ready to quit

[Deja Vu]

Hang in there! These are the most helpful group of folks ever.
I actually developed minor debt in my first year of what I thought was hard core couponing. Misc. charges I thought I would just take care of later with my long-run savings. I was in and out of target and walgreens 2-3 times a week to catch the latest deal, and picking up cheap stuff for the people I care about constantly. That 2 or 3 bucks that I was spending weekly on other people started to catch up to me. I've been a member of HCW for almost 5 years, when I explain my form of couponing to others... I always have to add, that it's NOT as easy as looks, and it took me years to learn.
Good luck!

[everprincess]

You have been given some great advice already. I do use a binder because I can't keep my coupons organized any other way. But I have tons of homemailers, blinkies, peelies, tearpads and inserts. Everyone use a system that works for them. I do have a zippered pouch envie that I have store labeled envies in. On Wednesday or Tuesday nights I start with store "A" and pull every coupon I want to use for that sale until I have all the envies full. I also pull multiples in case I want to hit store "A" again later in the week (some stores have limits). I use a blog site that has a printable shopping list so I know what sales I'm buying. I also put that in the store labeled envie.

Couponing does take time to master but it is totally worth it. I do have a large stockpile and I fill the gaps every week according to the sales. Start out slow and built (1) item at a time. Don't give up!

[kimandkathess]

Hi there- Please don't give up. You have too much to gain. I think at some point most of us have felt overwhelmed. I do every once in a while, but thats only because I have so much other stuff going on in my life.

Everyone has given such great advice so far.

There are many different ways to organize...binders, envelopes, accordian files, filing cabinets (hanging folders)....To tell you the truth, I started out with envelopes and from there went to hanging folders and binders....i bounced back and forth for a while because I was getting between 50 and 100 inserts a week from a friend, so it was easier to use filing cabinets...right now I use a binder....you just got to see what works for you.

I started out with walmart....after I did deals there i tried cvs...from there i added in walgreens (which i don't do right now because i only have 1 walgreens in the opposite direction of all the other stores and they are not well stocked) and I do all my local grocery stores and rite aid (my favorite store). Just start with one store and once you get the hang off it add another.

I pretty much do what everyone else has said. They have all givven you some very good advice. You will get the hang of it. We are all here to support you.

[christik999]

ty all for your help i will try to explain my failures as best i can to help
im shopping giant pa , cvs and sometimes rite aid 1st store stores are local to me rite aid im driving for too far. but the too far riteaid is also by the giant that doubles 1.00 coupons , my local giant doubles only 50 cents , so sometimes i drive it to get those freebies. maybe once a month.
im cutting and trying to organize every coupon every week , thats probably my 1st mistake and im taking all of them to the store in my binder and then trying to find the right ones and or remember what deals i was getting and get discounts on things not listed. i try to organize by like make up, hair , meds, paper ,cleaning for drug stores. and frozen , fridge, pet,cereal,snacks,and general canned boxed goods for the grocery store. but i have soooooo much in the binder i get lost cant find what i need etc.
i have made foolish mistakes like the red envelope deal this week i bought double the ice cream and thought id get 2 certs and you need to seperate the orders to get 2 in fact , you can only have 1 coupon double of that item so i lost more that way too.
the cvs this week i got to the store and did deals i just should have passed thinking it was a good deal and it was but it adds up i had no extra care bucks left so it was all oop . i did the john frieda 2x6.00-2.00qx2=8.00 and got 3extracare bucks =6 bucks for 2 , but the reality is i wouldnt have bought that stuff even though my kid will use it for her hair i also did garnier , both revlon ,almay, i ended up spending 49 dollars after using 17.00 in coupons and got 20 bucks in extra care bucks back for 12 products. but 49.00 is huge shouldnt have done it and im kicking myself . i should have seperated and rolled them deal for deal some how
im pretty rural , we have 2 cvs , 2 giant , 1 wies , walmart, and kmart near me.
ty you all again for trying to help me.

