Ten Levels of Becoming a Karate Coupon Master {Part 2}

Don't Forget! Tomorrow is Friday and time for Friday Favorites! Go ahead and start thinking of your favorite {80s sitcom, 90s crush, new etsy site, hair style, coupon agenda, etc} to link here! Get your button using that code right over there on the top left <-------.
I had such a great time last week and can't wait to do it again!

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Y’all are the funniest people out there! If you didn’t read the comments section from Part 1 of this couponing post, then you need to hop back and read it. From Couponing “Pants on the Ground” to “getting beat up by Johnny and the skeleton outfitted kids”, I think you covered it all.
Thanks for being awesome in your kuh-rah-TAY-ness.

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In part 1, I covered my belt levels of becoming a Karate Coupon Master from a white belt through Mr. Miyagi.

Today’s post will go over some of the tips and tricks that I’ve learned and used to get farther along the belt system- without actually using the crane kick at the checkout counter.


• The biggest goal to maintain for me is that I want this to be a blessing for my family- not a burden. When I hear myself saying, “Mommy can’t read that book to you because I have to clip coupons from coupons.com because they just reloaded coupons right now”, I know something’s gotta give. For me, I have to find a reasonable balance in how much I can do. For that reason, I think I’m probably in between a brown and a black belt on my chart.

• I took a coupon class from Kristan at Money Wise Shopper {who said 5 times that her site was still under construction, so I feel like I need to include that here}. If you are in the North Alabama area, I would strongly recommend her class {contact information on the last link}.
If you’re not in the area, find a class near you that will help you get a grip on the whole idea of couponing- especially if you are a beginner. Kristan gave us a list of “to buy” prices for items, a strategic plan that has worked for her and COUPONS, of course! Lots of them!


Here are my coupon tricks:
1) Much like Dave Ramsey talks about Christmas “being a surprise every year”, we always act surprised when dinner comes around every night! One of my biggest mental changes is the planning that takes place before shopping and coordinating that with our dinner plans. This saves you from running to the store all the time for little things that turn out to be $75 Super Target purchases- not that I would know anything about that…

2) I have stocked my freezer for a while with meat {a lot from Angel Food, some from Sam’s and sales}, so I now just buy what’s on sale and plan dinners around that.

3) There are many great ways to plan ahead for dinner {to save you time and money}.
Homemade Gourmet has fabulous planning tips and tricks {my friend Melanie is a rep if you need one}, Tricia at Once a Month Mom has an awesome plan every month, Stephanie at Crockpot 365 is fabulous for planning ahead AND not spending time over the stove and there are dozens of sites out there to help you make the most of your time with your family while NOT running to the store at 5:00 to find something for dinner {and possibly nail polish, toothpaste not on sale- A mortal SIN- and overpriced cereal for the morning}.

4) I have a bit of a problem with stockpiling.
Although I know it will help in the long run, I counted our cereal boxes and we currently have 24 {because I got them all for under $1.50- my “buy now” price for cereal- Kristan’s is $1- $2, so I feel okay with that}. My marriage is at stake here, so I vowed to not buy any more, but know that it can be addictive.
I cannot divulge the number of Steamfresh Veggies or Progresso soups I currently have.
You already know too much.


5) I use newspaper coupons from 2 papers in order to stockpile when things are one sale {some people recommend a paper for each member of your family, but I can’t handle more than 2}, All You Magazine {highly recommend- you can get it at Wal-Mart or get a subscription- got mine for free from Sky Miles} and print LOTS of online coupons {the websites listed below have links to each coupon they mention that's available online}.

