I am looking forward to going back to basics. Over the next few weeks, I and guest bloggers will be providing ideas and information to help you get on track. My goal is that we all have financial successful in 2011.
I would like to make sure I cover as many topics as I can. I also want to make sure these topics are beneficial to you.
Here is your opportunity to ask questions! The questions don’t have to be directly related to a coupon or a specific store.
I look forward to answering your questions. So what is on your mind, leave it in the comments!
Becky says
A top ten list. Top ten things that are easiest to purchase at the greatest discount. Based on coupons, sales and frequency/consistency. I immediately cringe at the thought of paying full price for toothpaste. Or soup, or bread. But if I knew other items to watch out for, it would be helpful.
Shannon says
@Becky,
ah top 10 great idea!
Ali says
Each week I save my coupon inserts from my newspapers and then file them in a folder. I have a folder for SS, RP, and P&G. I am wondering how long do I save these? Is there an easy rule of thumb like only keep the last 3 months, 6 months, etc? My folders get REALLY full!
Sheila W says
I would like advise on knowing when to stop and pass up a deal. I got a lot of good deals last year but have found that sometimes I bought things that we have not used. I look at it and wonder why did I get that. I am looking over my stock pile now and going to the shelter to donate. I have a hard time passing up good deals. An Example-cereal- my family eats maybe 3 boxes a month, but I have about 30 in my stock pile…
Jenn says
Hi Shannon- I have been following you for under a year, so very new at this! I have a couple of questions, First question is about printing coupons, I find that when I do often times I dont use this them. Is it worth printing coupons? And how do you decide what to print? The second is what about wholesale stores? Sometimes I find almost the same price for papertowels and such there vs target/rite aid. How do you decide when to buy? Thanks so much!!
mary says
@Amy,
Thanks for the tips! I’m still new at this and I don’t have a stock pile so I think those are my biggest challenges and time suckers right now. I follow 5 blogs which basically tell me what to do and where to go to get a coupon. I have a Droid phone so my google reader sends me updates on the blogs I’m subscribed to which means I don’t have to get on my computer to see IF someone posted something new. (Ha! I was in Rite-Aid doing my shopping one week and got a notification of an awesome deal. I turned my cart around and snagged it up! I love my phone.) And because I’m new I end up having to go through the registration process for every product company. Luckily I only have to do it once so I should start seeing that dwindle away soon. I only shop at Rite-Aid and Safeway (and Fiesta Foods every two weeks for produce because it’s cheaper there). I avoid Walmart like the plague because I just don’t like Walmart. And those are the only 4 stores I have in town. But printing coupons alone takes me FOREVER. It would be better if I just selected “print all coupons” but that’s a huge waste of paper, ink and money (I did that one night before bed and just let the printer do it’s thing while I counted sheep). It’s always nice to hear what other people do to manage their time in case they think of something I haven’t (which happens a lot). So thanks for your tips!
Ryan Fetzer says
@mary, I have a droid phone also, can you please tell me what blogs you follow so that I can put them in my google reader because that is a great idea. thank you
RYan
Mary says
@Ryan Fetzer, I got around to posting about using the Google Reader Android App here: http://womanofmanythoughts.blogspot.com/2011/01/couponing-from-your-android-phone.html
Hope this helps!
Shannon says
Mary,
Could I possibly use some of your post for a post? I would of course link to you and credit :)
I would love to share this with everyone. I think it can help us all. Thanks Mary!
Maggie says
I consider myself a fairly intelligent person but for the life of me can’t get the hang of swag bucks. Thanks!!!
Sally says
My New Years Resolution is to start doing drug store deal shopping. I would really appreciate as much help/tips on this as possible! How to start, a step by step of how to get started, what to watch for, how to roll over my UPRs or RRs, etc. Thanks so much!!! I LOVE this blog!
Sharon says
My goal this year is to keep track of how much I’ve saved by combining sales and coupons. For now I just created a spreadsheet showing how much I saved (if the receipt shows it) and also how many dollars in coupons I used in each transaction.
But, my husband says this is not a truly accurate way to find out how much I saved, because if I bought milk at Walmart and the receipt says it was originally priced at $2.50, but I got it on sale for $1.98, it would say I saved $.52. But, I never would have paid $2.50 for milk. I would have just purchased it at another store that had a lower price so (in his mind) I didn’t really save the entire $.52. I hope that makes sense.
