So I've decided that I want to use this as a method of saving money but I'm a com-pleeete newb.
I've never been into coupons because I live in such a small town that we don't get a Sunday paper and there's really no stores around here anyway so I have to travel to shop.
But I'm getting to the point where my dollars need to be stretched further and I need to learn this skill.
Oh also, I live in CA and that double, triple coupon stuff you hear about is a myth here. No one does that here. So no hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for free for little ole me. I'll be estatic with a 10-15% savings.
I've only been doing this for a week and with not much luck yet. I thought I'd ask for any tips anyone might have.
Today I shopped and saved $8.64 off a $39 grocery bill. That made me feel pretty good. But I signed up for some coupon sites and now my cell phone won't quit ringing with solicitors
I'm not happy about that part. Plus my email box is JAMPACKED with emails and I don't know which ones are legitimate and which ones are trying to get me to buy magazine subscriptions.
Any experienced couponers in our midst?
How do you know where to get the good coupons and how to weed out all the crap?
Shoot, I use the Sunday paper and Groupon. But Groupon is mostly for services and restaurants. For instance I splurged and spent $30 on a 60 minute massage that would normally have been $60. Every day they have different deals. I've taken my BF out to a nice dinner that I bought on Groupon $20 for $40 worth of meals. So say you want a date night w/ DH? Groupon might be the way to go. As for grocery coupons? I can't really help you.
hmmmmm I'll check it out but it doesn't sound like what I'm looking for. Massages and manicures I only get while on vacation. It's about a 2-3 hour round trip just to get to the shopping for me so I try to get my work done and get back home without too much delay unless I'm visiting someone.
But I'm not just looking for food dollars. I'd like to save on clothing and toiletires and other essentials as well. Anything like that?
hmm...there's a couponmom site that i've used. I dont really understand the website yet though (i've only looked at it twice). We have a publix here and they can tie coupons to your phone number somehow so you don't have to clip anything. I need to start doing this as well, so hopefully some more people have ideas.
Can you visit the manufacturer's/grocery store's website to see if they have coupons available?
With grocery coupons it's a good idea to clip coupons for only the things you already buy or have been thinking about trying or you could end up with a bunch for things that aren't on your list. You can buy organizers at the dollar store. I keep coupons for pet food and hair color in my billfold because I get those items regularly.
The Sunday paper from a major city in your area will have enough coupons in it that the paper is essentially free. That's kind of a bonus right there!
With grocery coupons it's a good idea to clip coupons for only the things you already buy or have been thinking about trying or you could end up with a bunch for things that aren't on your list. You can buy organizers at the dollar store. I keep coupons for pet food and hair color in my billfold because I get those items regularly.
The Sunday paper from a major city in your area will have enough coupons in it that the paper is essentially free. That's kind of a bonus right there!
I would love to do coupons but I don't ever really see them for the things I buy the most. Now and then I see one for cereal, yogurt, or bread but never for fruits/veggies/meat. It also usually ends up being for a more expensive brand so I wouldn't be saving anyway. I wish I could make it work out like others can but I don't seem to have the gift of couponing. I find a good one for handsoap/lotion/shampoo now and then and I use those but that's about it.
It also usually ends up being for a more expensive brand so I wouldn't be saving anyway.
This is what I was thinking too. That I normally buy the store brand which might be .50 cheaper but then I have a coupon for .50 off the name brand so it's the same cost. I could save myself the time and effort of clipping the coupon and just stick with the store brand.
But what I'm learning is; if you combine the coupon with a sale and stock up, that's where you get your savings.
So I've been at this for what a week now? And I'm already running into a few problems.
My first problem is I need to get my family on board with a new way of thinking.
Normally the way I shop is I go down to the big stores and I stock the pantry and freezer for two weeks or a month. And then I go to the local store every couple of days for the things we need fresh like juice, milk or veggies.
I also don't tend to buy junk food except when it's a special occasion or party or something.
So the other day, I had a coupons that gave me
1 free bag of M&M's 2 Litres of Pepsi for .25 1 free bag of Lays (I forget how many ounces but it was big)
So I brought that crap home and it all got downed in one sitting.
I'm not happy about that. I told my people that I'm buying it while it's on sale in order to not have to pay retail when we do need it but just because it's in the house that doesn't mean they have to eat it. And they ate it anyway.
My second problem is store limits. My store usually has one coupon per customer limits which means that I'd need to go back to the store everyday to do any significant stocking up. Some of the coupons even say one per household so taking my kids with me wouldn't get me around that restriction.
*sigh
I do have one bit of good news. It's getting on spring here (hasn't snowed in three days YAY!) and my chickens are laying like mad. A woman has offered to trade me already clipped coupons for eggs! That's exciting. I'll see how that works.
For things like shampoo, detergent, etc., I've heard that the CVS ExtraCare bucks program is awesome. When you combine sales and coupons and any ECB you have, you can get stuff for free. Of course, you have to have ECB first, but it can't hurt to look into it.
As for downing everything in a sitting, well, when it's gone, it's gone. They'll learn.
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"I never understood why blessings wore disguises. If I were a blessing, I'd run around naked." - Sophia Petrillo
I traded 3 dozen eggs (and a promise of 3 dozen more) for $40 in coupons!
win/win
The lady was very happy that she gets 6 dozen eggs *free and I'm estatic that she collected the coupons for me plus I get $40 value for something that I would only sell for $18
There are a couple of things that I wouldn't normally have purchased like those dental floss on a stick things plus some teeth whiteners and a few other things like that but it's worth it to me to get these coupons in order to make our deal work.
Come to the not msn money board and check with the grocery hounds. There are people in California that will help. Google your store and "coupon matchups" and someone will have posted the deals for that week. Also, check out iheartcvs.com
. I find a good one for handsoap/lotion/shampoo now and then and I use those but that's about it.