couponing part 2 - FAQ

Is Southern Savers applicable for the whole country or just a region of the U.S.?

Southern Savers is a blog that applies to the Southeast region of the U.S. It covers Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. That being said....I am almost positive that there would be a blog online for wherever you live in the country. And if there isn't, someone needs to start one!

Do I find myself ending up with a bunch of stuff that I will never use and not being able to get the things I actually need for a good price?

In order for this not to be the case, I made some rules for myself that I stick to no matter what:

1) I always write out what my totals should be out of pocket and if it rings up more than I expected and I can't figure out why or figure out a new scenario....I leave everything at the register and walk out. Yeah, I've done this, feeling like a loser every time.

2) I never buy something I will not use even if it is really cheap; however, I would definitely buy something that I will never use if it is free. (There is always someone you can find to give it to or donate it to) I often have to buy things I don't need that are free to get things that I do need for free at Rite Aid (will explain later).

Isn't is cheaper to buy off brand products than to buy name brand?

I was shocked to find out how much cheaper it is to buy name brand items with coupons than to buy the off brand version. The thing is that off brand products never go on sale. When a name brand product goes on sale and you have a coupon for that item, it will almost always be cheaper than an off brand product.

How do I obtain and organize all the coupons I have to keep track of?

I buy two Sunday papers each week and get other coupons from free samples in the mail or online. The reason that I buy two papers is for double the coupons! There are different ways you can organize your coupons but here's a picture of what I do.

My system definitely takes the most time because I cut out every coupon from the paper and file them all. I like this system because it allows me to find my coupons quickly and to always check if I have a higher value coupon than the one that the blog may mention. I am very much a nerd when it comes to organizing so I loved making this binder and color coding all my tabs! Yay!

Can you really get stuff for free? That just sounds crazy.

Off the top of my head I will list a few things that I have gotten for free:

diapers and wipes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, cough drops, medicine, lotion, bandaids, feminine products, razors, makeup, chapstick, candy, deodorant, shampoo, body wash, hair spray, toilet paper, paper towels, mayo, mustard, sour cream, cake mixes and icing, frozen veggies, salad dressing, laundry detergent, light bulbs, face wash, cleaning supplies.......have I convinced you yet? =)

So as you can see.....there are a TON of things that you can get for free. Now, I have been doing this for about 6 months so it takes awhile to build a stockpile of all your toiletries and non-perishables in the kitchen. Honestly, the drugstores are the places to get free stuff more so than the grocery stores. I go to Rite Aid and CVS almost every week and barely spend anything out of pocket. I will do a post on each drugstore and give you my tips!