How I prepare for a shopping trip (AKA going into battle)

My husband calls my shopping trips battles because the time I spend preparing amuses him. He finds my couponing and deal comparing very funny...until he sees how much I save.

I get the walgreens previews a couple weeks ahead thanks to hotcouponworld, so those are a seperate prep sesssion but very much like my grocery prepping only shorter generally.

Mondays, we get the paper with the grocery ads in it. After the kids are in bed Monday night, I sit down at the kitchen table with my coupon organizer, the ads, scissors, 2 envelopes, the list on the fridge of what we need, and the ads I just got on Sunday from my father in law and the paper I bought (when I buy one). I look through my local ads. If there is anything I want to get, I write it on the envelope for the appropriate store and if there is a coupon for it as well. I place the coupon in the envelope. I do this for both of my regular stores. If there is a great sale on something I want I will go online to thecouponclippers.com or ebay and find more coupons (I don't have a working printer so I can't print any online, plus my local stores are not too keen on taking the printed ones anyway).

Once I am finished with my envelopes, I put them in my purse. When I get to the store that week, I pull out my envelope with the list and go shopping. If I have ordered some coupons, I will wait until they arrive to do my trip otherwise I just go one night after the kids are in bed. It is much easier to shop without both kids in tow.

Easy, simple, not too time consuming and saves money. 4 of my favorite things.