Coupons

We have a new adventure in our grocery shopping. It's called coupons! Old news? Maybe, but keep reading just in case you haven't tried this way of using coupons. We found it slightly frustrating the first week, exciting the second week and totally rewarding the third week! We asked our friend Lindsay, who recently started a frugal blog, for some tips.


I used coupons occasionally for a few years. I planned my meals, figured out what we needed, and shopped each week. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I’m sure I saved some money using coupons that way, but it wasn’t measurable savings.

My entire strategy changed when I started reading some ’frugal’ blogs this last year, as recommended by my friend Angie (Blogger Note: Yes, that's me! I read frugal blogs but am just now starting this couponing adventure.). The principles are simple, but until I tried them myself I wasn’t so sure.

Coupons – both printable and from weekly inserts – are key to saving money on items you buy If you are envisioning hours slaving over the scissors and inserts, think again. I like to clip what I am most likely to use (you’ll get the hang of this part) and save the inserts – marked with the date – in a file folder. Find a simple way to organize those you clipped – I use a 7 section little 4×6-ish organizer I got in the $1 Spot at Target. If you want a bigger one, go for it.
As for the coupon inserts in your folder, I recommend looking at other blogs to figure out when to refer to those. On my blog - and most I’ve seen – you’ll see references to “5-16 RP” or “6-6 SS” – referring to the date and the specific insert (Smart Source, Red Plum, etc.) You can easily find that insert and see if you have that coupon (sometimes the coupons vary by region).

Another way to find coupons on specific brands you are looking for is to use a coupon database. My favorite new one is Money Saving Mom’s Coupon Database because it includes so many printable coupons along with the inserts. If I see my local store has Cheerios on a great sale, I search the database to make sure I have all the Cheerios coupons available.

Stock Up when the deals are good. When I find a good cereal sale, for example, I stock up using the coupons I have. I know you think that $1 off that box of Cheerios will still make it more expensive than the Tastey-O brand, but just wait. That same $3 Cheerios box on sale for “$1.50 when you buy 3″ just got you cereal for $0.50 per box. (FREE tastes the best, of course!) It’s not unusual to have 10 boxes of cereal in my pantry. Often we eat thru more than half of those, then another sale hits and I stock up again.

It may seem weird at first to have, say, a dozen bags of frozen veggies in the freezer, but it’s so nice and easy to pull out a bag to add to dinner or use in recipes.

Use the sales to complete or complement your meal plan. I’ve cooked long enough to get a feel for what I use most in recipes. When I find a new recipe to try, it most often includes a few items I regularly buy – chicken breasts, ground beef, cream soups, pasta, frozen/canned veggies, pasta sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream, etc. So all I need to do is pick up one or two more items to complete the meal. This is also true if you use the weekly menus from A Kitchen is the Heart of the Home, just look ahead for the week and add the items to your shopping list that you don’t have on hand, or substitute for things you do have on hand.

K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sister! I am notorious for completing the main dish and rounding up the family for dinner, then realizing I have ONLY that – a main dish! No sides, and therefore often no fruits and vegetables. Apparently my multi-tasking needs some work when it comes to cooking!

SO, knowing my weakness, I buy frozen and canned veggies in large quantities when the prices are lowest, and I also buy fresh produce regularly. Sliced fresh fruit and a can/bag of veggies goes well with just about anything and is quick enough for me to prepare last minute. “The Cooks” also have some great sides you can prepare pretty quickly with your main dish. Go with what works for you!

One of the best things about blogs is how we all learn from each other. I’d love to hear your money-saving or meal plan/prep tips, so leave a comment please!

Lindsay lives in Omaha and is a wife and mother of a three year old. She enjoys finding good deals and is the author of O! What a Savings! (see her button on the sidebar), a blog dedicated to helping you save time and money as you manage your home.