BTW, I have no intention of figuring it out the way my husband says is accurate, that is not worth my time! But, I’m curious if/how other people keep track of their savings.
Mel says
Since I’ve started couponing, my husband has said numerous times that it’s like legalized stealing. : ) He means this in a good way, of course, but I’m wondering how you explain to people (non-couponers) that you are NOT stealing when you use coupons. Especially in cases where something is free or even a money-maker, how do you explain to friends and family that you are not putting the store out of business and that what you are doing is not only legal but also ethical (hopefully).
Laura says
My daughter and I spend a lot of time getting our coupons and lists ready, but we still spend about a $100 a week on our groceries. That amount is lower than it would have been though. I hear of women who spend $20 on $200 worth of groceries. I just don’t see how that is possible. We don’t get meat coupons very often, and that price alone would be more than $20 for our family of 5 each week, plus produce. It also seems so many coupons are for snack or junk food. I just can’t stock up on that and feel good about feeding it to my kids. How are these women managing this small grocery bill? I would love to save more but not at the expense of feeding my family healthy choices. Any suggestions?
Shannon says
@Laura,
This is a good question and I will be covering it in my series, because it is something I think is very misleading :)
Tiffany says
@Laura, I am in the same boat. I do save a ton by getting good deals at rite aid as well as stocking up on sales. Which is very helpful!!
Courtney says
Do you know of any blogger that does deals for Giant/Stop & Shop? Redemption Unlimited used to do them in my area but they have stopped blogging and I can’t find anyone else who does the matchups. THAT is the really time consuming work for me but if no one else does them I have decided that darn it I will start blogging them! Really appreciate ALL the work you do!!!
Shannon says
@Courtney,
I put an email out to find out if anyone does.
Courtney says
@Shannon, hey! i did some searching and found this :Double Roll TP , anything less than .30 per roll is a great deal. Single roll – anything less than .15 per roll is a great deal. Does that seem right ?
Also anything less than .46 per paper towel roll is a great deal.
i hope to find these great deals somewhere!
Melissa says
I would have to say my New Years Resolution is to not cut all these coupons out to only throw them away upon expiration. I am going to keep the full inserts and only cut what I need and “file” them away in a binder. Will this work? The only problem I can run into is that I could miss out on a sale that was not planned. Shannon I am going to ask the same question you have been asked multiple times. What is the best way to keep coupons organized? I threw away a ton of coupons that expired 12/31/10 and I felt like wow what a complete waste of time. 2010 was an eye opener for me though with the amount of money I saved following For The Mommas and I don’t regret a single moment but as far as spending my Sundays cutting coupons is a thing of the past. Shannon, I have said it many times and I will say it again, sincerely Thank you.
Mel says
@Melissa, I do the same thing. It works for me. I shop off a list most of the time and clip what I need before I head to the store. There are those occasional deals that you miss out on, but for me it’s not worth the $1.00 that I might have saved to go through the hassle of clipping and filing everything. If it’s THAT great of a deal, I can always go home, clip my coupons and run back to the store.
sherrie says
@Mel,
I have a very difficult time with this one too. I’ve been doing the “drug store game” and heavy couponing for 2 1/2 years – I keep my coupons filed by type of insert and date in hanging folders – this has worked really well.
I do not understand how people have time to cut and sort EVERY coupon and file them in the baseball card holders only to throw most of them away (that is what would happen to me).
I like the idea of separating the inserts and cutting the individual pages and putting them in clear protection holders, but I havent tried that yet, as that seems somewhat time consuming as well.
If I find a good deal on a blog or forum that I missed, I also just come back and grab what I need out of my folders. This has worked so far, although sometimes I think I miss a few good deals here and there.
That is also another stress point for me – being content with the deals I got and not stressing over the ones I missed. Whenever I think I had a good week and here about another deal that someone else gets it makes me feel like a failure (even though I know in my head I’m not). I’ve always suffered from over-achiever syndrome. :D
sherrie says
@sherrie,
*hear
Tiffany says
@Melissa, that is what I do. I only clip if it is a coupon I know I will use and keep the inserts, dated, in folders. This has been working really well for me!!
