Calling all couponers

**bclements514** · 03-25-2008, 09:57 AM

So I am new to using coupons. I want to now what your tips and tricks are? How do you get your coupons? And how much do you usually save a month using them? Thanks!

**C@rol** · 03-25-2008, 11:01 AM

When internet shopping I go to the many sites
(such as retailnotme.com) get coupon codes.
They have saved me a lot of money. Newspapers,
mail, magazines, flyers and many more places
I'm sure the great ladies will share with you.

**Holly** · 03-25-2008, 11:13 AM

Join the coupon train here.
April one should be starting soon.
I get 2 papers a week, trade coupons, look in store isle ( little boxes ) get inserts from friends and family.
I usually save $25 to $40.00 a month sometimes less sometimes more

**julieb** · 03-25-2008, 11:52 AM

I use coupons with existing sales and really that is the only time I do use coupons. I am not brand loyal to anything if it is on sale and I have a coupon that makes that product free or very cheap then I buy it. Most times I will use it or I will give it away.

An example of this is when Walgreen's had oil of olay soap 2/4.00. I had 2.00 coupons on bundle packs which applied to that sale. They also had rebate rewards on the product as well.
So I bought four packs (two bars in each pack) used four coupons which allowed me to only pay tax and then Walgreen's gave me rebate rewards as well which can be used like cash in the store for anything else I needed.

Another example is when dawn dish soap went on sale for .99 a small bottle. I had 1.00 coupons for any size dawn. There was a limit on how many I could buy but I was going by walgreens anyway so I stopped twice that week and got a total of eight bottles.

I have done this with groceries, shampoo and toothpaste and numerous other products.

I keep a storage area for all my finds and I give alot away to family, friends and various charities. Couponing has allowed me to be generous.

Finding coupons can be tricky sometimes. I go through recycle bins, ask neighbors and family and recently found a friendly cashier at a local convenience store that lets me buy sundays papers on mon night for 2.00.
I mean all of the leftover sunday's papers. Sometimes I get as many as ten sometimes only one. I also write or call for coupons. Look on the back of the products you use, alot of times there is a 1800 number.

I have alot of coupons and consider this a bit of a hobby. Sometimes I go weeks without getting a good deal. Then others the deals come fast and furious, I am always looking for those deals.

I have saved alot of money doing this even though it is a bit of work. The time spent on this does decrease after you do it for awhile. You get into your own way of doing things and find what works for you.

For the past few months I have spent nothing on shampoo, soap, lotion or toothpaste. I wish I could get more good deals on groceries but I am a bit limited in my area. Although I am proud of the fact that our grocery budget is at 150.00 a month for the two of us. It used to be alot more. Lately I have been going to a bent and dent store and hope to decrease our grocery bill further.

If I can be of any help to you please feel free to pm.

**mombottoo** · 03-25-2008, 12:07 PM

I get my coupons out of the Sunday newspaper, special inserts that come in our newspaper from time to time, magazines, through the mail and off of the internet.

On average I would say I save close to $100 a month off the cost of my groceries which is about 25%.

**prairiewife** · 03-25-2008, 01:30 PM

I have only just started using coupons again the past month or so. I don't do nearly as well as many of the ladies here. I started by buying the Sunday paper and checking the coupon inserts and have also found several sites on line. Many have posted about problems with internet coupons, but I haven't had any problems using these.

At first it took some time trying to find sites and sorting my coupons but after a few weeks now I can just quickly scan the online sites for anything new. I am averaging $5 to $7 a week now on coupon savings. I only use them for items I would normally buy. Many times I've found the product with a coupon is still more than a store brand so you need to keep this in mind when figuring savings.

I had a coupon for film developing I used recently then found I could have paid full price at another store and it would have been cheaper.

**prairiewife** · 03-25-2008, 01:33 PM

Forgot to add that I know several people who don't bother with coupons who are willing to save their coupon inserts for me. Don't be afraid to ask.

**bumplett** · 03-25-2008, 01:35 PM

I use coupons with existing sales and really that is the only time I do use coupons. I am not brand loyal to anything if it is on sale and I have a coupon that makes that product free or very cheap then I buy it. Most times I will use it or I will give it away.

