Couponing 101 - Frugal Times Four

•Sunday Newspaper-  this is where you will get the majority of your coupons from.    Coupons are located in the following inserts:  Smartsouce, Redplum, P & G, and occasionally General Mills and Kelloggs.   When the inserts are big and the coupon’s are awesome,  you will probably want to buy more than one paper.  To rapidly increase your stockpile of coupons, ask your friends and family who do not use coupons to save the coupon inserts from their Sunday paper for you. 


•Coupon Exchanges- You can do this with some of your friends and family. Basically all you do is get together and exchange coupons.  You will find a lot of coupons that you will not use or need.  But like they say your junk may be someone else's treasure.   By getting together for a coupon exchange you will probably get additional coupons you would like and will be able to give coupons
you do not want to someone who really needs them.

•Blinkies & Tear Pads- Blinkies are little machines that spit out coupons(will be find on aisles and have a little blinking light) and tear pads have coupons attached to them(will usually be found at product displays). Make sure you’re on the look out for these at all times!

•Peelies- These are coupons attached to a product. They usually look like stickers, but they are coupons!  If you find a peelie on a product you are purchasing, make sure you remove it to give to the cashier, because the cashiers do not look for them and it will probably be missed.

•Inside Products-Make sure to check for coupons inside products you buy. Also, sometimes manufacturers will put coupons on the box itself, so you’ll have to cut them out with scissors.

•All You Magazine- This is a great magazine for building up your coupon stash. It can only be found at Walmart at the checkout lanes. You can also order a subscription online.  They have quite a few coupons that usually make the purchase price well worth it! You may want to skim through the magazine before purchasing to see what you will be getting before you purchase.Check it out next time you’re at Walmart.

•Mailers- If you sign up with different companies they will usually mail you promotional offers and coupons periodically.  Signing up and registering on company websites can be a real pain sometimes, but when you start getting those coupons in your email or your mailbox, I'm sure you will agree, it is well worth it.

Purchasing Coupons- I rarely purchase coupons, with the exception of preparing for a double or triple coupon event.  If you do choose to purchase some coupons, but sure to take into consideration the shipping costs and the expiration dates.  It usually takes about a week for your coupons to arrive.  Here are a few of the most popular sites that you can purchase coupons from:

• The Coupon Master
• Tayhe Coupon Clipper
• Coupons & Things by Dede
• EBay

INTERNET COUPONS-This is where you will usually find the best coupons.  A lot of them will be high value coupons and most are coupons for the thinks that we use every week.  This is a very large topic, so I have covered it in a posting by itself.  Look for posting title "Internet Coupons for Beginners".

If you do have problems installing a printer there are trouble shooting sites where you can get help.  Please refer to the following sites:

Trouble Shooting Guides
Smart Source  HERE
Coupons.com  HERE
Red Plum  HERE

There are literally hundreds of coupons out there that you can print.  Some of the most common sites are:

  SMART SOURCE
  REDPLUM
 COUPONS.COM
 EAT BETTER AMERICA
 PILLSBURY.COM
 BETTY CROCKER.COM
 HOME SOLUTIONS
 
Note: Most coupons can be printecd twice. Use your back button to get back to a printer to print. Sometimes this requires clicking your back button a few times.   Printing coupons from the internet is easy and will yield a lot of high value coupons for your use.  However, always remember it is legal to print coupons, but it is illegal to make copies of any coupon.  So never copy coupons.

In addition to the sites I mentioned above you can find lots of other resources by going to our PRINTABLE COUPON RESOURCE PAGE.   Look on the right side of this blog page and click on the button shown here:        

ORGANIZING YOUR COUPONS
What are the options for organizing my coupons?
The most popular include:

o Envelopes: Some people use envelopes for their coupons. This is a nice, cheap option if you have only a handful of coupons. If you like this system and have more than will fit into one envelope, you can try using a different envelope for each category of coupons.

o The Accordion File: The accordion file is a compact organizer with built in divided sections. These usually come with a snap or band closure. This is a great organizer to start with if you have a small to medium amount of coupons.

o The Index Card Box: There is also the index card box. This system uses an index card box with index dividers for the categories. The coupons are kept freely between the dividers.

o The Binder System: The binder system is very popular. This system uses a 3-ring binder with clear baseball card or photo pages. Slide the coupons into each slot in the pages. Use divider pages to separate each category. This option is great because you can see the coupons at a glance and they’re expandable. The zippered type of binder works well to hold everything neatly inside. And one with a handle is even better.
It’s all about finding what works for you.

