How I save so much money
A lot of people stumble upon my blog, and can’t quite figure out how I save so much money. Everyone’s seen coupons before–but somehow, we can never figure out exactly how they save money. I know for me, it took me years before I learned the secrets. So here, in a nutshell, is the secret.
Coupon Queens don’t shop like normal people. Normal shoppers go to the store with a list of things they need, and then try to match coupons to those items. You wander up and down the aisles and spend hours trying to find the right coupon to go with the right item. In the end, you discover that generic is often cheaper, and the hours you spent using coupons saved you under $15. Doesn’t exactly seem like its worth the effort.
But that’s not how a Coupon Queen shops. We go into the store armed with a list of things we know are on sale, and coupons for those items. 75% of the time those items are free. I don’t shop for items I need. Wait, did I say that? I can see the confused looks on your faces….because I was confused at first too. I don’t shop for what I need. I shop for what’s free.
Now, how do I make that work? When exactly do I shop for what my family needs?
I do it every week. I just shop in advance. Meaning, I don’t shop for cereal when my family needs it. I shop for cereal when its on sale. If I find my family’s favorite cereal on sale for .50 a box, I’m going to buy enough to last till the next time its on sale–even if I’m not actually out of it. By doing this on every item we use, I never pay full price. In fact, I tend to save at least 75% on every item we use. This is groceries, health and beauty, cat food, household products and more! This strategy is called stockpiling. Its stocking up when items are on sale, instead of waiting until I need them and running the risk of paying full price. It takes a few months to get a healthy stockpile built–but once its built, my list of items I ‘need’ each week is extremely small. Less than 4-5 things a week. In fact, most weeks my list is at zero. It goes faster than you think….I know many who’ve done it in under 3 months!
Now, how do I know what to stockpile? First, I sit down and I make a monthly menu and master shopping list. From there I started a pricebook, so that I could track the prices of the items I buy every day. Now, when items come on sale, I match them with my pricebook and my master shopping list to see if they’re items I want to stock up on. Is it something I’ll use? If not, I’ll pass on it. Is it at the lowest price according to my pricebook? If not, I’ll pass it by and wait for a better sale.
Coupons are like poker cards to me. You don’t play them all right away. I hold onto them, and use them at exactly the right moment.
Shopping is the same. I don’t run out the door and buy everything I need in one setting. I wait and get it when they are at the lowest price possible. Patience, strategy, and a little bit of cleverness together lead to me feeding my family for as little as I do.
Join me….it doesn’t take long to learn. Anyone can do it! You can come to one of my upcoming classes to learn….or simply read and try some of the great deals!
My question for you is this, “Don’t you have to work up to this point?” What I mean is that I have been couponing on and off, and just as you said I was giving up because I was going in and shopping for my “needs”. Lately I have begun to understand couponing but I also see that I don’t have “enough” things yet to even create a meal so I have to buy my “needs” too, thus I’m not saving much yet. HOw long does it take to get to the point where you can have enough in your house to “live off of” and only go shopping for your “on sale with coupon items”? Does this make sense? I”d love your thoughts.
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Hello,
I work with a girl who started coupon clipping in March and she is always telling me about the $$ she saves. I started clipping the coupons and trying to save the money and it is not adding up. I have read your blog about the stockpile but the problem I run into is I am a very picky eating therefor it is hard to stock up on certain things I buy lots of chicken and hamburger for my meals. Also I am a clean freak so I feel like the stockpile will drive me crazy feeling cluttered. Any advise for a new starter?
Tasha, I have five steps that I tell everyone to follow that will especially help you. The reason for these steps is that what you eat is not what I eat or shop for–and so to have these bits of homework done before you step foot in the store REALLY saves you big! Its not the coupons that save us so much (well, it is, but not really) its the knowing what we eat and stocking up when things are on sale.
Everything that you eat or use on a regular basis goes on sale at least once a year. Everything! Its learning to watch for it and stock up when its on sale–even if its only 50% off, that’s still 50% off your grocery bill! Some of my pricier favorites include hummus, goat cheese, prosciutto and more. All of those things go on sale–and freeze pretty well. So when I find them on sale, I stock up! And when those foods aren’t on sale, you could still be saving money on toothpaste, deodorant, toilet paper, shampoo and so on. At the side of the site is a picture of me at Q102–click on it and it will take you to my beginner’s page. If you still have questions, ask! You can ask in a comment or email me at lmkia at littlemissknowitall dot net.
I think I am well on my way! My question at this point is – is there a way to save on meats and produce? That is the biggest chunk of my grocery bill right now. Thanks!
I have a ? and do not know where I should be asking it at so I guess I will try here! Does a B1G1 work to use 2 and get the items free? Do you know what stores this works at? I thought somewhere I had read that but know I can’t find it.
Thank You for all the money and time you save us.
You are Awesome!!!!
I love your site!
Karla
This all makes a lot of sense to me. However, aside from the local grocery store that sends me its own coupons, where do I find coupons? Everyone always tells me to buy the sunday paper, but I am not going to get much out of toilet paper and bakeware coupons. There’s got to be more out there, I just don’t know where to look. I average $120 a week in groceries. Its endless spending, and I want to learn more about this! Thanks.
Absolutely. In my classes I’ve been challenging people to get creative the first two weeks and to Clean Out Their Fridge (COYF.) Instead of shopping as usual, look in your pantry. Most of us have a full pantry and freezer, and ‘nothing to eat.’ Its full of odds and ends that we picked up but often can’t remember why. Get creative with what you already have instead of going shopping, for as much as you possibly can. Then take the money from that part of the budget and set it aside for stockpiling. And look aggressively these two weeks at what is available to stockpile–and start right away!
That helps speed up the process–as people are more focused and aware of what they’re buying after this challenge. It takes about 2-3 months of stockpiling to get to this point. And like I said, its a 5 minute version of a 5 hour class where I do explain the steps further–but I’m hoping hearing it all pulled together like that helps people who have been trying to use coupons but not understanding the real savings potential.