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The economy has forced many of us to seek out ways to not only save money but  It is possible to not only save money while shopping but “make†money as well. It will require some time on your behalf to plan your shopping trips. It will require you to clip coupons, memorize the weekly sales ads and seek out printable coupons online. You will need to get to know the managers in the stores that you shop at. You will also need to familiarize yourself with the stores coupon policy.  |
 While you are seeking out ways to save money, do not rule out large drug stores such as CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens. These stores will be a major source for saving money. You will not need to purchase generic products. You will be purchasing your favorite brands. The key is to stockpile them while you can get them for low cost or free. You will never run out of a product again, nor will you ever pay full price for a brand name product. |
 There are a few tricks that you will need to get familiar with such as the following:  1. Purchase the Sunday edition of the newspaper to familiarize yourself with the ads in your area on products that you use everyday. The Sunday paper will have the weekly ad as well as coupon inserts that will become “a welcome friend†in your journey to save money.  The Sunday coupon inserts will consist of Smart Source, Red Plum, Proctor and Gamble. The first Sunday of each month is when the P&G insert will be distributed.  There are usually NO coupons in Sunday edition when it is a holiday weekend.  2. You will need a way to store your coupons so it is most convenient for you to carry them with you. They will not do you any good if they are in a fancy binder at home. A quick search online will come up with many ways of organizing your coupons. Please keep in mind that what works for one person, may not work for another.  3. Have a clean table or desk large enough to spread your weekly ads and coupons out for easy access while you are getting ready for your weekly shopping trip.  4. Purchase clearance items after holidays such as Valentines Day or Easter for next years needs. If you do not have storage options, you can have a large drawer to store them in. I call this my “gift drawerâ€. For example, the stuffed animals that are on clearance sale following Easter make great baby shower gifts. The smaller ones make great package decoration. They also make great dog toys if you are careful to buy only stuffed animals without buttons on them.  5. Online coupon printing sites reset each month. So make sure you check them out the first weekend of the month. Companies have so many of each coupon allotted for printing. Once that many coupons are printed, the company removes it from the site. So check often and print the ones you will need. Do not assume it will be there tomorrow.  6. Print coupons in gray scale. Printing with colors or high quality will cut into your savings.  7. All You magazine is only sold at Walmart or home subscription. It is packed with coupons.    |
 Sites online to print coupons are plentiful but make sure the store you shop at accepts them. For example, Dollar General stores in my area will NOT accept computer printed coupons. CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, and Walgreen, does accept them.  The following are sites that have coupons all the time for you to print:  SmartSource.com http://smartsource.com/smartsource/index.jsp?Link=5S2ZUA6PWPEPO Redplum.com http://www.redplum.com/ CouponNetwork http://www.couponnetwork.com/  CellFire http://www.cellfire.com/ has eCoupons that can easily be added to your store savings card. Then you just purchase the product, the coupon is then taken off at the register automaticly. Always check the manufacture for direct coupons as well. For example: If you are purchasing Loreal hair care products go to the Loreal official site to find coupons.  This is the first in a series of posts intended to help you live frugally. They will be posted to my groups. |
also be frugal while shopping for our necessities. Common health and beauty purchase such as tooth paste, tooth brushes, body wash, deodorant, shampoo , household cleaning products as well as food, can be purchased for FREE or very little cost.Â
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Comments: 45
I don't belive in being dishonest just to save money. That is just not right. How can anyone feel good about themselves when they are so dishonest?
I love to get items for free and sometimes I make money shopping but I am honest in doing so.
The show Extreme Couponing has contacted the store in their (people on the show) behalf and arrange for all of the 'coupons to be used in one transaction, even if the store policy has a limit of coupons.
The show has been accused of going so far as -getting one store who did not double coupons to double coupons for the show.
You can tell many of the people on the show have not used that many coupons, by the lines'on no register locked up what do we do now".
I think this show is in a way running a scam, one of the people first featured on the show is being investigated for frad, because she decoded the coupons and passed coupons for items she did not buy -the store does not carry those items that the coupons were for.
The two men who donated all of the items to the local churches, was nice & the food would be used before it expires.
But the rest of the show people. who needs 324 deodorants? 300 bottles of shampoos? 85 razors - by the way that you change blades on? 100 boxes of pasta, 85 boxes of cereal that expires?
Those people are hoarders, and should be features on the show hoarders.
The show Extreme Coupoing is giving coupon users a bad name!
Just check the show facebook feed, goolge the show & you can see the online articles.
I feel this store does more harm than good.
I have the luxury of having two 'gift closets' in my home, each is organized I have a list taped to the wall so I know what is in each closet. I purchased after Christmas & when I see a great buy on clearance. I always have a gift for everyone and hardly need to shop for gifts - I am already done with my Christmas shopping, except for a few gift cards!
I use coupons. I swap coupon inserts with my sister, I buy coupons online, I print coupons online. I have 3 small coupon organizers they have sections, they are sold at Walmart for organizing bills. My organizers are one for food, one for personal care, and one for household -(paper goods, cleaning supplies). Each one has sections, so the coupons are divided in sections. I paper clip coupons if I have several of the same coupons.
I have envelopes with CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, PUblix, & Whole Foods on them. I put my list & coupons inside, when I go in the store. I leave my organizers in a small reusable bag in the car. If I find a good buy I had not planned on I can get my coupons and pick it up.
I shop at Publix for the BOGO's, I shop Walmart for non perishables, and paper goods. CVS & Walgreens are for the sale items. Whole Foods is for produce and cheeses.
I have a 8 week supply of non perishable foods, which is to keep for hurricane supplies.I rotate my food supply. I do not have a lot of the foods the extreme hoarders buy. I have non perishable foods I know we will use.
My personal care (shampoo, toothpaste, laundry detergent) was all purchased at CVS and Walgreens very cheap! I have a two month supply and I rotate my stock in those also.
Madeline,
This post was intended as a way to connect the coupon users together. I am hoping everyone whill share what works for them so we can all learn from each other. There is always something to lean so we can save more money.
Yesterday with coupons & ECB''s I saved $27.50 at Walmart. $28.53 at Walgreens, & 16.98 at CVS!
Connie have you ever written to a company about a product you like? Did you get anything from the company??
Ladies that is a good way to get coupons, - high value coupons.
Anyway, you can shop on Saturday night and get access to two weeks sales. Thus only shopping once every two weeks.
CVS offers rain-checks for items that are out of stock. The rainchecks they offer do NOT expire. It is a great idea to get rain-checks on products that you use on a regular basis. Then use the rain-check when you have coupons on the product as well.
Like you Beth, we do not make more trips than necessary.
Many people also love the notebook with baseball card holders added in them. I saw a lady that had one such notebook. She had the sales ads with holes in them added to the front of the notebook as well. I mean it really worked well for her. She swears by this method.
I use the envelope and clear make up bag method.
It fits great in the basket over your purse if you have it organized well so your couons are not falling out. :)
However I get free razors, shampoo and such at CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens on a regular basis. Free is cheaper than generic.
@ Madeline: I find that when buying the sale items, the stores hardly ever have a coupon for that product at the same time, that I "need" it.
So, it is essentially a waste of my time.
I get most of my coupons online or in the Sunday paper. They alway have coupons that click with the ads if you pay attention to the coupons in the paper.
I agree with Madeline. It is quite often cheaper to buy brand names than generic when it comes to Health and Beauty aids as well as Cleaning supplies.
I save a ton by just shopping at aldi.