I had to do a speech today and I thought I would post it to help anyone else out there who might want to learn more about couponing!

Introduction

I am a stay at home mom to 2 boys, (6) and (22 months). I moved to Ohio in 2001 from Pennsylvania. I started couponing in 2002 when my oldest son was born. I wanted to find a way to contribute to the household financially but still be able to stay at home with him.

The biggest misconception that people have when they hear how much I save, is that I go to the store with a “normal” grocery list and walk out paying nothing. It doesn’t really work that way. I do pay full price for normal things like Milk, Eggs, and Meat.. The things I refuse to pay for are Health & Beauty items, Condiments, Side Dishes and so on.

What you save really depends on what type of couponer you want to be or have time to be. A “die hard couponer” such as me, will get nothing unless it is pennies or free. (That comes with time) Others are happy just being able to save what they can on what they buy. That is fine to! You have to get whatever you can each week for the best deal.

How to know what the best deal is? This really depends on you! If you normally pay $3 for deodorant and you can get it one week for $1 and that is a steal for you then I say STOCK UP! The longer you coupon the cheaper you will become! After a year, $1 may no longer be a deal for you and you then begin to search for $.50 deals and so on.

When I first started I would only save a small percent with coupons. You can’t start out and save 100%. Be excited about the first thing you get for free! 1 thing free is the beginning to getting 10 things free. Now I can save sometimes 100% but it has taken me 6 years to get to that point. It takes a lot of time and dedication to do this.

Where can I find coupons?

The most obvious place is the Sunday Paper. Ask your family, friends or neighbors to save you what they don’t use. The most common thing I hear is “They never have coupons for the things I buy.” We call these the casual couponer. The first rule is that you cannot be brand loyal. (Now yes on something’s is okay) You have to save every coupon that comes your way because you never know what is going to be on sale. Most people file their coupons by category. I learned a long time ago that did not work well for me. I would forget where I put things. I started with a small shoebox (or plastic bin), bought a set of plastic ABC dividers (sold at Wal-Mart) like you would use for a recipe box and keep everything in order by the manufacturers name. (B – Betty Crocker, P – Pillsbury etc) It was MUCH faster for me to find what I was looking for. When you start getting huge amounts of coupons like I have, you learn to come up with ways of storing that personally work for you.

Another source is online printables. There are so many places to get these it is unbelievable. Most sites allow you to print 2 of each one per computer. I would not be able to list them all here but you can go to my Blog and on the left hand column, scroll down a bit and you will see a list called “COUPONS. You can find an entire list of places to get Printables there. Kroger, Meijer and Giant Eagle all take printable coupons.

Store Policies

Meijer:

Meijer doubles coupons up to $.50. This means that if you have a coupon for $.50 off, they will give you $1 off, $.35 will get you $.70 off and so on. Any value over $.50 will be redeemed at the face value. ($.75 will get you $.75 off). There is a 2 coupon limit at Meijer. By only 2 I mean you can only use 2 of the same coupon but you can use as many total coupons as you want. If you have 20 coupons for $.50 off Kraft Cheese, you can buy 20 cheeses and use 20 coupons but they will only double 2 of them so best to only use 2 at a time so you can save more!

Kroger:

Kroger doubles coupons up to $.50. There is no limit on the amount of coupons will double at Kroger. If you have 20 coupons for $.50 off Kraft Cheese, you can buy 20 Cheeses and they will double all 20 coupons.

Giant Eagle:

Giant Eagle doubles coupons up to $1.00. This means that if you have a coupon for $1.00 off, they will give you $2 off, $1.50 off they will give you $2 off, $.75 off will get you $1.50 off and so on. There is a limit of 4 coupon limit at Giant Eagle. (Again, this is 4 of the same coupon, not total coupons that can be used) If you use their self check outs (U-Scans), it will beep at more than 2 of the same and require then to hand enter it. This is a real pain so best to just go to a real cashier!

With the exception of Club Stores and Big Lots, most stores in this area except Manufacturers coupons.

Rainchecks:

Rain checks are a GREAT way to save on products at a later date. If it goes on sale now and a coupon comes out later then you’re ready! A few important things to know, Giant Eagle’s rain checks NEVER expire! I literally have some from 2005. Kroger’s expire within 30 days and Meijer’s expire within 30 days I THINK. I do not shop there much.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did you get so good at using coupons? I went online and joined a coupon forum. Through the forum, I met a wonderful woman named Dawn Graham and she taught me 90% of the coupon basics. I am very grateful to her for bringing me into this. It really is a process of matching up a good coupon with a good sale and stocking up. Anyone could do it but it does take time and dedication. It really is a “job”.

What is a basic piece of advice you can give someone about couponing? Don’t give up and start small! You can’t just walk into the store with no knowledge and expect to get a larger order for practically nothing. Get an item or 2 free and go from there. It is such a rush to get your first item free!

What was the best deal you ever made because of couponing? I really could not pick one for this. I have gotten so many wonderful deals that there is not 1 that sticks out in my head specifically.

What’s the best thing about what you do? By far the BEST would have to be that I get to stay home with my boys! It is not a job where you get a weekly check but it is a lot of saved money that can be put to another bill.

Grocery Price Books – www.grocerypricebooks.com – I came up with the idea because I saw no other site like it on the web. Site serves as a convenient price comparison site for shoppers at local grocery stores like Kroger, Giant Eagle and Mejier. I do not list sale prices but everyday prices. It is important to know the normal selling price because sometimes a “sale” is not really a sale at all! Sometimes they will advertise a “Sale Price” of say $.99 but the everyday selling price is actually $1! Yes, it is true! 3 stores worth of prices is A LOT of information to collect, prices always change and since I pretty much do it alone it is a long process but I am doing my best with it.