Sunday
Fred Meyer Ad
Pinching Your Pennies Printable Shopping List
Fabulessly Frugal
Online Ad
Walgreens Ad
Pinching Your Pennies Printable Shopping List
Fabulessly Frugal
Wednesday
Albertsons Ad
Pinching Your Pennies Printable Shopping List
Fabulessly Frugal
Hot Coupon World (discussion forum)
Online Ad
Thursday
Sunday Coupon Insert Preview
Southern Savers
Internet Printable Coupons
coupons.com
redplum.com
smartsource.com
Krazy Coupon Lady Printable Coupon Database
Printable Coupons and Deals
Master Coupon Lists (list of all coupons available)
Fabulessly Frugal (Idaho list)
Hot Coupon World (National list)
Saturday, November 27, 2010
How to Start Couponing
Stockpiling Coupons
The Sunday paper is the best source for coupons. On average there are 2 coupon inserts (booklets of coupons) in each paper. Subscribing to multiple copies of the paper will help you take full advantage of sales and help you accumulate food storage. 4-6 copies of the newspaper will get you started, but a good rule of thumb is to have as many papers as family members.
• The Idaho Statesman (377-6370) will let you get Sunday papers for $.50 apiece if you get at least 4 papers delivered. You can also get the weekly paper and a total of 5 Sunday papers for $3 per week.
• The Idaho Press Tribune also delivers to Meridian. You can get the daily paper for $6 a month and add more Sunday papers (up to 5 more) for $.60 apiece. (870-2784).
• You can also ask your friends and family for their unused papers.
Coupons can also be found in grocery stores.
• Blinkies are found in coupon machines next to the product
• Peelies are found on the products
• Catalinas are coupons that print at the register. Some are for savings on a particular product and others can be used on most products in the store.
Internet Printable coupons, also knows as IPs are free. You can usually print 2 copies of each coupon, so push the back button after printing your first copy and refresh the page to print a 2nd copy. Never print a coupon from a PDF file, stores will not take them because either they are fraudulent or appear to be fraudulent. Here is a list of the best sites for printing coupons. You can also go to a company's website to find more coupons (i.e. Kraft, Kellogg's, Betty Crocker).
• coupons.com
• smartsource.com
• redplum.com
Ebay is another source for coupons- the coupons available in the Sunday paper vary from region to region, so Ebay is a good source for coupons not available in our area. Make sure that you only choose “Buy it now” auctions and check the feedback for the seller before purchasing.
Note: Whether you get your coupons from the paper, the store, or the internet, you may only use one manufacturer's coupon per item(s) specified on the coupon. Some stores will let you use one of their store coupons with a manufacturer's coupon, but if the coupon says, "manufacturer's coupon" on it, then you may only use one per item. The only exception to this is if you get a catalina that says it is good for a certain amount off your next shopping order.
Coupon Organization
Clipping and Organizing coupons takes time (about an hour a week) but it saves a lot of time in the long run. I have about 500 different coupons at one time, so I have to be able to access the coupons easily when I am in the store. Here are a few suggestions to help you save time and stay organized.
• Clip or save most of the coupons even if you haven't ever tried the product or usually use a different brand. A deal might come up where you can get something really cheap, so keep as many coupons as possible. Only get rid of the coupons that you would absolutely never use.
• Cut out multiple copies of the same coupon all at once. I like to separate the Sunday coupon insert pages and put all copies of the same page together and cut them out at the same time. This saves a lot of time versus clipping each page individually. I also like to use a paper trimmer instead of scissors.
• Pick a method of organization that best fits your needs. I keep my coupons organized in alphabetical order in a binder using page protectors and baseball card holders. You can buy special binders made for couponing (about $30) or you can use a three-ring binder that you already have around the house. Some couponers use plastic accordion folders or separate their coupons by categories (i.e. crackers, dairy, household items). Another way to organize coupons involves not clipping coupons until you need them. I only clip out the coupons I think that I will use but then file the rest of the insert by date in case I need them later. Online, coupons are listed with the date and insert source so that you can locate coupons easily.
Making Your Shopping Trip Go Smoothly
Here are some ways to reduce your time shopping in a store as well as keep the cashiers and other customers happy.
• Be organized before you go a the store. Go with a list and make sure all of your coupons are handy. I like to keep the coupons that I plan on using in an envelope for easy access, even when I take my coupon binder into the store. Others carry smaller accordion-style folders to keep things organized.
