Couponing 101

My family’s food budget is extremely low.  Most people wonder how I manage to make dinner every night with such a small amount.  Well, I’m going to let you in on some of my secrets.  This is the first in a series of posts on how to save money on your food bill.   I have been posting each time Harris Teeter has super double coupons.  This is a crucial element to my success.  If you are lucky enough to have a grocery store that runs super double coupons (doubled up to $2)  then you really need to plan to take advantage of this.

I got everything in this order for $9.  I combined internet coupons with newspaper coupons for this one.  The way that it works is simple.  I only buy the stuff that is on sale and I have a coupon for it.  It’s double dipping and that’s how I get items for free or very low cost.  Warning:  it does get addicting once you start!

This order cost a little more, $28, but it included more high price items like make up and mouthwash.  I still considered it a win.  Here’s an example of how I do it.  The soft pretzels were priced $3.69.  They were also on sale for buy one get one free.  I had a coupon for $1 off two.  That coupon doubled to $2 off and I got two boxes of soft pretzels for $1.69 or 85 cents each!

I didn’t even have a coupon for the canned vegetables.  They were just on sale 10 for $8.  But you have to read the fine print.  You had to buy ten of them and it was only certain varieties.  Plus, they are all different prices so you should use this sale to stock up on the higher priced varieties. My family goes through canned veggies like crazy and I use them in a ton of recipes so this is one that I always use to stock my pantry.

There are various websites that do the work for you when it comes to couponing.  Some of them focus on drugstores while others do a mix of both drugstores and supermarkets.  You have to find which one works for you.  I personally just do the work myself.  I work in a grocery store so it’s easy for me to just shop when my shift is over.

Some good couponing sites are:

*CouponMom.com– She wrote a very informative book too. She knows her stuff.

*$5 Dinners– This woman is awesome!  She also writes a newsletter about making meals on a budget.

*Chicnsavvyreviews.com– My friend, Kelsey has also posts couponing strategies!

*We Use Coupons– This guy was on the show, Extreme Couponing on TLC.  He wrote a book too.

I hope this helps someone who is new to couponing.  Try searching facebook for local couponing groups.  You might find a group that swaps coupons or posts local deals.  You can also search ‘coupon match ups’ on google and see what you come up with.

It’s starting to look funny when I type ‘coupon’ so that’s my cue to end this post.  If I forgot anything or if you have any tips or tricks that you use, please comment and share them with us!

Happy Couponing!

Disclaimer:  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions and/or comments are my own.  No compensation was received.