OK, I'll admit it... I'm addicted to coupons! Coupons have made grocery shopping as enjoyable to me as going to yard sales and you guys know how much I LOVE my yard sales! Those small slips of paper can easily add up to tremendous savings if used wisely and in conjunction with store sales. If you take just a few minutes a week to clip out those "pesky" coupons and organize them correctly, your grocery bill will reduce significantly.
It may sound silly, but my family absolutely loves to go grocery shopping together. It's turned into a game for us where everyone gets involved. The kids love to watch the total rapidly decline with each swipe of a coupon. I have to admit, I am guilty of that myself. When I shop at Food Lion, I purposely hold my MVP Card in my hand until AFTER my paper coupons have been deducted just to see how long it takes for the total to FINALLY hit the screen. I've actually had a clerk tap his hands in frustration because the tally was taking too long... Gotta love it!
With the correct tools and system, you can easily save tons of money. There are many tips out there to help you make the best of your grocery shopping experience and believe me, I've tried many, but here's what works for me:
*If your Military, Active Duty or Retired, you need to take advantage of your local commissary. The commissaries are already such a bargain without coupons, but when you add in the coupons --- it's insane! Commissaries let you double and sometimes triple coupons, as well as they honor ALL store's coupons. To me, it's foolish NOT to use this privelege. Sure, some commissaries are better than others, but being military, you have access to ANY of them, so pick one and take advantage of this exclusive privelege.
*I clip coupons every Sunday evening. It takes virtually minutes to do. I keep them all in a large gallon hefty bag. I find this the easiest way to go because the bags are reusable as well as those accordian files don't last forever and stress me out when navigating the store aisles. A lot of women like to use those accordion files to organize coupons, but I'm not much of a fan.
*Before the big shopping day, I organize my coupons into smaller ziploc sandwich bags according to either food category or aisle, including a small list of the items in that section in every baggie too. That way, when I go to the store I get the list out for the aisle, get the items on that list and then move on to the next aisle & bag until all of the bags have been completed. Since I go to the Norfolk Commissary all of the time, I know their aisles by heart, so I separate my coupons according to their set-up. This prevents me from forgetting something and wasting time by having to back track. I'm lucky enough to have a hubby who doesn't mind the grocery shopping, so often times we split up the baggies & the kids, then meet up at the register when we're done. This reduces the time spent in the store all together. What Mom doesn't like that idea??
*I always check out the local sales ads. Now I love my commissary, but loyalty could come back to bite me right in the pocket book if I don't pay attention to what the other grocery stores are offering.
*Also, check with your local grocery store to see when/if they have double or triple coupon days. This can cause your savings to sky rocket!
So, that's how I do it & it works for me. There's no science to this, you've just gotta do what works for you, but I find this system more organized and mistake proof. There's nothing worse than leaving the store and realizing that you've forgotten to use some of your coupons. Clipping coupons might seem more like a chore to most of you, but I guarantee if you just give it a try, you will see just how much your family can benefit from the savings.
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