And now for a post about saving money. Because the loot we save on food = more money to spend on paint & projects. I figured since I recently divulged my 2011 goal to figure out coupons and save more money this year, I should share a little coupon-related update for anyone else who’s as desperate to turn paper clippings into dolla dolla bills as I am. So here it is:
I saved $53 at the grocery store!!! Coupons really do work!!!!
Pardon all the shouting. I’m just really excited. I am definitely far from an “expert” on the subject (I just started trying to navigate the crazy coupon world a few weeks back) but here’s what I learned in the simplest of terms. Because I was a coupon dummy. Still kind of am. So I need things to be explained to me slowly. Preferably with lots of pictures and in a soothing and nurturing tone. Yup, I’m high maintenance like that.
Tip Numero Uno: You save the most money when your store (we shop at Kroger) matches coupons (ours does up to 50 cents) and when you can use a manufacturer’s coupon (like the ones you find in the paper or online) combined with store coupons or sales. For example, if Kroger has organic milk marked down by $1 and I have a manufacturers coupon for 50 cents off and Kroger matches that, a gallon of organic milk that’s normally $3 will only be $1 (because I’d score $2.00 off thanks to the store’s $1 off sale and the matched fifty cent coupon).
Not bad right? That stuff really adds up when you’re shopping for a fair amount of things (which has always been the way John & I do it, we usually do one major shopping trip every 2-3 weeks). It keeps us from spending a lot of money on impulse buys (which would occur more frequently and cost us more money if we hit the store more often for smaller trips). But I’m rambling. Back to more of my novice coupon tips.
Tip Numero Dos: If you use coupons for things you don’t eat (or just get stuff because it’s on sale) you’re still losing money, wasting time, and giving up valuable space in your house that could better be used to store other things. So even if that bag of chips is 40 cents, if you don’t normally buy chips but get all crazy at the idea of big savings you’re on a slippery coupon slope. My big rule is that I only clip (or print) coupons for things that our family already eats or would like to try. We prefer organic produce and organic dairy along with basics like pasta, bread, cereal, granola, etc. It’s not always as easy to find coupons for those things, but they do exist! And thanks to Kroger (where we have a Kroger savings card, which also offers occasional discounts on those items when you scan the card at the register) we’ve been able to save a substantial amount of money. Our last trip was our best savings ever (did I mentioned we saved $53?!!!!! oh I did. sorry, I’m just excited).
Along with picking up the Sunday paper for the bevy of coupons hiding inside (along with a Kroger weekly sale flier), here are some of the online stops that I make to find coupons that I can print or even load directly onto my Kroger card (how Minority Report is that?!).
- This is my favorite coupon site. I click the Kroger tab and the Target tab to see what’s going on (they have other stores in case you’re not a Kroger person)
- This is where I go within that site to load things onto my Kroger card
- I also check out this site for printable coupons
- And this one
- And this one
- This site is nice because it has links to a few of my favorites (some of them already listed above) in one spot
- I also drop by this site just to see what’s going on there
- And this one
- And this one
- And this one
Resist the urge to get overwhelmed though! I probably get 90% of my coupons from the top four bullets above, so there’s no need to go crazy and bookmark a million sites like I did. I just had to experiment with a bunch of them to find my favorites (aka: those top four).
Other than those two tips above, there really isn’t one big trick that helped me save tons of money. I just clipped coupons on and off for two weeks (just for things we actually need/use/eat), wrote our shopping list carefully (being sure to note how many of each item we needed for the maximum savings) and even loaded some coupons onto my Kroger card online before going into the store (thanks to this site). We spent around $160 for 2-3 weeks worth of groceries for John, Clara, and I (we walked out with over nine giant reusable bags full of stuff, and according to the receipt we purchased 77 items). And we saved $53! And that was on things like two four-packs of organic baby yogurt for Clara, two half-gallons of organic milk, organic eggs, organic produce like bananas & avocados & and peppers, and basics like whole wheat bread, wheat pasta, granola bars, cereal (and goodies like dark chocolate and ice cream). It felt so good! Here are a few more specific examples of exactly how our coupons combined with an in-store sale to save us the most money:
- We got two YoBaby Organic Yogurt 4-Packs, which were originally selling for $2.69 (which calculates to a total of $5.38). But Kroger had them marked down for 60 cents off each one (bringing each one down to $2.09) and then we had a “buy one 4-pack, get the second one free” coupon from the manufacturer, which made our total for both 4-packs just $2.09 (for a savings of $3.29).
