Archive for the ‘Couponing Basics’ Category

If you’ve been following The Krazy Coupon Lady for more than an hour, then you’ve heard us BEG you to print your store’s coupon policy to keep with you while checking out.  This way if you run into a cashier or manager who is unfamiliar with coupons or with their store coupon policy, you can whip out the coupon policy and let it do your talkin’ while avoiding a confrontation. In our book, Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey we explain how to go about requesting a copy of your local store’s policy.

If you want the Coupon Policy for the store where you shop, simply copy this into an email, and email it to the Customer Service department!  I suggest requesting that the response be mailed to you (instead of emailed) because a hard copy may hold slightly more value.  The policy will come on company letterhead, and it will have YOUR name on it– you can’t argue with that!

To whom it may concern at ______________________,

My name is ___________________.

I’m learning how to become a Krazy Coupon Lady, and I’m looking forward to shopping in your store with coupons.  Before I begin, I would like to request a copy of your coupon policy.  Can you please clarify your policy and answer these questions?

• What kinds of coupons do you accept?

manufacturer coupons, printable coupons, e-coupons on my loyalty card

• Do you offer store coupons?  Where may I find them?
• May I use a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon on one item?
• Do you exclude any coupons?  Ex: above $5 off, BOGO offers, coupons for free product?
• Do you accept Internet Printable Coupons?  May I print them in black and white?
• Do you match competitor prices or take competitor coupons?
• What is your policy on overage: when the value of the coupon exceeds the value of the product?
• If the coupon exceeds the item’s value, do you adjust the price of the coupon down? Ex: $1.00 off coupon on $0.97 cent product.
• Do you limit the number of coupons I may use per transaction?
• Do your employees understand “one coupon per purchase=one coupon per item”, not “one coupon per transaction”?
• Does your store ever double or triple coupons?
• Concerning Buy One Get One offers:  If your store runs a BOGO FREE promo, may I use 2 manufacturer coupons for the 2 products?  Or may I only use one?
• Are individual stores allowed to impose their own rules or vary from this policy?

Thank you for taking the time to educate me on your store policies.   Will you please mail your response to : [provide your name and address]
Sincerely,

_____________________________________

The number of stores who have a public copy of their store coupon policy online is growing.  Here are all of the more than sixty stores of which we’re aware who have public policies.  Please leave a comment if you have another store that we should add to our list!

• Acme
• Albertsons
• Bartell Drugs
• Bel Air
• BJ’s
• Bloom
• Bottom Dollar Food
• Brookshire’s
• Brookshire Brothers
• Carrs
• Chief Supermarket
• Commissary
• CVS
• Dollar General
• Dominick’s
• Family Dollar
• Fareway
• Festival Foods
• Food Lion
• Fred Meyer
• Genuardi’s
• Giant Eagle
• Giant Food
• Hannaford
• Harmon’s
• Harris Teeter
• Harvey’s
• H-E-B
• Hen House
• Hy Vee
• Jewel
• Kmart
• Kroger
• Lowe’s Food
• Marsh
• Martin’s
• Meijer
• Menards
• Nob Hill
• Pavilions
• Price Chopper
• Publix
• Raley’s
• Randall’s
• Ray’s
• Rite Aid
• Rosauer’s
• Safeway
• Save-A-Lot
• Shop Rite
• Smith’s
• Stater Brothers
• Stop N Shop
• Target
• Tom Thumb
• Tops
• Trader Joe’s
• Vons
• Walgreens
• Walmart
• Wegman’s
• Weis
• Winco

photo credit The Frugal Find

I can’t go into a wholesale club without cringing.  Everything looks ridiculously overpriced.  Things like bottled water, barbecue sauce, frozen chicken breasts, soy milk, dish and laundry detergent…the two-pack of cereal that costs a whopping $8.00 . . .  I can’t believe they’re succesfully getting people to pay an annual fee just so they can turn around and rip them off with cereal mark-ups!

When I became a Krazy Coupon Lady, the first time my wholesale club membership was up for renewal, I canceled it and used the money I saved to buy several newspaper subscriptions for coupons.  Now all I miss about my old wholesale club are the fresh tortillas!  Don’t worry, my friend buys me the uncooked tortillas and I trade coupons for them, so I’m gettin’ by!

