Need some of your wisdom please!

[JulieWi]

Hi!I am Julie and we live in Wisconsin. I am very green to couponing. So I am slowly learning the ropes.The hardest thing for me when I am scouring the ads is that I don't know what is a good price to pay. I know that it comes with experience and varies re: size, region, etc. (I know this is A LOT to ask but if you could fill in one or two items of what you feel is a good price to pay (before coupons) it would really help me with a basepoint. paper towels (per roll)TP (per roll)canned soupcerealcoffeebreadchipsfrozen chx breast per lbground chuck per lbpork chops per lbpork loin per lbchuck roast per lbgallon of milkThank you so much in advance!!!

[billig]

The best price is Free.

I was kinda worried about that in the beginning too, but it really is a learn as you go because there's so many other variables.
Different seasons dictate some of it...like baking stuff being on sale Nov and Dec. Back to school time are lots of cereal and soup deals. New Years means exercise/diet and home organization stuff is on sale.

If you think something is a decent price, then you get it. I guarantee you, you'll know when something is a fantastic price because you just won't believe you're getting it so cheap. Then you'll get it free once in a while and then you'll be disgusted you paid 10¢ for it last month! lol

Write down those 20 or so most important items or most used items and every time you go to a store, write down that stores price. Then write the price when you see it on sale and the date. That helps get a really nice grip on the prices. You'll see patterns.

You don't need to start filling a big stockroom initially...it'll happen before you know it. Just lowering your weekly grocery bill is money in your pocket.

[ahockeymom]

great advice!! I have a large family with teen sons, so I can't stock pile enough veggies, cereal , yogurt etc no matter what the deal or the amount. i just focus on great and good deals and feel good about all I'm saving. Then My stockpile grows I love it!!

[JulieWi]

Thank you for your advice. Tthat it very helpful.
It's all just overwhelming at the start.

[ladyjaneshopper]

Also remember that what may be a great deal on something for someone else may not be a great deal for you. For example, if you can get boxes of Cheerios for .25$ a box but no one in your house eats them it's not a great deal (unless you plan on donating them).

I've learned after a while constitutes a "great deal" for me and my family and you will too after a while. Just keep reading HCW and good luck!

[lovemychaos]

Some of the things I will stock up on with the price point being after coupons or rewards:

Cereal - less than $1 (we go through one whole box a day here!! My kids could have worse addictions.)
Pasta sauce - less than $1
Pasta - .50 or less
Pork - $2 or less lb
Soda - less than $2 per 12 pk.
Frozen veggies - .50 or less
Peanut butter - $1 or less


Shampoo/conditioner - has to be almost free, and as you learn you'll realize this is attainable quite often
Toothpaste - has to be free at this point. I have a bit to use.:shrug7:
Foil - has to be almost free
Tylenol/Advil/cold medicine - $2 or less

Keep in mind..these are stockpile prices for me, and are the net price after coupons and/or any store rewards given for purchasing the item.

Higher price points and items that don't have great deals will sometimes be included in store reward deals. I buy these items then.
example: Product A will be included in a promo that states "buy 10 participating items and get a $10 coupon toward your next in store purchase". I'll stock product A during this deal.

Good deals are always out there for a purchase of just a couple of one item. One of the mistakes I made early on was just plain buying too much of stuff we never used, or buying so much that it expired before we could use it all.

[JulieWi]

Wow thank you everyone!
I am so excited to get my Sunday papers.
I almost have the CVS thing down. I've only been at it a few weeks and already I have one shelf filled with nearly free things. It's so addicting.

[mom4]

Hi julie i understand but really for me the price before coupons and sale and or store coupon(promo)ect is not the point it after all these things is the real price . i look at the stare ad then i look at coupons to match up to and see how cheap i can get it .
there are example price i dont pay more then this amount for some items
like paper towels never more then 50cents
cereal 50cents
some items never pay for of course shampoo , tooth paste , hair products
yes it every addicting now if i had the time to do it more but i do work to get things i need

[mom4]

ps i forgot the most important thing read on here and see what other people are finding and how they are getting it that cheap or free

[ginnykae]

Start slow and you will get the hang of it. Remember that any time you start using coupons you are saving money.
The biggest thing that I learned was that some weeks you will have higher grocery bills when you stockpile things like frozen chicken or other meat, but then the next week should be a lot less.
I know I have weeks that I go to the grocery store only for produce and dairy products.
Couponing is tricky, sometimes I have to hold myself back and not buy products I don't really need just because I have a coupon. Like air fresheners, candles, and stuff like that.
I also have to remind myself with free stuff like toothpaste, that there will always be toothpaste deals, so I don't have to stockpile 20 tubes.