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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/26/2009 12:11:17 AM
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jhuperetes
Posts: 473
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I would like to learn how to use coupons.
Yes - snip, find item on shelf, ring item, give coupon, get reduced price.
But, WHAT do I snip? What methods do you use to select on what to save?
How do you organize the coupons?
Do you always carry them? Is it once every "coupon shopping" day?
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/26/2009 12:17:03 AM
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jodavi
Posts: 1470
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From: the mitten
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Our Krogers here only double up to .50. When I used to live in So CA, I loved going to Vons since they will double up to a dollar.
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Family means nobody gets left behind -Lilo
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/26/2009 9:49:09 AM
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furrypurrykitty
Posts: 141
Joined: 4/8/2005
From: Home of the Corvette
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I like the option Kroger has to add coupons to my Plus Card that are automatically used when I scan my card and then buy a product that has a coupon on the card. They send me an email periodically with a link to all of the electronic coupons available, and I can select which ones I want to add to my card. I wish there were coupons for more products that I actually buy, though.
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/26/2009 10:20:08 AM
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uncabeeil
Posts: 4957
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Joisey. Got a problem wit dat?
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Another problem I have run into is that the supermarkets in my area will not honor coupons printed off the internet. Apparently there are a lot of counterfeit ones out there and they'd rather not deal with trying to figure out which ones are real. So they reject them all.
ETA - They also won't take more than one coupon for an item. I see where danas_mom used multiple coupons, like the lady from the coupon game web site says to do, but none of the stores around here will allow that. And they don't double or triple anything either, except for occasional "special days".
< Message edited by uncabeeil -- 10/26/2009 10:28:26 AM >
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He bloodies your nose and then gives you a ride home on his bike"
Rich Mullins
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/26/2009 10:38:00 AM
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doinkdom
Posts: 5603
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From: The higher lowcountry
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If anyone participates in Upromise...they send out coupons regularly through email, etc. for things other than food.
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They are consumed in twelve minutes.
Half-times take twelve minutes.
This is not coincidence.
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/26/2009 12:23:18 PM
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danas_mom
Posts: 504
Joined: 6/17/2005
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quote:
ORIGINAL: jhuperetes
I would like to learn how to use coupons.
Yes - snip, find item on shelf, ring item, give coupon, get reduced price.
But, WHAT do I snip? What methods do you use to select on what to save?
How do you organize the coupons?
Do you always carry them? Is it once every "coupon shopping" day?
What I do is actually cut out the coupons that I know I will use or might use if the right sale comes along, then I leave the rest intact in the insert and put the date on the outside of the insert. That way if an incredible sale comes along for something I don't normally buy I know right where to go to find the coupon for it. I have my inserts stacked by date order in a grocery bag, so it's easy enough to find what I need.
As for organizing, if you don't carry around a bunch of coupons then having them organized in an accordian style organizer is usually sufficient. I have my coupons organized into a zippered three ring binder with baseball card pages and photo pages so that I can just flip through it like a book. The sections are divided up by category - i.e. Baking, Canned Goods, Condiments, Dairy, etc. My binder always goes to the store with me.
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I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. ~ 2 Samuel 24:24
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/26/2009 10:49:04 PM
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luvsrickforever
Posts: 212
Joined: 9/9/2005
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I like the binder idea for coupons. My mom would probably say it's to big to take to the store but I would. We keep ours in a plastic box with dividers in it. We don't take it to the store though. We just take out what we need when we are shopping and clip them to the list. We put a C after the things on our list that have a coupon.
danas_mom, you got quite a deal tonight! I like what you did. I'll have to remember that. We need to do some grocery shopping again and when I am feeling better we will go. Then I will see what we have for coupons.
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/26/2009 11:35:06 PM
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jodavi
Posts: 1470
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From: the mitten
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I usually just have my coupon organizer. Coupons are cut on Sundays and before it goes into the organizer, the expired coupons are thrown out. I do bring the coupon organizer everywhere too since it's just a wallet size.
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Family means nobody gets left behind -Lilo
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/27/2009 8:51:44 AM
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agapetos
Posts: 9776
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: This side of the lil duck pond!
