As I mentioned a couple of days ago, Graham and I are back into a somewhat normal routine. We still have a dining room full of things that need to be put into the kitchen, but until we have cabinet doors, that will remain as is.
However, for the most part, we are back into the swing of a “normal” life. With that being said, I am finally going to admit, openly to the world, that I am an avid couponer! And I cannot be more happy that I am back to saving us some serious moolah.
For those that know me pretty well {and already knew how crazy I am}, I got hooked on couponing after watching the show Extreme Couponing on TLC {how cliché, I know}. I could not believe there were people getting all of the items they were, for free. So, I did a little investigating. I wanted to know if this really was possibly {and reasonably so}.
Well, I will tell you that what is shown on that show really IS extreme, but it is actually not that impossible for a regular ol’ joe, like me, to save 70-100% on their grocery and household items bill each and every week.
I am definitely not a lazy couponer {only using one coupon here or there}, by any means, but I wouldn’t consider myself an extreme couponer. I do put time into it, but I have come up with a system that works for me with the time I have available to spend on it!
Even with spending only a small bit of time couponing each week {when compared to the extreme couponers on the show}, I still have had trips to the grocery store where I paid only $5 for over $60 worth of groceries {some of which came in very handy during the kitchen reno}.
The rule I keep for myself is that I only pick up things that I KNOW Graham and I {or others in my family} will use. Why would I pick up free denture cream, if I am never going to use it? We also do not use a lot of “processed” foods in our cooking any longer, so I will not buy something {even if I can get it for free} if I know it will be going to waste. But, you better believe, I am going to get my canned veggies for free!
It was so painful for me this past month while Graham and I ate a lot of take out, or went to the grocery store and paid FULL PRICE on convenience items. I knew we were wasting a lot of money, but I could barely think straight, let alone plan a coupon shopping trip!
I thought for today’s post, I would share with you my couponing process {what I do in a given week}. I want to show you that you do not have to spend as much time as the folks featured on Extreme Couponing do to save a boat load of money.
I am going to start with Thursday – even though this isn’t the beginning of the calendar week, it really does work out as the beginning of my couponing week!
Thursday – I check the ad for Pick N Save that is posted today
Pick N Save (PNS) is also known as Copps or Rainbow Foods in some areas. Although they have different names, the sales are usually the same. The main reason I shop at PNS is that they double coupons on Wednesday {and sometimes they will have special double days on a Saturday, for instance}. I get most of my groceries {other than fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy} at PNS.
A secret I will let you in on, with my couponing, is that I let others do most of the work for me! For instance, I utilize the website Pocket Your Dollars to find the best deals at PNS. This website matches all of the sales prices with available coupons {either from the Sunday paper or coupons you can print online}. Therefore, I simply go to Pocket Your Dollars and use her list, find the appropriate coupons, and decide if I will go to PNS on Wednesday!
Another secret – I do not “clip” all of the coupons from the Sunday paper. I simply keep the insert whole {as it comes in the paper}. I write the date of the insert from the paper on the outside and just keep the inserts sorted by date. When Pocket Your Dollars {or any other coupon matchup website} tells you a coupon is available for an item, they usually always tell you which insert {by date} it was found in. Quick and easy for me!
If I ever notice a coupon, while flipping through the inserts, that I know I would want to use that week, I just clip that one while I am passing through the insert.
Friday – Check to see if Pocket Your Dollars has the coupon matchups for PNS posted
If the list is posted, I will make up my shopping list. If it is not posted, I just check back later. I just have to have my list, and coupons, ready by Wednesday, so it really isn’t crucial to get this done on Friday {but I am usually to the point in the week where I have my Invites by Jen work done, so I can “afford” the time on Friday more so than Monday or Tuesday}.
Saturday – My Sunday paper arrives on my doorstep on Saturday morning {I love it this way!}. So Saturday, I just browse the ads quick and pull out the coupon inserts, write the date on top, and add them to my coupon insert “pile”.
If I have time on Saturday {let’s face it, weekends usually fill up with other things, especially in the summer, FAST}, I will also visit a website that puts together all of the Walgreen’s deals.
