Snow Days and Coupon Burnout

Last week I started to feel like I had "couponer's burnout."  My last straw was when I went to Target, got $155 worth of stuff for about $40 but was disappointed because it should've been closer to $20 (my biggest trip yet).  I was right, there are a few things I have to take back that didn't ring up correctly which will take my total to about $24.  But at the time, I felt a little distressed because I blew my weekly budget with that and other shopping.  Plus my in-laws were coming that weekend and I needed to clean.  And it was going to snow again.  It was time to take a break.

I searched online and found others who had experienced Coupon Burnout.  Many of the big coupon

When to use a Free Coupon

I've recently gotten a few free item coupons in the mail when manufacturers offer them online.  These are manufacturer coupons and can be used at any store that stocks those items.  Instead of redeeming these coupons on my next shopping order, I save them for when they can

You Know You're A Couponer When...

• You've built arm muscle from carrying around your coupons
• You no longer go to the gym because hitting 4 stores in 2 hours and 90% average savings is workout enough
• You'd rather be paid in coupons than cash
• You pass up a deal that's free, hoping for a better one later
• Having to pay just tax gets to be a downer
• You plan your meals from what's in your stockpile and what's expiring soon
• A printer jam is a tragedy of epic proportions especially if it's one of those "rare" coupons that limits 1 print
• Your coupons are printed on the backs of leftover Christmas printer paper, old college notes and  any other copy paper in decent condition
• You offer the other people in line at checkout coupons for what's in their cart
• The cashiers know you by name and ask how your family is
• A cashier has hinted that s/he thought you'd save more and is slightly disappointed in you
• You tip off your favorite stores on upcoming sales so they'll order extras
• Your friend takes 4 bags of things from your stockpile and didn't make much of a dent
• Forgetting your resuable bags and not getting the extra $ .05 off can ruin your savings percentage
• You've been asked if you'll be on the Extreme Couponing show
• You barter with other people with stuff in your stockpile
• You know the sales and store layout better than some employees
• When a store's shelves are always cleared of a money maker, you wish you could bring some of that item from your home stockpile...so you can "buy" it and make money at the store
• You wonder if you could be hired as an official couponer

Make Your Cleaning Wipes Go Farther

When I get to the end of a canister of cleaning wipes, I get out a roll of paper towels to make some more.  There's always more liquid left at the bottom and that can be soaked up by folded paper towels.  I fold up about 6-10 towels, depending on what's left in the canister.  Let the towels "marinate" in the liquid for a few hours.  When I take them out to use them, I squeeze out the excess liquid.  I can usually add towels again after the first set is gone.  

What's really nice is that I kind of prefer the towels to the regular wipes, which often leave a trail of "lint" behind.  The towels seem to hold that in better.  There are some who make their own cleaning solution for wipes.  For me, it's so cheap to get these things and I like the way they dispense, that this is as far as I go.  Choose your own level of homemaking-ness.

Cleaning solution at the bottom of the canister

Here A Deal, There A Deal

Yesterday we went out with some friends to Davanni's and each got a free solo 1 topping pizza (or equal valued item) when we brought in donations for the food shelf.  This was easy, I just grabbed a few things from my stockpile.  We went out after to Cold Stone where I used my bogo free item.  Dinner and dessert were less than $5 for 4.

Today I went to Walgreens and bought over $55 worth of stuff for $22 plus received $7 in register rewards and $20 worth of points to redeem.

Then I went to lunch with my husband to Arby's and got their $ .64 roast beef sandwich with coupon.

My list for Target is in process, that will be Friday.  And I will get free ice cream at Coborns.

It's easy to get deals and save money on things you already like to do, once you get your rhythm down.

Hoarding or Stockpiling

Anna Marie's Donation

Many years ago I donated some jewelry from a home party I had to Anna Marie's.  They've kept me on their emails and so when I saw they needed some personal items donated, I knew I could help.  I rounded up a bunch of stuff from my shelves and filled 4 plastic t-shirt bags.  My friend and I will deliver them tonight.  We're both couponers and these types of things are easy to stockpile.  I have plenty left for myself still.  it's hard to believe that there is such bounty on my shelves - that I can quickly round up 4 bags to give away.

Is it hoarding or stockpiling?

Hoarding is defined as excessive collection of items with the inability to discard them.

The first part of that statement is partially true for me, but the second part is not.  I enjoy giving away what I stockpile and knowing that I have a ready supply for our household when we need it.  I don't stockpile beyond what we need - for very long.  For example - the Alamay make-up remover is one that I don't use.  But I can easily get them and save them up for donation.

Stockpiling is not a recent thing.  There are countless examples of stockpiling if you look for them.  Joseph in Genesis with grain, Abigail (King David's future wife) who quickly grabbed enough food for lots of hungry men including prepared sheep.  i grew up reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder who in Little House in the Big Woods, described all the delicious food her parents had stockpiled in their attic.

