Couponing for Real Life

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Extreme I am not. I don't have stashes of elbow macaroni boxes and Windex. I have a much more moderate take on the subject. The key to successful couponing is balancing your time and effort with your savings. Here's how I have found my coupon Nirvana.

FIND YOUR COUPON RESOURCES
Some say getting multiple Sunday papers is the way to go. I personally like using online sources for the majority of my coupons. You don't have to pay anything up front to get them and often what's in the paper is also found online. Some of my favorite sites are:

coupons.com
smartsource.com
redplum.com
http://coupons.target.com (link at the bottom of the page)

Another great resource is The Krazy Coupon Lady. They have have a page for Print Coupons that is alphabetical order for easy browsing. If I have my shopping list made and there's a some items I don't have coupons for, I often cross reference to see if there is a coupon available to use. I've found that around half of the time there is something.

Smartphone Apps are another good resource. I use iBotta and Target's Cartwheel frequently. 

STICK WITH ONE STORE
Simplicity is key for me. If you get overwhelmed by trying to track multiple store's ads you'll probably give up on the whole thing. Find your favorite place and stick with it. Most grocery or super stores will have good sales no matter what (notice i say SALES and not regular prices).

I like shopping at Target for groceries because they have comparable prices to surrounding businesses and have store coupons that can be stacked with (aka used along with) manufacturer coupons for great total savings. Target also has good, reliable store brands that can be a better deal than a brand name even with a coupon. And to continue to toot Target's horn, you can save 5% every trip by using their credit or debit card (I've saved about $150 this year since Target is my primary store for groceries). They ALSO have something called "Cartwheel" which is a smartphone app you can download to save additional percentages on things you're already planning on buying. Often it's 5% extra but in just a few month of using it, I've saved over $50.


BE ORGANIZED
If you print and clip your coupons and then the sit on your desk and expire, then that does you no good says Captain Obvious. The way I organize is with a small file organizer like this one. My folder is organized in the following way: Pantry/Beverages, Deli/Bakery, Dairy/Frozen, Pet/Household, Health & Beauty, then the back of the folder is "Miscellaneous" which holds store and restaurant coupons. 

READY, SET, SHOP
My menu planning is dependent on coupons and sales. I allow the best deals to dictate our meals. When I shop, I may have 3 or 4 items written down but everything else I buy has a coupon so no need to jot down the rest of the list. So before hitting the store, I pull my coupons from the folder, put them in the order of where the items are in the store and sail through. Make sure to double check your expiration dates, quantity and sizes before grabbing what you need. That will save you time at the checkout lane.

My #1 mantra when I shop is: "even if this is a good price, will we eat it and do we NEED it?" I've become much better at answering this question over time. The ultimate way to save is to reduce waste!

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There is your review of my grocery shopping regiment. As always, starting slow and building up is always advised. Walk before you run and all that jazz. Happy couponing!