COUPON 101
WHERE DO I BEGIN???
1. Decide your source of coupons - and begin gathering coupons
There are several places you can get coupons - your Sunday newspaper, ALL YOU Magazine, printable coupons, coupons from emails, facebook, free samples, and Catalinas. You need to decide if you want to use all these sources, or just one or two to begin with. Once you decide which places you are going to get your coupons from, you need to continue to get these coupons every week, month, or whatever interval they come. You must be faithful in gathering and clipping your coupons.
a. Sunday Coupon Inserts - Louisville Courier Journal
There are three (3) different types of Sunday Coupon Inserts, RedPlum (RP), SmartSource (SS), and Proctor and Gamble (P&G). Normally, a good rule of thumb is to get two two(2) papers per family member..since I have 3 in my family, I get 6 papers every Sunday. You can preview what coupons may/may not be in the Sunday paper each Wednesday on the facebook group Mayfield Steals & Deals…Local Coupon Community, or go to SundayCouponPreview.com.
All coupon inserts vary by regions in the county, so we may or may not get the coupons listed in the preview, or we may get a higher/lower value coupon than is listed in the preview. I have generally found that the coupons in the Louisville Courier Journal are pretty good coupons, and they don't vary much from the previews.
b. Printable Coupons
There are LOTS of printable coupons available. Normally, you can print each printable coupon twice, and they are usually good for 30 days. When you print your coupons, search different zip codes, as with coupon inserts, printable coupons also vary by region. Remember to hit your browsers "back" button to print each coupon twice, that is your limit per month. Coupons normally "reload" at the beginning of each month, and only have a set number of "prints" available, so you want to print your coupons at the beginning of each month, so they don't run out of prints before you get yours. The top places to print your coupons are coupons.com, smartsource.com, redplum.com, and couponnetwork.com. I have links to these printable coupon websites on the facebook group mentioned above.
There are also printable coupons called "bricks" coupons, these are special coupons that companies will offer for a limited number of prints, these are usually higher value coupons. You can also print these coupons twice, by simply hitting your browsers back button. There is no way to search for these, they are just offers from companies, lots of times you find these on the company's facebook page. These types of coupons typically go fast, so when you find a high value printable coupon, print it quickly.
c. ALL YOU Magazine
You can subscribe to this magazine or buy it at your local Wal-Mart. I buy 6 magazines per month. You can look inside the magazine cover to find what coupons are in that month's issue. They also have a website where you can get exclusive printable coupons. Sometimes, I've noticed that the coupons that are in the subscription ALL You are different from the ones you purchase at Wal-Mart.
d. Email Your Favorite Compaines
If you have a particular product that you just love and cannot do without, and can never find a coupon for it, email the company or send them a letter. Tell them how much you love their product, they may surprise you and send you an envelope full of coupons!!!
e. FREE Samples/Request by Mail Coupons
By requesting samples, you not only get a sample of the product, but usually you get a coupon also. To be honest, I don't know much about searching for free samples, I just read my favorite blogs, and when they say a free sample is available, I request it. There are a few websites that I frequent regularly that offer samples if you sign up for free:
f. CATALINAS
In this area, the only store that we can get “Catalinas” at is Kroger.
Catalinas are "rewards" that print out at the register after you purchase certain items. For example, I purchased 4 jars of Classico Pasta Sauce and received a Catalina for $1.00 off my next shopping trip. That means, the next time I shop at Kroger, I can use that coupon like a manufacturer coupon and receive $1.00 off my total purchase, it is not for a specific item, it is for my whole total purchase amount. There is no limit as to the amount of Catalnas you can get in each shopping trip, however; you can only get one Catalina offer per transaction, so, I could not have purchased 12 Classico Pasta Sauces in one order, and received three (3) $1.00 Catalinas, I would have still only received one (1).
Each month, the Catalinas that are available at your local stores change, you can see what Catalinas are available by going to CouponNetwork.com, and looking under the "my bucks" tab. You do have to register, but it is free.
If you do not receive a catalina, email ncsc@catalinamarketing.com, with "fulfillment" as the subject. You will need to include your name, your grocery store loyalty card number, items purchased, catalinas you think you should have received, and the identification numbers off your receipt, including the date and time of your purchase. Or you can also call 877-210-1917, option 1.
7. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COUPONS???
Currently, there are two (2) different types of coupons available, manufacturer coupons, and store coupons. Manufacturer coupons are good at any store that takes coupons, store coupons are specifically tied to the store that is on the coupon.
2. Decide how you are going to store your coupons
Personally, I use the binder method. I have a zipper dual binder with a handle and shoulder strap, but this is not something you have to get to start out with. You can get a nice inexpensive binder at a dollar store and fill it up with baseball card holders, and store all your clipped coupons in this binder. If you choose the binder method, you will want to create your own dividers to separate the coupons in categories of your choosing.
You can also use the box method, where you store your coupons, grouped by categories, in a box. I did this while I was starting out, I used a large Rubbermaid box with a lid and I took it to every store I went to. Not only was it hard to carry, I used very few coupons in the beginning.
However, the method you choose to store your coupons in is completely up to you. Think convenience.
3. Set a weekly budget for groceries and personal items
You know your money situation, and you know how much you spend already in groceries. Set a weekly budget amount for your groceries and personal items, and stick with that budget, no matter what. My personal grocery budget per week is $25.00. This may sound low to some of you, but, my family has plenty to eat, and I only spend $25.00 per week. Pray about this amount, don't make the amount so low you can't reach the budget amount, but give yourself a challenge, and stick with it.
When grocery shopping or shopping for personal items, my goal is to save more than I spend, and if rewards are involved, I want to earn more rewards from my purchase than I actually spent out of my pocket on my purchase.
4. Make menus
Decide what your family is going to eat at meals ahead of time, to avoid purchasing anything at full retail price, and to also learn to cook with the items you have in stock. If you don't want to physically write out a menu every week, at least know two or three days in advance what meals you are going to prepare so that you can have the meat thawed, and the vegetables cut up.
If you plan your menus ahead, you will know what items you will need to specifically look for when shopping.
5. Decide what amount you will pay for items
Make a list of items you use frequently, and set a limit on the amount of money that you will spend on those items. Do not ever pay more for that limit you set. For example, I will never pay more than $0.25 for a tube of toothpaste.
7. Print out your stores coupon policies
Before you go shopping, make sure that you have each store's coupon policy with you. Become familiar with these policies. Make sure you know the store's rules so that you don't commit any coupon fraud, and you get all the discounts you are supposed to get.
HOW DO I USE THIS COUPON???? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN????
1. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN “PER PURCHASE”, “PER TRANSACTION”, “PER SHOPPING TRIP”, AND “PER CUSTOMER”
A “purchase” – simply means – an “item”. So if your coupon says, “one per purchase”, that means, you can use one coupon, per item. For example, if you have a $1.00/1 Deodorant coupon that says “one per purchase”, and you have 5 deodorants, you could use 5 of the deodorant coupons.
A “transaction” – is the WHOLE entire order. It includes every item you are buying. So if your coupon says, “one per transaction”, you can only use ONE of those coupons, no matter how many of the items you have, during that “order”.
A “shopping trip” – is like a transaction – it is the entire time you are in the store. It is the entire time you are shopping. If a coupon says “only 4 per shopping trip” – that means, you can only use 4 of that same coupon during your whole entire shopping trip. You cannot go out of the store and come back in and use 4 more, because, technically, you are still shopping during the same shopping trip.
“Per customer” – is what it says…per customer. If you have a coupon that says, “one per customer”, you can only use one of those coupons, period.
2. BUY 1 GET ONE FREE COUPON
These are great coupons….you buy an item, to get an item free, making it like you got both items for half off. Normally, on these coupons there is a box, or a line that the cashier has to write the price of the item you are getting free in…sometimes, the coupon may say, max $1.00…or some price. What that means, is, the free item cannot cost more than the price listed. If it does, you do have to pay the difference. For example, if the coupon says”Max $1.00”, and the item costs $1.10, you will still have to pay the $0.10.
3. $1.00/2. $1.00/3, $1.00/4, etc…
Make sure that you read your coupon. If it says, $1.00/2, you HAVE to purchase the two items to get your $1.00 off, so it’s really like you would be getting $0.50 off of each item. You HAVE to purchase the correct number of items listed on the coupon, in order to receive the discount…the register will normally beep to let the cashier know if you do not have the correct items for the coupons you are trying to use.
