Making a Price Book for couponing

I've not been couponing for long, but already there are some items that I know I can find for less than a dollar, or even less than 50 cent. Now I can decide if a sale is truly worth my time. I've started writing these items down as I find great deals, so when I am in a rush, I can look to see when & where it was lowest, and decide if I need the item then, or can wait til it goes on sale again. One of the great things about stockpiling is that I usually buy items in multiples of 6! By the time I'm down to one or two, the item usually goes on sale at either Publix, Kroger, or one of the drugstores.

I use a spiral notebook, and jot down the item, date, place, price, and which coupons or deals I used with it...

here are a few of the items in my book so far:

Bounty paper towels - 8 pk - $4.99 on sale @ CVS June 27 (use with $1 CVS coupon & $1 mfr coupon) These went on sale with better coupons the next week, but that was a holiday, so I doubt I'll get them for $1.99 again! $3.99 is a really good price for these.

Daisy Sour Cream ~ goes on sale often at Publix for 99 cents, and there are lots of 55 cent coupons. 45 cents is about the highest I'll pay for sour cream!

Toothpaste - with various sales, ECB deals, and coupons, I will not pay more than 50 cents for any toothpaste, I change brands with sales!

Deodorant - same as above - I don't pay more than 75 cents for it. I'm not brand-picky.

Almond milk - the shelf stable box is usually $1.99 at Kroger. They will mark it down about once a month to $1, and I have 55 cent off coupons. We love this stuff!

Bread - I buy Pepperidge Farms brand when Publix does BOGO, and I can usually find coupons. I am picky about buying whole grain bread with no high fructose corn syrup, and they have several varieties! I buy alot when BOGO and freeze it! It is usually less than $2 a loaf this way for the really good stuff.

Applesauce - June 20 Publix had Musselmans 6 cup packs at BOGO $1.14 each and 75 c off store coupons - DEAL!

Ground turkey - this is a staple. I started mixing it with an equal amount of ground beef, but now that my family is used to it, this is what I use for casseroles, soups, tacos, burgers - everything! I brown it with garlic powder, onion powder, and liberal shakes of worcestershire sauce, then package it in two cup portions for freezer bags. I will go to Kroger early on Sunday mornings and often find the 1 lb rolls of Honeysuckle White ground turkey for $1.99, sometimes for 99 cents. I get as much as they have, brown it and freeze it!! We only eat ground meat once or twice a week, so it lasts a while! This way, I don't have to pay alot more for ground beef, and this is a lot healthier for our family.

Shampoo - I keep my ECBs handy because almost weekly, there is a sale on Herbal Essence, Pantene, Aussie etc. I buy shampoo that gives me ECB back, that is on sale, and that has coupons. Then I use ECB from the last shopping trip to buy the new products, combined with coupons, and I get more ECB for next time. All I spend oop (out of pocket) is sales tax. DEAL!

Once you get an idea of the sales rotations, you will know how often the items you buy often go on sale, and can decide how much you need to buy at the lowest price to stock up. Keeping a price book really helps you understand the sales rotations in your area.

If you have any questions, please email or leave a comment and I'll try to help!!