Couponing 101 Series: Where to find Coupons?

It's a new year so I thought we should start off the year with a bang and go through an entire Couponing 101 series!

If you've followed My Memphis Mommy in the past some of the information will be the same but it will be updated and easier to follow. *Just be sure to subscribe or follow along on Facebook or Twitter so you don't miss the series.

So here we go!

A Valpak national study says close to half of us... 40% now search for deals or coupons before making a purchase. And 41% of coupon users come from households earning greater than $70,000! (Nielsen Online Research) That means we are all becoming savvy shoppers, wanting to hang on to our money rather than spending aimlessly on daily needs.

Many believe clipping coupons takes too much time or somehow looks cheap. The truth is, spending 20 minutes clipping coupons before you shop can save you up to 30% at the grocery store. What's not cool about that? Do you get paid that amount in 20 minutes working every day? There are so many online resources and deals found for you that saving money at the store doesn't take a lot of time. It just takes a person willing to follow directions on how to make it happen. If you buy only generics, that is a good savings tactic. But I know many who prefer national brands on certain items... if that is the case, using a coupon or two can OFTEN save you even more than generics and give you the ability to stock up and save when those brands go on sale.

Coupons are everywhere and more than likely available on ALMOST ANYTHING you use, and yes, you can even save going organic. The key is not buying things you won't use just because it's on sale and you have a coupon (or consider donating those items to the needy). I consider coupon money and treat it as such. Also, take heart in knowing that retailers don't lose money when you use a coupon. Retailers receive back the face value of a coupon in addition to a handling fee of 8 cents.

We will be sharing very valuable tips on how to coupon with you. First things first:

What Are Coupons & Where Do I Find Them?



I believe that the Dictionary sums up coupons to a tee - however to me they are free money. What's better then free money? Not much!

Now, How Do You Find Them?

1.Newspaper-
This is a little obvious, but with all the printable coupons available, it can be a little easy to overlook. *If you are a sassy couponer then you will be purchasing more than one of your paper. You can actually preview what coupons will be in the paper by clicking here, then you can buy more papers while you are out. *Keep in mind there are never inserts on holiday weekends.

For extras (for free) check libraries, restaurants and fast food places, doctor's offices, your next door neighbor, some newspaper offices have places for leftover ads, post offices (same thing), recycle places.

2. Printable Coupon Websites-
These are my favorite because you get to print just coupons you want, there is a good variety, and frequent changes. Make sure that you watch for coupons that may have a limit - you may only be able to print so many or you may miss out b/c others have printed them all.. sometimes the coupon will reset.

Coupons.com
Red Plum
Smart Source
Bricks
Coupon Database - you can use this to see if any product that you want to purchase has a coupon available 'right now.'

3. Store Website Printable Coupons -
Same as above, may only be for this particular store so pay attention to type of coupon and if they are good to use for stacking with a manufacture coupon.

Target
Dollar General
Family Dollar

4. Mobile Coupons -

Target
Kroger
iBotta
Shopkicks

5. Mobile/Card Coupons-
Text a code to the store and they will put the coupons on your loyalty card or use a site to do the same thing, for some stores you will probably have to sign up for their e-mails to get the code.

Cellfire
Upromise
Softcoin

6. Manufacture Websites-
Get it straight from the horse's mouth. Sometimes you have to sign up for a newsletter, they change each month so print your favorites when you see them.

Betty Crocker
Pillsbury
*For your favorite products check their website for coupon offers

7. In stores-
Look around! You can find lots of coupons on the items (peelies), next to the price, on the shelves, in the little coupon machines in front of the items. Keep your eyes open! Take a sales flyer when you come in the door! At CVS, use your card to check their coupon machine.

8. On/with your receipt-
Check all that stuff that prints out with your receipt and check the back of your receipt. Lots of good coupons come with that because lots of times it's based on what you have bought and many times they are instore coupons so they are stackable!

9. Facebook-
Become a fan (or "like") your favorite brands. I will always post these coupons as they become available.

10. Magazines -
I haven't seen a magazine with more coupons than All You. But, look through your favorite magazine, you'd be surprised to see coupons hiding among the ads!

11. Samples-
Most of the free sample offers that you sign up for will come with a coupon for the product, especially those from name brands.

12. Email or Call-
Your favorite companies and ask for coupons - many times they will send you coupons and often even free products!

Stay tuned in because tomorrow we will continue our 2014 Couponing 101 Edition!

Want to keep up with ways to save money? Follow along with all of the Coupons, Freebies and Deals by following along on Facebook!
Links provided may be from affiliate programs which help support this blog. Thanks for clicking!

Couponing 101: Building Your Stockpile!

Now that you know some of our price points for stocking up on items, it's time to start thinking about picking up more than one item at the store when you have additional coupons to use.

Here's a few things you should know before you start:

1) A Store Sale + A Coupon = Rock Bottom Prices And BIG SAVINGS

The reason that we match up the weekly advertisements to coupons is because that is the time that you want to buy your item. It's also important to know that the closer a coupon gets to it's expiration date the more likely you are going to see a reduction in that items price.

2) Sales tend to come around every 3 months.

I don't encourage anyone to clear a shelf at any store to start their stockpile but I do encourage you to buy the amount of a product that you will need to last you 3 months since sales and coupons re-appear every 3-4 months giving you savings throughout the entire year.

For example in 3 months I will go through approximately 2-3 jars of peanut butter and after that 3 months I will be able to find another great deal to last us an additional 3 months and I won't find it necessary to make a purchase without a coupon or a sale on that item.

