Coupon Addiction

In the midst of the wildly popular hoarding shows and endless articles about the women who somehow manage to stockpile toilet paper for a year at a time, can feed their families of 7 on $100 a month, or can go to the grocery store and buy $200 worth of groceries but somehow manage to pay $20 or some other crazy amount, I've been intrigued.  My boss' daughter (who is darling and sweet, a mom of two small boys, and one of 8 children) and I were talking one day and somehow the topic of couponing came up.  She was telling me that she really tries to find good deals and gave me a few tips on how to get started.  She had actually taken a coupon class by a lady here in OKC who has mastered the art of couponing.  Now that I've read this lady's blog for several days, I am here to tell you that, yes, it is an art.  You can check out Carrie's blog here.  She gives all kinds of tutorials, tips, tricks, etc.  Definitely worth checking out if you're interested in some fun ways to save a little extra money each month!

What I've learned from my 1-week long coupon experience thus far:

• Printing online coupons requires a lot of printer ink.  But, a lot of fun to find a coupon for a favorite staple item in my house!
• Just because you have a coupon for something doesn't mean you have to buy that particular item.  Even if AirWick air fresheners are a really good price at CVS, if I've lived this long without wanting or needing to purchase this item, I probably can keep on going without it.  This is harder than it sounds, believe me!
• Create a shopping list before you go to the store, and try your best to stick to it.  
• Be organized with your coupons and be familiar with the store specials before you shop.
• On a whim, stop-on-the-way-home, send-your-husband-to-the-drugstore kind of trips aren't good money saving ideas!
• Read up on the tips and tricks, and don't get in a rush to save hundreds of dollars in the first month.  Take your time and slowly start a stockpile - both of coupons and products!

My successes this week:

1. CVS had the large cans of Enfamil formula on sale for $21.99, regularly $26.99 at CVS.  Normally, I wouldn't buy it there, but because I had a $5 off coupon, and it was on sale, I got formula for $16.99 - $10 off the regular price.  Then, I swung by another CVS on my way home from work with the purpose of buying another can (I had a second coupon - you can usually print two coupons per computer.  They are tracked by your IP address, so be careful!).  The second CVS was out, so I asked for a raincheck.  Most stores have this, you just have to ask!  Later in the week, I stopped for a third time, and they were still out of formula in that size.  So, I asked the cashier for another raincheck. They don't know me, and it was different cashier, so now I can buy two cans of formula at that price down the road.  Yay!
2. Back to CVS - if you don't have a CVS card, next time you're there just ask for one.  You can scan your card for extra coupons, and if you buy things on special in a particular week, you have the ability to earn Extra Care Bucks, or in the coupon world, ECBs!  These are fun, they make you feel as if you've accomplished something great, and can be used as cash - at CVS.  I won't go into too much detail here, because the coupon queens can somehow manage to stay under $5 out of pocket when shopping at CVS (how?!?).  I'm totally not there, but an occasional $10-$15 off each visit is both welcomed and fun!  So, I would encourage you to check out the CVS tutorial on Carrie's blog.  So far, there are four short videos.  Here is a link to her CVS Crash Course.  Who knew?!
3. Homeland has some really great specials each week, and although they are a bit higher on day-to-day stuff (higher than Walmart or Crest, for example), they will double your coupons up to $1.  And, you can use both a Homeland coupon and a manufactured coupon on one item if you have them.  Read more on Homeland tricks and success stories on Carrie's blog.  She posts the 'good deals' each week, which is really nice of her to do our homework for us.  And, she'll give you links to coupons that can be printed online.  
4. I saved $42 at Homeland this week.  Of my 32 items, I'd say 20 of those items were either on sale or I had a coupon.  Normally, I'm lucky if I get out of there under $100.  But, this week, I spent $70 and I have everything I need for the week.  Baby steps, but it felt really good!

Finally, below are some of my favorite coupon websites (so far).  Be careful, this gets addicting in a hurry!  And, there are so many websites and blogs out there of people who have started to share their tips and tricks on couponing.  My motivation is just saving a little money.  So far, so good, although I'm not booking my trip to Hawaii quite yet! :)

• www.coupons.com
• Printable Target coupons can be found here
• www.smartsource.com
• www.redplum.com
• You also might try some of the blog coupon databases, or to "Like" some of your favorite brands on FB.  I've gotten some pretty good coupons that way.

Again, I'm new at this, but I'm just competitive enough to want to succeed at it.  I hope this is helpful to you.  Check out the coupon blog world and let me know what you find as well!