Coupon Stockpiling.

[momminnie]

Are there any coupon stockpilers on here? Just wondering. I just started couponing to save some on groceries. My husbands job of 29 years will end the end of Sept. I'm trying to save here and there. I decided to take a coupon class and I was amazed at how she could save so much and spend so little and have so much. Anybody else do this and would like to share your stories with me?

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

Are there any coupon stockpilers on here? Just wondering. I just started couponing to save some on groceries. My husbands job of 29 years will end the end of Sept. I'm trying to save here and there. I decided to take a coupon class and I was amazed at how she could save so much and spend so little and have so much. Anybody else do this and would like to share your stories with me?

I would love to learn more about for sure

 

[magiclj]

I love to coupon!! I have stockpiled soo much!!! Some great websites to highlight deals for you are:

hip2save.com
southernsavers.com
totallytarget.com

iheartcvs.com
iheartriteaid.com
iheartwags.com

These sites are free and will post and put the deals together for you. It makes it real easy.

I don't know your location, but two sites (free) located in Michigan that I like are:

bargainstobounty.com
savingaddiction.com

I also subscribe to refundcents.com for $12 a year. It does all the deals and always has a current list of rebates out. I signed up for a three month trial a few years back for $4 and within a week found a rebate for $10 that I did not know was available. (it was for taking your child to the doctor-which I had done anyways).

I have saved over $7000 in coupons this year and have spent about $1400 in the past 6 1/2 months. This includes all groceries, health & beauty, paper products and cleaning supply. We have three people currently in the house and my son (20) eats like crazy!!! His friends are always welcome and love my root cellar full of food. I have 4 nieces and nephews who I keep supplied with HBA stuff to save them money. My daughter's(21) college friends will come over and leave with a box of free stuff. I accumulated so much stuff that I have donated boxes of free HBA to the high school for students that are supporting themselves. My sisters also come and shop in my basement (for free of course). LOL My sister is coming home to visit and gave me a two month warning as to what she needed so I could watch for deals and grab freebies.

I normally buy extra papers on Sunday when the coupons are good. If you have dollar stores you can usually get the papers there. Also ask your friends and coworkers to save their coupons for you. Many people don't take the time to coupon and will gladly give you their coupons.

I probably spend a couple hours on my coupons each week between clipping, filing and making grocery lists. I don't like to spend a lot of time in the stores so I like to be organized when I get there. I clip the coupons when I am watching TV or when the kids were younger I would do it at socccer practice or whenever I could squeeze in a few minutes.

It is definately a great cheap rewarding hobby.

 

[PaulaSue]

I stockpile with coupon deals, Dh calls it hoarding.

 

[Sagginit]

i started couponing in the last few months. i dont stockpile like others since im single and can be picky about HBA at times but i do like afullcup.com - its a lot of info in one place. the thrill of ocassionally getting something for free or stacking coupons/register rewards to walk out of a store with a lot of stuff makes it worth the effort.

one thing i have learned is to keep your eyes out and save everything. i find coupons randomly in mags sometimes that i never noticed before. i was about to throw out a mag a few weeks ago and while flipping thru found an entire page of organic dairy coupons. i paired them with sales at my local food store and got the organic stuff for cheaper than the regular stuff. also learn the rules, which stores double, how to stack etc. makes you coupon with confidence.

check out a fullcup.com though, its saves me a load of time.

 

[mamo-4-wdw]

I love to coupon too. i vote for refundcents they have a forum where other couponers share info about good deals.
I also like thegrocerygame. You can join for free the first month then it depends on which stores you select how much you pay. They tell you exactly what the best deal is at each store. If you try the free trial pick all the available stores, you can change it to your favs before they start charging.

I usually get 1 paper for each person in my family. i also asked neighbors and friends to save their coupons for me, I end up with about 10 extra inserts each week.

 

[annsteere]

Don't let "Coupon Queens" intimidate you.

When you start, this can be overwhelming. If you think the person who saves $250 per month is the target, you can get in over your head.

Being a "Coupon Princess" is also a great gig.

If you become a "Coupon Serf" and save 15 bucks a month on stuff you actually would buy anyway, you have accomplished something. (Then, you can work your way up the ladder gradually. Or, you can stay at that level and be proud that you've done something to benefit your family).

 

[NiftyJ88]

I do couponing, just started about a year ago. I only get one paper a week, but I get whatever is left of my Mom, grandpa, and FILs papers. Now that my mom is couponing, I usually get 2 or 3 of each coupon.
My health and beauty costs are next to nothing, which really helps with the budget. I typically save 95% on those things.
At the grocery store, most trips I only save about 35-45%. It really adds up. We don't do many processed foods and there aren't many coupons out for produce and meats, which makes it tough to save.
I am able to keep my family of 3 well fed and fully stocked on any health/hygiene items for about $60/week.

 

[budbeerlady]

I use Savings Angel for Michigan. They link up the store ads, coupon flyers and online coupons. They make it SO EASY! It costs me $20 a month but I am saving MUCH more than that. I am kinda on a break for the moment since I have a large stockpile going on that we need to eat from. So I am only buying the best deals for a couple of weeks!

