OK, we’re back!  Let’s jump right in to couponing tips for the everyday, busy, working person with a crazy schedule: Part 2!  If you missed Part 1, make sure you take a few moments to read it first.

So, now you’re fairly familiar with a coupon website, my Digital Coupons tidbit and you have your accordion file (and maybe even some coupon inserts in it).  Let’s move on to picking a store.  It will vary for everyone based on location and what stores are near you.  I’m fortunate in that I have a Walmart, Publix, Hitchcocks, Winn-Dixie, Target, CVS, Walgreens, several dollar stores and some other smaller stores near me.  It is a good idea to pick one store to use as your main shopping location; I choose Publix. 

If you try to shop all of the store’s deals, you will get overwhelmed and burnt out quick, which is NOT the goal here.  Trust me, the deals rotate, and they are on a revolving schedule of about 4-6 weeks. That means if Winn-Dixie has something on sale this week, don’t panic, Publix will have it on sale soon, too.  Also, when I say sales are on a 4-6 week rotation, you can almost put it on a calendar of when an item will be back on sale again (this is important when you are working on your normal person’s stockpile—more later).

There are times the deals are so good or you have an event coming up soon, like unexpected company or a party, which you may need to switch up the stores a little, and that’s fine.  Occasionally is OK.  It’s when you try to hit every store with every deal every weekend that it becomes a problem.  The first couple of weeks I started couponing, I would set out with my lists, my coupons and hit 3-4 stores to try to figure all of this magic out.  Sometimes I did really well, some places I didn’t, and I found myself even returning to the same store on the same day.  Even though I got awesome stuff for awesome prices, I was exhausted.  I knew this was not the way to do it.  It was a little fun learning the tricks, but listen to me and save yourself from getting burnt out. Pick one primary store! 

Now that you have picked a store, learn their sale time frames.  Publix and Winn-Dixie change their sales on Wednesday or Thursday depending on location (my local Publix switches theirs on Thursday).  Remember, this is couponing for the busy people with a super crazy schedule who don’t have time to extreme coupon.  So, before or after work, swing by your store and pick up their weekly ads and their individual flyers (Publix has one called Personal Care and another one that usually changes with the holidays/seasons). The flyers usually run for two-three weeks, whereas the weekly ad is just that—weekly.  If you don’t have time to swing by the store, no problem!  Go online to find the store’s sales on their website.  (While you’re there, create an account to be able to access their digital coupons.)  Great!  Now you’ve got your hands on a copy of their sales!

What I like to do, and it has worked really, really well for me, is to go through the flyers and weekly sales ads to circle the items I am interested in.  So, since you’re just starting out, you’re going to be shopping for more of what you “need,” and not just filling in supply gaps.  This means you’ll end up with items on your shopping list that are not on sale.  It’s important to keep this in mind because you will not have the best savings right off the bat; don’t get discouraged!  Once you have circled everything you’re interested in, go to your coupon site (such as Southern Savers), and using the ‘item search’ option, search for those items and then add them to your lists. 

Just a quick tip: on the Southern Saver’s site, you need to change the list name at the bottom before adding items to your list.  Otherwise, it will create a separate list for each item at the default name.  To do this, after you have checked the box next to your item, scroll to the bottom past the “Add selected items to” and change the name in the “New saved list name” section.  For me, I name my lists by the date I plan to shop (you find your saved lists at the “Saved Lists” at the top).

Obviously, you can search for other things you may need that may not be in the weekly ads or special flyers—this is where I meant you could get frustrated in the beginning.  You may need shampoo, but there may not be any shampoo on sale that week, but you NEED shampoo.  If you can find a coupon for it, great, but if not, don’t feel bad about having to buy it right now.  Within a month or so, you will find shampoo on sale again AND have coupons for it for a great savings!  You will want to buy a couple of these when you find them on sale so you will have a little bit of a backup. 

When you are selecting what items to add to your list, you can focus on your chosen store to see what the best deal is there, PLUS it shows you what coupons are available.  If you see SS 5/17, that is referring to the SmartSource insert in your May 17^th Sunday newspaper.  RP 5/17 would be referring to the Red Plum insert in your May 17^th Sunday newspaper.  In my Part 1 blog, I explained how to organize these.  Fairly easy, right?  Some of the coupons will be listed with a link to access them.  (You will need to download the coupon printer for a couple of sites, which is normal.)  

I want to circle back to my earlier comment about a 4-6 sale rotation.  This is important to remember because when you are developing your stockpile of non-perishable items, you will want to buy enough of a product to last 4-6 weeks.  

