Couponing For Mere Mortals: Learning to Clip The Old Fashion Way

Well, by now you have mastered loading your grocery rewards card with digital coupons and signed up for your post purchase rewards programs with your favorite manufacturers. Right? If not, no worries. Here are the links to get you started.

Couponing For Mere Mortals: Saving Money With The Swipe Of Your Card

Couponing For Mere Mortals: Getting The Most Of Your Healthy Food Purchases

Moving on to the next step in couponing takes a bit more organization. With digital couponing the card does all the work for you, with paper couponing, its up to you.  Why use paper coupons when I can use digital?  Of course if we can reduce using paper its a plus, but there is still a need to clip. The biggest benefit is you can double them or triple them during rare promotions. Most grocery chains push for digital coupons because they do not double them. You are limited to how many digital coupons you can load also, usually 150. That seems like alot but overtime you can come pretty close to that number. There is still a bonus for using digital coupons too so, don't abandon ship. Grocery chains will often offer coupons for their in-house brands on their digital site, these are not available in printed form. Also, from time to time, they will track what you purchase and send you special offers to load on your card. For instance, last month Kroger offered a customer appreciation promotion and sent me 10 digital coupons, including several free items, like bread and even big discounts on natural products that are not typically offered. If you already have a routine in place with your digital coupon card, that is great because we are going to build on that process.

Get a coupon organizer. Now I've seen the extreme side of this with large three ring binders, you don't have to go there...yet. Unless that works best for you. I prefer a medium size accordion case that I can keep with me in my purse, in the event I need to make an unexpected purchase. I saw some similar ones in the dollar section at Target this weekend for $2.00.

File in a way that makes sense to you. The initial set up takes an investment in time but it will become second nature. The simplest way is to break down your pockets into general categories like, dairy, dry goods, baking needs, etc. Think of it as the sections of the store. Some couponers like to set up their pockets in order of the store layout beginning with the first section they enter. There is no right or wrong. Everyone's shopping needs are different. If you have small children you may prefer one pocket entirely for diapers and food. Play with it a bit to see what clicks. It has to make sense to you or you won't stick with it.

Follow a clipping routine. Carving out a set time each week to plan your shopping trip may seem inconvenient, but in the long run it will save you time and obviously, money. I have a time every Sunday that I get my coffee and get my list ready for the week. Its a good feeling to start the week of with a plan and adds to my overall productivity throughout the week. This is the order that I have found to work best.

1. Update your coupon file. Clear out any expired coupons before you begin clipping for the new week.

2. Make your list of needs for the week. Hopefully you are using your pre-printed cheat sheets to cut your time by checking off what you need and noting any additional items. Doing your list first, helps you stay away from impulse buys and gets you prepared to tackle the weekly sale circulars.

3. Start clipping with the weekly inserts. 

4. Load your digital coupons to your store rewards card. This is were it changes slightly. You will see some of the same coupons on your store site that you just clipped from the paper. Remember, you cannot double your digital coupon. So, if you have a clipped coupon and load the same to your store card, it will take the store coupon first and not double. There is a catch. They only double up to a .50 off. Therefore, if you have coupons that are over .50 for products that you use, load those to your card even if you have the clipped coupon. Also, load any additional coupons regardless of value for items that do not have a paper coupon.

5. File any new coupons into your organizer.

6. Finally, using your list of needs, review your weekly advertisement and coordinate that with any available coupons. You can make a note next to any items you have a coupon for digital or paper. Pull the corresponding coupons and put them in a front pocket of your organizer or a separate envelope. This helps because sometimes when you get into the store you may need to reference the coupon for things like size or quantity to make sure you meet the coupon requirements.

7. When you check out give the cashier your reward card first. Then hand them any additional coupons to take off the total. That way as they are ringing you can eyeball the monitor to make sure you items are reduced properly.

Now, there are even more advanced ways to do this process using apps and third party websites. I think its easiest to start this way, it really helps you learn how to incorporate couponing into your weekly routine. I'll be back soon to talk about some of those hi-tech savings helpers. Happy Clipping! Ta!

Couponing For Mere Mortals: Getting The Most Of Your Healthy FoodPurchases

When you make the commitment to eat healthy, you may think that your savings options are limited. Not true it just takes a bit more creativity. Products that are natural, organic or specialty cost more to produce and tend to have a higher shelf price. In our house, we have a few items and brands that are "non-skimp" items. These are things that we feel are worth spending a little more on like, meats and eggs. The investment in our health is more beneficial then buying items because of sale price. Also, I try to be a thoughtful shopper. I am brand loyal. If I get good service or feel that a company is really making a good product then it's my job as a consumer to support that business. I understand that for so many stretching your food budget is survival and sometimes means compromising the healthier or preferred product. How do you balance being a thoughtful shopper and still save money?

