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Earn Free Money for College with UPromise

admin — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:54:21 +0000

My husband and I created a UPromise account several years ago, before we had children, to help pay off our student loans, and now we are also saving for our children’s college funds with UPromise. It’s free, easy, and secure. Go to Upromise.com and create an account. Provide your debit card numbers and store loyalty card numbers (like Bi-Lo, CVS, etc) and whenever you do your normal shopping, a portion of what you spend will go to your UPromise account.

Thousands of retail stores, online stores, restaurants, and name-brand products are Upromise partners (Dell, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Staples, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, Johnson & Johnson, and tons more) and help donate a portion of your purchase to your Upromise account. My family has earned hundreds of dollars in our Upromise account over the years and it hasn’t cost us anything extra – it’s just from making purchases on every-day things we were going to buy anyway. You can even send invitations to your family members to link their debit cards or store loyalty cards to your UPromise account, too. Go to UPromise.com to get started.

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-Attention consignors: the Bows to Toes Spring/Summer Children's Consignment Sale Drop-Off Starts Thursday, Feb 9! Go to bowstotoessale.com for all the details!
-Thank you, Paint the Town Pottery in Cleveland , for sponsoring FunandFrugal.com! They are now at 4009 Keith St and are taking reservations for their Spring Break Art Camp for Bradley County schools March 26--30, 1--4 P.M. They'll be painting pottery, painting on canvas, tie-dying t shirts, and lots more. Space is limited--please enroll by March 1. Call 423.618.0976 if you have any questions or need an application. Visit their website here or facebook page here .
-New coupons for 2012! FunandFrugal.com would like to thank one of it's sponsors, Caywood School of Karate in Cleveland! Check out their coupons on FunandFrugal.com/Coupons : Free trial class w/ no purchase required or 25% off purchase of uniform or 1/2 off first month with purchase of uniform (limit 1 per family, may not combine with any other offer) exp. 12.31.12. Thank you for supporting FunandFrugal.com by supporting our sponsors!

Enter the “NIVEA Kiss of a Lifetime Contest” and you could win a trip to New Year’s Eve in Times Square

admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:07:43 +0000

“KISS OF A LIFETIME CONTEST”

NIVEA is on a mission to find America’s next deserving couple to experience this once-in-a-lifetime moment this New Year’s Eve in Times Square, see below on how to enter!

Contest Details:

Enter the “NIVEA Kiss of a Lifetime Contest” on NIVEA’s Facebook page – http://on.fb.me/NIVEANYE2011. All you have to do is “Like” their page and submit your love story through their “Kiss of a Lifetime” app before November 13, 2011.

Public votes will then determine the winning couple deemed “America’s Most Deserving Couple” to win the grand prize, which is:

· The couple will be flown to New York City where they’ll join Bill & Giuliana on the NIVEA Kiss Stage in Times Square on New Year’s Eve for the year’s most spectacular kiss

· Two exclusive VIP tickets to the New Year’s Eve party at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square

· The couple will appear in NIVEA Lip Care’s new commercial set to air on New Year’s Eve

Watch the short NIVEA “Kiss of a Lifetime Contest” video clip here.

Disclosure: I was provided some free NIVEA lip care product samples in exchange for posting this information.

Friday Freebies & Finds September 30, 2011

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:14:51 +0000

Happy Freebie Friday, Everybody! Looking for some affordable family fun this weekend? Check out FunandFrugal.com/Calendar for upcoming events like Cleveland Chick-fil-A Pajama Day, The Backyard Festival at Paint the Town Pottery, Free Lowe’s Kid’s Workshop, Ronald McDonald’s Autumn Children’s Festival, and more!

