Last week you got your feet wet and [hopefully] discovered just how fun using coupons can be. This week you are going to dive in completely!
(If you are new to my blog or brand new to coupons, I strongly suggest you read Part 1: How to Start before going any further.)
After 3 weeks of collecting newspaper inserts and printing coupons, you should by now have a fairly decent stash. You still won’t be able to take advantage of every single great deal that comes along, but between inserts and printable coupons, you should be able to get most of them.
(As a side note, it is important to know that no one–not even me–gets to take advantage of every great deal. Newspaper inserts vary by region & printable coupons run out. Don’t get discouraged by this fact! You will still be saving a ton of money, and there will always be more good deals to be had.)
This week’s assignment will build on last week’s exercise, this time making a more complicated list and focusing on what to do once you get to the store and the checkout line. So once again, grab your glass of wine, cup of coffee, or other vice of choice, and get ready to dig in.
Oh, and just one more word of caution before you get started: This is the baby-steps program for learning how to do coupons, and I have tried to simplify it and streamline it as best I can, to help you get the maximum amount of savings for the least amount of time.
But do not be fooled, it will take time! Expect to spend at least 2 hours (and probably more at the beginning) each week preparing your list and gathering your coupons, and another hour at the grocery store.
1. Make your shopping list, repeating steps 1-3 from last week’s assignment.
This week don’t worry about limiting yourself to only three items. Choose as many items as you like, using the following guidelines:
2. Gather your coupons.
Using the links provided on your coupon matchup site, first print all your printable coupons (as many coupons as allowed from as many computers as you are using.)
Next, sit down with your list and coupon file and find the insert coupons that you need. (If you are having trouble deciphering the acronyms used, check out my coupon lingo guide here.)
As you gather your coupons, mark on your list how many of each item you will be purchasing. If you can’t find a specific coupon for an item on your list (remember, inserts can vary by region!) and you don’t want the item without the coupon, cross it off your list.
3. Prepare your coupons for your trip.
Go through your list once more and make sure you have the right number of coupons for each item, then stack them in the order of your list. In a perfect world, if I was writing my list by hand, I would try to list my items in the order that I would find them in the store, which would probably save me some time and backtracking at the store. When using the convenient printable lists, however, this doesn’t always work out.
Use a paperclip to clip your coupons together, and then use a second paperclip to clip your bundle to your list.
4. Go shopping.
Once again, I recommend that you limit this shopping trip to only coupon savings items. Eventually you will be able to do all your shopping in one trip, but for the sake of our baby-steps program, you will have more success if you just focus on your coupons this time around.
Likewise, go at a time when you are relaxed and not in a hurry. If you can swing it, try to go without your kids so that you can really focus.
5. Collect your items.
As you make the rounds in your store, scan your list to see what items you need from that section. As you gather your items, place the corresponding coupons in a separate pile, or in the “coupons to use at checkout” pocket of your coupon organizer.
Be sure to double check and confirm the following criteria:
6. Checkout. Since you are confirming your coupons as you go, checkout should be a breeze at this point, but here are the some steps to follow to ensure a smooth finale to your first shopping extravaganza:
And that, my friends, is enough for this week!
To recap: Make your shopping list, following last week’s guideline’s and the above criteria, gather your coupons, get yourself organized and ready to go, then hit the store, taking time to confirm you are grabbing the correct items, your coupons match up, and the item actually is on sale, and then find the friendliest cashier you can and make your way through the checkout line, step by baby step.
Stay tuned for next week’s assignment, and please feel free to post questions below or share how you did this week. I love to hear from you, and I make every effort to answer any questions as quickly and thoroughly as I can!
{But before you do, I’d love a vote. Just click the image below!}