Help - York,PA

Updated on September 27, 2008
C.K. asks from York, PA
4 answers

Ok, so I am trying to work on saving money and using coupons etc. I have never watched what I spent or tried. I don't make much money either but now with a family I am trying to work on this. The only problem is that I feel so overwhelmed with all the coupons, sale flyers and trying to figure out where the cheapest place is that I sometimes fell like I am gong to have a panic attack. Does anyone know how I should get myself more organized with coupons etc.? Some of my friends are so good at this and they try to explain how they do it but I just can't seem to get this going!!!
Thanks for any help you can give me!

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R.M.

answers from York on

I used to drive myself crazy trying to catch what's on sale. Now my plan is this: I do the majority of my shopping once a month and freeze alot of stuff. First I go to D&K Surplus Grocery in Red Lion. Some of their stuff is past the expiration date so you have to be careful. But alot of it is fine and way cheaper. Next I go to Walmart for my big shopping. Then I go to Sam's Club mainly for meats cause they're cheaper in bulk. Then I run to either Giant or Walmart for produce & milk & whatever else doesn't keep for a whole month. It's kind of a pain going to 3 places but at least it's only once a month. I do clip coupons from the paper usually every week, but just for stuff I know I'll buy (which is very few). Sometimes there's a coupon for something I've thought about trying but I usually forget to get it at the store anyway. I'm such a creature of habit and I definitely need a list if I want to buy something out of the ordinary. But I don't sweat it if I miss out on $.60 savings. There'll be more months and more coupons.

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C.S.

answers from Lancaster on

Hi C.!

I remember being really overwhelmed, too. I like what the other posters are saying about finding out which stores have you everyday needed items for the cheapest in your vicinity. But I even went further--I made a list of what I use for food, cleaning supplies, household items in any week. Then, I found out who had the cheapest price and recorded it. But I kept the list with me, so if I was out in another store and saw it on sale, I could pull out the list and see if it was cheaper than where I usually buy it. For instance, I found a place in town that sells cold cereal for about $1.85/lb. So, if I happened to be at another grocery store and saw the cereal we eat on sale, I figured out that their sale price might be $1.95/lb. So, it really didn't save me to buy their cereal. It sounds like a lot at first, but after years of doing it, I just have a mental list in my head for lots of stuff. My husband has learned to simply ask me when we're out.

Also, I always shop by unit price, because some companies sneak their size vs. quantity. Cereal is a great example of this. They'll have a box of raisin bran that's the same size as their competitors, but they have 3 oz. less than the other box. I just make sure I look at the tag on the shelf that says "unit price", and I see that the box with the more raisin bran is cheaper, even though it looks the same.

As for coupons, I have 2 things:

1) I never clipped coupons for stuff I didn't use. For instance, I rarely use tuna. So, if there was a chicken-of-the-sea coupon for tuna, I skipped it. On the rare time I needed tuna, I just bought the store brand. I have found that for items like this, the store brand is usually the cheapest anyway.
2) I made up 12 letter envelopes and put each month on them. Then, I filed the coupons by their expiration date. I kept them in the car and pulled out that month's envelope when I went into any store. I also keep a calculator in my purse. I just walked around and did the unit price for the store brand vs. the unit price on the sale price with the coupon. Sometimes the brand name is cheaper, sometimes it's not. I picked up those items and stored them in my basement for when I needed them.

If you are really interested, you can write on the envelope what you saved that month using the coupons. It eventually got to the point that I realized that I might save $20 per month, but I was spending 2 hours every Sunday clipping. That meant I was working 8 hours per month. I was earning $2.50 an hour doing that for our family. When $20 was worth a lot of money to us, I didn't care how much time it took me. Years later, when my husband's income went up enough that it wasn't so tight, I realized my time was worth more than $2.50/hr, and that I could do other things with that 2 hours that were also really important to get done. For instance, if I knew I was going to have to stay up later than my bedtime in order to get the bathroom clean that day, I used the time I saved clipping coupons to buy myself time to get the bathroom cleaned and other things done. Time is money, too!

I hope I didn't overwhelm you too much! I just remember how my head started spinning when I started clipping coupons as well and wanted to give what I learned over the years.

Blessings!

C.

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S.H.

answers from York on

I've been a stay at home mom for a little over a year & I have 2 girls. I've gotten really good at finding ways to saving money. Keep it simple w/the amount of stores that you shop at. You'll save time & gas by just sticking w/a few stores for certain items. For crafts, I go to A C Moore & use their 40% off coupon from the paper. For groceries, I go to Wal-mart. I compared them to Giant's prices & Wal-mart was cheaper. Kohl's is a great place too. If you have a charge card through them, they send you coupons for 15-30%. You can really save by combining the coupon w/stuff on sale. Another good idea is to shop at consignment stores. I've found really nice clothes w/the tage still on them really cheap. Kids Klothes on South Queen St is great! Coupons are avalible in the Sunday paper & online. The best website to check out is coupons.com You can print them from your computer, it's free & there's no need to sign up for anything. For clothes for my girls, I buy a year ahead. I shop at the end of the season on the clearence racks for the next year. You can get name brand clothes cheaper than if they were just on sale. I've got lots of other ideas is you're intrested. Happy savings!

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L.C.

answers from Harrisburg on

I am bad at this too. Try to just focus on the coupons for items you use. One of the things I do for coupons for local stores or places - bath & body,restaurants, bed,bath & beyond, etc. I have a 81/2x11 vinyl folder type thing that I just keep on the side of my door in my car. That way they are there when I need them if I decide to use them. Also, I have one container (from the dollar store) It's a plastic container with handles. I throw all coupons in here till I have time to deal with them - that way they are not all over the house. I clip when I am watching TV or anywhere you have to sit and wait. I don't always get to them, but don't beat myself up about it if I don't use them. Also - for high $ off coupons, you may want to just consider keeping in your purse. Hope this was helpful.

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