Quick Tips On Couponing
Here is what I have learned:
Even if you only save $5 a month, that is $60 a year...pretty good.
1. stock up on ink and paper...worth every penny!! (Wal-Mart is the place to go for this.)
2. cut and print EVERY coupon, you never know when you can get something for
FREE.
3. Donate what you don't use, someone is always in need (especially in
THIS economy!).
4. Buy the Sunday paper and always check your mailbox for
those annoying flyers that usually just go in the trash. They usually contain
some coupons!!
5. Ask friends and family who do not use coupons for their
Sunday coupons. It can come in handy to double or triple up on coupons!
6. Check in on websites everyday for new coupons and deals.
Publix
Ah, Publix my home away from home! :) Here are the very useful tips for
Publix:
1. They take manufacturing AND store coupons....when I say store, I mean
competitors too! The Publix takes just about every competitor coupon out
there....CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Target, Dollar General, etc... Each store is
different, so ask their customer service (they are the only store I know of that
takes competitors coupons).
2. Stack coupons with their BOGO, you can stock
up on a ton of items!
3. I like to shop on Thursdays if the penny coupon is
good. Spend $10 on Thursday and get the penny item. Some stores require you to
cut out the coupon from the store while others automatically change the price
for you.
4. Publix also doubles their coupons and manufacturing coupons ONLY
up to .50 (they do not double competitors coupons).
Kroger
1. They double up on coupons up to .50
2. Stack your coupons with their store coupon and a manufacturing coupon.
3. You can go to Kroger.com and load coupons onto your Kroger plus card.
4. They usually let you use their ecoupons and manufacturing coupons together (while some will not let you). So
basically you could use an ecoupon, Kroger coupon, AND a manufacturing coupon!
5. Remember you can save 10 cents for every $100 spent, so that's another incentive...especially when gas prices are ridiculously high.
6. Cellfire.com is also teamed up with Kroger to add more coupons (and sometimes win free coupons on an entire purchase)!
7. I have learned to scan the Plus card FIRST and not at the end. I have had problems with the machine not taking
off my coupon I loaded and then having to deal with customer service (which can be a pain!).
CVS
1. Oh I how I love CVS too! With CVS you can earn ExtraCare Bucks (like getting cash back).
2. When you first walk into CVS, make sure to scan your extracare card. They will dispense coupons of all kinds....usually really good
ones. Hold on to them, sometimes those items will go on sale and you can earn ECB (extracare bucks) from them.
3. They do not double up on coupons. :(
4. You can do multiple transactions to pay next to nothing for your items.
5. When using ECB you cannot use a $5 ECB towards a $5 purchase. You may have to pay for a pack of gum to get the $5 item for free. I think its a
scam to get us to buy more! haha
6. Join their Beauty Club and you can earn a $5 ECB coupon for every $50 purchase in the beauty department.
Rite Aid
1. They are JUST like CVS. Everything I said above can be applied to their Up Rewards program.
2. They do not have a coupon dispenser at any of their stores though.
3. Rite Aid has video value coupons on their site. You have to watch 15 sec-30 sec videos of the products. VERY worth the time since you can
use these coupons at some Publix's or you can stack them at Rite Aid as well!
4. Rite Aid also has rebate checks they will send you. They are called Single Rebate Checks on certain items each week and/or month. You can only
submit them once a month, so it's worth holding off on submitting for them until the last of the month. I have done this myself and it worked with no
problems!
Target
1. You can stack coupons at Target too! Go to target.com to print out their coupons, some will be manufacturing and some will be store coupons.
2. You will have to ask at your local Target about doubling...not all double.
Walmart
JUST DO NOT GO THERE! I used to shop there all the time thinking they were better....but no, they are not. Much worse and much more stingy!!! They do not double and they usually do not have any store coupons and the lines at the front of the store...well I won't go there because then this post will turn into a rant about Wal-Mart. I just dislike them A LOT! Very few times will there be a good deal...few and far between!
Other tips
1. Always go through that junk mail you get, especially the blue envelope
(ValuPak?). There are great coupons for stores and restaurants in them. If you
live in Auburn, always check your water bill's flyer...the restaurants in the
area usually have a coupon in them.
2. Don't be ashamed to be THAT person who holds up the line. It's always good to be courteious and let the people behind
you and the cashier that it will take a few extra minutes. If you are organized (get organized people, its highly embarressing and takes twice as long to get
through the store and check-out if you are not organized) it will take no time at all!
3. Again, cut every coupon out. EVERY one, even those Depends coupons. You will be surprised how many times the Depends go on sale and you can
get them for free. Yea, you may not use them (although, I am considering them for my dog who keeps peeing on the rugs in the foyer!)...but donate them to a
local assisted living facility. Gotta love tax write-offs!