6) Here are my favorite sites for couponing:
http://www.iheartpublix.com/. Because I DO ♥ Publix, as outlined in this very old post. Michelle does an amazing job of showing you WHAT is on sale, for HOW MUCH and WHICH coupons you can use to make them super cheap.
Basically you don’t have to think.
She has the Unagi. {FYI- this link contains funny Friends clips with Unagi. It also contains "mild" curse words that I wouldn't have blinked at in college, but would turn the channel for now with kids around. So, don't play if you have children within earshot. Do play if you miss the Unagi.}

http://www.southernsavers.com/. This has the same printable links and couponing approach- just with more stores.

http://www.couponmom.com/. She does a fantastic job of showing you what’s on sale, coupons to use AND the percentage you would be saving from the regularly listed price.

If you like Kroger, http://www.cellfire.com/ has upload-able coupons that you can put on your Kroger card {you don’t have to print or cut them!} and they also have an iPhone app. I might switch to Kroger just for this tech-y coolness.

http://www.shortcuts.com/ also has upload-able coupons for your Kroger card.

So there you have it, folks. The secrets behind my crane kick. I only use it when necessary, of course.
And- if I quit stockpiling cereal for End Times- I might even get the guy at the end.

This weekend I spent $90 at Publix and saved $154 for loads of groceries and goodies.
Take that, Johnny.


Since I love saving money, this post is linked to Jill's Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries- with MR. Diaper Diaries guest posting today! Love it!

So, what's your favorite couponing tip or site?
Do you go "gung-ho coupons" in spurts {because I do, sometimes}?
And what's the most you've ever saved {or your goal}?

Ten Levels of Becoming a Karate Coupon Master {Part 1}

Much like the Art of Karate {please tell me you can hear Ross from Friends saying this with the accent on the end}, there are many levels to the art of couponing.

After I took a class recently, you let me know that you’d be interested in hearing about it, so I’m here to serve! The biggest thing I can emphasize to you is that you can do as much or as little as you’d like to do. Not everyone will have the time, energy or gusto {oh how I love “gusto”} to be a master coupon user. Anything will help, but the overall knowledge of what options are out there will hopefully inspire and encourage you to move on to the next level.

You cannot start out as Mr. Miyagi. You have to do a lot of waxing and painting first. So let’s start with the basics, Daniel-son.

1. White Belt- You realize that there are coupons available and you use a $2 coupon on a razor. This makes you immensely happy and you buy yourself some other treat to make up for the $2 you saved.

2. Gold Belt- You decide to use more than one coupon and you are super proud of yourself. You even deny yourself the Snickers bar {that you totally deserve} at the check out counter.

3. Orange Belt- You start to realize that you can use coupons on items that are ON SALE and then you do a dance in the aisle.

4. Blue Belt- You really start to care about things you never thought about before: food planning, freezer and pantry space, sale items and coupons that go with them.

5. Green Belt – You read the newspaper or websites to find out what is on sale for the week ahead and plan your shopping and family meals accordingly.

6. Purple Belt- You print and use online coupons. You abandon all pride and talk to your local grocery store manager about their coupon policies. {“Is it possible that I could use competitor coupons, a doubled manufacturer coupon and a store coupon on one item? Puh-leeease?”}

7. Brown Belt- You buy more than one newspaper and subscribe to store publications or magazines that you know have good coupons in them.

8. Black Belt - You stock up on sale items and only buy what is on sale AND what has a coupon.

9. Grand Champion- You navigate 2-3 stores with ease and only shop their sale items with coupons availble.

10. Mr. Miyagi- You have reached a level of zen that allows you to have a couponing “system”, a binder or storage box for your coupons and the people at the grocery store hate to see you coming. You have achieved a level on “one-ness” with your couponing and you have a certain level of satisfaction that only few have managed to attain. You spend less per week on your groceries than you would on a haircut.

In part 2 of this post {planned for Thursday}, I’ll let you know where I am on the chart and some tips that have helped me that you can use!

So, where are you on the Belt Chart of Couponing?

I love posting to my friend Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday at Oh Amanda. She was recently chosen to go on a blogging trip with World Vision to the Dominican Republic in May and I am THRILLED for her and the rest of the group going! Please join me in praying for them and their journey. I know it will be amazing!