how do you save so much?

[gracielou]

i am just looking for some really good tips on how to save so much money. i clip coupons but i still dont understand too much. i had a guy tell me at my work that his wife coupons and she went to the grocery store......her bill was over $200 but after all her coupons she only paid like $20.00. i wanna know how you do that. i go shopping with all my coupons and only save $30 or so. yes that better than none but i wanna save a lot more than that!!!!! can any one inform me????? please!!!!

[saverintraining]

You save the most when you match up the sale items with manufacturer or store coupons. Of course it helps when your store doubles coupons too! It takes a while to get the hang of it and know when to really stock up on sale items but it is worth it in the long run. And yes I agree that saving even just $30 is a good thing...money left in your pocket Have you read Stephanie's e-books?? They explain the couponing process really well.

[justjess]

Like saverintraining said, it's all about matching the coupons with sales. It's also important to plan meals around whats on sale that week. When you find something cheap, stock up on it so you won't have to worry about buying it later.

If you read some of the success stories, you can see how people match coupons with sales. For example, I went to Publix a few weeks ago and they had Velveeta mac and cheese on sale for $1.49. That is a good price in itself as they usually go for about $2.50 around here. But I had 10 coupons for $1 off 1. So I got 10 boxes of mac and cheese for $.50 a piece. Now I won't have to worry about mac and cheese again until the next sale comes around

It takes time and practice. I'm no expert by any means since I've only been doing this for a couple of months. It takes a lot of patience also. Keep an eye on the sales and always keep a calculator handy so you can compare prices and see what is the best deal.

[NHfrugal]

Buying $200.00 and paying $20.00 after Qs is RARE. Trips like that can take months to plan. It takes time to build up a stockpile by watching fliers and matching up as previous posts said. Don't get discouraged because it does get easier.

[Mrs.O]

The basic tips:

1. Try to buy only items that are on sale (especially for things you really need but don't have Qs for).
2. As above, match your coupons with sale items to get the best deal possible.
3. Try to find a store that doubles Qs...that's how a lot of people get those huge savings percentages I know a lot of times these stores are the more expensive shelf price stores, but with the double Qs, you'll find much better deals than elsewhere.
4. Stock up when you do find great deals, that way you won't have to buy those items again until sale time. (Buying more than one paper is key)
5. Don't expect to save 80% everytime...this is rare. 30-40% is a good savings. I personally always try to shoot for 50%. Set goals and move up as you get better

Good luck, and we're always here to help and answer questions!!

[bnkkey]

That is rare.What everyone is saying is right...you match q's with what is on sale and always buy more than just one or two.Thats how you start a stockpile.And after awhile there will be certain things that you wont have to buy.Find a place that double and triples q's.I don't have that here in my area so I only about 40%.

[lucyrevenge]

The right sales/deals matched with the right coupons can easily equal 75% plus savings. I've used this method time and again to get many many free items.

This system better gets as your stockpile gets larger resulting in your price points being lowered. You will then be able to hold out till the next great sale, and effectively use the coupons you have at their highest potential(i.e. Finding out when is the best time to use them.).

[CouponCutter]

I'd also say that it depends on what part of the country you're from. Especially for things which rarely have coupons. For instance, I've noticed the prices of, say, poultry vary widely by region and of course what stores you have near you. Furthermore, I think it depends on what food you're eating and the brand. If you can branch out to different brands of things, then you will do better. If you only eat organic or food that is not processed, then you'll have more difficulty saving 80%.

[angela2678]

Originally Posted by NHfrugal

Buying $200.00 and paying $20.00 after Qs is RARE. Trips like that can take months to plan.

I have to say, I disagree! I often come home from trips where I've saved 90-97%, and I certainly don't spend a lot of time planning those trips. I just take my coupon binder to the store (a store that doubles/triples fairly often) and walk the aisles, matching up to get freebies (the longer you do this, the easier it will be because you'll know your stores' prices and you won't have to see what you can get for free--you'll have it memorized).

To be fair, those savings percentages usually include things we got for free or for pennies but would not have normally bought otherwise...like those Febreze Noticeables this week at CVS. They are free after coupons and ECBs, so I got 8 of them in order to roll my ECBs. I HATE those things (and all air fresheners), but they're nice to donate because other people like them. So when I calculate my savings, I'm including roughly $50 in merchandise that I got for free but that I would not have paid for otherwise. That does skew the numbers higher sometimes.

And it's not every trip that's 90% savings, of course. But even on my weekly trips for milk/produce/meat (things we don't typically have many Qs for), I easily save 40% and often more like 60% just by shopping the sales and taking advantage of store promotions (like getting 10% off the next week if you spend a certain amount the previous week). For example, we buy the fresh fruit that's on a good sale each week. Like if grapes are $0.99/lb, we buy them. The next week, when grapes are back up to $2.49/lb, we skip them and buy whatever else is on sale.

The key to huge percentages is having many, many coupons and a store that doubles (preferably up to $1 or at least $0.99). Buying two papers a week won't do it. When there's a coupon that will make a staple free (like pasta), you have to have a lot of them. A couple months back, there were Barilla pasta Qs. I got something like 30 boxes of spaghetti and 20 boxes of the Piccolini for free! I donated a lot and then put the rest in my stockpile. I haven't bought pasta again since then, and I won't need to for another couple months at least. I did the same with Capri Suns...One of my stores had the 5-pack of Kraft Mac & Cheese on sale for only $3, which is super-cheap for around here. Then each box had a peelie Q for a free box of Capri Suns, so I went ahead and bought 6 5-packs at a fantastic price and got 6 free boxes of Capri Suns. We're going to buy both items anyway, so we might as well buy up when the price is right. Then you're not stuck paying more the next week when you run out.

Don't expect huge percentages right away; it takes time and depends on whether your stores double/triple. The more you do this, the more intuitive it will get. Stick with it! Any amount saved is good, and it will only get better.

[CMUGRAD]

I think it largely depends on where you live and whether or not your stores double coupons.

Where I live, stores don't double coupons, so it is a very rare occurrence for me to have a savings larger than 30%....but hey...30% is 30% and I will take it.

Hang in there....as the saying goes...Rome wasn't built in one day.