Articles & News About Money & Coin Collecting

Couponing 101: Saving Money Clipping Coupons

You've probably stood in a checkout line behind someone who has a coupon for every item they've purchased, and it seems like eternity until they are finished. But, they probably saved over 50% to 80% off their grocery bill in that few minutes!

How, you ask?

If you want to try your hand at snipping scissors for savings, first you need the coupons! The best source for coupons is in the Sunday newspapers. The inserts are tucked in the middle with the advertisements.

With the cost of a Sunday paper usually ranging from $1.00 - $1.50, it is a good investment with sometimes hundreds of dollars worth of coupons. And can you believe most people throw them away? Ask your friends, relatives and neighbors to save the inserts for you. Be on the lookout for businesses who subscribe and leave papers around for customers to read (ie Gas Stations, Laundry Mats). Check recycling bins. "Dumpster dive" if you have to.

On Monday, ask your newspaper carrier and stores if they have any leftover Sunday papers that didn't sell. Vendors usually only have to send in certain parts of the newspaper (ie the heading) of those that didn't sell to get credit for unsold papers. But they still have the coupons inside!

Unfortunately around Holidays, coupon inserts aren't as plentiful. So, you may want to check the Newspaper in the Newsstand on Mother's Day before searching the couch cushions for pocket change. And not all Sunday newspaper carry the same inserts. Some may have one, and another three. And even if they carry the same inserts, the amounts of the coupons may be different! It is common that coupons have a higher dollar value in an urban area over a rural area.

More ways to obtain coupons is directly from the manufacturers. Call the toll-free number on your favorite brands asking for coupons. Telling them first how much you like their product is a good introduction to your plea. Most will be happy to mail you coupons. Also check out to see if the product has a website. Email them or use their contact form to inquire. Don't forget to include your mailing address.

Look over your empty canned goods labels and boxed food items before throwing them in the trash. Usually you can find a toll-free number to call (see above) on the package. Some packages also adorn their own coupons good on their next purchase. And many companies are now participating in Boxtops for Education and Campbell's Labels for Education, so take a second to cut out the little symbol for the school of your choice. Those 10¢ add up fast when many people save, and all schools, public and private alike, appreciate them.

Also look for "hang-tags" on items in the store. Some will say "Save $$$ now" and if you read the print, it does not have to be used on only that certain item. Look for hang-tags on wine, as some offer $$$ off soda, meat or produce, with NO alcohol purchase required.

Another plan to acquire coupons is to beg, borrow or steal from other couponers. Ok, maybe not steal. Barter. If you don't know any coupon locales, you can meet them through Refund/Coupons Magazines and Internet Chat Boards. It is prohibited to actually sell coupons, but you can "purchase" coupons from Coupon Services who charge a "handling fee" per coupon (for their time to cut, sort and mail). You can even bid on coupons on eBay!

The newest way to add coupons to your collection is to print them directly from the internet to your printer (ie FreePrintables.net)! Some stores have yet to accept these thinking they are counterfeit. But printable coupons are definitely the wave the of future. Many sites make you register first, and your name may even appear on the coupon or are barcoded with your information. Others may only let you print one or two of the same coupon before you get a "Sorry you've already printed your quota for that coupon" message.

Once you have your coupons, it is best to have some rhyme or reason to them, so it is easier to find the coupon you want when you need it. You can use a simple recipe box with dividers, a three ring binder with divided pages (like for baseball cards), or you can even buy a "real" coupon organizer.

Then you need to categorize your coupons within your organizer. There are several ways people sort theirs. The most simple way is to organize by generic classifications (ie Baby, Pet, Frozen Foods, Dairy, Paper Products, Health & Beauty, etc). Another way to sort is by expiration date. Couponers with thousands of coupons file the full inserts by the name of the insert (SmartSource, Valassis, Proctor & Gamble) and the date that it came out.

Make a date once a month with your coupon organizer to weed out expired coupons. This can be done easily while watching your favorite show on the television. Your kids can even help. If you have an extra stamp to spare, mail those expired coupons overseas for the the deployed military to use at the commissaries. Some commissaries accept coupons up to six months after the expiration date.