You dont get there overnight!

Start small with the items you need each week and then a few buy in items that are on deep discount. I felt like the first month or two I was spending way more than usual. But it was building my stockpile up.

So week 1 for example you buy your normal list and 4 boxes of cereal if they are on deep discount with your coupons. I wont pay more than $1 now for the big boxes of Kellogg's. And maybe Dh's coffee is on sale so I use my 3 coupons for that.

Week 2 its normal and maybe yogurt is on sale so I buy 20 of them to last me the month with my coupons. And tub butter is on sale with my coupons for $.35 so I buy 4 of those. Maybe my preferred brand of toilet paper is on sale so I buy 3 of those with my coupons.

After a couple of weeks you will have a good start on what you use monthly. Then you will start to spend alot less and only buy it when its an excellent price!

Internet coupons work the best for me. I have access to a couple and family will print some for me. I love being able to pickup 9 boxes of Wheatable crackers for $.39 each. They were on sale for $1.89 and I had Internet $1.50 off coupons. Storing them is the hardest part!

Here are some examples of what to look for:
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ and Marinade $0.99
-$1/2 Coupon or $1/1 Coupon (from the 5/23 SS) Expires 6/30!
= as low as FREE
I had 3 coupons from Smart Source 5/23 newspapers so I got 3 free BBQ sauces. A week earlies they did the same thing with KFC sauce on an internet coupon (each computer can print 2) so I picked up 6 free sauces from there. I dont NEED 9 sauces so I donated a few.

Kraft Dressing $1.50
CAT: Buy 2 Kraft Salad Dressings (16 oz or larger) in a single transaction, get a $1 custom checkout coupon valid on your next order. Buy 3, get $2; buy 4 or more, get $3 OYNO.
-$0.55/1 Coupon (from the 5/2 SS or HERE)
=as low as $0.20 each wyb 4

So I printed 4 Kraft dressing coupons and bought 4, got my $3 off my next shopping order slip. And I did this twice. We are good on dressing for a couple of month but Dh puts ranch on everything!

- Plus I did the Kraft $10 rebate. I bought $30 value of Kraft items and sent in my reciepts last month, price before coupons used. I got my $10 check in the mail last week.

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

Budbeerlady is right on target with how to start. This is what I do as well. As others have said, start out slow. And do what's comfortable for you.
Having multiples of the same coupon always helps when buying something on sale.
Watch the sales. Be willing to shop at different stores for the best price. And consider not being brand loyal. And find other people willing to trade coupons with you. I get 99% of my H&B free from CVS/Walgreens/Rite-Aide. And spend very little on the rest of my grocerys. And I too have multiple family/friends shop from my basement. My DH lost his job for a few months and we never really felt it because I only had to shop for fruits/veggies and things like that. Even my milk was free with my CVS ECB's.
Others have already mentioned great resourses, but, also check here on the Dis for the CVS savings thread. These ladies ROCK. They'll break it down for you.
Remember any money saved it always a plus....think outside the box.

 

[jenanderson]

I have started using more coupons and some of the recommended sites lately. I know that I need to continue to get better at this as we are needing to cut our costs. Can anyone explain how you organize your coupons? I tried keeping mine sorted by the flier they came in (because that is how I see them listed on some sites) but then that did not work for me when I was looking for a coupon for something I needed. Now I have them sorted by category. I have then in sheet protectors and they are all still a mess. This is NOT going to work for me unless I find a way to get organized. I would love to see PHOTOS of what works for you!

Thanks!
Jen

 

[Jennyvelaz]

 

[lady_hlh]

I have started using more coupons and some of the recommended sites lately. I know that I need to continue to get better at this as we are needing to cut our costs. Can anyone explain how you organize your coupons? I tried keeping mine sorted by the flier they came in (because that is how I see them listed on some sites) but then that did not work for me when I was looking for a coupon for something I needed. Now I have them sorted by category. I have then in sheet protectors and they are all still a mess. This is NOT going to work for me unless I find a way to get organized. I would love to see PHOTOS of what works for you!

Thanks!
Jen

The system that works for me is to clip the coupons that I think I'll probably use and put them in 2 little coupon organizers by category. Then I save the rest of my clipped inserts in a box with dates on the inserts so that I can go back and clip something later if someone refers to it in a scenario or I need it to trade. I tried clipping everything out of my inserts and filing them all but it was just too much to handle for me.

 

[magiclj]

I have started using more coupons and some of the recommended sites lately. I know that I need to continue to get better at this as we are needing to cut our costs. Can anyone explain how you organize your coupons? I tried keeping mine sorted by the flier they came in (because that is how I see them listed on some sites) but then that did not work for me when I was looking for a coupon for something I needed. Now I have them sorted by category. I have then in sheet protectors and they are all still a mess. This is NOT going to work for me unless I find a way to get organized. I would love to see PHOTOS of what works for you!

