Save every Penny by using Coupons. BY: JP
17 Ways to Save Big at the Supermarket1. Don’t shop for groceries if you’re hungry. You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s true. Studies show that folks who shop when they’re hungry buy more. It’s true for me: If I go to the store for milk on a Sunday morning without eating breakfast, I’m likely to come home with donuts and orange juice and Lucky Charms, too.
2. Shop with a list. Make a list and stick to it. The list represents your grocery needs: the staples you’re out of, and the food you need for upcoming meals. When you stray from the list, you’re buying on impulse, and that’s how shopping trips get out of control. Sure, a magazine only costs $5, but if you spend an extra $5 every time you make a trip to the supermarket, you waste a lot of money.
3. Choose a grocery store and learn its prices. As I
mentioned yesterday, supermarkets monkey with prices. You can’t be sure a sale price is really a deal unless you know what the store usually charges. Once you learn the prices at one store, you can save even more by adding another supermarket to the mix. Learn its prices, too, and note how they compare to the first. Your goal should be to recognize bargains. You want to know when those Lucky Charms are really on sale.
4. Buy in bulk, when possible. You can save a lot of money by taking advantage of economies of scale. But there are times you shouldn’t buy in bulk, too: if the larger bundle is actually more expensive per serving, if you don’t have room to store larger packages, if you won’t actually use more of the product before it spoils. You don’t want stale Lucky Charms.
5. Stock up on non-perishables, if you have space. Investing in five tubes of sale toothpaste is better than buying one on sale now and four later at the regular price. If a favorite product goes on sale, buy as much as you will use before it goes bad. Again: be certain that the sale price is really a bargain. Great items to hoard include: dried pasta, canned foods, toiletries, baking supplies, cereal, and cleaning supplies.
6. If you do seasonal baking, stock up year round. Dried fruit and nuts will keep in the fridge or freezer. Decorating supplies can be stored in a cupboard or cellar. By planning ahead, you can purchase seasonal goods when they’re cheapest rather than when you need them.
7. Know when to shop at big box stores. Costco and Sam’s Club don’t always have the best prices, and their selection is limited. However, they do have great deals on many items, including vitamins, toiletries, baking supplies, pet supplies, and paper products.
8. Compare unit pricing. The biggest package isn’t always the cheapest. Stores know that consumers want to buy in bulk, and so they mix it up: sometimes the bulk item is cheaper, sometimes it’s more expensive. The only way you can be sure is to take a calculator. (
Mapgirl says she uses the calculator on her cell phone.) Our grocery store posts unit pricing for most items, which makes comparisons easy.
9. Check your receipt. Make sure your prices are scanned correctly. Make sure your coupons are scanned correctly. Sale items, especially, have a tendency to be in the computer wrong, and yet few people ever challenge the price at the register. You don’t need to hold up the line: simply watch the price of each item as it’s scanned. If you suspect an error, step to the side and check the receipt as the clerk begins the next order. If there’s a problem, politely point it out. It’s your money. Ask for it.
10. Use coupons, but only to buy things you actually need (or want to try). Gather coupons from your Sunday newspaper, from weekly circulars, from in-store booklets, or from online sources. Ask friends and family to save them for you. Sort through them while you’re doing something mindless — watching television, talking on the telephone, riding the bus. Clip coupons for products you use (or cheap alternates), or for products you’d like to try.
11. Use coupons for staple foods and ingredients, not highly-processed foods. Highly-processed foods have enormous markups. “You shouldn’t even buy processed foods because the markups are so high,” my wife advises. Coupon savings barely make a dent in the price. If you must buy processed foods, wait for a good sale and then add the coupon so that you can get them at an excellent price.
12. Take advantage of special coupons whenever possible. Double coupons are great. My wife’s likes the “get $10 if you spend $50 or more” variety. Coupons for produce are rare — seasonal produce is often the cheapest and freshest. These special coupons can yield big savings.
13. For maximum savings, combine coupons with in-store sales. What happens when you combine a steep in-store discount on Lucky Charms with a 50-cents-off coupon and a double coupon? You get very cheap Lucky Charms, that’s what.
14. Plan your meals around what’s on sale. Every week, before making a shopping list or planning what to eat, go through your flyers and coupons. Check the calendar to see if there are any big events approaching for which you’ll need food. If you like meat, plan your menu based on the sale cuts.
15. Examine sale flyers carefully. On the front page are the things that the store really wants you to buy. Be wary of these. Note any special bargains. This week, for example, our store had many items on sale at ten for ten dollars, including dried pasta.
16. Take advantage of “buy one, get one free” offers. Split with a friend, if needed. You many not need two pot roasts, but it’s the same as getting one for half price if you find a friend to split the expense. (Alternately, pay the normal price and give the second away as a gift. Who wouldn’t love a free pot roast?)
17. My wife’s final piece of advice? “Let your husband come with you for the company, but don’t let him put anything in the cart.” The
experts agree.
Where to get coupons:
· Sunday paper
· The Coupon Clippers (
http://www.thecouponclippers.com/)
· online coupons
· store aisles
· in or on product packaging
· printed at the register
· friends / neighbors that get the paper and don’t coupon
· In the Mail
Know what is on sale:
Weekly circulars – Wednesday paper or in Monday/Tuesday mail
Coupon Sense (
http://www.couponsense.com/) – subscription (AZ Republic discount)
By being in the store. Not all sales are advertized
General Store Policies in Arizona:
All major supermarket chains accept coupons, but all do not double them. They will only take at face value.
