Recently we had a winner on our facebook page that purchased over 100 boxes of cereal for under $.50... (that is fifty cents lol) while this is just amazing savings, she went the extra mile and that is what truly impressed me! There isn't much out there more aggravating than empty shelves at the grocery store. Yeah Yeah, they should know to order more, have more on hand, limit how many one person can buy, etc etc. BUT... she PRE ORDERED her cereal so that she wasn't clearing the shelves for the next person. This not only helps other shoppers, but it helped her too. How? She didn't have to go all over town to get her 100 boxes, she only had to go to one store!
And I know what else people are going to think... what in the world is she going to do with over 100 boxes of cereal? Well.. she is going to donate a good bit to a local food bank. And why not? How many boxes of cereal can one family eat? My family goes through some cereal, but I even think that over 100 boxes is probably a bit excessive! So my point is this, if you run across a great deal and you get an abundance of something, donate it to those in need. It makes your heart feel all warm and fuzzy and some child's tummy very happy!! Also, don't forget to donate personal care items... these are items that are often forgotten and very much needed!
So my challenge to you... keep track of how much you donate this year... not your coupon price... your REGULAR price and add them up at the end of the year. You will be amazed!! It can make for a great write off on your taxes at the end of the year too!
Stay ethical in couponing and keep it fun for everyone!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Why a stockpile?
Sales go in cycles, every item you buy is not going to be on sale every time you shop. For instance, Peanut Butter is an item that doesn't go on sale AND have coupons too many times during the year. So, when peanut butter is on sale and I can get it free or at a very low price, I stock up. This way, I will not have to purchase it at full price later. Since I have been adding different items to my stockpile every week, my shopping list has gotten much smaller. Now I only buy those items when they are very low again, and I do not typically run out in between.
Another reason is to have items on hand in case of emergency. My husband and I both got laid off a few years ago and we were NOT prepared. Had I started couponing before hand, we would have been in a much better situation. NOW if we are laid off, we are pretty well set for at least 6 months, maybe longer.
I will give another example... Toilet Paper. The type of TP that we prefer is usually over $10.00 for an 18 pack. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to get the same TP in a 12 pack for only $1.35. I bought 10 packs. For a little more than what I would have paid for an 18 rolls, I got 120 rolls.
The point of a stock pile is to get your grocery list down, hence lowering your monthly out of pocket. Once your stock pile is up, you will only need to buy what is on sale that week free or really cheap. So if you get a good deal... buy lots of it! People in the store may look at you like you are crazy, but once you ring up at the register and your total comes to under $20.00 for $200.00 worth of goods, they will be begging you to teach them!
Another reason is to have items on hand in case of emergency. My husband and I both got laid off a few years ago and we were NOT prepared. Had I started couponing before hand, we would have been in a much better situation. NOW if we are laid off, we are pretty well set for at least 6 months, maybe longer.
I will give another example... Toilet Paper. The type of TP that we prefer is usually over $10.00 for an 18 pack. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to get the same TP in a 12 pack for only $1.35. I bought 10 packs. For a little more than what I would have paid for an 18 rolls, I got 120 rolls.
The point of a stock pile is to get your grocery list down, hence lowering your monthly out of pocket. Once your stock pile is up, you will only need to buy what is on sale that week free or really cheap. So if you get a good deal... buy lots of it! People in the store may look at you like you are crazy, but once you ring up at the register and your total comes to under $20.00 for $200.00 worth of goods, they will be begging you to teach them!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
What's with all this hype on the news about coupons?
There has been many news articles recently about coupons and how stores are starting to clamp down on us couponers. While there have been some changes to store policies, there have not been any substantial changes made. Publix recently changed how they view "competitors" and Target changed their view on BOGO sales. Target will no longer allow you to combine a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale making both items free. Other than these two changes, there has not been any other major change in couponing. The Publix and Target change will actually help to eliminate those "shelf clearers" and help others to be able to get in on the good deals.
Many people, even the media, is contributing this to the show Extreme Couponing. It seems the show has brought couponing to the attention of some businesses and they are trying to crack down. While I do like watching the show, I do not agree with all of their antics. Stealing newspapers and purchasing 100 of the same items is a bit too much for me to handle. Unfortunately this has led to some stores limiting how many "like" coupons per transaction. However, this will also help to ensure that other customers get in on the deals as well.
There are some draw backs to the new changes, but lets be honest. How aggravating is it to get to your store and there be NO items left that were on sale? Some of the changes can be beneficial to us that are not trying to wipe a store clean.
So while the media is playing it up that couponing is getting harder to do, just sit back and laugh. The way I see it is, those that were planning on joining our wonderful couponing community and were in it for the wrong reason will now be deterred from doing so! And once this "couponing craze" has passed, so will the media hype and all the policy changes.
Many people, even the media, is contributing this to the show Extreme Couponing. It seems the show has brought couponing to the attention of some businesses and they are trying to crack down. While I do like watching the show, I do not agree with all of their antics. Stealing newspapers and purchasing 100 of the same items is a bit too much for me to handle. Unfortunately this has led to some stores limiting how many "like" coupons per transaction. However, this will also help to ensure that other customers get in on the deals as well.
