THE RELUCTANT HOUSEWIFE’S GUIDE TO COUPONING By Kimberley Springer docx

THE RELUCTANT HOUSEWIFE’S
GUIDE TO COUPONING
By Kimberley Springer
Copyright 2012 Kimberley Springer
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
STEP 1 – GET ORGANIZED
STEP 2 – DON’T BUY ANYTHING THAT YOU DON’T NORMALLY BUY
STEP 3 – THE PRICE IS RIGHT
STEP 4 – PAY ATTENTION
STEP 5 – STUFF TAKES UP SPACE
STEP 6 – MULTIPLE COUPONS
STEP 7 – LOYALTY CARDS
STEP 8 – PRINTABLE COUPONS
STEP 9 – KNOW THE RULES
STEP 10 – START SMALL
APPENDIX – PRICES OF ITEMS I BUY REGULARLY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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INTRODUCTION
About 9 months ago, I quit working. I had been going to school in addition to
working full time and I was at the point where I needed to quit and spend the

next school year at the local school each day completing my internship part of
the program. Normally, transitioning from a working mom to a stay at home
mom might not be so difficult but since I was the sole income for our family of
4 and we had next to nothing in the bank, it was quite a leap of faith on our
part.
How we were able to survive? Coupons. I know it sounds crazy but it’s true. I
had used coupons twenty years before when I was a starving college student
just starting out. Back then it was easy to coupon. All the grocery stores
doubled coupons up to $2 and it didn’t take much time or attention to save
$20-30 every time I went to the store. But my early couponing days didn’t last
long. As soon as I got my student loan money deposited, my couponing days
were over.
This time around was a little trickier since very few places double coupons
anymore but it’s still very easy and very possible for all of us to save hundreds
of dollars every month using these tiny pieces of paper! Because we live in a
world where there is a reality show about coupons, things are a little more
difficult to navigate than in the past. But trust me, keep reading and I promise
you I will share the tips and tricks that I wish I had known back in September
when we started this adventure. You too can save at least 50% every time you
go to the grocery store!
STEP 1 – GET ORGANIZED
Get a 3 ring binder and some baseball card holders that fit into it. Nothing
fancy and DO NOT pay money for a coupon organizer! If you use an accordion
type file, you can’t see everything easily and you will waste time looking for
the coupon you know is hiding in there somewhere. Don’t do it. Trust me, a 1-
inch binder so you can carry what you need easily will work just fine. Now I
know the TV show has women carrying binders that weigh more than their
children, but again, if this isn’t something you can easily implement and keep
up with, you will give up.
We as consumers are constantly throwing money away by not paying a bit of

attention to what we buy. Get a small binder and a few baseball card holders
and that is enough to get you started. (You can usually find these at dollar
stores although the plastic might not be as thick as those at Target, you can
get 5 packs for the price of 1.) Also, put in only the number of card holders you
need. Put the empty ones away where you won’t look at them and be reminded
by how few coupons you are starting out with. Trust me, it only takes about 2
months to have more coupons that you could ever want and the more you keep
in your binder, the more you have to sort through them later for expired
coupons. Try to keep it small. Sort your coupons into food and non-food items
and try to group condiments, dairy, etc. on the same page. That’s enough to
get you started.
I also like to get rid of expired coupons and make sure the coupons are grouped
properly about twice a month but that’s up to you. I usually do that while
waiting for someone in my car or when it’s a holiday and there are no Sunday
coupons to go through.
Now that you’re all set up, you need coupons to organize. Get a Sunday paper
subscription. Now, most papers have regional coupons, meaning not all papers
get the same coupons. We live in Southern California and I originally signed up
for three different papers to see which I liked the best. Turns out the San Diego
Tribune does not include Red Plum inserts (which are usually weekly) and
because of that it was a waste of my money. The Press Enterprise (local) is
pretty good but doesn’t have the same coupons as the Los Angeles Times.
Currently, I get 3 PE and 2 LA papers delivered each Sunday. Again, I wouldn’t
recommend that unless you are trying to stockpile everything now so that when
you to return to work you don’t have to make time to go shopping (like me).
Call your local paper and ask if they have a Sunday only subscription deal. I was
able to get one paper for half-off the cover price and the other for one-third
the price. All 5 papers each week cost me $3.50. If you live somewhere where
multiple papers will deliver, call around. I got one subscription as low as $.25
per week but the delivery guy was horrible! I only got my paper about once a

