Setting the Table for Savings: Step #7

Stockpiling

I have been so excited to get to this step! This and freezer cooking (which is the next, and last step in the series) are by far my favorite to talk about. You see, you can save money by clipping coupons and buying what is on sale each week; however, you won't see HUGE savings until you begin to stockpile. It is great if Ragu is on sale and you buy one for dinner this week, but that only helps you this week. The basic idea of stockpiling is to buy as much as you can when that item is at it's rock-bottom price! Then you have enough to cover your family until it goes on sale again.

Since I have been doing this for a while I have learned what a good deal is on items that I regularly purchase. When they are at their rock-bottom price I know it is time to stock up. This is where the price book or knowing ALDI's prices comes in handy. ( I talked about this in the "Got coupons, now what" post.) As a rule of thumb, I may buy a few if something is 30-50% off. I really start stocking up when it is more than 50% off! I know when chicken breasts hit 1.77/lb. that it is time to buy A LOT!!!! I won't pay more than $1 for laundry detergent (and I buy name brands), .50 a bag of frozen veggies, .30 for pasta sauce, .50 a box of cereal...and on and on the list goes!

If you have been looking at my Packing the Pantry posts, you have probably noticed that I shop differently than most. My cart may be filled with 6 boxes of cereal, 8 jars of spaghetti sauce, 15 pounds of chicken, 20 cans of tomatoes... That is because most of what I buy goes down to my stockpile... It will take you a little time to start stocking up, but little by little, you will see it grow. Pretty soon you will be able to make many meals just from what you have on hand. Once I make out my meal plan for the week there is usually one 2-3 things that I need to buy to complete that meal, and they are usually perishables.

Below is a photo of some of my stockpile. As you can see, there is a lot of each item there! I try to keep it all organized and keep similar things in the same area. All the canned goods go on the same shelf, all the breakfast items go on the same shelf, and so on... It does take room to stockpile! If you don't have a lot of space you can still stockpile, but you are going to have to get creative on places to put your stuff. I keep my body stuff (shampoo, razors, shaving gel, face wash...) in the upstairs linen closet, everything else goes in the basement. The food goes on the shelving units and the laundry stuff goes by the washer and dryer.

Another big thing is to keep track of what food you have and their expiration dates. I keep a sharpie downstairs and I put the expiration date on each item when I put it away. It is no longer a good deal if it expires and has to be thrown away! Periodically I go down to look and see if something needs to be used. Oh, and let me tell you, someone better not go down and take something that isn't next in line to be used. That is not cool, and is not tolerated in this house!! Ha Ha!! I take my stockpile pretty seriously!

I really believe that when you go from just couponing to stockpiling you will really start saving!!! Like I mentioned before I take out $40 a week and with that I buy what I need for the week and also stock my stockpile! Give it some time and I think you will be surprised at what a difference it makes. I will be back soon with my last post in the series, freezer cooking!

Setting the Table for Savings: Step #6

Organizing Your Coupons

If you have started getting papers, I am sure that you are starting to accumulate a nice stash of coupons! They get overwhelming-so I want to share how I keep mine organized. After all, I am an organizing, list making freak. Not kidding, I really am! I have a color coded index file system for my housework. I create lists of chores for myself and write things down that I have already done just so I can have the satisfaction of crossing something off! Ohhh, that makes me feels wonderful! I know, it is sad, but hey, it is me!

Enough about my weird personality... on to coupons. As you can see, I love organization so I immediately began searching for something for my coupons. Many people start off with just an envelope. That works great until you are searching for one and you spill them all on the floor (yes, I am speaking from experience). Then you have to gather them up and try again. Several times of this and you move on to the accordion coupon file thingy. That works for a little bit, but they maybe have 8 or 10 sections, so you are combining sections together and running out of room.

I quickly moved on to the third thing, and I love it! I bought a zippered 3 ring binder (it is hot pink, and oh so cute!) from Wal-Mart. I filled it with different colored tabs and baseball card protectors. I love it because I put my coupons in the baseball holders and I can see all of them. No more spilling them on the floor! It cost me about $20, maybe a little less, to get started. If you are really into couponing, it is worth the investment. Now, I suppose you could buy a not so cute binder a little cheaper, but I figured if I am toting this thing to the store every week I need to make it cute =)

I divided mine up in different categories and then grouped them next to similar categories. I have also heard of people doing them alphabetically, like all the pickles wouldn't be in canned goods. The Mt. Olive's would be under M, and so forth. I say, whatever works best for you is what to go with. I am going to give you my list, just to get you thinking of different category ideas.

