A Few Tidbits of Advice

Before I get to the daily list, I wanted to pass along a few tidbits of wisdom I have picked up along the couponing way.... If you have a printer that isn't horribly expensive on ink, I can't stress enough to PRINT as many coupons as you can, as often as you can. Even for products you don't think you will use. You will be amazed how quickly your mindset can change once you hear "free". In most cases, by the time the right sale comes along, it's too late and the coupons are gone (remember they are taken down once the print limit is reached).

For example, I didn't print the Seventh Generation coupons for baby wipes, laundry detergent or dish detergent because the brand is usually expensive and I rarely see a great sale on it. Well little did I know at HT this week you can get the dish detergent totally free and the baby wipes for just $0.99. Luckily they are still available and I have printed them from every computer I can get my hands on. Ask good friends and family if they would print a coupon or two for you if it's one you know will equal free. I should have a good 6 month supply of dish detergent by Tuesday when super doubles is over and I didn't pay a penny for it :) **Stock pile what you can, when you can. Invest in some of those cheap stackable shelves and put them up in an extra closet, garage or even your laundry room to store your extras. The more you get now for free or cheap is the less you have to buy later at full retail price when you run out.

Also learn how to not be brand specific as much as possible. Everyone has their favorite brands but don't be afraid to try new things. Another example...I have been a Gain detergent user for at least the last 10 years, wouldn't buy or use anything else on our laundry. It's about $11.00 a bottle and I always bought it at full price. One of my first purchases with coupons was on ALL Oxi detergent because I realized I could get it for just $1.99 with the store sale and coupons I had. So I got 3 bottles and paid half of what I would have paid for one bottle of Gain. I tried it out and guess what...it works great, smells great and we all have clean clothes so it serves it's purpose. As long as a product works the way it's intended and no one has any allergies or anything, I'm all about trying something different.

 You wouldn't be on my page if saving money didn't interest you so look for every way you can to stretch your dollar. Couponing is hard and overwhelming in the beginning but really give it your all for one month. A good way to think of it is like taking on a part time job. Coupons = cash in your pocket. Keep your receipts or a log of how much you have saved and add it up at the end of the month. You will be amazed and it will only get better with time once you get the hang of it and build up your stock pile. After a few weeks/months you will notice your savings getting higher and higher and the amount of time you have to dedicate to couponing getting lower and lower. People buy new cars with the money they save using coupons. Once you get the hang of it and get things rolling, you should be able to spend less than 2 hours a week on couponing. Could you find 2 hours a week to spare if it meant saving your family thousands of dollars??