Wednesday! My kids favorite day!

Why would you think that Wednesday is my kids favorite day of the week?
Well, first I have five, and they always seems to be hungry, so it's no coincidence that Wednesday just happens to be double coupon day at my local grocer.
My family knows that if I didn't do the coupon thing(I'm actually pretty good at it now) they wouldn't get half of the extra "goodies" that stock our shelves!

I never used to buy the "name brand" hot new item out on the shelf. Even if I did have a coupon, it didn't make a dent in the price compared to the generic version if there even was one.

Every time I go, I have a list in hand and freshly printed coupons that I gather from a couple of websites like CouponMom.com while drinking my coffee in the morning before everyone gets up. It takes about ten minutes.

My mission is to see how much I can save on Wednesday. Most coupons that I print usually can be doubled. My store will double anything up to a dollar! It may be only the first $5-10 that can be doubled . Each store is different. Check your guideline. You also can "stack" your coupons on store promos. This is where the $$$$ start saving! When I make my list I also have my legal size envelopes. I have them labeled how my store is setup(dairy,frozen, cereal, etc). this makes it much easier so I am not sifting through 100's of coupons. Remember, I have a 2yr old in the cart!

I check their ad's online or at the store quickly( I really don't spend much time on it, a quick glance) so I know ahead of time if there are some really good deals out there. I also am prepared to vary from my list on occasion. For example, if today, I have a coupon for a $1 off of Miracle Whip and the store has a great in-store deal of $2/5(since it's summer time), I'll get it even if it's not on my list. Who wouldn't want mayo for potato salad(you know how much you need for that!) for 50 cents! Plus, any of those 2/5 deals or 10 for 10 deals, most stores do not make you buy the large qty to get the great price! we now get to enjoy a "new" item in the pantry or freezer that we would not have otherwise. Thanks to technology, I save anywhere from $35-almost $80) per trip. It took me longer to write this blog than prep for the store. I'm in and out in 45 minutes.

Some of my best freebies or greatest saving in the last week have been:
Miracle Whip
Jello Pudding(free)
Nature Valley Granola Bars
General Mills cereals (this is perfect for cereal with the rising cost!)
Yoplait yogurt(free)
Sara Lee cheesecake
Ball Park hot dogs(free)
Pop tarts
California Pizza
Digornio Pizza
Kraft Cheese

Also, my teenage girls love that I can do this with Cover Girl and L'Oreal makeup coupons also. They will frequently ask me if I have any coupons for these on Wednesdays. If the coupon says they need to buy 2 of an item ,the girls will split the cost and they can add the coupons on clearance makeup too. Grocery stores rotate their makeup often to bring in the newest color or item so they will mark thing s75-80 percent off. One day the girls came home with a load of makeup(retail about $25) and they paid $3. Each girl paid $1.50!