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Hound Dog's thread made me think
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<blockquote data-quote="Hound dog" data-source="post: 438596" data-attributes="member: 84"><p>Check out Star's post :" Coupons and Free Stuff - Summer math home school" here in watercooler We've posted a lot of the sites we use as sources of coupons, information on sales/ads, and free stuff.</p><p></p><p><strong>Attitude.</strong> I used to look at a .50 cent coupon off laundry soap and think What the heck is that gonna do? Well, when money is tight, really tight, .50 cents is .50 cents MORE you have to spend on something else. If you have a store in the area that doubles coupons (seriously call around and ask don't assume) that .50 cent coupon just became 1.00 off the product. Now say that product is All detergent. Kroger had it on sale for 2.99 here (48 loads) last week. Great buy. With my 1.00 off one coupon that I saved until a good sale popped up.....I got them for 1.99 each. I bought 6. Which means for the price of one Tide, I got 6 All detergent. I've done the same with Whisk several times. Sometimes you can get Buy one get one free sale.....if your store lets you (ours do) you can use a coupon on each of the items for BOGOF...So if that same All detergent was 4.99 but BOGOF......that makes it about 2.50 ea.....use a 1.00 off one coupon on each and you just bought it for about 1.50 ea. I rarely buy things without a coupon these days. Even if it's not on sale and I need it, using a coupon I'm still saving the amount of that coupon. Register rewards (walgreens CVS and Rite aide.....sometimes called different names but same thing) are CASH toward the next purchase in that store. Be careful not to lose them. They also have expiration dates.</p><p></p><p><strong>Don't be brand loyal</strong>. Sales have patterns and so do coupons, usually they tend to go along with each other. It takes a while to catch on to the pattern but after a couple of weeks you'll start to see the pattern. I have and I stink at patterns. lol Now if it's something I really don't like......it would have to be free before I'm picking it up. Then it gets donated to someone who DOES like it. If it's something I can't use, I try to pass the coupons on to someone who can use them. Don't be afraid to buy multiple items of the same thing even if you don't "need" it at the time. The stock pile you build will help you wait out the sale patterns. I've walked out of a store with 20 boxes of pastas more than once, not to mention hamburger helper, spagetti O's and ravioli and such. Actually I did those 3 for 3 wks straight. I don't wipe out shelves like you see on tv and I stick to store limits, although I might do a second transaction on something I use a lot or need. </p><p></p><p><strong>Coupons are cash.</strong> View them this way and your world will change just with the attitude alone. I was so tired after shopping with easy child on crutches (that was an adventure) I was going to leave my binder in the car.....I stood there staring at it. I found I couldn't shut the door. It felt like leaving my purse in the car with a thousand dollars sticking out. Needless to say....it came inside with me. lol </p><p></p><p><strong>Organization.</strong> If you're not organized, you're going to have a hard time. I use a 3 inch hard binder filled with those clear plastic pocket trading card pages which are separated into categories similar to a grocery store layout with an index on the outside of my binder to tell me where they are. I need one twice that size and am now hunting for it. lol It doesn't take long to fill one even with using them each week. I want mine where I can see them all and get to them easily. Star has a filing method she uses I believe, so maybe she'll post her way to organize. </p><p></p><p><strong>Plan shopping trips.</strong> There is no more......oh, I'm running to the store to pick up......in this house. When husband tries I make him give me a detailed list of what he plans to buy and check if they have coupons or are on sale. Heaven help him when he buys something willy nilly without checking for a coupon. easy child and I, now that we've had some practice at it, plan on sat that weeks shopping by previewing weekly ads online. We compare the ads with the coupons we have for the best deals. This can take a few hours. We also check online at like krazycouponlady.com to make sure we didn't miss anything we wanted/needed. Then I use envelopes for the different stores....long white business envelopes. I write the store's name, the item I intend to buy, sale price, whether or not there is an inad coupon for the item, the coupon I intend to use, if there are Register Rewards (coupons that are cash toward next purchase), Earned Rewards (same thing) or Catalina's (also same thing) that I will get back. Then I write what the price of the item will be after I buy it. The coupons are then added to the envelope. So my envelope is where I write my list and plan and the coupons go inside. Handy as heck. This I paperclip to their ad on sunday. Walmart is always our last stop as they price match sale items from other stores and almost always have it in stock. