Coupon Help

I am a big fan of couponmom.com The site has a forum where other users exchange tips, give other readers a head's up about deals they have found, etc. The site also lists savings at local grocery, drug, and discount stores by showing you how to pair up coupons with weekly sales. They even tell you where to find the coupons (ie, which week the coupons were in the Sunday paper).

Another thing that is helpful to me is having a grocery list template that allows me to write down what I need aisle by aisle. I shop at 2 different grocery stores. I have a template saved on my computer for each store. I have the aisle "headings" written on my template so I know aisle 1 is produce, asile 2 is baby products, aisle 3 is condiments, canned goods and plasticware. Get the idea? When I make out my list I make 2 notations in the left margin - how many items to buy and I put the letter "C" if I have a coupon. I immediately pull out any appropriate coupons as I make my list and put them with my list so I don't forget them.

Something else I do is buy the Saturday edition of our Sunday paper. (Some stores sell it for $1 instead of $1.50 -a savings right there!) I immediately pull out the coupon sections and the sales circulars for the 3 drugstores in my area. I look to see what items the drugstores are offering for free (yes free, though you pay for the items initially then get the money back in a rebate or store credit type vouchers) or low price. I look for coupons for the sale items I want so I increase my savings. By doing this I get a lot of health and beauty products, for example, such as shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste for under a dollar - sometimes a quarter or less.

It takes a little time to devise a system that works for you, but once you get in the habit it becomes easier. Just a word of caution. Some people are able to invest a lot of time into pursuing deals. In addition deals vary by state, by store, etc. So if you do go to the suggested websites, don't be discouraged if people seem to be finding deals that you can't find or if you don't have the time to take advantage of every deal out there. Any money you save is a bonus. Happy couponing!

You might want to check out:

www.couponmom.com

They tell you the best deals every week for stores i your area and which coupons from which week you can use at that store to get the best savings. It's a completely free service.

Some people don't even clip the coupons right away--just organize the inserts by date (of the Sun paper) & then go to it & clip when it's time to use them, which is usually a few weeks after they arrive.

Sign up for www.neverpayretailagain.net and you will not be disappointed! It tells you of deals (manufacturers coupons too) for everything from Giant Eagle to the Gap and Banana Republic, Old Navy. You name it. I would NEVER know about these deals if I didn't get their emails. Makes it easier, you can print the coupons on your printer and it tells you how to stack coupons, buy BOGO, etc. Try it and you will be amazed at what you save!

Prepare to be addicted. I LOVE couponing. First off, you need to invest in one of those accordian files you get at the office supply store. Not the little coupon one, the big one for letter sized paper. If you don't get the Sunday paper, start getting it. I'd start off with one copy, but you may eventually want to get more, or ask your friends/family to save you their coupon inserts. Each week (the Red Plum one started coming in my mail Tues or Wed, but it is the (next) Sunday's), write the date on the inserts (it is always the Sunday date) and file all of them in one pocket of your file. This is important because coupons are usually good on about a 12 week cycle, and are always referred to by the date and the circular name (Red Plum, Smart Source, P&G, etc.)

There are 2 websites in particular I will direct you to: the first is www.thegrocerygame.com. It has a small ($5/month, I think) fee. It is TOTALLY worth it, and you can try it out for a month for a dollar, I think. You sign up for your grocery store, and it prints a list each week of everything that is on sale that week at the store, along with any valid coupon that is out there. While you build up your coupon stash it is a little less useful, but once you have several weeks of coupons you are off to the races. It categorizes things as "green" (free), "blue" (this is the best deal you will see for a while-- stock up!) and "black" (buy only if you need it this week). The idea is to get a pantry going of staples so you only buy them when they are heavily discounted. Obviously, things like milk you can't do that with, but milk is price-controlled anyway, so there really aren't any deals.

The second website is moneysavingmom.com. She gives you the lowdown of what is free or very, very cheap at CVS, Wallgreens, and Rite-Aid each week. Yes, shopping at the drug stores can be a very good deal ( I often get 25-30 dollars of health and beauty stuff free each week, which I donate to the food bank), but you have to know what you are doing. She has great tutorials. She also lets you know when manufactures (like P& G, etc.) have special coupon books available.

In the beginning it takes a lot of time and you make mistakes. But it is SO worth it once you get the hang of it. If you are truly strapped for time, get the paper each week, go through the coupons, and clip for things that you will definitely (not, "oh, look, that's cheap... even though I don't like it!") use. Giant Eagle doubles coupons up to 99 cents, so a 75 cent off coupon for one is worth a lot more than a $1.50/ two-- especially if you have more than one coupon. Occasionally K-mart does doubles up to $2.00... it all depends on how much time you have. A warning though.... there are a lot of moms out there doing this, so if you want the free stuff, you had better be there early. I am always at our CVS at 10 am Sunday. We just go on our way to church. The more you can make it a routine, the better off you will be.

Good luck!

Great question my friend! How I do it is clip the coupons from your weekly circular and that you get in the mail weekly from red plum and the Sunday paper and PLAN you grocery trip. Only use the coupons that you would generally want to use and coinside the ones that have to the specials on at the store. So you get double coupons PLUS the discount thats on at the store. Only go to Walmart when you have 1.00 off on stuff because they dont have double coupons or have the variety that Giant Eagle has so PLAN and you can save up to $70.00 on one shopping trip. I know I do it! I only buy the things that I want on sale and the things I need I buy either the giant eagle brand or the brand itself because I have to. Think differently when you go and PLAN PLAN PLAN.....Then I go to the Dollar General for my cleaning supplies and I use coupons there too!
I hope that helps! Hope you and the girls are well
WE MISS YOU
Sher xoxo