Target Mobile Coupons

Have you signed up for Target Mobile Coupons yet? If not, its another great way to score some Target Coupons and to be Green while saving some Green! Go here to sign up or Text OFFERS to 827-438!
They come twice a month and the ones released yesterday don't expire until 9/16!

$3 off NCAA or NFL Licensed Items
$2 off Single Football Purchase
$1 off Planters Nuts
$.50 off Nabisco Crackers (Wheat Thins, Triscuits or Ritz)
$1 off Boca Frozen Meatless Item
$1 off Oscar Mayer Bacon
$.50 off Market Pantry Refrigerated Juice
$2 off Bayer Advanced Aspirin
$3 off $10 or Higher Merona Item
$5 off Women's Plus-size Apparel Item
20% off Slippers (Women's or Kids)

Saving Money Without Buying Processed Foods

One question I hear all the time is how do I save on fresh produce, meats and dairy? I also get asked how to save without buying processed foods or by buying organic foods.

For me personally, I buy most of my fresh produce at my local farmer's market. You can check out more about that here. But occassionally there are coupons for fresh produce out there.

A few weeks ago when I was in CVS, I found a coupon for $1 off produce WYB 2 boxes of Raisen Bran . Last week, I printed a coupon for $2 off Ribs wyb any KC Masterpiece product.





But for some people, buying any processed food is out of the question. And while there are occassional sales and coupons for organic products and meat and dairy, they just aren't as abundant as others.

But my suggestion to those who want to coupon, but don't want to buy processed food is coupon for items other than food.

I don't think there is a single person I know that doesn't use toilet paper and toothpaste. And luckily with coupons you can get these items for free or next to free.

By couponing for everyday items, personal care products and cleaning supplies and getting those items for free, you will have more wiggle room in your budget for those items that you don't typically have coupons for like produce.

Think about it this way: Imagine you are spending $100 a week on groceries, cleaning supplies and personal care items, and half of that is the personal care items and cleaning supplies. If you start couponing you can get FREE body wash, tissues, deodorant, and CHEAP toilet paper, diapers and paper towels. That will take a HUGE chunk out of that budget giving you extra money to spend on other things or apply to savings.

While it may not be the extreme savings you see on TV, it will make a difference!!!

How I Get Fresh Produce

One question I get asked all the time is how do I get my fresh produce?

Well, I am super lucky and have a farmer's market less than a mile away. I know not everyone has a farmer's market, but if you do, I highly suggest checking it out and taking advantage of it!

For all of the items pictured above (a cantaloupe, pineapple, a HUGE container of spinach, 3 heads of romaine, 3 Green peppers, 2 packages of mushrooms and a bunch of asparagus), I paid $7.

For some that may be a lot, but for two weeks of produce for two people, I'm happy! Occasionally grocery stores have some great deals on produce, but not always. That's why I take advantage of my farmer's market, plus I'm supporting local businesses.

There are a few ways to really take advantage of your local farmer's market and get the most for your money.

The first way I would suggest is by going later in the morning. When you go to a farmer's market early in the morning you are more likely to get the best selection. However, when you go later in the morning, vendors usually lower their prices to try to unload their inventory and still make a profit.

If you have a larger farmer's market, keep an eye out for patterns in the pricing. At my local farmer's market, the vendors near the end of the aisles have higher prices. I always check the vendors in the middle where I can usually find the best prices.

And don't be afraid to haggle. Especially when they are already lowering prices already! You never know what kind of deals you can find!

Now that you know how I get my fresh produce, how do you get yours?

Rain Checks!!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away. Come Again Another Day!

With all the rain and storms we have been having recently, I figured it would be a good time to talk about rain checks!

Have you ever walked into a store expecting to get a great deal only to walk in and see the shelf is empty!

It's quite a bummer, I know, I've been there. But there is a way to beat that feeling... Rain Checks!!!

Personally, I think Rain checks get their name from the gloomy feeling you get when you see an empty shelf... And then when you go back to the store to pick up the product, it's like the Sun has come out and is shining on the great deal you just got!!

