Helpful Tips...

Here are a few things that I do that may be helpful when trying to reduce your monthly outgo by using coupons and watching sales!


1. I meal plan for the month rather than for the week.  The first trip to the store each month is a HUGE trip for me, I purchase all the staples I will need for the entire month except the fresh foods, milk etc.  I wrote about this in length here, here and here.  This cuts most of my trips to the store down to a mere 15 minute run through the produce and dairy sections!


2. Drug Stores aren't just for medicine!  You can watch these sales for staples like condiments, household products and cereal!


3. Office supply stores aren't just for ink and toner - they sell Kleenex and Paper Towels too...


4. School supply sales are HUGE in the summer...watch your adds when spiral notes books are 10 cents each buy 20.  Yes 20.  Your store may have a limit so enlist your spouse to go with you and shop as a separate customer, stop by the store twice in one week - whatever you have to do...You will spend $4.00 for spirals that your kids will blow through instead of over $1.00 a piece each time you need a new one.


5. Office supply stores have amazing rewards cards.  This month I purchased 12 Avery heavy duty view binders in various sizes - they cost me nearly $90 (this is where rolling your stockpile budget from month to month helps a ton) They were on 100% rewards - which means next month this store will me a credit for $90 back to spend in their store.  I will use a portion of this reward each week untill I run out or it expires to purchase items that we use that are on sale - ink, paper, school supplies, paper towels etc...Ultimately I will have saved a minimum of $90 and by combining it with store sales from week to week it will ultimately be way more just the $90...


6. My favorite website for sale tips etc is Moms Need to Know she is in the know for sure and subscribing to her feed saves me a lot of time and money.  She also has some great articles on coupon etiquette, coupon policies at various stores, store ads and coupon match ups, newspaper recommendations, and how to maximize your savings at the drug stores.


7. Remember once your stockpile grows a little you will not need to spend as much at the store each week.  Once you start seeing your grocery bills decreasing start saving your money.  If you spent $600 at the grocery store before and you are setting aside $100 for stockpile and only spending $400 at the grocery store you have $100 you can now divert to another area of your budget, savings or debt repayment!  $100 bucks is a lot!


8. You will notice that some months are better than others because of your time or just what is available...some months you may spend a lot and the next month next to nothing.  Once you have a decent stockpile going (not extreme) you will also be able to take a week or two off of serious spending by just using what you have in your home.  Meal plan a month using your stockpile and only purchasing fresh items...you will likely save a couple hundred dollars that month.


9. Whenever possible think about others.  Especially with the school supply sales.  If Crayons are on sale for 25 cents per 24 pack and you can buy four at a time - buy 4 for your stockpile and stop in again later in the week for 4 more to drop in the donation box...Keep in mind regular price on crayons is $1.99 so for the same price you would normally pay for just ONE box, you just stocked your family and helped a few others!   Good Karma goes a long way...


10. Start slow...keep it simple and keep it fun!


See you back here tomorrow for a tally of my couponing in January...