I've read a few posts here about confusion on couponing and how to save on groceries, so I thought I'd share some knowledge with everyone. I'm a new couponer, but I've learned a ton over the last few months, not to mention saved a lot of money. I'm going to break this up in parts, so here is Part I: Background info and Base Knowledge.
I'd also like to include a few links to sites/people/videos that helped me on this journey so that everyone here can benefit. If anyone else out there is experienced on this and would like to share their own knowledge/helpful sites, please feel free.
Before I start, I'm going to address a few concerns that I've seen come up on this site and in personal life.
Myth 1: Only highly processed foods have coupons.
Truth: Many organic and more wholesome foods have coupons as well. I've found natural peanut butter coupons in my newspaper inserts, as well as coupons for butter, olive oil and 100% juice. While coupons for produce are rare (do they even exist?), as are those for meat, there is a large part of the grocery bill that coupons do apply to that are not highly processed crap.
Myth 2: I buy food in bulk, so I have no use for coupons.
Truth: Even if you can't/don't use coupons for food, there are tons of other items one can use coupons for, such as: razors, hairstyling products, makeup, toilet paper, paper towels, storage containers, cleaning products, and many more. By combining the right sales & coupons you might be able to get all the toilet paper and toothpaste your family needs for a year for FREE. While it doesn't seem like much, over time even small savings such as these add up.
Myth 3: Coupons don't really save you money--generics are usually cheaper anyways.
Truth: Coupons won't save you money on their own. The trick to couponing is to combine them with a sale. For example, let's say Bounty Paper Towels 8 pack usually goes for $11. In last weeks paper, you found a $1 off coupon for Bounty. The Generic goes for $9. No brainer, right? Well, as it just so happens, this week Safeway is offering a buy one get one free on Bountry Paper Towel rolls. So you are paying $5.50 per package if you buy two. Well, you have a coupon you can use to save an additional $1. Now, if you are a bit more advanced couponer, you have multiple coupons. Since you can use ONE manufacturers coupon per item, you can use 2 one dollar off coupons. So, in essence, you are paying $9 for two packages of Bounty Paper Towels. Mind you, this is what I just did last week. My family is good on paper towels until the beginning of next year if not longer!
Another example (not too healthy, but for cake it's nice to have an inexpensive option):
Duncan Hines cake mixes were reduced 10 for $10 at my local Savemart. Had I had 10 50cent coupons, or even $1 off coupons for Duncan Hines, I would have gotten enough cake mixes to last me a whole year of birthdays for less than $5/free.
Myth 4: Stores hate coupons--they lose money!
Truth: Some cashiers hate coupons, but stores love them! The manufacturer PAYS the store the value of the coupon. In fact, the stores are making money on you buying their loss leaders since, with the coupon rebate, they aren't losing money on the sale anymore! So not only are you getting what you need for less, you are helping stores' bottom lines.
Myth 5: We don't have space to keep all of this stuff!
Truth: Where there's a will there's a way. I've seen people keep extra toilet paper on a shelf they have higher up in their closets (above the regular shelf in the hard to read place), under the bed (using those bed boosters), behind couches, etc. Honestly, if I can get the items incredibly cheap and/or free that my family uses, I will find a place to put them. Also, remember that sales are cyclical, so you don't need to stock up on toothpaste for the year right.this.sale. Get enough to get you to the next sale, which is usually 3-6 mos later.
Ok, the first step to couponing is setting up a separate email address. I know this might seem excessive, but I like having an email address for coupons only. That way I can give companies that I like that email to contact me without cluttering up my personal email. Gmail takes only a few seconds to set up, as does yahoo. I've found Gmail gets a lot less spam, so I prefer it.
The second step is familiarizing yourself with a few key sites. I'll link to a few of them below, but for an indepth focus, please look at this video. It's a bit cheesy at times but she offers a wealth of sites that will help you on this couponing journey and explains how each site is useful to you. One major site to focus on is A Full Cup. With a little bit of site navigation, you will be able to do what the Grocery Game does for free. For those not familiar with the Grocery Game, it is a paid membership ($ depends on how many stores you want to get) that links up coupons to sales for certain stores. In Afullcup.com, you just go to the specific store forum and in there is a place where the current coupon to sale matching has been made. If you don't want to go to forum to forum, you can also go to the Coupon menu on Afullcup.com, select coupon clippers and enter your zip code, it does the same thing and rates the deal in stars 0.5 being retail price and 4 being the best buy based on previous price points.
Another major site to focus on is HotCouponWorld. Here is another source for coupon knowledge. The members will also post the deals that they find so you can share in the savings!
And, finally, the last major site is Grocery Coupon Guide. There are lots of helpful articles there, even one on finding the best deals on natural & organic grocery options. Some of the articles are reiterated stuff, like buying in bulk, but it's meant to be a guide, useful for those just starting out on the frugal path as well as those more advanced.