month and it wasn’t worth the bargain since each Sunday I had to email or call
to report a missing paper. Most newspapers are hurting for subscribers so see
what kind of deal you can get.
Also, home delivery gets the coupon insert priority. So, since they don’t print
enough inserts for all the papers, they put them in the home delivery
newspapers first, then the leftover inserts they put in the papers at the store.
So if you go buy them at the store on Sunday, there might not be any coupons
in them. (It’s also fun to wake up in the morning and find the paper on your
driveway. No need to get ready for the day before you can see what bargains
are in store. Just put on your robe, grab your paper and coffee and start
saving.)
STEP 2 – DON’T BUY ANYTHING THAT YOU DON’T NORMALLY BUY
This is the hardest rule to live by! It really is the most important rule and
would have been number 1 except that if you can’t find your coupons, you
won’t be using them regularly, defeating the purpose of reading this.
Do not get sucked into buying things you wouldn’t normally buy! Trust me!
We’ve all done this. Learn from my mistakes! Do not do it! The only exception I
have to this rule is if it is free or you are being paid to take the item from the
store. Now, only certain stores will allow overages so you need to find out if
stores allow that before you buy something you wouldn’t normally get. Food
for free is always good and a nice thing to donate to charity but be warned,
non-food items are taxable and even if it’s free, it may cost you money in the
long run. Also, whatever you buy will take up space so make sure you can
accommodate all those free popsicles in your freezer before you agree to take
them home.
STEP 3 – THE PRICE IS RIGHT
Saving money with coupons can be addicting! It’s not only the retail high I used
to get by shopping at the mall in high school but it’s compounded by feeling
like you cheated the system when you get things for free, or better yet, paid to
take them! Do not fall into the world of buying things just because you have a

coupon! Coupons can expire without having to be used. It’s ok! Actually, if you
are willing to donate your old coupons to the military it’s great because they
can use expired coupons (for up to 6 months after the expiration date) when
shopping overseas. Trust me, if you can get it on sale cheaper than you can
regular price with your coupon, let it go!
STEP 4 – PAY ATTENTION
Now, I know this sounds simple but do you know what cooking spray costs you? I
didn’t. I had no idea that the spray my daughter uses liberally when she makes
pancakes is almost $5 at full price. Grocery store advertisements get delivered
to your mailbox weekly. Open them, do not throw them out. Inside is the key
to smart shopping. The cooking spray last week was $3.49 at one grocery store,
$3.99 at another, $2.99 at another, and $1.99 at another (when you bought 10
sale items). I went to the final store and bought 2 cans with another 8 sale
times. Then, later in the week a printable coupon came out for $1 off the
spray. I printed 4 (we have two computers that I use to print coupons) and ran
back to the store to buy 4 more cans with 6 more sale items. These last 4 cans
were only .99 each! That means I got all 4 for less than the regular price of 1!
Going through grocery ads can be overwhelming. Try to find a way to make it
work for you. I make a list of what I think I would buy from each store with the
price of the item next to it. Then, as I open more ads and find better deals for
the cooking spray, I scratch that item off my list of other stores. So in the end,
I am left with the four stores I regularly shop at and a list of which of them
have the best deals on the items I regularly buy.
What if you don’t live near 4 grocery stores like me? Don’t open the ads! This is
risky because you might lose out on a great deal (but I’ll tell you later how you
won’t really). However, I get annoyed when I have too many stores to shop at
in order to save money. So, the stores I don’t shop at, the ads go straight in the
recycle bin without being opened. Besides, driving to different stores costs
money in gas and your time which is extremely valuable, so only do it if the list
is worth the trip. If at the end of my creating my list, a certain store has less

