Now you have the basics on coupon theory, have collected some coupons and organized them (Right?) it's time to shop!!
Your first step is going to be to build your list. Yes, a list....if you don't already work from one this is going to take a little getting used to. Here are a few links to sites that provide coupon match ups by store. This is your road map to savings! These sites will tell you what is on sale, provide the information on the coupons to use and also provide links to internet coupons you can print to get savings on some items.
http://www.couponing101.com/
http://www.couponmom.com/
http://www.howtoshopforfree.net/
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://www.totallytarget.com/
Other sites are out there, these are just the ones that I have worked with at some point. If you don't like any of them take a look around the web and find one you really like. This is important, it will save you hours of effort and clue you in to things that other people have found in their stores that may not be in the ad! One other note, most of the pricing listed on these sites is regional. Some prices and coupons may vary, I always list price and coupon on my list so that I can evaluate what my stores are actually charging. Sometimes it makes a difference in what I will actually purchase.
I recommend starting with one store and giving it a test run. Get your list together, gather your coupons for just those items (I use an envelope to put my list and coupons I know I will be using in) and head to the store. I know that you will have other items to purchase when you are starting out so make sure they are on the list.
Eat something before you do your shopping!!! I know this sounds basic but it really makes a difference. The average amount of overspending done by people who shop while they are hungry is $40 (In my case this also happens when I go into the store with my Brother-In-Law)!
The first few weeks of coupons shopping will be training on how to shop from now on. Stick to your list, when you have a coupon for something that is on sale and the price is really good (A lot of the match up sites will give you a heads up when it is a "stock up" price) grab a few of the item if it is something that you know you like. Sales cycles rotate anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months. Until you get a handle for when the same item is going to be on sale again, get enough for 2 months, that should cover you to start with and you will start to get a feel for when it cycles. Don't panic if you miss a sale either, again, sales are on a cycle so it will come around again and again and again! Another thing to focus on the first few weeks is pricing, there are some things that the sites don't consider stock up prices but that still go on sale. Monitor these common items that you buy and start to decide what the max price you will pay for something is and also what price you will pay for it when you don't necessarily need it. For example, I will not pay over $0.99 for toothpaste (and that is the good stuff, I prefer Colgate Total and Joe likes the Crest 3D white) ever! However, when I find it for $0.25 it is an automatic purchase as long as I have space for it.
Another thing that couponing will train you for is letting go of brand loyalty. I have had the opportunity to try all different kinds of things that I wouldn't normally have bought. Some have been great and others have been gawdawful. There have been a few things that even my husband wouldn't eat and that man will eat ANYTHING. If you are trying something different make sure you only buy enough to try it first, if you buy 10 packages of something that even the dog won't eat, you are not saving money. I won't even donate that stuff! Same goes for personal items, cleaning products, paper products, etc. If you buy 4 bottles of a cleaning product that smell awful and don't clean anything you haven't saved yourself anything. If you buy 1 and decide you hate it, you are out a minimum amount of money and can just toss it without the guilt.
After a shopping trip I always set everything out on my kitchen island and do a "post shop" evaluation (those of you that are friends on FB have seen some of the pictures). I look at what I purchased and in addition to the overall total I evaluate what I spent per item to decide if I got a good deal or just got excited. I also evaluate how much of an item I already have to decide if I need to quit buying an item no matter how little I pay for it. As a good friend of mine, The Great Soa, says "Know Your Limits!"
"Know Your Limits!"
In addition to developing a sense of pricing limits you also have to develop a sense of how much to keep on hand. This ain't hoarders guys.....If I come to visit and you have dedicated 3 rooms of your house to storing items that you have been stockpiling we are going to have a serious talk! Start keeping and eye on what you are using from your coupon purchases and monitor your expiration dates. If there are things that you are buying that you have to throw away because you cannot use them in time, that needs to be evaluated. If you start seeing that things are going to expire within a month and you know you will not be able to use them, bag them up and take them to a local food bank. It doesn't matter if you paid $0.50 for something if you are only going to throw it away.....Paper products and household items generally have a really long or no expiration dates so definitely stock up on those, however, set yourself some limits on how much you will keep around. If you have a wall of toilet paper that will not be used for 5 years and you keep buying more, sooner than you think that toilet paper will start taking over the house. Same goes for smaller items, I don't care if you keep getting soap for free, at some point there is just too much to use.
