Please teach me how to save with coupons

H

hinodis

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 21, 2002
What is your best source for coupons? Is it the paper on is it the internet? I really need to cut my grocery bill. I do not buy alot of junk food or processed foods. I need help!
 
I like hip2save too. You need to check it several times a day because the very best coupons go quick. I think the best coupons are online but the ones in the paper can be good too. I also look at afullcup.com. It is discussion boards, like DIS, with discussions and previews of ads about various stores.
 
There is also hotcouponworld.com, another forum site with boards for every store you can think of and a place to trade coupons.
 
first off, you need to look at what your buying versus what is going to be found in coupons.

For me, coupons are used more for paper, personal items, and cleaning stuff then actual food.

This is because the builk of our food purchases are NOT coupon foods (fresh fruit, fresh veggies, meat, bread, milk).

I can easily use $20 in coupons at CVS and yet have $1.50 for the grocery store.

The key after that is to stock up on items when they are at their lowest prices (and if you have coupons even better). For example, I prefer Barilla pasta over the store brand. I occasionally get coupons for it. SO I stock up on it when it runs 10 for $10. If I have coupons I use them ONLY when its at $1 a box. I will usually buy enough to get me over to the next $1 sale (for this product about 5 weeks)

Another example is when hot dogs are on sale. I buy hunter hot dogs and only buy them when they are $1 or less (lowest I got was last summer at $0.77 ea). I buy a whole bunch and freeze them. Sometimes we have coupons (like last week).

As for getting coupons, there are TONS of places. I buy 2 newspapers every week, belong to a dis board coupon train, I pick up coupons all over the grocery store, watch my receipts for coupons, heck I even got a coupon on my Border's receipt once for V-8, magazines (All you, food network, parade, etc)
 
I found a great facebook group called couponing to Disney. I've saved a lot with the coupons and discounts posted.
 
You can always ask at your local church if they have a coupon swap. Also, ask family,friends and neighbors to save theirs for you and you can give them the ones you do not use(if they want them).
 
hinodis said:
What is your best source for coupons? Is it the paper on is it the internet? I really need to cut my grocery bill. I do not buy alot of junk food or processed foods. I need help!
Click to expand...
I have done a coupon train on here and it is a great source, but my down fall is I don't get the paper, I get the ads from my parents so it was a hassle going to get them, and you have to mail every week which became a big hassle as well.
I try and make a huge trip every 3-4 months to restock, and in between there I only buy if its onsale and i have a coupon. Even if it's something I still have, if it's something I know we use ie I will run out if it within a couple months I will go ahead and get it and put it in out basement pantry.
starwood said:
I found a great facebook group called couponing to Disney. I've saved a lot with the coupons and discounts posted.
Click to expand...

I have never seen this, can I just search for it and find it, I would LOVE to join!!!
 
hinodis said:
What is your best source for coupons? Is it the paper on is it the internet? I really need to cut my grocery bill. I do not buy alot of junk food or processed foods. I need help!
Click to expand...

Then use coupons to cut the non-food items you buy. Many websites will list what is on sale/free at different stores for the week. When you pay less than full-price and/or free for things like dish soap, shampoo, cleaning supplies, etc, you have more money for groceries of your choice.
 
Wow, I never knew there was so many sources out there. Thank you all for the great advice. I am going to check all those out. I don't normally buy the Sunday paper but if it would be worth it for the coupons I can buy it.
 
I also try and take my coupon holder with me to the store, that way if there is a sale I didn't know about and have a coupon I can still take advantage if it.
 
I would highly recommend you at least try and get this book from your library or on inter-library loan (or just buy it).

http://www.smartspendingresources.com/publications.html

I've been fortunate enough to be able to attend a couponing class by the author and the $10 and 3 hours I spent on that class has saved me probably close to $8,000 over the past 4 years (I'm not kidding!) and I'm not even 'hard core' about couponing. Using coupons in combination with store sales I typically save 50-60%. We are fortunate to have double coupons to $.99 everyday here, and sometimes triple coupon weeks...but even without that you can save a substantial amount.

The companion website also has some good information - read through the articles, menu planning and savings examples:
http://www.smartspendingresources.com/index.html

Start keeping an eye open for couponing classes available in your area as well as coupon swaps. The PP's have listed some good boards to visit and you may be able to find some of that type of information there. Also check with your local library, parks and rec, and church communities as those are often the types of places where those kind of classes are held.