- We got an 8 oz bag of Gorton’s grilled shrimp that was originally $5.99. But Kroger was having a special $3 off promotion so it was only $2.99. And we had a manufacturers coupon for $1 off which means that our bag of shrimp cost just $1.99 (for a savings of $4).
- We got a box of FiberOne Granola Bars that were originally $2.49. But Kroger had them on sale for $1.50 off (which made the box just 99 cents) and we had loaded a FiberOne e-coupon onto our Kroger card (thanks to this site) for 50 cents off, so we paid just 49 cents for the box of FiberOne granola bars.
Of course these are our best buys that we’re highlighting, so not everything that we purchased was that discounted. Not even close. So don’t get down on yourself if you save 20 cents here and 50 cents there. It all adds up! Just be sure you’re buying things that you actually like and eat, not just things that are on sale.
Oh and a few more couponing 101 tips that I picked up are:
- Just because something is 10/$10 doesn’t mean you have to buy ten items (it’s usually just labeled that way to get you to buy more).
- Resist the urge to buy the largest size of things that are on sale- often you save the highest percentage when you use a $1.00 off coupon on the $2.00 cereal box, not the supersized $4 one (this was the hardest principle for me to grasp at first since my instinct was that buying something huge saved me more money). Of course if the larger one is substantially less money per ounce and you have a use for a large amount of something, it could be worth the upgrade- but I was surprised how often I noticed them listed as the same price per ounce.
- Coupons are allegedly cyclical, meaning that most coupon pros claim that every six weeks the same items go on sale again. This theoretically means that if you have space to stock up on your favorite cereal when it’s on sale, you only have to buy enough to last you six weeks, and then the sale should pop up again (of course this isn’t to suggest that you should have a six week stockpile of every item, but it does reinforce the idea that you never have to buy 100 of something that’s “an amazing deal” because it’ll most likely be a great deal again in a little over a month).
Oh and here’s how I keep things organized. I have a clear plastic sleeve where I toss all of my coupons as I clip them throughout the 2-3 week span between major shopping trips, then before we go to Kroger I take out all the ones I won’t be using so it’s only full of coupons I’ll be “spending” and I slip my detailed shopping list in there with them (that way I know how many of something or what sized box I need to get to use my coupon without thumbing through all of them). When I get to the register I hand over my Kroger card for them to scan (for all uploaded discounts) and then I hand over my paper coupons as well. So far it seems to work.
So that’s my coupon update for ya. Happy snipping to one and all. And all you varsity coupon peeps better share your tips! I know I still have lots to learn!
Psst- All kids toys are not created equal. Check out what Clara got that looks so good we never want to tuck it out of sight (unlike 99% of her other toys).
Jennfier says
If yall shop at Kroger a lot this site might be helpful with matching coupons with the sales http://www.iheartkroger.com/
Also if you have a coupon and you can get an item for $0.40 or less, think about getting it and donating it to your local food bank. You can almost always get free rice or pasta and those are great items to donate.
Also, I keep the whole coupon insert and file it in a filing box witht he date on the folder tab, that way when I see a coupon in the 12/12/10 Red Plum (RP) ad i can go right to it. It makes it easier to find the coupons you need instead of thumbing through all of the individual coupons.
Also see if your store take competitor coupons. Our Publix will take Target coupons, although they do not double them. The Target coupons count as a store coupon. Each store has their own coupon policy.
Good job guys!!!!
