Lately I've been asked lots of questions about my couponing, and I never seem to be organized enough to give anyone the full run down, so I though I would post some of my favorite tips. Feel free to ask questions, and I'll be glad to answer. Consider this an overview and I'll go more in depth on some of these in later posts.
1. If you use coupons, you will save money. Period. However, it is important to know what your goal is. Are you trying to get more expensive products at a bettr price? Are you trying to get your grocery bill down to a certain amount? Your goal will determine over all how much you save/spend.
2. Usually (I've never found a case where this isn't true) you can only use 1 manufacturer coupon and 1 store coupon on a single item. If you purchase 5 products, you will need 5 coupons (if you want to save on all 5) unless the coupon states otherwise.
3. I tend to save a bigger percentage and have a lower grocery bill when I buy the less expensive items. Items that typically cost $2 and under are my biggest savers. They tend to have coupons for a larger percentage of their purchase price than more expensive items. $1 off a $2 item is a better deal than $2 off of a $10 item.
4. To save the most money, you have to go to more than one store. Don't drive yourself crazy though, pick 3 stores to start with, and when you are comfortable with those, add more if want.
5. Organization is key. Looking through all those sale papers and matching up with coupons can be daunting. It is much easier if you go through each sale paper and make a list of the items you like and then go through your coupons and match them up. This will also allow you to see which deal is better if two stores have the same item on sale.
6. Kroger (for now) and Publix double coupons up to $.50. A $.50 cent coupon is actually worth $1. A $1 coupon is still only worth $1.
7. Don't feel the need to HAVE to use a coupon. I'll admit, I still feel guilty some days when I let a coupon expire with out using it, especially when I know it is for a product we use all the time. But, the truth is, the exact same coupon will come along again in a couple of weeks. Don't go buy something just because you have a coupon. Wait for a good sale to come along.
8. Actively seek out coupons in different places. Everyone knows to find coupons in the Sunday Paper, and online. Look for coupons in packaging, in stores and magazines as well. I've also started writing companies (look at my posts titled "Project") and letting them know what I think about thier products and recieved coupons in return. Proctor and Gamble lets you request coupons through thier site P&G Solutions once a quarter and Home Made Simple every 2 or 3 months.
9. If you shop at Kroger and use electronic coupons, beware that if an electronic coupon is added to your card it will come off when you buy that item using your kroger plus card. You will not be able to use a paper coupon on the same item and the electronic coupon does not double. To get around this, you could get a second Kroger plus card, and use it for items that you have an electronic coupon for but do not wish to use. You would need to do two transactions, 1 with the normal Kroger card and all the products you want the electronic coupons used for, and the second with the other Kroger card and the products you do not want the electronic coupons used for. This can mess up your fuel points though,so use your judgement.
10. Couponing is time consuming. I find that my savings are directly related to the amount of time that I have to invest in it. You have to set your priorities. There are weeks when my schedule does not allow me to devote much time to coupons, and those weeks my savings are considerably less than the weeks where I devote HOURS to couponing.
Feel free to ask any questions and I will respond to the best of my knowledge.
By the way, You may notice there is now a tab at the top of my page titled "Saving Money", there you will find links to past posts about saving money. ;)
1. If you use coupons, you will save money. Period. However, it is important to know what your goal is. Are you trying to get more expensive products at a bettr price? Are you trying to get your grocery bill down to a certain amount? Your goal will determine over all how much you save/spend.
2. Usually (I've never found a case where this isn't true) you can only use 1 manufacturer coupon and 1 store coupon on a single item. If you purchase 5 products, you will need 5 coupons (if you want to save on all 5) unless the coupon states otherwise.
3. I tend to save a bigger percentage and have a lower grocery bill when I buy the less expensive items. Items that typically cost $2 and under are my biggest savers. They tend to have coupons for a larger percentage of their purchase price than more expensive items. $1 off a $2 item is a better deal than $2 off of a $10 item.
4. To save the most money, you have to go to more than one store. Don't drive yourself crazy though, pick 3 stores to start with, and when you are comfortable with those, add more if want.
5. Organization is key. Looking through all those sale papers and matching up with coupons can be daunting. It is much easier if you go through each sale paper and make a list of the items you like and then go through your coupons and match them up. This will also allow you to see which deal is better if two stores have the same item on sale.
6. Kroger (for now) and Publix double coupons up to $.50. A $.50 cent coupon is actually worth $1. A $1 coupon is still only worth $1.
7. Don't feel the need to HAVE to use a coupon. I'll admit, I still feel guilty some days when I let a coupon expire with out using it, especially when I know it is for a product we use all the time. But, the truth is, the exact same coupon will come along again in a couple of weeks. Don't go buy something just because you have a coupon. Wait for a good sale to come along.
8. Actively seek out coupons in different places. Everyone knows to find coupons in the Sunday Paper, and online. Look for coupons in packaging, in stores and magazines as well. I've also started writing companies (look at my posts titled "Project") and letting them know what I think about thier products and recieved coupons in return. Proctor and Gamble lets you request coupons through thier site P&G Solutions once a quarter and Home Made Simple every 2 or 3 months.
9. If you shop at Kroger and use electronic coupons, beware that if an electronic coupon is added to your card it will come off when you buy that item using your kroger plus card. You will not be able to use a paper coupon on the same item and the electronic coupon does not double. To get around this, you could get a second Kroger plus card, and use it for items that you have an electronic coupon for but do not wish to use. You would need to do two transactions, 1 with the normal Kroger card and all the products you want the electronic coupons used for, and the second with the other Kroger card and the products you do not want the electronic coupons used for. This can mess up your fuel points though,so use your judgement.
10. Couponing is time consuming. I find that my savings are directly related to the amount of time that I have to invest in it. You have to set your priorities. There are weeks when my schedule does not allow me to devote much time to coupons, and those weeks my savings are considerably less than the weeks where I devote HOURS to couponing.
Feel free to ask any questions and I will respond to the best of my knowledge.
By the way, You may notice there is now a tab at the top of my page titled "Saving Money", there you will find links to past posts about saving money. ;)
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