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My sister-in-law is really the one that got me into couponing. She is the coupon queen and told me how to match up store promotions, stack coupons, and take advantage of the savings that were out there. She was right, there are MANY deals to be had that can save you 50% of your current grocery bill! Now, between shopping at the right stores at the right times and using coupons, I save 50% - 60% on each shopping trip!
So, let's start. Here is what you do to begin the path to saving:
-Sunday Papers:
First get 2 papers EVERY Sunday. I suggest getting two different papers. For example, I get my local paper delivered to my house every Sunday, but I always go to the store and buy the next town's paper as well. I do this because of the coupons. The papers will typically have the same coupons, but one may have a few more or better variety (my experience has been the bigger cities get the better coupons). Some couponers get multiple papers each Sunday to really stock up on the coupons. If I know the coupons are going to be good (I will post the upcoming Sunday's Insert coupons every Thursday afternoon or evening) I may do that from time to time, but generally I only get three. Simply, because three is enough for me to handle and manage, any more than that I risk a chance of becoming overloaded. If you choose to get surplus papers, check your local elementary, middle, or highschools to see if they could use the newspapers for class projects, once you have dissected them for the coupons AND ads.
- Weekly Ads
This brings me to my next thought. Take all the ads out and KEEP them. Keep them until next week's ads come out so you can cross reference them all week. I have my coupon bag that holds all of the sales ads from the current week and I always take it to the stores with me. You never know when you are going to be out and want to cross compare prices or buy something you suddenly realized you need. For example, if you are at Target and you realize you need paper towels but don't have time to go to Walmart (where it is cheaper that week). You pick up your paper towels, go to customer service, show them the complete Walmart ad, and VOILA you have just priced matched (plus at Target you can stack coupons...Walmart you can't)!
- Know where to find coupons
We have already established getting your weekly coupon inserts. Now, let's talk about where to find other coupons.
A great place to start is Coupons.com. They can be found on my right side bar, just click and enter in your zip code to find out what is available to you. Once you print them out, hit your browser back arrow and print them again ( you can only print each one twice per computer). These coupons are a limited quantity, so don't wait to print them, because once they are gone, they are gone. They seem to update weekly, again I will post them when they refresh and are made available.
You can also view coupons at Red Plum and SmartSource.com, and target coupons (Target coupons are great because you can stack them with Manufacturer coupons you would find at the 3 places above).
-Types of Coupons
Now that you know how to get a stock pile of coupons here is the difference among them. Coupons are seperated into categories: manufacturers/vendor, store (specific to one store such as Target or Walgreen's), and military coupons.
The manufacturer/vendor coupons which are found in the coupon inserts on Sundays, Coupons.com, SmartSource, and Red Plum as well as on store shelfs or under the product (known as hangtags), and many more places. They will be labeled "manufacturers coupons" usually found next to the expiration date on the coupon. These can be combined with store coupons or military coupons at certain stores (ask your local store if they accept both), this is known as stacking. This is where BIG savings can come into place. When you can stack coupons and combine it with a sale or promotion your savings will be outstanding!
Store coupons can be found at the store's website or sometimes in their weekly ad. These are great because again, you can sometimes combine them with manufactureers coupons. Then to make it even better, sometimes stores like Publix will accept competitors coupons AND let you stack.
Military coupons are found in commissaries (as hangtags or peelies) and magazines , usually somewhere right when you walk into the store. The magazines are called MaxiSaver and Family. These are availble monthly, but when you see them grab them because they go FAST! These military coupons are rarely accepted anywhere but on base, however I have found that Publix accepts them (mostly those Publix located a military base).
-Using Coupons
So let's start using the coupons! First off, you want to get a feel for different stores coupon policies. You can do this by checking my Store 101's (Left side bar found under Resources) or call your local stores, because some tend to vary.
Once you have an idea of who accepts what, now you want to start stocking up. Keep a look out for sales and promotions at the stores you shop most often. After a short time you will start to become familiar with their regular prices and recognize good sales. When you see a good sale, get all the items that you have coupons for. Don't just one or two, get 8 if that's how many coupons you have. That is the goal of couponing. When you go shopping the goal is to shop because there is a sale on things you use, not because you are shopping out of neccesity (ie, you need toilet, shampoo, or rice). There are weeks when my grocery shopping trip has 14 apple juices, 12 cans of tuna, 8 boxes of cereal, and of course my fruits and veggies. This doesn't mean that I am going to serve cheerios with a side of tuna and apple juice for dinner that week, they are items I use and they are on sale AND I have coupons, so I stock up.
This might take you a few shopping trips to do that, if you are on a budget. When I started I did my regular grocery shopping that I always did, but stocked up on a few extra things like 9 packages of chicken breast instead of 3. Why would I do that? Because it was on sale and I had coupons! I did more and more of this each week until I was able to stock up the pantry, the garage storage and all the linen closets!
I am in the process fo switching coupon systems so stay tuned for how I organize my coupons (I will include photos).
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