So now you have your system. What next?

How should I organize the coupons?

Like the system, choosing the organizational method will be solely based on personal preference. There are tons of variations on organizing coupons. Here are some ideas:

o By Category: This is the method I personally use. Each section of the organizer is a different category in an order that works for you. For example, categories could include Baby, Baking, Canned/Bottled, Cereal/Breakfast, Cleaning/Laundry, Dairy, Drinks, Frozen, Personal Hygiene, Meat, Paper Products, Prepared Foods/Pasta, Produce, Health & Snacks. Within each category are pages labeled with more specific categories. So, within the Paper Products category you could label pages Tissues, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, and Plastic/Paper Dinnerware, you want to go whatever works for you.

Should I take all of my coupons to the store with me?

Absolutely! I know there are some people out there who only take those coupons they plan to use. But without all of your coupons you might miss out on unadvertised sales and clearance items. Stores can only fit so many sale items in their flyers. You won’t know about the other sale & clearance items until you get to the store. You don’t want to be without your coupons when you find out that your favorite shampoo is on clearance for $1.00 and your $1/1 coupons for that shampoo are at home!

SS - Smart Source Insert

RP - Red Plum Insert

P&G - Procter & Gamble Insert

Q - Coupon

ETS - Except Trial Size

GM - General Mills

MFR or MQ - Manufacturer Coupon

SC - Store Coupon

CC - Competitor Coupon

TQ - Target coupon

RegP - Regular Price

PC - Price Cut

GC - Gift Card

B1G1/BOGO - Buy One, Get One Free

WYB - When You Buy

YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary

MIR - Mail in Rebate

TMF - Try Me Free

UPC - bar code that is scanned for pricing

$1 SS 1/4 - $1 Coupon Smart Source Jan.4th

OOP - Out of Pocket

WFC - Weekly Flyer Coupon

$1.50/2 - $1.50 off two items

ECB - Extracare Bucks (CVS)

WAGS - Walgreens

RR - Register Reward (Wags)

GDA - Good Deal Alert

Store coupons are coupons that can only be used in the store that issues them. But the really good thing is that they can be stacked with your manufacturers coupons. This can lead to some super deals.

MEIJERS-

Meijers coupons are known as Mealbox coupons. And you can print them from their website or you can also print them from the frugal times four website. You will be able to print as many of each coupon as you want. These coupons do not double, but can be stacked with your manufacturers.

KROGERS

If you shop Krogers you must have a Shoppers Card.

You can apply for your card on line or in any Kroger Store. Once you have your card you can go to their website and load Kroger coupons on your card. These coupons do not double, but will stack with your manufacturers. When you purchase the item and use your Kroger card the coupon will come off of your purchase automatically. Krogers does double manufacturers coupons (up to $.50 will double, $.51 to $1.00 will go to $1.00).

TARGET

Target coupons are printed directly from their website. You can stack them with your manufacturers coupons. Target does not double any coupons.

Please note that some of the coupons that you print from the Target website are manufacturers and unfortunately you will not know which are manufacturers and which are Target coupons until you print them. The site will allow you to print one or two coupons depending which one it is.

Target Price Matching Policy

Target has a price matching policy which they refer to as a Low Price Promise. Here are the most important points of this policy,

Target will honor any local retailer’s price published in a printed ad- the following exclusions apply:

*Any Online prices, Web-Advertised Prices or Mobile Prices (must be a printed ad)

*Early bird, door busters or other special limited time, limited quantity sales

*Membership club or loyalty programs (no BJs, Costco etc that require a club or loyalty card)

*Coupon-required advertised offers (ie- items advertised with a price AFTER an in-store coupon)

*Prices advertised as a percent off or $ off or BOGO sales

*Items advertised as Clearance or closeout

*Product Service Offers like warranties, assembly, etc.

