Some of you have gotten your 3 ring binder and sheet protectors....
All of these ideas have come from my research on various blogs! I am very thankful for the great ideas of these wonderful ladies!
I plan on upgrading my 3 ring binder to a zipped up binder. I think that this will help my sale flyers and misc. stay put better. My binder contains my weekly circulars for stores that I like to shop at such as CVS, Meijer, Kroger, Target, and Walgreens. It also has the sheet protectors with the coupons that I have collected.
Anyways, what you will do is take your Sunday insert coupons and write the date it was in the paper on the outside of the packet. I use a sharpie.
Then take the entire day's worth of coupons and slide them in a sheet protector. As the weeks progress so will your coupon supply. Each week gets its own sheet protector.
The organization is what will save you TONS of time!!
When you go to the grocery gathering, (see my post about this), they will refer to the coupon with the following code.
Each of your sale circulars have names:
RP=Red Plum
SS=Smart Source
PG=Proctor and Gamble
They will list where to find the coupon... They will list the date (this is the day it was in your sunday paper - and the date you wrote on the outside of your insert) and then which company produced the coupon. ie. 6/30 SS
As I make my grocery list, I go to that date in my file system and then find my coupon.
I am then ready to go shop....
For coupons that you print, I have started writing on the outside of the sheet protector a classification of the type of coupon such as: drinks, dairy, frozen...
I have bought into couponing because this system is so easy. One of the reasons I stopped using coupons was I thought that it was a realy pain to clip every coupon and then file it. This is so simple and so quick!
Another trick I have also found that helps is to clip your coupons to your grocery list. That way you won't misplace them and they will be accessible when you checkout.
I have started bringing my coupon binder with me to the store because I have found additional deals that I had wished that I had the coupon for. I still forget to bring it with me, but I am trying to make this be a habit.
I hope this helps!!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
How to find out what is on sale and what coupons to use!
Some of you are now ready to begin shopping.....
The website that I use is http://www.becentsable.net/
They have something called The Grocery Gathering. This is a network of blog authors who take the time to match coupons.
Before you make your grocery list check her website. It is great.
They will list what is on sale at the grocery store you want to go to. They will also indicate the sale price and what coupons are available to use. Sometimes the coupons are from your Sunday paper. Sometimes they refer to printed coupons and will give you the link so you can print the coupon.
Happy shopping!!!
The website that I use is http://www.becentsable.net/
They have something called The Grocery Gathering. This is a network of blog authors who take the time to match coupons.
Before you make your grocery list check her website. It is great.
They will list what is on sale at the grocery store you want to go to. They will also indicate the sale price and what coupons are available to use. Sometimes the coupons are from your Sunday paper. Sometimes they refer to printed coupons and will give you the link so you can print the coupon.
Happy shopping!!!
How to save at Meijer
Another reason I recommend Meijer is that they also double coupons! Kroger and Meijer are the only ones in our town that does! They double up to .50 cents. So if your coupon is for .40 cents they will double it to .80.
Now, Meijer doesn't have e coupons but they have just started something called mealbox that allows you to print coupons that are only able to be used at their store.
The mealbox software is really cool. You could be really really really organized if you used their system. They have the option of you choosing recipes and then it will print your grocery list and any additional coupons that can be applied to the items that are needed for this recipe. It is really COOL!!
You aren't able to stack their coupons. You can only use one or another.
Enjoy!
http://www3.meijer.com/mealbox/mealbox.html
Now, Meijer doesn't have e coupons but they have just started something called mealbox that allows you to print coupons that are only able to be used at their store.
The mealbox software is really cool. You could be really really really organized if you used their system. They have the option of you choosing recipes and then it will print your grocery list and any additional coupons that can be applied to the items that are needed for this recipe. It is really COOL!!
You aren't able to stack their coupons. You can only use one or another.
Enjoy!
http://www3.meijer.com/mealbox/mealbox.html
Kroger E coupons
According to my last Kroger shop you can see that I had a few e coupons.
