the Collins

Cut your grocery bill using coupons!

I want to encourage all you couponers out there. I know it can be overwhelming, looking for coupons and planning your grocery trips, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel...saving big bucks! Before I ever used a coupon, I would go over our grocery bill every month. I would make a list of what I thought we needed, but always picked up many items not even on the list. By the 20th of every month, I would wonder where all my grocery money went. Boy, have times changed. I started using coupons in October of 2009. I really dove right in, checking blogs mostly. It took a little while to get used to store policies, how to use coupons and deals together, and shopping for items on sale. Now, it's a game of how much I can save every week. Last month, we never went hungry, had good, healthy meals, and tried some new products (for free). I saved $175! At the end of January, I had $175 to roll over to this month. All the time I spent planning paid off big time. This is to let you know that it can be done using coupons. If you are just starting, keep it up. Start small, and try to increase your saving a little at a time.

Here is a deal you can try(not a grocery deal, but start small)...I have been waiting for venus razors to go on sale. If you purchase 2 Gillette or Venus products at $6.99 at Target, you will receive a $5 gift card. In the 2/7 Proctor and Gamble insert, there is a coupon for $2 off venus razors. There is also a coupon for BOGO Olay Body Wash when you buy any venus razor. So here is how the deal can work:

2 venus razors-$13.98

2 olay body wash-$10.98

Total-$24.96

Then...

2 BOGO coupons- -$10.98

2 $2/1 venus razors

recieve 1 $5 gift card

New Total: $4.98