One of the first steps I took to decrease my food budget was to plan my meals out ahead of time.  This one step cut my food budget dramatically!  I made a menu two weeks worth of meals, then when I shopped I bought only the foods I needed for those meals.  We wasted a lot less food and saved money because we only bought what we were actually going to eat.  No more running to the store at the last minute (Saving time!).  A lot less throwing away of spoiled food (Saving money!).

A while later I tried to add using coupons to my routine.  I would spend hours cutting out coupons that I thought I might want to use when I got to the store.  I would end up saving a few dollars each trip and did not find the savings worth my time, so I stopped.  Later on I heard about a couponing class at my church.  I went and learned how to use coupons in a way that could save me more than enough money to make it worth my time.  I started saving $100’s on my groceries each month.  I was then able to build my stockpile.  Now when I go to make my menu, I look at my stockpile and try to use mostly those items.  This is important to take note of what is in your stockpile and be sure to use it.

There is no sense in buying something and then not using it.  These days when I go to the store I usually only purchase perishable goods such as milk and produce for the week.  I use the rest of my grocery budget to purchase any items that are at a stock-up point or I save it to use for stocking up on an item in the future.

• Ask an associate if they have more stock in the back.  Sometimes there keep extra stock in the back and they are happy to bring more in for you.

• Ask for a rain check.  I have been doing this more frequently and it really takes some of the stress away from finding an empty shelf.  I simply ask for a rain check, then come back at my convenience and get the product with my coupon then.  (Be sure to come back before your coupons expire!)

• You can call around to other stores to see if there is any in stock before driving around.  Different stores get different amounts of product.

• If you are near a store that price matches, such as Walmart, you can take your ad and coupons there.

So tonight I left with 5 bottles of Ken’s Salad Dressing, 4 bottles of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, and 4 tubs of Dreyers Ice Cream. I spent $9.67 and got back a $4 catalina coupon to spend on my next order.  Not bad, but here is the best part!  I also got 3 rain checks for products they were out of.  This means the next time there are doublers I will go back with my coupons, rain checks, and doublers and still get my deals when there are plenty in stock!  Woot woot!

Here it is….the myth I hear the most.  Prepare to be busted!

Myth #1:  It is less expensive to buy the generic rather than the name brand with a coupon.

I have heard many people say, “I spent time and cut out several coupons only to get to the store and realize the name brand product with the coupon is still more expensive than the generic version”.  This person usually ends up buying the generic item and giving up on couponing.  This is a tragic story that I hear all too often (and even went through it myself when I first started).  Luckily I stumbled across a class that taught me how to coupon in a way that the brand name product will end up less expensive than the generic.

The first key to successful couponing is matching up the coupon with items when they are on sale and especially if they are producing some sort of reward back.  For example; let’s say a name brand tooth brush costs $3 and that a generic toothbrush costs $1.  I find a coupon for the name brand toothbrush that is $1 off.  (You are thinking…buy the generic one! But wait!).  The name brand toothbrushes are on sale at Rite Aid for only $1.50.  Now I could use that coupon to buy my (originally $3) name brand toothbrushes for only .50 each!  Now we are talking deal worthy, but it can get even sweeter.  Many drugstores like Rite Aid often have deals where if you buy certain products you can earn reward money to spend on your next purchase.  Let’s say in our scenario that Rite Aid is offering up a $1 Up Reward to spend on your next order when you buy 2 of the name brand toothbrushes.  Now you can do a scenario like this.

· Name brand toothbrush = $3 per toothbrush
· Sale on toothbrush= $1.50 per toothbrush
· Use a coupon for $1 off= .50 per toothbrush
· Buy 2 toothbrushes for .50 each, use 2 $1 off coupons =$1 out of pocket and receive $1 to spend on your next purchase.
(Here is my favorite part of the deal!)
· Buy 2 more toothbrushes for .50 each, use 2 $1 off coupons = use the $1 reward that you just received and receive another $1 to spend on your next purchase.