If you stock up when their are rock bottom then you have eliminated the NEED to make a purchase later.

3) Choose One Store to start your couponing and stockpiling in.

It's important if you are just starting out to choose 1 store. Don't compare yourselves to others and don't fall into the temptation of trying everything at once. When you master your first store then move on to a second.

4) Follow along with STL Mommy and use our coupon match ups for drug and grocery stores as well as our Extreme Couponing posts for the hidden sales and new coupons that we find during the week.

Here are the match ups completed weekly:

-Walgreens
-Target
-CVS
-Walmart
-Dollar General
-Family Dollar
-Kmart
-Kroger
-Whole Foods
-Aldi
-Rite Aid

Let us do the homework for you we are here to help.

Did you miss the beginning of our Couponing 101 Series if so check out these articles:

-Couponing 101: What Are Coupons & Where Do I Find Them?
-Couponing 101: Coupon Lingo What Does It Mean?
-Couponing 101 – How To Organize Your Coupons
-Couponing 101: Coupon Techniques & Etiquette
-Couponing 101: Stock Up Prices

Want to keep up with ways to save money? Follow along with all of the Coupons, Freebies and Deals by following along on Facebook!
Links provided may be from affiliate programs which help support this blog. Thanks for clicking!

Couponing 101: Stock Up Prices!

I’ve been asked a lot lately what I think are good “stock” up prices. While there is no “price” rule I do have some guidelines for myself that I use to know a good “stock up” price!

Here are some examples:

-Toothbrush: Free
-Floss: Free
-Mouthwash: $0.50
-Deodorant: Free
-Body Wash: $0.50
-Soap: $0.25
-Lotion: $0.50
-Shampoo/Conditioner: $0.50
-Feminine Hygine Products: Free – $50 tops + there are a ton… of samples for these
-Shaving Cream: $0.50
-Disposable Razors: Free
-Razors, (ex. Gillette Fusion or Venus): $1
-Detergent: $1.50
-Dish Washer Tabs or Liquid: $0.50
-Toilet Paper: $0.25 per roll
-Cleaning Supplies: $0.50 or less
-Baby Wipes: $1.00 or less per box
-Diapers: $0.14 or less per diaper
-Candles: $1.00 or less (high quality)
-Aluminum Foil: $0.50
-Fruit: $1.00/lb
-Meat: $2/lb, $4/lb Steaks (high quality)
-Potatoes: $3/10 lb bag
-Soda: $2.50/12 pk
-Cereal: $$0.50 per box
-Canned veggies: $0.35
-Frozen veggies: Free
-Pasta: $0.25
-Pasta Sauce: $.50

My rule of thumb is if I am saving 90% or more off of the retail price I have most likely found a rock bottom priced deal and it’s time to stock up.

So what are your stock up prices?

Want to keep up with ways to save money? Follow along with all of the Coupons, Freebies and Deals by following along on Facebook!
Links provided may be from affiliate programs which help support this blog. Thanks for clicking!

Couponing 101: Coupon Techniques and Etiquette!

Now that we have talked about "How to Find Coupons," "Coupon Lingo" and "How to Organize our Coupons" it's time to talk about mazimizing our savings with coupons.

Coupon Techniques

*Stack store coupons with manufacturer’s coupons and when available $ off of $ amount - for instance at Walgreens, Target, Dollar General, Family Dollar and CVS you can stack your store coupons along with manufacturers coupons for additional savings. At Dollar General many times you can also combine your products and coupons along with a $5 off of $25 offer which greatly reduces the amount you are spending on the products.

*Price Match at Walmart and Target - both stores allow you to price match advertisers sale prices. You need the other stores weekly advertisment/flyer and the product you are matching must be the exact same product that is listed in the weekly advertisment.

*Take advantage of stores that double (i.e. Schnucks & Dierbergs) and triple coupons

*Buy only when an item is on sale - this is the easiest way to maximize your savings.

*Use a Coupon Database so you aren't always clipping coupons- find your coupons when you’re ready to shop and then clip

*Take advantage of store loyalty programs, register promotions, and rewards.

Coupons to the Extreme

Now that have a general knowledge of coupon techniques, here are some additional techniques to save you even more money when you buy.

*Look for products that are free and will give you Overage- Overage happens when the value of a coupon exceeds the price of the item. Many stores will allow you to apply the exceeding value to the rest of your shopping order. Walmart will even give you money back when you shop if your coupons exceed the value of the products. By doing this you greatly reducing the price of your entire purchase.

*B1G1 Coupons- Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons (also known as BOGO coupons or B1G1 coupons) allow you to purchase one item and get a second item of equal or lesser value for free! You’ll want to pay special attention to the fine print on the coupon as there is usually a maximum value stated on the coupon (this maximum value is the most that the manufacturer is willing to reimburse the store for the “free” item). With a B1G1 store sale, you are purchasing 2 like items and then automatically getting one item for free when you checkout. Since you are still essentially purchasing 2 items, you can use a B1G1 coupon in conjunction with the B1G1 store sale to get the both items for free (one is free after the store sale and one is free after the coupon). *Important Note: Read your store’s coupon policy very carefully as some stores (Target & Walmart ) may prohibit the use of a B1G1 coupon in conjunction with a B1G1 store sale. *We will go through each of the stores couponing policies and rewards during the Couponing 101 series.

*Rebates- Mail-in-rebates are an added way to save and often honored based on the price of an item or an amount you will spend

*Rain Checks- When there are good sales, often stores will run out of items. Don’t forget the power of a rain check where a store will honor the sale price of an item at a future time.

