If you are just starting to learn how to use coupons, you may be interested in our Couponing Basics: A Guide for the Coupon Newbie series where we offer real and practical advice on how to lower your grocery budget!
New to using Coupons?
February 26, 2011 Leave a Comment
Are you new to couponing and shopping the sales? You may want to check out our Couponing 101: A Guide for the Couponing Newbie series to help you get started!
Coupon pro? We all still have something to learn. Check out our How To Save Money series to trim your budget even more.
Any questions? Let us know in the comments or shoot us an email!
Maximize Your Savings with Rebates
January 5, 2011 Leave a Comment
If you are just joining us, you may want to read the previous posts in this series: Couponing 101, Coupon Lingo – It’s a Different Language, Accumulating a Good Stash of Coupons, How I Organize My Coupons, and Deciphering Store Coupons Match ups!
One of the biggest mistakes I have made in the past is throwing away my shopping receipts. I would toss them without thinking and then later find a rebate that I could have received. Sales + coupons + rebates = for some very inexpensive or free items! This past year I received a little over $120 back from Rebates.
I now keep every shopping receipt from drugstore and grocery shopping. You never know when a rebate will pop up. I organize my receipts in an envelope by month and stash them in my desk drawer. Using envelopes from bills that I pay online saves me a ton of money. This is a great and free way to store those receipts which make then easily accessible when I need them.
Every rebate requires you to purchase participating items in order to receive what they are offering be it money back, a gift card, or coupons. You will need to be sure to fulfill all requirements from the rebate before mailing it in.
I know some other savvy shoppers who dislike keeping their receipts, but for me it has been a money saver. There is nothing quite so exciting as finding a rebate check in the mail!
Rebates are a wonderful way to maximize your savings. Some companies will offer a full refund whether you use a coupon at the time of your purchase or not, and other companies will only reimburse you for the actual amount paid. Either way, by taking advantage of rebates that are offered you save more…and sometimes actually make money in return!
Deciphering Store Coupon Match Ups
December 21, 2010 Leave a Comment
If you are just joining us, you may want to read the first three posts in this series: Couponing 101, Coupon Lingo – It’s a Different Language, Accumulating a Good Stash of Coupons, and How I Organize My Coupons.
After you have learned the coupon lingo, started a good stash of coupons, and organized them to best fit your needs, comes the part where you can match up your coupons with your store’s sale items. This is where it gets really fun!
If you are not one of those people who want to take the time to match up coupons with every sale item at your store, you can look at our store coupon match ups to help you along the way. I still use coupons match ups from other people because…well, I can’t do it all myself! Everyone needs help so don’t be afraid to seek out coupons match ups for the store where you shop.
Here is an example on how to decipher Store Coupon Match Ups. Let’s say that Healthy Choice Steamers are on sale at Kroger for $1.88 and that I have a $0.50 coupon. The match up would look something like this:
Healthy Choice Steamer Entrees – 1.88 ea
$0.50/1 Healthy Choice Steamer Entrée, exp. 11-7-10 (SS 9/12/10)
{remember that Kroger doubles coupons!}
= 0.88 each!
We know from our coupon lingo that SS 9/12/10 means the Smart Source coupon insert from the September 12, 2010 newspaper. Exp. is the Expiration Date of the coupon.
Why do we list the expiration date? Because sometimes a sale starts close to coupon expiration, so that is our way of letting our readers know that they need to shop sooner rather than later if they plan on using that particular coupon.
It may be somewhat confusing at first, but before you know it, you’ll be deciphering coupons match ups with the best of them!
How I Organize My Coupons + my first vlog!
December 14, 2010 1 Comment
If you are just joining us, you may want to read the first three posts in this series: Couponing 101, Coupon Lingo – It’s a Different Language, and Accumulating a Good Stash of Coupons.
Last year I wrote about my simple method of organizing my coupons in a Dollar Tree Photo Album. If you are just starting out, accumulating a good stash of coupons and beginning to use them this may be a great method for you. I used this method until I outgrew it and need a larger binder to hold all of my coupons.
{Here’s to hoping none of you get motion sickness while watching this video. This is my first attempt at Vlogging so stick with me please! 
}
The package that I ordered came with 8 categorized tabbed dividers, 3 plastic binder pockets, and 40 coupon pocket pages – 3, 6, and 9 slot pages. Overall, I have been extremely happy with my new system. Because I received my binder from my mother, I only needed to purchase the Deluxe Coupon Organizing Binder Package in order to complete my coupon binder.
I ordered this package from The Coupon Clutch and spent a little less than $30 for the entire package, tax, and shipping charges. It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but when I looked at it as an investment, it is more than worth it! This new coupon binder system is going to help me be more organized and, by being more organized, I will save more money in the long run. And that is definitely worth a one time payment of $30 to me. If you are wanting to purchase a package like mine, you can go HERE.
For those of you who were unable to load the video, my categories are:
Dairy, Produce, Refrigerated
Drinks, Snacks, Desserts
Deli, Meat, Frozen Foods
Canned Good, Condiments, Spices
Cereal, Pasta, Boxed Foods
Personal Care, Beauty, Pharmacy
Household, Paper Goods, Cleaning Supplies
Pet Supplies, Miscellaneous
And then I added 5 extra tabs for the stores that I regularly shop at:
Walgreens
Kroger
CVS
Rite Aid
Target
I have been using this system for almost 6 months now and really love it. It does get kind of heavy when hauling it around and it doesn’t fit into the cart very well, but, other than that, I have no complaints. It’s all about making it work best for you. Often times, I will pull out the coupons I plan to use when shopping and just have them at the front to pull out before heading to check out so I am not continuously flipping back and forth searching for coupons.
If you do not need a coupon binder system for so many coupons yet, free free to check out my last post on how I originally organized my coupons. Not only did I share how I organized my coupons, but I also highlighted other coupons organizing methods as well. Find the method that works best for you and stick with it….at least until you outgrow it!
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