than 4 items on it, I usually skip that store that week. It’s just not worth my
time.
Grocery stores are not the only ones that take coupons. Drug stores are a great
source for free or cheap personal items, such as deodorant, toothpaste, razors,
etc. These ads come in your Sunday paper subscription. Read them, make a list
of the deals you think are too good to pass up. Then, check to make sure you
are right.
When I first started out, I didn’t know what things cost. I hadn’t paid much
attention before. I just knew that every time I went to Target I spent well over
$100 if not $200. I had no idea what were good prices for items and what
weren’t. This is where coupon internet sites help tremendously!
I like thekrazycouponlady.com to determine what is a good deal. You go to the
site and they have little yellow icons that indicate if the price is so good you
should stock up for 3 months or if it’s great and you should get a 6 month
supply. The unwritten rule is that all items will either go on sale or offer
coupons at least twice a year. I’m not sure if that’s always true, but in the 9
months I have been paying attention to the prices of items I have learned that
if the site doesn’t feel it’s a good deal (meaning there is no little yellow icon) I
might buy one or two of the item if I currently need it but I don’t get sucked
into buying 10 bags of Chex Mix thinking it’s a bargain just to find it half the
price a week later.
This sort of thing happened to me all the time back when I was first starting
out. Don’t fall for a sale just because it’s on sale and in the ad; it might not be
a good price at all! Start paying attention to what things normally cost and to
what is on sale each week and you’ll be amazed at the money you will save! (At
the end I have included a price index as a starter guide to help you evaluate a
good deal.)
STEP 5 – STUFF TAKES UP SPACE
Now, many of the deals I get require buying multiples of an item. Especially
drug store deals where you get $5 back when you spend $10. Not only will you

need multiple coupons (which we will discuss later) but you will need space to
put your newly acquired things. You are creating a stockpile. This is the place
where you will put the 4 deodorants that you don’t need right now but it is
often cheaper to buy 4 than 1 with the right sale and coupons. Be aware of
where you will put your things and what you already have. Once you have
enough of an item, only buy more if it is free or they pay you to take it! Just
because you can get it for only $.50 doesn’t mean you need your 11th stick of
deodorant!
Personally, I am very happy to donate overflow items to charity. We have given
friends who have been struggling financially bags of food and household goods
as well as to various charitable organizations. It’s a nice feeling to be able to
help others and it’s a great feeling to know that without coupons you wouldn’t
be able to have that option. But again, beware. Do not pay money for things
you are going to donate unless you set a strict budget and stick to it. For
example, toothpaste is an item that is often free or less than $.50 per tube
with a coupon and sale. If you feel that at $.50 you need to buy 4 for charity,
then put it in a place separate from your stockpile that is strictly for donations
and write on the item how much it cost you including tax! You would be
amazed how quickly those items less than a dollar can add up. It’s great to
help others but do not let it impact your pocketbook. Set a budget for
charitable goods and stick to it!
STEP 6 – MULTIPLE COUPONS
As I said, we get multiple papers to allow me to find the best deals possible
and stock up when the great sales are happening before I return to working
full-time. Coupon classes (offered by newspapers) will tell you to get one
subscription for each person in your household. I don’t think this is necessary
unless you predict your coupon habits will change drastically in the future. If
you are trying to stock up friends or family in need in addition to yourself, then
definitely get multiple papers. If you are just planning to save money and
continue the habit of using coupons long term, 1-2 papers each week is plenty.

If there is a great coupon, like $5 off dog food, you can always go to the store
and buy another paper or two. Just be sure to peek in it first to ensure the
coupon insert you need is inside.
Some items go on sale seasonally (like sunscreen or weed killer) and you should
stock up while you can, but others (like toothpaste and deodorant) go on sale
at least once a month if not more! You do not need to stockpile these items.
Trust me, one item in use and one backup is plenty. We have given away more
than 100 tubes of toothpaste and 25 toothbrushes since September. As I told
my husband, “Why anyone would ever pay for toothpaste, I just don’t
understand!” All you need is a coupon and a sale!
STEP 7 – LOYALTY CARDS
You definitely need savings cards for the stores you shop at. It kills me when
someone runs in for an item at a store they never go to and they pay full price
because they don’t want to sign up for a store card. If you went in there once,
get the card. It takes a minute but you may end up back there again. Most
cards are on keychains or linked to your phone number and they allow you to
get the sale price you cannot get without them and often extra money back so
sign up for the card.
Also, make sure your cards have your current information. Ralphs mails money
saving coupons based on your spending so if they have an old address, you miss
out! CVS prints Extrabucks based on your spending each quarter and Staples
will email you Rewards dollars. Use the programs to your advantage to save
even more than with coupons alone!
STEP 8 – PRINTABLE COUPONS
The upside to printable coupons is that you have immediate access to them via
the internet. Facebook and other websites often have coupons you can print in
addition to the major coupon sites. This is another area where you can easily
go overboard! Especially when you have your brand new binder with lots of
empty pages. (That’s why I recommend putting the empty pages elsewhere and
not in your binder.) It’s tempting to print coupons until your ink runs out. Don’t

