Stock up on great savings

I always love hearing about the ways Super-Couponers are implementing coupon shopping and savings techniques into their lives! Here’s a sampling of recent success stories.

Q: I have to tell you about my ketchup deal. Bottles of name-brand ketchup were on sale for $1.25. If you bought 10, you saved another $5 instantly. That dropped each bottle to 75 cents. I also had five coupons good for $1 with the purchase of two bottles. So I paid $2.50 for 10 bottles of ketchup, a quarter each! The ketchup doesn’t go out of date for more than a year. We use a bottle a month, so this is not too much to buy.

A: Stocking up during a good sale is always smart shopping. At times, I receive email from new couponers who are afraid to begin stockpiling. But it’s easy to maintain a moderate stockpile that doesn’t overtake your home and your life. My stockpile fits on a set of shelves in my basement with an overflow shelf in my garage for paper products. The space allows me to do normal, three-month stock-ups and ones in which I might find a great deal.

Q: I am amazed how much cereal goes up and down in price. It is usually low at $1.49 and high at $3.99 a box. I like a certain brand of cereal, so I try to stock up enough on it when it is on sale, and I have coupons. But I have also learned when I don’t have any coupons, just buy it when it goes to $1.49.

A: Aside from dairy and produce, my goal is never to be caught paying full price for something. I aim to keep enough of the products we use most frequently on hand and restock my shelves at home when prices are low.

Q: I recently got a great deal on school clothes for my daughter. Our clothing store had a sale: Buy any denim item and receive a $10 coupon for your next shopping trip. We found some girls’ jeans on sale for $4.97. We bought five pairs that cost $24.85 and got five coupons for $10. Now we had $50 to spend on more school clothes. I ended up buying 11 more $4.97 items. After those coupons, I paid $4.67 for the rest of her clothes. So that’s 16 pieces of clothing for $29.52 and tax, about $1.85 per piece!

A: We tend to think of coupons in terms of groceries and household items, but coupons are available for all kinds of things. Many department stores offer coupons for clothes. A “$10-off-a-$25-purchase” coupon in my mailbox or email is usually enough to motivate me to look for some bargains!

Email Jill Cataldo at jill@ctwfeatures.com.