Buying coupons and stockpiling....101

[marshallandcartersmo]

I'm interested in how you buy coupons and stockpile item. It seems smart to me, plus I love the thrill of getting a bargin .

I'd love to stock up on juice boxes, baggies, shampoos, etc....to get ready for school. It might not work out as well as it does for others, because my family (DH ) is a brand snob and only likes certain brands.

I have a few questions though:

Where do you buy coupons?

How do you know what will be on sale so early, so you can buy coupons for the products that will be on sale?

thanks!!

 

[LoriABil]

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's illegal to buy coupons? But you can join coupon groups and swaps, like the train here on DIS. Yahoo groups has trains, too (my SIL is on one and gets the best coupons!)

Once you have coupons, you watch the circulars for deals. For example, CVS and Walgreens will often have items that are free after their cash-back rewards. The caveat is you have to spend the rewards on stuff at their stores! Other grocery stores do this, too, sometimes giving giftcards for items purchased.

For example, I watch CVS ads for Fructise shampoos and conditioners, which are sometimes $2.99 on sale, plus $2 back in "extra care bucks," making it 99 cents. If you have a coupon for $1 off, it is "free" (Well, actually, it was $2, but you get that $2 back to spend at the store on other things you might need)
SO I will buy this even if I don't need it necessarily, to "stockpile."

The problem is, most places require you to have a preferred shopper type card; free, but you have to keep up with the card. Also, while they do not require a card, Walgreens will not let you use their "register Rewards" to buy other items eligible for Register rewards (the rewards don't print out.) They are also notorious for not having the rewards print out at all sometimes.

Sorry this so long. Someone else may be able to put it more simply. I just thought of the two "chains" I knew that have cash back type programs. That is how some people stockpile. Hope that helps and does not confuse! Let me know if I need to clarify...

 

[Ali]

You can buy "coupons" but you are actually paying for the time and effort of the seller, not the paper. I have used several coupon sites to get my favorites to stock up on during sales. You can google or pm me me and I can send you done sites to check. Sales flyers are available early for some stores and people share the info so you can stock up on the hot coupons early.

 

[beansmom]

ali is right. It is illegal to 'sell' coupons. What you are paying for is the time and handling. I use ebay, thecouponmaster and couponsthingsbydede for my coupons.

I also peruse afullcup.com for the heads up on coming sales. Hotcouponworld is also a good site for it.

Collect coupons for what you use, wait for a sale, then stock up.

Simple as 1, 2, 3.

 

[darthspud]

well you get the sunday paper and those have coupons.. there are great websites that help with what the best deals of the weeks are... just google couponing for beginners

 

[pediatric-rnp]

Coupons can be bought on Ebay, but as previously mentioned, you are paying for the person's time, not the paper. I've done this several times, and it can be hit or miss. Sometimes you get a good selection, but usually not. I pass along all of my extras, and usually only pay a small amount on Ebay, so it's not a loss, but I don't find it the best way to go. Coupon trains and just swapping with friends and neighbors help me the most!

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

thanks all! I guess my main question, is how do you find out what sales are coming up a few weeks early, so I have time to buy the coupons?? thanks!

 

[LoriABil]

I find upcoming sales on afullcup.com, I think a PP mentioned that one. Also, fat wallet has forums that are usually pretty good. My local grocery store sends an e-mail the day before the circular comes out, maybe try getting on your favorite grocery stores' mailing lists?

I didn't know that about buying coupons! That is exciting...I know what I am shopping for today...

I saw that All You (a magazine full of coupons at Walmart) has an article this month about stockpiling. It might have some good info I haven't read it yet.

 

[lisam427]

one of my favorite sites is www.couponmom.com. it is free to register and use. on there you will find shopping lists based on printable coupon sites and sunday paper coupons. they even give you links to several coupons sites for printable coupons these lists give you the best deals fro each individual store. i use this site alot. since using it i have been saving anywhere from $30 to $70 or more a week.

i have been cvsing lately too. ILOVE cvs!! Ihave stockpiled tons of shampoo, dishsoap, bar soap,shampoo, etc.. for cheap. i even got my nephew's diapers for our upcoming disney trip for so cheap. i paid $7.50 for 102 diapers. there is a list on this board too just about cvs. they list the deals and coupons to make the deals cheaper.

 

[here757]

i dont buy coupons either.. i have joined a coupon train.
i clip all my coupons and mail the ones i dont want to someone eles. then someone sends to me

they are here on disboards too . great group of people

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2390405

 

[LovableGluttons]

I get mine from eBay. I've had too many people keep my money and not send the coupons from the trading boards. This was I have PayPal buyer protection.

 

[here757]

trading board does coupons too? wow didnt know
thats why i like the coupon train. only thing it costs me is postage.