In case you need a shining example of why you should NOT be shopping at members only wholesale clubs, take razors:

This week Schick 3 or 5 blade razors are Free at EACH of the 3 national drugstores: Walgreens, CVS & Rite Aid.  The razors come with an extra cartridge, so if you purchase 6 razors, that’s 12 cartridges, or about a year supply.  There are both $4/1 Schick 3 and $4/1 Schick 5 razor coupons in today’s paper, so with only 3 copies of the paper, you’ll get a year supply of razors for free.

OR. . . you can pay an annual membership fee AND pay $45 for 15 blades at Costco. . . you do the math.

I am trying to print coupons from my computer, and many of the websites are asking me to download something or give out my personal information. Is this safe?

Many of the coupon website require that you download their software before you print coupons. This is a One Time Step and is completely safe. It’s just a few quick steps, and then you’ll be on to printing your coupons. Companies like coupons.com, smartsource.com and redplum.com require a software download. These companies are VERY legitimate and safe.

Manufacturers offer coupons to print from their websites. Many of these coupons are offered in exchange for you signing  up for an account on their site. I recommend creating a separate email account to use only when signing up for coupons and free samples. Many times you will receive follow-up emails from these companies, and I don’t like to fill my regular inbox with these offers.

You may notice sometimes they ask for your birth date. Usually, this is to insure that you are over 18, and it will not be used for any other purpose. If you are not comfortable with this, you can give a birth date that is similar to yours. For example my birthday is in June- but I often give 01/01/(my actual birth year).

You may also want to select “Autofill” on your browser. This way, when you are signing up for all the different coupons, you will save a little time because it will automatically fill out the forms. Once you do it the first time, the rest of the offers you sign up for will be a breeze!

A Krazy Coupon Lady executes her deals with precision each week.  Having a solid organizational strategy is a vital part of what we do!  If you want to build a coupon binder like the one I showed to Kathie Lee & Hoda on The Today Show, read on!

When I walk into the grocery store lugging my giant coupon binder on one hip and my toddler on the other, shoppers and cashiers know I mean business!  If you want to copy my binder and create one of your own, use this FREE Download of The Krazy Coupon Lady’s 36 Categories!

Things I struggle finding the time for are neither few nor far between.  Time to exercise seems near the top of the list.  Time to prepare gourmet meals and bake my own bread aren’t far behind.  Even when I get up an hour early, it still seems that by 10 O’clock, my time is gone and my domestic ambitions are left in a heap (next to the pile of laundry that I never started).   Moms, Dads and everyone else in between—we all seem to have about 20 hours of work per day and no more than 18 hours to do it in!  Let’s all pat ourselves on the back and devote the next ten seconds to feeling sorry for ourselves.

Here’s the part where I convince you that you DO have the time to coupon!

(1)    Coupon shopping pays BIG dividends no matter how big or small your time investment.  Spend 5 hours per week and realistically save over $1000 in one month!  Only got 15 minutes per week?  In one short hour per month you can cut your grocery bill by $100!

(2)    Time is Money.  Getcha some!  Did you know that coupon clipping pays an average of $86 per hour according to the Wall Street Journal.

(3)    Maybe with all the money you’ll save shopping with coupons, you can hire a personal assistant!

How have you made time to coupon shop?  How many of you are still hanging back wondering if you’ve got what it takes?

Stockpiling alone will save you hundreds!  Stocking up on a product when it’s super cheap is not a groundbreaking idea.  It’s common sense, but most shoppers still aren’t doing it!

So, all you coupon virgins, how much do you pay for a box of cereal (name brand or generic, it doesn’t matter)?  If you’re already a Krazy Coupon Lady, how much DID you used to pay?  I don’t care where you live or shop, I’m guessing that without coupons, you usually pay at least $1.98 per box of cereal, and that’s giving you the benefit of the doubt.  I know many of you are paying $6-8.00 for a two pack of cereal at the Wholesale Club (you know, the place that’s charging you an annual fee just so they can rip you off on the cereal mark-ups)!  Come on, fess up!

Here’s how stockpiling ALONE can save you real money, no matter how much time you have to devote to deal-finding.

Even the “greenie” coupon ladies know that at least twice per month most stores will have some varieties of cereal priced at under $1.00 (after coupons).  Simply by “stocking-up” on a month’s worth of cereal the next time it’s $0.70 per box will save you $10+ per month (depending on how much cereal you eat).  My family of 4 goes through about 12 boxes of cereal per month.  I was paying about $3.00 per box before my Krazy Coupon Lady days, now I don’t pay over $0.50.  That means I save $30 EVERY MONTH just because I stockpile cereal when it’s at a rock bottom price.

