Getting Started

So with all the websites, books, and guide out there about couponing, where do you start? It can be overwhelming to start but don’t stress yourself out. Take small steps to get where you want. You may not have time to do 10 trips to CVS a week or drive out of town to go to the grocery once a week. However, even if you take small steps to save money, in the long run, it all adds up to more $$$$ in your pocket.

Don’t worry if you miss a great deal because there is always another great deal right around the corner!!!

A few important steps that you don’t want to skip are:

1. Buying/Obtaining the Sunday newspaper. These have your best coupon inserts in them. You should start out buying at least one newspaper a week. You may find that you eventually want to buy a couple of newspapers a week to buy multiple items of good deals. (AKA stockpiling) You will save money if you suscribe to a newspaper instead of buying it on a newstand. Click HERE to get a discounted subscription to your newspaper.

For my Central Indiana people, I highly recommend subscribing to the Indianapolis Star. They have the widest variety of coupons. The Kokomo Tribune has coupons but they do not have the widest selection of weekly coupons because the market share for the KT isn’t as large as the Indy Star. You will get the most bang from your buck from the Indy Star. There are other ways to get multiple coupon inserts, which is discussed a little further down the page.

There are 3 major coupon insert companies. They are Red Plum (RP), SmartSource (SS), and Proctor & Gamble (P&G). Occasionally there will be a Kellogg’s Insert (KG) or a General Mills Insert (GM). You will be seeing these abbreviations in the deals section.

There are also more unsavory methods of obtaining coupons – IE trash/recyclables digging. Do what you feel comfortable with. You can also ask your friends/family for inserts they don’t use. I like to reward the people who give me their coupons with some of my freebies I buy with those coupons.

Another method of obtaining coupons, is to buy them from clipper service. I’ve never used these before as I can’t pre-plan that far out. You have to order several days before you know you will need them. I’ve been told that the below Clipper Service is a reputable one to use:

I have bought entire inserts from Ebay before. (I’ve bought from Erik’s General Store several times and had a good experience with them.)
There are also many online coupons you can get. I have found that you usually get your best coupons from home mailers or from Sunday paper inserts. You also have to make sure that your store will accept internet coupons – most will. Marsh and CVS in Tipton will both accept internet coupons. Marsh will accept certain internet coupons. Click on the banner below to have instant access to many, many, internet coupons.

2. Organizing. This depends on personal preference. I’ve done it a couple of ways. I’ve clipped and then filed my coupons in a binder each week. I’ve found that consumes too much of my time each week and then I clip coupons that I never use. I get behind on doing this and it just stresses me out. Yes, I will lose out on deals because I don’t carry all my coupons with me when I shop. However, I save my sanity by not clipping them each week. Instead I use a plastic box with file folders labeled for each week, ex. RP 5/5. I then pull the insert and clip the coupon I need for the week. The disadvantage to this is I have to find the insert and spend time clipping them right before I leave to do my shopping. Requires more pre-planning on my part. I have found I like this method the best. Your personal preference may be different depending on various factors. Do what you prefer. I will always list my deals by the insert type and date of the insert. If you want to search what coupons are available try the Taylor Town Preview.

3. Stores Deciding which stores you want to shop at and understanding their coupon policies, shopping days, etc. My main focus on this website is local stores in the Central Indiana Area. Specifically CVS and Marsh Supermarkets.

CVS ads run Sunday to Saturday. See CVS Intro for more information.

Marsh ads run Thursday to Wednesday. See Marsh Intro for more information.

4. Stockpiling Basics. To get the best bang for your buck, you need to know when to use your coupon. Coupons can save you thousands of dollar is you use them correctly. You don’t want to just use a coupon for products you will never use just because you have a coupon (unless you are getting it free!!!) You want to wait until that item goes on sale and then use your coupon to maximize your savings. Then stock up on these rock bottom sales so you don’t have to buy these items until the next sale. For example, I never buy cereal unless it is on sale for $1.89 or less and then I pair it with a coupon worth .50…so I never pay more than $1.40 or so for a box of cereal. Sometimes less, depending on the brand and the deal that is going on. We usually have 12 boxes or so of cereal stockpiled. My family freaks if we get too low on cereal so its something we always have to have on hand.

