I'm seeing coupons when I close my eyes!

My blog isn't a sales/couponing blog, it's my journal, but I have to do a post about sales/couponing to share how it is my newest hobby!

Thanks to my wonderful friends on our trip to Spokanne a little over a month ago, especially Cortney who is my coupon queen hero, I've been having more fun at the grocery stores than ever, but spending way less money than ever.  You have to understand, I've not exactly been the most thrifty person in the world.  So this is a big step for me.  Normally, if I want something and can afford it, I buy it.  End of story.  But if I can afford it AND save even more money, why not try?

On my girls getaway, we each bought a Sunday paper for its coupons, a 3 ring binder, a pack of baseball card collector insert pages, and tabbed dividers.   We labeled our dividers with the different grocery store departments and cut and organized our coupons accordingly.  They taught me how to try to get free items with multiple coupons on "BOGO" sales (buy one get one free) and using Albertsons doublers coupons (doubles the value of the manufacturer's coupon) and rebates/rewards/in store coupons/catalinas.  They sent me home with my militia for savings and a list of blogs/websites that give buying tips/specials on multiple Sunday papers/ more online coupons.  They've created a monster!  Just kidding.  But I'm having fun.

I spent a lot of time at first reading blogs and watching You Tube couponing videos.  I kind of had to hear it all several times to finally remember it all.  I hunted for web sties that offered online coupons.  I signed up for rebate progams with local grocery stores. I joined e-mail groups for discounts and specials.  I finally felt ready to use some coupons!

I got in my car, drove down the road with a mission... and then I chickened out.  I just went to Walmart and used the coupons from all the other stores' ads (Our Walmart accepts coupons from other stores that are just a percentage off or a sale price- no BOGO's or 3 for 1.00, etc.).   I saved $20.00 on my very ordinary shopping trip.  Which was nice compared to never saving anything at all!  But not much considering I spent $120.00....  I knew I had to get out of my comfort zone of always just going to Walmart where they are never OUT of anything and have everything I ever need all in one store. And are the closest store to my house.

I got my Sunday paper subscriptions, 10 of them, actually.  5 from one paper, 4 from another, and the small local paper with our local one-of-a-kind grocery store ads.  Originally, I planned to purchase just ONE paper from each to see which I liked most.  But two weeks in a row, when I went to buy the Sunday paper, they were out of papers on Sunday in the outdoor stands and then out of papers inside stores too by Monday morning.  So I used the coupon discount subscription available through a local savings blog to try out all 3 papers which gives you so many Sunday papers for less.  I meant to "fire" one subscription but I can't seem to decide which one to lose and I kind of like having so many coupons for each item with the great food storage sales that come on. 

Last week I spent $49.00 at Albertsons on $69.00 worth of things.  Still only $20.00 off, but this time, a discount of 33%.  But I also got a $15.00 off-next-purchase coupon at the register for buying enough of certain promotional items.  I used that coupon today when I went and hit more sales with more coupons and spent $18.00 on $82.00 worth of groceries.  That's 78% off!  And they were out of all their best deals which I got rainchecks for.  Had those things been there today, I would have spent another $7.14 on another $56.83 worth of groceries!   Which would bring my savings to 82% off!  Then I hit Rite Aid and bought diapers so there went my savings =(  OK not all my savings.  But dang, diapers are expensive!  Although these were on sale, had a rebate, and I had a coupon.   Last, I went to Walgreens and got 66% off a few toiletries like deoderant.  These stores are fortunately not too far apart in my small town, otherwise, I'd be less adventurous.  And, sorry, no pictures.  Maybe if this was a couponing blog or if I wasn't so tired from the shopping.  I was not bread to be a shopper, my feet and back don't last more than an hour.

For anyone that does not do this, if you're like me, you've heard it can take tons of time.  I think it certainly CAN.  Especially for me, because I had to take the time to keep re-reading all the info. about it at first.  For some reason my mind just could not fathom savings like that being real and just couldn't grasp it, even though it's very simple.  Now I only spend an hour a week cutting coupons, plus the time to shop at which ever stores I go to. Which is usually just Albertsons and maybe Walgreens too.

I think I also cut less coupons than many couponers do because I refuse to buy anything I don't currently use.  I see a lot of couponing women at the store with carts full of things I don't ever eat.  I might go for a brand I don't normally use if I can buy it cheaper, but I'm not going to buy a dozen desserts or a bunch of processed foods on killer deals because we don't normally eat that way and I'm not willing to take things home just to waste them.  I can afford to buy healthier groceries without sales and coupons so I'm not willing to let saving money hurt my family's diet.  In my opinion, the majority of coupons are for highly processed garbage fad food.  So I don't cut NEAR as many coupons as someone who might feed their family ONLY from what comes on sale and has a coupon with it.  However, if I did eat that way, my regular savings would be even higher.

Brielle went with me today and we had a lot of fun.  She's helping me cut coupons out and she's quite the little straight-line cutting perfectionist.  Every bright colored tag she sees on groceries at the store, she has to shout, "Mom, this is on SSSAAALLLLEEEE!!!!!"

So there it is, I'm having much more fun building up my food storage.  Thank you, Cortney for introducing me to this!  Todd thinks it's super cool.  And I'm excited to be the world's newest thrifty mom.