Ongoing Observations on the Coupon Trail

For all intents and purposes, it's been about a month since I decided to be a Coupon Shark in 2011. During that time, I've done some reading & research, tried my hand at the Grocery Game, and kept you updated on my overall progress. I'm a numbers nerd, so I've provided concrete dollar amounts or percentages when I can, since that's what I look for when I'm reading a blog or article for information. Today, however, I thought I'd offer some more generalized observations I've made since starting this little experiment.

One of the first things I've noticed is that couponing is much less work that I thought it would be, or than I made it in the past. Maybe I didn't do enough homework in the past, or maybe retailers and consumers have simplified the system over the years, or maybe the savings are simply worth more to me these days, but I remember it being a lot harder than it is. Or maybe I'm just welcoming the distraction from 2 straight weeks of rain with a sick preschooler! In any case, I thought it would be more time and effort than it is. I have 2 copies of my local newspaper delivered, so the coupons come to me. I've chosen to continue my subscription to The Grocery Game.com site for now, since it's the easiest for me to use (more on that another time!).  Although the grocery store and drugstore specials come out on different days of the week, the Sunday coupons only come out once, so I limit my planning and shopping to one day a week, Sunday or Monday. I hit the drug store first, because it has a fee-free ATM where I can get cash for my envelopes (a' la Dave Ramsey). Even if it's a bi-week and I don't need the ATM, the stuff I buy at the drugstore is never perishable anyway. After the drugstore, I head off to the grocery store. If I hustle, I can get all my shopping done before the game starts on Sunday afternoon. If I have the kids, well, that takes longer, but I try to think of it as a hands-on math lesson. The rest of the week, I don't worry about shopping at all.

I've also noticed that at first, I ate more because there was more food around. Don't laugh! I read about it and laughed myself, but then I realized I did it, too! I think it's called an Abundance Mentality, during which you consume more (of both food and non-food products) simply because they're there. I've since learned to choose my pantry items carefully, put them away promptly, and keep everything I'm not using out of sight (and out of mind). Meal planning helps, as does keeping my personal drugstore (a.k.a. household stockpile) in a harder-to-reach closet. After all, how often do you need to grab a new tube of toothpaste?

Finally, my vision has changed. Sadly, my eyesight is still somewhat lame (20/30 at best), but I now have savings-vision. People who knew me as a teenager will never believe it, but when I became a mom, I got germ-vision, and ever since, I've kept a far cleaner home. Well, it's the same with savings-vision. I cringe at full-price anything, and see discounts and coupons everywhere. For example, in our house, we love Mr. Bubble bubble bath, but it's hard to find and never on sale. But last time I found it, I noticed a cardboard tag on the next bottle back. My savings-vision had seen a rebate coupon on a bottom-shelf, behind the product I was buying. When you consider that I don't bend over well these days, and I had both kids with me, that's pretty good coupon-radar! The rebate was good for a free bottle of Mr. Bubble, so for some bending and a stamp, I saved 50% on a product my family loves and is rarely on sale. That was great, but I've also considered buying by the case, perhaps, or getting it at 30% savings with the AmazonMom Subscribe & Save programs. In any case, I won't pay full price for it.

For the next few weeks, I'll be working on honing my savings skills and filling my freezer for when my next kiddo arrives. I'll be trying to stock up on some specific items, which is harder than simply working the sales, so that I don't have to run out for toilet paper or frozen pizza any time soon. If I do, though, you know I'll bring a coupon!

Grocery Game Score Jan 2011

Oops. I fell off the wagon. The last week of January my 6-week chest cold (the "plague") finally wore me down, and I just didn't have the energy left to play the game well. I made two separate trips to the store with no coupons and both kids, which as any mom knows is a losing strategy! On each of those trips, I managed to save a mere 8% & 9% respectively by buying products on sale. Not great, but better than a full-on shopaholic retail therapy splurge.

I may have stumbled a bit at the end of the month, but I still got 2011 off to a strong start. My average savings on groceries and household goods for the month was 29%, nearly a third off of retail costs. For some veteran couponers, that's not much, but that's 29% more than I was saving last month! Not only did I manage to squirrel away $96 for a rainy day, but there's healthy food in my pantry & freezer, and my stockpile of toiletries is really starting to grow. For the first time ever, I'm "long" on deodorant, body wash, toothpaste and tissues, all in everyone's favorite brands and all purchased well below retail cost. I even had enough in the budget to splurge on treats for the dog, and at "2 for 1 + 1 free" prices, why not?

Now, there are 2 schools of thought on couponing: stockpilers and sharers. Stockpilers use their coupon savvy to build a large inventory of favorites for their families, and sharers use their talents to get as much stuff as possible to share with others. I've just assigned those titles off the top of my head, and both are worthy uses of practiced skills! Most people seem to start as stockpilers, then become so good at saving that they have the goods and money to give to others - clearly a win-win for everyone.

Perhaps I should have identified the beginner phase - the savers, because that's where I am now, just trying to save a few bucks. I'm just trying to stretch my dollars a bit and take care of my growing family with less cash. I think that's probably where (and why) most people start using coupons or savvy shopping techniques in the first place. Gradually, as we get better at the Game, we begin to stockpile certain items, and then someday, we have an abundance to share. Well, I'm still trying to save money and learn the game, but I'd like to build up a stockpile for next month when I'm out of commission with a newborn, and of course, I'd like to help others, too. But one step at a time. First, I'm learning the game and saving money. The stockpile will come with time and practice, and I'm sure my cup with runneth over before I know it. My point is that it's hard to work through the learning curve, but it's a natural progression. You can't build a stockpile in a day, and you can't give to others until you have something to share. You're not being selfish or greedy while you're learning the Game, you're learning how to provide even more for your family and community.

So that's where I am, after my first month of playing the Grocery Game- a saver working on her first stockpile, saving about a third off her usual household & grocery bills.I hope your year is off to a good start too, and I'm looking forward to sharing more - with you!