We Use Coupons!

Have you checked out WeUseCoupons.com? It's a fabulous online resource for both beginner and seasoned couponers! You can get the latest deals and scenarios from your favorite places to shop, look up a coupon you need in the coupon database or get coupons you want from couponers in Trader's World. This is a fantastic site and membership is free, sign up!

Looking for my Coupon Boot Camp? Get all the posts here.

Coupon Boot Camp - Complete Course: Lessons 1 - 10

Here is a list of links to each of the 10 Lessons in my Coupon Boot Camp Course.

Start with Lesson 1 and work your way to Lesson 10. There's really not one aspect of couponing that's more important than another, so I'd encourage you to read through each lesson in it's entirety, in order and soak it all in. 

You CAN do this! I swear it.

Lesson 1: Introduction to Couponing

Lesson 2: Getting Organized 

Lesson 3: The Right Way To Menu Plan 

Lesson 4: Stockpiling and Budgets 

Lesson 5: How Grocery Store Sales Work + Marketing Tricks 

Lesson 6: Combining Coupons With Sale Prices + Starting a Price Book  

Lesson 7: Learning Coupon Policies 

Lesson 8: Coupons & Couponing FAQ   

Lesson 9: More Questions Answered

Lesson 10: Pulling It All Together

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 10: Pulling It All Together

So you've been reading my Coupon Boot Camp posts and following along and you're feeling a little overwhelmed, here's a summary of what you absolutely need to know to pull it all together and start couponing!

Look at your current budget and ask yourself the following questions:

What am I spending total each month on food?

Am I spending more than I can really afford to?

How much do I need to reduce my budget by?

Set realistic goals for reducing your budget and remember that it takes time to accomplish. Baby steps. 

Collect and organize your coupons. Organization is key in couponing. If you're not crazy about my binder system, figure out a system that will work for you.

Start a price list. Keep a little notebook in your purse. When you're out at the store jot down the items you frequently buy and what the price of those items is at various stores. 

Pick a store. Learn it's coupon policy. Start matching up coupons with sale prices at that store. When you're comfortable, move on to another store. Drug places are the best stores to start out with. The grocery store can be a little overwhelming when you're just getting started.

Take a step back and evaluate how much you've spent with how much you've saved. This is important to make sure you're actually saving money in your new couponing venture. You can be so excited by great deals that you're getting here and there, that you may overlook that you haven't actually reduced your spending. You can call it a success if one of the following is true:

You're providing adequately for your family and you're spending less than you did before.

OR

You're spending about the same as you did before but you have much more to show for it.

Once you notice that your stockpile is piling up, reduce your budget and fully implement your meal planning strategies. A lot of couponers spend way more than they need to because they get addicted to the good deals they've learned to get. Once you've built a good supply of food in your pantry and personal products, put the breaks on the stockpiling for awhile. 

Remember to plan your meals based on what's on sale and what you have on hand. A house full of food isn't going to do you any good if you keep bringing more and more in each week. Use what you have!

It's time to start putting what you've learned into action. Let me know how you're making out. :) 

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 9: More Questions Answered

After answering some of my most frequently asked questions in Lesson 8 last week, I've received quite a few more questions. In today's lesson I'll try to answer those questions and share some more tips. 

Q: I've been enjoying your couponing posts and I'd love to try to save money with coupons. My problem is that I'm a vegetarian and I buy mostly natural and organic foods. There really is never any coupons for what I buy. Is there a site with just natural and/or organic food coupons?

A: Not that I'm aware of, but I'm also not a vegetarian and I don't buy too much organic or "natural" food, so I'm not really on the look-out for those coupons. Not that I have anything against it, but bottom line, it is more expensive. I do see the occasional coupon for some of these types of foods though. I would recommend going to the companies websites of the foods you buy and seeing if they have printable coupons on their site. You can also search for them on Facebook, a lot of companies are using Facebook these days and many of them have coupons available from time to time.

If the company does not have a coupon on their site or Facebook page, get the contact information from their website. You can call them, email them or write them a letter. There's almost always an email address you can use. Simply state in the email that you love their product (or that you'd like to try their product), but that you're never able to find coupons for it. Tell them that in these hard times, coupons will make a big difference in keeping you loyal to their brand (or enabling you to try it). I can almost guarantee you'll get a response and more than likely some coupons. Include your mailing address in your email so that the company can mail you coupons.

Here are some organic and natural food company websites that you can try:

Apple & Eve
Back To Nature
Dreamfields Foods
Earth's Best
Brown Cow
Mambo Sprouts 
The Organic Cow
Wild Harvest
Soy Dream
Litehouse




Speaking of contacting companies directly to obtain coupons, here is a list of some of the companies I have emailed and then been mailed coupons from:

Birds Eye Foods
The Dannon Company
Tostitos
Kotex 
Pepperidge Farm
Zatarain's
McCormick
Fresh Express
Smucker's
Perdue

The list could go on and on from there. I've literally contacted at least 100 companies requesting coupons and though I haven't really kept track, I'd say 80% of them mailed me coupons.


It might sound like a lot of work, contacting various companies and requesting coupons. It really isn't at all though. Find their website, find their contact info. and shoot them a quick email. You won't always get a response, you won't always get coupons as a result, but 9 times out of 10 you will. The benefit is that it probably won't be a one shot deal. You'll continue to receive coupons from them from time to time. I've even received coupons for free products by contacting companies. It is an extra effort and it's not something everyone is going to be down to do, but it really is worth it. 


Q: I tried to do the whole coupon thing a while ago, but I gave up. It was too much work and I felt like I wasn't saving any money. I want to try it again, any advice?


