6
Ready . . . Set . . . Shop!

So what now? You’ve learned to decode the lingo. You know how to read a store matchup. You can even spot a tear pad hiding two aisles away. And now you are wondering how it all comes together. In fact, the question I get asked most often is simply, “What now?” Well, it’s kind of like driving a car. You can read all the books you want and study all the technical data under the sun, but it takes actually sliding behind the wheel to learn how to drive.

With that in mind, it’s time to do one of your favorite things—shop! Okay, it may not be your favorite yet, but once you go in armed with all of the tricks, tips, and tools you’re learning, it will be. Just think how you’ll feel that first time you walk out of the store having saved as much as 50 percent off your bill. You’re going to do a happy dance right there in the parking lot.

Now, back to driving. By the time we are old enough to drive we’ve already spent the better part of our life riding around in cars. We know how to stop at stop signs, we know what a red light looks like, we know what the blinker is for, and we even know how to check the rearview mirror. We understand the basics. The problem is that watching someone else drive doesn’t teach you how to do it. Watching only teaches you about driving, and up to this point I’ve only taught you about couponing. It’s going to take you actually walking into a store and giving it a try to learn how to coupon. My goal is to help you prepare. I want you to know everything you possibly can about couponing so that when you are ready to jump in all you have to concentrate on is the how.

In this chapter we are going to look at how to read the weekly circulars and pick out the best deals. Then we will take that knowledge and check out three different ways to plan your shopping trip from beginning to end. I’ll teach you how to collect and print coupons to go along with your grocery list, which will include both your “must-haves” and “stockpile items.” I’ll also show you how to shop for things to grow your stockpile week by week.

To help you really see what it looks like to get your list together, this chapter will also walk you through the weekly deal matchups from the Time 2 $ave blog. (Want to try it right now? Visit www.time2saveworkshops.com and click “Get Store Deals” in the top right corner.) I want to make it as easy as possible to fit couponing into your life. It doesn’t have to eat up every spare (or not so spare) moment. So take advantage of the shortcuts on Time 2 $ave and get ready to shop!

A-Shopping We Will Go!

So what’s the first step in getting ready for your inaugural coupon shopping trip? Well, for starters you’re going to need a list, one that groups items into two categories: stockpile items and must-haves. The stockpile items are those things your family uses that are at their absolute rock-bottom price. You’ll buy more of these items because you want to have some to use now and some to add to your stockpile. The must-haves are pretty self-explanatory. These are the items that will send you back to the store tomorrow if you come home without them today. For example, if you’re out of toilet paper and come home empty-handed, then someone is heading back out before things get a little more real than anyone wants to deal with!

At the beginning, you will have many must-haves on your list; that’s totally normal. But over time you will start to see a shift in your grocery list. As you build your pantry week after week, items will fall off your must-have list until the balance moves away from need and into use. In others words, you’ll stop having to buy so many must-haves because the stockpile items have knocked them off your list.

One Example

This week toilet paper is on your must-have list, and since there isn’t a great deal on it, you just have to bite the bullet and buy some. Next week, however, you find a great sale on toilet paper, plus you have some coupons for it, and combined they make for a rock-bottom price. Since this is the best price you have seen, you buy several packages—which go into your stockpile. Now toilet paper is knocked off your list and won’t make its way back to the must-have column for several weeks. Long enough for you to sit back and wait for another spectacular deal.

The graph below will give you a better idea of what I’m talking about. Keep in mind that this process takes time. You can’t build a pantry overnight.

In the graph above, the dark bars represent your must-have items, and the light bars represent your stockpile items. At this point you haven’t started or maybe you have just started building your stockpile. This means you are still going to have to pay full price for many of the items your family needs. The key to building your pantry is to set aside $5 to $10 per week to use on stockpile items. That might not seem like a lot of money, but when you are purchasing items as cheaply as possible you’ll be amazed at how far it will go.

Where to Start

These three steps deal with assessing your needs and your available coupons.

Step 1: Make a list of the items you need. I know you have just learned how to stop shopping out of need, but you can’t start at the top. Until your pantry begins to fill up with everyday items, they won’t be disappearing off your list.

