How to Become a Smart Shopper rather than Extreme!

I love coupons! I am able to feed my family and help others by spending little to nothing on the things that I need and use on a daily basis. Yes sometimes I have to switch the way I shop or change the way that we eat but it is always for the better. 

I have been doing this hard core for a few years. I started not knowing anything and then I learned everything that I could from the best couponers out there at the time. I took all the information and I went on my first trip in which I bought about (50) tubes of trial size toothpaste and (50) 3 packs of Zest Soap I paid just the tax and it did not stop there. I would pre-order 100's of items from the store and pay hardly anything. I had so much hair care products, razors, cleaning supply, and so forth it was nuts. 

I learned that coupons and sales are on a cycle and those coupons rotate and you will see another sale somewhere this is not going to be your only chance ever of scoring that item.

Let's take the recent Shaving Cream coupon for example. I saw people literally running to the store and buying 24 cans a piece and that was just the new couponers. I saw extreme shoppers buy 100's of bottles within a weeks time frame.

But what if you are on a budget? What if you need to save money for real? Well there is a better way and that is to be a smarter shopper. Extreme shoppers shop to build a stock pile because that is what they are doing. So when things are super cheap they buy in bulk and save it. Smart Couponer's shop by knowing how to utilize coupons on free items to get what they need cheaper. At the same time they are still growing a stock pile and saving more money on everyday items.

Let's take the recent $6.00 off 3 Gillette Coupon which could be used on the shaving cream. Now you can find them at Walmart for about $1.97 each. So if you would to buy 3 of them you would get them free make 9 cents but you are responsible for the tax. That is huge savings and a lot of shaving cream. 


But I want you to look at the following examples here of what I did and how I made that same free can of shaving cream help me to score even better savings with my groceries.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF HOW I UTILIZED MY SHAVING CREAM COUPONS!

DID THIS ONE AT PUBLIX!

(6) Bottles of Gillette Shaving Cream priced $2.50 each or $15.00 (5) Velvetta Cheesey Skillets Singles priced $2.50 each or $12.50 (3) Weber Seasoning priced at 99 cents each or $2.97 Total: $30.47 plus tax! Used  (2) $6/3 Gillette Shaving Creams 8/11 RP brought total to $18.47 (5) $1/1 Velvetta Skillets Singles 7/28 SS brought total to $13.47 (3) $1/1 Weber Seasoning 6/16 RP brought total to $10.47 (1) $5 off 5 Velvetta Products Publix GAF brought total to $5.47 (1) $5 off $30 Winn Dixie Paid 47 cents plus tax!

DID THIS ONE AT SWEETBAY!
 
(6) Bottles of Gillette Shaving Cream priced $2.39 each or $21.51
(4) Boxes of Capri Sun Juice Boxes priced $1.50 each or $6.00
(2) Fresh Blend Salad Kits priced $2.00 each or $4.00
Total: $31.51 plus tax!
Used
(3) $6/3 Gillette Shaving Creams 8/11 RP brought total to $13.51
(2) $1/2 Capri Sun SweetBay Booklet brought total to $11.51
(2) $1/1 Fresh Blend Salad Sweetbay Booklet brought total to $9.51
(1) $2.00 off Produce $2.00 or more brought total to $7.51
(1) $5 off $30 Winn Dixie
Paid $2.51 plus tax

So all together here I bought 15 cans of shavings cream and other items and paid just as much as people have when they went to Walmart and grabbed JUST the shaving cream.


ANYONE can take a coupon for a free item and take it to the store and buy it but it takes a smart shopper to know how to use that free item to your own advantage. By doing this you are not only helping to keep the shelves from being emptied but you are also helping yourself and your family. You actually save more money doing it this way. It is called working numbers. Pairing free or super cheap items to other items that you need or are also cheap or free.

 HAPPY COUPONING!