4. Take any coupons you see in the store from the little smartsource machines. You never know when you will need it or could use it on THAT purchase (I had this happen
with some Halls cough drops at Publix).
5. CVS, Rite Aid, and Publix gives out rain checks for any items that are out of stock and on sale (I am not sure about Kroger or any other stores...). Take advantage of this and ask for more of the item than you think you need...you never know if you may find another coupon between then and later.
6. If you go to one of the stores who lets you stack coupons (use a store coupon AND manufacturing coupon), put it to good use. There
have been a ton of free coupons by different companies circulating recently. If you can, HOLD ON TO THE FREE COUPON until there is a store coupon so you can
actually make the item a moneymaker!
7. When asking about a raincheck, see if you can go ahead and purchase the item and use your coupon then, so that you don't lose the savings...then pick the item up later when it comes back in...just keep up with the raincheck so that you don't lose your money...it doesn't hurt to ask.
Sources
1. www.iheartpublx.com
2. www.iheartkroger.com
3. www.iheartsavingmoney.com
4. www.southernsavers.com
5. www.spoofee.com
6. www.coupons.com
7. www.smartsource.com
8. www.redplum.com
9. www.totallytarget.com
General Coupon Tips
While I have always been a coupon clipper, I didn’t learn the true value (or power) in clipping them and using them wisely until recently when our
required me to. I have been a “serious” couponer for awhile now, and I thought I would share a few lessons learned from my perspective.
* Small savings can add up – even those 25 cent coupons make a difference –especially if your store doubles coupons!
* If you need to reduce your budget, take baby steps. For example, set a goal to save just $5 this week at the
grocery store pairing coupons with sales. Then increase this amount as you get the hang of it.
* Do what you can – some weeks you’ll be able to give more to planning and saving than others. Something is better than nothing!
* Treat saving money as a game. Challenge yourself and make it fun.
* Find like minded people to share your excitement , goals and progress with. It has been so fun for me to meet
and become friends with other like minded women, plus it helps keep me accountable! If none of your “in real life” friends seem interested, there
is a whole host of people online (blogs, forums, Twitter, Facebook) to connect with.
* Find a formula that works best for you and your family – there is no one size fits all approach to anything in life.
Even if you only save $5 a month, that is $60 a year...pretty good.
1. stock up on ink and paper...worth every penny!! (Wal-Mart is the place to go for this.)
2. cut and print EVERY coupon, you never know when you can get something for
FREE.
3. Donate what you don't use, someone is always in need (especially in
THIS economy!).
4. Buy the Sunday paper and always check your mailbox for
those annoying flyers that usually just go in the trash. They usually contain
some coupons!!
5. Ask friends and family who do not use coupons for their
Sunday coupons. It can come in handy to double or triple up on coupons!
6. Check in on websites everyday for new coupons and deals.
Publix
Ah, Publix my home away from home! :) Here are the very useful tips for
Publix:
1. They take manufacturing AND store coupons....when I say store, I mean
competitors too! The Publix takes just about every competitor coupon out
there....CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Target, Dollar General, etc... Each store is
different, so ask their customer service (they are the only store I know of that
takes competitors coupons).
2. Stack coupons with their BOGO, you can stock
up on a ton of items!
3. I like to shop on Thursdays if the penny coupon is
good. Spend $10 on Thursday and get the penny item. Some stores require you to
cut out the coupon from the store while others automatically change the price
for you.
4. Publix also doubles their coupons and manufacturing coupons ONLY
up to .50 (they do not double competitors coupons).
Kroger
1. They double up on coupons up to .50
2. Stack your coupons with their store coupon and a manufacturing coupon.
3. You can go to Kroger.com and load coupons onto your Kroger plus card.
4. They usually let you use their ecoupons and manufacturing coupons together (while some will not let you). So
basically you could use an ecoupon, Kroger coupon, AND a manufacturing coupon!
5. Remember you can save 10 cents for every $100 spent, so that's another incentive...especially when gas prices are ridiculously high.
6. Cellfire.com is also teamed up with Kroger to add more coupons (and sometimes win free coupons on an entire purchase)!
7. I have learned to scan the Plus card FIRST and not at the end. I have had problems with the machine not taking
off my coupon I loaded and then having to deal with customer service (which can be a pain!).
CVS
1. Oh I how I love CVS too! With CVS you can earn ExtraCare Bucks (like getting cash back).
2. When you first walk into CVS, make sure to scan your extracare card. They will dispense coupons of all kinds....usually really good
ones. Hold on to them, sometimes those items will go on sale and you can earn ECB (extracare bucks) from them.