A: My advice is to start by reading all of my Coupon Boot Camp posts starting with Lesson 1 and work your way back to this post. It's a lot of information to digest and I tend to be a little long winded, so you may want to go back and read each lesson more than once. Then start applying what you've learned. The first step is to start collecting coupons, the next step is to start a system for organizing those coupons. Understanding the concepts of menu planning and stockpiling are key too. I'd encourage you to read all of the posts (and to go elsewhere for information) as there's really no one aspect of couponing that's more important than another. 


It's important to go into couponing with an open mind and to be prepared to fail at first. I started couponing about 5 years ago and I'd say it took me a little over a year to get it down to a science. There wasn't nearly the resources available then that there are now, so you might have an easier time of it. My advice is to start out small. This isn't a "Go Big or Go Home" situation. Do what works for you and keep at it. 

Also, it's not going to work for you if you don't really want to do it. If you tell yourself it's too much work, it will be. 


Q: What kind of stuff can I get for free with coupons?


A: All kinds of stuff. Seriously. It isn't just about getting stuff for free though. If you're overall goal is to reduce your budget and spend less money, then that's what you should focus on. If you get free stuff in the process, that's great. When I first starting couponing, I was getting all kinds of free stuff, but I wasn't saving any money. I needed to do both. You'll find that once you've paid nothing or next to nothing for certain items, you'll never want to pay for them again. And that's a good thing. That's what your goal should be. If you find a deal and you're able to get (4) bottles of ketchup for free, then you know you can get ketchup for free. You're goal should be to not pay for ketchup anymore. Or at least pay very little for it. 


Q: I've been seeing deals for gas cards, like "Spend $30, Get a $10 Gas Card", are these good deals?


A: These types of promotions usually require you to spend a certain amount of money on a certain selection of items in order to receive a card for gas. To me, no it's not generally a good deal. If you REALLY need the items included, if they're on sale for good prices and if you're able to use coupons to get them, then fine. Knock yourself out and get (3) gallons of gas on top of it. But if you don't really need those items, the prices aren't smoking hot and you don't have coupons...it's a bum deal. You're basically spending $30.00 that you wouldn't have spend otherwise just to get $10 worth of gas for free (which isn't a whole lot these days). You might as well drop the $30 in your tank and call it a day.


Tomorrow will conclude the basics of Coupon Boot Camp. How are you making out so far? Did you even start yet? How can I help? Hit me up and let me know! :)

Coupon Boot Camp - ShopRite Deals for the Week of 05-22-11

Hey Coupon Boot Campers! 

Here are a few Shop Rite deals you can take advantage of this week:

Heluva Good Dips are on sale $1.49 each. Use this printable coupon for .50 cents off and get it for .49 cents and Shop Rite doubles your coupon.  
You'll be able to print two of those coupons from one computer so you can get two dips for .49 cents each. Also, there was a .75 cent off coupon in last week's Smart Source (5/15) insert. If you've been collecting your coupon inserts, you'll be able to grab more of these if you like. Shop Rite will take an additional .25 cents off your .75 cent coupon and you'll get the dips for .49 cents each. That's a Heluva good deal. 


Select Colgate Toothbrushes are on sale for .88 cents each. There was a .75 cent off coupon for Colgate Toothbrushes in the 5/1 Smart Source insert. Shop Rite will take an additional .25 cents off, you'll get your toothbrush for free and have a .12 cent money maker per tooth brush. (FYI: You're supposed to get a new toothbrush at least once every three months. You're also supposed to throw your toothbrush away if you've been sick. You can NEVER have too many toothbrushes!)


Same deal as above: Select Colgate Toothpaste is also on sale  for .88 cents each and there was a .75 cent off coupon in the 5/1 SS insert for Colgate Toothpaste. 


Vlasic Pickles are on sale for $1.66. Use this .55 cents off (1) printable coupon, Shop Rite will take an additional .45 cents off and you'll get the pickles for .66 cents.


Lawry's Marinades are on sale for $1.25. There was a .50 cent off coupon for Lawry's Marinade in the 5/15 Red Plum insert. Shop Rite will double your coupon and you'll get the marinade for .25 cents. These are great to stock up on for summer grilling! 

There's tons of great deals at Shop Rite this week. Grab your sale flyer and the coupons you've been collecting and start matching up sale prices to coupons. :)

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 8: Coupons & Couponing FAQ

Since I started this series of posts here on my blog about coupons and couponing a few weeks ago, I've received a lot of positive feedback from readers like yourself. I've also been asked a lot of questions. Which I'm happy to answer. In today's lesson I'm going to answer some of the most FAQ I've been receiving. If this little Q & A session doesn't answer a question you have, please feel free to contact me and I'll be more than happy to answer it or help you find the answer. 

Q: I've been checking out couponing sites and blogs. They use a lot of abbreviations with no explanation as to what they mean. WYB? MM? OOP? What do they mean?


A: This is something I probably should have covered. There are a lot of abbreviations and acronyms used in the coupon world. Here's a list of all the ones I can think of. :)

SS - Smart Source Coupon Insert
RP - Red Plum Coupon Insert
P&G - Proctor & Gamble Coupon Insert
GM - General Mills
K - Kellog's
U - Unilever 
MFG - Manufacturer's Coupon
IP - Internet Printable Coupon
PSA - Prices Start At
WYB - When You Buy 
OOP - Out Of Pocket
MM - Money Maker
OYNO - On Your Next Order
UPC - Universal Product Code
PP - Price Plus (Shop Rite)
ECB - Extra Care Bucks (CVS)
RR - Register Rewards (Wags)
WAGS - Walgreens
SCR - Single Check Rebate (Rite Aid)
CAT - Catalina
DND - Do Not Double
YMMV - Your Miles May Vary or Your Manager May Vary (As in the price may be different dependent upon your location.)
MIR - Mail In Rebate
B1G1 or BOGO - Buy 1 Get 1 Free
$1/2 - One Dollar off when you buy 2 items


Also, now that we've covered the basics of couponing here, I would encourage you to check out different couponing blogs and websites. There is a wealth of information out there and I am certainly not the leading authority on anything. The more you know, the more you can save!


