A blog about keeping yourself and your expenses lean in Oakland County, Michigan.



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Sunday, July 4, 2010

How I shop

Just in case you were curious. I check my favorite coupon match-up websites most of which I provide for you on my own blog as highlights. (Or refer to the match-ups I've done!)  If I haven’t highlighted on my blog I most likely won’t be buying it. I try to highlight the items that are at stock-up prices.

Sunday morning if it is big insert day I head to Barnes and Nobles to get the Chicago Tribune (if you’re interested in finding out why go here.) I then look at all the highlights before I start clipping.

I purge my coupons of all expired ones weekly. I clip all the coupons that I will ever possibly use, everything but pet, baby and senior coupons and drop them in the my folder by category. Since I’ve already looked at the match-ups when I’m clipping I set the ones that I’ll need aside so I don’t file them and have to take them back out in a day or two. I usually do this while watching a free redbox or blockbuster express movie. Sometimes hubby helps clip the printables from the internet and this can take most of Sunday and Monday evening. (Since I’m only focusing about 40% of the time while watching a movie!)

The clipped coupons that I won’t need for that week are filed and with my lists printed off from each of the match-ups I fish for the rest of the coupons I need. I print off match-ups for Target, Kroger, Meijer, VGs, Wags, CVS, and Rite Aid. I almost always go to Meijer, Kroger and CVS weekly. The rest may wait if I don’t have time.

The clipped coupons go in their respective envelopes separated by store.

Before I walk into the store I organize the coupons by store layout and I work the store back to front to be more efficient. (Yes anal I know!)  I enter my Rite Aid Single Check Rebates as soon as I get home and I enter my receipts to record my savings the next day on an excel spreadsheet.
So how do you shop, use your coupons and make use of your savings?

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