If you already have gotten your Kroger card, you will need this to be able to drag your coupons to your Kroger card.
How the e coupons work is that they are virtual coupons. You don't need to have the coupon in your hand because it is on the card. When you check out the cashier will scan your card and after you purchase your item the e coupon discount will appear on your receipt.
Another great thing about the e coupons is that you can stack them. This means you can have an e coupon and also a paper coupon from your Sunday paper or printed from a coupon website. This saves you even more money. Again, the best deal is to always apply these coupons when the item is on sale.
The reason why Kroger is a place that I recommend you shop at is that they double your paper coupons upto .50 cents. This is why I was able to get my French's mustard for free. I had a .50 cents off coupon and Kroger doubled it. Since mustard was on sale for 1.00, this item was free!!
If you already have gotten your Kroger card, you will need this to be able to drag your coupons to your Kroger card.
How the e coupons work is that they are virtual coupons. You don't need to have the coupon in your hand because it is on the card. When you check out the cashier will scan your card and after you purchase your item the e coupon discount will appear on your receipt.
Another great thing about the e coupons is that you can stack them. This means you can have an e coupon and also a paper coupon from your Sunday paper or printed from a coupon website. This saves you even more money. Again, the best deal is to always apply these coupons when the item is on sale.
The reason why Kroger is a place that I recommend you shop at is that they double your paper coupons upto .50 cents. This is why I was able to get my French's mustard for free. I had a .50 cents off coupon and Kroger doubled it. Since mustard was on sale for 1.00, this item was free!!
Go ahead and begin dragging coupons to your Kroger card. You will need to have your card number in hand to sign up.
There are 3 sites that each have different coupons. I would bookmark these and check them from time to time. They will also send you emails when they have new coupons that you can load to your card.
http://www.softcoin.com/Sites/Unilever_MakingLifeBetter/Page/HomePage/
Happy Shopping!Saturday, June 28, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Kroger shop 6/27
Here is what I got for $32.69.According to my receipt....
Manufactured coupon savings = $10.30 (Combination of coupons from my Sunday paper and printed coupons from the internet)
Bonus Coupon Savings= $2.40 (e coupons on your Kroger card)
Kroger Plus Savings (how much I saved with the items being on sale) = $18.66
The $18.66 savings is great by planning and shoppping the sale. I took about 20 minutes to find my coupons and I saved an additional $12.70 for less than a 1/2 hour of work. This means that my hourly wage would be $48.10/hour. Not too bad and no taxes taken out!!
Total Savings = 49%
1 Hellman's Extra EVO mayonaise 2.50 -1.00/e coupon -1.00 circular = .50 cents
8 Yoplait yogurt .50 -1.00 printable=3.00
1 Suddenly Salad 2.69 - 1.00 printable coupon = 1.69 (I thought this was on sale)
1 French's Mustard 1.00 -50 x 2 (doubled)= FREE
1 French's Worcestershire 1.50 -50 x 2 (doubled)= .50
1 Cattlemen's Barbecue Sauce 1.00 -.75 = .25
2 Knorr Side Dishes 1. 29 each-50 x 2 (doubled) ecoupon- .75=.75
6 Birds Eye Steam Fresh Vegatables 2.00 -(3) printable coupon 2/$1 = 9.00
2 Ben and Jerry's 2.50 each (endulgance for me) -1.00 printable coupon = 4.00
1 Sweet Baby Ray's 1.00 -1.00 = Free
1 Pasta Roni -.50x 2 - 1.o0 = .07
Cheese it's 16oz box 2.00 each = 4.00 (My dear husband's favorite food)
Kroger Seasoned French Fries = 1.67
Kroger syrup = 2.00
Kroger Marinade= 1.00
Lawry's Marinade= 1.00
At the bottom of my receipt it says that my annual savings with my Kroger card is $238.42!!
Look for more info tomorrow about how to load e coupons onto your Kroger card.
