While it is true that couponing takes time, effort and fair amount of work, to be a successful couponer, does not mean you have to devote every waking moment to it. If you haven’t read the first part of this post click here: Successful #Couponing: Part 1

Planning Ahead

1. Plan out your couponing shopping trip – to the penny if you can. Use coupon matching sites to help you know what the best deals are. The more you plan it out, the smoother it will go in the store, so be as detailed as you can listing product name (and variety if necessary), size/ct., retail price, sale price, coupon value, and price you expect to pay.
2. Look at your calendar and shop accordingly. After major holidays you can find items that might have holiday specific packaging, which will be marked down with the rest of the holiday items.
3. Understand the coupons and sale prices usually coincide for free or near free pricing only twice a year. So if you CAN, buy enough to last your household six months.

Opportunity Awareness

1. Never go into a store that accepts coupons without your coupon binder. You never know when a store may be putting an item on sale – due to overstock, or package damage – that was not advertised.
2. When you have time, walk the outer perimeter of the store instead of the inside aisles. These endcaps often have items marked at clearance pricing.
3. Expand your store horizons – shop for cleaning products at home improvement stores, or hair products at a pharmacy.

Niceties

1. While you are a customer – like everyone else – your transaction may be a little more involved than others. So be polite and patient to both the other people in line and the cashier.
2. Never take more than a few coupons that are available in a store – peelies, tear pads, hangtags, booklets, recipe cards, etc. It is rude and will ultimately result in stores not putting them out as frequently or requiring you to ask for them at customer service.
3. Be the coupon fairy sometimes – if you have more coupons for an item than you plan to use or they are expiring soon, place them on the shelf next to the product. It’s a nice way to share the wealth, and make sure that a coupon doesn’t go to waste.

Stockpile Management

1. Rotate your products regularly. If you have a large amount of something, write the expiration date on the part of the label that will be visible while stacked on the shelf with a big marker, this will make it easier to see which to use first.
2. Do not get a large amount of an item that your family would never ever use – even if it’s free – unless you truly and honestly plan to donate it. For example – don’t get 30 bags of cat treats, just because they are free, if you don’t have a cat! Also consider the life of a product. If you have worked out a deal to get 20 pounds of strawberries for free or close to it, you need to be sure you have a means to use them all or freeze them.
3. Store items properly – cool dry place for most items, and freeze all of the freezable items.

Successful couponing is not about having 90 tubes of toothpaste or 80 bags of dog food. Successful couponing is about having an adequate supply of the items your family uses on a regular basis, so that you will not run out and have to pay full retail for that product. It is also about stretching your budget, and being able to buy high quality items for less than the price of generic. Here are some more tips on how to be a successful couponer.

Clipping and Collecting

1. You can either clip each coupon and put them into a filing system or you can save whole pages/inserts, it is a preference issue, as well as a storage system.
2. You need to decide how many papers you want to get based on what you expect each to have in them.
3. When shopping you should always scan the shelves for coupon booklets, blinkies, peelies, hangtags, recipe cards and tear pads. You can usually find useful coupons all over the store if you keep your eyes open. If you have small children with you, give the task to look for coupons on the shelf – it will keep them busy and engaged.

Organization

1. Choose a binder with clear “baseball card organizer sheets” or an accordion filer.
2. Divide your coupons into categories. Choose categories that are right for you, as well as make sense to you. Suggested categories: Frozen Foods, Fresh Meats, Beverages, Cooking/Baking, Cereal, Snacks, Perishables, Non-Perishables, Medications, Personal Care (can be broken up into Dental, His and Hers), Cleaning Products, Paper Goods, Non-food Misc., Pet Food
3. You must attend to your coupons weekly, at the very least. You also want to purge your coupons at least twice a month – checking for expiration dates, as well as to ensure that use a coupon before it expires. But keep in mind that you do not have to use a coupon just because, it just means you look for a deal on that item.

Understanding Policies and Procedures

1. Carry a printed copy of your most commonly frequented stores’ policies in your binder. And check to see if things have changed at least once every few months.
2. If a checker performs the transaction in a way that conflicts with the written policy, refer to it. Be polite and ask for clarification, from a manager if necessary. While each store might have their own practices, they should at least honor the corporate policy.
3. Do your best to read fine print – on both manufacturer’s and store coupons. Some coupons list specific limitations on using multiple coupons in a singular transaction, others have limitations on scents/flavors or sizes.

Come back next Friday for part two with more tips on how to be a Successful couponer.

When I first started using coupons, I was married and we had 2 children, I was at the beginning of my journey to save my family money. I knew I wanted to try and cut down on the amount of money I was spending on groceries, household items and toiletries. Coupons opened up a whole new world for me.