A couple of things to keep in mind. It takes time to work up to big savings. Until you really build your coupon collection there will be sales that you cannot take advantage of. Don't get discouraged! Keep at it for a month or so. My minimum savings now is 50% and almost always more than that. When I first started it was more like 10% or 20%, my grocery spending did not change but I was always walking out with more than usual. Now I can take advantage of sales on higher priced items without blowing my budget because I know there is plenty at home that I don't need to worry about. Which leads me to the next thing. Stick to your budget! Starting out is is easy to get in the mode of wanting to take advantage of every sale, every time. Even with lower prices on items getting too much of them or too many different things can still break the budget. Pace yourself and remember that next week there will be more deal on different things.....the savings will not go away they will move on to something else and then work their way back around.
The most important thing is to have fun with this. Saving money is exciting!! Until next time, Happy Couponing!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Putting It All Together - Part 3, Organizing
So now that you have started your collection and you have all these coupons, what to do with all of them??
There are so many different ways to organize coupons that I will go ahead and list several. It really depends on what kind of time investment you want to make and what works for you. None of these methods are required and you can change anything you like about them, these are suggestions. If you find something that doesn't work for you, don't do it! Giving up on couponing because it is taking too long to organize or you are getting frustrated trying to find what you are looking for is an awful thing. I will explain some different methods in order of the time investment needed. Take what you like and ignore the rest, I promise I will not be offended ;-)
The absolute least time commitment that can be made is keeping your coupon inserts intact. Get 12 hanging file folders or large envelopes and file them by month. If you get more than one insert put them together and paperclip, binder clip or just plain stick em in together. Almost every coupon matching site will give you the date of the insert that the coupon is in so you can just go and pull that insert and clip the coupon that you are looking for. The pros of this method are obvious, there is no real time investment and the only time you need to actually clip is when you need the coupon. The cons are that when you are in the store you have nothing but what you need so, if you run across a great deal that you have a coupon for you have to go home and find it then make another trip to the store (there are searchable databases for coupons that should tell you what insert they are in). Additionally, by keeping the inserts intact you will wind up having expired coupons taking up space. The ranges for coupons in a single insert can be several months. My last inserts had coupons that expired as early as the end of September and some that were good until December.
The next method is similar to the first but a little more time consuming and hard on the back! This method will require a very large binder (probably up to 5" eventually) and lots of sheet protectors (The larger ones that will hold lots of sheets) also one of those supply pouches that will go in a binder for a small pair of scissors. You will still write the date of the insert on the front but then file them in your binder by week in whichever direction works best for you (oldest first or newest first). You will still pull out the coupons that you know you are using but then you have all of the rest with you while you are shopping so you can take advantage of any sales you find. The pros of this method are that there is not a huge time investment associated with filing your coupons. Also, you can take them with you when you go to the store so that you can clip out what you need while you are in the store. The cons are.....well, to start with dragging around a huge binder with all of those inserts is really hard on your back. Trying to find a coupon for a specific item in the store can be trying when you have to flip through all of those (although with smart phones and coupon databases you can at least know which insert to look in) and then clip your coupon in the store. I am not a coordinated person, trying to pull out an insert and a pair of scissors in the store without making a mess and dropping all manner of things on the floor is just not something I can see me doing gracefully.
Now we move into the clipping methods. This will require that you go through your inserts and clip out all of the coupons in them. (Sidenote, I never throw away any coupons whether I think I will use them or not. You would be amazed at what they will actually pay you to take out of the store....Also, any expired coupons that I do not use get mailed off and are sent overseas to the military. They can use coupons for up to 6 months after they have expired.)
