Today’s guest post comes to us courtesy of Charlene of My Frugal Adventures! She shares her personal couponing journey, and it’s very inspiring to see how she’s cut her budget!
I started couponing last year after stumbling upon the frugal blog world via BabyCheapskate. Our family had just relocated to California and I knew the high cost of living was going to require cutting back in other areas of our budget. I started reading about store deals and how to use coupons to maximize savings at drugstores. I couldn’t’t believe some of the things these stores were apparently giving away for free! I had used coupons in the past to save a few dollars on a $100 grocery bill and figured coupons were basically a waste of time. Something little old ladies did to save pennies or bored housewives did to accumulate a bunch of junk no one else wanted. My husband and I rarely paid attention to prices- if we needed chicken, we bought chicken. Occasionally I would notice huge price jumps from week to week but we figured there was no rhyme or reason to the fluctuations and we just paid what the store wanted.
Serious couponing- with scenarios these bloggers were outlining- seemed too good to be true. Why wasn’t’t everyone using coupons? My first attempt at couponing was at Walgreens. I got a package of disposable razors and two Glade Flameless candles. I paid $2 and submitted a rebate to get $5 back. It was so easy, I kept thinking I was going to get in trouble. Was the security guard going to chase me out to my car demanding payment? No, it was a seamless transaction and the rebate came fairly quickly. I was hooked!
I have gotten better at couponing since those days and learned a lot of tricks of the trade. I have also built a reasonable stockpile and have been able to regularly donate large amounts of products to charities. Over the past year I have stumbled quite frequently but I would say on average I triple our dollars at the grocery store. Our prices in California are considerably higher than many other areas in the US and our stores do not offer doubles. If we lived in another market, I suspect I could easily quadruple our dollars.
This time last year we regularly spent about $120/week plus a monthly Costco run to total another $100. In March I spent $30/week total. Not only have we taken control of our finances, but we are now living on one income. As a SAHM it is important to me to feel like I am contributing to my family and I know I make every dollar we have count. Learning to coupon has become such a blessing to our family not only in saving money, but also in teaching us to become more mindful of what we spend. We are able to prioritize our goals, which include becoming totally debt free, and yet we don’t have to sacrifice our standard of living to accomplish our goals.
It is amazing to me that more people don’t take advantage of what manufacturers and stores offer via coupons, promotions and sales. As a blogger, I spend a significant amount of time each week outlining deals by store, matching up coupons and showcasing the purchases I have made. But because of great blogs like SuperCouponGirl, the time investment for a reader is so minimal it amazes me that couponing still remains a bit of a secret society.
I confess, I still look over my shoulder from time to time when I leave stores, amazed at how much I have gotten and how little I have spent. I also occasionally struggle with passing great deals up- I could easily hit 5 stores a week to maximize every deal they offer. But I have slowly learned that every deal will cycle back again and now that I have the basics down even if I do have to pay full price for an item, I know how to utilize other resources to still get a great bargain. It is a powerful feeling to know I am in control, not the stores.
