Finally! I uploaded a video I made back in February….be nice!

Internet Printable Coupons 101

You can also search the coupon database for more printable coupons!

If you watched Extreme Couponing on TLC, you probably heard something about buying coupons from a clipping service. One of my readers noticed that the show didn’t factor the cost of purchasing coupons from a clipping service into the total cost of the groceries. Of course, they didn’t include this cost as it wouldn’t be as sensational if they added in the actual costs! This cost should always be added to the total cost of your shopping trip.

There are times when purchasing coupons from a clipping service can be beneficial. Instead of buying additional newspapers to get a high value coupon, you can purchase what you want from a service like Coupons Things by Dede. Coupon prices range from $0.05 and up depending on the value and availability of the coupon.

Why would you want to buy from a clipping service?

• To get additional coupons to stock up during a super sale.
• To save time by having the coupons already clipped for you.
• To get just the coupons you need instead of buying newspapers to get every coupon – many of which you don’t need.
• To get coupon values that aren’t available in your area. Since coupon values are regional, your area may just get a $0.35/1 coupon but another area might get a $1/1 coupon.

You can also purchase full inserts. I’ve purchased whole inserts when I didn’t get my paper and coupons I knew I would use from Coupons Things by Dede and have been pleased with the speed of service and total price.

Some tips when Buying Coupons

• Expiration Date. Make sure you will have time to find a good sale to pair your coupon with before the coupon expires.
• Restrictions. Check to see if the coupon has any restrictions on it like not doubling, one per person, etc.
• Shipping Schedule. Check the site to see how quick they ship your order.
• Never buy printable coupons as you don’t know if they were copied. Also, you can probably print those coupons out yourself at sites like Coupons.com, RedPlum.com, or SmartSource.com.

Where to Order?

• Coupons Things by Dede
• Coupon Clippers
• Buy through Ebay. Use Big Crumbs, Shop at Home, or Ebates to shop through Ebay to earn a percent back on your purchase.
  • When Purchasing through Ebay be sure to look at the seller’s feedback to check past history! I always like to buy from someone with high volume and a high percent of feedback – 99% or better!

Have you purchase coupons before? What is your experience?

Find more couponing tips here.

Photo Credit: SDado

There are so many variable items in your monthly budget. One thing you can easily control is your grocery spending. You can easily slash your grocery bill by 50% or more by strategically shopping.

Instead of just using your coupons randomly, use them effectively and when the price is lowest. Plus, there are other tricks you can implement to maximize your return.

Here’s a few strategic shopping tips you can implement right now:

• Sign up for loyalty cards at your favorite stores. Not only does this give you discounts each time you shop, some stores mail or email special coupons. I recently received home mailer coupons from CVS: $4 off $20 purchase along with (2) $25 gift card coupon with new or transferred prescriptions.

• Once you have your store loyalty cards, link those loyalty cards to your Upromise account. Look for Upromise partners in your grocery store and you will earn a percentage back for college. You will also want to activate all the e-coupons available each month. Activate all the Upromise eCoupons at the beginning of the month just in case you purchase some of those items. If you haven’t signed up for Upromise, do it today. It is completely free. Even if you don’t have children, you can transfer the money to someone else or even use it to pay off student loans.

• Activate other eCoupons from sites like Shortcuts and Cellfire for savings when you shop Kroger and other grocery stores.

• Stack store coupons with manufacturer’s coupon for extra savings. Many stores like Target, CVS, and Walgreens to name a few, will allow customers to stack store coupons (usually labeled X Store Coupon) with a manufacturer’s coupon. This can give you significant savings. Target and Meijer both have printable store coupons available.

• Peruse the clearance aisles at your favorite store. You can save even further by using your coupons on these deeply discounted items.

• A little known fact is you can use a coupon on trial size items, if the coupon language doesn’t restrict it. Many times, you can get trial items FREE after the coupon.

• Know your store’s coupon policies and price matching policies. Policies vary from store to store. Having an official policy in hand always helps in case any issues come up.

• Print coupons from the internet. There are hundreds of dollars of savings waiting for you online at sites like SmartSource.com, Coupons.com, and RedPlum.com.

