Welcome to Website Wednesday. I have decided to reserve Wednesdays to highlight and/or review a particular website. That said, I am going to begin by breaking the rules. But it is for a good cause. After all, saving money is always a good cause. Am I right?
Today I am not going to highlight just one website. Instead, I am going to talk a little about couponing, and I am going to share some of the websites that I have found very helpful.
I am fairly new at couponing. I mean, sure, I have used a coupon here and there over the years, but I never really knew how to use them to their fullest potential until a few months ago. I have to admit that I was first intrigued by the extreme couponing show on t.v. I quickly learned that the stories that are portrayed on the show are, indeed,
extreme. I mean, I have no desire whatsoever to go dumpster diving. Nor do I wish to completely clear shelves of a particular product and deprive others of the chance for a good deal. I do, however, like the idea of finding great deals on things that we use anyway and building a reasonable stockpile if the opportunity presents itself. Finding the great deals takes a little work, but it is well worth it.
Here are some pointers to get you started:
* Know the store's coupon policy. You can usually find the store's coupon policy on their website. It is often helpful to print the policy and have it with you when you shop.
* Stack manufacturer coupons with in-store coupons whenever possible. Many stores allow you to use both a manufacturer coupon
and an in-store coupon on the same item for greater savings.
*If available, sign up for store loyalty or club cards. Most of the time, these are free. Remember to look online for coupons and deals that can be electronically loaded to your card, in addition to the advertised in-store club prices.
*Know where to get coupons. Find out where coupons are in your area. Some are sent in the mail, and others are inserts in the local newspapers. (Call your newspapers to see which day(s) they insert the coupons).
You can also go to the product brand's website and/or Facebook page to see if they have printable coupons there.
You can get printable coupons online from various sources. Here are a few:
Some of the most valuable tools are couponing websites and blogs. You can learn the specifics of shopping/couponing different stores. You can learn about great coupon deals. Some even match up coupons to store deals for you! There are way too many informative sites out there for me to list. Today, I will share just a few of my favorite sites.
Couponing 101 The Krazy Coupon Lady Coupon Divas Coupon Mom
Here is an example of one of my couponing trips. It just so happens that my coupons, store card values, and sales were aligned that day.
Safeway 8-14-11
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| (The bottled water is not shown) |
2 goldfish crackers
2 goldfish grahams
2 gerber puffs
2 fiber one bars
2 fiber one brownie bars
2 chex mix
2 chex mix sweet n salty
4 cheerios cereal
4 chex cereal
2 lucky charms cereal
1 kix cereal
1 cookie crisp cereal
1 bisquick
4 progresso soups
4 golden grain pasta
1 20-pack coca cola
1 35-pack crystal geyser water
4 starkist albacore tuna
1 pack plastic utensils
2 pillsbury delights
1 dozen eggs
1 tub challenge butter
1 speed stick deodorant
1 hershey's chocolate bar that I DID NOT buy, but got charged for. :-(
Total Before Coupons: $162.64
Club Card Savings: $ 65.21
Paper Coupons: $ 34.67
Personalized Price*: $ 8.22
Club Card Coupons: $ 1.50
Final Cost: $ 53.04
(I saved $109.60)
*Personalized Price is a sale price that is electronically loaded to the card. You CAN use coupons in addition to these prices.
Not too shabby, hu? Are there any helpful couponing tips you'd like to share? Please feel free to comment.