Make the decision about which items are your "non-skimpers." Make a quick list for those items. This only takes a couple minutes on your computer. Save it and print it each time you sit down to make your weekly list. Keep track of the base price of these items, so you can easily compute when you find a bargain. By starting with these items first you can scan for deals and decide what portion of your weeks budget is still available for your additional needs. Now here is where you need to plan ahead a bit and get creative. For items like meats, dairy and produce buy direct and in bulk. You don't have to live in a rural community to support local farming. With a little research you can find great resources for fresh healthy ingredients. If you aren't sure where to start you can contact your local or state agriculture department to find co-ops, farms that sell direct and farmers markets. Many ranchers will sell meats in bulk, even butchering them into your preferred cuts. Check with the farm to find out when they will be offering meats, often they have set dates when you can purchase and you will need to order ahead. You can go in with a friend or two to cut the costs if you don't need such a large amount of product. Eggs and dairy often cost less than and are fresher than supermarket items. When I buy fresh eggs, I pay less than $3 for 18 and they last about a week longer than store bought. Buying local is fun too, make it a regular part of your shopping routine. Over time you will get to know your farmers and many times they will throw in extras for you to try or just as a thank you. Those relationships are far more valuable than saving a dollar.

Now, for those items that you need to head to the grocery store for, it is best to track when they typically go on sale. There are certain times of the year when select items have promotions. Jumping on the New Years resolution band wagon, this is the time of year that manufacturers push their healthier brands. They want consumers, who may not usually buy their brand to try out products. Items like, snack bars, cereals, frozen meals, and vitamins and supplements are at unusually low prices. This is when you stock up until the spring/summer when they begin their bikini ready campaigns. For example, our local store has a month long promotion with Lean Cuisine. I purchased 6 meals (any variety) for $12 (usually $3-$4 each) and also got a 12ct pack of Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches ($7.99 retail) for free! Look for ways to benefit after you purchase. Three big brands, Lean Cuisine®, Kellogg's®, and Kashi® have great reward programs that you may not know about. By signing up on their websites and entering codes printed inside select products or doing bonus activities like watching informational videos, you can bank points to redeem for products and additional coupons and discounts.

Finally, don't hesitate to send kudos directly to brands. Send an email to them letting them know they are doing a good job. Sometimes they will thank you in return with a coupon or promo code. Also, use social media. Some discounts are only available to fans that follow on sites like Twitter or Facebook. You don't have to compromise your food standard. It will take a little investment of time getting set up but you will recoup in the long term. Health and happiness from our home to yours! Ta!

Couponing For Mere Mortals

It can be done. You can coupon. You will not have to turn your guest bedroom into a stock room, you do not have to resort to the dooms day prepper lifestyle and you are not required to wear mom jeans or even be a mom. Really, there is no reason not to coupon unless you are Warren Buffet and I think he (or his people) clips. I get it, you can barely get to the grocery store let alone find time to pour over weekly circulars. I've been there. Especially when I was single. I was a hunt and peck shopper. I went to the store and grabbed what I needed at that moment and paid whatever without thinking about it. This wasn't because I was making bank. The opposite was true. I was pinching pennies so hard, old Abe had a headache. It was a habit, and a bad one. It seemed overwhelming to plan and clip and run from store to store until I learned that it is pretty easy. Now, don't get me wrong you can take this as far as you want. For realistic purposes, I am going to give you my best tip for at least saving something, which is more than you are saving now, and its a good way to feel your way around the process. First thing, if you do nothing else, get a rewards card for the places you shop. Ok, now that you have done that, what a lot of people don't know is that you can load manufacturer coupons directly onto the card! Guys,especially, like this feature because you can load and forget it. Most larger chains offer this option to their customers. Here's the baby steps of digital couponing: 1. Sign up for your rewards card. 2. Register your rewards card online with the grocery chain. 3. Click on the digital coupons tab. 4. Select and  load your coupons onto the card. Done! Each week go back and load more coupons. Next time you go to that store any items you purchase that have corresponding coupons on your card will automatically deduct at the register. Yep. Cool. I know. You thought you had to stand there while everyone behind you glared at you for handing the cashier a stack of coupons as thick as War and Peace. Nope, its quick and discreet. All right friends, its time to load 'em up and move 'em out!

Wanted: Panera Rewards

If you have not already signed up, you are missing out. Panera Bread recently launched their My Panera Rewards Program. You can earn free drinks, smoothies, pastries and discounts. They are also creating in-store events and other specials for members, including birthday rewards. Stop in at your local store and ask for a card, go online and activate your membership and you earn a freebie, just for signing up. Keep up with your offers on the website to watch for their expiration dates. Its the greatest thing since sliced bread!