11.17.2011

Day 321- Couponing baby steps

So, I went to a couponing talk at Bethany's church last Saturday.  I came away encouraged, but still slightly skeptical I can pull this off.  Here are some baby steps that the speaker recommended...

1. Start a shopping fast and eat only items in your pantry (to see what you really need/use).
2. Spend time looking at some couponing blogs (moneysavingmom.com, kansascitymamas.com, pennypinchinmom.com, etc), I've added more of these to my blog resource list.
3. Get a spam email address.
4. Start signing up for free samples.
5. Choose 1 store to start at.
6. Get to know the coupon policy at that store.
7. Start buying 2 or 4 Sunday papers (because deals are better in 2's).
8. Make a list of your top 25 items and how much you normally pay or get them on sale for.

So, I guess I have a start.  I won free shampoo, razors, vitamins, and toothpaste at the workshop, so I'm at least ahead there!  I'm planning to keep you all updated as I start this journey. *hopefully it will go somewhere and be productive*

2 comments:

Lara said...

Couponing stresses me out -- I also have no idea where to start. Way to go on the baby steps. :) Oh, and I meant to say this the other day, but one thing we really like from Trader Joe's is their Harvest Grains blend...it's a mix of couscous, red quinoa, and some other grains I can't remember right now! I also think their coffee in a can is pretty good. I mostly like them because they have cool ethnic foods that we can't really get here in Bolivar. So it feels like a treat to go there. But in KC, the regular grocery stores probably carry more of that food anyway.

Karen Sue said...

check out http://thefrugalmuse.blogspot.com for some good info about couponing. Some of the posts are out of date, but the bar on the right side has some good links!
Your attempt motivates me to start, too! I don't have a job yet, so I have the time and think I might go for it!