The third step is finding the coupons! Many times, people will suggest getting a couple copies of the Sunday paper. This is a pretty good investment, especially if you buy things such as conventional peanut butter, juices (even the 100% juice kind), toilet paper, paper towels, etc. Not all papers are created equal. At Hotcouponworld.com, there is a section titled Coupon Resources. On this page there is another link titled Newspaper Inserts. On this page select your state, then area and you will be shown a list of the newpapers and the types of inserts they carry. Be sure to get a couple copies of the papers with all of the inserts.
Another way to get coupons sent to you is to contact the Manufacturers directly. Google the name of a product you love and tell them why. Quite often, they will send you free coupons. For example, some of you may know of Mambo Sprouts, the organic and health food coupon source commonly found in Whole Foods. If you go to their site (click on their name), you can sign up for internet coupons sent to your email AND the option to receive their booklet by mail. If you see these booklets in your regular Health Food Store don't be shy and grab a few.
Also, the magazine All About You has a ton of coupons in it. It's inexpensive (around $2) and the articles aren't too bad.
Now, some of you may be wondering why I'm telling you to get multiple copies. The answer is simple, but evaded me until recently. The trick to using coupons and saving a lot of money is this: BULK buying. You need enough coupons of a product so that you can buy it super cheap/free when it's put on a really good sale so that you can wait until the next really good sale to buy again. And that is all. Say, for example, your family likes ketchup and goes through a bottle of it every two months. Now, after during the 4th of July sales, ketchup is usually hugely marked down. With multiple coupons, you could buy enough ketchup to get you to the next super sale for next to nothing. You can use ONE manufacturers coupon PER item. So on 10 items you can use 10 coupons.
There are also coupons called store coupons are coupons specific stores give out (Target, Walgreens, etc) that you can only use at that store. HOWEVER, you can combine store coupons with manufacturer coupons. For example, let's say Target has a store coupon out for $1 off Ziplock bags. You also happen to have a manufacturers coupon for another dollar off. So, in effect, you have a $2 off coupon when you combine the two. In some areas I've heard that Walmart will honor other stores' sales/coupons--my Walmart doesn't so I have no experience in this area. Anyone who does, please feel free to share!
The fourth step is organizing your coupons. I'll write more about this tomorrow, lol.
I'd also like to include a few links to sites/people/videos that helped me on this journey so that everyone here can benefit. If anyone else out there is experienced on this and would like to share their own knowledge/helpful sites, please feel free.
Before I start, I'm going to address a few concerns that I've seen come up on this site and in personal life.
Myth 1: Only highly processed foods have coupons.
Truth: Many organic and more wholesome foods have coupons as well. I've found natural peanut butter coupons in my newspaper inserts, as well as coupons for butter, olive oil and 100% juice. While coupons for produce are rare (do they even exist?), as are those for meat, there is a large part of the grocery bill that coupons do apply to that are not highly processed crap.
Myth 2: I buy food in bulk, so I have no use for coupons.
Truth: Even if you can't/don't use coupons for food, there are tons of other items one can use coupons for, such as: razors, hairstyling products, makeup, toilet paper, paper towels, storage containers, cleaning products, and many more. By combining the right sales & coupons you might be able to get all the toilet paper and toothpaste your family needs for a year for FREE. While it doesn't seem like much, over time even small savings such as these add up.
Myth 3: Coupons don't really save you money--generics are usually cheaper anyways.
Truth: Coupons won't save you money on their own. The trick to couponing is to combine them with a sale. For example, let's say Bounty Paper Towels 8 pack usually goes for $11. In last weeks paper, you found a $1 off coupon for Bounty. The Generic goes for $9. No brainer, right? Well, as it just so happens, this week Safeway is offering a buy one get one free on Bountry Paper Towel rolls. So you are paying $5.50 per package if you buy two. Well, you have a coupon you can use to save an additional $1. Now, if you are a bit more advanced couponer, you have multiple coupons. Since you can use ONE manufacturers coupon per item, you can use 2 one dollar off coupons. So, in essence, you are paying $9 for two packages of Bounty Paper Towels. Mind you, this is what I just did last week. My family is good on paper towels until the beginning of next year if not longer!
Another example (not too healthy, but for cake it's nice to have an inexpensive option):
Duncan Hines cake mixes were reduced 10 for $10 at my local Savemart. Had I had 10 50cent coupons, or even $1 off coupons for Duncan Hines, I would have gotten enough cake mixes to last me a whole year of birthdays for less than $5/free.
Myth 4: Stores hate coupons--they lose money!