*Rolling Deals – means that you can purchase a product for a coupon or a rebate and then use that on the purchase of the same item over and over. This seldom happens at stores but when it does you want to hurry off to the store because you will store an Extreme Deal.

Coupon Etiquette

Even through we are maximizing our savings by being Savvy Shoppers it's important to know what is too extreme and to be courteous to our fellow coupon shoppers.

*Don't photocopy coupons- it's illegal and hurts the retailers and all using coupons

*Use only one manufacturer coupon and store coupon per item

*Don't try to use a coupon for which it is not intended for- it's unethical

*All coupons must have expiration dates or stores will not accept them

*Don't clean the shelf off on a good deal- share the wealth

Did you miss the beginning of our Couponing 101 Series if so check out these articles:

-Couponing 101: What Are Coupons & Where Do I Find Them?
-Couponing 101: Coupon Lingo What Does It Mean?
-Couponing 101 – How To Organize Your Coupons

Want to keep up with ways to save money? Follow along with all of the Coupons, Freebies and Deals by following along on Facebook!
Links provided may be from affiliate programs which help support this blog. Thanks for clicking!

Couponing 101: How to Organize Your Coupons!

 

There are many ways to organize coupons, but the important thing is to have them organized. Planning out shopping trips is a much quicker process when you know exactly where your coupons are and can easily find the ones you want.

There’s no right or wrong way to organize, but here are my top picks:

1) Three-Ring Binder:This method is what we use to develop the My City Mommy Coupon Binder.

The My City Mommy Coupon Binder Includes:

Getting Started Guide:
-How To Set Up Your Binder
-How To Use The Shopping Organizer pages
-How To Use The Menu Planner and Price Tracker Sheets
-Coupon Lingo & Abbreviations Explained
Binder Contents
-5 double-sided Shopping Organizer pages. Use these to plan out your shopping trips with every detail you could need.
-5 double-sided Menu Planner pages. Use these to plan your menus for each week.
-2 double-sided Price Tracker sheets. Use these to determine what are good, great and stock up prices for the items that your family uses according to your location and specific stores.
-A sheet of adhesive labels. Use these for your pocket dividers and coupon category pages with over 40 preprinted labels and more blank ones for you to customize for a total of 80.
-5 sturdy poly material double pocket, tabbed store dividers. Use one for each of your favorite stores to keep your store ads, coupon booklets and more all together. Each has (1) 3 slot coupon organizer page behind it to keep that store’s coupons
-15 more pages to organize your clipped coupons. You have the choice of 3 slot pages, 9 slot pages or a combination of both. All are clear, highest quality, top loading BCW pages
-1 sturdy plastic 3 ring pocket. It velcros closed to keep unfiled or unclipped coupons secure.

2) Accordion Folder: A large accordion folder is a good choice for those who clip all of their coupons in advance. You can use the various pockets to divide coupons up by category and keep them sorted by expiration date.

A small accordion folder is nice to use to actually bring into the store. It can also double as a great place to store ExtraCare Bucks and Register Rewards earned from CVS and Walgreens, as well as receipts.

Tip: look for accordion folders in the dollar section at Target toward the end of the summer.

3) The Couponizer: This is a fantastic organizer especially for the beginning couponer. The Couponizer is a complete set of tools designed to make saving money easy. It is made up of 18 category pockets for grocery coupons and other coupon and discount category pockets. The Couponizer includes a section for store loyalty cards, a shopping list, a CoupTracker (to keep track of your fabulous coupon savings!), and a pair of scissors. It also comes with a CoupStacker to store coupons that don’t fit into the Couponizer.

There are many options on how to keep your coupons separate and organized. I suggest that you do what feels and works best for you. Be sure to leave a comment below letting us know what you are currently using.

Did you miss the beginning of our Couponing 101 Series if so check out these articles:

-Couponing 101: What Are Coupons & Where Do I Find Them?
-Couponing 101: Coupon Lingo What Does It Mean?

Want to keep up with ways to save money? Follow along with all of the Coupons, Freebies and Deals by following along on Facebook!
Links provided may be from affiliate programs which help support this blog. Thanks for clicking!

Couponing 101: Coupon Lingo!

Before you can get your coupons organized, follow the coupon match ups and hurry off to the store you need to know what all of the crazy abbreviations, accronyms, and coupon lingo means!

Here's an example of a scenerio that you may see in a Weekly Coupon Match Up for Walgreens.

(2) Gillette Custom Plus 3 Disposable Razors 4pk @ $6.99 = $13.98
(2) Gillette Fusion Shaving Cream @ $4.49 = $8.98
=$22.96
-B1G1 Custom Plus 3 Disposable Razors 6/19 RP insert, use one
-$1/1 Gillette ProGlide or Fusion Shave Prep 6/5 P&G insert, use two
Earn $5 RR when you spend $20 on Gillette Products
Final price: all four for $8.97

Here is what this means without the lingo:

Buy 2 Gillette Custom Plus 3 Disposable Razors 4pk at $6.99 each. Also purchase 2 Gillette Fusion Shaving Cream at $4.49 each. The coupons you are going to hand to the cashier when you check out are a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Custom Plus 3 Disposable Razor Coupon from your June 19th Red Plum newspaper insert. *You will find the date on the side of your newspaper inserts just as you do a magazine. You will also hand the cashier 2 $1.00 off of 1 Gillette ProGlide or Fusion Shave Prep coupons from the June 5th Proctor and Gamble newpaper insert. When you check out a Walgreens Register Reward will print out giving you $5 off of your next Walgreens purchase because the total price of your products before coupons was $20. Your final price for all 4 items is $8.97.

