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Bet you think that clipping all those coupons on Sunday is a waste of time and doesnt really save you money right? WRONG!
Those coupons are just like money. Now you wouldnt throw away a dollar would you? Of course not! Stock your house to the brim
and learn how to live on $50.00 a week or a month! Sure savings will be small in the beginning but with knowledge, time and
practice you will be saving more then you can possibly imagine.
Accumulate Coupons
Obviously this is the first step to couponing. There are usually 2 coupon inserts in Metropolitan Newspapers. Obtain multiples
of coupons. Ask family, friends, neighbors & co-workers for their inserts if they are not going to use them. Having multiples
will enable you to take advantage of the great deals when they come along and assist you in building your stockpile . If you
can not collect extra coupons from the people you know, there are other ways to attain the coupons you will find most valuable.
There are many coupon clipping services on the internet that charge nominal fees for their time and supplies used to send
requested coupons. These services do not charge for the coupon, but as mentioned, for their time and supplies (postage, envelopes,
etc.). In addition to using clipping services, there are many forums in which couponers are willing to trade their unused
coupons for ones which are more useful to them.
Coupons via the internet. Coupons and coupon offers can be found all over the internet. However, Tops does not take coupons
printed from your computer. Many manufacturers offer coupons for their products to be sent via snail mail.
Save old coupon inserts! At least from the past 3 mos. Most coupons expire within 60 days; however, some have longer expiration
dates. Another coupon may be issued for the same product in a more current insert, but the value may be less! You will see
both unexpired coupons on the list!
Blinkies - are the red machines set up in aisles in the store. This another great way to obtain coupons. However, most
of these cannot be doubled
Store Courtesy Cards
Apply for grocery store's courtesy cards! There is no charge for these cards. Kroger, Foodlion & Harris Teeter
all have these cards.
Get a card for all stores!
Get Organized
There are a variety a ways in which Coupon Queens maintain their coupons! A system you choose can be as simple or complex
as you choose. It can also be modified as you go.
A place to keep your coupons is needed. You can keep them in box, binder, or coupon pendaflex. Plastic coupon organizers
(pendaflex like) can be purchased at stores such as Wal-Mart, etc. Coupon binders can be purchased at sites such
as:
CouponOrganizer.com
My preference, is to keep inserts intact, except for coupons I know will definitely be going on sale or that I will definitely
get for free or for pennies. These coupon exceptions I keep in a coupon binder that is sectioned by categories such as
Dental, Hair Care, Medicines, Frozen Foods, Snacks, Candy/Gum, etc. This binder is taken with me whenever I may be stopping
at a store. When the weekly sales ads come out I scan them and match them with current coupons. Besides organizing your coupons,
prepare for your shopping trips before you get to the store! Go through the list and make a Shopping List. . Clip and take
along corresponding coupons! And DON'T forget to give the coupons to the cashier!
Stockpiling
Now that you've found a great deal, you need to buy a lot of it. This is why accumulating multiple coupons
is necessary. Having the room to store the product and the shelf life of the product, are two issues you may have with stockpiling.
It is wise to find room for storage. Some people have used the amount they've saved to buy an additional freezers. I personally
stockpile only non-perishable items. Stockpiling is used most wisely when you buy something for pennies or for free. For example,
I knew cold and flu season was right around the corner, so when Tops had Scotties tissues on sale for .88¢ a box, I used a
.60¢/3 coupon. Lucky for me, it was also triple coupons. This brought my cost to .28¢ a box. I bought 12 boxes for $3.36 and
should be set for the season. I only needed 4 coupons, and I passed some on to a friend with kids, goodness knows she'll need
them.
The following was stated by a couponer on FatWallet.com, "you’re buying at a price YOU want, not the
regular price the store will charge you at another time. Serious couponers have multi-year supplies of lots of items such
as shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, cleaning supplies, etc. When you use up one of these items, you
simply go to your stockpile, thereby saving you the time of having to go to the store and the money because you have stockpiled
it for free (or close to free) over paying the regular price."
Free Items or Items to get for Pennies!! (the following are just a small sample of what you can get!)
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Pasta
Hairspray
Shampoo
Conditioner
Body Wash
Tissues
Feminine Products
Kidney Beans
Bisquik Biscuits
Double & Triple Coupons:
About every 8 weeks Kroger does super doubles to $2.00. This means all coupons $1.00-1.75
are 2.00 off!! This makes for some awesome freebies and cheapo's!! Always keep a list of what you've gotten and the price
for future super double days. Harris Teeter likes to triple after Kroger does super doubles. They will triple up to .99. Again
you can get some awesome freebies and cheapo's!!
