This summer my best friend Dawn fell in love.
Keep in mind she has been married many years (to a pastor) and has 3 children.
Those weren't the things she fell in love with. I left for Europe for 3 weeks and when I got home she was on the phone telling me I HAD to come over as soon as I possible could because she wanted to share her new found love with me.
I asked for details and she wouldn't give me any over the phone.
Not a one.
That girl can be tough when she needs to be.
I eventually showed up at her place and she made me sit down, close my eyes, and hold out my hands.
She then placed a very, very heavy thing in my lap.
It was her new couponing book.
Seriously.
That's exactly what I said to her,
"Seriously! This is what I had to come over and see? This is what you are crazy-obsessed with right now?"
"Yes" was her reply and then for the next 28 and a half minutes she talked non-stop about how she couponed, why she couponed, and how much money she saved by couponing.
She had me at money saved.
I am a lover of a good deal.
A bargain.
A "steal".
I am all about saving money where and when I can.
Within a week, I had my own notebook set up and ready to go.
Within the next week, I embarked on my first price-matching, coupon-wielding grocery trip.
It involved Wal-Mart, which is one of my least favorite stores, but that was ok.
Wal-Mart is now my friend. We have come to terms, Wal-Mart and I.
Here's how I roll:
Step 1: On Sundays I buy The Oregonian which has ad inserts. I then cut them out and file them in my coupon binder.
(I apologize now for the quality of pictures.)
I then cut out any other coupons I see in the regular paper we subscribe to (The East Oregonian) like this one for 10.00 off a purchase of 75.00 dollars or more.
The next thing I do is go through the colored ads that come out each week from individual stores. I just look through Safeway, Albertsons, and Fiesta Foods. As I look through, I write down any items that I need to buy and what sale price they are at.
Then I go through my coupon binder and pull any coupons that match those items.
Then I'm ready to go shopping!
I do most of my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart now when I am wanting to price match and coupon because they are currently the only store in town who will accept other store's coupons as well as price match to any store within a 30 mile radius of Pendleton.
Here's a breakdown of my last trip. I included what the original price was, what I paid for it, and how much I saved per item. You can just scroll down to total savings if you want to!
Item Original Price Price I Paid Total Saved
Quaker Instant Oatmeal 2.50 1.67 .83
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars 2.68 1.30 1.38
Eggos 2.53 2.00 .53
Pillsbury Grand Biscuits 1.77 .75 1.02
Milk 3.19 1.50 1.69
Go-Gurts 2.50 1.62 .88
Pop-Tarts 2.25 1.49 .76
Nature Valley Granola Bars 2.98 1.42 1.56
Honey Nut Cheerios 3.00 2.00 1.00
Capri Suns 2.48 1.79 .69
Salad Mix 2.48 2.00 .48
Doritos 2.58 1.46 1.12
Tillamook Cheese Baby Loaf 9.78 5.49 4.29
Razors (women's) 5.78 2.89 2.89
Razors (men's) 6.34 3.17 3.17
Totals 52.84 30.55 22.29
Now of course, these totals reflect if I only purchased one of each of those items, which I didn't. On those with the best deals (milk, baby cheese loaves) I purchased more than one. I also wanted to make sure that my total grocery bill exceeded 75.00 so that I could take advantage of Safeway's 10.00 off coupon.
This being said, here are the totals for all of the groceries that I purchased that day:
Original Price Price I Paid Total Saved
144.44 74.42 70.13
See why I became a believer?
Now couponing is not for everyone nor is for "all the time" grocery shopping. At least not for me.
I love being organized so that part is easy for me, but if you're not organized - trust me- couponing is not going to work well for you.
Also, I only go couponing every other week. Dawn (and other die-hards) go a couple of times a week. I love it but not as much as her.
On my off weeks, I purchase the things I need for meals, mainly dinners, and those special things that I need for certain recipes. I try to stock up on key ingredients during my couponing times but there are still fresh produce things that never go on sale that I still need to pick up.
All in all, I love the fact that I am saving money that I can then spend on other things - like say a new house - or how about a new car sometime in my future? I think that while this isn't for everyone, it is certainly worth a try. Start small and be prepared! Have fun - ask some friends to coupon with you and even go to the grocery store with you the first couple of times!
Also, check out thekrazycouponlady.com
She is simply awesome! And she has videos and everything to help people like me (aka - overwhelmed easily!) get started!
One last thing. If you go the Wal-Mart route like I have be sure not to end up in the next video series by this musician. I'm just saying...
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