Just 150-200 years ago, prairie women and men spent their summers stockpiling food for the winter to come.  Though they often grew and preserved their food, couponers can get theirs ready made to store on their shelves.  Grocery stores are a recent invention.  People would need to buy from the butcher, the baker, the produce sellers if they didn't have those items to hand.  Refrigeration was either a cool cellar, near cold water or done in the winter.

I recently watched The Hobbit and exclaimed aloud, "look, a stockpile!"  when the dwarves raided Bilbo's shelves of food.  Without that stockpile, Bilbo may not ever have gone on that journey and would never have picked up the one ring.

Only recently do we have such abundance of ready food to buy from many places close to home.  There is no need to stockpile everything you need for winter, unless you want to save money.  It's a choice.  If you don't want to, then don't.  There's no need to say negative things to those that do stockpile.  Just smile and tell the stockpiler that they are doing a good job providing for their family.  If you do stockpile, keep rotating your supplies and donate where and when you can.

The beauty of our society today is that we can choose - to not stockpile and pay full or near full price, or stockpile and get things nearly for free.  Each has their benefits and drawbacks.  And neither is more right or wrong than the other.

2 Months

One step in the evolution of my coupon holders

It's been about 2 months since I stepped up my coupon game.  In the beginning, I was constantly looking for sales, coupons and deals and going after as many as I could.  Sometimes I'd go to several stores, days in a row, and probably did a little too much.  I've heard this is normal in the beginning.

My coupon holder went from a little handheld thing to a Longaberger basket to a plastic bin to a Vera Bradley lunch tote.  I've now figured out a way to keep all my coupons handy and easy to find when I go to the store - have a secondary coupon holder in the car.  No binders for me!

These last couple of weeks I've finally seen what I've heard about - coupon cycles.  Some of the flyers seem to be near repeats from a few weeks ago.  Ho-hum, clip 'em and save 'em and hope for a deal.  I've also accumulated enough in my pantry that we can eat from it without having to run out to the store for stuff.  It does mean we plan our meals differently - by what we have on hand instead of what recipes we want to make.

I can wing it now in a store, if I just run in to kill some time waiting for hubby.  I can recognize deals and know which ones I have coupons for, what are steals and what are duds.  There are still many items and deals I'm discovering along the way.  My focus used to be so narrow that I didn't see the other brands and items on the shelves.  For example, I've never heard of the Lindsey brand, but there it is - in the olive section.  And with coupons, I can get a can of olives for about $ .30.

No longer do I run to the store for every "hot deal."  I may already have enough on hand or can wait until the next one that comes along.  My spending has also dropped a bit.  This week I've spent about $25 after a trip to Target, Walgreens and Walmart.  I have a couple more trips planned because we need cheese and I want to bring my MIL couponing, but I don't think I'll get to our weekly budgeted amount of $50.

I'm settling into a little rhythm, though is a bit more harmonizing to figure out.  I may even be ready to take on CVS or Rainbow soon and move onto more stores.

6 Weeks

My first coupon purchase from Klip2save

I'm at the 6 week mark now in my couponing.  I have a little bit of a pattern to my days, but it is still a bit of an unweildy process.  I know that I'm spending too much time on cutting, sorting and shopping, but it's still so much fun that I am enjoying it all.  I love free shopping trips and saving 80%+ off my bills.  I hardly ever save less than that on each bill, except when I really need something, and then I try for at least 50%.

It's interesting to see other people's shopping trips and even some of the Extreme Couponing ones and compare my experiences.  A lot of time I do better than them which is weird.  I think part of it is, I just want every trip to be a free trip and try my best to do that.

This week has been a little weird, though.  I bought 8 copies of the paper, so I had a lot of coupons.  Working on cutting & sorting off and on, it took me a good part of an afternoon and my coupon holder is packed.  Yesterday I went out to get a few deals from Target, Wags and Coborns and ended up in the next town over and was gone for 3 hours!  All of this was a little bit more than I wanted to do, so I am re-thinking my strategy again.

But something is working right, because my pantry is getting quite full and is expanding each week.  We are totally stocked up for the next few months (or even year) on:

• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Dental Floss
• Mouth Wash
• Body Wash
• Shampoo
• Hair spray
• Soap
• Lotion
• Bandages
• Neosporin
• Nasal Strips
• Deodorant
• Zyrtec
• Ben Gay
• Razors
• Tissue
• Dish Soap
• Bounce
• All-purpose spray cleaners
• Copy paper (for coupon printing, of course)

But we can't eat those things, so we also have:

• Cereal
• Fiber One Bars
• Hot Dogs
• Peanut Butter
• M&M's
• Coffee including k-cups
• Tea
• 2-litre sodas

The grocery side is harder to find for free or nearly free, so I'm probably going to have to pay something for them if I want to stock up.  My weekly grocery budget is down to $50 a week, but I am getting at least $200 worth of stuff each week.  After looking at this list, I may have to focus on food and not toiletries.  

What I'd like to stock up on in the next month:

• Iams dog food
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• BBQ sauce
• Crackers (they never stay on the shelf long!)
• More toothbrushes for hubby 
• Frozen veggies (pre-bagged or from fresh)
• Laundry soap

Looks like it's time to make friends with the grocery stores again.  I've been avoiding them because I find much better deals at drug stores and the like.  But it may be time to see what deals I can find there again.

