Couponing

How many of you have watched that show on TLC - Extreme Couponing? I admit I have, and while I think some of those people are a little...shall we say off their rocker, you can't deny the fact that they are getting thousands of dollars of products each year for almost free.

I honestly don't know how they do it - but I have started to coupon a bit myself. If you have been following my blog you have already heard that last week I lost my job.  So now, even more than before it is important that I find a way to cut some of our expenses until I am able to find a job again!

My favorite site for coupons so far is Coupons.com.  All you need to register is a valid e-mail address and then e-mails are sent to you when there are new deals etc available. You are allowed to print 2 each month and new coupons are added throughout the month too.

The coupons are mostly for brand name items so you do have to compare the value of the brand vs. store name in price with the coupon. Sometimes the store brand is still a better deal and I just go that route.

On these extreme shows the talk about "stacking" coupons...using a manufactures coupon with an Internet coupon for the same item.  I tried this at Walmart and they wouldn't let me do it. If you have had luck with this let me know how/where would you please?!

I also have become more of an "ad" shopper. I used to do all of my shopping at Walmart - one stop was easy. But I have found that I can get some great deals from our local Hy-Vee if I watch their ads. About a month ago we bought LOTS of cans of beans for chili because they were so cheap. We have them stored in our basement "pantry" and won't have to buy beans for a LONG time.

We do this with other items as well like cake mixes and spaghetti sauce and noodles.  Another thing I like to do is buy a bunch of hamburger when it is a great sale and brown it up and freeze meal-sized portions.  This helps make meal planning easier when I just have to thaw a container of meat instead of thawing AND cooking it.

Also some stores have special days where they will double your coupons value up to a certain amount. Kmart does this on Wednesdays here and they will double up to 5 coupons with a $25 purchase.  So you have to watch the ads and make sure you are getting your value out of the coupon. Last week I got a couple of items BOGO 1/2 off plus I had a $1 off coupon that was doubled. That made the prices much less than I would have paid for store brand at Walmart.

I haven't ventured out yet to coupon clipping sites, or dumpster diving for ads! :) But if you get a Sunday paper and don't use your coupons and would like to send them my way from time to time I would really appreciate it!

These days when I leave a store and don't have an amount off for coupons I feel like I have lost a little! Last week we saved $16 at Walmart and $8 at Hy -Vee just from taking the time to clip/print a few coupons.

I would LOVE to hear if you coupon, how it works for you and what other money saving tips you may have!!