Couponing 101

Have you tried couponing in the past and gave up because you maybe saw a $10-$12 savings on your grocery receipt and decided that the time it took to cut them out and then hopefully remember to bring them with you just wasn't worth the measly savings?
Maybe you decided to just buy the store brand because it was cheaper.  Or started shopping at a specific SuperCenter because you feel like you are getting the best deals there.
I've been there!  But that was before I discovered the true art of couponing the right way...so I'd like to share what I learned with you so you can start stocking your shelves with MORE stuff and spending LESS money! 
The art of true couponing is saving those coupons from your paper and then waiting to use them until the product you want to buy is on sale. Doing this you can get items for half the cost and sometimes even FREE.
To make the most out of it, you've got to be prepared and make a plan for each shopping trip.

Here are the basics:
1. Product prices fluctuate on cycles normally 6-8 weeks long. When an item is at its lowest price in that cycle you want to buy enough of that item to hold you over until it comes back on sale. For example, if your family loves a specific type of cereal and eats a box a week, then buy 6 boxes when it is on sale to get you through the sale cycle. 

2. Use your coupons in combination with the sale to get the lowest price!

3.  Grab some extra copies of coupons that you will use a lot of by purchasing more papers, getting friends papers and using printables from online coupon sites.  There are also websites that you can purchase coupons from. 

4.  Shop the drugstore sales too
For example, a few weeks back, Rite Aid had Nivea body wash go on sale for $3.50.  There was a manufacturer coupon in the Sunday paper for $4.00.  Thats FREE body wash just with the coupon!!  But what was even better was another manufacturer coupon that was Buy one Get one Free from a previous newspaper.  If you only had one of each coupon, you would still be able to get 2 FREE Body Washes due to those 2 coupons. Imagine if you had MORE of those coupons?   
Sometimes you might need to ask for a rain check if the store is out of stock of the item you want.  Thats almost even better because you can make your own sale!    

By using these methods, I have reduced my familys monthly grocery bill from $800 a month down to around $300 per month and this includes cleaning products for dishes, laundry, other household cleaners, diapers, and health and beauty products!
I never pay more than $1.50 for a box of cereal.  I almost always get my spreadable butter for FREE, if not, then its less than 50 cents for a tub of the spreadable stuff.  My pantry is more stocked than it ever was in the past and I"m spending so much less money, simply by using the method of couponing combined with grocery sales. 

• Most stores will allow you to combine a manufacturer coupon along with a store coupon for even greater savings.  And several of the grocery stores will double coupons that are 50 cents or less.  That means a 50 cent coupon is actually worth a dollar! 

Another example:  my favorite grocery store has BOGO (Buy One Get One) sales every week.  My family likes the 4 pack of Yoplait Plus yogurts.  These are normally priced at $2.50 for a 4 pack.  But when it goes on sale BOGO...thats just $1.25 for each 4 pack....then use a 50 cent coupon that doubles to a dollar...and you are only paying 25 CENTS for a 4 pack of yogurt!!   If you had enough coupons, you could buy 10 of these 4 packs of yogurts for the regular retail price of one.  But of course, there are some items that you need to use good judgement on...don't just buy it because it is a good deal if it will go bad before it will get eaten because then you are just throwing your money away.  Some things you can freeze, if you have enough room in your freezer. 

Don't let it overwhelm you!  Just start out small and you'll still see BIG savings and will quickly become a coupon addict and wonder why you ever shopped any other way. 

Here are a few resources I refer to on a regular basis for sale ads: 




Places to purchase coupons:


Coupon Lingo:
SS – SmartSource
RP – RedPlum
PG – Proctor & Gamble
GM – General Mills
AY – All You Magazine
ECB – Extra Care Bucks (CVS)
RR – Register Rewards (Walgreens)
SCR – Single Check Rebate (Rite-Aid)
VV- Video Values (Rite-Aid)
Up+- Rite Aid cash reward
OOP – Out Of Pocket
BOGO – Buy One Get One Free