Donna just asked me this question and I was hoping to get your help in answering it:
“I’m new at coupons and am wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of a post that explains how to save the most $$ . . . Am enjoying the coupons, but don’t know how to use them to best maximize my savings!” -Donna
This is a big question, so I wanted to offer some brief advice of my own and I encourage you to follow-up in the comments with your own tips.
Saving money by using coupons is all about matching up the store sales with coupons and rebates. If you are going to make one blog visit for a list of current sales and the coupons you need to get the best deals, BeCentsAble is it. They host a huge gathering of grocery store deals and you are likely to find your grocery store on the list. Don’t be overwhelmed, just focus on your grocery store and learn as much as you can about that store.
What websites or blogs do you think are the most useful for those new to couponing? Do you have a couponing tip to share with someone who is new to using coupons?
Great discussion offering great sites, thank you :) I didn’t see, or maybe just missed, my favorite site http://www.couponandcodes.com .
Thank you so VERY much for this link. I bought $90 worth of groceries last night, for $35!!! I’m hitting Walmart this morning, thanks again!!! Saving this much has been a LIFESAVER!
I’d add…Don’t rush to use a coupon when you get it unless you need it or it is a REALLY good price. The sales seem to cycle around to coordinate with the coupons or shortly after so to max out savings, go for it when it is cheapest. Of course, if I need something like diapers, I’ll get them wherever I can and use that cents off coupon right then…if I don’t need it, I wait to see if I can use it to my advantage with either a great sale, rebate or combined with another offer (buy so many, get $$$ off your order, or CVS/Target deals). You get the idea.
Hotcouponworld.com is a great place to go to find the “deals” laid out for you.I just posted 2 posts with tips on how to have successful coupon transactions, and I’m planning a new series about organizing yourself…you life, and there will be some stuff about organizing your rebates/coupons too.Great discussion topic, Heather!
I have to say that getting ORGANIZED is the key to saving money at the grocery store. Rather than using coupons, I check on-line ads and comparision shop which ever store has the most deals on the things I need is where I go. Also I cleaned out my kitchen cupboards and deep freeze and created an inventory list for all the food and dry goods.www.cindysporch.com has downloadable freezer and pantry inventory lists. Then I created another list for the things I really need. Now when I shop I know exactly what to buy and I am not wasting money on things I already have. If it is on sale I buy 2 instead of 1. Meal planning will also help you save money at the grocery store. Even if you only plan a couple meals a week you will find that you can save alot of money cooking at home. There are tons of on-line recipe websites that have healthy easy meals. My favorite is http://www.recipezaar.com. Not to get too far off track-I know there are alot of people out there who like canning for themselves or shop at the local farmers market. Here is another great website http://www.PickYourOwn.org. http://www.indianmeridian@blogspot.com
I have a page off of my site that is grocery savings 101 tips. It is not the say all and end all but it does give you basics. http://southernsavers.com/guide-to-supermarket-savings/I would also love any other tips to add to the page!!Hope it helps.
I sighed up for the grochery game a few months ago, and it was so confusing that after the free trial ended, I quit. I am going to be buying a cheap printer today, and give this whole coupon thing another try!!! Wish me luck :)
There are some great tips here!One thing I would add, is that coupons are not effective unless you have them well organized and easy to access.There are many different strategies for organizing coupons.I personally prefer using a binder for my coupons. You can stop by my blog for a video tour of my coupon system.http://www.kingdomfirstmom.com
http://www.downyez.com Go to this website and enter email address to get a $1 off coupon sent to your email. You can also have another $1 off coupon emailed to you for Downy Wrinkle Releaser! Anything that keeps me from ironing is great.
Most grocery stores these days, at least my local ones, have a website that you can register with. Once registered, you can access their weekly ads and specials. Match up your coupons with these specials to save the most money. You should be able to print out shopping lists to take with you to the store as well, which you can paperclip your coupons to. Planning like this takes me about an hour every week to do, and I save at least 40% every time I go.
moneysavingmom.comThis blog blessed me tremendously and got me started using coupons.
When I first started out, TheGroceryGame was a godsend! It matches the good sales with good coupons for great deals each week at a grocery store in your area – they have lists for all 50 states. Two weeks ago I saved over $30 that I would never have realized on my own, because the list also contains unadvertised specials and I don’t linger and look around while I shop. There is a free trial for $1 for 4 weeks. You can earn credit towards your fee by referring others. I would not refer if it did not work! A great time saver and a great way to make it easy for newbies or even busy couponers. If you heard about it from me and try the free trial, it would be great if you used my email for reference – rejuvenate@mac.com.
My one tip would be to make sure you aren’t using coupons for things you won’t use.Even if it’s a great price, if it sits on your shelf until it expires, it’s not a good deal!
Hi Heather! Love the site and all your postings! Donna can check out http://www.couponmom.com for some excellent strategies. Also, I have a short list for newbies on my own website: http://all4goodnesssake.blogspot.com/2008/06/playing-grocery-game.htmlHope this helps!
I hope you don’t mind if I plug my own blog, but I try really hard at my blog to make my posts understandable to people who are new to using coupons. I have quite a few posts that are dedicated to figuring out how each store’s system works and how to get the best deal at each store.frugalisfab.blogspot.comI also use hotcouponworld.com. It is a forum website and each store has it’s own forum. So you can go right to the store that you shop at and find out what sales are the best and what coupons work well with the sales.