This post is about coupons and it is a bit lengthy, but has lots of good information.
The world of using coupons has changed greatly over the past few years. You can find coupons in the Sunday newspaper, in magazines and online. You can stack coupons now too! There are different types of coupons. The main one is manufacturer coupons put out in the Sunday newspaper (you can find them online too). There are store coupons put out by specific stores (Target and Walgreens are 2 that come to mind). There are also reward coupons/gift cards that come with certain purchases.
Here is some brief information on stores in our area. If you want more detailed information, you can talk to me or go to one of these websites (the passionforsavings is based out of northwest Arkansas). There are lots of websites out there, but I use these 2 the most. Do NOT rely solely on them. Some of the deals listed on the sites are not available in our area. That is why it is important to check the ads each week to see what applies to our area. I usually look at the ads and then look online to see if I’ve missed something. The great thing about these websites is they will tell you where to find coupons to make the sale a great deal, whether the coupon is in a magazine or online or in a newspaper.
http://www.passionforsavings.com/
Target: I didn’t used to shop a lot at Target since their prices are higher than Wal-Mart, but I now get great deals there using coupons. On the Target website, if you scroll all the way to the bottom, there is a link that says coupons. That will take you to their store coupons and you can print them off. Here’s the fun part: you can stack a Target coupon with a manufacturer coupon. They almost always have a Huggies Target coupon for $1.50 and I get $3 Huggies manufacturer coupons in the mail. That gives me a discount of $4.50 off a package of diapers (savings of 45%). Their sales run from Sunday-Saturday each week. You can find their ads online or in the Sunday newspaper. If you look closely in the ads, you will see they now offer Target gift cards with certain purchases. I sent Matt to Target to buy diapers, wipes, body wash and deodorant. The price before coupons was about $70 and the after price was about $32.
Price Cutter: They DOUBLE coupons up to $0.50. That means, if you have a manufacturer coupon for $0.50 or less, they will double the value of the coupon. They had Crest toothpaste on sale for $1.50 and I had a $0.50 coupon which made the toothpaste $0.50! If I have a coupon that they can double, I will go there in stead of ad matching with Wal-Mart. Their sales run from Wednesday – Tuesday each week. You can find their ads online or in the store.
Wal-Mart: I hate using coupons here because most of the cashiers are ignorant when it comes to coupons, but I still do. They except manufacturer coupons. Their sales vary and they don’t usually have an ad any more. Sometimes I see one, sometimes I don’t.
Walgreens: Probably my favorite store now. Like Target, you can stack a Walgreens coupon with a manufacturer coupon. Sales run Sunday – Saturday. Walgreens coupons can be found on their website and in their newspaper ad. They also have a monthly booklet they put out for free that can be found by the cash register where they have the store flyers. By stacking the coupons, you can get some great deals. They have a register reward program with is a coupon that prints off when you buy certain items. This coupon is good for money off your next purchase (has an expiration date usually for about 2 weeks after the purchase). An example of a recent purchase: the new Gillette Fusion Razor was on sale for $9.89. I had a manufacturer coupon for $5 off and they were offering a $4 register reward on that item. So I paid $4.89 and got a $4 coupon to use on my next purchase, which I did and so the net total ended up being $0.89 (shh, don’t tell my dad because he got one for Father’s day from me). The Carthage Walgreens has started putting limits on hot sale items because people have been going and clearing out the shelves on the first day of the sale. You will start to notice the “limit 1 per customer” signs. Walgreens can be a bit tricky, for more information, ask me or go to one of the websites and they have more detailed information.
Aldis: They do not except coupons in any form. They do have great deals though.
Sam’s Club: They do not except coupons in any form. They have great deals if you’re wanting to buy in bulk. If you don’t have a Sam’s account, buddy up with someone who does and go and see what its all about. I buy baby formula from there because it is way cheaper than any other place. The amount I save on baby formula pays for the year membership. It’s a good place to buy over the counter medicine if you take it that much.
In 2002, the Prophet instructed us to get our 3 month supply of food and household items gradually (this includes everyday pantry items, toilet paper, deodorant, toothpaste, etc). Then our water supply. Then he says to get a reserve of money. Then he says to work on the year supply of food storage. This was a change from the previous way of thinking about just long term food storage. The biggest point to remember about food storage is: STORE WHAT YOU EAT AND EAT WHAT YOU STORE. Do what you can and the Lord will help you with the rest. Only store what you will use; otherwise you will find yourself giving it away or throwing it away before the expiration date arrives.
If you’re using coupons to buy not only food items, but things like shampoo and deodorant, you’ll be saving money on a lot of items. Then you can either spend that money on more storage or put it away for your reserve of money. It has been suggested that a 3 month supply of money to pay bills is a good starting place for a financial goal. Then add to it when you can. Another idea for a financial goal is to have the yearly deductible for things like health insurance, car insurance, dental, etc. That way if an accident happens, you don’t have to look around for the $500 deductible you have to pay.
I will be posting about good deals on here hopefully on a regular basis (I’m not making any promises though). If you are out and see a great deal, write a comment on my latest post to let us all know or you can email me and I’ll post it.
My favorite reason for using coupons is it allows me to buy name brand items for less than the cost of the generic brand. If you start looking at labels, you will see there is a difference in where the two are made. Most (not all) generic brands are made over seas. A lot (not all) name brands are made in the USA. As a personal choice, I try to buy products made in the USA when possible. Also as a personal choice, I will not buy products from certain countries. Using coupons is a lot of effort, but it can be very worth while.
My email address is: victoriamurray86@gmail.com. Feel free to email me or chat with me on Sundays. I will post later on about good ideas for storing and organizing coupons. I will also post about ideas for storing the items you’re out buying. If you end up with a great deal share it with us.
