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Couponing 201: Strategy and Cost Standards

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Here is lesson two in my couponing series!  You can find the first one, Couponing 101, here.  Today we’ll go more in-depth about couponing strategy.  

I’ve found that it’s best to purchase two newspapers each week.  Be sure to check to see if the coupon inserts are inside before buying your papers!  There are people that steal coupon inserts or sometimes a paper gets missed in the stuffing process, but you don’t want to get home and discover that they’re missing.  You can also find great coupons online via Answers.com coupons.*

I tend to cut out every coupon, with the exception of products that I will never find use for (i.e. pet food, because I don’t have pets).  Once in a while, there may be an item on sale that you can turn into a moneymaker when you coupon.  Matching your coupons from multiple inserts together will save time when it comes to shopping preparations.  Next, I sort the coupons into categories and put them into envelopes for each category.  For example, a few of my envelopes are: Baby, Makeup/Lotion, and Toothpaste/Toothbrushes/Mouthwash.

Each Saturday, I visit The Krazy Coupon Lady to view each store’s upcoming sales that will go into effect on Sunday.  I have a couponing notebook, in which I write down exactly what I’m going to purchase, how much it is on sale for, the coupons I will use and the final price.  I pull the coupons I need from my envelopes, then put them in separate envelopes corresponding with each store where I will shop.  I like to shop on Sunday or Monday to ensure that the items I want are in stock.
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Now…let’s talk dollars and cents. ;)

I’ve learned a lot in my past four months of couponing.  I’ve made a lot of mistakes, too!  After watching sales cycles for this long, I know what price point items need to reach before I decide to stock up.  If you need certain items, you may not be able to wait for these price points; but once you have a small stockpile then you can be picky.  I have about 4 tubes of toothpaste, and several deodorants and hair products on hand.  That’s about as large as my “stockpile” will get.

Shampoo/Conditioner/Styling Products: $1 or less
My favorite brands are Dove and Aussie.  I also use Pantene’s line of products for curly hair.  The most I’ve paid for Dove and Pantene is 65 cents per product, and you can routinely find Aussie for $1 at CVS or Walgreens.  There are many other brands that go on sale – I just haven’t purchased others yet, so I can’t recall the pricing of them!  If you’re looking for a medicated shampoo, you’ll occasionally be able to find Head and Shoulders for $1.99.

Deodorant: 75 cents or less 
In the past few months, we’ve stocked up on Old Spice, Irish Spring and Dove Men+Care for Hubster.  I admit that I paid $1.50 when I started, but now I know better!  Hubster has enough on hand right now that I can be picky and wait until it’s 75 cents or less.  For me, I’ve held out for sales on Dove deodorant.  I’ve seen many sales for Secret and Arrid, though.

Toothpaste: 50 cents or less
I used to purchase the cheap 74-cent toothpaste at Walmart, but now I realize that I can get Crest or Colgate for even cheaper.  Match coupons with sales and store offers (Target gift cards, ExtraBucks at CVS or Register Rewards at Walgreens) and you can get name-brand toothpaste for less than 50 cents – and sometimes FREE!  When a new toothpaste comes on the market, it’s basically a guarantee that you can find it for free somewhere.

Mouthwash: $1.50 or less
Hubster is currently using pink Barbie Listerine Smart Rinse for kids because I got it for free!  He may not want to show off his Barbie mouthwash, but it was free and it does the job.  :)  Listerine Zero is a relatively new product, so you can expect to find some great deals on it right now.  The best deals are typically on the 500 mL bottles, but once in a while you can get a large bottle for very cheap (especially in a different brand, such as Crest).

Toilet Paper: varies by brand
The best toilet paper deals are on Cottonelle.  One week, I scored Cottonelle for about 12 cents/roll at Walgreens; but we hated it.  I’ve decided to only purchase Scott Extra Soft.  I wait until I can match a coupon with a store sale.  Sometimes you’re just willing to pay more for certain items!

Feminine Products: $4.50 or less
Even with couponing, tampons and pads are still rather expensive.  However, you can get some awesome deals at drug stores.  I’ve been able to get an 8-pack of Walgreens brand tampons for free, as well as a 20-pk of Carefree liners at CVS.  Keep in mind that these are with Register Rewards and ExtraBucks offers.  You can also get good deals on name-brand products when you combine coupons with store sales and offers.  Target often offers a gift card deal when you purchase a certain dollar amount in Playtex products.  Walgreens and CVS also offer store rewards that you can combine with coupons and sales for a deep discount.

