A Little Coupon 101 I started My family off with **2 years ago**

First thing first.. Be prepared to be frustrated and sometimes just overwhelmed at first... It's time consuming building up your coupon hoard.. BUT it's worth it when you make your weekly/bi weekly/monthly trips. To organize your coupons.. it's all how you what to do it.. Look for pocket folders, index card holders.. zip lock containers.. how ever you want to do it.. there is no right way, or wrong way.. JUST organize them BEFORE you go. Also, make a list of the GOT HAVE items.. and a list of MAYBE have items.. STICK TO IT. know your advertisments and circulars. match coupons up with the sale items for biggest bang of buck. Have coupons already sorted for what items you are getting before your trip. Took me 2 hours last night to match everything up.. THen I still stood there at the air freshner aisle dazed and confused cause they didn't have what I first went for.. ggrr For those who are near a Meijer.. YOU are the luckiest of all. Check with you local Meijer and confirm their double coupon policy. AND if they accept coupons printed off the internet. They should.. TRUST ME.. It's a corporate policy.. But just check. There are two within driving distance of me. One doubles up to .50. So that means the coupons. .50 and under double. Above is face value only. (which would make the coupon worth.. ta da.. 1.00) the other doubles up to face value of a dollar.. (i love this location the bestest!) I know poor grammar.. LOL Check with your local grocery stores for coupon policies.. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO... Also, check with your local state laws on coupon polices and price guarantees.. Big Corporation daddy doesn't want you knowing the laws on mis rings and coupon laws... ANYWHO.. 1. We explained the double/triple coupon deal.. 2. ANOTHER thing the MFG don't want you to know is that the BOGO (buy one get one free) offers can be combined with another coupon. Coupons clearly states. ONE coupon per ITEM> so.. You got your free item. then stack a cents off coupon for the original item.. two items.. two coupons.. 3. Also check with store policies on "stacking" store coupons and MFG coupons. MEIJER allows STACKING> WOOHOO that means you get stuff combined stacked at little to nothing. and sometimes free! 4. KNOW your market area and which stores match advertised prices and so forth. Keep a small notebook of common bought items from each store and current prices, so you know where you get the biggest bang for your buck. 5. DONT be brand loyal (may not always get your brand of coupons. 6. PLAN your meals around coupons. NOT the coupons around your meals. 7. Mail In rebates.. THEY WORK. 8. invest in a printer that has cheap black ink replacement cartridges.. Coupons can be printed in greyscale. I have a lexmark. 12.00 per cartridge.. that's 4.00 a month (i get 3 months worth out of one cartridge). Also set your printer settings to quick/fast. This saves ink as well. Now lets get down and dirty with some trade secrets.. lol 8. Coupon sites only allow 2 prints per coupon per IP address. I have 3 laptops.. i have created a email/log in for each site according to the laptops.. (my printer is wifi). Thus giving me 6 coupons. I don't push it past this.. I don't know the grey area to this... 9. CREATE 3 emails. sometimes you have to weed through the spam to get the coupon. DO NOT get hooked into the suveys that you have to purchase products to get a free product via interent. ONLY coupons that are bogo are worth their weight and effort. I have got burned from such particpation programs.. 10. Sunday circulars.. check with local paper and surrounding areas for sunday edition delivered. usually 1/2 the stand price and more coupons. 11. Dont be afraid to ask your neighbors, family and paper boy for extra circulars.. trade coupons.. have a coupon party! 12. set aside time either one day (which this is what I do.. takes around 6 hours), or a little each day to search, print and clip. 13. FREEBIES/SAMPLES. google freebies/samples online.. hundreds of throusands.. fill them out.. pretty soon you will be getting free items in the mail along with coupons for the items.. and sometimes you get coupons just for filling out a 5 min survey (WITHOUT MONEY PARTICIPATION). 14. Now on to the websites.

www.afullcup.comwww.smartsource.comwww.mycoupons.comwww.coupons.comwww.couponmom.comwww.redplum.comwww.mypoints.com

the biggest site is afullcup. You can go in there, and they have a forum that has a list of EVERY known merchandiser in the world. You can email them and say HEY. I want some coupons.. here's my address and my email.. I'm on a budge and I would like to save some money.. More often then not, they will send them to you.. again.. just time, patience and perserverance.

Within these sites will be links to More sites.. You will soon learn which ones are duplicate prints and which ones arnet.

