Not extreme!

I will start off by saying that I am by no means an "extreme couponer." I clip coupons for things I actually use or would buy and seek out store sales. I look for the best deals especially if I have a coupon for what I'm looking for. I do not mind buying store brand (except on diapers/wipes/formula and other baby essentials) if I'm getting a better deal. The only reason I do not do generic for those baby things is because my son is very delicate when it comes to skin and stomach.

I'm still learning, so a lot of what I do is trial and error. So far what has worked has been:

-picking a specific day just for clipping

-only clipping things I use/would buy, NOT everything on there because of the coupon

-sticking to one online coupon and one paper source (I use coupons.com and the smart source booklet from the paper).

-store sites like Target.com and Walmart.com also have store coupons that help. 

-organization (will eventually work my way towards a coupon organizer)  I keep my grocery coupons separate from my non grocery and if I have multiples of one I keep those together.

-I DO NOT shop the first week of the month! There's very rarely any sales if there are everything is gone anyway. I do shopping twice a month (second and last week of the month). If going to the grocery store in between is a must, I scope out the weekly flyer for deals because if there is a sale on something I need...I don't want to miss it. 

-make a list and stick to it. If you don't you'll blow your budget.

-shop alone and by alone I mean no significant other or kids. They will distract you and make you lose concentration. You will need to be able to take your sweet time (at least I do).

-use your store cards (ei. Stop & Shop...you earn 10 cents of each gallon for every $100 you spend in the store) 

I'm a busy mom of two young boys who works part-time and will soon be a full-time student. I can't spend endless hours a week researching every possible deal because I just don't have the time. I also don't feel the need to have a stock pile. I just need to be able to get my family by on the budget we have set which is why I don't consider myself extreme. There are some things to keep in mind when couponing. 

The following should be considered: 

-a store's coupon policy

-printing from sites like coupons.com can be done multiple times. However, there is a limit...use your printing wisely. Also the more a coupon is printed the sooner it expires.

-read the fine print on sale signs, flyers and coupons themselves. Retailers will always try to get you. If you remain informed they cannot play you. 

That's all I have. Like I said it's what has worked for me. I'm still learning, so I don't have the perks of getting 683638 items for only tax or getting money back from the store, but the past months my family has gotten by efficiently! :)

Until next time! Xoxo

 

Grocery trip turns into full tank of gas.

Like every family in America mine struggles paycheck to paycheck to make sure all of our needs are taken care of. The cost of living is high. Gas prices keep rising just when you think they are down for good, and we have two small children to care for. We have only owned a car for about 3 months. The tank has been full only a handful. 

We can't really afford $50-60/weekly on filling up with these gas prices. Maybe some of your readers will think "well if you can't afford it, don't have it." Let me tell you its a necessity. We have three jobs total, our boys are only 2 and 6 months which still means constant doctor visits, and I go back to school this fall. Its no longer as simple as hop on the bus and get there anymore. Grocery shopping to feed a family isn't the same as shopping to feed yourselves. Just saying, its not something we can do without.

Anyway, my point is with all we have to pay filling up isn't always possible. This week was one of those weeks. The beginning of the month usually is. All we had to put in was $40, gas went up 40 cents in a matter of 4 days, and the car had less than a quart left. I did need to make a grocery trip, so I was hoping I could snag at least 10-20 cents off with my Stop & Shop gas rewards.

Walking into the grocery store I take a look at the flyer. I see that they have some gas points sales going on. Its all things we use so I figured why not? One sale was buy 6 items from a specific list and earn 40 cents off each gallon. The other was earn 5 times the points for buying certain items. Words won't describe my excitement. I had coupons so this shopping trip would be affordable. 

Long story short...I left the store with over 500 gas reward points which gave me 50 cents off each gallon and I was able to fill up on just $40. That's $20 less than what it usually takes. 

When you're living on a budget you NEVER want to pay full price for anything. I personally don't look at brand vs generic. I really don't care as long as its affordable. Reward cards are a life saver these things do add up to something if you use them enough. Lastly sales sales sales! Most grocery stores don't have great sales until mid month, so we don't do huge shopping early on. It saves us a ton and this is how our gas points add up. Until next time! :)