Hey Moms,
I was watching GMA the other morning and there was a lady on that uses coupons and her groceries end up costing her pennies. Anyone out there have any good sites or pointers on using coupons?
couponmom.com is a good site. my problem is that when I print the coupons then the stores don't want to take them! I was also told that Walmart takes any coupon (internet, competitor, etc.) ~ but evidently that's not true at Walmart Grocery stores (which is the closest & between work and home). But ever the optimist. I clip every weekend and carry my coupon holder in my car so it's ready to use every time I go!
I haven't been able to save more than $20 on a shopping trip and that was with groceries over $200. I have no idea how some of these women do it and where they shop. Most often I find the better deal to be the store brand.
I use Shortcuts.com which lets you enter the number from your grocery store shopper card, and when you pick the coupons you want, it automatically loads them on your card. Nothing to clip, just spend a few (5-10) minutes a week online, and you are set. When you buy the item at the store and use your shoppers card, the coupon gets deducted. It keeps track of when they expire, and will send you alerts on coupons you have used in the past!
Thegrocerygame.com I love it!!! I save 60-70% of my grocery bill every week. They know the grocery sales even unadvertised and your lists tell you when its a rock-bottom price then to use your coupons. It lists every kind of food (even meats and vegis/fruits, health and beauty and paper and plastic products so there is something for any kind of shopper. Their message boards have tons of great info, hot tips and great sales at every kind of store. Sign up for a 4 week trial for free! You'll be glad you did!
First you need to have a coupon organizer that is easy to carry and keep organized. I found a wonderful one at Office Depot.
Clip coupons for items that you would regularly use or use a few times a year (baking for the holidays, etc). You can clip coupons from the Sunday newspaper and weekly paper supplements. You can also print coupons from an on line website - there are several to choose from. Some charge a membership fee and some do not.
Put your coupons in your organizer, make a list, stick to your list and try to grocery shop by yourself. I find when other family members join you get off your list.
Find a store that works for you. I prefer Kroger because I have the Kroger card, your coupons are double and tripled and you get bonus points for towards your gas fill up.
It's take some time to get in the habit of clipping coupons and keeping them organized - but I do this on a weekly basis and it takes about 30-45 minutes. Once you get in the habit of doing it your savings will pay off - I can generally save between $50-$80 with each grocery trip.
**I would also suggest purchasing your produce from a farmer's market. It is fresher and lasts longer than your items purchased in the grocery store.
There is a free 4 week trial right now. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing, but it gets easier once you get the hang of it. You can purchase the Sunday paper at the dollar store for $1. I usually purchase 3 papers so that I will be able to stock up on items when they are at their lowest prices while using a coupon. I get many items for free. Sometimes, I even make money on items...that is how you can really save some money! Good luck!
I print online from...
www.boxtops4education.com
www.couponmom.com
www.couponsurfer.com
Most items are the same on the sites but i usually get a few different one's. I use these coupons at Wal-Mart and HEB and they have all worked. I like shopping at HEB because of the instore coupons.
some stores offer double or triple coupon days you will just need to check in your area if there are any. there are not any in mine...
I have to admit, I've tried using coupons. I've gone to web sites. Then, I get to the store and compare prices.
The vast majority of the time, it's way cheaper to buy the store brand. I just don't get how those people do it. It has to be a store that has good sales & does the double or triple coupons deal. The only store around here that doubles coupons in Kroger. They limit the total coupon value to $1. (If it's .50, they go $1, if it's .75, they go $1.) And, they're sales are not the best.
Hopefully, there's someone else with better advice. Good luck.
I'd also like to know about this if you hear about something good. I've found most coupons to be for things I don't buy: prepared foods, pet items, cosmetics, etc. Once I even joined a website that a friend told me about called The Grocery Game (you can google it), but I had the same problem. At this point, I just keep an eye on the sale ads so I have an idea what good prices are, and try to build my menus around those. I don't know if Walmart honors other coupons, but I do know they honor sale prices from other stores' sale flyers. I'm also trying to get around to building a price book as suggested in The Tightwad Gazette or thesimpledollar.com.
Dealseekingmom.com is an awesome site.
You should try www.refundcents.com it has alot of different websites you can print from plus they have a list of sales for many different stores. Good Luck
Lots of good coupons in the Sunday paper.
Try googling "Centsable Momma". She usually has tons of coupons and money saving ideas.
there are several sites out there. Kind of depends on how much you want to get in to it. couponmom.com does a great job, and she is free. Grocerygame.com is another, but you pay a monthly fee based ont eh number of lists you elect to receive. For grins, also check out iheartcvs.com and iheartwags.com for CVS and Walgreens shopping opportunities. I haven't gotten to the "only paying pennies" stage yet, but I do average between 18 and 45% savings on each trip...
In my house it is my husband who does the coupon shopping. He recommends couponclipper.com/Deals/Grocery for some good coupons. We get the ones from the sunday paper, and sometimes trade with friends the ones we won't use. He sorts the coupons ahead of time in the order of the aisles in the store to save time. He looks at the ads for all the stores that week so he knows which things to buy at each store. He has a sense for whether each item, with or without a coupon, is a good deal. Also, he keeps an eye at the checkout because the prices don't always scan right. He is flexible about different brands, looks at the clearance shelves and post-holiday sales, is willing to shop at discount stores as long as the price really is less, and if something isn't a good deal he will wait and see if he can find it at a different store or a different week. When the stores near us used to do the double and triple coupons, he really could save half or more, but they've stopped doing it. Though we try to save money on the processed and packaged food, we don't skimp on the fresh fruits and vegetables.
A.:
I also use The Grocery Game. Like others said, you may end up buying things you don't want or need if you're not careful and disciplined. But at the same time, I've tried things I wouldn't have otherwise. I always get a kick out of seeing if I can beat my running total (about $47 savings in coupons) each time.
The lady on the GMA show is Kathy Spencer. Her website is a Yahoo Group called How to Shop for Free. She also has a Big Tent version that's better and has a $1 (yes, one dollar) annual fee to join. The fee keeps out the spammers rather well. She is the one who purchased $267 worth of groceries for $0.05 total. It's all through doubling and matching sale items to coupons.
In San Antonio, with HEB being our major, if not only, grocery chain, you won't find the same type of deals as they do not double or triple coupons. But like someone else said, HEB is already lower without doing so.
Even without the ability to double coupons, I've learned a lot from following TheGroceryGame.com (once you're past the free period it's about $1.25 a week - which you make up in savings easily) and from what I read on the HTSFF pages and daily emails. If you have the time to sit and work the system, you can save big.
There's no quick fix to get there and there's no magic wand. You have to spend time clipping coupons, organizing and comparing sales but it is possible to make a very significant dent in your grocery budget with a little bit of effort.
Good luck!
I tried this just last weekend for the first time. I just used www.coupons.com and saved $11 - that seemed pretty good to me. I mean I would have spent it had I not printed the coupons. Every bit helps these days.
Studies and my own personal experience show that people who buy with coupons buy things that they wouldn't ordinary use and often waste items that they can't use. HEB is consistently less than Krogers and Randall's. Even with Kroger's triple coupons, HEB is less, so why even bother to clip with coupons for things that you wouldn't buy otherwise? I buy the store brands, and splurge on the few things that aren't as good in generics. She may "save" a hundred dollars on a trip, but if she had bought at the cheaper store and bought store brands, she probably would have spent less anyway, without that hassle of keeping track of coupons.
Try Makana Hansen's blog www.thegrocerygeek.net There was an article featuring her in the Houston Chronicle Spring-Klein-Tomball section today (11/5/09)
