Avery and I made our trip to the grocery store to catch some deals that I mentioned earlier. All-in-all it was a success but there were a few bumps in the road that taught me a few lessons.
**Let me just pause here and say that I know it sounds like I have never grocery shopped before. That is obviously not the case! lol I also know that most of you probably could care less that I am couponing, but I am just super pumped and motivated to start some serious saving so why not share what I find just in case anyone out there wants to too??**
Lesson #1: Don't let your 15 month old chid get ahold of your coupon binder! Right as we got started shopping I was digging out the circular and she knocked my binder on the floor. It flew open and coupon sheets went EVERYWHERE! So, the remainder of my shopping trip there were coupons in a big pile, unorganized sitting under the cart. What a way to start; breaking #2 of my obstacles to overcome. oh well!
Lesson #2: Reorganize my binder. I had it all divided out but I needed to divide it even further. I have 5 dividers with 7 under each of those. This way I know exactly where to flip to when I know I have a coupon
Lesson #3: Pull out the coupons as I find the item. I actually figured this one out as I went. I first thought I would pull them out before I went in the store but if you can't find the item you want or need based on the coupon (or if there is a better deal by buying a generic brand) than you will want to hold onto that coupon
Taking advantage of so many sales the store had, plus using my membership card, and coupons, I was able to save over $70! I got enough meat to last us the whole month (if not more) and some other items that were on my list. I did really good at getting only the items I had listed and even decided that I really didnt need some of them when I got to shopping. I have also racked up 50 cents off per gallon of gasoline! Yay!! I signed up for the baby program so that for every $25 I spend on baby items I get another 5 cents off per gallon. I know it's just pennies, but it adds up fast! The same goes for coupons. If you are able to stack them on an item, just 25 cents off something can add up fast and get you some real savings.
One tip that I found out through researching coupons is that most grocery stores will match certain coupons every week which means even more savings!
I hope I haven't bored anyone! In fact, I hope I have only motivated a few. I just hope that I can keep it up! :)