Never throw out any coupons thinking you won't use them! Even if you have coupons for products you know you won't use, you may find those products on sale or clearance and after using a coupon may be only a few cents or even free! Save health and beauty items for gift baskets. Donate canned goods to food pantries. Sell Cleaning Supplies at a rummage sale. You get the idea.

Watch the weekly ads and stock up when something you use is on sale, and especially when you have a coupon for those sale items. Some stores will let you combine a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon (ie Target and Walgreens). Other stores price match if you bring in their competitor's ad. Pricematching is good if the original store is out of stock and your coupons expire before the rain checked items come in. It's also good to save on trekking all over town to get the sales when you could get them all at Super-Walmart, for example.

Ask if your favorite store offers a reward program. Baker's offers a club card you swipe every time you shop to get their discount prices. HyVee's checkout spits out Catalina coupons to use on your next purchase when you purchase certain items. Register all of your grocery and drugstore cards at Upromise.com, and they deposit 1% - 5% of the purchase price of thousands of different brands into a college fund for the person of your choice!

Some lucky shoppers get to take advantage of "Double Coupon Sales" or even "Triple Coupon Sales" where the store actually doubles the value of the coupon, up to a certain amount. For example, the store may advertise "Double Coupons up to 99¢!" Any coupon value 99¢ or lower, will be doubled, but $1.00 and up will be normal value. The store themselves eat the doubled value as an incentive to pull in shoppers.

Be sure to browse the Clearance Sections of your store. Target is known for having deep discounts on their end shelves hidden in the store. Also, if your coupon boasts "Valid on ANY size", buy the trial size! Be sure to calculate if you are getting a deal. Sometimes, it may still be cheaper to buy a generic brand of something, than to use a coupon on a name-brand something.

If the price of a product is more than the value of your coupon (ie Shampoo is 99¢ and you have a $1 off coupon), it is up to the store whether they will give you whole value of the coupon (where you make a profit) or just deduct the cost of the product. Either way, the store will be reimbursed for the full amount of the coupon plus the standard 8¢ redemption fee they receive. So, even though cashiers act like they hate coupons, it's in the store's best interest to accept them.

Rebate and Refund forms are another way to "cash" in on savings. These are obtained the same way coupons are, only they are not as plentiful. The best ones offer "Try Us Free!" Read the fine print, as most require you buy the product within a specific time period, and mail in the cash register receipt (with the purchase price circled) along with the UPC barcode from the product. Mail in as soon as possible, so it doesn't get forgotten about before the deadline. Many, many people forget to mail in their forms or don't read the fine print and miss out.

Stores, like Ace Hardware and Office Max, offer their own rebate booklets where you can take advantage of multiple offers with one form to get cash back. Some stores, like Walgreens, Shopko and Menards, offer their "cash back" in the form of store credit. You can turn around and use your store credit next month to buy new products that are FAR (Free After Rebate)! And you can combine coupons with rebates!

"Triple Plays" are music to Couponer's ears. This can mean that 1) the product is on sale, 2) you have a coupon and 3) the store offers a monthly rebate program. Or 1) there is a store coupon, 2) you have a manufacturer coupon and 3) you have a mail-in rebate for that product. The possibilities are endless. And most possibilities turn out with totally free products.

Unfortunately most perishable items do not have coupons for them. But you can still save! Watch when meat is marked down. Markets must sell their cut meat after so many days, so you can get meat 50% off or more on the cut off day. If you don't need any meat for the next few days to use it, freeze it to use later! Also watch for big ten pound tubes of hamburger to go on sale, as it is a lot cheaper per pound. Buy some freezer bags and divide it up into smaller portions and freeze.

Long timer couponers have year long supplies of certain stockpiled items, like toothpaste, razors, shampoo and cleaning supplies. When they are out of an item, they simply "shop" their stockpile closet. Not only did they save money buying the item, they saved time not having to run to the store to buy it again.

And There's More Coupons!

Watch for coupons to save when dining out at your favorite restaurant, to get a free membership to the gym, or even to save 25% off new clothes at the mall boutiques. These are also found in Entertainment booklets, newspaper ads and printable online.

