Before you have kids- the fact that milk is nearly $5 a gallon doesn’t matter much. But add one or two (or more!) little ones around the house, and you’ll be watching store prices like a hawk! Unless of course, you have more money than sense, or just don’t realize just how much money you can save at the grocery store!

I know I’m obsessed with coupons. I admit it. I love them! Even more than the coupons I love, is my savings at the grocery stores! And, I’m willing to share how I get many items for FREE, and have more disposable income to have fun with my kids!

There is a LOT of info here- and its really just scratching the surface, so bear with me, I’ll try to condense it as much as possible!

First, I am going to share what I spent on groceries this past weekend.

Register total: $266.63
Store discount card: $79.92 in savings
Coupons: $92.31
For a total of $94.61.

So I paid $94.61 for $266.63 worth of groceries. Not too shabby.

Next Stop, Food Lion. Food Lion is one of the lower priced (typically) grocery stores in my area.

Register Total: $279.08
Store Discount Card Savings: $86.97
Coupons: $89.25
Total: $ 102.86

So when all is said and done, between the two stores, I paid $197.47 for $546.01 worth of groceries. Now, I'm no Math whiz, but that's over 65% off! So how did I do it? Read on, my friend, read on...

GET THE STORE DISCOUNT CARD! That is the first, and a very important step!

I am not going to lie to you- to get the BEST results from couponing takes organization, and research time. But if saving upwards of 50% on your grocery bill is worth it to you, then its time well spent.

COUPON ORGANIZATION

What good is a coupon for any amount going to do you, if you can't find it? A baggie with coupons in it is a nice start (that's how I started) but when you get serious about saving money, it is not easy to find them. I prefer the COUPON BINDER method. You can google it for more info on how to set one up! TAKE THIS BINDER WITH YOU ALWAYS! You never know when you are going to see an unadvertised sale, or impulse item that you know you have a coupon for! Once set up, it takes maybe a half an hour or so a week to add your new coupons in!

WHERE DO I FIND COUPONS?

The best place to find coupons is in your local Sunday paper. It is well worth the $1.50 the paper costs IF you will use the coupons! You can also find printable coupons from manufacturer websites and other websites. One of my favorites is www.coupons.com. You can also BUY coupons- whether from Ebay, or other venues. I have not done that, but I know many who have, and are pleased with their results. You can also ask friends and family members for their coupons if they receive a paper and do not use them. Another trick is to make friends with the attendant at your local gas station. Every Monday, they have to send back the Sunday newspapers that did not sell to get their money back. They normally do not have to send the entire paper- just the front page. IF you ask, and are friendly, they will most likely give you all the coupon fliers in the papers you want before sending them back to the newspaper distribution center! Now you have coupons, and didn't spend ONE SINGLE PENNY!

By registering on the grocery store websites, you can also receive their weekly fliers and special member coupons via email weekly!


Now, some people clip every single coupon. I do not do that. I clip the ones for items I use, or want to try. And keep multiple coupons for items I use regularly! If you are willing to use floor cleaner B instead of floor cleaner A (which in most cases I am) then you can achieve more savings!

You can also find coupons in the store! Look down the aisles- see these little machines sticking out with a coupon in them? Look at it, if its an item you will use, take one (or two). If the item is on sale, go ahead and get it, if not, stick it in your binder to use for the next time it IS on sale!

You can also join a coupon train or coupon swap group in your area. These can be fun, and you can ALWAYS learn something new at them!

STORE SALES

Now that you have your coupons organized, you can look at the store fliers. See what's on sale. Keep your coupon binder next to you. I am in mine so much, I pretty much always know what coupons I have, but it can take awhile before you reach that point. Keep in mind that your store may offer DOUBLE coupons, and on really special days (to us coupon crazies, at least) they offer the coveted TRIPLE coupons! Ohhh the joys that brings to our hearts and souls!

Watch your stores for BOGO sales (Buy one, get one free). You CAN use coupons with these sales. And more often that not, you can use 2 coupons! So if Keebler cookies (for example) are BOGO, and priced at $2.49 each- you are paying (before any coupons) about $1.25 a package. If you have (as I do) a coupon for 50 cents off, it lowers it to $1 a package. But if your store DOUBLES coupons, you pay only 50 cents for the same bag of cookies! YUMMY! And, if it's on a triple coupon day...hold your breath....it's FREE! And if you have 2 of those coupons, you get 2 bags for free! Oh happy days!

WORD OF CAUTION

If you decide to budget and use coupons to save money, it's easy to fall into the trap of buying something JUST BECAUSE you have a coupon. The ONLY time that is acceptable- I repeat- THE ONLY TIME THAT IS ACCEPTABLE is if it is FREE. Otherwise, you may end up spending more WITH your coupons that you were before! Use your coupons and store sales to your advantage. Make a list, and try to stick with it. Keep your coupons organized, so you can find them easily!