If you are new to couponing, here are some tips and resources to get you started. These are websites that I frequent and "tricks of the trade" that I have learned over the past few months.
1. Watch for sales and stock up. The most efficient way to coupon is to pair a coupon with a sale item and then buy as much of that item as you think you will need for six weeks. Six weeks is the average sale cycle for stores in our area, meaning whatever is on sale this week will most likely won't be on sale again for another six weeks.
Example with coupon: Old El Paso salsa is normally around $2.50-$3. It is on sale 2/$3. You have a $1 coupon, making each $0.50. You go through a bottle of salsa every month, so you will need 2 bottles of salsa to get you through the sales cycle. If you don't have 2 $1 coupons, check on http://www.afullcup.com's coupon database for any more coupons.
Example without coupon: Shredded cheese is normally $2.69 a bag. It is on sale for $1.69. You go through 1-2 bags every week. You should buy 8 bags and freeze the extras to get you through the sales cycle and avoid paying full price.
I know this sounds a little goofy, but if you figure out the prices of items you use frequently, and then follow the sales cycles, you will hardly ever pay full price for anything, which will lower your grocery bill.
2. Take advantage of promotions. If Schnucks, Walgreens, or Target is offering "cash back" on a certain sales item, pair that with coupons for extra savings.
Example: Schnucks has Progresso soup on sale for 10 for $10 ( you don't have to buy ten items, by the way, to get the price - it means they are $1 each). You have a coupon for $1 off 4. Plus, they are offering $3 back when you buy 6 items, and Progresso is on that list. To maximize your savings, you would buy 12 cans for $12, use 3 $1/4 coupons, and pay $9 out of pocket. Then, you would get 2 $3 coupons back after check out to use on something else at Schnucks (like bread, milk or eggs). After "cash back" coupons, it would be like paying $3 for 12 cans of soup, or $0.25/can. Not bad, huh?
Walgreens is a great place to earn "Register Rewards," and get items for free. For example, Crest toothpaste is on sale 2/$4 with $2 Register Rewards when you buy 2. You have 2 $1 coupons. You pay $2 at the register and receive $2 back immediately, making the 2 toothpastes essentially free.
3. Roll the cash back coupons into your next transaction. What I usually do is I place all of the items which give me cash back coupons into my first transaction. Then I use the money I received to pay for my second transaction. Be careful to read the wording of the ad, though, because sometimes there are limits on how many cash back coupons you can receive. For example, at Walgreens, the Register Rewards are always per transaction. So if you did the Crest scenario above, but bought 4 toothpastes, you would still only get $2 back. You would need to do two transactions to get both $2 Register Rewards coupons for your 4 items.
Cash back example: In my first transaction, I bought 12 Progresso soups (see above scenario), paid $9, and received $6 back in coupons. In my second transaction, I bought 4 packages of bagels at $1 each, 1 tub of cream cheese for $1.69, and a roll of paper towels for $2. My total is $7.69. I have a $0.50 coupon for the paper towels, which doubles at Schnucks, bringing my total down to $6.69. I have the $6 coupons from my previous transaction, which makes my total $0.69. Over two transactions, I bought 12 soups, 4 packages of bagels, 1 tub of cream cheese, and paper towels for $9.69 + tax. Of course, I usually have more items in each transaction, but you get the idea.
4. Plan ahead and only buy what's on your list. Instead of spending an hour at the store, you will spend that time at home, on the computer or looking at ads, planning your shopping trip. Then, you will spend very little time in the store because you will stick to your list and not get distracted by items "on sale" that are not on your list. As a side note, often the items at the end of aisles (end caps) are actually full price or higher. Stores just want you to think they are on sale.
5. Most importantly, start small. Don't think that you will become an extreme couponer overnight. Pick one or two items in the sales ad and then try to find coupons for them. Or, if you find a coupon for an item you buy all the time, clip it and watch for a sale. Either way, start small and don't get discouraged. The shopping trips on TV are rigged for TV, and you will almost never score groceries for "free." But if you save 25%, that's still a few dollars you can use for something else. :)
Happy couponing!