The more products you shop for with coupons, the more you’ll save.  But if you’re feeling too overwhelmed, just start with a few things your family uses often.  Start with products like cereal or high priced items like shampoo and razors. What do those Costco 12 pack of Gillette razor blades cost?  $50 or more?  We Krazy Coupon Ladies stockpile razors from national stores like Target when they’re $0.99 or less (and that’s for two blades).  If you use one blade per month, you’ll save $47 OR MORE per year, just by stockpiling razors at the right time!  And best of all, products like razors don’t even take up much space!  Remove them from their bulky packaging and 6 razors+ 12 blades will just about fit in a gallon Ziploc bag!  What are you waiting for?

Stockpiling:  Groungbreaking? Nope.  Genius?  Yep.

Everyone knows that produce is seasonal.  If you want to make a triple batch of strawberry or apricot freezer jam, the best time of year to do it is during the summer when the fruit is in season and, thereby, at its lowest annual cost.  A savvy shopper waits until a product is on sale and then stocks up!  The idea is to create a stockpile that will last you 3-12 months or until the product again reaches its lowest price.

Packaged Foods are seasonal just like produce! Each calendar month brings a new batch of sales.  Here’s the predictable sale cycle for each calendar month:

January:

National Oatmeal Month: Quaker
Diet Foods including: Healthy Choice, South Beach, Lean Cuisine, Special K, Kashi, Smart Start, 100 Calorie Packs
Super Bowl Sunday:  Pepsi, Coke, chips, dips, cheese, sandwich items, crackers, snacks, wings
Seasonal Produce: oranges, pears, grapefruits, tangerines, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, kale, kiwis, avocados, cabbage, spinach
Clearance:  Christmas decorations, toys, wrapping papers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Winter Health:  cold medicines and vitamins

February:

National Canned Food Month:  canned fruits and vegetables; meats:  tuna, chicken, salmon; pie fillings
National Hot Breakfast Month:  Malt O Meal, oatmeal, Eggo Waffles, syrup
Valentines:  chocolate, Hershey’s, KY Lubricant, etc
Chinese New Year: soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, noodles
Seasonal Produce:  artichokes, asparagus, raspberries, potatoes, strawberries, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, kale, kiwis, avocados, spinach

March:

Frozen Food Month: frozen meals, TGI Fridays, Contessa, Foster Farms chicken, Eggo, Sara Lee, Healthy Choice, DiGiorno, Freschetta, Breyers, Dreyers, Marie Callendars
Seasonal Produce: artichokes, asparagus, avocados, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, fennel, kale, leeks, lemons, limes, mushrooms, onions, oranges, peas, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, tangerines

April:

Easter:  ham; eggs; some baking supplies:  sugar, spices, baking mixes, chocolate chips
Earth Day: organic foods, Energy Saver
Seasonal Produce: artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, grapefruits, avocados, mushrooms, onions, peas, rhubarb
Clearance:  after Easter sales are the time to stock up on decorating, baskets, etc for the next year.

May:

Memorial Day: BBQ sauce, ketchup, condiments, charcoal, salad dressing, potato chips, dips
Paper Products:  plates, utensils
Cinco de Mayo:  salsa, tortillas
Seasonal Produce: artichokes; asparagus; avocados; green beans; beets; blackberries; carrots; sweet Vidalia onions; peas: edible-podded peas,  English Shelling peas; new potatoes; raspberries; strawberries
Outdoor: insect repellant, sunscreen

June:

National Dairy Month:  eggs, milk (free milk Catalina, wyb cereal), ice cream, cheese, butter, yogurt, Cool Whip, in-store dairy coupons or booklets
End of June is Fourth of July Sales: hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ sauce, ketchup, condiments, charcoal, salad dressing, potato chips, dips
Seasonal Produce: apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cherries, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, grapes, honeydews, nectarines, peaches, potatoes, raspberries, red onions, summer squash, strawberries, sweet Vidalia onions, tomatoes, watermelons

July:

National Ice Cream Month
More 4th of July BBQ Sales:  hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ sauce, ketchup, condiments, charcoal, salad dressing, potato chips, dips
End of July, Back to School Sales begin:  crayons, pencils, folders, binders
Seasonal Produce: Asian pears, Bartlett pears, green beans, blueberries, corn, cucumbers, eggplants, figs, garlic, grapes, nectarines, red onions, Valencia oranges, peaches, sweet bell peppers, plums, potatoes, summer squash, tomatoes, watermelon

August:

Back to school supplies: erasers, pens, crayons, paper, binders, backpacks, notebooks, markers, note cards
School lunch items: pudding cups, lunch meat, single serve juices, lunchables
Disinfectants:  Clorox and Lysol wipes & sprays
Seasonal Produce: Avocados, beans, berries, cherries, corn on the cob, cucumbers, eggplants, figs, seedless grapes, melons, onions, peaches, pears (Bartlett), peppers (sweet bell), plums, summer squash, tomatillos, and tomatoes
Clearance:  insect repellent, sunscreen, charcoal, swim suits, gardening supplies and seeds, fans, camping gear

September:

Back to School Sales through Labor Day:  pens, pencils, paper (filler & printing), backpacks, erasers, folders, binders, dividers
Labor Day Sales: restaurants deals, movie theater perks (free popcorn, soda, concession candy), shoe & apparel store weekend passes
Diabetes awareness:  glucose meters, Glucerna cereal, diabetic care– socks, test strips, sugar free products, vitamins, weight scales
Seasonal Produce: apples, artichokes, beans, cucumbers, eggplant, grapes, onions, pears (Asian & Bartlett), peppers (bell and chili), squash, tomatillo, tomatoes
Clearance: camping gear, gardening supplies, bug spray, fans & air conditioners, BBQ supplies– grills, charcoal, lighters

October:

Halloween: candy, costumes & accessories
Baking sales (mid-October to late December): canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, baking chips, pie crust (mix and ready-made frozen)
National Seafood Month: fish, shrimp, lobster, crab
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: promotions & deals featuring participating “pink” products
Adopt a Shelter-Dog Month: wet & dry dog food, dog toys & chews
Seasonal Produce: apples, artichokes, arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, chard, cranberries, parsnip, pears, pomegranates, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, turnips, yams

November:

Baking goods: nuts, chocolate chips, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, coconut, cake & brownie mixes, Chex cereal (for homemade Chex mix)
Canned foods: soup, broth, vegetables & fruits, spaghetti sauce
Holiday staples: turkey, canned pureed pumpkin, stuffing mix, boxed potatoes, gravy mixes, ready-to-bake rolls, frozen pies, cranberry sauce, gelatin, marshmallows
Seasonal Produce: apples, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, cranberries, kiwis, lemons, oranges, pears (Anjou & Comice), potatoes, pumpkin, squash, yams
Halloween Clearance: The best time to stock up on things for the next year: door decorations, spider webs, candy bowls, yard & outdoor props, plates, cups, napkins & tablecloths, window clings, pumpkin carving kits, streamers, confetti, string lights, Halloween candy-alternatives to stretch next year’s candy bowl supply. Also party favors like: spider rings, erasers, plastic fangs, pencils, bookmarks, stickers, and bouncy balls.
Costumes: Generic items like witch hats, gloves, tiaras/ crowns, play swords, pet costumes, capes & cloaks, fangs, and fairy wings are best, especially when you have children whose preferences change year to year.
Black Friday/ Cyber Monday: Deep savings on doorbusters and advertised items ranging from clothing and toys to electronics and appliances. Research sales, make a list, and stick to it for the best results.
Seasonal clearance: rakes, outdoor furniture, bikes

December:

Holiday Dinner:  egg nog, deli platters, instant potatoes, gravy mixes, Rhodes rolls, frozen pies, cranberry sauce, Jello, marshmallows
Baking: flour, sugar, butter, cream, cake mixes, brownie mixes, muffin mixes, breads, pie crusts, marshmallows, whipped cream
Canned foods: soup, broth, condensed milk, vegetables, fruits, spaghetti sauce
Clearance:  Buy all your Thanksgiving decorations, extra table settings, and turkey carving products now once they’re at least 50% off.

In the more than one hundred years since Coca Cola and Post Grape Nuts issued the very first coupons, the face of the industry and of the coupon shopper have transformed.  With overall coupon use up 27% last year after nearly two decades in decline, the coupon has made its comeback!  But this time around, both the coupons and the consumers who use them have changed!