4. USING A $$$$ OFF COUPON ALONG WITH A BUY 1 GET 1 FREE COUPON
If you have a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupon, and a $1.00/1 coupon, you can use these coupons together. You would have to purchase 2 items, you would still get one item free, and you would get $1.00 off the other item you are purchasing to get one item free.
If you have a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupon, and a $1.00/2 coupon, you can also, use these coupons together. You would have to purchase 4 items, and use (2) Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupon, along with your $1.00/2 coupons. You would get 2 items free, and $0.50 off each item that you are purchasing to get the items free.
If you have a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupon, and a $1.00/3 coupon, you would purchase 6 items use (3) Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupons, along with your $1.00/3 coupon. You would get 3 items free, and $0.33 off each item that you are buying to get the items free.
SALES CYCLES, AND BEING BRAND SPECIFIC
Most stores sales cycles run every 9 – 12 weeks, that means, that what is on sale now, will more than likely be on sale again in about 9 – 12 weeks. Sales cycles repeat themselves. In order to save the most money, you need to figure out how much of an item you will use in 9 – 12 weeks, and purchase that many, so, you will not run out until the next sale comes along. I personally keep a spreadsheet to help me keep up with the sales cycles of my favorite stores. I have formulas built into my spreadsheet so I can create my grocery lists on it, and I know exactly what I am going to spend, and then, I save the spreadsheet by stores and dates, and I look back on those to see what was on sale at this time last year. It helps me prepare my coupons, and keep my budget in check, so, if a good sale usually happens the same time every year, I save some of my budget money, so I can hit the good sale and really stock up.
I am not a brand specific person on most things. If you are brand specific, it will be harder for you to save the most money as possible. Pretty much, soap is soap, shampoo is shampoo…etc. If you aren’t a brand specific person, you can shop the sales all the time to get your personal items. However, if you are a brand specific person, or if you have allergies to certain things, if your brand goes on sale, that’s when you need to really stock up. Buy 10 or 12 of that item while it is on sale, so that you won’t have to pay full price for it ever again.
BASIC CVS 101
You must have a CVS card in order to get their sales prices, this is called the ExtraCare program. You can only have ONE PER HOUSEHOLD – not ONE PER FAMILY MEMBER. Some people do have one per family member, and that is in clear violation of their policy, and it makes other coupon users look bad. – You can apply for the card online or in the store, however, if you get it in the store, you can begin saving immediately. Make sure to register your email address, and activate your card online when you get home, and you will begin getting $$$$ off your total purchase coupons through your email.
Each time you go into CVS there is a little red coupon machine. Simply scan your card at that coupon machine, and it will spit out coupons every time. Wait until your coupons print, then scan your card again, then let your coupons print, then scan again. Scan your card until it says “no coupons available today – check back tomorrow”. I have scanned my card 4 times before and gotten coupons 4 times!!! Sometimes your coupons will be the same as other peoples, but sometimes you do get special coupons just for you. These coupons are attached to your ExtraCare card and cannot be used by someone else with another card.
CVS has a “reward” type “bucks back” program, these “bucks” are called Extra Care Bucks, or ECB’s. Extra Care Bucks are “bucks” that you receive on your receipt after purchasing a certain amount of certain products. This is like “money” CVS is giving you to spend in the store. It is only good in their store. Most CVS has limits of 1 or 2 per item when there is a ECB Reward, it will be listed in the sales ad how many the limit is. Sometimes, you will notice that the same items are on sale week after week with ECB rewards. You can tell if this is a new “deal” or one you’ve already done by simply looking at the “offer” number in the ad. If it is a different “offer” number from the week before, then you can get the same reward again, by purchasing the correct items.
The best way to use your ECB rewards to benefit you, is to “roll” your rewards and do multiple transactions. What that means is this – do a small transaction where you receive an ECB back, do another transaction, use your coupons and ECB’s you used from your previous transaction, get more ECB’s back…etc. This helps lower the money you pay out of your pocket. You are spending CVS’s money…not yours. My goal when I go to CVS is to always get back more rewards than the money I spent out of my pocket, and to not have more than $5.00 ECB’s left after all transactions. I find that some weeks at CVS are great, and I can find lots of things, but then there may be 3 or 4 weeks I don’t shop at all, and I don’t want my ECB’s to waste…and if for some reason my ECB’s do expire before I can use them, I won’t be as upset about $5.00 as I would about $20.00.
