Frugal Friday

I am new to couponing. I mean, I have taken a coupon or two to Wal-Mart or wherever and saved a buck or two, literally. But I am new to the bargain-sniffing, coupon-clipping, sale-finding, price-matching, some people actually MAKE money doing this. . . hard-core couponing world. I stumbled into this about a month ago and found that the concept already fit nicely into my frugal outlook on life. And you can't turn on the news without seeing this week's version of the coupon queen, a super-human mom of 3 or 4 or 16, who home schools, makes her own furniture, serves at church, and still has time to squeeze a $200.00/month grocery budget down to $27.99.

Raise your hand if you are already aware of the fact that that IS NOT ME. I do not have the capacity for that kind of organization, and as of yet, I am 16 kids shy of that scenario. I don't know what your family size is or how tight your budget has become. I will say that diving in can be super overwhelming and may even turn you off at first. But if you are truly interested in cutting some costs in your family, even if it's just on two items a year (like toilet paper and laundry soap), then stick your toe in and start saving.

So far, some of the sites I have found most helpful are:

1. http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ Start here. Even though she is taking some time off, she has some very helpful older posts on the basics of couponing, and even gives specifics for different stores (Dillon's, Walgreen's, CVS etc. . .).


2. http://ingoodcents.blogspot.com/ Like a lot of these blogs, this one is a good source for info, latest deals, and freebies from all over. Through the posts I have received free magazines, booklets full of coupons, and great insight on budget planning.
3. http://www.couponing101.com/ One more blog. This one really spells out the match-ups. I can look at her blog on Kroger (Dillon's), see in an instant if there's any super great deal, and put selected items on my list.
4. http://www.thecouponclippers.com/ Don't like the idea of messy coupon clippings from multiple papers all over the house? Just order multiples of the ones you know your family will need and this minister's wife and her crew will do the dirty work. You can also see what coupons are coming out in Sunday's paper before Sunday, in case you want to buy 2 or 12 papers.
5. http://www.ebay.com/ What? EBay? Yes. If your store is having a blow-out sale on something or you want to stock up on a particular item, do a quick search on EBay. I've only purchased one set so far, but I check it regularly.
6. http://www.cellfire.com/ and http://shortcuts.com/ Both load coupons directly to your Dillon's Plus card. And then you can use a regular paper coupon on top of that! I love this!
7. http://www.dillons.com/ I also have Price Cutter in my Coupons folder under my favorites. No more wondering what's on sale or trying to get a hold of the weekly flyer. Most chain stores (even Wal-Mart and Target) have their weekly flyers online. Much easier to prepare.

I think I will stop there for now. That is about as far as I have gone. I have not yet braved Walgreen's or CVS, but I know I eventually will try it, at least a couple times. I would caution you to not get sucked in to the "great deals" but to carefully plan around your budget and family needs. Otherwise, you might find yourself recovering from a coupon-induced daze wondering exactly how you ended up with 18 boxes of Cocoa Puffs. Not that I would know anything about that. It's not going to be for everyone (couponing, not Cocoa Puffs), but it is definitely worth a little consideration as a way to stretch your budget. Plus, when you find great deals, then you can post them online for everyone to envy, which is my favorite part.