- Finding Coupons: Where To Get Coupons
- Learning How To Shop Each Store: I have added a few helpful tips about each store for you to know how many coupons they take, do they double, have shoppers cards, etc. Walking in to do your first few run with coupons can be overwhelming. It can be a nightmare if you get to the register and do it all wrong. So knowing the stores policies and having a plan, will help make your trip run smooth and be a huge success. Also shopping at a few different stores will help you get the best deals and the most for your money. Just make sure you are not going out of your way to get all of the deals, the gas and time you spend may not make it worth it. Getting Started at Kroger, Getting Started At Meijer , Getting Started At CVS, Getting Started At Walgreens and Getting Started At Family Dollar
Start off slow.
Do not try to get all the deals at once. Start with one store for a few weeks and then add another and so on. This will help you to feel comfortable at the store and you will not get overwhelmed. If you shop mainly at Kroger for your groceries, start there.
Get organized.
Find the best way for you to hold your coupons. There are tons of ways to organize your coupon. Binders, envelopes, totes, by inserts and so on. I use a coupon binder. I have seen them organized by date -when they expire, alphabetically, isles at the store, categories etc. I have a binder with baseball card plastic sleeves with category dividers (frozen food, breakfast foods, cleaning, medicine/first aid, other food, beverage, and so on).
Buy More than one newspaperEvery week I will post a link for you to see what coupons are coming each Sunday. Look through and determine how many newspapers you will need by deciding whether there are great coupons that you will use. Keep all of your coupons, even though it may not be something that you normally use now. If it is really cheap or FREE you will be kicking yourself for not having those coupons. Plus you can always donate to friends or family or even to local food banks or animal shelters those items you get for FREE or really cheap.
Stockpiling is probably the most important thing about saving. Buying several papers and then buying several items when they are on sale is the only way to shop now a days. You will eventually make less trips to the store, saving you money. You will start buying only when you need something and start stockpiling, then you will already have what you need on hand. I remember we use to shop almost everyday sometimes just because I was not planning for the week and was only buying for that days dinner. It is nice now not having to shop everyday. When stockpiling you need to have flexibility to use different brands of everyday items. Sticking with only one particular brand will keep you from getting the best deals and saving the most money. Don't forget to also stock up on items that you can freeze. Check out this list of items that freeze easily for use at another time!!
Make a Menu
Planning your meals will help to make your shopping trips easier. Once you know what you need, whats on sale and your coupons in hand you will begin to save lots of money each week. Less trips to the store means less gas, less wasting of your time and less chance of you buying something you don't need just because you saw it when you were there. Check out a few recipes and meal plans that our family has tried!
Make a Master Price List
As you get great deals, keep track of what you are getting and for how much. Eventually as your stockpile grows you can refer to your master price list and see when something is on sale is it the best deal or not. If so then stockpile, if not then wait until you see the best price again. Most deals come around about every 3-4 months, so stockpile the good deals long enough to get your family through that time period. Keep track of how much your family uses of all of your basic items for a month and then multiply that by 3, for a 3 months supply. I have actually added my best price to my shopping list. So as I am purchasing the items I need from my shopping list, I can then compare the price on my list to the price at the store. That way I can see if it a stockpile price or should I wait!
Have Fun
Just because you are on a budget does not mean that you can not have fun. There are so many ways to have a good time on a small budget. One way is to get your movies from your local library. They have almost any movie you would want. Some of the newer movies you will have to wait for, but sometimes it is nice to watch a old classic!! Stay in this weekend, order a pizza (using a coupon of course) and watch a movie.Looking to go out? Check your local restaurants for Kids Eat Free nights or use sites like Restaurant.com to get discounted gift certificates to eat at your local restaurants. You can also go see movies for FREE.
Find Other Ways To Save
Simply using coupons only is a great way to save in a big way at the grocery. But there are so many other ways to save. Get creative and come up with some new ways to save money. Here are a few ways that my family and I do to save money!
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