Well, I tried. We looked at the sales ads before we left the house. We went through all of the coupons I clipped from the Sunday paper. I looked at the coupons I had digitally loaded on my Kroger's card. (I didn't have time to troll the internet this time.) We made a menu for the week, made a list and off we went.
In order to be more successful at this extreme coupon thing, I know I need to get more organized and plan ahead better than I did this week. I already knew that I couldn't do it in one day, but that was all I had this week. But better planning next time will hopefully mean better savings. I just stuffed all my coupons in my back pocket and had to shuffle through them every few aisles to double check for savings. If any of you are 'couponers', I know I'm totally making you cringe right now.
So this week we tried to make the most of what we had in the freezer so that we didn't have to buy more meat this week. But I did have to buy more fresh fruits and veggies, which are always a big expense. The problem that I ran into while shopping, which is the problem I run into all the time, is that the store brands are still cheaper than the name brands even with the coupon. I realize there is suppose to be some sort of pattern to the sales in which my $1 off coupon will make such and such name brand free to me on the third Wednesday of the fifth month of every year or some such nonsense, but I'll be damned if I'm going to wait around for it to happen before I buy the knock off version when I'm hungry now. I guess you can see that patience is not a skill I possess. I'm going to have to find some if I'm going to keep this up.
By the end of our shopping trip, we used two coupons. Two. For a grand savings of probably $2. One for light bulbs and one for a long handled lighter; both items that we need. I think I need more practice...
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
Coupon Beginning
I think I'm late to the game, but I just cannot figure out this extreme couponing thing. It just feels so overwhelming when I look at the work involved in making this work for my family. Now not only to have to clip coupons from my Sunday paper, I have to print them out from web sites and cut those out. I have to download digital coupons. I have to learn to coupon policies for my local stores. And my brain just doesn't work this way.
I am the occasional couponer right now. I clip coupons for the things that I use, but generally the store brand is cheaper, even with the coupon, so I end up with my little sandwich baggie full of unused coupons that eventually expire and get thrown away. I use Kroger's digital coupons, too. But I know that you can't combine the digital ones with the paper ones. So now I have to print out the list that tells me what digital coupons I have loaded onto my Kroger card. Not so bad yet...
Today I did some research and found a ton of online coupon sites. Some you have to pay for and others are free. So far, I am having trouble justifying buying coupons, but I suppose if you buy a newspaper, you are in essence, buying coupons. I'll keep you updated as to the ones I find to be the most helpful.
Now, I need to learn the coupon policies of my local stores. This means that I have come to the conclusion that shopping is now going to take me at least twice as long. That kind of sucks, but I guess if I can make this work then it may be worth it in the end. Not every store will have the same policies. For example, I know that our local Kroger's will no longer double or triple coupons, but another store nearby might. Additionally, one store might offer a better deal on something than another store does. So it looks like multiple trips for me.
I have a lot to learn... And my brain is on overload today. One thing that my husband and I agreed on is, "NO HOARDING!" Not only do I not have enough space in my house, but I am already trying to get rid of the clutter I have. I certainly don't need the clutter of pasta sauce and razors filling up my extra space. We decided that anything that we can't use (but can get for free) we will donate. Right away. We could all use a little extra change in our karma piggy banks, too.
I am the occasional couponer right now. I clip coupons for the things that I use, but generally the store brand is cheaper, even with the coupon, so I end up with my little sandwich baggie full of unused coupons that eventually expire and get thrown away. I use Kroger's digital coupons, too. But I know that you can't combine the digital ones with the paper ones. So now I have to print out the list that tells me what digital coupons I have loaded onto my Kroger card. Not so bad yet...
Today I did some research and found a ton of online coupon sites. Some you have to pay for and others are free. So far, I am having trouble justifying buying coupons, but I suppose if you buy a newspaper, you are in essence, buying coupons. I'll keep you updated as to the ones I find to be the most helpful.
Now, I need to learn the coupon policies of my local stores. This means that I have come to the conclusion that shopping is now going to take me at least twice as long. That kind of sucks, but I guess if I can make this work then it may be worth it in the end. Not every store will have the same policies. For example, I know that our local Kroger's will no longer double or triple coupons, but another store nearby might. Additionally, one store might offer a better deal on something than another store does. So it looks like multiple trips for me.
I have a lot to learn... And my brain is on overload today. One thing that my husband and I agreed on is, "NO HOARDING!" Not only do I not have enough space in my house, but I am already trying to get rid of the clutter I have. I certainly don't need the clutter of pasta sauce and razors filling up my extra space. We decided that anything that we can't use (but can get for free) we will donate. Right away. We could all use a little extra change in our karma piggy banks, too.
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