If you are doing multiple transactions, and you want to purchase an item that has a limit of more than 1, you can do one transaction, get your ECB, then check out again with the same items, pay with your previous CB reward – you will still get another ECB – example, if they have a sale where you get $1.00 after purchasing toothpaste, and the limit is 2, you can buy 1 toothpaste, get $1.00 back, do another transaction, purchase the toothpaste again, and use the $1.00 ECB you just got back, your out of pocket will be less, and you will receive another $1.00 ECB for another transaction.
You CAN use a store coupon stacked with a manufacturer coupon
You CAN have more coupons than items
If there is a B1G1 Sale that is a CVS sale, and you have a B1G1 free coupon for the same item that is on sale, you can use that B1G1 FREE coupon on your B1G1 FREE sale, and get both items for free, you just have to pay tax.
If there is a B1G1 Sale that is a CVS Sale, and you have two $$$$/1 off coupons, you can use both coupons, example, they have deodorant for $5.00 and B1G1 FREE, you have two $2.00 off coupons, you can buy 2 deodorants, and use 2 $2.00 off coupons, making it $1.00 for two deodorants!!!
If CVS is out of an item, you can receive a rain check on the item, their rain checks never expire
Give coupons to the cashier in this order:
$$$ off total purchase amount coupons
Extra Care Bucks
B1G1 FREE Manufacturer Coupons
All other Manufacturer Coupons
In Ad Coupons
Store Coupons
Little Red Machine Coupons
BASIC WALGREENS 101
Walgreens has “in store” coupons, normally at the front of the store with the ads. It is a coupon book that is good for normally a whole month. If you have multiple same items, and want to use a store coupon on each item, you only have to use one Walgreens store coupon, it will take off the appropriate amount for each item.
At Walgreens…always remember, you must have the same amount or more items than manufacturer coupons when you check out. If you have a Walgreens Store Coupon or Walgreens In Ad Coupon those do not count towards the total amount of coupons used in a transaction, only the manufacturer and Register Rewards coupons count towards you coupon total. If you have more coupons than items, you need to find a “filler”, which is something cheap that you can stick in your transaction to make you have more or the same number of coupons as items.
Walgreens has a reward program called Register Rewards. Each week they have certain items that if you buy, you get a “coupon” for money off your next order. You do not have to have a special loyalty card to get these rewards.
If you are buying an item that has a register reward with it, you CANNOT use that same register reward with another item from the same company to get another register reward. Example, if I purchase Oil of Olay, and get a $5.00 register reward, I cannot use that register reward to buy Oil of Olay again and get another $5.00 register reward – it won’t print. I have to use that register reward on an item from a different company.
To make your out of pocket expense less, do smaller transactions – split them up. Do one transaction, get your register reward, and use that to pay for your next transaction. Your goal, when shopping at Walgreens is to spend the least amount of your own money that you have to, use your register rewards as money. Try to get more register rewards back that what you actually had to spend with your money. That is called a “money maker”.
Try not to have a lot of Register Rewards left over after your transactions, incase you don’t find anything the next week to use your register rewards. Try to keep your Register Rewards you aren’t using during this shopping trip under $5.00.
You can use a store coupon stacked with a manufacturer coupon
Walgreens does not give overage, so, if you have a coupon that exceeds the value of your item, you need to make sure that you have more items to take up the amount of overage.
If there is a B1G1 Sale that is a Walgreens sale, and you have a B1G1 free coupon for the same item that is on sale, you can use that B1G1 FREE coupon on your B1G1 FREE sale, and get both items for free, you just have to pay tax
If there is a B1G1 Sale that is a Walgreens Sale, and you have two $$$$ off coupons, you can use both coupons, example, they have deodorant for $5.00 and B1G1 FREE, you have two $2.00 off coupons, you can buy 2 deodorants, and use 2 $2.00 off coupons, making it $1.00 for two deodorants!!!
If Walgreens is out of an item that has a Register Reward attached, you can request a rain check, however, you will not receive the Register Reward when the item is back in stock.
