Couponing Update

In August, I decided to try to maximize my coupon savings and learn to be a more savvy shopper.   I am also tracking my coupon and shopping savings so I can see my progress.  I felt there was possibly a great deal of money I was basically throwing away by not using coupons.  So I am now in my third month and I feel like I have stalled.  Where are the good coupons?  The best coupons I have found are for things I don't use or that I have plenty of like shampoo and hair products.  I'd like more coupons for fresh vegetables, milk, orange juice, meat and eggs.  We don't eat many processed foods or drink sodas so the free liter of Dr. Pepper at Target did not excite me.  Neither did the coupon for .99 air freshener at Walgreens.

Don't get me wrong; I'm very excited about the savings I've accumulated so far.  Total savings to date are $367.70; of that $106.63 are coupon savings, the rest is sales price savings.  The trouble is you get sucked into believing that you should only pay maybe $5 for $100 worth of groceries like they do on TV.  Maybe I should watch the show for some tips.  One thing I am better at now is really looking at the sales sheets that stores send out.  I've been trying to plan meals around the items on sale that week and of course, matching coupons to sales items when possible.

One new coupon site I've found is couponbug.com.  There are several pages of coupons each week and they are easy to scan quickly and print.  I have also tried a few other brands I normally wouldn't have because I had a really good coupon for them, making them a much better buy than my favorite brand.  I have also discovered that Walgreens is a great place to shop for all sorts of items.  I never really shopped at Walgreens before but lately I have picked up things like mascara, soup and and shampoo at really great prices.

So here are my tips: be open to shopping some place different and to trying new brands.  Check out many websites, magazines and newspapers for coupons.  Planning meals and having a shopping list saves money and keeps impulse buying to a minimum.  Watch for promotions such as buy two and receive a coupon for money off your next shopping trip.  I received $3.50 in such coupons yesterday while buying spices and toilet cleaner on sale.

If any of my readers have any coupon tips to share, please do!  We'd all love to save more money wouldn't we?  On Thursday, I'm going to share a new soup recipe I just tried.  I think it's going to get cooler sometime and my family thought this soup was great.