Step 2: Check your coupons. Do you have any coupons for the items you need? They may not be on sale, but there’s no reason not to save money everywhere you can. If you’re not sure what coupons are floating around out there, then stop by the Time 2 $ave blog. Click on “Search Coupons” in the upper right corner to access our amazing coupon database that shows every available coupon for a given item.

Let’s check out a few quick examples.

Example 1: Scott Bath Tissue

In this example we are looking at Scott Bath Tissue. (Really it’s toilet paper. I mean, bath tissue? Just sounds silly to me!) We start by typing the product name into the search field. If you wanted to look for a different product, you would simply type the product name into the database and the program would show you what coupons are available for that product. Or if you really don’t care what brand you use and just want to know the best options, type in “bath tissue or toilet paper.”

In this case the database tells us there are two coupons available for Scott Bath Tissue. They include:

• $1 off an 8-pack of Scott Extra Soft Bath Tissue, found in the 1/15 Smart Source insert
• $0.55 off one 12-pack of Scott Bath Tissue, printable (the link is active so you simply click to be directed to print that coupon)

This example shows us a couple of things. First, you can usually find coupons for items even if they aren’t on sale. Again, savings are savings no matter how small. Second, printable coupons are a great option when you are just starting out. It will take a few weeks for you to accumulate coupon inserts from the weekly paper, but that doesn’t mean you can’t coupon during that time. Printables like these show up frequently and are a great way to snag savings.

As you look through these examples, pay close attention to the description and requirements for each coupon. The first coupon is for a specific type and size of Scott toilet paper while the second is for any 12-pack Scott Bath Tissue.

Example 2: Kraft Salad Dressing

In this example, four coupons are available for this product:

• $0.75 off two 14 oz. Kraft Dressings, found in 1/22 Smart Source insert
• $1 off 2 Kraft Italian, Target Store printable coupon
• $1 off 2 Kraft Salad Dressing, Target Store printable coupon
• $1 off 2 Kraft Dressing, found in 1/22 Smart Source insert

A quick note about the last coupon listed in the example above: this is a great example of a regional variation. This coupon came out the same day and in the same insert as the first option listed. However, the values were very different. The coupon you receive would depend on the region where you live. You might receive one or the other or possibly even none at all, but just know that it is out of the newspaper’s control. Remember that the largest paper in your area will have the best coupons.

Step 3: Once the must-haves are taken care of, we get to move on to the stockpile items. This is the fun part.

Start by writing down five meals your family loves. This way you can look for stockpile items to keep on hand for weekly meal planning. If you’re on the Time 2 $ave website, look at the grocery matchups for your favorite stores. If you’re not using the site, then find out what day your stores put out their new circulars and swing by to pick one up or visit their website to view it online.

But don’t go overboard. As tempting as it will be to jump right in and tackle every store in your neighborhood, just pick one. No need to overload yourself with stores to hit each week. Figure out which store has the most items your family uses on sale this week. That’s your winner!

Now let’s figure out how many of each stockpile item you need to purchase. For each item on your sale list that your family uses, you have to ask yourself two questions:

• How much do you think your family will use over the next twelve weeks? (Don’t stress if you aren’t sure; this isn’t an exact science.)
• How many coupons do you have?

Once you have the answers to these questions you can decide how many you want to purchase. For example, say Ritz Crackers are on BOGO sale for $1.69 and you have five $0.50/1 coupons. With these coupons you can purchase five boxes at $0.69 each if your store doubles. This is what we’d consider a rock-bottom price—just about as low as you can get, considering the store has cut the price in half and you’ve added a coupon to each item as well. Perfect for stockpiling! If you’re happy with the $1.69 price, feel free to grab a couple extra even though you don’t have the coupons. It’s still a good deal and you will still get some great savings—so don’t feel completely trapped by the number of coupons you have.

