Realistic Couponing

Like just about everyone else I know, I try to work within a set budget each month. Working for a company that pays monthly, I have to make my paycheck last approximately 30 days. Also like many others, I always try to put a little bit into savings so that I will have sufficient funds in case of an emergency.

Money isn't exactly abundant in my life so I have to do everything I can to make mine work for me. In other words, I want each dollar I spend to give me maximum value -simply said, I want the biggest bang for my buck.

One way that I make my dollars cover more is using coupons on things I buy. Let me start my couponing explanation by saying that I have never gotten $60 of groceries for just a few cents. I have read those articles in magazines and have yet to figure out how those women get that bill down so low. I might be able to do it with certain items, for instance, I have several 50 cent coupons for mustard. If I use them at a store that doubles, that means $1.00 off each bottle of mustard. Then, if I wait until the store puts mustard on sale for 99 cents a bottle, I could (in theory) use 50 of those coupons on 50 bottles of mustard. Since each coupon will deduct $1.00, which is a penny more than the cost of each bottle of mustard, I would add a small item, such as a 20 ounce soft drink. This way, I won't end up with a negative balance. A negative balance, I have heard, is not a good thing -some stores will insist that "you can't use that many coupons." So, to make sure I don't raise a red flag, that extra item comes in handy. Now, in this case, I theoretically would walk out with 50 bottles of mustard and a soft drink for about $1.00 or so. Yes, I got a little over $50 of groceries for a tiny amount of money, but that much mustard is insane -unless you run the concession stand at the soccer field, are in charge of a food pantry, or regularly donate this type of item to different groups. Given this scenario, I want to share with you some realistic couponing that I do on a regular basis.

First of all, I subscribe to the local newspaper and I clip out the coupons that come each Sunday. I separate them into food and non-food. Then I sort out the ones I will use that week. I do try to match coupons with sale items. This week, ketchup is on sale for $1.00 and I do have a 50 cent coupon that will double to $1.00. I also have a coupon that my local grocery store sent me for $1.75 off a package of store brand bacon. It just so happens that the store brand bacon is on sale for $2.79 a package. This will give me some very inexpensive bacon. I also have the following store brand coupons: 45 cents off a 2 cup bag of cheese (on sale for $1.97 this week -and the coupon will double to 90 cents), 50 cents off a package of store brand buns (on sale for 99 cents and the coupon will double), $1.50 off a $5.00 purchase of beef (very easy to accomplish given I like to grill), and a store coupon for $5.00 off any grocery order totaling at least $50.00.

With that $5.00 coupon off the $50 order, I will work to get my order as close to $50 as possible. I will need it to be $50 minimum, but I will make sure it isn't much over. In addition to those store coupons, I also have 40 cents off six containers of my favorite yogurt smoothies. The smoothies aren't really a great deal, but taking 80 cents off my weekly allotment of them (since the coupon doubles) helps my bill in the long run. I also have 50 cents off 2 cans of evaporated milk, 30 cents off mustard, $1.00 off a rotisserie chicken, 60 cents off snack cakes, 35 cents off BBQ sauce and $1.50 off $7.00 of dairy products. This last coupon will work in conjunction with my 40 cent yogurt coupon.

I will use all of these coupons and then add in the items I need that I don't have coupons for. When I complete my shopping, I make sure that the $5.00 off $50.00 is scanned first...I don't want that total to go below $50.00 before that one comes off. That alone will put my bill at approximately $45 or $46 dollars. Then, the rest of those coupons come off. Let's look at them -the ketchup (50 cents that doubled to $1.00), the bacon ($1.75), the cheese (45 cents that doubled to 90 cents) and the buns (50 cents that doubled to $1.00). So far, that is $4.65 off my bill...bringing that $45 to $46 down around $41 or so. With the other coupons, I am getting another $7.00 or so off...bringing me down to about $38.00.

In this instance, I used my coupons with sales to some extent. I always do my best to match them up, but if something I really need/want isn't on sale, I will do my best to fit it in anyway. Also, I don't buy things just because I have a coupon. If a soap that I don't use is on sale and I have a coupon, I am not going to change soaps just to save a few cents -that's just not how I work. My rule is: If I use it and I have a coupon, then I will save some money. Just using a coupon does not constitute saving money.

So, looking back at my grocery trip, I have beef, dairy products (yogurt and milk), buns, bacon, condiments, chicken, snack cakes, and a few other things. Given that I live alone, this will feed me for a week. I started at about $50.00 and ended up paying about $38.00, for an approximate savings of $12.00. Not a bad savings considering the variety of food that I got. Looking at it on a yearly basis, that $12.00 a week will really add up.

I have other tips I use to help save money...rebates, using dollar stores, etc. I will save them for another time. For now, clip those coupons and keep saving that hard earned cash!