Krazy Couponing

For months I have been following my friend Tara on facebook and watching her do the unimaginable...save $100's of dollars with coupons.  She posts pictures like this about once a week and gives the total amount that she saved.  It's usually at least over one hundred dollars.  I'm pretty sure she saved $350.00 on this stack (sorry the picture is blurry.  I kiffed it from facebook).

So I've been doing some researching and trying to figure out how this works here and there when I have time.  At first I thought, "This will never work for me because I live in a rural community with few resources (places to shop).  We don't even get major weekend newspapers that have the biggest collections of coupons."  I still think that has some merit, but for you Missouri friends of mine, there is hope at Walmart and Walgreens (and probably more that I just don't know about yet).  I don't think I'll ever get the deals that my friend Tara gets, but that doesn't mean I can't get some!

Here's what I have learned after looking on about two dozen sites for printable manufacturer coupons, wondering if it's worth making usernames and passwords, etc... the Krazy Coupon Lady site is the place to go!  They do all the searching for the coupons for you and post them on one site. I think my time is well spent just familiarizing myself with one website instead of dozens.  I don't know how to navigate the whole thing yet, but I'm starting to understand.  Also, on the Krazy Coupon Lady home menu bar, there's a tab called, "Beginners."  Finally, some of my questions were answered!  They have a 10 step process to becoming a krazy coupon lady.  The Krazy Coupon Ladies refer to their book a lot on the website.  I feel as though I have read a few chapters from it without even purchasing it.

Again, I don't think I'll ever be as crazy as the stories you hear in the news and on the internet, but I did save about $33.00 on my shopping last week.  I just started with some hygeine items and something that I always buy every week when grocery shopping... cereal and yogurt.  I'm starting slow, but I now find myself thinking of Tara every time I'm in the grocery store and wondering how much cheaper I could buy things if I took the time to learn how.

Another thing I have been worried about is ticking cashiers off (not to mention the next customer in line) with lots of coupons and trying to get deals.  So far, I've had a good experience at Walgreens.  They say they have regulars who come in and cash in with coupons and register rewards.  They were very helpful. I have found at Hyvee and Walmart, you have to watch the deductions of your coupons really carefully.  I've had cashiers forget to scan some of them or they scan in at an incorrect value.

It's also helpful to know what the stores coupon policies are before you walk in with your buy one, get one free and find out they don't accept it (like at Walmart).  For those of you who live by me, here's the coupon policies for Walmart and Walgreens.

TIPS ARE WELCOME, from those of you who are already krazy coupon ladies!!