So, food prices are not what they were in the 1960's. We can't get ice cream for a dime, and we certainly don't get glass bottles of milk delivered to our front step. Because of this, I coupon.
Some of you may have heard of a little TLC show called Extreme Couponing. I am here to tell you that the show is not real. Gasp! I know.
Nevertheless, I am here to tell you that you can coupon legitimately, without going dumpster diving for coupon inserts, and save your family some moolah.
And that is definitely June Cleaver approved!
Here's my approach to couponing:
Couponing 101: You
Can Do It!
What to do:
1) Buy a Sunday newspaper. Some stores in my area bundle the
two big Sunday papers, so you get double the inserts.
2) Sign up for coupons.com (it’s free). Best place to get
online coupons. Know, however, that you can only print 2 coupons per computer
through this site (as with most online coupons)
3) There are several coupon blogs and databases. These
usually are based either by region or store. My favorites are:
a) iheartkroger.com
b) iheartriteaid.com
c) BabyCenter Group- Coupon Newbies
d) hip2save – not always, but sometimes you can find deals
here.
e) dealdivas- I think this one is okay, you can also google
“Utah coupon blogs”
Check them out. They are how I found out about a lot of
deals I wouldn’t think about, or how to get coupons by liking companies’
Facebook pages.
Where to go:
1) Kroger is a good place to go for using coupons. There’s
almost always a deal going on, with coupons to match. Also, if you sign up on
Kroger websites, you can download digital coupons right onto your card!
2) Rite Aid. It’s a little trickier, but once you get going,
you can score some BIG deals. I’ll explain further down.
3) Walmart. Our Walmart (any in Utah County) doubles coupons
up to $1 on Tuesdays. This means you can score certain things for cheap or even
free!
How to do it:
The best way to maximize your savings is to use a coupon on
an item that is on sale. Here’s an example:
Kroger has select Progresso soups on sale for 88 cents.
While this is a great deal in itself (usually 1.50 or more), if you have a 25
cent off coupon, each can becomes 63 cents!
I have also found things on clearance (either on Kroger
clearance rack or in its usual shelf), paired with a coupon, makes for a great
deal!
I have found that it is helpful to have a general idea of
what you are willing to pay for items. For example, I will probably never pay
more than 25 cents for toothpaste again, but my price point for cereal is 1.50
or less. This is strictly based on what you are comfortable with.
Like I said before, couponing blogs are awesome for
highlighting great deals and when things are at stock-up prices.
Rite Aid: This
deserves its own heading
Rite Aid is its own beast. However, once you get it and get
going, it is THE place for toiletries, makeup, etc. I have found, though, that
is it not the greatest for food. You can usually get food cheaper at Smith’s or
Walmart.
Okay so here’s how it works:
Rite Aid has a rewards program known as Ups. You ask to sign
up for a wellness card (basically a RiteAid loyalty card). This is cash back to
you when you purchase certain items. Here’s an example:
They have deodorant for 2.99. But when you buy the
deodorant, you earn 2 ups rewards. So, your net cost of the deodorant is 99
cents.
This cash back can be used the next day, starting at 6 am.
The ups rewards are only good for two weeks. There is also usually a limit as
to how many ups you can earn on one product. For example, on the deodorant, you
may only be able to buy 2 deodorants, for a total of 4 ups rewards.
So the same principle still applies: pair a coupon with a
sale for the best deal. Again with the deodorant:
The deodorant is 2.99, with 2 ups rewards earned. BUT, if
you have a $1 off coupon for it, then the deodorant is FREE!
RiteAid’s coupon
policy is also quite different from other stores. You can stack coupons at
RiteAid. They accept 3 kinds of coupons per item:
a)manufacturer
coupons b) RiteAid coupons (found in the weekly circular), and c) Video Values
coupons.
RiteAid
coupons are found in the weekly circular. Video Values are coupons earned by
watching commercials for products on the RiteAid website. You can then print
them.
Here’s a stacking scenario (this isn’t common, but just for
example’s sake):
Shampoo is $5, with a 2 ups reward on the purchase. But, you
have a $1 manufacturer coupon, a $1 RiteAid coupon, and a $1 Video Values
coupon. So, you pay $2 for the shampoo, but you earn 3 ups rewards. Technically
this makes the shampoo FREE!
Also, to trigger the ups, it’s the amount BEFORE coupons,
not after. This is how you can get great deals with combining coupons and ups;
you “spend” enough to trigger the ups, but you don’t actually pay that much.
The trick with the ups is to use ups to earn more ups.
Here’s a scenario I did this week:
I went to RiteAid with 20 ups. My total bill, before my
loyalty card and coupons and ups, was $91. After my loyalty card and coupons
and ups, my bill was $26. However, I EARNED 42 ups. So, technically, I earned
money on those purchases.
This is known as “rolling your ups.” It really saves you
money, and you feel like a superhero when you do it.
Other things to know
about couponing:
Target is the only other store I know of in the Utah area
that allows stacking coupons. You can go to coupons.target.com, and print off
store-specific coupons that can be paired with a manufacturer’s coupon on one
item.
CVS is very similar to RiteAid, but I don’t know anything
past that.
Once you get going, there is a website called klip2save.com.
It is a coupon clipping service. You pay the 8 cents or whatever per coupon,
and a dollar for shipping (no matter how big your order is), and you can get as
many coupons as you want. It’s perfect for if you miss a Sunday paper, or if
you want to order 10 or 20 of a certain coupon.
iheartriteaid.com has the RiteAid sale ads for the next 3 or
4 weeks. So, you can plan ahead.
Some Ideas for your
first RiteAid scenario (deals I’m seeing next week):
1) Here’s a good starting sale: Wet N’ Wild cosmetics are
Buy One Get One ½ off, and then 5 up when you spend $15. This could be a great
deal, depending on what you want. So (these numbers are just thrown out there):
Foundation: 5.00
Powder: 2.50 ( orig. $5, but ½ off)
Lipstick: 5.00
Mascara: 2.50 ( orig. $5, but ½ off)
So, you pay $15, but you earn 5, so you spend $10 for
foundation, powder, lipstick, and mascara.
2) Here’s one next week that pairs a coupon with ups:
Ziploc storage bags
are 2/$6, earning 2 ups when you buy 2. There is a coupon coming out this
Sunday for $1 off 2. So, with the ups and coupons, you are paying $3 for 2
boxes, or 1.50 apiece.
3) Here’s the weekly freebie (usually there is one):
Culturelle,
a probiotic (think yogurt on steroids in capsule form), is priced at $16, and
you earn 16 ups. I use this with my baby, so you can bet I’ll be snagging that.
Now that you’ve got
the tools….
Go for it! Jump on to
the couponing blogs, and coupons.com. And on Sunday, snag those bundled papers!
Of course, there will
be bumps, and shopping will take a lot longer, but it is SO worth it!
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