Whether you’re a beginner or an old pro, here’s some interesting info about how the face of the coupon industry is changing every day!

Coupons Go Digital.  Step aside, Sunday coupon inserts! Digital coupons are a rapidly growing force that will likely take over as the primary distribution method for coupons in the next 5-10 years.  Companies like General Mills say they’re moving more of their coupon budget toward digital coupons and away from Sunday papers.  Digital coupons boast higher redemption rates and often cost less to distribute.

Printable Coupons:  The most prevalent digital coupons are those that you can print right from home.   In addition to top online printable coupon distribution sites like Coupons.com, Redplum.com and Smartsource.com, companies are using Facebook to distribute their coupons in exchange for you choosing to “like” the company.   Twenty percent of the U.S. population, more than 45 million American consumers, are now using online coupons reports Simmons Market Research.

eCoupons: Otherwise known as Save-To-Card Coupons. eCoupons are loaded directly from the web to your store loyalty card.  When you purchase the designated items and use your loyalty card or phone number associated with that card at checkout, the savings will automatically be deducted from your total!  Popular eCoupon websites include Cellfire.com, Shortcuts.com, PGeSaver.com, as well as coupons that may be loaded directly from the store’s own website.

Mobile Coupons: Otherwise known as Show-and-Save Coupons.  This niche is still small but will certainly be growing as applications for iPhone and Droid continue to develop.  So far the flagship for Show-and-Save digital coupons is Target.  Sign up here to receive monthly text messages with a link to store coupons and a corresponding barcode image.  At checkout, hand your phone to the cashier, and she will scan the barcode image to redeem the coupon!  JCPenney and soon fast food chains will also be using these Show-and-Save style coupons.

Consumers Go “Krazy”!

Today’s savvy coupon shopper is younger, richer, more educated and better looking than the coupon shoppers of the last two decades!  Okay, okay, so maybe the better looking thing is just my opinion, plus nobody looked good in the eighties, but you get the idea.  The stigma surrounding coupon use is lifting, and it’s becoming chic to clip coupons and more fun than ever to get stuff from the grocery store for absolutely Free!

The Krazy Coupon Ladies are on the radar. We’re not hiding or fooling anybody.  The manufacturers know who we are, they know what we’re doing, and they’re thrilled with it!  83 percent of products purchased with manufacturer coupons in 2009 were done so by just 22 percent of households.  The Krazy Coupon Ladies accounted for 65 percent of manufacturer coupon product purchases and 18 percent of all products purchased in 2009. We drove a disproportionate amount of sales and sales growth — shopping more frequently, making 1.7 more trips than non-users and buying more (at a rate 1.8 times greater annually); source: The Nielson Company.  We are buying more (in order to create our stockpiles) and spending WAY less than we were before!

Brainy Coupon Ladies (and gents): Did you know that adults with college degrees are almost twice as likely to have used coupons in the past six months as those who didn’t graduate from high school?  Strategic shopping makes a lot of sense, and savvy consumers are not letting any of those extra dollars go to waste.  Digital couponing  and websites like TheKrazyCouponLady.com are anchored by intelligent readerships.  The statistics show that users of digital coupons are better educated than users of newspaper coupons and the general population.

Wealthy Coupon Ladies (and gents): And now for my favorite statistic.  One common misconception is that those who use coupons do so because they are destitute and have no other option but to demean themselves by clipping coupons!  Au contraire!  Buckle up for this statistic!  The consumer who prints digital coupons has an average household income of . . . . wait for it. . . . $97,000! Those who earn a household income of $100,000 or more are twice as likely to have redeemed coupons printed from an online source in the past six months than adults with a household income less than $35,000.

So come on, all you “Coupon Virgins”; it’s time to give this Extreme Couponing a try!  You’ll be in good company, and you’ll be riding a digital couponing wave that’s just getting set to pick up steam!   If you want a crash course in how you can be saving $10,000 a year  on groceries, you might consider purchasing a copy of our book, Pick Another Checkout Laney Honey, Your Guide to Save Big Money and Make the Grocery Aisle your Catwalk!  You can also start at TheKrazyCouponLady.com and click on the tab “Beginners“!

There is a Yahoo Finance Article entitled: “8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Coupons” by Amy Fontinelle that is causing quite a stir. We’ve already received several emails letting us know about it! You can read the article HERE.