Here’s a round-up of some freebies and good deals…

Reminder: every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day on SwagBucks.com! That means you have better odds of winning bigger denominations! SwagBucks.com is a Search Engine that randomly rewards you with digital dollars called Swag Bucks that you can spend on a variety of items in the Swag Store, including gift cards for itunes, Amazon.com, Target, Starbucks, and lots more! I’ve gotten a couple itunes gift cards as gifts for my hubby. **NEW SwagBucks sign-ups can get 100 Swag Bucks (70 bonus on top of the normal 30 for new sign-ups) for creating an account by using code BIGTIMEBUCKS by Mon, 10.3.11!**

BABY

Free BabyTalk magazine
Sign up for daily deal emails from Totsy for exclusive offers for moms, babies, and kids.
Join Pampers Gifts to Grow Rewards program and receive 100 free points toward your purchase of Pampers goods.
free sample of Simply Right™ Baby Care infant formula. (Thanks, Southern Savers)

COUPONS

$4 off Allegra plus additional monthly savings, allergy tips, and more
Sign up for Kellogg’s newsletter and receive $5 in coupons and special offers and promotions.
Eye Care Centers of America or Vision World – get 2 pair of glasses for $99
Freebies 4 Mom tells you here how to get free $2 in Extra Care Bucks from CVS
Check out FunandFrugal.com/Coupons for lots of great grocery/household printable coupons!

FACEBOOK

Request a free sample of Emergen-C Kidz (vitamin C fizzy drink mix, Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom)
Click on the “Like” button on the Energizer Facebook Page to print a $3/1 Energizer Max 8-count AA or AAA batteries coupon. (Thanks, Money Saving Mom)
$.55 off Sunbelt Granola cereal

FOOD

Save 90% off at Restaurant.com through Friday, Sep 30 with code WOW
Still available – printable coupon for free chips & queso from Chili’s when you sign up for their e-mail newsletter. I’m on their email list and I like knowing when upcoming Kids Eat Free and other promos are. Plus, they just emailed me a coupon recently for a free appetizer for my one-year anniversary of being in their email club.

FITNESS/WELLNESS

The Cleveland YMCA is waiving the joining fee during the month of September 2011, which will save you up to $75! No contracts! Over 75 group fitness classes, including Zumba, Pilates, Step, Muscle Conditioning, and more; Indoor and outdoor pools; Teen Center, Youth Center, Child Watch area; racquetball courts; sauna, steam rooms; 9,000 sq foot wellness center; and more. Call 423.476.5573 for more details.

FREE SAMPLES BY MAIL

Prilosec OTC
Zantac 150
Free sample of Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry toothpaste (Thanks, Money Saving Mom)
Disney Gummy Vitamins–select a “Princess” or “Cars” sample. You should receive your sample within 8 weeks. (Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom)
Dial NutriSkin Body Lotion (thanks, Money Saving Mom)

PETS

PHOTO

Order a free 8×10 photo canvas ($49.99 value) from Canvas People for first-time customers when you pay $14.95 shipping. Or free shipping and 40% off.
Get five free folded card from Snapfish with code TRY5CARDS thru 9.30.11

TRAVEL

Request free travel brochures for various locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Free travel guide to The Outer Banks in NC
Sign up for Dunhill Travel Deals e-newsletter for savings up to 70% off vacations, cruises, air fare, and more.
Sign up for Disney Magical Ways and receive information and special offers from Disney.

OTHER

Save $10 on Halloween costume orders of $75+ from buycostumes.com with code buyc10 thru 10.31.11.
Get one free t-shirt in the design of your choice from Vistaprint (just pay s/h.)
Go here for a list of promo codes for Blockbuster Express kiosks good thru Mon 10.3.11 (Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom)
Have you signed up for Living Social? If not, you’re missing some great local daily deals! Restaurants, movies, retail, massages, salons, photography, and tons more at 50% off or more!
Saveology is another great daily deals site. If you don’t see your city on the list, choose “national” – they recently had a $10 Steak n Shake gift card for only $5.

$2 Off Wisk Laundry Detergent & Other Printable Coupons

admin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:26:28 +0000

Coupons.com released some new printable coupons, including $2 off Wisk Laundry Detergent! That’s a great high-value coupon. I printed my two and will hang on to them to hopefully pair with an upcoming sale. I have gotten Wisk laundry detergent cheap at CVS and Publix before. Some other great printable coupons I saw on Coupons.com were:

$1/1 All Free & Clear Oxi-Active laundry detergent

$1/1 Emerald Breakfast on the go!

