Saving Money with Couponing: Tips for Stretching a Tight Budget

[wadesgirl]

I want to start couponing. Since being laid off, unemployment doesn't cover what I use to make and we need to save some money (of course DH refuses to give up cable tv ) I know I can't do what they show on tv - we try to eat healthy vs the ton of prepackaged food they buy on the shows. And none of our store double coupons or have savings cards. But even things like detergent, paper goods, etc would be good to save on. Curious to know if any of you have any good tips of where to start to help us out.

 

[Chefgirl2]

Re: CouponingThere are all sorts of great coupon sites that give tips, online coupons and comparisons for free. Don't pay to use sites. You can use store coupons and manufacturer coupons together...Target and Walgreens do this alot. Most online free coupons aren't usually valid...not all. I'm not home, but feel free to send me a message and I'll look up what sites I have saved under my favorites.

I took a couponing class last Spring...it's only been in the last few weeks that I've been dedicated to bringing them with me to the store I'm amazed at how much I saved...close to 40% of my bill.

 

[minirottie]

Re: CouponingYou could look at couponmom.com and register there...it's free and will give you an idea of what's on sale and what available coupons are going on. Like you, we don't have anywhere that doubles coupon, though Hy-Vee has done a few random days of it, but you won't see me saving like the ladies on TLC, and I don't usually buy 375 deodorants. I do check and see when there are sales on certain products in the weekly fliers: Hy-Vee for example with their 2 or 3 day sales where I'll go buy the OJ, etc..on days I wouldn't normally shop, but I'm stocking up on some staples or highly used items. I buy as much as I can at Costco. Ground beef in 6lb packages that is usually 2.99/lb. I split into 3 2lb sections after getting home. Chicken thighs are like 99 cents/pound and so I get 24 of them for about $10 and use those for my sticky chicken. I also buy my chicken breasts, toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, laundry/dish detergent,coffee, butter, some steaks/roasts), frozen broccoli/corn, chicken tenders, etc. there. Hurts to walk out of there sometimes, but I know my freezer is pretty well stocked. Costco has coupons so I wait to buy some items (cat litter, paper goods) until I have a coupon for them to save an extra $2.50 or so.This article was interesting about not using coupons right awayhttp://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/01/18/the-one-month-coupon-strategy-a-really-clever-way-to-make-coupons-worthwhile/

 

[NooraK]

Re: CouponingWhat you see on TV isn't realistic even if you did eat processed foods.

The site I follow has been putting together some great tutorials lately: Southern Savers. You may not be able to use the lists she puts together, but you can learn the basics and then find similar sites in your area for your lists.

 

[winklermom]

Re: CouponingAnother great site is Budget101.com - - Budget101.com - complete resource for digging yourself out of debt They have some great recipes to make things that you would normally get "prepackaged" that are so good! I love the beef stew seasoning recipe.

Also, as was already mentioned, SouthernSavers is a great resource. Hope this helps.

 

[Brenda.the.chef]

Re: Couponingthecoupongirlz.com is also a good resource. It gives you tips and places to download free coupons. I would NEVER pay for a coupon like some of these people on the tv. Wal Mart will ad match (but they don't advertise they do!) ASK! You can take any store ad with you and they will match the price. They, of course don't double coupons like some grocery chains.

afullcup.com is also a good resource.

I'm attaching a document that my nephews fiance sent me. She's REALLY into couponing and it's also a good read to get you started.

HECK! It won't let me attach it. Send me an email if you want a copy of the word document. [email protected]

 

[Brenda.the.chef]

Re: Couponingoh! I forgot that you can go to smartsource.com and redplum.com to print online coupons.

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Re: CouponingMoneysavingmom does coupon match-ups too, mostly for CVS, Target and Walgreens, and sometimes Wal Mart.

 

[1PamperedMommy]

Re: CouponingIf you're willing to buy stuff in bulk, it is totally worth it to buy 20 coupons on ebay for $2. I will buy 20 coupons and they may save me $20. In the long run, spending 10 cents on a coupon that saves you $1 is worth it. Ebay is my favorite site for coupon buying, but you should also check out thecouponclippers.com. Keep in mind that when printing coupons online, 1) you are only allowed to print 2 coupons from each computer you have (have your friends and relatives print for you, and you can get more) and 2) you should make it a point to print your coupons at the beginning of the month (they will "run out" of coupons once their limit of prints has been reached and they are usually updated the first of the month).

 

[chefsteph07]

Re: CouponingI do alot of couponing/saving at local drugstores. They usually have great deals on toiletries. I stock up when there are "buy one get one free" sales (just did that yesterday for deoderant and soap). I also found out that alot of stores that have the BOGO sales will only charge half if you get ONE of the product and not 2. (you have to check w/ your stores if they do this). When you can combine BOGO with coupons you will save a lot and double your stockpile.

 

[Brenda.the.chef]

Re: CouponingYou can also utilize Angel Food Ministries for grocery packages (things you can't usually purchase with coupons) and it's very good quality meat and produce. Check out their website angelfoodministries.com

 

[chefsteph07]

Re: Couponing

You can also utilize Angel Food Ministries for grocery packages (things you can't usually purchase with coupons) and it's very good quality meat and produce. Check out their website angelfoodministries.com

I heard that angel food ministries is going out of business.

