Couponing Doesn't Have to be Extreme
I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner today to talk about money saving tips.
Now, I'm no Extreme Couponer, but I do occasionally save a good bit of money on things that Jarred and I actually need.
I've been couponing for about 9 months now. With wedding planning and honeymooning, my couponing has fallen off some, but I'm ready to get back into it with vigor.
Here are some things I do to try to keep couponing manageable:
1) Follow blogs that do coupon match-ups for you. You can waste many precious hours looking through coupons and ad inserts trying to find the best deals. Instead, I follow bloggers who are paid to do it as their full-time job. They are more thorough than I am and know more about couponing than I do. Locally, I follow Springs Bargains to help me with grocery deals in my area. I also follow Coupon Mom and Passion for Savings to get deals for national chains like Walgreens.
One note, they generally require an e-mail address to follow your their site. Your inbox can get cluttered pretty quickly depending on who you follow, so I suggest creating an e-mail address just for couponing.
2) Get coupons from multiple sources. Our Kroger affiliate has digital coupons that you can load to your store card, so I use this a lot for the products that I know I buy often. I also clip coupons from the ad inserts in the paper. I only get the Sunday paper from both the Colorado Springs paper and the Denver paper. We pay about a dollar a week for both of these papers and it is definitely worth it in the end. Ask friends and family for their coupon inserts. My mother in-law always gives me hers, so I usually have several coupons for each product. On-line coupons are also a great way to add some value to your coupon stack.
3) Don't automatically throw away coupons for things you think you don't need. I have often arrived at the store to find a deal that is a "money maker" and realized that I didn't clip the coupon for that item. Now I keep a coupon binder with all the coupons I've clipped. I pull out the coupons I need before I enter the store, but still carry the binder in case there is a deal that crops up that I haven't planned for.
4) Know your store's coupon policy.
--Some stores have policies that are not well advertised, but that work to your advantage. Our Kroger affiliate, King Soopers, doubles all printed coupons up to $.50. This means that each $.50 coupon I cut becomes a dollar that I save on that item, often making the item much cheaper than even the larger grocery chains.
--Understand the difference between a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon. Some stores print their own coupons in ad inserts. Some stores will allow you to use a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon for each purchased item. Look for sales that allow this policy and you will double your savings for each item and will sometimes end up making money on the item.
5) Be a courteous couponer. There's nothing more annoying than someone who tries to get around the rules. Be organized about your couponing and try not to frustrate the other customers in the store. Try not to clean the store out of certain products just because you have a coupon.
I have a lot more tips, but these are things I've learned from others who coupon well and save lots on their grocery bills.
Now, I'm no Extreme Couponer, but I do occasionally save a good bit of money on things that Jarred and I actually need.
I've been couponing for about 9 months now. With wedding planning and honeymooning, my couponing has fallen off some, but I'm ready to get back into it with vigor.
Here are some things I do to try to keep couponing manageable:
1) Follow blogs that do coupon match-ups for you. You can waste many precious hours looking through coupons and ad inserts trying to find the best deals. Instead, I follow bloggers who are paid to do it as their full-time job. They are more thorough than I am and know more about couponing than I do. Locally, I follow Springs Bargains to help me with grocery deals in my area. I also follow Coupon Mom and Passion for Savings to get deals for national chains like Walgreens.
One note, they generally require an e-mail address to follow your their site. Your inbox can get cluttered pretty quickly depending on who you follow, so I suggest creating an e-mail address just for couponing.
2) Get coupons from multiple sources. Our Kroger affiliate has digital coupons that you can load to your store card, so I use this a lot for the products that I know I buy often. I also clip coupons from the ad inserts in the paper. I only get the Sunday paper from both the Colorado Springs paper and the Denver paper. We pay about a dollar a week for both of these papers and it is definitely worth it in the end. Ask friends and family for their coupon inserts. My mother in-law always gives me hers, so I usually have several coupons for each product. On-line coupons are also a great way to add some value to your coupon stack.
3) Don't automatically throw away coupons for things you think you don't need. I have often arrived at the store to find a deal that is a "money maker" and realized that I didn't clip the coupon for that item. Now I keep a coupon binder with all the coupons I've clipped. I pull out the coupons I need before I enter the store, but still carry the binder in case there is a deal that crops up that I haven't planned for.
4) Know your store's coupon policy.
--Some stores have policies that are not well advertised, but that work to your advantage. Our Kroger affiliate, King Soopers, doubles all printed coupons up to $.50. This means that each $.50 coupon I cut becomes a dollar that I save on that item, often making the item much cheaper than even the larger grocery chains.
--Understand the difference between a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon. Some stores print their own coupons in ad inserts. Some stores will allow you to use a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon for each purchased item. Look for sales that allow this policy and you will double your savings for each item and will sometimes end up making money on the item.
5) Be a courteous couponer. There's nothing more annoying than someone who tries to get around the rules. Be organized about your couponing and try not to frustrate the other customers in the store. Try not to clean the store out of certain products just because you have a coupon.
I have a lot more tips, but these are things I've learned from others who coupon well and save lots on their grocery bills.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for doing such a good job for our family my dear!
ReplyDeleteI have been couponing for the better part of 3 years and still feel like such a newbie. I met Heather at Passion for Savings in Target one day and she is really nice.
ReplyDelete