Saving $$ in Hawaii with Coupons

Maybe some of you grew up using coupons or knowing how to combine coupons for ultimate savings, but I've never really used them. I would see them and think; "$.35 off? That's not such a big deal. Forget it." Other than using coupons occasionally for eating out, I'm ashamed to admit that they have not been a big part of my life. And I live in one of the most expensive states in the US, too! I've had friends on the mainland saving major buck$ over the past year or so by couponing, but it seemed too complicated even though one friend in particular, Kari, has been patiently responding to my many texts/emails begging for help. Kari and I go waaaaayyy back (ok maybe not waaaaay back since we both admit to only being in our late 20's), so I feel like I know her ways of thinking pretty well, and seeing how much money she's been saving blows my mind! She has a great website (Northshore Mama) that you should check out if you want to save money. It specializes in the northshore area above New Orleans, but a huge majority of her site content features ways anyone can save regardless of where they live.

Another MUST website for coupon deals: The Krazy Koupon Lady

And if you're here in Hawaii with me, you'll want to connect to: My Aloha Deals

So anyway, living here in Hawaii with 3 young kids (2 in diapers) is a little difficult. My husband has a good job and I am able to stay home, which is a huge blessing that I am thankful for every day. But things can be tight. So I decided that I wanted to give this couponing thing a try and see if I could actually save significant money doing it.

About a month ago, I saved $5 with coupons at Foodland. The next week, we saved about $30 between the grocery store and Target. It's gotten easier to figure stuff out and although I still consider myself a novice couponer, I am learning the ropes and having FUN!

Today I saved $54.18 and am SO excited about it that I wanted to share my couponing adventures a little, and hopefully it will encourage some of you to start couponing as well. Especially my local friends because I know how tough it is here in Paradise.

Note to Hawaii people: many mainland stores have days where they double your coupon values, so a $.50 coupon will turn into a $1 coupon. To my knowledge, there are NO stores in Hawaii that double. So don't get your hopes up too much and think that you will see the kind of savings that the "Extreme Couponing" people see. However, don't give up...every little bit helps, right? Also keep this important fact in mind: as you know, here in Hawaii space is limited. This goes for stores too! They are always getting new inventory in and so they need to sell what they have to make room! So we may not get 'doubling' but we do get good sales. Read on....

Today's little 3-bag haul from Long's would have cost me over $100 if I had paid what I normally pay for the items purchased. Up until now, we've just made bi-monthly (paycheck days) trips to Wal-Mart and bought everything needed, not using coupons. We just assumed that Wal-Mart had the best prices. UGH I cannot believe how much money we've wasted doing this! So after my shopping trip today, I figured up how much money I saved by taking what we normally would pay for the item full price, then subtracting what I actually paid. Here are the amazing results, with the best saved for last!

Popcorn Normally would have paid $2.39 - Actually paid $1 = $1 savings

Dawn dishwashing soap Regular price $2 - Paid $.94 each = $1.06 savings (times 2)

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers Regular price $3.47 - Paid $1.41 each = $2.06 savings (times 2)

Glad trash bags Regular price $6.84 - Paid $3.40 = $3.44 savings

Huggies Diapers Regular price $15 - Paid $6.99 each - $8.01 savings (times 2)

Huggies wipes Regular price $6.50 - Paid $1.09 each = $5.41 savings (times 2)

Pantene Regular price - $5.84 each - Paid $0.79 each = $5.05 savings (times 2)

Oral B toothbrushes Regular price - $3.47 - Paid $0.19 each = $3.28 savings (times 5) I actaully had 5 coupons and yes, I bought 5 because they have no expiration date, are small, and were only nineteen cents each!!!!

Crazy, huh?

I still have alot to learn, but this is what I am doing so far...

1) buy two Sunday papers and clip all the coupons from the inserts (spent an hour on this Sunday night)

2) Organize coupons; food/non-food, then by type such as drinks, toothpaste, etc. (spent 1/2 hour on this Monday)

3) Look through the sale papers and announcements that came in the Sunday paper. Write down all the matches you find for your coupons (I saw that toothbrushes were on sale and knew that I had a toothbrush coupon that matched). Many stores have sales on similar items so read your coupon 'fine print' carefully and note which stores have the best sale so you'll get a better deal. (Spent 45 min on this Monday).

4) Tuck all your coupons and store lists away into a handy organizer and take it to the store when you go shopping.

5) It's also a good idea to check the above mentioned coupon sites and see if there are additional coupons you can print that match up with things you need that are also on sale.

6) If you don't match coupons up to sales, don't worry. The coupons usually don't expire for awhile and I'm learning to be patient because the sales DO come up eventually.

7) Carry the coupons with you! Check the 'clearance' racks at all stores. If the item is steeply discounted AND you have a coupon, you can get it for free or even get paid to take it out of the store! A few weeks ago I got a Duncan Hines cake AND the icing for a grand total of...twenty five cents!

It seems overwhelming at first, but I promise that you get the hang of it.

My initial hesitations about doing this...

1) "This takes a lot of time!" Not really. I am a full-time 'stay at home mom', after all...so I feel like I can find a few hours out of the week to devote to finding ways to save money. This is part of my job as a wife/mom!

2) "This is confusing to figure out how to do." Yeah a little, but I remind myself that I'm a college graduate and I have a brain! I can figure it out! And practice makes perfect, so get started!

3) "I don't have space to stockpile a bunch of stuff." Space is limited here so I don't plan to stockpile huge amounts of items. If I get a surplus of items I have PLENTY of friends who would love to be blessed with extras. But it's nice to get a small stockpile of frequently used items while they are on sale so I don't pay full price for them later...

So this is just the beginning of my coupon journey, but I'm excited about it so far! My husband is super excited about the savings...and how we will probably save a bunch in the future. Who knows, maybe we'll even be able to afford to have another baby!

HAHAHAHAHAHA yeah right...lol....