On 47.50$ budget a week and need some help (More misc. ?'s from a newbie)

[jblhopper]

I am trying to learn all that I can about q's so that we can start saving asap. I got my first set of inserts for free at a local gas station ( about 12, not a bad start:biggrin:) and looked through them, I didn't find many that I would use ( I know this is comon) and needed to get some personal items. I got a printable for Tp and headed to the dollar store. I found out after I got to the register that printables were not excepted( I know I know:rolleyes24: I should have checked first) so I was stuck paying 2.47 for a pack of 4. Even if I would have gone to Walmart and used the q, it would've been around 2.00 still. My hubby and I are on a budget of 47.50$ a week for food and non food( personals and household) So I have a few ?'s to ask.....

1. How do some of you pay less than a dollar for tp and other personal items, always?!? ( even if you don't have a stockpile)

2. How much do some of you spend oop a week in groceries and non food items? ( I know it varies, just need something to go off of)

3. How much do some of you spend oop on stockpiling in a week?

4. Do you wait to start using your stockpile until it's a certain size?

5. What about organics? are they hard to get q's for? Do any of you know of sites for organics?

Any advice that you would like to give would be most helpful!

[seedlady]

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1. How do some of you pay less than a dollar for tp and other personal items, always?!? ( even if you don't have a stockpile)

2. How much do some of you spend oop a week in groceries and non food items? ( I know it varies, just need something to go off of)

3. How much do some of you spend oop on stockpiling in a week?

4. Do you wait to start using your stockpile until it's a certain size?

5. What about organics? are they hard to get q's for? Do any of you know of sites for organics?



1. i buy it at cvs, and pay with coupons and extracare bucks,

2. 5 dollars

3. i stockpile the things i get free.

4. no

5. coupons for organics are rare, and mostly found at the grocery store. i trade stockpile items at the farmers market for mine. try hcw's sister site, www.organicgrocerydeals.

[jblhopper]

Thanks! I would love to hear from other's too that have a strict budget like me. One more question: When you get your groceries and pay oop, does that include meat, dairy, and perishables(fruit and veggies)?

[tmsmalley]

Here's my system. Write down what you absolutely HAVE to get. Get those items first (milk, tp, etc.). Do the best you can on those items with sales, generics, etc. even if you don't have coupons for them. Write down as you go how much that's adding up to. When you've got those items, the difference between what those cost and your $47.50 is what you can spend on stockpile items. Have a list ready of things that look like good picks for stockpiles based on the coupons you have and the weekly flyer for your store. If you've got $3 left to work with and you can get 8 cans of corn (and you'd actually eat corn at some point), then that's what you get. If you've got $5 and cereal is on a sale/coupon combo for $.75 a box, that's what you get. But first you have to take care of the things that you really need to have.

You're not working with a lot of cash so it is going to take a while to stockpile and you're going to have to do it in little bits. Don't expect to get 50 boxes of cereal in your closet this month. And you use your stockpile as you need it. Since you're going to be building it slowly, it may take several months before you see it really grow, but every bit is going to be helping towards the bigger picture.

Tess

[mom23teens]

I am basically new also (a few months) and for my family of five i try to live on $75.00 a week I also get alot of things for almost free using cvs eb program and a lot of q's.
I do a lot of rebates as well to bring the cost down even further.
When there is a great sale i stock up. you can really get things for merely pennies that way. good luck
Question how many ppl are u feeding for $47.50?

[extechy]

Just a heads up.

Some of the qs you don't have a use for can actually help you the most. Save all your coupons. At places like CVS and Walgreens, you can combine those coupons with their store coupons. Many times an item will give Extra Care Bucks or Register Rewards. When combining the coupons, you actually make money and get a product that you may not have an immediate use for and sometimes you get it free.

For instance, Product XYZ sells for $4. CVS has a sale where you get $2 ECBs for buying this product. They also have a coupon (or CRT) for $2 off this product. Your inserts has a coupon for $2 off this product.

