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).
Jenny says
Got another coupon website for ya – lots of Kroger coupons you can get on your cell phone! http://www.cellfire.com
lauren says
Do you have any coupon websites for saving at home improvement/paint stores such as home depot or sherwin williams?
YoungHouseLove says
We sign up to be on their mailing lists on their sites directly (which can lead to emails about promotions and coupons). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jena says
Not sure if someone else has posted about this, but this is a huge help to overseas military families (like me :)
You can send expired coupons to overseas military communities, as we are able to use them for 6 months after the expiration…hey, you’re not using them anyway, right?
Here’s some information: http://www.grocerysavingtips.com/expiredgrocerycoupons.htm
Here is a specific address for the local commissary here:
Westpac Region
Camp Courtney Commissary
Unit 5156
APO AP 96368-5000
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! Thanks so much for sharing!
xo,
s
SamiJ says
Here’s a Clara-related shopping tip: if you join UPROMISE, you can register all your store loyalty cards. Then when you purchase certain brands, you will get money deposited into your U-account, which you can use to fund a 529, or have a check mailed to you. The best part is that your relatives can also register their loyalty cards to your account. Do it, forget about it, and every half year or so check in to see what you’ve saved.
YoungHouseLove says
Just did that yesterday after a few people recommended it! So great!
xo,
s
J. D. says
Maybe you knew about this, but be sure to register at Stonyfield Farms and enter your YoBaby, YoTodder etc. lid codes, you will very quickly amass coupons for free yogurt and other items! They have a really generous points system, I’ve gotten everything from organic milk to cleaning products free.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve done both of those things and they’re a great tip!!! We already got a number of coupons. From Cascadian Farms too!
xo,
s
Erin says
If you tend to buy a specific branded item, I have actually found eBay to be an amazing resource, because you’ll basically have access to a nation’s worth of professional clippers from which to draw for those more obscure coupons. You just have to know what search terms you want to use.
Two specific examples I can share are Ghiradelli baking bars & Silk Soymilk. I paid the sellers for their labor (I think it was about 10 cents a coupon; they can’t legally charge for the discount face value of the coupon), & I got 55 cent coupons for the chocolate & $1 coupons for the soymilk. Just be sure to pay attention to the expiration dates in the listings.
If you tend to buy non-processed/organic foods, this trick can really help, since most of those brands don’t get put on sale as often as the conventional brands. The bonus is that their coupons tend to have a longer timeframe before they expire. This way, you can watch for the store sales & stock up when the chance comes around in your area. Great deals can be had even if your coupons are past the doubling limits.
If you want to spend some time to poking around for some variations on your original search terms (“soymilk” as opposed to “Silkmilk”), you stand a decent chance of finding some listings that aren’t quite registered right, and you can get even better deals (Brand names tend to really drive traffic, but misspellings & vague terms tend to play to the sellers disadvantage/buyers advantage).
Erin says
If you tend to buy a specific branded item, I have actually found eBay to be an amazing resource, because you’ll basically have access to a nation’s worth of professional clippers from which to draw for those more obscure coupons. You just have to know what search terms you want to use.
Two specific examples I can share are Ghiradelli baking bars & Silk Soymilk. I paid the sellers for their labor (I think it was about 10 cents a coupon; they can’t legally charge for the discount face value of the coupon), & I got 55 cent coupons for the chocolate & $1 coupons for the soymilk. Just be sure to pay attention to the expiration dates in the listings.
If you tend to buy non-processed/organic foods, this trick can really help, since most of those brands don’t get put on sale as often as the conventional brands. The bonus is that their coupons tend to have a longer timeframe before they expire. This way, you can watch for the store sales & stock up when the chance comes around in your area. Great deals can be had even if your coupons are past the doubling limits.
If you want to spend some time to poking around for some variations on your original search terms (“soymilk” as opposed to “Silkmilk”), you stand a decent chance of finding some listings that aren’t quite registered right, and you can get even better deals (Brand names tend to really drive traffic, but misspellings & vague terms tend to play to the seller’s disadvantage/buyer’s advantage).
