What I don't understand

[dillondog]

It seem that most of the couponds I get are for things I don't use. Most of the time the store brands are cheaper than the things I find couponds for. I hear about people who save a great deal of money by using couponds. I must be doing something wrong. Would love to get responces.
Dillondog
PS I'm a older lady and haven't done this kind of thing before, thus I don't know what is ment by, tags, threads, trackbacks. Hope someone will enlighten me.

[floridaclipper]

Don't give up yet. It can be a challange getting started. You see great deals and you don't have the coupons yet because you recently started saving inserts. Ip's can help. Look on the web sites for the products you do like. You may find coupons for the product there or contact them, tell them how much you like their product and they may respond with sending you coupons. If you have coupons you will never use consider trading them for ones you will use. Consider trying new brands as well. When the price was right I tried some new to me products, some of which I actually liked better than the other brand I was using. The trick to getting a price less expensive than the store brand is to use your coupons when the product is on sale and stacking a store coupon with manufacture coupon when the opportunity presents itself. You will have weeks at the beginning that you are not buying products at their lowest price as you have not established your stock pile yet. That takes time but each week it will get easier and you should see increased savings. Read Stephanie's e book and start with learning one store at a time. A lot of good information is in the forums so keep reading and asking questions when you need help. Everyone is friendly and someone will know the answer. Hope this helps

[IndianaMom]

The secret is to not just use coupons, but to only buy products when they are on sale AND you have a coupon, then you buy enough to get you through til the next sale cycle. For example, Barilla pasta had coupons a couple of months ago for $0.50 off 1 box. The regular price is $1.29 at Meijer and Kroger. Walmart sells these for $1.09 (example), but Meijer and Kroger have had them on sale for $0.89 recently. If you bought the pasta at Walmart with a coupon, you would pay $0.59 a box. If you waited until the pasta was on sale at Meijer or Kroger (and your store doubles coupons), you could get the same pasta for free. I bought 40 boxes for FREE when it was on sale, so now I don't need to buy more for 6 months.
You need to know the lowest regular and sale prices to get the best deals all the time, and you need to buy enough ahead so you don't ever pay full price again.

[Kathypoo]

Originally Posted by dillondog

It seem that most of the couponds I get are for things I don't use. Most of the time the store brands are cheaper than the things I find couponds for. I hear about people who save a great deal of money by using couponds. I must be doing something wrong. Would love to get responces.
Dillondog
PS I'm a older lady and haven't done this kind of thing before, thus I don't know what is ment by, tags, threads, trackbacks. Hope someone will enlighten me.

My mom is an active senior who thought the same way you do. Until I asked her to make a list of all the products she uses. Then I started collecting q's for the things on her list. I told her to hold the q's, but watch expriation dates, and when the products go on sale, to buy as many products as she has q's for. For example - she uses cottonelle tp, usually about $2.50 for a 4 pack. When it went on sale for $1.50, she bought 4, using 4 $1.00 off q's. She got four 4packs for $2.00. Toilet paper doesn't expire, so she now has a stockpile until the next time it goes on sale. Top quality TP, for a lot less than the store brand.

My suggestion to you ~ make a list of all you use. You will be surprised how many q's there are for you. It may take a while, but you will be successful.
HTH (hope this helps)

[Sylvia]

Don't worry. The forum vocabulary will become clear over time.

Here is what you do. (avoiding walmart) Find your store's website, look for their online advertisement. Most have the ability to create and print a shopping list, some even have more printable coupons available!

Now, if you are like me, I can't see those smallish pictures on the online adverts... so I use my paper one while I peruse the online version.

I'll give you an example of how it works for me.

My albertsons has a "deal" right now. "Buy $30 on select items, get $15 back on your next purchase" This means it will print out a coupon worth $15 good on anything in the store.

I went though my coupons and matched several items to the sales. I printed extra coupons I could find if I needed them.

10 Progresso soup 1.69 each less 10 1.10off 1 coupons
4 Betty Crocker specialty potatoes @ 1.69 less 3 .40 off and 1 .50 off which I doubled.
3 Knorr sides .99 each less 1 $1 off 3
4 Progresso boxed broth @ 1.49 less 4 .50 off 1
Total before coupons 32.59 plus tax.
After coupons $15.39 plus tax ($17.26)

And I got the $15 on your next order! (oyno=on your next order)

I put the order in my car, then I took that $15 oyno and went back through the store and bought....

1 5lb ham
1 pk of pork chops,
2 country crock butter, less $1 off 2
2 bagged salad,
1 5lb bag whole potatoes,
4 bananas,
4 cans of bushs beans. less 2 .55 off (doubled)
Less the $15 oyno,
I paid out of pocket another $5.36 including tax.

That's a total of only $22.62 for the entire 38 item shopping trip.

do some division, that's about .60 per item. (heh... a .60 5 lb ham!)

Now, had I gone to the store with a binder and no plan, I would not have done so well. And if I had bought "generic" brand I could not have saved as much. My Albertsons "generic" brand runs very close if not more than the name brand plus there is rarely a coupon available.

One more thing... don't get trapped in that "bigger sizes are cheaper" thing. remember 4 free or .25 items is still better than 1 item at 3.99 after coupon. Always try to get the smallest size that the coupon allows.... provided it's the best deal.


Sorry for so long... but I hope that helps.