Aren't you glad we use lingo...

Now here is the language you need to know so you can become Coupon Savvy:

General Lingo:

-BOGOF or B1G1 - is a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sale or Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupon

-Peelie - these are coupons or rebates that peel off of a package.

-WYB - means when you buy. You will often see scenarios that state wyb a certain amount of products you will get a reward via coupon or rebate.

-OOP - is your cash out of pocket.

-MIR - is a mail in rebate that you mail in to receive a specific amount of cash back on an item that you purchased.

-$1/2 - $1 off of 2 items, keep in mind that the first number is always the amount that you get off of the product the second number is the amount you have to purchase to receive the discount.

-SC - is a store coupon. These coupons can come in mailers directly to your mailbox, in weekly advertisements within the store or in the newspaper or directly into your email inbox. Store coupons can often be stacked (or used together) with a manufacturers coupon.

-MFC or MQ- is the manufacturers coupon. These can be found in all of the various ways that we find coupons as listed in our "How to Find Coupons, Couponing 101 article."

-GC - is a gift card. These are cards much like a credit card that give you money off of your purchase at select retailers.

-MM - is a money maker. These are often indicated at the end of our coupon scenarios and are one of an Extreme Couponers best friends.

-DND - means do not double because the manufacturer does not want the store to double the coupon even if it is in the stores coupon policy to do so. These coupons will not exceed the value printed on the coupon at any time.

-Ea. - means each, this is often reflected at the end of a coupon scenario when you are purchasing more than 1 item because we want you to know the bottom line price that you are paying for each product.

-YMMV - means your mileage may vary. This is often used for stores that may not have the same items on clearance or for a store that does not have the same prices on their products nationwide.

-IP- is an Internet printable coupon. These can come from various resources as mentioned in our "How to Find Coupons, Couponing 101 article."

-Blinkie - coupons you get from the little machines in the aisle in the store, typically they blink or have a light on them which is how they got the name Blinkie.

-WSL - means while supplies last

-UPC - is the Universal Product Code. This is a Twelve-digit barcode printed or affixed on virtually everything sold in supermarkets or retail stores, including books, magazines, candy, etc., for automatic checking-out at the cashier counter. These are most often mentioned if there is a specific item within the store that is ringing up for a discounted price while other items of the same type and manufacturer are priced at a higher amount.

-Catalina or CAT-is a coupon for an amount off your next purchase or for a free item on your next purchase-these print out of a small box located next to the register owned by the Catalina company.

-FAR - means Free After Rebate. If there is an item that is $2 and you get a $2 Rebate with the purchase your item is FREE.

-OYNO - means a dollar amount off of your next order. This could be specified in the weekly match ups along with CVS Extra Care Bucks, Walgreen's Register Rewards or Catalina's at your local stores.

-PSA - means prices starting at. We often put this into our deal scenarios if the price isn't listed in the advertisement but we can find a price online for the product at the same store.

-Overage - is another one of the Couponers favorite words because this means you get money back for purchasing an item. One of our favorite stores for this is Walmart because they will now hand you the overage or cash-back if your coupon exceeds the value of the product.

-Stacking - is when you use a manufacturers coupon along with a store coupon or rebate to increase your savings on a product you are purchasing.

-Rain Check - is a piece of paper that the manager or an employee with give you if they are out of a product that is on sale so you can come back when the item is back in stock and pick up the item at the sale price.

-Rolling - means that you can purchase a product for a coupon or a rebate and then use that on the purchase of the same item over and over. This seldom happens at stores but when it does you want to hurry off to the store because you will store an Extreme Deal.

-Tear Pad - is a pad of coupons that you often see on the shelves at the store or even at gas stations. These are manufacturers coupons that can be used in any store.

-One coupon per purchase - This means that you can use 1 coupon per item with the item being considered your purchase. For example if you had 5 identical cans of green beans and 5 coupons for that product you could use all 5 of your coupons on your order because that equals 5 purchases.

-One coupon per order - This means that you can only use that specific coupon once per visit.

-One coupon per household - means only 1 person in your household is allowed to use this coupon. This typically is listed on high value or free coupons only.

Specific Store Coupons

-ECB or EB - these are CVS Pharmacy's Extra Care Bucks. These print out at the bottom of your receipt and are good on your next purchase at CVS. Never fear if you loose your Extra Care Bucks because you can now log into your CVS Extracare account online and retrieve and print your CVS Extra Care Bucks if you misplace them.

-Wags - is short for Walgreens

-RR - is Walgreens Register Rewards. These are dollar off coupons that print from a box much like the Catalina boxes beside the register. They are good on your next purchase.

IVC - is an Instant Value Coupon. These are the coupons in the Walgreens Monthly Coupon Books and also found in the weekly advertisements.

Newspaper Inserts

-PG - Proctor & Gamble
-SS - Smartsource
-RP - Red Plum
-GM - General Mills
-K - Kelloggs
-UN - Unilever

Be sure to read - where to find coupons if you haven't already.

Want to keep up with ways to save money? Follow along with all of the Coupons, Freebies and Deals by following along on Facebook!
Links provided may be from affiliate programs which help support this blog. Thanks for clicking!

My City Mommy Binders $5 Off!

Do you have your coupons organized? If not you are missing out on a ton of savings which is one of the reasons we are running a special of $5 off on our My City Mommy Coupon Binders! For a limited time you can get them for just $24.99, that's $5 off of the original price.