Here are a few good ones:


Koupon Karen


The Krazy Coupon Lady (Thanks Yana!) 

Coupon Dad


Smart Couponing



Q: I found a bunch of coupons online that I wanted to print, but it's trying to get me to download something to be able to print them? What's that about?


A: When you're printing coupons online, like from Coupons.com, you'll be prompted to download and install a browser plugin. This allows you to print coupons with a scannable bar code and also prevents you from printing unlimited copies of the same coupon. Most coupons can only be printed twice from the same computer. There's also a print limit to the number of times a coupon can be printed overall. Once that limit's reached, the coupon will no longer be available (though they sometimes reset them). If you a coupon online that you want, print it right then and there. It may not still be available by the time you find a sale to use it with.



Q: No matter what I do I can't get coupons to print!! Help!


A: Here are a few things you can try that might help you:


Make sure your default printer is set to an actual printer. If the default is set to PDF, you won't be able to print most coupons.


If you're trying to print from a network printer, try connecting directly to the printer. 


Make sure you're already connected to the printer before you click "Print". Once you click print it's assumed you printed the coupon whether it actually printed or not...and after two tries you won't be able to print the coupon again.


Make sure your firewall isn't blocking the printable coupons plugin. Some firewalls may not recognize it as a secure feature and may block the plugin.



Q: I've been reading your Coupon Boot Camp posts and I want to save money with coupons, but I'm really not interested in menu planning or stockpiling, can I still save money with coupons alone?


A: If you're making very little effort or no real effort at all to save money at this point, then yes, starting to to use coupons will save you money. Will it save you tons of money? No. Will it save you as much money as if you were also planning meals and stockpiling? No. Plain and simple. Start out small and do what works for you.


Q: I don't see how you can save so much money with coupons?I hardly ever use coupons. There's never any coupons for the stuff I buy. 


A: Here's the thing about couponing...you've got to keep an open mind. If you don't go into it with an open mind, it's never going to work for you. Most people have certain products or brands that they are loyal to. Which is fine, I'm loyal to a number of brands and products myself, but in order to save money with coupons, you've got to be flexible. If you will absolutely only use a certain brand of toilet paper and a certain shampoo and a certain this and a certain that, then you're not going to save as much as you could be. That's all there is too. 




Q: You mentioned buying coupons in the first lesson. How can it make sense to pay for a coupon to save money?


A: It may seem strange to pay for coupons at first, I get that. It really is beneficial though. It's not absolutely necessary, there are tons of places to find coupons, which I covered in Lesson 1. To save the most money and grow a sufficient stockpile, you need a large quantity of coupons. The easiest way to obtain a large quantity of coupons is by buying them. The first time you use 10 coupons to get 10 of the same item for free, you'll appreciate having paid for the coupons (which is a minimum expense) to get those free items. 

Q: Where can I buy coupons online? 

A: Ebay is a great place to buy coupons. They are generally cheap and the shipping is usually free. 
Here are the other sites I've purchased coupons from and can give my seal of approval:


The Coupon Clippers


Coupon Carry-Out


Coupon Dede


Q: Will you come with me to the store and help me use my coupons the right way?


A: Yes. If you pick me up and throw in lunch.



Check back next Thursday for Lesson 9. Bookmark my blog in your favorites, subscribe to my feed or Follow me with Google Friend Connect! 

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 7: Learning Coupon Policies

Store's coupons policies vary from chain to chain and even from store to store within the same chain. To find out the store's coupon policy, first go to their website. Some stores have their coupon policy listed somewhere on their main site. If not, you can get contact information for the store's corporate office from their website, contact them and request a copy. You can also try asking at the store itself, though many stores do not have copies of their coupon policy for customers available in the store.

Unfortunately even after you've reviewed the store's official policy, you may find that your local store has a "policy" of it's own. Some stores make up their own undocumented rules. I've had this problem at Walmart more than once, which is why I now keep a copy of Walmart's Coupon Policy in my coupon binder. If a cashier or manager tries to tell me I can't do what I'm trying to do with my coupons, I can pull out Walmart's official coupon policy and politely show them that they are wrong. :) 

When you are learning a store's coupon policy you should be asking the following:


Does the store double coupons? 

If so, is there a limit to the number of coupons they will double? 

Do they full double their coupons? In other words, does a .75 cent coupon become $1.50 coupon? Or do they double up to a certain dollar amount. Shop Rite, for instance, will double coupon's up to $1.00. So a .75 cent coupon doubled would become $1.00 coupon.

Are coupons doubled every day? Or only certain days? Do you need to use your rewards card for that store in order for coupons to be doubled?

Do they accept internet printable coupons?


Is there a limit to the number of coupons they will accept per transaction? Or a limit to the number of like coupons they will accept?

Are you allowed to use two coupons on buy 1 get 1 free store sales?

Can you combine store issued coupons with manufacturer's coupons?

It's important to know and understand the coupon policies of the stores your couponing at. You'll feel like a stooge if you're trying to use coupons in a way that goes against their policy. It's also important so that you're not given false information by a cashier or manager. Knowing and understanding the coupon policy of the store you're shopping at will make your shopping trip easier for both you and the store.


Last week in Lesson 6, we learned about combining sale prices with coupons for maximum savings. One thing I failed to mention is that there are times when you can combine a store issued coupon with a manufacturer's coupon for even greater savings. Here's an example of this: Let's say CVS has a certain brand of sunscreen on sale for $6.00 each. If you have a CVS coupon for $4.00 off when you buy 2 and (2) manufacturer's coupons for $2.00 off any 1, you could use all (3) coupons (both the CVS issued and the manufacturer's coupons) and get both bottles of sunscreen for $4.00 or $2 each.

