Couponing with Katy: Part 1

 This is the first in a multi-part series on couponing!!  They will be guest posted by Katy of The Frugal Chicks.  I will also be posting some info about organizing your coupons and the different binder/organizers out there. Enjoy!! ~Allison

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 Change the way you menu plan, grocery shop, the way you eat, get ready for a NEW outlook on the grocery store!

~ No more late afternoon runs to the grocery store to get what you need for dinner

~ No more weekly menu with its accompanying list of groceries to be purchased regardless of price

~ No More Huge monthly Shopping trips

~ No more wholesale club size Mustard to store somewhere...

~ No more running out of dish detergent, toilet paper, paper towels and spending a fortune on them.

Get ready for using coupons to buy items and stock piling when items are at the lowest price point.  Someone loose a job?  Lose some extra income?  No problem! Your stock pile will keep you going for some time.  Menu plan on what it is on sale and in your freezer.  You will learn to shop, be organized when shopping, and save $$ in your pocket!  So let's get started with where to find coupons....

Once you get started couponing, you will start noticing them everywhere...

And so will your children.  My kids will go MOM it's a coupon ohhhhh and come running with them in their hands.  Start ‘em young is what I say!

Places to find coupons:

1. Inserts from your local newspaper or an insert company

2. Printable Coupons

3. Peelies, Catalina's, tear pads, and blinkies

4. Facebook, Manufacture sites, in store promotions

5. All You Magazine

So let's start with talking about #1 Inserts. Inserts can be found in your Sunday paper (sometimes weekly papers also). There are three different inserts that come out on a regular basis: Smart Source (SS), Red Plum (RP) and Procter & Gamble (PG). I always suggest buying 4 papers’ so that you have multiple coupons for awesome deals like free deodorant, razors, toothpaste, etc.You can always to subscribe to your local paper.

I have read many theories into what makes one newspaper's inserts better... Some suggest its cost of living for the area, hence why many extreme couponers tend to order West Coast Inserts while living on the east coast. You can also order online from various insert companies. One I have used is  www.MadCoupons.net

#2. Printable coupons

Printing coupons from your home computer is safe, free and easy! The first time you print from any source, you’ll be required to download quick and safe software so that you can print securely from home. After the software is installed, printing coupons is just a click away! Most only allow you to print twice per IP address. I tend to print what it will allow me too. (You’re saving up for a big sale) Some sites to check out are:

Coupons.com
Smart Source

Red Plum

Coupon Network

Target Coupons

3. Peelies, Catalina’s, Blinkies, Tear pads:

Catalina: They are coupons that print out at the register after your sale is complete. It is a separate machine that is just for printing out coupons or dollars off. Sometimes abbreviated as “CAT”, Catalina coupon machines located at register dispense long receipt-like coupons that may be used on a future purchase. Catalina’s, refer to the coupons themselves which may be manufacturer or store coupons. Some Catalina coupons are advertised and some are generated based on consumer behavior.

To find out what Catalina's or sometimes called "Your Bucks" are in your stores/area, go here: Catalina's

Blinkie: (Red Smart Source machines in a lot of stores).Manufacturer coupons dispensed by coupon machines found in grocery aisles next to products. Recognize them by the blinking red light. Dispenses coupons one at a time in intervals. Manufacturer blinkie coupons may be redeemed at any store, not necessarily the store in which you found them.

Tearpad: Coupon pads located in stores to promote products. Tear pad manufacturer coupons may be used at any store, not just the one where you found the coupon.

Peelie: Adhesive manufacturer coupons found on products in the store. Peelies are often good on a wider selection of products than the one it is stuck to. Be sure to read the fine print on the peelie to discover if the coupon may be used on a smaller size or different variety of the same product, to allow you to maximize savings.

 

4. Facebook, texts, manufactures sites, in store promotions, rebates:

If you haven't noticed all the manufacturer's offering special deals and coupons on Facebook, what Rock have you been hiding under? As I stated earlier you will start to notice coupons everywhere. We post coupons like this as soon as we spot them on our Facebook page. Manufacture sites also have coupons to print (we post these too).   P&G has a site where you can sign up to get coupons mailed to you every quarter, with some great deals inside.

Another great way to get high value coupons is rebates, where you send in a receipt, and you get a coupon book back. Sometimes Stores have in store promos where you can taste a product and get a coupon.

5. All You Magazine is a wonderful magazine you can pick up at Wal-Mart or subscribe to that is chock full of coupons every month. 

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Katy is a 30 something mom of 3 who loves coupons, meal planning, and feeding her family healthy, natural, and organic for as cheap as possible. She has one daughter who suffers from numerous food allergies, and a son with autism. It took a revolution for her to figure out that what they eat affects them a LOT. She has been using coupons since she was a teenager, but just recently started the big stores like CVS, Walgreens etc. She was taught how to coupon by her great aunts who are now 90 and 98 and continue to shop Only on Weds at Kroger. Katy has a blog at http://totallyrandomkaty.blogspot.com/