Good Question

Via Facebook we just received our first question. It was in response to the post below concerning Marcs and Marcal Toilet Paper. Carrie asked, "But what if you like your TP soft?"

In essence, I think she's asking what many couponers or to-be couponers ask themselves. "Do I have to sacrifice quality to save money?"

That's what we're taught, right? You get what you pay for? Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Honestly I am a generics kind of gal. Let me qualify that. I'm a Kroger Generics kind of gal. If I don't have coupons for something I need I can buy with confidence knowing that most Kroger brands are as good or better than their name brand competitors.

But what if you are a brand loyalist? Can you still save money? The answer is yes...but you have to stock pile. Case in point. Today you can find Cottenelle brand Toilet paper (my favorite brand) for a GREAT price at Target. Target allows the customer to stack a Target coupon with a manufacturer's coupon. This means mega savings for the consumer. The details of this deal are in the post above but this is just an example of a way to stay loyal to a favorite brand and still save money. As you continue in your coupon journey you will see that much of your savings comes from stockpiling when prices are at their lowest. Looking out for these rock bottom prices (which occur about every 3 months) helps you to save the most money. Having space in your home for your stash is a necessity as well.

Often you will see (especially if your grocery doubles coupons) that you can save way more with the name brand product than with the store brand. Giant Eagle was running a Yoplait yogurt deal a few weeks back. I was able to get the 6 ounce yogurts for 22 cents a piece instead of 41 cents for the Kroger brand. Not a bad deal.

If you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and get a little crazy (ie. buying Yoplait instead of the Kroger brand) you will find your grocery budget slimming with each purchase.
And if you are new to couponing, take it slow. Pick a few items per week and save a little each time. Soon you'll see that its not that hard to save a lot of money.