I had my first couponing shopping trip. I thank everyone who gave me advice on this. That SouthernSavers.com website has GREAT advice and also links to coupons which is very nice. I planned my trip based on couponmom.com which puts together the sales from your local grocery store with the recent coupons. It is really neat because I have learned that it is very possible to buy toothpaste and deodorant FREE or for $.50 or less, if you aren't brand loyal. I have told DH that we are both going to stop caring so much about which brand we use on our armpits!!
That being said I carefully only bought things we use and combined that list with coupons and what was on sale. Even so, though, I was kind of underwhelmed when I got to the checkout counter at Walmart. I paid just over $39 and with the coupons it was reduced to $33. It was NOT the incredible savings I see on the morning shows. That being said, though, since I was mostly buying things on sale I think I probably got about $60 of groceries for my $33 which IS good.
One bad element of the day though was that I LOST my coupon keeper filled with coupons somewhere between the Walmart parking lot and my house!!! I now need to go purchase another coupon keeper! BUT I did get my toes wet on this thing and tomorrow morning I plan to get a couple of extra Sunday papers to get at least three of each coupon. Plus my mother in law says she will save them for me.
Fortunately, although I did lose some good coupons when I lost the coupon keeper, since the website recommends that you keep the coupons in their circulars (dated) until you need to use them, I still have most of the coupons I have saved from the last month.
I do need to remember, though, that couponing can be addictive and NOT buy things I won't use.
First Couponing Shopping Trip!
February 12th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
February 12th, 2011 at 11:06 pm 1297552016
Rather than buy x-tra papers, can you ask your neighbors or colleagues at work for their Sunday inserts? The ladies on TV dumpster dived! I wonder what the library does with their inserts.
If you already do menu plans kudos, if not, it only adds a few minutes to work out a plan from store flyers for outlets on your normal route. I can tell you from experience it dropped my stress level by 50% to know what I needed to do to get dinner to table for the hungry mob. My food bill dropped more than 30% and we were eating healthier, less processed stuff.
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