a typical sunday

Here's what my Sunday afternoon's typically look like....

And here's a Step by Step of how my Sunday afternoons go down.....

1. Clip coupons from the Sunday paper & sort in my coupon box.

We get the Dallas Morning News (Sunday Only). It's costs a couple bucks a week, but if you get good at couponing, it's worth it! And, I made this a while back when I first started couponing. I think I'm going to invest in this cute little coupon holder soon, because my box is kind of annoying.

2. Meal Plan

I usually use The Pioneer Woman cookbook or website, CrockPot Recipe Collections, my Grandma's cookbook, or the internet. I try to pick recipes that I know I have most of the ingredients on hand. I always stock up on meat when it is on sale then freeze it. I almost always have boiled chicken breasts (shredded chicken), chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins, ground beef, and a random assortment of whatever meat I bought on sale.

3. Make my essential grocery list/Look over the Grocery Ads/Match coupons

I first write down all the things I need to make the meals I planned then I pull all the coupons I have that match my grocery list.After I'm done with my essential grocery list, I look for things on sale and try to match coupons with them. If things I use a lot are on sale, I try to stock up on them. For example, last week I bought 10 cans of rotel for $.49 each. That is about as cheap as you can buy them. I don't need them right now, but I know I'll use them eventually. I sometimes match sales and coupons up myself, but I also use websites to help. Unfortunately, the blog I used most just shut down, so I need to find a new blog or website to help me. I know some people play The Grocery Game. I tried it for a while when I had a free membership, but I don't really think it's worth it to have to pay for it.

6. Check websites for coupons

Coupon Websites

The link about is a list of all the websites I check to see if they have any good coupons. Most of the coupons are printable, but some are coupons that you load onto your Kroger or Tom Thumb card.

7. Check over my list/Gather coupons

I put all the coupons I'm going to use in a zip-loc baggie. I still bring my coupon box to the store though, just in case I need to use a coupon for something I didn't put on my list. I try to stick to my list though.

8. Stop by Sonic

It's a Sunday afternoon tradition. I like to grocery shop with a little something to sip on!!

9. Grocery Shop & Save $$$

The trick to couponing is to use your coupons when things are on sale. It takes time to figure it all out and you might not save much in the beginning, but I promise you'll get the hang of it. It really is a "Grocery Game". You start to see trends of how things go on sale, you'll start to learn what a good price for things are, and you'll learn how to stock up on things. You also have to be very patient to coupon. Last week it took me over an hour to make my list and get all my coupons together. It feels like it takes forever, but when you save $113 in one trip it's worth it!!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. I would be happy to answer your questions. I'm not a pro at couponing, but I have definitely gotten better at it since I started a year ago.