How To See My Earlier Posts

I have been getting a lot of messages on Facebook asking if the landing page that has my most recent posts is all there is to my blog. The answer is, no. To see my earlier posts, scroll all the way to the bottom right hand side of the page and you will see "blog archives". This has a list of all of my blog entries by month, or you can scroll all the way to the bottom of the page until you come to "older posts" click on it to see the same earlier posts. I have a total of 61 posts and once you know how to find them and figure out the date you are good to go. Remember, Blogger posts my MOST RECENT entry first. If you have any questions, leave a comment or message me on Facebook.

Happy Savings and Couponing!! :)

Frugalness ;)

Frugalness...I'm not really sure if that's a real word, but to my 10 year old son it is. I grew up in very frugal households ( with my mother and bonus father in WV, and my father and bonus mother in MD). We recycled not to be eco-friendly, but to make extra money to go on fantastic vacations. I bring this up because my 10 year son IS very frugal for his generation. He loves yard sales, the Salvation Army and Goodwill. He particularly loves crushing cans and turning them in for cash. When he found out how some metals are going for .80 cents a pound, he asked if the cover to the water meter on our sidewalk was really necessary..lol. So, in his mind, frugalness is a real word and a real necessity as it should be.

I found the rather cute site while I was looking up frugal ways for him to save or make money without committing a crime and I came across this one... http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/
This sites caught my eye not just because of the title, but when I started to read it, there were a lot of useful, smart, practical ideas and recipes on it. I hope you find it as entertaining and educational as I have.

Spreadsheets and Savings Tracker

If you are someone who watches Extreme Couponing on Wednesday on TLC, you may have noticed that most of the shoppers say they use a spreadsheet to keep track of their coupons, savings, rebates, and freebies. I just found this great site that has a 2011 savings spreadsheet. I know it's near the end of the year, but she does update her site and tools often.

Spreadsheets are one of the best ways to see your savings and keep track of your progress throughout the year. Yes, you can write it all down in your coupon binder, but what a great way to compare your couponing progress from month to month. This download is free so, start printing and keep on organizing...instead of becoming a Queen of Couponing, you can become a Coupon Diva before you know it!
http://thecouponproject.com/2010/12/savings-tracker-2011-for-excel-and-google-docs.html

VERY IMPORTANT.....KNOW your coupons!!

I learned an excellent lesson this morning...I had planned on getting some free stuff and/or rebate items and found out that I no longer had some of the important coupons...they have mysteriously disappeared! This is exactly why I want to stress KNOW your coupons. Know what insert you got them from, either Smart Source, Red Plum, or the internet. If you are going to save money successfully you have to study, make lists, organize and do what ever it takes to know, which, what, where and how you are going to use the coupons.

As I stated in my last post, organization and knowing what coupons you have before you start shopping is absolutely key if you are planning to save BIG on your total grocery bill. I want to stress also, that I am learning this process as I go along just like everyone else, so please let me know what neat ways you organize your coupons and lists. I am finding out that successful saving and couponing is absolutely a full time job if you want to get the most out of the process. These people on the Extreme Couponing show didn't get those stock piles over night and they certainly didn't just walk into their supermarkets and magically begin to saving the hundreds of dollars on their grocery bills.

So with that being said, as soon as I get my new binder and I gain more confidence, I am so recording my first big extreme shopping trip. Right now, my husband and I are couponing on a much more average scale, and yes we are saving money, but I cannot wait to get this whole system down, so I can go out and take the supermarket by storm.

Remember what this post is about...know your coupons, where and what insert they come from and don't let them expire!

Organization and Other Tid Bits I've Learned...

I have yet to embark on a serious extreme couponing venture. To tell you the truth, I really am scared to do it. The key to any couponers success as many of you may have guessed, is organization. Whether you are using the small accordian coupon holders, a binder or even a plain old envelope, being organized with your coupons, having your list, coupon policy, and map of the store are all great ways to keep your shoppin trip running smoothly. I cannot stress enough to check the store you are going to be shopping at, for changes in their coupon policies. Keep them them with you, because as shoppers are starting to coupon more, stores are changing their policies.