There are two major methods for filing clipped coupons both require a binder (Mine is 3") and some baseball card sleeves. These are available in Target and Walmart in the trading card sections. You can also buy them on ebay or from Amazon.com. I got most of mine from Amazon because the pricing was really competitive (I had a really difficult time finding them in the stores, they just couldn't keep them on the shelves). You will also need dividers, use whatever works for you if it is colored paper or actual tab dividers or well whatever you can come up with. Remember that the goal is to save money so don't invest huge $$$ on your filing supplies.
Your first step is going to be to match up all of your insert pages if you get multiples. I get 4 so I pull em apart and stack them, then staple the pages together so that I am clipping all 4 at the same time, be sure that you get them lined up correctly. Totally devastating to destroy them by hacking off important parts. I am scissor challenged so I use a paper cutter to hack up the inserts (with a large margin) then go over each one individually to trim them down with a pair of scissors while I am watching TV at night (Yeah, I know....it's that OCD again....I just can't help it!!!)
Store Aisle Filing:
Using this method you will file your coupons according to categories based on your grocery store aisles. I am linking a suggested breakdown from www.krazycouponlady.com. This can be modified to suit your preferences but this will give you a good idea and a place to start. http://thekrazycouponlady.com/kclcouponbinder.pdf
The pros to this method is that when you are in the store shopping you can look up items that are on sale on the fly based on where you are standing in the store. Since your coupons are already clipped you can just take them out and add them to what you have planned to use. The cons of this method are that trying to file them can take time, deciding where some things go in the breakdown of the store aisles can get obnoxious especially since different stores will keep items in different places. Also, some things just don't fit into a specific category and can cause frustration during filing.
Alphabetical Filing:
Oh be still my little couponing heart. I am a huge fan of filing by alphabet...anything in my house that can be sorted that way IS. Makes putting things away or finding them super easy for me. The pros of this method are that when I am in the store I can find a coupon for any product. They are filed alphabetically by product name so it is super easy to find what I am looking for and since they are already clipped I can just pull them out and add them to my "use" pile. I also only need 12 dividers because I can do several letters in one section, A-B, C-D, E-F...ok yeah you get the point. If a section gets too big I can just add inserts to it. The cons of this method start with the time investment. Every week I have to rearrange the coupons to keep everything in alphabetical order to make sure I can find what I need when I am looking for it. Also, for the alphabetically challenged this can be frustrating and annoying.
Ultimately, you need to find what works for you. I tried a few different methods before I settled on mine. I wanted to give a good overview of different methods that I have culled from different sources all at once so that you can make a more informed decision. You can always try one method on for size and see how it works, if it doesn't work for you personalize it or switch to a different method! Couponing is all about what works for YOU!
Until next time, have fun and HAPPY COUPONING!
There are so many different ways to organize coupons that I will go ahead and list several. It really depends on what kind of time investment you want to make and what works for you. None of these methods are required and you can change anything you like about them, these are suggestions. If you find something that doesn't work for you, don't do it! Giving up on couponing because it is taking too long to organize or you are getting frustrated trying to find what you are looking for is an awful thing. I will explain some different methods in order of the time investment needed. Take what you like and ignore the rest, I promise I will not be offended ;-)
The absolute least time commitment that can be made is keeping your coupon inserts intact. Get 12 hanging file folders or large envelopes and file them by month. If you get more than one insert put them together and paperclip, binder clip or just plain stick em in together. Almost every coupon matching site will give you the date of the insert that the coupon is in so you can just go and pull that insert and clip the coupon that you are looking for. The pros of this method are obvious, there is no real time investment and the only time you need to actually clip is when you need the coupon. The cons are that when you are in the store you have nothing but what you need so, if you run across a great deal that you have a coupon for you have to go home and find it then make another trip to the store (there are searchable databases for coupons that should tell you what insert they are in). Additionally, by keeping the inserts intact you will wind up having expired coupons taking up space. The ranges for coupons in a single insert can be several months. My last inserts had coupons that expired as early as the end of September and some that were good until December.
