Clipping and Saving

I realize it has been more than a long time since I last posted to this blog. I really feel like I am ready to start blogging again. I guess I felt like I really didn't have anything important to write about, but as I read others blogs, I realize that we are all the same. I just like reading about the lives of those I care about, so hopefully some of you will enjoy reading about mine!

Anyway, I recently posted to facebook about getting $159.00 worth of groceries this week for $89.00. I have had several people ask me how they can do the same thing, and they definitely can; it just takes a little time, clipping, research and consideration before heading off on the weekly shopping trip.
The picture above shows the groceries I bought (minus 2 large bottle of arm and hammer clothing detergent that I put away before I took the picture). As you can notice by looking at the items, many of them are non-produce/non-perishable items. Coupons are mainly available from name brand companies only, which means you have to be very careful, or you will still end up spending more at the grocery than if you bought store brands without coupons. I am simply going to let you know my weekly process for grocery shopping, and here's hoping it works for you!
Step 1: First, I look in my freezer, fridge, and cabinets to see what ingredients I already have. Basically, what do I already have that I can use towards this week's meals. I mainly focus on things that need to be used soon. I write down the meals that we could have based off of what I need to use.
Step 2: I stop on the way home from church to buy a Sunday paper. (Make sure the coupon portion is in the paper; sometimes people take the coupons without buying the paper.) Usually after church on Sunday night, I sit down and clip coupons. I don't clip them all, only the ones I think I'll really use. The best coupons are usually .50 off of 1 item because I shop at Kroger, and they double coupons up to $1. So, if the coupon is for .30, it doubles to .60, but if it is .75, it doesn't double (get it?:) Be very careful to check on the coupon to see if it says "do not double or triple" because it will obviously not double.
Step 3: I go to Kroger.com (or coupons.com if you shop somewhere else) under "In Store" at the top, I got to "coupons." There, you can print coupons that are the same as using the ones from the paper. So, I have gathered all of my coupons.
*side note: I have a binder which has envelope labeled for each store section (if you want me to list them, let me know). I sort the coupons into these envelopes for easy access while shopping with a 19 month old.
Step 4: MOST IMPORTANT!! I go again to Kroger.com and go to "In Store" and "Weekly Ads," where I type in my zip code. This is where I look through the store ads to see what is on sale and what promotions are running for the week. (My mom likes to do her coupon shopping once a month, but I prefer weekly because I can take advantage of weekly specials and use my coupons when they benefit me the most.) Look through the ad and note any coupons you have for those products because you will want to use the coupon in conjunction with the sale they are having. This week Kroger is running a "buy 10 participating items, and save $5 at the register" sale. Several of my coupon items were on this list, so this was a good week to shop! For instance, today, I had a coupon for $1.00 off of any 2 Arm and Hammer laundry products. The detergent I bought is usually $6.98, but it was on sale AND on the list for the "buy 10" promotion. So, since I did buy 10 participating items (you have to be sure to keep count) I got each of the detergents for $2.99 plus I used my coupon, so ended up buying them for $2.49 each, a savings of $4.49 a bottle!
Step 5: Plan Meals: Based on the items already in my pantry plus the items for which I am going shopping, I make a detailed meal list on my refrigerator. This helps me shop and also helps me stick to cooking and eating at home to save even more money. This is definitely the fun part!
I know this all sounds confusing, but once you get used to it, it is really easy to know when to buy and when to wait! You will begin to notice trends of when your particular store puts certain items on sale, so you can hold onto your coupons for that item until then.
Here are some final tips for saving money instead of spending more using coupons:
1.) Don't feel like just because you have a coupon, you have to use it. Make sure you are actually saving money by doing so.
2.) Be careful not to buy things your family won't use.
3.) Use coupons to stock up on non-perishable food items and health and beauty products, so you can take those out of your grocery budget for a while and put that money towards something more fun!
4.) Don't be brand specific. If you are like me, you have certain things you only want in certain brands (i.e. toilet paper and peanut butter). For everything else, be flexible, and you will save money for sure.
5.) Plan, plan, plan. Planning for the weeks shopping and meals makes me feel organized, so I can spend my daytime thinking about other things besides "what's for dinner?"
I hope this blog entry has given you some useful info when it comes to clipping coupons. Feel free to comment with any questions or success stories you have when it comes to coupons. I am not an expert by any means, but I do enjoy seeing that "Total Savings: 46%" on my receipt. It makes the time spent planning worth it! Happy shopping!