$5/1 Claritin non-drowsy 24 count or higher

You can also find printable coupons from RedPlum; SmartSource; and CouponNetwork.

Join Vocal Point for Free and Get Coupons and Free Samples by Mail

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:13:59 +0000

Have you joined Vocal Point yet? I did 2-3 years ago and have enjoyed getting free samples of name-brand products including cereal, granola bars, deodorant, razors, and more. They’ve also sent me high-value coupons and even coupons for free products with no purchase required. You just sign up one time and they periodically send you free stuff in the mail. The idea is that you will try the products and like them and share how great they are by word-of-mouth. Sign up today by clicking here. It’s only open to women, sorry guys.

Attention Shoppers!

white — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:07:33 +0000

Think you’re a great shopper? Have you read through our Coupon Clipping 101 series and thought “well, I do all that and more!” Well, CNBC wants you to think again.

I plan to record this tonight (9pm 10pm Eastern, CNBC), and see if I can learn some new strategies for making the most of my money at the supermarket!

Winter Wandering–Free Museum visits

white — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 01:05:29 +0000

This time of year cabin fever can strike hard. But now that the weather’s easing up a little bit, why not get out and about!. Jump-start your brain with a visit to an area museum – free!

Here are some options:

Tennessee State Museum

505 Deaderick Street, Nashville, TN

Open: Tuesday – Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m.

Closed: Mondays and four holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

FREE ADMISSION always

http://www.tnmuseum.org/

This amazing museum has over 60,000 square feet of permanent exhibits and 10,000 feet of changing exhibit space.

Follow the history of the State of TN from prehistoric days through frontier times, Antebellum days, the Civil War and Reconstruction to the New South.

Cool things to make sure you see are:

Daniel Boone’s musket
200 year old dugout canoe
Conestoga wagon
powder horn presented to David Crockett
middle-class farmer’s cabin reconstruction from 1830
3,600 year old Egyptian mummy (this is really cool, in a small glass case you can get very close to it!)
real Civil War cannon
President Andrew Johnson’s piano

See a Virtual Tour to get a good idea what you will see when you visit!

In addition, you can visit the Military Branch Museum across the street (also free) which includes exhibits dealing with America’s overseas conflicts beginning with the Spanish-American war in 1898 and ending with World War II in 1945.

Hunter Museum of American Art

10 Bluff View, Chattanooga, TN 37403 p: (423) 267-0968

M,Tu, F,Sat – 10am-5pm; Wed, Sun – Noon-5pm

Free first Sunday of every month, under 3 always free

http://www.huntermuseum.org/

Right now they have an amazing exhibit of American studio glass called Jellies: Living Art. Designed to pair with a visit to see the jellyfish at the Aquarium, you don’t want to miss these amazing glass sculptures inspired by jellyfish! World-renowned artist Dale Chihuly’s Macchia series is represented along with stunning glass works from masters Stephen Powell, Cork Marcheschi, and Thomas Spake.

The next free date is Sunday February 6, 12-5pm

Museum Center at 5ive Points

200 Inman Street East, Cleveland, Tennessee 37311, 423-339-5745

Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Closed Sundays, Mondays, and Holidays

Free first Saturday of the month, under 5 always free

www.museumcenter.org

Learn about the history of Cleveland and Bradley County with a visit to the River of Time permanent exhibit at the Museum Center. Ask for a scavenger hunt sheet for the kids and learn about life in East Tennessee through the years.

Find out:

what a singletree is used for.
how to “sleep tight” in the frontier days
how a first aid kit saved Paul Huff’s life.
why Cleveland is the “stove capital” of the United States.
what does a fossil feel like?
how do you turn a train engine around without a turntable?
how big is an Olympic kayak?

Special exhibits are available throughout the year; the Stitches in Time Quilt Exhibit is up from January 27-March 12, 2011. See over 100 antique and modern quilts, and vote for your favorite!