Hit the Ground Shopping

There are basically three different options for building your weekly shopping list. If you suddenly feel all panicky and overwhelmed, hear me out. I’m simply giving you options. Most of you will never have to worry about creating your own grocery matchup. At the same time, if you live in a more rural area and can’t find your grocery store matchups online, it won’t stop you from being able to coupon. It’s important that you understand the process. In addition, none of us are immune to computer problems; if your computer crashes one week it doesn’t mean you have to break your bank. Again, it’s all about options:

• Matching your coupons to weekly circulars
• Matching your coupons to weekly circulars using the Time 2 $ave database
• Using the Time 2 $ave grocery and drugstore matchups

It doesn’t matter which one you choose; like everything else with couponing, it only matters that you find a system that works for you.

Circular Matchup

Some couponers only like to look at deals they can get, meaning they are only interested in working with the coupons they have on hand. In this case the circular matchup method may be just your speed. This is also a great alternative for those who don’t have access to a computer or aren’t very tech savvy. Then there are those everyday nuisances that we can’t prevent no matter how technologically advanced we are. Chances are at some point we’ll all find ourselves with a printer or computer (or both) that crash. If that’s the case, follow the steps outlined below. As I said before, it’s important to have options.

Here’s how it works: start with the coupons you have handy and the weekly circular from your favorite store. Take the circular one page at a time, comparing the sale items that your family uses and needs to the coupons you have on hand to see what matches up. As you go through each sale item, simply turn to the appropriate category in your binder or coupon box and scan through the coupons. As you find coupons that match sale items, go ahead and pull them out and set them aside. This method does take time, but the savings will still be worth it. The upside about using this method is that it does not require a computer at any point, meaning you can do it wherever you are. So if you have to wait for your kids at a weekly soccer game or dance practice where you usually sit twiddling your thumbs, that might be a great time to put this method to good use.

(Note: I would not recommend using the whole-insert filing method that we referred to in chapter 5 to organize your coupons if you choose to do the matchups yourself. In this case the binder or filing method would serve you much better.)

Database Matchup

The coupon database on the Time 2 $ave website is a great resource. It allows you to search the items on your list to find out what coupons are available and how they match up with the weekly sales at your favorite store.

Here’s how it works. Refer to the circular from your favorite store and head over to the coupon database at the Time 2 $ave blog. Now, work your way through each item your family uses (or needs . . . remember, you are just getting started). Simply type each item in the search box, then click “search,” and every available coupon for that item pops up. (We just covered this in detail a few pages back.) If the coupon is from an insert, go ahead and pull that coupon from your file and set aside. As a reminder, coupons are regional. If you can’t find the coupon from a particular insert, then most likely your region didn’t receive that coupon. Continue searching the database to find coupons to match the sale items in the circular.

Compare the sale items to see which ones match up to make the best deals. It takes some time, but this method will give you a great feel for what coupons are out there and help you become accustomed to working with the weekly circulars. Most importantly, it puts you in the driver’s seat. If you can’t find matchups for your favorite store online, it doesn’t mean you can’t coupon.

Using the Time 2 $ave Grocery and Drugstore Matchups

Go to the Time 2 $ave website, click on “Store Savings,” and let us do the work for you. Each week we post the best deals for many major grocery chains and drugstores along with the coupons that match each item. All you have to do is pick your store from the list, scroll through the matchups, and pick out the items your family uses. At the end of this chapter I’ll walk you step-by-step through the process of creating your customized grocery list.

Choose which option works best for you and jump in!

We’ve just covered all of the different options to start the process of pulling together a shopping trip. Now, let’s go for a test drive.

Time for a Time 2 $ave Test Drive

Step 1: Go Online!

It’s time to stop by Time 2 $ave and build your first couponing grocery list. Before you do, let’s take a moment and make sure you are comfortable with the format we use on the blog. The goal here is to review a few matchups and make sure that you understand the lingo and how these lists break down. The following example is from a weekly Publix ad. Remember, Publix doubles manufacturer coupons up to $0.50 and accepts competitor coupons, so we’re able to stack a manufacturer coupon with a competitor coupon in these examples.

Wish-Bone Dressing—$1.32

Use (2) $0.50/1, $0.70/1, or $0.65/2 from 1/29 RP

Stack with $0.50/2 Target PRINT

(makes it as low as $0.14 for 2 or $0.07 ea. wyb 2)

In this example there are three coupons listed for Wish-Bone Salad Dressing and they are all from the 1/29 Red Plum insert. What does this mean? It means that you are looking at another example of regional coupon variations. You could have any combination of the coupons listed or none at all depending on where you live.