Now, that you know how to save on most everything you need or want, there are also virtual coupons! Most online merchants offer promotional codes to be used during the checkout process for percentages off your purchase or even free shipping. ShoppingBookmarks.com categorizes thousands of coupon codes for hundreds of merchants. No need to go out now. Sit in front of your computer and have your good delivered to your door for less!

Kim Rowley lives in Pierce, Nebraska, with her four children. She has always had a knack for being frugal, but after marrying young, she has had to cut corners in order to survive. She credits her Ex-husband's grandmother, Marlene Warneke (now deceased) for teaching her the couponing and refunding "ropes".

Kim has saved thousands of dollars due to her thriftiness. Although money is no longer as much of an issue as it used to be, Kim still continues to coupon and refund as it is distressing for her to have to pay full price! Many view couponing as a hobby.

Kim has a Bachelor's Degree in Business, which taught her the basic business skills of accounting, marketing, finance, etc., but it is Kim's knack for saving time and money that has made her professional. Kim owns ShoppingBookmarks.com, an online coupon portal, and is a consultant / contributor for Proctor & Gamble's Brandsaver Division.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Coin Collecting At FindaBook.com
Search For Books On Coin Collecting

The Real Score About Taking Online Surveys For Money
Taking online surveys can get you to earn money, but you may have to be a little more realistic about your earnings. Read more and find out what this means.

TriviaOnNet.com Launches Cash Money Games
Online trivia community offers multi-player real money games and jackpots.

How To Save Money When Visiting Hong Kong
If you?re traveling to Hong Kong on business or vacation, you?ll need to know the cost saving ways to get around the city without it costing an arm and a leg. This handy guide will show you how to save money when visiting Hong Kong on your next trip.

Paid Surveys - The simple man's dream of making money online
Paid surveys are one of those things that fall into the category of ?if it is too good to be true, it is?. There are a lot of sites out there that promote the idea that you can make tons of money taking paid online surveys. The fact is that you could spend as much time taking online surveys as your would spend at a regular job to make the same amount of money or even less.

Home-Based Internet Marketer Sponsors Moms Make Money Seminar
July 11 event will help women discover how to create business at home.

You Can Make Money From Home Online
When looking for jobs you can perform at home, using the Internet is a good way to find them While you should also look in your local newspaper, contact local companies you've heard hire at home workers and attend job fairs, searching online can help you find a job in less time

New Money Making Program Now Available on The Ultimate Online Employment Guide.com
With many middle- and working-class Americans facing difficult times, The Ultimate Online Employment Guide.com now offers the Brock Program, a network marketing system that helps participants start new businesses.

How to Lose Your Money, Fake Your Destiny with Great Success
Everyone talks about how to be successful through hard work and effort. Forget that! I'm going to take a different approach.

A Commercial Mortgage Broker Can Save You Money On Your Mortgage
Even when you have taken the fact into account that you will have to pay fees for the luxury of getting help choosing your mortgage, you can still save a great deal of money with a commercial mortgage broker. One of the biggest advantages of allowing a broker to search on your behalf is the amount of time that can be saved when it comes to getting borrowing. A broker can do this easily as they will know where to look and can go directly to the lender who specialises in the type of mortgage you are looking for.

Earn Money Online with Megan Vaillancourt and Prosperity Automated System
Megan Vaillancourt -- Network Trainer Joins Prosperity Automated Systems and helps more earn money online.

I Love To Lose Money
Well, not really. What I mean is I don't mind losing a small amount when I have to sell a stock or mutual fund that is going down or taking away the profit I have made.

A Quck Lesson in Saving Money
Did you have a piggy bank when you were a child? I did. Mine sat empty for a long time until my mother convinced me that I should really start putting my pennies and nickels into it in order to save my money for when I was older and wanted to buy something.

World Of Warcraft But Gold
Warcraft: Blood Mage

"Beyond Buzz Garners Axiom Gold Medal and Library Journal Best Business Book 2007"
Beyond Buzz helps companies engage in real conversations with customers, garners Library Journal and Axiom Award wins.