Give coupons to the cashier in this order:
$$$ off total purchase amount coupons
Register Rewards
B1G1 FREE Manufacturer Coupons
All other Manufacturer Coupons
In Ad coupons – these coupons will attach to all of the items you have that are the same, example, you have 3 Hershey Bars, you have an in ad coupon for $1.00 off 1 Hershey bar, you will get $3.00 off because you have 3 Hershey Bars, you do not have to use 3 in ad coupons
Store Coupons – same as in ad coupons
BASIC KROGER 101
Kroger has several “regions” throughout the county, we are in the Delta Region, and our sales start on Wednesdays. Kroger Ads are good for one week, unless they are having a special sale, such as a Mega Sale and those last for two weeks.
Other Kroger regions ads start on Sundays and I look at those ads. The items in those ads will be the same items in our ads except for the meat and produce, however, the prices may be different. I have found that our prices are somewhat higher for most things.
You must have a Kroger Card to get the savings – and you need to scan your card BEFORE they begin ringing your items up to avoid problems. You can get a Kroger Card when you check out, or at the Customer Service Desk. After you get your card, you need to go home and register the card online, make sure all your information is correct in the computer. Once you register your card online, you need to call the phone number on the back of your card and ask to be put on the mailing list to receive the Kroger My Magazine Coupons. Kroger sends out magazines full of coupons before every big sale. They also send out VIP coupons that come normally quarterly. These coupons are supposed to be based on your spending habits…however, my mom gets these coupons and she never shops at Kroger…she will always get like 5 or 6 FREE item coupons, and I get maybe 2, so, I’m not sure that is correct.
When going to Kroger, I suggest you take their coupon policy and read it and make sure that you understand every line of it. If there is something you don’t understand, Kroger has great customer service, all you have to do is ask them, and they will help you. The key things to remember when shopping at Kroger are:
- Kroger doubles all coupons valued at $0.60 or below everyday.
- You can only use 5 of the same manufacturer coupon per transaction, regardless if the coupon doubles or not.You can only use 2 of the same internet printable coupon per customer, per day.
- You can use B1G1 FREE Printable coupons
- If, after your coupon doubles, you would get overage on an item…you will no longer get the overage, you will only get the coupon doubled up to the price of the item. For example, if you have an item that is $0.88, and you have a coupon for $0.55, the coupon should double to make it valued at $1.10, however, since the item is only $0.88, you will get the coupon doubled up to $0.88. You will still get the item free, just not the overage. Remember, overage is a privilege, not a right…just like coupons.
- If you have a coupon that has a face value amount that is greater than the amount of the item, you will get the full face value of the coupon. For example, if you have an item that is $0.50, and you have a coupon that is valued at $1.00, you will still get the full $1.00.
- If you have a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon, you CAN use those together – UNLESS the store coupon is a FREE coupon…
Kroger does have ecoupons you can load directly from their website onto your shoppers card. Once you load the coupon, then check out, the amount will automatically come off your total when you check out. However…you cannot use an ecoupon and a manufacturer coupon together for the same item. If you have for example, 2 items, and you have an ecoupon and a paper manufacturer coupon, the system will over ride and will only allow you to use the ecoupon, even if you have 2 items and 2 coupons. Ecoupons do NOT double.
I ALWAYS have a list when I go to Kroger. I check and double check the items on sale, and cross check with the Catalinas that are available at my store so that I will know ahead of time what is going to be a good deal when I get there. There are always TONS of unadvertised sales at Kroger so be prepared to shop the store and look for great deals.
In the mornings at Kroger, they also mark down their meat. They put a little “Managers Special” sticker on the meat. There is nothing wrong with this meat, they just have to sell it in the next couple days. You can save a ton of money on meat by purchasing this marked down meat. Just prepare it when you get home and freeze it.
Kroger has different types of sales all throughout the year. When they have their 10 for $10.00 sale – you do NOT have to purchase 10 items to get them for $1.00 each…they will still be $1.00 even if you only buy one.
