Best site to for a beginning coupon-er? Other sites to learn more about frugality?

[Halcyon]

Hello all-

I think it's about time I try and save some money on our grocery and household bills. I have tried couponing in the past, but didn't stick with it and want to try again.

 

I would love to find deals on detergent, papertowels and healthy foods-we don't eat processed foods for the most part. I normally buy store brands and BOGO deals when it's food/products we use. We eat home-cooked meals most nights, mostly vegetarian. I would like to get my grocery/papergoods/cleaning bill down to $500/month and overall I'd like to reduce our household expenditures at least 25%.

 

Ideas/sites welcome :)

[dangermom]

Two good ones are the Krazy Coupon Lady (authors of "Pick another checkout lane, honey") and the Prudent Homemaker.

[4kiddies]

Check out moneysavingmom.com and check her sidebars for beginning couponing information. HTH

[Scarlett]

Hello all-

I think it's about time I try and save some money on our grocery and household bills. I have tried couponing in the past, but didn't stick with it and want to try again.

 

I would love to find deals on detergent, papertowels and healthy foods-we don't eat processed foods for the most part. I normally buy store brands and BOGO deals when it's food/products we use. We eat home-cooked meals most nights, mostly vegetarian. I would like to get my grocery/papergoods/cleaning bill down to $500/month and overall I'd like to reduce our household expenditures at least 25%.

 

Ideas/sites welcome :)

 

Sign up on this Dave Ramsey site---there is a frugal living sub forum and they are very motivating.

 

http://www.livinglikenooneelse.com/forum/index.php?

[Halcyon]

Thank you everybody-keep em coming! It's a New Year and we're looking to live more simply :)

[FloridaLisa]

I like the coupon/frugal sites (and I would add http://www.thesimpledollar). But I would highly suggests checking out some library books as you can sit down with your favorite cup of cheer over the week and just read. With the blogs, you'll probably need to glean the information drip by drip from different blog posts.

 

Most libraries have the Tightwad Gazette books. Look around under that same decimal number for books by the Economides, Your Money or Your Life, Miserly Mom, Dave Ramsey books (more personal finance than step-by-step frugality) and others.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[Truscifi]

For couponing I use I Heart Publix and Southern Savers. For general frugal living I like a lot of the advice on Dave Ramsey's forum, though I don't really follow his plan.

[Ottakee]

I am doing Savings Angel http://www.savingsangel.com and it does save a lot of paper products, health and beauty stuff, etc. You can save as well on groceries but much of it is processed foods but there are deals on basics as well.

 

It does take longer to get ready to shop and to actually shop like this as you have to go through the list to create your own list of what you want, get the coupons, print some from the internet, etc.

 

If you want just the basics but are really tight on time you can see if there is an Aldi's store near you. THey have decent stuff at great prices but are much more limited in selection. You get 1 choice of ketchup instead of 5 brands in many sizes for example.

 

http://www.grocerygame.com is another one where you can sign up for just certain stores.

 

I honestly keep going back and forth as to if these things are worth my time or not. Yes, I can save a lot of money but then I get frustrated trying to match coupons with the sale items in the right size box, etc. Then the stores with the best deals tend to be more crowded and the check out takes longer, etc.

 

Add in that I then will buy things that are great deals (like 75-90% off) but are things that while we will enjoy, we don't NEED---like the premade frozen cheesecake or extra fancy chips, etc.

 

My best savings comes from the pantry method. I stock my pantry with items when the are on sale--like at least 50% off (none of that 10% off stuff:lol:). Then when I want to make something I have the basics on the shelf.

 

I also keep my menus pretty simple. We don't cook things that need specialty ingredients that cost a lot and/or we will only use for 1 recipe.

[Beth S]

http://www.cuttinupcoupons.com/

 

Summarizes the weekly ads, with other coupon helps.

Done by a homeschool mom of 4.

 

http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/

http://www.couponcactus.com/

http://www.frugalmom.net/blog/

 

My favorite financial blog:

http://www.GetRichSlowly.com

 

Groupons are the new "fun" way to save money on specific services.

