Every journey looks different. However, there is a general trend in many couponers’ adventures. Come along as we take a closer look at Angie Erickson’s story.
My Bumpy Start at Couponing
Most of us have been there. Someone we know states an incredible amount of money they have just saved using coupons. We think, “Hey, I could do that, too!” So, we buy the Sunday paper (because that was the first tip we were given) and start clipping. We head to the store, end of story, money saved. Right?
Well, not exactly. We often come home with things we would not normally buy and have spent more money. My reality set in when my husband said, “How did you spend MORE money using coupons?” I answered with a very genuine, “I really don’t know.” The next logical question in this scenario is, now what?
As with most things in life, to be effective at anything there are two main contributing factors for success: training and support. My answer to our “Now what?” question was to sign up for a class in attempt to conquer our new reality. As I was trained by Carrie Rocha, I was an eager sponge ready to absorb the knowledge and her fool-proof tips for saving money.
What I learned was that although I was grasping the principles Carrie taught, I still had my own story to write. Carrie’s story could not be my story. Each one of us has different dynamics in our own households which we must navigate through to be successful on our own money saving journey. That was the part that took the most work for our family.
Develop a Support Network
Support was, and still is, one of the most instrumental pieces to my money-saving journey. Early on I realized that to navigate through the bumps along this road, I would need help. Help came in a few ways for me. The Pocket Your Dollars website provided me with lists that helped teach me as I used them, comment sections on the lists to help clarify gray areas, and an Open Mic thread on Thursdays to ask general questions as needed. In this day and age, we are able to visit the website on our time, leave questions, check back when we desire and walk away with an answer. What a community!
I also find support in my couponing friends. Finding a group of friends who are also on their own money-saving journeys provides support that will help you continue on your path even during the tough times.
Join A Money-Saving Journey next time as Angie shares how to “Get Honest with Yourself”!
Angie is a Pocket Your Dollars team member who teaches Pocket Your Dollars grocery-saving classes to mom’s groups, Community Ed programs and other civic organizations in Carrie’s stead. Angie also compiles the bi-weekly Co+Op Deals shopping lists and helps update the shopping lists with additions and changes noted by readers. When she’s not doing those things, she is a stay-at-home mom to two little ones. If you are interested in having Carrie or Angie speak to your group, please contact us.
Your turn: What are your thoughts as you look back on your first experience with couponing?
About Carrie Rocha
The first couple months I decided to become an extreme couponer seemed uneventful. I ordered the Sunday paper, bought a small coupon file folder, decided how I wanted to organize my files and just started looking at the ads from every store. I would note as I walked through the stores how much things costs, amazed at how little I knew about the price of things. Been buying from the grocery stores all my life and never knew what I was paying.
This was all before I found pocketyourdollars.com. My first self found deal was in the toothpaste isle. I was able to purchase four tubes of toothpaste and three toothbrushes for .33 cents! My 13 year old is not excited to cut, find or organize the coupons, however she was excited to make the deal. I was so excited I think I told everyone I knew and my facebook friends. I went home and realized I could get an even better deal at another store. I purchased several more papers with the intention of getting that toothpaste for free and I did! This time I purchased six tubes of toothpaste, three toothbrushes and a bottle of laundry detergent and received over $2.00 back from the store. I have now since reduced my grocery bill well over 50% for the month and by using pocketyourdollars.com I’m finding so many deals I never would have been able to find on my own and have a small stock pile of completely free items!!!
Wendy,
Way to go! It is SO exciting to get free items and get your grocery spending under control! Also, I think it's great that you are teaching your 13 year old how to do this, even if she isn't always excited about the work side of it (I'm not always excited about that part either, but the work DOES pay off, as you know). It's a life lesson that she can take with her the rest of her life. Thanks so much for sharing your story! :)
Couponing is such a way of life in my house that my kids will always ask if I have a coupon for an item they need. We walk through Target and I can even tell my 4 year old "No" to a toy because I don't have a coupon for it and she says "Ok"…not much comes into our house at full price!
A way of life in our household too. My daughter moved to off campus housing for college this year and asked if I would mail her coupons I thought she could use. :)
I got started as an experiment to see if I could really save money. I really went overboard the first month with all the HBC items! A few months later I have balanced that part of it very nicely, still stock up when the deals are amazing, though. I'm having the most trouble with the grocery side of it. I can get 50% savings on nothing but food, but not much more than that. That's my next big hurdle. It's really, really nice to be able to pack up goodie bags for my parents and my father in law!
Sarah,
I like to use "It's not on the list" as a way to deter straying purchases with my kids. Then it's the list's fault, not mine. It's working for me so far! :) In my opinion, it is great for kids to learn discipline even when shopping (not to say you can NEVER buy anything on a whim, but as a general rule). Thanks for sharing!
Lori,
What a great thing for her to learn in college, how to be able to save money when SHE shops, yet you are still helping when she needs it! Very cool! :) Thanks for chiming in! :)
Julie,
Yes, HBC items seem to be the easiest to snag for free. My theory is to get as many things free or cheap so that you don't feel bad if you want to purchase something that doesn't have a coupon or go on sale very often, or ever! When looking at the food side of things, it helps to find your "Everyday Go-To". Where would you go if you were out of milk, butter, etc and didn't have a coupon or time to figure out a "deal" on them? What store's shelf price would be the "best" for the items you buy. Groceries do run out when we aren't looking…that is part of reality. In those scenarios, I would suggest Aldi to start. Check out the Aldi weekly list as Carrie and Laura have complied and attached an extensive list of the shelf prices for many items. On the organic side of things, I would suggest looking at Trader Joe's. I've found some great deals there! It IS a journey with many different seasons and there is a lot to learn along the way. However, it sounds like you are off to a GREAT start! Keep up the good work! Thanks for sharing about your journey!
My first experience was watching my sister attempt to start couponing after watching the tv show. It ended abruptly when she realized that cdn retailers dont allow that type of coupon collecting behaviour.
Here is my dilemma, I live on a houseboat….I DO NOT have room to stockpile items, so buying 6 tubes of toothpaste will not work for me! I need advice on how to cut my grocery/household goods bill without having to go overboard (excuse the pun) on quantities.
Any ideas anyone?