Intrigued by the hype over “extreme couponing”? Well, that’s just not practical for everyone. Here at saving Toward A Better Life the emphasis is on “practical couponing”.
Join
me over the next several days as we talk about being a “practical couponer“!
Practical Couponing is getting the best deals you can on what your family actually needs and uses.
Practical couponing is NOT buying 50 bottles of ketchup – because who needs 50 bottles of ketchup even if they are free??
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Step 1 in Practical Couponing: Be Realistic
You are not going to go to the store tomorrow and buy 600 rolls of toilet paper for 33c and be set for a year on toilet paper.
What Extreme Couponing doesn’t show you is that it takes time to build even a modest stockpile. And it takes a little while to see a big dent in your savings. In my first three months of couponing, I cut our average grocery spending by an average of $200 per month – which was an admirable feat. Two years later and I am now spending $300 or less a month on groceries (which is $350-$400 less that I was spending monthly prior to couponing)
So to be “practical” and to make this work for you don’t set your hopes unrealistically high. Because then you’re destined for disappointment and that will cause you to give up quickly.
How to be realistic:
1. Figure out your coupon organization system (binder, files, etc.) and get it set up. Start with two copies of your weekly paper so you are not overwhelmed with too many coupons (you can get more papers later as you get comfortable with couponing)
2. Aim to spend $100 less than usual in the first month of couponing. It’s a realistic amount. You can up it by $50 or so each month.
3. Pick your stores. For example, Rite Aid has some GREAT deals most of the time. But the nearest Rite Aid to me is about 25 miles away. Have I ever shopped at Rite Aid? No. No matter how great the deal, realistically, I can’t do it. So pick the stores closest to you and make those work for you.
Tune in tomorrow for more practical couponing!
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