We’ve all been there. You get your grocery budget planned out for the month and you’re so excited and you’re ready to live by it and then BAM – the unexpected comes. You have to take food to your kid’s party at school, or there’s a potluck at church or work, or it’s your turn to take soccer treats, or you offered to help provide food for a bridal or baby shower. What do you do now? This month, I actually had to provide dessert for 60 people, stuff for my daughter’s Easter party at school, a meal for a potluck, and soccer treats. I have also been asked this question by a few readers and thought I’d share some ideas.

*Plan for the unexpected – One way you can avoid having these unexpected events bust your budget is to plan for the unexpected. You know that these types of events are going to come up. You don’t know when or how much you’ll need, but you can plan for them by setting aside a little bit of extra money here and there. Then, you can pull from that rather than your regular grocery budget to pay for the things you need when they come up.

*Use what you have – I stockpile what we need and use. So, when something comes up, I try to use what we have on hand. For example, I had to provide dessert for 50-60 people for our Dave Ramsey class on Sunday. Fortunately, I had a stockpile of cake mixes, brownie mixes, and cookie mixes, so I was pretty much able to use things that we had on hand. I also had to take bread, but I got that for free thanks to Target coupons. My only expense was $.92 for a bag of rice (I also had to bring rice) and $2 at the dollar store for styrofoam bowls. I also stockpile things like water, Capri Sun, and juice boxes not only because my kids use them, but because I know that it will eventually be my turn to take soccer snacks or help furnish something for preschool parties and it’s a lot cheaper to get those things when there’s a killer sale than the night before the event at full price.

*Adjust your plan for the week – Another benefit of having a stockpile is that when an unexpected event comes up, I can adjust my plan for the week and plan to eat out of my pantry so I don’t have to spend as much money at the grocery store. This is a good way to test out your stockpile and see if what you have on hand really “works” also in case you had to rely on it during an emergency. Our area was impacted by Hurricane Ike last year. Even though the area where I live wasn’t hit nearly as hard as other areas by the actual hurricane, the grocery stores were cleaned out for several days afterward. I was very thankful for our stockpile at that point!

I have been using coupons for over five years now, and even after years of experience, there are times when I still have anxiety about getting hassled over my coupons. Here are a few tips to help you stand up for yourself when using coupons:

1. Make sure you are using your coupons correctly: Make sure you read the fine print on your coupons and that what you are buying matches up with the details on your coupon. I have noticed that many of my stores have become much more particular about coupons. More often than not, they read the fine print and make sure that my items match up, especially if they beep. Avoid embarrassment at check-out by using your coupons legitimately!

2. Know your store’s coupon policies: If you do a search online for individual stores and “coupon policies” you will find letters that others have received from customer service regarding store coupon policies. Sometimes it’s helpful to print these letters to share with your cashiers, especially if you have had difficulties redeeming coupons at that store in the past. When in doubt, it doesn’t hurt to e-mail customer service yourself to inquire about their coupon policies so that you have your own hard copy.

3. Remain calm and don’t be afraid to ask for a manager: Even though you may be embarrassed or incredibly frustrated, don’t lose your cool. It will only make the situation worse. Instead, if things get too heated or the cashier refuses to work with you, don’t be afraid to ask to speak with a manager.

4. It’s OK to walk away. If you are trying to use your coupons correctly and the cashier and/or store manager refuse to work with you, it’s OK to walk away. You can try to visit the store at another time or visit another store in the area. Be sure to contact the store’s corporate customer service department to share the “issues” you had.

Since there are so many great sales right now, I thought I’d remind you of the importance of asking for a raincheck if a store is out of an item you’re looking for. As long as the ad does not specify “quantities limited” or “while supplies last” most stores will give you a raincheck. It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask!

The best part about rainchecks is that they are usually not specific to a certain store location and they often do not have an expiration date. So, you can wait until a really great coupon comes out to pair with your raincheck or go ahead and order the coupons you had thought about ordering but didn’t because you didn’t know if you would get them in time. Of the stores that I shop at, the only one I know that does put an expiration date on their rainchecks is Target.