Joy's words of wisdom

A few years ago I got the Sunday paper because I heard how much money I could save using the coupons. I got so frustrated because in order to use a coupon, I had to spend more than it would cost to buy the store brand. After a few months I canceled my subscription.

So what happened for me? How did I become a 3-Sunday-paper-a-week coupon addict? I found a few resources that told me what to do.

http://savvyshopperdeals.com/

If you’re new to coupon shopping (or even if you’re not), check out this web site. It has a couple of videos that answered a ton of questions for me, even before I knew I had them.

(Insert comment from Brooke- I also teach basic classes to help you know what you need to do to get started in all of this too. The class takes 1 hour- and if you host it- you get a free file box from me as well! I also can hook you up with a great newspaper deal if that's all you're looking for.)

Basically, I NEVER just walk into a store and put stuff in my cart. I used to do that, and spent a ton of money too. I always make a list, based off of work that other people do for me. These guys tell me what is a good deal and what is a great deal. They even tell me what coupons to use. It's wonderful.

· Albertsons, Smiths, Maceys: use the database from http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/

· Buy Low: use the database from http://savvyshopperdeals.com/

· Target, Walgreens, RiteAid, Walmart: use http://hip2save.com/ website lists

Produce and meat counters very, very rarely have coupons so I buy those on the best sales I can find. If you're here in Provo, Buy Low is a great place for both of these. Wednesday is their produce day and Friday is meat day.

Beware though! It is so easy to get carried away with how much money you are saving that you're spending way more then you should! It may be a great deal, but if you don't have the money for it then don't get it. (this is a hard one for me!) I have been resistant to budgeting at all but have found that it is VITAL to actually saving money and not just blowing through it. I've heard that couponers tend to spend more money than regular shoppers. I'm sure it's because of how exciting it is when you get great deals. I just get so caught up in how fun it is to get stuff for super cheap. So I'm saying be careful.

It takes bit of work to shop this way, but hey, we work so hard to earn money, why not work to save it?

I totally agree Joy! Joy just recently became a coupon/money saving queen and has a great blog recording all of her store adventures and every single penny she spends during the month. It's great to see someone really put into practice what she's preaching as she won't spend over her allotted budget- even if she could still be getting a great deal.