Dish Soap: 74 cents or less for a small bottle
Since I started couponing, I only purchase my dish soap at CVS.  They regularly put name-brand dish soap on sale for 99 cents and there are often 25-50 cent coupons in the newspaper inserts.  I have enough in my stockpile now that I will only purchase it when I have a 50 cent coupon to combine with the store sale.

Diapers: 16 cents/diaper or less
Target is hands-down the best place to find deals on diapers.  I *love* Target.  Target often runs a sale where you can get a $5 or $10 gift card for purchasing two or three packs of diapers (the $10 gift card is offered when the huge boxes are on sale).  Sometimes they also have store coupons for diaper purchases.  That means that you can combine a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon AND the sale – resulting in a huge savings.  The best deal that I ever got was 8 cents/diaper on Luvs at Target; but other than that one occasion, I typically purchase Pampers or Huggies.  I’ve found that couponing makes diapers cheaper than what I could get through shopping clubs or programs like Amazon Mom.

Baby Wipes: 0.0069 cents/wipe
My cost standard for wipes are the Up&Up brand from Target.  The refills come in 240-count bags and cost $4.99 for a 3-pack.  It is extremely rare to find a deal on name-brand wipes for less than that.  My best wipes deal was using a coupon for $1 off a $3 or higher Up&Up item (found on Target.com).  The 9-pack of wipes was on sale and I got that for $11-something after the coupon.  AMAZING DEAL!

If you would like to hear cost standards for any items that I didn’t mention, please leave your request in the comments!  I’ll be happy to help!

*Diclosure: I have been compensated by Answers.com coupons to include their link in this post.  The opinions and information in this post are entirely my own.

Top 10 Worst Baby Registry Items? I Don’t Think So.

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Have you ever seen one of those Top 10 lists of the most useless baby items?  If you haven’t, here’s one from Babble.  I’ve seen several of these lists in the past few months and a few of my favorite products routinely make the list.  I have to respectfully disagree with the following:

The Diaper Genie
Okay, I get it.  If you live in a house or a large space, the diaper genie isn’t necessary.  A covered garbage can could probably do the trick.  However, for the population that lives in 700 sq. ft. or less, the diaper genie is a beautiful invention.  Glorious, in fact.  It successfully keeps C’s raunchiest-smelling poop hidden from our nasal passages until we have time to take out the trash.  There is NO way that a garbage can could keep that smell from the rest of our apartment.  Believe me – we’ve tested that theory.

The Wipe Warmer
If you subscribe to the idea that a baby needs to get used to the harsh reality of life (not everything is a warm, plush delight), then the wipe warmer is frivolous.  On the other hand, this makes diaper changes so much easier.  Of course a kid is going to squirm and fight you when you shock his tuckus with a cold, damp wipe.  But (heh, but!), when you use a warm wipe on his derriere, it’s a more pleasant experience.  Again – I’ve tested this.  C is not a fan of the cold wipes in our diaper bag.

The Child Leash
C is far from needing this invention, but I’ve known several toddlers who have required this doodad.  It’s interesting that those toddlers have all been boys…  When you have a super active, fast, rebellious toddler who only takes a couple of seconds to run away from you, then I think this is a fabulous thing to have.  The kids that I know have also loved their monkey, doggy, or whatever animal their backpack leash has been fashioned after.  I’d rather put a leash on my kid and have people think I’m nuts than to have my kid run away from me in the mall.

There, folks.  I’ve said my peace.  You are welcome to disagree. ;)

Are there any baby products that you can’t live without?

Help! My Kid Hates Tummy Time

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C has always hated tummy time.  Even though he’s going to be six months old this week, he still cries about 75% of the time we put him on his belly.  Our latest gimmick is turning the tv on so that he can look at it when he lifts himself up far enough.  Not something I’m proud of (I’m a strong believer in the recent studies recommending no screen time before age 2), but I just can’t figure out a way to get him to like it.

I’m not sure if babies are capable of deductive reasoning, but I’m convinced that C won’t roll from back to belly because he hates being on his stomach so much.  We know he’s strong enough to do it.

Do you have any gimmicks for your tummy time haters?  Did your child grow out of hating tummy time?

Couponing 101

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By popular demand, I bring to you some basic couponing tips!  A coworker of Hubster’s taught me how to coupon nearly five months ago and it has become a hobby of mine.  The following are tips that she taught me as well as things that I have learned since I started couponing.  Happy savings!

