Today we’re going to hear from Amy in Alabama. Amy emailed me a few weeks ago after her first big savings week and I immediately asked her if she’d write something for us here on the Reader Spotlight! I get emails from new couponers all the time asking for tips on how to begin and frankly – it has been quite a while since I was at that stage so I’m never sure if I’m helping or just overwhelming people when I respond!  I think Amy’s perspective is interesting and helpful for ‘newbies’ and ‘old-timers’ alike…one of the things that really jumps out here is that couponing can really yield results pretty quickly!

I have been couponing for just about six weeks now, and I’m happy to share my ideas, experiences, and opinions about my initial couponing experience with all of you!
Like most people, I was skeptical about the idea of using coupons for a few reasons.  I didn’t think that the things we use in our household were items that went on sale, or had coupons.  I thought that the time it would take to cut and organize coupons would not make up for the money I saved.  And, frankly, before I started couponing, I had been frustrated by avid couponers in line ahead of me at the store …. it always took so long and they were always asking questions about how things rang up!
I quickly discovered, though, that I was completely wrong – almost everything I buy goes on sale, and most of them have coupons.  The money I save is well worth the time I spend looking, cutting, and organizing my coupons and grocery lists.   I have become a person that watches the cash register to verify everything rings up correctly, and I hand them my coupons one at a time to make sure they all scan and I get the most bang for my buck.  The people behind me in line, well, maybe they’ll be inspired….
Here are some of the basic questions I’ve been asked about beginners’ couponing:
How do I start?
The first place you should visit is the Weekly Ads tab to view the current Full Ad.  This gives you everything Publix has on sale this week, in a list format.  It includes coupons you can use for each item to get them for cheaper than the advertised price.  Go through the ad, highlight the things you like, click on coupon links (if available), and go shop!
2. Where do I get my coupons?
I get my coupons from a lot of places!!

  • www.coupons.com
  • www.smartsource.com
  • www.redplum.com
  • www.target.com (if your Publix considers them a competitor.  Also try other potential competitor’s in your area: Whole Foods, Kroger, Food Lion, etc.)
  • Local Sunday newspaper
  • Blinkies in the store—if time permits, stroll down each aisle and look for these
  • I also visit brand websites for extra coupons

3. How much should I stockpile in the beginning?
I have a very moderately sized pantry in my townhome kitchen, so I am choosy about what to stockpile.  I began with stockpiling pasta, canned veggies, tomato/pizza/spaghetti sauce, condiments, salad dressing, and seasoning packets (most dry goods have a 2-year shelf life, but check the label to verify).  Maybe these things don’t appeal to you—just start with the item(s) that you use often and have a good shelf life.  The key to stockpiling comes down to organization.  It worked best for me to pick a few things to start with so I could see how much space each item would require.  As I move through my priority list of stockpiling, I know how much space I have available to fill.  An alternative way to start, if you have ample storage space, is to buy the things you can get at great prices.  For example, a few weeks ago, Toaster Strudels were BOGO, and I had a $0.50/2 coupon, which doubled…that’s $1.49 for 2 boxes, or 12 cents per strudel!!  As for how much you should buy—I decide how many I will by based on how many coupons I have.  If I have 3 Toaster Strudel coupons, each for 2 boxes, then I’ll buy 6 boxes when I can get them for this great price!
4. When will I start to see big savings?
Huge savings take a little while because it means you’ve stockpiled most of the basic items you’ll need every day and you begin to only buy the super great deals like BOGOs and coupon-friendly items.  But it won’t take long for you to notice small differences in your spending—by week 3 for me!  My first coupon-clipping, sale-watching week went ok.  Week 2 was really rough.  I became frustrated because I couldn’t find a single coupon for any of the sale items.  The week before, I had experienced the gratification of watching the total go down with each coupon scan, so when it didn’t on Week 2, I thought I was doing something wrong.  But Week 3 was awesome!!!!  I only bought items on sale, and I also had coupons for a lot of the items.  It feels so good to watch your total go down from $60 to $17!  Try not to get too frustrated when you experience a lull in your huge savings…it’ll come back around next week!
5. How do I know what is a good price?
This is really a case-by-case basis.  Just as they say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” a great price is determined by the couponer.  Generally, you’re going to be willing to pay a little more for items that are ‘must-haves’ for your household, while you can be extra frugal with those items that you don’t use as often.  For example, cereal is not a staple in my household, but we like it, and when it’s super cheap (less than $0.75 per box), then I’ll buy it.
Now, consider yourself a graduate of my Couponing 101, and go get yourselves a good deal—you’ll be proud of yourself, and excited about next week’s grocery shopping adventure!

Thanks so much for sharing, Amy!
In order to keep this new feature going, you all are going to have to volunteer to tell us all about something YOU do when you are couponing!! Your post can be about almost anything to do with couponing. You can tell us about a particularly good or bad situation you’ve dealt with as a couponer, about how you got into couponing or how couponing has impacted the rest of your life, you can make a list of things every new couponer should know…just about anything, really! If you think it’s interesting and it has to do with couponing, email me with your idea at contactiheartpublix @ gmail.com!