THE RELUCTANT HOUSEWIFE’S GUIDE TO COUPONING By Kimberley Springer docx

All the grocery stores doubled coupons up to $2 and it didn’t take much time or attention to save $20-30 every time I went to the store.. Food for free is always good and a nice thing to

THE RELUCTANT HOUSEWIFE’S GUIDE TO COUPONING

By Kimberley Springer

Copyright 2012 Kimberley Springer

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own

copy Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTIONSTEP 1 – GET ORGANIZEDSTEP 2 – DON’T BUY ANYTHING THAT YOU DON’T NORMALLY BUY

STEP 3 – THE PRICE IS RIGHTSTEP 4 – PAY ATTENTION

STEP 5 – STUFF TAKES UP SPACESTEP 6 – MULTIPLE COUPONSSTEP 7 – LOYALTY CARDSSTEP 8 – PRINTABLE COUPONSSTEP 9 – KNOW THE RULESSTEP 10 – START SMALLAPPENDIX – PRICES OF ITEMS I BUY REGULARLY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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INTRODUCTION

About 9 months ago, I quit working I had been going to school in addition to working full time and I was at the point where I needed to quit and spend the next school year at the local school each day completing my internship part of the program Normally, transitioning from a working mom to a stay at home mom might not be so difficult but since I was the sole income for our family of

4 and we had next to nothing in the bank, it was quite a leap of faith on our part

How we were able to survive? Coupons I know it sounds crazy but it’s true I had used coupons twenty years before when I was a starving college student

just starting out Back then it was easy to coupon All the grocery stores

doubled coupons up to $2 and it didn’t take much time or attention to save

$20-30 every time I went to the store But my early couponing days didn’t last long As soon as I got my student loan money deposited, my couponing days were over

This time around was a little trickier since very few places double coupons anymore but it’s still very easy and very possible for all of us to save hundreds

of dollars every month using these tiny pieces of paper! Because we live in a world where there is a reality show about coupons, things are a little more difficult to navigate than in the past But trust me, keep reading and I promise you I will share the tips and tricks that I wish I had known back in September when we started this adventure You too can save at least 50% every time you

go to the grocery store!

STEP 1 – GET ORGANIZED

Get a 3 ring binder and some baseball card holders that fit into it Nothing fancy and DO NOT pay money for a coupon organizer! If you use an accordion type file, you can’t see everything easily and you will waste time looking for the coupon you know is hiding in there somewhere Don’t do it Trust me, a 1-inch binder so you can carry what you need easily will work just fine Now I know the TV show has women carrying binders that weigh more than their

children, but again, if this isn’t something you can easily implement and keep

up with, you will give up

We as consumers are constantly throwing money away by not paying a bit of attention to what we buy Get a small binder and a few baseball card holders and that is enough to get you started (You can usually find these at dollar stores although the plastic might not be as thick as those at Target, you can get 5 packs for the price of 1.) Also, put in only the number of card holders you need Put the empty ones away where you won’t look at them and be reminded

by how few coupons you are starting out with Trust me, it only takes about 2 months to have more coupons that you could ever want and the more you keep

in your binder, the more you have to sort through them later for expired

coupons Try to keep it small Sort your coupons into food and non-food items and try to group condiments, dairy, etc on the same page That’s enough to get you started

I also like to get rid of expired coupons and make sure the coupons are grouped properly about twice a month but that’s up to you I usually do that while waiting for someone in my car or when it’s a holiday and there are no Sunday coupons to go through

Now that you’re all set up, you need coupons to organize Get a Sunday paper subscription Now, most papers have regional coupons, meaning not all papers

get the same coupons We live in Southern California and I originally signed up for three different papers to see which I liked the best Turns out the San Diego Tribune does not include Red Plum inserts (which are usually weekly) and

because of that it was a waste of my money The Press Enterprise (local) is pretty good but doesn’t have the same coupons as the Los Angeles Times Currently, I get 3 PE and 2 LA papers delivered each Sunday Again, I wouldn’t recommend that unless you are trying to stockpile everything now so that when you to return to work you don’t have to make time to go shopping (like me)

