Money Monday: 2014 Coupon Savings

2014 is quickly coming to a close. As I began looking at my 2014 goals, the one that I was most interested in was my coupon savings for 2014. While I do track how much I save, I don't keep a running total throughout the year.

Total Coupon Savings for 2014: $1,704.39

My goal for 2014 was to save $2,000, and this year it looks like I missed my goal by $295.61.

But, there were some savings that I never calculate.

First, I am allowed to price match at my grocery store. I do this when I purchase produce, because its based on pounds purchased, or number of items. I don't have the time or desire to calculate those savings, so those are never included in my totals. (For example, if I have an add showing apples for .99C a pound, but my store is selling them for $1.25 a pound, I just show the cashier the add for the lower cost apples and they price match them to the lower price.)

Second, I don't calculate the rebates or incentives that I get when I purchase products. For example, at one store, I currently have $25.00 in rebates. I collect those rebates each week, and I am waiting until I earn $100.00 in credit before I cash them in. Again, I don't calculate that into my savings.

Finally, there are usually 2 or 3 mail in rebate offers that I participate in per month. These are the programs where you purchase a product, then mail in the upc code and receipt, and they send you the purchase price in the form of a check or gift card. Those are usually only a few dollars each, but they do add up. Again, I don't factor those monies into my savings totals.

In the end, when simply looking at the recorded numbers, it looks like I didn't meet my goal, but when I factored these other items into the total, I believe I ended up saving more than the $2,000 goal I set for myself.

In 12 months, we managed to save nearly $2,000 on things that we normally purchase. Those are real dollars, and real savings. For us, those savings allow us to stretch our dollars. According to the USDA, food prices in 2014 rose a little over 2% in 2014 over 2013. Using coupons and deals, we have been able to keep our food budget steady, and did not have to
increase it in 2014.

In addition, using coupons has allowed us to build an impressive stockpile of goods. Now, if we need razors, shampoo, cleaning products, or food, we have them here, in stock. That is a great feeling.

We have also been able to use coupons to purchase items for free or very cheap. If they are items that we don't need, or don't use, we give them to family or friends. We are also able to create bags to pass out to the homeless around our community.

If you are interested in coupons, and how to find deals, cut coupons, and organize them in less than an hour a week, please check out this post, or feel free to email me. I would love to help you out. Also, if you are interested, please feel free to check out my coupon savings page that I update throughout the year.

Tell Me: Did you do any couponing in 2014? How much did you save? 

**Disclaimer: I am not an extreme coupon user. I don't purchase coupons online nor do I dumpster dive for coupons. I spend $5.00 each week for a double issue of the newspaper to get those coupons, or I print them from sites on the internet. I have never purchased more than 6 items at a time, and have never used more than 1 cart while shopping.