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Your biggest savings are going to be on personal hygiene and household stuff. Since these are usually the most expensive part of a grocery bill, this is a good thing and will save you a ton. By stocking up on these items, it leaves money for you to stock up on other food items that you might not have coupons for or don't go on sale often. </p><p></p><p>Don't expect 90 percent savings. Average once you really get the hang of it a good average is between 50 percent and 80 percent. You will have times when you walk out with 100 percent and will be on cloud nine. I have and nothing feels better. But it is NOT every week by a long shot. The extreme couponers you see on tv? Phht they plan those trips for MONTHS, most of those coupons are purchased online.....and if you pin them down and they're honest, trips like that are maybe once or twice a year. If you watch what they put into their carts on those trips, you're not going to survive week to week on it. This is why a good average savings is 50-80 percent. If you can get that be very proud of yourself.</p><p></p><p>By a freezer. I have my eye on one at Lowe's that is pretty cheap. </p><p></p><p>I ONLY shop drug stores for their sale items. Otherwise, I just can't afford them. So far walgreen's is the big winner. Although this week cvs is doing pretty good too. </p><p></p><p>I never toss out a coupon. I did this at first and got burned badly. I didn't understand about moneymaker deals and I'd think.....well I don't use that and never will. See enough moneymaker deals go by and you will stop, especially if you have very limited cash to work with.......moneymaker deals help me pay for other items. So even if I won't use it ever? I pick it up. I did this with panty liners. I was getting them for free. I don't use them. But I was making 6 cents off each one. I gave them to Nichole who does use them yesterday.</p><p></p><p>I can be lots of hard work to get started. But as the weeks roll by, it's less. You get better at it, you're organize and it sort of falls into place. Still takes several hours a week watching online for coupons and deals, clipping and sorting and planning though. It's a Fad that is losing enthusiasm here quickly. Thank heavens, or we'd be starving right now. </p><p></p><p>If you have facebook........think of the items you use, search for them on facebook, like their pages and see if they have coupons. Same for their websites. Facebook "likes" will let them post updates on your page so you'll know when new offers are available. </p><p></p><p>This is some of what I've learned so far and I'm just reaching my 2nd month mark. If you think of your coupons as actual money you start to catch on faster.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hound dog, post: 438596, member: 84"] Check out Star's post :" Coupons and Free Stuff - Summer math home school" here in watercooler We've posted a lot of the sites we use as sources of coupons, information on sales/ads, and free stuff. [B]Attitude.[/B] I used to look at a .50 cent coupon off laundry soap and think What the heck is that gonna do? Well, when money is tight, really tight, .50 cents is .50 cents MORE you have to spend on something else. If you have a store in the area that doubles coupons (seriously call around and ask don't assume) that .50 cent coupon just became 1.00 off the product. Now say that product is All detergent. Kroger had it on sale for 2.99 here (48 loads) last week. Great buy. With my 1.00 off one coupon that I saved until a good sale popped up.....I got them for 1.99 each. I bought 6. Which means for the price of one Tide, I got 6 All detergent. I've done the same with Whisk several times. Sometimes you can get Buy one get one free sale.....if your store lets you (ours do) you can use a coupon on each of the items for BOGOF...So if that same All detergent was 4.99 but BOGOF......that makes it about 2.50 ea.....use a 1.00 off one coupon on each and you just bought it for about 1.50 ea. I rarely buy things without a coupon these days. Even if it's not on sale and I need it, using a coupon I'm still saving the amount of that coupon. Register rewards (walgreens CVS and Rite aide.....sometimes called different names but same thing) are CASH toward the next purchase in that store. Be careful not to lose them. They also have expiration dates. [B]Don't be brand loyal[/B]. Sales have patterns and so do coupons, usually they tend to go along with each other. It takes a while to catch on to the pattern but after a couple of weeks you'll start to see the pattern. I have and I stink at patterns. lol Now if it's something I really don't like......it would have to be free before I'm picking it up. Then it gets donated to someone who DOES like it. If it's something I can't use, I try to pass the coupons on to someone who can use them. Don't be afraid to buy multiple items of the same thing even if you don't "need" it at the time. The stock pile you build will help you wait out the sale patterns. I've walked out of a store with 20 boxes of pastas more than once, not to mention hamburger helper, spagetti O's and ravioli and such. Actually I did those 3 for 3 wks straight. I don't wipe out shelves like you see on tv and I stick to store limits, although I might do a second transaction on something I use a lot or need. [B]Coupons are cash.