Good Deals Note

You may have noticed that I've posted some upcoming deals for CVS & Walgreens. I get my info from I Heart CVS.com and I Heart Wags.com.

Starting next week, I will be back to homeschooling and I won't have as much time to post deals. If you don't see updates, I highly recommend you check out the following websites:
-IHeartCVS
-IHeartWags
-IHeartRiteAid
-A Full Cup - find your local stores & deals here!

The best way to take advantage of deals is to know ahead of time, so you can locate the appropriate coupons - by printing them out, finding them from your collection, or buying them from ebay or a coupon clipping service - and have them in hand for the sale. The websites I listed above are fantastic at finding out the sales at least a week in advance - often even a month ahead of time. Check them regularly and you will start saving like crazy!

Online Coupons

I didn't really mention online coupons when I talked about Couponing 101, so I will do it here.
Most manufacturers offer online printable coupons these days. You can usually print out around 2 copies per coupon.

Here are some of my favorite place to visit for online coupons:
Coupons.com
Redplum
Smart Source
Kellogg's
Betty Crocker
Pillsbury
Campbell's Kitchen
Right at Home (they don't always have coupons, but sometimes they do have good ones)
Target Coupons - some are Target Q's (meaning you can combine them with a MQ) and others are MQs


There are many more out there, so do a search for your favorite brand, and see what you can find!

One of my go-to favorites is A Full Cup Coupon Search - Printables
There you can do a search for your favorite brand and they will direct you to where you can print the coupon! It's not 100% accurate, sometimes a particular coupon is no longer available, etc. but overall it has been invaluable to me and one of my favorite sites.

Some tips:
1) Make sure you plan on using the coupon, or you will waste printer ink & paper!
2) You should have an option to set your printer to "economical." If you can, do this because it will save a lot of ink.
3) Some of the websites have you put in a zipcode. Try yours, but also try some other zipcodes (think 90210, etc.) Different parts of the country often might have better valued coupons than your zipcode - and yes, you can print them too!

Couponing 101

Here's a few "how to's" to get you started into couponing:

1) Find out what your local stores' policies are.

Do they double or triple coupons? If so, what/if any restrictions are there?
Do they accept competitor's coupons?

Some stores - usually the higher end, more expensive stores (ex: in my area - Shaw's) - will double or triple. Usually this means they will double the value of a coupon up to a certain amount. For example, my store will double coupons up to 99 cents. Many times, these stores will put their coupon policy in small print on the back page of their weekly flyer, but sometimes you have to ask at customer service.

Another place to check coupon policies is at the A Full Cup Forums. You will find a forum for just about every store here and most have coupon/store policies posted at the top.

Also, what other stores are near you? Do you have Walgreens, CVS, or Rite Aid? All of these stores have very high prices without sales, but with sales & additional store deals (Register Rewards at Walgreens, Extra Care Bucks at CVS, and Single Check Rebate programs at Rite Aid), you can get some fantastic deals, where you get things for free and extremely cheap.

Of course there's Walmart and Target too. Did you know both stores will now price match if you bring a current flyer from another store in? You can also combine manufacturer's coupons with store coupons. Target often has "Target coupons" in the Sunday paper now. Combine that with a Manufacturer's coupon and you get even more savings.

2) Clip coupons from the Sunday paper and get familiar with coupon clipping services online.

To really get into some savings, you'll probably want more than one of each coupon you might use. Clipping coupons from the paper is great, but you will only use a certain number of those coupons and you will only get one of each coupon unless you buy multiple papers, which isn't often worth it at $2-3 a newspaper.

It's much easier and more efficient to buy coupons online. You can buy coupons from ebay or from a coupon clipping service. These people clip hundreds, even thousands of coupons, and sell them online for a small fee. Technically they are not selling the coupons (it's illegal to sell coupons) but are selling their time to cut, sort, & mail them to you. Generally you'll pay anywhere from 5-10 cents a coupon and if it's a really valuable, popular coupon, it might be a little more.

Beginner couponers usually balk at the idea of paying for coupons. But when you consider that spending 10 cents for a coupon will enable you to get a free tube of toothpaste or even make money off it, it's absolutely worth it.