Cleaning Supplies
Dish
Laundry
Body
Shaving
Hair Care
Oral Health
Make-up
Medicine
Plastics
Paper
Air Fresheners
Samson (yes, my dog needs his own category)
Misc.
Candy/Gum
Baking
Canned
Condiments
Grains
Beverages
Meat
Frozen
Dairy
Snacks

For a while I started making my list and gathering the coupons that matched my list and just heading off to the store. I quickly realized that I need to take all of my coupons with me. A lot of times there are things that are an unadvertised sale or on clearance. Without your coupons you miss out on that stuff! There have been several times where it has really paid off to have them all with me!

Setting the Table for Savings: Step #5

Coupon Lingo/Coupon Etiquette

When I was first starting out on this couponing adventure I was so confused. I found all these deals, but I couldn't understand any of their shorthand. Somebody would write that there was a good deal on Peanut Butter, if you had the MQ from the 11/12 RP and if you bought 3 you got a cat for $2 OYNO. Wow, like I wasn't overwhelmed and confused enough already! When I started doing this I didn't know ANYBODY who did this, so I was completely on my own. You are lucky, you can just get all your info here!!! So, I want to go over all these common abbreviations so you aren't as confused as I was.

Q-Coupon

MQ- Manufacturer Coupon

OOP- Out of Pocket

BOGO- Buy One Get One

YMMV-Your Mileage May Vary. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't

TQ-Target Coupons

MM-Meijer Mealbox Coupons (Meijer Store Coupons)

SQ- Store Coupons

BC-Before Coupons

AC-After Coupons

WYB-When You Buy

CAT-Catalina, the coupons that print out when you buy certain things.

PEELIES-Coupons that are stuck to items around the store.

BLINKIES-Coupons that come out of dispensers in the aisles.

RP-Red Plum (coupon insert in the Sunday paper)

SS-Smart Source (coupon insert in the Sunday paper)

PG-P&G (coupon insert once a month in the Sunday paper)

OVERAGE/MONEYMAKER- When your coupon value is worth more than the item's purchase price. Some stores allow it and some stores adjust the coupon down to the price of the item. If they allow it, the money comes off the rest of your order. Example: This week at Meijer I purchased a dozen eggs. The price of the eggs was .88 and my coupon said FREE eggs (up to $2 ). The coupon took off the whole $2, so besides getting free eggs I got an additional $1.12 off my order. Awesome, isn't it! You can use overage to pay for things on your order that rarely have coupons. All I can say is, I am all over the moneymakers, right Dad??? (sorry, inside joke with my dad! He laughs at me because I get so EXCITED over the moneymakers!)

My first moneymaker was a funny one, and one that I don't use by the way. It was for Preparation H wipes. I didn't need them, but it was a moneymaker so naturally I got all I could. The deal was at Walmart, and I made at least $1 on each box I got! I was so excited, and not the least bit embarrassed by purchasing them. I bet the cashier thought I had terrible hemorrhoids considering I went through the line just about every day with a few boxes. I would just throw in something for a couple bucks in with the wipes and I walked out for free every time! I did use 1 box for a funny Christmas gift for my Grandparents. They always made fun of me for getting all this free stuff, SO...I made them a gift basket of all sorts of things I had gotten free that year! Just for Men, Preparation H wipes, toilet paper....to name a few. (After my 2 aunts saw what I got free they immediately became hooked on this couponing thing, now they are crazier than me!)

Limit one per purchase/Limit one per transaction-There is a big difference between these two terms! It is very important that you know the difference because many cashiers don't and they will try to tell you that you can't use your coupons. Each item you buy is a purchase. If you buy 2 frozen pizza's, that is 2 purchases and you can use a coupon for both of them. Your whole grocery order is a transaction. If the coupon says 1 per transaction, then you can only use 1. I have run into this many times. I just explain to them that a purchase is 1 item, and usually that works. If it doesn't, you can kindly ask to speak to a manager, and they will explain it to them.

Double Coupons-Kroger has unlimited double coupons up to .50, everything above .50 will double to $1. For instance, if you have a .75 coupon it will take off $1. Meijer also doubles the same way, but they will only double up to 2 of the same coupon in one order. If you have 4 of the same coupons, just make sure to put them in two different orders so they both double. It is a pain, but I want my coupons doubled so I do it!!!

