ready to quit

[christik999]

i have no idea if this is the right place for this post im not sure there is a right place.
i have been couponing about 3 months now . i have couponed in the past some.i have a binder and coupons but i feel so disorganied it takes me hours to grocery shop . im trying so hard i need this badly. im struggling very much taking care of my kids alone. my kids hate me coupon shopping but they like to eat lol. my big issue is i work for hours trying to organie it all figure out deals make progress and i just stink at it i feel like i end up blowing more money then i did not couponing and feel like i wasted a whole bunch of time and got nothing for it.
i was grocery shopping tonight and i saved 115 with coupons and got 30 credit for my next trip plus a 20 dollar gift cert for red envelope. but i spent 300 bucks . normally pre couponing i would conserve buy cheap and maybe spend half that.
i have been doing some drug stores where i fail equally as bad lol.

any help or advice ?? ty
christi

[couponmommyof3]

First, what do you think in particular is the reason that your organizing is taking so long. At first, I got a binder. I used that system for a while, but honestly, I realized I was spending WAY too much time trying to organize my coupons and I can get a bit OCD about things and if it wasn't perfect, well, you see what I'm saying. AND I have three kids 5, 4 and 7 months, I can't take my binder into the store with me, that's craziness, I wish I could but maybe when they are older. SO, I use a filing system for my inserts.

Second, when you say trying to figure out deals are you trying to make your own matchups? Or do you use this site and other blogs out there to do the work for you? I do not have the patience to do that. Let's say tomorrow I was headed to Publix, today I would take about 15 minutes and check out the matchups and write it down, or copy and paste into a word doc, I then head to my file cabinet and pull out my coupons.

Third, going over budget. The first month I learned about couponing, I spent twice what we usually spend in a month. I was SO excited about couponing and trying to make deals, that I went to every store in my area-5 of them, and hit up deals at the time I thought were good and made sure I used every coupon I had. A year later and I'm still swimming in Lysol Disinfectant Solution! LOL Sounds like staying on your budget is an important thing as it is for most people that coupon. On your next trip to the grocery store, I would do your usual shopping, like you did before couponing, BUT take just $5 or $10 to go towards coupon items. So, for example, spaghetti sauce considering your family eats it, I think spaghetti sauce is a great stockpile price at .25 cents. YOu can walk out of there with a TON of spaghetti sauce with $5 or $10. After some time of shopping like this your bill will eventually get lower and lower. There are some times when there isn't a great deal at my store and I don't go in with any coupons...gasp!

And fourth, where do you feel you are having trouble with the drugstores? I know several people that struggle there, but once you get it and understand how it works it can be a great place to get stuff for free or nearly free. I went to Walgreens yesterday and walked out a bunch of stuff and paid with Register rewards from a past trip and only paid 48 cents!

Don't be discouraged! You did great this past trip! Please don't quit! Feel free to PM me if you need to talk or if you need help with something. {HUGS}

[OneHotMomma]

I started out with your same problem with the drugstores. The thing is, you start out with some out of pocket expense because you do not have any extrabucks or register rewards yet to roll. I started doing the deals that made me money and nothing else for awhile. Then, after that you can start to get the things you need because you have EB or RR to work with and your OOP goes down. Try and start slow. Get the things you normally buy but add maybe 1 or 2 deals in with that. It's a slow transition.

[Mikki 316]

I agree with post #2. I, too, started out obsessing over the binder and organizing. It didn't take long for me to figure out that this just didn't work for me. I keep whole inserts, filed by date, and I only clip what I plan to use or what I know will make for an excellent deal, such as high value Qs on something we use regularly.
When I initially got frustrated and started feeling overwhelmed, I made a list of the things that we use regularly, and made sort of a "stockpile wishlist." Those are the things that I looked for when making weekly shopping lists. The only deviation from that list was items that were free after coupon that I would use or give to family/friends/donate. I have to be careful with those freebies as well, since we have an insanely high tax rate here, BEFORE coupons. That can really add up quickly.
Also, I've been doing this for several years, and I STILL write out each and every transaction, paper clip the Qs to that, and put all this into an envelope for X store. Very rarely do I do multiple transaction or take more than 5-10 minutes in a store. I don't browse the store, who has time for that?! I go in, get what's on my list and get out. I can shop 4-5 stores, if needed, in a matter of 30 minutes, including drive times between stores.
As for those hidden deals or clearance deals, I do keep my inserts in a portable file box, that I put in my trunck each time I go out shopping. But I don't tote that thing around everywhere. My sanity is worth more than that. :)
Just start small, one or two stores. Once you master the Q policy/rules of that store, move to another one.
Speaking of drug stores, don't get discouraged. I'll bet you were trying to "do" Walgreens. It's the most difficult of all drug stores to master because of all the crazy rules and exclusions they put on everything. Luckily, I started out with WAG as my first store, so I didn't realize what a pain it could be. Once you figure out WAG, the rest is a piece of cake.
My advise is to subscribe to one or two forums for stores you shop weekly- your grocery, your drug store, maybe a local big box store. That way, you'll keep up with what's going on in those few stores, and not get overwhelmed running all over town to try to get the best deals.
I also figured out early on, that in my area, sales cycle about every 3 months. So, I stock up for 3-6 months. Really good coupons cycle about every 6 months. You'll figure these things out as well, for your area.
Don't give up. Just scale it down a bit. Enjoy time with your children. Another deal will come along, but your babies are only young once. (I have one, so I know! LOL). If possible, get them involved. Make one a blinkie or tearpad finder. Make an older child the one who finds X item (just make sure it matches your Q and the sale!). My DS HATES shopping. Hates it. So, when he goes with me, he earns his own commission for finding deals and helping me shop (finding clearance tags, blinkies, tearpads, etc). I give him the small value RRs at WAG to spend on whatever he wants, such as the $1 RRs, he usually buys a matchbox car, or something of that nature.
Hope that helps. PM anytime if you need help.