Laura Jinkins says
On the 10/$10 deals at Kroger … you don’t have to buy 10 of the same thing to get the deal … a combination of 10/$10 items will get you there. For example, if the following items were all 10/$10 items, you could do this:
Hunts Diced Tomatoes (4 cans)
Del Monte Green Beans (2 cans)
Kraft Singles (2 packages)
Wolf Brand Chili (2 cans)
You just have to have a total of 10 items that are in the 10/$10 category. :)
I went to Kroger yesterday (here in Texas) — before my Kroger card discount, the total was $110. They scanned my card and my total dropped to $76! And that was without coupons! We’ve been super busy the last few days, needed groceries, and I didn’t have time to get coupons together. But I was pumped about saving $34, without even clipping coupons. Plus we got points towards gasoline discount at the pump. For every 100 points (1 point per dollar spent), you get a 10 cent per gallon discount on gasoline. So that’s pretty cool, too!
Heidi says
Thanks for the great post Sherry! I’m doing a little happy dance for your $53 savings too. Getting good deals is such a rush!
I wonder if you could help out with my prob? I live in BC Canada and can’t seem to find ANYTHING in the way of coupons up here. The only one I’ve ever found was save.ca and they are extremely limited in selection. Do you know if these coupon sites can be applied to Canadian stores too? We don’t have most of the stores you guys have but we do have the bigger ones like Safeway etc. I could really use the extra money because we are trying to buy our first home and as you probably know, it ain’t ever cheap, but I just can’t find any coupons! Any ideas???
Thanks so much for your help! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Heidi,
A few commenters from Canada have posted that they wish there were more Canadian sites and at least one of them actually shared some links they like so those might help if you scroll back through the comments to find them! You also could google things like “canada coupon site” and see what comes up. Good luck!
xo,
s
kim says
I am too lazy to read all the comments, but actually sometimes at Kroger especially when it says $10/10 you DO have to buy 10 to get the savings. Just be sure to double check so it doesn’t bite you in the rear.
I have found the biggest help when couponing is to not be brand loyal…if you are you might as well give up. I’m not brand loyal anyway so no biggie. Also, I will go to diff. stores depending on the produce/meat prices to stock up. One local grocery store in my area is super expensive but every few weeks they have crazy deals on meat and that’s when I buy all my meat.
Julie says
Great savings…I just recently got into the coupon thing. :)
Jenny says
Your second rule is a doozy…because it’s a trap that a lot of new coupon users fall into.
One thing you can do, though, is coupon for charity. When I come across an insanely good deal, even if it’s for something I don’t use, I buy it anyway (as long as it’s non-perishable). I then use those items for donation to local food pantries (or to the Girl Scouts “April Showers” program…they take beauty/hygiene products. Last year, I donated three GIANT bags of products, none of which I’d paid more than .50 for). I figure it’s win-win: I feel good getting the bargain, and then passing it on to someone that needs it more than me…
marilu says
Flip over your YoBaby Organic Yogurt and see what number plastic it is. I’ll never buy that stuff again. Reminds one that just because something is labeled organic or green, it still warrants a closer look.
Haley says
Any tips on finding coupons for organic brands/foods? I can never find those!
YoungHouseLove says
We sign up on individual brand’s sites (like Cascadiam Farms, Horizon Milk, Stonyfield Farms, etc) and they offer or email coupons. Some commenters also mentioned organic food coupon sites so feel free to scroll back for those. Good luck!
xo,
s
Amy says
I am also a young couponer….I get strange looks sometimes but I save so much money I don’t care. I subscribe to refundcents.com. Its really cheap to join and basically does all the work for you, such as putting together deals and even lets you know if someone is having a crazy shoe sale and gives you codes to make it cheaper.
laurie eller says
hey there guys, i just wanted to make a quick comment about buying things you might not eat or typically use. we fall into this category many times but if i can get a cereal (that my family might not always eat) for 50 cents or even a dollar a box, i wil still purchase it and donate it to our church food pantry or the local food bank. it’s a super way to give back simply by taking the time to cut the coupon and buy the item(s).
also, when i find an excellent coupon, i buy bunches of them from an online source: http://www.coupondede.com
good luck!
Jenny says
One more question… say I find coupons one some of the above mentioned websites how do I know when my store is also having a sale on the item without actually going to the store? If I have to go to the store to find out how do you write your list and then go shopping with your coupons? I’m a novice at this… Thank you for your help.
YoungHouseLove says
In the Sunday paper there’s a store flier for Kroger that lists a lot of their promotions, so that can help. You also might want to bring them with you to the store in case there’s a surprise deal going on by the store and you can stack your coupon savings on top of that. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jeremy from We Took The Bait says
We’re in suburban Newark, Delaware… and, within a three mile radius, we have an Acme, Superfresh, ShopRite, Pathmark, Safeway, Food Lion, Zingo’s… I’m sure there a couple more I’m missing.
