Saturday, August 9, 2008

Coupons

Face wash, Contact solution, & Nail polish - all things that I wanted or needed to buy that I got for free.
I have been trying for a while to find ways to cut back on our food spending. I make meal plans and grocery lists before I go to the store, so I won't buy any extra items. I also try to follow through with actually making the meals, so that we don't have to go out to eat (I greatly need to improve on this). Over the last few weeks, I have come across (just by chance) articles that talk about using coupons to drastically minimize your grocery bill. I never thought too much about using coupons because we shop at Wal-Mart, and their prices are already so low. However, I had two other friends mention on their blogs how much money they had saved (as well as how much food storage they had accumulated) by coupon shopping. So, yesterday I started my experiment (I actually prepared for a few days before that - I made a list of just about everything I could think of that I would ever buy, from produce to Pillsbury cinnamon rolls to toothpaste). Because Wal-Mart's prices are already so low, oftentimes the lowest sale prices at other stores are still more expensive, so I went to Wal-Mart with my list I had made the day before, and wrote down the prices of as many of the items as I could find (there were a lot of items). I started thinking, "Why am I spending time on this? I'm so tired of recording the prices, and I'll probably never look at them again to compare to other stores' sale prices." However, I was then able to buy the few things I needed from Wal-Mart & then go to Safeway where, because I had made my comparison list, I was able to go straight to the sale items that were even cheaper than Wal-Mart's prices. I then went to Rite Aid & gathered a few of their really cheap sale items & even got $25 worth of stuff for free. I am really excited about building my storage supply & saving money on my everyday groceries. Thanks Anne for the website referral (It breaks down all the sale items in the grocery stores around you, and tells you what's a good deal, a rock bottom price, & items you can get for free, whether at the store's sale price or with the addition of coupons). Check it out if you're interested. It's really not as time consuming as I made it by recording my own prices at Wal-Mart. I'm just a total nerd & wanted to make sure it was even worth using coupons if Wal-Mart's prices would still be lower than other stores anyway. I recommend at least doing the trial period. If you have any questions let me know, and if you sign up, I would love if you would use me as your referral.

9 comments:

  1. Good for you!!! I'm so glad that you did your research, and that you're getting into the groove. If you know how to do it before you have little William, then it will make it so much easier after he's here!!

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  2. I totally love the grocery game site!! Here are a couple other good ones:
    couponmom.com
    frugalisfab.blogspot.com (she's local in Elk Grove)

    I have found couponing a little addicting. Like a game - it can be time consuming, but I'm grateful to save money! You'll appreciate it a lot more once William comes.

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  3. Thanks for the website!!!! I am always looking for more sites with coupons! :D

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  4. You go girl, way to stretch that dollar!

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  5. I have been both good and bad at times with coupons. I also wanted to let you know that Wal-Mart will price match, so if something is on sale at another store for a lower price you just need your ad(sometimes here you don't even need that) and they will just change it to the lower price. Another way to save because you aren't using gas!

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  6. Sorry, but the thought of running around from store to store makes me gag. With Michelle's suggestion of getting the price match at WalMart, though, it might be worth a try, even though it would mean actually going to dreaded WalMart.

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  7. Nice job liz. I can't believe that William is going to be here in about 60 days....wow!! We are so excited for you & scott!

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  8. so you pay for the website and then you get three papers a week? thanks for the website. I was couponing in utah and I saved sooo much money. one time I bought 250 bottles of powerade for 14.00. amazing right?! I just haven't been able to find a good website out here. I'm excited to start saving again. thanks for the tip

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  9. Susan-
    I don't use the website from this post. I use My Frugal Adventures blog instead - it's free & does the same thing!

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