The My City Mommy Coupon Binder includes:

Getting Started Guide:
-How To Set Up Your Binder
-How To Use The Shopping Organizer pages
-How To Use The Menu Planner and Price Tracker Sheets
-Coupon Lingo & Abbreviations Explained

Binder Contents:
-5 double-sided Shopping Organizer pages. Use these to plan out your shopping trips with every detail you could need.
-5 double-sided Menu Planner pages. Use these to plan your menus for each week.
-2 double-sided Price Tracker sheets. Use these to determine what are good, great and stock up prices for the items that your family uses according to your location and specific stores.
-A sheet of adhesive labels. Use these for your pocket dividers and coupon category pages with over 40 preprinted labels and more blank ones for you to customize for a total of 80.
-5 sturdy poly material double pocket, tabbed store dividers. Use one for each of your favorite stores to keep your store ads, coupon booklets and more all together.
-15 pages to organize your clipped coupons. You have the choice of 3 slot pages, 9 slot pages or a combination of both. All are clear, highest quality, top loading BCW pages
-1 sturdy plastic 3 ring pocket. It velcros closed to keep unfiled or unclipped coupons secure.

*We have a limited number of only Blue binders available so get yours before they disappear!  If you have your own binder but like the "guts" of the binder, you can order separate.


Don't Miss a Thing, Subscribe NOW!

My City Mommy Free Couponing 101 eBook

Open publication

Whether you are new to couponing, have been using coupons for awhile, or just want to save more the My City Mommy Extreme Couponing 101 eBook can help you take your couponing a step further!

The eBook includes:
-What Are Coupons & Where Do I Find Them?
-Coupon Lingo What Does It Mean? -How To Orgainze Your Coupons
-Coupon Techniques & Etiquette -Stock Up Prices
-What To Buy & When: Sales Cycles
-How To Start Building Your Stockpile Store Guides & More!

My hope is that the Extreme Couponing 101 eBook will help simplify couponing and maximize your savings so you can live your life to the fullest!

 
Don't Miss a Thing, Subscribe NOW!

Betty Crocker & Pillsbury offer High Value Coupons!

Many of us know about the standard coupon websites:

Coupons.com
SmartSource
Red Plum
Coupon Network
Target

But did you ever wonder if there were other places to print coupons?  Especially coupons that may have a higher value than from the standard coupon websites?  There is!

BettyCrocker.com*
Pillsbury.com*

And it is a double blessing - first, because sometimes the coupons offered are a higher value, and second, because you can print each of these higher value coupons twice AND STILL print coupons for the same brands on the traditional sites as well!  Example: Trix Cereal Printable Coupon

YOU CAN PRINT BOTH OF THESE COUPONS 2 TIMES EACH:

Print 2 from Betty Crocker OR Pillsbury:
60¢ off 1 box of Trix cereal

AND print 2 from SmartSource:
50¢ off 1 box of Trix cereal

*NOTE:  The coupons on  bettycrocker.com and pillsbury.com are the same and are tracked by the same company.  So, (using the Trix example) if you print 2 Trix coupons from Bettycrocker.com you cannot print the Trix coupons from Pillsbury.com (or vice versa).


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*Please support this site by using the provided links when ordering from your favorite places or printing your coupons. Thank you!

Extreme Couponing Making Free Go Further

        

Don’t you just love getting a free product coupon in the mail? When you have a free product coupon it seems like a no brainer the there is only one way to use it, go and get the item free, right?

Consider the following:

You pay tax on free items, so it is in your best interest to still get the product on sale so you are paying less tax.

For items you can find at CVS (beauty supplies, personal care products etc.) I save those free product coupons for using at CVS when I have a “Buy $20 save, $5”. You can receive these type of coupons from CVS when you sign up for their e-newsletter. In this case I don’t worry about the items being on sale, rather the opposite I try to get the items to then add up to the $20 and essentially I can then pick anything in the store for $5.00 for free!

If you have a free product coupon and that item is on sale at a store for Buy One Get One Free, use you free product coupon to “buy one” and let the store give you the other one free, getting BOTH ITEMS FREE (but still paying tax on both items).

I save my free product coupons and wait till the expiration date is nearing to see if some awesome sale will come like a Kroger Mega Event, Buy 10 and Save $5.00. Often I do have at least one free product coupon for the Mega Event.

At Kroger (I know Atoka and some stores will not let you do this) give your Kroger shopper’s card last as they can then put the full value amount (pre-sale) on the coupon and both you and Kroger win, as you both get that amount from the Manufacturer.

You can combine a Free Product Coupon with a Target Store coupon, or at least I have done this many times.

Things to Note about Free Product Coupons

When checking out, can save the free product items to the end it will make it easier for the cashier to find the price of those items.

Make sure (especially at Target) your cashier is keying in the amount into the computer, they also should then write it on the coupon, that way they are getting back the same amount given to you.

 For those of you who are asking the question “how does she get free product coupons mailed to her?”

Well there are several different ways, first I highly recommend getting a Kraft First Taste Account. This is totally free and they will send members offers in their accounts. Now not all members get offered the same thing and it is a complete mystery to me as why some of us always get the offers and others do not. You must acknowledge that you want the free product coupon and they mail it you. I also recommend getting a P & G Vocal Point Account.

Check www.mymemphismommy.com as much as possible as soon as I hear about a company offering a free product coupon (which most often is done on facebook and they mail them to you) I will post about it.

Subscribe to memphismommy and receive one e-mail daily from me so you don’t miss out knowing in advance when these coupons will be offered.

Also if you haven’t already like me on facebook and I will let you know AS FAST AS I CAN when the free product coupons are live.

