Thoughts on coupons

I love coupons! They are a great way to save money. I don't care that the cashier sometimes roll their eyes at me or the local pharmacy probably recognizes me as the coupon lady because I save a lot of money using coupons! I have gotten pretty good at the coupon game. Every Sunday I get the paper browse the ads, make a list and clip coupons. I can save anywhere from $20-$60 at the grocery store and $5-$20 or more at the drug stores per trip!

The drug stores are a great place to shop for your essentials such as paper towels, toilet paper, tissues,a few non-perishables, diapers and milk! I have figured out the sale rotation for the sale on diapers so I stock up when the brands I use go on sale. There is usually a coupon or two every week for diapers, plus the cash register reward bucks you get back make the price per package of brand name diaper $7 or less! Once a month I can get a four oz tube of big name tooth paste for 25 cents using coupons!

At CVS, if you bring your own shopping bag and have a green bag tag (initial cost of $.99) you get a quarter back for every use and after four uses you get a dollar coupon back! Can't beat that, free money for caring about the environment!

Speaking of getting cash back for using your own bags, Whole Foods Market gives you back ten cents per bag and you can choose to donate it to a good cause or have it deducted off your bill. I usually donate mine, it's just another easy way to help others when you can. At Target, you get five cents back for every bag you bring. It's a great incentive and helps rid the house of all the unnecessary bags.

You might think that it takes too long to browse and clip coupons, but it really doesn't take more than 30 minutes. I usually sit down with a cup of coffee, scissors, a notebook, pen, store ads and coupons. I do this every Sunday because Jimmy is home and can keep the kids from distracting me. If you want to give it a try and don't want to clip coupons you can load them to your grocery club card via the internet and that takes less than five minutes to do.

So how do I organize all the coupons I clip?  Well, after making a list for all the stores that I will visit for the week, I label envelopes for each store and I keep the coupons that I am going to use in them. For the extra coupons, I sort and store in a coupon file that stays in the car.

It is not just about saving money, it has turned out to be a little game for me to see how much I can save. Why would I ever pay full price for an essential when I can usually get it at 20-75% off? I do pay full price for certain things like make up, cologne/perfume and other things, but the savings from groceries allow me to direct my saving toward other necessities or the occasional surprise toys for the kids.

So if you are looking for a way to cut back or save money give coupons and reusable bags a try. I'm waiting for my Sunday paper as I type. Have a great week!