Couponers How do you do it?

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  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    I did a competition on a couponing site once where we had 1 week to buy as much stuff as possible and were only allowed to spend $5 (tax not included since it varies between different states). I ended up with over $1000 worth of product, everything from ice cream to toothpaste to diapers to diabetic supplies. And I did not win. LOL (lots of stuff got donated that week LOL) That was back in my crazier couponing days. And that's not a normal week of shopping even back in my crazy days, that was specifically for the contest. In a normal week I am much less interesting. LOL
  • blueeyedcristi
    blueeyedcristi Posts: 304 Member
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    I am an extremely effective couponer. Not a hoarder like you see on that hideous show. I buy what my family and I need. I have taught several classes & actually worked for one of the major couponing sites. My recommendations for a beginner:

    Buy multiple copies of the Sunday paper every week.
    File your inserts whole (saves tons of time & you never know when a money maker will come along)
    Pick a website that does store matchups (my favorite is southernsavers.com (this is not the one I worked for). Match ups will show you the best deals at each store and list which coupon to use - if it is from the newspaper it will list the date and source)
    After you check the match up, go to your files and pull & clip the coupons you need
    Don't freak out if you miss a deal. Trying to run after every deal will just burn you out. All deals will roll around.

    I really could go on forever but that's a few to get ya started.

    I find I am using a lot less coupons now that we are eating healthy and our HBA stockpiling is set for some time.
  • blueeyedcristi
    blueeyedcristi Posts: 304 Member
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    One more thing for now....find a website that has ethics and will not share fraudulent deals. I have already seen one posted that posts deals all the time that are not legit. Please make sure you use the coupon only for the attended item or clear shelves as this only makes this harder on everyone. Since I began couponing many stores have had to update their coupon policies bc of that 'show' and many manufacturers have drastically reduced the coupon values.
  • xraylady33
    xraylady33 Posts: 222 Member
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    I am very confused, I work 40 hours a week, I drive two hours a day, I work out, prepare meals, shop and have a very active teen. My house is always clean(little over the top) and i sleep about 6 hours a night. When is there time to search, cut, organize all these coupons, when I could save the time?

    I am not being sarcastic, but the time I would spend on doing this activity is time I should use for me, or to relax...although I rarely relax. I aplaud you for your vigorous work, but I would rather take an extra hour of call, and save the time.
  • kuregisto
    kuregisto Posts: 124 Member
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    ... If you have any of the big drugstores in your area (CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens) start studying up on their rewards programs (CVS has 'extrabucks', Rite-Aid has 'up rewards', and Walgreens has 'register rewards') - you can stock up on health, beauty, and hygeine items super-cheap, free, or even them paying you to take them out of the store with those rewards systems. But they can be quite complicated for newbies to read up and ask lots of questions.

    A couple of forums I like:

    www.afullcup.com
    www.hotcouponworld.com
    ...

    Seconded. Especially the suggestion of reading up on them first. There are people who make a killing in savings using the drug stores route.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    One more thing for now....find a website that has ethics and will not share fraudulent deals. I have already seen one posted that posts deals all the time that are not legit. Please make sure you use the coupon only for the attended item or clear shelves as this only makes this harder on everyone. Since I began couponing many stores have had to update their coupon policies bc of that 'show' and many manufacturers have drastically reduced the coupon values.

    Completely agree - no matter what 'deal' you see listed, double-check your coupon to be sure the wording actually indicates that it is appropriate for the item.
    I am very confused, I work 40 hours a week, I drive two hours a day, I work out, prepare meals, shop and have a very active teen. My house is always clean(little over the top) and i sleep about 6 hours a night. When is there time to search, cut, organize all these coupons, when I could save the time?

    I am not being sarcastic, but the time I would spend on doing this activity is time I should use for me, or to relax...although I rarely relax. I aplaud you for your vigorous work, but I would rather take an extra hour of call, and save the time.

    There is definitely a time investment, especially when you are first starting out and having to build your coupon stash, learn policies, organize, and learn to plan weekly trips. Some people really may not feel like they have the time for all that on top of their daily lives. For some people it is worth the time b/c of the financial benefit (saving money on items your family needs). But it doesn't necessarily work well for everyone, some people get started and find it's too tedious for them to do on a regular basis. Using the websites that people have suggested can be helpful, they will list the best deals for each store each week based on the advertised prices and deals, and they will also 'match up' coupons to the sales - they will list the item on sale and then list either which Sunday insert to find an appropriate coupon or they will list a link directly to a printable coupon for the item. This is much faster than combing through the ads and compiling a list yourself for each store you're interested in, but it does still take time. Many people who are very busy may benefit from choosing only 1 or 2 stores to do their coupon shopping (maybe 1 favorite grocery store and 1 drugstore) so they don't feel like they have to drive all over town every week to get every single deal.
  • LTRUITT3
    LTRUITT3 Posts: 205 Member
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    BUMP, I love using coupons :)
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
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    I am very confused, I work 40 hours a week, I drive two hours a day, I work out, prepare meals, shop and have a very active teen. My house is always clean(little over the top) and i sleep about 6 hours a night. When is there time to search, cut, organize all these coupons, when I could save the time?

    I am not being sarcastic, but the time I would spend on doing this activity is time I should use for me, or to relax...although I rarely relax. I aplaud you for your vigorous work, but I would rather take an extra hour of call, and save the time.

