Couponing 101 Part 3

This is the 3rd post in my Couponing 101 series. 

In case you didn't read the first and second post here is the links. Check it out especially if you are new to couponing. It will be informative and helpful.

http://livinglifeasafife.blogspot.com/2014/01/couponing-101-part-1.html

http://livinglifeasafife.blogspot.com/2014/01/couponing-101-part-2.html

In the first 2 blogs I explained why to saving coupon inserts and where to buy coupons online. In this post I am going to explain how you find the deals or as couponers call it the coupon match-ups. The abbreviations can be confusing so I will also give a little cheat sheet to what they mean on the match-up forums. I will also give all of the websites I use to find the coupon match-ups.

I use websites with the coupon lists because it saves time. I don't match up the deals with coupons myself I just use a few different websites. I check each of those websites and decide what deals interest me. As I explained in the previous post it is important to check different sites.

There is something you must do before you go shopping with your coupons.

 ***Go onto the website for the store and read the coupon policy. They vary so much from store to store you need to know what kind of coupons your store takes meaning do they accept competitors coupons or printable coupons? Is there a limit to how many of the same coupon you can use per tranaction or day? Does the store double coupons is that everyday or only certain days during the week? Will the store price match? These are things you want to know before you set out with a list and stack of coupon match-ups.  

Before you go to the forums here is a cheat sheet to what the abbreviations mean. 

MM = Money Maker this is one of the best abbreviations to see. Everyone loves a deal that makes them money.

SS = Smart Source coupon insert

RP = Red Plum coupon insert

PG = P&G coupon insert

Q's = coupons

NLA = No Longer Available this is usually stated about a printable coupon.

Now on to the forums I use. I always visit more than one site. There is always something one site will have that another will not. 

Here is an example from A Full Cup forum. 

Yoplait yogurt cups 20/$10               So this means depending on which coupon you use you 
$0.50/8 coupon 1/5SS                     can get 8 Yoplait yogurts if you use the coupon from the
$0.40/6 coupon 1/5SS                     January 5th Smart Source insert for $.50 off of 8 Yoplait  
Total: 8/$3 or 6/$2.20                     yogurts. You would end up paying $3 for those 8 yogurts

Kellogg's Special K cereal 4/$10        (This means that Special K cereal is on sale 4 for $10. 
$1/3 coupon 1/5 RP                         There is a coupon in the January 5th Red Plum insert for 
Total: 3/$6.50                                $1.00 off of 3 boxes of cereal. If you use that coupon you                                                    could get 3 boxes of Special K cereal for $6.50

Now onto the websites to find the deals. 

These are my 2 favorite sites.

http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/store-deals/

On this site you can pick your store and I am sure it is on the list. There are grocery stores, drug stores, toy stores and office supple stores. I use this site for my grocery stores and drug store match ups. 

The next site I like is A Full Cup and here is the link. 

http://www.afullcup.com/forums/index.php

Scroll down to see links to all of the stores you are looking for. 

Now some stores have coupon match-up sites of their own. Example

Walgreens = http://www.iheartwags.com/

CVS = http://www.iheartcvs.com/  

Rite Aid = http://www.iheartriteaid.com/

Target = http://www.ihearttarget.net/

Walmart = http://www.iheartthemart.com/

Remember to always check at more than one site because you could miss out on a great deal. I hope this blog post helped explain couponing a little more. 

Thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments section. 

Mrs. Fife

Couponing 101 Part 2

Couponing 101   Part 2

This is the 2nd post in my Couponing 101 series. 

In case you didn't read the first post here is a link to that post. Check it out especially if you are new to couponing. It will be informative and helpful.

http://livinglifeasafife.blogspot.com/2014/01/couponing-101-part-1.html

In this post I am going to explain why and when buying coupons from a clipping service is a good idea. I will also give you the websites I use. 

Can you purchase coupons? NO! That isn't legal. So when you purchase coupons from a clipping service you are paying for the companies time to clip the coupon. That is why they refer to these websites and coupon clipping service. I know that may seem confusing but I just wanted to explain why you may see disclaimers about this on various sites.

So why buy coupons from a clipping service? There are a few good reasons. 

There maybe a great deal on a product you use all the time. In that case you may want to purchase 20 of this item. If you don't have 20 of the same coupon inserts you will need to buy the coupons from a service. An example is when I got dish soap for free and made money on the deal. I needed 30 of the same coupon. 

Some people look at the coupon forums and purchase the coupons they need for those deals and don't save coupon inserts at all. 

Another reason for buying and checking a coupon clipping service is because different parts of the country get different coupons in their inserts and different amounts of savings. An example you maybe able to find the peanut butter coupon you need from a site because it was in the insert from that part of the country. Or another example maybe you have a 50 cents off of 1 jar of peanut butter in your coupon insert but you maybe able to purchase a 75 cents off of 1 jar of the same peanut butter from a coupon clipping service.

Some of the sites sell in various amounts. On some sites you maybe able to buy 1 of a particular coupon. On another site they sell the coupons in lots of 20. I use both and have used both in the same week. 

I must say you need to watch when you buy your coupons to make sure you will have enough time to use the coupons before the sale ends. Don't buy coupons for a sale that ends in 2 days. You may not get the coupons in the mail in time. 

So I am sure you are wondering how much the coupons cost? Well that depends on the value and demand of the coupon. I have paid between 5 cents to 35 cents per coupon. Most of the coupons are closer to 5 cents than 35 cents. I paid 35 cents for coupons that made items free like Lysol No Touch Hand Soap System starter kit or Glade Sense & Spray starter kit which normal cost $6 or more each. 

On the other site where you can't buy just 1 of a particular coupon. I have paid anywhere from $1.00 to $3.00 for a set of 20 coupons. I usually spend $1.00 for most coupons. You will spend more when you are purchasing 20 of a coupon that will get you something free like the Lysol or Glade product I mentioned before. 

How you use any of the sites is type the product name in the search tab on each site.

Here are the sites that I use. 

http://www.couponsthingsbydede.com/

by 

http://store.kuntryklippers.com/

http://couponcarryout.com/

http://www.ebay.com/          Yes you can bid on coupons on ebay. 

You can also print coupons for free from this website:

http://www.coupons.com/

The only problem with printing coupons is there is a limit of printing only 2 of the same coupon. It is a good way to save but you won't be able to stockpile items by just using a free coupon printing site.

I hope you now know where you can purchase coupons at and why/when to purchase coupons from these various sites. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Mrs. Fife