HELP! I need some advice

[masonb]

I am new here and have been reading and reading about couponing. I have my binder all set, file my coupons by date, subscribe to 3 newspapers, etc. etc....

I need some advice on how to save big???? Is there a section on this forum on how to "work" the sales?? I still spent $125 today even though I had coupons. How do people spend only $80 for example per week for a family of 5??

Soooo.... again my question is....is there a step by step guide on how to do this to save lots of money?? Any advice would be appreciated. THANKS!

K from lllinois:wink7:

[CouponSAHM]

My best advice is to have multiples of the same coupon and start to stockpile as things go on sale. Many towns have a free weekly paper with inserts or sign up on our trading forum to find extras. You will still have a large out of pocket in the beginning but as you stockpile basics, your weekly totals will go down. Let's give an example of ketchup. If you only have 3 coupons from your papers you can buy 3 ketchups. Wait for a sale to hit and this will save you additionally. This may last your family 3 months. If you had 12 coupons and waited for a sale this could last your family 12 months. Therefore never running out of ketchup and paying full price again. Do this slowly and within a few months you will have a good stockpile going and can focus only on the basics (milk, bread, produce) and the things that are really cheap.

[jillynoodle]

sounds like you are very motivated thats the first part...getting organized and getting coupons:BigHand:...its different for everyone but my top advice would be..

my goal is to have a stockpile in items we use daily or weekly so i can but these when they are super cheap(half price with a coupon) so i might have 20 shaving creams right now which seems a bit odd but you will never see me paying full price for it and because i may have twenty i can be real choosy if i want to go for a sale or choose only to get more if its free or .25...thats just an example...i pretty much do this with everything...stockpiles dont happen over night but youll see if you keep with it you will get the hang of it

keeep reading on this forum...go to the forums of the stores you have available to shop at and get your weekly deals you want to do from reading...alot. it seems difficult in the beggining till you get the hang of it so maybe do one store at a time..everyone has different policies on coupons so its easier to tackle them one at a time..start with your grocery store forum

buy more than one paper...or however you get your coupons(from relatives , friends, gas station) because if you only have one of a coupon not so good on getting the most out of a deal, when you could be getting four of something with more coupons and working twards your stockpile, you will only have one and its just too time consuming i think if your just buying one product..just my opinion...so watch on the forum when they do the preview of sundays coupons and see if theres alot or a little and adjust how many papers to get...also so good for trading for coupons on deals in your area...most people dont want to use stamps for only a couple coupons

and thats about all i can think of..read alot on this website, buy multiple papers, and stockpile:smile: wow this i think was the longest post i have ever done lol!!:giggle2:

[masonb]

WOW! Thanks... So is there an item (items) that I should focus in on stockpiling first? In otherwords, say health and beauty aids first? It seems to me there are more H&B coupons out there. Thanks so much for your informative response. It really is fun and addicting, isnt it??

[petergabrielfan]

WOW! Thanks... So is there an item (items) that I should focus in on stockpiling first? In otherwords, say health and beauty aids first? It seems to me there are more H&B coupons out there. Thanks so much for your informative response. It really is fun and addicting, isnt it??
My biggest suggestion would be to stockpile only those items that your family uses a lot of. If no one in your family eats cereal, having a giant stockpile of cereal isn't going to be helpful to you even if it's free. KWIM? I stockpile both HBA and food items, but my HBA stockpile is always bigger because a lot of the drugstores use those items as "free" or "free after rebate" loss leaders to lure shoppers into the store. Smart shoppers only get the items that are free or very, very cheap after rebate. :giggle2:You will get to a point where you will think $.50 is too much to pay for toothpaste or deodorant because you know it will come up as a loss leader somewhere soon and you'll begin to learn the sales schedules.

I also totally agree with the poster who suggested getting multiple copies of the Sunday coupons. That's really one of the best ways to enable yourself to get lots of freebies and cheapies. A great source for that is Dollar Tree (if you don't have anyone who will give them to you for free). My Sunday paper is $2 normally, but it is only $1 at Dollar Tree. You might want to check your Dollar Tree first because not all locations have the Sunday paper.

