Basic coach-ess Lesson-SHOP STORE FLIERS

If you're new to couponing, my recommendation would be to start gathering your coupons and organizing them. And if the thought of utilizing all those coupons right away is overwhelming (and it IS, at first), don't fret...Try shopping from fliers first--- meaning don't buy everything at Publix, Sam's or Wal-Mart. That will not save you money.

I have heard so many people say they don't have time to shop at more than one store- well, then you're paying for convenience and that's ok; you may find other ways through this journey to save money. But for this blog post, we're going to focus on shopping from fliers (or is it flyers- I don't know! I could google it, right?)

I am a mom of 2 young children and I work part-time and we only have one vehicle BUT you can find the time to do quick shop trips. I love doing this.

Most store fliers are on-line but I find having the actual paper flier helps me. I take an 8/5 x 11 piece of paper and fold in half; twice, so I have four sections. Each section is for a different store and what I will be purchasing from that store. I keep it folded and in my coupon organizer I keep in my purse. I use both sides of the paper so you technically have 8 squares. This may sound elementary but it is a great way to keep many lists separate. And if I happen to have a coupon for an item, I put a c with a circle around it beside the item (My college roomies and me started this back then!!! Remember Jan, Jodi and K?)

This is a great way to start- even before coupons. Also, utilize your drugstores!!! CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreen's- they are GREAT resources for even food-related items. I get my basic spices at Rite-Aid for 79 cents! I also just got Softsoap 7.5 oz for 79 cents each at R-A too- cheaper than the dollar store!!!

So be flier, flyer friendly!!!!

Here we go............

cc

How to do 'coupon match-ups'

Now that you've cut out your coupons and have your flyers. What now?

Coupon match-ups are what you do with your coupons and your flyers. But there are blog and/or websites that people have done it for you- isn't that a beautiful thing????

I mainly follow matchups for Walgreen's, CVS and Rite-Aid but you can find blogs for any other store in most states. The following websites are seasoned shoppers and I have learned so much from them! Please leave them a comment letting them how you found them.

A couple of my favs:

http://myfrugaladventures.com/
http://neverpayretailagain.blogspot.com/


For those regional readers (mostly New England), I will be doing my own coupon match-ups for Hannaford, IGA (yes, we still have one here!) and Shaw's, starting with Hannaford so stay connnected with me.

Here we go.................

Coupon Workshop 1.27.10

This post is what I talked about during a parent meeting at my daughter's preschool. After this meeting, I began to realize how much MORE I wanted to talk about it. As I try to organize this blog and customize to how I want it, all this workshop information will be in my blog.



Coupon Workshop
January 27, 2010



How do I start?

What do I need?

How do I organize?



Target
• Get 5 cents off for every reusable bag
• Printable coupons available at Target.com
• Flyer comes in Sunday newspaper

Shaw’s
• Shaw’s card
• Doubles coupons up to 99 cents
• Printable coupons available at Shaws.com
• Discounted bread section by the eggs
• At the end of the frozen aisles, discounted items
• Gas discounts for purchases over $50 (excluding alcohol and tobacco products)

CVS
• CVS Rewards
• Buy 99 cents tag for your reusable bag and get money off every 4th purchase
• Earned Cash Back on some purchases

Walgreen’s
• Flyer available online and in-store
• Coupons in flyer

Rite-Aid
• Join Rite-Aid Rewards program
• Flyer comes in weekly free newspaper in the mail
• Rebate program

Hannaford
• Gardiner- section in front of pharmacy with 50%-75% off items

Wal-mart
• Free samples available on Walmart.com
• Flyer available online

K-mart
• Coupon books available in-store
• Flyer available in Thursday’s newspaper, in-store or online


AC Moore/Michael’s
• Flyer and coupons in Sunday’s newspaper
• AC Moore Rewards


Freebie websites
1. Mommysavers.com
2. Freesamplefreak.com
3. Myfrugaladventures.com
4. Freebies4mom.com
5. Neverpayretailagain.blogspot.com
6. Savingmoneyplan.com

Coupon websites
7. Coupons.com
8. Smartsource.com
9. Redplum.com
10. Afullcup.com
11. Retailmenot.com (online discount codes)

Reward-type websites
12. MyPoints.com
13. Inboxdollars.com
14. Shespeaks.com

Helpful tips:

1. Wal-mart/Store brand/BOGO isn’t always cheaper (but with coupons it is!)
2. Buy milk and bananas at gas stations
3. Stacking coupons
4. Go to manufacturer and/or product websites, leave comments
5. Look for coupons in the holders in the aisles
6. Look for peel-off coupons and use another time
7. Use coupons on back of receipts
8. Use coupons printed separately at grocery stores (Catalina)
9. Utilize rain checks