Couponing

HOW MANY COUPON INSERTS WILL BE IN THIS SUNDAY’S PAPER?

Go to TaylorTownPreview.com every week. It’s usually posted by Thursday. There is a column on the right side of the home page titled, “Preview Pages”. Look at the date of the Sunday coming up (usually at the top). To the right of the date you’ll see, in parentheses, how many and which kinds of coupon inserts will be in the paper. Click on the date to see the listing of all the coupons that are in each insert. This can help you determine how many Sunday papers to get.

HOW CAN I GET COUPON INSERTS WITHOUT PAYING $2.00 FOR EACH SUNDAY PAPER?

I like to go to Walmart on Saturday (a day early). I can buy a bundle of two papers for $3, saving me $1. Some dollar stores sell Sunday papers for only $1, but I don’t know if you can get them a day early. There are always relatives, friends and neighbors who take the Sunday paper, but throw away the inserts. Check libraries, Starbucks, recycle bins etc. for the inserts. You can go as far as dumpster diving if you’d like. I prefer Walmart mostly for the day early deal and having that extra time to clip coupons.

DO YOU CLIP EVERY COUPON?

Close to it. I didn’t start by clipping every coupon, but now I see how sometimes using coupons for items I don’t want/need is to my advantage when working a deal. I can always give, sell or donate what I don’t use.

I never use baby items since my children are older, and those coupons are never to my advantage (same with pet food, hair coloring, etc.). I clip them and use them at coupon exchanges or give them to friends/family.

WHAT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO STOCK UP ON ONE ITEM? HOW DO YOU GET A LOT OF COUPONS FOR ONLY THAT ITEM?

Say you stumble across a great toilet paper deal and with a 75c coupon you end up paying 2c per roll. Now, say you have the resources to stock up on a full year supply and want to take advantage of that deal. What you’re going to want to do is go online and buy coupons, for that particular item, in bulk. You can do this on ebay.com, thecouponmaster.com, or any other site which allows you to buy coupons in bulk.

There are a couple words of warning I would give you.

1. Make sure you see the fine print of the coupons you’re ordering. How sad you would be to think you were purchasing the coupons that you need for the deal and then, once you receive them and have already paid for them, they’re for the right brand but a different size package.

2. Make sure the deal is going on long enough for you to get those coupons in the mail and use them in time. Again, how sad it would be to receive your coupons in the mail after the deal is over.

HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE YOUR COUPONS?

So you’re clipping coupons and building up a stash. What’s the best way to store them? Well, that depends on whether you prefer the box or notebook method.

I prefer a notebook because it’s easier to carry. I use a 2 inch 3 ring binder, trading card pages (some use picture pages-a little larger) and colorful dividers. Dividers are labeled as such:

  • Baby
  • Baking
  • Batteries
  • Beauty
  • Beverages
  • Bread
  • Candy & gum
  • Cans (canned foods)
  • Cereal
  • Cleaners (home)
  • Condiments
  • Crackers & cookies
  • Dairy & eggs
  • Dish soap & detergent
  • Food wraps (includes trash bags and containers)
  • Frozen (includes refrigerated items)
  • Health food (vitamins, mixes, drinks)
  • Hygiene
  • Laundry
  • Lotion
  • Meat
  • Meds
  • Misc.
  • Mixes
  • PB&J
  • Paper products
  • Pasta & rice
  • Produce
  • Salad dressing
  • Sauces
  • Seasonings & spices
  • Snacks
  • Toothbrushes
  • Toothpaste

I have a trading card page in the front for coupons I will be using at the store I’m going to, and a trading card page right behind that one for coupons I need to refile. I use the front pocket of my folder for restaurant coupons.

The box system of filing works just as well. You can use envelopes too - just cut off the flap and staple an index card (standing up) to it for the label.

WHICH COUPONS REALLY PAY OFF?

For my family, when I see the following coupons are coming out, I grab at least 10 papers knowing they will much more than pay for themselves - not just with one coupon (although sometimes that happens), but because I use much more than one coupon from each insert.

