The Classy Way to be Frugal... How I Coupon

Brought over from my previous blog.

I'll be honest, it just recently struck me that I need to be more frugal.

I'm human, I've racked up some credit cards, bought some unnecessary things, and now as I look at my finances, I sit here and think, "Wow... I've got to get this on lockdown".

Not that I'm going to lose my house or anything, in fact some would probably wish to have my minimal amount of debt, but some bills are a little higher than I'd like them to be, and I've started employing some strategies on how to strecth a dollar a little farther, get those card balances down, while still having a life and not having to give everything up.

Some of the tactics I've been using as of late are:

• Lists. I've always been a really big list girl, it helps me feel organized. When I go to the grocery store, if I don't have a list I find I can get distracted by flash sales, or pretty packaging. I also find I forget what I have at home, and come home with 2 more boxes of cereal when there's 1 and a half still to be eaten. A few days before grocery day, I'll go through my kitchen and really take inventory of what I need, and when I get to the store, its laid out for me and there's no little surprises.
• Don't Forget About Yourself - I always set aside usually $30-$50 dollars (depending on what I have coming up) for myself each pay, to do whatever I want with. Usually in the Winter I'll only do $30, because I go out way less during that season, but in the warmer months I'll set aside $50. With that I'll get a cute pair of shoes I see, or some books, jewelry,  anything that I just have to have or want. Without doing that, you can often "starve" yourself, which can lead to bigger, more expensive slip ups. This is different from needs money, its basically myself giving myself an allowance. See a cute bag for $100 dollars? Better save up!
• Have once every few months where you allow yourself to splurge. I try to at the beginning/mid to every season. That's when I'll buy a few new things for Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter to update my wardrobe. I'll sometimes make it more fun, by taking trips away to do that kind of shopping, like going down to the States or to Moncton.
• Couponing

Couponing is the heart of this post, and I think it's way under-rated, and has a bad rap. You see all these crazy shows like "Extreme Couponing" and think... ehh.. better not. I really only coupon at one store, which is where I do 90% of my shopping.

You don't have to know me very well to know that I am obsessed with Target. That place is my happy place. I'd always seen YouTube Gurus do their Target hauls and be like "Why.. WHY can't Canada have stores like that??" Well, now Target has finally come into my life and I'll never let it leave. That place is my jam.

Me... when I'm at Target unsupervised...

Its my ultimate love because of many reasons, but one big one, is their coupon section on their website. It's right at the top bar, and you click coupons, go through the bunch of things they have offers for, and bam. Instant savings.They print right out and you're ready to go.  They're good coupons too! Not just save 5 cents or anything, but a good few dollars or so. I always get most of my groceries (and clothes, and housewares, and makeup.....) at Target. I find their prices are the best, and I love the quality of product they carry. The only thing I don't get there is meat or vegetables, which I save for my local grocery store. 

Coupons have changed with the times. I always take a mild panic attack when anything happens when I'm checking out someplace to hold up other customers, but Target is great. When my items are on the belt, I set the coupon on its corresponding product, the clerk scans it, and boop! Done. On my most recent adventure the clerk told me I don't even have to do that, just hand her the stack before we begin, and she can scan them all at the end and the computer automatically deducts the prices. How wicked is that?!?

Another good thing to look into is the Target Red Card. It's a debit card that hooks right up to your regular bank card, and saves you 5% on each purchase. It doesn't sound like a lot, but you can use it on everything, T.V's, anything! And if you're like me and get your groceries there, 5% off that total is really worth it! Think about at Christmas time, people! They also let you have the 5% WITH your coupons! I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner.

On my last grocery order, I saved just shy of $20.00, and it would of been more had my Red Card arrived in the mail before we were starting to starve to death (Bi weekly grocery day probz). At the end of the day, that amount isn't going to make or break you, but when you think of it, that's an extra few kilometers in your gas tank, a movie on Friday night with your Hubby, or being able to treat yourself to going out for lunch at work an extra time.

Like everything, use your judgement. Try to restrain yourself from buying "just because", always have a plan, and if its readily available, swipe that coupon to save a few bucks. 

Maybe someday I'll be able to afford that Michael Kors purse, Ha!

Want to learn even more about being classy and frugal? Check out my good buddy's blog, Downstairs And In Debt! Girlfriend is whacking her way out of debt, and no longer downstairs! I'd say her tips work!

http://downstairsandindebt.wordpress.com/