Welcome to the Savvy Consumer Couponing Blog. The purpose of this blog is to show how easy it is to coupon. Many believe that couponing is too time consuming. With the tips and tools I will be providing, you will see that once you organize and set up your system for couponing, the savings are well worth the time. Content within this blog will include an illustrative procedure, downloadable reference guides and how-to videos.
Subject matter includes: * How to get started * How to clip & sort coupons * How to understand couponing lingo * How to search for coupons * How to search for deals * 2019 Coupon inserts calendar * Additional ways to save
Header photo courtesy of MoneyCrashers Contact us photo courtesy of BIZ Builer
Below is the Coupon Insert Schedule for 2019. The schedule gives you an idea of when to stock up on newspapers and when to skip a week.
Please note, I live in Manatee County in the state of Florida and all RetailMeNot coupon inserts are delivered in a weekly flyer through our postal mail on Tuesdays.
Please be sure to keep a copy of the Sunday Coupon Insert Schedule handy. Click here to download a copy of the calendar.
When you are first learning how to coupon, it can be confusing navigating within couponing forums. If you’re not aware of the language spoken, it can seem like a foreign language. To help with navigating in couponing forums, below is a list of common couponing acronyms and terms that have been helpful to me. Click here to download a printable cheat sheet.
Photo courtesy of Maple Money
AC – After
Coupon, usually the price after a coupon is applied
BD or Breakdown – This refers to the explanation of how to get a deal with coupons.
Blinkie – A type of coupon found in stores dispensed from a small box with a red blinking light
BOGO or B1G1F – Buy one, get one free
Catalina – A type
of coupon dispensed at the cash register after purchase, often in response to a
specific purchase. Catalina is the marketing company that distributes and
manages this coupon program. These coupons are also known as Register
Rewards, Check Out Coupons, Checkout Rewards, Extra
Care Bucks, etc.
ECB – CVS Extra Care Bucks earned for purchases
HT – Hang tags, coupons hanging on a product
Insert – This refers to the sheets of coupons that you receive in the newspaper
ISO – In search of
IP – Internet printable coupon that’s printed on a home computer
MFG
or MFR – Manufacturer coupon
MM
– Moneymaker
NED – No expiration date
OAS – On any size, a coupon or other offer that is valid on any size of the product
OOP – Out of pocket, the final cost after coupons and discounts have been applied
OOS – Out of stock
OSI – On a single item
OYNO – On your next order/purchase, coupons that provide discount on your next purchase
P&G – Proctor & Gamble coupon insert
Peelie – A coupon that you peel off the package
Printable
– Printable coupon
RC or R/C – Raincheck
RMN – RetailMeNot coupon insert
SS – SmartSource coupon insert
Stacking – A store and manufacturers coupon used together on one purchase is referred to as stacking. Some stores provide additional discounts through “store” coupons, usually found in their sales flyer or other store brochure
Tear pad –A pad
of coupons found hanging from a store shelf or display
There are additional ways to save beyond using coupons. There are many free mobile apps available that offer additional savings above using coupons. Below are a few free couponing apps that are compatible with Android and iOS smartphones. I have personally earned nearly $200 by using the Checkout 51 and Ibotta apps.
Ibotta is a mobile coupon app where you can select nearby stores and see a list of eligible products, their rebate amounts and images of the products. Ibotta can connect to your grocery store’s loyalty card or you can take a photo of your grocery receipt through the app. It normally takes 48 hours for your cash to be posted to your account. Once your account reaches $20, you can cash out using PayPal, Venmo or by picking out a gift card to your favorite store or restaurant.
Checkout51 offers cash-back rebates on products you’ve purchased. Once you have made your purchase, you go to the app to take a picture of your store receipt. The app will then scan your receipt and deposit cash in your Checkout51 account. Once your balance reaches $20, you have the option to keep saving or have a check sent to you.
SavingStar is comparable to Ibotta. SavingStar also connects to your store’s loyalty card where you can select offers you’d like to redeem. Also, if your store doesn’t have a loyalty card program, you can take a photo of your receipt when you’re finished shopping and upload it through the app. Rebates are added to your SavingStar account within 2 to 7 days. Once your account balance reaches $20, you can request to cash out using your PayPal account or donate the money to charity.