Call your local paper and ask if they have a Sunday only subscription deal I was able to get one paper for half-off the cover price and the other for one-third the price All 5 papers each week cost me $3.50 If you live somewhere where multiple papers will deliver, call around I got one subscription as low as $.25 per week but the delivery guy was horrible! I only got my paper about once a month and it wasn’t worth the bargain since each Sunday I had to email or call

to report a missing paper Most newspapers are hurting for subscribers so see what kind of deal you can get

Also, home delivery gets the coupon insert priority So, since they don’t print enough inserts for all the papers, they put them in the home delivery

newspapers first, then the leftover inserts they put in the papers at the store

So if you go buy them at the store on Sunday, there might not be any coupons

in them (It’s also fun to wake up in the morning and find the paper on your

driveway No need to get ready for the day before you can see what bargains are in store Just put on your robe, grab your paper and coffee and start

saving.)

STEP 2 – DON’T BUY ANYTHING THAT YOU DON’T NORMALLY BUY

This is the hardest rule to live by! It really is the most important rule and

would have been number 1 except that if you can’t find your coupons, you won’t be using them regularly, defeating the purpose of reading this

Do not get sucked into buying things you wouldn’t normally buy! Trust me! We’ve all done this Learn from my mistakes! Do not do it! The only exception I have to this rule is if it is free or you are being paid to take the item from the store Now, only certain stores will allow overages so you need to find out if stores allow that before you buy something you wouldn’t normally get Food for free is always good and a nice thing to donate to charity but be warned, non-food items are taxable and even if it’s free, it may cost you money in the long run Also, whatever you buy will take up space so make sure you can accommodate all those free popsicles in your freezer before you agree to take them home

STEP 3 – THE PRICE IS RIGHT

Saving money with coupons can be addicting! It’s not only the retail high I used

to get by shopping at the mall in high school but it’s compounded by feeling like you cheated the system when you get things for free, or better yet, paid to take them! Do not fall into the world of buying things just because you have a coupon! Coupons can expire without having to be used It’s ok! Actually, if you are willing to donate your old coupons to the military it’s great because they can use expired coupons (for up to 6 months after the expiration date) when shopping overseas Trust me, if you can get it on sale cheaper than you can regular price with your coupon, let it go!

STEP 4 – PAY ATTENTION

Now, I know this sounds simple but do you know what cooking spray costs you? I didn’t I had no idea that the spray my daughter uses liberally when she makes pancakes is almost $5 at full price Grocery store advertisements get delivered

to your mailbox weekly Open them, do not throw them out Inside is the key

to smart shopping The cooking spray last week was $3.49 at one grocery store,

$3.99 at another, $2.99 at another, and $1.99 at another (when you bought 10 sale items) I went to the final store and bought 2 cans with another 8 sale times Then, later in the week a printable coupon came out for $1 off the spray I printed 4 (we have two computers that I use to print coupons) and ran back to the store to buy 4 more cans with 6 more sale items These last 4 cans were only 99 each! That means I got all 4 for less than the regular price of 1!

Going through grocery ads can be overwhelming Try to find a way to make it work for you I make a list of what I think I would buy from each store with the price of the item next to it Then, as I open more ads and find better deals for the cooking spray, I scratch that item off my list of other stores So in the end,

I am left with the four stores I regularly shop at and a list of which of them have the best deals on the items I regularly buy

What if you don’t live near 4 grocery stores like me? Don’t open the ads! This is risky because you might lose out on a great deal (but I’ll tell you later how you won’t really) However, I get annoyed when I have too many stores to shop at

in order to save money So, the stores I don’t shop at, the ads go straight in the recycle bin without being opened Besides, driving to different stores costs money in gas and your time which is extremely valuable, so only do it if the list

is worth the trip If at the end of my creating my list, a certain store has less than 4 items on it, I usually skip that store that week It’s just not worth my time

Grocery stores are not the only ones that take coupons Drug stores are a great source for free or cheap personal items, such as deodorant, toothpaste, razors, etc These ads come in your Sunday paper subscription Read them, make a list

of the deals you think are too good to pass up Then, check to make sure you are right

When I first started out, I didn’t know what things cost I hadn’t paid much attention before I just knew that every time I went to Target I spent well over

$100 if not $200 I had no idea what were good prices for items and what

weren’t This is where coupon internet sites help tremendously!