Another reason why I haven't done a huge couponing trip is that I have a huge stockpile of coupons and I am running out of room in my medium accordian enveloped. I just ordered a "pro" coupon binder with 100 sleeves on Ebay for $15. There are a lot of different styles of binders and sleeves to choose from on there, so shop around and find what's best for you.

One thing that I have run into with some of the internet store coupons is that sometimes they don't scan. I think I have found a solution...make sure your ink in your printer is fresh and dark. The scanners will not pick up the barcode if just one line is off, too light or smugged.

One of the neatest things I have discovered about using your smart phone scanner is, that some commercials have the barcode on the screen of the TV. If you have a DVR, you can paused the commerical and then scan the coupon code to your smart phone and there you have another way to save and in some cases another way to "stack" for even greater discounts. I haven't tried the scanning on my smart phone because I just got it, so when I do, I will be sure to let everyone know how it goes. the barcode looks like this

You can also find these barcodes on almost any insert coupon and on some merchandise. It can be like a game finding different places that they show up. So, keep your eye out for them and of course, find out for sure where this great piece of technology can be used. :)


The last thing many people don't think of are rainchecks. A raincheck is an assurance to a customer that an item on sale that is sold out or out of stock may be purchased later at the sale price. People seemed to have forgotten this long time practice of retailers. I can remember that my mother always asked for a raincheck when an item was out of stock. I very rarely see anyone asking for them, but the way to big savings is to cover all your bases.

Happy Couponing!!! And please feel free to leave comments and any questions you may have.

The Coupon Wizard's Webinars

Webinars are seminars that are presented over the internet. The Coupon Wizards are offering webinars all week. Tonight the topic is "What's the Coupon Magic?" It starts at 9:00pm Eastern Standard Time. You will need a headset with a microphone or just your telephone. It's filling up fast, so hurry and sign up! https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/111631782

Listia, Bing, Coke Rewards...Points for FREE Stuff!

Free stuff is always good especially when you can aquire it in the comfort of your own home. Bing give you points for searching with their toolbar and completing certain tasks, then you redeem them for free stuff like gift cards, clothing, airline miles and more.

Listia is an auction site where you get items for points and also sell items for points. I like to call it the poor people's Ebay.

My Coke Rewards offers points from the codes on the caps of products made by Coca-cola such as Coke, Sprite, Dasani water, Powerade, Mr. Pibb, Vault, Mello Yello, Fanta, Barques Root Beer, Fresca, Minute Maid, Seagrams Ginger Ale and Nestea. Codes are also on the cases and 12 packs of Coke products. You can get great rewards such as gift cards, entries into sweepstakes, instant wins which could include great trips. You can also redeem them for a year's subscriptions to magazine from Redbook to Better Homes and Gardens, donate to a charity or a public school, and the list goes on and on. I just redeemed points for Christmas presents today from Bing and Coke. Here are the links for these FREE sites.

http://www.listia.com/signup/893595

http://www.mycokerewards.com/home.do

http://www.discoverbing.com/rewards/web?FORM=MRWHPG&PUBL=BINGYAHOO_PUBL&CREA=userid1743byooba2f30c3e317ca01b06a7b20477eac0fb&bdef=4

Family Dollar Match-ups and Deals Through 11/27/11

I found this great site while making my spreadsheet for a shopping trip to Family Dollar. I love it when these nice people do the work and all we have to do is print, clip and SAVE! http://theqtippingmom.com/category/family-dollar/

This site also shows how to "stack" your coupons at FD. Stacking is using a store coupon or internet coupon with a manufacturer coupon, which sometimes results in practically free items. FYI...do not try to photocopy or duplicate and internet coupons.

I know that in previous posts I stated to join as many coupon groups as possible on Facebook not thinking that there are some people who do not have a Facebook account. It's easier for me to post the links instead of trying to keep up with the ever changing deals and sales.

http://coupon-wizards.com/

http://www.supercouponlady.com/

http://www.couponcabin.com/?fromKey=coupon+cabin

Some of these sites are offering webinars where they will show you in real time how to use your coupons in the most effcient way. In case anyone misses them, there will be other ones out there and I will be posting them as well.

Load Up Your MVP Cards!