 

There are LOTS of similar sites. Best wishes!

[Halcyon]

Okay, just updated my Mint.com account-i'm so glad they added the ability to add Cash expenditures. It will really help me stick to my budget.

[fairytalemama]

Two of my closest friends actually don't use paper towels. They use washcloths or rags for everything. I haven't brought myself to do it yet, but they seemed to manage just fine.

 

When one of them was pregnant, I offered to clean her house. I said "Where's your paper towels?" and she promptly led me to a laundry basket full of rags.

 

I guess that's a way to get your paper towel expense down to $0.

[regentrude]

Two of my closest friends actually don't use paper towels. They use washcloths or rags for everything. I haven't brought myself to do it yet, but they seemed to manage just fine.

 

I guess that's a way to get your paper towel expense down to $0.

 

When I grew up in east Germany, there WERE no disposable paper towels or napkins. They simply did not exist.

We managed just fine and kept clean. People have for centuries.

(Yes, we DID have TP)

[Halcyon]

i have tried giving up paper towels in the past but we all hated it. i might try again. i think dh would freak LOL.

[Tarreymere]

Is it really possible to save money with coupons? I don't think I buy anything that there is a coupon for, or if I do I buy it generic and in bulk so there is no coupon deal for stuff like that.

I pretty much make everything from scratch and there aren't coupons for things like flour or sugar. I was surprised when I started out doing it to find out how easy it really is to make stuff yourself. We order bulk wheat berries, oats, beans, and stuff from a local bulk foods store. DH likes bran flakes now and then but I get those generic and we don't buy other cereal. We drink water or homemade ice tea, no juices. I make our laundry detergent and we buy plain soap which I use to clean with too. We do buy tp, but we just get it in generic bulk. We have local raw milk that is very inexpensive but I don't see coupons for milk or eggs anyway. I make yogurt....I really can't think of anything that I would use a coupon for....maybe some dry pasta since that is a pain to make by hand.......but still it would be cheaper to get at the bulk store.

If you don't have a bulk store nearby you can look into ordering yourself and having things shipped. Our bulk store is run by some Amish and they just order things in and break them down into smaller quantities for resale. They are happy to take our order for larger quantity and we save some on shipping and packaging.

Some places have salvage grocery stores that sell dented canned goods and other things that have had some damage to them or are a bit past their 'best by' dates, we have a store like that around here too. If you have a Dollar General store nearby they have low prices like Aldi but they do put out stuff that is marked down too, like overstock and damaged boxes. I have gotten some really good deals there on odds and ends, like seasonings and things.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Is it really possible to save money with coupons? I don't think I buy anything that there is a coupon for, or if I do I buy it generic and in bulk so there is no coupon deal for stuff like that.

I pretty much make everything from scratch and there aren't coupons for things like flour or sugar. I was surprised when I started out doing it to find out how easy it really is to make stuff yourself. We order bulk wheat berries, oats, beans, and stuff from a local bulk foods store. DH likes bran flakes now and then but I get those generic and we don't buy other cereal. We drink water or homemade ice tea, no juices. I make our laundry detergent and we buy plain soap which I use to clean with too. We do buy tp, but we just get it in generic bulk. We have local raw milk that is very inexpensive but I don't see coupons for milk or eggs anyway. I make yogurt....I really can't think of anything that I would use a coupon for....maybe some dry pasta since that is a pain to make by hand.......but still it would be cheaper to get at the bulk store.

If you don't have a bulk store nearby you can look into ordering yourself and having things shipped. Our bulk store is run by some Amish and they just order things in and break them down into smaller quantities for resale. They are happy to take our order for larger quantity and we save some on shipping and packaging.

Some places have salvage grocery stores that sell dented canned goods and other things that have had some damage to them or are a bit past their 'best by' dates, we have a store like that around here too. If you have a Dollar General store nearby they have low prices like Aldi but they do put out stuff that is marked down too, like overstock and damaged boxes. I have gotten some really good deals there on odds and ends, like seasonings and things.