But in all seriousness, rain checks are great. Stores inevitably don't keep their shelves stocked up enough when a good sale hits. When this happens, simply go to customer service or the cashier and have them write you up a rain check at the advertised sale price!

Then when the sale is over and the shelves are fully stocked again, you can get the deal for the same price as previously advertised!

CVS is great about rain checks! They never expire and you can still get the ECB that was advertised with the deal!

Walgreens' rain checks aren't as good though. If it is just for an item on sale, with no RR attached to the deal, their rain checks are great! And unlike CVS, Walgreens will not issue rain checks for items with Register Rewards.

But even with some stipulations, Rain Checks are great tool to take advantage of!

And don't be afraid to ask for one! I have heard all kinds of excuses from cashiers before, but it's not your fault it's not in stock!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Coupon Organization

One thing that has helped me become a successful couponer is keeping my coupons organized.

Once you have started to grow your coupon stash, the amount of coupons you have can start to get overwhelming, especially if you are cutting them all out.

When I first started couponing I tried several ways of organizing before I settled on one that worked for me.

I started out buying 2 papers each Sunday and I began by painstakingly cutting each coupon from the insert and putting them into a VERY small accordion file. After a few weeks that filing system was full and I graduated to another small accordian file, this time it had 3 times more pockets. But after a few weeks, cutting coupons and organizing them by category got really old.

Eventually even that accordion file filled up and I couldn't keep up with the cutting and tossing away of expired coupons.

Then I moved on to writing the dates on the outside of the inserts to keep then organized but inevitably I still managed to stay unorganized.

Finally I settled on my current method of organization...








I have all of my coupon inserts together in a filing cabinet (I used to use one of those colorful egg crate boxes which is a great and inexpensive option!).








I separate each week into a hanging folder, and then each type of insert into a separate tab folder. I write the date the insert came out and what kind of insert it is on the file folder, this way, when a coupon is listed i.e. 4/17 SS, all I have to do is go to that date, find the folder marked 4/17 SS. Then once I have found that folder, I look for the coupon in the insert and cut it out.

By doing it this way I know whether or not I received the coupon or if I have used it. It also cuts down on all of the tedious cutting each week leaving me with plenty of time to do other things!

And when my file cabinet is full and I need to put in another week's coupons, I pull the oldest set of coupons out, and put the new folder in. I double check the coupons in the oldest inserts to make sure all of the coupons have expired and if I come across one that hasn't, I cut it out and put it in one of my OLD small accordian files. By doing it this way I am able to reuse the same hanging and tab folders over and over again so I am not spending extra money on organizing my coupons!! This is definitely an added bonus for me because I am all about repurposing and reusing!!








When I am ready to do my shopping and I have cut out the coupons that I plan on using, I then put them together in my original small accordion file divided up by store. This way I know exactly how many of each item I am planning on getting and all I have to do is pull out my coupons at the register! And the best part is that this accordion file fits in my purse!!!

This is just the method that works for me. There are many other ways to organize your coupons such as in binders with baseball card sleeves. Those methods just didn't work for me because I am always on the go and my time is very precious. I tried to cut out each coupon but the amount of time I was having to dedicate to cutting was not worth it for me. Plus I like that this way has the greatest return with the smallest amount of effort!

And while this way works best for me, I want to stress the importance of organizing your coupons in a way that works for you... Because in the end you are the one who has to find and use the coupons.

What kind of organizational method do you use?

Where To Find Coupons!

Coupons have a long history in the United States and while they have been around since the 1800’s (yes, 1800’s, by Coca Cola no less) they have yet to be used to their full extent. Over 300 BILLION dollars in coupons are printed each year and yet only about 1% are used. And while 1% of a billion is still an impressive figure in itself, it is still only 1%.

