I have been meaning to explain a few things for quite a while now and now that I have some quiet time I want to tell you how and where to find coupons. I will also explain the "lingo" and a few other tips! Whether you are a beginner or not, this will hopefully help you get on track with your couponing and saving!
Where to Find coupons
Sunday Paper: Every Sunday there will be coupon inserts. There are 3 inserts and some of these rotate form time to time. They are Smart Source, Red Plum and Proctor & Gamble. The Smart Source and Red Plum are normally in the papers weekly. Some newspapers have quit adding the red plum inserts and these can be sent to your mail. You can check out where your red plum inserts can be found HERE. The Proctor & Gamble inserts normally come out the first Sunday of every month. Every so often they will throw one in there in the middle of the month, and normally when they have these, I buy 2 or 3 papers because they always have great coupons! I also recommend thumbing through your paper before you purchase it just to make sure the coupons are in there. I have learned my lesson on buying and then getting home and learning one of my papers got missed with coupons.
Online: You can find coupons on all sorts of sites. coupons.com, redplum and smartsource are the common ones. You can also visit a brand specific site and find coupons for their products there. Consumer Queen also has a great coupon database that you can look up any product to see if there is a coupon available. You can go HERE to find this great tool!
Magazines: When you flip through magazines, you will occasionally find some great coupons. Also, I suggest subscribing to the All You magazine. They have tons of coupons throughout their magazine every month. Normally $50 -$85 worth and sometimes more. A year's subscription is normally around $20, or you can find this magazine at Walmart only and they are $2.49 an issue
In Stores: You can find many coupons throughout the store. You just have to keep your eyes open! Here is a list of different places you will find them:
Tear Pads - these are tear pads of coupons that are diplayed on a shelf or special set-up and you can tear the coupon off and use it right away or save it for a better deal to come along.
Peelie - these coupons are found on the outside of the package
Store coupons - thes can be found as tear pads, peelies, on the store website or in their sales ad.
Blinkies - these are machines that stick out from the shelf and has a blinking red light on them.
Catalina Machines: Some stores have machines that print out coupons right at the register for when you buy certain items. These coupons are good to be used on your next purchase.
Other: You can ask local gas stations or other stores if they would mind if you take the inserts of old Sunday papers that were not sold. They just throw them out anyways, why not benefit? Ask friends and family if they would mind you taking the inserts if they do not plan to use them. my grandmother normally clips the coupons she will use and then gives the rest to me. Or, you can check at coffee shops or fast food places that have the paper available for the public to read and get the inserts from there. They throw them away at the end of the day too. There are coupons all over, you just have to keep your eyes open!
Now, what do you do with all of these coupons?? Well, there are many ways you can organize your coupons. I personally carry around a binder. I have two of them, one for food items and one for the other coupons. I have dividers to divide them into categories. I also buy these baseball card binder pages to help seperate them. Some people find that the fan folders work best for them, or a shoe box with dividers. I suggest getting one of those small coupon dividers for $1 to get you started until you have mastered a way that works best for you. I will try and get some pictures of my binders on here when I can.
Some categories for seperating your coupons I suggest are:
Cleaning
Baby/kids
pets
medicine
personal needs
canned/frozen
dairy
meats
snacks
etc.
Tips and Tricks
- Sometimes it is a good idea to get more than one of a certain coupon - you may find a great deal and wish you had more so you could stock up!
- Buying in bulk is not always cheaper.
- try not to be brand loyal. A lot of the times, when using coupons, the store brand is not always cheaper than name brands.
- watch for clearanced/sale items. yes, you can use a coupon on an item on clearance, this makes the deal even better and a lot of the time results in getting it free
- also, don't forget to price match
- most stores can let you use a store specific coupon combined with a manufacturer coupon to get the deal on an item even better!
- don't forget to do rebates if there are any, sometimes these result in even making money on items
- sign up for store loyalty cards. you can get cash back or free products or discounts
- look for deals here at Mommy of 3 Kiddos before you head out to shop!
Other things to think about!
- I know it can be difficult at times, and I do not get to do it very often, but try and shop without children. If you have to take the kids suggest making your list and explaining to them you are only buying what is on the list and no extras. If you find yourself buying snacks and toys to keep the kids happy, then you really ae not saving. Also, pack a snack to take with and even take it into the store if this is what the kids need. Maybe even bring a book or a favorite toy or something to help occupy.
- Don't drive clear across town for one small deal. I like to shop when there are several deals I want to take advantage of since I have to drive 45 minutes to get to the nearest Target or CVS. I have no stores in my town besides our local grocer and drug store. If you miss a deal, don't fret, there is a good chance the deal will make its way around again.
- Try to stick to buying the items you NEED. Don't buy something just because it is a great deal, be sure you have a use for it. Couponing and deal finding can become an obsession and some start buying junk they do not need just because it was a great deal. Yes, that planter may have been only 25 cents marked down from $3.99 - but, do you need it? If no, then again, you are not saving - you are just filling your house with useless items.
But, I do recommend that you stock up on something you use regularly if it is an awesome deal. Like shampoo. If you can get a bottle of shampoo for just $.25, then go ahead and buy as many as you want/can. These will get used! It is the other stuff you need to watch like the Holiday decor and things like that. make sure you will use it before you buy it!
- And, try and not be a hoarder either. If there is a great deal, go ahead and stock up but please do not be one of those that empties every shelf of this deal from every store within 100 mile radius. That just hurts us other couponers, plus upsets the other customers that only get in on deals every so often! Be fair. Now, if there are only two or three left on the shelf, go ahead and take them, just remember to be courteous of others trying to live on a tight budget and want to get in on the deal as well.
Learn the LINGO
A lot of times you will see me and other bloggers use shortcuts in our typing. Here is a list of the "lingo" to help you better understand!
P&G ~ Proctor & Gamble (Sunday coupon insert)
SS ~ Smart Source (Sunday coupon insert)
RP ~ Red Plum (Sunday coupon insert)
OOP ~ Out Of Pocket
Q ~ Coupon
BOGO or B1G1F ~ Buy One Get One Free
CRT ~ Cash Register Tape
Blinkies ~ the coupon machines in stores with blinking red light
EB ~ Extra Bucks from CVS
Catalinas ~ coupons printed at register with a certain purchase
MFR ~ Manufacturer coupon
FAR ~ Free After Rebate
WYB ~ When You Buy
MIR ~ Mail In Rebate
Peelie ~ coupon found on products
UPC ~ The barcode found on all packages
I hope this has made things a little easier for you and if you ever have any questions, feel free to contact me!
frugalmommyof3kiddos AT gmail DOT com
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