Clues from a Coupon Clipping Queen (Cont.)

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Another way to save with coupons is by using them when items are already on sale. Let’s say your favorite brand of gourmet ice cream normally costs $5.65 a half-gallon. The store has a sale of 2/$5. You happen to have two $1 off coupons for ice cream, bringing the cost down to only $1.50 each!

An easy and efficient way to shop is to check the ads before you go. That way you can check your coupons and estimate how much you’ll be spending. You spend less time and money if you have already planned your trip, rather than selecting as you go.

Maximize your savings by stocking up when things are on sale or if you have duplicate coupons. Always make sure you will use something before you go overboard. I once purchased about 50 boxes of macaroni and cheese dinner boxes, only to discover that my family disliked the taste. I still used the noodles for other dishes, but it was a lesson for me to only stock up on proven products.

Maybe you already clip coupons and aren’t seeing significant savings. Get aggressive with your shopping strategies! I often refrain from buying something more expensive unless I have a coupon. I am able to do this by having enough on hand to tide me over until the desired item goes on sale or I come across a coupon. It is all too easy to overspend when you are completely out of something and you have to make Sara’s school treats or host an afternoon tea.

That leads to my next point - planning ahead. Our family keeps an ongoing list on our refrigerator and it works wonderfully. Erica, age 10 and Alex, age 7 add things to the list that we are almost out of or that they would like. I appreciate the input because then I can buy things they like and will eat, eliminating wasted food.

If you plan your meals a week or even a couple of days in advance, you will be aware of what you have already and what you’ll need to buy. If your family has favorite dishes, keep some staples well stocked. We eat a lot of spaghetti, tacos and pasta dishes, so I keep noodles, tomato sauce, spices, taco shells [hard and soft] and cream soups on hand for nutritious and quick meals.

Coupons can get you an “upgrade.” My children enjoy the occasional box of “kids’ cereal” but the prices are outrageous. I use coupons and sales to treat them to a special box. You can also look for less expensive store brands for identical tastes without the sticker shock. Malt-O-Meal puts out a superior line of low-priced cereals packaged in bags instead of boxes.

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~Shaunna Privratsky

Shaunna Privratsky authored the award-winning "The Silk Robe", a series of e-reports to stimulate your prose and over one hundred articles and stories.  She lives in North Dakota with Wade and their children, Erica and Alex.