[lmcconne]

I'm with Mikki, keep inserts whole and cut them as individual coupons are needed. From experience, I know I will only use a small portion from any one insert, so the time spent clipping everything and sorting would be futile.

[amylynne01]

Another idea to help you stay on budget and not spend $300 per trip is to use cash. Put however much money you want to spend in an envelope. Calculate how much you're spending during your shopping. Once you hit your cash limit, you're done. So that means buy necessities first (milk, produce, meat, whatever you're totally out of, etc.), and then use the rest for stocking up. So let's say your weekly budget is $100. At first, you might spend $80 on necessities and $20 on stockpile. After a while, your necessities $ will go down (because you've stockpiled them), and your stockpile $ will go up. I have been doing this for 2.5 yrs, and I spend probably $30-$40 a week on necessities and the rest on stockpiling (or not at all since my stockpile is huge).

My point is this - don't stretch yourself thin in the name of good deals. Another deal WILL come along. They always do. You can do this. Just take a step back and start slowly. You can PM me too if you have questions or need advice.

[Kulis]

Hang in there; it does get easier as you find a system that works best for you.

My best advice is to give yourself a dollar limit before you even look at the ads. I find it easier to set a monthly limit, but I know people who prefer a weekly limit. Again, couponing is not a one-size-fits-all activity.

Decide on your dollar limit and allow yourself to buy only things that will fit within that limit. You will see great prices and great sales on all kinds of things that look interesting. It is so tempting to snatch all these great deals. And it is definitely possibly to save a huge percentage and still have nothing to eat in your house. (Guess how I know.)

Designate the bulk of your budget to things your household NEEDS in the next week or two. Use only a small portion of that budget for snagging deals on things like body wash or shampoo or designer snacks or whatever else that you have on hand now or can go without for a few weeks until you find a way to make the system work for you.

(I see you're a Pennsylvanian. Me too. I'm near Bethlehem. If you're anywhere near there and want to talk, PM me and we'll see what we can do.)

[couponmommyof3]

Hang in there; it does get easier as you find a system that works best for you.

My best advice is to give yourself a dollar limit before you even look at the ads. I find it easier to set a monthly limit, but I know people who prefer a weekly limit. Again, couponing is not a one-size-fits-all activity.

Decide on your dollar limit and allow yourself to buy only things that will fit within that limit. You will see great prices and great sales on all kinds of things that look interesting. It is so tempting to snatch all these great deals. And it is definitely possibly to save a huge percentage and still have nothing to eat in your house. (Guess how I know.)

Designate the bulk of your budget to things your household NEEDS in the next week or two. Use only a small portion of that budget for snagging deals on things like body wash or shampoo or designer snacks or whatever else that you have on hand now or can go without for a few weeks until you find a way to make the system work for you.

(I see you're a Pennsylvanian. Me too. I'm near Bethlehem. If you're anywhere near there and want to talk, PM me and we'll see what we can do.)

LOL, this is why I LVOE this group! Everyone is there ready to help!!!

And my food stockpile is sad, BUT my health and beauty stockpile-I'm good for years!

[gctattoo]

I agree with all the great suggestions and advice from the previous posters.

It really sounds like you're trying to do too much too soon. That's leading to your frustration and eventual burnout. It's perfectly okay to start small. Just think of the time and money you'd previously spent NOT using coupons and/or shopping sales for stockpiling. Any money saving efforts now are already a win for you. There's no need to push yourself so hard.

The things I have come to realize when it comes to couponing are:

1. I don't have to use every single coupon I can possibly get for a specific item. This is a big one for me since I can dumpster dive for multiples in the dozens if I wanted. It's really not saving me money to feverishly use up multiple Q's if I don't have the money, room, or need for so much of that item. Another coupon will come around for whatever it is.

2. For me, clipping every coupon is a huge waste of time. I will go through and clip all the ones I know for a fact that I'll be using. Plus ones that I would like to use if the opportunity presents itself regarding price or sales. And I leave the rest. I can always go back later for ones I find myself needing.

My advice is to hang in there and not try to be a super couponer right off the bat. Like everything else, it takes time to learn all the ins and outs. And eventually, it'll be easy. Keep your eye on the prize-- saving money.

[3timesoccermom]

I just wanted to tell you that every little bit helps and and you still did pretty well to save $115 and get the credit OYNO!

Don't get discouraged!!