The Coupon Project

Planning your Post trip to Albertsons

 

 

What am I doing this morning? Well, clipping out all my Post coupons for the Albertsons' sale that starts today, of course!

If you're wondering how to work this sale with lots of coupons, limited coupons, or even no coupons, I highly recommend you check out this "post on Post" Fabulessly Frugal has put together. They've given some great transaction ideas to make sure you get the best bang for your buck. 

While you're at it, you may also wish to watch this Vlog on how to determine how much cereal you should stockpile. The principals they talk about would also carry over to other items you're wondering how much to stock up on in your home.

Thanks, ladies!  

Fashion Swap: a fun way to get clothes for FREE!

My friend Rebecca has been apparently organizing fashion swaps at our church for a few years now. I got to attend my first one ever last nigt. I had such a positive experience and wanted to share with you how it worked in case you wanted to organize something similar with your group of friends, church, etc.

First we were asked to bring clothes we no longer wanted. The ask was that they were keeping with current styles and in good condition. Once I arrived at the church, I was shocked to see how many women were in attendance and how it was set up. It looked like a store!

 
There were three rounds, each lasting about 10-15 minutes. During each round, each lady could pick ONE item. This way there was some control! After the third round, we were able to take as much as we wanted. It was so much fun! There were shoes, handbags, dresses, pants, jewelry...you name it. 

 

I was honestly a little nervous how this would go. After all, what if I left empty handed? What if I didn't find anything I wanted?  Well guess what - I ended up with a garbage bag FULL of new clothes! My favorite find was probably a Polo black sweater. I also found a great brown wool sweater, a couple dressier shirts, a couple skirts and some basic tees. I'm known to usually wear jeans, one of my shirts from my past races, sneakers, and a sweatshirt. My wardrobe got a nice little update last night and it didn't cost me a thing!

 
Thanks, Rebecca - for organizing this. You win TWO extra big gold stars for helping the women of our church look stylish - and still keep it frugal!  

Last night's 24/7 Moms webcast

Missed the show last night? Want to see it again? Now you can!

Couponing 101 / St . Patrick's Day Ideas With Trisha Novotny and Angela Russell from www.thecouponproject.com

Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm and 9pm PST at 24/7 Moms webcast - there's a different topic and giveaways every week! It's completely free and easy to participate.

March is here! So what's on sale?

 

 

I like to pay attention to what comes on sale and when. Why? Because about 60% of my savings or better just comes from buying store sales and loss leaders. The coupons sweeten things up! When you find those deep discounts, you'll want to stock up as reasonably as you can afford and have room to store. 

Here are my best predictions on what we should find on sale for the month of March.  

First, you should be aware that this is National Frozen Food month. Last year, the promotions weren't too great, but I got word from Fabulessly Frugal that Albertsons is kicking off some rather HOT frozen food deals - combined with the 7-day doubler coupons in yesterday's paper, there WILL be some freebies. I also noticed Safeway might have a decent frozen food promotion running - I'll be sure to check that out today and report back! Look for items such as frozen vegetables, pizzas, appetizers, ice cream, and in particular, frozen seafood items.

Because we're in the Lenten season, we're going to continue to see some great fish and seafood deals - both fresh and frozen. At the moment, we're seeing deals on corned beef and cabbage in preparation for St. Patrick's Day. 

It's also National Nutrition Month. I'm hoping this means we'll see some great deals on items such as salad mixes, healthy/organic food items, and vitamins. However, I doubt we'll see the stores push this as hard as Frozen Food Month.

Other predictions?

Cold Medicines. I believe this is the last month we'll see really good stock-up prices on cold rememdies until fall (think cough syrup, cough drops, etc). However, we might start seeing more deals on allergy medicines as the weather warms up.  

Cleaning Supplies. If I recall correctly, last March we saw some pretty darn fantastic sales on products such as Clorox, Lysol, Windex, and the like. I stocked up perfectly on these items - I'm just starting to run out! I noticed there were a fair amount of coupons for cleaning products last weekend, so I think my hunch may be well founded. By the way, why cleaning products now? Two words: SPRING CLEANING.  

Soup. We're already seeing less of the Campbell soup deals, and I imagine those great "warm you up" food promotions will start to entirely drop off.  

