Jenna. Apr 5. Couponing Attempt #4.
Pictured is $111.05 worth of items from CVS. Spent $22.72. That’s 79.6% savings! [If you want a list of the items pictured, let me know and I'll add it.]
I’ve gotten a few “How you do dat?” questions from various people, and my knowledge is very limited, but I’ll share what I do know – and most of it will sound like Greek to a couponing novice.
1. Shop at multiple stores. “Pharmacy stores” like CVS & Walgreens want your grocery business. Their incentive programs [ECBs & RRs] save you lots of money in the long run on things you use every day. The stores I frequent (but not all every week) are – Target, Kroger’s, Walgreens, CVS. Every once in awhile I’ll go to Wal-Mart, but they don’t double coupons and they don’t really like internet coupons. One-stop-shopping has become a thing of the past for me.
2. Multiple transactions using the incentive programs. You get much more bang for your buck if you don’t have to spend as much up front.
3. Don’t break your bank for a good deal. It will come around again.
4. Sometimes store cashiers have no idea what is on sale from week to week. And, some of them don’t take the time to read the coupons correctly. Make sure you know which stores stack coupons and which stores double or triple coupons and you will walk away with free items more often than not.
5. Check your receipts and don’t be afraid to ask for your money back if you don’t get to use your coupons because you get distracted by your daughters jumping up and down in the shopping cart or screaming. [Wait, never mind about that tangent.]
Those are just a few rules of thumb. Here are blogs I read which provide the knowledge you really need -
Surviving the Stores - This is my friend Rachel H’s blog. (We served in the college ministry together at FBC during A&M days and now her husband is at seminary in Ft. Worth.) Rachel provides the best step-by-step explanations/instructions I have ever seen for getting the best deals at Walgreens especially.
Southern Savers – There are lots of readers here. She provides sales lists for all the stores I shop at. (A lot of sales, especially at grocery stores, are regional or vary by store…) She also has great “getting started” basics for beginners.
Adventures in Couponing – This is an almost brand-new blog written by our friend Melanie! I especially liked her suggestion to mail expired coupons to military bases – their commissaries take coupons up to 6 months past their expiration date. Who knew?
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