More on coupons and couponing

So... my brother asked me the other day to explain a little more about how I coupon and where I get coupons.  He said that my blog always says how much I saved at the store but never how I did it.  He was also looking for some tips on saving money in general.

So, Andy, I heard ya and I have been thinking it over the last few days and this is what I have come up with:

The number one place I get coupons is:

The Newspaper

 If you don't get the Sunday paper you have a couple of options.

A) Call and order just the Sunday paper and see if they will give it to you at a discount
(we pay 70 cents a week, it retails for $2.00 at the store).

B) Ask your neighbors if you can have their leftover paper and coupons.

C) See if you can find a place (like a hotel) that gives guests a free Sunday paper and ask if you can have any leftovers


The number two place I get coupons is:

My neighbor's newspaper

That's right.  My neighbors and I go through our newspapers and cut the coupons we will use.
Then we switch papers and cut any coupons that we would use that they don't.  This has become great for me because I end up with 2 or 3 copies of the same coupon and so I am able to get more items at that deal.

For example:

Yoplait yogurt coupon for 40 cents/off 6 yogurts. 
Ben and I both eat yogurt everyday in our lunch.
So, if I get a second and third copy of this coupon from my neighbors, I can get 12-18 yogurts at a discount.
At our grocery store, any coupon under 99 cents is doubled.  So...40 cents off becomes 80 cents off.

The most important thing to remember when cutting coupons...

Only cut coupons you will use.

For example:

We don't have any pets, so we don't cut the dog food coupons.


The second most important thing to remember when couponing...

It helps if you are not brand loyal.

For example:

Ben loves Cheerios, but if I can get Corn Flakes for a better price, he is willing to eat Corn Flakes.






Now...

Other ways to save money...

These are some things I have either thought of, we have tried, or I know other people doing-

1) Only eat out once a month.  This is something our family practices.  We eat every meal at home, except our date night once a month or for a very special reason. 

2) Entertain at home.  Ben and I love to host people at our house.  Cocktails and snacks at home is so much less expensive than going.  A bottle of vodka can run you $20, where you can make 20-25 drinks at home.  Two cocktails and tip at a bar will run you $20.

3) Plan your meals.  We plan our meals monthly (try weekly to start).  This helps us not order in or go out to grab something because we already know what is for dinner.  We also keep a variety in our dinners.  I love thai food, so we incorporate homemade chicken fried rice twice a month.

4) Get rid of cable.  Order Netflix streaming. 
Netflix is $7.99/month and Cable is usually over $50/month.

5) Use a weekly cash budget.  Once your cash is gone, it's gone.

6) And my last "quick tip": April just ended.  Go back through your checkbook/online checking/ however you balance your money.  And spreadsheet every single penny you spent.  Once you know where all your money went in April, you will be able to better plan for May.
I break it into categories such as:

groceries (food we bought at the grocery store0
dining out (food or drinks from a restaurant or bar, happy hour, meals)
entertainment (movies, bowling, golf)
bills (water, cell phone, cable, insurance, etc.)
mortgage (or rent)
gas (and other car expenses, oil change, new windshield wipers, etc)
misc. (gifts, hair cuts, pedicures, clothes, etc.)

Break it into as many or few categories you want.  This is about how you budget.  Or start budgeting.

Well... that is my two cents.  Hope it helps.