Coupon user too! says
Check out http://www.bargainbaroness.com . She is located in the Hampton Roads area and has a lot of the same stores as you. If you like Kroger you should check out Martin’s. They double up to $0.99 everyday!!
Jessica says
FYI: I don’t know if it’s true in all regions, but our local Krogers will allow a paper manufacturer coupon as well as one loaded onto the Kroger Plus Card. So for paper towels we not only save the .50 from the plus card, but .50 (doubled to 1.00) from our manufacturer coupon. This is how I save $70-80 a shopping trip. (My husband laughs at me, because I type my grocery list, have one star for sale, two stars for sale and coupon, because when you shop with 2 kids under 4, things get hectic and there’s not much saving if you forget a coupon!)
Allison says
Did you know that Kroger has an iPhone app? You can scroll through all their weekly coupons on your phone and add them to your Kroger card right there.
Or you can load them on your computer (like it sounds you do now), but can check your phone when you’re at the store so you remember all the coupons you have loaded so you don’t have to write them all out.
YoungHouseLove says
Shut up! That’s amazing! I’m totally downloading that right now!
xo,
s
Allison says
I know, it’s great! I swear I thought of how handy that would be and then a few weeks later I got an email from Kroger about their new app. I think they read my mind…
Tina Bland says
Im obsessed with couponing, it’s like a challenge every week to see how much I can save. I want to save all my receipts this year and then add it all up at the end of Dec;)
BTW – right now in our MD Target $1 section are those coupon plastic separat-or thingys….I bought 2 over the summer, labeled each tab (canned goods, snacks, freezer, fridge…etc you get the point) and keep my coupons in those, makes it super easy to find what you need when you are making your lists! They fit into a med size purse so they are good to take with you to the store, leave an empty folder or two in one to keep the coupons you are using each week. It works great for me:)
Christina W says
I also like Shortcuts.com. I can do the download coupons directly to my store cards (like Kroger) and they have printables as well.
Allison K says
Most stores double coupons up to $.99. Meaning the coupon amount is $.99, so you could save up to $1.98 on an item. There are also “triple coupon days” where up to $.99 triples in savings. And also “Super Double Coupons” with doubles coupons up to $1.50, so you could save as much as $3!! I don’t do it much because I don’t get the newspaper and my computer ink is just too expensive to print coupons.
Allison K says
I’m not seeing where you can get coupons put on your store saver card. What am I missing?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s called cellfire.
http://www.southernsavers.com/about/cellfire/
You sign in, enter your card, and then click “save to card.”
xo,
s
Rosi T says
I work at Kroger and I always get asked by all these people in the store if they have to buy 10 items to make them each a 1$. and I have to explain they only need to buy 10 items if it is the big saver where it does require you to buy ten items or else you don’t get the savings. There is a fine line between the two, you just have to know which sale you’re looking at :)
Heh, I should do the coupon clippings but I don’t.
Michele says
I love Southern Savers! What is working for me right now is a comination of couponing and making use of Harris Teeter’s express lane service. I order all of my groceries online at the HT site, using Southern savers as a guide for what’s on sale. I can easily see what is on sale and what is not and HT keeps a list of the things I’ve purchased in the past so I don’t have to serach for every item. I can also see when the total in my online basket is more than I want to spend and can go back and tweak what is in there. Then I pull up to the store, hand them my coupons (that total comes off my next purchase) the nice clerk loads my groceries into my car and I drive away. I can NOT stress enough how awesome this service is. It costs $5, but I easily save that multiple times over by not making impulse buys at the store. And not having to wheel my 5 and 2 year old through the store….priceless.
Hollie says
That is an awesome service!!!
Alisa says
Thank you so much for pointing out that you CAN buy organic/healthy foods with coupons. People assume you have to purchase overly processed foods only in order to save a buck and that’s definitely not the case. We shop at Tom Thumb pretty much exclusively, and we spend way less than we ever did shopping at WalMart (which is pretty much king in our tiny town). Knowing how to double/triple/stack coupons doesn’t take too much extra time and it’s sort of fun seeing the total price fall at the register when your coupons are scanned :)
haley says
QUESTION: Can you please share if you use a monthly budgeting website/software/home made tool – for household expenses ?