[kbullsexy07]

Hang in there! These are the most helpful group of folks ever.
I actually developed minor debt in my first year of what I thought was hard core couponing. Misc. charges I thought I would just take care of later with my long-run savings. I was in and out of target and walgreens 2-3 times a week to catch the latest deal, and picking up cheap stuff for the people I care about constantly. That 2 or 3 bucks that I was spending weekly on other people started to catch up to me. I've been a member of HCW for almost 5 years, when I explain my form of couponing to others... I always have to add, that it's NOT as easy as looks, and it took me years to learn.
Good luck!

Yes- I definetly agree! My first year of couponing I would go to Walgreens 3-4 times a week, I would drive myself crazy trying to get the deals at every store..I read on a coupon blog once its best to stick to 1 or 2 stores and focus on getting your deals all there instead of running to every store in town to pick up 1 or 2 particular items that are free!

Good Luck you will get the hang of it!

[CW&M Mom]

My suggestion is start your big focus on the food stuff first.

What I do is I have a kroger store I can travel too...but since it's a bit of a distance I cannot go there constantly.

So I may go once or twice a month if I"m lucky. So the weeks I have time, or I will already be there...I focus on the deals at Dillons (kroger store). Ahead of time I look heavily in the dillons forum to see what is hot, what cats are going...and mostly just focus on what of that stuff do I need. Or what will give me overage that I already have.

Often my sister and I will write out what are we needing. What are we needing to stock up on. Obviously milk, eggs, ect that are perishable we have to get often...but what stuff do I need to stock up on. Then as I have that list, I wait until that super sale is going on and stock up. As you do this long enough you realize when some things are going to come on sale.

If your just really desperate to get something stocked up...and you don't want to wait longer..then you search out a really good coupon for it..and either get it here/clipping sites/ebay ect.

For my area...most of my regular food shopping is done at Walmart because that is 5 minutes from my house and the cheapest in my area. So I do about 95% of my food shopping between the two.


Now for the non food...what I would do...is again...write down what you are needing to stock up. keep that list handy...don't stress yourself over CVS or Rite Aid unless something is on your list that you need. Now it may make more sense to wait that week...or if your rolling...and could use stuff from the week before...it's up to you. But the pharmacies are so much more work...so get the food stuff under control before you become a pro at the pharmacies.

I promise in a year...you will know all the stores around you...where you get what, which store you purchase this product vs that product and you'll have a handle on how to get a stockpile going without trying to do it all at once.

As for how I do my system.

I use 4 photo books ironically from WAGS that I put coupons in. then are then put in this red box from Target. In 2 money zipper pouches I keep envelopes. in the envies are walmart/dillons/target/wags envies that I keep the coupons I going to be using for the next purchase. I NEVER ending using them all..as prices go higher, can't find the product, deal is over ect.

I don't always have the coupons in the folders filled. I only clip the ones I think I will use...or seem to be such a good coupon they may come in handy. As you go on you will be able to filter out which ones are good..and which ones are not so much. All the other coupons goes in a tub. I typically get multiple inserts..so I staple each set of coupons...and cut around them. That way they are easier to manage, easier to cut, don't get all messed up...and I just pull one off the staple if I actually need it.

[jonjaktez]

Christi,

You need to find a way to organize your coupons that work for you that doesn't take hours to organize. Some people organize their coupons by inserts and cut out the coupons they need at the time they need them. Some cut and put in binders some use a box and etc. You need to make the coupons work for you not you working for them.

Also, as a beginner don't try and find all the deal for yourself. Use this site and the ad match up.

Look at the post with the ad match up, write down what deals you want to take advantage up and pull the coupons you need for those deals. Put the coupons in an envelope and take that to the store with you. You can also do the calculations to figure up how much you will be spending so there won't be any surprises at the store.

Only buy what you will use. Just because it's a good deal doesn't mean you need to get it. If you're not gonna use it, you're wasting your money and time.

