Over 4,500 money-saving tips!    Log In Become a Member Web Search:   Site Search: Tips by Category: $ Babies & Kids (132) $ Cars & Automotive (115) $ Clothing & Accessories (174) $ Electronics (193) $ Energy & Utilities (179) $ Entertainment (188) $ Food & Dining Out (931) $ Health & Beauty (362) $ Holidays & Events (227) $ Home & Garden (756) $ Insurance & Legal (69) $ Personal Finance (427) $ School & Office (86) $ Sports & Recreation (86) $ Travel (104) $ General (1074) $ Q & A (249)   Recent Popular Tips 6 Things to Buy in May  Share Your Suggestions for Website of the Week!  Tip Hero's First Free Ebook: An Ultimate Guide to Homemade Cleaners  10 Household Products We Overuse: How to Use Less and Save  7+ Ways to Dress Up Boxed Mac & Cheese  Roundup: Most Popular Tips of April 2012  14 Crafty Uses for Mesh Produce Bags  Birthday Freebies for 2012  How to Save a Bundle When Booking Hotel Rooms    GIVEAWAYS SITES Giveaways & Sweepstakes   Food & Dining Out Home > Food & Dining Out > Topics:  Grocery Coupons 12 Grocery Shopping Coupon Tips Submitted by: 2vette2camaro  02/07/2009 6:10 PM   I taught myself how to use coupons to their maximum capability, and I am an "extreme couponer". Since I live in a very small rural town where my main store to coupon at is Wal Mart I did very well indeed. People who live in larger areas with CVS's and Rite Aids and many other stores to choose from can do much much better. Here are a few tips: (1) Know all of your stores policies. Do they take coupons, do they double and to how much and when, do they take IP's (Internet coupons). Do they limit quantities and how many coupons you can use at a time, do they give rain checks, will they let you "comp" or price match. Can you order specific things from them, when do their sales start, when do they mark their meat down, etc. Related Searches grocery coupons  reusable coupons  online coupons   (2) Always combine coupons with an in store sale. If Dawn dish soap is on sale for $1.00 and you have coupons for .50 and on top of that the store doubles- you know what that means-FREE DAWN DISH SOAP. (3)Stockpile items when they are on sale and when you are combining coupons with that sale. Buy as much as you can possible use, store and afford at the time. As long as you live you will always have a need for shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, deodorant, etc. Learn to shop at your own house. (4)Be organized. The best way I have found is by having a three ring binder with full size page protectors. I then use one protector per store (if you live in a larger metro area- you might do something different). I then put all my coupons I am going to use at each store in the page protector. (5) Have a notebook and pen with you at all times. I also use paper clips. When I see and put items in my cart that I have coupons for, I then paperclip my coupons in a page in my notebook so that when I get to the register I have everything in order. (6)Carry sales flyers with you if you are comping or price matching. Most stores now require you to show the store's flyer which you are price matching. I keep these in the back of my three ring binder. Related Searches grocery coupons  reusable coupons  online coupons   (7)Always know your prices. Some people like to keep a notebook for this, I prefer to just memorize it. If Rotel is on "sale" for .99 how do ou know that is a good deal when at some other store it is always .79? You won't know unless you frequent all the stores in your area. There is usually a sales "cycle" of every 6 weeks or so. The same things will go on sale. It is up to you to know which price is really the best deal and when to stock up. (8) Always, always get rain checks if a product is on sale and they are out of it. Most rain checks do not expire and that gives you time to collect coupons for that items, whether it be by Ebay, trading or "dumpster diving". (9)Know all the ways to obtain coupons. Yes, you can buy extra copies of the Sunday paper but there are other cheaper, free ways. Ask you paper carrier if you can have all the extras, go to the recycling center and ask if you can go through their papers and get the coupons, start a "swap box" at your library, church, etc. (10)If a coupon says "ANY" and does not specify " does not include trail size" then you can get the smallest size possible and it is perfectly legit to do so. Some of the best coupons say "ANY" and I have gotten tons of trail size products, some I try but most I donate to the women's shelter. (11) Know if your store(s) give "overage". Overage is when your coupon is more than the product. For instance, there was a $2.00 "ANY" Dove coupon out a while back. The small Dove hair spray at Wal Mart was .97 so you were getting $1.03 in