Good Resources/Tips for Couponing

[StarRidgeAcres]

I'm really just getting started. I went to a class at someone's house and learned a few things, but really the girl talked so fast and knew her craft, just wasn't a very good teacher imo. So I'm slowly getting into it; trying to never go to the store without at least a few in hand. I'm certainly not to the point where I'm getting 90% off my bill like some of those folks on TV, but I am generally getting about 10% off.

So, would you couponersn- big and small - please share your tips, favorite sites, etc? It would be much appreciated!

 

[bevann]

In my area the Sunday paper most weeks has 2 or 3 booklets of mfgs.coupons.Cost of the paper is $1.50 and most weeks I get lots of coupons I can use.Don't buy stuff just because you have a coupon.Look for store circulars in papers and use coupons on specials for the week.Kind of like double savings.If you can find a store that doubles coupons go there(Our Super Fresh did that, but closed in my town).Plan your menus around coupon savings items.Pay attention to quantities-some coupons you have to buy multiples of item-this really cuts down on value of coupon.Organize your shopping trip by aisles in the store and stack coupons accordingly.If store is out of item ask for raincheck and inquire about use of coupon since many have exp.date.good luck and have fun.You really can save money but it does take some additional time.There are also many web sites for coupons that can be printed.Our local paper often has restaurant coupons.I use them if I'm in a hurry and want to get a nice dinner for takeout.I used a $4 off for $20 order this past week at Boston Market.Nice dinner for about $16 for 2 that tasted like I spent hours in the kitchen.Red Lobster and Olive Garden,KFC and Pizza places always have coupons.I'm a coupon clipper.

 

[Riverrose28]

I'm assuming you want to save money on groceries! I shop at Safeway, not sure if you have this store in your area, but I go to their website and down load the coupons to my card. I also only grocery shop once a month. Now that he kids are grown and out on their own. I must tell you that in 2008 hubby lost his union job, got it back for a few months in 2009, then lost it again, now he is working for a non-union company and making alot less then before and benefits are non-exitant. We now have to pay for health care, etc. Economy is really bad, the farm is in the red, horses are not selling for what they are worth, boom days are over. Any way back to saving on groceries. I only buy meat at the grocery, we grow all of own veggies from broccoli to potaotes, corn, squash,, beans, carrots, califlower, tomatoes, etc. I can what i can and freeze some. I never buy veggies except for mixed veggies then I buy them at Walmart, it's much cheaper. I buy all my pet food and paper products at walmart too. This month our budget was $150 for the month. I spent $73. on meat, and went to walmart and spent another 67. on pet food. It can be done. Also when you shop at safeway you get points towards buying gas up to $1.00 off per gallon, so I get my gas there too, and share my card with the guy accross the road and his grocery savings help me buy gas for my truck. How do I get by with spending so little on meat? Well I buy a couple of roasting chickens and use one for three meals, same with a roast. I make a lot of soup, chicken and dumplings, cassaroles, etc. A turkey will last for four or five meals, and what is left over can be frozen to make soup. Waste not want not is my moto. I also buy a whole pork tenderlion and cut my own chops, mac & cheese at Walmart is only 46 cents plus a veggie. I also make my own buiscuits and cornbread. Yum, we don't go hungry around here. Plus hubby is going to get a deer this year, the one that keeps eating my corn I hope, or the one that snorted at me while I was picking blackberries in the woods, he was an 8 pointer. Yes I also make my own jelly and jam. The trick to grocery shopping is stay on the out side aisles, don't go up the others, make a list and only buy on sale or two for one, use your coupons and your card.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I'm assuming you want to save money on groceries! I shop at Safeway, not sure if you have this store in your area, but I go to their website and down load the coupons to my card. I also only grocery shop once a month. Now that he kids are grown and out on their own. I must tell you that in 2008 hubby lost his union job, got it back for a few months in 2009, then lost it again, now he is working for a non-union company and making alot less then before and benefits are non-exitant. We now have to pay for health care, etc. Economy is really bad, the farm is in the red, horses are not selling for what they are worth, boom days are over. Any way back to saving on groceries. I only buy meat at the grocery, we grow all of own veggies from broccoli to potaotes, corn, squash,, beans, carrots, califlower, tomatoes, etc. I can what i can and freeze some. I never buy veggies except for mixed veggies then I buy them at Walmart, it's much cheaper. I buy all my pet food and paper products at walmart too. This month our budget was $150 for the month. I spent $73. on meat, and went to walmart and spent another 67. on pet food. It can be done. Also when you shop at safeway you get points towards buying gas up to $1.00 off per gallon, so I get my gas there too, and share my card with the guy accross the road and his grocery savings help me buy gas for my truck. How do I get by with spending so little on meat? Well I buy a couple of roasting chickens and use one for three meals, same with a roast. I make a lot of soup, chicken and dumplings, cassaroles, etc. A turkey will last for four or five meals, and what is left over can be frozen to make soup. Waste not want not is my moto. I also buy a whole pork tenderlion and cut my own chops, mac & cheese at Walmart is only 46 cents plus a veggie. I also make my own buiscuits and cornbread. Yum, we don't go hungry around here. Plus hubby is going to get a deer this year, the one that keeps eating my corn I hope, or the one that snorted at me while I was picking blackberries in the woods, he was an 8 pointer. Yes I also make my own jelly and jam. The trick to grocery shopping is stay on the out side aisles, don't go up the others, make a list and only buy on sale or two for one, use your coupons and your card.