I like thekrazycouponlady.com to determine what is a good deal You go to the site and they have little yellow icons that indicate if the price is so good you should stock up for 3 months or if it’s great and you should get a 6 month

supply The unwritten rule is that all items will either go on sale or offer

coupons at least twice a year I’m not sure if that’s always true, but in the 9

months I have been paying attention to the prices of items I have learned that

if the site doesn’t feel it’s a good deal (meaning there is no little yellow icon) I might buy one or two of the item if I currently need it but I don’t get sucked into buying 10 bags of Chex Mix thinking it’s a bargain just to find it half the price a week later

This sort of thing happened to me all the time back when I was first starting out Don’t fall for a sale just because it’s on sale and in the ad; it might not be

a good price at all! Start paying attention to what things normally cost and to what is on sale each week and you’ll be amazed at the money you will save! (At the end I have included a price index as a starter guide to help you evaluate a good deal.)

STEP 5 – STUFF TAKES UP SPACE

Now, many of the deals I get require buying multiples of an item Especially drug store deals where you get $5 back when you spend $10 Not only will you need multiple coupons (which we will discuss later) but you will need space to put your newly acquired things You are creating a stockpile This is the place where you will put the 4 deodorants that you don’t need right now but it is often cheaper to buy 4 than 1 with the right sale and coupons Be aware of where you will put your things and what you already have Once you have enough of an item, only buy more if it is free or they pay you to take it! Just because you can get it for only $.50 doesn’t mean you need your 11th stick of deodorant!

Personally, I am very happy to donate overflow items to charity We have given friends who have been struggling financially bags of food and household goods

as well as to various charitable organizations It’s a nice feeling to be able to help others and it’s a great feeling to know that without coupons you wouldn’t

be able to have that option But again, beware Do not pay money for things you are going to donate unless you set a strict budget and stick to it For

example, toothpaste is an item that is often free or less than $.50 per tube with a coupon and sale If you feel that at $.50 you need to buy 4 for charity, then put it in a place separate from your stockpile that is strictly for donations

and write on the item how much it cost you including tax! You would be

amazed how quickly those items less than a dollar can add up It’s great to help others but do not let it impact your pocketbook Set a budget for

charitable goods and stick to it!

STEP 6 – MULTIPLE COUPONS

As I said, we get multiple papers to allow me to find the best deals possible and stock up when the great sales are happening before I return to working full-time Coupon classes (offered by newspapers) will tell you to get one subscription for each person in your household I don’t think this is necessary unless you predict your coupon habits will change drastically in the future If you are trying to stock up friends or family in need in addition to yourself, then definitely get multiple papers If you are just planning to save money and continue the habit of using coupons long term, 1-2 papers each week is plenty

If there is a great coupon, like $5 off dog food, you can always go to the store and buy another paper or two Just be sure to peek in it first to ensure the coupon insert you need is inside

Some items go on sale seasonally (like sunscreen or weed killer) and you should stock up while you can, but others (like toothpaste and deodorant) go on sale

at least once a month if not more! You do not need to stockpile these items Trust me, one item in use and one backup is plenty We have given away more

than 100 tubes of toothpaste and 25 toothbrushes since September As I told

my husband, “Why anyone would ever pay for toothpaste, I just don’t

understand!” All you need is a coupon and a sale!

STEP 7 – LOYALTY CARDS

You definitely need savings cards for the stores you shop at It kills me when someone runs in for an item at a store they never go to and they pay full price because they don’t want to sign up for a store card If you went in there once, get the card It takes a minute but you may end up back there again Most cards are on keychains or linked to your phone number and they allow you to get the sale price you cannot get without them and often extra money back so sign up for the card

Also, make sure your cards have your current information Ralphs mails money saving coupons based on your spending so if they have an old address, you miss out! CVS prints Extrabucks based on your spending each quarter and Staples will email you Rewards dollars Use the programs to your advantage to save even more than with coupons alone!

STEP 8 – PRINTABLE COUPONS