Tips & Tricks

Apr
26

“I don’t get this couponing thing.”

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I got an email from Linda yesterday and I want to share it here, because I know some of you might be able to relate to how she’s feeling. Here’s an excerpt (with her permission, of course):

I see on Facebook or even when you watch extreme couponer, toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, cans of soup, frozen food items, etc., etc., etc.,

People show on Facebook a picture that they just went shopping and look at the deals they just got.  I look at it and my first reaction is that is great then I look closer and I am like where did they do this?  Where did they get those coupons, because I don’t have them, what am I missing in coupons?  I get the Sunday paper plus sometimes in the mail on Wednesday you get smart source.  I get papers at dollar tree and I have a friend that gives me theirs too.

I have my whole binder very organized and I feel that when I can only get great deals on laundry detergent what am I missing?  People getting single paper towels for .25 how?  Packages of toilet paper for a dollar?  No less they are name brands!  Tooth paste free!

I don’t get it.

Linda, I think there is a combination of things happening here, so let me separate them out.

Inaccurate and/or Misleading Information

Shows such as Extreme Couponing have sparked the curiosity of people who had no idea savings rates on groceries like that were possible. You definitely get a shock factor as coupon mavens leave a store with a haul worth hundreds having only paid pennies. However, these shows rarely explain exactly what is going on. This is a disservice for the people would benefit most by learning how couponing really works.

Consider:

I actually wrote a post not too long ago called “I Can’t Do it Like Extreme Couponing,” and I highly recommend you pop over there for additional thoughts I had on this very topic.

Blogs and websites (including this one!) also sometimes highlight an exceptional shopping trip to demonstrate the power of combining shopping and sales. But this should never be taken to mean that these are the kind of trips all couponers do all of the time. For most of us, that sort of crazed deal shopping is unrealistic and unsustainable. This is why I’ve made an effort to share some of my more realistic shopping trips as well as my best ones. Consider someone who loves fishing. They don’t take pictures of all the small fish they catch (or worse, the days they catch nothing). No, they proudly photograph themselves with the “big one” they caught. I truly think that’s what happens in the couponing world a fair amount of the time.

The Reality of Couponing

There is an elephant in the room that I don’t see many coupon bloggers addressing outright, but I’ll do so and get it out there.

It would appear that over the past few years some of the awesome sales, coupons, and offerings have declined. There could be a number of factors why this is the case (for instance, rising grocery costs, coupon fraud, etc.), but it definitely seems to be true. For instance, this year I failed to see a strong Quaker oatmeal sale in January as I have in years past. I’ve also noticed some coupons have been appearing less and less frequently in the inserts and online (Huggies coupons, anyone?). And more and more coupons are now adding stuff in the fine print that wasn’t there before (such as P&G’s “limit 4 like coupons” remark on their coupons). I also had a very candid conversation with a major food manufacturer last year who indicated to me that they have reduced offering coupons in direct response to their being misused.

I don’t say this to discourage you, but I feel it necessary to be honest that the coupon climate seems to have cooled off a bit over the last year or so and it’s good to go into this with a realistic expectation of how much you can save. If you’re working to eat more whole foods and produce or you have some other specialty diet, you probably need to lower that expectation even a bit more.

How you can improve your couponing

Given that, let me share some tips for improving your results with couponing (and doing so ethically and sensibly!):

  • Pay attention to drugstores like Rite Aid and Walgreens. Generally speaking, there are freebies nearly every week! If you’re not sure where to start, check out my blog each Friday night. We post coupon matchups here for both of those stores, showing you exactly where those freebies are. (And yes, we have shared FREE name-brand toothpaste many, many times on those posts.)
  • Find out who in your area doubles (if anyone). If you live in Western Washington, Albertsons is just about it. You can find freebies nearly every time Albertsons offers twice the value coupons.
  • Start following a few coupon blogs. You can follow them on Facebook, subscribe to them, or as I like to do – follow them in Google Reader! This way you can quickly search for deals that matter to you. I wrote a post once on how to find frugal blogs for your area or preferences.
  • Learn how store sales cycles work. I save more from following store sales versus using coupons.
  • Attend a coupon class. If you’re local – I have one May 30th! Any good coupon instructor should be able to walk you through the process of saving, step by step. It may be helpful to hear someone in person.
  • Start tracking your savings. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest through the trees. For this reason, I encourage you to track your spending and savings for one month – see what coupons and store sales are actually saving you. You might be pleasantly surprised!