You just made $2 for taking Product XYZ off the shelf.

[jblhopper]

We are just 4 at this time, me, my hubby( who works construction and eats like a horse but is skinny as a rail) and our two boys, both under 4. My hubby is going to school for Paramedic and that is why we are so tight. He had some problems with his Pel grant so we will be on this budget until he starts working as a EMT after he gets his certicate in December. His mother has health problems and may be living with us in the next year, and we may also have more children in the near future(if possible financially) I really want to make this a life habit and stop giving the store so much of our very limited income. Thanks for all the advice!! I'd love to get more, I'm writting it all down:0

[jblhopper]

Can anyone give me a round about figure of how much they spend a week? With and w/o q's? I am just trying to figure out the best way to start my couponing adventure.

[stacyloucks]

My goal is to not ever have to buy anything except parishables. I buy the peanut butter because it's free/cheap, not because we are out and I then have to pay whatever price the product is at that time. I made a list of the things we eat/use a lot. I watch for a great deal on them and then I buy or trade for coupons for the product and then I buy a ton! For example, Hefty bags went on sale for $1. I had enough coupons to get 60 boxes and then sent 40 to my mom to do the same. Before I started paying attention to my budget, coupons, etc. if we need bags, I would put it on the list and then probably pay $3 or 4 for them.

I've also noticed that when a new product comes out, the coupon values are higher and a sale usually comes a long to match up with it. So, if a new product comes out that I know we can use, I buy/trade for coupons, so that when the sale comes, I am ready. I've used this strategy to buy tons of pasta, chicken broth, etc.

HBA stuff - I usually won't buy it unless it's free or better. There are a few exceptions, but I never have to buy toothpaste or a razor. For things like paper towels and TP, I have a price that I am willing to pay for different items. When there is a deal with that price, I buy a bunch.

As for how much I spend, I really have no idea. I know for sure that I spend significantly less than before AND I have a huge (IMO) stock pile after 1 year.

The biggest thing that has helped me is reading this board. I've learned so much here and also having a heads up on what sales are coming give you time to plan what you are going to buy (get for free).

I know someone else mentioned it, but I also keep every coupon. I also pick-up every blinkie, tear pad, etc that I see. It may be a product that I will never use, but I may be able to make a few bucks "buying" it. I may not keep it in my binder, but I'll hang on to it just in case.

For me it was also worth buying a large upright freezer, so that I could stock up on meat and also "teenager food".

Good luck!

[momtocj7mea]

We are a family of four and we spend around $75-85 a week on groceries/toiletries/cleaning supplies, but I am trying to build up my stockpile rather quickly because DH's work load will go down in the winter months and we just started stockpiling two months ago. However, on average, I think I could get away with spending $50-$60 a week easily once my stockpile is where it needs to be and some weeks I could probably go even less. It may be a little harder if you are trying to eat all organic foods though. Have you thought about growing your own vegetables? I know it is a little late for this year, but something to consider in the future. My neighbor replaced her flower garden with a vegetable garden this year (right in the front of her home and it looked beautiful!!). My DH and I plan to do this next year. We got some very good tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers from her this year.


Also, the tip to keep every coupon is a good one because just because you won't use it doesn't matter, someone else may want it and you can trade for coupons you will use. You can also join some coupon trains to get coupons regularly in the mail as well. I have gotten some awesome coupons from my coupon train envies. So you will need a good variety of coupons if you want to join a train as well.

[extechy]

We can't stress enough about keeping every coupon.