The next free admission day is Saturday, February 5, 2011.

Visiting Museums with Children

Some suggestions for visiting a museum with children of all ages:

preview your visit online. Look over the collections and note things you want to see. The kids will be much more interested at the museum if they can look to see if they can find things they saw online.
go over museum behavior. Explain why we can’t touch the artifacts (oils on our hands will eat away at the objects) and why we use indoor voices. Talk about what a museum is and why we have them. You and they will be less stressed if everyone knows what is expected of them in advance.
give them a camera! All three of these museums allow photography of their permanent exhibits. The Hunter Museum requires you not use flash. Giving the kids a camera and asking them to document their visit really helps you see where their interests lie.
preserve the moment. Take home a brochure, post card, and photos, and do a scrapbook page with your kids. Let them choose which photos to include, and ask them to tell you about them and write their comments onto the page. Even if you’ve visited the museum before, you’ll be surprised how their impressions of the experience change over the years, and glad to have the record for posterity!
most of all – be curious yourself! Children learn by seeing us learn, and an adult who is willing to ask questions of the museum staff, and who reads and engages with the exhibits is the best example.

Have you visited an area museum lately? Any suggestions or do-not-miss moments you can share?

Coupon Clipping 101–Part 3

white — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:06:21 +0000

This is a guest post from Jennifer who is covering for Gloria while she’s working on another project.

We often get questions about how to get started clipping coupons. You see these amazing stories about people saving all kinds of money, and wonder how on earth they do it? Well, you could take a class or read websites for hours… or learn just what you need to know at Fun and Frugal!

Last week in Part 2: Finding Coupons we learned where to look for coupons. We explored our local newspapers, websites and magazines. Now we’re ready to go shopping! (Don’t’ miss Part 1: Pre-Planning either!)

TERMS

When you’re out and about in the couponing world, you will come across some terms specific to couponers – coupon lingo if you will. Here are some terms you might see on websites or in blog posts or even on coupons and in ads that you will want to be familiar with:

BLINKIES = In-store smartsource coupons near product, usually from red blinking box
BOGO or B1G1F or B1G1 Free = Buy One Get One Free
BTFE = Box Tops for Education
B&M = Brick & Mortar, as opposed to an online store
CAT or CATALINA = coupon you get at register with your reciept
CRT = Cash register tape
DND = Do not double
ECB = CVS Extra Care Bucks earned for purchases
FAR = Free after rebate
FREE ITEM COUPON = A coupon that allows you to get the product completely free
HBA = The health and beauty aid section in the grocery store
IVC = Walgreen’s Instant Value Coupon ( Found in the monthy EasySaver Catalog )
IP = Internet Printable Coupon
MFG = Manufacturer’s Coupon
MIR = Mail In Rebate
NED = No expiration date
NonSS = Non-Sunday Supplement. Coupons you did not get in your Sunday paper.
OOP = Out of pocket
OYNO = On your next order
P&G = Proctor & Gamble coupon insert found in the Sunday newspaper
PEELIE = Coupon that you peel off the package
POP = Proof of Purchase, which is usually the UPC bar code.
RP = Red Plum Coupon Insert found in the Sunday newspaper
RR = Register rewards – a Walgreen’s program
SS = Smart Source coupon insert found in the Sunday newspaper
STACKING = Using a store specific coupon with a MFG coupon (most stores allow this)
TEARPAD = A pad of coupons found hanging on a store shelf
UPC= Universal Product Code.. The bar codes on each item which stores usually scan to get the price.
WYB = when you buy
YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary = Success of the attempt may vary at your store

So if I tell you “At Store XYZ you can STACK a MFG coupon with a TEARPAD WYB on Fridays, but be careful, YMMV” what I’m really saying is,” At Store XYZ you can use a manufacturer’s coupon with a tearpad coupon on the same item, but only when you are shopping on Friday, and all stores may not allow you to do that.” You may find yourself needing to refer to this list on occasion, but you’ll quickly pick up the lingo!