• Buy the Sunday Paper or raid the recycle bins. You will find a wide selection of coupons in your Sunday Paper. Every week, I list a preview of the inserts in the week’s paper. Be sure to check it before you buy the paper as some weeks, usually holiday weekend, there are no inserts. Make sure to buy the largest circulating paper in your area to get the most coupons. I recommend the Indianapolis Star for readers in my area to get the best coupons.

• Meal Plan. Organizing Junkie has a weekly Meal Plan Monday where bloggers link up to their weekly meal plans. In the past, I’ve always found so many great recipe ideas by hopping from site to site.

• Subscribe to Bargain Briana via email or RSS. I do all the hard work of matching the deals up for you and alert you to the best deals I find. You can also find a state by state listing on The Frugal Map.

Have fun shopping and remember, don’t compare your savings to others. Each personal and family will have their own individual savings based on their level of couponing!

Hooray for the New Year! It is time to revamp your current grocery budget and set goals for 2009. What are your goals? If your goal is to save a lot of money grocery shopping, you are at the right place.

Since we lost our 2008 Grocery Savings Spreadsheet in our Computer Crash of 2008 and is not recoverable unless I want to spend $1000, I don’t have the exact numbers. Which is only really important for number nerds like me anyway. I had a beautiful spreadsheet (pink and all) and hadn’t uploaded yet thinking I had plenty of time and planned on sharing my graphs and totals with you.

I can give an estimate on my average grocery/toiletry items per week: $80/week for a family of 6 (1 in diapers). Average grocery savings was around 60%. My CVS Savings was around 90%. My 2009 Goal is to cut this down to an average of $60/week. (I say average because there are weeks when I won’t do any shopping because the deals are sparse or I’m just too busy/lazy/bored, etc. to shop.) I think this is very possible by doing more meal planning around items we already have “in stock” and revamping leftovers to reduce spoilage, and getting our almost 3 year old Potty Trained. What are your 2009 Grocery Goals?

Maybe you are completely new to the couponing scene and want to get started but not sure where to start. It does seem overwhelming at first. Start slow, every bit of savings is going to help. One big way you can help yourself is by becoming a regular readers of this blog – subscribe via my free daily newsletter via email or RSS. If you sign up via email, you will get a daily summary of the deals of the day and the weekly grocery store/drug store deals for CVS, Marsh, Meijer, Walgreens, and occasionally Kroger, Walmart, and Kmart already matched up with the weekly newspaper insert coupons, various printable sources, and All You Magazine. Basically, I do the bulk of the work for you!!! P.S. (You can see all the unexpired coupons from All You in my new All You Coupon Database.)

People think I’m  Super Woman (or as my daughter “complimented” me – a coupon freak) or maybe that I have more hours in the day but unfortunately I am not and do not have any more hours in the day than anyone else. However, I have developed my own system over the past few years to help myself maximize my coupon savings. I share my strategy and tips on this blog. I save money by using my coupons effectively while buying high quality items. With just a little effort, I can save 60% or more on my grocery bill sometimes much, much more. I am not perfect by any means and mess up deals but I’m still saving more than I ever did.

The Basics:

• The most important: Where to find all these fabulous coupons? Get started:  “Coupons, coupons, come out wherever your are” and where to find coupon guide.
• Coupon Lingo and abbreviations – discover what 9-16 S or 10-12 RP means with my handy abbreviation guide.
• Know what the fine print on a coupon means. “Know Thy Coupon“
• Be a confident coupon user. Arming yourself with coupon knowledge is the best way to survive the checkout lane. Each store and sometimes each location has it’s own coupon and sales policies – know these.
• When you are first starting out, I highly suggest doing the first few trips by yourself so you have zero distractions. You can read “Shop with Kids? Oh, NO!” If you know my kids, you know this is a must! ha ha!
• What items do you use on a regular basis? These are the items you want to stockpile at the lowest price possible. For example, I always stockpile cereal when I find it for $1.25 or less or toothpaste when it is .25 or less. I buy it today even if I don’t need it because I know these are items I will use in the future. You can save money by having the items you use regularly on hand because 1) you purchased at a low price and 2) saves time, money, and impulse items when you have to stop at the store for that one item.
• Save your sanity and don’t clip your coupons each week – use the “insert method”. I’ve tried several different methods and I like not clipping my coupons each week the best. I file my weekly inserts by date and then clip only the coupons needed for a particular shopping trip. You can read more about my coupon organization methods “Coupon Organization.” (Includes picture of my unorganized & organized coupons too!)

