Tag Archives: family budgeting

Coupon Tips for Newbies

How-To's, Our Cities, ,

penny_pincher If you’ve always wanted to save money using coupons but didn’t know where to start, here’s a list of tips to better understand how it’s done.  This list includes my own methods as well as some suggestions from whatsyourdeal.com.  Although this resource is quite helpful, it can seem overwhelming. To help simplify the process, send questions or comments to my Facebook page (Wyoming Penny Pincher ) and I will help you navigate the website.

So before you dismiss the concept of couponing as being too time consuming, read through this list first. It will give you ideas of how to make the process work for you. After all, wouldn’t saving money every week on what you need be beneficial to you being able to buy what you want? It works for me. It could work for you too!

1. Start small. Focus on 1 or 2 stores and learn their policies & procedures.

2. Organizing your coupons will either make or break your couponing experience.

3. Match your coupons with sales.

4. Stack your manufacturer coupons with your store specific coupons to have a lesser out of pocket total.

5. Before you leave the house, make a plan of what you want to buy. Write down the items, the prices and the quantities. If you are doing multiple transactions, separate the items into lists before ever leaving your house.

6. The less crowded the store, the less stressed both you and your cashier will be. I have found that early in the morning, early afternoon, or late at night is best for me.

7. If you have young kids like we do, shop at a time when they are at their best — in the morning or right after naps. Happy kids make a huge difference. Bring along something to occupy their minds or a treat to occupy their tummies!

8. Remind yourself that sales cycle. When you see an amazing deal, no need to drop everything, abandon your family and rush out the door in a panic. Instead, realize that the sale will come back around in a few weeks to a few months.

9. Prioritize. Set a time limit. Figure out how to incorporate savings into a reasonable amount of time each week and stick to it.

10. It’s important to maintain a positive working relationship with the staff and management at your local stores.

11. If your store is out of the sale item, get a rain-check! Go to customer service and ask for a raincheck for the item you wanted. They will fill out a piece of paper with the item details and price. Then you can come back another day (usually no more than 30 days) and buy that item at the sale price by giving the cashier the raincheck. This also gives you more time to gather coupons for the item!

12. Understand 10/$10 promotions. You do not have to buy 10 items to get the $1 price! The only exception to this rule is if the ad states that you must!
Stores will sometimes put limits on the item to make you think it’s a great price! If cereal is on sale for 2/$4 you might not even notice it. But if it’s on sale “2/$4 — limit 2!” then you will likely think it’s a great price since they had to put a limit on it!

13. If you have couponers in your area then it’s best to get to the store as early in the sale as you can!

14. When checking out pay close attention to the price screen to make sure everything rings up at the correct price. Also, make sure that the cashier scans all of your coupons.

15. Don’t buy a ton of everything as soon as you get started or you will blow your budget!

16. If an item goes on sale for a great price (or free!) then buy more than you need for just the week.
Typically sales go in 12 week cycles so you only need to buy enough for 12 weeks.

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Cash in on a Super Saver’s Secrets

How-To's, Our Cities, ,

Editor’s note: Wyoming/Kentwood NOW is pleased to introduce the first in a series of articles by Nancy Staal (a.k.a. Penny Pincher) on saving money through couponing. In fact, Nancy is so efficient at it, she’ll tell you, “I don’t have to grocery shop. I just have to bargain shop!”  Nancy and her daughter offer two-hour couponing workshops for groups interested in learning the tricks of the trade. If you would like to inquire about her workshops, go to facebook.com/WyomingPennyPincher

penny_pincherHow would you like to spend little or nothing for items like toothpaste, toothbrushes and shampoos?

Penny Pincher says it's not impossible to get free stuff once you know how to use coupons.
Penny Pincher says it’s not impossible to get free stuff once you know how to use coupons.

Sound impossible? Well it’s not! And I’m going to tell you how you can do it too. My nickname is Penny Pincher and I’ve been using coupons, rebates and sales to cut our family’s cost since the early 1980’s. I would say I save on an average of $20,000 annually on our food, personal care items, clothing, gifts etc. Through the years, I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade that are worth sharing with other budget-conscious consumers. If that sounds like you, you too can learn the many ways to save on purchases and over time, save a substantial amount of money!

Couponing influenced me as a child. When my brothers and sisters and I wanted something at the store, my mom would say, “We can’t afford it.” So we would find coupons so she could afford it. Mom used coupons, took advantage of sales and paid attention to cost cutting when and where ever she could. As my husband and I started our young family, the need to cut our household costs became a way of life. I took up my mother’s habit and quickly learned that I could cut costs and still get items that our family needed.

The receipt says it all...
The receipt says it all…

Now couponing is like a game to me and to be honest, saving money is rather addicting! I always aim to save at least 50- 75% off the regular price of an item if not more. And when I walk out of a store with more money in my pocket than what I spent, I get such a thrill! For instance, at Meijer, (see photo) I picked up eight bottles of Suave Professional shampoo on sale. Between the sale price, the instant savings offer and the manufacturers coupons I had, I ended up getting 27 cents back and paid nothing!

With each shopping trip, I manage to purchase more for our family while spending less in the process. One way is to purchase main staple items on sale in multiple quantities. Take toothpaste for instance. Depending on what my needs are and what coupons I have available, I might buy 10 tubes at a time and save them for later. The items are on hand when you need them and won’t have to be purchased at full price.

Saving money on groceries on a regular basis will definitely give the family budget a boost. It can be the difference between eating what you want versus eating what you have to. For example, if you’re on a limited budget, you may only be able to afford buying four packages of Ramen noodles for a dollar. By using coupons and planning ahead, you can save enough money to buy the foods you want, like a round steak, or a bag of potatoes or lots of fresh vegetables.

After the in-store savings and coupons, Penny was paid 27 cents for getting the shampoo.
After the in-store savings and coupons, Penny was paid 27 cents for getting the shampoo.

The art of couponing (saving money) is to watch for sales and use coupons on the sale items when possible. Coupons can be found in many ways: in any Sunday paper, in direct mail that is sent to your house, on the internet or at the retail stores. There are a lot of people who think couponing takes too much time. It’s not as time consuming as you think once you get into the habit of following this simple process:

1. Begin by looking through store ads and mark the items you may need

2. Cut coupons only for items you can and will use

3. Create a list of these items to attach to the coupons you plan to use

4. Get into the habit of placing your list with the ads in your car (or purse) at the beginning of the week. That way, you always have your coupons on hand to save money when  making a purchase any time you shop.

Keep in mind the basics to couponing and saving money is being able to spend less on your purchases while still providing the items that are needed and wanted by your family. Consider this as an obvious way to spread limited income further. Watch for upcoming Penny Pincher tips on this website to save you time and money for your family!

Follow the savings on  facebook.com/WyomingPennyPincher