KNOW THE RULES

The most important thing is to know the rules of the different stores where you shop. Each chain has its own rules, and they even can vary between stores in a particular chain where each manager has discretion. Being familiar with each store’s rules will help you decide where you can get the most from your coupons – will they let you stack a MFR and store coupon? Can you use two coupons for BOGO items?

Remember, you get more flies with honey… not that anyone wants flies! But be pleasant, patient and polite and often you’ll get a “well, just this once” answer when you want to do something out of the ordinary!

GROCERY STORES AND CHAINS:

Bi-Lo

double up to $.60 (everyday)- must use a Bi-Lo bonus card
BOGO you can use 2 coupons
On BOGO, you do not have to buy 2, it will be ½ price if you buy just 1
Will not double store coupons or blinkies
Look for their Meal Deals
They will accept more than 10 coupons per same transaction, but they will only double 10 per transaction.
Look for mark-down stickers throughout the store: Red on products about to expire (mainly dairy); Purple on clearance/discontinued items; Yellow on meat
Ask for a rain check if they are out of a sale item.

Food Lion

BOGO you can use 2 manufacturer coupons
BOGO you can only use 1 store coupon (FLIP-Food Lion Internet Printable coupon)
Ask for a rain check if they are out of a sale item.
Sign up for the baby club at FoodLion.com. New coupons are available to print from their website every quarter.

Publix

double coupons up to $.50 (everyday)
BOGO you can use 2 coupons
Look for “penny” coupon in Wednesday’s paper ad / Mystery coupon
Look for coupons at the front of the store (or at the customer service desk at the Ooltewah Publix)
Some stores will take competitor store coupons, such as Publix and some Bi-Lo stores.
Sign up for the baby club at Publix.com. They will mail you coupons until your child turns two. Some coupons are for free products with no purchase required!

Wal-mart

BOGO you can use 2 coupons
Will price match, but not BOGO deals; will add 10% if price-matching Super Saver since they add on 10% at checkout.
You can read a copy of their coupon policy here.

Super Saver

Takes coupons
Adds 10% to your bill at checkout (regardless if you use coupons).

Target

Target.com updates coupons on their website weekly. They say Super Target, but can be used at regular Targets, too.
You can stack Target store coupons and manufacturer coupons
Will not give overage. (If you have a $1 coupon for a $.99 item, they will only give you $.99 off.)

K-Mart

Doubles up to $2 (during certain dates) but varies by region. Cleveland K-Mart doesn’t always participate. The rules get more strict each time. Lately, they have required you to spend $25 and limit 5 coupons to be doubled. Read the ads carefully before you go.

DRUG STORES:

CVS

has the Extra Care Bucks program – Money Saving Mom has a great explanation how it works here.
Watch for ECB items – they are marked in the Sunday flyer, and sell out quickly!
You also earn ECBs quarterly depending on how much you spend.
You can stack CVS store coupons and manufacturer coupons.
Scan your card at the price-checker kiosks inside the store and it will spit out random store coupons.

Walgreens

Has the Register Rewards program, similar to the CVS program, but you don’t need a loyalty card to earn RRs.
You can use an Instant Value Coupon with a Manufacturer coupon (plus apply for rebate)
Easy Saver Rebates – if you use a gift card you get more money
If out of a sale item, ask for a rain check.
There are several types of items you cannot redeem your rewards towards such as prescriptions, tobacco products, lottery tickets, gift cards. See all the rules here (note: for the holidays they were calling it Jingle Ca$h, and have not changed the website)

Rite Aid

will accept internet/ print at home coupons up to $5 off
Rite Aid coupons printed off the internet are not subject to the $5 maximum
+UP Reward coupons (earned with purchase) can be used in multiple up to the amount of purchase before sales tax.
will take more than one coupon on a single item, but no more than one Rite Aid coupon( UPC starts with 49), one Rite Aid Valuable coupon (UPC starts with 48) and one manufacturer’s coupon per item.
see all their rules here

OTHER STORES

Family Dollar

only accepts coupons for free items if they’re BOGO, not just for one free without purchase requirement
will let you stack a manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon on the same item, max 2 coupons per item
all coupons must have scan-able bar code (including internet printables)
will not give ‘cash back’ if the value of the coupon is greater than the price of the item
see the complete rules here.

