When I had found out I was pregnant I never knew how much I'd learn to appreciate a sale after the baby was born. I had always been on the frugal side and have spent many days devoted to bargain shopping and coupon clipping. Now that I am a mom I'm lucky if I can remember to use a coupon! Coupons are an excellent way to keep money in your pockets and all it takes is a little extra of your time. There are plenty of TV shows devoted to people who spend hours clipping coupons and stocking up their house. This is not what I am talking about! You do not need to spend hours clipping coupons. One 15 minute cup of coffee is all it takes to clip what you need and use from your circular. My tip for all the pregnant ladies? Start the bargain process before the baby is even born! If there is a particular brand that you have a preference towards, or that you have been eyeing visit their website. Often times they will offer to mail you a coupon or sample. Facebook and Twitter are great assets to new moms for grabbing coupons and deals.
One recommendation would be to stock up on household essentials. No. I don't mean fill an entire section of your basement so full with items it looks like a warehouse. You don't need to go overboard and have so many products backed up that you will never use them before they expire (or you do!). Grab enough essentials to last about 2 months or so. Memberships to warehouse stores like BJs and Sam's Club provide opportunities to grab large quantities of household products for reasonable prices and they accept coupons making them a great place to stock up if you are a "one stop get it done" personality. Check the price tag signs for cost per ounce to look for the best deal.
If you have a little more time on your hands and prefer name brand soaps and detergents then there are ways to grab those at a steal as well. My recommendation is to check your local grocery store and pharmacy fliers. Most often P&G will run promotions that go hand and hand with their coupons (if you have time to clip them) that offer large money savings if you spend a certain amount. For example- "Spend $25 on P&G products and save $5 instantly". The flyer will offer P&G items as already discounted prices (brands include Cascade, Downy, Tide, Bounce...) and then offer the additional savings. If you had time to clip the coupons it's additional dollars towards your total purchase that will come off. Remember in the first few months that baby's skin will be sensitive so look for "Free and Clear" versions of products. There are special baby detergents out there that offer coupons as well if you have a preference towards them. These detergents are nice but you can get by for less just by using the free and clear versions of detergents you already use.
Pharmacy reward cards can be great tools to use with coupons in order to get items for free. Their promotions work something like "buy this item and earn $1 in rewards". So if you purchase a $2.99 item (on sale), then there is a save $1 coupon in the paper you are getting the item for $1.99, plus the $1 reward for a future purchase which leaves the total cost of the item at $.99. The dollars accumulate and you can end up getting lots of items for free or next to nothing. Although this process is a little more time consuming, it's a great way to keep your house filled with your name brand favorites.
The important thing to remember in trying to buy your household favorites is that you can find deals at a lot of different places but stick to places that you feel comfortable going to or that are local to you. If you go to a store that you don't normally frequent just to save $1 then it's not worth your time and effort.
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