Tiffany says
@Tiffany,
I keep all of them in a reusable bag with snacks for my daughter and this bag goes everywhere with us! You never know when you will need a coupon. :)
carol says
@Melissa, I keep all my coupon inserts uncut. Paperclip them with a note showing date, smart source, p&g…etc. Then when a good sale shows up on For The Mommas, I just check which insert the coupon is in, grab that batch of paperclipped coupons and cut out the needed coupon. Also nice if I need to go grocery shopping and use the coupon search data bank. So quick!
Kristin says
I would like to know how to freeze and store meat, particularly chicken breasts or ground meat, when I buy in bulk. I’m not sure if I should get a food saver or if it’s easier/cheaper to buy freezer bags and just put the chicken breasts in those or if there is a better way to prevent freezer burn.
Shannon says
@Kristin,
Ohh I will answer this one now – because I just bought a food saver a few months ago and let me tell you, I don’t know why I waited until 35 to do it!
The meat is so much better coming out of a foodsaver vs. ziplocs. I would say if you are freezing for 30 days or more the foodsaver is the way to go- I have had no issues with freezer burn since I switched. I also have a chart of how long you can freeze something so I will also post that again.
Sunny says
@Shannon, I have a FoodSaver and really like it for fruit and chicken, especially. But I’m still having trouble with it for ground beef. When I freeze the meat for a few hours first, it gets icy. But if I don’t, the FoodSaver gets all bloody. Any tips or tricks?
Shannon says
@Sunny,
Sunny, two things I freeze it almost flat (does that make sense?) so that I can almost drain the blood and second I use the moist setting. It pulls the moisture to the sides.
Kristin says
@Shannon,
Are the food saver bags expensive? Where do you get them?
Shannon says
@Kristin,
The bags are expensive, but so far I have only purchased one roll instead of the presized bag and I got them at Walmart. Still looking for a long term plan.
Nancy says
Do you know the coupons that come out at ShopRite or Acme? They say manufacturer on them. They kind of look like catalinas. Can I use them somewhere else? Do they have to be used at ShopRite or Acme?
kim says
A lot of time when I use coupons, people behind me were not happy included the cashier. What should I do? I feel very bad about myself but I don’t want to quit using coupons either. Please let me know if you have any advices. Thank you,
Kim
Susann says
@kim, I recently watched a TV show about “Extreme Couponing” and something I learned might help you. One of the ladies said that she “cashier shops.” She tries to find a chashier who is a young male because they tend to be friendly and not have a problem ringing up the coupons. I have also noticed in my own shopping that the teenagers/young adults seem more happy to help me save money. I have a favorite Rite Aid because it’s the one where all the teenagers/young adults work. Also, I like to do my grocery shopping late at night when the stores are empty. Not only do I get to shop without the kids, but no one is in line behind me. If this doesn’t help, just know that it really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You’re being smart and saving money. Keep it up. I hope it gets easier.
-Susann
Jessica says
@kim, Kim, Someone will always have something to say! I do cashier shop, I find the younger the better, they just don’t care! As for people behind you, you’re saving your family money so forget about it. If I’m feeling really nice, I have given the person behind me a coupon or two ;)
Sharon says
@kim, I read somewhere (I forget where!) recently that one person who coupons warns people in line behind her that she has coupons and that they might want to go to another lane. Never tried it myself, but it’s a thought!
Jolene says
@Sharon, If it is a person with only one or two items, I just let them go in front of me telling them I have a couple different orders.
Amy says
@kim, I always go back to cashiers that compliment me on my savings. They are much more willing to give me the benefit of the doubt or go the extra mile to help me get the best deal. If I have had trouble with the main cashier (luckily, rare at the stores I frequent), I start looking for alternatives. Can I check out at the beauty or photo counter (usually shorter lines anyway)? I find the cashiers I recognize and I’ll go to them first–whichever counter they are working on that particular day. I also try to be completely organized and ready when I get to the checkout line. Everything is in order and ready to go.