overage. So you then use the "overage" towards another product. This usually doesn't amount to much but when you say have 20 of the Dove "ANY" coupons then you are looking at $20.60 worth of overage. That is when I purchase some new boots, new kitchen appliances, etc. Wal Mart is NOT supposed to hand you the difference back in cash, although once they did hand me $13.56 cash back. I had already gotten over $150.00 worth of stuff in my cart for FREE with coupons. That was a nice surprise but only happened because I had calculated to the penny what I was "Supposed' to spend and when they wouldn't let me comp an item since I didn't have the ad, I had them take those items off and that left me with a negative balance. So always over compensate so that they do NOT have to hand you money back. (12)When comping, utilize it to your advantage. For example, a local store runs Kotex pads, liners or tampons up to 64 count for $2.99. I know from experience that the tampons you are getting for $2.99 is only an 18 count, and that the 64 count only applies to the liners. BUT since the ad is worded like that, you can comp/price match that to your advantage and get the biggest box possible up to 64 count for $2.99! A box of 50 tampons usually runs about $9.00 or so, so a very good deal. --- sponsored: Find Free Grocery Coupons --- Get free Tip Hero updates via Email, Facebook, or Twitter.            Tweet   More Money-Saving Tips: 12 Ways to Make Extra Money 18 Money-Saving Grocery Shopping Tips A Quick Guide to Debt Settlement Want To Save Money On Auto Insurance?   Sponsored Searches: Make Money From Home Money Saving Tips Online Sweepstakes           Comments:   .................................   You are doing what I am working up to doing. I have gotten started, but now need to get a binder like you have. I comparison shop too. Walmart will do it, but some of the other stores around here do not. I love double coupons and I am waiting for Kroger to have triple coupons. I have not seen that in a long time around here, but I am waiting. LOL! Keep on couponing because you are doing the smart thing when it comes to saving money on all of the expense it takes to run a household.   Posted by Lowbudget on February 10, 2009 9:51 PM .................................   I have tried using coupons before, but have found that I could alway get the walmart brand or generic brand cheaper. I also have a hard time finding coupons. Are there good internet sites to get coupons?   Posted by Deanna on February 14, 2009 11:20 AM .................................   When I buy one thing get one free and I have a coupon at walgreens that's a great deal   Posted by Sol on February 15, 2009 2:16 PM .................................   A person really has to know their prices when using coupons. The best way for a "name brand" to be cheaper when using coupons is when the item is on sale and you have a coupon. Grocery stores that double or triple (not where I live) are the best places to shop. When Excedrin is on sale for $2.99 at Walgreen's and you shop there or comp at Wal Mart and have a $3.00 coupon, obviously that is going to be FREE which is cheaper than the generic brand of acetaminophen. Combining coupons with sales is really the only way to go when using coupons. Before I started using coupons I most generally bought the store or generic brand of EVERYTHING. So I most always buy the name brand since it is cheaper when combing sales with coupons. It totally changed the way I shop and even the things I eat.   Posted by 2vette2camaro on February 16, 2009 8:47 AM .................................   Great post! You are very dedicated and organized. The binder is a good idea! Thanks. BTW...one of the good things about getting older is that you no longer have *feminine* expenses!   Posted by Mary on February 20, 2009 2:28 PM .................................   I wish you would not support Walmart. Sure their items are cheap. Did you ever stop to wonder why they can price so cheaply? Biggest reason: -Wages of: Excecutives, entry level employees, and people who make the cheap products Nearly all their products are imported, from countries who do not have fair labor laws. Countries such as India, China, and Thailand. These companies do not treat their employees well. I don't know about you, but I don't want to work in a sweat shop, or work 15 hour days just to make a buck.   Posted by Me on February 20, 2009 2:31 PM .................................   Whatever. Some of us cant affored to support the wondeful local businesses.   Posted by anonymous on February 20, 2009 3:42 PM .................................   