Kroger doubles coupons daily to .50 and Harris teeter
doubles coupons to .99 daily. Foodlion does not double or triple and a few FarmFresh stores double daily to .50 (I believe
these stores are located in VA Beach).
Did you know?
Did you know that you can combine a MFG coupon with a store coupon? Yes you can!! IF a store tells you no you cant ask
to speak with a manager. If the manager says no, ask to see a writen copy of their coupon policy. Learning the stores coupon
policy is always very helpful. Did you also know that you could use a coupon on a clearance item? That 9.00 bottle of cover
up could be yours if its on clearance for FREE or for pennies!
Read each and every coupon:
Read each coupon carefully.
Most say " one coupon per purchase" each item you buy is a purchase! If you have 10 of that item in your cart then all 10
is a purchase and if you have 10 coupons USE THEM ALL!! If the coupon doesn't have a size limit you can use it on a trial
size item! If it says " save 1.00 on ANY one colgate whitening toothpaste " use it on the trial size toothpaste, if it says
" save 1.00 on any 4.6oz or larger colgate whitening toothpaste" then you have to use it on the larger size tubes. Now your
asking yourself what would I do with 10 trial sizes of toothpaste? Do you have kids that go to sleepovers? Send a tube with
them isntead of the big one. Go on family trips? Take a few of the smaller ones with you instead of the big one. Plus if the
item your purchasing is priced at .78 and you use a 1.00 coupon you get the "overage" took off the rest of your bill. So you
have .22 applied to the rest of your grocery bill, .22 ads up pretty fast.
If you want to maximize your savings even more, then start utilizing MIR! You will be able to find MIR offers in
a variety of places. The same coupon inserts where you will get your coupons also have MIR offers. Stores often
have these offers. Look for Try Me Free (TMF) offers on products. At Christmas I had coupons for the Ready to
Bake Cookies, that made my purchase price only .25¢. There was a TMF offer on some of the flavors. I ended up
getting a refund of $2.50!
Some manufacturers will have copies of the MIR forms available on their websites! In addition, coupon clipping services
also have these available for small handling fees.
When using MIR, you have to put the money out first, but combine sale prices with coupons, then mail in the rebate form.
In no time at all the refunds will start rolling in, and you can use this money toward your weekly shopping, and less will
be coming from your budgeted money!
As with most people when they start couponing and rebating, it takes a few weeks or months before they start seeing the
tremendous savings. But everyone agrees that it was well worth starting!
Tips:
When at item is BOGO, Use 2 coupons!
When stores have "Store Coupons" in their ad, you CAN use these WITH manufacturer's coupons!
If the coupon says "off any size", its often more profitable to use on the smallest size. Many trial sizes will be free!
If the store is out of an advertised "on sale" item, get a raincheck!
Use coupons with shorter expiration dates first.
- Check your stock. What items are you low on and what items do you have enough?
- Make a list. Keep a list throughout the week of items you are low on, or need.
- Check the sales ads. (Use list at "This Week's Best Deals)
- Know your prices! Start a price book on items you buy often.
- Use coupons when it makes sense. Usually in conjunction with a sale.
- Using a coupon on a new item is a good idea. If you don't like it, at least you didn't pay too much!
- Plan your meals! Either plan them for the week or month. Plan them around items that are great
deals and from your stockpile!
- Avoid trips to convenience and corner stores!
- Don't shop when you're hungry! This will reduce impulse buys!
- Remember no one store has the lowest prices on everything!
- Check expiration dates. Especially if you are stockpiling.
- Buy meat in bulk. You will get lower prices on big / value packages. Split it up before you freeze.
- Shop for fruits & vegetables in season!
- Watch for discrepancies as your order is rung up! - Make sure your coupons are deducted!
- Use coupons on trial size - if coupon is good for "any size".
- Try different brands. When trying to get the best deals, it is hard to be brand loyal.
- Shop by yourself. It saves time.
- Compare prices, either by unit price or by serving!
- Carry a small calculator with you. (It will help w/#18)
- Be aware of marketing strategies. End of aisle dump bins, middle shelf items, etc.
- Combine coupons with refund offers! You can end up making money
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