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I use coupons when they're useful to me.
Every month, one supermarket sends me a coupon to try one of their products (I can recall pizza, macaroons, trout) and give them feedback on it via their site (though you don't have to).
I bought a few things in another shop last week and received a coupon for 10% discount (min spend £10) if I did their online survey. The survey took about 5 minutes.
Another shop, I received more vouchers for discount on anything (again, min spend necessary) and I may well use some of those vouchers as there are things I need from the shop.
One of the high-street retailers and a charity have teamed up. If you take something from the high-street retailer into the charity shop (obviously something you no longer require and that can be resold), they will give you a £5 voucher (for when you spend more than £35. If I can find the shoes (which were given to me!), I'll take them in and claim my voucher.
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/27/2009 10:35:36 AM
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Mrs.Wifey
Posts: 3423
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: The Gorgeous plains of Colorado
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I use coupons like Dana's mom does. I do use some for groceries, but I use the most at Walgreen's. I get a lot more toiletries and OTC meds then we can ever use as a family but our food pantry at church is always willing to accept them  I also will buy food items that we don't use if they are less then $.15 and donate those as well.
I need to get better about using them at the grocery store, but like Harvie I shop mostly at a TJ's type place and there isn't much to use a coupon on...
_____________________________
Ryanne- trying hard to be my husband's girlfriend and my daughter's mother.
I'll keep my guns, freedom, and money- you can keep "the change."
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/27/2009 1:11:00 PM
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flowerz
Posts: 389
Joined: 1/6/2006
From: Canada
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Yes, I use coupons!
I use 1 to 3 coupons whenever I do a major shopping trip. I agree, a lot of the coupons out there are for things I don't buy. Some coupons make you buy more than one, and I don't often use these ones. Sometimes I will try a new product if the coupon value is big compared to the price of the item.
I try to use coupons on sale items, for extra savings.
I have never saved a lot with coupons. None of the stores around here ever double coupons. I do try
I don't print out coupons, because ink is too expensive.
I cut out all coupons I think I might use, then file them in a little coupon keeper that organizes them in sections. I only bring coupons to the store of things I am planning on buying that day, or in the near future.
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/28/2009 12:04:43 AM
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JustaFan
Posts: 372
Joined: 4/24/2006
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I guess there is one in every crowd, and I'm it when it comes to this coupon discussion. I actually hate coupons. It's all the cutting out, sorting, organizing, watching the expiration dates, and so on. Then when I get to the store, a lot of the time the store doesn't have that product, or they don't have it in the size that the coupon requires. Also, you have to watch because even with a coupon brand A may still be more expensive than brand B or the store brand. All that work is just not worth the small amount that I saved. So, I don't do it any more and I'm happy.
Perhaps one reason I didn't like doing coupons was that I live in the city with a smallish grocery store. They have almost everything I ever want, but they don't have every brand of every product, and they don't have every size every of each brand. For example, a little boy at the library asked me to bring in chocolate chip cookies. When I go to the store tomorrow to get them, they may have Nestles. Then maybe the next time they will order Hersheys. Also, because I am walking to the store and carrying bags home, I don't want to drag a box of coupons. It's all too much of a big deal to me.
Obviously, some people enjoy it. Coupons are like a hobby or game to them. Whatever makes people happy. I do wonder if the amount of effort and time it takes makes coupons really pay off.
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/28/2009 12:11:56 AM
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jodavi
Posts: 1470
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: the mitten
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quote:
ORIGINAL: flowerz
I don't print out coupons, because ink is too expensive.
You might want to try shortcuts.com then. You don't print the coupons but if you do have grocer card like Kroger's, Safeway, Vons and Ralph's...you just add your card number and click on the coupons online and it automatically deducts while you're paying. No cutting whatsoever.
_____________________________
Family means nobody gets left behind -Lilo
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/28/2009 9:48:45 AM
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Mrs.Wifey
Posts: 3423
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From: The Gorgeous plains of Colorado
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I used to think the same way about coupons, Justafan. Then I found a wonderful coupon forum and they set me straight, lol. I rarely pay much for pantry items, less then $1 each for name brands and often times it's just pennies when you match the sales with the coupons. I spend about 2 hours a week making my shopping list and getting my coupons ready. It definitely saves me money.
