Coupons 101

Here is your 1 stop shop to everything (well almost everything) I know about coupons!

What are Coupons and Why Do I Care?

So what's the big hoopla on coupons and why is everyone talking about using them?


Coupons have drastically changed since mom and grandma cut them. I remember my mom spending hours cutting, filing, and using a few of them in a grocery store when I was child. I'm not sure what happened to me - probably some major event blocked in my memory - but as I grew older, I began to despise coupons. They were just too much work for me.

Earlier this year, I noticed that my grocery bill continued to climb. As hard as I tried, I could not stay within my grocery budget. What's really sad is that my grocery budget was $500/month and I was spending $600+(one month I almost hit $1K - not that $1K is anything to brag about). At any rate, I didn't feel too bad because according to the the US government 2005 report at www.USDA.gov - the typical US family spends $40 per person per week on food. For a family of 4 that works out to be $8960 per year or $747/month. I was still doing "better" than that typical family...and there ain't nothing wrong with being better than average :)

Then I turned on the TV one day and saw a gal using coupons and spending something like $20 a week on groceries for a family of 5. Well...geeze...now I'm feeling cruddy for being "average". I wanted to be better than average. So I decided to get in on the game. I grabbed some newspapers (ok...some doesn't say it all...it was 6 Sunday papers), figured out a system, and got cracking...

The "secret" to using coupons is very simple:
1. Know what's on sale. I use one website to scout out the deals of the week at my local grocery store: Pinching Your Pennies
2. Use a coupon for that item.
3. Preferably at a store that doubles, triples, or quadruples the coupon.
4. If a mail in rebate exists - use it! You can often get the item for free or less than free (i.e. also called a money maker - mm).

I'm pleased to report that since I have been couponing...I've remained in my budget and I'm now working on reducing it. In fact, I think I'll be able to do a $400 grocery budget for this month - and this month is Thanksgiving!

Now...I'm not going to be "that girl" that can shop for free every week at the grocery store. I just don't have the drive or time to be super coupon queen.... But, I have been known to spend $19 on $200 worth of groceries - which makes my bank account very happy!

Where Can I Find Some Coupons?

Saving money with coupons is great, but not if your spending too much time and money accumulating them!


Here are great resources for coupons:

1. The internet. There are a host of coupons available for printing! Check the business website of the product you are interested in. My favorites are: www.bettycrocker.com and www.rightathome.com.

2. Your local newspaper. Many newspapers will offer discount subscriptions. When I first started couponing I ordered 6 Sunday papers. I got a great deal with the Arizona Republic (deal posted here) at around $1 per Sunday paper + you get the rest of the week essentially "free". Now that I have plenty of toothpaste (hee hee - you should see my stockpile) - I only get one Sunday paper which they gave me for $1/week. It's funny though, they called me later to ask if they could upgrade my subscription and include all days of the week for free this year...ugh...not sure why anyone would say no to that one.

3. The neighborhood paper. I get the Ahwatukee Foothills paper delivered to my door and on most Fridays there is a Red Plum insert included. One time there was a free Sara Lee bread coupon in it and I thought "now that really is mana from heaven".

4. Trade them with friends.

5. Become a trader on a coupon board - but be prepared to get burned every now and again. I like www.HotCouponWorld.com for trading coupons.

6. Purchase them...we'll you can't actually buy them, but you can pay someone to clip them and send them to you. You can get them on ebay and many other sites. I like www.taylortownpreview.com.

7. Request coupons from the company - simply write them or e-mail them and ask them specifically for the coupons. Many of them will send you coupons and some may even send you coupons to try the product for FREE.

8. Get samples - Many companies offer samples - you can find out about these samples from magazines or through internet forums. My favorite place to request samples is here. Most samples come with coupons.

9. Magazines - One of my favorites is All You
icon magazine. There is a coupon on almost every other page!

How Do I Organize My Collection?

Well...once you've gathered all of your coupons...you'll need to organize them.

The first thing you need to know is that when people talk about coupons, they often talk about where they found them. If they came out of a newspaper the insert will have a name on the top of the first page. The insert types are: SS for SmartSource, RP for Redplum (also known as V-Valasis), and PG (Proctor and Gamble). If someone says the coupon to use is an IP - this means that it is an Internet Printable - often found on the company website.

So...when someone says "use the 9/21 ss Tostino's coupon" - you'll go to the Smartsource insert that came out on Sunday 9/21 and cut it out to use it where ever the sale is.

Now that you know the lingo - you need to file your coupons based on your preference and how mcuh time you have.

Here are the methods that I use...
1. Binder Method - I have all of my coupons for products that I buy regularly in a binder. They are in baseball card inserts and filed by aisle location. I carry my binder in my van just in case I need something that I regularly buy.

2. File method - For the coupons that I haven't had time to cut I put them in a file box. The inserts are filed by date and by insert type.

Some folks just throw their coupons in pile. If this is your style, I would suggest writing the date in black Sharpie pen on the front of the insert.

Well...Now you know everything you need to get started! Be sure to stay tuned as I write about how to take this further and get more of the stuff that you use for FREE or close to it!