[/B] View them this way and your world will change just with the attitude alone. I was so tired after shopping with easy child on crutches (that was an adventure) I was going to leave my binder in the car.....I stood there staring at it. I found I couldn't shut the door. It felt like leaving my purse in the car with a thousand dollars sticking out. Needless to say....it came inside with me. lol [B]Organization.[/B] If you're not organized, you're going to have a hard time. I use a 3 inch hard binder filled with those clear plastic pocket trading card pages which are separated into categories similar to a grocery store layout with an index on the outside of my binder to tell me where they are. I need one twice that size and am now hunting for it. lol It doesn't take long to fill one even with using them each week. I want mine where I can see them all and get to them easily. Star has a filing method she uses I believe, so maybe she'll post her way to organize. [B]Plan shopping trips.[/B] There is no more......oh, I'm running to the store to pick up......in this house. When husband tries I make him give me a detailed list of what he plans to buy and check if they have coupons or are on sale. Heaven help him when he buys something willy nilly without checking for a coupon. easy child and I, now that we've had some practice at it, plan on sat that weeks shopping by previewing weekly ads online. We compare the ads with the coupons we have for the best deals. This can take a few hours. We also check online at like krazycouponlady.com to make sure we didn't miss anything we wanted/needed. Then I use envelopes for the different stores....long white business envelopes. I write the store's name, the item I intend to buy, sale price, whether or not there is an inad coupon for the item, the coupon I intend to use, if there are Register Rewards (coupons that are cash toward next purchase), Earned Rewards (same thing) or Catalina's (also same thing) that I will get back. Then I write what the price of the item will be after I buy it. The coupons are then added to the envelope. So my envelope is where I write my list and plan and the coupons go inside. Handy as heck. This I paperclip to their ad on sunday. Walmart is always our last stop as they price match sale items from other stores and almost always have it in stock. Your biggest savings are going to be on personal hygiene and household stuff. Since these are usually the most expensive part of a grocery bill, this is a good thing and will save you a ton. By stocking up on these items, it leaves money for you to stock up on other food items that you might not have coupons for or don't go on sale often. Don't expect 90 percent savings. Average once you really get the hang of it a good average is between 50 percent and 80 percent. You will have times when you walk out with 100 percent and will be on cloud nine. I have and nothing feels better. But it is NOT every week by a long shot. The extreme couponers you see on tv? Phht they plan those trips for MONTHS, most of those coupons are purchased online.....and if you pin them down and they're honest, trips like that are maybe once or twice a year. If you watch what they put into their carts on those trips, you're not going to survive week to week on it. This is why a good average savings is 50-80 percent. If you can get that be very proud of yourself. By a freezer. I have my eye on one at Lowe's that is pretty cheap. I ONLY shop drug stores for their sale items. Otherwise, I just can't afford them. So far walgreen's is the big winner. Although this week cvs is doing pretty good too. I never toss out a coupon. I did this at first and got burned badly. I didn't understand about moneymaker deals and I'd think.....well I don't use that and never will. See enough moneymaker deals go by and you will stop, especially if you have very limited cash to work with.......moneymaker deals help me pay for other items. So even if I won't use it ever? I pick it up. I did this with panty liners. I was getting them for free. I don't use them. But I was making 6 cents off each one. I gave them to Nichole who does use them yesterday. I can be lots of hard work to get started. But as the weeks roll by, it's less. You get better at it, you're organize and it sort of falls into place. Still takes several hours a week watching online for coupons and deals, clipping and sorting and planning though. It's a Fad that is losing enthusiasm here quickly. Thank heavens, or we'd be starving right now. If you have facebook........think of the items you use, search for them on facebook, like their pages and see if they have coupons. Same for their websites. Facebook "likes" will let them post updates on your page so you'll know when new offers are available. This is some of what I've learned so far and I'm just reaching my 2nd month mark. If you think of your coupons as actual money you start to catch on faster. [/QUOTE]
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