The next method is similar to the first but a little more time consuming and hard on the back! This method will require a very large binder (probably up to 5" eventually) and lots of sheet protectors (The larger ones that will hold lots of sheets) also one of those supply pouches that will go in a binder for a small pair of scissors. You will still write the date of the insert on the front but then file them in your binder by week in whichever direction works best for you (oldest first or newest first). You will still pull out the coupons that you know you are using but then you have all of the rest with you while you are shopping so you can take advantage of any sales you find. The pros of this method are that there is not a huge time investment associated with filing your coupons. Also, you can take them with you when you go to the store so that you can clip out what you need while you are in the store. The cons are.....well, to start with dragging around a huge binder with all of those inserts is really hard on your back. Trying to find a coupon for a specific item in the store can be trying when you have to flip through all of those (although with smart phones and coupon databases you can at least know which insert to look in) and then clip your coupon in the store. I am not a coordinated person, trying to pull out an insert and a pair of scissors in the store without making a mess and dropping all manner of things on the floor is just not something I can see me doing gracefully.
Now we move into the clipping methods. This will require that you go through your inserts and clip out all of the coupons in them. (Sidenote, I never throw away any coupons whether I think I will use them or not. You would be amazed at what they will actually pay you to take out of the store....Also, any expired coupons that I do not use get mailed off and are sent overseas to the military. They can use coupons for up to 6 months after they have expired.)
There are two major methods for filing clipped coupons both require a binder (Mine is 3") and some baseball card sleeves. These are available in Target and Walmart in the trading card sections. You can also buy them on ebay or from Amazon.com. I got most of mine from Amazon because the pricing was really competitive (I had a really difficult time finding them in the stores, they just couldn't keep them on the shelves). You will also need dividers, use whatever works for you if it is colored paper or actual tab dividers or well whatever you can come up with. Remember that the goal is to save money so don't invest huge $$$ on your filing supplies.
Your first step is going to be to match up all of your insert pages if you get multiples. I get 4 so I pull em apart and stack them, then staple the pages together so that I am clipping all 4 at the same time, be sure that you get them lined up correctly. Totally devastating to destroy them by hacking off important parts. I am scissor challenged so I use a paper cutter to hack up the inserts (with a large margin) then go over each one individually to trim them down with a pair of scissors while I am watching TV at night (Yeah, I know....it's that OCD again....I just can't help it!!!)
Store Aisle Filing:
Using this method you will file your coupons according to categories based on your grocery store aisles. I am linking a suggested breakdown from www.krazycouponlady.com. This can be modified to suit your preferences but this will give you a good idea and a place to start. http://thekrazycouponlady.com/kclcouponbinder.pdf
The pros to this method is that when you are in the store shopping you can look up items that are on sale on the fly based on where you are standing in the store. Since your coupons are already clipped you can just take them out and add them to what you have planned to use. The cons of this method are that trying to file them can take time, deciding where some things go in the breakdown of the store aisles can get obnoxious especially since different stores will keep items in different places. Also, some things just don't fit into a specific category and can cause frustration during filing.
Alphabetical Filing:
Oh be still my little couponing heart. I am a huge fan of filing by alphabet...anything in my house that can be sorted that way IS. Makes putting things away or finding them super easy for me. The pros of this method are that when I am in the store I can find a coupon for any product. They are filed alphabetically by product name so it is super easy to find what I am looking for and since they are already clipped I can just pull them out and add them to my "use" pile. I also only need 12 dividers because I can do several letters in one section, A-B, C-D, E-F...ok yeah you get the point. If a section gets too big I can just add inserts to it. The cons of this method start with the time investment. Every week I have to rearrange the coupons to keep everything in alphabetical order to make sure I can find what I need when I am looking for it. Also, for the alphabetically challenged this can be frustrating and annoying.