Baking Goods. I hope as we approach Easter we'll find some good promotions on baking essentials such as butter, cream cheese, flour, and sugar. This is a guess; I don't recall from last year.  

For fun, you might want to see this great list of National Food Holidays. While I doubt we'll see a promotion for every one of these, some might be worth celebrating on your own:

March 2: National Banana Cream Pie Day
March 8: National Peanut Cluster Day
March 14: National Potato Chip Day
March 18: National Oatmeal Cookie Day
March 21: National French Bread Day
March 26: National Spinach Day (parents, see any fun ideas here?)
March 28: Something on a Stick Day
March 31: National Clams on the Half Shell Day

Are these posts helpful to you? Let me know. I will say this - I've been paying a lot more attention to sales this year (even more so than last) so I can further develop my what goes on sale and when notes for you.    

Guest Post: Shop with Confidence!

Did you know that I still get butterflies when heading to checkout? Like all of you, I want to ensure my transactions go through smoothly and build that confidence when heading to checkout with my coupons. I recently asked fellow bloggers (and seasoned couponers) Seattle Moms Deal Finder if they could assist me in sharing their thoughts on this topic. They graciously agreed; and here are their great tips.

Here are a few tips from the expert shoppers at Seattle Moms Deal Finder who can help us learn to shop with confidence, build relationships, and get the bargain!

Tip #1: Do NOT be afraid to ask for discounts! Here's a perfect example: While out shopping for a wedding gift at Macy's, I kicked myself for not searching for coupons first. I selected the wedding gift, and then proceeded to checkout. As I set my item on the counter, I asked the cashier if there were any discounts or coupons I was not aware of for this (insert date/weekend/week/holiday/season). He pulled open his drawer and said, "Yes!" and scanned a 15% off savings pass. I flashed him a sincere smile (because I was extremely appreciate) and went about my day. Remember that everything is negotiable, and typically all you have to do is ask.

Tip #2: Build relationships that have both give & take. Don't think, "what can this store do for me," think to yourself, "what can I do for this store?" By establishing this type of relationship, both the customer and store owner will be fulfilled. Here's a scenario: While visiting our favorite drop-in play center, I inquired if the owner had any special events or coupons we could promote on our blog (I understand that not every mom has a highly trafficked blog); however, many moms have a circle of friends and companions. We committed to advertising the play center for her, and she told us to select a day when admission would be waived for all our readers and myself. Commit that you'll bring in a few customers to the so-called next event, and before you know it, they'll commit something to you.

Tip #3: Don't be nervous! Remind yourself and YOU are the customer, YOU are spending money, and without YOU, they may not be successful! If you need to chant this as a mantra, do so, if you need to talk to a store manager, do so; but don't feel nervous for asking how to qualify for discounts or money savings. One method that works for me is shopping with a like-minded money saving mom. Try not to shop with friends who pretend that coupons aren't cool (you know we all have friends like that). Shop with someone who will support you in your endeavor that a penny saved is a penny earned.

Tip #4: Shop at non-peak hours. If you are worried about being scrutinized for using coupons at checkout, try to shop with cashiers that are at beginnings of shifts, or do not have pressures with long lines. I love to shop at either 8 am or 11 pm, both of these times have been favorable for me with cashiers and fellow customers. Also, try to leave your kids at home (if possible). Shop when you're calm and the stores aren't crowded, chances are cashiers will be in a like-minded mood.

******

The Seattle Moms Deal Finder blog was created by two Seattle area sisters who are dead-set on finding Seattle area steals and deals, local promotions, on-line bargains and more. You don't need to be a Seattle resident to enjoy the deals they find! Become a fan today!

Photo credit Jean Scheijen

Fun couponing chat over coffee this morning

I had the pleasure this morning of meeting with my friend Jenny at her weekly moms' group! What a great idea - each week, these ladies take an hour and a half out to chat over coffee while their kids play downstairs. They even arrange childcare to ensure they can truly enjoy themselves. From what I gather, every week they'll find a different topic to discuss. This week they wanted to talk coupons, so can you guess who they called?