It's also important to look at the coupon you're using itself to see what, if any, stipulations apply. Some coupons are for a specific sized item, "Valid for 16 oz. size only" or "Valid on jumbo packs or larger". Make sure you're buying the specified size. Some coupons read "Do Not Double" which means the value of the coupon is the value of the coupon regardless of the store's doubling policy. Be sure to check the expiration date on your coupon too. I've been embarrassed more than once accidentally trying to use an expired coupon.

Speaking of expired coupons, members of the US Military and their families who are stationed overseas can use expired coupons for up to 6 months after the expiration date at commissaries. You can mail your expired coupons to Support Our Troops 
P.O. Box 70
Daytona Beach, FL 32115-0070
Go here for more information on Troopons.

Tomorrow I'll be answering some of the questions I've been receiving regarding coupons and couponing. If you've got a question, send it my way and I'll try to include it. 

We're just about done with Coupon Boot Camp. Next week Lessons 9 & 10 will be posted on Thursday and Friday and that will conclude the basics of couponing. After that I'll be highlighting different stores each week, explaining their policies and sharing deals with you that you can then go to that store that week and take advantage of. Remember to keep collecting those coupons!


*Image courtesy of sellfiles.org*

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 6: Combining Coupons with Sale Prices + Starting a Price Book

If you missed Lesson 5 on How Grocery Store Sales Work + Marketing Tricks, it's back online now. Blogger had some technical difficulties yesterday, which is why today's lesson wasn't posted yesterday like it should have been. It also caused all of Thursday's posts to go missing for a short time. Looks like they are back in business now though. 

Today we'll talk about combining coupons with store sale prices and how to start a price book.

A lot of people don't use coupons because they think they're going to waste money buying something they don't really need, spending money just because they have a coupon for something. Hopefully you're starting to see that's not the case at all and developing a whole new mindset about couponing. 

Before you can get a really good deal, you need to know what a really good deal is. Starting a price book is essential to smart couponing! Use a 3-hole spiral bound notebook for your price book and you can keep it right in your coupon binder. A price book is exactly what it sounds like. It's a book of different items you buy frequently and what the prices are for that item at various stores you shop at. It might sound like an awful lot of work, but it really isn't and it isn't something that needs to be maintained. For the most part, once it's done, it's done.

Make a line half way through each piece of paper in the notebook as you go along. Use each half to list a different item. You'll have 4 items listed on each sheet of paper in the notebook (front and back). When you go to the stores you normally shop at, bring your price book with you. Jot down the names of items you buy and what the regular price of each item is, along with the name of the store. 

When you look at your weekly sale ads. you can compare sale prices to those in your price book and determine if you're really getting the best deal possible. You can also keep track of the sale prices of the items you buy at different stores, what the sale price is and when it goes on sale. This will help you to follow the stores sales cycles like we talked about in Lesson 4. 

After you've started your price book, look at your store ads. each week and the coupons you have. Go through your coupon collection and match-up coupons for the items that are on sale and determine the price after coupons. 

Here's an example:
A certain brand of chips is on sale 2/$5 or $2.50 each. Looking at your price book you can see that the regular price of those chips is $2.75, so it's really not a great deal. Unless you really need those chips this week, you'll want to skip that sale. Of course you'll be implementing the Menu Planning and stockpiling strategies we've already gone over at the same time.

Keep going through the weekly sale ads., matching up coupons you have with those sale items, comparing to your price book and seeing what's a great deal and what's not.

My #1 Couponing Rule is to never use a coupon to buy an item that's regular price. The key is to use your coupons wisely on sale items that are at their absolute lowest sale price. Sure, you might save some money other wise, but not the kind of money you could be saving. And the whole point is to save as much money as you possibly can!

It's also really important not to buy anything just because you have a coupon for it, sale price or not. It can be tempting when you're just starting out. There will be many, many coupons that you'll throw away expired and that's ok. Remember that the goal here is to only use coupons to buy items at the lowest price possible. You'll need to learn to have patience and wait for that price to come around. Make sure that when you do find that low, low price, you're implementing the principles of stockpiling so that you have enough of that item until it goes on sale that low again. 

Next week we'll talk about learning stores coupon policies and I'll answer some of the FAQ I've been receiving about coupons and couponing. :)

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 5: How Grocery Store Sales Work + Marketing Tricks

Today we'll talk more about how grocery store sales work and about recognizing marketing tricks. If you're new to my blog and my Coupon Boot Camp posts or you need a refresher, here are the links to the first 4 lessons:

Lesson 1: Introduction to Couponing

Lesson 2: Getting Organized

Lesson 3: The Right Way to Menu Plan

Lesson 4: Stockpiling and Budgets
 

I've been posting a new lesson each week on Thursday and Friday. To be honest, I'm not sure how many lessons there will be, I'm just kind of winging it. The plan is to cover all the basics of couponing in these lessons and then continue Coupon Boot Camp by highlighting different deals each week that you can go to the store and get yourself (Like I've been doing with the Shop Rite deals, click here for this week's.)...armed with your coupons of course! :) 

I've had quite a few questions asked, messaged and emailed to me since I started these posts and I'll be working on a post to compile and answer them all. If you've got a question about couponing or anything we've covered so far, please feel free to leave a comment or email me and ask so that I can include it. 

 

Now on to Lesson 5. :) 

Here are some things you should remember about how grocery store sales work to help you save more:

Most store sales run Sunday through Saturday. Some stores have special sales that run mid-week.

It's important to know that while most sales are advertised, some are not. Be on the look out for unadvertised sales and Manager's Specials. When I first started couponing, I would put all the coupons I knew I wanted to use (based on what was on sale in the store's weekly circular) in an envelope and take it to the store with me. It didn't take me long to realize there were items on sale that weren't in the ad. I got frustrated a few times because I saw something on sale that wasn't in the ad. and knew I had a coupon for it....at home. That's when I came to use the binder system for organizing my coupons. Now I have all my coupons with me at the store so I don't miss out on unadvertised sales. 