*Going-out-of-business liquidations

*Non-branded items (some produce, etc)

*Expired Ads

Applying Coupons to Price Matching:

*Target coupons will be applied BEFORE the price match is made. Once the Target Coupon is applied if the price is still lower then the price match will be made.

*Manufacturer coupons will be applied AFTER the price match is made.

Walmart Price Matching Policy

Our goal is always to be the low price leader in every community where we operate. Our customers trust us to have every day low prices ... there's no need for "special sales."

Our unbeatable promise:
Store managers make the final decision in always taking care of our customers, but we do have guidelines for matching our competition.

We do honor "Preferred Shopping Card" advertised prices. Must be like items, be advertised and require a competitor's shopping card, for the discount to apply.

We do not honor advertisements that require a purchase in order to receive the advertised price or free product.

We do not honor "Buy One / Get One Free" advertisements.

We do not honor double or triple coupons or percent off advertisements.
We do not honor other retailers' "Misprinted" advertised prices.

We do not honor Internet Pricing.

We do not honor competitor advertisements from outside of the store's or Club's local trade territory.

Target Stores Coupon Policy

Coupons are a great way to save even more when shopping with us, and it's easy to use them at our stores.

• Target accepts one manufacturer coupon and one Target coupon for the same item (unless prohibited)

• Super Target coupons can be used in any Target store if the store carries the item

• We gladly accept valid internet coupons

Because of the variety of coupons available to our guests, we do have some guidelines for how coupons can be redeemed at Target.

When accepting coupons, we use the following guidelines:
• We accept two kinds of coupons: Target-issued coupons and manufacturer-issued.

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

• Coupon amount may be reduced if it exceeds the value of the item after other discounts or coupons are applied.

• We can't give cash back if the face value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item.

• We can't accept coupons from other retailers, or coupons for products not carried in our stores.

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

Walmart Coupon Policy

Walmart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below):

Manufacturer coupons (Cents Off)

Free merchandise (or manufacturer's Buy-One-Get-One-Free) coupons

Store coupons

Pharmacy (Advertising and Promotional) coupons

Internet coupons

Soft drink container caps

The following are guidelines and limits:

Walmart only accepts coupons for merchandise we sell and only when presented at the time of purchase.

Coupons should have an expiration date and be presented within the valid dates. Walmart will not accept expired coupons.

Internet coupons should be legible and say "Manufacturer Coupon." There should be a valid remit address for the manufacturer and a scannable bar code.

Only one coupon per item is permitted.

Use of 40 or more coupons per transaction will require approval by Customer Service Manager.

Meijer Coupon Policy

Coupons are a great way to save extra money when shopping with us, and we have made it easy to use them at our stores.

When accepting coupons, Meijer uses the following guidelines:

We accept two kinds of coupons; Meijer issued coupons and manufacturer coupons.

Only one manufacturer coupon and one Meijer coupon for the same item will be accepted (unless prohibited).

Mealbox coupons are considered Meijer coupons.

We accept all valid internet coupons. See store for details.

We reserve the right to limit quantities.

If the value of the coupon is more than the price of the item after discounts or coupons are applied, the value of the coupon will be applied up to the price of the item.

We do not apply the excess value of a coupon to the order total if the value of the coupon is over the price of the item after discounts or coupons are applied.

Only coupons for products carried in our stores will be accepted.

All coupons should be given to the cashier while you're checking out and cannot be applied to a previous purchase.
Although it is not stated in their policy, Meijers does double manufacturers coupons (up to $.50 will double and any coupon between $.50 and $1.00 will be worth $1.00. However, they will only double two like coupons per transaction.

Most cashiers will be glad to do more than one transaction for customers.

You have your coupons clipped and organized, now you are ready to go out there and start saving all that money and get all those freebies. Let’s look at a few don‘ts first;
Don’t purchase something just because you have a coupon for it, wait for a sale unless it is an item you need immediately

Don’t use a coupon just because it is about to expire, coupons come and go in cycles and they will be back

Don’t buy something just because it is a good deal, you only want to buy items that you will use now or in the future or items that you are planning on donating to a worthy cause.