I agree with all that. I shop Aldi almost exclusively, don't use paper except TP and make most of our foods. I suggest frugalvillage for a forum with tons of advice on frugality and budgeting. Be forewarned though, some folks (not all) are pretty hardcore.

[Catherine]

Read The Tightwad Gazette. There are three books in the series. It focuses on frugal\waste-free living, and on making your money work to meet your goals. I reread them every year.

[Ravin]

First thing's first: Generic is going to save you far more money than coupons ever will. If you don't eat much processed food, you're not going to find much in the way of good deals in food coupons, either.

 

Second thing: If you want to save money on paper towels, my advice is stop using them altogether. Get a bunch of inexpensive kitchen towels and rags (bar towels are good because they're small enough to do double duty as rags or towels), and use those instead. The only time I ever buy paper towels is when we go camping, and then I STILL take rags and try to minimize paper towel use.

[Catherine]

Addendum-I like The Tightwad Gazette because it's about changing your thinking. It's not filled with "hints" or advice. It suggests ways the reader can think about money in a more useful and frugal way.

[Ottakee]

First thing's first: Generic is going to save you far more money than coupons ever will. If you don't eat much processed food, you're not going to find much in the way of good deals in food coupons, either.

 

.

 

I have to disagree with this. The cheapest shampoo at the store might be 89 cents per bottle but often with my coupons I can get $4-5 brand name bottles of shampoo for 25 cents or less. Often I can get health and beauty stuff for free and sometimes groceries for free.

 

Now, couponing is more work and therefore takes time, etc. but you can save money with it.

 

Depending on your definition of "processed foods" I often get yogurt, cheese, butter, milk, and meat at huge discounts. Canned veggies, salsas, canned fruit, and frozen veggies are often also a very good deal with coupons and again cheaper than the generic brands.

 

Right now I am doing Savings Angel and can get some great deals each week. My thing is that for me, I am not sure the time/effort is worth the savings. A great deal will depend on your family's eating habits, the availablility of good grocery stores in your area (often the highest priced ones have the best deals/free stuff each week), if you can get a newspaper with great coupons (generally the large city ones), etc.

 

It is nice though walking out of Walgreens with 3 bottles of dish soap, a shampoo, 2 packets of pony tail holders and 2 cans of fruit for 83 cents total.

[Halcyon]

In the past, I have found that CVS ExtraBucks are the best way to really save money, and only when those products are coupled with coupons. Today I am off to buy stuff we need at CVS: the items are discounted, and there are ExtraBucks back, enough that (along with a coupon) my 22 dollar regenerist lotion that I love and buy once a year will only be $6.

Edited December 27, 2010 by Halcyon

[Prairie~Phlox]

I have to disagree with this. The cheapest shampoo at the store might be 89 cents per bottle but often with my coupons I can get $4-5 brand name bottles of shampoo for 25 cents or less. Often I can get health and beauty stuff for free and sometimes groceries for free.

 

Now, couponing is more work and therefore takes time, etc. but you can save money with it.

 

Depending on your definition of "processed foods" I often get yogurt, cheese, butter, milk, and meat at huge discounts. Canned veggies, salsas, canned fruit, and frozen veggies are often also a very good deal with coupons and again cheaper than the generic brands.

 

Right now I am doing Savings Angel and can get some great deals each week. My thing is that for me, I am not sure the time/effort is worth the savings. A great deal will depend on your family's eating habits, the availablility of good grocery stores in your area (often the highest priced ones have the best deals/free stuff each week), if you can get a newspaper with great coupons (generally the large city ones), etc.

 

It is nice though walking out of Walgreens with 3 bottles of dish soap, a shampoo, 2 packets of pony tail holders and 2 cans of fruit for 83 cents total.

 

I agree, I can not get generic frozen vegetables for free, cheap-free sour cream, .12 a jar peanut butter, .25 a pack cream cheese-free cream cheese. Free pasta, free shampoo, free deodorant, free tooth paste, free tooth brushes, name brand toilet paper for cheap at the dollar stores or other places. I regularly get these items for next to nothing. It's the only way I can afford to feed my family, it does take time, I do buy stuff in bulk when it's cheaper. I have good stores that double coupons, but still for me, we eat fairly healthy, home cooked meals and I could not do it as cheaply without couponing.