Also look for clearance items and items marked down as Manager's Specials. If you have a coupon for an item that's been reduced, you can almost always still use a coupon to buy it and save even more. Always keep an eye out for Manager's Specials in the meat and produce departments. You're not going to see a lot of coupons for meats and fresh fruits and veggies, so the more money you can save otherwise in those departments the better. Just last night I picked up (3) 1 lb.+  packages of hot Italian sausage for under $1.00 each. They were marked down as a Manager's Special from $1.99/lb. to .88 cents a pound because they had tomorrow's expiration date on them. They're sitting in my freezer for future use. Meats that are close to their expiration date and on Manager's Specials are a great way to reduce your budget. If it's going in your freezer anyway, it doesn't matter if it expires 24 hours after you buy. It'll be frozen and totally safe. I don't see as many markdown's on meat as I'd like to, but when I find them I jump on them. 

Look for price hints in sales flyers. Sometimes you'll see an item on sale for $3.99 and then in smaller print it may say "Save up to $2". If it's not an item you're familiar with, you can assume the regular shelf price is $5.99 and decide if it's really a good deal or not. 

Many sales run longer than a week. Certain items might be on sale and only advertised for one week, while the sale might last 2-3 weeks longer, but unadvertised in the following weeks flyers. I've found this to be true of Shop Rite a lot.

If an item is on sale and out of stock, request a rain check. As with sales that last for several weeks, rain checks can give you more time to locate coupons for the item. It can be a bummer when you've got coupons for an item that's on sale for a great price and the store is out of that item. Get a rain check and say a prayer they get that item in before you coupons expire. You won't be able to use an expired coupon, even if your rain check was issued when the coupon was still good.

Here's a few things to remember about marketing tricks:

Grocery stores and food manufacturer's are in the business of making money, not saving you money. There's all sorts of marketing tricks they use to get you to spend more money. You've got to think long and hard about some deals to see if you're really saving yourself any money. A lot of new couponers fall for these tricks.

10/$10 deals are a fav. of mine. Especially when I have coupons for those items. A 10/$10 deal usually doesn't mean that you have to buy 10 of that item to get them for $1.00 each. You can usually buy 1, 2, 5, 10 or 20 and still get the items for $1.00 each. If the sale states that the item on sale is "$1 each when you buy 10", then a minimum purchase of 10 is required to get them for $1.00 each. 

Buy 1 Get 1 Free deals are great too. At some stores B1G1 Free items will ring up at 50% off each item (which is what a B1G1 Free deal really is) as opposed to the first item ringing up at full price and then the second item ringing up free. This is great because you can then use coupons on both items you're buying. 

You'll need to decide if promotions that require you to spend a certain amount of money in order to save money are really a good deal. These kinds of deals can be a great way to stock up your pantry, but if you don't carefully plan it out and use coupons, you could fall for the trick and spend more than you would have. 

Tomorrow we'll learn more about combining store sales with coupons to maximize your savings and starting a price book, which is essential to smart couponing!

*Image courtesy of coolsprings.com*

Coupon Boot Camp - ShopRite Deals for the Week of 05-08-11

There's tons of great deals at Shop Rite this week. I wish I had the time to post them all, but I just don't. Here are five deals you can score using printable coupons online.

Sort through the coupons you've been collecting and you're sure to find more deals on top of these. Look for items that are on sale that you also have coupons for. We'll talk more about matching coupons with store sales later this week.

Hunt's Ketchup is on sale for .88 cents each. Use a .25 cents off (1) coupon (available at SmartSource.com, use zip code 07039 to find it), Shop Rite will double your coupon to .50 cents and you'll get your ketchup for .38 cents. Even better, if you picked up a copy of ALL YOU magazine in April, you can use the .50 cents off (1) coupon in it. Shop Rite will double your coupon, giving you $1.00 off. You'll get your ketchup for FREE and make .12 cents too!


Red Gold Diced Tomatoes (10 oz.) are on sale 2/.99 cents or .49 cents each. Use this printable coupon for $1.00/4 cans and you'll get 4 cans for .24 cents each.




International Delight Coffee Creamers are on sale for .99 cents. Use this printable coupon for .55 cents off (1), Shop Rite will double your coupon (giving you an additional .45 cents off) and you'll get your creamer for FREE. 



Apple & Eve Apple Juice is on sale for $2.00 each (must buy 2). Use this $1.00/2 coupon and get them for $1.50 each.



Arm & Hammer 2X Laundry Detergent is on sale for $1.99. Buy (2), use this printable coupon for $1.00 off 2 and get them for $1.49 each. 

 

 

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 4: Stockpiling and Budgets

Miss the first three lessons of Coupon Boot Camp? Get caught up:

Lesson 1: Introduction to Couponing

Lesson 2: Getting Organized

Lesson 3: The Right Way To Menu Plan

Today we'll learn about Stockpiling and Budgets. Stockpiling is buying items when they are available at the absolute lowest prices (usually with the combination of sales and coupons) in bulk. Now when I say "in bulk" I mean a quantity large enough to supply for family until that item is available for a price that low again. Most of you have probably seen TLC's Extreme Couponing. Those mentally disturbed people are not just extreme couponers, they're extreme stockpilers. I don't know about you, but I don't have the room or the need for 1,700 jars of peanut butter. The idea is to, instead of buying just a few items on sale at a great price, buy just enough to get you through until that price comes around again. You'll need to start paying attention to store sale cycles.

Most store sales run in three month cycles. Give or take a little. Some sales only come around every six months, others just once a year. Once you start paying attention to sale cycles, you'll see which sales come around all the time and which sales are less frequent. The majority of sales are in three month cycles, so when you find an item on sale for a rock bottom price, you'll want to buy enough to last you for three months, until that item is available for that low price again.