You just spent $1 out of pocket for four toothbrushes (making them only $0.25 each and you still have $1 to spend on your next purchase.  Now if you have more coupons, you could roll that $1 reward again to get more free toothbrush, or you can save it for a future purchase that will give you reward money back.  We call this rolling the rewards!   You can roll most catalinas and rewards.  This is my favorite way to save money!

Myth #2: The savings is not worth the time invested.

One time I had just finished paying .50 for about $30 worth of groceries.  I smiled at my accomplishment and said, “not a bad price!” to the cashier.  He smiled and nodded as always.  (Obviously impressed by my skills…ha ha)

The guy behind me in line says, “yeah, but how much time to spend to do that?”

I thought a bit and said, “about 15 minutes”.  Then I walked proudly out to my car.

$30 savings for 15 minutes of work is well worth it to me!  That averages out to be $160 per hour!  Very worth my time!!

I do most of my coupon work at home in front of the TV in the evenings on the weekends.  I probably spend on around 2 hours a week doing this.  I would conservatively say that I save around $100 a week on groceries.  It varies from week to week, but this is a conservative average.   That averages out to be $50 per hour!!  There is a great article written about the cost (or payoff) of couponing in the New York Times that estimates a couponer makes around $100 per hour.  I would definitely say that the savings is worth my time invested.

Myth #3:  There are never coupons for things I would actually use.

This makes me laugh when I hear people say this.  I think, hmmm, you don’t use toothbrushes, toilet paper, produce, cereal, or cleaning supplies?  The truth is there are coupons out there for just about every product.  It is true that coupons cycle.  This means that there may be a coupon out for a certain product for a couple of weeks, and then you won’t see it again for a couple of months.  I assure you though, if there is a product that you use, chances are that there will be a coupon for it at some point!

Myth #4:  There are only coupons for processed foods and junk foods.

Although less common, there are plenty of coupons out there for healthy food as well.  Some I have seen recently are $1 off any 2 pound block of cheese, buy one get on free pomegranates, $1 off orange juice, and $1 off a loaf of bread just to name a few.  There are websites that specifically have coupons for organic foods.  Yes, there are plenty of coupons out there for “not so healthy” foods, but that does not mean you have to use those ones.  Just because there is a coupon for something, does not mean you have to use it.  There might not be as many coupons out there for healthy foods, but you might as well use the ones that are!  There are also many coupons for toiletries and cleaning supplies.  We can all use savings in those areas too!

Myth #5: People who use coupons end up spending more on other things at the store.

It is true that stores will put some items on sale and then hike up the prices on other items to balance out their losses from the sale items.  There are two ways I avoid spending more on other items.  First, I make a list and I am very careful to stick to my list.  Before I step into a store, I know what I am going to buy, what coupons I am going to use, and how much I am going to spend.  The other way I avoid impulsively buying a product that is not on my list is that I have learned what a good price on an item is (I will talk about how to do this more later).  Just because it is on an end cap or has its price listed as a “sale price” does not mean it is a good price.  So if I do get something that is not on my list I make sure it is at a good price and I try to find a coupon to match up with it too!

Myth #6: Only really “poor” people coupon.

This may have been the case at some point, but in today’s economy and with the rising cost of food, think it is more realistic to say that only really “smart” people coupon.  I know many people who have started couponing to save money and then later ended up having a family member lose a job.  They were very thankful that they had a stockpile and the skills to save on groceries to get them through those tough times.  I also know some very wealthy people who coupon.  Really, who doesn’t like to save money?

Myth # 7: Stores lose money by accepting coupons.

This is a myth that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was not true.  The fact is that stores make more money from people that use coupons than those who do not.  How is that possible?  Let me explain.  The manufacturers distribute their coupons.  The store then gets reimbursed for the amount of every coupon that they accept PLUS an $0.08 handling fee.  It only costs the store about $0.04 to handle each coupon.  This means that the store is making about $0.04 per coupon accepted more than a person buying the same product without a coupon.  This makes for a win-win scenario for the store and the shopper!