I only had an hour because I got horribly lost (sorry ladies!), but you know what? I think I managed to encourage a few of them how to save money. Have you ever explained to a friend how to get started with couponing? After doing this a few times, I think I've come to understand the importance of FIRST starting with the bigger picture, and THEN drilling down to the "nitty gritty." (And yeah, I've converted more than a few people as a result of these talks!!) Here is a recap of what I shared with them today: 

1. Frugality is about saving money and time. As a busy work-at-home mom, my time is valuable. I'm sure yours is, too. In doing a deal at the store, my goal isn't just about saving money. It's about saving time. So if I find a great deal on basic food or household items, it's worth it to me to spend an extra 15 minutes planning the trip if it means I will save myself extra trips at the store for those items in a month or two. This is also how the freezer cooking fits in. I don't mind investing a little time on the front-end if it means I save twice or thrice the amount of time at the back-end.

2. The majority of your savings will come from sales and store trends. I can't stress this one enough. So many people get hung up on having to use a coupon for everything. But actually, most of my savings just come from shopping store loss leaders or paying attention to what's on sale when. For instance, I've mentioned that Superbowl season is great for buying Mexican food ingredients, frozen items, chips, snacks, chili, and soup. The coupons work to make the savings sweeter.

3. Start simple. Find even one or two great deals a week to stock up on. Again, these may or may not involve coupons. That's OK! Even if I wouldn't have had a single coupon, I still would've participated in last week's Quaker sale at Albertsons, because I know that $1.40 for a 42-oz tub of old fashioned oatmeal is a GREAT price. Continue to buy the items you need doing the best you can. Shop at stores that are less expensive. Buy generic. Buy in the bulk bins. Use your head a little. And watch those unit prices!

4. Every family saves differently. One family might care about only buying grain-fed beef. That's OK, then save on your toilet paper so you can afford it. Another family may only want salon-brand shampoo. Fine, how about saving on rice and pasta? One family might just really have a lot of fun gathering all the "freebies" at the stores with coupons, while another family can only manage to hit one store per week. You know what? This is all OK! So long as you are making a meaningful dent in your budget and so long as you feel like you're bringing your household into balance is what matters. This is not a race; this is not a competition. Your grocery cart may look vastly different from the couponer's next to you.

5. Have fun! I firmly believe couponing should be fun and that far too many of us take this seriously. Sure, we can all perfect our "couponing skills," but if you save $10 at the store using coupons, great job! That's $10 that you would've spent otherwise. At the end of a year, that's $520! Be patient with yourself as you learn and enjoy the process. Share what you learn with friends and trade coupons, "freebies," and encourage one another along. Give what you can't use to friends, family, food pantries, and shelters. Be generous.

Even though I didn't get into all the specific details about couponing, I feel these gals "got" it today! So if you have someone you've been trying to explain couponing to, I encourage you to try this approach. Get them to understand the bigger picture of what you're trying to acheive with shopping sales, couponing, and stockpiling. THEN the details will start to make sense.

Good luck, ladies!

If you want to learn more about getting started, why not check out the tab I've aptly named "Getting Started?" You'll find my very best posts geared to helping you save money.

Reader shares stylish & small coupon organizing system!

Reader Julie emailed me earlier this week and shared some of what she's doing to stay organized. I asked her if I could share the photos she sent me, because I think this is a great example of another way you can organize your coupons and trips. I always stress that the organizational system that works best is the one that works best for you.

Here's the scoop on Julie and her family: they are vegetarian, and always looking for a good deal on healthy, organic items such as soy milk, canned beans, and pasta sauce. Even though the majority of coupons she comes across might not fit the bill for her, it's still worth the savings for the coupons she CAN use!

Julie realized that she didn't need a very large coupon binder. So she decided to use something small and stylish. And, in a very frugal move, she decided to use something she already had: this awesome Wonder Woman planner!

At the beginning of each week, Julie uses this ShoppingCheatSheet table she came up with to outline which stores she hopes to shop at during the week. She keeps a tab in her book for each store to organize the receipts and coupons related to each store.

 
She then ordered these business card holders to store her coupons. Neat, tidy, and ready for the store!

