Couponing Craziness

I just wanted to take a moment to let you all know that you're missing out on some fantastic deals when it comes to couponing.

First things first, the common reasons why people don't coupon.
1) "The things I buy never go on sale!"
2) "It takes too long to cut them all out"
3) "Generic is still cheaper, even when you use coupons"
4) "I get so confused by all of this couponing stuff"
5) "I can never find coupons"

Before I defend couponing against these common complaints, I'm going to start off with the fact that in order to be a successful couponista, it usually takes a month before you start seeing real consistent improvements. The keys are flexibility and dedication.

Here's my answers to the complaints:
1) You have to be willing to change your mindset. Don't go in with a list and then looking for coupons/sales. You have to look at what's on sale and make your list from that. Once you've got a successful stockpile started, you'll find that your menu planning gets a little easier.

2) It does take a little time to cut, sort and store. However, when you figure that you can successfully save $10 (easily) or $100 (a little more planning) you're paying yourself to work. Even if it takes you an hour (which it rarely does) and you *only* save $10, you're paying yourself $10/hr. You can make weekly coupon dates with a friend/spouse or even just watch some tv while you do this to make the time go faster. Bonus on working with a friend, you can trade coupons that don't need for ones you do--and you can plan your shopping trips, taking advantage of buy one get one free sales.

3)If you're going in buying things off your list and finding coupons for items on your list, you're right, generic probably is cheaper. However, the key is finding the coupons to match the items on sale and stocking up when it is free/cheap (even if you don't need it right that second). For example, over the course of the week, I ended up with 5 *FREE* boxes of pediacare infant fever drops. One for me, a couple for various other pregnant/new mom friends and a couple for donation to a food bank! The only thing better than free is when they pay you to take an item out of the store and that's possible (but rare) too!

4) You're not alone, I get confused too. However, there are TONS of coupon and sale blogs out there on the internet if you go looking for them. Some of my favorites?
http://mommysmoneysavingobsession.blogspot.com/
http://hip2save.com/
http://www.adventuresofacouponista.blogspot.com/
http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/
http://www.couponsequalcash.com/
http://ingoodcents.com/
http://thriftywifey.com/

Most of these blogs have Facebook pages and newsfeeds and regularly post deals and coupon links there as well. They almost all have more in detail couponing hints/tips/tricks and more store-specific information as well.

5) Finding coupons is as easy as finding the blogs I mentioned previously. The Sunday paper has coupons, most store websites have coupons (Target, Meijer, Kroger, Walgreens), websites (coupons.com, redplum.com, smartsource.com) and company specific websites (bettycrocker.com). The nice part about the blogs is that when they have a specific deal involving an internet-based coupon, they'll give you the link to the coupon. Most of the coupon sites require downloading a printer service, which are free and easy to download.

There's a wealth of opportunities out there if you're willing to do a little initial legwork. Once you get started, you'll find the deals just popping out at you! I'm going to try to keep up and share some of the great deals as I find them.

Your first great deal? Walgreens has Irish Spring deodorant on sale for 2/$6. When you buy 2, you get a $4 register reward (basically a coupon worth $4 that you can use on another order at walgreens). If you have 2, $1 off 1 items, you're saving $2 in coupons, paying $4 out of pocket and getting a coupon for $4 off a future transaction. So you're walking out of there with two Irish Spring deoderants for free (in a sense). The trick with Walgreens Register rewards is remembering to use them before they expire. This is why I usually separate my register reward earning items and my non-register reward earning items into two transactions. Then I can turn around and use them to pay for my other items. Personally I think walgreens is the trickiest couponing to understand, so for more information, you can check out:

http://wildforwags.com/faq/

Happy Savings!