Back in later winter, I had the pleasure of having an infomal coupon class with my mom, aunt, and a few of their friends. One of these ladies, Katrina, has done such a fabulous job that I asked her this week if I could ask her a few questions via email and share her answers with my readers. (She agreed!)
I hope her story will inspire some of you that are newer or on the fence about couponining.
ME: How long do you think it's taken you to build your confidence in using coupons and planning your trips?
KATRINA: It didn't take long at all. I remember when you told me about a deal at Fred Meyer to get some very inexpensive razors using two in-store coupons. That did the trick to get me hooked! I purchased one newspaper the following weekend and looked over this blog to see what deals I could try out. After that, I realized this was something I wanted to pursue and so from then on, I started getting 2 newspapers each week. On occasion, I have purchased 4 when I know it is a good coupon week. I went right to the binder system and chose to organize my coupons by categories as that is what made sense to me. Each week I look over this blog, cut and paste the deals I want to go after into a WORD documnet for the stores I'm interested in and print it out. Then, I print out or pull out of my binder the needed coupons and put them into a mini file separate by stores to keep in the car so I am ready to go.
ME: In general, how much do you think coupons and sale shopping save you and your family each month?
KATRINA: During the first few months, I spent the same as usual as I was working to build up a little stock. I was also learning what a really good deal was. I still remember stocking up on Colgate toothpaste because I thought $1.25 was a great deal! It was compared to what I used to spend, but now I don't even look at the toothpaste deals unless I can get them for $0.25 or less.
Before I started couponing, I was usually going over our monthly $600 grocery budget by $25 to $100. We have 2 adults and 2 athletic teen daughters. My goal going into couponing was to get it down $400 each month so I could use the savings towards our $140 cell phone bill. I shoot for $400 (about $100 per week) and am happy if I can save at least $150. It can be a challenge as I have two daughters who have lots of extra school costs. This week it has been homecoming and spirit week. But I am thankful I can now pay most of this out of the grocery budget, where before I couldn't.
ME: Can you tell me about a good shopping trip you recently had?
KATRINA: This was a very fun and exciting week for me at Albertsons! I ended up making 2 trips. This first one I took my time figuring out what to get in order to get my $10 promotional groupings correct. I also had to keep track of my running total as I found a $10 off a $50 purchase in the paper that night and wanted to use it as well. I had grouped my coupons into separate envelopes. I wasn't sure if certain items would be on stock, so I came prepared with backup plans. In the end, I had lots of help from the gal stocking the shelves and had the cashier all to myself, who cheered me on when she saw I had spent $60 and saved $177.78! On my second trip, I spend $27.81 and saved $72.53. Those two trips got my everything for the week as well as great stock up items: granola bars, olive oil, peanut butter, jelly, Gatorade, brownie mix, pasta, rice, tissue, syrup, popcorn, and more!
ME: What advice would you have for someone that's thinking about using coupons or just getting started?
KATRINA: Start slow and work into it as you feel more comfortable with what you are doing. Educate yourself by reading various blogs. Talk to other couponers in the store. Get a good organizing system that works for you (this may take a few tries to get right). Find snippets of time in your day to cut the coupons and organize them. I have a bag I keep everything in and do most of it in the car while I'm waiting in the parking lot for my girls to get out of school or while I wait for the basketball games to start as we need to be there 30 minutes early. Be sure to tell some of your best friends about what you are doing as they can make great coupon buddies to hash things out with, get ideas from, cut coupons with while the kids play and even shop with. Several times, I've texted my friend while I was in the store to have her check a blog to get more info as I forgot to check something out. After awhile your family and friends will tire of you talking about all the details of your exciting shopping trips, which is another reason for the coupon buddy.
Finally, have FUN, be WISE, and SHARE with those in need.
Katrina, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me! I must say, I love your idea of a coupon buddy! Keep on saving!
Photo credit Jason Ralston
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