Working Moms Guide to Savvy Shopping

I have officially been a working mom (again) for 3 months now and I feel I have gotten to the point where I have a good groove going both at work and at home.  Of course there are things that I still struggle to find time for (cleaning the house being top on that list), but our family has settled in to our new normal. 

One thing that I have struggled with from the beginning is how to fit savvy shopping into my new life.  When I was a stay at home mom I was WORKING all day, no doubt about it.  Being a stay at home mom is not a vacation, as many of you know!  But I was free to make shopping trips when I wanted and I did have a few hours each week when my kids were in preschool and I was able to shop alone, which is SO much easier when  you are trying to work deals and manage a huge stack of coupons.  When I went back to work full time, that freedom was gone. And I was left wondering how in the world I would ever be able to find the time to devote to couponing/hunting for deals. 

I am happy to say that after much effort and creativity, I have gotten my savvy shopping groove back!!  And I thought I would share with you some of the things I am doing to fit savvy shopping into my working-mom routine. 

• Prioritize Your Deals.  No one has enough time to take advantage of EVERY good deal out there, but working moms and dads have it even harder.  There is no way I can go to more than one grocery store, 2 drugstores, Target, and clothes shopping every week.  I'm lucky to make it to the grocery store once.  So I have become much more choosy about the deals I take advantage of.  It is hard to let deals pass me by, but it has helped me to realize that we never really NEEDED many of those things that I used to rush out to buy. 
• Pick your Battles.  For me, clipping coupons was a battle I was losing.  So I scaled back my couponing dramatically.  I only clip a few coupons each week from the Sunday inserts and I only print the coupons that I know I will use.  I don't buy multiple papers anymore or save the inserts "in case of a good deal."  I rely more on sales and clearance finds for good deals and coupons are more of a side note.  You have to decide what works best for you as a shopper.  Go with that and leave the rest behind. 
• Carve out Quick Shopping Trips.  Oh, how I miss my leisurely shopping trips when the kids were in school.  The stores were empty and quiet and I had time to really focus on my coupons and hunting for deals.  Now I have to shop on the weekends or in the evenings when the stores are busy and I'm in a hurry.  But I have learned to find time for shopping where I wouldn't have thought before.  I will make a trip to Target in the evening after my kids are in bed or on a Sunday morning before church while my husband entertains the kids.  I recently went grocery shopping on my lunch break (couldn't miss those Columbus Day deals!), which actually worked a lot better than I thought it might.  You may have to be a little creative or shop at times you never have before, but there are a lot of hours in the day and if you really make the effort, you can find a little bit of time here and there for bargain hunting.
• The Stockpile is My Friend.  I am a big believer in stockpiling to save money.  The basic idea is that you buy a lot of something when it is on sale so that you have it on hand and aren't forced to buy it at full price.  I had built up a nice little stockpile before I went back to work and it has served me well.  I am able to grab a few things from the pantry for dinner on days where I had no time to plan ahead and buy ingredients.  And I don't have to worry about us running out of toothpaste or toilet paper and being forced to make a stop on the way home from work for overpriced toiletries that we need NOW.  Even though I don't have as much time for grocery shopping, I can still add to my stockpile by just picking up a few extras of nonperishable items that are on sale, and save myself both time and money in the long run!
• Shop Online.  I have always loved online shopping and there are PLENTY of deals to be had online each day.  I love it even more now because I can shop in the evenings from the comfort of my living room.  Instead of making a big trip for birthday gifts for my son, I was able to pick up a few bargain items on Amazon.com (in addition to the few things I had stored away from the Target Toy Clearance).  Instead of having to go to the mall to find myself some sweaters for work, I can hop online and have them delivered!  I go through sites like Shop at Home or Ebates to get extra cash back and I have signed up for emails through many of the online retailers that I frequent so I'm always aware of the current discount codes and deals.   

I have had to let go of a lot of my old routines, and for the most part it has been a really good thing.  I can still save money for my family without spending as much time working on shopping trips and coupon clipping.  Sure, it's probably never going to be as much as it was before, but I feel like I have a good balance right now.  Hopefully those of you who are working moms or dads who still want to be savvy shoppers will get some inspiration from these tips.  I would love to hear YOUR tips, too!  Are you a couponer with a full time job?  How do you make it work?