Ultimately, you need to find what works for you. I tried a few different methods before I settled on mine. I wanted to give a good overview of different methods that I have culled from different sources all at once so that you can make a more informed decision. You can always try one method on for size and see how it works, if it doesn't work for you personalize it or switch to a different method! Couponing is all about what works for YOU!
Until next time, have fun and HAPPY COUPONING!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Putting It All Together - Part 2, Collecting Coupons
I have been getting a lot of interest and questions about couponing so....I'm BAAAAACCKKKKK!
I want to do a quick overview of coupon theory since it has been months since I last posted. Ultimately the goal is to get to the point where you are only buying what is on sale and you have a coupon for. I am absolutely not recommending that you buy 600 of something when it is on sale.....trust me a stockpile will build faster than you can imagine when you are just purchasing a few of something. My personal limit is 4 of anything, EVER. When you are first starting your savings will not be an overnight thing, there will still be things that you absolutely have to have.....please for all of our sakes, if you run out of deodorant do not avoid buying it because you do not have a coupon and it is not on sale!
Your first step to getting started with coupons is to build your collection. Your best resource for coupons is your Sunday paper. I currently get 4 copies every week. Houston has an early Sunday edition and I get 2 of those. That gives me all of the coupon inserts and the sales ads that give me the pricing that starts on Sunday. (A quick note: Drugstores, Target, Walmart, etc. update their sales on Sundays. Grocery stores update their sales on Wednesdays.) This gives me a chance to review what is going on and find out if I need to rush out to take advantage of a sale on Sunday. I also have 2 delivered to the house on Sunday morning. We have considered setting up a 3rd delivery and only buying 1 on Saturday but at some point I may cut back on the number of papers I get so we have been stalling. Unfortunately the Chronicle does not deliver the Early Sunday edition so I do have to go out and pick it up.
Depending on the size of your household you will need to figure out how many papers are appropriate for you. Start small....give yourself a chance to try it out. If you call the newspaper and they start delivering 10 papers to your house and you discover that you HATE couponing and that you are not seeing any savings and it is not worth your time (If any of that happens you get in touch with me IMMEDIATELY, we need to have a lesson!) you could be stuck with a ton of newspapers and nothing to do with it. I recommend starting with 2 that you pick up on Sunday mornings (Or Saturdays if your paper does an early Sunday). That will give you a chance to start seeing what coupons are available and what sales happen also starting to develop your shopping routines.
In addition to your Sunday paper inserts, there are tons of printable online coupons. Coupons.com, smartsource.com, bettycrocker.com & pillsbury.com just to start with. There is a pitfall to avoid with the online coupons. When I first started I was printing like a maniac, had tons of the online coupons. What I have found is that a lot of the time these are duplicates to the ones that are in the paper and they have a shorter expiration time (Usually around 30 days from the time you print them). Now, I usually only print them when I have a specific purpose in mind. For example, when I go to krazycouponlady.com and they have a listing for a sale with a link to the coupon and it is one that I don't have a paper copy for I will go print it. Another thing to know about online coupons is that you are limited on the number you can print. It is 2 prints per COMPUTER in your house. I personally have 2 computers and have access to Joe's (at least when he is not looking) so I can print up to 6. This is also a good alternative if you don't want to deal with the Sunday papers. You can skip some of the hassle and see at least some savings with an extreme minimum of effort.
However, there are deals that you will absolutely miss out on because they do not provide all of the coupons in an online format. In addition, there were some serious problems with online coupon fraud a while back so a lot of the stores banned the use of them. The non acceptance of online coupons has been lifted in most places but it still has the potential to cause some problems.
Your next resource for building your coupon collection is your store card. There are several sites that cater specifically to this. Proctor and Gamble will load directly to your store loyalty card www.pgesaver.com, also the website for your specific store (mine is www.kroger.com) will often have store coupons you can load directly. A word on this.....a lot of times your paper coupons have a higher dollar value on these items and you can use multiples. With the store cards, they will process any coupons you have loaded FIRST and then not allow a paper coupon for the same thing. These are also only good on 1 item. I always run my store card AFTER they have processed my items and coupons. Another thing to watch for is that sometimes the digital coupons just don't work. If it happens to you, get ont he phone with the 800 number and usually they can work it out for you. In addition to store coupons, you will sometimes get little pieces of paper that print from the register called Catalinas. These are coupons issued based on what you have purchased. They can be for the same item or something similar and in some cases just a certain dollar off amount on your next purchase. Look at them before you throw them away!!!!