For instance, if I'm using sauce in a jar, I like Paul Newman's. They are regular price $2.99 each at Shop Rite. They are often on sale 2/$5.00, so you'd pay $2.50 each, saving a whopping .49 cents. Less frequently they go on sale 2/$4.00, so you'd be saving .99 cents a jar. Once about every three months they go on sale 2/$3.00, so you're paying $1.50 a jar as opposed to $2.99 a jar - half the price. Paul Newman's issues .50 cent off any Newman's product several times a year. When these coupons come out, I get my hands on as many of them as I can. (Incidentally, there's Newman's Own coupons available online here at the moment.) I use my .50 cents off coupons when the sauce is on sale $1.50 each and get as many jars as I think I'll need until they go on sale for that price again. Shop Rite doubles my .50 cent coupons, giving me $1.00 off and I get my Paul Newman's for .50 cents a jar, a fraction of the regular price.

Following sale cycles and stockpiling is crucial to smart couponing! If you used the same coupons when the sauce was on sale 2/$5.00 or $2.50 each, Shop Rite would double your coupon, giving you$1.00 off. You'd be paying $1.50 a jar, which is less than you could have paid, but why would you want to pay $1.50 when you could get it for 50 cents instead?  This is a great example of matching coupons with store sales to get the maximum savings possible! We'll talk about that next week.

Many items are on seasonal sale cycles. You're not going to see the sales on BBQ items like hot dogs or ketchup and mustard in December that you'll see in July. It pays to stock up on more seasonal items during their prime time. Build your stockpile on those types of items during the summer to have enough to last you through the winter. 

I should also add that it's important to know you'll like and use a certain item before you buy 35 of them to add to your stockpile. One time Shop Rite had several varieties of Ajax laundry detergent on sale for .99 cents each. I had 16 coupons for .50 cents off Ajax. I bought 16 bottles, used my .50 cent off coupons which Shop Rite doubled. I got the detergent for free and made a penny on each bottle. Which was great...at that moment...until I used it and realized it was the worst laundry detergent on the face of the planet and was stuck having to use 16 bottles of it. 

It's also important to use what you have in your stockpile! Can and will you use 42 cans of pinto beans before they expire? If you can't or won't, then it's not smart to get them...even if they are super cheap. It's all well and good to get free and really cheap stuff, but your budget can seriously suffer if you're buying a ton of stuff and not using what you're buying.

Speaking of budgets...

The specifics of how you work your grocery budget really don't matter, so long as you know how much you're spending and what you're spending it on. You need a standard to look at so that you can see how you've saved since you started getting serious about couponing and saving money. Try to think of your budget as a monthly figure and not a weekly figure. It will help free you up for those times when certain things are on sale for great prices and you need to stockpile those items. Stockpiling can be tricky when you're on a really tight budget. If you only have $100 in your pocket to get food to last your family the next 10 days, it can be almost impossible to get what you absolutely need plus stock up on great sale prices. Start out slow and you'll find a way to make it work. 

Try not to compare what your spending, what your saving or your budget to that of others. Just as everyone's family is different, so is everyone's budget. Your goal is to save as much money as you can. Don't get down on yourself if you can't get your budget as low as you might think it should be. These things take time. With proper menu planning, stockpiling and coupons, you'll be there before you know it.

A lot of people are interested in using coupons to get free stuff, especially with regards to stockpiling. You can and will get free stuff couponing. When I first started couponing I wasn't really saving any money...I had a closet full of free stuff, but I was spending as much as ever. The key is to both get free stuff AND reduce your budget.

Next week we'll learn more about how grocery store sales work, starting a price book and combining coupons with store sales for maximum savings!!! 

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 3: The Right Way to Menu Plan

Lesson 3: The Right Way to Menu Plan

Menu Planning is plotting out what meals you’ll be preparing ahead of time. Like making a grocery list of two weeks worth of meals, then going to the store and buying everything on the list that you need to prepare those meals. Some people use a chart on the fridge or a calendar and actually plan what day they’ll have what meal ahead of time. I’ve known a few people who menu plan a month at a time. If you asked them on May 1^st what they’re making for dinner on May 22^nd, they can tell you.

Me personally? You could ask me at 4 o’clock in the afternoon what I’m making for dinner and I still might not know. I do plan my meals, but I don’t go so far as to plan what night I’m fixing what. If you are one of those people who heads to the grocery store and goes up and down the aisles grabbing whatever catches your eye, then traditional menu planning can save you money. You’ll save money by not making extra trips out the store to grab the items you need to complete a meal. Like the night you decide you want to make chicken fajitas and all you have is the chicken. It will also save you money by avoiding eating out because, “There’s no food in this house!”

Let’s say you’ve never menu planned before and you decide you want to give it a shot to make your shopping trip easier and to help you feel more organized. What would you do? Sit down and make a list of two weeks worth of meals and write down all the items you need to make those meals, right? Let’s say that out of the 14 dinners you’ve planned, you’ll be having chicken 6 of those nights. If you go to store and end up paying full price for the chicken, are you really saving? No. Not to mention all of the other items you’ll need to complete each meal that may not be on sale or may be on sale but not for the lowest sale price.

The right way to menu plan is to base your meals on what you already have in the house and what’s on sale for the best prices. When I make my shopping list, I evaluate what I already have on hand and make my grocery list based on what’s on sale for great prices. Then I plan my menu around those sale items. Making this small change in your habits can save you big bucks. It’s not all about couponing, though coupons sure do help. If you’re not menu planning the right way, you’re not going to be saving yourself as much money as you could be. You won’t need to stop fixing your favorite dishes, you’ll just need to be more strategic about when to make them. Once you start stockpiling, you’ll find it really is easy to pull meals together based on what’s on sale and what’s in your pantry. It helps if you actually like to cook too. Sometimes you have to get creative and sometimes your meals might not be exactly gourmet, but you’ll get there.