There are some draw backs to the new changes, but lets be honest. How aggravating is it to get to your store and there be NO items left that were on sale? Some of the changes can be beneficial to us that are not trying to wipe a store clean.
So while the media is playing it up that couponing is getting harder to do, just sit back and laugh. The way I see it is, those that were planning on joining our wonderful couponing community and were in it for the wrong reason will now be deterred from doing so! And once this "couponing craze" has passed, so will the media hype and all the policy changes.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Get another email!
Signing up for all these great freebies can cause a whole bunch of unwanted emails. My suggestion is to sign up for a free email address through gmail or yahoo specifically for these deals. This will prevent you from getting spammed to death in your regular email. I check mine from time to time to see if I have gotten any good deals or coupons. Also, I have had a few that I signed up for that the coupon print limit went by your email, not your IP address. This will help you to print more coupons if you have multiple email addresses. Now, this doesn't happen all the time, but occasionally! Also, if you are getting emails that you do not want, you can always scroll down to the bottom of the email and "unsubscribe". By law, they have to give you this option, rather you signed up for it or not!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Per Item vs. Per Transaction
If a coupon states one coupon per purchase, what this means is you can only use one "like" coupon per item. For instance, if I am buying two (2) Frozen Pizza's and I have two (2) $1.00 off coupons, I can use them to purchase the Pizza's. Because it is ONE coupon per item.
If a coupon says only one (1) coupon per transaction, then you can only use one coupon per times through the register. Some people do multiple transactions in order to get around this, that is IF your store will allow you too. Most of the stores that may limit your transactions would be ones that have reward cards, they are better able to track your transactions through their card.
If a coupon says only one (1) coupon per transaction, then you can only use one coupon per times through the register. Some people do multiple transactions in order to get around this, that is IF your store will allow you too. Most of the stores that may limit your transactions would be ones that have reward cards, they are better able to track your transactions through their card.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Walgreen Filler Items Explained
At Walgreen you are allowed to stack coupons as well as use their Register Rewards (RR) to bring down your total bill. Register Rewards are those coupons that print out that say $X.00 off your next purchase. Sometimes the register will beep and the cashier may tell you that you have too many coupons, this WILL happen, I promise. You will need to purchase a cheap "filler item". Their registers will only allow one coupon (register rewards are considered coupons) per item. So lets say you have 10 items with 10 Manufacturers coupons and you also have $1.00 in RR, so you will actually have 11 coupons, so you will need to buy some cheap item, (I like the $.09 pencils always on clearance) so that you will have 11 items to go with your 11 coupons!
Have a binder and clip less!
If you like the idea of having a binder and clipping less coupons... this is the way to go! It combines both organization systems into one!
Get your binder and dividers as I instructed before, but instead of getting baseball card inserts, get the full page ones. You can organize them by date instead of by items or store isles. For example: Your first divider could hold Date: 6/26, combine all of your like pages and add to the protectors one at a time (for double pages, cut them in half), this way you can flip through the dates and see what coupons you have, pull them and cut them as needed. If you run across a good deal and you know you have that coupon, look though your binder, find it, clip it and make your purchase!
Get your binder and dividers as I instructed before, but instead of getting baseball card inserts, get the full page ones. You can organize them by date instead of by items or store isles. For example: Your first divider could hold Date: 6/26, combine all of your like pages and add to the protectors one at a time (for double pages, cut them in half), this way you can flip through the dates and see what coupons you have, pull them and cut them as needed. If you run across a good deal and you know you have that coupon, look though your binder, find it, clip it and make your purchase!
How to organize your coupons without a binder
If you don't like toting a binder with you everywhere, don't worry! I have another way you can organize your coupons! (And you only cut the ones you need... as you need them!)
Leave your inserts in tack, don't cut any coupons unless you need them. Write on the outside of your insert the date they were released. For instance on the front page of ALL my Smart Source and Red Plum today, I wrote in marker 6/26. File them in a folder, zip lock baggie, or any other filing system that works for you in date order. I have hanging file folders with the date on the tabs, I put all of my inserts in that date and use a clip to clip the different inserts together. So like today, I have 2 clips... one for Red Plum and one for Smart Source.
Once you get your shopping list together and you know what coupons you will need for your trip, just go to that insert on the correct date and clip the coupons that you need.
Of course the down fall to this system is that if you run across a great deal that you have a coupon for and it wasn't on the shopping list, you will not have your coupons with you. BUT... the good news is... your not breaking your back clipping and sorting all your coupons every week! It also makes it a lot easier to purge your expired coupons!
Leave your inserts in tack, don't cut any coupons unless you need them. Write on the outside of your insert the date they were released. For instance on the front page of ALL my Smart Source and Red Plum today, I wrote in marker 6/26. File them in a folder, zip lock baggie, or any other filing system that works for you in date order. I have hanging file folders with the date on the tabs, I put all of my inserts in that date and use a clip to clip the different inserts together. So like today, I have 2 clips... one for Red Plum and one for Smart Source.