Did you know that you can load up you MVP cards with e-coupons? No clipping, no sorting, just load them onto you card from your computer, go to the store, buy the items, get savings right at the register!! How simple is that? Here is the site where you can load your card http://www.foodlion.com/Savings/Coupons

An Idea for a Family Heirloom

The Canvas People are giving away 8x10 canvas portraits...all you do is browse your favorite picture, download it and The Canvas People will send it to you for FREE..all you have to do is pay shipping- $14.99!! Normally, you would have to pay $64.99 including shipping, so that is a $50 savings for a priceless gift for grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and anyone you want to surprise with a very special and memorable gift that could be turned into a family heirloom. So hop on over to http://canvaspeople.com/canvas-discount?utm_source=HO_CP&utm_medium=Affil&utm_term=1882&utm_content=93&utm_campaign=0714

Match Ups and Deal at Dollar General 10/30-11/6

Dollar General let's you "stack" your coupons with internet and manufacture's coupons here is a lisy of this weeks deals and matchups...

Here are this week’s top Dollar General coupon match-ups!

Below are the match-ups for 10/30/11 – 11/6/11:


Kiss Nails (1 ct) psa $1
Use $1/1 Kiss Broadway Nails Artificial Nail Printable Coupon
or use $1/1 Kiss Artificial Nail Printable Coupon
or use $2/1 Kiss Artificial Nails Printable Coupon
As low as FREE after coupon!.Rexall Ibuprofen Orange (200 mg, 50 ct) - $1.50 each
Use $3/1 Rexall Printable Coupon or Printable
As low as FREE after coupon!.Rexall Premenstrual Relief Caplets (24 ct) - $1.50 each
Use $3/1 Rexall Printable Coupon or Printable
As low as FREE after coupon!.Libby’s Vegetables (14.5 to 15 oz) 50¢ each
Use $1/4 Libby’s Canned Vegetables coupon from the 8/28 RP
25¢ each wyb 4.Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes (8.5 to 8.6 oz) - $1 each
Use 40¢/1 Betty Crocker Cookie Mix coupon from the 10/2 GM
60¢ each after coupon.Clorox Clean Up (24 oz) - $2 each
Use 75¢/2 Clorox Cleaning Products Dollar General Printable Coupon
$1.63 each wyb 2 after coupon.Glad Trash Bags - $5 each
Use $1/2 Glad Trash Bags Dollar General Printable Coupon
As low as $4.50 each wyb 2 after coupon.Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent (75 oz) - $9 each
Use $2/1 Tide Detergent coupon from the 10/30 P&G or Printable
$7 each after coupon.Select All | Un-Select All
Head over to Nicole’s Nickels for more Dollar General Coupon Match-ups!

Be sure to check the Retail Coupons database for any Dollar General coupons before you head to the store!

So many Questions!

I am amazed at the questions and the yearning about what people want to know about couponing, internet sales, and free or money maker items. It just goes to show how our slow economy has affected everyone and people are out looking for the best deals they can find.

One question I got on Facebook was "how did I find Amazon auctions?" Well, like I stated in an earlier post, if you have a Facebook account join every couponing page or group on there. If you don't have a Facebook account, then I will post a few so you can get an idea. There are so many coupon sites to mention, but just type in "coupon", "frugal" or "saving money" in your search engine bar and they will pop up. I have several adds here on my blog, also that you can click on to to help you out. I have to say that Super Coupon Lady is my favorite site right now.

http://www.supercouponlady.com/

http://coupon-wizards.com/

Let's Talk About Deals for the Holidays

There less than two months until Christmas....pretty scary, huh? In the past few years I have really done well finding deals on the internet. One of my favorite places to shop in www.amazon.com This week I bought a 15 inch Puppy Pillow Pet for my grandson for $1.99. They are originally around $18.00 in the stores. I not only saved by buying the gift at a great low price, I also saved by not using gas! Until recent years Black Friday was a huge tradition in our family, but with the price of gas skyrocketing and the complete desperation of people trying to save on the biggest shopping day of the year, the fun has been taken out of our tradition, so we have turned to the internet deals.