Remember: The right way to menu plan is to make your grocery list first, then make your menu plan. 

Tomorrow we’ll talk about Stockpiling and Budgets, which go hand in hand with Menu Planning. :)

If you missed the first two CBC posts you can catch up here and here. 

Coupon Boot Camp - ShopRite Deals for the Week of 05-01-11

Ready to get some great deals at Shop Rite this week? Let's do this!


If you're not sure what Coupon Boot Camp is all about, check out Lesson 1 and Lesson 2.

In Lesson 1, I talked about Catalina coupons. To refresh your memory, Catalina's are coupons that print on or with your receipt. I've been able to get all sorts of free stuff, from tampons to mashed potatoes, with Catalina's from Shop Rite. I should clarify that Catalina's are not always for free products. Sometimes they are for $ off a certain item. Other times you have to buy a certain quantity of items or spend a certain amount of a particular brand to get them. Catalina's are usually for items that you regularly purchase or for items that are similar to items you purchase. For instance, if you buy Breyer's Ice Cream, you might receive a Catalina for free or $ off Turkey Hill Ice Cream. This encourages you to try a different brand than what you normally buy. Pretty smart marketing, right?

Anyway, there are several Catalina deals at Shop Rite this week where you need to spend a certain dollar amount on products from a certain manufacturer to receive money off coupons. These are my two favorites as well as a deal idea for each:


Nestle Products: Spend $20 Get $20 in Reward Certificates (Catalina's)
You'll need to purchase $20.00 worth of participating Nestle products in a single transaction between 05-01 and 05-14. There is a limit of 1 offer per customer per week. So you can do this deal twice. Once this week and once next week when the new sale starts. The certificates will print as (4) $5.00 Catalina's to be used on your next purchase of Nestle products. The Catalina's can be redeemed as follows: 

$5 Catalina to be used during the week of 05-15 - 05-21

$5 Catalina to be used during the week of 05-22 - 05-28

$5 Catalina to be used during the week of 05-29 - 06-04

$5 Catalina to be used during the week of 06-05 - 06-11

There are tons of Nestle products that are included in this promotion, many of which are on sale. Here's one way to get the most bang for your buck out of this deal:

Buy (8) Nestle Retro Crunch Bars, regularly .50 cents each, on sale for .25 cents each (when you buy 4).= $4.00 ($2.00)

Buy (6) Juicy Juice 100% Juice (regularly $2.69 each), on sale for $2.00 each (when you buy 2) = $16.14 ($12.00)

These deals USUALLY work with the regular shelf price of the items, not the sale price and not the price after coupons.
That makes your total Nestle purchase $20.14, which qualifies you for the Catalina promotion. Though after sale prices your cost is $14.00.

Are you with me so far?

Use (4) coupons that are .50 cents off 2 Nestle Single Bars 1.5 - 2.1 oz. which can be found in this week's Smart Source coupon insert. That's $2.00 off in coupons, so you'd be spending $2.00 for (8) candy bars or .25 cents each. BUT...Shop Rite will double your .50 cent off coupons, which will give you a total of $4.00 off. That means you're getting (8) candy bars for free...plus $2.00 overage.


Use (1) $1.00 off/2 Nestle Juicy Juice Printable coupon and
and (4)  .50 cents off (1) Nestle Juicy Juice Printable coupon from Facebook.
Shop Rite will double your .50 cent off coupons giving you $4.00 off (4) of your juices, plus $1.00 off for the other (2) juices. 

That's $5.00 off the juice you were spending $12.00 for, so that's $7.00. Factor in the $2.00 you made in overage from the candy bars and you're spending $5.00 out of pocket...for (8) candy bars and (6) 64 oz. bottles of juice. But don't forget, you also just scored $20.00 in coupons to be used over the next 4 weeks. Also, you can do a Nestle deal next week and earn $20 more in Catalina's.


Here's another Catalina Promotion this week at Shop Rite:


Dial Products: Spend $20 Get $20 in Reward Certificates (Catalina's). The rules are the same as above. You need to buy $20 worth of Dial/Purex products in a single transaction between 05-01 and 05-14. Again, there is a limit of one offer per customer per week. So you can do this deal twice too. The Catalina's will print the same and be valid for the same dates as listed in the Nestle promotion above.


Here's a deal idea for you...


Buy (4) 50 oz. Purex Laundry Detergents, regularly $2.99, on sale for $1.99 with your Price Plus Card. That's $11.96 regular price, $7.96 on sale.


Buy (3) Soft Scrub Cleansers, which are 2/$5, so that's $7.50.


Buy (1) Renuzit Solid Air Freshener, which are 3/$3, so that's $1.00.


So your regular price total is $20.46, which qualifies you for the $20 Catalina promotion. Your sale price total is $16.46.

Use (4) $1.00 off 1 Purex Detergent coupons (which were in this week's Red Plum insert in the mail). The coupons are good for the 50 - 100 oz. size bottles. The sale is for the 43.5 - 50 oz. bottles so make sure you get the 50 oz. size.That's $4.00 off the sale price of $7.96, so you're paying $3.96 for the (4) bottles.


Use (3) 0.75 cents off (1) Soft Scrub coupons for the Total Kitchen or Total Bath and Bowl Cleaner, which you can print here. Shop Rite will take off an additional .25 cents for each .75 off coupon turning those coupons into $1.00 off each. That's another $3.00 off, you went from paying $7.50 for (3) bottles of Soft Scrub to paying $4.50. 


Add the $1.00 for the Renuzit (which you needed to make your regular price total over $20) and that's $9.46 for (4) bottles of Purex, (3) bottles of Soft Scrub and an air freshener - not too shabby. Plus you'll be receiving $20 in Catalina's.