I want to stress here that coupons are only part of the savings equation. This is why I spend a lot of time talking about topics like gardening, buying food in bulk, making your own items from scratch, and meal planning. I also believe in a realistic, sensible approach to using coupons. My family of four spends $400/month now on groceries through the combination of strategies mentioned above.

Finally, I want you to know that there are a number of ways people approach couponing, and that’s OK! Many of my readers ONLY use coupons for health, beauty, and household items so they can free up their budgets for buying grass fed beef and organic produce. Others will do the crazy sales (such as Albertsons twice the value promotions) for their stock-up items and then fill in the rest the best they can. Others plan their meals around coupon deals, while others still will only use coupons in a blue moon instead opting to save money in other ways.

I would love for my coupon buds out there to offer some additional thoughts, encouragement, or advice for Linda. Do you feel that shows like Extreme Couponing (or even blogs) misrepresent how much coupons can really save you? How have you worked to improve your couponing?

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Apr
12

Chasing the deal: where do you draw the line?

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If you’ve used coupons for any length of time, you’ve inevitably had one or more of the following scenarios happen to you:

  • Went to the store to do a deal, found bare shelves.
  • Followed an unadvertised tip on a coupon blog, but your store didn’t have it.
  • Your cashier wouldn’t allow you to use the coupons indicated on a blog’s scenario.
  • Your store didn’t have the tearpad coupons you were hoping for.
  • Even after multiple visits with your raincheck, your store didn’t restock.
  • One of your $1 coupons didn’t scan and you didn’t realize it until you got home and read your receipt.

Why is it that these little bumps in the road can really get our goat if we let them? In fact, I’ve spent more time fretting about the one $1 coupon that didn’t scan than the $3 splurge impulse item I just bought at the store. But which really cost me more money?

I fell into this trap recently on a POM deal at Safeway. Of course, the free POM was out of stock, so I got my raincheck like a dutiful little couponer. I ended up making about 3 phone calls and 2 extra trips to redeem that raincheck and I never got my POM! In the meantime, the coupons expired. Talk about a waste of time! I should have known better, but there’s this urge to get a screaming deal that I have to keep in check. If you’ve been couponing, you might know the feeling….. how badly you want to leave the store with a $0 on your receipt and a bag full o’ freebies so you can come home, take a photo, and share it on Facebook. Silly, when you really stop and think about it. All that being said, I still have to work to stop, and carefully weigh the question “is this deal worth chasing?” before I pop in the car.

As we all know, time is money. On the course of my coupon journey, I’ve learned that my time is at least as valuable as my money (and some days, more!). So when I’m considering chasing a deal, I try to assess the risk versus benefit. Yes, this might sound a bit like I’m making an investment and not going shopping, but hang with me a moment….

  • Low Risk: based on experience the store should have plenty of stock, I have the coupons in hand, the transaction/scenario is straightforward, the store is within 3-5 miles driving radius. I may need to go to the store anyways for other items. The item is something my family regularly uses or needs.
  • Medium Risk: fair chance that the store has the stock I want, I have most (if not all) of the coupons I need, I’ve done similar transactions/scenarios successfully before, the store is close enough to me or where I’m going today. I’ve had a mix of successful and failed trips at this store before. Our family would benefit somewhat from having the item.
  • High Risk: deal reported as “unadvertised” or “your results may vary” on blogs, you need to gather the coupons from the store or other source that may not be reliable, store is inconveniently located to me. The item is hot, may be a money maker, and is something being shared across multiple national coupon blogs and forums. I’ve had prior disappointing trips at the store. The item isn’t something I’ve considered needing previously.
If you’re unsure of the risk, you can always do a couple things to clear it up! For instance, you could call the store and ask about the stock or clarify price points or coupon policies quickly over the phone. You could also engage coupon bloggers and/or their readers (social media sites particularly work well!) and see if the deal has worked for others before heading out yourself.