 

Remember, you're only going to save money couponing if you've: 1) gathered coupons in the first place and 2) know where they are to retrieve them. Last week, I found a file in the bottom of my office's cabinet labeled "coupons and promotions." This file was likely started about 7 years ago in my pre-couponing days. What's the moral here? Out of sight, out of mind.

Thanks for sharing your planner, Julie! Oh how I wish I could keep things as neat and tidy as you!

Making sense of coupon matchup posts

 

 

I recently had a friend ask me to do a post on the basics of understanding coupons. Of course, I have my Coupon Lessons and a number of other helpful posts in Getting Started, but I don't know that I've ever done a post on just understanding what coupons are telling you and how to make sense of the weekly drugstore (Walgreens, Rite Aid) and grocery deals (Albertsons, Fred Meyer) that I post. Well, no time like the present!

Let's take a real-life example. Here is a deal I included on my Fred Meyer post this week:

DiGiorno or California Pizza
$3.99 each with in-ad coupon (first 4)
Stack with $1/1 DiGiorno coupon from 1/24 SmartSource
Bottom line: $2.99 - $3.99 each

What does this mean? Let's take a look, line by line. First line: the item. In this case, the sale item is good for EITHER brand - DiGiornia or CPK. The second line indicates you should look for a coupon in the ad. Unless otherwise indicated, in-ad coupons are issued by the stores. Think of these as sales. These are discounts the store is giving you. In this case, you can present that ONE in-ad coupon and receive the $3.99 price for up to 4 pizzas! 

The third line reads "Stack with $1/1 DiGiorno coupon from 1/24 SmartSource." This is telling you that I was able to locate a manufacturer's coupon that also relates to the sale. In case you were unaware, you CAN stack a manufacturer's coupon with a store coupon at almost every retailer that I can think of - or at least the ones that I cover on a regular basis. In this case, the $1/1 means you'll save $1 off 1 pizza. (If it read $1/2, it would mean you'd save $1 when you buy 2, and so forth). The 1/24 SmartSource reference simply means where I found the coupon - in the SmartSource insert from the January 24th Sunday paper. In order to do this deal, you'd head to checkout with both the store coupon (from the ad) and the manufacturer coupon (from the 1/24 SmartSource).

I like to include a "bottom line" on my posts. This is simply what you should expect to pay after all discounts. In this case, if you bought a DiGiorno Pizza and used the store and insert coupon, you'd pay $2.99. If you decided on a CPK version, you'd pay $3.99. Make sense?

Here's where your thinking cap is important! When matching sales, coupons, rebates, and any other promotions, it's important that you overlap your deals correctly in order to yield the best savings. Let me give you an example. I'm making this one up, but it's similar to deals we see all the time.

Campbell's Soup
$0.50 each with in-ad coupon (first 4)
Stack with $1/3 coupon from 1/24 Red Plum
Bottom line: $0.17 each

Pay attention here. The store coupon says you can buy up to four at the $0.50 price, yet your manufacturer coupon will save you $1 on 3. The best savings would be to simply buy 3 cans - you are not obligated to buy 4. This will yield you a price of $0.17 per can. If you bought four cans and then presented your $1/3 coupon, you'd end up paying $0.25 per can. Of course, you might feel that the slightly extra savings is worth having an extra can on hand. The important thing is that you understand how to weigh the costs and your family's personal needs so you can make the smartest decision.

Let's talk about one more kind of deal I'm likely to post: one that involves a lot of coupons. In fact, I posted one like this over the weekend:

Ritz Crackers
$1.99 each when you buy 10 
(10) $1/1 coupons from 1/24 SmartSource
Submit for $10 Nabisco Rebate
Bottom line: FREE after coupons and rebate

This is what I'd call a "deal suggestion." In other words, how you'd be able to yield the greatest possible savings out of this deal. Notice however, in order to make all 10 boxes free, you'd need 10 coupons. Do I think most of my readers have 10 coupons? No. But I know some of them do. It's how you'd ideally do this deal...how much you could potentially save if you had the coupons to do it.