I use coupons towards items that cost the same amount or double what the coupon is worth...this way I get items free of 50% off. For example this week I had coupons on sauve products that were 50 cents -$1 off per item on shampoo/conditioner/hair care /body wash/deoderant and body lotion. Most of the suave items I got were either free,50 cents or a buck each. I had a safeway coupon from a month ago that was still good on ragu...$2 off any 2 jars. This week the sales circular has all ragu on sale 99cents each. I will get two jars for free and the store is right by my house. I went to a grand opening sale this week to kingsoopers. while I bought veggies on sale like 10 pound of potatoes for$1,two bags of carrots for $1 and sliced fresh mushrooms for a buck each... I took advantage on their sale on maxi pads and pantyliners. normally $5 per box,now marked down two boxes for $5(50 percent off.) now I had coupons that if you buy one box pads you get one box free. So... I would of got 4 boxes for the cost of two... but instead... I got 8 boxes for the price of two because I had 4 coupons That made the pads effectively$1.25 a box. Sometimes I will go into a store for only 4-6 items because that is all that is on sale with a coupon...but I never waste gas because I plan my trips to where the store is always in route. I also check clearance markdown racks of day old bread,bent cans etc etc. typically those items are in a corner by the stock room...its not advertised,you have to go looking for it or happen across it by chance..Coupons are still good toward these items.also check markdown clearence lunch meat,meat,fish and produce as well I have gotten bags of bagels,tortillas,french bread,sliced bread,rolls etc for a quarter or free because the item is already marked nearly 70-90% off. I do this a lot with other marked down clearence racks on items like canned goods,hygene and cleaning items...But always check the expiration dates before you buy. I also go to stores that double and triple coupons that are $50cents or less. King soopers is great about this! They also have the day old bread mark down racks and they clearence their meat and lunch meat when it gets close to the expiration date(but if you freeze it, it still good for 3-6 months) I never settle for unhealthy options,I always look for sales on healthy food,matched with coupons..I am not above freezing an item or using it in several different meals in the same week...   Posted by poorprincess28 on February 20, 2009 3:46 PM .................................   If you shop at walgreens you can combine the manufactures coupons with the store coupons(no kidding) for example if canned veggies are 4 cans for $1 with store coupon and their buy green giant...If I have a green giant coupon that offers savings off each can I can take them all to the register...Some people I know then try to match those to rebate savings as well to get money back on next walgreens purchase. Costco coupons, Costco makes their own but doesn't accept manufacturues(only accepts costco coupons)now the coupon says one per customer...but if you have several books you just use one during one visit and one during the next or use at a different costco...Typically if there is a coupon off of something we use alot of like kittylitter,cleaning supplies or hygene itmes I will go one week and get buy the items with coupons and then repeat the following week. THis way I can stock up when it is discounted..and enjoy the free samples while I am there.   Posted by poorprincess28 on February 20, 2009 3:50 PM .................................   This comment is for Deanna. You can find coupons on websites such as: Couponbug.com. Couponsurfer.com, Couponmom.com just to name a few.   Posted by Paula on February 20, 2009 3:57 PM .................................   my Winco and Safeway refuse to take computer printed coupons, I am in Oregon does other places have this problem?   Posted by nancy griffith on February 20, 2009 4:15 PM .................................   I am busy stockpiling food and supplies. I watch for one or two items that have a very good sale price each week, then I go to ebay and look for the best deal on 10 - 20 coupons for the item on sale. I do this on the first day the sale is advertised so the coupons will arrive before the sale is over. By doing this every week I now have on my shelves cans of chili and ravolie for .30 cents a can, shampoos and toothpastes for .30 cents each. I usually buy a few fresh items a week and eat from storage. My grocery bill is getting very low.   Posted by anonymous on February 20, 2009 4:29 PM .................................   Check out hotcouponworld.com....it is free to join and it is a community of people trying to live well on less. You will be completely AMAZED at the things you can learn and how much money you can save. These people are all there to help each other, so if you are a "newbie" they will help you along until you get on your feet. It has changed my life, the way I shop, how I spend money, etc. You can do it too.   