Here are some tips and tricks to couponing that I have either tried myself, or have found online. My goal is not to be the lady who cleans the entire store out of toothpaste and stands in the check out late for four hours (because who has time for that), but I am hoping to save some big bucks! Hopefully these tips will help you out too. If you are already an avid couponer, please feel free to share your stories, tips, etc. in the comments section! Happy couponing!
1. Make a binder for your coupons
* I recommend using a 3" three-ring binder
* Use clear sleeves used to display baseball cards to organize your coupons
* Use dividing tabs to separate your coupons into categories
~ I have categories for Meat, Dairy, Baking, Produce, Snack and Sweets, Household Items,
Personal Care Items, Breakfast, Soups/Sauces/Spreads, Beverages, and Frozen Items.
* Place coupons into the sleeves typically used for baseball cards (group like coupons into the same sleeve making sure the coupons that expire first are always displayed in front)
2. Find Coupons:
I typically get my coupons from the Sunday paper. In addition, my mom always gives me the coupons that she does not need from her paper as well. Be sure to take advantage of online coupons as well. I print coupons from home by using the following websites:
www.couponmom.com
www.coupons.com
www.redplum.com
www.3boysandadog.com
www.blastcoupons.com
www.target.com
www.schnucks.com
www.shopnsave.com
In addition to using these sites, many brand websites offer printable coupons on their website. Some of the products I use such as Gorton's seafood, Uncle Ben's rice, Bird's Eye frozen veggies, Pillsbury, Ortega, Hormel, and Betty Crocker, offer coupons for their products on their websites. Coupons can also sometimes be obtained by "liking" your favorite brands on Facebook. Finally, if you use certain products on a regular basis, try emailing the companies and asking for coupons. I recently received two free packages of PictSweet frozen veggies and three coupons for 75 cents off McCormick mixes that doubled to get me free taco seasoning and milk gravy mixes.
Some people also go dumpster diving in recycle bins to find coupon inserts that people have discarded. I have personally never done this, but if it meant getting month's worth of groceries for under $50, I would probably do this! Be sure to take advantage of in-store coupons an well. Every time I see in-store coupons, I grab quite a few of the same coupon. If the item is on sale for a low enough price, I will stock up. If the sale is not that great, I will add the coupons to my coupon binder and wait until that product is on sale. One more great place to search for coupons is on the product itself. I have found so many coupons printed on the inside of frozen entree, cereal, rice, and pasta boxes.
NOTE: Some websites like www.coupons.com only allow you to print two of each coupon per IP address. This will not be a problem if you have more than one computer hooked up to a printer. In our home, we have one desk top computer and two laptop computers. This allows me to get 6 copies of every coupon available. Sometimes, my mom will also let me print coupons at her house. There are three desktop computers and 1 laptop at her house, so that is 8 more copies of each money saving coupon. If you work in an office building, you may also be able to use your work computer. Be sure to ask your boss first though. One women featured on TLC's Extreme Couponing worked for a car dealership. In exchange for her boss letting her use all of the computers in the office to print her coupons, she had a stockpile of chips, candy, cookies, and drinks in her office that each employee had access to.
3. Check Out Store Ads:
I always try to pair up my coupons with store sales to get the most out of our grocery budget. This is people are able to get many grocery items for free! There are websites you can use to help you with this like www.thegrocerygame.com, but they charge you a fee. Yes you may be saving money in the long run, but this is something I can do for free by just taking a little more time to look through the weekly store ads so I really do not see a need to pay someone to do this for me.
4. Smaller Can Be Better:
Even though a larger size of a product may be cheaper per ounce, buy the smaller product if it means getting that product for free. If you have multiple coupons for one product, the smaller size will not matter. This is especially true if you are trying to start a stockpile.
5. Don't Forget to Shop Target and Walgreen's:
I love shopping at these two stores with coupons because they allow you to use two coupons per product! The only stipulation is that one coupon must be a store coupon, and the other must be a manufacturer's coupon. So, head to www.target.com or clip coupons from the Sunday paper's Walgreen's insert before your shopping trip, then pair those coupons with manufacturer's coupons from your coupon binder for extreme savings! If you can find these products on sale it get's even better!
6. Make Sure You Know Your Store's Coupon Policy!
Each store has a different coupon policy. Make sure you read the coupon policies on your store's website before heading out on your shopping trip, otherwise you may be spending more at the register than you anticipated.
SCHNUCK'S COUPON POLICY:
* They accept in-store, manufacturer's, and online coupons. However, they do not accept online coupons for free products or coupons valued at $5 or more, unless they are issued by Schnucks.
* Only 1 coupon per item.
* No refunds are given so if your coupon exceeds the price of the product, the coupon amount is adjusted at the register.
* There is no limit to how many coupons you can use per transaction as long as there is only one coupon being used per product. They do, however, reserve the right to limit the number of like coupons to 3 per transaction (this is where you may have to split up your shopping trip into multiple transactions).
* They do accept online buy one, get one free coupons as long as at least one item is being purchased to receive a free item.
* Most of the stores in the St. Louis area offer double coupons on a daily basis. The first 15 coupons valued at 40 cents or less each are doubled. However, there is a limit of 3 like coupons per transaction. Check your local Schnuck's coupon policy to be sure, as the policy changes by store.
~ Usually, Thomas and I go together and do a transaction each to take advantage of more doubled coupons. Sometimes we even do more than one transaction each.
NOTE: Be sure to check out the store circular before you go. For the past few weeks, our area Schnucks has been offering triple coupon days where they triple the value of your first 15 coupons valued at 50 cents or less!
SHOP N' SAVE COUPON POLICY:
* Be sure to be on the lookout for "Coupon Thursdays". Every so often, Shop n' Save stores (at least in the St. Louis area) offer $10 off a $50 purchase (excludes gift cards). However, you are only allowed one transaction per person. The best part about this promotion...they take the $10 off before the coupons!!!!!
~ Thomas and I get around this by doing one transaction each. Sometimes if we still have more items we need to get, we will go load up the car then go back into the store and do another transaction each at a different cash register. Just be sure that you save all of the products that require refrigeration for your last transaction so they do not spoil in your car while you're still shopping.
* Shop n' Save does accept online coupons as long as the bar code scans. They will not manually type in savings from an online coupon. I have personally never had an issue with my online coupons scanning.
** I was not able to locate the coupon policies on the Shop n' Save website. I did, however, email the company so this section is coming soon pending their response.
WALMART'S COUPON POLICY:
* I was not able to find a coupon policy on their website, but I have emailed the company to obtain a copy. As soon as I get a response I will update this post with my findings.
* They do accept printed online coupons because I have used several at my local Walmart.
* Walmart also price matches. Take competitor's circulars with you when you shop at Walmart. If you find a product advertised for a lower price, they will honor the lower price!
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