I think I am using coupons wrong

[shannon1189]

I went shopping at Wal-mart last night. The bill was $44 and some change and after using the coupons it was $29 something. I did not really need any of the items I purchased. I bought because I had a coupon and it was on sale.

Then I went to Walgreens and spent $98 and some change and after coupons it was $66 something. Most of what I bought I did not need at the time. I bought because of the sale and RR. I realized I was shorted a RR so I went back this morning and they gave me $5 back in cash.

I did not use RR at Walgreens last night so everything was cash out of pocket. I bought 2 packs of the Priolsec because of the sale and I had 2 coupons $7.00 each.

I am shopping a lot and feel like I am getting great deals but at the same time I feel like I am spending money on stuff I do not need at the time.

I have plenty of :
Toothpaste for now 6 new
15 snuggle
Couple packs of razors
shampoo/Conditioner
Body wash 3 or 4
3 packs of TP

I am not doing so well on the grocery side of buying yet. I am saving but not a ton of money. I also normally shop about once a month for groceries. I can go more often if needed. I go to Walgreens a couple times a week. I have not added CVS to my shopping trips yet.

Tomorrow morning Food Lion will have a sale on Cascade for $2.99 and I have a coupon and I also want to get the Tide for $4.99 I aslo have coupons for those items.

What am I doing so wrong? I feel like I am spending way too much money.

Any advice for me

[mama22qts]

I'm running out the door now so I don't have much time to post but I wanted to tell you this:

1. start small on your stockpiling. In my class I tell folks who are new to couponing to pick one store and maybe one or two items that they want to stockpile in addition to their normal grocery shopping. These items need to be really cheap/free.

2. You have already stockpiled some items now that you will not have to buy later. So now it's time to move on to the food items. Look for baking stuff to be really cheap right now and think about what you can freeze for later.

I know lots of folks here will have more and better ideas for you!

[Sweet_Southern_Mama]

The key is only to stock up on something if it is an AMAZING deal. If you need it at the moment then a decent sale with a coupon is good. At walgreen's the key is to do multiple transactions to reduce your out of pocket. Buy something that produces an RR and use that RR to pay for the next item (from a different mfg) and also use your mfg coupon but get something cheap (.25c) to use as a filler. If you do this multiple times your OOP (out of pocket) will be drastically reduced.

It is hard at first not to get too excited and buy things you don't need just because you have a coupon. I've done it a million times!

[Cynthiabutterfly]

When I started, I was just buying stuff on sale. That alone saved me money in the long run. Start looking for freebies instead. That'll save money in the short term, AND the long term.

And yes, it IS really hard to pass a sale and coupon combo!

It may also help if you have a certain budgeted amount for either all your shopping, or just for stockpiling.

I figured if I was spending $100 a week, if I could cut that to $80, then I could use the other $20 for stockpiling without going over budget. Then I was able to cut down to $60, then $40 a week, once my stockpile was bigger and I knew what sales to pass on.

[tmsmalley]

Don't buy stuff you don't need or won't use. Unless someone will give it to you free AND you have room to store it AND you have a plan for it (donating it or using it for something else), stuff you don't need or won't use is not adding value. Add value instead.

Tess

[Arie]

Shannon,

I had the same problem when I was starting out. I'd bring my binder with me to the stores and stroll up and down each and every isle looking at coupons and looking at products on (and not on) sale.

I'd toss something in the cart and go "Oooh! I have a coupon for that!". Then I'd get home (sometimes only to the car) and look at my sales slip and cringe at how much money I spent.

I now restrict myself to 2 stores - Walgreens (it's close and they're coupon friendly) and Price Chopper (grocery store). I find if I do too many stores I get crazy overwhelmed!

I also shop with a list. If I'm going to WG, I'll look at the flyer or go online and make a list of what I need, what coupons I have - and do the math before I go.

HTH. Keep your chin up - you'll pull through it!

PS - Can I see a picture of your snuggle? It makes my heart race at the thought of all of those good smelling clothes. LOL!

[shannon1189]

I am pretty much going to Walgreens & Bi-Lo . Thanks for all the tips and advice. I think I will start writing everything down. It may help more than I think.

[mommy22girls]

I think everyone has coupon "drunkedness" at first. I know I did. Now I limit myself to Safeway (because they double to $1), Wags (RRs), and CVS (ECBs). I only go to Walmart like once a month for a few things I know I can get the cheapest there. Only buy what you will use and/or donate. It does you no good to buy 10 bags of dog food if you have no dog. Only buy if the deal is smoking hot or if you absolutely need it. I usually don't buy cereal unless I can get under $1 a box so even though I have Qs for cereal I wait for a sale. I have also gotten past the mentality of "I must use the Q before it expires" and I let Qs expire. Another one will certainly come along. So just really examine your purchases and make sure you are using Qs and sales to the full potential. It gets easier.

[Ashley1102]

The problem is when starting out you like to see the big number on the bottom of your receipt that says you saved x amount of dollars... the bigger the number is the better you feel about what you bought even if you didn't need those items. Try to set a budget like others have mentioned. Right now since I don't have a huge stockpile my budget is $200 a month which I plan to try to make lower in the future but try to stick to your budget that way your only going to spend the money on things you need. It's hard to figure it all our at first but keep with it

[Kelly Long]

everyone starts out differently, but i focused on learning one store at a time. dont buy a bunch of stuff you dont need unless you are getting it free or dirt cheap. an example would be i bought 13 dawn a few weeks back for .07 each with the coupons. i use dawn but didnt need 13, but they were so cheap, i would be crazy not to do it. i took them to work and sold them for .25 each (6) and paid myself back and got enough to buy some lunch. you can spend tons of money but dont do it just to use the coupons. focus on a few things at a time then add different stores along the way. it took me about 6 months to really get the hang of it.

Originally Posted by shannon1189 I went shopping at Wal-mart last night. The bill was $44 and some change and after using the coupons it was $29 something. I did not really need any of the items I purchased. I bought because I had a coupon and it was on sale. Then I went to Walgreens and spent $98 and some change and after coupons it was $66 something. Most of what I bought I did not need at the time. I bought because of the sale and RR. I realized I was shorted a RR so I went back this morning and they gave me $5 back in cash. I did not use RR at Walgreens last night so everything was cash out of pocket. I bought 2 packs of the Priolsec because of the sale and I had 2 coupons $7.00 each. I am shopping a lot and feel like I am getting great deals but at the same time I feel like I am spending money on stuff I do not need at the time. I have plenty of : Toothpaste for now 6 new 15 snuggle Couple packs of razors shampoo/Conditioner Body wash 3 or 4 3 packs of TP I am not doing so well on the grocery side of buying yet. I am saving but not a ton of money. I also normally shop about once a month for groceries. I can go more often if needed. I go to Walgreens a couple times a week. I have not added CVS to my shopping trips yet. Tomorrow morning Food Lion will have a sale on Cascade for $2.99 and I have a coupon and I also want to get the Tide for $4.99 I aslo have coupons for those items. What am I doing so wrong? I feel like I am spending way too much money. Any advice for me