Last night I made a Walgreen's run, I spent $8 and got 8 things of Dove Shampoo/Condtioner(4 of each), 4 boxes of kleenex, 2 packs of gum, and a bag of cough drops. Then I got back $13 in Walgreen's "dollars" which I'll use to buy more stuff. It is sort of a game, but it's definitely helping our immediate family and especially helping our church family VIA the food pantry.
_____________________________
Ryanne- trying hard to be my husband's girlfriend and my daughter's mother.
I'll keep my guns, freedom, and money- you can keep "the change."
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/28/2009 11:36:09 AM
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flowerz
Posts: 389
Joined: 1/6/2006
From: Canada
Status: offline
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Is shortcuts.com just for the U.S.?
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/29/2009 3:18:23 PM
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writerchick
Posts: 370
Joined: 10/3/2008
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Yay!! More coupon talk!
I just started getting heavy into coupons earlier this year and I'm definitely hooked. Several people have already given some great tips about how to really make it pay off for you and I don't want to go back over that ground.
Something that wasn't mentioned....if you're concerned about the cost of printing coupons, you should check out Target. You can print their coupons right in the store. Go to the kiosk near the front door and go to their website. Select grocery coupons at the bottom. Print what you want. As many as you want.
This worked out really well for me when they had the free cereal deal going a couple months ago.
Someone mentioned shortcuts. You should know that you can stack a normal manufacturer coupon with the shortcuts coupon for additional savings.
As for cutting/sorting/organizing, it is definitely worth it. One of my swim teammates loves the story about how I made a $74 profit using coupons. She also benefited from the free Knox gelatin I was able to get with coupons at our meet last week.
I know it can be daunting starting out in couponing, but once you add a little know how, you'll be doing $100 shopping trips for a few cents out of pocket, too. One of my favorite trips was when I found a clearance jackpot at a local grocery store. I bought $102 worth of merchandise for $.54.
Another good trip was when I bought 10 Reese's Cups, 5 boxes Hefty bags and 4 rolls of Bounty paper towels and the store paid me $1.97. I just checked my Upromise account yesterday and I got an additional $.08 cent back for that same trip.
About that pesky $1 off 3 coupon, here's how you use it to get a good deal:
Pillsbury is offering catalina coupons (coupons that print at the register) if you buy a certain amount of canned biscuits.
Buy 3 cans of the Juniors biscuits @ $1.29 each.
Use $1 off 3 coupon.
Pay $2.87.
Receive $2 off your next order.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Buy 3 more cans @ $1.29 each.
Use $1 off 3 coupon.
Use $2 off coupon.
Pay $.87
Receive $2 off your next order.
You can do this as many times as you want. Each time, you're getting 3 cans of biscuits for $.87 and getting $2 back. When you're tired, you can use the final $2 off your next order on anything you choose in the store, including meat and produce.
Your results may actually be better than this because I'm in a pretty expensive market. The $1.29 price was not a sale price. If they go on sale, you'll do even better. This catalina deal runs through November 1st.
If you want to figure out how to get started, I do suggest that you check out the forums at Hot Coupon World or A Full Cup. Other people post their shopping trips on there all the time. It's a great learning experience to copy one or two until you get the hang of it. Then you'll be in a great position to put together your own trips. Before you go to the store, post your plan and the more experienced shoppers can help you sort out flaws so you don't get messed up.
And don't limit coupon use to groceries, toiletries and cleaning supplies. There are good deals out there for Kohls ($5 off $5), Old Navy ($75 off $100) and JC Penney ($10 off $10), too.
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/29/2009 5:44:05 PM
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jhuperetes
Posts: 473
Status: offline
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$75 off of $100?!?! How.. how... How does that make any sense?!? And... where can I get that? I spent huge $$$ before school started for the kids there.
I mean, I am a guy, so go slow on this coupon thing. I have coupons, but mostly just stuff I though I might buy, and is piling up in my kitchen drawer...
