Does my Husband NEED 6 Sticks of Deodorant???

Well, the short answer to that question is YES! I mean, it's not like he's going to use up all 6 sticks at one time. People look at me like I am crazy when I put all those deodorants in my buggy, but they just don't get it. When you can get an item like deodorant for FREE, or even 50 cents, it is worth it to stock up. How many times have you heard this one: "Hey babe, can you go get me some deodorant today? Yeah, I am totally out." Of course they usually don't think to tell you in advance. They wait until they can't possibly scrape their underarms anymore. I, for one, hate running out for anything. That's especially true of nonperishable, nonfood items like deodorant & toilet paper. That's why it is important to stock up on staple items when they are on sale. My husband probably has at least a dozen sticks of deodorant & at least 10 bottles of body wash, all sitting on a shelf waiting to be used. And this is the good, name-brand stuff! For example, the new Right Guard Total Defense 5 deodorant averages anywhere from $4-$5 per stick regular retail. That's the price you pay for it when you run out to grab it because your hubby is out & you haven't stockpiled. Since this is a new item, there are tons of coupons out there. They are on their website, on their Facebook, & on several other coupon sites like Coupons.com. Then there are all the stores that are putting the new item on sale. Publix recently had this item as a B1G1, which means half price. By using my coupons along with the sale item, I got the deodorant for FREE. That's right, 4 sticks for free. CVS also had it on sale a few weeks ago & had some Extra Bucks to go along with it. I think they ended up being around a quarter apiece.

It just goes to show that by taking the time to coupon, you really can save yourself some time & LOTS of money. Sure it takes time to keep it all organized, but it really does pay off in the end. Let's face it. If you have to run out to Walmart & grab a full-priced deodorant, you know you are going to grab up all kinds of unnecessary items & end up blowing $100. WOW! If you think about it, you are paying that $100 for a simple stick of deodorant.

Never Pay Full Price for Diapers

If you have kids, you know how expensive diapers can be! I remember the days when we only have 1 baby & we were constantly having to run out & buy diapers. That means we were paying full price, of course. A few kids later, I have learned a few things.......

• There are entirely too many coupons out there to be had.
• Stocking up is a must.
• Waiting & watching for sales pays off.
• Off brand diapers may have a cheaper regular price, but sales on the good stuff is always better. 

That's right. There are tonsof coupons out there for diapers. They are in the Sunday paper, internet printables, & newsletter sign-ups. Printable diaper coupons are one of the best. http://www.coupons.com/ just had a coupon for $3 off Huggies with a print limit of 2. I prefer Pampers, but with that kind of savings, my kids can poop in a Huggies any day. I know you're probably thinking, "Ok, so I buy diapers every week & there's not a coupon for diapers in every week's paper". Well, if you are stocking up, you won't be buying diapers every week. By combining your coupons with sales, you can get diapers for rock-bottom prices so you can afford to buy more than 1 pack. I prefer to buy them by the case but I will buy smaller packs if it is a good deal. Always watch your drugstore ads because there is usually at LEAST one that has the major diaper brands on sale (Pampers & Huggies). One thing to be on the lookout for is the store coupons that Publix has been offering on the cases of Huggies. They have been $3 off & then you can stack a manufacturer's coupon with it to save even more. By using the printable $3 coupons with the store coupon, I saved $6 on a case of diapers that are usually $19.99. $13.99 is definitely better! Plus the Publix Baby Club also has some other great store coupons for things like free wipes when you buy diapers. I also used one of those last week & got a great deal. Here'e the scenario I used so you can see the actual savings:

• -$3 store coupon for a case of Huggies (retail $19.99)
• -$3 manufacturer coupon for Huggies
• B1 diapers G1 Huggies wipes refill free (on sale for $5.99)
• stacked a manufacturer's coupon for $1 off wipes
• That means that I paid only $12.99 for a case of diapers & the large refill of Huggies wipes!

Without coupons, I would have paid almost $30 for just diapers & wipes! That's over a 50% savings!

CVS no Longer "Couponing-Friendly"?

I went in my local CVS a few weeks back & the cashier commented on how the Hueytown location had some serious couponing customers! Of course, I thought it was great. Well, the next time I went in, they refused my competitor coupons. The manager stated that they were being "abused". He was talking about stacking a manufacturer with a store/competitor coupon. There is nothing illegal about it. If a business wants you to shop there, they will honor them. Most are manufacturer coupons anyway. Needless to say, my CVS-ing is going to drop off considerably. I'll stick to Publix where I know I won't be shunned for my coupons. They love them there!

Couponing 101 Continued.......