  • The most common coupon inserts are SmartSource and Red Plum.  These come out weekly.  P&G has coupon inserts every once in a while and they are packed full of savings. 
  • Not every newspaper offers both inserts.  It’s okay to check for the inserts before you buy; however, taking inserts is considered stealing. 
  • Depending how committed you are to couponing, you may choose to purchase more than one paper each week.  You’ll end up getting better deals when you buy more than one item.  I purchase two papers and have only missed out on maybe two or three big deals in the past five months by not having more than two coupons for an item.
  • Clip every coupon.  You may not think you will use that brand or item, but it may end up being a moneymaker one week.  You can always give that item to someone else!  (There are exceptions. For example, I don’t clip coupons for pet food, because we don’t have pets.)
  • If you’re committed to getting things for free or dirt cheap, you need to be open to trying different brands.
  • That being said, it is possible to get decent deals on brands you are loyal to, but the deals might only come along every few months.
  • Forget about monthly shopping trips.  When you coupon, you shop weekly and probably at a few different stores.
  • Manufacturers love consumers who clip out a coupon and run to the store right away to purchase that item.  Instead of saving only 25 cents, hold onto your coupons to match them with store sales.  You’ll get deep savings this way!
  • Clearing a store shelf is not good couponing etiquette.  This is a common complaint among the couponing community because it makes couponers look bad!
  • Most couponers are NOT like the ones on TV.  You don’t need to build shelving in your home to store 8,000 boxes of cereal, and you won’t save 99% all the time.  But you can easily save 50% or more.
  • Your grocery bill probably will not change much, unless you coupon for cereals or snacks.  You don’t really find coupons for produce or meat.
  • The best times of the day to coupon are when it’s not too busy – early in the morning or at night.  You’ll avoid hurried cashiers and customers.
  • Name brand items are often significantly cheaper than store brands when you coupon.

Here are some specific things I’ve found out through experience.  Thought I’d save you some time and money as you learn to bargain-hunt!

  • If you’re paying more than 75 cents for toothpaste, you’re paying too much!
  • You can easily get toothbrushes for free.  I have about 4 in our cabinet right now that I got for free.
  • I’m often able to stock up on feminine products for super cheap.  If you get into shopping at Walgreens or CVS, you will be able to get free items at least once per month.
  • I never pay more than $1 for shampoo, conditioner or deodorant. (Exceptions: medicated shampoos like Head & Shoulders)
  • I never pay more than 15 cents/diaper.  The best diaper deals can be found at Target.  You can pair manufacturer coupons and Target coupons with a diaper sale and save BIG.  I end up buying 2-3 jumbo bags or boxes at a time.  My best deal was 8 cents/diaper at Target!

The Krazy Coupon Lady is the site that I use to find the best deals.  You are able to use their site to search weekly deals at your favorite store.  I subscribe to the site in my Google Reader and am able to quickly scan all new posts for things that I can use.  Couponing has helped me to save a significant amount of money and contribute to our budget.  It’s the equivalent of a part-time job and, as a SAHM, I love being able to contribute in that way.

Be sure to check out Couponing 201 for further couponing tips!

25 Before 25

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Before I found out that we were expecting C, I created my first “25 Before 25″ list.  It involved a lot of traveling (one of our favorite things to do!), paying off our student loan debt and other things that just aren’t as feasible now that we have an infant.  I still love the idea of coming up with 25 new things that I’d like to experience and accomplish, so I decided to revise my list.  I only have about eight months to complete this new list, so they’re very short-term goals!  I’ll be posting updates as I accomplish them.

Have you ever created a “bucket list” or something like it?

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25 Before 25

1. Read a John Grisham novel that I haven’t read before. Completed 3/5/12
2. Set aside 10 minutes each day for God.
3. Blog daily for one month. Completed 1/30/12
4. Take a picture every day for 30 days.
5. Decorate for Christmas.  Completed 11/27/11
6. Watch The Godfather Trilogy with Hubster. Completed 5/21/12
7. Open an IRA. Completed 6/28/12
8. Go on one date per month with Hubster.
9. Take a baby sign language class with C. (Tried in January. Failed. Adjusting to meds for PPD was rough.)
10. Take C to the zoo. Completed 5/16/12
11. Try geocaching.
12. “Unplug” for a weekend. Completed 12/14-12/16
13. Volunteer.
14. Create a monthly payment strategy to pay off our student loan debt. Completed 4/15
15. Gather my expired coupons and send to military personnel via The Krazy Coupon Lady.
16. Create a digital scrapbook of C’s first year.
17. Find a delicious homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. Completed 6/26/12
18. Cook a Thanksgiving meal and invite any friends over that don’t have plans for the holiday. (Hubster had worked a lot that month. Decided to have a quiet family holiday instead.)
19. Bake C’s first birthday cake. Completed 4/29/12
20. Complete Phase 1 of the The South Beach Diet with Hubster. (Lasted for a week, but without carbs I didn’t have enough energy to keep up with C.)
21. Go vegetarian for 1 week.
22. Work out at least 3 times per week.
23. Complete Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred. (Did P90X instead!  Way more difficult!)
24. Complete a 5k. Completed 10/21/11
25. Complete a second 5k and get a better time than the first. (Didn’t fit in another race before my June birthday, but am planning to run one in November!)

