Just a quick tip – which some of you may already know….BUT I just discovered this last year and it has really paid off.
Just take a look thru your pantry and on your grocery list for the items you use the most or maybe those you just never seem to find coupons for and look up the company online and send them an email via their “contact us” page. I’ve found that EVERY single email i have ever sent is responded to both via email AND snail mail. Usually the email response is impersonal and generic, but the snail mail response ALWAYS comes with coupons!
What do I write? What do they send?
Usually, I write a short note of praise. Saying how much I love their product or how it has helped me and my family. For instance, I love the Scrubbing Bubbles products. I wrote that I loved how their flushable toilet wand was not only handy and easy to use, but did such a great job and I liked not having a dirty toilet brush sitting around all the time. I just thanked them for making my life easier and they sent me several coupons in the mail a couple days later – a few for $2 off and one for a product of my choice!
Anyway, I’ve started making it a goal to send out 5 emails a day to various companies and I am so excited to check my mailbox every day now – there is always a surprise in there!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Starting your Coupon Stockpile
How do I get my Coupon Stockpile Going?
There are several ways to get stockpiles of coupons and you use any of the methods that I suggest below and see which ones work the best for you.
First off there three kinds of Sunday Inserts in your Sunday Papers there is the Proctor and Gamble (P & G)( this is not usually in every Sunday paper but usually once a month). Then the two staple are Valassis (V) and Smart Source (SS) .
There are also great sites that can you tell on the Thursday before what coupons are going to be coming out on Sunday! The site I use most often is Dealseekingmom, they will have the latest coupons posted usually by noon on Thursday before they come out.
*Like most people you can subscribe to your local paper or a lot of my friends will ONLY Get a subscription the Sunday edition of the paper simply to get the coupons. You can also grab a couple of papers from your local store, gas station or newsstand.
*You can go in the evenings and see if stores or gas stations that still have Sunday Papers left will sell you the rest of the papers to you at a discount so you can get a nice stockpile of that week’s coupons.
*Visit your local Recycling center. Some recycling centers will allow you to visit their sites on Monday to pull Sunday inserts from the papers they get, you will need to call your local recycling center and see what their policies are.
*Ask friends and families , neighbors and church members that if they do not use their Sunday coupons if they can stockpile them for you and you can stop by and pick them up once a week or every two weeks.
*There are also great services online that will send you whatever coupons you want out of the Sunday paper all ready clipped and ready to for you! All you have to pay is a small handling fee usually $.05 per coupon plus shipping fees, one of these sites I have used and highly recommend is The Coupon Master
*Blinkies: Pull these coupons from the “blinking” machines at the grocery storePeelies: Coupons that are stuck to the actual product
*Tearpads: Pads of coupons typically found on special displays at the store, tear off one or two or three…
*Winetags: Coupons that hang on the neck of a bottle of wine, they may or may not require a purchase of wine to use the coupon
*Home Mailers: Coupons that are sent directly to your mailbox
*Internet Printables (IPs): Coupons that are printed from the internet – not all stores accept these!
Don’t forget to look on the packages for coupons, these include:
*Free Grocery Coupon Websites- There are specific websites designed for shoppers looking for printable grocery coupons. One of my most favorites sites is coupons.com you can access their site by clicking here.They offer a wide variety of coupons that you can simply point click and print and the coupons varies weekly which gives you a nice assortment and variety!
A great place for online coupons to stores that you frequent is Ebates they help you combine online coupons that they offer on their sites PLUS rebates to help you get the BEST price you can for things you buy online! Don’t shop online without signing with Ebates plus you can earn a FREE $5 just for signing up!
Find below a great listing of other great sites where you can find ONLINE printable coupons:
There are several ways to get stockpiles of coupons and you use any of the methods that I suggest below and see which ones work the best for you.
First off there three kinds of Sunday Inserts in your Sunday Papers there is the Proctor and Gamble (P & G)( this is not usually in every Sunday paper but usually once a month). Then the two staple are Valassis (V) and Smart Source (SS) .
There are also great sites that can you tell on the Thursday before what coupons are going to be coming out on Sunday! The site I use most often is Dealseekingmom, they will have the latest coupons posted usually by noon on Thursday before they come out.
*Like most people you can subscribe to your local paper or a lot of my friends will ONLY Get a subscription the Sunday edition of the paper simply to get the coupons. You can also grab a couple of papers from your local store, gas station or newsstand.
*You can go in the evenings and see if stores or gas stations that still have Sunday Papers left will sell you the rest of the papers to you at a discount so you can get a nice stockpile of that week’s coupons.
*Visit your local Recycling center. Some recycling centers will allow you to visit their sites on Monday to pull Sunday inserts from the papers they get, you will need to call your local recycling center and see what their policies are.
*Ask friends and families , neighbors and church members that if they do not use their Sunday coupons if they can stockpile them for you and you can stop by and pick them up once a week or every two weeks.