Thanks for the coupon tips..I have just started with coupons and am working on better budgeting because I finally found my Big Girl Pants and will be quitting a job I have lost all my gusto for (3 years saving to be able to do it, and full support from husband :)) I have been consumed with comparing software and on line budget tools- mint, ynab, pearbudget etc etc. Love your practicality so I figured I’d ask what you all do? thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Oddly enough, we don’t. We pretty much know how much we spend each month since we’re predictable when it comes to things like that. We do use the same credit card for all monthly expenses (it earns points and we pay it off in full each month so it’s a great free way to track expenses and it’s automatically updated about a day or two after we buy something). We’ve also heard good things about mint.com if that helps though!
xo,
s
Anne says
Wow, Sherry, that’s encouraging. I shop at Kroger’s, too, and I’d given up on coupons. It just didn’t seem like it would make a difference when you’re mostly buying produce or things without HFCS, etc. You know? Maybe the coupons are better since people are eating more organically and looking at the Nutrition Facts more? (It’s not like I don’t eat candy sometimes; we just try to keep the HFCS out of the main stuff we eat after finding out how much of it was in everything!)
Thanks!
jenny says
Thank you for this inspiring post! I stick to a budget for groceries and have always thought of coupons as time consuming. It’s encouraging to see that even a busy person like you can fit it in and reap the rewards. I am certainly going to check these websites out and see how much we can save this week! BTW – I highly recommend the book “Miserly Moms” by Jonni McCoy and her “Healthy Meals” cookbook. Meal planning and cooking by scratch as much as possible has helped me stay on a $75 weekly grocery budget.
Liliana says
Congratulations on your savings! I tried it for a while but it does not work for me and my husband. For my fitness goals, I need to eat about 160-170g of protein and I try to buy the most natural meats and wild fish I can. We don’t buy anything canned, and buy organic when needed, for examples apples yes, bananas no because you peel them; also I buy bread, etc w/ingredients I can read and recognized. In order to save on produce, I buy at the local farmer’s market, no only are we getting organic but we are supporting our farmer’s plus, its always fun for us to go there on a Saturday or Sunday morning. We do use coupons when we can and I only buy what I need, no need to stock up on everything but, it sure feels good to save even $5 bucks!
Kudos to all who are able to use the coupons and save!
~ L.
Irene says
Not all sales are sales.. you can read that on all the coupon sites. I’m keeping track of prices to see if a ‘sale is really a sale’ and finding that sometimes it isn’t. I have a google document with a template I found to keep track so I can pull it up on my phone when I’m out with my list. Keeping track will really help you save the most on things you always buy! It’ll take time but it’ll be worth it.
Marilyn says
Great coupon tips! I have enjoyed reading your blog for about a year now. Your last house looked alot like a house I bought several years ago. I’m not really big into coupons although I used to use them more than I do now. Our Kroger store closed a couple of weeks ago after 70 years in our town. Our whole town loved that store. They did have good sales. A new store chain has already planned on coming into the Kroger location after a remodel of the building. Hope they have good sales. I have a family of 7 which includes 4 teenagers to feed. Enjoy your Kroger!
Heather @ REOlisticRenovation says
Thank you for these tips! I just started couponing again when we moved into our new house. I am definitely going to look at the resources your mentioned because I haven’t found anything online I am in love with yet to organize coupons. Oh and I found a really cheezy coupon organizer that works AWESOME at the dollar store $1. My kind of bargain. :)
Heidi says
Congrats on saving! It is such a great feeling! I recently started couponing after I decided to stay at home with our baby. Living off one income was tight, so using coupons has helped tremendously! The CVS extra care bucks is a great way to save, too, especially if you are using coupons! I haven’t spent any money on lots of essentials, like toothpaste, body wash, razors, etc. for almost 8 months now by using coupons and ECB’s at CVS. It’s also a great way to give back! When you can stock up on much more for much less, then there is more to give to others in need. Thanks for sharing!