Once you get your shopping list together and you know what coupons you will need for your trip, just go to that insert on the correct date and clip the coupons that you need.
Of course the down fall to this system is that if you run across a great deal that you have a coupon for and it wasn't on the shopping list, you will not have your coupons with you. BUT... the good news is... your not breaking your back clipping and sorting all your coupons every week! It also makes it a lot easier to purge your expired coupons!
Matchups
Every week I will be posting sale and coupon match ups so that you can make your list and have a nice and easy shopping trip. I match the sale adds with the coupons that we have already received, and tell you what coupons to use from what flier in order to get the best deals. The matchups are at the top of the page, just click on what store you are going to and see what you would like to purchase. Find your coupons and be on your way! Easy Peasy! Remember, if you have any questions, find us on face book and ask away! If I am not available, someone will be. Also, see my other post about getting your shopping list together. No need in stressing when couponing is so much fun!
We are trying to get other store matchups as well. Hopefully soon we will have Winn Dixie!! So keep an eye out and check our page regularly!
And don't forget... refer your friends! Real friends don't let friends pay full price!
We are trying to get other store matchups as well. Hopefully soon we will have Winn Dixie!! So keep an eye out and check our page regularly!
And don't forget... refer your friends! Real friends don't let friends pay full price!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Getting your shopping list together
What I do is, I go to the matchups for that store. I copy the items and coupons that I want to purchase from the matchups and paste them on a word document. Then I go through my binder or coupons and get out the ones that I need and also print any coupons from the internet that I need.
Once I have my list and my coupons all ready, I place my list and coupons in an envelope so that they are ready when I get to checkout. If an item is not in stock, you can get a raincheck and add that to your envelope for your next trip.
I carry my binder with me everywhere I go, you never know what types of deals you may run across. Others prefer to not have a binder at all and depend solely on the matchups. Whatever your preference, you are still sure to save a bunch!
Once I have my list and my coupons all ready, I place my list and coupons in an envelope so that they are ready when I get to checkout. If an item is not in stock, you can get a raincheck and add that to your envelope for your next trip.
I carry my binder with me everywhere I go, you never know what types of deals you may run across. Others prefer to not have a binder at all and depend solely on the matchups. Whatever your preference, you are still sure to save a bunch!
Coupon Classes
We are working hard at getting a coupon class put together! If you have any ideas please let me know!
Printable Coupons
I have added all of the links to printable coupons above. You can usually print 2 coupons per computer. If you have multiple computers (they have to use different IP addresses) then you can print more. Occasionally on the high dollar coupons it will only allow you to print one. Also, if you are a Publix shopper and your Publix takes Target as a competitor, you can go to the Target web site and print some great coupons to stack with your Manufacturer coupons... this adds up to some wonderful savings!! For instance, Publix had BOGO ($4.99) Oscar Meyer Weiners this week, I have $1.00/2 Manufacturer coupons and also $0.75 Target coupons... I scored these for $1.25 a pack!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Your Coupon Binder
To get started you will need to purchase a few things, I know, I know, your supposed to save money right? Well this will help save your sanity and your money!
1) A 3 Ring 2-3 inch Binder
2) Dividers
3) Baseball card protector sheets, you can start out with one or two packs, and then buy more as you need them.
4) Envelopes
5) Scissors
6) Calculator
7) Zipper Bag with holes to put in your binder for storage
Label your dividers by sections of your grocery store. Below is a list of what I have:
Misc.
Canned Goods
Baking
Seasonings
Bread
Condiments
Snacks
Meat
Dairy
Drinks, Coffee, Tea
Frozen Veggies
Other Frozen Items
Cleaning Products
Toiletries (shampoo, girlly items, etc.)
Teeth
Deodorant
Soaps
Shaving
Teeth
Deodorant
Soaps
Shaving
Paper Products
Cereal
Yogurt
Soup
Desserts
Beauty
Medication
Boxed Goods (Rice, Hamburger Helper, etc)
Smell Goods (Candles, Sprays, etc)
Laundry
Once you have this done, you are ready to add your coupons!! :)
Where do I get all these coupons?
I have 3 people in my home, me, my son and my hubby. So the rule of thumb is to buy one newspaper per person in your household, well, you always want to by in even numbers.. so I buy 4. This way, when you run across a great deal, you can get more than just one. For instance, I had 4 $3.00 off coupons this week for Bic Disposable Razors, well with the Publix sale, BOGO and they were only $5.49, I got them all FREE. But if I had only gotten one paper, I would have missed out on this deal!!! So always buy multiple papers so that you can stock up on items when they are dirt cheap!
I also use Coupons.com they have wonderful coupons on there daily. There is a print limit, so you normally are only able to print 2! If you have more than one computer, you are able to print 2 per computer!
I also use Coupons.com they have wonderful coupons on there daily. There is a print limit, so you normally are only able to print 2! If you have more than one computer, you are able to print 2 per computer!
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