Mail Bag Time!!! A reader writes in asking this question:
Do you shop with children? If so, any advice? I’ve been trying to start couponing, but with my 11 month old throwing everything I hand him in the floor and getting frustrated while I try to organize coupons, I’m wondering if it’s going to be something I can manage.
I try very hard NOT to shop with my children. Can we buy this mom? I need a recorder where I can push a button that says, “No, it is not on our list.” Oh, the horror stories I could tell you about my children and shopping. Once, while shopping with my two youngest children, my then 3 year throw a horrendous fit in the chip aisle. Why? Because I wouldn’t buy cheese puffs. He called me a dummy and threw himself to the floor while everyone stared at me. Oh, what a fun memory! Sometimes people give you dirty looks, looks of pity or even one time, a lady told me “You go girl” because I refused to give in while he threw his fit. Anyway….
Sometimes I will leave around 8pm to go shopping and leave the kids at home with my husband. I also try to shop on my lunch break or before I pick up my kids from daycare. If you are a stay at home mom, this may be more difficult. While you are getting comfortable couponing, I would suggest trying to schedule when someone else can care for your child. Whether that be after your spouse gets home from work, joining a MOPS group, or child care swap with a friend.
If you can’t schedule a time when someone else can watch your child, I do have some suggestions. (I’m not saying any of these will be the miracle for you but they might help a little!)
- Fill their bellies. Bring a small snack or toy for your child.
- Enlist their help. If your child is older, enlist their help while you shop. Give them a coupon while near the item and ask them to find it or let them pick out the variety (if you don’t have a preference).
- Small Trips. Don’t try to be too ambitious and make smaller trips. Try to keep your total time around 30 minutes.
- Schedule at the right time for your child. Go early in the morning when your child is “fresh” or after naptime. You know your child, schedule it around them for your own sanity.
- Let them know your expectations. Let them know what you expect of them in the store. Sometimes this helps.
I would also suggest doing more of your leg work before going to the store.
This is my before shopping routine:
- Use my “printer friendly” version of my deal page.
- Look through the pages and mark out the items I know I don’t want/need.
- Search for the coupons by insert and then clip the coupons of the items I’m interested in.
- Write the # of items I want of each item by the item, check off the coupon to use as I find them so I know they are clipped.
- I then organize my coupons by aisle. I paper clip the multiple coupons together and then put the list and the coupons in an envelope.
- As I am shopping, I gather the items I want to purchase. As I am doing this, I find my coupons and place them in a separate envelope so I will be ready for checkout.
- I do a quick double check of my coupons as I’m standing in line just to make sure I didn’t miss any coupons.
Here’s the coupon wallet I use while shopping. I leave my purse in the car and put cash or my credit/debit card, loyalty cards, gift cards in the outside pocket. I have extra coupons in different sections in my coupon wallet in case I find something that isn’t on my list that I need, unadvertised sale, or clearance.
As you get more comfortable with using your coupons, you will find it a little easier to shop with your children with your coupons. Good luck to you!!!
Readers, do you shop with children? Any funny or horror stories to share???
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My husband HATES to grocery shop. So I told him that if I’m going to do the shopping then he HAS to watch the kids (we have a 4yr, 3yr, and 1yr old). I rarely take a child with me. And never the baby. Hubby gets to watch sports and play with the kids. I get a much-less-stressful trip to the store.
Yeah, it was hard. I would give in once in a while, but overall I had to be tough because our budget couldn’t take frivolous spending.
But the kid must have learned something because when I say no nowadays, he says, “Oh, yeah, it’s not on sale.”
I very rarely ever gave in to my daughter’s wants in the store and it definately pays. She either won’t ask for anything or if she does and I say no, she’s just says, I knew you would say that, and that is the end of the conversation. She understands everywhere we go that we probably aren’t going to buy anything. I take snack and drinks.
My friends and sister won’t take their kids places that could be cheap but turns expensive because they give in and buy food, toys and games. When we go places with them I get annoyed because I have to buy some stupid toy or candy because they can’t say no to their kids.
It is getting harder as she gets older though, not to mention the attitude. “Just because it’s not on sale doesn’t mean you can’t buy it”. Yeah it does!
I’m about 50/50. I would prefer not to take them but it is unavoidable at times. A couple weeks ago I attempted CVS with them. Always a bad idea since I find myself constantly doing calculations in my head there and wouldnt you know in line my 2 year starts hooting (yes hooting) so loud. As in the top of his lungs. The manager’s eyes got huge and I was growling at him under my breath to quit or he’d be in big trouble. What does he do? Hoots even louder of course. I was so embarassed. Oh well. That’s what I get!
It is almost impossible for me to shop without kids, I try to on preschool mornings but sometimes I just don’t make it. My youngest 2 are 4 and 2 and I organize my coupons by aisle, some grocery stores have a map of their aisle layout, but frankly I don’t need the map anymore. I paperclip the coupons together that are in the same area and I hand each child one or two coupons to “SPY” , really it works like a charm. It frees me up to peruse the rest of the aisle that I don’t have coupons for. I was a special ed teacher for many years and taught adolescents life skills, one of the things I did for the non readers was to clip off the box cover or part of the box cover to match up with one on the shelf. There are lots of variations; you could photocopy all of your coupons onto one sheet and hand each child their ‘shopping list’ but I think this makes too much work for me to bother with. Maybe if my coupons I spy game stops working I may try that.
Also, if I’ve learned one thing after 6 kids it’s don’t be afraid to leave a full cart for a tantrum, buckle them into their carseats, and give them a sorely needed timeout. Everyone in the store will thank you and you will be so proud that you took the Bull by the horns, literally. After 4 or 5 minutes you can usually go back in and finish your shopping happily.
Here’s a link to my “Tips for Shopping with Kids” post!
http://www.5dollardinners.com/2008/08/tips-for-shopping-with-your-kids.html
Enjoy!
Erin
Thank you so much for this! I am new to couponing and am having this same problem with my 16 month old. He doesn’t want to sit in the cart and when I let him walk around, he takes things off the shelves and leaves them all over the aisles. On a recent trip, I was in the air freshener aisle and he was playing with the various deodorizing sprays. I figured they were all turned to “off” on the nozzle and it would be fine. I turn around and he has sprayed his clothes with several different scents. Lovely. I try not to shop with him as much as possible. They just built a CVS between my home and work, so I will hopefully be able to stop there on my way home in the evenings.
I do shop with my child. He’s 19 months. We normally hit at least 3 stores, plus the post office and farmer’s market. He does very well.
I make sure my list and coupons are very organized when I walk into the store. I only take the list and coupons I plan to use, and my extra’s accordion coupon file just in case.
I’m also a big believer in taking in a snack and sippy cup so he doesn’t get bored. At his age he enjoys helping, so I had him the non-fragile items and let him toss them into the cart behind him.
We go early morning and by the time we finish he’s ready for his nap!!