Here's one example: My store had Skippy Peanut Butter on sale for $1.50. I bought (30) 75 cents off 1 coupons @ 8 cents a coupon. That cost me $2.40 for coupons. However, the coupons doubled and I was able to get 30 jars of peanut butter for free, or $2.40 if you factor in the cost of the coupons. See?

On average, I spend $5-15 a week at online coupon services. I have hundreds, if not thousands, of coupons. But then again, on a typical week I only spend $50-60 for groceries/Walmart/Target items for my family of 5. You can do the math there. :)

Once you start acquiring coupons, you'll need something to store them in. In the 7+ years I've been couponing, I've gone through many different storage methods - everything from basic coupon binders to actual folders filled with baseball card organizers. I finally settled on my favorite -a simple Rubbermaid photo storage box with file folders that I cut to size and labeled.

You probably won't need something that big quite yet, so I recommend one of the basic coupon binders - you can find a nice selection here: The Coupon Clippers.

Back to the coupon clipping services:

I've listed my three favorites on the side bar and here they are again:
*Coupons and Things by Dede
*Coupon Clipping Crew
*The Coupon Clippers

One thing to be aware of in coupon shopping is that to get the best deals, you need to be willing to shop at multiple stores. If you do all your shopping at the high end grocery store that doubles coupons, you might not be saving as much as you think. Do some of your shopping there - just the sale prices/with coupons - and do you the rest of your shopping at the lower priced store down the road, and you will see a difference.

It's the same thing when it comes to shopping at Walgreens/CVS/Rite Aid. These stores often charge double, sometimes even triple, what Walmart or Target does. I practically never buy anything full price at these places. But use your coupons for the sales and then combine that with the individual rewards programs, and you will see your savings begin to soar.

3) Be Careful..

...that you don't fall into a trap, where you get so excited about saving money that you buy things you wouldn't normally. I did this myself when I first got started. If you buy something you wouldn't normally buy - even if it's a good deal - you're not really saving money, but spending extra. So just be careful.

4) Get your coupons ahead of time.
Just about every week, I buy coupons online. I don't always use every coupon I get. If I wait until there's a sale, it's often hard to find the coupons I need, and I run the risk of not getting the coupons in the mail in time. So buy ahead. I know what products my family uses and I also know what products are likely to go on sale.

Some websites will get store flyers ahead of time, sometimes a week or more in advance. Obviously, this is very helpful, because it gives you more time to plan your agenda and get any coupons you might need. Here's a list of some of my favorite websites that feature these flyers and help to put together good deals for you:

A Full Cup Forums
A Full Cup Target
A Full Cup Walgreens
A Full Cup CVS
I Heart CVS
I Heart Walgreens
I Heart Rite Aid

You can also see this list on the right column, under "Favorite Links"

5) Take advantage of Buy One, Get One Free Deals.

Example: Cheerios were on sale for B1G1F. You can use one coupon for EACH box of cereal. Cheerios are normally approx. $3.50 a box. $3.50 / 2 = $1.75 each. I had $0.75 off one coupons. These doubled at my store. $1.75 - $1.50 ($0.75 doubled) = $0.25 a box. That's not a bad deal for name brand cereal.

6) You can combine store coupons with manufacturer's coupons.

Store coupons are often in store flyers or in an extra coupon booklet available in store or can even be found online or in the Sunday coupon inserts.

Couponing is actually pretty easy and a lot of fun. All it takes is a little organization and planning ahead and you can save TONS of money. It is so fun to watch the cashier's eyes get huge, not to mention the people in line behind you, when they realize you are getting $100 worth of groceries for less than $10!

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me and I'll do my best to help.

Walgreens 4-11

*2 Sudafed nasal spray
*2 Schick Hydro shave gel
*3 clearance Easter candy

Total Cost: - $2.29 (profit of $2.29)

*****

Total Out of Pocket: $0.71
Total Register Rewards Spent: $8.00
Total Register Rewards Earned: $11.00

*****

FAQ: Why are you always buying little things, like candy or kids' cups or other various small "junk" items?

