Wow... I have enjoyed this thread. thnaks for all the ideas! I have tried various orgnizing ideas ....but it just stressed me out or I forgot to bring the coupons to the store...so This week I am using some of your advice....I cut out all that I use or would use. Put in my little coupon organizer. Picked one store....matched up coupons with the items I felt are the lowest sale prices or real sale prices....I put those coupons on top of my organizer with a rubber band! I am also hopingto plan meals this week! I am trying to really get on track!

Coupons are not worth the hassle for me personally. I try, I really do. I read the sale ads, keep all the coupons, circle all the things on sale. But, at the end of the day, all I manage to do is move the ads and coupons from place to place all over my house and then by Sunday the new stuff comes out and I wind up throwing all the old coupons/ads away without doing anything with them but shuffling. I buy a lot of generic products at HEB and Walmart. Also, I find it incredibly frustrating to actually make it to the store with a coupon and try to buy a certain oz. product only to get up there and the dang thang wont work because i didn't get EXACTLY what i should have. Makes me want to hit the clerk and I'm trying to work on anger management skills. Coupons do not help in this area!!

i love them, it does take time. but you just pick and choose. i'm down to the point that if its not free with a coupon i dont' want it. my monthly food/household/tp/animal food budget is at $80. that's $20 a week, so if its not free i just simply can't buy it!

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Im always looking for ways to save money and truely every penny counts, when I only had 1 kid I would only use the diaper coupons, then with kid #2 I used the diaper & wipes coupons and baby food coupons........Baby #3 after watching a news clip on yahoo on how a family of i believe 7 budgeted and saved had no debt and all ate well on 1 income and no assistance I was motivated and 1 of their tips was using coupons! I did some searches and came across this site and another one that really got me going I always would go thru the paper on Sundays it was part of my relaxation and I needed to find sales for grocieries, my 1st trip 2 weeks later I saved around $19 in coupons (our store doubled up to 50cents) I was amazed it was things I buy anyways, I matched up the sales with the coupons and got a few packs of snacks for free!! I bought a simple coupon organizer for $3 bucks labeled it: Kids, Canned, Breakfast/Snacks, Baking, Frozen, Dairy, Fridge, Paper/Plastic, Bathroom, and Misc (for cats,candy, batteries ect). My Mom, Grandpa, Friend, & a few coworkers all have subscriptions to the paper and put their coupons aside for me and I go get them every so often I also put my $1.50 to the side to go out Sunday mornings to buy the paper its a nice day for me I find couponing addicting and very relaxing. I take time aside the kids are off playing in their room, my fiance is watching the game or napping, and my LO is ripping the papers up to her hearts content while I sit next to her on the floor cutting and popping the coupons in their sections. I see it as free money paying for my grocieries

I do not mind coupons, but I rarely use them. I just dont get them for the things I buy. I too am happy with generic food which is cheaper, even with coupon. My store also does not take online coupons. Ugh! SO I cut the ones I need put in my checkbook and use them if I end up getting that brand. If not I leave on shelf near item.

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http://mommysavers.com/boards/journa...wjournal&j=184
Amber

I've been wondering the same thing. I usually do my shopping at Aldi's or sometimes at WalMart and neither does double coupons. I do buy mostly generic but there are certain things that I buy name brand so I have recently started seeking out those coupons and continue using them on just those name brand products. I don't pay for any papers, just simply get them online. I'm not sure how exactly those "Coupon Queens" do it who pay pennies for what should cost a fortune- since I have no double coupons, no access to every paper known to man- just don't see how it's possible to save on that scale.
I am just getting into couponing though so maybe one of these days!

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just to give you an example,
yesterday i went to ralphs (kroger)
i bought:
1 pkg corn muffin mix
1 4 count pk dole fruit&cream
1 small cabage
1lb carrots
1/2 galon organic milk
1(4oz) feta cheese
2 bags of 3musketeers (fun size bags!)
1 pasta roni
TOTAL SPEND USING COUPONS FOR ALL THIS

*$3.51!!!!
i COULDN'T BELIEVE IT MYSELF,
IT WAS ONE OF MY BEST COUPONING DAYS!
I love going and seeing how much I can save, but i am really organized and that helps.
My mom and sister, not so organized with their coupons, but they're getting there.
it was harder for them to go thru the store with the coupons not in order, but they still managed to get AWESOME DEALS!
To me it's a relaxing time, I sit down on saturday, I get the sunday paper early!, i cut the coupons (most all of them) file them and go on saturday to use them, sometimes on sunday as well. (as my store doubles 1 coupon of the same item per day)
so if i have 2 coupons for an item, and i get 2 items, they'll double one of them, not both!
so, i buy i on saturday, and 1 on sunday, that way they'll double both.

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Thanks,
Bestmommysaver!