Thanks!
Jen

I have been couponing for 20+ years. I started with an accordian pleated holder not much bigger than an envelope-it expanded to about 3-4 inches thick. I got this at the dollar store.
I then upgraded to a small file box and then to a box about the size of a tackle box. I have now expanded to the coupon binder method. It did take awhile to set up but I love it. I actually have two binders (one HBA one grocery/cleaning) - since I don't have a life - I coupon. (I do work 40 hours a week, but my children are now 20 & 21 so this is the hobby I expanded when they went off to college). I like several dividers/categories so when I am at the store I can easily find my coupon for salad dressing or my frozen food coupons.

I have never kept the full insert, that just didn't seem to be an option for me. I like to take mine to the store with me just in case I stumble on a deal.

You need to find a system that works for you. It will take some trial and error. Some of the categories that work for one person might not be desirable for others. On hip2save.com there is a link about setting up a coupon binder, She has a short video on how she did hers.

Organizing is definately a major plus to enjoying the challange of scoring a deal.

Unfortunately I am computer illerate and can't uplaod pictures. If I can get some assistance from my family I will try to post some picutres. If you want a list of my categories I can list them to see if they will work for you. My biggest problem was HBA since I had so many coupons for that stuff.

 

[Tauwillow]

I use thegrocerygame system, which is a subscription service. I love that it does a lot of the work for me, and matches my in-store sales with the manufacturer coupons. This frees up my time to utilize the binder method for managing my coupons.

We buy 4 papers per week for our 5 person family. They recommend getting a set of coupons per person, but 4 sets of inserts has worked well for us. I would do more if we had any discounting for the papers, but there aren't any here. (Im so jealous of the folks who have dollar stores that sell old papers!)

Its also wise to get the largest newspaper for your area as they will have the largest selection of coupons. For me, thats the Chicago Tribune. Our local paper has a small collection of coupons and a lot of ads in the inserts.

Heres a photo of my double ring binder, with 3.5 floppy sleeves. (I preferred them to the baseball card sleeves, or the larger floppys) I organize the coupons into sections that match the aisles of my store.

And here is one of our stockpile shelves.

We've been stockpiling for about 3 years now, and really enjoy it. We don't have any real doubling stores (again - JEALOUS!), so average about a 30-35% savings. That said, with three older kids who eat like there is no tomorrow, its been a real boon!

 

[jessica52877]

I have couponed for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I put more effort into it then other times.

I use the insert method BUT I go through and cut out the coupons of items that I would normally buy, that way I am not having to search through them if I am at the store and there is a sale I didn't notice. For example I went to publix the other night and colgate kids toothpaste was on sale. DS7 had just used the last one so I grabbed my file and turned to HBA (health and beauty aids) and easily pulled out a colgate coupon. I only file the ones I have cut.

I take the insert and write the date on the front then keep them all organized (in a file folder found in the $1 target section). I check online before I go to the store and cut out what matches up.

It works out lovely for me! I used to clip all my coupons and just file them and it wasn't bad, but this saves so much time. Maybe once a month I miss a coupon that I know is somewhere in an insert but the $.50 savings isn't worth the extra time once a month.

I also only buy 1 paper (every once in a while two) but we only have a family of 3 and I have more then plenty of everything we need! My friends do sometimes trade coupons with me when we are shopping together. Gotta love good friends! If I print them off the internet I do print two usually.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I clip my coups and organize in a binder also. I take it into stores with me and scour the clearance racks on top of my preplanned shopping list.
I usually save at least as much as I spend and I try to double what I spend. I now purchase things at the grocery store that I thought people were crazy to buy there, such as shampoo, etc. I can usually get most of that stuff free or close to it. I am loyal to Publix and CVS. With 2 babies in tow, I am sure not going to multiple grocery stores every week!

 

[jenanderson]

Thanks for all the great sites, hints and organizational ideas. I think if I combine some of all your ideas, I can make couponing easier for me. I am excited to get better at using coupons and increasing the savings I have already started to see.

This past month I have done a bit of savings but with only one paper. I can already tell that one of the first things I need to do is get more papers.

Thanks again!
Jen

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

I've never done the binder...But, may give it a try. I too started with the paper accordion folder decades ago. And continued to increase in size as time went on. I now use a hard plastic shoe box with a cover. Coupons are devided by several categories. I also have deviders for FREE(I try to use these as soon as I get them so I don't forget)-Rebate-CVS-Walgreens-etc. I also have room to store flyers on top of the coupons. I will usually pull out the coupons that I know I'm going to use in any given store and put them in an envelope with the list. I then bring my box just in case I find treasures along the way. I also have my name and cell phone number inside the box if lost.

 

[dispor]

I have a question for you all...

I tried the grocery game a few years ago, but I kept having a problem with the grocery store being out of whatever it was that I needed. I think there are a lot of "gamers" in my area. Have you found a day/time that is best for finding what you need on the shelves? Or do you just go in it with the understanding that you might need to ask for a lot of rainchecks?