Easy Steps to Save Money: Coupons

Each day this week I am going to cover little steps you can take that will save you money when you shop.  Last week we talked a bit about coupons, and today I will cover them in a little more detail.  Do you have to be an extreme couponer to save money?  Absolutely not!  To me, couponing is about finding out what kind of couponer you are comfortable being.  Some people clip all the coupons from each Sunday paper and file them in a binder.  Some even dumpster dive to get more coupons or buy the coupons online.  All this is too complicated and stressful to me.  One of my favorite bloggers,  Jodi Furman of LiveFabuless.com, unclips her coupons.  She simply takes the coupons from the paper, writes the date on them, and files them away.






How quick and easy is that.  You can then use the coupons with any coupon match-up you chose.  If you don't remember what a coupon match up is, the idea is simple.  A coupon match-up will take the sales ad for a store and list where you can find a coupon for the item that is on sale.  For the coupons in the Sunday paper, it will list it by date, so all you have to do is go to your file and clip the coupon you need.  To find a coupon match-up for any store, simply Google the store name and coupon match-up.  Coupon Match-ups are not limited to grocery stores.  They are available for Wal-Mart, Target, K Mart, and even pet stores. 


Coupon match-ups are not limited to using coupons from your Sunday paper.  It will list in store and on product coupons.  They will also link you directly to online printable coupons.  Sometimes the online coupons will be from the manufacturer's website or facebook page.  Many times it will send you to coupon sites, like coupons.com.

The most important thing you can do when couponing is know your stores policy.  Most stores have a universal policy for coupon use at all of their stores.  These policies can be found on their websites or in store on display.  I recommend asking about policies at customer service before you shop with coupons at a store for the first time.  Some individuals stores will have different policies.  They also may take competitor coupons and competitors may differ from store to store.  This will save you from dealing with issues at check and feeling bad for the people behind you :)


Once you get the basics of couponing down, then the fun begins.  This is also when you will discover what kind of couponer you are.  Some stores around the country will double the value of your coupons; however, where I live in Florida, this is not done.  Some stores will allow you to stack coupons, which means you may use both a manufacturer and store coupon on one item.  Imagine the savings if that item is on sale!  My favorite way to save with coupons is when items are on sale for BOGO (Buy One Get One Free).  Again the way this works will depend on where you live.  In states other than Florida,  you do not always need to buy two items on a BOGO.  You can get half off one item, but I am unsure how the coupons work with this scenario.  (anyone?)  In Florida,  BOGO can save big time.  First you have to get two items; however, you can use use coupons on both items.  Not only can you you use manufacturer coupon for each, but you can stack a store coupon for each. Now you are in the land of virtually free products...cool huh!  But what happens when you have a free product coupon (sometimes found in Sunday ads; I get a lot from Facebook contests and promotions) and the item is on sale BOGO?  TWO FREE PRODUCTS!!!!!  


As you start to coupon, you will learn how far you are willing to go to save and how much work you want to put into it.  But you will save money!  Everything I covered here today does not take much time or effort.  Follow a coupon match-up, get your coupons, and save!  This little step will help you to live life a little better everyday!!

Meal Planning Step 5 - Action!

So you know what is on hand at home, you know what's on sale at the store and have coupons for it, you've come up with recipes based on this information...it's time to shop!  Stick to your list!  You can add a few essentials, but put them on your list before you go.  Sticking to your list will save you time and money; of course, so would going to the store with the kiddos!  Now the rest of your week should be a piece of cake...if you are dieting I am sorry for saying that :)  You know what to make each day and have the ingredients ready to go.  No last minute runs to the store.  No more going out for fast food.  Like I said at the beginning of the week, meal planning is the ultimate in multi-tasking for living life a little better everyday. You have saved money, time, and created healthy meals for the week!  Now we all just have to stick to the plan ;)

Save money...great! Earn money...better!

I never shop online without first selecting the store in Ebates.  It is a quick and easy way to earn money back most of your online purchases! Even with all my deal shopping, I received over $60 last year just for selecting stores and finding coupon codes to save even more through ebates. Give it try!

Meal Planning Step 4 Find Your Recipes

Finding recipes is the fun part of the process of meal planning; however, for me, it is the most time consuming as I enjoy looking at recipes.  The easiest was to find a recipe is to Google search the ingredients you have on hand  and what is on sale and find recipes (hopefully healthy ones).  Google even has a search option just for recipes that allows you to refine your results.

Once you find your recipes, you can keep it simple and write out a schedule of the meals for the week (there are also some great apps available to help you do this that even include shopping lists).  If you are dieting, I recommend you schedule all your food including all 3 meals and snacks.  If I do not do this...I will graze all day!  I am currently testing out some apps to help in the meal planning process.  Do you use any? I would love to hear about them!

Meal Planning Step 3 Inventory

Another simple and quick step in meal planning!  What do you have in your fridge or pantry that needs to be used before it goes bad?  Is something hiding in the pantry you don`t even remember buying?  You spent money on it...so don`t let it go to waste.  This step will again help narrow your focus on choosing what to cook. How great that one quick and easy step can save you both time when you are choosing recipes and money since you are not wasting what you already spent your hard earned money on!  Put your inventory together with what you plan to buy and you are ready to pick out recipes...Step 4 and the fun part!

Meal Planning Step 2 - Coupon Match-ups

Planning your meals around sales helps you save money and also simplifies trying to figure out what to cook.  Buying only the proteins or produce on sale will help narrow down your choices in the vast world of recipes on the internet.  Do you know when your sales ad start each week for your grocery store?  Did you know you can find out ahead of time what will be on sale for the next week?  There is a lot I could tell you about shopping sales and learning to coupon, but nothing is simpler than finding a coupon match-up for your local grocery store  and just start using it to create a shopping list that will save you money and time!  A coupon match-up takes a sales ad (typically for this week and the next) and lists all the items on sale and what coupons are available to go with that sale item.  It will even tell you where to find the coupon!  It is available to print online, the link will be right there underlined by the item.  If it came from the Sunday paper, it will list what day it was in the paper.  Some times it will tell you a coupon is in a magazine or on a peelie on a product. How easy it that, right?  All the info you need is right there.  I recommend you Google your store and the words coupon Match-up and find a site you like and then just try it!  Over time you will learn what kind of couponer you are.  For me, I don't buy the Sunday paper; however, if I go to my in-laws who don't coupon, I take theirs.  I rely a lot on internet printable coupons.  You will need to know your stores couponing policy which can be found on the coupon match-up's web page or your stores web page.  Can't find it still?  Simply ask in the store.

Let the Games Begin...

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