Print your own coupons
Since many of you are just beginning the couponing journey, you will be frustrated for a few weeks or so that the bloggers are referring to coupons that you hadn't saved. I started this journey in April and there are still a few items that will be on sale that I could apply a coupon to that would allow me to get it for cheaper, but I didn't start saving coupons before April.
I will give you some more solutions to this problem later, but for now and for your next homework assignment I am going to refer you to some websites that allow you to print coupons. Some tips that I have regarding printing coupons.
1. Set your printer to a default of fast draft. This allows you save on your ink and still print a legible coupon.
2. Select only the coupons you want or will use. There are some options to print all of the featured coupons, but you will find that there are many that you won't use. For example, it seems like there is always an offer for batteries that are needed for hearing aids.
3. Bookmark these sites so from time to time you can check their website to see if there are new coupons you need or want.
Once you begin printing, hold onto your coupons and this weekend I will share with you how to begin organizing them.
For a month or two, you find yourself relying on printed coupons until you begin to have a few months of coupons from the Sunday paper. I still use printed coupons, but in the beginning this was all that I was able to use.
The sites that I recommend printing from are:
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.bettycrocker.com/coupons-promotions/coupons/default.aspx?WT.ac=homepage_05-01-2008
http://www.couponsinc.com/
http://www.boodle.com/
http://www.couponloop.com/
http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/Coupons/
Happy Printing!!!!
I will give you some more solutions to this problem later, but for now and for your next homework assignment I am going to refer you to some websites that allow you to print coupons. Some tips that I have regarding printing coupons.
1. Set your printer to a default of fast draft. This allows you save on your ink and still print a legible coupon.
2. Select only the coupons you want or will use. There are some options to print all of the featured coupons, but you will find that there are many that you won't use. For example, it seems like there is always an offer for batteries that are needed for hearing aids.
3. Bookmark these sites so from time to time you can check their website to see if there are new coupons you need or want.
Once you begin printing, hold onto your coupons and this weekend I will share with you how to begin organizing them.
For a month or two, you find yourself relying on printed coupons until you begin to have a few months of coupons from the Sunday paper. I still use printed coupons, but in the beginning this was all that I was able to use.
The sites that I recommend printing from are:
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.bettycrocker.com/coupons-promotions/coupons/default.aspx?WT.ac=homepage_05-01-2008
http://www.couponsinc.com/
http://www.boodle.com/
http://www.couponloop.com/
http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/Coupons/
Happy Printing!!!!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sales at Bath and Body, Old Navy and Victoria Secret
Hello! While browsing some blogs I found some deals that are available only this weekend!!
Follow the following link.....
Thanks to coupon cravings for this great info!!
http://www.couponcravings.com/2008/06/freebies-at-bath-body-works-and.html
Follow the following link.....
Thanks to coupon cravings for this great info!!
http://www.couponcravings.com/2008/06/freebies-at-bath-body-works-and.html
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
To Do....
The following are some things you will need to do to begin our coupon adventure...
1. Get your binder and sheet protectors.
2. Go to http://www.cvs.com/
to apply for a CVS card. You can go to CVS if you want or you can save gas money and have them send this to you in the mail.
3. Go to your local Kroger and apply to get a Kroger shopping card. They will do this on the spot.
4. Think about getting the Sunday paper or arrange to have a family member/neighbor save coupon inserts for you.
These items will be needed to begin our coupon adventure!!!
Look for more info on Friday. Our first store to begin our adventure will be Kroger!
1. Get your binder and sheet protectors.
2. Go to http://www.cvs.com/
to apply for a CVS card. You can go to CVS if you want or you can save gas money and have them send this to you in the mail.
3. Go to your local Kroger and apply to get a Kroger shopping card. They will do this on the spot.
4. Think about getting the Sunday paper or arrange to have a family member/neighbor save coupon inserts for you.
These items will be needed to begin our coupon adventure!!!
Look for more info on Friday. Our first store to begin our adventure will be Kroger!