Then why, Angela, would you post such a deal at all? Just to frustrate your readers? Not at all! Remember, most of my savings come from store sales. Coupons sweeten things up. Use your head a little, and you'll see this would be a great deal, even without coupons. Consider: $1.99 for a box of Ritz isn't a bad deal to start with. Nabisco is offering you a $10 rebate, which would make the boxes $0.99 apiece. For every $1 off coupon you have, your price per box drops $0.10. Make sense? I bet I had 3-4 coupons myself. If I would've done this deal, I would've ended up paying $0.60 - 0.70 per box. Definitely stock-up worthy, in my opinion.

My goal is to do more than just show you deals - I want to help you make sense of the bigger picture. I want you to become Savvy Shoppers, capable of making common sense decisions to save you money. 

I'm going to add this post to my Getting Started tab for future handy reference.   

How do you start building a stockpile when there's NOTHING in the pantry?

 

 
Reader Jennifer left a very good question at the bottom of one of my posts this week. I felt it deserved answering in a separate post and not in a quick comment. Here's what she writes:

I need help! I'm new to this & I'm not sure what to do in the meantime while trying to grow my stockpile. I currently have 0 groceries & I mean that literally. The fridge is empty for some condiments, eggs, and a few bagels. The cupboards are bare except for cans of soup....This is mostly because I'm so busy at home with my baby and hubby is so busy at work we just haven't had time to shop.

I just started collecting coupons... I'm going shopping tonight and I know that a lot of the coupons expire the end of this month. Should I go ahead and use all of the coupons (that expire soon) to stockpile items that I need anyway even if they're not on sale? I hate for the coupons to go to waste & then end up paying full price anyway...  

Jennifer, I'm going to do my very best to take you from square one to stockpiled!

Let's start with your last question - and it's a great one. Should you use coupons just because they're about to expire? In short, NO!! It sounds like you're in a place where you simply NEED some food. Here's what I propose you do. Head to the store with your coupons, but pay attention. Often you'll find the generic counterparts are cheaper than the name brand at full price with a coupon. Your goal is to simply find the lowest price on the items you need - coupons or not.

So let's talk about two kinds of shopping that we do as couponers and I think this will clear some things up. First, there's NEED-BASED SHOPPING. These are the items you need for the week ahead to complete your meals. For instance, produce, dairy, bread, meat, and/or anything you don't have in your stockpile. When you are starting out, most of your shopping will likely fall into this category. But as your stockpile grows over the months, you'll notice the items on your NEEDS list declines. You'll also learn how to become a more savvy shopper and you'll discover how to find deals on these items.

The second type of shopping is STOCKPILING. The idea here is that you buy items your family needs and uses when they are at their low prices. By using coupons on low prices, you sweeten the deal. But let me get something straight - not every stockpile deal uses coupons! I've stockpiled cans of broth when my store had them for $0.33 each. Don't think you MUST use coupons to stockpile! If you find a good deal, go for it!

Knowing this, how do you start? I recommend that you start each week with a meal plan - do not go to the store willy-nilly to buy things you "need." Make sure every item has a purpose. The items on this list become your NEEDS-BASED items. Do your best to find deals on these items, but do not stress! I like to shop at Fred Meyer or Winco for items I need but aren't on sale. I know that because these stores generally offer lower prices than their competitors, I'll be saving money. For more ideas, read this post I wrote about how to save money without using coupons.

With your need-based shopping out of the way, start to slowly add in a few stockpile deals each week. For instance, you might find a deal on soup you like. Try to get as much as you can reasonably use and store before it goes bad. I also recommend you start slow so you don't overwhelm yourself. Ease in! I also recommend you start looking to acquire household and personal care items such as toilet paper, shampoo, soap, and toothpaste as soon as you can. Why? Because you can often find these items very cheap if not free and these items can easily eat into your grocery budget otherwise. I think they'll make the biggest difference in your budget the fastest.

So how can you find these great stockpile deals? Well, are you not reading this blog?! Each Saturday night (hey - that's today!) I feature Walgreens and Rite Aid matchups. I also do Fred Meyer deals. All of these come late in the evening. On Wednesdays, I tackle Albertsons. Simply scan through my list and pick and choose a few deals out that make sense for you. I'll tell you the sale prices, which coupons to use, and what you can expect to pay. After awhile, you'll get the hang of it and you'll be able to find similar deals in nearly every ad you pick up.

