Anyway, I save money everywhere and take advantage of every offer I can. For example, when you buy a bag of Starbucks coffee you get a coupon for a free tall coffee in the bag. I've received at least 5 free coffees in the last 2 years. I don't care if it only saved me maybe $15. That's $15 I can spend elsewhere!
Another example of my effortless frugality is that I have a dining card for my favorite restaurants in the area. We often go to the same restaurants (if you're ever in Hilton Head check out the Serge Group restaurants) and with their card (which I received free as a gift from work) we always get an entree for free. That card saves us anywhere from $8-$30 every time we use it!
You might be wondering why I'm so obsessed with saving $1 here and $1 there. First of all, those dollars add up. And secondly, most of us "normal" human beings have been at a place in our lives where we need to decide how to spend our last $10. Gas in the car or dinner??? It's having so many of those types of experiences that brought me here today.
You might be wondering why I'm so obsessed with saving $1 here and $1 there. First of all, those dollars add up. And secondly, most of us "normal" human beings have been at a place in our lives where we need to decide how to spend our last $10. Gas in the car or dinner??? It's having so many of those types of experiences that brought me here today.
I began couponing at a young age. I was 20 and living with my first live-in boyfriend (yes we lived in sin but it's cool b/c we're married now). My technique was a mess and I had no idea. I'd spend hours clipping coupons I thought I might use, only to use a small fraction and let the others expire. It was time consuming and inefficient. It wasn't until my sister-in-law showed me her method that I learned how to be a more savvy couponer. I even went to a local class (it cost $15 to get in) where I learned all the rules, how to stay organized, where to get the best coupons, etc. Since then I've saved probably $1500-$2000 on groceries alone. I'm not exaggerating. Wouldn't you like an extra $2000 in your pocket??
But couponing is complicated and there's no way I can explain it in just this blog post. There are a few things I can explain that I'm sure you're thinking.
First, you don't have to shop like those crazy people on TV that come home with 30 tubes of Colgate. I buy normal stuff. I will, however, take advantage of a good deal and stock up on products that we use and like. For example, yesterday I bought 1 Old Spice body wash and 2 Old Spice deodorants. My husband prefers these brands (he's very picky). We weren't out, but we'll need them in the future so I wanted to buy them when I can for the lowest price. The 18oz body wash was on sale for $3.50. I also had a coupon for $1 off any Old Spice product. The $4.50 body wash cost me $2.50. His deodorant was also on sale for $3.50. I had a coupon for $1 off of 2 Old Spice Anti-Perspirants. So what normally would have cost me $8 (they are $4 a piece) cost me $6. This is a small example but it perfectly illustrates how there is NO REASON to pay full price.
Secondly, I eat incredibly healthy! I shop mostly on the perimeter of the store, buying up fresh produce, fish and poultry, some dairy and organic (not everything I buy is organic, however). We don't eat much processed food and make a lot from scratch. I am still able to save money on everything from frozen vegetables to blueberries to almond milk to Luna bars. The coupons are out there an all items go on sale at some point during a 6 week cycle. I saved $85 at Publix yesterday (spent $200) and came home with TONS of healthy food. We do not live on Pop Tarts and Totinos Pizza Rolls (though I do love me some pizza rolls!)
I use a website called Southern Savers to find out what's on sale and what coupons to couple with that sale. It's made my couponing life infinitely better! Also, if there's an item I need now that's not on sale I can simply look in her database for what store has it cheaper and search her coupon database for a possible coupon. The woman is a genius. And she is not unique. Websites like this exist for every region. Find yours.
So today I'm heading to Target for some grocery items as well as other household items. Not only am I shopping from a list with coupons coupled with sales (sticking to a list is very important for saving money because you ALWAYS pay top dollar for impulse buys), I am also using a gift card that Doug and I got from his Dad for Christmas (Thanks Big Doug!)!! So today will be a very exciting day of shopping for free. I sure can't beat that!
If any of you think this couponing stuff is interesting, I'll be happy to share more on the topic. Just comment with your questions below. Have a happy Saturday!
I love this! Great post!
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