Now let’s get started:

Get your sale ads for the store or stores that you will be shopping at and make a list of the sale items that you have coupons for. These should be items that you need now or will need in the future (stockpiling)

Make sure to print any internet coupons that you need

Print any store coupons you need

Then you can add the items that you must have but do not have coupons for

Remember, take all your coupons with you when shopping, even it your just running in for as few items, you don’t want to miss our on an unexpected deal

While shopping watch for unadvertised sale items and closeout item

And be sure to watch for those blinkies and tear pads

JUST A FEW TIPS ABOUT STOCKPILING

1.Usefulness. It only makes sense to store items your family will use regularly. Your time & space is valuable.

2. Date-Conscious. Mind your expiration dates! Don't stock up on two years' worth of salad dressing if it will all go bad in 6 months.

3. Organized. A good stockpile should be organized to help you with your cooking, meal planning, and grocery list-making.

RULES FOR GOOD COUPONING

Do not use expired coupons

Use coupons for what they are intended, the right product, the right size, etc

Always be courteous and polite to the cashiers and managers

Most importantly, always remember, all stores have the right to refuse to accept any coupon, to limit the number of coupons you can use and to limit the number of items you can purchase with coupons

This is a subject in itself. There are a lot of do’s and don’t when couponing at Walgreens. And most of them are learned by experience. Don’ get discouraged when you make a mistake, just learn from it. You can save a huge amount of money at Walgreens.

There are 3 types of coupons that can be used at Walgreens:

1. Manufacturer's coupons - These are regular coupons like you would get out of the Sunday paper.

2. Walgreens store coupons - These are coupons that can only be used at Walgreens. They can be found in pamphlets (by the entrance), Walgreens Magazines, Walgreens Children Coloring books (by the pharmacy) or other places throughout the store.

3. In-ad coupons - these are coupons that are found in the weekly 7 day ad.

You may use 1 store coupon and one manufacturer's coupon per item.
ALWAYS give the manufacturer's coupon first, and then the store coupon. The reason: if the two coupons combined are worth more than the cost of the item, a manufacturer's coupon will beep if given last. Store coupons will go through just fine if given last.

Register Rewards (RR)

Register Rewards- are Catalina coupons worth a certain dollar amount that you can use to help pay for another purchase. They print at the register when you buy certain items. The Walgreens ad will feature specific items that produce Register Rewards weekly. Many times these items are a great deal, but if you have a coupon for the item, you can often get products for free! *after RR

For example, the Ad advertises xx toothpaste as "Free after Register Rewards". If the toothpaste costs $1.99, and you use a $1 coupon, you will pay $0.99, but a Register Reward for $1.99 will print, making this scenario a money maker, because you leave the store with more money than when you came in!

ABOUT RR

· Only one Register Reward will print per offer per transaction. If you buy 2 different advertised deals, both Register Rewards will print, but you cannot purchase 2 of the same deal in one transaction.

· You can use Register Rewards to pay for any of your purchases. However, Register Rewards can not always be "rolled" (using Register Rewards to pay for something else that gives back Register Rewards.) You cannot use a Register Reward from one product to pay for another of the same product. The new Register Rewards will not print. Also, you generally cannot roll Register Rewards between two products that are the same brand. For example, if you had Register Rewards that printed from buying Aussie Hair Products, you could not use them to buy Pamper, another RR will not print because they are made by the same parent company, Proctor & Gamble.

· Register Rewards are manufacturers coupon, and at Walgreens you can only use one manufacturer coupon per item purchased. You need to make sure that the number of items you are purchasing is equal to or greater than the number of coupons you are using, including any Register Rewards you plan to use. If you are using a coupon on every item that you are buying, and you want to use a RR, you need to add a small filler item (anything cheap) to your transaction in order to be able use your RR.

· If a deal is advertised like this "Buy $20 worth of select products, get $10 Register Rewards", the value of what you are buying is computed before coupons. Example: "Buy $20 of Glade products, get $10 RR." If the products are $2 each , you could buy 10 items for $20, use (10) $1/1 coupons, and pay a total of $10. You would still get the $10 RR because your product total came above $20!

Can you say FREE………………..