Since you said you're spending a lot of money at the store, then maybe try and take advantage of one or two deals a week instead of all the deals you see. By taking advantage of a small number of deals each week before long you'll have a stockpile going and you can do more deals and it will be less money out of pocket for the deals and the items you need.

Don't give up just rework your plan of attack.

[foodie]

Hi,

All the OP(s) advice has been on target. Just pick one store at a time to try for couponing. I use 4 binders--2 for food, 1 for household/cleaning, and 1 for HBA.

Coupon savings comes and goes. It does take time like any thing else. Just read the advice here and check out all the various thread forums for your particular areas.

Good luck--

Foodie

[morneau_grl27]

Please don't give up! It does take time, but it will be worth it once you get a system that works for you. It takes time and practice, but you will find a system that works for you! Some tips that I have to stretch my budget:

1- I always make a list of what we're having for meals during the week. I have 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, and 7 suppers. First I go through our cupboards to see what we have. It try to make as many complete meals as I can out of what we have. If I have a few meals where I'm missing one or two items, I write them down on our shopping list as the first items that need to get bought. Next, I go through the sales ads to come up with the remaining meals we need. If I still need 3 breakfasts, two lunches, and two suppers, I search what's on sale and pick some foods I know my family will eat. Then I write down the exact amount I want for the week on the shopping list. These items may not be at a stock price and I may not even have coupons for them, but we need to eat. I also add any non-food items I know we need to the list before even thinking of what to stock pile. This is how I figure out how much I have left to use to stock pile. Some weeks I have a ton of money left, other weeks we only have a few dollars.

2- Food is a priority in our house and is always the first things I stock. I find food sales in our area aren't as good and don't go on sale as often as health and beauty stuff, so I always stock up on as much food as I can when it's free or cheap. This also helps with #1 since the more options I have on hand, the less I have to buy the higher priced items. We may end up eating the same meal twice in one week, but my family is okay with that. There will be weeks where there are no good food sales, and those are the weeks I use my money to stock on all the other stuff. There will also be weeks where there is just nothing we need to stock pile, so I take the money I would have used that week and put it away for the next week. No use wasting money on products we won't use even if they are free. I don't pay tax on food, but everything else is taxed on the pre-coupon price here, so no stocking up on stuff that won't get used here. Money makers are an exception IF I know someone or somewhere I can donate them to.

3- Find a way to organize that works for you. Try out a few different ways before deciding fully what you want to do. I used coupon sorters in the beginning but found they just didn't work for me. So I switched to leaving my inserts whole and only cutting what I needed for sales that week. I hated that method since I had to sort through all the inserts each week to find what I needed. Now I have a binder and I clip the coupons each week that we will use. I never cut out the coupons for products our family won't use and I don't bother cutting out ones that are too low to make a good deal. No stores double around here, so if the coupon is really low, I just leave it. I organize them by what they are (food, drink, bathroom items, beauty, make up, health, baby, pet, etc) and then I know what section I need to look under when matching my coupons with sales. I also go through and pull out all the coupons I know I will use for sales and stick them in an envelope for the week. That way, I have the sale coupons right in that envelope and don't have to dig them out while shopping. I still bring my binder with just in case I'd find a great clearance freebie or a non-advertised price cut. I don't find many of those on my own though, most of them are already listed here and I have the coupons ready just in case!

You mentioned your children don't like your couponing. I'm curious why. I have three little ones, and I try to get them as involved as I can. When we're shopping, I have them help me find the items we need, and if there's two different choices, I let them choose which to buy. When it comes to clipping and organizing, I always try to do that during nap time, after they're in bed, or when I get a free minute while they're playing nicely. That way I'm not taking all my time with them to do couponing stuff.

I know it's taken me some time to get things figured out for our family, and it's still not always perfect. Definitely take it slow and let yourself learn. If you get overwhelmed, take a small step back and let yourself breathe. I took a year off to give myself a chance to remember why I love couponing so much. And it took that year to remember just why I used them and how it can be fun. Good luck!!