For the person who commented and lives in MI, here is a great money saving site to follow: http://www.savingaddiction.com
and http://www.dealseekingmom.com
Lindsey Kaye says
Just wanted to mention another coupon clipping technique that saves me a lot of time and mess – don’t clip them!
Just write the date somewhere on them and store your full coupon inserts from the Sunday paper in a file folder (or whatever you want) and when you’re making your list and checking the sales list on your favorite sites, just make a list of which coupons you’ll need and the insert you’ll find them in.
SouthernSavers.com and IHeartKroger.com (and IheartPublix.com – my favorite) all note the date and insert from which a coupon came in their ad matchups. This way I don’t throw away a coupon I didn’t ‘think’ I needed and I don’t have a bunch of loose little squares of paper floating around in a folder. So many coupons have long expiration dates and it’s helpful for me to keep it all until I’m sure we won’t be using it.
Good job saving, and great explanations for people new to couponing. I’ve been super couponing (I don’t think I’m extreme quite yet!) for almost a year and by this point, with our stockpile built up, I am able to save an average of 60-70% off my total grocery/household purchases. I can’t imagine going back to shopping another way!
Ariel says
My favorite advice from this post was to just use coupons for things you use/want to try. Many coupon experts focus on the savings, which can lead people to waste lots of money and time.
As a newish reader, I also wanted to compliment you on your mad skills. I think you are excellent writers and you choose smart topics and projects to write about. It’s easy to see how your blog continues to be such a success! And that’s the end of my gushing:)
Leigh Anne says
Another little tidbit for people with parents/grandparents with a Kroger plus card over 60 – the first Wednesday of every month is Senior Citizen Day. That means that EVERYTHING you purchase gets an extra 10% off. So grab an older loved one and head shopping – fun bonding time plus lots o’ money-saving!
Kimie says
How funny you posted this today… Last night, I bought $124 in groceries for $51 buckaroos, and the $124 includes the store card savings.
I do not go from store to store for the best sales. My grocery store accepts competitors coupons which is where I get by biggest savings. I sign up for ALL the local store cards and mailing lists so they mail me their fliers and coupons. So like our shoprite sent me $10 off coupons each week in Feb, AND our stop and shop sent me $5 off each week i Feb. So when I go to my store I automatically have $15 off, plus what ever my actual grocery store is offering. Our stores flyers also often have a couple “double or triple $1 coupons” in the flyer. So instead of a dollar off that yogurt, you get $2-$3 off. Again, with the competitor coupons, each flyer gives me 2 or 3 of those, so with 4-5 grocery stores coupons I walk in with 10 of those double/triple coupons.
I used to think it was hard and messy – but it really does get easier and you get better at it. I do stick to the rule, that if I wouldn’t normally buy it, I don’t even clip the coupon. And, I only allow myself to stock up to 3 extra’s in my pantry….like 3 boxes of cereal or 3 bags of ziplocks – so I don’t go overboard with “good deals”.
monica says
I just started couponing too! And I live an hour away from the nearest big store anything, so that helps the impulse buys. I downloaded a savings tracker from somewhere that you set up in a budget and it keeps track…for the month of Jan I saved 93.99 in coupons along (not counting the store savings…that was a LOT more but I usually shopped those at least anyway). So excited! That includes grocery/household items. The biggest thing I’ve found to be helpful is just the whole mindset of the matter. A dollar is a dollar, and when you pay attention to each and every one you save a LOT!