Now I don’t formally stop and go through this process every time I consider a deal, but these are definitely things I think about after many successful coupon shopping trips, and many wasted coupon shopping trips. By assessing risks and benefits and giving yourself permission to sit out deals when they don’t make sense, you could potentially spare yourself a lot of frustration and wasted time and gas.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Do you have a line you draw for yourself on deals you won’t pursue? Maybe it’s a certain store you avoid like the plague, a certain deal, or type of transaction? Do you set limits on yourself in other ways to guard your time while you snag up the deals?

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Mar
26

My Whirlwind Adventure at Seattle’s Vegfest

My husband had to work for a few hours on Saturday, so I decided to take the kids out to Seattle’s VegFest while he worked.

Once at the Seattle Center, it took us a little while, but we did find the Exhibition Hall. The cost was $8 for me, and the kiddos were free. I thought it would be a good chance to check out some vegetarian and vegan companies since I’ve still not gone back to eating animal products and am seriously considering making a life change at this point in the game.

The place was VERY busy. In fact, as soon as we walked in, we found ourselves in a mess of a line (if you could even call it a line) for Odwalla bars and juices. Navigating it all with a stroller made it a bit more challenging. Navigating it all with two children fighting for turns in the stroller made it even more challenging.

I decided pretty quickly that this would not be a leisurely “get to know all these great companies and try to network with them” sort of a trip. It was just packed and loud and crazy. I quickly devised a plan to race through the place as fast as I could and get my money’s worth.

As for the samples? Pretty fantastic!

Here Piper samples a very tasty pink sprinkle donut – all vegan! She didn’t actually sample too many things, but my son on the other hand, has become quite the adventurous taste tester lately! He tried everything from cucumber pineapple juice to chickpea curry and lots of stuff in between. And he had a good attitude about it, too. (We’re still working on sister – but in the meantime, vegan donuts and ice cream samples it is!) There was also this AMAZING saffron pistachio smoothie stuff that I MUST find. So good….

At one point I was walking down an aisle with Indian food samples on one side and the Vitamix demonstration on the other and I realized I was sandwiched in. We were NOT moving. I should probably mention that I’m a bit claustrophobic. Crowds aren’t usually a trigger for me, but at that moment, I knew it was time to get out. Thank goodness for the kind lady who must have read the panic on my face! She leaned over and asked, “do you want me to get you out of here?” and I said, “yes, please!” and just like Moses’ staff, she parted the Red Sea of the VegFest craziness so my kids and I could make it out unscathed. (Thank you, kind lady!)

All told, we only spent an hour in there. I could’ve spent longer, but having the kids with made for a harried experience. (Those with small kids know what I mean.)

The best part was the coupon and sample loot I ended up with:

The So Delicious booklets were my favorite – they contain $8 in coupons each! I also found a RARE Daiya coupon. I do have a couple concerns about some of the coupons, though: 1) will I even FIND half of these items at stores near me? and 2) some of these companies are really small and may not be used to coupon campaigns. One coupon reads “store coupon” on it, when it’s clearly a manufacturer’s coupon. Another coupon had NO barcode, just a series of numbers for the cashier to key in. Could make for some spicy checkout experiences.

After we left my son insisted taking a picture by the Chinese lion statue. I told Piper to strike a pose.

And then of course, my kids got to walk back through the water fountains.

Because my kids were such sports, I took them for a treat at the Starbucks afterwards. We sat down so they could enjoy their snack. And then my daughter announces VERY loudly “I have to make a poop!” Few things strike fear into the heart of a mother quite like those words uttered in a public space. So it was a quick pack up the snack and hurry to make it to a restroom. After that little pit stop, I decided we’d had enough fun for one day and it was time to go pick up Daddy from the fire station.

It was then my daughter decides this was NOT how she wanted to spend her time in Seattle. Maybe she’d tried one too many healthy juices or granola bars, but she decided this was NOT a fun day. Her idea of a fun day would’ve consisted riding up and down the Space Needle at least a couple times and paying a visit to the Children’s Museum and then chasing pigeons around the fountain or something. I am sure I got more than a few looks as I pretty well ignored her little crying meltdown and worked our way to the car.

Oh, but not before I insisted we take a picture to commemorate Mommy’s bravery for hauling the two littles by herself to the Seattle Center, to a vegetarian festival, no less.

So would I go again? Probably, yes, but I wouldn’t bring the kids and I’d try to get an earlier start. Oh, and I’d bring my husband and make him drive. That drive to the I-5 entrance from the parking garage was torturous.

