Recently a friend and I went to a coupon class. We learned the basics of saving money by buying things on sale, using coupons and stockpiling items when they are at their lowest price. I never would have thought it would be something I could do, but here I am... and blogging about it too! I just totaled up what I have spent and saved so far this month and was amazed at how well I'm doing. Sure, there are plenty of other people waaay better at it than me, but I'm still pretty darn excited.
I'll share with you some of my victories. To date this month, I have bought $694 of groceries and have paid $312. That's a savings of $382!! I'll tell ya, so far my favorite place to shop has been Publix. I have found that when you shop their BOGO (Buy one get one free) specials and factor in coupons, that is where you will get the best deal. I have also shopped some at Ingles, but my savings are not nearly as good when I go there. Prior to couponing I NEVER shopped at Publix. I always assumed it was more expensive, I couldn't have been more wrong. It has quickly become my absolute favorite place to shop.
I am by no means an expert, and I hope to get better and better with each shopping trip, but for now, I am pleased to be able to save what I am. It kind of makes feel better about being a SAHM. I feel like I am "earning my keep" in a sense. What I am saving is almost equivalent to a part time job, and the effort I have to put forth is so little in comparison to the benefits! Some of my favorite websites to help me find deals are www.couponmom.com and www.southernsavers.com. I have also recently discovered www.iheartpublix.com thanks to my cousin!
Coupons are no longer a thing of the past, or something only poor people do. It's a great way for everyone, in this crappy economy to save a little cash. Hey maybe what you can save could pay for a much needed vacation. Who wouldn't do a little extra work on their grocery list to enjoy a week on a beautiful beach somewhere?? Anyways, thats my $0.02 about coupons :) Good luck and happy saving!!
Here's a few other links from a friend of mine.
ReplyDeletehttp://coupon-geeks.livejournal.com/
http://kayotically.livejournal.com/770476.html
Nice, Beth went to a coupon class today. Let's hope we can save some dough too!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the extra sites Harri :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck Ben. It has been an awesome experience and a huge savings for our family!
I like coupons, but there aren't neraly as many good coupons for ORGANIC unprocessed foods, as I would like.
ReplyDeleteWe don't use that many coupons because of that. I have however found some good healthy foods coupons at a website called mambo sprouts and healthway natural foods.
I also started buying food from a local farm, and they food is more expensive, but I find that I can use more of the food and not be wasteful.
Yeah, natural products are harder to find than average consumer items. The woman who taught the class I went to actually eats organic only as well and she still managed to save $12000 last year. I think the mambo sprouts site is the one she mentioned there as well.
ReplyDeleteSo proud of you! I'll be honest it took me a sec to figure out what SAHM meant :)
ReplyDeleteDid you figure out that it meant "Super Amazing Humble Melissa"?? LOL!!
ReplyDeleteI know some people who laugh at the act of coupon clipping but I think coupon clipping is something totally awesome. Case in point, you saved $382 for groceries that are worth $694. Keep up the good work! I love discounts and coupons whenever I can get and use some :) Besides, I need to make my little salary work for my big spending. LOL.
ReplyDeletehahaha love it! couponing is the best ever...you sure sound like you got a good handle on it ....you deserve a free pat on the back no coupon needed....and I'm with deb SAHM it took me a minute too I'm slow
ReplyDeleteahhh they just made a show on tlc I think, I forgot what it is called, but it is all about clipping coupons and people spend 6 hours a day clipping coupons but they get like $600 worth of groceries for free! I wanna watch that so bad now lol ...
ReplyDeleteI've watched it several times, Extreme Couponing, and those women (and men) are abusing the system in a lot of cases. The stores allow them to bend/ break rules for the free publicity they receive from being on the show. Not to mention I HATE when all of one item is grabbed up by one person, I mean really... does anyone NEED 63 bottles of mustard?!?! LOL, I could understand if it was Nfu-OH holo polish or something!!!
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