A good tip is to google “your store matchups” to find great blogs that match up coupons for you. For example, my supermarket is price chopper… And many stores to have different coupon policies by region so check online for their coupon policy and print it out to have with you. Not all cashiers are created equal and some are kind of coupon crabby so I try to check out with the young guys…they never give me a hard time :)
Courtney says
This is great and very encouraging! I have to admit, I’ve tried couponing several times, but quickly gave up due to store brands being cheaper than name brands w/ coupons and me buying stuff I didn’t really need just because I had a coupon. But your tips really encourage me to try again! A quick tip though: if anyone does online shopping, ALWAYS look for discount codes via the internet (retailmenot.com). Sometimes you get lucky and find some pretty good discounts or free shipping!
Morgan G says
Welcome to the coupon club! I became a ‘member’ years ago and I still can’t believe how stoked I get when I scroll down to the YOUR SAVINGS box and discover that I really only paid for a 75% of what I bought. Ah, it’s the simple things in life.
Kate says
To take advantage of the best sales, I use http://www.grocerysmarts.com/ It uses a star rating to let me know how good the current sales are at my usual grocery store, and then I stock up on what’s on the best sale that week. It also lets me know what coupons are available for the items on sale. It’s AWESOME!
Sarah says
Hip2Save is my favorite site. The others one I go to are: CouponingtoDisney.com, TotallyTarget.com, and WildforWags.com.
I’ve been couponing for over a year – I would not be able to survive, as a poor college student, without it!
Dana E. says
Sherry – I’m so happy you guys got into couponing! I’ve been doing it for about 2 years now and it’s seriously addicting. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to paying full price in a grocery store ever again.
As a little motivation, I saved over $2k last year using coupons!
And I use a lot of the same sites you’re using, so keep it up, you’ll notice a big savings in no time!
Also, not sure if you’ve got a Harris Teeter up there in Richmond (I’m in Raleigh, NC) but they always double coupons up to 0.99, and have Super doubles (double anything up to 1.98) and Triples (triple any coupon up to .99) sales often! With those sales, and their higher limit on doubling coupons, I walk out with free things on a weekly basis, and they’re all things we will use.
So keep up the good work!! And if you start “CVSing”…watch out…you’re really going to be addicted! :)
Shanon says
Holy smokes! I didn’t realize that all those options were out there. You have totally inspired me to use more coupons. I always feel so sheepish at the check-out line when they ask if I have any coupons. Kudos to a great and helpful post! And congrats on the $53 savings-that alone is worth a big happy dance!
Shanon
Liliana says
Not sure if you had found this but didn’t find it useful, so just in case: http://www.mambosprouts.com/
And this one is supposed to be really big, again not sure if you had seen it but didn’t find it useful: http://www.couponmom.com/
~ L.
laura says
You guys are seriously amazing. I need to start being more organized! We usually shop at wal-mart because we think it is cheaper then anywhere else around these parts! We went on Sunday and spent $160 and it usually lasts us around 2-3 weeks as well. I am so glad you suggested those sites….I just printed a bunch of coupons and I am going to start doing the whole coupon thing and seee what we can save!
Carol N. says
My husband does our grocery shopping (yeah for me!) and he is a wiz. We don’t coupon but I’m thinking I’ll start soon. We just buy what is on special and save that way. One day he saved $37 and only spent $21. So when we have meat, it is what is on sale that week. If there is a super good buy on something like a roast, we will buy two and freeze one. For example, we got a sirloin tip roast on sale this past week and have had two meals with vegetables, one meal with sandwiches and I’m making soup in the slow cooker today with the meat, drippings, left over vegetables that I’ve saved in the freezer and a big jar of V8 juice (that we got 2 for 1 a while back). We generally don’t throw out much food anymore and that has saved us more money than coupons have over the years.
Shareen says
I’ve just started playing the coupon game too, so thanks for the extra tips! One of the best things I’ve done is actually write/email companies telling them that I enjoy their products and give them my address they’ll send coupons! Sometimes for 2 for 1, but most often for FREE products. Love it.
