Putting it all Together - Part 1, Coupon Theory

I have spewed out all sorts of information in my previous blogs about this new habit of mine.  I wanted to put it all together in some semblance of order to make things a little easier.  I am one of those annoying people that likes to know the why for and the how to and understand the reasons things work.  I made a previous attempt at using coupons and it turned into an Epic Fail....I wound up buying stuff I did not need and my grocery totals actually went up instead of down.  After several weeks I gave it up and decided that it was just not for me.  I was just not getting it and I failed to do my research.....however, I looked at it again and did my research this time and I gotta tell you...I am hooked now!  This has become a game to me.....I am having a great time with this and seeing a savings of at least 50% or more on my receipts is a total high.  Fair warning y'all....this can be addictive!

Alright, enough of my babbling....here it is.  The entire goal of shopping this way is to buy the things that you regularly use when they are on sale and you have a coupon (or coupons) for them.  At this point my total spending not gone down significantly but now I am bringing home 2 - 3 times more than I was before.  There are still things that I *have* to buy because we are out but for the most part, I can now just buy the items that we use regularly when there is a sale and a coupon and just toss it in the cabinet until we actually need it.  

Ultimately the goal is to get to the point where the only things we have to buy on a regular basis are produce and dairy.  I have razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair dye, feminine products, deodorant, laundry soap and assorted other stuff that I do not have to buy for at least a year.  I got most of these for under $1 and in some cases they paid me to take them out of the store!  Any given week my trip to Target, just getting the items that we needed was between $80 and $100.  I have not walked out of that store for over $40 in at least a month and I am walking out the door with more than I have on my *big* shopping trips before. 

I am using the extra money that I was spending there to stock up on other things from different stores and testing some theories to see how well they go.  I scored big last week at Kroger on center cut pork chops.....18 for $10!  I came home and used my Foodsaver to package em up and toss em in the freezer. I spent $12 at the bread outlet and have a ton of that stored in the freezer (I have yet to have to tap into that so I cannot tell you if it has worked out well or not.....we still have plenty of bread that didn't go into the freezer from that trip).  Again, see where I am going with this?  I know that in a lot of cases freezer space is limited, Joe and I are lucky enough to have a spare freezer in our garage so we have more room to work with but the deals are out there on a smaller scale.  

It takes some time to get used to this way of shopping.  I cannot tell you that next week when you go into the store you will walk out with a ton of stuff for practically nothing.  My first couple of weeks were completely unimpressive.  There was still lots of stuff that I needed to buy that was not on sale or that I did not have a coupon for.  Also, my coupon stock was low and I did not have the array that I have now so I was working with limited resources.  If you are not prepared for this it can be frustrating and feel like it is not worth the effort.  Give it a little time to really kick in....also, do not hesitate to look for help!  Find a website that does the match ups for you.  The one that I use most frequently: http://thekrazycouponlady.com/krazy-this-week/ 

This is FREE and if you like them on facebook you will get updates on new deals that they discover throughout the week.  Even if you have not started collecting coupons or aren't sure if it is for you, take a look at the site.....it may be enough to change your mind.  You can look for your local stores and see what is available, some of it only requires printing an internet coupon and no newspaper required. 

Set some realistic goals before you go into the store next time (after looking at the Krazy Coupon Lady, of course).  My first one was to see a savings off my total at the store of 15% or more, some stores will actually print your percentage on the receipt and for some others you have to do the math yourself.  It took me a week or two to hit that point and it has just gone from there.  My standard savings now is 50% or more.....gotta tell you, I *LOVE* seeing that one!  

Coming soon:  Putting it all Together - Part 2, Coupon Basics.  Until then, good luck and happy couponing!