What Are Your 2013 Saving & Couponing Goals & Resolutions?

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With 2013 fast approaching, what are your saving and couponing goals and resolutions for the new year?

We will be living off our stockpile for a while, there is little we need to buy until we use up what we have bought with the exception of fresh foods.  I also plan to be more aware of whether I need items I am buying and not just buy them for points or for my stockpile unless it fits within a 1 year allowance of that item as I just donated some of my bathroom stockpile because I had too much toothpaste, shaving cream and shower gel.

I also want to track my spending better, we don’t overspend overall but I want a better idea of where we are spending so we can save more.  Each year I seem to track well until mid March then the tracking just drops off and I don’t bother.


17 responses to “What Are Your 2013 Saving & Couponing Goals & Resolutions?”

  1. Michelle says:

    I want to try the $35/week budget for our household starting in February. Most of that will go towards fresh food, mostly veggies.

    I’m thinking of going completely Gail Vazoxlade’s jar route for the $35… just for fun. 🙂

  2. Kathy says:

    I also want to track my spending to see where we can save. I know there’s savings somewhere, I just have to find it. And I’d like to make an honest effort to pre plan my meals based on flyer sales, and only buy what’s on sale when possible. I’m always eager in the beginning of the year and tend to give up not long after I start but I feel a bit more determined this year to make a financial change.

  3. ben says:

    I want to use all the coupons that expire on Dec. 31…

  4. Trying to get spending lower says:

    I’m finding it very interesting reading these goals and I’m looking forward to reading more. Can I ask a question? How much do you spend on average (or what is your goal). I’m trying to cut down on our spending because I feel like we spend more than we need to but I would love to have a gauge to use for what some other savings-minded people do. If I ask “non-saving-minded’ people the numbers are much more than we’re spending already 🙂 We are a family of 4 with two in diapers, so there is the extra expense of diapers. And of course my toddler is very picky so there are foods that I buy whether they’re on sale or not because I want to have the healthier foods that she will eat at home at all times. I think that with toiletries and diapers a goal of $100 per week would be good for us. I’d love to hear what others aim for. Thanks so much!

  5. adora says:

    I resolve to spend less time saving money. Sometimes I spent 10 minutes signing up, 5 minutes printing and 15 minutes to go to store, only to save $2. Spending half and hour for $2 is practically working under minimum wage. I’m going to use batching technique. Limit my couponing and flyer reading in 1-2 hour on Thursday night, and go to fewer stores at off-peak hours. It will be hard to resist not checking in so often. Yikes.

  6. torontogal12 says:

    Adora, my goal is the same as yours! Not worth making a 10 minute trip to save $2. I need my time for other things this January

  7. Bargain Seeker says:

    I have not made any resolutions because I never keep them. If I was making one it would be to better plan my meals. I noticed how easy it is to get take out or go out to eat when a meal is not planned in advance. Most of the time just a simple pizza and cheese fingers in a restaurant can add up to $60+ for 4 people. This is not a good use of our food budget especially when you start doing it too often.

  8. smilingstar says:

    My goal is to cut my grocery spending in half. We currently spend $200/week for 3 people. It’s ridiculous, I know. We are mostly vegetarians so I think the biggest savings is going to come from using the sale items to make our menu plans.

  9. purplebunny89 says:

    Like fallen, I resolve to use more of our stockpile up before going on mad buying binges. But I’ve kinda started early on this goal as we only spent $8 or so this month on groceries thanks to GC’s as gifts as well as trading for them.

    Another one of my goals for our family is to make more money next year then we did this year as this year was very slow. I’m hoping to find a job in my field (despite looking for like 4+months already) but will be willing to get a minimum wage job if need be.

  10. Tammy says:

    I’m going to try something similar Adora. I want to try to spend less time looking for awesome deals and try using that time to actually make money instead. I remember reading somewhere that if you factor in what your time is worth, things like coupon clipping and following every blog/email list for deals/coupons really isn’t very cost effective. The article (or book?) suggested that you basically shop for only what you need and always do it at the cheaper grocery stores and market where the prices are consistently lower and then just forget about taking time to search out the best price on a can of beans. You can then take that time to actually do something that will earn you money instead.
    I just love getting the best price on things so this will be tough for me but I’m going to give it a try. Now I just have to “unsubscribe” to about 100 email lists before Jan 1st and figure out what I’m going to do to make the money!

  11. EasterSummerSolsticeStarSpangledSky says:

    I like couponing because it’s super savings at it’s best when the coupons are used towards items that are on sale, and also with manager’s percentage off discounts off of the sale price, so adding the manufacturer’s coupons is triple the savings.
    This is superb because these are premium quality items.

  12. kerry says:

    Buy only on sale,buy less,use coupons on products I need, and not have so many.Also spend alot less, on online shopping,and curb my need for beauty products.

  13. Sandra5 says:

    Tammy, I don’t care what book you read, it’s ALWAYS worth your time to scan the flyers of your favourite stores and make a list of who’s got what you need cheapest.
    Couponing, that’s for diehards. It’s time consuming and you have to really enjoy the process for clipping coupons and remembering to use them. As for me, I forget to use them half the time.
    As for “time wasted” on couponing blogs etc, for me it’s not time wasted because I plainly enjoy the company of the couponing community. The people I have encountered on couponing/deal sites are the nicest, politest, most helpful. and kind people I have EVER found on the internet. Being amongst such civilized people is never a waste of time, IMO. so I will continue to enjoy reading what you’ve got to say and “wasting” my time in your company!

    • FallenPixels says:

      You can always price match to all those cheaper coupons (or just check SC’s lists for the best deals with coupons or on grocery staples)
      I actually like sitting down with my flyers, deciding what to buy and making my meal plan for the week

  14. Sandra5 says:

    Oh, and I forgot to add Happy New Year everybody, and here’s to another great year of great deals and saving money!

  15. kerry says:

    I will also stay away from buying small appliances I don’t really need.I bought a Keurig coffee maker,and you could only make a smaller cup of coffee,and the expensive k-cups,didn’t fit my budget.The other item was a food processor,as I thought it would be good to make pie dough,well it turned out that it mixed the dough poorly and I prefer a pastry blender.Also the machine was bulkly and cumbersome,I donated both items to a hospital charity about 2 months ago.

  16. Julia says:

    “I also plan to be more aware of whether I need items I am buying and not just buy them for points or for my stockpile unless it fits within a 1 year allowance of that item as I just donated some of my bathroom stockpile because I had too much toothpaste, shaving cream and shower gel.” – Donating goods to those in need is a wonderful thing to do. It would be nice if more people did the same out of a spirit of generosity and not just because they overbought. Either way, others benefit and that’s fantastic!


















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