5. Abbreviations & Coupon Terminology

BLINKIES = In Store Smart Source Coupons
BOGO/B1G1 = Buy One Get One
CATALINA = Coupon printed at register after purchased
CNP = Coupon Near Product (similar to BLINKIES)
CRT = Customer Receipt Tape (CVS receipt coupons)
DND = Do not Double (Some coupons have this lang)
DOUBLE COUPON = Coupon that grocery store doubles in value
EB/ECB = ExtraCare Bucks (CVS)
ES = Easy Saver (Walgreens)
FAR = Free After Rebate
FIC = Fresh Idea Card (Marsh)
GM = General Mills (Newspaper insert)
K = Kellogg’s (Newspaper Insert)
MIR = Mail in Rebate
OOP = Out of Pocket
P&G = Proctor & Gamble (Newspaper Insert)
Peelie = Coupon you peel off package
RP= Red Plum (Newspaper Insert)
RR = Rebate Rewards (Walgreens)
SS= Smart Source (Newspaper Insert)
STACKING = Using stores allow multiple use of coupons – manufacturer’s & store coupons or rebates.
TEAR PAD = A pad of coupons or MIR near a product or on display
WYB= When You Buy
YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary (Depends on certain store policies/factors whether the deal will work.)

6. Know Thy Coupon. In case you run into any problems with your coupons, KNOW what all the “official” language on it means.

One Coupon per Purchase

If you buy one bottle of shampoo, you can use one manufacturer’s coupon for that bottle. If you have additional coupons, you have to buy another item to be able to use that coupon. You are not allowed to use two manufacturer’s coupon per item. So if you had 10 coupons and 10 coupons, this is allowed. I used to think this meant I could only use one coupon per transaction. How far I’ve come! J (You can still use (1) manufacturer’s coupon and (1) store coupon at most stores.)

One Coupon per Item Purchased
This is the same as one coupon per purchase but with better language specifically stating one coupon per item purchased.

One Coupon per Customer/Family
This is rare but I have noticed this on some internet coupons or a big coupon like $5/20 purchase. The way around this is to make multiple transactions (if store allows) or multiple trips. YMMV on these types of coupons.

One Coupon per Transaction

You are only allowed one coupon for this item for each transaction. This is to try to limit how many you purchase in a transaction. So, just make a few transactions whether in one trip or multiple trips to get around this.

MARSH

To see the most recent best Marsh Deals click HERE.

While Marsh may not seem to be the best place to save on your grocery bill, you can and will save $$ when you stock up on sale items. (I’ve walked out with 10 jars of Pasta Sauce for Free in the past!!!) For us rural dwellers, it is local so you don’t have to drive 20 minutes to Kokomo or Noblesville to shop there!

Getting started at Marsh:

Sign up for a Fresh Idea Card (this is how you will get most of your savings!!!) Make sure to link your fresh idea card to a worthy charity. They will get a % of your spending.

Sign up for email offers and link your card to your email address. They will email you exclusive weekly offers or requests for surveys! I received a free Marsh Grocery Sack for completing a simple survey!

Sale ads for Marsh run from Thursday until Wednesday. The ad is usually in the Wednesday evening paper of the Tipton Tribune. It is now available online on Wednesdays!!!!

Coupon Policy

Marsh does accept Internet Coupons. However, they will not accept photocopies, $5 or more, coupons for free items, altered coupons, or coupons purchased. They will accept all other coupons (ones from magazines, newspapers, etc.)

Marsh doubles up to .50 cents. So a coupon with a face value of .35 will actually be worth .70 at Marsh. Check with your local Marsh for any other restrictions. I’ve never had a problem using coupons at my local Marsh, they are VERY coupon friendly.

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 and have them place an order.

Buy One Get One Free Sales

At Marsh, 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.

Rain Checks

Marsh does offer Rain Checks. They are good for 14 days from the date of issue. You can ask for them at the register.

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.

If you live in Tipton and your child attends either the public school or the Catholic Elementary, you can buy “script” through the school and earn $$ for your school. Basically, you buy X amount of gift cards and the school gets a percentage. BONUS: If you attend Catholic School, you can get half the percent towards your tuition.

Marsh has two ads. One they advertise through the newspapers, etc. and another one that is only available in the store. You can view both of them online before you shop.

UPROMISE

If you have an account, make sure you link your Fresh Idea Card to your Upromise Account. If you do not have an account, you need to sign up TODAY!

I’m sure many of you have heard of Upromise but are you using it? If not, you need to. It is FREE (we LOVE free!!) and it earns you money for your child’s savings. You can keep the money in Upromise or open a 529 with them and have it automatically transferred. If you don’t have kids, you can do this for someone else too! Since I’ve been a member, I’ve earned over $500 for doing nothing extra but my basic shopping. At a minimum, you need to sign up just to link your shopping cards (Marsh Fresh Idea Card, Kroger Plus Card, CVS ExtraCare Card, Meijer Card, etc.) You will get a % from participating grocery items. Which is fantastic when you are already buying those items at a reduced cost or getting them for free!