When I was growing up my Mom and Nana would give me coupons to use at the local grocery store (at the time it was Winn Dixie) and I would be embarrassed to use it so sometimes I wouldn’t. I felt like the cashier would laugh at me for using a coupon. Man did I have it all wrong!

There was no reason to have such harsh feelings against such a wonderful thing. Coupons have helped save me money on things we buy frequently and now I can either continue to save what I would’ve spent to begin with or use the money saved there on something else.

When I first started using coupons I had it in my mind that if I had a coupon for something and it went on sale somewhere that I just had to use that coupon. I kept every coupon I got my hands on. I would come home from shopping sometimes with all kinds of things that no one in our house could or would even use but I bought it because it was a great deal with the coupon.

Let me tell you from experience. It’s NOT a good deal with the coupon if the product you paid money for, no matter how little you spent on it, if it’s not going to get used. I quickly learned my lesson thanks to my husband. Now when I’m clipping out coupons to put in my coupon binder I ask myself, “Is this a product that my family would use if I could get it for free or really cheap with this coupon?” If I answer yes I clip it and keep it and if not I keep it in a folder to see if I can later trade it with someone else or have it if someone else needs it.

Where Can you Find Coupons?

Where do I get my coupons? I get my Sunday newspapers for free by using my CVS Extra Care Bucks at CVS that I already have so I don’t have to pay out of pocket for coupon inserts. I also have family and friends who don’t use coupons and they save their inserts for me. I also check the little red “blinkie” machines in the grocery stores when I’m shopping to see if there are any coupons I can use.

I can also get more coupons without even leaving my house. I get the All You magazine delivered by mail each month (can also be purchased at Wal Mart). I also find printable coupons online from sites such as Red Plum.com, Coupons.com and SmartSource.com. For products that I frequently use I sign up for the company email newsletters. Companies send out coupons more frequently than most people think and will mail you frequent coupons and/or free samples to your house.

I also follow companies I like on Twitter and Facebook for coupons, deals and freebies. Of course I don’t skimp on trying to save money when I shop online either. I use sites such as Ebates who pull the coupon codes together for me, then I can combine a good sale with a coupon code and then the cash back rebate to boot.

By using coupons, making a stockpile of much used items and weekly menu planning I have cut my monthly budget for a family of 4 (for everything I purchase: household, groceries, clothing, gas, baby items, etc) from all most $2,000 down to $800 a month! I still think I can do even better with that number though, I believe I can get it lower. I’m slowly working my way down to an even smaller budget 1 coupon at a time and you can do it too.

Bio: Shanaka is the blog author/owner of Mama Bee Does. She is a southern belle, SAHM of 2 boys and a West Virginia coal miner’s daughter in law. She blogs product reviews & giveaways, helps you find deals and freebies, gather & use coupons, shares yummy recipes and how she makes the most of a 1 income budget for a family of 4.

This post is an entry to the Blog Your Way to BlogHer Contest. Busy Mommy Media is giving away 1 ticket to BlogHer 2011 in San Diego! Visit the contest page for details on entering.

Coupons can save you hundreds of dollars a month on your grocery bill, but they can be time consuming and they aren’t for everyone. If you are looking for quick and easy ways to save money on your grocery bill but don’t want to resort to couponing, check out these tried and true tricks.

