Couponing

I have had many people ask how I was able to quit my good paying job to be able to stay home with Gatlin. I want to share as much as possible with people, because I remember thinking I would never be able to afford to stay home. I had some great friends that were encouraging me to really evaluate our lifestyle and see where we could trim any extra. One way we have saved $100-$200 a month is with couponing. 

Honestly, the idea of couponing had never crossed my mind until about a year ago. I started hearing more and more of my Facebook friends talking about how they had saved 60% or more on their grocery bills. I had always been of the school of thought that grocery shopping was more or less a free for all. If it sounded good, looked good, and would fit into the cart, you bought it. Then when you ran out of room in the basket you paid and went home. I had never planned a meal, made a list, or clipped a coupon in my entire life. I am still fairly new to couponing, but I seem to be catching on quickly.

As of now here is what I do.

1. I purchase 3 copies of the Sunday paper (well... purchase 2 and steal my parent's copy)
2. I get coupons from family that don't use them. 
3. I clip all coupons that I might possibly use and file them into my notebook. 
4. I go to coupons.com, redplum.com, smartsource.com, and couponnetwork.com. Here I print as many as will let me (usually 2 of each) from both my laptop and desktop. 
5. Then I get the sale ads for Walgreens, Homeland, and Walmart. (You can sign up to receive the Homeland ad in the mail a few days before their new sales start) I match the coupons that I have with what is on sale.  If I don't have time to coupon match myself I go to Moneysavingqueen.com and just go off of their matchups.
6. I only buy what I need! Say it with me now, "I will save money, not hoard!!!" I only allow myself to have a certain amount of "extras" in stock. For instance, I will only have 5 extra deodorants, 4 packages of paper towels, and 3 tubes of toothpaste at any given time. I do not want my house overrun with stuff! 
7. Occasionally, I will purchase coupons from couponsthingsbydede.com if I am running low on a certain item and really need to stock up. Or if it is a sale I cannot resist. 

Routinely I am saving 30-50% on my grocery bill. I know could save more, but I try to limit the amount of processed food that comes into our house, and it is difficult to save on fresh food. That is one of my goals for next Spring: Gardening... eek! 


Any advise or suggestions would gladly be accepted!