Katie Greene- Using Coupons!

Someone actually asked me the other day, “Why do you use coupons? Don’t you end up paying more because you don’t usually buy that item?” I was surprised. I tried to explain about coupons, but it didn’t seem to get across. If I don’t usually buy the product (which is most of the time) then I don’t pay more than a dollar or so per product. Usually it’s pennies on the dollar for me to buy it. Especially since I have stocked up most items we could possibly need. For example:

I went to Walmart the other day and got 10 packs of white cloud (6 double rolls) for $1 a piece. I went back and got 5 more and then had to find a way to store it. (if you missed the deal, buy the 6 double roll pack that is $2 and use this $1 coupon. Print 5 coupons per computer. It says for green product, but our Walmart had no problem with it and it doesn’t even beep at the register) Take Walmart’s coupon policy with you just in case. They used to give me trouble until this was put out. Now I have no issues with any coupons.

I’m not sure if other people do this, but we tend to stock pile when things go on sale. This way we don’t run out of anything and we never have to pay full price. Stocking up gives us a chance to find and use coupons for the greatest deal possible.

This is my cart with $10 worth (10 packs).

We are in the process of both having a new baby and moving, so adding more things to the house can be tricky.

What is the best way you keep all of your stock pile together?

We have a few cabinets that house most of our bathroom items such as shampoo, soap, and razors. But recently as some of you know, I have been able to stock up on diapers for our second child (and for our first) We call it “The Great Wall of Huggies” The entire wall cost under $100, and we got wipes for a similar deal. Not quite as many but still cheap.

Excuse the mess, we are trying to get packed for moving, yet get things ready for baby.

As of right now, this is how we have to keep our diapers. Piled against a wall. When we move, we will have them in a closet.

Using coupons has saved us over $1,000 on baby items alone this past month. With a little over $300 spent (including a double stroller that was around $200 brand new and a baby bouncer seat).

I was talking to a cashier at the store who told me, “It’s great you can do this. I simply don’t have any time” I tried to let her know it really only takes a moment before you hit the stores, but she was sure it was impossible. I got to thinking about the fact that people are intimidated by coupons. This makes me very sad for these people. For me it may be easier than some, since I am a stay at home mommy, but it is very easy to check the blogs, print a couple of coupons and head to the store.

My best way of doing this without taking up a lot of time is to use facebook. (follow our page here ) Like as many money saving/coupon sites as possible, and you can take one look and see if anything interesting is going on. (example: you may see a post that says, Free item at walmart)

Print only coupons of things that you will need. Unless it will be free or close to free, I try not to print it. Or if it’s for something I use all the time, then I do print the coupon.

Some of the best resources for coupons are 3 major sites:

http://www.coupons.com/

http://www.smartsource.com/

http://www.redplum.com/

And buying the newspaper every Sunday.

There are Sundays where I miss getting a paper, so I choose to buy the coupons I want. I use either a coupon clipping service (I usually google to see which ones have my favorite coupons) or ebay. But never pay more than the coupons are worth. It sounds silly but I see it all the time. I usually only pay up to .50 a coupon *if it’s worth over $2.50* and only about .10 per coupon if it’s not. So be careful if you buy this way.

The second way to get great deals is to shop at stores that will adjust coupons or give overage. By this I mean stores like Target, Walgreens and now Walmart! If you take a coupon in for over the amount of a product, Target and Walgreens will “adjust down” that coupon. Example: If the item is $1.50 and you have a $2 coupon, both stores will only give you $1.50 discount, so the item is free. This is a great way to stock up the cupboards for only the tax (must pay the tax on the original amount). But now Walmart will take a coupon for over the amount and give you the extra $$ toward your purchase! I tried it out and it works!

http://www.target.com/ has tons of coupons that are mostly store coupons (which you can stack with a manufacturers coupon to get an even better deal) But once in a while they have manufacturers coupons on there. Right now is a $2 off Revlon beauty tools. Walmart carries nail clippers for $1.48. Use this coupon to get an extra .52 toward your basket. I have 4 of these coupons (print 2 per computer) so I will have a couple of dollars of free.

Once you are comfortable with coupons you will find yourself having a hard time paying regular price. Be sure to rotate items also so you don’t end up with a bottle of shampoo that’s 5 years old in the back. Take your newest items and put them at the back. This will help save money too by not having to throw away old items.

One last thing, do not get into the mentality “I have half a bottle. I don’t need any right now” If you wait until you need it, you will most likely pay more for it. Give yourself time to find deals, and be sure to get multiples if you have enough coupons. *I recently bought 10 softener coupons that made our favorite kind $1 a bottle instead of $4. I bought 10 of them and stored them away*