I left you guys off with the promise of my money saving secret to grocery shopping. And now here I am to reveal it!

Drumroll, please…

I clip coupons.

My big secret probably isn’t as cool as you thought it would be (no, I didn’t get my blog sponsored by the National Cheese Board or something like that, but I WOULD BE TOTALLY OPEN TO THAT, let’s be clear) but it has saved me some big bucks!

Couponing has allowed be to take my original estimate of $50 a week on groceries down to a cool $35. And it’s even going down more now that I’m getting over my compulsive need to go shopping every week (money saving is addicting). I would go and buy things I unknowingly still had enough of in the fridge. One completely wasted bag of organic spinach down and I learned my lesson.

Oh, were you hoping for a list of carefully honed couponing tips? You’re in luck!

Couponing Tips for College Students

1. Don’t let the idea of “saving money” talk you into buying things you don’t need….

It doesn’t save you any money when you get a dollar off a tub of yogurt when you already have three tubs of yogurt in the fridge. That food will go to waste. Not cool, man.

2. …or things you don’t want.

I enjoy eating healthfully with some organic items, and I wasn’t about to compromise that to save 50 cents on a bag of Cheetos. I only use coupons on food that I would buy anyway, like Greek yogurt, turkey burgers, deli turkey, and Babybel cheese. That allows me to spend more cash moneys on fancier items, like goat cheese and organic pasta.

3. Invest a little time in planning.

Of course you’ll want to plan by clipping coupons from the paper every week and searching for your favorites on databases like Coupons.com. But you also have other tasks to complete! Don’t be like me and buy things you already have in the fridge. Look at what you have, and make a list based on that. Then check your coupons. Also, plan well by spending some time googling the brands you like to see if their websites offer coupons just for being a fan, like Chobani!

4. Share the love!

I can sometimes get extra coupon inserts from the papers at my work. Once I’m done with them or if I already have those coupons, I pass them off to friends of mine! Just because I don’t eat peanut butter doesn’t mean that $1 off has to go to waste.

Do you have any couponing tips I missed? Am I a total loser?