Terry, you are my hero!

I would love to get to a place where I'm living off the land as much as you are. You've really got a system down and it obviously works for you. I wish I was better at gardening; I guess I just need to keep trying. It just seems so hard - time for planting, feeding, watering, keeping weeds out, knowing how to properly care for each different veggie. But I keep trying.

I don't believe we have Safeway here, but I will look around. We do have something called Aldi's, but I've never been. I'm told they don't do coupons, but maybe if their prices are good enough it wouldn't matter. I do know that one of my hurddles is going to be Robert and his palete (sp?). He likes very few things....and veggies aren't one of them!

Corn, maybe a baked potato here and there and that's about it. No salads, nothing green, nothing with color at all. He also doesn't like any soups which I could live on, especially in winter. Pretty much, if it isn't pizza, chicken parmesean or something he's grilled (beef, chicken or pork), he isn't eating it. It's a real battle around here when we make the list and menu for the week.

Thanks to the advice! Please keep the ideas coming!

 

[chandab]

I do know that one of my hurddles is going to be Robert and his palete (sp?). He likes very few things....and veggies aren't one of them!

Corn, maybe a baked potato here and there and that's about it. No salads, nothing green, nothing with color at all. He also doesn't like any soups which I could live on, especially in winter. Pretty much, if it isn't pizza, chicken parmesean or something he's grilled (beef, chicken or pork), he isn't eating it. It's a real battle around here when we make the list and menu for the week.

Thanks to the advice! Please keep the ideas coming!

My BIL sounds like your husband, he lives on convenience foods, mostly pizza; I don't know how he does it, but he often lucks into a great deal on frozen pizza at Albertson's; he's been there many times when they are defrosting the freezers, and he gets great deals on pizzas, like a buck or two each including the good pizza brands. [Albertson's also has 10 for $10 deals, and we stock up on somethings at those times. Other great deals there too, if I can get to town during those great sales. We got Hershey's chocolate chips on one of those deals a few years ago, and my MIL bought a whole box, I think it was 30 bags, we split 3 ways. Not been that good of a deal since.]

I love stir-fry veggies, hubby doesn't, so I make the stir-fry anyway, and keep the veggies separate from the stir-fried meat, then add rice; I eat the veggies, rice and meat, he eats just the meat and rice. He'll only eat green beans, green peas, corn, potatoes and rice (he's allergic to lettuce, apples and carrots; I love all three); I try to add a veggi he likes to each meal, but its not always easy to do. He does like spagetti, so get another veggi in there with the tomatoes in the sauce.

Luckily he will eat stew or soup as long as its loaded with meat; I just made a batch of hearty beef barley soup, recipe on the Quick Barley box, its excellent (I modify it a little to fit the ingredients I have on hand, this last batch I used left-over roast beef for the meat, it calls for ground beef).

I stock up when canned goods are on sale; Butter Kernel brand is really good, and goes on sale often enough to keep the cupboards full. I prefer frozen peas, and if they are petite peas even the grocery store brand is tender and sweet (around here I buy either Albertson's brand or Western Family). We raise cattle, and I know we'd save even more doing it ourself, but we send a steer out every other year, sometimes more often (but its just the two of us and it depends on the size of the steer). My in-laws grow potatoes, so I can get potatoes whenever I want them. [i tried a garden down here, but our soil and my black-thumb just don't do much for a garden.]

My mom saves the coupon fliers out of her Sunday paper, but they don't often have products I actually use in them, or by the time I get them, they are expired.

 

[cretahillsgal]

I've just started couponing, Parmela! Or trying to anyway. The problem that I am having here is that the only places for me to shop are WalMart or United. And those dont really offer any specials or doubles or anything. That said, I did save $30 off my groceries last week. Not a whole lot, but its a start.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I've just started couponing, Parmela! Or trying to anyway. The problem that I am having here is that the only places for me to shop are WalMart or United. And those dont really offer any specials or doubles or anything. That said, I did save $30 off my groceries last week. Not a whole lot, but its a start.

I only have those types of places also. There are two regional stores that do double sometimes, but their prices are so much higher that I don't believe I come out ahead by using them.

I think $30 is HUGE!!! I've only saved like $16 or so on my "biggest" coupon shop.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

I was wondering a while ago if there were any couponers among us. You have to be frugal these days with mini mouths to feed. I use krazycouponlady.com and I also go to our local new stations website because they have a coupon blog. It helps to find something in your area because a lot of it is regional.

 

[Minimor]

I used to use a lot of coupons; not so much any more as so many coupons I get are for things that I normally don't use and/or for products that cost so much that even with coupons they aren't a good deal.