Did you find this post helpful? Want to learn more about Extreme Couponing? Then come to one of my FREE Coupon Workshops!


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Basic Coupon Tips

WELCOME WELCOME TO ALL THOSE NEW TO MY MEMPHIS MOMMY AND THE WORLD OF COUPONING, I AM HERE TO HELP! Please e-mail mymemphismommy@gmail.com with any questions you may have or ask me on facebook, and be sure and subscribe to receive a daily e-mail @ 3:00 p.m. with all the stuff I put up in one message!!!

For those of you who did not get to come to last night's event here is info from the hand-out I gave out (or meant to give out not sure if these got passed out) @ the end of the event).

Basic Couponing Tips…….

Savings Tips:

• Spend time thinking about what you buy the most and how frequently you use those products. Know the companies that you purchase products from. (they certainly know all about you and your shopping habits)
• Only buy products when they are at the lowest price possible and you have a coupon, buy multiple (stock pile). Be careful not to buy more that what you will use by the expiration date of perishable products.
• Keep your coupons organized, find a system that works for you! Keep your coupons with you. (notebook with pockets, folder with envelopes)The Couponizer, Virtual Filing System)
• Be creative in freezing (hot dog buns, chx. Marshmallows)
• Shop at multiple stores, do frequent small shopping trips opposed to “big monthly trips”

Things to Do to Save MORE!!!

• Subscribe to the Sunday Paper
• Familiarize yourself with the policies and methods of all the stores you shop at
• Get a Kroger plus card and load coupons to it
• Set up a separate e-mail account to give out to companies
• Join Facebook and become a fan of manufactor’s sites
• Visit Manufactor’s web-sites/join their mailing list
• Put coupon clipping/organizing into your routine (during your favorite show etc.
• Keep items with you in the store that would be helpful (calculator, pencil, notecards, your address labels (for giveaways)
• SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS
• Pursue Rebates, Keep envelopes with you with the rebate form and its requirement
• Enter contest (number at the end of your receipt)
• Know the store’s policies and hold them to it (if they match competitors or Kroger and their Scan Right policy)

Coupon Tips:

o Unless it states otherwise if a product is 2 for $3.00 you do not have to buy 2. 10 for $10 you do not have to buy 10 items

o You can stack a store coupon (Target, Kroger etc) with a Manufactors coupon.

o Unless stated you can use a buy one get one free (BOGO) coupon on an item that is on sale for BOGO and get both products free without buying any of that product.

o Read the coupon carefully if it states for example any Johnson and Johnson product, its means any trial size etc. Be creative in how you read your coupons.

o For printing coupons I have found Firefox (ff) is more user friendly than Internet Explorer (IE)

o Coupons double at Kroger and Schnucks.

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Clarification on Red Plum Date Language

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Just wanted to give "you all" a heads up on coupon language! When we write out grocery deals or weekly match ups some seem to be getting confused on "RP" and where you can actually find that insert! Red Plum is delivered across the country primarily on Sundays. Lucky for Memphis you receive the coupons ahead of the game on Tuesdays. So keep that in mind when you are trying to pull coupons.

Example:

Seventh Generation Cleaners $2.49
Use $1/1 Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent 10/31RP (Memphis would receive it on 10/26)
Use $1/1 Seventh Generation Product
STACK With $1/1 Seventh Generation Item Target.com Coupon
Final Price: $0.49 for one

If your doing a virtual filing or some other system I recommend you file according to the Sunday dates. It would make it easier on you, PLUS if you look on the side of the insert in very small print it will list the date for you and it will say Sunday date not the "Tuesday" date you received!

If you have any questions, let us know! Thanks



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Organizing Coupons

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Not able to go to one of Shana's coupon workshops? Here is a quick video of her explaining how she organizes her coupons. Please ask questions, leave them as a comment to this post and she will answer them. What other topics would you like to see featured in a video? Let us know!! Was this video helpful? We are looking for feedback!

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Fraudulent Coupons-Nobody Wins

Shana is finding that more and more stores are really looking closely at the internet coupons that she uses. We are receiving lots of e-mails with complaints about Walgreens, Target, Kroger and Walmart mostly but I am sure other stores will start cracking down too. Here are some thoughts to consider when using coupons printed from the internet.
TOP TEN TIPS TO AVOID FRAUD
1. Use a reliable source to print coupons from. Yes I recommend My Memphis Mommy ;0) but we can make mistakes too so please alert us if you have any problems. Coupons.com, Target.com all very reliable!

2. Don't get mad at the store, they are getting lots of pressure from their corp. HQ and from the Man. themselves. So as consumers let's join forces with them learn all we can about the printable coupon and NEVER EVER COPY A COUPON, THAT IS FRAUD! THE STORE WILL NEVER GET REIMBURSED FOR A COPIED COUPON, YOU WILL BE HURTING US ALL IN THE LONG RUN!!

3. Also realize that the clerk who makes an all encompassing statement such as "we don't take any internet coupons" probably is incorrect, ask to speak to their manager.

4. Don't get mad when you have to wait to have a manger come look at your coupon, I had this happen just yesterday at Kroger on my Tropicana coupon that was mailed to me from Tropicana but it was paper and the clerk was young and nervous and didn't want to get in trouble, that is fine by me.

5. Store managers want your (and mine) internet coupons, I spoke with about 7 Walgreens managers this week. Each store manager has to make a decision that is best for their store, if they are really getting hit hard with FRAUDULENT coupons they are going to have no choice but to crack down. Most are not accepting them if it won't scan, that seems reasonable to me.