Cyber Monday is the Monday after Black Friday and that is our new family tradition. Sometimes they post their deals early and then lower them as the day approaches. I love to get on the net at midnight and try to beat everyone to the deals. The National Retail Federation reports that 100 million people shop on Cyber Monday and it projects that at least 10 million more shoppers will join the rising total. It's quickly catching up with Black Friday which the NRF reports that 128 million people shop on that day. Here is a link to the Cyber Mondays Deals http://www.cybermonday2011.com/

Super Coupon Lady is one of my favorite sites to find the best Christmas and everyday coupon "money makers" or items that you can get for free go to http://www.supercouponlady.com/ Make sure you check EVERYDAY as she does all the leg work for you, such as put up the links for coupons, free items and internet deals almost daily. I have my grandson's Christmas shopping almost all done by using the deals that she posts.

So Much Information, So Little Time!

I have discovered so many sites that have such great information that it boggles my mind. When I advised to join all of the coupon groups on Facebook, I didn't realize that not everyone had a Facebook account, so for those who don't have an account, don't fret. I will be posting many links to websites that you can join just by having an email account. Remember, make sure that you make a seperate account for all your couponing activity. I would suggest a gmail account. There are so many coupon sites, message boards/forums as well as just frugal living sites that it's almost impossible to count. I will give them to you as I find them and hopefully you won't get too overwhelmed.

Message boards/forums are really great because they connect you with other people who have the experience to give advice and find the great websites where others have done the leg work of finding the coupons, store match ups, coupon policy changes, apps for smart phones and the list goes on. One that I found today that is very informative, is www.hotcouponworld.com They have a great post about how to get started step by step and they do a much better job than I can do. I have found that almost everyone who has a website about coupons and couponing, begin in a different way than the next person. Sometimes it's a lot of fun, but at the same time it can be confusing. I am learning by trial and error and I told my son this evening that learning how to coupon in the most efficient way is like taking college classes. If you want to be successful you have to educate yourself as much as possible. Couponing can also be like a full time job since offers, free items and store specials are ever changing. Another reason why couponing can be considered a job, is that you can actually MAKE money while saving money. This statement leads to my next paragraph and how I got my husband completely on board with extreme couponing.


It's funny how once I got started with couponing, how fast it's really become an obsession. My husband had been so confused about the whole "extreme" couponing craze. We have always tried to use coupons as much as possible, but to him, it was like getting the Sunday paper, cutting out the coupons that we knew we would use and then pitching the rest in the trash. In the past few weeks, when I decided to go hard on couponing, I had gotten coupon inserts from Ebay. He was sitting at the kitchen table with his scissors in hand and his little 5 page insert ready to start snipping. I pulled out my stash of 30 5 page inserts, plopped them down in front of him and said, "We need to cut every coupon out." He looked at me with the deer in the headlights look and asked, "Do you mean ALL of them?!" I then explained about how we could actually make money on some of items and he was all for it! Those scissors flew until his hand cramped up several times. So, the free and money maker coupons are what gets those coupon extremist's grocery bills that total $800 all the way down to $25!

This Blog is Going to Take a Turn...In a BIG WAY!

I started this blog off to try to help everyone in our small community to shop and save at local businesses. Now, with the recession loaming larger, and couponing becoming a necessity, I find myself having to go farther to get the best deals. Even though the nearest variety of food markets are only 30 miles away, sometimes it makes it worth the trip to save money or to get FREE items or make money, yes I said make money, on a shopping trip (we will get into that a little later on)

One thing that I have learned since my last entry is that Ebay can have the best deals on coupon inserts. In the last 3 weeks, I have gotten 30 current Red Plum and Smart Source coupon inserts that you would normally find in the Sunday papers for less than $12.00. Just imagine how much it would have cost if I had bought the newspapers. I was just watching "Extreme Couponing" and one lady bought 30 papers each Sunday just to get the coupons. I find that quite insane!

Not many people realize that the state of Maryland does not have sales tax on food items...that's saving right there. Now, we come to the part where we make money off of items. Walmart is an excellent example for the money makers...this may look like a small amount, but it will add up as you learn how find the deals and put them into action. One of my favorite sites out there that really does the leg work for you is http://www.supercouponlady.com/ Here's one that came out last week...Buy (2) Schick 12-Count Razors, $1.97 each Use (1) $6.00/2 Schick Disposable Razors (Excludes 2 Count) the final cost is FREE + $2.06 overage! There are tons of these types of money making deals, and that my friend's is the way that you can get free or make money off of items AND what they don't tell you on the Extreme Couponing show. The key to all this is to search, read, and join as many sites as you can. Also, make sure that you have a specific email address just for your couponing memberships. AND the biggest cardinal rule is NEVER pay to join a coupon site OR pay for internet coupons as they may be counterfiet!!

