Saving Money 101

Monday- Monday-Cut, file, and sort your Sunday coupons (unless you are filing by insert, then keep them in tact and label them). Check out coupons.com and redplum.com for coupons that you will use in the near future.

Look at the ingredients in your pantry, fridge, and freezer.  Plan at least 4 meals (lunch or dinner) this week using items you already have.   Isn’t it great to know that you can put together several meals without having to go to the grocery store?

Tuesday-I promised to make you a Savvy Shopper, and I do mean an all around Savvy Shopper.  There are two sites I would like you to check out and possibly join today.  Most of us shop online for at least a few items.  I have actually started shopping online more for gifts and hubby, especially at Kohl’s.  I  take advantage of free shipping and the 30% off codes they put out from time to time.  Whenever I shop online, I always check two places first:  Ebates and Shop At Home.  These to companies (and several others I might mention later) offer cash back for online purchases. (I will admit, if you join and order something eventually, I will receive a $5 bonus.  This course is free, but this would be a great way to show your appreciation.)

Each site also has daily specials.  My favorite deal from Shop At Home last summer was to get $30 for joining Blockbuster online.  I stayed a member for 3 months, and still spent less than the $30 bonus I received from Shop at Home.  My favorite deal for Ebates is that they offer cash back for booking with Expedia.  I have earned cash back on two vacations in the last few years.  Both sites offer a variety of stores with cash back and coupon codes.  If you do any shopping online, I highly recommend you join these sites.

Wednesday-After you do any shopping you plan to do today, go through all your clipped coupons and throw out the expired ones.  Coupons generally expire at the middle or end of the month, so I do a once a month clean out.  We talked about Ethical Couponing last week, so remember that you shouldn’t use an expired coupon (unless your store’s coupon policy says you can, which is rare).  If you can’t stand to throw them out,  you can send them here.  Don’t feel too bad, if there is one thing that I have learned, it is that there will almost always be another coupon for the same item!  If you are filing inserts like me, you probably have a small caddy.  I don’t go through the inserts, I just go through the clipped for expired coupons.

Thursday-By now, you are hopefully getting the hang of grocery shopping with coupons.  I will still be giving you some tips though.  Here is one that is good for large families or families that use a lot of the same item.
Let’s say my family uses a ton of Hunt’s tomatoes (we do).  I know that a coupon for $.45/3 Hunt’s tomatoes comes out a couple of times a year.  When that coupon comes out, instead of buying a ton of extra papers, I try to buy some extra coupons at a clipper service. You aren’t really buying the coupons (which is illegal), you are paying for their time and effort to cut and ship them. The one I have been using lately is Coupon Beat.  She seems to ship quickly and have a good selection from the new inserts.   Her site is relatively new, so the coupons don’t sell out right away either.  So, if I see a really great coupon that I need several of to help build my stockpile, I will order several to match with a really great sale.

Friday-Brand Loyalty.  It is what all companies want from you.  They want you to only buy their brand of ice cream or detergent, etc.  This week, I want you to write down a list of branded items that you absolutely can’t live without.  Anything that is not included on that list, I encourage you to try a new brand when it is at what I call a rock bottom price.

Example of items I am brand loyal to:

I won’t use any toothpaste other than Colgate Total without whitening.  That means, I will pay a little more for it than other brands.

I will also only use All, Small and Mighty.  I have sensitivities that cause me to have problems if I switch brands.

Examples of items I will try new things:

• Pasta
• Rice
• Pasta Sauce
• Frozen Meals
• Make-up (some kinds)
• Cereal
• Spices

These are just a very small sampling.  I sure wouldn’t pay $1.29 for Mueller’s spaghetti when the store brand is on sale for $.39.  I hope that makes sense!

You are doing great!  Keep up the good work!

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Monday-Cut, file, and sort your Sunday coupons (unless you are filing by insert, then keep them in tact and label them). Check out coupons.com and redplum.com for coupons that you will use in the near future. (Don’t print any you don’t need, because it will waste your paper and ink.)

To maximize your grocery savings and utilize your new (baby) stockpile, the best thing to do is to plan your weekly menu.  Plan your menu around store sales for the week and items in your stockpile.  The better you get at this, the less you will spend for needs each week.  Each week, I post my dinner menu. If you really want to maximize savings, you can actually plan menus for each meal. I don’t always stick to my plan, but it really helps me become more aware of what I have on hand.  It also helps me think of ways to stretch the meals I have to future meals and lunches.

Link back to this menu here for reference.  The only items I had to purchase for this week were hot dog buns and lettuce for salad.  This way, I was able to put my full grocery budget to stockpiling what was on sale for the week at the stores.

Look at the ingredients in your pantry, fridge, and freezer.  Plan at least 3 meals (lunch or dinner) this week using items you already have.

Tuesday-You hopefully started a mini stockpile last week.  Here are some tips to help you build and organize your stockpile.  I will try to give you a few each week.

· Don’t buy more than you can use before it expires.

· Don’t buy more items than you have coupons for, unless it is something you really need now.

· Don’t throw any coupons away until they are expired, you never know when a coupon will make something free.

· Buy enough to get you through to the next sale. (usually around 12 weeks)

· Put the new items behind the old for good stock rotation.

· Don’t buy a ton of a new product, because you don’t know if your family likes it yet or not.

Your assignment today is to make sure your stockpile stays neat and organized, as in go make sure it is, right now! (My hubby is now laughing.)