 

[Brenda.the.chef]

Re: CouponingWell heck! :cry:

I didn't use them all the time, but they were really good when they had a menu I liked! I just went to their FB page and they are talking up a new organization that will be launching in November that is similar to Angel Food Ministries. One Harvest Food Ministries It looks like you can request to have a distribution center near you if it flies.

I'll have to look around to see if there are other such organizations now.

 

[winklermom]

Re: Couponing

You can also utilize Angel Food Ministries for grocery packages (things you can't usually purchase with coupons) and it's very good quality meat and produce. Check out their website angelfoodministries.com

Unfortunately, they did go out of business. This has happened fairly recently. Here's a link to one of the stories: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/470944_Angel-Food-Ministries-forced-to-close.html

Our church was a host for Angel Food for a few years. Sad to hear that they had to close.

 

[minirottie]

Re: CouponingI remember reading about the raid on them in 2009...and it's a bit disturbing to see that the head person was earning almost $700K annually!! Makes you wonder a bit about "non profit" when you see those kinds of numbers, and that the people who suffer the closing are the ones who need it the most

 

[wadesgirl]

Re: Couponing

Well heck! :cry:

I didn't use them all the time, but they were really good when they had a menu I liked! I just went to their FB page and they are talking up a new organization that will be launching in November that is similar to Angel Food Ministries. One Harvest Food Ministries It looks like you can request to have a distribution center near you if it flies.

I'll have to look around to see if there are other such organizations now.

Wow, that is interesting! With Angel Food Ministries, how many people did the meals serve?

 

[Brenda.the.chef]

Re: Couponingit would depend on the package you would purchase. I would buy a meat package and a produce package and spend around $40. This would supplement my groceries in my 4 person household for about a month. I'm really sad to see them gone.

 

[chef.k]

Re: CouponingI have been using the price match strategy @wal Mart...They will match any of their competitors prices. Once every 2-3 weeks, I go to Wal Mart and stock up on everything that I need. Not sure what stores everyone has in your area, but I use the sales from WinnDixie, Target, Ingles, Publix, CVS, Walgreens, etc....You can get the list of coupon matchups on couponmom. It shows all of the store sales, you can break it down by state. I usually print it out, compare to the weekly ads I get online and prepare my list and head out with my coupon binder. If you are purchasing large amounts, take the tiny sticky notes with you, put a sticky on the product that you are matching, so that the cashier has the amounts available and you dont have to search for the prices again in the papers. Im at work and trying to do 5 different things, so if this didnt make sense to anymore, just PM me for more info.

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Re: CouponingIn this week's coupons, there is a coupon for $3 off when you buy a turkey and 4 packages of gravy, stuffing and crescent rolls. All of which are on sale at many retailers. So when you use that $15 butterball coupon you get $18 off your purchase.

 

[CRuff]

Re: Couponing

In this week's coupons, there is a coupon for $3 off when you buy a turkey and 4 packages of gravy, stuffing and crescent rolls. All of which are on sale at many retailers. So when you use that $15 butterball coupon you get $18 off your purchase.

So cleaver....:chef:

 

[lt1jane]

Re: Couponing

Unfortunately, they did go out of business. This has happened fairly recently. Here's a link to one of the stories: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/470944_Angel-Food-Ministries-forced-to-close.html

Our church was a host for Angel Food for a few years. Sad to hear that they had to close.

another way to buy groceries inexpensively is SHARE. It's similar to Angel Foods but it's a bit more local. Wisconsin has a great SHARE system. I order once a month from the list and pick up at the end of the month. We have the package deals, but are allowed to buy ala carte which I love as I wouldn't eat about half of what comes in the package deals. Each SHARE is independent of each other. Wisconsin's SHARE serves all of WI, norther IL, Michigans UP, & Norther MN (Duluth area). The only "qualification" to order is you must eat food and want to save money on groceries. If you shop at an Aldi grocery store, what I buy through SHARE is a lot like what I will find at Aldi but at better prices.

Here's the link to SHARE programs in other states. Each SHARE organization is different. Here in Wisconsin, I can order ala carte, many other states you must order package deals. It's at least worth a look-see. If it doesn't work for you, at least you know. If it works, you found a great deal.

http://www.sharewi.org/SHAREAffiliates.html

 

[Kjurich]

Re: CouponingI loving couponing. . . .and I totally have my sister hooked too, needless to say I love my stockpile . . . lol Anyway I use livingrichwithcoupons.com and thecrazycouponlady.com both are great site they match the coupons for you and tell you wear you can find them also I get my sunday papers at the dollar store

 

[BadGirl]

Re: CouponingI did my big Thanksgiving shopping last night. My original order came to $408.47, and with using coupons and my store savings card, my final bill was $279.36, a savings of $131.65.

While my trip was still expensive, it did allow me to buy all of my Thanksgiving dinner items to feed 35 people for dinner a full traditional Turkey-Day meal.

I'd like to get really good at couponing so that I can save really substantial amounts of money.

 

[chef131doreen]

Re: CouponingI just started in the summer couponing , not to much ofa stock pile yet. But for example Domino sugars the smaller box 99 cents this week in the store I has about 12 50 cents coupons that they double Whaooo all 12 free ..... Same soe tin foil in Walgreens now I have . And yes bathroom things soap , tooth past ect very good in Rite Add or CVSplus the Bucks back
I'm learning and having fun with it