saving money with coupons

I still get excited when I go to the grocery store and save over 90% on my bill. The question I get the most is where do I start? So, I’ve decided to put together a how-to for you below.  First things first, where can you find the coupons.

Finding Coupons

•Sunday Paper - the Sunday paper will have 2 or more “packs” of coupons. Except the week of a major holiday.
•Magazines - Different magazines will have coupon offers inside of them. I like the All You magazine from Walmart - lots of coupons and samples. Check around the next time you walk by a magazine rack
•Peelies - Coupons attached to the product// you will need to remove these yourself prior to check out
•Tearpads - These are pads of coupons/rebates that are located in store next to the product
•Smart Source Machines - These are those small red machines in the grocery stores that dispense the coupons
•Catalina Coupons - These are coupons that the cashier will hand to you after you’ve shopped w/them. You usually will get these w/your receipt
•Coupon/Magazine Bins - Generally located in the front of a grocery store
•Directly from the Manufacturer (MFR) - This one is a bit time consuming when you are calling and/or emailing the companies directly but when you get coupons from them, it is generally for a free item. Also, a lot of times when you go to their website they will have coupons listed under their promotions page.
•Online - Online has become a new way of “couponing”. You are able to print coupons online, generally w/a limit such as 2 per computer

With coupons you’ll be able to get items for free, close to free or even receive money back

*TIP - I have 2 computers in my house so I am able to print 4 coupons online for an item (2 from each computer.) I’ve listed some great online coupon places for you below.

http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.smartsource.com/
http://www.ppgazette.com/
http://www.specialoffers.com/
http://www.redplum.com/pages/Grocery.aspx
http://eversave.coupons.smartsource.com/WEB/index.aspx?Link=4IMIBYWECHXXE

Here are a few things to remember when using coupons -

•Store coupon policy:  It’s up to you to find out what it is.  Don’t try to use online competitor coupons stacked with MFR coupons if that store doesn’t take them.  Which brings me to
•Coupon stacking: is when you take a store coupon (for example, Target, CVS or Walgreens) and use it along with a MFR coupon for an item on sale at Publix.  – This is where you can save and even make money and why it’s important to know the stores coupon policy ahead of time.
•Printing online coupons: When you are printing an online coupon – don’t close the window after you’ve printed one coupon, try hitting the back button and printing the coupon one more time. 

Now that you’ve got your coupons, it’s time to go to get ready to shop. 

•First you need to grab the weekly circulars for the stores that you will be visiting.
•Then, look through the circulars for BOGO (buy one get one free) items.  You want to match the BOGO’s with your coupons (remember you can always look for coupons online)
•Lastly, remember that BOGO’s are stores advertised sales and most stores allow you to stack your coupons (remember to check with the store ahead of time.)  Example:  Recently my Publix store had go-gurts on sale BOGO (save $2.89) I was able to print 2 online coupons for $1.00 off which made the cost of the go-gurts $0.45 each.  - However, to really make this value pop,  I bought 6 packages of go-gurts and paid $2.70 out of pocket (OOP)  the cost of 1 go-gurt normally. Buying this way allows me to stockpile and save even more money.

Learning to manage and save money on your grocery/household bills may not be a necessity for you and your family. But for us, it’s knowing we are another step closer to financial freedom and living the life we were meant to live.  We may not be able to pay off all of our bills at once but we are able to do it, one step at a time.  If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I’ll be glad to help anyway I can.