Supermarket Savings Part 3

As you start making the most of supermarket savings and coupons stockpiling will become an important part of your program. This is the process of buying items on sale in quantity. It will take a while to get your stockpile built up, but once this is done you will always have items on hand.

Match up your coupons with store sales and then purchase several of the same items. I frequently combine pasta coupons with a sale and double coupons (doubling the face value of a manufactures coupon) getting it free or just a few cents. I will usually get several of these and store them. I do the same with rice and frozen vegetables. These are all staples in my house, so it makes sense to have them stockpiled.

If an item is free or only a few cents, but not something you would use consider getting it to donate to a food bank or homeless shelter. If an item is a really good price such as $1.00 for Marie Calander’s Pasta Al Dente, but you won’t use it, then don’t purchase it. It is not a good deal for you. Don’t get caught up in how much you can get for how little. Remember the goal is to save money. Money spent, no matter how great the deal, is money out of you pocket. Make sure it is something that you will use or donate.

If you have limited storage space and the idea of stockpile scares you then consider some unconventional storage for dry good. Plastic under the bed storage containers make great storage for dry and canned goods. You will not see large supermarket savings and will quickly become discouraged if you don’t stack coupons, shop sales and stockpile. Plastic or metal containers stacked in the corner of a garage or storage shed with canned goods and dried goods would be another idea of a place to store you stockpile. Label the containers and keep track of what you have on hand.

Shop smart, take all your coupons with you to the store (for an unexpected deal), build your stock pile and watch your supermarket savings grow. Have fun and don’t get stressed out by the process.

Follow these simple steps you will start to see a reduction in you food budget. The supermarket savings will start to add up.

Supermarket Savings Part 2

Stacking coupons will help you get the most supermarket savings. What is coupon stacking? This is the process of combining a manufactures coupon with a store coupon and/or an e-coupon.

What is an e-coupon? This is a coupon that is loaded onto your shopper’s loyalty card. Kroger and its affiliate stores are the only ones participating at this time. There are currently three companies offing e-coupons, Cellfire, Shortcuts and P&G Brandsaver. Visit each website sign up and decide which coupons you wish to load to your card. The coupon will remain on your card until it is used or until it expires. These can be combined with paper coupons. The e-coupon will only come off one time. If you have four of the same item and an e-coupon, only one item will have the e-coupon applied. You cannot load multiples of the same e-coupon.

A second type of e-coupon exists. This is through the Upromise program. It works the same in that you add it to your loyalty card, the difference is the savings is applies to your Upromise account (a college savings program) rather than being deducted from your bill. Also more stores participate in the Upromise e-coupon program. Go to Upromise, sign up and start not only supermarket savings, but a college savings fund as well. This can be for anyone you know. It does not have to be for your child.

Most stores allow stacking coupons. You can not combine two manufactures coupons. Also, it is important to purchase the exact item and size stated on the coupon. If for example, you have a coupon for Marie Calander’s Pasta Al Dente you cannot purchase another Marie Calander’s frozen dinner with it. Make sure when stacking coupons they are for the same exact item.

Another way means to maximize your supermarket savings is to combine the manufactures coupon with a sale. Many staples such as pasta, rice, and frozen vegetables will end up being half off (regular price) or more. Combine the coupon with a BOGO and the item could even be free. If your supermarket features double coupons then the savings can be awesome.

Follow these simple steps you will start to see a reduction in you food budget. The supermarket savings will start to add up and you can also have some college savings.

Supermarket Savings Part 1

This is a guide to Supermarket savings with coupons. You may be wondering how you can really save all that much with coupons.

It is possible to get items half off or more with proper coupon techniques. The most supermarket savings will be achieved when a manufactures coupon, store sale or promotion and a store coupon are all combined.

You may find yourself shopping in more than one store each week to get the most supermarket savings. As time goes on you will learn the best way to get the most savings.

Future parts of supermarket savings will explain step by step how to use coupons, sales and web resources to get the best deals and the most supermarket savings possible.