Incidentally, Terry was curious if the VegFest would basically be a bunch of hippies with dreadlocks banging on drums. I assured him that no, that’s the FolkLife Festival, which doesn’t happen until May. (I’m thinking I should just go ahead and mark my calendar for that now as vigorous drum beating would no doubt fall under Piper’s definition of a “fun day.”)

I’d love to hear from you. Did you go to VegFest this weekend? What other fun food festivals do you look forward to attending? Ever find some great coupons or samples at food festivals?

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Feb
20

Five Common Couponing Pitfalls and how to avoid them

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There’s a saying that goes something like this: “mistakes are our greatest teachers.”

As I was reflecting on my couponing journey a few days ago, it occurred to me that so much of what I do now that’s RIGHT was the direct result of getting it WRONG somewhere earlier along the way. It can be so easy to get caught up in the excitement of couponing that you miss the bigger picture – and the subtle pitfalls that’ll get you if you’re not paying attention. In an effort to amuse you spare you some of the same mistakes, I thought I’d share a few pitfalls I’ve encountered.

Pitfall #1: Overspending.

Sure those coupons save you money on this transaction or that shopping trip, but guess what happens if you don’t mind your overall grocery budget? Yes, you can overspend! This may seem counter intuitive, but it is entirely possible to spend more than you were before coupons if you don’t pay attention. You are particularly susceptible to this when just starting out, getting gung-ho about snatching up every deal and building your stockpile.

How to avoid this pitfall: Make sure you set and stick to your grocery budget! Consider using my free Savings Tracker to see exactly how much you spend and save in a given month. Try to focus most (if not all) of your shopping on one day a week, and limit the number of small deal gathering trips you do each week. Those $5 and $7 trips can really add up if you don’t pay attention.

Pitfall #2: Letting coupons tell you what to buy.

One of the advantages of using coupons is that you may get to try products you wouldn’t have otherwise – for free and sometimes, better than free. But be careful thinking that you must use every coupon. It’s not a deal if it’s going to sit in your pantry and no one in your family will touch it.

How to avoid this pitfall: Plan your meals weekly and look for stock-up deals that truly matter to you and your family. Don’t feel bad letting coupons expire – even high value coupons. You can share them with friends or send them to overseas military who can use them up to 6 months past expiration dates.

click here to read three more pitfalls…

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Feb
13

“HELP! My coupon binder was stolen!”

Last night, reader Anita left this message on The Coupon Project Facebook wall:

The ULTIMATE tragedy has struck…. My coupon binder was stolen out of my vehicle on Friday. And Yes, i actually cried over it! What is this world coming to? I’ve couponed for 3 years and never leave my home without my 3″ overflowing binder. I had to pay full price on everything I purchased this weekend – that was painful. I’m so bummed and lost without it. Any suggestions on how to rebuild? Better yet, anyone have any inserts from the last couple of weeks?
The Coupon Project- What would you do if your binder was stolen?

Anita, let me offer my condolences! Putting a coupon binder together requires a lot of time, care, and love. I imagine part of your upset wasn’t that you just had the coupons stolen – but that the work you’ve done to carefully save your family money was taken away. Your tears are understandable.

I wanted to share this in a post today because unfortunately, I’ve heard of this happening before. I have a few ideas for rebuilding your binder, but I also wanted to give readers who have “been there, done that” a chance to offer their tips and advice, too. (And maybe a virtual hug!)

Rebuilding your Binder

Tip #1. Buy something cute. If I were to lose my binder, I’d definitely be upset. So in order to look for the silver lining, I’d look for a new binder in a bright color or fun pattern. Something that would lift my spirits, or give me a positive new outlook. This is an opportunity to start fresh, so give yourself something pleasant to look at. I’m afraid if I bought the same kind of  binder, I’d be feeling even more the weight of having to start all over. This doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune – consider Target (which usually has sales & coupons) – or a store like Fred Meyer. If you’re a Rewards customer, you likely just got a 40% off any one stationery item in the mail!