Don't let yourself get bogged down if you find out you didn't do as well on a deal as you could've or things are hard/frustrating at first. I used to stress about a stockpile but now that I'm in a routine I can stockpile for my own family and I donate boxes of things to my friend's church that I get for free or less than $1.00.

My last suggestion: stick with this website. The BEST deal hunters and the most helpful people hang out here and are always willing to pass on a good deal or sale match-up. :wink7:

Sorry for the novel, but I know how overwhelming it seems to get things rolling. You'll be a pro in no time!

[kval07]

WOW! Thanks... So is there an item (items) that I should focus in on stockpiling first? In otherwords, say health and beauty aids first? It seems to me there are more H&B coupons out there. Thanks so much for your informative response. It really is fun and addicting, isnt it??

Know what items you buy regularly, and stockpile these items when they go on sale. Know what your rock bottom sale prices are on items you buy a lot. DF LOVES Oreos and I know the lowest sale price I have ever seen in my area is $2.50. I NEVER buy Oreos for more than that, and if I have a coupon when they are at that price, I use it in order to maximize my savings. Just because you have a coupon DOES NOT mean you should use it. Wait for the best sale price unless it is an absolute necessity that can't wait.

Lowest sale price in your area + good coupons = great deals worthy of stockpiling! If your grocery stores double coupons, even better!

I buy 10 papers a week, but ONLY if there is enough in there for me to use personally. They are $1.75 EACH so I only buy them if I will get enough for myself. I usually try to trade away the rest.

I recommend starting in the forums of the stores you shop at most. Definitely pick a drug store to work too. That is where we couponers get tons of freebies. Drug stores are great for stockpiling HBA items.

[434Teresa]

:hello8: and :welcome40:


If you are new to coupons dont think to much about a stockpile at first until you learn to really use your coupons for sales and mark down stuff. The stockpile will soon start to fall into to place a item at a time.
I have a coupon book(I made) that has baseball card pages in it so I can see all my coupon with a flip of a page this work best for me but it is alot of work to keep up but well with the time. I always take the book shopping with me and check the mark down lanes to see what they have and what I may have coupons for... some times walmart puts a buggy of stuff out that is marked down, I got cascade for under $1 for the big $6 bottle because they had it in the marked down buggy and I had my coupon book with me.
1)make a list and have those coupons out and ready to use
2)take your coupons incase of in store mark downs
3)dont run store to store..take the ad to walmart and have it price matched..
4)repeats of coupons are very inportant
5)dont throw a coupon away till it expires

If you have a walgreens checkout the easy saver book and register rewards..often I get things there free after the in store coupons,register rewards,regular caoupons and mail in rebates.. I have my rebates but on a gift card and just keep respending the same money so to say...

Freds dollar store doubles coupons on saturday if you have one where you live..most people dont know that...and yes the dollar tree is the best place to get the sunday paper..I can get 10 for what 5 would cost.

Just take your time and you will see more and more savings..Try to do some trading on here for coupons that you would use but cant find in your area. You will find that people trade for coupons but will trade for forever stamps,paypal, cc (concealed cash), box tops for ed, coke codes,pamper points and I think that about covers it. So you will know to save them if you dont already.This is a great and very helpful palce to be..if you dont know something just ask and someone will help you out.

[tmsmalley]

The magic formula is coupon + sale + stockpile. So, I don't think you can pick out one sector of things because you may not hit the magic formula with those things. For example, if you're focusing on toothpaste, but you don't have any toothpaste coupons right now, that's not helping you.

What I do is cut out only those coupons that I might ever actually use in my family. I've got Mr. Fussy and the Fussettes, so I've got more challenges than some on that (Mr. Fussy refused to eat a hamburger this weekend that was made with 90% fat free meat instead of the 93% if you can imagine). Anyway, pull coupons for things that you might use, then watch for sales on those items during the time the coupons are valid. If you see a good fit, stock up! Focus on just one or two grocery stores and maybe one drug store that you normally use until you get the system down.