Posted by Lisa on February 20, 2009 4:36 PM .................................   I only buy groceries & prescriptions at Walmart. I doubt anything in either of those categories is made in China or India.   Posted by Kris Kendrick on February 20, 2009 5:23 PM .................................   my Winco and Safeway refuse to take computer printed coupons, I am in Oregon does other places have this problem? Posted by nancy griffith on February 20, 2009 4:15 PM ................................. Nancy, yes there are a lot of stores that won't accept them, due to fraud, (people copying the printable etc) It's sad that people will do that to save extra..it's not worth it to ruin it, and have the stores change their policies! (Most Internet coupon sites will allow you to print up to 2 times per coupon) Try to find stores in your area that will accept them, or my best luck has been to get 2-3 subscriptions of the Sunday paper. It's time consuming, yet worth it if you need more product, or just love to get great deals! Good Luck!   Posted by Rachel on February 20, 2009 5:41 PM .................................   Yes, when we get older we do not need the monthly hygiene items but then the bladder goes and you just end up using another kind of hygiene product.   Posted by anonymous on February 20, 2009 5:56 PM .................................   Kroger will not accept printed coupons from your commputer..BUT, if you have a Kroger card, you can sign up for sales ads each week to send to your email address and than put in your Kroger card and download the coupons to your Kroger card..! I got this idea from the Procotor and Gamble website. I don'tknow if other sites offer this option but PG&E does. hope that helps.. just buy the products and give them the card and they will come off your receipt and Kroger has double coupons here in VA.   Posted by stephluisa on February 20, 2009 7:18 PM .................................   I've been using coupons for several years, but since prices have gone wild I've gotten a little more sincere about the coupons! I do pick up a couple of sunday papers, and go to shoppingbookmark.com. You can also, at times just type in a product you use regularly and that will take you to the home page. Look on the menu for promotions, sometime it will say that there aren't any now, and other time, like Blue Bell icecream had a coupon for $1.00 off, and of course wait for the week of a sale to use your coupon! Freds has double upto .75 cents a on saturdays great deal, ofcourse use your coupons on the items that are on sale. at freds check the discoinued shelf and use coupons for those items. there are usualy cleaning products on the shelf. I've made a few good deals there.Green Giant has a great frozen vegtable steamer! Healthy stuff!!!!!!!!! I just enjoy a great deal! It is time consuming, but if you need to save money honey it isreally worth the extra time!use coupons file sepearte by month and expire date, this has helped me!   Posted by aletha on February 20, 2009 8:40 PM .................................   I remember, (not that very long ago), when I was able to redeem manufacturer coupons for double or triple their value. I live in Southern California, I no longer know what stores will double (triple?) coupons? I would appreciate getting this information. Thanks!   Posted by Bobbie Bailey on February 21, 2009 3:31 AM .................................   Great tips! I have used coupons for years and saved lots of money. I save my sale slips circling amount saved or log the amount saved from coupons into my check book then at the end of the month I write a check to deposit into a special saving account I set up just for this purpose. It's amazing how much you can save in a year!   Posted by Nancy on February 21, 2009 6:16 AM .................................   This was a good, comprehensive guide to using coupons. Kudos. I miss the days of triple coupons, too! Most stores here won't even double them anymore.   Posted by Betsy Bargain on February 21, 2009 5:46 PM .................................   I am totally into coupons shopping. Coworkers laughed at me and said that I am a "thrifty shopper". I don't care what they said. Look at who is driving a paid off Lexus and mini van. And who is able to afford a 3,000 sq feet house? If I am thrifty and working hard, I will not be able to enjoy what I have now. Right?   Posted by Moliuchick on February 21, 2009 10:02 PM .................................   Thank you for all you have shared. I am reading and enjoying info... TIP for you: When you use the BOGO (buy one get one) you can use 2 coupons.. one on each item.. saving you even more... example BOGO Juicy Juice.. 