I’m taking a couponing class.
I have tried doing coupons in the past to help with my grocery bill, but I’ve given up because of the time commitment or because I don’t want to buy things like Glade Plug-ins and Totino’s Pizza rolls all of the time….or kitty litter…boy are there coupons out there for kitty litter!
My friend Tiffany is teaching a class at my church and I feel so inspired to maximize my savings when she’s talking. To get $238 worth of groceries for $87 makes me so excited…but I haven’t done that yet. Not even close.
In fact, I spent over 2 hours yesterday just clipping and sorting the stupid coupons, and then another hour and a half trying to figure out how to get more online coupons only to realize that if I want to save all that money, I first need to go to the store and buy $70 dollars worth of printer cartridges to even print them all.
I haven’t found a coupon for printer cartridges yet either.
You guys all know how I like to cook…I post the recipes on here for crying out loud! I want to figure out how to buy all of that stuff and save. I plant my own fresh herbs in the summer so that I don’t have to buy them, and I am pretty good about eating things that are in season to help cut down on some costs, but I have to be honest and say… I think there are a LOT of other things I’d rather be doing.
Mostly, I think I’d rather spend 4 hours painting a dresser like the one I did last week and showed you. Or I’d rather go on a walk outside. Or I’d rather get in and out of the grocery store in 35 minutes because I soar through the aisles and get the things on my list. And I don’t know that I want to have to stockpile 6 boxes of cereal (and find room to store them) that I may or may not be in the mood to eat over the next 6 week couponing cycle. And I don’t think that I want to spend the small pockets of time without my kids going to the grocery store just so I can spend 2 hours of uninterrupted shopping and couponing. The truth is…I just don’t know that I’m cut out for cutting out… coupons.
But the fact of the matter is that around this house, we “eat our money” if you know what I mean.
If I can figure out how to play this couponing game, I might have more money leftover for things like buying more of Annie Sloan’s chalk paint and refinishing more furniture. Or maybe I’ll get my laundry room done sooner because it’ll be easier to save since I will be spending less. Somewhere in all this dastardly couponing business, I KNOW there has to be something good….or else, why would people do it?! And I wish I could say that just saving would be enough for me…but the truth is, if I save it…it’s because I’m planning to do something else more fun with it.
Dave Ramsey would hate me…but I do really wish I was more financially organized.
So if you’re here because you think I might ever have great tips for couponing…you better start praying for my sorry unsaving little tookis right now…and maybe, just maybe I’ll get the hang of this thing eventually!
Here’s to hoping that I can stop “putting my money where my mouth is” in this case and become more of the Savvy Spender that my class is trying so hard to teach me how to be!
Good luck! I use coupons, but only buying things that I would already need (cereal, lotions, etc.) Oh, and we do have a cat, so I appreciate the kitty litter coupons. I figured out a simple system that works for me and I stick to that. 🙂
I'm a fickle couponer. I always have good intentions but life often gets in the way and I have to abandon the coupons for a quick trip to the store with 2 kids in tow. Coupons and kids are not an easy combination. The key to couponing (from my expert friends) is that you can't be brand loyal and you have to be willing to shop at multiple stores to buy the items that are on sale. A lot of stores double coupons, and some even do double and triple promotions. Planning ahead is key! Some of my favorite sites are:
moneysavingmom.com
hotcouponworld.com
printablecouponspot.com
coupons.com
couponsurfer.com
Lots of luck!
I am a loyal Publix customer! We eat mostly fresh fruit, veggies, and meats and I have yet to see a coupon for bell peppers or organic milk. Buying Publix brand is my alternative to coupons! My recipes can get a little lengthy and it can be tricky to find everything I need at bi-lo or wal-mart. With gas almost $4 I figure one trip a week to one store with a few coupons for things that were already on my list has to equal out for me in the end. As Logan says… Time is money and I would rather spend it with my family or on a hobby!
i use coupons and have been couponing for years( well before it was so popular!!) but am an exclusive Pulbix shopper. I agree with Marissa…I just don't have time to go to every store any more( i use to do that more before kids). I'll only hit up other ones on occasion if I catch wind of a good sale but usually never bc of a coupon. I do think one of the only ways to save as much as some of the websites claim is to not eat as much fresh and whole foods…which we aren't going to do but I use coupons for things that we do use, pass on the rest, and end up cutting my bill by 30-50% most of the time. Though, I would say that a lot of that is by menu planning around sales as much as it is coupons.
I do usually make a weekly stop at earthfare too bc we buy happy cow milk but they often have a great coupon that helps me get some of the fresh stuff for free!
Logan, I hate coupons. By the time I've gone through the paper for them, combed through where the stores are having the best deals, I've spent more of MY TIME than I would have saved money. And, my time is always billable. So clipping coupons actually costs me more money sometimes because I refuse to go to multiple stores in one day so that my coupon will be doubled at one store just to drive 5 miles to the next store for a BOGO. No thanks.
girl i am with you!! i buy mostly fresh, organic, local food from trader joe's. i mostly cook whole foods (not much processed in our kitchen) so i really don't use those coupons they are always offering. we have a veggie garden this summer & we live near a little local farm. couponing is something i am not going to spend time on at this point in my life. i wish i could get the hang of it but truth be told i would much rather read blogs!