Tip #2. Build a “wish list” of coupons. I would also begin to think – what are the coupons I frequently reach for in my binder? The ones that make a dent in my budget? Write them down! Instead of feeling like you have to come up with a binder full of coupons overnight, consider the ones you most need/want – right now. Then begin to tackle your list. Some ideas for getting the coupons you need, fast:

  • Phone or write the manufacturers. Explain that your insert coupons were stolen and that you love their products and are missing their coupons the most. Can they help you?
  • Visit the manufacturers’ websites and/or try to locate printable coupons via a coupon database, such as the one at HotCouponworld. Try to fill in the gaps of insert coupons with great printables.
  • Ask your couponing friends & family! Remember, you might have better luck if you can be specific in what coupons you are looking for.

Tip #3. Shop at stores that offer low prices. Until your coupon binder is back up and running, why not take it as an opportunity to put your super shopper skills to the test? Check out a new store or two! I’d wholeheartedly recommend Grocery Outlet, for starters. They offer fabulous prices, plus they don’t take coupons – so you won’t feel like you’re missing out! Another store worth checking out is WinCo Foods for their bulk foods section.

Readers who have been through this before – what advice or encouragement would you offer? And if you’d like to reach out to Anita, you can find her message at The Coupon Project Facebook wall. 

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Jan
17

Finding your stores’ “hot spots”

One of the benefits of shopping at the same stores frequently is you can begin to notice trends such as when items may go on clearance and where they are put in the store.

My QFC has a “discontinued/manager’s special” shelf near the dairy section. While there tonight, I scored big. Check out what I found:

The large cans of fruit cocktail were just $0.59 each (regularly $1.13). It looked like perhaps it was on sale because the “Healthy Kids” variety had been discontinued. Who knows? I also found a nice jar of canned mangoes for $1.29 and the smaller canned peaches were $0.49 each, half off as well!

A few notes about shopping in clearance:

  • Identify where your store(s) tend to put clearance. I usually find them on a back shelf, towards the back of the store. I have an Albertsons that likes to put clearance in shopping carts down the freezer aisle. My Fred Meyer often intersperses clearance items throughout each department, so I’ve come to learn where the bedroom clearance section generally is, and where I might find wicker baskets on clearance.
  • Identify when your store(s) tend to put items on clearance. Did you watch last week’s webcast? Christy shared that Target has a definite rhythm to how they clearance departments. If you note a particularly hot clearance sale, pay attention to the time of year. Sometimes you can identify a trend and be prepared for the next year! Never hesitate to ask your cashier or store manager for information, too.
  • Pay attention to expiration dates. On the cans I purchased tonight, some will expire in May of this year, so I didn’t go hog wild. Others were good through 2014.
  • Remember your coupons! In many cases you can use coupons on clearance items! This includes many Groupon offers for retail stores, too!
  • Plan ahead using seasonal clearance. Many of you took advantage of Christmas clearance sales and will be more than prepared for next year’s holiday season (which always comes around faster than you realize!). Last year I found Easter egg kits for $0.19, so I picked up a couple. You can also carry this principle to clothes and gift buying.
What other tips do you have for identifying clearance sales or markdowns at your store? Find any great scores yourself recently? Share!
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Greet your houseguests with stockpile goodies!

December 22, 2011

My mother-in-law is coming to visit with us starting tomorrow and as I was cleaning the bathroom, I suddenly got an idea! You know how when you stay at a hotel, they have items in the bathroom to make your stay a bit more comfortable – lotions, shampoo, soap? I thought, hey – why not [...]

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Progress report: my bread making skills are improving!

December 20, 2011

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I’ve struggled with making food with yeast. I wrote about my best attempt in 2010 in a post entitled Yeast: My Nemesis no More. This bread worked…sort of. But it was a bit dense and flat. Even if yeast wasn’t entirely my nemesis, it [...]

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20 Meals I like to make from my pantry

December 20, 2011

We’ve been eating from our pantry a lot recently. When it really comes down to it, chances are there is something for dinner! I thought I’d get a post going sharing some of the meals I’ve discovered I can make on the fly, with very few ingredients. These aren’t recipes per se, but meal ideas [...]

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Six things we did to save on our Disney trip

December 1, 2011

Of course the best way to save money on Disneyland is not going at all. Let’s face it: Disney is expensive. VERY expensive. But for some of us? A trip to Disneyland is something worth saving and planning for. Disneyland has a very special place in my family’s history… When my mom was a little girl, [...]

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