I always hear of people saving TONS of money at the store by devoting some time each week to clipping coupons... I can find some coupons in the Sunday paper but that is certainly not enough to save TONS on each shopping event! WHERE ARE THE COUPONS COMMING FROM?!?!?!? I also was wondering if there is anyone who knows the rules to what stores will do double coupons...is there a certain day only....is there a day to go shopping where you can get better deals than anoter? I just need a coupon guru to help me out! I have three boys, a three year old and twin one year olds, and they all LOVE to eat, but they can't decide what they want to eat. I have found that my grocery bill has greatly increased while i am trying to find something they will eat. HELP...PLEASE!
My church in Marietta Georgia offers both a "Dave Ramsey" financial peace course for 120.00 and they offer a very inexpensive, if not free "coupon course". Other moms swear to saving $100 a month by following the tips and advice they are given but they have taken the coupon course and I haven't. Only having one kid, I think I'm not motivated enough. I think where you find a church that offers the Dave Ramsey class you will find they offer the coupon class also. Perhaps there are links at the Dave Ramsey website, or you can call some churches in your area and ask them.
God bless !!
To get more coupons, I subscribe to the Savannah Morning News, I also get the Coastal Courier. If the paper has really good coupons, I'll spend an extra $1.25 and pick up an extra paper. You can go to Shortcuts.com and sign up if you have a Kroger card. The site has coupons that go directly on your card and if you buy the item, you get the discount at the register. Before the price of gas went sky high, we used to have the Atlanta paper and the Georgia Times out of Jacksonville. Those papers had awesome coupons!
http://www.softcoin.com/Sites/PG_eSAVER/Page/HomePage/
I am definitely not a coupon guru, but keep thinking about trying to become one! I try to go through the flyers I get each week in the mail and pick where to shop based on what is on sale that week. I don't use coupons like I could... someone recently told me about these sites above... they offer coupons that you can link right to your grocery cards, so no clipping. I'm sure there's other similar sites on the web...
Try www.couponmom.com, it is a great site and can tell you the sales in your stores each week along with savings, and extra coupons you can print out. Good luck!
You've already been given couponmom.com which is a great site and I recomend you download their toolbar as well!! You can also go to www.redplum.com and www.smartsource.com which are the two coupon inserts for our area. You can print coupons off from there as well. Also, check out walmart.com for samples!! You'll always get a coupon with your sample as well!! (go to walmart's site, go down the left hand side till you see In Stores Now and pick free samples!) Also, if you have a problem with a product, call their 1-800 number and tell them about it!! You'll get coupns to replace what you have and then some!! Huggies is great for that!! If you love a product, call their 1-800 number and tell them too!! They'll send you coupons to help keep you a loyal customer!! Go to a company's website and see if you can sign up for special offers and what not either mailed to your house or to your email. Say you buy Huggies Diapers and the Kmart ad has them cheaper than what you pay for them at Walmart, take your Kmart ad to Walmart, show the cashier before she scans the diapers and you just got them for the Kmart price!! Got a coupong too for them, use it and save more!! As far as doubling coupons, I know Krogers does from time to time, and I've heard that Bi Lo does but I'm not positive. Call your favorite stores and ask them if they double (and up to what $$ amount) and ask them if the take compitor store coupons as well. That would be like useing a Walgreens store coupon at CVS!! I know there is a lot of info about this on coupon mom as well on how double coupons work. I don't get the chance to use it cause the store I go to don't offer it.
Good luck and happy couponing!!
Sharie
it all depends on what you are buying, really. i buy a lot of organic whole foods, so i don't save much at the grocery. but i used to buy a lot of food from "the aisles" (juices, boxed and canned foods, etc) and I could save a lot.
here are some small tricks i have learned over the years:
*not every grocer accepts online coupons (i.e. couponbug.com, coolsavngs.com) because they are so readily reproduced. those sunday coupons are the safest.
*get a small file for your coupons and cut out anything you would ever use - and save that coupon until you use it or it expires.
*publix stores double up to 50 cents
*publix stores also accept any other store's coupons (I get a coupon to Bloom for $10 off a $40 purchase, and publix takes it)
*pick up the weekly flyer from your favorite grocery store. do double-duty by using coupons on weekly specials
*many grocery stores put out separate savings books along with their weekly flyers, but you may have to pick them up at the store. they are often full of coupons.
i have also found it pays to have a favorite grocer. i have a publix, a bloom, and two bi-los all within a very close proximity to my house, and though i have tried them all (and even found bi-lo to be cheaper at times), i always end up back at publix. they know me there and i have often gotten 5-star treatment just because they know my face. it may not always equal saving money, but i think a positive, productive shopping trip is of great value.
oh, and, i don't work for publix! ha ha! i just looked back at my message and it sounds like quite the plug. :)
Hey Heather!!!