Truth: Some cashiers hate coupons, but stores love them! The manufacturer PAYS the store the value of the coupon. In fact, the stores are making money on you buying their loss leaders since, with the coupon rebate, they aren't losing money on the sale anymore! So not only are you getting what you need for less, you are helping stores' bottom lines.
Myth 5: We don't have space to keep all of this stuff!
Truth: Where there's a will there's a way. I've seen people keep extra toilet paper on a shelf they have higher up in their closets (above the regular shelf in the hard to read place), under the bed (using those bed boosters), behind couches, etc. Honestly, if I can get the items incredibly cheap and/or free that my family uses, I will find a place to put them. Also, remember that sales are cyclical, so you don't need to stock up on toothpaste for the year right.this.sale. Get enough to get you to the next sale, which is usually 3-6 mos later.
Ok, the first step to couponing is setting up a separate email address. I know this might seem excessive, but I like having an email address for coupons only. That way I can give companies that I like that email to contact me without cluttering up my personal email. Gmail takes only a few seconds to set up, as does yahoo. I've found Gmail gets a lot less spam, so I prefer it.
The second step is familiarizing yourself with a few key sites. I'll link to a few of them below, but for an indepth focus, please look at this video. It's a bit cheesy at times but she offers a wealth of sites that will help you on this couponing journey and explains how each site is useful to you. One major site to focus on is A Full Cup. With a little bit of site navigation, you will be able to do what the Grocery Game does for free. For those not familiar with the Grocery Game, it is a paid membership ($ depends on how many stores you want to get) that links up coupons to sales for certain stores. In Afullcup.com, you just go to the specific store forum and in there is a place where the current coupon to sale matching has been made. If you don't want to go to forum to forum, you can also go to the Coupon menu on Afullcup.com, select coupon clippers and enter your zip code, it does the same thing and rates the deal in stars 0.5 being retail price and 4 being the best buy based on previous price points.
Another major site to focus on is HotCouponWorld. Here is another source for coupon knowledge. The members will also post the deals that they find so you can share in the savings!
And, finally, the last major site is Grocery Coupon Guide. There are lots of helpful articles there, even one on finding the best deals on natural & organic grocery options. Some of the articles are reiterated stuff, like buying in bulk, but it's meant to be a guide, useful for those just starting out on the frugal path as well as those more advanced.
The third step is finding the coupons! Many times, people will suggest getting a couple copies of the Sunday paper. This is a pretty good investment, especially if you buy things such as conventional peanut butter, juices (even the 100% juice kind), toilet paper, paper towels, etc. Not all papers are created equal. At Hotcouponworld.com, there is a section titled Coupon Resources. On this page there is another link titled Newspaper Inserts. On this page select your state, then area and you will be shown a list of the newpapers and the types of inserts they carry. Be sure to get a couple copies of the papers with all of the inserts.
Another way to get coupons sent to you is to contact the Manufacturers directly. Google the name of a product you love and tell them why. Quite often, they will send you free coupons. For example, some of you may know of Mambo Sprouts, the organic and health food coupon source commonly found in Whole Foods. If you go to their site (click on their name), you can sign up for internet coupons sent to your email AND the option to receive their booklet by mail. If you see these booklets in your regular Health Food Store don't be shy and grab a few.
Also, the magazine All About You has a ton of coupons in it. It's inexpensive (around $2) and the articles aren't too bad.
Now, some of you may be wondering why I'm telling you to get multiple copies. The answer is simple, but evaded me until recently. The trick to using coupons and saving a lot of money is this: BULK buying. You need enough coupons of a product so that you can buy it super cheap/free when it's put on a really good sale so that you can wait until the next really good sale to buy again. And that is all. Say, for example, your family likes ketchup and goes through a bottle of it every two months. Now, after during the 4th of July sales, ketchup is usually hugely marked down. With multiple coupons, you could buy enough ketchup to get you to the next super sale for next to nothing. You can use ONE manufacturers coupon PER item. So on 10 items you can use 10 coupons.
There are also coupons called store coupons are coupons specific stores give out (Target, Walgreens, etc) that you can only use at that store. HOWEVER, you can combine store coupons with manufacturer coupons. For example, let's say Target has a store coupon out for $1 off Ziplock bags. You also happen to have a manufacturers coupon for another dollar off. So, in effect, you have a $2 off coupon when you combine the two. In some areas I've heard that Walmart will honor other stores' sales/coupons--my Walmart doesn't so I have no experience in this area. Anyone who does, please feel free to share!
The fourth step is organizing your coupons. I'll write more about this tomorrow, lol.
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So I can't get as good deals as those who do, but hey, every little bit counts!
Couponing seemed so hard to figure out until I found a few sources and studied them. Now I want to make it as easy and clear for all of you guys here!
If it's not allowed, that's ok too. 
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