4.00 savings.. plus 2 1.00 coupons.. get both for 2.00... saving you 6.00 total. Hope this helps! I love BOGO at CVS for makeup.. I always have Loreal coupons for 3.00 off... Happy clipping! Joancoupon   Posted by joancoupon on February 23, 2009 7:47 PM .................................   Re: Whatever. Some of us cant afford to support the wondeful local businesses. -You think the US economy can afford to support China? That is what is happening. Why do you think we're in the recession we are in? Our money is leaving the country and not coming back. Only 1 cent of every dollar you spend, at most businesses anyways, is profit. So a good portion of every dollar that you spend at Walmart, Target, Shopko, Sam's...etc goes directly to China, India...you know places that encourage sweat shops, 15 hour work days, that kind of thing. Think of it like this...anything with a label that says something other than 'Made in America', means some of the money that you spend on that item will be going out of the country. Re: I only buy groceries & prescriptions at Walmart. I doubt anything in either of those categories is made in China or India. -I do understand the point here. But you are still supporting a company that condones behaviors that 'Me' suggested. Sure you're not supporting that particular product made in a different country, but you are still supporting that company. I guess my point is that you can get good deals at other places and not support unethical means for business.   Posted by besbud on February 24, 2009 4:08 PM .................................   Geez, you'd have to have absolutely nothing else to do than shop to be this studious in coupon clipping. Insane.   Posted by anonymous on February 24, 2009 5:02 PM .................................   I do not shop at Wal-Mart either! They are a terrible business to support. I am insane about saving money and using coupons, however, I do think about how my consumer actions affect others.   Posted by anonymous on February 26, 2009 1:08 AM .................................   My husbund and I need cheap "lunch stuff" for work and quick dinners when we're too tired to cook anything. I've found that Dollar General has the best prices on soups, corn dogs, pizza, cookies, and vitamins.   Posted by Steph on February 27, 2009 11:08 PM .................................   Although working conditions in other countries may be unacceptable to us, no one is holding a gun to their heads -- they are happy to have a job and be able to eat. Unfortunately labor is so much cheaper overseas that Walmart is able to undercut everyone else's prices which eventually puts mom&pops out of business. Everyone must do what is best for their family and should not be criticized for it, especially during these trying times. Whatever you spend will help someone in the world. Whatever "green" options you implement will save a little energy. Peace can only become a reality when you have no hate in your own heart. Change yourself and you will have done your part.   Posted by Yogibear on February 28, 2009 7:47 PM .................................   The best way to use coupons is to wait for sales. Did you also know that in the fine print (I found this out today at Farm Fresh) that you do NOT have to buy two to get the buy one get one free. I bought one loaf of organic bread today half price (2.00) because I looked at the fine print. Last week at Kroger's they had a sale that if you buy ten products (all different)you can get great prices and 5.00 off your bill...I should have bought 20 bottles of powerade! I only bought ten for 58 cents each..I have to drink the horrid stuff for electrolyte balance...but now they are up to 1.49..Believe me, it's fun to look at the receipt and find out how much money you have saved and also get some money off your fuel bill at certain stores also..it's worth it! and I bought new shoes with my savings!! I spent less than 100 dollars for very healthy food last month. Good luck everyone!   Posted by stephluisa on March 01, 2009 9:08 PM .................................   I have found all of this info very helpful as I am just starting out and don't really know what the right way to use coupons yet. You mentioned buying coupons instead of newspapers. That sounds easier if you can get the items you want. What would be the name of the site to go to on ebay and are there any problems I should look out for? Thanks in advance for your help.   Posted by Carole on March 03, 2009 9:37 PM .................................   