I thought it would be fun to refute the article:

1. You have to buy a newspaper.
This doesn’t apply to any free coupons you happen to get along with products or in the mail, but once you pay for a newspaper, you’ve lost money. You then have to make up for that loss by using enough coupons to break even. Then, you have to use even more coupons to come out ahead. And that doesn’t even account for the value of the time you spend clipping and organizing them. – “8 Reasons why you shouldn’t use coupons” By Amy Fontinelle

1. You Have to Buy a Newspaper. I get  5 Newspapers every week. This costs me about $20 per month, which means about $5 per week. So, I am paying $1 per paper. In each newspaper, I would say there is an average of $200 worth of coupons, and I get 5– so that’s $1000 in savings per week. Let’s say I use 20% of the coupons in the paper; that means I am saving $200 each week in coupons, and I am only spending $5.00 to get the papers each week.  Not bad, right?

2. Clipping coupons takes time.
Yes, you can do it while you watch TV and turn “unproductive” time into “productive” time. But there are a lot of things you can do while you watch TV – mop the floor, prepare a week’s worth of meals or actually let yourself relax and not do anything for once. Your time might be better spent on another activity. - “8 Reason why you shouldn’t use coupons” By Amy Fontinelle

2. Clipping Coupons Takes Time. Yep, it does. For me, I spend about 1 to 2 hours each week organizing and clipping my coupons.  If we use the math from the 1st paragraph, I save about $200 from 1 week’s worth of Sunday papers (remember, I get 5 Sunday papers).  So, I spend 2 hours and save $200– that’s a $100 per hour savings!   Mopping the floor certainly doesn’t net me that kind of savings!  Now, the 2 hours that I spend organizing and clipping does not account for the shopping and planning that I have to do as well. Let’s say that the planning and grocery shopping doubles my time invested. Now we are looking at 4 hours per week– and a $200 savings. That’s still $50 per hour in savings! I could hire someone to come mop my floors and still  come out ahead!

3. Getting a newspaper invites lots of additional advertising into your home.
Advertising is powerful stuff – this is part of the reason why companies offer coupons in the first place. You might actually end up buying more stuff by having all those ads around, negating any savings you get from coupons. The same is true if a coupon compels you to venture into a store you wouldn’t otherwise visit. “8 Reason why you shouldn’t use coupons” By Amy Fontinelle

3. Getting a newspaper invites lots of additional advertising into your home. While this is true, it’s really not a sound argument. If we follow this train of thought, we’d have to get rid of our TVs, computers, magazines and radio.  Coupons are a form a marketing. And it’s a pretty solid way to advertise.  Manufacturers offer incentives for us to buy their products by circulating coupons, which we find, clip and stack with a sale or promotion at our grocery store.  Couponing allows me to pay pennies on the dollar for things I buy regularly, and it gives me the chance to buy new products that normally I would not purchase.

4. Many of the coupons will be for things you neither need nor want.Unfortunately, coupon circulars aren’t customized to your shopping habits. If you are a die-hard bargain hunter, if may be hard for you to turn down a good deal, even if it means buying something you weren’t planning on getting anyway. However, from a financial perspective, buying more than you need or want just doesn’t make sense. “8 Reason why you shouldn’t use coupons” By Amy Fontinelle

4. Many of the coupons will be for things you neither need nor want. While you won’t find coupons for every single thing you buy for your family, you will find coupons for MANY of the things you buy. Some of the most common coupons are for cereal, breakfast bars, salad dressing, soups, cake mixes, toilet paper, laundry detergent, toothpaste, diapers and wipes, razors, tampons, medicine and so much more. If you are willing to try new brands of items you are currently buying, you can save 50-90% at the grocery store, when you stack a coupon with a sale!  Coupon circulars may not be customized to your individual shopping habits, but they are directly connected to consumer spending. With the rise in organic shopping, we are also seeing a rise in coupons for  organic and “green” items.