Coupons are everywhere! They come each week in your Sunday paper (my personal favorite place to find coupons!), they hang on the grocery store shelves, they come in the mail and now they can even be printed off the internet. With so many resources to find coupons, wouldn’t you think that MORE than 1% of coupons are being redeemed.

When you are first trying to find coupons, the BEST place to start is with your Sunday Paper. And just because you don’t see a coupon in there at first glance that might be “a good deal,” don’t give up. Coupons have a long life for a reason, because not everything goes on sale right away.

One of the best, and most recent examples I can think of is a coupon for Propel Zero Flavored Water and the deal I posted (Here). Schnucks, a local St Louis grocery store chain is having a sale on the Propel water, it’s on sale for 2/$1, or $.50 each. WAAAAY back in February (2/13 SS) there was a coupon for $1 off any 2 Propel Zero. When this coupon first came out in February there wasn’t much that interested me in this coupon. It wasn’t a product I typically buy and it wasn’t that great of a coupon. But that changed 2 months later when that coupon now matches up with a sale to make this water FREE.

If I had just cut the coupons out for just the products I wanted and then thrown away my insert, I never would have scored Free Propel. So just because a coupon doesn’t seem appealing at first, doesn’t mean it won’t in the following weeks! So don’t shy away from the inserts, they are one of the BEST coupon resources out there!

Another great place to find coupons is the grocery store. Manufacturers send the grocery store packs of coupons to try and promote their products. Most people when they are in the grocery store always seem to buy more than what they came in for and those coupons are meant for those exact moments. When you see those coupons grab one or two off the tear pad, or blinkie and save it for later if you aren’t planning on purchasing that product today. If it’s a manufacturers coupon you can use it at other stores as well! However, be respectful to others and don’t take the whole tear pad by any means, it’s unethical and isn’t fair to other couponers and buyers. And a few of the best places to check for these tear pad coupons… the customer service counter AND the beer aisle!

This past January, right before the Super Bowl, there were tear pads galore! Two instances that really stick out in my mind were for DiGiorno Pizzas and Tostitos. In one of the local grocery stores I was able to find a $3 off any 2 DiGiorno Pizza coupon (courtesy of Miller Lite) with the Miller Lite Display. If you had looked to quick you might have missed it! But that same week, CVS had DiGiornos on sale for B1G1. I was able to use the manufacturer’s coupon I found at the grocery store at CVS on their sale scoring REALLY cheap pizzas!!

During this same period, Tostitos tortilla chips were on sale (go figure with the Super Bowl being right around the corner). Well, we have 3 different grocery store chains in St Louis: Shop N Save, Schnucks and Dierbergs. All three store had a different coupon that had something to do with Tostitos. Schnucks and Dierbergs both had the chips on sale for $1.99 and they are regularly $3.99. Dierbergs had a Tearpad for $1 off any bag of Tostitos, making them $.99 after the coupon. Schnucks had coupons that read, “Buy 2 bags of Tostitos Chips and get a free bottle of Tostitos salsa or dip!” Wow, so now I pay $1.98 and get 2 bags of chips, and 1 salsa! To make things EVEN better, Shop N Save had coupons that read, “buy one bag of Tostitos Chips and one Tostitos Salsa or Dip and get one free Pepsi 2-liter!” WHOA, so now for $1.98 I was able to get 2 bags of tortilla chips, one salsa and one 2-liter all because I watched out for tear pad coupons!

Since the birth of email, “snail mail” has slowly been phased out for a much quicker electronic option. But if you are a couponer, you still look forward to the old-fashioned mail. Most of the time signing up on manufacturer’s websites guarantee coupons, but occasionally you will get a promotional coupon in the mail! Most people will toss these but you never know when a sale might hit and having that coupon will allow you to pick it up at a rock bottom price!

If there is a particular product you are fond of and notice that you never see any coupons for it, give the company an email telling them how much you like their product. And to Thank You for your kind words, often manufacturers will send you a coupon (and sometimes it’s for a FREE Product)!!

