Decoding Coupon Locations

You'll notice that in referencing coupons, I will list them as something such as SS-2/7. Here is an explanation of what that means...

The letters refer to which insert the coupon is in. There are 3 that come in Sunday papers regularly:
SS= Smart Source
RP= Red Plum (formerly Vlassis)
P&G= Proctor and Gamble
On occassion, one of these will have multiple inserts in one week. The letters will be followed by a number, such as SS1, SS2, etc.
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The numbers (ie:2/7) indicate the date of the insert. If you file these by date, as I suggested, the coupons are very easy to find given the coupon location.

Post Cereal at Albertsons 3/29-4/7

The Sunday paper advertised an awesome deal on Post cereal. The price is good until 4/7. Here are the details:

$1.57 when you buy 2 boxes of Post Cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats 13-18 oz, Raisin Bran 20 oz, Shredded Wheat 13-20 oz, Post Selects 13-16 oz, Grape Nuts 24 oz)

PLUS, Buy any Post cereal (10 oz or larger) during purchase dates and save up to $5 off your next order
buy 3 get $2 off
buy 4 Get $3 off
buy 5 or more and get $5 off
Between 3/27/09 and 4/19/09

To get the best deal, buy 6 boxes
That makes each box only $.74!

Here are some coupons to use to make the deal even better:
Post Selects Cereals, any $1/2 (4-12-09) SS-3/1
Post Shredded Wheat, Raisin Bran, Grape-Nuts Nuggets or Flakes, any 10 oz. or larger boxes $1/2 (5-10-09) SS-3/29
Using those, the cereal will be $.24!

2/25-3/31

This week is a great week for bargains. I will post just the BEST deals here. If you want the complete shopping lists (and more specific coupon info), click the button on the side for pinching your pennies.

Albertsons
Kellogg's cereal - MiniWheats, Crispix, Corn Pops, or Rice Krispies 12-18 oz. $1.67 (use coupon RP-2/22)
PLUS get a coupon at checkout for free milk (buy 3 cereal=1 free milk, 5 cereal=2 milk, 7 cereal=3 milk)
Carolina smoked white turkey $2.88/lb (pick up a $.55 coupon and a mail in rebate from the deli counter to get $5 back when you buy 3 lbs, or $10 when you buy 5 lbs)

Smiths
Milk, gallon $1.49
Dozen eggs $1.00
Quaker Sale (get an instant discount when you buy 4 (or 8) of the following, making the price on each $1.49, the ones with coupons will be even less!)
Quaker Breakfast Bars, Bites or Cookies
Quaker Cap'n Crunch Cereal, 14-16 oz. (use coupon L’OrealRP-1/4)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (use coupon RP-3/8)
Quaker Fiber & Omega 3 Bars (use coupon RP-2/8)
Quaker Life Cereal, 14-16 oz (use coupon L’OrealRP-1/4)
Quaker Oat Squares Cereal, 14-16 oz. (use coupon L’OrealRP-1/4)
Quaker Oatmeal to Go(use coupon L’OrealRP-1/4)
Quaker True Delight Bars (use coupon RP-3/1)

Maceys
Shur Saving Gallon Milk, 1%, 2% or Skim $1.59
Western Family Cottage Cheese, 16 oz. $1.00
Western Family Large Eggs, dozen $.99
Western Family Medium Cheddar Cheese, 2 lb. block $3.98
Western Family Sweet Cream Butter, 16 oz. $1.79
Western Family Yogurt, 8 oz. $.33

HOT deal for PYP members

Albertsons is offering an exclusive deal to PYP members. Click here and follow the directions to get $20 in savings. If you aren't a PYP member yet, you can click here to check it out. If you're not quite that into couponing, then just check into my blog. ;)

Double Coupons

Sunday's paper had Albertsons double coupons again. This time they were on a separate flier and there were 4. Albertsons has stopped taking competitor coupons. It looks like these double coupons will take the place of that policy. So, continue to watch for them. Hopefully they'll become pretty regular.

As I look through my coupons each week, I'm starting to clip $1 coupons (the maximum value that is doubled) for low-value products I use. I have a section in my coupon organizer that I'm putting these in to use with the doublers. I'll have those handy when I make my trips. Hopefully I'll find some good cheap/free deals that way!

Is Couponing Worth It?

The other day, my brother asked me how much I save doing coupons. I heard his underlying question, "Is couponing really worth it?" That's the first question most people ask when they find out I'm a couponer. They see those coupons for 30 cents and wonder what difference it makes. Thirty cents just doesn't seem significant when you look at your entire grocery budget. But 5 30-cent coupons equal $1.50. And if you do that every week, you'll save $6 each month. It starts to add up. But, of course $6 isn't all that much either. So what's the secret? Why do people like me go to the effort and have so much enthusiasm for coupon shopping? The real power is in combining coupons with sales.

To verify just how much I do save, I looked at my 2 latest receipts. On one, I spent $19.54 and saved $25.66 (57%). The other totaled $26.24 with a savings of $60.26 (70%). And those weren't even "big" sales. On one of those receipts I notice that the frozen corn I bought for $.67 (using a coupon for $1 off 3) is regularly $2.69. So, the coupon only saved me $.33, but combining that with the sale, I saved $2.02. Considering the 6 bags that I bought, I saved over $12. Now, that is a significant amount.

As shopping the sales with coupons becomes habit, your budget will shrink and the savings will mount. (And, if you're really dedicated to coupon shopping, every $.30 will count.)

Double Coupons

In yesterday's paper, Albertsons has some double coupons (page A9 in the Deseret News). They are good until Tuesday. Be sure to clip them!

Shopping Trip Preparation

Saving money doesn't just happen. It requires organization. Spending a little time beforehand to get organized saves time in the store and money, since you won't be drawn to those impulse buys. This is my method:

I bought this handy little coupon organizer at Dollar Tree. It's small enough to bring on my shopping trips. No bulky binder or box to haul. It's a gem.

Each week I print off my customized shopping list from Grocery Smarts (link).

I use the column titled "Coupon Index" to locate the coupons I'll need in my binder and clip them.


Then, I paper clip them to the inside of my organizer.

Coupon Organization 101

In order to make couponing work, it is essential to have a good system to stay organized. There are probably as many different ways to do this as there are couponers. Personally, I can't fathom the idea of clipping every coupon and keeping them straight. I have developed a scissor-free, time-saving system that keeps me organized without feeling the least bit overwhelmed.

Supplies:
2" Binder
sheet protectors
post-it notes

dollar store coupon organizer

Each week I write the date on a post-it note and put it on the side of the first empty sheet protector in my book

I take my complete coupon inserts and slide them in

It's as easy as that!

Loose coupons go into my coupon organizer. I also clip my "most used" coupons and put them in here. That way, I have them with me at the store if I happen across a deal.