Don’t just use a coupon, use it effectively. Before I started “hard core” couponing, I used coupons but never understand how to use them effectively. Using coupons effectively means being patient with your coupon until the best possible, rock bottom sale occurs. This is the moment you use your coupon. By using your coupons effectively, you can cut your grocery budget into half or more!

A few tips to use your coupons effectively:

• Choose the stores you are going to shop at. Sign up for their rewards card or any newsletters, etc. You will get the best deals if you sign up for their reward card. Learn their coupon policies (doubling, accept internet coupons, etc.) and sales dates. Sometimes sale dates vary from store to store so if you plan at shopping at more than one location, find out if they are on the same sale schedule.
• Meal Plan. If you don’t already have a nice stockpile, plan your recipes around the weekly sale items and stockpile the lowest priced items. In a meal plan rut? Browse sites like $5 Dinners, Simply Recipes, Organizing Junkie’s Meal Plan Monday for links to tons of ideas from fellow bloggers for great meal ideas. Also many manufacturer’s have recipe sites. For example, want to plan a meal around a can of Campbell Soup Beef Gravy? Check out Campbells.com and do an advanced search by item and you will find recipes for items you already have on hand. Many products have recipe finders like this. Utilize them.
• Scour the weekly ads and find blogs/websites that already do the hard work of matching up the coupons for you. Why reinvent the wheel? Just do a google blog search of “X Store Deals” and a nice list of blogs which cover these stores should pop up.
• After you have finished making your list, stick to it. Stockpile those items which are rock bottom prices. You may want to buy/obtain at least 3-4 newspapers a week until you build your stockpile.
• Don’t use a coupon just because it is about to expire (unless it is a free item coupon!). No worries, usually when one coupon expires, another one is released.
• Sign up for Upromise (free), link your grocery & drug store reward cards, and activate all their ECoupons. You will earn a small percent back for certain items and their ECoupons can be stacked with other coupons. Personally, I just activate these each month and if I happen to buy something, then it is just a surprise as it is sometimes hard to keep track of all the extras out there.

The Stores

• CVS – Oh goodness, this is my favorite place to shop. I had over 90% savings last year by rolling my Extra Bucks. What does that mean? I use Extra Bucks to pay for purchases which generate more Extra Bucks. Check out my CVS 101 on how to maximize your Extra Bucks each week. Go her to check out the:  Current CVS Deals & Scenarios.
• Walgreens – I don’t do WAGS as much because I don’t have one in “town”. You can save lots of money and I currently have over $80 in gift cards to use from my Easy Saver Rebates. You can stack Manufacturer’s Coupons and Walgreens coupons here. They have register rewards, Easy Saver Rebates, Easy Saver Coupons, Weekly coupons!
• Marsh – Most of the time they are higher priced than other stores but you can find freebies and rock bottom sales if you watch it closely.
• Meijer – My favorite grocery store to shop at. I love their sales, catalina deals, coupon policy, cleanliness of the stores, helpful staff, clear aisles, etc.
• Kroger – You can find great savings at Kroger too. I just don’t get there as much as I used to because of time constraints. I’m thinking about starting making an effort to get a trip in because of all the potential ECoupon savings – Shortcuts.com, P&G ESavers, CellFire, and Upromise ECoupons.
• Walmart – Walmart does not double coupons but they do price match, which can be useful. I cover any Walmart deals I  find but you can find an extensive Walmart coupon match up at DealSeekingMom.
• Kmart – Super Double Coupons. End of Story. Can’t Wait until the next round.

My Shopping Routine: (At least how I want it to be. Sometimes I’m rushing and clipping and just throwing all my coupons into my binder.)