Another thing that I have learned lately, is I have joined as many Facebook coupon groups as I can. Facebook has made it so much easier to find the reputable sites and great tools to help the average couponer save.

I am hoping to keep on top of this blog to help those who want to save. I really am beginning to see that this whole couponing thing can easily become a full-time job if you want it to be...

Just Found This Neat Little Treasure...

I just found this great website where yo can buy whole or individual coupon inserts. You can also buy jumbo packs for $30. I guess you would have to weigh your options whether to buy newspapers or use a coupon clipping service or this particular insert service. http://www.wholecouponinserts.com/
Happy Couponing!!! :)

Some Stores Are Changing Coupon Policies

I have been seeing on several news broadcasts that some of the larger chains such as Target, Walmart,and some other larger grocery and retail stores may be changing their coupon policies because of the "extreme couponing" that is sweeping the US. In these difficult times many households depend on saving with coupons and the extreme savers could be jeopardizing the standard consumers who use coupons weekly just to provide for their families and don't stockpile hundreds or even thousands of items in their homes. Please click on the following link to see one of the news reports. http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/coupon-shopping-food-market-save-customers-retailers-13609257

On a good note, our local stores such as County Pride, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Reeds Pharmacy, Rite Aid and CVS still have their same coupon policies in place. Even though only County Pride doubles their coupons up to $.49, to me it makes perfect sense to stay in our immediate area to save instead of driving a half an hour to an hour somewhere else and paying close to $4.00 a gallon of gas. To me that is not saving...

In my next entry I will hopefully have complete coupon policies for each store in our community....try to stay cool in this heat!! :)

A Safe Site.....

Just found this site and this couponing mom has over 4 million members, so she has to be good at what she does. I am just trying to find safe sites right along with you and no one wants to get anything nasty on their computers...here's the link http://www.couponmom.com/

Please Beware of Coupon Toolbars!

Many people are not aware that installing coupon toolbars will pull in spyware,malware,and viruses. All of these programs can crash your computer without warning and many times there is no way of cleaning this up even if you are protected by a virus program. I am currently working on finding the safest toolbars and programs that will be safe, so come back often to check out what I have found. Happy Couponing!

Martin's Food Stores

Did you know that there is NO sales tax on food in grocery stores in Maryland? So, besides saving money with coupons, you can save on sales tax by shopping in Cumberland MD.....in the following link, there is also a map of the store. If you don't have a Martin's Bonus Card, you can apply online for even more savings!
http://www.martinsfoods.com/shareddev/storelocator/storeinfo.html?storenum=6297

Coupon Clipping Services

In the coming weeks I am going to experimenting with coupon clipping services. A coupon clipping service charges you to cut the coupons that you choose. One of the best that I am hearing about is http://www.thecouponclippers.com/coupons/home.php?bid=1&partner=bigjgnu This service excepts PayPal, which means I can sell on Ebay and the amount of an auction sale can go into my PayPal account. That would also mean that that my coupons could be FREE!

Why Stores Take Your Coupons

Once the cashier accepts the coupon, the store has a problem. It now has a small scrap of paper that is worth cash, but in order to get the cash the store has to mail the coupon to the manufacturer. On the back of most coupons in fine print, the manufacturer lists the mailing address and states that it will also reimburse the store some amount of money for processing -- typically 8 cents per coupon. Redeeming a coupon would not be that bad if there were only a few of them, but major grocery chains collect millions of them. At that scale it becomes a major headache! The whole process seems hopelessly antiquated, but coupons remain enormously popular and that is why they continue. A coupon is, essentially, free money, and free money is hard to stop...especially as gas prices rise and fall and the price of groceries go up and down.