    Luckily for me I have no children, I do work over 40 hours a week but for the most part I have all the time in the world. But it only takes me an hour in front of the TV on a sunday and I find it very enjoyable and rewarding when I have to go to the grocery store now. Also I am an x ray tech as well and I still save more with coupons than I would with an hour of call not to mention I would rather be home than at work. I track how much I save and so far I have saved an extra $200 a month, and I only cut coupons one hour a week and go to the store like I always have. Seems well worth the effort to me. The longer time you put into it the more you save of course.
  • mzteebell
    mzteebell Posts: 44 Member
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    I do :) my food/household budget was about 250 a week cut it back to 150 plus get WAY more stuff than before

    thekrazycouponlady.com <
    coupon bible LOL

    I agree. The Krazy Coupon Lady website is the best EVER! I carry my coupon binder everywhere I go.
  • chubby_checkers
    chubby_checkers Posts: 2,354 Member
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    bumping for later.
  • minussam
    minussam Posts: 127 Member
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    bump for later
  • janiedoe111
    janiedoe111 Posts: 161 Member
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    Conscientious couponing really does add up. Especially for makeup, bathroom items and various kitchen soap.

    Thanks for the coupon links!
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    Conscientious couponing really does add up. Especially for makeup, bathroom items and various kitchen soap.

    Thanks for the coupon links!

    Gosh yes, those items are pretty much always free. Or at least they are free often enough that you can stock up on them enough to last until the next time they will be free. LOL
  • HopeFaithLove71
    HopeFaithLove71 Posts: 22 Member
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    I have been lax on this for about a month now. I'm motivated to get my stuff together! :smile:
  • LBachynsky
    LBachynsky Posts: 64
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    326562_10150490475284342_754584341_8843907_5487009_o-1-1.jpg

    This was all $5.17 and includes one lb of Dilusso deli ham, one lb of Dilusso deli turkey, one lb of Dilusso deli cheese and a fresh Tilapia fillet.
  • LBachynsky
    LBachynsky Posts: 64
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    I buy 5 Sunday papers every Saturday morning, then I have two more - the Minneapolis and St. Paul papers - delivered on Sunday. there are a couple of coupons that don't make the early Sunday edition.

    Then I sit for a few hours on Sunday while the laundry's in the wash. First I pull all the grocery ads and use a highlighter to mark up any good deals. Then I clip everything that matches those deals and anything I think I'll use in the future and sort them into a big binder.

    I have a pretty good stockpile now. In fact, I'm out of room in a small chest freezer, 2 refrigerators and my kitchen and pantry. I need more space!!!

    When people ask me about it, I simply say, "there's no reason to ever pay for toothpaste." :bigsmile:
  • wendyc122005
    wendyc122005 Posts: 123
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    OK, some may think I am crazy, but I buy the coupons that I will use from a website. This ends up costing me the price of just 1 paper per week, but I am only getting the coupons that I will use and I can get as many of a single coupon that I want.

    For someone new to couponing, the grocery sales tend to be cyclical so once you know your stores you can anticipate about when something will be on sale.

    One last thing, like other said it is important that you learn your stores coupon policy. For instance, Publix will allow you to use 2 coupons on their BOGO's. This means that each item is considered a separate sale and if you have 2 coupons for 1 item you can use both. In addition, if you have a competitors coupon they will stack the stores coupon on top of the manufacturers coupon.

    Oh and don't forget to take advantage of any fuel rewards programs that you store offers. I generally get about 2 tanks a month filled for $.45 to $.80 less per gallon.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    I wasn't going to bring up coupon ordering b/c I didn't want to overwhelm the newbies. LOL. But yes it is extremely helpful when you want to stockpile a few particular items and can't justify buying that many newspapers.
  • healthydoseofglitter
    healthydoseofglitter Posts: 532 Member
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    I am very confused, I work 40 hours a week, I drive two hours a day, I work out, prepare meals, shop and have a very active teen. My house is always clean(little over the top) and i sleep about 6 hours a night. When is there time to search, cut, organize all these coupons, when I could save the time?

    I am not being sarcastic, but the time I would spend on doing this activity is time I should use for me, or to relax...although I rarely relax. I aplaud you for your vigorous work, but I would rather take an extra hour of call, and save the time.

    honestly I spend an hour a week usually on sunday .... the hour to me is worth the $100 a week in savings ..... it is what you make off it ... I dont go crazy and I go on my work lunch break to whatever store to grab the savings plus I usually walk to get in some cardio :) ... We take care of my fiances 17 year old sister and lemme tell you the savings on razors, body wash, pads, etc. is crazy!
  • xraylady33
    xraylady33 Posts: 222 Member
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    I am very confused, I work 40 hours a week, I drive two hours a day, I work out, prepare meals, shop and have a very active teen. My house is always clean(little over the top) and i sleep about 6 hours a night. When is there time to search, cut, organize all these coupons, when I could save the time?

    I am not being sarcastic, but the time I would spend on doing this activity is time I should use for me, or to relax...although I rarely relax. I aplaud you for your vigorous work, but I would rather take an extra hour of call, and save the time.

    Luckily for me I have no children, I do work over 40 hours a week but for the most part I have all the time in the world. But it only takes me an hour in front of the TV on a sunday and I find it very enjoyable and rewarding when I have to go to the grocery store now. Also I am an x ray tech as well and I still save more with coupons than I would with an hour of call not to mention I would rather be home than at work. I track how much I save and so far I have saved an extra $200 a month, and I only cut coupons one hour a week and go to the store like I always have. Seems well worth the effort to me. The longer time you put into it the more you save of course.

    Fellow xray chic...nicely done! I have been in administration for the past ten years, but still take cath call! The money is fabulous and I suck up call when ever I can! Maybe one day I will find time to try, as saving 200 is great. But for now....free time is limited and I like me time..haha

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