Dollar General

coupons must have expiration date and barcode
coupons must clearly say “Manufacturers Coupon” or “Dollar General Store Coupon”
only accepts coupons for free items if they’re BOGO, not just for one free without purchase requirement
will let you stack a manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon on the same item, max 2 coupons per item
see the complete rules here.

Big Lots

does not take coupons
has started a rewards program called Buzz Club where you can earn up to 20% savings.

Sam’s Club, Costco – do not take coupons

Restaurants

most have online clubs where they will email you coupons or other offers.
some have birthday freebies for kids
some have birthday freebies for adults
here’s our list of Cleveland restaurants offering free or cheap kids meals
look for schools selling discount cards as fundraisers, some have BOGO offers on them.

WRAPPING IT ALL UP

So now you have:

checked your pantry and freezer
created a meal plan
gathered your recipes
made your list (s)
chosen recipes that work with the sales
matched coupons to your lists
looked for store coupons to stack with manufacturer’s coupons
registered for loyalty cards and rewards programs

and you’re ready to head out and save some money! You should now have an idea which store has the most items you actually use on sale. You can shop multiple stores if you have time, or pick the one with the best offers this week.

Strategic Shopping

Once you’ve been doing this for a while, you will notice that some types of items frequently have coupons available, while others almost never do. By being alert to these cycles, you can maximize your savings by shopping strategically. When you find an especially good deal (i.e. item on BOGO at the store, with BOGO manufacturer’s coupon or sale item with store coupon and manufacturer’s coupon and reward $) get as many as you can. This is why people often purchase multiples of the same coupon online or buy more than one newspaper. If you use a lot of paper towels, and they go on sale for $2 off, and you have a $.50 coupon that will double and a $1 store coupon, you might get the towels for $.99. That’s worth stocking up on! But remember, play fair and leave some for someone else. Clearing a shelf of available items is bad manners. Don’t assume the store has more “in the back”. Most retail stores have very little storage space, and what you see is what they have. Sharing the deals with others is fair and helps to ensure that you won’t get to the store with your carefully honed lists and coupons only to find an empty shelf! (And if you do, don’t be shy about asking for a rain check!)

We hope you’ve found these posts helpful, please feel free to share them with your friends!

Coupon Clipping 101–Part 2

white — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 23:55:46 +0000

This is a guest post from Jennifer who is covering for Gloria while she’s working on another project.

Last week in Part 1: Why Clip Coupons? We prepared ourselves to start clipping. We inventoried our supplies, created Meal Plans, gathered our recipes, checked the sales and made and revised our lists. Now we’re ready to get clipping!

Part 2: Rounding up Resources

This is where a lot of people end up throwing up their hands and giving up! Either it seems that there are so few coupons out there for things they really need that it’s not worth the effort, or they end up with so many coupons and spend so much time shuffling through piles of outdated bits of paper that they get frustrated and quit.

It doesn’t have to be that way! We will show you where to find coupons you will really use, and what to do with them once you have them so you don’t get overwhelmed.

Where to Get Coupons

There are many sources for coupons, and you want to be sure to check all of them regularly. Let’s look at each source and what it can do for you:

Sunday paper –

Almost every Sunday edition of a newspaper will have some coupons, but the larger the city, the bigger quantity and higher value those coupons will be. The Cleveland paper has a few, the Chattanooga paper a few more, and the Atlanta papers even more with higher values! So pick up the paper you think you will use the coupons from – try an Atlanta paper and see if the coupons are offsetting the cost for you.
You can even purchase multiple copies of the paper. Every couple of months you’ll see a surge in coupons as old ones expire and the companies put out a batch of new ones. That might be the week to go get an extra paper or two!
But before you do that, check with friends, family and neighbors. You’d be surprised who doesn’t use their coupons and wouldn’t mind saving them for you. My mother used to mail me her inserts from New York every week! They were great because often they had very different offers than we were getting here. My sister picks up the paper from the driveway of an elderly neighbor and brings it to her door in exchange for being allowed to pull out the coupons first. Don’t be afraid to ask.