On the show Extreme Couponing on TLC, people are spending at least 30 hours a week with their coupon clipping, sorting, list making, scoping out the store for hidden bargins and basically making it their full-time job. One woman bought over $1,100 in groceries and paid $45 for the entire purchase. She also made the store money..8 cents is 8 cents and by the customer shopping in their store and purchasing EVERY product with a coupon they made money, while of course she saved money. Now, I am not going to try to ring up a bill of that amount of money, I do, however, want to try to get my purchase as low as I can. I'm not quite ready yet, but I will most certainly share on here and Facebook about my first triumphant shopping trip and I am hoping that it will be at Romney's County Pride. One because it's very close to where I live. Two, it is a locally owned business and three it is the closest and only grocery store in town that doubles coupons up to 50 cents.

So there you have it...I am almost ready to embark on getting deals as close to free or as low as I can. If I can't, I am going learn from my mistakes and try until I do.

Please note that the last entry is at the beginning...scroll down until you come to my older posts starting with April..that is THE BEGINNING of the Blog and continue to click on the titles or dates to learn how I am writing and researching couponing in a small community. I know I sound redundant, but several people have told me that they have read my blog...one time...that's not the purpose of blogging. Blogging consists of daily, weekly or monthly entries. This site is designed differently than most, but as I say in some of my older posts, Blogger is a very easy site to monetize for me and very user friendly. By telling you this, I do not want you to miss out on important information. Please tell your friends about it, make comments and pass it along....thanks so much.

Happy Couponing and Have a Happy and Safe Sunday (:
Cindi

Different Stores, Different Coupon Policies

Something that I just learned recently about are store coupon policies. Just about all store have different coupon policies. Most stores are happy to give you a print out of those policies, because they love it when you use coupons and will do anything to keep your business, especially in these hard economic times, so do no be afraid to ask. Sometimes these policies change, so make sure you contact the store manager about any questions you may have.

Great Coupon Binder

I just found a great coupon binder and organizer. This comes from a website that helps you figure out what kind of system you want to use while you are shopping and saving money. It teaches you so much more than the show Extreme Couponing does and goes into a lot of details that I never knew about. The link is http://www.couponmagicorganizer.com/
Happy Couponing!!!!

Cindi

Discovered a new FREEBIE site....just pay shipping!!!!

I just came across another FREEBIE site, all you have to do is just pay shipping costs. A lot of times FREEBIES can be full size samples and for the most part are completely worth paying for the shipping and just as good as using coupons. The link is http://freewithshipping.com/

Have fun with this one and hopefully I will have more on the way!!!!

Red Plum

Red Plumb is the name of the coupon insert that we all can get by buying the Sunday papers such as The Washington Post, Cumberland Times-News, Martinsburg Journal and Saturday's Winchester Star. They do have a great website that you can print off the same coupons that you get in the insert. The link is http://www.redplum.com/ As I have said before, Food Lion, Walmart and Martins all take internet coupons. County Pride does not take the internet coupons, but will double coupons up to $.50. County Pride is starting to give Food Lion a run for it's money and I have been saving a TON of money there lately.

I will say this over and over throughout this blog, make sure that you "stake out" your store and make sure that you organized your coupons according to the lay out of the store. You may also have to make separate binders for each store. There are always "hidden" deals somewhere where you least expect it, so know your store, know your deals.

Getting Coupons for the Manufactures

If you don't have access to coupons from your Sunday newspaper inserts you can absolutely sign up at the manufactures websites and they will send you all the great deals through emails and through regular mail. I have found that this saves you time cutting the coupons out AND you can also get some great freebies out of it. Remember to use a separate email for all the sites that you sign up for.
Happy couponing (:

Slowly Learning About Who Accepts Coupons..

I am slowly, but surely finding out what local stores take coupons and what kind. Recently, I found out that Reed's Pharmacy takes manufacture coupons and possibly internet coupons.

As gas prices rise and most of us are looking for deals closer to home, remember to bookmark this blog, as I will be updating it more regularly. I am just starting this process and I am thinking about starting a LOCAL couponing site. Please bare with me and remember, also, that the current entry here on Blogger is always first. Scroll down and notice the date of each entry. The very last entry is the very first entry. I know it sounds confusing, but I like the way Blogger lets me make extra money with their advertising. You can also make money blogging about anything you want to. Then, you can capitalize on it by signing up for Google Adsense and their affiliate program and they do the rest..

More to come soon..thanks for reading and please come back often for coupon tips in our rural community.