 

[beansmom]

i used to buy multiple papers on sunday and cut out coupons but at $2.50 each, even 10 got pricey. I'm not reliable enough to hold up my end of a train. For me, therefore, purchasing multiples on ebay is the best solution. I don't have the coupon mess in the house, it takes a few clicks rather than 30 mins to cut and file, and i can afford large amounts of the ones I want.

Ebay all the way for me.

 

[here757]

i find them all over.
i take a few extra from the shelf. not alot. just 2 or 3
at first my envies were tiny. now they are fat!
i get coupons from wed mail too. plum something .. smart source

 

[21yankees]

I follow bargain blogs. Most of them have the upcoming week's sales flyers 2-3 days before the week starts. Also almost all of them post links to printable coupons. I also get them from ebay as well as some of the coupon websites. All depends on how good the coupon is and how much room I have available. Right now I have about 40 boxes of cereal in my pantry (my kids go through about 3-4 boxes a week). Don't forget to take advantage of double coupons too.

steph

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Here is a great site
www.southernsavers.com

She lists all kinds of deals as they come out. She also has a list every week for just about every store you can think of and the coupon match-ups.

You can google coupon clipping services if you want to buy coups.

 

[Nicolepa]

thanks all! I guess my main question, is how do you find out what sales are coming up a few weeks early, so I have time to buy the coupons?? thanks!

You don't need to know weeks in advance you just need to be organized. I check the grocery ads on Tuesday, go online and order coupons Tuesday night/Wed morning. They ship on Thursday from the East coast & I'm on the West coast. I always have them by Monday and shop either Monday afternoon or Tuesday.

 

[CajunDixie]

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's illegal to buy coupons? But you can join coupon groups and swaps, like the train here on DIS. Yahoo groups has trains, too (my SIL is on one and gets the best coupons!)

*Snipped*

The problem is, most places require you to have a preferred shopper type card; free, but you have to keep up with the card. Also, while they do not require a card, Walgreens will not let you use their "register Rewards" to buy other items eligible for Register rewards (the rewards don't print out.) They are also notorious for not having the rewards print out at all sometimes.
*Snipped

You are actually paying for the labor and shipping when "Buying" coupons. The sites where you can do this are great for brand loyal people as you can buy several of the exact coupon you want.

My Walgreens must be a lil different than yours. We can use Register Rewards (RR) to make purchases in which we get other RRs, they just can't be the exact same deal. Rarely you can find a deal that allows you to use the same RR...we call it rolling your RR. For example last week I bought the Renu contact solution and received an RR for the full amount, I then used that RR to help pay for the razor and Herbal Essence deal...I still received my RRs for the razor and Herbal Essence. Some store managers mess with the Catalina machine to prevent them from printing.

Combine the RR deals and coupons to get free or nearly free items. The best part of how Walgreens does their sale is you can go into the store for the deals multiple times in the week and get what you want.

The great thing about CVS is you can use your Extra Care Bucks (ECB) to purchase the same item and still get the ECB if the limit is more than one. But the downside is the card keeps track of your purchases so you can only get up to the limit. Some areas allow each person in a family to have a card so multliple deals are possible.

I use iheartcvs dot com and iheartwags dot com Erica has the ads weeks in advance and when its closer to the date of the ad she matches up coupons and lists the freebies for you. She also shows you her deals.

 

[richmond282]

This website has the upcoming week's coupons listed on it. It's usually available on Thursday or Friday. You can also sign up for email notification.
http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/
I live in a small town that does not get most of the coupon inserts in the paper, so if I see a "good" coupon in the upcoming paper, I will check ebay on Saturday. Then I will just purchase the individual coupon that I want usually in a lot of 10 or 20. I have never had luck just getting a random lot of coupons. I prefer to just pay for the specific ones I need.

I like to use hip2save.com for coupon/sale matchups, but she doesn't post until the day before a sale starts. I also like iheartcvs.com and iheartwags.com. They both have ads posted a couple of weeks in advance so you can kind of plan ahead.

 

[DanaAustinChelsea]

I love couponing & stockpiling so much I started my own blog I can't post my site link (I think?) but Hip2save.com is a good one for findiing freebies & rebates, plus she usually posts (or links) to other sites that list the deals. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, KrazyCouponLady is AWESOME!!! Once you start looking, you will find tons of sites dedicated for saving money! I usually buy newspapers if there are several "good" coupons. If not I will buy a few & purchase coupons from eBay if needed. A good example for stockpiling: This week at Rite-Aid, they have Carefree Liners Buy One Get One Free (aka BOGO or B1G1) & Stayfree Pads B1G1. If you have the Buy One Get One Free from Sunday's newspaper (6/27), you can use it at Rite Aid & get TWO packages for FREE!! If you have two coupons, get FOUR pkgs FREE etc. The Buy One Get One sale with a Buy One Get One coupon almost always gets you two free (per coupon!), depending on the stores policy! You just have to pay sales tax (if applicable) on the free items!