6. Just because a coupon scans (such as a coupon for 120z works on a 60z. product) the store will never get reimbursed for that, so do not try and "trick the system" it will just hurt all of us in the long run.

7. Coupons that say ANY PRODUCT, truly that is what they mean, you are not being fraudulent by using it on a trial size product, that Man. has decided that if you wan to "try their product for free" then they are willing to let you.
8. Facebook pages of the actual company is legit, most are now mailing you the coupon because of fraud.

9. If you find a coupon that "sounds too good to be true" it probably is. A printable coupon for a free item is very rare these days and most stores will not even accept them anymore. If there are no size specifications then it is more than likely FRAUDULENT. Click here for a list that is up-dated on occasion.

10.Don't give up on internet coupons, you can e-mail shanathesavvyshopper@gmail.com or mymemphismommy@gmail.com anytime with questions or concerns we are here to support, and advocate for you!

To put this into lay person terms:

1. The unique 2-D barcode on the upper left is a different number for every coupon you print, even for a second print of the same coupon.
2. The dotted line around the entire coupon is really text. It has your user id, the date and time and coupon offer information printed - repeating at least 35 times around the coupon. This is also printed at the bottom of the expiration date box.
3. The long barcode at the bottom also has a portion of the unique 2-D barcode number in it. These barcodes are much more specific and very soon will be the barcode that is scanned in all stores!

Thanks Jenny for the above break-down of the coupon!

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Dollar General: Accepting Printables

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Dollar General just announced on their Facebook page that they are now accepting Printable Coupons! Go here to read the revised policy and Happy Shopping! Thanks City Mommy!

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CVS 101

CVS Coupons

There are many ways to save and even earn money while shopping at CVS.

For all you newbies, here are all the tips you will need to start saving today! We will start with the Weekly Ads. You can get the Weekly Ad online, in front of the store or in your local Sunday paper. The Ad lists all sale items and items that will produce Extra Care Bucks and the quantity needed to earn them.

What are Extra Care Bucks (ECB)?

These are dollars that you earn when making a certain purchase and can be used on any future CVS purchase. You do not have to get all the items at the same time but will not earn the ECB until you fulfill the entire purchase. Your ECB will print out on your receipt so make sure to always check before throwing away your receipt.

There are weekly and monthly ECB. *You will also earn 2% back in ECB quarterly on your purchases which will print automatically at the end of the sales period.

In order to start earning ECB, you need to have an Extra Care Card. You can get a card simply by asking a cashier for a form or by signing up online. If you fill out the form in-store, you will get your card to start saving imediately. However if you sign up online, it will take about a week to get your card in the mail. Remember to register your account online to receive special offers by email or in your mail box.

In addition to ECB, there are also CRT (cash register tape) coupons that print automatically on your receipt. These are not listed in the Weekly Ad and just print randomly. These are pretty general , for instance, $2.00 off of Huggies Pull-ups. You can also get X off of XX CRTs. It will look like this~ $4.00 off of $20.00. Both are considered stores coupons and can be combined with manufacter's coupons (MFC). You can stack a basic CRT, a X off of XX CRT and a MFC all together for maximum savings. Just make sure to hand the cashier the X off of XX first while the total is the highest. Here's what it looks like:

Buy (2) Huggies Pull-ups @ $10 each = $20.00
Use $4 off $20 first
Use (2) $2.00 CRT's =$4 off
Use (2) $3.00 MFC= $6 off
Total $6.00 for both packs of Pull-ups

Even better if you would earn $5.00 wyb $20 worth of Huggies
Total would be = $1.00!!

Making money at CVS can be very simple! Almost every week there is a promotion where you will earn the same amount of ECB that you spend. For instance:

Colgate Toothpaste $2.99
Earn $2.99 ECB wyb 1
Use $1.00 off MFC
Total = $1.00 overage after coupon and ECB

CVS also has other great ways to save:

Clip-Free coupons that will automatically be taken off at the register. You can find these in a flyer by the front door.

Email or "snail mail" coupons - remember to sign up online to get these.

BOGOF sales - you can use two MFC coupons on a buy-one-get-one-free sale.

For example:
Max Factor Mascara $7.99 BOGOF
Use (2) $3.00 off MFC
Total = $1.99 for both

As with anything, "practice makes perfect" so don't be discouraged if you make a few mistakes. You'll be shopping like a pro soon enough.

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Couponing 101

Needless to say, before I was introduced to the "right" way to do couponing, I had tried many times to pick up the paper with intentions to save money. I was always disappointed b/c I ended up wasting valuable time and spending more money. Thank goodness I was introduced to a couple of sites that just "made sense". I'm so grateful that I now can pass to you some tips about coupons, the easy way to organize, spend and save time.

Couponing is somewhat of a game. You start slow and as you move on you become knowledgeable of all of the In's and Outs and before you know it YOU win. I will start with the basics of couponing and as we move ahead and you will learn more with the homework I have done already for you on my site. I guarantee that you will be saving at least $100 a month on your grocery bill. Oh, I forgot you aren't paying for this. :)

The first key is getting your local paper at least every Sunday, checking out the coupon printable web sites, and knowing what magazines are best for coupons.

I prefer to subscribe to the paper because if your not subscribing you forget to pick it up or go out to get it and spend money you wouldn't have. Having it delivered is inexpensive and convenient.

You can actually preview what coupons will be in the paper by going here then you can buy more papers when you are out.

If you are ready for printable coupons my favorite site are Coupons.com, Redplum, and SmartSource.com.