Mary of Small Porch says
Sherry,
This is one of the best summaries of how-to-do-couponing that I’ve seen. Thanks bunches…Mary
Theresa says
Welcome aboard the coupon train. I knew you two were going
to eventually start using coupons because you both love a good deal. I’m the same way. I’ve been using them for over 2 years now and I can’t beleive the money I save. I visit most of the sites you visit too. I love afullcup.com
The key is to use your coupons when the item goes on sale. Just let me warn you, it’s very addictive. It pains me to ever pay full retail for anything now.
Hugs
Cindy says
Another couple of tips:
You can go to taylortownpreview, and they give you a list of the coupons coming out in the Sunday paper inserts (Redplum, etc). I believe they update the lists midweek. I always go in on Friday, so I can see what’s coming, what the values are before I pick up my Sunday paper. That way I know if it’s worth my while getting two or three for the inserts.
The other tip is, Buy Buy Baby is owned by Bed Bath & Beyond and will accept the Bed Bath & Beyond coupons (as long as they are not expired). So I save all BB&B coupons, use the current ones for Buy Buy Baby (if I need something) and the expired ones are always good at BB&B.
Kristen says
If you use a product a lot ( for example, we love MorningStar Farms veggie burgers), sign up for their brand newsletters and like them on Facebook because they always have promotions and coupons. I set up an email just for discounts, coupons, newsletters, etc. so they aren’t clogging up my regular inbox.
Leslie *Fresh Out of Lemons* says
Please make my day and tell me that you’ve seen my grocery day savings tip blogs!!
http://freshoutoflemons.squarespace.com/something-to-talk-about/category/grocery-day
:)
YoungHouseLove says
Off to check them out!
xo,
s
Ashley says
Good work! Now try this: Make a budget for every grocery trip (ex. $200) bring cash with you and try to stay under your budget. If you save $53 put that money aside to save up for a trip or to put towards renovations!!
Also: In New England we have Shaws. Right now Shaws has a promo on the back page of their flyer that lists about a dozen items. If you spend $20 you get a $10 coupon to use on your next purchase. Not bad, it gets better though… a lot of these items are on sale and shaws acatually counts the retail of those items not the sale price! Here’s an example Arm&hammer detergent on sale for $3.99 retail $5.99, you can buy 4 and pay only $16 and still get the $10 coupon!!! A LOT of places do this! and Shaws does it all the time!
You can also “roll” that $10 coupon. Meaning start another transaction right after and use the $10 coupon and buy another $20 worth of items to get another $10 coupon. So if we use the detergent example again, you only pay $6 for 4 detergents!!!!! You can do this as much as you want!
I get a little excited about great deals too :-)
Beverly says
Thanks for all the links! I tried couponing a few years ago and got frustrated, but would love to try again. I think you may have inspired me!
Rebecca Foxworth says
Excellent news! I love to watch people save…and on healthy food, too. Dispels the myth that only processed crud is on coupon (not true!).
I’ve been telling my MIL for years that couponing is the way to go, but she always said she wasn’t interested, because she doesn’t eat chicken nuggets (neither do we?). Two days ago she happened to glance over my shopping receipt (originally $170, I paid $69) from my fave grocery store and was astounded to find grass-fed beef, organic milk, brown rice, grapefruit, whole wheat tortillas, salsa…normal foods. She immediately went to the computer and asked me to show her how I did it. She saved $51 on her first coupon trip yesterday. Woo hoo for her!
Anyone wanting to pick up coupon tips should search for and watch videos from “couponmom” on You Tube. I’ve learned a lot from her…saving on a football party, a holiday, natural foods. She explains it well.
Erin N says
Way to go!!! I always get excited when another person joins the couponing world :)
Once you start using coupons more, you may find you need to organize them differently so that they’re easier to find. My system is to store the coupons by the first letter of the brand name (i.e. Hershey’s, Edy’s, etc.). It actually makes it much easier to find them since usually you’re trying to find a specific brand name item (since you know what brand is on sale, etc.). It does take longer to clip and organize, but I think it saves time in the end, and leads to more bargains.