Cottonelle 4 pack 50c - Kroger’s standard price $1.19. This coupon doubles and I pay only 19c for the 4 pack (5c per roll).

Soft Soap hand soap 35c - Most grocery stores put these on sale every couple of months 10 for $10. This coupon triples and they’re all free if I pay for them in separate transactions.

Suave shampoo 35c or 50c - These coupons double/triple. 2-4 times a year the smaller (skinnier) bottles go on sale 10 for $10 making them free. Otherwise, these coupons take a dollar off a product that is never more than $1.30

French’s mustard 35c or 50c - Regularly goes on sale 10 for $10 making them free when you double/triple coupons.

Hunt’s ketchup 35c or 50c - Regularly goes on sale 10 for $10 making them free when you double/triple coupons.

Basic/Bounty paper towels single roll 35c or 50c - Regularly goes on sale 10 for $10 making them free when you double/triple coupons.

Colgate & Crest Toothpaste 75c or $1.00 - CVS offers ECB deals on these 2 products regularly so I pay nothing for them. I’ve learned to clip all toothpaste coupons because many stores put out dollar sales on various brands, so when I do my Walmart shopping, I’ll bring in the store ad and Walmart will meet competitor’s price (always, on every product). I shop at Walmart with coupons that don’t double or triple. Walmart accepts coupons only at face value.

If you shop at CVS and use ECB’s, keep all hygiene, meds & beauty coupons. I’ve also gotten a huge stash of batteries there . Great toilet paper, feminine hygiene and diaper deals are regular as well. The coupons you use at CVS help you make money (in the form of ECB’s).

We have a handful of items we are still brand specific about (Pantene conditioner, Kraft Balsamic Vinegarette Dressing, etc.) so I always look for those.

With three children, neighborhood friends, and little people over here all the time, it’s good to have a stash of snacks. My own kids eat fruit, but when buddies are here, we have granola bars, etc. With coupons I can score a box for $1.00-$1.50 (depending on the sale price). Quaker always has coupons and always has sales. Other good coupons are Totino’s pizza rolls (yuck, but the kids love them), Chex Mix, popcorn & Pringles. Those are snackie items that are regularly on sale and are cheap with coupons.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH EXPIRED/SOON TO EXPIRE COUPONS?

Many stores, especially in the mid-West, may not offer double/triple coupons, however they will accept expired coupons up to 6 months or a year past the date. You may want to check your store’s coupon policy.

I don’t have that option at any of my stores, so when I see that certain coupons are going to expire, and I can’t match them with sales, I head to the travel/trial size sections of Target or Walmart and check out those 99c bins. I have been able to score the following freebies: laundry detergent, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body wash, bandaids, etc. Small freebies are better than no freebies and throwing away coupons.

I clean out my coupon binder at least once a month, so I have a stack of coupons left over. Our military families overseas are able to use expired coupons up to 6 months after expiration date. If you know an overseas military family who would use your coupons, send them there. If not, you may go to ocpnet.org and check out the program. You may donate to their program by mailing your expired coupons to:

48 MSS/DPF
ATTN: Coupon Connection Program
Unit 5200, Box 105
APO, AE 09464-0105

Because you are mailing to a military address, it won’t cost you any more than mailing to another town.

ONE LAST THING TO REMEMBER

Most grocery stores (Kroger, Tom Thumb, Safeway, Albertsons, etc.) triple coupons through 39c and double through 50c. However, they only double/triple the first of like coupons. That means if you’re buying 10 mustards and have 10 39c coupons, they’ll only triple the first one. However, if you make 10 separate transactions, they will triple all 10 coupons. It takes longer at checkout, but it’s worth it. I prefer self-check lanes for this.

Walmart accepts coupons, but only at face value (no doubling/tripling). However they do accept competitor prices. Just bring in the store ads. Sometimes they actually make you show them the ads. They do not accept store coupons, just manufacturer coupons.

Most dollar stores do not accept coupons, but Dollar General does. Dollar General isn’t a true dollar store - more like a discount store like Big Lots.