Walgreens Fail!

Thought I'd share with you that not all couponing trips are successful.  Yesterday I popped into Walgreens in Monti, got 2 Crest Pro-Health tubes that gives me back $3,000 points, intending to use my $5 RR on them. I get up to the register, flip through my wallet, and no RR!  There's now a line behind me and I look through again and realize that I left it at home, next to my camera from when I took a pic of it for this blog.  So I paid $5.00 for 2 after coupons.

I could've just said that I can't get this today and walk away.  But I felt the "cash register pressure" to be done with my transaction from the cashier and people behind me.  Next time, I'll be sure to check out at the cosmetics or photo counter to avoid this pressure.  

Luckily, I did find a few more of the $1 Crest coupons, so I'm going to make sure I put my RR into my wallet and try it again....maybe.

Real Money Makers

Around the couponing world, the term "money maker" is a hot topic.  Sometimes though, money makers require you to buy something first, THEN get a coupon worth that amount after.  For me, this isn't a money maker, this is getting something for 50%.  I can break this down at a later time, but a Real Money Maker in my book is one that I don't have to pay for AND I get money from it, or overage.

Here's an example of one that I did a few weeks ago:

• Almay Eye Make-up remover $1.14
• Almay $4 coupon off ANY cosmetic item

= FREE eye make-up remover
= $2.86 in overage

Since I had several of these coupons, I use my overage to buy some fresh fruit and yogurt.

Here are some other current REAL Money Makers going on now.
Note:  Walmart's corporate coupon policay states that they allow for overage.  Some will give money back or a gift card.  I find it easiest just to get other items to make up for the overage since you need to wait for a manager's approval to get money back.  Always print out their coupon policies and take it with you in case you have trouble at the register.

• Folgers coffee coupon is for $2.50 ANY Folgers item.  The cheapest one is the small instant box $2.00 at Target or Walmart.  
• = $ .50 overage!
• Eco Tools $1 coupon - use it on a netted sponge at Walmart which is $ .88
• = $.12 overage!
• Beach Nut Baby snack $1 coupon - use it on a $ .98 snack item (found them on a special display) at Walmart 
• = $ .02 overage!
• Duncan Hines Frosting Creations $1 coupon - use it on a frosting creations packet $ .86 at Walmart
• = $ .14 overage!

Buy all 4 items, you've just make $.78 in overage.
You can generally print 2 coupons out from the same computer.   So if you do each deal twice, that's $1.56.
Add another computer with 2 more coupons each = $3.56 and so on

Can't use all the items that you got paid to buy?  Donate them to your local food shelf.  The last few times I volunteered at mine, there was no baby food, limited toiletries and slim pickings on coffee.  Plus, you'll get the tax write off when you donate.  A win-win for everyone!

3 Weeks

Just 3 weeks ago I started upping my coupon game.  I'd always been happy saving about 25% off my groceries, sometimes as high as 50%.  But after seeing how extreme couponing works I was intrigued to try.

I'm not an extreme couponer yet, though I've had some EC moments . Like the time I paid for $1.68 for $12.68 in stuff and the cashier said my total with a question mark.  Or the time I had to wait fifteen minutes in Walmart for a manager because they owed me $7.70 after buying toiletries, yogurt and fresh fruit.

I've had some flops, too.  It took a few tries to get the hang of Walgreens Balance Rewards and Register Rewards programs.  I'm still on that learning curve.  But just today, I popped in, bought 3 Hallmark greeting cards, used a coupon and paid $1.17 and received 1,000 points (worth at least $1).

My flops are when my discount is less than 60% when I was counting on at least 75%.  Or when I didn't understand the coupon policies and had to take some things off my order.  Or when I got home and realized my coupons didn't ring right and I paid too much.  When I mess up or get frustrated because I didn't reach my 75% or free goal, I try to remember that it's only been 3 weeks.  This is all part of the game.

I've been on coupon adrenaline the last few weeks and have even dreamed of couponing in my sleep.  It's time to scale back and allow couponing to become part of my life, not BE my life.  I'm going to slowly lessen the number of couponers that I follow on facebook and scale back on my online printing.  And oh yeah, not run to the store every day to get the "hot deals."

This week I wore my $ .50 flip flops and my new Champion $3 T-shirt and $ .50 earrings.  I then cooked dinner with a $ .29 spice packet and followed up dinner with ice cream that was less than half price.

This week I saw that we were running low on toilet paper and had no need to rush to the store and pay full price for the next package.  There are 3 more packages in my pantry that I got on sale or for free.

This week, my stockpile of shampoo and lotions got to be so big that I had to transfer them to stronger shelving downstairs.  We now have enough for the next 6 months to a year.  They were all mostly under $1 or free.

And best of all, my new coupon holder came today.  It's a Vera Bradley.  I can now coupon in style.

Off to make my list so I can hit Target in the morning and stockpile more Zyrtec and toothpaste, all for free.