Free Samples from Walmart
Do you want to receive free samples in the mail? Every couple days or so something new arrives in my mailbox. It is wonderful!
Many of the items that come are trial sizes but these are great for many reasons. One most of these products are the size you need to take on airplane or if needed for an overnight. You can also put these in your guest bathroom or just try and enjoy for yourself. Also, a lot of these samples come with COUPONS to use for future purchases!!!
Check the following website every couple of days or so to see if anything new is posted.
Free Samples from Walmart
Homework: Don't forget about your homework assignment of buying a zip up binder and sheet protectors if you want to join me on this coupon adventure...
Many of the items that come are trial sizes but these are great for many reasons. One most of these products are the size you need to take on airplane or if needed for an overnight. You can also put these in your guest bathroom or just try and enjoy for yourself. Also, a lot of these samples come with COUPONS to use for future purchases!!!
Check the following website every couple of days or so to see if anything new is posted.
Free Samples from Walmart
Homework: Don't forget about your homework assignment of buying a zip up binder and sheet protectors if you want to join me on this coupon adventure...
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Do you have little ones?
This is for my friends with kids in diapers....
The following link is a website that I have come across during my research. They have great info about diaper savings. Enjoy!
Diaper info from Baby Cheapskate
After you view this info, I would go to her home page as she has a lot of information about how to find good deals for your little ones.
I also linked this on the side of my page for you to reference in the future!! I remember how much the diaper and formula stage cost!! I was so thrilled when the girls were drinking milk and were potty trained! I felt like I had earned a raise!!
The following link is a website that I have come across during my research. They have great info about diaper savings. Enjoy!
Diaper info from Baby Cheapskate
After you view this info, I would go to her home page as she has a lot of information about how to find good deals for your little ones.
I also linked this on the side of my page for you to reference in the future!! I remember how much the diaper and formula stage cost!! I was so thrilled when the girls were drinking milk and were potty trained! I felt like I had earned a raise!!
Verizon
Okay, I finally got around to looking into something that Verizon is offering called Verizon Triple Freedom. If you have Verizon internet, Verizon phone line, and Direct TV, you can save $30.00 a month. The only trick is that you will receive a bill for all 3 at one time.
Yeah! $30.00 more dollars a month to go to groceries and/or gas!
Yeah! $30.00 more dollars a month to go to groceries and/or gas!
How to ask questions.....
As we begin to get into the nitty gritty of couponing and saving, you may have some questions for me. For those of you that are new to blogging, all you do is post a comment within the posting that you have a question about. I can respond to your comment on line and it will show up on the blog. This is great because many of you will have similiar questions.
Noodles and Company
Do you love to eat at Noodles and Company? I know that we do but it can be expensive.
I subscribed to Noolegram's which is sponsored by Noodles and Company. They emailed me a coupon to use for a free entree when one is purchased.
Here is the info that they provided:
Check out Noodles & Company's new eClub called Noodlegrams. If you sign up online you'll get your first Noodlegram email with a special offer within a few days. You'll also get free noodles on your birthday, a surprise on your Noodlegram Anniversary and who knows what else!
Just visit this link to join: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/ndls/lp/join/join.asp
Enjoy!
I subscribed to Noolegram's which is sponsored by Noodles and Company. They emailed me a coupon to use for a free entree when one is purchased.
Here is the info that they provided:
Check out Noodles & Company's new eClub called Noodlegrams. If you sign up online you'll get your first Noodlegram email with a special offer within a few days. You'll also get free noodles on your birthday, a surprise on your Noodlegram Anniversary and who knows what else!
Just visit this link to join: http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/ndls/lp/join/join.asp
Enjoy!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Why clip coupons?
I was very rarely a coupon shopper until now. My theory was always that the store generic is cheaper than an item you would use a coupon on. Well, I was WRONG! In some cases this is true, but if you watch the sales you can get a lot of items for less than the store generic and sometimes even free. I have a whole cabinet of toothpaste and toothbrushes that I have gotten for free or for less than .50 cents. I have also been paid by Kroger and Meijer to buy yoplait yogurt - these were on sale and I had a coupon.