Take a look at the last line in the example. On our blog this line is almost always listed in pink, and reads “makes it as low as.” This tells you the lowest possible price based on the best coupons listed. In this case the $0.50/1 was doubled and then stacked with the Target store coupons to make the final cost $0.14 for two or $0.07 each. Not bad!

Examples using other coupons listed:

Wish-Bone Dressing—$1.32

Use $0.65/2 or $0.70/1 from 1/29 RP

Stack with $0.50/2 Target PRINT

In this example we would have to purchase two bottles since the coupon we are using is $0.65/2. Also, since Publix doubles coupons up to $0.50 this coupon will not double. Here are a few scenarios showing how this would break down.

Scenario 1:

Salad Dressing $1.32 x 2 (need 2 bottles) = $2.64

Use $0.65/2 from 1/29 RP

(makes it $1.99 for two or $0.99 each wyb 2)

Or

Salad Dressing $1.32 x 2 (need 2 bottles) = $2.64

Use $0.65/2 from 1/29 RP

Stack with $0.50/2 Target PRINT

(makes it $1.49 for two or $0.74 each wyb 2)

Scenario 2:

Salad Dressing $1.32 x 2 (need 2 bottles) = $2.64

Use (2) $0.70/1 from 1/29 RP

(makes it $1.24 for two or $0.62 each wyb 2)

Or

Salad Dressing $1.32 x 2 (need 2 bottles) = $2.64

Use (2) $0.70/1 from 1/29 RP

Stack with $0.50/2 Target PRINT

(makes it $0.74 for two or $0.37 each wyb 2)

These scenarios show that no matter which coupons you have, you are still going to see significant savings. Yes, some deals are better than others, but a deal is a deal! And there will be times when you have more than one of the coupons listed. Then you will have to look at your options and decide which one will make the best deal for the store where you are shopping.

Step 2: Where Are You Going?

In trying to decide which store to shop at, find the store that has the most items your family uses on sale that week. For example, based on the sales I’m about to share with you, this week I would choose to shop at Publix and forget about the other stores. Remember, our goal is not to run ourselves ragged trying to snag every bargain; it’s to do the best with the time and resources that we have.

Here’s what my list might look like this week at Publix versus BI-LO (keep in mind that Publix doubles coupons up to $0.50 and BI-LO doubles coupons up to $0.60):

Publix	BI-LO
Wish-Bone Dressing $1.32 Use $0.65/2, $0.50/1, $0.70/1 from 1/29 RP Stack with $0.50/2 Target PRINT (makes it as low as $0.07 ea. wyb 2)	Yoplait Greek Single Serve Yogurt $0.88 (limit 6) Use $0.50/2 from 1/25, 2/2 SS (makes it $0.38 ea. wyb 2)
Hall’s Cough Drops $1.00 Use $0.50/1 from Feb. All You or $1/2 from 2/5 SS or $1/2 PRINT (makes it as low as FREE)	Birds Eye Voila! Dinner (21 to 23 oz.) $2.74 ea. Use $1.85/1 Birds Eye Voila! Product PRINT (makes it as low as $0.89)
Mt. Olive Sweet Relish or Pickles $1.20 Use $1/1, $0.75/1 from 1/22 SS (makes it as low as $0.20)	Scott Bath Tissue 8 Rolls $4.99 Use $0.55/1 Scott Tissue PRINT or $1/1 from 1/15 SS Stack $1/1 from Walgreens Feb. Coupon Booklet (makes it as low as $2.89!) *Limit 2
Mueller’s Pasta $0.79 Use $1/2 from 1/8 SS (makes it $0.29 ea. wyb 2)	Hormel Deli meats (3.5 oz.) $1.49 ea. Use $0.50/1 from 1/8 SS or $1/2 from 1/15 SS or $0.55/2 PRINT (makes it as low as $0.49)
Green Giant Canned Vegetables $0.64 Use $1/4 PRINT (makes it as low as $0.39 ea. wyb 4)

Step 3: What Do I Bring with Me?

Why, your list of course!

