Today, while hanging out with some incredible ladies from our homeschool playgroup, I had several questions about my couponing.  In this post I will do my best to answer them.

WHERE DO I START???  Start with the little things.  Gather up coupons, ask the neighbors for their Sunday ads, etc.  It will take about 6 months to get a stockpile build up.  The best way to save money is to stockpile.  Need extra coupons?  Try Ebay.com, a Coupon Clipping Service, or even ask me!  I’ve got a good stockpile, so sometimes I do not use all the coupons.  Even if you do not have coupons, you will still do GREAT shopping just the buy one get ones at Publix. 

WHERE TO SHOP:  I personally shop at Publix, Target, and the drug stores.  I do not get to each every week – it would be chaos to try to hit all the deals, and you will easily get burnt out. 

The best way to find the deals, it to come by here of course!  I bring you my favorite deals every day, and try to add some in that are specific to the Athens, GA area.  Then check out sites that are store specific for coupon matchups.  For Publix, I recommend I Heart Publix.  For Target, there is Totally Target.  There is also I Heart Wags, I Heart CVS, and I Heart Rite-Aid.  Someone else is doing the work for you, all you have to do is decide which deals are right for your family.

BRAND SPECIFIC: Another question I got was “What if I only want this brand…”.  I personally think, don’t knock it until you have tried it.  Since couponing, I have found and fell in love with many brands I would have never considered or bought before.  It’s always great to try new things! 

Any other questions?

Yes, that is written right.  $50 a week takes care of my family.  This includes all groceries, diapers for the baby, wipes, paper towels, toilet paper, personal care items, etc.  Couponing and deal finding takes a while to get the hang of, but do not give up.  It is worth it!  I have gotten a lot of questions on where to get started.  This post will explain how I do it the SMART way.

Stockpiling: Stockpiling is the best way to make your money stretch.  When you find a great deal, you buy enough for your family that will last until the next good sale.  Yes, this means buying more than 1 can of sauce during a sale.  Whatever is on sale that you will use, you buy.  Even if you do not need it that week, you may need it the next.  For example, if spighetti sauce is on sale for buy one get one free, and I have a coupon to go with it making it $.50 down from $4, I buy at least $4 worth, or 8 jars.  It would be equal to buying 1 jar and getting the other 7 free!  If you waited until you NEEDED sauce and paid the $4, you would have paid out $32 compared to the $4.  That’s a savings of $28!!!!  Stock up enough that you do not have to pay full price for anything.  Watch the sales every week to see how to plan.  Ask neighbors, friends, and relatives for their unwanted coupons so you can get your stockpile growing. 

Make Good Decisions: When you coupon, you need to make good decisions.  Remember that you do still have to pay tax on things, even items that are free after coupons, so make sure you’re not wasting all of your money on tax for things you don’t need.  It’s not a good idea to buy 20 boxes of poptarts on sale and not have any money leftover for fruits and veggies.  You also have to take a fair amount of time planning.  I typically take 1-2 hours before I head out to do my shopping.  Yes, that’s a lot of time, BUT, if I save $100 on my shopping bill, it’s like getting paid $50 an hour to coupon and plan! 

Always Give Back:  After you have been couponing for a while, you will find that you have so much stuff that you cannot possibly eat it all or use it all before it will go bad.  This is the time to box up the extras and visit your local food pantry or homeless shelter.  Don’t be a hoarder or a shelf clearer just to have it all sit and clutter up your house. 

Responsibility: As a couponer, you can help or hurt the coupon world.  Do not abuse the couponing system.  When in doubt about a coupon, ask management before using.  Make sure that your coupon is for the product that you have.  You cannot use 2 manufacturer coupons on one item.  At Target, Publix, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS, they allow you one STORE coupon and one MANUFACTURE coupon.  The coupon will say on it what it is.  Please, please PLEASE do not abuse couponing.  No making copies of coupons, that is illegal and many stores have stopped taking printables due to coupon abuse.  Do not abuse “free item” coupons.  Just use common sense and not greed to guide you.

Teach Others: Friends don’t let friends pay too much!  Be sure to share the shopping skills with others so they can learn to save too.  Everyone works hard for their money so they should be able to keep it!  Don’t pay more than you need.

There is a new Athens chapter of ICAN starting up next Tuesday!  ICAN is Internation Cesarean Awareness Network.  This is a organization that is near and dear to me as I’ve had 2 of my children by c-section.  If you are interested in joining the Athens ICAN group, you can do so HERE.  You can also be kept up to date through their facebook group HERE or their website HERE.

If you have had a c-section, wish to educate yourself to prevent an unnecessary c-section, please consider coming to the first meeting.  It will be held at Full Bloom Pregnancy & Early Parenting Center on April 13th from 6:30-8:30.  With the Athens area have a shockingly high c-section rate at 39.18%, I’m sure some of you would be interested in this.  I am looking forward to the first meeting, and a dear friend of mine is leading the group.

Not in the Athens area?  Just GO HERE to find an ICAN group close to you.

For information about the ICAN of Athens meeting, please contact icanofathens@gmail.com

Here is my take on a few frequently asked questions.

Q:How much should I buy during sales?
A:Really, it’s up to you. I tend to buy more than enough for my family to last us until the next sale, especially if it’s under $.50. The sales come in cycles. After couponing for a while, you’ll notice the patterns. This weeks deals at Publix are pasta, sauce, and garlic bread. Get enough of these items to last you until the next pasta sale which will be probably about 4-8 weeks later. Why pay full price when you can buy it now and it be still good for later?

Q:I feel weird having 10 boxes of the same thing in my cart! Do you?
A:I used to. Now, I accept the fact that I am going to get weird looks. Like today, I probably looked like a crazy cat lady with all the bags of cat food I bought. However, at $.25 each after coupons, I could care less!

Q:Where do you get your coupons?
A:Mostly from my mom. She has several neighbors that get papers and never use the coupons. Ask around and I’m sure you’ll find people that throw away coupons every single week! Their loss is your gain! Another great place is just walking through a store. You can find tearpads, peelies, and more on products. At last resort, I turn to ebay or a coupon clipping service such as The Coupon Clippers. I also am a big fan of Coupons.com. They have awesome coupons to print from your home!

Q:Why do you not post much on the weekends?
A:Weekends are for family time. I usually do not post much unless I happen to have some free time and see a great deal.

Q:Where do you find the time for coupon clipping?
A:I make time. It’s not my favorite thing in the world, however it helps me continue being a stay at home mom in this economy. I’d much rather have extra money in my pocket. I’ve also got 2 good helpers that love to look for the coupons.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!