Couponing was never something I considered extremely useful. It was either not worth it, or too time consuming to search for coupons that we could use. That all changed when we moved in with some family a month ago. There are now nine people living in this house, including my family of four. In order to help cut some of the added expenses, I decided to try couponing one more time. This is how I plan to make it work, and what we will do with the savings.
Check the papers
There are always coupons in the Sunday paper, and sometimes even on Wednesday as well. I plan to pay more attention to those, especially now. I will be looking for things like side dishes and baby items to start with, then move on to things like personal hygiene products. There are also special deals at Walgreens with their in-store flyer. I make sure to pick one of those up each and every Sunday. This should save us at least a few dollars each week.
Search online
If we already have an idea on what we are buying, searching online for those coupons will help. We always use things like formula and diapers, so those are always looked up. I have also found some amazing deals on shampoo, frozen veggies, and dog food. Sometimes I will sit down and make the entire shopping list out and then search for each item one by one. I have saved as much as $12 a trip, which can add up quickly.
Where the savings will go
I don't buy a lot of junk food, but my son enjoys a treat now and then. I plan to get him something of his choice if he has been a good boy all week, and use the coupon savings from the week prior. If there is more money leftover, I will drop it into our change jar. That will then be added to our savings account at some point.
After swearing off couponing a few months ago, I realized how foolish I have been. There are coupons available for nearly everything you can think of. We religiously receive offers for cigarettes, Huggies, and plenty of fast food places. Even when shopping online at stores, I Google coupon codes. It makes no sense to pay full price for something when there is a discount available. Saving money is something important to my family, and every single penny helps.
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