Before you head out, take a moment to sit back down at your computer (see step 1) and print out your very own customized shopping list from Time 2 $ave. (See the Publix and BI-LO lists above for an example.) You’ll see a white box to the left of each item. All you do is check the boxes next to the items you want and then click on the “Create List” button at the bottom of the blog. This way you end up with a list that has everything you want and not a single thing that you don’t. It’s kind of like looking at a map that only shows you the places you want to go so everything else isn’t distracting you.

Next, using your newly created list as a guide, grab your binder or file box and pull out any coupons you need before you go to the store. Also, this is the time to print any printable coupons, cut them out, and put them with your other coupons.

How should you do this? Well, let’s look at that for a minute.

Binder

The first item on your list is the Wish-Bone Salad Dressing. Find the tab in your binder that correlates with that item (perhaps your tab is labeled “Condiments”) and flip to it. Once you find what you are looking for, just pull it out and set it beside your list. Then move on to the next item.

Box or Basket

If you are using the box method, then go to the appropriate tabbed section and thumb through the coupons until you find the one you are looking for. Again, pull it out and set it aside with the rest of your list.

Whole Insert Filing Option

For the file box method you will need to note the date of each coupon you are looking for. In the example of the Wish-Bone Salad Dressing that would be the 1/29 Red Plum. This means you would go to the file dated 1/29 and pull out the Red Plum insert. Thumb through the insert to locate the coupon(s) you want. If you don’t see it, then check the file to see if there was more than one Red Plum insert that week. If so, then look through the second insert. When you find what you are looking for, simply cut out the coupons you want and put the rest back into the file box. (If you still don’t see it, most likely it is a regional variation that your area didn’t get.)

Whichever method you use, you will repeat these steps for each item on your list. If you don’t find a particular coupon, again it’s probably a regional variation that was not distributed in your market.

Now I want to share a few quick tips that it took me a long time to figure out. See, in a perfect world clicking on a printable coupon would mean watching that coupon come gliding out of your printer. Unfortunately that isn’t always the case. Here are a few things that can and do go wrong from time to time.

• The coupon may have reached its print limit. That limit is set by the manufacturer, and they go fast!
• You may have already printed that coupon the maximum number of times that month.
• The coupon was part of a promotion, and the promotion has ended.

I don’t mention these things to discourage you. I’m only telling you this because I’ve been there. I have been standing in front of my printer convinced that my computer had a sick sense of humor about printing coupons. It just waited until it knew there was one I really wanted and then refused to send it sliding out of the printer. It is definitely a love/hate relationship that we have! As much as I was convinced that my computer was out to get me, it turns out that there are reasons coupons don’t print. The ones listed above are the most common, but you will find a more complete list in appendix D if you have any questions. Now that you have your coupons clipped and your custom list printed out, you’re almost ready to roll!

Step 4: Ready to Roll!

Here’s my system for bringing my coupons to the store. After I have everything laid out I fold my list in half with my coupons inside. Then I put the whole bundle into an envelope. If I happen to be hitting more than one store that week (which is rare), then every bundle gets its own envelope and I make sure to label each one. It helps me keep everything together and remember which coupons go to which store.

Nothing fancy about it, but it gets the job done for me! You might do something totally different.

Are you ready to hop in the car? I bet you thought this moment would never come. Woo-hoooo! We’ve been prepping nonstop and it’s finally time to put all these new skills to good use. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

Remember your first attempt at driving? Did it feel as awkward for you as it did for me? I’m telling you, it scared the hound diggity out of me. I didn’t think I’d ever learn how to keep that thing in the right lane. Shoot, the first time I set the wheels rolling I didn’t even make it out of my grandparents’ driveway before managing to back into the bushes. How in the world was I supposed to drive if I couldn’t even get out of the driveway?

However, thinking back, my first driving experience actually happened years before I hit the bushes. I didn’t know anything about how a car worked or the rules of the road. I didn’t even know what the signs meant. I was only about four years old; my grandmother had gone into the doctor’s office and I was sitting in the car with my great-grandmother. (Keep in mind, this was before car seats became law.) Before my great-grandmother could stop me I grabbed the gearshift, pulled the car out of park, and sent it rolling backward.

