That would be THIS month!

Historically, January is the BEST shopping season of the month for frugal shoppers for several reasons.

For those who are super-couponers (or even just beginning couponers), January is known to produce the greatest quantity and QUALITY of coupons beating out every other month of the year. For example, THIS Sunday (January 4th), we are expecting THREE Smartsource inserts and TWO Red Plum inserts. That, on top of the fact that we got an extra P&G insert in the month of December. (Read details of a promotion from P&G in January yielding another $120 in coupons here courtesy of MoneySavingMom.) If ever there were a month to stock up on coupons, January is it. If you don't have the paper delivered to your home, you can get them for $1 each at any local Wal-Mart store and at some Dollar Tree locations. They will be $1 at these locations regardless of what the typical retail price of the paper in your area is.

Not only do we have an enourmous amount of quality coupons come out in January, but they are paired with incredible sales at local grocery stores for significant savings. Many couponers stock up in January on certain items knowing the deals won't be this good for another year.

Add to that the fact that retailers of ALL sorts (grocery, general retail, furniture, auto, etc.) are massively trying to not only clearance out Christmas items and extra items they had on hand for Christmas, but also reduce their inventory in general. Every item left in inventory at a store on January 31st is taxed by an "inventory" tax from what I understand. What that means is that they want you to buy their products and they want you to buy them NOW! When you hear "inventory" clearance sale, they aren't kidding. They really are trying to clear their inventory...and it's to your benefit to take advantage of this knowledge!

My favorite source for clearance is Target. By mid-January, they will have nearly all of their toys at 75% off. I love stocking up on birthday presents for my kids and their friends as well as next year's Christmas in January. It leaves me with virtually no stress should an event come up which requires a present.

For many of the best deals weekly at various stores, you can check out MoneySavingMom or DealSeekingMom. Those who want a more user-friendly approach will enjoy their "here's the deal, do this to get it" approach.

By far, though, my favorite site for deals and resources is Hot Coupon World. There, you can find deals at nearly every drugstore (CVS, Walgreens, etc), grocery store (Meijer, Kroger, etc.), and discount store (Target, Wal-Mart, etc) that is currently active. They'll have links for newbies learning to shop at each store as well as FAQs for each store. For those that offer them, they'll have catalina and blinkie coupon lists and promotions as well as clearance finds at different stores. The best part about Hot Coupon World is that you will find sale ads posted up to 6 weeks in advance for some stores which gives you tons of time to plan your coupons and get what you need to make the sale work for you.

If you are looking for more coupons, check out Racheal at The Coupon Clippers. You can find individual coupons there to prepare for an upcoming sale. If you're looking at more whole inserts, you can find them at Coupons & Things by DeDe. She also has individual coupons, but the best deals with her can be found by ordering whole inserts. She also puts them on sale and offers discounts on orders and shipping. I would recommend signing up for her e-mail alert to keep on top of these if you're interested in ordering from her site.

Happy bargain-hunting this month.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to post here or e-mail me.

-Me