Trying a little "couponing."

Okay, so one of my goals for 2013 is to get back on the blogging bandwagon! I fell off last autumn and finally feel ready to get back to it!

One obstacle I come up against while blogging is, "What do I want to write about?" I have such a hodgepodge of ideas in my head each day that I find it hard to narrow down the focus of what this blog should be. One area in my life that may help refine this blog a bit is my mission to save money while shopping.

I am NO EXPERT in "couponing." Far, far, far, far from it. And I will never be a "super couponer." Not by a long-shot. It's too intimidating! You will not find 50 rolls of toilet paper stashed around our house as we "stockpile." So, I'm approaching it a little differently.

For over six years, I had a second job with my own home-based business in direct sales. I sold products used to decorate homes and help women entertain guests in their homes. I would do home parties a few times a month where I would take my product and catalogs into homes and meet wonderful women. I really enjoyed it. But, the company I worked for closed its doors unexpectedly last year. And for the first time in several years, I found myself with just one job. And absolutely zero desire to get back into direct sales at this time.

With all of that extra income gone, and an unwillingness to pick up a second job, I started to think, "How can my husband and I adjust our household budget?" My answer: coupons. And so I approach couponing as a second job. I am willing to put a few hours in every week to see how much money I can save us on products we use and need. I just started this process a couple of weeks ago and it will probably take me a couple of months to refine my "system." But here's what I have going so far. Each week I get the coupons out of the Sunday paper. Each week I go to www.coupons.com to print coupons. Each week I go through the Target ad and the Walgreens ad to see what's on sale. Each week I go to www.target.com and print coupons. Then I get to work.

Here are my rules I follow:
1. Never clip a coupon on something we'll never use. I only clip coupons on items I've used in the past. Sure, there may be a great deal on Ensure Drinkable Meals, or Windex, or Gogurt. But that's stuff we never use. So I'm not buying it. That's just common sense.

2. I try really hard to use coupons on things we don't need immediately if they are also on sale. If I have a coupon, but it's something we don't need right away and it's not on sale, I'll pass it up. If I have a coupon for something AND it's on sale, you may see me do a happy jig right there in the aisle.

3. Whenever possible, I double up my coupons by using a store coupon (Target or Walgreens) AND a manufacturer coupon (from the paper or coupons.com).

As I continue to shop each week and use coupons, I'll include tips on what works for me. And I will track what I save each week. That's my goal. Coupons are pretty much like money, and the more you use them, the more money you keep in your pocket.

A couple of tips to get you going.
1. Find some or all of the following pages on facebook and "like" them. They post multiple times a day so it can get annoying, but they post helpful information that has saved me money, and even gotten me some free stuff in the past. The facebook pages I like are: Super Coupon Lady (probably the most helpful), Discount Queens, FabuLESSly Frugal (also super helpful), Frugal Freebies and Deals, Frugal Finders, Freebies and Deals, Adventures of a Couponista. Don't reinvent the wheel and do all the savings legwork - let these pages find them for you!!

2. Be willing to spend some TIME on preparing to shop. Menu plan and look through store ads so you know where to find the best deal.

3. I never, ever, ever, ever pay for price for the following: toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo and conditioner, hair care products (mousse, hairspray), makeup, dish soap, or cereal. There are almost always coupons most weeks for all of these items.

Okay, let's get to it so you can see what the savings can look like!
My first week I shopped at Target and Walgreens. I saved $46.98 by using coupons, which was 32%of  my purchases.

At Target I purchased 2 greeting cards, kitty litter, "girl stuff" product, dryer sheets, dish soap, yogurt, two packages of napkins (and I'm now set for the rest of 2013), two blocks of cheese, honey, and cashews. I used a coupon on every product. I purchased seven items that were on sale with a coupon (that's 7 happy jigs). I spent $32.95 and saved $13.24. That's 28% in savings, just by clipping a few coupons. Highlight: 3 yogurts for $1.50 (50% off).

At Walgreens I purchased mascara, two bottles of shampoo (and I'm now set for the rest of 2013), mousse, conditioner, hairspray, mouthwash (and we're now set for the rest of 2013), paper towels, toilet paper, Abreva, cold medicine, and another kind of cold medicine. I used a coupon on every product. I purchased nine items that were on sale with a coupon (that's 9 more happy jigs). I spent $65.60 and saved $33.73. That's 34% in savings. Highlight: Mouthwash that was $7.49, I scored for $3.49 and it's the brand my husband uses. I used a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon. Second highlight: Abreva! It's for cold sores and I had just gotten one and was all out of my tube I purchased a couple of years ago. It was $19.99, on sale for $18.99 and I had a $3.00 coupon. So I saved $4.00 on something I really, really, really needed. Third highlight: my favorite conditioner was $4.49 full price, it was on sale for $2.50 and I had a $.50 coupon so I saved $2.49 and paid $2.00. Final highlight: 6 pack of paper towels were full price $6.99. They were on sale for $4.99 and I had a $.25 coupon. So I paid $4.74, which comes out to $.79 a roll!

Savings so far in 2013: $46.98.