Wild for Wags is the best resource for letting you in on all of the good deals at Walgreens. She literally spends each and every day either at a Walgreen’s, or checking on prices, and posting what she finds on her blog. Each week she makes special posts, just for Walgreen’s, where she goes over the “ultimate best deals”.
So, I simply look at her “ultimate best deals” list, gather the appropriate coupons and write out my shopping list for Walgreens. Walgreens is where I get 99% of our household items {toilet paper, shampoo, meds, etc}.
You may be thinking, “But isn’t Walgreens so much more expensive on those items?” Yes, if the item is not on sale, their prices are typically much higher. But, if the item is on sale, has a coupon, or register reward, you cannot beat their pricing! I know some that find that their Walgreen’s is always out of stock on the “ultimate deals”, but I have had pretty good luck with not having to deal much with that issue.
Sunday – If I haven’t already gone through Pocket Your Dollars or Wild for Wags, and I have time, I will keep browsing through their list today.
Monday – I make up my list for Menards {I know you have seen my Menard’s Freebies posts on Monday!}. I do not go to any website for Menards as it takes just five minutes to look through the ad and find the freebies for myself.
We also get the ad for Piggly Wiggly on Mondays. I like to take a quick look through to see what items they have as a part of their “Pig Points” program. If the item is something we need anyways {like a bag of onions}, or I know I also have a coupon, I will plan to go to Piggly Wiggly for those items. Then, later on, we can save a boat load of money filling up the Escape with gas {although I do not have a daily commute, Graham has to travel to do goat chores each day}!
Tuesday – I finalize my shopping list for Wednesday {again, the reason I shop on Wednesday is because PNS doubles coupons}.
There are a couple of other websites that I just check quickly for additional savings.
One is The Krazy Coupon Lady. She encompasses savings at all of the big chains {Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, etc}. She makes a post each week that is literally called “Shop for Free this Week”. I just take a quick peek at that post each week and make sure I am not missing a good deal at my stores.
The last website I will take a peek at is Totally Target. I only go to Target if I have the time on Wednesday, and if there are a decent amount of deals {I will not make a special trip to Target to save $0.99 on a tube of toothpaste}. Every once in a while Target will offer a REALLY good deal on a couple of items. So, it never hurts to check Totally Target’s website as I am usually only five minutes from one on Wednesday.
Wednesday – I shop! The biggest thing that has changed for me since starting to coupon is the fact that I do stop at multiple stores. I no longer do all of my weekly shopping in one place {for a couple hours}. Instead, I spend a few minutes at multiple stores.
Here is where I shop:
Pick N Save – groceries
Walgreens – household items
Aldi’s – vegetables, fruits, meats, and dairy {you simply cannot beat their prices and since coupons are not as readily available on these items, it definitely pays to get these items at Aldi’s}
Rechecks {it is a local grocery store here} – I will stop here, and check on their discounted produce and meat, if I didn’t get enough at Aldi’s…I can usually get really good deals on produce this way {it is usually items that are going to reach the “best by” date in the next day or two, so I just bring it home and prep/freeze or plan to use it for dinner that night}!
Kwik Trip – I only get milk and butter here typically {I usually stop here to use their no-fee ATM, and as long as I am there, I pick up milk and butter because you cannot beat their prices on these two items}
Piggly Wiggly – groceries
Target and Wal-Mart – do not stop each week, but will for good promotions I come across
Some weeks I do all of my shopping on Wednesday. Some weeks, I will stop at Menards or Walgreen’s if I am out running a separate errand and have to go by the store anyways. It all depends on my week.
However, the additional $5 a week I spend on gas {yes, I have done the math} plus my time, is far exceeded by the amount of money we are saving. Before the kitchen reno, Graham and I sat down and figured it out, and we realized I am saving us THOUSANDS of dollars in a year. So, I will keep on clippin’!
Sometime soon I will have to do a detailed post on where I store all of my goodies, but mainly I have my pantry for dry goods, I have a couple of shelves in our basement for canned goods, and then we have a deep freeze for frozen goodies! I also give a lot of my freebies away to my family {I know my mom LOVES her stockpile presents}!
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