Walgreens will only accept as many coupons as items. Register Rewards are counted as coupons. Therefore if I wanted to purchase 4 items and use 4 manufacturer coupons, plus use 2 Register Rewards (a total of "6 coupons" according to the Walgreens registers), I would have to buy the 4 items plus 2 more items. Of course, you want to find something really cheap as the extra or "filler" items (as we call them) so that's why I end up purchasing Easter cups or clearance Easter candy.

I admit it can be a pain and I'd prefer it if Register Rewards didn't count towards the item/coupon count, but those are the rules of the "game." And I still save so much/get so many things for free that this very minor inconvenience is worth it, and really not so bad, once you get used to it.

FAQ #1: "But I Don't Usually Buy That!"

I'm surprised that so many people have viewed this blog so far! Thank you for checking out my little "corner."

You may have looked at some of my recent posts and thought "I would never use all that" or "My family doesn't eat that particular product" or "Well that's all great for you, but since I'm not going to buy that stuff, that kind of savings doesn't apply to me."

I get that a lot. And I used to think that myself.

There is no way, my family would consume the 50+ containers of frosting I've picked up in the last 2 weeks. (If we did, there would be other issues!) Sure, we'll use some - they're great to have on hand for spur-of-the-moment get-together's and quick recipe planning, but I will donate the majority of them.

What if you could get paid to buy stuff? Or essentially bring a bunch of things home for free and then get a little extra incentive thrown in that you could use towards things your family uses, like produce and meats, things that you don't usually see a lot of coupon savings towards. Would you do it?

I'm sure most of you would. That's the kind of savings I am able to get. That is why I bring home 50 cans of frosting. Last week, I made a profit off buying that frosting, along with numerous other items. So along with getting free frosting, I earned money that I can apply to the other grocery products that my family needs and that you don't frequently see coupons for - meats, produce, etc. Not to mention it's a great feeling to donate things to others, to your local food bank, church, etc. You won't always have opportunities to get money back, but free is excellent too!

*****

My average weekly grocery bill to feed my family of 5, including "Target/Walmart" things, such as cleaning supplies, paper products, diapers, medicine, personal hygiene items, etc. is $50-$60. A big portion of that is for fruits & vegetables because my family eats a lot of produce.

On an occasion, I'll spend extra for stocking up. For example: in early January, I spent around $100 at Shaws in one week, something I never do. But I came home with 25 large bottles of Tide, 40+ boxes of Tampax tampons, over 60 Crest toothpaste, 30+ Dawn, 10 Cascade, 30+ bottles of Pantene shampoo, conditioner, stylers, not to mention cleaning supplies, like Mr Clean Erasers, and more. Was it worth it? I think so.

I shop in bulk; when something goes on sale - and it has to be within a range I will pay, usually free or extremely cheap, depending on the item - I stock up. I have well over 50 boxes of cereal in my barn (where we store everything.) I keep them stocked by their expiration dates and we use them up that way. That also helps me to donate things; if I know we won't use something up before it "expires," I can donate it.

With this method of shopping & planning ahead, I really only need to buy perishable items on any given week; bread, milk, produce, lunch meats, etc. because I already have everything else. It takes some planning & organization and it really is a completely different way of grocery shopping, but it works.

My husband thought it was hilarious the other day when I mentioned that I wouldn't pay 25 cents for toothpaste. It's too expensive. I never pay for toothpaste. Ever. If I see a sale at CVS where you pay $3 for a toothpaste and get $2 back and I have a 75 cents off coupon (so it would cost a quarter), that is too expensive for me and I won't do it. I get free toothpaste & mouthwash & floss from Walgreens, CVS, and Shaw's all the time. Many times, I get money back. Those are just a few items I get for free, there are many, many more - body wash, deodorant, razors, lotion, medicine, etc.

*****

All that being said, there's the potential to do a lot more than I do. I know of some people who donate hundreds of bags to food banks and send weekly boxes to troops overseas with all the free stuff they get. Isn't that amazing? I would love to do that one day, but for now, I'm doing all I can.

On the other hand, I know it's overwhelming to think about all this if you're new to couponing. You don't have to coupon on the scale that I do. I didn't get here overnight. I've been couponing for 6+ years now and have learned gradually. Give yourself a break and start out small. I'll post some basic tips soon - check those out when you can.

Thanks again for checking my little site out! Come back soon!

~Erika