Sometimes, there are “can’t miss” deals at three or four different locations.
If I can get the entire shopping list for twenty or forty bucks less by going to a few different places rather than frequenting one, I think it makes up for the extra time spent.
Carmel @ our fifth house says
Yay! I love Southern Savers! Do you have an Iphone? If so Kroger has an app where you can download coups straight to your card – awesome! Oh and did you sign up for Targay’s mobile coups? They send them via text and they just scan the sku from my phone at the register. It sometimes makes me feel like I’m all caught up in the Net :) but overall I’m happy to save the moola :) Wait – you youngins may not be familiar with the movie the Net (maybe before your time), so disregard if you don’t get that funny :) Anyhow, I just posted a little about couponing – check it out when you have a chance http://ourfifthhouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/coupon-savvy-easy-tutorial.html
YoungHouseLove says
Love the target scanning tip! Sounds like so much fun!
xo,
s
Madeleine says
Did you guys watch that show on TLC about crazy coupon people last month :D ? My hubby w/ totally inspired to start cutting out coupons after seeing the crazy lady go from like $200 to $4 w/ the help of coupons :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yes- that was so insane!
xo,
s
Saple says
I recently found a couple that was spending $30 bucks a week on their food in Manhatten so I decided to see if I could do it in Detroit, Michigan. bargainstobounty.com is a great local site who matches up the coupons and the deals.. gotten several amazing deals from her.. For all of 2011 I would like to only spend 1560 on food from the grocery stores.. as a single person it’s harder to shop than for a family because you have to use something up.. Also some deals are better at Costco than with the coupons..$5 for lb of sliced cheese.. $7 for two large Jif peanut butters.. Just have to look around
Erin@My Rented House says
I put the coupons I plan to use each week in an old envelope (like the ones that come with those pesky credit card applications, etc.) and write my shopping list right on the envelope. Got that one from my mom, who got it from her mom!
Mary G says
This tip might have already been mentioned on one of the previous 8 pages of comments – I din’t read them all! I read on a coupon site once upon a time to purchase items that I don’t need or want if I find a great deal/coupon and can purchase then for pennies or get them for free and then donate them.
Phoebe says
For the fellow Richmonders- which Sunday paper do you get to clip your coupons from?
Also thanks so much for this post! I’m going to give all this crazy coupon stuff a try- finally!
YoungHouseLove says
I prefer the RTD (Richmond Times Dispatch) but the Washington Post isn’t bad either.
xo,
s
Kelly says
At Kroger you have to utilize their price per ounce breakdown on the shelf tag. Its the best way to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
gidge says
If you shop at Kroger, you should check out shortcuts.com
Michelle says
You might want to check out http://www.couponmom.com – she also has a book that details her method. I never cut out coupons, just put them in a sheet protector in my notebook. Then if I’m looking for something specific, I just check the CouponMom database. Every now and then, I have noticed that some coupons may be in there that weren’t listed in the database or they may have been traded out for another one based on area. I do try to make note of those. But her list for each grocery store and what the deals are, make it so much easier! I transfer it all over to a spreadsheet, type the level (our store is 2-story) and aisle # and then sort. Makes the trip a whole lot quicker.
Plus, I actually keep a little book in my purse that I keep store specific coupons in – details here instead of trying to explain http://bit.ly/eMMTrp (I haven’t kept up with my blog nearly as well as I should have with being without internet access for a while and then a long-term family emergency. It’s in serious need of a clean-up and update – so ignore the mess around it!)
Robo says
My wife sent me the link to your post about coupons, as I am an avid coupon clipper–I do most of the shopping in our household. It reminded me of a few coupon sites I had forgot, so thank you very much–you saved us money! My wife also encouraged me to respond, as she thought you’d appreciate the following story: I went to Best Buy, as they were having a sale on DVDs. I had a manufacturer coupon for a particular DVD we wanted to see, as well as a $5 Best Buy reward for having bought something earlier, so the total for the DVD came to…thirty or so cents! After viewing it, I then sold it on Amazon for $7! Ah, the savings…
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
Angela says
Hey guys,
Just have to say that I’m addicted to your site. Thank you for sharing your creative genius and your family with us.
ps. I keep my coupons in a cute, funky, green patterned DIY clutch. It was supposed to be a clutch but I thought it suited my coupons better. Definitely makes coupon cutting more fun.
Happy couponing!
