Couponing (Saved from Stockpiling for Emergency Thread)

[HeLivesinMe]

Something I did just 3 weeks ago was join www.thegrocerygame.com. If you are able to get coupons in your area (it's more difficult for my sister, which is why I posted that particular response) and you have access to stores that double, it can be a really good way to stock up AND save money.

For instance, I went to my local King Soopers (Kroeger) store this morning. I bought 6 jars of pickles. I had coupons for 4 and there were 2 more when I got there, just laying on the shelf, as if for me. :) I LOVE pickles and after coupons and being on sale, they were just $1 a jar. I also bought a few frozen panninis (I don't know how to spell that) some protein bars and some canned soup...it was Campbell's select, which is a little pricey, but after being on sale and coupons, they were $1.10 a can, so I bought 8.

I also bought some more Prego Pasta Sauce, that after coupons and discounts was $.79/jar. My total bill WOULD have been around $60 before store discounts, and around $40 after store discounts, and after my coupons, it came to $19.86 or something. So I got a LOT of stuff and it didn't cost me very much.

Later today I'm going to Safeway. In just 3 weeks of doing this, I've already saved a great deal and I have a bunch of stocked up things. My husband told me NOT to shop, but I have to, because that urge is strong and it's getting stronger everyday and I need to be working toward something. I love seeing my cupboard all full of food and I really love knowing that it's not costing all that much.

[jryanna]

I use coupons to buy groceries and have been regularly saving up to 90% on my groceries. I am not exaggerating!!! I started doing this a year ago when I, too, felt a prompting from the Lord and now my family and I are well stocked for at least the next year!

Tomorrow for example, I am going to get free toilet paper, starkist tuna, suave shampoo, cattlemans barbeque sauce, toaster strudels, poptarts, and sausage gravy. This is just the free stuff, I am getting much more for very cheap!

If anyone is interested on how to do this you can go to www.hotcouponworld.com and go to the forum where you can find threads on coupon basics.

If you want more info here, just post a reply here and I will be happy to post some of the basics for you all here.

Hope this helps.

[jryanna]

Ok - here are some basics on "professional" couponing to get you all started.

1. First - start collecting coupons. The Sunday paper is the best place to get inserts. I buy 10-20 newspapers each week. I have one delivered on Sunday, but I wait until Monday to buy the rest because Krogers sells the Sunday paper on Mondays for half price. So, I spend $10-$20 a week on papers. A worthwhile investment since I know this will save me $100s.

If you can't or don't want to spend that much, you can ask your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers for their Sunday paper coupons. Or, you can go to a recycling center near you and "browse" for coupons. If you are lucky and know a newspaper delivery person, you can ask them for coupons!

The key is to get multiples of coupons so that when a great deal comes along you can buy multiples of that deal and stockpile!!

2. Organize your coupons. I use a binder with baseball card holders (clear plastic sheets with 9 pockets to a page) and index dividers. I labelled the index dividers with categories such as dairy, bread, canned goods, personal care, etc. That way when I need to find a coupon, I can do so quickly.

The best (and quickest) way to cut coupons is to take the inserts apart and stack like pages together. That way you can cut several coupons at a time. It takes me about 20 minutes to cut 20 inserts. Filing takes quite a while longer, but I do that while I watch tv in the evenings.

3. Now that you have your coupons organized, you need to know your local store coupon policies. Knowledge is crucial--this is where your big savings begins!

I am going to post this and then continue the basics in another post because I time out if I type too long and then I can't post at all. So, in order not to lose all this typing, I am going to post this information in "batches".

I hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone too much.

[NewWorldOrder]

Jryanna, are you saying you buy multiples of the same newspaper, or do you subscribe to 20 different newspapers? :scratch I'm wanting to coupon as well, and was wondering how to get as many coupons as possible.

[jryanna]

Okay, picking up from step 3:

3. Know your store coupon policies. Call or visit all the grocery stores in your area. Ask the store managers the following questions:

1. Do you double coupons? If so, to what amount? Are there limits on how may you will double? Some stores will double the face value of coupons so that a coupon worth $.25 is worth $.50 For example, Krogers in my area doubles coupons up to $.50. So, every coupon from $0 to $.50 value is now worth $0 to $1.00. Some stores only double the first 3-7 coupons and not the rest, so it is important to know this rule. These rules all vary across the US, there are no "national" rules, so you must find out what the rules are for your store.