Another VERY important thing to remember while preparing your list is that you can not be super brand loyal.  That means, you have to be open to whatever is on sale.  Some brands will go on sale much  more often than others, and some will almost never go on sale.  You have to be open-minded and willing to try different types of shampoos, deodorants, toilet paper and everything else.  If you stay too brand loyal, you will miss out on a lot of great deals.  (This does not mean you can’t be a little picky, but at least allow a few brands of each item into your home.) 

Okay, so you have the shopping list created with your selected items, as in my picture example shown.  Now click on the coupon links to print them, find the coupons in your newspaper inserts and “clip” any digital coupons noted on your list. 

After gathering all of your coupons, this is where I recommend using the envelope system mentioned in part 1, where you have an envelope for snacks, beverages, personal hygiene, etc. Put your coupons that you just printed in the appropriate envelope.  It will make your store trip easier if they are organized.  

On your shopping list, you can also write down how many digital coupons you have clipped for an item so you don’t forget. I sometimes will write down how many items of each I plan to buy just to save me trouble while I am in the store, that’s up to you and what works best for you.

The preparation process will probably take a couple of hours, especially when you are learning.  Set aside either a chunk of time one evening, or spread it out over a few days to prepare for your shopping trip.  I hardly ever go shopping the same day I make my list just because I don’t want to feel rushed or like I missed something simple.  After you have it figured out, it will only take an hour or so to prepare, depending on the amount of stuff you plan to get on your shopping trip of course.

You are ready to go shopping!!

A major trick to successful coupon shopping to is not to veer away from your shopping list. By following the plan you spent a considerable amount of time preparing, you have a lot less impulse purchases, which will save you a lot of money as well. Don’t wander from your list!! 

The way to use your coupons successfully is as follows:  you can use one manufacture coupon and one store coupon per item, plus whatever special they have going on at the time (like a BOGO free deal).  For BOGO free deals, you will start with getting the item half price because you are getting two for the price of one.  Anything from there is just icing on the cake!  So, because you are purchasing two items, even if paying for just one, you can use two manufacture coupons AND two store coupons on this purchase.  Store coupons are often found in the store’s special flyers, which has most likely been identified on the coupon site or when you went through to circle your desired items.

Let’s recap, I am going to purchase a Buy One Get One free deal on shampoo, therefore I am actually going to buy two bottles of shampoo for the price of one. You have two manufacturer coupons that are each $0.75 off of one product. I am buying two bottles of shampoo, even though I am only paying for one, I will use BOTH manufacture coupons for this purchase.  I also have one store coupon for $0.50 off of two items. I can use one of the store coupons because I am buying two products, which is noted I needed to do for the $0.50.  So, after the coupons have been applied, $1.50 off using the manufacture coupons and the store coupon, I am only paying $1 for 2 bottles of shampoo that would have been $3.00 at the sale price, or $6.00 not on sale.  That’s  a pretty significant savings!

It is important to read the fine print on every coupon. A lot of times you have to buy two of an item to get the coupon, so be sure to read it carefully.  You need to make sure you purchased the right size, brand and type that matches the on-sale deal and coupons. It is very disappointing when you get to the register and you have the wrong brand, size or type of the product and the price isn’t correct.   BOO!!!!

Of course, there are more tips and tricks to the trade of couponing, which is often things you find as you really get into it.  Overall, couponing is very simple, just read the fine print on the coupons, make sure it matches the item you are purchasing and take a little time to prepare to go shopping.   Pick a day to go shopping. Your actual shopping trips will vary on what type of shopping you are doing, whether you are picking up some basic items or if you are doing a big shop, but you’ll figure out what works well for you.  

Some other quick advice:

Some of this may seem a little confusing when reading it, but when you get started on the coupon sites, looking at the inserts, clipping digital coupons and actually making purchases, it will become really easy.  

Don’t clear a shelf (unless it only has a few items).  Save some for others.

Don’t take the little coupon off of a product att the store unless you plan to purchase that particular item that day.  It is very frustrating for someone who is planning on buying a product right then and hoping to find a coupon still attached only to find the little plastic remnants of a coupon.  Sadness occurs then.

Be courteous, try to be prepared at checkout with your coupons and payment.

If you find a coupon dispenser, only take two coupons.  That’s the rule of thumb amount among couponers.

Use the digital coupons at checkout if your store accepts them.  For more information, check out my digital coupons tidbit.

Remember to use Receipt Hog after your shopping trip!

Couponing provides a great opportunity to purchase items to donate to the less fortunate at a very low cost.  Just do it!