Here's some of what I posted on another board I'm on to help the girls there get started with couponing. Keep in mind that this information is over a year old and specific to my area, so store policies may differ in your area, but the general concepts still hold:


Here are some of the best tips I learned from the couponing class:

1. Build a stockpile in your pantry - the idea here is to stock up on basic non-perishable items only when they are on sale and you can use coupons (canned/frozen veggies, laundry and cleaning supplies, cereal, pasta, salad dressing, etc.). Ideally each week when you shop you should only be buying perishables (milk, eggs, etc.) and stocking up on what's on sale. Educate yourself on how many of the same coupon you can use during a shopping trip...for example one store near me allows unlimited multiples while another limits to 3 of the same coupon. Multiples of the same coupon allow you to take best advantage, especially when you can use a coupon in conjunction with a weekly sale price.

2. Join every "Loyalty Club" possible - CVS drugstores let you earn money back, and grocery store club cards coupled with coupons can mean great savings. Almost every store I know that prints their own store coupons will allow you to use a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon for the same single item item (for instance a Walgreen's store coupon for Campbell's soup can be used with a manufacturer coupon too).

3. Educate yourself on the couponing policies of the stores in your area - who doubles? up to what value? is a minimum purchase necessary to get coupons to double? who doubles/triples and how often?
For instance at my supermarkets: Food Lion does not double, Kroger doubles everyday up to .60, Lowe's doubles up to .99 but only with a minimum $35 purchase, Harris Teeter doubles to .99 everyday

4. Educate yourself on Buy 1 Get 1 (also known as BOGOs) free deals. If you truly pay for only one item and the other is free - that means you can use only one manufacturer's coupon, but if a store's BOGO actually marks each item at half price you can use 2 manufacturer's coupons - that's where the saving really adds up...which brings me to....

5. Get multiples of whatever coupons you can (some stores will accept up to a certain number of identical coupons as long as you make qualifying purchases, others like Walgreens have no limit). I clip from my Sunday paper inserts, and also get duplicate copies from my mom and one of dh's co-workers. Ask your neighbors, family and friends to save their inserts for you.

Another source for multiple coupons are the "blinkies" in the stores - take multiples (I usually take 2-4 depending on the item). Find out which stores have the best selection - for instance I only get blinkies from Food Lion, they have more and carry ones that will double (any coupon with a 5 at the beginning of the barcode will double regardless of whether or not it says "do not double", anything with a 9 at the front will not double), but Harris Teeter carries fewer blinkies that all start with 9 because the store policy is to double up to .99

Swing through the wine aisle and pull off multiples of the wine tags hanging around the necks of bottles - fantastic coupons hiding in there. Most are for at least $1 or more - I've found coupons for make-up, cheese, crackers, condiments, chocolate....

Coupon clipping services will also send you multiples of coupons for a small handling fee - but I use them rarely only for items I really want/need

Coupon Swaps and Coupon Trains are also good sources for coupons - those are usually arranged locally.

6. Go through store fliers each week and match coupons and sales and purchase only those items you will use and can stockpile, in addition to the non-perishables you need. Be prepared to go to more than one individual store to take best advantage of sales each week.

7. Organize your coupons so you can see them. I have a binder like this: http://www.smartspendingresources.com/services.html and it's helped so much! I used to use a little accordion style folder but this is sooo much easier.

8. Don't forget that drug stores like Walgreens, CVS and RiteAid can be a great place to find deals, some nearing free when you use a coupon. CVS lets you earn Extra Care Bucks to spend on your next trip.

9. See if your area has local daily coupon offers from Groupon, Living Social or Twongo. These sites typically offer deals that range from 30-75% off on local services (spa, auto, cleaning), restaurants and activities. For instance I was able to purchase my dh a 2 hour climbing class and 2 weeks of unlimited climb time for $40 and a local climbing gym...a 60% savings. A week at a local horse camp was reduced to $175 for full day attendance with 2 hours of ride time (orig. price $350!).



Good Luck!!!
 
deerhart said:
first off, you need to look at what your buying versus what is going to be found in coupons.

For me, coupons are used more for paper, personal items, and cleaning stuff then actual food.

This is because the builk of our food purchases are NOT coupon foods (fresh fruit, fresh veggies, meat, bread, milk).

I can easily use $20 in coupons at CVS and yet have $1.50 for the grocery store.

The key after that is to stock up on items when they are at their lowest prices (and if you have coupons even better). For example, I prefer Barilla pasta over the store brand. I occasionally get coupons for it. SO I stock up on it when it runs 10 for $10. If I have coupons I use them ONLY when its at $1 a box. I will usually buy enough to get me over to the next $1 sale (for this product about 5 weeks)

Another example is when hot dogs are on sale. I buy hunter hot dogs and only buy them when they are $1 or less (lowest I got was last summer at $0.77 ea). I buy a whole bunch and freeze them. Sometimes we have coupons (like last week).

As for getting coupons, there are TONS of places. I buy 2 newspapers every week, belong to a dis board coupon train, I pick up coupons all over the grocery store, watch my receipts for coupons, heck I even got a coupon on my Border's receipt once for V-8, magazines (All you, food network, parade, etc)
Click to expand...