Let's say you have two coupons for peanut butter, one is .50 off 1 and the other is $1 off 2. Which one is better??? They appear the same, and they are if you are at Walmart of Target or someplace that doesn't double. If you are at Kroger or Meijer the .50 off 1 is more valuable because it doubles. So it is really worth $1 off 1. It is important to remember that when you are shopping!

Coupon Etiquette-Just don't be rude! That is why a lot of people are put off by couponers. I have dealt with some pretty RUDE couponers, and nothing frustrates me more! Here are my two biggest pet peeves about couponers-

1. Shelf Clearers-Simply put, don't take everything the store has. If it is a good deal and you ordered 50 coupons for laundry detergent, that is fantastic, but don't take all 50 bottles the store has. Make several trips to get them all. The store doesn't want you to buy that much at one time anyways. Sometimes I will order 20 coupons online, but I try and space out my purchases.

2.Rudeness at Checkout-One time CVS had a big sale and these two rude ladies were going to check out and they each had two cartfuls of stuff. I mean CARTFULS, and they each split it up into about 20 different orders each. I stood there for 30 minutes or more waiting to get my four things. I was furious, to say the least. They saw me, and just kept going and going! When I finally got to check out the cashier said they do that every week! Now they should know better than to do that! I just ask that you would use common courtesy, or you may recieve some not so nice words from someone, as they did from me!!!! When you go to check out just make sure that you have all of your coupons together and are ready to go. It will save a lot of time if you are organized.

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.

Setting the Table for Savings: Step #3

Collecting Coupons

Now that we are past setting a budget and how to menu plan it is time to move on to coupons!

Today I am going to share some different ways that I get my coupons.


1-The Newspaper

Ok, I am sure everybody knew this one! If you don't already, start getting a paper or two every week. I get between 2-4 every week, depending on what coupons are coming out. I wouldn't recommend getting more than 2 if you are starting out, you don't want to get overwhelmed! Then you'll just get frustrated and quit.


2-Internet Printable Coupons

You will often see these referred to as IP's. There are all kinds of coupons online just waiting for you to print them. When I see a high dollar coupon or one for a product I always use I go ahead and print off 2. Otherwise, I just wait and see if one matches up with the weekly sales. (After you print your first coupon, hit the back button, and then the refresh button. That way you can print 2!) Here are some websites that I print manufacturers coupons from regularly:

http://www.coupons.com/


http://www.smartsource.com/


http://www.pillsbury.com/


http://www.bettycrocker.com/


3- Store Coupons

Meijer has store coupons that you can print off your computer. If you go to http://www.meijermealbox.com/ you will find a ton of them. You can use them along with your manufacturers coupon. That makes for some awesome deals!


Kroger has e-coupons which can be loaded onto your shoppers card. You can go to Kroger's website and find information or to http://www.shortcuts.com/ or http://www.pgesaver.com/. Once they are loaded on your card, you are set. When you purchase that item it will automatically come off at the register. They are really neat!


4- Coupon Clipping Service
I was surprised to find out that you can order coupons off of Ebay. Crazy, isn't it! If a good coupon comes out and you want to stock up, your best route is to order from a clipping service. It ends up being a lot cheaper than buying 20 papers. There are all kinds of clipping services, but I have always bought on Ebay. Last year there was a coupon out for a free bag of Pedigree Good Bites dog treats. I got 20 coupons for about 6 bucks! Those treats are usually pretty expensive, so that was a great deal at .30 a bag! I have also bought coupons for a LOT less than $6! The price just depends on the popularity and value of the coupon. I would highly recommend using this method.


5. Catalinas

Catalinas (often reffered to as cat's) are coupons that spit out of that machine by the cash register. You get them when you have purchased a special promotion. There was a recent deal with Fleischmann's Yeast- get .50 off your next order when you purchase 1 strip of yeast. The .50 coupon spit out after you purchased a strip, and you can use it just like cash off your next purchase. On http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ they have forums dedicated to catalinas for certain stores. You just have to remember that you have them as they usually expire about 2 weeks after you get them.