The Krazy Coupon Lady

This is the lady that got me thinking about writing this blog...she really has it going on and has been featured on Extreme Couponing on TLC. Here is a link to her site. You can also follow her on Facebook http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2011/04/22/new-organize-in-style-coupon-book/?utm_source=feedburner

How to Read a Blog on Blogger

Please remember that Blogger always posts the current entry first, so PLEASE either scroll down to the older posts or click on the dates that I posted earlier threads for very important information about how stores in our area except coupons. It's just the way Blogger is setup. I have all the stores listed that take internet coupons and which stores double their coupons. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to the entry titled "Can You Coupon Successfully In a Rural Community?" and work your way up.
Thanks,
Cindi

Printable Coupon Site

This site is fabulous for savings on grocery items to toys....Walmart, Martins and Foodlion all take internet coupons, so do Family Dollar and Dollar General. The link for this site is http://www.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=15557&zid=kt96&nid=10&clickid=0004a15b98bf6dc30ae0d2c2aa9522b7&bid=alk04200804243fe0f9a1917316

Don't Forget our Military

You can send your expired coupons to military families overseas and abroad and they can use them in the commissary on base..Please give back to those who struggle and fight to keep the USA free. Here is a link that should be current with addresses that you can send them to. Expired diaper coupons are greatly appreciated. http://www.grocerysavingtips.com/expiredgrocerycoupons.htm

Family Dollar Stores

They are renovating both Family Dollar stores in Romney and that means there is going to be more room for grocery items...also don't forget that coupons are not just for food. Cosmetics, shampoo, toothpaste and whiteners...all kinds of non food items can also be purchased with coupons, so keep an eye out for any of those. Also, Family Dollar stores also distribute coupon books monthly and of course they take manufacture coupons. Here is this weeks flyer ad...happy shopping http://www.familydollar.com/pages/hotitems.aspx

More FREEBIES

I have used this site many times and continue to get freebies...this site DOES NOT pull in malware or spyware into your computer. There are tons of great deals and freebies and sometimes they give away FULL SIZE items. http://www.freeflys.com/register.php?noph=1&gclid=CIrxpI2FqagCFYFM5QodPVd1Hg

Keep On Top of Ads

Every week most of us get the Hampshire Review and the Weekender with ads for Food Lion, CVS, Rite Aid, Family Dollar and Dollar General. Keep on top of the bargins each week and use those MVP, CVS and Rite Aid savings cards. It's fun to challenge yourself each week to see how much you saved, so another thing to do is get a small box or ziploc and keep your receipts from week to week to look back and see how much you are saving. It can also give you a baseline to find out where you started and how you can get better at finding the deals.

Timing is everything too. Knowing when to use your coupons is what will set you apart everyone else. How you use them will distinguish you from the amateurs, separate you from pretenders and define you as a great couponer! Couponing success is much less about what coupons you have and much more about at what times you will use them! By following these three rules you can be absolutely certain that you’re getting the most out of your coupons.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is using a coupon just because you have it. The key is to wait until that item goes on sale or the store runs a promotion. Nearly all stores run a weekly ad with newly slashed prices and great promotions like: Buy 1 Get 1 Free, Spend $15 on these products get $5 back, Buy 4, Save $4 instantly. When you’re certain the item is marked at a bargain price or the promotion is too good to pass up then add a coupon on top of it and you’ve just scored an amazing deal!

“Stacking”, or using more than one coupon on the same product, is a fabulous way to save money. Nearly all stores allow you to use both a manufacturer coupon and a store coupon together on one item. By combining both types of coupons when purchasing one item you’re sure to get tremendous savings.

County Pride is the only store in our community “double” coupons, meaning they accept your coupon at twice the face value. So if a coupon is $0.50 off one item, the store will honor that coupon at $1.00 off. County Pride DOUBLES their coupons EVERYDAY up to $0.50

The absolute perfect scenario occurs when more than one of these rules align. That’s how you end up bringing home items for free, or better yet, how you leave the store with more money in your pocket than you came with. Since I just started this extreme couponing, this it hasn't happened yet. I will be sure to let EVERYONE know when it does. I like to shop at County Pride because they are a privately owned and operated store and they give Food Lion a run for their money a lot of the time. Reminder...County Pride DOES NOT take internet coupons.

