Why Coupon? -Simply, to save money!
Does it really save me that much money? -Yes! I currently try to keep my grocery and paper products budget to just $50/week. Trust me that's only because I've been able to stockpile, I'll explain stockpiling below. Your weekly budget will vary by family...my kids are still young and don't eat as much as teenagers would eat. Most importantly, you can keep your out of pocket lower by combining sale prices with coupons! If you just use a coupon on a regular priced item, yes, you'll save, but you'll get more bang for your buck by pairing the coupon with a sale!
Where can I find coupons? They're everywhere! No longer are they just in the Sunday papers, though this is a great source for coupons, you can find them so many places!
- Newspaper Coupon Inserts: SmartSource, Red Plum and P&G
- Online:
- Coupons.com
- SmartSource.com
- RedPlum.com
- BettyCrocker.com
- Pillsbury.com
- Magazines: All You, Parenting the Early Years, Parents,
- Blinkies: These are coupon machines that you can find at your local stores on the product shelves (you know, the ones that spit coupons out and scare you as you walk by! Found at Kroger and Giant Eagle)
- Peelies: Coupons that are actually stuck on the product that you can peel and use when you check out.
Well, here's a little abbreviation key that will definitely help you out!
SS: Smartsource insert in the weekend paper
RP: Red Plum insert in the weekend paper
UN: Unilever insert in the weekend paper
P&G: Proctor & Gamble insert in the weekend paper
BOGO: Buy 1 Get 1 Free
eb: Extra Bucks at CVS
IP: Internet Printable coupon
MMB: Meijer Mealbox coupon
MQ: Manufacturer's coupon
q: coupon
qs: coupons
stacking: using both a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon on the same item
wags: walgreens
ymmv: your mileage may vary
Stockpiling? Stockpiling is where you stock up on items that are at rock bottom prices. Sales on items typically return every 12 weeks or so. Therefore, when an item that you frequently use is on sale, buy enough to last you 12 weeks until the next sale rolls around! This way, you're not paying full price for an item when you need it, you're just planning ahead a little and buying it early. A few months ago I got over 100 cans of Progresso soup and ended up getting them for Free!! Now, I don't need to buy soup and it's good for over a year!
I hope this is helpful...if you have any additional questions, just shoot me an email at blessedbeyondriches@yahoo(dot)com
I highly recommend that you focus on learning how to capitalize on 1 drug store. I love CVS, however you can pick from Walgreens or Rite Aid if you have one near you. There are so many items that you can get for Free/cheap at these drug stores. CVS has Extra Bucks in the first 2 months of last year I spent $26 for $776 worth of merchandise. I haven't had to buy shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, and many more items in quite awhile...which in essence lowers my weekly grocery budget!