All You is the best magazine for coupons, you can get two years for $18.00 here. P&G brandsaver also has coupons here and Right @ Home does the same here.

Be on the watch for: peelies on the product, hangtags under the product, and blinkies machines that blink throughout the store.

Now, do not think that because there is a coupon for $1 off of 2 frozen meals that it is a good deal. Most of the time those meals are $7-$9 and buying two well then you have really wasted some money on something you don't even know if you will like.

Be organized with your coupons. It is hard enough if you are a mom shopping with your kids in the first place. If your not a mom then keeping your coupons organized and keeping a list of what you want to purchase will work. (Keep a list and keep to your list, unless you forgot to add bread).

My method is keeping a file folder for the weekly inserts by date, also known as the Coupon Mom system. . When the advertisements are posted I then pull out the date of the specific insert and clip the matching coupons. I use the Couponizer to keep my coupons seperated and organized.

I use SS for Smart Source, GM for General Mills, PG for Proctor and Gamble, K for Kelloggs, and detail any printable match ups in the advertisements. I will list the matching coupons to the sales advertisements by writing, (1/25, RP) this means the coupon is in the Red Plum insert on January 25th.

Now that you have a stockpile of coupons it's time to match them up to the sales ad's. Each week it seems as if the same coupons come around so you should have at least 3 coupons for dish washing liquid when it finally goes on sale for .99. Being aware of the sales is really key to making all of this work. If you just go to the store with your coupons and no sale is going on then the Palmolive you just bought for 2.85 with the .25 coupon didn't really help matters. You have to watch for the sales. They seem to come around every 2-3 months on the same types of items.

Last but not least is creating a stockpile of items so you don't have to purchase out of necessity. This means your non-perishables, toiletries, etc. Pick them up when they are on sale and don't just purchase one purchase as many as you have coupons for. If you just get one then the previous purchase that cost $1 may cost you $4 next time even with your coupon.

Target Coupons:

Recently I have had several people mention having a difficult time with Target coupons as well as stacking Target coupons with Manufacturers coupons. I decided to contact Target regarding their Coupon Policy since it is not available online.

Here is the response:

If you have any questions about a specific coupon or experience using a coupon at Target, we want to help! Please give our Guest Relations team a call at (800) 440-0680. We'll do the best we can to help you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, I'd like to share with you some information about our coupon policy.

When accepting coupons, we use the following guidelines:-

We accept two kinds of coupons:

Target-issued and manufacturer-issued.

-We'll accept one Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon for the same item,unless either coupon prohibits it.

- We can't give cash back if the face value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item; in this case, we're able to adjust the value of themcoupon to equal the price of the item.

- We can't accept coupons from other retailers, or coupons for products notcarried in our stores.

- All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier while you're checking out.

Thanks for writing. Give us a call if there's anything else we can do to help.

I suggest that you print this and take it to the store with you when you shop. That way there won't be any questions at check out when it comes to stacking or using coupons at Target.

CVS Coupons

There are many ways to save and even earn money while shopping at CVS.

For all you newbies, here are all the tips you will need to start saving today! We will start with the Weekly Ads. You can get the Weekly Ad online, in front of the store or in your local Sunday paper. The Ad lists all sale items and items that will produce Extra Care Bucks and the quantity needed to earn them.

What are Extra Care Bucks (ECB)?

These are dollars that you earn when making a certain purchase and can be used on any future CVS purchase. You do not have to get all the items at the same time but will not earn the ECB until you fulfill the entire purchase. Your ECB will print out on your receipt so make sure to always check before throwing away your receipt.

There are weekly and monthly ECB. *You will also earn 2% back in ECB quarterly on your purchases which will print automatically at the end of the sales period.

In order to start earning ECB, you need to have an Extra Care Card. You can get a card simply by asking a cashier for a form or by signing up online. If you fill out the form in-store, you will get your card to start saving imediately. However if you sign up online, it will take about a week to get your card in the mail. Remember to register your account online to receive special offers by email or in your mail box.

What is CRT?

Cash Register Tape) coupons that print automatically on our receipt. These are not listed in the Weekly Ad and just print randomly.

These are pretty general , for instance, $2.00 off of Huggies Pull-ups. You can also get X off of XX CRTs. It will look like this~ $4.00 off of $20.00. Both are considered stores coupons and can be combined with manufacter's coupons (MFC). You can stack a basic CRT, a X off of XX CRT and a MFC all together for maximum savings. Just make sure to hand the cashier the X off of XX first while the total is the highest. Here's what it looks like:Buy (2) Huggies Pull-ups @ $10 each = $20.00Use $4 off $20 firstUse (2) $2.00 CRT's =$4 offUse (2) $3.00 MFC= $6 offTotal $6.00 for both packs of Pull-upsEven better if you would earn $5.00 wyb $20 worth of HuggiesTotal would be = $1.00!!
Making money at CVS can be very simple! Almost every week there is a promotion where you will earn the same amount of ECB that you spend. For instance:Colgate Toothpaste $2.99Earn $2.99 ECB wyb 1Use $1.00 off MFCTotal = $1.00 overage after coupon and ECBCVS also has other great ways to save:Clip-Free coupons that will automatically be taken off at the register. You can find these in a flyer by the front door.Email or "snail mail" coupons - remember to sign up online to get these.BOGOF sales - you can use two MFC coupons on a buy-one-get-one-free sale. For example:Max Factor Mascara $7.99 BOGOFUse (2) $3.00 off MFCTotal = $1.99 for bothAs with anything, "practice makes perfect" so don't be discouraged if you make a few mistakes. You'll be shopping like a pro soon enough.