• Have your coupons in hand when you get to the register. I like to find a relatively quiet place in the store where I can get out all of the coupons I am going to use. If I have to complete more than one transaction, then I have the coupons and the items separated for the cashier. Also, some cashiers want all of the coupons at the end, while others want each coupon with the item you are using it on. So, it can be helpful to ask them how they want the coupons organized.
• Keep your calm when things don't ring up properly. Be patient and ask for a manager if you need any clarification. If you find a problem with your receipt after you checked out and the cashier is busy, then head on over to customer service for help.
• Avoid using the self-checkout lanes when using coupons. Although some stores allow you to use coupons in the self-checkout lanes, it is best to go to the regular check-out lane to make sure everything rings up properly. Try to use the self-checkout lanes only when an employee is working in the area and can help you.
Finding the Best Bargains
Once you have all of your coupons, the most cost-effective way to use them is to combine them with a sale and stock up of things at extremely low prices. By doing this, you will not have to buy them again until they go on sale again. However, just because you have a coupon does not mean that you should go out and use it. Here are some ways that you can maximize your savings and save your sanity.
• Pick a few stores to focus on and don't feel like you have to get in on every deal at every store. A lot of times when an unadvertised deal is posted on a blog, the store will either be out of that item or the price is not what was stated. So, don't feel like you have to run to the store all the time to get in on great deals. Just do what you can.
• View the store ads for current sales. The stores that are the easiest to use coupons at are the one that post ads. That way you can plan ahead and match coupons up with sale items before you get to the store.
• Stack your manufacturer's coupons with store coupons. In-store coupons can be found in weekly ads for many stores. Stores that issue their own coupons will let you use a manufacturer's coupon in conjunction with their store-issued coupons. Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Target, and Walgreens allow you to use a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon on an item.
• Use 2 coupons on buy-one-get-one-free sales. When a store offers B1G1 free deal on a certain item, you can usually use one coupon for the full-price item and another for the free item.
• Use a coupon on an item with a mail-in-rebate. I love rebates. They have gotten our family a lot of cheap to free products. The best savings are when you use a coupon and get a mail-in-rebate on the product. The catch is that you have to mail in the forms. I make sure that I get it mailed out within 24 hours of purchasing the items to make sure that I don't forget about it.
• Be aware of deals that print catalinas. A catalina is a coupon that prints out at the register. It gets its name from the company that runs the little coupon printers that are at the registers, called Catalina. Coupons sometimes print from these machines are for a dollar amount off a certain product, but other times they print for dollar amounts off your next order. Albertsons, Fred Meyer, and Walgreens (they call their coupons register rewards instead of catalinas) all have catalina machines in their stores. Often, catalinas will print on items that are on sale and that you have coupons for. These deals are not always advertised, so checking blogs help find them. Catalinas are usually good for a certain dollar amount off your next shopping order, and they usually expire 2 weeks after being issued. So, when buying products in a promotion that uses catalinas, you have to make sure that you will shop at the store again in the next 2 weeks to make the deal worth it.
• Double Coupons when a store allows it. Sometimes stores offer an extra discount on an item worth the same amount as a manufacturer coupon you use. This is called doubling a coupon, and when used in conjuntion with a sale can result in 75-99% savings off regular prices. Albertsons offers "Doublers" or "Twice the Value Coupons" quite often, and each Twice the Value Coupon will double the value of a manufacturer's coupon, up to $1. The catch is that you can only double up to 3 coupons per transaction. If you want to double more coupons than that, they must be done in separate transactions. Depending on the store, you can do 1-3 transactions at a time before you drop the groceries off in your car and come back in the store. When they are issued, Doublers are located in the Sunday or Wednesday ad, and you can get copies of the ad at the Customer Service counter if you don't get the newspaper or just want more Doublers. They will usually only give you 1 ad per store visit. The Walmarts in the Boise area now accept Albertsons' Doublers. You can use up to 15 in a single transaction.
Counterfeit Coupons
There are a lot of counterfeit PDF file coupons for free items floating around the internet. At first glance the coupons seem legitimate, but you know that a manufacturer is not going to give out unlimited copies of coupons for free items. A lot of times, counterfeits can be scanned at the store, because the people making the coupons know how to duplicate a legitimate bar code. This is what I have learned in the last year of couponing about PDF file coupons:
• Never use PDF file coupons for free items. 100% off them are fraudulent.