Bingo! Same here!!

**shoiji** · 03-25-2008, 01:49 PM

I use the coupons on sales also. Most of the time I don't use very many coupons right now. Mainly because I try to avoid processed foods. The home and bath coupons helps out alot also. Try and keep a list of the regular foods you eat. This will help you figure out what coupons to keep. Good luck with figuring everything out. Everyone is different so it may take a while to figure out a system that works best for you.

**cissylu** · 03-25-2008, 03:20 PM

I have used coupon`s in the past and found that I spend more. so I haven`t used them in awhile till I can learn to control myself. and only use what I have to have.
I have found also that even with a coupon some thing`s are still high.
I would get mine out of the new`s paper or off the internet.
only use what you need and don`t try many new thing`s just because it has a coupon it`s not alway`s a good deal some thing`s are still to high. so be sure and check all the prices includeing generic.

**Grandma Lewis** · 03-25-2008, 03:58 PM

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**Marie78** · 03-25-2008, 09:35 PM

I use the coupons from Sunday's paper. I buy a paper for the coupons on Sunday and my mom gives me her coupon inserts too. I average $20-$40a month in coupons savings, which makes up for the $7 cost of the Sunday Newspaper each month. I saved $12.50 with my coupons today. I matched my coupons to sale items to get the most bang for my buck. I spent $44.87on items and before coupons and sales the total would have been: $92.60, of course I would never have paid full price for these items, I am always looking for sales and since last month I have been trying to put together a decent stockpile of household and HBA Products. I am tired of paying such high prices for everything. We use products sparingly and now we have a good sized stockpile. I need to focus on my food stockpile now.

**jkelstaten** · 03-25-2008, 11:17 PM

I'm a lot like Julieb (except that I haven't done Walgreen's, just CVS which has a similar program). Last month I spent $211 for $1800 worth of products (groceries and HBA). There are 8 people in our house most of the time and we are ALWAYS having guests. On the weekends there are at least 10 people here. We eat lots of fresh fruits/veggies and coupons can be found on those too.

One thing I haven't seen anyone mention is Wine Tags. They are coupons or rebates that are found in the alcohol section of the store. Depending on your state and the individual rebate/coupon most do not require a purchase of alcohol. If your state doesn't have them you can find places to trade for them online or look for them on Ebay. They have them for EVERYTHING food! Right now I have some for frozen pizza, deli items, seafood, lamb. There are also current ones for candy, chocolate, fruit, produce, etc. These are what I use to save money in the departments that you usually don't find coupons for in the newspaper.

Also, if you have a store that will take competitor coupons you can usually make some pretty good deals that way. Yesterday (my normal grocery shopping day) I got an ad in the mail from a very expensive grocery store in our neighborhood that had a "Save $5 on a $20 order" and a "Save $5 on a $10 meat purchase". Instead of going to the expensive store to use them, I took them to Harris Teeter and was able to use them in combination with their great after weekend meat markdowns and produce markdowns. I got 6 different packages of meat (including one package of all natural beef) plus a ton of fruits/veggies and my overflowing cartfull of groceries for $30.

Also, pay attention to special coupon days that your stores may have. Like this weekend at one of my stores they are tripling coupons up to $0.99. So a $0.75 coupon becomes a $2.25 coupon. Lots of free stuff this week!!!

I, personally, buy 4 Sunday papers and then trade for coupons or pay for clipping services on Ebay to get multiples.

**ellendanis** · 03-26-2008, 01:50 AM

Originally Posted by Holly

Join the coupon train here.
April one should be starting soon.
I get 2 papers a week, trade coupons, look in store isle ( little boxes ) get inserts from friends and family.
I usually save $25 to $40.00 a month sometimes less sometimes more

The April SHOWERS OF SAVINGS Coupon Train is ready to board! Check it out here:

[ame="http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97992"]The April SHOWERS OF SAVINGS Coupon Train is boarding! - Frugal Village Forums[/ame]

We'd love to have you join us!
Ellen