Walmart Coupon Policy

Below is the official Walmart Coupon policy. If you have an issue, talk to the customer service manager and then the manager on duty. Don’t let a cashier tell you that they don’t take internet coupons. They do as long as they meet the criteria listed below.

Walmart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below):

· Manufacturer coupons (Cents Off)

· Free merchandise (or manufacturer's Buy-One-Get-One-Free) coupons

· Store coupons

· Pharmacy (Advertising and Promotional) coupons

· Internet coupons

· Soft drink container caps

The following are guidelines and limits:

· Walmart only accepts coupons for merchandise we sell and only when presented at the time of purchase.

· Coupons should have an expiration date and be presented within the valid dates. Walmart will not accept expired coupons.

· Internet coupons should be legible and say "Manufacturer Coupon." There should be a valid remit address for the manufacturer and a scannable bar code.

· Only one coupon per item is permitted.

· Use of 40 or more coupons per transaction will require approval by Customer Service Manager.

This is the link (http://walmartstores.com/7655.aspx) for the official Walmart Coupon Policy.

The Drug Store Game!

1. You will need to have some seed money to get started. This does not have to be a lot of money.
Once you buy an ECB-extra care bucks (at CVS), Register Rewards (at Walgreens) or rebate qualified product (at RiteAid), you can roll over this money future purchases for other items. You want to make sure that you always get as much if not more in ECBs, Register Rewards or rebates. This way you will always be spending their money not yours.

2. Be sure to read the details of the rebate* item.
If the rebate* is for Claritin Liquid gels 24 count you won't be able to use it on Claritin RediTabs 24 count or on Liquid gels 60 count. You must purchase the exact item listed. You must also purchase the exact number of the item listed.



3. Find the ads and saving programs for each store you want to work with.
CVS will require you to sign up for their loyalty program. You can do this in one of two ways. In the store ask for and Extra Care Card Application, fill it out and receive you card on the spot or you can sign up online and receive your card in the mail prior to going to the store. Once you sign up you will receive an Extra Care Card. The Extra Care Card is how you earn Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) which are essentially rebates that work just like cash at CVS — but they expire one month after you receive them. The ECBs will print off on the register tape at the bottom of your receipt.

CVS has several ways to earn ECBs. You will earn 2% back in ECBs for each purchase you make using your Extra Card. These rewards print on the bottom of your receipt each quarter. Earn $1 in ECBs for every two prescriptions you purchase. These rewards print on the bottom of your receipt each quarter. Extra Care Bucks can also been earned in two other ways. There is a monthly Extra Care booklet — the items inside of it will either be on sale or earn you Extra Care Bucks throughout the entire month. Then there are weekly ads that come in the Sunday newspaper (or you can get them at the store / online). The weekly ads will feature some ECB specials as well as sale items.

Walgreens (WAGS) program is a bit different. You are not required to sign up for a loyalty card program to take advantage of Walgreens Register Rewards program.

Register Rewards (RRs) work very similar to Extra Care Buck offered by CVS. When you purchase an item that offers RRs the RRs will print on the bottom of your receipt. They are good for two weeks. There is no limit on the number of these you can earn, on repeat trips, since no loyalty card (that tracks your rewards) is involved.

Rite Aid is different from both Walgreens and CVS. They don’t offer any kind of instant rewards. Their program is a rebate program call Single Check Rebates (SCR. You will need to get a single form rebate booklet each month. These are available in the store. A check can only be requested once per month so do not request your check until then end of the month. Register online for single check rebates at www.ritheaid.com or fill out the form in the rebate booklet and mail it with all of your reciepts.