When they have their Mega Sales, normally they say get an additional $5.00 off your total when you purchase 10 participating items. When you look at the tags, they are normally bright yellow and have two different prices. The LOWER price is the price AFTER your Mega Sale discount. When you purchase items for the Mega Sale, you do not have to purchase 10 of the same items, you just have to purchase 10 participating items. There is no limit to the number of Mega Sale Deals you can do in one transaction, just make sure you purchase the correct amount of items so that you don’t get thrown off. Once you buy 10 participating items, you will get an additional $0.50 off each participating Mega Sale item…hence the “get an additional $5.00 off your total when you purchase 10 participating items”. These are awesome sales and normally will have some great coupons to go with the sales. You can normally find a “leak” about these sales a couple weeks ahead of time, which will help you prepare your list and get your coupons together.
For each $100.00 you spend, after Kroger discounts, but before coupons, you will receive 100 points. For every 100 points you have you can receive $0.10 off per gallon of gas up to 35 gallons at Participating Shell Stations, or you can choose how many points you want to use at Kroger Gas Stations, example, if you had 500 points, you could get $0.50 off per gallon of gas up to 35 gallons, or you could choose to use only 100 points and get $0.10 off per gallon of gas up to 35 gallons at Kroger Gas Stations.
MY FAVORITE COUPON WEBSITES
COUPON ETIQUITTE
Don’t clear shelves
Don’t resale the items you purchased at flea markets or yard sales. What you choose to do it your business, however, I have noticed on many items I am now purchasing that there are stickers on the bottles that say, this item is not for resale, if you find this item for resale call 1-800-XXX-XXXX. This is just a courtesy to other coupon users. It’s not illegal yet, however, because of the popularity of coupon usage, it’s only a matter of time.
Use the coupon for only what it says its for, make sure of the quantity and size – read the fine print of the coupon. Because of the extreme coupon show, and the amount of coupon users now, stores have become more strict with their policies, and the coupon amounts have greatly reduced. This is because couponers have gone to stores and cleared the shelves and used coupons on items the coupons were not intended for. Because of other couponers, we are all being punished. If we, as a group, become more aware of the fine print in the coupons, and make sure we are using the coupons for what they are intended for, then the stores will be nicer to us. If you are in doubt, call the manufacturer and ask them if that is what they intended the coupon for. If you accidentally use a coupon for the wrong item, but the coupon goes through, do NOT go back and repeat your transaction, just because the coupon did not beep, that is
coupon fraud.
If a coupon has on it “limit of 4 like coupons per transaction” only use 4 – if you accidentally use 5, but the register does not beep, that does not mean its ok.
Do not photo copy coupons you have printed from the internet. Each printable coupon has a ver-i-fi number on it that is unique to that coupon.
If you wish to purchase a LARGE amount of a sale item for donation, call the store ahead of time and ask them if they could possibly pre-order this for you. Explain to them that you are going to use this for donation and not for resale at a flea market.
Before each purchase, think about how you would feel, as a coupon user, if when you got to the checkout, the cashier said to you – I’m sorry, I can’t take that coupon anymore, someone came in here and cleared us out and used 100 of those coupons, and the manufacturer won’t reimburse us now because the coupon was used on the wrong item…think about that before you KNOWINGLY use the coupon in the wrong way, just because it doesn’t beep doesn’t mean its not the wrong coupon.
Copyright © Jennifer Smith, Mayfield Steals & Deals...Local Coupon Community & Let's Go Shopping with Coupons 2012
coupon fraud.
If a coupon has on it “limit of 4 like coupons per transaction” only use 4 – if you accidentally use 5, but the register does not beep, that does not mean its ok.
Do not photo copy coupons you have printed from the internet. Each printable coupon has a ver-i-fi number on it that is unique to that coupon.
If you wish to purchase a LARGE amount of a sale item for donation, call the store ahead of time and ask them if they could possibly pre-order this for you. Explain to them that you are going to use this for donation and not for resale at a flea market.
Before each purchase, think about how you would feel, as a coupon user, if when you got to the checkout, the cashier said to you – I’m sorry, I can’t take that coupon anymore, someone came in here and cleared us out and used 100 of those coupons, and the manufacturer won’t reimburse us now because the coupon was used on the wrong item…think about that before you KNOWINGLY use the coupon in the wrong way, just because it doesn’t beep doesn’t mean its not the wrong coupon.
Copyright © Jennifer Smith, Mayfield Steals & Deals...Local Coupon Community & Let's Go Shopping with Coupons 2012
