This is a guest post by Heather Smith

Hi, my name is Heather and I’m a super coupon junkie and a very frugal shopper.  I have a really hard time paying full price for anything and beyond that, I’m in it for the rush!  There’s a thrill to stand at the checkout and watch the total $$ go down as the total savings goes up…  I’m a huge fan of couponning and making every sale work for me, so much that I actually blog about it at http://couponning101.blogspot.com

It always feels like I’m standing up at an AA meeting when I write my intro… and that’s probably because couponning and saving money is both a necessity and an addiction for me… I have set a goal to spend less than $50 a week on groceries, personal items and cleaning supplies for the entire year… so how does a family of four eat, stay clean, smell nice and keep a clean house on $50 a week you ask?

It takes planning, dedication and a little sacrifice but, with some simple ideas and plans you can make it work… In this article I’m going to give you five tips to get you started, and if you want to continue, you can check out my blog at http://couponning101.blogspot.com for more details…

1. Know the price of tea in China… and in your local grocery stores… It’s important to track prices, sales and quantities of items you buy regularly and know where those items fit into your shopping threshold…

a.       For instance, I keep a price book that breaks down the items I buy regularly and includes:

Date, Store, Item, Brand, Size, Price,  Unit Price
(To figure Unit price, take the cost of Item divided by number of Units. For Example: $ 1.99/18 (ounces) =11 cents per ounce)

What this list helps me to determine is the regular and sale cost per unit prices and also helps me track how often the items I buy come on sale… for instance, I am not entirely brand loyal to one particular spaghetti sauce, but my family prefers one so I track how often it comes on sale … every 8-9 weeks and try to get and save my coupons for that brand for the sale.  I also know that I only need to stockpile enough to last me 8-10 weeks because I will be able to replenish…

My family also knows that if I can get another brand for pennies ($.49 or less), they are stuck…

b.      It’s also good to keep track of when produce you like is on sale…

i.      December is usually sweet potatoes, collards, winter squash, apples, and potatoes for me, whereas spring is strawberries, cucumbers, peppers, etc..

2. Meal plan around your sales and your pantry- Meat & seafood, fresh produce and fresh dairy are the biggest part of my grocery bill and the items that have the fewest coupons, so if there are good deals, I try to take advantage and plan around the best sales…

a.       If you start building your stockpiles, try to make sure at least two main meals a week feature pantry items as the main attraction to allow you to spend a little more on ‘treats’

3. Stockpile your pantry items (and freezable items if you’ve invested in a chest freezer)

a.       Track how much flour, sugar, coffee, cereal, dry pasta, rice, canned goods etc that you need for each given period and buy that much when it comes on sale… if you stockpile one or two items a week at significant savings you build your capacity without stretching your budget and you become less dependent on needing to run to the grocery store for something you ran out of..

i.      If you’ve invested in a chest freezer, frozen vegetables, meat deals and even excellently priced fresh but freezable produce become more important… and make it easier to meal plan.

4.       Get to know your stores

a.       Use ‘regular’ cashiers if you can… and talk to them - be friendly, thoughtful and thankful

i.      At my main store, the cashiers, department personnel and stockers all know me by name and I know theirs, and they will tell me about good deals, upcoming sales and changes in coupon policies… sometimes they will even share new information on additional savings that I’ve missed

b.      Keep an eye on the register

i.    Believe it or not, computers are programmed by people and not all sales items get put into the computer all the time and even regular priced items can be mislabeled.  Double check that the price you are paying is the one you expected… and that includes produce and meat

ii.    Many stores have a right price guarantee where you can get the item free if its priced wrong, but all should honor the shelf price/sale price

c.     Ask about their policies on price matching, coupons and rain checks

i.    Do they require you to buy 2 products for a BOGO deal, or when they have a 10/$10 sale, or will you get the sale price for buying one?

ii.    Do they have double or even triple coupon promotions and what is the threshold (under $.50, $.99 or something else?)

iii.    Do they have store coupons or online coupons to compliment their sales?

iv.    Can you register for email alerts of their weekly specials?

v.    Do they price match or accept competitors store coupons and if so, who do they consider competitors?

5.     Contact the companies you are loyal to and tell them why you are loyal

a.     Everyone loves to get compliments and by calling or emailing companies you make yourself known to them.  In return, some will send coupons, put you on email alert lists for new products, or even ask you to be part of a consumer panel (where you often receive free or discounted products to try)

i.    I try to choose 1 to 2 products a week to contact and I usually find that taking the time to phone works better than email - a live person is always great!

ii.    I also make a point of calling if something with my product isn’t right - they need this information too… and your feedback and loyalty is valuable enough to try and make your experience right.

6.     (Okay I lied… there is a sixth) Be fair… and don’t try to circumvent the rules that stores set or argue if they don’t accept a coupon… you are trying to save money, but they’re also in business to make money and sell products… people who try to over-print, photocopy or scan coupons, use the wrong coupon or contact companies to complain when their product isn’t defective make it more difficult for those of us who are trying to play by the rules… Saving money is not worth losing dignity or honour.

To learn more, please feel free to stop by http://Couponning101.blogspot.com, or leave a comment or question here and I will try to respond quickly.  Thanks for reading and happy shopping!

Heather is a stay-at-home mom who is rarely found at home.  She currently lives in South Carolina but spent most of her life in Toronto, Ontario and Southwestern Ontario. She has two fabulous kids and a wonderful husband.  She spends her days volunteering, keeping up with the kids, bargain hunting, reading and eventually keeping up with the house