Setting the Table for Savings: Step #2

Menu Planning


How many times have you looked in the pantry at 5 o'clock searching for something to throw together for dinner? Then you inevitably end up ordering pizza! I have totally been there! I am ashamed to admit that I used to run to the grocery store almost every day. I just couldn't get it together! I would try to come up with an idea for dinner on my drive home from work, then I would try to remember everything I needed for that recipe. I would always forget an ingredient or find I already had some of the ingredients at home! Ugh...that used to drive me insane.

Going to the grocery without your weekly list is death to your grocery budget! You run in to pick up stuff for dinner, and always leave with a few extra things. I always said I couldn't get out of the grocery store for less than $20.

Eventually when I started this whole coupon adventure I realized I had to have my coupon/deal list together, so...why not make my menu plan/shopping list at the same time. What a great idea, huh? I don't know why the genius thought of a real menu plan had never popped into my brain? I guess I liked to see what I was in the mood for that day.

What I do is sit down with my grocery ads, a pen, paper, and our calendar every week (or you can do it for every 2 weeks or a month) and plan it out. I figure out what days I am too busy to cook a big meal and so on... If you know every Wednesday is rushed because of church obligations then don't plan to make a gourmet meal. Maybe stick to soup and grilled cheese. I do a lot of freezer cooking, so when I have a busy night making cakes I try to pull something out of the freezer since I know I won't have time to really cook. If you know Monday's are free, try out a new recipe or cook something that is a little more time consuming. You get the idea, right? Basically, you want to avoid setting yourself up for failure!

Another thing I take into account when I make my menu is what is on sale that week. If I know that apples are on sale, then I will buy apples not grapes. If chicken is on sale I buy chicken, not beef! Just try to be conscious of prices, that's all!

One more way to save is to stretch ingredients. If you put tacos on your menu and are going to be buying sour cream, make sure you have another meal that week that will use it up. I will try to make hashbrown casserole, chicken chimichangas, or chicken and rice the same week. I know it is only a few bucks, but it really adds up! If you make spaghetti, mix up the leftovers and make baked spaghetti another evening! I could go on and on...but, you are smart, you can figure out some more ideas :)

A huge component to saving is to incorporate some cheaper meals every week. Now, just because they are cheaper doesn't mean your family will notice. A favorite for many is breakfast for dinner. Who doesn't love pancakes, eggs, and bacon? Make a big pot of soup and serve with warm, crusty bread or a green salad. How about a casserole? See, there are all kinds of inexpensive ideas! I try to incorporate at least one of these a week!

Now, sit down and plan out your menu for the week, keeping in mind:

1.What is on sale this week

2.What you already have on hand

3.What your schedule looks like this week

4.What inexpensive meals your family enjoys

You've got your menu now, so go ahead and write out all the ingredients you need and head to the store! Try to buy only what is on your list!

Setting the Table for Savings: Step #1

Setting a Budget

I think there is a negative stigma when it comes to the word BUDGET. Maybe you think a budget will restrict you too much, when in all actuality a budget will set you free. Successful budgeting can help enable you to live a debt free life! Now, who doesn't want that!

When we were married, Daniel and I came up with a budget, and have pretty much had one the whole time. I can't say I have followed it the whole time, I am not perfect after all! We do a cash budget, and I would HIGHLY recommend that. It doesn't leave room for user error. In other words, if I have $5 in my pocket I can't spend $5.25, or even $5.01.

When I started this whole couponing thing I just started chasing deals left and right. Then I realized I needed to tighten up the budget, there was too much wiggle room. I love challenges so for the new year I started us on a $50/week budget. People(I won't mention their names, in case they are reading!!!), said it isn't possible if I wanted to serve well balanced meals. Well...they were wrong! In fact after a few weeks it was no longer challenging and I lowered it to $40/week. Now, almost a year later, we use an average of $30/week, and we eat well! (that is for 2 people) I don't say this to brag or say your budget should be the same. I do say this to encourage you to challenge yourself to look at your own budget; set some goals for yourself! If I can do it, so can you!

So, go and figure out what you have been spending and what you want to be spending. I mean, how can you save if you don't even know where you started at. What do you buy at the grocery that you could easily make yourself? What do you buy that you really don't need? The whole point is to save money, not spend the same and get more stuff. Just think, if you were to cut your budget by $10/week you would save $520 in a year. If you were to cut $20/week you could save $1,040 in a year. I would rather save that $1,040, wouldn't you?

Next I will get into menu planning and how that is a big component in your savings!