If I did coupon shop, I used the coupon that came in the sale flyer right away. The problem with this was that the item that I bought was not at its cheapest price.
Through my online research and articles I have read online, grocery stores will put items on sale but it won't always be their cheapest sale price. An item will be the cheapest between 6-8 weeks from the last time it was on sale. The theory is that you buy the item when it is the cheapest and then apply the coupon to the item and get it for even CHEAPER!!!
I will help you with this. I have been exploring this process and I am trying to find the simplest and least time consuming way to save money.
Some of you may think that you don't have time to do this... You might not but you also need to think about how much your time is worth. I have been saving almost 50-70 dollars a week for about an hour or two a week of time invested organizing and researching this system. If you did this for a month you would save almost 200 - 280 a month. It is like you got a part time job for only 4-8 hours of work. I feel like the money I am saving is helping offset the cost of filling up my truck.
My goal is to save you the time and find the simplest and shortest method to this process. I am sure that we could spend hours and days looking for deals, but I do value my time with my family and I also have a job. I am hoping after I figure out how all of this works, I can fine tune this process to take about 30-45 minutes a week of coupon planning and still save the same amount or more... Each week I am getting faster and finding better deals. I will share my mistakes and what I learn as I venture into this world of couponing and saving money....
If you want to join me on this journey you have a homework assignment...
Homework:
Next time you go grocery shopping buy a 3 ring binder. Preferably one that zips (I wish mine did) and 20 or so sheet protectors. I will share the organization system with you at another post. I learned this system through my research online!
Get ready to start saving money!!
If I did coupon shop, I used the coupon that came in the sale flyer right away. The problem with this was that the item that I bought was not at its cheapest price.
Through my online research and articles I have read online, grocery stores will put items on sale but it won't always be their cheapest sale price. An item will be the cheapest between 6-8 weeks from the last time it was on sale. The theory is that you buy the item when it is the cheapest and then apply the coupon to the item and get it for even CHEAPER!!!
I will help you with this. I have been exploring this process and I am trying to find the simplest and least time consuming way to save money.
Some of you may think that you don't have time to do this... You might not but you also need to think about how much your time is worth. I have been saving almost 50-70 dollars a week for about an hour or two a week of time invested organizing and researching this system. If you did this for a month you would save almost 200 - 280 a month. It is like you got a part time job for only 4-8 hours of work. I feel like the money I am saving is helping offset the cost of filling up my truck.
My goal is to save you the time and find the simplest and shortest method to this process. I am sure that we could spend hours and days looking for deals, but I do value my time with my family and I also have a job. I am hoping after I figure out how all of this works, I can fine tune this process to take about 30-45 minutes a week of coupon planning and still save the same amount or more... Each week I am getting faster and finding better deals. I will share my mistakes and what I learn as I venture into this world of couponing and saving money....
If you want to join me on this journey you have a homework assignment...
Homework:
Next time you go grocery shopping buy a 3 ring binder. Preferably one that zips (I wish mine did) and 20 or so sheet protectors. I will share the organization system with you at another post. I learned this system through my research online!
Get ready to start saving money!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Ebates! Easy Way to Save Money
Okay! I wish I knew about this website about 4 years ago. My dear husband and I have been great internet shoppers. We use the internet to price shop and compare. Many times we have ordered from various stores as well as use this information to buy at a store in our town.
Well, Ebates pays you to shop online. The key is that you have to go through their website to begin shopping. I would bookmark this page and then link to the stores you would like to shop at. Every store (they have over 900) listed offers a percentage rebate. The company will send you a check every 3 months if your rebate total is over $5.01. Just by signing up you earn $5.oo.
Once you begin using the site and like it, refer your friends to this site and you will also earn $5.00's if they purchase. (Thanks Deanna!)