There are several ways to organize your coupons. The binder method is when one combines all like coupons and file them in baseball card holders in a three-ring binder. Another method is the envelope method. This is when one clips their coupons and puts them in an envelope. Lastly, the file inserts method is when one files the entire set of coupon inserts in a file box by the date of release. My preferred method of organizing my coupons is the binder method. Below I will demonstrate how to sort and clip coupons using this method.
What you will need: Coupon inserts Scissors Binder with baseball card dividers
Sorting & Clipping
For the purpose of this post I will be clipping and sorting a set of four coupon inserts. Inserts can have a range of 6-20+ pages of coupons per set. It took approximately twenty minutes to sort, clip and file away the coupons. Times will vary depending on how many sets of inserts you have.
Sort like coupon sheets in separate piles.
2. Once all of the coupons have been sorted in to separate piles, cut each group of like coupons.
3. After all of the coupons have been cut, they should be in separate piles as seen below.
4. The coupons are now ready to be file in the coupon binder. My binder is organized by categories. As seen in the photos below.
For the coupon above, they would be filed in the following categories: beverages, oral products, hair products, makeup, refrigerated items and baking products.
5. The coupons are filed in the individual baseball card slots.
Once you have prepared your shopping list, you can then transfer the required coupons to an envelope for easy shopping.
Organization is a key factor when couponing. Knowing upcoming couponing deals will help with organizing and planning your shopping. The Krazy Coupon Lady is a great website to find upcoming coupon deals. The website provides deals for approximately fifty (50) stores. The website not only provides deals for items advertised within weekly flyers, it also provides deals for items that have not been advertised. Please check out the video below which will show you how to find coupon deals with the Krazy Coupon Lady website.
The Couponing Database is a great source for finding specific coupons. There are several sites that have databases, but I am partial to Hip2Save. Searches within the database will let you know if a coupon is available. If a coupon is available, it will let you know the value of the coupon, its expiration date, where it can be found and if there are any limitations.
Would you like to know how I paid 20¢ for this tube of Colgate toothpaste? Are you interesting in saving money when purchasing groceries and household items? If I have your attention, this site is for you. I am eager to share how my couponing class has taught me how easy it is to start couponing.
Here are the basics to get started couponing:
Gather/Purchase Your Coupons
Sunday newspaper inserts – The three sources of coupon inserts are Procter & Gamble, SmartSource and RetailMeNot, formerly known as RedPlum.
Printable coupon websites – Print coupons from your computer. Reputable printable websites are coupons.com, SmartSource and RetailMeNot.
Check your local store for in-store coupons, peelies and blinkies.
Organizing Your Coupons
Binder – Combine all like coupons and file them in baseball card holders in a three-ring binder. This is my personal method of organizing my coupons. Check out my tutorial on how to organize a coupon binder.
Envelopes – Clip your coupons and put them all in an envelope. I would recommend this method for short term use only because it doesn’t take long to accumulate coupons.
File inserts by date – File your coupon inserts in a file box by date and use an online coupon database to find the coupon you need. I recommend this method for those with busy schedules because it doesn’t require much work. Please note, you miss out on unadvertised deals by not having coupons readily assessable.
Planning your Shopping
Review weekly store ads for sale items.
Review and gather coupons to match with items on sale.
Make your shopping list.
Great deals sale out quickly so if your store is out of an item, stop by customer service and request a raincheck. A raincheck is normally good for thirty (30) days and you will still be able to get your item for the sale price and use a coupon if it has not expired.
Stay within your planned shopping budget.
So here’s how I got Colgate toothpaste for 20¢ CVS had Colgate toothpaste on sale for $3.49 and as a CVS loyalty card member, I received $2.50 in Extra Care Bucks. I also used a manufacturers coupon for 50¢. After the deductions, all I had to pay were the taxes.
Additional Savings
Stacking coupons – Check to see if your store allows the use of store coupons along with manufacturer coupons for the purchase of an item.
Loyalty cards – Check to see if your store offers loyalty cards. Some stores offer sale prices to loyalty cardholders.
Competitor coupons – Check to see if your store accepts competitor coupons. Some stores will accept coupons from competitors within a certain mile radius.
Tips When Building Your Stockpile
Don’t buy too much too fast. Building a stockpile takes time.
Pay attention to how much you use. Being aware of how much you are using gives you an idea of how much to buy so that it doesn’t go to waste.
Donate overages. Eventually you will have an abundance of certain items within your stockpile. If there’s no way for the item to be used before it expires consider donating the items to your local food bank pantry or shelter.
The Savvy Consumer Couponing Blog 