Friday's Frugal Find--Things You Should Never Pay For

One of my most skeptical moments this past month, while researching ways to save money on my grocery bill, was when I came across a list of items that you should never pay full-price for.  Money-saving blogger after blogger insisted to me that items such as toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, razors/shaving cream, cereal, batteries, toilet paper/towels, feminine products and more are almost always at almost-free or FREE deals on a monthly basis.  You just have to be patient, faithfully clipping and collecting those coupons, while also scouring the sales ads to catch the "ripe" moment.

I seriously scoffed at this.

But, as you can read in my previous post, I was desperate.  And desperate means willing to try anything.  Even clipping coupons.

So I did.  And then God was so faithful to give me some instant gratification, as a motivator of-sorts, but also as a humbling lesson to not judge any method before actually trying it.

In only the second or third week of clipping coupons, my moment came.  An area store had marked down its Colgate toothpaste to $0.99 per tube--and I had a coupon for $0.50 off!  To make the deal even sweeter, this particular chain doubles all coupons up to $0.50 every day, making it $1.00 off instead.  And for those of you who are too brain-fried on a Friday to do the math, yes, that equals an entire tube of toothpaste for FREE.

I was so ecstatic I "bought" ten of them.

So, okay, maybe those neurotic couponers were right about the toothpaste thing.  But I was still a little skeptical on the other items on the list.

Until Lady Speedstick deodorant went on sale for $1.00...and I found myself with several $1.00 off coupons for that exact brand.  I nearly went into cardiac arrest.  It was only one week after my toothpaste spree and already another freebie?  My new-to-thriftiness system could barely handle it.  It was like overdosing.  No joke.  Not that I really know what that feels like, but I'm guessing the high of getting FREE stuff that we actually use on a daily basis is pretty darn close.

So now I'm a couponer, I guess--a bit apprehensive of the neurotic stigma I could incur but shameless in the results it achieves.  We have had a radical goal of keeping our grocery bill (which includes personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, deodorant, razors, etc.) to just $40 a week.  Such a low-ball number for something as precious as FOOD was difficult for me to stomach...literally.  But God is always faithful to surprise us with methods we once excused as "too extreme" or bizarre.

We not only have met this budget, but, praise God, have come under it.  And couponing is an integral part of our success.  I try to pray and ask God to open my eyes to the best deals that actually apply to our family, to help me be the best "home economist" that I can be through thrifty research, faithful clipping, and yet also knowing when to stop, breathe, and move on to the more important things.

Here are the basic, basic, basic tips I've gleaned from my one-month initiation into the world of couponing. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so I encourage you to research it out for yourself (and www.moneysavingmom.com is a brilliant site to start):

1. Get lots of them!  Coupons, that is.  There's nothing worse than coming across a great deal on something or, better yet, a freebie, and only having one coupon for it.  You want to maximize on good deals when they occur, so you need lots of the same coupon in order to "stock up."  Instead of buying out your neighborhood vendor of its Sunday papers, try asking friends, looking in recycling bins (this has been our huge success method!), or scanning places where people tend to read Sunday papers and then leave them lying around (asking first, of course, if it's ok to take them).  Also, be sure to check a store's coupon policy to see how many of the same coupon can be used in one transaction (most stores limit you to 4-5 identical coupons per transaction, which means you may have to go in a few times to get the full amount you want).
2. Stack, baby, stack!  "Stacking" is a term that refers to using two coupons on the same product.  Most stores allow you to "stack" a manufacturer coupon (sent out by the brand, such as the ones found in the Sunday paper) and a store coupon (sent out by the store, either online or in sales ads) against an item.  Thus, if this item goes on sale, you can add a double-whammy of savings!  Here's a quick example: Walgreens recently had Huggies diapers on sale for $9.49 a pack.  Already a decent price, but not stellar.  However, I had a manufacturer's coupon for $2 off along with a Walgreen's store coupon for $4 off, thus a combined total of $6 off!  This brought the price down to just $3.49 a pack, which was a huge bargain!  If you're confused about the difference between manufacturer's and store's coupons, the coupon always declares itself, usually at the top, by saying "Manufacturer's Coupon" or, if it's a store coupon, the name of the store.
3. Wait for the sale that rocks your world.  Getting a Sunday paper, clipping all the coupons, and then just going out and using them isn't going to save you a red cent.  Remember, these are brand name products, so at regular price, even with a coupon, you're almost always better off buying generic.  However, if you're patient, filing away your coupons dutifully each week, these products will go on major sale.  Then you can whip out your coupons to turn a decent deal into a mega event--one that will send you dancing down the check-out line :-)
4. Discover the Double.  This has been my favorite part of couponing: finding the stores that always double manufacturer's coupons.  Kroger doubles all coupons up to $0.50 every single day.  Kmart does the same up to a dollar!  Crazy, huh?  It's like that puny stick in your gladiator hand (refer to previous post if you're completely lost on that one) instantly morphs into a mace.  Awesome, empowering feeling!
5. Money Saving Mom It.  Seriously.  If you have not discovered MoneySavingMom.Com, then you are missing out on one of the EASIEST ways to save money, through couponing to budgeting, to freezer cooking and time management, income-earning, etc.  But even if you're just interested in couponing, go to www.moneysavingmom.com, sign up for email updates on your favorite stores, and every week, often many times a week, you will get an email telling you exactly where the best deals are and exactly what coupons to use to get them!  It really can't get any easier than that.  So do it.  Like right now.

So there's frugal find #1: coupons.  They are well worth the time and effort, trust me.  I try to see the time I put into clipping, organizing, and surfing through recycling bins as investing in our family so that we save more to give more.

Coupon, anyone?  I'd love to hear your finds and/or tips.  It's nice to meet other strung-out couponers who are still buzzed over that last stick of free deodorant or paying half-price or less for organic goods.  Yes, there are coupons for that, too!  Baited, yet?