Putting It All Together - Part 4, Shopping!

Now you have the basics on coupon theory, have collected some coupons and organized them (Right?) it's time to shop!!


Your first step is going to be to build your list.  Yes, a list....if you don't already work from one this is going to take a little getting used to.  Here are a few links to sites that provide coupon match ups by store.  This is your road map to savings!  These sites will tell you what is on sale, provide the information on the coupons to use and also provide links to internet coupons you can print to get savings on some items. 

http://www.couponing101.com/
http://www.couponmom.com/
http://www.howtoshopforfree.net/
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://www.totallytarget.com/ 

Other sites are out there, these are just the ones that I have worked with at some point.  If you don't like any of them take a look around the web and find one you really like.  This is important, it will save you hours of effort and clue you in to things that other people have found in their stores that may not be in the ad!  One other note, most of the pricing listed on these sites is regional.  Some prices and coupons may vary, I always list price and coupon on my list so that I can evaluate what my stores are actually charging.  Sometimes it makes a difference in what I will actually purchase.

I recommend starting with one store and giving it a test run.  Get your list together, gather your coupons for just those items (I use an envelope to put my list and coupons I know I will be using in) and head to the store.  I know that you will have other items to purchase when you are starting out so make sure they are on the list.

Eat something before you do your shopping!!!  I know this sounds basic but it really makes a difference.  The average amount of overspending done by people who shop while they are hungry is $40 (In my case this also happens when I go into the store with my Brother-In-Law)!      

The first few weeks of coupons shopping will be training on how to shop from now on.  Stick to your list, when you have a coupon for something that is on sale and the price is really good (A lot of the match up sites will give you a heads up when it is a "stock up" price) grab a few of the item if it is something that you know you like.  Sales cycles rotate anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months.  Until you get a handle for when the same item is going to be on sale again, get enough for 2 months, that should cover you to start with and you will start to get a feel for when it cycles.  Don't panic if you miss a sale either, again, sales are on a cycle so it will come around again and again and again!  Another thing to focus on the first few weeks is pricing, there are some things that the sites don't consider stock up prices but that still go on sale.  Monitor these common items that you buy and start to decide what the max price you will pay for something is and also what price you will pay for it when you don't necessarily need it.  For example, I will  not pay over $0.99 for toothpaste (and that is the good stuff, I prefer Colgate Total and Joe likes the Crest 3D white) ever!  However, when I find it for $0.25 it is an automatic purchase as long as I have space for it.

Another thing that couponing will train you for is letting go of brand loyalty.  I have had the opportunity to try all different kinds of things that I wouldn't normally have bought.  Some have been great and others have been gawdawful.  There have been a few things that even my husband wouldn't eat and that man will eat ANYTHING.  If you are trying something different make sure you only buy enough to try it first, if you buy 10 packages of something that even the dog won't eat, you are not saving money.  I won't even donate that stuff!  Same goes for personal items, cleaning products, paper products, etc.  If you buy 4 bottles of a cleaning product that smell awful and don't clean anything you haven't saved yourself anything.  If you buy 1 and decide you hate it, you are out a minimum amount of money and can just toss it without the guilt.  

After a shopping trip I always set everything out on my kitchen island and do a "post shop" evaluation (those of you that are friends on FB have seen some of the pictures).  I look at what I purchased and in addition to the overall total I evaluate what I spent per item to decide if I got a good deal or just got excited.  I also evaluate how much of an item I already have to decide if I need to quit buying an item no matter how little I pay for it.  As a good friend of mine, The Great Soa, says "Know Your Limits!"



"Know Your Limits!"
In addition to developing a sense of pricing limits you also have to develop a sense of how much to keep on hand.  This ain't hoarders guys.....If I come to visit and you have dedicated 3 rooms of your house to storing items that you have been stockpiling we are going to have a serious talk!  Start keeping and eye on what you are using from your coupon purchases and monitor your expiration dates.  If there are things that you are buying that you have to throw away because you cannot use them in time, that needs to be evaluated.  If you start seeing that things are going to expire within a month and you know you will not be able to use them, bag them up and take them to a local food bank.  It doesn't matter if you paid $0.50 for something if you are only going to throw it away.....Paper products and household items generally have a really long or no expiration dates so definitely stock up on those, however, set yourself some limits on how much you will keep around.  If you have a wall of toilet paper that will not be used for 5 years and you keep buying more, sooner than you think that toilet paper will start taking over the house.  Same goes for smaller items, I don't care if you keep getting soap for free, at some point there is just too much to use.  

A couple of things to keep in mind.  It takes time to work up to big savings.  Until you really build your coupon collection there will be sales that you cannot take advantage of.  Don't get discouraged!  Keep at it for a month or so.  My minimum savings now is 50% and almost always more than that.  When I first started it was more like 10% or 20%, my grocery spending did not change but I was always walking out with more than usual.  Now I can take advantage of sales on higher priced items without blowing my budget because I know there is plenty at home that I don't need to worry about.  Which leads me to the next thing. Stick to your budget!  Starting out is is easy to get in the mode of wanting to take advantage of every sale, every time.  Even with lower prices on items getting too much of them or too many different things can still break the budget.  Pace yourself and remember that next week there will be more deal on different things.....the savings will not go away they will move on to something else and then work their way back around. 

The most important thing is to have fun with this.  Saving money is exciting!!  Until next time, Happy Couponing!