1. Get the Sunday paper. Although you can shop sales and find coupons online, the Sunday paper is the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to coupons! I currently subscribe to the San Francisco Chronicle (Sunday edition) simply for the coupons. Most of my toiletries and household item coupons come from the paper along with many food item coupons.
2. Look Online. Not only can you print coupons from online, you can also load ecoupons right onto your grocery shopping card. If you can't find a coupon you're looking for then contact the company and ask for coupons and free samples. The worst thing that could happen is they say, "No." 99% of the time though, they will be happy to provide you with coupons for their product! You can also buy bunches of coupons online for things you need which will still save you a ton. Some retailers offer special online deals that you can't find in stores as well, so keep your eyes open for these great deals.
3. Shop the 99 cent only store and other dollar stores. The 99 cent store carries fresh produce and many other perishable grocery items, many of which are name-brand quality! You can also find all sorts of other handy things at these stores for a portion of the prices you'd spend somewhere else.
4. Find freebies at drug stores. Most of the chain drug stores (CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid) offer rebates, money-back coupons and highly-discounted sale prices that when paired with coupons can get you FREE stuff or even make you some money back! It's worth checking the ads each week to find these amazing deals. Also, be sure to go shopping at the beginning of the week before these deals are sold out.
5. Stack coupons. Did you know that you can use a retailer coupon (from the store) and a manufacturer coupon (from the product company) on the same item? You can also use a manufacturer ecoupon with a printed manufacturer coupon on the same product. Anytime you can put coupons together on top of sale or clearance prices on a product, you are in for some big savings. Be sure to print out the coupon policies of the stores you shop at, so you can be familiar with their policies.
6. Use your coupons on the lowest priced version of each product. Sometimes bulk isn't better. If you can use a $3.00 coupon on a $10 pack of diapers rather than a $20 box of diapers, your savings are better. You may need to use more coupons on smaller amounts of items in order to get the best bargain.
7. Time is money. Only take time to cut/print coupons that you know your family will use. You can save the rest of your Sunday insert coupons by labeling the date they came on the front paper and keeping them in a folder/filing system. Check online blogs to see if there are any good deals you missed. They will let you know where to find your coupons (which week, ad, etc.). Keep things organized so that you aren't spending hours sifting through a hundred coupons looking for that one that you need. A binder with baseball card sleeve pages is a great way to keep your coupons organized. Remember if you can save $50 a week for two hours of work it's like making $25/hour!!!
8. Meal planning. Try to plan your meals around the sales/coupons you have for that week. By planning ahead, you can shop for exactly what you need at highly discounted prices. You will save money and save food! It's easy to be wasteful when you don't plan ahead.
9. Entertainment. You can find coupons and deals for more than just groceries. Theme parks, museums, restaurants and retail stores are a few of the places where you can use coupons and/or special rates. Look on their website or online to find just the deal you're looking for.
10. Trade and share. I have a few other friends and family members who are also into couponing and bargain hunting. Not everyone uses the same products, so put together a little coupon swap party. If you find a super great deal while you're out shopping, let them know about it! They'll start doing the same for you.
A couple of websites I have found extremely helpful are www.coupons.com, www.hip2save.com and www.thefrugalfind.com. Julia over at The Frugal Find is in the S.F. Bay Area and teaches the fabulous coupon class I attended (available soon on dvd). She feeds a family of 6 for $50 a week!!! I highly recommend taking her class. Please check out her website for more information on classes and frugal finds in your area.
I hope you find these tips helpful! Happy shopping!
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