I decided this morning to give this post a great visual, so I turned once again to my friend Mr. Excel:         

 

I created this chart to illustrate how your shopping might look now and how it might evolve over time. Suppose you ordinarily spend $100 a week at the store. For the first couple months, you may continue to spend this amount. However, the composition of your trips will be different. Now you'll start looking for better prices on the items you need and you'll begin to carve out a small portion of your budget to stockpile. 

As the months progress, you should notice a couple things. First, the amount of the items you need each week should slowly go down. Why? This is simple. As your stockpile grows, you'll be able to draw on those items to complete your meals. The second thing you should notice is that you'll be spending less overall. You'll also begin to notice that different items go on sale at different times of the year. This means it's going to be important to cycle through one calendar year to fully develop your stockpile. 

At 12 months, I would say I've seen the biggest savings in my budget. As of late, I've devoted more of my budget to stockpiling - particularly meat and other "more expensive" stockpiling deals. I couldn't have afforded to do this at the beginning. Three months from now, the chart may change again. But the conclusion is I've ended up with a nicely rounded stockpile and am spending less overall. Of course, your personal shopping and stockpiling needs may yield a different chart...but this illustrates how it *might* look for some.

Jennifer, I hope this serves to help answer your question. I also encourage you to read the series of coupon lessons I wrote - you can find them in Getting Started. I know I have a lot of knowledgeable and talented readers and would love their input too!   

Reader discovers the "new" way of shopping

 

 

One thing that seems to perplex the non-couponing community is why the content of our shopping carts just look...different. After all, do we really need 10 boxes of cereal, 3 tubes of toothpaste, and 20 cans of tomatoes for the week? What exactly IS this all about?

Reader Julie sent me a great email last night explaining the epiphany she had about shopping. She writes:

When I first got started in November, I was pouring over coupons, making my list then going to the store for a week's worth of groceries and trying to keep straight exactly which brand and how many of each item to buy to make it worth my while. It was taking me 3 times as long to get through the store... I was a little irritated that couponing seemed to mean that I'd have to give up my evenings to go shopping... and I'd spend 2 hours making my list, extra time at the store, and the bottom line was I'd save around $7. WHAT?! My time is worth way more than that! 

I think many people that start out with coupons do exactly what Julie did here. You try to just "work coupons in" to what you're already doing: your weekly trips to the store to buy the food you need for that week. And understandably, you'll end up frustrated and your savings probably won't amount to much.This is not how I recommend you go about using coupons either. 

Fortunately, Julie's story does not end there. Here's what she realized:
   
Then something snapped. I don't know if it's something I read or what, but it hit me that if I did it all right, I didn't have to purchase 75 unique items in one shopping trip (not an unusual week of shopping if I had recipes and such). The idea is that if I planned right and bought lots of the same thing when it went on super sale and I had the right coupons to coordinate, a regular weekly grocery trip would likely include milk, eggs, bread, and some fresh produce.

BINGO, Julie! What you've described is stockpiling and it goes hand-in-hand with couponing.

Julie's shopping has gone much smoother since she had this simple revelation about buying items her family needs and uses when they are at low prices and simply buys the dairy and produce she needs to round out her menu for the week. She continues:

My mind feels sharp, I feel like I've won a victory for the family and for myself. My head is swimming with ideas and I'm excited and that feels awesome. 

Here's the part I loved. In her follow-up email to me, she told me this:

Last night my husband said dinners were better since I started shopping this way.

Well I'd say that's a perk! When your pantry starts to round out, you'll have many ingredients to choose from to encourage your culinary inspirations and creativity. To review: couponing and stockpiling should work to reduce your time in the store, liven up your dinners, and cut your grocery budget.

Want to read more about this topic? In October, I shared how your mindset about grocery shopping will need to change once you start couponing. You might want to read this post on how to build a stockpile. And if you're still hungry for more, check out the "Getting Started" section of my blog.

Thanks, Julie, for sharing this! I'm sure it will encourage other readers getting started. As a reminder, I fully encourage my readers to share their testimonials and pictures of their deals! Please read how here, and then email me at thecouponproject at hotmail dot com and you just might be my next reader feature!

Photo credit David di Biase