• Don't even use PDF file coupons from a manufacturer's website. While these coupons are put out by the manufacturer, there is no limit to the number of prints and the company will usually retract those coupons and not honor them. An example of this is a Quaker pdf file coupon for $1 off oatmeal that was posted on quaker.com back in January during a big Quaker sale. People were printing them off like crazy to get free oatmeal. The second day of the sale, the stores quit taking the coupon because Quaker pulled it from their website and denied the existence of the coupon. Quaker said that they would not reimburse the stores for the coupon.
• Make sure there is a watermark on the coupon. All of the major companies, like Smart Source, Bricks, Coupons.com, and Red Plum, have watermarks on their coupons and/or other ways of insuring coupons are legitimate. If there is not a watermark, then the store will most likely not take it.
• A lot of the time, counterfeit coupons will scan just like normal coupons. Just because the coupon will scan does not mean that it is legitimate. Just like counterfeit money can be passed off as real money, counterfeit coupons can be passed off as real coupons.
• Using or making counterfeit coupons is illegal. It is the consumer's responsibility to make sure the coupons you are using are legitimate, not the store's responsibility.
• Using fake coupons costs the stores money. They do not get reimbursed for fraudulent coupons.
Internet Printable coupons are a great way to save money, because they are free. Just do your homework on your printable coupons and only trust reliable sites for printing them.
Store Policies
Albertsons
• Can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
• Will Issue rain checks for items not in stock
Fred Meyer
• Can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
• Will Issue rain checks for items not in stock
• Can load manufacturer and store e-coupons onto card
Walgreens
• Can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
• Issue Register Rewards (Catalinas that are good on your next shopping trip)
• Cannot have more coupons (including register rewards) than you have items
Rite-Aid
• Can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
• Has lots of rebates available
• Will take Internet Printable coupons as long as they don’t exceed $5 off a product
Walmart
• Will price match
• Boise area stores will take competitor coupons (even Albertson’s Doublers)
Target
• Will price match (must take an ad with you)
• Can use a store coupon and manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
WinCo
• Will take Internet Printable manufacturer coupons and newspaper coupons
Blogs
fabulesslyfrugal.com- great source for which stores to use your coupon on
krazycouponlady.com – has more internet printable coupons listed in their postings
The Sunday paper is the best source for coupons. On average there are 2 coupon inserts (booklets of coupons) in each paper. Subscribing to multiple copies of the paper will help you take full advantage of sales and help you accumulate food storage. 4-6 copies of the newspaper will get you started, but a good rule of thumb is to have as many papers as family members.
• The Idaho Statesman (377-6370) will let you get Sunday papers for $.50 apiece if you get at least 4 papers delivered. You can also get the weekly paper and a total of 5 Sunday papers for $3 per week.
• The Idaho Press Tribune also delivers to Meridian. You can get the daily paper for $6 a month and add more Sunday papers (up to 5 more) for $.60 apiece. (870-2784).
• You can also ask your friends and family for their unused papers.
Coupons can also be found in grocery stores.
• Blinkies are found in coupon machines next to the product
• Peelies are found on the products
• Catalinas are coupons that print at the register. Some are for savings on a particular product and others can be used on most products in the store.
Internet Printable coupons, also knows as IPs are free. You can usually print 2 copies of each coupon, so push the back button after printing your first copy and refresh the page to print a 2nd copy. Never print a coupon from a PDF file, stores will not take them because either they are fraudulent or appear to be fraudulent. Here is a list of the best sites for printing coupons. You can also go to a company's website to find more coupons (i.e. Kraft, Kellogg's, Betty Crocker).
• coupons.com
• smartsource.com
• redplum.com
Ebay is another source for coupons- the coupons available in the Sunday paper vary from region to region, so Ebay is a good source for coupons not available in our area. Make sure that you only choose “Buy it now” auctions and check the feedback for the seller before purchasing.
Note: Whether you get your coupons from the paper, the store, or the internet, you may only use one manufacturer's coupon per item(s) specified on the coupon. Some stores will let you use one of their store coupons with a manufacturer's coupon, but if the coupon says, "manufacturer's coupon" on it, then you may only use one per item. The only exception to this is if you get a catalina that says it is good for a certain amount off your next shopping order.
Coupon Organization
Clipping and Organizing coupons takes time (about an hour a week) but it saves a lot of time in the long run. I have about 500 different coupons at one time, so I have to be able to access the coupons easily when I am in the store. Here are a few suggestions to help you save time and stay organized.