3. They do not double up on coupons. :(
4. You can do multiple transactions to pay next to nothing for your items.
5. When using ECB you cannot use a $5 ECB towards a $5 purchase. You may have to pay for a pack of gum to get the $5 item for free. I think its a
scam to get us to buy more! haha
6. Join their Beauty Club and you can earn a $5 ECB coupon for every $50 purchase in the beauty department.
Rite Aid
1. They are JUST like CVS. Everything I said above can be applied to their Up Rewards program.
2. They do not have a coupon dispenser at any of their stores though.
3. Rite Aid has video value coupons on their site. You have to watch 15 sec-30 sec videos of the products. VERY worth the time since you can
use these coupons at some Publix's or you can stack them at Rite Aid as well!
4. Rite Aid also has rebate checks they will send you. They are called Single Rebate Checks on certain items each week and/or month. You can only
submit them once a month, so it's worth holding off on submitting for them until the last of the month. I have done this myself and it worked with no
problems!
Target
1. You can stack coupons at Target too! Go to target.com to print out their coupons, some will be manufacturing and some will be store coupons.
2. You will have to ask at your local Target about doubling...not all double.
Walmart
JUST DO NOT GO THERE! I used to shop there all the time thinking they were better....but no, they are not. Much worse and much more stingy!!! They do not double and they usually do not have any store coupons and the lines at the front of the store...well I won't go there because then this post will turn into a rant about Wal-Mart. I just dislike them A LOT! Very few times will there be a good deal...few and far between!
Other tips
1. Always go through that junk mail you get, especially the blue envelope
(ValuPak?). There are great coupons for stores and restaurants in them. If you
live in Auburn, always check your water bill's flyer...the restaurants in the
area usually have a coupon in them.
2. Don't be ashamed to be THAT person who holds up the line. It's always good to be courteious and let the people behind
you and the cashier that it will take a few extra minutes. If you are organized (get organized people, its highly embarressing and takes twice as long to get
through the store and check-out if you are not organized) it will take no time at all!
3. Again, cut every coupon out. EVERY one, even those Depends coupons. You will be surprised how many times the Depends go on sale and you can
get them for free. Yea, you may not use them (although, I am considering them for my dog who keeps peeing on the rugs in the foyer!)...but donate them to a
local assisted living facility. Gotta love tax write-offs!
4. Take any coupons you see in the store from the little smartsource machines. You never know when you will need it or could use it on THAT purchase (I had this happen
with some Halls cough drops at Publix).
5. CVS, Rite Aid, and Publix gives out rain checks for any items that are out of stock and on sale (I am not sure about Kroger or any other stores...). Take advantage of this and ask for more of the item than you think you need...you never know if you may find another coupon between then and later.
6. If you go to one of the stores who lets you stack coupons (use a store coupon AND manufacturing coupon), put it to good use. There
have been a ton of free coupons by different companies circulating recently. If you can, HOLD ON TO THE FREE COUPON until there is a store coupon so you can
actually make the item a moneymaker!
7. When asking about a raincheck, see if you can go ahead and purchase the item and use your coupon then, so that you don't lose the savings...then pick the item up later when it comes back in...just keep up with the raincheck so that you don't lose your money...it doesn't hurt to ask.
Sources
1. www.iheartpublx.com
2. www.iheartkroger.com
3. www.iheartsavingmoney.com
4. www.southernsavers.com
5. www.spoofee.com
6. www.coupons.com
7. www.smartsource.com
8. www.redplum.com
9. www.totallytarget.com
General Coupon Tips
While I have always been a coupon clipper, I didn’t learn the true value (or power) in clipping them and using them wisely until recently when our
required me to. I have been a “serious” couponer for awhile now, and I thought I would share a few lessons learned from my perspective.
* Small savings can add up – even those 25 cent coupons make a difference –especially if your store doubles coupons!
* If you need to reduce your budget, take baby steps. For example, set a goal to save just $5 this week at the
grocery store pairing coupons with sales. Then increase this amount as you get the hang of it.
* Do what you can – some weeks you’ll be able to give more to planning and saving than others. Something is better than nothing!
* Treat saving money as a game. Challenge yourself and make it fun.
* Find like minded people to share your excitement , goals and progress with. It has been so fun for me to meet
and become friends with other like minded women, plus it helps keep me accountable! If none of your “in real life” friends seem interested, there
is a whole host of people online (blogs, forums, Twitter, Facebook) to connect with.
* Find a formula that works best for you and your family – there is no one size fits all approach to anything in life.
