It truly is a skill....seriously! It takes time, attention to detail, wisdom, and assertiveness. "Couponing" has become the great fad of stay at home moms. I have many friends that have caught the wave and become quite the savers by using coupons. There are SOOOO many little tricks of the trade that you really have to figure out. Thank goodness some wise and helpful friends have gone before me and learned the tricks so that they can share them with me! My friend Amy is a numbers gal. You can tell when you are talking to her she has worked it out in her head and knows that the reason she goes through all this work in cutting and searching for coupons is because she really does save money! I have friends that save over half of their grocery bill using coupons. I have friends that in the end get PAID for buying groceries. So, all that to say...I have begun the process of being a coupon clipper and user. I have talked to friends, read the blogs and am ready to tick all the people off in the line behind me while I save over 50% on my grocery bill! Today was my first test! From what I can tell Publix is the best place to shop and use coupons. They are friendly and easy to deal with. They take competitor coupons and double coupons. This is awesome b/c I love publix and I always felt like I was "wasting" money by not shopping at a Walmart but I just hate Walmart and Publix is soooo much easier...so I am pumped about that. I went in tonight with a very short list....things I knew I needed and things that I had coupons for that were very "first timer" friendly. I came away saving almost $20 on a $60 grocery bill...not half but I am going to get there! I was sooo excited...and I didn't even get into doing the buy one get one free deals! I used all these target coupons at publix, harveys coupons, and a CVS $5 off of a $30 purchase coupon (a coupon that you can get by taking a 1 minute quiz online and print off the $5 off numerous times)....how cool is that! I have heard the best trick is to use a manufacturers coupon and a store coupon on each of your buy one get one free items and you can get the items totally free!!! The cashier at Publix was great! I have signed up for numerous online coupon sites, will continue to take my online CVS medicare quiz to get more $5 off coupons and am totally STOKED about getting my TWO SUNDAY papers tomorrow so that I can go to cutting...and place the coupons nicely in my "baseball card" protector sheets in my three ring binder :) Now just to have time for all of this....
My friend Amy explained to me that you have to change your mindset...you aren't shopping anymore for only things that you are out of...you are now shopping for deals to get stuff you know you will use eventually so that in the near future....you are only shopping for things to complete a meal....and eventually you have such a stockpile that you will never pay full price for ANYTHING. John gave me a good idea...........he said when I go to the store and save money.........go ahead and take that money out that I saved (so like $20 today) and put it in a jar........and see how much I save up over time and then spend it on something I have been wanting as a gift to myself! I feel like it is a way for me to be a wise and prudent woman..."looking well to the ways of my household, and not eating the bread of idleness" Paraphrased from Proverbs 31. Hmmmm...just looking over this verse again...it also says, "she rises also while it is still night and gives food to her household"....still working on this one :)
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