Why I have more than TEN bottles of shampoo and other goodies in my house....

So a lot of people ask how I save so much money with my coupons and still give a ton of goodies away...well because God is good, of course! It started with my sister-in-law, Missy attending a bible study that talked about money management and how to use coupons. She taught me and I taught others...like modern day disciples... just kidding! Anyway, this may not cover all of the tips I've learned, but this should get you started and I'm always an email away!

First of all, here are some tips:

* It's alot of work so what you put into is what you will get in return.

* Buy one Sunday paper each week per adult and one per every two kiddos minimum. I typically buy four from Dollar Tree ( Waco, across from HEB on Wooded Acres) because they already have them Sunday and they are $1. Clip ALL the coupons!

* Because you clip all the coupons, you need to be willing to try new brands. If you really want your budget to stretch, be willing to try brands you wouldn't typically use. Plus you clip ALL the coupons, because you never know what coupon can make an item FREE!

* Have an organizational system for your coupons. I have a zippered binder (think, Trapper Keeper from Jr. High) and slide my coupons into baseball card holders that are filed by type (example: paper/plastic). While odd at first, this makes it SO much easier to thumb through in the grocery store.

* Subscribe to online coupon sites and blogs with tips. (See below)

*Plan your trips with the weekly adds...some sites (mentioned above), actually will tell you what 'deals' are available with what coupons that are available.

* Know store coupon policies. Such as Target & CVS take manufacture coupons with store coupons, even if this makes the product free.

* Apply and keep on hand all store discount cards that are free, such as HEB point club, CVS care card, etc.

* Be on the look out for coupons! They are in stores randomly: tear pads, stickers on product (as long as they don't say 'on this product' you can tear them off to use another time), in fliers, in magazines, etc.

* Search the sites of your favorite brands, restaurants, and retailers. You will find most have discount programs, birthday clubs, and/or special promotions to sign up for. Once you sign up, most will email you with new promotions or coupons.

Sites I frequent:

www.afullcup.com
www.slickdeals.net

Blogs:
(the following sites allow you to sign up for email notification of daily posts)

www.iheartcvs.com
www.mommieswithcents.com
www.moneysavingmom.com
www.stretchingabuckblog.com
www.thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com
www.moneyjarsavings.blogspot.com
www.freebies4mom.blogspot.com

Coupon Sites:

www.coolsavings.com
www.smartsource.com
www.coupons.com
www.eatbetteramerica.com
www.hotcouponworld.com

So, a tad overwhelming I know. Again, it's all what you put into it. The savings can be HUGE, but the effort has to be HUGE too! I actually make a once a month trip to McKinney to visit my sister-in-law, Missy because Kroger and Albertson's double and triple their coupons. Now that is commitment! Anyway, CVS can be pretty daunting so, check out this post http://thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com/2009/02/cvs-for-beginners.html from Cent sible Sawyer, as it's pretty accurate. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm all ears!