Someone else said you had to have tons of time to be a hard-core couponer. Not if you have someone holding your hand. Check out hotcouponworld.com. With over 100,000 members, there's always someone willing to lend a hand to newbies. HCW does couponing to the extreme and will help you save mega bucks.   Posted by mama22qts on March 10, 2009 6:59 AM .................................   I have lived in India and the people there are happy to have any kind of work no matter how hard or how many hours per day. yes, they get taken advantage of...mostly by their own countrymen. to them, being able to provide for their families is all that matters. when you boycott companies that use overseas labor you are actually taking away jobs from people who cannot afford to lose them. No one should have to endure inhumane working conditions. But the sad fact is that most of the world does out of necessity. Let's discover how to improve and support our overseas friends without jeopardizing their livelihoods.   Posted by Gita on March 10, 2009 9:07 PM .................................   I have no problems with my Safeway taking computer printed coupons (I am in a small town in Western CO). I wonder if talking to the store manager might help or at least find out why they are not taking your coupons. I completely agree with all of the tips listed above. A place that you might want to check out is www.thegrocerygame.com where you can download "the list" for stores in your area. The list will tell you what is on sale, what coupons you should have & where they came from, what items to stock up on & what items are free. My step son likes to ask "what did you get for free this trip?" My disclaimer is the amount of money you are spending on groceries may not go down, but the volume you are getting for the sam amount of money will go up & if you have teenagers that sure if a plus! There is a cost to get the lists, but it is very small compared to the amount of money saved. If you have questions or need help please feel free to ask. BTW, the first 8 weeks of service on the grocery game is only $1 so if you don't like it or see any value in their site you aren't out a ton of money.   Posted by Catherine on March 12, 2009 1:09 PM .................................   One more tip, I have noticed several comments that make a broad statement such as "Kroger will not accept printed coupons from your commputer" - I suggest checking out what the policy is in YOUR area because the same chain in your area may have a different policy. For example, the Kroger where I am does take computer printed coupons, but they do not double coupons. The Albertsons here does not require a club card, but the area I just moved from does.   Posted by Catherine on March 12, 2009 1:37 PM .................................   I love to live frugal. Not because I have to, but because I like it. But this coupon thing I could never do to a large degree. I've been on these coupon sites and there is little savings for me, let alone some of these double coupons and so forth. So, I suggest to capitalize on your activity and make more money doing what you are doing now. Run a web site with this stuff. When you get noticed, people want to run ads on your site and you make money off the hits on the ads. I know there are other web site out there, but I really think they don't do the job you are doing. How about creating an email list to email specials to those you know are interested?   Posted by james77777 on March 14, 2009 11:45 PM .................................   Here is a tip for those that live in Las Vegas, Nv.and may be other places. We have Smiths Grocery Stores here and you can go online to their web site with your Smiths card and load the coupons you want to use right onto your card and to help you to remember what the coupons were you print out a shopping list, with this list I check my coupon box to see if I have any matching coupons for the items on the list. You can use these coupons along with the ones you put on your card for some great savings. Also Smiths takes computer printed coupons. Walmart in Vegas doesn't computer printed coupons. Thank everyone for all the great hints.   Posted by Sarah Blais on March 26, 2009 8:25 PM .................................   You can check websites such as, iheartcvs.com (there is one for walgreens and rite aid also). They show upcoming sales ads this way you can buy certain Q's on ebay and save a ton on future sales.   Posted by coupon queen on April 23, 2009 7:26 PM .................................   ----------------------------------------- Share Your Comments:   Comments may need to be approved before they are displayed.   Comments: User Name (required): Email Address (required - but your email address will not be displayed): Website URL (not required; please do not include "http://"):

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