Why, I remember throwing away high value diabetic monitor coupons when I first started seriously couponing. I figured I didn't have a use for them. Talk about foolish! :hysterical:

[jblhopper]

thanks everyone, you are giving me some really good info! We really don't eat organic stuff, but we like to if we can get it cheap. We also have a great bent and dent near us where I pay 16.00 for a 10lb case of hamburger, and get great brand stuff like Kashi for 1.25. That may be a little pricey, but it definetly beats 4.50 at Wally world! Actually, I was planning on gardening this year-long story short, we just returned from the Philippines as missionaries and are living at our church until my hubby starts work and we can afford to rent some place. We have a garden that I just cleaned out to get it ready for next year, though. We are totally dirt poh! But it's kinda fun, since I get to try to save money and learn so many things that I would never think of if we were fincially secure

[jblhopper]

So to start trading q's do I just sign up here as a trader in training? Does it require alot of time to list the q's you have and what you are looking for? I don't have much time during the day, maybe 1hr 30 mins. It's seems like it would be a little overwhelming( I feel so inadaquite sp?)

[tmsmalley]

Sign up as a Trader in Training and then you can learn all about it and take it at your own pace. You don't have to do everything all at once.

Tess

[imhzgrlnotu]

can i ask what stores you have in your area? that sometimes helps us to help you out more :D

i dont really have a budget but i rarely spend more than 75-100 a week, for 3 adults and 5 kids. ive been doing it for a while though so i have a big enough stockpile that i dont have to buy much as far as household stuff (although i did just run out of tp and had to pay for it ugh).

anything thats free, i get. doesnt matter if i have 1 coupon or 50, ill get them all anyway lol. even if you might not use it, or not use that many, you can trade for other things, or even sell the extras and make a little bit of extra money.

like someone else said, make a list of things you definitely need to have, and work around that. if there is a sale on something you use a lot, get more of it! when there is a good sale on meat, ill buy 4-5 family packs so ill have some for a while. it might cost me $30-$40 at the store that day, but its better than spending twice that much getting it one pack at a time (of course you have half as many people as i have so you probably wouldnt need that much lol).

[loveallbeaches]

We spend around $75/week on groceries and about $10 on non-grocery stuff. Like many people, I shop at CVS, walgreens and Riteaid and get most of that type of stuff cheap or maybe even free.
It doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to build your coupons up and wait for the right sale. I don't stockpile too much because we don't have that much storage and the food gets gobbled up quickly around here.
Keep at it, but remember it does take time. Oh, and read everything on here. And there are many other helpful sites. I also like a full cup.

[MoneySavinDiva]

You have lots of good questions, and many pp have given you LOTS of great answers! Here's my two cents...

Up until about 4 months ago, I was never able to get a good deal on toilet paper...so I just bought the cheapest and biggest pack I could find and that usually lasted us quite a while. I did keep my eyes out for good tp prices and the coupons to correspond, and I finally hit jackpot when I found Marcal 4packs priced at $1.19 at my local Fareway, so combined with the $1/1 q, it's only 19c for four rolls (a screamin' good deal around here!). As for the other personal and hba items, I just watch the forums here for the stores I have and whenever something is free or better, I buy up. So when CVS put their Colgate toothbrushes on sale for $2.99 this week, and you earn a $2 ECB on the sale and there is a $1/1 coupon, I bought the limit, because when it's all said and done, they're free. I do the same with the RR system at Walgreens and with general coupon deals at the other stores I shop.

Per week, on everything, I try to keep it under $50. I rarely spend all that, but it's nice to know that the money is there for stockpiling purposes. Whatever cash I don't use at the end of the week goes into a special envelope which I save for big purchases (example, I buy flour by the 50 lb bag at an Amish store, so the envelope money is saved for bulk purchases like this). As you get to know couponing better, you will find that your $47.50 will stretch a lot further, and you will start to have more and more available each week for stockpiling as you are able to cross things off your list that you are getting for free or cheap and have stockpiled on non sale weeks.

I started using my stockpile right away as I was building it. That's what it's there for. To stock up on cheap and free things so you don't have to pay full price for them when they aren't on sale.

Lastly, save all those coupons! Even if you don't think you'll use them! I made the classic rookie mistake of tossing every coupon but the few I thought we'd be most likely to use, and man did I regret that! There were so many deals for coupons I tossed! Even just recently, I tossed all those $30/1 diabetes monitors thinking I'd never in a million years need those. Wrong! They turned into a massive moneymaker at CVS and Walgreens a few short weeks later and I sure was kicking myself! So keep everything! Good luck!