do it!
Print only coupons for items you already buy. Print only 1 unless you know that
you need to stock up on that item. In our family, we go through 2 jars of salsa a
week and we only like one particular kind so when there is a printable coupon
for it, I print all 4 allowed copies (2 from each computer).
Determine which computer and printer you will use if you decide to print
coupons. You have to load software onto whatever computer you want to use
and that can be a frustrating process the first time around. Beware of
downloading other things beside the coupon printer (some of those sites have
advertisements that look like the software you need but it is not) and when you
first try to print, it may not work, so for that time only, print a coupon you
wouldn’t normally use. If it doesn’t work, your computer will think you printed
it and might not let you print it again and that’s incredible frustrating when it’s
a coupon you really need!
Be aware of how much ink and paper printable coupons can use. Many printable
coupons have ads at the bottom of the page which also print and use way more
ink that you had planned on. Be ready to spend more at office supply stores or
drugstores on ink and paper if you print a lot of coupons.
Target is one store in particular that has a number of coupons you can print.
Some of those are store coupons and others are manufacture coupons. You will
only know which is which by printing them or researching the coupon before
you print. (Again thekrazycouponlady.com has a list of whether they are store
coupons or manufacturer coupons.) You can use store coupons together with
manufacture coupons (usually) to increase your savings.
STEP 9 – KNOW THE RULES
As with any game (and this is a game of saving money which we must win) you
have to know the rules you are playing by if you want to succeed. Different
stores all have different coupon policies which you should be familiar with.
Especially if you only frequent one or two stores on a regular basis.
I like to shop at three drugstores and three grocery stores (since they are all

within a mile of my house) for the best deals. Be aware of the goofy policies.
For example, Walgreens requires that you have at least as many items as
coupons and their money back that you might get from a previous order counts
as a coupon, so know which filler items (small cheap items) you would be
willing to buy if you need more items to complete the deal. Rite Aid only
allows one coupon on BOGO (buy one get one) sales, so even though they
normally take a store coupon an d a manufacture coupon for one item, they
won’t if it’s BOGO. You have to choose the one coupon you want to use. (But at
least their UP rewards don’t count as a coupon.)
When in doubt, ask. Also, some cashiers are less supportive of saving a buck, so
if you feel the need to bring the coupon policy with you or to ask for a
manager, you can but I usually just let it go. I get as many extra deals that I
wasn’t expecting as deals that go slightly wrong so I figure it all works out in
the end. For example, Rite Aid printed me $7 in UP rewards the other day
when it should have only printed $3. On my next trip there, my $10 UP didn’t
print as it should have. The receipt said I only spent $24 in items when I
actually spent $31. Instead of arguing about it, I just went back to the aisle and
spent another $6 to get my $10 should have gotten in the first place. No reason
to get upset (at least not for long) I’ll use that sunscreen eventually. Let’s face
it, if I am not going to use it (or donate it) I shouldn’t have bought it anyway!
CVS is the only store I know of that can force print Extrabucks so if they don’t
print the deal you were sure you were supposed to get and they can find it in
the ad, they will manually print them for you. That’s happened twice in 9
months but sometimes the computers freak out and the automatic savings are
no longer automatic. Again, it helps to pay attention and know what you are
buying and how much in rewards you should be getting back when you’re done.
Also, be sure to read your coupon carefully. One coupon per purchase means
per item that you buy, so 3 coupons for 3 items. Some coupons state only 2
coupons per transaction or one per household, so read the fine print, including
the expiration date.

