very little time and the rewards are pretty good. (Since the summer I have redeemed my e-reward$ for a years subscription to both Home and Gardens & T.V. Guide magazines plus my $15 Borders Bucks)
Since I am signed up with Borders I get emails (in my “junk account” for coupons all the time) I printed off my 30% coupon and off I went. Using both my coupon AND the Borders Bucks from e-rewards that was on my account “waiting to be redeemed” I went to the store. Perusing my favorite sections including the discount area I found the puzzle for my princess (a Christmas present I have already stuffed in my hiding place) orig. $14.99 discounted to $5.99 and the date book that I have been eyeing for awhile. At the counter I told the clerk I wanted to cash in my Border Bucks….He was as excited as I was when he saw how much I saved! He was glad to tell the story to the lady behind me as he tallied up her books (not one coupon in site as she handed over her credit card).

I love books and get most of them from the library, but every now and again I just have to “have it" for my collection. So I wait until I get a coupon and only then will I buy myself a book…..Coupon tip #3 NEVER EVER PAY RETAIL!!! There is always a coupon / discount to be had. Plus if/when you start stockpiling (we will talk about that later) you will never HAVE to pay retail again.

How do you do that?!? I hear this often from my friends. Most have started using coupons them selves and are sharing their own savings stories with me :-)