Household products.. Goto the mfg websites.. join the membership clubs.. they are free! each month you get email newsletters and quite often home delivered coupons! it takes a few times to get it right.. but it's well worth the effort..

Some MAY not agree with this.. and if not.. I would like to know why.. MEAT and Bakery Items...

I Never pay full price for meat and bakery items (except chicken)I always get the meat that is reduced for quick sale cause the date is the current (todays) date of sale.. what is wrong with it you say? NOT A DARN THING.. Just has to be brought home, and prepared correctly to prevent spoiling. Usually you bring meat home and it sits a few days until you break it down and freeze it.. right? Well, get the dated meat for the date (you save up to 75% off). Bring it home, rinse it.. RE PACKAGE it in ziploc freezer bags or the vacuums thingy.. mark the date on it and freezer it goes. break your meats down to dinner/portion size.. less waste. bakery.. check your day old stash.. same thing applies.. do you know you can freeze the garlic butter bread from meijer/walmart? cut it in servings.. freeze the suckers in portions. and voila! CHICKEN. I DO NOT FOLLOW THIS POLICY. i am scared to death. I get the no preservative, no hormones and no genetically engineered now from our local grocery. 1.99 per lb for BONELESS SKINLESS breasts.. every day.. it's from a local farmer.. how cool is that! ALSO.. buy meat in bulk if at all possible. cheaper cheaper.. invest in a freezer and rotate it out... especially if you have a lot of kids to feed. portion control is the best for less possible waste. have a left over night every few days..

NOW to explain how to get the biggest bang for your buck at the check out.

SINCE coupon policy is LIMIT of 2 coupons per item, per transaction. be prepared to break up your transactions.. for example.. Today, I got 8 bag's of buges.. Normal 2.29 a bag. on sale 2 for 3.00 I had a coupon for .50 off. double up 1.00 off per bag. That made EACH bag .50 per bag. BUT i had to ring up two bags at a time.. SAME for the chex mix. normal 2.29 a bag, on sale for s for 3.00. coupon for .50 off. double up 1.00 of per bag.. .50 PER BAG. i got 10 of those! zatarans was 3 for 5.00. i had meijer coupon 1.00 off 2. plus manufactors 1.00 off 2. so basically i just paid 4.00 for 6 boxes of zatarans that are normally 2.09 that is just bizarre! I really messed up today though with the proctor and gamble. for every 35.00 you spent pre coupon, you got a 10.00 gift card. I wasn't paying attention.. I could of received 5 additional.. but it was too late, she had already rang up most of the p/g before i stopped her... be aware! I usually have ariel with me to watch for things like this.. My husband disappears during check out LOL ALSO watch the cashier during coupons and during price rings.. KNOW your prices. ALSO, watch the total on the bottom of the screen as each coupon is scanned.. if it doesn't change, coupon WAS NOT scanned properly... DONT be afraid to say WAIT. it didn't scan.. I have made them start over and have counted with them each individual coupon matched with item. I also warn people who get in line behind me.. I HAVE COUPONS> We will be awhile.. IF they give you an attitude OH WELL. it's your dollar.. it's your hard earned money.. if they want to blow theres.. go right ahead... I think I've covered most of it.. Please ask any questions.. also, there are more hints on www.afullcup.com That is where I learned to do this! I had watched one day a lady not pay a single penny for almost 1000.00 worth of groceries.. I was not working, and husband was sole source of income. she gave me some tips and lead me to www.afullcup.com.. the rest is history! in the year 2009, i estimated over 6,000.00 in coupons... Pretty neat huh! Happy Shopping

Part Time Lover... Of coupons

I've been thinking about turning my part time passion of love for coupons, into a full time reality.  Yesterday was the first time I had a good exerience over the last 4 years I've been couponing.  I actually was able to edcuate a cashier without them being disrespectful or judgemental.  I contribute this to being in Florida, and not some hick town in Kentucky where everybody pulls out an EBT card and pays for their groceries.  I'm not slamming the ones who really need it, but come on.  EBT card for a bottle of soda at a gas station?  Get Real.  And those who are career welfare.  Go Get a Job.  Anyhow....

Back to the coupon thing.  I met somebody at the grocery store who shares my love for coupons, she and I plan to put our heads together and see what we can come up with for here in Central Florida. 

Angelina