2. Do you allow coupon stacking? This means that you can use a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon. Most Sunday paper insert coupons are manufacturer coupons, that is, they are published by the manufacturer of the product and the store that redeems them is paid the face value of the coupon, plus $.11 each for handling. (That is why stores allow you to use coupons--they actually make money each time you use a coupon.) A store coupon is published by individual stores. Store coupons will typically have the store name on them and often do not have bar codes on them. Stores often publish these in booklets--look for them at your store.

Here is an example of coupon stacking that I have been doing this month. My Publix store published a booklet that contained a coupon for $1 off Minute Maid Enhance Orange Juice. This juice is normally priced at $3.79 each. Well, there were also manufacturer coupons that were on the neck of the bottle with a BOGO offer (buy one get one free). I've been buying 2 of these juices at a time and the math has gone like this: 2 juices at $3.79 each equal $7.58, minus BOGO coupon equals $3.79, minus two, $1 store coupons equals $1.79. $1.79 divided by two (juices) equals $.90. Ninety cents for a bottle of juice that normally sells for $3.79 sounds good, right?

But, it was even better when the store had the juice on sale at 2 for $6!!! So, now I used the same coupons on the sale price and paid just $.50 for the juice. Now, this is a great deal!!

3. How do your BOGO sales ring up? If the register rings them up at half price each, then you can use a coupon on each item. If the register rings them up at full price for the first and then zero on the second, you can only use one coupon. However, if a sale is BOGO and you have a BOGO coupon, then you can use one BOGO coupon and get both items free!!

An example of this is a few months ago Walgreens had L'Oreal shampoo and conditioner on sale BOGO. Then, L'oreal published a coupon in the Sunday paper for BOGO. So, for every bottle of shampoo AND conditioner, I used one BOGO manufacturer coupon and got both free!! I had 30 coupons, so I ended up buying 30 bottles of shampoo and conditioner and I only had to pay tax.

4. Is there a limit on how many coupons can be used per transaction? Some stores have limits on coupon usage. One Krogers near me limits coupons to 5 like coupons per transaction while another Krogers has no limits, so you need to ask each individual store on this policy. If there are limits--this is really not a problem. Just do separate transactions!! Or, if you like do one transaction, take it out to your car and then re-enter the store and do another. I think this is a silly policy because they don't limit how many transactions you can do, just how many coupons per transaction!!

Now that you have your coupons cut and organized and you know your store policies, you are ready to find the deals and go shop. I will post that info in my next post.

[jryanna]

Jryanna, are you saying you buy multiples of the same newspaper, or do you subscribe to 20 different newspapers? :scratch I'm wanting to coupon as well, and was wondering how to get as many coupons as possible.

I buy multiples of the same paper. The objective is to get mutiples of the same coupons.

For example if there is a sale on orange juice that makes it really cheap or free and I only have one coupon, then I can only buy one juice. But, if I have 20 coupons, then I can buy 20 juices and stockpile!!

[jryanna]

A few more coupon policy questions to ask:

5. Ask your store if they price match. Some stores will match another stores advertised sale. Wal-mart is the only store that I know of that does this nationally, ask all your other stores.

6. Ask your store if they take competitor's coupons. Publix in my area takes coupons from Krogers, Food Lion, Target, etc. I love Publix!!


Ok - the next step is to know the "golden rule" of professional couponing.

It is simply this - "Never buy unless an item is on sale AND you have a coupon for it". Unless you have something you are out of or really need in which case you only buy what you need in small quantities until it comes up on sale. And, believe me, sooner or later everything comes up on sale!!

When you start, you will have a longer needs list than a stockpile list. But, as you go along and continue stockpiling, your needs list will get smaller while your stockpile will get larger. Your grocery bill will shrink each month because as you stockpile, you will not need to purchase that item the following month. Your grocery bill will also shrink because of the great prices you will get when you follow this system.