When I go shopping, I print out a list of items I need, (which also includes their sale price, the coupons to use on them, and quantity) – one sheet for each store I’m going to. I fold the paper in half, and stick all of the coupons I want to use in the paper. Then, as I’m shopping, I remove any coupons I end up not using (since sometimes they’re out, or maybe a deal isn’t as good as I thought). I also keep my stash of coupons with me in case I find a good deal unexpectedly. I carry the coupons in a little box, with envelopes for each letter of the alphabet containing the coupons.
That’s the system I’ve found to work best for me! Thanks for a great post, I hope it inspires others to give couponing a try, too.
Constance says
I realize I already left a similar comment the last time you mentioned coupoing, so use as is helpful, but if you haven’t checked her our already, I highly recommend searching around for Jill Cataldo — places like here: http://www.jillcataldo.com/ and http://www.supercouponing.com/about.html
She is excellent and her brain was seriously picked for the new couponing reality show before she and several other experts backed-out of the show due to the direction the network took it (they pitched it as “educational” to the experts but then turned into into “reality drama”).
Anyway, my husband and I know her and she’s the real deal (ha, a phrase I never use, but somehow appropriate in this case). Happy couponing!
Laura says
Hey, guys! I started couponing last year about this time as a New Year’s resolution. I also started with Southern Savers–LOVE Jenny! Quick tip though to save yourself “clipping” time. I don’t clip anything until I’m ready to go to the store. So, I take all the inserts from the paper (red plum, smart source, P&G, etc) and DATE THEM…this is crucial. I use a sharpie on the front–this past Sunday’s inserts say 1/30. Then I put all the month’s inserts in a file folder which then goes in an expandable file folder, which conveniently has 12 slots (one for each month). So, if Jenny references RP 9/20 or SS 10/10, I know exactly where to go and I can clip at that point. It seems a lot easier to me to keep them in their nice, slick inserts than have to rifle through a bunch of clipped coupons that get lost in the shuffle! Good luck!
Alicia says
1 – I am so jealous that you have a store that doubles coupons.
I haven’t heard of southernsavers.com so I will definitly try that out. Don’t forget you can get target coupons and stack w/manufacturer coupons just like krogers. Also check out these sites http://www.dealseekingmom.com I’ve found that to be one of the best because they highlight weekly deals for all sorts of store (target, kroger, etc.) on top of specials deals on websites, printable & free coupons.
Also http://www.mambosprouts.com is an organic coupon printing website.
kimberly says
like Krystal above, i now get all of my toiletries from walgreens & cvs when they offer cash back. i haven’t paid more that 25 cents for a tube of toothpaste (crest, colgate) since last summer when i started couponing :) i went to a couponing seminar by jill caltado (www.supercouponing.com) in chicagoland. her website gives simple advice and seriously does change the way you shop forever :) she claims (and it’s true) that with about 30 minutes of planning and clipping a week, you can cut your grocery bills in half or more :) it’s so much fun to rack up the savings and dream of better ways to spend that money!
Angie @ The Country Chic Cottage says
LOVE THIS POST!! I have been an avid couponer for about 5 years! Your tips are right on!! And your top fave coupon site — is my top fave coupon site!! I love southern savers!! It makes couponing easy!! Best of luck to ya! And heck if you ever wanna swap coupons — drop me a line!!
sarah (sarah learns) says
i’ve been trying to clip coupons more, but i always end up with a bunch of expired ones cluttering up my wallet. clearly, i need to re-think the way i’m going about this. :) thanks for the great tips!
Lacey says
Not sure if this has been mentioned…
I get most of my cleaning and personal items at Target.
Target puts out coupons in the Sunday paper AND on their website AND they’ll even text message you some – all 3 places have different coupons.
Most importantly is that Target takes one Target coupon PLUS one manufacturer coupon. They almost always have both in the paper. Helloooo super cheap stuff!
As an added bonus, Target tends to also do $5 gift cards if you buy xxxx, which when added to coupons is crazy!
I know you already love you some Tar-hay, so make sure to cover all the basis! (also..your extra 5% off doesn’t hurt!)