Start here and I'll show you the basics and how to begin.
Inserts are like money...the more the better!
You can't go to school without books so you can't start couponing without coupon inserts. And the more inserts you have, the more you can save by buying multiples of the products that are free or close to it and for the products you use and your family enjoys.
I buy 4 Sunday papers each week and then receive inserts from family and neighbors that don't use coupons.
I don't clip until I have my lists ready from www.couponmom.com and I keep them in order by date in a rubbermaid bin. So don't fret at the idea of clipping coupons from 10 inserts. Last week I purchased Lysol All Purpose Cleaner for .24 cents and bought 6. Plenty to last until the sales cycle comes back around on this product and I've gathered more coupons!
So, start saving your coupons, find as many copies of the inserts you can and save them! Keep reading my blog and I can help you save as much as 60-70% after you start using my tips and www.couponmom.com in just over a month of couponing.
Couponing is easier than you think and right now- every little bit helps! And it's fun getting cool stuff for free and watching your total drop from $60 to $13!!
PART ONE: How to use Couponmom.com:
Couponmom.com is where I get my lists for Kroger, Publix, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target and even Walmart each week. I've been using this site for over 8 years and while I know the website like the back of my hand- I realize someone new to CM could get lost very quickly! So, I'm going to walk you through step by step how I utilize Couponmom.com
1. When you go to the website- you will see on the home page "Find your store's Grocery Deals List." Click here and if you need to register, it's free or you may need to log in.
2. At the top is Grocery Deals by State. Use the drop down window to find your state and store. Highlight it and click "Go."
3. A new window will pop up for example, Kroger Best Deals. Maximize this window.
4. What I do next is on the far right of the headers is % Saved. There are 2 triangles- one right side up and one upside down. The upside down triangle will sort the list from 100% down. Click on it and the list will regenerate sorted by highest % to lowest % saved.
5. Now, go through the list and check the boxes on the far left of the deals you want to take advantage of. Once you go through the entire list, click "Display Selected Deals."
6. Your list for that store is ready to print!
To decipher the list- look at the headers. The first on the left is Coupon Date and what insert the coupon is in. The next section is the item itself. Then it tells you what quantity you need to buy to use the coupon and meet it's stipulation. You then see the sale price, the final price after using the coupon and the % saved on that item. At the bottom of your list is your total and total % saved.
Now you are ready to clip your coupons for the items you want to buy and then you are ready to hit the stores. Next post- I'll explain how I store my inserts and how I get everything organized so I'm ready to shop and save big!
PART TWO: I've got my lists...now what?
You've gone to www.couponmom.com and printed out your list. You are super excited about the savings and items on sale this week but what now?
I'm sure people wonder how I store 6-10 copies of the coupon inserts each week and keep the couple of months all in one place? I have a Rubbermaid bin that's about the size of a standard size file cabinet drawer but not that deep. It's easy to carry around and while it gets heavy with all those inserts- it is definitely manageable. I keep the inserts in order with the most current dates on top.
Once I have my list- one great thing about CM is your list will be printed in order of the coupon dates with the newest date at the bottom of the list. Makes going through the inserts super easy. I just work from the bottom of my list and after I get the coupons from an insert I just lay it to the side upside down. I just stack the inserts that way on top of one another so when I'm finished I can just lay them right side up in the bin and I'm still in order.
Once I get my coupons then I update my list, crossing out any items I didn't have a coupon for or decided not to get. I also update my quantity column for each item since I'm stockpiling and buying multiples. When I am finished, I paper clip the coupons to the top of the list and fold in half. I add any items I need to purchase on the bottom and if I have a coupon- the final price.
Because your list is updated with quantities- you will not be flipping through coupons in the grocery aisles. Just follow your list, head up to checkout and when your total is on the screen, hand the cashier your coupons and watch the total fall!
Sounds overwhelming? Maybe the first couple of times you do this. But once it becomes a process for you- it's easy and with all 5 lists- it only takes about an hour to get everything ready from going out to CM, printing the lists and retrieving the coupons. That hour is worth it when you are saving 60%+ each week!
The ABCs of Couponing:
I just realized that when I'm writing this- I have to remind myself that some people reading do not understand all the ins and outs of couponing like I do since I've been doing this for so long. Here are some quick facts, definitions of abbreviations and how each store handles coupons differently. I will elaborate on this last point store by store later this week.
Abbreviations and definitions concerning the coupon inserts and my blog:
S= Smart Source
RP= Red Plum
PG= Proctor and Gamble. This one comes out the first Sunday of every month.
GM= General Mills
AY= All You magazine that you can buy cheaply at Walmart. It normally has over $60 worth of coupons in it each month and it's a cute, informative magazine.
CM= Coupon Mom
WG= Walgreens
BOGO= Buy One Get One Free
OYNO= On your next order
Catalina= a coupon that will print at the store and the cashier will hand to you with your receipt.
Fun Facts:
- If you get your inserts out of order, if you look on the spine the date is printed.
- Kroger's sale is Sunday to Saturday each week.
- Publix sale is Thursday to Wednesday each week. (if you are not in GA- check because it might be different.)
- Walmart is updated on Saturdays.
- Drugstores' sales are Sunday to Saturday.
- CM lists advertised and unadvertised sales for the grocery stores so you'll find deals you might not see in the sale ad in the Sunday paper.
- On Sunday and Monday only- Publix has a Mystery Penny Item coupon in their sale ad. If your total (before coupons) hits $10- you qualify for this item. The items are great- toilet paper, apple juice, coffee, chips etc.
- If an item at the drug stores is BOGO- you must buy both. But with multiple inserts you can use 2 coupons.
- BOGO at the grocery stores is simply if you buy one- it's half off. You don't have to buy 2.
- CVS has a policy that if they have a sale on something that's BOGO and you have a BOGO coupon then you get both items for free. I normally see this deal on makeup and the coupons are usually in the PG coupon inserts.
- Walgreens deals will often combine sale ad coupons that you must clip, Easy Saver catalog coupons that you can find in the store when you get there and they limit how many you can purchase. CouponMom will show you all the coupons you need to get the lowest price and where to find them. CM is also great about telling you the limit of how many you can purchase.
- Kroger doubles coupons up to the face value of .50 cents.
- Publix double coupons up to the face value of .50 cents but this may vary state to state. I know they do not double in Florida. Publix is based in Florida and they are the king of Florida. Publix for a long time did not double in Georgia but about 3 years ago changed their policy to compete as heavily as they do with Kroger.
- The drug stores, Target and Walmart do not double coupons.
- Publix will take almost every competitors' coupons including the $5 off $25 CVS and Walgreens coupons that will generate on your receipt or they will email you. You must verify this at your store because it does seem to vary in different areas. My Publix will take them but not Target because there is not a Target nearby. There will be in about 6 months so I expect this store's policy to change. All you have to do is ask Customer Service.
That's it for now but I will be adding more later. Once you understand the different policies and rules- getting the deals and free items each week will be a piece of cake... I promise!
