Different coupons work for individuals

I have had various e-mails asking me if you can actually live a healthy lifestyle if you become coupon obsessed, and wondering how people can save as much money as I do with coupons, but on a different set of standards on products. I can understand where these questions stem from. When you start looking up coupons it seems you are deluged with convenience food coupons, from sugar cereals to ready-to-eat meals and so on. But, trust me, appearances can be deceiving.

If you are a person who insists on only organic produce and only hormone-free meat for your family and no pre-packaging of any type (canned foods, frozen foods, etc.), no you won’t save as much with coupons as someone who doesn’t mind eating those types of products. You can still save money, however.

There are various resources for organic food coupons, for instance. If you type in “Organic Valley Coupons” into your search engine of choice, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results. Also, always remember to pick up the “Naturally Preferred” booklet in the organic foods section at Fred Meyer. That always has some coupons in it for organic foods every month.

Also, even if you don’t use food coupons, you can still save an astounding amount of money just by using coupons for toiletries and household items. For instance, I just got a coupon for a free bottle of Seventh Generation dish soap in the mail today through an online coupon deal. If you watch your paper, deal blogs, and in-store clearance deals you can walk away with toothpaste, toilet paper and other items for free or pretty close to free after coupons. I have a stockpile of 200-plus rolls of toilet paper, loads of paper towels, as well as tubes of toothpaste, 20-plus containers of deodorant and other toiletry items that I got for free or really close to free after coupons.

The same can be said for things you might not think of. I managed to get three containers of WD-40 for 40 cents per container back in April after the manufacturer came out with a high-value coupon combined with a nice sale at Wal-Mart.

The biggest thing is, if you are going to use coupons and you want to use them to their fullest potential, figure out which items you want to save money on and keep your eyes peeled for coupons and deals on those items. Figure out what you consider right for your family and work out your own couponing system. Yes, I have reduced my grocery budget by 66 percent with coupons (and hoping to reduce that even more), but I couldn’t care less if my family is eating organics or not, and don’t care if I’m using Aquafresh or Crest toothpaste every night. So, try not to compare your own personal savings to others. If you are happy with what you are saving, that is what is important.

Erika Buswell runs a blog dedicated to coupons and deals in Alaska (http://alaskanbargainhunter.blogspot.com) and lives in Palmer with her husband and two children.