There are times the supermarket chains will advertise that they are tripling coupons up to a dollar.
Most stores limit the number of coupons to three like coupons per transaction. (If you choose to purchase more, you should divide your order.) This limit only applies to stores that double or triple coupons
If the store is out of a sale item, you should ask for a rain check at checkout. Most rain checks have an expiration date
Maximize Coupons
Make the most of the coupons you've got by using them when they'll net you the biggest discounts. Try these strategies to cut even more money from your grocery bill with coupons.
Locate local supermarkets that automatically double (or occasionally triple) the value of coupons to increase your savings.
Use coupons when those items go on sale at the supermarket to receive the amount off the lower price.
-Online programs like the Grocery Game will help you pair manufacturer coupons with supermarket sales and weekly specials to save money each week.
8Discover grocery stores and retailers that allow coupon stacking, which means buying an item using a manufacturer and a store coupon at the same time.
Organize Coupons
How to Organize Coupons in a Logical Manner
A simple approach is to sort coupons into categories that mirror the order of the aisles at a couponer's most frequented grocery store. This makes shopping easier, as the coupons will already be in the correct order as he or she navigates the aisles. Additionally, most grocery stores have similar layouts, so this format should be fairly easy to use everywhere.
Even a stack of the best paying coupons won't do you any good if you don't remember to bring them to the store. Try these methods to organize your coupons so you can find and use them as needed.
Accordion File: Buy a small accordion file or coupon organizer with slots to sort coupons by product type, brand, store or even supermarket aisles.
6-At the beginning of each month, rotate the coupons that are about to expire to the front. If you can't structure your meals around the coupons, consider giving the discounts to a friend who can use them.
Three-Ring Binder: Place baseball card sleeves inside a binder and use divider tabs to separate the sections into categories that will help you find them easily.
Filing System: Try organizing different types of coupons in folders in a box or filing cabinet if you collect a lot. Use folders for grocery, restaurant, specific stores or types of products, for example.
3Envelopes: Sort coupons into envelopes labeled with categories like product types, stores, restaurants or expiration dates. Stash the envelopes in a shoe box or file folders.
7Index Card File: Use a small recipe or index card file to sort coupons alphabetically or by product name or type. Bring the file with you to find applicable coupons as you shop.
Suggested Coupon Categories
The categories shown below are based on the order of the aisles in a typical grocery store. To set up a coupon organizer, start with the number of available categories, then list the major product categories based on the order of the aisles at the chosen store. Note that there are 13 categories below because many standard coupon organizers have 13 sections.
· Personal Care / Medicine Cleaning / Other Household Supplies
· Meat / Dairy Sauces / Dressings / Condiments / Jellies
· Canned Goods / Soups Pasta / Rice / Seasonings / Crackers
· Beverages Flour / Baking / Oil
· Cereal / Breakfast Foods Paper Goods / Containers
· Baby Frozen Food / Bread
· Dessert / Snacks
Make sure to sort coupons into narrow enough categories that each section is not overflowing with coupons. If necessary, expand into two coupon organizers in order to sort coupons into more specific categories.
Make It Intuitive
Make sure to organize coupons in a way that makes sense. If an organization method seems completely unintuitive, it will make sorting through the stash of coupons a frustrating experience.
For example, if there are some categories of items rarely purchased for a household, it would make sense to group these categories together, regardless of their location in the store. Separating them into their own category eliminates the need to sort through them every time a coupon is needed; however, by clipping them and keeping them on hand, they are available when needed to take advantage of an excellent deal.
Once a couponer has learned the basics of
saving money with coupons, he or she should find a way to organize coupons that will make sorting and using them a cinch. A simple yet intuitive organization method will cut down on the time required to maintain a current stash of coupons.
Printable Coupon Sites: These sites allow you to print out grocery coupons to use wherever you shop for groceries. Top sites include:
Coupons.com,
SmartSource.com,
CoolSavings.com,
EverSave.com,
RedPlum.com and
Boodle.com.
Remember that there are some supermarkets that will take expired coupons.
References for How to Use Coupons
1.
2009 Coupon Insert Schedule2.
Finding Coupons - In Store3.
10 Great Places to Find Coupons4.
Places to Find Coupons5.
5 Places to Find Coupons Online6.
How to Organize Coupons7.
Making A Coupon Organizer System8.
The Grocery Game9. Freebies4Mom.com:
Coupon Stacking· Additional Resources
· smartsource.com boodle.com
· coupons.com shamrockfarms.net
· boxtopsforeducation.com pillsbury.com
· couponsense.com thecouponclippers.com
· practicalsaver.com thegrocerygame.com
· couponmom.com pinchingyourpennies.com
· MyGroceryDeals.com
· Cellfire.com will allow you to add coupon to your VIP Cards
Conclusion
At one time, you may have rolled your eyes at the person in front of you in the grocery store checkout line who handed a stack of coupons to the cashier. But after a using a few stacks of your own, you'll discover how a little extra effort finding and organizing coupons can make a large dent in the amount you'll have to spend.
***IMPORTANT***
Label your coupon holder with your name and phone number just in case you lose it.
PROCESS cookies in food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to medium bowl; mix in butter. Press onto bottom of 13x9-inch dish. Refrigerate until ready to use. 
WHISK cream cheese, sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk in medium bowl until blended. Stir in 1-1/4 cups COOL WHIP; spread over crust.
