Monday, November 9, 2009

Setting the Table for Savings: Step #4

Got your coupons? Now what?

I hope you got a paper or two on Sunday. If so, you are probably ready to get started saving, so I will now go into more detail of how/when to use all these coupons. Just to warn you, you probably won't use more than 10-15 % of them; you will save enough from the ones that you will use to make it worth the cost of buying the paper.

I want to make sure you don't fall prey to buying something just because you have a coupon. Many people just start buying to buy and think they are doing good because the got money off their order. On the other hand, I hear people say that even with a coupon the store brand is cheaper. I want you to learn WHEN to use that coupon and WHEN to hold on to it! That is what is really going to save you money

Many couponers have a price book, that way you know when things are a good price. You write down the price of yogurt at Meijer, Kroger, and everywhere else you go. If it runs around .50 each normally and you see it for .25, then you know it is a good deal. Me, I have never done this. Personally, I think it is a lot of work and quite frankly I don't have the time. I don't even have time to get done what has to get done in a day, why add more work! Now, I am a numbers person and I generally remember what the prices for things are and what is a good stock up price. I realize a lot of people aren't, and so maybe that would work for you.

I would advise going to ALDI and checking out their prices! They really can't be beat! I shop at Kroger and Meijer for deals, and then I go to ALDI to get anything else I need. I sent a friend there for the first time last week; she got a carfull for $50 and said it would have cost her well over $100 anywhere else. (I really think ALDI should hire me, I sing their praises to SO many people I meet, chances are if you have ever met me I have tried to convince you to go there, I even visited like every ALDI I saw in Germany...that was super cool, so ALDI, what are you waiting for, go on and put me on a commercial!!!)

Ok, sorry, back to coupons, if I see that Kroger has stewed tomatoes for .29 a can, and ALDI runs .49 a can that is a stock up price! If I can get something cheaper than at ALDI then it is generally a good price and time to buy all I can!

That is how I figure out a good deal. If it is cheaper than I can buy it at ALDI I buy all I can, if it is something I use, of course. You need to know what you use on a regular basis and those are the main things you want to look for.

Different brands are always on sale. In order to get the BEST deals you can't be brand loyal. If you are, you may save a little, but you won't ever see huge savings. I will buy any brand of peanut butter, cereal, bread, and whatever else. It is fine if you are brand loyal, just know that you won't get as many deals.

The super stock up deals come when the item is on sale for a great price and you have a coupon match up. Even better is when there is a store coupon for the item too!! A couple weeks ago Kroger had a big sale on Cheez-its. I don't remember the exact price before coupons, but with the mega sale discount and my coupon I got each box for .25 cents! Now if I had just went out and bought the Cheez-its at regular price and used my coupon I would have payed a lot more per box. So, it is all about the combination of the two!

When you get your grocery ads you can find the deals one of two ways.

1. Lay out your ads and go through them writing down things that look like a good deal. Now go back and look through your coupons and see if you have any match ups. Then make your list of what you are going to buy and gather the coupons. A great resource that I use all the time is a coupon database at http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ . Go to the website and click on coupon database and you can type in anything and see if there is a coupon out for it. It took me a while to find this resource, and I am so thankful for it, as it saves tons of time!

2. Go to a blog that has match-ups for the grocery stores you frequent. I go to http://www.mommysnack.net/ for my deals. If there is a week when I don't have time to do it myself (which is most of them) I just go there and she has it all ready for me. So convenient!!! They will list the sale price and the coupon match-ups and put the final price. I just skim through and see what jumps out at me.

So, for a summary...

1. Get familiar with store prices (with a price book or knowing ALDI's prices) so you can spot a deal

2. Go through the weekly circulars and look up the deals or go to a blog that already has the work done for you

3. Hold your coupons until the item is on sale

4. Only buy items at their rock bottom prices

5.When you find those great deals (on something you use ), buy as many as you can and stock up to get you through til the next deal comes.






3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay! I made it to your blog :)

Anonymous said...

Hi I work with your sister. I love your blog and freezer meal ideas. Im going to get your book. I have started some of the girls we work with on coupons! : )

Katie said...

Thanks for checking out my blog! I will be doing a whole post just on how I do freezer cooking. It should come out this week or next week, so make sure to check back!

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