An example for you. This week, Scott toilet paper 4 pak is on sale at Rite-Aid for $1.99. There is a coupon for $2 off 1 4 pak at www.scottclogclinic.com. There is also a $2 off 1 coupon in the "All You" magazine which is published by Walmart. You can get this magazine at the cash registers in Walmart or you can subscribe to it (google "All You"). The magazine costs $1.77 at the store, but is well worth the price since it is usually chock full of coupons. In any event, the toilet paper is $1.99 and the coupon is for $2, so you get the toilet paper free!! I have bought 32 packs of toilet paper so far and it cost me only the tax. I won't need to buy any TP for a long, long time!!! LOL

By the way, if a store is out of an advertised sale item, ask for a rain check. They are required by law to give you a rain check if an item is advertised in a sales circular but they are out of it. So, you will not miss a deal if they are out of something.

Also, if you go to Rite-aid, for example, and they are out of the TP, you can take the sales ad to Walmart and buy it there. Remember, Walmart price matches, so they will give you the same price that Rite-Aid has and you can use your coupons there to get the TP free.

Are you beginning to see the magic? Don't you love this? I absolutely LOVE couponing!!!! LOL

[NewWorldOrder]

Wow, I am in awe of your shopping skills! I thought I was good, but I'm a sales shopper, I never really tried using coupons!
Thanks for your wonderful posts!

Yea, I'm really impressed. Now I'm really motivated to start using coupons.

Thanks for the great advice. Keep it coming. :thumb

[jryanna]

some odds and ends

1. Be nice!! LOL - remember we are Christians and are called to a higher standard. If a cashier gives you attitude about using coupons, smile anyway. Don't ever argue or be rude - it's just not worth it. You don't want cashiers or store managers to dread seeing you coming. Likewise if you develop a good relationship with them, they will make your couponing life easier!!

2. Make a list before you shop and then stick to the list. I sit down with each sales circular and look for good sales. Then I write the sale down on a piece of paper and pull out my coupon binder and match a coupon to the sale. For example, this week Kroger is having a 10/$10 sale with lots of stuff for $1. So, I wrote those down and then checked my binder and found out I can get free Starkist tuna, Suave shampoo, Tennessee Pride sausage gravy and more! So, I made my list and will shop buying only those items on the list. Since I have 20 coupons of each, I will be buying 20 of each, adding to my stockpile.

3. Sale cycles. All sales are driven by manufacturers and these sales are on a 12 week cycle. This is good news because it means that if you miss a sale, you will be able to catch it again in 12 weeks. It is also good news because it means you will have a really good stockpile within 12 weeks!

4. Coupon Fraud. Don't cheat!! It is against the law, you can go to jail and besides, you are a Christian, aren't you? LOL Coupon fraud is this--it is against the law to copy coupons on a copier or to use them on an item they are not intended for or to use more than one coupon per item. So, you cannot use a Crest toothpaste coupon for Colgate toothpaste. You cannot print out a coupon from a website and then use a copier to make copies of it and you cannot use 2 manufacturer coupons on 1 item. Also, you cannot use expired coupons. Pretty simple, right? But, you would be amazed (or not) at how many people cheat. It just makes it hard for everyone else who is using coupons legitimately. The way I see it is this--I save a ton of money using coupons the right way and I sleep well at night. It is not worth saving a penny by cheating and then having to worry about the law and about my walk with the Lord. Enough said.

5. Internet coupons. Some stores take them, some don't. This is another question to ask your local stores. There are many, many websites where you can print coupons. A few are smartsource.com, valpak.com, coupons.com and then there are pretty much evey manufacturer website you can think of. Most of these sites limit the number of coupons you can print to one or two of a kind. You can get around this restriction by using different computers to print more as these all use your IP address to identify if you have already printed a coupon or not. You can use your PC at home, your spouses, your childrens, or you can ask your friends, families, etc. and you can use PCs at your local library. But, please do not be tempted to copy internet coupons on a copier--that is illegal.

Okay - I think I have posted most of the basics. There are lots of websites you can go to learn more and to print out coupons, too. Just google coupons and you'll see.

I have to go to work now, so I need to stop for now. If anyone has any questions, just post them here and I will check in tonite and try to answer them.

Now, go collect some coupons!!

[NewWorldOrder]

What about coupons where say, it's a $1.00 off two. You have to buy two to use the coupon. If I buy two, can I use the $1.00 off coupon and a second coupon for it's face value?