Internet Coupon Sites - before you go looking online for coupons, you might want to set up a “junk” email address to use when you have to register at a site. Just keep in mind you will want to check this address regularly so you don’t miss offers sent your way!

You can follow our links to Coupons.com, RedPlum and SmartSource coupons. Before you go make sure your printer is loaded up with paper and ink, and is working. You can print two copies of every coupon by hitting the “back” button and refresh button on your browser after printing to print a second time.
Check these sites frequently as they do add coupons throughout the month. Many of the coupons are ‘limited quantity’ so it’s good to check at the first of the month when they renew most of them. They will ‘run out’ of the best ones quickly, so I find it’s good to go right at the first of the month then about once a week after that.
Be selective. When I first started I was printing everything that sounded remotely good just in case it would go on sale. Then at the end of the month I was throwing away handfuls of printer paper and ink! I find that Tuesday nights is a good time to do this, because I can see the store flyers for Wednesday online and can scoot over to the coupon sites to see what coupons will go with the sales. But more on that later

Manufacturer’s Web Sites – Most manufacturers have a website, and it’s worth checking your boxes and cans or using Google to find them, especially for the makers of products you use regularly. Not all manufacturers will offer coupons on the site, but often the highest value ones will come from them.

Many manufacturers also have facebook pages, and make special offers to facebook fans. You can find these pages by searching facebook or checking the website for a facebook link. Lately we’ve seen some very good coupons and even free samples on companies’ facebook pages, so you want to be sure not to overlook this if you use facebook.

Other Web Sites –

Fun and Frugal www.funandfrugal.com – links to coupons.com, RedPlum and SmartSource printable coupons can be found at FunandFrugal.com/Coupons.
Southern Savers www.southernsavers.com – store deals, manufacturer deals and lots of other great stuff like links to free samples

Magazines – All You Magazine is particularly full of high value coupons every month. It is my experience that the coupons usually cover the cost of the subscription and more. You can subscribe here.

Keep your eyes open when you read other magazines. Some will have coupon inserts glued between the pages – they’re like little booklets you can just tear out. Others may have the occasional coupon in an ad. Keep a little pair of scissors by your easy chair and clip these as soon as you see them, so you don’t forget and lose out.

Stores – You’ve seen those little red thingys on shelves that spit out coupons at you, right? Look for them. Even if you don’t need to purchase the item right now, put it in your stash for later. Same thing with the tear pad coupons you see sometimes in drugstores and other places. But PLEASE be fair and only take what you think you will use and leave the rest for someone else. Coupon grabbing is not kind or fair, and there will be plenty to go around if we are all just reasonable!

Purchase Online – Believe it or not, you can purchase coupons online! (Technically you are paying for the coupon-clipping “service” because it is illegal to sell coupons.) There are several sites where you can browse their inventory and order up whatever quantity of a particular coupon you want. These are tricky to navigate, because the prices vary depending on the desirability of each coupon and how far off the expiration date is. Watch the dates very carefully, and take into account it will take a few days to a week for you to receive your coupons from the service. Ideally you want to be able to figure out what’s going on sale next week and order quantities of a coupon for a sale item and have the coupons get here before the stores run out of product. Not always possible, so just look for things you use regularly, then even if they don’t go on sale you’ll still get the benefit of the coupon.

The Coupon Clippers – The Coupon Clippers is a service that clips coupons and will send them to you for a fee. Each coupon listed will show the details, how many they have in stock, the face value of the coupon, when it expires and how much they charge per coupon. For instance: Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats thin rolls on ONE qty avail 19 (Min order qty 1) Value $0.40 expiry 2/27/11 Handling Fee $0.08. Type in the Qty you want in the box and add to your cart, checkout when you’re done. I like this site because it has a “New Orders Ship” box at the top to tell you when they’ll be shipping coupons out next so you know when they’ll go out to you!