Also, I just smile and take back any coupons that won’t scan. Especially at the grocery store, I just get my order through and take any problem coupons to customer service. The cool thing is that the manager at the customer service desk will usually fix the problem and give you cash back for the value of the coupons. I don’t it all the time (time is money, so pick your battles), but it beats standing in the checkout line like an idiot, while 20 people glare at you and the cashier randomly pushes buttons on the register. I send whoever I brought with me to load up the car, and I spend a few minutes solving the problem.
tina says
What can I say to the cashier when she refuses to take 2 coupons for 2 items because the coupon reads “limit one coupon per purchase as specified above” ? It’s so annoying when the cashier pulls this crap.
Also, how do i complain about a Target. Is there a corporate number i can call?Everytime i go to this one target near my house they have the worst cashiers. They never know their own coupon policy!!!
Michelle says
How to deal with rude cashiers when you are using coupons legitimately. This happened to me the other day at Target!
Emili says
I second the comments from Courtney G & Kristyn…a spreadsheet of stockup prices. Thank you for the time that you put into this website. I enjoy it!
msrossdaboss says
Can you show us how you organize your coupon binder?
Sherri says
@msrossdaboss, Pretty sure I read the answer to this one before and I think the term is coupon box :)
Shannon – are your coupons still in a cardboard box? I am doing the same thing but they are in a cute shoulder bag. I must say that I prefer my binder while using it but just haven’t found the time to clip everything so the bag works.
mary says
I just bought a 5 star fabric binder 75% off at rite-aid. So I spent 4.99 on it. My store has a lot of office supplies on clearance right now. It has two expandable file folder pockets for unzipped inserts and the binder for clipped. And it has pockets to put scissors, etc. Plus it’s Grey with pink accents (i might take pictures and blog about my new treasure later). It’s like it was made for couponing! I use three systems. I clip the coupons I know I’ll use and keep them in baseball card holders. The rest of the coupons I keep unclipped and separate by date in my expandable folders. And I print what’s included in the unclipped inserts an easy reference guide. I find these lists from other bloggers prior to Sunday. The third is after looking at the ads I gather up all my coupons and make my shopping lists per store. I place all my coupons together with my shopping lists so they are all ready to go when I get there. If I see any sales I missed while out shopping I have my binder right there with me to pull from. Hope this helps! :) @msrossdaboss,
Jenna says
I’d like to know more about structuring transactions to get the best bargain. I.E. multiple transactions using rewards from prior purchases. It’s all a bit like a chess match with the store, except I’m not good at chess! What is the ultimate goal when managing your purchases/coupons/store rewards over separate transactions. (Obviously to save money.. but what is the mathematical goal?)
Hope that makes sense.
mary says
My question is with balancing your time. What is your routine for organizing your shopping trips, printing and clipping coupons? I just started this about 2 months ago. I don’t clip every coupon and it still takes me about 4 hours a week to get organized for my shopping trips. I keep hearing that people can do it in an hour a week. How? Do you have a daily routine? Are there certain days of the month you clip more coupons? Thanks!!
Sharon says
@mary, I second Mary’s question. I read on a blog recently that the person only spends, I don’t know, like 30 minutes a week getting organzed for shopping trips. How is that possible???? I spend hours every week and that doesn’t even include going to the actual stores! I’ve been doing this for quite a while, do you just get faster the more you do it?
Shannon says
@Sharon,
I think someone is telling a small fib :)
sherrie says
@Shannon,
I agree – 30 min – that’s crazy!!
I am certainly NOT an expert, but on weeks that I am heavily couponing and shopping it can take me 4-8 hours to organize, plan and shop – I dont see how it could be less unless the whole family is working on it together! I’m a one man band!
This is one of the reasons I always tell EVERYONE first that this is like a part time job – it is time consuming and work. My stockpile did not grow because a few stores thought kindly of me and wanted to give their stuff away! If it is worth it to save money, it is worth your time, but even that is tough – how much time do you have each week to devote to this, let alone the mental energy!!!
Amy says
@mary, Maybe they only go to a few stores? I may be able to save a bit more by going to more stores, but I pick my favorites and make do unless there is a can’t-miss deal. If you have to make multiple trips to multiple stores, maybe it would be easier to consider whether you might save money in the long run by consolidating your efforts to your top 2 or 3 favorite stores.