1. Use my “printer friendly” version of my deal page.
2. Look through the pages and mark out the items I know I don’t want/need.
3. Search for the coupons by insert and then clip the coupons of the items I’m interested in.
4. Write the # of items I want of each item by the item, check off the coupon to use as I find them so I know they are clipped.
5. I then organize my coupons by aisle. I paper clip the multiple coupons together and then put the list and the coupons in an envelope.
6. As I am shopping, I gather the items I want to purchase. As I am doing this, I find my coupons and place them in a separate envelope so I will be ready for checkout.
7. I do a quick double check of my coupons as I’m standing in line just to make sure I didn’t miss any coupons.

Here’s the coupon wallet I use while shopping. I leave my purse in the car and put cash or my credit/debit card, loyalty cards, gift cards in the outside pocket. I have extra coupons in different sections in my coupon wallet in case I find something that isn’t on my list that I need, unadvertised sale, or clearance.

You may find a different method works better for you and that is fine. Do what you feel comfortable with to help YOU maximize your grocery savings!

Please contact me with any questions as I LOVE to hear your questions and help you save money in any way possible. Your question may even be featured in a “Reader Question” segment.

Walgreens

Important Terms:

• IVC (Instant Value Coupon) Found in monthly brochure in stores can be combined with Easy Saver Rebates & Manufacturer’s coupons
• Easy Saver Rebates (Monthly Rebates – can only be submitted once a month. You can do this online now – which is so easy. You can either choose a check or a gift card. If you choose a gift card, you get a 10% bonus on applicable offers. No UPC is required unless noted in the Easy Saver Book.)
• Register Rewards -Catalinas that print out at the register after you buy qualifying items. You can use these on your next trip.
• 7 day coupons – coupons available for one week that are available in the current weekly ad. You can use 7 day coupons with IVCs.

A question I have been asked recently is where do I find all my coupons? Besides Sunday newspaper coupon inserts, here are some other places you can find coupons. Always keep your eye out. I think my sensor just automatically can sniff them out anymore.

• In Packages/Out of Packages I recently opened a pack of razors to find a coupon for $1/1 in them. The coupon was hidden behind the razor. I could have easily thrown it out. Always check anything wrapped in plastic in a package and the inside/outside of the box before tossing it.
• Magazines Many national magazines have coupons in them. One of my favorites for coupons is ALL YOU. It usually has $40 or more dollars worth of coupons in it. You can get 18 issues at this link for $24. You will not be disappointed by your ROI (return on investment) on this magazine. You can also pick this magazine up at Wal-mart.
• In the mail When you sign up for samples, newsletters for a product, many times they will send up a coupon with it. Look closely in/around the packaging for a coupon. For diaper coupons, many of the big diaper companies will send out quarterly newsletters with coupons in them!
• In Store Brochures Recently I found some type of brochure (don’t remember because I was only interested in the coupons), at Meijer. It had a few good $1/1 coupons in it for items like Dole Lettuce that are hard to find. I always leaf through any in store magazine or brochures to sniff out any coupons.
• Doctor’s Office Recently I found a Lysol display at my doctor’s office that had about $10 worth of Lysol coupons in it! They also will have samples on the desk lots of times with free samples and coupons in them.
• Receipt Print Outs After your receipt prints out at many stores, they also have the capability to print out coupons. Sometimes they are store specific coupons or manufacturer’s coupons you can use anywhere.
• Newspapers Besides insert coupons, sometimes you can score coupons in Parade Magazine, or in the actual print pages of the newspaper. Keep your eyes open when reading the paper. Or you can be like me and never read any of it and just scan for the coupons.
• Blinkies at the Supermarket Many grocery stores have “blinkies”, called that because they blink, near products. These coupons are ones youusually can’t find anywhere else and can be used at any store, not just the store you find them in.
• Tearpads Coupons, you can tear off, near a product are called tearpads. I recently scored $2.00 off 2 Capri Sun wyb any Nabisco Snack Pack Coupons. These are usually manufacturer’s coupons that can be used at any store.
• Peelies Sometimes you will get lucky and there is already a coupon on a product you want to buy!
• Online Printables either using a service like Smartsource, Coupons.com, or by visiting the specific product’s website.