[RedPoppy]

I used to think that I was doing the best shopping only lowest sales, generics and bulk. All of those things help, but coupons help a lot more.

 

 

This year, I have used coupons for eggs (yes they are there; free internet ones), for fruits and vegetables, and for free name-brand items (like 20 packges of free Philly cream cheese). I don't pay for any coupons; I use internet coupons. (I have also seen coupons for flour and sugar, frozen vegetables, and fresh vegetables). I like moneysavingmom.com the best; she has stores across the country for almost every store in the U.S. linked up (click on stores at the top of the page).

 

I have 2 in diapers, and I have 6 children total; we can have our grocery/tolietries/cleaning supplies for under $150 a month (we have an irregular income and don't always have money to shop, so we also stock up whenever we can). If I had more to spend I could get more of my favorite things :)

 

I think your goal is not only worthwhile, I think it is totally doable.

 

On moneysavingmom.com, she has a link up on Saturdays, where people share what they bought that week. It's really interesting to see what people can do to feed their family.

 

If you live in a place that doubles or triples coupons, or has an Aldi, you can do even better. I don't have either. There are families who link up who eat for $40 a week, including everything (diapers, tolietries, etc). There are organic shoppers and organic coupons listed on there as well.

 

Also, you should be able to find, via the local store links, blogs that cover your area, and that helps a lot as well.

 

Coupons can greatly reduce your tolietry and cleaning supplies expenses. There are often rebates on top of that. Each time I've gone to the store this year, I've had $15-$20 worth of coupons with me, for every trip. It's like having a $20 bill in your hand! This is on top of buying at the lowest sales prices. I was able to get many things for free. Coupons save you the most when you use them on top of sales. Also, at Target you can stack coupons; Target's policy (it's on their website) is that you can use one Target coupon AND one manufacturer's coupon per item. Use that on top of a sale to get things inexpensivly and even for free. Target has coupons on their website and the others can be printed from coupons.com, smartsource.com, and redplum.com, plus many manufacturers' websites. The coupon sites do a lot of the work for you, matching sales and coupons every week.

 

One way to look at reducing your costs is to evaluate the cost of your meals. Look at your least expensive meals, and make those the most often. My least expensive meals fed our family of 8 for $1-$2. My more expensive meals are $5-$8. Almost everything has leftovers, so the more expensive meals often stretch out to 2 or even 3 meals. Still, I stirve to make the least expensive meals the most often.

 

Another thing I've learned this year: There's always a less-expensive way to do things. Beans are cheap. But, at Walmart, they're $1.12-$1.25 a pound. If I buy them in bulk, I can get 25 pounds for $14.60. That saves me a lot.

 

A simple way to cut your expenses is to stop eating cold cereal (if you do that). General Mills just announced a price increase of 25% (they are reducing their box sizes by 25% and leaving prices the same). Even coupons and sales still make this a pricy breakfast (though I know those who get cereal for $1 a box or less with coupons and sales). Make something else, like oatmeal. And again, buy your oats in bulk. I buy 25 pounds of oats for $7.60. That's cheaper than I can get it with coupons and sales (so look at what is the cheapest, too--sometimes it's coupons, and sometimes it's not).

 

I don't know what paper goods you use. We don't use paper plates or cups or napkins. I have cloth napkins in dark red and blue (they hide stains well). I have terry cloth bar mops for cleaning.

[Tarreymere]

I agree with all that. I shop Aldi almost exclusively, don't use paper except TP and make most of our foods. I suggest frugalvillage for a forum with tons of advice on frugality and budgeting. Be forewarned though, some folks (not all) are pretty hardcore.

 

 

LOVE that forum, THANKS!!!

[Ravin]

I have to disagree. with your disagreement about generics. I'm not talking about getting "the cheapest X in the store". I'm talking about getting the generic equivalent of the brand name product you'd usually buy.