Next thing I knew the car was rolling down the hill and all the way across the road to smack square into the florist shop on the other side of the street. Honey, I don’t do anything halfway! That wall? It didn’t stop the car. That would be too easy. No, we barreled right through the wall and ended up hanging out in the middle of a giant pile of squished posies. Luckily no one was hurt and my grandparents’ car was fine. (Plus my grandfather was able to put the shop back together.) But all in all, my first trip was a disaster. I know, I was only four, but it’s the concept that counts.

The moral of the story? If you try to coupon without understanding the process, I can guarantee you’ll hit a wall and want to give up. The great news is you aren’t four years old. You’ve put in the work and you’re ready. So let’s go to the store.

Hitting the Store

Since we are going to Publix this week, I’m going to walk you through what I would do on an average trip. First thing to do is get your list and coupons out. Before we get too far into the store, I want to share a quick note about binders and buggies. Unless grocery carts have been reengineered in the last few weeks, trying to prop your binder up in the buggy is going to drive you nuts. Save your sanity, grab your purse or some of your reusable shopping bags, and place it underneath your binder. If you don’t, then the binder is going to flop back and forth since it’s about an inch too short to stay where it needs to. You’ll thank me later.

Next, head over to the customer service counter and see if they have any coupons. Take the bundle they offer, give it a quick glance just in case there is anything you want to use during today’s trip, and then put the rest away so you can file them later.

As you walk through the aisles, tossing a little of this and a little of that into your buggy, you need to somehow separate out the coupons that you now plan to use. For example, say you have five coupons for the Wish-Bone Salad Dressing from the example above, but there are only three bottles left on the shelf. You will end up using three of your coupons and saving two for later.

I take the coupons I am going to use, turn them around backward, and put them in the very back of my envelope. This helps me keep all the coupons I’m going to use together in one place so they don’t get lost by the time I check out.

Work your way through the store and through your list. Hopefully you will be able to find everything that you want, but if not, it’s time for another trip to customer service, this time for rain checks. A rain check is a special slip issued by the store when they are out of a particular sale item. It allows you to take advantage of the sale price at a later date once the item is back in stock.

Rain checks have a special place in my heart. They’re perfect for procrastinators like me. If there are items you still really want but the shelves are empty, then grab a rain check. Customer service will be happy to write them up for you; you just have to make sure not to lose them. Pick a spot in your binder or filing system just for rain checks. That way you always know where to look when you are ready to put them to good use.

Checkout Time

Okay, if you haven’t organized the coupons you are going to use, then find a quiet spot to do so now. Go through and count your items to make sure you have the right number of coupons pulled out for each item on your list. Planning on stacking? Then you’ll need those coupons too. It really helps to look everything over just one more time before you head to the checkout, mostly because you don’t want to miss anything. I’ve had trips when I’m walking out the door looking at my receipt only to realize I forgot to use this coupon or that rain check.

Going through the line is the easy part, and it’s the fun part! Just put your groceries up on the belt, hand over your coupons, and watch the total drop. With every little beep that number will get smaller and smaller as your smile gets bigger and bigger. You’ll walk out of the store feeling lighter, happy, and hopefully more than a little excited.

Why? Because you are officially a couponer!

Make your first Time 2 $ave shopping list.

Go online and make a practice list on the Time 2 $ave blog. Choose the store you shop at most frequently and cruise through, looking closely at all the sales listed for the week. Now, find one product that really interests you and take this little six-question quiz to test your coupon matchup comprehension.

1. Of the options listed, which coupon is the best one to use on this product? (Remember, some stores will double coupons up to a certain amount.)
2. Where can you find the coupons listed? Are they printables? Or did they come from a newspaper, magazine, blinkie machine, or peelie?
3. If the coupon is from a newspaper insert, can you find it in the Red Plum, Smart Source, Proctor & Gamble, or General Mills insert?
4. If the coupon is from a newspaper insert, when was that insert released?
5. Is there a store or competitor coupon that can be stacked with the manufacturer coupon listed?
6. What will your final price be if you have the best coupons listed?

How did you do? Great! Now, check the boxes beside the items you’d like to buy and print out your very first shopping list!