Couponing - Gunnison,CO

Couponing is great even if you only eat fresh foods. Whole foods has a booklet you can pick up as you head into the store. Also, even if you don't use them, "buy" the freebies, and then trade them on a site like SantaSwap for stuff you need, or to "pay" for something someone else posts. I keep my couponing simple, and just use www.thegrocerygame.com. I could probably save more if I put more time into it, but this takes me between 15 and 30 minutes a week, so it's worth the $4 a month to me to not have a huge time hassle. I usually do it while watching news or something that I would just be sitting for anyway. GL! Have fun!

Here are my thoughts on couponing.

Cut coupons for what you use and need regularly. Organize them in a multi-pocket folder.

Check sales at your local store and try to match with coupons you have.

I think the extreme couponers out there have OCD and who, really, needs 75 hand soaps on a shelf in their garage!? LOL

www.couponmom.com matches previous coupons out there with YOUR store's weekly specials so you can see what % you are saving and use the coupons you do have when the item is already on sale. That's the secret, think.

Personally, I just don't have the time or motivation to spend hours per week doing this! Good luck!

Just be careful. The extreme couponers are just organized hoarders and there is no need for that extreme.

Couponing takes time. Time = $$ So keep that in mind as well.

Also, why drive all over town trying to find the best "deal"? You are putting wear and tear on your car plus spending $$ on gas.

There is nothing wrong with couponing just go about it smartly. Don't compromise on quality either.

For me, I don't coupon. I do, however, shop smart.

I tried 'super couponing' and did not have the time and was finding I was purchasing things I typically wouldn't so I thought - 'what am I saving?'

However, if you have the time and want to do it as the 'super couponers' do I'll tell you what I did......Jill Cataldo from jillcataldo.com lives in my area so I went to one of her free seminars. She gave fantastic ideas to get started and I did so. I checked the sites that show what is on sale where and then matched my coupons up to what was on sale. That's the basics of it. Check her website as she'll give you tips.

So, what do I do now that I don't have the time to fully super coupon - I check the fliers at the store and circle what I would use that's on sale.....I then look to see if I have a coupon for it = if I do, great, if not, at least it's on sale! I purchase perishables at Walmart and then any meats or produce at Jewel or Dominicks.

See if your grocery store has a preferred program and sign up for it - it's usually free. Always make a list to go shopping and stick to that list.

We cut coupons, but only for products we use. If there is a coupon for a brand name item, but there's a generic equivalent that we like, we don't buy the brand name just because we have a coupon. I hope that makes sense.

Whenever I do the grocery list, I look at our store's sales flyer. I create our menu for the week from what's on sale. Stock up on pantry items when they are on sale (10 for $10 or buy one get one). You can use coupons on sales items for even bigger savings.

My husband does the grocery shopping (I know, I'm blessed). After I make the list, he goes through his coupons and only brings the ones he needs. Saves him the trouble of sorting at the cash register.

All in all, we don't spend a whole lot of time per week on coupons. But here's a site that I really like:

http://mashupmom.com/

She has some great tips on getting started. Good luck and start saving!

I'm sure there are websites, but please keep in mind that those crazy shows on TLC feature people who have serious OCD issues. They dedicate their lives to "saving and hoarding" and know which grocery stores will allow them to engage in their behaivors!

Check your local paper and look online for the different grocery ads. Definitely join your local grocery store's "savings club" and remember that farmer's markets are generally less expensive b/c the produce is fresh (also doesn't last as long)!

I'm really into couponing - I keep a binder full of coupons and typically save $30-$40 off my grocery bill, by combining in-store and manufacturer Q's. But, I do check some coupon blogs: Krazy coupon lady, howtoshopforfree.net, and coupon mom website.
I've begun stocking up if there is a really good deal at a store that I don't normally shop in (too expensive), for example a few months ago Stop n shop had buy 4 boxes of GM cereal, get $6 bucks back instantly and a coupon for free gallon of milk, so I went to the store 2 times that week and bought 12 boxes of GM cereals (with coupons I paid under 4 for 4 boxes of cereal and free gallon of milk-yippee). So, for almost 2 months I didn't need to buy cereal when doing my regular shopping.
Good luck! It is time consuming, but worth it when you get a good deal!

there are some tutorials on www.savvyshopper.com they are great!

If you have a facebook look up 'thekrazycouponueen' and 'coupon crazy and freebie fanatic' and 'christinescrazycoupons' 'live2save2live'. They post lots of great deals, printable coupons and links to other pages. Also search some of you favorite products and like their pages they often do giveaways and coupons. Just remember that some companies have tons of fans so not everyone gets one. Recent free samples I have received include honey nut cherrios, downy, purex, and TNT fireworks coupons as well as Pantene.

BettyCrocker.com
Penny pincher gazette.com
(http://www.ppgazette.com/coupons.php?nltr=a106)
HotCouponWorld.com
Coupons.com
pillsbury.com

pay attention to the store fliers for sales and when they do triple coupons...most stores double to .99 cents.

couponing is good - if you eat packaged foods...

we don't eat packaged foods- so I don't coupon...

are there any stores like sunflower market or sprouts in your area?
I find them to be much much much cheaper than king soopers, safeway, or similar stores. That might be a good place to start.

best wishes!

There are lots of great ways to organize coupons! Many folks use a notebook with transparent sleeves - similar to baseball card or photo sleeves. I've also seen the shoebox method. I use a sort of enlarged recipe box with dividers. In any case, the best way to organize is by category of food (bath soap, paper products, dairy, cold creal, hot cereal, coffee, etc). That way if you come across an awesome deal while shopping, you have only to search that category and not your entire collection! The Sunday paper has the largest selection of coupons. I subscribe to Sunday only in my area. We also get a neighborhood paper on Thursdays that often has a coupon insert (sort of a preview of Sunday's!). There are many great websites that regularly publish coupons (Coupon Diva, Coupon Mom, Shop at Home are a few). You can also sign up at the website for your favorite products and the manufacturers will frequently send coupons specific to their products. If your area supermarkets use any type of loyalty cards - sign-up! They offer discounts/sales specific to card holders. Also many of the chains offer and accept electronic coupons that they make available on their own websites. One of the most important things to do is to "shop" your local grocery ads before you go to the store. Make a list and match your coupons to the products on sale and that you need. I routinely save at least 50% on my shopping and have been doing this for many years! Good luck!

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