It seems that shopping with coupons is the new trend. Coupons are all the rage among my friends, and our discussions are laced with terms like “doubling,” “stacking,” and the debate between manufacturer vs. store coupons. Honestly, I never knew that saving a few bucks at the grocery store took so much time, concentration, and the ability to sort through the complicated maze of terms. There is a method to it all, and it’s quite an involved method. There are websites that can help you (www.southernsavers.com is my favorite). There are even workshops that you can attend to learn how to be a coupon “extremer”. Who knew!?!
One of the first concepts I learned is about the three month rotation. Apparently, coupons and sales run on a three month cycle. When you see an item on sale and you have coupons to stack with it (making the item a STEAL), the you buy enough for three months. Then, three months later, it will be on sale again and you will have more coupons. In other words, you stockpile. Sounds easy enough, right? I mean, it all makes good sense. The only problem is that your basement will begin to look like this…
In case you can’t see them all, there are 39 boxes of cereal in that picture.
Yes, I said 39.
Overboard much?
I think I still have a few things to learn about the couponing process. Like maybe how to buy only what we need.
Anybody want to come over for breakfast tomorrow? I hope you like Cheerios.
I use the SouthernSaver website but I still haven't mastered the "saving big." I did save $4.00 the other day and I was proud of myself. Guess I just need to take it to the next level and work at it!
You might also be interested in Groupon. They specialize in group discounts for local businesses. I live in the sticks so it doesn't help me, but it's a cool idea.
http://www.groupon.com/learn