4. Start collecting Sunday newspapers and coupons
The easiest places to get coupons are the Sunday paper and online. Make sure you are aware of the coupon insert schedule. This will keep you from buying a paper on the rare Sunday there are no coupon inserts. The insert schedule also shows that April 5th there will be two SmartSource inserts and one Proctor & Gamble insert. Normally there is just one of each.
Once you buy a paper open it up the coupon sections and grab some scissors. Cut out everything of any remote relevance to you. And even items that you aren’t sure you will even use because one of the stores may run a deal where by using the coupon you’ll get the item for free. This may seem pointless — why get an item you won’t use for free? Well, you may have another coupon that states your total subtotal on your receipt has to reach a certain amount to get a discount. That item might get you over the top and save you a ton of money. You can then donate the items you won’t use. This will make more sense once you start playing the Drug Store Game.

5. Organize your coupons.
Some people choose not to cut out the coupons from the Sunday Circulars, but instead just punch the circular and place it in a notebook. Other use baseball card sheets or heavy page protectors to hold their clipped coupons. Still another method is to place them in an expandable file. You will have to decide which method works best for you.


6. Don’t expect huge rewards immediately.This won’t result in hundreds of dollars worth of savings in the first week It may take you several weeks even a couple of months to start to see big rewards--suddenly you’re getting a buy one get one free (a.k.a. BOGO) deal and using a coupon that makes both items free. Take your time and have fun as you play the drug store game.
* rebates= ECBs, Register Rewards, or Rebates by Mail.

Coupon Lingo

Get to know the coupon lingo. When reading about coupons and couponing tactics it will help to know some of the coupon lingo that you will encounter.
SS - Smart Source paper insert
RP - Red Plum paper insert
PG - Proctor & Gamble insert
$1/2 - $1 off when you buy two
MIR - Mail in Rebate
Overage- means that the coupon is more than the product price so you get extra savings off your bill
YMMV- your milage my vary — meaning you might find the price higher depending on where you live or the deal work a little differently for you at a different store
B1G1 - Buy one item Get one free
BOGO – Buy one item Get one Free

Now that you have an understanding of the coupon lingo you will be able to make more sense of all the couponing information you encounter. Don't be intemidated by the coupon lingo just become familar with the coupon lingo.

Saving with Grocery Coupons

Just as everything else has increased in price so has food. Americans are on an ever tightening budget with the economy in its current state. More and More people are looking for ways to reduce their grocery bill, and are saving with grocery coupons. Grocery coupons are a great way to reduce your grocery bill. Many people are simply casually using a few coupons to save a few dollars off their bills. If you are will to invest just a few hours a week into gathering and organizing coupons, you can easily save 40% or more off you grocery bill.

The first thing to do is to start gathering grocery coupons. These can be found in many different places. The most common place to find coupons is the Sunday newspaper. There will usually be anywhere from one to three coupon inserts in your Sunday paper. Another place to find coupons is your local supermarket. Coupons can be found on the edge of the shelves on tear pads as well as “Binky” coupons, these are the ones in the dispensers with a blinking red light.(These can not generally be doubled) Also you will sometimes find a coupon on a product (a peelie) for instant savings. The Parade magazine in your Sunday paper sometimes has a coupon or two in it. It is worth flipping through it to see. Women’s magazines such as Women’s Day, Self, Red Book, etc. will frequently have a few coupons in them. Printable online coupons from smart source, Red Plum, coupons.com and manufacturers' websites are accepted at most stores.

Now that you have your paper coupons you may want to check out e-coupons. First of all you may be asking what an e-coupon is. This is an electronic coupon that be loaded directly to your supermarket loyalty card. Several e-coupon programs exist P&G eSaver (offering Proctor and Gamble Product Savings), Cellfire, and Shortcuts. Once a coupon is loaded onto your card it will stay there until you have used it or it expires. UPromise.com also offers e-coupons. These coupons apply the value of the coupon to your Upromise account instead of taking the amount off you total. This can be an easy way to save for college.

Once you start you will realize just how much you can save. The important thing to remember about shopping with coupons is to plan your shopping in advance. Combine store sales, manufactures coupons, store coupons and double coupons to get the best value.

As you shop more with coupons you will start to change your focus. What you will need to do to get most out of your grocery coupons is to stock pile items when they are on sale and avoid impulse purchases. So grab your sale papers and coupons to start saving with grocery coupons.