My thoughts on Couponing

I have recently heard from a few different friends that find the whole couponing thing to be to overwhelming and time consuming so they just give up and go back to their old way of shopping. It makes me sad! I look at a lot of different couponing blogs out there and I see women in the store who are so obsessed with couponing and with "She who gets the most for the least wins" syndrome that they let it rule their lives! I want you all to know that it does not have to be that way!

• So many people think that if you want to do this you have to get 5 Sunday newspapers and spend every moment looking for the deal! YOU DON"T!! I will let you in on a secret! I DO NOT GET EVEN 1 SUNDAY PAPER!!! My parents don't coupon (even though I try to get them too) so my dad sets the ads aside for me and I pick them up when I am in the area, sometimes if my inlaws don't want theirs they will also give them to me! You would be surprised how many people out there get the paper and never even look at the coupons! Just ask around to friends and neighbors, I bet you can find at least 1 or 2 that would give you the inserts!


• I get most of my good coupons from the computer. There are soooo many internet coupons out there! If you have more then 1 computer use both to double them! If you need more call around to those same family and friends and I bet they can print some out for you and you can pick them up along with the inserts!


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  Now that you have your coupons just find a few blogs you like and check them while you are on the computer, it doesn't take long because honestly you will find lost of duplicate info, so just scan them for things you are looking for, print them out or just write it out on a pad. I like to write it out like below just so I know what I am looking for, I match it with the coupon and I know how much it will cost, then I am not flustered in the store. Then I put the list with the coupons in a clear page protector in the front of my binder so it is all together and ready to give the cashier.

Store Name
Item & Price
Use this coupon or coupons
Final price

• If I were shopping at Albertsons using a sale I would go to

-Pinching Your Pennies then click on
-State Forums- select
- select your state then go to
-Albertsons sale for current week then go to
-Printable Grocery Smarts shopping list once there you want to go to the upper right and hit the “Start” button, this will allow you to click on what you want to get from the sale,
-once you have gone through the list hit the “shrink” button which will shrink the list to only the things you selected.
-Now just print out your list
-Match it with the coupons and you are ready to go!

Really that is all there is to it! I may be the only one with a blog that does not tell you that you have to get 5 papers, you don't have to dedicate hours of your day to the hunt of the sale. I have 3 kids with one on the way, I have a part time job let alone the job of being a wife and mother. I know many of you are in the same boat, you just want to take care of your families for less and I hope that I can help you do that! I hope these tips help! I am happy to help anyone out with any questions you may have, just email me at www.hookedonsaving.blogspot.com and I will do my best to help you! I would be happy to do an informal class if anyone would be interested, just email or leave a comment. Please don't give up on the savings! You can do it! You don't have to cut your grocery bill in half but every penny saved is a penny earned!

How do I know this coupon works?

So this is something I probably should have covered a while ago, so sorry! Some of you may read some of my posts and wonder how I used a coupon on a product that was not pictured on the coupons. Well here is a great (and little known ) trick. Most companies will put out a coupon with a more expensive product pictured even though the coupon will work for less expensive ones! (great marketing tool )

The trick is that you can use that coupon for many other items or even on travel sizes (when not specificly stated). Here is how to know if you can use it! Look at the first set of 5 numbers (the Manufacture ID) if they match the first set of 5 numbers of the barcode on the product they will usually work! So go on and find some amazing deals.

Store Policies

If you are wondering what all the different stores policies are on coupons you are not alone! It seems like everyone is different and sometimes even the cashiers are unaware of them! Here is a great post I found on Fabulessly Frugal that brakes them all store. Thanks to Monica for letting me borrow it! It is a good idea to click on the links and print out the policies to have as reference for you & sometimes for your cashier!

Albertsons-

• will take all MFR ( manufacturer coupons) and you can stack it with an Albertsons in-store
• coupon (only until April 2nd).
• will take printed coupons
• take competitors coupons coupons, Like Fred Meyer, Walgreens...
• will take Walgreens Register Rewards Catalina Coupons
• DO NOT match competitors ads or prices
  Corporate Policy

Walgreens-

• will take all MFR coupons, and you can stack it with a Walgreens in-store coupon
• will take printable Internet coupons
• DOES NOT match competitors ads or prices
• DOES NOT take other stores in-store coupons
• DOES NOT take albertsons catalinas
• Here is a letter you can print out as reference on some policy
  

Rite Aid-

• will take all MFR coupons, and you can stack it with a Rite Aid in-store coupon
• will take printable Internet coupons
• DOES NOT match competitors ads or prices
• DOES NOT take other stores in-store coupons
  

Shopko-

• will take all MFR coupons, and you can stack it with a Shopko in-store coupon
• will take competitors coupons coupons, Like Fred Meyer, Walgreens...
• will price match, others ads ( as long as it states the price, no 50% off, no buy 1 get 1 free)
• The items must be in stock at the competitors ad price. Ad must be current, and bring Ad with you.
• will take printable Internet coupons
  

Walmart-

• will take all MFR coupons
• will take competitors coupons coupons, Like Fred Meyer, Walgreens...
• will price match, others ads ( as long as it states the price, no 50% off, no buy 1 get 1 free) . Ad must be current, and bring Ad with you.
• will take printable Internet coupons
  for an online copy click here to read , you might want to print it out and carry it with you.
  

