One thing that seems to perplex the non-couponing community is why the content of our shopping carts just look…different. After all, do we really need 10 boxes of cereal, 3 tubes of toothpaste, and 20 cans of tomatoes for the week? What exactly IS this all about?
Reader Julie sent me a great email last night explaining the epiphany she had about shopping. She writes:
When I first got started in November, I was pouring over coupons, making my list then going to the store for a week's worth of groceries and trying to keep straight exactly which brand and how many of each item to buy to make it worth my while. It was taking me 3 times as long to get through the store… I was a little irritated that couponing seemed to mean that I'd have to give up my evenings to go shopping… and I'd spend 2 hours making my list, extra time at the store, and the bottom line was I'd save around $7. WHAT?! My time is worth way more than that!
I think many people that start out with coupons do exactly what Julie did here. You try to just "work coupons in" to what you're already doing: your weekly trips to the store to buy the food you need for that week. And understandably, you'll end up frustrated and your savings probably won't amount to much.This is not how I recommend you go about using coupons either.
Fortunately, Julie's story does not end there. Here's what she realized:
Then something snapped. I don't know if it's something I read or what, but it hit me that if I did it all right, I didn't have to purchase 75 unique items in one shopping trip (not an unusual week of shopping if I had recipes and such). The idea is that if I planned right and bought lots of the same thing when it went on super sale and I had the right coupons to coordinate, a regular weekly grocery trip would likely include milk, eggs, bread, and some fresh produce.
BINGO, Julie! What you've described is stockpiling and it goes hand-in-hand with couponing.
Julie's shopping has gone much smoother since she had this simple revelation about buying items her family needs and uses when they are at low prices and simply buys the dairy and produce she needs to round out her menu for the week. She continues:
My mind feels sharp, I feel like I've won a victory for the family and for myself. My head is swimming with ideas and I'm excited and that feels awesome.
Here's the part I loved. In her follow-up email to me, she told me this:
Last night my husband said dinners were better since I started shopping this way.
Well I'd say that's a perk! When your pantry starts to round out, you'll have many ingredients to choose from to encourage your culinary inspirations and creativity. To review: couponing and stockpiling should work to reduce your time in the store, liven up your dinners, and cut your grocery budget.
Want to read more about this topic? In October, I shared how your mindset about grocery shopping will need to change once you start couponing. You might want to read this post on how to build a stockpile. And if you're still hungry for more, check out the "Getting Started" section of my blog.
Thanks, Julie, for sharing this! I'm sure it will encourage other readers getting started. As a reminder, I fully encourage my readers to share their testimonials and pictures of their deals! Please read how here, and then email me at thecouponproject at hotmail dot com and you just might be my next reader feature!
Photo credit David di Biase
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks so much for this story. I am starting to transition to this way of shopping and I’m finding the transition a bit of a challenge. Since I’m new to stockpiling, I still have to do my weekly shopping as well as the stockpiling. How long did the transition take for you? I can imagine it’s an ongoing process, but give or take . . .
Sara, give yourself a few months. I recommend starting out small. Each week, look for 1 or 2 stock up deals as your budget can afford. Continue to buy the items you need on a weekly basis. What you should notice over time is that what you need goes down and down as your stockpile grows.
Remember, give yourself time and keep it FUN!!
This story couldn’t have come at a better time because I feel exactly the same way. I was shopping week to week and picking up extra when I could but not really seeing the savings until about this last month. The beginning was hard because I had to build up a stockpile of our staples. I still have a ways to go but I finally think I’m getting better. I love your blog!
For the first few months, I probably spent about the same as normal – just got about 2-3 times the amount of stuff. It gets easier to save as your stockpile grows. Probably around the 6 month mark is when I noticed the savings increasing! It does get better.
I need help! I’m new to this & I’m not sure what to do in the meantime while trying to grow my stockpile. I currently have 0 groceries & I mean that literally. The fridge is empty except for some condiments, eggs, and a few bagels. The cupboards are bare except for cans of soup (we always seem to have a ton of canned soup!). This is mostly because I’m so busy at home with my baby and hubby is so busy at work we just haven’t had time to shop.
I just started collecting coupons so I have 3 copies of whatever has been in the paper since 1/3/2010 plus some printables. I’m going shopping tonight and I know that a lot of the coupons expire the end of this month. Should I go ahead and use all of the coupons (that expire soon) to stockpile items that I need anyway even if they’re not on sale? I hate for the coupons to go to waste & then end up paying full price anyway if the items never go on sale before the coupons expire.
Jenn, WOW. Lots of great questions here. I actually would love to address them in a new post.
In the meantime, NO do NOT just run out and use up the coupons. The “big secret” to couponing is combining the coupons on SALE prices. Using coupons on regular prices rarely leads to stockup prices.
If it’s OK with you, I’d love to answer your questions in a new post and open it up to have other readers give their input. Sound good?