Over a few months, you'll start building that stockpile and the magic will start happening. You probably need 4 sets of inserts to begin with. You can either buy 4 papers or get inserts from friends, family, neighbors, etc. If your stores take IPs, print the ones that you might use as well (you can usually print off 2 of those). Then, after you get the hang of things, you can see about trading for more specific coupons that you want.

Hope this helps!

Tess

[loveebella]

I know exactly how you feel. My grocery budget including hba is 100 at the max 120 every 2 wks for a family of 4..my hubby me and 2 boys ages 3 and 1.
I just started couponing and when I went grocery shopping I spent 80. Now to me that is amazing..my hubby always asks me how much did you spend because I always go over the 100. I am now able to stockpile with the rest:). I have been hitting the deals at CVS at getting tons of stuff really cheap. This site is amazing and everyone helps out with answering questions. I really think I will not be able to see a huge dent in my spending until I have a stockpile and know I do not have to buy that item this week. Since I have started using coupons the regular stuff I would buy every month..tp, shampoo, laundry soap.downy, dish soap, body soap, I do not have to buy because I have a small stockpile of these and thus I was able to save the 20 and use it so buy more stuff and at cheap prices. Did I mention i love this site..? For the regu;lar stuff I still have to but like cereal and sides and meat ..I have no stockpile..so I have to buy.
It seems to me the hba is the easiest to stockpile.
Happy Couponing!!

[AniGirl]

One of the things I try to always keep in mind is: don't get discouraged! :biggrin: I made a lot of mistakes when I first started couponing "hard core", and I still screw up deals sometimes. But I've got a nice stockpile going now (in addition to being able to give products that I got free away to family & friends, as well as donate them), and I'm getting better at scoring deals all the time.:BigHand: It takes a while to get used to navigating the site, but once you get the hang of it, it'll be easy to spot the deals you'd like to take advantage of. Best of luck on your couponing adventures!

[jeanettecoupons]

I've been at couponing for around 4 months so I know where you are at and am just beginning to see huge savings because I have so much stuff now.

First off, at first you don't have enough coupons to do all the best deals. That's okay- it gives you time to figure it all out without it being overwhelming. Just keep collecting coupons and pretty soon you'll have a great stash.

At first, I needed extras of everything. Now? I don't want any HBA, cleaning, or tp/paper towels unless they are free or close to it. I used to spend around $50-$100 every two weeks just on that stuff! In that area alone it is a huge savings. I used to spend roughly $500- $600 a month on groceries and this month I spent only $130 for the first two weeks.

Keep with it- this site it awesome, people are nice, and so willing to share their good deals.

[masonb]

Thanks so much for all your help everyone! I am really excited about this. Your advice is so much appreciated. I spent the past 2 hours organizing and categorizing my new binder. Do most of you take your entire binder with you to the store???? It seems a bit cumbersome, but I suppose you have all the coupons with you then.

Thanks again:smile:

K from Illinois

[tmsmalley]

I take mine with me every time but again, I don't have any coupons in there that I might not actually use. If it is a maybe I put it in, but I don't have the no's in there. I mostly shop at one store so I have my binder organized by the aisles at that store. It is easy to flip page to page as I move aisle to aisle. As you experiment a bit, you'll find what works for you.

Tess

[petergabrielfan]

Thanks so much for all your help everyone! I am really excited about this. Your advice is so much appreciated. I spent the past 2 hours organizing and categorizing my new binder. Do most of you take your entire binder with you to the store???? It seems a bit cumbersome, but I suppose you have all the coupons with you then.

Thanks again:smile:

K from Illinois
I take mine along with me to every store that accepts MQs. You never know where you'll find a deal! :wink7:I used to feel weird carrying mine into stores but I'm a scrapbooker so I decorated it to make it pretty and unique. People comment on it all the time and it helped me to take the "weirdness" out of carrying the binder.

[kval07]

Thanks so much for all your help everyone! I am really excited about this. Your advice is so much appreciated. I spent the past 2 hours organizing and categorizing my new binder. Do most of you take your entire binder with you to the store???? It seems a bit cumbersome, but I suppose you have all the coupons with you then.

Thanks again:smile:

K from Illinois

My binder is like a Visa card. I never leave home without it!