• Clip or save most of the coupons even if you haven't ever tried the product or usually use a different brand. A deal might come up where you can get something really cheap, so keep as many coupons as possible. Only get rid of the coupons that you would absolutely never use.
• Cut out multiple copies of the same coupon all at once. I like to separate the Sunday coupon insert pages and put all copies of the same page together and cut them out at the same time. This saves a lot of time versus clipping each page individually. I also like to use a paper trimmer instead of scissors.
• Pick a method of organization that best fits your needs. I keep my coupons organized in alphabetical order in a binder using page protectors and baseball card holders. You can buy special binders made for couponing (about $30) or you can use a three-ring binder that you already have around the house. Some couponers use plastic accordion folders or separate their coupons by categories (i.e. crackers, dairy, household items). Another way to organize coupons involves not clipping coupons until you need them. I only clip out the coupons I think that I will use but then file the rest of the insert by date in case I need them later. Online, coupons are listed with the date and insert source so that you can locate coupons easily.
Making Your Shopping Trip Go Smoothly
Here are some ways to reduce your time shopping in a store as well as keep the cashiers and other customers happy.
• Be organized before you go a the store. Go with a list and make sure all of your coupons are handy. I like to keep the coupons that I plan on using in an envelope for easy access, even when I take my coupon binder into the store. Others carry smaller accordion-style folders to keep things organized.
• Have your coupons in hand when you get to the register. I like to find a relatively quiet place in the store where I can get out all of the coupons I am going to use. If I have to complete more than one transaction, then I have the coupons and the items separated for the cashier. Also, some cashiers want all of the coupons at the end, while others want each coupon with the item you are using it on. So, it can be helpful to ask them how they want the coupons organized.
• Keep your calm when things don't ring up properly. Be patient and ask for a manager if you need any clarification. If you find a problem with your receipt after you checked out and the cashier is busy, then head on over to customer service for help.
• Avoid using the self-checkout lanes when using coupons. Although some stores allow you to use coupons in the self-checkout lanes, it is best to go to the regular check-out lane to make sure everything rings up properly. Try to use the self-checkout lanes only when an employee is working in the area and can help you.
Finding the Best Bargains
Once you have all of your coupons, the most cost-effective way to use them is to combine them with a sale and stock up of things at extremely low prices. By doing this, you will not have to buy them again until they go on sale again. However, just because you have a coupon does not mean that you should go out and use it. Here are some ways that you can maximize your savings and save your sanity.
• Pick a few stores to focus on and don't feel like you have to get in on every deal at every store. A lot of times when an unadvertised deal is posted on a blog, the store will either be out of that item or the price is not what was stated. So, don't feel like you have to run to the store all the time to get in on great deals. Just do what you can.
• View the store ads for current sales. The stores that are the easiest to use coupons at are the one that post ads. That way you can plan ahead and match coupons up with sale items before you get to the store.
• Stack your manufacturer's coupons with store coupons. In-store coupons can be found in weekly ads for many stores. Stores that issue their own coupons will let you use a manufacturer's coupon in conjunction with their store-issued coupons. Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Target, and Walgreens allow you to use a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon on an item.
• Use 2 coupons on buy-one-get-one-free sales. When a store offers B1G1 free deal on a certain item, you can usually use one coupon for the full-price item and another for the free item.
• Use a coupon on an item with a mail-in-rebate. I love rebates. They have gotten our family a lot of cheap to free products. The best savings are when you use a coupon and get a mail-in-rebate on the product. The catch is that you have to mail in the forms. I make sure that I get it mailed out within 24 hours of purchasing the items to make sure that I don't forget about it.
• Be aware of deals that print catalinas. A catalina is a coupon that prints out at the register. It gets its name from the company that runs the little coupon printers that are at the registers, called Catalina. Coupons sometimes print from these machines are for a dollar amount off a certain product, but other times they print for dollar amounts off your next order. Albertsons, Fred Meyer, and Walgreens (they call their coupons register rewards instead of catalinas) all have catalina machines in their stores. Often, catalinas will print on items that are on sale and that you have coupons for. These deals are not always advertised, so checking blogs help find them. Catalinas are usually good for a certain dollar amount off your next shopping order, and they usually expire 2 weeks after being issued. So, when buying products in a promotion that uses catalinas, you have to make sure that you will shop at the store again in the next 2 weeks to make the deal worth it.