I bookmark my favorite blog pages (store specific: Rite Aid here and a Walgreen’s one on another blog) and use those to build my list. Then I go through and pull the coupons, adding in the other stuff I want to buy. That takes maybe 30 minutes in a typical week. I clip and sort coupons while I watch TV, but that would only take maybe another hour. I have noticed that I get faster all the time, but I also buy less than I used to.
sherrie says
@Amy,
That is a good point to consider. If you were ONLY shopping for what you need, I’m sure you could get away with 30 minutes and a few short trips. Most people on forums, etc that I know of shop to stockpile – even if it is a small one – to use for presents, donations, etc., and personally I think that takes more time. I personally stockpile, so that is one reason why I put more time into it. I could probably get by on my stockpile (not food)for at least the next 3 years.
sherrie says
@sherrie,
(we’re a family of 6)
AJinnette says
Thanks to you, I have learned so much in the last few months and I feel like I’ve gotten a great deal of our household spending under control. Our weekly grocery store expense used to include costly items that I can now get at huge discounts if not free at Rite Aid or other drug stores.
My goal for this year is to figure out how to reduce the rest of the grocery bill. I’m covered on pasta, canned items, etc. but how do you save money on meat, fruit, produce, etc.? My teenagers are “meat and potatoes” kind of kids who are very active so needless to say I end up buying a lot of expensive cuts of meat. I also pack their lunches daily which is usally turkey sandwhiches, fruit, granola bars, etc. – again, pretty expensive but healthy is important to us.
I would love to be able to use the foods I stock up on in healthy ways but my picky teens are hard to please.
Any tips or thoughts?
amber says
@AJinnette, Although I’m sure Shannon has a ton of ideas, two popped in my mind. Stock up on whole turkeys around the holidays, then cook and pull off the meat and freeze in smaller portions for sandwiches/meals. The other idea is to garden. Even if you use a small space in a flowerbed, you could still have room for a few items, thereby saving you money (i.e. one tomato plant, a packet of seeds for green beans or green peppers, etc).
Courtney G says
Do you have a spreadsheet for good prices on toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, wipes, etc ? Its almost impossible to get them free so a guide would be nice in case i see a sale somewhere and would like to know whether to grab it or not. Thanks for all you do here
Allison says
@Courtney G,
I would love to see a spreadsheet of stockup prices for staples like toilet paper and paper towels. I feel these items are similar to shopping for a mattress! It is hard to compare between brands or even within brands because of the regular rolls, supper mega, mega rolls etc! It takes a lot of research and focus to really nail a bargain in these categories!!!
Melissa says
Your basic coupon management system and where you get multiple inserts.
Lynzee H says
What does the words “limit one coupon per purchase as specified above” actually mean? for example, I bought two packs of huggies pull ups at wags tonight and the cashier refused to use the two coupons I had because they said this on it. As well as all the other diaper coupons I printed from the huggies site today. Never ever ran into this problem before.
savingssally says
@Lynzee H,
I too have noticed coupons stating a limit on per purchase use but have not experienced stores enforcing the limit. In a hypothetical situation let’s say you want to use 4 of the same coupons but the limit stated on the coupon is 1, then I would suggest doing multiple transactions. I do not think they can prevent you from doing multiple purchases. I am guessing the reason that you have not ran into this problem before is because most cashiers do not take the time to actually read the fine print on coupons (my theory is that most people feel they don’t get paid enough to be that thorough or they are young and don’t take their job very serious). I have been lucky and have not had any major issues with limits on coupons. It would be problematic when you have a scenario that requires a purchase of 2 items to get the deal but only 1 coupon per transaction is permitted. I hope this helps and that I am providing an accurate analysis lol…best of luck couponing ;)
Stacey says
In search of the best (simplest) way to create a budget and keep track of spending. I did pretty good last year as I saved well over $2000 on groceries and household supplies, but I know with keeping track I can do so much better.
Kristyn says
Stock up prices for various items! I’m sure you get asked this a lot, but it would be nice to see it all in one place…toiletries, health, beauty, meat, produce…etc!
Raina says
@Kristyn, I would love to see this too! I kind of keep my own tally, but a list would be great :)
Christie says
@Raina, I agree with this suggestion. I am new to this as well. It would be nice to have a quick guide on what is a stock up price. What is the most you would spend on items such as cereal, pasta, produce, meats, etc. Sometimes I feel like I should jump on a deal but then a couple weeks later a better one comes along and I already used the coupon.