Exactly. I use very few coupons at the grocery store, other than what the store itself sends me.

But I do buy and plan menus around what's on sale, and stock up when they have BOGO items.

That's cut our grocery bill by a third or more.
 
jodifla said:
Exactly. I use very few coupons at the grocery store, other than what the store itself sends me.

But I do buy and plan menus around what's on sale, and stock up when they have BOGO items.

That's cut our grocery bill by a third or more.
Click to expand...

I was going to say the same thing! I have been trying to balance good, non-processed, organic when possible food with what is on sale. What I have found is that most coupons I come across are for processed foods like Pilsbury and Frito-Lay. I make out a menu every week and write down what I need for each meal (B, L, and D). Snacks tend to be dried fruit, nuts, and fresh fruit and veggies. I now check out what store is going to have the best deals. I have found in my area on Long Island, that the best food/prices is at Trader Joe's and it is significantly less than a typical grocery chain. Even having to drive a significant distance to Trader Joe's still saved me at least $20 on my bill. Target is also a good bet, especially for household items. We like the Seventh Generation products and they are much less here than a health food grocery. Some palces like Target have a great store brand. It's something like .50 less a box for the pasta plus that is like the Barilla Plus. Also their Soy milk is about .50 less a carton. It has taken me a couple of months to realize where all the things we need are available at the lowest prices. It much easier than coupon clipping on a regular basis. I tend to use coupons only for household items. Planning is really the key to everything. No impulse buying!:goodvibes.
Also try to shop around the perimeter of the store instead of in the aisles. That's where the freshest food is. It's not to say its cheaper, but in the long run, if its helping your health, you will feel better and will not need a doctor so much.
Jessica
 
humboldthny said:
I would highly recommend you at least try and get this book from your library or on inter-library loan (or just buy it).

http://www.smartspendingresources.com/publications.html

I've been fortunate enough to be able to attend a couponing class by the author and the $10 and 3 hours I spent on that class has saved me probably close to $8,000 over the past 4 years (I'm not kidding!) and I'm not even 'hard core' about couponing. Using coupons in combination with store sales I typically save 50-60%. We are fortunate to have double coupons to $.99 everyday here, and sometimes triple coupon weeks...but even without that you can save a substantial amount.

The companion website also has some good information - read through the articles, menu planning and savings examples:
http://www.smartspendingresources.com/index.html

Start keeping an eye open for couponing classes available in your area as well as coupon swaps. The PP's have listed some good boards to visit and you may be able to find some of that type of information there. Also check with your local library, parks and rec, and church communities as those are often the types of places where those kind of classes are held.

Here's some of what I posted on another board I'm on to help the girls there get started with couponing. Keep in mind that this information is over a year old and specific to my area, so store policies may differ in your area, but the general concepts still hold:


Here are some of the best tips I learned from the couponing class:

1. Build a stockpile in your pantry - the idea here is to stock up on basic non-perishable items only when they are on sale and you can use coupons (canned/frozen veggies, laundry and cleaning supplies, cereal, pasta, salad dressing, etc.). Ideally each week when you shop you should only be buying perishables (milk, eggs, etc.) and stocking up on what's on sale. Educate yourself on how many of the same coupon you can use during a shopping trip...for example one store near me allows unlimited multiples while another limits to 3 of the same coupon. Multiples of the same coupon allow you to take best advantage, especially when you can use a coupon in conjunction with a weekly sale price.

2. Join every "Loyalty Club" possible - CVS drugstores let you earn money back, and grocery store club cards coupled with coupons can mean great savings. Almost every store I know that prints their own store coupons will allow you to use a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon for the same single item item (for instance a Walgreen's store coupon for Campbell's soup can be used with a manufacturer coupon too).

3. Educate yourself on the couponing policies of the stores in your area - who doubles? up to what value? is a minimum purchase necessary to get coupons to double? who doubles/triples and how often?
For instance at my supermarkets: Food Lion does not double, Kroger doubles everyday up to .60, Lowe's doubles up to .99 but only with a minimum $35 purchase, Harris Teeter doubles to .99 everyday

4. Educate yourself on Buy 1 Get 1 (also known as BOGOs) free deals. If you truly pay for only one item and the other is free - that means you can use only one manufacturer's coupon, but if a store's BOGO actually marks each item at half price you can use 2 manufacturer's coupons - that's where the saving really adds up...which brings me to....

5. Get multiples of whatever coupons you can (some stores will accept up to a certain number of identical coupons as long as you make qualifying purchases, others like Walgreens have no limit). I clip from my Sunday paper inserts, and also get duplicate copies from my mom and one of dh's co-workers. Ask your neighbors, family and friends to save their inserts for you.