5 Things You’ll Love About Pregnancy

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1. It’s acceptable to wear stretchy pants on a daily basis.  Who doesn’t love the enveloping comfort of an elastic waistband?

2. You’ll be showered with gifts.  If you’ve been married, you might recall the joy of a gift registry.  You get to do that all over again – except this time you get to pick out all kinds of cute little clothes and accessories.

3. People will compliment you.  Yeah, of course there’s always the nay-sayers who say things like, “WOW, you’re huge!”  But for every one of those, there is at least one person to tell you that you’re glowing.

4. You’ll get preferential treatment.  Need to sit in a busy place?  Someone will look at your belly and then make room for you to sit down.  Going somewhere?  Someone might open that big, heavy door for you.  Granted, I remember being outraged that no one made room for me to sit while we were waiting at a restaurant once.  But I was also feeling exceptionally large, tired and angry at the world in that moment.

5. Your husband/fiance/boyfriend/significant other/random person on the street will do things for you.  Like bring you food.  Or paint your toenails.  Okay, so random person on the street may not submit to the latter…but you get the idea.

5 Things You’ll Never Miss About Pregnancy

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1. The incessant need to pee.  Seriously, there were some days that I could have camped out in my bathroom.  But our bed didn’t fit.

2. Not being able to see your feet.  I don’t normally look down when I walk, but the ability to see your feet is sometimes very helpful in preventing stubbed toes…or when scaling a flight of stairs.

3. The inability to tie your shoes.  I gave up on normal-person shoes and wore slip-ons for my entire 3rd trimester.  It’s like trying to bend over a ginormous bowling ball that kicks.  Screw that.

4. The pregnant woman shuffle.  By the late 3rd trimester, your normal walk morphs into that of a penguin.  Sexy.

5. Feeling like a washed-up whale.  When you’re ready to deliver any day, you can barely move, and the world no longer creates a shirt large enough to cover your belly…well, that’s a feeling you simply won’t miss.

On tap for tomorrow: 5 things to love about pregnancy.

Myth: Being a Stay-At-Home-Mom is Easy

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Over the past week, someone said to me that they’d love to be able to “just” stay at home with their kids.  (They emphasized the “just.”  This person did not have children.)  Inwardly, I was outraged that this person thought that life at home with children was so easy.  Outwardly, all I could do was smile politely at their ignorance.

Whether you’ve stayed at home with your child during your maternity leave, you’re a work-at-home-mom, or you’re a full-time stay-at-home-mom (hereby referred to as SAHM), you know that the last word you’d use to describe your job is “easy.”  In fact, this is easily the most difficult job I have ever had.

Since I’m not going to be a rude, exhausted mother of a fussy newborn and go off on an ignorant bystander, I will provide an outline of my inner tirade that is set off with those types of comments:

  • There are no breaks in mothering.  No 15-minute morning break.  No lunch break.  No taking a vacation day.  Sick?  Too bad!
  • Have a problem with a coworker?  At least you can walk away from the problem.  Try walking away from your fussy offspring.  Not an option.
  • Hate getting up early for work?  Try waking up every couple of hours for night feedings.
  • Try spending an entire day without seeing an adult.  You will find yourself starved for adult conversation, in any form; yet, almost worthless in conversation due to exhaustion.  (Next time you see a tired, disheveled looking woman in the store looking at you eagerly, she’s probably a new mother.)
  • Work 9-5, 2-10, or even 6-6?  Hey, at least you can bug off after you get your hours in.  My job is 24/7 baby.
  • Can’t function in the morning without your coffee?  Most days, I don’t even have time to make any.
  • Some days, I would eagerly trade my SAHM duties for some good ol’ workplace stress (not that I don’t love my baby, don’t get me wrong).

And the other thing that really makes me mad on a tough day is the person who complains about how little sleep they’re getting.  Dude, I get that you’re busy with work/school/whatever, but don’t complain to me about being tired.  You have the option to sleep in on a Saturday or take an afternoon nap if you can work it out with your schedule.  I’m at a child’s beck and call 24 hours each day, and I can guarantee that I’m getting less sleep than you and you’re not hearing me complain to you about it.

Truth: Being a SAHM or WAHM is not easy.  And don’t tell me it is because if I’m having an exceptionally bad day, I might drop-kick you.