[snafu4me]

check out the threads for the "deals" for the stores in you area

[auntsashie]

Everyone has given such good advice already but I wanted to add something. Let's say you get 10 item xyz on sale for cheap or free but you can't use it all before it goes bad or your family doesn't use it. If you have a friend or neighbor that uses item xyz, you can maybe trade for it. Or gift it to your neighbor that gave you veggies. I trade hba with a coworker for her homemade salsa! I also "sold" another coworker a box of items (revlon clippers, tweezers, files, a couple razors, a few toothbrushes and 20 j&j first aid travel kits) for 50.00. Sounds like a lot of items for 50 bucks but I had less than 10 of actual cash in it.

[1buffy007]

I am new to couponing also but as we are on a budget we look for lots of free items. Example: Tennessee has the Imagination Library partially funded by Dolly Parton and govenor Phil Bredesen--it gives a free book to your child every month til they are 5. You can google this or go to your local library for a application--no requirements except be a TN resident. Also, our local Publix has a baby club where if you sign up they'll send you a baby book, free items, and coupons. On magazines I try to buy them from the library, they are usually a month old and it's a good way to find magazine coupons without paying full magazine prices.
I have a question about couponing: We recently had our first child. How do you save on baby items (formula is so expensive)---what's the secret for this please. On average, what do you guys spend on food/non-food/baby items for households that have babies? Thanks a lot.

[missmitz]

I have a question about couponing: We recently had our first child. How do you save on baby items (formula is so expensive)---what's the secret for this please. On average, what do you guys spend on food/non-food/baby items for households that have babies? Thanks a lot.


Go to the website of whichever formula you are using and sign up for their newletter/club/coupons, whatever they call it on your specific brands site. Sign up every friend, relative & neighbor you have. Heck, go make some new friends and sign them up too! The manuf. will mail out lots of checks (work like a coupon) to everyone that signs up. Even out of state folks can just mail them to you when they get them.

[1buffy007]

thx missmitz----great ideas--my grandparents will be suprised when they start receiving baby q's!! LOL :)

[1buffy007]

I went to website (funandfrugal.com) that lists the free clubs for babies. It included huggies,enfamil,wal-mart parents choice,etc. that parents can join for coupons and free stuff. You can get a sample of parents choice and huggies pure and natural. Also, Ringling Bros. issues a vouchers to babies <1yr good to trade in for a ticket anytime in their lifetime--no exp. but you have to sign up before baby first bday. Hope this helps others. Thx again for the tip missmitz.

[mayakelly]

I have been on a tight budget for all married life (when I was a newlywed we had $15/week for awhile, about 8-10 years ago!)

I spend $40 a week for everything: food, cleaners, soap, toilet paper, razors, ect. I will go up to $50 if there is a great sale or we are really in need of something (like diapers, overnight company is coming) There are 4 of us: me and my husband and two boys aged 3 and 1. (3 year old is pottytrained)

I have been couponing for just over a year. I had let my budget slip up after having babies 3 years ago and I was spending about $75 at WalMart each week. I have worked down to $40 and my goal is to get diapers in there and still be at $40. I have been doing it for a few months now too! I didn't go shopping at all the last 2 weeks (money is tight at the moment) and today I spent $20.37 and will probably spend the other $20 tomorrow at Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS and WalMart.

It can be easy to spend more than you should at CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens thinking you are getting it back in some form. BE CAREFUL! :) Try to have very little out of pocket. Something I have seen others do (and am considering doing) is use a gift card at the drugstores. Some you can earn or buy one for how much you would like to spend there that week or month and then use that to pay for what you get. no money on card, no more purchases.

I use a few blogs to get my lists of drug store deals, and my local grocery store ideas. I also use HCW database for my local grocery store. I send away for free product samples which usually come with coupons, use lots of printables, have done a small coupon train, and have found a way to get free copies of the newspaper coupon inserts.

Please PM me if you have more questions!