FREEBIES

Everyone wants to get stuff for free, but this website is a great way to pass on the freebies to your friends...you can join through your Facebook account or just on the site it self. It's a very simple site to navigate and you'll be happy you found it. The link is http://www.guide2free.com/

Maps and Binders

Make a map of every store that you shop at AND buy a binder with inserts for each store. Write down your grocery list according to each aisle. You can buy binders and inserts at Walmart. The inserts should be the kind that you use to collect baseball card with. It sounds like a lot of work, but if you want to be a great couponer it will be worth it . You can also buy the small according style coupon holders and label each slot by each aisle of the store. This method cheaper, but by using the binder method, you can put the map of the store at the front of the binder AND you can see the coupons you are planning to use. Everyone develops the best way that works for them, so it's entirely up to to the individual.

Buying Coupons on Ebay

I just discovered that buying coupons on Ebay can be cheaper than buying all those Saturday and Sunday newspapers..well in most cases. People are selling coupons in same item grouping...I just bought ten Tide coupons for .99 cents with FREE shipping.

I was almost out the door to go buy the Sunday papers and something went through my head saying "go look on Ebay"....my intuition was correct. l am still going to buy the papers, but now I don't have to buy a bunch, because it can add up to big bucks and I may not get the coupons that I will use. You can also go and sign up for coupons at the manufactures websites and get coupons sent to you or get REAL printable coupons.

What I like most about the Ebay deal is you can make your grocery list and then look for them on Ebay to buy. There are coupon clipping services out there, but I will get into those later when I research them more. I appreciate you reading my blog and being patient with me as we go on this journey together. REMEMBER to scroll to the bottom of this blog to begin at the beginning....HAPPY COUPONING EVERYONE .....please leave your comments here or on Facebook, you can also email me at wvcoupongurl@gmail.com

How to Read a Blog on Blogger

Many people don't understand that here on Blogger the beginning entry is always the last post at the bottom of the page, so you have to scroll down to the bottom or click on the right hand side at the dates of the LEAST current post. Remember, I am learning this whole extreme couponing thing along with you, so if you have some questions or advice you can leave a comment here,send me an email or message me on Facebook.

Right now, I am focusing on the Hampshire County area, because it's what I know. Later, I will expand out to the other areas, so everyone can plan shopping trips father away, since it looks like gas prices are not going down anytime soon. I hope you can be patient with me as we take this saving and couponing trip together
Cindi

Baby Coupons

One of the best things that I did while my daughter was pregnant was sign her up for every formula site there was. You can get all kinds of REAL samples such as full size cans of powdered formula, plus check for free baby food and diaper coupons for up to $3.00 to $5.00 or more off. You can also subscribe to American Baby magazine for free. Just Google, Similac, Enfamil, and Gerber and the sites can direct you to the pages where you can sign up for real deals. MAKE sure that it is a BRAND name site such as www.similac.com
As long as you go to the BRAND name site you will run less of a chance of printing off fake coupons and have less chance to pull in malware into your computer, plus you have a chance of getting great samples and freebies.

Can You Coupon Successfully In a Rural Community?

The answer to this question would be "yes, you can." In our small community we have no Wal-Mart, Kroger,Walgreens or Target, but we do have Food Lion, County Pride, Family Dollar stores, Dollar General stores, a CVS drugstore and a Rite Aid drug store. Although in the past,it have may not have seemed that the thought of couponing in a small community was worth it, but the extreme rise in gas prices is making it a necessity. I just recently found out that ALL of the "dollar" stores, Food Lion, CVS and Rite Aid do take coupons including internet coupons. Their scanners can tell whether or not the internet coupons are fake or real, which is a great surprise. County Pride does NOT take the internet coupons, however, they have DOUBLE coupons EVERYDAY!!

How to get coupons in our area is the next question. The Washington Post, Cumberland Times-News, Martinsburg Journal and The Winchester Star most of the time have coupons in their papers on Sundays. Each paper has different coupons for their particular area, but the manufacturer coupons are mostly the same. A LOT of people throw the inserts away, so sometimes it pays to ask your neighbors or family members if they can help out by giving you the inserts or the coupons that they do not use.

So, please subscribe to my blog and find out the great deals and coupons that are available. In my next entry I will be covering where the best sites there are to get online coupons, hopefully without pulling in Malware, Spyware or viruses into your computer.