5. Coupons can tempt you to spend your grocery dollars on things you shouldn’t.
Coupons don’t always market the healthiest foods. This might mean that they’ll lead you to buy things that aren’t very good for you. Anyone can see that clipping coupons that tempt you to purchase sugary cereals and fatty or salty snacks isn’t the greatest thing for your health. If your idea of a healthy snack is more “I’ll have an apple” and less “I’ll just have one serving of potato chips,” you’re unlikely to find much in the coupon circulars at all that will interest you. The “fruits and veggies” section of your coupon organizer is going to be a lonely place. Do you really want an incentive to bring more junk food into the house? Plus, if you have a monthly grocery budget that you stick to no matter what, coupons will only get you more food or different food – they won’t truly save you any money. – “8 Reason why you shouldn’t use coupons” By Amy Fontinelle

5. Coupons can tempt you to spend your grocery dollars on things you shouldn’t.
Clipping coupons and shopping like a Krazy Coupon Lady will leave you susceptible to more deals on foods that are not super healthy. BUT clipping coupons and shopping like a Krazy Coupon Lady does not force you to buy these items. You are still left with the choice. One of the things that I have had to learn is saying NO to deals.   Some things are not worth buying, even if you get them for free! One example, for my family, is fruit snacks. My kids LOVE fruit snacks. (In fact, so does my kids’ dentist.) When I first started couponing, I loved finding all the krazy deals on fruit snacks (we are talking 1 box for $0.25 or less)– and I would bring a couple boxes home, and my kids would have them devoured before I could blink. I soon realized that I had to stop buying them; and I did. Yet I am still able to coupon and save a massive amount of money at the grocery store.   Here is how I make it work, while still buying foods that I love and that are healthy. I save on the foods and toiletries that I have coupons for.  I pay pennies on the dollar for most of the items I buy, and I also stock up on things when they are free or cheap. That way I don’t have to pay full price when I normally would run out. This opens up my budget and allows me to afford tons of fresh produce and things that I don’t have coupons for.

6. The same coupons tend to be offered over and over again.
After a few months of coupon clipping, you’ll realize that you’re repeatedly clipping the same coupons. This might work for you if you use the same products repeatedly, but it’s not so great if you prefer variety and experimentation. You often won’t use all the coupons you clip by their expiration date, so you’ll have to toss that yogurt coupon that expired on June 30 only to clip another identical one that doesn’t expire until July 31. This is time consuming – not to mention aggravating. The redundancy of coupons is especially annoying if the coupons are for items you don’t even want to buy. – 8 Reason why you shouldn’t use coupons” By Amy Fontinelle

6. The same coupons tend to be offered over and over again. Many of the coupons that are circulated come in cycles which we see every 3-6 months. This actually works great for Krazy Coupon Ladies because every 3-6 months, when the same coupon offers come out, we can stock up. When we take advantage of these coupon and sale cycles, we can stock up on the items when we get the coupons! While we see repeated offers, we also see coupons for new products. Manufacturers put tons of coupons out for their new products as an incentive to buy!  This makes for a great and cheap way to add variety to the items we are buying. KCLs are great at cooking around the things we buy. This may require some experimentation in the kitchen, to which we have devoted a whole series. See our Krazy in the Kitchen series HERE.

7. You might become a slave to coupons.
It can be very difficult to buy something without a coupon once you get used to using coupons. Knowing that you can get ice cream for $2.50 might make it difficult for you to spend $4 on it even though many times, it would be worth it to spend the extra $1.50 rather than pine for ice cream and cast longing glances at your freezer every night for three weeks until your next coupon arrives. You might also find yourself making more trips to the grocery store in order to purchase things only when you have coupons for them. - 8 Reason why you shouldn’t use coupons” By Amy Fontinelle

7. You might become a slave to coupons. Hello, my name is Heather, and I am addicted to using coupons. It’s true; I love using coupons, and I happen to think that there isn’t a better way to save.  Because I use coupons to save $700 at the grocery store each month, I am able to cut myself a little slack in some aspects of my life. For example, when I am craving a new pair of Joe’s Jeans and find a 20% off Macy’s coupon, I’ll allow myself to splurge on Jeans because I know how much I am saving at the grocery store. Or, when I have a late night craving for ice cream and Dr. Pepper, I’ll run to the store for my midnight snack, guilt free, of course!

8. Shopping takes longer.
If you have to hunt up and down the aisles in search of the item you have a coupon for, you’ll spend more time at the store. This could also lead you to spend more money, potentially negating the savings you’re working so hard to accrue. - 8 Reason why you shouldn’t use coupons” By Amy Fontinelle

8. Shopping takes longer. Grocery Shopping will take longer when you use coupons, but most of the time is spent in front of your computer planning your trip. Luckily, The Krazy Coupon Lady (and many other fabulous blogs) take out much of the legwork. We find the sales and the coupons and match them for our readers. We tell you what’s on sale and when to buy it. We also let you know about all the awesome coupons that you can print directly from your computer!  Grocery shopping will take longer, but it will also be a lot more fun! For many Krazy Coupon Ladies, Grocery shopping is now their favorite hobby!

