Jump on the Coupon train!
Lets talk coupons...or should I say, tiny bits of paper that make the world a better place? For those of you who don't clip coupons, you should be ashamed of yourselves!
Before Nick and I married, I wasn't very money saavy, to say the least. I wouldn't even know how much I was paying for gas; I figured I needed it so I would drive up and pump. After we got married, that all started to change. Not only were we dead broke being newlyweds still in school, but I suddenly felt an overwhelming responsibility to shop smartly. After all, this wasn't just my money anymore. If I bought that new Coach purse I wanted, I wasn't the only one who would be dining on ramen noodles to make up for it. So I began to think.
Coupons seemed to be an answer for us. I don't know how I began to clip, but clip I did. The laundry area for our college housing even had a coupon exchange box where you could deposit coupons you didn't need and take ones you needed. I must say that I LOVED that!
Over the years of our marriage, my couponing has evolved. I now have a coupon folder system that I love and never go shopping without. I am in constant pursuit of a new coupon book as mine seem to become worn our fairly quickly and need updating.
I clip coupons every weekend in the Sunday paper. This is a great way to pass the time next to Nick on Sunday afternoons while we watch a football game. At Meijer they double coupons up to $.50, so I can save a buck with a little piece of paper that says $.50 off. Pretty cool. There are also other local super markets that occasionally offer double and even triple coupons, which really make items great deals. I have also gotten the word out that I am a couponer so my MIL passes on their coupons to me. My cousin Jaime, who is a fellow couponer, passes on her diaper coupons to me as she doesn't need them (because she is the luckies person in the world, diapers suck!).
I am now into "clipping" coupons online as well. The best coupons are the ones in which you can get an item for free. This is a little trickier. I visit our local papers' website every Sunday. They, like practically every other newspaper, are linked to Boodle, a coupon site where you can download additional coupons. Kroger's website has tons of coupons and they now have e-coupons that you can download onto your discount card. I also sign up at every site I can think of for products I love. They often mail or email coupons. An example of this is Coffeemate. I will admit it I have an obsession with coffee creamers. Nick teases me that I like creamer and sugar with a little coffee mixed in for good measure. But by signing up at coffeemate's website, I have gotten offers for free creamer. The only thing sweeter than coffeemate is FREE coffeemate. There are tons of websites you can go to. Just google coupons and gazillions will come up. You can even buy coupons on ebay. I have not resorted to buying coupons yet, but it isn't something I have completely thrown to the wayside.
So that is my money saving tip for the day. Does anyone have any advice for couponing? Any wonderful sites or ways to pilfer money saving? Happy Monday everyone!