No coupon collection would be complete without some store specific coupons. Target is fantastic for couponers since they actually provide store coupons on their website. The coupon policy at Target allows for a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon for the same item. This week I went in and got toothpaste for $0.24 a tube because Target had a $1 off and I had a manufacturer for $1.....it doesn't get any better than that! Target also issues coupons in your Sunday paper, there are usually a few scattered in there and on occasion you get a full Target insert. When you print coupons from the Target website they are usually valid for a much shorter period so I never print them unless I know I am going to use them. They have the same limitations as other coupons so only 2 prints per computer. In addition to Target, several of the local drugstores have a similar program. Walgreens issues a coupon book every month that you can pick up in the store, those can also be matched with manufacturer coupons for big savings. CVS issues coupons from a big red machine when you scan your card. Both Walgreens and CVS have a program where they issue store credit when you make certain purchases. Walgreens has Register Rewards with no card required, so lets say they issue store credit of $3 when you purchase $10 of a certain product. They do not limit the number of times you can do this in a week so if you find a really excellent deal you can go back more than once. CVS is a little different, since they require a loyalty card to take advantage of these deals they set limits on the number of times you can use them and it is tracked on your card.
Once you start using coupons you will find them everywhere.....on products that you are purchasing (called peelies), tear pads sitting next to a product on the shelves, little machines in the aisles of your grocery store (blinkies) and so on. Coupons are EVERYWHERE!
A final note: Your store does not lose money when you use coupons. The manufacturers that issue coupons reimburse your store for the full amount of the coupon plus a processing fee. When a store issues a coupon they do it for marketing purposes, they want to get you into the store because the chances are that you will buy additional items and a higher loyalty to that particular store. Never "feel bad" about taking advantage of the savings that they are offering you. The stores are winning and so are you!
I want to do a quick overview of coupon theory since it has been months since I last posted. Ultimately the goal is to get to the point where you are only buying what is on sale and you have a coupon for. I am absolutely not recommending that you buy 600 of something when it is on sale.....trust me a stockpile will build faster than you can imagine when you are just purchasing a few of something. My personal limit is 4 of anything, EVER. When you are first starting your savings will not be an overnight thing, there will still be things that you absolutely have to have.....please for all of our sakes, if you run out of deodorant do not avoid buying it because you do not have a coupon and it is not on sale!
Your first step to getting started with coupons is to build your collection. Your best resource for coupons is your Sunday paper. I currently get 4 copies every week. Houston has an early Sunday edition and I get 2 of those. That gives me all of the coupon inserts and the sales ads that give me the pricing that starts on Sunday. (A quick note: Drugstores, Target, Walmart, etc. update their sales on Sundays. Grocery stores update their sales on Wednesdays.) This gives me a chance to review what is going on and find out if I need to rush out to take advantage of a sale on Sunday. I also have 2 delivered to the house on Sunday morning. We have considered setting up a 3rd delivery and only buying 1 on Saturday but at some point I may cut back on the number of papers I get so we have been stalling. Unfortunately the Chronicle does not deliver the Early Sunday edition so I do have to go out and pick it up.
Depending on the size of your household you will need to figure out how many papers are appropriate for you. Start small....give yourself a chance to try it out. If you call the newspaper and they start delivering 10 papers to your house and you discover that you HATE couponing and that you are not seeing any savings and it is not worth your time (If any of that happens you get in touch with me IMMEDIATELY, we need to have a lesson!) you could be stuck with a ton of newspapers and nothing to do with it. I recommend starting with 2 that you pick up on Sunday mornings (Or Saturdays if your paper does an early Sunday). That will give you a chance to start seeing what coupons are available and what sales happen also starting to develop your shopping routines.