1. Buy Seasonally. Produce is always cheaper when it’s in season and most fruits and vegetables freeze well so you can stock up while the price is low. My 7-year-old son loves mangoes but if you buy them at the wrong time they can be pricey. He learned a great lesson on saving money when we checked the price of mangoes over a period of several weeks. Mangoes started at over $2 each and I let him know that he could buy 1 now or wait and get quite a few more. He chose to wait. A few weeks later they were priced at $0.33 and we bought extra and stocked our freezer with sliced mangoes that lasted us for 6 months. Lesson learned.
2. Waste Less. No matter how much money you spent on your groceries, food that goes to waste is always going to end up costing you money. Save money by limiting food waste. Clean out your refrigerator and pantry often to stay on top of expiration dates and plan meals around what you already have as often as possible. Dinner leftovers can be used to pack a frugal lunch the next day or mixed into soups, stir fry’s or other great catchall dishes.
3. Shop Weekly and Make a List. Last minute shopping trips always end up being more expensive than you planned on. Every mom has run into the store to buy milk at one point or another and come out with a shopping cart full of groceries she didn’t really need. Limit impulse buying by shopping once a week and sticking to your shopping list as much as possible.
4. Eat Less Meat. Meat is often the most expensive portion of your meals. Limiting meat is not only good for your health, it’s also easier on your budget. Make meat go further by combining it with beans or cooked wheat berries (which can easily be cooked by throwing them in a crockpot for a few hours and refrigerated until needed).  When serving meat as a main course, supplement with several filling side dishes so that you can dish up smaller portions of meat. Recipes such as soups, homemade pizza, and stir-fry use less meat than serving meat as a main course and they are a great way to use up leftovers.
5. Shop at the Farmer’s Market. Seasonal produce can be purchased at extremely low prices from your local farmer’s market. After a few visits, you’ll start to become familiar with your local farmers and learn who offers the best value and the freshest produce.
6. Cook from Scratch. Processed foods can quickly max out your grocery budget, especially if you aren’t using coupons. Aim to cook from scratch as much as possible to save money and provide your family with healthier food choices. If you can find a bit of extra time in your schedule, you can save quite a bit of money by cooking basics such as bread, pizza dough, and granola bars from scratch.
7. Plan your Meals. Menu planning can save you hundreds of dollars a month on your grocery bill, but only if you don’t scrimp in the planning stage. It’s easy to rush through your meal planning and plan meals around whatever you happen to have lying around in your kitchen, only to have dinnertime roll around and the meal not sound appealing at all. We’ve all done it. Take the time to plan meals you actually want to eat and you’ll limit last minute trips to the grocery store or drive through window.
8. Cook Once, Eat Twice – Time is usually an issue when it comes to preparing meals. If you are rushing to get dinner on the table, chances are high that you’ll turn to your stack of pizza coupons or send your hubby through the drive through. Shorten the time you need to spend in the kitchen by cooking extra chicken, hamburger, or whatever meat you are serving and use half of it in a meal the next night. You’ll save time and money.
9. Stock up on Sale Items – You don’t have to use coupons to take advantage of sale items. Make a point of finding 2 or 3 great sale items during your weekly grocery trip and buying enough to last your family until the next sale. Stores usually run promotions on a 3-month rotation for non-perishables so if you estimate what your family will use during that time period you can avoid paying full price.
10. Plant a Garden – A garden may feel overwhelming if you don’t have much of a green thumb, but starting with a few easy to grow basics like tomatoes, zucchini, and green beans can give you a stash of fresh vegetables all summer long and make a good dent in your grocery budget.

• I have three who use pull-ups right now.  They are quite expensive, so I try to always have a coupon.  I have found that at Walmart, I can get the name brand for less than the generic if I use a coupon.  I love the pull-ups website.  You can go on there once a month and print two coupons for $2.00 off.  So, if you have kids who use pull-ups consider signing up on the pull-ups website to save money of those expensive things.

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You can save a lot of money and even get free stuff at the drugstores.  I even made some “money” matching my coupons this week.  Go here to read about shopping at drugstores.  I went because I needed tampons and ended up spending cheaper than the sale price for those and got a lot more stuff too. I also like to buy cereal for my kids when it goes on sale and I have a good coupon for it.  Here are my CVS deals this week.

Order #1

2 Right Guard Total Defense Deodorant on sale $2.49

1 Kotex U Tampons 18 counts on sale $4.99

Total before coupons: $9.97

Coupons Used:

Used (two) $1.50/1 Right Guard Coupon
Used (one) $1/1 CVS Pharmacy Kotex U Coupon

Stacked CVS coupon with $1/1 Kotex U Coupon

Total after coupons:  $4.97

ECB Earned:

$4.99 for Kotex U

$2.00 for Right Guard

So I earned $2.04

For some reason, the cashier did not ring up my second deodorant but it took the coupon and I did not get my second ECB.  So with that mistake here’s what I really paid.

Total out of pocket after coupons and with tax: $2.93

Order #2

1 Apple Jacks on sale $1.88

1 Corn Pop on sale $1.88

1 Raisin Bran on sale $1.88

1 Rice Krispie on sale $1.88

1 Fruit Loop on sale $1.88

Total before coupons:  $9.40

Coupons Used:

Used $1/2 Kellogg’s Coupon  (only had one wish I had more)

Total after coupons: $8.40

ECB Used:

$2.00 from Right Guard

$4.99 from Kotex U

Total out of pocket with tax: $1.41

So, I spent $4.34 for all the stuff I got that day.  Less than the cost of the tampons I needed. I will go back and offer to pay for the other deodorant since I like to be honest, but I have done that before and they told me not to worry about it.

Get a $2.00/1 box coupon for Post Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat, or Grape Nut here.  If you have a Rite Aid, you can use it this week for a FREE box!  They are on sale for $1.88 this week.  I got my free box yesterday.  Either way, it’s a great coupon for some cheap/free cereal.