Always keep your eye out for coupons! They are lurking everywhere, you never know where you will find them!

Meijer 101

To find most recent Meijer deals click HERE.

This is one of my favorite places to find great deals! I usually am only able to make a Meijer trip every couple of weeks.

Getting Started at Meijer

First you need to figure out when the sale runs for your favorite Meijer Store. From my local readers, Kokomo Meijer runs their sales from Sunday to Saturday. The Indianapolis area & surrounding area Meijer’s (Noblesville, Carmel, etc.) run their sales from Wednesday to Tuesday. This helps me plan a little better because I can hit Indy area if I miss the Kokomo sale since they overlap. Though, you will notice there is a slightly higher prices in the Indy area. I’ve noticed this particularly on the cola deals. If the price is $5.00/case in Kokomo, it will probably be $5.50 in Indy.

You can view the weekly ad on www.meijer.com

You will also want to sign up for the Meijer Mealbox. This a valuable source of Meijer coupons. At Meijer you can stack Meijer coupons and Manufacturer’s coupons. If you are unsure which you have, look at the top, they will clearly state Meijer Coupon or Manufacturer’s Coupon. You can use (1) Manufacturer’s coupon and (1) Meijer coupon PER item purchased! The Mealbox can also help you plan your shopping and has recipes! Check it out!!!

Coupon Policy

Meijer accepts all coupons. They have a right to limit quantities and refuse any coupon that looks suspicious. I’ve never had a problem using coupons at Meijer. Internet coupons are accepted.

Meijer doubles coupons up to .50. So a coupon with a face value of .35 will actually be worth .70 at Meijer. Kokomo Meijer’s does not have a limit on how many coupons they will double. However, Indianapolis area Meijer’s have a limit of (2) of the same coupons that they will double. So if you have (3) .50 cereal coupons, they will only double (2) of those. Keep that in mind when planning your trip. You may to have separate your shopping into two trips or two separate orders to get your maximum savings!

Meijer also has manufacturer’s coupons that will “Spit” out at the register. These are sometimes called Catalinas. Sometimes, they will have deals where if you buy a certain # of a product, you will get $5 off your next order! Don’t miss out on these coupons! (Sometimes I go right back into the store to use them so I don’t forget to use them or don’t have to time to get back to Meijer before the expiration date!)

Sale Limits

You will notice in the ad if there is a limit on a particular item. Usually it will be limit 2, etc. If it is something you want to stock up, you can make multiple trips in the same week. Another way, is to shop with your spouse/kids and have them place an order.

Buy One Get One Free Sales

At Meijer, if it is a Buy One Get One Free Sale, you can use TWO coupons if you have them.

Manufacturer’s Coupon & Store Coupons

You can use one manufacturer’s coupon and one store coupon per item purchased. This is a trick most people get confused about. Since the manufacturer is reimbursing the manufacturer and the store is reimbursing the other coupon, you are allowed to use these two types of coupons for one item. Check the top of your coupon if you are unsure if it is a store coupon or a manufacturer’s coupon.

Rain Checks

Meijer does offer Rain Checks. You can ask for them at the register or the service desk. It helps if you have the ad with you.

Misc. Hints

If it is a 10 for $10 sale, you do not have buy $10 to get the item for $1. (They try to trick you by advertising “Mix & Match.” You can buy 10, you can buy 1, or you can buy 11 and still get the item for $1.00. It is the same with 3 for $5, etc. The only time you do have to buy the quantity state is when the ad specifically states it. Meijer usually has 10/$10 sales with the 11^th item free!

Meijer Credit Card

You will earn $10 certificates after you spend X amount of dollars, 10% off your entire first purchase, 1% back to the school of your choice, Upromise Savings, 10 cents off every gallon of gas (through 9-1-08), and other exclusive savings throughout the year. (One week, it was 10% off general merchandise, 5% off groceries on a Monday – saved me an extra $16.00). But if you do sign up, make sure you pay it off every month and pay it on time…otherwise, you will lose anything you have saved by using the card! You can apply online HERE.