If I may be rude and ask a personal question, how much ave you saved so far on your UPromise, and over what time span?
< Message edited by jhuperetes -- 10/29/2009 6:08:21 PM >
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/29/2009 7:17:53 PM
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writerchick
Posts: 370
Joined: 10/3/2008
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: jhuperetes
$75 off of $100?!?! How.. how... How does that make any sense?!? And... where can I get that? I spent huge $$$ before school started for the kids there.
I mean, I am a guy, so go slow on this coupon thing. I have coupons, but mostly just stuff I though I might buy, and is piling up in my kitchen drawer...
If I may be rude and ask a personal question, how much ave you saved so far on your UPromise, and over what time span?
I don't shop at Old Navy so I'm not an expert on these coupons. I do know that they have a website called Old Navy Weekly where you click around to get coupons. It doesn't look this week is a very good one. I think the highest is $50 off $100.
Go here: Old Navy thread at A Full Cup to find out more. I think the site is just refreshing. Once people figure out the tricks, they'll post what you need to do to get the coupons. It's actually pretty fun.
On the UPromise thing, I'm still fairly new and feeling it out. I'm up to about $6 because I've been pretty wary of it. I think I'm going to get more involved, though.
As for your drawer, I completely understand. I would suggest you get a more mobile system. The coupons won't do you any good sitting at home when you hit a clearance jackpot on the go. I recommend the binder/trading card protector method. It's a bit of work, but worth it. Just to put things in perspective, I'm one who buys 4 papers each Sunday. I can go more or less depending on what coupons are in it. Generally, the lists are posted at Taylortown Preview the Thursday before the inserts come out.
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Secret Bodyguard - Available Now from Amira Press!
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/29/2009 10:50:14 PM
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jodavi
Posts: 1470
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: the mitten
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quote:
ORIGINAL: flowerz
Is shortcuts.com just for the U.S.?
I'm not sure but you might want to check the website since there's a list of stores that's included and I'm not sure if there are groceries outside the US that's on the list.
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Family means nobody gets left behind -Lilo
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/30/2009 9:24:00 AM
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zoebob
Posts: 7963
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: land of limbo
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: jodavi
quote:
ORIGINAL: flowerz
I don't print out coupons, because ink is too expensive.
You might want to try shortcuts.com then. You don't print the coupons but if you do have grocer card like Kroger's, Safeway, Vons and Ralph's...you just add your card number and click on the coupons online and it automatically deducts while you're paying. No cutting whatsoever.
I just checked them out and there are very few stores there. There are none in my area.
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/30/2009 11:03:09 AM
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Mrs.Wifey
Posts: 3423
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: The Gorgeous plains of Colorado
Status: offline
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Alot of grocery stores also allow you to add coupons from their websites. I know Kroger and Safeway do, here at least. And I think Proctor and Gamble do as well?
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Ryanne- trying hard to be my husband's girlfriend and my daughter's mother.
I'll keep my guns, freedom, and money- you can keep "the change."
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 10/30/2009 3:28:21 PM
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flowerz
Posts: 389
Joined: 1/6/2006
From: Canada
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We have Safeway & Walmart where I live, in Canada. On the website though, there is only a place for a zip code, so I think it may be only available in the U.S.
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RE: Does anyone use coupons? - 11/4/2009 9:54:32 AM
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Mrs.Wifey
Posts: 3423
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: The Gorgeous plains of Colorado
Status: offline
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Any of my fellow Walgreen-ers doing the Almay deal this week?
For those who don't know, Almay "one coat" mascara is ringing up BOGO at some stores, and there is a $4 off Wag's IVC(instant value coupon) that takes $4 off each item, which makes them free.
There is also an unadvertised register rewards deal on the Almay Pure Blends makeup. The $9.99 foundation is printing a $10 rr, and the mascara is printing a $5 one. When i bought these last night the Pure Blends mascara came up BOGO, so I only really paid for the foundation, which makes this deal a $5 money maker.
_____________________________
Ryanne- trying hard to be my husband's girlfriend and my daughter's mother.
I'll keep my guns, freedom, and money- you can keep "the change."
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