Even though I still enjoy checking my mail each day, I cannot forget the Goliath of a coupon resource that is the internet. While sites like Coupons.com, RedPlum.com, SmartSource.com offer coupons constantly and revolve their selection each month. Some brands offer internet printable coupons on their websites. Some you will need to sign up for their newsletters, others you don’t. Either way, check the websites of products you use or you see on sale for printable coupons!

And if all of this seems overwhelming, which it definitely can be, check places like AFullCup.com that have coupon databases. Sign up on their website and start searching. Just type in a product name and if there is a coupon, the database will list all of the places you can find it!

The Coupon Lingo

When you first start couponing you will probably see quite a few abbreviations. And without a Rosetta Stone for couponing you might not know what all the phrases mean. Hopefully this will help get rid of some confusion and get you one step closer to your big savings!

SUNDAY INSERT ABBREVIATIONS
Almost every Sunday there are coupon inserts in the newspaper. There are several types of inserts and each one has a special abbreviation. These are helpful when looking for coupons so you know what insert the coupons came out of.

RP- Red Plum Sunday Coupon Insert

SS- Smart Source Sunday Coupon Insert

PG- Procter and Gamble Sunday Coupon Insert

GM- General Mills Sunday Coupon Insert
These Abbreviations are very important to know because when a coupon blog lists a deal, they list it by what date the insert came out and what type of insert it was. Example: 4/10 SS or 4/10/11 SS
TYPES OF COUPON 
 
Coupons don't just come in the Sunday circulars anymore. Coupons come in all shapes and sizes; some are on product packages, others are printed right from your computer while other print off at the register. Knowing these terms will help you understand and locate a specific coupon.
 
Peelie- Coupon located on a product that can be peeled off
 
Blinkie- Coupon available in store from a dispenser, usually right next to the product
 
Tearpad- Coupon located in store, often next to the product or at customer service
 
IP- Internet Printable
 
MFR- Manufacturers Coupon
 
MIR- Mail-in Rebate
 
Catalina- Coupon that print at the register, often on a thin sheet of paper
 
STORE COUPONS
 
Just like the above section stated, coupons aren't just found in Sunday Papers. Large chain stores often have store specific coupons. Stores like Walgreens have special coupon booklets with Walgreen only coupons. But there are other store specific coupons that print at the register that are equally, if not more important.
 
RR- Walgreens Register Rewards, Walgreens Catalina
 
ECB- CVS Extra Care Buck, essentially a CVS Catalina
 
OTHER IMPORTANT ABBREVIATIONS
 
B1G1 or BOGO- Buy One, Get One
 
OOP- Out Of Pocket
 
YMMV- Your Mileage May Vary
 
WYB- When You Buy
 
UPC- Universal Product Code. the barcode on products
 
Regional- A type of coupon that not all areas of the country received.
 
Now that you are well versed in Coupon Lingo, you are one step closer to some Extreme savings!!!
 
Happy Shopping!
 

A Few Tips for Beginners

I wanted to start you all off with a few of my favorite tips that helped me out when I began couponing. I wasn't always an "Extreme Couponer" but some of these helped to get me off on the right foot.

I will be going into more detail later on about each tip and why they are important, as well as other topics including stockpiles and coupon ethics.

I hope these tips will help you as you begin learning more about couponing. And if you have been couponing for awhile, feel free to leave some of your favorite tips in the comments!

1. Buy at least 2 Sunday Papers each week, and if you have a large family, buy one paper for each member of your family.

2. Don't get overwhelmed by all of the coupon sites and blogs. Choose 2 or 3 that shares deals and follow them.

3. Start small. You won't be an Extreme Couponer over night. Like with all things, Practice makes perfect. Try to do one or two deals at first, then build up!

4. Know your rights. Each store has a different corporate coupon policy. Keep a printed copy with you so if a cashier won't accept a coupon, you have their policy in hand.

5. Have fun! Couponing shouldn't be something that makes you miserable, find what works best for you and enjoy saving money!
 
Check back for more deals and tips!