Now that you have your things together, you are ready to get started. When you get your Sunday paper, start clipping. Throw out all those old ideas you've always heard about how off brand is cheaper, even if you have a coupon for the name brand stuff. Clip absolutely everything that is a PRODUCT that you use. You might just be surprised how cheap you can get the more expensive items that you usually don't buy. The trick to couponing is that you have to combine sales with coupons to get the rock-bottom price. Another good point to know is that there is no need to go through all of the internet sites & print off coupons. Only print out the really great ones that you can't live without. Others, print them as you need them. You'll waste tons of ink & paper. Also on the topic of printing, make sure you change your printer settings so that you are using the lowest DPI (dot per inch) setting which is the lowest quality. This setting is "fast draft' on mine. Also choose "print in grayscale" & use only black cartridge. Watch for sales at places like Office Depot since they put ink & paper on sale. Here are sites to keep in mind:

• http://www.coupons.com/
• http://www.smartsource.com/
• http://www.redplum.com/
• http://www.allyou.com/
• http://www.facebook.com/ (Yes, I said FB. Companies have some great coupons JUST for fans.)

You might also want to consider looking into some other sites that you can join for free & compile rewards. Ebates offers a % back on purchases when you go to their site 1st.

My favorite website is Southern Savers. Jenny does ALL the leg work matching up coupons & sales! He has tons of great info on couponing & does the weekly matchups for quite a few stores. She has checklists for each sale so that you can click on the boes & compile a printable list. It also gives you the coupons you can use & links for printables. Also follow her on FB. You'll get all the scoops on upcoming sales & great deals!

Keep checking in & I'll keep adding to the information on Couponing 101. Please ask any questions you have along the way. God bless & I wish you all cheap groceries.

Couponing 101

First, let me just say, WOW! I had an overwhelming response to a recent Facebook photo I uploaded of a free trip to CVS. I guess seeing is believeing! I decided that my blog, which I am bad about keeping updated, would be the perfect place to share my method for couponing. Sure, it may not be the best, but it is working great for me! It will at least be a good starting point & then you can tweak it until it works for you.

I wanted to go ahead & get this typed up & then I will add in the photos I took so you can see just exactly what I am talking about. First & foremost, to begin couponing, you MUST subscribe to the newspaper! There's no other way to get all the coupons you will need! For those of you here in the Birmingham area, you can get the Sunday & Wednesday paper for only $1 per week. This is waaaaay cheaper than going out & buying a Sunday paper, plus it is delivered to you. Sunday has your coupons & some sales papers & Wendesday's has all the ads for the new week, plus your weekly Publix coupon. All new sales for grocery stores start on Wednesday in this area. Some other areas start on Thursday. The sales of your drug stores starts on Sundays.

Secondly, choose your grocery & drug store. There is no need to hop from store to store to get all the good deals. Now, if there is something on sale that is a super buy, run in & grab it! I prefer Publix & CVS. Here is why: In Hueytown, they are right next to each other, they BOTH accept competitor coupons, Publix doubles coupons up to $0.50, & they are close to me. Since there is a Rite Aid & Walgreens right next to them, they accept their coupons. Both stores accept internet coupons & also competitor coupons! Look in your area & those are the competitors they will accept from. For my area, they will accept CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreen's, Winn Dixie, Food World, Target, & Publix I know for a fact. Sometimes I run in Winn Dixie for something & get printout coupons that I then use at Publix. This is completely legit. Here's why: a)Most of these coupons are actually manufacturer's coupons & they'd rather you come into their store than go elsewhere, & b) they'd rather honor that competitor's store coupon than to lose your business completely. The purpose of sales is to get you in the door with great "GIMME" items. These are usually things that are on the front page of the sales ads that grab you & get you into the store. Then you know the drill. Kids scream for everything & then they have all the well-placed items that remind you that you "really need to grab that too". Make sure to get your CVS ExtraCare Card also. You can get one at the register.

Lastly, get ready to get organized!!!! There is no need to go out & buy those expensive coupon organizers or huge books you see some people with. They are overkill in my opinion. Gather these things if you want to do it like I do. Like I said, you can tweak it for yourself after you get the hang of it.

You will need:

• a box of some sort (sadly, I must admit that I used a grits box with the top cut off until recently, hehe)

• A simple coupon organizer (look at Walmart over in the office supplies, usually only a few dollars),

• A 4x6 "brag book" (again, look at Walmart. They usually have those little albums with the awful drawings stuck in the front of them. Yank those out & you are set. Also usually $1).

• Scissors & a pen. That's it!!!!!!

Here is my complete box of coupon stuff:  I have a plastic box that used to be the insert of a cooler that I used at Alabama Adventure last year. Talk about recycling! This is the collection box. It is a place to stick your coupon organizer, "brag book", scissors, pen, loose coupons, & also the coupon booklets you will get from manufacturers. I usually like to keep these collections of coupons together instead of cutting them out & filing them away. It is actually easier for me, but again, that's just my way. I also put any restaurant coupons that I have in here so I can keep up with them. Whenever I cut coupons & don't have time to file them, I simply stick them in the front of the box until I get around to it. I also throw in any coupons that I come across in mailers & just have a quick minute to throw it in.

(****Here's enough to get you started on organizing, & then I will be posting again soon to let you know the next step to getting started on clipping. Organize 1st or you will be overwhelmed & give up!****)