Step 2... After you are organized! Shopping!

Every Wednesday the sale ads come out with a couple exceptions. Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and Dollar General ads come out on Sundays. Every Wednesday I look at the sale ads and have my coupon binder next to me. I compare the ads with my coupons to see if there are any really good deals. If there are none that jump out at me, I go visit my favorite stores which include Dollar General, Kroger and Albertsons. I do not coupon at CVS and Walgreens, only because I don't have time... those three stores are PLENTY! Walmart is a good spot also, but I only go there a couple of times a month because their sales rarely change. Once you are at the store, you do your own comparisons with the items on sale, NOT ALL SALES ARE ADVERTISED! If you have a coupon and the item is on sale that does not mean it is an awesome deal! Try to purchase ALL items for under a dollar or for free. The items you will always get for free include: dish washing soap, hand soap, lotion, razors, shaving cream, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, candy, fabric softener, pasta, pasta sauces, spices, condiments (except ranch, thats a tough one!) and pads/panty liners.

If you can get an item for $0.50 or less, it is usually a really good deal! Keep in mind if the store has a buy one get one free sale, you can use TWO coupons because you are purchasing two items. This is how I scored AWESOME Schick razors for free last week at Kroger. They had a BOGO sale and I had a BOGO coupon for the same razor... making both of them free!! Make sense? I love it when the stars align like that!

As far as coupons doubling, Albertsons and Tom Thumb are the only two stores that still double. Albertsons will double four like coupons and Tom Thumb will double three like coupons; however, Tom Thumb will only accept three like coupons total. I find that even with the sales and coupons I rarely get a good deal at Tom Thumb. Albertsons tends to have better deals and double four like coupons, but they have no limit for like-coupons as long as a limit isn't stated on the coupon. For example, P&G product coupons always say "only four like coupons in the same transaction" in that case Albertsons will only accept four of the same coupon per transaction.