 

Some examples: Instead of Dove body wash for $5/bottle (best coupons I've seen on it are $1/off), I get the Equate version of the same body wash (ie, "compare to Dove body wash" on the label) for $3.25. I do this for pretty much all OTC medications, too.

 

And I only shop for sale items at Walgreens or CVS, or for items I have to go to a full pharmacy to find (like Benadryl ready-strips or children's ibuprofen chewables). Mostly I shop at Walmart, and before I worked there (and am thus already there all the time and get a discount), Target and Costco. Costco's Kirkland brand is STILL hands down the best deal I've found on OTC meds (in the ones they carry, at least; most notably DH's zyrtec!)

 

The best places to shop for the best deals are going to depend greatly upon what region you live in. For example, there's no such thing as Aldi's here, but with all the competing grocery stores, pharmacies, etc., there are probably fifteen different places minimum I could ad match at Walmart. Or, I could drive to a bunch of different places, but that's a waste of gas.

 

Back in my hometown in TX, on the other hand, there were only 2 stores in the ad-match radius for the Walmart, making it less of a deal.

 

I do clip coupons for the few things I buy name-brand (ex: laundry detergent, because DH is sensitive to most brands/types, I always buy Tide liquid; it doesn't give anyone in the house rashes and it WORKS. When I had a Costco membership, though, I got the Kirkland free and clear type and it was great, too.), and sometimes I come across grocery coupons I'll actually use (yogurt, for a random recent example), but most of the coupons are nothing I'll use because the product is still more expensive with coupon than a comparable generic. Overall, they tend to take more time than they're worth, for me at least.

[RedPoppy]

I use a lot of generics. Mostly generics. SOMEtimes--not always--I get name-brand items for free or close to it. Only when that is the case do I use the name brand (wih coupons). Otherwise, it's generic at my house.

 

You can't beat free, though! I was a generic-only person until I started seeing free items or close-to-free items with coupons. I got 2 free bottles of shampoo last week. I still mostly use generics. I just keep an eye out for free items or .25 items :)

 

The free items have been in greater quantity than I thought! I always compare the price per ounce; often, the generic is still cheaper.

 

Still, the coupons have been worth it. I got quite a few free items this year. If you live in a place that doubles coupons you get get triple the free items I've had with coupons.

[Ottakee]

But, if I shop at Walgreens when they have a buy 1 get 1 free for the Dove Wash and then I have 2 of the $1.25 off each bottle coupons. I just paid $5 for the 2 bottles plus $2.50 off (2 of the $1.25 coupons) so it is $2.50 for the 2 bottles which means I get the Dove for $1.25 each. Sometimes I can find $2/off per bottle of Dove which then means my cost is 50 cents each for the Dove wash. Walgreens will stack the coupons as well which is nice.

[RedPoppy]

Ravin,

 

I also don't usually buy name-brands. I usually buy generics. I started geting a few name-brands for free with coupons, though, so I started getting a few name-brand items this year.

 

I don't use body wash at all, though I have seen people get name-brand body wash for free throughout this last year on couponing blogs. Since you shop at CVS and Walgreens you probably already get yours for free that way. If not, you may want to check out the coupons for those 2 stores, because most of the freebies I see are from those (and Kroger stores that double coupons).

 

I used to think that coupons weren't worth it for the same reasons you did. But I also kept seeing people coming home with a table full of goceries for $40 and I knew I could try something different.

 

Our income was cut even further this year (we have had our income cut 70%) and coupons for free items were the main chances I had to even go shopping at all. I didn't think it would be worth it. I decided to try. It had to be cheaper to go in my cart; I always compare the price per ounce.

 

 

I just got egg coupons, and that was great! They were good for any brand. Earlier this year I had coupons for free eggs.

 

I do price match at Walmart with one store for produce on occasion (6lbs of onions for .96, for example), though I try to grow as much of my own produce as possible.

[RedPoppy]

Ottakee explained it well :001_smile: