Have you ever been behind one of "those people" at your local grocery? You know, the one that takes a while to checkout, but ends up paying $50 for a big cart of groceries? Well if you would like to be that person read on...
My personal favorite score was probably May 2006 when I walked out of Albertson's with over $190 worth of groceries for $6.43. I have the receipt somewhere as proof, but no access to a scanner.
Yes it was completely legitimate; the store was doing a super coupon event. I don't score savings that high every time I shop, but my average savings run around 70%. I used to keep a spreadsheet, but I've gotten lazy.
DISCLAIMER: I received a few replies on my first diary that people suspected I might be spamming or scamming. I'm doing niether, simply trying to share a useful skill. The information and opinions I'm sharing about various websites, service providers, and retailers are strictly based on my personal experience and I don't have a financial interest or a personal relationship associated with any of the below. As best I can recall my closest relation with any retailer is a cousin who is a pharmacist for a grocery chain. I see her once or twice a year and I don't even know which store she works at exactly.
D.I.Y. vs. Using A Service
You can save a bundle using coupons and doing the legwork yourself. The upside of doing it yourself is that you will save yourself the cost of the service and you can take pride in your deal hunting skills.
Another option is to use a paid service and that is how I got started. I found thegrocerygame.com when I went looking for ways to save money after we had a baby. Someone mentioned it on a message board, I signed up for the trial, and IMO I have gotten my money's worth.
A service is a great place to learn the ropes and there are advantages to using a service even if you are "deal smart". I have used one other local service, but since The Grocery Game is national that is the one I will address here.
When you sign up (and you should sign up for every store for your trial) you will get "rules" for each store. Your rules suggest using the "file by insert" method, which I will cover. Every week on the set day your new List will be available for you to print. You print your List for each store that you want to shop, clip your coupons, and head out to shop. Your Listmaker will track sales trends and match coupons with specials (advertised and unadvertised) to help you get the best prices.
The upside is that you save a lot of time since you don't have to search out deals on your own, and you can save more money by making your purchase for the best price for that store.
For me, the downside is that many of the Lists don't repeat coupons and some Lists are only good for a few days. I put a lot of time into building up my stockpile at the start and now I may only shop every third week or so. Sometimes an item may be on "sale" for a few weeks, but it will only be on the List one week. Also, since I use multiple coupons, I may still have a coupon even though it has been on the List before.
All that said, I think it is a great place to start and the message boards provide a lot of support. If you want to realize some savings on your grocery bill with the least amount of hassle this service could be great for you.
Learn Your Stores
If you want to give the coupon thing a try on your own, the first thing you need to do is learn your stores and learn their coupon policy.
It is helpful to know your local stores "sister chains". Often a promotion will run nationwide, but you may only see the deal posted on a message board for one region. As an example, one of my local stores is Tom Thumb. Tom Thumb is the regional chain of Safeway. Randall's is another Safeway chain. If I see a post about a promotion at Randall's there is a good chance that the same promotion is, or will be, at Tom Thumb. This is especially useful when you find posts about catalina deals, which are deals that involve coupons that print out at the register.
To find out your stores' coupon policy check their fliers, or, better yet, call them. Store chains have different policies in different regions, and sometimes even different policies at different stores. My local Kroger will double or triple up to 3 like coupons. I have read that some Krogers in the area will only double or triple one like coupon.
In some areas there are no stores that offer double coupons, or the double coupons may be extremely limited. In the limited areas you may find that your store has a weekly store coupon that will allow you to double a certain number of manufacturers' coupons. Getting double or triple the face value of your coupons greatly increases your savings. If you are in an area where stores don't offer this promotion you will still realize savings from using coupons, but they will probably be less dramatic and it may take longer to fill up your pantry.
Getting Coupons
Coupons are everywhere. You just need to know where to look. You can find them cheap, and, if you are willing to work a little, you can get them free.
Newspapers
This is the largest source of coupons and the one that most people are familiar with. Different regions get different coupons and even different papers in the same region get different coupons. Generally the newspaper in your area with the highest circulation will have the best coupons available in your area.
If you are starting out and want to "go big" then I suggest that you get one set of inserts for each member of your family. Round up by one if that is an odd number. Having an even number of coupons will help you maximize your savings on BOGO (a.k.a. B1G1) deals.
You can get your inserts by purchasing the best Sunday paper in your area, or you can get inserts from friends and family who don't use theirs. Alternately, you may find that you can get free inserts at your local recycling center. I have even read of folks putting out their own bin marked "recycle" at their apartment complex near the mail boxes or in the laundry room.
Some weeks (usually big holidays) there are no coupons in the paper at all, which is good to know if you are purchasing papers. You can find a schedule of when coupons are coming out at taylortownpreview.com. This site also has a sneak peek of what coupons are coming out. The list is usually available the Wednesday or Thursday prior to publication. Please know that this is only a rough guide as actual coupons published by your paper may vary.
Clipping Services and eBay
You can order specific coupons from a clipping service like thecouponclippers.com or thecouponmaster.com, or from sellers on eBay. A caveat, you are paying for the clipping service because it is unlawful to sell coupons. I have found that The Coupon Clippers are better for low value coupons, which are the ones that I can get doubled and tripled in my area, while The Coupon Master tends to have higher valued coupons. The services do have a minimum purchase and there is a shipping charge. The clipping fee is generally about 10% of the face value, i.e. a $1.00 coupon would be .10. On eBay you can often find more unusual coupons and there is no minimum purchase, per se. You can bid on clipped coupons, but I often find that "buy it now" is less hassle, and the price may not vary by much.
Blinkies, Peelies, Tearpads & Catalinas
These are also known as non-insert coupons. These coupons are at the store, and sometimes actually on the merchandise. Blinkies are the coupons that spit out from those little red plastic boxes, so called because of the blinking red light on the dispenser. Often a blinkie that you find at one store will be worth more to you at another store. It is considered bad etiquette to take too many, but the discards that have been left in the top are fair game. Peelies are the peel off coupons attached to packages. Taking peelies from packages that you are not purchasing is frowned upon. Tearpads are what they sound like, a little pad of coupons (usually on a display) that you tear off. Once again taking a few is fine. Ripping off the whole pad and selling them on eBay? Grrr... Catalinas are coupons that print at the register on a seperate tape printer from your receipt. Catalinas are often coupons for items you have purchased, or coupons for competing products. Some of the best catalinas (or cats) are for $$$ off your next purchase at the store. Catalinas left behind by a previous shopper are yours to take.
The Manufacturer
You can get some very good coupons by signing up for manufacturers' programs and/or by writing a manufacturer about a product. In my experience it is especially useful to sign up for baby products manufacturers' website programs. I've received many coupons for diapers, baby food, etc. You may also get coupons or merchandise vouchers in response to e-mailing or writing. Write the makers of your favorite products and tell them why you think their product is great, or, if you have a bad experience with their product write about that. Most manufacturers have departments who deal with customer coorespondence. You may get nothing but a form letter, or you might get vouchers for free products.
Internet Coupons
There are legitimate printable manufacturers' coupons available on the internet. The problem is that many stores will not accept them due to past fraud. It is a good idea to ask at the store before attempting to use these. For printable coupons available on the actual manufacturer website I have found that you can usually get a printed coupon mailed to you if you request it and tell them that your stores will not accept printed coupons.
Next Week Part III: Organizing your coupons and finding deals.