Learning the Couponing Ropes

Before this month, I rarely, if ever, used coupons. I've known about them, but never seriously considered integrating them into my shopping. Guess I always thought of them as 'old ladyish' or part of the responsibility of a mother. How often do you see people in their twenties with folders of coupons at the grocery store. Now that I've calculated how much we're spending on just food (and toiletries) in one month, I've started at looking at ways to trim down our grocery bill.

Now, I've read around the blogosphere the two arguments of couponing and have taken them both into consideration on how I'm approaching shopping with them.

The pro: The manufacturer's are giving you free money that you should be taking advantage of. If you're going to buy the product anyway, why not get it at a discount. There are people who are saving hundreds of dollars at the grocery store on a weekly basis with putting into it just a little bit of work!

The con: The main argument most people make against using coupons is time. Time is money. It takes time to cut coupons and find the best deals in town. It takes time and gas to drive around to all different places to get the best deals, which cancels out the savings you earn. Then there is the fact that using coupons to buy things you normally don't or wouldn't ends up costing you more. Its great when you save $5.00 on four boxes of cereal, but you spent $4.00 to buy products that you wouldn't normally buy. And the food products you do buy with coupon's tend to be pre-packaged food, usually meaning bad for your health.

I understand both sides to what people argue. What I've realized is that you have to coupon smart and not just look for the best deals on products you dont need. The time is money argument holds true if you are doing something with that lost time that is actually making you money. If that time is spent doing something like mindlessly surfing the web (in my case), well then it is beneficial to consider taking an hour a week to cut coupons.

As a newbie to the coupon world, this is what I found works for me:

1. On Sundays I get the paper for the coupons. It takes about an hour to go through the coupons, and cut out the ones we would use, and organize them in my binder. That is all the time I spend on cutting coupons. One hour a week.

2. I make my grocery list based on the things we need in the house, and the meals we plan on making. I do not take into consideration the coupons I just cut, because they would influence what I think we need.

3. After my grocery list is made, I compare what we need and what we have coupons for, and the deals going on at the grocery/convenience stores that week. This takes anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. Most of this time is spent creating the grocery list, which I would have done anyway.

Believe it or not, this has netted us a decent savings in our grocery bill. We may not be getting $100 saving in our grocery bill, but we are still eating healthy and saving money at the same time. I've realized the biggest place we are saving money is not necessarily food items, but toiletries and household supplies. And all of these stores that I visit are all in the same shopping plaza or across the street from each other. I usually hit up two stores once a week. So, no extra gas used to drive from one side of town to the other.

Now that I've been applying this technique for three weeks, I have to admit that I'm hooked. I nabbed a few great deals on toiletries and household supplies, which have actually gotten me excited. I've turned into a couponing nerd overnight. So, now that I'm a convert, I'll list the best deals I got on the things I would normally be purchasing!

1. Razors - This has been my best category of savings so far. Two reusable razors, three cartridge refills and two packages of disposable razors for free! Most of them were accomplished combining store sales, with store coupons and manufacturers coupons. An added bonus on some of the items was when I got money from upromise, using their ecoupons. Since these deals were all last month, it doesn't benefit anyone to post the exact details. But next time I find a deal like this, I'll try to remember to post it! (Savings: $42.00)

2. Shampoo and Conditioner - Good branded items for $1.00 each, by combining store sale, store coupon and manufacturer's coupon. This may not be as great as other people are able to accomplish, but for items that I usually pay $3.50 for each, I thought this was a fantastic savings. (Savings: $5.00)

3. Cleaning Supplies - Windex and Fantastics for $0.50 each. Better price than generics at the dollar store! Store sale and coupons got me this deal. (Savings: $4.00)

Sometimes it really is those little things in life that make you happy! For me, it's getting a good deal every now and then.

Beyond Your Horizon