YoungHouseLove says
I actually love that idea- so fun!
xo,
s
Megan Carlisle says
Our family doesn’t eat grains and we stay away from cane sugar, artificial sweeteners and other non-necessary starches (aka potatoes) so clipping coupons for the grocery store rarely works for us. We are able to use a few (butter, yogurt, the occasional milk or meat coupon) but since dairy, meat and produce coupons are few and far between we attempt to do our big savings on bathroom products. CVS is my favorite store, between coupons, sales, and their extra bucks program my family pays next to nothing for all of our bathroom products. I could never “extreme coupon” like ppl on tv though – I wish I could, but do you see how many Ramen Noodles are in those carts? BP through the roof!!!
Lindsay says
Hey Sherry, you might want to check out PocketYourDollars.com. They have a weekly shopping list for major retailers–it seemed to be different than the links you posted above. I am a recent fan of coupons and aim to save 20% per shopping trip :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
esther aka craftyvox says
I wish our Dutch stores used the coupon/discount system like I remember from my time in the States (I used to shop at the K-rogue too! :-)). I loved for instance being able to grab just one item of the say get 3 for 1, and just pay 1/3rd of the price. Here, in order to get the discount price, you’re forced to buy all 3. Fine with some products, annoying with others (especially since I used to shop for just me for a long time). Also, whenever you use one discount on something, they never allow to combine it with another. There’s not a whole lot of couponing going on here all in all, just the regular discounted items at the grocery store mostly. Boring! Would love to coupon myself again as well.
Angela M says
My only thing is how do you figure out how much EVERY item you want to purchase, using a coupon, costs so you can calculate how much you’ll be spending? Ahhh. It hurts my brain trying to figure this couponing out! Seems like too much work to go to the stores each week and walk up and down each aisle just to see what the prices are so you can do your calculations.
YoungHouseLove says
I just clip coupons for stuff that we buy anyway and bring them when we go shopping (we just go to the store once every 2-3 weeks to avoid impulse buys and restock on veggies and milk quickly without looking at other aisles to keep from overspending).
xo,
s
amelia's mommy says
omg THANK YOU i love your site , savings, baby stuff, and just showing others that thru the madness of our country their is still hope,
god bless u and thank you so much
Katie says
I haven’t had a chance to go through all the comments, but here are some of my tips.
1.) Ebay is a great place for coupons. If you know there’s going to be a sale, order coupons and stock up! I have enough FREE toothbrushes right now for the next 6 months, or the zombie apocalypse, which ever comes first.
2.) Home Depot will take competitors coupons, depending on the cashier or manager. I always get Harbor Freight coupons in my Sunday coupons, and they almost always have a ‘20% off any item coupon’. Cha-ching!
3.) Don’t be afraid to donate. You may not want or need that extra thing of deodorant, but a shelter, school or clinic should could use it! Sometimes I check out and then turn around and put everything in the donation bins. Also, along the same lines, those little box top things on products are worth 10 cents to schools. Keep a little stash of them, then send them along with a school age friend. Or even drop them off at the school yourself.
4.) My favorite site is thecentsbaleshoppin.com. The lady that runs it is a sweetheart, finds great deals for you, and is based in AZ.
Hope this helps someone! :D
Katie says
And I totally just realized this post was written in Feb of 2011, not 2012. Yikes, sorry for bringing up old posts. :S
YoungHouseLove says
No worries at all!
xo,
s
Tiffany Rust says
Did you know you can use one manufactuer coupon and one Target coupon per item at Target! I work there! Also my website that I use for deals is Krazycouponlady and Totallytarget. P.S. I love your blog and read it daily!! Thanks for all the tips!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, love that tip!
xo,
s
Johanna says
Hi there,
I’ve often resisted searching for coupons on websites because I felt like it takes a lot of time. How much time do you spend on coupon homepages? I’d love to save more money on groceries but it takes me a lot of time to find the brands we use.
YoungHouseLove says
I actually don’t do that anymore. I just use the paper insert each week and catalina coupons that print out at the register. I usually save $30-40 a trip, and it takes about ten minutes a week (including writing up a shopping list, which makes grabbing the right items easier). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
jehanara says
I loved your coupn tips. I am in NJ, does anyone have any suggestions for couponong websites for NJ. We normally shop at Stop & Shop and I have seen our grocery bill getting higher and higher for literally less amount of food. I would love to save money AND eat healthy too!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone have tips for Jehanara?
xo
s
James says
Discounts are always a big help. You can buy other things you need because of the discount.