I’m so excited to share with you Gidget Goes Home’s first guest post! Today’s article is written by my dear sister-in-law, Stacey, a pastor’s wife and mother of 2 boys. She has a fun “hobby” to share with you all. And I’ll give you a hint, it’s a hobby that allows her to spend only $70 per week on groceries. This is for a family of 4 and includes food, toiletries, cleaners, diapers, and organic milk. If that piques your interest, then read on!
It Feels So Good
Today I came home with Pantene shampoo, conditioner, and styler – all free. Also in my bags were Nivea men’s body wash that I made a $1.00 profit on and 3 free Glade candles. Other deals this week include free Cottonelle toilet paper, Nature Valley granola bars for 10 cents a box, and $1.00 profit on Excedrin. This is how I shop every week. Couponing is a lot of fun and a great way to provide for my family as we live on one income.
I do this by using coupons from the Sunday paper and ones I print from on-line coupon sites. But don’t just go out and use your coupons! Wait. Wait for that great sale. While you wait, collect coupons so you have multiples. Then, buy as many as you can and stock up when the item goes on sale, even though you may not need it right away. I never pay for toothpaste, razors, or deodorant. I get these all free or with ‘overage’ (there’s a fun coupon term for you) by using coupons. My storage closet is overflowing with these items just waiting to be used. I also donate A LOT of our extras to our church food pantry. That feels good too.
How I Get Oodles of Coupons
Each Sunday I buy one paper from our local gas station. Mr. McClure, the owner, saves his coupons for me, so now I have 2 sets. An older gentleman at my church also saves his coupons for me. Now I have 3 sets. On Wednesdays I go to our local library where one of the volunteer librarians saves her coupons for me. This makes 4 sets. Another, larger library has a coupon box in their quiet reading room. I shuffle through the box to gather more while my 2-year-old rocks back and forth to the rhythm of the grandfather clock. (I also drop off any coupons I don’t want here.) Mention to people that you use coupons and free coupons will come your way.
Will you think I’m over the top if I mention this other way I find coupons?? We recycle our papers and when we toss them in the dumpster we scan the bin for coupon inserts. Then my dear husband jumps in and hands me the treasures. What’s great about this is that it’s clean. It’s only used for papers – so no big deal. It still feels a little funny, but I’ve scored coupons for free bread, Powerade, and children’s Advil this way.
Our Coupon Club
About 6 of us get together on Sunday afternoons to cut and swap coupons, and talk about the week’s upcoming sales. We spend about an hour an a half together and have a great time strategizing and planning. Two weeks ago no one wanted their Nature Valley granola bar coupons. I took them all – ended up with 20 – and that’s how I got such a good price on them. This week Kroger (our grocery store out here in Indiana) had a deal to buy 15 items and get $3 off your order. Also, for every 5 boxes you buy you get a coupon for $3.50 off your next order. Wow! Ten cents a box and we are set on granola bars. Find some friends who want to coupon and learn from each other. We also email throughout the week when we find a good deal or are searching for a particular coupon.
Online Coupons
My 2 favorite websites for couponing are MoneySavingMom and AFullCup. MoneySavingMom is a blog that is updated several times a day. She posts the current deals at stores like CVS, Walgreens, and Target. What I really like is that she has direct links to printable coupons that go with the sales. This is an upbeat, positive blog AND she’s a Dave Ramsey fan so she incorporates his Baby Steps and money-managing tools once in awhile. AFullCup is a forum where you can click on a particular store and read about deals and sales others have posted about. People lay out their specific shopping lists and coupons they will use. They also post when they discover unadvertised deals that you will never find in a store ad. It’s great. When you register here you gain access to it’s giant coupon database where you can search for particular products and print coupons.
When Shopping Becomes Fun
Couponing like this becomes a game. Each store has its own rules and guidelines. You learn when to ‘play’ your coupons and when to hold on to them to wait for a future deal. Both the sites I listed above have posts to get you started with titles such as CVS 101 and Keeping Your Coupons Organized. Our husbands and sons have video games, we have the Coupon Game that earns us free products and makes us money. Score!
If you missed it, you can read Part 1 of this series: Saving Money Dave Ramsey-style. And Part 3 (tomorrow) will include a giveaway so check back!
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Wow even after doing couponing for a couple years now even I am still learning. I love your website thanks:)
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