How I saved $83.91

Okay. So I was quick to brag about my "free" shopping trip a couple months back and a little less quick to answer many of your questions about how I did it. Let me remind you that I did not invent this game, nor have I perfected, but I am most happy to pass on a bit of what I have learned from others along with a few things I've learned along the way. I will begin by saying that after half a year of playing the "coupon game," it is hard for me to pay full price for just about anything anymore. To make this as simple as possibile, I will say it is as easy as 1-2-3.

Step 1. Gather Coupons.

Pull out all the ads and coupons from the Sunday Newspaper and make yourself a chart/list to compare prices with. (Example: I make a column for each store ad - Walgreens, Target, Rite Aid, etc. -then I list the products I'm interested in purchasing along with the sale prices. Next I match my coupons to the items on sale and then highlight or circle whichever store has the lowest price after all discounts are given.)

Consult the internet. I love "moneysavingmom.com" Scroll through it a bit to get a feel for the website and it'll start to make more sense to you then a quick glance would do. I use it mostly to be sure I've found all the best Walgreens deals (which are posted every week -see, a lot of the work is already done for you!). There are also links to many, many internet printable coupons that sweeten your deals. You can also often find great restaurant deals, budget meal ideas, and free samples. It's worth checking out, but you've got to give it some fair investigation to really see what it has to offer. There are many great sites, such as "coupons.com" that you'll want to be sure to register for. I'd recommend getting a separate e-mail account for a "junk e-mail" to keep ads, etc. separate from personal e-mail. For any of you looking for more than groceries, the "Today Show" posted a few sites to save on bigger items. I haven't used them much, but here they are: "bradsdeals.com," "couponmom.com," "promotioncode.org," and "grocerygame.com"

Step 2. Go Shopping!

I used to be a "one stop shopper." I refused to go to one store for milk and another for bread and cheese. I didn't have the time nor the patience for such things. Now, I not only go to more than one store, I often visit four or more and some of them for just one item. Time and effort has saved me a bundle and I am lucky enough to live in very close proximity to all the stores I like to frequent so gas is a non-issue, and neither is travel time. (Just car seat in and out time becomes the hassle here.) The stores where you will likely find your biggest savings is the drug stores; Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Longs. They often send out "store coupons" which you can stack with "manufacturers coupons" and sale prices to maximize your savings and even get FREE stuff a lot of the time. They also do a lot of in store credits with purchases and rebates. Be organized with your shopping list and coupons separated and ready to go for each store to minimize the hassles for you. Go in, get what you came for, hand over your coupons, and enjoy your savings!

Step 3. Fill out your rebates!

Don't forget to send in your rebate receipts or you won't get your money back. Do it timely too or you may miss out. Most of them can be done online and it's really super easy, it just takes minute or two.

A few other tricks/tips I learned along the way:

*Buying in larger quantities, where appropriate, saves money. Learn what foods keep or can be frozen for future use.

*Stalk up when things are on sale. If you see a good deal on something you know you will use, get it now, while it is cheap. This concept was tough for me to grasp at first. I really thought it would save me money to buy only what I needed, when I needed it. I was wrong. Tried and true - build yourself a "storage;" it'll save you money not to mention the awesome feeling it is to look through a recipe and actually have the food on hand!

*.50 cent savings adds up to big savings. This week I tallied my stack of coupons to be worth over $10! ($10/week x 52 weeks/year =$520 year in savings) Folks, that is a lot of money! That is saving $10 a week in any way, be it coupons, sale items, eating out one less time, whatever, $10 a week saves $520 /year. I saved $83.91 this week ...hmmm, that would be over $4000 in a year -holy smokes! I'd rather keep my $4000 and do a little more run around. To see how little things add up to big savings for you, here's a few other places you might save:
-Dry Cleaners. I found a .25 cent/item coupon on the back of my grocery store receipt yesterday. I usually dry clean 2 items for Adam each week so with that coupon alone, I can save $26 a year. We eat about 1 box of mac 'n cheese week. I used to buy it at regular price of $1.49/box. Now I buy it in bulk for .54 cents/box and save $50 a year on mac n' cheese. I am sure we eat at least one box of cereal a week, and you probably do too. The avg. box is around $3.75. I buy it only when it is less than $1.75 saving at least $104 a year (but it really is more since we eat more than one box a week and can find it for $1 /box at times). I have just shown you how to save $180 a year, saving money on just three items. And I'm sure you live on more than cereal and nac 'n cheese! So get out there and start saving!

***The biggest and most common question you will find yourself asking is, "Is this a good deal?" Knowing the answer to that is half the battle. I never used to know how much things cost so I never knew if something was a good price or not. I am learning and am much better at that now and know when to pick something up at another store when I know it's cheaper there. One such store is Costco. Many things are less expensive there, but some things aren't the deal you'd expect. I have been making a list of prices of a variety of items there so that I can reference it when I see something on sale somewhere to know if I am really finding a good deal or if I can still get it for less at Costco. I will happily share it with anyone who wants it. I don't know how to post it here as it is a Word document so send me an e-mail or post a comment here and I'll send you a copy of it.

Happy Saving!

P.S. I mentioned saving $83.91. My total spent was $66 this week; that's much more than a 50% savings -wahoo!