Myth #8: My local stores do not double coupons, so I cannot get good deals.

While it is true that having a store that doubles coupons helps you to get more deals and build your stockpile a bit faster, it is not the only way to get good deals.  In fact my best deals usually do not come from doubling coupons.  I actually found my best deals have come from rolling catalinas and not having clipped any coupons!  The truth is:  anyone can save money with coupons, doublers or not!

I have five sets of these super chic coupon clutches with a notepad (which fits nicely into the clutch!)

There are several easy ways to enter.  Simply leave me a comment here, with your email, stating that you either:

1. Follow My Coupon Dealz blog +1

2. “Like” My Coupon Dealz on facebook +1

3. Follow My Coupon Dealz on twitter +1

4. Subscribe to My Coupon Dealz email +1

5. Share this giveaway on facebook +1

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  You may enter each way one time.  Open to US residents only. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email.  Winners have 72 hours to respond or their prize will be forfeited.

Good Luck!

This is how I felt after going to my favorite store, Albertsons, tonight.  Even us experienced couponers have our less successful days.

I put all of my coupons in my organizer, and brought my detailed list of what I wanted and which coupons to use. I shopped around, gathered my items, and headed over to the register with my three transactions, and coupons ready to go.  On my first transaction I planned to get:

Glad storage containers 2/$4
Use $1/1 Glad containers printable
=FREE
I realized my coupon printed $1/2 instead of $1/1 as I had thought it would.

Okay, I take that off of my transaction and I do the second transaction instead.
Kings Hawaiian Rolls $1.99
Use $1/1 Kings Rolls
=FREE
I had read that coupon as $1/1, but it was also $1/2…grrrr.

Okay, so I will just get the milk and Skinny Cow candies.
2 Gallons of Milk ($2.40 each)
5 skinny cow candies (.89)
Use $1/1 skinny cow candies x 5
=$5 and some change…(sigh)

I go to my car, regroup, and come back in for round two:

2 Tabasco Sauce, $1.59
use .75/1 Tabasco and  a doubler
=.09 each (I planned to do this transaction 3 times)

As I am checking out the cashier points out that the coupon is for the Buffalo style Tabasco Sauce.  Okay, I go back and look.  The Buffalo style only comes in the $3 bottles…more grrr.  Scratch that, I will look around and try again.

While I am looking I notice that 3 other items I planned on getting were not the prices that I had thought they would be.  I finally settle on:

Crest for me toothpaste $2
Suave Naturals body wash $3
use $1/1 Crest for me
use Free Suave Naturals (got in the mail)
use 1 doubler
=just tax

Well, I go to pay and the cashier informs me that my Crest coupon expired yesterday!  Even more grrr!   Okay, I will just get the body wash.  I paid my .20 and thanked the cashier (who was super friendly and helpful even though I seemed to be a mess tonight!).  I head over to the Redbox and rent a movie with a Free Rental code they had emailed me and went home.

When all was said and done I had 2 gallons of milk, 5 Skinny Cow candies, a bottle of body wash, and a movie rental.  I paid $5 and some change.  Not the best night ever.  I will get a good night’s sleep, regroup, and try again tomorrow!

Hello Everyone!
I have been giving my blog a lot of thought this past week (that is why there weren’t many posts last week).  Here is what I have been thinking:

• There are several other blogs that do the exact thing I am doing.  (frugalchicliving.org, thecouponposse.com, & hip2save.com are some of my faves).
• I love couponing and finding/sharing great dealz.
• I do not want to duplicate what others are doing.
• I have considered shutting down my blog, but I would miss it too much!
• Fall is coming and I will not have as much time to blog when school starts.