• Double Coupons when a store allows it. Sometimes stores offer an extra discount on an item worth the same amount as a manufacturer coupon you use. This is called doubling a coupon, and when used in conjuntion with a sale can result in 75-99% savings off regular prices. Albertsons offers "Doublers" or "Twice the Value Coupons" quite often, and each Twice the Value Coupon will double the value of a manufacturer's coupon, up to $1. The catch is that you can only double up to 3 coupons per transaction. If you want to double more coupons than that, they must be done in separate transactions. Depending on the store, you can do 1-3 transactions at a time before you drop the groceries off in your car and come back in the store. When they are issued, Doublers are located in the Sunday or Wednesday ad, and you can get copies of the ad at the Customer Service counter if you don't get the newspaper or just want more Doublers. They will usually only give you 1 ad per store visit. The Walmarts in the Boise area now accept Albertsons' Doublers. You can use up to 15 in a single transaction.
Counterfeit Coupons
There are a lot of counterfeit PDF file coupons for free items floating around the internet. At first glance the coupons seem legitimate, but you know that a manufacturer is not going to give out unlimited copies of coupons for free items. A lot of times, counterfeits can be scanned at the store, because the people making the coupons know how to duplicate a legitimate bar code. This is what I have learned in the last year of couponing about PDF file coupons:
• Never use PDF file coupons for free items. 100% off them are fraudulent.
• Don't even use PDF file coupons from a manufacturer's website. While these coupons are put out by the manufacturer, there is no limit to the number of prints and the company will usually retract those coupons and not honor them. An example of this is a Quaker pdf file coupon for $1 off oatmeal that was posted on quaker.com back in January during a big Quaker sale. People were printing them off like crazy to get free oatmeal. The second day of the sale, the stores quit taking the coupon because Quaker pulled it from their website and denied the existence of the coupon. Quaker said that they would not reimburse the stores for the coupon.
• Make sure there is a watermark on the coupon. All of the major companies, like Smart Source, Bricks, Coupons.com, and Red Plum, have watermarks on their coupons and/or other ways of insuring coupons are legitimate. If there is not a watermark, then the store will most likely not take it.
• A lot of the time, counterfeit coupons will scan just like normal coupons. Just because the coupon will scan does not mean that it is legitimate. Just like counterfeit money can be passed off as real money, counterfeit coupons can be passed off as real coupons.
• Using or making counterfeit coupons is illegal. It is the consumer's responsibility to make sure the coupons you are using are legitimate, not the store's responsibility.
• Using fake coupons costs the stores money. They do not get reimbursed for fraudulent coupons.
Internet Printable coupons are a great way to save money, because they are free. Just do your homework on your printable coupons and only trust reliable sites for printing them.
Store Policies
Albertsons
• Can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
• Will Issue rain checks for items not in stock
Fred Meyer
• Can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
• Will Issue rain checks for items not in stock
• Can load manufacturer and store e-coupons onto card
Walgreens
• Can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
• Issue Register Rewards (Catalinas that are good on your next shopping trip)
• Cannot have more coupons (including register rewards) than you have items
Rite-Aid
• Can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
• Has lots of rebates available
• Will take Internet Printable coupons as long as they don’t exceed $5 off a product
Walmart
• Will price match
• Boise area stores will take competitor coupons (even Albertson’s Doublers)
Target
• Will price match (must take an ad with you)
• Can use a store coupon and manufacturer’s coupon on the same item
WinCo
• Will take Internet Printable manufacturer coupons and newspaper coupons
Blogs
fabulesslyfrugal.com- great source for which stores to use your coupon on
krazycouponlady.com – has more internet printable coupons listed in their postings
Online Shopping Tips
I love to shop online. With 6 kids, it isn't easy for me to get out to the store all the time. Here are some tips for saving money online.
- Sign up to get e-mails from your favorite stores. Stores will let you know what sales they are having online and often send coupon codes for you to use.
- Use a cash-back website like fatwallet.com to get a small percentage of your purchase back. Some websites get paid to bring traffic and orders to their site and will give you part of that money. My fatwallet is my favorite cash-back site, but there are a lot of them out there.
- Buy from stores that allow you to return items in-store. That way if something goes wrong with the order or you want to return something, you don't have to pay for return shipping. I like to look for free shipping codes to use so that I don't lose out on the cost of shipping. Most stores will not refund the cost of shipping an item.
- Check out slickdeals.net for great online deals listed daily.
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