Winco-

• Will take MRF coupons
• Is now taking internet printables - use with caution.
• DOES NOT match competitors ads or prices
• DOES NOT take other stores in-store couponsFred Meyer-
• Will take MFR coupons
• will take printable Internet coupons, as long as it says Manufacturer coupon on it
• DOES NOT match competitors ads or prices
• DOES NOT take other stores in-store coupons
  

Target-

• will take all MFR coupons, and you can stack it with a Target in-store coupon. As long as the total of the coupons are more than the price of the item.
• will take printable Internet coupons, as long as it says Manufacturer coupon on it and it must scan.
• DOES NOT match competitors ads or prices
• DOES NOT take other stores in-store coupons
  

Kmart-

• will take all MFR coupons
• will take printed coupons
• DOES NOT match competitors ads or prices
• DOES NOT take other stores in-store coupons
• if you sign up at Kmart.com and join their email list, they send special like double or triple coupon sales.

Couponing basics- ethics questions

I just read a great post on hip2save about whether its ok to use 2 manufactures coupons on a buy 1 get 1 free sale. The answer is YES because the store gets paid the amount of the coupon plus 8 cents by the manufacturer so they are actually making money on the product that they would have been giving away for "free". This was a great post that I think everyone should read. Go here to read it yourself!

Couponing Basics!

So I just started this blog with out really thinking what kind of order to do posts...I just started posting deals, I didn't think about people not know what I'm talking about or where to find things so I am going to try to share what I know and where I learn it!

First of all couponing can seem really over whelming at first so just take it slow and don't stress!

Get Organized!
I think one of the most important things when couponing is staying organized because the better organized you are the less work it is! When I got started I just bought a small accordion file and labeled it with the basic things like Dairy, breakfast, snack, canned food, dry goods, frozen foods, personal hygiene, and misc. This worked great for casual couponing but after a while I had to upgrade!

Next I went to a larger accordion file that could fit the whole coupon insert from the Sunday paper because as you will notice when you look at many deal listings is there is a coupon that will work in a sale it will say something like ( 2/8 SS, PG or RP) the first is the date of the insert and then second refers to which insert Smart Shopper (SS), Proctor & Gambles (PG) or Red Plum (RP). So I just though I would get the insert write the date on the front with marker and file it by date. This worked ok but then I found myself standing in the middle of the isle looking through inserts, then one day I dropped them and they went flying! (so much for having them sorted by date!) Also if I saw something and I wasn't sure if I had a coupon for it..... looking through a few months of inserts takes time! So finally I am giving in and becoming one of those crazy coupon ladies with a whole binder of coupons! Instead of writing the whole process that I learned from another blog I will just send you straight to it! A thrifty Mom is one of my fave blogs and I will refer to her and others quite frequently!

Where to get the Coupons??
So once you are all ready (and often before you are ready) you will have to start collecting coupons. I used to always just think you got your coupons from the Sunday paper, which is true...but I never knew there were so many more out there! So here are some great resources!

• Sunday Papers (obviously) you can either just go buy them on Sunday or many stores carry them all week or get a subscription. I also have great family who give me there coupons! I live in Boise, ID and was at Albertsons the other day and there was a rep from our local paper, Idaho Stateman, and he was pitching a good deal, the whole week for $2.00 a week, the weekend for $1.50 or just Sunday for $1.00 a week. If you live closer to Canyon county A thrift Mom has worked with Idaho Press tribune to create a deal specific for couponers! " For only $13.80 a month (this is over half off the normal price) you will get 1 daily paper (Monday- Saturday) But on Sundays you will get 4 Sunday papers. These will be delivered to your home. The coupon inserts come in the Sunday paper, so you will get 4 coupon inserts. This is a coupon shoppers dream. If you want to upgrade to 6 Sunday papers it will be another $1.20 a week, that is only .60 cents a paper. " Go here to read all the details and to get the contact info.
• Internet Coupons- I never knew there were so many coupons out on the internet! Many manufacturers have printable coupons directly from their sites, there are also web sites with coupons from multiple companies. On most couponing sites and blogs if there is a internet coupon available they will have a link attached with the deal. Many of these sites will ask you to register to receive the coupons, I don't have a problem doing this but it is a good idea to set up a "junk" email account to use while signing up you can do this easily through gmail, yahoo, or many other sites. Another thing to remember is most of these sites will limit how many times you print your coupons (usually twice) so if you need more than 2 you will have to use a different computer. Here are just a few sites I use I will add more later!

- Betty Crocker Coupons

- Pillsbury Coupons

- Smart Source Coupons

• Store ads Many stores have instore coupon booklet like Walgreens and RiteAid, many stores have coupons in their ads like Fred Meyers, Albertsons, or even Kmart, and Target has internet coupons. So check out your local stores, many time the current add is located near the entrance.
• Peelies Many times you can find a coupon right on the package. Sometimes you can use them at the time of purchase or on the next purchase
• Ask around There are alot of people out there that do not coupon for whatever reason. Go ahead and ask if you can have any coupons they don't want. Also many stores (like Albertsons) are starting to keep the inserts from the papers that don't sell and are cutting them out to put with the product. I have found that if you make nice with people at the customer service counter they sometimes have them behind the counter!
• Catalinas (Albertsons, K-mart, Fred meyer) or Register Rewards (Walgreens & Rite Aid) I never used to pay attention to the coupons that print out at the registers, I would just through it away with the receipt....that is like throwing away actually money! Many time these will print something out that says "save $1.00 (or more) on your next purchase" it doesnt matter what you are buying...its like having cash!

I will cover more topics later (right now my family is feeling neglected!) If you have any general or specific questions please leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them!

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