After much consideration I have decided to still do the blog, but change up my format a bit.  I have decided to start an Extreme Couponing Challenge.  I have decided to spend only $25 a week per person  in my family for groceries.  For my family of four this will mean $100 a week for groceries.  I plan to do this by using coupons, using my stockpile, and planning my meals out ahead of time.  I am really excited about this and would love to hear if anyone else would like to try the challenge as well!

From here on out; here is what you can expect to find on my blog:

• Weekly updates on how my challenge is going.  (best dealz, $ spent, $ saved, etc.)
• Super Hot dealz and promotions (only the HOTTEST ones that you literally can’t miss out on!).
• Weekly Couponing Tips.
• I will still have my sections on how to and tips for people wanting to learn.
• I may even hold some couponing classes in the future.

I will also consider keeping up the store of the week and possibly the frugal fun section.

I am really excited about my new blog format and can’t wait to share my new couponing adventure with you all!  I would love to hear your feedback and question or comments.  Feel free to leave a comment or email me www.mycoupondealz dot com.

stock·pile [stok-pahyl] noun, verb, -piled, -pil·ing.

–noun

a large supply of some metal, chemical, food, etc., gathered and held in reserve for use during a shortage or during a period of higher prices. ~dictionary.com (Notice it does not say a lifetime supply of groceries and toiletries!).

The basic principal of successful coupon shopping is to stock up on items you use when they are at their lowest price point.  This way, you will not have to buy them when they are full price.  There are some questions that you need to ask yourself when you are building your stockpile to figure out how much you need.  How much will I use before this expires?  How much will I use before it goes on sale again?  These answers will vary for everyone and vary by product.  There are no set answers and much of it comes from trial and error.  For example, last year I wish I had stocked up better when toilet paper was on sale for $1.50 for 12 double rolls, and I accidently went a bit overboard on brownie mix when it was free!  I donated about half of my brownie mix to our local teen shelter and then have been bringing brownies to every get together I go to!!

Really it’s not a big deal to get too much or too little, it helps you learn for next time.  If you get too much, you can always donate to your local food bank, friend, neighbor, shelter, or other community organization.  If you do not get enough you can still buy a bit more (hopefully on sale or with a coupon) to get you buy until it is at a stock-up price again. Figuring out how much you need can be tricky to figure out at first, but through trial and error, you get to know how many you will need.  It is important to remember that everything will go on sale again.  Sales go in cycles.  Food item sales usually cycle every 6-12 weeks.  Items that are seasonal, such as some produce, sunscreen, and school supplies will have annual sales.

You need to be patient when building a stockpile.  You will not build a fabulous stockpile overnight.  In fact, it took me at least six months to get a decent stock pile, and I am still working on it.  One of the fun parts of having a stockpile is that it is always changing.  There will be some things that are consistent (razors, toothbrushes, pasta, spaghetti sauce, etc.), but other things that change a lot (types of cereal, types of granola bars, brands of things, etc.).  One of my favorite things that I like to stockpile is new items.  When a new product is being launched, they often put out higher value coupons and have sales to promote their product.  Combining these promotions can lead to some great stock up prices on new fantastic products!

Keep in mind that you will get out what you put in.  If you spend more time cutting coupons and searching for deals, you will find them.  If you put in less time and effort, you will find fewer deals.  You need to figure out your own balance, what you are willing to put in to get the results you want.  My Coupon Dealz will give you what I have found to be the largest amount of deals for the least amount of time.  You can (and should) adjust this to fit with your life and family.  Happy savings!

Just because something is free, doesn’t mean it is something I need.  You can often get free contact solution.  Nobody in my family wears contacts, so this is something I will pass on.  Toothbrushes are often free, but if I have an ample stock of them, I won’t rush out to get more.  Now, I know I could still get these items and donate them.  In fact if I happen to be going to that store for other dealz I will most likely pick up some extras to donate.  I won’t however run across town on my day off to pick up free things I won’t use.  I don’t want to keep more in stock than I will use, and I don’t want to waste my time chasing dealz I don’t need.  Just because it is free doesn’t mean I have to have it!