Every day they have a few featured stores that double their rebate amount. The other day Barnes and Noble doubled their rebate from 4% to 8%.
So, I decided to begin Christmas shopping for nieces and nephews!! Barnes and Noble was having a sale on games, puzzles, etc. I received free shipping, got some great items on sale, and earned a rebate of 5.00 for my purchases.
Later on that day, I realized that I needed ink for my printer and thought that I should try to see if there was a store within ebates that I could order ink from. I ordered 2 black ink cartridges and a colored ink cartridge from Office Depot. I of course price shopped to see where I could find it the cheapest! I earned back 4% and had free shipping. I didn't have to drive a mile; therefore saving my treasured gas. I am now up to $18.00 that they will be sending me in August.
If you are interested in checking out this great resource, check on the link above or on the side!
Well, Ebates pays you to shop online. The key is that you have to go through their website to begin shopping. I would bookmark this page and then link to the stores you would like to shop at. Every store (they have over 900) listed offers a percentage rebate. The company will send you a check every 3 months if your rebate total is over $5.01. Just by signing up you earn $5.oo.
Once you begin using the site and like it, refer your friends to this site and you will also earn $5.00's if they purchase. (Thanks Deanna!)
Every day they have a few featured stores that double their rebate amount. The other day Barnes and Noble doubled their rebate from 4% to 8%.
So, I decided to begin Christmas shopping for nieces and nephews!! Barnes and Noble was having a sale on games, puzzles, etc. I received free shipping, got some great items on sale, and earned a rebate of 5.00 for my purchases.
Later on that day, I realized that I needed ink for my printer and thought that I should try to see if there was a store within ebates that I could order ink from. I ordered 2 black ink cartridges and a colored ink cartridge from Office Depot. I of course price shopped to see where I could find it the cheapest! I earned back 4% and had free shipping. I didn't have to drive a mile; therefore saving my treasured gas. I am now up to $18.00 that they will be sending me in August.
If you are interested in checking out this great resource, check on the link above or on the side!
I am now one of the crazy coupon ladies!
Hello! I wanted to have a place to share with you my deals or how I am trying to save money to fill up my truck. My whole motivation behind trying to save on groceries were because....
1. It cost me almost 94.00 to fill up my gas guzzling Tahoe. My dear husband has shared with me that it is not worth our while to trade it in as we would take a loss. Too bad! I was really hoping to get something more fuel efficient.
2. When looking for ways to save money, I always have been bargain shopper for clothes, furniture, decorations, etc. I almost never pay full price for any of these items. Why not groceries... My friend Beth introduced me to Aldi which is wonderful, but I needed more extra money to fill up my truck...So why don't I follow that same principal for groceries that I do for other items. My biggest pet peeve is you don't have anything to show from paying full price for groceries - just what comes out in the toilet or if you eat too much what shows up around your middle or in my case on my thighs.
So after reading an article in Newsweek magazine about ways to save money, I began my obsession. In this article it referenced many sites that help with saving money. I have been researching these sites and many others and plan on sharing these with you.
I hope you join me on this journey to saving money...
1. It cost me almost 94.00 to fill up my gas guzzling Tahoe. My dear husband has shared with me that it is not worth our while to trade it in as we would take a loss. Too bad! I was really hoping to get something more fuel efficient.
2. When looking for ways to save money, I always have been bargain shopper for clothes, furniture, decorations, etc. I almost never pay full price for any of these items. Why not groceries... My friend Beth introduced me to Aldi which is wonderful, but I needed more extra money to fill up my truck...So why don't I follow that same principal for groceries that I do for other items. My biggest pet peeve is you don't have anything to show from paying full price for groceries - just what comes out in the toilet or if you eat too much what shows up around your middle or in my case on my thighs.
So after reading an article in Newsweek magazine about ways to save money, I began my obsession. In this article it referenced many sites that help with saving money. I have been researching these sites and many others and plan on sharing these with you.
I hope you join me on this journey to saving money...
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