Another source for multiple coupons are the "blinkies" in the stores - take multiples (I usually take 2-4 depending on the item). Find out which stores have the best selection - for instance I only get blinkies from Food Lion, they have more and carry ones that will double (any coupon with a 5 at the beginning of the barcode will double regardless of whether or not it says "do not double", anything with a 9 at the front will not double), but Harris Teeter carries fewer blinkies that all start with 9 because the store policy is to double up to .99

Swing through the wine aisle and pull off multiples of the wine tags hanging around the necks of bottles - fantastic coupons hiding in there. Most are for at least $1 or more - I've found coupons for make-up, cheese, crackers, condiments, chocolate....

Coupon clipping services will also send you multiples of coupons for a small handling fee - but I use them rarely only for items I really want/need

Coupon Swaps and Coupon Trains are also good sources for coupons - those are usually arranged locally.

6. Go through store fliers each week and match coupons and sales and purchase only those items you will use and can stockpile, in addition to the non-perishables you need. Be prepared to go to more than one individual store to take best advantage of sales each week.

7. Organize your coupons so you can see them. I have a binder like this: http://www.smartspendingresources.com/services.html and it's helped so much! I used to use a little accordion style folder but this is sooo much easier.

8. Don't forget that drug stores like Walgreens, CVS and RiteAid can be a great place to find deals, some nearing free when you use a coupon. CVS lets you earn Extra Care Bucks to spend on your next trip.

9. See if your area has local daily coupon offers from Groupon, Living Social or Twongo. These sites typically offer deals that range from 30-75% off on local services (spa, auto, cleaning), restaurants and activities. For instance I was able to purchase my dh a 2 hour climbing class and 2 weeks of unlimited climb time for $40 and a local climbing gym...a 60% savings. A week at a local horse camp was reduced to $175 for full day attendance with 2 hours of ride time (orig. price $350!).



Good Luck!!!
Click to expand...

All great advice, but all seems to time consuming and difficult. I'd be willing to pay a subscription fee or service fee to a website that would do all of the match-up's for me and get those coupons into my hands. SOmeone up here need to do it and make a mint. Make a website where you match sales ads of larger gocery stores and retailers to all availible coupons. I could click that my local store options are Food Lion, Giant PA, Weis Markets, Target, and WalMart. Then the website lists what I can get for free, close to free, leading all the way up to more expensive. Scroll down and click the quanity box of how many of each coupon I want (up-charge per coupon). The company snail mails or emails the coupons to me. I'd happily pay someone $25-50 to save me $75-150 off a cart of groceries.
 
andrews_dad said:
All great advice, but all seems to time consuming and difficult. I'd be willing to pay a subscription fee or service fee to a website that would do all of the match-up's for me and get those coupons into my hands. SOmeone up here need to do it and make a mint. Make a website where you match sales ads of larger gocery stores and retailers to all availible coupons. I could click that my local store options are Food Lion, Giant PA, Weis Markets, Target, and WalMart. Then the website lists what I can get for free, close to free, leading all the way up to more expensive. Scroll down and click the quanity box of how many of each coupon I want (up-charge per coupon). The company snail mails or emails the coupons to me. I'd happily pay someone $25-50 to save me $75-150 off a cart of groceries.
Click to expand...

Have you tried the Grocery Game? http://www.thegrocerygame.com

It's $10 for 8 weeks but there is a free trial.
 
andrews_dad said:
All great advice, but all seems to time consuming and difficult. I'd be willing to pay a subscription fee or service fee to a website that would do all of the match-up's for me and get those coupons into my hands. SOmeone up here need to do it and make a mint. Make a website where you match sales ads of larger gocery stores and retailers to all availible coupons. I could click that my local store options are Food Lion, Giant PA, Weis Markets, Target, and WalMart. Then the website lists what I can get for free, close to free, leading all the way up to more expensive. Scroll down and click the quanity box of how many of each coupon I want (up-charge per coupon). The company snail mails or emails the coupons to me. I'd happily pay someone $25-50 to save me $75-150 off a cart of groceries.
Click to expand...

What area do you live in? If you live in MI, Iowa, Minnesota, Arizona, Missouri, or West Ohio there is a website called savingsangel.com. They pretty much do everything you want except send you the coupons. They will tell you exactly were to find the coupons from either the inserts with dates or will give you websites with links. They have a full database full of coupons you can just print out as well. They will tell you exactly how much you are saving on each item. You can also print a grocery list of items you want to take shopping. It can also print a list of which coupons you need and where to find those as well. If you put in my referral code (29240) I will get credit for telling you about it. It cost $19.95/month but the first month is $19.95 and then the second is free for new members. Everyone on there is very helpful. There is a forum where you can get a lot of extra information and help.
 
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