I am fairly new to this but, wanted to let you know that there is a support group in Athens for mothers of multiples. It is the Athens Mothers of Multiples and a really great group of people. I really enjoy all of the mothers I have met and feel there is no better place for help than those who have lived through it!! ha, ha. If you are interested let me know and if you are already a member, then I apologize for not meeting you yet!! Have a great day!!
Melissa
Visit www.kingdomfirstmom.com. Alyssa is a friend of mine who lives in Texas. She has dedicated her life to helping others with frugal shopping. She has some great advice and links to others with great advice. One of her bloggy friends, at Fiddledeedee, has lots of great ways to save while shopping at Publix. Good luck!
Hi Heather,
You are right the Sunday paper is not enough alone. I use mainly an online printing site from www.coupons.com. You can also join mypoints so that you can print them from there and earn points to get giftcards from other places. Also, if there are certain foods your kids like then go to that brands webpage and they usually will have coupons. Don't be afraid to cut ones of things you fon't use because sometimes you have to branch out or you may not need it then but when you do you will have the coupon.
Publix doubles everyday and Kroger will with the plus card so I mainly stay there. Do also shop the circulars to see where you will get yur biggest bang for your buck. Hope that helps!
FYI I usually only spend 30 minutes a week clipping and printng and usually will save 30 bucks on average
My coupon-master friend recommends hotcouponworld.com. On her last grocery-shopping trip she saved $91.
check out couponmom.com!
I would definitely recommend using www.couponmom.com. They will list the grocery deals in your area, plus list any coupons that coincide with the sales. They will tell you exactly where to find the coupons, either online or in your sunday paper, even the exact date the paper came out. Very simple, it does take some time and planning on your part though. Also on this website, I would recommend going to the Mom Forum, and Mom Blog - you can find even more deals and freebies.
I just read that Publix doubles coupons up to 50 cents, and takes competitors coupons. Kroger doubles coupons up to 50 cents, and Bi-Lo doubles coupons up to 75 cents.
Have fun!
I just cut all coupons I know I will eventually use and save them in my coupon saver and before I go to the store I find all the cooupons i will use and strictly use thoses coupons and stick to my list and that works for me and I have well over $30 and Lord knows I need it because I am laid off, just bought a house, a car, with a 7 year old and living off unemployment. SO yea it is tough going to the grocery store.
Hi,
I found thegrocerygame.com to be an excellent help. You can join for a penny for 30 days to try it out. You choose which stores you'd like and receive a weekly list detailing the sales and which coupons to use for the best savings. Using coupons is all about stockpiling. Check out the site, it's worth it!
Also, check out this blog: http://www.moneysavingmom.com/.
Danielle
A big way I save money with 3 kids with and without coupons is to PLAN MY MEALS for at least a week. That keeps me from going back to the store every other day for something I need for dinner that night where I would end up spending another $30 grabbing up other stuff. I will buy 2 or 3 gallons of milk at a time just to keep me away for the week.
You will not see a BIG savings in one weeks worth of coupons, but keep clipping and saving them and using them and it will soon add up - Good Luck.
Heather,
I have recently started using coupons regularly. My sister-in-law kept telling me how much she was saving and I started wondering how to get there as well. She gets a lot of her coupons from the internet. As you can imagine it would take hours to print them all after finding them. There is a blog www.stretchingabuckblog.com that helps with this. It has printable coupons on it along with sites to get more coupons and any kroger deals. This blog is based in OH where Kroger doubles coupons up to 0.99 cents. Here in GA Kroger will double any coupon on any day that is 0.50 cents or less. That is all I know at this point but the blog has other sites listed that help as well. I actually got free toilet paper using coupons. Hope that this helped you some.
there is already some good advise. Another thing that I do, is not only the store circulars, Sunday inserts, and coupons.com. I also sign-up at the corporate sites (BettyCrocker.com, GeneralMills.com, etc) and get coupons directly from the manufacturer.
Also, using the loyalty card (most grocery stores now use them) has some savings. I notice that a few weeks after a coupon comes out, then the store offers an in-store sale on the item. So, although I clip the coupon, I won't use it for 3-4 weeks. For instance, I have a 50-cent off for Rice-a-Roni, the coupon is good for 2 months, 3 weeks down the road, the store has an in-store special for those with loyalty cards for 25-cents off. Going on double coupon day, I end up saving $1.25 off a box of Rice-a-Roni.
Also, continue to shop around. Even if something has a coupon, it may still be more expensive than another brand. So, if you have to have the brand you have the coupon for, either enjoy the savings of the brand, or wait a couple weeks to see if the store decides to put it on sale.
Check out couponizer.com
The stores usually double coupons that are up to 50 cents - 50 cents would become a dollar off. After that, I think they just take the face value of the coupon. Also, try asking your grocery store customer service about coupons. They should be able to give you concrete information.