The Coupon Fairy – yes, you too can be a coupon fairy. If you have a great coupon that will expire before you will need the item, why not leave the coupon on the shelf next to the item? Maybe the next person to come along will be able to take advantage. I’ve benefited from the Coupon Fairy more than once, and always leave the coupons I decide not to use. I’m sure the stores aren’t thrilled with this practice, but if you are neat and just tuck it under the box or can or leave it neatly on top, and you’ll be blessing someone with a little discount!

So off you go to gather your coupons. Once you’ve got them you’ll want to make the most of them. On Wednesday we’ll go over some of the strange terms you might hear in connection with coupons like CATALINA, OOP, STACKING, ECB, and BOGOs, then we’ll talk about tricks to maximize your coupon savings!

Coupon Clipping 101

white — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:52:19 +0000

Here is another guest post from Jennifer, who is helping out Gloria this month while she is tied up with another project.

photo by dmdonahoo

Over the next couple weeks we’re going to give you a good foundation in coupon clipping. We’ll cover all the basics – what, when, where and why!

Part 1: Why Clip Coupons?

To save money! Duh! Could there be more than that? You could save money other ways – buying less, buying generics, buying on clearance. So why clip coupons?

To get the most from your money! It’s not just about saving. You might want to:

try a new product without spending much money
keep using a more expensive brand that you prefer
be able to purchase larger quantities for the same price
shop at a store with slightly higher prices because you like their service

Start With Pre-Planning

Before we get to the actual coupons, you’ll want to do some pre-planning (if you don’t already do this as part of your routine).

1. Know your stock – take inventory of your fridge, pantry and freezer. You don’t want to be spending money on things you don’t need or overstocking to the point that you can’t use the items before they expire.

2. Create your Meal Plan – go to your calendar and mark all the days you’ll be preparing meals at home. It may be fewer than you think! Think ahead to your schedule on those days: will you need a quick meal? Will everyone be eating together or at different times? Will you have time in the morning to set up a crock pot dish or do other meal prep chores? Making quick notes now will help you be sure you have the foods you need on hand when you need them.

3. Gather your recipes – this is the time to write out all the meals your family loves. Then add in some things you’ve been meaning to try – maybe healthier options, or an ethnic cuisine. Don’t use your rice cooker much? Look up a couple of recipes that call for cooked rice to keep handy.

Now you’re ready to start looking at the sale flyers! You can find them in your Wednesday newspapers (here in Cleveland/Chattanooga) or online. BiLo, Food Lion, Publix, and other stores have their weekly circulars online, and often post a sneak preview at next week’s sales which really helps your planning! Don’t forget the non-grocery stores – Kmart, CVS, Walgreens, Target all carry grocery items and when you find a good sale can be even cheaper than the grocery stores.

4. Make your list – working from the flyers or websites, list everything that’s on sale that your family might use. Even if you’re not out of it right now, list it. You will probably find the same item in more than one location, that’s ok, list it anyway. We’ll consolidate the list later. Right now you just want to get on your radar everything you might want to purchase.

5. Check it twice – Go over your lists with your recipes and note which recipes would be possible to make with the items that are on sale this week. You’ll have to use your judgement – if the recipe requires a main ingredient that’s on sale but several minor expensive ingredients that aren’t, it may not be a good choice. On the other hand, if the main ingredient is usually inexpensive but there’s a minor ingredient on sale at a great price, this might be a good week to make that recipe! Choose which meals fit your schedule for the next week (or two weeks or month) and put together a Meal Plan for the family. Add any items you will need to make those meals to your list, even if they aren’t on sale. (Here’s where having done that pantry inventory comes in handy!)

NOW you’re ready to gather your coupons! But that’s another blog post – just matching your menus with the sales will save you money for now, and getting your pantry and recipe inventory out of the way will make this process much easier for future weeks. Sunday we’ll talk about where to find coupons and what to do with them once you have them!