*There are also great services online that will send you whatever coupons you want out of the Sunday paper all ready clipped and ready to for you! All you have to pay is a small handling fee usually $.05 per coupon plus shipping fees, one of these sites I have used and highly recommend is The Coupon Master
*Blinkies: Pull these coupons from the “blinking” machines at the grocery storePeelies: Coupons that are stuck to the actual product
*Tearpads: Pads of coupons typically found on special displays at the store, tear off one or two or three…
*Winetags: Coupons that hang on the neck of a bottle of wine, they may or may not require a purchase of wine to use the coupon
*Home Mailers: Coupons that are sent directly to your mailbox
*Internet Printables (IPs): Coupons that are printed from the internet – not all stores accept these!
Don’t forget to look on the packages for coupons, these include:
- Removable labels on canned foods and jars.
- Lids of cans or bottle caps.
- Cardboard covers on frozen foods.
- On the paper which wraps around soaps and candy.
- Tiny folded coupons within the product, such as in dog foods.
- Printed instructions. Example – hair color products.
*Free Grocery Coupon Websites- There are specific websites designed for shoppers looking for printable grocery coupons. One of my most favorites sites is coupons.com you can access their site by clicking here.They offer a wide variety of coupons that you can simply point click and print and the coupons varies weekly which gives you a nice assortment and variety!
A great place for online coupons to stores that you frequent is Ebates they help you combine online coupons that they offer on their sites PLUS rebates to help you get the BEST price you can for things you buy online! Don’t shop online without signing with Ebates plus you can earn a FREE $5 just for signing up!
Find below a great listing of other great sites where you can find ONLINE printable coupons:
- Boodle.com
Enter your zip code and find printable coupons for your area. - CoolSavings.com
Offering food coupons for online and brick & mortar shopping. - SmartSource Savings Network
Comprised of leading grocery and retail chains, newspapers, lifestyle websites, interactive companies and others bringing online savings to you. Printable coupons available. - Upons
Offering free grocery coupons, special promotions and product samples. Local coupons available
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
How to Save at the Grocery Store !!
Here are a few of my favorite sites/tips that offer some great information on Saving at the Supermarket that can help you as you start on your moneysaving journey.
1. Be sure to plan ahead before going to the grocery market:
Check your local sales ads and favorite sales blogs before making your grocery lists out to see what’s on sale.
2. Gather/Clip your coupons:
Match up your coupons with the sales. There are plenty of sites that do the matching up for you:
Coupon Mom
Becentsable
The Grocery Game
Or print coupons online:
Coupons.com
Smartsource.com
Coolsavings.com
Boodle.com
(Try and go to markets that double the manufacturer coupons to double the savings! )
3.Try the store brand instead of the name brand items.
Believe it or not, sometimes there really isn’t a difference other than the price. For instance, I actually prefer the Pathmark brand of loaf bread to stroehmann bread as it is so soft and fresh!
4. Check unit prices per size vs cost.
This can sometimes make a really big difference in derterming whether the price is good for the value! More doesn’t alway mean better savings. Stay informed and you’ll save more.Do you know the difference between an item price and a unit price? If not, you can get more details here.
5. Buy your meats in bulk family packs and separate into smaller packs for freezer storage.
6.If an item is on on sale for example 3/$5, you don’t always have buy the full 3 items unless stated “You Must Buy 3″.
Example: That pasta that is advertised at 3/$5 is really only $1.66 wyb buy just 1.
7.If an advertised item is out of stock, get a raincheck! Most stores will issue you a raincheck for the sale price so that you can the item for that price.
A few more tools to help guide you as well!
1. Be sure to plan ahead before going to the grocery market:
Check your local sales ads and favorite sales blogs before making your grocery lists out to see what’s on sale.
2. Gather/Clip your coupons:
Match up your coupons with the sales. There are plenty of sites that do the matching up for you:
Coupon Mom
Becentsable
The Grocery Game
Or print coupons online:
Coupons.com
Smartsource.com
Coolsavings.com
Boodle.com
(Try and go to markets that double the manufacturer coupons to double the savings! )
3.Try the store brand instead of the name brand items.
Believe it or not, sometimes there really isn’t a difference other than the price. For instance, I actually prefer the Pathmark brand of loaf bread to stroehmann bread as it is so soft and fresh!
4. Check unit prices per size vs cost.
This can sometimes make a really big difference in derterming whether the price is good for the value! More doesn’t alway mean better savings. Stay informed and you’ll save more.Do you know the difference between an item price and a unit price? If not, you can get more details here.
5. Buy your meats in bulk family packs and separate into smaller packs for freezer storage.
6.If an item is on on sale for example 3/$5, you don’t always have buy the full 3 items unless stated “You Must Buy 3″.
Example: That pasta that is advertised at 3/$5 is really only $1.66 wyb buy just 1.
7.If an advertised item is out of stock, get a raincheck! Most stores will issue you a raincheck for the sale price so that you can the item for that price.
A few more tools to help guide you as well!
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