A Crash Course on Couponing
I like to coupon. Notice that I used the word coupon as a verb and not as a noun, because I do not simply just use coupons to save on a few cents or a few dollars on my grocery bill. I use coupon to create a decent amount of stockpiled household items that in the long term will save me more bucks – hundreds even thousands. Perhaps, this practice can be called Extreme Couponing but, seriously, I do not think that I am in that league yet.
I have a few friends and family who always ask me how I
do it – get things cheap or even for free.
Paid $8 + tax for everything at Vons.
This article is a crash course to
those who just wants to know the basics of couponing.
Where
to get coupons:
1. Local Sunday newspaper inserts (LA Times and LA
Opinion). There are three inserts – Red Plum,
Smart Source and P&G.
2. Online such as coupons.com and redplum.com. Brands also offer coupons on their website.
Check pgeveryday.com, bettycrocker or healthyessentials.com
3. Mass retailers or grocery store websites offer coupons
and special deals that you can directly download to your store card. Ralphs
even offer a coupon for (1) free item every Friday.
4. Catalina prints form the cash register – these can be
in the form of coupons or cash backs.
5. Peelies (coupons stuck on the product), Tear Pads and
Blinkies that you can find at the store shelves. You will find these coupons beside the
actual products that goes with the purchase.
Other
tools needed:
1. If you are still not yet enrolled to any store rewards
and loyalty programs, now is the time. By simply enrolling and using
your discount card, you can automatically bring down your grocery bill to 10-30%.
2. Know your stores coupon policy. It is available online on the store's website. It is also best if you
keep a printed copy of the policy for those ‘just-in-case’ moments. Be warned
that not all store employees know their own coupon policies.
3. Plan
to have your own organization method. Having a handful of coupons is easy. But
once you get into the flow of couponing, you would definitely need to have a
system to keep your coupon inserts and clippings organized. Some people categorize their coupons according
to product type by using envelopes or baseball card binder inserts. Others keep
the entire inserts together and arrange them by date. As for me, I use both methods. I only clip
the coupons that I know I will immediately use and then I just keep the inserts
in a box for later.
4. Know
your store’s sale cycle. Pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens and Rite-Aid) begin their
week on a Sunday and ends on Saturday. Grocery stores (Ralphs, Vons, Food for
Less, etc) begin their week on Wednesday and ends the following Tuesday.
How to coupon and snag deals:
1. Scan
your weekly ads. Pay attention to the sale prices.
2. Scan
your coupon inserts and match up the coupons to the ads. This task is a bit
tedious. For an easier approach, you can also check some online couponing sites
for deal match-ups. I like hip2save.com and krazycouponlady.com. You can also follow other couponers in your area on Instagram. They usually post deal
match-ups a few days before a sale begins.
3. Note
that you can use your coupons on sale and clearance items. The lower the sale
price, the bigger the possibility that you can snag it for free by using a high
value coupon.
Sample Deal and Breakdown from this week’s
sale:
-
Ralphs
is having a buy 5 save $5 sale. This means that if you buy 5 (or in multiples
of 5) qualified items, you automatically save $5 (per five item).
BUY:
(2) St. Ives Facial Scrub – original price:
$4.99, sale price: $3.49, buy 5 price: $2.49
(3) Glad Food Storage – original price: $4:99,
sale price: $2:50, buy 5 price: $1.50
Total before buy 5 sale: $14.48
Total after buy 5 sale: $9.48
USE:
(1) $3 off 2 St. Ives, Pond’s or Noxzema
coupon from Red Plum insert dated 7/26.
(3) $1 off 1 Glad Food Storage coupon printed
from coupons.com
Total after coupons: $3.48 (+tax)
What are CVS Extra Bucks, Walgreens Register
Rewards, Target GC and Rite-Aid Plenti Points?
These
are ‘money back’ programs that are offered by these stores to increase member
savings. All these rewards are good as cash and can be used on your next
purchase. Details for these kinds of deals are posted on each store’s weekly
ad.
Common Couponing Linggo:
BOGO
or B1G1: Buy
One Get One FreeB2G1 or B2GO: Buy 2 to get one free
Blinkie: Machine located at the aisles that spits out coupons
Catalina Machine: Machine at the cash register that prints out CAT coupons.
CAT: A coupon that prints from a Catalina machine. These are good on your next purchase.
CPN: Coupon You get coupons
CRT: Cash Register Tape (receipt)
Double: When the store doubles the face value of the coupon
DND: Do Not Double
DNT: Do Not Triple
ECB: Extra Care Bucks (CVS Stores)
E-Coupons: downloaded Electronic Coupons
EX or Exp: Expiration date
FAR: Free After Rebate
Free Item Coupon: Coupon that makes the item absolutely FREE
GM: General Mills coupon insert found in most Sunday papers
HOT: Hot deal or hot coupon
Inserts: Loose coupon booklets found in the Sunday paper
IP: Internet Printable Coupon
IVC: Instant Value Coupons (Walgreen’s rebate booklet)
MIR: Mail In Rebate
MFR or MQ: Manufacturer’s Coupon (Q) = Coupon
NED: No expiration date
OAS: On any size
OOP: Out of Pocket
OOS: Out of Stock
OTC: Over the Counter
OYNO: On Your Next Order
OYNP: On Your Next Purchase
Overage: When the face value of the coupon is more than the purchase price you save more than the item actually costs
P&G: Proctor & Gamble insert
PDF: Coupons that do not require installation of a printer/No Print Limit
Peelie / Peelies: Coupons that are on the front of a product and can be peeled to be used on your current shopping trip
POP: Proof of Purchase (used when sending in a rebate)
PSA: Prices starting at
RA: Rite Aid Pharmacy
Rain Check: A slip of paper that entitles you to purchase restock items that has run out at sale price
Rebate: A deduction from an amount to be paid or a return of part of an amount given in payment
RP: Red Plum insert
RR: Register Reward
SCR: Single Check Rebate
SC: Store Coupon
SS: Smart Source insert
Stacking: Refers to using a store coupon and an manufacturer’s coupon on the same product
Stockpile: The place where you keep all of your bulk or extra items
Store Coupon: Coupons that must be used in a specific store
Tearpad: A pad of coupons that is found on a store shelf or hanging in front of a store shelf
UPC: The Universal Product Code
WAGS: Walgreens
WYB: When You Buy (Ex: Get 1 free WYB 4 items)
YMMV: Your Mileage May Very (This means that each store and location may have different rules)
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