Here's something important about Catalina's: Shop Rite or any other store has no control over the Catalina's. If you purchase the required products for a Catalina promotion and your Catalina's do not print, please don't go postal on some poor soul who makes $7.25 an hour. It's not their fault, there's nothing they can do about it and there's nothing the manager on duty can do about it either. If you have Catalina's that do not print, you need to contact the Catalina company for assistance. You can call them at 1-888-8COUPON or email them at coupon@catalinamarketing.com for help with your problem. I have had to contact them twice and their customer service was outstanding.

I also mentioned that these Catalina promotions USUALLY work based on the regular shelf price of the items. I haven't been to the store yet to test out these deal scenarios. I will tomorrow and I'll let you know how I make out. Remember in Lesson 1 I said that couponing was like a game, right? You win some, you lose some.


There's a ton of other Catalina promotions at Shop Rite this week. Be sure to check your Shop Rite ad., go through your coupons and see what kind of deals you can come up with.


Catalina's aside, here are a few other great deals at Shop Rite this week....


Goya Beans are on sale for 0.66 cents each. Buy (2) and use this 0.60 cents off/2 Low Sodium Beans coupon and pay 0.06 cents per can.  

Friendship Cottage Cheese is on sale for $1.99. Use this $1/1 coupon and get them for .99 cents each.  


Bar-S Hot Dogs are on sale for .99 cents a pack. Buy (2) and use this $1/2 Bar-S product coupon and they'll be .49 cents a pack. 


BIC Soleil Razors are on sale for $3.99 each. Use this $3/1 Facebook coupon and get them for .99 cents each. 


Happy Couponing! Make sure to come back on Thursday and Friday this week for the next two Coupon Boot Camp Classes!


Get an awesome deal at Shop Rite or anywhere else this week using the power of coupons? Be sure to leave a comment and let us know about it!

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 2: Getting Organized

 Lesson 2: Getting Organized

This is the second class in Coupon Boot Camp. A new lesson will be posted each week on Thursday and Friday. Lesson 1 was posted yesterday and was viewed a whopping 46 times between then and now, so it seems there’s more people interested in couponing than I would have thought. If you missed yesterday’s post, go here first.

Once you start collecting coupons, your next step is to get organized. Coupons won’t save you any money if you can’t find them. There are several coupon organizers on the market. We’re all familiar with the accordian style envelopes that hold coupons. You can generally find them at a dollar store. They don’t work for me, but that’s not to say they won’t work for you. I have a lot of coupons and I use a lot of coupons. I have to be able to see what I have. I use a coupon binder. I’m going to describe my system for you below. There’s many options for coupon storage, all that matters is that you’re organized and that you’re using a system that works for you.

How I Set Up My Coupon Binder…

I use a 3” 3-ring binder. You can use a smaller binder if 3” seems too big to start off with. I do get the occasional funny look from someone while I’m strolling around Shop Rite with my big, ole’ coupon binder.

I use clear plastic baseball card pages to store my coupons. Look for them at Walmart or Kmart or where ever sports cards are sold. There are nine card slots per side. So one page will give you 18 pockets for coupons. Put different coupons in the same category back to back. You can cut down index cards to fit into the slots if you’d like to give each pocket two sides. Keep multiples of the same coupons all in one pocket.

I use page dividers with tabs to separate the card pages into categories. I generally use one to three pages per category, depending on how many coupons I have. My categories are set up as follows:

Baby Items

Baking

Beverages

Canned Goods

Cereal

Cleaning Supplies

Condiments

Dairy

Frozen Foods

Household

Laundry

Meat

Pantry

Pasta & Rice

Personal Care

Produce

Refrigerated

Snacks

Store Specific

Misc.

That’s just how I have my categories set up. See what will work best for you. You can also set up your categories in order of how you shop the store. Most people have a pattern they follow when grocery shopping. For instance, some go in, shop the produce department first, then they go to the cereal aisle, etc. You can set up your categories in order of the way you shop the store. Again, however you decide to do it is completely up to you. As long as it works for you, that’s all that matters.

I also use a 3-hole zipper pencil bag in the front of my coupon binder. In it I keep scissors, a calculator and store rewards and loyalty cards.

I use 3-hole punched paper to write my grocery list and I put in list in behind the pencil bag. I also have a 3-hole notebook in the back of the binder, behind all of my coupon pages, that serves as my price book. You’ll learn about setting up a price book of your own soon. It’s key in smart couponing.

I keep my weekly sales ads. in the inside pockets of the binder.

Here’s your homework: Set up your own coupon binder or come up with a coupon organization system that works for you. Get those coupons sorted and ready to go, you’ll be saving big bucks with them soon!

Have a question, comment or suggestion? Let me know! Leave a comment below.

Here are just a few deals going on at Shop Rite right now so you can get your feet wet. These sales end tomorrow 4/30. After I go through the new ad. that starts on Sunday, I’ll post some deals you can get next week.

Mennen or Lady Speed Stick Deodorant is on sale for .99 cents. Use this .50 cents off coupon  when you buy it. (Scroll down and look for Personal Care Special Offers on the left hand side of the page. There's other coupons on the page as well.) Shop Rite will double your .50 cent off coupon and you'll get the deodorant for free. And you'll make a penny. 

Uncle Ben's Rice Mix is on sale for $1.99. Go here for a .75 cent off coupon. Shop Rite doubles your coupons up to $1.00, so they will take an additional .25 cents off and you'll pay .49 cents for the rice.

Sunshine Cheez-It Crackers are on sale for $1.99 each. Buy (2) and use this coupon for $1.00 off when you buy 2. You'll pay .49 cents for each after the coupon.

International Delight Coffee Creamers are on sale for $1.99. Use this coupon for .55 cents off. SR will take an additional .45 cents off and you'll pay .99 cents.

Come back next week on Thursday and Friday for the next two lessons (I will be posting some deals at different area stores for next week in the mean time though). Next week I'll cover The Right Way to Menu Plan and Smart Stockpiling!