Wednesday-Always shop with a plan.  You can deviate from it if you need to, but it will really help you begin to see more savings.  I highly recommend that you write down or print a list of the best deals that week, before you go to the store.  I have to do this, because I file my coupons by insert.  I have to have a great list with coupon matchups and clip the coupons I need before going to the store.  This makes grocery shopping a breeze.  I can buy a cart full of groceries in less than 20 minutes.  The work is all done before I go to the store.  (I have a feeling this will be good once I have children.)

Make a grocery store shopping plan for this week.  What do you need immediately?  What is on sale that you will use in the future?

Thursday-Today we are going to look at something that is a soap box topic for me.  It is being honest while couponing.  I have written a series about ethical couponing, because I know that it is very hard for new couponers to learn these rules.   Just because something will work or scan at the register, does not (in my opinion) mean that it is OK.

Friday-Using my matchups or your favorite blogger’s matchups, plan a trip to the drug store for Sunday or Monday (that is when stock will be best). Most deal bloggers post their lists on Friday or Saturday for the Sunday sales.  The key is to spend as little as possible, and earn some RR, ECB, or rebates  Sometimes the key to the drug stores (especially CVS and Walgreens) is to break your order into 2 or 3 orders to pay less out of pocket.  Make sure your store will allow this, so you don’t get embarrassed (coming from someone who gets very easily embarrassed).  We will discuss this in more depth later.

Here is a sample great scenario from Rite Aid:

What to Buy:
2 Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioner – $4.98
2 Gillette Body Wash – $5.98
1 Bayer Aspirin – $1.99
1 Schick Hydro Razor – $6.99
1 Crest Toothpaste – $.99
2 General Mills Cereals – $5.00

Coupons to Use:
-$5.00 off $25.00 Rite Aid coupon
-2 $1.00 off Herbal Essences coupons from 5/16 RP
-$4.00 off 2 Gillette body wash coupon from 5/2 PG
-$1.00 off Bayer in-ad coupon
-$1.00 off Bayer printable coupon (HERE for FF)
-$5.00 off Schick razor coupon from 6/13 SS
-$1.00 off Schick Video Values printable coupon
-$.50 off Crest coupon from 6/6 PG
-$1.00 off 2 General Mills cereal printable coupon

Single Check Rebates:
$3.00 – Herbal Essences
$2.99 – Gillette Body Wash
+UP Reward:
$1.00 – General Mills Cereals
Total Merchandise Value: $25.93
Out-of-Pocket Cost: $5.43 plus tax
SCR: $5.99
+UP Reward: $1.00
Total: $1.56 profit

It is only natural for your scenario to get messed up now and then, but it is a huge help for beginners to have it planned out.  Don’t get too flustered if you make a mistake, even seasoned couponers like myself, make mistakes all the time.  Just learn from it, and keep trying!

Good Luck this week!

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Well, I hope you had a nice restful weekend and are ready to tackle some more assignments! Just joining in the fun?  Do week one first!

Monday-Cut, file, and sort your Sunday coupons (unless you are filing by insert, then keep them in tact and label them). Check out coupons.com and redplum.com for coupons that you will use in the near future. (Don’t print any you don’t need, because it will waste your paper and ink.) Then read this article about common coupon lingo you will find on the deal blogs.

Tuesday-Today you are going to do a little research about your particular stores.  Every type of store has a different coupon policy (and some vary state to state as well) .  It is very important for you to read and know the policy and do your best to follow it.  Many couponers keep copies of the store coupon policies that they shop at in their binder for reference.  If you use coupons for long, you are going to run into a cashier who doesn’t know the store policy.  Having the policy with you should help you out a lot!

While you are checking out your store’s website to try to find the coupon policy, also try to figure out the sales cycle.  Most drug stores sales run from Sunday to Saturday.  Some grocery stores do the same, but some run from Wednesday to Tuesday.  Knowing this will help you get to the store while the items you want are still in stock!

Just so you know how, I visited Harris Teeter’s website.  I found the search box and searched “coupon policy”.  It came up immediately.

Wednesday-Start a price book.  I recommend a small notebook that you can carry with you to the stores.  Write down the items you buy the most and what you last paid for them.  This will help you keep track of when items are at a great stock up price for your stockpile.  Here is an example of the lowest prices that Jenny at Southern Savers paid for several items.  I will tell you honestly that I now do this in my head, but it is a must for a beginner!

Thursday-I want you to make a trip to the grocery store between now and Monday.  Take a list and take any coupons you think may use.  Purchase your groceries like normal (whatever is normal for you), except use any coupons you have for your usual items.  Keep an approximate running total as you put items in your cart.  If when you are finished, you have money left in your budget for the week here is what I want you to do.  I want you to find the 3 items in your cart that are the best priced items that you use the most.  Go get an extra or two of that item (especially if you have extra coupons too).

Congratulations!  You just started your mini-stockpile.  That is all that stockpiling is.  It is getting items you need on sale, before you need them and have to pay full price for them.  (We will do this a lot more later!)

Friday-Think about which drug stores are near you, and read about how to shop at your drug store(s).  I want to encourage you to read about any in your town, even if it isn’t one you usually shop at.  Each one is very different, and they aren’t always easy to learn.  Pretty soon you will be “rolling RR” (Walgreens), loving ECBs (CVS), and dreaming about Single Check Rebates and +Up Rewards (Rite Aid).

Are you getting excited yet?!?!

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