STEP 10 – START SMALL
Couponing can take you 2 hours per week or it can take you 20 if you let it. You
have to decide what makes sense for you. Set up a time where you will review
the week’s sales and coupons (I spend an hour on Sunday mornings and a half
an hour on Tuesday afternoons for grocery deals) and what day(s) you will do
your shopping. Don’t worry if the store is out of something. Get a raincheck for
any deals that are just a great price and your coupon isn’t about to expire.
That will allow you to get the same deal up to 90 days later. You can try
another store if one is close by and worth the trip. If not, don’t worry. Most
deals can be had again in a week or two and sometimes for less!
In a way, coupons are like the stock market. Prices go up and down and you
can’t ever be sure if a better deal is just around the corner. Focus on the
amount of money you saved and be proud of your efforts. A job that you spend
a few hours a week at that can bring in hundreds of dollars is what this is all
about. Use the coupon internet sites to find deals, find printable coupons, and
gauge prices. I like couponmom.com, coupondivas.com, and
thekrazycouponlady.com but there are many more out there. Even if you just
save a few dollars each week on your grocery bill, that’s money in your pocket
for a vacation, a college fund, or just rent money! Happy savings!
APPENDIX – PRICES OF ITEMS I BUY REGULARLY
Listed below are some of the items I buy regularly. If the price is much higher
than those listed below (taking coupons and money back into the price) you
may want to wait:
Goldfish crackers .99
Chex Mix .99
Ken’s ranch dressing 16 oz FREE
Carefree pantiliners FREE
Stayfree pads .50
Kotex U tampons .99
Speed stick deodorant .50

Crest toothpaste .50 (was free in the fall but haven’t seen that since)
Aquafresh toothpaste FREE
Colgate toothpaste FREE
Barilla pasta .99
Quaker granola bars 1.63
Tide laundry detergent 3.99 (Seriously! It happens, wait for it!)
Dawn liquid dish soap .49
Cascade detergent 3.75
Peanut butter .99
Pam .99
Vlasic pickles 1.50
Jumbo packs of Huggies or Pampers 5.50
Cereal 1.00 (this is one of the most overpriced items when not on sale)
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ALSO AVAILABLE:
The Reluctant Housewife’s Guide to Saving Money
#####
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Now don’t let the name fool you. I love my husband, our kids, and our
marriage. That I have no issues with. It’s the housework that I could do
without. I come from a family of women who don’t cook, hire others to clean
and prefer to go out for dinner as often as the budget will allow. Those lovely
ladies taught me how to order the most expensive thing on the menu (when

someone else is paying, of course) and how to enjoy life to the fullest and
handicap the horses but they certainly never taught me how to make a
casserole or scrub a toilet. I blame genetics. After all, if my grandmother
didn’t enjoy cleaning and cooking for her husband back in the day when that’s
what women did, how could anyone possibly expect me to be domestic?
For the past 13 years I have been the primary bread winner in our family. My
husband was in retail before becoming a writer. As a teacher, the union helped
ensure that my salary was always increasing and with the help of an
administrative credential, my salary was double what his was within just a few
years. I’ve been a working woman for as long as I can remember and I’ve never
been very good at keeping up with the household responsibilities. I can pay the
bills and bring home the bacon but I sure as heck can’t cook it! My husband
feeds us all, mostly by grilling, but he’s learned over the years how to cook
enough dead animals to keep a hint of variety in our diet. If he didn’t cook,
we’d live off of canned goods and microwavable meals. I made a pot roast
once. It was that time of the month when my hormones fooled me into trying
to be a good housewife; usually I just clean out the car and then eat whatever
is left in the tub of chocolate ice cream. The roast didn’t kill us but I sure as
hell never tried to make it again. I can make chocolate chip cookies and
guacamole but beyond that, I’m pretty much useless in the kitchen. And that’s
the way I like it!
My house is a mess. It’s not so bad that my friends need to call CPS (Child
Protective Services) but things are always piled on top of bookshelves and on
the floor. The dirty dishes overflow the sink onto the countertop. My floors are
only cleaned twice a month when Blanca, our wonderful housekeeper, shows
up and makes the house look like what it should be on a daily basis but never
is. In fact, we laugh about how long the house will look that way. Usually
within 4 hours of Blanca’s departure there are once again empty soda cans by
the desk, snacks on the coffee table and dirty socks in the corner of the living
room where the dog drops them after he plays with them. Not everything has a

proper place, so trying to put things away is a never-ending battle. If I actually
get motivated to clean up—usually when family is coming over—I will pick up
something up off one random spot and put it down in another. I have shoved
things in the hall closet before and warned my kids not to open it for fear they
get severely injured.
I hate household chores and responsibilities. I could pick up and little each day
and organize our things, but frankly, I don’t want to. I’d rather go out to dinner
or run to Vegas for the weekend. I do what needs to be done so that our family
has food in the house and the electricity stays on but there are Legos on the
floor, old phone books on the porch and our California King sits on the carpet. I
will never be Martha Stewart, thank God! I am the reluctant housewife.