Bottom Line: Couponing is the best way to save LOADS of money at the grocery store, and it’s a ton of fun! Couponing is for anyone! Male, female, young or old!  Pick up our book, Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey ,and let us take you from Coupon Shy to Coupon Savvy! Go HERE to more info!

Have you converted to the Krazy ways?!? Do you think it’s worth it?

I recently saw your list of stock up prices on meat…what about fruits and veggies?  We love fresh fruit, but things like raspberries and cherries are way to expensive unless on sale.

- Amanda

The first and most obvious rule of thumb is to buy fruits and vegetables when they are in season. Find recipes that use vegetables that are in season and also pick fruits that are on sale and in season.  Try to find a local farm to pick things like Cherries, Raspberries, Apples and more. You will likely pay much less if you go pick your own.  When you find a krazy price, consider buying extra and freeze it for later use. My favorites to freeze are blueberries, strawberries, grapes and corn. Here are my Rock Bottom Prices, feel free to leave a comment and add to this list, or share your secrets!

Fruits:

• Strawberries $0.50-$0.75 per pound
• Grapes $0.99 per pound
• Apples $0.49 per pound
• Oranges $0.25-$0.50 per pound
• Raspberries $1.49 for small flat
• Watermelon $5.00 for Seedless
• Cantaloupe $0.99 each
• Lemons $0.20 each
• Peaches $0.99 per pound
  

Vegetables:

• Lettuce $0.49 per head
• Peppers, Green and Red $0.50 each
• Onions $0.69 per pound
• Tomatoes $0.99 per pound
• Corn on the Cob 8/$1.00
• Cucumbers $0.50 each

We received this email over the weekend, and I thought it would be a fun discussion to have- and I have a feeling that this reader is not alone, so I am sure it will help lots of other readers. Here is what Grace had to say:

Couponing is just great for the upper class stay at home housewife whose husband pays for the internet service and computer supplies. I on the other hand am a working middle class single mom of two. And we do not have the internet at home or a computer. At work I am not allowed to download programs, so I can’t print coupons. Please help!

I would suggest subscribing to a multiple newspaper subscription and get started on your binder. If there are just 3 of you, you may just want 4 papers. If you don’t feel like you can afford a multiple newspaper subscription there are other ways to find Sunday Papers. My favorite way is to befriend a local Gas Station and ask them to save their left over Sunday Papers for you.  Most gas stations count up their extras, write it down so that they get credit and then haul them to the trash can. I am sure you’ll be able to easily convince someone to let you come take the leftovers off their hands. When I started couponing, this is what I did, and I just went Saturday evening to pick up the papers, so by the time I got the papers they were almost a week old, but this wasn’t usually a problem.

Also, did you know that you can request Bricks Coupons to be mailed to your home?!  Bricks coupons are printables, but in the bottom corner of the page, you will usually see a “Help” link which you can click and then fill out the form (which will look like this) so they can send you the coupons via Snail Mail! They are very quick about getting the coupons to you, so you can usually get the coupon and use it on the sale you want!

Here are some of my favorite bricks coupons:
BOGO Free – Athenos Hummus Product – (bricks.coupons.com)
$2.00/1 – Clean and Clear Product – (bricks.coupons.com)
$1.00/1 – Crystal Light Pure Fitness Drink – (bricks.coupons.com)
$4.00/2 – Nivea Body Product – (bricks.coupons.com)

After you have your coupon binder started with coupons from the Sunday Paper, I would start couponing like a Krazy Lady!  I would say that 70% of the coupons I use are newspaper coupons. Sure you may miss out on a few deals, but you will be able to start building your stockpile with only newspaper coupons. Not to mention all the coupons you can find in the store, like Tearpad coupons, Blinkies and Peelies, Coupon Booklets, Catalinas and More!!!

I would love to hear from Krazy Coupon Ladies and Guys who are single moms or dads. How are you making it work? Do you have internet at home? Is anybody couponing with only newspaper coupons?