Click on the banner below to start your savings. You must click on the link below to get your $10.

CVS 101

Ah, where do I get started with CVSing. CVS is my #1 favorite place to shop. It is one store I can walk out with $70 or more worth of items for PENNIES if you plan it right. Yes, on the surface, the prices look higher than the big box discount stores but if you shop right – sales, extra care bucks, coupons, you can actually make money on some of these deals!
To see MY latest CVS deals visit the CVS section of my blog.

Terminology and Abbreviations you will need for this section:

EB/ECB – Extra Care Bucks

CRT – Customer Receipt Tape (Coupons that print out on the bottom of your receipt.)

www.cvs.com

If you don’t have an Extra Care Card, sign up for one NOW! Don’t forget to sign up for email alerts where you will receive valuable coupons and promotions. You have to use your card every single time you make a purchase or want to use your ECBs. You cannot use someone else’s card with your ECBs.

More savings – Link your Extra Care Card to your Upromise Account: See My Blog entry about Upromise.

Promotions:

You will find information about CVS’s promotions through their weekly flyer (Sales Run from Sunday to Saturday), online at CVS.com, or in the monthly brochure (deals that are good for the entire month) available in stores. You will also find some deals only advertised in the store/on packages in the store and not anywhere else. Just check the bottom of the ad to see the promotion run dates.

Extra Care Bucks:

You can earn Extra Care Bucks in several ways. The first way is by your overall quarterly spending. CVS will give you 2% back of what you spend (after coupons and discounts) at the end of each quarter. You also get $1.00 back for every 2 prescriptions you get filled at the pharmacy.

The second way is through promotions such as Buy X, get $ in ECBs. The required amount to buy is calculated before coupons so by adding coupons to the ECB promotion, you can get items for a very discounted price, free, or even make a little profit depending on the coupon/promotion. You do not have to buy all the items for that particular promotion in one transaction and you can buy it in any CVS store as long as the promotion is valid. This is useful if a store is out of the items you want or the additional coupon you want to use has a one per visit limit. ECBs print out IMMEDIATELY the day you fufill the promotion. They will expire 4 weeks from the date they print out. You can then turn around and use these ECBs for anything in the store except prescriptions, alcohol, tobacco, or gift cards. The way I keep my savings going is by “rolling” my ECBs from week to week. By doing using my ECBs from last week to buy items that will earn me ECBs this week, I spend very little out of pocket.

The third way is to do sign up at https://www.cvsadvisor.com/. There you will occasionally be asked for your valuable input and they will give you ECBs for completing their surveys. You will probably have this opportunity, 2-3 times per year.

Coupons

There are CVS coupons and manufacturer’s coupon. You can use (1) CVS coupon and (1) manufacturer’s coupon per item for a total of (2) coupons per item. Check the top of the coupon to see if it is a store coupon or a manufacturer’s coupon.

CVS coupons can be found in the store, in booklets by the pharmacy or at the front of the store, in home mailers, email, or customer receipt tape (coupons printed at the end of your receipt.) or the Reinventing Beauty Magazine. Occasionally, you will find CVS coupons in a national magazine such as Family Circle, General Housekeeping, etc.

In addition to being able to use (1) CVS coupon and (1) manufacturer’s coupon per item, CVS also has coupons for $4 off of $20 purchase, $5 off of $30 purchase, etc. These can be used in combination will all of your other coupons and the purchase amount is before any other coupons are used or ECBs are used. These coupons are gold. You will find them in your email, CRT, or occasionally in the store.

Buy One Get One Sales – You can use (2) manufacturer’s coupons and (2) CVS coupons on these items.

Internet Coupons are accepted at CVS but they do have a right to refuse coupons they believe are fraudulent.

Pharmacy Coupons

Fulfill a new or transfer a prescription to CVS pharmacy and you will receive a gift card for X amount. These are valuable. Think of all the things you can buy with $25 at CVS. CVS also accepts competitor’s pharmacy coupons. So if Target has a deal for $10 gift card, you can take that to CVS and they will accept it.

If you don’t insurance, don’t forget to ask the Pharmacy about their Wal-mart price match. They will match their competitor’s price on those $4 prescriptions but the prescription has to be written for the same amount as the ones on Wal-mart’s $4 list. So you may have to ask your doctor to modify your prescription.