In addition to your Sunday paper inserts, there are tons of printable online coupons. Coupons.com, smartsource.com, bettycrocker.com & pillsbury.com just to start with. There is a pitfall to avoid with the online coupons. When I first started I was printing like a maniac, had tons of the online coupons. What I have found is that a lot of the time these are duplicates to the ones that are in the paper and they have a shorter expiration time (Usually around 30 days from the time you print them). Now, I usually only print them when I have a specific purpose in mind. For example, when I go to krazycouponlady.com and they have a listing for a sale with a link to the coupon and it is one that I don't have a paper copy for I will go print it. Another thing to know about online coupons is that you are limited on the number you can print. It is 2 prints per COMPUTER in your house. I personally have 2 computers and have access to Joe's (at least when he is not looking) so I can print up to 6. This is also a good alternative if you don't want to deal with the Sunday papers. You can skip some of the hassle and see at least some savings with an extreme minimum of effort.
However, there are deals that you will absolutely miss out on because they do not provide all of the coupons in an online format. In addition, there were some serious problems with online coupon fraud a while back so a lot of the stores banned the use of them. The non acceptance of online coupons has been lifted in most places but it still has the potential to cause some problems.
Your next resource for building your coupon collection is your store card. There are several sites that cater specifically to this. Proctor and Gamble will load directly to your store loyalty card www.pgesaver.com, also the website for your specific store (mine is www.kroger.com) will often have store coupons you can load directly. A word on this.....a lot of times your paper coupons have a higher dollar value on these items and you can use multiples. With the store cards, they will process any coupons you have loaded FIRST and then not allow a paper coupon for the same thing. These are also only good on 1 item. I always run my store card AFTER they have processed my items and coupons. Another thing to watch for is that sometimes the digital coupons just don't work. If it happens to you, get ont he phone with the 800 number and usually they can work it out for you. In addition to store coupons, you will sometimes get little pieces of paper that print from the register called Catalinas. These are coupons issued based on what you have purchased. They can be for the same item or something similar and in some cases just a certain dollar off amount on your next purchase. Look at them before you throw them away!!!!
No coupon collection would be complete without some store specific coupons. Target is fantastic for couponers since they actually provide store coupons on their website. The coupon policy at Target allows for a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon for the same item. This week I went in and got toothpaste for $0.24 a tube because Target had a $1 off and I had a manufacturer for $1.....it doesn't get any better than that! Target also issues coupons in your Sunday paper, there are usually a few scattered in there and on occasion you get a full Target insert. When you print coupons from the Target website they are usually valid for a much shorter period so I never print them unless I know I am going to use them. They have the same limitations as other coupons so only 2 prints per computer. In addition to Target, several of the local drugstores have a similar program. Walgreens issues a coupon book every month that you can pick up in the store, those can also be matched with manufacturer coupons for big savings. CVS issues coupons from a big red machine when you scan your card. Both Walgreens and CVS have a program where they issue store credit when you make certain purchases. Walgreens has Register Rewards with no card required, so lets say they issue store credit of $3 when you purchase $10 of a certain product. They do not limit the number of times you can do this in a week so if you find a really excellent deal you can go back more than once. CVS is a little different, since they require a loyalty card to take advantage of these deals they set limits on the number of times you can use them and it is tracked on your card.
Once you start using coupons you will find them everywhere.....on products that you are purchasing (called peelies), tear pads sitting next to a product on the shelves, little machines in the aisles of your grocery store (blinkies) and so on. Coupons are EVERYWHERE!
A final note: Your store does not lose money when you use coupons. The manufacturers that issue coupons reimburse your store for the full amount of the coupon plus a processing fee. When a store issues a coupon they do it for marketing purposes, they want to get you into the store because the chances are that you will buy additional items and a higher loyalty to that particular store. Never "feel bad" about taking advantage of the savings that they are offering you. The stores are winning and so are you!
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