I shop at several stores--I watch the flyers and so know who has a special on what. I have a membership at Co-op so get money back from them every July. I can also use my Press Pass (which comes with my local newspaper subscription) and get 5% off my Co-op purchases (excluding dairy products and advertised specials) so that helps a little. The first Tuesday of every month is 10% off day at both Safeway and Co-op, so on a $100 worth of groceries I get $10 off--that helps a lot! Co-op has double coupon day every Wednesday, I make use of that sometimes. Some things are just plain cheaper at Wal-Mart or Superstore so I buy there sometimes.

Pet food(canned cat food) is usually cheapest at Wal-Mart so I usually buy there. However, last week Superstore had FF on for 49 cents a can, limit 12. I took cash & went in and bought 12 cans.....4 times in a row. Regular price is 73 cents there, 68 cents at WalMart. So, on 48 cans of FF cat food I paid $26.34. The same amount at Wal-Mart would have cost me $36.56 (including taxes in both totals).

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I'm loving the great ideas here!

I'm so new to this almost everything you guys are mentioning is a first for me. But one thing I'm doing is cutting ALL coupons I can, usually buy 2 papers, and then on Friday's I take them to dinner (there are 5 of us that have dinner every Friday - 3 girls, 2 guys) and while the guys talk about stuff the girls aren't interested in, we exchange our unwanted coupons among us. I eat 2 Fiber One bars each day (

I know

) and they are expensive, so I get all the fiber one coupons I can get. One girls bakes a lot so she takes all those coupons, one girl buys cat food for a rescue, so she takes all the cat-related ones. It really works out great for us!

 

[Bess Kelly]

A few things that help out -- somewhat mentioned here -- cook for multi use. The larger roast that can then be sandwiches, chopped for soup, etc. Cooking a larger amount and then freezing not only helps USE every bit but, saves on the time and cost of cooking meals later. It helps me to have a few meals set aside like this, especially on a "tight" grocery week. Plus portion control, which most all of us need to use anyway

Most staples I find less expensive at WM. But I buy sales meats at best priced store sales. Since there are several all within a mile of one another, it isn't a running the gas issue. I often come home and divide into meal sized pkgs for freezing, etc.

Always have loved a garden but, not done one for a couple yrs. Planned to this past and had all ready but, mom got bad off and now living with me. No garden time with all else to do...have her Altzhimers, heart & lungs stable right now. Since I also had to give up one of my PT jobs to be around home, I plan to do some planting this yr to not only save money but my sanity

You know, gardens do NOT have to be huge and varied. For some of us a couple plants each of our favs are more than enough. I'm thinking 2-3 each of tomatoes, peppers, squash, maybe one cuke, etc. They can be grown successfully in a small space, even a container -- and do very well. I'd like to can my winter supplies, again, as I used to do before I was alone at home -- now, I have dtr, grdtr & mom here

Straw bales still sitting out there waiting for me and I hope they are viable in March

Have seeds!

Oh, I use coupons, shop sales, etc., like everyone else. Mom has commissary privleges, so I go there once in a while -- if we are in there for RXs, etc. Used some local produce from farmers markets this yr also. And I have a few friends who plant a little and always share. A couple chickens would be great to add this yr, or so I think right now.

Hey -- we all have free mini fertilizer!!!!!

 

[alongman]

I don't believe we have Safeway here, but I will look around. We do have something called Aldi's, but I've never been. I'm told they don't do coupons, but maybe if their prices are good enough it wouldn't matter.

OMG! We have Aldi's that are close to where I work. I LOVE that store. It's the most fun supermarket experience. It's set up much like any other grocery store, only the cans aren't perfect (many are dented or have partially missing labels), the boxes sometimes are squished a little, and you do have to check expiration dates as some of the stuff has a shorter shelf life (like 30-60 days) as opposed to some of the stuff that can last months from "regular stores". As for price - DIRT CHEAP! They don't always have the same brand name, so you can't get hung up on brands, but the quality has always been good. I try to shop there at least once a month - we usually spend in the neighborhood of $75-100 and get everything, including meat and produce. The only items we really don't get there are milk (we seriously need our own cow) and pet food. They don't do coupons, but the prices reflect incredible savings.

My box of Wheaties cereal (I'm eating breakfast because the kids are all fed) cost me $0.97! I looked at our local grocery store, the same box would have cost me $4.98. I think that speaks for itself.

 

[Reijel's Mom]

I read this with interest because let's face it, who ISN'T trying to save a buck these days! I do a little couponing but nothing big, if I see a coupon for something I use, I use it. I think to be really good at it, you have to have time to devote to it, and spare time is something I don't have, unfortunately.

ADAM - your post CRACKED me up, I don't know why! I could just read your excitement about Aldi! We also have them in Iowa and yes, everything is very, very affordable there. I think Aldi would save the average person a lot more money than couponing. The 1 thing I've found that I don't care for there is some of the vegetables, green beans for example, seem to be a little more stemmy/tough than canned veggies I've bought anywhere else. I can live with it, though.